Weekend Open Comments

Slowly suiting up / packing up to head west for more new HEROs.

Yall enJOY!

GJT

77355 reporting rain.

bsue54

77306 ditto

GJT

You know, I understand in rural areas zip codes and city addresses get discombobulated but it has always felt odd to me we are in the same zip code and city address as we were when we lived in Magnolia though we are actually in the next county over. I never have thought to look it up till just now, we are just two blocks south and east of the very NW tip of 77355.

I feel better now.

GJT

We are part of y’all but not really part of y’all.

GJT

I mentioned before my wife just recently found through DNA search she had a new family. Her biological dad, passed on, was a whoredog and sperm donor. Wife is one of ten, she was a one off. This morning she gets to meet another half brother, he is a one off as well, he lives in Colorado and is in town and wants to meet her. Except for one half sister who is not interested, neither is my wife for that matter, she has meet and gotten to know all of them over the phone or in person. She has one brother out of Indiana that she hasn’t met in person yet but they call each other all the time.
That’s all hard to follow I know, believe me that is the CliffsNotes version.

Dateline TOK. Got up late this morning so having late coffee. Another bright sunny day out here, so probably more gardening prep in order. I know that polar vortex is gearing up waiting for me to open everything up, but I’m trying not to fall for it. You all have a great day now.

Good morning, all. Or rather, Salvete, omnes!

I’ve been able to avoid starting my day with pills lately but not this morning. I forgot I wasn’t supposed to bend over and do things yesterday, so I stressed the back out. Multiple audibles of various decibel levels have been emitted, and the muscle relaxant is down.

For some reason, I’ve been fascinated with apiary videos lately. Here’s a new twist: beekeeping in plastic bottles.

Coffee is in hand and hips are on the couch, so here goes…

mharper42

Raining in 77091 near-northwest Houston. I’d been thinking I might finally get those oak leaves raked up. No way, now.

Morning, chickadees.

https://www.projectveritas.com/donate/

TRIPLE PLAY ☙ Saturday, January 28, 2023 ☙ C&C NEWS

Good morning C&C, and welcome to the Weekend Edition! Today’s roundup focuses on three parallel stories that all broke right around the same time yesterday: Pfizer finally spoke, releasing a statement about the Jordon Walker disclosures; the Memphis police dropped a set of ugly body cam videos trigger Antifa protests all over the U.S.; and San Francisco’s district attorney released the Paul Pelosi body cam video and 911 audio. All around the same time. Weird.

First up, Project Veritas noticed the multiplier activity from yesterday, and Childers got a thank you call from James O’Keefe. Multiplying continues, if you wish to participate.

If for whatever reason you didn’t get a chance yesterday, join the Army right now, and kick in however much or little you can afford at the link below. Just make sure it ends in a ’2’ (e.g., $2, $12, $22.22, $122, etc.).

Now, on to the news:

Three stories broke within a few minutes or hours of each other late yesterday, all seemingly random and unconnected: Pfizer issued a press release responding to the Project Veritas videos, the Paul Pelosi video and audio dropped, and Memphis released a policy brutality video triggering well-organized George-Floyd-style protests all across the United States.

Apparently all that breaking news was totally unconnected. Curiously, none of the three blockbuster stories was based on anything that HAPPENED yesterday afternoon — all three stories were generated by information deliberately RELEASED yesterday afternoon.

Also yesterday, Youtube removed Project Veritas’ undercover Pfizer video, right as it approached a million views. Of course.

I also found it curious that three major releases happened simultaneously. It’s like there’s not enough SQUIRREL! to keep people interested. And PV’s videos are available through their site if you missed those blockbuster expose videos. I haven’t checked Rumble yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it lives on there.

On to Pfizer – Childers mentioned that Tucker Carlson had reported that Pfizer refused to answer his phone calls, and that Pfizer had been completely silent. Childers came to the conclusion that Mr. Walker did indeed work at Pfizer, given Pfizer’s response, or lack thereof. It was obviously a defensive tactic.

Pfizer’s late-released press statement yesterday was short, plainly-written, and to the point. It completely ignored Walker, and most of what he said — except for the single most explosive claim: whether Pfizer is engaged in gain-of-function research. And maybe I’m reading it wrong, but the statement does NOT actually deny the things that Jordon said about “directed evolution” in the PV videos.

In fact, Pfizer’s statement is pretty much an admission, if you read it carefully.

Before we look at my marked-up version of Pfizer’s statement, here’s what Jordon Walker told Project Veritas’s actor:

One of the things we’re exploring is like, why don’t we just mutate it ourselves so we could create – preemptively develop new vaccines, right? So, we have to do that. If we’re gonna do that though, there’s a risk of like, as you could imagine – no one wants to be having a pharma company mutating f**king viruses.

Gee, ya’ think?

(BTW, this guy using plastic kegs for his beekeeping has a lot of good points. Interesting. His technique is fascinating.)

Now, here’s Pfizer’s precisely-worded statement issued late yesterday, with my (Childers’) notations and highlights:

It SOUNDS like a denial, but it only denies gain-of-function research on the CURRENTLY-USED vaccine. They are specifically NOT denying GoF on any other vaccine …

2️⃣ Pfizer’s lawyers snuck the real admission in the second paragraph. In two difficult-to-read sentences that also sound a lot like denials, Pfizer actually admitted it is tinkering with dangerous viruses….

(The phrase “such virus” proves lawyers wrote this, if you’d doubted me. A dead giveaway.)

/snip (but it’s good legal clarification)

The first sentence starts with the meaningless limiting phrase, “In a limited number of cases.” That’s lawyer-speak for “sometimes.” Considering there are trillions of viruses, this language of limitation means nothing. “Limited” is not the same as “small” or “few.” This phrasing is an intentionally misleading rhetorical decoration, meant to trick you into believing it rarely happens.

If they’d really meant “small,” they would have used the actual number, like: “Only four times since Pfizer was founded….” But they didn’t. So we can assume this happens a lot more than they want to admit.

Next, they admitted that if a “full virus does not contain any known gain of function mutations” then “such virus may be engineered[.]” And there you have it. I don’t know how you can say it any more plainly than that.

The rest of the sentence is to lull you into thinking that this GoF research was a one-off deal, according to C.

The suggestion that there’s only ONE time when Pfizer does GoF research was immediately disproved in the very next sentence when Pfizer used the phrase, “In addition…”, showing the preceding example was part of a LIST….

Childers points out the lawyerly trick of using this type of language is used to trick the mind into thinking “only this xxx times” and no more, but wait!….

By including this sentence in the Paxlovid paragraph, you’re supposed to conclude that this research is ALSO limited to Paxlovid. …the statement never actually says that. If you started this line in a new paragraph, it would be a separate logical thought. The sentence’s inclusion in the Paxlovid paragraph makes it ambiguously misleading.

/snip – discussion of BSL3 labs, etc.

In other words, they’re trying to make drug-resistant viral strains. I don’t have to tell you that should be illegal….

THE FOLLOWING IS IMPORTANT – EMPHASIS MINE:

the Biowarfare treaty — which governs “directed evolution” of microbes — has a lot of holes.…

We have entered an age where it’s not just large states in control of weapons of mass destruction. Now, CORPORATIONS build and control weapons of mass destruction.

It’s the democratization of doomsday.

Combine Big Tech with Big Pharma, and what do you have? /shudder

Childers ends with this:

My feeling is, Pfizer should be treated like a rogue state that has been caught developing WMD, or a rabid squirrel. Put it down. After a fair trial, of course.

