HEY, JACK - WHO'S ON FIRST? THAT'LL BE ABBOTT & COSTELLO...

Copyright relevant owner

I first saw this particular movie back in 1967 - and again in '68 & '69.  I don't know if I ever saw it from start to finish at one sitting, but if not, I probably saw the complete movie over the course of those three yearly broadcasts.  I remember coming in after playing at THOR (with my home-made hammer) in the field across the road from my house on one occasion and it had already started (this was probably in '68) and, remembering that I'd enjoyed it the year before, sat down in front of the telly and watched it again.

As you can see, the movie was JACK & The BEANSTALK, starring ABBOTT & COSTELLO (who, at that time, I didn't know were an iconic double act from years before), and the duo themselves described it as "one for the kids".  It wasn't until it was rebroadcast in 1989 (the BBC then having just recently re-acquired the rights to show it again after 20 years) that I discovered it was shot in 'sepia' and colour, just like The WIZARD Of OZ.

One day, around Christmas of 1970/'71 (I've a feeling it was Boxing day), I saw the title advertised in the TV listings for that evening, and made a point of rushing home from the town centre (where I'd bought a Santa in a sleigh being pulled by reindeer from a flower shop), only to discover it was the HANNA-BARBERA version with Hollywood actor, singer and dancer GENE KELLY.  I watched it anyway, but was disappointed that it wasn't the one I'd expected.  As I said, I had to wait until 1989 to see the A&C film again, and I now have it on DVD.

The movie is strictly a 'B' feature I suppose, but is inextricably linked to my childhood and therefore regarded by myself in a somewhat rose-coloured hue.  It does have some funny moments though, and is an entertaining enough little movie, so give it look-see if it ever comes on the telly again.  No great insight or behind-the-scenes info to offer with this post, I'm afraid - it's just a shameless, self-indulgent exercise in personal nostalgia.

  

BABE Of The DAY - BIG BARDA...

Copyright DC COMICS

Wow, look - it's JACK KIRBY's

BIG BARDA, as drawn by BRUCE

TIMM.  NEW GENESIS, here I come!

(Anyone know when the next BOOM

 TUBE's due?  Barda's waiting.)

KID'S CHRISTMAS CANDLE...

Someone I know still has the Christmas candle he made at our Primary school, way, way back in the 1960s.  At least, he did when he told me this around a quarter of a century ago.  You may be wondering whether his informing me of this fact is what inspired me to re-create my own candle, or it was seeing my 'replica edition' which prompted his revelation; or at least you would be if you had the same interest in trivial detail as myself.  (It was the latter, actually.)

I used a toilet roll tube as the basis for the candle, which I wrapped in red cellophane and then added a flame effect to the top.  Next, I smeared a polystyrene ceiling tile with POLYFILLA, sprinkled it with some glitter, and then fixed the candle and a quartet of fir cones (bought from WOOLWORTH'S, as they were bigger than ones I'd picked up from the street) in place until the Polyfilla dried.  I finished it off with some cake decorations, and later added laminated, colour laser copies of two Santas, taken from ones I acquired in my Primary school days.  (That's my best BLUE PETER audition attempt.)

Of course, it's far better quality than the one I made as a kid all those years ago, but it's constructed in exactly the same way, with one minor exception.  Namely, the flame effect, which, back then, would've been drawn with wax crayons, whereas I used inks, paints or marker pens on this occasion.  (Maybe even a combination of all three - can't quite remember now.)

Anyway, so proud of it am I that I thought I'd show it here.  I won't mind in the slightest should any of you be consumed with an overwhelming desire to tell me how creative, multi-talented or wonderful I am.  Go on - one little lie isn't going to kill you!

UPDATE: Aha!  I knew I had them somewhere.  Here's a couple of snaps I took not too long after I first made the candle, but before adding the Santas.  And yes, that's real snow it's sitting on - out in my back garden.  I reckon around 1988.

JINGLE BELLS - JIM REEVES...

JINGLE BELLS, as most (if not all) American readers will know, is not actually a Christmas song.  Well, it is now, of course, but didn't start out that way.  Originally (and this is for British readers), it was a Thanksgiving song called ONE HORSE OPEN SLEIGH.  We don't observe that celebration on this side of the pond though, so we've always associated it with the Yuletide season.

