Hippos

 A winning picture

The parkas are out today

For the last week or so, it has been in the upper 80s to 90s. But  this morning, as I drove to Pilates, it was frosty. I saw two kids, one on his own and one a toddler with his mom, dressed in parkas. 

I had to look at the temperature (the car has a thermometer), and it was 73 degrees (23 C). No wonder they were freezing!

Yeah, that isn't good.

 So tick tick tick (.... boom?)

See below for how bad this really is.

So, what does this mean to me - your pal, your buddy, please don't stasi me. 

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This is terrifying.

@DHSgov

can collect intelligence based SOLELY on sexual orientation or gender identity. This opens the door to labeling #LGBTQIA+ organizing as threats to national security & labeling us "terrorists."

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"Stasi" here refers to the East German Secret Police, where neighbors spied on each other and were offered bounties for information by the STASI.

Rhino Shot

 Gorgeous

Fred Mertz? The New Chancellor in Germany is Fred Mertz?!?

Fred Mertz - Really?!?!?

Ohhh. Fred Merz...

nevermind

My post on "The Intersection of Geography and Economics"

 This week's post covers the reduction in "extreme poverty" in the world since 1980.

Note that "extreme" poverty means living on less that $1.60 a day.

Monkey Bridge (From Lynnie) - good news

 The Amazon has very few roads, but more are being built constantly. The new roads often cut animal areas into two pieces. Then, the animals that depend on both sides must cross highways - and are dying.

One conservationist said a very rare monkey was actually on the highway - the first time she saw this rare animal in the wild- and decided to do something. She built monkey bridges across the highway. And they are working.

An excerpt on her story (full story here).

Fernanda Abra has worked alongside one of the many indigenous groups of the Amazon—the Waimiri-Atroari people—to create a unique-in-the-world system of wildlife road crossings specifically for tree-dwelling species.

Primates like the Groves’ titi monkey and golden-handed tamarin have witnessed their homes cut in two by asphalt roads, and often have no choice but to brave the white lines on foot.

In fact, as CNN reports, it was on asphalt that Abra saw her first Groves’ titi, one of the world’s 25 most endangered primates.

 

Today's Good News Pic

 

This image reminds me of the only Swahili I know. "Engala la laponzi" (the lion is sleepy)

PS - it might been Afrikaans - not Swahili - but either way

The West House in Palm Springs

 Here is another gem from Modernism Week. The West House. Who lived there? I will give you a hint - 

I don't see any robins, but there must be one.

PS - Love this but it can't be original

It is the Adam West House.

Adam West? You know, Batman.

For Good News : The Atlantic (Magazine) Nature Photographs

 A picture every now and then.  Let's start with this one:

A juvenile fox

The Seawoman on Facebook

 I don't really read Facebook. I was checking the Vibe page and found this. I thought I would sahhre. I loved it.

pic:

story:

Someone posted this pic a few days ago. Many people wanted to know the story behind the statue, so here it is….

Kópakonan: A statue of the Seal Woman is in Mikladagur, on the island of Kalsoy. It is made of bronze and stainless steel. The statue is designed to withstand 13metre waves. In early 2015, a 11.5 meter wave swept over the statue. It stood firm and no damage was caused. (See comments for pics of this).

The legend of Kópakonan (the Seal Woman) is one of the best-known folktales in the Faroe Islands. Seals were believed to be former human beings who voluntarily sought death in the ocean. Once a year, on the Thirteenth night, they were allowed to come on land, strip off their skins and amuse themselves as human beings, dancing and enjoying themselves.

A young farmer from the village of Mikladalur on the northern island of Kalsoy, wondering if this story was true, went and lay in wait on the beach one Thirteenth evening. He watched and saw the seals arriving in large numbers, swimming towards the shore. They clambered on to the beach, shed their skins and laid them carefully on the rocks. Divested of their skins, they looked just like normal people. The young lad stared at a pretty seal girl placing her skin close to the spot where he was hiding, and when the dance began, he sneaked up and stole it.

The dancing and games went on all night, but as soon as the sun started to peep above the horizon, all the seals came to reclaim their skins to return to the sea. The seal girl was very upset when she couldn’t find her skin, though its smell still lingered in the air, and then the man from Mikladalur appeared holding it, but he wouldn’t give it back to her, despite her desperate entreaties, so she was obliged to accompany him to his farm.

He kept her with him for many years as his wife, and she bore him several children; but he always had to make sure that she didn’t have access to her skin. He kept it locked up in a chest to which he alone had the key, a key which he kept at all times on a chain attached to his belt.

