In Impromptus today, I lead off with the idea of business tycoons or whizzes in politics. I tell a Bill Buckley story (as I am wont to do). He once admonished me, “There is zero correlation between business success and political intelligence.” After I wrote my column, I read the latest from George F. Will — in which he speaks of “the superstition that great wealth is somehow symptomatic of other greatness.”
Elsewhere in my column, I touch on Taiwan, China, Prince Harry, chess champs, a war hero, etc. See what you like.
Let’s have some mail. In my previous Impromptus — a London journal — I wrote,
As a Michigan kid, I always thought that pasties were a specialty of our state, particularly its Upper Peninsula. But like so many things American, they come from the British Isles, and, in this case, Cornwall, in particular.
A reader writes,
Yes, pasties did originate in Cornwall, but the Suomalainens in the U.P. improved them, of course, with rutabaga.
A Suomalainen is a Finn, in Finnish. We got a lot of them in da U.P.
Another reader writes,
Your note on pasties brought a memory. My maternal grandmother came from Cornwall. She died before I was born, but she did pass on some traditions to my mother. My mother made pasties quite often, and never failed to remind us that it was a Cornish dish. She also told us that one part of the crust was a “handle,” to give the men who labored in the mines something to hold on to. That way, they would not have to touch the rest of the pie with dirty hands.
My mom also frequently made mince pies and similar treats. I love anything with mincemeat. My wife and children don’t share my appreciation of mince pies, so I’m in the “depressing” position of having to eat the entire thing myself.
Another reader says that, years ago, he made a list of language differences between the U.S. and the U.K. Here are a few items: “pharmacy” vs. “chemist”; “yield” vs. “give way”; “passing” vs. “overtaking”; “hunting” vs. “stalking”; “bus” vs. “coach”; and “carry-out” vs. “take-away.”
On another subject — a big one — a reader writes,
I had the opportunity to attend two Phillies World Series games, 46,000 people united, cheering in the stands. There were no Republicans or Democrats those nights. It gave me hope. I may have lost faith in our political system but the midterms reaffirmed my faith in the American people.
Politicians such as Tulsi Gabbard call others “warmongers” — for instance, when they favor American support of Ukraine. A friend writes,
I find the term “warmonger” useful. It means I no longer have to listen to the conversation. Pretty sure most people who would call me a “warmonger” would also call me a “Zionist.”
No doubt. Thanks to one and all readers and correspondents. Again, for today’s Impromptus — the usual grab-bag — go here.