charles i. letbetter

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Sunday Morning Update: 12/08/24

December 8, 2024

Listen carefully to the sounds around the world. Syria’s al-Assad has disappeared. A 50-year dynasty has been deposed. What began with “Arab Spring” ended with over 500,000 dead. Some celebrate—some mourn. Others worry. Will terrorism return? Who has control of chemical weapons? Where are the Kurds? What happens to foreign bases? Humanity excels at creating complex situations and problems that are not easily solved. For all the wars and conflicts, we remain our own worst enemy.

Step away. Ignore the world and read. Spend more time in critical thought. Let the words sink deep. Mull the choice of vocabulary. Consider the implications. Parse what can be taken at face value from that which hides deeper meaning. Expand the ways you see the world.

Step away. Arm yourself with a fresh view of history. Read the books others want banned, even if you’ve read them before. Force yourself to answer the tough questions. Open more than one text at a time so that the brain in your head does not get lazy. Push your mind into unfamiliar territory. Glean wisdom from sources you’ve never known.

Step away. Give yourself time to think. Write down your thoughts. Wrestle with the words. Scratch out that last sentence and try again. Do not type with speed. Question yourself. Argue against your opinions. Let no conclusion go untested. Check the influence of your native biases. Give no ground to the mythologies of your youth.

Refill the coffee mug. The dogs that woke early now rest comfortably on the bed. Thoughts bombard my head, each fighting to be heard. What does it matter that the Eras tour has ended? What are the consequences of old shoes selling for $28 million? Fools part with money even as their own cupboards grow bare. The songs that linger now are those sung long ago. Cherished memories leave no souvenirs.

Age colours my vision. Depth of field is set by my experience. I wander. Is that the ticking of the clock or the sound of my boots as I pace the hallway? How many circles can I make before my legs collapse? I would dance but the music changes too quickly.

No one is well. We struggle to breathe. Moving brings us pain. Eating makes us ill. Medicine numbs us to the cancer that eats at our bodies. We sympathize. We empathize. Yet, we cannot help ourselves let alone give aid to others. We need… so much.

Spin around one last time. Step away.

Hold me. Close.

Health / Morning Update / Mythology / Original Style / Personal / Social Commentary

Wednesday Morning Update: 11/20/24

November 20, 2024

What, then, shall we make of today if it comes to us bearing nothing but trouble, sacks full of heartache, luggage with nothing but wrinkled misery? Do we confine ourselves to the pinhole vision of old men and bitter women teetering on the cusp of death, or do we dig for them their graves so that we might gleefully push them in and cover their decay with dirt? Is there any good found while cowering in fear? Rather, let us take to the feeble a battle they are unable to fight; for the noise they make is the sound of broken swords, clanging meaninglessly in scabbards fastened loosely around protruding waists.

I’m finding little use this morning in attempting to recount for yet another day the perils of my health conditions. Rain is in the offing for this morning and colder temperatures follow behind that. Even if I weren’t on chemo and my head wasn’t screaming this would still not be a day likely to etch itself into my memories for any good or pleasurable reason. Brief respite is given by those familiars who look on silently, rubbing a nuzzle against my hand, not conscious of the aid they provide. My shirt, pulled fresh from my closet this morning, is already covered with hair that is not mine, making me a walking allergen.

G came home from school excited about a D&D campaign he is planning for his friends to enjoy come January. His dreams are lofty and to achieve them I’ve recommended the works of Huxley and Asimov so that he needn’t reinvent what has already been so beautifully created. Alas, those volumes that were once on my shelves are no more. I am continually mystified at how pages filled with ink can disappear into some special ether that consumes nothing but that which I most urgently desire to read.

Tipper gleefully announced her intention to spend Black Friday in the company of her boyfriend. Their intent is to visit a Hot Topic at one of the remaining malls in the area. They are employing a strategy that assumes waiting until the afternoon when more eager shoppers have exhausted themselves, will provide them with greater access. He has promised to buy her whatever it is that she desires. I am hopeful that what she desires is on sale.

Familial lives change around me without my interference. I am of little use to any of them except as a source to share their syncopated excitements. As they grow into their own experiences I am freed to spend my time on other goals if only my body would consummate the intentions of my mind.

Perhaps the news of the day should worry me more. Does a television doctor threaten the health and wellness of my future? Will one steeped in the art of frivolous deception steer education into a mythological abyss? Can the assemblage of a privileged few threaten the humanity of those our ancestors embraced? Malfeasance has a short life and its demise is hastened with the raising of our voices. Are the streets not ours? The wind carries our objections and determination in gigabyte packages to audiences whose faces we never see. Political pyramids topple from the vibrations of marching feet today as surely as did the mythical walls of Jericho yield to the stomping and shouting of homeless nomads in antiquity. Even under perceived threat, our lives, your lives, are more powerful than the heated words of a company whose foundation is pretense.

All prayers are meaningless when there is no deity to hear them. No deity ever conceived gives an ear to the desires of hate. My love for you is infinitely stronger than imagined characters formed by willful ignorance. Your love for each other, open and unapologetic, demolishes the fear-fueled diatribes of those who clutch pearls in the shadow of a temple, a mosque, or a cross. Stand up. Clothe yourselves in flags of your own making. Set foot to the demolition of abhorrent attitudes and loathsome schemes.

Who can stop a nation whose will is to love as one loves without boundary or exclusion? One cannot make a mortar of hate. What is formed of execration crumbles like dust. Stand up. Blow your horns and stomp your feet with pride and defiance. The graves waiting to be filled will not hold you but the corpses of those whose faces turn orange as they scream into the winter wind.

Stand the fuck up. No one has put your feet in cement. The visions of threats are nothing more than a mirage. Your voice cannot be silenced. Your humanity cannot be defeated. If love does conquer all then all shall fall before you. Stand. Move. Yell. Scream. Defeat.

And do not bother to lay a wreath at the grave of hate.

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Nature / Photography

Pelicans At Eagle Creek

October 16, 2024

See that map? It’s all about American White Pelicans. The orange/peach-colored areas are where they go for breeding. The yellow areas are part of their natural migration patterns. The blue areas are where they like to call home. Look in all that white area. Can you find Indiana? Take off -25 points if you can’t. Indiana is one of the states that normally don’t see pelicans. That’s not to say that there aren’t occasional exceptions, but generally if one sees a pelican in Indiana it’s because it’s gotten lost.

So, how do we explain almost 40 pelicans flying in over our heads and landing in front of us at Eagle Creek this past Monday? Our best guess, which is not the least bit scientific, is that Hurricane Helene blew them off course. It could also be that these were younger pelicans who got lost during the storm, but we didn’t have the equipment to card any of the birds so we can’t be sure. Nonetheless, they were here and we took pictures of them. There are also some blue Herron, egrets, and a whole bunch of seagulls who weren’t expecting the invasion. I’ll let the pictures tell the story. You can put on your David Attenborough hat and narrate as you wish.

Blue Herron crouched down, trying to avoid the wind.

I think these little birds are called kooks, though I’m not sure that’s spelled correctly

Strolling through the park as Herrons sometimes do

Innocent little seagulls, not expecting a thing

SPLASH! Look out little gulls, the big birds are taking over!

Here they are, Mabel! I told you we were going in the right direction!

The group discount applies to the fish too, right?

I’m telling ya’ Mabel, there’s nothing wrong with the fish here

Ugh. This water doesn’t smell salty at all. Another meal with no flavor to it.

Sorry I’m late. We made a wrong turn at Des Moines.

Plotting a murder on the other side of the island

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Morning Update: 08/14/24

August 14, 2024

One of the things that is interesting around here is how much more noise there is around the house when Kat’s not home. When Kat’s here, we all try to be as quiet as possible. The kids understand that she rarely sleeps well during the night and avoid turning on lights and speaking loudly. When she’s not here? This morning G was up and in the shower at 5:00. Tipper was up shortly thereafter and it wasn’t long before the lights were on and the chatter was going. The dogs went out, the cats were fed, and there were plenty of conversations before they headed out the door for the day. I think I prefer the quiet days because the intensity of the chatter is a bit much for this early in the morning.

I talked so much about Tipper yesterday that I forgot to mention that G is now one of the Lab’s three student ambassadors. He’ll represent the Lab at other schools and different events, and he’s in charge of administering a program that gives points to students for positive behaviors. This is a fantastic leadership opportunity for him and it’s nice to see how seriously he’s taking his responsibilities. He’s overcoming his fears and learning to speak up on issues that are important to him. I’m looking forward to seeing how this year develops.

Yesterday was the last Two Dollar Tuesday of the Indiana State Fair, so I had to go. My hope was to get some selfies with draft horses. Tipper had talked about how many of them were there on Saturday, and I just assumed (an error) that there would still be some there yesterday. Nope. The horse buildings were completely empty. Not a horse of any breed in sight. I was severely disappointed. I did get a picture with the lovely gentleman you see at the top of the page. I figure we black sheep need to stick together, you know? I also made my way around to the DNR building and asked them what I’d need to do to get more bears, wolves, and elk back into state parks. For some reason, they weren’t amused by the question. I put in nearly 10,000 steps for the day, which is probably the most I’ve walked since starting chemo. When I got home, I took the dogs out and then collapsed into bed for a nap.

The dogs really don’t like it when I’m gone all day. They barely left my side when I took them out, and when we came back in, Belvedere tried climbing into my lap while I sat in my office chair. They both have been extra snuggly anyway. I’m a little concerned that they’re sensing something that I’ve yet to grasp.

I know we talked a lot yesterday about women’s autonomy, but over the course of the day, two more states, Arizona and Missouri, put abortion on the ballot for this fall. This brings the total to seven states that are putting some form of abortion measure to a vote. No matter where you live, this is an important matter that requires everyone to get out and vote. Again, these issues are totally separate from the races for president and members of Congress. And while the number of people registering as Democrats has increased over the past three weeks, we have to realize that prior to that point Republicans had been registering significantly more people since last December. It’s going to take a lot of effort in every state to prevent the dangerous and undemocratic policies of Project 2025 from taking effect. There’s no sitting on the sidelines or trying to avoid being political. Everyone needs to speak up and let their position be known. Silence almost certainly leads to disaster come November 5.

Interesting story out of New Zealand where a food bank accidentally distributed potentially lethal doses of meth disguised as candy. Disguising drugs as food items to get past border customs isn’t new, but the question is how they became donated to the Auckland food bank. With a street value of over $600 US per candy, it seems unlikely that this was a deliberate attempt to poison low-income and homeless people. The food bank is trying to get all the candies back, but four people have already been hospitalized for taking the drug.

Folks in Japan are a little on edge after the Japan Meteorological Agency issued its first-ever “megaquake” advisory. Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone places in the word. While last week’s 7.1 quake stayed offshore and provided little threat to the island nation, concern is growing that there’s now a 70-80% chance of a significantly larger quake in the 8-9 range on the Richter scale. Such a large quake could prove devestating. Unfortunately, the announcement didn’t come with any instructions on how people might prepare for such an event. This has led to considerable confusion and criticism of the agency. What may be worse is that without specific planning instructions, people are more likely to disregard the warning, leaving them completely unprepared should such an event occur.

I posted about this on Facebook yesterday afternoon, but I want to get a little more into it this morning. The United Auto Workers Union has filed a complaint of worker intimidation with the National Labor Relations Board against the Orange Felon and Elon Musk after their glitch-filled chat on Monday. While the Felon’s campaign is trying to pass off the complaint as “frivolous” there could be some real meat to the story. Back in June, eight former workers at SpaceX, Musk’s rocket company, sued the company and Musk, alleging he ordered them fired after they challenged what they called rampant sexual harassment and a hostile “Animal House”-style work environment at the company. In Monday’s chat, the Felon told Musk, “I look at what you do. You walk in and say, ‘You want to quit?’ I won’t mention the name of the company but they go on strike and you say, ’That’s OK. You’re all gone.’” That statement would seem to be a direct attempt at intimidation against unionizing efforts at Tesla and elsewhere. If you needed another reason to not vote for the lying, cheating, swindling, rapist felon, there you go.

Mornings like this, I kinda wonder if we’re all not a little bit crazy for living in a society as messed up as ours. The economy is questionable, climate change is progressing faster than anyone predicted, and it seems that politicians suck no matter what country one lives in. We can change this, you know. Young people in Bangledesh proved that last week. The question is what will it take for us to get serious about anything?

Maybe I just need more coffee.

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Morning Update: 08/13/24

August 13, 2024

How well do you know your kids? As parents, we want to think that we know our kids pretty well. We’ve taught them what to do in different situations and we’ve seen how they’ve reacted to surprise and change. Yet, all that can disappear in a moment when you get a text from the school saying, “Your child is marked present to school, but absent from advisory. Please talk with them about following their assigned schedule.” That hit my phone at 12:15 yesterday afternoon. Fortunately, I was awake and able to respond quickly.

“Why are you marked absent from advisory?” I messaged her. Sure, they’re not supposed to have their phones out at school, but I assumed that if she was skipping for some reason she would at least take her phone with her.

What was eventually revealed was that one of her friends, the one that took her to the far Saturday night, had gotten sick. Part of her message said, “…I had to watch him literally empty his stomach which was literally only water. I was scared for him.” We chatted briefly and soon after that I got a call from her support coach. She confirmed Tipper’s account and said that Tipper’s level of empathy left her exhausted. The coach recommended we pick her up. Unfortunately, Kat was booked and, of course, I had no way to go get her. Kat gave her permission to leave early and ride the bus home.

When she got home, I gave her a big hug, she cried a bit, and then she went to lie down.

