Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

From the Quotation of the day mailing list, 2014-02-04:

"...the use of torture against the rebels are crimes for which we all bear a share of responsibility. That we have been able to do such things is a humiliating reality that we must henceforth face. Meanwhile, we must refuse to justify these methods on any grounds whatsoever, including effectiveness. Once one begins to justify them, even indirectly, no rules or values remain." -- Albert Camus, in Algerian Chronicles.

(submitted to the mailing list by Terry Labach)

A few quick takes that I either keep not getting around to writing, or started writing and got interrupted by a crash:

First off, a big thank you to everyone who pitched in (with money or effort) to get me new laundry machines! Not having to wait for a well-enough-to-go-out day that lines up with friends' schedules makes things so much easier.

The rest in no particular order:

To find out how other countries see current events in US politics, I don't need to find a roundup of foreign editorial cartoons -- I just keep track of how often friends elsewhere ask me whether I'm safe, and whether I'll continue to be safe. (I'm safe, as long as I stay away from certain political rallies. A better question is: IF things go quite to hell and the Silver Shirts (or Red Caps, or whatever they're being called -- Lion Guard?) start ranging afield looking for targets instead of waiting for victims to come within arm's reach, will I notice in time to get to safety? Or from another angle, will I see something I can be effective doing, that requires me to make difficult decisions about how much risk to take on?) I remain hopeful that all the ways things might break down can still be averted, but worried because it seems like avoiding making things worse will be like threading a needle.

A thought that popped into my head yesterday: Ma pauvre chat! Elle a peur de l'étranger -- mon ami mais sonéétranger. A thought that popped into my head a moment later: Waitaminute, that wasn't English ... Funny how many of my thoughts about Perrine happen in French. Maybe not mysterious (since Perrine is named after a character in a French novel, it seemed natural to talk to her in French sometimes, and that kinda spilled over into talking about her, I guess), but still interesting, considering how much trouble I had with conjugation in school and how rusty what I did learn got over the last few decades. I don't think in French all that much (I did for a little while in middle school), but there have always been a few phrases as likely to come out of my mouth in French or Greek as in English. It looks like maybe I'm starting to have the occasional complete thought in French again? If so, that's a good thing.

Each day of the past week and a half (except for yesterday when I went to the Performers Revel), for some fraction of the day I've had "For What It's Worth" stuck in my head. I keep wondering about the lines, "Young people speaking their minds / I'm gettin' so much resistance from behind." And I imagine "Serious People" complaining about getting resistance from behind, and younger folks responding, "That's because we want you to start moving forward instead of backward!"

Performers Revel was fun. I spent far less time in the performing room than I'd meant to (I heard some from other rooms nearby, and I eventually joined in, late) and a whole lot of time chatting with people I do not see anywhere near often enough. My one new-year resolution the past few years has been, "see my friends in person more often," and I'm still doing far too little of that, but so far this year I am slightly ahead of my average over the past decade, so it's a small step in the right direction. (I need more well-enough-to-go-do-stuff days.) Today ... walking hurts and stairs (which my house has a lot of) are really difficult. But emotionally, I'm still feeling buoyed from yesterday.