Althouse: The forest floor after the rain.

October 26, 2023

The forest floor after the rain.

Talk about anything you like in the comments.

41 comments:

lonejustice said...: Beautiful. I love living in the upper Midwest. My wife was born and raised in the Middle East. She thinks where we live is a beautiful park paradise.; 10/26/23, 6:06 PM
n.n said...: Like a tree with a mushroom evolving on moist moss growing, rotting in a Green graveyard with diverse rites held for the season's progress. Rake me.; 10/26/23, 6:21 PM
Lem the artificially intelligent said...: Some questions worth pondering if we are really going to ask some people's sons and daughters to put their life on the line again, over there.

Do we have real answers?; 10/26/23, 6:24 PM
Lem the artificially intelligent said...: Scott Adams :

Two movies on one screen:

Movie 1: Trump’s former lawyers have made deals to testify against him. Trump is going to jail for sure.

Movie 2: Biased prosecutors overcharged everyone around Jan6 and now lawyers are making the best deals they can. No one has any dirt on Trump and none have suggested they do.

I’m watching Movie 2.; 10/26/23, 6:25 PM
Mike of Snoqualmie said...: I have mushrooms growing everywhere. We cleared a forest area to build our house and the mushrooms are sprouting over the dead tree roots. We have a sink hole about 8-ft wide, 12-ft long and 1-ft deep near a tree stump in the back yard. That makes for uncomfortable mowing with the riding-mower tipping at 20-degree angle.; 10/26/23, 6:57 PM
Nancy said...: From a CNN article about the "Harvard and UPenn donor revolt":

"While tensions over free speech aren’t limited to colleges, higher education experts worry the donor backlash could have a chilling effect on ideological diversity on campus and at institutions designed to serve as hubs for freedom of expression and debate on opposing viewpoints."

Ah, those experts! Because there is currently so much diversity and freedom if expression at these institutions!; 10/26/23, 7:24 PM
madAsHell said...: I have mushrooms growing everywhere.

When I was a kid, it was notice to start prepping you skis!!!!; 10/26/23, 7:36 PM
Joe Smith said...: Biden's people think they can boost him in the polls if he's a wartime president.

That only works until the fist American soldier is beheaded live on a streaming platform.

Or a female American hostage is raped and killed on a live feed.

He would be forced out immediately.

Be careful what you wish for.; 10/26/23, 9:16 PM
Rich said...: “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
— L.M. Montgomery (author of Anne of Green Gables); 10/26/23, 9:34 PM
wildswan said...: Maybe the next time students hear that Hamas lovers have trapped Jewish students in a room and are screaming at them, students could put on a Star of David and go stand in front of that door in solidarity. Maybe everybody in a city or a university could wear a Star of David when the antisemites are out having one of their foul rallies. You know, like the Danes. Live your life that day the regular way but wear a Star of David. Just draw the Star on a mask and tie the mask around your arm. It's time masks did something worthwhile. You know, the "I am Spartacus" deal.; 10/26/23, 10:50 PM
Hassayamper said...: The purplish one in the middle looks like a blewit, Lepista nuda. Very tasty.; 10/26/23, 11:22 PM
James K said...: "the donor backlash could have a chilling effect on ideological diversity on campus"

Who needs the Babylon Bee when we have CNN and "higher education experts," whose notion of ideological diversity encompasses left and far left.; 10/26/23, 11:44 PM
Gospace said...: In Gaza the Israelis will be dealing with a population that has already proven they will put a bomb in a baby carriage- along with a baby- and hte mother will detonate the bomb to kill the Infidels.

So a Gazan female pushing a baby carriage approaches an Israeli checkpoint- and is ordered to stop or turn around- and continue advancing.

Are the Israelis operating within the rules of was to shoot to kill? Shoot to kill specified- because there is no such thing in real life as shoot to wound.

I know my answer. What's yours?

