Friday--
Another example of our over medicated society. We evidently want to hook 'em young. And the younger the better.
On the question of who knew what when regarding the Fukushima meltdown--evidently everyone but the general public. And government agencies knew early in the event.
This is no real surprise. I read the initial news report a few weeks ago and wondered how soon it would go beyond China.
Any school, college or university which gets a Title IX exemption and imposes religious tests for students, faculty or staff should be denied any federal funds of any kind. The students don't get federally guaranteed loans, grants or scholarships and researchers get no federal funds. I don't mind them applying the religious criteria but I don't think they should get tax money to do so. And those schools should have any tax exempt status revoked. Jon Green is absolutely correct on that.
Perfect description of Donald Trump and American politics today. I think it was Aristotle who first noted that democracies die by demagoguery and we have entered the age of the demagogue.
Friday, December 11, 2015
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Wednesday--
This looks like a formula for success--depending on how you define success. If your definition includes a bombed out landscape with destitute people but with its oil in "friendly" hands, then you might have a success. For comparison read about Europe's religious conflicts from about 1530 to 1650.
Isn't the "internet of things" fun. I wonder if your new fridge will be programmed to tell your dietician when you break your diet.
Thursday--
Poor alligator!! I am not so sympathetic towards the criminal who was stupid enough to hide from the police in the alligator's home.
I like the idea of the chocolate in jelly rolls and some of the other confections but not on a "sandwich." For me a sandwich is a meal you can eat on the go--not a bastardized dessert masquerading as a meal or vice versa.
I have come to a similar conclusion over the last quarter century. And I say that as one who had been thoroughly indoctrinated into the notion that more education was always good and would yield economic benefits. Unfortunately, we seem to have a problem recognizing that "one size" doesn't fit all. Too often the issue is couched in terms of equality--as the way the poor and racial/ethnic minorities can enter the middle class and prosper. I don't regret my long experience in higher education but I would have been better advised to go a different route.
This looks like a formula for success--depending on how you define success. If your definition includes a bombed out landscape with destitute people but with its oil in "friendly" hands, then you might have a success. For comparison read about Europe's religious conflicts from about 1530 to 1650.
Isn't the "internet of things" fun. I wonder if your new fridge will be programmed to tell your dietician when you break your diet.
Thursday--
Poor alligator!! I am not so sympathetic towards the criminal who was stupid enough to hide from the police in the alligator's home.
I like the idea of the chocolate in jelly rolls and some of the other confections but not on a "sandwich." For me a sandwich is a meal you can eat on the go--not a bastardized dessert masquerading as a meal or vice versa.
I have come to a similar conclusion over the last quarter century. And I say that as one who had been thoroughly indoctrinated into the notion that more education was always good and would yield economic benefits. Unfortunately, we seem to have a problem recognizing that "one size" doesn't fit all. Too often the issue is couched in terms of equality--as the way the poor and racial/ethnic minorities can enter the middle class and prosper. I don't regret my long experience in higher education but I would have been better advised to go a different route.
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Monday--
Interesting how technology seems to suck all our attention. Once upon a time one of the main arguments for public schooling was "socialization." That concept is still directed against homeschoolers. But how much socialization occurs when all of the kids' attention is focused on the pretty screen?
Tom Englehardt has another interesting piece at Tomdispatch.
And Englehardt (on Facebook) led me to this article by William Astore.
Tuesday--
Got the Baker Creek seed catalog yesterday. Time to get serious about evaluating last season and planning what I will plant in the coming season. I really liked the sunflowers which made a really good trellis for the beans so I will plant them again inside the fence to give them more protection from the winds which were totally brutal this last year and to rotate what is in which space. I don't know why my red-seeded asparagus beans didn't germinate but I will start them inside this year. The Gold Marie vining beans, Blue Lake pole beans, and Blauhilde beans all did well for us so they are on my list for planting again. The sweet potatoes didn't do much for us so I won't repeat that experiment. We really like the Roselle and Amish Gold tomatoes--another pair to continue planting. I am looking for a Roma style tomato to add to the line up. The Shishito peppers did well but the others didn't but we really like the Albino Bullnose and Lipstick so put them in again. We also want a hotter pepper and I have my eye on a couple listed in Totally Tomatoes catalog.