Yeah, this is our child. We’re proud of her. And while her absence will be probably unexcused, her continuing education in caring about other people is just as important. Her empathy is immense and learning how to respond in a caring and appropriate way is more important than immersive Spanish.

Situations like this, however, are why I’m infuriated that women don’t have complete autonomy over their own bodies. The Associated Press ran a story yesterday about how hospital emergency rooms are turning women away despite federal law requiring them to be treated because of punitive state laws promising severe penalties, including long jail sentences if they end a pregnancy for any reason. This is the direct result of allowing Republicans to be in charge of anything. This also emphasizes why it is just as important to vote for Democrats down ballot as well as at the federal level.

We’re at this point where doctors and hospital administrators are afraid to do their jobs because we were lazy at the ballot and let Republicans win. We’re okay with autonomous cars, autonomous volocopters, and autonomous robots, but not autonomous women? As much as we can’t let Republicans grab control of Congress and the White House, we must wrestle control of state houses away from them as well. At the state level, dangerous plans such as Project 2025 are more likely to be successfully implemented. States are more likely to gut education systems, prohibit the teaching of critical race theory, eliminate DEI programs, ban books, limit or eliminate medical funding for poor and elderly people, cut or eliminate food assistance programs, and generally make the world a less tolerable place to live.

I find it interesting that both presidential candidates and President Biden support cutting taxes on tips, but no one’s talking about the fact that the minimum wage for servers remains at the bottom of the barrel where their work is being exploited by restaurant owners. Perhaps we’d rather have a nation where teens are so hopeless and angry that they don helmets and bulletproof vests and then randomly stab people.

The US stands at a tipping point. How we vote in this fall’s election will drastically shape the future and no one is going to be more affected than our children. What happens if empaths like Tipper help a trans friend get the gender-affirming medical care they need? That’s on the ballot this fall. What happens if schools provide a safe space for LGBTQ+ students? That’s on the ballot this fall. What happens if the rules requiring overtime pay are gone? That’s on the ballot this fall. What happens if water becomes undrinkable? That’s on the ballot this fall. What happens when people lose the right to organize at work? That’s on the ballot this fall. What happens when 48 million women lose access to contraception? That’s on the ballot this fall.

Are you beginning to get the picture? This year’s election is much more than winning the White House, which we must do. We have to win at the state and local level as well. Otherwise, living conditions in the US will inevitably suffer. Labor shortages will become common. Safety at every level will decline. More police violence as training programs are cut. Less aid for small businesses after a weather disaster. It’s all on the ballot this year.

Yes, there’s a lot of other news this morning, including the disastrous interview between Elon Musk and the Orange Felon. But you know what? Almost every issue comes down to how you vote this fall. Israel/Gaza. Russia/Ukraine. Global warming. Space exploration. Almost every corner of the globe is going to feel the effects of your vote.

Let’s not let up on the focus on this election. Even when the news seems positive, we must continue pushing all the way through November. Remember, a week before the 2016 election, polls held a 93% certainty that Hillary Clinton was going to win. We see how horribly that turned out. Apathy is a killer. We must keep up the pressure and make sure everyone votes.

We have great kids. Let’s not give them a shitty country.

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Morning Update: 08/12/24

August 12, 2024

Being awake is overrated. I’m convinced of that fact this morning after going through yesterday with nothing more than a 45-minute nap. There were things to do, Amazon deliveries to catch, repeated trips outside with the dogs, and conversations with G about the new game he was playing. By the time we finally finished dinner, I was ready to collapse but waited until after 8:00 so I could take the dogs out one last time. That didn’t work. At 1:30 this morning they informed me that they needed to go out again. The only upside of that was getting to see a bit of the Perseid meteor shower while we were out. I’m still tired this morning, but again, there are things to do, Amazon deliveries to catch, and inevitably repeated trips outside with the dogs.

Tipper had another “date” yesterday afternoon with her BF, Gio, and his family. I think they ended up going to a mall or shopping center of some sort. She came back with loot, again, this time being most proud of an energy drink that had a picture of her favorite anime character on it. This time, Kat picked her up, which gave her a chance to visit some with Gio’s mom. The result is that she’ll be cutting Gio’s hair later this week. No word yet on whether Tipper will arrange to be at the salon that afternoon or not. Any way you slice it, it’s cute.

High blood pressure continues to be an issue this morning. No severe dizzy spells yet, but I can tell that one is just lingering behind my eyes. If this continues, we’ll be making another visit to the doctor. I have a feeling they’ll want that a bit more under control before the colonoscopy scheduled for later this month. I’m wondering if this could partly be a sleep issue, considering that I’ve been well off schedule over the weekend. Unfortunately, today may not be much better.

The Olympics are over, the handoff to LA has been made, the flame has been extinguished. Yet, controversy remains. Jordan Chiles has been stripped of a gymnastics bronze medal, but the USOPC says it will appeal. Apparently, there’s video evidence of some kind and you know that whole conversation is going to get messy before a final solution is reached. Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif filed a legal complaint for online harassment against her because people are fucking stupid. I’d love to see her punch one of those trolls who won’t drop the subject of her gender.

One moment that many may have overlooked was when the US Women’s Basketball Team received their gold medals. Tears flowed hard down Britteny Griner’s face as the national anthem was played. She didn’t bother wiping them away. After spending 10 months in a Russian jail for weed possession, she didn’t think she’d get this opportunity again. The moment was one of the most moving I’ve seen from this Olympics.

While I’ve been purposefully avoiding talking about the Israel/Gaza war, I guess there’s no escaping it this morning. On one hand, Israel is widening evacuation orders for southern Gaza. Where the fuck they expect people to go, I don’t know. Every time people move to get out of the way of battle, Israel just bombs them in the places they told them would be safe. However, tolerance of the war is shrinking as more countries are demanding that a cease-fire be reached. Netanyahu is a stubborn old man so I’m not sure the international pressure will be effective, especially with the US continuing to send them money for weapons. Meanwhile, a nuclear submarine is being sent to the region because threats of the war broadening won’t go away and those on the ground are saying that tensions have never been higher.

Speaking of money, you know how there’s not supposed to be any of it flowing into Russia? Well, guess what Reuters discovered? Not only is both US and EU cash getting through, there’s a lot of it; roughly $2.3 billion worth. While sanctions prohibiting the exchange of cash have been in place since 2022, hard currency is still preferred for a number of businesses, including some arms sales. And while the Chinese Yaun is the dominant currency, individuals still prefer the dollar for small investments, traveling, and international purchases. Now that the situation has been brought to light, it will be interesting to see how, or if, the State Department responds.

Today is the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, the rules put in place after WWII to, theoretically, help police violent acts committed by governments and avoid the type of genocide committed during that war. The problem is that no one is paying any attention to those rules. It doesn’t help any that none of the world’s major players, the US, Russia, and China, are members of the International Criminal Court which prosecutes war crimes. So, while the rules exist, there’s no enforcement that has any meaning. We’ve seen countless charges levied against Russia, Hamas, and Israel, but they’ve all fell flat. This leaves us to question whether there’s any point in having the rules at all.

We now know that the plane that crashed in Brazil over the weekend was carrying a group of doctors on their way to an oncology conference. The cause of the accident is still in question. Meteorologists have said there was icing in the Sao Polo region at the time of the crash, but experts warn against jumping to any conclusions. Both black boxes have been recovered, so everyone is hoping that will answer some of the lingering questions.

I’m going to go out on a limb and disagree with some local meteorologists who’ve downplayed today’s chance for rain. I’m looking at the radar now (8:01 AM EDT) and what appeared to be a weak system last night has grown considerably this morning. While severe weather isn’t in the works, I think we could see more than just “a sprinkle” or two this afternoon.

There are some other points of interest sitting out there this morning, but it’s Monday and that alone carries enough weight to be depressing. I’m going to just end it here and strongly consider going back to bed for a little while. The first Amazon delivery for the day has already arrived, so I should have a few hours before the trucks are rolling through the neighborhood.

Today’s goal is to not let the day become overwhelming. I wish us all good luck.

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Morning Update: 08/11/24

August 11, 2024

If I were a church-going person, and I’m not, I would be struggling this morning. Tipper did end up going with her school friend to the fair, but it was almost 7:00 PM before they picked her up and they stayed until the fair closed at 11:00. The trip almost didn’t happen. Her friend was dependent on their mother to drive and Mom didn’t seem to feel the same urgency the kids did. Tipper was close to canceling when she finally got the message that they were on their way.

It was almost midnight when she got home, and, of course, I couldn’t go to sleep until I knew she was back safely. She was excited, having won a stuffed elephant and purchased a unique water bottle. She wanted to pet all the cats and talk about the trip, so it was after 12:30 this morning before I crawled under the covers. I’m only awake now because the cats are on a schedule and demand to be fed on time. The dogs need to go out before I type the next paragraph.

[Hoo boy. Took the dogs out for about 10 minutes. Tipper joined me and we talked more about the fair. When we came back in, though, I was hit with really strong dizziness that has yet to go away. I’m sitting down and am safe for now, but if this doesn’t get better I’ll have to cut things short.]

G spent a large part of yesterday sprawled across his bed doing math; multiplying polynomials, specifically. What are polynomials? They’re letters and numbers all mixed up and doing stuff. Technically, an expression which is composed of variables, constants, and exponents, that are combined using mathematical operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. You know, the kind of math that causes mere mortals to go insane. G was doing them on purpose. All morning. He then took a long nap cuddled with a cat. He likes it when the house is quiet. He also likes it when he’s not forced to interact with anyone else. So, I’m guessing it was a pretty good day for him, too.

I’m not seeing a lot of news this morning that warrants any comment. Of course, I’m sure there are people who are upset that Jordan Chiles has to return her bronze medal. I get it, but the Romanians were quick to challenge the decision and the matter was adjudicated by a court, so I’m not surprised. I’m not saying it’s fair, but I’m not surprised.

With the Olympics ending today, all eyes turn next to Los Angeles for the 2028 Summer Games. LA is already making the games interesting by announcing that the entire Olympic venue will only be accessible by public transportation. No cars. Given how horrid LA traffic is, I can see where this decision makes sense. They’re going to have to greatly improve their transit system, though, if they want things to go smoothly. Like many urban transit systems, the vehicles are dirty, smelly, and unreliable. If they don’t step up their game considerably, the whole thing could be a disaster.

However, there could be some alternatives. If you were watching early this morning, US time, you might have gotten a glimpse at the Volocopter, an autonomous air taxi, as it provided a test flight over Paris. They couldn’t get all the paperwork done in time for the service to be available for these games, but backers are anxiously hoping to have the service operational for the LA Games. I see some challenges, to be sure, but they have four years to work those out. Tesla’s autonomous taxis, though, still won’t be allowed even if they work without killing someone or blowing up.

The New York Times is boring today as well, which is disappointing. Normally, I head straight for the Times Magazine, but it’s a rare yawner today. There is an interesting article about the “orgasm gap” that women still experience but I would have liked a little more science and depth to the piece. So much of what I’m seeing seems redundant, remixed leftovers from what we’ve been reading all week. Even the opinion pieces feel “meh.”

Maybe I’m just difficult to please.

I’m still not feeling great, though. I may go back to bed after checking in with the kids. I should probably check my blood pressure, too.

There’s always something wrong. Fucking cancer.

Current Issues / Morning Update / News & Comment / Personal / science / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 08/10/24

August 10, 2024

Here it is 7:30 AM, I’m just sitting down to write, and there’s no other sound in the house. Kat and both kids are still asleep. Animals are all asleep except for Belvedere lying here on the bed watching me, wondering when he’s going to get breakfast. This is the tone set for the weekend. I think Tipper may have tentative plans with a friend but I’m not sure. She came in from school and crashed hard. G is, unsurprisingly, planning on getting some schoolwork done. He’s still a bit upset at how long it took them to get started. Kat will go to the salon and then head North for the weekend. I’m just here in case of an emergency.

It’s a chilly 57 degrees outside at the moment. Skies are clear. Not much different than 2:00 AM when the dogs decided they needed to go out. That’s really my own fault. Normally, I take the dogs out for the last time around 8-8:30 in the evening. That typically gets them through until 6:00 the next morning. I fell asleep shortly after 7:00 last night, though, which didn’t give them a chance to go out that last time. Thus, come 2:00, someone was needing to go pee quite badly. I slipped on my shoes and took them out only to be surprised by how cool it was. I’ll have a jacket on when I take them out again this morning.

Weekends like this are for reading and there’s plenty to read. Of course, dominating headlines this morning is the crash of an ATR 72 twin-engine turboprop in Sao Paulo, Brazil. This is a story you’ll want to come back to off and on over the weekend as more details become known. All that’s certain at the moment is that the plane went into a flat spin before crashing inside a gated community, killing the 61 souls on board.

We’re also just finding out that a Serbian competitor in the CrossFit Games died while competing in a swimming event Thursday morning at a Texas lake. Again, details are sketchy. An official with the Fort Worth Fire Department said they were called out around 8 a.m. to assist police because there was “a participant in the water that was down and hadn’t been seen in some point in time.” No cause of death has been given and CrossFit isn’t answering any questions.

Boxer Imane Khelif won gold to cap an Olympics marked by scrutiny over her sex. After all the ridiculous fuss, it only seems fitting that she should walk away with the top prize. Sha’carri Richardson was able to finally capture her first gold as the anchor in the women’s 4×100 relay. But 60-year-old swimmer Jim Dreyer apparently gave up after two days trying to cross Lake Michigan. Actually, no one’s sure exactly what happened. Dreyer isn’t responding to questions and the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed he’s no longer in the water.

