IrishAyes
IrishAyes's JournalDesign ?
In this 100-yr-old Queen Anne I'm (slowwwwwly restoring) what used to be the large entry has one 15' high long section of honey oak paneling too pretty to replace or paint. I don't want to drywall and paint the other 2 main walls and ceiling.
I'd like to use beadboard on the ceiling - how would it look to use the same white beadboard on those 2 other walls? Too much? Should they be drywalled and painted even though that would make the area have 3 distinct different styles? If so, what alternatives can you suggest that wouldn't clash with the honey oak paneling and beadboard ceiling I want to install?
Normally I don't hesitate about design decisions. But even though I know what I lean toward in this situation, I don't want to pass up any better suggestions either.
Pulling the Princes From Their Throne
Here's my latest offering to the letters column of our local regional weekly:
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Well, folks, I missed the actual Christmas deadline for this contribution, but I still want to share something found on one of my favorite websites, crooksandliars.com. As you might imagine, they go hard after the underbelly of public life. The first four paragraphs are copied verbatim as allowed, and in italics; the following paragraphs represent my own condensation of what else the writer Mike Lux had to say on the matter.
"He has pulled down the princes from from their thrones and exalted the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away." Mary, quoted in Luke 1:52-53.
"The Washington, DC version of what's left, right, and centrist are very strange indeed. People who want to blow holes in the federal deficit by giving away promiscuous tax cuts, subsidies, and bailouts we can't afford to profitable industries are considered conservative. People who advocate policies opposed by 80% of Americans, such as cutting Social Security benefits, are considered centrists. And people who advocate common-sense policies supported by 70-80% in the polling are considered far to the left.
"And the people who would agree with the ideas of the people revered in the religion adhered to by a majority of Americans are so far to the left that their views are off the radar screen.
"I was thinking about this because it's Christmas time, and so I was thinking about what the mother of that radical preacher, that guy who said his job was to bring good news to the poor and proclaim liberty to the captives, had to say."
Now if you want to read the article in full on the web, here's the link where you can find it: http://crooksandliars.com/2014/12/pulling-princes-their-thrones For those who'd rather settle for my summarization, be aware that I've added just a few of my own opinions which don't always jibe exactly with those of Mr. Lux.
Keep in mind that in biblical days an inn didn't resemble even a Motel 6 of today. Private rooms? Forget it unless you had a lot of camels. Most people slept crowded together in a bunch on the ground with a crude roof if they were lucky. Although I understand why folks are so fond of that 'no room at the inn' story, and it does carry great symbolic meaning, I still maintain that the Holy Family were better off in the stable. At least they had some peace and quiet, a little privacy for the most important birth in history.
Lux points out that Mary, poor and persecuted, was quite the radical. She said the rich would be sent away with nothing, and she raised at least two sons who echoed their mother's radical teachings (from God Almighty), according to what we see written in the Holy Bible. Jesus and James both led major rebellions against the established powers of the day and were executed for their trouble.
In Luke 6 (I find Luke the most radical of the four gospels), Jesus is reported to have said that it is the poor - you know, the ones today's pharisees, the GOP, falsely condemn as lazy and greedy - who would inherit the kingdom of God and the rich who would go hungry. Woe to the nations and people who refused to feed the hungry and care for the sick. (BTW, don't think for a minute that's a job modern churches can or will cover completely; it's too huge and whether conservatives like it or not, it requires well coordinated big government. So sue me for using what many consider a swear word.) Jesus actually praised the virtues of the poor and his brother noted in James 2:6 that it was the rich who plotted against the poor and dragged them into court.
That's a pretty radical stance in any era. We know (as Jesus certainly did) that not all rich folks are bad. Some put their God-given wealth to excellent use for the public good. The problem lies with those who buy elections and corrupt our democracy, "... who slip riders designed to make them wealthier into must-pass legislation in the dead of night, who need to be pulled from their thrones," says Lux. (If anyone slept through the last few weeks, I'll refer them to that bastion of crooks, liars, and thieves, the GOP.) That isn't a far left position in reality; most voters know we're being robbed, they just don't realize it's the Koch-besotted corporate-welfare-loving GOP hand in the public's pocket. A lot more will wake up to that soon, though, when they see the juggernaut headed for the poor and the remants of the late great middle class.
