Open Thread WE 15 SEP 21 ~ Superstition


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The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out... without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable.
-- H. L. Mencken

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“If a black cat crosses your path, it signifies that the animal is going somewhere.”
-- Groucho Marx

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I used to be a writer with superstitions worthy of a professional baseball player: I needed a certain desk chair and a certain armchair and a certain desk arrangement, and I could only get really useful work done between 8 P.M. and 3 A.M. Then I started to move, and I couldn't bring my chairs with me.
-- Elizabeth McCracken

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Let me make the superstitions of a nation and I care not who makes its laws or its songs either. Mark Twain

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The master of superstition is the people, and in all superstition wise men follow fools, and arguments are fitted to practice in a reversed order.
-- Francis Bacon

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“I have inherited this burden of superstition and nonsense. I govern innumerable men but must acknowledge that I am governed by birds and thunderclaps”
-- Thornton Wilder

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“There are some things, after all, that Sally Owens knows for certain: Always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder. Keep rosemary by your garden gate. Add pepper to your mashed potatoes. Plant roses and lavender, for luck. Fall in love whenever you can.”
― Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic

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Credits:
Straw sculpture
Wara art festival
Japan’s Niigata Prefecture
https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2021/09/wara-art-festival-japan/

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Open thread so share your superstitions and whatever else is on your minds.

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Today is Greenpeace day. Observed since 2011 Smile
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International day of Democracy since 2008 (UN) ~~

Pertaining to the Covid-19 crisis ..
-Measures to control the flow of information and crackdown on freedom of expression and press freedom against an existing background of shrinking civic space.
-Arrest, detention, prosecution or persecution of political opponents, journalists, doctors and healthcare workers, activists and others for allegedly spreading “fake news”.
-Aggressive cyber-policing and increased online surveillance.
-Postponement of elections is raising serious constitutional issues in some cases and may lead to rising tensions.

https://www.un.org/en/observances/democracy-day

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1935 -- Nuremberg laws instituted by the Nazi party are put into force
The laws revoked citizenship for Jews, forbade them from having relationships with people of non-Jewish origin and made the swastika the official symbol of Germany. Sad

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Written by Willie Dixon and first recorded by Howlin' Wolf. Jeff Beck recorded the song for the 1968 debut album, "Truth" by the Jeff Beck Group, featuring Rod Stewart on vocals. Beck's versions prominent feature is Beck's guitar work at every break. The album reached #15 on the Billboard 200.
His version was ranked #86 on Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time".

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It seems tensions are being purposely increased . Why else would there be a mandate for a vaccination that is known to be seriously inadequate and very possibly dangerous?

Strange brew indeed.

Hope you're doing well up there in the beautiful country.

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takes me back, and that G.Marx quote is just plain great.

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lotlizard's picture

Many see this as meaning that Nina Turner has already decided to cash in and sell out to corporate Dems.

https://mobile.twitter.com/TheYoungTurks/status/1437899812393816066

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@lotlizard

Perhaps in that hazy space between left and liberal
she thinks this will giver some chops?
Dunno, but it seems the once strong voices for the people
have become squeaky dribbles. Wink

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@randtntx

Really appreciate your positive feed back. It is a lonely world out here in cyberspace this early in the morning. It is heartening to know there are others of like mind getting started as well.

The increasing tension about the vax issue has come home to roost with me. Trying to get a script filled for IVM has become a nightmare comedy on how the Pharma arm of the big brother state is muscling us away from alternative treatments. Perseverance furthers ..

Hope y'all are doing OK in Texas land. The little New England country farm is somewhat pleasant in these dwindling days of summer.

Best,
Q

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@QMS , wandering around in the vast cyberspace in the wee hours here as well Smile

Talk about coming home to roost....same here but in multiple ways. Hope your Rx issue gets properly resolved to your needs. It strikes me as completely absurd that this is even an issue. What country do we live in? Some Soviet Union style totalitarian state? Our MD can't prescribe meds? How crazy is that. Looks like the right is partially right.

