Reading news every day assures one that there never is–nor ever will be—a dull moment.
With the two political conventions behind us you would think that there might be a lull and a shortage of news— but fear not…that never happens.
This mornings’ news features many new stories but I have a few favorites.
First Mayor Rahm Emannuel of Chicago is having trouble with the Unionized teachers who oppose some of his plans for Chicago schools. Emanuel favors establishing some charter schools as an alternantive to Chicago’s troubled and turbulent public schools. The Union wants more than an 8 % pay raise and have threatened to walk off the job at midnight on Monday. The Mayor also has favored many school reforms (which Unions despise) such as giving the principals wider hiring latitude, a longer school day, tougher teacher evaluations. Chicago public school lag way behind on national educational averages and the standards do not meet national criteria either. Read all about it: CHIACAGO BRACES FOR FIRST TEACHER STRIKE IN A GENERATION” (Reuters news on Sept 8 2012)
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta faces criticism for poorly equipping U.S. Military forces for voting in this national election. The Pentagon is suposed to have upgraded and improved voting for the Military by providing assistance at military bases around the world…but guess what? Those promises have not been met. Isn’t it strange that when Dems/Liberals are in the position of sandbagging the White House, that military votes are suppressed quite deliberately? It happened before in the earlier 2000s when Al Gore was a candidate. The Liberals know that the Military folks so not favor their people or programs so in an attempt to waive the constitutional right to vote among the Military they make it hard to vote in various ways. Too bad they don’t take voter identification as seriously as they do suppressing the military votes.
Read all about it:” GOP SENATORS ASK PANETTA TO MAKE SURE TROOPS CAN VOTE”
The British military has sent Prince Harry back to Afhanistan. They probably want to keep him away from vacations in sin cities with large hotels and pools and bathtubs. Maybe they should assign him to cleaning out the most primitive latrines in base camps in the boondocks of Afghanistan. They can’t put him on the front lines because he IS an heir to the throne (in the same sad, immoral tradition of Edward VIII) but they might like to try that also…putting him on the front lines.
“NOW THEY TELL US: PRINCE HARRY SENT TO AFGHANISTAN”
I have always gotten a laugh out of former Editor of the Wash. Times Wes Pruden’s sardonic humor and sarcasm.
Today as Editor Emeritus he has an op- ed titled “GOD, JESUS, JEWS AND GOOD OLD BUBBA CLINTON”
It is a rollicking review of the Democratic convention just this past week in Charlotte, N.C.
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It is a cool morning and I shall enjoy the fall coolness by sitting in my “hytte” and reading a few more of chapters of BIG WHEAT by a Minnesota author named ***Richard Thompson. It is set in 1916 in the era when farmers all over the upper midwest and southern Manitoba and Saskatchewan raised acres and acres of wheat. The crop had to be “threshed” by huge traveling crews of threshermen and women who took care of the cooking for the crews who harvested. It is a fascinating novel that traces a murder mystery in Big Wheat country. (there is an unbalanced killer..The Windmill Man—- who is convinced his sacred calling it to put blood back into the soil after it is plowed and he does so by murdering random victims (mostly young women) and burying their slahed and bleeding and ravished bodies far enough under the soil so a plow won’t unearth them.
The story is gripping but I am irritated by the modern language used by the author’s characters. If an author wants to re-create an era (such as 1916) in his setting, he better not have them talk to each other like hip conversationalistS of the 21st century. (It is a stupid and distracting mistake which I would gladly point out if I ever saw him and that is why old English teachers are so unwelcome to many readers and writers).
I remember the eloquent language of TRUE GRIT which captured the language of its setting perfectly
Enjoy this lovely cool Saturday. It is SO refreshing to have cool air instead of the burning, damp-ish air we had so long earlier this summer
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*** OOPS! the author of “Big Wheat” is not Frank but Richard Thompson.
