09/02 OT: Wednesday Whatchamacallit

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Image from page 120 of "History of art" (1921)

whatchamacallit

Covid-19 information
New US virus cases fall as masks gain favor but testing lags https://apnews.com/219af7fe1e6a7393e4ef254cc0b6dfe9
The upshot of the article is that increased mask wearing and other behavior modifications are probably driving a bona fide decline in new cases. By way of example:

Jeffrey Shaman, a public health expert at Columbia University, said he is skeptical enough people are immune to significantly slow the spread. But he agreed that changes in Americans’ behavior could well be making a difference, recalling the impact that people’s actions had in containing Ebola in West Africa several years ago.

“Ebola stopped for reasons we didn’t anticipate at the time. It was so horrifying that people stopped touching each other,” Shaman said. Something similar may be happening with the coronavirus, he said.

The article also points out that:

... insufficient testing is probably concealing the full extent of the crisis, said Dr. Jonathan Quick, who leads the pandemic response for the Rockefeller Foundation, which has recommended the U.S. test 4 million people a day by fall.

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Never, ever carry cash, the cops can and will steal it. State, local, feds, all of them can steal cash and other vlauables with impunity. You have no rights against arbitrary seizures of property, no matter what the Fourth Amendment appears to say.

Somewhere every day some LEO is stealing somebody's money or other valuables. This link speaks of a pretty good haul they raked in, but I've read of them stealing just a hundred or two during traffic stops.

https://ij.org/case/pittsburgh-forfeiture/

Retired railroad engineer Terry Rolin’s life savings were seized by the government, but he hasn’t been charged with any crime. Terry saved up cash and kept it in his Pittsburgh home over many years. But when he moved out of his old house into a new, smaller apartment he didn’t feel safe keeping so much in cash savings. He asked his daughter, Rebecca Brown, to take the money home with her to Boston, deposit it into a new joint bank account, and use the money to replace his teeth and fix his truck, among other needs.

Needless to say, the first moment any cop sees a haul like that, they begin working to steal it for the force or the government, as the case may be. In this case, it was a TSA, a Federale as it were, who called in the state troopers and the DEA who then stole the poor guy's money on behalf of the feds. Neither he nor his daughter was charged with anything, they needn't be in this type of official theft, and almost never are. No evidence of any criminality is needed either, the cash is "evidence" that you have cash and that is all that is required.

Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Not for decades now, every town, city, and state, as well as the feds have a law permitting cops to simply take cash and other valuables with no real justification or public purpose

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Speaking of cops
The Guardian asserted that White supremacists and militias have infiltrated police across US, report says and further that A former FBI agent has documented links between serving officers and racist militant activities in more than a dozen states https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/27/white-supremacists-milit...

I have no problem with the sub-heading, I'm sure one can easily find huge numbers of links and other evidence, but I do challenge the use of the word infiltrate. Look back through this country's history ane you'll find that many if nt most police agencies have been full of white supremacists, right wingers, birchers, neo-nazis and stright up nazis, militia lypes like the Minutemen of the late forties and fifties, KKK and more. There was, to some extent, some effort to actively recruit and/or select for such persons to expand the forces or replace lost oficers, but that wasn't really all to necessary. "Should we hire this guy?" was a question generally never assked, those guys were just one of the guys, they were the norm and there was nothing to question.

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IMPORTANT REMINDER
If you took US History in the US, you really, really need to read this: A people's history of the United States - Howard Zinn https://libcom.org/library/peoples-history-of-united-states-howard-zinn. You can read it online or download it in a couple of different formats free. It is a bit of a slog (OK, it is heavy lifting all the way) and a bit repetitive now and then. But it is the best introduction to real US history (or the real history of the US) that you can get. I say introductin, because it doesn't really get into things like our coast-to-coast genocidal campaign against the Indians, our imperialism and imperialist wars, and a lot more, but you owe it to yourself to read it.

