"The Colorado Terrorist attack suspect, Mohamed Soliman, is illegally in our country."

Said Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, quoted in The NYT reports.

She added that he had filed for asylum in September 2022, but gave no additional details....

Witnesses said a man threw an incendiary device into a group of people who were taking part in a peaceful weekly demonstration to draw attention to hostages taken in the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. The man yelled “Free Palestine” during the attack, which left patches of grass burning in front of the county courthouse as people tried to put out flames with pieces of clothing....

Trump used the moment to once again criticize his predecessor’s immigration agenda. He has a long history of using crimes like this to build support for his restrictionist immigration policies....

Using crimes.... 

A terrorist also uses crime to build support for policies he favors.

"We cannot get myopic or get focused based upon a knee-jerk reaction to something that is very titillating or very out there in the public right now."

Said Todd Chamberlain, the police chief in Aurora, Colorado, quoted in "How the False Story of a Gang 'Takeover' in Colorado Reached Trump/The claim that Aurora, Colo., has been overrun by gun-toting migrants stemmed from the city’s fight with a landlord. Now it is central to one of former President Donald J. Trump’s anti-immigrant campaign promises" (NYT).

That's a free-access link, because there are more details to absorb than I can summarize here. The quotes around "takeover" are a clue.

I thought it was rich that the police chief was taking a stand against getting focused.

"How did members of Venezuelan gangs suddenly find themselves in suburban Colorado?"

"To answer this, we have conducted an exclusive investigation, which leads to a troubling conclusion: the Biden administration, in partnership with Denver authorities and publicly subsidized NGOs, provided the funding and logistics to place a large number of Venezuelan migrants in Aurora, creating a magnet for crime and gangs. And, worse, some of the nonprofits involved appear to be profiting handsomely from the situation."

From "Chaos in Aurora/How the federal government subsidized the migrant madness in suburban Colorado," by Christina Buttons and Christopher F. Rufo (City Journal).

"She thought she was protecting her son and our sister... because she didn’t want them to get wrapped up in what the world was coming to, in her eyes."

Said a sister, quoted in "Family living off grid found dead in Colorado forest/The bodies of two women and a 14-year-old boy were discovered in the Gunnison National Forest near Ohio City" (London Times).

At the campsite, alongside the bodies, were empty food cans, a single packet of ramen noodles, books on wilderness survival and a lavatory area, alongside what appeared to be the start of a lean-to shelter. 

“I wonder if winter came on quickly, and suddenly they were just in survival mode in the tent,” said [the coroner]. “They had a lot of literature with them about outdoor survival and foraging and stuff like that. But it looked like they [bought supplies] at a grocery store.”

"I know auto theft is a growing issue, not just in Denver but everywhere, and it’s infuriating to be victimized like that, but I discourage any resident to taking a vigilante approach."

Said Jamie Torres, a Denver city councilwoman, quoted in "Boy, 12, Is Fatally Shot by Owner of Stolen Car in Denver, Police Say/The boy was in the car when the vehicle’s owner found it using an app and 'exchanged fire' with the people inside, the police said" (NYT).

Was this vigilantism? 

From the Wikipedia article on the topic:

"'In the United States,' Gertrude Stein once observed, 'there is more space where nobody is than where anybody is.'"

"That was true in 1936, when she wrote 'The Geographical History of America,' and it remains so today. The numbers are startling, and not only if you live someplace like the Upper East Side of Manhattan, with your hundred thousand neighbors per square mile. Add up all the developed areas in the fifty states—the cities and suburbs and exurbs and towns, the highways and railways and back roads, the orchards and vineyards and family farms, the concentrated animal feedlots, the cornfields and wheat fields and soybeans and sorghum—and it will amount to a fifth of our nation. What is all the rest? Forests, wetlands, rangeland, tundra, glaciers, barrens, bodies of water of one kind or another. If you don a blindfold, throw a dart at a map of the country, and commit to living where it lands, you will most likely end up alone, in the middle of nowhere...."

Writes Kathryn Schulz in "What Going Off the Grid Really Looks Like/In 'Cheap Land Colorado,' Ted Conover hunkers down in a valley that has become a magnet for dreamers and the dispossessed alike" (The New Yorker).

"That was true in 1936... and it remains so today" — In 1936, Alaska wasn't a state. But the population was 39% of what it is today. The addition of all that Alaskan land would offset the population increase, so that even after the clustered populace sprawls outward from the cities, I would expect the empty places to continue to dominate. Stein's sentence is sublime, even as it understates the emptiness. Only 1/5 of the land is populated.

