Open Thread - 09-16-22 - Crossroads

it_photo.jpgIt feels like we're stuck in history. Here we stand, in purgatory, between the old world order and the new world order. I didn't ask to be here and I'll bet you didn't either, but here we are. If mankind survives, in what form may yet be determined, historians will study this era like no other. We may be, right now, writing the final chapters of a book. A story that will never be duplicated again in the exact manner of biological circumstance. In the balance of evolution, we think of ourselves apart, because of our intellect. Unfortunately, branches do break off from the evolutionary tree.

The worst part is knowing we can't go back. And the future is most uncertain, to say the least. I'm sure most would agree that the past was far from perfect, and I'm sure most would agree that it now looks like paradise in the rear view mirror, with hell bearing down just up ahead, full tilt boogie.

How is it we are here? How is it so many existential means of destruction meet at the focus of mankind, in unison. Economic collapse, famine, climate upheaval, pandemic, war, we were warned for generations of these potential catastrophes, here they are upon us, all at the same time. Is it coincidence? Artificial? Natural? Does it matter?

Civilizations have stood at the crossroads before, but never on this scale or with so much at stake. It may seem like a positive feedback loop that's out of control, like it's totally out of our hands. Like there's nothing we can do to stop it. But I'm not so sure about that.

evo2.jpg
More below the cliff.

The massive inequality around the world tells the tale. It's been a decades long fleecing of the world, especially in the last ten years or so. The uber wealthy are desperate to hold on to the world that they are convinced is their oyster. They are not shy about revealing their monstrous plans. The proof is easy to find if one is curious.

People are waking up across the globe. They're opening their eyes to the lies, the manipulation, the propaganda, the greed, the avarice. There are protests across the world despite the media totally ignore it all. A Great Awakening. People are standing up for themselves. They've had enough. This is not over yet.

Human spirit can be a tough sumbitch.

Here's a gentle reminder to those that may "rah" "rah" themselves into annihilation, inadvertently or not. Remember this?

“Why do we need a world if Russia is not in it?”

Source

I do. Be careful of the pyrrhic victory you may wish for.

Here's a little tidbit from down Texas way. Wifey and I live about 20 miles from Tarkington, Texas. This little nipper was 13 ft. 4 1/4 inches long. It was caught in a pond where these fellows frequently duck hunt. One of the first things I learned when I moved down here is that you have to be aware of your environment at all times. Heh!

0922alligator-1.jpg

You can read more about it here.

Do your mind a favor and remove the shackles. Turn off your TV.

Share
up
23 users have voted.

Comments

be careful of the swamp creatures, they are everywhere and they can be very dangerous.

up
8 users have voted.

Was on a spring break trip to the sunshine state when we stopped at a rest area in northern FL.
Wandering around the site, I spotted a big'un and told my buddy, hey look -- a fake alligator!
Then it blinked. Glad I wasn't too close. Scary looking critters.

Thanks for the OT!

up
6 users have voted.

@QMS
here in east Texas.

Snakes: Copperheads, coral snakes, rattlesnakes, cottonmouths.
Insects: Scorpions, black widows, brown recluse, fire ants, kissing bugs.
Mammals: Wild hogs, mountain lions.
Reptiles: Gators
Fish: Sharks.
Tiny organisms: Brain-eating amoebas, flesh-eating bacteria.
Mythical creatures: Chupacabra.

I watch every step I make. It seems like everything is out to get you in Texas.

up
10 users have voted.
enhydra lutris's picture

@JtC

They'll bite you in the ass every time.

be well and have a good one

up
10 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
centrists like hiding in the bushes. They jump out with unexpected times, like elections. Although I'm not sure how many centrists exist in Texas, if at all.

up
8 users have voted.
dystopian's picture

@JtC @JtC with apologies... the amateur taxonomist in me can't resist... I realize most likely are well aware, but just in case...

First, for new Texans how many soft piles of dirt does it take for one to kick before they learn those are fire ant mounds?

