Whew, that’s a tough one this morning, but I think about what’s happening in Ukraine (in particular) on a daily basis, and pray they survive and win. (I’m not nearly as intellectual as many of the other commenters here.)
It’s difficult for me to know or even understand how the Russian people see things. My guess is they’ve been raised in a country that sees itself as powerful and rightful in trying to reunite with the various countries they have lost. We surely aren’t going to let Texas or California secede, are we?
But, I’m looking at things from a place of freedom and choice. Despite the fact that I sometimes feel as though government is way too much into my life, I really do pretty much what I want. I’ve never known anything different, and neither have most of the Russian people.
The best I can come up with is the continued support of Ukraine from the U.S. and other foreign countries. We might end up being more engaged than we’d like, but in the long run, we have to think about what this means for Europe and ourselves.
Meanwhile, the question I have (and I posted it on the website, as well) is why do we, and other countries, continue to participate in things like the World Cup and the Olympics when they are hosted by countries whose contempt for human rights we condemn? I’m tired of hearing that it’s because our athletes have spent their lives dedicating themselves to these sports. This is how many individuals vs the number who are maimed and killed by the host countries just for the opportunity to show the world how great they are? Such hypocrisy is without merit as far as I can tell.
"as they define themselves today"? Who is doing the defining? Are the Russian people feeling supportive of the Ukraine war? Are they urging Putin to prosecute the war and persecute the Ukrainians? I think there is a massive disconnect between the Kremlin and Russians.
If you want to have the discussion about the Russian people not protesting and thereby being complicit, I can understand the comparison with Germany. However, I suspect there are millions of you(s) and me(s) in Russia who are opposed to what the Kremlin is doing. They may be afraid to protest and we can discuss if that is rank, irresponsible cowardice or reasonable fear. But I cannot see how we might just nuke them all to get this over and done.
I don't intend to provide a game by game summary of Carson's senior season, but
𝑬𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒏 63, 𝑭𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒍𝒊𝒏 49!
Was this a big deal? 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗘𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟬. 𝗔𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺!
It was a team effort, 4 starters all in double figures, including Carson (11 points, 3-4 from the field, 1 for 2 behind the 3 point line). Carson played a solid game, and he broke their press;.
The best part? Watching him smile at the end of the game. He was dialed in the entire game, but with about 10 seconds left, they knew they had iced it. He walked from teammate to teammate giving hugs and smiling.
They won't go undefeated this year, they'll be lucky to break .500 this season. But for tonight, they knocked off a good team, and they enjoyed it.
Did Carson play hard? He came home, took a shower, then went straight to bed (he's a night owl).
Yesterday, i spent some time on the other page following the lead discussion about death/life. I was surprised that I was able to have a rather long exchange in which the View/Reply button worked well. I was, however, still unable to collapse a thread to navigate more quickly.
It's pouring rain here this morning, so I need to leave for physical therapy even earlier than usual, but first, a rant! My husband and I have applied for Long-term Care insurance, and we had phone interviews about our health with a nurse yesterday. The nurse asked if I were employed, and I said no. Then she asked, "Is there some reason you don't work?" I replied, "I think that's a very rude question!" and explained about being a stay-at-home mother and general community benefactor. "When was the last time you worked?" the nurse asked.
Because I'm a lady, I did not say, "F*** you, lady!" and hang up, but explained that I left my employment at that insurance company in 1995.
If I had said I "worked" as a daycare provider or as a cook or house-cleaner for other families, that would be respectable. Because I do the same tasks for my own family (plus run the Spanish music program and teach environmental science and do farm work and write, all as a GIFT to others), I'm worthless.
Although I understand the sentiments, the conclusion seems to be that there is something inherently wrong with "Russians" as a class. That would suggest that eradicating them would be morally praiseworthy, although I guess they would have to get in line behind White Supremacists.
Today’s special animal friend is the Rose-ringed Parakeet, Psittacula krameria. Two subspecies are native to a narrow, east-west band across Africa, from Djibouti to Senegal. Two more subspecies are native to the Indian subcontinent, one in the north and one in the south, including Sri Lanka. Their native habitat is deciduous forest ecosystems, but they are extremely adaptable to a wide variety of disturbed, disrupted, or urban habitats.
