Three days in a row .... one

It is said imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. It also is said that some forms of imitation are plagiarism and against the law. Well .... whatever ....

Beginning today, I am running three photographs by Ansel Adams -- one each day, three days in a row. If you never have heard of him, do some research. If you think of yourself as a serious photographer and never have heard of him, shame on you. When I fancied myself as sort of a semi-serious photographer, I admired his work and "stole" some of his ideas (which he probably had stolen from someone else, such as photographing the same view during different seasons and under differing conditions). Today's entry is one of his many shots from Yosemite National Park, obviously under cloudy circumstances on a wintery, snowy day.

Accompanying Adam's photographs will be some random thoughts from me and a song each of the three days from UFO, one of the legend bands among rock 'n' roll aficionados and a group which I believe is vastly underrated, but greatly influential.

Ever hear of ????

Ever read anything by Victor Davis Hanson?

Perhaps, I should ask, ever heard of Victor Davis Hanson?

He is an anomaly in the sense that he is a teacher of classicism and a writer and a military historian (among other things) who is a registered member of the Democratic Party while advocating traditional conservative positions. He, like me, maintains that today's Democrats are not your grandparent's Democrats. My favorite quote by Hanson is this: "The Democratic Party reminds me of the Republicans circa 1965 or so -- impotent, shrill, no ideas, conspiratorial, reactive, out-of-touch with most Americans, isolationist, and full of embarrassing spokesmen."

Do not panic .... do not even worry. I am not about to launch into a tirade about the Democratic Party or fill you with tedious facts about the life and times and beliefs of Hanson. I merely wanted to alert you to his existence and to suggest you might want to read a book or two he has written. The man turns out books faster than I can read them.

Two of his books I would recommend are: "Bonfire of the Humanities: Rescuing the Classics in an Impoverished Age," and, "The Savior Generals: How Five Great Commanders Saved Wars That Were Lost -- From Ancient Greece to Iraq."

If you do delve into Hanson, my advice would be for you to be prepared for some serious stuff and to enter with an open mind ....