...
...
https://www.liberation.fr/debats/2020/08/31/les-limites-de-vladimir-poutine_1798192
Monday, August 31, 2020
Bielorus
A view from Europe:
...
...
https://www.liberation.fr/debats/2020/08/31/les-limites-de-vladimir-poutine_1798192
...
...
https://www.liberation.fr/debats/2020/08/31/les-limites-de-vladimir-poutine_1798192
Sunday, August 30, 2020
Eco Bubbles
source: Le Devoir
author: Alexis Riopel, August 29, 2020
translation: GoogleTranslate/doxa-louise
“Bubbles isn't a concept we really use, but I can see the analogy. »Biologist Jacques Brisson runs a laboratory devoted to plant dynamics. The swelling (of populations), the implosion (of biodiversity) and the bubbling (of invasive species) are part of his daily considerations. And the metaphor of bubbles does not displease him.
“We can speak of a 'bubble' that was there before European colonization. The flora was in balance. With transport and travel, we brought a lot of plants from Europe, Asia and elsewhere, voluntarily or involuntarily, ”he says. These contributions have upset the relationships between native species, especially where the human imprint is deep, such as in southern Quebec.
When two bubbles merge, the shock is first brutal. Then a new balance can be created. Some species, like the daisy, integrate into their new environment and render useful ecological services. But sometimes the mixture is toxic. Specimens take advantage of this new domaine to inflate, inflate, inflate.
This is particularly the case of the common reed, also called phragmite, which is one of Mr. Brisson's favorite subjects. This herb detected in Quebec under its exotic shape for the first time at the beginning of XX th century, now colonizes agricultural ditches and edges of the province highway. Its stems, which can measure five meters in height, cover the ground so densely that all competition is crushed.
"It is the most widespread plant on the planet", points out the scientist, member of the Institute for Research in Plant Biology affiliated with the University of Montreal. We find native subspecies of common reed on all continents (except Antarctica), but some particularly virulent veins have jumped the oceans and invaded new horizons. Vessels releasing their ballast water likely introduced the problematic strain to North America.
Visit to the Boucherville Islands
Whoever wants to navigate in a mass of common reed must know how to make their way. “Long live the deer,” says biologist Kim Marineau, who accompanies Le Devoir in the tall grass of the Boucherville Islands to look for Phragmites. On this archipelago fifteen kilometers downstream from downtown Montreal, it is best to follow a corridor cleared by these deer to observe the conquering perennial from within its gains.
When we reach our destination, we see long, flat leaves stretching out all around us towards the sky. The soil, slightly sunken, must be very wet in the spring, our guide believes. “It starts like this, in a place where water collects,” she said. Then the colony can extend several meters per year, and possibly settle in dry environments. "
Biodiversité conseil, the company headed by Ms. Marineau, offers description services for natural environments, produces inventories of flora and fauna and draws up conservation plans. In addition, it fights invasive alien species, such as the common reed, and helps prevent its spread.
“In some places, we try to intervene,” explains the specialist. You have to dig four meters, remove all the soil that could contain roots, then install a geotextile canvas. A few years later, we remove the canvas and we can reforest. "
Before becoming a national park in 1984, the Boucherville Islands were used as agricultural land. However, says the biologist, not all the plots were immediately renaturalized: this left plenty of room for the reed to inflate its bubble. A single small piece of the plant, moved with the help of the archipelago's hydrographic network or road works, can give rise to a new colony.
Small bubbles
In addition to tackling the perverse effects of the bursting of ecological bubbles that once separated the continents, Ms. Marineau also tries to curb the fragmentation of habitats on a smaller scale. The objective here is the opposite: by connecting the isolated bubbles of nature, she hopes that the local fauna will be able to move as freely as possible on the territory.
"When we go below the 30% threshold of natural environments in a territory, ecological connectivity is degraded," she explains. All the species with large home ranges disappear, then slowly there is an erosion of biodiversity. "
Snakes and squirrels, for example, need green corridors to move from one bubble to another without risking falling prey to a predator. And even if the resources of their island can sometimes be sufficient to feed them in the short term, genetic exchanges with neighbors are essential in the long term.
In recent years, Ms. Marineau has contributed to the design of a large biodiversity corridor in the Borough of Saint-Laurent, in Montreal, the creation of which will take place over 20 years. She is currently working on a similar project in Rosemont – La Petite-Patrie.
While agricultural environments in the St. Lawrence Valley suffer from serious ecological connectivity problems, the problem does not spare more wooded regions either. The biologist gives the example of the southern Laurentians, between Saint-Jérôme and Mont-Tremblant Park: even if this area is over 80% covered with trees, there are essentially no more “interior forests”. »located more than 200 meters from a road, which makes it an unlivable environment for several animal species.
Arrangements are possible to limit the damage, but Ms. Marineau believes above all that urban sprawl must stop as soon as possible. “There cannot be infinite houses on a finite territory, in which we also want agriculture and natural environments accessible to humans. At some point, our quest is going to have to be different from that of the current model, ”she says.
The fragmentation of habitats is a problem all the more crucial as, in the coming decades, animal and plant populations will have to migrate little by little towards the north. “Normally, several species could not get out of their bubble or enter ours because of climatic constraints, underlines Jacques Brisson, but climate change is opening the way for new species. "
author: Alexis Riopel, August 29, 2020
translation: GoogleTranslate/doxa-louise
Bubbles form, others burst
“Bubbles isn't a concept we really use, but I can see the analogy. »Biologist Jacques Brisson runs a laboratory devoted to plant dynamics. The swelling (of populations), the implosion (of biodiversity) and the bubbling (of invasive species) are part of his daily considerations. And the metaphor of bubbles does not displease him.
“We can speak of a 'bubble' that was there before European colonization. The flora was in balance. With transport and travel, we brought a lot of plants from Europe, Asia and elsewhere, voluntarily or involuntarily, ”he says. These contributions have upset the relationships between native species, especially where the human imprint is deep, such as in southern Quebec.
