1. If
you are one of the three people who has been reading this blog for a while, you
may have noticed that recent posts include a “Source” link under the picture
captions. This is because, after a
conversation with a family member who happens to be a lawyer, I began to
question my hitherto somewhat laissez-faire attitude towards pictures, and
towards classical (by which I mean “painted probably in Europe between 1000 and
1900 A.D.”) artwork in particular.
Apparently (contrary to Wikipedia’s blithe assurances) just because it’s
old doesn’t mean it’s legally showing up in your web searches. Fortunately for me, the Met recently decided
to declare much of its collection public domain. To view, go here,
scroll down for the options on the left, under “Show Only” make sure to select
“Public Domain Artworks,” and proceed to enjoy legal use of images of
everything from Greek pottery to Dutch masters to random bits of armor—just
make sure that you source the images back to the Met.
2. I
have discovered the (a?) secret to not going over budget: Don’t buy anything
until after you’ve run out. No,
seriously. You don’t need plastic wrap. Or cooking spray. Or a new rug for the bottom of the stairs
down which your toddler is threatening to tumble. Cavemen didn’t have plastic wrap, and they
survived just fine. OK, but seriously,
there probably are alternatives in your house to almost anything that you might
happen to run out of. And if you run out
of it first, you might discover that some of these alternatives are actually
cheaper than you thought, and work just as well … Even if you decide to go back
to your precious canisters of Pam, however, the trick of not buying until you
run out should enable you to make it to the end of the month without crossing
the red line when you’ve already maxed out your “household goods” column.
3. I
am sure this does not apply to all children and all ages, but if you are a new
mom of a non-walker, let me promise you: some things do get a easier when they
learn how to walk. Yes, they’ll get into
everything. Yes, they’ll want to climb
your couches, chairs, bookshelves, piano, and any other platforms more than .5
square feet broad and three inches high (“platform” being defined loosely, of course,
to include such objects as Christmas trees and bags of fruit). Yes, they’ll whine for those
just-out-of-reach items until you drill it into them that they can’t have
everything they see (and drill it into yourself that sometimes substitution or
removal of the desired object is prudent).
But don’t children whine for and destroy things before they walk
too? And once they can walk, they can
play sooooo much more easily—and hence happily.
On the whole, a worthwhile tradeoff, n’est
pas?
4. In
world news, Hawaii’s random false nuclear warning last week was not
the first such incident.
(In fact, there are several stories of nuclear near-misses, as you’ll
find if you google for more information about the 1960 Thule event.)
5. Meanwhile,
the other kind of nuclear power—the power plant kind—is losing
in California, winning
in Minnesota, and providing
interesting environmental benefits, even if you ask
sincerely concerned environmentalists.
6. Alright,
alright, since we walked down this road, we’ll go all the way: Yes Prime Minister -
Bernard Woolley on defence capabilities.
7. And
for a lighter sort of button game, which might perhaps be useful at your
January Christmas parties … Remember that line in Disney’s Alice in Wonderland, “Button,
button, who’s got the button?”
8. Finally,
a bonus take, in the form of a reminder that if cavemen don’t need buttons,
neither do you. Unless, of course,
you’re still under budget for the month.
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