tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-140381152024-03-14T01:19:15.751-05:00The Monkey Buddha"Teach this threefold truth to all:
A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion
are the things which renew humanity." -Buddhapaul_michttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145973937556808067noreply@blogger.comBlogger2207125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038115.post-53089092917523914042024-02-29T23:44:00.002-05:002024-02-29T23:45:53.205-05:00I Spy A.I. Lies<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzeQZu6vPjDFeHB7mbpfjanJn0sGzhfmN5Zwn2Y4wo49LKO8aOGgdspLKxCaHDb7KcLwvoiBIOo2ED2BR3KRVIpe5llAv_RYp3G7bO0BOHQGIbsG5R1utau58E_1JJK8_kur-HiZTmH0AVPHSzUa6RgI24LKHLhPfVGnCXCa21X7Spdaaih5nRNg/s1378/Willy-wonka-ai-event-glasgow-scenes-funny-props-warehouse-fake-misleading-rainbow%20scam.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="772" data-original-width="1378" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzeQZu6vPjDFeHB7mbpfjanJn0sGzhfmN5Zwn2Y4wo49LKO8aOGgdspLKxCaHDb7KcLwvoiBIOo2ED2BR3KRVIpe5llAv_RYp3G7bO0BOHQGIbsG5R1utau58E_1JJK8_kur-HiZTmH0AVPHSzUa6RgI24LKHLhPfVGnCXCa21X7Spdaaih5nRNg/w400-h224/Willy-wonka-ai-event-glasgow-scenes-funny-props-warehouse-fake-misleading-rainbow%20scam.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>I continue to be astounded at the developments in the field of <b><a href="https://monkeybuddha.blogspot.com/search?q=artificial+intelligence" target="_blank">artificial intelligence</a></b>. It's partly amusing & partly horrific to see these insanely powerful tools developing so rapidly that the human race doesn't really know how to handle it.</p><p>The most disturbing aspect of A.I. (so far) is the ability to deceive people. We can no longer trust what we see or hear in digital or print media to represent objective reality. As a <a href="https://www.paulmicarellidesign.com/" target="_blank">graphic designer</a>, I've always been able to easily spot "Photoshopped" or digitally-altered images. Now, with more advanced A.I. renderings being so realistic, I don't trust anything I see anymore.</p><p>However, I can still often tell when images are produced by A.I. programs. Unfortunately, the general public is not as discerning as I may be. It's easy to see how people could get fooled by the amazing technologies out there, if they are used for deceptive purposes.</p><p>One recent example that has already achieved "meme" status is a Willy Wonka-themed event in Scotland that had families so upset that the cops were called. The organizer/promoter used A.I. generated imagery to evoke a magical "Wonka Wonderland" that definitely did <i><b>not</b></i> properly represent the lame reality of the actual event. <br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOuAmRqTBEZYI-VVGESVsaPC1oslfjbDEAGCyHr4dAfLu5xVST_5iBYn-Iq3yw5pkH5mEK-8wz1AFsqXSeTieZy4bNWpEkheGbXl7jmRyvNflPMMJ5iVikMJjsvPOWdWt35ZlDXJdNzUZ34SnZ9xCm9Ga3whkB73G2cRvvqFuQJpz3Ru9Ydb1NtQ/s2620/Willy-wonka-ai-event-glasgow-scenes-funny-props-warehouse-fake-misleading.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1470" data-original-width="2620" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOuAmRqTBEZYI-VVGESVsaPC1oslfjbDEAGCyHr4dAfLu5xVST_5iBYn-Iq3yw5pkH5mEK-8wz1AFsqXSeTieZy4bNWpEkheGbXl7jmRyvNflPMMJ5iVikMJjsvPOWdWt35ZlDXJdNzUZ34SnZ9xCm9Ga3whkB73G2cRvvqFuQJpz3Ru9Ydb1NtQ/w400-h225/Willy-wonka-ai-event-glasgow-scenes-funny-props-warehouse-fake-misleading.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/immersive-willy-wonka-experience-ends-154738858.html" target="_blank">Parents lured to immersive Willy Wonka experience by AI ads show up to near-empty warehouse with no candy </a></span><br /></p><p>The most iconic image to come out of the situation is the viscerally real "Sad Oompa Loompa Lady," who looks like she's cookin' up some Wonka Meth: </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNg4SnJD_V8PqouEOM_oz5BxR9B76uf2huj6o19wZsTzpAoquM95z2AlRSEEX9yumVBrLzawnTSD-Ed6yRRR1go_nIto4XShW8FKKM9LumjLlvjpnAjnY_2bKsNHE0DNXDWlYQmq46km5aALA_33giyRdWdAvVNtYDgTplQ9Y9GjwYYe0epsr5ZA/s684/Willy-wonka-ai-event-glasgow-oompa-loompa-sad-lady-meth-lab.