When two bubbles merge, the shock is first brutal. Then a new balance can be created. Some species, like the daisy, integrate into their new environment and render useful ecological services. But sometimes the mixture is toxic. Specimens take advantage of this new domaine to inflate, inflate, inflate.
This is particularly the case of the common reed, also called phragmite, which is one of Mr. Brisson's favorite subjects. This herb detected in Quebec under its exotic shape for the first time at the beginning of XX th century, now colonizes agricultural ditches and edges of the province highway. Its stems, which can measure five meters in height, cover the ground so densely that all competition is crushed.
"It is the most widespread plant on the planet", points out the scientist, member of the Institute for Research in Plant Biology affiliated with the University of Montreal. We find native subspecies of common reed on all continents (except Antarctica), but some particularly virulent veins have jumped the oceans and invaded new horizons. Vessels releasing their ballast water likely introduced the problematic strain to North America.
Visit to the Boucherville Islands
Whoever wants to navigate in a mass of common reed must know how to make their way. “Long live the deer,” says biologist Kim Marineau, who accompanies Le Devoir in the tall grass of the Boucherville Islands to look for Phragmites. On this archipelago fifteen kilometers downstream from downtown Montreal, it is best to follow a corridor cleared by these deer to observe the conquering perennial from within its gains.
When we reach our destination, we see long, flat leaves stretching out all around us towards the sky. The soil, slightly sunken, must be very wet in the spring, our guide believes. “It starts like this, in a place where water collects,” she said. Then the colony can extend several meters per year, and possibly settle in dry environments. "
Biodiversité conseil, the company headed by Ms. Marineau, offers description services for natural environments, produces inventories of flora and fauna and draws up conservation plans. In addition, it fights invasive alien species, such as the common reed, and helps prevent its spread.
“In some places, we try to intervene,” explains the specialist. You have to dig four meters, remove all the soil that could contain roots, then install a geotextile canvas. A few years later, we remove the canvas and we can reforest. "
Before becoming a national park in 1984, the Boucherville Islands were used as agricultural land. However, says the biologist, not all the plots were immediately renaturalized: this left plenty of room for the reed to inflate its bubble. A single small piece of the plant, moved with the help of the archipelago's hydrographic network or road works, can give rise to a new colony.
Small bubbles
In addition to tackling the perverse effects of the bursting of ecological bubbles that once separated the continents, Ms. Marineau also tries to curb the fragmentation of habitats on a smaller scale. The objective here is the opposite: by connecting the isolated bubbles of nature, she hopes that the local fauna will be able to move as freely as possible on the territory.
"When we go below the 30% threshold of natural environments in a territory, ecological connectivity is degraded," she explains. All the species with large home ranges disappear, then slowly there is an erosion of biodiversity. "
Snakes and squirrels, for example, need green corridors to move from one bubble to another without risking falling prey to a predator. And even if the resources of their island can sometimes be sufficient to feed them in the short term, genetic exchanges with neighbors are essential in the long term.
In recent years, Ms. Marineau has contributed to the design of a large biodiversity corridor in the Borough of Saint-Laurent, in Montreal, the creation of which will take place over 20 years. She is currently working on a similar project in Rosemont – La Petite-Patrie.
While agricultural environments in the St. Lawrence Valley suffer from serious ecological connectivity problems, the problem does not spare more wooded regions either. The biologist gives the example of the southern Laurentians, between Saint-Jérôme and Mont-Tremblant Park: even if this area is over 80% covered with trees, there are essentially no more “interior forests”. »located more than 200 meters from a road, which makes it an unlivable environment for several animal species.
Arrangements are possible to limit the damage, but Ms. Marineau believes above all that urban sprawl must stop as soon as possible. “There cannot be infinite houses on a finite territory, in which we also want agriculture and natural environments accessible to humans. At some point, our quest is going to have to be different from that of the current model, ”she says.
The fragmentation of habitats is a problem all the more crucial as, in the coming decades, animal and plant populations will have to migrate little by little towards the north. “Normally, several species could not get out of their bubble or enter ours because of climatic constraints, underlines Jacques Brisson, but climate change is opening the way for new species. "
Friday, August 28, 2020
Business Unusual
Forbes is concerned with the US Fed allowing some inflation over 2% in
the near future. Not clear to anyone what they mean by this ie how it will
be implemented
* * *
Canada just joined the ranks of the hard hit in the second quarter, for CNN.
Timingis everything, and the UK is doing worst of all while the US is cutting
support programs in August, and should expect grim results.
* * *
https://www.ledevoir.com/economie/584979/le-pib-canadien-s-est-contracte-de-38-7-au-deuxieme-trimestre-un-record
Thursday, August 27, 2020
Laura
Some 25 depressions are expected this hurricane season (June 1 to
November 30) in the US. Laura is number 12, at a date close to that of
Katrina which had been so destructive to New Orleans.
https://www.lapresse.ca/international/etats-unis/2020-08-26/laura-touche-terre-en-louisiane-retrograde-en-categorie-2.php
* * *
Somebody was sure to say it: California has bad fires fires because it
doesn't clean out its underbrush. A rather big job, actually!
https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/08/26/why-california-is-experiencing-its-worst-fires-on-record
November 30) in the US. Laura is number 12, at a date close to that of
Katrina which had been so destructive to New Orleans.
* * *
Somebody was sure to say it: California has bad fires fires because it
doesn't clean out its underbrush. A rather big job, actually!
https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/08/26/why-california-is-experiencing-its-worst-fires-on-record
Wednesday, August 26, 2020
Lightning Fast
Lightning is actually discharge from static electricity. Static e -as
opposed to current - is the accunulation of charges on otherwise
neutral objects. It occurs when the potential difference has become very high.
A typical lightning strike will start from the cloud underbelly, and create zigs
and zags as it looks for a match from the ground. When it meets a positive flow
from the ground, maybe 100 meters high at most, then the actual highly luminescent
form of the standard lightning rod will appear. This rod is also incadescent because the
air around it becomes very hot. This major branch will then be the path for
various subsequent bursts.
