Althouse: At A's Café...

February 20, 2020

At A's Café...

61800F1E-B7C7-4466-9FE9-787D92A4BDE1_1_201_a

... you can talk 'til day.

111 comments:

Clyde said...: Montas, Luzardo and Puk?; 2/20/20, 6:26 PM
Ralph L said...: First snowfall of the year! Fortunately, the streets aren't sticking.; 2/20/20, 6:29 PM
Mark said...: Reading now Bloomberg's post-debate remarks, it is abundantly clear that he really has no desire to be president. Sure, having jumped in, he wants to win, but if Trump were not president, he would not be running. That is clear.

The only thing that motivates him is anti-Trump hate. And it's not political, it's personal.

As such, he doesn't care about the Dems or the Dem party either. Screw all of them, he thinks.

(Sorry to bring the election in here, but the other thread got too long and too old. I'll shut up about it now.); 2/20/20, 6:30 PM
Howard said...: Don't walk under the tree arch in high winds, that's a widower makehim; 2/20/20, 6:31 PM
J. Farmer said...: Sy Sperling, founder of Hair Club for Men, dead at 78

Was it possible to grow up in the 80s and 90s and not know the phrase, "I'm not just the president of Hair Club for Men, I'm also a client."; 2/20/20, 6:39 PM
Mark said...: So you all remember how, a few months ago, I mentioned that the leaves had turned brown and died, without dropping, on several oak trees on our condo grounds.

I had hoped that come spring, they might sprout some signs of life. But some of the smaller branches have come down. Completely dried out -- dead, really dead.

By now it's clear that they need to come down before some wind knocks some big branches down. Very sad to lose them. They are all mature 50-70 feet high.

There seems to be a lot of sudden oak death in the area (Arlington).; 2/20/20, 6:40 PM
Beasts of England said...: A, A, what can I say? I gotta woman, wanna ball all day...; 2/20/20, 6:44 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: Mass animal die-off in China due to disinfectants, authorities say

A Chinese megacity adjacent to Hubei Province, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, reported mass animal deaths Wednesday

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2020/02/19/Mass-animal-die-off-in-China-due-to-disinfectants-authorities-say/3591582127195/

Coronavirus Deaths Outside China Surge Overnight As South Korean City Faces "Unprecedented Crisis

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/coronavirus-deaths-outside-china-surge-overnight-explosion-new-cases-suggests-outbreak; 2/20/20, 6:45 PM
Achilles said...: Mark said...

By now it's clear that they need to come down before some wind knocks some big branches down. Very sad to lose them. They are all mature 50-70 feet high.

There seems to be a lot of sudden oak death in the area (Arlington).

There is something about trees dying that just bothers me. Especially older ones.

I almost started a tree doctor business to help treat tree diseases.

It probably would have failed because I would do it for free.; 2/20/20, 6:46 PM
Kai Akker said...: Stock market valuation multiples have been this high only in 1929 and in 2000. Each time, when the trend changed, some of the major indexes fell over 80%.

Here is a chart that shows 120 years of valuations. Note that we left the 2007 peak's levels in the dust several years ago.

https://www.advisorperspectives.com/images/content_image/data/4c/4c4a1ae2ce6a6ab570020e715f1046be.png; 2/20/20, 6:51 PM
Achilles said...: My mom worked for a place that had big beautiful Oak trees older than the house they ran their business out of. Probably older than the city they were in.

They got some sort of fungal infestation so the business owner got bids to save the trees.

The first bid was lower and the arborist said he was going to spray them with an antifungal.

The second bid was higher and that company was going to come in with systemic pesticides.

I told them the second bid was legit and the first bid was a scam. They disease was obviously systemic.

Nobody listens to me. The trees are gone. =(; 2/20/20, 6:53 PM
Kai Akker said...: The link to the mini-article in which that chart, and others, appear.

https://www.advisorperspectives.com/dshort/updates/2020/02/06/market-remains-overvalued; 2/20/20, 6:55 PM
Kai Akker said...: There is an oak blight rolling through the nation like the Dutch Elm blight of a century ago. They are slowly going, no one seems to have any way to prevent it. As I understand it.; 2/20/20, 6:56 PM
Andrew said...: All the leaves are brown.
And the sky is gray...

