Occupation of Independence

It has become a cliché about geopolitical 'tectonic plates' shifting in today's world.  It is true, though.  Still, it is possible to burn out on following these 'tectonic plates,' such as Ukraine, Gaza, and BRICS+. One good thing that comes from thinking about the shift of power to Eurasia is that you start to learn about the geography of central Asia and the lifestyles of traditional nomads or steppe people.  We need to remind ourselves that most of the languages of Europe came from the steppe people of 2000 BC.  Fortunately some interesting media about Central Asia exists.  If helps to do a search of books with the phrase 'Silk Road.'  Here is an interesting You Tube channel: When you see the word, nomad, in modern America, it is usually about somebody who lives in a van, and solves every problem by buying another lithium battery or electronic module.  Their main message is BUY, BUY, BUY. That is why it is so refreshing to learn about real nomads, their

Like most single people I don't pay much attention to holidays.  But this year I want to make a project of organizing my photographs on the computer.  Maybe this seems like an obvious idea.  But look at this photograph.  It explains why I have trouble getting motivated with photography: If you zoom in, you can see the crazed look on her face, as dogs usually have when they are running fast off-leash.  And I was as enthusiastic as she was. She doesn't come back well, especially with her strong prey drive, so she usually has to stay on-leash.  But arroyos tend to confine the dog, even if they don't have high, vertical walls.  The photograph doesn't really show it, but the arroyo-gravel is rounded, making for happy dog paws.  So she voluntarily stayed in her joy-trough.  This was the day of our big rain in west-central Arizona.   Everything was enjoyable: clouds, humidity, a fresh smell, the lack of motorsport-yahoos, and cool air.  Another rain like this one, and spring

My password-manager company has hit me with ads for a premium service.  For an eternal subscription they will protect me from new threats.  These threats are less concrete and less understood by me than a grandmother's stories of the Bogeyman are, by a small child. Why haven't I read a history book about the Bogeyman, something with Toynbee-like scope and imagination?  Actually Wikipedia has a pretty good article about the Bogeyman.  But it completely ignores the implications for religions and political systems. Recall the quote from Mencken, " The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." Today some people are fretting over the Orange Bad Man coming back to the White House.  Fears over Global Warming are probably the best reincarnation of the Bogeyman.  It makes perfect sense for governmental elites to try to scare citizens with

What happened to my tough talk about camping in cooler locations this winter?  I was supposed to avoid the hackneyed, overused locations in Arizona.   One excuse was the higher propane prices.  But the real reason is that I love cool, insect-free weather, from 35F to 65F.  And as for the nuisance of camping neighbors, well, maybe I can do a better job of avoiding them.  Here it is, almost Christmas, and I have avoided the generator-ghettos of the Southwest.  Yesterday I found myself in a music ghetto.  But actually it could have been much worse.  Still, I moved.  My new location lacks neighbors. A perfect human being would set their expectations so low that the most moronic neighbors would seem "OK."  But I have reluctantly put off moral perfection to my 'next life.'  Besides, I did have some control over the situation:  I could move. Seriously, I am not pleased with letting some petty annoyances bother me.  And then I show remarkable patience and forbearance with ot