Good AM, folks!
Well, the weekend is upon us, and for the first time in a few weeks, we have nothing planned. This is actually an unsettling feeling, since I should have something I should be doing, considering that I have a house closing and wedding impending.
Speaking of weddings, you folks are my friends, and I would like to invite those of you who wish to attend the (reasonably brief) ceremony and (reasonably sumptious) reception. I have addresses for a few of you. If you wish an invitation, please email me at staballoy@yahoo.com with your address. No gifts solicited, btw; if you're so inclined, give to a kids' toy charity, animal rescue group, or Samaritan Ministry or the like.
Or give to a wino on a median. I do. There but for the grace of God . . .
Oh my goodness, here I go laughing out loud again. Stab says:
ReplyDelete"Or give to a wino on a median. I do. There but for the grace of God . . ."
Now cuz, you are a smart guy, and you have heard this...anyone who knows the first thing about homelessness and the downtrodden and defeated will tell you that that is the worst thing you can do. You should, instead, give them directions to Samaritan Ministries or the Rescue Mission or somewhere else that they can get "help" to end their hopeless condition...even offer them a ride there.
If you just give them a couple of bucks you become an enabler, allowing them to continue their slide downhill to perdition. Everybody knows that.
So why would you do that? Maybe for the same reason that I do as well. Because when you follow that very good advice, you are also judging the guy on the median. He probably already knows about all the places that you are going to try to send him to and has decided that they are not for him.
Is it our place to make his decisions for him? I don't think so. You will cite Christian reasons for giving him money. I won't, but our decisions both come from the same place, compassion for our fellow man...there but for the grace of god or fate or whatever.
Without that compassion, we are no better than politicians who dole out their beneficence for their own advancement.
I don't like doing it, in fact, it almost kills me to hand a man on the median a couple of bucks, because I know better. But how can any decent person ignore an outstretched human hand?
"Judge not, lest ye be judged." Some people see that as a Christian warning. I see it as a human one.
It's because of fools like you, Rush, that these so called 'winos' hang out in the median.
DeleteHowever, most are not winos at all, they are traveling scam artists. Some are on the road traveling from state to state, on a type of hobo vacation. Some of them actually should not be in the beggers arena at all. They get food stamps, a housing supplement, head start, food from the food pantry, unemployment insurance or social security. And they have a relatively new car parked around the corner.
I wish these fools, like Rush, would just leave their money in their pockets when it comes to these median moguls, so the rest of us don't have to get hasseled.
But, you know how the story goes-you can't tell a liberal anything.
oh, you can tell a liberal anything as witnessed by your posts. We just don't believe everything we hear or read.
DeleteThis is a scary day: I find myself in agreement with my esteemed cousin, and with Dr. Joe Cutri. And driving a Subaru. Amazing times.
DeleteBucky, you are as predictable as the tides. The folks I tip are decidedly down and out, or have movie make-up artists prepping them for their performances. When a I hand a couple of dollars to a mendicant median occupant, I drive away richer for the encounter than the recipient.
Stab....one more mark and you may start speaking in "tongues". Watch it.
DeleteStab, I like to be predictable. I like to be predictably sane in my comments, and in life in general.
DeleteI don't like getting out on a limb on a 'foolish' whim, and having it sawed off. I know liberals do, because they do it all the time, but when they hit the ground and get hurt, they blame everybody else but themselves.
I call those actions foolish, stupidity. Liberals call it progressivism.
liking to be and being are two different things.
DeleteDunce's life is like the movie "Ground Hog Day", except instead of operating on a 24 hour cycle, it repeats every fifteen minutes or so.
DeleteMoronic or irrelevant statement, mostly ignored by others, move on, repeat. Sometimes he likes a certain moronic/irrelevant statement so much that he repeats it once or twice, copying and pasting from a previous day.
He reminds me of a kid I knew who would pee in the fireplace just to get some attention.
Won't be long now before we see Stab sporting a ponytail, wearing Birkenstocks, and singing the praises of unions :)
DeleteKumbaya.
DeleteThe day becomes scarier: pony tail, Birkenstocks, U-words? Actually, I haven't much wherewithal on the back of my head with which to grow a ponytail. I am frightfully clumsy, so my toes need to be fully encased, thus no sandals. As for the latter, I am a member of Consumers Union. And I think unions can have a salutary effect on our economy, if they organize workers in China. I recommend exporting organizers to do just that.
