It’s Saturday.
What’s on your mind?
We deserve better
Brutus
A wise old saying
April 3, 2020I heard this the other day:
“We were given two ears and one mouth for a reason. We should listen twice as much as we speak.”
We deserve better
Brutus
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Wise guy
March 29, 2020It seems that at one time or another I have offended many of our readers.
While never intended, if it is the cost of stimulating public interest in our local situation then I guess it must be.
At 16 years old Benjamin Franklin wrote this under the pen name Silence Dogood:
I am very sensible that it is impossible for me, or indeed any one Writer to please all Readers at once. Various Persons have different Sentiments; and that which is pleasant and delightful to one, gives another a Disgust. He that would (in this Way of Writing) please all, is under a Necessity to make his Themes almost as numerous as his Letters. He must one while be merry and diverting, then more solid and serious; one while sharp and satyrical, then (to mollify that) be sober and religious; at one Time let the Subject be Politicks, then let the next Theme be Love: Thus will every one, one Time or other find some thing agreeable to his own Fancy, and in his Turn be delighted.
I thank you for your continued interest in the blog. My preference would be that some of the comments the readers make about each other be more civilly constructed. A point can be made without being rude.
We deserve better
Brutus
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Open line Saturday
March 28, 2020It’s Saturday.
What’s on your mind?
We deserve better
Brutus
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Not today
March 25, 2020In 1722 Silence Dogwood wrote her first letter to The New-England Courant a Boston newspaper. Silence Dogwood was a pseudonym used by the 16 year old Benjamin Franklin. Evidently his older brother, the owner and publisher of the Courant would not print his pieces so Benjamin wrote under the persona of a middle-aged woman.
It began,
Sir,
It may not be possible in the first Place to inform your Readers, that I intend once a Fortnight to present them, by the Help of this Paper, with a short Epistle, which I presume will add somewhat to their Entertainment.
And since it is observed, that the Generality of People, nowadays, are unwilling either to commend or dispraise what they read, until they are in some measure informed who or what the Author of it is, whether he be poor or rich, old or young, a Schollar or a Leather Apron Man, &c. and give their Opinion of the Performance, according to the Knowledge which they have of the Author’s Circumstances, it may not be amiss to begin with a short Account of my past Life and present Condition, that the Reader may not be at a Loss to judge whether or no my Lucubrations are worth his reading.[2]
Not now
Much of public comment today is based upon a partial reading of material and is made based upon personal bias and not upon the merit or lack of merit of the piece.
We deserve better
Brutus
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Switching gears
March 24, 2020Maybe The El Paso Times would be well served to follow the lead of the The New-England Courant which in 1721 was a publication that published literary pieces and humorous essays as well as local news.
The Courant was popular because it published content that interested the public.
Unfortunately much of what we read in the Times today was already published by various electronic methods.
They could cover also cover local issues more thoroughly rather than just passing on what the local government agencies want us to see.
Many of the functions of our local governments are shut down right now.
At least we don’t have to worry as much about whatever corrosive action they are taking.
I think I’ll take my own advice and publish some works that you might find interesting.
We deserve better
Brutus
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A lesson in life
March 24, 2020I wonder if our sudden difficulties will help younger generations understand that what we have can be taken from us without warning and that they should not expect life to always be easy.
We deserve better
Brutus
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