Random thoughts, in no order of importance. Just letting the brain wander unchecked. Therefore, you should proceed with the warning that we aren’t going anywhere specific in this post, and there will be no logic to the progression and presentation of ideas.
I listened to a podcast this morning. First, the primary topic was a defining moment for the early Church, when the actions of Christians profoundly impacted the world around them, through their self giving and life saving actions during a time of plague. Many gave up their own lives to save others.
A severe plague hit the Roman Empire from about 249-262. It might actually have been several diseases. Many of the pagan citizens of the empire were abandoning even their own families in fear of getting sick. Some put their loved ones, still living, out into the streets. Others fled the cities, leaving behind family who had been stricken.
There is a letter left behind by St. Dionysius, bishop of Alexandria, whose city lost more than half its population. He says, “Most of our brother Christians showed unbounded love and loyalty, never sparing themselves and thinking only of one another. Heedless of the danger, they took charge of the sick, attending to their every need and ministering to them in Christ, and with them departed this life serenely happy; for they were infected by others with the disease, drawing on themselves the sickness of their neighbors and cheerfully accepting their pains.”
In a book called The Rise of Christianity, sociologist Rodney Stark devotes a chapter on epidemics and their impact on evangelization. First, the way Christians cared for one another would have given them a much higher survival rate, then survivors would have immunity and be able to care for more people.
But imagine the cultural transformation. Your family and friends abandoned you, but Christian strangers took you in and cared for you, at great cost to themselves. These observations are taken from the Hallow app, today’s Easter challenge. Pretty profound thoughts on the power of living out our faith.
An additional thought on this podcast. The introduction includes a statement about the labor of so many medical professionals in a “flurry” to save the lives of their patients, and society coming to a halt, in spite of science, modern medicine, and 21st century technology.
I am not speaking about all healthcare professionals, of course, but I just want to say that I am appalled by the number who did not act in the best interest of their patients. Many, most even, in my opinion, succumbed to the dictates of the government and pharmaceutical companies. The well-being and lives of patients were far from the top priority of the medical profession. That’s all I have to say about that, but I do wish we could stop pretending about what happened and the motivations.
Money mattered. Lives only to a few unusual people who really cared.
On to totally unrelated topics. My husband and I have recently been enjoying British television. We really can understand only about half the dialogue, depending on which show we’re watching. We get most of Fr. Brown, and not even half of Shetland. Volume does not help, and neither does replay. Short of seeing if there is closed captioning, does anyone have any tips for how to understand these various British accents? I really like the shows a lot better than almost everything American.
Next topic. I doubt seriously this applies to anyone who is reading here, but I’m saying it anyhow. Parents, if your son or daughter is involved in the anti-Israel demonstrations and “Palestinian “ support actions on campuses, you need to take drastic action and cut off any financial support. You’re breeding terrorists. The End.
Mothers especially, you are sheltering your kids, and most especially your sons, way too much. Life is hard. If even childhood is so protected that children face no adversity, they cannot find and develop their own strengths and resilience. Teenagers especially must faces struggles, and yes, defeats. Do not pick them up, do not clear the way. Above all else, never stand between them and the consequences of their actions and bad decisions.
You see their childhoods as the short, magical time you have to enjoy them. That’s true. But it is also true that it’s the short time you have to teach them to survive in a brutal world. Your basement when they are in their thirties is like putting your cub in a cage in the zoo. It’s not life.
What you’re doing when they are kids, and especially teens, is determining to a huge extent how successfully they will navigate life. Forever. Parents did not used to be so frantically overprotective. It is not kindness, or responsible parenting.
I have a shirt that says Life isn’t easy. Life isn’t perfect. Life is good.
I like that philosophy. Manage expectations, for you, and for your kids. Teach them to appreciate the little and the big things. Teach them you actually can be okay, and most of the time, even happy, in the face of adversity.
Okay, that’s my disconnected jumble of thoughts for the day. Your turn.
“My husband and I have recently been enjoying British television. We really can understand only about half the dialogue, depending on which show we’re watching. We get most of Fr. Brown, and not even half of Shetland. Volume does not help, and neither does replay. Short of seeing if there is closed captioning, does anyone have any tips for how to understand these various British accents?”
Just keep listening to the programs, and you will gradually get to where you won’t hear the accents. I had the same experience listening to tv programs provided by BFBS in northern West Germany some 40 years ago.
Or not to be rude “stop watching/listening” British TV has been an evil propaganda medium for many years.
We have a saying “Is that true – or did you see it on the BBC”
Great article thank you.
The entertaining programs she describes are dramas. Not propaganda. Shetland us based in books by fine author Ann Cleeves.. Father Brown is incredibky engaging.
Slamming things one knows nothing about with a broad brush is its own kind if orioaganda, /and remember that oreioaganda only harms those who don’t recognize it.
Except if you mean the new Father Brown, it bears little resemblance to the G.K. Chesteron Father Brown.
Don’t watch the newer propaganda shows or news. It’s the older Brit shows that are really wonderful and there are many of them depending on what app you use to watch Brit TV. I’ve written several other comments here suggesting shows I’ve watched that probable would be something you’d enjoy, so have others.
I think we are talking about dramas. Jane Austen? What’s the harm?
use the captions options. it helps.
with the heavier accents it’s occasionaly hilarious – adding to the event.
You will acclimate in time. The brain is a wonderful thing.
My wife and I love British television. We hardly watch Anything else. Father Brown is a favorite! We had the same challenge but I guess we’ve watched enough over the years we rarely even notice the accents!
