I remember the days before computers changed our lives. When I was a lad, I first trained as a civil engineer in the late 1950s to early 1960s. There were no electronic calculators, and all calculations were performed either manually, by trigonometric tables, or by using a slide rule.
We used to analyse the stresses and bending moments in structural elements using advanced mathematics based upon first principles, knowledge of which has long faded from my aged brain. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a classic two-pinned arch design which we studied. If you drive past both abutments, you will see the huge supporting pins which take the entire load of the bridge.
Read more: Fings ain't what they used to be computers killed the slide rule
What is the luck of the Irish? Many people think it is a good thing to have.
I asked one of our commenters ( Paddy ) what it meant and he said to me " Well, my old Gran used to say that if it was raining soup, we'd be carrying forks. "
And that sounds like a pretty good definition to me.
Read more: The Luck of the Irish - a story of soup, forks and always looking for the bright side
Throughout history, we have seen Nations triumph or be crushed by authoritarianism and it all comes down to the strength of the Leader at the helm.
But strength when exercised through fear and strength exercised through Patriotism and love are two entirely different matters.
Hitler was strong but he ruled with fear. Xi Jinping is much the same. Pol Pot. Idi Amin.
Read more: King Haakan VII of Norway - the King's Choice in the face of fear
Imagining the worlds of an 11, 14, or 16-year-old in one of my classes over the last three years strikes me with grief at times. Suddenly, with the flip of a switch, everything these children held onto in the world outside their immediate homes ended.
Friends they laughed and gathered with each day in middle school went away; teachers who greeted them or hugged them in high school or posted their artwork or essays in the classroom disappeared; the Dungeons and Dragons club they attended every Friday night with dozens of high school friends stopped; the young musicians they played with each day at school were ordered to stay home; soccer practice and games stopped; church youth groups did not meet.
What we need right now is a bull in the China Shop. Someone who can sort the buggers out.
No wonder the Left hates Trump and wanted him gone. They threw everything they had at getting him out of power and were not worried about breaking every cup, saucer, jug or plate if that meant that he and his Presidency was over.
For decades, the Bull in the China shop has signified a rampaging beast who storms through the door and smashes everything to pieces.
People who live lives that are out of the ordinary run the risk of being hailed by succeeding generations as legends, and of having the most intimate details of their lives scrutinized. All of us leave public records that may in the future be used to piece together our lives for better or for worse, though at the time we never consider that possibility. Big Brother and others have tabs on us even in death. Hannah Glennon, ‘Red Jack’ of horse breaking, droving and bush racing fame, would no doubt be totally perplexed by the interest shown in her today, as she never sought fame. She would also be horrified by the public airing of her dirty linen (she was a laundress at one stage) gleaned through official records; such, however, is the price of fame.
The crown of America sits in a gutter begging someone to pick it up before the nation collapses— Auron MacIntyre, The Blaze
In an interview with Fox News’s Bret Baier last Tuesday, FBI Director Chris Wray said, “The FBI has for quite some time now assessed that the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan.” Like so much else in America’s tortured, distractable life these days, the meaning larded into that that utterance went clear over the collective heads of just about everybody.
Read more: Nurse Nice Day - a story of good intentions, facing reality and Yaks
I am not going to start with the obligatory " some of my best friends are gay , but... " statement, because they are not.
I have only known a few people who chose a different path on which to travel their lives and, while I do not judge, I am not that fussed one way or the other about which side of the sexual fence they choose to sit or lie. All I have ever asked is that they keep their private lives in their homes.
Instead, we are under a constant barrage of Gay Pride marches and Drag races. leading us to a demolition derby against normal human behaviour.
The downfall of Irishman Oscar Wilde is an object lesson to all of those who would sue for defamation –be it for slander orally,or for libel in writing. A defamatory statement will be forgotten sooner or later, but any skeletons which any plaintiff suing for defamation might have hidden in the closet, will be exposed for all to see. This will apply even if the plaintiff should succeed. A case in point is that of Oscar Wilde.
Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin Ireland in 1854 to a distinguished and influential family. That was during the time when all of Ireland was under the parliamentary control of Great Britain.
Read more: The famous and infamous Irishman Oscar Wilde -- a man with skeletons in his closet
I have some family friends who are in their 70’s and, some time ago, they lost their old dog to the big puppy club in Heaven.
After some years, the wife decided that they should get a new pup. A terrier cross. Anyone who has had a Jack Russell or any kind of terrier will know that they eat energizer batteries for breakfast and only have two speeds: fast and really fast. Terriers are a mix of Formula 1 and Demolition Derby.
A few months in, hubby is unhappy and complaining that the little fella is a handful, too energetic, too demanding and too tiring. All I could say was “ at least it’s not a woman. “
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