Sliding Into Politics

Yesterday was pretty low-key -- drizzly and gray. I walked my newly purchased slides down to the photo shop in St. John's Wood to have them scanned, and I would have walked back, but the weather was so grim by then that I decided to take the tube. I got half a dose of exercise, anyway.

These "rescued" slides are a bit different from the ones I've purchased in the past because I know the photographer's identity. Some of the slides had her name on them, and I found a web page about her, so when I put them on Flickr I'll include that information. I've seen others who rescue old photos do the same thing -- post them as the "John Smith Collection" or something like that (obviously using the photographer's name). I'm a little nervous about someone who knew her finding them and getting annoyed, but then, they didn't save the pictures and I want to give her credit. (Her mother's diaries wound up on TikTok!) She died in September 2022, and apparently she left no immediate survivors, so maybe there's no one left to complain. In any case, I think identifying her respects her photography so that's my plan.

Needless to say, given the weather, I did not take the two pictures accompanying this post yesterday. I just thought they went together well, sharing the "fly" theme. (And these flies weren't attracted by substandard poetry!)

This little hoverfly kept perching on my book as I sat on the garden bench on Monday, reading. It's nice to have company.

I also had about a billion starlings in the trees behind me. They made such a racket I couldn't resist recording them:

Steve Reed · Noisy Starlings

It was hard to concentrate!

Did you hear about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the bear? It is just about the weirdest story I've ever heard about a presidential candidate, and that's saying something. That guy is just not right in the head. He makes a big deal about his sobriety but that doesn't sound like something a sober person would do.

And how do we feel about Tim Walz? I think he's a promising choice and seeing him and Harris together at their rally yesterday was uplifting. Even when they're critical of the opposition, there's a positivity about these two that I think the country and the world need right now. And I love this new emphasis on how "weird" the Republican ticket is -- how out-of-step with most voters, how theocratic.

JD Vance is on a roll about the need for Americans to procreate. This despite the fact that the planet is groaning beneath the weight of its burgeoning population. The idea that there aren't enough babies is only a problem if you're obsessed with race or nationhood. The fact is, Earth has plenty of babies. They are not evenly distributed and they aren't privileged to share the same resources, but we've got plenty of people. Let's talk about how to fairly feed and house and clothe everyone who's already here -- and how to simultaneously preserve our wilderness, the animals, the rainforests, the insects, instead of packing more people onto this globe.

Wow! I am in a political mood today.

Last night I watched "Firebird," a movie that came out a few years ago about the relationship between a gay officer and private in the Russian army during the Cold War -- as The Guardian called it, "Brokeback in the USSR." It was a bit obvious, but overall very effective and watchable, especially with its handsome lead actors. I enjoyed it. This may be the first time I've ever watched an Estonian movie.