Morning Update: 09/17/24

September 17, 2024

COVID Edition, Day 3

On Point [2013 original with AI background]

Everyone is home today. G hasn’t tested positive, yet, but he’s not feeling great. We’re keeping him home out of an abundance of caution to prevent any further spread. Tipper is feeling better and may be able to go back to school tomorrow. Kat seemed better yesterday, but I was already asleep by the time she got home last night so I don’t know how a full day of work affected her. I still feel like absolute shit. How bad is it? Hamilton, the dog who hates to snuggle, snuggled as close as he possibly could last night. I’m worried I may be dying.

Fortunately, there’s not really much in the news worth your time. There’s a lot of blabber about this, that, and some other thing, but none of it is going to directly affect your life in any way today. Breathe deep. Let it go.

I do find it interesting that the KC Chiefs dumped Tight End Peyton Hendershot yesterday. The IU grad wasn’t even suited up and playing last week when he shoved a Baltimore Ravens player on the sidelines. That earned the Chiefs a $100,000 fine. We’re assuming this is behavior he learned during his previous stint with the Cowboys. Such nonsense isn’t tolerated by Andy Reid & Co.

Ohio is having to assign state troopers to protect schools in Springfield due to the overwhelming number of threats. This is beyond ridiculous. Anyone who thinks there’s a shred of truth to the myth of Haitian immigrants eating pets is a moron. Anyone who would threaten to harm people because of that myth needs to be locked away in an asylum.

Houston got an unexpected jolt yesterday when a car ran through a fence and hit a valve on a gas pipeline, resulting in a massive explosion. The fire didn’t even think about dying down until early this morning. Hundreds of people had to be evacuated, and if you’ve never been trapped by a gas leak (I have), I gotta tell you it’s a harrowing moment of wondering whether it’s safe to move. Of course, the dude in the car was incinerated.

Oh, here’s a fun conversation to have with someone. A New York woman is challenging Miss America and Miss World rules banning mothers from beauty pageants. Now, this should raise at least a couple of arguments. The first one that comes to mind is why the fuck are we still having fucking beauty contests? The fact that any part of our society is not over the whole concept of comparative beauty is disgusting. The second conversation is the entire topic of single mothers who have never been married. This is a social thing, not a moral one. Quite honestly, I don’t have a problem with it. If you’re going to insist that everyone carry their baby to term, then you have to support them once the kid is here, not block their access to scholarships.

If you’re feeling really brave, jump in on the conversation about how pregnancy affects a woman’s brain. Mind you, this is real science, not hyperbole. We’re better understanding the adjustments the brain has to make to support the growth of a fetus and the stress it places on a woman’s body.

Speaking of births, today is my eldest son’s 33rd birthday!! I doubt anyone who knows him reads this, though. I’ll have to say something on Facebook to get him some attention.

I think this is about all I can handle this morning. The twins have been trying to help me type since I sat down at the desk. The dogs are ready to go out.

Don’t forget to drink your coffee, by the way. A new study suggests that drinking coffee offsets the negative effect of sitting on your ass all day. Mind you, it’s still theory at this point, but why take any chances?

Cancer Update / Morning Update / News & Comment / Personal / pop culture

Morning Update: 09/16/24

September 16, 2024

COVID Edition, Day 2

Giddy-Up [2011] (Yes, I know the picture’s blurry, and yes I know Des is all grown up and engaged. It’s a flashback moment)

Looks like Tipper is going to be joining me at home this week. I expressed concern over her frequent coughing yesterday morning and Kat administered a test when she got home. It hit positive about as fast as scientifically possible. So, my doctors’ appointments are canceled, Tipper won’t be at school or clubs, and we both need to try and stay away from the universe as much as possible. This is going to get interesting.

Question: Why the hell do my ankle bones hurt? This is a new pain this morning. I don’t know if it’s a COVID pain or a chemo pain. It hurts like hell, though. Balance is still a tough issue, but I’m assuming that it’s related to all the congestion fucking with my ears.

Decision: I’m not repeating a damn thing whose origin was a social media post. You shouldn’t either. First, social media is not the primary means through which intelligent people communicate. Second, I don’t care how many blue checks there are, it is impossible to verify that the post was created and sent by the name on the account. This includes politicians. So, if there’s not a legit source, I’m ignoring it.

In old-person gut check this morning: Tito Jackson is dead at age 70. Poor Tito, he tried like hell to play off Michael’s fame, but it never worked for him like it did Janet. Expect to hear a lot of Jackson 5 on the radio today.

There were plenty of tight NFL games yesterday if you were watching. Of course, the Colts lost to the Packers, 16-10, but at least they showed up for the game this time. Jets came from behind to beat the Titans, 24-17. And would someone kindly explain to me how the hell the 49ers lost to the f’n Vikings, 17-23? Who didn’t have a squeaker? The Cowboys, of course. New Orleans drilled ’em 44-19.

Nothing else is likely to impact your normal conversations today. Enjoy that.

I’m going back to bed.

Morning Update / Personal / pop culture

Morning Update: 09/15/24

September 15, 2024

COVID EDITION

News flash: in case the headline didn’t give it away, I tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday afternoon. I’m feeling so sick that I was only able to watch parts of two games yesterday, and one of those was severely disappointing. So, we’re going to look at the most important scores (in my opinion), I’ll link you to a long read from NYT Magazine, and then I’m going back to bed.

There were still a number of routs in the top 25, but none upset me more than Notre Dame running all over Purdue, 66-7. After losing to Northern Illinois last week, I fully expected the game to at least be close. Nope, not at all. Notre Dame was on a mission to get their confidence back and that game should have done it very well. The question now is where Purdue goes from here. Normally, I might say that one loss on the season isn’t that bad, but holy hell, they didn’t even score a fucking field goal until the fourth quarter! Penalties and turnovers plagued the game as well. I went to bed at the half because I didn’t need the stress.

Does IU actually have a football team this year? It would certainly seem that way as they just stomped all over UCLA, 42-13. When the fuck was the last time IU football started the season 3-0? Is there even anyone alive who still remembers? The game wasn’t broadcast on anything that I could stream, but I may have to start looking around for sources if they’re going to make this season interesting.

Oklahoma teams continued to dominate. Oklahoma State stomped poor little Tulsa, 45-10. It’s almost unfair to put Tulsa up against a Division 1 school of any kind. I think I was in high school the last time they even came close to having a team that could keep up. OU gave Tulane a headache, 34-19. I doubt the win is going to give OU much of a boost in the polls, though. Tulane isn’t exactly a football powerhouse and with plenty of others in the top 25 racking up considerably higher scores, OU doesn’t come off looking like the strongest team in the conference.

The other game that surprised me was Georgia/Kentucky. Georgia won 13-12, but damn was that a nail-biter. The question being asked this morning is whether that was too lackluster of an effort on the Bulldogs’ part to keep them in the number 1 seat this week.

You know who’s going to expect to be number 1? Texas. It’s not so much that they stomped poor little UTSA 56-7, but the fact that they lost their starting quarterback and still won. How did that happen? It might be because coming off the bench was none other than Arch Manning. That’s right, there’s another Manning in the pipeline. Five of those touchdowns are his. Five. Coming in cold. We’ve seen this before as both of his uncles quickly ran through college and straight to the pros. Just go ahead and try to not confuse him with his grandfather.

Tennessee whomped Kent State, 71-0. This might be a good time to question why the Top 25 teams are still playing out-of-conference nobodies. First two weeks, I can understand. It can take a couple of weeks for a team to gel. Everyone should have their act together by now, though. I’m ready to see some real football with low scores and a lot of effort.

There should be a few good games next week. Tennessee gets OU and I’m not sure that the Sooners are ready to ride that train. Purdue is at Oregon State, so perhaps they can make a decent comeback. But Texas gets UL Monroe. WTF? They’ve proven they have the power, give them someone who can stand up to them! Utah comes to Stillwater to set up a 12vs13 matchup, but I’m not sure Utah has any clue what they’re getting themselves into. That Cowboy crowd can be rough. The Hoosiers get Charlotte in Bloomington and … am I wrong to be skeptical about IU going 4-0?

I’m seriously not sure if I’m going to be awake for any of the pro games this afternoon. There are some decent matchups, but I’m not feeling invested enough to sit here and cough up a lung for 2-3 hours.

If you’re looking for something to do until game time, though, consider this interview with Demi Moore. If you’re of an age where you remember her as a low-voiced sexy actress, this may make you uncomfortable. It’s a good read that’s well worth your time.

I’m done. That’s about all I can handle today. OJ is being delivered. I’m going back to bed or something.

Cancer Update / Current Issues / Morning Update / News & Comment / Personal / Politics / pop culture / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 09/07/24

September 7, 2024

The cats waited until 6:30 this morning before waking me up. I got to sleep in! After filling their food bowls and starting coffee, I came back to the room for a clothing adjustment. All the electronic devices were registering 50 degrees outside. Today’s high won’t reach 70. That makes it time to break out the long-sleeve t-shirts and compression leggings. My calves were immediately grateful for the extra support. Having the full-length coverage back felt nice. Sure, I know it will be back up in the 80s by midweek, but next weekend promises to be even cooler than this one. I may swap back and forth on t-shirts but I’m keeping the leggings.

I slipped on a coat before taking the dogs out. There wasn’t a breeze so the cool air felt comfortable. The sky was a pale blue as the sun was beginning to rise. As far as we could tell, we were the only ones in the neighborhood up and moving. Well, us and the neighbor’s rooster. The sound of traffic on I-65, about 1.5 miles away, drowned out the sounds of I-465, bearing witness to the lack of wind. If there’s any wind, we tend to hear 465’s traffic first. Mornings like this, the photographer in me wonders if I could get away with shooting a naked model in the middle of the street. The tough part would be finding someone willing to stand naked in the chilled air.

My plan for today is to let everyone take it easy. The week seems to have been unusually rough on everyone, especially Kat. After spending most of Thursday night up vomiting, she came home yesterday with the news that one of her bosses and one of her clients had both tested positive for COVID. She immediately took a test and it came back negative, but Brandon took one as well and his was positive. I’m not sure what her plans are for today. I’m not asking anything more of the kids than their basic chores. There’s more than enough food to feed everyone, so the only schedule we’ll have to keep is the one imposed by the pets.

I did set a new record for head pain yesterday. The problem started when I fixed myself a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich for breakfast. While it tasted better than anything you’ll find in a restaurant, the uncured bacon (sugar-free) does sometimes cause some digestive issues. After eating, I took my meds and settled down to do some more reading. That’s when the bacon backed up and forced a burp. What happened next was unlike anything I’ve ever felt. The poison of the chemo pills came up and out my nose. My head immediately felt as if it were on fire from the inside. This wonderful feeling was worse than when I vomited up the poison a couple of weeks ago. The pain lasted for almost three hours, forcing me to lie down and try to ignore the fact that I was pretty sure my head and digestive tract were melting. Be sure that I’ll be much more careful to give the bacon time to digest from now on.

The big news this morning is one that puts the US at odds with Israel. Yesterday, Israeli troops shot a Turkish-American woman dead at a West Bank protest. The 26-year-old woman, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, had recently graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle. Passionate about human rights, she was participating in a regular protest against West Bank expansion. Israel says the troops were shooting toward a male “main instigator” who posed a threat by hurling rocks at soldiers. In the careless use of live fire, Eygi was shot in the head. The Biden administration has called the matter “concerning” and wants an investigation. Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan condemned Eygi’s death, saying in a post on social media that Turkey “will continue to work in every platform to halt Israel’s policy of occupation and genocide”.

There’s a lot of pressure on the Biden administration to do more to find a cease-fire agreement in the Israel-Hamas war. The same is happening in the UK as well. In response, Biden will host British Prime Minister Starmer next week for White House talks, and in advance of that, the heads of the CIA and MI6 issued a joint call for a cease-fire in Gaza. Whether either effort will do any good is doubtful, though. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has his heels firmly dug in, refusing to consider any type of cease-fire that does not allow Israel control over multiple areas of Gaza.

This is a no-win situation for the US. Eygi is the third US citizen to be killed since the October 7 attack by Hamas last year. The standard response is that people who put themselves in harm’s way cannot expect to be protected from dangerous situations. That response isn’t going to be enough for Eygi’s family, though, nor a growing number of people in the US who are tired of the whole mess. Eygi’s family described her as a “fiercely passionate human rights activist” who had recently participated in college campus protests against U.S. support for Israel’s war in Gaza. The statement called on President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to pursue an independent U.S. probe into her killing. That sentiment was echoed by U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen who said, “If the Netanyahu Government will not pursue justice for Americans, the U.S. Department of Justice must.”

In a nation clearly divided in its support for Israel, the issue is a major one for both presidential campaigns. The death of an American citizen can’t be ignored and one has to wonder at what point American attitudes toward Israel might flip, viewing them as an aggressor rather than an ally. The White House can’t respond fast enough on the issue.

