After the survey, and then this past Monday's extended mirror gaze, you might want a bit less Portico Darwin for a hump day. And certainly no Trump, as I am ignoring the first and all of his many upcoming shit-show arrests. He and everything around him is a national embarrassment
So here's a nice break from it all, via the increasingly impressive AI graphics engine, Stable Diffusion, responding to various prompts by yours truly.
Fun Fact: When I first re-connected with my genius artist cousin Charles Clough in the mid 2000s, I bought this book, to better understand a universe with which I was unfamiliar. It seems equally useful now? You tell me. I'd love to hear anyone's opinion on these and their production. I will say they should turn down the Patrick Nagel on the deep learning . . . I'm having flashbacks from every apartment in the 80s!
FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES
Two favorites of mine among THE UNWASHED MASSES are Elizabeth "Polly" Michaels and her brainy plaything Primo Harvey PhD. I want to wish these great friends a fabulous trip to Holland. They are departing today upon what sounds to be a Killer - at a minimum - luxury cycling vacation there. I believe it wraps up in Amsterdam. Gosh, I hope it doesn't suck. Meanwhile, back in America, an legitimate titan of The West, my father-in-law Dr. Davis Fladgate, had his own take on the big Esquire article I shared last Friday. He has real standing.
You see, Dr. Fladgate (now about 120 years old) came of age and spent his entire adult life in The West. Heck, he was right in the middle of the big defense industry build-up in Southern California in the early 1960s, and as an electrical engineer, to boot!
Here's his recollection of the scene at the time.
I finally finished the article. Very positive and interesting.
Upon reading, I knew it was ancient, but not what year. The end of the article showed 1961. That was during my second sojourn in the Los Angeles area.
Times were pretty good then. Politics were moderate and just slightly conservative. Don’t remember seeing any homeless. I was aware of a large middle class with many professionals and highly skilled blue-collar workers who had lived in the depression and served in WWII. They lived comfortably because of the inherited frugality and work ethic.
Besides their 40-hour job income they all had houses or apartments which they maintained by themselves to save money. Probably never bought a new car. A guy living next door had a real estate agency. Every morning from 4:00 to 8:00 he shelved groceries at a nearby supermarket before he opened his office. He did this for income and to get the corporate (Editor's note: union?) benefits. He also went to the LA auto auction once a week, bought a car, drove it home, and sold it from the curb in front of his house. His goal was to make a $100 profit.
Opportunities were there for those willing to take them. Good times.
For the record, adjusted for inflation, $100 in 1961 is worth almost exactly $1,000 today. Not a bad second job - thankfully, they did not have the loathsome term side hustle at the time.
Thank you to any one that is reading this newsletter.
KLUF
Art? Holland? Check this out - and you can download it from me. It is beautiful, new-ish, and very nice.
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