Author's posts
Mar 21 2023
Small Update on East Palestine
This disaster is close to my heart. I’ve traveled those roads often, going from OH to SC, OH to PA, and OH to WV. It’s not just East Palestine that is affected, but also those communities nearby, whose own property values have taken a hit. The fear of health damage will be many years long. …
Mar 17 2023
Of What Use is an Aging Person?
This is an issue that many struggle with – the idea that they are “too old” to be useful to their family and neighbors. The Survival Blog addresses this issue here. In addition to the suggestions that post has, let’s add in others: Wisdom and experience with handling food prep, storage, and cleanup the “Old …
Mar 17 2023
It’s Official!
I am – once again – OFFICIALLY a Woman! I received my OH drivers license, and it clearly IDs me as a Female. Which, as I’ve been previously identified as a MAN by SC, probably makes me a de-transitioner. Hey, that should qualify me for my own Internet Talk Show, shouldn’t it? BTW, Fran, when …
Mar 10 2023
A Rather Depressing Morning
I had scheduled an eye exam at America’s Best for 9:15 am. Recently, when I transferred my driver’s license from SC to OH, I’d barely managed to pass the eye test. That, and frequent headaches, prompted me to get the new glasses. Which, I could not do – or, rather, was advise NOT to do, …
Mar 07 2023
Do This! It Could be a Game-Changer for Your Online Work
I happened to be talking to my baby brother (hey, he is 10 years younger – 62 this month – he will ALWAYS be the Baby), and he showed me a trick he used to increase the speed at which his devices charged. You go to Settings–>Accessibility–>Color Filters. Turn it to On status, if it …
Feb 24 2023
A Less Pessimistic View of the East Palestine Spill
I read this, and the guy seems to have a more balanced view of the level of pollution/contamination that the derailment may have caused. I’d not be surprised if residents had some irritation to their breathing system – even fairly mild acids can cause a nasty burning pain in skin tissue. But, that’s not saying …
Feb 22 2023
An Twist on an Old Slogan
The early Sixties Feminists used to use a phrase (I believe it was borrowed from Maoists), “The personal is political”. By that phrase, they meant that women could best be reached by ingraining in their message that ALL personal interactions were inherently political. A man didn’t just fail to clean up after because he was …
Feb 21 2023
Population Collapse?
I’m inclined to accept that it’s in the process of occurring. Look, I was born in the midst of the Baby Boom population explosion. No, it wasn’t caused by Catholics blindly following the dictates of the Pope. Most Catholics had relatively modest-sized families. A few subsets had enormous families, but they were often from highly …
Feb 17 2023
East Palestine Update
It’s not looking good. The local residents and officials want some answers, and are NOT getting them from the Feds. Instead, the word is “Blame Trump!” – more of the same tired old song they have been singing since they took office. The Trump decision to ease restrictions on brakes had NOTHING to do with …
Feb 15 2023
It’s Not Just About Sex and Morals
I’ m reading Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue With Hi s Century, by William A. Patterson. Worth reading, in my estimation. In a letter to Campbell, his long-time editor, he is arguing to keep nudism and other aspects of culture in a story. “Puritanism is not simply, nor even primarily, a matter of sex and …
Feb 13 2023
The East Palestine Train Der[ailment
[Latest Update: The train had experienced problems BEFORE the derailment] [UPDATE: The toxic cloud is moving southEAST, meaning that the Ohio River, AND it’s source rivers – the Monongahela and Allegheny – are at risk.] DAMN! With ONE train wreck, the source of water for MOST of America’s agricultural products is contaminated. It would be …
Feb 11 2023
Saturday News Roundup
I’m up early, have been opening tabs. Before I close them, I’d like to pass along items of interest. Somehow, I doubt recent events – the Chinese “weather balloon” – will effect the Left’s agenda to turn over all valuables to China. But, clearly, we need to. Now. Okay , this is less consequential, but …
Feb 03 2023
China’s Ambitions to Take Over the World?
Not gonna happen. You remember that Belt & Road Initiative? The outreach to underdeveloped, but resource-rich countries, that had China promising to build infrastructure in return for money and control of their resources? A lot of people – me included – were very concerned about that effort. If it succeeded, wide swaths of Africa and …
Feb 01 2023
The Death of Character
It’s dead, Honey. Dead as any old ideal that has come into conflict with self-interest. Whose character? Those self-important 60s and 70s Elitists who avowed that their refusal to go along with the draft was strictly due to their principled stance on war. NOTHING, you understand, to do with fear of dying/being maimed. If you …
Jan 30 2023
Bad Apple
I’d never heard about most of this. I have owned some Apple products: My iPhone – this is, for now, non-negotiable. Hearing aids are difficult to get to work with many brands of cellphone. Only Apple has seamless integration of just about EVERY hearing aid on the market. I depend on using the Bluetooth features, …
Jan 28 2023
Deep Fakes on Ace of Spades ONT
Follow the link – it’s eerie to see just how ‘real’ this looks. What’s really interesting is a comment made on Ace of Spades about the uneasiness most of us feel about ‘almost-human’ entities: Food for thought: The existence of the uncanny valley means that sometime in the history of our species, there was an …
Jan 28 2023
One Positive to Old Age
I can generally only sleep 3-4 hours at a stretch, before I have to get up to go to the bathroom. That’s true of nearly all of us. I use that time, when I’m too wired to immediately go back to bed, toread, study, or write blog posts. I’ve been doing that last a lot, …
Jan 26 2023
Leftist Rules for an Unruly Culture
The first problem with this “decriminalization of prostitution” is that it does NOT help out the people on the street. The problem with prostitution is not that people get arrested for engaging in paid sex, but that so many of them are wounded individuals with a long history of being abused. It’s similar to the …
Jan 25 2023
Taking a Break From Clearing out Junk and Packing
I’m already pooped, and I’ve only been working about 3 hours total (lots of short breaks in between – don’t want to screw up the back or knees). But, I’m making progress. If the blasted rain ever lightens up, I can start moving the trash out to the bins. My focus is on clearing out …
Jan 22 2023
The Pomposity of Glorifying Urban Decay
The first year of our married life, we lived in a subsidized apartment building just outside of downtown Cleveland (at that time, filled with commerce, entertainment, and possibilities). The people who vetted the applications were careful to select poor but not criminal residents. Many of them were elderly. Some, like ourselves, were young and relatively …