The rest of the news is significantly less important. Barkley scored 3 TDs as the Eagles beat the Packers 34-29 in Brazil. Republican former VP Dick Cheney says he will vote for Kamala Harris. Paris Hilton waited 18 years to drop a new album. On ‘Infinite Icon,’ she’s here to ‘save pop music’ (try to not choke on your laughter). And the New York Times has some advice for those who are fed up and want to leave the US.

The Times also asks an important question: If a Threat Is Not a Crime, Can the Police Prevent a School Shooting? I found that a thought-provoking read, though it comes up short on workable answers. You might also be interested in David Brooks’ opinion piece, The Junkification of American Life. I found it worth my time.

Somewhere along the way, I expect to find some NCAA football streaming. I know Iowa State at Iowa will be live on Prime. ESPN+ has Arkansas vs. #16 Oklahoma State. I don’t have a Peacock subscription, though, so I don’t know what, if anything, they’re streaming. I should check to see if Verizon will give me a discount on that one.

Fat Guy is sitting on the desk soaking up all the love and scratches I can give him. The cooler temps have all the animals in the mood to snuggle. I can’t object to that reality at all.

And, of course, there’s coffee. Fill your cup, sit back, and relax.

Current Issues / Morning Update / News & Comment / Personal / pop culture / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 08/31/24

August 31, 2024

Taking A Bite Of Summer [2011 original with AI background]

Sure, we’re running a little late this morning and yes, it is intentional. I didn’t want to get up. I imagine that several other people feel the same. With the storms that went through last night and a forecast full of maybe-it-will, maybe-it-won’t scattered showers, staying in bed and cuddling with the pups seemed like the most expedient thing to do. Besides, there’s no big breaking news story this morning and nothing dramatic going on here at home. Taking the weekend a little more calmly is an intelligent move, in my opinion.

I’m missing my readers, though. They’ve disappeared. They were sitting on the desk earlier this morning when I fed the cats, and now they’re gone. They’re not behind the desk or on either side, which is the natural first place to look. I can’t imagine either of the twins grabbing them and running off with them. They’ve both stuck pretty close this morning. I’m completely mystified. Fortunately, I can get by without them for most things. As long as I’m not facing any small print, we’ll be okay. I’m pretty sure I have a spare pair around here somewhere.

One thing I have noticed more this week is how fragile my skin has become. It seems that the slightest brush against anything results in bruising, and a faint scratch is enough to draw blood. My most frequent injury comes from the dogs. As they try to get my attention to take them outside, they’ll put a paw on my arm. They’re not being aggressive in the least, but almost every time I get outside, and discover that I have blood running down my arm. I don’t feel the scratch, but it’s there and it will leave a scar. My arms are covered with them. I know this is largely a natural part of aging, with some inherited traits thrown in. Once it is cool enough to wear long sleeves, the problem with go away. The whole issue just highlights how fragile I’ve become.

Speaking of fragile, there’s an interesting story in today’s Times. It seems that the weight loss drug Wegovy reduces instances of death from COVID. Mind you, it doesn’t prevent anyone from getting the disease. However, patients who are on the drug are significantly less likely to die. The problem? No one currently understands why the drug is having this effect. Without understanding the why, it’s almost impossible for doctors to know when/if it is safe to prescribe the drug as a treatment. Studies are underway, of course, but it could be a while before any resolution is found.

Here’s something interesting. Are your kids, especially your daughters worried about getting wrinkles? Apparently, that’s a thing, and it’s causing problems. As young people, we’re talking 11- and 12-year-olds, start watching social media influencers for tips on keeping their skin looking younger, they’re inadvertently doing more harm than good. For starters, all those adult-dosed chemicals, “can actually cause premature aging, destroy the skin barrier and lead to permanent scarring.” Oh, but that’s not all. “Extensive data suggests a fixation on appearance can affect self-esteem and body image and fuel anxiety, depression and eating disorders.” As I look around and see entire generations suffering from those exact issues, I wonder if we’re accidentally dooming our kids to more problems by not teaching them to love themselves as they are.

In stranger news, an Arizona office worker was found dead in a cubicle 4 days after last scanning in. This happened at a Wells Fargo facility in Tempe. Apparently, the 60-year-old woman worked in a “less populated” area of the building. No one noticed when she didn’t scan out. No one noticed anything until, presumably, the fragrance of rotting flesh became dominant. Not even the housekeeping staff noticed. What does that say about the Wells Fargo work environment? How can someone be dead in their cubicle for four days before anyone notices? Did no manager stop to check on her? Did no one swing by to chat? This story, which is short on details, is both sad and frustrating. Corporate America sucks.

You may or may not remember hearing of a film named “The Apprentice” last May as it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. You’ve not seen in it theaters, though, because no one in the US wanted to distribute it. The biopic of a young Orange Felon has been threatened with lawsuits by the Felon himself, which caused most companies to stay away from it. Well, that has now changed. Briarcliff Entertainment will release “The Apprentice” on Oct. 11 in U.S. and Canadian theaters a mere two weeks before the November 5 election. We already know that the film is not flattering to the Felon. The question is whether it might sway any voters at the last minute. I certainly don’t think it will affect his base, but it definitely could influence those waiting until the last minute to make a decision.

Then, there’s the delightful fact that Brazil is now blocking access to the entire X (formerly Twitter) platform. A Brazillian judge has ruled that the platform is spreading unchecked misinformation. Elon Musk, surprising absolutely no one, has balked at the order to provide some oversight. In my slightly elevated opinion (I elevated it myself), this is a win for people in Brazil. No one needs X in its current chaotic form. There’s no way to rely on anything posted there. Scams, fakes, and stolen accounts are all over the platform and Musk, screaming about freedom of speech, refuses to do anything about it. Intelligent people are using @Threads instead.

If you have time for a slightly longer read, Jennifer Szalai takes on the question of whether the Constitution is a danger to itself. While we necessarily worry about Project 2025 and what it could mean if Republicans get the presidency or a congressional majority, Szalai finds that some of the biggest issues that could end democracy as we know it lie within the Constitution itself. If you have a spare six or seven minutes, it’s well worth taking a look.

Of course, college football starts today. I’m going to try and watch as much of it as I can. What that actually means is that I’ll most likely catch 10-15 minutes here, a quarter or two there, and the rest will be game highlights after the fact. It takes an incredibly good football game to keep me awake for four quarters and this early in the season, few of the games are ever that good. I’ll give it the ol’ college try, but be aware I slept through a lot of college, too.

I’m trying to not let the gray skies dampen my mood this morning. The disappearance of my readers still has me mind-boggled, though.

Maybe more coffee will help.

Cancer Update / Current Issues / Morning Update / News & Comment / Personal / Politics / pop culture / science / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 08/24/24

August 24, 2024

On The Town [2011 original with AI background]

Friday was a better day, healthwise, than was Thursday, but my stomach was still a bit tentative so we were careful and stayed close to the bed to be safe. The animals certainly don’t seem to mind and I suppose it does a good job of keeping me out of trouble. I’m having more trouble maintaining a sense of time and place, though. Most frequently, I forget what day it is and have to consult my watch or my phone to keep me somewhat grounded. Even this morning, I first woke thinking it was Friday, not Saturday. I don’t think I was the only one, though, as both of the kids were up shortly after me.

Perhaps it’s just a sign of age, but I’m concerned about how rapidly friends are being diagnosed with cancer. Another friend revealed yesterday that he has stage-3 colorectal cancer. He’ll start five weeks of radiation soon. The husband of another friend was recently diagnosed as well. He’s looking at five-and-a-half weeks of radiation. Perhaps we’re paying for all the red meat we’ve eaten, the lifestyles we’ve lived, or other not-so-wise choices we’ve made. Maybe the natural course of being human has us caught in the cancer web. As I prepare for another colonoscopy this week, I find that I’m hoping all the chemo I’ve been taking has kept anything from growing anywhere else. I’m not sure chemo works that way, but until someone tells me differently, I’ll hope.

There’s a lot on the docket today. First up is the lawn. No one gets out of helping. Everything has to look neat and clean by Monday. That work will necessitate an overdue shower, which I’m rather eagerly anticipating. Depending on how schedules work out, I’m going to enjoy the first Saturday of college football and watch at least part of the Akron-Ohio State game. Finally, I hope to spend some time with a dear friend who’s facing a double mastectomy on Monday. That sounds like a lot when I list it, but trust me, I’ll be sure to get my naps in.

One of the things I look for when going over the morning news is what events are most likely to affect me or those I care about. Lately, every time I see the word Oklahoma in a headline, my heart sinks. I grew up in Oklahoma. I still have many friends there. This morning, it popped up in the AP feed twice. The first story is how Oklahoma classrooms seem to be ignoring the State Superintendent’s order to teach the Bible in all classes. School districts have been offered guidance from law firms that represent them, the state’s Attorney General, and the state’s largest teachers union, the Oklahoma Education Association, that the superintendent doesn’t have the unilateral authority to issue such a requirement and that the edict is unenforceable.

At the same time, though, an Oklahoma teacher lost her license to teach after giving her students the QR code to the Brooklyn library as a source for reading banned books. The firing was more performance on the part of the state board of education. The teacher involved now works for that same Brooklyn library in New York, so revoking her license to teach is mere pettiness, which the state’s superintendent is good at. What’s sad in all this is that students are the ones losing. Oklahoma education is near the bottom of the country now. It didn’t use to be that way. When we graduated 45 years ago, being from Oklahoma was a source of pride. Now, it’s a liability.

I did get a little excited when Nestle, one of the biggest food companies in the world, unceremoniously dumped Mark Schneider as its CEO yesterday. Schneider has been vicious in raising the cost of food since the COVID-19 pandemic, but that hasn’t been enough to satisfy greedy board members. Mind you, don’t look for any prices to drop voluntarily. Nestle is bound and determined to squeeze every cent out of every resource they can find. They are one of the primary reasons Kamala Harris is targeting price gouging in her campaign. Anything bad that happens at Nestle makes me happy.

Space is in the news a couple of times this morning. NASA will announce today whether the Boeing capsule is safe enough to bring its astronauts back home, or if they’re stuck up there until next year. I can only imagine how nerve-wracking this ordeal has been for the two astronauts and their families. The first private spacewalk is on the schedule for next week as SpaceX is sending up a new crew with new technology. There’s definitely reason to be concerned for their safety. In addition to new “slim” spacesuits, there’s no freaking airlock on this spaceship. The fact that one of the “astronauts” is a billionaire probably doesn’t bode well for the crew, either, as the universe seems to have a habit of slapping their egos back into place when they do something stupid. Let’s hope this doesn’t end in tragedy.

The sadistic side of me is laughing at a story in this morning’s New York Times. It seems that as women continue to make great strides, now earning more college degrees and being the breadwinners for their families, Many Gen Z men feel left behind. Actually, it’s pretty much those young men without college degrees who are complaining. They feel that the economic odds are stacked against them. As a result, they’re turning to the excuse-maker-in-chief, the Orange Felon, as their hope for the future. They want a more “traditional” patriarchy, with all the misogyny and sexism that their grandfathers exploited. Perhaps you can understand why I’d just as soon give the bunch of them a middle-finger salute.

Okay, there’s too much to do today for me to continue sitting here. There’s still plenty to read this weekend, so enjoy the time where you can!

Current Issues / Morning Update / News & Comment / Personal / Politics / pop culture / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 08/18/24

August 18, 2024

After a night filled with rain, we’re slowly getting around this morning. The kids came in from the PowWow earlier than I expected, which isn’t a bad thing, but both went straight to bed and only reappeared briefly for a snack. Even the dogs were restless last night, and at least one of the cats decided that the litter box was too far away to bother finding it. I’m not sure what this means for the rest of the day. I’m inclined to let the kids chill. While I had planned on doing yard work this morning, it’s far too wet. I’m beginning to wonder if we’ve been underestimating the toll that their long school day takes on them.

I do need some help with the yard, though, especially along the fence line. The problem isn’t so much the weeds, but the trees growing there, their branches intertwined with the fencing. Last Sunday, a young man coming through the neighborhood offered to clear the fenceline for $20, but it was too late in the day for him to start. I told him to come back on Wednesday, but he never showed up. With at least six more weeks before the first chance of a heavy frost, we need to clean it up now.

Both kids enjoyed the PowWow in different ways. G took advantage of the raffles, winning three times. I’m not sure what he’s going to do with the shawl, but all the items are rather nice. Tipper, being the furry that she is, was drawn to the various pelts. She convinced Kat to buy her a new tail since her existing one had broken after being yanked too many times. She explained to the person running the booth how her tail was treated by people at school. As she was walking away, the man came over to Kat and handed her a pair of heart-shaped earrings to give to Tipper so that she would know “Not everyone is mean.”

