Eating Cats

The apparent cat-eating frenzy in Ohio (of apparently zero cats) is obviously racist, directed as it is against Haitian immigrants, but it's also misogynist, as it suggests that Childless Cat Ladies are too weak to protect their furbabies. They need big, strong, and hopefully-silent men to flex their muscles in defense. This faux issue is like catnip to MAGA and the GOP, who want to ride to the rescue of the cats after all the battering they've received lately. 

 It's absurd. Who can't see through it? Taylor Swift sees right through it. Vote Democratic.

A Well-Deserved Rest

I was on Folsom Blvd. westbound, waiting for the traffic light to turn green at Power Inn Blvd. during the afternoon rush hour, when the left-turn arrow turned green. Vehicles in the far left-turn lane started turning, but not in the near lane. What was wrong? Apparently the driver had fallen asleep. 

It's been a long day, O Driver! Sleep well. I suspect your rest won't last long.

The Fuckin' New York Times Again

Every day that goes by serves as a reminder about how unfit the New York Times is as a newspaper. On July 11th they issued a denunciation of Trump, but only after denouncing Biden immediately following his June debate performance (the spineless ones realized very, very late that they needed to balance their denunciations in order not to look too biased). 

"The board questioned Trump's morals, character, principles, honesty and fidelity to the law and found him lacking in each category...." 

Despite all these supposedly disqualifying points they still strongly support Trump for the presidency. 

"The case against Mr. Trump is extensive, and this board urges Americans to perform a simple act of civic duty in an election year: Listen to what Mr. Trump is saying, pay attention to what he did as president and allow yourself to truly inhabit what he has promised to do if returned to office." 

What does that statement even mean? Why do we need to "truly inhabit" anything? The New York Times says we should perform every civic duty EXCEPT the ONLY civic duty that will make any difference at all - vote for Kamala Harris! 

Spineless cowards. Abject MAGA slaves. The New York Times makes me ill.

I’m a Grand Uncle!

Atreya was born Saturday afternoon to Aaron and Tiffany in Albuquerque. The little girl was born at 5 lbs., 14 oz.

Connecting the Dots

Connecting the dots between QAnon, the Tenet Media influencers, Michael Flynn, Jill Stein, and Vladimir Putin.

@drhueyli #timpool #jillstein ♬ original sound - Huey Li

Monsoon Rain is Falling in the Sahara

The Atlantic hurricane season this year has so far been rather anemic. The article at the link blames warm waters in the North Atlantic for the situation. The warm waters have shifted the annual monsoon season in Africa farther north. They are receiving rain throughout the Sahara Desert, which happens only rarely. So, the proto-hurricanes that spin off westward from the African coast are passing offshore too far north, and not encountering the warm waters that would get them going.

In normal years the subtropical high pressure area, a heat dome, sits relentlessly over the Sahara. The sands are so reflective, the air so dry and the ground is so hot that heat is actually lost to space over the Sahara under normal conditions. That leads to hot days and cool nights with huge temperature swings especially near the equinoxes. This September’s equinox period will be very abnormal with cooler days, warmer nights and intrusions of tropical air from the African monsoon.

The Sahara wasn’t always a desert. From the beginning of the interglacial period up to 6000 years ago, there were lakes in the Sahara. Megalake Chad and the other Saharan lakes were so large that they kept the climate moist even after the orbital parameters that brought maximum insolation to the Arctic in late spring and early summer ending the last glacial period became less favorable. However, 6000 years ago the solar heating patterns caused by earth’s orbital variations brought more ocean warming to the southern hemisphere and less to the northern hemisphere and the north Atlantic cooled. The cooling of the north Atlantic waters brought on the drying of the Sahara and the desert conditions that have predominated the region for the past 5000 years.

But this summer something is different. The waters of the north Atlantic are relatively hot while the waters of the south Atlantic are relatively cool. And the waters of the Indian ocean on the east coast of Africa are very warm. And the Mediterranean sea is hot. 

The high heat content of the north Atlantic and the Mediterranean sea has affected the atmospheric circulation patterns bringing exceptional heat to far northern Europe and allowing the heat dome over western north Africa to break down, bringing monsoon moisture north into the Sahara desert.

This Tenet/RT Scandal Has Legs

I don’t think the U.S. influencers were duped. They were knowing participants. People don’t hand out money just ‘cause.

@lisaremillard

Dept of Justice says Russians were using US based influencers to unknowingly spread misinformation agead of the 2024 election. The Attorney General released internal documents that describe how the information was supposed to get out.

♬ original sound - 📺The News Girl 📰

"Titanic: The Musical" at the Lincoln Theatre Company

Rachel is here.

 

Closing a Cardiac Chapter

Today's visit to Dr. Xu, my cardiologist (and the busiest man in Sacramento), felt like the closing of a 6.5-year chapter in my life. 

The cardiac chapter opened around Valentine's Day, 2018, on a visit to Albuquerque, NM. I felt unusually tired; just dog-tired. Albuquerque's cold February wind just blew right through me. I blamed a cold virus and the altitude for the fatigue. I returned to Sacramento and had trouble with Zumba and theater rehearsal.

