An Interesting Prayer

From the NY times (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/20/us/politics/hegseth-christianity-military.html) in an article entitled, "Hegseth Invokes Divine Purpose to Justify Military Might" The Defense/War Secretary spoke of raining “death and destruction from above” on its “apocalyptic” Iranian foes.

"Then, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, standing in the Pentagon, issued a call to the American people for a specific kind of wartime prayer. He asked them to pray for victory in battle and the safety of their troops."

“'Every day, on bended knee, with your family, in your schools, in your churches;” he said, 'in the name of Jesus Christ.'”

I was almost certain he would go on to utter an updated version of "Kill a Commie for Christ." 

Anosognosia - I Learn a New Word

In a NY Times guest essay, "My Hope for Nick Reiner" (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/23/opinion/nick-reiner-arraignment-psychology.html) by Andrew Solomon, professor of medical clinical psychology at Columbia University Medical Center. I read:

"As someone who last year experienced medication-induced psychosis, I am intimately acquainted with anosognosia, the symptomatic belief among psychotic people that they have no illness."

My first thought was that the term might be applied to those who idolize the Orange Jesus. 

My second thought was that a better article would have briefly explained the "medication-induced psychosis".

But there was something else which bothered me:

"The public’s presumption that Nick Reiner may have had some kind of choice reflects a poor understanding of the inner lives of the mentally ill; Nick himself said that his problems were always “more than” the addiction that was long reported in the media. If he had not hoped to triumph over his problems, he would not have gone to rehab nearly 20 times, as he did." I(the italics are mine.)

Unless Dr. Solomon was intimately fmiliar with Reiner's history I am guessing that some of those rehab stints might be a logical choice when th eother choice was jail time.  

Miles Davis

 

As I listened to the album, the same thought kept running through my head, "Miles Davis.  King of Cool, Brilliant musician.  Raging asshole."

Girls with Guitars

 YouTube's algorithm at work: my steady diet of true crime videos must mean only one thing: female blues guitarists:

•  Sue Foley (A redhead! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBQw5E2zA1Q&list=RDaKCpLVRpA_k&index=3) 
• Molly Miller (that's Doctor Miller to you ( Dr Molly Miller, Doctorate of Musical Arts in Guitar Performance) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPOCv0Tk00M&list=RDaKCpLVRpA_k&index=4)
• Kara Grainger ("So smooth, no flash, no makeup, not afraid to play in a barn!  All about the Blues!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnrM7-yy17I&list=RDaKCpLVRpA_k&index=7), 
• Nanda Moura ("This Ol' Mississippi Delta boy is impressed." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q43fMn4mYE&list=RDaKCpLVRpA_k&index=5)

Thank you YouTube.

A quote with only the briefest comment

 "During an initial criminal proceeding in December 2023, Mr. Haskell appeared shirtless in court, wearing a smock intended to prevent inmates from using it to hang themselves. At the time, his lawyer told Fox News that the Sheriff’s Department had forced him to appear that way, creating speculation that Mr. Haskell might harm himself. The lawyer, Joseph A. Weimortz Jr., disputed that his client was a suicide risk." (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/us/sam-haskell-dead-murder-charges.html)

Here's a picture of Mr Wimortz, Jr:

Oh, yes, Mr. Haskell did commit suicide.

I assume that lawyers are paid to say what they are expected to say. 

Fair-trade, ethically sourced and cruelty-free

The Times Ethicist (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/07/magazine/porn-habit-bisexual-polyamory-ethics.html) responded to a married man with "mismatched libidos" with his being much higher.  The man dealt with it by watching amateur and homemade pornography, and masturbating to it almost daily.  The man chose amateur and homemade porn wanted to avoid commercial products which were produced by preying on the vulnerable.

The Ethicist response characterized what the man watched as "basically fair-trade, ethically sourced and cruelty-free" porn. 

It made me wonder how often that phrase has been used humorously.

XIAFLEX Commercial

I was listening to Brian Eno' Ambient 1: Music for Airports while preparing an exercise for my class.  A commercial with a bunch of men in a pool hall talking about their concerns about a medical treatment. The commercial drew my attention because:

It was a bunch of guys:

• not talking about beer.
• the "natural-ness" of the discussion,
• the questions and answers seemed sensible/realistic, and 
• what really got my attention was the methodical reading of counter indications and side effects. 

The commercial was about Peyronie's disease (new to me). It's essentially a curvature of the penis caused by "fibrous scar tissue".  It can make erections painful and other delightful symptoms.

Even if I forget the name of the disease and the name of the medication I will remember the calm methodical tone of the announcer.  I didn't listen to the whole commercial, but any guy who does will have been treated to a seminar-equivalent discussion of the disease and treatment.  It's a marked contrast to the breakneck speed at which other drug commercials race through the side effects and counterindications at breakneck speed.

I wonder if a curved carrot (as seen on /peyronies-disease.xiaflex.com/patient/) is the international symbol for the disease.