Both musicians and makers alike have long prized the aesthetic qualities of musical instruments, placing value in their looks, as well as their sounds. This duality goes back as long as human history. Ancient harps and flutes were often elaborately carved, brightly painted, and occasionally encrusted with jewels. Virtually all modern instruments (strings, brass, woodwinds, tympani, etc.) used in the orchestra have fancy versions– except maybe the lowly triangle, used in percussion!
The scroll and points in the modern F4-F5 design derived from the work of Orville Gibson were purely aesthetic features, and they were borrowed from the design of the violin, which dates back at least to the early 1600’s. Fancy fingerboard and top-wood inlays are another kind of feature that goes back to that early time. There is nothing new about adorning a mandolin. Antonio Stradivari himself made mandolins as well as violins, and two of these survive. They are elaborately inlayed!
Music itself is an art form, and arguably, one of the most ancient art forms. It is only natural to pair sonic with visual art. So YES, mandolins are works of art as well as utility. As a practical matter, modern luthiers who build guitars, mandolins, and virtually all other kinds of stringed instruments can command higher prices for fancier, more “artistic” versions. Musicians on the whoie — and especially performers — not only desire instruments that sound good and are easier to play, but also ones thatlook good. This creates a supply and demand. It’s not surprising in the least!
even picasso had a go at it:
Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week’s biggest news, like the suspect in the Pentagon classified document leak getting arrested.
and here we are in tornado and hurricane season. thanks a lot, elon.
Tim Scott, Nikki Haley, Mike Pence.
The lol Hahahaha lol Club.
Finally one of the contenders to replace twit has developed the possible way to send short messages. Substack has released “Notes” which are like twits. I am just starting to try Substack so it will be a while before I get deep into it.
david horsey’s op ed ‘toon a few days ago could also be applied to the orange-headed monkey (more like ape) on the media’s back with their 24/7 constant coverage of the indicted twice-impeached loser guy. no matter whether google or bing or whatever, claws of the drama queen cling to their backs.
There is no single way people get saved from drug addiction.
Some are desperate to get free from their deadly habit and seek treatment – if they can find it – with little outside motivation. Others need someone to reach out to them and guide them on a path to being drug free. And yet others are so lost to their addiction that some sort of coercion may be necessary.
One thing a person hooked on drugs is not is free…..
Rhonda Santis fighting hard….a valiant effort to gain membership in the lol hahahaha lol club. He’s almost there.
“Don’t wrestle with a pig. You both get all muddy and the pig likes ir.”
Proof of Sanctis not being up to being pres. He could have realized that ’24 was not his time (for a HOST of reasons) and pushed his efforts toward ’28 But Noooooo–simply not bright enough to play in the big leagues.
“Ah think ah’ll rassle this pig now.”
Another mandolin player.
One more not running for 2024 is Virginia governor Youngkin or Mr Mumbles. He can’t say anything straight, everything is nuanced so as to blame everyone else for not getting things done. Oh and he never was able to pull of the mini-sfb role. Have no fear, he is a grifter and will be running for 2028 or something. Virginia has one term governors of six years.
BB: One term Presidents for six years sounds like a good idea. Would save a whole lot of trouble and probably make actual governing more doable.
O’Grady said of the president, “He has been grieving a lot, but I think the grief is kind of going down a bit. We talked a little bit about how grief can take several years.”
Such a quintessential tiny Alabama town on the way to Lake Martin.
Last of the qualifying races have been run so we are now down to who pays the entry fee and who the vet allows in the gate. Time to start looking over the Derby field. Forte is the favorite under the eye of the triple crown hopers. I’m snuggling up in the stable with Tapit Trice.
Ivy, back in my kidhood when we didn’t go to Grayton Beach or Panama City for vacations we’d go to Lake Martin. Generally would go to Alex City to get groceries, but did go through Dadeville a time or 2 to go over and visit some of my mom’s relatives in Opelika. I loved Lake Martin – big sucker. Dadeville is one of the last places I’d ever think a mass shooting would occur.
Jamie, since my offspring is one Phil, I’ll have to saddle up on Two Phil’s.
