Loosely Speaking

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

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Preparing a Place in the Valhalla of Chariot-Makers

So, there are these industries--long established industries--that have supported the world as we knew it. But what we know about the world has changed. Everyone ate butter, lots of delicious butter, until it was realized that all that cholesterol was actually really bad for our health, that it contributed to causes of early death. Even doctors recommended smoking cigarettes, until understanding that smoking is really bad for us, and that smart people wouldn't smoke. Yes, that upset the... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Nimoy, Bowie, Rickman... et al

It begins to seem like a Thing... but could be it is just that at our ages, it's the icons of our lifetimes being lost to the normal attrition of time? We notice because we cared, admired, and loved how they made us feel... Especially in our times, the speed and frequency of hearing about events and celebrities is so great, these people whom we don't even really know, have been more 'with us' than the celebrities of previous generations were 'with' the people of those times, that it seems like a... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, January 8, 2016

Vegans... phhttt!

Vegans are pissing me off. A poster states: You don't have to love animals to be vegan, but you do have to be a vegan to say you love animals. No, you don't. What a cheap, self-righteous, pseudo-clever one-liner! Plenty of us love animals without giving over the eating of meat. In my opinion, it is a personal prerogative to make the choice. I love plants, too: I have several houseplants and I give them music and even occasional conversation, as well as water and fertilizer. This does not stop me... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

It's just how I am...

Times have changed with technology and the pace with which we lead our lives: People wander off from online conversations without a farewell to let you know the conversation is over. People have meals with other people and never make eye contact because they are immersed in their electronic world. Real attention, real contact is fleeting, and old traditional courtesies of a slower-paced age are unknown, forgotten or just disregarded. People excuse themselves ("It's just how I am") for neglecting... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, December 14, 2015

Refugees streaming over the border...

...is NOT how it happens. Seems a lot of people visualize it as people pouring out of Syria and other profoundly troubled regions, and pouring into other countries. Maybe it is that way in some European countries, but that isn't how it happens in the US. If you want to know what the gateway into America looks like: https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/11/20/infographic-screening-process-refugee-entry-united-states I wonder how many Americans could make it through this screening if we had to, to... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, December 13, 2015

What Charlie wrote

Charlie wrote this in response to a report/image on Facebook of a burning mosque: They wanted a war of fire and attrition. By answering their acts of mindless, inhuman horror with more of the same, we are giving them exactly what they want. We are surrendering to the madness that possesses them... that madness... radicalization based on fear, hatred... it has many disguises, wears the cloaks of different causes and religions... but it is the same demon. DAESH doesn't have to sneak terrorists... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, December 7, 2015

The Roosevelts

There are a few Great People in the world in every century, every generation. I recently watched Ken Burns' documentary mini-series, THE ROOSEVELTS, and was struck by the enormous differences the three most historic Roosevelts-- Teddy, Franklin D, and Eleanor-- made in this country, and in the world. It is a fascinating and moving look at the times my grandparents, my parents, and my own generation lived through, and brings them closer to me, too. It is especially topical now, as the issues that... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

The Greatest Nation in the World

First this, if you haven't seen it or want a reminder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyzDRc34l2g Then this: America could be the greatest country in the world again by overturning a few centuries' of bad habits of thought, assumption, lack of national introspection. Here is one issue that illustrates how we could become great again in all the ways that count: We have the wealth in America to take care of our own struggling, as well as the struggling of other nations who fail to look after... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, November 28, 2015

The war is between tribal and civil mentalities.

Tribal thinking holds family and kin to be the center of Us, and everyone else is Them. Tribal mentality is profoundly defensive of the tribe/clan/kin/religion's beliefs, rituals, and values. and sees the Outsider as threatening all of that and therefore, the tribe's existence. Tribal thinking is about tribal survival. There is no tolerance for different truths or opinions, or ways of living. The tribal thinker can't afford to be open-minded or open-hearted. Civil thinking emerged from the... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Well, here's a thing!

I found this on Facebook today, from Bill Moyers, one of the few true and honest journalists in America today. After I watched it, I wrote: There are two Americas. One belongs to The People, as declared and intended by the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. It is the America of The People, by The People and for The people that Lincoln referenced in the Gettysburg Address. Then there is the second America: the one finagled into the paws and pockets of Special... Sign in to see full entry.

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