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C C Writer's avatar

I'm still stuck on whether one pronounces the "e" at the end of phalarope.

Interesting to see that she creates a sort of vortex. Not strong enough to lead to tornadoes, though. Very clever. I wonder if some machine modeled on that could be used to help clean up debris found in waterways.

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Citizen60's avatar

I’m a dabbler also.

They’re pretty

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CynthiaW's avatar

I agree.

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CynthiaW's avatar

I've lost Epic Fail in the Asian grocery store. He's looking for exotic snacks to take to camp

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Kurt's avatar

I like the "circling to create a vortex that draws in food" behavior.

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CynthiaW's avatar

Tautologically, it's important for their survival.

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Phil H's avatar

I find it interesting that it works for them in the open ocean, not just in shallow lakes and wetlands.

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Kurt's avatar

Can it be important for their survival without being tautological? (Yes, I am just being difficult.)

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IncognitoG's avatar

Those birds circling: I know how they feel whenever I enter a room trying to remember why I came.

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Phil H's avatar

I'm feeling like more often these days. I can't be getting older, can I?

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CynthiaW's avatar

Write a Post-It and stick it to your hand.

"You're looking for the scissors," or whatever.

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Angie's avatar

Good idea

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CynthiaW's avatar

I used to do that when I worked at the insurance company. "You're on your way to Legal," or whatever, in case I got distracted before I got there.

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Angie's avatar

Ha, that is too funny and I sure can relate...I have even made multiple trips to the kitchen because I forgot what I went in there for, and got something else

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R.Rice's avatar

Perfect.

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Phil H's avatar

From JohnM at the mothership:

Worth Your Time II: 'Jordan Peterson and I Had a Chat' --David French

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/10/opinion/jordan-peterson-men-boys.html?unlocked_article_code=1.VU8.ISow.x0wcyFCnvrNK&smid=url-share

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Kurt's avatar

I go (or went) back and forth on JD. Initially, I thought sure, someone is addressing obvious stuff in a common sense manner. I generally liked what he had to say and I saw it have a positive effect on a number of young men.

Nowadays, I'm thinking he's more of a crank, having fallen to the demand to keep reinventing and creating new content in the prevailing social media environment. He still says stuff I agree with, but his complete lack of a sense of humor tells me he's not wise, just timely and in step with what's happening now.

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DougAz's avatar

Growing up in West Virginia, I knew JD Vance was a total fraud from the day I heard everyone at TD rave about him as the next coming of Reagan.

He mostly grew up in middle class Western Ohio and totally was nowhere near the kind of welfare, poverty and impoverished parents millions are today and then. Because that Jckarse is taking food off plates today for children

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LucyTrice's avatar

I listened to his book and was impressed enough to buy it and re-read it.

What came across to me was that income is one thing and culture is another. The money his grandfather made did not compensate for the lack of knowledge of what to do with it. Greater insight into how the world works probably comes more reliably from smaller increases in income.

I was very disappointed in his swong to support Trump.

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Phil H's avatar

I never read Vance's book. But judging by the acclaim it got, it fooled a lot of people.

There is a large swath of Ohio, in the southeast and south, that is much like West Virginia, characterized by hills, forests, coal mines and poverty. But Vance grew up in Middletown, between Dayton and Cincinnati, probably more an old factory town surrounded by flat farmland. That doesn't rule out a "hillbilly" upbringing, they were common in that part of OH. (I grew up in Springfield, not so different from Middletown). But that area was not characterized by grinding poverty.

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DougAz's avatar

I grew up in Wood County, WV. Not impoverished either. But on Welfare and working as a HS Janitor at 14 in the 60's.

My Mom's mom, aunt moved from Cairo WV to Middletown, OH in the late 1920's. I also called on auto suppliers all over Ohio for a decade or 2.

SE Ohio, ie across that river from me is hilly and a bit poor relative to some Ohio areas.

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Kurt's avatar

Thank you. I got his book when everyone was raving about it, and I couldn't even get halfway through it. It just REEKED fraud and falsity. It seemed so obvious, I couldn't understand why anyone thought it was anything other than trash. And then, they make a movie from it. It's another version of pop culture creating a mythical political giant, like The Apprentice made people think Trump had a brain.

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DougAz's avatar

National Conservatives, such as JG, KW et all and at NR et all, craved young Conservative leaders such as Vance.

Character counts NOT for National Conservatives (to YOU the reader, this does NOT mean you!! I have to detail the difference to avoid ..well ya know).

National frauds like National frauds. Look at these NatConPundits love for the pretty reprehensible Mike Lee, Rubio, Cruz, Johnson.

Integrity. Character. Consistency with avowed Principles. All written lies and garbage. The Ends, NO matter what the Means and Meaness are required to achieve The Ends

Question is, what America do they want for us who disagree?

