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John Jackson

I also would like to affirm the last two postings from Tim and MM.  

For my birthday a few months back my kids gave me a 6-month Scotch-of-the-month club gift and it has definitely eased (made too easy?) my transition back into semi-isolation as the coronavirus rages and we geezers lower our profiles. If I go silent for a while, I'll re-appear if/when I get out of rehab.

And, as much as I (we?) are in denial, MM’s post (via Fritz Kaiser) has a lot of food for thought…

David Mitchell

John and Tim,

Since we all got orders to go home and shut up, I have dicovered a much better "tonic" to soothe the soul.

(Note: I said soul, not checkbook)

I was looking for a few items for my garden and I found this little shop on my computer. It's called Amazing - er, I mean, Amazon. I bought some garden tools and some seeds on this little shop, and they came real quick. All I had to do is punch some buttons and they they take my money and ship the stuff - in these cute little gray vans. It came right to my door really fast. Wow! That was easy, I thought to myself. So I clicked some more buttons and bought some more stuff, and sure enough, it came right away - like the first time. 

It got to be so much fun I began to spend half the day and night, pushing buttons and buying stuff. I got all the stuff anyone could ever want to build a raised bed garden and plant some vegetables and flowers in it. In fact I now have enough seeds and garden equipment to plant serveral thousand hectares with Bolivian Horseradish, Mogoglian Peppers, anti-nematode Spinach, North Korean Endive, Nebraska Purple and Orange Corn, and Tomatoes perfect for throwing at racoons. I also have about nine hundred plastic stakes, several thousand pounds of fertilizer, fourteen different types a garden rakes, and a trowel that plays top 40 music through the handle while you dig with it.    

I have often wished I could have a woodworking shop, so I thought I would try to order a few tools. I orderd some Japanes "Dozuki" pull saws, a new Makita Circular saw, a set of dril bits and a set of about 9,000 driver bits (I wouldn't want to ever not have the right bit driver), 18 diffrent varieties of clamps, several tool bags, a sliding miter saw, a set of calipers, several woodworkers squares, mortise chisels from England, and the list goes on.

It has gotten to be so much fun, especaily since I am saving so much money by not spending it on drinking. In fact, I have only spent about $68,986 and never had to go to a store to get the stuff.  

Michael McLeod

I don't post sports stories here very often but if you are as much of a Buckeye fan as I am you'll like this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKWERBQ6miM&feature=youtube

Michael McLeod

I disagree, John.

In fact I disagree on the most important part of your post.

For me it's Bourbon. 

Frank Ganley

This report is coming from the Snooker Emporium" at Chateau Francois; just relaxing a bit after 3 arduous days of fierce golfing battles  Bobby Curtin, Al Standish, Tom McKeon forces to defeat athletes from class of 67. I don't think anyone took any pics but all of us look great , feel great and lie. We wished everyone a happy thanksgiving and to quote Jim Valvano " never give up, never give up   NEVER GIVE UP "

David Mitchell

I have tried to avoid politics these last few trying weeks and have a little light fun with my "Oyster Chronicles". But I am unable to keep silent tonight.

I don't think I have ever cheered for, or given any notion of praise to anything to do with MICHIGAN in my life.

But I am doing so tonight.

No, not the Wolverines of Ann Arbor, and especially not their poor coach. 

I am congradulating the group of Michigan Republican legislators who visited the white House tonight and refused - in person - to give in to Donald Trump's request to change the outcome of the Biden victory in Michigan.

Apparantly, Trump actually asked them to replace members of the Michigan electoral college delegates with people who would change the outcome of the Michigan voters in his favor.

Unbelieveable!  Inconceivable!  Outrageous!  This has reached a point where this sick, selfish, sociopath (who has absolutely shredded any remaining digniity of my Republican party) has gone way past the limits of honor and decency.  

He needs to start packing his belongings - NOW.