I agree. In the past, I’ve defended Big Pharma because we needed anti-cancer drugs and other life saving medications, and some of those are so expensive to develop that a large, well funded entity was needed to do those functions. But now, the power has corrupted it just like our federal government has been corrupted.

IMO, the natural inclination of human nature is towards social entropy. Thanks, Adam and Eve.

Texpat

I have met women in my life who were already doing post-doctoral work in this field.

Westminster College students can learn about “How to be a Bitch” this summer thanks to a gender studies course.

The course is just one of a handful of race and sex focused courses offered by the Utah college.

The class will address questions such as “What does the media teach us about women (or gender) and leadership, aggression and behavior?” and “Why are words like ‘bitch’ and ‘bossy’ so interesting yet problematic?”

Here’s the WIP https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2023/01/the-week-in-pictures-egghead-inflation-edition.php

TP =- I even married a couple of them

More C&C:

Childers opines on the fact that the video release of the Memphis cop beating was released only last night. Why?

He also reports that the much feared Antifa response was not as strong as anticipated. I turned off all news last night because it was all “The cities will burn!” coverage. I find out that folks are actually telling the Antifa thugs off.

Good for that dude. How many like him were there? I hope many. The best way to reduce A-fa’s influence is to ridicule or ignore them. As much as possible. Then find someone in the DOJ who’ll treat them as the terrorists they are. And find their links to the politicians who support them, and jail those folks as well.

I think the lack of passion is because the justice system is already grinding on the officers involved, since they’ve been fired, arrested, and charged with murder. What will protesting do now? Except virtue signal and try to fire up the lib voting base.

Childers notes this:

They’ve had them for weeks, but the violent body cam videos were released last night at 6pm, right around the same time as Pfizer issued its press release.

SQUIRREL!

There’s the same discussion for the Paul Pelosi videos.

Glenn Beck asked a terrific question: why wasn’t this video released before yesterday? Overall it helps the official narrative. Is it possible these salacious Pelosi materials were being saved up for later, to create or distract a future news cycle when needed?

Whatever the truth is, between the Tyre Nichols bodycam-generated “protests,” and the Paul Pelosi hammer-time blockbuster video, Pfizer sure is benefiting from a lot of distractions.

Let’s keep our eyes on the ball.

So much SQUIRREL!, so little time…

I’m watching one of my favorite priests being interviewed: Fr. Chad Ripperger

He is a philosopher, priest, and exorcist. I love listening to his lectures, the man is so incredibly intelligent and faith-filled.

I watched him last night – a chopped video on a discussion of authority and power. If I remember, I’m going to see if I can find the whole lecture, but I think I’m going to put up the one I saw last night as a post. He has some interesting observations on current events and people, and relates the concepts (and misuse of terms) of authority and power.

WIP:

So much good stuff, but the Larry Elder tweet is priceless.

Abram Tanks made me LOL.

Harry’s bitter.

Grim Reaper at the game machine.

Chuck Norris memes never fail.

Geeky Spock powem. I got it. LOL

R2D2. More LOL

Texpat

Late Friday, and especially Friday night, has been the timing of choice for the release by any governmental or private organization of self-incriminating bad news. It’s been that way since the 1960s when television became the dominant media in America. Bad news press releases to newspapers over the weekend preceded the practice.

Washington DC and NYC empty out in August and everyone presumes nothing of note is happening. Congress, their staffers and media think nothing can happen if they aren’t there, but this is often the time the Deep State and the Executive Branch get up to their worst tricks because nobody is watching.

Texpat – yep the “Friday night dump” is a time honored (sic) tradition in DC.

But to have 3 major dumped on the same weekend, especially when they are such big stories and the stories have been held for such a time as this (distracting from Pfizer).

Dr phil Good-E=1984

yo unck

unck yo

Dr phil Good-E=1984

yo bruddah squawk

bruddah squawk yo

Dr phil Good-E=1984

yo texpat

texpat yo

mb says “come back to me.”

Dr phil Good-E=1984

yo all the rest of you fellow hosers

all the rest of you fellow hosers yo.

Texpat

20 Dr. Phil Good

She’s lying. Monica has been in Manhattan all week and never once called me.

squawkbox

Brother Phil

Good stuff right there.

Here get this out of your thought processes.

Shannon

HEB must’ve smuggled in some more hens.

Dozen Grade A Large Eggs – All you can haul for $3.02.

Texpat

I’d really like to know if the morons who pushed “environmental diversity” on Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta ever asked Texanadian or any other Canadians if they thought this was a good idea ?

According to Dr. Ryan Brook, who leads the University of Saskatchewan’s Canadian Wild Pig Research Project, Canada’s wild pig problem is relatively new. “The U.S. has a 400-plus year history with invasive wild pigs, but we didn’t have any here until the early 1980s,” he says. “There was a big push to diversify agriculture with species like wild boards and ostriches. Wild boars were brought in from Europe to be raised on farms across Canada.”

Most of those pigs were kept on meat farms, but some were used on high-fence hunting preserves. Many farmers and ranchers soon crossbred the wild boars with domestic pigs. According to Brook, the hybridization resulted in bigger “super pigs” that could survive in cold climates. “For surviving in cold winters, one of the rules of ecology is: the bigger the better,” he says. “Larger body animals survive the cold better and have better reproduction in those conditions.”

In the early 2000s, the market for farmed boars dropped out in Canada. Some escaped from their enclosures and others were let free without anyone to sell them to. In less than 20 years, the wild—or feral—population exploded, in part due to the species’ extraordinarily high reproductive rate. Wild boars now roam approximately 620,000 square miles in Canada, primarily in the Prairie Provinces of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta.

Another infuriating angle to this subject is the overpaid bureaucrats & academics who come up with these idiotic ideas live out their lives drawing nice pensions and die leaving the horrible after effects of their actions to be confronted by later generations.

Texpat

The response to the Project Veritas expose of the Pfizer executive having a crybully, childish breakdown is truly pathetic. The garbage language by crisis intervention lawyers is most ridiculous, and culpable, for its omissions. They don’t mention the employee, his mentally unbalanced tirade, Project Veritas or James O’Keefe.

Move on…there’s nothing to see here. Our former employee and O’Keefe are so insignificant mere mention of their names is irrelevant.

Shannon

When a Canadian wild pig is laying there, freezing his ass off in -39°F weather, can’t you just walk up to him and hit him in the head with a baseball bat?

Texpat

Full video of the next kid to take a gun to school and attempt a massacre.

Dave Huber at The College Fix wrote: Parents, Don’t Let Your Kids Grow Up to Be Crybullies

Earlier this week a video made the rounds on Twitter which shows an alleged 10-year-old crybully harassing the hell out of a man who allegedly was trying to call the kid’s mother about his behavior.

The crybully begins by standing in the gent’s way (reportedly the park manager) in a “let’s fight” manner in what seems to be an attempt to thwart the man’s call. When the man is finished the call, the little punk begins pushing the manager in an effort to halt his forward progress.

When that doesn’t work, the punk resorts to physical violence — punching the man in his side. The man eventually reacts — by grabbing the kid by the neck and tossing him to the ground.

and unsurprisingly,

Police eventually arrived and asked the manager if he wanted to press charges. He declined.

Here’s why this little hellion is the way he is: His mother reportedly arrived to “apologize” for her son’s behavior, but later took to social media with a truncated video clip of only the park manager tossing her son to the ground. She also included the manager’s name and address.

Dr phil Good-E=1984

Heh Bruddah squawk.

bet super Dave will like that one.
Maybe as much as he does this one.

