The Weekly Watch

Making the Most of the Moment

Open Thread image.jpg

After last week's topic of homes, I began thinking the most important things in life aren't possessions nor a nice house. Being happy and fulfilled is more about our approach to life, living the life we want, rather than one we've been conditioned to create. Our most precious gift is our time. I know I often get lost in the day to day, and forget to enjoy the moment. Those halcyon days must be recognized to be appreciated, otherwise, the moment is lost.

halcyon.jpg

The YouTube algorithm is pretty effective. I featured this fellow building a stockade style cabin last week. Next thing I knew this 30 minute clip was recommended. Here's a fun adventure with his family rafting down the Yukon River.

Sure seems like halcyon days to me. Talk about being in the moment.

It is true that where we are can influence our attitude and ability to capture peace of mind and enjoyment. Over the years I find travel to be a good way for me to appreciate my surroundings. Seeing and learning about new things has a sense of excitement to me. Vivid dreams are often a result as all the new experiences are stored and memories are sorted. But I can also find pleasure just sitting on the porch, listening to the birds and wind in the trees. It is fun to ID birds by their calls... here's a 9 minute lesson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7_D0DopQW4
We still have the wood thrush concerts every morning and evening
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrmxlez2cAg (1.5 min)

Playing music is another way to capture the moment for me. Floating along the melody and conveying the mood or story in a song is one of my pleasures. I've been getting together with some of my buddies and playing weekly, and the old band invited me to sit in and play an upcoming dance here on the mountain. So it has been nice to get back to the social aspects and shared joy in making music. This story is very similar to my music journey. (1 min)

They and their music have an enduring spirit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXCnycZdxBY

Most of my friends avoid the news, but I've been a news junkie most of my life. I've long been a fan of Bucky Fuller and took his meme "Think Global, Act Local" to heart many years ago.

So for me to stay in the moment I like to know what is going on around the world. I fear this is becoming a more difficult task as corporate media aligns and pushes their own narratives. Joe featured Caity's piece about media failure that was thought provoking (and worth the whole read) https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2021/07/03/the-horrifying-rise-of-total-mas...

"We have not found a single report by any ‘serious’ UK broadcaster or newspaper,” says the report by Media Lens. “But in a sane world, Stundin’s revelations about a key Assange witness – that Thordarson lied in exchange for immunity from prosecution – would have been headline news everywhere, with extensive media coverage on BBC News at Six and Ten, ITV News, Channel 4 News, front-page stories in the Times, Telegraph, the Guardian and more.”

“For those who still believe the media provides news, please read this,” tweeted Australian journalist John Pilger regarding the Media Lens report. “Having led the persecution of Julian Assange, the ‘free press’ is uniformly silent on sensational news that the case against Assange has collapsed. Shame on my fellow journalists.”

https://stundin.is/grein/13627/key-witness-in-assange-case-admits-to-lie...

The US government is continuing to seek the extradition of Julian Assange even though a critical witness in its indictment has admitted to fabricating key claims. Bjartmar Alexandersson, the Icelandic journalist who broke this story, discusses the explosive confession of US witness Sigurdur "Siggi" Thordarson.

Caitlin continues in a similar vein this week.
https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2021/07/08/the-assange-case-isnt-about-nati...

Julian Assange once said, “The overwhelming majority of information is classified to protect political security, not national security.”

As someone whose life’s work before his imprisonment was combing through documents of an often classified nature, he’d have been in a prime position to know. He’d have seen time and time again how a nation’s citizenry are not under the slightest threat from the secret information in the documents that had been leaked to him from around the world, but that it could damage the reputation of a politician or a government or its military.