Of course the scorpion and spiders are Arachnids, not insects. Arachnids have 8-10 legs (or more), whereas insects have 6 legs. I think the old rule still stands, 'if it has more than 6 legs, it is not an insect. Comes in handy trying to ID buggy critters. Ticks and chiggers are arachnids that might deserve an honorable mention on your list. The chiggers hardly a life threat like the others though, just an annoyance. Ticks can be dangerous.

Re: leg counts, some insects can have fewer than 6, as the butterflies in the brushfoot (Nymphalidae) family only have 4 functioning legs as adults (as Snout for example). But generally 6 legs makes an insect.

On the mythical creatures you left off 'compassionate Republican' and 'sensible democrat'. Both may be extinct here in Texas?

Aransas NWR used to have an Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake skin pinned out tanned on a board in the HQ that was right about 8 FEET long! Probably had a half-cup of venom in its sacs.

OK, a gator story... I have seen some big gators, in the 12-14' range. Once one too close I walked by without noticing it because my eye was glued to the telephoto lens and the bird in it. Got my shots turned around and saw I was trapped on a narrow spit in the bayou with a 12'+ gator between me and the mainland. I asked maybe not the nicest to wifey why she didn't tell me it was there. She said she figured I saw it and since I handle rattlers I knew what I was doing. I asked her, that how could she not, by now, know beyond any shadow of doubt, I do not know what I am doing. The bird photog is a myopic nimrod. I am lucky it was the crack of dawn and I presume Mr. Gator (that was what I called him as I negotiated my passage) was a bit lethargic still. Finally I made a bolt for it running 6' past its head knowing full well if it wanted me, it was over. Fountainbleau St. Pk. Louisiana on north shore of L. Ponchatrain. If you are on I-10 and need a great camping spot... Awesome place, just watch for the gators.

Got a chigger on me nads,
itches like hell,
Welcome to Texas,
ain't this swell?

I have been covered in chiggers a few times, I am usually packing a few... did I mention I was a birder? Once I had one I could only scratch if I farted and another two I could only get if I peed. How do they do it? And why?

have great ones all!

up
7 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

@dystopian wore high heels and girdles, the fashion elite women said, "one must suffer for beauty". With that in mind, "One must suffer for birding".
I am gonna book a weekend soon for Smith Point.

up
5 users have voted.

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

dystopian's picture

@on the cusp I used to have a saying, bird 'till it hurts. A couple times I overdid myself. Wink Just take binocs so you can see stuff better. There is a great auto tour drive at Anahuac NWR you just drive around on a dike up over everything. In winter it is loaded with waterfowl. Maybe some just showing up now. In summer Purple Gallinule breeds. Was a boardwalk through willows near HQ birders loved. Often Ibis and Spoonbills, it is an amazing place. Big gators sometimes.

I usually could find Pileated Woodpeckers just driving around in Ft. Anahuac Pk. It is a great place for a picnic lunch overlooking the bay sitting under big trees. Or a camp. It is on the bay up by the little town of Anahuac, north of Smith Point.

Then down on the Bolivar Peninsula you can drive the beach to the bollards near the point, and it is great beach going there.

That area is like no other, my wife and I loved it. Just remember bug spray. Smile

up
6 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

@dystopian
I'll be back in a while and I'll edit this reply.

up
3 users have voted.

@dystopian @dystopian

On the mythical creatures you left off 'compassionate Republican' and 'sensible democrat'. Both may be extinct here in Texas?

Henry Gonzales
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_B._González

and Jack Brooks
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Brooks_(American_politician)

are no longer with us

Fortunately, Ron Paul is still around:

http://www.ronpaullibertyreport.com

Memorial Alligator Ed dancing' shoes:

Dr. Ed Alligator Shoes copy.jpg

up
1 user has voted.

@QMS @QMS Your post is in harmony with my own thoughts about the transformation under way. My fondest hope remains Murphy's Law. No matter how carefully laid, the plans and schemes afoot will face inevitable glitches and fuckups from the perspective of the engineers of the New World Order. Opportunities will arise from those situations and humanity may find ways to disrupt the game, provided enough people let go of their mental habits rooted in the familiar world we grew up in.

edited to add: Speaking of Murphy's Law, this little note was intended to be a response to JtC's opening post above.

up
12 users have voted.

