In the Garden of Beasts

 

I rarely re-read a book, but when I saw Larson's In the Garden of Beasts on my library's bookshelf again this past week, I knew I had to give it another go. It's just such a compelling read. William Dodd is a "mild-mannered professor from Chicago" who suddenly finds himself appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt as ambassador to Germany. The year is 1933. Hitler's rise to power is seen by many as nothing more than the proverbial flash in the pan. Only, they're wrong, and Dodd now faces extraordinary challenges as he attempts to forge respectful if not always cordial relations with Germany's Nazi leaders.

The parallels between Dodd's experience and what is happening now in the United States are truly alarming. The descent into identity politics, the lying, the violent rhetoric that often as not leads people to equally violent reactions, all are disturbingly familiar. 

I'm not quite done with my second read, but I've read enough to confirm my reasons for giving this book a second look.

Last Man on Earth

 

I'm very rarely up at this hour. But as I was up and about, I snapped this picture of a fully lit grocery store--with no customers or employees. None. Nada. Zip. Kinda creepy, don't you think? Reminds me of one of those sci-fi flicks where you're the only one left standing after some kind of catastrophe. On the other hand, no long lines of anxious customers waiting to check out. :-)

Idling

 

I've noticed recently how many truckers leave the engines of their trucks idling while they are waiting to deliver a load. That got me to thinking not only about the truckers' reasons for doing so, but also about the environmental impact of the practice. That's what led me this conclusion of an article in Big Rig Pros:

"It’s clear that the road ahead necessitates a collaborative effort to develop and implement solutions that uphold the vital role of trucking while mitigating its environmental footprint. The industry continues to move forward, and perhaps soon, the rumble of idling trucks will become a sound of the past, replaced by the hum of innovation and environmental consciousness."

I sure hope that "road ahead" is short.

Powder Magazine

 

Officials in Colonial Williamsburg have decided that the wall surrounding it’s historic powder magazine was restored to the wrong height. Instead of ten feet, it never would have actually been more than seven. So work has begun to restore the wall to its “proper” height while keeping as much of the original material as possible.