Welcome
- June 27, 2021
- National PTSD Awareness Day 2021
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Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is said to be a condition of persisting mental and emotional stress which happens as the result of being injured or subjected to psychological shock.
It typically involves sleep disturbance continuous vivid recall of various experiences. This is usually coupled with with dulled interactions with both others and the world.
I was told I had ptsd as evidenced by my attempts to maintain homeostasis in a clench with gritting teeth and general tensioning of skeletal muscles. I also experience a lot of 'flashback' activity reliving trigger moments repeatedly.
I was also told that this was part of a coping mechanism that I devised on my own at a subconscious level — and many are not so lucky. The description was characterized as 'coming to grips' with my environment despite my aversion to that which exists within it.
Others have it as well — and it's not a crime. For example, Paris Jackson has said that she feels she acquired ptsd as the result of interacting with the paparazzi.
I think that an ability to cope has to be cultivated over time and yes, early on it may be quite difficult. Many require professional assistance and guidance to get through it all.
National PTSD Awareness Day has been set aside to create awareness regarding Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is held each June 27. It was designated by the US Senate in 2010. In 2014 the Senate declared the entirety of June as PTSD Awareness Month.
Now, it is stated in the literature that some 7% of adults will have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with women more likely than men.
Veterans are a group with high incidence for ptsd, but I acquired my stressors somewhat prior to my enlistment.
As such I think it may have actually helped me to cope with some of the ridiculous bootcamp mess that I understand much more at this stage of the game.
So if you know someone with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder you are witnessing an individual who has experienced a level of life with which they failed to cope. It's not always "shell shock" and many surpass these events and move on from them. I still have the clench and muscular spasm and tension with gritting of teeth ... but that's it.
I think I got off lucky. So did a few others from my past as long as they never encounter me again.
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- June 26, 2021
- The tragedy of Beth Chapman
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Every so often I'd watch Dog the Bounty Hunter on television as a diversion. It was about a man whose business was apprehending individuals in legal trouble who had skipped bail and were at large and wanted.
It starred Duane Chapman who is quite the colorful character and featured various employees including his wife, Alice Elizabeth Smith Chapman. Mrs Chapman was a striking lady who typically handled back end duties for the company and I simply cannot imaging conducting my business affairs before the camera ... but this was what they did.
There were a total of three iterations of this programming on television:
Dog the Bounty Hunter,
Dog and Beth: On the Hunt, and
Dog's Most Wanted
I caught a few episodes but never tracked which one of those programs it was referring to and I would just get lost in whatever was going down at the moment.
Mrs Chapman was born in Denver, Colorado on October 29, 1967. She was one of five children and trained as a a gymnast and ice skater. She was a nightclub singer, did waitress and clerical work, and spent much of her early life in Colorado prior to moving to Honolulu to be with her future husband Duane 'Dog' Chapman. They were married in 2006.
She starred in these reality television shows alongside her husband 'Dog the bounty hunter' and most notable of these was the eponymous Dog the Bounty Hunter — which originally was released in late 2004 and lasted 8 seasons through 2012. I think I was enthralled by her magnificent bosom which first caught my eye then held me spellbound.
You may certainly call me sexist if you're so inclined, but I thought they were wonderful.
Beth Chapman's final series was Dog's Most Wanted which was being filmed in 2019. She died while the show was being produced. Dog's Most Wanted included the news of terminal cancer for the family and Beth's battle with it over time prior to her death.
The final episode is dedicated to her memory.
Beth Chapman was diagnosed with stage 2 pharyngeal cancer in September 2017. She initially went into remission. However, the disease later went metastatic to her lungs.
She continued working until her condition required admission; at which time she was placed in a medically induced coma at The Queens Medical Center in Honolulu. She passed in the hospital from complications from the cancer on June 26, 2019 and her final disposition was a scattering of her cremains at sea. An ending I could respect for myself.
I always thought that her ending was very tragic to be at the pinnacle of that more than fickle media success only to fall victim to insurmountable health issues. Alas, this was her tragic fate.
Rest in peace.
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- June 25, 2021
- Just in time for August
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It is said that in South Carolina summer if the hundred degrees doesn't get you the 99% humidity will.