Making Mars inhabitable seems to be a big issue this morning. The easy-to-digest version is on Reuters’ home page, but the more scientific version is in this week’s Science magazine. What it all boils down to is the possibility that soil samples from the planet can possibly be used to make rods that would warm the planet enough for it to terraform itself. Don’t hold your breath, though, Elon. Even in the best possible conditions, we’re still decades away from even thinking about putting people up there.

There’s an interesting feature in this morning’s New York Times that has cool graphics to go with it if you read it online. It seems that China has been building new villages and relocating people to live all along its Western border, including some disputed territories with India. This is interesting for a number of reasons. One, it feels an awful lot like it did when Israel first did the same thing along its West Bank border, and we see how disastrously that plan worked. Two, the previously uninhabited regions were uninhabited for a damn good reason. Villages in the Himalayas are subject to severe winters with roads impassible several months of the year. Other areas are too rocky for any type of agriculture to take place. China is digging in, though, saying that the towns are critical to the country’s defense. The article is worth the read.

Everything else this morning is war and politics and I’m not inclined to give any more oxygen to those situations when those who could do something constructive sit on their hands or make the situation worse.

I’m crossing my fingers for a nice, quiet weekend. We’ll see if that’s possible.

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Morning Update

August 9, 2024

For all the early-morning angst I had yesterday, nothing horrible happened. At least, not here. Kat was sick enough to stay home all day. She’s feeling some better and will be at the salon this afternoon, but it’s still questionable whether she’ll attend an event planned for this evening. The kids were over an hour late getting home because the bus broke down and they had to wait for a replacement. Again. They were exhausted when they did get home and when I went to bed at 8:00, I was the only one awake. They did have dinner, but there was no conversation. Days like this pass as a blur.

What did happen yesterday was that the Orange Felon held a press conference from Mar-a-lago. Supporters will say he was “forceful.” Everyone else will say it was unhinged with the most ridiculous moment coming when he claimed that the crowd at his Jan. 6 2021 speech was larger than that of MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech. There was a lot of looking back at his first term and exaggeration of numbers. He admitted he lost in 2020, which was startling. Remember that when he reverts back to the lie later. What’s possibly most relevant, from my perspective, is that the Felon hasn’t been out campaigning this week. At all. He’s sent Vance, who hasn’t brought the numbers he was supposed to bring. The optics lean into the fact that the Felon is 78 years old. He would be the oldest President ever, and there are already plenty of warning signs that he’s losing what little mental faculties he had. As Nancy Pelosi has said, we can’t let “that man” win.

ABC News reports that the September 10 debate is back on. The Felon says he wants more, but there’s been no comment from the Harris/Walz campaign. In fact, the Vice President hasn’t been giving interviews, either. She’s sticking to campaign speeches where her message is well defined and there’s little chance of misspeaking. How long will that strategy work?

Microsoft is saying that Iran has accelerated cyber activity which is most likely a sign of increased interference in the US election. Be on the lookout for attacks against Harris/Walz that are completely unfounded. Don’t be afraid to call them out. Their whole purpose is to create chaos and disenfranchisement around the election. Please, again, check your sources carefully.

You may be seeing holiday displays even earlier than usual. Reuters reports that retailers are rushing holiday shipments on anything imported out of fear that their could be disruptive events in the near future. Both the fluctuations of the stock market and threats of terrorism are to blame. This could mean early discounts as excess inventory crowds stores, but also be aware that this year’s prices are already higher than last year as companies look to pad their profit margins as much as possible.

If you use a nebulizer for asthma or migraines, you know how clunky and unwieldy those devices are. That may be about to change. Companies are again testing vape-like devices that would be considerably easier to use. The delay comes from having to convince the FDA and other medical professionals that the devices a) actually work, and b) don’t accidentally encourage other vape use. There are also the optics. Imagine being in a restaurant, almost all of which are nonsmoking now, and needing to use a nebulizer. Cue conflict over convincing your server that no, you’re not smoking. The new devices would be considerably easier to use, but they’re still not likely to be available any time soon.

There are clusters of international stories taking up space this morning, but nothing that currently raises severe concern. Internal struggles are just that: internal. They have to be worked out by those affected.

One last thing, though, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Hall of Fame golfer known for antics on the greens, has died. Now, I’ve never been a huge golf fan, and had it been any other golfer I might not have bothered to mention the passing. But people of a certain age will remember a famous episode of the television show, “WKRP in Cincinnati” where the station’s news director, Les Nessman, played brilliantly by Richard Sanders, completely bungles the golfer’s name while on the air, to the horror of Johnny Fever, played by the late Howard Hessman. So, we say goodbye to Chi Chi with thanks for being a good sport. Here’s the clip:

I’m not making any firm weekend plans as both kids have mentioned possibly doing things with their friends. These are the moments we have to step back and give them room to grow beyond academics. Letting them out of our sight is something that’s never quite comfortable. When the Citizen app issued an alert yesterday that someone had been hit by a truck on Lafayette Road, Kat was quick to have both kids check in, making sure they were safe. We hope that we’ve given the kids enough guidance and support to be able to make safe decisions, but we also know that teens test boundaries and often think that past rules no longer apply. So, I’m going to sit here and try to be flexible and supportive and encouraging, and no, I’m not crying. You’re crying.

Kat’s finally sleeping. The twins are snuggled up together at the foot of the bed. Both dogs are back to sleep. Queen Bit plopped herself down right smack in the middle of the bed, defying anyone to disturb her. All the rain chances are along the East Coast and remnants of Hurricane Debby continue to make life difficult.

Maybe I’ll just have another cup of coffee and sit here quietly. Because I can.

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Morning Update: 08/08/24

August 8, 2024

Something feels off this morning, though I’m clueless as to what it might be. Yesterday was largely uneventful. Kids went to school and came home without issue. G had his violin lesson. We fixed dinner but only the kids ate as Kat and I were both feeling nauseous. Bedtime came early (again) and I didn’t hear anyone up during the night. After such an uneventful day, I’m sitting here wondering where today’s big news might drop.

But even the news is a bit off this morning. We’ve been hearing for years about the various dangers of mylar balloons, right? Yesterday, one caused a boil water alert in New Orleans after intersecting with a power line. The dip in power caused four water pumps to turn off. Yet, I’m still not seeing any outrage or movements to ban mylar balloons. I guess we’re just going to accept this as “one of those things.”

Where there is outrage is the UK. After days of racist right-wing protests and violence, people are starting to call bullshit and confront the protesters. It’s about damn time. Police haven’t had any effect on the protests at all. When it comes to flagrant character flaws such as racism and bigotry, perhaps having your neighbors in your face is a better solution than policing. We’ll see.

Oklahoma never fails to disappoint in the arena of strange news. This time, a dog chomping on a lithium-ion battery sparked a serious house fire in Oklahoma, footage taken from the home shows, as the dog bit down and sparks began to shoot from the battery. (AP video: Javier Arciga) This highlights two critical issues. 1. Dogs will eat anything, so stop leaving shit lying around. 2. Lithium batteries, even those that seem “dead,” are fucking dangerous! Treat them accordingly.

Stocks are slipping again this morning, mostly in the tech sector. Between you and me, I expect this volatility to continue until the Fed cuts rates, which may not happen until September. The test is whether investors have the stomach to wait out the ride.

Talk about bad luck. Imagine getting to go into space, two weeks about the International Space Station. The capsule that got you there (barely) breaks and your trip is extended to 30 days. Whee! But now… NASA says it’s looking more like they’re going to be there until FEBRUARY 2025! They’ll most likely be coming back on a SpaceX rocket. Who knows what the fuck will happen to the Boeing mess that now feels like a metaphor for the entire company’s performance.

Bad luck also hit Swifties hoping to see their idol in Vienna as three shows there were canceled because of a terror threat. Two have been arrested and Austrian officials claim one of the men, a 19-year-old, may have ties to the Islamic State. If you think threats against music venues are growing, you’re not wrong. The past decade has seen a frightening escalation in attacks, including 140 killed in Moscow this past March, and 260 killed at a music festival in Israel on October 7, sparking the current war.

Interestingly enough, US abortion numbers, which had been in decline, have risen slightly since the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Expect those numbers to escalate as more women grow fearful of antiquated religiously-fueled laws that endanger their well-being. At the same time, however, more abortion providers are scaling back. Planned Parenthood in Manhattan says it will stop providing the service after 20 weeks. All the more reason for women to make this election all about them, their rights, and their autonomy.

Speaking of the election, it was predictable that there would be misinformation about Tim Walz coming out. Know the facts before you open your big mouth. Remember, a lot of the misinformation is coming from international enemies. Don’t help them spread it.

There’s no chance of rain today, or any time in the near future. Morning temps will be almost chilly by Sunday. There’s really nothing earthshaking going on outside of the 7.1 rattler off the coast of Japan. The tsunami warning isn’t getting a lot of attention, though.

So, maybe we just have a nice, calm day. What do you think? Can we make that happen?

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Morning Update: 08/07/24

August 7, 2024

Lesson learned: Don’t eat bacon and then go out in the heat for a prolonged period of time. My stomach strongly disagreed with that decision and, wouldn’t you know it, I was at the Indiana State Fair when my body decided to process that fateful act. Fortunately, there were plenty of open restroom stalls. Still, my stomach never really settled down, foiling my plan to cheat on my diet for the day. I had a $4 bottle of water, instead.

My motivation for going to the fair on such a hot day, besides the fact admission was only $2, was the desire to check out Travis Little’s newest work. Health issues have prevented Travis from being able to paint and this is his first work since regaining use of his hands. Spectacular? Uhm, of course! If you’re going to the fair, you’ll find his work in the Arts building, lower part of the first floor, in the “Professional” room, and in the watercolor section. Yes, watercolor. While Travis mostly uses pastels, he used watercolor for this piece, and that resulted in the unique placement of his work.

Those of you who’ve been around for a while know what I’m going to say next. STOP MAKING ART A COMPETITION! As I walked through both the art and photography galleries I was deeply disturbed by the degree to which superior works received no attention at all. And who the fuck decided to post the photographs with no attribution? Whose work was I looking at? Yes, it matters! I have different expectations for someone who has been snapping for 20+ years than I do for someone who is just starting out. My complaint applies double to the youth sections where failure to acknowledge strong work could result in the artist giving up and setting their tools to the side, causing the world to lose out on a spectacular talent that is just getting started.

Art is and always will be subjective, no matter the medium. The “purists” who strive to put rules and fences around art are detrimental to the open creativity necessary to move art forward. There are some amazing sculptures on display, for example, but the one given the blue ribbon was a cliche that was almost insulting to the works around it. In fact, there were a lot of cliche themes throughout the galleries, perhaps because the selection committee was too afraid to let through pieces that “break the rules.” All artists deserve a platform and the state fair should be the place for that platform.

They should also improve the air conditioning in the building.

I walked through all the animal barns, but there wasn’t a lot to see. Only a few Herefords, Angus, and Highland cattle were present in the cow barn and only 4H horses were present in that building. Both the sheep and swine buildings were all but empty. I did grab a handful of pictures, but I haven’t gone through any except one at the top of this page. I think another trip is in order next week, but it will have to be a lot cooler and I’ll have to be more careful of what I eat in advance.

Getting home, one might have thought I’d been missing for months with the way the dogs greeted me. I don’t know what might have happened in my absence, but both pups were more interested in seeing me than in going outside. Even when I let them out, they wanted all my attention and only left my side long enough to bark at the mail truck, which is, apparently, a requirement. When we came back in, I sat down at the desk, and Belvedere (the hound) was having none of it. He knew I needed to lie down and didn’t stop pestering me until I did, at which point he curled up as close to me as he physically could.

Kids came in, we ate food, and then everyone went to sleep.

Of course, the big news yesterday was Kamala Harris’ choice of Tim Walz as her Vice President pick. Cue the usual, “Yeah, but…” chorus. The fact is that Walz probably balances Harris better than any of the other potential nominees. Sarah Smarsh in an opinion piece for the New York Times says that Democrats Have Needed Someone Like Tim Walz for Decades, and she’s probably correct by most counts. What could be most important, though, is Walz has a surprisingly strong pull with young voters. This could be critical in a race that is going to be analyzed and picked at from every possible direction.

What else? Hamas names Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the Oct. 7 attacks, as its new leader in a show of defiance. If we were hoping for a more gentle response to the assassination of the group’s leader, this wasn’t it. Expect the war to grow more heated and most likely expand to Lebanon and possibly Iran. The entire situation there is not looking good.

Global shares rose and Japan’s Nikkei gained 1.2% as markets settled after a wild start to the week. Tesla has issued yet another huge recall, this time in China. And Thai court dissolved the progressive Move Forward Party, which won the election but was blocked from power. So much for democracy.

The Justice Department says a Pakistani man alleged to have ties to Iran has been charged in a plot to carry out political assassinations on U.S. soil. That one’s a bit scary to read. The question now is whether they only sent one or are there more.

And your stupid ass GOP move of the day? Louisiana governor tells parents against Ten Commandments in classrooms: ‘Tell your child not to look’. Not kidding. Let this be a sign of what’s coming, though, if we allow Republicans to have any level of power after this election. They’ve gone off the deep end. I’m not sure labeling them as weird is enough.

Today needs to be a rest day. I’m going to eat breakfast, check on a few details, and then most likely nap the rest of the day. If you need me you’ll need to wake the dogs.

Good luck with that.