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="684" data-original-width="634" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNg4SnJD_V8PqouEOM_oz5BxR9B76uf2huj6o19wZsTzpAoquM95z2AlRSEEX9yumVBrLzawnTSD-Ed6yRRR1go_nIto4XShW8FKKM9LumjLlvjpnAjnY_2bKsNHE0DNXDWlYQmq46km5aALA_33giyRdWdAvVNtYDgTplQ9Y9GjwYYe0epsr5ZA/w371-h400/Willy-wonka-ai-event-glasgow-oompa-loompa-sad-lady-meth-lab.jpg" width="371" /></a></div><p> </p><p>Another recent eaxmple of using A.I. technology, this time for for audio fakery, is the Joe Biden robo-call that used an A.I. generated simulation of Biden's voice to mislead Democratic primary voters:<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/magician-says-political-consultant-hired-him-to-create-ai-biden-robocall-ahead-of-new-hampshire-primary" target="_blank"><br /></a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/magician-says-political-consultant-hired-him-to-create-ai-biden-robocall-ahead-of-new-hampshire-primary" target="_blank"><span>Magician says political consultant hired him to create AI Biden robocall ahead of New Hampshire primary</span></a></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">We are in for a very wild ride into the future, as the implications of A.I being used for nefarious purposes becomes clear:</p><p style="text-align: left;">• Is that the <i>actual</i> voice of a politician, using a racial slur? </p><p style="text-align: left;">• Did that celebrity <i>really</i> get caught in a compromising sexual situation? </p><p style="text-align: left;">• Have we come into contact with extraterrestrial beings<i> in the real world</i>?</p><p style="text-align: left;">• Are soldiers of a particular nation <i>truly</i> committing war crimes? <br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">We are already at the point where we will not be able to believe anything we see online. If we don't experience it directly with our own biological sensory organs, it could be a very convincing A.I. lie.</p><p style="text-align: left;">This is one of the aspects of artificial intelligence that people are totally not prepared to deal with... It will be interesting to see how we as a global society address these challenges and deceptions that we all will inevitably face. <br /></p><p><br /></p>paul_michttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145973937556808067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038115.post-54762659043287502102024-01-19T01:45:00.006-05:002024-01-19T02:13:35.865-05:00The Insane Horror of War<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuDWqCYeBnEkf0mpmtuaPhiLgfBNADtyH88eOmfnyU_m0sPN9EB_ixz7bWN9eiGTdKUW1sIGAGR8E1s6z4XqIMwLVzavwDJSYJQ1xFPzrR0esSwpnvyQcWmo8ddLhyphenhyphenOjMUKqCDQPYKVpigQSqIZGMOLP3Z4_YAqYpiDnIGLE8X326bN7ijd1peyw/s1534/gaza%20israel%20war%20child%20palestine%20scared%20trauma%20hospital%20boy%20terror%20shock%20bombing%20victim.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1534" data-original-width="942" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuDWqCYeBnEkf0mpmtuaPhiLgfBNADtyH88eOmfnyU_m0sPN9EB_ixz7bWN9eiGTdKUW1sIGAGR8E1s6z4XqIMwLVzavwDJSYJQ1xFPzrR0esSwpnvyQcWmo8ddLhyphenhyphenOjMUKqCDQPYKVpigQSqIZGMOLP3Z4_YAqYpiDnIGLE8X326bN7ijd1peyw/w246-h400/gaza%20israel%20war%20child%20palestine%20scared%20trauma%20hospital%20boy%20terror%20shock%20bombing%20victim.png" width="246" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Although I'm fortunate to have never been in an active war zone, I've seen many, many horrific images of war. I don't want to shy away from those realities because it is necessary to really understand the many (sometimes disturbing) facets of human nature & our existence. <br /></p><p>The video of the screenshot above really hit me hard, because it instantly reminded me of my 3-year old son (one of the 2 reasons I haven't been posting here as often). However, instead of his brown eyes being filled with the joy & playfulness that a child <i>should</i> be experiencing, this poor boy's eyes are filled with traumatic, debilitating <i><b>fear</b></i>. It's a sickening & disheartening scene, and reveals the unfathomable insanity & horror of war. </p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzHsGegsI6OoIx_U3hcEYK2Jh_ef2Fl8kC-nWyTyirsJZ1-qGL1PiaayQG1TIjfHozXxTJXiKawtOc' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p></p><p>The <a href="https://youtu.be/YDv0mTxPMXA?si=dkV2pDVsBPzW6gvT" target="_blank">YouTube video</a> is labeled as a Palestinian child, <span class="yt-core-attributed-string yt-core-attributed-string--white-space-pre-wrap"><span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" style="color: #131313;">who was showing signs of shock, </span></span>being <span class="yt-core-attributed-string yt-core-attributed-string--white-space-pre-wrap"><span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" style="color: #131313;">comforted by a doctor after an Israeli attack in Rafah in southern Gaza. This took place not long after the ruthless Oct. 