DeleteHOPKINS, Minn. - Mitt Romney said Thursday night that big businesses are "doing fine," using similar language that the presumptive nominee has hammered President Obama for using to describe the private sector earlier this year.
ReplyDelete"I'm going to champion small business. We've got to make it easier for small businesses. Big business is doing fine in many places - they get the loans they need, they can deal with all the regulation," said Romney, speaking to a group of supporters at a private fundraiser in Minnesota.
Romney then added that the reason that big businesses are "doing fine in many places" is because they are able to invest their money in "tax havens."
"They know how to find ways to get through the tax code, save money by putting various things in the places where there are low tax havens around the world for their businesses," said Romney.
I had no idea you were going to spend your "R&R" time becoming a devote of Romney's speeches?
Deleteoh, I've been following the Romney's since his father lauded Saul Alinsky and told his fellow politicians they should listen to him. Mitt has always said his father was his greatest influence. My first car was a 1965 Rambler American, straight 6, with 3 on the column. It was Canary yellow. We called it "Chiquita."
DeleteOthers have their Rhodes Scholars, we have our own Romney Scholar in residence.
DeleteRush Limbaugh said the other day, he thinks he can stand Obama for another four years, it's just the dumb people that vote for him that he's going to have trouble with.
DeleteI agree. It takes about two minutes of our very own NW, and then, I've had enough.
In 2008, Limbaugh said that if Obama was elected President, he would move to Costa Rica.
DeleteWe're still waiting.
I guess once you start lying, there's no way to stop.
Sure Limbaugh can stand another 4 years of Obama. Kinda hard to hammer away at the guy you supported if he wins the WH. Obama is good for his ratings.
Delete"Individual responsibility"
ReplyDeleteIf the writer of the letter "Ryan's Christianity" (Aug. 19) has done as much in-depth study of the New Testament as he claims, he should be well aware that nowhere did Jesus, or the authors of either the Old or New Testaments, ever even imply that it is the role of the government to care for the poor.
Jesus' teachings regarding all the subjects about which he spoke in the course of his ministry on Earth very clearly are directed at individual responsibility to follow his teachings as a matter of each individual's own decision. Yet the letter writer denounces vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, and even goes so far as to reject Ryan's openly professed Christianity, because he proposed a government budget that apparently has the unpardonable fault of not forcing taxpayers to cough up as much government-provided welfare funding as the writer deems appropriate.
This baseless condemnation is outrageous and is itself contrary to Christ's teaching.
RICHARD CHASE
Pfafftown
"Respect for one another"
The beliefs we live by are personal. They're obtained from our parents, teachers, clerics and other mentors. Beliefs guide our behavior for a lifetime. We prize opinions that confirm rather than challenge our convictions. It's noted that progressives prefer MSNBC, moderates choose CNN and conservatives are partial to Fox News. This can lead to a "hardening of the categories." This disorder affects our politics and disrupts social cohesion.
Beyond beliefs, there are the facts of life acquired through education and the coping experiences of daily living. Then there are truths — moments and events that enlighten us to the deeper dimensions of reality. Whereas facts inform us, truth transforms us. Facts feed the mind, truth nurtures the spirit. Factual insights have an "aha" moment of comprehension. Truth revelations prompt a feeling of quiet awe and appreciation for the richness and depth of the human experience.
Acts of compassion or the loving embrace of a child are moments of truth. So, too, is the sudden shock of random tragedy. A truth encounter has the power to change the trajectory of one's life. It can give us purpose and infuse our faith with endurance. Truth makes us free and can also make us see how life renews itself and survives despite adversity; how forgiveness heals and how love empowers people to fulfill their human potential. We should strive to achieve a quality of respect for one another that fosters the Family of Man.
JOSEPH J. CUTRI
Winston-Salem
"Who built it"
DeleteWhen I substitute teach in the local public high schools, I sometimes gently proclaim to students, "You did not build the roads or pave the streets that arrive at this school. You did not lay bricks and blocks that form the classrooms. You did not design the gym and auditorium, nor did you hire the teachers and staff to operate this important place. You are beneficiaries of the labor and resources of others. Your parents, grandparents, and taxpayers far and near contribute to everything here."
