Equality....

Seems pretty simple, either all competent Adult members of a country have it or not. If they don't, it's not Equality. Anything else is justification for Inequality...no matter how Pretty the Words or Flowery the Dialogue.
Of course, many of us have never Evolved past the Primary school sandbox. The only way bullies share is to have a Higher Power force them to. And of course, those same bullies who kept all the best "toys" to themselves will cry foul because they consider themselves better and more deserving than those they kept the "toys" from.
And folks wonder why I'm Cynical when so many folks simply get Bigger, not become Adults....
Truth,
Pat

Death of a Library....

Sad thing. It took The Downturn to do what deaceds of WIngnuts and Book-burners couldn't....gut our library. To cut costs they fired actual Librarians and fired sycopants of the city council, all "Birthers". Needless to say, old books are missing and the few new ones are...shall we say "Christocentric". The only Sci-Fi book recently added was some bit of dreck about a girl in 2050 who God tells to bring Christianity back to the USA. Like that future, no matter how lovely could ever happen.
And they wonder why attendance is down.....
Truth,
PAt

Orphan Fruit...

There's a scientific name forthe phenomenon but I'm having a Brian Fart at the moment. It's when a plant has a symbiotic relationship for a necessary part of it's Reproduction(Pollination, Seed-Spreading)with a now Extinct critter. Some are pretty obvious when you think about it. A big sign(Pun intended) is where once Megafauna once ate and pooped it. They may barely survive in the wild but only thrive where Humans now do their work. Trees that once fed their fruits to Mammoths are pretty easy. Look for a tree with spiny trunks and largish fruit with big seeds(or seedpods like the Kentucky Coffee Tree)so the plant makes sure only the fruit is taken. Others, like those for Giant Sloths are harder. Other than big seeds, finding them in fossilized Sloth Poop is pretty much the only way. If you like Avocadoes, toast the Giant Sloth;>!
It's actually a good mind exercise. Personally, every time I look at a Jackfruit or Durian(the latter always with horror that I'll have a peice offered to me;>)I wonder what once haunted those forests. 'Course, in those cases one is obvious...the Asian Elephant!
Cheers,
PAt