The Lake and the Ongoing Turmoil

 Long time, no post.  I keep meaning to, but then something else needs doing.  

Jim has been busy prepping for the annual HOA meeting.  They hold it at Round Table Pizza, which gives me a window into how much pizza restaurants are charging these days.  It's just highway robbery.  It's not very good, so we never eat there.  Actually, I have quit going to the annual meeting, I've been hearing about it and proof reading what Jim is putting together, and so I don't feel the need.  The house hold is well represented.  Jim is VP of the board, and point of contact for entrance gate issues.  

It has warmed up enough to ride.  We went yesterday, there was a fresh little breeze in effect.  This is from a few days ago.  There was a huge logging of someone's yard.  The truck bed in the back is full, and there are more logs waiting to be removed.  We wonder why they took so many trees out.  

There is also this to wonder about.  Look on the right side of the photo, about midway between top and bottom.  What is that reflecting the light?  It's really bright.  I need to take my camera with the big lens and get a better image of this.

I can't think of the name of these plants.  Iris?  They're now past their prime, but they were pretty about a week ago.

This is from yesterday.  The boat ramp was busy, some people were not moving their boats to the outside of the ramp, thus making it impossible for other people to off load or pick up their boats.  These people are elderly and it was a struggle for them to walk the boat around.  Then the engine wouldn't start.  Eventually, they got it all together and were able to leave.

The Iran war continues to be off and on.  It's like Schrodinger's cat; is it dead or is it alive?  

The reflecting pool, which has been open for 2 or 3 days, is now full of algae.  The genius who had it painted drove his motorcade through it, which damaged the coating, he removed the filtration system Obama had installed, and now it is a stinking fetid swamp.

A pilot contacted the FAA about the lights on the cage for the UFC fights being blinding when landing at Ronald Reagan airport.  Apparently no one cares, and it was suggested that they contact the White House.  There will be a ground stop at Ronald Reagan for July 4, something that has never happened before.  47 must have have his stupendous fire works.  All the other administrations were aware of and careful of flight safety.

There has been interesting stuff on twitter this week.

AI is crashing because everyone has realized all it does is remix things that people have already done and there is no way to make it better because it doesn't actually do anything. They tried to build a castle on BS and now it is all collapsing into the shit.
Posted by Blade of the Sun

13 workers left Palantir and issued this statement. "Palantir is increasingly complicit, normalizing authoritarianism under the guise of a 'revolution' led by oligarchs. We must resist this trend."
Posted by Blade of the Sun

The real reason why the country is crumbling apart is because the elites of both parties just see America as an economic zone. The proletariat of the right think you can fix this by making the country only white. The proletariat of the left think you can fix this by embracing more racial diversity. Both sides fail to realize that the main problem is that elites (who are above left vs. right) see America as a corporation meant to be sucked dry at any costs possible for their personal gain. If you don’t believe me, ask any rich person you know if they culturally identify more with Paris or Pennsylvania. 
Spenser Hakimian

After Mexican officials confirmed a case of screwworm in Nov. 2024; USDA, under Joe Biden, closed southern ports of entry to live cattle imports to prevent spread of screwworm into U.S. Move also strained supply of cattle in Texas.... USDA reversed course in Feb 2025, after Trump took office, announcing opening of ports.
From the Texas Tribune

The average lifespan of a female screwworm fly is 10 to 30 days, once they lay eggs in an open wound they hatch and the maggots feed for 7 days before dropping to the ground, burrowing into the soil and emerge as adult flies. Tell me then how can the first screwworm case detected in the US on day 498 of the trump presidency be Joe Biden's fault???????

Posted by Covie

And there is this.  I love this for 47,
Cocchiarella: There’s a 100% chance of bugs. That’s a real stat. So Trump’s acolyte, Dana White, has literally lined the cage with industrial fans to blow the gnats off the fighters. For this octogenarian’s birthday, the failing, aging king—decaying in real time—has decided to throw himself a giant blood-sport party on the palace lawn to prove that he is still strong. And heaven responds by sending a heat wave, a thunderstorm, and a literal plague of insects down on top of him.  There is also a chance of hail and a tornado.  

That's it!