Categories
America Book Club Fashion History

Women’s Head Coverings: “The Minister’s Black Veil” (part VI of VIII)

“The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne: This 1836 short story explores themes of secret sin and the nature of humanity. It tells the tale of Reverend Mr. Hooper, who suddenly begins wearing a black veil over his face, causing unease among his congregation. The veil symbolizes the hidden sins that individuals carry, prompting readers […]

Categories
America Collapse of Democracy/Civilization/etc. Music

America: The Pilgrim?

Kris Kristofferson wrote this song about a down-and-out musician, but what if we look at it as an analogy for America? See America wasted on the sidewalkwearing our camo and red hats.We’re wearing yesterday’s misfortunes like a smileOnce we had a future full of money, love and dreamsWhich we spent like they were going out […]

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Collapse of Democracy/Civilization/etc. ENGin Erudition Existential Angst Texas Ukraine

WordleBlott

Our esteemed Elder G informs me that there are approximately 100 four-letter curse words in the English language. WLBOTT Word-of-the-Day WLBOTT: If you had to say there was a “queen mother” of all curse words, what would it be? Elder G: The “queen mother” of all curse words would probably be “f***.” Its versatility is […]

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Collapse of Democracy/Civilization/etc. Gravediggers of American Democracy Heros - NOT Washington, D.C.

The Washington Post and our Number Two Story

You guys been following the hoopla over at the Washington Post? Jeff Bezos, in his wisdom, has blocked the WaPo from endorsing a presidential candidate. There seems to be a universal consensus among independent analysts that Bezos’ stance is in response to tRump’s threats to go after Amazon. This brave stance by Bezos – protecting […]

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Collapse of Democracy/Civilization/etc. Current Events Lasting Love Texas

Voting in Texas

This morning I was consulting with Elder G, our WLBOTT AI companion and part-time psycho-therapist. I was bemoaning the fact that blue my vote in Texas is pretty inconsequential. Turns out that it is more likely that I: Oddly, while reviewing this article with the WLBOTT editorial staff, I got push-back on the polar bear […]

Categories
Book Club Collapse of Democracy/Civilization/etc. Gravediggers of American Democracy Texas

Race to the Truth

Anti-censorship advocates have joined the book publisher Penguin Random House in condemning a Texas county that reclassified an account of European settlers’ colonization of Indigenous Americans as fiction. The furor in Montgomery county – near Houston – follows the decision by a citizens review panel, at the behest of rightwing activists, to place Colonization and […]

Categories
Heros Hopeful Songs on Dismal Days North Dakota

Celebrating Anne Carlsen

Yesterday we were talking about the number of early Christians, and this led us to Rodney Stark, a religious sociologist who studied this period. This led us to Jamestown, North Dakota, where Rodney Start was born and raised. And this led us to the expansive salad bar at the Jamestown High School. But then this […]

Categories
Food Minnesota

Tim Walz’s Casseroles

SAT Question Hotdish is to Minnesota as ________ is to Texasa) tamalesb) enchiladasc) tacosd) Texas A&M Universitye) heat-stress index Answer: b Timothy James Walz (born April 6, 1964) is an American politician, former educator, and retired U.S. Army non-commissioned officer who has served since 2019 as the 41st governor of Minnesota. He was a member […]

Categories
Adventures of the Elders Book Club Ohio

Wikiomancy and Homer Price

Wikiomancy has proven its value and legitimacy. As you may recall, Wikiomancy (https://www.wlbott.com/?p=34495), or divining the future via random Wikipedia articles, can provide shareholder value, excellent return on investment, and plausible deniability against all claims. A few nights ago, Señor Elder UC#4 was engaged in his normal nighttime routine: aimlessly scrolling through random Wikipedia articles. […]

Categories
Climate Change Food Texas

Texas Heat / Texas Corn

The same year that the Elders gathered in Snook, Texas to consume chicken fried bacon, a terrible wildfire scorched Bastrop State Park (September and October 2011). The Drought Jeff Goodell, in his book The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet, talks with a south Texas farmer about a drought-ravaged […]