Small Talk: Out of Genoa

[Cupid Stunt]

 

[MollyB]

4 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

I'm really feeling the loss of Valley on days like this. We used to commiserate about the weather.

Well, it's raining here in Santa Rosa and it makes me miss Seattle.  I wouldn't mind a little snow. ***ducks to avoid snowball***:-)

[jpagan05]

Hi everyone. I have a lot of catching up to do (and I will read each and every word), including 10 episodes of y and r (ugh). Davy left this morning and I am in bits. How does time go by so slow, then so fast?

[peacheslatour]

11 minutes ago, jpagan05 said:

Hi everyone. I have a lot of catching up to do (and I will read each and every word), including 10 episodes of y and r (ugh). Davy left this morning and I am in bits. How does time go by so slow, then so fast?

What a beautiful picture. You'll always remember these days.

[jpagan05]

I knoooow, and thanks @peacheslatour. I just hate being so far away. He's my favorite person in the universe. And my husband is pretty great. I think of him a million times a day. It just sucks. 😭

I'm feeling sorry for myself and I apologize to all you preverts who had horrible losses and actual problems recently. 

Still catching up. Happy birthday @Snaporaz!!

[Snaporaz]

Thank you for the good wishes, @jpagan05!  It is hard being so far from the ones you love.  Any chance you can visit Davy any time soon?  If it's possible to see each other more frequently, then the good-byes aren't so bad.  Skype is also ok, but it's not quite the same...

Peaches, it was 70° here on Saturday.  In Pittsburgh.  In January.  We're going to have highs in the mid 50s for the next few days.  No, I'm not rubbing it in.  Most people are loving it, but it's freaking me out!  

 

[Cupid Stunt]

Rather Than Pay Ransom, Radiohead Puts Stolen Music Up for Charity -- “Holy grail” tracks are marked with a star on the detailed FAQ and timestamps for all the songs & snippets in the archive

 

Why the game of Life used to have poverty, suicide, and ruin -- That's Life?

 

Uber’s Path of Destruction -- "Since it began operations in 2010, Uber has grown to the point where it now collects over $45 billion in gross passenger revenue, and it has seized a major share of the urban car service market. But the widespread belief that it is a highly innovative and successful company has no basis in economic reality.

An examination of Uber’s economics suggests that it has no hope of ever earning sustainable urban car service profits in competitive markets. Its costs are simply much higher than the market is willing to pay, as its nine years of massive losses indicate. Uber not only lacks powerful competitive advantages, but it is actually less efficient than the competitors it has been driving out of business."

 

Taiwan’s single-payer success story and its lessons

 

'Like sending bees to war': the deadly truth behind your almond milk obsession -- "More bees die every year in the US than all other fish and animals raised for slaughter combined."

The whole article is a bit of a mess. I really don’t know what they are talking about. It sounds like they are making a straight numerical comparison, 1 bee = 1 pig, I suppose they could be talking about percentages but even that's silly. It’s an apples (bees) and oranges (pigs) comparison that makes no sense however you look at it.

In today’s world, bees are in trouble. Beneficial insect numbers in general are dropping precipitously all over, while parasitic and invasive insects are increasing. We are stressing the environment to the breaking point in more ways than we know. Nonsensical comparisons don’t help, they confuse.

We should care about naturalized bee declines, but commercial bee decline is due to bee keepers chasing profits from almond growers and monoculture cash crops.  It’s almost like a story about how many cattle in the meat production industry are killed each year.

There are ways to make things better for commercial bees, and by all means implement them.  But this story embellishes the wrong facts for false dramatic effect.

 

How the kiwi came to America

 

“I Want to Make Beautiful Things, Even if Nobody Cares”

 

 

Edited January 14, 2020 by Cupid Stunt

[pearlite]

10 hours ago, Snaporaz said:

Peaches, it was 70° here on Saturday.  In Pittsburgh.  In January.  We're going to have highs in the mid 50s for the next few days.  No, I'm not rubbing it in.  Most people are loving it, but it's freaking me out!  

I know it's ethically questionable of me, but I'd trade you those temps for our 3C. And we're lucky it's above zero... At least we're not getting much, if any snow. And I shouldn't have typed that, should I? [I loathe snow--it makes everything so difficult.]