The original version had five verses, two of which are now commonly ignored as they don't really lend  themselves to the song's adopted Christmas theme.

Anyway, here's the velvet-voiced JIM REEVES with his rendition.  Everybody sing along now. 

THE JAMES BOND THEME - A CAPPELLA...

Credit where it's due dept:  I saw this clip over on

MARK EVANIER's blog (link in sidebar) and it's so

good I thought I'd share it with you all here.  I wonder

what The KING'S SINGERS could do with it?

SCHOOLTIME SCANDALS - PART SEVEN: GYM'LL FIX IT...

Incredibly, in my advanced state of age and decrepitude, I sometimes find myself looking back on my schooldays with a certain amount of wistful yearning.  I'm not quite sure why, because I never much liked school at the time, being an inveterate daydreamer who gazed through the classroom windows at the wider world beyond with a longing to be out there and enjoying myself.

My least favourite subject in school was PE (physical education - or exercise), and I was forever 'forgetting' my shorts or gym-shoes in order to avoid what I saw as pointless exertion.  A healthy life may be a happy life, but I was unconvinced of this philosophy, much preferring a state of restful inactivity and thoughtful contemplation.

The PE teachers were an odd mix, the chief perpetrator of officially sanctioned child torture being an overweight baldie by the name of Mr. McDOUGALL, who had a stogie permanently protruding from his facial orifice.  He wore a blue tracksuit which showcased his distended stomach, ample and ironic testimony of his own far from ideal physical condition.  (In memory, he bore an uncanny resemblance to actor WILLIAM MERVYN from ALL GAS AND GAITERS, a once popular TV sit-com.)

Mr. McDougall's favourite 'sport' was sadistically tweaking the nipples of any pupil who incurred his disfavour - something he seemed to take perverse delight in.  Nowadays, of course, this cruelty wouldn't be tolerated and he'd be fired faster than a fart from the FLASH, but things were different back then.  Such behaviour tends to confirm the long and commonly-held suspicion that all PE teachers are perverts of some description anyway (allegedly). 

There were two other guys (and at least one woman - to teach the girls, presumably), one of whom had a perm and moustache that HARRY ENFIELD's Scousers would be proud of.  (The other one may well have been similarly styled - they tended to conform to the same 1970s pattern of what was then considered the epitome of manliness, but now seems overwhelmingly 'camp'.)

On the particular occasion which I am now about to relate, I had recently been legitimately excused from a few PE periods on account of a sprained ankle.  One afternoon, I was limping along the corridor outside the changing rooms on my way to another class, when I was suddenly sent sprawling onto the floor by the extended foot of the moustachioed instructor - who'd quite deliberately tripped me up, the b*st*rd.

He then proceeded to berate me for wearing gym-shoes (ironic or what?), proclaiming that they weren't suitable footwear for school (outside of the gym hall, obviously), nor part of the approved school uniform.  I explained that I was wearing them because of a sprained (and bandaged) ankle and they were more comfortable to wear in my less than flexible state.

That night at home, I recounted the event to my father, who visited the school the next day to speak to the headmaster about the instructor's behaviour.  When the teacher next saw me, he summoned me over and snarled "Next time, tell your father to come and see me, not the headmaster!"  What a pr*ck, eh?

My father originated from a rough area of Glasgow, so it must have been an effort of will on his part to resist taking up the offer, but he registered his annoyance at the school.  Whether the instructor was ever spoken to about his second misdemeanour I never found out, but I don't recall any further incident from him.

I think it's obvious that much of the trouble which teachers have encountered over the last couple of decades can be traced back to incidents similar to my own (which were by no means unique), which started a trend of resistance to any perception of unfair discipline in the minds of then-future parents, who'd be automatically inclined to take their kids' side in any confrontation between pupils and staff, due to their own experience of injustice at school.  Now, of course, things have gone too far the other way.

So what have I learned from looking back at my schoolboy escapades?  Merely that I still hate any form of physical exercise - unless it involves a nubile nymphomaniac with a penchant for old middle-aged men who look remarkably like myself.  (Though I'd probably settle for a nice cup of tea and a biscuit.)

Any schooltime scandals of your own that you'd care to relate?  The floor is all yours.

BABE Of The DAY - HEATHER THOMAS (AGAIN)...

Let's be honest, lads - if you had a

woman like HEATHER THOMAS at

home, you'd never, ever, leave the house,

would you?  (Sigh!  S'pose I'd better go

and get the shopping in then.)

