May 23 Link Log with Senior Moment

Senior moments are just busting out all over here. I won't really describe a few other people's recently observed moments, but I'll tell this story on myself. My astigmatism has been more or less noticeable from day to day, all my life, but it's really calling attention to itself today. I just moved to one of the public computers in this building, which involves taking a printed PIN number from one of two librarians, and caught myself speaking to #2 while still looking in the general direction of #1--because I was not actually seeing either one--just looking in their general direction as a point of etiquette. If I didn't have a general idea of what both of their faces look like, I'd probably guess their gender, but have no clue to their age or color (since I'm still focussed on a computer--a different one--and switching focus that far took up enough time). I don't know what they're wearing--it's just the habit of generalizing from past experience that causes me to believe that they're wearing some sort of clothes. What my eyes saw were two vague, colorless, human-shaped blurs. If I sat and looked at the blurs for two or three minutes (long enough for them to feel "stared at"), then I could see clearly, from here, what color their eyes are, not to mention their clothes...but that would be not only wasting my time, but also rude and offensive. Many people with astigmatism just go through life talking to blurs and never learning what "body language" is all about. Astigmatism can be noticed at any stage in life; it often complicates children's learning to read, although it didn't affect mine; it can get either better or worse over time, but all aspects of sight and hearing are likely to get worse after age 50. Life goes on. Categories: Animals, Books, Christian, Education, Food (Yum), Funny, Legislation, Money, Nature, News of the Weird, Political Correctness, Politics, True Crime, Venezuela Update.

Animals

These cats aren't mine, but they look remarkably similar...especially the way the two females are snuggling up with the same kittens! Unless this is a Photoshopped picture, the "nuisance" in this trailer park consists of social cats--not a "nuisance" but a remarkable phenomenon, of real scientific interest, that could be considered an attraction for the trailer park. Instead of threatening to evict the resident, they should PAY her!

https://www.change.org/p/weisser-homes-help-woman-being-punished-for-feeding-stray-cats?

Books

Noner warns us that this is not a happy story:

http://nonersbookmarks.blogspot.com/2016/05/at-end-of-road-review.html

+L. L. Reynolds ' new book sounds as if it's not for everyone, either. Maybe for those who wish Harry Potter's school years weren't over?



Christian

One "daily devotional" piece from a book:

http://www.ordinarybeliever.com/a-cup-of-cold-water-devotional/

Education

Every dorm student needs headphones.

http://www.youvebeenreviewed.net/2016/05/ovleng-stereo-headphones-review.html

For younger students, yes, there's still a Ron Paul Homeschool Curriculum:

http://us5.campaign-archive1.com/?u=77713d21ff56f1c126607d2c5&id=9f48e83fa1&e=39cf8b2be9

Food (Yum)

Iced tea with twists...of different fruits.

https://24carrotdiet.wordpress.com/2016/05/23/iced-tea/

Here's a chicken recipe that's just a bit different, and also gluten-free if you can trust your source of "corn flour." (In the U.S. that term may describe either regular or extra-finely-ground "corn meal"; in the U.K. it may refer to pure "corn starch." +Sandy KS describes what she used as finely ground "meal." The recipe would work either way, but with different results.)

http://rusty2rustyschatter.blogspot.com/2016/05/homemade-chicken-stripes-recipe.html

This banana scone recipe comes from Malaysia but looks likely to work with U.S. ingredients:

http://literacybase.com/bake-banana-scones/

These potatoes might be even yummier with a bit less butter, but to each his or her own.

http://literacybase.com/garlic-herbs-baked-potatoes/

Funny

This week's "Dilbert" cartoons may look a bit different. Here's why. (The explanation might belong in the "Nice" category; the cartoons are still funny.)

http://blog.dilbert.com/post/144796715416/dilbert-by-jake-tapper

http://dilbert.com/jake-tapper-auction

And here's a funny "fable":

https://pjmedia.com/blog/the-news-from-pluto-a-fable/?singlepage=true

Gardening

Please do use these harmless methods to keep cats from digging in your garden.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/621

Yet another flower called a lily...There's a specific plant family called Lilium, which includes many things that do and don't have pretty white flowers, and then there are all kinds of plants that are called lilies because they have (more or less) tall, pretty flowers (that may or may not be white). I've been asked, "What is a lily? What does the word mean?" Apparently, it can mean anything. As with robins, people learned that a word applied to something they hadn't seen, then applied the same word to something they had seen that could be described in similar terms. A robin is a songbird with a red breast. A lily is a pretty white flower on a tall straight stem.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/3707

I knew that curly dock is an edible "weed," that it can be too rich in nutrients for hens (and for humans if they ate a great deal of it), but I learned something new about it here.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/curly-dock-rumex-crispus-history-and-lore

Do you use aluminum containers in the garden? I don't like aluminum in the kitchen, and don't usually drink things packed in aluminum cans, but aluminum does have its uses.

https://blogjob.com/ideasforoutdoorliving/clean-discolored-aluminum-pans/

Legislation 

What happens when laws are badly written: legislation meant to discourage nuisance litigation over dead people is being used to shelter child abusers. And by all means let's commend Mr. Marbury and Ms. Quinney for their extraordinary dedication to law and order. They came home, they found solid proof that a baby-sitter beat up their baby, and they let the baby-sitter walk away? This borders on fanatical faith in the legal process.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/05/22/parents-find-horrific-injuries-on-1-year-old-son-and-theyre-stunned-when-they-learn-why-charges-are-being-dropped/?

