Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Full Fathom Six? - 30 November 2021 - Plague Journal Day 628

Micah 6:8
Exodus 2:1-10  Mark 1:4-5
Yes, your life matters.

Some of you are still sheltering in place, but fear not: I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?


Sure, I could tell you that today is National Mason Jar Day (it is), and be all excited about it. After all, Mason jars are pretty great. Heck, a knock-off version was so popular it got a University in Indiana named after it (with an even niftier snide nickname - Fruit Jar Tech!). Yes, I could tell you about that, but then I'd miss the best thing about today.

On 30 November1835 Mark Twain, the celebrated American author, was born.

It's bizarre and distressing that another generation of Americans will likely be barred from reading some of his writings. Apparently it's impossible to understand that words are used now in ways that they weren't in the past. This might explain some of the confusion among folks who only read archaic translations of Holy Scripture. There are even words that are used now to mean the opposite of what they did in the time of King James. For example, when we hear that someone let someone else go or do something, we understand "allow" as the meaning of let. Back at that time, ambassadors were supposed to be allowed to come and go "without let nor hindrance" from the courts to which they were sent. "Let" meant to hinder - just as has been preserved in the tennis notion of a let ball - one that was hindered by the net.

At any rate, today we here at the Grand Teuton Blog celebrate the birthday of Mark Twain!
In an amazing stroke of coïncidence, that's the exact same day and year that saw the birth of Samuel Clemens, the celebrated American author. How cool is that?!


Keep Calm and Don't Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

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