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Morning Update: 08/04/24

August 4, 2024

Sunday Morning Lite

Yelling Into The Echo Chamber [2019 original with AI background]

Music from the 1973 Disney animated feature, “Robin Hood” is running through my head this morning, and has been pretty much all night, after hearing a young woman cover Roger Miller’s original song. The lyrics, “Robin Hood and Little John, walking through the forest, Laughing back and forth at what the other’n has to say. Reminiscing this and that and having such a good time. Oo-de-lally, oo-de-lally, golly, what a day.” That verse summons an image of an idyllic summer stroll through animated woods, wandering along without a care, enjoying time with a best friend. When you think about it, isn’t that pretty much what all of us want from summer? If only we could make it happen. Unfortunately, for too many of us, there’s a Sheriff of Nottingham lurking in the shadows waiting to spoil everything.

Yesterday was just kind of there and I see no good reason to dwell on it. I was in bed. The kids were doing their own things. Even local news is rather boring. The biggest thing to happen is that Frankie, the smashed-face wheezer kitty, almost spun out as he took a corner too fast just now. He seems largely unaffected by the near mishap. I’ve told the kids we have to mow today and they’ve both agreed, but we’ll see how much actually gets done.

Much of the world news is a continuation of previous topics. Taiwan’s Yu-ting beats Staneva to ensure medal amid boxing gender debate. And then, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif clinches a medal at the Olympics after an outcry fueled by gender misconceptions. Remember, the IBA is a Russian-backed machine and probably doesn’t need to exist anymore.

The Orange Felon is still lying. VP Harris is still flexing her muscles. I don’t think anyone is surprised by either of those statements. The Felon is trying to claim “home turf” for a September debate, The VP is saying, “Nope.”

Tropical Storm Debby is looking to give most of West Florida and Cuba a hard time today. The storm hasn’t been able to maintain hurricane-force strength, but it could still cause a lot of damage and upset lives and vacation plans.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff acknowledges affair contributed to the breakup for his first marriage, but is this even an issue when the Orange Felon has cheated on all his wives, including the present one while she was pregnant and no one seems to give a fuck. Open this can of worms and the Felon takes the most heat.

There are a couple of good reads if you have the time. The Associated Press takes a look at how adult children in India are abandoning their aging parents. This isn’t a pretty picture and yeah, I think we have to worry about the concept spreading.

Then, the New York Times has a really interesting story about the intersection of commercial development, segregation, and Islamaphobia … in Minnesota, of all places. Yeah, you’ll need a subscription to read it, but damn, this is a captivating story. In the end, we see how legitimate concerns too easily dissolve into dirty politics and name-calling. It’s definitely worth the subscription price.

While you’re at the Times, there’s also an interesting story about how abandoned church buildings are being converted into commercial space. The vaulted ceilings are a big draw. This isn’t just a New York thing. I know we’ve seen similar conversions to downtown church buildings here in Indy. The allure of religion may be fading, but the architecture is pretty cool.

Everything else hasn’t dramatically shifted all that much since yesterday. If anything, some of it is becoming a bit of an eye roll. Today’s a good day to sit back and catch up on some of that reading you keep saying you’ll get to “when you have the time.”

Pour another cup of coffee. There’s no rush.

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Morning Update: 08/03/24

August 3, 2024

The AI Edition

Having finished the first week of school, everyone is exhausted this morning. I’m the only one awake at 8:00 and even I slept until 7:00, The cats have been fed, the dogs taken outside and fed, and it occurs to me that, to a limited extent, taking care of them isn’t that much different than working with a small herd of cattle and a couple of horses. The biggest difference is that I don’t have to trudge all the way out to the barn and shovel shit. The kids are still adapting to going back on their meds for school. Kat never gets enough sleep. I know she was up in the middle of the night, around 4:00. We’ll let them rest as I focus on other things.

I don’t know what to do about the lawn. It’s still too wet this morning, thanks to last night’s rains. The East side is growing so thick it’s going to be tough to get the lawnmower through it. I’m not much help, either. If I get much weaker, I’m going to have trouble sitting upright. As it is now, I’m leaning on the armrest to help keep me steady as I sit here and type. I thought we were getting better, but this past week has been a major setback. I’m wanting to go to the fair next week but I’m not sure I should risk it. Even if someone goes with me, I can’t be sure that I’ll make it past the first row of buildings. Knowing that Travis Little has a new art piece on display requires that I at least make an attempt to go see it.

I don’t know if it was an act of collusion or what, but AI seems to be on everyone’s mind this morning. Reuters is leading with a story about how lawsuits filed by major recording labels to stop AI platforms from stealing opens up some severe holes in Copyright Law. Reuters starts the story by telling how easy it was to create a song “in the style of (country star) Tift Merritt) on the Udio platform. You can hear the song here. While Merritt said the AI-generated song would “never make the cut” on one of her albums, it underlines the danger of a world of AI-generated sound as the technology continues to grow. We’ve long known that there’s a strong relationship between math and music. That relationship makes it pretty much just a matter of time before AI can generate music faster and better than any human. I gotta tell you, that hurts my feelings.

This new story comes as video game actors have been on strike all week saying that AI endangers their jobs. “The models that they’re using have been trained on our voices without our consent at all, with no compensation,” “Persona 5 Tactica” voice actor and video game strike captain, Leeanna Albanese, told Reuters on the picket line. This is just the latest AI-related work stoppage. You’ll remember that union actors and writers went on strike last fall for similar reasons. Anyone in any creative field is concerned about the degree to which AI is going to endanger their jobs.

The NY Times is asking if AI is going to take over “meaningless” jobs and, if so, is that really a bad thing. They’re looking specifically at jobs in areas where rote copy/paste bores workers to tears, or software development that’s ultimately never used. One might see an argument for letting AI take the pain away, but where, then, do those workers look for more substantial employment? We’ve been talking on Facebook about a WRTV story romanticizing the days when local teens spent their summers detasseling corn. The general assumption is that modern equipment, most likely AI-based, would do that job now. After hearing one friend talk about how he sprained both wrists in that job, it’s difficult to see any AI development there as a negative.

But at the same time, there’s the story of Sabrina Javellana, a young Florida woman whose political career has been upended by deep fake AI-generated porn that uses her face. Trolls and political enemies have made her life a living nightmare. After talking with attorneys that specialize in revenge porn cases, she was told that there was little she could do that would stop anyone from continuing to produce material that was ruining her career. It’s impossible to defend AI producers in situations such as this.

Good solutions? They don’t exist. Music AI startups Suno and Udio slammed record label lawsuits in court filings and it seems likely that courts could find some merit in their arguments. AI is popping up everywhere. Even as I sit here typing, there is a prompt on the right-hand side of the page offering to “help” me write. Or re-write. I don’t use it primarily because AI doesn’t tend to curse about really bad situations and I like having the ability to say “fuck” whenever it feels appropriate. But does that mean that one day in the future AI could save me a couple of hours’ worth of time? Probably so. We’re going to have to keep working out the kinks and finding some common ground on this issue. AI is not going away, so we have to find ways to work with it.

Moving on, I want to wade into the international argument about Olympic boxers Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-Ting of Taiwan. A lot of people are upset because the Russian-led International Boxing Association, which has been banished from the Olympics by the IOC in a yearslong dispute, banned the two boxers claiming that their unproven and unspecified gender-based tests disqualified both women. Allegations have been flying around social media claiming that Khelif is trans and that her short-lived fight yesterday against Italian competitor Angela Carini was unfair. Some of the most ridiculous comments have come from known transphobes such as J.K. Rowling and the Orange Felon, neither of which should ever be taken seriously ever again. IOC President Thomas Bach came to the girls’ defense last night, saying that the comments were unacceptable, but then the IBA announced that it was awarding the promised $100,000 prize to Carini. This Olympics has really brought out the worst in conservatives worldwide and friends, we’ve gotta call them out on it. Both Khelif and Lin were born women. End of story. To suggest otherwise is nothing short of ignorance and stupidity that doesn’t deserve an audience.

Okay, it’s after 9:00. Here are some other things worth noting. Children of freed sleeper agents learned they were Russians on the flight to Moscow. Seriously. They thought they were Argentinian. Imagine the culture shock the poor kids have coming to them, and the conversations around the dinner table now that they know their parents were Russian spies. Aerosmith retires from touring, citing permanent damage to Steven Tyler’s voice last year. Are we surprised? No, but there’s still this nostalgic feeling of loss as we deal with the fact that the musicians we love are … old. Some Yankee Stadium bleachers fans chant `U-S-A!’ during `O Canada’ before the game against the Blue Jays. This is just stupid. The Jays have been a part of MLB for over 50 years. Such distasteful displays of nationalism need to stop. A Florida attorney has pleaded guilty to using a rifle to try to detonate explosives outside the Chinese embassy last year in Washington, D.C. Why? Because Florida breeds insanity. That’s the only logical reason. I think it’s something in the water down there.

Lastly, you may remember the fuss I made a couple of days ago about the three inmates at Guantanamo getting a plea deal. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday revoked plea deals agreed to earlier this week. Susan Escallier, who oversees the Pentagon’s Guantanamo war court, was relieved of her authority to enter into plea deals. Austin says he’s handling the matter personally now. Goddammit, we finally do something sane and this fool gives in to conservative backlash and cancels it. At the same time, President Biden is reiterating his intention to close the facility at Guantanamo before he leaves office. Something’s going to have to give somewhere.

Okay, we both need to move on with our days, you and I. There’s still other news, but perhaps we’ll cover that tomorrow.

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Morning Update: 08/02/24

August 2, 2024

Rain, rain, everywhere, rain. The lawn may never get mowed at this rate. At least not before temperatures are back up in the 90s next week. We had so much rain yesterday, that a part of Interstate 465, which goes around the perimeter of the city, was flooded and stopped traffic at rush hour. You can imagine the mess and backup that caused. There was more rain off and on throughout the night and there’s a pretty decent chance we’ll see more this afternoon/evening before a low-pressure system moves through. That could make things a little dicey if you’re planning on hitting the Foghat show on the free stage at the Indiana State Fair tonight. Personally, I’ll be staying in, close to the bed, ready to curl up and metaphorically die. Again.

Between downpours yesterday afternoon, G helped me move some things out to the curb for heavy trash pickup that is, allegedly, supposed to happen today. In theory, the first Friday of every month is supposed to be heavy trash pickup, but for both June and July, that Friday fell on the week of a holiday, which pushed normal trash pickup out a day. For whatever reason, when that happens there is no heavy trash pickup. Of the things we set out, scavengers picked up the old refrigerator that died back in May. Good luck getting the damn thing to work, guys. We’ll see how long it takes for the rest of the stuff to disappear.

Tipper is proving to be a good friend. When her new furry friend was pulled out of class for an IEP evaluation, she was asked to sit in the room with him to help him stay calm. They’ve created a very fast bond that allows them to watch out for each other and be each other’s confidant. Someone tugged at Tipper’s tail yesterday and word got back to the school’s Dean. He promptly facilitated an apology from the student responsible, something that Tipper was not expecting. Again, this strongly reaffirms our decision that PPHS is the best high school for her. Her first week has been surprisingly positive all around.

Not every school is as safe as PPHS. Topping local news this morning is the story of yet another teacher/pastor being arrested for producing child porn. Seriously, is no one catching the trend here? The number of cases of sexual assault and child porn being committed by pastors and other church leaders has been off the freakin’ charts! I know pedophilia is a big issue among conservatives, but people, the problem is not with drag queens or trans people. The problem is right there in your own churches! Wake up and smell the bullshit! Just two days ago, Christian Post announced that one of the founding elders of Gateway megachurch was forced to leave amid allegations of child sexual abuse. Increasingly, it’s becoming obvious that the least safe place for your children is at church!

There’s bad news from the American Cancer Society this morning. A study published in Lancet Public Health shows that cancer rates among Gen X and Millenials are increasing, sometimes dramatically, for 17 different cancers. No one seems to be able to understand why. What is especially bothersome is several of these cancers have been in decline among older people. Specifically, the increases in the following cancers are disturbing:

Colorectal
Endometrial
Non-cardia gastric
Gallbladder
Ovarian
Testicular
Anal
Estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancers
HIV-linked cancer called Kaposi sarcoma

Endometrial cancer is not only the fastest growing in terms of diagnosis, but it’s also the highest in terms of mortality. This shit is kinda scary, kids! With there being no firm explanation for why these cancers are increasing within these two age groups, you’re pretty much on your own in convincing your doctor to screen for tests. Don’t be afraid to stand up and advocate for yourself!

Of course, the big news this morning is the Russia-US prisoner swap that happened early this morning. It’s the largest post-Soviet prisoner swap to date and has been forever in the making (almost two years). You’d think that this would be something everyone would agree is a good thing. Nope. The Orange Felon has decided that the prisoner swap was “bad.” The guy who hates cat ladies is desperately trying to give the Orange Felon undeserved credit for the swap. If you haven’t figured it out by now, the GOP knows no low that they’re not willing to exploit in this election. The head of the GOP in Kansas has vowed to rid the state of the “Democrat infestation.” They’re grasping at straws as the Felon’s own words are rapidly sinking the ship. There’s little question in my mind that the hate speech coming from the right side of the aisle is just getting started. Race, gender, and even Judaism are being set up as targets. This is going to get nasty.

The situation in Venezuela isn’t likely to get better soon. The US has officially recognized opposition candidate Gonzalez as the winner. Maduro still swears that he won, and is likely to manipulate the courts to keep control. Expect more chaos there over the weekend.

If you travel with your kids, you’ll be interested to know that a proposed US rule would ban airlines from charging parents additional fees to sit with their children. Why this isn’t already a rule doesn’t make any sense to me, but then, the airline industry as a whole strikes me as being rather clueless. If you’re traveling anywhere remotely close to the Middle East, though, you might want to check with your carrier. More airlines are either canceling or diverting flights over what are considered dangerous regions. Tensions are high as it seems almost certain that the entire area is about to blow up.

