Hang in there
Persistence pays One more panut
Posts
Voting Rights - overcome the challenges
Eliminating voting rights through local laws A party takes advantage of the voting system in order to manage power "It's a rigged system." An illegitimate voting system produces the wrong political players Voter frustration causes apathy at the polls We need a voter rights bill
power to create investigative commissions
Is the sky falling on Democracy Adequate vigilance would answer that quest by creating investigative commissions Source aei.org
Russian rocket failure lands crew safely
An American and a Russian aboard a Russian space craft were aborted automatically when their rocket failed They landed safely after after a 7.6g decedent The last time the Soyuz system had a launch failure was in 1983 It was a successful launchpad abort and everybody walked away healthy Source theatlantic.com photo tass.com article by Marina Koren Oct 19, 2018
Garden architecs
This may be a wolf spider , I'm not sure. Photo taken with one of Nikon's early 3.5 megapixel digital camera's with wide angle lends in 2003. Atlanta Ga. Sources: sister's garden, wiki, photo-mine
Come ride with me
This lizard found refuge on the rear view mirror of my car after battling forty mile an hour winds It made it all the way to the bank I hope he finds something tasty in the parking lot
Planets beyound our solar system
Artist conception of planets outside of our solar system Download the poster of one of these planets Click on Explore Travel Bureau for other galactic possibilities Hey kids see whats out there source nasa.gov gizmodo.com What would it really be like to live alone on an alien world? Stranded, struggling to survive? And what would it be like when you find something on that world that’s transcendent, and bizarre, and impossible to explain? Ostiary , a short film created by Ghaffar Studios (a solo project of Danish Ghaffar), seeks to answer that question. In its moody nine minutes, it is lush, creepy, and lonely. Soundtracked by lovely ambient music and drenched in purples and blacks, it’s a fascinating, beautiful little film.
anti-Aufklärer
Personal opinion: In the absence of reason, rules and dogma the brain solves problems while we sleep and thus restores our sense of well being - or at least a being we believe we can live with. Awakening challenges us to be who we are among those who make the laws that govern our lives. "...his deepest appeal lies in an unspoken promise that lies behind the others: to undo the Enlightenment, to free us from the burdens of living rationally in a world where nothing is settled and where everything—economic well-being, national borders, gender identities, domestic arrangements—is up for grabs." This article was first published in the Baffler No 41, and on thebaffler.com by Gary Greenberg
Art and the creative spirit
“Whom the Gods Love They Drive Nuts” John Steinbeck The writer knows who he is because he does it - writing. Thoughts converted to languages is rewarding for the creator and hell for the person who misses the point. If you're roasting your readers, use the link on this page.
The force never leaves
I worked for this company back in the day when the operating system was given the distinctive name of operating system 2. I recently bumped into a person who said he was the only one of his group who was still employed by big blue after fifteen years. It is still a fine place for hard working people.
In pursuit of dark matter
"Dark matter is a hypothetical form of matter that is thought to account for approximately 85% of the matter in the universe, and about a quarter of its total energy density. The majority of dark matter is thought to be non-baryonic in nature, possibly being composed of some as-yet undiscovered subatomic particles." Source: nature.com Wikipedia
Et tu brute
The appearance of the judicial process for some but not all is the minor traffic violation or divorce court. Others deal with the ultimate decision of one man on far more serious issues. The Kavanaugh hearings are defining for all what type of behavior the person who delivers justice is responsible for. The process of representation is not a crash course in getting your way, but knowing the ways of a system of rules and laws that govern our lives delivered by one man - a judge. Source: nytimes.com
Practical thoughtful policy that works
"The American Enterprise Institute is a public policy think tank dedicated to defending human dignity, expanding human potential, and building a freer and safer world. The work of our scholars and staff advances ideas rooted in our belief in democracy, free enterprise, American strength and global leadership, solidarity with those at the periphery of our society, and a pluralistic, entrepreneurial culture." Source: AEI.org
When nature yields to neighborhoods
In its natural form, today a swamp marsh remains as a park Public access shows us how this area once was Homes on retention ponds from the reclaimed marsh
Truth or Dare Snicker or Snare
"Perhaps most telling was the list of countries that Trump highlighted at the end of his speech as those embodying the “dreams” of the kind of nations our children will inherit. Trump praised Saudi Arabia, a brutally repressive dictatorship where women have few rights, and which is fighting a war in Yemen that is creating a humanitarian catastrophe. He praised Poland, a Nato ally where democratic institutions are under assault from its own government. And he praised Israel, a US ally that runs a military occupation of the Palestinian people in the West Bank. If these countries are Trump’s idea of the future we want to leave for our children, Trump’s vision of the world he wants to build is quite dark." theguardian.com by Michael H Fuchs Isolation in a world economy is counterproductive at the very least. It removes the level playing field for less fortunate economies. The richest of the US may influence policy in this country, but will ultimatel...