And cupid, thanks for the von Karajan "Eroica"! As the sole classical music person here, that was a treat for me.

[lovemesomejoolery]

13 hours ago, jpagan05 said:

Hi everyone. I have a lot of catching up to do (and I will read each and every word), including 10 episodes of y and r (ugh). Davy left this morning and I am in bits. How does time go by so slow, then so fast?

What a beautiful picture!

I'm so glad you had a wonderful time with your brother!

[jpagan05]

17 hours ago, Snaporaz said:

Thank you for the good wishes, @jpagan05!  It is hard being so far from the ones you love.  Any chance you can visit Davy any time soon?  If it's possible to see each other more frequently, then the good-byes aren't so bad.  Skype is also ok, but it's not quite the same...

Peaches, it was 70° here on Saturday.  In Pittsburgh.  In January.  We're going to have highs in the mid 50s for the next few days.  No, I'm not rubbing it in.  Most people are loving it, but it's freaking me out!  

 

It's a combo logistic/distance/financial issue so not really. I'll be in debt for a while after this visit but I don't care because it was totally worth it. Unfortunately, Davy can't really be trusted with the internet. He had a smart phone for a bit and besides wrecking it by forcing the plug in, he was playing games in the middle of the night and had downloaded a bunch of porn. It's too easy and insidious. He can't help clicking on pop-ups. It's totally understandable- he's a child in a grown man's body with the world in a tiny machine. Think about the average 7-10 year old when their folks hand them their phone to keep them occupied and they are completely mesmerized. So it'll be phone chats until I can afford another plane ticket, et al.

On 1/11/2020 at 4:41 PM, Petunia13 said:

Has anyone else’s 2020 so far been weird as hell? 

On New Year's Day, Davy and I were driving to the beach. A couple of cars were pulled over and there was a group waving down another car- an unmarked police car. I looked over and saw the group was holding up the head of an unconscious German Shepherd. I think it may have been hit by a car. It actually made me nauseous and I can't stop wondering about that poor dog and people. What a shitty New Years day for them. Then at the beach I got stung by a bee. I was relieved it was me and not Dave as he is allergic. I have to carry around an epi-pen.

On 1/12/2020 at 12:17 PM, peacheslatour said:

Fresh Hell Fridays.

Thanks for that. I am incorporating it into my repertoire.❤️

[jpagan05]

8 hours ago, Cupid Stunt said:

“I Want to Make Beautiful Things, Even if Nobody Cares”

I love this! Years ago hubs and I bought a couple of limited edition Steven King movie posters from a local artist. I loved the purity of them and that they reminded me of a neater, simpler version of Saul Bass art.

Here's one:

6 hours ago, lovemesomejoolery said:

What a beautiful picture!

I'm so glad you had a wonderful time with your brother!

Thanks @lovemesomejoolery!

[Cupid Stunt]

7 hours ago, pearlite said:

I know it's ethically questionable of me, but I'd trade you those temps for our 3C. And we're lucky it's above zero... At least we're not getting much, if any snow. And I shouldn't have typed that, should I? [I loathe snow--it makes everything so difficult.]

Jolly good fun, pearlite!

; )

I'm not unfamiliar with snow off the Sierra's, blasting windchills through Owens Valley. I've got the broken-in longjohns, Carhartt's and Sorel's to prove it.

Quote

And cupid, thanks for the von Karajan "Eroica"! As the sole classical music person here, that was a treat for me.

Anytime. Von Karajan is artistic brilliance personified. 

LA got a second classical station a few years ago. Sadly, the commercial K-Mozart is as uninspired as the non-profit, listener-supported KUSC.

I spend time in FIL Stunt's classical record collection for classical revelation.

Edited January 14, 2020 by Cupid Stunt

[Capricasix]

My parents had so many Deutsche Gramophon records when I was growing up, among them several conducted by von Karajan.

When I was a child, I used to cry when I listened to The Four Seasons by Vivaldi. No idea why, but I still find that music very moving!

[boes]

1 hour ago, jpagan05 said:

It's a combo logistic/distance/financial issue so not really. I'll be in debt for a while after this visit but I don't care because it was totally worth it. Unfortunately, Davy can't really be trusted with the internet. He had a smart phone for a bit and besides wrecking it by forcing the plug in, he was playing games in the middle of the night and had downloaded a bunch of porn. It's too easy and insidious. He can't help clicking on pop-ups. It's totally understandable- he's a child in a grown man's body with the world in a tiny machine. Think about the average 7-10 year old when their folks hand them their phone to keep them occupied and they are completely mesmerized. So it'll be phone chats until I can afford another plane ticket, et al.

On New Year's Day, Davy and I were driving to the beach. A couple of cars were pulled over and there was a group waving down another car- an unmarked police car. I looked over and saw the group was holding up the head of an unconscious German Shepherd. I think it may have been hit by a car. It actually made me nauseous and I can't stop wondering about that poor dog and people. What a shitty New Years day for them. Then at the beach I got stung by a bee. I was relieved it was me and not Dave as he is allergic. I have to carry around an epi-pen.

Thanks for that. I am incorporating it into my repertoire.❤️

Jpagan05, your brother is one rich man, with the abundance of love and care and interest he gets from you - and I'm sure he enriches you in equal measure.  I am so very happy that your visit turned out so beautifully.  There's not enough love and caring in the world as it is, and you and your husband and your brother just helped tilt the balance in the right direction.

Good for you all, and God bless.

[jpagan05]

Awwww, @boes, you are just the sweetest 😘

[jpagan05]

On 1/11/2020 at 9:58 AM, Cupid Stunt said:

I've been thinking about death and cancer for a while, and have no expectations that TIIC will treat Sharon Newman's breast cancer SL with anything close to realistic or substantive information, so I thought I would post a few old items on the subject.

 

•  In 2015, PBS aired a six-hour documentary series, Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies (available on Amazon and PBS). The series is based on 2011 Pulitzer Prize winner for General Nonfiction, Siddhartha Mukherjee’s The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer -- one of the most engaging and frightening books I’ve read in the past few years -- This quote is near the end of the book: "Like cancer prevention, cancer screening will also be reinvigorated by the molecular understanding of cancer. Indeed, it has already been. The discovery of the BRCA genes for breast cancer epitomizes the integration of cancer screening and cancer genetics. In the mid-1990s, building on the prior decade’s advances, researchers isolated two related genes, BRCA-1 and BRCA-2, that vastly increase the risk of developing breast cancer. A woman with an inherited mutation in BRCA-1 has a 50 to 80 percent chance of developing breast cancer in her lifetime (the gene also increases the risk for ovarian cancer), about three to five times the normal risk. Today, testing for this gene mutation has been integrated into prevention efforts. Women found positive for a mutation in the two genes are screened more intensively using more sensitive imaging techniques such as breast MRI. Women with BRCA mutations might choose to take the drug tamoxifen to prevent breast cancer, a strategy shown effective in clinical trials. Or, perhaps most radically, women with BRCA mutations might choose a prophylactic mastectomy of both breasts and ovaries before cancer develops, another strategy that dramatically decreases the chances of developing breast cancer."

 

• Angelina Jolie wrote effectively about her decision to have a preventive double mastectomy to hopefully ward off cancer -- "My mother fought cancer for almost a decade and died at 56. She held out long enough to meet the first of her grandchildren and to hold them in her arms. But my other children will never have the chance to know her and experience how loving and gracious she was. We often speak of “Mommy’s mommy,” and I find myself trying to explain the illness that took her away from us. They have asked if the same could happen to me. I have always told them not to worry, but the truth is I carry a “faulty” gene, BRCA1, which sharply increases my risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer."

 

• Paul Kalanithi talks about how time changes as you face your mortality. “Clocks are now kind of irrelevant to me,” he says. “Time, where it used to have kind of a linear progression feel to it, now feels more like a space.” Before I Go -- Time warps for a young surgeon with metastatic lung cancer

   

• Death, Redesigned

 

 

Oh @Cupid Stunt, I'm sorry that you are haunted and for your loss. My mom died at 59 of renal cancer. I wonder constantly how long did she actually have it? Did she know? How could this happen? Why? When I turned 50, I had a complete nervous breakdown, which I called a "mid-life crisis" to people I didn't know. Every time someone I know and love dies, it reignites my fear and I want to crawl into a ball and stay in bed forever. I cried when I read your post. It just sucks. I hope you and all you preverts have good health and happiness in 2020.

