12 thoughts on “Sunday Serendipity”

  1. jack, thank you. nice surprise. i was expecting some version of clanking blacksmith hammers against metal, but was greeted with a soothing bassoon sound.

  2.  odd sad story in today’s the guardian:

    At least 1,000 birds died from colliding into a single building in Chicago on Thursday, 5 October, as they migrated south to their wintering grounds. Volunteers are still recovering bird carcasses within 1.5 miles of McCormick Place, the largest convention center in North America, which is largely covered with glass.
    “It’s the tip of an iceberg but it’s it’s a huge, huge amount of birds we found both dead and injured,” said Annette Prince, director of Chicago Bird Collision Monitors, adding that this was the highest number of bird strikes that the group recorded from the grounds of one building in a single day.
    From late Wednesday, 4 October, through early Thursday, 5 October, a peak estimate of 1.5 million birds were in the air over Cook county, home to the Chicago metropolitan area. Carcasses of Tennessee warblers, hermit thrush, American woodcocks and other varieties of songbirds were recovered.
    […]
    Birds dying in large numbers in a small geographic area tends to occur during peak migration periods in spring and fall. Weather conditions like opposing wind, rain and fog can make it difficult for birds to orientate themselves, in addition to light pollution from cities that can draw them in and trap them among deadly structures.
    “Anywhere you’ve got glass, you’re gonna have birds hitting the windows,” said Bryan Lenz at the American Bird Conservancy. Annually, up to a billion birds die due to collisions, and in the case of Chicago, the dead and injured birds were most likely flying from Canada en route to South and Central America.
    Everywhere birds visit, they perform essential ecosystem services that have economic value and are necessary for the functioning of ecosystems. Following major wildfires like those in Canada, birds that return to burned areas can disperse seeds and aid forest landscape regeneration. Global increases in temperatures contribute to the increase in insect populations, and birds that feed on them can help curb the issues that pose a threat for humans and food systems.
    Of all cities in the US, Chicago’s light pollution poses the greatest risk for migrating birds….

    [continues]

    kinda like how mankind is flying into that climate change glass wall they refuse to acknowledge and veer away from in time.

  3. speaking of butting ones head and chicago, big holiday tomorrow

    Happy Indigenous Peoples' Day: Decolonize! (toon) | POCHO

    A Proclamation on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, 2023 | The White House

      On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we honor the perseverance and courage of Indigenous peoples, show our gratitude for the myriad contributions they have made to our world, and renew our commitment to respect Tribal sovereignty and self-determination. 
     The story of America’s Indigenous peoples is a story of their resilience and survival; of their persistent commitment to their right to self-governance; and of their determination to preserve cultures, identities, and ways of life.  Long before European explorers sailed to this continent, Native American and Alaska Native Nations made this land their home, some for thousands of years before the United States was founded.  They built many Nations that created powerful, prosperous, and diverse cultures, and they developed knowledge and practices that still benefit us today.

         But throughout our Nation’s history, Indigenous peoples have faced violence and devastation that has tested their limits.  For generations, it was the shameful policy of our Nation to remove Indigenous peoples from their homelands; force them to assimilate; and ban them from speaking their own languages, passing down ancient traditions, and performing sacred ceremonies.  Countless lives were lost, precious lands were taken, and their way of life was forever changed.  In spite of unimaginable loss and seemingly insurmountable odds, Indigenous peoples have persisted.  They survived.  And they continue to be an integral part of the fabric of the United States.
     Today, Indigenous peoples are a beacon of resilience, strength, and perseverance as well as a source of incredible contributions.  Indigenous peoples and Tribal Nations continue to practice their cultures, remember their heritages, and pass down their histories from generation to generation.  They steward this country’s lands and waters and grow crops that feed all of us.  They serve in the United States military at a higher rate than any other ethnic group.  They challenge all of us to celebrate the good, confront the bad, and tell the whole truth of our history.  And as innovators, educators, engineers, scientists, artists, and leaders in every sector of society, Indigenous peoples contribute to our shared prosperity.  Their diverse cultures and communities today are a testament to the unshakable and unbreakable commitment of many generations to preserve their cultures, identities, and rights to self-governance.  That is why, despite centuries of devastation and turmoil, Tribal Nations continue to thrive and lead in countless ways.
    […]
     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 9, 2023, as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.  I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.  I also direct that the flag of the United States be displayed on all public buildings on the appointed day in honor of our diverse history and the Indigenous peoples who contribute to shaping this Nation.

  5. Zelensky on Israel attack: ‘everyone who values life must stand in solidarity’  | The Hill

    Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned attacks on Israel by Hamas militants in a Saturday post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
    “Today, the entire world saw horrifying videos from Israel. Terrorists humiliate women and men, detain even the elderly, and show no mercy,” Zelensky’s post read. “In the face of such a terrorist strike, everyone who values life must stand in solidarity.”
    “We in Ukraine have a special feeling about what has happened. Thousands of rockets in the Israeli sky… People killed just on the streets… Civilian cars shot through… Detainees being humiliated…,” Zelensky continued. “Our position is crystal clear: anyone who causes terror and death anywhere on the planet must be held accountable. Today’s terrorist attack on Israel was well-planned, and the entire world knows which sponsors of terrorism could have endorsed and enabled its organization.”
    […]
    Zelensky also said Israel “has a right to defend itself against terror” in his post.
    “As any other state,” Zelensky continued. “And it’s critical that the whole world responds to terror in a unified and principled manner.”

  7. Frum on Twitter.
    Twenty minutes on Twitter used to be a lot more valuable than than twenty minutes of cable news. You can still find useful information here, but you have to work vastly harder to find, sift, and block than you did a year ago. Brand X squelches reporting; promotes deception.

  8. Let’s try this again.
    Tomorrow is fly the Indigenous Peoples flags.  I fly the Sami flag of the Indigenous Peoples of Northern Europe because I am the Sami of my fathers family.  That branch of the family tree is still active making new cousins.
     
    There is also the possibility I have Native American genes because I do show NA genes in the DNA testing.  The best guess is my great (4 or 5 back) grandfather, John the Indian.  He would have been Nanticoke or Pokomoke, Pokomoke are a southern branch of the Nanticoke.
     
    Mixing everything up is that the Sami are the ancient ancestors of peoples who decided to check out new housing in the Americas a few tens of thousands years ago.
     
    So the NA DNA could be a result of my Sami ancestors.  Or it could be I am Sami and NA?  As more DNA samples are included in the data base the answer may appear.
     

  10. https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/08/politics/us-intelligence-iran-connection-israel-attack/index.html

    “The Biden administration has yet to find a smoking gun linking Iran directly to planning and executing the attack on Israel this weekend, US officials told CNN on Sunday.”

    “However, there’s no denying Iran’s history of aiding Hamas, officials said.”

    “Iran has, unfortunately, always used and focused its funds on supporting terrorism, on supporting groups like Hamas. And it’s done that when there have been sanctions; it’s done that when there haven’t been sanctions. And it’s always prioritized that,” he said on “Meet the Press.”

    Can we re-freeze those funds?

  11. Can we re-freeze those funds?

    BiD, yes they can, but they haven’t even thawed out yet the first time around and according to blinken yesterday not a penny has been spent. each bill has to pass muster as a humanitarian need.   careful about falling for that GOPer rw propaganda.

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