FIVE SECOND STORIES

7/8-with lo humidity and mild temps, folks are chill-MamaC and LG having a bite together:

LG splooting in a different manner:

Buddy with a beam of sun on his tawny belly:

 

A heart-shaped exposed tree root from Mr. Locust:

C. Caesar

 

Refreshing combo I had not tried- C picked this up from her time in Italy-watermelon with lime:

One of the buns in the Back 40:

Mr. Hydrangea and the daylilies by the bird bath:

The daylily chorus: they began their season 7/4 with a soloist-a single bloom followed by his mates a few days later. While they faded, a couple of late bloomers hidden in the back opened, getting their moment in the sun.

 

7/9-another round of early morning thunderstorms with nice, slow drenching rains giving all a nice drink. We ended up with around 1" and a humid day. Bud sprawled on the loveseat:

Pop-up storms bloomed all around us in the late afternoon-we got a few sprinkles. A dramatic pile to the East:

Happy accident with this pic-I hadn't planned on making the downspout part of the shot as I was concentrating on the cloud. It makes sense though, Mr. Downspout is ready to drain the rain! 

Meanwhile, the battle continues:

 

 7/10-These guys:

 -just bought WK Kellogg Co, makers of cereal, based in Battle Creek.

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Fun vids: 

 

E.T., a 31 year old, 3400 pound Pacific walrus living at the Pointe Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, Tacoma WA, demonstrates his vocalizations:

A green-eyed brown tabby who loves his belly rubs in an unusual manner-such a tolerant kitty!

 

A Starfish walking on aquarium glass:

 

 A world map lake in Denmark:

 

Fun Facts:

 

The Ovitz family-from Wiki: The Ovitz family was a family of Hungarian Jewish actors/traveling musicians originating from present Romania, who survived imprisonment at the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. Most of them were  dwarfs. They were the largest family of dwarfs ever recorded and were the largest family to enter Auschwitz and survive intact; the family of twelve ranged from a 15-month-old baby to a 58-year-old woman. They were rescued from the gas chamber by camp physician Josef Mengele who wanted them for tests and experiments and as a result, kept them alive exclaiming "I now have work for 20 years!"

Meet the Vietnam mouse-deer (aka silver-backed chevrotain), the world's smallest hooved mammal who is only found in Vietnam.

The original costume for Ronald McDonald created and performed by Willard Scott who later became the long-running weatherman for the Today show:

The strange case of Paul Karason who took excessive amounts of colloidal silver to treat acid reflux and arthritis. He developed Argyria, which occurs when silver particles accumulate in the body, particularly in the skin, and react with light, causing a bluish or grayish discoloration.

When I worked at a health food store, we had a customer who had this condition. In her case, she was much bluer-could be the lighting in the store.

Lansing Cricket League-that's right! since 2007, teams have been playing cricket here. In 2023, in partnership with Delta Township, a standard cricket pitch was built at Delta Mills Park which lies along the banks of the Grand River. 

 

It is generally believed that cricket originated as a children's game in the south-eastern counties of England, sometime during the medieval period with the earliest recorded mention in January 1598.

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FUBARland:

History repeats itself 80 years later

Auschwitz with its cynical motto: work will set you free

Alligator Alcatraz located in FL Everglades in a fetid, alligator-infested swamp with no running water. At least Auschwitz had water but then, they wanted to keep the inmates alive so they could "work".

We're Thrown A Bone (of sorts)
TSA, part of DHS, announced that passengers wont have to take off their shoes when going through their airport security. They figure that the scanner will pick up any devices. What's odd is that 20 million people have enrolled in a premium service launched in 2013 for $80/5 years exempting them from the shoe hassle. This will no longer be going into DHS coffers-one wonders if recent participants will be demanding refunds.  

Narcissists in History: While traveling across the Aegean Sea to Rhodes to study oratory (ohh, he was a Rhodes Scholar was he?), a 25-year-old Julius Caesar was kidnapped by Cilician pirates around 75 BC. He was held for ransom, but instead of being intimidated, he treated his captors with disdain, even demanding a higher ransom and threatening to crucify them upon his release. After paying the ransom, he returned with a fleet and had the pirates captured and crucified. 

WTF? You call that a ransom? You insult me!

 

It doesn't matter what tribe or century you research, it's a basic tenet that you cannot have a member in your war council who cannot keep a secret. Neither the drug-addled, demented Roach or his drunken Defense Secretary can keep their effin' mouths shut. 

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Ancient Persian men had a unique approach to decision-making: they would debate important matters both while sober and again while drunk. If the decision was approved in both states, it would be adopted, otherwise, it would be abandoned. This practice, documented by the Greek historian Herodotus, aimed to ensure decisions were both logically sound and emotionally resonant.

This sound like the premise for a British game show from the 80's featuring various levels of competition: Cambridge school boys, Oxford dons, celebrities (think the Graham Norton show), clergy, MPs, professionals, barristers, housewives, pub yobs. Hilarity insures.