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One's Daily Bread
I, we, bake sourdough. We have the household recipe and take turns making it, 2 - 2 pound loaves at a time; freeze one and use one until both gone and the next baker takes over. They are a part whole wheat bread. I also made a white bread, 100% all purpose flour to see if the recipe would work. That recipe is for hand formed loaves on a baking sheet, which I figure can also be used for baguettes, buns, and rolls. All this is by way of saying that I'm not that intrigued by the following article, I'm very happy with our daily bread (and my pizza crust too, thank you), but know that it takes all types and besides, I'm always looking for a better foccacia recipe. At any rate, The Guardian tells us tht there are at least 10 "easy" breads, Forget Sourdough! How to Make 10 of the World’s Easiest Breads https://getpocket.com/explore/item/forget-sourdough-how-to-make-10-of-th... . The actual receipes are accessed via in line links. Enjoy.

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Like Birds, or Art?
Audobon's Birds of America art released as free, high-res downloads for printing (sic) The downloads are here: https://www.audubon.org/birds-of-america Enjoy

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be well and have a good one.

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It's an open thread, so have at it. The floor is yours
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Lookout's picture

Finally a break from rain today. Plan to touch up the roads because I still have my box scrape on the tractor, and then swapping out to the mower to begin taming the jungle. Always something.

In MA, Markey managed to beat Kennedy, but Morse lost to Neal...guess the smears worked. I like Cornel's description of US elections...we have a choice of a disastrous neoliberal or a catastrophic neofascist....the devil or the deep blue sea.

A choice between two evils. A term dating back to the early seventeenth century, it referred not to the devil of hellfire and brimstone but to a seam around a ship’s hull near the waterline. A sailor attempting to caulk this seam in heavy seas was in danger of falling overboard and drowning. The term was used figuratively—to mean any dilemma in which one faced danger—from that time on. It became a cliché about the middle of the eighteenth century.

Poor hispanics really suffer from cops stealing their money especially the undocumented. I always carry and use cash, but only carry $200 or so. Some of these immigrants have no bank account and carry their wad all the time.

Zinn is an important read IMO. And have loved Audubon since my youth with his prints around my grandmothers house. I still have her big book of prints. Went to the Audubon house in key west and saw several (large) originals. Nice they are available to all.

Well y'all have a great day!

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9 users have voted.

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

enhydra lutris's picture

@Lookout
road and the jungle, in your case. Thanks for the info regarding the devil and the deep blue sea, so to speak.I know what you mean about the plight of those who don't, for whatever reason, use banks. I don't always pay cash like you, but do like to have a couple of hundred on me at all times for contingencies. It's crazy to think that there as people, lots of people, who simply cannot do that.

We have the huge page format Audubon, a reprint, that somebody gave us as a present once upon a time.

be well and have a good one

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5 users have voted.

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
Plus a half dozen credit cards. They can be stopped and charges cancelled. Cash is "Gone with the Wind".

Grocery stores won't even give you cash for change any more. "Store credit vouchers."
I realize that it's different down there. I tried to pay for an $8,000 HVAC with a Chase Visa card. Contractor wanted cash or check. I had figured he wouldn't have wanted an out of state check. Wrong. he said he would have taken it. Quote "I would put a Mechanics lien on the house if it bounced."
After frantically trying to find a Citibank in Alabama (there isn't any, nor in Georgia) I asked why he wouldn't take a card. it was because of the 3% surcharge. I told him I was willing for him to charge 3% more if he would take my card. When he realized I wasn't kidding, he took the card gladly. He did a very good job and didn't hose the Yankee on the price. I'll deal with him again. I'll just remember to bring the checkbook. most people in Illinois won't take an out of state check unless the bank has a local branch. Citibank! One of the Seven Sisters!

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2 users have voted.

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

mhagle's picture

It makes me think of my dad. "Pa" we called him. He used that term all the time. Smile

Here in my part of Texas, we are getting some much-needed rain. This summer has not been as dry as last, but lots of the local storms have missed us.

I have not written much here at c99 recently. I still lurk and love you guys. This is part of a plan to keep it light. Deleted my Facebook account and feel so much better! Watch fewer political videos. Viciously unsubscribed from volumes of email. Focus on family, neighbors, and animals. Goat herding has become one of my favorite activities. I just walk the 3 out to the meadow. Put my chair under a shade tree. Enjoy the beauty of nature. Fauna, birds, rabbits. Daughter, cats, dogs, and my neighbor friend join me sometimes. Discovered that these Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats love mesquite beans! Some days I gather them before herding.

