Gonna help mty daughter write a paper. It should be interesting. I checked email. I had an author who I rejected their submission. They want to know why, beyond the fact that the submission was a good 5,000 words longer than our guidelines. I have a feeling this is going to be a time suck...
From a Washington Post review of the new Taylor Swift album, via Jim Geraghty at NR: "Swift’s new ballads are sour theater, fixated on memories of being wronged and stranded, sodden with lyrics that feel clunky, convoluted, samey, purple and hacky. There are song titles that burn hot like distress flares (“I Hate It Here”), and lines that feel waxy with Freudian slippage (“I know I’m just repeating myself”), and a profusion of soft-edged, slow-moving melodies — produced by Swift, Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner and Patrik Berger — that do her lyrics few favors. As she unloads every last item from her grievance vault, it’s hard for sentient listeners to not want to reciprocate. . . ."
The writer, Chris Richards, goes on to observe, "These are highly embarrassing combinations of words made to serve an even more embarrassing narrative: the childish idea that the most famous singer alive should be pitied for living alone atop her mountaintop of money, feeling sad and aggrieved."
All in all, a fine array of verbiage from Mr. Richards. Perhaps he should be a songwriter. I'd give "Clunky, Convoluted, Samey, Purple and Hacky" a listen. But seriously, I think girls and women who relate to songs about failed relationships and muddled friendships feel that the songs are about themselves rather than about Taylor Swift, while I think that, "Do you have good people in your life?" is a more important question than, "How much money do you have?"
61 F according to the thermometer but hot enough in the sun that shorts are in the near future. The wind is from the south today.
We are at the beach. Life is annoyingly complicated to the point that I can't truthfully exclaim excitedly, "We're at the Beach!!!!!!!" with lots of big smiley emojis.
I hope the “Commentary” crew is back for their podcast today (Passover.) I cannot believe what is going on at Columbia. I’m so disgusted. Let the lawsuits begin! In other news, my son’s rent increased 20%. Inflation is still around. I can’t wait to get our insurance bill in July.
Good morning. Temperatures about 50 and cloudy, not going to get beyond the 50s today.
The KDW article was a nice takedown of Marjorie Taylor Greene compared to Neville Chamberlain. Chamberlain served honorably in the UK government, regrettably marred by his “Peace in our time” blunder with Hitler. As noted, he served in Churchill’s war cabinet and (no doubt learning from his mistake) supported Churchill in fighting on, against Lord Halifax and others who wanted to negotiate terms with Hitler after the fall of France.
Today’s special animal friend is the lion, Panthera leo. It is native to Africa and India. Lions’ body length is six to seven feet, and their tails are about three feet long. South African individuals are the biggest, on average: a large male can weigh almost 500 lbs. Those in India are the next largest, and East African lions are the smallest among the major populations. Females’ weight is about 2/3 of males’.
Male lions are known for the mane that covers their head and neck. The length, thickness, and color of the mane are affected by several factors, including climate, subpopulation, and testosterone levels. In general, the mane lengthens and darkens as the lion ages. However, a darker mane can also result in overheating in some habitats, making the animal more sedentary. Lions in zoos in North America and Europe often have heavier manes than those in the wild because of the cooler temperatures and free food.
Unlike most cats of any size, lions are social. The typical “pride” consists of a dominant adult male, two or more adult females, young cubs, and maybe a teenbro or two if they watch their manners. Adult male lions do not like other adult male lions. The lion part of this video starts at about 30 seconds:
Lions mate throughout the year as various females go into heat. Gestation is about 110 days, and one to four cubs are born. The mother will remain secluded with the cubs for the first several weeks before rejoining the pride.
Lions are the apex predators in any ecosystem they occupy. When food is plentiful and competition is low, they are diurnal. The females often hunt cooperatively, bringing down large herbivores to feed the pride.
Lions are rated as Vulnerable by IUCN. They face many threats, including habitat loss, disease, hunting, and declining prey populations in some areas. They are successfully kept and bred in zoos around the world. As knowledge of genetics increases, the species survival plan has evolved to emphasize maintaining the diversity of captive populations.
Chobe National Park has a healthy population of lions. They are known to hunt elephants, which is unusual.
Another population lives outside the park boundaries along the Chobe River. This group is more vulnerable: in 2018, a pride crossed the river into Namibia, where five of the six females were shot by farmers as tourists and safari guides watched. The riverside population has rebounded, to an extent, but in-migration of young males is limited by fragmented habitat.
Gonna help mty daughter write a paper. It should be interesting. I checked email. I had an author who I rejected their submission. They want to know why, beyond the fact that the submission was a good 5,000 words longer than our guidelines. I have a feeling this is going to be a time suck...
