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 30, 2025

Keeping the candle alight...

In these dubious times when many of us are fearful for ourselves and our friends, our relatives and neighbors and others, who are targeted or will be by the current misadministration, I am always looking for a reason to hope for better. After all, anything can happen to change the conditions of our lives at any time, things utterly unforeseen, for worse, perhaps, but possibly for better. In view of how like these times are to the 1930s in Germany, it gives solace to be aware how many more people... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, January 7, 2025

The Value of Trust

Hannah Arendt told us: The lies are not meant to be believed, they are meant to make us not trust anyone about anything. And being unable to trust the information we're given, we can't make any choices because there are no sure safe trust-worthy choices. And that's why so many Americans stayed home on Election Day: Unable to make what they could believe would be a good choice they froze embraced apathy and disenfranchised themselves. All Republican Presidents after Eisenhower prepared the ground... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, December 14, 2024

Never has the dysfunctionality of this country been so exposed & highlighted as it has been this past month. The dysfunction is nothing new, it has been brewing for decades, for generations, as profit became the most important thing, and humanity the least. The writing has always been on the wall, but it was not convenient or too complicated to read it and act, to correct the course. Or it was what was wanted: a dream for many no matter how unlikely and unrealistic for everyone who dreams to... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

We'll see...

A farmer and his son had a beloved horse who helped the family earn a living. One day, the horse ran away and their neighbors exclaimed: Neighbor: “Your horse ran away, what terrible luck!” The farmer replied: “Maybe so, maybe not.” A few days later, the horse returned home, leading a few wild horses back to the farm as well. The neighbors shouted out: “Your horse has returned, and brought several horses home with him. What great luck!” The farmer replied: “Maybe so, maybe not.” Later that week,... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, November 2, 2024

I beg to differ...

...with all those who sneer at the human race, who blame everything going bad in the world on the uselessness and stupidity and selfishness of the human race. Today there was another such assertion:... humans have fought each other throughout their existence. Such a waste of the gift of life on our planet. People have also loved and created and protected and cherished each other and the Earth. We have dreamed nightmares but also visions of beauty and improved our knowledge of the Universe even... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, October 31, 2024

Beeting the season

I've always like borscht, that Russian soup made from beets that might be served hot or cold, and sometimes has sour cream blended in, and sometimes not. It's been said that there are as many recipes for borscht as there are Russians. So I don't feel out of line inventing mine as I go, Today it will start with chicken broth--reduced salt--and will continue with a can of sliced beets, juice and all. I have some mushrooms to add, and maybe some corn as well for no other reasons than that I like... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, October 14, 2024

Reframing the Election Basics

This election isn't about liberal vs conservative, it's about sanity vs insanity. It's between a professional vs a dilletante in the art of government. We are facing more years of traumatic instability favoring the few ultrarich vs a return to a steadier, more Middle-class community-centered and supportive normalcy. The choice is between a man operating from irrepressible personal fantasy vs a woman well-grounded in American realities. It isn't about policies, it is about character. Don't be... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, October 5, 2024

"This constant lying is not aimed at making the people believe a lie, but at ensuring that no one believes anything anymore. A people that can no longer distinguish between truth and lies cannot distinguish between right and wrong. And such a people, deprived of the power to think and judge, is, without knowing and willing it, completely subjected to the rule of lies. With such a people, you can do whatever you want." - Hannah Arendt (14 October 1906 – 4 December 1975) German historian and... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

The Choices We Have

The choice we're offered in the coming election: Trump offers toxic self-interest, hate, anger, resentment, fear and revenge--and all that mental rambling that Vance calls 'common sense.' He is and has always been mercurial and chaotic. He has never shown any comprehension or loyalty to America or the Constitution or the basics of how the US government is organized. Harris offers energy, optimism, clear purpose and a focus on the needs and interests of the American people. She offers a... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, October 1, 2024

Thoughts, Witnessing Catastrophe

It isn't just the denial of climate-change, it is also having no real concept of what a devastating effect of it actually looks like. Well, we're looking at it now, but unless we know people--extensions of ourselves, really--or have great empathy for strangers, it is still a thing beyond our emotional ken. Here in Colorado Springs we sometimes have floods. We have occasional wildfires. Here on the edge of the Great Plains, storms can bring tornadoes though usually not this close to the... Sign in to see full entry.

Headlines (What is this?)