***

What Bloomberg should have said last night at the debate:

Warren: "Who are these women? What's in those NDA's? Why not let them speak?"
Bloomberg: "Do you really want to know?"
Warren: "Of course!"
Bloomberg: "Are you sure?"
Warren: "I think I'm entitled."
Bloomberg: "Well, all of these women were lying about their ethnicity to get ahead. They were claiming to be Cherokee Indians. F'g liars. So I fired their asses. I don't want psychopathic bitches working for my company. I replaced them with real women of color."; 2/20/20, 6:56 PM
Mark said...: Hamlet, starring Kodos the Executioner and his nutty daughter, is on tonight.; 2/20/20, 7:00 PM
J. Farmer said...: @Mark:

I had hoped that come spring, they might sprout some signs of life. But some of the smaller branches have come down. Completely dried out -- dead, really dead.

"Oak tree" is a very broad category that includes hundreds of different species. Some only have a lifespan of about 30 years even under ideal environmental conditions. Any idea what variety of oak this is?; 2/20/20, 7:04 PM
Mark said...: It's always a laugh in the scene where some hand stretches onto the screen to kill Riley with poison from a plastic spray bottle. They can travel light years in a starship, but in the 23rd century they are still using 1960s era spray bottles.; 2/20/20, 7:04 PM
Mark said...: I'm sure the trees were already present when they built the condo buildings in the 1940s for returning military. So at least 70 years old.; 2/20/20, 7:06 PM
Mark said...: And they didn't die slowly or following an extended decline. The leaves all shriveled up and went brown in about a week during summer time.; 2/20/20, 7:08 PM
effinayright said...: Mark said:

There seems to be a lot of sudden oak death in the area (Arlington).
*********

Which Arlington?; 2/20/20, 7:17 PM
Mark said...: Oh, my mistake. Big one. I thought The Corbomite Maneuver was her last appearance. But there is Janice Rand in the background coming off the turbo-lift as Lenore gets on.

They will ghost her after this.; 2/20/20, 7:20 PM
Anonymous said...: Good for Rubio, et al: I certainly hope this is going to be pushed hard and passed: Rubio, Cramer, Cotton, Blackburn, Cruz Introduce FDIC Act to Combat Banks’ Political Attacks on Federal Contractors.

Doesn't go far enough - FDIC banks should not be allowed to deny financial services to people because they don't like their politics. But it's a start.; 2/20/20, 7:24 PM
Achilles said...: Was Bloomberg's performance as bad as Rick Perry's?

<.<

How can it be the worst?; 2/20/20, 7:24 PM
FullMoon said...: William Zanzinger was an elite democrat..

"In the courtroom of honor, the judge pounded his gavel
To show that all's equal and that the courts are on the level
And that the strings in the books ain't pulled and persuaded
And that even the nobles get properly handled
Once that the cops have chased after and caught 'em
And that the ladder of law has no top and no bottom
Stared at the person who killed for no reason
Who just happened to be feelin' that way without warnin'
And he spoke through his cloak, most deep and distinguished
And handed out strongly, for penalty and repentance
William Zanzinger with a six-month sentence
Oh, but you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears
Bury the rag deep in your face
For now's the time for your tears

dylan, hattie carrol; 2/20/20, 7:30 PM
Mark said...: The Arlington where or near two or three other commenters live also.

General Washington used to own our property. In fact, I think I've read that one of the first post Fort Sumter skirmishes of the Civil War happened just a few hundred yards away, weeks before First Manassas.; 2/20/20, 7:31 PM
FullMoon said...: Hollis Brown was a poor Republican..; 2/20/20, 7:32 PM
purplepenquin said...: FDIC banks should not be allowed to deny financial services to people because they don't like their politics.

You gonna make 'em bake the cake, eh?; 2/20/20, 7:38 PM
Jersey Fled said...: Daily Mail headline today:

Omar Did Marry Her Brother; 2/20/20, 7:43 PM
stephen cooper said...: Mark the only trees that are dying in Arlington are dying in places where the owners don't know how to take care of trees in hard times.; 2/20/20, 7:47 PM
FullMoon said...: Director Steven Spielberg’s Daughter Mikaela Announces Porn Career
I blame the parents; 2/20/20, 7:51 PM
FullMoon said...: While making self produced porn videos is not illegal - Mikaela was adamant that she was keen to keep everything "legitimate and above board".

