Saturday, February 24, 2018

Fountain


21 comments:

  1. Listener, Ford Prefect and Zaphod Beeblebrox probably do not havd DNA as we understand it, since they are not human. Remember, they are from a small planet somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuse.

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    1. Might we not assume that their home world and Terra were settled during the Hainish Expansion?

      Alan

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    2. Oh, yes. How could I have forgotten?

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    3. If you are ??? speaking of characters in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I should tell you that I have never read the book, and only know that it's important to bring one's towel.

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    4. Yes, indeed--the Hitchhiker's Guide. The book is much more extensive than either the recent movie or the British (BBC?) TV version, both of which are available on DVD. The Hainish Expansion, however, is from Ulsula LeGuin's Hainish cycle of books--which involves the remnants of a collapsed astronomical (galactic? intergalactic?) empire. Interestingly, the recent movie version and the BBC? TV version emphasize different parts of the books to tell very different stories.

      --Alan

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  2. Scanning the headlines at the Washington Post:

    The NRA is using Trump’s playbook to attack the news media. It must be getting desperate.

    For the NRA, ‘freedom’ means being heavily armed and scared to death

    A song by a black former communist has became Trump’s anti-immigrant anthem: “The Snake” was written decades before Donald Trump turned it into a fable that he has repeatedly recited — including Friday before an audience of conservatives —to illustrate the alleged threats posed by refugees.

    Investor Warren Buffett says good deals tough to find

    Roasting a chicken is easier than you think Oh? Who's is this aimed at? It seems to me that roasting a chicken is about as difficult as warming a can of beans in the microwave. (Think of all those steps: open can; scoop or pour beans into non-metallic container; cover; open door of microwave, etc. etc.)

    ‘It’s a donation every second’: Democratic candidate talks about being attacked by the DCCC

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  3. Paul Manafort's Fate Is Sealed [Click] Well, maybe so; but one wonders if he might have a song to sing that could ameliorate his sentence…

    The Parkland Students Aren't Going Away [Click]

    They debated gun control in class last fall. Now, they debate lawmakers on TV. [Click] The Broward County school district has one of the largest debate programs in the country. The training has helped Parkland students start a national movement for stricter gun laws.

    What I Saw Treating the Victims From Parkland Should Change the Debate on Guns [Click]

    --Alan

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    1. Boy, I hope so! I've been donating small amounts to Andrew Janz when I can --- and they are small because Social Security is my only income. And Nunes is just literally disgusting. He's is so slimy I wonder that he doesn't leave a slime trail wherever he has walked.

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    2. To check Nunes' trail, one would have to follow him to DC; there are only rare and momentary sightings of him in the district. I would still be shocked if the DCCC were to give Janz as much help as you or I, Susan; it would truly be an innovation. But still, maybe they could be motivated. [shrugs]

      Alan

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    3. For Once, Devin Nunes Could Face a Bumpy Election Season [Click] From Mother Jones. No mention of national party support.

      --Alan

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    4. Over the past couple days I've had several e-mails, both from DFA and from the candidate, about the DCCC's attack on Laura Moser. I gather the main problem is, she out-raised the DCCC's candidate.

      It's things like this that make me want to walk away, institute a new party - Progressive Democrats, Social Democrats, Restore the New Deal Party - and let the "New Democrats" sink without a trace. We have enough to be fighting. We don't need to fight the godamned Clintonistas as well!

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  5. ‘The Snake’: How Trump appropriated a radical black singer’s lyrics for immigration fearmongering [Click] "Donald Trump is now reading 'The Snake' to a rapt gathering of the conservative movement that has taken him in. RIP, irony."

    --Alan

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  6. Have loved that song for 60 years. How odd der turnip knows it in any capacity.

    I also love the scorpion. . . .

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    1. I don't know that I am familiar with the song; on your recommendation I will check it out to see if I recognize it. I gather that both the original and a cover were well known.

      Alan

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  7. Michael Wolff Says Donald Trump And Jared Kushner 'Will Throw Each Other Under The Bus'[Click] 'I think there is a pretty good possibility Jared will be indicted.' And before the 2018 elections, perhaps! Should we lay in a goodly supply of organic Vermont popcorn and butter for same? Well, we can at least enjoy the thought of such a presidential adventure.

    —Alan

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    1. Oh dear. What on earth is Yvonka going to do in that case? Does she stay loyal to Hubby or to Daddy?

      Twill indeed be a spectacle. I hope it gets taken care of promptly. The midterms are far mor interesting. It would be annoying if they were eclipsed in the news cycle by the Battle of the Slime Balls.

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  8. Finished that action cum fantasy cum steamy romance novel I started awhile back, Fury of Fire and enjoyed it enough to download the second book, Fury of Ice. There are six or seven books in the series, but I only committed to No. 2. It's amazing how much fun a silly, trashy novel can be once in a while ; but one at a time seems like a good approach.

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  9. A little while ago I found (I think) the solution to a problem. I had agreed to take swimming pool exercise post-retirement, but my old swimming trunks are faded (mostly from too much chlorine in a hot tub), and don't have a top. (I do not wish to inflict upon innocent members of the public full-color 3D views of my well-padded, non-muscular and melanocytically challenged torso.) It seems that single-piece (or two-piece Victorian/Edwardian) men's swimsuits are simply not to be had these days; most of the current fashions in men's swimwear do not appeal--many I would not be caught dead in. But I found a suggestion: a wrestling singlet. I could wish for short arms on them, but that is not an option. Other than that, I think it will do. A single piece, material similar to that used in swimsuits, solid dark color (I chose maroon, but there are a LOT of colors available). Miyoko assures me that there are no other old guys there in such attire and that I am welcome to stay on the other side of the pool from her...but in the words of Albert Alligator (of Pogo fame), a handsome man looks good in whatever he wears, so I'm cool.

    Alan

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  10. Oh, another post-retirement item: I decided to go back to work at the rural hospital after quitting my current job. Just part-time, and not the terrible long shifts I used to work. They are glad to have me back. (Chalk one up for not burning bridges behind oneself.) Neither will I drive there or back at night, barring particularly exigent and temporary circumstances.

    --Alan

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