WHEN in the course of human Events, it becomes necessary….
Strange Daze: Extinction Plus!
byVanderleunonFebruary 3, 2022
Extinction is not always a BAD thing. Titanoboa || Titanoboa (/tiˌtɑːnoʊˈboʊə/) is an extinct genus of very large snakes that lived in what is now La Guajira in northeastern Colombia. They could grow up to 12.8 m (42 ft) long and reach a weight of 1,135 kg (2,500 lb).
The LA Times reports that CBS mandated that writers’ rooms be at least 40 percent black, indigenous, and people of color (or BIPOC) for the 2021-2022 broadcast season and 50 percent for the 2022-2023 season.
Since the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences launched its Representation and Inclusion Standards Entry platform (or RAISE), all producers hoping for a Best Picture award must provide detailed information about every person involved in the production showing they meet the following criteria:
The lead or significant supporting actors must be any race but White or, at least, 30% of the actors in supporting roles must be any race but White or must be LGBTQ or people with disabilities, or the main storyline must be about such people and their issues. Similar standards apply for the crew behind the production. (You can read the exact wording here.)
Of course, people may get sick of having this social agenda shouted into their ears and flashed into their eyes every time they sit down for entertainment. In which case, movie theaters may continue to wane into irrelevance and so might television that is produced by the BIPOC-LGBTQ corporations. (Because we just cannot have enough letters for our underrepresented peoples groups. Could we just call them all UPGs for short?)
Meanwhile, the scandal-plagued UK government (this time it is about prosecco, not cake) and its Polish and Ukrainian counterparts are to sign a trilateral defence treaty. Of course, such defense pacts are not new – back in September 1996 the same trio were saying the same thing. Yet the UK guaranteeing not just Ukraine’s but Poland’s border…are history, and the UK government, slurring old lyrics, rhyming or repeating themselves?
There is also pressure building in the Balkans: Bosnia, Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia –maybe even EU member Bulgaria– are all in a pot Russia is helping to stir. Its Foreign Minister just stated he does not accept that Montenegro and North Macedonia should be NATO members when they already are.
Yet NATO member Hungary’s PM just visited Moscow, and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs oozed: “Hungary has invariably confirmed its reputation as a reliable partner in the transit of Russian fuels. Naturally, we are willing to build up mutually advantageous cooperation in this area.” In other words, don’t expect any EU energy sanctions if Budapest has a veto? Yet that means the West has no pressure point against Russia except the military, where it is outgunned.
Meanwhile, Russia just banned the export of ammonium nitrate for two months (while Lithuania has fully blocked the rail shipment of potash from Belarus). The potential upside impact on fertilizer prices in Europe should be obvious. So should the fact that Russia clearly understands the geopolitical and geoeconomic pressure points that *it* controls. They can see the US does not want to raise rates but has to. They can also see that they can force inflation far higher, inflicting huge economic pain, even if they take some too. That is how economic wars work. Are we ready to fight one, or are we going to redraw borders to avoid one?
You are not here to verify,
Instruct yourself, or inform curiosity
Or carry report. You are here to kneel
Where prayer has been valid. And prayer is more
Than an order of words, the conscious occupation
Of the praying mind, or the sound of the voice praying.
And what the dead had no speech for, when living,
They can tell you, being dead: the communication
Of the dead is tongued with fire beyond the language of the living. — T.S. Eliot Little Gidding
This is the strange spiral spotted in the sky over Oklahoma created by the SpaceX Falcon 9 launching the COSMO-SkyMed Earth-observation satellite [source, more photos: https://t.co/7dZzvg5maI] pic.twitter.com/8BvyYToVVM
Raconteur Report: College ≠ Education Nursing? Hard to get in. But after losing out on a NROTC scholarship that would have sent me to Stanford or MIT for free, if only I hadn’t been white (they told me this to my face), then saw me unemployable in the fire and police departments for the same reasons, walking into the nursing department as a guy made me the same kind of diversity hire as if I was a handicapped gay black female: 2% of the field. Dean’s list grades, and top 1/2% SATs meant they knew I wasn’t going to flunk out, unlike 90% of their actual diversity selectees. Bonus: Can’t ship the job anywhere. Ever. Permanent shortage of them from now until Forever. What does college – even my nursing classes – have to do with my job? Damned little. It only guarantees that on Day One, there’s an 80% chance I won’t kill my patient out of outright stupidity. Nothing more is certain. The real education started after I had the license, and hit the floor. Sucked to be told that after I graduated. Really pissed me off. Sucked even harder to find out it was true.
The Ratchet of The Tensions – by Wm. J. Beck III Be cool. Smash their ideas with furious, integrated logic. Find their hidden premises and ruthlessly demolish them, that their superstructures collapse in thunder. Laugh loudly at their stark nonsense, and never stipulate to assertions of guilt or any other personal infirmity that is not truly yours; these and countless other rational strictures. Bring war upon their *minds*, not their bodies, nor any of their rote puppets. These are only expressions of their evil, and expendable to it.
Drop the Goldberg name you co-opted, Whoopi — you don’t deserve it Ascribing commonalities between Jews and non-Jews is historically nonsensical, considering that Jews make up an astonishingly homogeneous and tiny tribe of people who survived nearly two millennia on this Earth without a homeland to call their own. That was understood when Johnson became Goldberg. But it’s two generations since then. It’s obvious that a 2022 version of young Caryn Johnson would not choose the name Goldberg to gain that extra frisson of non-white pride. In fact, Whoopi Goldberg should just drop the Goldberg now. There are dozens of survivors of the Holocaust who bear the name — and an untold number who died in the Shoah with it. Caryn Johnson stains them both.
An extensive buildup of barriers along China’s 3,000-mile southern border is under way, according to public documents, official statements and interviews with residents, ostensibly to battle Covid-19 but with likely long-lasting ramifications on trade and travel.
The small Chinese city of Ruili, in the far south next to Myanmar, has seen a major construction project in the past two years. It is a border fence equipped with barbed wire, surveillance cameras and sensors.
Farther east, along China’s border with Vietnam, a 12-foot-high fence went up abruptly last year. It stops Vietnamese locals from heading to Chinese villages to harvest corn or sell medicinal herbs, and it looks like a prison, said Sung A Ho, a hotelier in Vietnam’s mountainous Lao Cai province.
The avowed purpose is to fight the spread of Covid-19 by limiting the entry of traders, workers and smugglers. The Southern Great Wall, people on social media are calling it. State media outlets have dubbed it the Anti-Covid Great Wall.
While some other countries try to transition toward living with Covid-19, China determinedly maintains a zero-Covid strategy, especially with the Beijing Winter Olympics starting this week. It does so not only through lockdowns and mass testing but also, increasingly, by walling off its neighbors.
The video “Time to leave Earth” shows a screen capture of an article about Hersheys Chocolates firing their unvaccinated employees.
I’ve sent an email to their CEO, to let him know that I am boycotting their products unless they reverse that decision.
You can do the same; send email to: mbuck@hersheys.com
gwbnycFebruary 3, 2022, 8:59 PM
just so.
ghostsniperFebruary 3, 2022, 5:55 PM
Wm. J. Beck III and I go back to around 96 maybe 97, in the knock down drag out days usenet political fanfare. alt.clinton.whitewater, etc. He lit the fire that ignited this raging patriot and the controlled explosion continues to this day. It will never be contained as long as I breathe.
