tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18554238206973588262024-03-05T07:41:02.579-08:00Poetic LicenseA search for what it means to be an educator, rough sketches of a reflective practitionerDaniel Kurlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693638600645230707noreply@blogger.comBlogger451125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1855423820697358826.post-17228555221356139742023-04-08T02:48:00.001-07:002023-04-08T04:43:59.755-07:00Substack?<div><br></div><div><br></div><a href="https://substack.com/profile/122072516-daniel-kurland?utm_source=profile_toast">My new Substack</a><div><br></div><div>My lifelong dream has always been to be a writer. I earned a BA in English from Georgetown University in 1985, but knew I had not really lived and had little to say. Plus, all I cared about was getting a job. Since high school, I kept hearing from my father about a 100% employee-owned company called Allied Plywood Corporation and how much money truckdrivers and salespeople were making. Bob Shaw, the president of Allied Plywood was at our house at a meeting of the Center For Economic and Social Justice. I asked for the job. Nearly 16 years later, with an ESOP account balance of over $100,000, I handed in my keys and pager. Now I'm an educator.<div><br></div><div>Prior to the 2016 presidential election, I began to post on Twitter about my opinions about a person to whom I now only refer as the former guy (TFG). Having followed the Wall Street Journal's reporting on Russia's Invasion of Crimea, TFG's pro-Putin set off alarm bells for me. His hate rallies drew obvious parallels to Hitler. My posts alluded to Shakespearian tragedies such as MacBeth, Hamlet, and King Lear, plus Homer, Dante, and Milton, the Bible, and whatever other references popped into my imagine. My sarcasm and tragic vision of what was happening to America resonated with some people, who encouraged me by feeding me information about the extent of TFG's criminal enterprise. Since I considered TFG an existential threat, I viewed posting on Twitter and Resisting a moral obligation throughout TFG's regime.</div><div><br></div><div>Politics, something I had always hated, became a necessary evil. I supported Joe Biden as a viable opponent when he was down in the polls, and as many down ballot Democrats as my credit card could handle, particularly opponents of the most repulsive MAGAts. My guiding principle: the enemy of my enemy is my friend. That energy worked through the 2022 mid-terms, but I was exhausted, and felt I could relax a little.</div><div><br></div><div>After Elon moved on Twitter like a b!tch, I was done with Twitter, which really suck#d, because I was having nice conversations with Sports Talk Radio personalities. Matt Taibbi leaving Twitter brought me to Substack.</div></div>Daniel Kurlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693638600645230707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1855423820697358826.post-36927767980102097632023-04-01T09:24:00.001-07:002023-04-01T09:31:50.458-07:00Benny Booch Reboot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><div>I needed a break from the cycle at the start of the school year, so I let a full barrel of booch evaporate to about a fourth. Surprisingly, no mold.</div><div><br></div><div>I dumped the barrel in the woods and started fresh. I used cleaning tablets purchased from <a href="https://www.kombuchakamp.com/">Kombucha Kamp</a>, and ordered fresh scobies with starter tea.</div><div><br></div><div>Here's a great resource: "<u>The Big Book of Kombucha: Brewing, Flavoring, and Enjoying the Health Benefits of Fermented Tea</u>" by Hannah Crum, Alex LaGory, Sandor Ellix Katz.</div><div><br></div><div>Start reading it for free: <a href="https://a.co/cA73Fs3">The Big Book</a></div><div><br></div><div>Before my reboot, I skimmed <u>The Big Book</u>. Based on the schedule provided, I realized that I needed to add fresh sweet tea to my booch barrel every two weeks. The result: less "vinegar" odor.</div><div><br></div><div>I now stir the barrel and no longer filter the booch harvest before the secondary fermentation. The result: fizzier booch.</div><div><br></div><div>My flavoring and secondary fermentation strategies have also improved. To cut costs, I'm moving away from the fresh pressed juiced to freeze dried extracts. Also, apple juice is way cheaper and easier to get than blueberry juice.</div><div><br></div><div>My latest batch of Benny Booch is smooth, surprising, and reflects vastly improved technique</div>Daniel Kurlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693638600645230707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1855423820697358826.post-82873303887792280922023-01-15T06:53:00.001-08:002023-01-15T08:18:35.372-08:00The Greater Reset: a Case for a Paradigm Shift<div><br></div><div>Listen to The Greater Reset by Michael D. Greaney, Dawn K. Brohawn on Audible. https://www.audible.com/pd/B09T88Q9FB?source_code=ASSOR1500219210011<br></div><div><br></div><div>My father is 92. I've had a front row seat to his efforts to change the system.</div><div><br></div><div>The Greater Reset represents the next generation authoring a manuscript, with the potential to reach a wider audience. Running short on time, my dad has expressessed frustration that I have not been engaged enough, and that Dawn and Michael's book does not go far enough in calling for the kinds of structural reform our democracy needs if we are to avoid Civil War or collapse of our political system.</div><div><br></div><div>The Greater Reset is a mindnumbingly ambitious undertaking. CESJ represents a merger of the teachings of Fr William Ferree on social justice and Louis Kelso's framework for enabling non-owners to become owners without taking anything from existing owners, while overcoming the tyranny of past savings. It makes a case for the proposed Economic Democracy Act and explains in some detail how to create an ownership society, and by the way, it proposes a new Papal Encyclical on Economic Justice.</div><div><br></div><div>The book uses a competing vision, The Great Reset, effectively as a foil. It explains the philosophical roots of Klaus Schwab and Thierry Malleret, and explains how their well-intended scheme would continue patterns of increased monopolization of wealth producing assets. Schwab and Malleret's declaration that in the future, nobody would own anything and you will like it, is challenged as a threat to individual liberty.</div><div><br></div><div>Honestly, if it had not been on Audible, the book would have collected dust -- my mind said, too difficult -- but I listened and was a little stunned how well it held my attention. Despite some of its flaws, the authors succeeded in getting my attention and building my anticipation for their next book. I even spoke about it to the local candidate who was going door to door for signatures yesterday in the bitter cold. Deja vu.</div><div><br></div><div>Around the time I began my freshman year at Georgetown University in 1981, my dad, mom, sister, her husband Rowland, the late Bill Schirra, Fr. William Ferree, and a few others founded the Center For Economic and Social Justice (CESJ) in a cafeteria at American University.</div><div><br></div><div>Having worked at at Employee-Owned company for over 15 years after graduating from college in 1985, I've benefitted financially from principles of economic justice and it's application in a leveraged ESOP, in a company that shared profits. I have also seen how hard it is to maintain a viable ownership culture in a going concern as a company undergoes rapid growth.. When I left in 2001, despite having earned considerable income, it felt like a failure.