Lux further notes that Elizabeth Warren, far from being the devil's handmaid portrayed on Fox Spews, promotes views that 70-80% of Americans agree with according to ethical and scientific pollsters. Most citizens want to prosecute those bankers who wrecked our economy with their reckless and illegal fraud, break up the biggest banks and strengthen oversight of the others, expand Social Security benefits, raise the minimum wage, reform the student loan system and lower that debt, and improve our infrastructure (roads, bridges, etc.) and education system. We could actually make a huge dent in those needs if we ever got serious about making giant corporations pay their fair share of the taxes by closing their loopholes. But Warren's a milquetoast moderate compared to Mary, Jesus, and James!
Warren's wide popularity stems from the fact that she promotes common sense solutions and speaks truth to power with an eloquence few possess. So as we reflect on the Christmas story, we should remember simple justice and common sense have usually sounded radical to those in power throughout history. And that they'll often stoop to criminal lows to maintain their power.
Your friend on the Christian Left,
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As usual it took me 4 tries to correct every mistake I made - needing new glassses again! - but I hope everyone in this forum enjoys it anyway. I really like crooks and liars dot com and Mike Lux.
Squatting Under the Flag of Liberty????
In another group I fell into dialog with someone who claimed 1/4 Irish ancestry and seemed at least partially in favor of what I was saying at the time. Since I didn't consider that group the proper outlet for further discussion of the matter, I posted that I'd rather continue our talk via PM, which we did a few times.
While I neither expected nor wanted an endless loop, I was ever-so-slightly bemused when things took a sudden turn south. The other person latched onto a comment I made about having an historical group photograph of Michael Collins' private squad on my office wall along with others from the early 1900's.
Suddenly I was accused of "squatting under the flag of liberty" after that person read my next reply to his questions. Here's the pertinent text of what I'd written before he stomped off in a self righteous huff:
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"As for Sinn Fein, indeed it was unjustly put on a watch list in the past due to politics - they're for full Palestinian independence as well as their own, which places them in the cross hairs of certain American constituencies and allies. Since the recent Easter Agreement, they were properly removed from said list. I've always found it passing strange when a country such as ours had to fight for its own independence from an imperialist power but then turns around and wants to deny someone else the same right.
Thanks for your concern, but I'm not a member of Sinn Fein. I don't hold Irish citizenship, for one thing. I'm merely a member of Friends of Sinn Fein (American chapter), as a second-gen Irish American whose grandfather and gg stood with Collins - who, btw, advised strongly against the Easter Rising as premature and doomed to failure even though he participated in solidarity with his brothers. Dev sent him to England to negotiate the partition so he wouldn't have to take the heat himself, then turned around and had Collins assassinated because he posed a threat to Dev's own power. (also, Friends of Sinn Fein is not an hereditary group like DAR; anyone in sympathy with their goals for a just and free Ireland can join on FB.)
One thing amused me; I saw copies of that picture for sale on an Irish commercial website and just for fun, asked if they knew the men's names. They answered no, so I sent them a link to an MI site with the archived information. Of course the Brits had eventually learned everyone's identity at the time, but they just couldn't catch them and the names were added later. There's no harm in giving anyone that information because it's public record now. Everybody's dead and gone anyway. But I don't think they should be forgotten. It will be interesting to see if Sinn Fein ever addresses that in the current commemorations, which Fine Gael and Labour are trying so hard to muck up. Labour's really a Brit lapdog and Fine Gael's not much better. I know Gerry Adams likes to keep his finger poked in their eye, and rightfully so. I hope he'll be able to reach the goal of a completely free and unified island dwhich cost Collins his life."
