BS: What the 'ell is goin' on?

Subject: BS: What the 'ell is goin' on?
From: mkebenn
Date: 14 May 16 - 09:04 AM

I find myself more and more confused and depressed. I'm 67yrs old and i've lived thru some weird crap in my life, but needing a dick to pee in the men's room or lack one for the ladies, selling murder weapons that you used yourself, having huge egomaniacs running for president liars and corruption everywhere, streets and bridges crumbling beneath our feet while earthquakes,storms and fires destroy miles of countryside all over the world. Someone tell me there's hope. Mike

Subject: RE: BS: What the 'ell is goin' on?
From: Senoufou
Date: 14 May 16 - 09:37 AM

I know Mike. I'm a bit older than you, and have got to the stage where I try not to watch the news on TV as I get too upset. Those poor refugees, especially the children. And those terrible fires in Canada. There seems to be much more nastiness and vindictiveness about than I remember in the past. It's like an enactment of the Book of Job in modern times!

I find taking pleasure in nature and wildlife does regenerate hope in my heart. Seeing signs of Spring everywhere, and sitting in the sunshine is very uplifting. I passed a field of very young beef calves with their mums this morning, so sweet.

Also, listening to music and singing along takes one's mind off the World and its troubles.

I also pray, but lately I tend to nag poor God about the dreadful state of the world. I bet He's sick of me!

Subject: RE: BS: What the 'ell is goin' on?
From: mkebenn
Date: 14 May 16 - 10:08 AM

Nice to hear from you,Senoufou. My mornig prayer is Thank you for the day Lord, Your will, not mine, so He/She is probly sick of me as well. Being a nature person myself, I am especialy sickened by the Albert disaster, it is hard to think of so many miles of such beautifull country destroyed. Mike

Subject: RE: BS: What the 'ell is goin' on?
From: Senoufou
Date: 14 May 16 - 10:25 AM

I also find that ordinary individuals are much nicer and kinder than governments or politicians. I came out of Tesco today and there stood a group of lovely ladies dressed in pink running gear, shivering with cold and covered in mud! They'd just finished a run for a Cancer charity and were collecting donations. I was so touched by their enthusiasm and contributed very willingly.
Also, two silly swans were waddling about in our village street, getting in the way of the traffic. Several villagers were gently ushering them to the side and persuading them to get in the river where they belong.
I reckon hope is to be found in individual acts of kindness and selflessness, not in the dire state of the world at large.

I too was very sad to see the terrible aftermath of the wild fires in Alberta. I wonder how many creatures have died or been badly burned. And all that beautiful forest totally destroyed. Not to mention people's homes and livelihoods. The poor souls.

Subject: RE: BS: What the 'ell is goin' on?
From: mkebenn
Date: 14 May 16 - 10:46 AM

Sen, whenever I see a critter in the road, I will stop to let it pass, or if need be, get out and remove it. Was going to a business meeting years ago in a three piece suit and stopped to do the honors for a large, nasty soft shelled turtle. Got myself slimmed but good. Got tired of explaining lol. Mike

Subject: RE: BS: What the 'ell is goin' on?
From: Rapparee
Date: 14 May 16 - 12:06 PM

Most critters run from fire or flood. I've seen rattlesnakes and water moccasins running from and deer and other critters running from fire. Some, of course, don't make it -- the very young, the very old, the sick -- and while it sounds harsh, even they give life to others, as food for everything from grizzlies to flowers to microbes.

Subject: RE: BS: What the 'ell is goin' on?
From: akenaton
Date: 14 May 16 - 12:19 PM

It's all the fault of "liberalism", we need social conservatism and political radicalism.
What we have is social liberalism and politics controlled by the establishment........the worst of both worlds.

America had a chance with Mr Sanders but they seem to have rejected it.

Subject: RE: BS: What the 'ell is goin' on?
From: Senoufou
Date: 14 May 16 - 12:21 PM

I'm glad to hear it Rapp. When we had terrible floods here in UK, over in the West Country, I was worried about the wildlife, as several stranded foxes, deer, badgers etc were spotted on tiny bits of higher ground. They showed them on the News, filmed from helicopters. Also the farm animals. My husband says I spend too much time worrying, but it's hard to see anything struggling, whether human or wildlife, without feeling sad.

I'd love to have seen your large soft-shelled turtle, Mike. Glad you had the compassion to save it. I always find wild things aren't always terribly grateful for intervention. I've been pecked, bitten and scratched by many a cantankerous creature I've picked up and helped! The worst was Hissing Sid, a very large and cross grassnake. They bite but aren't venomous. I picked it up and got it into the ditch beside a field. Blooming thing gave me a hell of a bite. Thanks very much Sid!

Subject: RE: BS: What the 'ell is goin' on?
From: mkebenn
Date: 14 May 16 - 12:42 PM

Sen, ggogle it. Not really pretty and mean tempered, but impressive. Mike

Subject: RE: BS: What the 'ell is goin' on?
From: Senoufou
Date: 14 May 16 - 12:50 PM

Wow, I've just had a look Mike. Was it the Florida soft-shell? Fascinating beast! It says they can become 'aggressive'!

Akenaton, I understand your point, but the problem is, in a democracy, people have the right to elect whomsoever they will. The results are not always for the best!

Subject: RE: BS: What the 'ell is goin' on?
From: keberoxu
Date: 14 May 16 - 02:44 PM

You are far from alone, Mike. You aren't making this up.

