tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60281052212068977682011-09-28T15:07:50.248-05:00"Where snow falls there are no borders." A view across the border of the US and Canada including economics, poetry, zoology, books, trivia, and religion considered as an engineering practice.Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.comBlogger541100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-31281963029889270502009-01-02T09:58:00.007-06:002010-01-27T05:19:02.701-06:00

I wrote the letter below to Pantech, and then tried to send it via their customer reply service online.I am stymied by the requirement in the image below, for something called a "Email host". Since I do all my mail through Gmail, I tried that and several other possible entries, none of which have worked. [NOTE: see update at bottom] So I remembered, "I have a blog!" I decided to post my

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-60969087511412516012008-11-30T09:08:00.002-06:002008-11-30T09:32:07.891-06:00

First he united the right! Now, he has united the left!What more can this man do! Let's not find out.Go Coalition, Go!

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-31574588736292128622008-11-29T06:06:00.002-06:002008-11-29T06:39:05.968-06:00

A long discussion over on Angry Bear dealt with how economic choices, rational in the short term or in the service of one economic actor, can cumulatively cripple the societies in which these choices are made. Well worth hopping over to read the full conversation, and also taking another hop to read the 1994 address of Sir James Goldstein to the US Congress.I added to the conversation, and was

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-59117801489072303852008-11-19T17:33:00.007-06:002008-11-19T21:57:39.071-06:00

Canada Post is out of the questionWhen Frodo Baggins set off on the quest of the ring, he sang, “The road goes ever on and on / out from the door where it began…” I wasn’t singing, but I was at least humming, as I headed out to get filters for my CPAP machine.A CPAP is the cheapest, simplest solution to sleep apnea, a common disorder affecting 2 - 4% of adults. In sleep apnea, as a person falls

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-75565850934921308012008-11-16T06:19:00.005-06:002008-11-16T08:35:35.517-06:00

In many ways, the bankrupt person becomes the equivalent of an ex-convictToday's NYT talks about bankruptcies, with a real good chart. A little chunk from the article tells usDownturn Drags More Consumers Into Bankruptcy...the number of personal bankruptcy filings jumped nearly 8 percent in October from September, after marching steadily upward for the last two years, said Mike Bickford,

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-32115201416190625312008-11-15T12:23:00.002-06:002008-11-15T12:26:40.888-06:00

As the year winds down, we remember his accomplishments.

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-18797176029660938322008-11-15T10:01:00.001-06:002008-11-15T10:02:23.279-06:00

Paul Krugman passes on a choice piece of good news via his blog:November 15, 2008, 7:27 amChange it’s hard to believe in......because it’s such good news. Elizabeth Warren, expert on personal bankruptcy, crusader against credit card industry lobbyists, and founder of the extremely useful blog Credit Slips, to be a member of the bailout oversight board.Elections have consequences.Warren has been

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-84461319351337047182008-11-11T16:33:00.006-06:002008-11-11T18:07:03.505-06:00

New York Times Technology section? Yeah, that's the place to slip in a seriously important political story.More In Technology * Judge Rules Against White House in E-Mail Case * Midway Games Reports Loss * Sirius XM Takes $4.8 Billion Charge Related to Merger * Comparing YouTube and Hulu * VMware Lends Virtual Hand to Mobile Phone CrowdOkay, to be a little kinder I must say this

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-20153588325171030052008-11-08T11:18:00.002-06:002008-11-08T11:28:44.630-06:00

The midpoint between caring and crime is not care, but crime.The midpoint between a truth and a lie is not truth, but another lie.

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-39222538440838917992008-11-06T06:53:00.004-06:002008-11-06T06:58:30.320-06:00

Our favorite tech and computer geek J.D. "Illiad" Frazer contemplates the change of US administrations, with an oft-neglected consideration:See him every day here.