Rose-ringed parakeets are about 16 inches high, with a wingspan about the same. They are yellow-green, and most have a pink band around the neck. Depending on the subspecies, there can also be a black band or other colors included. Males are more vibrantly colored than females. Photos at their eBird page:
Rose-ringed parakeets eat a varied vegetarian diet of buds, fruits, vegetables, nuts, berries, and seeds. They are considered an agricultural pest in many parts of their native habitat, descending in large groups on fields and orchards.
So far, we have a basic parrot here. The really cool thing about the rose-ringed parakeet is that it is super-industrially invasive all over the dang planet. Hawai’i is really, really negative about them, classing them as an Injurious Species that significantly reduces agricultural yields and threatens the survival of native species. And they poop. The incursion in Hawai’i began when a pet pair escaped in 1968.
That suit said they’re a “tiny bird,” but they are over a foot high, as we noted above. We’re not talking about hummingbirds. Rose-ringed parakeets have naturalized in German cities. I discovered them by looking up “wild animals Cologne Germany.” A species of tropical origin, they are flourishing in northern Europe, surviving cold winters and getting into garbage as well as farms and orchards.
They have not been spotted in the Americas, according to eBird. Mating season data is useless with such a wide range. They are seasonally monogamish, and females usually lay 3-4 eggs, sometimes as many as 7 in their invasive range. They nest in tree hollows. Incubation is 22 days, and the chicks are fledged in about six weeks. They have a high nesting success rate, especially in exotic habitats.
As one might expect from the information above, IUCN considers the rose-ringed parakeet a species of Least Concern. England, with a feral population of about 30,000 birds, is moderately concerned, but Hawai’i, a very fragile ecosystem, is quite concerned. Please call your local animal control agency if you see one in Hawai’i.
One would think that we would not have to ask such a rhetorical question, but the Putin-stans (I'm lookin' at you Tucker!) and their influence on a sadly substantial number of people have made it necessary.
Sigh, yeah it is awful what they are doing, just not sure how much we can fix that
Hello everyone, another brutal day at work...
I have my light up Bumble here and the walking singing Grinch too to make me smile...lol
Today's compound German words, taken from a Swiss newspaper's Ukraine coverage:
gefährliche = dangerous
Pressereise = press trip
Artilleriebeschuss= artillery fire
Whew, that’s a tough one this morning, but I think about what’s happening in Ukraine (in particular) on a daily basis, and pray they survive and win. (I’m not nearly as intellectual as many of the other commenters here.)
It’s difficult for me to know or even understand how the Russian people see things. My guess is they’ve been raised in a country that sees itself as powerful and rightful in trying to reunite with the various countries they have lost. We surely aren’t going to let Texas or California secede, are we?
But, I’m looking at things from a place of freedom and choice. Despite the fact that I sometimes feel as though government is way too much into my life, I really do pretty much what I want. I’ve never known anything different, and neither have most of the Russian people.
The best I can come up with is the continued support of Ukraine from the U.S. and other foreign countries. We might end up being more engaged than we’d like, but in the long run, we have to think about what this means for Europe and ourselves.
Meanwhile, the question I have (and I posted it on the website, as well) is why do we, and other countries, continue to participate in things like the World Cup and the Olympics when they are hosted by countries whose contempt for human rights we condemn? I’m tired of hearing that it’s because our athletes have spent their lives dedicating themselves to these sports. This is how many individuals vs the number who are maimed and killed by the host countries just for the opportunity to show the world how great they are? Such hypocrisy is without merit as far as I can tell.
"as they define themselves today"? Who is doing the defining? Are the Russian people feeling supportive of the Ukraine war? Are they urging Putin to prosecute the war and persecute the Ukrainians? I think there is a massive disconnect between the Kremlin and Russians.
If you want to have the discussion about the Russian people not protesting and thereby being complicit, I can understand the comparison with Germany. However, I suspect there are millions of you(s) and me(s) in Russia who are opposed to what the Kremlin is doing. They may be afraid to protest and we can discuss if that is rank, irresponsible cowardice or reasonable fear. But I cannot see how we might just nuke them all to get this over and done.
I don't intend to provide a game by game summary of Carson's senior season, but
𝑬𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒏 63, 𝑭𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒍𝒊𝒏 49!
Was this a big deal? 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗘𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟬. 𝗔𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺!