I then point to an empty desk and add, "There are people who would make great sacrifices to have their child occupy that seat. Your parents sacrifice for you to be in school in your attire and with supplies. You and I have a responsibility to diligently execute today's lesson plan. Your regular teacher, administrators and parents desire that you and I achieve quality work today, so please open your book and turn to page …"
MIKE MABE
Pfafftown
"Sum It Up"
The Sum It Up question from Sunday was: Are you satisfied with the size of our federal government?
* * * * *
No, not at all. It's way too big. In its present size, it is heading for collapse.
WILLIAM SAMS
* * * * *
Governmental functions grow with time and the growth of the country. I would like to pose this question to advocates of small government: Do you feel comfortable when, on approaching a New York airport, you learn that there is only one air-traffic controller on duty for a 12-hour shift?
BOON T. LEE
* * * * *
If "satisfied" means being fed up with bloated, ever-expanding, big-spending, self-serving, impervious bureaucracy, then, yes, I am extremely "satisfied" with the size of our federal government.
DEB PHILLIPS
* * * * *
In actuality, who really knows the size of the federal government? If "size of the federal government" is referring to the actual number of federal employees, then I might as well be satisfied because that's the way it is. If "size of the federal government" is referring to actual employees, plus current administration "czars," plus others who are hanging on, then no, it should not be satisfying to anyone.
MONA POTTS
* * * * *
A bloated, burdensome and flatulence-ridden government is taking America and American values to the grave. On the headstone: Hopelessness and changelessness did 'em in.
LLOYD V. EVANS II
Lloyd...headstone will more than likely read: overwhelming debt did them in. They chose the road back to serfdom.
DeleteRespect for one another. Not a bad offering from Cutrie this time. His network/ideology analogy is a little amusing though: "It's noted that progressives prefer MSNBC, moderates choose CNN and conservatives are partial to Fox News". MSNBC seems to be dying, CNN is in palliative care but Fox seems to be growing. As usual, "moderates" are going to need to make a choice.
DeleteI've often heard people say respect has to be earned. I have always believed that everyone should be respected unless and until they do something to lose that respect and trust no one unless and until they have earned that trust.
DeleteThe Sum It Up question from Sunday was: Are you satisfied with the size of our federal government? I completely missed this one. Kind of like asking the slaves if the plantation they are bound to is big enough or not. The plan by the Framers was a government that was limited--not big, little fat or skinny. "Limited" is a unique word as it goes well beyond head count.
ReplyDeleteI would prefer bigger plantations, because owning only a few slaves is inefficient. I think the minimum size should be 200 slaves, except in Texas, where it should be 400.
DeleteI would also like to see a much bigger government. I want the government to send somebody to my home every day to cook, clean and run my errands. In fact, I want the government to appoint someone to do my job. That way I could be like the Dunce and spend all of my time watching TV and surfing the sewers of the internet and still have time to run over to Chick-fil-A every day except Sunday.
But most of all, I want the government to tell me what to do. Thinking is the hardest work anyone can do. Wouldn't it be great if the government would do our thinking for us?
Our government appears to be overcomplex and redundant in places, but the chant against Big Government frequently a bit hypocritical (and no, I am not referring to WW here), and I do not join in the chant. This leaves me free to shell the Dept of Education while championing a big Defense Dept. Many of the pols who wage verbal war against Big Government actually operate similarly. They are much less principled than our thoughtful WW.
DeleteSpeaking of Chick-fil-A, I might just have to shoot over there today, with my ACORN hat on, to create a little excitement.
DeleteWho built it. Careful you don't mess with 50 years of status quo education.
ReplyDeleteWho built it? The Republicans are holding their convention in a venue built with 69% public funding.
ReplyDeleteWell if that's the case....then somebody had better use it to help pay off the bond.
DeleteThere's a billboard near the convention center that proclaims: Welcome to Tampa where the Mayor and the entire city council are Democrats.
DeleteIronic indeed! Those guys will take anybody's money as long as the check is good---which in this case it will be. Ain't too proud to beg.
DeleteWasn't Isaac one of the 3 patriarchs? Could be a sign. Natural disaster is often described as the wrath of God (ie. Katrina by Pat Robertson, 9/11 by Jerry Falwell) I've often wondered what the people in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska do every Spring that's so bad.
DeleteYou have forgotten. Issac was the patriarch in charge of umbrellas...then and now. Those folks in the mid west do suffer every year. We always said no rain meant we didn't pay the preacher enough. Maybe our midwestern neighbors have been using credit cards--cashless society, mark of the devil you know.