I cried when I wrote this song. Sue me if I play too long.

@fire with fire
after all, and subject to failure as we all are. Although I do have to admit that the human designation is dubious.

up
11 users have voted.
Lookout's picture

Big shifts are underway as power re-balances. Things are in flux and many will suffer (to my mind) because of a leadership class beholden not to the people but to their delusional quest for hegemony. It is what it is, so we have to adapt to the current reality. Fretting and gnashing of teeth won't help a thing. I must admit to often thinking of eyo's line "shake fist at sky" as being an option (which of course is equally ineffective at changing anything but your attitude).

I'm sticking to my "hide in the holler" philosophy. Got the fall garden going. Still some peppers to harvest and sweet potatoes to dig next month. It is finally dry enough to go to the horse farm and get a load of manure next week to add to the harvested summer beds and let them mellow over winter. No it doesn't change the world, but it does occupy me with something that at least seems productive...plus I think it is fun.

Been playing a bit of music with a buddy recently, and that's been fun too. I've always liked Joni's line, "laughing, singing, and crying, they're all the same release".

The Allman bros used to play free concerts all around here in my misspent youth. Whatta great time to come of age...
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2761GYvGVY]

up
13 users have voted.

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

@Lookout
like Robert Johnson who was a frustrated guitar player until he met a stranger at junction of two highways. The stranger was supposedly the devil. Robert then disappeared for 6 months and came back as an accomplished guitarist and songwriter. Did he sell his soul?

I picked up a used dobro this week that's in nice shape. Gonna have it set up and then see if it improves my playing. Not going to hold my breath, but one can hope anyway.

Hold the line in the holler, old buddy!

up
13 users have voted.
mimi's picture

@JtC
heh, i am still mad that you have been silent for so many years and months and never wrote a single word. You wasted a long time with that silence. Why?

I am also still mad that I don't know what a holler is. Is that an english word?

I am still happy that my login password still works. Thanks.

I am mad as hell with what is happening in Germany. If you listen to 'the political folks each one for themselves they somewhat are acceptable, but when they come together and start their games of 'who has the best comment' they are annoying as hell.

I have nothing to say other that my mind and body falls apart and are as brittle and leaking as the shitholw that we seem to love bathing in.

And thanks for all the musical talents you represent .I love you all for them.

up
7 users have voted.
Lookout's picture

@mimi

Though the answer isn't simple...

What is a holler in Appalachia?
The word “cove” describes those narrower creek valleys that in other parts of the Appalachians, and often in western North Carolina, are called “hollows,” or “hollers.” Coves may contain arable bottomland, but usually less than in the larger river valleys.

What does it mean to live in a holler?
A holler is a place where the sun comes up late and sets early. After the sun sets, it’s still a couple of hours before it gets dark. It’s a place where you can let your young’uns, dog, cat and chickens run loose in the yard.

Why do they call it a holler?
And, then there’s Appalachian English, where a holler is a term for a valley between two mountains, based on the word hollow and evidenced since the 19th century. Folk etymologies like to claim, though, that the term comes from people hollering to each other over the mountains to communicate.

What does holler mean in Kentucky?
“Holler” is the regional dialect pronunciation of “hollow,” referring to a broad natural hollow, as of one a creek has carved, i.e. a small valley.

Whats the difference between a hollow and a holler?
As nouns the difference between hollow and holler is that hollow is a small valley between mountains; a low spot surrounded by elevations while holler is a yell, shout or holler can be (southern us|appalachia) (small valley between mountains).

We live in a holler that is a gap or cove in the mountain...

up
7 users have voted.

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

janis b's picture

@Lookout

up
3 users have voted.
Lookout's picture

@mimi @mimi

Though the answer isn't simple...

What is a holler in Appalachia?
The word “cove” describes those narrower creek valleys that in other parts of the Appalachians, and often in western North Carolina, are called “hollows,” or “hollers.” Coves may contain arable bottomland, but usually less than in the larger river valleys.