As the persecution of the WikiLeaks founder continues to trudge on with the UK government’s granting the Biden administration permission to appeal a declined extradition request, claiming that it can safely imprison Assange without subjecting him to the draconian aspects of America’s prison system which caused the initial dismissal, it’s good to keep in mind that this is being done entirely for the purpose of controlling public access to information that is inconvenient for the powerful.
...
The US government is not afraid that unauthorized publication of government secrets will lead to Americans being killed, it’s afraid it will lead to their knowing the truth. The powerful understand that narrative control is everything, and that an entire globe-spanning empire depends on keeping the masses from having a lucid perception of what’s really going on in the world. There is an unfathomable amount of power riding on their ability to continue doing this.

In addition to blacking out uncomfortable truths, TPTB are masters of propaganda too. We've been misled about socialism our entire lives...

If you thought McCarthyism was gone...well, no such luck. In this episode, we'll discuss the US' newest wave of reactionary, anti-communist rhetoric and legislation. As capitalism's popularity wanes among the American population and the economic system begins to show signs of impending collapse, we should expect more kneejerk measures like these to try to rally support around a failing system.

Snoopy put up a recent piece about the TYT controversy. I think it fits into a Red Scare narrative as well. Suggesting Aaron Mate' is a Russian agent is a page right from the McCarthy era. Consider his journalism from the previous interview with Bjartmar Alexandersson, the Icelandic journalist. In addition to Aaron, Jimmy Dore and Glenn Greenwald have also weighed in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoXZP4m-Af8 (44 min)

On this special edition of System Update, Glenn Greenwald dives into the latest online war to erupt in the Liberal media ecosystem to explore the underlying pathologies driving liberal and Democratic Party discourse. He focuses on two reputation-destroying cancers in particular that have become dreadfully commonplace: baselessly accusing people of being paid Russian agents, and weaponizing accusations of sexual misconduct.

https://greenwald.substack.com/p/an-ugly-war-among-leftist-youtubers

Now the (not so) young turds are accusing Glenn of being a fake journalist who has an agenda. Talk about projecting...TYT vs Glenn Greenwald (In-Depth) by Hard Lens Media
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYOJvRse9Iw (30 min) A few minutes will convey the idea

Yes it seems a trivial almost school age squabble, but it has deeper implications of Caity's "control the narrative" concept. Anyone who steps out of the accepted line of discourse is now a Russian agent. And do any of you find it odd how all hacks are now described as Russian?

The US have been using Russia to control the narrative for a long time, but what country is doing the most to destroy democracies and subvert global resources for corporate profit?
We even have our own unaccountable mafia branch of government to promote global corporate capture.

Abby Martin introduces the first installment of a new Empire Files series about the CIA explaining why the agency was created, and how it became the most nefarious criminal organization in the world, with CIA expert Douglas Valentine.

(23 min)

And if you really think the US is leaving Afghanistan, you might want to reconsider how the US operates. (16 min)

As the US Empire makes its major military retreat from Afghanistan, learn about the CIA forces that will be staying behind—and their disturbing 20-year track record of war crimes.

So why does the US want to remain in Afghanistan? Larry Wilkerson explains in less than 2 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HubFri7ERWU

The US troops stationed in Afghanistan is not at all to help Afghanistan rebuild, nor is it to fight the Taliban or any terrorist organization. There are three strategic goals. One is because Afghanistan is the only region where the U.S. fist is most likely to touch the implementation of the “Belt and Road” initiative that runs through Central Asia. The second is that Pakistan, Afghanistan’s neighbor, may have'unstable' nuclear equipment. Third, there are 20 million Uyghurs in Xinjiang, China. If you want to destabilize China, the best way is to create turmoil in Xinjiang and bring China down directly from within.

Solar technician and educator in a Quick Morning Rant: China VS America
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HryiadpkssQ (8 min)
He adds in the comments...

I think I am hard on obesity mainly because I was obese. And I didn't mind it at all. When I was a child, I built robots and focused on coding, and being fat didn't seem to bother me much. But by the time I was 14, I was having chest pains and breathing problems. My family fat shamed me and it was the best thing that happened to me. I gave it everything I had to lose the weight and I did.

