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Dear Friends,
I owe you a newsletter. I apologize for my tardiness getting Issue #171 out this past Friday. The hustle and bustle of traveling and visiting friends squeezed my time!
We are in the Atlanta area, having spent three days in Savannah to soak up the sun on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. I soaked up too much of it; it has been a long while since I’ve been burned like this. At least I’m past the random feeling of “jabbing-my-skin-with-an-ice-pick” phase of recovery.
On Saturday we went to the Georgia Aquarium, the second-largest marine exhibit in the world and the largest in the western hemisphere. It was an impressive facility, and what I mostly learned is that I really, really need to somehow snag an after-hours private viewing of the Georgia Aquarium. Have I mentioned that I am not big on crowds? That place was an absolute madhouse. I am becoming more curmudgeonly in my middle age, and mobs of screaming children top my list of things to avoid if at all possible.
Some highlights:
Getting soaked by the dolphins, since Mary insisted we sit in the “soak zone” for the show. They’re called “Common Bottlenose Dolphins,” but I find that a very shabby name for creatures who do not deserve to be called “common.” They are sensational.
Hearing the announcer tell several thousand people smashed together in close proximity that “masks covering your nose and mouth are highly recommended.” I laughed out loud. I might’ve seen one or two masks all day. Maybe one of these days the CDC, headquartered a stone’s throw away, will get around to telling them that COVID is over.
I could watch Beluga whales play all day long. By myself in a quiet seat, that is.
The dolphin and sea lion shows were very entertaining, but I couldn’t help noticing that the shows weren’t primarily about dolphins and sea lions. The bulk of the time was spent telling everyone how very good and virtuous and loving and caring and moral the Georgia Aquarium is. They lectured about their conservation initiatives and repeatedly tsk-tsked the audience for using disposable water bottles and plastic bags. I found it off-putting and unnecessarily distracting from what should have been the purpose: to marvel at the grace, strength, skill, and intelligence of these remarkable creatures. Marvel I did, anyway.
Here is something that caught my eye. Legal Insurrection asks: when was the last time you found yourself rooting for an insurance company? Well, there is a first time for everything. Do you remember six years ago when Oberlin College went out of their way to defame a local, family-owned bakery?
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