Just learned that Ryuichi Sakamoto died on 28 March 2023, of metastatic rectal cancer. A great loss. In memoriam, I post this piece, Bibo no Aozora (beautiful blue sky). Full of sehnsucht and saudade. Enjoy.
It's come to this. Scientific journals are taking political sides now, as Nature declares support for Biden. What next? The rainbow, transgender and Ukraine flags on your twitter feed? Partisan science is indeed bad for society.
Could these two people represent the King and Queen of the underworld?
Prepare to take a deep dive into Grant Wood.
Poor healthcare workers. Just when you thought you could ditch the masks on 3 April 2023 as Oregon lifts the mandate on healthcare workers. Nope. Hospitals will require you to still wear them. They don't specify KN-95 masks. Not even the ASTM Level-3 masks. They just want something over your face, whether it really blocks the virus or not. You can still touch your mask with your hands, and touch everything else in the hospital. And throw used masks in the regular wastebasket. Follow the science, they say.
Chinese universities are offering students and faculty a week to take time to fall in love. They'll even offer
A rubicon has been crossed. Where in the world is there fairness in rule of law? The United States took a dive in 2021 and 2022 world rankings, not surprisingly. Democrats openly prosecute political opponents now. And the mainstream media think it's a good thing.
And the drugs and crime, too. High taxes could be driving people out of Portland.
What a knee-slapper: "…and to help keep the communities in the states clean". Walmart in Washington and Oregon will no longer offer bags in the stores. Gotta bring your own. Or, like many shoppers in Portland now, stuff the goods in your pants or purse, and run!
King County, Washington is still seeing population growth, despite the exodus of tax-paying citizens. Taking its place is what they call "international immigration".