Dr phil Good-E=1984

The response to the Project Veritas expose of the Pfizer executive having a crybully, childish breakdown is truly pathetic. The garbage language by crisis intervention lawyers is most ridiculous, and culpable, for its omissions. They don’t mention the employee, his mentally unbalanced tirade, Project Veritas or James O’Keefe.

totalitariancrat corruption is always good corruption so says morning joe potato head and his pet mako Mika.

Shannon

Always, always, work in adult pairs around children.

Its always good to have another adult around to keep you from going after that kid with a baseball bat.

Texpat

Video of that kid was infuriating to watch. Was he actually giggling as he tried to punch the man?

His parents should be arrested or at the least be forced to take parenting classes for raising such a crappy kid.

But then, it sounds like the mother needs adulting lessons herself.

Dr phil Good-E=1984

I should modify my slogan and say joined@thehipparty corruption is always good corruption because there’s plenty of Kentucky Swamp Turtles and goopeecon creatures of the night that are owned by the Pfizer photon torpedoes gang.

Dr phil Good-E=1984

Rnc keeps Mcloser Inc intact.

ronna mcDelecto.
mcKentuckyswampturtle
mcluntzarthy.

Texpat

27 Shannon

It’s the 21st century now.

Always, always, work in adult ~~pairs~~ threes around children.

Yourself, one other adult to physically restrain you and a third to video everything for exculpatory evidence in case you wind up in court.

Texpat

Week in Pictures

One of my favorites is the music concert box office ticket scene. Repetitive 3-chord music written in less than 10 minutes….on a computer…Indeed, indeed.

Nietzsche on Denny’s and Waffle House was great.

Mining for coal, etc.

I liked Wilma and Betty a lot more before modern plastic surgeons got a hold of them.

Super Dave

Checking in a little late, I got up early and went out chasing Bambi and it was cold, 29! I didn’t bag anything but I did see a couple of does and a yearling before day and I hoped that they’d come back after daylight but they didn’t. Well, the little yearling did sneak out again about 6:30 and entertained me for a good 25 minutes before he went back in the woods. For a while he was grazing on the oats about 80 yards away and then walked up the trail to my left, turned and headed right for my stand. When he was about 25 feet away I snapped a picture with my flip phone and he saw me for the first time. He trotted away, flag up but stopped when he got to the oak patch and just looked back at me. He’s too young to be cautious enough but that’ll change pretty quick. I also heard a big flock of Canadian Geese fly overhead just before daylight but I could see them without sticking my head out of the blind and spooking any smarter deer than the little guy. After I came in, had some coffee and warmed up, I went back out and walked the whole place for about 2 hours so I had a fine day and yes my huntin’ was successful in my book. 😉

I forgot to say; “Mornin’ Gang so I’ll say Good afternoon everyone.

Super Dave

Oh and here is the cute little guy that kept me company this morning.

Super Dave

bet super Dave will like that one.

Well, NO! 😉

Super Dave

#30 Dr phil Good

Yup, earlier I was going to say to the crowd that if you or any other real conservative think you have ANY say so on the RNC, the reelection of that useless Ronna McDaniel should ‘Splain it to you. The Swamp/Deep State is not going away. ~SIGH~

Super Dave

Late yesterday, the wife went down to put her chickens up and snapped a pretty nice sunset behind the Farm House.

I worked in a brief nap this afternoon. Since I’ve got my back yard all lit up with smart lights now I usually leave them on until bedtime just to keep an eye on the goings on out there. An Axis doe came casually strolling across the yard by herself, which I thought was odd, but quickly her little new fawn came in to view and caught up with her. Unlike the white tails, they don’t have a season, to they are dropping new ones all year long. When you see an Axis doe by herself, that usually means she has a newborn stashed somewhere near by. They will go catch up with the herd when the new guy gets a little older,.

The possums, coons, foxes, cats, and whatever else had a feast last night. I made my cabbage soup, and the grocery store had some left over chicken parts, mainly wings and whatever, in a package for $.59 per pound which I thought was just perfect to cook up in the instapot for the soup. So the critters got the leftovers of a nice pile of chicken bones, knuckles, loose skin, and such. I put the broth in the soup as well, but the plate was licked clean this morning. That old cookie sheet was as shiny as a new one when they were done with it.

Adee

Good overcast, rainy at times, dismal afternoon, Hamsters. I think there is thunder in the distance, or somebody in the neighborhood is dropping something heavy that sounds like thunder. So far we’ve gotten 0.31″ since midnight and have made it to a misty/moisty 68 with intermittent breezes. Weather folks foresee that tomorrow will be the messy day so if there is outside stuff to do, get at it today.

Neighborhood entertainment, if you can call installing a new septic system is entertaining (which it is if you aren’t the one doing it) has been going on since yesterday at the house across the road. It is the home of our dear lady neighbor who is now in assisted living. Her daughter and husband moved in after some cleaning out and renovating; the house is 43 years old and in very good but dated condition. Our small multiacre-lot subdivision dates from 1975, and each home has its own well and septic systems.

The currently fashionable hoo-rah over home heating and cooling energy sources that limps along after the furious hoo-rah about automobile energy sources (etcetera, etcetera, etcetera) boggles the mind. A lot of tempests in a pot of tea for the most part because nothing the dreamers dream of is attainable now and won’t be very practical any time soon. To them that appears to be merely details, details, details. Kinda like “We want it now. To hell with the details.”

In our little subdivision’s case, electricity is the practical energy source. There is natural gas under us in the form of a 2-foot diameter pipeline some 40 years old that goes on for miles toward Houston. That is unreachable of course for tapping into, being some 3 feet down in the dirt. Unfortunately, some of the neighbors do not know it is there, though surely it would have to be disclosed when selling a property anywhere near it. Looking at a copy of the pipeline’s path through our subdivision, we were horrified to discover that the corner of one home’s slab is right over the pipeline! There are small warning signs of its path that are visible from the roads with contact phone numbers and what a leak would look/sound like: a hissing noise or patches of dead vegetation in the midst of healthy green vegetation. And get outta there fast.

.

Texpat

El Gordo

All those audio/video gadgets, lights and surveillance devices around your place I bet you can’t hiccup without it being reported to the NSA, but you don’t have a couple of motion sensitive infrared wildlife cameras outside.

I don’t understand.

Texpat

Super Dave

I have no more words left to describe the insanity of New Jersey government other than to say thank God it’s not New York or California.

This is an article from 3 years ago and now it is worse.

The white-tailed deer population in New Jersey now dramatically exceeds what wildlife biologists, ecologists, and environmental professionals classify as a sustainable population per square mile.

A sustainable and healthy deer density, according to wildlife biologists, is 5 to 15 individuals per square mile. A recent infrared deer population survey conducted by environmental services firm Steward Green involved eight sites throughout New Jersey. The survey concluded that New Jersey averages 112 deer per square mile. In some counties, the deer population is as high as 270 individuals per square mile.

A recent article on NorthJersey.com about the deer overpopulation problem in New Jersey outlines many of the critical challenges we are facing, as well as proposed solutions to this problem. The concerns were previously highlighted in a New Jersey 101.5 article about proposed legislative measures to combat the issue. And this problem is nothing new — a Washington Post story from 1991 about deer overpopulation in Princeton, New Jersey describes the danger of car collisions as well as public concerns about Lyme disease. A New York Times article from 2008 describes controlled hunting activities that took place in Essex County in an effort to manage out-of-control deer populations.

Getting some real blowback from my unintended efforts yesterday. Ice isn’t helping much, at least not at this moment. It may help me later.

I think I’m going to ask Hubby to bring dinner home. After cleaning up the kitchen, I really don’t want to be on my feet any more than I have to.

This getting old sucks.

