The Blaisdell Blog

What would the New Year be without a list?   Here, in order, are my top 10 blogs by number of views. 1 .   Peter W. Higgs, A Nobel Prize and the Music of the Spheres (October 9)   I was delighted that a science blog took first place.   “Unlike the Nobel for Literature, which seems to go to any dull, obscure 2 nd world writer who sees the world as a forlorn and gloomy place, or the Nobel Peace Prize which has turned into a political joke with America as the punch line, the prizes in the hard sciences: physics, economics, chemistry, and medicine are genuine acknowledgments of expertise and merit.   This kind of knowledge challenges mankind.   It makes us test ourselves on every level from physical to metaphysical.   It makes us better people through an appreciation of the music of the spheres.” 2.   Lenten Sacrifices and Stranded Whales (February 26) featured my husband (a trained member of the coastal rescue for the Texas Master Naturalists) “He and the others will

Christmas is not my favorite religious holiday.   I like Christmas and I do not mind the mixture of secular with religious messages that it holds.   It is just that for religious significance Easter and Reformation Day hold stronger messages.   But today is Christmas Eve and I am enjoying the spirit of the season despite the above disclaimers.   It is Christmas’s secular trappings that always draw me in. I love Christmas trees (pagan), Christmas cards and letters (Hallmark), Santa Claus (a Turkish monk), and all the glitter of wrapped gifts.    Oddly, I hate opening the packages.   They look so lovely, their contents a magical mystery of endless conjure.   Even as a child I would sit back and watch everyone else open their gifts and I would defer, defer, defer.   I still do.   There is an endless supply of great Christmas movies.   George C. Scott is amazing in A Christmas Carol.   Jimmy Stewart in It’s a Wonderful Life; the musical schmaltz of Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Ro

Today is the 100 th anniversary of the Federal Reserve System, affectionately and reverently known as the, “Fed.”   Since the creation of our country, we have created two documents that show real and enduring genius.   One is the Northwest Ordinance and the other is the Federal Reserve System.                 I do realize that many members of the lunatic fringe think the Fed is part of some nefarious system of world dominance.   They are paranoid, ignorant and, yup, I’ve double checked this—wrong.   The Fed is a central, independent governmental agency.   Its Board of Governors oversees the work of 12 regional Federal Reserve Banks in districts across the country.   The Fed sets the nation’s monetary policy, supervises and regulates banks, and helps to maintain the stability of our financial system.               You need only look at the difference between the financial stability of our country, and those without an independent central bank to see the value of the Fed. The

I don’t watch Duck Dynasty.   It was recommended to me; I tried and didn’t last 5 minutes.     My idea of, “reality” television means real writing, real dialogue, real acting and real production values.   The venue of the program does not bother me.   While I certainly won’t be out in the cold, itchy, buggy wilds to bring down a duck, I will eat all of them you want to bring home.   In fact, if you will do the messy gutting and plucking I will cook the bird, all side dishes, provide the wine and clean up afterwards.   Yup, I’m a city girl, no apologies offered.   That being said, I simply do not get the angry response to Phil’s interview in GQ.   First of all, GQ wanted this interview to fill a certain niche.   If Phil had come off as a closet liberal who simply likes to go to a vanilla flavored church they would have shelved the whole interview.   They wanted him to say something that rings bells, and, clever business man that he is, he not only rang a bell, he applied a mallet

I was called for jury duty today.   The jury pool of some 200 souls was a predictable buffet of humanity.   We got through security, checked in and were shown a video on the joys, responsibilities and misconceptions of jury duty.   Then we waited. A brief questioning thinned the herd.   One by one they went through a list of disqualifications and people got up to leave.   “Under eighteen?”   Excused.     “Over 70?”   Excused. “¿Se puede leer y escribir en Ingles?” Can you read and write in English?   No?”   Excused.   “If you have been convicted of a felony or are currently under indictment for a felony or misdemeanor you are excused.”   I figured that might cause some hesitance or chagrin.   Nope!   There were a handful of the loud, proud and in the crowd who left with a smile on their face.        “Those of mental instability or moral turpitude…” were asked to excuse themselves.   That one had no takers.   I guess if you know you are weird or depraved you keep i

It is a few weeks before Christmas and my husband and I were making some last minute shopping stops before heading home to settle into uninterrupted rest and football time.   It included the hardware store, because that makes Tom happy, and the liquor store, because that makes me happy.   We picked up some bourbon (also for Tom), some scotch (for me) and joined the line at the cash register.   That is where I go a short lesson in voting equality.   In the very long line at the register of that south Texas liquor store there were both men and women.   There were lots of Latinos, a few blacks, at least one Asian and my husband and I.   We were there along with a few other, “Winter Texans” who all look as white and mid-western as a ‘50’s sitcom.    Here is the instructive part:   person after person who came up to the two working cash registers handed over a credit card to pay for their purchases, and every one of them was asked to show a photo I. D.   And guess what?   They all d

Merry Christmas!   There, I’ve said it.   If you absolutely have to say, “Happy Holidays,” or, “Seasons Greetings” feel free, but don’t hesitate to look me in the eye and jump in with a, “Merry Christmas.”   It is both joyful and triumphant. But I don’t want to stop there.   Let me add a few other greetings.     For all of my Jewish friends: Gut Yontiff and Happy Hanukka.   For those of you who are part of the West African diaspora, “Habari Gani?” which is Swahili for, “What’s the News?” This is the traditional greeting for each day of Kwanzaa.   I offer a Joyess Kwanzaa to all of you.   And I applaud your celebration of the seven corps principles.   I’m not done yet.   How about Namaste, “Salutations to you” in Sanskrit.   For that matter, since Hindus celebrate Dawali, their “Festival of Lights” in the fall, may I add a hearty, “Sat sri akal.”   [Of all the foreign spoken references that celebrate seasonal days of note, this is the one I find the most charming.   It mea

I am, by birth and training, an unreconstructed Capitalist.   People who make money—even obscenely large amounts of money—deserve to keep it.   Why?   Because it is THERE’S!   They earned it.   If you make your money legally I have nothing but admiration for you.   Those Americans who, through talent, training, initiative, hard-work, or even dumb luck, have been able to get rich deserve credit, not scorn.    I am not a 1%-er.   My childhood was not one of privilege.   If you can remember a time when your wardrobe included exactly three dresses, one for church, one for school and one to trade off with your younger sister for variety, you were growing up, “poor.”   The first bedroom I remember clearly was in the unheated upper story of a Minnesota house.   I shared a bed with two sisters; we had an orange crate turned on end with a piece of muslin hung across the front to hold our folded clothes, and a broom handle, suspended by wire behind the door, for a closet.   Now, I tend to