Sunday Open Thread: August 12 is World Elephant Day

and it is also Prickle-Prickle, Bureaucracy 5, 3184 YOLD
(for you Discordians out there)

It should be prety much the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, and, I shit you not, it is called The Glorious Twelfth in Britain because it is the start of the Grouse Shooting season. I don't know if I can top that, I mean, really ...


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World History this day

1323 - The Treaty of Noteborg between Sweden and Novgorod Republic was signed. The Novgorod Republic was pretty much a piece of the Kievan Rus, a not-too widely known and studied loose and fluctuating confederation running from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea and more or less controlling the best trade route between northeast Europe and Constantinople. In a sense, the History of Russia, Ukraine and Crimea starts here.

1687 - The Second Battle of Mohacs was such a crushing defeat for the Ottomans that the entire Otoman army completely disintegrated shortly thereafter. This allowed the Audtrian Empire to liberate or conquer, as the case may be, a lot of territory previously conquered by the Ottomans during the Ottoman expansion. The territory was previously conquered by and became part of the Roman Empire before being overrun by the Visigoths and such. Some travel to experience different cultures. Some simply stay at home and have it come to them.

US History this day

1898 - The Hawaiian flag over Iolani Palace was replaced with that of the US in annexation ceremony marking Hawaii's official loss of sovereignty and incorporation into the US.

Science & Technology this day

1851 - Isaac Singer got a patent on his sewing machine. New and improved enough, I guess, it definitely changed a lot of things

1865 - Joseph Lister, performed the first antiseptic surgery, yet every week one reads of this or that hospital, doctor or medical office failing in that regard. C'mon folks, it's been a century and a half.

1883 - The last quagga died in a zoo in Amsterdam.

1960 - NASA launched Echo 1A. Hello, hello, can you hear me now?

1981 - The IBM Personal Computer was released and priced out of range of most persons. Luckily, a lot of people started making "PC Compatible" machines and now look where we are.

The Arts this day

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Misc. this day

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Birthdays of Note this day

1626 - Giovanni Legrenzi, composer and orgnist
1644 - Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, violinist and composer
1831 - Helena Blavatsky, occultist, theosophist, co-founder of the Theosophical Society
1859 - Katharine Lee Bates, poet who wrote the words to America the Beautiful
1876 - Mary Roberts Rinehart, author and playwright
1887 - Erwin Schrodinger, cat fancier
1907 - Gladys Bentley, singer and pianist
1914 - Ruth Lowe, pianist and songwriter
1918 - Sid Bernstein, record producer
1919 - Margaret Burbidge, astrophysicist
1920 - Percy Mayfield, singer and songwriter
1926 - Joe Jones, singer, songwriter and producer who discovered the Dixie Cups
1929 - Buck Owens, singr, songwriter and guitarist, pioneered the Bakersfield Sound.
1931 - William Goldman, author, playwright, and screenwriter
1945 - Dorothy E. Denning, computer scientist
1949 - Mark Knopfler, singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer
1949 - Lou Martin, pianist, songwriter, and producer
1950 - August "Kid Creole" Darnell, musician, bandleader, singer-songwriter, and record producer
1954 - Pat Metheny, jazz guitarist and composer
1961 - Roy Hay, guitarist, keyboard player, and composer

Deaths of Note this day

30 BCE- Cleopatra, queen of egypt
1955 - Thomas Mann, author
1973 - Walter Rudolf Hess, physiologist
1985 - Kyu Sakamoto, singer and songwriter
1989 - William Shockley, physicist
1992 - John Cage, composer
2009 - Les Paul, guitarist and songwriter
2010 - Richie Hayward, drummer and songwriter

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So now some music


Echo 1A

Gladys Bentley

Percy Mayfield

Buck Owens

Mark Knopfler

Kid Creole

Pat Metheny

Kyu Sakamoto

John Cage

Les Paul

Richie Hayward

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Photo: "One Tusk", by the author, 06-10-2008, Kenya

It's an open thread, so do your thing

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for a few dates on Dire Straits first US tour circa 1979. It was great!
I've always liked / related well to Knopfler's observations of life on the road touring with a rock show. When you are working on the road days off without long travel scheduled can be rare. Days off "in town" can be kinda wild. Especially the day after a good show. Here is a playing in N.O. mantra - "Sanger Theater, Not the Zoo". Have you ever spent a "lost day" in New Orleans? I have! Speaking of great guitar work, see video below...