Super Dave

Texpat; 270 deer per square mile?! That’s hard to believe, have they overran your place? They like the burbs because of the nice flower beds and such. Oh and I hope I have the time to click the link.

Super Dave

By the way, if you click on my #32 that while stuff is frost, we had a pretty heavy frost this morning.

Super Dave

One of my favorite cousins, Ronnie turned 80 today. He was the Valedictorian of our high school in 1961, went to Auburn and got his EE then he went to work with IBM at Marshall to work on the Apollo program. After the Apollo program spooled down, IBM sent him Maryland (DC) and then to NC where he retired.

TexMo

#38 Tedtam

Hang in there. Unfortunately I too am having a not so great day. Hopefully today is a bad fluke and tomorrow I can resume that slow path to full recovery.

TexMo

I had never heard the term “crybully”. Something like that video would have never occurred when I was that age. You just didn’t even think of mouthing off to an adult that way much less touching or hitting an adult.

I really can’t believe the boy’s mother doxxed the guy. Both the boy and mother need some serious help.

Texpat – My camera and recording system cover the entrances to the house and surrounding area, and they do have infrared night vision. But they are wired systems and they require electrical as well as video cabling. Fortunately that comes in one cable with 2 separate connectors at each end. I have a water trough out back behind the fence that gets more active the dryer it gets, but I don’t actively feed corn or anything back there. My small animal feeder is just a bowl on the back patio, and I can see all the action from the comfort of my chair until bedtime. If I had a feeder set up out back I could put a game camera nearby, but they require batteries and maintenance, and I’m fundamentally pretty lazy. Some of the stuff that actually goes on in my back yard is picked up by my video cameras, but I normally do not go looking at the monitor. If I was good at getting on a ladder, or if I could dig a trench that was not through solid rock, I could run some wiring out back for some of that stuff, but as it stands, I’m currently on the inside looking out and not the other way around.

TexMo

It sounds like Super Dave needs to spend a few weeks in NJ with no limit on white tail deer. All the meat can be donated to shelters that help the homeless.

For anyone who might be interested, I have stumbled across some thing called Ninja Nerd Lectures. These lectures are pretty high level, detailed stuff medically related, generally covering how things work, how to interpret test findings, how to diagnose whats wrong, what the symptoms are telling you, and generally speaking the why’s and wherefore’s of choosing one treatment over another. I’ve only watched a couple them, related to things that affect me, and I’ve found them to be very informative and presented in an understandable manner. Anyway, I’ll just throw one up here, I think it’s about how to read an EKG, and I’ll go watch it at the same time the rest of you do. The lecture on arrhythmia that I did watch was outstanding, and I’ll refer back to that again later as that is something that I take meds for. Anyway, they are lengthy and detailed, but if you are the curious type and want good information, I highly recommend this guy, the Ninja Nerd. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNN30YHsJw0

Over yonder are posts of nest cams for a pair of nesting bald eagles. A couple of ravens threatened the nest today.

Fortunately, hubby showed up in time to scare them off. Wifey took off for a much needed break. Hubby sat on the eggs until she returned with what has been described as a “complicated” branch, probably an attempt to increase the safety of the nest. She dropped it as it was too difficult to arrange on the nest, and that didn’t make her feel any better. She returned to her egg sitting while hubby left for a bit, still a bit nervous and a little ticked off.

He returned after a while. With dinner. He gave her a whole catfish just for himself.

Reminds me of my hubby.

mharper42

I was informed last Fall that I owned mineral rights in Fisher County, Texas. Apparently the mineral is oil, and there is soon to be a drilling bonanza in that podunk part of central Texas. I didn’t even know about it, but my parents had deeded their holdings to their grown children back in the 80’s. I was first contacted in October with an offer to buy my mineral rights in 3 tracts there. I didn’t sign up because I was ignorant of the entire subject. This month, I have received an offer to lease my rights for 3 years in a different tract. I am slowly coming to the realization that I need to get educated on this topic. It looks like I can locate my hither-to-unknown holdings online. At my age, I believe the proper thing to do is sell off all of it, as my only heir lives in Oklahoma and I predict he wouldn’t be any more interested in owning mineral rights in Texas than I am. An outright sale would result in $ in the bank, a much easier inheritance.

Has anyone on Das Couch dealt with mineral rights? If so, any advice for me?

Eldest Sis might be able to help you out. I’ll ask. She just retired (a rather protracted retirement, I may add) from a family business who did a lot of that, and she was right up there in land titles and such.

Do I have your permission to share contact info with her, if she’s willing?

bsue54

We’re having a late dinner – Chicken Rice-A-Roni casserole – for which I use canned chicken for sake of ease… A recipe that I stumbled across while Squawk’s Mama was in the hospital long before she passed, and fell in love with… I was so excited to make it again when she got home and she was like, “It’s OK – and it’s edible…” Funny how memories come flooding back at the strangest prompting… I’ve found a recipe to make my own rice-a-roni but got a late start tonight and used the original San Francisco Treat from a box… I shared a link to the recipe “over there” if anyone gets curious

Dr phil Good-E=1984

McLoser Inc won’t get one mcRed mcCent from mcMe.

Texpat

On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee unanimously voted to support a new plan simplifying future COVID-19 vaccines, making them similar to annual flu shots.

At the meeting, the advisory panel said that a single annual vaccine would be less confusing and more effective to health care workers and patients alike.

In a 21 to 0 vote, the panel voted to direct Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech, and Novavax to “harmonize” the first doses (or primary vaccination series) with the new bivalent booster shots that protect against the original strain of the virus and the newer Omicron variant.

Big Pharma is now trying to turn the COVID fake vaccines into regular annual injections like DPT, polio, measles, etc. It’s like all the other stuff, you know, so don’t worry about it. It’s going to be required by all public schools in America. Not a problem…not a joke, says Joe.

Texpat

48 mharper42

Don’t make a quick decision at the moment and don’t sell anything yet.

I would like to have my ex-wife who is still a good friend run down the details on your mineral rights if you are willing. She’s a pretty good landman and has been working that area a long time.

If it looks like a hot play, you might be very wise to keep those rights.

I’ll email you tomorrow.

I’m so glad I don’t have little kids that I have to try to get through this maze of dangerous bureaucracy any more.

I’d be homeschooling by now.

And just a reminder, remembering past conversations here about family drama…

If those mineral rights are worth something and you hold onto them, make sure to put into writing who gets them when the inevitable happens.

Adee

#38 Tedtam

Ouch tripled. How easy it is to forget caution as injuries heal enough to not be the center of your attention all day long. And then something happens to very quickly remind you not to do this or that thing that sets off misery again.

It is so nice to turn over in bed without hurting. The PT nurse gave me 4 exercises for the sciatic nerve disturbance that are working well so far. Just need to remember not to over-do them at any one session.

Texpat

43 TexMo

I really can’t believe the boy’s mother doxxed the guy. Both the boy and mother need some serious help.

All the talk about “Red Flag Laws” is so much bulls**t. They all end up ex post facto.

People want flag laws ? This kid is the type that should be flagged now because his current outrageous behavior is a hot siren warning for future violent actions.

Adee

#48 mharper42

Texpat 7:41 gives very good advice to do nothing until you have appropriate counsel to help you understand what all is involved in this matter.

We bought our lot the house is on with the mineral rights offered as part of the land purchase. In 42 years here we have had several contacts about leasing the mineral rights to oil and gas companies to explore what’s under our dirt. We consulted an attorney on the matter, as we had no idea what to do.

