by David Holtz12/22/25 When a federal judge ruled last week that Michigan lacks the authority to shut down Enbridge’s Line 5 oil pipeline beneath the Straits of Mackinac, the decision was framed as a narrow question of federal preemption. Judge Robert Jonker concluded that only the federal government—under the Pipeline Safety Act—has authority over pipeline safety,…
Celebrity Skin and The Family
Celebrity Skin and The Family For some of us who find we need respite from reality, escaping into the fantasy of music, movies, tv series, video games, dreams (through sleeping) etc. can become a habit at best and dissociation at worst. Vonnegut, in his book, “Farenheit 451” wrote about “The Family,” which resided in a…
#SLS — “Snakes and Ladders” by Joni Mitchell from Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm
After trying to find out what animals are rodents, I tried to find a song with one of the more unusual ones, including chinchillas and beavers. I learned that rap artists love to use chinchilla fur as a symbol of luxury. Beavers have a connotation that some might find objectionable so I skipped them. I…
Book Review: _Poems & Prayers_, by Matthew McConaughey
It’s good for what it is, which is a short, but dense, handbook comprised mostly of rhyming verse and haiku-like proverbs — with notes — that make existential sense. The poems and prayers cross all chronologies and matters of heart, soul, and conscience. Several of them resonate for me as I perceive them as hard-won…
FFF 63 and Friday Faithfuls essay on AI
white crystal twinkleson the night before Christmaswalking in the air Jim Adams asks Friday Faithfuls to write about anything related to AI. This is going to be stream of consciousness. The first thing coming to mind is a movie I watched recently, “Eddington,” where one major conflict between the sheriff of the town and the…
A Christmas Eve Prayer (repost)
Today and every day a wish: as we experience moments, we each resonate in mind, body, soul; shine light within ourselves and towards others. With peace so reign on Earth top image: my photo of a holiday decoration at the hair salon form: Waltmarie. The “Waltmarie” was created Candace Kubinec. The Waltmarie form is a…
#FF — Invisible Shadows
PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields Invisible Shadows The car’s rev and the garage door’s gentle rumble tells Maurice his sister’s family is leaving for the annual feast at Maryjane’s house. He remembers Maryjane’s turtle cheesecake and starts drooling. Maurice wiggles out of the sleeping bag carefully hidden in Susie’s shed. He makes his way to…
Tao-Talk 