Yes. Very early in my Air Force career I lucked out by spending 6 weeks at an RAF base in western England. WONDERFUL people, #1, but the best is that my class at large was a mix of English, Irish, Scot, Welsh and Canadian (as well as a handful of Americans). We also spent considerable time in a local pub which added even more of a mix. That was a super learning experience for me, so now I don’t even think about those accents. In fact I relish listening because some (particularly Scot and some of the Irish) are almost literally music to my ears.
KEEP AT IT Menagerie. One day you’ll realize it was one of the best things you ever “struggled” through.
” … I relish listening because some (particularly Scot and some of the Irish) are almost literally music to my ears”
Lucy Thomas, English lass of 20, has the best singing voice in the world today. And you can clearly understand every word she sings. No accent at all. But when speaks, her accent is very difficult to understand.
You absolutely must use captioning. I’ve been doing this for many many years. Watch a lot of foreign TV. Majored in English lit. Been to England plenty of times. The Queens English is a different language.
We watch Britbox. It is excellent and you have fantastic shows.
.
What happened to your post??
Maybe second thoughts?
I liked your jumble of thoughts! And I am a fan of closed captions on most things. (They even helped DD learn to read.) I hear perfectly well, but there are sometimes odd low bits of dialogue or something that is mixed badly and hard to catch. And don’t get me started on English English. I once sat next to two gentlemen from Manchester and couldn’t understand a word they were saying.
That dialect was called Mancunian when I lived there as a college student. After a year I could almost speak it.
“Two countries separated by a common language.”
Analyse Of One Movie Site!!!
“Fr. Brown”???, Probably: “Her Majesty Mrs. Brown”: You can view that.
“Shetland”: You can view seven seasons.
“Keeping Up Appearances”: You can view five seasons.
“All Creatures Great & Small”: You can view seven seasons.
“Hot Fuzz”: You can view that.
“Hinterland”: You can view three seasons.
“The Commitments”: You can view that.
“The Snapper”: You can view that.
“The Van”: You can view that.
The Great British Baking show is interesting.
Heartbeat – You can view 6 seasons. After that, there are commercials. Ugh.
I’ve tried watching Shetland several times, but it’s impossible to understand.
CC makes it great and understandable.
I have seen many cycles and there is seldom any deviation. A good family is formed. They struggle and overcome. The children adopt the same values and carry on, but with one notable exception. They wish to spare their own children the hardships that they themselves were forced to endure. They think they are doing what is best for the children. Then ruin. Start again from the top. A good family is formed. They struggle and overcome….
Well stated. And this philosophy applies not only to families, but countries and civilizations too.
Menagerie, I had to chuckle at your comments about British television, and the accents being so hard to understand. Several years back, there were a number of British films out that I went to see, and after a few times, I found myself wondering if I were losing my hearing, because I was really straining in the theatre to understand what they were saying. I thought it must just be me (especially if the movies were getting rave reviews) — until I saw this hilarious SNL satire movie trailer for a British film. (One of those rare times when SNL nails it.)
It actually made me feel better to realize that unintelligible English accents in movies must just be a “thing” now, enough so to make jokes about it to American audiences. (OTOH, I never had those problems with Downton Abbey, which I mainlined for years, or other British media I enjoyed in the past.) Anyway, passing this along — hope it gives you a laugh:
Thanks so much for the comment and video. I laughed and nodded my head. We just leave the closed caption on for everything now, just in case. We do enjoy the old English (and Australian) shows. I can’t watch while I’m cooking because I can’t read the captions! LOL!
Linderella that was SO funny ty so much for sharing! If you get a chance look up the video of the Irish teen who punks his dad pretending to fail his driver’s test. You can’t understand half of what they’re saying but the “fecking-feck” and “bloody foook” adjectives are side splitting funny.
Dear Menagerie,
What a wonderful bunch of random thoughts. Kudos Menagerie !! I’m not one for replying “off the top of my head,” usually, but I do have three suggestions.
1. Take six months or a year and go live there. I know. I know. There’s the job, the work, the family, the grandchildren, bridge club, you know….. That’s the way we were designed. We wander and explore and then we settle down. So examine your problem with sentences that begin with “We could …” instead of “We can’t….”
Go over to any English city and organize theconservativetreehouse—EAST. Then hire a local when you’ve got the language down and return.
Learn the difference between the Tories and the Liberals or whatever. Find a job for a few months or a year. Cultural immersion is fantastic. A writer with the name of John Keats (really, poor fellow) wrote a wonderful book called, if I remember correctly, See Europe the Next Time You Go There. He moved to a village in Italy and enrolled his kids in school there for a year. None of them spoke Italian. But they were all fluent when they returned.
And go my favorite places, you will never forget them, and you can see them with a single train trip from London: Salisbury Cathedral, Old Sarum and Stonehenge – not to mention so many other places and events: museums, theatre, Westminster. Go to Cornwall or Dorset, to the birthplace of Shakespeare.
It is always possible to pull up roots and travel. That’s how most of our country was settled. More recently, that’s why so many teenagers and young adults travel, many to European countries, others to the far east, others to the ‘English’ outposts around the globe, the remnants of the British Empire, which, for better or worse, did spread a civilizing culture far and wide.
As a college senior, many decades ago, I traveled abroad in June with my family when my dad took a job in France. I spent from September through February at an English University, and in my last weeks was mistaken for “a bloody colonial” which was true but they were talking about Irish, lol.