Anyway... I just quoted the beginning of the article. There's much more at the link! And you can buy the book — "Cheap Land Colorado/Off-Gridders at American's Edge" — here.

"My nephew used to play a video game in which he gave digital haircuts to bears. That is less absurd than..."

"... founding two new separate 'blue' and 'red' countries. The party leanings of states can be fluid. Colorado, for instance — it’s almost as if a secret cabal of tech millionaires shoveled a mountain of cash into turning a Republican state into a Democratic one. The federal government owns almost 50 percent of the land out West, so how to divvy it up without antagonizing thrifty New Englanders? What would happen to swing states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania? Do they form a third Republic of Wishy-Washy? Somewhere around 40 percent of us do not live in the state where we were born.... How much of Florida’s economy is New Yorkers and Midwesterners waiting around to die?... Here in Montana, a state as deep red as a Flathead cherry, I’m a Democrat living in a blue county bigger than Delaware. Still, Republicans live among us and they look just like people. (Hi, Larry.) It’s hard to pick them out unless they step in front of the C-SPAN camera to fist-bump Ted Cruz. Mid-pandemic I stood in line for hamburgers between a snarling blonde who chewed me out for wearing a face mask and a high school classmate’s brother keen to talk about the Times linguistics newsletter writer John McWhorter. Both of my neighbors ordered French fries cooked in the same vat of oil. Where is the demarcation line in that scenario — the milkshake machine?"

Writes Sarah Vowell in "Civil War: I’m Against It!" (NYT).

"I was an older woman and I couldn’t get hired. I always wanted to travel the world, write and take photographs. I thought why not take 10 years and go?"

"If I run out of money and I’m not a famous writer, I’ll come back and be a Starbucks barista or a Walmart greeter." 

Said Heidi Dezell, 57, quoted in "Want to Retire in Portugal? Here’s What to Know, as Americans Move There in Droves. Retirees are drawn by a low cost of living, healthcare, a sunny climate and tax incentives" (Wall Street Journal). 

For some, Portugal’s newfound popularity comes with a cost. “Americans are challenging the loudness scale,” says Susan Korthase, 71, founder of the Americans & Friends in Portugal Facebook group. She moved to Portugal from Milwaukee in 2010 and says she now sees the “Californiacation” of Portugal. “You hear them in restaurants,” she adds. “Americans laugh with an open mouth and they laugh out loud. Other nationalities have a quiet chuckle.”...

We're being updated on trends by a newspaper that can't spell "Californication." They're writing about laughing while not perceiving the contents of the portmanteau. Maybe the Americans who laugh too much for Milwaukeean taste are getting more of the jokes. 

I think every person in this article is female. It ends with the story of Linda Correll, 52, an Ohioan who found a small apartment in Porto where "When it rains heavily, all the water comes into my apartment."

“I don’t know if I have met any men over 50 who came here by themselves,” says Ms. Correll. “You get a lot of couples, but single women are much more common for some reason.... It’s a safe country, and the people are friendly,” she says. “The healthcare, the food, the whole vibe is the reason I’m here. I don’t have any desire to go back to the States to live.”

She says "for some reason," and then she, unwittingly, gives the reason. You're leaving your home country for some very bland comforts and no excitement. But maybe this article will prompt some older male Wall Street Journal readers to quit their job now and retire to Portugal. There are lots of health-and-safety-loving Midwestern ladies there longing — in their leaky apartments — for a man maybe something like you.

ADDED: For those who think the Red Hot Chili Peppers coined the word "Californication," here's the Wikipedia article, "Californication":

"A wind-fueled grass fire in Colorado burned hundreds of homes in a matter of hours and forced thousands to evacuate Thursday... as flames rapidly spread..."

"... through a region that has seen an unusually dry December. Whole neighborhoods were engulfed in flames as the fire advanced through Superior and Louisville, two towns about eight miles outside Boulder. In the Sagamore subdivision, 370 homes were believed lost... while another 210 were feared destroyed in another part of Superior.... 'We’re potentially talking about over 500 homes'... That is likely to make it the most destructive fire in state history, according to local tallies. Earlier in the day, the National Weather Service warned the situation was 'life-threatening' — urging residents of Superior and Louisville to immediately leave. The towns have a combined population of over 34,000, and the evacuations triggered frantic escapes and long traffic lines during the height of the holiday season.... Jason Fletcher, a 36-year-old Colorado native who was at a Chuck E. Cheese in the town with his family.... 'It was a typical morning. Blue skies,' Fletcher said, before he and his family started to smell something. A few minutes later, dark smoke began to drift outside."