DeleteIndividual responsibility. Established religion has always been a threat to the central planners and collectivists. If our government was put in charge of the Sahara desert, there would be a shortage of sand in 10 years.
ReplyDeletegovernment and religion are one in the same, they both attempt to organize and control the thoughts and actions of the masses.
Deleteyeah, I think you are right to some degree. Though one seems to use force if needed while the other seems to rely on our "better nature".
Deletebetter nature or threat of eternal torture.
DeleteI grew up the "best little boy in the world," but I was told by religion that I would burn in Hell for eternity. It was confusing. I used to cry myself to sleep at night.
DeleteI was "raised up"....my Mother always said "yanked up" in Centenary Methodist Church. I sho nuff was never the best little boy...not even now. I did learn that I do have a say...I'm just not quite ready to confront a past life all the way. But I'm working on it by choice.
DeleteDid you know the Aireys? I think my cousin Sue would be about your age. They were long time members of Centenary. My Uncle Shea ran a company called Bennett-Lewellyn. I think they imported cigars.
DeleteI don't know them as I left W-S in the early 1970s. It was sure one big church.
DeleteHow true.
DeleteWW, I was "raised up" in Centenary also. I'm sure we should remember each other from MYF. I think I would have been a Sunday School class year ahead of you, though.
DeleteSomething is going on in the local Methodist Churches apparently, because all my Methodist friends are getting whacky as all get out, or they are leaving the church.
DeletePlus, this Methodist Minister at Green St, Kelly Carpenter is running around whipping up all kinds of racial strife through his inflamatory comments about race relations in the community.
I don't know what's going on, but something is. Maybe, Stab can fill us in...........?
Stab...never did the MYF thing. Too much of a loner.
DeleteAs President Reagan once said "There you go again."
DeleteYou have a nice 3-way conversation going, then Dunce takes a dump right in the middle of it. What a sad sack.
Bucky, I am thoroughly unfamiliar with the doings of the greater Methodist church, really do not follow the internal workings of my own church, just attend, contribute, take part in various activities.
DeleteWW, I believe the ministers of education at Centenary probably wished I had been more of a loner. "Mischief" was my middle name.
OT, at least the brat peeing in the fireplace had some entertainment value, as long as it was someone else's fireplace.
How many Methodist friends do you have, Bucky?
DeleteI attended Methodist churches in High Point and Scottsdale and found them to be a nice change of pace from my Southern Baptist upbringing.
DeleteFlag on the play...Phargo penalized for false juxtaposition. The words "Bucky" and "friends" may not be used in the same sentence. He may "know" a Methodist or two.
DeleteI knew Sue Airey well. Heard the Kingston Trio for the first time at her parent's house on Deepwood Court near Children's Home.
I may have dated her once or twice, although she dated Chester Davis, the recently retired District Court judge, for a year or so.
She got a BA in Elementary Education from Women's College, married some guy and vanished...has not been seen since.
:), Yep, that's her. She married the son of a popular sports broadcaster from Greensboro. I can't remember the name. She later divorced and remarried.
DeleteHarvey something
DeleteCharlie Harville
DeleteI well remember Charlie Harville. He was a fixture on local TV for years, as sports anchor and play-by-play on Ch. 8's "Championship Wrestling," which lots of us watched in our Jr HS years, before finally giving in an conceding that these belligerent morality plays were fake, um, were exhibitions.
DeleteThere is an old joke from radio days about the sports announcer who says "And now the baseball scores...two to nothing, five to four, twelve to six and nine to one."
DeleteCharlie actually did that one night on TV, and it wasn't on purpose.
But his greatest moment came one year at the GGO. The anchor said "And now we take you to Sedgefield and Charlie Harvill..."
When Charlie appeared on the screen, his face was red and he was wearing a golf shirt and his speech revealed that he had spent most of the day in the press hospitality tent swilling Heineken. A woman's hands could be seen trying to put a necktie on him. After a few seconds of this, a quick cut back to the studio.
A few minutes later, the anchor again said "And now to Sedgefield and Charlie Harvel." This time a tie had been neatly knotted under the collar of his golf shirt, but his face was still bright red and he was as drunk as your pet skunk, but he did the report in a reasonably clear manner.
Don't know about his son, but Charlie was a great guy at heart.