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas. I have been wanting to write this post for awhile now, with this boy's terrified face haunting my mind.<br /></span></span></p><p><span class="yt-core-attributed-string yt-core-attributed-string--white-space-pre-wrap"><span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" style="color: #131313;">I've always been generally anti-war particularly when it comes to wars of aggression, but having become a father has taken my disgust for humanity's brutality to new depths. Seeing what happens in wartime to innocent people, and especially children like this, is just gut-wrenching to the point of despair.</span></span></p><p><span class="yt-core-attributed-string yt-core-attributed-string--white-space-pre-wrap"><span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" style="color: #131313;">What in the <i><b>hell</b></i> are we doing to each other, our fellow human beings on this Earth?? ...and for <i><b>what</b></i>?!?</span></span></p><p><span class="yt-core-attributed-string yt-core-attributed-string--white-space-pre-wrap"><span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" style="color: #131313;">As I get older while now being a dad, the more I grow in pure wonder & amazement at this world we inhabit, while simultaneously being completely fed up by the fucking stupidity of people. War is one of those things that makes me realize we're still just idiotic apes bashing in each other's skulls, <a href="https://monkeybuddha.blogspot.com/search?q=2001%3A+A+Space+Odyssey" target="_blank">2001: A Space Odyssey</a>-style.<br /></span></span></p><p><span class="yt-core-attributed-string yt-core-attributed-string--white-space-pre-wrap"><span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" style="color: #131313;">The Israeli/Palestinian situation has been fucked up for so long, that it's seems like a conflict with no end and no solution. I'm not going to rehash the recent history of the region, but I will say that it's a cycle of violence that will self-propagate indefinitely... unless some triumph of human spirit and resolve can work toward a better path for all the peoples involved.</span></span></p><p><span class="yt-core-attributed-string yt-core-attributed-string--white-space-pre-wrap"><span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" style="color: #131313;">It is an unbelievably tough situation- you can't let murderous terrorists invade towns full of innocent people and wreak havoc, but... <i>goddamn</i>, retaliating by bombing out whole civilian population centers & infrastructure is a sure way to continue the hatred & resentment in future generations. Fighting terrorism by terrorizing innocent people is such an obvious hypocrisy, but psychos can </span></span><span class="yt-core-attributed-string yt-core-attributed-string--white-space-pre-wrap"><span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" style="color: #131313;">still justify it</span></span><span class="yt-core-attributed-string yt-core-attributed-string--white-space-pre-wrap"><span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" style="color: #131313;"> by dehumanizing people they deem as The Other", instead of seeing them as fellow humans and living, feeling, thinking beings.<br /></span></span></p><p><span class="yt-core-attributed-string yt-core-attributed-string--white-space-pre-wrap"><span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" style="color: #131313;">I'm old enough to remember the days of Ariel Sharon while <a href="https://monkeybuddha.blogspot.com/search?q=george+w.+bush" target="_blank">Dubya</a> was President & the atrocities of that time. I cynically knew that this horrible event would be used as a pretext to eliminate the Palestinian presence altogether. As I've watched the catastrophic aftermath unfold with the rest of the world over the past several months, it has turned out to be true:</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="yt-core-attributed-string yt-core-attributed-string--white-space-pre-wrap"><span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" style="color: #131313;"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/18/politics/netanyahu-biden-palestinian-state" target="_blank">Netanyahu’s apparent rejection of a post-war Palestinian state <br />adds to tensions with Biden administration <br /></a></span></span></p><p><span class="yt-core-attributed-string yt-core-attributed-string--white-space-pre-wrap"><span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" style="color: #131313;">Of course, there are elements on all sides who <b>want</b> the conflicts throughout the world to continue, for various perverse reasons- war profiteering, consolidation of power, & what seems to be a driving force for so much of the bullshit... nationalistic / religious ideology.