What does it mean to live in a holler?
A holler is a place where the sun comes up late and sets early. After the sun sets, it’s still a couple of hours before it gets dark. It’s a place where you can let your young’uns, dog, cat and chickens run loose in the yard.

Why do they call it a holler?
And, then there’s Appalachian English, where a holler is a term for a valley between two mountains, based on the word hollow and evidenced since the 19th century. Folk etymologies like to claim, though, that the term comes from people hollering to each other over the mountains to communicate.

What does holler mean in Kentucky?
“Holler” is the regional dialect pronunciation of “hollow,” referring to a broad natural hollow, as of one a creek has carved, i.e. a small valley.

Whats the difference between a hollow and a holler?
As nouns the difference between hollow and holler is that hollow is a small valley between mountains; a low spot surrounded by elevations while holler is a yell, shout or holler can be (southern us|appalachia) (small valley between mountains).

We live in a holler that is a gap or cove in the mountain...

up
2 users have voted.

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

usefewersyllables's picture

Things are definitely going to get weirder before they get less weird, and I fear that I'll be among those caught up in the great dying. But as always- I'd rather go first than be one of the ones struggling mightily to somehow make it work and failing.

I don't have a good version of "Crossroads" to post, but I'll make up for it by posting Jeff Beck, Tal Wilkenfeld, and Vinnie Colaiuta doing "Because We've Ended As Lovers" from the Crossroads Guitar Festival- just because I freakin' like them. Go Tal!

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVgUzUZeTw4 width:400 height:300]

up
10 users have voted.

Twice bitten, permanently shy.

@usefewersyllables

Since we are living in one of the nightmarish dystopian near-future science fiction
novels I read, it is somehow less surprising to me. As with most modern fiction of
this genre, there is no good way out of it. Unless we band together and re-form a
new reality using people powered, imagination inspired phase shift enigmatic
perceptions inspired by beneficial aliens Wink

ceramics-5-640x726@2x.jpg

Keith Wallace Smith, “Dream Dancer” (2009), porcelain, terra-cotta, and rope, 21 × 13 × 17 inches. Photo courtesy of the artist.

https://www.thisiscolossal.com/category/art/

up
11 users have voted.
usefewersyllables's picture

@QMS

a beautiful work. Thanks much for that image- it truly made me smile this morning.

It would be very nice indeed if we could somehow achieve critical mass on the eye-opening process, wouldn't it? Every step, a dance; every word, a song...

up
9 users have voted.

Twice bitten, permanently shy.

@usefewersyllables
I got my head on the ground. One must avoid that condition!

When the going gets weird, that's when I really get going.

Hang in there UFS. We, the great unwashed, hold the power to change things. It's a story as old as time.

up
9 users have voted.

@JtC

the quadraphonic version of this here in Japan (for about ten bucks IIRC)

Now, if I can ever get or get access to a quadraphonic system to give it a proper listen...

One of the Youtube commenters rated this album as "one of the best-engineered of all time".

up
2 users have voted.

@usefewersyllables @usefewersyllables
I was a college DJ one night, and notorious for blowing people's ears out. (mid 70s - Zeppelin, Cream, Black Sabbath) I was constantly getting calls to "play something mellow goddamnit!" Finally I gave in. I said, "We have a request for Ken in (the womans' dorm) We don't have "something mellow goddamnit" so here's this." and I played Because We've Ended As Lovers. (It's an instrumental, he probably didn't get the joke)

Another story. In the fall of 1975 the Supreme Court made their community guidelines pornography ruling. The TLDR was that each community could define what was porn for itself. That night I went on the carrier current and dedicated the Stones Star Star to the SC. Turns out a DJ with KSAN in SF did the same, but since I was in Illinois I've always assumed that I was the first to legally play a song with "fuck" in it.

edit: oops, should have been with "crossroads" above. Rough morning, going in for a colonoscopy.

up
12 users have voted.

