INSPIRATIONAL: Perhaps we can learn the elephants’ names?

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00797-z

NEWS
10 June 2024
Do elephants have names for each other?

  • Machine learning and careful observation suggest that some of the animals’ calls are specific to individuals, similar to a person’s name.

By Gemma Conroy 

*** begin quote ***

Call Me By My Name

A study yesterday revealed wild elephants may address each other by name, becoming one of only a handful of animals known to use unique sounds to address one another. 

The study examined 469 low-rumble sounds recorded from female African savanna elephants and their offspring from 1988 to 2022. A machine-learning model (see overview) analyzing the sounds was able to identify the elephant being addressed 27.5% of the time, a much higher rate than when the model was fed random audio. Researchers playing the audio clips in the wild elicited responses from the elephants in question, including movement toward the speaker as well as ear flapping and trunk movements.

It’s not clear which parts of the audio are the “names” or how naming conventions might work. Bottlenose dolphins and orange-fronted parakeets mimic each other’s signature noises (w/video) to get each other’s attention, while humans use naming conventions and dogs respond when called.

*** end quote ***

How little we know about our world and the things in it!

Not sure if this doesn’t mean that these are sentient intelligent creatures of God.

Sure makes me wonder.  Gobsmacked is another word for this finding. 

Makes its ones step closer to being Doctor Dolittle.

—30—

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INSPIRATIONAL: WWOBD is the exemplar of “be the change you want to be”

Saturday, April 27, 2024

https://nypost.com/2024/04/17/entertainment/mariska-hargitay-helps-lost-child-find-her-parent-while-filming-law-and-order-svu-in-nyc/

 ‘Law & Order: SVU’ star Mariska Hargitay mistaken for real-life cop by lost child

  • Mariska Hargitay helps lost child find her parent while filming ‘Law and Order: SVU’ in NYC

By Jack Hobbs
Published April 17, 2024, 3:06 p.m. ET

*** begin quote ***

Shortly before the 25th season premiere, Hargitay told People how the show has impacted her.

“We’ve been on a parallel journey,” she said. “There’s a thing: WWOBD, ‘What would Olivia Benson do?’ The fans would always talk about it, and one day it hit me. I also have those moments where I’ve sort of slipped into her.”

“If there’s a crisis, I just take over and lead like that. Being strong and fearless. It’s sort of this perfect feminist story.”

*** end quote ***

Life imitates art or visa verso.

The lesson is that if you pretend to be “strong and fearless”, then you can become “strong and fearless” IRL.

Interesting and inspirational to have this concept echoed in a beautiful story.

WWOBD. WWJD.  What Would <insert your personal hero> Do.

Maybe “What Should I Do” that would make my Mom proud?

Only you can answer.

—30—

 

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INSPIRATIONAL: WWOBD is the exemplar of “be the change you want to be”

Saturday, April 27, 2024

https://nypost.com/2024/04/17/entertainment/mariska-hargitay-helps-lost-child-find-her-parent-while-filming-law-and-order-svu-in-nyc/

 ‘Law & Order: SVU’ star Mariska Hargitay mistaken for real-life cop by lost child

  • Mariska Hargitay helps lost child find her parent while filming ‘Law and Order: SVU’ in NYC

By Jack Hobbs
Published April 17, 2024, 3:06 p.m. ET

*** begin quote ***

Shortly before the 25th season premiere, Hargitay told People how the show has impacted her.

“We’ve been on a parallel journey,” she said. “There’s a thing: WWOBD, ‘What would Olivia Benson do?’ The fans would always talk about it, and one day it hit me. I also have those moments where I’ve sort of slipped into her.”

“If there’s a crisis, I just take over and lead like that. Being strong and fearless. It’s sort of this perfect feminist story.”

*** end quote ***

Life imitates art or visa verso.

The lesson is that if you pretend to be “strong and fearless”, then you can become “strong and fearless” IRL.

Interesting and inspirational to have this concept echoed in a beautiful story.

WWOBD. WWJD.  What Would <insert your personal hero> Do.

Maybe “What Should I Do” that would make my Mom proud?

Only you can answer.

