Autumn Begins
We have warm, clear weather for the first day of Fall. There’s a huge Harvest Moon, I tried to photograph it– but it came out looking like a blurry dot. Here’s the State House, with a train arriving at the station. I joined with some friends to observe the Autumnal Equinox by playing drums at [...]
Follow the Money
We all develop an almost unconscious skill– judging the message by the messenger. Like when you half-notice a commercial about clean water, green energy, we care… we’re Beyond Petroleum… Well, it’s hard not to flash on exploding oil rigs and dying birds. It’s a survival skill to not trust words over actions. But when the [...]
Mi Vida Local–Diner Edition
(Observer was right about the Spanish grammar) My Mom was talking about the good old days when she went to RISD in the 50′s. “There was this diner we went to, it was run by two brothers who were in WWII.” “Louie’s!” I cried. I used to go there in the 70′s for their incomparable [...]
The Arbiters of “Over”
Baseball legend Yogi Berra once famously remarked, “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.” But when is something over? Really over? Is it when the fat lady sings? Why should she decide? Who made her the arbiter of “over”? What if she declares it over prematurely, because she’s grown bored and is jonesing for a big [...]
Maybe There Is a God
Doesn’t the Good Book say something about reaping what you sow? GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Authorities say security for last weekend’s canceled Quran burning at a central Florida church cost around $200,000. City officials say they expect the church to pay. Maybe an analogy is shouting fire in a crowded theatre because you want to be [...]
Saved by ‘Gummint Interference’
From the New York Times, September 14— CHEVY CHASE, Md. — She is unlikely to be mentioned at any 50th-birthday parties this year, but she is the reason many of those celebrations will take place. Dr. Frances Oldham Kelsey is 96 now, nearly deaf and barely mobile, as modest as her faded house in this [...]
Pope Benedict’s Confession
At Kmareka we like to be on the leading edge, bringing you the news even before it happens. It’s in that spirit that our literary editor, Spectral_Ev, offers a review of the book that Pope Benedict XVI will write next year, ‘My Life in Hitler Youth’ – New York Times Book Review, June 24, 2012 [...]
Readings for These Unreal Times
In the event you seek something other than distraction this weekend, here are some suggested readings for your edification: • Synthetic Novelty Is Not Reality – In Salon, writer David Sirota reflects on “the hullabaloo surrounding Florida pastor Terry Jones and his much-hyped plans to burn the Quran” and concludes that “we have just witnessed [...]
Rally to Restore Sanity
Finally, an event I can get behind, a tonic for the polarized politics and pugnacious punditry that pollutes the public discourse: The Rally to Restore Sanity. The event was announced yesterday by Jon Stewart of The Daily Show and is scheduled to be held in Washington, DC on October 30. Not to be outdone, Stephen [...]
Igor, Julia and Karl
Three hurricanes in the Atlantic today. Follow this link to see the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s cool weather map. Your tax dollars at work. LiveScience has some fascinating hurricane history, including questions about how many hurricanes you can have at once.
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