TV news reports made simple

I was thinking about going back to college part time to finish the journalism degree I started many years ago but then I saw this Youtube video that pretty much sums it all up in two minutes. No need for further instruction.

Fun While it Lasted

The decision by the Supreme Court today to allow corporations and unions to spend whatever they want in election campaigns may not sound interesting but I think it's one of the most significant and dangerous decisions in years. Money in elections and politics is already a serious challenge to our democracy but we haven't seen anything yet.

One aspect of this ruling that hasn't been discussed by the media is that many of our corporations are owned in whole or part by foreign interests and those foreign interests can now spend millions in an effort to sway elections in our country. For example, if a Chinese corporation that is owned by the government of China (many are) owns part of a US-based corporation it can contribute to the election of candidates friendly to their cause.

Well, democracy was fun while it lasted.

You've Got a Nice Planet

Sunday is my favorite day for study and contemplation. It is THE day for reflection. On Sundays I like a comfort breakfast of an egg biscuit, reading the New York Times and listening to baroque music. Once I get in that zone I'm as close to Nirvana as I'll get during a typical week. Today, after my biscuit, I stopped by the Unitarian Church and sat in my favorite sun room just off of the sanctuary. I like to sit there and listen to the sermon from my isolated corner - observing the goings and comings of the people rather than being a part of it. I'm not sure why I prefer observer status. But as Kevin Spacey said in K-PAX. "You've got a nice planet here."

I made the mistake of showing my son a vegetarian recipe book today and telling him I'd make anything he liked from it. Of course he picked the most difficult dish in the whole book. After hunting down fresh sage and white wine vinegar at the local employee-owned grocery I spent the next two hours making wholewheat spinach ravioli from scratch - and I mean scratch. But it was worth it when he said he liked it and wanted more. But next time I'm going to show him a soup recipe book.

While the kitchen and I became more familiar today I listened to my new Internet radio. The Logitec Squeezebox streams hundreds of radio stations and Internet music from around the world so while kneading pasta today I listened to a radio station from Japan and tried to pick out words I knew. When I got tired of that I listened to the BBC. Reminds me of my days twirling the dial on my old shortwave radio.

Tonight, I started reading "The Names of Things".

Freezing in Peavine

It's been terrifically cold the last week in Peavine, my home town. The temperature hasn't risen above freezing for three days now. The snow that is still around from Christmas has turned into charcoal piles where snow shovels have left it along roads and parking lots. The truck drivers have
long tired of dashing about on their giant tires - alarming other, more prudent drivers. Once-in-awhile the truck and jeep owners are reminded of their mortal status and we find their once-mighty iron dragons overturned next to the expressway. As we putter by in our Toyotas and our Tauruses we can't help but think that the world is a little bit better than we had thought.