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-65878858327724211322008-11-05T17:47:00.005-06:002008-11-05T17:53:10.416-06:00

From Brad deLongInside the Tent...Youth: Why do the Democrats let Joe Lieberman caucus with them?Me: You know, it is the old Lyndon Johnson saying: better to have him inside the tent pissing out rather than outside the tent pissing in.Youth: But he's inside the tent pissing in!November 04, 2008 at 07:42 PM*snort!*Rating: Three Laughing Bostons

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-31594309106831124012008-11-05T07:36:00.004-06:002008-11-05T07:40:47.381-06:00

-- The Cup of Tears--Remember this feeling.Remember this feeling.Put this cup in a safe sound chamber in your heartBring it out often,Bring it out to hold it,wash in it, pour it out, bathe, -- clean waterafter a long and dirty day of work.Call it the cup of tears.Tears wash and comfort us,Come together when we weep together.They stream together like small riversBecoming great rivers,Becoming

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-25218081548813976122008-11-04T22:37:00.002-06:002008-11-04T22:38:55.746-06:00

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-11775648211048415952008-11-04T12:02:00.006-06:002008-11-04T12:22:07.817-06:00

Cheney, Rove and Co. having sucked the last blood from the veins of a tottering USA, exactly why would they want to stay in power? My guess is, fearing they might possibly win this election despite their track record, they picked a VP candidate so patently impossible that they hoped no-one could possibly find her acceptable.Under the care of the Democrats, how long will it take the US to rebuild

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-71252383460960788212008-11-04T10:26:00.002-06:002008-11-04T10:29:49.208-06:00

From wonderful Wondermark.

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-33792968840827248482008-11-02T06:37:00.006-06:002008-11-02T08:00:27.812-06:00

GeeseA block from my office beside a deserted railway track the geese built their nest again, to incubate their eggs. Geese take turns, I understand, one parent flying away to feed and rest while the other sits like a painted carving. But I couldn’t tell the difference between these two. Sometimes both were there. And this spring they had acquired a handmaiden- a brown mallard duck, always

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-79228574377865919232008-11-02T05:58:00.005-06:002008-11-02T06:04:41.499-06:00

From the NYT this morning:We also have to pay far more attention to public diplomacy and outreach. Our Afghanistan and Pakistan policy is a mess in part because Osama bin Laden’s approval rating in Pakistan (34 percent) is almost double America’s (19 percent). You know we need a new approach when we lose a public relations competition to a fugitive mass murderer. --Nicholas KristofRating: Four

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-36462475538193917742008-11-01T12:42:00.004-05:002008-11-01T12:57:35.118-05:00

I was pleased with this comment I wrote over at Echidne's place, so I thought I would transplant it here, too. The discussion ["The Concept of Non-Ownership" (by Phila), Saturday, November 01, 2008] was of interest too, I strongly recommend it.=========================A McMansion is not really bigger than a smaller house, it is just more enclosed air, yielding a feeling of distance in a space

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-65809969639886904552008-10-31T05:59:00.009-05:002008-10-31T07:48:27.902-05:00

What to wear for Halloween? From the Slate overview of the daily papers for Oct. 31 2008, here:Maybe wear a suit and monocle and go as a corporate fat cat? The Journal fronts a good analysis of how the banks now being bailed out by the government owe roughly $40 billion in unpaid executive pay, bonuses and pensions. While the Treasury Department is putting restrictions on what executives at

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-55146497654494789342008-10-29T12:57:00.006-05:002008-10-29T13:30:17.812-05:00

Obviously!In her own words...from last week!"...And Alaska—we’re set up, unlike other states in the union, where it’s collectively Alaskans own the resources. So we share in the wealth when the development of these resources occurs. Our state constitution—it lays it out for me, how I’m to conduct business with resource development here as the state C.E.O. It’s to maximize benefits for Alaskans,

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-79041681393384733232008-10-24T10:59:00.005-05:002008-10-29T14:38:36.284-05:00

From here, a quote from Ann Althouse which has it all -- rhythm, memorability, and amazing insightfulness, sorta:"You know, just because the thing I saw wasn't there doesn't mean there wasn't something there that I didn't see."I stand in awe.Score : two laughing Bostons

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-25131069400002923862008-10-22T15:27:00.000-05:002008-10-22T15:29:35.764-05:00

Every morning as I gnaw on a cup of coffee and pry my eyes open with a stir stick, I check out a whole string of online funnies. From Doonesbury to Calvin and Hobbes, to this.Here's a little sample. Enjoy.