(and come January, when his legal immunity disappears, let the lawsuits begin! ) 

Michael McLeod

Now you've done it Dave.

Opened your big mouth.

That subject is verboten.

So much more peaceful around here and respectful to others who may be feeling a little bitter about a touchy subject to avoid it.

You'll not see me bringing it up no sir.

Especially on a football Saturday.

Woody never said the M word out loud. Neither should you..

James Hamilton, M. D.

The "Critter Cam" Scores Again!

Nice of him to pose for the camera! Look at that neck, he is ready for the rut!

I have had the CC out for the past few days and nights and have been surprised how much the armed buck mule deer have been active in the dark. For some reason the videos of these bucks will not load on this Forum (AVI is the video mode that the camera records). Any suggestions from our more computer savvy classmates?

Jim

Michael McLeod

So Jim is that how the romantic term "necking" originated?

actually I haven't heard people use that expression for years. 

James Hamilton, M. D.

Mike McL,

Probably not.

The males generate large quantities of testosterone which transform their thin, flexible necks into these huge, muscular necks over a very short period of time in the autumn so that they can lock antlers with other males for mating rights with the does. That hormorne surge also enlarges their hip and shoulder muscles and, along with those necks, they can push the weaker males out of the fight easily. The survival of the fittest at its best!

The older the buck, the larger, thicker and more "points" they get on their antlers each year. There are a couple of 8-pointers in the neighborhood this year and I observe that the young 2- and 4-pointers give them lots of room when their paths cross. The females are choosy and I watch them refuse romantic gestures from the thinner necked and weaker antlered gentlemen. If you note, there is a doe resting in the lower left hand corner of the first picture.

It is fun to watch when two of the big guys lock antlers and you can hear the distinctive clicking of their tangled sets of antlers. Unlike their larger ungulate relatives, elk, deer do not bugle. Elk do that to call their harums (or is it "hari"?). When elk do battle it is guite a sight.

With all these antlered species it is wise to avoid them, especially during rutting season, and never get in between the bucks and their does when retrieving the morning newspaper!

Jim

Michael McLeod

sounds like a great show to watch. apart from the photo ops

John Jackson

Mike, knowing you to be an individual of sound and discerning judgment, I paid a visit to my local adult beverage emporium to see if they had any of this “bourbon” to which you made reference a few days ago.  To my surprise and delight, they indeed had some and so I purchased a bottle and have found it to be most agreeable.

And Dave, ignore Mike's post - he has terrible judgment.  And can I suggest you add the term “crybaby” to your description of Trump as a  “sick, selfish, sociopath”.  His staff and his disgraceful enablers in Congress have suggested that our poor President needs time to “process” the fact that he has lost, rather than encouraging him to man up and accept the will of the voters, as all of his predecessors have done.

And - this just in - Biden's popular vote margin has now exceeded 6 million votes.  Add to this Biden's 306 - 232 advantage in the Electoral College  - Trump won by the exact same margin in 2016 and called it a "massive landslide victory" even though he lost the popular vote by 2.9 million votes.

Truth is indeed stranger than fiction...

David Mitchell

REDACTED:

Sorry. My election rants aren't doing any good here.

But I will say hollywood script writers could not make this stuff up. 

James Hamilton, M. D.

Mike McL. et al,

Is anyone out there familiar with cattle? Any deer hunters in our class?

If you are, you have probably heard of a condition called "brisket disease". Believe it or not this was briefly described to us in med school when we were studying pulmonary hypertension (PH) and its causes in humans. There are many diseases in man that can cause PH including COPD, high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) and pulmonary emboli (from COVID-19 and other conditions).

In cattle high altitude can produce some elevated pressure in the circulatory system of the lungs which causes enlargement of the right side of the heart and build up of fluid in the neck veins and dilate them. The brisket of cattle is the area of the lower neck, often just above the front legs. When some animals graze at high altitudes, usually >9,000 feet, that can cause a ballooning of the brisket, a very visable bulbous lesion. The disease itself can cause heart failure and death in the bovine. To my knowledge this does not happen in deer.

