People who aren't as weird as I am

People have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.

Is some degree of censorship necessary?

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Virtual 'University Of The People' provides a free college education to anyone in the world

The university offers accredited certificates, associate and bachelor’s degree programs in business administration, computer science, and health science, and master’s degree programs in business administration, information technology, and education.

There is no tuition involved in obtaining a degree, but a variety of fees are required that add up to about $5,000 for a bachelor’s degree.

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Well, it's not Monday, but dialecticdreamer is running a Magpie prompt call that will stay open until Friday night. Leave prompts, get ficlets!

The theme for this month is Disruption and Opportunity.

Life throws disruptions at us all the time, but sometimes, those disruptions are opportunities. Genna Saint Croix, driving halfway across the country at the invitation of a lazy detective to check a John Doe body, has a major disruption amid a life-altering crisis already going on. That she stopped to help a teenager who convinced his pals not to rob her was an opportunity… for both of them.

Today is partly cloudy and mild.

I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 11/13/25 -- I watered the Egyptian walking onions.

I gathered seeds from the 'Shirley' landrace zinnias that I'm developing.

EDIT 11/13/25 -- I emptied the two spigot jugs of comfrey tea. The pure one had so little liquid that I just dumped it out, and it didn't have much of a smell, just kind of moldy. The one with a handful of leaves decanted 2 gallons of tea-colored liquid fertilizer, and not much noticable smell. That's the one I'm more likely to repeat. I never did get around to testing it because the weather was so sweltering most of the time. But I have it to try out in spring.

EDIT 11/13/25 -- I rinsed out the two spigot jugs and brought them in.

EDIT 11/13/25 -- We walked around the yard looking at places in the prairie garden that need to be mowed, trimmed and carried away a few branches, and now my partner Doug is out mowing.

EDIT 11/13/25 -- We walked around the yard again and got another strip mowed.

I did a lot of work around the patio.

I've seen a fox squirrel running through the trees.

As it is now dark, I am done for the night.

The  November 4, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl made its $300 goal, so there will be a half-price sale in Polychrome Heroics from Monday 17-Sunday 23.  Mark the dates on your calendar, and I hope to see you then! 

My poem "GAMING" is up on computerworld. beavertech has been commissioning poems to be posted in The Freaks Club family of communities.

Massachusetts is turning retired cranberry bogs into natural wetlands. They’re on track to rewild 1,000 acres

In November 2024, the DER funneled $6 million in grants to the restoration plan. According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, more than 500 acres of retired cranberry bogs have already been converted into wetlands — with hopes of restoring 1,000 acres in the next decade.

“These projects will transform degraded former cranberry bogs into thriving wetlands that will provide habitat to important species, flood control in time of storms, and access for all to beautiful natural areas,” Governor Maura Healey said in a statement.


This is a brilliant plan that will provide tremendous benefits for wildlife, as wetlands are among the most biodiverse communities. It will be especially helpful to migrating waterfowl of the Atlantic Flyway.