Voilà! I'm startig to get a notion of how lightning forms and occurs. Would be
neat to do a little visual visual on all this...sort of a slow motion lightning event.
Because the real thing happens in a very short time frame.
Below, from Discovery Channel:
A notion more in use in temperate climates: that of storm cell, withn
which lightning and thunder are events. This storm is over in 30 minutes
because heat convection is no longer sustainable, once the ground is wet
from precipitation.
opposed to current - is the accunulation of charges on otherwise
neutral objects. It occurs when the potential difference has become very high.
A typical lightning strike will start from the cloud underbelly, and create zigs
and zags as it looks for a match from the ground. When it meets a positive flow
from the ground, maybe 100 meters high at most, then the actual highly luminescent
form of the standard lightning rod will appear. This rod is also incadescent because the
air around it becomes very hot. This major branch will then be the path for
various subsequent bursts.
Voilà! I'm startig to get a notion of how lightning forms and occurs. Would be
neat to do a little visual visual on all this...sort of a slow motion lightning event.
Because the real thing happens in a very short time frame.
Below, from Discovery Channel:
A notion more in use in temperate climates: that of storm cell, withn
which lightning and thunder are events. This storm is over in 30 minutes
because heat convection is no longer sustainable, once the ground is wet
from precipitation.
Monday, August 24, 2020
Textbook
Are we being sissies about waiting for Phase 3 results
before allowing any vaccination. In the news today, China
has been vaccinating some people, of course, since July: border
patrol and health workers. Which with Russia brings a good chunk of
Asia going ahead.
I have to admit I find this prospect alluring. Hard to tell without
being fully in on the reserch, but I do recall reading that an earlier
Sars phase 3 trial had shown that the vaccine in that case had augmented
transmission. Could that not be bcause the vaccinated became bolder.
A vaccine does not stop one from 'getting it'; it just helps the body fight the virus
off. So the vaccinated might well be gettig it more, but in turn, not enough
for themselves becoming agents of transmission. Makes sense...
I sometimes feel we are being forced into the textbook case, rather than the
textbook serving us during an economically catastrophic pandemic!!
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/24/china-has-been-giving-potential-coronavirus-vaccine-to-key-workers-since-july
before allowing any vaccination. In the news today, China
has been vaccinating some people, of course, since July: border
patrol and health workers. Which with Russia brings a good chunk of
Asia going ahead.
I have to admit I find this prospect alluring. Hard to tell without
being fully in on the reserch, but I do recall reading that an earlier
Sars phase 3 trial had shown that the vaccine in that case had augmented
transmission. Could that not be bcause the vaccinated became bolder.
A vaccine does not stop one from 'getting it'; it just helps the body fight the virus
off. So the vaccinated might well be gettig it more, but in turn, not enough
for themselves becoming agents of transmission. Makes sense...
I sometimes feel we are being forced into the textbook case, rather than the
textbook serving us during an economically catastrophic pandemic!!
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/24/china-has-been-giving-potential-coronavirus-vaccine-to-key-workers-since-july
Sunday, August 23, 2020
Back Then
In Marilyn's heyday (late 50s), I was a mere teenybopper.
I remember reading in a fanzine article at the time- alledgedly written by
her housekeeper - how she would prepare for a movie role by dieting.
Her favourite was cottage cheese and oranges. That's what introduced
me to cottage cheese, which I use to reset my diet to this day. Guess what I had
for breakfast!!
# 'I'll have what she's having!' 😈
Saturday, August 22, 2020
Hurricanes
I'm sure everyone has heard by now: there are two hurricanes
heading toward land this week-end which should impact Louisiana
next Tusday. And of course, the effects will meld in unpredictable ways.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/22/weather/tropical-storm-laura-marco-atlantic-gulf-forecast-saturday/index.html
One aspect of the situation which many might not appreciate is
that - because there are currently fewer commercial flights feeding in data
- there is less weather information available for weather models, a situation which
those working in modelling say can make a large difference.
I think of it on the model of the spider vein problem. Yes, one can
get those veins burnt out, but they will return wihth a vengeance, possibly
worse because of the build-up effect. Here, information is missing for a
time, and then suddenly it is there, with stronger and perhaps different outcomes
than anticipated.
Just saying...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/22/hurricane-us-gulf-coast-coronavirus
heading toward land this week-end which should impact Louisiana
next Tusday. And of course, the effects will meld in unpredictable ways.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/22/weather/tropical-storm-laura-marco-atlantic-gulf-forecast-saturday/index.html
One aspect of the situation which many might not appreciate is
that - because there are currently fewer commercial flights feeding in data
- there is less weather information available for weather models, a situation which
those working in modelling say can make a large difference.
I think of it on the model of the spider vein problem. Yes, one can
get those veins burnt out, but they will return wihth a vengeance, possibly
worse because of the build-up effect. Here, information is missing for a
time, and then suddenly it is there, with stronger and perhaps different outcomes
than anticipated.
Just saying...
Thursday, August 20, 2020
BGates
From the Bill ates interview in the Economist:
https://www.economist.com/international/2020/08/18/the-covid-19-pandemic-will-be-over-by-the-end-of-2021-says-bill-gates
Dedication
Lyse is forever experimenting with odd brands
of energy drinks and beers.
This one got the better of me, and I took a can opener to
the beer can. That 'rock' jiggling in the bottom of the empty
can is actually a plastic bubble with a small hole in it. It is
there to manage the bubbliness of the product, which goes
down when the can is openend.
Now that is dedication!
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-purpose-of-the-little-ball-inside-of-Guinness-cans
* * *
Blistering!
of energy drinks and beers.
This one got the better of me, and I took a can opener to
the beer can. That 'rock' jiggling in the bottom of the empty
can is actually a plastic bubble with a small hole in it. It is
there to manage the bubbliness of the product, which goes
down when the can is openend.