While I am certain a level of exaggeration exists in this truism the stark fact remains that heat and humidity are both a fact of life when summer arrives full force and quite a thing with which to contend particularly for the uninitiated.
I just bought the hOmeLabs 4,500 Sq Ft Energy Star Dehumidifier for Extra Large Rooms and Basements.
The purchase involved a lot of research and wasn't an impulse buy.
My first choice was the PuriCare 50-Pint Clear Bucket with Handle Dehumidifier. They lost out because it was only available from Home Depot and it will be a cold day in hell before I ever shop with them again.
Anyway, we are already having spates of high humidity ... however these are interspersed with periods of lower humidity and cooler temperatures.
Nonetheless, I want to be prepared when the air drips with moisture in the relentless 100 degree heat. We're on the verge of that presently.
August in South Carolina.
You have to experience it to know what I'm talking about.
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- June 25, 2021
- National Catfish Day 2021
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One of those southern delicacies for which I've cultivated a taste over the years is the catfish.
Not having scales, it is an "unclean" animal in accordance with the levitical food laws and as such is not intended for consumption.
HOWEVER, over the course of my entire life I have seen many a locally caught catfish fall victim to a cleaning ... even to the point of seeing them gutted and skinned swimming in the basin of water into which they were accumulating during the process.
Then there is that final disposition of a good dredging in corn meal and a deep fat frying til golden brown.
I tell you, if Levitical food laws were a sin against the soul instead of that sin against health they are I would likely be headed straight for the lake of fire given the innumerable catfish I've consumed with hush puppies, cole slaw, french fries, and sweet tea.
Today is yet another National Catfish Day. This national observance in the United States celebrates "the farm-raised catfish" as proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan on June 25, 1987 with the passing of US Congress House Joint Resolution 178.
At any rate ... I eat them along with many other people out there and it's simply a fact of life that a scaless bottom feeder would eventually end up as a food item. Perhaps the evil corrupt democrats should take note less we start dressing them and dredging them in cornmeal as well.
Heck. I don't think their nasty carcasses would be tasty at all regardless of how much corn meal you dredge them in before deep frying. Besides, they're all likely too dirty to ever become adequately clean.
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- June 24, 2021
- Sometimes Hummingbirds are a Priority
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Each year I have a couple of 32 ounce hummingbird feeders I dutifully clean thoroughly then fill repeating this process every week to week and a half or so.
This ritual stems from long ago when I began to notice the decline of my dear old late daddy and wanted to try and bring a little enjoyment into his life. I got a couple of these same feeders which we suspended from a large oak tree in his front yard. I must say there were times when hundreds of hummingbirds circled the feeders immediately prior to most rain showers.
I remember him telling me how hummingbirds would sit there on the porch rail looking at him for hours on end ... and how he never thought he would ever see a hummingbird at a distance, much less up close and personal on a daily basis for years. It was a very gratifying experience for me personally and is one of those fond memories that sometimes make me cry because he's gone these long years.
I try to keep a fresh, clean hummingbird feeder with ample fresh clean colorless 25% nectar for these neighborhood birds and even in the presence of poor soil and less in the way of attractive natural vegetation I have hungry birds showing up throughout the day. I lost the need for adding food coloring long ago opting for as few additives as possible.
I now have a few hummingbirds which I recognize from years past and indeed, to my surprise the skiddishness has diminished among some of the younger ones.
I place each feeder in front of one of the webcams I have positioned in most of the windows of my home so that I may check things out remotely on demand. Sometimes I catch a hummer feeding. I was glad to note that some of them don't fly away just because they see me through the window as they did in the beginning.
Individuals among those feeding at my house will sit there and look at me on occasion then continue their meal flitting away at their leisure.
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- June 23, 2021
- Spam blocklists and company due diligence
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I have an episode with Spamhaus listing me in a list of spammers.
They are collectively listing class C subnets instead of the offending IP addresses and they are using their clout to cast aspersions on my mail server.
My IP address is contained within that group but I neither use nor have any association with it from a standpoint of mail servers and email in particular.