There are too many people who are mean, though, and the fact that one of those people is running for president is bothersome. The Orange Felon went completely off the rails yesterday, resorting to calling Vice President Harris names and throwing insults. He also complained, again, about the Olympic Boxers, vowing to “keep men out of women’s sports.” This is more than mean, it’s insane. Why are we giving such a poor example of humanity any kind of stage to spread such filth? His continued presence at the top of the political dung heap boggles my mind.

Meanness grabs eyeballs, though. It always has. A New York Times reading group has been taken with Emily Wilson’s 2023 translation of the Iliad, the epic poem attributed to Homer. War, wickedness, and revenge are strong themes throughout the work that keep readers coming back generation after generation. While there is ostensibly something to be said for learning from war, I wonder if too often we’re taking in the wrong lessons. Instead of learning how to avoid the foolishness of war, we seem to be paying more attention to the tricks and strategies used to win one.

I’m bothered by the fact that Vietnam’s new leader, To Lam, chose China as his first international visit. There’s no question that we botched that war in every way possible. Did the thousands of US troops who died there do so in vain? Looking at the mean side of that equation, it’s reasonable to make the argument that US leaders were less concerned about Communists taking over the small Southeast Asian country and used the war as a way to stop the uprising of the common people that was taking place. While war protests were loud and strong, the fact is that forced military service took away thousands of young men from lower- and middle-class neighborhoods that could have forever changed the direction of American politics. We’ll never know for sure, will we? But using a foreign war sure was a mean cover, wasn’t it?

Some people enjoy being mean. A Chechen warlord invited Elon Musk to Russia after he was filmed driving a machine-gun-mounted Cybertruck. As Ukraine takes advantage of its unexpected incursion into Russia, Russian officials are resorting to increasingly mean tactics in an attempt to regain the upper hand. They’ve bombed schools, children’s hospitals, and residential neighborhoods, much in the same way that Israel has continued to bombard Gaza in that senseless war. Both wars should have been over months ago and could have been, but leaders on all sides have their heads too far up their asses. They equate peace with weakness. In their view, being mean is a strength.

We are crazy if we think that our children, especially teens, aren’t paying attention and noting the actions we condone. We spent all their formative years telling them to be nice and to play well with others, but then they see the adults around them supporting leaders who are anything but nice and certainly don’t know how to play well with anyone. What lesson do you think they’re taking away from that?

I find it interesting that today is the anniversary of women in the US gaining the right to vote. So much of the mean rhetoric coming from right-wing conservatives is directed at women. In fact, the New York Times has a piece this morning on how “masculinity is on the ballot.” What is defining that masculinity? How men treat women. How women vote this November will be a voice for whether they want men to still dominate and abuse them or move toward a more equitable and just society.

The amount of misinformation and outright conspiracy theories regarding migrants is still a problem as well. Do you want to truth? Migrants are not the reason wages have stagnated. Migrants are not taking anyone’s jobs. And, when one balances the number of migrants coming in with the number leaving, total immigration is actually going down. Ask farmers in the West and Southwest, and they may tell you that the problem with immigration is that we don’t have enough migrants. Economically, we are dependent on migrant labor and without it, the economy collapses. So, why are we treating them so mean?

Our Indigenous brothers and sisters have long been a voice of reason against the seemingly inbred hate of the white man. Their society was built on caring for each other, respecting people regardless of gender, and preferring peace over conflict. That was what the kids saw in action as they attended the PowWow yesterday. I hope it is a lesson they take to heart because so much of the rest of the world is only showing them hate.

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Morning Update: 08/08/24

August 8, 2024

Something feels off this morning, though I’m clueless as to what it might be. Yesterday was largely uneventful. Kids went to school and came home without issue. G had his violin lesson. We fixed dinner but only the kids ate as Kat and I were both feeling nauseous. Bedtime came early (again) and I didn’t hear anyone up during the night. After such an uneventful day, I’m sitting here wondering where today’s big news might drop.

But even the news is a bit off this morning. We’ve been hearing for years about the various dangers of mylar balloons, right? Yesterday, one caused a boil water alert in New Orleans after intersecting with a power line. The dip in power caused four water pumps to turn off. Yet, I’m still not seeing any outrage or movements to ban mylar balloons. I guess we’re just going to accept this as “one of those things.”

Where there is outrage is the UK. After days of racist right-wing protests and violence, people are starting to call bullshit and confront the protesters. It’s about damn time. Police haven’t had any effect on the protests at all. When it comes to flagrant character flaws such as racism and bigotry, perhaps having your neighbors in your face is a better solution than policing. We’ll see.

Oklahoma never fails to disappoint in the arena of strange news. This time, a dog chomping on a lithium-ion battery sparked a serious house fire in Oklahoma, footage taken from the home shows, as the dog bit down and sparks began to shoot from the battery. (AP video: Javier Arciga) This highlights two critical issues. 1. Dogs will eat anything, so stop leaving shit lying around. 2. Lithium batteries, even those that seem “dead,” are fucking dangerous! Treat them accordingly.

Stocks are slipping again this morning, mostly in the tech sector. Between you and me, I expect this volatility to continue until the Fed cuts rates, which may not happen until September. The test is whether investors have the stomach to wait out the ride.

Talk about bad luck. Imagine getting to go into space, two weeks about the International Space Station. The capsule that got you there (barely) breaks and your trip is extended to 30 days. Whee! But now… NASA says it’s looking more like they’re going to be there until FEBRUARY 2025! They’ll most likely be coming back on a SpaceX rocket. Who knows what the fuck will happen to the Boeing mess that now feels like a metaphor for the entire company’s performance.

Bad luck also hit Swifties hoping to see their idol in Vienna as three shows there were canceled because of a terror threat. Two have been arrested and Austrian officials claim one of the men, a 19-year-old, may have ties to the Islamic State. If you think threats against music venues are growing, you’re not wrong. The past decade has seen a frightening escalation in attacks, including 140 killed in Moscow this past March, and 260 killed at a music festival in Israel on October 7, sparking the current war.

Interestingly enough, US abortion numbers, which had been in decline, have risen slightly since the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Expect those numbers to escalate as more women grow fearful of antiquated religiously-fueled laws that endanger their well-being. At the same time, however, more abortion providers are scaling back. Planned Parenthood in Manhattan says it will stop providing the service after 20 weeks. All the more reason for women to make this election all about them, their rights, and their autonomy.

Speaking of the election, it was predictable that there would be misinformation about Tim Walz coming out. Know the facts before you open your big mouth. Remember, a lot of the misinformation is coming from international enemies. Don’t help them spread it.

There’s no chance of rain today, or any time in the near future. Morning temps will be almost chilly by Sunday. There’s really nothing earthshaking going on outside of the 7.1 rattler off the coast of Japan. The tsunami warning isn’t getting a lot of attention, though.

So, maybe we just have a nice, calm day. What do you think? Can we make that happen?

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Morning Update: 08/03/24

August 3, 2024

The AI Edition

Having finished the first week of school, everyone is exhausted this morning. I’m the only one awake at 8:00 and even I slept until 7:00, The cats have been fed, the dogs taken outside and fed, and it occurs to me that, to a limited extent, taking care of them isn’t that much different than working with a small herd of cattle and a couple of horses. The biggest difference is that I don’t have to trudge all the way out to the barn and shovel shit. The kids are still adapting to going back on their meds for school. Kat never gets enough sleep. I know she was up in the middle of the night, around 4:00. We’ll let them rest as I focus on other things.

I don’t know what to do about the lawn. It’s still too wet this morning, thanks to last night’s rains. The East side is growing so thick it’s going to be tough to get the lawnmower through it. I’m not much help, either. If I get much weaker, I’m going to have trouble sitting upright. As it is now, I’m leaning on the armrest to help keep me steady as I sit here and type. I thought we were getting better, but this past week has been a major setback. I’m wanting to go to the fair next week but I’m not sure I should risk it. Even if someone goes with me, I can’t be sure that I’ll make it past the first row of buildings. Knowing that Travis Little has a new art piece on display requires that I at least make an attempt to go see it.

I don’t know if it was an act of collusion or what, but AI seems to be on everyone’s mind this morning. Reuters is leading with a story about how lawsuits filed by major recording labels to stop AI platforms from stealing opens up some severe holes in Copyright Law. Reuters starts the story by telling how easy it was to create a song “in the style of (country star) Tift Merritt) on the Udio platform. You can hear the song here. While Merritt said the AI-generated song would “never make the cut” on one of her albums, it underlines the danger of a world of AI-generated sound as the technology continues to grow. We’ve long known that there’s a strong relationship between math and music. That relationship makes it pretty much just a matter of time before AI can generate music faster and better than any human. I gotta tell you, that hurts my feelings.

This new story comes as video game actors have been on strike all week saying that AI endangers their jobs. “The models that they’re using have been trained on our voices without our consent at all, with no compensation,” “Persona 5 Tactica” voice actor and video game strike captain, Leeanna Albanese, told Reuters on the picket line. This is just the latest AI-related work stoppage. You’ll remember that union actors and writers went on strike last fall for similar reasons. Anyone in any creative field is concerned about the degree to which AI is going to endanger their jobs.

The NY Times is asking if AI is going to take over “meaningless” jobs and, if so, is that really a bad thing. They’re looking specifically at jobs in areas where rote copy/paste bores workers to tears, or software development that’s ultimately never used. One might see an argument for letting AI take the pain away, but where, then, do those workers look for more substantial employment? We’ve been talking on Facebook about a WRTV story romanticizing the days when local teens spent their summers detasseling corn. The general assumption is that modern equipment, most likely AI-based, would do that job now. After hearing one friend talk about how he sprained both wrists in that job, it’s difficult to see any AI development there as a negative.

But at the same time, there’s the story of Sabrina Javellana, a young Florida woman whose political career has been upended by deep fake AI-generated porn that uses her face. Trolls and political enemies have made her life a living nightmare. After talking with attorneys that specialize in revenge porn cases, she was told that there was little she could do that would stop anyone from continuing to produce material that was ruining her career. It’s impossible to defend AI producers in situations such as this.

Good solutions? They don’t exist. Music AI startups Suno and Udio slammed record label lawsuits in court filings and it seems likely that courts could find some merit in their arguments. AI is popping up everywhere. Even as I sit here typing, there is a prompt on the right-hand side of the page offering to “help” me write. Or re-write. I don’t use it primarily because AI doesn’t tend to curse about really bad situations and I like having the ability to say “fuck” whenever it feels appropriate. But does that mean that one day in the future AI could save me a couple of hours’ worth of time? Probably so. We’re going to have to keep working out the kinks and finding some common ground on this issue. AI is not going away, so we have to find ways to work with it.

Moving on, I want to wade into the international argument about Olympic boxers Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-Ting of Taiwan. A lot of people are upset because the Russian-led International Boxing Association, which has been banished from the Olympics by the IOC in a yearslong dispute, banned the two boxers claiming that their unproven and unspecified gender-based tests disqualified both women. Allegations have been flying around social media claiming that Khelif is trans and that her short-lived fight yesterday against Italian competitor Angela Carini was unfair. Some of the most ridiculous comments have come from known transphobes such as J.K. Rowling and the Orange Felon, neither of which should ever be taken seriously ever again. IOC President Thomas Bach came to the girls’ defense last night, saying that the comments were unacceptable, but then the IBA announced that it was awarding the promised $100,000 prize to Carini. This Olympics has really brought out the worst in conservatives worldwide and friends, we’ve gotta call them out on it. Both Khelif and Lin were born women. End of story. To suggest otherwise is nothing short of ignorance and stupidity that doesn’t deserve an audience.

Okay, it’s after 9:00. Here are some other things worth noting. Children of freed sleeper agents learned they were Russians on the flight to Moscow. Seriously. They thought they were Argentinian. Imagine the culture shock the poor kids have coming to them, and the conversations around the dinner table now that they know their parents were Russian spies. Aerosmith retires from touring, citing permanent damage to Steven Tyler’s voice last year. Are we surprised? No, but there’s still this nostalgic feeling of loss as we deal with the fact that the musicians we love are … old. Some Yankee Stadium bleachers fans chant `U-S-A!’ during `O Canada’ before the game against the Blue Jays. This is just stupid. The Jays have been a part of MLB for over 50 years. Such distasteful displays of nationalism need to stop. A Florida attorney has pleaded guilty to using a rifle to try to detonate explosives outside the Chinese embassy last year in Washington, D.C. Why? Because Florida breeds insanity. That’s the only logical reason. I think it’s something in the water down there.

