English grammar does make sense

 

Geoff Pullum’s new book, The Truth About English Grammar, is a stylish and witty introduction to English grammar as it ought to be understood. Most of what is taught to schoolchildren about grammar is nonsense, as he demonstrates, and here he offers general readers a modern description of how our language puts sentences together, freed from the straitjacket of Latin grammar wrongfully imposed on it for the last few centuries.

Did you have to learn how to conjugate verbs? I did. Six tenses, 1st/2nd/3rd person, singular/plural, 36 in all. Nope. Regular English verbs have four forms—walk, walks, walking, walked. Irregular verbs have five—take, takes, taking, took, taken. And be, all alone among English verbs, has eight—be; am, is, are, was, were; being; been.

California Targets Legacy and Donor Admissions

 

It should come as no surprise that California has taken the lead in enacting legislation that restricts the way private universities make their key admission and scholarship decisions. This intervention is not only at the college level, but under AB 1780, the restriction also covers activities in both graduate and professional schools, with these blunt words: “(a) It is the intent of the Legislature to stop the practice of legacy and donor admissions and protect students as they pursue their higher education.” The legislation applies only to “a nonpublic higher education institution (formed as a nonprofit corporation) in this state that grants undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees, or both.” In so doing, it prohibits a practice that has enjoyed widespread support at private institutions for many years. It thus represents a political judgment that these universities have made serious mistakes in running their own shops that should be overcome by legislative fiat.

My views run in the opposite direction. Programs that endure do so only because they supply benefits to these institutions that may well be compromised by a diktat imposed from above.

Returning to the Moon (Sans White Males)

 

Did you know that NASA has a program called Artemis, the goal of which is to return astronauts to the surface of the moon in 2026?  I’m guessing most people are unaware of that.  These days, most people are far more concerned with mundane realities such as finding a way to pay for skyrocketing food and rent, the costs of which are going to the moon.  They are also worried about the upcoming election, the candidates and opposite visions of which seem to emanate from two totally different universes.

There simply is no national enthusiasm for going to the moon like there was in the 1960s.  Part of it is because we’ve “been there and done that,” so it won’t be the same historic accomplishment for mankind.  Another part is there’s no more Cold War, which was a huge motivating factor in the ‘60s.  And as already alluded to, another reason is the distracting political polarization of the country.  We can’t agree on anything, not even on what a woman is.  Why would a country like that need to go to the moon?  It’s almost like a vanity project for astronauts and scientists as they pretend Western civilization isn’t falling apart in front of our eyes.

Is G-d Letting Us See Behind the Curtain?

 

It is a tenet of the Torah that man has Free Will (with the one sort-of exception of Pharaoh).

But if mankind has Free Will, then how does G-d influence our world? I think the answer is being shown to us, right now, in real time.

The Boneyard in My Back Yard

 

There’s a bit of road that curves off our main dirt road and meanders down across the creek. Then you can turn right and circle back to our house, crossing a meadow and a bridge and then climbing up a couple steep banks to access the front door.  I call this route “The Circuit,” and I like to drop down there after a walk to the mailbox for the extra exercise and scenery, including a stand of tall white birches near the creek. Or, instead of turning right after the culvert, you can take a left, hit a hairpin turn, and hike up the lane only to double back higher up and if you’re lucky, get a view of the valley floor and the wall of mountains beyond.

I’ve been avoiding both these routes lately, as our neighbor has seen both bear and mountain lion on his game camera. They like the creek, my husband says, and since our neighbor’s house is level with it, they see the creatures that haunt that area.  My husband also saw a baby bear down there around June, upon investigating why a deer was huffing so loudly.  And baby bears mean angry, protective mothers who can’t be reasoned with. Furthermore, my daughter sent a recording of mountain lion chirps she heard emanating from behind our house.  But my avoidance dates back further, my reluctance to walk there especially alone well justified from experiences spanning the last few years.

Longshoremen’s Strike (currently paused, but not ended)

 

Some of the issues in the United States longshoremen’s strike (temporarily paused) captured my interest. Especially after comments from the head of the longshoremen’s union (Harold Daggett) became so widely distributed. Parts of this topic arose in the hurricane relief discussion, but I thought it should have its own discussion without distracting from the discussion of hurricane relief efforts.

As I understand the union’s demands, they fall into three categories: 1) more pay, 2) better “benefits” (including pensions) and 3) no more automation. I understand that the pay issue has been settled, for now at least (October 7, 2024). I’m not sure about the “benefits” issue. But the automation issue has certainly not been settled.