The first clips she made included one sensual video titled, "Huge breasted woman pleasures herself in calm environment".

Another video was called, "I give my huge natural breasts some love and care with rose tea oil."
HERE; 2/20/20, 7:52 PM
rhhardin said...: You have to bake the cake in a monopoly market, like banks are.; 2/20/20, 7:52 PM
Mark said...: her parents support her adult film career

Do ALL parents these days think that they need to say "yes" to any and all malbehavior of their children, no matter how self-destructive? Are they all completely incapable of a loving "no"?; 2/20/20, 7:56 PM
etbass said...: The American Chestnut blight of the first half of last century killed 3B trees.; 2/20/20, 7:57 PM
J. Farmer said...: Director Steven Spielberg’s Daughter Mikaela Announces Porn Career

Hmm. I wonder where Spielberg and Kate Capshaw come down on the nature versus nurture debate.; 2/20/20, 7:58 PM
BUMBLE BEE said...: Mark... don't just stand there pullin your pud.... https://www.treesaregood.org/findanarborist; 2/20/20, 8:07 PM
stephen cooper said...: In Japan, when there is a blight of a certain type of trees, the Japanese people try and save every single tree, whether in their yards, in their towns, in a park, or in the countryside. They do what they have to do, that is why the country - the whole country - is sort of like a garden.

In the USA, every elm on the National Mall survived because people cared about those historical trees, but tens of millions of elms died in tens of thousands of American counties during the great blight because not enough people cared. Most of those elms could have been saved if people cared.

Trees can be saved even under bad conditions, but people have to care.; 2/20/20, 8:07 PM
Mark said...: Did any of you ever see the TV show "Insight," which invariably showed at 1 or 2 in the morning? It was a Christian (Catholic) anthology show produced by the Paulists. A lot of big stars played on it.

Anyway, after looking for years for where it can be seen, I discover that they have put the entire series on YouTube.; 2/20/20, 8:09 PM
Mark said...: Yes, we should have done something in that one week period when the trees went from seemingly perfectly healthy to suddenly dead.

It's our fault. Even those growing in the woods in the deep of nature.; 2/20/20, 8:11 PM
rehajm said...: I feel like I'm watching a movie I've never seen. I know the ending and apparently I'm the only one who knows.; 2/20/20, 8:13 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: mini-mike 'punches up', bites Trumps ankle

Mike Bloomberg
@MikeBloomberg
Shouldn’t you be pardoning Roger Stone, you #carnivalbarkingclown?

.Bloomie

Bloomie2; 2/20/20, 8:13 PM
Mark said...: We just didn't care.

I guess we care now. But we probably won't do anything to stop many more from going.

We should be caring enough to spot that healthy tree from the one that is just a handful of days from being dead. Be we aren't.; 2/20/20, 8:13 PM
Mark said...: I mean, every heart attack is preventable, right?; 2/20/20, 8:15 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: Director Steven Spielberg’s Daughter Mikaela Announces Porn Career

"Saving Ryan's Privates"; 2/20/20, 8:17 PM
Ralph L said...: When they were building a new dining hall at my college, a friend broke into the contractor's desk at night and wrote "save this tree" on the plans. Next day, there was a fence around the big tree next to the site. We graduated under the elms in front of the physics/biology building, but one of the oldest ones came down soon after.; 2/20/20, 8:18 PM
Mark said...: Oh, why oh why didn't we listen to the Lorax??; 2/20/20, 8:22 PM
stephen cooper said...: Mark - where do you live? I live in Northern Virginia, I hike dozens of miles every month, and the only big trees I have ever seen die are old and too large for their place.

Have you called an arborist, have you discussed this with people who care?

Have you visited Arlington Cemetery lately, and looked at the trees?

What are you talking about? I think there is no real blight of oak trees in Northern Virginia, I think you are being scammed. I walk past thousands of oak trees every month in Northern Virginia and I do not see any dying quickly.

Maybe this is happening in certain neighborhoods, and if that is the case, maybe those neighborhoods are places where people should be working harder to save their trees.

.; 2/20/20, 8:23 PM
Ken B said...: Rereading one of the Hornblower novels, The Commodore. Lots of fun still.

Forester is public domain in Canada and you can get the complete works on Kindle for $3. The complete Ian Fleming for $2.; 2/20/20, 8:24 PM
stephen cooper said...: Maybe you live in a neighborhood where someone is poisoning the trees, I don't know.