Why I am so hard on others about this is because I did not see how much pain and suffering I was causing to my future self, and others around me. We all pay the price for an obese populace. It increases healthcare costs greatly, for example. Would you rather have funds being allocated to type two diabetes, or kids with cancer? Also, heart disease and other obesity related diseases are literally the #1 cause of death here in America. And no one tells these people to stop! It is also getting worse, and I don't think our society will progress if their health gets any worse. It's frightening! Imagine if every single individual in industrialized nations were fit and healthy. I think the benefits would spill over to every aspect of our lives. Being fit increases brain function, stamina, ability to reproduce etc. How are people supposed to have children if they are too obese to have sex with another human? How can they raise their children and be a good parent if they can barely get out of a chair? How can they design and build rockets and batteries if they are gasping for air going up some stairs. I think it matters.

The whole point I wanted to make was not to bash on others, but for people to understand their role in our society and how their decisions affect everyone. And how being self sufficient, and physically and mentally capable, makes a profound difference on the world. We all need to help each other, and blaming others for personal problems accomplishes nothing.

My thought is we need to educate people about a proper human diet and help people develop worker owned businesses. His point that we a targeting China because of our own faults is spot on IMO.

Chris featured worker owned coops this week on his show.

Niki Okuk founded rco Tires in 2012. They've since recycled more than 300 million pounds of rubber, diverting 70 million gallons of oil from landfills with 16 employees, making it one of southern California's largest sustainability plants. Rco creates alternative uses for trash tires, turning them into new products. Because of Okuk's progressive hiring and management practices, it provides stable jobs for local black and Latino residents who struggle to find employment because of past criminal convictions or legal status.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzGzkeGsH7o (27 min)

lao.jpg

Some people let the news depress them. I think of learning the news as being informed about the world. Some stories like the continuing persecution, in fact genocide, of the Palestinians infuriate me.

Israeli forces have deployed military vehicles to the Humsa al-Bqai’a Bedouin community in the north of the Jordan Valley, declaring it a “closed military area”, while blocking access for international observers from the diplomatic and humanitarian communities.
...
“The Israeli forces have yet again destroyed the lives of families in Humsa and are now forcing them out of their homes,” said Caroline Ort, NRC Palestine country director. “The international community must resolutely condemn this dispossession and show that it will not tolerate these brazen breaches of international law. The Israeli authorities must immediately grant humanitarian access to the community to meet their urgent needs.”

Many stories, like Abby's piece on US trained death squads, are ire provoking. My personal approach is to go outside and take a walk, or mow, or prune trees, or play music, and re-focus my energies on things I can accomplish. Everyone has their own techniques for coping with disappointment. The bottom line is I prefer to be informed.

nap.jpg

So I contend that life can be enjoyed even when you are aware of it's many human horrors. There is beauty remaining in nature. There are friends to love. There is humor all around and in our own actions. And, there is much left to learn, and learning is one of my joys. No naps for me today, I hope to finish up this round of mowing. Plants are loving the unusual regular rains we've had this summer. Be well. Be happy. And if you are so inclined, be informed. Have a good Sunday!

Share
up
15 users have voted.

Comments

Like you, I like to stay informed (although it seems to become more difficult with time) and find the effort to shift focus away from the world at large to more immediate concerns a soothing exercise.

Things we can effect and experience in the moment help to balance the noise from afar. Our bird and critter population never seem to lose their entertainment value. The simple pleasures of gardening and maintaining the landscape help centering on what is real. The endless maintenance and repair projects on structures and machinery helps to keep the brain cells active, although this old body is not quite so amenable to such contortions as it once was.

Thanks for the weekly watch. There is much to carouse here.

up
8 users have voted.
Lookout's picture

@QMS

It is nice to anchor life in nature and tasks from my perspective.

I meant to include this couples approach to life in the essay too. (1 min)
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SlEgvcgySk]
81-year-old Lianfg Zifu and 77-year-old Li Suying live in a cave in China
They have lived there for 54 years and brought up their four children there
The cave is spacious including three bedrooms, kitchen and living room

Have a good one!

up
6 users have voted.

