Wordle 1417

 

Wordle 1416

 Wordle 1,628 6/6

Wordle 1415

 

Wordle 1414

 

Wordle 1413

 

Wordle 1412

 

Wordle 1411

 

Wordle 1410

 

Wordle 1409

 

Wordle 1408

 

Wordle 1407

 

Wordle 1406

 

Wordle 1405

 

Wordle 1405

 

Wordle 1404

 37th loss

Wordle 1403

 

Wordle 1402

 

Wordle 1401

 

Wordle 1400

 

Wordle 1399

 

Found Another!

 1,341 to 118 (Laughs/Likes)

Nice Ratio!

 

Wordle 1398

 RI, RI, RI!

Wordle 1397

 

Wordle 1396

 

Wordle 1395

 

Wordle 1394

 

Wordle 1393

 

Wordle 1392

 

Wordle 1391

 

Wordle 1390

 

Wordle 1389

 

Wordle 1388

 

Two Scary Movies

 Weapons, (2025)

The premise is that all but one child from a classroom run-away one night.  The teacher and the one remaining student are closely questioned and both claim to have no idea about what happened.

What I liked about it was that it was pretty scary--we were in for a horror film and while it wasn't the most frightened I've ever been, it was scary.  In a deeper sense, it was an engaging story--not like the usual fare of a small and dwindling cadre of teens being chased-around and killed-off.  It's a real story and the way it's told from different perspectives is artful.  It has a great denouement and a satisfying ending.

Talk to Me (2022)

The premise is that there's this hand and you can hold it, like you're shaking hands but with your left hand.  Then you say, "Talk to me", which makes contact with a spirit, then you say, "I let you in"  which lets the spirit possess you. It has to be done as a group activity, because the contact needs to be broken by someone else, by prying the hand off of the possessed person.

The story revolves around a group of teens doing this for a thrill--which may be a sort of message on the danger of drugs.  In addition, the teens like to video the events with their phones, so maybe a commentary on being excessively on-line.

Overall, pretty scary and well acted.  The main drawback is that it was in Australian (English) but would have been just as comprehensible in German.  Maybe if you watch it, put on subtitles.  Another pesky thing was getting the aspect-ratio right.  We normally keep ours on automatic and it was really off--to the point where we restarted the film.  Then it was close and the stretch setting got it working perfectly--except for the afore-mentioned not understanding a word they said a lot of the time.

Devilish Wit

 

Context:

Wordle 1387

 

Wordle 1386

 

Wordle 1385

 

Wordle 1384

 

Wordle 1383

 

Things Were Different in 1594

 In case you were like, wow! Lesbianism was celebrated much earlier in history than I thought.

The painting portrays Gabrielle d'Estrées, mistress of King Henry IV of France, sitting in a bath, holding a ring. Her sister Julienne-Hyppolite-Joséphine sits beside her and pinches d'Estrées' right nipple.

Did sisters or women who were close, do a celebratory nipple pinch at news of pregnancy, or was the artist just being artsy?  We will never know and I find that uncertainty more charming than a definite answer.

Wordle 1382

 

Wordle 1381

 

Wordle 1380

 

Breaking The Law! Breaking The Law!

 Well, not technically.  Which can be simplified to just plain, no.

National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966 (codified at 54 U.S.C. § 300101 et seq.)—there is a specific exemption for the White House, the Supreme Court building, and the U.S. Capitol (including their grounds and related buildings). This exemption applies to the Act's Section 106 review process (54 U.S.C. § 306108), which requires federal agencies to assess and mitigate potential adverse effects of construction, alteration, or demolition on historic properties before proceeding. These three structures are explicitly carved out to allow the executive, judicial, and legislative branches greater autonomy in managing their facilities.

Legal Basis: 54 U.S.C. § 307104 states: "Nothing in this division applies to the White House and its grounds, the Supreme Court building and its grounds, or the United States Capitol and its related buildings and grounds." This makes the NHPA's preservation requirements inapplicable to these sites, bypassing mandatory consultations with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, State Historic Preservation Officers, and public input.

Scope: The exemption covers construction, renovations, demolitions, and maintenance that could impact historic features. For example, recent White House East Wing demolition for a ballroom addition (October 2025) proceeded without Section 106 review, though voluntary submissions to bodies like the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) were made for transparency.

Rationale: Enacted amid post-WWII development concerns, the NHPA aimed to protect cultural landmarks, but these exemptions recognize the unique symbolic and operational needs of the three branches of government. Presidents and agencies often follow preservation best practices voluntarily (e.g., via the Secretary of the Interior's Standards) to maintain public trust.

Wordle 1379