'If' only

This post at Powerline talks about the relevancy of Kipling to the modern world. I have not read a lot of his work, and less of his poetry, but this poem certainly seems relevant to me. It is his poem, 'If'.

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,'
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

The poem certainly demands a higher standard to be called a Man than you normally hear these days.  I don't detect a hint of victimhood anywhere in it.  If... the male half of humanity would take some of this to heart, then I think we would be better off as a race.  I think that as soon as my son is old enough we will be memorizing this one together.

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Thanks, Duke

For playing such a stellar game against West Virginia.  Or should I say, a stellar half.  You got my hopes up in the first quarter, only to squish them in the second.  Were those really the same players out on the court after half time?

Well, you have totally messed up my bracket.  Each year, I give you the benefit of the doubt, that you are going to pull it back together after slumping at the end of the season, and each year you prove that you can't go the distance.  For the second straight year you've bowed out in the second round after I've picked you for the final four.  I've learned my lesson - the hand has been burned too many times.  Next year, you get a first round win and that's it.  I don't care if you're playing Mount St. Mary's in the second round, you're getting marked for defeat.

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John Wayne on raising children

I heard about this clip on WPTF while driving in to work this morning. John Wayne discusses what he wants for his little girl as she grows up. I'm not sure I could say it any better. Skip to 1:50 if you want to go straight to the good stuff.

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Get cash from deBeers!

Did you buy a diamond within the past 10 or so years?  You may be eligible for some cash back.

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The Amero?

Last night we joined a couple of friends and went to the fireworks and symphony show at Lake Benson in Garner.  The place was absolutely mobbed with people, but we found a patch to throw down our blanket and set up the chairs in order to enjoy the festivities.  After a bite to eat we settled down to listen to the North Carolina symphony, which was predictably good.  The selection of music, I think, was tailored for the audience, with many big band classics and patriotic selections.  The fireworks were excellent, and went on for longer than I would have guessed.

We joined the mass of people all trying to leave at the same time after the conclusion of the show, and maneuvered our way through a tiny gate that was the easiest way out if you are on foot.  Just outside of the gate was a lone protester going on about the plot of the government to dissolve the U.S. and form the North American Union with Canada and Mexico.  That drew a snicker or two from me, but when he started ranting about changing the currency to the 'Amero' it turned to outright laughter.  I'm sorry, but if you are going to convince me that the NAU is a legitimate threat, then you need to come up with something more plausible than the Amero.  I can tell you that in Garner, NC, I don't think that he is going to find many converts anyway.

It was an interesting twist to a fun evening.  If you are ever in the Raleigh area for the 4th of July, I would recommend it.

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