Charlie must have been cut from the same cloth as Gene Overby. A friend of mine was sports information director for WFU, and would room with Overby when WFU was on the road for football and basketball games, which Overby called. Actually, Pat roomed with Overby's suitcase, as Gene had an active social life, or Pat had to hang out elsewhere because Overby had located that social life to their room.
DeleteWe always thought Pat was a bit more circumspect, but he later went into business for himself and then left his wife for a gal named Bambi.
Overby's son is a reliable regular at the River Birch bar, a nice guy, and a chip off the ol' block.
I know Judge Davis quite well...I was good friends with his son. The judge was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam I think. My Dad (who served on a helicopter base in Alabama) says they were a different breed all together.
DeleteI ate at Riverbirch the other night. The food was "meh", but the martinis were good.
DeleteBambi? One hopes that that is her stage name.
DeleteRB's food varies, depending on what you order. I usually eat in the bar, and just order a salad or an appetizer. The salads are pretty good. Susan really likes the Chevre salad. Bartenders are cheerful and attentive.
DeleteIIRC, "Bambi" could have indeed been a holdover from a (ahem) stage career.
DeleteI'm not too much on the Riverbirch either Arthur. You and I have something common.
DeleteIt would be a toss-up between Chick-fil-A, and the Riverbirch as far as I'm concerned.
I'm more of a LE BEC FIN type.
River Birch serves Stella in 40cl glasses. Village Tavern serves in 33cl glasses, thus no comparison there. Our "special occasion" place is Diamondback Grill, but it is pricier than RB.
DeleteI saw Nathan Hatch eating with Vic Flow at Diamondback a week ago...they were probably talking about the tennis tourney.
DeleteAnd Flow looks a little like Roger Sterling from Mad Men. It's the white hair.
I meant Don. I'm always mixing them up.
DeleteI mix father and son, too.
DeleteThe folks at the Subaru dealership were excited about the tennis tournament when I was over there buying my hippie car.
ROTFLMAO
DeleteIn February, Craig LaBan of the Inquirer, the primo restaurant critic in Philly, did a belated reassessment of the top restaurants in town, a task that he admitted was years overdue. Here's part of what he wrote:
"Five restaurants have been awarded my highest rating of four-bells: Vetri, Zahav, Bibou, Talula's Table, and Fountain Restaurant. Each captures in its own unique flavor the diverse spirit, sophistication and vibrance of what dining magic means to Philadelphia in 2012."
…
"Thirteen promising contenders were considered when I began the process of return visits in the fall. After initial meals and some revisits, it was clear much had changed. The pride of Georges Perrier, Le Bec-Fin, which put Philadelphia on the map when it opened 42 years ago, was, sadly, a shell of its former self, earning only two of its previous four bells. Lacroix, another four-bell luxury standby, had also slipped one bell from its former precision. And at Barclay Prime, once the city's finest steak house, the kitchen struggled with cooking ... steak. Uh-oh."
Almost everyone in the city agreed that the demotion for Le Bec-Fin was long overdue. Soon afterward, the restaurant closed. It has since reopened under different management. Only time will tell whether it can regain its former glory…a long-shot bet.
Name droppers should know the names that they are dropping or risk showing their bare butts.
I may be wrong, but for some reason, I don't associate "dining magic" with Philadelphia.
DeleteI have eaten at several 5-star restaurants here and there. Probably the best was a restaurant called the Greycliffe, in Nassau, of all places. Ambiance, food, service were perfect. Close were restaurants in Belfast and Pasadena.
I'd say the best food I've ever eaten was at an inn in the maritime alps, in the village of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie...the place was called the Bastide de Moustiers.
DeleteI picked it out because it looked nice in the travel book; I had no idea it was operated by a pretty famous chef, Alain Ducasse. (sorry for name dropping) It was exquisite...veal with poached eggs and white asparagus. And a cheese course, bien-sur. I don't remember desert...I had had too much wine by that point.
The Philly article reminded me of NYC's restaurants, with which I became vicariously acquainted when I worked for AmEx. I looked up Lutece, once one of the city's finest. Alas, it closed 8 years ago, due to declining traffic. Why? Because of 09/11? No, its management changed the menu, modernized it.
DeleteIt amazes me how many good things are spoiled by "improvements." The columnist Sydney J. Harris once opined, "If it's any good, they'll stop making it." That seems to be a general rule. Coca-Cola tried it with its flagship product, but was able to recoup.
