Friday, July 30, 2010

"Beneath It All, The Desire For Oblivion Runs"

I've always been annoyed by my rightward leaning co-worker's tendency to take every bitterly cold winter day as a refutation of global warming, yet, when things heat up a bit they grow strangely mute.

I realize that localized weather patterns amount to little or nothing when isolated from the total picture, but that seems to be a realization that escapes those of a Republican flavor.

Still, one has to wonder, when Moscow & Europe bake in unprecedented heat waves, what exactly is going on with Mom.

MOSCOW — It's so hot that women in bikinis are sunbathing in Moscow.



A heat wave across much of Europe is also causing crops to wither, forest fires to ignite and roads to melt, while refrigerators and fans are buckling in the searing sun.

From Russia's Urals mountains to western Germany, a week of temperatures hovering stubbornly in the mid-90 degrees has baked northern parts of Europe, which are usually spared the heat of the Mediterranean — and forecasters are warning of more to come over the next week.

People were finding ways to beat the heat. There was the rare sight of women in bikinis sunbathing Thursday in Kolomenskoye park in Moscow, while other people tried to cool off by soaking themselves in fountains and playing in water jets in the Russian capital, Belarus and other parts of Europe.

But it hasn't been all fun and games. The air conditioning systems on board the high-speed trains of Germany's national rail operator Deutsche Bahn broke down several times. With locked windows, dozens of passengers were afflicted with heat exhaustion after spending hours trapped in temperatures of up to 122 degrees.

Russia's worst droughts in a century have destroyed almost 25 million acres of crops in central and European areas, authorities said. A state of emergency has been declared in 18 Russian provinces, where fire has engulfed more than 64,000 acres of forest.

The situation has been described as serious by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov, who oversees the agriculture sector. But he said authorities have the resources to cope. Various officials have tried to reassure the public that the country has enough grain stockpiled to rule out imports.

Germany's Potato Industry Union, meanwhile, says it expects losses of 30 percent in this year's harvest.

"The situation is worse in many places this year than in the drought years of 2003 and 2006," said Martin Umhau, the head of Germany's Union of Potato Industry.
Mikhail Metzel / AP
Youngsters cool themselves in a fountain outside the Kremlin in Moscow.

The Chamber of Agriculture of the Czech Republic estimates the grain harvest could by down by 10 percent compared with 2009.

Meanwhile, drowning deaths were up in Eastern Europe as people flocked to seas, lakes and rivers in search of a break from the blistering heat. More than 230 people died in the last week alone across Russia, with 21 perishing over two weeks in Latvia, according to officials, who lamented the tendency of heavy drinking while sunbathing. Last year, about 3,000 people drowned in Russia.

Blood reserves were dropping in Germany, with fewer donors able to travel to blood banks.

"We now only have reserves for one to three days," German Red Cross spokesman Friedrich-Ernst Dueppe told the news agency DAPD.

Heat hits transportation
The heat also took its toll on transport, with roads damaged and railway operators suffering.

A major highway from Prague to Germany had to be closed for several days of repairs, and the Vodochody international airport north of Prague stopped accepting passenger flights after heat damage to the runway.

In the Baltic state of Estonia, several churches were being used as heat shelters, particularly for the elderly. A major grocery store in the capital, Tallinn, reported that all of its refrigerators containing dairy and meat products had succumbed to the heat. Local municipalities have closed public woodland areas in order to lower the risk of fire.

Stores in Finland, which reported a 75-year record of 93.5 degrees, were quickly running out of fans and air conditioners. The same happened in Germany and Hungary, where the mercury hit 99 degrees.

Europe's scorching weather comes on the heels of a record heat wave stifling much of the U.S. Eastern Seaboard.

Philadelphia, Newark and Trenton, New Jersey hit 100 degrees last week in weather that caused scattered power outages throughout the region. The heat hampered train travel, forcing nursing homes with power problems to evacuate and buckled highways.