WaPo reports.

Here's the scene at Chuck E. Cheese. Look how quickly it escalates — and how, at one point, it looks as though they are locked in, but it's just the powerful wind against the doors:

Close up view of the Boulder County fire and reaction from inside the Chuck E. Cheese off Marshall Rd in Superior, CO with wind gusts of 110mph. pic.twitter.com/OkBUnl8E9c

— Jason Fletcher (@SoFarFletched) December 30, 2021

"Think of Pearl Street in Boulder, with its winding paths, large trees, public art, live music and abundant outdoor cafes."

"That’s the kind of exciting destination that could help bring back [Madison's] State Street — and go beyond what it has been. Instead of a river of concrete for buses to rumble down, State Street could be a walkable park for people, who would be prioritized over vehicles. The mayor last week brushed off support among Downtown business owners for taking buses off State Street, calling them desperate and willing to try anything. That might be true, given how devastating the pandemic, weak economy, protests against police, smashed windows and looting were for store owners last year. But just as likely is that business owners have a better sense for what will work than the mayor. Rhodes-Conway also cited changing retail trends, with more people shopping online. But why is that a reason to run buses down State Street?... The mayor wonders aloud if keeping buses off State is an attempt to keep poor people away.... The mayor isn’t about to bring back regular vehicle traffic to State, she said. So in that sense, she does support a pedestrian mall the entire length of State Street — as long as it’s centered around buses. That vision is stale and unexciting compared to the popular and long-standing idea of creating a grand promenade and park."

From "Don't pit fast buses versus a State Street promenade — Madison can have both," an editorial in the Wisconsin State Journal).

I've lived in Boulder as well as Madison, and I love Pearl Street and have long wished that State Street could be like Pearl Street, especially since State Street is already halfway there, closed to almost all traffic... other than these giant buses that must barrel down the street, disrupting the playful, peaceful mood. 

But it should be conceded that State Street is a very different place from Pearl Street. State Street has the University of Wisconsin at one end and the State Capitol at the other. Pearl Street is a few blocks away from campus (the University of Colorado), and there's nothing like a state capitol anywhere in the city. So there are far more intersecting interests connected to State Street. 

Pearl Street is a nice little enclave over there, a place for visitors and city residents to shop and eat and fool around. There are some people who prefer a funkier downtown, and State Street is absolutely, centrally downtown.

"This was a big, important moment for me... With every step, I felt empowered. Like I was taking control of my life."

"Like I could and would be me again. I looked at my friend and said, 'I’m taking one of those topless pics and I’m never giving up the things I love again.'"

Said Kelli Schulte, 36, a grants specialist, about an experience on a 14,000-foot mountain, Torrey's Peak. She's quoted in "Women are going topless in nature as part of growing trend across Colorado/Many women say taking their shirt off on a hike feels empowering," in The Denver Post, which I was reading because I'd clicked on an Instapundit link on the headline "Some women are opting to carry guns on Colorado trails to stay safe."

Sample quote from that, from Sara C., a 35-year-old Denver business owner: "Most women I know have been touched or grabbed by men when in the woods. It’s too common.... A creepy guy sees a girl fishing or hiking alone, tries to grab her arm or her body … dogs and guns will scare people off."

I need to get back to Colorado.

"Urban trekking around Denver the other day, I happened across a protest march of maybe a thousand people. Here’s what I observed. The marchers were almost all white...."

"Most were young women looking vaguely guilt-ridden. They were well-dressed, well-groomed and well-fed.... But one sign troubled me. It appeared in various incantations, but the gist was 'Justice NOW for George.'... I’ve watched the video of George dying, and it was horrifying. If no exculpatory evidence turns up, then I hope those cops rot in jail. I’m guessing nearly all people – including other cops – hope for the same. But notice the 'if' in the preceding paragraph.... Here, the cop has been arrested and is in jail on a million-dollar bond awaiting... trial. Given that, what exactly does the shouted word 'NOW' mean in 'Justice NOW for George'? Are the protesters demanding that we bypass the trial and just lynch the cops right now?"

From "A report from the big white suburban guilty girls picnic march" by Glenn K. Beaton (The Aspen Beat).

White River Forest aspens.

From last week, in Colorado.

Open thread in the comments. Slower, more meditative comments are best suited to the delays in moderation that are likely overnight.

Pictures from the White River National Forest.

