"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Monday 12 September 2011

Why...Oh Why

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Generational Difference":

"Whites were not kept white with bleach. They were boiled in washing soda and bleached on the drying green."
When I was a child, whites were kept white with "laundry blueing." A "Dolly Blue" was tossed intothe water and it did its magic. There is no comparison in my opinion; other methods leave whites looking yellow. I used to be able to buy blueing most recently at Weston Produce but since it has closed I have not been able to find it. Current detergent products such as Oxiclean just don't cut it; they contain chemicals that are toxic to the environment. Blueing is non-toxic.
Sometimes, what's old is new.... and may often be better.

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I thought blueing went into the rinse water. It didn't actually keep whites white, It added a tinge of blue. I've used it. Shopper's Drug Mart may be a good place to look. Or Hey...Mike Evans Hardware store on Yonge Street.

On a related topic; I have recently decided to stop ironing.

I saw a young woman in a doctor's office wearing pants like a pair I own. They were cotton so their appearance would have been improved by ironing and a crease. But they weren't. I doubt they made a bad impression. Not on me. It was a long wait. I had nothing else to think about.

I thought, she's right. What does it matter? Another way to cut down on the expense of hydro.

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I posted negative comments about Norman Jewison yesterday because I wanted to ask;

What does personal behaviour have to do with genius.

Rabbie Burns was said to be a profligate. Did it take from his art or was it part of who he was? He died at thirty-nine.

Pierre Trudeau was not a canny politician. Without his determination and focus, could he have brought home the Constitution and created the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Excellent legislators went down to defeat because of it. Was that the price that had to be paid for Canada to gain her independence and become a just society.

Would it have happened had he been concerned about immediate consequences?

It didn't happen before Trudeau and hasn't since.

When Frank Sinatra died,I felt sadness. A light went out and the world became a colder,darker place.

Somebody said; He was a nasty piece of work, you know.

I said:

No,I do not know. Even if it's true,why should it matter?

I will still sit in my car,after arrival, to hear the end of a Sinatra rendition.

He lifted my spirit. He touched my soul. I will be forever grateful.

I could fill pages with names,famous and otherwise,whose work makes a difference.

The point is; why do we seem to need to qualify and withhold credit for excellence when we are its obvious beneficiaries.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Often wondered what effect a man's height has
upon his relationships while not interfering with
professional abilities ?

Anonymous said...

I am confused. I looked back and did not see any negative comments toward Mr. Jewison. Also, don't understand the height reference of Anon @10:42??

Anonymous said...

Always dilute bluing in cold water
BEFORE adding to wash load or rinse water.

1. Mix a few drops or up to 1/4 teaspoon of bluing (depending on wash load size)
in a quart or more of water.

2. Add diluted bluing to wash water or final rinse (water should appear light sky blue).

Determining how much bluing to use depends upon the load setting of the washing machine and whether it is being used in the wash water or in the rinse water. Generally, when using Mrs. Stewart's Bluing in the wash water, use approximately 1/4 teaspoonful and if used in the rinse water, less than 1/8 teaspoon. Always mix the bluing in a container of clear, cold water before pouring into the machine. Avoid pouring bluing from the bottle into the machine when clothes are present, as any fiber can absorb an excess of undiluted bluing, causing spotting. An easy way to use bluing is to measure the bluing into an old empty 2 quart or gallon pitcher or container and fill with cold water. Then it can be poured into the machine with clothes present, in either the wash or rinse cycle.

We do not recommend that bluing be used in conjunction with bleach and/or fabric softener. There is no worry of hazardous chemical reaction. However, we do know that bleach encourages more permanent adherence of bluing to fabric and it is generally recommended by most fabric softener manufactures that fabric softener not be used in conjunction with any other laundry product. It is important to know that bluing is not a stain remover, it is a fabric whitener. Bleach is very good for removing stains but can damage your fabric easily. Bluing is very gentle on fabric and will not harm the fibers. We do not recommend dispensing bluing from your automatic fabric softener dispenser as most dispensers are not large enough to allow for enough dilution and spotting can occur. We also do not recommend soaking clothing in bluing water. A simple dip or rinse is sufficient.

Anonymous said...

Your Posts are getting a bit esoteric. Is this intentional or just the mood you are in at the moment? Possibly the resumption of weekly sessions with your fellow councillors has you wound up and ready to have at them.

I must have missed the negative Norman Jewison comments and can't seem to find these on your blog. What did you say about him?

I disagree with you about Trudeau. He was a very canny politician despite screwing up a number of times with some of his government's policies. He probably was the only politician in Canada at the time of the FLQ crisis in 1970 who had the guts to call in the army, say that we were in a state of apprehended insurrection and do what had to be done. Was this about politics or about maintaining law and order in a part of the country gone berserk?

Was it politics or the very fact of his upbringing and education coupled with a desire for a truly independent Canada that he brought home the Constitution and negotiated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms with nine of ten provincial premiers?

I would propose that it was who and what he was, warts and all, that were responsible for both his failures and his successes. How many people today can remember one of his failures? How many are unaware of our Constitution and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms?

It is this latter that has been so egregiously attacked by the former mayor, and on that issue she is currently losing big-time, as she so deserves.

Our Charter provides each of us with the freedom of expression. Without this your blog might not exist as a means of saying what's on your mind and providing the opportunity to your readers to say what's on theirs.