Another Reason Not To Go To The Dentist

Information Super Highway Turns Into A Dead End

Back in the 1990's the Internet was given the name Information Super Highway. It was place where you could find information on anything provided by individuals who maintained websites which shared their love for all things. Then came Wikipedia and things changed. Wikipedia touts itself as an encyclopedia that is maintained by "citizen scholars" and that may have been correct at the beginning but now Wikipedia is mainly a treasure trove of misinformation protected by ignorant, anonymous bullies. An incident this week shows just how petty Wikipedia editors can be.

Amanda Filipacchi wrote a story in The New York Times about how someone in the Wikipedia universe is moving all the women authors off there American Novelist page but leaving all male authors no matter how obscure and unknown they are to the general public. It gets worse. Not only are they letting someone move all women authors off the American Novelists list and into their own category, they are also harassing the woman who pointed this out, Amanda Filipacchi. Someone has gutted her Wikipedia page. Pettiness, thy name is Wikipedia.

Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

In Memory

Lois Stott born April 25, 1928 died April 12, 2013.

(My nice with her grandmother around 1992.)

Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality.

We slowly drove, he knew no haste,
And I had put away
My labor, and my leisure too,
For his civility.

We passed the school, where children strove
At recess, in the ring;
We passed the fields of gazing grain,
We passed the setting sun.

Or rather, he passed us;
The dews grew quivering and chill,
For only gossamer my gown,
My tippet only tulle.

We paused before a house that seemed
A swelling of the ground;
The roof was scarcely visible,
The cornice but a mound.

Since then 'tis centuries, and yet each
Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses' heads
Were toward eternity.
-Emily Dickinson

Calling Doctor Freedman

Ladies and gentlemen, take my advice; pull down your pants and slide on the ice.

Actor Allen Arbus died last Friday at age ninety-five. Although he was not part of the main cast, Arbus was an integral part of the television show M*A*S*H in the role of psychiatrist Doctor Sidney Freedman.

Before he became an actor Mr Arbus was a fashion photography and is credited with giving his wife Diane Arbus her first camera.





Back in 2006, in a bit of Hollywood surrealism, Modern Family actor Ty Burrell played Mr. Arbus in the film Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus.

Allen Alda once said this about Mr. Arbus as Doctor Sidney Freedman, "I was so convinced that he was a psychiatrist, I used to sit and talk with him between scenes."

And that ability to make you believe, ladies and gentleman, is what makes a great actor.


His New York Times obit is here.

Your Book Is Here

Why oh why does my library always wait until they are closed to send me an email telling me the book I requested is now there?

"The following items which you have requested to be placed on hold are now available. Please come to the library on or before the hold expiration date (indicated below as Expires) to check these items out.

Doctor Who FAQ : all that's left to know about the most famous time lord in the universe."

The Big Blue Marble

The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.
―John Muir

Earth Day.

Say Hello To My Little Friend

He has joined my other friends up on the curios shelf in my kitchen.

Sunlight!

Been so long it feel like it is this bright.

SOLD!

White On Whited

Walking today was quite a workout with about ten inches of snow to trudge through. The dogs loved every second of it even though they were collecting snowballs on their fur the size of small grapes  and shooter marbles.

I'm Shocked, Shocked!

Snow in Colorado in the middle of April?

Under A Mighty Cottonwood

The puny human squats (With two dog).

Still Finding Out Where Things Want To Be In My House

For example, this landscape, which I picked-up at a consignment shop,  decided it would be happier in my living room than in my bedroom.

April Blizzard of 2013 A Day Later

...full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.
Of course this happened mostly because the ground absorbed so much heat during the warmer weather last week.

"'Tis A Privilege To Live In Colorado"

-Frederick Bonfils


(Via facebook)
Yesterday, clear blue skies and a high of 67F/19.4°C. Today, blizzard, temperature 18.7F/-7.4°C, winds 17mph, making it feel around 4F/-15.6°C right now.

Roger Ebert (1942-2013)

"Kindness” covers all of my political beliefs. No need to spell them out. I believe that if, at the end, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do. To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try. I didn’t always know this and am happy I lived long enough to find it out.

His Chicago Sun-Times obituary here.

Go Away, Just Shut-Up And Go Away

This obnoxious pop-up ad comes to you via a group of mini-Karl-Rove's calling themselves Colorado Citizens Protecting Our Constitution. Since they have no logical argument against Colorado HB 1224, which limits the size of gun magazines to 15 rounds or less, they have turned to childish ridicule.

These kinds of ads are the reason why I canceled my subscription to the Denver Post last year. The Post seems willing to take advertising from any crackpot group as long as said group is willing to pony up the cash for said ad.


To be fair I must point out that the Post also accepts ads from other political groups such as Americans for Responsible Solutions. They ran a banner ad near the top of today's paper which, when you clicked on it, took you to a page that allowed you to contact your state senator to voice your support of background checks for gun buyers.




It is not a coincidence that both these ads appeared on the same day. Does the Post believe that by running both ads they are presenting a fair and balanced view? Yeah, right, then why do you have to click on the AFRS ad while the the CCPOC ad is in your face without any warning? At first I did not even notice the AFRS ad but I sure as hell cannot say the same thing about the CCPOC ad.

I do, of course, believe in freedom of speech. The problem is that many people today think freedom of speech means you can say anything you damn well want to but that is not true. The Supreme Court has ruled that the first amendment does not allow you to make any statements that are meant to provoke violence or incite illegal action while slander and libel laws protect the reputation of people or organizations from deliberately misleading statements or outright lies. Which ad above is teetering on the edge of libel?

The Denver Post was once a respectable conservative newspaper. It is sad to see it turning into a political rag that panders to the ultra-conservative far-right.

Day Of The Dead

(Post title courtesy of my husband.)


The dogs were busy finding dead things on our walk this morning.


Animal hoof



Dead mouse



Dead red tail hawk

Light Shadows 8