JWs at the Door

Someone rang our doorbell this morning. We heard our grandson answer it, but since he didn’t call for us we figured it was nothing and kept working in the office. When Quentin walked by the office a few minutes later I asked him who came by. “Some guy who wanted you to come to a meeting,” he said. One of […]

Air-Minded: Gust Locks & Horse Parts (Updated)

I’ve been following news of the May 31 Gulfstream IV crash at Hanscomb Field in Bedford, Massachusetts. This was the executive jet carrying some VIP or other that reached a high speed on takeoff roll and then ran off the end of the runway and into a ditch, bursting into flame and killing everyone aboard. Preliminary NTSB reports are focusing on a […]

Paul’s Book Reviews: Nonfiction, Science Fiction

In that instant they felt an overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment. Though they had failed dismally even to come close to the expedition’s original objective, they knew now that somehow they had done much, much more than ever they set out to do. — Alfred Lansing, Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage Alfred […]

Thursday Bag o’ Empty Calories

I saw a commercial for implantable contact lenses on TV last night. If “implantable” means what I think it means, what does “contact” mean? Contacting the inner surface of your eye, looking out? Why not just “implantable lenses”? Sort of a Six Million Dollar Man kind of thing, or am I thinking of The Terminator? The thought […]

Sunday Bag o’ Antipasto

The second meeting of our cooking club is tonight. This time we’re preparing Italian recipes from Mario Batali cookbooks. Donna and I drew the appetizer course, so we’re making a simple antipasto tray with meats, olives, peppers, and cheeses. The host for tonight’s dinner is in charge of the main course; other members are bringing salads, […]

You Can’t Read That! Banned Book Review: Brave New World

You Can’t Read That! is a periodic post featuring banned book reviews and news roundups. * Yeah, I thought it was Banksy too. Click the image to learn more about Spanish street artist Escif. YCRT! Banned Book News The best stories are local, and here’s a hilarious one from my own town, Tucson, Arizona: Censored […]

Some Needed Nuance

Yesterday’s comment was harsh: I don’t have many fucks left to give today, but I can always muster one up for the Republicans, the party of assholes and assholism. I turned irrevocably against them sometime during the Clinton administration, and everything they’ve done since has hardened my contempt, which by now is so dense and compressed […]