</span></span></p><p><span class="yt-core-attributed-string yt-core-attributed-string--white-space-pre-wrap"><span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" style="color: #131313;">People are so childish when it comes to nationality and religion, everyone thinking that <i>their thinking</i> is the only way to think... but they're really not thinking at all. That's the most depressing thing about the Middle Eastern conflict- Jews and Muslims hate each other because they believe a bunch of old stories & laws that are kinda the same, but different enough to get all tribal about it. Everyone believes that <i>their</i> religious ideas are correct. It's all mental constructs that people have mistaken for external reality. Then, you also have certain Christians basing their loyalties in this battle on their own beliefs about Jesus magically re-appearing. It's all so ridiculous, but countless people are murdering other people over it.<br /></span></span></p><p><span class="yt-core-attributed-string yt-core-attributed-string--white-space-pre-wrap"><span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" style="color: #131313;">This, of course, is not a new phenomenon, nor is it only a feature of the Abrahamic religions. People have been murdering and brutalizing each other en masse </span></span><span class="yt-core-attributed-string yt-core-attributed-string--white-space-pre-wrap"><span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" style="color: #131313;">all over the world, </span></span><span class="yt-core-attributed-string yt-core-attributed-string--white-space-pre-wrap"><span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" style="color: #131313;">forever. This is something I always emphasize to those who lament at the current state of affairs. I've been listening to the awesome podcast, "<b><a href="https://fallofcivilizationspodcast.com/" target="_blank">Fall of Civilizations</a></b>" during my commute to work, and it's a stark reminder about how fucking violent humans, & the societies they create, have <b>always</b> been.</span></span></p><p><span class="yt-core-attributed-string yt-core-attributed-string--white-space-pre-wrap"><span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" style="color: #131313;">There's so much fighting and hatred over imaginary lines in the desert sand, & whose self-righteous ideas about the world and the Infinite God are the best... it's all just insane, horrible shit. There is no foreseeable end to all the war & fighting in the world. That is the unfortunate, but inescapable fact. So, we just have to try to be a light in the realm of influence we have, to try to make the world a slightly better place.<br /></span></span></p><p><span class="yt-core-attributed-string yt-core-attributed-string--white-space-pre-wrap"><span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" style="color: #131313;"><br /></span></span></p>paul_michttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145973937556808067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038115.post-56356988721744415692023-12-25T18:35:00.017-05:002023-12-25T18:35:00.132-05:00Gnome in My Home<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Everybody talks about the Elf on a Shelf...</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />but what about the "<b>GNOME IN MY HOME</b>"????</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">#gnomeinmyhome</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQz89LbjMy9IYj3653hd8LXnkPF2zwnOoXz5VtwPuxSs6686WM56tUhY6U96BhUTteNcBFxQ_WAQA4Uz8oO5Z24tf8jFsCRRq-ZV2n2RKWcjb2GNv07DmHJHzj9DSessSDOeMAcWc-RXJ3oWyzz5qeII4PMnOurZYDfATZI2ayEQQUYPzVANQs5w/s1900/Gnome%20in%20my%20Home.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1900" data-original-width="1425" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQz89LbjMy9IYj3653hd8LXnkPF2zwnOoXz5VtwPuxSs6686WM56tUhY6U96BhUTteNcBFxQ_WAQA4Uz8oO5Z24tf8jFsCRRq-ZV2n2RKWcjb2GNv07DmHJHzj9DSessSDOeMAcWc-RXJ3oWyzz5qeII4PMnOurZYDfATZI2ayEQQUYPzVANQs5w/w480-h640/Gnome%20in%20my%20Home.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>paul_michttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145973937556808067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038115.post-27478092516069816462023-12-23T18:34:00.003-05:002023-12-23T18:40:18.274-05:00Artificial Christmas Spirit<p> One of the most significant developments this year was the explosion of <a href="https://monkeybuddha.blogspot.com/search?q=a.i." target="_blank">A.I. technology</a>. We can't even imagine the possibilities that will be presenting themselves in the coming years.