Oh, this just popped up: Police are investigating hate speech targeting the Olympics opening ceremony artistic director Thomas Jolly. It doesn’t seem to matter how many times he tries to explain that there was no intended mimicry of DaVinci’s “The Last Supper,” right-wing idiots around the world are still issuing death threats, public insults, and defamation at a level that is illegal in France. This just further proves how intolerant, weird, and frankly, stupid the far-right is no matter which country they’re in.

Ugh. Why has this taken so long to write? Well, there might have been a rabbit hole or two along the way. When one consumes as much news as I do, it’s easy to become distracted. Let’s get on with our Friday, shall we?

Party on!

Cancer Update / Current Issues / Morning Update / News & Comment / Personal / Politics / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 08/01/24

August 1, 2024

Here it is, August 1, 97 days until the election. IPS starts today, but apparently, the number of little ones we have in the neighborhood has gone down. Previous years, we’d see over a dozen buses running through the neighborhood. This morning has been pretty quiet. I’m not saying there haven’t been any buses, but the number is considerably less than what we’ve seen before.

G and Tipper got off to a good start this morning. G is trying to endure despite the pain of sitting in class and doing nothing as all direction is focused on new students. Tipper, on the other hand, is thrilled with her new furry friend and left this morning armed with her tail, her fox mask, and two favorite plushies to show her friend. She’s delighted to be in an environment where she’s free to express who she is without retribution. Let’s hope that enthusiasm continues once they get into more detailed instruction next week.

I was an idiot yesterday. Okay, there’s an argument to be made that I’m an idiot every day, but yesterday was especially stupid. Looking for a respite from the quiet of the house, I decided to walk to the store. I didn’t really need anything, I just wanted to get out. I wasn’t halfway there before I knew I’d made a mistake. I should have turned around, but didn’t. Mind you, the full trip there and back is only 1.06 miles, not exactly a major trek. I’ve gone a lot further. But this hasn’t been the best week for side effects and by the time I got back home, even leaning on my cane, I could hardly stand. That was it for the rest of the day. I normally don’t use my cane inside or out in the yard with the dogs, but I couldn’t get out of my chair without it. Fortunately, Kat and G took care of dinner. I stayed in/near the bed and was asleep by 8:30. I’ll be careful to not make that mistake again any time soon.

We’re looking at rain most of the afternoon/evening, so I’m not risking anything today. Groceries will be delivered later this morning. Once that’s done, I’m crawling under the covers and hiding between the dogs… and Solaris. So help me, Sol thinks he’s one of the dogs. I could probably put him in a kitty harness and take him outside when I let the dogs out, but something tells me if I put him in a harness, the dogs would want their harnesses, and then I’d have to take everyone for a walk. I don’t have that kind of energy.

What has my attention this morning is the headline that the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, along with two others, has agreed to a plea deal. While some are praising the deal and others are criticizing it, my larger concern is the degree to which justice has been screwed sideways for the past 23 years. Former President George W. Bush established the prison at Guantanamo, Cuba, in 2002, and with it came a severe miscarriage of justice as almost every member of the Taliban with a passport and no small number of Iraqis were rounded up and tossed in the jail. The special circumstances of Guantanamo allowed the government to label the prisoners as “enemy combatants” and hold them endlessly without trial, or even access to representation. They have been tortured endlessly. Alleged mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, was waterboarded over 180 times before that particular method of torture was outlawed. At one time, the population at the prison was over 800 thanks to the mass roundup. Now, only 30 prisoners remain.

The fact that the prison is still running is a disgrace. If, after 23 years, the government doesn’t have enough evidence to convict without torturing them into a plea-deal confession, then they simply do not have the evidence to charge any of these men. Period. At this point, whether they are guilty or not is irrelevant. They have been held without legal representation and tortured endlessly for over twenty years! THIS IS NOT JUSTICE! Holding anyone this long under these circumstances is a violation of human rights no matter how one turns the issue. While details of the plea deal haven’t been released, the assumption is that they’re trading the death penalty for life in prison if they’re convicted. The government is assuming that their confessions, which would automatically be thrown out under any other circumstances as being obtained under conditions of duress, will be enough for the special court to convict. What happens, though, if it doesn’t? Will we let them go? Somehow, I doubt it because, again, the intention here is not justice but retribution.

Mind you, I certainly think that the people responsible for the tragic events of 9/11 deserve punishment, and possibly even the death penalty, though I’m no longer convinced that such an exchange of life-for-life is ever justified. However, what our government has done to these men over the past twenty-three years is inhuman. That the special circumstances around the prison at Guantanamo were ever established in the first place is inhuman. This is not the United States at its best. This is evil at its worst. Give them a fair trial. Either convict them on the evidence or let them go. That’s the way justice works. Anything else is simply evil.

Of course, one could make the argument that we are fully engaged with evil. That’s why evil is running for president in the form of the Orange Felon. I’m sure that by now everyone’s aware of the grotesque and racist remarks the fool made to a group of black journalists yesterday. Vice President Harris correctly responded that this is the same tactic of divisiveness and disrespect that he’s always used. That this felon has the support of roughly 46% of the people in the US demonstrates how comfortable we’ve become lying in bed with evil. We cannot claim to care about justice, we cannot hold any claim to fairness, and we cannot even begin to claim any grasp on freedom, as long as this FELON is running for the highest office in the country. His previous election and his current campaign are both a permanent stain upon the ideal of democracy. To not defeat him soundly, with an overwhelming majority in both the electoral college and popular votes, is to embrace the exact same type of evil that planned and carried out the 9/11 terrors. There’s no difference in the mindset, only the methods of their actions. You wouldn’t vote for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, would you? The Orange Felon is the same type of person only dressed in a suit and painted orange.

Why am I feeling tired already? I’ve been sitting here guzzling coffee and yet my body is feeling pain and exhaustion as if I’d put in a full day’s work. I can’t go to sleep yet, though. Groceries are being delivered between 10-11. I hate feeling like this.

I’m going to get more coffee. I hope you have a good day.

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Morning Update: 07/30/24

July 31, 2024

We’re into day three of the new school year and I think I’m the only one who’s having trouble adjusting. Both kids were up and active at 5:45 this morning without any prompting. G is still in a bit of a sour mood, dismayed at how slowly the Lab is ramping up (giving new students a chance to adjust to their unique schedule). Tipper, on the other hand, is excited to have made a friend who is also a furry. They’ve been wearing a fox tail to school, so today Tipper is wearing hers as well. I’ll be interested to see how that goes.

There was a kerfuffle with the bus system yesterday afternoon that caused both kids to be late getting home. They need to take two buses to get home, 8 and 15. Route 8 takes them from the school to the transit center. 15 takes them from the transit center to a stop on the North side of the neighborhood. Both kids were standing at the Route 8 stop when the bus pulled up. The driver opened the door, told the kids that the bus was full, and drove on. However, the kids could see that the bus was far from being full. The driver simply didn’t want a bunch of high school kids on his bus. Fortunately, there was another bus 15 minutes later, but that was too late for them to catch the Route 15 bus. The Route 15 bus only runs once an hour, leaving the kids stuck at the transit center waiting for the next bus.

Yes, I’ve already contacted IndyGo about the matter. I’m not necessarily expecting a response. Either they’ll fix the problem or not. If this happens again, the Mayor’s office will be getting a phone call. While the two kids together make a rather formidable team, they’re still relatively young teens and still vulnerable to the actions of those with ill intent. I’ve let IndyGo know that we hold them responsible for the kids’ safety when situations like this occur. Dad’s not putting up with any nonsense.

My day didn’t go so well. I needed to do some mowing. The grass is getting tall. I went out around 8:30 to mow the right-of-way areas outside our fence. The grass was still far too wet. I had to push hard to get the mower through the grass on the West side of the house. That was as much as I could do. The North side is still waiting. I came back in, my chest tight and hurting, took my meds, and chatted with Kat until she left. I forced myself to eat lunch, which turned out to be a mistake, then went to bed. I stayed there until this morning. I was awake, mind you, long enough to talk with the kids. They kept me updated on the bus issue via text. By the time the kids were home, though, they were both exhausted. They each fixed themselves a smoothie and then went to bed. They did get up later just long enough to handle their chores, but they saved all the chatter for this morning.

The lawn still needs to be mowed. The grass on the East side of the house is getting thick. With the chances for rain dominating the forecast for the rest of the week, it will likely be Saturday before we can even consider taking a swipe at it, and by then it may be too thick to handle easily. We may need some help. We’ll see.

My first glance at my phone this morning had me going, “Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!” Israel has really stepped in it this time. First, they’ve apparently assassinated the head of Hamas, Ismael Haniyeh, who was in Tehran for the inauguration of Iran’s new President. THEN, they did exactly what the US and other NATO countries asked them not to do, bombed Beirut, and killed a major Hezbollah leader. The actions have Iran’s leadership furious and vowing retaliation, further broadening the war. Already, the price of oil, which had been going down, has shot up, the prices only capped by Chinese rules. There’s no way this ends well. Iran’s been looking for an excuse to get further involved in the war and Israel just gave them two.

Matters aren’t looking any better in Venezuela. The Carter Center was unable to verify Venezuela’s election results, blasting officials for a lack of transparency. Meanwhile, President Maduro vows to detain defiant leaders of the opposition as they challenge the election results. Peru has recalled their ambassador, saying they’ll not tolerate any violation of the people’s will. Other South American countries may do the same. Chaos continues throughout the country as charges of election interference run rampant. I’m going to say it again, this is the US in 98 days if we don’t produce such a dominant turnout as to leave no question about the results. Even a 60/40 win isn’t going to be enough. We’re not too big to go under over this election.

Speaking of election interference, Republicans are claiming that Google is committing election interference by how its autocomplete finishes, or doesn’t finish, results that include the Orange Felon’s name. Google’s response is fairly technical but claims that there are protections that prohibit the autocorrect from finishing a search phrase with anything related to violence. Most of this battle is taking place on social media, though, so the authenticity of the claims is immediately questionable.

For the second time this week, Tesla is in the hot seat. This time, it appears that one of their cars was using the self-driving system when it hit and killed a motorcyclist in Seattle. Tesla hasn’t commented, probably because this could stand in the way of the company being able to launch the fleet of robotaxies that CEO Elon Musk promised would be live by the end of this year. The driver of the car told police that he was using the full Autopilot system and looking at his phone when the accident occurred. I don’t see anyone outside of Tesla thinking that the technology is anywhere close to being ready to be released unmanned on the streets.

Need some proof that your voice is being heard? Yesterday, Paul Dans, the Director of Project 2025 for the Heritage Foundation, resigned due to the severity of the backlash. Don’t think for a minute that this means Project 2025 is done and gone. It’s not. If anything, it means that a new direction of attack, one likely to be less public and more underhanded, is on the way. The Heritage Foundation is saying that they’re not backing down, merely changing direction. What this means is that opposition to the project has to become all the more vigilant, pervasive, and unrelenting to keep the issue at the forefront. We simply cannot risk electing Republicans as long as Project 2025 shows even the slightest glimmer of life.

While the Olympic Triathalons are finally being held today (the women’s race is already done, France won), there’s always some kind of controversy somewhere. This time it’s over who won gold in men’s fencing. The official result is that Hong Kong defeated Italy, but there were multiple stops as the machine that registers the hits scored for both sides at the same time. Italy says they’ve been robbed. Hong King is responding with … comments about how much they like pineapple on their pizza. I’m not making this up. This may be the silliest thing I’ve read all morning.

Those who love dark chocolate, and who in their right mind don’t, will be happy to know that the levels of heavy metal some consumer groups have reported are well below contamination levels. But hold up, those tests only hold true if one limits themselves to 1-2 ounces of the chocolate at a time. The paper in the journal Frontiers has this warning: “… if many such products are consumed fairly regularly by the average consumer, the additive exposure may be a public health concern.” Specifically, if one consumes more than one serving of the chocolate per day, you’re at risk of lead poisoning. Now, how many people do you know who have the willpower to only eat one small square of chocolate per day? I’m thinking there aren’t that many. Perhaps some caution might need to be applied.

Once again, all the animals have gone back to sleep. Kat’s not here, either, so the house is completely quiet. I’m not adjusting to this well, though it’s been exactly the same every previous year.

Maybe I’ll walk to the store and buy some dark chocolate. What are the chances I can limit myself to one ounce?

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Morning Update: 07/30/24

July 30, 2024

All That Glitters [2019 original with AI background]

Kids are off and running again this morning, more or less excited about another day at school. Tipper had a good day, which she spent the evening endlessly discussing. She didn’t get to see either of the established friends that she knew, but she did make new friends and was happy with how the classes had gone. She was even more thrilled when she got an email from the school inviting her to participate in an art show in September! Her 3D witches hat is her current choice for that entry. She even enjoyed lunch for the first time in years, partly due to the presence of garbanzo beans in the salad line.

G didn’t have as good a day. There was an issue with the Lab’s Chromebooks, partly caused by something that happened with some of them last year. Exactly what that issue is, I don’t know, but it delays the distribution of the laptops until next week. To say that G was upset would be an understatement. By the time he got home, he was in a teenage angst that had him gruffly announcing that he wasn’t in the mood to deal with people. He retreated to his room with a bowl of cereal. This morning wasn’t starting off much better as he really wanted to put hot water in his school-supplied water bottle so that he could have hot tea. Unfortunately, the hard plastic water bottle wasn’t made for hot liquids and it began to melt as he poured in the hot water, destroying the bottle. I’m hoping that today goes much better for him.