BENDABLE BATMAN & ROBIN 1966 TV SHOW KEY CHAINS...

Copyright DC COMICS

If you're a BAT-FAN of a certain vintage and looking to treat yourself for Christmas, here's an idea to consider.  Why not pop along to your local comicbook shop and nab these key chains (remember to pay for them of course) of ADAM WEST's and BURT WARD's BATMAN & ROBIN figures?!  They're just the sort of collectables that all true fans of the 1966 TV show will love.  I won't be using them as key chains of course - I'll be hanging them on a wall to remind myself of my childhood whenever I look at them.

Also available are the BATMOBILE, The JOKER, The PENGUIN and CAT-WOMAN.  Don't miss out - trot along to your local comics store today!

When SANTA SKIPPED OUT On The BOYS' BRIGADE...

Memories, memories.  When I was a kid, I was a member of the Boys' Brigade for a time, who met in the hall of the church across the road from where I then lived.  One year, we were shown a catalogue from which we could order various Christmas goodies, and I chose a chocolate Advent calendar with an illo of Santa on it.  There was something about that picture that appealed to me, and I eagerly awaited its arrival.

Imagine my disappointment then, when I received a different one to what I'd been expecting and paid for.  "They must have been out of them, so they've sent another!" was all the female Brigade leader said by way of explanation.  However, I never quite forgot that Santa, and many years later (at least 20 I'd say, perhaps more), I saw a pack of three plastic hanging Santas, identical to the one on the Advent calendar from so long before.  (I think I obtained them from another mail order catalogue, but it could've been from a local shop.)

That's one of them illustrating the top of this post and, as I said, it's a dead-ringer for the undelivered one from my childhood.  I've also got a much smaller one, a cake decoration, which I acquired too many years ago for me to recall exactly when (though it was after the larger ones).  Every Christmas, when I'm hanging them out, a mere glance transports me back to that church hall (demolished around 22 years ago) and I'm once again ten years old with almost my whole life ahead of me.

To borrow (and tweak) some lines of verse from the poem, HALCYON DAYS...

                                                    "Remembering with poignant joy,

                                                    the happy lad I was at ten -

                                                    And wishing I could be that boy,

                                                    if only for one day again."

Do you have any recollections of Christmases past which you'd like to share with your fellow Criv-ites?  If so, the comments section awaits.

******

On reflection, I think it was actually a group called the Cubs that I was a member of when this occurred.  My time in the Boys' Brigade was from a different period, held in the hall of another school than the one I attended through the week.

IT'S A SMALL WORLD... (Updated)

Copyright relevant owner

In 1982, THE DAILY RECORD started running a new comic strip - SMALL WORLD by DON ROBERTS.  I cut out the first one they published and put it on my bedroom wall, where, over the course of 32 years (and two houses), it has been ravaged by age and is now faded, crinkled, and at the end of its shelf life.

However, I'm determined to preserve its image, so earlier tonight I removed it from my wall and scanned it, removing as many of the crinkles and age spots as I can via the aid of computer technology.  (What you see above is as it was before I started work on it.)  The next stage was to 'bleach' it, which I'll eventually re-ink and re-colour so that I can print out a brand-new copy to take its place on the wall.  The bleached version is below.

I'll keep you updated when I can find the time to finish what I've started.  If, however, you have (or know where I can get) a pristine copy of this strip somewhere, then do me a favour and let me know, will you?  It'll save me some work.

(Update: Although I later published the finished cartoon [below] in another post with a recap of the above info, I thought I'd add it here too, so that you don't have to go searching for it.)

BABE Of The DAY - JAMELIA (AGAIN)...

Don't worry, JAMELIA isn't naked - she's

 got something on.  (A rabbit, to be precise.)

WHITE? NAH - IT'S BLUE...

Continuing our series of JIM REEVES' Seasonal songs, here's the tall Texan with a rendition of BLUE CHRISTMAS that actually fits the mood of the song.  (ELVIS PRESLEY's version is too much of a 'toe-tapper' for my tastes, good as it is.)

SPIDEY'S SUPER MAIL...