</p><p>It's the holiday season, and my son is 3 plus it's my baby daughter's first Christmas, so it's a lot of fun (& very exhausting). </p><p>To celebrate this holiday of the <b>human spirit</b>, here are some Christmas creations, by a <b>machine</b>!...</p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 14px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">-Images: Stable Diffusion AI Software</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 14px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">-Prompts & Curating: Paul Micarelli</span></i><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" /> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim1fjNXvQWG8bh4zSMlmtAcwZmFxD9lZqRn0ZAK4msE-3sCaTth4Q_BiAgVRqR7l3gcAwHWCYeDVH5-VyRJd0g5_jPM4_ITfb3hF7weW8gPqBpzX-bE3s_1vvVfCpDr3mina5EBc1Rmpl2Ddn-0qXXxSj6dKxvzMj2xtBfrlrx7OQOs2h54Trciw/s768/amanita%20mushroom%20dressed%20as%20santa%20claus.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim1fjNXvQWG8bh4zSMlmtAcwZmFxD9lZqRn0ZAK4msE-3sCaTth4Q_BiAgVRqR7l3gcAwHWCYeDVH5-VyRJd0g5_jPM4_ITfb3hF7weW8gPqBpzX-bE3s_1vvVfCpDr3mina5EBc1Rmpl2Ddn-0qXXxSj6dKxvzMj2xtBfrlrx7OQOs2h54Trciw/s320/amanita%20mushroom%20dressed%20as%20santa%20claus.jpg" width="320" /></a><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br />"amanita mushroom dressed as santa claus"</span></div><p><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ13nn67-U9zntAeQe3OOnFN5xwU1V9MaHgkPFuO7TB9Z6bZKhFXqCxKOdrwYzst0dUve-EfKfHI2WAVeUMzBtpuAop3T8_VehF77Ca2cKT8LDwdzIxyfVl3Gih8_syDV_AiVvUEu6l0eEEgz_2Ybf9xHGy5KApqOn0ZcG7a-nEzRfeWHTbR8oAg/s512/elf%20skank.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ13nn67-U9zntAeQe3OOnFN5xwU1V9MaHgkPFuO7TB9Z6bZKhFXqCxKOdrwYzst0dUve-EfKfHI2WAVeUMzBtpuAop3T8_VehF77Ca2cKT8LDwdzIxyfVl3Gih8_syDV_AiVvUEu6l0eEEgz_2Ybf9xHGy5KApqOn0ZcG7a-nEzRfeWHTbR8oAg/s320/elf%20skank.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />"elf skank"</div><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNz4z2lssZMMwoaaKAWPdY29BEK3Bnm50aPM9X-0psRL0DgaZ9eV31gG_UNulvTYSWhoAYgtm_chXqkPAzgKEpa-nudK30gXHEK6f7BHOiN2JsGjeml4rAt5q5JZ7nZ5ZD8VvqvgAQFhp2MhS6zAcpXAsOzdLrmRlIoAqyaHle5_9S6PwOdfbr5g/s512/robot%20dressed%20as%20santa%20claus%20in%20a%20futuristic%20space%20sleigh.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNz4z2lssZMMwoaaKAWPdY29BEK3Bnm50aPM9X-0psRL0DgaZ9eV31gG_UNulvTYSWhoAYgtm_chXqkPAzgKEpa-nudK30gXHEK6f7BHOiN2JsGjeml4rAt5q5JZ7nZ5ZD8VvqvgAQFhp2MhS6zAcpXAsOzdLrmRlIoAqyaHle5_9S6PwOdfbr5g/s320/robot%20dressed%20as%20santa%20claus%20in%20a%20futuristic%20space%20sleigh.jpg" width="320" /></a><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br />"robot dressed as santa claus in a futuristic space sleigh"</span></div><p><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: left;">*Check out <b>A LOT</b> more A.I. madness on my social media pages:</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Instagram:</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.instagram.com/ac_artificial_creativity/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">@ac_artificial_creativity</span></a><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Facebook:</b></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/AC.Artificial.Creativity"><span style="font-size: large;">@AC.Artificial.Creativity</span></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p>paul_michttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145973937556808067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038115.post-74866123360849336202023-12-07T18:33:00.003-05:002023-12-07T18:35:17.037-05:00Monkey Neuron Activation<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqsBvAAsjfU2oviuumis5qVrtA5sdrG6oe5NbTp6owhfJCt03KiuvjMwd8oS70_azqqI7OfwSdJX1oE0iyuiapX87fzigzxjT7cfnaGsM-ESOLBF_SU4B0i3NQsYAFhjWpSI2ZbiphH8-qx-ptfNCtbnM3JUtp9-SIa3snKLsVqAp5T7lddk21iQ/s480/monkey-neuron-activation-brain-funny.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqsBvAAsjfU2oviuumis5qVrtA5sdrG6oe5NbTp6owhfJCt03KiuvjMwd8oS70_azqqI7OfwSdJX1oE0iyuiapX87fzigzxjT7cfnaGsM-ESOLBF_SU4B0i3NQsYAFhjWpSI2ZbiphH8-qx-ptfNCtbnM3JUtp9-SIa3snKLsVqAp5T7lddk21iQ/s320/monkey-neuron-activation-brain-funny.gif" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">This is what happens when you browse <a href="https://monkeybuddha.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Monkey Buddha Archives</a>.