To underscore this baffling conundrum, & explain it all in that special way the delusional have of taking their explanations & hurtling with them, right off a cliff, comes Ann Coulter who has just informed me that "environmentalists are evil" because if you read the Bible, it shows that "God made us masters of the Earth" and we can "do with it as we please." If we destroy it, "God will just give us a new one."

Hmmmm...what a uniquely toddlerish attitude.

Let's translate into toddlerese:

HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! I can bweak my widdle toy if'n I wanna, Daddy will just buy me a new one."

Time to grow up Annie.
Responsibility is a heavy fucking burden.
I know.
But you're a little overused for diapers
& this "suckling Satan's pecker like it was my momma's tittie" act is getting a little fucking old.

Really.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

I do not accept Ms. Coulter as a representative of the ancient texts passed down for thousands of years. She does represent a subtle, and not so subtle, uncaring attitude towards others in self-interest. One cannot take her seriously. She represents the feeble-minded. As a result, she is very wealthy. The imbecilic love their leaders and make them rich.

I wonder if she is a walking cyborg or lab-produced clone. She must sleep with her clothes on. If she sleeps at all.

Morocco Bama said...

I can't take the "ancient texts" or Ann Coulter seriously. What do the "ancient texts" say about Adam's Apple?

Anonymous said...

It's you making fun. It is not about ancient texts. The question is proof that you are uninterested.

One can talk about the elegance of trigonometry and the truths found from within this and another person is not interested. There are millions of subjects that we can deal with and people can choose to genuinely nag about the subjects they do not care about. It is all too common, Morocco.

Are you interested in the music of Syd Barret?

Anonymous said...

Barrett.

Anonymous said...

EFFERVESCING ELEPHANT

An Effervescing Elephant
with tiny eyes and great big trunk
once whispered to the tiny ear
the ear of one inferior
that by next June he'd die, oh yeah!
because the tiger would roam.
The little one said: "Oh my goodness I must stay at home!
and every time I hear a growl
I'll know the tiger's on the prowl
and I'll be really safe, you know
the elephant he told me so."
Everyone was nervy, oh yeah!
and the message was spread
to zebra, mongoose, and the dirty hippopotamus
who wallowed in the mud and chewed
his spicy hippo-plankton food
and tended to ignore the word
preferring to survey a herd
of stupid water bison, oh yeah!
And all the jungle took fright,
and ran around for all the day and the night
but all in vain, because, you see,
the tiger came and said: "Who me?!
You know, I wouldn't hurt not one of you.
I'd much prefer something to chew
and you're all too scant." oh yeah!
He ate the Elephant

ericswan said...

I live in British Columbia, Canada. We are the only jurisdiction in North America that pays a CARBON tax. As a result, the weather gods have seen fit to provide the province of British Columbia with perfect weather. Now, some might see a conspiracy in this. If that somebody was you, would you pay your carbon tax?

Morocco Bama said...

Belliosto, what?

Eric, would I pay my carbon tax? The "ancient texts" say " render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's."

By the way, how are Blackberries this year in BC?

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/UAE-to-block-BlackBerry-apf-3475232713.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=main&asset=&ccode=

UAE to block BlackBerry services on security fears

UAE to suspend BlackBerry messaging and Web, citing national security and social concerns

The UAE said Sunday it will block key features on BlackBerry smart phones, citing national security concerns because the devices operate beyond the government's ability to monitor their use.

The decision could block e-mail and Web access for hundreds of thousands of users in the Mideast commercial hub starting in October.

Blackberry data is encrypted and routed overseas, and the measure could be motivated in part by government fears that the messaging system could be exploited by terrorists or other criminals who cannot be monitored by the local authorities.....

Morocco Bama said...

Those Russian gals are built like brick houses, aren't they? Seriously, I wouldn't tangle with those broads. They'll kick your teeth in if you don't lick them in all the right places and all the right ways.

Morocco Bama said...