</div><div><br></div><div>Now I am a Special Education Teacher. I see entire communities who enter middle school with little to no phonemic awareness or skill in phonics, who cannot add or subtract, and do not know their multiplication facts. Many are on free and reduced lunch. We provide free education, but few are accessing it fully. We expect students to access a standard curriculum without providing the means of accessing it.</div><div><br></div><div>When a democracy becomes as unbalanced as exists today, widespread alienation becomes a natural result. I eagerly await the next book, Own or Be Owned.</div><div><br></div>Daniel Kurlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693638600645230707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1855423820697358826.post-575508096424064092023-01-08T06:57:00.001-08:002023-01-08T06:58:50.120-08:00The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg (V2)<div>During the 2022-2023 holidays, I realized that I have developed some bad habits that have contributed to Type 2 Diabetes, problems meeting deadlines, unfinished projects, being slow to respond to important communications: procrastination, over-eating, and more generally poor self-care, the leading categories. As a reflective, well-educated, and responsible person, I typically know what to do, but having an urgent need, I looked at the comments, feeling I might learn something from The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg on Audible. https://www.audible.com/pd/B007C64916?source_code=ASSOR150021921000R, by Charles Duhigg</div><div><br></div><div>To help overcome personal challenges, I played recorded books on a loop for decades: Dennis Whaitley, Napoleon Hill, Zig Ziglar, Les Brown, Brian Tracey, Tony Robbins, Dale Carnegie, etc. All made such a difference, I kept listening to them. As my life became busier in all areas, and having become hooked on questions about neuroscience, artificial intelligence, evolution, information science, among other things, I had gone beyond looping self-help books for weeks on end.</div><div><br></div><div>I had earned a Master's Degree in Education and had made significant dietary changes. My blood sugar had been brought under control, mostly through better dietary choices, but also through medication. Now, I felt myself backsliding. My career had stabilized, but once again I was feeling my ability to handle the workload was in jeopardy. My debts were gradually receding from their high water mark, but I started to wonder how I would ever overcome my mountain of debt.</div><div><br></div><div>As a Special Education Teacher, I was feeling overwhelmed: too much to do, too little time; everybody depending on me. At home, I felt as though I was not contributing enough to my wife and family. Also, my parents were going through a crisis, and I felt too busy to come to their rescue. I was feeling drained and was procrastinating, feeling paralyzed.</div><div><br></div><div>With a tsunami of events looming in 2023, I knew I needed to prepare myself by improving my habits. Since I started reading this well-organized, science based, accesible guide, I've adopted a new approach: "small victories." I committed to apply the Hero's Journey 60 Day Fitness Quest, by N Rey (Darrbee). One belt loop down. My first decision was to set a goal: I will exercise every day.</div><div><br></div><div>I decided to apply a small victories approach in the classroom. In consultation with a colleague, after the holidays, I implemented classroom routine to include 20 minutes of ST Math per day at startup and the expectation that students use ST Math for 30 minutes per night. Students with learning disabilities often get overwhelmed with processing new information, which causes many to struggle with approaching multi-step problems in a strategic way. Many lack fact fluency, which creates a barrier to accessing grade appropriate number sense and problem solving strategies. One way I'm addressing this is by evaluating the fact fluency of students and assigning Just For Me Assignments to target this need.</div><div><br></div><div>The Power of Habit has the potential to provide me the leverage I need to meet my responsibilities, and gain enough momentum to help carry me through the next 5 years. It's a very persuasive book.</div><div><br></div><div>I made a mind-map of the areas of my life where I needed to do something, Daily Habits. I ordered the book on Kindle so I can more easily access the resources in its appendix.</div><div><br></div>Daniel Kurlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693638600645230707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1855423820697358826.post-38942365396356760762022-12-31T04:21:00.001-08:002022-12-31T07:00:59.687-08:00The Power of Habit<div>Listen to The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg on Audible. https://www.audible.com/pd/B007C64916?source_code=ASSOR150021921000R</div><div><br></div>https://mastodon.online/@PoeticLicenseDK/109608205481835015<div><br></div><div>I've read Ziglar, WaitIey, Robbins, Tracy, Brown, etc, on a loop. Did it for years while I resurrected a career after leaving Allied Plywood in 2001.<br></div><div><br></div><div>Have fallen into bad habits. Started with doom scrolling Twitter. #DingDong 's actions pushed me away. Had wanted to get away for years, but the black hole of hatred and fear of TFG and his Putin connection kept me hooked like a heroin junkie.</div><div><br></div><div>Even after migrating to #Mastodon, I've been doomscrolling Smart News the entire holiday. Black hole. So much wasted time. So much guilt. So much fear of the tsunami about to hit in 2023.</div><div><br></div><div>Need to reset. New habits. Do what I know</div><div><div>The Power of Habit.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br></div><div>I needed to find this book. The above statement confirms what I and my closest colleague and mentor, VM, have been talking about. The same sense of overload that prevents me from grading is exactly what prevents students from reading to learn or attempting Math problems. We've known that what holds most back are poor habits, so I'm revisiting the things I do unconsciously and what students do unconsciously to find areas where we can all be more efficient.</div><div><br></div><div>This is the sort of professional development & curriculum designing that we should be doing.</div></div><div>.</div>Daniel Kurlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693638600645230707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1855423820697358826.post-28300885759955492372022-12-31T02:24:00.001-08:002022-12-31T02:24:35.284-08:00The Greater Reset: It's a good read; now I have to processListening to The Greater Reset by Michael D. Greaney, Dawn K. Brohawn on Audible. https://www.audible.com/pd/B09T88Q9FB?source_code=ASSOR150021921000R<div><br></div><div>"Simply put, Keynesian monetary theory is designed to concentrate wealth." That's interesting.</div><div><br></div><div>Although born into this paradigm shifting mindset, I had no interest in reading this book. My sister handed me the book when I dropped off holiday baked goods. Hoping I had an excuse not to read it, I asked, "Is it on Audible?" It is and it's good.</div><div><br></div><div>Now I have to process.