Author Archives: Jim deMaine

David Attenborough on the Variety and Resiliency of Nature

In the nineteen-thirties, in Leicester, England, a future knight of the realm named David Attenborough developed an obsession with finding fossils. He would ride his bicycle to old iron quarries and knock on rocks with a little hammer—some would fall … Continue reading

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When your memory fails you and you need to send that card

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Why Fox News Slimed a Purple Heart Recipient

From the NYT by Tobin Smith. Mr. Smith is the author of “Foxocracy: Inside the Network’s Playbook of Tribal Warfare.”. As a former talk-show host on the channel, I can explain the art and purpose behind attacking Colonel Vindman. In anticipation … Continue reading

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Worth repeating

Thanks to Tom S. for this one.

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Earthquake – do you have a luggable loo?

Here’s some added info from Put: No one at the Lander St Home Depot store knew anything about the buckets that might be adapted for sanitation.  When we got home, I looked online and discovered that REI sells the “Luggable … Continue reading

Posted in Education, environment, Safety | 2 Comments

Talking to God

Thanks to Dick D for this reminder This notice can now be found in   many   French churches:       En entrant dans cette église, il est possible que vous entendiez l’appel de Dieu.       Par … Continue reading

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Happy Sunday

From Rosemary W

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Preparing that Christmas turkey

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Twinkle Twinkle Freeway Park

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Enjoying the leaves

My niece near Philadelphia send me this one.

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She should be at Skyline!

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Do the Volgelkop bop: how a newly discovered bird-of-paradise dazzles his mate

From Aeon: Beginning in 2004, the evolutionary biologist Ed Scholes of Cornell University in New York and the US nature photographer Tim Laman embarked on an ambitious project to find and film the 39 then-known members of the birds-of-paradise family … Continue reading

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One of life’s disappointments

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In praise of Washington insiders by David Brooks

Let me tell you a secret. The public buildings of Washington are filled with very good people working hard for low pay and the public good. There are thousands of them and they are very much like the Foreign Service … Continue reading

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Bose fact canceling headphones. If you can’t hear it, it didn’t happen

Best summary of day one of the impeachment hearings by Stephen Colbert. Click here to watch the show.

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So it’s OK!

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Juul Ends E-Cigarette Sales of Mint-Flavored Pods

Ed note: Unfortunately the government continues to allow the sale of an addictive drug with no known medical benefits: nicotine. Juul has managed to expose 25% of our youth to this drug by means of enticing them to flavored vaping … Continue reading

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Turkey time

Thanks to Gordon G

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Silent language

Posted in Animals, happiness, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Didn’t quite get the message

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We don’t trust enough

From Aeon: We all know people who have suffered by trusting too much: scammed customers, jilted lovers, shunned friends. Indeed, most of us have been burned by misplaced trust. These personal and vicarious experiences lead us to believe that people … Continue reading

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Restoring a painting like a surgeon

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Why curing cancer is so hard | Azra Raza | TEDxNewYork – coming to Town Hall 11/12

We spend $150 billion per year treating cancer, yet mortality rates from this disease remain largely unchanged from fifty years ago. According to oncologist Azra Raza, our systems for treating cancer are fundamentally broken. In conversation with LeRoy Hood of the … Continue reading

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Woes of an editor

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The New Alaskan Way is on the Way

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