Random Thoughts

Post by **LarsMac** » Tue Jul 16, 2019 4:52 am

Ahso!;1523919 wrote: Oops! My bad! The 14 million vote difference was in California.

You probably want to recheck those numbers.

I doubt that much more that 14 million Californians actually voted.

Post by **spot** » Tue Jul 16, 2019 5:28 am

LarsMac;1523928 wrote: You probably want to recheck those numbers.

I doubt that much more that 14 million Californians actually voted.

14,181,595 Californians actually voted, that's where the 14 million came from.

The Californian margin for Hillary was 4,269,978, a 30% majority. It only needed to be 1, that's a waste of 4,269,977 votes.

The national majority for Hillary was 2,868,686, 2.1% of the 136,669,276 Americans who actually voted. As with California they were not distributed tactically which is why you have your current cliffhanger of a presidency instead of the more usual sane slaughter of millions of bystanders abroad. I'm quite keen for the novelty to extend four more years.

Post by **LarsMac** » Tue Jul 16, 2019 6:46 am

I am sure that it is much more entertaining to watch the US self-destruct from afar.

Our grandchildren will certainly have a fine mess to clean up.

Post by **spot** » Tue Jul 16, 2019 8:04 am

LarsMac;1523930 wrote: I am sure that it is much more entertaining to watch the US self-destruct from afar.

Our grandchildren will certainly have a fine mess to clean up.

I may have misled myself over the years but from what I have found when looking, you have a federal government which has never gathered meaningful social statistics. The only reason I can give for that is an absence of accurate statistics makes it impossible to demonstrate social ills, and that your federal government wants things that way.

If you-all ever get to the stage of recording adequate national social statistics I'll treat your internal problems with more sympathy.

Post by **spot** » Sun Jul 28, 2019 10:12 am

Did I see several web sites this morning offering encouragement to the bunch of lawbreakers who have been throwing rats over the fence into the Mar-a-Lago grounds overnight, in protest at President Trump's rat-infested attack on Elijah Cummings?

Post by **LarsMac** » Sun Jul 28, 2019 2:51 pm

spot;1524090 wrote: Did I see several web sites this morning offering encouragement to the bunch of lawbreakers who have been throwing rats over the fence into the Mar-a-Lago grounds overnight, in protest at President Trump's rat-infested attack on Elijah Cummings?

I remember when Mar a Lago was a quite beautiful place. I attended a few events there when I was a young lad. The owner was a wonderful patron of the Arts and of education.

Sad to see such vacuous ninnies in possession of it now.

All those new rats should fit right in, these days.

Post by **spot** » Tue Jul 30, 2019 7:14 am

Does anyone else have a problem with leg hair? I might end up trying a cream.

minks · Post by **minks** » Fri Aug 02, 2019 1:17 pm

anyone ever wonder what royals, and people of notoriety, or of historical reference really looked like before the age of camera's? Interesting to think for example all the images of say someone like Henry VIII were just peoples "perception" of him as they painted his portraits.

cars · Post by **cars** » Fri Aug 02, 2019 7:02 pm

minks;1524170 wrote: anyone ever wonder what royals, and people of notoriety, or of historical reference really looked like before the age of camera's? Interesting to think for example all the images of say someone like Henry VIII were just peoples "perception" of him as they painted his portraits.

Camera's show peoples honest true appearance, as camera's don't lie, only people do.

Post by **spot** » Sat Aug 03, 2019 1:11 am

minks;1524170 wrote: anyone ever wonder what royals, and people of notoriety, or of historical reference really looked like before the age of camera's? Interesting to think for example all the images of say someone like Henry VIII were just peoples "perception" of him as they painted his portraits.

Henry VIII's portraitist Holbein certainly met the king frequently, I've no doubt the likeness is sufficient that if you time-travelled back you'd recognize Henry immediately. The propaganda part of the portraits is in the background, what he's wearing and how fit he looks.

You can guarantee that no portrait of Jesus bears the slightest resemblance to anyone except perhaps the portraitist's brother-in-law, and the same would apply to any Tyburn villain, to Mab the Queen of the Fairies and to every Greek of the Ancient world. I'm prepared to believe that we have a proper likeness of Julius Caesar and his nephew Octavius, and a few coffin portraits from Egypt.

With regard to "perception", how does that problem pre-camera go away when someone paints a portrait today? Isn't that still an identical issue?

Patsy Warnick · Post by **Patsy Warnick** » Sat Aug 03, 2019 5:50 pm

The Gold Course cut down a large fir tree - On Thursday I'm in my backyard and there sitting on the gold course was a large Owl - wondering where his tree went??

Friday I'm in my backyard & there sitting on my rod iron fence was this large owl.

Actually scared me - I quietly go get may hubby & we watched this incredible lift-off & a wing span of a airplane - very cool.

I'll check again tonight - in about a hour.

Patsy

cars · Post by **cars** » Sun Aug 04, 2019 8:55 am

Patsy Warnick;1524185 wrote: The Gold Course cut down a large fir tree - On Thursday I'm in my backyard and there sitting on the gold course was a large Owl - wondering where his tree went??

Friday I'm in my backyard & there sitting on my rod iron fence was this large owl.

Actually scared me - I quietly go get may hubby & we watched this incredible lift-off & a wing span of a airplane - very cool.

I'll check again tonight - in about a hour.

Patsy

Sounds something like a human sometimes encounters. Living in a house one day, and poof, another day, homeless. (:

Post by **LarsMac** » Sun Aug 04, 2019 9:45 am

So once again, the First Amendment is under attack.

Republicans in many states introduce laws that would prohibit public protests.

Is your state one of them?

This needs to be fought in every state.

Post by **spot** » Sun Aug 04, 2019 10:58 am

I wonder which will turn out to be more repressive this decade, the Chinese authority in Hong Kong or the police in America.

Post by **LarsMac** » Sun Aug 04, 2019 6:24 pm

spot;1524197 wrote: I wonder which will turn out to be more repressive this decade, the Chinese authority in Hong Kong or the police in America.

These days, I think that the Chinese might prove to be more civilized.

magentaflame · Post by **magentaflame** » Sun Aug 04, 2019 8:51 pm

Do you guys have willy wag tails? I swear I'm bringing out the sling shot (yes I know it's illegal),,, but seriously the neighbours are beginning to ask questions as to why the dog won't shut up. It stirs him up deliberately, always just out of jaw snapping reach.

Post by **LarsMac** » Mon Aug 05, 2019 6:37 am

I had to go look that up.

Um, no, we don't have any of those.

Post by **spot** » Mon Aug 05, 2019 7:19 am

I've not looked it up but I reckon they're magpies.

Post by **LarsMac** » Mon Aug 05, 2019 8:18 am

spot;1524231 wrote: I've not looked it up but I reckon they're magpies.

They are a type of FanTail, a Genus that seems particular to the Southeastern Asian/Oceania part of the world.

Though the behavior of this wagtail sounds similar to a bird we have in the Southwestern US and Mexico, called a Roadrunner.

Patsy Warnick · Post by **Patsy Warnick** » Mon Aug 05, 2019 12:10 pm

Roadrunner's are rare now..

Patsy

Post by **spot** » Mon Aug 05, 2019 12:33 pm

Patsy Warnick;1524233 wrote: Roadrunner's are rare now..

Patsy

I've never seen a roadrunner even on paper. I just googled an image. That is the most primitive bird on the planet. That's a dinosaur of a bird.

Patsy Warnick · Post by **Patsy Warnick** » Mon Aug 05, 2019 3:53 pm

Spot

I live on a golf course - we use to see the dinosaur of a bird frequently.

very few around now.

It's AZ State Bird.

Patsy

cars · Post by **cars** » Tue Sep 10, 2019 9:43 am

I can't help but wonder, with the Donald being the way he is, why is he so likely to get in again? Last election, many people didn't vote for him, they just voted against Hillary!

minks · Post by **minks** » Tue Sep 10, 2019 10:38 am

for all the wild life lovers out there, how about a few bobcats.

We literally play where's waldo with these guys. The rabbit and squirrel populations is super high this year so who strolls the city streets... bobcats. Cheeky cats, they don't care if it is a rabbit or a chihuahua, it's fair game to them. We have singulars, and families all over the city this year.

On average they leave humans alone, but have been known to attack small children, and steal small dogs.

But ... this beats a skunk infestation, we had that a few years ago.

We see all kinds of wildlife in our area, this years along with the bob's have been bears, yeah strolling the city streets in a few neighborhoods.

In the past we have had, deer, coyotes, cougars, of course the bobs, skunks, beavers, bears, all kinds of cool creatures follow the river ways and often wander off track into the residential areas.

magentaflame · Post by **magentaflame** » Wed Sep 11, 2019 1:12 am

Lights....changing the behaviour of our nocturnal creatures . We keep lighting up the planet and changing wildlife. did you know that penguins go into the sea exactly 82 minutes after sunset and come out of the sea 54 minutes before sunrise? Put street lights near them and you've stuffed around with their biology .

minks · Post by **minks** » Thu Sep 12, 2019 9:24 am

yep you are so right there Magenta. We are encroaching more and more onto our wildlife.

Here in my city, we have 2 major rivers flowing through the city and the wildlife just naturally follows those. Then find themselves in the city for an amazing smorgasbord of food, from small domestic pets, to garbage (and to the wildlife that idiots insist upon feeding ie bunnies, and squirrels) and why would any animal leave when it is easy pickin's like that.

Silly humans

Post by **spot** » Thu Sep 12, 2019 11:18 am

If you send us a few wolves and bears we can solve our seagull and truancy problems.

Does your city have seagulls? I know which it is, I'm just not naming it in the thread.

magentaflame · Post by **magentaflame** » Fri Sep 13, 2019 5:30 pm

You want to use wolves and bears to combat truancy?....You're a harsh man lol

Post by **spot** » Sat Sep 14, 2019 2:50 am

magentaflame;1525125 wrote: You want to use wolves and bears to combat truancy?....You're a harsh man lol

It's in the bible. He turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.

Nobody played truant when Elisha was around.

magentaflame · Post by **magentaflame** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 2:01 pm

spot;1525134 wrote: It's in the bible. He turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.

Nobody played truant when Elisha was around.

I would put a smiley laughing face here but it appears I can no longer post pics or even the forums own icon/ smileys.

FourPart · Post by **FourPart** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 2:10 pm

Not forgetting the Contitutional Right to Arm Bears.

magentaflame · Post by **magentaflame** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 2:25 pm

I bought one of those stickers when I went to the great lost bear bar in Maine. I've still got it two decades later.

Post by **spot** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 2:46 pm

magentaflame;1525234 wrote: I would put a smiley laughing face here but it appears I can no longer post pics or even the forums own icon/ smileys.

We're a bit degraded here. The management apologises.

magentaflame · Post by **magentaflame** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 2:56 pm

Accepted.

cars · Post by **cars** » Wed Jan 22, 2020 12:31 pm

At Last A good Trump Joke: The President is walking out of the White house towards his limo, when a possible assassin steps forward and aims a gun. A Secret Service agent, "new" on the job, shouts "Mickey Mouse! This startles the would be assassin and he is captured. Later, the Secret service agent's supervisor takes him aside and asks, What the in hell made you shout Mickey Mouse? Blushing, the new Agent replies, "I got nervous", I meant to shout Donald Duck !

Hope6 · Post by **Hope6** » Thu Mar 26, 2020 6:14 pm

Wandrin;1520858 wrote: It was a beautiful day. I was sitting outside on the patio enjoying a quiet cup of coffee when a mockingbird started up in a tree on one side of the yard. It was annoying. Still, I tried to enjoy my coffee. Then another mockingbird started up on the other side. They didn't take turns, they tried to drown each other out. It was very very annoying.

I was about the give up and go inside, when there was sudden blissful silence. It wasn't just the mockingbirds who fell silent, it was everything including squirrels. From experience, I knew that there was only one reason for that. I looked, and up in the highest tree, I could see the hawk. I was very thankful and quietly enjoyed the rest of my coffee.

I was sitting on my front porch last spring, I have a lot of Azalias around my house, the birds were singing and there was a nest that to birds had in one bush. All at once the bush started shaking, I go to see and there was a snake curled up in the bush, my first thought was BABY BIRDS!!! so I grab my hoe that I always keep by the front porch and proceeded to shake the bush. The snake had enough of that and fell on the ground and took off like a flash!

Hope6 · Post by **Hope6** » Thu Mar 26, 2020 6:21 pm

Patsy Warnick;1520891 wrote: My friend has a doggy door - her yard is fully fenced (Block wall).

Coyotes climbed the wall & killed her dog.

I watched a hawk swoop down grab a rabbit & then sat on my fence. hawk had the rabbit it it's talon and started plucking the fur off.

The hawk then tried to fly up to the fir tree but couldn't carry the rabbit. Other hawks help get the rabbit to the fir tree.

