American democracy was already on the ropes, but now, with the passing of Justice Bader-Ginsberg, we have the added concern that the Supreme Court may no longer serve as a brake on authoritarianism. It’s a sad state of affairs. So, let’s have a good cry, and then let’s get back in the ring and fight for democracy. Here’s another addition to the St. James Infirmary … Continue reading Sad Days
Languages and cultures are always changing. People all over the world like to talk in the latest slang. Over time, dialects, argot, and new languages come into being. It’s a natural thing. Within occupational and social groups new lingo just seems to pop up. New words find their way into common usage. I think that’s cool. Cultural evolution. I can handle that. But what confuses … Continue reading Neologisms and Some Unmixed Messaging
George Packard, combined his already-questionnable, journalistic zeal with his definitely dubious physical fitness regime and rode his bicycle to the beach. By now, George Packard was well aware that it was highly unlikely for him to chance upon any Breaking News stories while at the beach. However, the way George saw it, during a pandemic, if you needed to be to be looking for a … Continue reading George Packard’s Latest Scoop
An apt title nowadays. I read it maybe forty years ago, but hadn’t liked it nearly as well as I liked his other works: The Stranger, The Happy Death, the Exile and Kingdom stories, and the First Man – which are are all just magnificent. As you might imagine in these covid days, the title The Plague came to mind. So, I ordered it through … Continue reading The Plague by Albert Camus
WARNING: We at Bumbastories are well aware that these little talks about science are not for the weak of heart. The following is presented as a public service in the conviction that society (that’s all of us) would be a whole lot better off if people (that’s us, again) had a fuller understanding of science and math. For example, they would be better able to … Continue reading Geology… or Hey, Those Tectonic Plates Are Moving!
Sabotage is a word derived from the old French word for wooden shoes: sabot. Two centuries ago, Luddite workers, feeling exploited by the new assembly lines, tossed their shoes, their wooden sabots, into the machines in order mto to halt production. Since those times, the term has come to refer to acts that “deliberately destroy, damage, or obstruct (something), especially for political or military … Continue reading ?Sabotage or “Politization”?
When it comes to measurement, there’s a lot more to talk about. Everything gets measured nowadays. So, you hafta know your numbers, kids. “Ah!” you object, “Not everything has a number. Not everything can be measured. What about love? What about beauty? What about that feeling that you get sometimes when..you know, sometimes….well…. you know what I mean.” Yes, I know what you mean. Still, … Continue reading More on Measurement
Side By Side is one of those old-fashioned, unabashedly optimistic songs, which we hope can cheer you up, especially if you song along. “Oh, we ain’t got a barrel of money/maybe we’re ragged and funny…etc, etc.”. It’s kinda schlocky. I must’ve heard it a million times on TV when I was a kid, because I still know all the words. I used to play it … Continue reading Cheer Up
George Packard was getting used to it. This wearing a mask. Indeed he was forcing himself to get used to it. Because he (and everybody else, too) would need to be wearing face coverings of some sort nearly all the time for another year or so. Everybody needed to wear masks. And to keep distance. And to stay out of crowds and closed spaces. So, … Continue reading George Packard on Masks: Getting Used to It
George Packard, roving reporter for Bumbastories set once again out in search of a scoop, a BREAKING NEWS story. Let it be known that George W. Packard was as intrepid a roving reporter as you’re likely to find. When it came to intrepidness and sheer roving ability George Packard was second to none. The problem was that whenever he hopped on his bicycle George headed … Continue reading George Packard and the Truth about Breaking News Stories
