Was having these thoughts anyway an figured may as well jot them down and post on Substack.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Welcome to the Monkey House
Recently read Kurt Vonnegut's collection of 1950's era short stories Welcome to the Monkey House and for the most part enjoyed it. There were one or two stories that may not have held up so well but for the most part worth the read.
Let me get this out right away but not sure if naming a book after what can be boiled down to frankly a rape story would get a green light by publishers today but the book is a collection of stories that reflect the thinking and fears of a by gone era. It is interesting to look at the thinking and fears from 70+ years ago. But again - don't think the rape story as title of the collection would be approved today.
As an aside long have noticed how Kurt Vonnegut consistently used unique words or phrase and defined them in his own style. Or by his unique definitions. Here were two such examples from the book:
- Drupelets - "the pulpy little knobs that compose the outside of the raspberry"
- Euphoria - "a sense of buoyancy and well-being"
Was thinking of creating a collection of Vonnegut's dictionary of unique words and phrases but see it's already been done.
Wednesday Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
Bombing continues in Iran but that has become almost background noise as far as the media is concerned. Why report on something America is winning and is good for Trump? Besides the bombings were becoming repetitive and news isn't supposed to do re-runs.
As always - please Subscribe, hit the Like button, or share the Link. No re-runs here - fresh daily!
Quotes for Today
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
Have a new Quotes for Today up on my Substack. As I've mentioned doing this as a way to thank those who have Subscribed. If you are a Subscriber - you should have received an email. Thanks.
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
The Americans: The Colonial Experience
Their localism has been given far too little attention and too little credit. In these days, when States' rights are out of fashion, we are too often told that a man's preoccupation with the habits of the place where he lives can only drag on the national progress. We are fortunate that 18th-century Virginia thought differently...
The Federal Constitution was a national road on which there was no return. The leadership of Virginians in Federal life continued only so long as the national government was an aristocratic comradery like that of Virginia. When the United States ceased to be a greater Virginia, Virginians ceased to govern the United States. The virtues of 18th-century Virginia, when writ large, would seem to be vices. Localism would become sectionalism; the special interest of where a man lived would come to seem petty and disruptive."
Of course the biggest vice was slavery which would in time lead to the Civil War.
Linky Links
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- Jonathan Turley on the DSA and the myth of Scandinavian socialism.
- Richard Feynman talking in 1964 about the problems AI labs would face in 2026.
- Cuba libre We've been at war with Iran for 40 plus years - with Cuba it's been much longer than that.
Tuesday Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
The Red Sox are in third place in the AL East just 6 games out of first. More importantly they have reawaken interest in the club. Last night at the bar all people wanted to talk about was the streaking Red Sox. Might be time to get back on the bandwagon.
As always - please Subscribe, hit the Like button or share the Link. Thanks!
Quotes for Today
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
Have a new Quotes for Today up on my Substack. As I've mentioned doing this as a way to thank those who have Subscribed. If you are a Subscriber - you should have received an email. Thanks.
Monday, July 20, 2026
Linky Links
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- Michigan AD Warde Manuel to step down at end of calendar year.
- Seven hires a hardware startup needs to get right,
Monday Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
Spain won the World Cup yesterday 1-0 in extra time (if we call it soccer we should also call it overtime) despite some heroic goal keeping from Argentina. Many had the feeling that if it remained 0-0 that Argentina would win in a shootout.
As always - please Subscribe, hit the Like button or share the Link. Thanks!
Quotes for Today
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
Have a new Quotes for Today up on my Substack. As I've mentioned doing this as a way to thank those who have Subscribed. If you are a Subscriber - you should have received an email. Thanks.
Sunday, July 19, 2026
Linky Links
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- Chairman Xi could pin a medal on Kathy Hochul. The suicide of NY continues apace.
- Jonathan Turley: Democrats dismiss our Constitutional traditions as 'nostalgia.'
- Honorable dealing with the enemy. Agree 100% but maybe hold out more hope this new phase will be successful.