Cooking, sewing, cleaning (some long-overdue projects). Two kids are still home. Extra child came home from a long visit with relatives in Kansas. Everyone missed her.

There is so much we could choose to worry about. The future for these kids. College? Work? We are still basically on lockdown here. Weekly trip to the store is it. Worry about our country. Worry about the world. Nina Turner said recently in an interview with Krystal and Sagaar, "It's all about the Serenity Prayer right now." I made up a little mantra for world peace that I sing during the day.

Eventually, I would like to resurrect nowthepathforward.us. It started out with and bang and quickly fizzled. I have thought of using it as a center for a local gardening club. Might do that. Currently, I am working on ourdyslexicchildren.org. I have owned that domain for probably 13 years. Have done volumes of work promoting better teaching techniques in schools. Recently realized I have sought the wrong audience. Forget the schools for now. Parents are the target. All of these parents working with their kids at home. Plan to make my first video today.

You have not seen any gardening essays from me this year because this was probably the worst garden I have had in my life. The hay bales work the best for me but now I know they are only good for two years. Then they should be scooped up and dumped in the compost pile. This was the fourth year. Sigh. Keyhole gardens work well too, but they are so much work!! You have to constantly refurbish them. And the initial setup is usually expensive.

Back inside to check on the family. Most should be up by now.

Wishing you all a fabulous day!

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Marilyn

"Make dirt, not war." eyo

enhydra lutris's picture

@mhagle @mhagle
all. For a while I started my mornings in the patio, scribbling by hand and soaking up the buzz of bird activity around the fountain and feederes, but got away from it. Should get back, but not this week.Cutting down on big P politics is good. They say that everything is politics, and to a degree it is, but yours, small p politics, is what its all about.

Dyslexia is an impediment, but it can be overcome. I've known some dyslexics who did so, including a CPA. I also suspect that a great many of us have a hint of it, and that it is a spectrum type of thing. OTOH, I really know nothing about it medically, academically or scientifically.

Gardens seem to take a ton of feeding, digging and turning. Keyhole gardens look like they would be egregious in that regard, or at least all of the ones pictured when I just looked up the term. We have two small raised beds, somewhat shaded, and two less shaded essentially ground level beds. We've done ok, I guess, in that we always get some edibles that are fresh, organic, and pretty damn cheap compared to retail, but not as good as we should.

be well and have a good one.

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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 --

mhagle's picture

@enhydra lutris

Yes . . . most people are eventually readers. This is why. If a person does not have issues with dyslexia (from my calculations observing students almost half of us do) the left side of their brain easily converts symbols to sounds = phonics. The words formed are stored in the left rear hemisphere . . . sort of like text files. For us dyslexic folks, that function doesn't work. Eventually, our brains (using mostly the right hemisphere) store words as pictures, like graphics files, in the frontal lobe where basic memory lives. Once we have enough picture words stored, we can read. For me, that happened around 4th grade. For both of my kids, it happened at the end of 7th grade. I know many individuals who did not read well until adulthood. Both my kids, ages 19 and 21, read well now.

An interesting twist is that dyslexics will first be able to read topics that interest them.

BTW . . . I always love to hear about your garden. Lookout also always has wonderful gardening news.

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Marilyn

"Make dirt, not war." eyo

usefewersyllables's picture

@mhagle

I had a psychologist friend once ask me about what was happening inside my head when I read, exactly as you mention. He wanted to know if a) I matched a word-picture to a concept (visual learner), b) I heard my inner narrator essentially "read the passage to me", so that I could listen to that inner voice and associate the concept (auditory learner), or c) I just somehow had absorbed the concept in some direct way without actually focusing on the words.

It was a cool discussion, and we mapped it onto music right away. I have two friends who are ungodly gifted piano sight-readers. Put any sheet of music in front of them and they can play it seamlessly. And, after having this conversation, we all learned that they do it completely differently: for one, her inner voice sings the notes to her, and her hands know how to shape those notes on the keyboard through long practice. The other just sees the note and the fingers do it, without her inner narrator getting involved at all: the symbol translates directly to the action.

