Featured Editorials

Album of the Week 4-20-24

Afternoon folks!

There's another dollop of great stuff and you get to decide which flavor you like best. There's some Albert King and some Jimmy McCracklin in the blues category. After that there's albums from African band Osibisa, Van Morrison, Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, a live Rory Gallagher album and for some diversity, an album from the Red Clay Ramblers.

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Saturday Open Thread - 4/20/24: Odds and Ends

Good morning, good people!

I had a little trip through 5 counties to attend a series of lectures for purposes of fulfilling the requirement to attend a minimum of 15 hours of legal education each year.

I am very proud of myself for staying awake and faking interest in the topics.

This trip goofed up my usual shopping trip to do a little consumer prices check on food, but I can say that the gas prices held fast and firm at $3.20 per gallon from my town to the gulf. I am interested about prices for basic necessities around the country, so please let us know how it is affecting your part of this "exceptional" country. /s

Friday Night Photos More Birds Edition

Happy Friday everyone. I hope everybody is doing well. Post any photos, memes, or music you like.

The bird watching group I belong to meets once a month. These photos are from both this month's and last month's meeting. Last month we met at Mast Park in Santee. The park is a narrow strip of natural riparian environment that runs alongside the San Diego river. This month we met at Harry Griffen Park in La Mesa. A typical man made and maintained city park with one corner left unlandscaped and with it's native vegetation. Even though the parks are about five miles apart and are very different environments, most of the birds we saw were the same at both parks. Our group leader heard there was a rare sighting of a Baltimore Oriole at Harry Griffen Park recently. If one was there, we didn't see it.

Cedar Waxwing
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Open Thread - 04-19-24 - The Abyss Smiles Back

I don't watch TV and haven't for years, except for when we travel and stay in hotels/motels. My motto is "if we paid for it let's use it". I immediately go for the old programs that I grew up watching, usually old westerns. But you can't escape the commercials. Also while running through the litany of channels in the search for the old programs I often come across the ludicrous propaganda platforms that are supposed to be news, whether local, national or international. I can't stand the lies so I move on quickly and leave the talking heads in chatter mode.

They are a grim reminder of the plastic society that we live in, if I may borrow a phrase from decades ago. The long sojourn from the noise heightens the awareness when one revisits it. It's like a slap in the face of reality. I imagine it as the abyss smiling back at me. A knowing, patient, come hither smile.

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