Who sees a fire in their neighbor’s yard and walks off without doing anything? A young white dude who flips houses for a living, that’s who. Who does something? Hint: It was not a white dude.

For today’s Lunch:
One back yard fence line fire started by~
One older white male neighbor’s smoldering pit fire.
Who burns ‘whatever’ in a pit all day and night long when it’s been dry as hell?
An older white dude used to doing whatever he wants.
Late this morning–after I’d put out seed and water:
One younger white dude living in the house next to the fire starter’s saw the fire reach the wood pile along the fence.
Young white dude did nothing.
He thought it was “a grill thing”.
There is NO grill anywhere in sight in any yard.
It was our Mexican American neighbor, Edgar, who lives on the other side of the block who came to the front door and told me about the fire along the fence separating our yards.
He wanted to know if he could use the hose to put out the fire by the fence.
Together we went to work with shovels and hoses.
His wife called the electric company to alert them to the danger to the electric ‘box’ on the ground
There were English as a second language ‘language’ and location issues.
A map would have been very useful for the person answering the electric company phone. As in for seeing that the addresses on one side a block are on a different street than those on the other side of a block along another street. So much for Google maps if you’re working for the Power and Light Company.
We sorted that communication problem out via my resorting to what is commonly known as “bitch” mode in very loud English.
The Power and Light person kept repeating “Call 911.”
I asked her to call 911–she had the address–because WE , Edgar and I, were busy keeping it contained.
A man from Power and Light came to check the ground electric box.
The fire department did not put in an appearance.
The fire is out.
 
Which neighbors can I do WITHOUT?
~~~~~~
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A Very Sincere Shout Out to ExxonMobil

Today on FaceBook I had a close encounter with ExxonMobil’s Public Relations Machine via a video advertisement. The following is my comment/feedback/response to said ad: 

Okay, I just ‘inquired’ why I’m seeing this ad and got a ‘good’ explanation from Facebook

[thank you, Facebook]–Exxon wants to reach out to people like ‘me’. Well, Exxon you and

your fellow Oil companies ‘reached’ me long ago via the Niger Delta, Ecuador and

Guatemala, and the house down the street where the owners were ‘stuck’ with a gas drill in

their front yard for years, via the oil storage tanks and refinery in the little township two

miles up north where cancer runs rampant, with the oil spill in Alaska, the oil spill in the

Gulf, et al and that’s why I say NO! to Big Oil. #NoDAPL, No to the entire fossil fuel industry,

NO to Exxon’s influence in Politics, NO to an industry with the biggest profits in the world-

-an Industry which destroys the Earth we all live on, attacks people who criticize it, and lies

about Climate Change and truly doesn’t give a damn about people like me. Yeah, I get it,

you’re on a Public Relations Roll. Good luck with that. I guess the upside is that you’re

giving work to some people in advertising, Facebook and everywhere you’re placing these

ads. So you reached out to someone in my demographics. Well, now I’ve reached back.

#WaterIsLife But hey, Exxon, ‘you’ already knew that, didn’t you? Now learn how to

#HonortheEarthbefore it’s too late. I don’t think Mars is ready for Homo sapiens just yet.

Have a nice day. 🙂 .

Ad reference is to  ExxonMobil’s #Energy Lives Here ~ “ExxonMobil is a leader in carbon capture and storage”  This sponsored video ad appeared on my fb timeline. Perhaps you’ve seen it there or elsewhere.

~~~~

[note: speaking of ads–any ads appearing here do so at the behest of wordpress and have no connection to moi. thanks for visitng.]

 

Monologue #2

Monologue #2
 
The upside of accepting an invitation to a social gathering far beyond your comfort zone:
You are reminded why you usually keep as far from the mainstream as possible:
 
Barefoot half-dressed children old enough to know better writhing on the floor of a busy restaurant while people evade stepping on them on the way to the buffet lines.
 
Tiny birdlike elderly women repeatedly filling multiple plates with food they nibble but do not eat.
 
Men of all sizes, ages and races bulking up on a never-ending flow of fried chicken, fake mashed potatoes, and ice cream.
 
Women of all sizes, ages and races eating a never-ending flow of pizza, ice cream and soda.
 
Children of all sizes, ages and races playing with enough food to supply all the free lunches for several schools for at least a week.
 
Employees unable to keep up with clearing plates, tables and filling the buffet stations. Even the flatware disappears moments after it appears.
 
The streets and parking lot are filled with whales of vehicles large enough to swallow your car whole–and then some. What is the gas mileage for such creations? Never mind–you really do not want to know at the moment.
 
In addition to all of the above, the promised group conversation is disturbingly disjointed,and disconnected among people who supposedly spend some time reading books for pleasure. “Supposedly” being highly suspect at this point. There is a studious evasion of any discussion of politics, climate change and #NoDAPL Standing Rock—
“Let’s not go there.”
 