</div>Daniel Kurlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693638600645230707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1855423820697358826.post-62196220079315496342022-12-30T02:47:00.001-08:002022-12-30T02:49:38.873-08:00ChatGPT: where is the educational benefit?https://mastodon.online/@PoeticLicenseDK/109602214566250186<a href="https://mastodon.online/@PoeticLicenseDK/109602214566250186">Mastodon Post</a><div><br><div><div>https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/interactive/2022/chatgpt-questions-predictions-ethics/<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/interactive/2022/chatgpt-questions-predictions-ethics/">Washington Post Article</a></div><div><br></div><div>ChatGPT is being applied by professionals to mine large industry specific data sets in order to generate "best practices" recommendations reports that might yield $Billions in savings. I know people who do this for a living.</div><div><br></div><div>However, ChatGPT is also being used by students to make convincing sounding arguments in the humanities. Where is the educational benefit?</div></div></div>Daniel Kurlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693638600645230707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1855423820697358826.post-88826274162697627992022-12-21T02:21:00.001-08:002022-12-21T02:24:55.981-08:00Tim Wu's The Master Switch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><div>Listen to The Master Switch by Tim Wu on Audible. https://www.audible.com/pd/B004964ZKM?source_code=ASSOR1500219210011</div><div><br></div><div>#DingDong decided to ruin the party on the #DirtyBird site with a $44 billion offer to purchase it. Considering his partners, the Saudis, the UAE, and Larry Ellison, it seemed pretty obvious before the deal closed that an anti-democratic cabal was making a bold move to control the public square, legally. So I endeavored to resist.</div><div><br></div><div>That #DingDong was willing to light his $22 bil stake and his investor's money on fire, and put his core business at risk, made it abundantly clear that the move wasn't about profits but about controlling the political narrative with respect to the rise of authoritarianism and fascism in America. This is the context in which I discovered Tim Wu's legal history of the media industry, with its "Manichean" dichotomy of centralized and decentralized control.</div><div><br></div><div>Tim Wu broadened my perspective by revisiting the evolution of America's media / communications industry. I was unaware that key players sought control of a Master Switch, which could be used to decide who has access to mass communications.</div>Daniel Kurlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693638600645230707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1855423820697358826.post-42714352803693432922022-11-29T03:40:00.001-08:002022-11-29T03:41:24.383-08:00Impact of Boycotting Twitter<div>After a #washingtoncommanders victory, I miss the celebratory chatter & QB controversy on the dirty bird app. My favorite radio show on The Team 980, the Russell & Medhurst show, often refers to their Tweets, and Twitter conversations.</div><div><br></div><div>When Dr. Sabah from NC launches at the co-host that she would like to give the Ole Rooster a frontal lobotomy with a chainsaw, it's entertaining. But, I'm mature enough to sacrifice a few giggles for a larger pupose.</div>Daniel Kurlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693638600645230707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1855423820697358826.post-35231874469036905482022-11-29T01:15:00.001-08:002022-11-29T01:16:25.986-08:00Talking shopMath Fact fluency is generally poor across the grade level at 6th grade from what I can see. Addition / Subtraction facts to 20, not automatic. Multiplication / Division to 12×12, not there. The impact is that all the leaking oil from subprocesses creates a lack of fluency which creates friction at every step when students encounter higher order multi-step thinking. Grit requirement weeds out already frustrated populations.Daniel Kurlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693638600645230707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1855423820697358826.post-82050448168886954042022-11-24T04:50:00.001-08:002022-11-25T03:04:25.924-08:00Stopping by the woods on Thanksgiving Morning 2022.Stopping by the woods on Thanksgiving Morning 2022.<div><br></div><div>These woods of mine I know so well</div><div>Where as a lad I used to dwell</div><div>Lost in the moment I didn't know</div><div>How unprepared I was for future snows.</div><div><br></div><div>My red haired hound must think it queer </div><div>To stop without anyone near</div><div>Between the dawn and setting sun</div><div>The darkest times in all my years.</div><div><br></div><div>He gives his leash a shake</div><div>To ask if there is no mistake,</div><div>The only sound's the Beltway</div><div>and riot of oblivious birds.</div><div><br></div><div>These woods are littered with memories,</div><div>But I have promises to keep,</div><div>And now is not the time to sleep,</div><div>And now is not the time to sleep.</div>Daniel Kurlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693638600645230707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1855423820697358826.post-12812413961805527222022-11-22T15:29:00.001-08:002022-11-22T15:29:11.596-08:00A Testament<a href="https://mastodon.cloud/@c0nc0rdance/109372239105083316">On a positive note</a>Daniel Kurlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693638600645230707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1855423820697358826.post-72738182875262556392022-11-22T02:41:00.001-08:002022-11-22T02:41:39.874-08:00About right<a href="https://mstdn.social/@ElDiabloRoboc/109387008298525831">Great Cartoon.</a>Daniel Kurlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693638600645230707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1855423820697358826.post-55837993506656426892022-11-20T23:03:00.001-08:002022-11-20T23:05:51.453-08:00My final word on Elon.<a href="https://mastodon.online/@PoeticLicenseDK/109380485557456979">Final Post on Elon for a while</a><div><br></div><div><div class="ui__header"><div class="ui__header__links"><a class="button" href="https://mastodon.online/publish">Publish</a><a title="PoeticLicenseDK" href="https://mastodon.online/@PoeticLicenseDK"><div class="account__avatar"><img src="https://files.mastodon.online/accounts/avatars/108/195/034/099/535/411/original/9327ae41a8743c47.jpeg" alt="PoeticLicenseDK"></div></a></div></div><div class="columns-area__panels"><div class="columns-area__panels__main"><div class="tabs-bar__wrapper"><div id="tabs-bar__portal"><div class="column-header__wrapper"><h1 class="column-header"><button class="column-header__back-button"><i class="fa fa-chevron-left column-back-button__icon fa-fw"></i>Back</button><div class="column-header__buttons"><button type="button" class="column-header__button" title="Show less for all" aria-label="Show less for all"><i class="fa fa-eye"></i></button></div></h1><div class="column-header__collapsible collapsed" tabindex="-1"><div class="column-header__collapsible-inner"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="columns-area columns-area--mobile"><div role="region" class="column"><div class="scrollable"><div><div tabindex="-1"><div class="status__wrapper status__wrapper-public focusable" tabindex="0" aria-label="Mike Madrid, We need to show #twitter followers there’s a better way over here on Mastodon.
Encourage a better community. Bring good people over. Share good actors.