On to Biden since 1973

enhydra lutris's picture

@doh1304

and that the results are good.

be well and have a good one

up
7 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

@doh1304 hope all goes well for you doh! I love yer star star story. Too funny. We were all pretty excited about Mick sneakin' that one through. Wink

But the U.S. pressing LP was censored on the song. As played on the radio. It had two lines of lyrics dubbed over the offensive line. That garbled line was right after "Your tricks with fruit are kinda cute". The next line had two lines of slurred Mick dubbed over it on U.S. pressings. My Dutch pressing orange vinyl copy is un-dubbed original track. "I bet you keep your P***Y clean" rings clear as a bell with no second line dubbed over it garbling the words. It was too much for puritan America at the time (1973). But they let Star F'r go? I guess they knew it when they heard it... There is a live 1975 L.A. Forum vid on utube of Star Star from that tour, the first Woody tour. I only went 3 of the 5 nights, not that I was a fan. Mick and Keith got drunk one of the nights. I was not impressed. That was the tour when they had a phallus inflate from the center of the stage for Star Star which mick rode. After the first show they were told they were going to be arrested for obscenity so they painted knuckles and a finger nail on it, so it was clearly a finger, a big FU. Listen to Bill Wymans bass in that version (or the German bootleg of 73 tour), he rips.

be well amigo!

up
5 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

@dystopian @dystopian
i wasn't involved in. In the mid 60s some DJ decided it would be fun to read an "adult" novel over the air. During a thunderstorm. At night. The storm supposedly picked up the tiny carrier current signal, amplified it, and dropped it over a gospel station in St Louis. The FCC was not amused.

up
4 users have voted.

On to Biden since 1973

enhydra lutris's picture

@usefewersyllables
she was young, new, and awesome, and I've tried to more or less follow her ever since, as well as listening to some of her classic performances over and over, like this one with Herbie at Montreux or some of her solo stuff like Chelsea Hotel.

be well and have a good one

up
8 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 --

@usefewersyllables the weird turn pro.

Hunter Thompson was a prophet.

up
8 users have voted.

I cried when I wrote this song. Sue me if I play too long.

I am very much with the idea “hiding in the holler” that Lookout mentions. Do a lot of that in both Santa Fe and outside Austin in my old house. Keep up with what is happening in the world and am hopeful with the show of strength from workers demanding more and better conditions.

At one time, Divine Order and I owned a piece of property on Galveston Bay in a very remote fishing village. We were right on the water and the property had been owned by a man that died without a wil and his brother was named executor of his estate and he sold the place for a song. We got a half-finished house on stilts, an abandoned building where he raised soft shell crabs for sale and an abandoned shrimp boat. We turned in into our version of a little piece of heaven complete with alligators, fire ants, scorpions and plenty of other mean creatures. But we also had some awesome birding off the back of the abandoned shrimp boat we converted to a sunset deck, kayak launch and many a good time. We had an alligator that lived under our homemade dock so when we went down to the now converted crab shack into an outdoor kitchen and guest house, we always took a golf club to hit the alligator on the head to convince him to go back home. Was quite a wonderful time but then Rita, and the promise of more hurricanes convinced us it was time to let someone else enjoy the place.

Now am beginning to make concrete plans to weather what comes my way. Hope all have a good weekend ahead.

up
8 users have voted.

Life is what you make it, so make it something worthwhile.

This ain't no dress rehearsal!

@jakkalbessie
that I forgot to list hurricanes as that which must be avoided in Texas.

That little Hernando's Hideaway sounds wonderful. I bet it was great fun! Was it near Crystal Beach by any chance?

Thanks for the pleasant seascape, jb.

up
5 users have voted.

@JtC Across the bay. Little place called Smith Point mainly known for oysters and all the other things mentioned above. We had friends that had a place in Galveston and they would come over and spend the weekend with us. Many happy memories.

up
6 users have voted.

Life is what you make it, so make it something worthwhile.