Funny thing: one of them can sing the melody line to you after glancing at a sheet of music, one can't. And one of them likes jazz improvisation, and the other is purely a classical player. No points for guessing which is which.

Everyone does everything differently, and it starts at a very basic structural level. Truly fascinating...

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Twice bitten, permanently shy.

mhagle's picture

@usefewersyllables

So much to think about. I am going to have to reread this several times and mull over it.

When I "sight-read" half of it is playing by ear. I love to improvise as well and doing jazz improvisation would be so cool.

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Marilyn

"Make dirt, not war." eyo

usefewersyllables's picture

@mhagle

but strangely I love my musical performance too much to have it have to come from paper. By the same token, my wife is one of the most gifted vocalists I’ve ever known, but for whatever reason she feels that she needs a chart to follow.

I’m all about improvisation, but I’ll never be able to do what she does routinely in her art: her technical chops are flawless. She says that she envies my freedom in being able to just sit in with people (don’t be impressed, I’m a drummer first and foremost). If I had to have a chart for everything, I’d just hang it up and take up golf.

Everyone’s mileage is guaranteed to vary... But reading is reading, whether words or music. I will always be utterly fascinated by it, and I’m convinced that no two people do it the same way.

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1 user has voted.

Twice bitten, permanently shy.

@mhagle
Didn't even pick the strawberries. i wonder if my raspberries are still alive. They are buried under six feet of weeds. But a grape vine that I have been trying to kill for years that came crawling out of the mess. It grew from a California root. I grafted a local grape from a friend. The cuttings lived and grew but the graft failed. Now I can't kill the root. no matter how deep i dig, it keeps coming back the next year.

You would think that with COVID I would have time to stay home and tend the garden. Wrong! Still dealing with my late sister-in-law's house. It's eating all my time and energy.

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3 users have voted.

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

mhagle's picture

@The Voice In the Wilderness

I'll bet your raspberries are still there. When I was a kid in northern Iowa, the raspberries grew out in the woods. Pretty resilient.

Hey . . . I always enjoy reading your Chicago comments (that is you, right?). I taught in Cicero, District 99 for three years and had a blast in Chicago. That was the late 80s. So much to do downtown. Smile

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Marilyn

"Make dirt, not war." eyo

@mhagle
When I was around 12 I used to take the CTA or more often the El downtown to visit the museums. Now there are daylight armed robberies. A civilization in decline.
We used to like to visit the Amana Colonies in Iowa. Liked the German food and wine.
I was in Davenport once, when attending AMETA (Army Management & Engineering Training Agency) in Rock Island. Despite the name it took students from all the services. Run by the US Army. I was there for a Quality Control course.

Hope you are right about the berries. Maybe I should train that grape vine and see what it's like. Or try grafting on it again. You would think with our Winters and my constantly cutting it down that it would die. I seem to recall that the California wine industry was once saved by grafting European grapes onto American roots. This one must be native American to survive both the -20 Winter we had two years ago plus my depredation. Weeds (aka unwanted native plants) are the only thing growing well this year.

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2 users have voted.

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

mhagle's picture

@The Voice In the Wilderness

I was never afraid to go downtown by myself or with my group of teacher friends. I had season tickets to the Jazz series at Orchestra Hall (nosebleed seats). Saw George Winston, Etta James, and Miles Davis among others. Museums and restaurants were so wonderful. North Cicero had a bunch of gang activity though. Kid got shot outside the school at lunchtime once.

Grapevine idea is interesting. I'm an hour south of Dallas and Mustang Grapes grow wild. Trouble is they are 30 feet up the tree. So I gathered up some fallen grapes to use as seeds. Maybe if I get them to grow and train them on a fence?

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Marilyn

"Make dirt, not war." eyo

@mhagle
in a two arm system rather than a four arm.
https://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_h/H303.pdf
What I see is boards. 2x6 I think, instead of #10 wire. I use wire but it sags in Summer and tends to break in Winter if you don't relieve the contraction and expansion.