Time for the good guys to win., Nov 19, 11:09 PM, mikemadrid@c.im"><div class="status status-public" data-id="109378130788457923"><div class="status__info"><a href="https://mastodon.online/@mikemadrid@c.im/109378130788457923" class="status__relative-time" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span class="status__visibility-icon"><i class="fa fa-globe" title="Public"></i></span><time datetime="2022-11-20T04:09:04.000Z" title="Nov 19, 2022, 23:09">1d</time></a><a href="https://mastodon.online/@mikemadrid@c.im" title="mikemadrid@c.im" class="status__display-name" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><div class="status__avatar"><div class="account__avatar"><img src="https://files.mastodon.online/cache/accounts/avatars/109/298/638/185/145/729/original/efe516635472ee76.png" alt="mikemadrid@c.im"></div></div><span class="display-name"><bdi><strong class="display-name__html">Mike Madrid</strong></bdi><span class="display-name__account">@mikemadrid@c.im</span></span></a></div><div class="status__content status__content--with-action" tabindex="0"><div class="status__content__text status__content__text--visible translate" lang="en"><p>We need to show <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/twitter" class="mention hashtag status-link" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#twitter</a> followers there’s a better way over here on Mastodon. </p><p>Encourage a better community. Bring good people over. Share good actors.</p><p>Time for the good guys to win.</p></div></div><div class="status__action-bar"><button type="button" aria-label="Reply" title="Reply" class="status__action-bar__button icon-button icon-button--with-counter" tabindex="0"><i class="fa fa-reply fa-fw" aria-hidden="true"></i><span class="icon-button__counter">1+</span></button><button type="button" aria-label="Boost" title="Boost" class="status__action-bar__button icon-button" tabindex="0"><i class="fa fa-retweet fa-fw" aria-hidden="true"></i></button><button type="button" aria-label="Favourite" title="Favourite" class="status__action-bar__button star-icon icon-button" tabindex="0"><i class="fa fa-star fa-fw" aria-hidden="true"></i></button><button type="button" aria-label="Bookmark" title="Bookmark" class="status__action-bar__button bookmark-icon icon-button" tabindex="0"><i class="fa fa-bookmark fa-fw" aria-hidden="true"></i></button><button type="button" aria-label="Share" title="Share" class="status__action-bar__button icon-button" tabindex="0"><i class="fa fa-share-alt fa-fw" aria-hidden="true"></i></button><div class="status__action-bar__dropdown"><button type="button" aria-label="More" title="More" class="icon-button" tabindex="0"><i class="fa fa-ellipsis-h fa-fw" aria-hidden="true"></i></button></div></div></div></div></div><div tabindex="-1"><div class="status__wrapper status__wrapper-public status__wrapper-reply focusable" tabindex="0" aria-label="Fl0ps, @mikemadrid I was on board with the "stay here until the end" group, but Trumps account coming back was the last straw for me.
I doubt he will even use it. Musk is just looking for revenue, and that stunt probably increased usage with the cultists coming back.
They can keep saying "In it to the end" - but every hit on that site gets musk a few pennies closer to recouping his $44B, and I'm not interested in helping him out there., Nov 20, 07:37 PM, Fl0ps"><div class="status status-public status-reply" data-id="109378995857016385"><div class="status__info"><a href="https://mastodon.online/@Fl0ps/109378995857016385" class="status__relative-time" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span class="status__visibility-icon"><i class="fa fa-globe" title="Public"></i></span><time datetime="2022-11-21T00:37:05.648Z" title="Nov 20, 2022, 19:37">6h</time></a><a href="https://mastodon.online/@Fl0ps" title="Fl0ps" class="status__display-name" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><div class="status__avatar"><div class="account__avatar"><img src="https://files.mastodon.online/accounts/avatars/109/283/299/773/527/424/original/eccb8fff385b1fcf.jpeg" alt="Fl0ps"></div></div><span class="display-name"><bdi><strong class="display-name__html">Fl0ps</strong></bdi><span class="display-name__account">@Fl0ps</span></span></a></div><div class="status__content status__content--with-action" tabindex="0"><div class="status__content__text status__content__text--visible translate" lang="en"><p><span class="h-card"><a href="https://mastodon.online/@mikemadrid@c.im" class="u-url mention status-link" title="mikemadrid@c.im">@mikemadrid</a></span> I was on board with the "stay here until the end" group, but Trumps account coming back was the last straw for me.</p><p>I doubt he will even use it. Musk is just looking for revenue, and that stunt probably increased usage with the cultists coming back. </p><p>They can keep saying "In it to the end" - but every hit on that site gets musk a few pennies closer to recouping his $44B, and I'm not interested in helping him out there.</p></div></div><div class="status__action-bar"><button type="button" aria-label="Reply to thread" title="Reply to thread" class="status__action-bar__button icon-button icon-button--with-counter" tabindex="0"><i class="fa fa-reply-all fa-fw" aria-hidden="true"></i><span class="icon-button__counter">1+</span></button><button type="button" aria-label="Boost" title="Boost" class="status__action-bar__button icon-button" tabindex="0"><i class="fa fa-retweet fa-fw" aria-hidden="true"></i></button><button type="button" aria-label="Favourite" title="Favourite" class="status__action-bar__button star-icon icon-button" tabindex="0"><i class="fa fa-star fa-fw" aria-hidden="true"></i></button><button type="button" aria-label="Bookmark" title="Bookmark" class="status__action-bar__button bookmark-icon icon-button" tabindex="0"><i class="fa fa-bookmark fa-fw" aria-hidden="true"></i></button><button type="button" aria-label="Share" title="Share" class="status__action-bar__button icon-button" tabindex="0"><i class="fa fa-share-alt fa-fw" aria-hidden="true"></i></button><div class="status__action-bar__dropdown"><button type="button" aria-label="More" title="More" class="icon-button" tabindex="0"><i class="fa fa-ellipsis-h fa-fw" aria-hidden="true"></i></button></div></div></div></div></div></div><div tabindex="-1"><div class="focusable detailed-status__wrapper" tabindex="0" aria-label="PoeticLicenseDK,
@Fl0ps @mikemadrid
Elon may have flicked the #Twitterati the bird, but he has vaingloriously lit $Billions on fire; and he has eliminated any question about his reputation in the court of public opinion. Everybody knows that Elon is no Tony Stark, but has come out of the closet as a fascist tw@t, and an enabler of dictatorship. The US needs to terminate all of his contracts.