Texpat

39 Super Dave

The deer here are pretty much out of control. Bergen County, NJ, where I live, is overrun with deer. The county is one giant suburb of NYC with a population of 953,000+ not counting illegal aliens which I am sure drives it way over 1,000,000. Most of my friends can’t plant any flowers or vegetables unless they’re behind tall fences.

MH – don’t do anything without advice of counsel, not your neighbor’s cousin, but a lawyer schooled in the field.

In other news, it may rain a little bit tonight, but most likely will not. Then back to cooler tomorrow night. Planted a few more seeds today and got my heat lamp properly situated in the greenhouse. Bring on the polar vortex – I’m ready now. Polar vortex doesn’t sound scary enough any more, so I guess they will have to come up with another name for it next time it gets ready for a winter storm.

mharper42

Tedtam, let me see what I hear from Texpat regarding the mineral rights. I am not in a hurry to do anything.

mharper42

#53 Tedtam

Son Jason in Oklahoma is my only heir, although I am planning to leave my house to someone else.

TexMo

MHarper

I do not have personal experience with mineral rights, but I’ve listened to friends and colleagues through the years. Definitely seek out someone with experience in this field before you make any decisions.

That first offer to purchase your mineral rights is most likely a low ball offer.

I once invested in some wells in Oklahoma and I lost my shirt on that deal. I received a check for a couple of months in the $500 range and then they started dwindling. I did see some nice tax savings because there are a ton of write offs during the first year a well produces. Between the income and the tax savings, I only earned back less than a third of my original investment. That really hurt.

My net worth has really been burned by my self employment ventures as well as investing in things like producing oil wells. I’ve had much better luck with mutual funds in the stock market.

TexMo

#59

although I am planning to leave my house to someone else.

Please tell me it’s not the cats. 🙂

Mharper – I just got off the phone with Eldest Sis.

NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO DON’T SELL!

She said she’s more than happy to answer what questions she can, but when I told her your situation, she was very adamant that for now, keeping those rights are important.

This is perzackly the kind of work she did for years. She has info.

May I give her your contact information?

GJT

Nobody lets their mineral rights go anymore, but if there were not anyone to leave it to besides The Couch, well…..

GJT

These drapes are getting a bit ragged.

mharper42

TexMo, I am planning to outlive my cats. All of them. My son is not interested in a house in Texas. He will be getting all the goodies that I have a financial company taking care of. I want to leave my house to a friend who is very active in dog rescues. She will not want to live in the house — bigger than she needs and in an area where you can’t raise chickens — but would find good use for the green backs from selling it.

mharper42

#62

TT, I am not going to suddenly up and sell those mineral rights, but I am also not ready to talk to your sister.

mh – talk to an estate planning lawyer. You should be able to get your son as a beneficiary on your financial instruments and even transfer your house to the beneficiary while retaining a life estate to guarantee that everything is done to your liking. And the mineral rights evaluated and handled properly as well to avoid even probate. It’s not as difficult as it sounds, and after going through the probate process with BFF’s estate the attorneys wound up with the bulk of the estate proceeds. A little planning on the front end can save a lot of time and money on the back side. That goes for the rest of you old timers too. Get your stuff together and get it sorted out way ahead of time. Let other people know what your plans are and where the paperwork can be located. Mine is posted on the refrigerator door.

Super Dave

#45 TexMo, I’ll volunteer, just need room and board. 😉

I’m guessing that where most of the deer are located it would be illegal to hunt even with a license. The state should get with the Game Wardens and come up with a plan. Use bows and/or shotguns so the range would be limited. You wouldn’t want to fire off a 30 06 in a suburb.

MHarper – Okay, just know that she’s ready to answer any questions you may have whenever you’re ready.

She says it’s hard to find these rights nowadays. Selling them could be a big mistake, but then, everybody’s situation is different.

Taking your time is certainly won’t hurt.

This discussion reminded me that I think Hubby inherited some kind of mineral lease when MIL died. Eldest Sis said she’d help me figure out that one, too.

I’m so glad I figured out how to fix a January 6 2022 problem without unreconciling the whole dang year.

Inner happy dance right now.

Adee

Weather folk keep mentioning hail tomorrow, but so far no more details/guesses are available regarding when and where they are likely to be. We’re curious since we’d like to go out for lunch tomorrow. 🙂

Dr phil Good-E=1984

20 Dr. Phil Good

She’s lying. Monica has been in Manhattan all week and never once called me.

Me thinks yo texpat

Texpat yo

doth protest too much when it comes to mb’s love and devotion.

Dr phil Good-E=1984

yo unck

unck yo

part 2

it’s Sunday.

if you ever solo this song in your choir I’ll dress in my Sunday best, come and sit front row at your church and buy you the best Sunday lunch that any Southern Baptist would be greatly envious of.;)

Dr phil Good-E=1984

75

a magnificent piece of music and adaptation.

Super Dave

It’s Sunday! Rise and shine, another chilly morning here at 41 but that sure beats the 29 yesterday morning and we’ll make the mid 60’s today.

Mornin’ Gang

Super Dave

Blast from the past; The Hard Disk You’ve Been Waiting For. $3398 for 10MB. Dang computers/hard drives have come a long way.

GJT

Guess it wasn’t a good idea to take chicken leg quarters out of the freezer yesterday. That’ll learn me to watch the weatherman. Guess I can always cook them in the oven.

Katfish

Foggy & soupy SW of San Antonio this mornin

More HEROs to help today then hoping to dodge most of the storms this afternoon/evening

Super Dave

Be careful Katfish.

bsue54

It’s dreary, 65 with dripping, dreary skies this morning here in the woods. Stay safe and be blessed, friends

GJT

Had a wonderful visit with wife’s new half brother yesterday, first time she had met him, their uncle and aunt came over and it was their first time meeting him as well. Brother, uncle and aunt never had never even spoke on the phone. He was adopted as a baby by a doctor and his wife and raised in California. Just fascinating to be meeting the first time in their mid 60’s and going over the paths each of their lives took.

GJT

Brother’s mom was actually the key to finally putting all the pieces together in my wife’s DNA search over the past couple of years.

Be careful, Katfish! Dreary here at the Dome, just like everyone else.

Trying to decide if mass is an option. I don’t think Father Felix would appreciate the groans of pain every time I have to sit down. And it’s the pain level where audibles are involuntary.

Maybe everything will readjust itself in the next few hours. Muscle relaxant taken already.

It’s wonderful that long lost family members are getting in touch.

Morning gang. Opening up about 60 degrees this morning, but the temps are already dropping. Some evidence of light mist earlier this morning, and some more might be on the way with the coming cold front. Going to be colder for the next few days apparently. I still think it will not get below freezing for prolonged periods of time, so think all my plants will be just fine. If that changes I can bring the budding roses inside for a couple days.

Let’s talk about pain management a little bit. Pain relief is generally recognized as a component of more rapid recovery from surgery and other rehab type events. I understand people’s reluctance to take opioid pain relief due to the publicity surrounding addiction and the possibility of addiction, but conversely, they are the most effective pain relievers known. People with serious late stage cancer and chronic pain are now being denied opioid pain relief which I believe to be a gross miscarriage of justice – those people should be allowed to go with the least amount of pain possible. But that’s not really what we are talking about here. BTW, I’m not a doctor, but I do watch doctor stuff on You Tube. But anyway, when I have been recovering from various surgeries, the docs always stressed that the pain relievers, muscle relaxers, and other meds were intended to work together to expedite healing. Pain might cause the muscles to contract and cramp, and while muscle relaxers were there to assist in reducing the cramping, they would continue to contract unless there was pain relief at the same time. Further, the pain management aspect of things was to prevent the pain and related muscle reactions in the first place so that the body could focus on repairing the surgical wound rather than battling with the pain reaction. In summary, the medical cocktail consisted of medication that work together to assist in the healing process. Taken individually, they are not nearly as effective.

