The Pleasurable Choice Is the Ethical Choice I like to say that I’m not an an optimist, but I am a person of hope. That is to say, I cultivate the virtue of hope in…

This project began as so many good things do, over a cup of coffee. So begins the preface to Rebooting America, Ideas for Redesigning American Democracy for the Internet Age. Dana Boyd blogged about the…

First things first — Happy Birthday Sherry. I know you never read these muses…but hell, I’ll still say it here. The best present I ever got… Now to the subject of this muse…Heat. It’s hot…

The Podcast I listened to yesterday that really caught my interest was this one… Tiny Texas Cafe Fills Up After Barbecue Award : NPR All Things Considered, July 18, 2008 · Barbecue is religion in…

The “Party” on Saturday had all of the appearances of being a success. By the time the house was empty and the ticky-tacky leftovers were put away I could once again hit the lazy-boy and…

…addicting…go play. Thanks Kate…

Around these parts most of our ripened fruit happened a month or better ago. The only thing  still to come are the pecans in the fall. Even so the following resonates… The Suburban Life –…

The drive home yesterday was blustery but dry with lots of high clouds and rain showers off in the distance. Hurricane Dolly’s approach to the Texas coast was being felt first far north of the…

I finally bit the bullet and upgraded this site to the new WordPress 2.6…I thought I was locked out of my own site…It took two days to figure out why I could not log in…user…

Pardon the parsity of the recent posts. I find myself in that strange world of being in between. After thirty-five years at the same company (yes, most of my co-workers weren’t even born when I…

Magnum, P.C.: PI rule for computer techs doesn’t benefit public | Chron.com – Houston Chronicle Last year the Texas Legislature passed a law requiring anyone who retrieves data from a computer, analyzes it and makes…

Overnight Thompson’s price per kilowatt-hour went from 11.8 cents with the now-defunct retailer National Power to 31.7 cents with CPL Retail Energy. During the 19 days last month he had to wait before he was…

Ever since Sept. 11, I have been of a contrarian. I never felt that the date had changed anything other than our own misguided perception of our own safety. A perception I did not share…

Image by Getty Images via Daylife Yesterday there was an op-ed in the Times that said a lot of what I have been feeling here lately…and said it well…Go read the whole thing… Thomas L….

The Rural Life – Editorial – Summer’s Night – Editorial – NYTimes.com The last couple of nights I’ve stood at the edge of the pasture watching the fireflies. They rise from the grass, flickering higher…

Looking out the french doors in the kitchen this morning as I read my email and check the news I am amazed at the difference a couple of weeks of hit and miss rain can…

Enjoy the day…But remember the reason we celebrate. George F. Will – Independence Days – washingtonpost.com Certain politically charged rhetorical tropes were then society’s common property. Writing shortly before his death, Jefferson affirmed his belief…

Wouldn’t it make a great birthday present to the country if we could get serious about Energy Independence? Yale Environment 360: As Energy Prices Rise, the Pressure to Drill Builds Perhaps we should be amazed…

TED | Talks | Ron Eglash: African fractals, in buildings and braids (video) “I am a mathematician, and I would like to stand on your roof.” That is how Ron Eglash greeted many African families…

I have never felt that the Corporate pushers of GMOs were looking out for anything other than their own profits. That has led me to look on their actions in an unfavorable light. While this…

I have subscribed to Michael Pollan’s website to be sent updates to what’s happening in his world. I received a notice that led me to a new environmental website…If you haven’t seen it before, go…

One of  the email missives I look forward to comes in on it’s own schedule each month. It is from Andy Griffin of Mariquita Farm called “The Ladybug Letter”. Andy tells tales of his life…

David Broder has a column today that touches on a subject that has bothered me for a good while… After watching the effects of the Delay led gerrymander in Texas a few years ago I…

From the papers and email… Paul C. Light – Can’t-Do Government – washingtonpost.com The next president will inherit what Alexander Hamilton called a “government ill executed.” Now that’s a legacy, George… ++++++++++ $6.64 for gas?…

TED | Talks | Malcolm Gladwell: What we can learn from spaghetti sauce (video) Tipping Point author Malcolm Gladwell gets inside the food industry’s pursuit of the perfect spaghetti sauce — and makes a larger…