Taking a break from baking bread and making dinners for the week. Pop up FB for laughs, and one of the posts was the typical phising meme thing, I noticed that almost no one bothers typing “do not answer these” anymore. The one I just saw was “What would you ask your grandmother to cook for your right now?”. I instantly thought, not typed, rabbit dinner. Then I realized how rural that sounds. Not your usual downtown New York City answer. Not an answer you expect in “modern” America. My how we have grown old.
Pogo: I used to drive down 280 from Vestavia to Opelika when my son lived there. An old-time “saloon town” with its own colorful history and still an interesting place to visit. Many Mountain Brookers have their weekend place on Lake Martin.
Peach cobbler.
Had uncles in vestavia and Shades Mt. They went a lot to the Coosa river
Back in November of 2022, 8 far-right candidates were elected to the Ottawa County commission here. As soon as they took office on January 3rd, they announced they had fired the Ottawa County health Officer. She supported masks and social distancing. Then they announced their intention to hire a replacement for her. Some anti-masker who earned his college degree from a 2 year online school. The health officer they were attempting to fire has since filed a lawsuit against the commission. The commission also fired the lead county executive and replaced him with John Gibbs. A Trump-backed candidate who lost his bid to get elected to Congress in November. Gibbs has asked for assistant to help him complete his duties, as he plans to be much more “hands-on” in his work. This position will pay $37,000. They’ve never needed an assistant for this position before. The commission was made up of 8 Republicans and 1 Democrat. All 8 Republicans were sponsored by PAC called “Ottawa Impact”. Since taking office, 2 of those Republicans have renounced their allegiance to “Ottawa Impact”. They’ve been upset with the lack of transparency of the other 6 Ottawa Impact-backed commissioners. So, all votes this year have passed by a 6-3 margin. The 6 commissioners recently have voted to be able to make rulings on laws and policies that they’ve never had the power to do before. Michigan’s Governor recently passed a law to enact “Red Flag” gun laws. In response, the new Ottawa County commissioners voted 6-3 to designate Ottawa County as a “Sanctuary County” for the 2nd amendment. Therefore, local law enforcement would not have to enforce the newly-passed “Red Flag” laws. Many people here have attended commissioner meetings to voice their anger over the things that the Ottawa Impact members have done, although a few people have applauded the things they are attempting to do. Others have started a PAC to hopefully vote these 6 members out of office in 2024. It’s pretty awful here these days.
“Marriage equality is technically the law of the land thanks to the Respect for Marriage Act, which President Joe Biden signed in December. But Tennessee’s bill exploits a major loophole in that law. Critics had long warned that the Respect for Marriage Act did not go far enough. The bill had been amended during the debate process to say that religious organizations do not have to marry same-sex couples, and the law also does not require states to actually issue same-sex marriage licenses.”
“The Tennessee House of Representatives has passed a bill that would allow people to refuse to perform a marriage if they disagree with it.”
“According to the bill, which passed Monday night, “a person shall not be required to solemnize a marriage.”*
“Instead of focusing on the issues that Tennesseans actually care about, radical politicians are wasting their time and using their power to target the LGBTQ+ community,” HRC legal director Sarah Warbelow said in a statement. “These bills are not about protecting children and they are not about religious freedom.”
“The largest retailer in the country announced plans this week to close four of its eight stores in the city, citing growing financial losses. Three are in predominantly Black and low-income neighborhoods, and their closures with little warning mean residents — including elderly citizens and people without reliable transportation — will have to travel further to buy groceries and pick up their medications.”
“Despite years of different strategies, the company said, it did not see a route to profitability for these stores. Walmart, which made $20.6 billion in 2022, did not specify why losses were growing in Chicago.”
“Mayors and key political leaders had pushed to draw Walmart, despite protests from small businesses, labor groups and community activists. Critics pointed to studies that suggested a Walmart presence could push out mom-and-pop stores and drive down wages, as it had in smaller towns.”
“A 2012 study of Walmart’s impact in Chicago found businesses closer to Walmart were significantly more likely to close than similar businesses farther away — and the number of jobs lost by nearby retail competitors essentially offset the number of jobs created at the new Walmart stores.”