Schlitz tried the same, but did not recoup. Accountants starting running the company in my college days, took over from brewmasters, changed the recipe for the flagship brand. The result was a taste that merited taking the "c" and the "l" out of the brand's name. I don't know if they ever returned to the old recipe, and I doubt many others do, either, as the brand conspicuously lacks facings in grocery stores.
Believe it or not, Schlitz was duking it out with Bud for number one as late as the 1960s. It was wildly popular with the college crowd around here, especially at the Bowery in Myrtle Beach, The Pad in Ocean Drive and Sonny's in Cherry Grove. When they introduced the 14 ounce can in the early 1960s, it got an even bigger bump, same price, 2 more ounces.
DeleteA lot of people had good union jobs making it here in the world's largest brewery (34 acres under one roof, 4.4 million barrels/year) in the 1970s, but greed took its toll...cheaper ingredients and faster brewing = more profit until the drinkers catch on and then good-bye.
A few years ago somebody started making the original again with the catch phrase "gusto of the '60s". Don't know how it's doing...probably not.
Generally speaking, especially when it comes to restaurants, bars and beer and soft drinks, if it's working, don't change it.
I think that Le Bec-Fin was following that rule when they got caught out. Their cuisine was heavy traditional French, but American tastes have been changing to a lighter, healthier cuisine since the 1980s. Le Bec-Fin got by on their rep for quite a while, but by the late '90s/early '10s they were hopelessly out of date.
The last time that we ate there, around 2000, we decided that it would be our last. If you're looking French in Philly, try Bibou. It has been the true best for years.
I think I might ride up to Stokes County to see City Councilmember James Taylor get revved up.
ReplyDelete'Yeah Judge, I was cruising downtown Walnut Cove in my Lexus, with my .45 locked and cocked, and this jackass female officer pulled me over. Now what you going to do about it?'
Liberals....they never learn.
Well, I'm off to go stand in a median. Cold 6 pack of Dos Equis will do for me if you please. I once shook my own hand just to see what the fuss is all about.
ReplyDelete'Stay Thirsty my friend.'
DeleteGood afternoon folks!
ReplyDeleteLTE 1: Theological argument. The referenced author at least presented his credentials for speaking on the subject. I wonder what Mr. Chase's credentials are other than being in disagreement.
LTE 2: Nice sentiments from the good Dr. Cutri. He is on the money when he states: "We prize opinions that confirm rather than challenge our convictions." That's a major factor in the divisions displayed in this country.
LTE 3: Americans do have a tendency to take our way of life for granted without considering how much effort went into providing all of the infrastructure that makes our way of life possible. It's also very true that too many Americans piss away opportunites given to them (such as education) that others around the world would risk their lives to have.
Sum it up: Am I satisified with the fed govt size?? What kind of a question is that?? How on earth is this question even answerable unless one has a thorough understanding of every aspect of the fed govt and its operations as well as the efficiency of how each fed dept operates? And how many people do have such an understanding? May as well as ask if I'm satisfied with the size of Wells Fargo or Microsoft. The US is a country of 300+ million with the world's largest and most complex economy as well as the most powerful military. The size and complexity of a country generally dictates the size and complexity of its govt.
Slow evening at work: a coworker surfing the 'Net reports that some fellow tending his rice paddy in Nepal encountered a cobra, which bit him. This so enraged the man that he retaliated and bit the cobra back, and bit the bellycrawling sinner again and again until it went off to its Maker. Fortunately, he will not be charged for the ophidian's demise, as it is not an endangered species.
ReplyDeleteAbout 20,000 people in Nepal are bitten by snakes each year, with 1000 dying. Susan and plan a delayed trip to celebrate our marriage, destination unsettled, but I'll rule out Nepal.
Then you'll also want to avoid the rest of south and southeast Asia and parts of the Middle east and Africa, because those babies are everywhere you look…and you better look. We had very high door sills in all of our buildings in Viet Nam because someone had calculated the maximum height that the average cobra would go over to get into a building.
DeleteContrary to popular belief, there is an antivenin for most cobras, but because their venom is neurotoxic and causes paralysis, speed of treatment is very important.
There was a very famous cobra in our area, reputedly 7 or 8 feet long. He was called "Old Mister Five Step" because that was supposedly how far you could walk after he bit you. Never had the pleasure of meeting the gentleman myself.