How much of our perception is sponsored by our enemies?
He’s Wanted for Wirecard’s Missing $2 Billion.
Now He’s Suspected of Being a Russian Spy.
It’s reprinted on the Microsoft Start page from the Wall Street Journal, but the link may be dead by the time this is posted.
Good Morning Everyone
Long time no visit...
How is everyone?
I am sorry, it has been chaotic with work, personal stuff Christmas etc...I am a bit exhausted and overwhelmed, but, at least Christmas is all ready except for Dinner Monday...I have been reading less and posting even less than reading.,..
Miss you guys and I hope to get back into the swing of things shortly, l or at least after the Holiday
All that said, gas is $2.60 a gallon,( I have a relatively small tank, so to fill it up was $30, about ten less than it was) I got done with Christmas early, had everything wrapped by last Sunday,. Work has been crazy busy which is a good thing. I am being selective with what I do read , and trying to stay upbeat.
I did have a weird/scary nightmare the other night, where my cat actually poked me to wake me up ( apparently I was flailing and screaming for help...and I have this pretty bad mysterious bruise on the inside of my right arm that I think has something to do with that dream...
In other good news, I had my third in a year colonoscopy, he found no polyps, but what he called micro lesions, which he is having biopsied, but, he thinks they are fine and says I won't have to do this again for 1-2 years...yea!
Looking forward to Christmas Day , having two good friend, on of my sisters and one of my brothers over, my tree looks pretty awesome, and it is in the 40's here, and is supposed to be in the 50's on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day...much better than the ice/snow storm of last year...
Today is the first day of winter and the shortest day, though I didn't know it doesn't actually start till 10:52PM tonight.
Today’s special animal friend is the rim rock crowned snake, Tantilla oolitica. It is said to be North America’s rarest snake and is rated Endangered by IUCN. The RRCS is native to southern Florida and the Florida Keys. In English, it is named for the Miami Rim Rock, a geographic feature of Dade County. Its specific name, “oolitica,” refers to the oolitic limestone of the area. Oolitic limestone is formed from egg-shaped grains.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyw3frkCqf4
Okay, back to the snake. It’s quite small, no more than 9 inches long, with a slender body, and non-venomous. Its smooth scales are light reddish-brown on the back and dark brown or black on the head. It is usually found burrowed in stump holes or limestone crevices, or lurking under logs. It eats spiders, scorpions, worms, centipedes, insects and larvae.
https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/florida-snake-id/snake/rim-rock-crowned-snake/
There is hardly any video the RRCS on YouTube, but Tantilla coronata, the Southeastern crowned snake, is almost identical and much more common:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vih8hjgtWZ4
The RRCS is so rare and secretive that it was last seen alive in 2018. Florida herpetologists were excited when one was found by a hiker in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo.
https://pennekamppark.com/
Unfortunately, the snake was dead, having given up the ghost in the process of swallowing a very large centipede. Using the latest imaging technology, the researchers at the Florida Museum found that the centipede’s pincers had obstructed the snake’s trachea, causing death by asphyxiation. The centipede, stuck partly down the snake’s throat, died as well.
https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/north-americas-rarest-snake-found-biting-off-more-than-it-could-chew/
None of the snakes in the Tantilla genus is a band or has a t-shirt, which is kind of disappointing.