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Old December 22nd, 2008, 12:36 PM
James Brody James Brody is offline
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Philadelphia area
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Cool "Free to Float About the Cabin"

Today is the solstice, the first day of winter that also marks the slow return of summer. This coincidence is important because thoughts of summer's return help me to ignore winter's start and to remember that only ninety days must pass before the amount of daylight equals and then passes the amount of darkness.

A bit on WLW, 700 am, Cincinnati, this morning at 5:48am: How to celebrate a cashless Christmas? The happy lady advised that you lie to your kids, telling them that this year you have "chosen" to concentrate on family relationships. You are to look at old family pictures and talk about the when and why the pictures were made, talk about family trips and adventures, tell more stories to each other, and have a family game night.

These, of course, are the better things that most of us did as a matter of course in the lost time before Internet, Victoria's Secret, and Jen Anniston's naked forty-year-old body on the cover of GQ. And, as is true for Jen, it may be a bit late for other American's to return to yesterday's habits. There may be no easy door to yesterday's summer, when children that we couldn't stand could be sent to the Army instead of the mall, when street people staked out the covers on steam lines rather than cots from 10 pm - 8 am, when you could spank your kid without permission from his social worker, and when the Pledge and morning prayers began every day in public education.

Although evolution can move in reverse, it generally does so in large, dramatic, ratcheted steps: societies may have the same quality, that it is more likely to go back twenty-five, fifty, or a hundred years rather than five or ten. Such may be a function of emergent networks, whether of genes, corporations, or governments, wherein you have to take out several hubs before the functions of the assembly change.

Evolution is fun, however, even when the great eraser of network changes cleans genomes, telephone directories, and national organizations. BHO mixes a fundamentalist with the radicals at his inauguration, Putin could build an army from oil sold for $100/barrel but may get thrown out because oil is only $35, the Democrats blame Barny Frank, Chris Dodd, and Frank Raines on the Republicans, homosexual males want benefits intended for couples who produce children, and nutty George, looking only through his own eyes and hearing only through his own ears, thinks that he did a fine job, and finally, a U.S. Company will sell you a $200,000 trip from Nevada to low orbit where, with five other passengers, you can unbuckle and "feel free to float about the cabin" - 350 tickets have already been sold.

Merry Christmas, and for those of us who must shave our feet, Happy Solstice...

References

Things can always be worse. See Anna Ozar's recent columns, especially "Some Notes on the Bidlo," in the Moscow News, http://mnweekly.ru/trend/ozar/

The Kiev Post will also cheer you: "Kiev has hot water: Take a shower today!" Http://www.kyivpost.com/city/31999. Or "Don't expect service, with or without smiles" http://www.kyivpost.com/blogs/blogge...ylukanov/5067; And there's a great photo of Putin at http://www.kommersant.com/p1090687/R...new_Patriarch/
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