WTF-Beta

I forgot to list NPR in my prefered news outlets. Luckily, most of their funding doesn't come from the feds. But still, this is going to hurt.

@Mik said in News sources?:

Did I mention Fox? I put them in the same camp as CBS - completely biased.

Hokay.... good info to have about your ability to use discrimination.

@Mik said in News sources?:

opponents

A study of the facts, and history as written by professional historians makes it pretty clear where the lies and distortions come from. Call me old fashioned, but I don't believe each of us is entitled to our own facts.

@Mik what's the value of reading lies and distortions?

When dogs get lost, they often go feral within minutes. Their primitive instincts for survival are still very much present, despite their relatively luxurious existences these days. A lap dog becomes a wolf again in just about no time.

I learned all about this when I lost my dog.

I'm sure this had to be a very painful decision for you and all your colleagues. Was there no possibility of staying there to resist the administration? I am interested to know a bit more about the calculus, if you feel up to sharing.

The fact that all of you are leaving is a terrifying prospect for the country.

Al Jazeera is a mouthpiece for Hamas. You would do as well with reading Russia Today. Why not Ha'aretz? I have found them to be very fair and balanced, terrific original reporting. They look at all sides of the conflict in Gaza but are overall fairly leftward leaning.

I like ProPublica, The Guardian, BBC, AP, Reuters, the Atlantic, The New Yorker. I still read the NYT, but I find their coverage to be pretty weak, over all.

It looks like it has some healthy new growth. I wouldn't cut it back until after it flowers. When you do, trim it down to just above outward-facing new growth. Basically, you are dead-heading it.

I remember the early days of Piano World when I couldn't wait to have my coffee with all of you every morning. So many of those friendships are real, live, in person, and the engagement we had even before we met each other was real engagement. Facebook feels nothing like that. It's basically become a place to post announcements and ads. There aren't conversations. I'm not making friends.

I do have some friends I met through FB years ago, but I hardly see those people any more on that platform. It seems like it's a husk of what it was. People have abandoned it.

I think social media in some ways has ruined us as a culture.

I took 8 years of beginning French in public school. Then switched to Russian. I like Russian a lot better. But I got along OK in Paris with my first-year French. I had a French roommate in India and so had practiced a lot with her before I went. I was warned never to start out with English, even if you know the waiter speaks English, because it looks like you aren't even trying. That approach served me well in other countries with other languages as well. Seems like everyone likes an American who starts the conversation with fractured Spanish, German, Italian, whatever, rather than expecting others to speak your language. Now the app on my phone takes care of the issue when I have to communicate with someone who doesn't understand English at all.

I think I would likely be happier in rural France.

Cool article. Much better than the real estate ones it is modeled on (which apartment would you choose? Which one did the buyer choose? And then they reveal some critical piece of info in the answer that they neglected to mention higher up--like the basement was flooded.)

I have played several Centennial Ds, rebuilt by friends (Tali Mahanor is one) and they are a better piano for chamber music than the modern Ds, which are built for a big concert hall. They are a prized piano among technician-rebuilders, and the bidding on them is fierce when they come up for auction. I don't find their action heavy, but they are kind of "thuddy" compared to modern pianos, and that may create the impression of heaviness. In any event, the museum should get the newest piano it can, because they don't improve with age.

It was cool to see a mention of Tippet Rise, in Montana, which I plan to visit this summer. Unfortunately neither Mr. Pique nor I won the ticket lottery this time, but we can go hiking there and hope for a sale of last minute concert tickets.

Also cool to see Tali mentioned. She is an incredibly creative technician, and the idea of being able to swap out actions at will is kind of a great idea.

I agree the Hamburg sounds best, at least on my tablet speakers. It's a very different scale design than the New York Steinway, and I personally much prefer it--it's a lot like my piano.

@Steve-Miller said in Which Piano would you choose?:

No one gets fired for choosing Steinway.

It is New York, after all.

AOC was here yesterday. Her speech really impressed me. Grounded in the truth and heartfelt.

This is so funny how connections in life come full circle--that my wtf friends are now reading my old friend Lisa's book. Lisa is one of the most creative, prolific, and original people I know. We go back to 1988, when we met on a writer's tour of Yellowstone.

The first one is my favorite. Though I really like the privacy and beauty of the grounds in the last one. I love how very green it is there. I miss living around that shade of green.

Could it be particular to your area? I have to book a rental property frequently in Missoula, and it seems like open dates are even scarcer, earlier, than is typical. Either reservations are booming or a lot of properties were taken off the platforms. I use both AirBnB and VRBO.

It's a hockey thing.

Handsome! I love houses from that era.

I had no idea that story was that old. I loved and re-read "The Once and Future King" many times when I was a teenager.

MA, I'd love to learn more about your hydroponics system--including some photos.