From this morning…

Portrait, man with thick rimmed glasses and shoulder length gray hair.

Unopened can of organic jackfruit sitting on a trash receptacle.

Illuminated “WE BUY GOLD” sign in shop window.

Flagpole and plywood construction fencing illuminated by streetlights.

Jackfruit cookbook in shop window display.

Cylindrical finned light fixture in shop widow, scene bathed in purple glow.

Abstract pattern dress on mannequin in shop window.

Utility pole with power and communication wires radiating out.

Front elevation shot of red delivery truck cab.

From this morning’s walk…

Closeup of electric meter lit by building lights.

Building spotlight illuminating concrete block building wall.

Red illuminated exit sign through a building window.

Amber colored light cast on stone wall.

Trapezoid light patch cast on concrete sidewalk.

Construction ladders illuminated by streetlights.

Green wicker chair in front of storefront with vertical blinds illuminated by streetlights.

… this week there is little news time devoted to Donald Trump… i am sad about the cause of that… i would trade having to listen to Trump if it meant the attack hadn’t happened… but i can’t help noticing how good his absence feels…

Naomi Klein: “I’m Trying to Have a Little Compassion for Myself” | AnOther

[For example, the situation in Israel and Palestine] was an absolutely impossible way to try to make reparations for the Holocaust, right? I mean, this idea that after the near annihilation of the Jews in Europe, it’s any kind of solution to push Palestinians off their land … It’s a project that has been violent from the beginning, and it didn’t address the underlying causes of the genocide in Europe. It just displaced them.

From this morning’s walk…

Honest Kids organic fruit juice on a store shelf.

Dresses in a local vintage clothing shop.

AC equipment in a fenced enclosure.

Utility pole and enclosed porch enclosures on second and third stories of a brick building.

Art glass pitcher in a shop window display.

Car lit by streetlight. Buildings in background.

The thought of Jim Jordan as Speaker of the House terrifies me.

From this morning’s walk…

Close up of rear end of Westfalia camper bus.

Closeup of wedding dress on a Mannequin from waist to bust line.

Water churning in darkness from above.

Bottom of fire escape ladder with brick wall in background.

Office interior through exterior window.

Closeup of transparent tape and shadows cast in window on vertical blinds.

From this morning’s walk…

House lit by streetlights.

Illuminated red letter A.

Plastic water bottle on a bench outside a shop window, shop lights illuminating it.

Felt hat and lamp in a shop window, lamp illuminating hat.

Antique Halloween figures in a shop window.

From this morning’s walk…

Pile of boxes on sidewalk.

Crape paper streamers in shop window. Fall colors.

Closeup opened can of Coke and Russell Stovers caramel candy.

Door, stone wall and mailboxes.

Route 52 and 9D directional signage.

Closeup of edge of circular table with circular base in shadow below.

Wires, utility pole and upper part of house lit by streetlights.

From this morning’s walk. Enjoying the effects of streetlights…

Tree branches lit by streetlights.

Spiked yellow caution tape stretched between scaffolding assembly.

Metal table and chairs on sidewalk next to a retaining wall.

Grid of mailboxes lit by streetlights.

Streetscape with sandwich board advertising fried chicken and key food grocery store in background.

Cluttered interior of a shop.

Landscape of falls and stream through trees.

Ripples on flowing water closeup.

Alley between buildings wit fire escapes and wooden pallets.

“We Cannot Cross Until We Carry Each Other”

On the left, I hope we do not mistake the inevitability of the violence for an inescapable limit on our work or the quality of our thought. Even if our dreams for better have failed, they must accompany us through this moment to the other side.

I found this essay a very moving and balanced take on the Paletinian/Israeli tragedy unfolding.

What do you think about AI? #ai

In Confessions of a Viral AI Writer, Vauhini Vara writes about the experience of having an essay written with the assistance of AI go viral. She talks about her ambivalence about having sought assistance from AI to write an essay about the death of her sister at a young age. She tells us that she has decided not to use AI for anything more than research going forward.

From this morning’s walk…

Baked goods in a display case.

Concrete sidewalk with crack control lines forming a triangle in the middle.

Sequined strapless cocktail dress.

Newspaper dispenser box lit by flashing truck lights.

Liquid stain on asphalt pavement, streams running down from it.

