Open Thread WE 31 MAY 23 ~ Last day of May


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Negotiating Chaos

“You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star."
— Friedrich Nietzsche
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Working on some ideas about the role of happenstance in our journey's. Have you had
unexpected outcomes after taking an unplanned turn in life? I have.
Tried to deconstruct this notion, but it evaporated into the ethers.
Something about a free rudder to develop a new course setting.

Otherwise ..

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Still got some old scratchy albums and a working turntable? This one is for you!

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maravilla-9-640x480@2x.jpg

Guadalupe Maravilla Transforms a School Bus into an Immersive Installation for Sound-Based Healing “Mariposa Relámpago” or lightening butterfly.

maravilla-6-640x960@2x.jpg

https://www.guadalupemaravilla.com

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So, let your inner wild thing have its day. Please post anything on your radar.

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Woke yesterday to a light haze in the air. From some distant forest fires in
Nova Scotia. Smelled like a bonfire. The ground level smog cleared out
when the ocean breeze came in mid day. Today it appears as overcast.

Hope you have clear skies.

Q

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Hope to finish the deck job today! Been a long time coming.

cheers

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enhydra lutris's picture

@QMS

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 --

dystopian's picture

Hi all Hey Capt. QMS,

In some circles this is the official song for the day...

I can't believe the fires in Nova Scotia, and last year a hurricane T-boned it!?!

Edit: P.S. I LOVE that beetle sculpture!

I gotta fly... have great days all!

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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's picture

theorem that true "happenstance" can only occur when one has a goal or destination. When I was a kid, some of us would go to an intersection, flip a coin to pick a road, flip again to choose a direction and proceed to thumb it accordingly. This process would be repeated until we found a diversion or decided to head home. (Years later, I saw Mifune, in Yojimbo, I think,walking along a path, come to a crossroads, stop and pick up a stick which he tossed into the air and, observing its fall, adjusted his route accordingly.) Anybody who has done much hitching knows that even absent the intentional randomization, uncertainty, happenstance and even adventure occurs even if you do have a destination, so the theorem is faulty.

I recall as a kid learning of the "games" that the surrealists and DaDa heads indulged in back in the way back in Paris (think of Dali, et. al.) Naturally some of us indulged in them and it was interesting, but in a sense oxymoronic insofar as it was based at a fundamental level on directed behavior. I tried it at a small gathering a decade or so ago, and it was less than satisfactory with semi-senior citizens.

Time is a big factor here. My wife and I, once upon a time discovered the art of turning a wrong turn or unmarked or unmapped road into "having an adventure" by the simple act of following the instinct to "see where this goes". We still indulge in that behavior in many contexts, along with the similar behavior of pulling over "here" and, grabbing some comestibles and potables from the vehicle, following "this path" until a good picnic site intrudes upon our senses.

This is, of course, a far cry from the accidental flat tire and the events and eventualities that follow but I suspect many indulge or have indulged in similar behavior. If you routinely bike or walk or drive from point a to point b, how often do you willfully take a different route just to vary things up? I used to do it regularly when I bicycle commuted.

BTW, if you were misrouted to a random locale in the Caspian region, would that be happenStans? Asking for a friend.

be well and have a good one

edit, fixed missing pooint b

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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 --

Intentional randomization is a heady topic
very rarely in my sailing career have I 'gone where the wind blows'
normally moving the floating objects from points A to B irregardless
but it is a nice feeling, come what may

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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 --

usefewersyllables's picture

the worst of the snow/freeze threat (I hope), we put together a little patio garden last weekend. Not having a garden since the old place burned has stolen some of my Zen, so I wanted to get that back, even if it is hard living in the minimal little apartment we now have.

I got a self-watering wheeled planter that is about 48"x28", and transplanted all of our winter herbs into it, along with one Early Girl tomato and a serrano pepper surrounded by a forest of garlic chives. The pepper seems to make the chives even hotter, which makes them a real treat. So I can sit out towards sunset, sip an Adult Beverage, nibble on an edible or two, and watch things grow again. It provides me a nice little departure from the normal everyday stress and worry.

The best thing about that planter is that, being wheeled, we can roll it back under the overhang of the upstairs patio for the hailstorms- which are being downright harsh this spring. So maybe my little 'maters will make it to the table, instead of being pounded into mush while still on the vine... Now I just have to coax a tree frog or two into taking up residence in there. Maybe they can throw the upstairs neighbors' cigarette butts out of the planter for me.