The #Resistance is not dead, but it has found safe havens across the virtual universe., Nov 21, 01:55 AM, PoeticLicenseDK"><div><div class="detailed-status detailed-status-public"><a href="https://mastodon.online/@PoeticLicenseDK" class="detailed-status__display-name"><div class="detailed-status__display-avatar"><div class="account__avatar"><img src="https://files.mastodon.online/accounts/avatars/108/195/034/099/535/411/original/9327ae41a8743c47.jpeg" alt="PoeticLicenseDK"></div></div><span class="display-name"><bdi><strong class="display-name__html">PoeticLicenseDK</strong></bdi><span class="display-name__account">@PoeticLicenseDK@mastodon.online</span></span></a><div class="status__content status__content--with-spoiler" tabindex="0"><p><span class="translate" lang="en">Elon - Final Post for a while</span> <button type="button" class="status__content__spoiler-link status__content__spoiler-link--show-less" aria-expanded="true">SHOW LESS</button></p><div class="status__content__text status__content__text--visible translate" lang="en" tabindex="0"><p><span class="h-card"><a href="https://mastodon.online/@Fl0ps" class="u-url mention status-link" title="Fl0ps">@Fl0ps</a></span> <span class="h-card"><a href="https://mastodon.online/@mikemadrid@c.im" class="u-url mention status-link" title="mikemadrid@c.im">@mikemadrid</a></span> <br>Elon may have flicked the <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/Twitterati" class="mention hashtag status-link" rel="tag">#Twitterati</a> the bird, but he has vaingloriously lit $Billions on fire; and he has eliminated any question about his reputation in the court of public opinion. Everybody knows that Elon is no Tony Stark, but has come out of the closet as a fascist tw@t, and an enabler of dictatorship. The US needs to terminate all of his contracts.</p><p>The <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/Resistance" class="mention hashtag status-link" rel="tag">#Resistance</a> is not dead, but it has found safe havens across the virtual universe.</p></div></div><div class="detailed-status__meta"><a class="detailed-status__datetime" href="https://mastodon.online/@PoeticLicenseDK/109380485557456979" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nov 21, 2022, 01:55</a> · <i class="fa fa-globe" title="Public"></i> · <a class="detailed-status__application" href="https://app.joinmastodon.org/android" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mastodon for Android</a> · <a class="detailed-status__link" href="https://mastodon.online/@PoeticLicenseDK/109380485557456979/reblogs"><i class="fa fa-retweet"></i><span class="detailed-status__reblogs"><span class="animated-number">0</span></span></a> · <a class="detailed-status__link" href="https://mastodon.online/@PoeticLicenseDK/109380485557456979/favourites"><i class="fa fa-star"></i><span class="detailed-status__favorites"><span class="animated-number">0</span></span></a></div></div></div><div class="detailed-status__action-bar"><div class="detailed-status__button"><button type="button" aria-label="Reply" title="Reply" class="icon-button" tabindex="0"><i class="fa fa-reply-all fa-fw" aria-hidden="true"></i></button></div><div class="detailed-status__button"><button type="button" aria-label="Boost" title="Boost" class="icon-button" tabindex="0"><i class="fa fa-retweet fa-fw" aria-hidden="true"></i></button></div><div class="detailed-status__button"><button type="button" aria-label="Favourite" title="Favourite" class="star-icon icon-button" tabindex="0"><i class="fa fa-star fa-fw" aria-hidden="true"></i></button></div><div class="detailed-status__button"><button type="button" aria-label="Bookmark" title="Bookmark" class="bookmark-icon icon-button" tabindex="0"><i class="fa fa-bookmark fa-fw" aria-hidden="true"></i></button></div><div class="detailed-status__button"><button type="button" aria-label="Share" title="Share" class="icon-button" tabindex="0"><i class="fa fa-share-alt fa-fw" aria-hidden="true"></i></button></div><div class="detailed-status__action-bar-dropdown"><button type="button" aria-label="More" title="More" class="icon-button" tabindex="0"><i class="fa fa-ellipsis-h fa-fw" aria-hidden="true"></i></button></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="columns-area__panels__pane columns-area__panels__pane--start columns-area__panels__pane--navigational"><div class="columns-area__panels__pane__inner"><div class="navigation-panel"><a class="column-link column-link--transparent" title="Home" href="https://mastodon.online/home"><i class="fa fa-home column-link__icon fa-fw"></i></a><a class="column-link column-link--transparent" title="Notifications" href="https://mastodon.online/notifications"><i class="icon-with-badge"><i class="fa fa-bell column-link__icon fa-fw"></i><i class="icon-with-badge__badge">15</i></i></a><a class="column-link column-link--transparent" title="Explore" href="https://mastodon.online/explore"><i class="fa fa-hashtag column-link__icon fa-fw"></i></a><a class="column-link column-link--transparent" title="Local" href="https://mastodon.online/public/local"><i class="fa fa-users column-link__icon fa-fw"></i></a><a class="column-link column-link--transparent" title="Federated" href="https://mastodon.online/public"><i class="fa fa-globe column-link__icon fa-fw"></i></a><a class="column-link column-link--transparent" title="Direct messages" href="https://mastodon.online/conversations"><i class="fa fa-at column-link__icon fa-fw"></i></a><a class="column-link column-link--transparent" title="Favourites" href="https://mastodon.online/favourites"><i class="fa fa-star column-link__icon fa-fw"></i></a><a class="column-link column-link--transparent" title="Bookmarks" href="https://mastodon.online/bookmarks"><i class="fa fa-bookmark column-link__icon fa-fw"></i></a><a class="column-link column-link--transparent" title="Lists" href="https://mastodon.online/lists"><i class="fa fa-list-ul column-link__icon fa-fw"></i></a><hr><a href="https://mastodon.online/settings/preferences" class="column-link column-link--transparent" title="Preferences"><i class="fa fa-cog column-link__icon fa-fw"></i></a><div class="navigation-panel__legal"><hr><br><a class="column-link column-link--transparent" title="About" href="https://mastodon.online/about"><i class="fa fa-ellipsis-h column-link__icon fa-fw"></i></a></div></div></div></div></div></div>Daniel Kurlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693638600645230707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1855423820697358826.post-41683285842057480612022-11-20T06:23:00.001-08:002022-11-20T06:35:02.169-08:00Models of The Mind: Nice Meta-analysis .Models of the Mind: Nice Meta-analysis <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVtqJiP0aYaG1oo7CH8f4CsEKrf7uQm6n56KT2LoR4RsK7QUbK1yD5y9Bf4zcRQlD8YIXohIOoFSfYl9PFHVbfxJuariEYrAKZ-jPhHMrzELHkEGn4RLDw2sNOF_f87v_Pum7EYhVcBfqc/s1600/1668954898220111-0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVtqJiP0aYaG1oo7CH8f4CsEKrf7uQm6n56KT2LoR4RsK7QUbK1yD5y9Bf4zcRQlD8YIXohIOoFSfYl9PFHVbfxJuariEYrAKZ-jPhHMrzELHkEGn4RLDw2sNOF_f87v_Pum7EYhVcBfqc/s1600/1668954898220111-0.png" width="400">