Now that is dedication!
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-purpose-of-the-little-ball-inside-of-Guinness-cans
* * *
Blistering!
Tuesday, August 18, 2020
Vaccine Concerns
I have to admit that I have some sympathy with Russia's desire
to have a working vaccine sooner rather than later. This is not a
theoretical situation but a real pandemic, and I cringe when I hear
experts saying things like 'we do not wish to give amunition to
anti-vaxxers blah blah...' Forget those types of arguments, pleeze!
There are however, real causes for concern with the Russian vaccine:
https://www.cnbctv18.com/healthcare/explained-is-russias-covid-19-vaccine-sputnik-v-ready-and-safe-6643071.htm
to have a working vaccine sooner rather than later. This is not a
theoretical situation but a real pandemic, and I cringe when I hear
experts saying things like 'we do not wish to give amunition to
anti-vaxxers blah blah...' Forget those types of arguments, pleeze!
There are however, real causes for concern with the Russian vaccine:
...
...
Sunday, August 16, 2020
Wok B
Just - accidentally - discovered a new chain of fast-food restaurants
with great take-out called Wok Box. A lot of Asian things I've been wanting to try
like Samosas an so on. they even have Asiatic Poutine 🏃♀️
Problem is, they don't seem to be present in the Montreal area.
Is there a law!?
* * *
Made a sugar pie, last night. Not healthy, I know. But delicious. I just
happened to have an empty pie crust in the freezer, and lemon yogurt in
the fridge no one was going to get through. Tastes wonderful!!
Eat with fresh fruit (there is already dairy in the pie)!👵
with great take-out called Wok Box. A lot of Asian things I've been wanting to try
like Samosas an so on. they even have Asiatic Poutine 🏃♀️
Problem is, they don't seem to be present in the Montreal area.
Is there a law!?
* * *
Made a sugar pie, last night. Not healthy, I know. But delicious. I just
happened to have an empty pie crust in the freezer, and lemon yogurt in
the fridge no one was going to get through. Tastes wonderful!!
Friday, August 14, 2020
Lipedema
Lipedema appears to be something of an underground disease,
affecting mainly women. Below, from the French-language
Wikipedia.
I, personally, do not know anything about it.
affecting mainly women. Below, from the French-language
Wikipedia.
I, personally, do not know anything about it.
* * *
One thing that is clear is that fat deposition is quite
different in men and women; and this might go back to
evolutionary reasons.
Men amass visceral fat; that is fat around the central organs of the body.
This acts to protect from hunger, and there is always energy available
to a man. Women accumulate subcutaneous fat, around the hips, legs
and arms. This preserves warmth in all conditions. This difference is still
quite visible in modern times.
What I found interesting: accumulated fat in the body is not stagnant, but
continually replaced. This is why the number of fat cells a person has tends to be
unchanging.
Waist circumference is a better predictor of possible mortality from hesrt
conditions than BMI. One can actually look up one's BSI Body Shape Index.
(From the German Language Wikipedia)
Breibart
So Amazon is moving to use vacant Mall space throughout America
as warehouses. Ushering a new aea in retail!? Not for the moment.
What seems to worry Mall owners is that warehouses only attract warehouse
employees, not customers.
Things will need to adapt to new realities, though.
https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2020/08/10/jeff-bezos-wants-to-turn-shopping-malls-into-amazon-warehouses/
as warehouses. Ushering a new aea in retail!? Not for the moment.
What seems to worry Mall owners is that warehouses only attract warehouse
employees, not customers.
Things will need to adapt to new realities, though.
https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2020/08/10/jeff-bezos-wants-to-turn-shopping-malls-into-amazon-warehouses/
Thursday, August 13, 2020
The Choice
So, Kamala Harris is the chosen one...
At 77, Joe Biden has hinted that he might not do more
than one mandate. In case or illness, or death, his vp should be
one capable of replacing him in the number one job.
Thus, this might well be how the US gets a first woman President.
There has been a lot of beating around the bush on a woman
and the top job. Hillary Clinton was the wife of a President. Donald
Trump has been keeping his daughter as an adviser in the White House,
an unusual policy, to say the least. And now Joe Biden choosing someone
who had initially run against him for the nomination. It is not an easy job
and would require nerves of steel, and an imperviousness to criticism
rarely seen in a woman.
Biden has indicated that he considers himself a facilitator candidate. He helped
Obama through his years as President, and might make things possible for
a woman, next. The american electorate will need to weigh its options.
At 77, Joe Biden has hinted that he might not do more
than one mandate. In case or illness, or death, his vp should be
one capable of replacing him in the number one job.
Thus, this might well be how the US gets a first woman President.
There has been a lot of beating around the bush on a woman
and the top job. Hillary Clinton was the wife of a President. Donald
Trump has been keeping his daughter as an adviser in the White House,
an unusual policy, to say the least. And now Joe Biden choosing someone
who had initially run against him for the nomination. It is not an easy job
and would require nerves of steel, and an imperviousness to criticism
rarely seen in a woman.
Biden has indicated that he considers himself a facilitator candidate. He helped
Obama through his years as President, and might make things possible for
a woman, next. The american electorate will need to weigh its options.
Wednesday, August 12, 2020
B & B
The Journal de Montreal is having a little fun at the
expense of english-language television, this morning.
It's the social distancing business, and how it is affecting
soap operas. The Bold and the Beutifulcurrently runs on:
Characters 2 meters apart:
The article goes on to urge Quebec film makers to 'do a little better'.
My take: how about a storyline where some of the characters are involved in a
pandemic situation.
Although it is hard to see what can be one with wearing masks for sexual moments,
as current recommendations advise. 😂
"You take my breath away, Sergio!"
expense of english-language television, this morning.
It's the social distancing business, and how it is affecting
soap operas. The Bold and the Beutifulcurrently runs on:
Characters 2 meters apart:
Plot development, on the phone:
Sealed with a kiss, using body doubles:
After the kiss, the couple moves apart and the scene continues at a distance!?