A little while ago I found an interesting little book for my Nook: The New Artisan Bread In Five Minutes a Day. I decided to try the basic white bread recipe which turned out pretty good even though it is a bit over cooked. I told Mom that I am 16 years out of practice--it has been that long since I made bread. I said "pretty good" but that is a bit of an understatement. It tasted better than any of the supermarket breads and as good as what we have been getting from Panera. I will try one of the wheat recipes next. Looks like we will be baking bread in the future. Another nice part of this--besides the flavor--no preservatives, no artificial colors or flavors.
I can empathize with Carolee's situation. She has much more space than I do though much less than she used to have. My gardens are eight very large containers (33 gal. repurposed storage containers), two moderately large pots, eight five gallon buckets, eleven over the fence hangers for 6 inch pots, two plant towers, and an assortment of pots ranging from 24 inches to 3 inches. Where I will put what is always a major concern and the gardens I see when I plan, fill out my seed orders, start my seeds, and buy my first transplants is never the garden I have at the end. It is ever a fascinating surprise.
Interesting how technology seems to suck all our attention. Once upon a time one of the main arguments for public schooling was "socialization." That concept is still directed against homeschoolers. But how much socialization occurs when all of the kids' attention is focused on the pretty screen?
Tom Englehardt has another interesting piece at Tomdispatch.
And Englehardt (on Facebook) led me to this article by William Astore.
Tuesday--
Got the Baker Creek seed catalog yesterday. Time to get serious about evaluating last season and planning what I will plant in the coming season. I really liked the sunflowers which made a really good trellis for the beans so I will plant them again inside the fence to give them more protection from the winds which were totally brutal this last year and to rotate what is in which space. I don't know why my red-seeded asparagus beans didn't germinate but I will start them inside this year. The Gold Marie vining beans, Blue Lake pole beans, and Blauhilde beans all did well for us so they are on my list for planting again. The sweet potatoes didn't do much for us so I won't repeat that experiment. We really like the Roselle and Amish Gold tomatoes--another pair to continue planting. I am looking for a Roma style tomato to add to the line up. The Shishito peppers did well but the others didn't but we really like the Albino Bullnose and Lipstick so put them in again. We also want a hotter pepper and I have my eye on a couple listed in Totally Tomatoes catalog.
A little while ago I found an interesting little book for my Nook: The New Artisan Bread In Five Minutes a Day. I decided to try the basic white bread recipe which turned out pretty good even though it is a bit over cooked. I told Mom that I am 16 years out of practice--it has been that long since I made bread. I said "pretty good" but that is a bit of an understatement. It tasted better than any of the supermarket breads and as good as what we have been getting from Panera. I will try one of the wheat recipes next. Looks like we will be baking bread in the future. Another nice part of this--besides the flavor--no preservatives, no artificial colors or flavors.
I can empathize with Carolee's situation. She has much more space than I do though much less than she used to have. My gardens are eight very large containers (33 gal. repurposed storage containers), two moderately large pots, eight five gallon buckets, eleven over the fence hangers for 6 inch pots, two plant towers, and an assortment of pots ranging from 24 inches to 3 inches. Where I will put what is always a major concern and the gardens I see when I plan, fill out my seed orders, start my seeds, and buy my first transplants is never the garden I have at the end. It is ever a fascinating surprise.
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Friday--
I have loved Bill Moyers for years. This piece shows why. It is on target all the way.
Another mystery--where did these boats come from? Speculation at the moment is they are from North Korea.
Saturday--
The Economist asks "Who will fight our next war?" Good question. A better one is for what will that war be fought? Since WWII no conflict we in which we have been engaged has been worth the price. And a related article is worth a glance. Gaius Publius is right. We don't have two parties. They are both war parties whose main purpose is enriching the arms industry. I don't think Sanders will get the Democratic nomination. If he does, I will vote for him. But the office of the Presidency is a strait-jacket and I don't think he, or anyone else, will break out of the constraints of the office and shift the momentum of our society/economy.
Sunday--
This one reason why I am not a fan of the "internet of things." The so-called convenience isn't worth the money, trouble or risk.