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-54657107592566500962008-10-18T13:50:00.007-05:002008-10-18T18:46:54.845-05:00

George Orwell told us, "Arnold Bennett was hardly exaggerating when he said that in the English-speaking countries the word “poetry” would disperse a crowd quicker than a fire-hose." It's ironic that when I was looking for a photo for this piece, I found this 1912 San Diego picture of police using a real fire hose to disperse potential poets -- or free-speakers, anyway.I taught a course on

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-70046620380825801232008-10-17T05:34:00.006-05:002008-10-29T14:39:42.842-05:00

Quote stolen from Angry Bear:He's just shrinking the economy down down to the size where he can drown it in the bathtub.Don | Homepage | 10.16.08 - 7:02 pm | # Rated: Three Laughing Bostons

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-86854929907485219602008-10-16T14:59:00.007-05:002008-10-16T18:37:28.901-05:00

Hoisted from comments at Angry Bear, Jack speaks his mind regarding the current financial crisis:[someone asked] *** why should the "economy" suffer because the financial industry can't get out of its own way? we still have everything we need to make the things we need.***[and someone else commented] "There is no doubt that the US is wealthy enough to do that. The problem is how. Regrettably,

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-28723145605869683772008-10-15T07:21:00.004-05:002008-10-15T07:33:22.804-05:00

From Practical Fishkeeping, this breaking story:The US state of Texas has banned the use of fish in providing pedicures over health and safety concerns... fish pedicures - where customers pay to have the dead skin nibbled off their feet by small tropical fish - are no longer allowed in the state.The Department said that, since the same fish are used to clean the skin of multiple people, that

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-23287207224538483912008-10-15T03:34:00.001-05:002008-10-15T03:34:00.173-05:00

Well, the Canadian election is over and the Conservatives have spent about $300 million of our money in order to gain a slightly larger minority, by dint of starting two months early, escaping election spending limits by mailing out flyers at public expense and attacking the other guy for two years before formally breaking their own law by calling an election a year early clever strategies.I am

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-54322278766590712362008-10-14T06:18:00.005-05:002008-10-14T06:58:57.587-05:00

Why don't people care about politics?People who care about politics are terribly frustrated with people who don't. Over on Galloping Beaver this morning Dana was having another meltdown, because he sees how important these decisions are, and no-one else seems to be paying sufficient attention.I was reminded of part of "Stranger In A Strange Land", where Gillian, a nurse, tells her boyfriend, a

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-74747964090110055652008-10-13T08:44:00.004-05:002008-10-13T09:24:30.933-05:00

Vote.I was taught, by example, how to vote. My parents got up in the morning and dressed as though for church. The day was somehow quieter than other days, even in a household with five kids.We drove to the polling site and while one parent went in to vote, the other would ride herd on us in the car, but it never took much effort to keep us quiet. It was voting day.Formal, sober, quietly

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-26806602479724851172008-10-11T18:56:00.003-05:002008-10-11T19:12:43.441-05:00

This is lifted from comments over on Hullabaloo, where they were discussing Karl Rove and a couple articles about him. (Spite Politics, October 11, 2008)The discussion is asking, why is it that Rove's tactics aren't decried by the American people. One or two writers think that it's because many Americans have embraced the principle of win-at-any-cost, and so they don't see Rove's behaviour as

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-50350023498027969802008-10-10T04:50:00.003-05:002008-10-10T05:10:19.593-05:00

David Malki !'s Wondermark is a weird but wonderful strip. This one is a bit more topical than most of his, which range from darkly whimsical to disturbing. Enjoy.

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-25933257703333565602008-10-08T13:22:00.006-05:002008-10-08T18:40:45.760-05:00

Thrift shop goodies come in all shapes and sizes, and my house has ENOUGH of them, thanks very much. But some cannot be left only to memory, they need to be photographed and shared.An Economic Horse -- who else but an economist would paint a Scandanavian horse with sigmas, ampersands, percent signs and a round thing that looks like an "e"? And then put glasses on it? Must be one of Paul

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-38574502428134767042008-10-07T15:38:00.009-05:002008-10-07T16:17:24.119-05:00

I want to vote strategically. In my riding the colour is solid orange, nothing else comes close. So if I were voting strategically I could vote NDP and ensure they keep their seat if I really hate the other contender and dread being the one to upset the vote. Or I could vote for any of the others and give them a bit of a lagniappe of vote numbers and federal funding, even if I actually liked

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-53689339300159563012008-10-06T12:41:00.009-05:002008-10-06T15:20:19.945-05:00

Much remains to be done for mental health -- and you're in the perfect position to screw it up.Hurrah, it's Mental Illness Awareness Week and amidst a few glimmers of hope (like the US decision to require parity between mental and other type health care) the huge job of helping people with faulty ideation, anger issues, profound lack of impulse control and a profoundly crippled ability to exhibit