But don't tell me that the oak trees of Northern Virginia are dying out, that is simply not true.

It might be true in your neighborhood, and if it is, you need to investigate,

If you don't, who will?; 2/20/20, 8:25 PM
Ralph L said...: There's a boxwood blight going around, too. Kills in about a week. I've lost 4 to something else which kills slowly. The first one came back from the roots, so my front steps are flanked by one 6 feet tall and wide (big for English box), and another barely 1 foot.; 2/20/20, 8:26 PM
Ken B said...: Close encounters of the three-way kind.; 2/20/20, 8:28 PM
Mark said...: Arlington’s Declining Oak Tree Population Alarming Advocacy Groups
November 20, 2019

Across Northern Virginia, oak trees have started dying in significant numbers — including in Arlington.

The decline, formally called “oak dieback,” has been the subject of research and speculation for months by naturalists.

In a fact sheet produced in collaboration with groups including the Arlington Urban Forestry Commission and Arlington Regional Master Naturalists, experts cite the stress of recent droughts and extreme storms, along with construction damage, as potential causes for the dieback.

However, “oak decline is a complex disease with no single causal agent,” writes Lori Chamberlin of the Virginia Department of Forestry. . . .

Some of the troubled oak trees are on Arlington’s list of “Champion Trees.” Elizabeth Grossman, a representative from the Arlington Tree Action Group, said the county should be held more accountable for its oak tree loss.

“I’ve lived in Arlington Forest almost 30 years, and the rate of tree decline is alarming — I’ve lost two mature oaks this summer and are the first two trees I have lost in all the years I’ve lived here,” Grossman said, pointing to the Arlington Forest neighborhood and the area around Lubber Run as two particularly damaged spots.

“Arlington County has done nothing more than put out the document you have identified, and it is not particularly useful,” Grossman said.; 2/20/20, 8:28 PM
FullMoon said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/20/20, 8:30 PM
FullMoon said...: Last nigh Biden said Bloomberg put five million black men up against the wall. Seems like black male population NYC about 850,000, including those over 60 and under 15..; 2/20/20, 8:34 PM
stephen cooper said...: Yes I read that before you posted it.

"Arlington Forest" is not a real forest, it is a community.

That is private land.

If I tried to protect an ailing tree in "Arlington Forest" I could be arrested for trespassing.

Recent droughts means - private land where the owners did not water the trees that suffered from drought.
"Extreme storms" - that means, I guess, a tree suffered wind damage and the owner did not want to spend a few bucks to help the tree out.
"Construction damage" ==== well lots of my favorite trees over the years have been killed by construction damage. Practically speaking, this is the same thing as damage from poisoning.

Those three causes are all avoidable.

Not all, but most blights of plants and trees are avoidable, or at least do not lead to disastrous results if the people who own the trees make an effort. It is just that almost nobody cares.; 2/20/20, 8:35 PM
Mark said...: Oak Decline in Northern Virginia

Background
In recent years oaks in the white oak group, such as chestnut oak (Quercus montana) and white oak (Quercus alba), have started dying in significant numbers.
Some reports indicate other oaks are affected as well.
Reports came from urban foresters, state foresters, residents, and Virginia Tech
Cooperative Extension. . . .; 2/20/20, 8:36 PM
stephen cooper said...: Trust me Mark, if Americans spent one tenth the energy on maintaining our trees as they do on playing golf or listening to hip-hop or playing video games, we would not be having this converstation.; 2/20/20, 8:37 PM
Mark said...: Arlington Forest is a neighborhood. And the Virginia Department of Forestry have reported oak death throughout the NoVa area.

Just stop stephen. Just stop.; 2/20/20, 8:38 PM
effinayright said...: Stephen cooper said:

In the USA, every elm on the National Mall survived because people cared about those historical trees, but tens of millions of elms died in tens of thousands of American counties during the great blight because not enough people cared. Most of those elms could have been saved if people cared.

Trees can be saved even under bad conditions, but people have to care.
*****************

Baloney. Dutch elm disease began about 100 years ago, when various means of prevention were undertaken, with mixed success:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_elm_disease#Mechanical

Mechanical

Diseased elm ringbarked to slow down transmission before felling.

The first attempts to control Dutch elm disease consisted of pruning trees to remove and burn diseased timber. While this method was effective in New York State and adjacent areas, its cost made it uneconomical except in large cities where elms were considered valuable attractions.

Chemical

When Dutch elm disease spread away from the Atlantic coast, control focused on controlling the bark beetle by using insecticides such as DDT and dieldrin, which were sprayed heavily across all parts of elm trees, usually twice a year in the spring and again at a lower concentration in the summer. In its early years, it was generally thought by observers that pesticides did slow the spread of the disease across the United States[47] but as early as 1947, concern was raised that many bird species were killed in large numbers by ingesting poisoned invertebrates.[47][48] In areas sprayed during the 1950s, local people observed birds such as the American woodcock, American robin, white-breasted nuthatch, brown creeper and various Poecile species dying."

So....lots of people "cared", but they were unable until recent years to attack the disease w/o harming other wildlife. And enough people "cared" to develop disease-resistant cultivars and biological vaccines.

I have a couple of the disease-resistant trees outside my house, brought all the way as saplings from the west coast to the East. They're doing fine.

In any case we're talking about oaks here.; 2/20/20, 8:39 PM
narciso said...: They didnt explain, or i didnt remember that talos has been ravaged by a nuclear war, not long before thechristopher pike visited it.; 2/20/20, 8:39 PM
effinayright said...: stephen cooper said...
Trust me Mark, if Americans spent one tenth the energy on maintaining our trees as they do on playing golf or listening to hip-hop or playing video games, we would not be having this converstation.
***********************************
You sound like Mike Bloomberg!

"If only people would bend to MY priorities, we'd all be fine!"; 2/20/20, 8:40 PM
stephen cooper said...: wholelottasplainin - you don't know much about trees, and the people who care about them.

I feel bad for you.; 2/20/20, 8:41 PM
R C Belaire said...: Our route to various northern Michigan locales takes us past an ~80 acre corn field with a single Elm more/less in the middle of the field. Each spring when we drive by we like to check that the Elm is leafing out. So far, so good. I believe it's still living due to its relative isolation from other Elms which tend to grow with root systems intertwined.; 2/20/20, 8:42 PM
effinayright said...: "experts cite the stress of recent droughts and extreme storms"...

**************bullshit. Virginia hasn't had a drought since 2009, and "extreme storms", whatever the fuck THEY are, don't cause tree diseases.; 2/20/20, 8:44 PM
stephen cooper said...: "its cost made it uneconomical except .... where elms were considered valuable"

you made my point for me.; 2/20/20, 8:45 PM
Mark said...: Last year we had several torrential rains -- a couple of inches coming down in a hour or so -- as well as some extended rains. Lots of saturated soil which water-logs the roots and compacted soil which also damages the ability of roots to take in nutrients.; 2/20/20, 8:50 PM
Mark said...: "extreme storms", whatever the fuck THEY are

Well, when one doesn't go to the provided link in the original text, it's easy to be mystified.; 2/20/20, 8:53 PM
stephen cooper said...: If you are a farmer who owns lands and your trees are waterlogged you know what you have to do, and you do it.

You IMMEDIATELY plant fast-growing grass or barley or rye there to suck up the water. You collect earthworms and beetles and drop them in their hundreds around your beloved trees, in order to dry out the soil and save your trees. You carefully prepare roasting areas around the trees and cook there for a few weeks, making sure you set nothing on fire but that you dry out the ground. Your parents or grandparents taught you that.

People have known this for many many generations. It was all described in ancient Greek and Latin literature and was old knowledge at the time. People have cared about trees for many generations. This generation, not as much as the preceding generations, I guess.; 2/20/20, 8:57 PM
stephen cooper said...: Cato and Varro, in the Latin Library, and their earlier sources are easily found in Greek Loeb editions.; 2/20/20, 8:59 PM
narciso said...: Ah stephen cooper, but that is just lost knowledge like the e pleb nista in omega glory; 2/20/20, 8:59 PM
narciso said...: About our new dni

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ambassador-exposing-waste-trumps-pro-gay-policies-richard/id1052842770?i=1000466092142; 2/20/20, 9:06 PM
ken in tx said...: There is a certain type of oak, red oak I think, that keeps it's brown leaves until spring. We had one in our yard at a previous house, along with several white oaks, which didn't keep any leaves over winter.; 2/20/20, 9:09 PM
stephen cooper said...: narciso not lost to me, there are thousands of trees I walk by every month, I notice if any single one of them is in dire straits. trust me i have my faults but guile is not one of them