It took several days before dizziness finally brought me to the doctor. I was quickly directed to Sutter Medical Center, where they diagnosed a heart attack, apparently brought on by asymptomatic atrial fibrillation (Afib) - a condition that can also easily cause strokes. It was hard to square something dangerous with the lack of pain.

Not everyone was sure about the diagnosis, however. One of the ER doctors said, "This looks just like a cocaine heart attack." "Really?," I replied. "Yes," he said. He pondered a bit and said, "So, just how much cocaine did you have?" (Even heart attacks are the grist for the humor mill, sometimes.) 

Since 2018, I've been using drugs to (imperfectly) control the Afib. In May of this year, it became evident the drugs weren't working well-enough anymore, so on July 26th I had a catheter ablation procedure to fix the Afib. 

The ablation procedure has a pretty-high failure rate, but so far it seems to be working well. I have worries about various possible failures, but there's apparently little reason to be worried. I mentioned Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) to Dr. Xu, which, according to my advanced medical research on the Internet, is associated with severe dilation of the right atrium, a condition I was diagnosed with. The nurse-practitioner tried to reassure me: "It's not just your right atrium; your left atrium is dilated too." Great!  Dr. Xu said that SCD comes from a dilated ventricle, not a dilated atrium (which puts him at odds with the nether regions of the Internet, but oh well, he's the expert, as well as being the busiest man in Sacramento). 

This visit felt like a definite end, for now anyway. Time to get myself out of here.  I'm normal now.  I'm now feeling nostalgic for this very-poorly but very-aptly-named place, Sutter Medical Center's Invasive Cardiology Clinic. Time to close this door. Maybe later I can tell war stories about all the cocaine I (never) had. Like the song says: "You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here."

My Neighborhood's Bias

In Republican years, my neighborhood precinct goes 88-12 for the Democrat. In Democratic years, my neighborhood precinct goes 90-10 for the Democrat. This feels like a 90-10 year.

 

Tunnels at Jack's Birthday Party

I Find Your Driving Highly Illogical

I've been watching lots of police chases on Facebook Reels. Talk about illogical driving!

 

Jamba Juice Mural

(Near Greenback and Sunrise)

Will Californians Tolerate This Situation For Long?

And so, the Red States want to run things in the United States, but they aren't bringing anything to the table. Do you think Californians are going to tolerate this situation for long?

Planet Doug

A lot like Planet Claire, but with more methane.

"Jersey Boys" at Music Circus - August 30, 2024

I got a call from Gabe. He had four tickets for "Jersey Boys" at Music Circus. Would I be interested? I scrambled to find takers at such short notice. Despite her busy schedule, Rachel was available, which was great. I wasn't able to get anyone for the other two tickets. though.

I found the opening of the show to be offputting.  Apparently, "Oh, What a Night (December, 1963)" inspired a French rap hit in 2002.  Opening the show with a French song confused me.  The rest of the show was great, though, particularly when the hits started to become more familiar.

David Williams played second keyboard in the show's orchestra.  I saw him at intermission.  Good to see him again.

Here is my favorite song Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons ever sang. (Not surprisingly, it's the last, most-discofied hit they ever sang). This song was also the finale of the show.

   

This show is mostly a guys show, but there was a chorus of three women; one of whom was Sacramento's own Jessica Crouch.  Jessie played Francine in the show.  She has become a recognized player on Broadway.  I was impressed hearing that Jessie won the New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) Next Broadway Sensation contest in 2015.  It's tough to win a contest against Broadway's best singers!

I was in "Carnival" with Jessie in 2002 at DMTC.  She played the lead Lily when she was only fifteen years old.  Actually, I didn't recognize her until the show was over - it's been 22 years, after all.  

Here is Jessica Crouch singing "Last Midnight," from Stephen Sondheim's "Into the Woods."

Bringing Back The Oxford Comma

On the evening walk, Jasper insisted on stopping at Neighbor John’s house to see if his dog, Max, was home. No luck. I’m guessing they’re out touring the swing states.

Pineapple Juice

I was perusing the garden section at Target when a mysterious woman in sunglasses and Covid mask began pushing her shopping cart down the rather narrow aisle towards me and my shopping cart. It was pretty obvious to me there wasn’t enough room in the aisle for both shopping carts, but she advanced anyway and crashed into my cart. 

A struggle ensued where she continued ramming my cart and eventually was able to force her way through, but in her haste to escape dropped a six-pack of small cans of pineapple juice on the floor. I picked up the cans, but she fled. 

I took this incident as an omen. The Universe was telling me that I’m not drinking enough pineapple juice. So, despite not being on my shopping list, I purchased the six pack and took it home.

Amazing Satellite View of a Haboob

Technology and War - Such a Frightening Mix!

Just another reason why I’m glad I’m not a Russian mobik in Ukraine.

@cpscott15 #russia #ukraine #thermite #war #putin #drones #putin ♬ original sound - Chad Scott