When I took this photo about two weeks ago, the bees were all over the blooming yellow ragwort. But now the ragwort is mostly spent, like the teasels, the bees seem to be fewer and the temperatures are dropping. It's 57º F this morning (13.8º C).
I think I've managed to rein in some of the spam in my e-mail. I went on a massive "unsubscribe" binge yesterday and this morning I only had nine e-mails, five of which were from Kamala. So that seems like an improvement. I've always been skeptical of the "unsubscribe" function -- isn't it worse to let spammers know there's a human being receiving their communications? But it does seem to work, at least temporarily.
Work has been a bear this week. Lots of library orientations, returned books and other excitement. I've had very little downtime. Also, one of my co-workers is leaving at the end of September, so we'll have one person less on the team and that will keep me busy as well. When she departs, I'll be the senior person in the library in terms of longevity, which is hard to believe. This is my 12th year working there -- in fact, I have a picture on my desk of me with some first-graders, taken in 2013 when I worked with them on an interviewing project, and those kids are high school seniors now! Mind-blowing!
Yesterday I heard a new (to me) right-wing conspiracy theory -- that Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, is Fidel Castro's son. Apparently Trump pushes this idea in his new book so it's making waves in the media now. I can understand why people might perceive a passing resemblance, but I also see the resemblance between Justin and Pierre Trudeau. Plus the timeline isn't quite right. The Associated Press firmly debunked the rumor back in 2018. (Apparently it's been around for a while.)
I find Trump's argument pretty amusing: "Castro had good hair, the 'father' didn't, Justin has good hair, and has become a Communist just like Castro." Setting aside for a moment the validity of his last statement, it's hilarious that Trump seems to think Communism is a genetic trait, passed down from one generation to the next.
(Credit to the Steve Miller Band for the post title.)
Bad enough that Trump believes this, but how many of his followers will blindly accept it also? Love the bee photo.
ReplyDeleteAnd that right there is the most disturbing part of the debacle. All the people that blindly support him not matter how crazy he talks.
DeleteIt IS astonishing how many people are willing to believe pretty much anything, as long as it supports their worldview.
DeleteIn my new book, "The Walrus and the Orangutan" I back up the theory that Trump is the love child of a walrus and an orangutan that made whoopee together in Central Park Zoo during the cold winter of 1945/46. There was no love - they did it just to keep warm.
ReplyDeleteOMG! I love this.
DeleteNow you just need to get a story in the Daily Mail!
DeleteThe next outrageous statement will be Castro was seen at Studio 54 on the same night Margaret was seen there. Jussy is doing a very poor job at being a communist.
ReplyDeleteWell, I think that's part of the rumor, yes!
DeleteUnsubscribe is safe (I think) with legitimate sources. If you unsubscribe to Spam, you just get more Spam. So, I’m always a bit hesitant. Drumpf spouts such idiocy and is still supported. I wonder if Nikita Khrushchev is my real father. No, I’m no communist. Perhaps Mahatma Gandhi.
ReplyDeleteWe'll see if "unsubscribe" holds for me, of if the waterfall of spam merely increases.
DeleteForgot to mention: I’m off to fly like an eagle 'til I'm free. Right through the revolution.
ReplyDeleteIt's an earworm!
DeleteListening to Trump say anything is painful. To think this man is the candidate for president is an embarrassment.
ReplyDeleteHe IS painful to listen to, I agree. Dave plays his videos sometimes and I just can't stand the sound of him.
DeleteGosh, The Felon is a complete idiot. I just can't ...
ReplyDeleteHe consistently outdoes himself on the idiocy scale.
DeleteTrump's logic is about the level of a five year old! But it's pretty funny if it wasn't both scary and sad. I wonder if any of the kids in that photo are part of the rowdy library boy gang!
ReplyDeleteExactly! It's like the thinking of a small child. But he has a "very good brain."
Delete"Excellent brain, mint condition, never used"?
DeleteI never unsubscribe, having experienced a mass of subsequent emails. I just label them spam.
ReplyDeleteIt's amusing how T***p, I don't write his full name, is going after trudeau, considering most of his followers probably have no idea who Trudeau even is. I expect T***p is indicating support for Poilievre, his Canadian minime.
I don't know why Trump is demonizing Trudeau. I guess he's trying to ally himself with that whole anti-vaxx trucker convoy movement from a few years ago.
DeleteShe slept with all the Rolling Stones so Fidel Castro was her son's father. There's another bit of logic for you.