We’ve all heard the “no pain, no gain” concept that athletes talk about when they are stressing their bodies trying to get in shape, and there is merit to that – but in that case, we are talking about healthy people who are not dealing with a pathological cause. In the case of wound repair, the story is not the same. Anyway, my summary conclusion is this: In order for the wound to heal in the most expeditious manner, take the meds as prescribed. The sooner the wound heals, the sooner the pain goes away and the sooner there is no longer a need for pain relief; thus the lower the risk of addiction. Now the opioids do have side effects – I tend to get happy and my mouth begins to run for example, so stay off of Amazon and don’t make important decisions. But it’s a small price to pay to get your body healed quickly and safely and with minimal side effects. Stretching it out just makes the healing process longer. Just my $.02 based on my experiences in dealing with pain relief where opioids were prescribed. And BTW, I never felt the need to abuse them or take extra or anything like that, but I did follow doctor directions for their use.

Texpat

72 Dr. Phil Good

Hey, that was great.

Adee

Good mugly, squishy morning fellow Hamsters,

Everything outside is dripping and likely has been since yesterday; it is the sad and forlorn face of winter this close to the Gulf. The only other living thing besides us and Purrscilla in the house was a mosquito I smashed in the kitchen just before breakfast. It was not on the menu. 🙂

However, what we have is definitely better than rolling into February in Wisconsin on the wings of a blizzard dropping 2 feet of snow on top of several inches of ice. Our neighbors in north and west Texas know how to manage such weather.. Transplants from the frozen north know when to stay home in the Gulf Coast to avoid the consequences of going out amongst those who don’t know how to manage ice and snow.

Bonecrusher

Opioids are notorious for causing constipation. If you need to take opioids for pain (not recreation) always be sure to drink a lot of water to minimize the constipation issue. Having to pee a lot is much better than blowing out an O-ring or causing more hemorrhoids to form.

I think the message that I was trying to convey is that these various meds are most effective when used in conjunction with each other than if they are just used individually from time to time trying to chase one symptom or another. The more effective they are at promoting proper healing, the sooner they can be set aside. A muscle relaxer is much more effective if coordinated with a pain reliever, even if the pain is not acute at the time. A preventative measure if you will. There is no easy was to recover from back surgery, but the sooner the healing gets going, the sooner things can return to normal.
And yes, eat fibers and stay hydrated. Trying to squeeze a packed and hardened loaf out with an already weakened and painful back muscle is not fun.

Adee

#88 El Gordo,

Perhaps consulting a pharmacist regarding stool softeners could be helpful, as pharmacists know all about drug or non-drug interactions as well as what individual drugs do. This is definitely something that should not be blindly managed.

Didn’t want to take opioids and get behind the wheel to drive to mass.

Believe me, I know about the constipation. Had to deal with that right after surgery. I make sure to take the opioids with stool softeners and lots of water.

Usually the morning pain goes away relatively shortly. I think I’m suffering the blowback from forgetting I was still recovering and bent over on Friday. I’m taking it as a good sign that I was feeling well enough to forget I’d been cut open.

So, I’m taking care of myself the best way for me. It was Tylenol about an hour ago and rested on the couch for an hour.

I’m at church, so going inside to take care of my spiritual side now.

Adee

#90 Tedtam,

A very wise precaution, dear lady.

Texpat

Boy, this morning conversation has headed straight downhill.

TexMo

Texpat @11:16 am

I have purposefully refrained from divulging too much about my maladies because I consider it TMI.

I might reconsider this morning so that I can carry this conversation not just down the hill but over the cliff as well.

Texpat

Fun quotes for Sunday…

Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman said on Thursday that the World Economic Forum at Davos is an “echo chamber,” telling Bloomberg “…this echo chamber we live in here in Davos where everybody’s basically repeating back to each other what they’ve heard from the last person. Let’s be honest.“

and,

The Davos consensus is shaped and refined as the weeklong conference goes on, passed among attendees alongside the plates of toothpicked olives and Gruyère cubes. By Friday it approaches canon.

And it is almost always wrong. An investor could do well boiling it down to a few investment theses and building a basket of assets to match — then wagering against it.

I’m hardly the first person to have pointed this out. Glenn Hutchins, the veteran investor who delights in needling his peers, says it nearly every year he’s there. -Semafor

and this jewel,

The WEF itself in 2017 actually asked two psychology professors why Davos Man is always wrong. One of them replied: “That’s actually not true…Whether the Davos Man is more accurate than the dart-throwing chimpanzee is another question.”

Texpat

TexMo

TMI is a line often crossed around here.

I try everyday to stand back and look at this site and try to imagine what a stranger coming across it would think as a first impression.

Texpat

This is good.

The University of Texas at Austin has blocked access to the video-sharing app TikTok on its Wi-Fi and wired networks in response to Gov. Greg Abbott’s recent directive requiring all state agencies to remove the app from government-issued devices, according to an email sent to students Tuesday.

“The university is taking these important steps to eliminate risks to information contained in the university’s network and to our critical infrastructure,” UT-Austin technology adviser Jeff Neyland wrote in the email. “As outlined in the governor’s directive, TikTok harvests vast amounts of data from its users’ devices — including when, where and how they conduct internet activity — and offers this trove of potentially sensitive information to the Chinese government.”

Since the university’s announcement Tuesday morning, multiple Texas university spokespeople, including those at the University of Texas at Dallas and Texas A&M University System, have announced they are also restricting the use of the app on their campus networks.

mharper42

Morning, chickadees. Off to a pathetic start on my sudoku. Was down to 4 blank squares when I spotted an error. Options are: a) Erase the whole page and start over. b) Print it again and start over. c) Skip it and do something else, e.g. go back to bed.

Super Dave

I try everyday to stand back and look at this site and try to imagine what a stranger coming across it would think as a first impression.

A bunch of old geriatric’s complaining about all their malidies? Sometimes I think that Ya’ are a bunch old old folks. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>SCRAAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!>>>>>>>>

Running that Zig-Zag pattern that S/T learn’t me. 😀

My impression of this group is that most of us have more days behind us than we have in front of us, and as we age and our parts begin to wear out or calcify, health issues become more important. And dealing with pain among other things is something we all have at one level or another. If affects our personality, our behavior, our ability to live life to its fullest, and to examine our own mortality. It’s hard to live a spiritual life when we are in pain. Some of these situation are temporary, like surgical wounds for instance, some are chronic like arthritis, and some are probably unimaginable such as TexMo. I can appreciate some not wanting to be considered “victims” and not wanting to discuss personal medical issues, while others may wish to share their experiences, both good and bad, in dealing with assorted events – what worked and what did not, etc. If this is off topic or racing to the bottom of the hill to fall off the cliff, let me know and I’ll stop, but I thought it might be a topic of interest for members of this group.

Now that we have all learned how an EKG is created based on Ninja Nerd’s video from last night, here’s another lecture explaining how to read the results and what these squiggly lines are telling us. I’ve actually watched this one, which is very comprehensive in my opinion, but according to Ninja Nerd, are merely the basic fundamentals to get started with. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTYGxK1DNKA

PS – I went over to my medical chart and re-read the results of my last EKG, and I have at least a little better understanding of what the doctor is talking about. Not a real clear understanding by any stretch, but a little better.

Super Dave

In case anyone didn’t figure it out, my #94 was a joke. 😉

Adee

#93 mharper42,

Which option won?

