Glen Green - Your humble host.
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Glen Green
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Oct 20
September 2022 – Quote of the Month
“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” ~Neil Gaiman, Coraline
Sep 29
A Murder of Bats
Instead of world news commentary, here is a piece of inane trivia that I observed one evening while watching a rerun of Columbo. From season 9, episode 6 entitled, ‘Murder in Malibu‘ which was released in May 14, 1990: I wonder how much time was spent looking through stock film before the producers said, ‘Ah, …
Sep 27
August 2022 – Quote of the Month
“Fantasy, if it’s really convincing, can’t become dated, for the simple reason that it represents a flight into a dimension that lies beyond the reach of time.” ~Walt Disney
Aug 30
Firestarter of Oldupai Emanyata
Taken at a Massai Boma in Oldupai Emanyata, Tanzania on January 12 2022. With another villager’s help, this man started a fire with friction in less than a minute. A humbling exposure to another culture, another way of life.
Jul 30
Still Putting on Shoes
I recently saw a Facebook post from a really sweet guy I know. (I’ve redacted his name.) He is a very compassionate individual. The kind of man who is sensitive and cries at life’s tragedy. He also happens to have an advanced degree (Doctorate) and has a career that requires constant education. And yet, this …
Jul 01
June 2022 – Quote of the Month
“You cannot run away from weakness; you must some time fight it out or perish; and if that be so, why not now, and where you stand?” ~ Robert Louis Stevenson
Jun 26
Power Begets Power
The people protesting the overturn of Roe v Wade outside of the Supreme Court are wasting their time. That battle has been lost at the federal level… (for now.) The American Taliban (formally known as the GOP) have sufficiently packed courts to ensure the enforcement of their crusade. (Grand Wizard Trump appointed one quarter of the …
Jun 01
May 2022 – Quote of the Month
“Think of the life you have lived until now as over and, as a dead man, see what’s left as a bonus and live it according to Nature.” ~Marcus Aurelius
May 27
Gun Defense In Memoriam
There is something seriously broken about the United States. It goes deep to the bone. A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. ~ Second Amendment to the United States Constitution There are various readings of …
May 19
April 2022 – Quote of the Month
“I should like to save the Shire, if I could – though there have been times when I thought the inhabitants too stupid and dull for words, and have felt that an earthquake or an invasion of dragons might be good for them. But I don’t feel like that now. I feel that as long …
Apr 28
More Arbitrary Amazon Parcel Packaging
Got nothing witty to say here. The picture says it all: just another remarkable example of Amazon packaging failure.
Apr 28
March 2022 – Quote of the Month
“I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.” ~Albert Einstein
Mar 31
Not Always
Given current affairs, especially with Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, I’ve seen this quote circulating a lot: There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it–always.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi Sadly, it simply isn’t true. Two quick examples of long lived tyrant …
Mar 28
February 2022 – Quote of the Month
“Every aspect of Nature reveals a deep mystery and touches our sense of wonder and awe. Those afraid of the universe as it really is, those who pretend to nonexistent knowledge and envision a Cosmos centered on human beings will prefer the fleeting comforts of superstition. They avoid rather than confront the world. But those …
Mar 28
Chris Rocked
There are so many serious concerns in the world. Right now, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I feel we’re probably as close to the brink of World War III as we have been since the cold war. Maybe closer. But as is often the case, the more serious the issue, the more depleting it …
Feb 28
The Rings of Amazon
Let’s talk about Amazon’s upcoming series, ‘The Rings of Power’. Recently, we’ve learned more based on a released teaser trailer and a vanity fair promo puff piece. Naturally, I won’t spoil anything if you aren’t versed in the subject. Short Summary Don’t have time to read my ramblings? Understood. Here is my quick take: It …
Feb 04
January 2022 – Quote of the Month
“If you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won’t see why we go.” ~Edmund Hillary
Jan 31
Arbitrary Amazon Parcel Packaging
Amazon is a huge company that puts in an amazing amount of effort and intelligence to make for great online shopping experiences. But the capricious nature of Amazon’s packing frequently amazes me. A recent case in point: one order of coffee (about $20 value) and an order of two external hard drives (about $500 value). …
Jan 22
December 2021 – Quote of the Month
“The summit is what drives us, but the climb itself is what matters.” ~Conrad Anker
Dec 16
Creepy Cat
This month’s Pressed for Time Post™ ®© leads us to a screen shot from Season 2, Episode 19 (44th overall episode), “The Liberation of Marcia Brady“. In this episode, Marcia is interviewed by a TV reporter on her thoughts on women’s liberation. When she gets home, her family gathers around to see her on TV. …
Dec 02
November 2021 – Quote of the Month
“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” ~ Marie Curie
Nov 29
OSHA Compliant Heater
Went back in the photo vault to April 2004 for this one. This floor heater and sign were spotted in a West Virginia campground bathhouse. The bathhouse burned down some years later. Coincidence?
Nov 15
October 2021 – Quote of the Month
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” ~ Albert Camus
Oct 29
Murray Slaughter’s Slaughter
I enjoy old TV shows, for the sake nostalgia, and for the little cultural gems that can be found in them. Take for example, The Mary Tyler Moore Show. At the time, it was very much adult comedy, that explored new territory (such as a happily single, unmarried working woman.) But even the salacious, sexual …
Oct 20
September 2021 – Quote of the Month
“It is said an Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence, to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him the words: “And this, too, shall pass away.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
Sep 18
Gun Shy
Security Theater amuses and frustrates me. Today’s random photo from the vault was taken at Bangalore Palace, October 31, 2015. Here is a simultaneously funny and scary example of Security Theater: an unattended rifle, leaning, rather precariously against a shrub. I watched for some time: no sign of the guard. What could possibly go wrong? …
Sep 13
August 2021 – Quote of the Month
“Men fear thought as they fear nothing else on earth – more than ruin, more even than death. Thought is subversive and revolutionary, destructive and terrible, thought is merciless to privilege, established institutions, and comfortable habits; thought is anarchic and lawless, indifferent to authority, careless of the well-tried wisdom of the ages. Thought looks into …
Aug 24
Flamenco Raccoon Kitsch
When writing a post title, I try to think of something witty, or at least punny while also being succinct. Alas, I couldn’t think of how to encapsulate this post with anything pithy. Maybe, my difficulty stems from the fact that I’m writing this with an insomniac brain starting at 3:30am. But I’m going to …
Aug 18
July 2021 – Quote of the Month
“If we offer too much silent assent about mysticism and superstition – even when it seems to be doing a little good – we abet a general climate in which scepticism is considered impolite, science tiresome, and rigorous thinking somehow stuffy and inappropriate. Figuring out a prudent balance takes wisdom.” ~ Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted …
Jul 29
Pro God Pro Gun Pro Life
Spotted in the parking lot of a local store: I especially like the extra special logical incongruity of the ‘Pro Gun’ pistol barrel pointing at the ‘Pro Life’ heart. The woman who (apparently) owned the vehicle was about mid-30s. White. She had a huge bag of dog food that I helped her heave into the …
Jul 11
June 2021 – Quote of the Month
“Formerly, when religion was strong and science weak, men mistook magic for medicine; now, when science is strong and religion weak, men mistake medicine for magic.” ~ Thomas Szasz
Jun 28
Monuments for Slavery and Holidays for Freedom
Facebook, like most social media, has been a disappointment to me and I’ve taken to staying clear of it. But recently, after more than a half year’s absence, I did have an occasion to login and wish a friend well on a project. Naturally, I got sucked in… It wasn’t long before I came across …
Jun 23
May 2021 – Quote of the Month
“If you want to save your child from polio, you can pray or you can inoculate. … Choose science.” ~ Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark
May 24
20 Years of GlenGreen.com
I’m a couple of days late in posting, but on May 22, 2021: This website turned 20 years old. I’m sorry that I did not get to the post on that day, but life has been busy. – Good busy. – So: I’ll forgive myself. When I started the site, I had some hopes that …
May 18
April 2021 – Quote of the Month
“We are no longer happy so soon as we wish to be happier.” ~ Walter Savage Landor
Apr 27
It’s Just the Flu
In the last year, Covid has almost become the new, go to small-talk default subject, like weather. And so it was, that in talking with a work colleague, the person I was speaking with balked at the notion of getting a Covid vaccination. The person said, Covid is, ‘Just the flu’. And went on to …
Apr 13
March 2021 – Quote of the Month
“Our life is March weather, savage and serene in one hour.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Mar 31
Merchant and Urns
I spent a good deal of timing writing posts to the Friends and Family section of the site this month, and so: all I have time or energy for here is a quick and lazy sharing of a nearly random photo from my collection. This is a merchant on the streets of Mandawa, India taken …
Mar 26
February 2021 – Quote of the Month
“Groundhog found fog. New snows and blue toes. Fine and dandy for Valentine candy. Snow spittin’; if you’re not mitten-smitten, you’ll be frostbitten! By jing-y feels spring-y.” ~ The Old Farmer’s Almanac
Feb 28
Gleam Your Evening
Some text spam makes you feel like you’re missing out. I’ve never been ‘gleamed” before. It sounds so dirty and erotic. But it is nice to know that three strangers (Lippke, “I” and Layla) can surely sense that this link could gleam my evening. And it’s cute that they have a pet name for me, …
Feb 11
January 2021 – Quote of the Month
“But he that sows lies in the end shall not lack of a harvest, and soon he may rest from toil indeed, while others reap and sow in his stead.” ~ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion
Jan 31
Trump is Flushed but the Stink Lingers
The year that was 2020 was so challenging, it apparently decided to leak into January 2021 with an encore act called, ‘violent sedition in America in the interest of overthrowing a free and fair election’. I could vent and storm on Traitorous Trump and his minions until my fingers bled onto my keyboard. But after …
Jan 09
December 2020 – Quote of the Month
“The point of modern propaganda isn’t only to misinform or push an agenda. It is to exhaust your critical thinking, to annihilate truth.” ~ Garry Kasparov
Dec 31
Christmas Kitsch
As I’ve noted before, I’m rather a fan of yard Kitsch. (As long as its in other people’s yards, not mine and not my next door neighbors. [- It’s more of an, ‘admire from afar’ appreciation.]) So, it was with some enjoyment that I share this house. Every year, it’s good for some amusement. But …
Dec 12
November 2020 – Quote of the Month
“Not long ago, if you wanted to seize political power in a country you had merely to control the army and the police. Today it is only in the most backward countries that fascist generals, in carrying out a coup d’état, still use tanks. If a country has reached a high degree of industrialization the …
Nov 30
Trump, the Losingest Loser Loses
I’m happy to be wrong about Trump winning Pennsylvania. But why was I wrong? For starters, I suppose I was wrong because I didn’t want to let my guard down based on the surprise of the Trump 2016 outcome. I didn’t want to feel complacent. And because of my apprehension, I put more effort into …
Nov 29
October 2020 – Quote of the Month
“There’s no art in this White House. There’s no literature, no poetry, no music. There are no pets in this White House, no loyal man’s best friend, no Socks the family cat, no kids’ science fairs. No time when the president takes off his blue suit red tie uniform and becomes human, except when he …
Oct 29
How Democracies Die
We’re counting down to the election. Less than a week away now. I think there is a palpable dread in the air. My take is: even if Trump is flushed from the White House, the damage that he and his toadies have done to this country may be a fatal wound. – It will certainly …
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