The Latest "Thrust Home" Award

Award drawn and "donated" by Skip Simpson,

based on a poster he found on the internet.

As stated in my title, here's the latest award I'm... well... awarding.

But first, here's the obligatory reminder as to what "The Silver Fox's THRUST HOME Award!" is all about:

Bloggers like to give each other awards. One of the drawbacks to these awards is that they're usually given with a set of conditions. Quite often, one of these conditions is that the awardee must first jump through a few select hoops, and then "pass on" the award to a pre-ordained number of other bloggers, which has the unfortunate effect of turning the award itself into more of an internet chain letter than a true honor.

In response to this, I created my own blasted award.

One of my all-time favorite stories is Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac. Cyrano often used the expression "Thrust home!" when fatally piercing an opponent during a sword fight. I've appropriated that phrase for... "The Silver Fox's THRUST HOME Award! -- Given to the Author of a Single Outstanding Blog Post."

And my rules for the award -- and the rules for its recipients -- are:

• This award will be given by me, and no one else, and generally to only one recipient at a time.
• I'll only give the award to those whose posts have truly "thrust home" with me, so even my best friends on the 'net might never get one.
• The award will usually go to a post of what I deem to be of general import and interest, but that may be fudged once in a while to reflect my own biases. (My award, my stupid rules. Deal with it.)
• There will be no set frequency for the giving of the award.
• Theoretically, a recipient of "The Silver Fox's THRUST HOME Award!" may win once, twice... or forty-seven times! This is an award for individual blog posts, not for blogs!
• Recipients would be asked to mention their receipt of said award on their own sites, along with a corresponding link to my own. And a little blurb on your sidebar -- feel free to copy and paste the graphic, of course! -- would be greatly appreciated.
• Winners are not allowed to give this award to others.
• Other than that, awardees are not asked to do anything else. You've already done it!

The latest recipient is (Clicking on the blog's bold-faced title will bring you to its latest post, while, as you've probably surmised, clicking on the italicized title of the "winning" post will bring you to that post itself.):

Colin D. Smith, Writer, "When Bad People Do Good Things," December 8, 2017.

Since the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke (my thoughts on that here), dozens of women (and men) have accused various celebrities, politicians, and other powerful individuals of varying degrees of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior, everything from sexual innuendos and off-color jokes to forcible rape. Some of these people have been silent for years, but are finally emboldened to make these accusations. And all in all, I believe it's a good thing that these people are finally being taken seriously.

Having said that, I always feel uncomfortable when I'm reading about some past or current actor, composer, comedian, whatever, whose work I've enjoyed or admired, but whose personal life shows that he or she isn't or wasn't a very nice human being. Today's award-winning post by Colin D. Smith shares my mixed feelings concerning the accused and their accomplishments, and he no doubt discusses the problem better than I could have. Just click on the above link and read Colin's post.

Congratulations, Colin!

And thanks for your time.

New "Thrust Home" Award

Award drawn and "donated" by Skip Simpson,

based on a poster he found on the internet.

Wow. I haven't done one of these since October of 2011!

First, here's the obligatory reminder as to what "The Silver Fox's THRUST HOME Award!" is all about:

Bloggers like to give each other awards. One of the drawbacks to these awards is that they're usually given with a set of conditions. Quite often, one of these conditions is that the awardee must first jump through a few select hoops, and then "pass on" the award to a pre-ordained number of other bloggers, which has the unfortunate effect of turning the award itself into more of an internet chain letter than a true honor.

In response to this, I created my own blasted award.

One of my all-time favorite stories is Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac. Cyrano often used the expression "Thrust home!" when fatally piercing an opponent during a sword fight. I've appropriated that phrase for... "The Silver Fox's THRUST HOME Award! -- Given to the Author of a Single Outstanding Blog Post."

And my rules for the award -- and the rules for its recipients -- are:

• This award will be given by me, and no one else, and generally to only one recipient at a time.
• I'll only give the award to those whose posts have truly "thrust home" with me, so even my best friends on the 'net might never get one.
• The award will usually go to a post of what I deem to be of general import and interest, but that may be fudged once in a while to reflect my own biases. (My award, my stupid rules. Deal with it.)
• There will be no set frequency for the giving of the award.
• Theoretically, a recipient of "The Silver Fox's THRUST HOME Award!" may win once, twice... or forty-seven times! This is an award for individual blog posts, not for blogs!
• Recipients would be asked to mention their receipt of said award on their own sites, along with a corresponding link to my own. And a little blurb on your sidebar -- feel free to copy and paste the graphic, of course! -- would be greatly appreciated.
• Winners are not allowed to give this award to others.
• Other than that, awardees are not asked to do anything else. You've already done it!