So why not communicate with those Treepers who live in England, with a blast invitation for fellowship on your upcoming trip. You will get lots of accents and many wonderful new friends.
2. Immersion. Even on a short trip to England you will hear many different accents, and they will be intelligible to you, as you hear them mostly in conversations, where you can ask for explanations as the conversations rolls along. You will begin to “think” in English English. Don’t travel or stay with Americans.
Stay in bed and breakfasts, many on farms as well as in the cities. All your hosts will speak differently, as you immerse yourself in their language and culture.
I was blessed to have some very remote relatives who were raised in Portishead (my grandfather was a cousin to their grandmother). My own name goes back 11 generations in Hatherley, England. So family visits helped, a personal contact which Treepers would gladly provide.
3. Just remember that Britain and America are two nations divided by a common language. This sentiment is attributed to George Bernard Shaw, who neither one, but only a mere Irishman.
I’ve looked at the comments, Menagerie, and there are many wonderful people with suggestions. Expand your horizons. Go and be English for a while. Then come home, put on your earphones, ring up your closed captions, and enjoy the tellie.
Happy trails.
I lived in England 6yrs and absolutely adored it. I would have stayed forever if not for family stateside.
My daughter graduated high school in Peterborough Cathedral, the oldest in England.
We saw so many wonderful places and met wonderful people. Our 3 children had a such a great experience. Our youngest went to a British school for 4yrs and was a right little Brit.
Those memories will be with me forever and I’m eternally grateful for one of the best times of my life.
Thank you George. Great suggestions, but my life responsibilities do not allow me to pack up and leave, nor is it within my means. Hopefully I’ll be able to pick up some of the dialects by using the closed captioning. I find the many differences I hear fascinating.
We get along quite well with closed captioning…
That also helps in gaining understanding of certain phrases, cliches and such, that one might hear over and over again. Every little bit helps.
Menagerie my same scenario in terms of obstacles to leaving
🙏
My Brit late husband could watch the BBC and name the locations the various news readers ame from. In the UK class is determined by accent. The royals have very little accent; many other Brits have heavier accents, what they call “lower ckass” accents. One of those was actor Michael Caine.
George, another person commented on my response to you, feeling that Imwas being snarky and I “reamed” you. That certainly was not my intent, and re-reading my comment to you, it does not seem that way to me.
I genuinely appreciated your comment, and hope that I did not offend you.
thanks
This was so wonderful to read that I’m going to go back and re-read the entire post. “Random” thoughts or not, they sure resonated with me, especially with regard to the medical profession!
This whole Speculations was wonderful. It was funny, sad, powerful and prayerful and I truly needed it tonight.
I mentioned earlier my son’s home was destroyed by a tornado here. There were at least 3 active ones where he is, and 2 touched down by us but we were spared.
At first I was angry because my son and DIL were actually closing a sale on that house on Monday. That’s not to be. But they’re safe, thank G-d.
I’ll be up all night as the storms still rage, but now hopefully just thunderstorms.
Thank you Menagerie, and treepers, for a very comforting and mostly friendly evening. It’s been lovely and historic.
I was just looking at the horrific damage from the tornados ///
You and Your Family are in my thoughts , Mims 🙏
Random; the WHO has contacted numerous countries wanting them to sign an agreement stating that when the next pandemic comes around, the WHO wants to be in charge of health for that country. This is abominable and outrageous–the thought that the US would cede such power to the WHO.
And we should know, now, not to expect Christian charity from the WHO.
The WHO. Ah, I’m a rock n rolls fan so the first image in my mind was The Who and understood the beginning sentence to be an upcoming concert. Okay, so that’s My Generation.
I’ll take Daltrey and Townsend over those lunatics at the World Health Organization any day.
We also enjoy the British shows more. You just need to keep watching to pickup the lingo and decipher some of the more difficult accents.
Midsomer Murders is a favorite of ours. Line of Duty is another. Endeavour, Inspector Morse, Death in Paradise.
There are tons of great shows.
We also like Italian shows like Il Commisario Montalbano.
Line of Duty is very good!
We always joke about Midsomer Murders–such a beautiful, sleepy place with 3 murders each week! Love it! And Death in Paradise–that little cabin on the ocean with the tree growing inside and the wrap around porch–who wouldn’t want to live there? I watched it so many times, didn’t know how it would go with them switching out the detectives but it works!
One thing about British crime shows that surprised me was they are able to stop the most awful criminals without guns or the “F” word.
Depends on which shows you watch. Some roll out the “F” word or “Jesus Christ” as an expletive multiple times in the first ten minutes. Them we skip. But the others mentioned above are great. Brits call them cozy mysteries – someone dies without the blood guts and gore. The story focuses more on the main characters and consequently, is more entertaining.
Sister Boniface, Vera, Dalgleish, My Life is Murder, Murdoch Mysteries (CAN), Brokenwood (AU) are also good. A couple of the Acorn oldies-goodies: Pie in the Sky, Shakespeare and Hathaway, Foyles War, BallyKissAngel. Midsomer Murders is on ROKU and Pluto for free. Also enjoyed Inspector Morris, a Touch of Frost and Inspector George Gently, Poirot, Madame Blanc Mysteries on Acorn. Shetland was great until the male character left. The new lady replacement is quite the cuss-er. 🙁
For comedy: Miranda and Would I Lie to You?
If you watch long enough, you’ll pick up the language and accents. 🙂 And I agree they are better than most US tv. Other than Blue Bloods, I no longer watch network tv.