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this weekend at the Newport boat show. Kinda sad to see her go.

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Put many years getting her into Bristol condition. All good things seem to come to an end eventually.

https://www.wellingtonyachts.com/yacht-details/7957992/1990-little-harbo...

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@QMS I bet you'll miss her, but she looks very capable and ready to dance across the water.

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@randtntx

Danced with her up and down the east coast from FL to ME several times.
She is a smooth dancer and quite comely.

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Lookout's picture

@QMS

Congrats on all the work. Hope she brings a bundle so you can cruise for awhile.

Lots of ship related superstitions aren't there?
https://www.maritimemuseum.co.nz/collections/top-20-sailing-superstitions

As an emergency IVM source you might consider the horse dewormer...available at your local farm supply in all likelihood. Though I have friends (including a vet) who use it as a preventative, I've got a tube in case either of us become symptomatic. Fortunately I think our prevention protocols, Vit D & C, zinc, melatonin, mouthwash after exposure to others, etc has us able to fend off infection.

The fact that it is so difficult to obtain this safer than aspirin drug speaks volumes.

Everyone needs to be aware the symptoms of the Delta variant are different than the Alpha... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASq0_qUo2dA (14 min)
After 2 vaccines fewer symptoms were reported over a shorter period of time
Headache
Runny nose
Sneezing
Sore throat
Persistent cough

Everyone take care and be well.

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

CB's picture

@Lookout
Majority Of Those Dying Had Both Jabs

Note: Doesn't allow me to cut and past.

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mimi's picture

@Lookout
In what form is Melatonin avaiable.?

I got my second shot vaccination today (Biontech vaccine here in Germany) I have no side effects at all. Now I just want some horse dewormer. And I don't do the throat cleaning ...

I had other stuff lately like gout. Nasty.

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@mimi
Melatonin is available over the counter in US Pharmacies. It c9omes in both capsule and chewable gummy form. It is sold as a sleep aid (helped me).
Don't know about Germany. Probably not available.

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

mimi's picture

@The Voice In the Wilderness
in the TV for it. Here it comes as a spray. I think I try it, though I am so exhausted from the many physical hard work I am doing, that I have no problem to fall asleep (and I don't like it.because I fall asleep when I try to catch the most stuff from Joe's EB, but booom I am gone, laptop on my stomach, til I push it out of my bed, when I am gone to Sleepy Land.

I hope you can cope with all that ails you. My eyes go too, but nobody beleives me that I don't see enough, when i drive. And if you would know hoe people drive here, you would go bananas and jump out of your vehicle and make a roll-over down the hills.

Sigh. So tired. Have a good one or the best one you can have. keep hoping it will get better.

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@mimi
Age-related macular degeneration.

Two things help.
1. My car has blind spot detectors that give a bright orange warning when it is not safe to change lanes plus it warns with audible and visual warnings if you are approaching an object too quickly.
2. My wife always rides in the passenger seat, warning me of things I might nor see.

My people are afraid of glitches in self-driving cars. Having made a living programming automated equipment, I am possibly more aware than laymen of what can go wrong.
Still, I would rather trust my life to an autonomous car than crazy Illinois drivers, watching cell phone videos/driving high/just plain nuts.
Once one leaves Illinois, the situation improves. Since the surrounding states are all red states, I wonder if drivers are more polite because they realize the other drivers might be armed. I have a large red Chevrolet Equinox. before that i had a large red Buick envision. it's strange how these large red vehicles are invisible to other Illinois drivers.

EDIT:
the most courteous drivers I've ever shared the road with are texan drivers.

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

@Lookout
For about a week. didn't eat for six days. Recovered.
J&J vaccine? Or just not my time? Been taking my vitamins and eating fresh fruit (and tomatoes since late August when the plants started bearing).

