No, Not a Lemming

Published October 26, 2024 by Nan Mykel

https://www.nwfrenchies.com/past-puppies

We’ll get to the picture of a lemming in just a few, but this French bulldog has been described as looking like a baby, if you ignore the ears. During times of stress (most of the time these days), we tend to humanize our pets. Dog ice cream is even available. And have you seen the lush dog beds, coats, rain boots, chew toys and car seats? Fun’s over now.

The photo of a lemming I promised earlier may be less adorable, but lemmings have it tougher. They live in the arctic, do not make good pets, and are short-lived. Storied for their self destructive tendency to drown themselves in the sea under the malevolent influence of another, they have become a metaphor for self-destruction. The expression “like lemmings to the sea” originated in the 1950s and remained popular for decades afterward. The phrase was used as a way of symbolizing people who unthinkingly follow what the crowd is doing, often with dangerous, if not downright fatal, consequences. They live under the snow and their coat color changes with the weather.

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YAY, FRANCE https://time.com/6277524/france-influencer-marketing-regulation-social/

I really hate to be manipulated, so I was glad to read that France is influencing the influencers via laws. As early as 2023 the influencer marketing industry—a largely new economic sector that pays everyday individuals to promote products to their followers—is worth an estimated hundreds of millions of euros. But the industry has never been formally recognized by the law and is instead governed by laws designed for traditional marketing. France’s Finance Minister, Bruno Le Maire, launched a public consultation in January 2023 to set up a framework for regulation. “This is the first time in Europe that a comprehensive influencer regulation framework will be put in place.” Le Maire said about the bill. The Internet “is not the Wild West” he told local media.”

French influencers are already required to specify in their post’s description if they are paid to promote a brand or product, but the practice is not always followed. In a study earlier this year, the country’s economy ministry’s consumer protection bureau found that six of 10 influencers did not follow regulations. Under the new law, content creators would be required to include a disclaimer indicating that a post is sponsored as a banner across photos and videos, rather than just in the description or as a hashtag. Fernandez says there is a lack of understanding of the laws governing the sector. The new legislation will create a foundation for how influencers’ content will be regulated when it comes to advertising.The bill considers influencers’ activities as advertising to be governable under French Consumer Law, closing a loophole that has long allowed influencers to turn a blind eye to regulations by recognizing the sector and explicitly defining the laws governing it. The plan would not regulate influencer’s free speech on social media, only on those used as an advertising channel, an official explained. Those who do not comply could face six months’ imprisonment and a fine of up to 300,000 euros. A law passed in Norway in 2021 made it mandatory for influencers to disclose if they were posting retouched photos as part of paid promotion! That’s a good idea, too.

ENOUGH! I GET THE BIG PICTURE….According to NPR, during the current campaign, Mr. Trump has made more than 100 specific threats “to investigate, prosecute, jail or otherwise punish” people he regards as enemies, including Mr. Biden, Kamala Harris, members of Congress, judges and prosecutors. Do I look like a lemming? I think I’ll try praying, just in case…

Happy Halloween from Athens, Ohio

SERIOUSLY

Published October 24, 2024 by Nan Mykel

Does anyone really trust Donald with the nuclear button?

If his wives couldn’t trust him,

why should we? STOP NOW.

Back Up.

Lay off drugs until after you vote,

if necessary.

This didn’t rhyme…

I haven’t the time.

Survival is more important.

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HO HUM, THE WORLD GOES ON

I understand that the U.S. sends cluster bombs to Ukraine, despite 100 countries banning them for ethical reasons. A headline from 2023 says Ukraine won’t use these against Russia !!??….Climate change would get us sooner if the Republicans win: In a telephone interview with Donald Trump in the current AARP Bulletin, Trump is quoted as saying that if elected he will start his new term by drilling and getting oil. “We call it Drill, baby, drill.”….I recall reading that one woman announced that she’s being paid 50 thousand dollars a month to influence others to favor Ukraine….North Korea is joining Russia against Ukraine?!….Lovely: Recommended: “Seven Ways to retire comfortably with one million.” (I’d hate for them to be uncomfortable)….Bacteria and other living things are as programmable as computer code. Life itself could be turned into a modifiable tool of production. Whopee! Just what Trunp and AI were hoping for.

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DID YOU EVER WONDER WHAT A LEMMING LOOKS LIKE?

That will have to wait until another day, but…

What made me think of lemmings? I guess it’s because I looked them up on Google and saw what they are famous for: the lemming has become a metaphor for someone who blindly follows the crowd, even into the face of a catastrophy.

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Worried Whispers

Published October 21, 2024 by Nan Mykel

I’ve been hesitant to voice my concerns from a superstitious fear that voicing them might cause them, but time is running out. Will there be more violence if Trump wins or loses? Not a pretty picture.

Are there two different populations in Trump’s camp: both the wealthy and the frustrated foot soldiers who follow his lead to “stand down” or “up?” It appears to me that the wealthy may be weaponizing the white men on the bottom. I viewed many of the FBI’s WANTED photos, and feel some compassion for those who seemed to be feeling good about their actions. I think of the two populations as the “Hoodwinks” and the Wealthiest.

And I can imagine some men voting against Kamala as a result of concern about being usurped by women and their (our) movement, which leads me to my very unpopular stance that women should de-sexualize themselves if they (we) want to be viewed as equal humans. When I say “de-sexualize” I’m referring to the widespread effort to manipulate men by excessive “sexiness.” Some rapists believe females are trying to control them by making starving men hungrier (to coin a phrase). As a result of my perspective, I would like both men and women to feel better about themselves as adequate humans and strive to be more civilized.

And yes, the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling in 2010 may be at the root of it all.

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I STILL DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY

US President George Bush said he has signed into law a bill requiring the US Department of State to monitor global anti-Semitism and annually rate countries on their treatment of Jews.

The state’s Jewish population is the third largest in the world after Israel and New York.

The state department had opposed the legislation, saying it was unnecessary as the department already compiles such information in its annual reports on human rights and religious freedom.

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JOSH PAUL’S RESIGNATION…failed to get enough coverage in my opinion.

“My name is Josh Paul. I resigned from my position as a director in the US State Department’s Bureau of Political Military Affairs last October in opposition to
America’s policy of providing lethal arms to Israel in the context of its current war on Gaza….I believe to the core of my soul that the response Israel is taking , and with it the American support both for that response and for the status quo of the occupation, will only lead to more and deeper suffering for both the Israeli and the Palestinian people-and is not in the long term American interest. This Administration’s response-and much of Congress’ as well-is an impulsive reaction built on confirmation bias, political convenience, intellectual bankruptcy, and bureaucratic inertia.” [Note: He is not the lead guitarist of the same name] –Aljazeera

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AN EERIE FACT

Published October 18, 2024 by Nan Mykel

The hummingbird has a heart rate of 1,000 beats per minute. The largest mammal, the blue whale, has a heart the size of a sofa, and their heart beats have been recorded as low as two per minute. That’s the slowest heartbeat of any warm blooded mammal. All animals have roughly the same number of heartbeats during their lifetime. If they’re small, the heart beats faster to get them all in. If large, see above. How is that possible?

Many Republicans use lies and threats and fake AI to try to win. How is that possible? I hope it’s not. Amen.

ALARMING AND DISGUSTING

Published October 15, 2024 by Nan Mykel

KEITH WILSON WRITES:

In a beyond the outrageous story, people who believe the hurricane conspiracy BS of the Republican presidential team and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, are acting out against helpers. Per an article in The Guardian by Edward Helmore called “North Carolina hurricane recovery team relocated amid threat of ‘armed militia’” the ridiculous has become reality. The subheadline reads “Hurricane Helene federal emergency workers told to evacuate Rutherford county, Washington Post reports.”

Here are a few paragraphs, “Government emergency workers in the US responding to the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina were relocated over the weekend amid concerns that ‘armed militia’ could pose a threat to their safety.

According to an email obtained by the Washington Post, a US Forest Service official sent out a message warning that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) ‘has advised all federal responders Rutherford County, NC, to stand down and evacuate the county immediately.’

The message said that soldiers with the national guard ‘had come across x2 trucks of armed militia saying there were out hunting FEMA.’

The Appalachian county of Rutherford incorporates the mountain towns of Rutherfordton, Forest City and Chimney Rock, which were badly hit by Helene floodwaters that tore away homes, washed out roads and killed dozens.“

Trump’s lies can and do endanger people. To be frank, this behavior is sociopathic, plain and simple. He is the same person who endangered his biggest fans during the pandemic. He is also the guy who said “So, what?” when told of the danger his Vice President was in during the insurrection.

Please pay attention to what is happening because of Trump. This is not leadership behavior. This is not even adult behavior.

Keith Wilson

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I HAVE TO WONDER…

Since Trump appears to be wobbling per observations, I wonder if his staff has plans to guide his actions quietly, should the Republicans win. Surely they have a big investment in having this unpredictable man win. I find this current action (see above) as well as the use of AI to mislead the public (as discussed in yesterday’s blog) alarming. I fear the public’s response to widespread voter decertification may result in some unpleasantness November 5.

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SANITY SAVER

This section will be a permanent feature in order to attempt to preserve my joie de vivre during hard times:

PISSANT

His growl has short hairs on it.

His belch has a slaughterhouse stink

But oh my ladies and gents,

His pockets are lined with mink.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

CONFESSION

I’m so glad I’m not bald because

I’ve got bumps on my head:

ridges and valleys if truth be told.

STILL TRYING TO VOTE

Published October 11, 2024 by Nan Mykel

I went to the DMV today in Athens, Ohio after learning that my “Non-Driver” ID card had expired. In order to renew it I had to find and bring in my birth certificate! I had thought an ID card with a photo they took themselves four years ago would (and should) suffice, Miraculously, I still had my 89-year old birth certificate from the state of Virginia. Since my address was on my expired ID and I had not moved in over 20 years, I thought my address would be covered. But no, a mailing from my State of Ohio retirement policy folks was not sufficient. I need to return to the DMV again tomorrow with something more substantial, like a bank statement with my “current” address on it. What if I received my bank statements via the internet, or at a local P.O. Box number? I have voted in every major election for well over 40 years, without a problem. Some poll workers know me by name. I’m writing this blog just in case some other non-drivers won’t wait until the last minute (like election day) to learn they have been disenfranchised, Yes, I vaguely remember about two months ago receiving a reminder from the DMV to update, but I assumed they didn’t know I wasn’t even driving any more. I still wonder why a valid ID with a valid photo should expire before I do. …And the homeless without an address! Oh, I just thought: Maybe all new drivers’ licenses require a birth certificate now…?

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That’s enough writing for tonight.

WILL YOU BE ALLOWED TO VOTE?

Published October 11, 2024 by Nan Mykel

The Poetry Store

Published October 9, 2024 by Nan Mykel

A Little of This, a Little of That…

Published October 5, 2024 by Nan Mykel

EEW! Telegram has become a global sewer of criminal activity, disinformation, child sexual abuse material, terrorism and racist incitement, according to a four-month investigation by The New York Times that analyzed more than 3.2 million Telegram messages from over 16,000 channels. The company, which offers features that enable criminals, terrorists and grifters to organize and to sidestep scrutiny from the authorities, has looked the other way as illegal and extremist activities have flourished openly on the app. …Apparently its founder Pavel Durov is going through some tough times just now.

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WHY DO I keep reading about non-human consciousness? Probably because it is “off topic,” and not unduly offensive: Elephants: In northern Bengal, India, scientists studied five instances where an entire elephant herd participated in burying a deceased young elephant. The scientists reported that the elephants carried the dead calf’s body a distance to a suitable spot near a tea plantation, covered it with vegetation, and then the herd observed the body. Later, the elephants visited the site several times as the body decayed.

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SORRY, but maybe I can blame it on turning eighty-nine:

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Song by Fred Rogers

It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood

A beautiful day for a neighborWould you be mine? Could you be mine?

It’s a neighborly day in this beautywoodA neighborly day for a beautyWould you be mine? Could you be mine?

I have always wanted to have a neighbor just like youI’ve always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you

So, let’s make the most of this beautiful daySince we’re together, we might as well sayWould you be mine? Could you be mine?Won’t you be my neighbor?

Won’t you please, won’t you please?Please, won’t you be my neighbor?

Neighbors are people who are close to usAnd friends are people who are close to our heartsI like to think of you as my neighbor and my friend

I MISSED THIS AT THE TIME

Published October 2, 2024 by Nan Mykel

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I missed this at the time:

CNN — In some political careers, there comes a moment when you must stand up and say something you never wanted to say.

For Ohio state representative Teresa Fedor, that moment came in 2015, as she listened to her fellow lawmakers debate a bill that would forbid abortions once a heartbeat is detected, which can sometimes be as early as six weeks. A former schoolteacher who served in the legislature since 2002, she says she knew it was time to tell her own story.

“I knew when I decided to stand up, there was no looking back,” she says. Fedor, 59 at the time, began indirectly, noting that she had not heard any discussion of exceptions for rape. She said she respected her opponents’ reasoning. And then, a minute into her speech, she stunned her colleagues. On 25 March 2015, Fedor got so frustrated during the debate on abortion in the lower chamber of the state’s legislature that she stood up and revealed that she had been raped and terminated the resulting pregnancy. “You don’t respect my reason, my rape, my abortion, and I guarantee you there are other women who should stand up with me and be courageous enough to speak,” she said. “What you’re doing is so fundamentally inhuman, unconstitutional, and I’ve sat here too long.” Fedor was raped many years ago, while she was in the military. (^[16]

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CNN —

Former President Donald Trump cast himself as a “protector” of women at a Pennsylvania rally Monday evening and claimed that American women won’t be “thinking about abortion” if he’s elected.

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I wish I had saved the clipping, but not too long ago I read that one spokeswoman bemoaned abortions, because they might prevent one child from growing up to find a cure for cancer. [Statistics show that he would much more likely be a psychopath.]

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PUNISHMENT FOR SEX?

Is it my imagination or beneath the fire and brimstone’s energy against abortions does there lurk a brutal whiplash for females who make love, screw, get raped or are incested? Or for family size to increase in order to maintain the “white” civilization? Or to keep women out of competition with men at the workplace?

The question of how soon it’s possible to detect and confirm a pregnancy has come into focus as new abortion restrictions have been enacted across the country, including in Iowa, where a ban on most abortions after six weeks took effect in July. A similar ban took effect in Georgia, on May 1, although temporarily halted by a lower court judge.

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