Family Business

I'm sorry to say my aging Mom has suffered from a few falls, a powerful new drug, and what I'm afraid may be an over-hasty wish, on the part of the most burdened, to cast her into the outer darkness of a convalescent home. Perhaps we can still respect the dignity of the one while satisfying the needs of the many.

Trickery is many things. It is deception, evasion, conjuring, illusion and survival. It won the Trojan War. It put out the eye of Polyphemus and brought Odysseus home. It is the waiting strategy of Mephistopheles, and the sleight of hand of all good magicians. Scientists use a philosophical sleight of hand to outwit intractable questions and find solutions through other means. Diplomacy and the arts depend on trickery, and civilize us all.

The first trick, then, is to cheat death, and the best way to cheat death is to lengthen time. 

But I do have a few posts racked and waiting. I should be able to get some up within the next few days.

Update on Friday, March 17, 2006 at 05:51PM by Anthony Parman

This post has been revised for clarity and restraint. First thought, least thought (somebody should have said).

Launch

This site launches March 15, 2006, Pacific Standard Time, come hell or high water. (As it happens, there's a lot of water right now in San Francisco.)