Lastly, you may remember the fuss I made a couple of days ago about the three inmates at Guantanamo getting a plea deal. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday revoked plea deals agreed to earlier this week. Susan Escallier, who oversees the Pentagon’s Guantanamo war court, was relieved of her authority to enter into plea deals. Austin says he’s handling the matter personally now. Goddammit, we finally do something sane and this fool gives in to conservative backlash and cancels it. At the same time, President Biden is reiterating his intention to close the facility at Guantanamo before he leaves office. Something’s going to have to give somewhere.

Okay, we both need to move on with our days, you and I. There’s still other news, but perhaps we’ll cover that tomorrow.

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Morning Update: 08/02/24

August 2, 2024

Rain, rain, everywhere, rain. The lawn may never get mowed at this rate. At least not before temperatures are back up in the 90s next week. We had so much rain yesterday, that a part of Interstate 465, which goes around the perimeter of the city, was flooded and stopped traffic at rush hour. You can imagine the mess and backup that caused. There was more rain off and on throughout the night and there’s a pretty decent chance we’ll see more this afternoon/evening before a low-pressure system moves through. That could make things a little dicey if you’re planning on hitting the Foghat show on the free stage at the Indiana State Fair tonight. Personally, I’ll be staying in, close to the bed, ready to curl up and metaphorically die. Again.

Between downpours yesterday afternoon, G helped me move some things out to the curb for heavy trash pickup that is, allegedly, supposed to happen today. In theory, the first Friday of every month is supposed to be heavy trash pickup, but for both June and July, that Friday fell on the week of a holiday, which pushed normal trash pickup out a day. For whatever reason, when that happens there is no heavy trash pickup. Of the things we set out, scavengers picked up the old refrigerator that died back in May. Good luck getting the damn thing to work, guys. We’ll see how long it takes for the rest of the stuff to disappear.

Tipper is proving to be a good friend. When her new furry friend was pulled out of class for an IEP evaluation, she was asked to sit in the room with him to help him stay calm. They’ve created a very fast bond that allows them to watch out for each other and be each other’s confidant. Someone tugged at Tipper’s tail yesterday and word got back to the school’s Dean. He promptly facilitated an apology from the student responsible, something that Tipper was not expecting. Again, this strongly reaffirms our decision that PPHS is the best high school for her. Her first week has been surprisingly positive all around.

Not every school is as safe as PPHS. Topping local news this morning is the story of yet another teacher/pastor being arrested for producing child porn. Seriously, is no one catching the trend here? The number of cases of sexual assault and child porn being committed by pastors and other church leaders has been off the freakin’ charts! I know pedophilia is a big issue among conservatives, but people, the problem is not with drag queens or trans people. The problem is right there in your own churches! Wake up and smell the bullshit! Just two days ago, Christian Post announced that one of the founding elders of Gateway megachurch was forced to leave amid allegations of child sexual abuse. Increasingly, it’s becoming obvious that the least safe place for your children is at church!

There’s bad news from the American Cancer Society this morning. A study published in Lancet Public Health shows that cancer rates among Gen X and Millenials are increasing, sometimes dramatically, for 17 different cancers. No one seems to be able to understand why. What is especially bothersome is several of these cancers have been in decline among older people. Specifically, the increases in the following cancers are disturbing:

Colorectal
Endometrial
Non-cardia gastric
Gallbladder
Ovarian
Testicular
Anal
Estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancers
HIV-linked cancer called Kaposi sarcoma

Endometrial cancer is not only the fastest growing in terms of diagnosis, but it’s also the highest in terms of mortality. This shit is kinda scary, kids! With there being no firm explanation for why these cancers are increasing within these two age groups, you’re pretty much on your own in convincing your doctor to screen for tests. Don’t be afraid to stand up and advocate for yourself!

Of course, the big news this morning is the Russia-US prisoner swap that happened early this morning. It’s the largest post-Soviet prisoner swap to date and has been forever in the making (almost two years). You’d think that this would be something everyone would agree is a good thing. Nope. The Orange Felon has decided that the prisoner swap was “bad.” The guy who hates cat ladies is desperately trying to give the Orange Felon undeserved credit for the swap. If you haven’t figured it out by now, the GOP knows no low that they’re not willing to exploit in this election. The head of the GOP in Kansas has vowed to rid the state of the “Democrat infestation.” They’re grasping at straws as the Felon’s own words are rapidly sinking the ship. There’s little question in my mind that the hate speech coming from the right side of the aisle is just getting started. Race, gender, and even Judaism are being set up as targets. This is going to get nasty.

The situation in Venezuela isn’t likely to get better soon. The US has officially recognized opposition candidate Gonzalez as the winner. Maduro still swears that he won, and is likely to manipulate the courts to keep control. Expect more chaos there over the weekend.

If you travel with your kids, you’ll be interested to know that a proposed US rule would ban airlines from charging parents additional fees to sit with their children. Why this isn’t already a rule doesn’t make any sense to me, but then, the airline industry as a whole strikes me as being rather clueless. If you’re traveling anywhere remotely close to the Middle East, though, you might want to check with your carrier. More airlines are either canceling or diverting flights over what are considered dangerous regions. Tensions are high as it seems almost certain that the entire area is about to blow up.

Oh, this just popped up: Police are investigating hate speech targeting the Olympics opening ceremony artistic director Thomas Jolly. It doesn’t seem to matter how many times he tries to explain that there was no intended mimicry of DaVinci’s “The Last Supper,” right-wing idiots around the world are still issuing death threats, public insults, and defamation at a level that is illegal in France. This just further proves how intolerant, weird, and frankly, stupid the far-right is no matter which country they’re in.

Ugh. Why has this taken so long to write? Well, there might have been a rabbit hole or two along the way. When one consumes as much news as I do, it’s easy to become distracted. Let’s get on with our Friday, shall we?

Party on!

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Morning Update: 07/30/24

July 30, 2024

All That Glitters [2019 original with AI background]

Kids are off and running again this morning, more or less excited about another day at school. Tipper had a good day, which she spent the evening endlessly discussing. She didn’t get to see either of the established friends that she knew, but she did make new friends and was happy with how the classes had gone. She was even more thrilled when she got an email from the school inviting her to participate in an art show in September! Her 3D witches hat is her current choice for that entry. She even enjoyed lunch for the first time in years, partly due to the presence of garbanzo beans in the salad line.

G didn’t have as good a day. There was an issue with the Lab’s Chromebooks, partly caused by something that happened with some of them last year. Exactly what that issue is, I don’t know, but it delays the distribution of the laptops until next week. To say that G was upset would be an understatement. By the time he got home, he was in a teenage angst that had him gruffly announcing that he wasn’t in the mood to deal with people. He retreated to his room with a bowl of cereal. This morning wasn’t starting off much better as he really wanted to put hot water in his school-supplied water bottle so that he could have hot tea. Unfortunately, the hard plastic water bottle wasn’t made for hot liquids and it began to melt as he poured in the hot water, destroying the bottle. I’m hoping that today goes much better for him.

The on-again/off-again rain kept me in bed most of the day. We were fortunate in that the more severe storms went around us. None of the animals seemed to mind that we were inactive. The dogs didn’t even bother to take note when Kat left and returned a few minutes later. The lawn really needs attention now, but as of this moment, the grass is still much too wet to do anything with it.

Speaking of things that need attention, the collapse of a coal mine in Northern Vietnam yesterday killed five, but the story is being buried. I had to go hunting to find any mention of it at all. Vietnam is still heavily dependent on fossil fuels and collapses such as this one are far too common. But no one wants to say anything about it for fear it might upset the market. This would be the same market where BP just raised its dividend as it saw a profit of $2.8 billion in the last quarter. Yet, we blame the government for prices being so high. That’s bullshit. The profit-grabbing from the fossil fuel industry is gouging consumers and putting lives in danger as it continues to cause damage to the environment. But shhhhh, don’t say anything. You might cause stock prices to dip.

The situation after the presidential election in Venezuela may well be forecasting what could happen here come November. There are widespread protests. The opposition wants a ballot-by-ballot count. And even the US is saying, “Something’s not right here,” and threatening sanctions if it’s not straightened out. The way that whole election has gone down is too reminiscent of our 2020 election that led to the January 6 criminal activity. I find it interesting that the US is making comments when we could very easily follow suit come November 6.

The UK is trying to deal with a 17-year-old with an attitude problem who attacked children at a Taylor Swift-themed dance program, killing two and injuring several others. This reeks of the kind of hate that is fermented in online chat rooms. There is no shortage of online forums that are vehemently against anything to do with Taylor Swift. None of them have any good reasons for their hate, but it gives angsty teens and dateless young adults something to complain about. Now, it’s gotten out of hand. The young man didn’t even pay for the taxi that took him to the dance studio, asking a body shop owner who tried to intervene, “What are you gonna do about it?” Such defiance would seem to be symptomatic of a hate that has been stirred and seasoned for a long time, which online forums do well. It will be interesting to see how the UK handles this situation. The last time they had a serious attack on children, in 1996, the result was a nearly universal ban on handguns.

There has been a slew of misleading and outright false information being passed around the Internet over the past week or so. We should not be surprised to find that most of it is coming from sources based in Russia, China, and Iran. Once again, Russia seems to be the largest offender. Those with decent memories will recall the degree to which the Orange Felon tried to keep the Department of Justice from investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election. This time, the office of the Director of National Intelligence is trying to warn people well in advance. But will it work? The goal of the Russians is to get Americans to spread Russian disinformation without questioning its origin. I can’t imagine that being very difficult. We click “share” on any meme that echoes our opinion on a topic, not bothering to see where that meme originated. Most of us don’t know the degree to which we’re complicit. We need to be a LOT more careful.

Anti-Muslim incidents in the US are up about 70% so far this year, largely because of the war in Gaza. One thing Americans are good at doing is generating fear and hate about anything they perceive as anti-Christian. Mix in a great deal of ignorance about Hamas and the Palestinian people, and you have a dangerous amount of support for Israel’s genocide of thousands of innocent people across Palestine. What’s worse is when we start taking out our feelings on people here.

“Alarming U.S. incidents in the last nine months include the fatal October stabbing of a 6-year-old Palestinian-American child in Illinois, the February stabbing of a Palestinian-American man, in Texas, the shooting of three students of Palestinian descent in Vermont in November, and the attempted drowning of a 3-year-old Palestinian-American girl in May,” Reuters reports.

So much for the US being a place where people can worship as they wish.

There are really a lot of “below the fold” stories that are cause for concern this morning. The Seine still isn’t fit for swimming. Landslides caused by heavy rains kill 70 and bury many others in southern India. Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez reveals she competed at the Paris Olympics while 7 months pregnant. Okay, that one’s just an interesting story. 7 months pregnant and she’s competing in anything makes her a champion in my book. The White House says no need to restrict “open-source” artificial intelligence — at least for now. I’m not sure I’m buying their reasoning. I’d rather see some guidelines and limitations in place. A probe of soldiers over alleged sexual abuse fuels tension between the Israeli military and hard-liners. How is this even an issue? There is NO situation, even in war, especially in war, where sexual abuse is justified. Tesla is recalling more than 1.8M vehicles due to a hood issue. The issue? The hoods will pop up at any random moment while you’re driving. Is anyone keeping count of the number of recalls Tesla has had to issue in the past two years? It’s too many for me to be comfortable even riding in one. Gunmen open fire on a vehicle carrying UN staff in northwest Pakistan.

I guess all these issues are making up for how quiet things were yesterday morning. The world is crazy, you know. There’s absolutely nothing you and I can do about 99% of it. We just sit here and watch the world burn.

At least we can listen to good music in the process.

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Morning Update: 07/21/24

July 21, 2024

Contemplation [2019 original with AI background]

Good morning, America! It’s Race Day? Or is it? Does anyone even care at this point? For the first time since 2020, The Brickyard 400 is back. And while NASCAR has tried hyping up the event, the reality is that the North 40 was less than half-full for yesterday’s Xfinity Cup race. Gates opened at 6:00 this morning. I’m pretty sure everyone in the neighborhood slept through it. I know I did. There are no cars parking in the neighborhood. I’m not even sure that the East gate to the North 40 is going to be opened.

To demonstrate just how far NASCAR and the Brickyard have fallen from social importance, look at the front page of the home of all things sports: ESPN. Scroll down. Further. Further. Past the story about the NFL Flag Football Championships. Past the part about the Hungarian Grand Prix. Go all the way to the bottom. No mention of the Brickyard or anything NASCAR. Nothing. Zip. Zero. The world just doesn’t give a fuck.

I took the dogs out just now (in case you didn’t notice the 15-minute break in writing). The only activity was a couple of squirrels playing in the tree next door and a cotton-tailed bunny scampering across the street to get away from the pups. There is no line of cars on 30th Street waiting to get into the North 40. No helicopters are whirling overhead, jockeying for the best shot for the local morning shows. Even local news stations have pushed the event way down the list of topics on a morning where a man was injured in a shooting on Indy’s northwest side, and a large fight broke out in Anderson road leading to several shot, 2 in serious condition.