Here's an interactive historical temperature tool for Moscow. Change the years to see just how unprecedented this is. The tears go back to 1982, so this is 28 years worth of history for max temperatures. This heat wave is not only unprecedented, it's off the charts, quite literally.

http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/weather/maps/city?WEEK=52&MM=12&YY=2010&WMO=27612&LANG=en&SID=276129f6aca4b9667067800a4d4fd12cd3646a&ART=MAX&CONT=euro&R=0&NOREGION=1&LEVEL=150&REGION=0004&LAND=RS

Normally, I would be all for shipping Limbaugh and his AGW Denier crowd to Siberia, but these days, ironically, that would be doing them a favor. Soon enough, the Elite will be vacationing in Siberia....sitting back in their chairs on the decks of their mansions on the banks of the peat bogs enjoying their methane tonics with a peat twist.

Anonymous said...

Okay Morocco you must live in Russia then?

You know I don't preach or evangelize here. I'm not sure on whether you would be somewhat interested about the rendering unto Caesar concept. I'm not assuming that you are but I do understand that you are interested in gaining knowledge in general. If you are interested, let's pretend as if I am an agnostic, here's my take on it.

The poll tax which was established by Rome was enforced in Israel. This tribute was hotly disputed by the Israeli legalists. The question shall we give was directly related to divine expectancy of contributing to the tax. The poll tax paid in Rome was paid with Roman money by each person who was enrolled in the census. The image on the Roman coin, in this context, was Caesar. The coin was not a Jewish or Herodian coin, but a Roman coin.

The Jewish refusal to pay the Roman poll tax, and other issues, fueled the fire of Caesar which eventually led to the destruction of their temple in Jerusalem.

Morocco Bama said...

Belliosto, what?

Anonymous said...

I'm headed out to visit a buddy of mine who used to live in Russia. See ya later.

just_another_dick said...

Geez, I go to work for 32 hours & you guys start a fist fight in my barn.

Cool.

Somebody had to liven up this bowl of rancid chowder.

Anyway, that's the rub, isn't it Shrub. (sorry)
Last winter we were hit with 2 feet of snow in about 12 hours. If I had a dollar for every yahoo who used it to laugh at global warming I'd have a sizable wad of dollars.
But I remember, as a kid, the Pittsburgh area was hit with a snow storm like that at least once a year.
Man, there was nothing better than waking up expecting Catholic drudgery only to hear Mom say "School's canceled today."
My oldest boy just turned 13 & he's gone through most of his school life without a fucking snow day.
If anything, the damn storm was the anomaly. Not the other way around.

Mr. B., I'm sorry, but "the true" interpretation of a religious text is irrelevant. What matters is the interpretation that holds the most weight politically. How can you doubt that Ann "the post-operative transsexual" Coulter's idea that "the world is a disposable hunk of useless real estate that's little more than a stage for Yahweh's overhyped Grand Finale" has greatly influenced American politics?


25 years ago, folk like Falwell & Lindsey were writing fairly well read books whose conclusions were that nuclear war was an inevitable stepping stone to the return of da Lord.
Israel's political backbone in America is comprised of end times believing yahoos who obviously get quite erect at the thought of massive carnage.
Reagan was a disciple as was Bush the 2nd.
C'mon man, when Bush said that God speaks to him, and no one in the room snickered, didn't your stomach rise towards your uvula?

Every Sunday night I watch Jack Van Impe spout the same bullshit he was spouting years ago. Magically, the prophetic fulfillments change, but the prophecies remain the same.

How many people believed in Zeus?

At one time.

How many people believed in Astarte?

Or Circe?

Or Belial?

At one time.

Yet they have all dissipated like so much smoke.

What makes Christianity any different?

There are over 100,000 differing interpretations of Biblical doctrine that have made it to sect/cult/church status.

Over 100 fucking thousand.

& I bet that each one of them believes they have "the true" interpretation.

Quite odd don't ya think?

Is God just an obtuse kind of guy?

Sort of like the beggar I saw in Boston one fall day who kept going on, in the most serious & erudite manner, about such topics as Kennedy's missing brain & the aliens who hid in his drain.

just_another_dick said...

It's not that I'm against the idea of God, I'm Agnostic on that Front (sorry), but myth & religion are what the cowards who shy from the ineffable use to hide behind.