Traffic barrier support leaning against a sign post in low light.

Three views of Venus and the Moon…

Venus and the Moon between silhouetted tree and building.

Venus and the Moon with historic bank building with lighted arch.

Venus and the Moon with silhouetted utility pole, wires and street light.

The Best Short Rib Chili - Burrata and Bubbles

Had a really delicious beef short rib chili the other day. Decided to try to make it. Found this recipe which has the sort of ingredient list that suggests true depth of flavor in the final product.

Take one bite and I have no doubt you’ll agree this is the best short rib chili! Every spoonful is loaded with tender, melt-in-your-mouth shredded short ribs along with hearty black beans, warm spices and a dried chile paste for the ultimate depth of flavor.

Barcelona Museum Gives Censored Art a Permanent Home #art #censorship

Spanning two floors with over 200 paintings, sculptures, installations, photographs, and more by mostly modern and contemporary artists including Gustav Klimt, Ai Wei Wei, Tania Bruguera, and Banksy, the museum’s diverse collection explores the censorship of art due to “political, social or religious reasons.”

Faith, Power, and Survival: What Ruled Life in Early-Medieval England

Rulers’ status was all about power deriving from violence, combined with a growing sense that a bit of regal showiness helped keep inferiors in their place and intimidate rival kings. So they energetically asserted their importance in other ways. That’s what the elaborate burial at Sutton Hoo was all about. They also built huge wooden halls, full of booze and smoke and warriors. As you can imagine, they burned down, or were burned down, with tedious regularity, but they were major symbols of the new kings’ power.

What do you think about AI? :: Essays On Attention Paid

After the memorial service, my 92 year old mother-in-law asked me what I thought about AI. I told her that AI is here to stay; that it will get better at making human beings feel; that I wondered what the place of humanity would become in relation to it.

From this morning’s walk…

Wide angle shot of three flagpoles and sky, blue metal picket fence in foreground.

Vertical blinds in an office window.

Triangular patch in concrete sidewalk.

Halloween characters in a shop window.

ATM machine glowing in the dark.

From this morning’s walk…

Crescent moon, Venus and wires. A little before sunrise.

Potted plant in window of street level office. Lit by building lights.

Ghost and witch lighted statues in a shop window.

Exit only sign and orange traffic barrel in front of blue garage doors at a car wash.

Neon “Cleaners” signage behind a perforated security gate.

Churning rapids in a creek swollen with recent rains.

Empty store window display space lit by street lights.

Spalling concrete sidewalk with grid of crack control joints rotated slightly to the right.

We used to come to this bar for jazz all the time. Then the pandemic. Nice to be back… Album release performance.

I have an abundance of basil…

How to Freeze Basil for Use Year-Round

Wash and Freeze - Wash and dry the basil leaves. Then discard the stems. Spread them out on a cookie sheet and flash freeze them. Transfer the frozen basil to freezer bags and use them as needed.

From this morning’s walk…

The moon and Venus in the early morning sky.

Construction ladder wit board strapped to it to discourage climbing.

Closeup of stonework on a historic building.

50’s style table and chair in a restaurant window.

Jane Oliver First Night Album cover in a box.

Red skirt and complimentary striped knit top on a mannequin in a shop window.

Dark gray strapless sequin dress on a mannequin in a shop window.

Off white corduroy pants, linen blouse and fleece jacket on a mannequin in a shop window. Building’s and moon reflections overlaid.

Blue newspaper dispenser box with Highland Current logo and papers.

From yesterday…

Early morning view through sheer curtains in a hotel room.

Pendant light fixture in hotel lobby space glowing red.

Pendant light fixtures in a soaring hotel lobby.

Hotel room bed with rumpled pillows, blankets, and sheets.

Closeup of rumpled pillows, blankets and sheets on a hotel room bed.

Hallway carpet with abstract design in a hotel hallway.

Moral law is an invention of mankind for the disenfranchisement of the powerful in favor of the weak. Historical law subverts it at every turn. A moral view can never be proven right or wrong by any ultimate test.

— Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West (Vintage International) by Cormac McCarthy a.co/fu8LHDw

This view assumes the individual as the supreme condition of humanity. “The right is the interest of the powerful,” said Thrasymachus. There are two kinds of power. Individual and collective. What is right, is the contest between them.