The latest recipient is (Clicking on the blog's bold-faced title will bring you to its latest post, while, as you've probably surmised, clicking on the italicized title of the "winning" post will bring you to that post itself.):

Bish Denham, "The Real America," August 21, 2017.

As Bish herself says at the beginning of her post, she doesn't use her blog to be political (as I also say on my own blog). But her article does briefly touch on a fact that I've seen reported elsewhere (including here) which is that since the USA's 2016 election, numerous people feel totally justified in showing themselves to be bigoted morons. ("Bigoted morons," by the way, are my words, and not Bish's.) Anyway, never mind what I have to say this time around. Just click on the above link and read Bish's award-winning post.

Congratulations, Bish!

And thanks for your time.

The Return of "The Silver Fox's THRUST HOME Award"

Award drawn and "donated" by Skip Simpson,

based on a poster he found on the internet.

It's been quite a while -- over a year, actually -- since I've done one of these.

But first, the obligatory reminder as to what "The Silver Fox's THRUST HOME Award!" is all about:

Bloggers like to give each other awards. One of the drawbacks to these awards is that they're usually given with a set of conditions. Quite often, one of these conditions is that the awardee must "pass on" the award to a pre-ordained number of other bloggers, which has the unfortunate effect of turning the award itself into more of an internet chain letter than a true honor.

In response to this, I created my own blasted award.

One of my all-time favorite stories is Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac. Cyrano constantly used the expression "Thrust home!" when fatally piercing an opponent during a sword fight. I've appropriated that phrase for... "The Silver Fox's THRUST HOME Award! -- Given to the Author of a Single Outstanding Blog Post."

And my rules for the award -- and the rules for its recipients -- are:

• This award will be given by me, and no one else, and generally to only one recipient at a time.
• I'll only give the award to those whose posts have truly "thrust home" with me, so even my best friends on the 'net might never get one.
• The award will usually go to a post of what I deem to be of general import and interest, but that may be fudged once in a while to reflect my own biases. (My award, my stupid rules. Deal with it.)
• There will be no set frequency for the giving of the award.
• Theoretically, a recipient of "The Silver Fox's THRUST HOME Award!" may win once, twice... or 47 times! This is an award for individual blog posts, not for blogs!
• Recipients would be asked to mention their receipt of said award on their own sites, along with a corresponding link to my own. And a little blurb on your sidebar -- feel free to copy and paste the graphic, of course! -- would be greatly appreciated.
• Winners are not allowed to give this award to others.
• Other than that, awardees are not asked to do anything else. You've already done it!

The latest recipient is (Clicking on the blog's bold-faced title will bring you to its latest post, while, as you've probably surmised, clicking on the title of the "winning" post will bring you to that post itself.):

1. Tino's Teasings, "For the Love of Daddy," October 17, 2011

This was my very first visit to this blog, which I found due to Tino's participation in the same dVerse Poets Pub prompt ("Taboo") which inspired my last entry. I'm not going to tell you anything about this chilling post beforehand. Just... read it. Congratulations, Tino!

Thanks for your time.

David'Z RantZ ~~ PART TWO of Meme THIS. (or, "The Meme to End All Memes")

Last time, subversive & silvery s.o.b. that I am, I made you sit through what amounted to an introduction for today's post. (I've done it before. I'll do it again. Such is life.)

I talked about some of the problems with internet memes. And now, here's my solution:

Okay, okay, wait a second! Getting right to the point? That wouldn't be me, now would it?

I have to include at least one marginally-related digression, or you'd think you were reading somebody else's freakin' Twitter tweet!

A while back, I had a "problem" with the "chain letter" aspect of certain internet awards, and I announced the creation of "The Silver Fox's THRUST HOME Award!"

"The Silver Fox's THRUST HOME Award!" is an award that will be given only by me, and generally to only one recipient at a time. I'll only give the award to those whose posts have truly "thrust home" with me. There will be no set frequency for the giving of the award. (Since January 8th of last year, I've only given out three.) This is an award for individual blog posts, not for blogs! Recipients are asked, not told, to mention their receipt of said award on their own sites -- and two of 'em did -- along with a corresponding link to my own. And most importantly, winners are not allowed to give this award to others!

I thought, and still think, that all these facts make this award kinda special.

Here's "The Silver Fox's THRUST HOME Award," fellow babies.

I'm putting this coveted award here so you can see it, and because

 I thought today's post needed two red, black, & white illustrations!