ReplyDeleteWell, that's how it happens, right? :)
DeleteIt's just too early in the morning for this kind of nonsense! Do enjoy your weekend!
ReplyDeleteHa! I wish everyone thought like you, Marcia.
DeleteWho cares who his father is? It's best to not repeat his lies as it just helps spread them. I try to avoid using the former president's name as I think he likes the attention.
ReplyDeleteWell, that's true too -- what difference does it really make, even if Castro WAS his daddy?
DeleteI hadn't heard that conspiracy theory, but who can keep up these days? I can't believe you've been at the library for 12 years. I mean, I was reading your blog before you even moved to England!
ReplyDeleteI'm always amused when I hear a new one I hadn't heard before. I'm frankly astonished I hadn't come across this one considering how long it's been around. And yeah, it's crazy how time passes!
DeleteTrump should be writing fiction and his weird ideas should be in the fiction genre.
ReplyDeleteHe IS writing fiction.
DeleteYes, that conspiracy theory has been around for a long time. Doesn't surprise me that Trump latched on to it. He hasn't had an original idea in his life.
ReplyDeleteNow I've got the song behind your title stuck in a loop in my brain. lol
Maybe it's more prominent in Canada (which would make sense). No, Trump just parrots whatever lunacy catches his fancy.
DeleteI'm so done with trump and his bullshit. It makes the whole world stink. Does he come from a long lived family? Asking for a friend:)
ReplyDeleteHis mother lived to be 88 and his father lived to be 93. So he may be hanging around for a while.
DeleteI consider it a milestone that the "babies" from your first year there are now seniors! You need to recreate the photo with them!
ReplyDeleteThat is an EXCELLENT idea. There are five kids in the picture and only two are still at the school, but I could certainly recreate it with them!
DeleteIt just seems like under normal circumstances, Trump would be a laughable character to the vast majority of people. How on earth did we get to this place where so many people believe what he says? And, even those who know that he lies and tells far-fetched conspiracy theories still seem to think he's a good idea to run the country. Mind boggling.
ReplyDeleteI think about things like children I have met being married with their own children now. It is amazing how quickly that happens. When I was sorting through old photos I came across one of me holding a friends infant. That child just graduated from college. Yikes!
I really think a lot of Trump followers DON'T believe all his bullshit, but they also don't care that it's bullshit. They just like him because he annoys all the rest of us. He's their version of an angry protest vote.
DeleteI remember adults saying "they grow up so fast" when I was a kid, and now I get it. They really DO grow up fast!
I hadn't heard the latest insanity about Trudeau but I'm with Sharon. How does an inept, crazy and idiotic person engender such blind devotion? It is terrifying.
ReplyDeleteIt is astonishing. Some people will just believe anything if it confirms their worldview -- and as I said above, I think some of them deep-down DON'T believe it, but also don't care that it's all a lie.
DeleteConsider for a minute the concept of Trump "writing" a book. That idiot can't even read, how the hell could he write a book? As for the latest right-wing conspiracy theory and Trump pushing it, that insane old man thinks there's a Communist under his bed and everyone else's, not that he could tell anyone the difference between a Communist, a Marxist, or a Socialist if his life depended on it. I am so tired of him and his bullshit.
ReplyDeleteWell, who knows what "writing" means. He probably dictated it. And yeah, he has inherited all the anti-Communist paranoia from the John Birchers and from Roy Cohn. I really wonder how much Cohn poisoned his thinking.
DeleteWhat Margaret said!! If VP Harris wins the election, please oh please, half of this country is going to need de-programming. They really are a cult.
ReplyDeleteI wish we could get people off Twitter. I am convinced Twitter is the root of a lot of our turmoil. People of all stripes -- including our political and cultural leaders -- get on there and say things they shouldn't. And that in our pre-social media world, wouldn't have been said.
DeleteIt seems to be more and more ridiculous what people believe. Some even post it as comments on blogs.
ReplyDeleteHa! Or make it into a BLOG POST! Can you imagine?! :)
DeleteTrump and his v.p. selection are just plain WEIRD!
ReplyDeleteThey really are. Tim Walz encapsulated the Republican ticket perfectly when he pointed out the weirdness.
DeleteNot to be too graphic but the only time I would think about reading pages from Trump's book is if I was constipated and had already resorted to using book pages for toilet paper in another shortage situation.
ReplyDelete