Index 
Language Ode to Iris
Random Thoughts: (Drawing of oil production, peak liquid”, climbing to far more shale) First baby boomer @65, 1/1/11 Number of news articles about pensions? (that mention pensions?) ____________ estimate NGRAMS: I discovered a wonderful website: http://books.google.com/ngrams/ which plots the frequency of word use from 1520 (Gutenberg Press) to the present, last 5 years or so are not yet fully represented. “Pension” does not show the increase expected, but its use and “retirement”, “government deficits” and other conservative mantras peak sharply in the 1980 (Reagan years). Other fascinating efforts to manipulate thought are abundant. The “rights” words (women, minority, gay, African-American, etc.) start soaring in the 1980’s and ‘90’s (Clinton years) and continue to soar to this day. Duty and responsibility are “down” during the same periods. “Terrorist” up from 1990’s and early especially the early 2000’s. (I visit this site occasionally to continue exploring our Orwellian “newspeak” and other linguistic ideas. Great site! added August 29, 2016) Iris: A long, dreary storm just ended. Zeus kicked the last thunderbolt from his bed of dark clouds as he rolled over on his side and went to sleep (from the movie “Fantasia”, Beethoven’s 6th, the “Pastoral”), giving Iris permission to paint, and paint she did! But you can’t capture or catch Iris. She is much too fast. By the time you catch her color in one spot, she has changed it there and everywhere else. She is very fast. She paints a different picture for everyone, all at the same time. She IS fast. Faster than Mercury, some say. Other might say she is “but switched electrical cascades in my brain based entirely on photons of various frequencies impinging on the three color cones of my retina.” Either way, she is still very fast. I think I am beginning to prefer the artist’s metaphor. |