What to report? I passed the written driving exam on Wednesday with the use of the reading glasses, the PO visited on Wednesday night and finally noticed CC's belongings that had been in the front room for weeks (his powers of observation led him to ask if she had moved in - she would kill me for how the place looks right now - and leave me wondering if he is a bachelor); the next day, work ended early, and I ate the deli at The Downtown Farm Stand (great burrito), came back to nap, woke feeling worse, and spent most of Thursday sleeping, waking, and more sleeping; Friday was work and the group and sleeping, and starting this post; and today, I slept in until 7:30 and determined to finish this post.
Nothing written. The reading glasses leave my eyes more tired than not.
Too much napping - I have not been feeling well, but nothing specific.
I can read online if I zoom up to 150%. YouTube videos have been taking my time.
On my mind has been my Stephenson play. I am still too caught up with politics.
So, not much to say, only things to share.
The Only 3 Movies David Lynch Called "Masterpieces"
Hickey and Boggs: just as nihilistic as advertised,
Honest Government Ad | TRUMP 2024
The Guardrails Are Already Crumpling by Jonathan V. Last:
What’s remarkable is that Trump didn’t have to arrest Bezos to secure his compliance. Trump didn’t even have to win the election. Just the fact that he has an even-money chance to become president was threat enough.
Or maybe that’s not remarkable. One of Timothy Snyder’s rules for resisting authoritarians is that “most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given.” People surrender preemptively much more often than you might expect.
Two weeks ago, Ian Bassin and Maximillian Potter wrote what might be the most prophetic essay of the year. They warned about “anticipatory obedience” in the media.
Seventeen days later, Bezos made his demonstration.
In case you needed reminding: The “guardrails” aren’t guardrails. They’re people.
1960: How did Orson Welles make CITIZEN KANE? | Monitor | Classic Movie Interviews | BBC Archive
Life is often defined by what we get right. by David S Oderberg:
Life is often defined by what we get right. It is explained by growth, replication and adaptation to the environment. But mistakes are everywhere. A theory of mistakes will help us understand, in a systematic and experimentally driven way, behaviour that threatens the flourishing of living beings. It will also help us appreciate the normativity that runs through life. While some still view ‘teleology’ with scepticism, mistake theory may well be the antidote that challenges conventional wisdom about the goals of living things. In the intricate biological dance of right and wrong, we might just find the key to understanding the deeper purposes that drive life on Earth.
No reason to be scared of Proust: On Proust, Judd Nelson, and Some Other Things by Bryan Alistair Charles.
Old civics textbook yields timely reflections by Niki Kelly:
I was fascinated by the book. It was originally published in the 1920s, but the edition I was looking at was from the early 1930s.
The different chapters and themes felt especially relevant with our current and very volatile election season.
The book starts with this preface (and yes, I took photos while at the table): “It is generally agreed today that the main reason for the existence of schools is to help our pupils to become good citizens. Our schools teach the three R’s because everybody needs those tools in order to act intelligently in his relations with his fellow man. It is no less important for the pupil to learn that his life must be lived in close association with his fellow men, and to profit by the experience of human beings in regard to these relations.”
***
Lawmakers in 2021 mandated one semester of civics education for students. The Indiana Department of Education created new academic standards for a class that students will take during the second semester of sixth grade. The new standards focus on instructing students on the foundations of government, functions of government and the role of citizens.
Those standards were crafted with the assistance of the Indiana Civic Education Commission and public input.
To learn more about the effort, the Indiana Bar Foundation has put together civics resources here.
Regardless, whether it’s 1934 or 2024, I think the takeaway is clear: We can all do better as citizens and we can all do better by one another.
And we were not doing that good under Trump, dear reader: Fox News Tried Going After Denmark. Big Mistake. Maybe we should not be going back, but asking why we are not doing better by our citizens?
Laundry today. I have put it off for two days - lost in the naps.
I have not seen CC in weeks. Her car broke down.
Enjoy John Gierach's "Hog Holes".
I need to get this place in order. No, I need to get myself in order.
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