Photos taken a week ago, when we were in Colorado.

Please feel free to use the comments section to talk about whatever you like.

One week ago, in the White River National Forest...

Feel free to use the comments section to talk about anything you like. I'm just using the front page to show you some of the pictures I took when we were sojourning in Colorado.

Sitting on the rock of the creek...

A man waded to get to a rock in the middle of Boulder Creek. He stayed there a long time. I don't know what he was thinking.

Last week in Boulder, Colorado.

ADDED: See the bridge in the background? I walked up that way and stopped in the middle of the bridge to look upstream and then downstream. As I switched sides, I was surprised by a woman in tight black jeans carrying a large coffee cup and sauntering in a straight line who seemed determined to walk straight across the bridge in a manner awkwardly devoid of awareness of my presence. Then she stopped and apologized and, as I was thinking okay, that was weird, I noticed her companion, a woman with a camera. It was a set up shot. Wow — I thought — I have encountered an Influencer in the wild.

Such a contrast — the meditative man, barefoot on a rock in the stream and the tightly clothed and scripted woman on the bridge. The unbridgeable distance between them felt so funny and sad.

Oktoberfest, Denver.

Photo from last weekend in LoDo.

Discuss any topics in the comments.

Mead tasting.

On Pearl Street, in Boulder, Colorado, last Saturday. (We're home now.)

High... in LoDo.

Late afternoon, last Friday, just before the baseball game in the Lower Downtown Historic District of Denver.

(The post title refers to the sign in the window in the first photograph.)

"A quick note about forest therapy guides... they’re not identifying trees or sharing historical facts."

"Rather, forest therapy guides lead participants on a quiet walk through nature, drawing them out of their heads and into their senses by inviting them to see, hear, feel, and even taste what is around them. One person may lean against a tree and smell the bark of a Ponderosa pine (which I discovered can smell like butterscotch) while someone else may splash in a stream, meaning each person has a different experience.... As calm and relaxed as I felt in the woods, I still struggled to quiet my mind. Instead of observing my surroundings and enjoying the peacefulness, I tended to over-analyze my reactions and turn experiences into metaphors for life in general. During an invitation to focus on the various sounds around us, my attention immediately went to the most dominant sounds, the water babbling in the spring and the rain drizzling onto the ground. Were the dominant sounds low hanging fruit in the world of sounds? Was this a metaphor for my laziness?"

From "Forget Weed. Colorado's Hottest Trend is Forest Bathing. The Japanese practice has become popular around the world, and the Rocky Mountains in particular are experiencing a surge in interest" (The Daily Beast).

By the way, the title got me ranting about how you shouldn't have to travel to Colorado to commune with nature like this and the whole idea seems to have more to do with a precise encounter with a smaller space so the advice should be to walk slowly and mindfully in a nearby woods or park. But then I got to the last few sentences of the article:

For those of us who don’t live near a forest, know that heavily wooded areas aren’t required to enjoy the benefits of forest bathing. Head to a local park, a nearby trail, your favorite beach, a lake, a river, or just about any natural environment. Step outside during your lunch break to notice the scents and sounds—just be sure to silence your phone! Simply be present and bathe your senses in nature.

The author, Cassandra Brooklyn, agrees with me. The headline is just click-bait bullshit. The concept "hottest trend" is so dull and so inherently unbelievable.

As for the "Forget Weed" part — there's nothing about marijuana in the article. The author refers to Colorado: it's where she did her forest bath and we're told there's "a forest therapy guide training program... this September filled up many months in advance." There's a career opportunity, but maybe that's because of the legalized marijuana. I would think that the "forest therapy guide" career is big in Colorado partly because of the marijuana. You've got the great scenery for hiking, but who's up for really really slow mind-focused hiking where you want a caring person to accompany you? I'm thinking it's old Boomers getting themselves to Colorado for a safe, comfortable weed experience!

Could you enjoy the job of Colorado forest therapy guide? I could see getting the training and doing it for a few seasons while keeping a journal about it and then writing a book. That is, the real career would be author. But you'd be a half-assed therapist if that were your agenda, and if I could bear to do it, I'd be beating myself up for my terrible ethics, and then that would get in the journal and I would know that nobody's going to want to read that, and the whole thing would be a bust.

How about you? Could you thrive as a forest therapy guide? Would you want to forest bathe with a forest therapy guide? Would you want to forest bathe without a guide? With or without weed?

If you had to forest bathe and you could only have one — forest therapy guide or weed — which would you pick?

Forest therapy guide

Weed

 

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