Puzzle corner 44

[Mike Easter]

Today's CQ:

SDQ AKBOS JA TIBKF KO SDQ
UTX VQ BQEQENQB VDTS VQ
TBQ SDQ JSDQB 364 UTXO JA
SDQ XQTB. -- ETBR SVTKY

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The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days
of the year.
Mark Twain

Solving: Fast. the, days of the year, first of April

[Mike Easter]

Today's CQ:

ATHCJZ SCKK FEBP YJX AE
SCKK GYTTCJPAA. GEKX EJ.
KCIP SCKK ZPM SYHBPH.
-- YJCMY RHCNNYJ

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Spring will come and so will happiness. Hold on. Life will get warmer.
Anita Krizzan

Solving: will, -ing, -iness, happiness, spring, life, get, Anita. I
couldn't guess Anita's last name from the unknown letters ?ri??an
BFJKPQUVXYZ

Apparently AK is only 'known' for her quotes. Where the 'known' metric
is based on what *I* get when I search her name, considering that I
don't *do* social media that requires logging in.

[Mike Easter]

Today's CQ:

ROBUDEXFRUO RN MRIGF.
ROBUDEXFRUO, RO RFNWMB,
XKUYF XOLFGROI, RN MRIGF.
-- FUE NFUTTXDV

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Information is light. Information, in itself, about anything, is light.
Tom Stoppard

Solving: -tion is, Tom, information, itself

TS, now 86,

Czech-born British playwright and screenwriter.
He was knighted for his contribution to theatre by Queen Elizabeth II in 1997.

There is a 10 y/o long article by TS in the Guardian which tells a lot
about his life entitled w/ today's CQ.
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/oct/11/tom-stoppard-pen-pinter-lecture

Tom Stoppard: Information is light

[Mike Easter]

Wednesday's CQ:

CFOM UPJ HFEUQHD EF XF LQEU
LUPE GFT PYM MWVMBEQHD EF
DME - FHCG LQEU LUPE GFT
PYM MWVMBEQHD EF DQOM -
LUQBU QJ MOMYGEUQHD.
-- IPEUPYQHM UMVNTYH



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Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with
what you are expecting to give, which is everything.
Katharine Hepburn

Solving: Pretty fast; F>O, only, you, love has nothing to do with what

[Mike Easter]

Today's CQ:

DBNP M GUYDP IYWNF ZPKY
M OMUMGN. BN VYNFP'K
LNGYIN M CZPA. KBN OMUMGN
LNGYINF M GZQGEF. - KEQCZFB
OQYWNQL


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When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace
becomes a circus.
Turkish proverb

Solving: when a, he doesn't, clown, palace

I like that one. It reminds me of some of our .us presidents.

[Mike Easter]

Another homeless plan

Today I was reading a story about *another* new plan for what a city is
planning to do about homeless housing and services. Actually, the idea
itself sounded like a pretty good idea to me, but the *article* was all
about the various other previous plans for the city which had come down
the pike which either weren't such good ideas or maybe /were/ a good
idea, but 'floundered' because of one reason or another, including
political opposition.

California is a state 'run' by the liberal Democratic party and such as
liberally oriented teachers' unions for years. As one might expect, the
'theories' about how to best address homeless issues is quite different
between the liberally inclined and those who are more conservative.

CA has spent more billions on homelessness than other states and yet has
seen a greater growth in its homelessness than others; many feel that is
principally because the liberal approaches are misguided.

An example of a sharp division between the philosophies is the concept
of 'housing first'. What that means is that the primary focus of the
money should be on housing, generally 'expensive' housing. What the
'first' part means is that there should NOT be any requirement as to
sobriety or law enforcement or any of a number of concepts that have to
do w/ addressing basic issues like drug/alcohol dependencies or mental
health issues 'in front of' (or parallel to) the housing.

Some statistics say that 80% of the homelessness is based on mental
health & drug dependency and that part of the 'unacceptable' nature of
the homeless has to do w/ those conditions as well as the crime
associated w/ homeless anonymity.

Personally I argue that more 'conservatives' should be involved in the
community processes re homelessness, because when everything related is
run by the liberal section, you get a lot of craziness that is adding to
homelessness, such as its swift growth in CA, at a lot of cost, w/o any
'benefit' to the homeless or to the society around them and supporting them.

The more conservative perspective than 'housing first' is 'people first'
which emphasizes more attention to criminal, dependency, and mental
issues and less on the concept of expensive housing 'no holds barred'.
Some who deserve and need homeless shelter are deterred and unable to
avail themselves of shelter by the bad effects of no requirements of
'law and order' in such housing first shelters.

[Mike Easter]

Post by Mike Easter
CA has spent more billions on homelessness than other states and yet
has seen a greater growth in its homelessness than others; many feel
that is principally because the liberal approaches are misguided.
California has spent a stunning $17.5 billion trying to combat
homelessness over just four years. But, in the same time frame, from
2018 to 2022, the state’s homeless population actually grew. Half of
all Americans living outside on the streets, federal data shows,
live in California.
But with $17.5 billion, the state could, theoretically, have just
paid the rent for every unhoused person in California for those four
years, even at the state’s high home costs.

And CA 'home' ie all residential housing, considering fees, high
construction costs, high rent and high ownership costs are VERY high.

The same liberal article counters the argument of the high incidence of
mental illness among the homeless by claiming that they 'have'
(described mental conditions) *because* of their homelessness - that
homelessness causes the mental illness reported. Poppycock; a proper
'examination' of the subject/s can distinguish what unhappiness is a
product of the homelessness itself from a predisposing mental state to
the subject's homelessness.

Both sides of the political debates like to claim that the science
(statistics) is on /their/ side, but that is because the alleged science
isn't proper 'science' at all depending on what it is and how it is
being used or abused.

[Mike Easter]

Today's CQ:

RSIICQHTT CT QAN NRH
SKTHQOH AU IPAKJHFT: CN'T
NRH SKCJCND NA MHSJ BCNR
NRHF. - TNHXH FSPSKAJC

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Happiness is not the absence of problems; it's the ability to deal with
them.
Steve Maraboli

Solving: happiness is not the,

SM doesn't have a wp page, but he has a wikiquotes page and an entry in

Dr. Steve Maraboli is a life-changing Speaker, bestselling Author,
and Behavioral Science Academic.

Apparently he is a 'social media hit'. Ho hum.

[Mike Easter]

Sunday cryptoquip:

GTOW EME SZNSD CYEE QSZZ WP TMR OJSLW
OCWSD ISMLJ KDPNMRSE O DOIIMW WP TYLW?
"RTPG NS WTS IYLLQ"


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What did Elmer Fudd yell to his agent after being promised a rabbit to hunt?
"Show me the bunny!"

Solving: what did, show me the, Elmer Fudd

EF's wp article has the story of his history. It turns out that I had
no idea how the history of Bugs or Elmer started and evolved. The story
really revolves around Tex Avery.

He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the
golden age of American animation. His most significant work was for
the Warner Bros. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios, where he was
crucial in the creation and evolution of famous animated characters
such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Droopy, Screwy
Squirrel, The Wolf, Red Hot Riding Hood, and George and Junior.
He gained influence for his technical innovation, directorial style
and brand of humor. Avery's attitude toward animation was opposite
that of Walt Disney and other conventional family cartoons at the
time. Avery's cartoons were known for their sarcastic, ironic,
absurdist, irreverent, and sometimes sexual tone in nature. They
focused on sight gags, surrealist humor, rapid pacing, racial
stereotypes, and violent humor, with wacky characters who broke the
fourth wall.

[Mike Easter]

Today's CQ:

DNW AZQ SA MIQW, JZD S
NTUW T KSMND. -- EZYD
VIJTSQ

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The sun is gone, but I have a light.
Kurt Cobain

Solving: I, a, the sun is, but I have, Kurt Cobain

The song Dumb from the Nirvana album. KC in an interview about the dumb

Cobain: “That’s just about people who’re easily amused, people who
not only aren’t capable of progressing their intelligence but are
totally happy watching 10 hours of television and really enjoy it.
I’ve met a lot of dumb people. They have a shitty job, they may be
totally lonely, they don’t have a girlfriend, they don’t have much of
a social life, and yet, for some reason, they’re happy.”

I'm not like them, but I can pretend
The sun is gone, but I have a light
The day is done, but I'm havin' fun
I think I'm dumb

[Chorus 1]
Or maybe just happy
Think I'm just happy
Think I'm just happy
Think I'm just happy

[Verse 2]
My heart is broke, but I have some glue
Help me inhale and mend it with you
We'll float around and hang out on clouds
Then we'll come down

[Chorus 2]
And have a hangover
Have a hangover
Have a hangover
Have a hangover

[Bridge]
Skin the sun, fall asleep
Wish away, soul is cheap
Lesson learned, wish me luck
Soothin' burn, wake me up
You might also like
Heart-Shaped Box
Nirvana
Rape Me
Nirvana
All Apologies
Nirvana
[Verse 1]
I'm not like them, but I can pretend
The sun is gone, but I have a light
The day is done, but I'm havin' fun
I think I'm dumb

[Chorus 1]
Or maybe just happy
Think I'm just happy
Think I'm just happy
Think I'm just happy

[Outro]
I think I'm dumb, I think I'm dumb
I think I'm dumb, I think I'm dumb
I think I'm dumb, I think I'm dumb
I think I'm dumb, I think I'm dumb
I think I'm dumb, I think I'm dumb
I think I'm dumb, I think I'm dumb

KC has quite a wp article. Quaint section on his sexuality; condensed
version, functionally hetero- due to his relationship w/ Courtney Love,
but...