[peacheslatour]

Quote

Every time someone I know and love dies, it reignites my fear and I want to crawl into a ball and stay in bed forever. I cried when I read your post. It just sucks. I hope you and all you preverts have good health and happiness in 2020.

C'mon everybody Group Hug! (((((japagan05))))))

[jpagan05]

💓💓💓you guys!

[bannana]

The temperature here is currently -30C, feels like -37C.  That is -27F, feels like -40F.  Brrr….

Our drop in centre for homeless people put out an emergency appeal for any kind of winter clothing, boots, etc., as they have exhausted their supplies.  Hubs and I went through all of our stuff and found plenty we could donate tomorrow.  You'd be amazed at how many toques, pairs of gloves, scarves, sweaters, jackets and boots you have when you live in a climate like this.  On twitter, lots of folks are answering the appeal so that is good.

 

 

[Cupid Stunt]

7 hours ago, jpagan05 said:

Oh @Cupid Stunt, I'm sorry that you are haunted and for your loss. My mom died at 59 of renal cancer. I wonder constantly how long did she actually have it? Did she know? How could this happen? Why? When I turned 50, I had a complete nervous breakdown, which I called a "mid-life crisis" to people I didn't know. Every time someone I know and love dies, it reignites my fear and I want to crawl into a ball and stay in bed forever. I cried when I read your post. It just sucks. I hope you and all you preverts have good health and happiness in 2020.

(((jpagan))) You're so good. Thank you all for embracing me while I run my mortality and fears around the Small Talk Park. 

My BIL had been ill for so long, and his death brought things into sharper focus. Returning home from his funeral, I made an appointment for my yearly physical (18 months, in this case) -- Clean bill of health, but what was I waiting for? Too busy to take care of myself? Quit screwing around!

I've convinced Bea to join us on Oahu in February. My parents are staying at the orchard with the new crew and manager #2. Number 1 didn't work out, so my father contacted a friend that hated retirement and was looking for work: Things seem to be sorting themselves out for a new growing season.

[Cupid Stunt]

Harvest mouse in tulip -- Photo by Miles Herbert

 

#MeToo gave women a voice but solutions still missing: novelist Adichie

 

The Equal Rights Amendment Strikes Again

 

I Gave Up Sugar, Caffeine, Fried Food, Red Meat, and Alcohol for One Month. -- And  joined a post-apocalyptic biker gang.

 

The Capitalist Way to Make Americans Stop Eating Meat

 

Man saves California’s oldest weekly newspaper from closure

 

Inheriting the fine china? Many younger folks say no thanks

 

 

[Snaporaz]

On 1/14/2020 at 9:40 AM, pearlite said:

I know it's ethically questionable of me, but I'd trade you those temps for our 3C. And we're lucky it's above zero... At least we're not getting much, if any snow. And I shouldn't have typed that, should I? [I loathe snow--it makes everything so difficult.]

And cupid, thanks for the von Karajan "Eroica"! As the sole classical music person here, that was a treat for me.

Actually, I would accept that trade!  I like cooler weather, but not crazy cold, which is what is on the way to us this weekend.  We've been having these yo-yo temperatures for a while now.  What alarms me is that I'm noticing flowers starting to shoot up and some buds on the trees in my yard already.  They won't fare well when it drops down into the teens (about -10°C) in a few days.  Oh, and you definitely are not alone on the classical music front.  I'm no expert on the subject, but my car and home radios are set to the listener-supported classical station.  The carry a show out of Connecticut called Sunday Baroque that I love.  I just wish it were on Sunday evening instead of the crack of dawn on Sundays.