I think some people can grasp picking up different accents better than others. I find using CC actually helped me as I went on watching more shows but for me it totally ruined the show I was watching in the beginning if I couldn’t understand what was being said.
Random thoughts. have a blessed day treepers!
In the spirit of randomness.
Random thoughts of an older small farmer:
Interesting that television was mixed into the flow of thought of this post. I blame television, Iphones and mass media for the detachment from “real” life and poor decision making so prevalent today. The electronic babysitter trains one into the observer role rather than the true participant role. Being a farmer/hunter/military/truck driver at various times forces one to be a participant, a participant directly part of and directly responsible for outcomes.
Sundance uses the example of a farmer as one who is forced to deal with reality in a timely manner.
An recent disjointed and poor reaction to life is the actions and the book by Gov Noem about putting down her dog, her goat and then writing about it like it was something to be proud of…..
Noem fell prey to emotion driving her actions rather than rational thought. In her push button world her dog not only wouldn’t hunt but killed chickens and bit her. Her goat was stinky and “mean” so she shot them both and did a poor job of that also.
If one has even a glimmer of understanding of animals then one knows that some animals are, for whatever the reason, “mental” like some people for lack of a better descriptive. Her dog needed behavior training instead of hunt training and if completely un-trainable then and only then should have been put down. Her got was simply being a goat! Goats ARE stinky and if rams are certainly not pets.
Is don’t put a gun or a pen in the hands of an emotional politician the lesson here? Is it detachment and not taking the time and effort for true understanding of your animals, your charges? Or is it a person of stunted development lashing out from other sources of frustration?
Doctors were victims of Covid and the vaxx propaganda like the rest of us. Some reacted better than others, just like the rest of us. It is the ultimate responsibility of each individual for their own healthcare decisions.
Is the lesson here don’t be swayed by mass media and bad government into rash decisions?
Just had to dispatch a fox trying to kill the chickens before sunup this morning. Unlike Noem I regret having to kill the fox but recognize the necessity if I wish to have quality chickens and eggs. No emotions involved in either actions or decisions. The fox was just being a fox and he is prettier, if you will, to look at to me than any chicken.
If you’re like the lady who said we need to stop having cattle feeder lots and chicken farms and processing plants because you can just go to walmart and buy your hamburger then you’re detached from and not apart of life and reality. It’s just such a stunted worldview to whatever degree that originates a great deal of our modern American dilemma.
If you want to be a horse trainer you have to understand horses and work with them from that standpoint. Only then will you truly appreciate the actual horse rather than the dream horse in your mind. Same with dogs and cats in my opinion.
The idea of pets?
Only in recent times has the phenomena of “pets” become widespread. The idea of having a living breathing teddy bear that one takes everywhere would to people of former times be viewed as rather childish. Pets to your great grandparents were mostly for the children.
Your great grandfather would have laughed at the guy with the little dog that he takes everywhere. Only the rich and royalty used to be allowed to have such a warped worldview. Pets are a very expensive habit.
Not too any years ago …….Cats were the killers used to keep down rodents as were the terriers. Dogs were for hunting or guard duty. Dogs and cats and horses much less any other animal didn’t fall into the “significant other” category of being thought of and treated as almost human.
Personal opinion? I view the people with the pet in the lap driving or dragging a pet around the store like I view a 7 year old walking around with a pacifier stuck in their maw. Arrested development. (Yes I wave a stick and chase kids off my lawn..lol.. feel free to hate me for having a difference of opinion.)
Yes if you followed my ramblings thus far assuredly you recognize the use of extremes to provoke thought. The excuse that “everyone is doing it” is a reason to pause and think and ask yourself why.
Have a blessed Sunday and thank you Menagerie for the opportunity to be random.
At least you view the fox as being prettier.
…..I fell prey to emotions there myself didn’t I?
Perhaps it would have been better to say I appreciate the fox as a being a better, more efficient hunter than I and higher on the food chain than the lowly chicken. Chickens kill too BTW, they’re omnivores and will snatch anything they can get and subdue like small mice. I appreciate the total “fox” in the way it moves and its intelligence not just its appearance
I suppose most of all that, We (people) and They (animals) are all God’s Creation.
God Bless Us All.
Yes we’re all a part of God’s world and we’re supposed to be intelligent about our dominion role.
As well as compassionate.
So true, Monti.
However, “good sense” is continually waning in our society.
It’s not “common sense” as some say.
I once saw a picture of my great grandfather with a “pet” fox. My maternal grandfather had a pet groundhog. I think adopting wild animals as rural hunters/farmers/miners was more common back then.
I lived on a farm during my childhood and we gradually accumulated about 17 cats, mostly feral. The word was out…there’s food at such and such place.
My mom loved her flower garden and she was a bird lover/watcher and was good at identifying their species. It goes without saying, she viewed cats with disdain.
Nevertheless, she was the one who would put out a big pan of cat food and kept fresh water for them. She understood the ramifications but still couldn’t see any living creature go hungry.
She wasn’t happy with her garden getting trampled with their lounging about and said so repeatedly. But she never stopped taking care of them.
Since she never allowed them in the house, she made sure they had access to get inside the barn where they could find shelter during the cold and snowy winter.
I was so blessed to have her for a mother.
Such a blessed memory and wonderful tribute to your dear, kind mother.
Thank you for your kind words Miss.Della.B.
Agreed re: the pacifier pets, but dogs, cats, and birds have been valuable companions to people, as well as performing work since prehistoric times. There’s no companion like a well-trained dog, IMHO. Their unconditional love and devotion is a good example for us.