One day, while he was out at sea fishing with his companions, he realised he had left the key at home. He announced to his companions, ‘Today I shall lose my wife!’ – and he explained what had happened. The men pulled in their nets and lines and rowed back to the shore as fast as they could, but when they arrived at the farm, they found the children all alone and their mother gone. Their father knew she wasn’t going to come back, as she had put out the fire and put away all the knives, so that the young ones couldn’t do themselves any harm after she’d left.

Indeed, once she had reached the shore, she had put on her sealskin and plunged into the water, where a bull seal, who had loved her all those years before and was still waiting for her, popped up beside her. When her children, the ones she had had with the Mikladalur man, later came down to the beach, a seal would emerge and look towards the land; people naturally believed that it was the children’s mother. And so the years passed.

Then one day it happened that the Mikladalur men planned to go deep into one of the caverns along the far coast to hunt the seals that lived there. The night before they were due to go, the man’s seal wife appeared to him in a dream and said that if he went on the seal hunt in the cavern, he should make sure he didn’t kill the great bull seal that would be lying at the entrance, for that was her husband.

Nor should he harm the two seal pups deep inside the cave, for they were her two young sons, and she described their skins so he would know them. But the farmer didn’t heed the dream message. He joined the others on the hunt, and they killed all the seals they could lay their hands on. When they got back home, the catch was divided up, and for his share the farmer received the large bull seal and both the front and the hind flippers of the two young pups.

In the evening, when the head of the large seal and the limbs of the small ones had been cooked for dinner, there was a great crash in the smoke-room, and the seal woman appeared in the form of a terrifying troll; she sniffed at the food in the troughs and cried the curse: ‘Here lie the head of my husband with his broad nostrils, the hand of Hárek and the foot of Fredrik! Now there shall be revenge, revenge on the men of Mikladalur, and some will die at sea and others fall from the mountain tops, until there be as many dead as can link hands all round the shores of the isle of Kalsoy!’

When she had pronounced these words, she vanished with a great crash of thunder and was never seen again. But still today, alas, it so happens from time to time that men from the village of Mikladalur get drowned at sea or fall from the tops of cliffs; it must therefore be feared that the number of victims is not yet great enough for all the dead to link hands around the whole perimeter of the isle of Kalsoy.

Yes, little X, this sums up my feelings too...

 The pretend President watches as the real President Musk sets out his priorities. Musk's son little "X Æ A-12 Musk". (See the meaning and pronunciation below.)

Explaining the meaning behind the name, Grimes said “X” stands for “the unknown variable”. Meanwhile, “Æ” is the Elven spelling of AI, which is shorthand for artificial intelligence and the word for “love” in several languages, such as Japanese.

“A-12 = precursor to SR-17 (our favourite aircraft). No weapons, no defenses, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent,” she added. The “A” in the name also represents “Archangel”, the title of a song by Burial that she has previously described as her favourite.

It is pronounced "Ash", but Elon just calls him X.

Surprising Chart on how we over or underestimate population percentages

 This is some interesting stuff (from 2021) 

Select imagine to fully read it.

The Kauffman House (by Neutra)

 I absolutely love the architect Richard Neutra. His stuff is amazing (he has been dead for a while now). Today, the Desert Sun posted images from the house. It was open inside for Modernism Week. I couldn't get tickets, but it is beautiful.

Inside and outside pics:

This is the only view you can see from outside.

Updated Header from "On Tyranny"

 Today, I changed the header again. This is from "On Tyranny" point 4.

4. Take responsibility for the face of the world. The symbols of today enable the reality of tomorrow. Notice the swastikas and other signs of hate. And watch for new signs of hate. Does it divide? Does it create an “other”? Does it push a wedge? Do not look away, and do not get used to them. Remove them yourself and set an example for others to do so.

Thank goodness that isn't happening here. Wait....

The Town and Country, in a news release Saturday afternoon, again acknowledged that officers were aware activity on Mason Road over I-64. “We are actively monitoring the situation to ensure the safety of pedestrians and the motoring public. If you are traveling through this area, please take extra safety precautions, and thank you for your patience.” (Feb 7th)

Yes, no reason to stop this Nazi shit;  just be careful driving

_______________________________________

With membership growing - the Proud Boys marched again in Washington this week. Feb 21

Again, thank goodness this is not happening in America.

Two of things are not like the others

 See if you can spot the two "diversity" hires in the Military Joint Chiefs. Spot them quickly.

Can you guess? The two "Diversity Hires" are - wait for it - the two that are not white men.

Not to worry. The replacement for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs is now a white guy.

No replacement yet for the female Admiral, who wasn't "military enough." 

Speaking of Admiral Franchetti

Here are some stats from the US Navy Website:

Her personal awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Service Medal (two awards), Defense Superior Service Medal (two awards), Legion of Merit (five awards), Meritorious Service Medal (six awards), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (four awards), and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (two awards).

