A Sunday Song to Spark the Spirit and Summon the Moves of the Dance
Happy 90th birthday, Yoko Ono! Continue reading A Sunday Song to Spark the Spirit and Summon the Moves of the Dance
Category: Culture
The articles in this category discuss issues involving culture and society
The Pandemic of/and Poverty
If I were king** for a day of these less than United States, I would mandate UBI and the only requirements to receive it for those subjects of mine so impoverished would be for the entire household to receive regular health checkups and for all school-age children within the household to stay in school… Continue reading The Pandemic of/and Poverty
Hope Apple’s new car comes with a fully armored option
The company has apparently decided to pursue a vehicle that would not feature steering wheels or pedals in what sounds like the most futuristic automotive project we’ll have ever seen. Moreover, Apple reportedly plans to launch its first-generation autonomous car … Continue reading Hope Apple’s new car comes with a fully armored option
Where do all the dreams go
In the 12-month period that ended in April, more than 100,000 Americans died of overdoses, up almost 30 percent from the 78,000 deaths in the prior year, according to provisional figures from the National Center for Health Statistics. The figure … Continue reading Where do all the dreams go
How could something so violent and callous happen?
The details suggest that while the military put strict rules in place to protect civilians, the Special Operations task force repeatedly used other rules to skirt them. The military teams counting casualties rarely had the time, resources or incentive to … Continue reading How could something so violent and callous happen?
In Celebration of Juneteenth
Unfortunately, during my time growing up…I didn’t know much about the house, only that it had some vague association with slavery. I didn’t know because back in my time the history of slavery was barely taught in school… Continue reading In Celebration of Juneteenth
IN SOLIDARITY
The Known Knowns of a Known War Criminal
It’s always magical to be able to throw an asshole’s words back in his face… especially when he is an outspoken representative of so many other assholes. While no one condones looting, on the other hand, one can understand the pent-up feelings that may result from decades of repression and people who have had members of their family killed by that regime, for them to be taking their feelings out on that regime,” he said. “And I don’t think there’s anyone in any of those pictures … (who wouldn’t) accept it as part of the price of getting from a … Continue reading The Known Knowns of a Known War Criminal
Not really sure about this one…
The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt. ~ Bertrand Russell #happybirthdaybertrand Continue reading Not really sure about this one…
If You Believe It, You’ll See It
I really, really wish I could believe all the bizarre hocus pocus things like astrology and palm readings and other pseudo-sciencey, pseudo-religiousy things so I could lay all my blame for all the unpleasantries going on all over this pretty yet petulant planet of ours (those dang locusts in Africa are biblically unrelenting) on a misaligned moon or star… That said, Claire Comstock-Gay of The Cut has an interesting take on the subject, whether you want to believe it or not. “Astrology’s skeptics and detractors like to make a fuss about how foolish it is to imagine that, simply by … Continue reading If You Believe It, You’ll See It
Empty Words of the Privileged
It’s hard to believe so many people have to live so miserably in the richest, most powerful country in the world. This has become cliché and empty to say, especially from those of us speaking from our privilege, but since there are so many pockets of wretched poverty all around the country such as described in the following article, it’s hard not to say it. “Hundreds of miles of roads are unpaved, so it can take up to three hours to get a sick person to help. It’s difficult to self-isolate because families live in one-room homes called hogans. Up … Continue reading Empty Words of the Privileged
Any “Weird Christians” Out There?
When I was a kid a buddy of mine would occasionally drag me along to a Catholic church service with him, seeing how misery loves company, especially as a child. Even though I hadn’t a clue what was going on — being raised Protestant — I was always mesmerized by the outlandish garb, the thick incense, and especially the incomprehensible Latin that still kind of seemed to make sense. It all seemed so surreal, so magical. I’m not m much of a church-goer, but I’ve never had that wondrous feeling at a Protestant service and I guess deep down I’ve … Continue reading Any “Weird Christians” Out There?
We are what we… read?
At least according to the Big Think article The Books You Read Really Make You Who You Are: “The takeaway from all [the studies] is that no matter the culture, humans are intimately attached to stories. They’re part of our makeup as a species. Stories can literally transport us into the mind and body of a character. They can move us toward empathy or action. Nothing has the power to inform, change our minds, unlock our potential, or transform us and our society in the most powerful and profound ways. Now, we’re starting to unlock the neuroscience behind this and … Continue reading We are what we… read?
Just Imagine
Imagine what the response would have been if these heavily armed “protesters“ were of any other race than white… – A lot of dead and incarcerated non-white “protesters,” that’s what the response would have been for those of you with failed imaginations. Now, try to imagine that none of these “protesters” are trump cultists emboldened by their dear leader’s violence-inspiring rhetoric… – Unimaginable, isn’t it. Outside the House chamber, the protesters crammed into the hallway and stairwell, periodically chanting, “Lock her up!” and “Let us in!” Their chanting could be heard faintly from the House floor — and ultimately, the … Continue reading Just Imagine
Regarding That Which Despicable Beings Create
Always a conundrum — what to do with something good created by someone bad.
I mean, take HP Lovecraft for instance. Are horrors authors and readers still praising him so for his early contributions to the genre? Fortunately for me, having read his work long before learning he was such a virulent racist, I find his writing flat and uninteresting and way, way overrated so shunning him to the dustbin of the disgraced is no problemo.
But there are a lot of other types of situations and scenarios out there that can put one in such an unpleasant conundrum…
Continue reading “Regarding That Which Despicable Beings Create”How to Make a Veteran Happy on this Day in Their Honor and Every Day Thereafter…
#letsallbecitizensworthfightingfor #notetoself Continue reading How to Make a Veteran Happy on this Day in Their Honor and Every Day Thereafter…
Two Learnings from My Recent Rememborizing Efforts: One cool; One cautionary
As I discussed in my last post, I’ve embarked on an effort to memorize stuff that interests me. I’m finding that the more I memorize stuff, the easier is to memorize and retain new stuff.
So as I just finished up memorizing the poem Invictus, I decided to go large and take on the grandest, and perhaps greatest, of all letters penned on behalf of these United States, The Declaration of Independence.
Yeah, maybe I am getting a little cocky/in over my head taking on such a significant body of work — significant as in packed with meaning, and, especially, significant as in packed with a lot of words. One-thousand, four-hundred and fifty-eight of them to be exact.
Continue reading “Two Learnings from My Recent Rememborizing Efforts: One cool; One cautionary”
Fake News is so Poe-thetic
I read an Edgar Allan Poe story today entitled The Angel of the Odd.
It’s a fun, fast, Kafka-meets-Twain, easy to forget kind of read.
But what is most memorable to me about the story is that it is entirely set up around the protagonists drunken dismay over what we would call the “fake news” of the day…
No Point In Asking
When I first began articulating this post in my head, it was framed around the question, “When will it all end?” But after just a few seconds of contemplation around it I quickly realized that question is quite ridiculous. Obviously, … Continue reading No Point In Asking
No Gun, No Respect…
First off, I’m not anti-Second Amendment (if you’re an American (of the U.S. persuasion) and you don’t know what the Second Amendment is then that’s a problem)… See, I live out in the sticks and I had to call 911 … Continue reading No Gun, No Respect…
Is it just me or…
Do others get excited for a flash of a second when they think they are reading a splashy headline about the literary giant Milan Kundera and then feel all bummed out when they realize it’s actually about the actor Mila Kunis and then feel even more bummed out when they realize they couldn’t stop themselves from reading the entire vapid article? Continue reading Is it just me or…
KURT★BRINDLEY 