What's on your mind today?

[Firebird]

Time to stop lurking, wander in and say hi to everyone again. Been a while, hope you're all doing well. Especially Tank, sorry to hear you're laid up.

[Recusant]

Glad to see you back, Firebird!  Hope you are doing well. 

[Firebird]

Glad to see you back, Firebird!  Hope you are doing well. 

Me personally, I'm awesome. Got two little girls who take up most of my time and are hilarious little wise asses. Still working at the same place, though now just full-time coding rather than systems management. Lost 25 pounds a few years ago so I even look like less of a slob than before.

On the other hand, my country is completely going to shit, my daughters are losing their bodily autonomy, and I'm mentally screaming in frustration and wondering if there's a local secession movement nearby. But I guess you can't win them all.

[Anne D.]

So good to see you, Firebird 

[Icarus]

Welcome back Firebird.

 Kinda sorta agree that your country (and mine) are going to hell in a handbasket. Our divisiveness of late, Sucks. I do believe that the far right is out of their fucking minds.

My wife, stunned me recently when she said that "I want to move to another country".  That was stunning because she is a died in the wool homegirl that loves her heritage and for the most part wishes every one well (with the possible exception of the MAGA crowd).

If I attempt to trace the cause of the ongoing socio/political rift, I keep coming up with the same prospective solution; deep end evangelicals and the sleezy pols who pander to them for their own purposes.

[Firebird]

Hey Icarus, hey Anne.
Leaving for another country has definitely crossed my mind, though not with any real seriousness yet. I used to think we were at least safe being in New England, but the talk of a federal abortion ban and the likelihood of more gun control laws being overturned by the Supreme court makes me wonder.

I do think that if we reached a certain point, we might just secede. I'd even put money on it happening in 50 years or so.

This would all be so much easier if I wasn't a parent. What was I thinking...

[Asmodean]

This would all be so much easier if I wasn't a parent. What was I thinking...

Well... It's your job as a parent to worry and see all them dark clouds behind every silver lining. Still, I think there is some cause for optimism for the World - at least the "Western" part of it, even if it may turn out differently from what we both want and expect.

The climate change will not destroy civilization any time soon - nor will abortion laws, firearms or Vladimir Putin. Oh there are forces, aforementioned very much among them, that will try, but then, there always are. The state of affairs is only really as grim as you let it be.

Them kids are going to be alright.

P.S. Yeah, yeah, I know. Who murdered The Asmo and is now wearing His Divine Grumpyface? Well... While I do like me some serious doom and gloom, there is also a larger picture and it... Is really no more messed up than it has been countless times before. There is suffering enough to make Yahweh cringe, to be sure, but there is also love and hope and ambition and all them things that drive and will continue to drive many a good life.

[Firebird]

P.S. Yeah, yeah, I know. Who murdered The Asmo and is now wearing His Divine Grumpyface? Well... While I do like me some serious doom and gloom, there is also a larger picture and it... Is really no more messed up than it has been countless times before. There is suffering enough to make Yahweh cringe, to be sure, but there is also love and hope and ambition and all them things that drive and will continue to drive many a good life.

Damn, you're going soft 

I appreciate that, thank you. And yes, rationally I know this is still a pretty peaceful time in the course of human history, but irrationally I'm a bit of an emotional mess lately.

[Asmodean]

I'm a bit of an emotional mess lately.

In the world of practically-unavoidable, overly-sensationalised nonsense to make any self-respecting doomsday prophet develop some serious insecurities and penis-envy complexes about his own prophecies, that's hardly surprising.

You don't really see or hear any of the other stories. Actually, that's not quite true - you probably walk by them every day. What you don't, is get them presented to you. There is money in clicks, and people tend to click on shit with war, conflict, division or even general outrage in it. I think that's one of the leading factors in increased surface-level polarization. It's not necessarily that we fundamentally disagree on what life is all about - or even if we do, it doesn't have to be a problem, but then somebody somewhere invents or re-ignites a conflict and the whirlpool of (mis-)information starts sucking people towards whatever extremes happen to lie closest to their original position out of fear of the opposite extremes, which, according to doomsayers shall undoubtedly come to pass.

For some - they might. Still, looking at a larger picture... To poke a dead horse in the ribs, back in 2016, I was really hoping Hillary Clinton would win the elections. She didn't, and "the World was doomed! Doomed, I say!" Eight years on... Personally, I'm better off for having had Trump in the White House - financially, at least. Also, in terms of having been near-oversaturated with some superb quality entertainment. M world didn't end - neither did yours, so when the next zombie apocalypse comes and 98% of human population are totally doomed... Yeah. Statistically, I'd still expect to be one of those. If, however, I got into the 2% - a brave new world, full of brave new possibilities.

[No one]

The last US president was extremely ill informed about everything. So, it's not entirely out of the question, Icarus.

[billy rubin]

on tbe otber hand, i noticed two years ago tbat i dont see very many butterflies anymore.

its because tbeyre all dead. along with lots of otber insects, and birds, and herps, and mammals.

an extinction event across all categories of animalia that approaches a meteroritic impact.

sure, the world survived after each impact, but the assemblage of organisms was very different after each.

tbe best thing for the world in most metrics would be a 99 percent reduction in tbe numbers of human beings. but that wont happen.

maybe

[Magdalena]

you can do herbs on a bookshelf. we have a garden on top of the refrigerator.

wheat sprouts on the kitchen counter. anything in a pot somewhere. grow lights help.

ill take some photographs when i gey home.

I'm still waiting, billy rubin
 

[billy rubin]

i fergot. but ill be home later today.

i should include some photographs of the ouside garden

[hermes2015]

i fergot. but ill be home later today.

i should include some photographs of the ouside garden

Yes, please do. Also, more photos of when you are on the road.

[Asmodean]

tbe best thing for the world in most metrics would be a 99 percent reduction in tbe numbers of human beings. but that wont happen.

Thing is though, it would be best for humanity in its current form. Reduce own numbers to keep the habitat as it is for as long as possible. The planet doesn't care. The Universe - even less so. They'll keep on planeting and universing regardless of what does and does not happen in the biosphere.

Personally, I think the next/current Great Extinction will result in a more persistent state of "monoculture world." There are plants and animals that will continue to thrive - and be used by humans, but there will be less variety. Perhaps vastly so.