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CynthiaW's avatar

The weather-guessers say we may get some rain between 4 and 5. I zipped up the windows on the tent.

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IncognitoG's avatar

We’ve got active storms marching diagonally across the map to our northwest.

Good resource for lightning strikes, sometimes:

https://www.lightningmaps.org/

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LucyTrice's avatar

Wow - that serious? Enjoy it.

In our yard the grass under the trees is greener than the grass not under the trees.

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IncognitoG's avatar

Thinking I may need to resow the lawn…

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CynthiaW's avatar

And also, now they've changed their mind.

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CynthiaW's avatar

It might not happen. It was like a 40% chance.

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Brian's avatar

I know this isn’t fair to the average Russian citizen, but does anything good come out of Russia?

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Jay Janney's avatar

An empty bus?

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Wilhelm's avatar

I have two friends, former post-doc profs from the University of Moscow. They did research for years at St. Jude Children's Hospital, finding a way to detect mutations that might save lives with certain cancer medications. ("Just our small part," as Evgueni would say.) They went on to teach at Drexel, I think. Both are now retired.

Their son, a recently minted American citizen, is a fine orthopedic surgeon in the Atlanta exurbs. He spent a decade putting feet and ankles back together for folks in SW Florida. He still collaborates with his best friend Ivan in Moscow (another orthopedist and my then-teen tour guide at Lenin's Tomb) about treatments they've learned about, expanding medical knowledge in both countries.

I met a lot of nice folks on two trips to Moscow in the 1990s. Got my neck hugged by a WWII veteran who was glad that he could meet Americans, his allies in the Great Patriotic War. (I had something in my eye.)

My, how things have changed.

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Brian's avatar

Well, I should know better than to add nothing to a discussion with a snarky comment. When will Putin be eliminated from the inside? Surely there must be some hotel balconies he frequents.

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CynthiaW's avatar

Also, I understood your point to be about whether Russia as a national (or imperial) entity has brought something positive to the world, rather than about whether there were any good or great people or decent organizations in Russia.

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CynthiaW's avatar

Russians are also doing quite a lot of interesting archaeology in the former Soviet Union. It's not unusual to find Russian archaeologists in European or American universities.

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CynthiaW's avatar

Maybe he climbs a staircase ...

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CynthiaW's avatar

Many great people got out of Russia. Natan Sharansky is the first that comes to mind, just because John Podhoretz has been plugging Commentary's upcoming "roast" several days a week.

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BikerChick's avatar

My daughter and grandson are coming for an overnight today because her husband has to go to Chicago for work. The little guy is 3 months now and is coming to life. They are such sleepy noodles the first two months.

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IncognitoG's avatar

Is this the phase when they learn to sing from the diaphragm?

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Phil H's avatar

Good morning. The forecast high is “only” in the 80s, due to rain coming in the afternoon.

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IncognitoG's avatar

We’re in the climatic Post-It note zone of temperature and humidity. Any piece of paper you press against sticks to your skin.

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Wilhelm's avatar

Reminds me of elementary school in Arkansas before air conditioning. Notebook paper (and ink) stuck to your arm.

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Wilhelm's avatar

New York writers have this tendency that makes me twitch -- they presume the whole world knows every detail of every place around that city. In The Free Press this morning, a story on Jamaal Bowman's loss in a primary to someone from Westchester County. And we're all supposed to nod along knowingly. (The media could as easily be telling me about a gunman at some NYC street intersection. They're famous for that.)

But if they report on something from flyover country, we're lucky to get the state, much less the town. Granted, there isn't as much news in Ninety-Six, NC, or Soddy Daisy, TN, or Toad Suck, AR. (Doug got a 12-pointer Saturday!) But if there were, what are the chances they would tell us where it was with the granular detail saved for NYC?

Rant complete.