Topic 2:https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/officials-in-oakland-need-buyer-for-raiders-hq-18447622.php
The politicians valued this property at a minimum of $35.8 million. Which is where they stated the bidding will start.

No bids. They overvalued the property! As Trump has been accused of doing and found guilty by a judge who used his own system! One big difference- no one, not the judge, not anyone doing business with Trump, not anyone, can find anyone who was damaged by Trump's real estate deals. All the loans got paid. A crime with no victims- and he's guilty- the judge says so based on his vast real estate expertise. Oakland put $17 million into it's budget for next year based on the eggs in the basket that wasn't filled with eggs. The taxpayers of Oakland have been hurt. So- did the politicians commit a crime? Well, certainly, based on Trump being guilty- only- with VICTMS!. Don't know if Trump's lawyers read this blog, but- they should subpoena all the city officials involved in this sale debacle- and grill them mercilessly on how they arrived a t a value. Then- ask each and every one of them- Should you be punished and fined for fraud? We know Trump's going to be found guilty in NY- with no victims. An appeals court ;looking at the lack of sale of this $38.5 million dollar property is going to reverse if it's entered into evidence.

Property is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it- or alternatively- loan you money for it with the expectation of being paid back. Which Trump did. The judges valuations are crap.

Next ridge over I knew a guy who wouldn't sell his corner property to the big bad developer who was buying contiguous properties, often for far more then the tax assessment. It now has a fence separating it from the big amassed property. 3 years after the offer was rejected, he decided to retire. Offered to sell it to the developer. Who had already fenced it off. No deal. Ended up selling it for less then the tax assessed value.

Unfortunately for me, he stopped expanding his property before he got to my ridge.; 10/27/23, 1:44 AM
gadfly said...: Lem the misspeller said...
Scott Adams :

Two movies on one screen:

Movie 1: Trump’s former lawyers have made deals to testify against him. Trump is going to jail for sure.

Movie 2: Biased prosecutors overcharged everyone around Jan6 and now lawyers are making the best deals they can. No one has any dirt on Trump and none have suggested they do.

I’m watching Movie 2.

Someone needs to tell Scott Adams that Jan-6 coup participants, Mark Meadows, Kenneth Chesebro, Sidney Powell, and Jenna Ellis have agreed to testify against Trump with more Republican co-defendants - beginning with bankrupt Rudy Giuliani - cutting deals about every day or so in Fulton County. With the Powell and Chesebro trials behind her, Fani Willis can proceed with the selection of a jury for the remaining RICO defendants.

This is not a comic strip with a write-your-own ending. The Rice Street facility as Donald's next address in Atlanta will not be pretty.; 10/27/23, 2:52 AM
gadfly said...: Mike of Snoqualmie said...
I have mushrooms growing everywhere. We cleared a forest area to build our house and the mushrooms are sprouting over the dead tree roots.

Dose the growing mushrooms with vinegar to prevent the spread of the fungus to live tree roots. Big trees come tumbling down when their roots die.; 10/27/23, 3:01 AM
Howard said...: Axis of Evil v3.7

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/foreign/russia-hosts-hamas-iran-moscow-meetings; 10/27/23, 4:04 AM
wendybar said...: NEW - True costs of fueling an electric vehicle, including excess charging costs and subsidies, is equal to $17.33 per gallon of gasoline, a new analysis found.

https://x.com/disclosetv/status/1717551134447976823?s=20; 10/27/23, 4:14 AM
Heartless Aztec said...: Ahhhh...the days of me youth scouring cow fields of North Floridaunder a pale autumn moon looking for psilocybin mushrooms. Between bull and farmers who had a 12ga loaded with rock salt it was a scamper. Fun times, fun times. Some shroom tea and a the Moody Blues album "To Our Children's, Children's, Children". What a great time to be young and stupid.; 10/27/23, 5:44 AM
Humperdink said...: Due to age related hearing loss and in deference to Mrs. Dink, I turn the television volume down and use close-captioning. I've seen repeated close-captioning fails. From the NY Post:

"A note here about how closed-captions changed the Dick Butkus Award into “the butt-kiss award,” inspired former sports editor Dick Klayman to recall the time Jorge Posada appeared as “Horse Shave Posada.”.; 10/27/23, 6:00 AM
Crimso said...: "I've seen repeated close-captioning fails."