Lived thru' his OD on combination of champagne and Rohypnol in Mar '94
followed by intervention and detox, but found dead at 27 y (since 3d) of
suicide by shotgun to the head in Apr.

Separate wp article on death story, which is surprisingly long in itself.


I had a plan to travel quite a few hours for the eclipse, but there was
no good sky, checking in advance from Mazatlan to MO.

[Mike Easter]

Fedora to become a KDE?

For years, my 'least favorite' desktop has been Gnome. Those years are
the ones since Gnome2 evolved into Gnome3 in 2011. This came at a time
when KDE was at 4 since 3>4 in '08. Naturally other DEs have been
around during those years and since, but in this timeframe '08-'11, I
would say that those two were the strongest contenders.

Now, I like a lot of different DEs and WMs for different reasons, and
different distro/s choose different DEs for their 'flagship' and most
release other DE choices as well. In all of that, despite /my/ dislike
for Gnome since 3, it has emerged as the most popular of the DEs in
terms of being the flagship DE for such as Ubuntu and RedHat and many of
their offspring which adds up to a lot of different distro/s.

'Tho' Mint is an Ub offspring, it eschews both Gnome and KDE now,
favoring its own derivatives of Gnome, namely Cinnamon and MATE, and
also XFCE (which is not a Gnome derivative, but is based on the same gtk
toolkit). Mint's Debian Edition, based on Deb instead of Ub is only
released as Cinnamon. It is a nice distro.

We are working my way around to some news of interest to me.

RedHat is a major linux player, but unlike the others, it is a mostly
commercial enterprise with a smaller free 'element'. Whereas another
major player, Ubuntu/Canonical would /like/ to be such a commercial
enterprise worth so many billions, and also has 'enterprise' offerings,
but is /mostly/ free.

The relationship of linux w/ its 'enterprise' editions of it is a
complex one, which is not our discussion here.

RedHat's free element is Fedora, and it is quite popular. For example,
I'm reading that it is the 'distro of choice' for 'our hero' Linux
Torvalds, chief dev of the linux kernel.

Fedora has a new release every 6 mo; it has never been 'popular' w/ me,
but I look at it from time to time. Nowadays there are different
versions for different purposes; Workstation (desktop like me), Server,
and Atomic (also server for Cloud Computing).

Fedora is considered the 'upstream' for RedHat's Enterprise version
which RHEL does NOT have a 'free' release from RH, but there are other
dev/s who provide a 'clone' distro of RHEL free. Of course w/o the RH
support of the RHEL.

But, back to my 'evolving' news which I LIKE a lot. The dev/s of the
Fedora Project are /considering/ changing their 'flagship' DE from Gnome
to KDE. I would like that a lot; and it would likely motivate me to use
Fedora a lot more; as I currently like to dabble w/ KDE Neon, a Ub
derivative which features the 'latest' KDE. I would be just as happy to
dabble w/ a RH Fedora w/ KDE.

[T i m]

Post by Mike Easter
Fedora to become a KDE?

<snip>

Post by Mike Easter
But, back to my 'evolving' news which I LIKE a lot.  The dev/s of the
Fedora Project are /considering/ changing their 'flagship' DE from Gnome
to KDE.  I would like that a lot; and it would likely motivate me to use
Fedora a lot more; as I currently like to dabble w/ KDE Neon, a Ub
derivative which features the 'latest' KDE.  I would be just as happy to
dabble w/ a RH Fedora w/ KDE.

I've never liked KDE as DEs go, even though I think it was the most 'MS
Windows alike' at the time.

I took to GNOME on Ubuntu and resented the whole Unity debacle, moving
to Mint along with many others.

Red Hat (6 I think) was the first boxed GNU/Linux distro I actually
bought but don't think I ever got it working sufficiently to be useable.

The pity is there we / are no 'killer apps' on Linux that would interest
most people sufficiently to want to make the move from Windows or OSX.

Cheers, T i m

[Mike Easter]

Post by T i m
The pity is there we / are no 'killer apps' on Linux that would interest
most people sufficiently to want to make the move from Windows or OSX.

Some people like linux for the 'power' or flexibility of having whatever
kind of desktop/ user interface they want. Some other people like it
because they DON'T like MS's Windows. Some of those people would favor
linux over OSX because of the economics of both hardware and software.

I would say that most 'average' linux users who want a desktop machine
come at linux w/ Windows hardware and a more secure and 'better' (by
some metrics) OS in linux.

Power users want linux power at the commandline. It took MS a very long
time to realize that they needed to be able to provide that power off a
MS base.

But, the percentage of linux users by the methods used to calculate that
is pretty low.

The majority of hardware I've bought came w/ a Windows installed and
which I usually kept even on the hardware that I mostly use linux on.
The 'latest' Win I have is a W10 laptop that I almost never boot Win on.
I just checked it out w/ the recent Fedora KDE I dl/ed; like almost
all linux distro/s it failed to solve the wifi 'outofthebox', whereas MX
Linux can do that. All others have to dance around to get the wifi
established. I usually do it by connecting to ethernet, installing the
proper wifi driver from the repo/s and then taking the ethernet away.
That is more efficient for me than 'sneaker netting' the driver over to it.

For me personally, if there's a Win app I just 'luv' I just do that w/ a
Win install, most often W7. That is less than 1% of the time. I also
'prefer' printing w/ Win (7) but I don't print much.

[Chris]

Post by Mike Easter

Post by T i m
The pity is there we / are no 'killer apps' on Linux that would interest
most people sufficiently to want to make the move from Windows or OSX.

Some people like linux for the 'power' or flexibility of having whatever
kind of desktop/ user interface they want. Some other people like it
because they DON'T like MS's Windows. Some of those people would favor
linux over OSX because of the economics of both hardware and software.

I was long term linux user - even for work - but then I discovered
OSX/macOS. I realised you get the best of both worlds as all the major
desktop apps are supported on mac plus you get all the benefits of a Unix
system underneath.

The hardware is also much better than your standard windows kit so overall
the experience is great.

[Mike Easter]

Today's CQ:

MTD ZNDUYH FRZ WMAG RB
ORZB VUBF BFG ZMSB
ORTHFBGD MS RNDUO ZTYZ RYK
ZFRKMV MS RNDUO ZFMVGDZ.
-- QXDMY WROKVGOO ZAUBI

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Our spring has come at last with the soft laughter of April suns and
shadow of April showers.
Byron Caldwell Smith

Solving: Extremely slow start, trying to force a wrong guess. Finally I
saw 'with the' followed by 'April showers'

Strange that the wp has entries about people who have won the BCS award
for writing, but no entry for BCS himself. 1849-1877, so he died at 28.
His gravestone says Prof of Greek & Language at U of Kansas 3 y.

[Apd]

Post by Mike Easter
Solving: Extremely slow start, trying to force a wrong guess. Finally I
saw 'with the' followed by 'April showers'

I didn't waste much time on "ZTYZ" which wasn't going to be "that".
When there are 3-letter words I usually try "the" first. After I
tested "BFG" I saw "????hte?", for which "laughter" was a good fit.
Then I was on track.

[Mike Easter]

Today's CQ:

OP'CP NKKXL OGPMGPC  OP
JYQFP KC QKM, LK OP AVEGM
YL OPXX JYQFP. - HYIYQPLP
ICKSPCZ

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We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance.
Japanese proverb

Solving: we're, Japanese proverb

[Mike Easter]

Today's CQ:

L YFC TIQQ GR CSQZLEY.
VISCD WFNQV EFC YIC S TFAV
LE IVYITJI, YAIT
VLJWFNASYIV, SEV CASUIQIV
FE. -- QFNLJI IAVALWD,
"CASWZJ''


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I got well by talking. Death could not get a word in edgewise, grew
discouraged, and traveled on.
Louise Erdrich, "Tracks"

Solving: I, a, and, death, edgewise,

wp has LE's article, also a writeup on the book Tracks which was part of
a tetralogy.

Tracks is part of a cycle of books all set in the same fictional
community and dealing with many of the same characters and families
– the Kashpaws, Pillagers, and Morrisseys. Other books in the saga
include Love Medicine, The Beet Queen, The Bingo Palace, Four Souls,
and The Painted Drum. Tales of Burning Love, which features Sister
Leopolda (Pauline), is also loosely related.[8] Erdrich's method of
writing these related histories of families from the same community
has been compared to William Faulkner and his creation of
Yoknapatawpha County.
Erdrich is widely acclaimed as one of the most significant writers of
the second wave of the Native American Renaissance. She has written
28 books in all, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and
children's books.

But, LE's own genetic 'heritage' is that her father was German-American,
while her mother was half Ojibwe (Chippewa) half French. BUT both her
parents taught at a Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding school in ND and
on her mother's side was a tribal chairman and she visited 'on the res'
frequently.

