Guest Post – Scots on Trump

January 27th, 2017 → 6:19 am

“Trump’s a clay-brained guts, knotty-pated fool,
whoreson obscene greasy-tallow catch, right?” 
                    – Ruth Davidson, leader of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party,
                       the second largest party in the Scottish Parliament

Mexico’s president recently canceled a meeting with Donald Trump.  Other world leaders have admonished him harshly.  But Ruth Davidson takes the cake with an apt Shakespearean insult.  The best part is, she could have gone further.  That quote comes from a larger comment about the lying, ridiculous Falstaff which Trump does strikingly resemble (minus the humor).  Here’s the larger quote:

“These lies are like their father that begets them,
gross as a mountain, open, palpable.  Why, thou
claybrained  guts, thou knotty-pated fool, thou
whoreson, obscene, greasy tallow-catch–“ – Henry IV, Part I

Translated into modern English:

These lies are like the man who tells them:
huge as a mountain, obvious, and plain as day.
You clay-brained fatso, you knuckleheaded fool,
you son of a whore, you obscene tub of lard—

Filed under: Blog & Politics/Politicians & Stupid/Evil People

Alternative Facts

January 24th, 2017 → 5:07 am

“Truth’s a dog that must to kennel. 
He must be whipped out, when Lady Brach
may stand by th’ fire and stink.” – King Lear

This is Trump’s approach to the truth, that it must be whipped and beaten like a dog, while falsehood (Lady Brach) gets to stand pride of place by the fire and stink the room up.  Ugh.  So depressing that there is a history to this.

Filed under: Blog & Politics/Politicians & Stupid/Evil People

Guest Post – Obama as Hamlet

January 16th, 2017 → 5:41 am

“And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought.” – Hamlet

Opining on the end of the Obama presidency, author Ann Wroe wrote in The World in 2017 about Obama’s speech patterns and his excessive use of pauses.  Apparently, people have written entire dissertations on the length and number of Obama’s pauses – who knew?  It’s an interesting essay on his thoughtfulness, but also his sometimes damning hesitation.

Filed under: Blog & Politics/Politicians

Under the Weather

January 12th, 2017 → 6:24 am

“Restoration hang
Thy medicine on my lips.” – King Lear

I’m feeling a bit under the weather right now.  Here’s hoping things get better soon!

Filed under: Blog & Self/My Life

Looking Young

January 8th, 2017 → 8:15 am

“How much more elder art thou than thy looks!” – The Merchant of Venice

I’m at a work conference right now, and in the elevator last night on my way to the ceremony where I was sworn in as president of the august and venerable Transportation and Public Utilities Group (TPUG), a young man turned to me and asked, “Are you headed to a job interview?”  It took all I had not to laugh out loud.  I know I’m small and I look young, but that young?  Lovin’ it!

Filed under: Blog & Self/My Life

Guest Post – Stefan Zweig

January 5th, 2017 → 6:06 am

“Meet the time as it seeks us.
We fear not.” – Cymbeline

Stefan Zweig opened his memoirs with this line (at least, the first line), before he committed suicide in 1942.  He was trying to understand, and face, Nazi Germany and all the upheaval happening in Europe at the time.  It seems fitting today.  2016 was such a tumultuous year, and we don’t know what 2017 will bring. But let’s face it, and try to fear not.

Filed under: Blog & Other