Glen Green

Glen Green - Your humble host.

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  1. GlenGreenDotCom’s 11th Anniversary — 6 comments
  2. The Sound of Summer Running — 5 comments
  3. Facebook and Politics — 3 comments
  4. Trumped Trump — 2 comments
  5. The Nightmare Before Christmas — 1 comment

Author's posts

October 2016 – Quote of the Month

“The trouble is that we have a bad habit, encouraged by pedants and sophisticates, of considering happiness as something rather stupid. Only pain is intellectual, only evil interesting. This is the treason of the artist; a refusal to admit the banality of evil and the terrible boredom of pain.” ~ Ursula K. Le Guin, The …

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Trumpster Fire

Donald Trump Dumpster Fire aka Trumpster Fire

Dump Trump We’re on the cusp of the election and it looks like Donald Trump is going down in flames. Beyond all of his lies, beyond the misogyny, xenophobia and calls for violence , Trump’s latest trick is to attempt undermining the foundation of our democracy: the expectation of a fair and honest election. There is …

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September 2016 – Quote of the Month

“Compassion, in which all ethics must take root, can only attain its full breadth and depth if it embraces all living creatures and does not limit itself to mankind.” ~ Albert Schweitzer

Guernica and the E Street Band

Bruce Springsteen - Pittsburgh - 9/11 photo by Jenny MacBeth

Friends from work were aware that I had the privilege of seeing Bruce Springsteen from ‘the pit’ (now a great term BTW) a couple of weeks ago. During our lunch conversation, one of my friends said he wasn’t interested. He doesn’t like how Springsteen gets involved in politics; that he thinks artists and the ilk …

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August 2016 – Quote of the Month

“The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world. Lies will pass into history.” ~George Orwell

The Dreamers of Dreams

Willy Wonka and the Oompa Loompas

I really know next to nothing about the man Gene Wilder who died today at the age of 83.   We are the music makers… and we are the dreamers of dreams. ~ Willy Wonka But I do know that he left an indelible glowing and warm memory in my childhood: that of Willy Wonka …

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July 2016 – Quote of the Month

“My attitude to peace is rather based on the Burmese definition of peace – it really means removing all the negative factors that destroy peace in this world. So peace does not mean just putting an end to violence or to war, but to all other factors that threaten peace, such as discrimination, such as …

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Camp Cow or Brazen Bull

Perillos being forced into the brazen bull that he built for Phalaris.

Buy a Brazen Bull for your next Lawn and Torture Party I have a fondness for lawn ornaments – as long as they are in other people’s yards and preferably not next door neighbors. On my drive home from work, I encountered a roadside collection of custom made metal yard decorations and I had to stop …

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June 2016 – Quote of the Month

“While we are under the tyranny of Priests, it will ever be their interest, to invalidate the law of nature and reason, in order to establish systems incompatible therewith.” ~Ethan Allen

Warning: Outdoors May Contain Nature

Disney World Caution Sign Alligators, Bees, Bacteria, Heart Disease, Pollen, Sunstroke, Etc.

Personal Tragedy or National News Fodder On June 14th, 2016, tragedy struck a Nebraska family when their two year old son was attacked and killed by an alligator at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. Five days later and this event is still making national headline news. As unadulteratedly heartbreaking as this is for the child’s family; as much …

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May 2016 – Quote of the Month

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” ~Mark Twain

Big Screen TVs Squashed by UHD

The Fellowship of the Ring on a Big Screen TV: Samsung UN75F8000 75-Inch 1080p 240Hz 3D Ultra Slim Smart LED HDTV

Bigger is Better if You can Stand it When I was a kid, the “cool” place to sit in a movie theater was in the very back row. As I got older, I realized that defeated much of the purpose of going to the movies: a larger than life BIG screen experience. By sitting at …

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April 2016 – Quote of the Month

“As soon as men decide that all means are permitted to fight an evil, then their good becomes indistinguishable from the evil that they set out to destroy.” ~Christopher Dawson

Trumped Trump

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures and declares "You're fired!" at a rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, June 17, 2015. REUTERS/Dominick Reuter

