Music hath charms

But again I expect it is a matter of pride and principle.

No, and I may have said it before, it's a matter of indifference.  All the other factors are just some gravy on the top.  And I don't understand joining Facebook just so that I have the opportunity to mock them with a "sneer of derision."  What's the point of that?  That's a level of snobbery and cruelty I do not wish to attain.

In anticipation of putting this issue to bed here's another bit of analysis from the owner of the Los Angles Times, who probably knows a thing or three about the role of media in society.

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I don't know if you guys are familiar with "life hacks," those tips that make your life a little bit easier.  There are a lot of them online, some good, some not so good, but I found one that works.  Like many folks I sometimes enjoy a snack while I'm web surfing or typing away, usually something like Fritos or Cheetos.  But they always leave my fingertips gunked up so I'm constantly wiping or licking my fingers.  The solution?  Chopsticks.  I'll be damned, but they work like a charm and no more residue on the keyboard.  No crumbs, your fingers aren't orange, and after a while you get real good at using chopsticks, something to impress your friends with at the next sit down in a Chinese restaurant.

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The Kavanaugh hearings continue today and I've been able to avoid them; I'll listen to the pundits hash out the proceedings later this evening, maybe after tonight's season premiere of The Good Place. But it got me thinking about previous discussions regarding the vagaries of the "permanent record."   Kavanaugh's accusations happened decades ago, well before the online age and yet, the stuff still surfaced.  What about the high school and college students of today, with all of their online pics, Tweets, emails, and god knows what else?  It's already too late for some of them; they'll never get through an FBI investigation.  Their most embarrassing and incriminating moments are only a click away.

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A frequent trope in Disney cartoons is when a character is in a forest and begins to sing or play some kind of music and the critters gather round in rapt attention.  There are some YouTube videos showing this, sometimes cows in a field who really like accordion music.  There was one video where a guy was playing a piano for a blind elephant; kind of heartwarming.  But this one takes the cake, a guy playing a handmade flute attracting dozens of raccoons.  This is something Mr. Beagles ought to try but maybe he'd end up attracting some other kind of critter.  Skunks would not be good.

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I know I've talked about making ice cream beyond anyone's interest but here's an historical example of the creativity of The Greatest Generation during wartime in the tropics.  First, you need some ammo boxes...