Thursday, April 4, 2013

Weird is the Word for the World

The other day, Arleen at http://acceptingchanges-maybe.blogspot.com/ wrote that the news was too rotten and too much these days, and I agree. For years, I've been linking to news stories on this blog, but lately I just can't. Stories are either conflated to sound worse than the facts, or the facts are too awful to think much about. I must be losing my nerve as I age. Threats from some despot never used to bug me as they do now. Perhaps it's a cumulative effect? "After reading 1,276 threats of annihilation from some despot, the mind can stand no more for the rest of its natural life."

So for the foreseeable future, I'll be avoiding the big and horrible. Interesting things that don't entail the possible end of civilisation, weird things, big ideas? Yes. Crazy hotheads doing horribleness? No.

Nobody believes something simply because it's true:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/the-h-word/2013/mar/07/how-to-argue-with-sceptics-and-deniers

"Poetry is not an ornament"
http://bigthink.com/in-their-own-words/poetry-is-not-an-ornament-its-at-the-center-of-our-being

One of the sweetest local stories I've read in a long time
http://ibrattleboro.com/sections/history/vandals-history-and-old-newspapers-death-and-poetry

Here's the Farmer's Almanac list of Full Moon names
http://www.farmersalmanac.com/full-moon-names/

We lost Richard Griffiths this week:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2013/mar/29/richard-griffiths-james-corden-rizzo

Well then I'm the biggest weirdo cuz I'd just give them the whole hundred to see the huge smile
http://bigthink.com/praxis/are-americans-the-weirdest-people-in-the-world

A very cool WW2 story
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/mar/30/my-aunts-the-unlikely-spies

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Probably a wise choice to stay away from the world theatrics...I loved reading about Didi and Jacqueline.

Elephant's Child said...

I'm with you. I suspect I would offer the $100. Why not? It isn't my money and I am a BIG believer in what goes around comes around. And karma.
Weird? Perhaps but I can think of worse descriptions. Much worse.

Austan said...

Lawless- that's a cool story, eh? Makes me wonder how many stories like that there are.

MunirGhiasuddin said...

I thought that I was the only one going crazy from seeing too many bad news on the television. Hillary from Positive Letters suggested that I try to stay away from the TV news and it did help. I just listen to the news on the radio while it keeps me awake and alert during the rush hour.

Austan said...

EC- yeah, it's no skin off my nose, and what's less than 100 hundred dollars gonna do for me or anyone else anyway? I like weird. It has good word history to it.

Austan said...

Munir- the news services have made themselves unbearable. If and when they grow up and start acting like Huntley/Brinkley or Walter Cronkite again, I'll give them another chance.

Geo. said...

I too miss real objective news reporting. Finding an actual newsworthy story is like trying to find the last beer behind all the other refrigerator contents.

Austan said...

Geo. it's true! And then you go thru all the stuff, put a bunch onto the counter, pull out the beer and it's a Miller. Hardly worth the trouble!

Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybe said...

I love all these stories, Laura. Not a Miller amongst them.

Austan said...

Arleen, I'm avoiding the Millers from now on. ;)

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

Three cheers for ignoring the crappy news! I don't drink beer, but I had to laugh about the Miller's comment. My hubby would agree with the assessment. Happy weekend!

Austan said...

Susan! There's so much that I can't even look at the Guardian site. It's all bad! And Miller goes right along with that vibe- yuk! :) Have fun!