Mark is a bright guy but he is talking about something specific to a few neighborhoods in Northern Virginia that are run by people who do not understand agriculture or silviculture. All those trees need people to care about them, and it is not happening the way it should.; 2/20/20, 9:12 PM
Anonymous said...: Horse faced lesbian, Elizabeth Warren, dresses like an elf. What's up with the elf costume.; 2/20/20, 9:14 PM
walter said...: “I got really tired of not being able to capitalize on my body and frankly, I got really tired of being told to hate my body,” Ms. Spielberg said. “And I also just got tired of working day-to-day in a way that wasn’t satisfying my soul.“I feel like doing this kind of work, I’m able to ‘satisfy’ other people, but that feels good because it’s not in a way that makes me feel violated,” she said
<
“I got really tired of not being able to capitalize on my body and frankly, I got really tired of being told to hate my body,” Ms. Spielberg said. “And I also just got tired of working day-to-day in a way that wasn’t satisfying my soul.“I feel like doing this kind of work, I’m able to ‘satisfy’ other people, but that feels good because it’s not in a way that makes me feel violated,” she sai

“I can’t stay dependent on my parents or even the state for that matter — not that there’s anything wrong with that — it just doesn’t feel comfortable for me.”

Ms. Spielberg’s porn resume consists of mostly fetish work and “solo stuff,” but she said she won’t have sex with another person on camera, out of respect for her fiancé, 47-year-old Chuck Pankow.
She also spoke out about her mental health issues, including alcoholism and borderline personality disorder, as well as the years of sexual abuse she suffered as a child at the hands of “predators” in the entertainment industry, though she clarified that none of those predators are from her family or their circle of friends.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/feb/20/steven-spielbergs-daughter-mikaela-launches-porn-c/; 2/20/20, 9:18 PM
Kai Akker said...: stephen, many oaks in eastern Pennsylvania have been dying for the last five years or so. one by one, branches die back and eventually the whole tree is gone. there are more diseased oaks than healthy ones. Oak Wilt. It appears to be taking them all. the arborists have no tools to stop it.; 2/20/20, 9:21 PM
walter said...: If she doesn't work E.T. into that, she needs to re-evaluate the business plan.; 2/20/20, 9:22 PM
narciso said...: Oh thats reassuring so shes getting involved in the most soul deadening part of the business,; 2/20/20, 9:23 PM
Wince said...: purplepenquin said...
"FDIC banks should not be allowed to deny financial services to people because they don't like their politics."

You gonna make 'em bake the cake, eh?

None of the bakers claimed a blanket right to deny routine products and services.

The basis of their successful constitutional challenge arose from the individual expression implicit in the personal practice of their artistic trades.

Irrespective of whether a prohibition of political discrimination in the delivery of routine banking services in interstate commerce is good public policy, or not, I don't see a constitutional argument against the banking anti-political-discrimination proposal parallel to the compelled speech of wedding photographers and bakers.

Where is there anything like infringement of individual free expression?; 2/20/20, 9:24 PM
effinayright said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/20/20, 9:31 PM
effinayright said...: Mark said...
"extreme storms", whatever the fuck THEY are

Well, when one doesn't go to the provided link in the original text, it's easy to be mystified.

*************

And when one doesn't understand the difference between "extreme storms" and a flood caused by by lot of rainfall from ONE storm, one can think he knows what he's talking about.

Tell us, will you, why ONE tree species is due to "extreme stormS"...

I guess you missed the reference to "oak wilt":

"Oak wilt is a disease affecting oak trees caused by the fungus Bretziella fagacearum (previously known as Ceratocystis fagacearum). Symptoms vary by tree species but generally consist of leaf discoloration, wilt, defoliation, and death."

The fungus spreads from diseased to healthy trees overland by insect or other airborne vectors and underground by naturally grafted tree roots. Management of the disease historically meant preventing infection by not wounding oaks during certain time periods, removing diseased oaks that will produce spores (sanitation), and breaking root connections with vibratory plows, trenchers, rock saws or hoes. Present methods focus on reducing or eliminating monocultures and restoring ecosystems correctly using soils baseline information. Fungicides are used for preventive treatments in urban areas. Oak wilt poses a danger for oak wood products and shade trees in urban areas."