[Mike Easter]

The Thu NYT xword often has some kind of treachery in its grid or
clue/ans. This Thu took on the theme of Robt Frost's poem Stopping by
Woods on a Snowy Evening. The 4 theme answers were able to fit into the
60 spaces going across in a 15 square grid.

The xword answers said, I know whose woods these are. My horse is
restless. I have a lot to do. Giddy up.

The 'clues' to those 4 answers were: Modern reimagining of a Robert
Frost classic part 1, 2, 3, 4.

Great poem and informative discussion of it in its wp article.

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

[Mike Easter]

Post by Mike Easter
Great poem and informative discussion of it in its wp article.
Frost called it "my best bid for remembrance".

RF had been up all night toiling w/ the poem New Hampshire for his
poetry book of the same name.

Post by Mike Easter
He went out to view the sunrise and suddenly got the idea for
"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening".[2] He wrote the new poem
"about the snowy evening and the little horse as if I'd had a
hallucination" in just "a few minutes without strain."

I was trying to remember another vignette I heard about when something
'momentous' came to someone 'im augenblick' -- in the blink of an eye.

RF included the Snowy poem in the New Hampshire book.

[Mike Easter]

Today's CQ:

AQ RAM SCMRG UMQG CMB
GZQNS. AQ RAM GZQNSG UMQG
CMB SCMR. - HNM BWY

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He who knows does not speak. He who speaks does not know.
Lao Tzu

Solving: Slow start; guesses not working. G>S. The first two words were
an obstacle to my guesses until I tried 'he who'.  Earlier I had
considered Lao Tsu, but forgot about Tzu, so it didn't work.

[Mike Easter]

Today's CQ:

PEJ QD LCU RATU XFKDBD, MAU
XKBD. PEJ QD LCU RATU
ESWD, MAU ESU. - EPELYE
XCFPEL, "WJPL ICF UWD
WAFUKLX"

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May we not just grieve, but give. May we not just ache, but act.
Amanda Gorman "Hymn for the Hurting"

Solving: lots of missteps. Amanda, not just, hymn for the hurting

AG, young black poet and activist.

She rose to fame in 2021 for writing and delivering her poem "The
Hill We Climb" at the inauguration of Joe Biden.
In the wake of the May 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting in
Uvalde, Texas, Gorman published a short poem on Twitter and
encouraged action to promote gun safety,[81] as well as penning the
poem, “Hymn for the Hurting."

Poem in wayback from NYT opinion section:
https://web.archive.org/web/20220529140839/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/27/opinion/amanda-gorman-uvalde-poem.html

[Mike Easter]

Sunday cryptoquip:

QB OVD WIQMT PVZKRVCO CAQMTP WVV ZDGI
RASTK BYDQC, CVM'W JSMQG. WIKO'YY RK SRYK
            WV PWVJ SMO WQZK.


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If you think somebody drinks too much brake fluid, don't panic. They'll
be able to stop any time.

Solving: if you, they'll be, don't

[Mike Easter]

Today's CQ:

HRIEK, ZDO HWJOK SB ZDO
GSWZDT, ZDO USXWJ KSCO SB
ZDO UOHI. -- CEZH
THYMCEKKO-VOTZ


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April, the angel of the months, the young love of the year.
Vita Sackville-West

Solving: the, months, April, of the year. I correctly guessed the 3
unknown singletons in her last name.

Sackville-West was a successful novelist, poet and journalist, as
well as a prolific letter writer and diarist.
She was the inspiration for the protagonist of Orlando: A Biography,
by her friend and lover Virginia Woolf.
Sackville-West saw herself as psychologically divided into two: one
side of her personality was more feminine, soft, submissive, and
attracted to men while the other side was more masculine, hard,
aggressive, and attracted to women.
The American scholar Louise DeSalvo wrote that the ten years while
they were together were the artistic peak of both women's careers,
owing to the positive influence they had on one another: "neither had
ever written so much so well, and neither would ever again reach this
peak of accomplishment".

She has a pretty long wp article; I'll have to get to reading the rest
of it later.

[Mike Easter]

Today's CQ:

XQ SDP CZMA AD NJXMU
KXYU Z NPM, QXINA WPIM
KXYU Z NPM. - Z.T.E.
ZWLPK YZKZG


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If you want to shine like a sun, first burn like a sun.
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

Solving: if you, a, first, to, want, shine

I couldn't guess his unique initials P J. He has an interesting wp
story. Great way to die.

While delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management
Shillong, Kalam collapsed and died from an apparent cardiac arrest on
27 July 2015, aged 83.

A ripe old age and a sudden death doing what he liked/loved.

[Mike Easter]

Today's CQ:

LZ TZG BRCZFW ZT ZGSWIF
VSDG NZQ NZQIFWAP LZ TZG
LWFBIW. - MZTPQMBQF

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Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire.
Confucius

Solving: Z>O, Confucius

[Mike Easter]

MSR = Mars sample return

As we all know the NASA Rover has been gathering all kinds of samples
from Mars into little titanium tubes and parking them for later return
to earth. It has been a significant project at NASA's 'drawing board'
about how to get the samples back. Now it has been determined that the
current 'sketches' on the board are 'completely unsatisfactory' because
of how much those ideas would cost and how long it would take. Such as
perhaps $11 billion and 6 more years. (Or 16?)

So, of significance; it is 'back to the drawing board'. 'Let's hear
some better ideas than the current ones on the board.' If anyone cares
to dig up the details, the project's name is Mars Sample Return and NASA
is subject to an IRB, Independent Review Board. Those who like to read
Ars Technica can see a recent article there.

officials are tasking government and private sector engineers to come up with a better plan.

https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/msr-irb-report-final-copy-v3.pdf

https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/04/nasa-says-it-needs-better-ideas-on-how-to-return-samples-from-mars/

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is losing its grip on managing NASA's next flagship mission.

[Mike Easter]

Tim may be glad to know that I, a 'carnist', am much in favor of lab
grown meat.

I saw a recent article about using rice as a 'scaffold' for cow cells
'stuck on' w/ fish gelatin.

But, it isn't /very/ meaty, containing only a little more protein than
'conventional' rice, but the article didn't say what they are calling
'conventional'. I would say that /most/ rice is white ie 'polished',
whereas the rice I prefer by taste is 'parboiled' and is slightly better
nutritionally than white, because it contains more 'outside stuff' that
is completely lost by the polishing. And costs more.

The meaty rice is kinda pink, which might not be appealing for some and
allegedly tastes 'nutty and a little sweet', but it isn't commercially
available (yet). I think the research is ongoing to make it
nutritionally better; more animal protein, less glycemic carbs.

I also like brown rice a lot, particularly prepared w/ my 'laboriously'
created chicken broth, but it is more trouble to cook, as I like the
result from the pressure cooker rather than simple stovetop.

I am a big rice fan; eating a lot more rice than I do potatoes.

[T i m]

Post by Mike Easter
Tim may be glad to know that I, a 'carnist', am much in favor of lab
grown meat.

I guess it's sorta better for the animals but it still doesn't remove
this indoctrination / fascination with 'eating animal or animal like
flesh' in the first place? Can you really not see a world where you
simply eat something else?

Had you not been brought up to see animal flesh as food, do you think
you would be considering eating lab grown flesh?

Post by Mike Easter
I saw a recent article about using rice as a 'scaffold' for cow cells
'stuck on' w/ fish gelatin.

It really still sounds disgusting.

Post by Mike Easter
But, it isn't /very/ meaty, containing only a little more protein than
'conventional' rice, but the article didn't say what they are calling
'conventional'.  I would say that /most/ rice is white ie 'polished',
whereas the rice I prefer by taste is 'parboiled' and is slightly better
nutritionally than white, because it contains more 'outside stuff' that
is completely lost by the polishing.  And costs more.

I know it here as 'easy cook rice'.

Post by Mike Easter
The meaty rice is kinda pink, which might not be appealing for some and
allegedly tastes 'nutty and a little sweet', but it isn't commercially
available (yet).  I think the research is ongoing to make it
nutritionally better; more animal protein, less glycemic carbs.

But why the focus on some substitute when you can get all the nutrition
other ways across a range of (plant based) foods?

Post by Mike Easter
I also like brown rice a lot, particularly prepared w/ my 'laboriously'
created chicken broth, but it is more trouble to cook, as I like the
result from the pressure cooker rather than simple stovetop.

As long as you cook in it plenty of water you will reduce the arsenic
levels.

Post by Mike Easter
I am a big rice fan; eating a lot more rice than I do potatoes.

We prefer sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas, not yams (Dioscorea)) because
of the taste and speed of cooking benefits, but we eat both them and
ordinary potatoes, along with rice and pasta for our carbs / fibre.

Sweet potatoes can also be safely eaten raw and potatoes in general have
a much lower carbon footprint than rice.

Cheers, T i m

[Snit]

Post by T i m

Post by Mike Easter
Tim may be glad to know that I, a 'carnist', am much in favor of lab
grown meat.

I guess it's sorta better for the animals but it still doesn't remove
this indoctrination / fascination with 'eating animal or animal like
flesh' in the first place? Can you really not see a world where you
simply eat something else?
Had you not been brought up to see animal flesh as food, do you think
you would be considering eating lab grown flesh?

I would see lab grown meat as more ethical. Would like to see studies on how
much like "natural" meat it is.

