Praying Mantis

           This is the first praying mantis that we have seen in the yard since we moved in eleven years ago. This species is one of 2 common in the north, the Chinese mantid- Tenodera aridifolia sinenis, and both northern species are non native. I have seen other mantids locally while walking, but because of the relative paucity of open fields in these  mountains this is not their favorite habitat. Mantids feed on many different insects and mostly sit motionless to ambush any prey that comes near. I recall as a child playing with grasshoppers by throwing them in the air to watch them fly, and saw one disappear into a shrub. When I went over to look I saw a praying mantis eating it like a cob of corn, holding it in its vice like forelegs and taking bites as though it were a sandwich. Mantids are unique insects in that they are able to swivel their heads and gaze directly at a thing, which presumably enables them to better discern their prey without moving their bodies -which might alert prey to their presence. 
      My daughter in law protects mantid egg cases on her shrubbery, where they hatch into hundreds of miniature mantids that then fan out over her garden and hopefully eat harmful insects. That is, the ones that do not eat each other, for they are hungry carnivores from the start and do what it takes to survive.  ( click on pics to enlarge)
 

Genuine 'Evil'

     This is a book about the power structure in North Korea, or at least, what can be gleaned about an extremely suppressive, repressive murderous regime that does all it can to conceal itself.  As just one example of many abuses in the book: in 1996 "five Protestant Christians, their hands and feet bound, were thrown before a large steam roller".  Forced to watch, some observers fainted at the 'popping sound' of the skulls being crushed. These public executions and the total suppression of religion, free thought and any perceived threats such as not clapping enthusiastically enough at state events have been continued under present leader Kim Jong Un. His sister Kim Jong Un is a little more behind the scenes but an equally ruthless part of the bloodline that defines North Korean power. Remember that these are the people Mr. Putin is making deals with and against whom Ukraine is fighting for their lives. How so many Americans, including so-called Christians, can  ignore the horrific, immoral, murderous behavior of these countries and placate dictators in the guise of 'peace'  is incomprehensible to me. If 'patriotism' or 'nationalism' are not guided by inclusive, moral and ethical ideals, what manner of 'freedom' are we pretending to defend? I am not so naive as to advocate violence against nuclear powers without just cause, but if resisting these kinds of people with sanctions and policy and sending weapons to the people who are doing the fighting is controversial-then what kind of people have we become? Are we so distracted by our smart phones and petty political differences that we cannot renounce the true sociopaths among us? 

Intentional Poverty

 This is another one of those books by a very informed author that infuriates the morally and ethically conscious reader. It details the laws and tax breaks and outright prejudice that perpetuate poverty in the richest country in the history of the planet. Mr. Desmond, a Princeton professor who has 'risen' economically from a poor childhood through both hard work and public subsidies, is the first to recognize the white privileges he has benefited from. He also deconstructs all the biased myths people use to blame the poor for their condition by detailing the  policies that favor the middle class and the wealthy; he explains how the banking, housing, welfare and other institutions really work to keep the poor, poor. It is a sobering but not surprising viewpoint easily recognized by anyone who has worked two jobs to pay bills or has watched others do so. He somewhat regretfully concludes that the persistent inequality in America exists because we "want it to", or at least, those with power do. I do not know if that is the 'deep state' the Trump fanatics wish to dismantle, but their savior is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the present system and Trump will do all he can to perpetuate it. But the present rules benefit people in both parties, and they do whatever they can to sustain them. As Ella Baker, civil rights activist, said, "Those who are well-heeled don't want to get un-well heeled."  or, as Mr. Desmond says, " Follow the money, all of it, and you can see how a trend toward private opulence and public squalor has come to define not simply a handful of communities, but the whole nation."  I personally wonder why so many Americans are so disgruntled, or rather, so unappreciative of their relative wealth and good fortune, but I am a minimalist who knows truly the difference between needs and wants. That distinction seems to have become confused in some people.

AI

        The recent calls for alarm by some tech workers about the threat of artificial intelligence are 100% correct. Even those who 'program'  AI and set it in motion do not understand how it works and arrives at some of the conclusions it does. When that capability outpaces human intelligence at a pace of 'thought' and 'innovation' well beyond human capabilities...it is reasonable to question what Pandora box we have opened and whether there is any way to control  it.  Like every other scientific advance, technology can be used for either 'good' or 'evil', but as  history has shown with previous human inventions,  AI too is being weaponized by human beings; those threats are frightening to any sane person. On just a common laptop AI can devise thousands of new toxic molecules that could poison humanity.  AI flying a simulation jet can outperform any experienced, top ace human pilot. In time, maybe artificial intelligence will suggest solutions to the very problems it creates, and help us solve the problems we have created. Maybe it's lack of 'feelings' for self preservation will be more ruthless and it will destroy itself, or us, or both. Those are some of

the unknowns the tech people are concerned about.