—30—

 

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INSPIRATIONAL: WWOBD is the exemplar of “be the change you want to be”

Saturday, April 27, 2024

https://nypost.com/2024/04/17/entertainment/mariska-hargitay-helps-lost-child-find-her-parent-while-filming-law-and-order-svu-in-nyc/

 ‘Law & Order: SVU’ star Mariska Hargitay mistaken for real-life cop by lost child

  • Mariska Hargitay helps lost child find her parent while filming ‘Law and Order: SVU’ in NYC

By Jack Hobbs
Published April 17, 2024, 3:06 p.m. ET

*** begin quote ***

Shortly before the 25th season premiere, Hargitay told People how the show has impacted her.

“We’ve been on a parallel journey,” she said. “There’s a thing: WWOBD, ‘What would Olivia Benson do?’ The fans would always talk about it, and one day it hit me. I also have those moments where I’ve sort of slipped into her.”

“If there’s a crisis, I just take over and lead like that. Being strong and fearless. It’s sort of this perfect feminist story.”

*** end quote ***

Life imitates art or visa verso.

The lesson is that if you pretend to be “strong and fearless”, then you can become “strong and fearless” IRL.

Interesting and inspirational to have this concept echoed in a beautiful story.

WWOBD. WWJD.  What Would <insert your personal hero> Do.

Maybe “What Should I Do” that would make my Mom proud?

Only you can answer.

—30—

 

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INSPIRATIONAL: Is DJT the “Gray Champion” of the The Fourth Turning?

Thursday, April 25, 2024

https://sashastone.substack.com/p/the-lawfare-made-me-a-trump-supporter

The Lawfare made me a Trump supporter

  • The Grifters are red-pilling Americans by the day…

Sasha Stone Apr 13, 2024

*** begin quote ***

Gray Champions aren’t born. They are made.

Neil Howe was asked back in 2016 if he thought Trump was the Gray Champion of his book The Fourth Turning.

He points out that Trump is a Baby Boomer, which is usually what we’d expect from a Gray Champion, though it’s not absolute.

Here is how Neil Howe describes the Gray Champion in The Fourth Turning is Here, his follow-up to the first book:

“What are the typical attributes of the Gray Champion? Boundless self-confidence. Uncompromising principle. Contempt for the status quo. Inability to back down or give up. Yet also a simplicity of manner and a serenity of soul. And the charismatic ability to reconnect the rising generation with its cultural heritage. Oriented toward final ends, the Gray Champion can be careless about the human or material cost of attaining them.

Who else but a Gray Champion would challenge the results of a corrupt election? Who would ever have the nerve to do such a thing? Who would ever run again for office after two impeachments and four indictments? Well, a Gray Champion would.

One thing we know for sure is that it isn’t Joe Biden.

*** end quote ***

I’m not a fan of DJT but he is our last best hope to save America.

—30—

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INSPIRATIONAL: Several therapy dogs bring children happiness during tought times

Monday, April 8, 2024

https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-therapy-dog-at-ann-arbors-mott-childrens-hospital/?ICID=ref_fark

Health
A day in the life of a therapy dog at Ann Arbor’s Mott Children’s Hospital
By Meredith Bruckner
Updated on: April 2, 2024 / 9:10 AM EDT / CBS Detroit 

*** begin quote ***

Dashiel is a three-year-old therapy dog who works primarily with oncology patients. 

Carly Reeves is about to receive an infusion when she sees a familiar face. 

“Dashiel!” she shouts down the hall. 

Reeves’ mom, Cassandra Mansfield, said Dash has been a steady presence during her time in the hospital. 

“He’s a good therapy dog,” said Mansfield. “He’s helped a lot through our treatment process.” 

Alanna Rock’s son, Jack, has been in the hospital for nearly two years. 

She said seeing the dogs lifts her mood. 

“No matter how bad of a day you’re having, there’s just something about a dog for me anyway,” said Rock. “You see them with their little golden retriever waddle walking around, and it just makes you laugh.” 

*** end quote ***

Seems like this should be standard MO at all children’s hospitals.  Like combining children’s day care with assisted living, or housing students in elder villages, sometimes ideas need to “come together”.

Can’t cost that much to change our views.