“Instead of relying on large companies to strengthen local economies, some experts say, another solution could be designing policies that better support smaller, family-owned supermarkets, co-operatives, and farmers’ markets…”
Ivy, Oh, no doubt. My best friend’s kid lives in Mountain Brook and has a house on Lake Martin. My sister lives in Vestavia. Been down 280 more times than I can recall. Lloyd’s BBQ was a favorite of my uncle. Good BBQ, GREAT pies.
thanks, jack.
more on the instrument from blogger sblock at Mandolins as a work of art (mandolincafe.com)
even picasso had a go at it:
Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week’s biggest news, like the suspect in the Pentagon classified document leak getting arrested.
and here we are in tornado and hurricane season. thanks a lot, elon.
New Twitter settings could hinder timely storm warnings: National Weather Service | The Hill
Tim Scott, Nikki Haley, Mike Pence.
The lol Hahahaha lol Club.
Finally one of the contenders to replace twit has developed the possible way to send short messages. Substack has released “Notes” which are like twits. I am just starting to try Substack so it will be a while before I get deep into it.
david horsey’s op ed ‘toon a few days ago could also be applied to the orange-headed monkey (more like ape) on the media’s back with their 24/7 constant coverage of the indicted twice-impeached loser guy. no matter whether google or bing or whatever, claws of the drama queen cling to their backs.
The agony of addiction and the limits of liberty | The Seattle Times
There is no single way people get saved from drug addiction.
Some are desperate to get free from their deadly habit and seek treatment – if they can find it – with little outside motivation. Others need someone to reach out to them and guide them on a path to being drug free. And yet others are so lost to their addiction that some sort of coercion may be necessary.
One thing a person hooked on drugs is not is free…..
Rhonda Santis fighting hard….a valiant effort to gain membership in the lol hahahaha lol club. He’s almost there.
“Don’t wrestle with a pig. You both get all muddy and the pig likes ir.”
Proof of Sanctis not being up to being pres. He could have realized that ’24 was not his time (for a HOST of reasons) and pushed his efforts toward ’28 But Noooooo–simply not bright enough to play in the big leagues.
“Ah think ah’ll rassle this pig now.”
Another mandolin player.
One more not running for 2024 is Virginia governor Youngkin or Mr Mumbles. He can’t say anything straight, everything is nuanced so as to blame everyone else for not getting things done. Oh and he never was able to pull of the mini-sfb role. Have no fear, he is a grifter and will be running for 2028 or something. Virginia has one term governors of six years.
BB: One term Presidents for six years sounds like a good idea. Would save a whole lot of trouble and probably make actual governing more doable.
https://apnews.com/article/biden-beau-cancer-knock-ireland-0b52c7f9fa4e4c135dd49f0c00bdc473
O’Grady said of the president, “He has been grieving a lot, but I think the grief is kind of going down a bit. We talked a little bit about how grief can take several years.”
https://www.al.com/educationlab/2023/04/dadeville-shooting-local-students-involved-my-heart-is-heavy-superintendent-says.html
Such a quintessential tiny Alabama town on the way to Lake Martin.
Last of the qualifying races have been run so we are now down to who pays the entry fee and who the vet allows in the gate. Time to start looking over the Derby field. Forte is the favorite under the eye of the triple crown hopers. I’m snuggling up in the stable with Tapit Trice.
Derby Horses | 2023 Kentucky Derby & Oaks | May 5 and May 6, 2023
Ivy, back in my kidhood when we didn’t go to Grayton Beach or Panama City for vacations we’d go to Lake Martin. Generally would go to Alex City to get groceries, but did go through Dadeville a time or 2 to go over and visit some of my mom’s relatives in Opelika. I loved Lake Martin – big sucker. Dadeville is one of the last places I’d ever think a mass shooting would occur.
Jamie, since my offspring is one Phil, I’ll have to saddle up on Two Phil’s.
Taking a break from baking bread and making dinners for the week. Pop up FB for laughs, and one of the posts was the typical phising meme thing, I noticed that almost no one bothers typing “do not answer these” anymore. The one I just saw was “What would you ask your grandmother to cook for your right now?”. I instantly thought, not typed, rabbit dinner. Then I realized how rural that sounds. Not your usual downtown New York City answer. Not an answer you expect in “modern” America. My how we have grown old.
Pogo: I used to drive down 280 from Vestavia to Opelika when my son lived there. An old-time “saloon town” with its own colorful history and still an interesting place to visit. Many Mountain Brookers have their weekend place on Lake Martin.
Peach cobbler.