HylandFebruary 3, 2022, 7:48 PM
In reply to the weirdness of that object floating above in the Oklahoma sky, here’s a brief video of an insider warning of dark powers who intend to obliterate massive numbers of humanity. Hologram technology has been greatly advanced to the point an image could be projected and you’d think you’re actually seeing “something.” Sorry about the sound quality. Not my production. Still… check this out. https://www.bitchute.com/video/7JIUDl9ZIFHP/
gwbnycFebruary 3, 2022, 8:41 PM
I pulled Debbie Harry’s over mine during the filming of a Sara Lee bread commercial at Manhattan’s Puck Building.
What can I say- she was there, they were there, I was there.
For decades environmentalist types have babbled incessantly about how nightmarishly terrible extinction is. To this end they have pressed upon a bewildered people the existential importance of snail darters and hoot owls, and how these lowly creatures actually deserve to live far more than any human being deserves to live. Men must sacrifice all that they hold dear to insure the survival of any beast deemed “at risk” by the State. Every mud puddle thus becomes a “wetland”, every tree a holy relic, every insect a sacred thing, every four-footed predator a blessing to the earth. Imagine if Noah thought this way. For one thing he would have needed a much bigger Ark. For another we would today have unicorns, but also saber tooth tigers, the T. Rex and titanoboas wandering about. I wonder how effective an AR would be against such beasts?
Extinction as a scary thing is a relatively new concept. The whole point of civilization was clearing the wilderness—notice the word “wild” in wilderness—and exterminating those pesky lions and tigers and bears. Every animal must make way for the advance of men. Let’s call this “purposeful extinction”. We used it against the buffalo, and it worked quite well. If no man ever killed any coyote or lion or wolf or bear, then farming and ranching would be impossible. A man with his rifle is the apex predator of apex predators. He should act like it, and thus put fear into the hearts of his beastly competitors.
Of course, extinction itself has been called into question. Its very name implies finality, but is that really so? We once thought the Chacoan peccary was a goner, until one of these appeared in 1971.
“The Chacoan peccary has the unusual distinction of having been first described in 1930 based on fossils and was originally thought to be an extinct species. In 1971, the animal was discovered to still be alive in the Chaco region, in the Argentine province of Salta. The species was well known to the native people, but it took a while for Western scientists to acknowledge its existence.”
Re-read that last sentence. So how many other “extinct” beasts are roaming about in “wild weird climes lying most sublime, out of space, out of time”? For just one example, my guess is that there are yet thylacines alive and well and running thither and yon in Tasmania. For a rather weird look at such things—let’s call them “maybe monsters”—research the word “cryptids”.
“Although Cryptozoology is not considered a real science, it is based on the sciences of Zoology and Paleontology. Many Cryptids probably don’t exist, but there is a high possibility that others do.”
Ok then, which ones still exist? Here’s where to look for these shady creatures:
1. The Amazon basin. This encompasses parts of Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay.
2. The Congo basin. This comprises 13 percent of Africa.
3. The odder parts of Australia, New Guinea and Tasmania.
Some cryptids are huge and definitely man-eaters. Make sure that when you are looking for them, that they are not likewise looking for you.
ghostsniperFebruary 4, 2022, 4:28 AM
Thanks for the new words, Mike. I’m looking them up. Regarding creatures in the wild, if you see them they are already well aware of you. A bear can smell a city slicker a mile away.
Any predator that senses a man has two options: run from the man or run toward the man. It’s the “run toward the man” that gets man and beast into difficulties. Bears are intelligent but moody. One cannot predict what a particular bear will do in a certain circumstance. This makes advice about “how to handle bears in the wilds” misleading. Climb a tree, play dead, stand tall, yell at the animal: Sometimes these work, sometimes not. And if not? One result:
People that pay attention ALWAYS have a weapon(s) of some sorts on their person when they go to places that could be dangerous. Around here that is more likely to be some irresponsible person’s large dog. I always have a pocket folder on me and lately a larger sheath knife in a Kydex quick-sheath. The level of armament increases with the level of threat. As far as bears go, I just read something the other day this. The ultimate LEGAL weapon would be an autoloader 12ga shotgun with a capacity for at least (7) 3″ slugs. At bare minimal a 17 shot 9mm will work. Same with any downtown metropolis with a thoroughfare named MLK.
Being a backpacker and a bikepacker, my choice of arms is limited. Right now it is my .40 Smith & Wesson. With a proper load it will be sufficient, but barely. I am looking at a Taurus .357 Magnum 7 shot revolver.
Winchester model 12 my cabin/canoe security blanket.
.41 mag Desert Eagle in a shoulder holster if sharing fishing streams with bears.
Tartus Judge minimum my 120 acre yard walkabout (Hey it’s highly accurate up to ten feet!).
.38 ACP in a paddle holster when wearing my Sundaygotometetin’ clothes, doesn’t print when covered by even a light jacket or untucked in shirt, and paddle holster quickly switches to left hip, cross draw, when driving so seat belt doesn’t interfere with access.
My moose/caribou harvester, .308 FN.
ghostsniperFebruary 4, 2022, 11:23 AM
Nice. $569 Manuf price. Looked at 8 places online, none available. Closest store that has it is more then 100 miles away.
If I was to go traipsing through a place where bears were seen I’d holster my Beretta 92FS with 4 extra mags, and shoulder up my custom Rem 870 with 9rd mag extension and slugs, at high ready. But I don’t intend to do that. Don’t particularly want to be terrified.
How tiny would the American Expeditionary Force that Biddy is sending to the Ukraine be on that comparison of forces chart?
Yes, Russian forces are imposing on paper; but so is the vast area of Russian territory that they are spend out over. Would Putin really pull everything back from his eastern borders with China?
Russian friends have told me the “troop buildup” near the Ukraine border is a regular, pretty much annual wargames thing just as much of our wargame training is near (Near being a relative term, depending on who says it and why, if our media and or government says such, I start with mistrust and attempt to verify.) the Mexican border. Don’t know if that’s true but it seems quite probable.
I’m more willing to buy Biden and his handlers would willingly start WW III as a distraction from their internal destruction of our Republic. Don’t know if that’s true but it seems extremely probable.
For those willing to read and enjoy the research, wild edible mushrooms, their habitats, and life cycles are fascinating and rewarding for cuisine. Where I live, I have identified 75 wild edible mushrooms to date, but not one of them were ever eaten without being 100% sure.
Deathcap is not a mistaken mushroom.
There are numerous poisonous mushroooms, but actually, there are very few toxic ones, and with a bit of study, the Deathcap can be identified by even the novice forager. This video should be added to the list called fear porn, especially by promoting her comment “I felt confident enough to know what I was doing”.
I feel bad for anyone making a mistake like this, but at the same time, it’s a constant reminder that stupid people can get you killed.
gwbnycFebruary 4, 2022, 10:14 AM
Puffballs grow at the bases of oaks along upper Hudson St in NYC- the first I noticed I mistook for discarded roasted potatoes. They are brown which flags them as toxic, I believe. This is a larger one, Hudson@Houston Sts. I approached it cautiously >8)~
gwbnyc:
That’s a Dog Turd Fungus. They pop up in my front yard all the time. Article says they probably came to So Cal on Australian Eucalyptus trees. I don’t think they’re poisonous, but who’d want to eat one?
Writers rooms must now be forty percent illiterate, forty percent English as second language, ten percent BLTGQ, and ten percent disabled.
Because quality.
JWM
Uncle JefeFebruary 4, 2022, 10:04 AM
A few years ago I was up on a ridge above the Noyo river, 18 miles inland of Fort Bragg (California). I had come up to the ridge from the floor of the canyon, to get a cell signal in order to check on the family (as I had been in camp for 3 days by myself). I could hear the “crack, crack” of a buck knocking his antlers against a branch, and so wandered 10 yards from my truck to see him.
A beautiful big boy for a coastal blacktail, he continued smacking his antlers without seeing my approach. Suddenly he looked to his right and froze, and then bolted past me to my right. I thought maybe a big cat was lurking, but within about 10 seconds I could hear some crunching in the brush coming up the hill below where the buck had been, and figured it to be a bear.
Now, back in the truck, there’s my .308, and on my hip is my Kimber .45, so I’m feeling somewhat safe, especially since that truck is steps away (even though I know how quickly a bear can cover ground- I’ve seen them here in action). I have my phone ready, waiting to press “record” on video, and sure enough, about 20 yards away this very large boar ambles out onto the road, downwind of me. He walked in my direction, crossing the road in an angular fashion, and never even bothered looking directly at me. I don’t know if he didn’t smell me or see me, but it seemed he did and didn’t care, since he was the biggest baddest thing in that section of forest.
I continued recording him as he finished his passage into the forest, in true awe of everything at that moment…the beauty of the warm, late afternoon, sunlit forest ridge…the electricity of the moment when that buck heard him approaching, and then bolted…the incredible presence of that wild animal, and the sense that he knew I was there but didn’t care.
VanderleunFebruary 4, 2022, 11:52 AM
Crystal Moment
by Robert P. T. Coffin (1892–1955)
Once or twice this side of death
Things can make one hold his breath.
From my boyhood I remember
A crystal moment of September.
A wooded island rang with sounds
Of church bells in the throats of hounds.
A buck leaped out and took the tide
With jewels flowing past each side.
With his head high like a tree
He swam within a yard of me.
I saw the golden drop of light
In his eyes turned dark with fright.
I saw the forest’s holiness
On him like a fierce caress.
Fear made him lovely past belief,
My heart was trembling like a leaf.
He leans towards the land and life
With need above him like a knife.
In his wake the hot hounds churned
They stretched their muzzles out and yearned.
They bayed no more, but swam and throbbed
Hunger drove them till they sobbed.
Pursued, pursuers reached the shore
And vanished. I saw nothing more.
So they passed, a pageant such
As only gods could witness much,
Life and death upon one tether
And running beautiful together.
ghostsniperFebruary 4, 2022, 11:53 AM
it was your lucky day
Uncle JefeFebruary 4, 2022, 12:58 PM
In many ways, very lucky…and yes, a Crystal Moment. What was really amazing was that just the week before, I had been in the Grand Tetons, and a large brown bear frolicked within 10 yards (this time I stayed in the truck), and I got that on video as well. He didn’t care that I was there either, but it was obvious that he was very used to humans in vehicles watching his antics. The big boar on our ridge was out in the middle of nowhere, wild in the wilderness, master of his domain.
pbirdFebruary 4, 2022, 10:13 AM
All as usual until I got to the TS Eliot. Elegance, wit and construction!
Casey KlahnFebruary 4, 2022, 12:02 PM
The infographic of Ukraine vs Russia shows Russia’s weaknesses, yet again. Learn to read military.
In the doctrine of the offensive, the attacker is disadvantages tactically. An attacker requires a 3:1 advantage in forces in order to succeed – and if you’ll note the numbers they show that the 2 nations have a parity of numbers, given the doctrine.
Of course, Russia has a dominance in firepower. But, the Ukrainians got game; it’ll be interesting to watch. Ukraine has a number of terrain advantages, while Russia seems to surround the Ukes. OTOH, much of that dispersion of Ru. forces is also mitigated. For instance, the Rooskies in no way own the Black Sea. The Belarus flank is mostly over bad terrain, which advantages the Ukes.
If Ru decides to set the wrong war aims (but I doubt they will) they could lose by failure of their aims. If they set a proper war aim – the destruction of Ukraine forces – they are sadly underprivileged. The Ukes will take to the Carpathian hill lands and taunt them with Indian tactics. I wouldn’t want to be Russia in this fight.
What would constitute a Russian victory? What would constitute a Ukrainian victory?
ghostsniperFebruary 4, 2022, 1:47 PM
Whatever the gov’t/media says it is. Of course.
Watch that twitter vid I linked of the gov’t fag lying straight up in front of everybody and with a straight face. It’ll make you ball your fists. Yes, fag. Go look it up.
KCKFebruary 4, 2022, 11:26 PM
idk the stated military goal of the Russians, but I am keeping my ear to the ground for when they tip it. Same for Ukraine.
Were I the Russians, my goal would be to push the former Warsaw countries into a political reality where they allow Russia to dictate where NATO can go, and they suck Putin’s balls vis. trade and economics. In Ukraine proper it would be achieved, ostensibly, by almost any victory, such as investing and probably taking Kiev, and by drawing up to the Dnieper River and calling for negotiations. I would say that a NATO response with or without kinetics would probably constitute a defeat because the Eastern Block would be reticent to line up behind Russia if NATO proves to be “for real”. Under the first part of the national objective I stated, the Russians just need to do anything that looks powerful or good for their side. It’s a low threshold for success.
The entry of NATO in force into the Eastern Block nations would be bad for Putin, and in this regard, it is also a low threshold for the anti-Russian forces. But, they also will have to dominate Putin and make him look bad. A significant kinetic event in the Black Sea, where Russia either fails to land amphibious forces, or Putin loses 2 or 3 capital ships, would be a big embarrassment for Putin. Putin’s profile is a center of gravity in this.
These objective statements cover the political point of view, which is the important thing. As a military man, I’d try to destroy or render ineffective about 20% – 30% of the other guy’s forces. Hell, fukn Putin’s military might do that to themselves. They suck at road marching tanks for long distances and in a speedy fashion. Ever watch videos of his tanks and armor belching black exhaust? The Russian tanks will lose a significant portion of their vehicles just to non-kinetic breakdowns.
As far as what Ghost says about the media and political lies, it’s true but I can read reports and maps for myself. I can tell if Putin’s people are winning without hearing it from the media.
So, if the Ukraine shows up for the fight, and if NATO reinforces the shoulders (Poland, Romania, etc.) then this may be enough to defeat Russia. If Ukraine can preserve its forces, mostly intact, to a line West of the river (Ukraine has doubled its forces since 2014), this may be enough.
It is fascinating to see the Olympics and to ask yourself if Russia would attack at this point in time. Putin is a sneaky bastard.
On the map shown as Ukraine territory, the two eastern provinces are actually currently held by ethnic Russian militia. Putin could advance into Ukrainian territory that is held by friendly forces, announce he has no ‘further territorial ambitions’ and claim a victory.
Biden would then shit himself, but he’s going to do that anyway.
He then sits back with his hand on the lever controlling the flow of energy into Western Europe, an ultimate weapon that the EU willingly handed him, and smiles.
KCKFebruary 5, 2022, 1:28 PM
I think NATO just has to demonstrate (an old military term) in order to fulfill its objective. But, Putin has to actually invade; I think everyone knows the Donbas is as good as occupied. Does anyone still believe the “Little Green Men” ruse?
Yes, Biden not only shitshimself, but he tends to enjoy a nice, messy Kabul Airport, if he can get the situation fukt up to his liking.
ghostsniperFebruary 4, 2022, 1:45 PM
Come on man. It’s all gov’t/media bullshit.
THAT’s the new normal.
DANFebruary 4, 2022, 1:01 PM
been living with bears 30 years up here in northern bc & can tell you a few things that aren’t well understood about them. first off they are not color blind & they do not like red, orange, or yellow colors, you will get the ole stink eye from them & perhaps more depending on the bears day so far, second they do not like sunglasses they want to see your eyes, by & large bear society is a very polite society kinda like the old west everybody is armed & they know how much damage can be done. most bear fights last about 3 seconds 5 seconds is a long one, mostly WHO WHO WHO, i have never heard a bear snarl, regardless of movie dubs, mutual trust & respect go a long way in interactions with them & don’t forget the marshmallows. not all but most will stop doing whatever for a marshmallow so keep a bag handy on your outings just in case & if worse doesn’t come to worse you can always toast em over the campfire.
ghostsniperFebruary 4, 2022, 1:50 PM
Well frankly, if a bear ever gets close enough to see my eyes he’s going to see another eye winking at him in tones of yellow, orange and red. If you catch my drift.
ghostsniperFebruary 4, 2022, 1:52 PM
And, if bears are attracted to marshmallows, is carrying them on your person a good idea?
VanderleunFebruary 4, 2022, 4:39 PM
It’s okay if, like that Clinton pal, you hide them down inside the front of your pants.
KCKFebruary 4, 2022, 11:52 PM
I don’t have as much experience with bears as you, but I’d wager my father did. He shot 5 of them and grew up on a homestead in the Olympic Peninsula. My own run-ins with bear were usually the small black bears on the Peninsula, and they never attack people. Several times I was alone with them nearby and never worried about them. Size matters, though. I don’t enjoy being in close with bigger black bear or griz., whose size is a whole ‘nother order of thing. Griz is a monster, as far as size goes.
Bears are easy to smell upwind from you (garbage smell). If the wind is sideways, and you are being silent, you might stumble into a bear. They are shy but they are out killing deer and so it’s a good idea to respect them. Yes to the fact that they are individuals with their own independent personalities and you can’t bet on what they’ll do.
I did pull my pistol on a large cinnamon bear, whose head was enormous and whose shoulder height was about equal to my height. It was pistol range, and that is too damn close. After I walked away from that, I did some studying on bear vs handgun. There is much on the net by guys who’ve never shot a bear, and very little by those who have shot them. Suffice it to say that I decided that my 6″ Ruger .357 magnum is enough pistol, but I did go over to higher velocity polymer tip rounds (Hornady). I have a Marlin lever action that shoots the same load, and is plenty good enough for large bear, and I also practiced with .12 gauge slugs for my riot gun. That changes the sight picture vs. shot loads so it’s always a good idea to pattern your shotgun for what you want to shoot.
.40 and .41 and even .45 may be too small, although Griz. has been dispatched by scared boyfriends with .45 automatics. That’s got to be a white knuckle thing, in my impression.
What was my dad’s wisdom? The bear is easy to hunt; you shoot him over the garbage dump.
“Bears are easy to smell upwind from you (garbage smell). ” For a couple of decades I’d catch that smell on early spring days at the edge of my yard. Figured it was a bear passing. Turned out to be fox. A vixen after a winter denned up hauling meat for herself and the kits, smells pretty ripe when first out of the den come spring.
Fall, blueberry fed black bear, quite tasty, garbage or salmon fed not so much.
I do have an irrational thing that I won’t hunt bear, looks too much like a human when you dress them out.
KCKFebruary 5, 2022, 5:29 PM
Yeah, I can’t imagine eating garbage bear, but it’s too late to ask my dad about that. He was a Depression Era youngster.
Yes, the fox could tolerate over-ripe meat. The coyote will sometimes have that smell, esp. if he’s got mange.
Titan Boa or Ginormousconda? Extinct? …not so… at least not yet. I have met two people who have witnessed unusually large snakes, or their aftereffects, in the northeast of Brazil… southern part of Venezuela.
One, a Minnesota farm boy friend who moved to Brazil in the early 60’s, married into a Brazilian cattle rancher’s huge operation. He’s still there and said these snakes were still around. He told me Brazilian Law was that if one of these huge snakes attacked a human and other humans aware of it failed to attempt to rescue that poor soul… each and all were subject to a death sentence by hanging.
Another friend, a retired Northwest Orient pilot, went to a jungle survival camp in northeastern Brazil near the Colombian border where you have to travel out something like 100 miles with only a knife to ‘graduate.’ Wild and crazy!
While riding in a long boat to the camp he noticed whole cattle skeletons up in the trees along the river. He assumed they’d drowned when the river was flooded. His guides pointed at the skeletons and told him “snake.” Whatever kind of snake it was, it ate these cows and shit the remnants out whole, so I don’t want to ever encounter one.
There is also a photo that was taken by a pilot flying a tributary of the Amazon who took the photo of a Brazilian long boat being followed by a huge snake of some un Godly size compared to the two men in the boat. It sure looked real.
In Southeast Asia and Indonesian areas, the Boas will stalk people by following them tree to tree along their route… sizing them up and positioning themselves for an attack. The Boa is the more aggressive of the snakes… much more so than the Anaconda.
I worry more about crocodiles in these areas. 25 foot long and counting. They’ll do the same number on you… sneak up on you and make you disappear. They snatch you, pull you under the water, swim like mad turning around and around disorienting you until they drown you. Then they poke you up under hollow spots or tree roots on the river bank edge… until you putrefy and they can suck in your rotten body… because they don’t usually eat raw flesh.
Like the African women who came screaming for help into our camp after a croc took one of them while washing clothes on the flat rocks along a river. Poor soul… nothing we could do but kill every croc around the river area. But she was somewhere… dead.
A member of my Commando, a former South African guide told me once… “Stick your hand down the croc’s throat and force open the diaphragm that keeps water from flooding it’s stomach… that will force it to let you go.”
“Oh, that’s great!” I said. “I’ll try to remember that while I’m getting trashed by one! Does it work?” I asked.
“Damned if I know!” he laughed… “I’ve never met the survivor of a crocodile attack who did that!”
I killed a number of Black Mamba’s… the scariest of snakes. I must have had a loss of sanity back then… none of that really bothered me then… like the thought of it now.
Now if we could just get these critters to feed on Communists.
Jack Lawson
Associate Member, Sully H. deFontaine Special Forces Association Chapter 51, Las Vegas, Nevada
Author of “The Slaver’s Wheel”, “A Failure of Civility,” “And We Hide From The Devil,” “Civil Defense Manual” and “In Defense.”
“I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I’ve watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate. Those moments will be lost in time… like tears in rain.” – Rutger Hauer in his “Time to die” scene from the movie “Blade Runner”
In my memories are the above in a figurative sense… the below in the literal reality of my past…
“I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. The darkness of Zambia I’ve parachuted into at two o’clock in the morning with 60 pounds of explosives in my drop pack. I’ve watched a frightened, but still majestic and graceful family of giraffes gallop the African bush as I hung out the door of a helicopter flying by them at treetop level almost close enough to touch them. Battled it out with terrorists mano a mano while neck deep in crocodile infested idle waters on the banks and sandbars of the Honde and Limpopo Rivers in Mozambique”- From an American in 1RLI Support Commando and attached to Rhodesian “C Squadron” SAS Africa 1977-79
I traveled and solo backpacked through the Amazon basin jungles where Brazil, Venezuela and Guyana come together (2002). I wanted to explore one of those weird massive outcroppings called tepuys that dot that region, as well as walk to Angel Falls. The locals there boasted about how the movie “Anaconda” had been filmed around there and near the Brazilian city of Manaus, the largest city on the Amazon River. I never saw any large snakes, but the local Pemon Indians had. They told tales of snakes coming into villages and snatching away animals and the occasional human. Because of possible snakes and crocs I kept as far away from lagoons and lakes as I could. Crossing rivers was always problematic for that reason.
I brought along “The Lost World” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The narrator in that novel speaks of dinosaurs still inhabiting those parts of the Amazon through which I was traveling. I never saw any, but then I did not want to.
KCKFebruary 6, 2022, 2:19 PM
My compliments. My short 2 summers in Costa Rica, on the border near Nicaragua, made me a believer in giant jungle animals.
I opened the back door on a deep jungle cabana and right at face level was a scorpion whose tail was as thick around as my wrist, and I’d say at least 6″ long in neutral pose. I was stunned by his outrageous size, and stumbled backwards a couple of steps. I yelled for a machete from some workers, but by the time I got ahold of one, he’s slowly rounded the corner of the door jam and disappeared into the woodwork.
We had those crocs, I’d say 18′ by my measurement.
And so, I would bet money that the giant snake exists somewhere in the tropical Americas.
The border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica is one place in Central America I have not yet spent enough time in. I have for a long time wanted to travel up the Rio San Juan. Maybe when this “pandemic” nonsense is over I will have the chance. Nicaragua itself still has a “wild west” feel about it. Trace a line on a map from Matagalpa to Puerto Cabezas and it will pass through the largest jungle in all of Central America. Most of it has scarcely been touched.
The earliest white explorers of the Amazon Basin all have told of tremendously huge snakes. See the writings of Percy Fawcett (1867 – 1925) for example. Much of the region has yet to be fully mapped. What’s out there?
RedBeardFebruary 6, 2022, 12:03 PM
I am 100% for putting pantyhose over my face, but only under 2 conditions-
Without wearing a mask.
The pantyhose must be currently ‘occupied’ by a gorgeous young woman.
Real World Address for Donations, Mash Notes and Hate Mail
Gerard Van der Leun
1692 MANGROVE AVE
APT 379
Chico, Ca 95926
Green Pants Interior by Klahn
Who Am I? by Carl Sandburg
My head knocks against the stars.
My feet are on the hilltops.
My finger-tips are in the valleys and shores of universal life.
Down in the sounding foam of primal things I reach my hands and play with pebbles of destiny.
I have been to hell and back many times.
I know all about heaven, for I have talked with God.
I dabble in the blood and guts of the terrible.
I know the passionate seizure of beauty
And the marvelous rebellion of man at all signs reading “Keep Off.”
My name is Truth and I am the most elusive captive in the universe.
Duty, Beauty, Liberty, Country, Honor, Family, Faith — Plus a few simple easy to follow rules for guys
Men saw the stars at the edge of the sea
They thought great thoughts about liberty
Poets wrote down words that did fit
Writers wrote books
Thinkers thought about it
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
Many’s the road I have walked upon
Many’s the hour between dusk and dawn
Many’s the time
Many’s the mile
I see it all now
Through the eyes of a child
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
And close your eyes
Leave it all for a while
Leave the world
And your worries behind
You will build on whatever is real
And wake up each day
To a new waking dream
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Change, change come over
Change come over
Talkin’ about a change
Change, change
Change come over, now
Change, change, change come over
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
Extinction is not always a BAD thing. Titanoboa || Titanoboa (/tiˌtɑːnoʊˈboʊə/) is an extinct genus of very large snakes that lived in what is now La Guajira in northeastern Colombia. They could grow up to 12.8 m (42 ft) long and reach a weight of 1,135 kg (2,500 lb).Since the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences launched its Representation and Inclusion Standards Entry platform (or RAISE), all producers hoping for a Best Picture award must provide detailed information about every person involved in the production showing they meet the following criteria:
Rabobank: Russia Is Prepared To Declare Economic War On The West, Inflicting “Huge Economic Pain” As in the 1920s/30s, you also get passionate, polarized views on who is to blame. There are those who see Putin as Hitler and Ukraine as the Sudetenland – or Poland. There are those who see the ‘US Deep State’ driving things. And both can be true, which just makes matters worse.Meanwhile, the scandal-plagued UK government (this time it is about prosecco, not cake) and its Polish and Ukrainian counterparts are to sign a trilateral defence treaty. Of course, such defense pacts are not new – back in September 1996 the same trio were saying the same thing. Yet the UK guaranteeing not just Ukraine’s but Poland’s border…are history, and the UK government, slurring old lyrics, rhyming or repeating themselves?
The Ratchet of The Tensions – by Wm. J. Beck III Be cool. Smash their ideas with furious, integrated logic. Find their hidden premises and ruthlessly demolish them, that their superstructures collapse in thunder. Laugh loudly at their stark nonsense, and never stipulate to assertions of guilt or any other personal infirmity that is not truly yours; these and countless other rational strictures. Bring war upon their *minds*, not their bodies, nor any of their rote puppets. These are only expressions of their evil, and expendable to it.
‘Red-Handed’: 23 Former U.S. Senators and Congressmen Who Lobby for Chinese Military or Chinese Intelligence-Linked Companies
Drop the Goldberg name you co-opted, Whoopi — you don’t deserve it Ascribing commonalities between Jews and non-Jews is historically nonsensical, considering that Jews make up an astonishingly homogeneous and tiny tribe of people who survived nearly two millennia on this Earth without a homeland to call their own. That was understood when Johnson became Goldberg. But it’s two generations since then. It’s obvious that a 2022 version of young Caryn Johnson would not choose the name Goldberg to gain that extra frisson of non-white pride. In fact, Whoopi Goldberg should just drop the Goldberg now. There are dozens of survivors of the Holocaust who bear the name — and an untold number who died in the Shoah with it. Caryn Johnson stains them both.
China Fortifies Its Borders With a ‘Southern Great Wall,’ Citing Covid-19 
Gerard Van der Leun
Comments on this entry are closed.
The video “Time to leave Earth” shows a screen capture of an article about Hersheys Chocolates firing their unvaccinated employees.
I’ve sent an email to their CEO, to let him know that I am boycotting their products unless they reverse that decision.
You can do the same; send email to:
mbuck@hersheys.com
just so.
Wm. J. Beck III and I go back to around 96 maybe 97, in the knock down drag out days usenet political fanfare. alt.clinton.whitewater, etc. He lit the fire that ignited this raging patriot and the controlled explosion continues to this day. It will never be contained as long as I breathe.
In reply to the weirdness of that object floating above in the Oklahoma sky, here’s a brief video of an insider warning of dark powers who intend to obliterate massive numbers of humanity. Hologram technology has been greatly advanced to the point an image could be projected and you’d think you’re actually seeing “something.” Sorry about the sound quality. Not my production. Still… check this out. https://www.bitchute.com/video/7JIUDl9ZIFHP/
I pulled Debbie Harry’s over mine during the filming of a Sara Lee bread commercial at Manhattan’s Puck Building.
What can I say- she was there, they were there, I was there.
Thank Jeff Bezos! Now Neil Young is a carnival barker for Amazon. The Spotify vacuum is diverted.
https://rumble.com/vtr52g-amazon-music.html
For decades environmentalist types have babbled incessantly about how nightmarishly terrible extinction is. To this end they have pressed upon a bewildered people the existential importance of snail darters and hoot owls, and how these lowly creatures actually deserve to live far more than any human being deserves to live. Men must sacrifice all that they hold dear to insure the survival of any beast deemed “at risk” by the State. Every mud puddle thus becomes a “wetland”, every tree a holy relic, every insect a sacred thing, every four-footed predator a blessing to the earth. Imagine if Noah thought this way. For one thing he would have needed a much bigger Ark. For another we would today have unicorns, but also saber tooth tigers, the T. Rex and titanoboas wandering about. I wonder how effective an AR would be against such beasts?
Extinction as a scary thing is a relatively new concept. The whole point of civilization was clearing the wilderness—notice the word “wild” in wilderness—and exterminating those pesky lions and tigers and bears. Every animal must make way for the advance of men. Let’s call this “purposeful extinction”. We used it against the buffalo, and it worked quite well. If no man ever killed any coyote or lion or wolf or bear, then farming and ranching would be impossible. A man with his rifle is the apex predator of apex predators. He should act like it, and thus put fear into the hearts of his beastly competitors.
Of course, extinction itself has been called into question. Its very name implies finality, but is that really so? We once thought the Chacoan peccary was a goner, until one of these appeared in 1971.
“The Chacoan peccary has the unusual distinction of having been first described in 1930 based on fossils and was originally thought to be an extinct species. In 1971, the animal was discovered to still be alive in the Chaco region, in the Argentine province of Salta. The species was well known to the native people, but it took a while for Western scientists to acknowledge its existence.”
Re-read that last sentence. So how many other “extinct” beasts are roaming about in “wild weird climes lying most sublime, out of space, out of time”? For just one example, my guess is that there are yet thylacines alive and well and running thither and yon in Tasmania. For a rather weird look at such things—let’s call them “maybe monsters”—research the word “cryptids”.
“Although Cryptozoology is not considered a real science, it is based on the sciences of Zoology and Paleontology. Many Cryptids probably don’t exist, but there is a high possibility that others do.”
Ok then, which ones still exist? Here’s where to look for these shady creatures:
1. The Amazon basin. This encompasses parts of Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay.
2. The Congo basin. This comprises 13 percent of Africa.
3. The odder parts of Australia, New Guinea and Tasmania.
Some cryptids are huge and definitely man-eaters. Make sure that when you are looking for them, that they are not likewise looking for you.
Thanks for the new words, Mike. I’m looking them up. Regarding creatures in the wild, if you see them they are already well aware of you. A bear can smell a city slicker a mile away.
Any predator that senses a man has two options: run from the man or run toward the man. It’s the “run toward the man” that gets man and beast into difficulties. Bears are intelligent but moody. One cannot predict what a particular bear will do in a certain circumstance. This makes advice about “how to handle bears in the wilds” misleading. Climb a tree, play dead, stand tall, yell at the animal: Sometimes these work, sometimes not. And if not? One result:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0AHvPpGrDU
Some folks have no business being in the wilds.
People that pay attention ALWAYS have a weapon(s) of some sorts on their person when they go to places that could be dangerous. Around here that is more likely to be some irresponsible person’s large dog. I always have a pocket folder on me and lately a larger sheath knife in a Kydex quick-sheath. The level of armament increases with the level of threat. As far as bears go, I just read something the other day this. The ultimate LEGAL weapon would be an autoloader 12ga shotgun with a capacity for at least (7) 3″ slugs. At bare minimal a 17 shot 9mm will work. Same with any downtown metropolis with a thoroughfare named MLK.
Being a backpacker and a bikepacker, my choice of arms is limited. Right now it is my .40 Smith & Wesson. With a proper load it will be sufficient, but barely. I am looking at a Taurus .357 Magnum 7 shot revolver.
Winchester model 12 my cabin/canoe security blanket.
.41 mag Desert Eagle in a shoulder holster if sharing fishing streams with bears.
Tartus Judge minimum my 120 acre yard walkabout (Hey it’s highly accurate up to ten feet!).
.38 ACP in a paddle holster when wearing my Sundaygotometetin’ clothes, doesn’t print when covered by even a light jacket or untucked in shirt, and paddle holster quickly switches to left hip, cross draw, when driving so seat belt doesn’t interfere with access.
My moose/caribou harvester, .308 FN.
Nice. $569 Manuf price. Looked at 8 places online, none available. Closest store that has it is more then 100 miles away.
If I was to go traipsing through a place where bears were seen I’d holster my Beretta 92FS with 4 extra mags, and shoulder up my custom Rem 870 with 9rd mag extension and slugs, at high ready. But I don’t intend to do that. Don’t particularly want to be terrified.
How tiny would the American Expeditionary Force that Biddy is sending to the Ukraine be on that comparison of forces chart?
Yes, Russian forces are imposing on paper; but so is the vast area of Russian territory that they are spend out over. Would Putin really pull everything back from his eastern borders with China?
Trump wouldn’t fall for it.
Russian friends have told me the “troop buildup” near the Ukraine border is a regular, pretty much annual wargames thing just as much of our wargame training is near (Near being a relative term, depending on who says it and why, if our media and or government says such, I start with mistrust and attempt to verify.) the Mexican border. Don’t know if that’s true but it seems quite probable.
I’m more willing to buy Biden and his handlers would willingly start WW III as a distraction from their internal destruction of our Republic. Don’t know if that’s true but it seems extremely probable.
They’re lying as usual. Directly and repeatedly.
See:
https://kunstler.com/clusterfuck-nation/death-wish-2/
and:
https://theferalirishman.blogspot.com/2022/02/are-they-losing-some-of-press.html
For those willing to read and enjoy the research, wild edible mushrooms, their habitats, and life cycles are fascinating and rewarding for cuisine. Where I live, I have identified 75 wild edible mushrooms to date, but not one of them were ever eaten without being 100% sure.
Deathcap is not a mistaken mushroom.
There are numerous poisonous mushroooms, but actually, there are very few toxic ones, and with a bit of study, the Deathcap can be identified by even the novice forager. This video should be added to the list called fear porn, especially by promoting her comment “I felt confident enough to know what I was doing”.
I feel bad for anyone making a mistake like this, but at the same time, it’s a constant reminder that stupid people can get you killed.
Puffballs grow at the bases of oaks along upper Hudson St in NYC- the first I noticed I mistook for discarded roasted potatoes. They are brown which flags them as toxic, I believe. This is a larger one, Hudson@Houston Sts. I approached it cautiously >8)~
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e2e06991a0ec48830e674c429efa0453fa2ad29c0762a0bf4d0ecf96932eb9e8.jpg
Last year a large Lion’s Mane fungus grew on an oak, Hudson@Christopher Sts. Here it had yet to flower. Edible. No, I didn’t.
Chicken of the Forest is pretty common around here at certain times but I have not partaken. I’m not desperate for an ambulance ride.
gwbnyc:
That’s a Dog Turd Fungus. They pop up in my front yard all the time. Article says they probably came to So Cal on Australian Eucalyptus trees. I don’t think they’re poisonous, but who’d want to eat one?
http://bayareamushrooms.org/mushroommonth/pisolithus.html
JWM
Accurately identifecated, sir. Always appreciated.
Haipu:
“Well hell
no wonder I slipped in it.”
-I did indeed cut one open and it was the same as the fotos.
Writers rooms must now be forty percent illiterate, forty percent English as second language, ten percent BLTGQ, and ten percent disabled.
Because quality.
JWM
A few years ago I was up on a ridge above the Noyo river, 18 miles inland of Fort Bragg (California). I had come up to the ridge from the floor of the canyon, to get a cell signal in order to check on the family (as I had been in camp for 3 days by myself). I could hear the “crack, crack” of a buck knocking his antlers against a branch, and so wandered 10 yards from my truck to see him.
A beautiful big boy for a coastal blacktail, he continued smacking his antlers without seeing my approach. Suddenly he looked to his right and froze, and then bolted past me to my right. I thought maybe a big cat was lurking, but within about 10 seconds I could hear some crunching in the brush coming up the hill below where the buck had been, and figured it to be a bear.
Now, back in the truck, there’s my .308, and on my hip is my Kimber .45, so I’m feeling somewhat safe, especially since that truck is steps away (even though I know how quickly a bear can cover ground- I’ve seen them here in action). I have my phone ready, waiting to press “record” on video, and sure enough, about 20 yards away this very large boar ambles out onto the road, downwind of me. He walked in my direction, crossing the road in an angular fashion, and never even bothered looking directly at me. I don’t know if he didn’t smell me or see me, but it seemed he did and didn’t care, since he was the biggest baddest thing in that section of forest.
I continued recording him as he finished his passage into the forest, in true awe of everything at that moment…the beauty of the warm, late afternoon, sunlit forest ridge…the electricity of the moment when that buck heard him approaching, and then bolted…the incredible presence of that wild animal, and the sense that he knew I was there but didn’t care.
Crystal Moment
by Robert P. T. Coffin (1892–1955)
Once or twice this side of death
Things can make one hold his breath.
From my boyhood I remember
A crystal moment of September.
A wooded island rang with sounds
Of church bells in the throats of hounds.
A buck leaped out and took the tide
With jewels flowing past each side.
With his head high like a tree
He swam within a yard of me.
I saw the golden drop of light
In his eyes turned dark with fright.
I saw the forest’s holiness
On him like a fierce caress.
Fear made him lovely past belief,
My heart was trembling like a leaf.
He leans towards the land and life
With need above him like a knife.
In his wake the hot hounds churned
They stretched their muzzles out and yearned.
They bayed no more, but swam and throbbed
Hunger drove them till they sobbed.
Pursued, pursuers reached the shore
And vanished. I saw nothing more.
So they passed, a pageant such
As only gods could witness much,
Life and death upon one tether
And running beautiful together.
it was your lucky day
In many ways, very lucky…and yes, a Crystal Moment. What was really amazing was that just the week before, I had been in the Grand Tetons, and a large brown bear frolicked within 10 yards (this time I stayed in the truck), and I got that on video as well. He didn’t care that I was there either, but it was obvious that he was very used to humans in vehicles watching his antics. The big boar on our ridge was out in the middle of nowhere, wild in the wilderness, master of his domain.
All as usual until I got to the TS Eliot. Elegance, wit and construction!
The infographic of Ukraine vs Russia shows Russia’s weaknesses, yet again. Learn to read military.
In the doctrine of the offensive, the attacker is disadvantages tactically. An attacker requires a 3:1 advantage in forces in order to succeed – and if you’ll note the numbers they show that the 2 nations have a parity of numbers, given the doctrine.
Of course, Russia has a dominance in firepower. But, the Ukrainians got game; it’ll be interesting to watch. Ukraine has a number of terrain advantages, while Russia seems to surround the Ukes. OTOH, much of that dispersion of Ru. forces is also mitigated. For instance, the Rooskies in no way own the Black Sea. The Belarus flank is mostly over bad terrain, which advantages the Ukes.
If Ru decides to set the wrong war aims (but I doubt they will) they could lose by failure of their aims. If they set a proper war aim – the destruction of Ukraine forces – they are sadly underprivileged. The Ukes will take to the Carpathian hill lands and taunt them with Indian tactics. I wouldn’t want to be Russia in this fight.
What would constitute a Russian victory? What would constitute a Ukrainian victory?
Whatever the gov’t/media says it is. Of course.
Watch that twitter vid I linked of the gov’t fag lying straight up in front of everybody and with a straight face. It’ll make you ball your fists. Yes, fag. Go look it up.
idk the stated military goal of the Russians, but I am keeping my ear to the ground for when they tip it. Same for Ukraine.
Were I the Russians, my goal would be to push the former Warsaw countries into a political reality where they allow Russia to dictate where NATO can go, and they suck Putin’s balls vis. trade and economics. In Ukraine proper it would be achieved, ostensibly, by almost any victory, such as investing and probably taking Kiev, and by drawing up to the Dnieper River and calling for negotiations. I would say that a NATO response with or without kinetics would probably constitute a defeat because the Eastern Block would be reticent to line up behind Russia if NATO proves to be “for real”. Under the first part of the national objective I stated, the Russians just need to do anything that looks powerful or good for their side. It’s a low threshold for success.
The entry of NATO in force into the Eastern Block nations would be bad for Putin, and in this regard, it is also a low threshold for the anti-Russian forces. But, they also will have to dominate Putin and make him look bad. A significant kinetic event in the Black Sea, where Russia either fails to land amphibious forces, or Putin loses 2 or 3 capital ships, would be a big embarrassment for Putin. Putin’s profile is a center of gravity in this.
These objective statements cover the political point of view, which is the important thing. As a military man, I’d try to destroy or render ineffective about 20% – 30% of the other guy’s forces. Hell, fukn Putin’s military might do that to themselves. They suck at road marching tanks for long distances and in a speedy fashion. Ever watch videos of his tanks and armor belching black exhaust? The Russian tanks will lose a significant portion of their vehicles just to non-kinetic breakdowns.
As far as what Ghost says about the media and political lies, it’s true but I can read reports and maps for myself. I can tell if Putin’s people are winning without hearing it from the media.
So, if the Ukraine shows up for the fight, and if NATO reinforces the shoulders (Poland, Romania, etc.) then this may be enough to defeat Russia. If Ukraine can preserve its forces, mostly intact, to a line West of the river (Ukraine has doubled its forces since 2014), this may be enough.
It is fascinating to see the Olympics and to ask yourself if Russia would attack at this point in time. Putin is a sneaky bastard.
On the map shown as Ukraine territory, the two eastern provinces are actually currently held by ethnic Russian militia. Putin could advance into Ukrainian territory that is held by friendly forces, announce he has no ‘further territorial ambitions’ and claim a victory.
Biden would then shit himself, but he’s going to do that anyway.
He then sits back with his hand on the lever controlling the flow of energy into Western Europe, an ultimate weapon that the EU willingly handed him, and smiles.
I think NATO just has to demonstrate (an old military term) in order to fulfill its objective. But, Putin has to actually invade; I think everyone knows the Donbas is as good as occupied. Does anyone still believe the “Little Green Men” ruse?
Yes, Biden not only shitshimself, but he tends to enjoy a nice, messy Kabul Airport, if he can get the situation fukt up to his liking.
Come on man. It’s all gov’t/media bullshit.
THAT’s the new normal.
been living with bears 30 years up here in northern bc & can tell you a few things that aren’t well understood about them. first off they are not color blind & they do not like red, orange, or yellow colors, you will get the ole stink eye from them & perhaps more depending on the bears day so far, second they do not like sunglasses they want to see your eyes, by & large bear society is a very polite society kinda like the old west everybody is armed & they know how much damage can be done. most bear fights last about 3 seconds 5 seconds is a long one, mostly WHO WHO WHO, i have never heard a bear snarl, regardless of movie dubs, mutual trust & respect go a long way in interactions with them & don’t forget the marshmallows. not all but most will stop doing whatever for a marshmallow so keep a bag handy on your outings just in case & if worse doesn’t come to worse you can always toast em over the campfire.
Well frankly, if a bear ever gets close enough to see my eyes he’s going to see another eye winking at him in tones of yellow, orange and red. If you catch my drift.
And, if bears are attracted to marshmallows, is carrying them on your person a good idea?
It’s okay if, like that Clinton pal, you hide them down inside the front of your pants.
I don’t have as much experience with bears as you, but I’d wager my father did. He shot 5 of them and grew up on a homestead in the Olympic Peninsula. My own run-ins with bear were usually the small black bears on the Peninsula, and they never attack people. Several times I was alone with them nearby and never worried about them. Size matters, though. I don’t enjoy being in close with bigger black bear or griz., whose size is a whole ‘nother order of thing. Griz is a monster, as far as size goes.
Bears are easy to smell upwind from you (garbage smell). If the wind is sideways, and you are being silent, you might stumble into a bear. They are shy but they are out killing deer and so it’s a good idea to respect them. Yes to the fact that they are individuals with their own independent personalities and you can’t bet on what they’ll do.
I did pull my pistol on a large cinnamon bear, whose head was enormous and whose shoulder height was about equal to my height. It was pistol range, and that is too damn close. After I walked away from that, I did some studying on bear vs handgun. There is much on the net by guys who’ve never shot a bear, and very little by those who have shot them. Suffice it to say that I decided that my 6″ Ruger .357 magnum is enough pistol, but I did go over to higher velocity polymer tip rounds (Hornady). I have a Marlin lever action that shoots the same load, and is plenty good enough for large bear, and I also practiced with .12 gauge slugs for my riot gun. That changes the sight picture vs. shot loads so it’s always a good idea to pattern your shotgun for what you want to shoot.
.40 and .41 and even .45 may be too small, although Griz. has been dispatched by scared boyfriends with .45 automatics. That’s got to be a white knuckle thing, in my impression.
What was my dad’s wisdom? The bear is easy to hunt; you shoot him over the garbage dump.
“Bears are easy to smell upwind from you (garbage smell). ” For a couple of decades I’d catch that smell on early spring days at the edge of my yard. Figured it was a bear passing. Turned out to be fox. A vixen after a winter denned up hauling meat for herself and the kits, smells pretty ripe when first out of the den come spring.
Fall, blueberry fed black bear, quite tasty, garbage or salmon fed not so much.
I do have an irrational thing that I won’t hunt bear, looks too much like a human when you dress them out.
Yeah, I can’t imagine eating garbage bear, but it’s too late to ask my dad about that. He was a Depression Era youngster.
Yes, the fox could tolerate over-ripe meat. The coyote will sometimes have that smell, esp. if he’s got mange.
Titan Boa or Ginormousconda? Extinct? …not so… at least not yet. I have met two people who have witnessed unusually large snakes, or their aftereffects, in the northeast of Brazil… southern part of Venezuela.
One, a Minnesota farm boy friend who moved to Brazil in the early 60’s, married into a Brazilian cattle rancher’s huge operation. He’s still there and said these snakes were still around. He told me Brazilian Law was that if one of these huge snakes attacked a human and other humans aware of it failed to attempt to rescue that poor soul… each and all were subject to a death sentence by hanging.
Another friend, a retired Northwest Orient pilot, went to a jungle survival camp in northeastern Brazil near the Colombian border where you have to travel out something like 100 miles with only a knife to ‘graduate.’ Wild and crazy!
While riding in a long boat to the camp he noticed whole cattle skeletons up in the trees along the river. He assumed they’d drowned when the river was flooded. His guides pointed at the skeletons and told him “snake.” Whatever kind of snake it was, it ate these cows and shit the remnants out whole, so I don’t want to ever encounter one.
There is also a photo that was taken by a pilot flying a tributary of the Amazon who took the photo of a Brazilian long boat being followed by a huge snake of some un Godly size compared to the two men in the boat. It sure looked real.
In Southeast Asia and Indonesian areas, the Boas will stalk people by following them tree to tree along their route… sizing them up and positioning themselves for an attack. The Boa is the more aggressive of the snakes… much more so than the Anaconda.
I worry more about crocodiles in these areas. 25 foot long and counting. They’ll do the same number on you… sneak up on you and make you disappear. They snatch you, pull you under the water, swim like mad turning around and around disorienting you until they drown you. Then they poke you up under hollow spots or tree roots on the river bank edge… until you putrefy and they can suck in your rotten body… because they don’t usually eat raw flesh.
Like the African women who came screaming for help into our camp after a croc took one of them while washing clothes on the flat rocks along a river. Poor soul… nothing we could do but kill every croc around the river area. But she was somewhere… dead.
A member of my Commando, a former South African guide told me once… “Stick your hand down the croc’s throat and force open the diaphragm that keeps water from flooding it’s stomach… that will force it to let you go.”
“Oh, that’s great!” I said. “I’ll try to remember that while I’m getting trashed by one! Does it work?” I asked.
“Damned if I know!” he laughed… “I’ve never met the survivor of a crocodile attack who did that!”
I killed a number of Black Mamba’s… the scariest of snakes. I must have had a loss of sanity back then… none of that really bothered me then… like the thought of it now.
Now if we could just get these critters to feed on Communists.
Jack Lawson
Associate Member, Sully H. deFontaine Special Forces Association Chapter 51, Las Vegas, Nevada
Author of “The Slaver’s Wheel”, “A Failure of Civility,” “And We Hide From The Devil,” “Civil Defense Manual” and “In Defense.”
“I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I’ve watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate. Those moments will be lost in time… like tears in rain.” – Rutger Hauer in his “Time to die” scene from the movie “Blade Runner”
In my memories are the above in a figurative sense… the below in the literal reality of my past…
“I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. The darkness of Zambia I’ve parachuted into at two o’clock in the morning with 60 pounds of explosives in my drop pack. I’ve watched a frightened, but still majestic and graceful family of giraffes gallop the African bush as I hung out the door of a helicopter flying by them at treetop level almost close enough to touch them. Battled it out with terrorists mano a mano while neck deep in crocodile infested idle waters on the banks and sandbars of the Honde and Limpopo Rivers in Mozambique”- From an American in 1RLI Support Commando and attached to Rhodesian “C Squadron” SAS Africa 1977-79
I traveled and solo backpacked through the Amazon basin jungles where Brazil, Venezuela and Guyana come together (2002). I wanted to explore one of those weird massive outcroppings called tepuys that dot that region, as well as walk to Angel Falls. The locals there boasted about how the movie “Anaconda” had been filmed around there and near the Brazilian city of Manaus, the largest city on the Amazon River. I never saw any large snakes, but the local Pemon Indians had. They told tales of snakes coming into villages and snatching away animals and the occasional human. Because of possible snakes and crocs I kept as far away from lagoons and lakes as I could. Crossing rivers was always problematic for that reason.
I brought along “The Lost World” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The narrator in that novel speaks of dinosaurs still inhabiting those parts of the Amazon through which I was traveling. I never saw any, but then I did not want to.
My compliments. My short 2 summers in Costa Rica, on the border near Nicaragua, made me a believer in giant jungle animals.
I opened the back door on a deep jungle cabana and right at face level was a scorpion whose tail was as thick around as my wrist, and I’d say at least 6″ long in neutral pose. I was stunned by his outrageous size, and stumbled backwards a couple of steps. I yelled for a machete from some workers, but by the time I got ahold of one, he’s slowly rounded the corner of the door jam and disappeared into the woodwork.
We had those crocs, I’d say 18′ by my measurement.
And so, I would bet money that the giant snake exists somewhere in the tropical Americas.
The border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica is one place in Central America I have not yet spent enough time in. I have for a long time wanted to travel up the Rio San Juan. Maybe when this “pandemic” nonsense is over I will have the chance. Nicaragua itself still has a “wild west” feel about it. Trace a line on a map from Matagalpa to Puerto Cabezas and it will pass through the largest jungle in all of Central America. Most of it has scarcely been touched.
The earliest white explorers of the Amazon Basin all have told of tremendously huge snakes. See the writings of Percy Fawcett (1867 – 1925) for example. Much of the region has yet to be fully mapped. What’s out there?
I am 100% for putting pantyhose over my face, but only under 2 conditions-
Without wearing a mask.
The pantyhose must be currently ‘occupied’ by a gorgeous young woman.