And this is why I don't pay much attention to the weekly (or monthly revisions) of the employment numbers. The numbers are so heavily massaged to make the government look good (or at the least less bad) that they bear no resemblance to my reality.
And this is why I try to verify as much as I can on news stories. Too often the story changes after the first exposure. The news media rush the story out and later facts undermine the initial story. It really hard to know if an event happened, or if it happened in the media present it.
I have loved Bill Moyers for years. This piece shows why. It is on target all the way.
Another mystery--where did these boats come from? Speculation at the moment is they are from North Korea.
Saturday--
The Economist asks "Who will fight our next war?" Good question. A better one is for what will that war be fought? Since WWII no conflict we in which we have been engaged has been worth the price. And a related article is worth a glance. Gaius Publius is right. We don't have two parties. They are both war parties whose main purpose is enriching the arms industry. I don't think Sanders will get the Democratic nomination. If he does, I will vote for him. But the office of the Presidency is a strait-jacket and I don't think he, or anyone else, will break out of the constraints of the office and shift the momentum of our society/economy.
Sunday--
This one reason why I am not a fan of the "internet of things." The so-called convenience isn't worth the money, trouble or risk.
And this is why I don't pay much attention to the weekly (or monthly revisions) of the employment numbers. The numbers are so heavily massaged to make the government look good (or at the least less bad) that they bear no resemblance to my reality.
And this is why I try to verify as much as I can on news stories. Too often the story changes after the first exposure. The news media rush the story out and later facts undermine the initial story. It really hard to know if an event happened, or if it happened in the media present it.
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Thursday--
We did get the snow the weather people promised but none stayed around. Three more seed/gardening catalogs so the season for garden evaluation and getting together my orders for the new season.
Some food for thought after the San Bernardino shooting. Yeah, Jeb, "Stuff happens." Just wish it didn't happen so often. More food for thought--this got swamped by the San Bernardino news. Even the local news gave it short shrift. Guess 4 casualties vs nearly 30 just isn't dramatic enough.
What would we do and what would we pay if we were serious about prosecuting "the War on Terror?" Andrew Bacevich atTomdispatch gives a good estimate. I am all in favor of bringing all of our troops home, telling all the participants to settle their own hash, and offering modest help rebuilding when things are settled. I would like to see a U.S. leader disavow the notion of "regime change" and forswear the policy of trying to remake the world in our image. It isn't too attractive an image anyway.
I agree that our opinions on guns don't matter to the politicians or those who have bought them or to those who push their interpretations of the 2nd Amendment to allow almost unfettered gun ownership. However, the basis of the argument is that we have two values in conflict: the right and freedom to own guns and the right to life. I disagree. We do value our Constitutional freedoms but I don't think we value life as much as we think we do. We definitely don't value all human life. Even those who say they are "pro-life" value mostly pre-born life. Those already born--not so much. Whose life do we value and to what extent? I wonder at times, reading stories like the one from San Bernardino, if we haven't created a society of psychopaths who have no empathy, whose only reality is dominated by their wants or pains, who feel entitled to respond to perceived slights by blowing away whoever crosses their path.
This has gotten absolutely no play in our media. Tell me--why are we sending our troops in when our supposed ally, the legitimate government of Iraq, and its armed militias say the don't want us?
We did get the snow the weather people promised but none stayed around. Three more seed/gardening catalogs so the season for garden evaluation and getting together my orders for the new season.
Some food for thought after the San Bernardino shooting. Yeah, Jeb, "Stuff happens." Just wish it didn't happen so often. More food for thought--this got swamped by the San Bernardino news. Even the local news gave it short shrift. Guess 4 casualties vs nearly 30 just isn't dramatic enough.
What would we do and what would we pay if we were serious about prosecuting "the War on Terror?" Andrew Bacevich atTomdispatch gives a good estimate. I am all in favor of bringing all of our troops home, telling all the participants to settle their own hash, and offering modest help rebuilding when things are settled. I would like to see a U.S. leader disavow the notion of "regime change" and forswear the policy of trying to remake the world in our image. It isn't too attractive an image anyway.
