WTF-Beta

deep breath Gosh it doesn't seem premature to me at all. I'm not seeing where the levers are to turn this disaster around. I'm going to protests. I'm sharing information. I'm having conversations with my neighbors who voted for Trump. I'm signing up for phone banking to defeat the horrible bill before Congress. I'll continue to do whatever I can. But I'm sorry to report that I'm not seeing how we turn this around. To me, the handwriting is on the wall. The oligarchs have pulled off their hijack, which has been in the works for 60 years. Read the book "Democracy in Chains". We aren't Houdini. I fully expect I'm going to have to implement my own Plan B. Not what I want, but to me it ain't lookin' good.

@rustyfingers that looks great! I'm glad you have your new car back

Superb photo montage. These never fail to make me feel very, very, small. I mean I understand 11million light years, I identify stars and gas in the photo. And then I walk 20 yards from the sitting room to kitchen for a drink and look out the back door at the moon. And it is all somehow not real. I am a centre just as the sun is, all is in motion. And then my head explodes

I also have Merlin. It's great! IDed a yellow warbler, a song I didn't recognize, while hiking along the river.

@Jodi said in NYT article about Brahms Romance in F (with audio): @RealPlayer said in NYT article about Brahms Romance in F (with audio): There’s a Mendelssohn Song Without Words called “Duetto” that is just lovely, a dialogue between the left and right hand. And a couple of Grieg pieces that are just so delightful. So yes, I do this now and then. Duetto is one of my absolute favorite pieces. And the Brahms intermezzo that is in the same book with the one that started this thread. (Can’t remember the number). Op 118 #2 is the one I think you are thinking of (you have played it for me. ) That is my favorite Brahms piano piece. I wish I could play it. I've tried, but the middle section is just too hard for me.

Happy anniversary!

There must be something lower than contempt. ??? I reserve hatred for those I once had respect for.

There's an embedded TikTok video. The people sitting in the truck looked like they were in high school. They looked a bit like they were participating in a challenge we might have in our youth, like how many people can you fit in a VW Beetle.

Appeals court ruling. https://laist.com/news/politics/trump-can-keep-troops-in-la-for-now-appeals-court-rules

I'm not the only one who finds this reprehensible. Statement from the Organization of American Historians: "the historical interpretations presented at National Park Service sites are essential places that offer the public “opportunities to connect personally with the past and to engage with the intricacies and nuances of America’s history and the rich, evolving tapestry of American experiences.” They serve as a critical counterpoint to the current administration’s “aggressive push to flatten history into a single celebratory story.” The OAH rejects these recent federal actions and the systemic efforts to distort the historical record and impose through executive orders and actions a narrow vision of the American past. The suppression of evidence-based history does not restore sanity; it endangers democracy." https://www.oah.org/2025/06/18/statement-in-response-to-secretary-order-3431-and-censorship-of-history-in-the-national-park-service/

Florida is the home of blue tarp roofs. Just fly in after a major storm.

Not too far from this: Link to video Big Al

@Big_Al said in Companion plants, from The Old Farmer's Almanac: Have you practiced any of them in your own gardening? Nothing beyond trying to plant some flowers close to my veggies to attract bees so that pollination can occur. But after reading the article, I'd like to experiment more in the future. Coincidentally, I bought some nasturtium seeds for the first time this year but never planted them. Looks like they are companions to some of the crops I have in my garden, so I'll get those in and see what happens. Plus they are pretty. And some people like the flowers as a garnish, though my better half is not one of them.

What an interesting thread. I feel like I've seen an upsurge in younger people knitting or crocheting in quiet times as they occur, but I like hearing about and seeing the work products in this community as well. It brings to mind the now-long-running sourdough thread. Big Al

I saw him either his last or second to last Carnegie appearance. The big Beethoven pieces were behind him at that point, I believe the program was Mozart and Haydn.

It was bad enough. Now this. https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/burglar-breaks-into-rep-melissa-hortmans-home-in-brooklyn-park/

@ShiroKuro Or you need a Janet.

I want their negotiator to work for me when needed.