The on-again/off-again rain kept me in bed most of the day. We were fortunate in that the more severe storms went around us. None of the animals seemed to mind that we were inactive. The dogs didn’t even bother to take note when Kat left and returned a few minutes later. The lawn really needs attention now, but as of this moment, the grass is still much too wet to do anything with it.

Speaking of things that need attention, the collapse of a coal mine in Northern Vietnam yesterday killed five, but the story is being buried. I had to go hunting to find any mention of it at all. Vietnam is still heavily dependent on fossil fuels and collapses such as this one are far too common. But no one wants to say anything about it for fear it might upset the market. This would be the same market where BP just raised its dividend as it saw a profit of $2.8 billion in the last quarter. Yet, we blame the government for prices being so high. That’s bullshit. The profit-grabbing from the fossil fuel industry is gouging consumers and putting lives in danger as it continues to cause damage to the environment. But shhhhh, don’t say anything. You might cause stock prices to dip.

The situation after the presidential election in Venezuela may well be forecasting what could happen here come November. There are widespread protests. The opposition wants a ballot-by-ballot count. And even the US is saying, “Something’s not right here,” and threatening sanctions if it’s not straightened out. The way that whole election has gone down is too reminiscent of our 2020 election that led to the January 6 criminal activity. I find it interesting that the US is making comments when we could very easily follow suit come November 6.

The UK is trying to deal with a 17-year-old with an attitude problem who attacked children at a Taylor Swift-themed dance program, killing two and injuring several others. This reeks of the kind of hate that is fermented in online chat rooms. There is no shortage of online forums that are vehemently against anything to do with Taylor Swift. None of them have any good reasons for their hate, but it gives angsty teens and dateless young adults something to complain about. Now, it’s gotten out of hand. The young man didn’t even pay for the taxi that took him to the dance studio, asking a body shop owner who tried to intervene, “What are you gonna do about it?” Such defiance would seem to be symptomatic of a hate that has been stirred and seasoned for a long time, which online forums do well. It will be interesting to see how the UK handles this situation. The last time they had a serious attack on children, in 1996, the result was a nearly universal ban on handguns.

There has been a slew of misleading and outright false information being passed around the Internet over the past week or so. We should not be surprised to find that most of it is coming from sources based in Russia, China, and Iran. Once again, Russia seems to be the largest offender. Those with decent memories will recall the degree to which the Orange Felon tried to keep the Department of Justice from investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election. This time, the office of the Director of National Intelligence is trying to warn people well in advance. But will it work? The goal of the Russians is to get Americans to spread Russian disinformation without questioning its origin. I can’t imagine that being very difficult. We click “share” on any meme that echoes our opinion on a topic, not bothering to see where that meme originated. Most of us don’t know the degree to which we’re complicit. We need to be a LOT more careful.

Anti-Muslim incidents in the US are up about 70% so far this year, largely because of the war in Gaza. One thing Americans are good at doing is generating fear and hate about anything they perceive as anti-Christian. Mix in a great deal of ignorance about Hamas and the Palestinian people, and you have a dangerous amount of support for Israel’s genocide of thousands of innocent people across Palestine. What’s worse is when we start taking out our feelings on people here.

“Alarming U.S. incidents in the last nine months include the fatal October stabbing of a 6-year-old Palestinian-American child in Illinois, the February stabbing of a Palestinian-American man, in Texas, the shooting of three students of Palestinian descent in Vermont in November, and the attempted drowning of a 3-year-old Palestinian-American girl in May,” Reuters reports.

So much for the US being a place where people can worship as they wish.

There are really a lot of “below the fold” stories that are cause for concern this morning. The Seine still isn’t fit for swimming. Landslides caused by heavy rains kill 70 and bury many others in southern India. Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez reveals she competed at the Paris Olympics while 7 months pregnant. Okay, that one’s just an interesting story. 7 months pregnant and she’s competing in anything makes her a champion in my book. The White House says no need to restrict “open-source” artificial intelligence — at least for now. I’m not sure I’m buying their reasoning. I’d rather see some guidelines and limitations in place. A probe of soldiers over alleged sexual abuse fuels tension between the Israeli military and hard-liners. How is this even an issue? There is NO situation, even in war, especially in war, where sexual abuse is justified. Tesla is recalling more than 1.8M vehicles due to a hood issue. The issue? The hoods will pop up at any random moment while you’re driving. Is anyone keeping count of the number of recalls Tesla has had to issue in the past two years? It’s too many for me to be comfortable even riding in one. Gunmen open fire on a vehicle carrying UN staff in northwest Pakistan.

I guess all these issues are making up for how quiet things were yesterday morning. The world is crazy, you know. There’s absolutely nothing you and I can do about 99% of it. We just sit here and watch the world burn.

At least we can listen to good music in the process.

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Morning Update: 07/29/24

July 29, 2024

Shhhhhh [2018 original with AI background]

They’re gone. The house is quiet. Kat fell back asleep. So did the dogs. It was too dark to get a picture before they left. Tipper decided she didn’t need me to go with her after all. So, here I am. Sorting through news articles I don’t find interesting, making breakfast, and thinking about going back to bed myself once I’ve taken the necessary meds. I’m still having some difficulty wrapping my head around the fact that our youngest is now in high school. They both seemed so grown up and independent as they left. How long will it be until they don’t need me at all?

We all spent large amounts of yesterday in bed. The rain encouraged that. I didn’t get any mowing done and with today’s forecast calling for spotty showers all day, I won’t likely get anything done today, either. At this particular moment, I’m having trouble caring.

Newswise, the Seine is still too dirty to swim in, Israel is trying to figure out a way to punish Hezbollah without bringing Iran fully into the war, and it’s anyone’s guess as to who is actually the president of Venezuela. President Biden is proposing some pretty strong changes to the Supreme Court, but they stand almost no chance of getting approved by Congress. The “Park” fire just keeps getting bigger and it’s likely to start affecting your air quality soon.

I’m sure we won’t go too long without some issue somewhere blowing up in our faces. If I were betting, Israel vs. Hezbollah seems to have decent odds. Hezbollah says they didn’t have anything to do with the missiles that killed 12 on Saturday. It’s not like Hezbollah to back away from taking credit for something, they’re usually quite proud of themselves. But if they didn’t do it, who the fuck did? Be happy if you’re not working for the State Department about now.

Going back to bed seems like the best idea. Even the cats are asleep now. Volume is turned up on the phone just in case either of the kids needs anything, but I’m not expecting that to happen. I guess I should get used to this feeling. The school year is just starting.

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Morning Update: 07/28/24

July 28, 2024

Yesterday was exactly what I expected it to be: a miserable day of trying to sleep. I didn’t get out of bed until 4:00 PM and that was only to attend G’s violin recital. I didn’t, couldn’t, eat anything until around 8:30 PM, and a couple of hours later even that came back up. The day was the type of rough ride I’d really rather avoid, but I guess if it reduces the chance of getting pneumonia then one day of misery is probably worth it. Fortunately, I’m feeling better this morning, though I’m still a bit tentative on the eating thing. At least the coffee doesn’t seem to be upsetting my stomach.

G had his first violin recital yesterday afternoon. It was a progress recital, meaning that no one had their work memorized or polished. This was to showcase where each student is at the moment. G did well. Next to all the other students, though, he looked older than he is. He had to raise the music stand to its full height, and he’s sporting a very visible goatee. He was also taller than anyone else.

The event provided an opportunity for extended family to get together. Even Kat’s niece, 18-month-old Harper, was there, stealing the show where she had an opportunity. Grandparents demonstrated appropriate amounts of pride in their grandson which he took with the natural awkwardness of someone not accustomed to such. Tipper was the only one who acted as though she’d rather not be there, but even she perked up when G’s teacher invited them to take additional cookies after the recital.

Tipper’s enthusiasm for the recital was dampened by her excitement for her date last night to a quinceanera. Her boyfriend had invited her to be his guest at the party that didn’t start until 9:00. Whether I was comfortable with it or not, the late start required giving her the latitude to be out late as well. Kat and I discussed the matter and, at her urging, decided that since it wasn’t a school night, it wouldn’t hurt to allow her to be out until midnight or a little later. The event was going to be well-chaperoned so there was little chance of them getting into trouble.

Imagine my surprise, then, when Tipper comes waltzing in around 10:30! When I asked why she was so early, she said that, being the only “white” girl present she felt like everyone was looking at her, and that the music was so loud that the floor was vibrating. She had taken her headphones, as she normally does, but even that wasn’t enough to ease the effects of the loud music. If there was any question as to whether she is on the autism spectrum, her response to the party seems to have put those to rest. Of course, getting an actual diagnosis of such is difficult, but just understanding the symptoms helps us to better adjust to meet her needs.

The past several hours have produced a number of news items with religious overtones. In one specific situation, those overtones are unwarranted and overly forced. That situation would be the opening celebration of the Paris Olympics. My social media feed has been flooded with responses to what appeared to the ignorant to be a mocking of The Last Supper. In response, I’ve seen several posts attempting to explain that it was, instead, a portrayal of Dionysius. However, neither of those interpretations would be correct. The Associated Press went straight to the source to get an accurate explanation. Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the opening ceremony denied that the tableau was a reference to either, but more a celebration of freedom and inclusion.

Drag performer Le Filip, the recent winner of “Drag Race France,” responded to the criticism by saying, “It feels like the words of somebody who didn’t get on the guest list. We could all be laughing together. It’s sad to me, honestly.”

For those who, like me, grew up in a house filled with Southern Gospel music, you may be interested in knowing that Gospel Hall of Fame group, The Nelons, were wiped out in a plane crash in Wyoming. The only surviving member of the group is Autumn Nelon Streetman, who had stayed home because of her pregnancy. The group was on their way to Seattle to participate in a Gaither Homecoming Cruise. Interestingly enough, the cruise was titled, “Until We Meet Again,” a euphemism for saying goodbye to those who have passed.

Then, I can’t let pass the bizarre and dangerous statements of the Orange Felon as he told members of Turning Point Action at a speech in West Palm, FL, “Christians, get out and vote, just this time. You won’t have to do it anymore. Four more years, you know what, it will be fixed, it will be fine, you won’t have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians.”

The official campaign explanation to the immediate horror of everyone who values democracy is that the statement was “a joke.” Of course, if that’s the case, one might excuse the entire campaign as one giant joke being played on the American people. In December, the Felon told Fox News that he would be a “Dictator on Day One,” if he were elected. In May, he told a gathering of the National Rifle Association that he might serve “two more terms,” referencing FDR and ignoring that the two-term limit was invoked after Roosevelt died in office.

Such comments are occurring far too often to pass them off as a joke. In my opinion, they voice the Felon’s true intention and desire. He wants to be a dictator. He doesn’t want there to be a 2028 election removing him from office (if he survives that long). He is a clear and present danger to our democracy and as such he must be stopped. There is no other option.

Meanwhile, you quite possibly have missed Kamala Harris’ first ad featuring Beyoncé’s “Freedom,” a cut from her 2016 landmark album, “Lemonade.” Unlike a lot of the music we’ve heard at various campaign rallies, Harris has both the permission and support of the singer in using the song. There’s no question that the song has strong political overtones. In concert, Beyoncé has used the song to segue into “Lift Every Voice.” So, for those who have missed it, here’s the ad.

I really need to stop typing and start mowing the lawn. The forecast says there’s a chance of rain this afternoon, which appears likely though not with serious consequences. This is also the last chance the kids will have to help before starting school tomorrow.

Speaking of which, I may not be able to do an update in the morning. I’m going to ride the bus with Tipper to make sure she gets to school safely. I did the same with G last year, though he didn’t seem to need it. If there’s something that I feel deeply compelled to share with you, I’ll have to do so tomorrow afternoon.

This life is crazy, isn’t it?

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Morning Update: 07/27/24

July 27, 2024

Yesterday may have seemed tenuous. Today is impossible. This is going to be short. We spent most of my doctor’s appointment trying to figure out which meds I still need and which we can let drop completely. The result was Kat picked up an entire grocery bag full of meds from the pharmacy. Yay. Thrill. We chatted a bit, the doctor and me, and then he dropped the bomb I’ve been fearing: my next visit with him, in January, will likely be my last. Community Health Network is closing the facility where the doctor has had his office for the past several years. When they close that office, they’re not picking up his contract anywhere else. He’ll be 75 by then, so yeah, he’s had a good run, but he wanted to go out on his terms, not theirs. That means, again, I’ll have to find a new PHP. I’m getting really tired of that juggle.

The last thing before I left was round two of the pneumonia vaccine. Not a big deal, right? I’ve had one before I don’t remember having any problems with it. So, when my insurance-provided ride wasn’t outside when I left, I decided to walk home. After all, it’s only four miles if you cut across the IMS plaza to Georgetown. I grabbed a bottle of water and took off. I’d made it to Georgetown and 25th, a little short of three miles, when our next-door neighbor passed. He stopped and gave me a ride the rest of the way home. Sweet.

I don’t know if it was the shot, the heat, or the accumulative activity over the week, but shortly after I got home, I felt as though I was going to collapse. I asked G to make dinner for the night, which he happily did, and went to bed. And stayed there. I was up just long enough to eat some of what G had fixed, and was then back in bed, reminding myself that I would need to order groceries this morning. When I woke up at 6:00 AM, I was running just enough of a fever to experience chills. I quickly put in the grocery order and went back to sleep, leaving the cats to everyone else. I didn’t bother looking at the news until 8:00.

From a news perspective, ignore the biting back and forth between candidates. We’re at that stage where the candidates are constantly trying to one-up each other and the truth of anything they say needs to be questioned. The wildfires in California are a big deal and, once again, scary as hell. Reuters did an undercover investigation showing just how easy it is to get fentanyl from China using readily available online sources. If you know anyone who has any kind of addition, this should worry you. The Olympics are Olympicicking (my word) and, as always, there are allegations of someone cheating. There’s always someone who just can’t play well with others.