Spouse is a fan of sudoku also, says it keeps his mind active instead of passive, same for the Chron though that is not in the same league. 🙂 I browse through the Chron daily to check on parts I’m interested in and glance at headlines that appear interesting. Like dipping my toe in the water….

Some headlines say all there is to say about an article, so those are skipped after the first few sentences. And other articles are skipped after the first paragraphs because the subject is usually the same old, same old stuff with a new bow on it.

Purrscilla is on my desk searching through the numerous sheets of paper that I really need to sort, lest something important gets buried. Oops, she just chewed the corner off a membership renewal for the Musem of Fine Arts that I haven’t filled out yet.

I periodically tackle a sudoku problem to challenge my brain and to see if it is still capable of counting to 9 starting at 0. Some days these difficult puzzles just come together right away, and other days they seem to just not make any sense and all and I set them aside. Don’t know how you might interpret that finding. BTW, I work mine with an ink pen, so I don’t make an entry until I’m absolutely sure, but conversely, there are certainly a few puzzles in my book that have been abandoned with a big X across the whole thing where a late disclosed error throws the whole thing off and I’m not willing to go back and find it. I’d certainly recommend the reprint and retry method, although the nap option might not be a bad one either.

BTW, started out at 60 this morning, now showing 46. Still should not get below freezing tonight, but close.

Texpat

Be aware of buying or eating any food made in Europe from now on.

Just days ago, the Spanish government passed an official regulation authorizing the use of crickets in products destined for human consumption, relying in turn on the recent (and almost unknown until now) authorization granted by the European Union in its list of “novel foods.” It is even worse than it looks at first glance: since last summer, the E.U. has also approved dried yellow mealworm and the migratory locust as novel foods. I suspect that tarantulas, car mats, and MEP brains are also soon to be included on that list.

From now on, bread, cookies, pizzas, sauces, snacks, and other bakery products could be made with cricket flour, which is manufactured by crushing and grinding crickets. At least in Spain, the recommendation is that the manufacturer clearly point it out on the packaging, but it is just a recommendation, and—except for listing insects in ingredients and allergen warnings—they are not obliged to do so. It stands to reason that no cookie manufacturer is going to change a foreground of beautiful, sunny wheat fields for a plague of smiling, sunglass-wearing crickets on the front of its package, if it ever wants to sell another cookie.

Texpat

This sounds very much like the tactics used by the Just Stop Oil radicals in Europe who vandalize famous works of art, glue themselves to the streets and blockade freeways over there.

Authorities in North Carolina have issued a scary warning: Watch out for razor blades when you reach for the pump at a gas station. The Forest City Police Department says in a press release that razor blades were found attached to the undersides of the handles of pumps in that town as well as surrounding areas. It’s not clear how long the blades had been there or who is responsible. “We are actively investigating these instances now in cooperation with the state Department of Agriculture and will follow up with more information when available,” the department says.

Texpat

The excellent Christopher Rufo, City Journal editor and DeSantis appointee, stands up to the weak women administrators at the New College in Florida. This is the school DeSantis has designated to be modeled after Hillsdale and the other handful of independent classically based campuses in America. Rufo has been appointed to the board of trustees there.

A scheduled panel and speeches were threatened with one or two violent text messages and the president and provost wanted to cancel everything. Rufo and the other men on the board said no. They were going to continue with the program and the Sarasota Sheriff’s Department showed in force as security.

Good for Rufo. We need more men like him in higher ed.

Videos and text here.

Adee

Texpat #134,

Well we all wonder how these idiots arrive at the scene of their crimes if’n they are against the common modes of transportation. Do they use Roller skates? Horseback? Walking miles? Bicycle? Ice skates in season? Sleds in winter? Horse-drawn carts? Hot air balloons? etc, etc, etc. But of course they are frauds out to wreak havoc with the slightest injury to themselves. Real Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves

Shannon

73 Dr phil

You can leave your Sunday best in the dry cleaners bag, ‘cause that won’t be happening.

🙂

Shannon

My big project today is doing a super-clean out of the coffee maker.

I love the smell of hot vinegar in the morning.

Texpat

While Israelis are murdered on the streets by gunmen, their political state is in serious turmoil. The recent return of Netanyahu as Prime Minister is always controversial since he, like Donald Trump, seems to draw out the worst in many people.

The Israeli election in November was, in large part, a referendum on the Netanyahu trial. The jury came back with a clear verdict: not guilty. Israelis, or at least enough of them, became convinced that the trial was a political affair, not a legal one: Israel’s left-leaning elites had given up on beating Netanyahu at the ballot box, and so turned to other means to expel him from politics.

But the majority of Israel’s voters did more than acquit Netanyahu in the court of public opinion. A majority of Israeli voters made clear that they will no longer put up with the hollowing out of Israel’s democracy by the administrative state—judges, law enforcement officers, legal advisers and the bureaucracy in general will have to stop substituting their own preferences and dictates for those of the Israeli electorate.

and,

Back in 2017, a bestselling conservative Hebrew book articulated the growing frustration on the right in its title: “Why do you vote right and get left?” The book, by journalist and former Netanyahu aide Erez Tadmor, made the answer clear, and it became the operating manual for a new generation of Likud members. The reason the right never really rules, Tadmor argued, is that the left controls the important power centers outside of electoral politics: the mainstream press, the arts, academia, and above all the judicial system and its auxiliaries in law enforcement and Israel’s powerful bureaucracy.

To paraphrase: Electoral politics are downstream from the culture, academia, media, entertainment, arts and the Deep Administrative State. In other words, Israel looks a lot like the US in many social respects.

Bibi never directly confronted the powerful judiciary until they finally decided to try and destroy him. Now, everything is different.

First, Likud’s base issued its verdict: The most recent round of Likud primaries drove almost all vocal critics of the judicial system up the party’s list. Other right-wing parties then made judicial reform a condition for joining Netanyahu’s coalition. All these parties, each crucial to the existence of the coalition, represent minority sectors—national-religious, ultra-Orthodox and Mizrahi traditional and Orthodox—that had been shunned at one point or another by a court that purports to protect minorities against the tyranny of the majority. Judicial reform galvanized support for the right and gave it a clear majority in the Knesset: 64 seats in the Netanyahu block versus 56 in the Never-Bibi block, including the anti-Zionist Arab parties, most of which historically do not join coalitions.

American Jews, being predominantly leftist, have never liked Netanyahu and now they are hand-wringing and fretting over the dismantling of the Old Left and their judicial allies in Israel. They are distraught over what they claim to a great widening chasm between Israel and American Judaism. It’s alarmist and overwrought talk, but what implications it might have remain to be seen.

The situation in Israel is hot and contentious unlike anything in the last few decades. Nothing indicates it will cool off anytime soon.

Meanwhile, Iran stalks.

Texpat

This ought to make everyone think twice when they’re out on the highway.

The latest data from the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse reveals that drug use among commercial drivers may be at its highest level since the federal repository was set up in 2019 — but more are being cleared to drive again as well.

Total drug violations reported into the clearinghouse in 2022, including positive tests and refusals to take a drug test, increased 18% to 69,668 compared with last year’s 59,011, according to the most recent statistics released this week by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. That rate almost doubled the 9.2% annual increase in drug violations reported in 2021.

Much of the increase can be attributed to violations related to marijuana, the substance identified most in positive tests. Marijuana violations increased 31.6% in 2022 compared with 2021, to 40,916. That compares to a 5.3% increase between 2020 and 2021.

In fact, positive drug tests reported into the clearinghouse in 2022 increased in 12 of 14 substances tracked by the database, with only hydrocodone and heroin showing decreases.