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R.Rice's avatar

"JG, KW et all and at NR et all"

Just selling what they have a talent for selling. At least in early days, NR was influential on policy. Now it's pretty much entertainment.

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Kurt's avatar

"Those are my principles, and if you don't like them....well, I've got others."

....Groucho Marx

They don't want an America for those that disagree.

Which puts me in the deep outfield, because I don't agree with the policies of either party nowadays.

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R.Rice's avatar

Yes, the Jungian / mythopoetic mens movements with people like Peterson and Robert Bly have a lot of appeal in original presentation. But then it seems to morph to forms of Joe Rogan and finally Tony Robbins schlocky. But the original forms do appeal to me. Cultural teaching through storytelling.

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Kurt's avatar

That's a good way to put it.

Yep, it does distill down to Joe, who I still basically like...don't ever listen to him, but read enough to think I still like him..., and then to Tony who, for the life of me, I can never understand why anyone listens to his rah-rah pablum.

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Phil H's avatar

Good morning. 72 here, with a predicted high in the 80s and chance of rain. Yesterday’s rain missed us completely, instead dumping on the Newark area NW of COlumbus.

The mothership is reporting on the effect to date of the on-again off-again Trump tariffs, guaranteed to glaze your eyes over. The FP is headlong “The astronaut caught in the Trump-Musk Crossfire” about Trump’s nominee to head NASA, abruptly withdrawn after Musk started feuding with Trump.

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Citizen60's avatar

The only thing I’ve read about Trump’s tariffs that actually makes sense is that he’s loving it all; the headlines, the “it’s my department store,” the (hoped for) groveling by other heads of state. It’s an international version of The Apprentice.

And that he has no intention of stopping this drama. Any agreement made this year will be torn up next year for the next season of The Trump Show.

Anonymous source, of course, but it rings true.

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R.Rice's avatar

"guaranteed to glaze your eyes over." That's more than fair, maybe even generous. I suppose it's stressful five days a week looking for something to be "insightful" about.

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Kurt's avatar

There are a number of interesting takes on the on-again off-again tariff crap from George Yeo and other East Asian smart folks. The prevailing take is the tariffs are a vast opportunity for East Asian business to slice off huge chunks of business from American interests because Americans are the ones hamstrung by the tariffs, not the countries the tariffs are pointed at.

Same thing with energy. Tariffs and restrictive domestic policy on energy production via gas fired turbines is cutting America off at the knees because the producers of the turbines have to kowtow to American regulations. Meanwhile, Chinese turbine builders are going nuts, delivering equipment to countries that need it within weeks of ordering, while it takes American companies 5 years or more to fill orders.

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R.Rice's avatar

I think that's right, and should be obvious. Making it more difficult to do business will reorient the rest of the world away from us. Duh.

On energy, I'm in the camp with those that think this is one of the most critical policy mistakes the US has been making. China is adding capacity at 2 to 3 times the rate the US is, and accelerating. I wonder (literally) if Xi and gang sit around in meetings sometimes chuckling at how we are strangling ourselves with green energy neurosis.

Edit to add: I do not dismiss climate change concerns. But I do think we are largely being non-serious and self destructive with policy. And mostly run of the mill political corruption with a lot of money.

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Kurt's avatar

#MeToo...on the policy mistake. China has a plan, and it's a very good one. Their plan addresses all the points made in the Manhattan Institute's study "The Energy Transition Delusion". I think I said that right... IOW, China is doing it the way the MI said would be the smart way.

Our industrial policy, reliant on stupidities championed by both political parties, is handing the future to China and East Asia.

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Jay Janney's avatar

Greetings all!

Just got back from lunch. Katie and Jen picked it out. what was nice was that it was on the way back to my apartment, so I shaved 6 minutes off my morning commute! So I spent the extra time with Katie. High of only 84 today, partly cloudy, so quite pleasant. 😀

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Kurt's avatar

I would love to vicariously enjoy your lunch. Not being well traveled, I've heard that it's impossible to find a bad meal in Italy.

If you don't mind, I'd like to hear what you ate.

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Jay Janney's avatar

Today was a very simple breakfast (eaten at 12;30pm). I had an omelette, with cherry tomatoes and some green lettuce type stuff. 3 small spoonfulls of homemade mayo, with a little spice to it. Katie and Jen got some thing that looked like a Ham and cheese sandwich, with a fried egg on top. Katie said it was French, and both of them thought it tasted great. Jen also got a croissant to munch on for dessert. It had a chocolate cream filling.

It was very delicious.

Next Wednesday I am doing a cooking class with my students: I'll add commentary about it, and the one Katie, Jen and I did last night....

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Kurt's avatar

Sounds lovely.

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CynthiaW's avatar

I hope you have a good afternoon. How are the students doing?

