Open Thread 17 FEB 21


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Weird weather edition

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This is an open thread cobbled together for the community.
Had someone lined-up to host today, but assume the weird
weather has crashed power in her area.

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Please share anything deemed worth sharing.

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enhydra lutris's picture

Well, here it is 7 am on the left coast and I'm,as of this moment the first to visit. I know Texas is hammered and the last weather and temps map I saw looked bad for just about everybody in the continental US east of the rockies. We haven't escaped untouched out here either, in the thirties, but above freezing, most mornings this week and more, which is very rare. Not raining, but has been off and on, not enough to make up our water deficit, but enough to keep it damp and at least half-ways miserable. But enough whining from the lucky.

So 2020 was politics, the pandemic, weather, isolation, and all that. Many of us had hoped to break out of that cycle this year, but, so far, it looks like we might have to accomplish that by simply ignoring reality or indulging in fiction, and I've never been horribly good at fiction. There's always poetry, but old favorites don't seem to help much...

So cold are the waves
the rocking gull
can scarcely
fold itself to sleep

~~ Basho

see what I mean. There is a video of a Karen at a Dunkin' donuts insisting that she "needs" 50, and that's what a dozen means, not 12, but such things are no longer amusing nor surprising

So, who has great ideas for using 2 pounds of dried oregano?

be well and have a good one

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5 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

CB's picture

Emile, "Are you going to get the Covid vaccination?"
Remy, "Not right now. I'm going to wait until the human tests are completed."

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lotlizard's picture

With Sunstein, a “behaviorist fascist” faction back in the saddle at DHS?

https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2021/02/15/how-conspiracy-theoriz...

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CB's picture

@lotlizard
Renegade Inc featuring Matt Ehret (Theme: China China China)
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMGWU15tq0w]

You can find more of his papers here:
https://canadianpatriot.org/

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enhydra lutris's picture

@lotlizard

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 --

Lookout's picture

Finally creeping above freezing, and the sun is shining... an improvement over a series of gray days.

Hope everyone has power, water, and warmth!

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7 users have voted.

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

I still have no water. I can get some from my brother next next door.
There is a steep hill beside and behind my home. I am hearing vehicles sliding down. They have to negotiate that hill to get to town. Pretty much the whole subdivision is stranded.
I am eventually headed to town to feed the office cat. Good thing I have a 4-wheel drive truck.
Hope everyone is safe.

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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

Lily O Lady's picture

@on the cusp

vehicle. Zero traction times any number of wheels is still zero.

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"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"

@Lily O Lady The Fiance' grew up in winters like this, so he will do a test drive, see if we can get to town or not. I have seen a few vehicles go by. It's times like these, I wish I had a horse.

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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

asking for a frozen friend

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@QMS I assume your friend has not enjoyed a sleigh ride?
In the past, on these kinds of days, I would head to town on my horse, tie them up to a low limb inside my office's yard, go in an work an hour, then ride home.
I ponder getting another horse constantly.

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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

@QMS Greetings from the great white north of upstate NY. There are several options that Farriers use to improve traction on ice and snow for horses wearing shoes. One option is to use things called "ice nails" to affix the shoe to the hoof in winter. These nails have a slightly larger and harder head that sticks out from the bottom of the shoe and works as a traction device. There are also removable and permanent "studs" for horse shoes. The removable ones can be screwed on and off as required. There are devices called snow pads that go between the horse shoe and hoof to help keep snow from building up under the center of the hoof preventing "snowballs" that can keep the shoe and any traction devices from contacting the ground. There are "boots" horses can wear made for winter use as well.
That being said "barefoot" horses do fairly well in the winter due to four legs on the ground giving a good amount of traction.

PS: More useful info for people not used to living in cold. When temps go below freezing if you keep all your faucets dripping or running very slowly pipes don't freeze and burst.

FYI

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@jbob

we kept our horses "barefoot" since they rarely left the pastures.
I learned from the farrier how to lift each foot and scrape out the snowballs
(more like ice pads) when the horses would start slipping

good idea about letting the water drip thru faucets
when water freezes, it tends to expand, hence the burst pipes
with a path to ease that internal pressure, less chance of bursting
I also wrap an electrical low heat warming wire on the supplies
which are most susceptible to freezing

thanks!

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@jbob The freeze began Sunday. By Tuesday morning, his pipes burst.
I turned my water off at the meter, drained the pipes. Unfortunately, the water did not completely drain. Somewhere under my kitchen, it remained in at least one pipe. The ice will not thaw until Saturday, so the repair will start that day.
I have seen some studs on horseshoes used for one particularly snowy equestrian competition event. It just doesn't happen here very often.

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

enhydra lutris's picture

@on the cusp

be well and have a good one

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6 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

snoopydawg's picture

It sure looks like Fish Out of Water did predict what was going to happen back in Polar Vortex breaking down now: Major Stratospheric Warming will impact weather all winter

Here is his follow up today on it and its future.