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

Raggedy Ann's picture

It is up to us - the people - to change our society. One person at a time shows kindness and it spreads. Do your part - don't be a dick, be a compassionate human. We must stop the division by expressing kindness and compassion to all. Rinse and repeat.

Enjoy the day! Pleasantry

up
6 users have voted.

"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

Lookout's picture

@Raggedy Ann

Keep the people divided cause they are easier to manipulate that way. Around here the big wedge issue seems to be "critical race theory". What about just teaching honest history and current events?

Heard a comment at Trade Day, "damn school is teaching my kid to be ashamed of being white". Now I'm pretty sure that was bullshit, but if we would apply your kindness doctrine I think all races would be treated fairly. I know I'm often ashamed of this country, but not about who and what I am.

Saw this AM where Cherokee Co GA is banning critical race theory...that seems the other extreme. I always like Coretta Scott King's line, "The colors isn't black, it's green". Class issues are typically race issues most of the time.

Stay cool. It pains me to see the heat bubble weather in the west and I'm far away. Enjoy your Sunday!

up
6 users have voted.

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

Azazello's picture

Matt & Katie had Adolph Reed on Useful Idiots this week.

Reed attacks a certain brand of mcWokery which doesn't ignore class or undermines class consciousness but sabotages the kinds of universal programs which disproportionately benefit Black people: “Both the discursive and institutional have emerged around a systemic disposition to find ways to evade talking about class and economic inequality [so that] it just grows in that dark environment with other fungi and so forth and so on.”

Reed's segment starts at the 45-minute mark.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbC81hgJym8&t=2692s width:500 height:300]

up
6 users have voted.

We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.

Lookout's picture

@Azazello

Sure seems appropriate! I'll look forward to the listen. I enjoy Matt and Katie's banter, but it goes on a bit long and I must admit to going straight to the interview most of the time as you advise.

Hope you're coping with the heat out west. How can anyone deny accelerating climate chaos?

Take care and be cool!

EDIT to add:

Why Are We Fueling Our Own Extinction?
'While the rest of us understand supply and demand theory, our politicians, slick from all that oil money gushing into their hands, seem unable to firmly grasp this basic theory.'

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/07/10/why-are-we-fueling-our-own...

up
6 users have voted.

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

mimi's picture

@Lookout
Makes me mad those words I don't understand. I take a nap.

up
2 users have voted.
Lookout's picture

@mimi

It is often added to works to indicate the commercialization and commodification of different ideas. 'Woke' is increasingly used as a byword for social awareness.

up
6 users have voted.

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

mimi's picture

@Lookout

up
2 users have voted.
Azazello's picture

@Lookout
It rained a bunch, over an inch in my neighborhood.
It was a pleasant 75 this morning. We had 83 for a low yesterday.
We're actually getting a monsoon this year.
Overall, the trend line is hotter and drier but, in southern AZ, this summer is both cooler and wetter than last year's.
Thanks for the heads-up on Abby M's new series.

up
5 users have voted.

We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.

Lookout's picture

@Azazello

Another CD article on the heat...
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/07/09/dead-heat-it-too-late-leave

Glad things are better for y'all!

up
5 users have voted.

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

mimi's picture

@Azazello
Reed wants to say. There is nice racism? I guess that's the only racism I have observed. The nicer the better.

up
2 users have voted.
mimi's picture

I take a lot of naps lately. But rather would be more awake. Thanks for you WW, it is always a pleasure to read.

up
3 users have voted.
Lookout's picture

@mimi

When we were playing music every Friday night, I would always take a preemptive nap. Most of the time these days, I just go to bed (and get up) early.

Always nice to "see" you on Sundays. Hope all is well in your world and you are able to get out and about.

up
4 users have voted.

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

mimi's picture

@Lookout

up
3 users have voted.

satisfaction in daily life. I have scant respect for those who demand blood on the floor and non stop excitement. I can remember when it was actually considered polite--I think it is rude--to ask someone "What do you do for excitement?" I usually said "Nothing." I think that if someone is bored that is their problem, not mine, and I need not make it mine.