Took a drug induced 3 hour nap, which I needed. Felt fine when I first got up, but had to resort to the hard stuff.

I try not to use them unless I need them, and I have been pretty drug free for the past few weeks.

Not today, DANGIT.

Gonna sit here and work on rosaries for a bit.

GJT

Re: TMI

I hope I don’t cause any squeamish feelings discussing my wife’s DNA search and her new family. Understand these are happy moments for her, she has had questions her whole life that were never answered. Any judgement towards her mom have long ago been forgotten and forgiven, she was a teenager after all. My wife simply wanted answers and she has found them, with Gods help there is not one doubt.

GJT

Sitting on the front porch in t-shirt and shorts, for what is left of the day sun is out. For now…

Super Dave

Hey GramPaw! What’s fer supper? Well, sister came over so I fixed Mongolian Beef with Noodles, Egg Fried Rice and Egg Rolls. Good stuff Maynard. 😉

TexMo

Y’all can talk about whatever y’all want to on this blog. I am not easily offended.

TexMo

I had my last drain removed on Friday. Today I took my first unassisted shower since before my surgery on the 12th of December. It’s the little victories that sometimes matter the most.

GJT

I shall work harder then.

GJT

Progress!

Hear hear TexMo. One of my baseball playing college buds had a stroke, and after 2 years of therapy, he was able to swing a baseball bat all the way through and hang on to it as well, not letting it slip out of his hands. Progress one little step at a time. Female wife of former classmate and football player suffered brain aneurysm, not originally expected to live sent out video doing a bunny dance with her physical therapist – nothing short of a miracle. Another in nearby Goldthwaite just a month in to his rehab after a fall taking short steps without his walker this week. All little victories. Speaking of little victories, me visiting the urologist a couple of months ago and having a little in office mini roto rooter procedure that allows me to empty my bladder now – oh what a relief it is….And so on and so forth. So Tedtam, keep using those meds as prescribed and let your body heal before going back out and tackling the world again. There will be plenty of time for that soon enough,.I’m in the same camp as mh – when in doubt as to what to do next, go take a nap.

PS – It’s now showing 37 degrees outside and the sun nears setting time, but cloud cover prevents seeing it. Were it not for the blanket of clouds keeping the heat in, it would probably get much colder. Winter storm watch out for icy precip tonight and highs in the mid 30’s the next couple of days.

GJT

Says here the Eagles are going to the big game.

mharper42

#98 Adee

Neither! The incorrect puzzle is still wrong, I didn’t erase it, and I also didn’t print another copy to start fresh on. Maybe I’ll do something with it later this week.

But as EG remarked… I did take a nice nap.

mharper42

#109 TexMo

Always glad to hear good news on this here Couch!

Texpat

105 GJT

I hope I don’t cause any squeamish feelings discussing my wife’s DNA search and her new family.

These kinds of stories have nothing to do with what I was talking about. Your wife’s life story is fascinating and interesting.

I do recoil at graphic descriptions of everyone’s bowel movements and urinary tract adventures. I try very hard to avoid discussing anything so personal mainly because I find it boring and tedious. I’ll be 71 years old this year and the last thing I want to do is consume people’s time regaling them with tedious health problems and all the aggravations that go along with it. I’ve always associated that sort of chatter with places like Facebook and I’ve never been interested in participating. I have a FB page to which I have never posted a thing and only serves to allow me to see my daughters pages.

I can promise you Mark Tipton, Squawk, nor I ever envisioned this site to look or sound like the breakfast table conversation down at the local nursing home.

I sincerely care about the contributors and commenters here and their well-being. If someone like TexMo is in serious straits or in trouble, we need to know about it. Informative medical news is always welcome and so are important warnings about things like fake vaccines. There isn’t a stylebook here for contributors or a bunch of rules for commenters. I only expect regular commenters, informally, to try to keep the content current, interesting and informative.

Adee

#105 GJT,

You and Mrs. have wonderful news that you have chosen to share your joy with us. So many times hidden, awkward, and hurtful things have a way of popping up later or much later to be resolved and grant peace to those involved so long in doubt. There is much to be said for the Invisible Hand of Our Lord. 🙂

I thought I was the only child of my parents until I was 25 or so, when one day my Dad started a very private conversation about the family and then quietly handed me a piece of paper with a woman’s name on it. She was his other daughter, the half-sister I never knew I had. She didn’t know about me until a little before he told her and suggested we meet before any very hurtful surprises could pop up. I knew he had been married and divorced before he met and married my Mom. The previous lady had just passed away. I know my Mom insisted he must tell me and soon for fear if he didn’t and he passed away without telling me it would have been terrible to get that news from somebody else. I met with my sister several times while we got to know more about each other, as fortunately she also lived in Madison. We traded experiences in growing up and our histories in several meetings, each of us comfortable with the other. The meetings got farther and farther apart as we both discovered what we needed to know to be at peace. We stopped getting together by email maybe 20 years ago.

Adee

#114 mharper42,

Now the nap is the important thing.

Texpat

116 Adee

I thought I was the only child of my parents until I was 25 or so, when one day my Dad started a very private conversation about the family and then quietly handed me a piece of paper with a woman’s name on it. She was his other daughter, the half-sister I never knew I had.

Amazing story.

Adee

Texpat,

I am at peace with the knowledge and that I met her and liked her immediately as she liked me immediately. Could not ask for more as ladies who had lived outside that loop for years with no clue at all. I still had contact with her when Dad died and immediately contacted her with the info. All is well for both of us. 🙂

Super Dave

Texpat @ 6:52 pm
I think that pretty much sums it up and I agree. I’ve always enjoyed everyone’s stories for the most part there is always something interesting going on within this group without the TMI.

GJT

Adoption is the proper path for a child that cannot be taken care of, certainly better than the alternative but it does not go without its pitfalls. My wife’s case is different, she was adopted and raised by her grandparents, her brother we just met, however, was adopted as an infant. Though he had a very good life with loving parents, he always knew he was adopted and throughout his life it was framed as he was chosen, but he struggled with it his entire life, wondered why he was unwanted. Keeping it a secret has horrific consequences when and if it was discovered. Really hard choices. He searched his mom out through the adoption agency in the eighties, has a very loving relationship with her to this day. He has found peace.

Super Dave

BTW; GJT’s wife and now Adee’s story about unknown siblings is really interesting.

Super Dave

The rain finally arrived here just before dark and it rained pretty good for a while. As of a few minutes ago, we have 2.67″ of rain and are real tickled about it. We’ve not caught up yet but we’re on our way. Yesterday as I was walking the whole place, I noticed the big pond was up considerably so this rain will help a bunch. The little pond is three quarters full now and will likely be full in a day or so when all the water from this hill makes it down to the spring in it’s bottom.

I am in a brief half-awake mode. I guess the meds are really wreaking havoc on my alertness. I did make dinner for Hubby but after that I just wanted to lay down again.

I had a sudden urge for a foot rub, and Hubby was happy to comply. So here I am, laying on the couch, feet in his lap/hands, half out of it. We’re both watching TV. I wake up enough to look at him and tell him how much I missed his foot rubs. “Remember when we used to do this every night?” I asked. “I’d scratch your back and you’d rub my feet.” He just gave one of of those marital-ly intimate chuckles and smiles.

It’s those moments that I think really define a marriage. The little things we do for one another, and all those memories that go with. How the bathroom gets shared. Which foods are preferred. How each person likes to be treated when they feel poorly. All of those thousands of seemingly innocuous conversations that make up years of knowledge about each other.

So, I’m about to lay down again, but I’ll keep his little chuckle in my heart.

Nite all.

Adee