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-36209780991471497942008-10-06T08:36:00.007-05:002008-10-06T09:22:21.533-05:00

... except this guyYou know those guys who want the ten commandments posted in courthouses? maybe they should tack them up on Wall Street and down on Pennsylvania Avenue: Here's an "op-ed" on the sin of Stealing, a hardy perennial:For to steal is nothing else than to get possession of another's property wrongfully, which briefly comprehends all kinds of advantage in all sorts of trade to the

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-81328374889374712772008-10-04T21:33:00.004-05:002008-10-04T21:42:34.117-05:00

ABC stands for "Anyone But Conservative". If they'd quit biting each other's ankles, we could have a very large lefthanded majority/coalition.Vote strategic? Heck yes.The orange leaves are Canadian maple, the green are prairie aspen poplar, and the red are Japanese maple from my neighbour's yard. No blue leaves, so the PQ just got a texture.It's printed up and in my window this very minute.

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-61896957506551839732008-10-02T20:16:00.010-05:002008-10-03T13:09:10.813-05:00

...the big boys in Canadian politics didn't want Elizabeth May in the debate.There are two women debating tonight, two first-time top level debaters. One, Elizabeth May, had to fight for the last few years to get into the debate, the other not only didn't have to fight (despite styling herself a "pit bull with lipstick").but was catapulted onto the US national stage like a shooting star.They are

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-59341925752998545702008-10-02T07:42:00.006-05:002008-10-02T08:38:58.442-05:00

I have belonged to an online discussion group called Piffle for about seven of its 10 years. It's like the best lawn party ever, with lovingly discussed topics like food, history, a shared encyclopedic knowledge which elevates trivia to a doctoral level, and always and ever, books. The group is an offshoot of another one, still in progress, called LordPeter. LP has discussed Dorothy Sayers

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-82044841139494918332008-09-30T07:06:00.005-05:002008-09-30T08:41:05.147-05:00

The S word is just the E word in disguise.From a Slate magazine article comes word on Microsoft's initial foray into addressing the amusing Mac/PC ads (what kept them? I've been enjoying these ads for a couple of years now.) Nonetheless, Slate says of Microsoft's reply::Even if they are a little saccharine, the core message of Microsoft's ads—that Apple is snooty—should resonate. That's because

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-59588518859998193922008-09-29T16:46:00.002-05:002008-09-29T16:56:39.927-05:00

Suppose you are an avid surfer, but there are no waves today or the waves aren't big enough to suit you. You can:a) surf on the waves you have, not the waves you wish you hadb) add another sport to your repertoirec) drop a huge bomb out to sea and surf on those wavesThe financial inventors over the past seven or ten years -- the hedge fundies and the tranchifiers and the Pere Noel's of the

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-30435593522949706082008-09-27T11:03:00.001-05:002008-09-28T08:24:16.576-05:00

It was broad daylight when I heard the news on the radio, but I was nonetheless tempted to pinch myself good and hard to make sure that I wasn't in Wonderland. For a minute, I thought that my ears had fooled me as they often do, because I couldn't believe that Stephane Dion had actually scrapped Lesley Hughes under an accusation of anti-Semitism.In Lewis Carroll's weird and backward land,

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-41433666077069572562008-09-27T09:46:00.004-05:002008-09-27T10:45:02.215-05:00

A few shots of Lake Winnipeg, with white soft sand and beaches that run for miles.

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-56879354661752514962008-09-22T13:35:00.003-05:002008-09-22T13:41:42.080-05:00

The chief goal of terrorism is to change the rules of the game, by pushing the opponent into a completely different game, one which he cannot win. It isn’t necessary that the terrorist be able to win, just that you lose. It’s like a losing chess player pulling a knife. The fact of the knife changes the chess game unilaterally into a game where you, too, need a knife, and the ivory and ebony

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-32708806370844002462008-09-16T08:40:00.004-05:002008-09-16T09:41:55.323-05:00

they got used to the noisethey got used to the noise, the grindingof marble on marble shiftingthey builded their stalls and storeroomsabutting the base of the pillarsno betrayal blinded their sampson,installed as their jovial patronthey sought him and they found himthey chose him and they fed himthey welcomed the noise, the grindingthe movement of solid stoneas the temple collapses they selland

