Eleanor Arnason's Blog, page 101

May 19, 2010

May 18, 2010

Looking for Work # 2

I am luckier than most job seekers, because I can afford to retire, though I'd like to have a part time job -- for money and because I have always liked work communities. Still, if it doesn't happen, I think I can get by.

So, increasingly I am thinking of retirement. The question is, what will I do? What I've done the past year is look for work and tried to get back into writing. I had lost the habit of writing over the past ten or so years. I seem to be getting it back.

My doctor asked me at ...
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Published on May 18, 2010 08:35

Looking for Work

I am still looking for work, but after a year of looking I don't have much hope. I can see the job market is improving a bit; more jobs in my area of competence are being posted; but I suspect that many older job seekers are simply not going to be hired.

There is still 10% unemployment. Employers have a lot of choice. Why chose someone who is older than they are?

Pundits tell us to get new training or more education, as if this solves all problems. In the first place, there are not enough jobs...
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Published on May 18, 2010 07:45

May 17, 2010

The Top Three News Stories in Today's Iceland Review

(1) Icelandic hen breeder starts farming again. (2) Buses soon given access to Iceland highland valley. (3) Sheep moved away from Iceland eruption site.

Story four is about a banker imprisoned for his part in the destruction of the Icelandic economy. Story five is about volcanic ash closing Icelandic airports.

I like the Iceland Review's priorities.
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Published on May 17, 2010 17:29

Writing

It's a lovely sunny day outside. I am lazing inside, working on blog entries and thinking about writing. I have applied for two jobs, one of which sounds good -- the right number of hours and a nearby location...

The following is a post I made on the Wyrdsmiths blog:

I'm working on two YA novels at the moment; and I keep both in my mind, which isn't a problem yet, because I'm at the start of both, and don't have an outline of either.

I would like to have outlines. But these particular novels...
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Published on May 17, 2010 11:58

Hubble Panorama of the Whale Galaxy



From the Astronomy Photo of the Day commentary:

NGC 4631 is a big beautiful spiral galaxy seen edge-on at only about 30 million light-years away. This galaxy's slightly distorted wedge shape led to its popular moniker of the Whale galaxy. The Whale's dark interstellar dust clouds and young bright blue star clusters highlight this panoramic color image. The band of NGC 4631 not only appears similar to band of our own Milky Way Galaxy, but its size is truly similar to our Milky Way as well...
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Published on May 17, 2010 10:32

Miss USA

The new Miss USA is Rima Fikah from Dearborn, Michigan. As her name and home town suggest, she is Arab-American -- of Lebanese descent, from a Shiite Moslem family and apparently the first Arab-American and Moslem to win the title. She got onto the pageant circuit hoping to pay off her college tuition.

A blond from Oklahoma who said she was in favor of the new Arizona immigration law was the first runner-up.

We will pass over the probable reactions of right wingers to a Moslem Miss USA and pa...
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Published on May 17, 2010 10:00

This if from an essay by Will Hutton in the Observer:The ...

This if from an essay by Will Hutton in the Observer:

The great truth of capitalism is that it took off only once the European Enlightenment created the great institutions that kept it honest – the rule of law, a free press, accountability mechanisms, ways of forcing monopolists to give up their ill-gotten gains, creating competitive markets and elections. Before that there was tax-farming and the buying and selling of monopolies – rather as in China today. The Enlightenment offered the...
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Published on May 17, 2010 09:52

May 16, 2010

Sidewalk Poem





A man loads his home --
two carts stuffed full of stuff --
on the bus.

Two of us move back.
One helps with the carts.

A man has a right to room and help
when his whole home
is on the bus.
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Published on May 16, 2010 05:22

May 15, 2010

Another Sunny Day

I have a poem set in concrete in three places in St. Paul. Patrick decided to find the poem today. The concrete in question is sidewalk blocks. We found two of them, and Pat took photos of the poem and me. Some of the other poems we found were chipped and unreadable, but mine was nice and sharp.

A lovely day. The French lilacs are past their prime, though still blooming, and the Korean lilacs are blooming as well.

We went shopping for groceries, came home and cleaned, which always feels good a...
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Published on May 15, 2010 17:03

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