From our front yard on June 1st, look how a Turk's cap flower,
Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii, develops in a sort of cage.

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Yesterday's commentary noted that, human nature being what it is, there's never been a shortage—nor will there ever be a shortage—of people pushing claims they know are false. Common motivators are money, power, fame, status, and ideology.

Saying something you know to be false is called lying. Which puts me in mind of a quotation I've often heard attributed to Mark Twain, to whom many statements have been falsely attributed: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." Actually Mark Twain did write that, but he made clear he was quoting Benjamin Disraeli (Prime Minister of the UK twice in the 1800s, and the UK's only Jewish Prime Minister ever), though there's apparently no evidence Disraeli ever said it. A Quote Investigator article traces the evolution of the saying through many versions and makes for interesting reading, as does a Wikipedia article about it.

To be continued...

© 2024 Steven Schwartzman