General Discussion Thread

[Oripoke]

I think the coastal cities here are starting to notice the water rising.

But then, in the USA the cities tend to run liberal, anyway; though how this managed to become a left-right issue is confounding to me -- well, I suppose the right thinks of it as having to do with government regulations; that may have something to do with it.

Climate change was actually a bipartisan issue until about the mid-2000s, when right-wing lobbying groups funded by oil companies (esp. the Koch brothers) donated massive amounts of funds to any Republican candidate that denied climate change, and made sure that any remaining Republicans who still spoke about it as a serious issue were defeated in their primaries. Because there are so few checks on corporate influence in politics, it's possible to essentially buy elections. So climate change denial became a central plank of the Republican party ideology.

Ironically, most national security experts agree that climate change and extreme weather events pose a serious threat to our national security. For all that the right-wing is in favor of funding the military, they seem content to ignore the biggest threat that will inevitably lead to hundreds if not thousands of preventable deaths per year due to hurricanes, flooding, wildfires, etc.

[wavewright62]

Thorny, Ragnarok and Oripoke make some excellent points about the recent trends.  However, there's a long-standing tradition in the US and in its politics in particular, to distrust the highly educated.  "Egghead" can be a career-killing insult - just ask Adlai Stevenson, defeated by "I like Ike" Dwight Eisenhower. 
"East Coast elite." "West Coast wackos." "Went to college and thinks they know everything." "Bull S***, More S***, Piled Higher and Deeper." "Lies, Damn Lies, Statistics."
Bill Clinton was able to get away with his status as a Rhodes Scholar only through his good ol' boy affability, and the overall tendency of many urban Americans to hear a drawling accent as indicative of low intellect.  An avid reader may be told to go outside and get some fresh air and exercise, but you never hear an athlete being told to go inside and read a book already. 

[Róisín]

I've done the first day of the Gumeracha  Mediæval Fair today, and it was excellent fun. Good audience for the storytelling, adults and little kids both, and lots of catching up with people I haven't seen for years. Cold bleak weather, but I don't mind because we have had rain! For awhile it looked as if we wouldn't be able to have cooking fires and the blacksmiths and silversmiths would be unable to operate their forges, but we got permission to light fires once the rain began. Same thing at the Mylor English Ale, where they will now be able to have their torchlight procession and the traditional enormous bonfire, now that it has rained! I am looking forward to tomorrow.

[Róisín]

Back from the last day of the Fair. Had an excellent time, much music, storytelling and good talk. Caught up with friends I haven't seen in far too long, met some interesting new people, generally had fun. Now home, tired and cold and sore but very happy. I have some photos which I will try to put up on the reenactment thread, including of the soon to be replaced longship 'Little Viking' (now wouldn't that amuse Emil and Sigrun), and of several of our craftspeople at work. One of the woodworkers has figured out how to build a kantele, and a musician had a pandoura - beautiful sounds! Can't wait for next year!

[urbicande]

Neeeeeeeed.....sleeeeeeeep

[refract3d]

Neeeeeeeed.....sleeeeeeeep

Mmm yes I agree sleep is nice...
Just got back from my second year going to the primitive skills gathering, still loving it, made some more mead and learned a little more about it since I had more informed questions this year. I also got to play with plant-based dyes (which are really fun and make things Pretty Colors) and made paint from rocks. I don't know exactly what I'm gonna do with all these new skills but I enjoy the feeling of connectedness to millennia of human prehistory and nature. Hopefully nature will stick around more or less in its current form long enough for it to be relevant... or else I guess everyone will need to learn a new set of skills for a different world. (I'm a little half-asleep right now so this might not be the most coherent but I can't think what to change right now)

Also I still do basic leathercraft (sewing small bags etc) which I learned there last year and really enjoy, so who knows! Might have some more hobbies on my endless list. And a few more wild plants to eat.