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</div>I've been reading about the convergence of neuroscience and artificial intelligence (AI) for over two decades. <a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Models-of-the-Mind-Audiobook/1666106763">Models of the Mind</a> provides a helpful meta-analysis of models of the mind shaped by philosophy, physics, biology, Mathematics, engineering, among other things. it's very approachable for the average lay person.<div>The author addresses studies inspired by observations of individual nerve cells, as well as analysis of electrical signal outputs from areas that fire in unison like a chorus of screaming demons. She ties it all together by referring to the history of information theory.</div><div><br></div><div>Readers can ponder the implications of a clear explanation of Baysean models of how prior knowledge weighs in to decision making calculations. The conversation about the tug and pull of grand unifying theories and practical applications is thought provoking. I enjoyed it.</div>Daniel Kurlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693638600645230707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1855423820697358826.post-3779351440228420722022-11-19T05:50:00.001-08:002022-11-19T05:50:11.630-08:00Final Outdoor Hydroponic Lettuce Hall<div>It's 30⁰ outside, so I'm bringing<a href="https://www.lettucegrow.com/the-farmstand"> Grow Farmstand </a></div><div>Inside. Final outdoor haul.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br></div><div>My greens grew great outside, & I proved that my leak had been a result of me not properly locking the sections.</div><div><br></div><div>If I leave outside, I'd ruin the pump.</div><div><br></div><div>This time, inside, I'll use a fan & sticky paper to control insects. I need better electrical, but cash strapped.</div>Daniel Kurlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693638600645230707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1855423820697358826.post-36923190260220983292022-11-11T01:48:00.001-08:002022-11-11T01:48:10.662-08:00Twitter Addiction <p dir="ltr">Twitter addiction made me fly<br>
Twitter addiction about to die</p>
<p dir="ltr">Blue bird electrocuted by the political rise of angels from H#!!<br>
Now it's time to ring the bell.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Don't ask, don't tell, for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for all who fell under its spell.<br>
</p>Daniel Kurlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693638600645230707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1855423820697358826.post-68229606324899596872022-11-05T13:46:00.001-07:002022-11-05T13:46:38.965-07:00Life After Twitter<div>Life After Twitter</div><div><br></div><div>I'm not bitter.</div><div>4.5 billion + years.</div><div>The Earth has lived without Elon Musk.</div><div><br></div><div>Cumaen Sybil, to whom TS Eliot alluded, wished for death but was hung in a cage, the leaves of knowledge, flitterred away.</div><div><br></div><div>Advertisers come. Advertisers go.</div><div>Talking of Michelangelo.</div>Daniel Kurlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693638600645230707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1855423820697358826.post-63379577549713008222022-08-28T06:46:00.000-07:002022-08-28T06:46:48.477-07:005 years to give<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: medium;">The pulse of the cicadas whizzes faster and faster</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Reaches a climax and fades away.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Time machine hums.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Every insect gear engages -- a bang and a flash.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Soon the leaves will be turning red and yellow and brown.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Soon they'll be falling to the ground</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">And in the breeze I'll hear your song</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Daring me for one final embrace from across the waves.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So far.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Your eyes are glowing coals amidst the black of night</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">But the sun's bright and the jay cries.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Leashes jingle, ears flop</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">And every scent whispers yesterday's news.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Carpe Diem!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Now's the time to reap the bounty;</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Time to savor the EVOO, garlic, onions, peppers, and fresh basil;</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Time to simmer tomatoes grown fat upon the vines</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">And prepare the sauce.</span></p>Daniel Kurlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693638600645230707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1855423820697358826.post-21839942063858622482022-01-17T23:50:00.001-08:002022-01-17T23:50:18.045-08:00A whole new perspective on youth sportsI had no idea how girls software intersects with privilege and college athletic scholarship opportunities. In Playing to Win, Michael Lewis, author of Moneyball and The Big Short explains the economics and psychology of travel softball in a personal and engaging way.Daniel Kurlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693638600645230707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1855423820697358826.post-76937520511194435782022-01-16T04:19:00.001-08:002022-01-16T04:19:30.864-08:00A familiar tale told in a refreshing way<div>Homer's Odyssey, narrated by Emily Wilson, has made this archetypal epic accessible to a new generation of audiences. For those who have read it a thousand times, she remains true to Homer's intent, despite decisions that frame word choice in a distinctly modern context, e.g. "Master" and "slave."</div><div><br></div><div>Wilson's exposition explains why she wrote it in colloquial language, in iambic pentameter, which flows so naturally that even a 12 year old could participate in the conversation. Her scholarly notes address structural and stylistic elements that enabled oral story tellers to transmit the story so faithfully over 2 millennium.</div><div><br></div><div>Homer's voice speaks once again, describing the character traits of the long-suffering, resolute Odysseus, through the clear passionate voice of the narrator, Claire Danes. The language is simple and lyrical and evocative of emotions to which every person can relate and recognize.</div><div><br></div><div>As an older reader, I shed tears when Odysseus' faithful dog Argos recognized him, gloried in the bloodlust of Odysseus's revenge on the suitors. I was surprised anew about how peace needed to be restored to Ithica after his palace had been fumigated to remove the stench of death, and the bodies of the sons of Ithica had been removed. The images of the Cyclops and the Scylla, which initiated me to these stories as a young child have been replaced by a fuller portrait of a man I have come to respect, and appreciate as a contemporary.</div>Daniel Kurlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693638600645230707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1855423820697358826.post-44525000722989447392021-10-31T13:35:00.005-07:002023-04-19T18:17:05.687-07:00Baby Boom Blues<h1 dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-ee3d26c4-7fff-d856-3a6b-a56564176cd8">Baby Boom Blues</h1><div><br /></div><div>Part 1: Purple Haze</div><div>In the beginning was the weed and the weed was he,</div><div>Like a dead fish floating in the middle of the sea,</div><div>Blinded by the light, divided by the sight of a burning weed in the dying light.</div><div><br /></div><div>Dreams were made of nights like these:</div><div>Stale tobacco blowing in the breeze,</div><div>Beer spills left from the night before,</div><div>Giggling faces flowing out the door,</div><div>Cigarettes, whisky and wild crazy women</div><div>Through the purple haze ever dancing and singing,</div><div>Singing sex and drugs and rock and roll --</div><div>They kept on dancing so they'd never grow old.</div><div><br /></div><div>They were dancing shadows against the wall,</div><div>Dark shadows in a flashing hall</div><div>Where crimson and horizon blue</div><div>Pressed against a starker view.