You’ve probably heard of Dieter Dengler, the subject of two Werner Herzog films, the documentary Little Dieter Needs to Fly and the Christian Bale-starring drama, Rescue Dawn. Investors Business Daily (of all places) has a brief bio that reveals how Dengler’s incredible feats (he escaped from a POW camp in Laos and survived 23 days in a hostile jungle while suffering a host of debilitating diseases) can be traced to skills and personality traits he developed early in childhood. Talk about the things you learn at your mother’s knee …
Category: Mind and Spirit
Spirituality, moods, feelings, and thinking free to live free.
Things are moving along like crazy on my new house! Contracts are signed. The home inspector is lined up for Monday. Roofers should be trooping by and giving estimates any day now. By Tuesday I expect to know whether it’s a go. In any case, I’ll be packing and very shortly heading off on a cross-country trip. The very same Leslie who found the house and is handling most of the chaos also found me a Plan B — a super dog-friendly rental I can take if the sale falls through. So no matter what happens, I’m out of here…
Now, that’s some valedictorian. High school girl uses her moment at the podium to slam the philosophy and practice of government schooling — and even cites John Taylor Gatto. And Mencken. Maybe there’s hope yet.
(I’m not sure what all this means. But it seemed like a good idea when I wrote it.) For the first time in a sad number of years, I opened the email file I labeled “RebelFire Futurestuff” and read. I’ve longed to go back and further the tale of Jeremy, Cedra, Rey, and the band RebelFire. I had (and to my surprise still have) notes for a sequel and at least one more. Unusual. Plotting is my weak point and I’m not good at thinking ahead. I also had links to articles on privacy and technology, philosophical concepts, etc. —…
Having already posted my whoo-hoo news, I’ll keep today’s miscellany short. More on the ringing declaration on the failure of the drug war from those most authoritative medical and public-health sources. Some insights into why such a vital statement is being resoundingly ignored. Still … there’s progress. For the first time, a federal agency is condoning medical cannabis. Well. Kinda, sorta. (Via Freedom’s Phoenix.) Speaking of progress … Over how many years and how many times has somebody announced that encrypting our phone calls would soon be as easy and cheap as encrypting our emails? Maybe it’s finally happening. “Thinking…
Let me tell you about the people in this high desert gulch — and the people connected to it, though they may be far away. Neighbor M. needed the footer space dug for some retaining walls. Though M. is a tireless worker, this was clearly a job for a backhoe, not muscles. Neighbor Joel also needed backhoe work for the septic system on his Secret Lair. Without a word to Joel, M. arranged to have both jobs done at his own expense last Saturday. The work was done by our neighbor L. If you read Joel’s blog, you’ve heard about…
I was just about to make a minor little blog entry today, when I found this comment by Jackie Juntti dropped into yesterday’s post. I think it’s better than anything I’d have written, so without taking the time to ask Jackie (sorry, J.), I’m moving it from comment to full-fledged blog. I had no idea until now that my old friend Jackie was Jack Case’s daughter. Jackie and I don’t agree on all things (not even on the importance of Bastille Day). But she’s always got a great spirit. And now I can see where she came by it. Anyhow,…
In the great movie The Shawshank Redemption, Brooks Hatlen, the prison librarian (James Whitmore), is the totally institutionalized man. He’s carved out his safe little niche. He no longer knows how to survive outside the walls — and he realizes he’s unfit for the real world. Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), on the other hand, is always and emphatically his own man. He is never owned by the prison, even as he’s subject to the prison system’s every whim. No matter what’s done to him, his inner strength holds him steady. “Red” Redding (Morgan Freeman) stands between them. He’s the guy…
The word Jefferson obliterated. (Alternative link if the WaPost link gives you trouble.)
Today in 1943, “pay-as-you-go” income-tax withholding began. (Oh thank you, Milton Friedman.) Today in 2004, Marlon Brando died, age 80. There was probably no connection between the two, but I have friends who could spin conspiracies proving me wrong. Today is also the day the Battle of Gettysburg began (1863). I had a Confederate cavalry re-enactor friend who, with his comrades, almost won that battle once. It was very embarrassing for the event organizers. Not to mention the Union troops. —– The wind has been howling more than usual lately. Making me crazy. Makes me dream of northwest forests. But…