19 hours ago, jpagan05 said:

It's a combo logistic/distance/financial issue so not really. I'll be in debt for a while after this visit but I don't care because it was totally worth it. Unfortunately, Davy can't really be trusted with the internet. He had a smart phone for a bit and besides wrecking it by forcing the plug in, he was playing games in the middle of the night and had downloaded a bunch of porn. It's too easy and insidious. He can't help clicking on pop-ups. It's totally understandable- he's a child in a grown man's body with the world in a tiny machine. Think about the average 7-10 year old when their folks hand them their phone to keep them occupied and they are completely mesmerized. So it'll be phone chats until I can afford another plane ticket, et al.

Sorry, it was a silly question for me to ask.  My sister only lives about a seven hour drive from me, and even with that distance it's hard to arrange visits.  You and your brother have a continent and half an ocean to cross.  But I'm glad you all had a good time together.

[peacheslatour]

Quote

What alarms me is that I'm noticing flowers starting to shoot up and some buds on the trees in my yard already.  They won't fare well when it drops down into the teens (about -10°C) in a few days.  

That happened here as well. My iris' and Calla lilys  were all budding and now they're gross black slime.😭

[pearlite]

7 hours ago, Cupid Stunt said:

(((jpagan))) You're so good. Thank you all for embracing me while I run my mortality and fears around the Small Talk Park.

I applaud your common sense--I'd say you're all less fearful than I... Both parents died before I was sixteen, and the pockets of crazy and paranoia are very deep, despite all the rationality and all the years.

And now, to be cheerful, at least it's not snowing today.

[Cupid Stunt]

Virginia vote sets up fight over women's rights constitutional amendment

 

Reuters Editor's Choice Pictures

Kangaroo and wallaby joeys that have been orphaned due to a mixture of road accidents, dog attacks, bushfires and drought conditions are seen in a cart as they are treated at Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital in Beerwah, Queensland, Australia. AAP Image/Darren England

 

Crafting for critters: Australian fires prompt global effort

 

Whitney Houston among six Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees

 

A Continuous Lean Advisor: How to Wash Your Denim -- I have a client that follows this regimen with his raw selvage jeans. It's not pleasant. 

 

Fever chart: Earth had its hottest decade on record in 2010s

 

The Questions Sex-Ed Students Always Ask

 

 

[peacheslatour]

What happened to everyone's avatars?

[Capricasix]

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

What happened to everyone's avatars?

I can still see them all...

Edited January 16, 2020 by Capricasix

[peacheslatour]

5 minutes ago, Capricasix said:

I can still see them all...

Can you see mine? I can't and I can't see Molly's, Pearlite's, Boes or yours. They're just blank, white squares.

[Capricasix]

Yup, I can see them all!

[boes]

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

What happened to everyone's avatars?

 

51 minutes ago, Capricasix said:

I can still see them all...

I can see them, too.

[pearlite]

15 minutes ago, boes said:

 

I can see them, too.

Me too

[peacheslatour]

34 minutes ago, pearlite said:

Me too

Maybe I'm being punished. 

/just because I'm paranoid, doesn't mean they're not out to get me. 😟

[pearlite]

24 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Maybe I'm being punished. 

/just because I'm paranoid, doesn't mean they're not out to get me. 😟

Well here's a family picture to console you in your quandary.

Courtesy of Ronald Searle, whom I've loved since childhood and who's the source of my avatar.

Edited January 16, 2020 by pearlite

[PatsyandEddie]

Just a drive by post to say I’M A GRANDMA again! DD just gave birth to a gorgeous, blonde boy. It’s been a long, hard go of it for her and our SIL today but he’s finally here! ❤️

[Capricasix]

Congratulations, Grandma! Best wishes to you all ❤️

[Snaporaz]

Congratulations, @PatsyandEddie!  Let the spoiling begin! 💞

 

Edited January 17, 2020 by Snaporaz

[boes]

3 hours ago, PatsyandEddie said:

Just a drive by post to say I’M A GRANDMA again! DD just gave birth to a gorgeous, blonde boy. It’s been a long, hard go of it for her and our SIL today but he’s finally here! ❤️

Wow!!  What GREAT news!  Happy GrandmaHood, that baby is soooooo lucky!