But, being homeless ain't fun. Neither is going hungry. Neither is being despised and harassed because you can't afford new clothing. Or a vehicle. Or taking a 4 hour bus ride to get to your minimum wage job.

In about 50 years now of leftist activism, what exactly has gotten better? Civil Rights legislation was passed before the New Left got off the ground. The women's movement started off well, and then got derailed by Agent Steinem and Ms magazine. The environmental movement has been coopted and when was the last time anyone heard from the Peace Movement? Successful recent social movements, such as MADD and the rise of organic agriculture owe very little to leftist activism.

Frankly, the Old Left did a lot better than the New Left so far has done.

up
6 users have voted.

Mary Bennett

Lookout's picture

@Nastarana

The media control has been very effective as has McCarthyism.

And you're certainly correct, poverty isn't fun.

The movements of our youth were hopeful, but as John Prine said in one of his songs "all my friends became insurance salesmen" Meaning they sold out. Capitalism eats itself eventually and we are certainly seeing the fall of this empire. Sadly it appears the biosphere will crumble with it.

I feel very fortunate to have experienced a bit of the Civil Rights movement, much of the Vietnam peace movement, the liberation of many women (especially those my age), the birth of the environmental movement, and my personal experience in the "back to the land" movement.

I wish we had been more successful and that those movements had more staying power, but we have to deal with our current collapse as best we can.

Thanks for your comment and visit today. Have a good one!

up
6 users have voted.

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

enhydra lutris's picture

@Nastarana @Nastarana

generation Reagan. All most of them cared about or wanted was a cushy job, a good portfolio, a nice house or downtown condo and a beemer or merc. They never picked up the guantlet and mostly bailed on the movement, tossing everything into the lap of what used to be called "the white liberal establishment" and/or "checkbook liberals", who, as they had largely done before, did very little but talk.

be well and have a good one

up
3 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 --

enhydra lutris's picture

much to deal with seriatum, so I read through ignoring links and vids and then jump back later, sometimes much later. Today will be somewhere between "a bit later" and "mucho mas tarde" - still moderate but warming, so time to get stuff done and then come back later.

One thing hit me, my old sardonic viewpoint, on the tire recycling "Man, that's a lot of Huaraches", hearkening to the Mexican hand-made sandals of my youth, maybe $5, tops, with a lifetime warranty on the soles which were cut from old tires, usually ones with lots of tread (must've been blown sidewalls).

be well and have a good one

up
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 --

Lookout's picture

@enhydra lutris

Packing them to create underground walls. What a great use of a nasty piece of trash.
https://earthshipbiotecture.com/how-to-pound-tires-and-build-tire-walls/

The more worker owned coops the better IMO.

Stay cool and I hope y'all get a little heat relief in the near term!

up
6 users have voted.

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

dystopian's picture

@enhydra lutris There was nothing like those tire tread huaraches from Mexico in the day EL! I had some made there at the Zapateria in Alamos Sonora. He put our foot on the tire tread and used a hot solder iron to trace around it. Come back in a couple days, a couple bucks, last forever, most comfortable shoe I ever owned. Wish I had some now.

Thanks for bringing them up!

up
4 users have voted.

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

@enhydra lutris
on tire soled sandals in some of the most difficult endurance running events. The book Born to Run is a fascinating read delving into the world of endurance running, human anatomy and the unlikely heroes who regularly trounced the ‘world’s best’ running on home made footwear and leaving the spandex clad and their neon Nikes in the dust.

After starting the book Breath by James Nestor I am also wondering if the Tarahumara hadn’t tapped into millennia old breathing techniques that may have contributed to their remarkable displays of endurance which had them passing the favorites in the brutal Leadville CO ultra-marathon on the steepest hills….with smiles on their faces.