Clearly a Slacker

Her flag assignments include: Chief of Naval Operations, Vice Chief of Naval Operations; director for Strategy, Plans and Policy (J5), Joint Staff; deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfighting Development, N7; commander, U.S. 6th Fleet, commander, Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO, deputy commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and U.S. Naval Forces Africa during the 2018 strikes against Syrian chemical-weapons facilities; chief of staff, Strategy, Plans and Policy (J5) Joint Staff; commander, Carrier Strike Group 15; commander, Carrier Strike Group 9; and commander, U.S. Naval Forces Korea.

At sea, she commanded Destroyer Squadron TWENTY ONE, embarked on USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74); commanded USS Ross (DDG 71) and also served as commander of Pacific Partnership 2010, embarked on USNS Mercy (T-AH 19).  Her operational sea tours include assistant surface operations officer on USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group; executive officer of USS Stout (DDG 55); combat systems officer and chief staff officer for Destroyer Squadron TWO; operations officer on USS Moosbrugger (DD 980); navigator on USS Monongahela (AO 178); and auxiliaries officer and first division officer on USS Shenandoah (AD 44).

Ashore, Franchetti’s assignments include military assistant to the Secretary of the Navy; deputy director of International Engagement and executive assistant to the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Operations and Strategy on the Navy staff; division chief, Joint Concept Development and Experimentation, on the Joint Staff, J7; 4th Battalion officer at the U.S. Naval Academy; protocol officer for Commander, U.S. Atlantic Fleet; aide to the Vice Chief of Naval Operations; commanding officer, Navy Reserve Center Central Point, Oregon; program manager, Naval Reserve Readiness Command, Region 13.

Let's fix this cartoon...

 I love conservative cartoons that are lies of omissions.

Here is a cartoon from Politico (link)

Let me fix this.

Medicaid Cuts

 This post isn't a random dig at conservatives. Nor is it a progressive whine.

This is very much more personal. The little dog I used to walk in New York is Juni. Her owner is very sick (I know how the idea of a dog "mom" pisses American voters off - so we will call her owner). She has Lupus, a growth between her brain and her skull, and heart problems. So I guess she is a burden to the United States now, despite being white.

Me: In the old days, when we cared about people.

Anyfuck. Her doctor is on Long Island, and she lives in New York. Medicaid just cut all funding for travel for her and other New York City Medicaid patients. She cannot take the subway or train with her walker. Medicaid is demanding that she change doctors to ones in the city. Well, there were no doctors in New York that would take her. If she loses her doctor in Long Island, she will need at least 3 specialists in New York. Specialists she cannot get into see and who do not know her history.

She is in subsidized housing from the New York Actors / Backstage Broadway unions. She has no other funds to fall back on, and her only relative has died. Our country has decided to let her die - slowly and painfully. There is nothing I can do. And there are probably millions of others on Medicaid in the same boat. 

Sure, there probably is waste in Medicaid. Sure, there are a few who scam the system and are now the face of the system on conservative news. But there are millions more being saved.

No. Wait. There are millions that WERE being helped. But by stopping transportation, we will save a few bucks on these people. And if they die, we save more money.

But I am not supposed to dwell on this. It does no good to think about it. Better to ignore it.

I mean, we voted for this.

Makes me sad

A friend accidentally sent this to us when it was supposed to go to other friends of theirs. It makes me a little heartbroken.

I mean, I get it. This is what people wanted. I tend to focus on the hurt. The hundreds of thousands of people who no longer get basic food and health aid from the US and no one else steps up. The ending of Ukrainian support which saved millions. The constant attack on transexual Americans, wiping out health access for them and erasing their existence. I understand and can agree with not letting trans athletes in competitive sports, but the hatred directed their way is horrible. The hatchet the DOGE kids (ages 19 - 25) have taken to the government without thought. I hate that decisions are made by a rich, chaotic South African that are either arbitrary or self-serving.

But I understand the emotions behind their post here. For this friend, they see that US dollars have been taken from foreigners, and that is a good thing. The people of Ukraine don't matter, and cutting our support is good for saving money. Rage has an outlet now against trans people and anyone who has supported them. My rights as a gay person are not as necessary as their right to no longer have to be nice to people different from them. Prices for fuel and eggs are high and rising, but it is somehow still Biden's fault. We have threatened and ignored our allies, but these voters no longer see allies as necessary or good. 

I wish I was a bit more important in their lives. But I am not.