Groceries should be here soon and then I’m going back to bed. I’m not in a human condition this morning. I’m misunderstanding most of what Kat says. Better to leave the decision-making to others today.

Cancer Update / Current Issues / Morning Update / News & Comment / Personal / Politics / science / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 07/26/24

July 26, 2024

How Many Of These Pictures Are You Going To Take? [2019]

Exhaustion reigns as I’ve completely over-extended myself this week. If there’s a theme for today, it’s “Leave me the fuck alone.” Not that I can even hold to that because I have a doctor’s appointment this afternoon, which will, once again, come right in the middle of nap time. It’s one thing to go a day or two without naps, but we’ve missed them three out of the four previous days this week. I came in from getting the kids set up for school yesterday and collapsed onto the bed, not getting up except for necessities. I’m not doing my body any favors by keeping this kind of schedule.

The kids are as set for school as they can be. It still seems odd that neither of them has a supplies list that has to be purchased. Most everything they do is on their school-supplied Chromebooks, so as long as they keep those charged they have what they need. Tipper was especially excited to meet some of her teachers yesterday. She especially likes her math teacher, who is also her advisor, and her biology teacher, who is also her support coach. She has almost too much in common with the support coach, including a love for art and colorful language. The coach actually has a wood medallion with the word “fuck” burned into it hanging next to her desk. She and Tipper are going to get along just fine. Tipper also signed up for the robotics club which may end up being something that makes her brother a little jealous.

I forgot to get a picture of G yesterday, though. By the time we finished getting his things in order, I was struggling to stay upright and forgot all about it. There are some changes in the Lab program this year that give them more space, hot meals from Cafe Patachou (a Lab partner), and a little more direction as to when certain tasks need to be completed. There was some exciting news as his advisory coach got married over the summer! Some technical issues still linger as the legal status of the Lab changed a little, but none of those issues directly affect the students, so we’ll let the administrators work out those bugs.

At the same time, there were these signs that the kids are growing up whether I like it or not. Tipper’s boyfriend showed up while we were at the school and she ended up spending the afternoon with him (with his mom keeping a close watch). They’re going on a sort of date on Saturday evening as well. I have this sinking feeling that this is going to be a more common occurrence than I’m ready to endure. G’s coach was talking strongly with him about college and what he wants to do with his education. That’s a conversation I can’t even participate in because the world he’s looking at holds practically no resemblance to the one in which I reside. My experience is of no practical use to him. I’m glad he has guidance that is better informed than what I had.

My disturbing dreams last night were all apocalyptic so perhaps it is no surprise that I woke this morning to the news that the trains running to Paris have been sabotaged by arson. That is still an ongoing situation so there’s not a great deal of information that is truly reliable. As these Olympics are perhaps the most politically charged since the end of the Cold War, it’s not surprising that something happened. Fortunately, it appears that no one was critically injured. Security is extremely high for the event, though, and especially for its opening parade down the River Seine. We’re going to cross our fingers that everyone stays safe. The last thing we need is a repeat of the 1972 games.

Speaking of security, the Secret Service has to be struggling to keep up. Not only are they without a leader now, but the advent of Kamala Harris to the top of the ticket presents a whole new bundle of security issues that they have to cover. The simple fact that she’s both a woman and a person of color riles a lot of backward-thinking people who can’t begin to accept the idea of the President being anything other than an old Christian white man. Harris’ religious leanings are broad and she certainly seemed to have no trouble telling Netanyahu that he needs to end the Gaza war immediately. All of that gets under the skin of the good ol’ boys’ club and the Secret Service is struggling to make the necessary adjustments to keep the Vice President safe.

Following the theme of religion, remember that whole dust-up about Oklahoma’s state school superintendent requiring schools to teach Bible stuff? At least eight of the state’s larger school districts have said, “Nope, not gonna do it.” Critical to this decision seems to be a memorandum to the state school districts from the Center for Education Law advising them that the superintendent’s statement is illegal under state law, which already allows for voluntary religious education. If you’re wondering whether any of this is a reflection of Project 2025, be aware that there’s no direct link between the two. However, the superintendent’s position certainly falls within the attitude and intent of the conservative plan for dominating government at every level.

Also, be aware that the Orange Felon is attempting to brand VP Harris as a Marxist. Why anyone would take the word of a felon, I don’t know, but there seem to be a few million lemmings who are repeating this rhetoric. If you’re not familiar with the economic and political ideas of Karl Marx and Frederick Engles, you might want to read up on the concept. On the surface, anyone fed up with the inequality of Capitalism may find Marxism interesting. The felon’s comments are likely based on the idea that Harris is committed to addressing inequality and fighting for the rights of the working class, both of which are strong Marxist pillars. However, the devil’s in the details and the VP is most certainly not a Marxist. Take the time to do the reading, please.

Finally, remember those two astronauts sent to the International Space Station aboard a Boeing capsule? Yeah, they’re still there and there’s still no timetable for getting them back home. If you’ve ever taken a trip and had trouble scheduling a flight back home, perhaps you can commiserate with the two astronauts. They’re more than a month late getting back. Fortunately, this counts as a business trip so they don’t have to explain to their bosses why they haven’t been in the office for a while.

That’s all I’ve got. The dogs are back to sleep and I’m considering joining them. Sleeping is the safest thing I can do right now.

Cancer Update / Current Issues / Morning Update / News & Comment / Personal / Politics / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 07/25/24

July 25, 2024

Don’t Cross Her [2019 original with AI background]

Today pretty much starts the beginning of the school season for us. While classes don’t start until Monday, the next two days are full of all those last-minute things that must be completed in order to make the start of school successful. Kat’s schedule at the salon has gotten crazy, so I’ll be taking Tipper to the PPHS main campus first, then escorting G to the Lab for his stuff. G only needs me for those things that might require a parent’s signature. I’m sure somewhere in the middle of everything we’ll do lunch because these kids have this thing going where they like to eat. A lot.

While a large part of yesterday was spent sleeping, the cats decided to be overly active. That excess energy went on through the night as Queen Bit and Fred Fredburger were hissing and fussing at each other to the point I’m not sure Kat got much sleep at all. There were things knocked off tables, things knocked over, things dug out and scattered… you know, all the things cats do in those moments when the humans in the house need to be sleeping. There’s something wrong with the bottom of my bedroom door this morning that I’ve yet to figure out, and yeah, I’m pretty sure a cat had something to do with that, too. It’s never boring.

As I was quickly browsing the various news sources, Tipper came in and read this over my shoulder from TheSkimm’.

What’s going on: Vice President Kamala Harris stands to be the first Black and South Asian female presidential candidate — a point of attack among conservatives. Right-wing politicians and media personalities have called Harris a “DEI candidate,” attributing her political career to her skin color. Harris has also been accused of sleeping her way to the top and is the target of unvalidated “birther” conspiracies due to her immigrant heritage. Meanwhile, her husband, Doug Emhoff, is on the receiving end of antisemitic attacks. Recent analysis from the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE) found that hateful and violent speech toward Harris rose 33% on Truth Social and 50% on Telegram from July 19 to July 21.

What it means: Harris isn’t the first candidate to face these kinds of attacks. Former President Obama and Hillary Clinton got their fair share of it. However, Harris could be getting the worst of it. Even during the 2020 Democratic primaries, the Wilson Center found that Harris faced more gendered abuse and targeted disinformation than other female candidates. Now, some congressional Republican leaders are warning their members from using that playbook against Harris, urging them to focus on her political career and policies under the Biden administration. That’s because racist or misogynistic attacks against Harris could alienate swing voters like suburban women or voters of color.

Tipper’s question was, “Why? What reason does anyone have for not wanting a black president or a woman president? It doesn’t make any sense.”

No, baby girl, it doesn’t make any sense. Nothing about the Republican party in its current state makes any sense. The overt authoritarianism, racism, and sexism have no excuse. The fact that their own leaders have to tell their members to behave shows how unreasonable, unintelligent, uncaring, and undesirable the party is. Even worse, as I’ve said before, this isn’t just at the Presidential level. Republicans are this nasty all the way down to the bottom of the ballot. For them, Project 2025 isn’t just a wish list for taking control of the government, it is a plan for taking over the world. This is why they must be stopped. The party in its current form must be destroyed. Is there room for a conservative voice in politics? Yes, but a true conservative doesn’t exist in the modern dialogue. What the GOP currently represents is chaos in all its worst forms and it must be eliminated.

Meanwhile, Mother Nature continues to fight back on the open seas as Typhoon Gaemi sinks a freighter off Taiwan, and barrels towards the Chinese seaboard. Amidst all our own noise, there are signs that the planet is getting fed up with our nonsense. News flash: the planet is going to win. Species of beings come and go. The planet is going to take care of itself if we don’t. We need to be aware of the message it is sending.

Nestle cuts sales growth outlook as consumers become increasingly cost-conscious. What can I say other than it’s about fucking time? Nestle has been especially bad about having an “anything for a dime” attitude over the past several years. CEO Mark Schneider has an attitude that all natural resources are best managed through capitalistic markets. That includes water and, yes, even clean air. Nestle has a massive portfolio of products and the company has been regularly increasing prices since 2020 to bolster their profits. So, if consumers are finally saying, “We can do without that,” then that’s a good thing.

Oh, did you see that Utah was awarded the 2034 Winter Olympics? Did you know that the award comes with a catch? The IOC would only give Utah the games after the state’s politicians signed an agreement to lobby the FBI to end its investigation into the Chinese doping scandal at the Tokyo Games. That’s right, this is the IOC attempting to interfere with US law enforcement. That seems to be a pretty bold move considering the fact that UTAH WAS THE ONLY BIDDER FOR THE GAMES. No one else wants them. So, if the FBI doesn’t back down, what the fuck is the IOC going to do? I think we need to be having conversations as to whether the Olympic Games, in their current form, are worth continuing. They’re expensive for the host city, often incurring costs that are never recovered, and upsetting the lives of the people who live there. We need to end that attitude that says sports is king and look at the reality of paid players at the amateur level and re-format the whole mess so that international athletic competition isn’t a mask for an international power move by a bunch of oligarchs, which is exactly what the IOC is.

Finally, that whole “single cat lady” thing isn’t going away, Mr. Vance. Today, it’s Jennifer Anniston who’s speaking out against the wildly ridiculous statement from the GOP Vice Presidential candidate. Don’t think celebrity comments matter? Kamala Harris has Gen Z appeal with young voters largely because of celebrity endorsements. Plus, statements like this pull women across all age groups together against a common enemy: stupid men. This is why women will be deciding this year’s election. They’re pissed and they’re registered to vote.

So, off we go now. There may be pictures on Facebook if you’re watching throughout the day. Depends on how shy the kids are feeling.

Cancer Update / Current Issues / Morning Update / News & Comment / Personal / Politics / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 07/24/24

July 24, 2024

When yesterday started, I wasn’t expecting much from the day. My legs were feeling a bit worn from Monday’s adventures around Lake Ogle. I was expecting a low-key day with maybe some photo processing in the afternoon. I had discussed with Tipper the possibility of going on the bus to familiarize her with the route she would need to take to go downtown and she seemed to dismiss the idea rather flatly. Then, around 11:00, she comes in and asks, “If we go on the bus today, what time would we need to leave?” I checked the schedule, made sure the bus was on time (always an issue), and told her we needed to catch the 12:38 bus. She said, “Okay, let’s do that. We’ll leave around noon?”

And that was that. We had another adventure scheduled for the day. The first question was whether she could wear her furry head on the bus. I told her no, that the head would be too large. I was also thinking that it might frighten any small children we encountered and I’m not 100% sure what the bus rules are on such things. She was disappointed but optioned to wear the furry paws instead. That was still a questionable choice in Dad’s opinion, but what does Dad know? I finished what I was doing and got ready to go.

Of course, with Tipper being much like her mother in matters of timing, we were at the bus stop early. A young man who was sitting there immediately engaged us in conversation. His first question to me was, “Are you Mexican?” I shook my head no. I wasn’t interested in starting down that road. He then asked if Tipper was my granddaughter. I stifled the laugh and tried to keep my voice stern when answering, “No, she’s my daughter.” He turned to Tipper and started chatting with her, dumping fragments of his life story in a barrage that didn’t end even after we got on the bus. She was pleasant and polite to him, but I was glad she didn’t have an open seat next to her. I’m going to be concerned any time she has to take the bus by herself.

We got to the Transit Center downtown. I showed her where her connecting bus would normally be waiting, and then we discussed an alternative bus in the event the first bus was delayed (because that, too, is an issue). We decided to ride the alternative bus to the school, which was interesting. That bus took us down through Fountain Square before turning up past the Justice Center (jail and related courts), before turning back West and going past the school. The trip was long enough that we agreed that the route should only be used if the original bus route was running more than 20 minutes late.

Getting off across the street from the school, the bus for the normal route she would take came up almost immediately to take us back to the Transit Center. The brevity of that ride emphasized the importance of taking that route over the alternative.

By the time we arrived at the Transit Center, it was past 2:30 and we had neither one had lunch. Downtown is as good a place as any to find something to eat, so I asked Tipper what type of food she wanted and her response was, “soup.” No problem. There’s a little locally-owned soup shop just off the Circle on Market Street, a brief three-block stroll. Tipper’s not been downtown much since she was younger, so this was a good chance to familiarize her with the area, specifically the City/County building and other places that should be safe to duck into if something was wrong or out of the ordinary. Again, her being alone is my biggest concern.

