Dresden Bombings

The US has done a lot of good things, but also a number of bad things. The Dresden Bombings fit in the second category. This happened during WWII where the Allied bombed the city of Dresden. The number of people who died--by being incinerated--is between 25,000 and 250,000.

Most of the victims were women, children, and the elderly.

Did that many civilians have to die to end the war?

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Ultra-processed Foods

A good article I just read is "The ultra-processed foods problem is driven by commercial interests, not individual weakness. Here's how to fix it" It is at theconversation.com, dated 11.18.25. The authors are Phillip Baker and four other writers.

Here are some salient points: 

"...this paper shows diets high in ultra-processed foods induce overeating and are nutritionally poor: more sugars, saturated fat and energy density, less fibre and key vitamins and minerals, and fewer whole foods."

"Clinical trials show that when adults eat diets heavy in ultra-processed foods, they consume about 500-800 extra calories per day, gain weight and fat mass, and eat more rapidly, when compared with eating a non-ultra-processed diet with the same proportions of macronutrients."

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Just Some Words

I love words. Here are some I like.

--deportment n. Demeanor; mien.

--constellate v. To form as a group or cluster.

--barrelhouse n. A cheap drinking and dancing establishment.

--Olympian adj. Majestic or aloof.

--wamble v. To move unsteadily.

--apace adv. Quickly or swiftly.

--alarums and excursions (Phrase. Humorous.) Confused activity and uproar.

--pecksniff n. A hypocritical person who pretends to have high morals.

--sententia n. A maxim; proverb.

--Aaron's rod n. A powerful force that overcomes others around it.

--Cyclopean adj. 2. Huge; massive.

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Former Trump Staff Now Opposing Trump

The list is formidable:

--Mike Pence. Vice president under Trump, 2017-2021.

--John Bolton. National Security Advisor, 2018-2019.

--Dan Coats. Director of National Intelligence, 2017-2019.

--Mark Esper. Secretary of Defense, 2019-2020.

--John F. Kelly. White House Chief of Staff, 2017-2019.

--Jim Mattis. Secretary of Defense, 2017-2019.

--H. R. McMaster. National Security Advisor, 2017-2018.

--Ty Cobb. White House Special Counsel, 2017-2018.

--Stephanie Grisham. White House Communications Director and White House Press Secretary, 2019-2020.

That's enough for now.

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Some More Euphonic Phrases and Sentences

--"as a pretext for a greater crackdown"    Brian Beutler

--"Trump's king-like behavior"   Brian Beutler

--"An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered."  G.K. Chesterton

--"a nausea of the cells and soul"  David Foster Wallace

--"Butt cracks and beer bellies"

--"metaphysical angst"

--"a dirge about enduring in the face of meaninglessness"  Ed Simon

--"and the streets were lined with leafy sycamore trees"  Ronald Munson

--"untethered to the facts"  Judge Karin Immergut

--"his formerly full face deeply wrinkled and shrunken"   David Kertzer

--"a rueful recognition"

--"Marriage is the classic betrayal."   Joan Didion

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