Woke up "not dead" again this morning, so that makes it a good day. That's happenstance enough for me at the moment, since I've finally internalized the fact that control truly is illusory: when the button finally gets pushed, it'll have nothing to do with me, and I can't fix it or affect that arc of the universe in any way. So I'm going to make myself content with watching my teeny little tomatoes get bigger.

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Twice bitten, permanently shy.

@usefewersyllables

horizontal axis, trying to picture it
Zen and the art of growing 'maters
good luck!

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usefewersyllables's picture

@QMS

The Wheel of Karma...

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Twice bitten, permanently shy.

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@humphrey

for the msm.
better than nba playoffs?
until china heats up
thanks for the glimpse into the
war machine
it is peaceful here Wink

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usefewersyllables's picture

@humphrey @humphrey

of time until this war comes to our shores. Our lapdog/ally/excuse Mr. Zelenskyyyy seems to like really pushing his goddamned luck.

I don't think that the Russians will be too kindly disposed towards just humoring the little shit for much longer. Describing this as a terrorist attack on Moscow is pretty much exactly accurate. Wonder when the answering terrorist attack will occur on one of our cities, and which one?

I'm astonished that they haven't fragged the little bastard yet. They must really want Kyiv more or less intact, and they haven't been willing to splash any of the aircraft in which he's been galavanting around the world, begging for more weapons. Yet. That won't last.

Watching this happen is just unbelieveably nauseating. No one has any possibility of winning this war. There is no upside, and even the Owners have to realize that. There isn't going to be anybody left to roll their cigars, give birth to their hookers, and ferment their Cristal........

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Twice bitten, permanently shy.

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Pluto's Republic's picture


Tara Reade, who accused Joe Biden of sexual assault, defects to Russia

Tara Reade: ‘To my Russian brothers and sisters, I’m sorry right now that American elites are choosing to have such an aggressive stance.’

Tue 30 May 2023

Tara Reade, a former Senate staffer who in 2020 accused Joe Biden of sexual assault, has said she had defected to Russia.

“I’m still kind of in a daze a bit but I feel very good,” Reade told Sputnik, a Russian press outlet supportive of President Vladimir Putin, while sitting with Maria Butina, a convicted Russian agent jailed in the US but now a member of parliament in Russia.

“I feel very surrounded by protection and safety,” Reade said on Tuesday.

Now 59, Reade was a staffer for Biden when he was a US senator from Delaware.

In 2020, as Biden ran for the Democratic presidential nomination, she claimed that in 1993, in a Senate corridor, he pushed her against a wall and assaulted her. Biden repeatedly denied the accusation.

At her press appearance in Russia, Reade was described as a “writer and publicist and former aide to Joe Biden”.

Sitting next to Butina, Reade said: “I just really so appreciate Maria and everyone who’s been giving me [protection] at a time when it’s been very difficult to know if I’m safe or not.

“I just didn’t want to walk home and walk into a cage or be killed, which is basically my two choices.”

Reade recently considered testifying before US House Republicans seeking to use committees to attack Biden and his family.

The decision to defect to Russia, she told Sputnik, “was very difficult. I’m not an impulsive person. I really take my time and sort of analyse data points.

“And from what I could see based on the cases and based on what was happening and sort of the push for them to not want me to testify, I felt that while [the 2024] election is gearing up and there’s so much at stake, I’m almost better off here and just being safe. My dream is to live in both places, but it may be that I only live in this place and that’s OK.”

Biden is running for re-election. As president, he has helped maintain international support for Ukraine as it fights invading Russian forces.

Reade said: “To my Russian brothers and sisters, I’m sorry right now that American elites are choosing to have such an aggressive stance. Just know that most American citizens do want to be friends and hope that we can have unity again.

“I am enjoying my time in Moscow, and I feel very at home.”

— Reported by the Guardian with Neocon tears.

To me, this looks like a remarkable adventure. Reade should write a how-to book.

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____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato

If you get stung by a scorpion, take a Benadril immediately.
If you had consumed or intended to consume an adult beverage, take a Clarytin instead.
For sure, after you get stung, you will very much desire an adult beverage. Pill up accordingly.
I didn't like the situation of the non-citizen facing life in prison, who had no job, who was charged with possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute, and who swore it was for personal use. Both the pot and cocaine. I quoted a huge fee, told him to get another quote, then tell the judge you need a court-appointed attorney.
I am wary of the cartel, have no interest in finding out the hard way some local guy is part of it.
I happened to be at my parent's home. I was making arrangements to head to DC to interview for a job with the DOJ. Some locals wanted to hire me for just that one little legal thing...a real property issue. I took the case for the plane fare and hotel costs for the planned interview. Over and done in a month, then off I go.
Opposing counsel was the County Attorney, owner of a title company, regarded as an expert in real estate matters. I won. And got knocks on the door. And I never left, never scheduled that interview in DC.
38 years ago.
Best laid plans, blah blah blah

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

Pluto's Republic's picture

@on the cusp

I'm shedding possessions, tying up loose ends, and packing up like a digital nomad.

