Great artist. Beautiful, too.
Not a song but this quote is from “This Side of Paradise” written not quite 100 years ago.
So early in September Amory, provided with “six suits summer underwear, six suits winter underwear, one sweater or T shirt, one jersey, one overcoat, winter, etc.,” set out for New England, the land of schools.
There were Andover and Exeter with their memories of New England dead—large, college-like democracies; St. Mark’s, Groton, St. Regis’—recruited from Boston and the Knickerbocker families of New York; St. Paul’s, with its great rinks; Pomfret and St. George’s, prosperous and well-dressed; Taft and Hotchkiss, which prepared the wealth of the Middle West for social success at Yale; Pawling, Westminster, Choate, Kent, and a hundred others; all milling out their well-set-up, conventional, impressive type, year after year; their mental stimulus the college entrance exams; their vague purpose set forth in a hundred circulars as “To impart a Thorough Mental, Moral, and Physical Training as a Christian Gentleman, to fit the boy for meeting the problems of his day and generation, and to give a solid foundation in the Arts and Sciences.”
OMG. It is like The Godfather .
@CaliMex, @itcannotbetrue, @SculptorDad: I hope you all are ok in CA! My stepdaughter in Oakland says the air is almost unbreathable. Besides all the lives lost and disrupted, I also worry about those with chronic respiratory conditions like my kid. This tragedy will have so many implications long-term. Sending love and best wishes to you all!
The air has been HORRIBLE but is finally starting to clear. We have masks to wear outside and air purifiers with HEPA filters in most rooms. Our little guy has respiratory issues and has been couped up at home most days. He is climbing the walls after so many days stuck indoors! Last week we had purple air (385!) but the we are now back down to yellow and orange. Our fear is that this is the new (seasonal) normal…
Here on the east coast, we have watched the unbelievable damage caused by the California fires. Extended poor air quality for weeks. I am praying for you all.
@CaliMex , glad there is light at the end of the tunnel.
We just see the news reports - unbelievable!
It is raining outside and the air is breathable!
I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving holiday! We turned off our devices and concentrated on family time . So, please forgive the delay in my holiday greetings! I’m thankful for all of the friends and mentors I’ve gained through CC! Y’all are the bestest!
My miscellaneous rambling for the day —
“Everyone thinks transparency is great. Not always. Take our political system. Before the internet and the immediate distribution of content, Dems and Republicans could work together across the aisle. Now, if they dare do so, they are pilloried by their base and their respective media (MSNBC, Fox) as traitors.
Take college admissions. Before published rankings took hold, colleges could build a class without concern over low acceptance rates or yield. Now, colleges are shackled to published data, the need to send out “best year ever” emails regarding admissions… and rankings.
All this makes me long for the days when we only had half the information… ahhh, simpler times 
We are in further south and had nothing but some smoke in the air. Thanks. It really was horrible for those who suffered.
Love this new video… Really captures the Thacher culture https://thacher.myschoolapp.com/app/detail/video/8769113
How does everyone feel about the new agree button??? Does this mean a "vehemently disagree " option is in the works???
What do people make of the current controversy over “Baby It’s Cold Outside”? TBH, I’ve always found the lyrics a little creepy.
But now there seems to be a backlash (at least judging by my FB wall) against anyone who sees the song as problematic. People are using arguments like “If you listen to any rap music, you can’t be against this song.” (Which IMO is a false equivalency, but whatever…).
Would love to know other people’s take on this.
We’ve always called it the Date Rape Song, but I love the rendition in the movie Elf where Jolie is in the shower and Buddy is in the bathroom chiming in. I actually like the duet because I find it clever, not because is crosses the “No Means No” line.
In more enlightened 2018, the lyrics are creepy. Opinions and viewpoints change with time. The original song is from 1944. There’s a lot of things that were deemed okay back then that we now longer consider okay.
The “controversy” is not a new one. Here is the 2007 date rape version:
https://www.funnyordie.com/2007/12/12/17695610/baby-it-s-cold-outside
IMO, it’s from a different time. Would it be acceptable now? Maybe not, but then again, Blurred Lines is only 5 years old.
I don’t see a link to the modern MeToo movement in the sense of abuse of position, like many famous male figures have been found guilty of recently (and appropriately). But the “what’s in this drink” really should have never been okay IMO. While ruffies and other modern date rape drugs weren’t around, alcohol was no less of a date rape “drug”, and has been used as such for decades (and many fold more often than modern drugs). The scene painted by the lyrics is not one of mutually developing interest over drinks. I never understood why it received so much play over the holidays and would be happy to see it go away for good.
I think it’s fine. Just like I’m okay with Rudolph and Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving.
DH wants to know what you all think of “Santa Baby”…that’s kind of a stereotype too…provocative lyrics… :-@