It is a stark reality that I am far closer in time to my 50th high school reunion than to my 25th. It is a stark reality that in each moment of my life I am older than I have ever been before and younger than I will ever be again.
The massive political and social polarization of, seemingly, the entire developed world is a most bleak presence as is the horrifyingly disgusting rise in blatant anti-Semitism. Once again, I place much–if not most–of the blame on the “rise” of social media. No, that is not a hypocritical statement coming from someone writing a blog; well, actually two blogs.
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This Why Evolution Is True (WEIT) post is titled, “DEI ‘studies’ displace scientific research at the National Science Foundation.” People who think that the scientific so-called consensus is always right and that science is “pure” have exactly the same mindset as religious fanatics.
For many years the scientific consensus was that mountains on the Earth formed in a process similar to an apple peel pulling away from a cooling, shrinking core. Fifty years ago, many scientists, if not most of them, thought that most of us would starve to death by the year 2000 because population growth would outstrip our ability to feed that population.
Scientists still can’t really explain why winds on the planet Neptune have been measured as fast as 1,300 MPH. MANY disease processes still have unknown etiologies, or origins. I could write about many more similar examples, but you either get the point or you don’t.
Science is a noble endeavor and has brought much good to the world. However, it is an endeavor of flawed human beings and, as such, is not perfect or “pure.” Yes, excessive skepticism is not prudent, but neither is excessive dogmatism.
Oh, the WEIT post notes that the current, lame-duck administration “diverted billions from science to DEI activists.” (Talk about a stark reality…) I only hope that a lawsuit involving DEI “initiatives” gets to the Supreme Court soon so they can be formally declared unconstitutional.
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I was going to write about the Biden pardon and link that action to an article about a prominent psychologist talking about how successful parenting involves saying “No” to children, at least some of the time, but decided not to write about those topics in detail. I will just write, again, that idolizing a politician, ANY politician, is like believing the stripper really likes you.
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Two enjoyable pieces of humor (IMO) from this Archon’s Den post:
One day, a man says to his wife, “It’s a fine day.”
The next day, he again says, “It’s a fine day.”
This continues for about a week. Finally she demands to know why he keeps saying it. He replies, “Last week we had that big argument, and you said that you’d leave me one fine day. I’m just reminding you.”
A homeless man approached me as I was leaving a sandwich shop and he asked me if I had $5 to spare. I felt bad for him, and was just about to give him the money.
But then I realized I was holding a $5 foot long I had just bought, so I held up both the cash and the sandwich and told him he could have whichever one he preferred.
He stared at the sandwich. Then his eyes shot over to the $5 bill. He looked at the sandwich again, then back at the cash. After a moment his eyes were darting back and forth between the two, and he threw up his hands in despair, let out a scream of anguish and then turned and ran away from me.
At first I was totally confused, but then it dawned on me: Beggars can’t be choosers.
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Practicality > Pique…the “wallet incident” mentioned here that led to the purchase of a new “modern” wallet has a postscript. The new wallet proved to be inadequate because, apparently, I really have too much stuff that I think I need to carry with me at all times. The replacement for the “new” wallet, an old-fashioned tri-fold type with more room, is supposed to arrive today.
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My seemingly never-ending writing about the “impending” purchase of an F-Type companion, almost certainly a Supra, reminds me of the running gag on the “Weekend Update” segment of the original iteration of Saturday Night Live where one of the “news anchors” would say, “Generalissimo Franco is still dead.” I will try to refrain from writing about a car acquisition any more until/unless I actually buy a car.
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Speaking of cars, though, my wonderful wife and I have decided to bite the bullet and have purchased VIP accommodations to the upcoming Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. While the price for VIP seating has increased since the last time we purchased that package in 2022, an extra day is now included meaning the per-day, per-person price has actually decreased.
Two of the following are consigned for the auction:
This is one of the two 1953 Buick Skylark convertibles that will be offered for sale next month. (Next month?!) As every regular reader should know, I am a fan of many cars from the 1950s. These are near the top of my hierarchy from that era.
No one had a winning ticket for last night’s Mega Millions drawing. I estimate that the after-tax net from the cash prize for a winning ticket sold in Arizona (the only winning ticket) would be about $165 million. While it wouldn’t be among the first two or three cars I would buy–I would have to build a place to park more cars first–a couple of 1950s cars would eventually be among those I would buy if my wonderful wife and I were ever to win such a prize. Again from Diner, if you don’t have dreams you have nightmares. Stark realities can push real life into nightmare territory so might as well have some pleasant daydreams.
#StarkRealities