tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.comments2024-03-18T10:42:09.333-07:00SHADOW OF A DOUBTKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.comBlogger5063125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-10573866024479173852024-03-18T10:42:09.333-07:002024-03-18T10:42:09.333-07:00Jim, when I first read of the Antiques Roadshow ap...Jim, when I first read of the Antiques Roadshow appearance, I was prepared to find it unseemly but then I watched it and it just didn't seem that way at all. Obviously, I can't read Lorrie Stirm's mind, and she may have been greedy as all get out, but from her demeanor I think it's equally, even more than equally, plausible that, knowing it's a famous picture anyway, one's that's she's been asked about quite a bit, she thought it would be nice to give the public some background on it. As for the appraiser, he seemed very respectful, even choking up at one point. I'm willing to give them all the benefit (and the shadow) of a doubt.Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-8624868460028876952024-03-18T10:23:47.280-07:002024-03-18T10:23:47.280-07:00Jim, I can't say I'm familiar with yellow ...Jim, I can't say I'm familiar with yellow frown sticker. Of course, the black POW/MIA is still a fairly common sight today. That flag---designed while the war was still being fought--show a silhouette of a bowed head with high-walls-and-barbed wire in the background. When flown today it suggests some MIA's are still alive and being held under lock and key. Why in the world would the Vietnam government hang on to them? When I've asked this question to people convinced the prisoners are still alive, the answer is "so they can be bartered". Bartered for what, and when exactly is this bartering supposed to take place when it's now been decades? There's still some 1600 Americans unaccounted for, but unfortunately, I think they're more likely to be in graves than in camps.Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-80749045316006595702024-03-18T07:33:30.998-07:002024-03-18T07:33:30.998-07:00p.s. I forgot to comment that for the TV program a...p.s. I forgot to comment that for the TV program actually to place a value on these items was inappropriate. Unless the woman specifically asked for one, and then it would be unseemly for her to ask. This assumes that there is no urgent need for money, for example to pay for an operation for Veteran Stirm. (Even at that, with the crazy prices paid for documented memorabilia, the evaluation seemed low.) The evaluator should have just talked about the historical importance of the items, and not gotten down to brass tacks.<br />--JimParnassushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08958901307538141468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-44060862165840633792024-03-18T07:24:59.741-07:002024-03-18T07:24:59.741-07:00Hello Kirk, I remember some signs or stickers that...Hello Kirk, I remember some signs or stickers that I had. One, when the yellow smiling faces were especially popular, had a frowning face and had the logo "POW's Never Have a Nice Day." The other said "Help Our POW's and MIA's." These had a more direct message than complicated political discussions or media outlets that I was a little young for anyway.<br />--Jim<br />Parnassushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08958901307538141468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-23038151776739894272024-03-17T20:54:00.307-07:002024-03-17T20:54:00.307-07:00How about the excitement over returning POWs in ge...How about the excitement over returning POWs in general, Mike? This photo merely epitomized that.Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-57644192734473440122024-03-17T16:24:11.385-07:002024-03-17T16:24:11.385-07:00I don't remember seeing this photo. I probably...I don't remember seeing this photo. I probably did years ago and just forgot it.Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00017192454403363349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-15706129853832799972024-03-17T12:22:53.624-07:002024-03-17T12:22:53.624-07:00Debra, if it had just been the photo, I'm not ...Debra, if it had just been the photo, I'm not sure I would have done this post, since I originally wanted to do something St Patrick's Day-related. But then I found out about the Antique Roadshow appearance, and knew then I had to do it, shamrocks be damned!Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-76017825010175548972024-03-17T12:19:04.257-07:002024-03-17T12:19:04.257-07:00I left out quite a bit of soap opera stuff because...I left out quite a bit of soap opera stuff because I thought it may be a bit distracting. If you don't mind, Andrew, I'll use my reply to your comment to get the soap out of my system. The day he was released from prison, Robert Stirm received a letter from his wife telling him the marriage was over. He later found out she had been unfaithful during his captivity. For those reasons, Stirm himself has a difficult time looking at the famous photo and will not hang it up at his house.<br /><br />And, Andrew, I agree with you about PBS, itself priceless.Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-45153236080505487462024-03-17T12:03:05.913-07:002024-03-17T12:03:05.913-07:00It was a difficult situation all around, Mitchell....It was a difficult situation all around, Mitchell. Well, maybe not for the policymakers. To them it may have been just another day at the office.Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-75018695000959238432024-03-17T06:48:14.368-07:002024-03-17T06:48:14.368-07:00I remember that famous photo too. Such a powerful ...I remember that famous photo too. Such a powerful image. And thanks for that PBS video clip -- fascinating! I haven't seen that before.Debra She Who Seekshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01845703092794695023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-76126950159386411242024-03-17T02:26:09.693-07:002024-03-17T02:26:09.693-07:00I suppose I approve that his wife, for not much lo...I suppose I approve that his wife, for not much longer, did come to greet Stirm upon his return. <br />Whether personal quietly returned to their old lives or whether there would have being huge parades for them, wouldn't have made any difference in the long run. They weren't treated very well by the forces they worked for and nor the government, as I remember. Your PBS is a treasure. Support it. Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11788740115264422305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-12712035688724903122024-03-17T02:16:02.443-07:002024-03-17T02:16:02.443-07:00I grew up under the shadow (and threat) of the Vie...I grew up under the shadow (and threat) of the Vietnam War. Those who went didn’t receive a warm welcome home.Moving with Mitchellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12954028272162285597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-51337286000969344792024-03-14T14:30:21.095-07:002024-03-14T14:30:21.095-07:00Oh, and Andrew, it's a big country with a lot ...Oh, and Andrew, it's a big country with a lot of people. Lots of different kinds of people. You generalize about it at your own risk.Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-7453863868765872062024-03-14T14:24:21.856-07:002024-03-14T14:24:21.856-07:00HoG? Mike, are you trying to tell me you identify ...HoG? Mike, are you trying to tell me you identify as a Harley-Davidson?Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-81439445379990166342024-03-14T11:26:11.521-07:002024-03-14T11:26:11.521-07:00Cis, Latin or not, I don't like it. How about ...Cis, Latin or not, I don't like it. How about heterogender? HG for short. Or HoG? That;s it, I'm HoG!Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00017192454403363349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-57431118060161864592024-03-14T08:49:30.422-07:002024-03-14T08:49:30.422-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-90403477914452093652024-03-14T08:43:06.513-07:002024-03-14T08:43:06.513-07:00Andrew, do me a favor and ignore that "what&q...Andrew, do me a favor and ignore that "what" in between "earlier" and "those"Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-32658168087595704032024-03-14T08:40:08.903-07:002024-03-14T08:40:08.903-07:00Debra, it's not 0%, I know that!Debra, it's not 0%, I know that!Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-40380454272190578382024-03-14T08:32:06.136-07:002024-03-14T08:32:06.136-07:00Andrew, I direct you to this exchange from 1983...Andrew, I direct you to this exchange from 1983's The Big Chill:<br /><br />Sam Weber: Why is it what you just said strikes me as a massive rationalization?<br />Michael: Don't knock rationalization; where would we be without it? I don't know anyone who could get through the day without two or three juicy rationalizations. They're more important than sex.<br />Sam Weber: Oh come on, nothing's more important than sex.<br />Michael: Oh yeah? Ever gone a week without a rationalization?<br /><br />Just substitute "rationalization" with "compartmentalization" and you might understand why a MAGA might be friendly with a gay neighbor.<br /><br />As for the larger question of why MAGA folks believe what they do, all I can say is that in the 1950s and earlier what those beliefs were firmly in the mainstream. Maybe they want that firmness back. He who controls the mainstream controls the world!Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-36382874821596801602024-03-14T04:53:27.025-07:002024-03-14T04:53:27.025-07:00Yes, stats have always been dicey, given people...Yes, stats have always been dicey, given people's reticence to self-disclose. Debra She Who Seekshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01845703092794695023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-89873420968581922282024-03-14T04:16:07.454-07:002024-03-14T04:16:07.454-07:00America seems so political now. A gay couple could...America seems so political now. A gay couple could live next to a straight couple and get along with them perfectly well. Yet the gay couple's neighbour could also be GOP. MAGA and #45 supporters. I know your city is a very civilised place to live. I know so many decent bloggers in the US. I don't get where the deplorables come from and what they really imagine. Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11788740115264422305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-22103687928201483142024-03-11T22:59:51.515-07:002024-03-11T22:59:51.515-07:00I think you'll like it, Lux. Both shows, in fa...I think you'll like it, Lux. Both shows, in fact.Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-80067086048443326462024-03-11T03:01:27.526-07:002024-03-11T03:01:27.526-07:00Now that's a title. I really want to watch thi...Now that's a title. I really want to watch this series. Soon hopefully.Lux G.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00557863683608790087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-18918208651554542312024-03-11T01:54:57.218-07:002024-03-11T01:54:57.218-07:00Nothing happens in Meet Me in St. Louis? Jim, THIS...Nothing happens in Meet Me in St. Louis? Jim, THIS happens:<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Bsy9Sl4Z6U<br /><br />Only 289 shopping days to go.<br />Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-6262073927509806402024-03-10T23:26:32.470-07:002024-03-10T23:26:32.470-07:00Hello Kirk, I never saw either show, but I have no...Hello Kirk, I never saw either show, but I have noticed how often people claim that shows (or books, etc.) are about "nothing" but in fact there is a lot going on. P.G. Wodehouse's books are essentially about nothing, the supposedly real plot (or McGuffin) having no importance at all--the fake plot just lets us watch the interactions of the characters. Similarly, the nothing-plot is always invoked when people discuss Meet Me In St. Louis, yet there are definitely interweaving plot lines. How is a family's happiness is being threatened by an impending move* different from a thousand plots which are basically a couple's happiness is threatened by some intervening hussy or obstacle?<br />.<br />So let's hear no more about "nothing" plots!<br />--Jim<br />*How curious that the play was such a hit in New York, when moving to that same city is the dire punishment that the family is facing. In reality, they did move to New York, and a good thing, because Sally Benson became a famous writer for the New Yorker.Parnassushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08958901307538141468noreply@blogger.com