As I looked more closely at the photos I put on the Forum a few posts ago, I noted that our (mule deer) buck had a cystic looking abnormality in his brisket area. From an internet search I discovered that deer can form hydrocysts in this anatomic region which can vary in size and are usually a result of trauma. Also, hydatid cysts can be seen in (at least whitetail, common in Ohio) deer from infestation with dog tapeworms. Those can br fatal to deer and if ingested by man, also may be fatal.

Just a few thoughts. I don't eat venison, elk, or other wild game, not to mention bats and monkeys! Too many risks what with prions (wasting disease) and now this.

Jim

Michael McLeod

I'm still writing. And Dr. Jim is still diagnosing.

Mark Schweickart

Jim -- I don't know if this is the only way to post a video here, but one way would be to first upload your video to YouTube. Then you can use the YouTube button on our site here to download it to your post.

Michael McLeod

Still mad at you Dave. You not only used the M word. You put it in caps.

You go to your room and you think about what you did.

Harold Clark

i have reviewd these posts, and with only 33 days left untill christmas, many of you should expecting coal

Michael McLeod

As long as it's the "clean, clean coal" our fearless leader speaks of, I'll be only too happy, as an American patriot and global warming denier dedicated to promoting the fossil fuel industry whenever possible, to find it in my stocking.

Harold Clark

it's as clean a coal as there is.

Timothy Lavelle

IGNORABLE POSTS

You have to congratulate the GOP on their budgeting exercise. They are looking forward to 2024. It seems they are falling a bit short of ready cash due to a current spending spree in many states. 

After Trumpy drains every available penny he can beg borrow or steal from the party in his spoiled child foot stomping attempt to subvert American election counting, there will be roughly $12 dollars left in the party bank account. 

In a brilliant move the GOP is asking everyone to hold on to their slogan signs for the next election when, with just a touch of magic marker, advertising costs can be reduced to a minimum.

Watch for "MAKE eric GREAT AGAIN" signs to appear everywhere as we enter the era of next election. "The Trumps. They're back and they're pissed this time."

The Trumps...'murica's greatest carnival sideshow. 

James Hamilton, M. D.

Mark, 

Thanks for the info. I may look into YouTube again. 

Jim 

David Mitchell

After withdrawing my rant last night about the utterly ridiculous shenanigans going on in the Wisconsin recount, I just can't resist this.

Accordding to the legal argument that is being presented by Jim Troupis, the attorney that Trump is using in his Wisconsin election lawsuit, both Troupis and his wife's votes are illegal. He and his wife voted by "in-person absentee" ballots - the very type of ballot that he is arguing to be thrown out.

This is getting beyond comical. This is getting embarrassing.   

John Jackson

From The Onion:

NEW YORK—Shaking their heads in amazement at their failure to see what had been staring them in the face during the entire pandemic, the nation expressed disbelief Friday that they had spent so long overlooking the obvious solution of encapsulating the mRNA instructions for a coronavirus-based spike protein in a lipid nanoparticle.

“It’s so obvious in retrospect: You create a mutated form of the spike protein for SARS-CoV-2, swap in a couple proline substitutions to trigger an immune system reaction, wrap that up in a few-nanometer-thick lipid delivery mechanism, and suddenly—wham—you’ve got an effective coronavirus vaccine,” said local bartender Sophie Litzman, one of 323 million citizens who slapped themselves in the forehead at their own total idiocy for not immediately shouting out “use a solid lipid core matrix to deliver a messenger RNA-based payload that teaches cells to churn out modified proteins to prepare the immune system for viral contact!” the moment they saw news of the novel coronavirus’s spread...

At press time, the nation had agreed that this was really a teaching moment that the simplest solution is often the right one.

David Mitchell

now das whut I'm talkin' 'bout!