I'm writing this today with an eye stuck closed some of the time and with a face that still looks as though I've been scraped along the highway head first after being thrown off of a motorcycle. Elaine wants to go shopping, and if we encounter any friends in the stores, I will tell them that Elaine beat me up.
Lots of local news today, but lets go to National News first:
The National Spelling Bee is being held at Oxon Hill. Comedians and comic writers have been hired to provide sentences for tough words and to make the proceedings interesting to TV viewers. Some of these kids are able to spell words that I would not believe they had even ever heard before.
Salaam, catalepsy, mastodon, odyssey, belligerent, coloratura, Jacuzzi, and even sporran!
Now, come on, you know what a sporran is...its that pouch that hangs down kind of obscenely in front of your kilt. It is usually made of skin and fur, and is designed to hold your money, ID cards, or left-over haggis.
These kids are very smart..and yesterday's Carroll County Times had an article about a smart young man (20) who has had a PhD for a couple of years already and who will be using his brain power productively.
And on this week's America's Got Talent, a 9 year old loquacious pianist told that panel that he had already "skipped" 5 grades in school and was in the 8th grade. He said that he would be skipping a couple of more grades this year. He played well, but a Mozart he wasn't. I'm afraid that if the panel had "buzzed" him, he would have broken down and had a tantrum right there on stage. I think that "skipping" grades is not good for all kids, because some kids need peer activity. My cousin, Charlie, was an exception. He skipped a couple of grades, but still retained a great personality.... he eventually became a well-known college professor and had a physics discovery named after him.
Do you remember the "Quiz Kids?" Maybe you are too young. These were smart kids, mainly from New York, who were on a weekly question and answer show. One of my co-workers at Social Security had been one of those kids. His name was Murray Freed.. and he definitely was one smart guy. His brother was also well known.. Bert Freed... you remember him I'm sure. He was in almost every detective mystery movie. He was a big tough-looking guy and usually played the gang leader. Murray said that his brother was really a "softie." I wonder if there is a book about the "Quiz Kids" show .. a "Where are they now" type?
But not all kids and young people that are smart have common sense. For instance, the 22 year old California student who killed six people and wounded 13 in a mad rampage. Oh.. and he had recently purchased three semi-automatic handguns.. legally.
And speaking of guns.. what about the three year old who shot his 1 1/2 year old brother with a neighbor's gun? And he was too young to take the NRA's gun safety course.
Guns were also used to assault and rob Pontius Pilate in Silver Spring. No.. you Bible reader you, this was an actor who was playing the part in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot.
There is hope though. The Associated Press reports that 30% of the world is obese, and is getting fatter. That is good, because fat people do not like violence. How many fat people's faces do you see on Wanted Posters?
Local News:
The Carroll County Time published a scathing opinion piece about our current County Commissioners whose accomplishments in office include:
Staging an off-site summit for climate change deniers.
Declaring English as the official language.
Opposing new gun laws.
Hold closed-door meetings.
Upholding religious prayers at open meetings.
Screwing up the Carroll County budget.
Dean Minnich mentioned in his monthly column today that Commissioner Richard Rothschild is calling the three "Conservatives" running together for the School Board, as his "guys." (Will that kill their chances of being elected?)
Dean also gave some details about the Carroll County "game" of stealing opposing politicians' signs
or else putting their signs up so that the others are blocked. He mentioned that the husband of one of the candidates was "caught in the act" of playing this game a couple of years ago.
TRIVIA:
Carroll County, Maryland average Teacher's salary is $56,670, the 4th lowest in the State.
Maya Angelou spoke 6 languages.
Sebastian Agudelo, poet, has three poems in this issue of the Nation magazine. One of which has the title: Mugwump. His first line is ""If you got to look it up, don't use it."
Well, I had not heard the word used for many years, so I looked it up.. and I will not use it after today. It's a Wampanoag word from that tribe that populated my birth State of Massachusetts. For them, it meant war-lord, or similar. The colonists adopted the word and this is probably a time line of its usage:
1633: duke, officer
1800: boss, bigwig (of a minor sort)
1884: Republican turncoat, politician who would not commit
(Someone who sits on a fence, his mug on one side, his wump on the other)
Today: minor official.. self-important and obnoxious
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