So. What's my "solution" to the whole "meme thing?" Something so absurdly easy to do, it's something that everyone -- EVERY BLOGGER on the flippin' internet!!! -- will want to do!

It's like Theme Thursday or Sepia Saturday, or any of those other memes which take place on a specific day. And to make it even easier, I'm not going to tell you which day! Hell, fellow babies, I'm not even going to tell you its official title!!!

This, then, is "the meme to end all memes." Well, not "end" the others. of course. That's too much to ask, even for The Silver Fox! (I'm not all-powerful, and I'll oh-so-humbly admit that! I'm not a god. I just play one on my blog!) But this will be the best and easiest meme, one which everyone can -- and will -- play along with!

"But what do I have to do, oh Silver Fox?" you ask!

HA!

Nothing.

That's right! Nothing.

What could be easier, eh? (I threw in that "eh" so my Canadian friends would understand this post.)

So, if and when I -- or one of The Silver Fox's agents, minions, followers, worshippers, etc. -- drop by your blog on the assigned day of the week (a day which you won't even know about, as I said), and you're not mentioning it... I'll know you're participating. I won't tell you I know, of course, either publicly or privately. It'll be our little secret.

And if you show up here or anywhere else and state emphatically that you do not intend to join myself and the others? I know that that's only a disclaimer to fool people, but it isn't necessary. I know you're really one of us.

In no time at all, I guarantee that everyone on the internet will be playing along!

Of course, some of you may write a post saying that you are, indeed, playing along, or may leave a comment here or elsewhere, saying that you will. And you may, understandably, think that disqualifies you, so that you alone end up not playing after all! But fear not, oh tortured soul. I am nothing if not magnanimous in my forgiveness, so I will just assume that you simply screwed up the rules, and will keep you in the game nonetheless... forever.

Forever.

My meme, my rules. In other words, you are playing... whether you like it or not. [insert evil, triumphant, maniacal laughter here]

Thanks for your cooperation. Or, to put it another way, "boogity boogity boogity shoo!"

Hit it, maestro!

And thanks for your time.

Another Award-Winning Post!

Award drawn and "donated" by Skip Simpson,

based on a poster he found on the internet.

What "The Silver Fox's THRUST HOME Award" is (edited from my January 8th post , which originally announced it):

Bloggers like to give each other awards. One of the drawbacks to these awards is that they're usually given with a set of conditions. Quite often, one of these conditions is that the awardee must "pass on" the award to a pre-ordained number of other bloggers, which has the unfortunate effect of turning the award itself into more of an internet chain letter than a true honor.

So I've created my own blasted award.

One of my all-time favorite stories is Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac. Cyrano constantly used the expression "Thrust home!" when fatally piercing an opponent during a sword fight. I've appropriated that phrase for... The Silver Fox's Thrust Home Award! -- Given to the Author of a Single Outstanding Blog Post.

And my rules for the award... and the rules for its recipients, are:

• This award will be given by me, and no one else, and generally to only one recipient at a time.
• I'll only give the award to those whose posts have truly "thrust home" with me, so even my best friends on the 'net might never get one.
• The award will usually go to a post of what I deem to be of general import and interest, but that may be fudged once in a while to reflect my own biases. (My award, my stupid rules. Deal with it.)
• There will be no set frequency for the giving of the award.
• Theoretically, a recipient of The Silver Fox's Thrust Home Award! may win once, twice... or 47 times! This is an award for individual blog posts, not for blogs!
• Recipients would be asked to mention their receipt of said award on their own sites, along with a corresponding link to my own. And a little blurb on your sidebar -- feel free to copy and paste the graphic, of course! -- would be greatly appreciated.
• Winners are not allowed to give this award to others.
• Other than that, awardees are not asked to do anything else. You've already done it!

And the latest recipient is (Clicking on the blog's bold-faced title will bring you to its latest post, while, as you've probably surmised, clicking on the title of the "winning" post will bring you to that post itself.):

1. waystationone, "55 - 1:45, McDonalds, east side," August 19, 2010

Brian Miller has a knack for poetry, as well as for intriguing short stories which begin one way and end in another way that makes you wonder how he got there from where he started! (What I call leading you from point 1... to point 2... to point C.) He's won TSFTHA for a poem which tells a powerful story. In only fifty-five words -- fifty-five words, fellow babies! -- Brian makes a grim statement about an equally grim subject, that of domestic violence. If I were to go on and on about it, I'd only be gilding the proverbial lily; this post of mine is already a lot longer than the one I'm recommending! Go read it. Congratulations, Brian!

Thanks for your time.

Announcing "The Silver Fox's THRUST HOME Award!"