Again, our country did vote for this. My country voted to exclude blacks, women, and LGBT from jobs to fix what they see as anti-white hate. They did vote to ignore the world. They did vote to drive the Environmental Project Agency, United States Foreign Aid, and OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) out of business. They did vote to release 1,270 rioters and attackers from prison who tried to stop our government from running as a democracy. They did vote to make a convicted felony President. And those voters are happy.

So I am unhappy right now.

And one last comment about trans people. We have passed more laws against transsexuals than there are trans people in schools or sports. Just pass a law that says you hate their very existence. At least be honest. The Trump voters see trans people as the very face of every progressive thing they hate. I see them as Jews or gays or gypsies (or Roma or Travelers depending where in Eruope you are from) ready to be sacrificed as "others". And I am not even a step away from that.

Me and Fluffy

 Aldona's new dog is named "Fluffy". Here we are in Colorado.

Hey - did you know Ukraine started the War with Russia

 According to our President (after calls with Putin and meetings with Russian negotiators):

1. Ukraine started the war 3 years ago by invading Russia.

2. Ukraine started the war to steal $350 million dollars for Biden

3 The President of Ukraine is a dictator.

These are just lies. Putin knows how to handle Trump - give money and flatter him. Ouch

I think I may have to stop - This is just painful.

I speak weekly with Juni's mother (owner). She has a complicated set of illnesses, including lupus, heart problems, a a tumor between her brain and skull - which seems to have stopped growing, and more issues. So a lot.

Trump's Medicaid changes are already screwing her. To be honest, people have, at one point or another, questioned her diagnosis, but she finally found a great doctor a few years ago and has been stable (you don't really get better with Lupus). The doctor is out on Long Island. Now, she already cannot take the subway or train to to both immunity issues and mobility (she uses a walker).

Medicaid just declined everyone's funds (at least in New York, I don't know about other places) for paid travel to doctors.  They told her to pay for it herself or use a local doctor or set of doctors. She would have to start from zero with these new doctors and can't stop one of her medications that they question. It is like me on Effexor and Lamictal - if I cold turkey I will have seizures.

As for paying herself - if you have any funds at all, you can't get Medicaid. So by definition, she doesn't have the money to go to her doctor. (That Medicaid is true for all users, who have to exhaust their own funds before Medicaid kicks in.

HUD Housing is already working to kick her out of her subsidized housing because she hasn't spent overnight in a hospital in 2 years. She has been instructed to go to the emergency room and gone repeatedly over the last two years but didn't stay overnight. Her doctor doesn't want her exposed to the hospital.

And there is nothing I can do to help.

It hurts.

Not just Nincompoopery but Stupid Nincompoopery

Just to give a heads up to people that listen to this lying, bribe-taking, sycophant - Mein Kampf is a book. Attacks on you are not "Modern Day Mein Kampf"". Just as attacks on gays are not "Modern Day Bible."

Is he stupid, or does he think the rest of us are stupid? Inquiring minds want to know.

My new post at "The Intersection of Geography and Economics" is up.

 Click to find out more.

LINK

News on At Risk Animals

 Sometimes the news is great, and sometimes the news kind of sucks.

This is the latter.

There are very rare and endangered monkeys in Vietnam, the Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkeys. I have never heard of them, but there are lots of Southeast Asian animals I have not. They do not get much attention and are not critical to the economy or culture of Vietnam, the only place they are found. Unfortunately, they are located in two locations in Vietnam in their natural habitat. Those places, like unspoiled places worldwide, are threatened by human expansion.

And now, only found in one place after an exhaustive study of the regions.

Story LINK

Images of these unattractive monkeys. Understand that the less attractive an animal is to humans, there is a corresponding lack of action to save it.

I agree

 Chucking the penny is a great idea! Really.

"Director of the National Economic Council of the United States" - Not sure chickens are birds

The scale of nonsense is so much greater than you could ever believe. On tv, discussing the price of eggs and inflation - here are the pearls of wisdom from Kevin Hassett, the Director of the National Economic Council of the United States.

Hummmmmm

Daily Picture out of the Steamboat Springs window

 As you know, I was in Steamboat Springs for the week last week. While I adore Joe and Aldona (and Livia), a week in a condo in the snow is not my idea of a grand day out.  However, Ed skied with Joe and loved it.

Anyway, here are the images out the window day by day, starting Tuesday.

Tuesday - leftover snow from a weekend storm. Grey.

Wednesday - Sunny, but snowier
The White Death advances

Friday (I forgot Thursday - it was grey, too)
The White Death now begins it's slow crawl to kill me in the condo.

Saturday, as our 23-hour romp towards home began. Super snowy (and kept up until evening)
I barely escape the White Death. But it did try here, at the local airport, and again in Denver.

Monday AM
Snow as God intended: faraway through Palm Trees