Using words as spies . . .

Wednesday, August 20, 2025. It's Odin's day . . . and forecasts for TulseyTown indicate real temperatures cooling, if you can call it that, in the 90's, with indices of 100º+ this afternoon.

Dualistic thinking is at the root of our illusions of human perfection. – Richard Rohr, The Center for Action and Contemplation, 7.31.25

MSNBC is changing its name later this year, separating from NBC affiliation.

There may be Spyware in your kid's school syllabus. If student safety software had a dark side, this is it. AI, risk scores and alerts to law enforcement, what could possibly go wrong? – Kim Komando, The Current, online 8.20.25

Heather McHugh turns 76 today. The Pacific coast inventive poet was born in 1948 San Diego, California

The influential author H. P. Lovecraft was born on this day in 1890 in Providence, Rhode Island.

Amd. today's the birthday of Eero Saarinen. The architect was born in 1910, Kirkkonummi, Finland.

Language Lesson 1976

When Americans say a man

takes liberties, they mean

he’s gone too far. In Philadelphia today I saw

a kid on a leash look mom-ward

and announce his fondest wish: one

bicentennial burger, hold

the relish. Hold is forget,

in American.

On the courts of Philadelphia

the rich prepare

to serve, to fault. The language is a game as well,

in which love can mean nothing,

doubletalk means lie. I’m saying

doubletalk with me. I’m saying

go so far the customs are untold.

Make nothing without words,

and let me be

the one you never hold.

– Heather McHugh, “Language Lesson 1976” from Hinge & Sign: Poems, 1968-1993. Wesleyan University Press, 1994.