“Why the hell not?”
 
“It makes us uncomfortable.”
 
“Besides, what is with those protesters?”
 
“Why can’t they be like everyone else? No, please, please, don’t answer.”
 
[What two words am I thinking but not saying–(or writing now)?]
 
Upon exiting the dysfunctional main stream stress level plummets to acceptable health levels.
 
To do:
Practice polite refusals for future reference until they are part of mental health survival kit and readily available for deployment for evading similar future engagements. After all, It is the ‘season’ when people want to be sooooo sweetly social.
 
BAH! And Hum Bug Too!
 
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A Power Point Parts Per Million Video Parade For Your Perusal

You may consider this video heavy post laziness on my part, unwillingness to return to previous stomped climate ground, or simply an easy way to engage via visual aides in order to get some traction. Actually it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that whatever your level of understanding of what’s going on with those parts per million comments popping up hither and yon there’s something here or in the links to other information resources for frying in your brain-pan.

Pick your present point of information departure.

Democracy Now! ~ 2016

 

The Young Turks ~ 2016

 

PPM = Basic Parts Per Million ~ Explained

Risk Bites

400 Parts Per Million CO2  ~ 2013

Enspire  Click through to watch YouTube for more info links.

Democracy Now! ~ 2013

More information sources:

Inside Climate News

350.org  Concerning the Science of 350 / 400 ppm, resources and more.

Climate Central Antarctica CO2 Hits 400 ppm for first time in 4 Million Years

On October 6, 2016, The PBS News Hour devoted some time to Climate Change via The Paris Accord . … during which Judy Woodruff asked Gavin Schmidt, NASA climatologist, if the rise to 4oo+ ppm was important. Schmidt clearly thought it was. It wasn’t clear if Woodruff agreed or not. ~~~ “baby steps”—ahhhh haaa….

More trees please.

Cheers.

 

What’s your butterfly count?

Yes, I really want to know how many butterflies you’ve seen this summer.

My count so far:

13 Monarchs

5 Yellow Swallowtails

3 Black Swallowtails

4 Viceroys

Uncountable number of teeny tiny white butterflies swarming lavender flowers.

This count is not impressive. When I was a kid I saw so many Monarch butterflies that I took them for granted. Even on the South Side of Chicago they frequented gardens, vacant lots filled with wild Queen’s Anne Lace, Milkweed, and Black-eyed Susans. Where I live now sighting a Monarch, a Swallowtail or any other is a day maker for me.

What’s flying, or not, in your outside spaces? Are you seeing bees, butterflies and hummingbirds?

The ‘rain-drop’ effect. Yes, you too can grow Milkweed. And so can your neighbors and friends.

(Click the watch on YouTube option for more information about video providers.)

 

This afternoon I sighted Yellow Swallowtail number 5 catching a meal on the dwarf orange Zinnas which are still blooming madly in this ‘autumn’ heat. As I watched #5 move from flower to flower I wondered if this summer might be the last summer I see any Swallowtails and Monarchs–or any butterflies for that matter. A friend has only seen three Monarchs in her garden this years.

Calvin takes butterfly plant choices beyond the planting of Milkweed. Depending on the growing conditions where you live, consider your plant choices for gardens. Or if you’ve never planted anything how to start by planning a garden in order to provide what butterflies need to survive.

Take note: I’ve seen NO large bumble-bees like those that visited my  flowers last summer. Nope, not a single one. Have you seen them?

A glimpse of the bigger picture involving butterflies, bees and homo sapiens.

 

 

Get a Drone’s View of Aleppo.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2016/sep/27/drone-footage-shows-scale-of-destruction-in-eastern-aleppo-video

Link to The Guardian will take you directly there.

Aren’t we humans clever?

 

#NoDAPL Solidarity Rally Chicago

Going where NO politician has ever gone. The Urban Farming Guys are on an epic concrete hope for the future roll in KCMO–and beyond.

I had other plans for a post today –until I checked my email and found a missive from The Urban Farming Guys. Timing is everything. The Urban Farming Guys have been busy–very busy. And they want to keep on being very busy in the urban core and beyond. UFG are doing what no politician has ever done–create a world of real possibilities. They are grassroots in ACTION. They’ve got an ambitious plan underway and they need OUR help to make it so. See what they’re up to now and if you’re impressed please share/donate/reblog–in other words, help however you can right now because the clock is ticking.

Without further ado:

 

The Urban Farming Guys YT

Crowdrise 

UFG website

The time is now.

These guys are the real deal. Please spread the word.

RevolutionResource.org

Agitate, Educate, and Organize ~OO~

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