—30—

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INSPIRATIONAL: ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith states the American ideal

Thursday, April 4, 2024

https://www.breitbart.com/sports/2024/03/28/everybody-doesnt-deserve-same-espns-stephen-a-smith-promotes-equality-of-opportunity-over-outcome/

‘Everybody Doesn’t Deserve the Same’: ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith Promotes ‘Equality of Opportunity’ over Outcome

Paul Bois  —  28 Mar 2024

*** begin quote ***

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith recently promoted the idea of “equality of opportunity” over the more egalitarian “Equality of Outcome” that left-leaning theorists extoll.

Smith made his somewhat surprising position on the subject known during an interview on the PBD Podcast hosted by Patrick Bet-David, in which he said that “people who produce more ultimately end up more successful than those who don’t.”

“One of the things that I have a problem with when I look at things that are transpiring in this country, you can’t in the same breath talk about capitalism, talk about how it’s equal opportunity that we want, but everybody doesn’t deserve the same, it’s about your level of production,” he said.

“Some people are high-end earners, some people are high-level producers and stuff. And you know, they’re getting treated, they might earn more than somebody that just don’t have that skill set. That’s the world we’re living in,” he added.

*** end quote ***

I was pleased that someone repeats Doctor King’s wish about “content of character” rather than color.

The NBA is a classic example of the best rise to the top.  Is the system perfect?  No.  But it does demonstrate what is possible when we have “equal opportunity”.

Now if we could just have equality in the law, then we ca get back to doing productive work.

—30—

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INSPIRATIONAL: All senior residences should have child care included

Saturday, March 9, 2024

https://www.boredpanda.com/nursery-elderly-care-home-happiness/

Wholesome

Feb 28, 2024

All Heaven Broke Loose When Preschool Opened Inside Of Care Home

Margo Butautaite

BoredPanda staff

*** begin quote ***

Do you remember your childhood when the days seemed sunnier and longer? Perhaps now, the smell of pancakes with strawberry jam or a particular flower takes you back to your grandparents’ place. In those memories, your grandparents seem younger and healthier, which was definitely the case – the presence of children makes the elderly more active and reminds them of wonderful days gone by. So, it wasn’t surprising that when a nursery opened in an elderly care home, both age groups saw immense benefits.

Sadness and loneliness among elderly people at this care home are becoming a thing of the past thanks to new, innovative ideas

*** end quote ***

Seems obvious and good for all involved.

—30—

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INSPIRATIONAL: Jackie, a bald eagle, demonstrated motherly dedication

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13062175/bald-eagle-mother-jackie-eggs-livestream-weather.html

Bald eagle Jackie’s livestream is turned into weather apocalypse film as expecting mom braves California’s tropical storm-force winds, relentless rain and heavy snow shielding three small eggs
By Mackenzie Tatananni For Dailymail.Com
Published: 14:55 EST, 8 February 2024 | Updated: 19:05 EST, 8 February 2024

*** begin quote ***

Jackie, a bald eagle, shakes powder off her feathers as she settles into a snow heap overlooking a California valley.

Invisible to the eye, a cozy nest sits underneath, kept warm by her body heat.

Jackie has been guarding her three eggs from the elements ever since a powerful atmospheric river pummeled the region last week.

*** end quote ***

Life is tough in the wild.  Something we humans forget all to easily.  Life is precious.  

How did the eagles learn to survive?

Make me think hard thoughts.

—30—

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INSPIRATIONAL: There are no Wrong Decisions

Friday, January 19, 2024

https://geni.us/inner-battles?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

Darius Foroux’s Win Your Inner Battles: Defeat The Enemy Within and Live With Purpose

There are no Wrong Decisions

“Learn to view every decision as an opportunity for growth, regardless of the outcome. Embrace the uncertainty and use it as a stepping stone to learn and evolve.”​

# – # – # – # – # 

I used preach that there are no “bad” decisions.  First, not making a decision is really a decision in disguise. Second, you ALWAYS make the “best” decision you can based on all the dikw (i.e., data, information, knowledge, wisdom) available.  Some of those “best” decisions turn out to be “wrong” in retrospect.  Usually due to insufficient data, wrong information, missing knowledge, or a lack of wisdom.  Just because a decision turns out badly does NOT make it “wrong”.  That’s why it’s always important to do an After Action Report and Lessons Learned.