Recently saw a movie with a scene where an orchestra was warming up prior to performing. The CC read "[modern orchestral music]."; 10/27/23, 6:14 AM
wendybar said...: "The Associated Press spoke to three Haitian migrants who were aboard the charter flights, who said they doled out thousands of dollars to leave the poorest country in the hemisphere in hopes of reaching the United States.

Orozco said most tickets range between $3,000 and $5,000 a seat.

So how are they paying that kind of money? Who is behind this?"

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2023/10/where_do_poor_haitians_or_cubans_get_5000.html; 10/27/23, 6:16 AM
wendybar said...: "They wanted Trump because they didn’t want to see what the world looked like without the leadership of a strong America. They wanted Trump because they cared about our military and our veterans, the Constitution, free speech, American sovereignty, and strong borders. They cared about preserving lives in Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Israel. And as selfish as it may sound, they wanted a strong economy that could support their families and maybe even help them prosper. They didn’t want to see the suffering of humanity that we are seeing now — from the streets of New York and L.A. to Kibbutz Be’eri to Mariupol, history will show that Trump-supporters hoped to prevent, or at least delay, the worlds’ descent into madness."

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2023/10/no_supporting_trump_is_not_idol_worship.html; 10/27/23, 6:21 AM
BUMBLE BEE said...: Certainly one can not define Russia as a member of an "Axis of Evil". Why, just a few years ago our Secretary of State, (soon to be presidential candidate), okayed the sale of plutonium to them.
Why would she be so careless?; 10/27/23, 6:36 AM
Enigma said...: The Harvard "Antisemite Doxxing Truck" is now parking in front of the houses of those who signed the anti-Israel statement:

https://nypost.com/2023/10/26/business/harvard-israel-hamas-doxxing-truck-parks-outside-of-students-homes/

Moral leader Nancy Pelosi holds that "People will do what they do"

https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/christopher-columbus-statue-removed-baltimore-nancy-pelosi-responds-latest/; 10/27/23, 6:49 AM
Humperdink said...: Israel has three choices:

1) Do nothing.
2) Pin-prick missile strikes into Gaza
3) Level Gaza

Which choice will eliminate criticism of Israel? None. The correct choice is obvious.; 10/27/23, 7:12 AM
wendybar said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 10/27/23, 7:17 AM
Big Mike said...: Biden's people think they can boost him in the polls if he's a wartime president.

@Joe Smoth, I’ve read that myself. Biden and his advisors seem to be forgetting wartime President Lyndon Johnson.; 10/27/23, 7:30 AM
Howard said...: Gospace: the latest Israeli incursion was done at night. They had two goals, number one go in and kill bad guys and take out threats and number two get bad guys to react to let them know when where and how they operate. Operating at night given they have Superior night vision capabilities will help give them an advantage and also reduce civilian casualties.

So far so good.; 10/27/23, 7:52 AM
Mike of Snoqualmie said...: Dose the growing mushrooms with vinegar to prevent the spread of the fungus to live tree roots. Big trees come tumbling down when their roots die.

Thanks, gadfly. I have a 5-gal bucket of 20% vinegar, so I'll do that today, after it warms up from our first night of freezing weather.; 10/27/23, 8:17 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: Lem the misspeller said...

Some questions worth pondering if we are really going to ask some people's sons and daughters to put their life on the line again, over there.

1) Who's "we"?; 10/27/23, 8:35 AM
Iman said...: It’s Axis of Assholes. Get with it, Howie.; 10/27/23, 8:47 AM
Saint Croix said...: A Letter to Hamas; 10/27/23, 9:22 AM
MadTownGuy said...: FBI raids Baltimore's 'Safe Streets' office in Belair-Edison

"Councilmembers seek details into unanswered questions about program's issues

BALTIMORE —
A Safe Streets office in northeast Baltimore is subject of a search by FBI agents.