Sunday Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
Plan to go to the beach this morning but I hope to be home for the World Cup Finals later. Schedule here at the blog should be a little wonky today. Carpe diem.
As always - please Subscribe, hit the Like button, or share the Link. Seriously - you know you've been meaning to.
Quotes for Today
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
Have a new Quotes for Today up on my Substack. As I've mentioned doing this as a way to thank those who have Subscribed. If you are a Subscriber - you should have received an email. Thanks.
Saturday, July 18, 2026
Salt: A World History
"The city of Cincinnati was built into a major commercial center with salt from Kanawha and pigs from Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. By the late 1830's, Cincinnati was packing almost one third of all western American hogs...
...Kanawha salt makers could still undersell their competitors, not only because the density of their brine but because their workers were slaves.
Kanawha was in the state of Virginia, which had a huge slave-based tobacco industry that was slowly declining. The large tobacco plantations had more slaves than they could use, and the owners saw an economic opportunity in renting these people to Kanawha salt producers. According to the 1810 census, Kanawha county had 352 slaves, but by 1850, 3,140 slaves lived in the county, mostly assigned to saltworks...
Plantation slaves did not want to be leased to saltworks, and they would sometimes escape while beig taken west. The slaves knew that, like the salt, they were only a short journey to Ohio, which was a free state...
...By the 1840's, Syracuse, not Kanawha, became the leading supplier of salt in the Midwest."
Linky Links
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- NFL players continue push for grass field on heels of World Cup. Concert goers chewing up grass fields and that costs are the underlying issue. Owners don't want to reduce the revenue from those events.
- President Trump's Middle East pipeline wars. Not only has the US become energy independents under his leadership we have also physically come to control the low of oil worldwide.
- Tim Ferriss on Kevin Kelly and differentiation in the age of AI.
Saturday Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
Just saying but with much of the world's attention on the finals of the British Open and the World Cup - tomorrow would be a good day for the US military to take over Kharg Island. Still say a US base there and regime change are the end results of the US action in Iran.
As always - please Subscribe, hit the Like button, or share the Link. Come on you know you've been meaning to - seize the day!
Quotes for Today
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
Have a new Quotes for Today up on my Substack. As I've mentioned doing this as a way to thank those who have Subscribed. If you are a Subscriber - you should have received an email. Thanks.
Friday, July 17, 2026
Some Memes You May Enjoy
Many a truth is said in jest.
- Chuckle every time I see this.
Linky Links
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- VDH on the Odyssey Hullabaloo.
- Matt Ridley: Why our public sector is so unproductive.
- Jonathan Turley on NY losing billions as millionaires flee NYC.
Friday Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
You can consider last night's speech a vacation gift for Senators even thinking about voting against the Save Act and voter ID. Enjoy your time at the beach when everyone wants to know if you've read the declassified documents and how you can be against proof of citizenship especially now.
As always - please Subscribe, hit the Like button, or share the Link. Thanks!
Quotes for Today
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
Have a new Quotes for Today up on my Substack. As I've mentioned doing this as a way to thank those who have Subscribed. If you are a Subscriber - you should have received an email. Thanks.
Thursday, July 16, 2026
Linky Links
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- Glenn Reynolds: Seize the Day - will Trump the Guaranty Clause?
- Jonathan Turley: Higher Ed hits another low in public trust.
- From the archives: Umberto Eco on the narrative structure in Ian Fleming's books.
- How predictable are laws? Especially the EPA ones?
Thursday Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
Tonight President Trump gives a speech to the nation. Guessing that the war in Iran and fraud in US elections will be the two big tent poles of the speech. Hard to spin either of those topics - Iran has proven to be plain evil for decades and voter fraud is just wrong - but spin you will hear from the media tonight.
As always - please Subscribe, hit the Like button, or share the Link. Thanks!
Quotes for Today
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
Have a new Quotes for Today up on my Substack. As I've mentioned doing this as a way to thank those who have Subscribed. If you are a Subscriber - you should have received an email. Thanks.
Truth Hiding In Plain Sight
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)