Wednesday, February 18, 2009

[1841 - First continuous filibuster begins in U.S. Senate]

[1848 - Louis Comfort Tiffany, artist, designer, born in New York City]

[1859 - Sholom Aleichem (Solomon Rabinowitz), author,
born in Pereyaslav (near Kiev), Ukraine]

[1898 - Enzo Anselmo Ferrari born in Modena, Italy]

[1898 - Enzo Anselmo's Ferraris also were born in Modena, Italy]

[1907 - Billy De Wolfe (William Andrew Jones),
actor, born in Quincy, Massachusetts]

[1919 - Jack Palance (Vladimir Palahnuik), Academy Award-
winning actor, born in Hazle Township, Pennsylvania]

[1967 - J. Robert Oppenheimer, physicist, dies]

[1972 - California Supreme Court declares death penalty law in violation of State Constitution]

Why Ships Are She

This older version surfaces periodically. Besides being dated, it is much too paternalistic to be acceptable in our politically correct society. William's version, while slightly less sexist, is equally unacceptable:

Ships are called she because:

You have set eyes on one that will be yours, and whether she is tall with a pleasing silhouette or short and cluttered, whether she is narrow in the waist or broad in the beam, whether she is fresh and unscarred or rusty with age and use, you think her beautiful, love her, and know you always will.

You have spent some time with her and realize that she requires constant attention and is a high maintenance creature with seemingly infinite capacity to consume your energies.

You can accept the fact that you will never understand most of what there is to know about her, and much of what you will learn is trivial.

You understand that you will be with her for a while, and then she may go off with strangers without so much as a backward glance at you.

You have cursed her repeatedly in the foulest language, but punched another sailor's running lights out for making a disparaging remark about her.

You know that although she has sheltered and protected you in the harshest and least forgiving of environments, she can turn on you in an instant, throw things, break your gear, and turn your world upside down, but somehow it doesn't matter any more.

William's Whimsical Words:

You know that you cannot possess her, but want to be with her anyway.

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