"You are so mean and stubborn and ugly that I will curse you for it. Each time you open your mouth, a horrible insect or an ugly swamp creature will drop from it."

The objects we collect, and the way we display them, and the stories we tell about them . . . continue to reflect the ideas we have about nature and our place in it.

Thus, as has often been noted, democracy seems a somewhat difficult notion. People may know what they want, but if most of them don't know how to get it, or how to determine who does know, the idea of voting seems a bit futile. Unfortunately, as has equally often been noted, democracy is still better than any known alternatives.

Deserts sometimes dream of water. . . .