Image copyright MARVEL COMICS

Back at the end of October, reader DUNCAN MACKINTOSH kindly reminded me that I'd had a letter printed in SUPER SPIDER-MAN & THE TITANS #206.  Well, you could've knocked me down with a feather 'cos I'd clean forgotten about it.  I wasn't long in acquiring a replacement (though, now that I think about it, the person to whom I gave my original copy back in the '70s still has it), so I thought I'd share my Mighty Marvel Missive with those of you who didn't see Duncan's comment a couple of months ago.  Read on...

******

                     Dear Bullpen,

                     In a recent letters page, in reply to an enquiry about "The Missing

                     Link/Johnny Future" saga, you said that earlier you had considered

                     reprinting this series but had decided not to at present.  I'd just like

                     to say I really enjoyed these stories when they first appeared in "Fan-

                     tastic", so I'd just like to say you've got my support if you ever decide

                     to publish this strip.  I was privileged only to read a few stories, so I

                     look forward to reading the complete set at some future date.  You

                     could even arrange a battle between the Hulk and the Missing Link

                     as a fill-in, because they're similar in appearance and it would

                     provide an interesting story.

                     G. I. Robson,

                     Glasgow.

                    We're particularly gratified to receive your approbation of the

                    Missing Link/Johnny Future saga because we had a big hand in

                    the production of it. (Yep - all those years ago!)  Those Marvelites

                    currently showing such fantastic interest in Cap. Britain might like

                    to know that the artist was British produced (well, apart from the

                    fact that the artist was a Spaniard!)  There are no present plans

                    for re-publishing the series in British Marvels...but who knows

                    what the future (and no pun intended!) may hold...

******

The Spanish artist, of course, was and is LUIS BERMEJO, still going strong today (as far as I know).  I'm puzzled as to why I said I'd only read a few of the strips, because when I eventually acquired back numbers of FANTASTIC years later, I seemed to recall the majority of the weekly instalments.  I can only assume that, in between having my memory refreshed, I'd simply forgotten reading most of them at the time of my letter.  Or perhaps, devious teenager that I was, I thought that Marvel might take pity on me for having missed these classics and republish them.

What's interesting about the response is that it's probably by ALF WALLACE (of ALF, BART & COS fame) who was the editor of ODHAMS PRESS POWER COMICS back in the '60s, and who, in the '70s, was working for MARVEL U.K.  (What's more, he wrote the Missing Link/Johnny Future strips back in the day.)  So things had come full circle for him in being once again connected to Marvel.

From my point of view, as I had gotten into Marvel stories through the Power Comics reprints, it gives me a little thrill to think that Alf himself may've answered my letter to British Marvel way back in '77.  What puzzles me is why I ever gave the comic away - I must've forgotten that letter pretty quickly.  (Got it back now though, so a big thanks to Duncan for taking the time and effort to remind me of its existence!)

Anyway, so far I've managed to account for four letters I had printed in British Marvel mags of the '70s.  If anyone uncovers any others, please let me know.

WHAT DO LEMON DROPS & SILVER BELLS HAVE IN COMMON?

I posted a link to this song a couple of years or so back, but it's so good that it's deserves another airing.  The song first appeared in the BOB HOPE 1951 movie, The LEMON DROP KID, although BING CROSBY, I believe, was the first singer to release it on record.  Then JIM REEVES eventually lent his golden voice to the Yuletide lyrics and did the best version available.  Give it a listen and see if you agree. 

BABE Of The DAY - HEATHER THOMAS...

Are you old enough to recall The

FALL GUY starring LEE MAJORS? 

Then you'll also remember HEATHER

THOMAS, who was the best thing about

this '80s show.  "Can I fold that towel

for you, dear?  Oh, go on!"

THE MAN FROM C.H.R.I.S.T.M.A.S.

It's the late, great JIM REEVES with

a song that sums up the spirit of Christmas.

Just listen to how long he holds that note at

the end - amazing!  What a singer!

PULL UP A CHAIR - IF YOU'RE ABLE...

The goalposts are shifting again, it appears.  The disabled, whose plea was once that they be treated the same as more able-bodied folks, now seem to expect (and sometimes demand) preferential treatment.  The cause of the most recent stramash is that a woman with a pushchair on a bus refused to relinquish her seat in response to the demands of a man in a wheelchair who wanted to board the vehicle.  As far as I understand, the woman was already on board (in an area usually available for prams, pushchairs and wheelchairs) when the bus pulled into a stop where the wheelchair user was waiting.