</div><div><br /></div><div>They were pulsing beats that shook the floor</div><div>And rattled the windows evermore.</div><div>The ceiling ached from their refrain,</div><div>Shrieking echoes of a primal brain.</div><div><br /></div><div>They were disembodied troglodytes,</div><div>Walking fish, stromatolites,</div><div>Carbonated fire and ice,</div><div>Permutations from the roll of the dice.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Part II: Rising Son</div><div>Dead dinosaurs fueled their rise</div><div>From migrant shores to starry skies.</div><div>Children of the Greatest Generation,</div><div>Conquering heroes declared,</div><div>Democracy a revelation.</div><div><br /></div><div>Truths, self-evident.</div><div>All men created equal.</div><div>All stood during the National Anthem.</div><div>Everybody watched the Greatest Show on Turf.</div><div><br /></div><div>The fathers stormed the beaches at Normandy,</div><div>Held trials at Nuremberg, championed human rights.</div><div>Hanged Nazis from gallows, charged crimes against humanity.</div><div>Every son decried melting face insanity.</div><div><br /></div><div>How could an entire nation simply follow orders,</div><div>Drink beer, and eat schnitzel while millions were gassed?</div><div><br /></div><div>Hello? Is anybody home?</div><div>Ding, dong the witch was dead.</div><div>Dorothy awoke from her bed in Kansas.</div><div>The children joined hands and sang Kumbaya.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bodies and baby shoe Towers of Babel,</div><div>Captured on camera.</div><div>The Berlin Wall rose, the DMZ flashed,</div><div>Fire hoses blasted protesters, dogs of war released, a Federal Presence unleashed.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mississippi, burned.</div><div><br /></div><div>All captured on camera, narrated by Walter Cronkite.</div><div>On the nightly news, bridges crossed.</div><div>Martyrs chanted:<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>"Jim Crow must go, Jim Crow must go."</div><div><br /></div><div>Martyrs, shot in the back,</div><div>Shot during parades,<br /></div><div>Shot in the back of their heads like Lincoln, watching Julius Caesar,</div><div>Assassinated by Boothe who was hanged.</div><div><br /></div><div>E tú Brutus? The audience gasped.</div><div>With malice to none, and charity to all,</div><div>Emancipation promised, liberty to all.</div><div><br /></div><div>Truman dropped atomic bombs twice,</div><div>Truman signed the Marshall Plan.</div><div>America transformed the globe from Germany to Japan.</div><div><br /></div><div>Baseball and apple pie,</div><div>John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, and Cher</div><div>Star Trek and Get Smart, everybody shared.</div><div><br /></div><div>Everybody knew about the cone of silence.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mopar mysticism, Mustangs, and Chevy trucks</div><div>Across interstates, country roads, and suburban sprawl.</div><div><br /></div><div>From the Big Sur to West Virginia to Niagara Falls, big blocks, Harleys, and 18 wheelers suddenly came to a crawl.</div><div>On the radio Bob Dylan crooned "Everybody must get Stoned."</div><div><br /></div><div>Why did so many feel so alone?</div><div><br /></div><div>From Mustang Sally to the British Invasion,</div><div>Coca Cola became the taste of a generation.</div><div>To teach the world to sing in perfect harmony</div><div>Segued to Bye, Bye, American Pie.</div><div><br /></div><div>From a rising tide to lift all ships,</div><div>To Electric Kool-Aid Acid trips. </div><div>From Sputnik to a decade on the rise,</div><div>To footprints in the dust of the moon and an American flag planted</div><div>Miles and miles across an untamed sea.</div><div><br /></div><div>On black and white televisions children watched from the couch</div><div>While in the mud of the jungle forgotten soldiers crouched.</div><div>From the moon, a single blue ball, </div><div>The Earth seemed incredibly small.</div><div>With Mutual Assured Destruction, Apocalypse waited,</div><div>Kruschev and Kennedy debated</div><div>How would the Earth end? In fire or ice?</div><div><br /></div><div>A King declared, "I have a dream." </div><div><br /></div><div>Part 3: Orange Apocalypse</div><div>He left a bag of baby carrots</div><div>In the kitchen drawer,</div><div>Muttering profanities,</div><div>Sleepwalking out the door.</div><div><br /></div><div>Children blankly stared at equations that laid inequalities bare.</div><div>Melting icebergs and rising seas,</div><div>Legacies of the anthropocene.</div><div><br /></div><div>Why fractions? Why bother?</div><div>Every dollar disappears.</div><div>Reading, a mystery for many who can't decode.</div><div>Educational torture.</div><div>Who really cares?</div><div><br /></div><div>With nothing to count and nobody to count on.</div><div>"I'll take the F" becomes written in stone.</div><div>"Some will always be dinosaur food."</div><div>Quoth the ancient mariner.</div><div><br /></div><div>To the Who's of Whoville whom nobody hears,</div><div>While about to be boiled in Beezelnut Oil by the Wickersham Brothers,</div><div>A Horton with elephant ears, Disney magic?</div><div><br /></div><div>No heroes?</div><div><br /></div><div>Abandon all hope, ye who enter here,</div><div>Reads the sign above the door.</div><div>Nobody answers the knocking at the door.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hello, anybody home?</div><div>"Will nobody dine and sup with me?" the Son inquires?</div><div><br /></div><div>Children, separated at the border, caged like dogs,</div><div>"Build the Wall,'' an orange chorus howls</div><div>"Jews will not replace us," the chorus scowls</div><div>Bearing tiki torches like crosses, in khakis all.</div><div><br /></div><div>Part IV: Four Horsemen</div><div>Russians came and Russians went, talking of search engines and artificial intelligence.</div><div>They came bearing free Kaspersky, installed Trojan Horses with impunity.</div><div> </div><div>They paid cash for entire floors in the Tower of Babel using shell corporations.</div><div>Paid above Market prices, served black caviar and exotic spices.</div><div>They made straw man donations through the NRA,</div><div>Paid Evangelicals to look the other way.</div><div>They installed cameras in vases, cameras in kitchens, cameras in bedrooms, cameras in the ceiling, hacked into servers, pushed people out of windows.</div><div><br /></div><div>Putin rode a white horse.</div><div>The president rode a golf cart.</div><div>Manchin drove his Maserati to a Riverboat mansion</div><div>The fourth, he rode a donkey.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nobody cared.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ooh la, la, the MAGA nation drawled.</div><div>He's incredible, it's inevitable.</div><div>He can grab women by the pussy, because when you're a star you can do anything.</div><div>Captured on tape.</div><div>Nobody can stop a president credibly accused of rape.</div><div>When you can shoot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue, all bend their knee.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anything's possible with prosperity gospel, Anthony Robbins and neuro linguistic programming.</div><div>An AR-15 for every child.</div><div>A pardon for paid polluters.</div><div>Who needs to read when the Second Coming of Christ is incarnate?</div><div>He tosses paper towels to Puerto Ricans to sop up a hurricane?</div><div>Hallelujah!</div><div><br /></div><div>On Twitter, scenes from Wuhan emerge:</div><div>Apartment dwellers, welded inside apartment complexes.</div><div>Trucks spray aerosols onto streets and sidewalks,</div><div>Officials in hazmat suits spray factories while people work.</div><div>Captured on tape.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ships on the West Coast, quarantined.</div><div>Scenes from Italian hospitals flood the airwaves.