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LucyTrice's avatar

Soddy Daisy by Tony Trischka, from his Banjoland album:

https://youtu.be/GB_WyBc8Ous

Thanks for mentioning it - I'd forgotten how catchy it was.

EDT: I didn't know it was actually a place.

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CynthiaW's avatar

You're right, that was catchy.

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Wilhelm's avatar

Very Nice! Thank YOU for sharing. :)

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Brian's avatar

There were big happenings in Dime Box and Cut ‘n Shoot, both within two hours of me in Texas.

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Wilhelm's avatar

Are either of those near Mule Shoe? I had an old friend from there. CIA pilot, Vietnam.

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Brian's avatar

It’s across the state…I just mapped it and it’s 585 miles from Houston. You’d have to pack a lunch.

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CynthiaW's avatar

12 hours, assuming no major traffic issues.

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Jay Janney's avatar

I did read last night that Lauren Bobert successfully carpetbagged herself a new congressional seat in Colorado. She moved from a district in the west slopes of the Rockies to one in the East slopes. The new district is more conservative and the Cook report indicates it leans right.

And I read that a republican who in Colorado who was nicknamed the "westboro baptist" candidate got trounced. Apparently Republicans can pounce on their own when need be...

As far as Jamaal Bowman, Ed.D. goes, well he's gone. Voters showed him the door, which makes sense because last year he had trouble finding the correct door to use for his job. But I am sure Planet Fitness can hire him as a coach and trainer, since he has a terminal degree in education.

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CynthiaW's avatar

Jamaal Bowman is a foul human being. I hope he's never heard from again.

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IncognitoG's avatar

Cosmopolitan parochialism is not a contradiction in terms.

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Wilhelm's avatar

My new tattoo!

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CynthiaW's avatar

Good morning, everyone. It's humid here, makes my glasses fog up.

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IncognitoG's avatar

Morning!

IIRC, according to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the Peril-Sensitive Sunglasses were a failed product line of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation (motto: “Share and Enjoy!”). In order to shield the user from too much panic-inducing excitement, in times of emergency the glasses would go completely black. Unfortunately, due to the number of fatalities to users, the product was withdrawn from the market and the remnants of the company litigated out of existence.

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The original Optimum.net's avatar

There's a metaphor in there somewhere...

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Phil H's avatar

You don’t have to search hard to find the metaphors in “HItchhiker”.

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CynthiaW's avatar

I think some drivers in this area bought some remnant stock at Big Lots.

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Brian's avatar

I’ve always found the name Big Lots funny. Not sure why.

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Wilhelm's avatar

With the advent of AI and smallish military drones, can't the CIA just create a mechanical pigeon-looking thing to fly above Putin in public appearances and routinely splatter him with "bird dung" only nastier? JFK's CIA would have done it. Or tried.

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The original Optimum.net's avatar

Tucker Carlson could not be reached for comment.

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IncognitoG's avatar

Increasingly, it appears he also cannot thrive outside Fox. Just like all the others.

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BikerChick's avatar

Megyn is killing it.

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IncognitoG's avatar

Yes, but she’s the exception that proves the rule. And if that’s not a silly expression…

Anyway, she was always really good at the anchoring role and remaining curious. Plus, easy on the eyes and ears.

Carlson, Beck, O’Reilly…none had that sort of appeal that viewers would look for actively. They had big audience shares by virtue of Fox fans having their DVRs parked on the channel 24/7.

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CynthiaW's avatar

Good. He should go away with his money and leave normal people alone.

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Wilhelm's avatar

He gave up his signature bowtie. What would he be without a signature scowl?

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The original Optimum.net's avatar

But he hasn't give up his Swanson Frozen Dinners...

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Wilhelm's avatar

I ... I don't know what that means.

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The original Optimum.net's avatar

He is an heir to the Swanson fortune.

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The original Optimum.net's avatar

Only a matter of time before he brings his talents to RT.

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IncognitoG's avatar

I hear the Info Wars domain should be coming available soon.

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