Technology and fancy gear are no match for simple knowledge and wisdom that humans have repeatedly forgotten and periodically rediscovered: how to breathe and how to run.

up
3 users have voted.

Capitalism is the extraordinary belief that the nastiest of men for the nastiest of motives will somehow work for the benefit of all."
- John Maynard Keynes

orlbucfan's picture

From wet, humid FL to you in sister state AL: a big Rec’d! Smile

up
4 users have voted.

Inner and Outer Space: the Final Frontiers.

Lookout's picture

@orlbucfan

Did you have any issues with Elsa? Just looked like lots of rain for y'all.

Of late our showers have been moderate, but regular. I sure ain't complaining!

Have a lovely afternoon!

up
5 users have voted.

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

Raggedy Ann's picture

familiar with Whitney Webb. She is a researcher from hell - used to be with the Mint Press but now on her own. Support her - she is doing important work.

Please watch her in the video below - we have to be informed in order to fight back:
https://www.corbettreport.com/interview-1649-whitney-webb-dissects-the-w...

up
5 users have voted.

"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

Lookout's picture

@Raggedy Ann
...and an excellent researcher. I'll definitely check it out.

up
5 users have voted.

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

mimi's picture

polite and friendly voice than yours, lookout. I am sorry that I often can't hold up to the same standards. I wished I could.

Sorry for letting my mood hang out. I am so dead tired recently. I want some ivermectin, but I feel scared to buy it online. I have no doctor, who would listen to me and prescribe it.

Then I had an intervertebral discs prolapse around five weeks ago. Since that time the muscles of my left leg don't carry me anymore and I am prone to fall. I have not much pain at all. Just can't rely on my leg to carry me.

So, I am frustrated. If I fall, nobody there to help me up. I crawl on my knees til I find something to hold on to to get up. Not very convenient if I am supposed to be the person who would have to help my sister up, if she falls. I can't get her up. She is so overweight, doesn't work. Last time it happened I had to call the ambulance folks.

Before that happened I was very strong and worked like a horse in the garden and the house. I am so mad. If I can't function, nothing functions in this house and garden.

I have also nobody to talk to. That's why I talk here. Very embarrassing.

up
8 users have voted.
Lookout's picture

@mimi

I'm sorry to hear of your health issues. As you know my primary health advice comes back to diet. Avoiding all sugary foods is my first recommendation. Making (or buying) bone broth for daily dosing is second. Vitamin D and K as well as magnesium supplements would be the third. And finally staying well hydrated drinking plenty of water, and perhaps occasional fasts would be the last of my ideas. Here's some more ideas:
https://draxe.com/health/herniated-disc-treatment/
https://www.spine-health.com/wellness/nutrition-diet-weight-loss/food-th...
I'm a soil scientist not a MD so take the advice for what it is worth.

In the meantime a cane might be helpful to prevent falls. These new canes with feet are effective...
cane.jpg

Wishing you a speedy recovery and good health!

up
6 users have voted.

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

mimi's picture

@Lookout
I haven't paid attention to and no cane. I am not overweight and I don't like sugary things. I crave more for spicy and sour. Smile

I will be back, just have to wait for an MRI of my spine til they know what to do about it.

Thanks for your kind response.

up
5 users have voted.
Dawn's Meta's picture

@mimi pharmacies, no prescription required. There are several. Can you use PayPal? Some will take a credit card.

Here is one:
Canadian Pharmacy

Type in Ivermectin and Canadian Pharmacy online.

We got a year's supply and enough for a few weeks if we get infected.

Any time we go out we come home and use a cup of sea salt water with a couple of drops of Provodine/Iodine in eyes, nose and gargle.

Good luck and good health.

up
2 users have voted.

A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit. Allegedly Greek, but more possibly fairly modern quote.

Consider helping by donating using the button in the upper left hand corner. Thank you.

