Although the long lasting Tube strike is over per se, but if your plans depend on using it be aware there are "rolling strikes" going on now - unpredictable. Need to keep abreast of what's going on transportationwise. Link to video

Crow in our native oak tree had a lot to say Crow in our native oak tree had a lot to say

That’s fun! I have an open dish of shells on my powder room counter. They could probably use a rinse. They’re all from different trips; I can’t remember which came from where any more.

Turns out many of those gun owners like just tyranny just fine. Who knew?

Rosemary, tarragon, chives. https://share.icloud.com/photos/0d4CxeJ80byYsG9zbl_vtpXAg

@Rontuner said in As it should be: Time for police to arrest ICE contract workers? I think this should be the norm for contractors without visible ID or warrents. Speaking of contractors, I think an additional problem is the trend for subcontracting across many areas of law enforcement — ICE yes, but also prisons, other aspects of border patrol, all of it. It seems like it’s almost completely under the radar, but for-profit anything related to law enforcement is an inherent conflict of interest and recipe for abuse. Surely that’s playing a role in what we’re seeing but with all the problems happening at once, this one seems to not get much attention.

@wtg That was really hard to read. What happened to that family, that man, and countless others like him, is unfair, unkind, probably illegal, and definitely unAmerican. And I hate that this is happening across our country. I am truly sympathetic for the man in the article and his situation. But I cannot understand the continued willingness of him (and people like him) to support the person who's caused his financial problems, who does things that he thinks are wrong... I just don't understand it.

Interesting. Mauser 98 ... Exact same gun my father tried to ship home from Italy in WWII ... https://bsky.app/profile/dhfeldman.bsky.social/post/3lyletu4byk24

I'm guessing they want the Tdap vaccine, which is for tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough). Tetanus is not contagious but the other two diseases are. Quest does titers for all three, but this is the description that came with the pertussis results. This assay cannot be used to assess protective immunity to pertussis because the specific antibodies and antibody levels that correlate with protection have not been well defined. The primary intent of the assay is to aid in the diagnosis of infection following natural exposure to Bordetella pertussis. The indicated PT IgG reference ranges reflect the 90th percentile of antibody levels in sera from healthy children and blood donors; thus, levels above the reference range suggest recent infection or vaccination within the last few months. The bottom line is that you get some idea if you're protected against tetanus and diphtheria from the Quest test, but not pertussis. There is also this from the American Academy of Family Physicians, which confirms what Quest says and also says that even if you get a booster every ten years, you probably lose immunity to pertussis way before then and they note that re-vaccination isn't an effective public health strategy. Unlike with other vaccines, there is not a standardized antibody titer to confirm protection against pertussis.27 Although pertussis vaccines were initially whole cell, the high reactogenicity of the vaccine caused frequent adverse effects (e.g., local reaction, seizure, pain, fever sometimes leading to febrile seizure), resulting in the adoption of acellular vaccines in the 1990s. Immunity typically wanes two to four years after administration of the acellular pertussis vaccine, although this can occur as early as one year postvaccination.28 Individuals with natural infection also experience waning immunity, including children with a history of pertussis.4,29 Because of this rapid decrease in immunity, it is not considered an effective public health strategy to continue recurrent tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) boosters.4 https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2021/0800/p186.html Confused yet? In any event, it won't hurt to ask if they'll accept the titer. Maybe they won't read the fine print about pertussis....

Democracy Forward? https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/legal-group-democracy-forward-battles-120000838.html https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/the-progressive-legal-group-that-keeps-taking-on-trump-in-the-courts-and-winning/ar-AA1BmWYu?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=4ceeb3a8b0bd43b1947bfce2102eea59&ei=84

What goes around comes around Yep.

@AndyD said in New U.S. Citizenship Test ...: Large bank balance? this, probably.

Also, perhaps an NP or PA’s statement could fill in as physician?

@pique said in Sleep apnea and c-pap machines--experiences?: Wondering if Medicare considers these machines to have a limited life span and if they will replace the machine at that point? They do at some point. I'm on my third machine right now. I got my first one through my health insurance while I was still working. It was a Phillips Respironic that was subject of a recall. By that time I was on Medicare and had to get a new sleep study before I could get a replacement, which was a ResMed. The humidifier on that one failed a few months ago out of warranty and I got a replacement ResMed but had to pay the usual Medicare medical equipment copay. I was cautioned that if it had been much longer (10 years?) that I might have had to get yet another sleep study. I'm glad to hear you're now having some success. Big Al

@pique said in Rest in peace, Robert Redford: @jon-nyc said in Rest in peace, Robert Redford: Humphrey Bogart It was Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca, which of course was set in Morocco. Lauren Bacall and Bogart first co-starred in "To Have and Have Not" and maybe that was in Cuba? (I'm not sure, it was a tropical setting). They also co-starred in "Key Largo" which was in Florida, not Cuba. So I think you are thinking of "To Have and Have Not" ? Redford was so impossibly handsome. And a good guy, too. Such an icon that it seems impossible that he was mortal after all. No I got the title right and the actress wrong.

@Bernard It sounds like a wonderful place! I love the idea of group class you're in! Not at all what I think of when I hear "group piano." You'll have to post back as things progress and share how it goes!

ICE detained 2 in this county yesterday. Not surprised. The ski industry would collapse without immigrants. Restaurants patrons objected. Neighbors objected. "They are hard working people and cause no problems." Of the many immigrants in the county, I know one who walked from Guatemala. She became a maid at Keystone resort, and has worked up way up from that to a management position, married, had kids and is well respected. I don't know her official status as an immigrant.

Who skip childhood vaccination? https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/09/15/childhood-vaccines-parents-post-kff-poll/ The American parents who are choosing to skip or delay vaccines for their children are more likely to home-school their children, be White and very religious, identify as Republican or be under 35, ... [image: 1757972347356-img_7808.jpeg] The CDC says 92.5 percent of kindergartners received their MMR vaccines last school year. But those rates are lower in parts of the country, ... ... but you need 95%+ vaccination rate for herd immunity for MMR to be effective.