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Jay Janney's avatar

Tired. They are out late (or early) every night, and didn't realize they have to come to class here.

tomorrow will be an interesting day. We are taking the rail to Florence, meeting in advance. I warned them the trains won't wait for them, 20 Euro for the slow train, 57 for the fast train. I have 3-4 that I will not be surprised if they come rushing down the platform too late to board.

Had a student ask if they could skip a Monday excursion in a week, so they could party in London a day longer. I said no, told my folks at UD, they are backing me on it.

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DougAz's avatar

Of all the wonderful places in Florence, what,where is your favorite?

Guessing Uffizi. or maybe the Bargello museums?

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Jay Janney's avatar

Actually I love best Santa Croce (a church); it has the mausoleums of MichaelAngelo, Dante, Machiavelli, and others. And although it is small, I really enjoy the Medici Museo, which features "Night" and "Day" (or Dawn and Dusk) by MichaelAngelo

The Uffizi is great, but my favorite works of art are MichaelAngelo's David. When you walk about it, I swear the expression on his face changes from serenity to "let's do it".

But the absolute best is his La Pieu Intima (I think i spelled it correctly). His next to last sculpture. After Giambologna sculpted 3 people out of one block, MichaelAngelo decided to on up by carving four people from a block. Jesus, Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Nicodemus. Michaelangelo used himself as a model for Nicodemus, perhaps to insert himself into the story (in a good way).

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Kurt's avatar

Fascinating.

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DougAz's avatar

So much! It really was a "silicon valley" environment of inspiration!

My wife lobved the Uffizi and DaVinci Adoration of the Magi. Am iconic break in perspective. She had studied at Art History at Drexel late 60s. But was denied by her parents on going on a JJ trip to Florence 😞

I think the Medici Tombs are my favorite. We were early into the newly discovered? Michelangelo hiding spot and his charcoal drawings on the walls. caveman! But the Santa Croce church with the great tombs of the great men you mentioned!

Are you visiting Milan? the Last Supper of course (3 times) the Bibleoteque with pages of da Vinci Codex Atlantis are awesome.

The National Technical museum in Milan is also cool. realistically made models of DaVinci, Technical history in Italy. Quite a bit actually

And climb the Milan Cathedral haha..youngsters

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Jay Janney's avatar

I wish I could get to Milan this trip, but no such luck. Logistics issues and responsibility issues. LSS, I have to be in town for the weekends, in case a crisis emerges. So I am on-call during the weekends.

Maybe next year.

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Kurt's avatar

Living in my bubble, this came as a mild surprise. Students don't understand they have to attend classes...(?) They want a day off class so they can stay in London to party...(?).

I am way out of touch...

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Jay Janney's avatar

Lol, there is a recent story saying people need to socialize more, else they get depressed. if that is so 90% of my students are the happiest people on earth!

There is some sense of entitlement here. And students are not sued to being held accountable. So in the student's mind, the excursion, while required,, is not graded so will he miss much if he skips it, if he can add a day to partying in London? I told him no.

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Kurt's avatar

I suppose that if I was 20 years old and on the loose in Europe, I’d wanna party in London too.

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CynthiaW's avatar

Didn't anyone tell them they have to come to class?

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Jay Janney's avatar

Not often enough. All the stories they hear are about the parties, none of the students talk about going to class. It hits them during the final, when they realize they cannot cram enough for an A....

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CynthiaW's avatar

That seems foolish.

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CynthiaW's avatar

Good morning, everyone. It's a happy Thor's Day!

72Fs, high of 86, might rain. It didn't rain yesterday.

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R.Rice's avatar

Good morning. We finally had thunderstorms and a bit of rain here in Central Colorado. Yesterday was intolerably hot in the afternoon but the rain will cool things off. It's a great day to wake up and find the flu symptoms from the Shingrix vaccine disappeared overnight. Just 24 hours of feeling bad isn't much to complain about.

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CynthiaW's avatar

Congratulations on your recovery!

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IncognitoG's avatar

Morning. It’s cooler here, but so muggy that paper sticks to your skin like a post-it note. Strong T-storms passed close by yesterday afternoon, but we got a quarter inch of steady rain spread out over about an hour.

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The original Optimum.net's avatar

What's paper?

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Kurt's avatar

What's a Post-It note?

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The original Optimum.net's avatar

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-it_note

And the guy never made hardy any money from it.

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Kurt's avatar

Yeah, I know that story. I was making a joke. I have Post-It notes on my desk…that I never use. They’re from a decade ago.

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The original Optimum.net's avatar

I knew you were making a joke; I just couldn't think of a reciprocal joke so I went with facts.

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CynthiaW's avatar

I use them. When we're walking the dog for the neighbor, I write DOG on a Post-It and stick it on the wall by my computer, so we don't forget.

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