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enhydra lutris's picture

@jbob
it before and it was really a good listen, especially with the firs cuppa. I generally like Knopfler's style, a bit more laid back than a lot of the other big name headliners, less frenetic, etc.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Lookout's picture

We got less than an inch of rain this week and we are drying out. Folks have had a hard time getting up their hay. I suspect there will be lots of cutting raking and baling next week. With the death of the dairy farms around here, making silage seems a thing of the past. For the most part family farms are a thing of the past.

A few decades ago cotton was king. Now it is pine trees, pastured cattle, housed chickens, and a few hog operations.

The South’s forests are home to big timber industries. While the southern U.S. contain just 2 percent of the world’s forest cover, it produces 12 percent of the world’s industrial roundwood and 19 percent of its pulp and paper products – that is, they are more industrially productive than any other forest in the world.

https://news.mongabay.com/2016/04/bleak-future-u-s-wood-basket-southern-...

“In fact, [tree cover disturbance] in the Southern U.S. was four times (higher than) that of South American rainforests from 2000 to 2012.”
Screen-Shot-2016-04-06-at-12.21.13-PM.png
edit to add - the pink is tree cover loss

We've paved paradise and put up a parking lot....took all the trees and put 'em in tree museum...

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

enhydra lutris's picture

@Lookout
good that the rein is easing, heh. Nobody ever gets the right amount at the right time, life's kinda like that it seems. Pine forests, iirc, or, more properly, plantations. "Industrially productive" - interesting phrase, as opposed to agriculturally or ecologically. Bespeaks a specific viewpoint.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

smiley7's picture

Life feels silly this morning, so: Fortnite Battle in The Purple Seat Cushion.

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enhydra lutris's picture

@smiley7
cushion right now? Does it help? What does it help? Actually sounds like a boon for a road trip, except that it decreases the already scarce headroom in today's cars. You can tell that USAns sit far too much because of out focus on chairs, seats and seat accessories. But silliness is in inadequate supply, we have a constant shortage in this country. Thanks for brightenng the morning.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

detroitmechworks's picture

This morning, and writing time went to hell... BUT that's why I'm glad I kept this one sitting around until I Needed it. New Logos. Penelope. It's another non-traditional love poem.

Had some great RAIN for a change here, which was nice. Needed it, and It almost wasn't feeling like Portland any more. Smile

Happy Sunday, and thanks for the OT and being awesome.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plNcYhtPB8Y]

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

enhydra lutris's picture

@detroitmechworks
today, that's what those upsets in the routine are for. Rain in Portland, yes, gotta have it, it is a cultural driver. It isn't Portland without rain. Thanks for Penelope, I'm anxious to check it out.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

earthling1's picture

yesterday on the I-5 up in Castle Rock, Wash.
Hadn't seen it rain like that since travelling the midwest states.
Vehicles pulled over to the side of the freeway or exited altogether.
Much needed rain though.
Thanks for the OT.
Ditto on the awesome.

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Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

smiley7's picture

@earthling1 @earthling1

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enhydra lutris's picture

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

enhydra lutris's picture

@earthling1
imagine anything that Seattle folks can't handle, must've been something awesome to behold, or, alternatively, not see through.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

lotlizard's picture

https://mondoweiss.net/2018/08/wikipedia-suggests-antisemite/

Hmm, now I’m reminded of the founder’s defensiveness in the matter of the suspiciously indefatigable Wikipedia contributor “Philip Cross” …

“How Wikipedia is being used against left-wing journalists”
https://www.thecanary.co/discovery/analysis-discovery/2018/05/23/the-phi...

“Clearly not a person but a squad of British spooks”
http://markcrispinmiller.com/2018/07/the-very-busy-philip-cross-policing...