Motorsport tried blaming the lack of interest on 2008’s miserable tire incident. I think it’s a little late for that conversation. NASCAR in Indy was still strong as late as 2014. That was the last year we had to park cars in our yard for the race. This morning’s showing is about as pitiful as that of some of the other races that only lure hardcore fans such as the Indy Autonomous Challenge in September or the Indy 8 Hour in October.

The truth? No one really wants the hard-drinking, confederate flag-waving, mullet-wearing, homophobic, transphobic, backward-thinking attitude that comes with NASCAR. Sure, they’ve banned Confederate flags on the cars and merchandise. But they can’t ban the attitude that leaves a trail of beer cans and DUIs in its wake. Apparently, one has to be day drunk and sunburned to enjoy NASCAR and the audience for that has gotten too old, or too poor, or too interested in other things to bother. It could also be that the absence of any kind of concert in connection with the race has limited attendance. There’s not even any noise down in Turn 3 this morning.

They’ll have to put on one helluva show today if NASCAR wants to have any chance of luring back enough fans to even fill half of the seats at IMS. The Brickyard, as it stands now, is irrelevant.

Yesterday was a bit of a bust. I fell back asleep shortly after posting yesterday’s morning update. I even slept through the scheduled posting of yesterday’s missive on what the Founding Fathers had to say about religion. I did manage to wake up right before Kat left for the weekend. I did some trimming around one portion of the fence, trying to encourage the kids to finish the job (they didn’t). I tried eating some leftovers and then crashed again. This is becoming a bit too routine. Yet, I’m not motivated to actually change anything. Where would I go? What would I do that would make for a reasonable alternative sufficient to keep me upright?

The one holdover of NASCAR tradition was our neighbor’s “Party Before The Race” last night. They had friends over, grilled out, drank a lot of Bud Light, and sang karaoke horribly right up until the noise curfew at 11:00 PM. For reasons I can’t explain, the noise from their party, which really wasn’t that intrusive, caused me to have a bit of a panic attack. That hasn’t happened before. I curled up on the bed with the animals for about an hour until the panic went away.

I can’t remember the last time I had a panic attack. That’s not part of our routine here. Nothing is going on that should trigger such an event. I’ve heard a lot of bad karaoke and it’s never resulted in a response like this. I was a basket case and the animals could tell even though the kids couldn’t. They weren’t aware that anything was wrong at all. Dad was just lying down again. The animals snuggled in closer than normal. Pinball got right up next to my face. They stayed with me until I felt like sitting back up. I don’t know what I would do without them. All of them.

What’s making headlines this morning? Last night’s WNBA All-Star Game. This is a sign of a new world, a world in which women genuinely matter even in our pastimes. Has the WNBA All-Star game ever garnered this much attention? No. It’s the top story from ESPN this morning and that’s never happened. People are interested and excited about it and for multiple good reasons.

Arike Ogunbowale of the Dallas Wings was the undisputed star of the show. She put up 34 points in the win, all of which came in the second half. Rookie superstars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese were in the game long enough to give fans a taste of their talent, but Clark even declined to sub in for Ogunbowale because the Dallas star was on too hot of a shooting streak to disturb.

The conversation going on in private circles, however, is the fact that the WNBA All-Stars beat the US Olympic squad, 117-109. Why isn’t the All-Star team the one going to the Olympics? Why is the US sending what appears to be a second-rate team that, at best, has its work cut out for it if they’re going to medal in the games at all? Mind you, US women haven’t lost an Olympic basketball game since 1992. They go in as clear favorites despite last night’s loss. Still, it begs the question as to why the best we have aren’t playing for the team, especially Ogunbowale.

At the same time, let’s not lose sight of the fact that we have become a society where people are actually asking that question and they’re serious about the game. One can spin this in almost any direction they want and it still comes out a win for women’s sports in general, and for the WNBA specifically (if the league doesn’t blow the opportunity). Already, the WNBA is looking at a new $200 million media contract (which some think is still too low) and is considering expanding the season to 44 games next year. The Olympics will only add fuel to that movement as women dominate many of the more popular sports. The only remaining question is whether this female-positive attitude can carry over to other social aspects and even into the realm of politics.

Women are definitely the ones with the most power at this moment. Take a look at some of the headlines that have been popping up recently. From the Council on Foreign Relations: Women Voters’ Pivotal Role in Electing the Next U.S. President. AARP sponsored a poll: Women May Be the Deciding Vote. Health policy organization KFF did a poll as well and narrowed the focus more with 4 Takeaways About Black Women Voters in the 2024 Election. Fortune magazine is looking at how the Orange Felon, and the GOP in general, is weak against women with this article: After vanquishing Trump in court, E. Jean Carroll urges women to focus on the presidential election. The powerful attorney is certain that women will be who decide the race.

If this trend looks bad for anyone, it’s because the issues that matter the most to women: healthcare, abortion, and equity, are all on the line. From the non-committal ambiguity of the official Republican Platform to the frightening talk in Project 2025, women’s major issues are at risk of being gutted, overturned, and weaponized in a way we’ve not seen in the past 100 years. As they look at what they have to lose, they have to seriously question whether either party can be trusted to deliver the strong actions they want for the future.

What may ultimately move women in one direction or the other could depend on who is running on the Democratic ticket. While I generally support re-electing President Biden, in large part because I question the strategy of “changing horses midstream,” I think we’re at a point where asking questions about Kamala Harris’ ability to carry the party as the top name on the ticket is a legitimate stance. Newsweek is of the opinion that, with the right running mate, Harris can definitely win this election.

Women have been waiting a long time for a presidential candidate that adequately supported their views. They were severely disappointed in 2016 when the farcical results of the Electoral College robbed them of a win. Ms. Harris is a dramatically different personality from Mrs. Clinton and the question of whether she can pull out wins in the states necessary for an Electoral College victory is, at this point, still unanswerable. I do not doubt that it could happen; the numbers are definitely there to support such an outcome. Will enough women actually respond in the states where they need to respond? Do Democrats have a machine capable of turning out that level of voting?

There is so much at risk in this upcoming election that Democrats don’t have any spare room to stumble in their decisions. Every move has to count. Every action has to be forceful. Otherwise, we will lose our democracy to a lunatic fringe that threatens to destroy the country at its very core.

I’ve taken almost three hours to write this morning’s update. The dogs have been out twice. I’ve chatted with the kids and exchanged texts with Kat. I feel a need to get out and do something, but I’m not sure what, where, or how.

If I wasn’t on this damn chemo, I’d be sending out applications to cover the election for some under-funded online publication. For now, we’ll both have to settle with me being here. I understand if you’re disappointed.

Current Issues / Long Read / Politics / pop culture / Social Commentary

Just How Liberal Can I Be?

July 9, 2024

All the icons [2010 original with AI background]

For years, I have insisted that I am a couple of steps to the left of liberal. Yesterday, I discovered that can be quantified and yes, I’m about as far to the left as the measurement goes. I’m out there. Am I dangerous? I don’t think so, but then, I’ve yet to be pushed to the point that I would need to be. I am loud and obnoxious at times, I think most people who know me will agree with that, but I’m not yet at the point of being ready to lynch everyone connected in any way with Project 2025. I can see myself getting there, but let’s put a hold on that for now.

What is a liberal? Well, technically, it’s this:

If that is the definition of liberal (and it is), then why the fuck isn’t everyone trying to be liberal? What is there within that definition that holds any level of negativity? Why is that not something that every human on the planet should long to achieve? Conservatives keep trying to paint being liberal as something to avoid, but how the fuck can you even come close to being a decent person and not be liberal? I don’t understand. I never have understood. I think Conservatives are just jealous because their brains aren’t working.

Yesterday, this thing popped up in my Facebook newsfeed from the Pew Research Center offering to let me see where I fall on the ideological spectrum. How could I possibly resist an offer to confirm what I’ve known to be true for years? Of course, I took the test! And what was the result?

Your best fit is…

Progressive Left

… along with 6% of the public

See that spot there, alllllllllllll the way to the left? Yeah, that’s me. Only six percent of the population are anything like me. I’m not surprised, though, are you? I’ve always known that I’m a rare bird. And I’m not one who’s prone to half-ass things. If I’m going to be liberal, then I might as well over-stuff myself on liberality. I don’t see any reason to be any other way.

What does all this mean? We need something here that goes beyond the label, don’t we? Why, thank you for asking! Yes, we do, and I happen to have that data right here, ready for your perusal. First, let’s consider how Progressive Left is defined:

Progressive Left, the only majority White, non-Hispanic Democratic-oriented political typology group, have very liberal views on virtually every issue and support far-reaching changes to address racial injustice and expand the social safety net. They are among the smallest typology groups, but also one of the most politically engaged. They feel less warmly toward the Democratic Party than Establishment Liberals or Democratic Mainstays, but those who voted in the 2020 general election were nearly unanimous in their support for Joe Biden. They are the only group in which a majority say they like political leaders who identify as democratic socialists.

As for how I actually stand on the issues:

The results shown below are based on a survey of 10,221 adults conducted July 8-18, 2021.

Share of Progressive Left saying the same as you

Share of the general population saying the same as you

GOVERNMENT

You answered: Religion should be kept separate from government policies

94%

72%

RACE AND IMMIGRATION

You answered: America’s openness to people from all over the world is essential to who we are as a nation

97%

66%

You answered: A lot more needs to be done to ensure equal rights for all Americans and most U.S. laws and major institutions need to be completely rebuilt because they are fundamentally biased against some racial and ethnic groups

71%

25%

You answered: It would not bother you at all to regularly hear people speak a language other than English in public places in your community

78%

38%

You answered: White people benefit at least a fair amount from advantages in society that Black people do not have

96%

57%

FOREIGN POLICY

You answered: The U.S. has gained more than it has lost from increased trade

20%

41%

You answered: There are other countries that are better than the U.S.

75%

23%

You answered: In the future, it would be acceptable if another country became as militarily powerful as the U.S.

83%

36%

PARTIES AND CANDIDATES

Thermometer ratings:

You rated Democrats 90.

Progressive Left, on average, rated Democrats 69. The general public, on average, rated Democrats46.

You rated Republicans 0.

Progressive Left, on average, rated Republicans 10. The general public, on average, rated Republicans 42.

You answered: I usually feel like there is at least one candidate who shares most of my views

83%

60%

OTHER ISSUES

You answered: Experts are usually better at making good policy decisions than other people

85%

61%

You answered: Business corporations make too much profit

93%

64%

You answered: People being too easily offended by things others say is a minor problem in the country today

57%

28%

You answered: People saying things that are very offensive to others is a major problem in the country today

63%

53%

You answered: Greater social acceptance of people who are transgender is good for society

88%

38%

You answered: Overall, people who are convicted of crimes in this country serve too much time in prison

81%

28%

You’ll undoubtedly notice that there are a few places where my opinion and those of the general population are way off balance. Let’s take a look at those.

Only 25% of people said that A lot more needs to be done to ensure equal rights for all Americans and most U.S. laws and major institutions need to be completely rebuilt because they are fundamentally biased against some racial and ethnic groups. What is in that statement that you do NOT agree with? Are you really satisfied with what’s being done to make sure everyone has the same rights, regardless of race, creed, religion, national origin, or sexual identification? REALLY? Because I’m not and a lot of the reason I’m not has to do with the inherent bias of most US laws and major institutions. Laws written by white men, for white men, and with complete disregard and disdain for anyone who is not a cis white male absolutely overwhelm this country and the society that we’ve created. I’ve said it before and I’ll take this opportunity to say it again: We need a new Constitution, one created by intelligent people who have an eye on the future and can see how our biases and phobias result in negative outcomes for marginalized people. If we do not have Liberty for each and every last person, we don’t have any Liberty at all!

Only 23% of people said that There are other countries that are better than the U.S. Wow, you’re letting your patriotism blind you. If you genuinely love this country, these United States, then you have to look honestly at the places where we’ve declined over the years and realize that there are a lot of countries that are doing things better than we are. Consider that we’re not in the top 10 in any of the following categories:

Health care
Influential culture
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM (we’re #11)
Well-distributed political power
Best country for women (#19)
Human rights
Racial equity
Gender equality
Committing to climate goals
Personal Safety
Environmental Quality

Would it help you to see this dismal picture as a graph? Fast Company happens to have put a couple together just for you. The first, for general comparison, is how the world as a whole is doing.

Now, look where the US ranks in addressing these issues:

Granted, 2016 is a little old on the data front, but the US has not improved at all! In fact, on factors such as how satisfied people are with their way of life, the US ranks down in the 30s, below Greece and Poland. So don’t go telling me that we’re the best country in the world. We’re not even close! We have tremendous room for improvement and plans such as Project 2025 would take us in the WRONG direction!

And then, only 28% of Americans think that overall, people who are convicted of crimes in this country serve too much time in prison. I’m just going to go ahead and assume that the 28% are people of color. I don’t see any way that anyone but white people, and I mean those of ya’ll who are so Caucasian that the sun reflects off you like a mirror, could ever be okay with the amount of time people spend in prison in this country.

The United States has the highest incarceration rate of any independent democracy in the world, and the highest rate of incarceration per capita and in absolute numbers of any country. As of the end of 2023, the U.S. had around 1.8 million people incarcerated, which is nearly 16% of the world’s total prison population, even though the U.S. only has 4% of the world’s population. The U.S. also has a higher percentage of incarcerated women than any other country, accounting for almost 30% of the world’s incarcerated women.

By comparison, China, where one can be jailed simply for thinking the wrong thing, only had 1.6 million people incarcerated.

But the question was specifically about how long a person is in jail. How do we rank there? According to Pew Charitable Trusts, the average amount of time that people spend in jail has been steadily increasing over the past decade. Just-released national data for 2020 shows a 6% jump in average length of stay over the previous year. The longer stays were primarily driven by people whose bail had been set at more than $5,000.

According to the Council on Criminal Justice, Comparisons of average sentence length for homicide shows that the U.S. has the longest sentences among nations at 40.6 years, compared to 34.2 years for Mexico (ranked second) and 6.1 for France. The higher average sentence length in the U.S. may partly reflect the fact that American policies allow for sentences exceeding 100 years. The U.S. holds a substantial portion (40%) of the world’s population of people serving life sentences, as well as the vast majority (83%) of those sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. While most jurisdictions with life sentencing laws have a provision for release, the amount of time people must serve before becoming eligible varies widely. In Belgium, Denmark, and Finland, it’s 12 years or less. In Georgia, it’s 30 years, and in Texas, it’s 40 years.

Do you think maybe we’re looking at this in the wrong way? JUST MAYBE?! How can we even begin to call this Just? We incarcerate so many people for so many years that jailing has become a big business! In what universe can anyone see that as Just? So yeah, I have a problem with how long people are in jail and I think that you should be as well!

Oh, and let’s not forget these gems:

“Black people had 220% higher odds of suffering a botched lethal injection execution than white people from 1976 to 2023.”
“The likelihood of a homicide clearance is 3.4 to 4.8 percent lower for homicides involving Black victims, and this race effect is slightly higher for males and that racial disparity has moderately but significantly increased over time.”
For Black and Hispanic or Latinx birthing people, residing in counties with greater jail incarceration inequity was associated with increased risk of… [severe maternal morbidity] compared with residing in low-inequity counties.
Extreme sentences for violent crimes and reliance on criminal histories as a basis for determining prison sentences are drivers of racial disparities in imprisonment.
These racial and ethnic disparities in police contact snowball as individuals traverse the criminal legal system. They also, as discussed below, reduce the perceived legitimacy of policing.
Black individuals account for 69% of police stops and 62% of individuals arrested; white people account for only 18% of police stops and 21% of arrests, despite the fact that Black and white people make up similar shares of the city’s population.

And that list goes on and on and on. How are we not ashamed of ourselves? How are we not knocking down the doors of our state and federal legislators to fix this problem? How do we fucking sleep at night knowing that we are responsible for some of the worst injustices in the world?

If we go by the line chart I posted at the beginning, roughly 45% of Americans are left of center. I don’t understand how that can be possible in one of the most highly educated populations in the world. Are we not paying attention or do we just not fucking care? I have to question why it is that so many people are either content with exactly the way things are or are willing to make matters significantly worse through the implementation of the horrible and wildly egregious ideas coming from disasters such as Project 2025.

In my mind, that only 6% of people in the US agree with me is mind-boggling. I don’t think that any of my positions are unsupported by fact. In fact, I know I could justify every last one of my answers on the survey. If the information is there, and if that information is readily available to everyone in the US, why are there so many people to the right of me?

I’m going to need all of you to do better. If you’re not sure where you are on the spectrum, take the test for yourself. Go ahead, I dare you. Then, see if you can factually justify your position. Let’s have this conversation and see where we end up.

I can’t be the only person who is this liberal. Where’s the rest of the six percent?

Current Issues / Morning Update / News & Comment / pop culture / science / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 06/29/24

June 29, 2024

Stepping outside with the dogs this morning felt like walking into a hot sauna. The impact was staggering and while my body adapted quickly enough, I was glad that the pups didn’t feel like lingering outdoors any longer than they needed to. They prefer cooler breezes and softer places to lie down, like my bed. There does seem to be some chance for rain today, but they said that about yesterday and last night, also, and neither happened. The band heading in our general direction isn’t huge, so any moisture we get will be slight.

Notice anything about this morning’s picture? Check the date. 2024! Do you understand what that means? That’s a NEW image from this past Wednesday’s adventures! The bank overnighted my debit card which meant I was able to get a card reader here by a little after 6:00 PM. I’ve processed 18 of the pictures and have roughly 20-something more to go, then I’ll post them for you. Hopefully, that will happen later this morning. I’m having to use a new slider app, though, since the one I used two years ago is no longer supported. That may delay things if it doesn’t work with the high-resolution images.

Having access to my money again also meant being able to pay bills and buy groceries. The groceries didn’t amount to much because the waiting bills took most of what I had. Late fees. Yay. 😒 Hopefully, though, what we got will be enough to get us through all next week. My biggest concerns there are milk and eggs. I’m not sure we ever have enough of those two items.

Meanwhile, in “How Stupid Can Christians Get?” news, it appears that a pastor in Mexico is selling real estate in Heaven. I wish I was kidding. This con man is offering his followers plots of “land” in Heaven for $100 per square meter. Installment plans are available. This isn’t the first time a shyster has perpetrated such fraud on a congregation. A pastor from Uganda Fred Isanga, the head of David of the Universal Apostle Fellowship Church of Righteousness located in South Africa tried perpetrating the same scam in 2023. He was encouraging people to sell off their livestock and earthly possessions to purchase land in Heaven. Both pastors claim to have gotten permission directly from God for these sales.

What can I say? These types of things become possible when people believe so deeply in the mythologies they’ve been told will save them. Remember the late Jim Bakker? He had your grandparents building a Christian theme park! At least he was prosecuted for his fraud, but even after serving his jail time, people still were stupid enough to believe him. At one point, he was selling five-gallon buckets of mac and cheese for people to eat during the apocalypse. C’mon, who the fuck is writing this stuff? Not even D-rated sci-fi movies are that stupid.

In the real world, remember when we talked yesterday about SCOTUS overturning the Chevron decision of 1984? I told you then there would be serious repercussions and here’s the first one: The 6-to-3 ruling means judges should no longer defer to the scientific expertise of those agencies on a vast range of technical questions and, instead, should make such decisions themselves. “Agencies have no special competence in resolving statutory ambiguities.” They’re throwing scientific expertise right out the fucking window. Nooooo, that’s not going to bite us hard in the ass, is it? I cannot imagine anyone who is supposedly as intelligent as a Supreme Court justice making such an insanely stupid comment. There has to be a payoff here that is behind these decisions. No one with a working brain would make such an ignorant statement otherwise.

We may be getting a clue, though. A study released this past week shows the first instance of Downs syndrome in Neanderthals. While scientists are focusing on the social aspects of the community caring for those with special needs, the evidence of the extra copy of Chromosome 21 in ancient individuals raises questions as to whether certain populations of mixed genetic origin might be more likely to have the abnormality. DNA-level research has yet to begin, so there is still a lot we could learn from our early pre-human ancestors.

Okay, I have pictures to process and I can’t begin to tell you how much that thrills me. You go do your thing, I’ll do mine, and we’ll meet back here later. Sound good? Yeah, sounds good.

Current Issues / Mythology / Politics / pop culture / Social Commentary / video

Christian communities face growing political divide as religious affiliation declines

June 27, 2024

An outside opinion posted in the interest of expanding conversations.

Cancer Update / Current Issues / Morning Update / News & Comment / Personal / pop culture / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 06/17/24

June 17, 2024

Monday morning often come as a bit of a shock to the system. I lose track of time so easily that it takes a moment to figure out which day it is. With the kids being home this summer, I’m having more difficulty than usual because every day feels something like a weekend. Endless weekends sound nice but then important stuff starts falling through the cracks. Jack-Jack woke me up a little before 7:00 this morning and the first thing I discovered was cat puke on the end of the bed. This had to be a Monday.

When Jack wakes me in the morning, it’s because he’s hungry. This morning, he was self-defeating in his method. He stood on my chest and would get upset when I tried to sit up. I tucked him under my arm, as best as one can tuck a 20-pound cat, and scooted off the bed. I think I’ve mentioned how G is re-arranging the kitchen and living room this summer. It’s a process that requires moving some pieces multiple times. Yesterday, he moved the cat’s food bowls. This may prove to be a problem.

Why would moving the cats’ food bowls be a problem? Because he now has them on top of the two file cabinets which are set some distance from each other. The cats are accustomed to congregating and eating together. This new setup allows for no more than two at each bowl, and Queen Bit doesn’t like to share. We have nine cats and only two bowls. See the problem? And no, the bowls cannot be set on the floor because the dogs, Hamilton especially, like eating cat food, too. They like eating everything. G’s going to have to work on his strategy a bit.

The computer presented a bit of a problem again this morning. Obviously, since I’m writing this, I was able to get it worked out, but it re-emphasizes the urgency with which we need a replacement, which means we need help. Our friend Michael turned me on to a source of refurbished machines which would likely be more reliable than Amazon and the pricing is still under $300. If you want to help: Venmo: @C_I_Letbetter, or CashApp at $ciletbetter. Getting this problem out of the way will help my sanity from being destroyed any more rapidly than it already is.

After getting the computer problem fixed, I then had to call the bank and dispute a significant charge. They reversed the charge and then, since this is the second time I’ve had to dispute a charge from the same source, they canceled the card and are sending a new one. I’m sure you understand the challenge that creates. All automated bill payments set to that card have to be reset once the new one arrives in three to five business days. I always plan on five, but since Wednesday is a holiday (Juneteenth if you’re not paying attention), I’m going to plan on not getting anything before next Monday. I hope we can make the milk last.

Once they open at 9:00, I’ll be making a call to the pharmacy. My doctor called in a prescription when she saw me last Monday (which feels like a month ago at this point). I watched the pharmacy’s app so I would know when to ask Kat to pick it up. It wasn’t until Friday afternoon that it finally showed as being filled, but Kat wouldn’t be anywhere close to the pharmacy until Sunday afternoon. When she stopped by, however, they told her that the prescription wasn’t ready and needed pre-authorization.

I have a couple of questions. 1. If the script needed pre-authorization, why the fuck didn’t they call the doctor back when they found that out? The doctor could have handled the pre-authorization quickly and moved things along. 2. Why is the script listed as filled in the app when it clearly is not yet filled? Kat wasted a trip. Once the new insurance takes effect on the first, they’ll pay for me to get a ride to the pharmacy myself. I’m fairly sure I won’t be as polite on matters like this as Kat is. I’m too old for such nonsense.

So yeah, it’s Monday. It’s supposed to be hot everywhere this week. I need to find ways to expend as little energy as possible, thus generating minimal amounts of additional heat. I’m thinking that soaking in a tub full of water sounds like a good idea. I’m old enough the prune-looking skin really isn’t that much of a change from normal. The biggest challenge will be convincing the dogs that they don’t really need to go outside between 1:00 and 7:00 in the afternoon.

By the way, did you happen to see the video we posted yesterday? It’s a fast-moving minute and 23 seconds. You may need to watch it more than once to catch all the details, like whether or not you’re included in the 26 images.

Oh, in case you missed it, and you probably did, the Surgeon General of the United States is demanding that Congress require warning labels on all social media apps. The demand is part of an op-ed in this morning’s New York Times, which is behind a paywall so I’m not going to bother linking to it. There is a CNN article about the op-ed, however. Click here to read that. The Surgeon General cites a JAMA study showing an increased presence of depression in teens who use social media more than three hours a day. The study says that most teens are on social media five hours a day. During the summer, that number is likely higher.

My question is this: does the Surgeon General actually think that teens are going to pay any attention to government-issued warnings? Has the Surgeon General met any actual teens that don’t live in Georgetown or summer in the Hamptons? I won’t challenge the findings of the JAMA study, but I don’t think government-required warnings are anywhere close to being an answer. I mean, we were teens when warning statements started appearing on cigarette packages. Did that warning ever stop any of you? Ever? I think warnings of this type are an empty gesture. The government gets to say, “We tried to warn them,” without doing anything concrete to actually solve the problem.

A more appropriate solution: require social media app makers to install a kill switch that automatically turns off the apps after three hours of use and doesn’t turn them back on for 24 hours. The technology is available and relatively easy to install. If you’re genuinely serious about teen health, then that’s what you have to do. Turn the damn apps off for them. They can do so based on the age of the user so that addicted adults can still get their fix. This is not a difficult fix. A simple timer and a two-line call for the user’s age is all it takes. Killing the app, not the entire phone, is the more responsible thing to do.

Yeah, you and I both know that will never happen. Government likes pretending to be responsible, but they don’t want any actual responsibility. And have you seen the idiots in Congress? I sometimes wonder if any of them can actually dress themselves of the morning.

It’s Monday. I need more coffee. A LOT more coffee.

Art / Current Issues / Photography / pop culture / Social Commentary / Tips

Dealing With Adobe’s New ToS

June 10, 2024

How to keep your work from being stolen

Sexy, but not too much [2006 with AI modification]

Creatives are giving Adobe Systems a hard time over the most recent changes to their Terms of Service. Most specifically, the broad language of the contract infers that the billion-dollar company could steal and sublicense your images any time they wish. Tech magazine CNET addresses the issue here, and Adobe attempts to clarify here. I’m not sure either explanation is going to be adequate for hardcore and professional users, though, especially anyone working under an NDA. So, starting with the image above, I have some tips to help prevent Adobe, or almost anyone else for that matter, from stealing your work.

Don’t be overly amazing in what you do

See that image up there? It’s a nice image, I think. It’s pleasant to look at and what few flaws it has are easily overlooked by the average person. There’s nothing exceptionally remarkable about it, though, and in this case, that’s good. Adobe is only going to reference the super-creative work being done by people that no one already knows. They don’t want ordinary portraits or standard, run-of-the-mill landscapes. They want images that stand out. So, as long as your image isn’t that one-in-a-million, they’ll probably leave it alone.

Don’t overdo the EXIF data

One of the ways Adobe chooses the photos it wants is by scanning for keywords and specific EXIF data. If you don’t fill it out, which in most cases has to be done manually, then there’s nothing to scan and they’ll skip right over your files. It really is that easy. Of course, if you have millions of files that you need to index, you may have issues, but do you really want to do that, Gary? Really?

Don’t save to the Adobe cloud

Adobe really pushes creatives to save to the cloud and for good reason: it’s easier for them to snoop in on what you’re doing and take what they want. Saving to the cloud is a bad idea for numerous reasons, such as difficulty in linking to them in social media apps. However, if you save everything on local hard drives (I have multiple), then you have easy access to them at any time except when you’re out at a coffee shop and someone wants to see what you’ve been working on. This is a matter of priorities. If you don’t like people snooping at your pics, then by all means, save locally.

Create images so bizarre that no one is quite sure what it is

Adobe is looking for a high level of creativity, but not so much creativity that no one can clearly define what they’re looking at. Use lots of unnatural colors, wavy lines, and a lack of definition between the subject and its background. All those are elements that Adobe isn’t going to use because the people they’re marketing to aren’t exactly the brightest folks in the art class. Make it messy and abstract and your image is almost certainly going to be safe from pilfering.

Slap a horrendous watermark on everything you create

No one likes watermarks and Adobe is like everyone else. They would much rather they be limited to the bottom right-hand corner where they’re easy to remove. In fact, you can create an action in Photoshop to do just that. Slap your mark all the way across the image from top to bottom, though, and that puppy is yours forever no matter how super creative it is. Adobe will take one look and keep right on going. Sure, other people may complain about how it distorts the image, but they’re damn sure not going to steal it.

Include boobs or other potentially offensive items

Personally, I don’t find breasts offensive, but there are plenty of people, whole countries in fact, who do. Adobe is a global company that can’t afford to directly offend anyone but its own users. So, if there are boobs, misused religious symbols, anything that might depict hate or racism, anything that makes a major political statement, anything that comes remotely close to resembling someone famous, or anything that calls out Adobe directly is safe from being pilfered. It doesn’t matter if what you’ve created is artistic. Adobe’s AI is not yet advanced enough to make the moral decision whether boobs are art or porn; Firefly really can’t tell the difference. So, it errs on the side of safety and says “nope” to anything that looks like a nipple. This makes me happy because if you’re a regular viewer, you know how much I enjoy including boobs in my images.

There are literally billions of images created in Adobe products on a daily basis. Making sure they don’t see yours is actually rather easy. The odds are forever in your favor. Of all the things there are to worry about, this really isn’t one of them. Just chill and keep on creating the way you enjoy.

Cancer Update / Current Issues / Morning Update / Personal / Politics / pop culture / Social Commentary / Status

Morning Update: 06/01/2024

June 1, 2024

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!

Pride Month is here! Yay! It’s time to celebrate all my favorite people! I love Pride Month and all the wonderful things that come with it. No, I’m not able to participate in all the activities because, you know, cancer sucks and I have no immune system. That doesn’t mean I don’t support them and would definitely be right out there with them celebrating who they are and the rights they deserve as humans. I don’t give a fuck what anyone else says, the people you’ll meet at Pride events are some of the most loving and caring souls on the planet.

As the partner/parent/ally of more LGBTQ+ people than I care to count, I love seeing them flaunt their true selves, fly their true colors, and express themselves as individuals. I also find myself being aggressively protective of them and their rights. I am deeply disturbed by the direction that ultra-right-wing conservatives have taken against the rights of people I love and care about, especially trans people. Let me be very clear about this: If you’re human, you’re human and you inherently have all the rights of every other human on the planet regardless of how you may present yourself, who and how you love, how you identify, or how you relate to the public in general. There’s no room for argument on this. As has been said over and over and over and over again, human rights are not a pie that we carve up into pieces. Acknowledging the rights of someone else does not take away anyone else’s rights.

One of the more telling headlines I’ve seen this morning came from a Reuters poll showing that the Orange Felon’s supporters are less likely to have a college degree. No, this isn’t surprising. For the past eight-plus years, we’ve observed the lack of critical thinking skills that allow one to justify supporting someone who not only is a bad politician, but a rather nasty person as a whole. However, it also explains how these same people take a combative and pugnacious stand against LBGTQ+ rights. They were fed a limited story growing up and they don’t know how to see that story for the myth that it is. They are cocooned in their own little make-believe world and not only do they not know how to break free, they don’t want to be part of reality and wish that everyone would stop trying to take them out of their snow globe.

Here’s the thing: stupid people elect stupid people. We’ve seen that for years and the situation has only gotten worse. Eisenhower Republicans were for expanding social services to the poor and needy, were for expanding the minimum wage, and for labor rights. That ended with Eisenhower, though. From Tricky Dick to Ronald Reagan and beyond, the party has become further and further removed from reality, from the needs of actual people, and supportive of rights for the rich and the white. These are the people who are actively trying to harsh the buzz of Pride Month with their own little “Day of …” bullshit in a vain attempt to deny the fabulousness that LGBTQ+ people bring to our society.

Celebrating Pride Month is a necessity, not an option. If we don’t stand up and let our voices be heard all month long, we’re likely to find those voices stifled by people who can’t form a complete sentence. Noise matters. Your presence matters. Participation matters. Visibility matters. We cannot allow ourselves and our friends to be dominated by people whose social and sexual education ended with Adam and Eve. That means making the most of Pride Month and then extending that to the rest of the year.

What may be most important in this election year is that straight(ish) people need to stand in defense of our LGBTQ+ family and friends. The ultra-right-wing conservatives think they can dominate by shouting louder, being more aggressive, storming state houses, city councils, and school board meetings, and just flat being mean. We have no choice this year but to shout them down, put them in the minority, and demand equity in human rights across the board.

Tipper loves running around the yard, and other places, in her furry costume. It’s hot, so she typically doesn’t stay in it for long, but when she does she never fails to get interesting looks. She wore the costume for a little while on race day. One father forcibly pulled his young daughter in the opposite direction. Why? Tipper wasn’t hurting anyone, she damn sure wasn’t trying to recruit anyone, and the only person to whom she might occasionally be a danger is her brother. I get the quizzical looks she gets because it’s an interesting costume, but she’s having fun. She’s more expressive when she’s wearing that giant monster head. She dances and interacts with people who she would never approach as herself. She loves seeing the smile on the faces of little ones when she waves those big furry paws at them.

Tipper has the same rights whether appearing as herself or in costume as everyone else on the planet. You respond negatively to her, you’re getting on my bad side real quick. No one’s asking you to put on a costume. Just give her and everyone else the space to be who they are, to joyfully express who they are, and to live peacefully in the same world as everyone else. That’s not too much to ask.

There’s rain moving in this morning. I forgot to take a pill last night so I’m hesitating to check my glucose. The pups and I may well spend the rest of the day in bed. The kids mowed the yard yesterday (with no small amount of arguing over who was doing their “fair” share) so that’s out of the way. Two of our three young trees are doing well and will appreciate the rain. Kat had a rough day yesterday, though, so I’m hoping today is a lot better, people are more friendly to her, and she can get a decent night’s sleep without cats waking her at 6:00 in the freakin’ morning. Zach, my eldest, is moving into a new apartment today, so that’s kind of a big deal. It will be interesting to see how often his mom and brothers visit.

Life comes at us fast, children. Celebrate every part of who you are while you can.

Current Issues / News & Comment / pop culture / Social Commentary / video

Censorship Violates Human Dignity

May 29, 2024

You already know this is going to be NSFW.

Candace Ownes, the token GOP black female, wants pornography to be banned. Never mind that the Supreme Court has said it can’t be banned, only limited. Ms. Owens isn’t that bright and probably can’t even name the late Hustler publisher who damn near died fighting against censorship (Larry Flynt, for those of you under 50). Don’t worry, Cardi B. is calling her out.

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed a bill potentially making it illegal for legitimate news outlets to cover instances of police brutality. The American Civil Liberties Union is already planning to file suit by the end of the week.

And in Texas, a judge finally dismissed charges against a so-called “journalist” who was allegedly “arrested, strip-searched, and jailed for filming police.” Why was he held? Because there’s no real publication behind him. He’s only a journalist on his own YouTube channel.

These are all examples of censorship. And no, they’re not even close to being at the top of the list. Consider these headlines:

The list of censorship in the media is neverending. Why? Because it’s titillating. Everyone clocks to see what’s going on, who wore what, who did what, who went where, and just how much can be seen. These so-called “news” outlets have us pretending to care about the lives of people just because their names show up in the media on occasion. Is it any of our business what they wear? No. Do we have any right to judge them for what they do? Only if it’s illegal and even then, we may want to take a step back first.

Religious fanatics have convinced us that we have to judge our fellow human in order to avoid being “sinfully influenced” by them. After all, if we see that someone else enjoys having a butt plug shoved up their ass, then you might want to give it a try as well.

And where are all these better-than-you media outlets coming from? Losers that can’t get jobs as real journalists at real news outlets. It’s rather easy, actually. I can toss up a web page or a YouTube profile, call myself a reporter, print my own press pass (because I know how), and walk around getting myself into trouble pretending to be something I’m not. If my website has the word “news” in it, then a lot of people think that I can hide behind the First Amendment and say anything about anyone that I damn well please.

Censorship has become such a large part of our lives, that many people have started referring to it simply as “editing.”

This time is past due for censorship of our lives to stop. And to make my point, please enjoy this totally 18+ NSFW 20-second video that definitely includes nudity and you shouldn’t watch if it’s illegal in your state. That’s on you.

And if you want to judge me for making a video like this, fuck you. I refuse to be censored by anyone other than myself (and I even have arguments with myself about that).

pop culture / science / Social Commentary / video

Two Astrophycisists Debate Free Will

May 27, 2024

Talk Among The Stars [2014 original with AI background]

Did you choose what you had to eat today, or was the menu predetermined by a massive set of details that gave you no real choice at all? Control freaks hate this conversation. A lot of people with strong religious feelings dislike this conversation. Much of Western Civilization was built around the concept of Free Will. However, the more we know about the universe, physiology, psychology, biology, and every other aspect of humanity, the less likely it seems that we have any control over anything at all.

Control is an illusion

What I find pseudo-entertaining about this discussion is that some of the people who will argue for Free Will the hardest are, in reality, those most guilty of destroying it. Religions that go hard on childhood religious education are providing exactly the type of causation that, at later ages, takes away the choice of what we’re going to do, how we’re going to act, and where we’re going to go, thereby eliminating Free Will. Education is one of the most significant elements in shaping how our minds develop. Causation comes as we’re “hard-wired” to respond to certain situations in certain ways.

For example, how do you respond when someone sneezes? For a lot of people, the “God bless you” they immediately utter isn’t even a thought: it just happens. There’s no question in your mind, “Am I going to say god bless you?” The phrase just comes out.

Ultimately, this is a question that requires minds a great deal more intelligent than you or I. That’s why I was excited when I found this episode of StarTalk that explores the subject of Free Will from both sides intellectually without an undue emotional or religious attachment. Please watch and then tell me in the comment section below what you think.