Post by T i m

Post by Mike Easter
I saw a recent article about using rice as a 'scaffold' for cow cells
'stuck on' w/ fish gelatin.

It really still sounds disgusting.

Post by Mike Easter
But, it isn't /very/ meaty, containing only a little more protein than
'conventional' rice, but the article didn't say what they are calling
'conventional'. I would say that /most/ rice is white ie 'polished',
whereas the rice I prefer by taste is 'parboiled' and is slightly better
nutritionally than white, because it contains more 'outside stuff' that
is completely lost by the polishing. And costs more.

I know it here as 'easy cook rice'.

Post by Mike Easter
The meaty rice is kinda pink, which might not be appealing for some and
allegedly tastes 'nutty and a little sweet', but it isn't commercially
available (yet). I think the research is ongoing to make it
nutritionally better; more animal protein, less glycemic carbs.

But why the focus on some substitute when you can get all the nutrition
other ways across a range of (plant based) foods?

People enjoy the taste / texture of meat.

Post by T i m

Post by Mike Easter
I also like brown rice a lot, particularly prepared w/ my 'laboriously'
created chicken broth, but it is more trouble to cook, as I like the
result from the pressure cooker rather than simple stovetop.

As long as you cook in it plenty of water you will reduce the arsenic
levels.

Post by Mike Easter
I am a big rice fan; eating a lot more rice than I do potatoes.

We prefer sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas, not yams (Dioscorea)) because
of the taste and speed of cooking benefits, but we eat both them and
ordinary potatoes, along with rice and pasta for our carbs / fibre.

I like sweet potatoes as well. Made some last night.

Post by T i m
Sweet potatoes can also be safely eaten raw and potatoes in general have
a much lower carbon footprint than rice.
Cheers, T i m

[T i m]

On 18/04/2024 13:23, Snit wrote:

<snip>

Post by Snit

Post by T i m
Had you not been brought up to see animal flesh as food, do you think
you would be considering eating lab grown flesh?

I would see lab grown meat as more ethical.

Especially compared with the unnecessary exploitation, suffering and
death of innocent and sentient creatures, you are right.

Post by Snit
Would like to see studies on how
much like "natural" meat it is.

I couldn't care less. I don't see cooked animal flesh as the same as
oxygen. The only way I would care is if it allows others to not exploit
animals.
<snip>

Post by Snit

Post by T i m
But why the focus on some substitute when you can get all the nutrition
other ways across a range of (plant based) foods?

People enjoy the taste / texture of meat.

Because *some* people do. There are also many who can't (and never have)
stand it, are allergic to it or have never had it to know.

When you don't see animals as commodities to be abused and used at a
whim (like because of how you 'enjoy' how their cooked flesh tastes when
they lose their lives forever), the whole idea of treating sentient
being like that is bizarre, especially from morally advanced species.

Cheers, T i m

[Snit]

Post by T i m
<snip>

Post by Snit

Post by T i m
Had you not been brought up to see animal flesh as food, do you think
you would be considering eating lab grown flesh?

I would see lab grown meat as more ethical.

Especially compared with the unnecessary exploitation, suffering and
death of innocent and sentient creatures, you are right.

The meat industry is grotesque. You will get no argument from me on that.

Post by T i m

Post by Snit
Would like to see studies on how
much like "natural" meat it is.

I couldn't care less. I don't see cooked animal flesh as the same as
oxygen. The only way I would care is if it allows others to not exploit
animals.

OK.

I would want it to be similar or less unhealthy.

Post by T i m
<snip>

Post by Snit

Post by T i m
But why the focus on some substitute when you can get all the nutrition
other ways across a range of (plant based) foods?

People enjoy the taste / texture of meat.

Because *some* people do.

Sure. Some. Figured that was implied... do not mean to imply EVERYONE does.

Post by T i m
There are also many who can't (and never have)
stand it, are allergic to it or have never had it to know.

Sure.

Post by T i m
When you don't see animals as commodities to be abused and used at a
whim (like because of how you 'enjoy' how their cooked flesh tastes when
they lose their lives forever),

What value does the word "forever" add to that sentence.

And when you eat a carrot, does it not lose its life forever as well?

Post by T i m
the whole idea of treating sentient
being like that is bizarre, especially from morally advanced species.

I do wish we treated food animals more humanely.

Post by T i m
Cheers, T i m

[T i m]

On 18/04/2024 14:29, Snit wrote:

<snip>

Post by Snit

Post by T i m

Post by Snit

Post by T i m
But why the focus on some substitute when you can get all the nutrition
other ways across a range of (plant based) foods?

People enjoy the taste / texture of meat.

Because *some* people do.

Sure. Some. Figured that was implied... do not mean to imply EVERYONE does.

Just making sure as that use of 'people' works both ways.

Post by Snit

Post by T i m
There are also many who can't (and never have)
stand it, are allergic to it or have never had it to know.

Sure.

Post by T i m
When you don't see animals as commodities to be abused and used at a
whim (like because of how you 'enjoy' how their cooked flesh tastes when
they lose their lives forever),

What value does the word "forever" add to that sentence.

It's a tautology that aims to rubber stamp the finality of an
(unnecessary specifically) death.

Post by Snit
And when you eat a carrot, does it not lose its life forever as well?

No, because it's not 'living' in the same way a sentient being is so the
use of the word in context is not appropriate.

https://ibb.co/Z8GwRfH

Post by Snit

Post by T i m
the whole idea of treating sentient
being like that is bizarre, especially from morally advanced species.

I do wish we treated food animals more humanely.

And we both know where that ends up if you really are concerned about
humane.

https://ibb.co/j5zXtqC

Cheers, T i m

[Snit]

Post by T i m
<snip>

Post by Snit

Post by T i m

Post by Snit

Post by T i m
But why the focus on some substitute when you can get all the nutrition
other ways across a range of (plant based) foods?

People enjoy the taste / texture of meat.

Because *some* people do.

Sure. Some. Figured that was implied... do not mean to imply EVERYONE does.

Just making sure as that use of 'people' works both ways.

Fair enough. We disagree on things and I was not clear with the implication.

Post by T i m

Post by Snit

Post by T i m
There are also many who can't (and never have)
stand it, are allergic to it or have never had it to know.

Sure.

Post by T i m
When you don't see animals as commodities to be abused and used at a
whim (like because of how you 'enjoy' how their cooked flesh tastes when
they lose their lives forever),

What value does the word "forever" add to that sentence.

It's a tautology that aims to rubber stamp the finality of an
(unnecessary specifically) death.

It is emotion based.

Post by T i m

Post by Snit
And when you eat a carrot, does it not lose its life forever as well?

No, because it's not 'living' in the same way a sentient being is so the
use of the word in context is not appropriate.

It is living. The phrase "in the same way" just shows things "live" in
different ways... but this is true of humans and dogs and penguins. We each
live in different ways.

Post by T i m
https://ibb.co/Z8GwRfH

Notice they tie it to humans... not pigs or cows or chickens. Curious.

Post by T i m

Post by Snit

Post by T i m
the whole idea of treating sentient
being like that is bizarre, especially from morally advanced species.

I do wish we treated food animals more humanely.

And we both know where that ends up if you really are concerned about
humane.
https://ibb.co/j5zXtqC

Their lives are tortured. I wish they had better lives. That would make the
production more humane.

Post by T i m
Cheers, T i m

[Mike Easter]

Today's CQ:

UFV JNKZUX YUXLK QVUX UFV
LCDLVNLMYL, GMZ UFV
LCDLVNLMYL YUXLK QVUX
UFV QUUONKWMLKK.
-- KGYWG IFNAVR
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Our wisdom comes from our experience, and our experience comes from our
foolishness.
Sacha Guitry

Solving: L>E, (ExxExxExxE = EXPERIENCE) experience, comes from,

I guessed SG's last name from: ?ui?r? and remaining letters BGJKQTVXYZ

I was disappointed in the way the wp handled its 'reference' system
(cursor over a word) because it had better info.

was a French stage actor, film actor, director, screenwriter, and
playwright of the boulevard theatre.

I was unfamiliar w/ the term bt, but the wp 'system' only wanted to
refer me to the article:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boulevard_theatre_(aesthetic)

... which I considered 'inadequate' for my taste. The Britannica didn't
do even as well.

But wikibooks actually has a decent article:
https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/History_of_Western_Theatre:_17th_Century_to_Now/Boulevard_of_the_19th

... which was very 'troublesome' to 'root out'. I guess because it is
not wp, but 'wikibooks'.

Welcome to Wikibooks,
the open-content textbooks collection that anyone can edit.
3,453 books with 98,095 pages.

Sister projects
Wikipedia
Wikiversity
Wiktionary
Wikiquote
Wikisource
Wikinews
Wikivoyage
Commons
Wikidata
MediaWiki
Meta-Wiki

[Mike Easter]

Small vertebrate:

(actually the smallest & smallest amphibian)

Loading Image...

That is a 'flea toad'. The coin is a Brazilian real (which I like the
two-metal construction) which coin is apparently between the size of a .us
quarter & half-dollar.

one Brachycephalus pulex measures just under 6.5 millimeters,

Actually it is a frog, not a toad; the difference being 'informal' -
generally frogs tend to be more aquatic and have moister skin than toads.