@Dawn's Meta
which I have. However, I have been blocked by two local pharmacists who refused to fill the prescription. When I had a face to face meeting with one of the above who stated “I am not willing to risk my license.” and “we don’t fill any prescriptions to be used for the prevention of COVID.” She declared that only vaccinations are available for the treatment of COVID. I asked where that policy had come down from to which she replied “It’s my call.” I very much doubt that.

My wife explored ordering from Canada, with no success. Apparently, no Ivermectin prescriptions are being filled on US prescriptions. I had heard Ivermectin is available in France without a prescription, over the counter, like aspirin and cold remedies. If that is true, count yourself among the lucky. I may have to find some in Nigeria, where they manufacture their own.

up
2 users have voted.

Capitalism is the extraordinary belief that the nastiest of men for the nastiest of motives will somehow work for the benefit of all."
- John Maynard Keynes

Dawn's Meta's picture

@ovals49 @ovals49 ordering. The Canadian pharmacies do this for Cialis and lots of other money makers. They sometimes list 'gift' on the outside.

We tried two different ones to see what showed up. We got both, then ordered enough for a year. No RX.

If you are saying the Canadian pharmacy requires an RX if you live in the US? Some even say on the site that they are stealth and will mail in plain wrapper with 'gift' marked on the contents.

ETA: wow, I reread your comment. I would try as many Canadian pharmacies that do internet sales as I could find. Maybe they are really afraid of US. Europe so far is good. Mimi is in EU as well so she has probable ability to do the same we did.

Wishing you luck on this. Are you too far from Canada to drive across? It might be worth it.

Some people got vet horse paste and calced the dosage for weight. .2-.4 mg per kilo of weight. Not sure about excipients.

The Stromectin we ordered is for people and like most things on their site normally require RX.

It was worth it to us to experiment with the pharmacies to see what would come.

up
1 user has voted.

A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit. Allegedly Greek, but more possibly fairly modern quote.

Consider helping by donating using the button in the upper left hand corner. Thank you.

Lookout's picture

@ovals49

but here's a pretty good list of sources
https://covid19criticalcare.com/ivermectin-in-covid-19/how-to-get-iverme...

I must admit I bought the horse paste not to take as a preventative but as a treatment if symptoms appeared. Available at Tractor supply
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/durvet-ivermectin-paste-187-608-g
Dose is by weight. I can help if you're really interested.

we're luckily so far so good... had the 2 jab moderna however.

up
2 users have voted.

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

mimi's picture

@Dawn's Meta
advice.

up
1 user has voted.
Dawn's Meta's picture

@mimi on your scans.

up
2 users have voted.

A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit. Allegedly Greek, but more possibly fairly modern quote.

Consider helping by donating using the button in the upper left hand corner. Thank you.

I haven’t watched your recommended video on bird calls (will definitely do so later) but wanted to issue a PSA: Merlin Bird ID app now has a Sound ID function! Just aim your phone toward the bird, hit the button and it records the sound and almost instantly displays the bird’s identity. It’s changed my life, lol!

up
7 users have voted.
Lookout's picture

@TB mare

Dystopian (our resident bird expert recommend one too) Sorry I didn't write it down. Perhaps he will chime in.
I usually use the Cornell site. They developed your merlin app
https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2021/06/what-bird-singing-merlin-bird-i...
https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/
The video I posted is only average, but good for beginners and easy to follow.

I enjoy the birds and glad you do too.

up
6 users have voted.

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

enhydra lutris's picture

@TB mare
(Sibleys, iBird, a couple more, but I haven't tried the bird call feature yet because I haven't been out of my back yard. (heck, I haven't tried the photo bit either, nothing ever sits still for one). It's a great app already, so I can't wait to test that feature.

be well and have a good one

up
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 --

dystopian's picture

Hi all,

On apps I know nothing, have never used any, as a dinosaur, I learned everything before they were a thing. Haven't carried a field guide for decades, of course would need one in any foreign country. It seems like the new tech could be great tools for learning though.

The sound place I mentioned here before is xeno-canto.org which I think is great IF you know what you are looking for, or have an idea. Whereas this for when otherwise.