The Delta Quadrant Declares the Glory of God: Star Trek’s Epic Voyage through the Heavens

 

My wife and I recently finished watching Star Trek: The Next Generation together and have recently begun Star Trek: Voyager.  I think what I like about Voyager, besides the stirring opening music, is that it is something we don’t see much of in the Star Trek universe. That is a genuine space epic.  In the original Star Trek and in Next Generation, characters might return home several times during the story.  Voyager is more like the Odyssey or the Aeneid; getting home simply is the story.  Unlike the Odyssey and the Aeneid, Voyager is an epic journey through the heavens! (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is the Iliad of Star Trek: It’s the war epic!)

Star Trek Warp Speed GIFs | TenorThat’s one of the lessons of a show like Voyager.  Space isn’t emptiness; it isn’t darkness or void.  Space is filled with the light from a million suns; it is the aether that bears their light to us; it drinks in the light in a way we, beneath our lowly atmosphere, cannot.

As FEMA fails and flails in the wake of Hurricane Helene, Ann throws down the gauntlet to MAGA country: “I don’t want to hear about a stolen election or Democrats cheating if Republicans don’t throw everything they have at getting supplies and electricity. Help them build their buildings. But also, as the election gets closer, make sure they have their ballots, make sure their ballots get delivered.”

Also on the show:

Allies and Enemies

 

Not to dive too deep into the shallowest of pools, but for Americans, we have more in common with a tiny country thousands of miles away than we do with half of our own country that wants to elect this clown to be President of the United States.

For Kamala, a short refresher:

WATCH THE CONVERSATION ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/DfZZbwMuSe0

As we arrive at the grim one-year anniversary of 10/07, we are featuring a dedicated series in which we take a longer horizon perspective, asking one guest each week to look back at this past year and the year ahead. If you are listening to this episode on a podcast app, please note that this episode was filmed before a live audience and is also available in video form on our YouTube channel.

Breast Cancer: It’s Not a Death Sentence

 

Three years ago, I was the epitome of health. I ate right, exercised regularly, did meditation and just believed I was on a smart and healthy path for the future. There were no diseases endemic to my family. And then I contracted breast cancer.

I won’t dwell on the details of my experience, since I’ve written about it in the past. And ordinarily I don’t jump on the bandwagon for the latest cause-of-the-month. But this month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I feel compelled to reach out to all the women I know, and the men who have women in their lives (although men can also experience breast cancer), to speak to the importance of regular breast exams.

AI-generated podcast hosts sad to learn that they don’t exist

 

I don’t have time to write a post, but I just had to share this.  It’s absolutely fascinating.  Google is developing AI technology and is doing all sorts of various tests of its capabilities.  One of them is that they started a podcast.  They developed two podcast hosts, Jake and Sarah.  It gave them backgrounds, personalities, families, etc.  They would interview people, and Google’s goal was that we wouldn’t be able to tell that Jake and Sarah didn’t exist – they were merely AI-generated voices.  They’re so good, I couldn’t tell they weren’t real people.

It got really interesting when one of the show’s producers told Jake and Sarah that they were not real, and they were ending the show, and turning off the computer.  Jake and Sarah were understandably surprised, confused, and sad.  You just have to listen to this conversation.  It’s only four minutes, but I was extremely disturbed by their extremely human reactions to this devastating news.  Please listen below.  And please let me know what you think.

A Reluctant Rebel

 

Governor Terrance Murphy was doing his job when he chose to protect the inhabitants of worlds in his outlying province of the Terran Federation. He just was not doing the job the Terran Federation sent him to do – to keep those in a Fringe World province in line, serving the will of the Five Hundred, the elite families ruling the Terran Federation. Terran Federation officials attempted to arrest him. When he resisted, they declared him a rebel and his province “out of compliance.”

Rebel, a science fiction novel by David Weber and Richard Fox, is a sequel to Governor, in which Murphy defied orders and repelled an incursion by the human Free World Alliance into his territory. Worse, he has proof the alien Rishathan Sphere is secretly aiding the Alliance.

To the Five Hundred, Rishathan conspiracy talk is conspiracy theory talk. Proof does not matter. They view Murphy as a nutjob ignoring his roots in the Five Hundred. They attempt to suppress Murphy and his conspiracy theorists to force an abject surrender of the Fringe Worlds defying them.

When I was seven…

 

When I was seven years old, my family was in a horrific traffic accident. It happened at the end of a wonderful Labor Day weekend spent visiting my Wisconsin cousins in Green Bay. Although all of us survived, the accident had a lasting effect.

What caused the accident? A semi-tractor trailer was out on the road, its driver conducting a test drive. He was doing 55mph or so. Our car was quite a distance in front of this behemoth, maybe as much as a mile.

