a blog about ratiocinations out of thin air and elsewhere
RATIOCINATIONS OUT OF THIN AIR is the title that I wanted to give this blog. But it would have been confusing as most people don’t know what “ratiocination” means and few people would take the time to look it up, despite being on the internet! [Continue reading]
THE IMAGE OF SANTA CLAUS in a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer that allows him to visit billions of households around the globe in a single night is usually taken for granted. It is so much a part of “traditional” western pop culture that Santa’s origins—especially the magical parts—are rarely considered by most people. [Continue reading]
ON HIS LAST DAY AS PRESIDENT on January 20, 2021, Donald Trump will walk out onto 5th Avenue in New York City and shoot a random passerby. He will then announce his candidacy for the nomination of the Rep*blican Party for President of the United States in 2024. [Continue reading]
THE IDEA BEHIND “MAGA” IS FINE: “Make America Great Again!” Who can argue with those four words? Well, actually, anyone can argue with them when we consider what the word “great” is being used to describe. [Continue reading]
I DID SOME SHOPPING YESTERDAY, mostly for food. I also hit the library along the way, using curbside pick-up for items I had ordered online. I picked up a few books (including Steven Pinker’s The Sense Of Style – The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century and Norman Spinrad’s Greenhouse Summer. [Continue reading]
EACH YEAR I HIKE MOUNT RANIER to a secret meeting. I use the Carbon Glacier trail and I don’t ascend the whole mountain—that takes days and a team of other hikers. And I have to go it alone. This is just a vigorous day-hike that gets me up to about 7,000 feet where I can look down into the massive glacier. [Continue reading]
I RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM QUORA that read, “Quora Moderation collapsed your answer to ‘What irrefutable facts do Trump supporters need to know about Trump to change their mind?’ for violating a policy on Quora. Your answer may need improvement.” [Continue reading]
NOAM CHOMSKY HAD AN INTERVIEW scheduled with Anand Giridharadas for The.Ink website. While each interview promises the potential of unique answers and even the possibility of new thoughts, depending on the interviewer, Chomsky prepared some notes to make certain he mentioned certain points. [Continue reading]
HAL HAD IT MADE! He was young, handsome, and smart with a very good job as an accountant with a successful local company. But he had one weak spot: He liked to gamble. A lot. Unfortunately, he usually lost. [Continue reading]
