Loosely Speaking

By Ciel - About Me - E-mail this page - Add to My Favorites - Add to Blog List - See other blogs in Everything Else

Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Everyone writes the histories

https://historycollection.co/20-myths-from-american-history-were-here-to-debunk/11/ There are some interesting updates and corrections to the usual US history as taught in schools. I have not linked to the entire article, it begins with section 11, the one I found most interesting, and the several following regarding the Civil War. It is my contention that, in fact, the Civil War has never ended, it only changed its masks... and hoods. This particular section speaks to something NPR ran about a... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Because we can!

Why do we make stuff that actually in the long run, diminishes us? Why are we so proud and excited by what we clever monkeys can make, like machines to do work for us, like AI to do that humans used to do? Think of the jobs loss, think of the boredom of forced retirement and unemployment; think of how those still working have to compete with tech so that everyone has to move faster and be always multi-tasking to keep up... No wonder people burn out mentally and emotionally, no wonder so many... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, May 24, 2019

Stem cell 'miracles'

There have been a lot of ads on Facebook lately inviting people to come listen to providers of stem-cell therapies. They suggest their therapy offers real cures for nerve damage ailments, joint disease, and other things. I did some homework: looked up the companies online, looked up articles in the field of stem cell research and therapies. What I found was scams that charge thousands to give an injection, thousands to give subsequent injections, and a whole lot of magical thinking about what... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, May 13, 2019

Commenting on Game of Thrones, without spoilers

I have kept up with GAME OF THRONES on tv, and some years ago, read all the available books. George RR Martin is still working on the last of the series, has been for years. Last night was the penultimate episode of the tv series. There's a closed forum we have over on Facebook for discussing it privately, without inflicting spoilers on the rest of the world, especially those who have not yet seen this episode, or the series, and might want to experience it later or someday. A lot of people... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, May 12, 2019

My daughters are the best mothers!

I just want to say... My daughters have turned out to be the best mothers! Through challenges that began with having a kinda crazy, angry, CPTSD mom, and went on through their own dealings with their own kids' needs and demands, they are doing great with some of the hardest stuff and enjoying the best stuff. Both are masterful at appreciating what their children bring to the world, letting them be themselves, letting them experience safely in a world that is often weird and unpredictable, making... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, May 2, 2019

Nature still provides the best solutions

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/apr/03/natural-world-climate-catastrophe-rewilding?CMP=share_btn_fb&fbclid=IwAR3JxME8d2UCFCrYBjQlsSO4wvX0b5wOV1PaMVstxgKzW62wYfpaDiaHKQA There's a lot in this article to take encouragement from, and some really good information about a simple alternative to all the complicated ideas governments are coming up with to help resolve the climate crisis. Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, April 29, 2019

No spoilers here...

GAME OF THRONES... AVENGERS: ENDGAME... We watched the first last night, the second this evening, and the analytic part of my mind watched me watch them, observed my inner responses to each. Both are long-awaited outcomes of a long series of productions, both feature huge battle scenes. The first had me at least mentally and emotionally edge-of-the-seating, the second--nope. It is the difference between the complex characters, relationships, emotions and events of a 7 volume epic novel, and... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, April 7, 2019

Stones of the Earth

In every land in the world, in every country, every politically-bounded nation, there are many faces and personalities. There are the official faces of government, the ones who deal with laws and controls both within the nation and with other nations. There are the commercial faces of those who manage trade within and without, who manage the wealth of the nation and interact with other nations through commercial interests. Politicians and Bankers have ever overlapped, often through the medium of... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Wonder and Curiostiy

It seems to me to be some kind of commentary on American life, when an airline, for instance, enforces closed windows on everyone on a flight. American Airlines did that for most of the Great Circle flight we took from Dallas/Ft Worth to Beijing. We had the computer imagery to watch as the flight progressed, and it is cool to see, but it is not the same as looking out the window at the actual landscape. When I fly, most of the pleasure is in gazing down at the Earth from so high above that one... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, March 31, 2019

Pyramids, Cannon-fodder, and Social Contracts

I was watching a courtroom procedural show. The case was about the death of a soldier due to a stupid and undenied mistake by an Army doctor who was, even so, protected by US military policy. I got to thinking... There are some professions in which the workers are spoken of with grand, idealized pronouncements, and celebrated for such fine and ineffable qualities at heroism, dedication, and sacrifice... But when it comes down to money-where-mouth-is, there is no actual respect, no meaningful... Sign in to see full entry.

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