I really wish I’d done more but again that was a human failing on my part not to learn from my “mistakes”.  Hope you do better than I did.  

Sir Isaac Newton, the famous English scientist, once said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

—30—

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INSPIRATIONAL: This seems to be a big step forward to a real solution

Tuesday, January 16, 2024

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/texas-tiny-house-community-for-the-homeless-nears-2000-neighbors-easing-homeless-in-austin/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_medium=weekly_mailout&utm_source=10-01-2024

Texas Tiny Home Community Thrives With 2,000 Neighbors: Easing Homelessness in Austin
By Andy Corbley – Jan 9, 2024 

*** begin quote ***

“…No one’s ever done what they’re about to do,” Mark Hilbelink, the director of Austin’s largest homeless-services provider, told the New York Times.

In a big feature for the Times, Lucy Tompkins documents the stories of hope and recovery that some of the residents have lived through since moving to Community First!, which is run with a Christian ethic of “Neighborhoods of Knowingness.”

*** end quote ***

For all the politicians and bureaucrats slavering about the issue, little gets done.  In this day and age, one would think that if the Gooferment would just get out of the way with all its diktats and “regulations”, private charity could “solve” the problem.  Like the lessons from the Great Chicago Fire, intelligent help can do wonders. All Gooferment did was close down the mental asylums to “save money” and never deliver the local mental health resources that were promised.

Argh!

—30—

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INSPIRATIONAL: Alwayd nive to hesr a memory fo a prominent figure being kind

Thursday, January 4, 2024

FROM 1440

Good morning. It’s Saturday, Dec. 30, and in this weekend edition, we’re covering works from 1928 to soon enter the public domain, Russia’s largest aerial attack against Ukraine, and much more. First time reading? Sign up here.

*** begin quote ***

“In 1980, I was accompanying my boss on a VIP flight from Brussels to Washington on one of the Air Force’s plushed-out large jets—the ones with ‘United States of America’ emblazoned along the fuselage. My wife and I, along with two small sons, were at a round table with four captain’s chairs across from an Army straphanger and his wife at a similar table. He saw that my wife was exhausted from having handled most of our move while I had concentrated on my boss and that my boss was buzzing me every few minutes with questions about our reception in Washington. An hour or so into the flight, the general motioned for my boys to come to his table. For the next five hours, he and his wife entertained my sons so that my wife could get some rest and I could take care of my boss. Those two life-savers were Colin and Alma Powell.”

*** end quote ***

# – # – # – # – # 

A reflections on a good man.

—30—

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INSPIRATIONAL: Governor’s chickens as a stress releiver?

Wednesday, December 27, 2023

https://lailluminator.com/briefs/governors-mansion-chickens-to-remain-in-residence-through-transition/?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter

Governor’s Mansion chickens to remain in residence through transition
By: Piper Hutchinson – December 18, 2023 5:36 pm

*** begin quote ***

Edwards intended to take the chickens with him back to his home in Amite at the end of his term next month, but he has decided to leave them after Gov.-elect Jeff Landry asked to keep them during a tour of the mansion grounds, Edwards told the Illuminator.

*** and ***

Sources close to the governor say Edwards is known to visit and feed the chickens during particularly stressful days on the job.

The official transition of poultry ownership will take place on Jan. 8, when Landry is sworn in as governor.

The chickens did not respond to multiple interview questions about their new owner.

*** end quote ***

I find this story both inspirational and humorous.  Can’t imagine that being a Governor is that stressful, but the chickens must have a special way of entertaining peace and tranquility,

—30—

 

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INSPIRATIONAL: Advice on protecting children

Friday, December 22, 2023

https://palexander.substack.com/p/this-is-how-each-parent-guardian?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=579356&post_id=139768914&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=onvra&utm_medium=email

Friendly reminder if you don't feel this way about every child you're in my way you're part of my problem and that's somewhere you do not want to be.

[JR: I agree with the meme, but not his ideas on “quick justice” for pedophiles]  

—30—

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INSPIRATIONAL: Amazing but arduous cure for sickle cell disease

Saturday, December 16, 2023

FROM 1440 NEWS

*** begin quote ***

Sickle Cell Gene Therapy

The US Food and Drug Administration yesterday approved a pair of gene therapy treatments for sickle cell disease, a group of inherited red blood cell disorders caused by mutations in a gene that produces an oxygen-carrying protein known as hemoglobin. One of the treatments, called Casgevy, is based on breakthrough CRISPR technology—a Nobel Prize-winning gene-editing tool (see 101, w/video)—and is the first approved gene-editing therapy in the US.

Codeveloped by Vertex Pharmaceuticals and CRISPR Therapeutics, Casgevy involves harvesting cells from a patient’s bone marrow, editing the cells in a lab using CRISPR technology, and inserting the modified cells back into the patient’s body. Read one man’s account of being among the first people to experience the CRISPR-based treatment here.

The second treatment, developed by Bluebird Bio and called Lyfgenia, uses a harmless virus to introduce a gene into a patient’s body to help produce a hemoglobin substitute. Both Casgevy and Lyfgenia have been approved for people 12 years and older. 

Sickle cell disease (see overview) affects more than 100,000 Americans per year and 20 million people worldwide. 

*** end quote ***

https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/12/04/1084209/vertex-exacel-approval-gene-editing-sickle-cell-disease-patient/

OPINION
I received the new gene-editing drug for sickle cell disease. It changed my life.

  • As a patient enrolled in a clinical trial for Vertex’s new exa-cel treatment, I was among the first to experience CRISPR’s transformative effects.

By     Jimi Olaghere
December 4, 2023

*** begin quote ***

The options for treating sickle cell disease are very limited. Denying access to such a powerful and transformative treatment based on someone’s ability to pay, or where they happen to live, strikes me as unethical. I believe patients and health-care providers everywhere deserve to know that the treatment will be available to those who need it.

*** end quote ***

Truly it was an arduous journey.

And, while it may be hard to understand, breakthroughs are expensive.  But as soon as they are made, the inventors and others work on making it available cheaply and easily.  Indoor plumbing, electric light, and automobiles quickly became available to the masses thanks to the “invisible hand” of the marketplace and the incentives af making a profit.

It would be better IMHO for him to focus on the Gooferment and its incestuous relationship with Big Pharma as the barrier to quicker progress.

—30—

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INSPIRATIONAL: Search for Mexico’s Ancient Civilizations

Wednesday, December 6, 2023

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/zelia-nuttall-globe-trotting-scholar-unlocked-secrets-aztecs-180983049/

History | November 2023

The Globe-Trotting Scholar Who Unlocked the Secrets of the Aztecs

  • Anthropologist Zelia Nuttall transformed the way we think of ancient Mesoamerica
  • An illustration of the Aztec calendar stone surrounds a young portrait of anthropologist Zelia Nuttall. “Mrs. Nuttall’s investigations of the Mexican calendar appear to furnish for the first time a satisfactory key,” wrote one leading scholar.
  • Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University

By Merilee Grindle
Author, In the Shadow of Quetzalcoatl: Zelia Nuttall and the Search for Mexico’s Ancient Civilizations

*** begin quote ***

On a bright day early in 1885, Zelia Nuttall was strolling around the ancient ruins of Teotihuacán, the enormous ceremonial site north of Mexico City. Not yet 30, Zelia had a deep interest in the history of Mexico, and now, with her marriage in ruins and her future uncertain, she was on a trip with her mother, Magdalena; her brother George; and her 3-year-old daughter, Nadine, to distract her from her worries.

The site, which covered eight square miles, had once been home to the predecessors of the Aztecs. It included about 2,000 dwellings along with temples, plazas and pyramids where they charted the stars and made offerings to the sun and moon. As Zelia admired the impressive buildings, some shrouded in dirt and vegetation, she reached down and collected a few pieces of pottery from the dusty soil. They were plentiful and easy to find with a few brushes of her hand.

*** end quote ***

Amazing what this woman was able to accomplish.

I was most impressed by her language abilities.

And, I wonder what else we have lost or overlooked.

—30—

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INSPIRATIONAL: ₿itcoin podcast slips in a good episode about make bettwe, possibly, Libertarian children

Thursday, October 5, 2023

Kids Don’t Need School with Jonathan Prescott 
Stephan Livera
September 20, 2023

https://overcast.fm/ OBZnLSjGc

*** begin quote ***

Podcast
Stephan Livera Podcast
http://www.stephanlivera.com

Join Stephan as he interviews the sharpest economic and technical minds in Bitcoin & Austrian Economics to help you understand how money is changing and evolving. This is one of the leading podcasts in the space, and listening to this show is one of the fastest ways to learn and get up to speed on Bitcoin. 

*** end quote ***

This “snuck” in on my favorite ₿itcoin podcast.  I’m sympathetic to home schooling.  Even if I have to children to torture my craziness with. 

This is that “home school” podcast that I thought had some great ideas to try with an ADHD child my fiancé has custody of.  Not to “home school” but to steal some of the strategies and tactics that might help us deal with him. 

It may offer some great ideas.

I was particularly struck by how Gooferment Skrules make the children unable to make even simple decisions by themselves.  I am well aware of the “Prussian School Model” with bells and yak in the box.  It was designed to replace the Family with the State and make cannon fodder for the Army, willing morons for the factories, and useful idiots to vote for and be led by the elite.

FWIW YMMV

I found it inspiration for liberty.

—30—

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INSPIRATIONAL: Will the local Gooferment have the stones to have it torn down?

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

https://www.theguardian.com/global/2023/sep/27/london-apartment-block-that-deviates-from-plans-must-be-torn-down-says-council?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark

London apartment block that deviates from plans must be torn down, says council

  • ‘Blight on the landscape’ in Greenwich lacks promised gardens, children’s play areas and accessibility for wheelchair users

Robert Booth Social affairs correspondent
Wed 27 Sep 2023 04.19 EDT
First published on Wed 27 Sep 2023 02.00 EDT

*** begin quote ***

Buildings rarely look as good as the airbrushed architects’ visualisations produced to persuade planners to grant permission. Extra sharp highlights, implausibly blue skies and deeper colours are all part of the dark arts of the computer-generated rendering.

But the gulf between what was proposed for an apartment complex rising 23 storeys above the Thames in south-east London and what was actually built has finally proved too much.

After counting 26 major deviations from the original planning permission that it granted, the Royal Borough of Greenwich has taken the extraordinary move – “unprecedented”, it said – of ordering the developers of the Mast Quay II development to pull it down. It means tenants in 204 flats now face the prospect of finding somewhere else to live.

*** end quote ***

Well clearly the correct politicians and bureaucrats didn’t have their pockets lined right!

Now will the politicians and bureaucrats have the courage to have it torn down?

Seems like a waste, but if they don’t, it sends the wrong message.  I can imagine the lawsuits and pity parties that will ensue.

Perhaps if the “profit” and then a little extra is removed from all involved, a more economic result MIGHT be achieved.  But only if all involved are equally screwed.

Seems a waste of prefectly good building to send a message to the “marketplace”.

—30—

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INSPIRATIONAL: Even “casual caring’ can be enough to help in a terrible situtation

Saturday, September 30, 2023

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/she-was-about-to-end-it-all-until-a-stranger-shed-never-meet-again-told-her-dont-jump/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_medium=weekly_mailout&utm_source=21-09-2023

She Was About to End it All, Until a Stranger She’d Never Meet Told Her ‘Don’t Jump’
By Andy Corbley – Sep 18, 2023 

*** begin quote ***

“I was sobbing and crying and working up the courage to just go through with it, because I knew at that moment that it was going to make everyone’s lives better.”

At that moment, a driver, whose face Belmont didn’t see, and whose hand she would never shake, passed over the bridge and hollered out of the window.

“Don’t jump,” they said.

It immediately clicked a lightbulb on in her head; that if a stranger could care enough to speak up, then suicide was not the answer.

*** end quote ***

Help is available call or text 988.

I’d have preferred if the driver stopped and talked her “down”.  But, maybe that would have had a worse effect?

I always thought that suicide for a young healthy persons was just FEAR (i.e., False Evidence Appearing Real).  And, the Bible tells us, as one Christian Brother to my class, that “leaving the game early is against the rules.  That’s why football has the ‘Hail Mary Pass.  There’s always hope.  Or in the case of the opponents of Notre Dame, the next game!”.  Maybe a little sacrilegious, but in a funny memorable way.  We all have to just put one foot in from to the other, day by day, until we reach the finish line.

I wrote in my Magnus Opus: “My love, were it in my power, I would sadly grant thee this boon. But, we have to continue to follow His Plan for us. Let’s go forth and speak no more of this. Who ever is last will be last. It will be His choice; not ours. We’re but humble custodians of His temple on earth. It’s not our place to trump His plan. Whatever that plan be, know that I will be with you to my last breath.” — character “John” in CHURCH 10●19●62 Volume 2 Page 399

And, I really believe that to be true.

—30—

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INSPIRATIONAL: Making lenonaid from lemons

Wednesday, September 27, 2023

https://nypost.com/2023/09/21/my-90-minute-american-airlines-flight-turned-into-9-hour-hell/

 My 90-minute American Airlines flight turned into a 9-hour hell — but a miracle happened

By Jane Herz 

Published Sep. 21, 2023, 9:27 a.m. ET

*** begin quote ***

American Airlines flight 5085 was scheduled to depart at 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 18. But when Conley looked at his phone and saw that the time was 6:30 p.m. — about a half hour after the plane was originally supposed to land at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) — he knew something was awry.

That’s when the pilot told passengers that the plane was diverted to a small airport in Wichita Falls, Texas, due to a severe impending storm, as DFW was not allowing landings or takeoffs.

Rather than disembarking upon landing at 6:45 p.m. at Wichita Falls Regional Airport, Conley and his fellow passengers got stuck on the tarmac for over two hours because airport employees weren’t allowed outside due to the lightning.

But what should have been the flight from hell was really something that turned into a beautiful, human experience, Conley, 38, said.

*** and ***

The man Conley was sitting next to, Joshua Chandler, even put on a pretend duck tour for the young kids, as he had been on one earlier that day, blowing the yellow duck whistle around his neck.

*** end quote ***

What a great inspirational story.  We hear all about the “Karens” and “Kens”, drunken idiots, or some “un housebroken” slobs on planes.  But we rarely hear of the times that humans all come together under duress and make the best of some unfortunate coincidences.

I’d like to think that I could be like them  — charitable, kind, and considerate of my neighbors.

And, BTW, where does one go for a “duck tour” and why. Laugh!

Of course, I’ll never ever fly into, out of, or through DFW.  One thunderstorm ride there back in the 70’s was enough for me. (And that’s where IBM lost its PC team when Esteridge’s place went down. All the corporate travel departments created the “only a few employees on any one flight” rule as few weeks later. So sad.)

Great story of humanity’s possibilities.

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INSPIRATIONAL: Usign “e-waste” to revive an electric scooter

Friday, September 8, 2023

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/man-used-80-discarded-vape-batteries-to-power-an-electric-scooter-proving-the-importance-of-e-waste/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_medium=weekly_mailout&utm_source=05-09-2023

Man Used 80 Discarded Vape Batteries to Power an Electric Scooter Proving the Importance of E-Waste

By Good News Network – Sep 2, 2023 

*** begin quote ***

A clever graduate has used 80 discarded vape batteries to power his e-scooter—and to make a point about waste.

The 23-year-old Brit says disposable vape devices are marketed as expendable, but still have plenty of power—and people need to know that.

It didn’t cost any money to pick up 80 discarded vape batteries and he wired the lithium-ion batteries to a scooter purchased on eBay for $37 (£30).

*** end quote ***

Wow.  Now there’s an “injineer”.  

I’m more impressed with scooters when I see them in use.  While I’m too old and heavy for one, and they really are only for “fair weather”, there is a lesson for “youngsters” who can’t drive yet that there are alternatives to “shank’s mare” aka walking.

It also demonstrates the value of “lateral thinking”.  

Wish I was young again, there seems like there are MORE opportunities for youths to succeed in unconventional 9-5 wage slave jobs.

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INSPIRATIONAL: One man’s effort leads to reestablishing a species

Wednesday, August 30, 2023

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/to-halt-ibis-extinction-austrian-man-shows-beloved-birds-a-new-migration-route-with-his-ultralight-and-its-working/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_medium=weekly_mailout&utm_source=24-08-2023

To Halt Ibis Extinction Austrian Man Shows Birds a New Migration Route With His UltraLight–And it’s Working

By Andy Corbley – Aug 21, 2023

*** begin quote ***

An Austrian ornithologist has pioneered an incredible way of wildlife rehabilitation by fostering chicks of an endangered species before re-instituting their migratory practice by leading them along their natural migration route with an ultralight aircraft.

The method was developed to help reconnect the northern bald ibis, a bird that was extirpated in Europe 400 years ago, with its summer-winter migration pattern from northern Europe to its sunny southern climes.

*** and ***

Fritz came to the rescue again, hand-rearing chicks on ground mice and beef heart 8 times a day, while letting the inquisitive, gregarious chicks investigate his ears and nose for curiosity’s sake.

This was all a part of getting them to the age of flight when he would lead them again in his ultralight aircraft along a 2,500-mile circumnavigation of the Alps to a new wintering site on the sunny Spanish south near Cadiz

*** end quote ***

A heroic effort.

And just goes to show when one committed “crazy” person can accomplish.

That’s conserving nature for future generations.

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INNOVATION: Oubaitori: Avoiding Comparison to Others

Sunday, July 23, 2023

https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/advice/7-japanese-concepts-that-can-improve-your-life/

in: Advice, Character
Brett & Kate McKay • July 18, 2023
7 Japanese Concepts That Can Improve Your Life

*** begin quote ***

Oubaitori: Avoiding Comparison to Others

The characters that spell out oubaitori represent four different trees that bloom in Japan in the spring: cherry, apricot, peach, and plum. Each tree blooms in its own way and in its own time, and each bears a distinct flower and fruit. Oubaitori as a concept grows out of this arboreal image and refers to the idea of avoiding the habit of comparing yourself to others and embracing your unique journey and timeline instead. 

Theodore Roosevelt (another appreciator of Japanese culture) famously said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Boy, was he right. I’ve noticed that I tend to get most down in the dumps when I start measuring my success against the success of others. Whenever I start doing that, I just remind myself to practice oubaitori. The word serves as a trigger to shift my focus away from others and back to my own path.

*** end quote ***

Hmmm, my own path?  I’m not sure I have one.  Or, ever had one.  More like adrift on raft at sea.

Sigh!

—30—

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INSPIRATIONAL: Marine Mammal Stranding Center returns Harbor seal #23-089 to the ocean

Sunday, July 16, 2023

https://youtu.be/NXdeZfafu5M

MMSC Harbor seal #23-089 Release Day- July 13, 2023
Marine Mammal Stranding Center
Jul 14, 2023

*** begin quote ***

Our final seal release of the 2022-2023 season was a BIG one with the return of Harbor seal #23-089 (Barnegat Light) back to the wild! This adult female Harbor seal spent over six weeks recovering from an injury in MMSC’s rehabilitation hospital. Safe travels, big girl!

*** end quote ***

Awe inspring.  When humans act ethically to animals.

Happy to support their activities.

—30—

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INSPIRATIONAL: When Britian stepped up and the USA (FDR) didn’t!

Saturday, July 8, 2023

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12262003/Mystery-1939-Kindertransport-photo-showing-three-Jewish-girls-solved.html

Mystery behind 1939 Kindertransport photo showing three Jewish girls at Liverpool Street Station after fleeing Nazi Germany is finally solved after more than 80 years

  •     Girls identified as sisters Inge and Ruth Adamecz and Hanna Cohn
  •     They had all fled Nazi Germany as part of the Kindertransport scheme 
  •     Photo had been displayed at museums for decades but with identities a mystery 

By Harry Howard, History Correspondent
Published: 05:52 EDT, 4 July 2023 | Updated: 07:06 EDT, 4 July 2023 

# – # – # – # – # 

This picture shames the USA for not taking in Jewish refugees, who were eventually killed. 

So sad.

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INSPIRATIONAL: Horse rescue is good practice

Wednesday, June 28, 2023

Firefighters rescue horse from Florida swimming pool

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-65985119

# – # – # – # – # 

Catch the expression on the horse.  “WTH!”  Laugh!

I always think that these rescues are a good use of resources as practice for when there is a real emergency.

And, given how fat us Americans are getting, (me included), it may be necessary to get a human like me out of a pool.

Laugh!

—30—

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