There's a fair amount of evidence that the entire religious impulse was kick started by hallucinogens.
We have a naturally occurring hallucinogen known as di-methyl-triptamine, or DMT in our body. Every hallucinogen, for the most part, is a variation of this drug.

Folk who use DMT all report surprisingly similar experiences. Travels to places that seem to be occupied by, what could only be described as, mythical beings.

One oft recurring motif is the intertwining snakes such as those found on a Caduceus.
Or DNA.
Coincidentally, when Francis Crick invented/uncovered the idea of the Double Helix, he was tripping out on a popular chemical variation of DMT. The flower child's delight, LSD.

Just look at DNA/RNA itself. Primarily 5 basic chemicals, adenine, cytosine, thymine, guanine, & uracil, along with about 20 amino acids, make every living thing.

Each human cell has a strip of DNA 2 meters long & 10 atoms wide.
Each human body has about 125 billion miles of DNA in it.

How does one fit 2 meters of DNA into a cell that's a hundred times smaller than the head of a pin.

There are folk like Rick Strassman & Jeremy Narby who believe that DMT allows us to, on some level, interact with our own DNA.

Coincidentally again, Crick, towards the end of his life, wrote a book in which he stated that he no longer believed that DNA evolved on this planet, postulating instead, a race of alien super bio-engineers who seeded the virgin Earth.

Honestly, is there really any difference between postulating undiscovered alien bio-engineers
or postulating God?

Morocco Bama said...

Richard, no fist fight. I'm just playing. You articulated my thoughts, precisely, but I didn't want to rehash it again for the millionth time on the internet. You have more stamina than me, in that regard.

I hope all of you watched the Technocalyps video I linked to on the other thread. Considering what you just espoused, Richard, I think you would really enjoy it. I did, and you know how critical I can be.

Now, back to those brick house Russian chicks.....what do they feed those heifers?

just_another_dick said...

It's not so much stamina Shrub, as pressure released when a cork pops. Spending an entire working weekend in silence because I'm pretty sick of the same damn conversations sometimes causes a torrent of typing once I escape.

I'm watching your video right now.

It takes me a while at times, but I watch every recommendation that I get.

Anonymous said...

Actually, I must admit to you guys if you have looked backwards to this post that, Shrub you made me bellow in such a way that is not common in my life. When I pondered on our conversation and your commentary I had such a sincere bolt of blissful joy I was overcome. The humor of our conversation was beyond classic to me. I did not laugh at anybody's expense but at the uniqueness of the conversation. Extremely humorous influence.

I am not idolizing you Shrub, but I realize when you want to be witty you can really impress certain people with a kind of a sense of humor that is unconquerable.

I apologize to you guys too for kind of leaving myself to be misunderstood. I think that a 18+ mentality might clear things up at my end.

I work in an academic library in Detroit and am rather comfortable with the various subjects that may be researched and believed on. So people are not taking my head off sharing their beliefs, knowledge or attitudes. I may be more fascinated by them then the average bear realizes.

Many thanks.

Morocco Bama said...

It's all good, Belliosto. I figured you were playing, as well. I like your obscurity. It's free flow and anarchic, and often it ends up resonating with me days after you've posted it and I've read it three times over. No one ever said this should be easy.

ericswan said...

As far as I know, the blackberries won't be ripe for another couple of weeks. As for the techno-gizmo, I only take calls one ringy dingy off the message service. The RCMP wanted to do an over the phone "statement" concerning a corporation I formed and let default that got collected by the guy (faux lawyer) to borrow nearly a million than spent it. They sent me a transcript of my statement and it didn't have any of the meaning I thought I had conveyed. Something wrong with translating sarcasm from phone to text. I highly don't recommend it.

Anyway, they didn't need my testimony and the bad man went up the hill for 6 years which I translate as 80,000 plus a year. The corporation was called Bdellium Minerals Corp. but he borrowed the money based on the original "numbered shelf corporation" which he claims was going to sell donuts. Same o.

As for global warming...I hope so...