The use of the term frog in common names usually refers to species
that are aquatic or semi-aquatic and have smooth, moist skins; the
term toad generally refers to species that are terrestrial with dry,
warty skins.[2][3] There are numerous exceptions to this rule.

[Mike Easter]

Today's CQ:

JHC YGF CJI MJDF OGFH YGF
UAER YB UFDJAH YAWGY AH J
LXC OJE DBUF SJAHQXK YGJH
YGF UAER AY YBBR YB
LKBEEBD. -- JHJAE HAH

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And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful
than the risk it took to blossom.
Anais Nin

Solving: the, than, to, took, and the day came when,

Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell[a] (1903 –
1977) was a French-born American diarist, essayist, novelist, and
writer of short stories and erotica. Born to Cuban parents in France,
Nin was the daughter of the composer Joaquín Nin and the classically
trained singer Rosa Culmell. Nin spent her early years in Spain and
Cuba, about sixteen years in Paris (1924–1940), and the remaining
half of her life in the United States, where she became an
established author.
Nin's most studied works are her diaries or journals, which she began
writing in her adolescence. The published journals, which span six
decades, provide insight into her personal life and relationships.
Nin was acquainted, often intimately, with a number of prominent
authors, artists, psychoanalysts, and other figures, and wrote of
them often, especially Otto Rank. Moreover, as a female author
describing a primarily masculine group of celebrities, Nin's journals
have acquired importance as a counterbalancing perspective. She
initially wrote in French and did not begin to write in English until
she was seventeen.[16] Nin felt that French was the language of her
heart, Spanish was the language of her ancestors, and English was the
language of her intellect. The writing in her diaries is explicitly
trilingual; she uses whichever language best expresses her
thought.[17]
about her father candidly and graphically (207–15), detailing her
incestuous adult sexual relationship with him.

[Mike Easter]

I don't know why this DearAbby caught my attention; I care zero about
weddings and not very much about 'decorum', but maybe some readers here
might have a DA opinion/answer.

DEAR ABBY: I have a 25-year-old niece, “Meadow,” who embraces the
hippie lifestyle. She’s kind and sweet and loves everyone. She has
also opposed “the Establishment.” She’s heavily tattooed and has
several facial piercings and thick underarm hair.
My son is the complete opposite. He is in the business world and is
very professional in his manner and dress. He’s getting married in
three months to a lovely girl. Meadow is invited because she wanted
to come. My son is nervous about her coming to the wedding. He
doesn’t know Meadow that well. They were close as kids but haven’t
seen much of each other in adulthood.
My son is worried Meadow will wear an outfit that will display the
tattoos and her bushy underarm hair. He’s afraid she will be a
spectacle, and her appearance will become the focus of the wedding
and not his lovely bride. He’s also worried someone will ridicule or
comment about Meadow, and he will then have to defend her, causing a
disruption. None of us are close to Meadow or feel comfortable with
her appearance. How do we handle her presence at the wedding?
— Conforming In Carolina

[T i m]

Post by Mike Easter
I don't know why this DearAbby caught my attention; I care zero about
weddings and not very much about 'decorum',

Likewise.

Post by Mike Easter
but maybe some readers here
might have a DA opinion/answer.

DEAR ABBY: I have a 25-year-old niece, “Meadow,” who embraces the
hippie lifestyle. She’s kind and sweet and loves everyone. She has
also opposed “the Establishment.”

She sounds nice, 'a character', not just another drone ...

Post by Mike Easter

She’s heavily tattooed

Not my thing that's why *I* don't have any. I RCGAF what others do.

Post by Mike Easter

and has
several facial piercings

Again, not my thing ...

Post by Mike Easter

and thick underarm hair.

So she's healthy and natural then.

Post by Mike Easter

My son is the complete opposite. He is in the business world and is
very professional in his manner and dress.

Institutionalised, even out of work?

Post by Mike Easter

He’s getting married in
three months to a lovely girl. Meadow is invited because she wanted
to come. My son is nervous about her coming to the wedding. He
doesn’t know Meadow that well.

Their wedding, their call surely?

Post by Mike Easter

They were close as kids

So she probably thinks they still are.

Post by Mike Easter

but haven’t
seen much of each other in adulthood.

That's just time and circumstance.

Post by Mike Easter

My son is worried Meadow will wear an outfit that will display the
tattoos and her bushy underarm hair.

OMG, a woman not pandering to the modern 'rules'!

Post by Mike Easter

He’s afraid she will be a
spectacle,

That's her issue isn't it?

Post by Mike Easter

and her appearance will become the focus of the wedding
and not his lovely bride.

What, she's going to be the only 'lovely' person there?

Post by Mike Easter

He’s also worried someone will ridicule or
comment about Meadow, and he will then have to defend her, causing a
disruption.

It needn't and says more about the choice of guests than Meadow.

Post by Mike Easter

None of us are close to Meadow or feel comfortable with
her appearance.

How open minded of them. I'm glad I didn't get an invite to say no
thanks to.

Post by Mike Easter

How do we handle her presence at the wedding?

All depends on how much you want to 'manage' that day and value good
friends over fake ones?

Post by Mike Easter

— Conforming In Carolina

Says it all. ;-(

Cheers, T i m

[Mike Easter]

Post by T i m

Post by Mike Easter
I don't know why this DearAbby caught my attention; I care zero about
weddings and not very much about 'decorum',

Likewise.

I think all I know about weddings is what I've seen in the movies and
heard from friends about such as the stresses and costs and significance.

I think the only wedding I ever 'sort of' attended was in my youth. A
friend of mine and my parents and whom I had met as early as when I was
in the 3rd grade decided to get married in my parents' living room,
which wasn't large at all. So, by the time the collective of my
parents, the bride & groom, and whoever was marrying them gathered
pretty much crowded me out of 'my' living room into a little room next
to the living room.


One of the most 'talked about' weddings was attended by some very very
dear friends of mine. The oldest friend of them all was the father of
the bride, who told his wife that there was a $40,000 max on the wedding
costs, no matter what.

My next oldest friend was the godfather of the bride, who was close
friends w/ the bride's mother from before my oldest friend even met his
wife.

The bride herself went into a meltdown prior to the wedding, and the
godfather spent *HOURS* w/ her and she eventually married that day/night.

The wedding cost significantly north of what my oldest friend had hoped.

The marriage turned out to be a giant disaster in the long run, which
battles the mother fought for years.

Marriages & weddings; neither really are my cup of tea.

[T i m]

Post by Mike Easter

Post by T i m

Post by Mike Easter
I don't know why this DearAbby caught my attention; I care zero about
weddings and not very much about 'decorum',

Likewise.

I think all I know about weddings is what I've seen in the movies and
heard from friends about such as the stresses and costs and significance.

I have been party to two directly myself. The first was a 'church jobby'
because 'that's what she wanted' and my Mum and Dad paid for (I can't
remember if there was a reception or not and I know there was no
honeymoon as we were already living together).

The second (current) was 'registered' at the local 'Register office'
during our lunch hour at work and done secretly by us, bar the two
witnesses.

Post by Mike Easter
I think the only wedding I ever 'sort of' attended was in my youth.  A
friend of mine and my parents and whom I had met as early as when I was
in the 3rd grade decided to get married in my parents' living room,
which wasn't large at all.  So, by the time the collective of my
parents, the bride & groom, and whoever was marrying them gathered
pretty much crowded me out of 'my' living room into a little room next
to the living room.

That sounds like what would happen to be (and I would be happy with).

Post by Mike Easter
One of the most 'talked about' weddings was attended by some very very
dear friends of mine.  The oldest friend of them all was the father of
the bride, who told his wife that there was a $40,000 max on the wedding
costs, no matter what.

Feck. And when 'Till death do us part' turns into 'When I catch you
fucking someone else' then all that bs means squat.

Post by Mike Easter
My next oldest friend was the godfather of the bride, who was close
friends w/ the bride's mother from before my oldest friend even met his
wife.
The bride herself went into a meltdown prior to the wedding, and the
godfather spent *HOURS* w/ her and she eventually married that day/night.

Yup, it can be very stressful, if you let it. We didn't *want* to get
married (both been there etc), just that our solicitor said it was the
'easiest / cheapest way' to ensure all the parenting rights / legalities.

Post by Mike Easter
The wedding cost significantly north of what my oldest friend had hoped.

What a shame and potential waste.

Post by Mike Easter
The marriage turned out to be a giant disaster in the long run, which
battles the mother fought for years.

So 'a waste' and worse. This is partly why I don't acknowledge marriage.

Post by Mike Easter
Marriages & weddings; neither really are my cup of tea.

I would split those as 'Marriages and gatherings', along with straight
parties, funerals, Xmyth ...

However, I've probably been to the 'party' side of more of them than
most when I ran a mobile disco for 7 years and worked at least every
other weekend.

Cheers, T i m

[Mike Easter]

about her father candidly and graphically (207–15), detailing her
incestuous adult sexual relationship with him.

That is a 'minor' par in the wp article on AN. The lengthy article is
full of the somewhat salacious details of her life.

She died as a consequence of cervical cancer and its treatment sequelae,
3 y after its diagnosis. That very bad disease largely ended w/ such as
Pap smears and now HPV screening and vax.

Back in her day as a young woman, my mother took care of her mother's
terrible dying of that disease, which definitely impacted her senses.

AN married one of her lovers while she was still married to her then
husband. That caused some legal conflicts.

[Mike Easter]

Today's CQ:

LYNTOZ HF LJN Y XEYBZ
NJ SHFHN. HN HF MJPZ.
-- UYOK FLKRZO

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Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.
Gary Snyder

Solving: H>I, it is, is not a, to visit I guessed wrong on the source
name, wrongly choosing 'Mary' which would be 'impossible' as there is a
M in home.

GS has a wp article; he's now 93. The generation born between '28-'45
has been called the Silent or Traditional generation which encompasses a
17 y cohort. GS is one who is considered to be of the Beat Generation,

The Beat Generation was a literary subculture movement started by a
group of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture
and politics in the post-World War II era.[1] The bulk of their work
was published and popularized by Silent Generationers in the 1950s,
better known as Beatniks.

[Mike Easter]

Today's CQ:

N SOWGPZ NU L MPPWQ NB WQPCMNZJ PZ L
USLZGUKSHOS. PZO CNJQH WPZBNIOS HQLH L
            IPJ-OLH-IPJ BNHKLHNPZ.

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I reckon if a pooch is chomping on a frankfurter, one might consider
that a dog-eat-dog situation.

Solving: N>I, L>A, that, situation

[Mike Easter]

That should have been 'Sunday cryptoquip'.

Today's CQ:

 TAS NCM NSK CII KLD
 XIAQDFJ, OSK TAS NCMMAK
 BDDV JVFYMZ XFAP NAPYMZ.
  -- VCOIA MDFSHC
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You can cut all the flowers, but you cannot keep spring from coming.
Pablo Neruda

Solving: all the, but, you can cut, cannot, coming, PN

PN is most often attributed for that aphorism and the article I like
about him as the source refers to it as from Poetry of Resistance.

https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2018/03/26/pablo-nerudas-poetry-of-resistance/

What We Can Learn from Neruda’s Poetry of Resistance

... but another site cited someone who worked pretty hard to find it in
the pub/s they had of PN and couldn't find it and favored a similar
flower quote from Che Guevara. I'm going w/ PN; the saying has been
emblazoned on banners of resistance demonstrators in Spanish and Arabic
such as Arab uprisings and attributed to PN.

[Mike Easter]

Today's CQ:

V BTTE FQMUM TK VSR
ADTJIE WVPM V SMXTIJRQTH
QHAQEM OTJ. -- ADTDSMD
VBDEVADITT

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A good piece of art should make a revolution inside you.
Shohreh Aghdaihloo

Solving: V>A, T>O, M>E, you, should, inside

Aghdashloo was born Shohreh Vaziri-Tabar in Tehran, the daughter of
Effie (née alSadat) and Anushiravan Vaziri-Tabar. She has three
brothers: Shahram, Shahriar and Shahrokh.

She's an actress I've never heard of in productions I've never heard of,
or have heard of but never watched, but it is an extensive list.

[Mike Easter]

Today's CQ:

ZFOHNPJND YG KRF
PFNXPPFLK GXGVYNYHL KRJK
OHPF KRJL RJUI HI KRF
VFHVUF JPF PYARK OHPF KRJL
RJUI KRF KYOF. -- F.S. QRYKF

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Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people
are right more than half the time.
E.B.White

Solving: is the, that, than, right, time, recurrent, EBW, people
(should've seen people earlier)

James Thurber described White as a quiet man who disliked publicity
and who, during his time at The New Yorker, would slip out of his
office via the fire escape to a nearby branch of Schrafft's to avoid

The wp article has the full context of what JT said about that.

[Mike Easter]

EBW has nice wp bio,

I found this back story of the writing of /essential/ Elements of Style in

In 1959, White edited and updated The Elements of Style. This
handbook of grammatical and stylistic guidance for writers of
American English was first written and published in 1918 by William
Strunk Jr., one of White's professors at Cornell. White's reworking
of the book was extremely well received, and later editions followed
in 1972, 1979, and 1999. Maira Kalman illustrated an edition in 2005.
That same year, Nico Muhly, a New York City composer, premiered a
short opera based on the book. The volume is a standard tool for
students and writers and remains required reading in many composition
classes. The complete history of The Elements of Style is detailed in
Mark Garvey's Stylized: A Slightly Obsessive History of Strunk &
White's The Elements of Style.

[Mike Easter]

EBW has nice wp bio,

OK; I'm getting into this EBW, New Yorker mag, & Katharine Angell biz.
Both of them were so important at the NY mag and the 'shy' EBW had an
affair w/ the married KA and they subsequently married, but their wp
articles only slightly alluded to the affair itself.

It turns out, the secretary to both wrote a book and my local lib'y has it.

Katharine and E.B. White: An Affectionate Memoir - Isabel Russel.

[Mike Easter]

Today's CQ:

DXN OPM GJI JXBJICG UVPTK
CP GJDG XO APT NXCC XG,
APT QXVV JXG D VPOGA
NPTEGDXE. -- NDPMX
WMPRIMZ

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Aim for the highest cloud so that if you miss it, you will hit a lofty
mountain.
Maori proverb

Solving: that, a, highest, aim for, Maori proverb

[Mike Easter]

Today's CQ:

SO WYDCD'E J YDJZDP OMC
LD. S'L EHCD SW YJE J
VDJFY JWWJFYDU WM SW.
-- QSLLG VHOODWW


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If there's a heaven for me, I'm sure it has a beach attached to it.
Jimmy Buffett

Solving: if there's a heaven for me,

Of the over 30 albums released by Buffett, eight are certified gold
and nine are certified platinum or multi-platinum by the RIAA.[16] In
total, Buffett sold over 20 million certified records worldwide,[3]
placing him amongst the world's best-selling music
artists.[17][18][19] In addition to two Grammy Award nominations,
Buffett will be posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame in the Musical Excellence category in 2024.[
Buffett also parlayed the "island escapism" lifestyle of his music
into several business ventures, including Jimmy Buffett's
Margaritaville restaurant chain, the now-defunct Cheeseburger in
Paradise restaurant chain, and ventures in hotels, casinos, liquor,
and retirement communities. Buffett was one of the world's richest
musicians, with a net worth of $1 billion.[21] He was also a
bestselling author. His devoted fan base, composed mostly of baby
boomers, are known as "Parrotheads"
Buffett died on September 1, 2023, at age 76, at his home in Sag
Harbor, New York, due to complications from Merkel-cell carcinoma, a
rare and aggressive skin cancer, with which he had been diagnosed
four years earlier. Prior to his death, Buffett had kept his illness
private and continued to tour while undergoing treatment.

Long complex article in wp about Merkel-cells and the debate about them.

Merkel-cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and aggressive skin cancer
occurring in about three people per million members of the
population.

[Mike Easter]

Intel's decline.

I don't recall ever having read an article at CNBC before. I found this
article on Intel's long decline very informative and well written, and
it got a byline.

Kif Leswing is a technology reporter for CNBC, where he focuses on
Apple, hardware and a variety of other topics. He has covered the
technology industry for seven years at publications including
Business Insider, Wired, and Gizmodo. He has a degree in economics
from Oberlin College.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/26/intel-dominated-us-chip-industry-now-struggling-to-stay-relevant.html

Personally, over the decades of the AMD/Intel rivalry, I have favored
AMD cpu/s. The relative caps for all of the big chip dudes and their
evolution in recent years is carefully detailed in this article.
There's also a /. discussion.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/26/intel-dominated-us-chip-industry-now-struggling-to-stay-relevant.html

Intel, once the biggest and most valuable U.S. chip company, has been
surpassed by numerous rivals in recent years due to a series of
missteps.

But now, Intel is investing billions in a somewhat revised strategy.

https://slashdot.org/story/24/04/27/0522239/intels-stock-drops-9-are-they-struggling-to-remain-relevant

Naturally the /. discussion goes off in a variety of directions.

[Mike Easter]

Sunday cryptoquip:

OH XJE TOYR UJ CEU WKBARSUM JS UBJEU KSF
UKYR CIJUJM JH UIRA. O'F MKX XJE'BR MIJJUOSW
HOMl OS KCCKBRT.


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If you like to put garments on trout and take photos of them, I'd say
you're shooting fish in apparel.

Solving: if you, I'd say you're, trout, -- I really needed that T in trout.

[Mike Easter]

I will just allude to Dear Abby to address a concept generically.

There were two letters, both from unhappy wives who were behaving
'cowardly' succumbing to the nature of their spouse/significant other.

During my lifetime, I would say -1- that has been the common nature of
'the woman' and -2- that has changed greatly over the decades, IMO due
to the developing 'strength' of women's sports.

In the 60s-80s women's sports was not much and stereotypical 'women' (I
realize this stereotyping isn't actually valid, but to make a point)
were either dominated or 'ball-busters' in terms of how they 'competed'
socially and domestically, particularly vs men.

I believe that women's sports have made women *BETTER* competitors, and
better is capped because when they compete 'better' they don't have to
be ball-busters or 'weak sisters' but wholesome competitors for their
'position'.

[Mike Easter]

Today's CQ:

SE GEFI EMI ZMESJIQ KPXS
TZB RI SJI LUHJS EL EPQ
GUFIX. -- ZTZMAZ HEQTZM


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To love one another just may be the fight of our lives.
Amanda Gorman

Solving: the, to, another, Amanda

We've seen the young black poet AG here before, who somehow leaped/leapt
to fame because one of her poems was chosen for Biden's inauguration speech.

[Mike Easter]

Today's CQ:

M FXQD IEDXZ TXMZF MR
TSSGJ - JDGT-BSRTMWDRBD,
LN TEMDRWJ BXGG MZ.
-- DWIXE XGGXR VSD


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I have great faith in fools - self-confidence my friends call it.
Edgar Allan Poe

Solving: EAP, I, self-confidence, friends

[Mike Easter]

I've mentioned the Gnome DE here before.

It is a MAJOR DE, perhaps the 'strongest' of all considering the
distro/s which consider it their flagship DE.

And it is MY 'least favorite' DE. It is also the 'least favorite' DE of
my favorite distro Mint. Mint has very carefully 'carved out' its own
'world'. It stopped releasing the DE KDE some years ago. I would
mention that KDE is NOT a 'least favorite' of mine; I like KDE just
fine, but I understand why Mint dropped it. Its toolkit is Qt; all of
the DEs for Mint are gtk.

I recently 'hearkened' to a discussion at RedHat, a very strong and
profitable linux co in which they were considering having their flagship
be KDE instead of Gnome. They recently dropped that idea :-(

In the case of the Mint 'diversion' from Gnome, once Cinnamon and Mate
were considered 'forks' of Gnome, but now they are so far forked that
they are their own DEs only based on the same toolkit as Gnome. The
various apps which 'relate' to a desktop for Mint are now called
'XApps'; so for Mint's convenience, ALL of those apps for XFCE, Mate,
and Cinnamon are the 'same' xapps.

As one might guess, Mint has been 'unhappy' w/ Gnome (which of course
would include its dev/s because they have different philosophies from
Mint) for YEARS. Mint's unhappiness and 'diversion' from Gnome
continues to escalate; sortofa war, in a sense. I think Mint would like
to see more people 'following in its footsteps' in the dev of apps.

The big problem is that Gnome has 'stuff' (actually quite a lot of
stuff) just dev/d for Gnome. Mint's belief and philosophy is that what
they dev in the 'xapps' umbrella is for 'everybody' not just gnome, so
for 'everyone' XFCE, everyone MATE, everyone Cinnamon; or in other
words, suggesting others to get OFF the Gnome bandwagon.

Recent discussion in the Mint blog mo'ly news:
https://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=4675

Of course there are 'anti-linux-istas' who feel that 'all this
divergence' w/in linux is not good, but all of this divergence is at the
heart of open source the heart of a bazaar vs a cathedral.

[Snit]

Post by Mike Easter
I've mentioned the Gnome DE here before.
It is a MAJOR DE, perhaps the 'strongest' of all considering the
distro/s which consider it their flagship DE.
And it is MY 'least favorite' DE. It is also the 'least favorite' DE of
my favorite distro Mint. Mint has very carefully 'carved out' its own
'world'. It stopped releasing the DE KDE some years ago. I would
mention that KDE is NOT a 'least favorite' of mine; I like KDE just
fine, but I understand why Mint dropped it. Its toolkit is Qt; all of
the DEs for Mint are gtk.

Have not used KDE in a *long* time... but it felt to me like it was more of a
playground of features to be tested than something that was meant to be used
day to day. Not that it could not be used -- it could and was by many -- but
had lots of features that were inconsistent and half done.

Post by Mike Easter
I recently 'hearkened' to a discussion at RedHat, a very strong and
profitable linux co in which they were considering having their flagship
be KDE instead of Gnome. They recently dropped that idea :-(
In the case of the Mint 'diversion' from Gnome, once Cinnamon and Mate
were considered 'forks' of Gnome, but now they are so far forked that
they are their own DEs only based on the same toolkit as Gnome. The
various apps which 'relate' to a desktop for Mint are now called
'XApps'; so for Mint's convenience, ALL of those apps for XFCE, Mate,
and Cinnamon are the 'same' xapps.

That seems like a good thing for Linux.

Post by Mike Easter
As one might guess, Mint has been 'unhappy' w/ Gnome (which of course
would include its dev/s because they have different philosophies from
Mint) for YEARS. Mint's unhappiness and 'diversion' from Gnome
continues to escalate; sortofa war, in a sense. I think Mint would like
to see more people 'following in its footsteps' in the dev of apps.
The big problem is that Gnome has 'stuff' (actually quite a lot of
stuff) just dev/d for Gnome. Mint's belief and philosophy is that what
they dev in the 'xapps' umbrella is for 'everybody' not just gnome, so
for 'everyone' XFCE, everyone MATE, everyone Cinnamon; or in other
words, suggesting others to get OFF the Gnome bandwagon.
https://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=4675
Of course there are 'anti-linux-istas' who feel that 'all this
divergence' w/in linux is not good, but all of this divergence is at the
heart of open source the heart of a bazaar vs a cathedral.

Not sure I would say a different view on what is best for the Linux ecosystem
makes someone anti-Linux. Divergence, even of ideas, is important.

[Mike Easter]

That blog also recognizes the supporters of LM in the form of sponsors
(4 different levels), patrons, and contributors. My guess is that the
combined income from all of those sources is north of $20k/mo.

Some individuals are very generous contributors to a free OS.

[T i m]

On 30/04/2024 21:31, Mike Easter wrote:

<snip>

Post by Mike Easter
Of course there are 'anti-linux-istas' who feel that 'all this
divergence' w/in linux is not good, but all of this divergence is at the
heart of open source the heart of a bazaar vs a cathedral.

Not an anti-linux-ista but do believe that much of this divergence
*does* damage the chance of Linux getting a real foothold on the
desktop, for all the reasons you stated previously.

The same would apply re any manufacturer looking to support Linux and
then having to deal with many different distros / DS's.

So, that doesn't mean that a million disparate distros couldn't or
shouldn't exist, it's just that maybe they could all work on some
'Common Linux' that is the one that most desktop users and most
manufacturers would work with?

What would be interesting is if said hypothetical 'Common Linux' distro
really took off, proving the (my) point.

Bottom line, most non-Linux users *might* be more likely to move from
Windows (the de-facto desktop OS) to Linux, if it was even better
supported / known all round.

Of course, that would only work if that (desktop penetration) was
considered a 'valid goal' and for many Linux-geeks, it isn't.

Ironically, I think it was at least a hope for Linux himself:

But if *it* (Linux) was to be pre-installed, what distro / DE?

And then you have the application support that comes out of all this
diversification ...

So if you want GNU/Linux to stay as some 'nothing-specific' near
alternative (to Windows / OSX) desktop OS, carry on being nothing
specific. I wish it wasn't.

Cheers, T i m

[Mike Easter]

Assault style weapons

I was arguing w/ a friend about our difference of opinion about 'gun
control' of assault style weapons. I believe his principle points were
along the lines of 'There's no such thing.' And 'that's not the kind of
weapons used in these mass shootings.'

It turns out that there are a lot of 'characteristics' of an assault
style weapon that I wasn't able to verbalize -- sorta like trying to
define pornography.

And, it is certainly an issue that *both sides* of the control arguments
take advantage of the 'confusion' over a definition. The anti-gun
people like to call assault style /assault weapons/ as if they were
military and the pro-gun people like to say the assault style weapons
*AREN'T* assault weapons.

What I'm learning in prep for our next discussion on this matter is how
to verbalize the appearance of an assault style weapon; and also that
such weapons are NOT the #1 cause of multiple death shootings, which in
fact #1 is handguns by far.

But, my sense of it, in the 'pro-control' category (I'm more libertarian
than conservative in some areas) is that those semi-automatic 'rifles'
which are styled like an assault weapon such as an AR-15 or AK-47 (and
MANY MANY others) are not 'conventional' weapons like for hunting or
target practice or even 'self defense' (unless you are engaging in armed
combat w/ an opposing force similarly equipped).

There is a 'psychological' issue w/ assault style weapons which makes
them the weapon of choice for many of such as school shootings and the
like. It looks like a war weapon and it is very macho.

In any case, I'm much better 'equipped' to describe the many features of
an assault style weapon in our next discussion. The wp article does a
good job of discussing the problems w/ defining what assault style means.

The other side of the problem which is much more difficult that making
laws such as the state of CA has against assault style weapons is how to
go about taking ANY kind of deadly weapon out of the hands of someone
who shouldn't have such because of their mental state or belief system.
People change. Someone who could have been allowed to have a deadly
weapon in the 'past' very likely should NOT be so allowed in the present.

[David Brooks]

Post by Mike Easter
Assault style weapons
I was arguing w/ a friend about our difference of opinion about 'gun
control' of assault style weapons.  I believe his principle points were
along the lines of 'There's no such thing.' And 'that's not the kind of
weapons used in these mass shootings.'
It turns out that there are a lot of 'characteristics' of an assault
style weapon that I wasn't able to verbalize -- sorta like trying to
define pornography.

Maybe you should simply refer to them as "Machine Guns"!
Everyone knows what THEY are!!!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_gun

Post by Mike Easter
And, it is certainly an issue that *both sides* of the control arguments
take advantage of the 'confusion' over a definition.  The anti-gun
people like to call assault style /assault weapons/ as if they were
military and the pro-gun people like to say the assault style weapons
*AREN'T* assault weapons.
What I'm learning in prep for our next discussion on this matter is how
to verbalize the appearance of an assault style weapon; and also that
such weapons are NOT the #1 cause of multiple death shootings, which in
fact #1 is handguns by far.
But, my sense of it, in the 'pro-control' category (I'm more libertarian
than conservative in some areas) is that those semi-automatic 'rifles'
which are styled like an assault weapon such as an AR-15 or AK-47 (and
MANY MANY others) are not 'conventional' weapons like for hunting or
target practice or even 'self defense' (unless you are engaging in armed
combat w/ an opposing force similarly equipped).
There is a 'psychological' issue w/ assault style weapons which makes
them the weapon of choice for many of such as school shootings and the
like.  It looks like a war weapon and it is very macho.
In any case, I'm much better 'equipped' to describe the many features of
an assault style weapon in our next discussion.  The wp article does a
good job of discussing the problems w/ defining what assault style means.
The other side of the problem which is much more difficult that making
laws such as the state of CA has against assault style weapons is how to
go about taking ANY kind of deadly weapon out of the hands of someone
who shouldn't have such because of their mental state or belief system.
People change.  Someone who could have been allowed to have a deadly
weapon in the 'past' very likely should NOT be so allowed in the present.

[Mike Easter]

Post by David Brooks
Maybe you should simply refer to them as "Machine Guns"!
Everyone knows what THEY are!!!

A machine gun is 'fully automatic'. Fully automatic weapons are not
'allowed', legally speaking. Typically 'assault style' weapons are
semi-automatic one shot one pull; if you want to get off a bunch of
shots you pull a bunch of times.

I recently learned that even a customary Glock handgun can be 'tweaked'
to be fully automatic so that it can fire its entire clip 'Brrrrrrrt'.

Not that that is necessarily a good strategy, depending on nature of the
conflict.

[Mike Easter]

Post by Mike Easter
It looks like a war weapon and it is very macho.

And, for example. Of the very many things that 'went wrong' and delayed
proper law enforcement management of the school shooter in Uvalde TX was
the fact that the most important 'decision maker' of the local LE which
was 'there' immediately was the degree of intimidation those responders felt
because of the perp's weaponry.

That is, that assault style rifle was indeed firing 'assault style'
rounds which are very deadly against those LE which would engage him.
You definitely need a 'better vest' against the high velocity rounds
being fired and they (the first responders) all knew it.

Post by Mike Easter
Its bullets could also penetrate the body armor worn by the initial
responding officers to Robb Elementary, an added level of danger they
were aware of. While most departments, including the city of
Uvalde’s, have rifle-rated body armor, it is not typically worn by
officers on patrol because of its added weight.
“Had anybody gone through that door, he would have killed whoever it
was,” Uvalde Police Department Lt. Javier Martinez told investigators
the day after the shooting. You “can only carry so many ballistic
vests on you. That .223 (caliber) round would have gone right through
you.”
Coronado echoed the concern in his own interviews with investigators
about the moment he realized the gunman had a battle rifle.

In this case, it isn't actually the diff between whether a weapon is
automatic or semi-automatic, the important thing is the deadly vested
human killing rounds, unless the human is 'adequately vested' like a
swat team member.

[Mike Easter]

the degree of intimidation those responders felt because of the
perp's weaponry.

I didn't know there were so many AR-15 style weapons 'out there' in the .us

According to a 2021 Georgetown University poll of gun owners in the
US, 24.6 million persons have an AR-15 or a comparable firearm in
their possession.

For clarification or 'definition', the (current) AR-15 is a rifle made
by Colt which is NOT automatic, but semi-automatic, to be compared to
the (original) ArmaLite military AR-15 which had 'selective' firing, auto,
semi-auto, burst (auto for a select #).

This style was once called 'modern sporting rifle' and I didn't know
that so many hunters preferred that style. It wasn't around when
everybody I knew in TX had a 'gun rack' in their home w/ scoped hunting
rifles. No locked cabinet requirements back in those days. However, in
my area, we didn't have any people driving around in pickup trucks w/
gun racks over the seat.

Beginning in the 2010s, AR-15–style rifles became one of the "most
beloved and most vilified rifles" in the United States, according to
The New York Times; the rifles have gained infamy due in part to
their use in high-profile mass shootings.[6] Promoted as "America's
rifle" by the National Rifle Association of America,[7] their
popularity is partially attributable to active restrictions, or
proposals to ban or restrict them.[8][9][10] Thus, they are
emblematic as being on the frontline of the debate over U.S. gun
control.

In any case, CA has an *extensive* list of all the guns 'remotely'
similar to the AR-15, which is quite a list based on multiple different
laws at different times and amendments to those laws.

In addition, CA's 'anti-gun' laws also include the .50 BMG cartridge,
which is a monster:

Loading Image...


That pic doesn't include the AR-15's .223, which is very comparable to
the NATO 5.56 even tho' the numbers don't seem similar.

--
Mike Easter

[Apd]

Post by Mike Easter
In addition, CA's 'anti-gun' laws also include the .50 BMG cartridge,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.50_BMG#/media/File:Rifle_cartridge_comparison.jpg

Here's my cutaway .50 BAT (Battalion Anti-Tank) next to the .50 BMG.
It's a stubby spotter round with a flash tube (presumably to ensure
even and fast burning). The bullet is a standard ball round for the
BMG, not the tracer which would go with the BAT.

<Loading Image...>

[T i m]

On 14/04/2024 19:42, Mike Easter wrote:

<snip>

Post by Mike Easter
In this case, it isn't actually the diff between whether a weapon is
automatic or semi-automatic, the important thing is the deadly vested
human killing rounds, unless the human is 'adequately vested' like a
swat team member.

And on from that, what of all the spent ammunition that didn't end up in
some animal (human or other):

https://animalpetitions.org/educational-series-no-more-animals-should-die-from-lead-bullet-poisoning

Although the chances are most 'sport' or 'trophy' hunters WGAF if
'other' animals die or how ...

Cheers, T i m

[T i m]

Post by Mike Easter
Assault style weapons

<snip>

Post by Mike Easter
What I'm learning in prep for our next discussion on this matter is how
to verbalize the appearance of an assault style weapon; and also that
such weapons are NOT the #1 cause of multiple death shootings, which in
fact #1 is handguns by far.

<snip>

The UK banned the private ownership of most traditional handguns due to
their conceal-ability (and I believe some countries require a more
rigorous licence for 'concealed carry').

Not that legally owned pistols were ever really an issue, partly because
of the stringency of the ownership and storage laws / rules and partly
because it was often easier to buy an imported gun on the black market.

It was quite sad at the time they were banned as a friend and his wife
both used to shoot 'practical pistol' and were forced to hand in their
'sporting equipment' for 'market value'.

We can still own non-automatic rifles, black powder pistols / revolvers
and (semi automatic) shotguns (max 3 shot on a std shotgun licence).

'Guns don't kill people, people do' and as we know, you could equally go
on a 'killing spree' with a knife or a screwdriver.

Cheers, T i m

[Chris]

Post by T i m
'Guns don't kill people, people do' and as we know, you could equally go
on a 'killing spree' with a knife or a screwdriver.

That's just a glib catchphrase. Guns have no other practical purpose
than to kill/harm, so allowing people to have them must be controlled in
civil society. Knives and screwdrivers are useful everyday tools.

Guns make mass murder much, much easier and with less brutality/strength
required when using a knife or screwdriver. I can't imagine many school
kids being capable of mass murder with a knife.

Even grown men struggle to attack/kill more than a few people at a time
plus they have to be very motivated - either through radicalisation or
an extremely unstable emotional state.

Compare the Baticlan and the Borough Market attacks. Both were motivated
through Islamic terrorism.

Bataclan: three men armed with guns. 130 dead + 400 wounded.
Borough Market: three men armed with knives and a van. Eight dead + 48
wounded.

I mean, it's obvious. Guns kill people.

Post by T i m
Cheers, T i m

[Chris]

Post by Mike Easter
The other side of the problem which is much more difficult that making
laws such as the state of CA has against assault style weapons is how to
go about taking ANY kind of deadly weapon out of the hands of someone
who shouldn't have such because of their mental state or belief system.
People change.  Someone who could have been allowed to have a deadly
weapon in the 'past' very likely should NOT be so allowed in the present.

That is always harder. In the UK we have had amnesties in the past and
the authorities can also buy people's weapons off them. It's been done
both in the UK and Aus so can be done.

But ultimately, as with any change in the law you make it very clear and
with plenty of time ahead of the deadline what people need to do to
comply with the new law (i.e. apply for a new licence). Then have a
period of leniency after the law comes in, and after that apply it to
the letter.

Then you make a requirement for all licence-holders to renew every 1/2/3
years.

The real difficulty in the US would be the lack of proper documentation
required in many states so the police have no idea who has got guns.

Ultimately, there are many ways to achieve a similar outcome. The most
difficult step is a political concensus to do something. Frankly in the
US, I don't see that ever happening.