Wired:
The Second Coming of Philip K. Dick. “One wonders what he would think today.”
NY Times Op-Ed:
Bob Herbert, Stalking the Giant Chicken Coop. Maybe there’ll be enough time between the passage of this bill and the ‘04 election for the elderly to get wind of what’s really going on.
NY Times Editorial:
A Paper Trail for Voters. Too many ways to fudge the virtual results. Give us concrete evidence that our votes count.
NY Times:
Conservationists put Earth on their wish list.
Santa Fe New Mexican:
Child lost in the Valle Grande area. Out looking for Xmas trees. I hope he’s found soon. It’s cold here, but way colder up in the mountains.
Santa Fe New Mexican:
Company promises to remove nuclear waste from uranium plant “in a timely manner.” With noplace for the waste to go, this brings to mind the old saw, “Promises are piecrusts, made to be broken ...”
CNN:
Pilot survives 24 hours in subfreezing weather. I’m still amazed and uplifted when I see these kinds of stories, but the flip side is the likelihood of having it become another awful made-for-TV movie.
Dead lightning bugs.
A friend and I, when we were children, decided to collect as many lightning bugs as we could. We intended to put them in a clear glass jar, to see if we could read by their light. My friend drew the short straw, and got to keep the jar overnight with the dozens we had collected. He neglected to knock holes in the jar lid, so by morning they were all, unfortunately, deceased.
Why do I mention this? My comment about the beer aftertaste below encouraged me to comment on protein powders. Met-Rx recently reformulated, and now includes “non-dairy creamer” in the ingredients. No thanks. I’ve been dabbling with different brands, but after stumbling upon a new store (“Vitamin Cottage”), I decided to get wild and try out their “Trans-Plex Natural MRP” meal replacement/protein powder.
No aspartame, no bad stuff that I can see.
But, like many modern protein powders, it has that lamentable taste of dead lightning bugs. Or rather, it tastes like those lightning bugs smelled.
But it’s less so than other brands, so I’m sticking with it. $29 bucks for just over two pounds of the stuff. Economical, after checking the ingredients.
So, now that I’ve crossed at least two tangents, I know you’re wondering.
Yes, you could.
Read by the light of dozens of lightning bugs.
Hector MacDonald:
“There are some things up with which we shall not put.” Alas, my beloved Monarch of the Glen has been bumped on PBS until Dec. 20th. Three weeks without Lexie. What on earth will I do?
I guess
I will mention, the discount shops seem to be doing booming biz (Sam’s Club, Wal-Mart, etc.) while the first-run stores have crickets chirping in the empty wilderness.
As I was walking out of a store today, I saw a succession of really beautiful high-dollar 4WD vehicles (in particular, a nice H1 Hummer) ... and realized they had never seen mud, much less a Santa Fe dirt road. The thought of a garage-kept highway-only 4wd made me somewhat melancholy. What I wouldn’t do with one of those beasts ... it certainly wouldn’t be clean.
I resisted the urge to splurge on consumables, but since I’ve reignited my fitness regimen (working on base fitness for a more active ‘04), I picked up some low-carb Michelob ‘Ultra.’ Related to the “dry” beers, I guess. Trying one now. Has the aftertaste of used Clorox bleach wipes. Maybe I’ll go back to Guinness (all that good iron) and just spend extra time doing CV ...
T’aint much
goin’ on, so I haven’t had the urge to post. Back to the usual, tomorrow.
NY Times:
Photographs that cry out for meaning. I disagree; the Allied firebombings have little meaning [even most historians and strategists agree, in hindsight]. They exist in our country as statistics. Adding images fills out a gap in history. You can debate the veracity and motivations of the photographs. I will note that the corpses always lie ... and lie still.
Bloomberg
has better info, and less spin on the current unemployment rate and jobs figures than you’ll find elsewhere. “The total number of jobs added in the prior two months was revised to 236,000, 15,000 less than the government previously estimated. The number of jobs were revised up by 11,000 to 137,000 for October and down by 26,000 to 99,000 for September.” And more: “Manufacturers lost 17,000 jobs last month, the 40th straight monthly decline.”
We need a Dem in office. They stomp all over Repubs on job numbers; check the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Even more stark, if you back Federal jobs out of the figures.
The Economist:
The not-quite-so-jobless recovery. “It may be little consolation to Mr Bush junior, but strong growth coupled with tepid hiring is doing marvellous things to the productivity numbers.” A fig for General Clark. Read the last paragraph.
Reuters:
Athletes want life ban for steroid use. Good. And this would dramatically change the face of sports.
Reuters:
Iraqis, armed and dangerous. It would be interesting for the NRA to contrast this against their goals for gun ownership in America.
Photo.net:
Traffic.
I’ve been meaning to ask this question for a while. Anyone else notice a significant fall-off in traffic on Fridays? I lose between 15 and 30 percent of traffic. Cramming to get work done? Getting ready for the weekend? I wonder if the traffic correlates with overall productivity in the five day workweek. Just thinkin’, as per usual ...
Christianity Today:
Christian History Corner: 300-Year-Old Man Returns to Lead His Church. On Jonathan Edwards; apart from this article, a transitional figure between the Great Awakening and the Enlightenment (usu. characterised with the latter). This tickled my funny bone: “Evangelicals need this grandfather-figure more than ever.” Aaron Burr, Jr., was Jonathan Edwards’ grandson ... the man who, “... being moved and seduced by the instigation of the devil, wickedly devising and intending the peace and tranquility of the same United States to disturb and to stir, move, and excite insurrection, rebellion and war against the said United States ...” I certainly don’t dislike Aaron Burr, but I think evangelicals who are aware of history might wish the author vetted his article a bit better. As fashionable as a family-values angle might be, I doubt they’d want to claim siblingship with the much-reviled Burr.
Yahoo/AP:
Bird die-off in Oregon puzzles scientists.
Yahoo/AP:
Conservatives want Reagan on dimes. Oh, jeez. The aircraft carrier was appropriate, but our favorite deficit-creator on a dime? If it passes, we’ll have to rename dimes “gippers.”
Taipei Times:
Middle East Online:
Oh, just great. OPEC could try to push oil prices higher. “Weak dollar which is eating into producers’ profits may force oil cartel to push up oil prices in near future.”
USA Today:
I can’t resist. Forgive me. Weren’t we talking about Mick Jagger and Keith Richards just yesterday? This news headline caught my eye ... Oldest, undeniably male fossil found in British rock group. Which one d’ya think they’re talking about? Did a ‘Danny Thomas’ with my tea, over that one ...
CSM:
Anti-Miracle on 34th Street. Idea. Next parade, film without talking heads. Without talk. Sounds of the parade, cuts to the attendees. Networks are addicted to talk. I’d rather see the event, than be gabbled at.