For reasons touched upon in my last post, my solo blogs are seeing very little in the way of new material. In fact, here it is, January 8th, and this is my very first post of the new year. And strangely enough, it's here more to showcase the work of others, rather than my own.

Read on, MacDuff...

Bloggers like to give each other awards. I've been honored with a few myself. One of the drawbacks to these awards is that they're usually given with a set of conditions. Quite often, one of these conditions is that the "awardee" is urged to write a post which tells obscure or relatively-unknown things about himself or herself. Another condition, one that's usually stressed more than any others, is that the awardee must "pass on" the award to a pre-ordained number of other bloggers, which has the unfortunate effect of turning the award itself into more of an internet chain letter than a true honor.

In fact, if everyone "tagged" in this manner followed suit, in no time at all every blog in existence would have an award of some kind. Regrettably, that tends to rob the award of its special qualities. Try to picture both you and me with Olympic Gold Medals for swimming, simply because those who'd actually won such medals were forced to pass them along!

Well, I'm only one person, a person whose opinion is of admittedly minuscule importance in the grand scheme of things, but I also like to take occasional notice of a blog or blog post which I find to be outstanding.

So I've created my own blasted award.

One of my all-time favorite stories is Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac. I first encountered the tale in its Classics Illustrated comic book version, when I was not quite twelve years old. The ancient, musty-smelling edition I read was a first printing of the comic, published to coincide with the release of the motion picture starring Jose Ferrer. In those days, long before the introduction of VCRs, I had to wait fifteen years before I was actually able to see the film on TV!

Cyrano constantly used the expression "Thrust home!" when fatally piercing an opponent during a sword fight. I've appropriated that phrase for my new award:

As a surprise to virtually no one, I expect, I should

mention that the illustration for this award was drawn

and donated to my cause by none other than Skip Simpson,

who based it on a poster he found on the internet.

The Silver Fox's Thrust Home Award! -- Given to the Author of a Single Outstanding Blog Post.

And my rules for the award's... errr... awardment, and the rules for its recipients, are:

1. This award will be given by me, and no one else, and generally to only one recipient at a time. (Today, however, there will be an exception to this rule. More later.)
2. I'll only give the award to those whose posts have truly "thrust home" with me, so even my best friends on the 'net might never get one.
3. The award will usually go to a post of what I, in my infinite -- or should that be infinitesimal? -- wisdom, deem to be of general import and interest... but that may be fudged once in a while to reflect my own biases. (My award, my stupid rules. Deal with it.)
4. There will be no set frequency for the giving of the award. It's not a weekly or monthly kinda thing. I might give two in a given week. I might give one, and then not give another for months.
5. Theoretically, a recipient of The Silver Fox's Thrust Home Award! may win once, twice... or 47 times! This is an award for individual blog posts, not for blogs!
6. Recipients would be asked to mention their receipt of said award on their own sites, along with a corresponding link to my own. And a little blurb on your sidebar -- feel free to copy and paste the graphic, of course! -- would be greatly appreciated.
7. Winners are not allowed to give this award to others.
8. Other than that, awardees are not asked to do anything else. Heck, you've already done it!

And now, without further ado...

While I've been busy with my own life and -- later -- preparing this award for public dissemination, not one but two blog posts "thrust home" with me. Therefore, in order of their publication, I hereby award The Silver Fox's Thrust Home Award! to the following blogs and their authors (Clicking on the blog's bold-faced title will bring you to the latest post, while, as you've probably surmised, clicking on the title of the "winning" post will bring you to that post itself.):

1. Roy's World, "No Going Back," November 30, 2009

Fellow New Englander and self-described "old hippie" Roy Hilbinger continually provides fascinating posts and intriguing photos. (He also happens to be one of the few people out there who often posts items of musical note -- pun intended -- from which a largely self-satisfied musical trivia know-it-all like myself can learn!) I heartily recommend his blog in general, of course, but he is receiving the very first TSFTHA for a long, incredible post he wrote about religion in general, and the Baha'i Faith in particular. It's a touchy subject -- religion almost always is -- but Roy handled it admirably. Congratulations, Roy!

2. AngelMay's Growing Pains, "Theme Thursday - History ('Because')", December 17, 2009

AngelMay is a remarkably adept writer. My humble words cannot do justice to hers, you might say, so all I'll attempt to do here is to lead you in the right direction. She's won the TSFTHA for a post about the plight of women, both worldwide and in our so-called "enlightened" society. In lesser hands, this post could have been trite and clichéd... but not hers. Congratulations, AngelMay!

And with that... Thanks for your time.