I simply exist within a larger list of Spectrum customers containing an offender ON ANOTHER EMBEDDED SUBNET which isn't me.
They simply must feel that it's a convenient break down regardless of that travesty of the false listing it includes.
A person who sends less than 50 or so emails a year can hardly be a spammer, serious or otherwise.
I noticed the problem when yahoo.com returned an email to me and I decided to do a reputation check.
All I can say for yahoo-hole is they should clean up their own act before involving themselves in mine.
Now I am all for spam block lists. HOWEVER, they should not be including the innocent just because of some arbitrary unit of measurement put into place as a matter of convenience.
I removed Spamhaus from my mail server configuration. After all, with friends like Spamhaus (and yahoo.com) I don't need any enemies.
Irresponsible and lacking due diligence has become the name of the internet game anymore.
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- June 22, 2021
- PHP Morons Unite
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We have a bunch of people on the internet thinking they're all that programming in php.
PHP is an HTML-embedded Web scripting language.
This indicates PHP code can be inserted into the HTML of a Web page.
When a PHP page is accessed, the PHP code is read and separated or "parsed" by the server the page resides within.
Output from the PHP functions on the page are typically returned as HTML code, which can be read by the browser.
My problem with this approach is the fact that those involved in php are usually some fat smelly faggot with poor hygiene whose breath smells like it could use a urinal cake, a bottle of clorox, or both.
To add insult to injury they typically name their businesses after existing software packages.
Given the fact that these people also believe themselves to be God's gift to web technology makes them the perfect pariah and therefore I treat them accordingly.
I don't permit php scripting on my servers because with very few exceptions I don't like the ilk that utilize them by and large.
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- June 21, 2021
- Go Skateboarding Day 2021
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I remember my skateboarding heyday. I was in the third grade at Aragona Elementary School in Virginia Beach, Virginia. I had devised my own board constructed from a section of plank to which I had nailed a skate.
My repetoire consisted of riding down the driveway of a neighbor while standing without falling off.
It was a very popular diversion in the neighborhood.
Go Skateboarding Day is one of those yearly promotions of an activity we see so often in society.
The aim of this promotion is to help make skateboarding more accessible through events held in major cities internationally.
Held under the auspices of the International Association of Skateboard Companies it's roots are in the All Star City Skate Jam held by one Kerel "SriKala" Roach and Bryan Chin in 2002 in New York City.
It was renamed Go Skate Day in 2004.
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- June 20, 2021
- Summer Solstice 2021
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One of those things which has intrigued me over the years is the progression of the seasons.
Spring to Summer, Summer to Autumn, Autumn to Winter then over again.
Another of the seasonal hallmarks marking the progression of time has arrived.
Sunday, June 20 marks the first day of Summer. Summer solstice is the phenomenon which marks the advent of summer.
At the time of the longest day, about June 21 in the northern hemisphere and December 22 in the southern hemisphere.
Happy Summer to you. Break out the sunblock and keep well hydrated.
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- June 19, 2021
- I remember Koko the Gorilla
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In my reading I would sometimes encounter stories about Koko the conversant gorilla. I would marvel at these stories because they caused me to rethink my interpretation of the 'dumb animal' and compare that place where I believed intelligence existed in the world and just how it might exist and be possessed by whom ...
Hanabiko "Koko" the female western lowland gorilla was born July 4, 1971 at the San Francisco Zoo. She lived primarily in The Gorilla Foundation's preserve in the Santa Cruz Mountains at Woodside, California. Her name, "Hanabiko" means "fireworks child" and refers to her July 4th birthdate.
She became famous after adopting a kitten as a pet and naming him All Ball.
She was cared for by one Francine Patterson who instructed her in "gorilla sign language" for which she gained a 1000 word vocabulary attaining the same level as that of most 3 year old human children. Ms Patterson also immersed Koko in English from an early age and Koko subsequently understood some 2000 words of spoken English in addition to the signing.
Koko the gorilla became the stuff of legend in the scientific and animal loving communities and indeed had her own web site.
Koko lived with two males, first Michael who used sign language and passed in 2000. Then there was Ndume with whom she cohabitated until her death in her sleep the morning of June 19, 2018.