[Róisín]

refract3d, that sounds great. I’m teaching a foraging class today, wild food plants mostly. And going down to Meadows in a few weeks to run some classes on mead-making and mulled wine. Isn’t it the best fun? My household is presently enjoying my last year’s brewings of mead and rosehip wine, and this year I will be making my first lot of mead from my recently acquired beehive. So nice to have bees again, and they are doing well.

[Lenny]

It's raining a TON today! Which is great, it hasn't for a while, and this country and its plants/animals are kind of built for regular rain. I cleaned off my balcony and the living room balcony (from when our big chicken was living on them - had gotten rid of all the loose stuff, but some things just stick until they get wet, and I hadn't had a chance to get the hose out yet - rain is perfect for that UuU), and I've re-potted a lot of my plants! I still need to scrounge up a big pot for a rose I got from my grandparents - it was one of four, and three of the four died almost immediately, but this one hung on and is getting rather big now. I'm also rooting a ficus cutting, it's going slowly but it's going :>

The only not so nice thing is that public transport is having a strike today, and of course today is the one day that it's raining cats and dogs X3 I have to bike to work in a bit, and I'm going to get absolutely soaked.

Also, chickens are living together very nicely now! I made the small ones an extra nest the big one can't get into so they can lay their eggs in peace if needed, and any pecking going on is purely "hey, remember I'm in charge, not you". They're all pretty comfortable with everything now, and we're getting at least 2 eggs per day. Been able to get them regular greens, too, since everything is growing so well everywhere :>

It's soooo nice to be able to look after plants and animals without them dying on me :'> I was awful at it when I was younger, and no one bothered to teach me properly. Glad I've been able to turn that around<3

Neeeeeeeed.....sleeeeeeeep

Uuuuuh I do need a lot more of this though :''''D I kind of had almost nothing over the weekend due to a project that was due Sunday midnight.

[Purple Wyrm]

My local bridge claims another victim!

[Róisín]

We had a tour bus stuck under the Aldgate rail bridge awhile ago. Some genius thought to let the tyres down and it was able to cautiously drive out.

[wavewright62]

We had a tour bus stuck under the Aldgate rail bridge awhile ago. Some genius thought to let the tyres down and it was able to cautiously drive out.

I'll bet they learnt that trick from Thomas the Tank Engine. *nods sagely*

[Purple Wyrm]

We had a tour bus stuck under the Aldgate rail bridge awhile ago. Some genius thought to let the tyres down and it was able to cautiously drive out.

Reminds me of the story of someone who came across a man attacking the arch of a low stone bridge with a sledgehammer. On being asked why, he indicated that his mule's ears were too tall for it to fit under. On being advised that it would be easier to dig a trench to get the mule through, he explained that it wouldn't work, because it was the mule's ears that were too tall, not its legs too long.

[JoB]

My local bridge claims another victim!

Congratulations, but keep working on your performance. With 14 crashes in a single year (1997), we seem to have the more productive idiots here. C:-)

[Purple Wyrm]

Congratulations, but keep working on your performance. With 14 crashes in a single year (1997), we seem to have the more productive idiots here. C:-)

*Looks into hiring a truck*

[refract3d]

Congratulations, but keep working on your performance. With 14 crashes in a single year (1997), we seem to have the more productive idiots here. C:-)

 :'D oh dear!

 

refract3d, that sounds great. I’m teaching a foraging class today, wild food plants mostly. And going down to Meadows in a few weeks to run some classes on mead-making and mulled wine. Isn’t it the best fun? My household is presently enjoying my last year’s brewings of mead and rosehip wine, and this year I will be making my first lot of mead from my recently acquired beehive. So nice to have bees again, and they are doing well.

It's very fun! That sounds lovely. I think I'm going to make a few batches of mead for my friends and family as well Just have to stop by the brewstore for some things...

In other news, weather is very strange and a bit scary. Just got back from a work trip (which was pretty nice until someone knifed our trailer tire) and we dodged what was supposed to be a storm with giant hail... made it back only to get stuck in another storm 6 hours away with still pretty large hail. Very loud. There have been far more tornado warnings than normal around here, too...