Money 

Well, I clicked. Can't most of us learn something (or other) from a retired NFL star? Well, unfortunately for me now, though fortunately for me then, I'd absorbed what this Baltimore Raven has to tell people who "succeed" early in life before I was eighteen. But somebody out there needs to hear it from Ray Lewis.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/05/22/retired-linebacker-ray-lewis-explains-why-so-many-professional-athletes-go-broke/?

Nature

It's not all partisan politics or thank-a-veteran fundraising in the +Allen West Republic , Gentle Readers:





"Was even Euclid impervious to midges?" one of Eleanor Farjeon's characters asked once...Click on the picture to buy the book. I preferred an older edition without drawings, but must admit the picture gives a feel for the kind of book it is.



...In the U.S. "Midge" is usually a nickname for children, short people, or (ironically) very tall people, so not everyone necessarily understood the idea. This is what the character had in mind:

https://kasmansbonniescotland.blogspot.com/2016/05/midges-highland-terror.html

News of the Weird 

In this case the weird part is that I think Etan Thomas may really not have a clue what's going on. He's Black if he says so; he's not much darker than the guy his fellow passenger doesn't mind sitting beside. But no points for guessing, he's bigger than that other man. Also, as an athlete he's probably more comfortable with his body, so his body language probably doesn't scream "I'm more reluctant to touch you than you are to touch me, stranger, for sure!" as loudly as the other man's does. I'm a short woman and I know: short women haaaate larger people--of either sex or any color, and if we have astigmatism and are trying to read we may not even know which sex or color--sprawling over onto our seats on a bus or train. It's not about hating the large, sprawly people individually. In fact we agree with them that public transportation services need to curb their greed and offer nice, roomy seats, with partitions too high for even NBA stars to let their arms sprawl over.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/05/22/former-nba-star-accuses-fellow-train-passenger-of-blatant-racism-publishes-her-photo-online/?

In another instance of celebrity discontent, million-dollar movie star Michelle Rodriguez wails that being a woman in Hollywood movies is "like being born a slave." She means, of course, in the sense of "something unfair that you feel unable to change, and just learn to live with in order to survive." The question might also be asked whether anybody becomes a millionnaire, other than by inheritance, before age 40 without being a bit of a "slave" to their career. Still, in view of the facts that real slaves (1) didn't own the money they earned and (2) didn't have the choice of changing to any other career they wanted...er...uh...

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/05/23/millionaire-actress-claims-being-a-woman-in-hollywood-is-like-being-born-a-slave/?

Political Correctness

What happens when granny bashers break into the home of a senior citizen who does not have some sort of lethal weapon? I shouldn't read stories like this one...it activates my Inner Child Abuser. Well, let's just say that if these boys had been spanked properly, in the way my kittens are currently being kicked, as their brains matured enough to form coherent thoughts they would already have had a neurological sequence that goes "Push/hit...older female-type person...ouch! scary noises! ouch! ouch! No! Don't try this again!", which tends to discourage granny bashing later. And if children are spanked, or kittens are kicked, properly, they cheer up the moment the punishment stops and resume following you everywhere and clinging to your ankles, only a tiny bit more cautiously. But when kids get too big to be spanked, sometimes they have to be handled like adults of their size.

http://madworldnews.com/muslim-refugees-beat-87-free/

Politics

From the +Allen West Republic , this graphic came with a link but the link didn't work...I have no idea who keeps re-electing Jim Moran. Well, a few years ago his son did provide us with an important clue. Anyway, Jim Moran has been in Congress longer, but still has some very important life lessons to learn from Morgan Griffith. (One reason to move to Gate City from Alexandria, Virginia: you'd get a waaay better Representative in Congress.)




True Crime

Fighting crime is all in a day's work. This blog post starts with an unrelated anecdote. Scroll down for the expose and also a nice clear photo of a clean, safe way to fight crime...when it works.

http://batteredhope.blogspot.com/2016/05/if-insurance-is-joke-how-come-im-not.html

Venezuela Update

Great Weimar Republic's ghost! (Thanks to the +Allen West Republic for sharing.)

https://www.yahoo.com/news/venezuela-where-hamburger-officially-170-184605711.html?ref=gs