Last weekend I almost killed a praying mantis with Julie's push mower. The mantis was in the grass at the corner of the house, like over where Goliath used to be. Remember, Goliath was the young mantis that lived in the screened porch, then got fatally injured by Gustav and Hanna? Well, I was sure it wasn't Goliath back from the dead because this mantis had both front legs. I successfully avoided killing it, and the next morning, it was sunbathing.
It was strange that it didn't leave. These things have wings and can fly, if somewhat clumsily. That got me thinking, so I read up a little and found out that praying mantises can regenerate their raptorial limbs when they are young. I cannot believe that this creature is still hanging around! Here's a pic from last night...
So she has a front leg that regenerated, but it's bent and apparently not usable. I didn't notice before, but one of her antennae is missing. This poor thing. I wonder if I threw her in the air if she would realize she could fly. Anyway, I'm happy she's still alive. Hopefully she'll survive today's storm.
I came across some amusing artwork in the city yesterday.
This message appeared in three or four places (that I saw) in a high-foot-traffic part of the city. So let's all do our best to let art and artists shape our culture. Don't make haste this weekend.
Art at its most significant is a Distant Early Warning System that can always be relied on to tell the old culture what is beginning to happen to it.
Marshall McLuhan
PS
Here are two recent pieces that take an uncanny and revealing look at all this bailout talk. The first - a provocative one - was sent to me by Dr. W. Enjoy!
Bye, bye American pie as capitalism comes a cropper
(Irish Times opinion, SEP22)
Lots of People Could Use a Cash Infusion
(Tom Brokaw, SEP24 in WSJ)
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