Very Good News about the Polar Vortex Breakdown

The ice storm and extreme cold in Texas this week could not have been forecast six weeks ago but intense cold air outbreaks into the American mid continent are one of the known possible consequences of the breakdown of the polar vortex. Dr. Judah Cohen forecast a weak polar vortex in early fall based on the lack of ice in the Barents sea region, the build up of snow in Siberia and the forecasts of the American CFS and GEFS models. Operators of the Texas power grid should have been preparing for the possibility of a severe cold outbreak since mid November.

Apparently there is no federal oversight of the Texas electric grid. That might include the 14 other states that make up the weird electric conglomerate. Boy I remember back when the country didn't turn to shit every time some national calamity hit us. Sure the storms are getting stronger, but it isn't like we haven't been warned that our weather was going to turn more deadly with the effects of climate change and we are being caught off guard. That there are acceptable rolling blackouts so that our failing energy grids can keep up with demand should have person in government shaming their heads over what is happening right now with the polar vortex. People are dying horribly across this fucking country right gd now and CONGRESS and the President are on vacation. Dereliction of Duty!!

Good grief.

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8 users have voted.

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

enhydra lutris's picture

@snoopydawg

the people. Sadly, that myth died ages ago, thee is not and probably never was a public compact, nor did our government ever exist to provide those services to the people that the people couldn't do for themselves. They exist solely to serve the corporations and the other elites.

be well and have a good one

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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 --

snoopydawg's picture

@enhydra lutris

years ago that made DC a corporate controlled system while the rest of the country is on your own?

If government does not have to spend the people's money wisely and on their interests then why the hell are we still paying taxes? They are supposed to fund our needs, yet they haven't on the scale they should for decades. How long ago the corporate coup was would be good to know. The political coup or one of them was on 11/22/1963. Why don't we every talk about that anymore? Curious.

dammit I should have gotten the bigger dawg bed.

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5 users have voted.

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

snoopydawg's picture

@snoopydawg

Global temperatures are now near the thirty year climate average because of the combination of the extreme polar heat loss this winter with the strong uptake of heat by the equatorial Pacific ocean caused by the La Niña event in the Pacific ocean. This is an extraordinary cooling event. Global surface temperatures were near record highs in September. In just months the cooled to normal.

Does this mean that the polar vortex bought us some time on climate change by acting as a pressure valve that let out some of our built up warm temps or is that too simplistic? Or incorrect?

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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's picture

I wish this would make a difference in the hate rhetoric, but I doubt that it will make a dent in right wing radio. Just imagine if Rush had used his voice as a vehicle for good.

Rush Limbaugh, the incendiary radio talk show host, dies at age 70

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6 users have voted.

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

enhydra lutris's picture

@snoopydawg

and memes will live on.

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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 --

@snoopydawg

the amount of hate he fomented should get him
a prime seat in the seventh ring of hell, if there is
such a thing. Perhaps hate radio could have at least
tortured him in a special episode, hung by his balls
and whipped with each of his hateful lies by all of the young
boys he screwed in Domenica. Ouch.

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10 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

@QMS

Someone of DK said that the Devil locked the gates of hell from the inside when he heard that Rush had died.

As OTC said, Rush did a lot of damage to a lot of friends and families in his 30 years of using hate to divide the country. Gawd now imagine he didn't and used his fame and fortune to wake the country up to the duopoly and oligarchy with both parties being complicit. I'd sure like to have seen if that could have any effect on where we are as a country.

Pelosi now wants to take 15 months deciding on what happened on the 6th. I want an independent and honest council to look at all the failings of that day and hold every person at the federal level involved to be held accountable, but I fear that is a pipe dream. Having lots of those these days.

Krystal's rant is good.

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8 users have voted.

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

QMS and commenters for stepping in. I owe you an OT next Wednesday? Although who knows at this rate. We now have an advisory to boil our water.
We have been having rolling power-outages here and I missed every opportunity to launch an OT.
Snow is expected tonight in my area and I have no idea when power will be restored to normal.

This is a good explanation of what happened in Texas this week from Common Dreams.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/02/16/failed-state-power-outages-...
It's just the same old story, profit over people. No sense of shared responsibility for the well-being of community or even the sense of responsibility to do a good job.

Thanks again QMS, hope everyone is warm and safe.

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@randtntx

Suspected the weather had altered your access when 8 am rolled around.
Wish I had something better to put up, but caught with my pants down.
Then the silly open threader didn't work and I had appointments to attend.

Oh well, EL stepped in and helped a bunch easing it on.
Hope you survive this Texas massacre. Heat and water.

We'll figure out next week later.

Best wishes,
qmess

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@QMS , no problema.

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@randtntx thanks!

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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 , right? Would be nice if this situation helped to wake some people up.

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