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, February 24, 2022

Reading again...

Last month I was reading THE NAME OF THE ROSE, and then found myself a copy of the movie and enjoyed them again, not for the first time. This month, I'm revisiting James Clavell's SHOGUN, and remembering the mini-series with Richard Chamberlain and Toshiro Mifune. Since the first and second readings, I get so much more from the book! The first reading gave me some cursory knowledge of the historic events and the players, though all the names of people and places were confusing and hard to keep... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, February 18, 2022

The Game of Rules and Consequences

The pandemic came and changed some of the rules, some of the basic habits of our lives. From the beginning, from the first stay-home directives, when the noise from the highways and streets paused for a strange moment, when the usual, unconsidered rules changed, the return to the roads was unsettled: Some drivers then, and still, feel that the old ways no longer apply. Traffic accidents and deaths have risen over the past couple of years, to prove it. Airlines are asking for new rules for air... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, February 12, 2022

Bullies and BS

These Canadian truckers are so far out of line, and so proud of themselves, like playground bullies who won't let anyone else on the swings. Someone powerful and exceedingly rich wants them there, doing that. Gofundme has shut down that avenue, and returned funds to those who donated them. Right now I am visualizing the Canadian government sending troops, maybe those massive helicopters that can lift a truck... Does Canada have anything like the National Guard in the US? Edit: Since writing... Sign in to see full entry.

words, words, words...

The trouble with words is that the same ones don't mean the same thing to everyone who uses them, which brings us to the side note on so many college papers: Define your terms! An example of this came up elsewhere in a discussion of the word 'justice,' represented as a necessary trait or intent or goal of God. If it means 'balance' then it depends on who or what is in the balance, which scale or continuum is being balanced. Or is 'justice' something not so much about balance as a preponderance... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, February 5, 2022

Updating the words, updating the thinking

When we use words, we are speaking not only to others, but to our own minds. In recent years, some words once casually used have fallen into obsolescence as we become more conscious of how they promote misunderstandings, short-cut thinking and the growth of awareness, and lead to unintended consequences of damage and hurtfullness. Sometimes it's particular and personal hurt; sometimes it expresses a social lack of awareness. We don't so casually use words like 'retarded' or 'crazy' as was once... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, January 31, 2022

A Festival of Haiku

Wrote these years ago-- Found them today in old files, Seeking something else. Fire of Autumn burns away the last of Summer. A snowflake dances... Sleep your life away Dreaming is as good as life... Like you, cat, I lie. Days cycle quickly weeks to months, seasons to years Much remains undone. This Haiku, you see, Brings literature and math together again. Morning comes despite all plans for over-sleeping. Gritty eyes, strong tea. O, Super hero! Warrior of the Ages...! Seldom lifts the sword.... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, January 30, 2022

Now here's a thing...

Used to be, gender was assumed to be determined by whatever equippage one was born with. All this 'gender-bending' was, by some, sneered at as psychological kink and twist, nothing but attention-seeking. (It has been suggested that when one first thinks 'attention-seeking' to give it another thought, and see how it looks to change it to 'connection-seeking.' I find that often this is a more honest assessment, though it is sometimes a stretch to see it.) Well, here is an article that curiosity... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, January 28, 2022

Smarts, Intelligence, Ignorance, and just plain Stupid

From 6 yrs ago on Facebook I've been looking at some articles about other animals besides human beings who routinely use tools to get what they want from the world around them. Some not only use sticks and stones to open nuts, for instance, or fish termites out of their homes, some actually alter the stick or rock to better do the job they want it to do, and that is tool-making. Used to be the commonly accepted truth, about a century ago, that tool use and tool making was one of those wondrous... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, January 26, 2022

Knowing stuff

I woke up this morning thinking about kids sitting in classrooms, sullen and resentful and wanting to be anywhere else. I imagined being there and telling them, "Knowing things is what gives you power over your own life. Knowing stuff means other people can't fool you on purpose because they want something from you, or by accident just because they have wrong information and don't actually know what they think they know." I would tell them, "Besides all that, knowing stuff is fun! like walking... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Why blood type O might make a difference

This is the only article I have read that offers some actual reason for why O might make a difference, rather than just statistics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-01-covid-transmission-blood.html Charlie points out that the actual results of research need to be backed up by the numbers of a statistically significant sampling to convince him that this is more than just hypothetical. I think seeing things happen through a microscope and actual experimentation that yields results that can be... Sign in to see full entry.

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