Oh how a propos regarding so much of the craziness out there.
Raised on a farm myself (thanking God every day for it), so your opening grabbed my full attention right off the bat.
I would like to post a quote by Dan Lussen, a hunting dog trainer in regard to Ms. Noem handling of her killing her dog. ” A 14 month old dog is a baby who doesn’t know any better. They require guidance, training and discipline by the owner.” As a former farmer and breeder of hunting dogs, I find her actions abhorrent and frightening. As to the goat killing, she seems to be unhinged…She does Not need a gun or animals IMO..
Hmmm… Animals and people have been companions since the Beginning. We are both creations of the Almighty God. However, not ALL animals and not ALL humans are inclined or capable of entering into a companionship. But blessed are those who can, and do.
What a sharp rapier is wielded here! An elegantly inferred ad hominem?
Reminds of Shakespeare:
MERCUTIO
Ay, ay, a scratch, a scratch. Marry, ’tis enough.
Where is my page?—Go, villain, fetch a surgeon.
Page exits.
ROMEO
Courage, man, the hurt cannot be much.
MERCUTIO No, ’tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as
a church door, but ’tis enough. ’Twill serve. Ask for
me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man. I
am peppered, I warrant, for this world. A plague o’
both your houses! Zounds, a dog, a rat, a mouse, a
cat, to scratch a man to death!
Pray thou Judge well and gather all info before thou judges.
I never said I never had a pet ……..
just never had much use for one which isn’t useful. Had the pleasure of having some great hunting dogs and a few good horses.
Appreciate this interesting comment, Monti, and I side with you on the issue of “pets.”
It can open a can of worms, for sure!
I love cats and dogs as much as the next person but don’t have any.
We’ve had several over the years; they appeared at our house as desperate and abandoned, so we kept. They were given wonderful care all their lives, yet lived outside.
Hubs draws the line at having pets living inside the house. And I respect that.
Several days ago, I noticed a woman pushing a strange looking stroller on the sidewalk with a dog in it.(Shaking my head.)
I don’t agree with elevating pets to the same degree as humans.
Animals have a place in our lives, but should not receive better treatment than people.
Yes, it’s pricey to own a pet … and we like to eat, too!
That’s all I’m gonna say, Monti, or they’ll hate me as well. haha!
But, I don’t chase kids off my lawn …
I appreciate your thoughts, particularly the “regret” at having to kill a beautiful animal and yet fully recognizing the necessity. We need more clear thinking of this sort. Be well!
Admin, thank you for your many good “random” thoughts. As re British & other TV– we Do recommend CC close-captioning. Most cable systems have cc available for every thing including local newscasts. Additionally, the cc usually is concise, but helps greatly when multiple spkrs are talking over each other. We leave it on & use it for all viewing (movies etc.)
Not all British accents are completely intelligible to other British people. For example, a Geordie accent, from the North-East, Newcastle, can be difficult. When I was a boy, we moved from the south-west of England to Edinburgh and I had initially a lot of trouble working out what the boys at school were saying, not just the accent but at times dialect words. It would have been much worse if we had moved to Glasgow. In the old days, public communication was conducted in BBC or the Queen’s English, which is the southern English, educated speech. There were also TV programmes that would include the vernacular of particular areas. Because the local accents are generally well-known, this provided valuable local colour. One of the best programmes (or shows as Americans call them) was Rumpole of the Bailey; this was very typical in its use of local accents. Nowadays, however, the use of ‘proper’ speech to enable understanding is less closely observed, and the use of the vernacular is no longer for local colour but there is a sort of badge of honour on the TV not to be educated. One of the best speakers for the ordinary Englishman these days is of course Tommy Robinson, whose accent is very strong. I now live in Australia, where it is not so long ago that TV presenters were not allowed to have an Australian accent but had to put on their best BBC accent. A final word: the Irish voice and accent can be delightful, but I have an Irish friend who I often have to ask to repeat something.
👍👍
As Time Goes By is our favorite.
Have watched the entire series 3 times.
Not gut busting funny, but, makes one grin.
I love stories of selfless Christian love. Just like Jesus taught us in Scripture. Doing what He taught does build up “immunities” no matter what, to this awful world and it’s calamities. On the other side, the medical community that adhered to government policy during COVID is despicable and deserves to be tarred and feathered. There are a lot of “sheep” wandering around this planet who are in worse shape now because of t
The jab.
Yes. Be even minded and cheerful in all circumstances. Love The Lord with all thine heart.
Blessings and prayers for protection and success to our Dear Sundance.
Always MAGA 👊👊🇺🇸🇺🇸❤️❤️🙏🏻🙏🏻
Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister were two excellent TV series in the eighties that made a mockery of British politicians. Pity there is not a similar series on today and one covering American politics. It would hurt the feelings of many and be labeled as misinformation as sarcasm and humor often are today. Many ignorant voters cannot be reasoned with but by getting them to laugh at the people who want their vote is a good way to sway votes.
I understand the Irish, Scottish, and British accents, the root form of the southern accent and drawl …. I enjoy the British television best too Menagerie, especially the detective and crime series and movies. The plots are not so easy to figure out until the end.
I too am a British tv show fan. I have enjoyed “Cranford” and “Inspector Lewis.” All I can say is that you have to tune your ear to the accents. Some of them are thicker than others, but in time you begin to tune in to them. I can say now I understand 90 percent of what they are saying first time, some I just go back and listen to again in order to pick it up.