I agree that our opinions on guns don't matter to the politicians or those who have bought them or to those who push their interpretations of the 2nd Amendment to allow almost unfettered gun ownership. However, the basis of the argument is that we have two values in conflict: the right and freedom to own guns and the right to life. I disagree. We do value our Constitutional freedoms but I don't think we value life as much as we think we do. We definitely don't value all human life. Even those who say they are "pro-life" value mostly pre-born life. Those already born--not so much. Whose life do we value and to what extent? I wonder at times, reading stories like the one from San Bernardino, if we haven't created a society of psychopaths who have no empathy, whose only reality is dominated by their wants or pains, who feel entitled to respond to perceived slights by blowing away whoever crosses their path.
This has gotten absolutely no play in our media. Tell me--why are we sending our troops in when our supposed ally, the legitimate government of Iraq, and its armed militias say the don't want us?
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Wednesday--
For some time the environmental activists have been trying to convince the rest of us that we can't simply throw our waste away--because there is now "away." See this Grist article for confirmation of that truth.
For those Christians who think the end of December is all about them and only them:
Maybe the "Happy Holidays" greeting is more appropriate after all. List found on Deily.
For some time the environmental activists have been trying to convince the rest of us that we can't simply throw our waste away--because there is now "away." See this Grist article for confirmation of that truth.
For those Christians who think the end of December is all about them and only them:
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This is good news. It seems the market for GMO salmon, recently approved--over protest--by the FDA, is shrinking. Hopefully, it will soon be non-existent.
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Tuesday--
Welcome to December. Now for the final push to our great commercial celebration, a.k.a. Xmas. I'm sorry but Christ has been excised from the holiday for decades now. It's all about the money.
I do love this bit of satire!! I have noted before how low our politics has sunk. Once we valued the truth but now many of us don't seem to care. Hillary Clinton was trashed in the media for slightly embellishing her experience. A news anchor was fired for doing much the same thing. But the current crop of Repthuglican candidates aren't held to any standards of truth at all.
No, Kunstler isn't alone in wondering if America has lost its collective mind. Some of us went round the bend long ago.
Unfortunately, our news media, which once was concerned with truth and accuracy, have become more interested in hype and drama. The New York Times is no exception to that rule as shown by this Salon article. A "gentle loner" doesn't blaze away killing three people and wounding nine. It is hardly Planned Parenthood's fault that deceitful assholes with a political agenda released fraudulent video in a smear campaign. But I haven't seen anyone in the media place that blame squarely where it belongs--on the deceitful assholes.
That the political fundraisers are taking a page out of the playbook of some of the worst charities should surprise no one. Both are obscene.
I agree with the sentiments in this Salon piece. I may not vote for president at all. I will vote in the local and state issues and offices but not for president. I don't really like any of the likely candidates out there now on either side. (I don't think Sanders is a likely candidate unless something miraculous happens.)
Welcome to December. Now for the final push to our great commercial celebration, a.k.a. Xmas. I'm sorry but Christ has been excised from the holiday for decades now. It's all about the money.
I do love this bit of satire!! I have noted before how low our politics has sunk. Once we valued the truth but now many of us don't seem to care. Hillary Clinton was trashed in the media for slightly embellishing her experience. A news anchor was fired for doing much the same thing. But the current crop of Repthuglican candidates aren't held to any standards of truth at all.
No, Kunstler isn't alone in wondering if America has lost its collective mind. Some of us went round the bend long ago.
Unfortunately, our news media, which once was concerned with truth and accuracy, have become more interested in hype and drama. The New York Times is no exception to that rule as shown by this Salon article. A "gentle loner" doesn't blaze away killing three people and wounding nine. It is hardly Planned Parenthood's fault that deceitful assholes with a political agenda released fraudulent video in a smear campaign. But I haven't seen anyone in the media place that blame squarely where it belongs--on the deceitful assholes.
That the political fundraisers are taking a page out of the playbook of some of the worst charities should surprise no one. Both are obscene.
I agree with the sentiments in this Salon piece. I may not vote for president at all. I will vote in the local and state issues and offices but not for president. I don't really like any of the likely candidates out there now on either side. (I don't think Sanders is a likely candidate unless something miraculous happens.)
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