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><i>(Seen on Giphy <a class="_4P63NI68ltZ-kREBhiXwl M2OyGQjcGAg8RMSllWxmS _1UbU0EXP_gcdw9xlUyYe7J" href="https://giphy.com/channel/mikethedead">@mikethedead</a>)</i></p>paul_michttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145973937556808067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038115.post-17843585787184397222023-11-14T23:53:00.012-05:002023-11-15T00:14:58.824-05:00Trump's MAGA Insane Asylum<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2XVhKVwED45C7Ph0s3KseEStoSqE0qnAY9vZ4J328m5Yok11FwEAm6o6QQC4ZRK4CpYFBuRKoysRna6vij5pcSdLxI_RiFd9EUAZ4W6iQ3kG9IXaPkeuyEYdTlMJzfwwhCZOYI83shu3LSqK5ts8lCoGmoSdpo1aQO9WDgQJVsr5z5eX5Eeh6A/s1000/Trump%20Insane%20Asylum.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2XVhKVwED45C7Ph0s3KseEStoSqE0qnAY9vZ4J328m5Yok11FwEAm6o6QQC4ZRK4CpYFBuRKoysRna6vij5pcSdLxI_RiFd9EUAZ4W6iQ3kG9IXaPkeuyEYdTlMJzfwwhCZOYI83shu3LSqK5ts8lCoGmoSdpo1aQO9WDgQJVsr5z5eX5Eeh6A/w466-h466/Trump%20Insane%20Asylum.jpg" width="466" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><p>This level of devotion to <u>ANY</u> politician (or celebrity, or person in general) is stupid & totally insane... but to show this amount of adoration to a criminal, doofy asshole like Donald Trump is just really fucking weird.</p><p>Trump aka. "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mug_shot_of_Donald_Trump" target="_blank">Inmate no. P01135809</a>" tried to overthrow the Presidential election & has committed crimes that would put other people behind bars <i>immediately</i>. He has pushed the limits of corruption in both business & government to extreme limits that were previously unimaginable. His toxicity to politics and culture have inflicted immeasurable damage to the collective consciousness of our country & the world. </p><p>However, there are still people so detached from reality that they're still listening his endless stream of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3ySLR3UnxA" target="_blank"><i>bullshit nonsense</i></a> & somehow NOT thinking "Wow, what a goddamn ignorant jerk this guy is!!!" There are also people who simply hate Democ-Rats & Creepy Joe Biden so much that they support Trump just to "own the Libs". It sucks that American politics is such a 2-team sport that these are the only choices. Republicans will slavishly support a human being as immoral & odious as Trump, because he represents their "team". </p><p>Some especially gullible people believe that Trump actually cares about this country & its citizens. You have to be a complete sucker to fall for his nationalistic rhetoric, because there's only <u>ONE</u> entity that Donald J. Trump gives <i>any</i> shits about - and that is <b>Donald J. Trump</b>. Everything else exists to serve his endless narcissism & out of control ego.</p><p> </p><p><b>As an former senior official close to Trump <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/ex-senior-trump-official-traitor-093409419.html" target="_blank">has reportedly said</a>, </b></p><p><i>“He lacks any shred of human decency, humility or caring. </i></p><p><i>He is morally bankrupt, breathtakingly dishonest, lethally incompetent, and stunningly ignorant of virtually anything related to governing, history, geography, human events or world affairs. </i></p><p><i>He is a traitor and a malignancy in our nation and represents a clear and present danger to our democracy and the rule of law.”</i></p><p><i> </i><br /></p><p>If you don't think this describes Donald Trump accurately, then holy crap, you are a piss-poor judge of character... & may very well be an inmate at the MAGA Insane Asylum!</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZAxiAGWK_lvocfs0u9yPV5hNS4tfuq1iYDGzEGeIgcpq7YTxDFJ_DcvMw0iZHFSfoea9BsPxkaUx5dKcUV85xoxmOkX2nfgb_Yb-OjXqFDtuokXiNcis3oYRT5ckxAzoaYdYTTJY3LG6qxU-pauujA_QGxmT8EB8gmuSh3-1Qvvu-Y5ZqkCJUnQ/s2600/trump-train-truck-maga-vehicle-fan-fanatic-usa-america-president-funny-crazy-insane-bumper-sticker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1733" data-original-width="2600" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZAxiAGWK_lvocfs0u9yPV5hNS4tfuq1iYDGzEGeIgcpq7YTxDFJ_DcvMw0iZHFSfoea9BsPxkaUx5dKcUV85xoxmOkX2nfgb_Yb-OjXqFDtuokXiNcis3oYRT5ckxAzoaYdYTTJY3LG6qxU-pauujA_QGxmT8EB8gmuSh3-1Qvvu-Y5ZqkCJUnQ/w444-h295/trump-train-truck-maga-vehicle-fan-fanatic-usa-america-president-funny-crazy-insane-bumper-sticker.jpg" width="444" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>paul_michttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145973937556808067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038115.post-85856174106347201802023-10-24T00:05:00.000-05:002023-10-24T00:05:08.745-05:00Everything You Need to Know About the Brain<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyphenhyphen8gTkRRo1NbKbpGg_yfUOgyVSzArfYg30ZzPjllEYnVr4uZhb4mte8ik6zbP-7aOLOi-KcUSACPaPmLtoGQnHAhb3KC5LntPKoX1GL6uASTiychGiYf8JRj7DLTDtLw5Hdwvk7zVAgd7eDYH8vuDknHCDgY1-FvHy8a145zeN8HCP695tJ_uYw/s2107/visual-guide-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-brain-circuits-neurons-sensory-processing-system.