Donald Trump could almost qualify as a cartoon character, except for the dark rancor that spews from his round, orange mouth. What at first might have seemed like an extension of one of his reality TV shows has long crossed the border into scary fascism. Here is why I think the man is a danger …

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March 2016 – Quote of the Month

“Go in peace! I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil.” ~J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

Clown and Pig have Bad Intentions

Stuffed Clown and Pig with Bad Intentions

Have you ever watched a horror film that depicted a possessed or evil doll and thought that it stretches credulity to think that anybody would ever buy such a creepy looking toy in real life? Well, wonder no more. I spotted these two evil stuffed toys leering out from the bin of an arcade claw …

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February 2016 – Quote of the Month

“Success is a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don’t quit when you’re tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.” ~Robert Strauss

Fit to be Tied

Trying to increase my fitness, I’ve been working out six to seven days a week, for 30-90 minutes a day. – A pretty respectable workout routine. And yet, in spite of the fact that I’m going out of my way to pick up weights and run, I get very irritated anytime I forget my water …

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January 2016 – Quote of the Month

“We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it is forever.” ~Carl Sagan, Cosmos

Elven and Hobbit Power Tools

Funny Elves and Hobbit Power Tool Recommendations from Amazon

Amazon recommendations for me under, “Power & Hand Tools”. Oh Amazon! You know me so well!

December 2015 – Quote of the Month

“The most formidable weapon against errors of every kind is reason.” ~Thomas Paine

India Observations Redux

Jaipur India - Older Man with Orange Turban

I’ve been back from India for over a month and thought I’d share a few more observations from the trip to compliment my Bangalore Vernacular post from October. There are many road-side options to buy motorcycle helmets, and although drivers often wore them, passengers (which are very common), seldom do. – This lack of head …

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November 2015 – Quote of the Month

“The gladdest moment in human life, me thinks, is a departure into unknown lands.” ~Sir Richard Burton

Travel Tip for Parents

A traveling tip for parental units: When the airport luggage carousel is jam pack surrounded with adults trying to get their bags, you’d be wise to move the little kiddies away from the machinery instead of letting them play with it, occupying a much needed spot. Alternatively: keep your mouth shut if your spawn gets …

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October 2015 – Quote of the Month

“Now everyone dreams of a love lasting and true But you and I know what this world can do So let’s make our steps clear that the other may see And I’ll wait for you If I should fall behind Wait for me” ~Bruce Springsteen

Bangalore Vernacular

Motorcycle basket with huge basket

I’m a few days into my first trip to Bangalore (Bengaluru), or for that matter: my first trip to India. A few initial, random observations: People are very friendly (but then again: I’m of the philosophy that you find what you’re looking for when you travel). Plugs tend to spark a bit when you stick …

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September 2015 – Quote of the Month

“I don’t think the American Dream was that everyone was going to make it or that everyone was going to make a billion dollars, but it was that everyone was going to have an opportunity and the chance to live a life with some decency and a chance for some self-respect.” ~Bruce Springsteen (as captured …

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An Absolute Monarchy in the Minds of Men

In his congressional office, Rep. Bob Brady, D-Pa., drinks from the glass of water Pope Francis used during his speech to Congress. Stan White/U.S. Rep. Bob Brady's office via AP

For all of the humanistic conventions and relative progressiveness of Pope Francis*, that is enchanting the people; here, at the bedrock is what continues to disturb me: the fostering of supernatural, magical beliefs. If the disservice and damage that this magical mindset does among the everyday individual is disturbing enough, it is downright scary when …

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August 2015 – Quote of the Month

The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend. ~ Abraham Lincoln

Based on Your Browsing History, Amazon Recommends…

Based on Your Browsing History, Amazon Recommends...

