Semper Fi

Posted on 2017-08-092017-08-13 by Mellow Curmudgeon

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amy-mgrath-4-congress

Yes, the fighter jock on the left is also the married mom on the right. This image is a screenshot from the Amy McGrath for Congress website, which is worth a visit from anybody who appreciates clear and communicative web design (whether or not they care about US politics).

After retiring from the Marine Corps (at the rank of Lt Colonel), Amy McGrath found a new challenge: running for Congress as a Democrat in Kentucky. It’s not easy. Neither was flying 89 combat missions.

Dunno whether McGrath is as progressive as I am, but I believe she has the confidence and smarts to avoid the Democrats’ common mistake running like decaffeinated Republicans in red states. Some evidence is provided by the form (as well as the content) of the announcement video Told Me, which can be seen on the website and has made a splash on YouTube. When was the last time U saw a campaign kickoff that was also a good short (2 minutes) film? I like the calmly assertive no-nonsense tone thruout and the final image shown in the screenshot below.

amy-mcgrath-video

The party affiliation is stated clearly, w/o fuss. The image background is a subtle rebuttal of the common misconception that Dems are intrinsically wimpy, if not downright unpatriotic. The subtlety is important. Those who explicitly mention a misconception (even while refuting it) risk strengthening it in the minds of those they are trying to enlighten. Good logic may not be good rhetoric. Dunno how many good rhetorical details of the video and the website are there because McGrath put them in herself and how many are there because McGrath chose and trusted well-qualified people. Either way, seeing such competence is a hopeful glimmer in a dark time.

Please visit Amy McGrath for Congress and watch the video. U can see some good stuff w/o spending much time. Those willing and able to donate just might get the satisfaction of helping a Marine kick some Trumpublican ass.

haiku, humor, philosophy

Yin and Yang

Posted on 2017-08-06 by Mellow Curmudgeon

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Carpe Diem #1229 Yin & Yang

The ancient insight that «seemingly opposite … forces may actually be complementary … and interdependent» has modern echoes in wave/particle duality and concerns about work/life balance. The insight is profound but (like many insights) is sometimes pushed to absurd and pernicious extremes. I refuse to shrug off falsehood as the yin that complements the yang of truth.

Maybe the yin of solemn generality needs a little more of the yang of irreverent specificity.

Harmonious Completion of Necessary Cycle
|Balanced yin and yang.
|Spinning world will not wobble.
|Cosmic clothes washer.

flowers, haiku, photography

Waiting Impatiently for Autumn

Posted on 2017-07-30 by Mellow Curmudgeon

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My previous posts about waiting for autumn were not CDHK responses. My response to
Carpe Diem #1227 waiting for autumn
(Aki tikashi, Aki wo matsu)is to update and reblog them. They fit the prompt better than anything else I can offer now.

Prophet for a Day (posted 2015-09-01)

Soon after the wild daylilies have finished blooming, another flower in my yard turns to prophecy. The pale blue blossoms are long gone, but a few of the leaves on a few of the plants have another calling now. For about a day, they prophesy the next season.

Prophet for a Day
|Wild geranium
|(just one leaf for just one day)
|turns in high summer.

Fall Preview (posted 2016-07-21)

As happens in many years where I live, late August of 2016 was a sneak preview of fall, the year’s best season. Days were still too warm, but more were dry and breezy while fewer were hot and humid. A few cool nights led to chilly mornings, and I suddenly noticed that my garden flag with a picture of phlox was out-of-season. The roadsides have goldenrod and purple loosestrife now.

Virginia creeper is turning, as are some red maples in wet areas. Nearly all the healthy trees are still green, but there is a hint of yellow in many of those greens. The process will slow to a crawl in September; I will spend much of that month grumbling when the weather backslides and thinking “C’mon! C’mon!” when I look at green leaves.

October
|Bright sun and cool air;
|azure skies and pumpkin pies.
|Leaves fall in glory.

history, politics

Rowing Against the Current

Posted on 2017-07-302017-08-02 by Mellow Curmudgeon

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I row against the current. My oar bends. Will it break?

« Current ~ Pic and a Word Challenge #97 »
Thru a haze of fatigue, my mind drifts to a far away place and long ago time. To Salamis. I remember the ancient Greek navy, the mostly Athenian “wooden wall” that defied long odds to save Western civilization. Salvation is not permanent.

trireme
Greek Trireme (public domain)

I cannot draw to save a life, and it is hard to find a trireme to photograph on short notice. I used an image I did not create because something about triremes really matters now.

The rowers in Greek triremes were citizens rowing to defend their communities, not galley slaves rowing to avoid the lash. Tho they could not see the Persian ships they needed to ram, they could trust their leaders to see and steer. Themistocles owed nothing to Xerxes.

Here and now, rowing as a citizen is more complicated. The peril is a strong current (stealthy as metastasis) that surges around breakwaters. What is there to ram? Will the rowers be swept out to sea while squabbling over which cove to head for? Are the leaders loyal and competent? What does Trump owe to Putin?

I row against the current. I am not alone.

Update [2017-07-30]

Here is a good example of rowing against the current that has gotten less publicity than it deserves. Senator Mazie Hirono [Dem-HI] interrupted treatment for stage 4 kidney cancer to speak eloquently and vote against the latest pseudoconservative travesty of healthcare legislation. U can read more details and hear the speech (under 5 minutes) by clicking here. U can sign a petition to thank her by clicking here.

haiku, humor, math

Two Season-Words; Two Cuts; Several Allusions

Posted on 2017-07-26 by Mellow Curmudgeon

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Rules 1 and 2 of
Carpe Diem’s Writing and Enjoying Haiku #3 classical haikurequire a season-word and a cut, which is not the same as requiring exactly one of each. (Guess who has a math background.) Dunno how to write a haiku with interchangeable short lines (per Rule 6) that also flows naturally with exactly one cut, but I try to remember that there is a big difference between saying that I cannot do it now and saying that nobody can do it ever.

Hmmm. Suppose there is exactly one cut, that it is made by punctuation, and that moving the cut is allowed when interchanging the short lines. This permissive interpretation of Rule 6 did not occur to me until I saw Virginia Popescu’s beautiful haiga, where the haiku still flows naturally with exactly one cut, if we move the dash from after “stone” to after “sun” when interchanging the short lines. Her response to this episode is also a gentle reminder that my most dangerous assumptions are the ones I do not know I am making.

Maybe I can satisfy Rule 6 with a single stationary cut some time in the future. Maybe not. For now, I cut in both places where one line follows another.

This Haiku Is Kosher
No mosquitoes fly.
Basho’s frog just meditates.
The pond stays silent.

zen-frog

Not Quite Kosher
|Zen frog bronze sculpture
|(credit lost, like casting wax).
|Dunno who to thank.

haiku, humor, serendipity

Seedless Raspberries?

Posted on 2017-07-22 by Mellow Curmudgeon

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The images in this post are derived from

Carpe Diem #1223 Raspberry,

where similar reds appear in very different places.

RevolverMaps Widget
Tiny raspberries
twinkle on revolving globe.
No seeds between teeth.

haiku, photography

A Life Is Like A Day

Posted on 2017-07-18 by Mellow Curmudgeon

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It is late afternoon, so I will get while the getting is good.

Carpe Diem #1220 Twilight

Do It Now
|Low sun; long shadows.
|Take photos before sunset:
|twilight summons night.

Spider-Rock

While there are many fine photos of Spider Rock and its shadow, this splendid one by John Wanserski has colors and composition that are distinctive and especially appropriate for my haiku. Click here to buy a print.