I liked the article about Neville Chamberlain. I believe he erred with Hitler, but he was a good and honest man. I thought it was worth reading.
And it's too cold to swim or
kayak and I don't have access to a power boat.
From a Washington Post review of the new Taylor Swift album, via Jim Geraghty at NR: "Swift’s new ballads are sour theater, fixated on memories of being wronged and stranded, sodden with lyrics that feel clunky, convoluted, samey, purple and hacky. There are song titles that burn hot like distress flares (“I Hate It Here”), and lines that feel waxy with Freudian slippage (“I know I’m just repeating myself”), and a profusion of soft-edged, slow-moving melodies — produced by Swift, Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner and Patrik Berger — that do her lyrics few favors. As she unloads every last item from her grievance vault, it’s hard for sentient listeners to not want to reciprocate. . . ."
The writer, Chris Richards, goes on to observe, "These are highly embarrassing combinations of words made to serve an even more embarrassing narrative: the childish idea that the most famous singer alive should be pitied for living alone atop her mountaintop of money, feeling sad and aggrieved."
All in all, a fine array of verbiage from Mr. Richards. Perhaps he should be a songwriter. I'd give "Clunky, Convoluted, Samey, Purple and Hacky" a listen. But seriously, I think girls and women who relate to songs about failed relationships and muddled friendships feel that the songs are about themselves rather than about Taylor Swift, while I think that, "Do you have good people in your life?" is a more important question than, "How much money do you have?"
61 F according to the thermometer but hot enough in the sun that shorts are in the near future. The wind is from the south today.
We are at the beach. Life is annoyingly complicated to the point that I can't truthfully exclaim excitedly, "We're at the Beach!!!!!!!" with lots of big smiley emojis.
I hope the “Commentary” crew is back for their podcast today (Passover.) I cannot believe what is going on at Columbia. I’m so disgusted. Let the lawsuits begin! In other news, my son’s rent increased 20%. Inflation is still around. I can’t wait to get our insurance bill in July.
Good morning. Temperatures about 50 and cloudy, not going to get beyond the 50s today.
The KDW article was a nice takedown of Marjorie Taylor Greene compared to Neville Chamberlain. Chamberlain served honorably in the UK government, regrettably marred by his “Peace in our time” blunder with Hitler. As noted, he served in Churchill’s war cabinet and (no doubt learning from his mistake) supported Churchill in fighting on, against Lord Halifax and others who wanted to negotiate terms with Hitler after the fall of France.
I thought Mr. Williamson's article was excellent.
Today’s special animal friend is the lion, Panthera leo. It is native to Africa and India. Lions’ body length is six to seven feet, and their tails are about three feet long. South African individuals are the biggest, on average: a large male can weigh almost 500 lbs. Those in India are the next largest, and East African lions are the smallest among the major populations. Females’ weight is about 2/3 of males’.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMkEVX23BdM
Male lions are known for the mane that covers their head and neck. The length, thickness, and color of the mane are affected by several factors, including climate, subpopulation, and testosterone levels. In general, the mane lengthens and darkens as the lion ages. However, a darker mane can also result in overheating in some habitats, making the animal more sedentary. Lions in zoos in North America and Europe often have heavier manes than those in the wild because of the cooler temperatures and free food.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rf4LGT_GMg
Unlike most cats of any size, lions are social. The typical “pride” consists of a dominant adult male, two or more adult females, young cubs, and maybe a teenbro or two if they watch their manners. Adult male lions do not like other adult male lions. The lion part of this video starts at about 30 seconds:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHj7KXb37hA
Lions mate throughout the year as various females go into heat. Gestation is about 110 days, and one to four cubs are born. The mother will remain secluded with the cubs for the first several weeks before rejoining the pride.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZZh1FHkrq4
Lions are the apex predators in any ecosystem they occupy. When food is plentiful and competition is low, they are diurnal. The females often hunt cooperatively, bringing down large herbivores to feed the pride.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StZra4z7QjQ
Lions are rated as Vulnerable by IUCN. They face many threats, including habitat loss, disease, hunting, and declining prey populations in some areas. They are successfully kept and bred in zoos around the world. As knowledge of genetics increases, the species survival plan has evolved to emphasize maintaining the diversity of captive populations.
Chobe National Park has a healthy population of lions. They are known to hunt elephants, which is unusual.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA0HQwQpCBs
Another population lives outside the park boundaries along the Chobe River. This group is more vulnerable: in 2018, a pride crossed the river into Namibia, where five of the six females were shot by farmers as tourists and safari guides watched. The riverside population has rebounded, to an extent, but in-migration of young males is limited by fragmented habitat.