EDIT: here is a two arm system, still with wire. https://extension2.missouri.edu/g6090
I use cedar instead of oak for water resistance. Cyprus would be good if you can get it. I think that's more available than cedar in the South. Don't know about the West. We hardly ever see cyprus here. My mistake was using 4x4 instead of 6x6 according to this latest article.
Still searching for using wood instead of wire. In CA where there is no big seasonal change, wire is fine.

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1 user has voted.

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

Anja Geitz's picture

Well, at least here in California it is. The weird thing about it is we’ve been doing it for so long now, I don’t even notice it anymore. It just is.

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There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier

enhydra lutris's picture

@Anja Geitz
ritual for me, and we only get out in public now and then, so I'm quite conscious of the fact that I must get my mask set up before leaving the house when we do so. I have a weak ear lobe from who knows what injury so elastic strap masks won't stay on. Ours, homemade have a pair of ties atop the head and a pair behind the neck, so I have to do up a mini-pony tail to deal with the neck ties in an efficient and non frustrating manner, especially when wearing my wrist brace.

be well and have a good one

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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 --

Anja Geitz's picture

@enhydra lutris

I leave a few clean ones in the car and put it on when I get ready to go where I’m going.

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There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier

Raggedy Ann's picture

The beauty of wearing a mask is that we can no longer judge someone by how they look. That's a plus - accepting a person for who they are because we can only see their eyes - the windows to the soul.

The covid has also created a lot of space for us. I love people not being on top of me in the queue at the grocery store. I could just twirl in my place if I choose.

Lots to be grateful for with the covid in our midst!

Cold front moved in. It's cold this morning, but will heat up later today. Need rain.

Enjoy the day! Pleasantry

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"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

enhydra lutris's picture

@Raggedy Ann
so when I'm masked my eyes are often covered too. I love the separation, I'm something of a big guy with a long wingspan and I've always tended to make quick movements. I don't know how many people I've inadvertently elbowed or trampled with a quick step or turn back when everybody was always tailgating.

be well and have a good one.

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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 --

Granma's picture

@Raggedy Ann at the grocery store is one of the things I miss. Over time, I’ve met some great people that way and had some enjoyable chats.

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enhydra lutris's picture

@Granma

that one still can, the trick is to talk louder.

be well and have a good one.

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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 --

Anja Geitz's picture

@Raggedy Ann

I could just twirl in my place if I choose.

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6 users have voted.

There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier

Granma's picture

@Raggedy Ann at people. They can’t see it behind the mask. Maybe I’m odd, but I liked giving strangers a big smile. It’s sort of a way to silently encourage them. If I don’t get one back, it’s fine. But that rarely happened.

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Raggedy Ann's picture

@Granma
through the mask. Look at the eyes. The eyes smile! Smile

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"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

travelerxxx's picture

@Raggedy Ann

People can see you smile through the mask.

Absolutely true! I've been testing it with little children. They nearly always smile back ...even if they have a mask, also! So, if adults ignore it, they probably would have anyway, mask or no mask.

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@travelerxxx
Cute as a kitten. Yes! he smiled back!

Sometimes I see unmasked people in the store with masked children or vice versa. WTF?

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5 users have voted.

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

travelerxxx's picture

@The Voice In the Wilderness

Saw a wealthy lady in the local Kroger a few days ago (judging wealthy by the rock on her finger, super-expensive purse, and obviously expensive dress) with no mask. It's required here in Texas, state-wide. The PA system in the Kroger announces that masks are required about every two minutes in between the Muzak. She was obviously flaunting the mask requirement.

Funny thing is, around here, probably 50% of the people in that store were Trump people. And everyone in that store was glaring at her like she was an escaped axe-murderer or something. I mean everybody.

She was also not staying clear of people - quite on purpose. I demonstrated it by blocking her path so that she had a choice to either go around me – easily six feet away – or pass within a foot of me. She took the close option. I was about to cause a scene over it, but realized that was what she wanted. Instead she got the best glare I could muster.

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Anja Geitz's picture

@travelerxxx

Than I do. I think I probably would’ve said something terribly snarky (almost certainly along the lines of her wealth and privilege) to someone near me loudly enough for her to hear and then reveled in ignoring her when she confronted me.

I suspect one day, I’ll get punched in the face for being this way. But sometimes, ya gotta take one for mental health.

