2019 archive
A Poem, Not by Henry Gibson 0
This poem by Alastair Read was in the preface to a slim volume about DNA which was part of my tenth grade biology class. The class sucke–was less than desirable, as the teacher taught it as if we were college students, which we weren’t.
But I’ve never forgotten the first verse of the poem. (Attribution.)
-
Curiosity may have killed the cat; more likely
the cat was just unlucky, or else curious
to see what death was like, having no cause
to go on licking paws, or fathering
litter on litter of kittens, predictably.
Facebook Frolics 0
Naveed Saleh reports that enthusiasm for Facebook seems to be waning, citing surveys that show more and more persons are taking longer breaks from the Wells Fargo of social media and that a significant number of persons are removing the Facebook app from their smartphones.*
At Psychology Today Blogs, he suggests ten reasons why this might be so. Here’s one; follow the link for the rest.
________________
*Even if you don’t intend to dial back you Facebook usage, not using their smartphone app is a wise choice. It spies on users relentlessly. When I visit Facebook, which I must do once or twice a month as part of outreach efforts for outfits I reach out for–when you do outreach, you have to reach out to where the people are–I use a private browser window, so Facebook cannot continue to spy on me after I’m done with them.
Signs of the Times 0
In related news, real world consequences of the Trumpian Temper Tantrum are starting to pile up.
Image via Job’s Anger.
The Wall-Eyed Piker Gets It Wrong (Why Am I Not Surprised?) 0
In my local rag, historian Matthew Gabriele points out that, on the historical evidence, walls don’t work, despite Donald Trump’s claims that they do.
“Compassionate Conservatism” 0
Uh, yeah.
Russian Impulses 0
Shaun Mullen keeps up with the latest so I don’t have to.
QOTD 0
Rex Stout:
When two people who want to get along start needing to have things explained, look out.
Stout, Rex, The Father Hunt (New York: Bantam, 1993), p. 97.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Play politely.
“What they would typically do is horseplay around with a gun at the location, meaning that they would point it at each other, they would pull the trigger. Most of the time, the gun was unloaded when that occurred,” Lemma said.
The victim was playing with the gun when Morse tried to take it and during the struggle, the gun fired, killing the victim, according to authorities.
Afterthought:
I will not say one way or the other that I have ever had any experience with that evil weed, but I freely admit that I have toyed with other intoxicants (God bless the Scots!). I will say that, had I done so, I would fancy myself not so stupid as to toy with firearms when so doing.
Going to the Dog 0
Victoria Hugo-Vidal suggests that, since our government is going to the dogs, it might be better if it went to the dog. A snippet:
The Art of the Con 0
David Treadwell marvels at the marks.
The Vice of the Turtle . . . 0
. . . lays about the land.
Tribes and Tribulations 0
Mike Brooks suggests that the tribalism of our contemporary politics is rooted in humans’ evolutionary past. He points out that, until very recently in the sweep of history, humans lived in tribal groups of up to a couple of hundred persons. Even when persons were absorbed in the realms of empires and kingdoms, day-to-day transactions were confined to villages with few inhabitants. He suggests that Donald Trump’s desire for a border wall both symbolizes is fed in part by a toxic hyper-tribalism. A snippet:
(snip)
In one sense, it can be okay to take some pride in this affiliation (e.g., “I’m proud to be an American,” “I love my university”). However, it’s easy to slip into tribal, us vs. them mentality when we start saying versions of “me and my group are better than you and your group.” Arguably, this is how patriotism (e.g., “I love my country”) can turn into a more tribal nationalism (e.g., “my country is the best/greatest”). A look back through history (e.g., Nazi concentration camps, genocides, slavery, ethnic cleansing) offers hard lessons about what can happen when hyper-tribalism runs amok.
I commend the entire article to your attention.