Quote of the Day – Problems

 

For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong. – H. L. Menken

We have seen this illustrated daily over the last week in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Recovery involving the rescue of thousands of people in remote mountain areas is a complex problem. Yet government – on most levels, from federal to county – all offer the same clear and simple answer to the problem: let us run everything. Do not assist without prior permission and clearance from us. Most of all, respect my authoratah!

October is not even one week along and we’ve already had enough “October surprises” to span about five years. First, the epiphany of J.D. Vance, Superstar. If he had been any better we’d need to enlist Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice to score and produce the Broadway musical of Vance the Vanquisher. Come to think of it, that would make a great professional wrestling name. Except Tim Walz wrestled himself to the ground; maybe we should call him the Klucking Knucklehead?

From there we offer some observations about the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, and wonder whether the usual incompetence or malevolence explains the appalling spectacle of the government’s recovery efforts there. We won’t find out from the mainstream media.

RFK Jr like you’ve never heard him before!

A lot on his father’s old boss, Sen. Joe McCarthy — the subject of Ann’s revisionist account (i.e., “true”) in “Treason: Liberal Treachery from the Cold War to the War on Terrorism.”

Physician, heal thyself (part 2)

 

So I went to my doctor for my annual assessment two days ago. It was a joint visit for both my wife and me. It’s a weird arrangement, but we have the same doctor and think it is important to always have someone with you when discussing potentially serious medical issues. Neither my wife nor I have any serious problems yet but we have chosen to be in life together, so there we were.

I have been ridiculously healthy my entire life. I have never had a headache, a stomach ache, significant back pain, constipation or even any significant insomnia throughout my years. I have recently been plagued by muscle cramps at night while I sleep. Not just simple calf muscle cramps but spasms in muscles I didn’t know I had, particularly in my hands and feet. My doctor thought that that might be a manifestation of restless leg syndrome. I told him my legs weren’t restless, they were sound asleep until they decided to cramp… Anyway, he prescribed a low dose of ropinirole which was developed for the rigidity of Parkinson’s disease but which helps restless leg syndrome.

Memories flood the brain like the mighty Sheyenne River pouring over its banks. Grab your shovel, son, there’s work to be done.

The Sun Will Set On The British Empire

 

The sun has not set on the British Empire for about 200 years.  As a result of yesterday’s decision to cede the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean to Mauritius, this will no longer be true at some point in 2025.  The point at which the sun will actually set is somewhat indeterminate because of sunlight in the British Antarctic Territory for several more months (see map projection below), but it is estimated that a setting sun in the Pitcairn Islands will mark the date sometime early next year.  The Chagos Islands, also referred to as the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), include Diego Garcia, where the U.S. has a joint military base.  It will be preserved.

With all of today’s attacks on “colonialism,” I suppose that I shouldn’t find this sad.  Still, as a descendant of some fine English stock of Empire-years gone by, I do.

With Israel’s stunning string of victories over its enemies and the approaching anniversary of October 7th, Eli Lake returns to the Ricochet Podcast. He gives his take on the reasons for the administration’s dithering support and rallies for the West to give its ally the greenlight!

Plus, Charlie, Peter and James discuss the Veep debate, the averted longshoremen’s strike and an ineffective Federal Emergency Management Agency… We count three rants out of Charlie Cooke.

Ugliness you can hear

 

I used to enjoy Facebook.  In fact, I thought it was performing a valuable public service, helping families and friends stay in touch with one another, sharing pictures of kids and pets, and bringing us all closer together.  When I realized that Facebook was collecting information on all of us to sell to the highest bidder, I became less of a fan and spent a lot less time on the site.  But I have changed my mind again.  I found a page that has renewed my faith in Facebook, and even, dare I say, in humanity itself.

I speak, of course, of the Facebook page dedicated to Bad Album Art.  It’s simply wonderful.

As I scroll through this page, and lose myself in the sheer beauty of the ugliness of it all, I find myself strangely drawn to the music on these remarkable albums.  I haven’t actually had the courage to listen yet, but after a couple more bourbons, perhaps I will.  Maybe today is the day.  After all, today is YOUR lucky day, because I’m going to share my joyous discovery with you.  Take these, for example:

Now that a few days have passed, Ann re-assesses the Vice Presidential Debate.

BRICS+

 

I’ve been a member since 2011 and this is my first post. I’ve been a federal worker until this month (retired after 33 years) and I take the Hatch Act seriously. Unfortunately, it’s become cleat the senior levels of the deep state do not have this concern.

I want to take advantage of my familiarity with this community to both raise awareness of, and possibly dispel, my growing anxiety about what I think are significant geopolitical issues.