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1370" data-original-width="2107" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyphenhyphen8gTkRRo1NbKbpGg_yfUOgyVSzArfYg30ZzPjllEYnVr4uZhb4mte8ik6zbP-7aOLOi-KcUSACPaPmLtoGQnHAhb3KC5LntPKoX1GL6uASTiychGiYf8JRj7DLTDtLw5Hdwvk7zVAgd7eDYH8vuDknHCDgY1-FvHy8a145zeN8HCP695tJ_uYw/w400-h260/visual-guide-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-brain-circuits-neurons-sensory-processing-system.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(click to enlarge)</i></span><br /></div><div> <p></p><p>These simple, easy-to-follow charts are <i>fun</i>, comprehensive visual guides to the complex physical, biological structure of the brain, as well as the resulting emergent phenomena that we internally experience as sensory input and mental activity.</p><p>The functioning & processes of the <a href="https://monkeybuddha.blogspot.com/search?q=brain" target="_blank">brain</a> are utterly fascinating to my brain. </p><p>I saw these infographics on <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/197/comments/177rwv1/everything_you_need_to_know/" target="_blank">r/197</a>, but upon downloading the hi-res images & looking closely among the dense layers of information (conveyed through increasingly smaller text sizes), I was able to find the source:</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://thehighestofthemountains.com/">http://thehighestofthemountains.com/</a></p><p style="text-align: left;">So, the website is very passionate about the details & facts of science, but scientific understanding is used as a means to prove the divine engineering of God, whatever that is. </p><p style="text-align: left;">I personally feel that deeply understanding scientific ideas and discoveries <b><i>should absolutely</i></b> lead to a revelatory insight into the mystical nature of this endlessly intricate reality. However, I feel like biblical justifications and personifications of the deity "God the Architect/Engineer" miss the fundamental nature of existence completely. </p><p style="text-align: left;">It's interesting that levels of genius that can create such insanely detailed displays of scientific & technical information can still look at a spiritual work such as the Bible as something that scientific endeavors exist to somehow qualify. To be fair, I have read through the site and think there's a lot of valid moral & spiritual wisdom to go along with the scientific details. I just think that the personification of God in any aspect doesn't jive with the reality of the situation- which is that Source, The-All-In-One, The Universe, Infinite Energies of Creation, Quantum Field, God, Unity <i><b>just IS</b></i>- there is NO motivation, purpose, nor plan behind the Universe in any sense as we humans know it... and that is the breathtaking truth that can be truly terrifying to most people. </p><p style="text-align: left;"> There is clearly a wholly incomprehensible hierarchical pattern of fractal & holographic organization that underlies our world. My issue is with giving this Infinity attributes of our human psyche.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://monkeybuddha.blogspot.com/2013/01/flower-meditation.html" target="_blank"> "Nature is not human-hearted."</a><br />-Lao-Tzu</p><p style="text-align: left;">Speaking of incomprehensible, the first chart was just a warm-up... here is the second graphic showing the mind-bogglingly numerous pathways and processes in the brain. My brain apologizes to your brain in advance, for exposing it to this visual labyrinth of information about