Archie, the arthritic black labrador, does his level best to ignore a student who has decided to head into the North Sea for a pre-breakfast dip. The student hurtles past Archie and then screams as the icy water hits him like a jolt of ten thousand volts. It's not long before the young man beats a rapid repeat and stands, dripping, on the sand. This gives him time to regret the fact he's not brought a towel. Spur of the moment dips have post dip consequences. Archie looks back briefly but continues his leisurely plod along the sand. Life lesson #1 for students : it's called the North Sea for a reason.
In an interesting insight into animal psychology 'Ethel' is the only one of 27 sheep that will interface with humans. All the others scuttle away if anyone comes within an inch of their fence.
Reading is good for you :https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/from-boosting-mental-health-to-reducing-dementia-risk-heres-why-reading-is-extremely-good-for-you-according-to-science-180989548/
Photo: US Cavalry at the Great Wall fo China :https://picryl.com/media/troop-l-6th-us-cavalry-at-the-great-wall-of-china-near-the-ming-tombs-east-f738cc
Messing with daylight :https://gizmodo.com/something-deep-inside-earth-keeps-messing-with-the-length-of-our-days-2000816070
Not everyone is worried about AI :https://news.gallup.com/poll/714593/optimism-globally-widespread-despite-uneven.aspx
6 comments:
Hari OM
Ethel is rather gorgeous - and possibly knows it! ... and I seem to recall a survey about the benefits of reading from some forty years back. The cognitive maintenance was also further enhanced by the working of puzzles, it told us, so I have been a daily puzzler ever since. I suppose a new generation of researchers felt they might find other things out, but they've certainly confirmed the adage! YAM xx
How many books have you read this year? I keep a running list and post what I have read each year.
You gave me a smile when you mentioned Archie's name. Glad to hear he's still taking slow walks on the beach.
So many things to comment on today - lovely Ethel, the towel-less North Sea bather, Archie, reading statistics, the state of dwindling fresh strawberries, AI usage or non-usage, etc.
So nice to see Archie again, and, indeed, Ethel has a beautiful face. I also enjoyed the US Cavalry photo. "Swan Song" is currently No. 2 on Amazon's US site, so it seems this book may sell much better internationally than at home.
I try to maintain the discipline of getting through three books a week but will admit I've got half a dozen on the go at the moment. There are so many truly good daily feeds from Carnegie, AEI, Foreign Policy et al that books can easily get squeezed out.
Post a Comment