JUSTICE VS. MERCY

crates | December 24, 2008

   As I have said many times before, I often use this forum to explore certain subjects about which I am totally ignorant.   I recently became curious about justice and mercy.
          Below is the definition of both from the free online dictionary:
Justice:
1. The quality of being just; fairness.
2. a. The principle of moral rightness; equity.
b. [...]

Let Me Walk in Harmony, with Beauty all Around Me…

crates | December 21, 2008

It was with sorrow that I recently read of Tony Hillerman’s death.  Mr. Hillerman was of course the author of many fine books, with perhaps the series about the Navajo policemen, Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee, being his most famous.  Hillerman presented these mystery stories in the context of the Navajo culture, showing the difficulties that [...]

Scenes Along My Beach Walk

crates | December 17, 2008

The autumn leaves have pretty much all fallen, stripped from the tree branches by the high winds that have swept through the area.  Here are some of the photos that I have taken on my favorite walk to the beach.
My favorite type of    
 
morning is when the mist curls through the forest and the foghorns are sounding [...]

For Whom the Bell Tolls: The Spotted Owl

crates | December 8, 2008

    The Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis) is an indicator species for old grow forest in the Pacific Northwest.  There were titanic legal battles fought back in the eighties and nineties   to preserve a  modicum of the old growth forest and thus preserve this species of owl.  It requires large tracts of old growth forest which [...]

Memory, Personality and Consciousness

crates | December 6, 2008

          I recently reread Latro of the Mist which combines two of Gene Wolfe’s books (Soldier of the Mist and Soldier of Arete) into one book.  In this book Wolfe (who has been described by some as one of the best writers in the English language) tells the story of Latro, a Roman, who suffered [...]

A Writing Experiment

crates | December 4, 2008

    I have recently become fascinated by the idea of sentience in machines and the nature of consciousness.  To explore this idea and to work it out in my own mind, I began to write a story about the subject.  Below is an excerpt: 
 
 
                         “My drowsiness instantly vanished, replaced by an anger that grew and [...]

IZUMI SHIKIBU: ANOTHER JAPANESE POET

crates | December 3, 2008

I am always on the lookout for poems that I like.  I find that Japanese poets often provide the succinct but poignant quality that appeals to me.  Here are some poems of Izumi Shikibu which I like.  I had never heard of this particular lady until somebody told me about her.  She lived around the [...]

"Miscellaneous Information"

FOR A TABLE OF CONTENTS ARRANGED BY SUBJECT CATEGORY, CLICK ON THE SITE MAP LINK. Much of this blog is a way for me to learn more about things that interest me and then share them with others. It is also presented from my own perspective and slant which is, of course, quite idiosyncratic. Feel free to leave comments. :)


About the author

crates

Just an ordinary guy who loves: everything biological, photography, science fiction (SF), books, new ideas, interesting people, life in all its aspects. Ok, you can wake up now...