Occupation of Independence

As always, sunrise was perfect at the campground; but hardly anybody experienced it. With conditions so unbeatable this morning, it seems ironic to have stumbled onto a business news article that brought on a nightmare. "Wolf Street" had an article about FedEx telling Amazon to jump in a lake. Amazon is aggressively building up its own delivery capabilities, from cargo planes to last-mile delivery services, and in the process has become a logistics giant in its own right, as it is trying to get control of its shipping costs and move business away from FedEx and others. Does this imply a bizarre future for the 'RV/mobile/nomadic' lifestyle? Can't you just see it? Amazon's "Camper Force" could be upgraded to thousands of nomads pulling small trailers, and doing deliveries for Amazon. As restrictions on camping increase every year, and as everybody uses internet blabbermouth websites to find the few campsites that are still available, RVers

Never again will I allow anyone to use the phrase 'nice sunny day' in my presence without an argument. How much sunlight do you need for life? What life really needs is Water. This winter and spring are turning out to be more blessed than any year I can remember. At this time of year (June) the sky is supposed to be hopeless: a blue-white glare, utterly cloudless, uninteresting, and enervating. You can barely step outside in mid-day without an aluminum umbrella. But it is different this year.  I hope it snows on the Fourth of July. But of all the Life brought forth this spring, the best is represented by Greta, a 10-week-old golden retriever pup, who wandered by my campsite the other day.  She was fearless around big dogs: Let's see, how did that little jingle in Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance (?) go? Remember the "Three Little Maids from School?" Wasn't it...'Life is a joke that's just begun...' It

I would like to find some more books on the "post Exilic" career of the Jehudi elite, who returned to Palestine after a few decades of captivity in Babylon. They somehow managed to turn primitive Jawhism into Judaism, one of the most historically important religions of the world. They returned to the unimportant province of Judah, where they could have been seen, almost, as foreigners. Apparently most of the "Hebrew Bible" (aka, Old Testament to Christians) was written during this post-Exile. And they did such a good job of it, with dramatic stories of ancestral heroes, that a Jewish identity was made solid and lasting. But until I get a chance to learn more about this process, around 500--450 BC, I wonder how this example compares with more recent ones. How many times has an Elite been overthrown (taken captive, etc.) and then returned to its homeland, only to blossom into something much greater that it was, originally.  It is a rare experience, is it not? Oh

...is the one that you actually brought along. I experienced both sides of that double-edged sword, today. Is it the miracle of moisture that has brought Mother Nature back to life in this godforsaken hot arid wasteland? Lately a Western Tanager seems to have established residence in my campground. And for the first time, I met the "Mrs." as well. https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lupac_30evE/XO8gAg-SlMI/AAAAAAAAHYo/eUlcTfQL4EUuM1jgIZJnYk71vpi1_WjYACLcBGAs/s1600/western-tanager-whiley-S.bmp What a little lens-tease he was! He would light upon a bush right next to the road Coffee Girl and I were mountain biking on. Since I take my new camera in a handlebar bar, it is easy to grab it. But there are still a few more steps to fumble through -- do you remember that classic scene in "The Unforgiven", when Little Bill Daggett (Gene Hackman) tells the hack western writer, "Being quick with the draw don't do no harm, but a man who stays cool will kill ya..." o

I admit to doing a poor job of following the discussion about tariffs on Chinese-made goods. Perhaps that is because the public discussion of this topic degenerates into 'free trade versus protectionism', which seems to belong in the 1800s. Why are there only two choices? How about sticking tariffs on luxury goods, while leaving 'necessities' alone, that is, tariff-free? Tariffs on luxury goods would not hurt the consumer of luxury goods -- they are not buying luxury goods for engineering, design, or utilitarian reasons. They are buying luxury goods for ego-gratification. If the tariff makes the toy or status symbol cost 20% more, that should be seen as a good thing. Now the consumer can feel 20% 'better about themselves.' Since society is finally becoming more aware of economic inequality, a tariff on luxury goods can be seen, effectively, as an income redistribution plan. Words like 'luxury' or 'necessity'  can be subjective or even jud