[bannana]

8 hours ago, PatsyandEddie said:

Just a drive by post to say I’M A GRANDMA again! DD just gave birth to a gorgeous, blonde boy. It’s been a long, hard go of it for her and our SIL today but he’s finally here! ❤️

[pearlite]

Congratulations, patsyandeddie!

[PatsyandEddie]

Thanks everyone! He’s a sweetie!🥰

[Cupid Stunt]

Late to the Grandma Party ...

Congratulations PatsyandEddie!

[peacheslatour]

Awesome news, P&E! So happy for your family. Welcome to the world little dude!

[Cupid Stunt]

Evelyn Yang reveals she was sexually assaulted by her OB-GYN while pregnant 

 

Meghan, Kate, and the Architecture of Misogyny -- Policing correct female behavior keeps all women in their place.

 

Unfuck Your Habitat -- Not Marie Kondo … thankfully

 

 

Life in Balance: Getting girls into STEM creates more than gender equality -- And MSN Program -- Empowering girls with STEM

 

The Atlantic Photos of the Week: Giant Boar, Ice Music, Patagonian Glacier

Humane Society International Crisis Response Specialist, Kelly Donithan looks for injured wildlife in a burned forest on Kangaroo Island on January 15, 2020. On an island famed as Australia's "Galapagos" for its unique and abundant wildlife, rescuers are racing to save rare animals in a bushfire-ravaged landscape. The charred forest floor on Kangaroo Island is littered with corpses of animals incinerated by the blazes that swept through two weeks ago. -- Peter Parks / AFP / Getty

 

This is your child's brain on books: Scans show benefit of reading vs. screen time -- Duh.

 

Every Place Is the Same Now -- With a phone, anywhere else is always just a tap away.

 

Decade in Review: What the smartphone has wrought

 

California lawmakers eye back-up power for cellphone towers

 

 

Edited January 17, 2020 by Cupid Stunt

[peacheslatour]

Yay! All the avatars are back. That was weird.

[Cupid Stunt]

23 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Yay! All the avatars are back. That was weird.

Stay frosty, Peaches.

; )

[jpagan05]

Congrats @PatsyandEddie!!

[lovemesomejoolery]

Congratulations, @PatsyandEddie, on becoming a grandmom!

Edited January 18, 2020 by lovemesomejoolery
spelled a word wrong!

[peacheslatour]

4 minutes ago, lovemesomejoolery said:

Congraulations, @PatsyandEddie, on becoming a grandmom!

Oooh, sparkly!

[lovemesomejoolery]

12 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Oooh, sparkly!

Yes! 

Sparkly, like all of you here - Spark-a-locious!

(too bad my typo of the word 'congratulations' wasn't sparkly, too.  I fixed that!)

Edited January 18, 2020 by lovemesomejoolery

[Cupid Stunt]

The 2020 Women’s March is shrinking. Its influence isn’t.

 

A New Nuclear Era Is Coming

 

Explainer: How close is Iran to producing a nuclear bomb?

 

We’re Just Discovering the Price of Killing Soleimani -- Grieving families around the world are already paying it.

 

How thousands of Iranians went from mourning a general to protesting the regime, in a week -- “The positions are not mutually exclusive.”

 

At the Sebrell Funeral Home in Ridgeland, MS (just outside of Jackson), they perform funerals and cremations for people with HIV/AIDS, some of whom have been abandoned by their families because of their disease or sexual orientation. In almost one-third of the AIDS-related deaths serviced by Sebrell Funeral Home, the family or next-of-kin will either abandon the deceased entirely or refuse to accept the cremains. HIV/AIDS is a growing problem in the American South, due to social stigma, poverty, and decreased access to healthcare. In this short documentary, Trey Sebrell cares for all deceased people, no matter who they were in life, as part of his mission as a funeral director.

 

Better Schools Won’t Fix America -- Like many rich Americans, I used to think educational investment could heal the country’s ills, but I was wrong. Fighting inequality must come first.

 

Mr.Stunt and I made a return trip from Chicago on the California Zephyr. We sat behind a rotary crew removing snow through the Donner Pass after a snow storm.

 

'Why Didn't You Believe in Me?' The Family Reckoning After the College Admissions Scandal

 

 

Edited January 18, 2020 by Cupid Stunt