Musings
I though about writing something here about squashing evil, but I’ll pass.
Stories now even in the mainstream media about the extreme lack of ethics in the White House, extending, it seems, to wherever its tendrils reach in the government, so flagrantly violate the promises that the Shrub made during his campaigns, plus the promises he made when being sworn in, that I am utterly disgusted. I cannot see within the law and history of our government any clear ways to bring us out of such a morass. And it’s so loaded politically that I doubt that any of the leading/electable candidates will talk about this and offer any plan whatsoever to bring us back to a reasonable level of ethical government. So sad.
And I’m not even touching the fiscal and emotional costs we get from this war.
Just watch, when out of office, Shrub will head for his ranch and ignore or just plain be unaware of the wreckage of his decisions (or the Angler’s in his name) that we all inherit. What kind of ex-Pres will he be? You can bet he won’t evidence much in the way of a social conscience. He hasn’t so far, so why start then?
Posted at 3:47 PM |
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Today we hosted a day-long biz meeting here at the house, where we talked about sims and 3-D of archaeological sites and topics. Exciting!
Posted at 10:22 PM |
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Sometimes I just don’t take the time to suss out the name of a plant I photograph, and this is one. It’s just up the street, I tell myself, so I can check it out anytime.
Posted at 10:22 PM |
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We suffered an infestation in the kitchen, and despite bleach and serious cleaning (including under the stovetop around the burners, ick), the ants would not go elsewhere. We resorted to chemical means to reclaim the counter. (I apologize for the ethnocentric colonialism aspect of our behavior.)
Posted at 10:22 PM |
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Once again, while looking at a plant close-up, I discovered insect life.
Posted at 10:22 PM |
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Where have all the cisterns gone?
Am I the only one that has the DoubleClick opt-out cookie, so that less data can be collected about me (or someone using my browser)?
[Here’s the opt-out link, and you can read about it here, or a bit about the company in Wikipedia.]
I comb my cookies regularly, and delete all but essentials. I guess I deceive myself, however, that I’m doing much to defeat the data-collectors.
Posted at 2:58 PM |
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Hard to beat a magnolia blossom for jaw-dropping gorgeous!
Posted at 4:38 PM |
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Gorgeous night for fireworks-watching. Cool. Low humidity.
Oooooooh! Aaaaaaaaaah!
Posted at 10:22 PM |
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I requested Sheridan Hays’ “The Secret of Lost Things” from the library based on a review (I think this one from the NYT), and I just started it yesterday—finally, it’s due at the end of the week. [I haven’t gotten to the mystery part of the plot yet.]
And it’s a gem. Lyrical writing. Interesting characters, albeit oddball, every one. But maybe that’s just mirroring reality?
The main character, Rosemary, takes to walking the streets of NY in the evenings after work. We don’t know the date, but perhaps in the 1970s or 80s.
One hot July evening, I ran down an empty street as the peppery smell of city rain rose up from where the rain fell, spotting the pavement. The sharp scent set me sneezing. Seconds later huge heavy drops began to pelt my head and back. I took shelter beneath an awning and watched the storm through an amnion of water. Ten minutes later the rain ceased, as abruptly as it had started. The temperature dropped a few degrees, and I felt the materiality of weather, impervious to the great constructed landscape. Manhattan was at once sealed, and as I watched filthy rainwater disappear into subway grates and down street drains, as permeable as anything in nature. [p. 62-63]
Although it may not sound like it, the story does click along. I think I’m recommending it.
Posted at 4:43 PM |
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Last night’s rain beaded up better than this on the new buggy! Love the magnification!
The good of the many vs the interests of the few: how many of the debates in this country revolve around this? In autocratic or oligarchic nations, the few just make their decisions and everybody gets to live with them, so the scenario is clearer, but the outcome usually is not so good (or just plain lousy) for the masses.
If we can’t make decisions (e.g., immigration), how much better off are we?
And isn’t the banter of the many TV and radio talk shows an outcome of our more democratic/republican approach?
Posted at 4:52 PM |
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