Two of my favorites also.
Thanks Sundance, I would like to open suggestions for my new list “ things to no longer engage in “
Click bait is outrageously out of control and I have made a personal vow to never click on anything to do with:
LeBron James whining about……
The Squad..we know who they are
Joe Biden drooling over his food, stumbling, mumbling……etc…..
Kamala.
Ignorant college campus garbage
Best places to live articles
Actors or Actresses announcing there homosexuality
Drag Queen story hour
Karens
People wearing masks while protesting
I could go on and on but I love my fellow Treepers and find this site to be the most intellectually curious and enlightened group of readers as I look forward to they’re suggestions
Have at it my friends!
K
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“A severe plague hit the Roman Empire from about 249-262. It might actually have been several diseases. Many of the pagan citizens of the empire were abandoning even their own families in fear of getting sick. Some put their loved ones, still living, out into the streets. Others fled the cities, leaving behind family who had been stricken.”
This is similar to people abandoning their own families during the manufctured covid-19 plandemic.
I talked with a lot of people who said they were told to get the covid JAB or they would not be allowed to visit or see their loved ones.
Some told me they KNEW they covid JAB was a big risk and something they should NOT get but because of the need to continue to come into contact with their grandchildren etc they were going to get the JAB anyway.
I also talked with many people who had been told by their employer to get the Covid Jab, covid clot shot, or they would lose their job.
Some told me that they knew the covid JAB was NOT safe but they needed to work and therefore were going to get the covid Jab.
Others told me they were NOT going to get the clot shot Jab because they knew it was NOT safe as their doc, employer or gov was telling them.
They did some research and were smart.
I had a few who didn’t care if the covid Jab was safe or not. They were going to get it.
There were some who totally relied on their doctors opinion about the covid Jab.
I told some of them that the cdc made sure that doctors were NOT allowed to say anything about the covid Jab but good things or they could loose their license as a doctor.
I gave them references if they wanted the documentation.
The Federation of State Medical Boards says physicians who generate and spread COVID-19 vaccine misinformation or disinformation are risking disciplinary action by state medical boards, including the suspension or revocation of their medical license. Aug 2001.
There is NO such thing as misinformation or disinformation.
These are labels constructed to make you think information should be ingnored.
The federation of state medical boards made sure your doctor or nurse could NOT give you full disclosure about the so called covid “vaccine”.
Some doctors and nurses ignored this mandate and told their patients the other side truth about the covid Jab including its known blood clot effetcs.
Other doctors did not.
It would be an easy thing to hide behind, if the truth ever came out about the covid Jab.
All they had to say was, I followed the CDC guidelines.
To me this was unethical and a coward way out!
Don’t ever rely on just one opinion not matter who it comes from.
Doctors who omit information when told to do so are an unethical doctor or nurse.
This includes ALL the doctors and nurses who went along to get along JUST to Keep Their license!!!
I actually had at some people that told me I had saved their lives by giving them the information about the deadly covid clot shot jab!
https://captainconvey.com/drvernoncoleman.htm
This post is a “hot potato” to those that got the jab but true.🧐
I watched the Brit shows on “Acorn TV” and “Britbox”. All of the older shows are great. The Agatha Christie and Poirot series are really good. There’s so many I can’t begin to list them all. Very few of the newer shows are good. I finally exhausted watching all the shows I liked, after several years. I even watched some a second time. Hated to give em up but the newer writers on shows are obsessed with the same stuff we get here in the U.S. with one exception. The show is titled “Happy Valley” and it was so well written I couldn’t even believe it was a new show. It was not what the title might suggest.
The “line of Duty” series was very good too. Watch em with CC to get the most enjoyment. You can go into the CC app and make it appear on your screen in the size and background you prefer.
In addition if you get the chance watch “Foyles War” it’s the best of the best and you’ll go away not only loving the characters and their lives it really gives you an understanding of what the Brits went through in WWII. The guy who wrote it was meticulous with correct detail of the times that was woven seamlessly into the storyline and characters. I can’t help adding I really, really loved it.
“The gift that keeps on giving.” I gave up on a very, very good doctor because on my last visit with him, sometime in 2021, it became crystal clear that his clinic was telling him what to say, and NOT say, and probably at least some of what to do. He was an MD with extra learning in homeopathic medicine (in the best sense) and I had trusted him as much as any doctor I’d ever seen. Then poof.
But I’m still looking for a doctor that cares more about his (or her) patients than about the “rule of law” that has all but banished modern medicine to the dark ages. Are there any left, is my number one question.
Same.
My doc was worried about malpractice suit if no mask and not offering vax. Earlier he was as skeptical as I and shared that with me. The decisive point was when he tried to push the vax on me at a later visit.
I view people as human and forgive and forget a myriad of flaws but when I lose respect for someone they’re dead to me. I may still talk and be polite if that line is crossed it can almost never to be undone.
… but when I lose respect for someone they’re dead to me. I may still talk and be polite if that line is crossed it can almost never be undone.
Me, too, Monti.
Exactly my mindset…
Respect is earned – not freely given.
We are a mid/late 50ish pair also discovering these British gems. Closed captioning helps a lot. Our faves Call the Midwife prior to its woke slant post 2020. I was so depressed when we finally wrapped up Downton Abby but then we found Broadchurch, Peeky Blinders and then The Crown.
Jumble of thoughts randomly linking to others. HMMM. Sounds like surfing the www highway.
