Tosches

Yes, Autumn was my season. It was when I felt what was beyond the power to express. Part of that feeling was a minor-key fugue of deep, delicious melancholy, that filled me and swept me into myself and the billowing swift-moving clouds at once. With every bright leaf I saw drift away in death, borne by a breeze or a gust, the feeling grew deeper, and the melancholy became more exquisite than ecstasy: an inspiration, a truth of sadness and joy dancing gently together in a way that almost brought to the eyes the tears, so unknown and so longed for, of happiness and sorrow commingled.

-- “Me and the Devil” by Nick Tosches

Yes, getting old will open you up like this.

North Korea

"The regime is like a honeybee. It can sting only once, then it dies. But it’s like a honeybee the size of a grizzly bear."

-- Michael J. Totten

He's talking about North Korea. The new crazy Kim has been threatening up a storm - total war, nukes, like he's talking about a video game. People mostly think it's a crazy joke, but at the same time, you can never be too sure.

Grocery day

Grocery day. Busy day.

And Ms. Walker has arrived. It has been over a week since we have seen her last. I had thought that I should never see so long a period of relative peace again, notwithstanding the hassle with the new TV in the kitchen and that business of cleaning the carpets. It was starting to feel like the old days, back before we thought it was even possible for Pop to play the Romeo in his ripe old age. It's just too bad that Pop isn't spending the weekend over there, but I suspect we have seen the last of that. Nevertheless, I cannot complain that I did not get a chance to renew myself emotionally from her visits. It was a nice break.

Now we're back to the question: how long will she be staying over? And will there be other changes?

Femen

"Covering women's bodies seems to give Muslims a sense of virility, while Westerners derive their own from uncovering them."

-- Fatema Mernissi

This is in response to the Femen protests, in which women fight against Islamist oppression by going topless. I mean, forget about the veil and covering your face, but off with the blouse and bra! There has been some backlash: is this the power of women? It does sound kind of fourth wavy, though I rather fancy it myself. It has been good fodder for Internet debates.

Daily Fun

a-9lroslav

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