This ain't no dress rehearsal!

dystopian's picture

@jakkalbessie Hi JB, Hey JtC,

Smith Point is the site of one of Texas' top hawkwatch sites the last 20 years. There is a tower there you can go up and have hawk experts ID'ing everything, at distances such as to appear as magic, at the very limit of conjecture. It rocks Aug. to October. Some days thousands of swallows or hawks go by or over, They see Frigatebirds, couple days ago a couple Swallow-tailed Kite, which are the most graceful bird in the air in America. Day after frontal passage usually best. There is a road that goes out Smith Point, the tower is down near end where parking lot for it. Don't think any fees. Save all your dough and go. You will not regret it. This all became a thing after my days hanging out on the UTC (upper Texas coast). Ft. Anahuac Pk. is great as is Anahuac NWR. High Island is astounding in spring on the right day, but can be dead in fall often. I presume Smith Point Hawkwatch is findable on line. The whole area there is awesome... what a great place to have gotten to spend time JB!

Just a hit and run, still working, gotta fly, just couldn't believe I saw Smith Point! Wink

be well all!

up
5 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

little press release from The Moscow Times. I'm sure the USians would say the same thing if the shoe was on the other foot.

And here I thought all along it was the colossal methane burp lurking under the permafrost that would do in humanity and life on earth when it finally expelled itself. Nope. Just a stupid democrat party intent on starting another unnecessary war. I shoulda' known.

Thanks for the OT. Good music all around.

up
7 users have voted.

@randtntx
to remind the cheerleaders of what the end game may be if their team wins. Short of a peace agreement, there will be no winners.

Thanks rand.

up
6 users have voted.

courageous national or int'l leadership in the world today. In the US it's been going downhill since 1980. Internationally, a bunch of US puppet cowards in the west. Not an independent strong DeGaulle type remotely in the group. Even once principled neutral Switzerland is now drifting to join hands with Nato/US.

Lack of intellectual leadership here and abroad. The good ones have died out, and the few remaining ones are either near the end (Chomsky) or are mostly muted in any dissent. The most prominent Euro intellectual (that I'm aware of) is a French neocon regime changer.

Grassroots leadership might be the route forward, but currently on the left the groups are balkanized and small, while on the far right they are more numerous and organized but for antidemocratic and authoritarian purposes.

Other than that, things are going just fine. And I still get to play my music from the best musical period in history, or roughly 1963-82. Maybe the lousy music we've had to endure since then has played a negative role in what's going on today ...

up
9 users have voted.

@wokkamile
disco music. Things went rapidly down the drain after that.

Thanks for stopping in wokka.

up
6 users have voted.
enhydra lutris's picture

@JtC

then came disco and that was the end of that.

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 --

@JtC I did like Disco Inferno. That was a very early one. Downhill after that, culminating in Disco Demolition Night in Chicago's Comisky Park, 1979.

Agree with el on The Bee Gees. Too much disco, too much falsetto, hit record after record, in too short a span of time. Like fingernails on a chalkboard.

up
4 users have voted.

The article below, concerning food bank and social services closures while the dead queen gets her two weeks of sad. Poor folks have to be sad for two weeks. And hungry, and forget that trip to the hospital.
https://scheerpost.com/2022/09/16/queens-funeral-shuts-food-banks-amid-c...

up
6 users have voted.

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

@on the cusp
she lets me know that every night right before dinner when I'm hungry. Biggrin

In all seriousness though, you are right, now is the time.

up
5 users have voted.

@JtC your implied consent.
happy consorting!
And the poor being harmed or killed to observe regal rituals is shameful.

up
5 users have voted.

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

that things are going to take a turn for the worse.

The US, NATO and EU keep stoking the flames with more weapons regardless to how many will die in order to maintain the hegemony.

It makes me think of the old Popeye quote.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru52zJ2gab4]

up
8 users have voted.

@humphrey @humphrey
also: Pelosi going to Armenia amid renewed clashes with Azerbaijan

The situation in the Ukraine is complicated but I have a feeling that things are going to take a turn for the worse.

I cringe when Nance visits a nation for support. Chaos follows shortly.

up
8 users have voted.