</div><div><br /></div><div>Fake virus, the president declares.</div><div>Nothing to worry about, just the Wu Flu.</div><div>Americans die.</div><div>Requests for mask mandates, refused by red state governors.</div><div>The MAGA chorus calls for Dr. Faucci's head for shutting down businesses and shutting down schools.</div><div><br /></div><div>Fake news, the president declares, by the spring it will all simply fade away.</div><div>Can we shove a light bulb up the ass?</div><div>I'm a stable genius, it might work.</div><div>I know about such things.</div><div>Dr. Birx, wearing colorful scarfs, feigns.</div><div>Hydroxychloroquin, and Ivermectin, shilled by OAN, Newsmax, and FOX,</div><div>Superspreader events, coordinated on Facebook and FOX.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nearly a million people die, mostly the old and infirm.</div><div>Just an accounting trick Tucker Carlson chirps.</div><div><br /></div><div>"I alone can fix it," 45 declares.</div><div><br /></div><div>Part V: Out, Out Brief Candle</div><div>Whole cities have burned in flames like these</div><div>Cold ashes long scattered by the breeze.</div><div>In fading coals crackle memories of</div><div>Empires crumbled to dust.</div><div><br /></div><div>Helen and Paris crossed the sea,</div><div>Fled to Troy, hid behind a big, beautiful wall.</div><div>Cassandra wailed, her family called her crazy.</div><div>She cried, beware Greeks who come bearing gifts.</div><div>Nobody listened.</div><div><br /></div><div>The wall, undefeated.</div><div>The war, unrelenting.</div><div>Odysseus alone saw possibility.</div><div>The wily Greek spread rumors of</div><div>Signs from the Gods.</div><div>Greek ships sailed over the horizon.</div><div><br /></div><div>Confirmation.</div><div><br /></div><div>The rosy fingered dawn arrived,</div><div>A wooden horse, glistened with pride.</div><div>The Trojans swung the gates wide open</div><div>And feasted.</div><div><br /></div><div>The fathers stormed the beaches at Normandy.</div><div><br /></div><div>The sons stormed The US Capitol chanting "Hang Mike Pence."</div><div><br /></div><div> Part 6: 30 Silver Coins</div><div>45, he lashed out, serpentine.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Indicated" by the New York Attorney General on 30 counts of financial fraud after 30 minutes of testimony by a single witness.</div><div><br /></div><div>(3+3)+(1+2+3) + (3 + 3) = 666</div><div><br /></div><div>"The greatest witch hunt," blasted on Truth Social.</div><div><br /></div><div>A crucifixion.</div><div><br /></div><div>33% agreed.</div><div><br /></div><div>MTG, whore of the AR-15 and the NRA , made Civil War her battle cry.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a 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</div></div>Daniel Kurlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693638600645230707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1855423820697358826.post-40922097841623794022021-10-31T07:36:00.001-07:002021-10-31T08:28:41.831-07:00A View From The Cheap Seats<div>Whatever I write will fall short, fall flat, short change how I feel after finishing A View From The Cheap Seats. I wish I had read it when I was in my 20's, because in these pages Neil Gaiman has provided the code I needed to become a writer, when I made the unfortunate decision to take the safe route and work for a lumber company, not because I knew anything about the building industry or cabinets, or about kitchens and baths, or windows and doors, or about logistics, or credit, purchasing, or sales, but because I was afraid of being poor.</div><div><br></div><div>Neil Gaiman did exactly the opposite. He became a master of comic book writing, journalist, best selling author, world traveler, friend of artists, writer of introductions, whose novels and comics have been woven into the very fabric of American culture via audio & cinematic productions, not because he was afraid of being poor, but because he so loved the process of creating stories, he was willing to risk it all and live on the edge.</div><div><br></div><div>Ironically, as I write, my life is consumed with debt, despite the riches I amassed when I was young, because I hitched my wagon to a declining industry, where talent was seem as a commodity, and later made the decision to become a teacher, foolishly believing it would be easy and profitable, around the age of 40, after 9-11. Meanwhile, Neil became the proverbial honest man who started with financial insecurity but who now truly writes with no fear of financial ruin, like his friend, Stephen King.</div><div><br></div><div>Today, I am fearless, because I work with a population of students who need models of fearlessness, and because I view education as a pathway to opportunity, and many middle school students do not yet see the urgency of needing to learn how to think for themselves and unlearn learned helplessness, because I have come out on the good side of so many impossible situations that I know I live a charmed life and I always win eventually, and because I am no longer afraid of losing everything, or dying, because I've become comfortable living on the edge.</div><div><br></div><div>One page per day. Figure it out. Be honest while telling fiction.</div>Daniel Kurlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693638600645230707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1855423820697358826.post-48920092606395319402021-10-30T06:50:00.001-07:002021-10-30T06:50:20.988-07:00Carpe DiemBirds riot in the breath of Dawn embraced by the crimson fingers of horizon blues. Bones emerge from the shadows in percussion shot battles under a Holloween moon. I arise to howls, w/mad syncopation, Twitter alliteration, to cries of Revelation. Bring it on. Bring it on. IDGAF.Daniel Kurlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693638600645230707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1855423820697358826.post-32548770162893698022021-07-04T06:46:00.001-07:002021-07-04T06:46:41.828-07:00Rising Son Update.<p dir="ltr">Rising Son in the West: I stopped writing because I was so angry & bitter about what had happened to Grandpa. The 1983-1984 holiday I spent in the Library of Congress reading old newspapers was difficult to process, & I didn't know where to go with it, so I went silent, decided not to say anything.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I used to think Rising Son was about the men until I realized that the women in the family were the strong ones: Grandma, Pepe, you, Dawn. Need to fill in gaps, find the story, get something going. July.</p>
<p dir="ltr">As you once said, "Summer is short. Winter is long and dreary."</p>
<p dir="ltr">Really intend to write that book. Now.</p>
<p dir="ltr">RS is a story about the story we are writing. Our voice, our message. Gamän. We take a little poetic license for the sake of telling a good story, because that's what story tellers do.</p>
<p dir="ltr">History is made by historians.</p>
<p dir="ltr">RS is no longer an angry book. Instead, RS now channels anger & frustration to beautify and maintain order, to educate a family, to serve others.</p>
<p dir="ltr">There are stories to be told. The details matter. You are an incredible story teller.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Explain why we weren't allowed to bring that dog home we won at the Burgundy Farm fair. I want to get your animal stories on tape. All of them.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Tell me about that boat ride you & Grandma took to the mainland in a storm. I want your stories on tape.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I want your stories about Joe. Why did you chase a 3 year old the House with Hop on Pop?</p>
<p dir="ltr">Collaborate with me.</p>Daniel Kurlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693638600645230707noreply@blogger.com0