Then all the hawks started to pluck the fur - it looked like it was snowing. very cool

Patsy

We have coyotes here now too. I worry about them quite a bit. We have 5 dogs, 4 outside dogs and one little cockapoo, she lives in the house with us. I never let her outside alone, but we also have cattle and my cousin who lives here on the farm also has goats. Sometimes calves disappear and sometimes goats disappear too.

I never let Jake outside to play by himself when he was little, I just began to let him go outside some by himself in the last couple of years.

FourPart · Post by **FourPart** » Fri Mar 27, 2020 4:39 pm

Hope6;1531690 wrote: I was sitting on my front porch last spring, I have a lot of Azalias around my house, the birds were singing and there was a nest that to birds had in one bush. All at once the bush started shaking, I go to see and there was a snake curled up in the bush, my first thought was BABY BIRDS!!! so I grab my hoe that I always keep by the front porch and proceeded to shake the bush. The snake had enough of that and fell on the ground and took off like a flash!

Harsh as it may sound, you just deprived a snake of its lunch. Nature can be cruel.

Hope6 · Post by **Hope6** » Fri Mar 27, 2020 8:16 pm

FourPart;1531714 wrote: Harsh as it may sound, you just deprived a snake of its lunch. Nature can be cruel.

Well, I figure let him go find a rat or a mouse, something that is a pest. Those little baby birds had done nothing to nobody.

theia · Post by **theia** » Tue Jun 09, 2020 5:08 am

Wishing I could recall the name of the poster who very kindly designed my avatar. It must have been back in 2006/7, or earlier, so I don’t stand a chance of remembering her name

Post by **spot** » Tue Jun 09, 2020 10:23 am

theia wrote: ↑Tue Jun 09, 2020 5:08 am Wishing I could recall the name of the poster who very kindly designed my avatar. It must have been back in 2006/7, or earlier, so I don’t stand a chance of remembering her name

"Theia" from Robert Graves' The Great Myths and the avatar courtesy of Babygirl who kindly designed several for FG members based on their likes and preferences

theia · Post by **theia** » Tue Jun 09, 2020 11:41 am

That’s her, spot, thank you so much

cars · Post by **cars** » Sun Jul 05, 2020 8:06 am

Back in the day the slogan was: Click it or Ticket

Today, the slogan should be: Mask it or Casket

Post by **spot** » Sun Jul 05, 2020 8:35 am

That's very appropriate, yes.

magentaflame · Post by **magentaflame** » Sun Jul 05, 2020 2:32 pm

minks wrote: ↑Fri Aug 02, 2019 1:17 pm anyone ever wonder what royals, and people of notoriety, or of historical reference really looked like before the age of camera's? Interesting to think for example all the images of say someone like Henry VIII were just peoples "perception" of him as they painted his portraits.

I don't know. I'd say they are pretty accurate he suffered from severe gout, inflammation of the legs, which thrombosis would have been a concern . That all comes from a very rich diet and obesity.
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/42041766/ns/t ... wJHSygzbIU

cars · Post by **cars** » Thu Jul 09, 2020 9:38 am

Can't understand why some people are so dumb and will fight not to wear a mask! Especially since their lives can depend on it!

Post by **LarsMac** » Thu Jul 09, 2020 12:58 pm

cars wrote: ↑Thu Jul 09, 2020 9:38 am Can't understand why some people are so dumb and will fight not to wear a mask! Especially since their lives can depend on it!

I'm with ya, there.
It is astounding how many people will argue against the idea.
It will be a long summer.

magentaflame · Post by **magentaflame** » Sun Jul 12, 2020 7:38 pm

LarsMac wrote: ↑Thu Jul 09, 2020 12:58 pm
cars wrote: ↑Thu Jul 09, 2020 9:38 am Can't understand why some people are so dumb and will fight not to wear a mask! Especially since their lives can depend on it!
I'm with ya, there.
It is astounding how many people will argue against the idea.
It will be a long summer.

It's being strenuously suggested in Melbourne to wear masks in public ....short of being told they have to. I can understand in summer it must be very uncomfortable to wear but it's winter here you'd think people wouldn't mind a warm nose. We are still seeing people trying to leave Melbourne.

AlexCaro · Post by **AlexCaro** » Mon Aug 24, 2020 8:12 pm

Have you ever wondered how your voice sounds to other people?

Post by **Bryn Mawr** » Tue Aug 25, 2020 4:14 am

AlexCaro wrote: ↑Mon Aug 24, 2020 8:12 pm Have you ever wondered how your voice sounds to other people?

Yes, and having heard recordings I hate it.