@JtC @JtC

ASB Military News

Follower from Iran says there’s a lot of military movement towards Armenian borders from Iran’s Islamic revolutionary guard corps. Says he lives in the area and has seen convoys for hours now

Edited to add this:

her trip to Taiwan helped to calm tensions.

LEVI

China will impose sanctions on top managers of US defense companies Raytheon Technologies and Boeing Defense for selling weapons to Taiwan, the Foreign Ministry said

up
8 users have voted.

@humphrey

US sanction war gets push back from China.

China will impose sanctions on top managers of US defense companies Raytheon Technologies and Boeing Defense for selling weapons to Taiwan

Russia should do the same counter sanctions.

up
6 users have voted.
janis b's picture

[video:https://youtu.be/DGwK1jjemgE]

I have a gator story too.

It was about 30 years ago on a visit to my family in Florida. With great excitement I planned a day canoeing through a beautiful part of the Everglades with my husband who had never been in a canoe or in the Everglades before. I thought it would be a very peaceful and novel experience for us. It was very peaceful in the stillness of the water and the bird sound. We entered a beautiful area dripping with lush growth and set the paddles in the canoe to spend some time just admiring when something large started to appear right alongside the entire length of the canoe. It rose fully less than 3’ away, and then disappeared again below. We were awestruck. I remember two very distinct sensations in that moment, one of ‘oh, no’ and the other of pure amazement. When we regained our other senses we actually continued on canoeing, found an open pond like area covered in duckweed and ate our lunch feeling incredibly lucky to have had this experience, and hoping s/he would let us find our way back peacefully.

up
6 users have voted.

@janis b

maybe it was the copper tone seasoning?
some gators dislike bug spray Wink

up
4 users have voted.
janis b's picture

@QMS

More likely though it would have been bug repellent.

up
3 users have voted.

@janis b They would get so close to his boat, he could whack them on the head with his 6' pole, and if he caught a baby on a tri-hook, he would play with it after he unhooked it. There may be a tri-hook visible on the gator caught in JtC's Tarkington picture. They are everywhere in East Texas.

up
4 users have voted.

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

janis b's picture

@on the cusp

and daring!

up
4 users have voted.

@janis b He fished an afternoon in a 17 ft. boat with a gator right alongside that was pretty much as long as the boat. He said the gator's back was about 2 feet across. And, he kept on fishing!
He has gator and water moccasin stories from 60 years of fishing.

up
4 users have voted.

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

Lookout's picture

@on the cusp
https://afriendlyletter.com/william-bartram-alligators/

It was certainly most providential that I looked up at that instant, as the monster would probably, in less than a minute, have seized and dragged me into the river. This incredible boldness of the animal disturbed me greatly, supposing there could now be no reasonable safety for me during the night, but by keeping continually on the watch; I therefore, as soon as I had prepared the fish, proceeded to secure myself and effects in the best manner I could: in the first place, I hauled my bark upon the shore, almost clear out of the water, to prevent their oversetting or sinking her, after this every moveable was taken out and carried to my camp, which was but a few yards off; then ranging some dry wood in such order as was the most convenient, cleared the ground round about it, that there might be no impediment in my way, in case of an attack in the night, either from the water or the land; for I discovered by this time, that this small isthmus, from its remote situation and fruitfulness, was resorted to by bears and wolves.

In the okie there are signs to be sure to NOT hang stringers of fish from your boat.

WARNING: Alligators are found throughout the waters of the refuge. Exercise extreme caution and leave the immediate area when fishing in their presence. Use of stringers to keep fish is strongly discouraged.

up
6 users have voted.

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

I too feel like things are coming to a boiling point. Reading this site gives me hope. I don't think this experiment is going to end well for humans. I believe you F with mother earth at your own peril (if we are even able to make it that far). Depressing when you have young children.

up
7 users have voted.

If it was easy, everyone would do it.

lotlizard's picture

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K3I23g-O2A]

♫   No matter what we may have planned…

up
6 users have voted.
janis b's picture

@lotlizard

and tender song to complete the mood lotlizard, thank you.

https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/donmclean/crossroads.html

up
5 users have voted.