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There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier

travelerxxx's picture

@Anja Geitz

Back in the day, I had somewhat of a confrontation with an irate woman in a parking lot. It's a long story, but suffice it to say that this woman had her hand stuck in her purse while she ranted at me and my buddy. Pretty sure that hand was on a Detective Special or something.

The woman at the Kroger struck me as a similar type. Further, as I watched her, it became clear that she wanted someone to confront her. Luckily, none of us in that store satisfied her longing.

This was the day after Trump spoke at the GOP convention thingy. My guess is that she was all fired up from whatever he had to say. Just a guess. In any event, this is Texas, and none of us in that store felt like ducking hot lead. Exaggeration? Maybe not. There are crazies about...

So, yeah, I'll take one for mental health purposes too, but not permanently.

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Anja Geitz's picture

@travelerxxx

That among all the wonderful things I’m sure exist there, in terms of guns, is bizarro world as far as this Californian is concerned.

Had NOT even considerEd my smart mouth could get me killed in a place like Texas.

Yikes!!!

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There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier

@travelerxxx
"If you ask a Texan for the shirt off his back, he may well give it to you. If you demand it, he may well shoot you."

Regarding racism, his family moved to Michigan when he was half grown.
"When I was a boy in Texas, I played with black boys and brown boys. It wasn't until we moved to Michigan that anyone told me that was wrong and I should only play with white boys."

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4 users have voted.

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

Pluto's Republic's picture

Now, if only you could buy yeast in the United States of America.

The preppers get it all.

It's easier to buy a medical grade N95 mask on the black market than it is to buy a packet of yeast.

Good reminders on the cops and Zinn. Thanks, el.

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____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
enhydra lutris's picture

@Pluto's Republic
the two pound monster bags of Red Star and dump it into an air tight container which you then keep in the fridge. You only need to find it once, and then you're set for a long, long time. I got mine at either an everyday market or at costco. Of course, there's still the non yeast breads too.

be well and have a good one.

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6 users have voted.

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

@enhydra lutris

... get the two pound monster bags of Red Star and dump it into an air tight container which you then keep in the fridge.

Like most, we had not previously purchased yeast in bulk. We do now. Those two pound packages last a LONG time! We had to take a deal wherein we were forced to purchase two, but it's no problem to freeze the second one until the first runs out.

Ran into a similar problem procuring rye flour. Had to purchase 20 pounds (or something) of it in order to get any at all. Slowly going through it.

We're not able to be as picky as we used to be regarding ingredients. Been lucky and found quality stuff nonetheless. We've found luck by hunting down companies who normally cater to professional bakeries, etc., and just go with the bulk sales they offer. We'll be fine unless the freezer fails or we have an extended period of time with no electricity. (Don't scoff at the "no electricity" possibility – my friends in the Lake Charles, LA, area are told they will not have power for at least two months!)

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@Pluto's Republic
apparently you mean bread yeast. How about wine yeast? Same thing?

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I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

enhydra lutris's picture

@The Voice In the Wilderness
as is good brewers yeast.

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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
I made my own wine in the 1970's when it was revealed that vintners were artificially aging their wine with hydrochloric acid. I'm not a oinophle. I also made peach wine with my excess peaches. I liked it. My favorite was using Muscat grapes with champagne yeast. I also ate the peach yeast. My wife said "Yuck!" and I'll admit it didn't look good, but it tasted like peaches. Isn't yeast a health food?

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I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

All the racist cops stuff, all the forfeitures...well, I have litigated that shit all my career. I lost count of the number of cops I have defended, almost all of them were proven guilty as could be.
Whereas you described "authorized theft", it is the pure theft of money, pills, guns, art, antiques,gs taken that were never tagged into the evidence room.drugs...those things that made funky ass cops able to buy the little weekend cottage on the lake.
I still strike up conversation with everyone in a checkout line, just ceased to hug. I am a hugger. I am just not myself nowadays.
I am making that plan for a garden next spring, possiby a winter garden. We shall see.
Be well.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

enhydra lutris's picture

@on the cusp

beds literally 15 minutes ago. Excepting the rhubarb, which is permanent, the rest will be planted in a mixture of white and red clover.

be well and have a good one.

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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 --