A good overview of the Keith Olbermann rise in the New Yorker. It was nearly midnight before Keith Olbermann left the NBC News election studio on May 13th, having spent five hours on the air,…

I saw the notice in my email first thing and as I worked my way down the list I was trying to formulate a post. Then I read John Scalzi’s…If you are or were a…

Danah Boyd had an interesting comment on her blog today… In an attention economy, it’s better to ignore than to critique. This drives me absolutely bloody batty. Anyone who’s been online for too darn long…

Ok, so it’s official now…My part of  the world is in severe drought conditions. I kinda’ figured as much since I haven’t really needed to mow in over a month. Already dealing with high fuel…

Hmmm… Eat that?: Agriculture secretary’s reassurance rings hollow in light of current industrial beef processing | Chron.com – Houston Chronicle “Every single carcass that’s processed is inspected by a USDA inspector,” Schafer told reporters in…

It’s easy to forget sometimes that everyone has a story to tell if we take the time to listen. We are so accustomed to hearing the stories of people in the news that we sometimes…

I wandered into this last evening… TED | Talks | Mark Bittman: What’s wrong with what we eat (video) In this fiery and funny talk, New York Times food writer Mark Bittman weighs in on…

And be sure the VP doesn’t find out, he’ll want to drill there. Congress Pushes to Keep Land Untamed – washingtonpost.com INDEX, Wash. — With little fanfare, Congress has embarked on a push to protect…

Here is a “new” artist to watch. Not many singers can use their voice as another instrument. Expect to see more of her in the coming years… 2020 Update you can follow Priscilla Ahn here……

State GOP targets Obama at Houston convention (w/video) | Chron.com – Houston Chronicle Cornyn was among several speakers who called the party home to its philosophical foundation and urged voters to view Obama as a…

As if we needed another reason to think that this years election is as important as any in a generation, the very fact that but for an appointment to come…George W Bush would not be…

As I slide down toward another weekend, my feedreader brings me this from Mark Peacock at Appalachian Treks… Appalachian Treks: Serene Majesty There is a serene and settled majesty to woodland scenery that enters into…

While at work yesterday, most of the area received a good soaking rain. Not near enough to erase our deficit, it at least will prolong the time before we completely burn up. When I arrived…

And the conservative will discount the numbers because of the source…But come on, can’t we expect a little bit of research from the speech writers? Fact check John McCain: Another of my disagreements with Senator…

Just don’t let the marketing guys see the results or we’ll have a ton of “Fred’s Berries” coming in from out of the country… The Blue Marble: Eat Local Foods, Grow Small Farms It’s not…

At last someone who has noticed the same thing I’ve been saying for months to my family… Op-Ed Columnist – Frank Rich – One Historic Night, Two Americas – Op-Ed – NYTimes.com Given the dividing…

This has been a “wild” year around our house. So far this spring we have been blessed with four identical little armadillos, a litter of four raccoons, and a couple of opposiums. Down in this…

As always, Bill Moyers gives a hell of a talk… YouTube – Bill Moyers addresses NCMR 2008 Legendary journalist Bill Moyers address the National Conference for Media Reform in Minneapolis, June 7, 2008. Presented by…

This morning, driving in to work’ I was passing through areas of misty rain. Heading north on Highway 6 there was a rainbow rising right out of the road. You have no idea how tempting…

Obama’s In Control: No More Lobbyist Contributions To Democratic Party – Politics on The Huffington Post “The DNC and the Obama Campaign are unified and working together to elect Barack Obama as the next president…

DailyOM – Entering Awareness Our inner guidance will lead us, so that we will be drawn to the right doorway for us–a doorway that only we can recognize by the way it makes us feel…

Maybe the answer to some of our ecological problems… Out of thin air: Successful wind confab in Houston points up Texas’ growing role in alternative energy development | Chron.com – Houston Chronicle Although it tops…

Tis a hell of a note when the temperature that greets you upon walking out of the house at 6am feels like 85°. Not a good sign for early June. And so starts my day….

Clinton’s Count Doesn’t Add Up – washingtonpost.com You have to admire Hillary Clinton for her ability to reshape reality to her preferred outcome. She seems to assume that if she says something loudly enough, and…

Way back when, in the final season of the West Wing there was an episode with the title “The Presidential Voice”. The premise was that Congressman Santos didn’t have the “Presidential Voice” and they were…