My most poignant memories of Koko include the visits by Robin Williams and her subsequent mourning of his passing.
Regardless of where you stand regarding the cognitive abilities of gorillas and other apes in general this particular animal was popular and skilled in communicating with people and even showed a love for conversation.
This is the crossing of boundaries some other gorillas might not traverse regardless of any nurturing they might receive.
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- June 18, 2021
- When the bad guys win ...
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I had removed a lot of firewall rules in the hope that the internet had somehow become this 'kinder, gentler' place — in my imagination.
No such luck.
Just as soon as the sniffers got wind that I had lowered my guard ...
BOOM there were the exploit attempts in full force once again.
So, I quickly ascertained that my wish of good will toward the rest of the internet was a wasted effort and I restored those rules I had removed in my misguided attempt to trust more internet denizens.
Thusly, the exploit attempts plummeted to a usual and customary (and managable) level and I am left wondering just why I want a web presence anyway.
Who wants to be in a place accompanied by exploitive individuals such as those so obviously populating certain networks like 1an1, 4vendeta, ovh, ali anything, hinet, asianet, dreamhost, gd amazon, digitalocean, censys, tencent, chinacom, chinanet, all the permutations of 'colo' (colocation) and anything with dns or cloud in it.
So here I sit, iron fisted once again ready to bitch slap the exploiter's bitch ass at the drop of a hat.
So in those parallels which mimic the leftist libtard democrat party exploits of The Republic, even those who occupy your own environmental element will try to get over on you as much as you will permit such activity ...
So I said let there be firewall. And there was firewall. And it was good.
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- June 17, 2021
- Happy Birthday Mama 2021
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- June 16, 2021
- Remembering Stan Laurel on his birthday
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Stan Laurel was one of those early comic characters I encountered primarily on black and white television on Saturday mornings during my childhood.
My unsophisticated lack of understanding placed much of what he presented far above my level of comprehension, but I still watched his antics with Oliver Hardy as a matter of handiness ...
Or more specifically a lack of choices. I chose to watch what was on and he was one of those things which graced the early morning television frequently at that time.
He was born Arthur Stanley Jefferson on June 16, 1890 a Brit comic actor, entertainer, writer, and film director famous primarily for being part of the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy.
He appeared with Oliver Hardy in 107 short subjects, feature films, and cameo roles.
Beginning in music hall he developed a number of those standard comic devices for which he became known, including the bowler hat, the deep comic gravity, and understatement devoid of sense and substance.
He was well practiced in pantomime and music hall sketches and retired after the passing of his comedy partner Mr Hardy in 1957.
In 1960, Laurel was given an Academy Honorary Award for his pioneering work in comedy back when it meant something. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard.
Laurel and Hardy were ranked among the top among best acts in several polls.
Oliver Hardy died on August 7 1957. Stan Laurel was too ill to attend his funeral and said he felt his partner would understand. People known to Mr Laurel said that the devastation brought on by Mr Hardy's death sent him into a tailspin of grief from which he never recovered. He refused to perform on stage or act in another film without Mr Hardy but continued socialization and interacting with various fans.
A heavy smoker, Mr Laurel quit the habit in 1960. In January 1965, he underwent x-rays for an infection on the roof of his mouth — which in retrospect was the portend of the end. He passed on February 23, 1965 at aged 74, four days after suffering a heart attack.
His funeral was held at Church of the Hills and he was interred in Forest Lawn–Hollywood Hills Cemetery.
Today is the 131st anniversary of his birth.
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- June 15, 2021
- Global Wind Day 2021
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Today is Global Wind Day aka World Wind Day aka break wind day for you earthy types.
This international event goes down each June 15 for over 50 years now. It is held under the auspices of WindEurope and GWEC (Global Wind Energy Council).
The day is set aside for celebrating wind energy, information exchange, and involves national wind energy associations and companies involved in wind energy production.
Anyway ...
It is my personal opinion that Brad Pitt should be the official spokesman for Global Wind Day due to his astute observations of the relevance of wind to interpersonal relationships and marriage in particular.
Being married means I can break wind and eat ice cream in bed.
Brad Pitt
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