Saturday Open Thread - 9/28/24: Odds and Ends
Lots of craziness around the world right now, wouldn't y'all agree?
Still, we have good music, good friends, art, literature, and landscapes to keep us appreciating our lives. While I didn't mention good family specifically, I have few blood related family members, so in my mind, my friends are my version of "family".
I suggest we keep in constant touch with our families, keep each of them informed, prepared, and give them some sense of security when our economy goes down the commode with a quick flush.
So, this lawyer friend called me early Friday morning to gossip. She was to evict a squatter. She had been appointed by a court to get a home sold to have the proceeds divided among heirs.
The squatter showed up to represent himself. He was a double amputee. Sympathetic, shaping up to be a touchy case that should have been routine.
She requested he present his case first. She countered with documents, facts, statutes. The squatter said, "Looks like I don't have a legal leg to stand on."
After staring a hole in the carpet, she said, "Judge, I was ordered to do this and failure to do so is contempt of court, and I could be jailed. What would my little girls do without their Mommie?
She won, the squatter was given 3 days to leave before the cops came to "help" him.
Maybe we should get pickier about extending sympathy.
What's new and exciting in your world? We all want to know.
Let 'er rip!
Comments
More Craziness - Not Necessarily Around the World
.
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What affects do you suppose this insanity will have on American lives?
Be sure to plan accordingly.
Populations don’t like wars. They have to be lied into it.
That means we can be “truthed” into peace. — Julian Assange
Good morning, PR
Thanks for sharing, chica!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
The show ends --
As for their current plans, the neocons' past plans relied upon the use of fully-operational production facilities which didn't exist and which don't exist now.
But hey, let's not build an alternative party here in the US, because Trump Derangement Syndrome or something.
"The expansion of Israel and its proxies is an absolute fundamental necessity for the United States." - Tim Walz
I do not remember a party
We need rank choice voting, no party affiliation, and the reason we can't have anything other than the current system is money. AOC has made it to the $19 million mark in such a short time. Being a barista is excellent training for getting elected and getting rich without making a gd difference in any meaningful way.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
"We need ranked choice voting."
a) wait until the current system approves ranked-choice voting (it's actually not my first choice: STAR voting would be better), or
b) start that alternative party now.
In my forthcoming book I will be proposing the Looking for a Way Out party. That would be its actual name.
"The expansion of Israel and its proxies is an absolute fundamental necessity for the United States." - Tim Walz
Keep us all posted on your book
At this time Harris never got a vote. Neither did Jill.
Elections are like watching a game show.
Thanks for the comment, friend.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
I just finished watching the video.
I knew things were getting crazy, but not at the pace and level that has occurred.
I wonder how difficult it is to travel to China now?
Years ago, I represented a man in a DWI (a/k/a DUI)case that I managed to get dismissed very easily. (DWI on public highways only. Doesn't apply to private subdivision roads, dumb ass cop!) The man's background was tech guy at Texas Instruments. He had ideas, and a rich old man gave him a loan for a start up company. Off the company went, closely linked to China. He spent almost as much time in China as Houston. He blessed me with a tip. He paid for my trip visa, assigned one of his staff to do the work to get it. I believe my trip to China lasted 21 to 23 glorious days there.
It is very disturbing that the ability to know Chinese language, culture, and history is reducing China to a mythical murderous country as described by our government, and that is all we are allowed to know henceforth. It will make it much easier to support eradicating China, won't it?
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Ability to learn Chinese
I'm still stuck at HSK 2 or 3 level. But the ability to understand spoken Mandarin is simply impossible for me because my hearing isn't that good. I can read the most basic things. If I'm watching a video in Mandarin, I have to stop it at every subtitle to read the Mandarin. If its something other than the most basic expressions, I have to use a dictionary. Sometimes I like to watch to see English translated into Chinese. Too bad I can't cut and paste the Chinese subs into Google translate. Here's Jeffrey Sachs yesterday-
Wonder if he'll be accused of being a "foreign agent?"
A further complication, is the transition from traditional to simplified. Sometimes I don't recognize the meaning right away, but if I see the pinyin, I recognize the same or similar Korean word. Anyway it's fun to try. Mandarin blueprint is one of the best free channels on youtube, and then Yimin Chinese. If I get burnt out on the news I try to learn some Chinese. Or watch Dr. Gao talk about Chinese literature and culture. I was never good at languages it requires a lot of concentration. After thirty minutes or so I'm done for the day.
21 days! That's a great visit OTC.
語必忠信 行必正直
It was the education of my dreams,
The trip was to Shanghai. Then to Xian. Then down the Yangtze on a river boat, seeing the Three Gorges, then to Beijing. I learned "ni hao" (hello), and that was it. The Chinese called me "Mama" everywhere I went. An interesting day trip was to see a canal either created by or described by Marco Polo. Pronounced something like Zudo, maybe? I have followed his journey from beginning to end. I have been to places he gave his camels a rest in the desert in the Middle East. I rode in a boat on that canal, just as he did. Me and Marco. Bff.
