The spork of quotations? Via the Messrs. Blowhard, a quote I find remarkably useful – just remove the subject noun and replace with your favorite, and there is almost no end to its aptness:

"__________ was founded on a frighteningly arrogant idea that an elite group of people could remake society into something supposedly better, regardless of what the general public actually wanted."

Immigration Iowa. The Ames Tribune today prints some Harper's Index-style numbers:

• 80,000: foreign-born Mexicans living in Iowa (86 percent of the total Latino population).
• 80 to 90: percentage of Latino immigrants in Iowa who are undocumented. (Criminy. - DCF)
• 23: Median age for Latino immigrants in Iowa.
• 70: percentage of foreign-born Latinos in Iowa who have less than a high school education - second only to Indiana out of nine Midwestern states (the others are Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and Wisconsin).
• $28,300: median household income for foreign-born Latinos living in Iowa. ($41,687 for Iowa households overall.)
• 40: Percentage of Latino immigrants in Iowa who own their own homes. In comparison, the rate is 60 percent in Minnesota and 70 percent in Wisconsin.(So, if ~ 85% of said immigrants are "undocumented", that means at least 25% of the "undocumented" own their own homes.... how does that work? M. and I had to "document" ourselves out the wazoo to buy our house.)

but my favorite one of all:

• 46/38: Gender breakdown (male and female) of Iowa Latino immigrants. (It's that last 16% that really has me concerned.)

A public service. As a long-time observer of the blogosphere ('b.s.', for short), I've noticed a distinct rise in vitriol and intemperate remarks recently, as though thousands upon thousands of Americans (well, not just Americans, but I'm being magnanimous here – you're all just as good as Americans, all you little foreign people!) had misplaced their antidepressant medication. Indeed, the tone of the b.s. lately is positively shrill, as nigh unto a vast electronic dog-whistle. Progressive Reactionaries deplores this turn of events, and as a service to all, has decided to respond by providing a cool, calm oasis in this cranky hot summer. Thus: cool, calming color scheme. Posts on happy, meaningless topics. And most important of all, no posts whatsoever, just quiet, inactivity, stillness, no-posting...mu. So, point your browser, frequently, to Progressive Reactionaries. Sit back, relax, inhale. Exhale. Let deep repose fill you. There. Better? Now, whenever you're filled with frantic electrono-angst, pounding out yet another post or comment on how half the country is a brainless/traitorous pack of moronic sheeple leading us all to destruction, pausing only to wipe the hot angry tears from your eyes as they obscure your view of the keyboard... come here. Let the utter inactivity fill you. The lack of posts and comments soothe your frayed and tattered nerves. Let your browser rest. Let your mind rest. Calm.

Science Quickie Monday: purely medicinal, doc.

Beer ingredient may fight prostate cancer

CORVALLIS, Ore. - A main ingredient in beer may help prevent prostate cancer and enlargement, according to a new study. But researchers say don't rush out to stock the refrigerator because the ingredient is present in such small amounts that a person would have to drink more than 17 beers to benefit.

Yeah, so...?

Sorry. I tried – really tried – to come up with something interesting, witty, etc., but to no avail. It's been a busy week, and I sit here worn out, vacant in face and mind, feeling like some as yet unknown disease organism has my number and is looking me up right now. I thought I could do that "open thread" gimmick that some blogs do when the proprietor runs out of things to say, but even that would be too much effort; nobody would actually use a real 'open thread' here, so then I'd have to make up all the commenters and their comments too, and I'd be right back where I started, right?