2017 archive
Empty Space–Filled 0
We went to the SPCA on Friday and adopted two six-month-old cats, brother (on the left) and sister. They are as rambunctious as one could wish and busily engaged in taking over the house. Their favorite spot is the top of the cat tower that I built several years ago from scrap lumber and left-over carpet pieces.
They do not replace JoCat; they succeed her.
All the News that Fits 0
Afterthought:
I’m a Southern Boy. I grew up under Jim Crow, I attended segregated schools, and I have my share of baggage.
I’ve known lots of racists and even more white folks who grew up with racism and did not realize that they had been trained to it from birth.
It’s the rare racist who will admit to being racist.
Which leads to the question: Who is more vile, the person who is proudly and avowedly racist or the person who is silently racist and unaware of or willfully blind to his or her racism?
Trumple Card Monte 0
Celia Rivenbank tries to follow the action, but the changes come too fast. A snippet:
“I love the Dreamers.” Or do I? Hint: He doesn’t.
“I’m going to make Mexico pay us back for the wall.” Or will I? Hint: Nahhh.
“I will release my tax returns if elected. Also, lock her up.” Or will I? Hint: Nope.
Trump’s bombastic promises often have an odd “Stay tuned if you want to see how this turns out” tone to them as if we’re watching “The Voice” and only he knows if the 17-year-old banjo-playing single mom from Texas can beat the crowd favorite crooning cross-dresser from New York.
War Games 0
From my local rag:
Unlike other types of submarines people are familiar with from Hollywood, Virginia-class submarines don’t have a traditional rotating tube periscope that only one person can look through at a time.
It’s been replaced with two photonics masts that rotate 360 degrees. They feature high-resolution cameras whose images are displayed on large monitors that everyone in the control room can see. There’s no barrel to peer through anymore; everything is controlled with a helicopter-style stick. But that stick isn’t so popular.
In the “words fail me” department, the story goes on to point out that the XBox controllers will cost just 0.1% of the controller designed by the defense contractor.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Practice random acts of politeness.
If the young lady had been packing, no doubt this would not have happened.
Complicity 0
Badtux points out that, in the face of evil, silence means consent.
Follow the link to read why he says that.
QOTD 0
Edmund Crispin:
What a symposium of deadly sins the poor fellow seems to have been . . . .
Spoken by Gervase Fen in Crispin, Edmund, Swan Song (New York: Avon Books, 1947), p. 95
The Art of the Con 0
Shorter Seth: No, Trump is not suddenly an “independent.”
Excerpt:
. . . being an independent is not the same thing as being a rudderless narcissist.
Hoist on the Elmer Gantries 0
Leonard Pitts, Jr., marvels at the plethora of prophets proposing to profit from meteorlogical despoilation.
The Biblical “scribes and pharisees” had nothing on this lot.
Bush League 0
Trudy Rubin explains why Trump is not even close.