---wikipedia

So don't be blaming oak deaths on "climate change", which is where you were heading.

130 years of weather records in the US demonstrate conclusively that we are not experiencing unusual or more frequent "extreme" weather.

Get a grip..; 2/20/20, 9:36 PM
Mark said...: I guess for some, it is impossible to have a discussion without getting obnoxious. Even a discussion about something as neutral and innocuous as dying trees.; 2/20/20, 9:44 PM
narciso said...: Oh

https://mobile.twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1230563899713282049; 2/20/20, 9:46 PM
Mark said...: So watching some of these early episodes of Insight --
What looks to be the first of the drama stories in the series stars the aforementioned Marlo Thomas. Another coming on now stars Beaver Cleaver himself.; 2/20/20, 9:51 PM
effinayright said...: Mark said...
I guess for some, it is impossible to have a discussion without getting obnoxious. Even a discussion about something as neutral and innocuous as dying trees.
**************

Then why fling snot at me for not going to that site?; 2/20/20, 9:51 PM
narciso said...: Shirley

https://nypost.com/2020/02/15/george-washington-was-a-liar-who-cheated-his-way-to-the-top-according-to-new-biography/; 2/20/20, 9:51 PM
Mark said...: You were obnoxious before then.; 2/20/20, 9:58 PM
Inga said...: “I guess for some, it is impossible to have a discussion without getting obnoxious. Even a discussion about something as neutral and innocuous as dying trees.

You were obnoxious before then.”

Indeed he is. Wholelotta knows wholelittle.; 2/20/20, 10:10 PM
Ralph L said...: This fall, I had a decent crop of pecans from 3 trees planted by my great grandparents in the 1890's. They hadn't produced any in over 55 years. At first, I thought they'd noticed that the other old one next door had blown down in Hurricane Michael in 2018, then I remembered that in spring 2018 I'd put out a systemic root-soak insecticide to try to kill the aphids, and the poison must have spurred them to reproduce. We probably shouldn't eat too many of the nuts, but maybe it will reduce the squirrel population.; 2/20/20, 10:12 PM
Inga said...: “wholelottasplainin - you don't know much about trees, and the people who care about them.

I feel bad for you.”

He doesn’t know a wholelotta about writing good paragraphs either. I tried to ‘splain how to write a cogent paragraph to him, but he doesn’t have a wholelotta brains.; 2/20/20, 10:16 PM
Marc in Eugene said...: Began an Insight episode with Bob Newhart and Arlene Francis from 1973: am about done with the Internet for the day but it does look like there might be some gems hidden in those hundreds of films.

I will guess that it is easier to discern the Catholic, Christian foundation or background in the earlier (1960) than in the later (1983) episodes.

Noctem quietam et finem perfectum, you lot.; 2/20/20, 10:17 PM
Guildofcannonballs said...: All is well if they don't cheat, like we know they will.; 2/20/20, 10:21 PM
Narr said...: Hornblower is excellent. I need to reread them, and always thought it a shame the series with Griffiud (sp?) wasn't longer. Better than the few Sharpe things I've seen anyway.

Narr
Lights out; 2/20/20, 10:29 PM
William said...: Locke and Key is pretty good. Lots of inventive plot hooks. As I get older, I take comfort and sustenance in scifi and fantasy shows. I'd prefer to live in a world where gravity and death are more negotiable than the one I presently inhabit....The high school kids in tv shows all look more like grad students than high school students. For that matter so do their parents.; 2/20/20, 10:34 PM
Gahrie said...: Hornblower is excellent.

Have you tried the Lewrie books? They're pretty good. The first half dozen Honor Harrington books are a great homage too.; 2/20/20, 10:35 PM
Sebastian said...: Speaking of sane progs (in the other thread), here's Steve Hayward on Powerline reporting a message from a lefty friend:

"Last night was the first Dem debate I tuned into, and it was horrifying. Bernie was an angry uncle. Bloomberg was an arrogant asshole. Warren was a ballbusting bluestocking. Pete was a glib greenhorn. Biden was barely alive. And Klobuchar was a smirking SNL character. . . It’s a f—— catastrophe!"; 2/20/20, 10:37 PM
Tomcc said...: Mark in Arlington: has your condo HOA brought in an arborist? I served on our HOA board for years. Our association had maybe an acre or two of common area containing some pretty large fir and maple trees. Some of the trees could have caused damage to homes if they were to topple, so we had an arborist come out every other year and do an evaluation.
It seems that would be a prudent step for your HOA.; 2/20/20, 10:40 PM
Drago said...: Sebastian: "Last night was the first Dem debate I tuned into, and it was horrifying. Bernie was an angry uncle. Bloomberg was an arrogant asshole. Warren was a ballbusting bluestocking. Pete was a glib greenhorn. Biden was barely alive. And Klobuchar was a smirking SNL character. . . It’s a f—— catastrophe!"