The woman's baby was asleep, but presumably her refusal to move was because there was no space to relocate to, rather than from a lack of empathy for her would-be fellow passenger.  Or perhaps his manner in 'requesting' her to move was overbearing and ruffled her feathers somewhat.  

Regardless of the precise details in this particular case, it gives rise to an interesting question.  If you've paid your fare, should you be obliged to give up your seat or leave the bus to allow someone else a space who feels that their need to get to the shops (or return home) is greater than yours?  I seldom use a bus, but I have a congenital liver disorder that leaves me constantly fatigued, meaning I often have to sit down when I'm out and about.  Should I be compelled to give up my seat to an older person who might be far fitter than me, just because it superficially appears that they're more in need of it - or simply just want it?

If you're able-bodied and there are no available seats on a bus, surely you just wait for the next one?  Shouldn't it be the same for those who are disabled or impaired in some way?  Or are they within their rights to demand that everyone else should give way to accommodate them?  Am I being too harsh in thinking that being 'treated the same way as everybody else' entails having to put up with the same inconveniences and disappointments that the able-bodied do?

What are your thoughts on this controversial subject?

(Update 2026: Incidentally, since this post was first published, I've now been diagnosed as 'disabled', but I haven't changed my views on the matter.)

THE GIRL AND HER UNCLE AFFAIR...

Images copyright relevant owner

To be completely honest, I'm not 100% sure who the artist is of this GIRL From U.N.C.L.E. strip from the 1968 LADY PENELOPE Annual.  My first thought was Spanish artist ENRIQUE BADIA ROMERO, who drew (amongst many other things) the MODESTY BLAISE and AXA newspaper strips.  However, it could well be another artist with a similar style - anyone know for sure?

******

Having enlarged the pages for further study, I'm now pretty sure the artist is Romero.

BABE Of The DAY - JENNIFER LAWRENCE...

Brrrr!  It's a cold day, so here's a hot

pic of actress JENNIFER LAWRENCE

to help keep you warm.  Beats a hot water

 bottle any day of the week, eh?

SCOUTING For BOYS? (GERROUTTA HERE!)

Long-time regular readers may recall me recounting that it was my family's accustomed practice to visit my maternal grandparents every Sunday in the 1960s and '70s.  At the side of my grandfather's armchair sat a small brass box (designed originally for coal or kindling, I suppose) in which resided a selection of chocolate confectionery.  When the old mantle-clock struck eight, the box would be opened, and my brother and myself allowed to choose two bars each.  One was for immediate consumption and the other was for school the next day.

Oh, the cornucopia of tempting treats that lay before our awestruck orbs: FRY'S TURKISH DELIGHT, CADBURY'S MILK TRAY (yes, they did it in bar-form as well), FRY'S CHOCOLATE CREAM and FRY'S FIVE CENTRE, MACKINTOSH'S CARAMAC, CADBURY'S BAR SIX and CADBURY'S DAIRY MILK, MARS BARS, MILKY WAYS, BOUNTYS - you name it, that box had it!  It's a wonder that I still have my own teeth.

FRY'S FIVE BOYS, of course, had nothing to do with any seedy perverts' depraved yearnings, but was a chocolate bar with pics of five faces, representing desperation, pacification, expectation, acclamation and, finally, realisation that it was a Fry's bar of chocolate.  In contrast to the name, it wasn't five separate boys, but rather five stages of the same boy's reactions.  Originally, the bar was called Fry's Milk Chocolate, but the advertising campaign must have struck a nerve with the public and it was renamed at some stage.

Sources differ as to what year it was withdrawn, some citing 1972, others '76, but one thing's for sure - whenever I hear the name or see the wrapper, I'm transported once again to the days of my childhood, when everybody, it seems, was far more innocent and the title of this post had an entirely different connotation that wouldn't even have raised an eyebrow.  (For those readers who may be unaware, 'Scouting For Boys' was the title of ROBERT BADEN-POWELL's book for youngsters, published in 1908.)  Oh, for those days again, I'm sure you agree.

******

Incidentally, the former Fry's factory (they merged with Cadbury's in 1919) only closed in 2011.  The boy who posed for the original photographs was called LINDSAY POULTON, and the bar first went on sale in 1902.

AN OLD CHRISTMAS CARD...