A spokeswoman from the FBI Baltimore Field Office told 11 News that the FBI conducted "court-authorized law enforcement activity" Thursday at the Safe Streets office in Belair-Edison in northeast Baltimore.

As of Thursday afternoon, it remained unclear what agents were searching for or whether anything was removed from the office.

LifeBridge Health, which manages the site, sent a statement to 11 News, saying: "The FBI this morning enacted a search warrant at the Belair Safe Streets site managed by LifeBridge Health. Two of our staff have indicated that federal agents showed up at their residences. We have no other information at this time. We are treating this incident seriously and complying with requests from authorities."

Safe Streets Belair-Edison is one of 10 sites in across the city, where violence interrupters go into communities and try to keep conflicts from turning into dangerous and volatile situations that end in shootings or loss of life.

"They are supposed to stop people in the community from fighting and with the drug situation in the community. I don't know. This is definitely amazing today. I heard it all," said A.J. Gary, a Belair-Edison resident. "It doesn't make any sense to me. What's the use of having the program if y'all doing the same thing people in the streets are doing, but y'all supposed to be helping us?"

The FBI told 11 News that agents did conduct other raids, but they would not confirm whether those raids were related to the one at the Safe Streets office.

Safe Streets violence reduction coordinators also work with community groups.

"I'm shocked, dismayed, appalled, furious and just downright sad about the whole situation," said Rita Crews, president of the Belair-Edison Neighborhood Association. "It hurts, it does. We look to them to protect us, keep us safe and now we have this investigation going on. So, I don't like anything that's going to make my community look bad. I really don't."

The Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement released a statement, saying: "MONSE is aware of the situation involving FBI law enforcement activity. We are in close communication with LifeBridge Health's Center for Hope. Mayor (Brandon) Scott, MONSE, and our partners at LifeBridge Health have repeatedly made clear that any staff found guilty of wrongdoing or who do not live up to the values of our programs will be held accountable accordingly."

In a subsequent post on X, formerly known as Twitter, MONSE wrote: "Any malfeasance of anyone involved in this activity does not and should not diminish the work that Safe Streets Baltimore staff do on a daily basis -- putting themselves in harm's way to mediate conflicts before they escalate into incidents of gun violence."

More at the link.; 10/27/23, 9:32 AM
planetgeo said...: Walking through woods in October. Forest impressionism everywhere you look.; 10/27/23, 9:33 AM
rcocean said...: One of my least favorite landscapes. Soggy, cold, damp, forest. Makes we wish for some snow or to go back inside and have a hot beverage.; 10/27/23, 9:34 AM
Robert Cook said...: "Certainly one can not define Russia as a member of an "Axis of Evil."

I don't know. If there is an "Axis of Evil," Russia is probably part of it, but so is the US of A, without any question.; 10/27/23, 10:13 AM
Saint Croix said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 10/27/23, 11:04 AM
Joe Smith said...: '@Joe Smoth, I’ve read that myself. Biden and his advisors seem to be forgetting wartime President Lyndon Johnson.'

Good point.

And the VC were girl scouts compared to Hamas.

Better fighters, but not so fucking crazy...; 10/27/23, 11:25 AM
Saint Croix said...: Can Money Solve the Israeli-Hamas Conflict?; 10/27/23, 11:36 AM
Birdwatcher said...: Ann, your photos taken in the woods the past several weeks are so vivid and beautiful. I wonder if you have a new camera, or are using newly adjusted settings on your usual camera. In any case, thank you so much for these beautiful autumn photos.; 10/27/23, 4:40 PM
Ann Althouse said...: @Birdwatcher

Thanks. It's just the same iPhone I've had for a long time — iPhone 14 Pro. No new settings or anything. Maybe something about the light this time of year.; 10/27/23, 5:31 PM