I take a perverse satisfaction in these screen captures from my Amazon account. Taken as a group, they paint quite the picture. A motion activated light A dustbuster Wireless video camera with night vision A life sized animatronic clown 12 D-Cell Batteries Mask Latex Cable Splitter Sounds like the making of a hell of a …

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July 2015 – Quote of the Month

The world is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper. ~ Bertrand Russell

Drive-in

Funnel Cake and Drive-in speaker

I hadn’t been to a drive-in since my early twenties. That’s some time ago. With summer at hand, and a plan to take Friday July 24th off of work, we found ourselves free to stay out late on a Thursday night (avoiding crowds), so we headed out to the Moon Township ‘Dependable’ drive-in. We drove …

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June 2015 – Quote of the Month

Reality has a well-known liberal bias. ~Stephen Colbert

Let Freedom Ring

Let Freedom Ring - Marriage Equality

May 2015 – Quote of the Month

Long stormy spring-time, wet contentious April, winter chilling the lap of very May, but at length the season of summer does come. ~Thomas Carlyle

Only the Essentials Vending Machine

From a vending machine in the Toronto airport - only the essentials - pain killer, condoms, breath mints and tattoos

Spotted in the men’s room of the Toronto airport – everything you need for an evening out.

April 2015 – Quote of the Month

It is a curious thought, but it is only when you see people looking ridiculous that you realize just how much you love them. ~Agatha Christie

Princess with Medium Skin Tone

Princess with Medium Skin Tone Apple Emoji

I often use Apple’s iPhone Siri to read texts to me. When receiving an emoticon, she describes it. And so I was greatly amused when I received a text with an Apple princess emoji and Siri described her as, “Princess with Medium Skin Tone“. I think that should be the title for the next Disney …

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March 2015 – Quote of the Month

No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn. ~ Hal Borland

Smithfield Street Bridge on a Foggy March Morning

Sharing a quick iPhone photo from a beautiful, foggy March Morning as the sun rose behind Smithfield Street bridge. – No crop, no filters and unprocessed.

February 2015 – Quote of the Month

Of winter’s lifeless world each tree Now seems a perfect part; Yet each one holds summer’s secret Deep down within its heart. ~ Charles G. Slater

What Color is the Pill?

Choose the Blue and Black Pill or the Gold and White Pill - Matrix - What Color is the Dress

What color is the dress? (Blue and Black.)

January 2015 – Quote of the Month

Man is the only kind of varmint sets his own trap, baits it, then steps in it. ~ John Steinbeck, Sweet Thursday

Too Bad Boko Haram Didn’t Deflate a Football

Protesters march against the killing of over 47 students of Potiskum Government Comprehensive School in Yobe State, Nigeria, Nov. 17, 2014.

A ridiculous amount of national news cycles has been spent on America’s favorite tax dodgers – the NFL and their latest sports cheating scandal, “Deflate-Gate“. – I’ve watched the story either lead, or take second on the TV news all week. As if there weren’t already entire series of channels devoted to covering sports, such …

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December 2014 – Quote of the Month

For disappearing acts, it’s hard to beat what happens to the eight hours supposedly left after eight of sleep and eight of work. ~Doug Larson

November 2014 – Quote of the Month

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its …

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The Nightmare Before Christmas

Shelob

Whereas others have decorated their house for the winter holidays – namely, christmas, we’ve kept the arachnid Halloween decorations up in our entryway – Cirith Ungol (Sindarin for Spider’s Cleft, or Pass of the Spider). All Photos by Yours Truly – Glen Green. Click on images to see larger versions. In a ravine she lived, …

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Halloween Hands

$1 dismembered hands from Dollar Store - jazzed up

According to the calendar, Halloween is over, but it lingers in my heart. – I had quite a lot of fun decorating this year. The following iPhone photo is an example of one Halloween project where I took cheap, boring, Dollar Store hands and gave them various treatments to jazz them up. Procedures included painting, …

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October 2014 – Quote of the Month

There is a child in every one of us who is still a trick-or-treater looking for a brightly-lit front porch. ~Robert Brault

Why I’ll Never Retire

Halloween Decorations

Between the amount of money I spend on and cheap Halloween decorations and on fireworks for the Fourth of July, I’ll never be able to retire. This weekend, on Saturday the 25th, we had a Big Halloween Bash. In preparation for it, we’d been decorating since late August. What took two months to put up …

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