Faith is now quite uncertain. I'm no longer acting-as-if.
Monday, February 6, 2012
AN ANNIVERSARY?
Lurking in the back of my mind is the vague notion that today is the anniversary of some occasion or other. Will someone remind what the celebration is all about? Thanks in advance. :-)
Willa, is that what the fuss is about? Her Majesty is a very nice lady and all, but is it proper for former colonials celebrate the occasion? I want to do the right thing.
Come now, let's not quarrel on the happy occasion. ;-) Elizabeth became queen upon the death of King George VI on Feb. 6, 1952, right? Her Majesty's coronation was in June 1953. Why did the Brits wait so long to crown her?
Willa, Her Majesty seems a woman of great good sense, but the royal family seem rather expensive to maintain in the manner to which they are accustomed. Just sayin', as a mere former colonial.
I think the expense of maintaining the royal family pales into insignificance when compared with the amount of money spent to elect a US president every four years - knowing full well that even after he (it's always been a 'he' in the US) has been elected, half the country is going to hate his guts for the next four years.
Tim, the bulk of the money spent on electing the president of the US is not public money. Nevertheless, I agree that our electoral process is obscenely littered with cash.
One day, we will have a woman president, but I fervently hope she will not model her style of governance on Margaret Thatcher.
It was a bit too impressionistic for my liking. If you didn't already know the history and the names of the political figures involved, I think you'd be a bit lost. Not that Meryl Streep didn't do a grand job, but I think she had a bad script to work with.
Still, I'm glad I saw it. My parents are staunch Thatcherites and it helped me understand them a bit better. Myself, I'm not a fan, but neither was I a fan of the Labour politicians who preceded her. They made a mess in one direction, she made a mess in the other.
1478 - birth of Sir Thomas More, an English lawyer, social philosopher, statesman, author of the controversial book Utopia and noted Renaissance humanist. (d. 1535)
It’s Waitangi Day in New Zealand, a public holiday commemorating the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. This treaty, regarded as the founding document for New Zealand, made the islands a part of the British Empire and granted the Māori the rights of British subjects and land rights. Unfortunately, the white settlers largely ignored the treaty and in 1877 Chief Justice James Pendergast declared it to be a “legal nullity.” It remained so until 1975, when an act of New Zealand’s Parliament restored the treaty’s legal standing.
TODAY IN HISTORY: Reagan Orders AIDS Report: 1986. In a message sent to Congress two days after the State of the Union Address, President Ronald Reagan made his second public mention of AIDS.
As I didn't see this until Tuesday, I should remind you all that today is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens, in case you want some more.
Elizabeth II crowned, February 6, 1952
ReplyDeleteWilla, is that what the fuss is about? Her Majesty is a very nice lady and all, but is it proper for former colonials celebrate the occasion? I want to do the right thing.
ReplyDeleteGeorge VI died. Coronation was June '53
ReplyDeleteOops - my bad about the date.
ReplyDeleteI think former colonials can celebrate good sense and economy wherever it occurs in the halls of power.
Come now, let's not quarrel on the happy occasion. ;-) Elizabeth became queen upon the death of King George VI on Feb. 6, 1952, right? Her Majesty's coronation was in June 1953. Why did the Brits wait so long to crown her?
ReplyDeleteWilla, Her Majesty seems a woman of great good sense, but the royal family seem rather expensive to maintain in the manner to which they are accustomed. Just sayin', as a mere former colonial.
ReplyDeleteI think the expense of maintaining the royal family pales into insignificance when compared with the amount of money spent to elect a US president every four years - knowing full well that even after he (it's always been a 'he' in the US) has been elected, half the country is going to hate his guts for the next four years.
ReplyDeleteTim, the bulk of the money spent on electing the president of the US is not public money. Nevertheless, I agree that our electoral process is obscenely littered with cash.
ReplyDeleteOne day, we will have a woman president, but I fervently hope she will not model her style of governance on Margaret Thatcher.
I was 8 and watched the coronation on B&W TV.
ReplyDeleteI fervently hope she will not model her style of governance on Margaret Thatcher
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Did you see 'The Iron Lady'?
susan s., everyone I knew was tuned in. You're a lot younger than I am.
ReplyDeleteTim, I have not seen the movie. Have you? The reviews I read were not encouraging.
ReplyDeleteIt was a bit too impressionistic for my liking. If you didn't already know the history and the names of the political figures involved, I think you'd be a bit lost. Not that Meryl Streep didn't do a grand job, but I think she had a bad script to work with.
ReplyDeleteStill, I'm glad I saw it. My parents are staunch Thatcherites and it helped me understand them a bit better. Myself, I'm not a fan, but neither was I a fan of the Labour politicians who preceded her. They made a mess in one direction, she made a mess in the other.
I was 8 and watched the coronation on B&W TV.
ReplyDeleteOooh, I saw a "Dr. Who" ep about that---you're lucky you didn't get your face sucked off! ;-)
Ah, JCF, it is to laugh!
ReplyDeleteOn this date in history:
ReplyDelete1478 - birth of Sir Thomas More, an English lawyer, social philosopher, statesman, author of the controversial book Utopia and noted Renaissance humanist. (d. 1535)
It’s Waitangi Day in New Zealand, a public holiday commemorating the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. This treaty, regarded as the founding document for New Zealand, made the islands a part of the British Empire and granted the Māori the rights of British subjects and land rights. Unfortunately, the white settlers largely ignored the treaty and in 1877 Chief Justice James Pendergast declared it to be a “legal nullity.” It remained so until 1975, when an act of New Zealand’s Parliament restored the treaty’s legal standing.
TODAY IN HISTORY:
Reagan Orders AIDS Report: 1986. In a message sent to Congress two days after the State of the Union Address, President Ronald Reagan made his second public mention of AIDS.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAY:
Ramón Novarro: 1899.
There's always something.
It is my mother's 71st birthday.
ReplyDeleteMurdoch, thanks for noting the other historic anniversaries. A Facebook friend reminded me about Waitangi Day, too.
ReplyDeleteMalcolm, wish your mother a Blessed and Happy Birthday for me.
As I didn't see this until Tuesday, I should remind you all that today is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens, in case you want some more.
ReplyDeleteRespect due, Chris! Every day is the anniversary of someone or something or other. :-) I think there's a website...
ReplyDelete