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Excellent reporting.
The Spokesman has been doing an OUTSTANDING job on the arson epidemic. Today’s edition includes several long articles on the pattern here, the mind of serial arsonists, and the lack of proper laws. This map (scanned from print edition) tells most of the story. It’s only the city limits; many of the big fires in…
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Permanent characters
Evan Barker’s book is packed with inside info about the current characters in charge of “progressive” politics. Some of the activities are new to me. Politicians now spend most of their time and energy begging rich people for money, which doesn’t seem to accomplish anything. It’s not quid pro quo, it’s just endless quid. If…
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Not a joke!
There are lots of jokes about oldsters encrypting against yoots by writing in cursive. I figured the jokes were exaggerated. Surely it can’t be all that difficult? In the Reddit section on cursive, younger folks doing genealogy are unable to decipher old census records or birth certificates or recipes. Every one of them is instantly…
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Genes will tell
Back to Hudson because I feel like it. Hudson’s founding team in 1909 had the three necessary members: a salesman/visionary, an engineer, and a manager/beancounter. Roy Chapin was the salesman, Howard Coffin the engineer, and Roscoe Jackson the manager. Chapin and Coffin started the project, which moved quickly through several existing companies, picking up experience…
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Persistent songs
Cute meme: An ancient bench under a tree. The bench and ground are covered with green apples. Caption: Newton’s Bench. Instantly my internal jukebox started playing My name is Crabby Appleton, I’m rotten to the core. Wait, who was he? Oh, he was the villain in I’m Tom Terrific, greatest hero ever! I hadn’t seen…
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Manweller is gravity
Manweller’s Rule: “Elections” are not allowed to change things. A candidate who threatens to change things will be eliminated, usually well before the “election.” A referendum that threatens to change things will be eliminated after the people have vainly “voted” for it. Today’s example: Two years ago a referendum to protect natural gas from the…
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Who was the Mustang?
Back in hippie days I once attended a lecture by Dick Gregory. He said Detroit got around to improving conditions for blacks after “the fire got too close to their Mustangs.” Something similar seems to be happening here. The “city” dysgoverment was strongly encouraging and cultivating crime and homelessness, letting the poor overworked police catch…
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IRCs not quite dead.
I thought IRCs were phased out in 2013 but apparently the PO delayed the deadline until the end of this year. This Reddit item shows a ticket for 525 one-cent coupons and 7 “Jimmy Carter” stamps at 82 cents each. (The Carter stamps are new, not related to IRCs.) Some of the USPS employees at…
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Annie Dillard dies
Oddly enough, her death was unnoticed at Substack. I would have expected plenty of attention there. They go on endlessly about people I’ve never heard of. So we’ll make a note here instead! I used to read Dillard’s books, and absorbed her attitude toward nature and thinking. The SPECIFIC thing I learned is the universal…
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Close to home
Tired of the AI shit, which is going to happen no matter what the peasants think. Like 2020, nobody on any side is telling the truth. Carver says LOOK ABOUT YOU. TAKE HOLD OF THE THINGS THAT ARE HERE. Look about you: I could look at the VA hospital from my house if trees weren’t…
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Fair and DOESN’T miss anything
Following on previous about sugar and spice. Another Nieman item. Bloomberg and DailyMail are trying something new which SHOULD have been old. They recognize that social media is taking care of basic information for free. They’re finally grasping the two-way obligation of SERVICE in exchange for money. = = = = = START QUOTE: Boyce…
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Fair but misses the usual
Nieman has a fair-minded article on the decline of science journalism. The author recognizes that science journalism isn’t unique; it’s failing on the same schedule as general journalism. He misses the reason as always. He also categorizes science magazines oddly. He says Scientific American, Popular Science and National Geographic are the three biggest. SciAm has…
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Wanted to hear the music
Reprinting this 2016 item because I wanted to hear the march, and also because a couple of chance mentions have new reference points. = = = = = START REPRINT: Before 1960 local radio stations, even in big cities, spent a LOT of time serving farmers and agricultural occupations. Early morning typically featured one or…
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Not as simple as I thought
Somebody on substack mentioned the Episcopal tradition of painting the front door red to symbolize the Holy Spirit and a place of sanctuary. The sanctuary idea was big in the Vietnam era when Anglican and Unitarian churches were preaching peace. Especially after Nixon won the ’68 election and tainted the war with heretical Repooflican branding.…
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First thought, second thought
Amodei is giving two messages right now. 1. I will destroy the world. 2. Here are the laws that will prevent me from destroying the world. At first I was focused on the usual coquettish foreplay for venture capitalists. “Hey big boy! If you fund me hard enough, I’ll destroy all the computers ESPECIALLY THE…
Polistra's Mill
Be your own beacon.
Polistra's Mill 