The soup was great, we walked back to the Transit Center and got on the bus to bring us home. We were about 20 minutes into the ride when the bus broke down. Hydraulics failure. Once again, this happens far too often and is one of the reasons people who live here can’t depend on the bus for critical back-and-forth-to-work transportation. We waited over 30 minutes for another bus to pick us up and complete the route. G told us that this sort of thing happened quite a bit last year, so Tipper will have to be ready for those delays.

By the time we got home, I was beyond exhausted. I had a coupon for KFC, so we used that for dinner. There was no way I was cooking. KFC was a severe disappointment, though, and G reminded me, rather sternly, that both he and his sister can cook. He would have rather they take care of dinner than suffer through the disaster we had just eaten. I’ll take note of that.

I forced myself to stay awake long enough to ensure that I’d sleep through the night, though it didn’t feel as though that was going to be an issue. The kids are both still asleep, despite the animals and me bumping around, taking out trash, making coffee, and all the other morning noises. In a way, this is sort of our last “open” day before school starts on Monday. Tomorrow is their back-to-school events. Friday will be making final preparations. Saturday will be getting all the chores done for the next week. I want to say there’s some obligation on Sunday but I don’t remember at the moment what it is.

Personally, I’m looking forward to a nap. Maybe two. We’ve pushed against the chemo pretty hard the past two days. Yesterday afternoon was significantly more difficult for me than Monday. It’s probably best to take a break.

Speaking of Monday, did you know that was the hottest day on record? I know, Sunday broke the record as well, but Monday topped it. I’ve not heard about yesterday. This is a good time to remind people that there’s a difference between weather and climate. Just because it’s not steaming hot right where you’re standing doesn’t mean the planet as a whole isn’t melting. Don’t risk opening your mouth and being stupid.

Whales are capsizing boats again. No one will ever convince me that aquatic mammals are not more evolved than we give them credit. Just because we don’t understand how they communicate doesn’t mean that they’re not doing so. I firmly believe they’re trying to send us a warning, proven by the fact they’re not eating the people from the boats they capsize. Perhaps we should pay attention.

There was a video circulating on social media of a geyser exploding in Biscuit Basin at Yellowstone Park. In some instances, it came with a caption saying that this particular explosion was a first for that geyser. That statement would be incorrect. These explosions happen, usually when there aren’t a lot of tourists around. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but it reminds us that our planet is still a dangerous place and that a big chunk of North America could explode at any time.

Speaking of misinformation, along with Kamala Harris taking control of the Democratic Party nomination for President has come a significant amount of misinformation about her and some of the things she’s done. AP corrects some of the most frequent errors, something I encourage you to read before jousting with anyone.

Speaking of errors, boy have Southern Baptists stumbled into a new one. At this point, the denomination has become an embarrassment to all of Christianity. Can we not cancel them completely? They had a chance and they blew it.

And, just in case you missed the news, Mattel has finally introduced a blind Barbie (video). The company is well-known for championing women in sports, women of color, and other differently-abled women. That they haven’t had a blind doll before now seems something of an oversight (no pun intended). We’re glad they have corrected that error.

We should also mention that there’s a new HIV shot, administered twice a year, that seems to be 100% effective in preventing HIV, at least in African women. While it may still be too early to consider the injection universally fool-proof, those of us who remember the horrors of the HIV/AIDS outbreak in the 1980s should be amazed at how far medicine has come in treating the disease.

There are a couple of other little stories running around, but I don’t think they’re fully developed yet so we’ll wait before commenting.

It’s almost 8:30 AM in Indianapolis. I need to start laundry and eat breakfast. Is it too early to take a nap?

Art / Natural Light / Nature / Photography

A Walk Around Ogle Lake

July 23, 2024

Jennifer Tuttle is the kind of friend who never gives up being a friend no matter how challenging that might become. We’ve met a lot of people over the years, but Jenn’s the only one who regularly hits me up to go “hunting for snakes.” To an extent, “hunting for snakes” is code for “let’s go wandering around in the woods and see what we can find.” But at the same time, we really are looking for snakes. Jenn loves snakes. She has multiple, the largest of which, Sir Reginald, is big enough that he could kill and eat someone if he were of the mind. There are a number of snakes that she would love to find in the wild. So, we keep looking in the places where snakes are most likely to be found: outdoors.

For this trip, we headed South to Brown County State Park. The park is primarily known for its fall foliage, so in a sense this is “off-season” for them. We did see some high schools playing Wiffle Ball as part of a summer program that I’m sure was designed to pad their college applications. There were enough people out hiking and such that had I taken a tumble Jenn would have been able to get help without leaving me abandoned on the trail. The park was far from the crowded population one finds down there in October, though.

Temperatures have been fairly mild recently, so we didn’t have any issues with excessive heat. At 82 degrees Fahrenheit, the partly cloudy day seemed pleasing to any number of dragonflies and butterflies. The biggest challenge there was getting a clear shot without a lot of tall grass being in the way. There were a few other critters to be found as well, but it wasn’t until near the end that we finally saw a young water snake. You’ll meet him on down the page.

The only disappointment is that we’ve yet to see any bears. Jenn thinks we need to seed the state parks with Kodiak bears. I think that would make park trips much more adventurous. I’m not sure how the bears would respond to our warmer days, though, since their fur tends to run pretty thick. We did see one lone deer as we were leaving, but she bolted too quickly for us to get a shot.

So, here are the images we have from yesterday’s adventure. There are some notes along the way, so pay attention.

Dragonflies were all over the place, but getting them to stay put long enough to get a decent shot was challenging. It took half a dozen frames before this one sat still.

Butterflies were the next most frequent species we encountered. They were especially kind in showing us how they interact with flowers.

Here’s one where we need your help figuring out exactly what we captured. I had walked right past this log thinking nothing of it. Jenn called my attention to the orange dots on the bark, wondering if they were eggs or fungi. My call was eggs of some sort, They seem too neatly positioned to be fungi. I took a picture more for reference than anything. But zoom in and look inside the log. I didn’t even notice anything was there until I was processing the image and the white dots glowed on my screen. There is *something* down in that log and it looks something like a cross between a spider and an octopus. Let’s go with it being some kind of spider since octopi don’t generally hang out in dead logs. Who can tell me what it is? Are there any scientists on this plane?

If there is a National Sport of Old Men, it’s fishing. I loved how vivid the reflection shows up. I think this could make a nice print. Don’t you?

Geese. Sure, their citizenship card may say they’re from Canada, but there has to be more of them down here than anywhere. There were trees in our way when they landed on the lake. Here, they’re being coy, looking as though they’re just floating along while their feet do all the work underwater.

We kept hearing rustling in the leaves but not seeing anything. The squirrels in the woods surrounding the lake were fast and skittish until we came across this little one who couldn’t care less that we were taking his picture.

This was such a unique image I couldn’t pass it up. Think about the size of the bird that would leave behind a feather like this. We kept watching the skies for raptors of any kind but never saw any.

It’s a good day to get a tan, especially if you can be out on a log where no one can bother you except those pesky photographers.

NSFW: “Oh, look! It’s the [45th President]’s penis mushroom!”

There was no way to get a clear shot here, though I tried from various angles. There were three butterflies all trying to get to the same flower. This is the best of a dozen shots I took.

The detail of the interaction between the butterfly and the flower here is breathtaking.

At first, we thought this one might be damaged, but apparently, he was just taking a dirt bath. As we got closer he flew away just fine.

Chipmunks are so small that it can be difficult to see them at times. This one was not shy and gave us a chance to get a number of shots. This is the first of two shots we’re including here.

He moved off into the trees, making it a little more difficult to find him, but he was still munching on whatever he’d found to eat.

At first, I thought this was a Cardinal, but no… Do YOU know what it is?

Perhaps this wasn’t the most exciting place to kayak, but if you’re looking to relax it’s pretty good.

This is another shot where you want to take a close look. Did you know that turtles could turn their head like that? I didn’t. I did a double-take when I saw this.

A second later, he’s scooting around looking for food.

There were a number of these butterflies around but this is the only one that stood still long enough to get a picture. I love how the markings on their wings almost look like piano keys.

Look! A SNAKE! We watched this little guy for a while. Jenn estimates it is probably a little over a year old.

Remember those geese? I guess the water was getting too wet.

And finally, a tufted titmouse! I think.

Cancer Update / Current Issues / Morning Update / News & Comment / Personal / Politics / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 07/23/24

July 23, 2024

Yesterday was too much fun. I ate a PBJ (sugar-free bread and jelly) around 8:00 so I could take my meds. Then, a little before 11:00, our friend Jennifer picked me up to go “look for snakes.” Looking for snakes is code for walking around in nature and hoping we see something interesting. I keep hoping for bears but that hasn’t happened yet. We went to Brown County State Park and walked the circumference of Ogle Lake. No bears. We did get a lot of pictures, though, and I’ll post those separately later this morning. There is one image we’ll need your help with trying to identify what the hell I caught inside a dead log. It’s legs glow.

We got back around 6:00 PM. The dogs were extremely happy to see me as no one had let them out while I was gone. Amazingly, there were no accidents. Tipper had slept most of the afternoon and G was busy gaming. I was exhausted, not having had any naps, but I knew if I went to bed that early I’d be up at 3:00 or some horrible time. Kat came home, made omelets for dinner (which were delicious), and I finished processing yesterday’s photos. By the time I did go to bed, I was able to sleep all night without interruption. That’s winning in my book.

A couple of interesting developments. First, G is on a fitness streak, thanks to Kat, and has started running on his own. He got up with his alarm this morning at 5:30 and went running through the neighborhood. At the gym, he’s steadily increasing the weight he’s lifting. If this continues once school starts, and there’s no reason to think it won’t, the kid’s going to be jacked by Xmas. This could be fun to watch.

I bent down to pick up the dogs’ bowls this morning, though, and immediately became lightheaded. That is not a fun development. While there might be extenuating factors in that 1) I’ve not eaten yet, and 2) I’ve not had meds yet, it’s still one of those things that hasn’t happened before and if it continues happening will warrant a conversation with the doctor. I’m not especially looking forward to the visit with the GP on Friday as it is. I don’t need any new problems cropping up.

Yesterday was a bit surprising in how well I was able to handle the trail around the lake. While we weren’t setting any speed records since we were stopping and taking pictures every few feet, there were sufficient challenges that, on a more difficult day, might have caused a problem or two. We made it through the day without me falling in, over, or down, which I think is an improvement. I didn’t even bother taking a cane along and, for the most part, did just fine. I really would like for the whole mobility issue to continue getting better.

What’s going on in the rest of the world? Well, let’s start with the fact that VP Kamala Harris now has all the votes she needs to clinch the Democratic nomination for President at the August convention. Along with that came a massive fundraising effort (to the point of being annoying yesterday) that raised a whopping $81 million yesterday. That was exactly the type of response needed to get her campaign off to a strong start and yes, it has the GOP shaking in their boots a bit. Expect them to fall back on racist and sexist statements, not to mention insinuations about her connection to the Biden administration. Last night, at a rally in Virginia, GOP VP candidate JD Vance said, “But my friends, Kamala Harris is a million times worse and everybody knows it. She signed up for every single one of Joe Biden’s failures, and she lied about his mental capacity to serve as president.” Anyone who falls for that line misunderstands the role of Vice President.

U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle may be looking for a new job soon as her testimony before Congress yesterday drew calls from both sides of the aisle for her resignation. Yes, she had answers for every question, but at the end of the day, regardless of what one’s politics are, her team allowed a shooter to come close to assassinating a presidential candidate. The more analysts look at the situation, the worse it looks for the Secret Service. The event was something for which someone has to be held responsible, and Cheatle is where the buck stops.

If you’re looking for a sort of heartwarming story in the midst of all this chaos, there’s the AP account of a Rapper in Puerto Rico who’s also a doctor and is making house calls. I didn’t realize that the island has had such a dramatic loss in the number of physicians, over 8,600 doctors out of nearly 18,800 in just over a decade. That the rapper is putting music on hold while he helps the poorest of people in his country is the kind of good news we all need.

Unfortunately, a war criminal is visiting the US this week. Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, arranged for the Israeli Prime Minister to speak to a joint session of Congress. However, as the Gaza war has raged on and an increasing number of allegations against Netanyahu have come from the International Criminal Court, the Prime Minister may find himself less than welcome. In fact, the worry over protests is so great that the Speaker has threatened to arrest anyone who makes a scene on the House floor (which is against Congressional rules of decorum, anyway). The Prime Minister is lagging in popularity at home and as Palestinian factions agree to form a unity government, he likely will find that even US Jews are less than enthused with how Netanyahu is handling the war.

Almost everyone is back up and running after Friday’s tech outage, except for Delta Airlines. The company CEO, Ed Bastian, is on the hot seat with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, telling him that he expects the airline to provide hotels and meals for travelers who are delayed and to issue quick refunds to customers who don’t want to be rebooked on a later flight. “No one should be stranded at an airport overnight or stuck on hold for hours waiting to talk to a customer service agent.” That’s not news the airline is going to enjoy hearing, but that’s the law and at this point, travelers are crazy to not take advantage of the cash refunds.

I’m arguing with myself over exactly what needs to happen today. I want to get those pictures from yesterday posted for you, but I really need to take TIpper on a bus ride today as well. With rain in the forecast for tomorrow, this is the best day to familiarize her with the route she’ll take to school. The yard could use some attention as well, but I’m pretty sure that after skipping naps yesterday my body is going to insist on taking them today.

So, off we go. Frankie would tell you hi, but he’s snoring. Loudly. So is Hamilton, for that matter. Do you think they’re trying to tell me something?

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charles i. letbetter

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