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

enhydra lutris's picture

@QMS

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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 --

I only care for her. The yearly maintenance cost of the vessel is more than I make, so she is out of my league, ownership wise.

Have been using the iodine gargle with good success whenever the throat gets scratchy. The zinc, vita C , B and D are good. Hope they don't restrict their usage too!

Thanks.
Q

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Raggedy Ann's picture

@QMS to your protocol as it is what allows the zinc to enter your cells. You're welcome!

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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

@Raggedy Ann

Will look into it.

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Raggedy Ann's picture

@QMS .
I'm taking this:
https://zstacklife.com/

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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

Lookout's picture

@Raggedy Ann
You gotta get zn in your cells to do its job.

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

enhydra lutris's picture

OTOH, there is ample anecdotal evidence supporting it. Perhaps one merely needs to find one's own perfect seer, one who might be an otherwise unlikely choice.

Loved the Groucho quote, so did my wife when I repeated it to her. For the record, these wuz ours -
twins1b

for scale --
trailercats

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 --

@enhydra lutris

out black cat was a real character
he thought he was a panther
he slept in the bushes with the birds
beat up my wife
and would attack my leg

loved that little guy

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enhydra lutris's picture

@QMS

and it showed in a lot of ways.

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 --

@enhydra lutris

meetthepearliestempalet_0001_shannon-haggerston.jpg

The Costermongers worked hard and played hard – always ready for a sing song and a good old knees up in the local battle cruiser (boozer), many a time us kids playing outside with an arrowroot biscuit and a coke.

https://www.pearlies.org.uk/about-the-original-pearlies#the-original-pea...

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CB's picture

@enhydra lutris @enhydra lutris
He wandered into my place one evening in summertime four years ago and stared at me from the kitchen while I was laying down on the couch. I got up but he skittered away. I had lost my gorgeous calico cat the previous spring to old age so I had some treats to put down for him.

Over a period of about tens days or so, he kept coming back as I continued to feed him. He finally came over to the couch where I was resting and stared at me. He then jumped on my chest and started kneading me while looking at me in the face. Very weird experience. BTW, he had been declawed. He was about 3 or 4 years old. He had adopted me.

After that he started bringing me 'gifts' - 3 birds, 4 mice and 3 snakes (and even a live bat - but that's a story for another time). Most of them were still alive. It sent my significant other into a panic - especially when he brought them into our bed in the early mornings. I still can't figure how he catches them - but he does have a soft mouth. He won't eat any human food at all - no fish, chicken or beef, just dry cat food. I did finally convert him to take wet (expensive) cat food to reduce the chances of urinary tract stones.

Every morning he climbs on my desk next to my keyboard (now so big he extends partially on the keyboard) and gets his daily all over "itchy scratchy's". If I don't give these he will get on top of the keyboard and make my computer go nuts.

In my younger years I was always a dog person. I could leave or take cats. BUT, for some reason cats have always been attracted to me when I visit others. I did try showering but that didn't seem to work. Unknw

PS I called him "Snookums" or "Snooks" for short.

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snoopydawg's picture

Love all the wood in it. Is it teak? My cousin in LA had one like that but much smaller and we went to Catalina for the weekend. I was SO excited to finally be on the ocean. Ugly weather so we powered over and I sat at the front of the boat watching the waves and seeing the boat go up and down and up and down and boy did I get seasick. Real big bummer. I couldn't even think of going below deck cuz my stomach said absolutely not. We sailed back and it was much better. Not sure why.

What I got a kick out of was watching the big ships coming closer. You couldn't see them doing that, but each time I looked back at one it was. It felt like a giant chess set.

Another fun memory dredged from the 'wreck' of my mind. Thanks.

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

@snoopydawg

33 years ago there was still access to good Indonesian Teak wood.
All of the trim and furniture, locker doors, thresholds etc. are solid wood
The bulkheads are teak veneer finished in satin varnish.
Marble countertops, stainless hardware and brass screws.
A comfortable cruiser at about 50 tons.

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