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-20782393486482760222008-09-15T13:42:00.010-05:002008-09-15T16:08:15.031-05:00

"Our great national prosperity in recent years is not yet thoroughly understood" declared the president of the New York stock exchange, Mr. EHH Simmons, in an address in Chicago last month. "No nation in all history has ever experienced quite the same sort of thing and few if any of us have as yet satisfactorily analyzed its basic causes." And he might have added that few if any of us have any

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-36911337144347345472008-09-15T10:16:00.008-05:002008-09-15T10:49:51.534-05:00

The blogosphere is up in arms over the latest Donald Luskin moonshine, a Washington Post Op-Ed saying things aren't really so bad. A transparent tissue of boneheadedness, no need to repeat it . I have a piece on it, which begins::The Man Who Cried “Sheep!”Shorter Donald Luskin: “People think the economy is crashing, but it’s all Obama’s fault because he wants to make the Republicans look bad.”[

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-67710187347762644962008-09-14T04:43:00.002-05:002008-09-14T04:43:00.263-05:00

The days are still warm and kindly, but we're seeing all the signs of autumn on its way. Last night we took a picnic basket out to eat bread and cheese and watch the last mild moon of the year, as gold as a gouda in the trees.Amazing what a cheap cell phone can accomplish in capturing the poplars and the moonlight. I didn't expect anything half so good.Noni

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-11486831655193657522008-09-13T14:34:00.001-05:002008-09-13T20:54:40.062-05:00

It's too bad that Gregory Mcdonald is best known for his "Fletch" mysteries, generally by way of the two movies made from those books. The goofiness of the movies gives the reader no hint that the books themselves were constructed painstakingly, with the reserve and elegance of a craftsmen who pays equal attention to the overall project and each tiny detail.In particular, the observation of each

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-6505102392476277242008-09-12T10:55:00.000-05:002008-09-12T12:20:27.052-05:00

It's a minor nuisance, but here's a slowed-down recording of the audio clip being misrepresented on the web.Do politicians really think people are stupid? I generally judge that by their their stunning election promises.Noni

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-12692443490470868762008-09-12T07:35:00.000-05:002008-09-12T09:23:36.321-05:00

What do the Heathers and Karl Rove have in common?-------------------------Okay, I hated high school. All right, junior high, too. And the primary grades were no cup of chocolate either. I can't be certain why, but I do know one part of school life that I hated more than almost any other.It's what I call "teen girl's politics". [1]It's easy to spot if you've ever seen it. Airy superiority,

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-55826437852526233502008-09-11T17:43:00.000-05:002008-09-11T17:55:45.538-05:00

Some headlines just cry out to be shared:U.S. Government to Arrange Sale of Struggling Lehman Brothers Are they being kept in the vault, thrashing about in the spilled quarters and dimes, hoping to find a broken pop bottle they can use to cut their bonds?I know ...it's serious business. But I wish I had been the headline writer -- I bet he's been waiting for years...

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-61782666244545075062008-09-10T22:30:00.001-05:002008-09-10T22:43:56.531-05:00

The wild purple asters are in full bloom, marking the coming autumn. Coincidentally two national elections are in full bloom, marking a similar but much less predictable change. Two weeks ago we in Canada didn't think we would be voting October 14, now the whole circus is in full swing, with party leaders offering surprisingly anemic programs and cuts. A 2 cent cut in diesel prices phased in

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-17531651748599358522008-09-10T18:32:00.000-05:002008-09-10T19:11:21.312-05:00

For a couple of years I have hung around the edges of other blogs, piping up now and then with my own take on the topics of the day, either in comments or, now and then, as a guest blogger. But there are things I'd enjoy talking about which don't fit in my home blogs, Angry Bear and the Galloping Beaver.It's a blessing to be able to post whatever I like, but whoooo-eee, it's a curse too. No

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6028105221206897768.post-54815355828724171072008-06-06T13:32:00.001-05:002008-11-06T13:53:01.219-06:00

Two maps messily superimposed -- the green marks* are the counties that voted more strongly Republican in the 2008 federal election than in 2000, and the underlying tones of red are the states' 2005 poverty levels, with the deeper colour marking the poorer states.The original poverty map is here: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/Povertyrates/ The Original map of how counties voted is from the Nov

Noni Mausahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198589990083966806noreply@blogger.com0