No British TV for me. Back in the day Monty Python, Benny Hill, Absolutely Fabulous, and Fawlty Towers were hilarius but today I don’t understand the British view of things. Mister Bean?
On beans, I plant an excellent tasting “Golden Romano” climbing bean that is easy to see and pick.
Seeing as we’re surfing thoughts today, have you ever wondered why ? If there are drugs that can turn a boy into a girl, why not just give a small dose to girls to make them more feminine if they think they have too much Tomboy going? Vice versy for boys. Can’t grow a beard, give them just a little “girl into boy juice” and make them whole. Why isn’t this happening?
Did I mention the old Doctor Who? On science fiction I read what is called “space opera” that includes military science fiction, religion, politics, and incredible struggles across space and time. Some of my favs are David Weber, Neal Asher, Joe Haldeman, Timothy Zahn, Alistair Reynolds(British by the way), and for zombies go to John Ringo, Black Tide Rising.
I would much rather read some fantastic fiction https://www.fantasticfiction.com/ than watch British TV. The books keep me awake and the TV puts me to sleep. If you like classic British mysteries on a train murder stories and science fiction, check out Timothy Zahns “Quadrail” series.
And I just had my thoughts derail.
Golden Romano taste the same as Roma II?
I believe Roma II is a flat green bean so, no. Yellow, or golden, have a much more delicate bean flavor.
thank you and so very grounded which makes this conversation powerful tusen tack
Whether you agree with what these young people are protesting or not.
Out First Amendment gives the right to peacefully gather, free speech, and freedom of Religion.
If you support the police brutality against some of these protesters. I hope you will cheer just as loud when the Storm Troopers. Bust down your door and take your guns.
The patriot act has worked out so well to cull your freedoms that Congress just passed the bill below.
I remind you… The NRA is a private non Profit the government would like to be gone.
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/04/free-speech-on-the-ropes-legislation-to-revoke-not-for-profit-status-of-organizations-that-support-palestine-protests-passes-in-house.html
Great post Menagerie.
As to the British accents, you do eventually get used to it but closed captioning is a wonderful thing. I find myself using it a lot on all sorts of shows, especially movies because it seems the director or sound editor deemed the background music and sound effects more important than the dialog. You really start to notice it more and more, especially on movies.
And I know it’s not just me because I’ll ask my wife, “What did he say?” and I get a ‘beats me’ shrug of the shoulders response.
Thanks again for posting.
Amen on turning boys into men and how mothers don’t understand why we are so though on boys specifically at times.
In short, weak men make though times.
As a boy I imprinted on strong male role models, starting with my father who went to war and eventually retired to civilian life as a Marine Connel.
“I do wish we could stop pretending about what happened and the motivations.”
Some of us have never pretended and try to get others to do the same. Doctors fell into 3 categories and over 95% into one of 3. Two of them consist of driven by money and drive by stupidity. I estimate the former are over 50% of all medical doctors – and there are a portion of them that were downright malicious and evil as they knew. The stupid ones have never had a thought of their own, bow at the foot of big pharma, and think the government is a god. The third group of the 95% are those who knew better but allowed fear and thoughts of self to cement their lips shut. Cowards. Spineless, without balls. More culpable than the merely stupid lot.
The remaining 5%? Those are the ones like Dr’s McCullough, Vanden Bosche, Coleman, Pierre, Cole, Bhakdi, and a handful of others who boldly and unhesitatingly spoke out from day 1. Would be remiss if I also didn’t acknowledge the drove of nurses who recognized what was going on and spoke out too. May God bless and watch over them all.
Meanwhile the government and those in the FDA and CDC were not only aware – but intentionally evil beyond words. It may not be here on earth – but their day, along with others knowingly involved, will most assuredly come.
Today’s thoughts can be filed under, “Kindness has its limits – with evil being a stark red line.“
Years ago I was in a pub with several Royal Marines. I was sitting next to one who may have been Welsh. I couldn’t understand I word he said and asked the Marine next to me if he knew what was said. He laughed and said, “Hell, we can’t understand him either.” Guess you’re not alone.
After living in Britain for 3 years, there are simply some accents that barely resemble English. Idioms that we don’t recognize compounds the problem. I’m not referring to the obvious, like Scottish, which I find musically easy to understand. The local accents from various corners of Britain distant from London can be inscrutable.
“England and America are two countries divided by a common language.” -Attributed to GB Shaw.
Hello Menagerie. So it’s “your turn” until someone disagrees. I’ve read this blog for several years without commenting and this is the first time I felt actual revulsion at the content of the comments. The bickering is poison. So someone disagrees. Big deal. The nasty tone of the responses to the disagreements is incredibly off putting. I may not be back here when you post. I am certain there will be comments below that are the equivalent of gtfo. In advance, you made my point.
I bet someone is going to try a smack down for my non pretending truth telling. Have at it. All told I don’t disagree with most of the original post though I find it kinda preachy to tell someone how to raise their children even at the same time that is the exact approach I have used with my own successful and well adjusted children. I keep it to myself. You do what you do. That’s fine. Expect a response. Otherwise why post it?
Regarding the jew vs palestinian fight. There are lots of cogent and well researched and cited facts on both sides of the argument and the cited history whether you like it or not. Reading the responses felt like an echo chamber and at some points like elementary school when the pushback on nonconforming ideas were presented as the only possible correct thought. “How dare you talk back to Menagerie?” People who don’t agree with you don’t automatically lack good judgement and character.
Perhaps a cultural transformation is needed right here in this blog. It’s ok to disagree. And also to be decent about it.
