Eugene Linden
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Latest Musing

Pet Peeves: Absurd Sci Fi Films Division

            Settle into my seat on a flight from Heathrow to JFK. Scan through movie options. Banshees of Inn...

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Books


Fire & Flood
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Deep Past
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Articles by Category
endangered animals
rapid climate change
global deforestation
fragging

Books
The Ragged Edge of the World



Winds of Change
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Afterword to the softbound edition.


The Octopus and the Orangutan
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The Future In Plain Sight
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The Parrot's Lament
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Silent Partners
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Affluence and Discontent
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The Alms Race
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Apes, Men, & Language
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Covid Lunacy


Friday April 10, 2020

So far Trump’s approach to the coronavirus seems to be a porridge of Keystone Kops, Don Corleone, and Boss Tweed. The results are bad, but thanks to the state governors and the Fed, the ship of state is leaking but afloat. Now, however, Trump seems to be looking at a new mentor: Pol Pot. If he goes ahead and tries to reopen the economy prematurely, he’s setting the stage for mass death and the breakdown of society. It’s up to those around him to stop this lethal lunacy.

Even now there are supply disruptions because of truckers, deliverymen, grocery clerks, food inspectors, farm workers, and other essential workers either getting sick or not showing up for work. We take for granted the vast, attenuated chains that get food out of the field and into the stores. Those supply chains are built on innumerable workers, almost none of whom have immunity to this disease.  If there’s another wave of resurgent COVID before treatment or a vaccine, it’s hard to imagine that this fragile network will continue to function. A week of empty shelves and the US could be headed for a Mad Max future.

Already, I’ve begun to notice a breakdown in quality control; national brand grapefruit juice that’s turned, little things like that. It’s anecdotal, but perhaps a sign of things to come as the people who are our safeguards withdraw. Those in the Trump administration and the GOP controlled Senate must recognize that the Republic might not hold together until the next election if there’s a second wave of this disease before we have a vaccine or cure. 

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Short Take

Summer Evenings in July

 

I go out to my porch, drink in hand, as the gloaming fades. I sit on a very comfortable rocking chair, given -- maybe loaned; it’s unclear -- by a friend.

My cat, Noodles, joins me, settling on the couch facing me. He tends to his grooming, and I wait for the fireflies to appear.

There are less every year and this is disquieting on an otherwise perfect night. I want them to be fruitful and multiply -- if possible by the millions.

That would be a sign that, perhaps, all is well.

It’s warm, and to my west is a wall of green, dominated by a very tall Linden. Hello, fellow Linden!

As the warm air stills around me, emotions rise. I feel – I’m sure the Germans have a long word for it, but I’m too lazy to search on google – I feel…

Something deep and strong; something like love for the world.

It gives me hope for another day.



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