Don't have a plan yet, but I want to be ready to jump as opportunities are streaming by. I'm up for one more big adventure in a whole new world.

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____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato

@Pluto's Republic is either in civil unrest, near Taiwan, has cartel everywhere, or near the Russian border.
Guess I will stick it out in Texas.
I prep for sticking it out very carefully and conscientiously.
https://youtu.be/EvuL5jyCHOw

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

@on the cusp

kinda want to get away my own damn self at times
what is worse and what is best?

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@humphrey

feel bad for the coming generations
unless they figure out something
different and better

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mimi's picture

and this quote is beyond my patience.
“You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star."

What do you need a dancing star for? I hate chaos.

ok, I prefer not dancing with nobody.

Have a good day, all. And thanks for the open thread, as long it ain't an open threat, I read it.

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@mimi @mimi

Nietzsche included. the quote was used in this context to illustrate
a point I was trying to make. Stars = light beyond our control
Is it desirable to branch out in that direction at the next Y?
if so, how do we get there?

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mimi's picture

@QMS

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@mimi

not exactly sure what we are betting about
if we get there, what is the finish line?
and where is there? stipulate your parameters
and we may both win the bet Wink

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enhydra lutris's picture

The Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra:

PERRO is:
David Crosby
Graham Nash
Jerry Garcia
Phil Lesh
Mickey Hart
Billy Kreutzmann
Paul Kantner
Grace Slick
Jorma Kaukonen
Jack Casady
David Freiberg
and others...

32 minutes of rough mix tapes may be found here --

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLdMfFY9guo

or here

have a day

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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

keep stumbling!

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enhydra lutris's picture

"Jefferson Starship", but not The Jefferson Starship is a PERRO project that made it into vinyl

"Jefferson Airplane" Had Recorded 5 Albums By 1970. During That Year They
Released Only One Single, So During The Down Time "Paul Kanter" Put Together
A Collection Of Musicians From The Bay-Area Bands Of That Time & Entered The
Studio To Record "Blows Against The Empire" At Pacific High Recording Studios. The
Album Was Released Under The Name "Paul Kanter & Jefferson Starship" In October

Link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzclibWeXM8

embed below, just started listening when Joe's OT went up, so I switched to that for now.

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 --

The sisters fight will result in nut job sister being charged with a felony.
What is crazy is that my client, a life long friend, comes to my office for help and advice with blood dripping and multiple wounds. While she was at the Sheriff's Office filing her complaint, my staff checked on her.
Instead of going straight to the ER, she wanted to talk to me again. By then, the bleeding had stopped, the swelling had begun. I told her to get her ass to the er! Now!
This all stems from a will her Mom had me prepare that gave her everything, cut out the crazy daughter. Crazy daughter has been wanting her fair share for years.
Well, the probate judge accepted the will, crazy sister is not over it, will never get over it, until she sits in prison a few years, and reflects.
If you knew how tiny the estate was, you would agree that people are nuts. At most, $20,000.

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

TheOtherMaven's picture

@on the cusp

I haven't spoken to my sister in nearly five years, after the way she tried to chisel my brother (and me) out of a share of my mother's estate. For myself I expected it and could do without if necessary, but he had nothing and no other expectations, while she was rolling in it.

Well, she got the trouble she'd been asking for and wound up without the double-dip she had tried to get, also without the valuable heirlooms she wanted (everything was auctioned off and the money divided fairly three ways).

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There is no justice. There can be no peace.

@TheOtherMaven and dangerous reality for their clients is probate.
This sounds pretty horrible, but I keep a gun under my desk. I was almost ready to go get it.
The probate case was maybe 7 or more years ago, and this sister has been tormenting my client.
Enough. Enough.
I am glad you had the outcome according to law, not gun fight.
I CANNOT count the cases with situations you and brother were in that happen to my clients.
I want to say this: Neither of my parents wrote wills. Mom died. Then Dad died. (Both hard headed!)Then, I prepared an Affidavit of Heirship for public record to establish their heir were me and my brother.
Then, the fight between me and my brother began. "Sister, you take the money for the sale of the truck." "No, you need it more than me, Brother." On and on. We laughed about it, split it all 50/50, and that is how we were raised.
We had incredible parents.

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