UCSC for short. Friday my electronic mailbox received this message from the Chancellor of the University of California at Santa Cruz, no doubt sent to the entire Alumni Association:

Dear UC Santa Cruz Community,

Whirlwind of Wars

Are we on the brink of WWIII or are we already in it? There's a looming war with China. A NATO proxy war with Russia in Ukraine which has the west in a panic. Plus the Gaza genocide which has SW Asia in a swirl of conflict, and the global majority seeing the US as aiding and abetting the criminal conflict. Additionally our own government appears to be targeting its own people with health scams, mass migration, and the kabuki theater of election distraction to make us think we have options. Yeah right. All as the Biden regime conducts lawfare against Trump.
The positive news comes from the BRICS+ and their new world order prospering through cooperation. All this and more below the fold...

Afternoon folks!

It's another small haul this week since my uploading schedule got interrupted by the holiday weekend bluegrass festival. Starting out we've got a mid-70's Albert King album with some really excellent cuts, and a Chambers Brothers album with an incredible version of "The Weight." After that there's a double live album of Procol Harum in 1969, the sound quality is less than optimal but the music quality is great, then there's a cool album of R. Crumb with a bunch of pretty talented players doing a variety of cool old tunes. In the diversity category there's British folk ensemble Pentangle and an album by Spirit.

Enjoy the tunes and have a great weekend!

Good morning, friends!

Hope everyone has a great weekend in store.

Here, we have to dodge rain. High winds. Trees laying across highways. I am sick of it. So dangerous.

Happy Friday everyone. I hope everybody is doing well. Post any photos, memes, or music you like.

These are from the annual spring orchid exhibit at the San Diego Botanical Garden. Over 300 varieties of orchids and plants were on loan from the San Diego County Orchid Society and Palomar Orchid Society. Until I went to my first orchid exhibit a few years ago, I didn't know there were so many varieties of orchids. I was pleasantly surprised by all the different sizes, shapes, and colors.

Note: I wrote the following essay yesterday before the Trump verdict. Will the verdict affect the campaign? I don't know, but I doubt it. All bets are off though if he goes to jail.

I was going to forgo publishing this piece in lieu of a trial verdict essay, but I'm going to post it anyway as the campaign promises are more than likely still valid.

Please use comments below if you wish to discuss the hush money trial.

It's that time again, folks.

Every four years our brains are subjected to massaged messages of mendacity and misinformation by those that would cast themselves as All Things to All Men.

I wont call them silver tongued devils, for that, they are not. I wont call them paragons of principle either, for that, they are certainly not. They will delude, dissemble, dissimulate, distort and dupe you with perjurious promises and prevarications. They'll twist words, obfuscate meanings and lie their butts off while they promise you the world, until elected anyway.

Like any good traveling salesman, they need to first get a foot in the door to sell their product. That's what campaigns are for.

Let's take a look at what snake oil they're selling this time around. But first, let me ask you, "Would you buy a used car from this man?