As for Mandarin, no way I could learn it. I am old, google can translate. '
Thanks for stopping by and adding interesting things to the converstaion, friend.
It is easy to get burnt out on the tv news, which I haven't watched in over 20 years, unless I am sitting in a dr's or dentist's office!
Have a wonderful evening, and so glad you weathered the dangerous storm, my friend.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Thanks OTC
I'm hoping there won't hurricane round two in the next week or so. This one caused so much damage, it's hard to believe.
語必忠信 行必正直
I just glimpsed a headline about
Just protect your home, expect power outages and save your food, and don't hesitate to evacuate, which should be a new meme. I gave up on trying to pronounce "thank you", settled for head nods, hand shakes, hugs, etc...
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
How to prepare for mass insanity
.
Have your friendly local seamstress
sew together a well padded skull cap
(with an optional layer of foil) and get
some seriously filtered stun glasses
then just lay-in a good stash of drugs
and alcohol. May not help much, but
won't feel too much either
Thanks for the OT and enjoy your escape!
truth is considered foreign influence, world peace is a threat to national security
Good morning, Cap'n
Now what, I'm thinking....
Have a great weekend, and smooth sailing!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
The IDF says a lot of things that are not true
Hezbollah says they missed. I'm putting my money on Hezbollah.
Edit. Seems I spoke to soon.
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4904897-israel-hezbollah-beirut-strik...
I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.
Hoo boy, sp
We do not have a full Army, Navy, or air force. Recruitment is down. Stockpiles are low. Manufacturing is almost non-existent. Our planes don't fly, our missiles are old tech, ships are old and unreliable. Russia and China and Iran have all modernized their military. We go around like it is the 40s.
We will be lucky is our hegemony ends by and through a Wall Street crash. We may go hungry for a time, but will be alive, and will not have a conquering military within our shores. I would rather come out as a poor American than a permanent pow in my own home.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Hi all
Jonathan Cook tweeted about it:
https://x.com/Jonathan_K_Cook/status/1840005616435077334?s=19
Have a great one at the beach! Wiggle yer toes in the sand for me!
happy trails all!
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
Toe wiggles is
Still, feet splashing and adding to the sea shell collection can and will take place! The normally blue water is brown until it is was off shore, but if the winds will calm and the sun reaches the right place, it might turn blue again.
My government is proud of the murders accomplished by our mighty bunker busters dropped by our mighty ally yesterday. There are no conventional warfare engagements in effect for us, just the "bad guys" we call terrorists.
The shit show will come home, methinks.
Go spot a bird, friend!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Good morning otc, et. al. Enjoy your shopping trip, if
you can, dunno if that can really be fun. Also enjoy the beach + vacation.
Nuthin' much going on here, but it's cool enough to work outside, so off I go.
be well and have a good one
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 --
It was actually
She said that was good to know.
The beach is under a red flag, but that hasn't stopped parents from letting their toddlers wade in neck deep. Good damn grief.
I hope you have a fun weekend planned, dear friend.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Heh
Play one game of contract rummy with wife, prune apricot, prune grapes, work on new bird feeder, pack for October trip, work on one or more OTs.
be well an have a good one
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 --
Lol!
And the bird will express their greatfulness.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Red Flags on the Beach
Hope you are having fun at the beach, even though you can't get in the water. I wish that I could join you.
They have the same problem here with people swimming during double red flags. They've started fining people $500, especially if you give them a hard time and go in continuously after being told not to. People insist that since they've paid for a beach vacation that they should be able to go to the beach, no matter what the conditions. I know it sounds bad, but I say, "let them drown." There is no way I would want to go in that water with those conditions.
Have fun and I hope it clears up so that you can swim.
I remember when Bernie and Jeremy Corbyn were considers as
equals.
I don't think that is the case today.
The rest of the tweet:
Corbyn saw his rise to the top
Bernie would never let that happen to himself. It would require a sense of honor and bravery Bernie does not, nor has he ever, possessed. Maybe he doesn't believe in Hell.
Thanks for the X post facto, friend.
The news is so bad, it may drive me to hunt for funny dog videos.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
An example of Israel's "motus aperandi". Nothing has changed!
Another good X
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
More support for Israel. This time the genocide enablers acted
in self defense.
snortAs a result.
Conoco oil fields
We are entitled to (steal) that oil because blah blah, gibberish, something...
Our troops better be ready to fight and die for the theft, because blah blah, gibberish, something...
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Hmmm!
Lavrov speaks the truth but the guilty parties aren't listening.