I wrote out my Christmas cards last night for all my friends.  I'd bought a box of 40, so I still have 38 left if anybody's looking to buy some.  (Oh, what a wag I am.)  On the subject of cards, here's the legendary JIM REEVES being sentimental over one card in particular.  If you can relate to what he's singing about, let's hear your story.

TAKE A LOOK - IT'S ALL THERE IN BLACK AND WHITE...

Copyright relevant owner

Isn't it funny how some things seem different in black and white, eh?  This MIKE NOBLE illustrated FIREBALL XL5 story was first published in full colour in TV CENTURY 21 in 1965 (dated 2065), and reprinted in 'monochrome' in 1971 in COUNTDOWN.  When I look at the colour version, memories of where I lived at the time come flooding back, and when I look at the black and white presentation, a completely different set of memories in another house six years later is forefront in my mind.  The same tale, but two completely different sets of recollections and associations - weird, eh?  Or perhaps not.

Anyway, although I've presented the colour pages in a series of posts a couple of years or so ago, I thought I'd show the black & white ones for all those who first experienced the adventure in this format.  The story has been reprinted three more times (that I know of) since then: in CENTURY 21 in 1991, in (mainly) black and white (the first two pages were in colour), a couple or so years after that in IPC/FLEETWAY's THUNDERBIRDS comic, and again a few short years ago in one of a series of books by REYNOLDS & HEARN, also entitled CENTURY 21 (and also in full colour in both latter cases).

On the same subject, a few years back, I purchased a DVD two disc set of FRANK CAPRA's film IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, containing the original b&w movie, as well as a colourised version.  (This was to replace a video of the colour version I'd bought back in the '80s.)  I know some purists might disagree, but it adds a whole new dimension to the cinematic classic when seen in full colour.  You can currently obtain the double-disc set from WHS for only £9.99 - and it includes four cards and a poster.  Go on - give it a try! 

In the meantime, enjoy again one of STEVE ZODIAC and the crew of XL5's finest comic strip adventures.  "Fire retros, Robert!"

BONEY M? YOU MUST BE JOKING!

Here's Gentleman JIM REEVES with his rendition

of MARY'S BOY CHILD.  Are you listening, CJ?

BABE Of The DAY - JAMELIA...

Gentlemen, I give you - the lovely

JAMELIA!  (Drool cups at the ready.)

I'm hers anytime she wants me.

JOURNEYS - BEGINNINGS And ENDINGS...

If you suddenly awoke from a deep sleep to inexplicably find yourself embarked on a train journey, destination unknown, you'd probably be startled and wonder "Where the hell am I and how did I get here?"  Seems an obvious reaction, right?  You wouldn't merely open your eyes and gaze out of the carriage window as though you expected to find yourself in transit like it was the most natural thing in the world, would you?

In contrast, when fully-functioning consciousness (i.e., sequential thought and memory) first dawns within us as children and we become able to recognise our surroundings and the people around us (when we 'wake up' in other words), we simply take it in our stride and don't seem in any way surprised or perturbed by the situation.  Not until much later do we start asking philosophical questions about why we're here and where we're going in this unplanned (at least from our perspective) journey we call 'life'.  Yet, essentially, the two situations are the same - so why such different reactions in each case?

This has always puzzled me, as has the fact that when we first become 'aware', we have no sense of never having existed - nor do we have one of having a specific beginning.  It's as if, in some mystical, magical, inexplicable way, we've always been - and that we always will 'be'.  Life soon enough erodes the gossamer foundations supporting the illusion of immortality - at least as far as the physical goes.

As for the 'spiritual', I'd like to think that my consciousness will somehow survive the expiration of my physical body, but a nagging doubt assails me.  You see, our conscious selves give every indication of being inextricably bound to our physicality, and seemingly entirely interdependent. Therefore, since that which we regard as the 'soul' (personality, individuality, etc.,) doesn't appear to exist separately before birth, why should it continue to exist on its own after death?

'Tis said that it's better to travel hopefully than to arrive (to paraphrase Robert Louis Stevenson) - but if hope should disembark at an earlier stop, the remaining miles can make the trip a lonely one.  And what awaits us at the end of the journey?

 

I wish I could supply you with some profound and constructive conclusions to my meandering musings, but I find myself ill-equipped for the task.  If you have any pertinent observations you'd like to make on this subject, the comments section awaits your input.