Robots have a difficult time with theology . . .
Thursday, August 20, 2026. It's Thor's day . . . at 8:45 a.m. the heat continues in Green Country. Forecasts for TulseyTown indicate moderate Easterlies, 100º real temperature with an index of 108º by late afternoon. A slight chance exists for a Summer thunderstorm.
Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray. – Rumi
One of my fave poets, Heather McHugh, is 78 today. She was born in 1948 San Diego, California. Her latest book, the first in over a decade, is Muddy Matterhorn, Copper Canyon Press, 2020.
Today is the birthdate of Jacqueline Susann. The novelist and actress was born in1918 Philadelphia.
One of the most influential theologians of the twentieth century, Christian existentialist Paul Tillich was born on this date in 1886, Starzeddel, Brandenburg, Germany.
Startups are making the dream of a humanoid robot that does your chores sound like it’s around the corner, but the reality is different. Startups are making the dream of a humanoid robot that does your chores sound like it’s around the corner, but the reality is different. – Ajay Kumar, “Reality vs. Hype,” writing at Cnet.com.
The interaction of AI with social platforms could deepen the current chaos, but it is also the most plausible candidate to eventually tame the disorder. The new transcendent framework, whatever its content, will not arrive in spite of these technologies. It will arrive through them. – Macario Schettino, “The Rise & Fall Of Liberal Democracy’s Shared Fiction,” writing in NOEMA.
The political world has been consumed over the past few days with a Republican meltdown about Trump’s aide Natalie Harp. – Heather Cox Richardson, in Letters From An American.
Our national debt is exploding. So, guess who's raking it in at our expense? – Robert Reich, Who Gets Paid?
A ghost in the machine . . .
Wednesday, August 19, 2026, It's Odin's day . . . At 815 a.m. near record heat is in the Green Country forecasts. Moderate Westerlies with more triple digit afternoon temperatures visit TulseyTown's afternoon.
What would the world be like if Christians actually believed in a humble God? – Ilia Delio,
The Humility of God, Meditations, The Center for Action and Contemplation. 8.13.26
In Trump’s Washington, America’s business leaders show the spinal fortitude of red licorice. – Miles Taylor, “Pick a Side, You Cowards,” Defiance.
The reign of the corporate democrats is coming to an end. – Robert Reich, The Last Stand. Posted for today.
It’s fascinating to watch your parents maintain that the sun rises in the west. – Garrrison Keillor, “Thanks Wisconsin, “The Column,
Today is the birthdate of Gene Roddenberry. The creator of the Star Trek television series was born in 1921 El Paso, Texas.
One of the two aircraft pioneer Wright brothers, Orville Wright, was born in on this date in 1871 Dayton, Ohio.
The humor poet Ogden Nash was born in 1902, Rye, N.Y.
President Bill Clinton is 80 today, born in 1946, Hope, Arkansas.
The French fashion designer Coco Chanel was born on this date in 1883, Saumur, France. She ruled Parisian haute couture for almost six decades.
The “natural language” philosopher Gilbert Ryle was born today in 1900 Brighton, Sussex, England. He challenged what he deemed “the incoherent dogma of Cartesianism” and labeled it as the doctrine of “the ghost-in-the-machine.”
“The door of a bigoted mind opens outwards so that the only result of the pressure of facts upon it is to close it more snugly.” ― Ogden Nash
Poetry can be dangerous . . .
Tuesday, August 18, 2026. It's Tiw's day . . . At 9:30 a.m. heat warnings return to the forecasts for Green Country . Moderate Southerlies return to TulseyTown this afternoon with a109º index.
Love's flame reduces guilt to ash. – Rumi
On this date in 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, giving women the right to vote. Attempts to restrict voting rights continued into today.
The oligarchy is not interested in serving America, yet it dominates American politics and essentially runs the American system. – Robert Reich, Power in the Age of Oligarchy, 8.14.26
E. Jean Carroll, Jeffrey Epstein, and the Power of Being Believed. – Joyce Vance, in Civil Discourse.
The three day Woodstock music festival ended today after three days. It was the most famous of the 1960s rock festivals, held on Yasger’s farm property in Bethel,New York, August 15–18, 1969.
Today is the birthdate of Robert Redford born in 1936 Santa Monica, California.
On this date in 1936 the most important Spanish poet and playwright of the 20th century, Federico García Lorca, was murdered by Nationalist forces during the Spanish Civil War. His body has never been found.
. . . all mystics are positive people—or they are not mystics. – Fr. Richard Rohr, Remaining in Love, Meditations, The Center for Action and Contemplation.