Paul's Thing

I swear to God, my wife, and mother hummingbird I won’t do this often, but I couldn’t resist. Note to PETA: she’s back on her nest now, and everything’s cool.

The nest

A better look (click to enlarge)

Five minutes later: back on the nest

The queen in her chambers (click to enlarge)

Our back yard is enclosed with a high cinderblock fence, and until two nights ago it was Schatzi’s hood.  If she heard a dog bark or smelled javelina nearby, she’d shoot out the doggy door into the back yard, loudly letting the world know she was on the job, defending our home.  Until two nights ago, that is, when we heard a panicked yip, immediately followed by flapping of the doggy door and the reddish-brown streak of Schatzi flying back into the house and straight into my lap, where she stayed the rest of the night, eyes wide open, trembling.

Clearly, something came into the yard after her.  Could’ve been a coyote, could’ve been an owl.  Whatever it was frightened her, and now she’s wary about going out after dark (she’s still pretty fearless during the day).  Last night she heard or smelled something outside and barked, but stayed inside while she was doing it.  Whatever happened to her the other night made a big impression on her, and she’s not taking unnecessary risks.

Smart girl.

So I thought I’d take a little hike up the Appalachian Trail.  You know, just to see how far the Old Log Inn is.  But when I get back I find a note from my wife: “Gone to Reno.”  Shoot, now it’s just me & Rosie . . . and her five sisters.  Well, gotta go, it’s time for batting practice.

I’m concerned about what appears to be a stolen election in Iran, and even more concerned about government violence and suppression of dissent.  It’s encouraging, even exciting, that Iranians are finding ways around government censorship to get their story out to the rest of the world.

In this country, conservative politicians are criticizing President Obama for not “doing enough,” whatever doing enough is.  Carpetbombing Iran with mimeograph machines, maybe?  Look, the rulers who stole the election, the rulers who are shooting Iranians in the streets right now, are already blaming the Great Satan for fomenting unrest . . . how many more of their own people will they kill if the USA actually does begin to foment unrest?

We have a long history of meddling in Iran, but beyond enriching American weapons manufacturers and oil companies I’m not at all sure what we got out of it.  Overall, I’d say, we lost more than we gained.  What has changed to make anyone think there’s any possible benefit to be had by meddling again?

I think President Obama is doing exactly the right thing.  Deplore the violence, ask the Iranian rulers to show restraint and allow free speech, but otherwise stay hands off.  It’s an Iranian problem, and it’s up to the Iranians to solve it.

And don’t forget, the Iranians wanted an Islamic republic.  As far as I’m concerned, they are reaping what they sowed.

I was cooking on the back porch most of the day, and just as we were getting ready to serve dinner I noticed something up under the eaves:

Is that a little tiny nest?

That’s a bicycle hook I put up years ago, when we had parrots . . . I used to hang an outdoor perch from it.  Now another bird has claimed it:

Yes it is . . . click to enlarge!

That’s the coolest thing I’ve seen in a long time!

Update (6/21/09):

Click to enlarge

. . . to serve the corporate masters.  Warning: NPR kvetching ahead.

I thought Diane Rehm’s show started off well this morning: she interviewed presidential science advisor Dr. John Holdren about the latest White House report on climate change.  And here’s the thing: she had him on by himself, not up against a panel of climate change deniers.  Good, I thought, we’re going to have a serious discussion about climate change, not the usual he said/she said “fair & balanced” crap NPR’s been pushing lately.  Let’s for once hear what a responsible spokesman for the scientific community has to say about climate change.  Go, NPR!  Go, Diane Rehm!

And then, ten minutes into the interview, Diane announced a short break, and it became apparent that Dr. Holdren had been on the phone and not in the studio.  After the break, sure as hell, Diane basically turned the show over to a denialist hack from the Wall Street Journal who launched into the familiar GOP talking-points litany: there’s nothing to these hysterical rumors; how can there be global warming when it froze last night in Buffalo; scientists disagree; all’s well with the world; just keep moving folks there’s nothing to see here . . . and I turned the radio off in disgust.

Click to enlarge

Here’s the deal: when the media give climate change denialists equal time, it creates in listeners (and is designed to create) the illusion that climate change is a 50/50 proposition: one person warns of climate change, another person says there’s no such thing.  Well, it’s not a 50/50 proposition; it’s more like 95/5: climate change, and mankind’s contribution to it through greenhouse gas emissions, is the scientific consensus . . . observable, well-studied, and documented.  The denialists, whether they come from the religious or corporate community,  are a small minority with no data to back up their claims . . . and yet they always get equal time.  This isn’t “balance.”  This isn’t “fair.”  It’s propaganda.

It’s not just Diane Rehm, of course, it’s all of NPR and major media in general.  No matter how removed from reality whacko minority beliefs are, those beliefs are presented as legitimate points of view by the media.  Lately I’m seeing increasing reportage on the “controversy” over President Obama’s birth certificate, without any accompanying mention that there is no controversy: Obama produced the birth certificate prior to the 2008 election, the first presidential candidate ever to be asked to do so.  Yes, there are crazies who do not, will not, accept the fact that Obama is a US citizen.  Why are the media giving these racist fuckwads air time?  Even reporting on it implies . . . and creates in uninformed listeners and viewers . . . doubt. I ask again, quite seriously: why are the media giving these racist fuckwads air time?

