WTF-Beta

Just taking a cue from his buddy Putin.

Big Al

Conducting government business over private e-mail accounts. Wasn't that a complaint against Hillary Clinton when she was Secretary of State?

Big Al

I think most people on this forum will find something they like (needlework, pictures, antiques, china, trains, etc.) in this visit to a home in Freeport, PA.

Big Al

I found the Guiness in Australia more to my liking than what is sold in the USA. Here, I agree with PD about there being much better stouts.

Big Al

https://www.compactmag.com/article/how-trump-can-make-architecture-great-again/

A pitch for the aesthetic of the federal government buildings of the 1930s-40s and a return to that for new public buildings.

Big Al

I had ignored this thread until now. There's some very impressive needlework in here.

I must say, though, that I am frightened by the slippers. They could be very easy to fall in on hard surfaces such as wood or tile floors. I remember a fall I took years ago when I went into the kitchen in my stocking feet. I was leaning with my back to the counter when my feet started to slide and there was no stopping them. I slowly slid down until I landed seated on the floor. I imagine at my age now I might have slid quickly and possibly gotten a significant injury.

Big Al

A wee bit of good news.

Big Al

Good luck. I've grown trees from seedlings but have never tried propagating the seeds themselves. It shouldn't be too difficult because trees naturally self-propagate, albeit sometimes with the help of animals or the wind.

That being said, we have a couple of oak trees in our yard that were naturally propagated and a whole fence row of assorted oaks, wild cherries, and sassafras trees and a black oak at the rear of our yard that were also naturally propagated. The sumacs are constantly trying to take over flower beds without any assistance.

Big Al

That was an interesting read for me because I grew up on a dairy farm.

My father did milk testing for awhile. There was a glass carboy full of sulphuric acid housed in a wooden crate in the basement of our home that was used for the process. I was strictly enjoined from messing with it, but boys will be boys. It was way too heavy to lift or spill but one day I took the stopper out. There must have been traces of acid on the stopper that I got on my hands and wiped on my pants. The holes that showed up when the pants were washed gave me away.

We were using artificial insemination to breed many of our cows by the 1950s. I remember looking at the lists of bulls and their attributes in terms of the calves they sired. Some of the best were featured on the pages of a calender published every year by COBA (Central Ohio Breeding Association), the group that managed the service.

My sister still has the butter churn and the milk/cream separator that we used back then. Ah, the good old days.

Big Al

"I'm sorry. I'm fully scheduled through (the new year, January, other - pick one). If you would like me to schedule a visit after that time please reply with your preferred days/times. Best regards," should do.

Waiting months for some medical procedures makes it clear that professional services are not available at convenience except in emergencies. This tuning request for what sounds like a very difficult patient is not an emergency, but long-term neglect.

Big Al

One small detail - I don't see much smoke coming from those stacks. One looks to be primarily condensing steam in the cold air and the other looks like a flare stack with a giant plume of flame.
I'm as much a friend of the EPA as anyone, but it's important to know what you're dealing with.

All that being said, I like the star they put up. We also have a star with lights that I made for my wife many years ago that we display in a field below the fence row adjacent to our house each Christmas.
It's visible to the main road in our area from that location.

Big Al

They all sounded good to me.

I wonder how much the variation in pianos across different concert halls affects the pianists?

Big Al

Quite a public service, even if it serves his YouTube channel.

It's probably a tribute to the piano maker that it held up as well as it did under that abuse.

Big Al

Wow, just wow. I do wonder about the "fatal flaw" because that seems like an enormous house for the price. I suspect the heating bills are pretty stiff and I don't know anything about the surrounding neighborhood. I'm not sure what people see as necessary updates. I'm curious about how it sells.

Did anyone notice the piano all by itself in the foyer?

Big Al

Thanks for the heads up. I checked and it's available through my local PBS station via Passport. However, I'm not a donor.

Big Al

Here's a transcription of the commencement speech: https://people.math.harvard.edu/~ctm/links/culture/dfw_kenyon_commencement.html

Big Al

Welcome back to WTF, Amanda.

Big Al

Happy birthday. I hope you celebrated well.

Big Al

An interessting read.

I used to take a lot of photos back when film was in vogue, mostly Kodachrome slides. I lost much of my interest in the hobby when digital imaging displaced the materials and equipment I used.

Big Al