Who are we
The Person Therein You visit the person therein and say to him... Don't I know you from some far away place and time? Didn't you collaborate in this rhyme? I don't think so friend, I have better things to do, Like muse of the misery of man and his zoo. We barely speak much, nor chat or chatter, I often wonder what's the matter. Strangers true we are! Why have you bothered to travel so far? I must confess I'm lost without you, and many things have cost me dearly. For lack of talk with you is my most grievous sin, and I repent from afar and from within. Do not snatch at me with remorse, those lost days of foolishness are of course. I've been here all along, ...
What giraffe's must think
Don't you look funny A photographer will go to any lengths to get a picture
I called tech support
Overall most call centers have empathetic and helpful people who know their product. I have stumbled onto a machine driven support line that was just infuriating. Computers (phones) aren't really smart. They only provide an environment to think with. Call it a cognitive crutch.
"greater gender diversity in science"
This link is presented because I know from personal experience how few women are involved in technical fields It doesn't need to be this way Often technicians become proficient almost on their own as they pursue an interest or work with a team to develop a product More than once my own job in the field of microwave was almost put in jeopardy had I failed to produce positive results for theories that proved current calibrating practices for the new digital system analyzers inaccurate Women were often used as supervisors who had skills "Steitz, who has advocated for greater gender diversity in science and co-authored a 2005 National Academy of Sciences report on bias and other barriers to women in “STEM” (science, technology, engineering and Mathematics ), spoke with Scientific American about her career, the #MeToo movement and working with James Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA." Source scientificamerican.com Joan ...
Ciemny lud to kupi
roughly translated, means "The ignorant peasants will buy it. A one party system and the vanquishing of a democracy defines the times How America is reliving Poland's political past - if we let it Source theatlantic.com Editor’s Note: This article is part of a series that attempts to answer the question: Is democracy dying?
The Expanse
What scifi inclined person doesn't like some aspect of this three season (depending on streaming service and country) battle between Mars and Earth Go behind the scenes to experience the complexity of recreating a future not to far from our own Only just a little more far out ouch Source SciFi Netflix and maybe in the not to distant future a forth from Amazon Clip courtesy of Youtube
Dangerous times
Barack Obama has delivered a sharp rebuke of Donald Trump’s America, attacking his successor by name for the first time in impassioned remarks that denounced “the politics of fear and resentment”. source theguardian .com
Hey, anyone out there like jazz
At The Helm: Harold Mabern, Stalwart Accompanist, At 82 Cleo Brown On Piano Jazz Eliane Elias On Piano Jazz Nicholas Payton On Piano Jazz and more at above link source npr.org Marian Mcpartlands's Piano Jazz
Abstraction levels
What level of abstraction are you comfortable with How far from reality are you willing to let yourself go in search of something that is defining even for a moment
One man one vote
Returning the right to rule and make rules to all the people all the time, something missing when wealth means absolute power. Will Waren's ideas influence action that the total population can live with, meaning some share so more can care if it is worth working. " I worry both for capitalism and for democracy. People across this country once believed that folks who work hard and play by the rules have a chance to be able to build real security and that their kids will do better than they did. Today, that dream runs into a very hard reality that this is now a world that works better and better for a smaller and smaller number of people. That's a problem for capitalism and for democracy at the same time." Source Raedle / Getty / Boule / ImageFlow / Shutterstock / The Atlantic
Problem solving
Claude Shannon: How a Genius Solves Problems If you are bipolar life is an ongoing problem... much of the above link will help those with emotional challenges as well as the ability to cope with tasks we create for ourselves source medium.com
Eyes wide shut
The result of giving your grand daughter a cat without her mother's permission. We have had this cat for about twelve years Her name is Cat
Reflections of song past
Down a hollow to a cavern Where the sun has never shone, Like a door that keeps revolving In a half forgotten dream, Or the ripples from a pebble Someone tosses in a stream Like a clock whose hands are sweeping .... Keys that jingle in your pocket Words that jangle in your head Why did summer go so quickly ? Was it something that you said ? Lovers walk along a shore And leave their footprints in the sand Is the sound of distant drumming Just the fingers of your hand ? Pictures hanging in a hallway And the fragment of this song Half remembered names and faces But to whom do they belong ? He: when you knew That it was over You were suddenly aware That the autumn leaves were turning To the color Of her hair ! She: when you knew That it was over In the autumn of goodbyes For a moment You could not recall the color Of his eyes ! Like a circle in a spiral Like a wheel within a wheel Never ending or beginning On an ever spinning reel As the images unwind Like the circles That you find In ...