Subject: RE: BS: What the 'ell is goin' on?
From: Megan L
Date: 14 May 16 - 02:58 PM

Heck Mike that describes more than half the inhabitants of the cat :)

People who blame bad things on any group whatever their pet bête noir is at the time is an idiot each of us is responsible for our own actions, our own mistakes and our own idiocies the day will come when they can no longer say my religion, my political party or my country said to do something and think that absolves them from the fact that THEY as an individual committed the act.

as for the news yes there is sadness around it sells more news papers than the many millions of people who do a myriad of small good things for those they meet every day.

GO LOOKING FOR THE SUNSHINE THINGS IN LIFE.

Subject: RE: BS: What the 'ell is goin' on?
From: mkebenn
Date: 14 May 16 - 03:09 PM

Sen, I live in n/w New york now, but spent twelve yrs in s/w/ Florida and that's where I met her. I say her because the females are larger and she was a big'un you have to be careful 'cause the rear of their shell is too bendable to support them and if you get too far forward they can snap backwards. Nasty beaks on um. I liked box turtles and n/v snakes better.    Keberoxu, thanks for the support. Mike

Subject: RE: BS: What the 'ell is goin' on?
From: mkebenn
Date: 14 May 16 - 03:29 PM

Megan,you ARE a sunshine "thing" and I feel you are short changing the 'cat, despite the smily {I hope lol} Mike

Subject: RE: BS: What the 'ell is goin' on?
From: Senoufou
Date: 14 May 16 - 03:32 PM

Very impressive Mike. I imagine there's a whole different set of wildlife up in New York compared to that in the much warmer Florida.

I like snakes, (obviously, wary of venomous ones; although we only have the adder here, and its bite probably won't kill you. Have seen a few dangerous ones in Africa!) Hissing Sid was about 5ft long, but fairly thin. As long as you hold them just behind the head, it's all right. But as I lowered him into the safe ditch and released him, he flipped round and OUCH!

I agree with Megan, we only hear about the nasty, bad things going on, but there's so much good too in the world. It just never makes the News.

Subject: RE: BS: What the 'ell is goin' on?
From: Rapparee
Date: 14 May 16 - 03:41 PM

When I go in the woods and hills here in Idaho -- I mean AWAY from town -- I'll sometimes carry a pistol. Not, as you may think, to 'protect myself' from animals (a .22 isn't exactly a big game gun!) but for signaling if I get lost or to shoot into the ground to frighten a bear or moose or whatever away. My family's philosophy has ALWAYS been that if you kill it you should eat it and I no longer hunt for food (the only reason to hunt). Granted, I could do as well with blanks or even a very shrill whistle (which I also carry), but there are also two legged slime 'in them thar hills' and they need intimidating sometimes...pity, that.

Subject: RE: BS: What the 'ell is goin' on?
From: Senoufou
Date: 14 May 16 - 03:48 PM

Goodness Rap. I can't imagine meeting an enormous bear or a moose! Norfolk UK is terribly tame in comparison with American wildlife. Everything's on such a small scale here.
We do get male fallow deer in the rutting season which charge at you roaring their heads off, but that's the most we can offer!

Subject: RE: BS: What the 'ell is goin' on?
From: mkebenn
Date: 14 May 16 - 03:52 PM

Sen, yea, different critters, but we do have large snapping turtles, and we u
used to have timber rattlers 'till we wiped 'em out. Now we've got rats and tons of mice and rabbits Rapparee, don't ever shoot two legged slime with a .22 unless you are a VERY good shot. lol Mike

Subject: RE: BS: What the 'ell is goin' on?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 14 May 16 - 05:42 PM

Now, calm down, mkebenn, and listen to an old man. I'm almost 68, so I am older, wiser, and far more experienced than the likes of you.... ;-)


But anyhow, I dunno. I don't think things are all that bad, or at least not much worse than they used to be. You complain about "huge egomaniacs running for president." How often have we had winning presidential candidates who had humility in excess? Some in my lifetime have been pretty have been pretty good on the humility scale, but many of them are thought of as failures as President - Truman, Eisenhower, Ford, Carter, George H.W. Bush, Barack Obama. I hope some day we will come to realize that these "failures" were really good people. But we have had a good number of egomaniacal Presidents in our times: FDR, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Reagan, Clinton, George W.

In general, I think we ain't all that bad. In most places in the U.S., you can pee where you want and people won't stop you. Just don't do it on the floor...

-Joe-

Subject: RE: BS: What the 'ell is goin' on?
From: mkebenn
Date: 14 May 16 - 06:06 PM

Yea, Joe, you're MUCH older than me. I guess I was a little down this morning, but it seems like the oft denied global warming is relly playing hell with the world, do we even have a central part of the country anymore? As far as president, I agree, 'specialy Carter and Obama, but I have never seen a candidate like Trump since Pat Paulson, and HE was kidding. Mike

Subject: RE: BS: What the 'ell is goin' on?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 14 May 16 - 07:38 PM

Nah, you ain't all that bad. You put an awful lot of people to death by lethal injection, you waterboard suspects, you imprison people for years without trial in Guantanamo, you produce a quarter of the planet's pollution from just 5% of the planet's population, you allow the NRA, who no-one voted for, to dictate your insane gun laws, and you screw up half the world with your foreign policy. Apart from that, hunkydory. You can pee where you want to. I must buy a ticket post haste. What I must be missing.

Subject: RE: BS: What the 'ell is goin' on?
From: meself
Date: 14 May 16 - 08:56 PM

The reason the forest fire in Alberta was such big news is because it threatened a city and its inhabitants - otherwise, it would have been just an enormous, long-overdue fire which would have been left to burn away. Forest fires are ugly and scary, but they are necessary, ironically, for the overall health of the forest - or the pertinent ecosystems, to put it another way.