Kim du Toit – Page 1250 – Splendid Isolation

Quite Right

March 7, 2019 Kim du Toit Advice

Brit TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp has been making waves:

Kirstie Allsopp has been vocal about her desire to ban homework in the past, and today the presenter hit out again, branding it a ‘waste of time’.

…and I agree with that, completely.

However, it’s what else she says that’s the best advice anyone can give:

The Location, Location, Location host, 47, who has two sons Bay, 12, and Oscar, 10 with husband Ben Andersen, took to Twitter to respond to new figures released today, which revealed a ‘decline in reading for pleasure.’
According to the research, just over half (52.5 per cent) of eight to 18-year-olds read for pleasure in 2019, down from 58.8 per cent in 2016.
…
She wrote: ‘No evidence that under 10s gain from homework AND kids hate it, parents hate it and teachers hate it.’
‘Homework is an absurd hangover from another time. Much, much better to focus on reading, reading, reading and more reading.’

Yup. Back when we homeschooled our three kids, the only mandatory exercise we imposed was three hours’ reading per day, no excuses, no “I’ll catch up tomorrow” or any of that jive. Three hours straight, and the kids had to read outside their rooms (no distractions), whether in the library (where there was no TV) or, if the weather was suitable, outdoors. For reading choice, there was my humble book collection (e.g. Bookcase #1 in the library):

…but the kids could also get their own, and the monthly trip to Barnes & Noble was a delight. There was no spending limit other than self-imposed, but the books had to be text-only, i.e. no coffee-table picture books, comics or manga etc.

The kids could study other subjects, and did, but the reading was non-negotiable. Kirstie has the truth of it: all three of our kids are scarily literate.

Unsurprising

March 7, 2019 Kim du Toit Food & Drink

Found via Insty, we see this little snippet:

Judged by a panel of 40 industry experts, Lidl’s [private label] Queen Margot, an eight-year blended Scotch whisky, took home a category win for “Scotch Blended 12 Years & Under.” The whisky beat out some serious competition from industry giants (and far pricier bottles) including Johnnie Walker Black Label. Queen Margot retails for £13.49, or approximately $17.98 USD, proving that good Scotch doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg.

Blended Scotch isn’t a “premium” product by any stretch of the imagination, so this shouldn’t come as any surprise. And “taste” is purely subjective, in any case. (I think the above-mentioned Johnnie Walker Black Label is overpriced for a liquor that tastes like cough medicine mixed with diluted engine oil, for instance, but many people love it.)

For the record, I have two favorite blended Scotches, when I feel like drinking more than one or two shots: J&B (with lots of ice and water) for a “light” drink, and Famous Grouse for a more substantial, undiluted one.

As Glenn dryly (and correctly) notes:

“The price/value correlation with booze isn’t super-tight.”

Nor with so many other “premium”-styled products, either, e.g. the $300,000+ Rolls Cullinan:

Then And Now #468

March 6, 2019 Kim du Toit Drive Time

Seems as though Bugatti has made a one-off for some rich fart, based on the classic Bugatti “Atlantic” of the 1930s:

Leaving aside the price of the thing (which is of course insane because Bugatti), Loyal Readers will not be surprised as to which model I prefer. Both look like Batmobiles, of course, each for their respective era (assuming Batman was around in the 1930s, which he wasn’t), and both have amazing power (once again, for their respective eras).

I’d bet that the older one is easier to park, though, simply because the modern one looks like a bloated sow by comparison. And in a real-life setting, the Atlantic looks even more toothsome:

Worrywarts

March 6, 2019 Kim du Toit Nannies

Then there’s this fearful nonsense:

[Tim Berners-Lee’s successor at CERN] Francois Fluckiger says privacy threats, fake news and online bullying threaten to turn the web into an uncontrollable force.

…and in other news, the descendants of Gutenberg’s printing press no longer print just Bibles.

The fact that some asshole even talks about “controlling” the web just makes me want to make this blog even more objectionable than it is. But I won’t, because I have standards. So here’s a simple and tasteful nature pic, instead.

Eucalyptus Now

March 5, 2019 Kim du Toit Funny Stuff, Grooming

Can anyone else hear the hoofbeats? No? Then read this appalling news:

They were the must-have accessory of the eighties and nineties but quickly fell out of fashion.
And now the humble bum bag, also known in the US as the fanny pack, has made a surprising comeback with top designers and celebrities championing the once wildly-mocked accessory.
Fashion houses such as Gucci, Prada and Louis Vuitton have all showcased bum bags on the catwalk.
And unlike the garish bright, polyester styles of the eighties and nighties, designers have given the accessory a sophisticated makeover with smart leather styles often called ‘belt bags’.

And if that isn’t enough to turn your stomach:

Style-savvy models and celebrities have been spotted donning this sought-after accessory, including Taylor swift who was spotted sporting the ‘Ophidia’ bag by Gucci over the weekend.

Oy vey. (No pics, because I refuse to be responsible for mass projectile vomiting.)

All that said, I have to confess to owning one of these horrible things. It’s made of polyester, it’s in my SHTF bin, and it holds five 10-round 1911 magazines. For emergency use only, when I don’t care what I look like and there are multiple goblins to be shot.