According to Mindreader par excellence Admiral Inga, it was actually the most powerful display of political acumen and capability ever seen on a single stage in a single night.

LOL; 2/20/20, 11:10 PM
Churchy LaFemme: said...: "Hornblower In Space" is practically an SF sub-genre. In fact, the original Star Trek was described that way (when Roddenberry wasn't trying to pitch it as "Wagon Train In Space", which it wasn't, but which was more marketable).

Honor Harrington (note the initials) is probably the most famous example, but somewhere along the way Weber lost his touch and the books turned into meeting minutes.

My current favorites are the Alexis Carew books by J.A. Sutherland. The first Into The Dark is currently only $0.99 though the Althouse portal. There's probably more money than that lost in your couch cushions..; 2/20/20, 11:17 PM
J. Farmer said...: Makes me wonder who Steve Hayward’s amorphous “really smart lefty friend” would like to see as the candidate.; 2/20/20, 11:17 PM
Yancey Ward said...: "The American Chestnut blight of the first half of last century killed 3B trees."

My grandfather had a few American Chestnuts on his property high in a valley in Eastern Kentucky. We used to eat the chestnuts when I was small child in the 1970s. The trees died at some point in the early 80s- I am assuming it was the same blight.; 2/20/20, 11:19 PM
Yancey Ward said...: "Makes me wonder who Steve Hayward’s amorphous “really smart lefty friend” would like to see as the candidate."

Shelob.; 2/20/20, 11:20 PM
Big Mike said...: it was actually the most powerful display of political acumen and capability ever seen on a single stage in a single night.

Except when Donald Trump is onstage alone.; 2/21/20, 2:29 AM
Browndog said...: I wake up this morning to see liberals defending Fox News.

What a world.; 2/21/20, 4:34 AM
Seeing Red said...: Bwaaaa but what are they capable of?; 2/21/20, 4:39 AM
Mr. Forward said...: Can we get an arborist at the next debate?; 2/21/20, 4:40 AM
Seeing Red said...: Bernie Bros are such lovely people via Lucianne:

A former adviser on criminal justice issues to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) was plotting a violent prison escape, stashing guns and ammunition inside a soon-to-be-opened prison, authorities said this week. Nashville police said Wednesday that Alex Friedmann, a prison reform advocate who helped shape the Vermont senator's criminal justice agenda, spent months plotting an escape for inmates of the city's detention center. Sanders worked with Friedmann to develop positions on criminal justice in the lead up to his 2016 presidential campaign—positions Sanders still touts.; 2/21/20, 5:13 AM
stevew said...: It has been reported that Congress has been briefed that the Russians are actively working to interfere in our coming election, and that they are doing so in favor of Trump.

Questions:

1. What is the nature of this interference?
2. Why would they want to help re-elect Trump?
3. Who in our government determined this and why do they have credibility?
4. When are they not trying to interfere in our elections and politics?

Love the photo, the lighting and the snow stuck to the side of the trees gives me a feeling of spring.; 2/21/20, 5:44 AM
Rusty said...: "The American Chestnut blight of the first half of last century killed 3B trees."
And oddly enough led to the end of the Passenger Pidgeon.; 2/21/20, 5:50 AM
Browndog said...: Watch:

RCMP arrest man for clearing illegal road block on Canadian highway set up by eco-terrorists/#shutdownCanada; 2/21/20, 5:51 AM
Narr said...: Thanks for the reading suggestions. I haven't kept up--that Bolitho series (urgh) and O'Brien (Hip hip hooray!) are all the post-CSF I know.

And with all the trees bare in the sun, I'm paranoid about my neighborhood full of old oaks.

Narr
Some of them are enormous; 2/21/20, 11:48 AM