Okay, Nice Polite Republicans, if you’re really committed to this “Shape of Earth: Views Differ” style of reporting, how come advocates of single-payer health care don’t get equal time?  How come advocates of immediate military withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan don’t get equal time?  How come advocates of a North American union don’t get equal time?

Oh, don’t worry, I know I’m wasting my breath here . . . the corporate shills at NPR will always come down on the side of their masters.  Diane Rehm, I’ve given up on you.  You used to fight it, a little . . . now you just hand your mic over to the propagandists.  Do you invite these hacks onto your show yourself, or are you just doing what you’re told to do?

Thank God for the intertubes: if I want to inform myself about climate change (or single-payer health care, military withdrawal, or open borders) I can find sites where these issues are seriously discussed, free from governmental, religious, and corporate propaganda. Increasingly, NPR is becoming background noise, something to listen to when you need a break from the serious issues of the day. How long will it be before Diane Rehm morphs into Larry King, more concerned about the behind-the-scenes goings on at American Chopper than the street protests in Tehran?

There has been much said about Twitter, most of it negative, but Twitter is shining today.  I realize this is highly perishable information, but at this moment the hot trending topics include #cnnfail, #iranelection, and #tehran.  Apparently Iran can’t keep its citizens off Twitter, and they’re providing the news and photographic coverage our own media is unprepared to deliver.

My God, what we could have done with Twitter during the Nixon years!  My God, what we could have done with Twitter in the aftermath of our own stolen election, back in 2000!

“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” — Gone With the Wind (1939)

	The Fall (2006) That movies like this can even be made is a hopeful sign that not every single miserable thing in this cynical world is about money. The film is visually spectacular, and there’s no CGI . . . it’s all real, and sometimes, as the landscape morphs from arid mountain to lush terraced valley, you feel as if you’ve stepped off a cliff. During the first half of the movie I wanted to call my son and tell him to rent it for my grandchildren. During the second half I decided that if it is up to me they won’t see it until they’re in their thirties. This is a profoundly adult movie with a profoundly adult theme, and you’ll need to be strong to come out the other end with your normal chipper outlook. A surprisingly moving experience.
	Cadillac Records (2008) There’s too much history crammed into this 1 hr, 48 min movie. The result is that it hurries over two important chapters: the cheating of black artists by recording studios, and the theft of black artists’ music by white artists. To be fair, the movie does touch on these topics, just enough to make you want to know more. The music is brilliant, and if you watch it only for the tunes, you’ll be richly rewarded.
	Transporter 3 (2008) Steven Seagal movies were okay for a long time, only getting crappy after the first dozen. The Transporter franchise got there in two . . . and this is the third. It’s not so much Jason Statham: he’s decent (as was Steven Seagal, back in the days when he could do his own fight scenes and fit into his yak hair serape).  No, it’s the movies themselves: cheesy fight scenes, fakey CGI, mindless violence, impossible feats . . . maybe we’re supposed to watch these films in the same way we “read” comic books. But they’re not even that good. I wonder if the Crank series is any better.
	Rocknrolla (2008) When did gangster flicks start being charming? Actually, I think I know: in 1972, with Sam Peckinpah’s “The Getaway,” starring Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw. Rent it & you’ll see what I mean. Before Peckinpah, the Hays Code ensured that whenever movies depicted criminal or immoral activity, suffering and remorse would immediately ensue. Today, movies tell us that the life of crime is nonstop fun & games, and the suffering — even the dire suffering depicted in RocknRolla, as gangsters beat, stab, shoot, run over, and dunk one another into carnivorous crawfish-infested waters — seems more an extreme sport than brutality. It’s those cute British accents, innit? I sound like I’m ranting and raving about the moral message of this movie, and I suppose I am a bit (see, I worry about what happens when the Truk Nutz crowd sees movies glorifying crime and mayhem), but I have to admit I quite enjoyed RocknRolla, was utterly charmed by the characters, had a jolly good time, and will certainly watch the promised sequel.
	Choke (2008) I was disappointed. Everything about the movie was forced, artificial, superficial; there’s not one single genuine moment in it. The plot was, mainly, an excuse for T&A, and things that were supposed to be funny weren’t. It’s Transformers for boys who’ve outgrown Hot Wheels and are now interested in sex.
	Star Trek (2009) This isn’t a DVD review since the movie doesn’t have a DVD release date yet, but I did see the movie (on opening night, yet), and here’s my review: A sci-fi fan will always have something to say about the science in sci-fi movies, so I’ll just get that out of the way now: what science? Why’d they even hire a science advisor (Carolyn Porco, the leader of the Imaging Science team on NASA’s Cassini mission to Saturn) if they were going to blow off science? But hey, there was no fealty to science in the original TV series, and the movie’s not about science anyway: it’s about how the original TV characters — Kirk, Bones, Spock, Scotty, Uhura, Chekoff, and Sulu — came to be. Simon Pegg as Scotty is, to me, the most stand-out casting choice, but everyone else is excellent too. Non-stop action? I’m still exhausted, weeks later (actually, there’s so much action the overall effect is numbing; this is a movie for people afflicted with ADD). You will love the movie. You’ll love the DVD, when it finally comes out.