It was a team effort, 4 starters all in double figures, including Carson (11 points, 3-4 from the field, 1 for 2 behind the 3 point line). Carson played a solid game, and he broke their press;.
The best part? Watching him smile at the end of the game. He was dialed in the entire game, but with about 10 seconds left, they knew they had iced it. He walked from teammate to teammate giving hugs and smiling.
They won't go undefeated this year, they'll be lucky to break .500 this season. But for tonight, they knocked off a good team, and they enjoyed it.
Did Carson play hard? He came home, took a shower, then went straight to bed (he's a night owl).
Yesterday, i spent some time on the other page following the lead discussion about death/life. I was surprised that I was able to have a rather long exchange in which the View/Reply button worked well. I was, however, still unable to collapse a thread to navigate more quickly.
MG, perfectly said.
It's pouring rain here this morning, so I need to leave for physical therapy even earlier than usual, but first, a rant! My husband and I have applied for Long-term Care insurance, and we had phone interviews about our health with a nurse yesterday. The nurse asked if I were employed, and I said no. Then she asked, "Is there some reason you don't work?" I replied, "I think that's a very rude question!" and explained about being a stay-at-home mother and general community benefactor. "When was the last time you worked?" the nurse asked.
Because I'm a lady, I did not say, "F*** you, lady!" and hang up, but explained that I left my employment at that insurance company in 1995.
If I had said I "worked" as a daycare provider or as a cook or house-cleaner for other families, that would be respectable. Because I do the same tasks for my own family (plus run the Spanish music program and teach environmental science and do farm work and write, all as a GIFT to others), I'm worthless.
Although I understand the sentiments, the conclusion seems to be that there is something inherently wrong with "Russians" as a class. That would suggest that eradicating them would be morally praiseworthy, although I guess they would have to get in line behind White Supremacists.
Today’s special animal friend is the Rose-ringed Parakeet, Psittacula krameria. Two subspecies are native to a narrow, east-west band across Africa, from Djibouti to Senegal. Two more subspecies are native to the Indian subcontinent, one in the north and one in the south, including Sri Lanka. Their native habitat is deciduous forest ecosystems, but they are extremely adaptable to a wide variety of disturbed, disrupted, or urban habitats.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7p2uGuqqak
Rose-ringed parakeets are about 16 inches high, with a wingspan about the same. They are yellow-green, and most have a pink band around the neck. Depending on the subspecies, there can also be a black band or other colors included. Males are more vibrantly colored than females. Photos at their eBird page:
https://ebird.org/species/rorpar
Rose-ringed parakeets eat a varied vegetarian diet of buds, fruits, vegetables, nuts, berries, and seeds. They are considered an agricultural pest in many parts of their native habitat, descending in large groups on fields and orchards.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax4n5TAMdUA
So far, we have a basic parrot here. The really cool thing about the rose-ringed parakeet is that it is super-industrially invasive all over the dang planet. Hawai’i is really, really negative about them, classing them as an Injurious Species that significantly reduces agricultural yields and threatens the survival of native species. And they poop. The incursion in Hawai’i began when a pet pair escaped in 1968.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYjk0q3R6es
That suit said they’re a “tiny bird,” but they are over a foot high, as we noted above. We’re not talking about hummingbirds. Rose-ringed parakeets have naturalized in German cities. I discovered them by looking up “wild animals Cologne Germany.” A species of tropical origin, they are flourishing in northern Europe, surviving cold winters and getting into garbage as well as farms and orchards.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDk-nlzAE84
You can find flocks of them in London, too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLl7_LNYXO4
They have not been spotted in the Americas, according to eBird. Mating season data is useless with such a wide range. They are seasonally monogamish, and females usually lay 3-4 eggs, sometimes as many as 7 in their invasive range. They nest in tree hollows. Incubation is 22 days, and the chicks are fledged in about six weeks. They have a high nesting success rate, especially in exotic habitats.
As one might expect from the information above, IUCN considers the rose-ringed parakeet a species of Least Concern. England, with a feral population of about 30,000 birds, is moderately concerned, but Hawai’i, a very fragile ecosystem, is quite concerned. Please call your local animal control agency if you see one in Hawai’i.
One would think that we would not have to ask such a rhetorical question, but the Putin-stans (I'm lookin' at you Tucker!) and their influence on a sadly substantial number of people have made it necessary.