Sunday, May 15, 2022

Squirrel Sideways

 Sometimes I get bored.

Outside my window is a rickety old wooden fence kept upright by a combination of ivy and bamboo. It has some strategically placed holes like a fashionable pair of women’s jeans and also a ledge. Occasionally a bird perches on that ledge for a few moments or it hovers nearby, if it’s a hummingbird.

Honestly, there’s not a whole lot else to see most of the time. But one day this past week, I’d been looking at what I normally look at it, which is a computer screen, when out of the corner of my eye a slow and strange movement caught my attention.

When the rest of my eye caught up with its corner, I saw that it was a squirrel, making its way sideways along the fence.

As I watched, the animal gradually migrated from west to east and then out of sight.

That was the beginning and the middle and the end of it — just a random sideways squirrel.

I guess that’s what they call a slow news day.

Today’s Headlines (30):

  1. Russian forces are withdrawing from Kharkiv, Ukraine says (Guardian)

  2. Russians blow up bridges as they retreat (CNN)

  3. Russia takes losses in failed river crossing, officials say (AP)

  4. Ukrainians 'appear to have won' battle of Kharkiv, US think tank says (Fox)

  5. Ukraine Launches Counteroffensive to Disrupt Russian Supply Lines (WSJ)

  6. West Increases Pressure on Putin, Including Sanctions on Reputed Girlfriend (NYT)

  7. Flood of weapons to Ukraine raises fear of arms smuggling (WP)

  8. Exclusive: Turkey 'not closing door' to Sweden, Finland NATO entry, Erdogan advisor says (Reuters)

  9. Russia’s Attacks on Ukraine Health Centers Show a Vicious Pattern (NYT)

  10. Prepare for the disappearance of Russia (The Hill)

  11. Video: How landmines may pose a deadly risk to Ukrainians for years to come (WP)

  12. After 200 Years of Neutrality, Sweden Weighs Joining NATO (NYT)

  13. VIDEO: Israeli Police Beat Mourners at Al Jazeera Journalist’s Funeral (Reuters)

  14. El Salvador’s President Went All In on Bitcoin. Then It Tanked. (WSJ)

  15. Bitcoin has lost more than half its value in the last six months amid broader tech sell-off (NBC)

  16. 4 things to know as cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (and stablecoins) melt down (NPR)

  17. The Crypto Crash Is Just the Start (Atlantic)

  18. At Tech Companies, the Rebellion Against the Return to the Office Is Getting Serious (WSJ)

  19. The dangerous business of dismantling America’s aging nuclear plants (WP)

  20. How Overturning Roe Could Backfire for Republicans (NYT)

  21. Abortion rights groups rally Saturday, declaring ‘Bans Off Our Bodies’ (WP)

  22. South Africa in new surge of COVID from versions of omicron (AP)

  23. The Colorado River is in crisis, and it’s getting worse every day (WP)

  24. Cat Litter Could Be Antidote for Climate Change, Researchers Say — MIT researchers say a compound they created with zeolite and copper can snatch methane from passing air and turn it into carbon dioxide, a much less harmful greenhouse gas. (WSJ)

  25. Asteroid bigger than Empire State Building heading towards Earth — There’s no need to panic though as it will miss us by 3.5 million miles. (NY Post)

  26. The gonzo journalist who forever changed political campaign coverage (WP Mag)

  27. Secret British ‘black propaganda’ campaign targeted cold war enemies (Guardian)

  28. When democratic spin conceals a descent into dictatorship — What separates autocrats from outright dictators? Two books consider the path to power, from Erdoğan’s rise in Turkey to strongmen leaders around the world(Financial Times)

  29. Why Everybody Digs Book Bannings (Politico)

  30. Family Spends Relaxing Weekend Destroying Outdoors (The Onion)

TODAY’s LYRICS

“Come Away With Me”

Norah Jones

Come away with me in the night
Come away with me
And I will write you a song

Come away with me on a bus
Come away where they can't tempt us with their lies

And I want to walk with you
On a cloudy day
In fields where the yellow grass grows knee-high
So won't you try to come

Come away with me and we'll kiss
On a mountaintop
Come away with me
And I'll never stop loving you

And I want to wake up with the rain
Falling on a tin roof
While I'm safe there in your arms
So all I ask is for you
To come away with me in the night
Come away with me

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