The article goes on to urge Quebec film makers to 'do a little better'.
My take: how about a storyline where some of the characters are involved in a
pandemic situation.
Although it is hard to see what can be one with wearing masks for sexual moments,
as current recommendations advise. 😂
"You take my breath away, Sergio!"
Tuesday, August 11, 2020
Varicosity
Varicose veins and spider veins are not the same thing.
Varisocity - those large bulging veins - can be helped by
exercise.
Spider veins canbe eliminated through cosmetic surgey.
I know from experience that exercise and walking every day keep varicose
veins at bay. I do, however, have my share of spider veins. Canadian winters
are long, and days on the computer with a cuppa part of my life. 🤷♀️
* * *
The drainage technique taught below is very powerful. I was feeling
tired after a long walk in the heat when I watched this. Did an arm and leg sequence
and the pain I was feeling in my left calf tingled and disappeared: awesome.
Felt a bit of a strain on the heart, though...
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/303087#anatomy
from the French language Wikipedia
Varisocity - those large bulging veins - can be helped by
exercise.
Spider veins canbe eliminated through cosmetic surgey.
I know from experience that exercise and walking every day keep varicose
veins at bay. I do, however, have my share of spider veins. Canadian winters
are long, and days on the computer with a cuppa part of my life. 🤷♀️
* * *
The drainage technique taught below is very powerful. I was feeling
tired after a long walk in the heat when I watched this. Did an arm and leg sequence
and the pain I was feeling in my left calf tingled and disappeared: awesome.
Felt a bit of a strain on the heart, though...
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/303087#anatomy
Sunday, August 9, 2020
Rice Ks
Been following the journey of Amberlynn Reid on YouTube
as she faced a cancer diagnosis, and operation. She made some tough
decisions in her life, and seems to be going through it all
with sanity and determination. Kudos from me!
The thing about cancer in younger people, as I understand it,
is that a person 'gets' perhaps one cancer a day, every day. Because, at bottom,
cancer comes from radiation hitting cells, and disrupting normal replication
patterns. One ends up with a cancer growth when, for whatever reason, the body
never cleaned up the intital breakdown, which it is quite capable of doing.
This is where one's health regimen comes in. Is one eating properly for
a well nourished - and well-performing - immune system. Is one moving right,
so that the mechanical functions within the body, such as veinous return in the legs,
or lymph drainage occur. This is where lifestyle review comes in.
Below, I have just downloaded Microsoft Sway, which is a (free) productivity app.
One can put together a presentation in no time, from existing materials and
by adding a bit of text!!
I remember going a little crazy when I hit thirty, signing up for dance classes,
embracing an anti-cancer heart-healthy diet, overnight. (I used to do pizza in my
twenties, and none of the thin crust nonsense either. Real pizza!) These things were just
becoming fashionable at that time. It was a chore, but I felt I was holding the
forces of chaos at bay. In retrospect, I did the best that could be expected for
the times.
Half the battle, to my mind, is giving up things that are no longer age appropriate.
For example, I gave up breakfast cereal when I started grade school, in favour of toast
and an ocasional egg. i still liked cereal, but I was done with being a little kid.
Interestingly, I have gone back to it now that I am a senior: I'll have a bowl of Rice
Krispies with milk at bedtime. It's fun; that was a great favorite
for me back then. So this is a nostalgia experience, and I'll indulge once in a while.
But I well know I shouldn't live there, because who wants to be senile...
* * *
Very easy to use!!
Exploring alternative medicine:
* * *
Saturday, August 8, 2020
Silly!?
Just wondering how this might affet the identifiction of
criminals, missing persons and the like: Germany has, since 2018,
an 'other' category on all official documents as an alternative to masculine
feminine. But the Netherlands is going further in wanting to remove
all gender identification on birth certificats by 2024-25.
Silly and dangerous, IMHO.
https://www.lefigaro.fr/international/suppression-du-genre-en-catimini-les-pays-bas-entament-leur-revolution-20200807
criminals, missing persons and the like: Germany has, since 2018,
an 'other' category on all official documents as an alternative to masculine
feminine. But the Netherlands is going further in wanting to remove
all gender identification on birth certificats by 2024-25.
Silly and dangerous, IMHO.
https://www.lefigaro.fr/international/suppression-du-genre-en-catimini-les-pays-bas-entament-leur-revolution-20200807
Dirty
The dirty on the race for a vaccine in less fastiduos countries:
a lot of soldiers getting hit up...
https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/corona-cutting-corners-in-the-race-for-a-vaccine-a-a5276781-7d13-432e-8862-6caf3922906c
a lot of soldiers getting hit up...
https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/corona-cutting-corners-in-the-race-for-a-vaccine-a-a5276781-7d13-432e-8862-6caf3922906c
Friday, August 7, 2020
TikTok
On the TikTok question, an overview of the platform - from le Figaro -
that I remembered having found interesting in July. The issue: TikTok, at
some point, changed its instructions to its moderators to allow political
messages on the US platform...
https://video.lefigaro.fr/figaro/video/tiktok-nouvelle-arme-politique/
that I remembered having found interesting in July. The issue: TikTok, at
some point, changed its instructions to its moderators to allow political
messages on the US platform...
https://video.lefigaro.fr/figaro/video/tiktok-nouvelle-arme-politique/
Thursday, August 6, 2020
Not My Look
So yesterday I romped into a Staples store without my face mask, completely
forgot about it; I was pre-occupied.
Then it hit me: everyone else was and I was a severe delinquent in the situation.
I whisked my white mask out and put it on. I could feel the hostility
from those around me and people cut in front of me in the check-out line
mercilessly.
Gotta stay focused, here. Below, two versions of my mask-wearing self:
one is smiling, the other is not. Admittedly, not my best look.
Should I try it with eye make-up!?
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
Ammonium Nitrate
source: Le Novel Obs
By L'Obs with AFP, august 5, 2020
translation: GoogleTranslate/doxa-louise
What is ammonium nitrate, at cause in the explosions in Beirut?
Used as the basis of many nitrogenous fertilizers, ammonium nitrate is an oxidizer which must be stored under strict conditions. It is at the origin of other tragedies, such as the explosion in a hangar of the AZF factory in 2001 in Toulouse.
In the aftermath of the explosions in Beirut which killed at least 100 people and left at least 4,000 injured according to the Lebanese Red Cross , all eyes are on ammonium nitrate, suspected of being the origin of the disaster. According to the Prime Minister, around 2,750 tons of this odorless white salt were stored in the warehouse in the port of Beirut which exploded.
Ammonium nitrate, a product to be stored under strict rules
Ammonium nitrate is used as the basis of many nitrogenous fertilizers in the form of granules. Ammonium nitrates make up fertilizers called ammonitrates, which farmers buy in large bags or in bulk. They are not combustible products: they are oxidizers, that is, they allow the combustion of another substance already on fire.
"It's very difficult to burn ," Jimmie Oxley, professor of chemistry at the American University of Rhode Island, who herself has worked on the combustion of ammonium nitrate, told AFP . “It's not easy to detonate it. "
What we know about the strong explosions in Beirut
Detonation is only possible with contamination by an incompatible substance or an intense source of heat. And storage must therefore follow strict rules to isolate ammonium nitrate from flammable liquids (gasoline, oils, etc.), corrosive liquids, flammable solids or even substances that give off significant heat, among others prohibited, according to technical specifications from the French Ministry of Agriculture.
Many European countries require that calcium carbonate be added to ammonium nitrate, to create safer calcium ammonium nitrate.
In the United States, regulations regarding ammonium nitrate were tightened after the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, where two tons of this chemical was used, killing 168 people.
Why was it stored in a warehouse in central Beirut?
The reasons for the presence of this stock of ammonium nitrate and the exact conditions for its storage are still unclear on Wednesday 5 August. But during an emergency meeting of the Supreme Defense Council, Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab expressed his anger: “ It is unacceptable that a shipment of ammonium nitrate, estimated at 2,750 tonnes, be present for six years in a warehouse, without precautionary measures, ”he said.
"We will not have rest until we find the person responsible for what happened to be held to account," he promised.
"It seems that there was a warehouse containing materials confiscated many years before, and it seems that these were very explosive materials" , had indicated earlier the director general of General Security, Abbas Ibrahim, questioned by television reporters.
Ammonium nitrate causing other disasters
Many tragedies around the world, accidental and criminal, have their origin in ammonium nitrate. One of the very first accidents killed 561 in 1921 in Oppau, Germany, in a BASF factory. In 1947, Brest was shaken by the explosion of the Norwegian freighter "Ocean Liberty" which was carrying the same substance.
Explosions in Beirut: France will send three humanitarian assistance planes
In France too, stacked in bulk in a hangar at the AZF chemical plant, in the southern suburbs of Toulouse, some 300 tonnes of ammonium nitrates suddenly exploded and caused a wind of death and desolation to blow over the fourth city of France September 21, 2001: 31 people died, and the explosion was heard 80 km around.
In the United States, a terrible explosion at the West Fertilizer fertilizer plant in West Texas left 15 people dead in 2013. A stockpile of ammonium nitrates exploded in an arson attack; the absence of storage standards had been questioned by the investigators.
A product that can be used in explosive devices
Ammonium nitrate can also be used in explosive devices. On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh detonated a bomb made from two tons of the fertilizer in front of a federal building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people.
But Professor Oxley qualifies by recalling that ammonium nitrate has become essential for agriculture and construction.
“We wouldn't have this modern world without explosives, and we couldn't feed today's peoples without ammonium nitrate fertilizers, ” she said. We need it, but you have to be really careful what you do with it. "
The Obs with AFP
Tuesday, August 4, 2020
Beirut
source: Liberation
authors: Hala Kodmani and Clotilde Bigot , in Beirut - 4 August 2020
translation: GoogleTranslate/doxa-louise
Beirut blown away by two explosions
Tuesday in Beirut, after the blasts. Photo Hussein Malla. AP
Powerful blasts rocked the Lebanese capital on Tuesday, wreaking havoc and killing at least hundreds of people. Their origin is currently unknown.
"Earthquake," "shock wave" of "worse than anything ever seen". People in Beirut lacked words to describe the explosions that occurred Tuesday at 6 p.m. local time in the port area. Even those who remember the massive attacks and colossal bombings that the Lebanese capital has experienced in recent decades have never seen or heard an explosion of such magnitude. On Tuesday evening, Lebanese President Michel Aoun called an "urgent meeting" of the Supreme Defense Council.
The governor of the city made reerences to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The images of the smoke mushroom caused by the blast are indeed reminiscent of an atomic bomb. The two successive powerful explosions shook the capital and caused devastating fires throughout the port area, and firefighters were still struggling Tuesday evening to extinguish them. Canadairs also participated in this war oo fire.
Overwhelmed hospitals
All of Beirut was completely blown away. The windows of buildings exploded for miles around, injuring residents in their apartments. The explosion was heard as far as the town of Saïda, about twenty kilometers south of Beirut. And according to witnesses, to the coastal town of Larnaca, Cyprus, a little over 200 kilometers from the Lebanese coast. Almost all the shop windows in the Hamra district (west) were shattered, as were the windows of the vehicles.
Cars with inflated airbags, some turned upside down like tin cans, but also buses abandoned in the middle of the roads and the motorway near the port ... The site where the explosions sounded was cordoned off an hour later by the Lebanese army and law enforcement, while ambulance and fire engine sirens drowned out the cries of distraught passers-by.
A house collapsed on its inhabitants, very young people and children remained trapped in the rubble. Closer to the site of the explosions, multi-storey buildings collapsed. The number of dead and injured was still unknown in the early evening. A first estimate of the Ministry of Health gave a death toll of 30, but this could reach hundreds given the power of the explosions.
The injured - at least 3,000, according to Lebanese authorities on Tuesday evening - rushed to hospitals, unable to cope with the influx. Already overwhelmed by Covid patients, they could only take care of the most serious cases, sending back those who only needed stitches. Most of them were hit by shards of glass, and the injured were asked to fend for themselves. At the Hôtel-Dieu in Beirut, the security chief said the emergency departments were overwhelmed, with wounded on the ground and outside the building.
Likely an accident
While the true cause of this giant explosion remained undetermined Tuesday at the end of the day, various speculations and leads were suggested by different sources. First, the Minister of Health, Hamad Hassan (close to Hezbollah), began by explaining that a ship carrying fireworks had exploded in the port. Then trucks that would have approached a military base were mentioned. The possibility of an Israeli attack was put forward for a while, according to reports from the Haaretz daily . This was denied both by Lebanese sources and by the Israeli military.
An accident seemed most likely Tuesday night, according to General Abbas Ibrahim, director of General Security. He said the explosions would have occurred in a "depot of highly explosive materials in the port". The customs director, for his part, mentioned nitrates as the cause of the blasts.
This drama strikes Lebanon, which declared a day of national mourning on Wednesday, as it is going through the worst crisis in its history, at once financial, economic, social and health. It will now have to manage the consequences of this new disaster.
ISAIAS
11:10 am Tuesday
at the moment.
source: National Hurricane Center
* * *
12:00 Noon
Went out to buy garbage bags, and got drenched.
Monday, August 3, 2020
Postal
There is a serious underbelly to the current debate in the US about
the efficacy (or lack thereof) of the postal service for the Presidential
Election. It is a problem which we face here in Canada, as well. The postal
service is crumbling under the weight of Internet business. It is a legacy
business, meant to forward paper, and is finding it difficult to shift to parcels...
* * *
source: LaPresse Posted on August 3, 2020
author: Richard Hétu
translation: GoogleTranslate/doxa-louise
(NEW YORK) Last Thursday, in the midst of his funeral oration for John Lewis, hero of the civil rights movement, Barack Obama began to enumerate the means used by "those in power" to discourage people from going put to vote. At the end of his list, he denounced "the work of undermining the Postal Service in the run-up to an election which will depend on the postal vote so that people do not get sick".
Is the former Democratic President more credible than Donald Trump on the issue of postal voting? On the same day, his successor said that this method of voting risked not only massive fraud, but also unacceptable delays.
"We need to know the results of the election on election night, not days, months or even years later," he tweeted late in the afternoon, a few hours after mentioning the postponement of the presidential election.
So what's the biggest danger with postal voting? The one that Barack Obama apprehends by decrying the programmed deterioration of the American Postal Service or the one that Donald Trump describes by raising the specter of fraud and delays? Before answering this question at the request of La Presse , James O'Rourke, professor of management at Notre-Dame University, feels the need to clarify the following.
“I've been interested in everything related to the US Postal Service for 20 years,” he says over the phone. “And until yesterday, I have always scrupulously maintained the greatest objectivity on the subject. What mattered to me was the functioning of the Postal Service, its financial structure, the appointment of its regulatory council, etc. I abandoned this attitude yesterday because I saw that issues of finance and governance were being eclipsed by political issues. "
Delays of several days
The “yesterday” that James O'Rourke talks about was July 30. That day, Donald Trump outraged him by formulating what he describes as “baseless allegations” about postal voting in order to justify the hypothesis of a postponement of the presidential election. The data collected by a team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) supports his judgment. Over the past 20 years, more than 250 million votes have been cast by mail in the United States. However, only 143 convictions for fraud resulted from these votes. This equates to about one case per state every six or seven years, or a fraud rate of 0.00006%.
The management professor was shocked by another aspect last Thursday. While reading the Washington Post , he learned that the newly-appointed general manager of the Postal Service, Louis DeJoy, had approved, on July 13, new procedures which have the effect of causing delays of several days in the delivery of mail. Officially, these procedures were adopted to reduce the costs for an agency that is drowning in annual deficits. Currently, Service employees fear that the procedures will hamper their ability to deliver postal ballots on time for the November ballot.
According to the new procedures, letter carriers are to do what they have never had to do in 275 years of service. If they do not manage to finish their journey at the end of their shift, they must return the undelivered mail to the sorting centers, where it will be taken care of the next day. Any overtime is prohibited.
“It's not the only change of its kind,” he adds. You can see a pattern of behavior that aims to weaken and dismantle the Postal Service by ending its efficiency. "
The Conservatives' fight against the Postal Service, an independent federal agency they want to privatize, is not new. But it has taken a turn as partisan as it is ideological since the appointment of Louis DeJoy as head of the Postal Service last May.
A political ally
North Carolina businessman and logistics specialist Louis DeJoy is a major fundraiser in the Republican Party and a donor to Donald Trump. Prior to being appointed to this post, he was in charge of fundraising for the Republican Convention in Charlotte.
The appointment of this ally of the president came at a time when 46 of the 50 U.S. states have expanded access to postal voting due to the pandemic, and where 70% of November's vote could be cast by mail, compared to to 26% in 2016, according to experts.
“What I would say today is that the CEO of the Postal Service has one of the most important positions in the country,” says Professor O'Rourke. This has rarely been the case in the past. And I would say now is not the time to choose a political friend of the president who will only obey his orders rather than bring an honest and independent vision. "
This president has already called the Postal Service a “farce”. His hostility towards this popular agency with the general public is no stranger to the personal vendetta he is waging against Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon and owner of the Washington Post . The President refuses any additional financial support to the Postal Service as long as it does not increase the prices of the parcels it distributes by 400%. Experts see the White House chief's request as an attempt to make Amazon and Jeff Bezos pay for the negative articles the Post publishes on his policies.
These same experts believe that the Postal Service would be the big loser of such a large increase. According to them, such an increase would end up playing into the hands of the main private delivery services, in this case FedEx, UPS and… Amazon.
However, in the short term, it is American democracy itself that is threatened by the lack of means made available to the Postal Service to cope with the announced avalanche of postal ballots, according to James O'Rourke.
“I am a retired Air Force colonel who has been teaching at Notre-Dame University for 30 years. I can't wait to reunite with my students. But, for the first time in a very long time, I am deeply worried about my nation, ”says the management professor.
Barack Obama shares the same concern.
the efficacy (or lack thereof) of the postal service for the Presidential
Election. It is a problem which we face here in Canada, as well. The postal
service is crumbling under the weight of Internet business. It is a legacy
business, meant to forward paper, and is finding it difficult to shift to parcels...
* * *
source: LaPresse Posted on August 3, 2020
author: Richard Hétu
translation: GoogleTranslate/doxa-louise
Overview: the real danger of postal voting
Over the past 20 years, more than 250 million votes have been cast by mail in the United States.
(NEW YORK) Last Thursday, in the midst of his funeral oration for John Lewis, hero of the civil rights movement, Barack Obama began to enumerate the means used by "those in power" to discourage people from going put to vote. At the end of his list, he denounced "the work of undermining the Postal Service in the run-up to an election which will depend on the postal vote so that people do not get sick".
Is the former Democratic President more credible than Donald Trump on the issue of postal voting? On the same day, his successor said that this method of voting risked not only massive fraud, but also unacceptable delays.
"We need to know the results of the election on election night, not days, months or even years later," he tweeted late in the afternoon, a few hours after mentioning the postponement of the presidential election.
So what's the biggest danger with postal voting? The one that Barack Obama apprehends by decrying the programmed deterioration of the American Postal Service or the one that Donald Trump describes by raising the specter of fraud and delays? Before answering this question at the request of La Presse , James O'Rourke, professor of management at Notre-Dame University, feels the need to clarify the following.
“I've been interested in everything related to the US Postal Service for 20 years,” he says over the phone. “And until yesterday, I have always scrupulously maintained the greatest objectivity on the subject. What mattered to me was the functioning of the Postal Service, its financial structure, the appointment of its regulatory council, etc. I abandoned this attitude yesterday because I saw that issues of finance and governance were being eclipsed by political issues. "
Delays of several days
The “yesterday” that James O'Rourke talks about was July 30. That day, Donald Trump outraged him by formulating what he describes as “baseless allegations” about postal voting in order to justify the hypothesis of a postponement of the presidential election. The data collected by a team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) supports his judgment. Over the past 20 years, more than 250 million votes have been cast by mail in the United States. However, only 143 convictions for fraud resulted from these votes. This equates to about one case per state every six or seven years, or a fraud rate of 0.00006%.
The management professor was shocked by another aspect last Thursday. While reading the Washington Post , he learned that the newly-appointed general manager of the Postal Service, Louis DeJoy, had approved, on July 13, new procedures which have the effect of causing delays of several days in the delivery of mail. Officially, these procedures were adopted to reduce the costs for an agency that is drowning in annual deficits. Currently, Service employees fear that the procedures will hamper their ability to deliver postal ballots on time for the November ballot.
According to the new procedures, letter carriers are to do what they have never had to do in 275 years of service. If they do not manage to finish their journey at the end of their shift, they must return the undelivered mail to the sorting centers, where it will be taken care of the next day. Any overtime is prohibited.
“It's not the only change of its kind,” he adds. You can see a pattern of behavior that aims to weaken and dismantle the Postal Service by ending its efficiency. "
The Conservatives' fight against the Postal Service, an independent federal agency they want to privatize, is not new. But it has taken a turn as partisan as it is ideological since the appointment of Louis DeJoy as head of the Postal Service last May.
A political ally
North Carolina businessman and logistics specialist Louis DeJoy is a major fundraiser in the Republican Party and a donor to Donald Trump. Prior to being appointed to this post, he was in charge of fundraising for the Republican Convention in Charlotte.
The appointment of this ally of the president came at a time when 46 of the 50 U.S. states have expanded access to postal voting due to the pandemic, and where 70% of November's vote could be cast by mail, compared to to 26% in 2016, according to experts.
“What I would say today is that the CEO of the Postal Service has one of the most important positions in the country,” says Professor O'Rourke. This has rarely been the case in the past. And I would say now is not the time to choose a political friend of the president who will only obey his orders rather than bring an honest and independent vision. "
This president has already called the Postal Service a “farce”. His hostility towards this popular agency with the general public is no stranger to the personal vendetta he is waging against Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon and owner of the Washington Post . The President refuses any additional financial support to the Postal Service as long as it does not increase the prices of the parcels it distributes by 400%. Experts see the White House chief's request as an attempt to make Amazon and Jeff Bezos pay for the negative articles the Post publishes on his policies.
These same experts believe that the Postal Service would be the big loser of such a large increase. According to them, such an increase would end up playing into the hands of the main private delivery services, in this case FedEx, UPS and… Amazon.
However, in the short term, it is American democracy itself that is threatened by the lack of means made available to the Postal Service to cope with the announced avalanche of postal ballots, according to James O'Rourke.
“I am a retired Air Force colonel who has been teaching at Notre-Dame University for 30 years. I can't wait to reunite with my students. But, for the first time in a very long time, I am deeply worried about my nation, ”says the management professor.
Barack Obama shares the same concern.
Sunday, August 2, 2020
Linguistics
Ah, the joys of YouTube! Below, a riff that explains Linguistics,
no less.
My guess about the practice of inflection/declension is that it
makes sense in a culture that is nor dependent on the written.
One can always make oneself understood by changing the case
that is needed. Are you deaf!?
no less.
My guess about the practice of inflection/declension is that it
makes sense in a culture that is nor dependent on the written.
One can always make oneself understood by changing the case
that is needed. Are you deaf!?
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