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enhydra lutris's picture

@lotlizard
clearly went deep into fallacy land there, somewhat destroying his credibility. Otoh, it's been clear for some time, to me, at any rate, that da wiki is less than objective and even handed on a variety of topics, including Israel and things pertaining or relating thereto. I was unaware of the "Philip Cross" thing, but it makes sense that the propaganda warfare departments of governments would all attempt to use Wikipedia for their purposes and that Wikipedia would favor and permit the work of some, and disfavor and remove the work of others.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

travelerxxx's picture

@lotlizard

The fierce Caitlin Johnstone has discussed this "Philip Cross" entity. Check it out:

Wikipedia Is An Establishment Psyop

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enhydra lutris's picture

@travelerxxx
as soon as I get a chance for sure. Thanks for reading.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

TheOtherMaven's picture

@travelerxxx

Wikipoo is worse than useless for current events, has been since before 2016. Probably long before.

Historical stuff...well, maybe, if they have a good source to begin with. Otherwise, not so much either.

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There is no justice. There can be no peace.

Thanks, that made me LOL yesterday morning, a good start.
I never liked the color orange, it's supposed to make one hungry I think? Denny's.

Ranch fire now largest wildfire in California history

My neighbor's place in Upper Lake did not burn, the wildfire went around it. Every day since they got back from Lassen the front page news is ORANGE, it's a friggin' war zone. Clear Lake omg don't look at the map and think about winter.

This just killz me inside, I am just about dead from listening to so many empty headed suits: Sen. Harris speaks in Middletown

Harris went on to say that these resources need to be allocated to help displaced families, many of whom she said have not been re-established since the Valley Fire three years ago. Harris said that a focus on prevention would be important in the long term, adding that prevention “is some of the smartest work that we can do.” Harris added that this preventative work has to do with admitting that climate change is a part of the problem. “Let’s all agree on that and think about what we can do to reduce the effects of climate change.” Harris said she thought there were “good arguments to be made” that increasing controlled burns in California could help with fire prevention.


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Please go and read this whole thing: Headwaters Timeline and Historical Photo Gallery

[...]
1994

  • Hamburg bill, the Headwaters Forest Act, passes the full House of Representatives, Boxer introduces bill in Senate but does not champion it, despite intense lobbying.
  • Aug: Marbled Murrelet vs Pacific Lumber, EPIC’s federal case goes to trial, exposing testimony of altered, destroyed or “lost” murrelet surveys and a party using a murrelet photo as a dart board.
  • Headwaters Forest Act dies for lack of a vote in the U.S. Senate.

Earth First! Donors last. Now 2018 tiny Timber Industry is corrupt as it ever was, and so are the politicians. More so. They give no shits for mother earth, except what they can extract for profit.

2007

  • Pacific Lumber and subsidiaries file bankruptcy under Chapter 11 of federal bankruptcy laws. Chapter 11 calls for the company in bankruptcy to reorganize its business, leaving same old, same old PL management in control for the time being. PL, true to its business as usual, created a bogus company, Scotia Development LLC in June 2006, six months before the bankruptcy filing, in Corpus Christi, Texas, so that their case will be heard in Texas
  • PL files a “reorganization plan” that proposes to sell about 22,000 acres of its forestland into high end development of luxury homes they call “trophy homes” in a “kingdom”.
  • Fortunately, nearly three months later, the bankruptcy judge ends PL’s exclusive position in submitting reorganization proposals. Proposals are expected in early 2008 from creditors, including the bondholders, and others, and the Mendocino Redwood Company, owned by the “Gap” Fisher family expresses interest in investing $200 million in the timber company.

fuck! I already blew all my life energy trying to save shit around here, got nothing left. Where are the young people to save our forests today? Too busy clicking on do-nothing foundation buttons. wah

PEACE

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enhydra lutris's picture

you mean about the forest fights and have no solutions and no inspiring words or ideas. At the moment, on many fronts, it seems that we're stuck with trying not to be part of the problem and regrouping.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --