#a couple of days ago I was talking to someone about how DDT seem to have A LOT of songs about autumn

[bogleech]

Could I mayhaps know what's the name of that arachnid field guide you have 0//0 it looks really pretty and I have. A thirst for all arachnid related field guides and biology books, love those critters

The Golden Guide to Spiders and their Kin! There were lots of them, originally made in the 60's or 70's I believe, and they used to still be so common when I was a kid - still in print, and sold for just a couple dollars everywhere - I thought everybody had a few! But now they seem to be forgotten.

I had the spiders one, insects one and "seashores" one (mantis shrimps and nudibranchs!!) before I could even read, just looking at the pictures all day. As I learned to read they were how I learned concepts of taxonomy and ecology, why I knew what a "parasitoid" was in first grade and I'd talk constantly about insects that aren't really RARE, but culturally most people never heard about. These books made things like velvet ants, bolas spiders and hairy millipedes seem to me like knowledge as ordinary as dogs and cats.

That "pests of animals" page in particular is why I knew there were wingless parasitic flies, and I thought that was so cool, I was obsessed with "SHEEP KED" for my entire childhood. This bug that nobody ever heard of when I mentioned it, but was at one time deemed worthy of inclusion in an everyday field guide. And they include "duck louse" as an animal pest you're expected to encounter. Sheep and duck parasites?!.....Oh, right! When these books first published, it was still commonplace for almost everyone to have experience with farm animals. Most people at least had grandparents or aunts and uncles with a farm they might visit and help out on. Of course they would encounter sheep and duck parasites. I think they still publish these, actually, I'm sure I still saw them in Barnes and Noble only a few years ago, but it's remarkable what a different America they were made under. My old copy even recommended DDT to control bed bugs....they did eventually edit that out in newer editions.

Some of their attitudes may be outdated here and there, and they're only intended for North American wildlife, but I think the golden guides might still be perfect introductions to their topics for anyone, anywhere of any age really?? They're such well-balanced overviews so densely packed with just the most essential information about each organism.

....Did people really ever just call tree frogs "hylas?!" It's one of their genus names, but was it also used as a common name anywhere? That's a cute idea. Maybe it was, briefly, so at some point to someone there was a concept of Frog, Toad, and Hyla?

[snovyda]

Юрий Шевчук и Вячеслав Бутусов - Осінь панує

My current mood in one song

[sandy-anderson]

2021-iuglio-05 lunediì:  Heavy Metal Lite

Alex:  Apropos everything,

Last night I bumped into Simone and his girlfriend/partner Vania, at the top of Port'Alba, after not having seen them at PegaOnda, or anywhere, for like a year or something.  

Stefano, the director said to me he was kind of mystified why they didn't show up any more.  This is all during the Vid, mind you.  Simone plays the surdo and is very solid and flashy (aerial twirling of drum sticks between beats &ct) but not in a "wanky" kind of way, like the timba-playing Riccardo.  When I first went to PegaOnda, when rehearsals took place in the cramped quarters of the basement recording studios there, I found out, 'cos he has lots of tattoos, that Simone was into Heavy Metal: Slipknot (tattoos!), he already knew about NanowaR of Steel, you name it.  So, you know, I think of him as a Heavy Metal guy, and what that implies.  Simone and Vania are maybe touching their early 30s now.

So when I met them -- I'd just passed the ker-thumping *mega* sound systems of the LGBTetc Dante free concert -- Hendrix's Star Spangled Banner was playing on my boom-trolley.  (It seemed the right antidote.)

Anyway, he didn't show that he "got" why that was playing.  

And then, after a couple minutes talking, I realized -- they've both had vaxxinations -- they started dismissing in a big rush (I had crossed myself) all the conspiracy tags to hand, Wu Gee, the Vid, masks, Bill Gates, WHO, Great Reset, population control... ( like Alec Baldwin: _"eh... Global Warming!"_ )

He ended with "Stop being crazy -- just get the vaccination and move on."

So I realised (they never actually said it in so many words) they hadn't turned up to PegaOnda because of they fully believe in the masquerade of this lethal virus, with the 0.03% fatality rate.

This is someone who is a big fan, and knows all about Slipknot, Pantera, Bloodywood, Max Cavalera and Sepultura.

🐯

Kelly:  Yeah, it's awful when you meet that. You'd think that what attracts you to metal, and then what metal gives you would.... give you something more than that, but.... ah, well.  Tynan watches lots of Youtube videos, people showing game strategies, etc., and he has noticed (and by the comments, he's not the only one) that the ones who have enthused about being vaccinated are now... forgetting what they're doing, getting muddled and making mistakes, and generally unable to do the same things there's video evidence of them doing pre-vax.

I'm reminded of a saying (Rosicrucian maybe?) that "Once you step one step, one foot upon that path, you must by necessity reach its very end."

That's particularly depressing since only English and US folks here are the ones who believe in it and believe in the inevitability of having to get it.

Kind of like, 25 years ago, everyone knew that it was inevitable that the UK would join the Euro....

And 60 years ago, it was inevitable that mass starvation would ensue unless all farmers used DDT regularly....

Alex:  Yeah.

Rino has to go through so much crap before... being anyone worthwhile.  

It turns out that he came out with a plumbers wrench that day, menacing like a droog, because he'd just lost $100,000 because of a controlled market demolition... of some CIA-invented block-chain digital currency.  (I always use the nickname "bitcoin", but there's dozens and dozens apparently.)

“Otherwise... what would be the value of suffering?”

Kelly:  But yeah, he's noticed it more and more with these Youtube people, and said to me "These vaccines seem to really mess with people's.... power of discernment."  I asked him to explain, and he was saying how the guy he was watching was playing Warcraft (the precursor strategy game that World of Warcraft brings onto the ground), playing a Night Elf.  He was explaining about the racial ability that is peculiar to Night Elves.  Then he was playing an undead character and talking about upgrading his barracks so he could use the racial bonus.... that only Night Elves have, not undead.  Confusion and befuddlement in subjects he's always been making coherent videos about before.

Yeah, anyone who can't see that the whole digital currency bubble is propping up (hiding) the general collapse and transferring ever more money into smaller and smaller number of hands.... well, they will have to fall and suffer.

I'm no good for people like that.  I'd say "Well, at least the $100,000 you lost was $100,000 you didn't have two weeks ago anyway."

Alex:  Yes.  Thank you for saying both of those points.  It's totally impossible to suggest that to Rino without him going into paroxysms of defensive attack.

Kelly:  Erin was asking me about investing in digital currencies (specifically bitcoin).  I told her that if she really wanted to, to invest in Etherium, which is both a currency and a platform, and behind the scenes, is what places like CityCorp are using for their internal gubbins.  I don't know if she was just asking in that vague drugged-out way, or actually thinking of some get-rich-quick bullshit.

No, you can't talk any kind of sense to anyone when they're in that money psychosis.

That's the terrible lure of it though, I think.  Erin fantasizes about making lots of money with no effort with this kind of thing because she hates her job, and deep down knows that the pensions she's working towards will evaporate.

So it's a double psy-ops kind of trick that’s getting people.  On the one hand, there's the impossible lure of “A Better Life”, impossible in any other way.  And deeper, more sinister, there's the hidden knowledge that "even that which we have will be taken away".  And because that's kept denied, unconscious, as a lurking dread fear, it's very, very powerful and throws people head-long right into the trap. Max Cavalera plays Heavy Metal...

[dunnystuff]

Hi to all -

Kamala visits Guatemala

Well, this did not go well. Instead of a reception by crowds of fawning locals, she was met with signs demanding she 'go home' and 'Trump won', and suggesting she fix her own house, and stay out of the house of Guatemala. No one was buying her talking points about addressing the 'root causes' of immigration, legal or illegal. Well, she did not handle this graciously. The president of that nation noted that while he had cracked down on crime and other problems, Kamala is ignoring those issues in her own back yard. It is safer to walk in Guatemala than in many US cities. That is saying something since just a few years ago, Guatemala had the highest murder rate in South America.

Virginia

Judge James E. Plowman, jr. ordered the school that fired a teacher named Tanner, for expressing his views that allowing transgender men to compete in women's sports was discrimination against actual women, against his faith, and an offense to God, to reinstate the man. The judge said that Tanner had First Amendment rights to speak his views, and that the school acted in a way that was 'unnecessary and vindictive'. The school countered that they did not fire Tanner for his views, but because his expression of those views caused 'disruption'. The judge did not buy that poor excuse.

Kentucky

In Boone County, Judge Richard A. Brueggemann struck down the edicts of Governor Andy Beshears regarding Covid mandates. especially masks. This was a permanent injunction, not subject to appeal or review or reinstatement after making minor changes. All of these actions were declared 'unconstitutional' and void.

Now, these mandates were set to expire Friday, anyway, and the Governor did not plan to extend them. But this ruling is important as precedent for actions all over the nation.

TikTok

Trump revoked the right of TikTok to operate here, since it was an agent of the CCP. Biden just revoked this ban.

New Orleans

A man was filmed wandering down a residential street, trying door handles to see if he could enter. He appeared very drunk, and overweight. He went down one side, and up the other, as pedestrians watched, and moved away. Finally, someone opened their door, and this man lunged at the resident. The resident, however, was prepared, and armed. He shot this intruder, killing him. No charges will be filed, thanks in part to the clear video evidence.

Crypto Currency

This was the stuff used in the Colonial Pipeline hack. Crypto currency is not issued by governments, and governments hate this stuff - since they cannot control it, or steal it from citizens. Things like Bitcoin or Dogecoin are examples. Smaller scale things like coupons, bonus points, and rewards points are also examples of non-traditional currency. We should expect to see a lot more activity in alternative currencies.

Bill Gates

He will not give up on his plan to vaccinate everyone, whether they want it or not. He just gave a 'starter' payment of $100,000 to Hiroyaki Matsuoka of the Jichi Medical University to develop mosquitoes infected with vaccines to be released into populated areas, and 'vaccinate' just about everyone. If successful, a million-dollar grant will follow. Of course, if this can be done with medicines, it can also be done with poisons. Both the Japanese and Germans did exactly that back in WWII. Japanese biowarfare experiments killed at least 250,000 Chinese, and continued to kill people for generations. Germans flooded areas that would breed mosquitoes, and unleashed diseases on the locals. They also poisoned crops, affecting others.

Bill , who is not a doctor, is intent on reducing the world population by 15%, to 'save the planet'. Perhaps he might do well to remember that even though there are a lot more people on the planet today than a few years ago, food supplies and distribution has kept up, and in fact, more people are better fed today than at any time in known history. Most people do not live at subsistence levels today, when for most of recorded history, they did.

Bill is treading on dangerous ground. The unintended consequences could be beyond horrific. Back when I was a child, I lived overseas in a mosquito infested area. Every evening, the jeeps would come by spraying clouds of DDT, to control the mosquitoes. Of course, that effective chemical was banned a few years ago. Never mind that mosquito borne diseases kill ten times as many people than the DDT did. I, for one, do not want to breed 'genetically modified mosquitoes', even for good causes.

Burger King

Did I already say this one? Seems that Burger King wants to celebrate Gay pride month. So, they took some cheap shots at Chick-fil-A over their stance, and Sunday closings. Then, to top it all off, they said that Burger King will donate a sum of money to gay pride groups for every Chick-fil-A sandwich sold. Anyone hungry for a chicken sandwich?

Fargo, North Dakota

This hotbed of racial strife saw one 23-year-old Arther Prince Kollie attack 14-year-old Daisy 'Jupiter' Paulsen. She was stabbed 25 times, beaten and strangled by this man. Then, he stole her backpack and phone. He was later captured, and she later died of her injuries. Wonder how the judge will rule in this case?

In another incident, a young black man was yelling racial slurs at an Asian police officer. When confronted over his behavior, the man said that 'blacks cannot be racist'. Didn't we hear Obama make that same argument?

France

President Macron was doing a meet and greet with the public, when a man slapped him across the face, yelling bad things about Macron's policies. That is a serious insult in French culture, and, police took down this guy, and I think a couple of others with him, very fast. Guess the president is learning that at least some of the public does not agree with him.

New Handbook

Parents are getting concerned about Critical Race Theory in the schools. Many do not want their children indoctrinated with racism. Some have spoken up at school board meetings, and the board members have tried to shut them down. But, now, there is a new handbook for these parents, with instructions on how to fight this battle. It is called "Combatting CRT in your Community". It comes from Parents and Citizens for Renewing America. Bet the leftists are getting worried, and plotting in dark back rooms how to fight back.

Atlanta

During the riots that followed a police shooting of a man found dead drunk at Wendy's, where the Wendy's was burned down, there were also many other injuries. Eight-year-old Secoriea Turner was shot and killed, as she sat in her parents car. Her family is suing the city, the mayor, and others for negligence, for allowing the riots to proceed without intervention. They did not agree that 'armed vigilantes' should be allowed to run rampant in this city. This could be a real landmark case. If the parents win, mayors all over the place will not sleep well - like Portland and Seattle.

FBI Sting

Three years in the making, an FBI sting has sprung. This operation was known variously as 'Ironside', 'Greenlight', or 'Trojan Shield'. It involved undercovers selling encrypted satellite phones to criminals, which the FBI had the keys and codes for. This allowed them to track and monitor the activities of more than 300 criminal gangs, in 18 countries. More than 800 people were arrested, and literally tons of drugs, weapons and cash were seized.

Meanwhile, back at home, the ATF is trying to re-define some guns. For many pistols, you can purchase a 'stock', so that it can be fired like a rifle. This improves accuracy. The ATF, with their devotion to disarming Americans, but not others, wants to classify such weapons as 'short barreled rifles', and apply restrictions to their sale and use. These guys never give up trying to bypass the Second Amendment.

Fauci

He was planning to release his new self-praising book this November. It was to be called "Expect the Unexpected - Ten Lessons on Truth, Service and the Way Forward". The irony of this, in light of all the email revelations and his endless flip-flopping, was just too much for the major retailers. Amazon and Barnes and Noble have dropped this book like a hot potato.

Did you know that the 'excuse' to do all these mandates was based on a PCR test to show the presence of Covid. Sadly, the test was badly flawed, with up to 97% false positives. Add in the 'creative reporting' of deaths, (how anyone could sell a gunshot wound to the head as a Covid death really stretches the imagination), and the distortion of cheap, alternative cures to expensive experimental vaccines should have made more people skeptical. HCQ had been a proven anti-malarial drug for 60 years or so, and effective on Covid, used in a timely fashion, at a dose of 200mg daily for 10 days. But, to discredit this treatment, tests were conducted using 8800 mg, and that was a toxic dose. Add to that, all the new regulations banning this as an over-the-counter drug, and requiring a prescription, then barring doctors from prescribing it, and you have a genuine conspiracy. But I digress. The evidence against both Fauci and 'the cure' is overwhelming, except to the superstitious and gullible.

Seattle

Woke gone wild. The Seattle Department of Finance, in a rant produced by David Holmberg, called all cops 'white supremacists'. Cops took exception to this, as you can well imagine. How long can that city stand, divided against itself?

Next time you hear someone claim ``It's all Trump's fault" - ask them how they know this, and will they offer the proof. Those conversations could be interesting. Of course, the answer will always be 'You is a racist'.

Rich