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Oh, I forgot to mention earlier: my erstwhile pen pal also assigned me traitor status because of foreign affections. Or maybe it was Benghazi cuz Murica, who knows. Nothing to lose any sleep over, is it? 
Easter Rising Commemorations
If anyone wants to keep updated on plans, the Sinn Fein fb page or even Friends of Sinn Fein (US chapter) is a good source. They're mad and I don't blame them because Fine Gael and Labour are not planning to do the matter justice. You'll learn a lot of history along the way, or refresh what you might already know. Regardless, it's worthy of your time no matter which side your ancestors fought on.
Sinn Fein's poised to win a commanding majority in the next election, btw. They are the true populists we need more of over here.
Regarding ceiling fans
Has anyone else ever had the pull chain mechanism refuse to turn off the light?
Two years ago an Amish contractor, while here to do other things, offered to hang the ceiling fan for me. Well, it wouldn't work but I knew there were other possible causes for the problem so I let the matter drop. TWO YEARS LATER I finally got somebody to do electrical work and they found the other guy had just crossed the wires.
After a couple ecstatic weeks, all of a sudden the problem already described reared its ugly head. Took several minutes to get the danged thing turned off, which I can't do at the wall switch because that also controls the fan blades which are needed badly. Twice since, I've forgotten and turned it back on which seems to work easily enough; the blasted chain just doesn't seem to want to work in reverse.
Would a squirt of WD-40 in the chain cavity on the motor work and/or be safe to the electrical work?
Not to worry. My massive ego actually enjoys being bested! At least when it's for such a grand
cause as support of President Barack Hussein Obama. I dunno.... maybe I can skate or skip rope or mop floors or chew gum or SOMETHING! better than you, dear heart. But when it comes to more important matters, you and Sheshe are peerless.
As to the baking soda, that's why they said to let it sit undisturbed overnight,
to form a good lump that would only gradually release particles into the tank water.
I wasn't planning to get the de-icer on my skin - that's why I won't use it around my dogs either. But if you think I need to buy the rock salt type, I could save the single bag for use outside the gate when there's a heavy coat of ice on the ground and I'm expecting rare company.
The idea of some passive system appealed to me because I'm down to one microwave oven now, and I don't like to heat something my feet have been on in the same oven where I cook food. Even though I do wear heavy socks and big fuzzy house slippers/boots. Since my handyman friend put in the new electric breaker box and rewired my living room ceiling fan properly, plus installed my big dual fuel floor heater that will take care of a warehouse! I'm technically able to keep the house warmer. But I still dress heavily and use as little fuel as possible. That means desk height might be 65, but it can still be much colder at floor level where my feet are. I've got a pair of Ugg-style fur lined boots that keep me warm enough; I just like to save them for when I have to walk out in the snow.
It was easier when the chows were alive, because they liked to each claim a foot and stretch out over it. That was always warm!
A couple new tricks up my sleeve
1) Make your own handwarmers with the de-icer crystals of choice by securing them in a plastic zip bag.
I'm going to try filling a large dishpan with them and use it as a foot warmer where I'll be sitting awhile - sofa, desk, wherever. Just cover the crystals in a big plastic wrapper so they don't stick to the bottom of my feet and track all over the house.
2) A good way to keep the toilet cleaner between major scrubs: empty a small box of baking soda into the toilet tank after the lash flush of the night. Be careful not to block the exit pipe, although the stopper should have that covered. Overnight the baking soda will form a good lump, but every time the toilet is flushed the little bit of soda that keeps leaching into the tank water will go along to do its work.
NO, YOU ACTED LIKE A LOWLIFE JERK!
And I want you to know I said so before I block you in about 30 seconds from now. The more slimey excuses you manufacture, the worse you sound. And not just to me either. You had to advertise your boorishness all over the internet - at least on this website.
So bug off.
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Gender: FemaleHome country: US
Current location: retired to MidWest
Member since: Mon Feb 18, 2013, 10:15 PM
Number of posts: 6,151