I have heard very little about the new Merlin birdcall app. Mostly that it is pretty good, and pretty accurate. Most of the time, in most places. Generally the locale data that is critical in suggestions is going to do a good job of narrowing it down to correct answers. But some examples of mis-ID's suggested were given.

The big concern I saw voiced was by a top ebird reviewer regarding ID's being entered into ebird based soley on the app's ID. Which is yet to be proven infallible. The suggestion was that visual confirmation be made and it is probably not best to always consider the app suggestions as a concrete impossible to be wrong ID for entering into a database.
So, I bet the app is good, but fallible, and it will get better with some years of it being used hard in the field.

In the old days we just ran everything down until we learned it. That sort of learning seems to 'stick' better. My fear is that like much tech learning, it will do to bird call ID what calculators did to knowing basic math.

My tip is don't listen to the words, listen to the voice. Tonal quality is everything. Common Yellowthroat puts the accent on a different syllable in each geographic part of
the country. But the voice is the same. We often get hung up on the words, learn the voice. Each White-crowned Sparrow subspecies sings a different song, but their voices all
sound the same, and unlike anything else. Even within one subspecies they vary. One (late great) birder could tell you which hill around the bay area (S.F., CA) the White-crowned Sparrow was from if you played him a tape of it. Forget the words, learn the voice, timbre, and tonal quality to learn species. People have long talked of how Summer Tanager, Robin, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak can be confusing. Yeah, well except the part that one has the voice of a Grosbeak, one a Tanager, and the other a thrush.

You can tell all your friends and relatives apart by voice, blindfolded. It is just that, a little advanced, to a ridiculous level. You can tell every warbler and every shorebird apart by call note, over 50 of each! Imagine the fun you have learning them!

Sorry to be late to look here today... Wife and I did four miles at our local fav state park, saw a bunch of great birds, butterflies, dragonflies, flowers, native minnows, and such. Nature therapy is where it is at man.

Hope all are very well!

Thanks for the great WW LO!

up
3 users have voted.

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

Lookout's picture

@dystopian

Only came to birding by ear in my 30's, but after 30+ years I'm much better...especially with our residents. My better half typically has a better ear for ID, but yesterday I heard a rain crow (yellow billed cuckoo) which I IDed, but was disputed until Cornell site confirmed upon consultation.

Perhaps with all the birding interest here we should consider a monthly(?) birding exchange....a who what and where discussion.

The scarlet tanagers have hung around all summer so far. We always have the summer (who often nest right around the house), but the scarlet is a real treat. What a showy male and beautiful yellow green female. Living on the mountain we have ground level entrance on one side, and canopy views on the other. Great for birding.

Thanks again for the tonal advice. Have a good week!

up
3 users have voted.

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

dystopian's picture

@Lookout We have breeding cuckoos around, love those calls. The cooing dove-like is I think the 'rain call' that they do often right before it rains especially. The woody knocking they do all the time. I have had them do that call in response to car door shutting too loudly, or hammering a nail in a 2 x 4. A couple offcuts and you can get them to call... Smile they are great birds.

So are Scarlet Tanager, that male can make a birder out of someone.

Yer place sounds awesome for birding... and with Wood Thrushes to hear... it is obviously a good piece of woodland. If I ever get on the roadtrip thing again... Wink

I love to hear about what others are seeing, do follow a number of birding listservs, etc. and always like seeing when folks post pics on the Friday photo OT. I can't commit to hosting but would of course participate in any sort of nature nerding that might come by here.

I don't ever go anywhere nowadays, we are very sedentary. Total all driving about 1000 miles per year, for 10 years now. All my birding is within a few miles of where we live lately. Think global bird local is my thing... Smile I do have a place where I post weekly, with daily nature nerd notes... see the 'Bird News' page here:www DOT utopianature DOT com if you can't sleep... it is my attempt at creating the most soporific material on the interwebs. A couple thousand folks a month apparently can't sleep. Wink

up
0 users have voted.

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein