Time seems to be flying by so far this year. I hope everyone is well. Or doing well at the very least.
As you can see by Itzl's concerned look, this group is for us to check in at to let people know we are alive, doing OK, and not affected by such things as heat, blizzards, floods, wild fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, power outages, or other such things that could keep us off DKos. It's also so we can find other Kossacks nearby for in-person checks when other methods of communication fail - a buddy system. Members come here to check in. If you're not here, or anywhere else on DKos, and there are adverse conditions in your area (floods, heatwaves, hurricanes, etc.), we and your buddy are going to check up on you. If you are going to be away from your computer for a day or a week, let us know here. We care!
IAN is a great group to join, and a good place to learn to write diaries. Drop one of us a PM to be added to the Itzl Alert Network anytime! We all share the publishing duties, and we welcome everyone who reads IAN to write diaries for the group! Every member is an editor, so anyone can take a turn when they have something to say, photos and music to share, a cause to promote or news!
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A corpse found during the excavations for road improvements in Cambridgeshire. It dated to about 2000 years ago, and enough DNA was salvageable to prove the man wasn’t a local. Apparently, he was connected to a unit of Roman cavalry that was posted to Britain at the time.
A prison in Brazil is using geese instead of guard dogs.
A recipe from last summer in The Guardian: Veg patch frittata.
84 sentences that explain 2023? Bizarrely entertaining.
The oldest known fortresses in the world.
How jellyfish are born.
Again from The Guardian: How to make tomato soup.
Winter over five years. Time lapse photography.
The rise and fall of the Roman Empire shifted populations in the Balkans.
Researchers are developing ‘smart insulin’.
And again: Vegan spicy carrot cake.
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I’ve been wandering the Internet lately. It’s kind of funny watching people who are laughing at one-issue voters on some subjects swearing they won’t vote for Biden over Gaza.
Now, I have known for years that Hamas does not equal Palestine. I am entirely unhappy about the supply of weapons available to the Israeli army. I am also entirely unhappy about the citizens of Israel letting Netanyahu anywhere near the reins of government again once they shook him loose from them. The USA does not actually run Israel — though I do believe the treaties we have in place are far too generous to bad behavior. And the people who are driving the carnage are not actually anywhere near it, as far as I can tell. This is a case of being between a rock and a hard place — and having too many closet Zionists in Congress.
But not voting for Biden is a hugely bad idea if only because of who is running the only serious opposition to him. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I will quite happily vote for Biden this coming November to keep any alleged Republican out of the White House. I will also be donating to assorted Senate and House campaigns in hopes of getting some actual work done in the next Congress.
Yes, I am expecting to get my ass handed to me if some people I know see this.
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It’s cold here, and snowing off and on. It’s going to be below freezing still for a few more days, but nowhere near what Saturday was (15F high). Wednesday, which is when I have to go to Beaverton for an orthopedics appointment (the place I usually go for referral appointments doesn’t have one till late March), is supposed to be mid-40ish.
I got my underwear and towels washed. Now to put them away. I still have a couple loads of bedding, a couple more of pants, and a couple of t-shirts and sweatshirts — but I am in serious overkill with those, so I can wait till it warms up a bit again to do those.
I guessed wrong about the specific plot twist in the story being posted on Fridays on the Ilona Andrews blog. The end result of this story may still be what I was expecting; but right now, I’m going to sit back and enjoy it without trying to outguess the authors.
I bought some candied kumquats recently. I like them, though it may be a while before I get more.
A few days ago, I got Rachel Maddow’s new book “Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism” from the library, for my Kindle. I didn’t even get through the Introduction before I went back online and bought it.
Have I mentioned lately that I have really wonderful grandkids?
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Love you guys!