Had uncles in vestavia and Shades Mt. They went a lot to the Coosa river
Back in November of 2022, 8 far-right candidates were elected to the Ottawa County commission here. As soon as they took office on January 3rd, they announced they had fired the Ottawa County health Officer. She supported masks and social distancing. Then they announced their intention to hire a replacement for her. Some anti-masker who earned his college degree from a 2 year online school. The health officer they were attempting to fire has since filed a lawsuit against the commission. The commission also fired the lead county executive and replaced him with John Gibbs. A Trump-backed candidate who lost his bid to get elected to Congress in November. Gibbs has asked for assistant to help him complete his duties, as he plans to be much more “hands-on” in his work. This position will pay $37,000. They’ve never needed an assistant for this position before. The commission was made up of 8 Republicans and 1 Democrat. All 8 Republicans were sponsored by PAC called “Ottawa Impact”. Since taking office, 2 of those Republicans have renounced their allegiance to “Ottawa Impact”. They’ve been upset with the lack of transparency of the other 6 Ottawa Impact-backed commissioners. So, all votes this year have passed by a 6-3 margin. The 6 commissioners recently have voted to be able to make rulings on laws and policies that they’ve never had the power to do before. Michigan’s Governor recently passed a law to enact “Red Flag” gun laws. In response, the new Ottawa County commissioners voted 6-3 to designate Ottawa County as a “Sanctuary County” for the 2nd amendment. Therefore, local law enforcement would not have to enforce the newly-passed “Red Flag” laws. Many people here have attended commissioner meetings to voice their anger over the things that the Ottawa Impact members have done, although a few people have applauded the things they are attempting to do. Others have started a PAC to hopefully vote these 6 members out of office in 2024. It’s pretty awful here these days.
Infiltrating at all levels. Yes, awful…and sad.
https://newrepublic.com/post/171025/tennessee-house-bill-gutting-marriage-equality
“Marriage equality is technically the law of the land thanks to the Respect for Marriage Act, which President Joe Biden signed in December. But Tennessee’s bill exploits a major loophole in that law. Critics had long warned that the Respect for Marriage Act did not go far enough. The bill had been amended during the debate process to say that religious organizations do not have to marry same-sex couples, and the law also does not require states to actually issue same-sex marriage licenses.”
“The Tennessee House of Representatives has passed a bill that would allow people to refuse to perform a marriage if they disagree with it.”
“According to the bill, which passed Monday night, “a person shall not be required to solemnize a marriage.”*
“Instead of focusing on the issues that Tennesseans actually care about, radical politicians are wasting their time and using their power to target the LGBTQ+ community,” HRC legal director Sarah Warbelow said in a statement. “These bills are not about protecting children and they are not about religious freedom.”
https://youtu.be/3xlo1NvEdAw
Mandolin Wind
https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/15/business/walmart-chicago-closing-corporate-america/index.html
This story makes me think of Craig’s mom.
“The largest retailer in the country announced plans this week to close four of its eight stores in the city, citing growing financial losses. Three are in predominantly Black and low-income neighborhoods, and their closures with little warning mean residents — including elderly citizens and people without reliable transportation — will have to travel further to buy groceries and pick up their medications.”
“Despite years of different strategies, the company said, it did not see a route to profitability for these stores. Walmart, which made $20.6 billion in 2022, did not specify why losses were growing in Chicago.”
“Mayors and key political leaders had pushed to draw Walmart, despite protests from small businesses, labor groups and community activists. Critics pointed to studies that suggested a Walmart presence could push out mom-and-pop stores and drive down wages, as it had in smaller towns.”
“A 2012 study of Walmart’s impact in Chicago found businesses closer to Walmart were significantly more likely to close than similar businesses farther away — and the number of jobs lost by nearby retail competitors essentially offset the number of jobs created at the new Walmart stores.”
“Instead of relying on large companies to strengthen local economies, some experts say, another solution could be designing policies that better support smaller, family-owned supermarkets, co-operatives, and farmers’ markets…”
Ivy, Oh, no doubt. My best friend’s kid lives in Mountain Brook and has a house on Lake Martin. My sister lives in Vestavia. Been down 280 more times than I can recall. Lloyd’s BBQ was a favorite of my uncle. Good BBQ, GREAT pies.
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