Goodnight, Moon

If you got out any over the weekend, especially Saturday night, you probably couldn't help but notice the giant moon. Scientists say this was the biggest full moon in 18 years. All's I know is, when the Spousal Unit and I took a walk in the dark, the moonlight was bright enough to cast a shadow.

It so happened that the Big Moon coincided with said Unit's birthday, although any connection between that blessed event and word associations involving "lunacy" or "lunatic" are purely coincidental. As far as I can scientifically prove.

Looking at the big shining thing made me wonder what life on earth would be like without it being there to shake things up. Would there even be any? That question is above my pay grade.

Another thought that came to mind was the frequent association between full moons and strange behavior that many people who deal with the public swear by. I've heard that this isn't the case, statistically speaking, but no amount of number crunching will convince some folks I know.

Finally, I thought of a line by the medieval Japanese Zen master Dogen, who said, "Enlightenment is like the moon reflected on the water. The moon does not get wet , nor is the water broken."

MEANWHILE, there's Libya.

RECOVERING FROM DISASTER. E.J. Dionne is betting on Japan.

ONE GOOD GAZETTE OP-ED, like this one on fundamentalism of various kinds, deserves another, like this one on gardening.

RIGHT WING TARGET: Elizabeth Warren.

GOAT ROPE ADVISORY LEVEL: ELEVATED

Do moon coyotes howl at the earth?

Earthrise from the moon, courtesy of wikipedia.

El Cabrero has a feeling that lots of people will be slacking off today as the Christmas holiday approaches. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

The holiday season seems a little different this year. I don't know about you, but the annual ritual of excessive consumption that has grown around the holiday, always pretty crass, seems particularly off key given the growing economic crisis that is affecting so many people around the world. I keep wondering how bad it's going to get.

In the meantime, here are a few items, starting with one about the above image...

AN IMAGE THAT CHANGED THE WORLD (see above) is discussed in this article from the UK Guardian. Short version: the trip to the moon helped people discover the earth.

KICKING THE ECONOMIC BUBBLE HABIT will be tough.

A LENGTHY OBITUARY FOR "THE OWNERSHIP SOCIETY" and how Bush policies contributed to the current crisis can be found here.

GOD BLESS US, EVERY ONE. The latest edition of the Rev. Jim Lewis' Notes from under the Fig Tree ponders Dickensian themes in these hard times from A Christmas Carol.

SPEAKING OF HARD TIMES (AGAIN), labor and community groups in WV called for a meaningful stimulus package to get the economy moving again. Here's the coverage from the Charleston Gazette.

SURF'S UP! Waves in the Pacific Northwest have been increasing in height by 7 centimeters a year and no one is sure why.

GOAT ROPE ADVISORY LEVEL: ELEVATED