George was right. You should go experience that other culture. Find a way. I did and I had a career oriented husband, a full time college program, and 2 small children at the same time. It can be done if you want it badly enough. No need for the snark to him that you can’t afford it. You can if you want to. Be creative. There are a lot of opportunities available that don’t require you to spend a ton of money. His heart was in a good place making the suggestion and you just reamed him for it. So wrong imho.
Maybe not post on the topics you aren’t ready to be challenged on. No one told you to shut up. Someone disagreed. That is all.
British accents are easier than Scottish. I once had a convo with 2 Scot gents. After 10 minutes I said straight out—you know I didn’t understand a single thing you just said, right? They both looked at each other and laughed. We got along to the business at hand just fine and it all worked out well. Cultural exchange is golden. In time you will hear the words and understand but it will happen sooner if you don’t use the captions.
I genuinely appreciated George’s comment, and did not intend to “ream” him at all. I have family responsibilities that keep me right where I am, and that’s fine with me. My own responsibilities require me to be where I am, and cannot be carried out from abroad.
As far as my other comments, my issue was not someone disagreeing with me, it was the fact that he badgered people.
I will go back to my comment to George and apologize if I offended him, I certainly had no intent to do that.
Are You Being Served? is a great, underrated British comedy. For understanding the accents, my suggestion is try talking in a British accent. Works for other accents, too, but when you try to sound the words out as they would it tricks your brain into envisioning the end result. Like keeping your eye on the ball, or looking through a curve while driving instead of looking 20 feet in front of the car.
Try to mimic what is said on your favorite show, or go back to well-known movie or TV quotes and try it in a different accent. Might work wonders, and if not… you and your husband can laugh at each other’s attempts!
The British television discussion is beautiful. I haven’t ever watched Mr. Brown, so I checked out a few minutes just to listen to the accents. I think it’s more a problem of the recordings. I have a hard time understanding any accent when it is echoey,hissy, or when the volume modulates too much, so I found myself straining to hear more than understand.
Funny story though . My family were never big tv watchers except for my dad who loved the British sitcoms – Are you being served, Mulberry, Waiting for God, etc. or if there was a good series on like the BBC Narnia or Pride and Prejudice. We ended up cutting cable in 96 and never looked back. My opinion is that most US tv is poor quality so why watch it. (To be fair, a lot of British TV is junk too), so when I had my daughter we chose to be very selective about what she watched, which ended up being entirely British. Her first exposure was the old Beatrix Potter stories followed by Thomas the Tank Engine specifically with the British narrator as I can’t stand the US narrator (the newer Thomas from around season 15-21 are brilliant because they use accents from all over the country and it is fun picking out where they are from). Then Angelina Ballerina (the dancing mouse who amazingly got Judi Dench to voice the ballet teacher) and Victorian Farm (and all the Farm series), and lots of nature documentaries mostly hosted by Brits and a few Scots. My husband has a downeast and New York mix accent, and I have a California cosmopolitan accent, so her whole exposure to English is not standard. When she was really little (4-5) people used to think I was nannying a English girl when I took her out, and when I’d tell people I was mom, they’d ask if dad was English, and I’d have to tell them no, she just watches too much British TV. Fast forward to her being a tween and we went on vacation out west. At one of the state parks the girl at the visitor center had studied over in England for a few years and as soon as my daughter started talking she swore she was from south hampton. We had a good laugh. She’s also been pegged for a Norwegian with a really good grasp of English (which is understandable because she does often speak in a sing song way).
Our kids are sheltered way too much. (Well, not mine, but in general yes). I was having a discussion a couple of days ago with my tween about how conversation has changed so much since I was little. It was never taboo to say someone was fat, or they were disruptive or too loud, or not clever. There was never name calling allowed, but the reality of an ADHD child being a pain in your class was never couched in “well, they can’t help it dear” language. It was always looked at straight on as a problem. Now everyone is so coddled that kids really don’t have the vocabulary to express the reality that they are living in.
Living on a farm helps ground kids in reality. Livestock = dead stock, even if you aren’t raising meat birds. Sometimes the coyote or racoon comes and kills some of the flock (or all of it), and you let yourself be sad because they were beautiful birds and gave you joy. You also find joy in picking out new chicks and building better coops. And in learning how to shoot a rifle in case another critter comes in the yard. (Actually, we just use a pellet rifle because we’re too close to neighbors, but accuracy matters no matter what the weapon).
My wife and I have enjoyed the older British TV like Father Brown and some others too. We never did catch on to understand much of the accents.
I like the random thoughts and speculations concept btw. Kinda how my brain operates most of the time.
This is very well said…..
“I am not speaking about all healthcare professionals, of course, but I just want to say that I am appalled by the number who did not act in the best interest of their patients. Many, most even, in my opinion, succumbed to the dictates of the government and pharmaceutical companies. The well-being and lives of patients were far from the top priority of the medical profession. That’s all I have to say about that, but I do wish we could stop pretending about what happened and the motivations.
Money mattered. Lives only to a few unusual people who really cared.”
@tonyE- “The kids complaining against or for Israel/Palestine have NO clue. They are useful idiots, that’s all.”
BINGO!
And this applies to ANYONE taking a side EITHER for OR against Israel OR Palestine.
We are being propagandized. Resist the urge to take a side in a conflict that, even if real, doesnt affect Us. Doing so only enables the Divide and Conquerers..
“The well-being and lives of patients were far from the top priority of the medical profession“ Sadly that has been the case for many years now.