Does free will exist? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice sit down with astrophysicist Charles Liu sit down to discuss the existence of free will and whether physics allows for choice in our lives. We explore cause and effect: how does uncertainty and chaos in the universe factor into free will? How important is the illusion of free will to society? What does a society that acknowledges a lack of free will look like?

Current Issues / pop culture / Social Commentary / Status / Tips

CARB DAY/RACE DAY PARKING ETIQUETTE

May 23, 2024

PLEASE READ IF YOU’RE USING ALTERNATIVE LAWN PARKING OUTSIDE THE SPEEDWAY.

Race day must be just around the corner. How can we tell? Sanitation trucks have been going through the neighborhood setting up portable toilets throughout the neighborhood. There are more of them than last year, but it still won’t be enough. It never is. People utilizing parking outside the speedway is something of its own tradition and the track secretly relies on in, though they don’t want to actually acknowledge it. The speedway accommodates parking for roughly 100,000 people. That sounds like a lot, and it is. I’m sure back in the 1940s when the Hulmans were building the thing they never dreamed of filling it all up. Race attendance for this Sunday, however, is estimated to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 250,000. They all need somewhere to park.

Homeowners around the track have made their lawns available for both Carb Day (Friday before the race) and Race Day for decades. Prices have varied over the years, depending on the anticipated demand. The 100th running brought significantly higher prices than we’ll see this Sunday. People living in the neighborhoods around the track consider this small compensation for all the traffic and noise we have to put up with. You are not necessarily welcome, but for many, it is a way to help the rent for June. We see a lot of bad behavior, so if you’re going to park on anyone’s lawn, please take these items into consideration.

Arrive early and just plan on chilling for a few hours. Available spots fill quickly. A lot of people accept reservations (we don’t) and some smaller lawns are technically “full” already. I’m outside ready to welcome you and your money at 6:00 AM. Others are out there earlier. Last year, our available spaces were all full by 10:00 AM and I was back inside taking a nap.
Not everyone charges the same. Those of us closest to the East gate of the North 40 tend to charge the most because this is prime space. The further from the gate, the price begins to drop. However, rarely does it go below $10.
Bring cash, 20s and 10s, please. I know that the track itself is cashless, but you’re making a deal here with a person, not a corporation. We don’t make enough to pay the 5% bank card fees. Personally, I also accept Venmo (@C_I_Letbetter) and I know of at least one neighbor who does the same, but I can’t make any promises for the bulk of the neighborhood.
Cash also applies to many off-track vendors. I know Fat Cat’s BBQ will be here early Sunday morning setting up their smoker across the street. If you’re going to get here early, and you should, they can take care of both your breakfast and lunch needs. They’re good people, but they don’t take cards.
DO NOT ask to use the bathroom inside someone’s home. That’s an invasion of privacy none of us like. There are multiple outdoor facilities scattered all over the neighborhood. Be prepared, though, some of them charge as much as $3 per use.
Don’t think you’re going to get out of the neighborhood quickly once the race is over. See that picture up top? That’s what the entire street looks like for nearly two hours once the race is over. You can come and sit in your car or you can tailgate some more. Some people get in their cars and try to leave, but then end up going nowhere and wasting gas. Plan on taking your time. You probably need to drink water and sober up a bit anyway.
Bring an umbrella. The forecast for Sunday says there’s pretty much a 100% chance of rain. The big question is: WHEN? We don’t know. Even Sunday morning, no one’s going to be 100% sure. Expect at least one set of showers Sunday morning, well before race time. As long as they’re done by noon, they should be able to get the track dry by 2:00. Any prolonged rain (more than 30 minutes) after 2:00 could cause for the race to be postponed until Monday.
In case of a rain delay, your race tickets are still good on Monday. Your parking is not. You’ll need to negotiate with your host how much to pay for Monday’s parking.
Bring sunscreen. Even if the skies are overcast, you can still get a sunburn from prolonged exposure. You won’t look any sillier wearing sunscreen than you do with that straw hit bearing the IMS logo.
Consider bringing a change of clothes, especially if you have tickets for the Snake Pit, which promises to be a muddy mess. Even if you’re not in the mud, changing out of your hot, possibly wet, almost definitely smelly clothes will make your ride home more comfortable.

SPECIFIC TO PARKING WITH US

We have limited space. If you want to tailgate to either side of your vehicle, that takes up a spot we might otherwise “lease” for the day. Therefore, we will ask for additional compensation.
No, I don’t share my coffee.
I may park a couple of cars inside the fence. If I do, you’ll have to be extra patient getting out after the race.
PLEASE don’t stick your hand over the fence to pet the dogs. You can’t trust them.
Yes, you may feed the humans, but not the animals (even though they’ll ask with big brown eyes). The dogs are too old and fat for human food. The humans are just hungry. That especially applies to the teenagers.
No, Kat is not here. She has the good sense to leave and not take any of us with her. Which is another reason you may want to feed the humans. We’re probably hungry.
I’m not pulling out the camera this year. I don’t have the stamina for that. I’ll use my phone to take a photo if you want, or use your phone if you don’t want to wait on me to process it. Flashing me your boobs is totally allowable if the kids are not in the yard.

As much as I fuss about the race, I do hope you enjoy the day. Know that every year is a little different, though. Take your time. Plan well ahead. Be flexible, especially with the weather. And don’t come running to me if you get struck by lightning. That’s not part of the track’s evacuation plan.

Art / Current Issues / Politics / pop culture / Social Commentary / video

A NSFW VIDEO FOR BIGOTS

May 10, 2024

Whether you like someone or not is irrelevant. Everyone on the planet deserves a safe place to exist, a sufficient amount of food to eat, healthcare without prequalifications, personal dignity (respecting how they identify), and love.

You don’t get to deny them these rights. They don’t get to deny you, either. That’s the way it has to be.

IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT, THAT’S JUST TOUGH. SIT THERE AND BE BITTER BUT STAY THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY.

FOREVER.

Current Issues / Morning Update / News & Comment / Personal / Politics / pop culture / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 05/10/24

May 10, 2024

If All The World Were A Beach [2011 original with AI background]

Today is the first official day of practice and qualifying open to the public at IMS. I’d tell you to not bother going and instead spend your money somewhere more deserving, and it bothers me when you don’t listen. Qualifying this afternoon is for tomorrow’s Sonsio Grand Prix. Who the hell is Sonsio? They’re the people who’ve been trying to reach you about your car/home’s extended warranty. It’s an insurance company and they damn sure don’t need your money. You’d be better off putting your premiums in a passbook savings account. I’m sure around 15,000 people will still be there because they have money to burn and no conscience for the rest of the world. It’s sad, really, how little these people give a shit.

It was 50 degrees when I took the dogs out this morning. Temps are on the low side all weekend and there’s a chance of showers every day, mostly in the evening/overnight. I’m looking at the calendar trying to figure out the best time to mow. Looking at the forecast, Sunday would be the best day, but that’s Mother’s Day and I’d rather the kids not be all sweaty when Kat gets home.

Interested in “eating the rich?” Be aware that there’s a showdown coming as the 2017 tax cuts for the super-wealthy are due to expire. I would tell you to contact your legislators but we all know they don’t pay a damn bit of attention because they know you won’t vote them the fuck out as they deserve. The American public is spineless. These tax cuts shouldn’t have happened in the first place and I don’t see any of you shouting out against them.

Oh, and get this: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he doesn’t give a shit if the US doesn’t send bombs for them to drop on Rafah. They’re going to invade and wipe out the border city anyway. This is how much of a bitch Netanyahu is. He doesn’t care how Israelis feel. He doesn’t care how the world sees the conflict. He’s a power-mad authoritarian who is turning history on its ear by engaging in the same form of atrocities against Palestine as the Germans did against Jews a century ago. Anyone who is not supporting a two-state resolution to Gaza is wrong and you’ll never convince me otherwise.

If there is any question that popular music has gotten worse over the past 50 years, here’s the proof. New research suggests that music since the 80s, including all of Taylor Swift’s eras, has become more negative, angrier, and more simple. Perhaps that’s why older music is still preferred by almost everyone with a brain. Or, it could be due to the fact that the world you’ve created is more negative and angrier and the music is reflective of that. Either way, ’70s music still rocks.

Oh, and just in case you’re buying into the claptrap that Elon Musk and other GOP mouthpieces are spewing, no noncitizens cannot vote in federal elections.

I’m in a mood this morning and coffee alone isn’t going to fix it.

Cancer Update / Morning Update / Personal / pop culture / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 05/04/24

May 4, 2024

May the Fourth Be With You [2013 original photo with AI background]

Try sleeping late on a Saturday morning when all the animals in the house are accustomed to the 6:00 AM weekday schedule. The dogs aren’t really that much of a problem. I took them outside late enough that they were comfortable waiting on me to move first. The cats, on the other hand, are less patient. They began invading the Recovery Room when I hadn’t fed them by 7:30. They climbed on top of me, nudged me, licked me, and mewed in my face to let me know that they were going to starve to death if I didn’t get up right now. Fortunately, Kat was already awake so the impact was minimal. Still, there are days when the cats’ alarms need to turn off.

The first message I saw this morning was from a college friend, one of the smoothest tenor voices I’ve ever heard, letting me know that he, too, has now been diagnosed with cancer. I guess we’re all at that age where our bodies turn against us. Whether it is a familial inclination that plagued the generations before us or the aggregate compound effect of life’s choices, we see more of our friends fighting health battles that keep them from engaging in the things they love. We work all our lives, practice, study, and perhaps even experiment with our craft, trying to become the best we are capable of being, wanting to be one of the wise elders who is respected as we pass information down to subsequent generations. Yet, when we’re at that point in life when we should be enjoying the fruits of our labor, we get hit with some disease that strips away all that glory and leaves us with a shell that struggles to survive. We may still live but not at the timbre we did before.

I made the mistake of watching Anne Hathaway’s new movie, “The Idea of You” last night. It was a mistake not because of the quality of the movie; as rom-coms go, it was rather decent. But it highlights the challenges of not only finding love as we get older (in this case, “older” being a whopping 40 years old) but also what happens when you find it in someone significantly younger. For the movie’s characters, the solution was simply to wait five years when the social effects were less severe. Whether it’s inadvertent or not, the movie also demonstrates the degree to which finances play a role in finding these exceptional forms of love. Had the younger male character not been swimming in cash, had the female not been independently financially stable, the romance would never have happened in the first place. Money put them where they were.

There are always people in our lives who will say, “I love you.” How they mean that changes over the years. Much of the time, the definition is along the lines of, “I appreciate your place in my life and value your presence.” That’s nice, and it keeps us from being able to complain that no one loves us. What we lose, though, are those people who would define their love as a soul-level experience, a desire to be an intimate and constant part of who we are, what we’re doing, and wanting to join their lives to ours for everyone’s pleasure. That love? Yeah, you can kiss that goodbye as you get older. Companions become tolerated because, if not them, who? Even then, for how long? The deep connections we have with people erode with time. We’re no longer exciting to be with. There’s nothing new in our relationships as we become set in our ways and, we like being set in our ways.

At the end of the movie, she’s 45 with a daughter happily in college. He’s 30 with a new solo album. As the movie ends, the producers would have you believe that their relationship picks right back up with the same level of passion as before. You and I both know that’s not the way it works, though. Things happened over those five years. Everyone changes. Five years, especially when you’re twenty-five, is a long time and our emotions change dramatically. We might remember former loves tenderly, even longingly, but the day-to-day is going to have less passion, less heat, and more illness and doctor’s visits and disparities between our desires. Maybe he wants a family. She already has one. He wants to keep that jet-set life. She’s anchored to the business she owns. As the movie fades to black, the relationship inevitably falls apart.

Maybe what’s disturbing is that ending: all our lives slowly fade to black. We still want that high, the fiery love that we knew when we were young and healthy but it’s no longer something we can maintain. Not only is the other person letting go, but we let go of ourselves because who we are now is not the person we thought we’d be.

Or maybe I’m just an old man babbling in a pool of loneliness. I really shouldn’t watch rom-coms.

Morning Update: 09/16/24

COVID Edition, Day 2

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Morning Update: 09/15/24

COVID EDITION

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Go Ahead, Name Your Kink (Mine’s Alice)

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COVID Edition, Day 3

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COVID Edition, Day 2

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COVID EDITION

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The AI Edition

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Your best fit is…

Progressive Left

… along with 6% of the public

GOVERNMENT

RACE AND IMMIGRATION

FOREIGN POLICY

PARTIES AND CANDIDATES

OTHER ISSUES

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Don’t be overly amazing in what you do

Don’t overdo the EXIF data

Don’t save to the Adobe cloud

Create images so bizarre that no one is quite sure what it is

Slap a horrendous watermark on everything you create

Include boobs or other potentially offensive items

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