itself:<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4CsIPNL4uNTuNTiJoGB4L22Ef0Das9sL_DQZUEHEVBc_qB4ez4RQSky2wm3wq3vqlloL98SSQvRtjchZn3eV1CSb7Ci4GABOj0cAbHonMbpodkBEV14SLtGiUJOa6Tp2AHufM6LTP_p0sV5pxuE3NuqLQ2Q4CeK2VJy1Qmv1Fn5y_NtFA5qgYdQ/s2790/visual-guide-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-brain-circuits-neurons-sensory-processing-system-neural-pathways-chart-graphic-infographic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2790" data-original-width="1892" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4CsIPNL4uNTuNTiJoGB4L22Ef0Das9sL_DQZUEHEVBc_qB4ez4RQSky2wm3wq3vqlloL98SSQvRtjchZn3eV1CSb7Ci4GABOj0cAbHonMbpodkBEV14SLtGiUJOa6Tp2AHufM6LTP_p0sV5pxuE3NuqLQ2Q4CeK2VJy1Qmv1Fn5y_NtFA5qgYdQ/w434-h640/visual-guide-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-brain-circuits-neurons-sensory-processing-system-neural-pathways-chart-graphic-infographic.jpg" width="434" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(click to enlarge)</i></span><br /> <p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p></div>paul_michttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145973937556808067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038115.post-51947957073347657102023-10-06T00:09:00.001-05:002023-10-06T00:17:17.758-05:003D Recreation of Tenochtitlan<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwR5XMJE7bs7sh9Nn3gputRHRXxGX_ZjPZ_Plc8IIVJIhLMZvPBCbB0lmtuKBge4BEipCGIwt_srNH-fMvck3sT7DEMS5eMynyxl7EasnX95WjtdnuUuLoU3d7lgqf2zOl0mhoZ6WJHTrBj6ALOYlVkZ1uzOnHqgczkHCN-J_Q9NKmT_2grxRFKA/s2560/portrait%20of%20tenochtitlan%20aztec%20temple%20pyramids%20templo%20mayor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="2560" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwR5XMJE7bs7sh9Nn3gputRHRXxGX_ZjPZ_Plc8IIVJIhLMZvPBCbB0lmtuKBge4BEipCGIwt_srNH-fMvck3sT7DEMS5eMynyxl7EasnX95WjtdnuUuLoU3d7lgqf2zOl0mhoZ6WJHTrBj6ALOYlVkZ1uzOnHqgczkHCN-J_Q9NKmT_2grxRFKA/w400-h200/portrait%20of%20tenochtitlan%20aztec%20temple%20pyramids%20templo%20mayor.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">I love the use of 3D modeling programs to re-create ancient cities & environments. It is an immersive way to virtually travel through time and experience the glory of past civilizations. Playing the <a href="https://monkeybuddha.blogspot.com/search?q=assassins+creed" target="_blank">Assassins Creed</a> games always impressed me with the way you got a sense of the historical time period, such as Renaissance Rome or Ptolemaic Egypt.</p><p>It is exciting to come across projects where artists and historians accurately replicate the appearance of an ancient site. I found this website by Thomas Kole that is devoted to the rendering of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenochtitlan" target="_blank">Tenochtitlan</a>, capital of the mighty (& brutal) Aztec empire, in the location that is now Mexico City:</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://tenochtitlan.thomaskole.nl/" target="_blank">Portrait of Tenochtitlan</a></b></span></p><p>The renderings shown on the website are stunning. The Aztec city built in the middle of a lake surrounded by mountains <a href="https://www.historians.org/teaching-and-learning/teaching-resources-for-historians/teaching-and-learning-in-the-digital-age/the-history-of-the-americas/the-conquest-of-mexico/letters-from-hernan-cortes/cortes-describes-tenochtitlan" target="_blank">left the Spanish conquistadors awestruck</a> when they first saw it. (Of course, the awe was only temporary & didn't' prevent them from subjugating and eventually destroying the magnificent city.)</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheyPC0YOW2QY-FxnfJZnn8THv1cRGvb6koajHufOiPBKTrh08URXZdYuqsNAPyX4ZjWwrHkGgEMmHzlrDJ9lVWifrYqI0MqcN9Bcyc54NJnBfCBoznSaPmEQTShGeXUo07sMpYY5zzjgbuMbkv7k9601URZZ6UrgkBiZ_pGZCQM7Xineyv0tYRJQ/s2560/portrait%20of%20tenochtitlan%20sacred%20precinct%20tlatelolco.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="2560" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheyPC0YOW2QY-FxnfJZnn8THv1cRGvb6koajHufOiPBKTrh08URXZdYuqsNAPyX4ZjWwrHkGgEMmHzlrDJ9lVWifrYqI0MqcN9Bcyc54NJnBfCBoznSaPmEQTShGeXUo07sMpYY5zzjgbuMbkv7k9601URZZ6UrgkBiZ_pGZCQM7Xineyv0tYRJQ/w400-h200/portrait%20of%20tenochtitlan%20sacred%20precinct%20tlatelolco.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>It was an absolute marvel of engineering & city planning, and 3D computer renderings like this are now the only way to experience the majestic nature of this lost metropolis. I would highly encourage visiting the website above & spending some time soaking in the beauty of Tenochtitlan.</p><p>I've long been fascinated by ancient <a href="https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-americas/beginners-guide-art-of-the-americas/mesoamerica-beginner/a/mesoamerica-an-introduction" target="_blank">Mesoamerican</a> cultures. I've studied the art, astronomy, engineering, and societies of the <a href="https://monkeybuddha.blogspot.com/search?q=aztec" target="_blank">Aztec</a> and <a href="https://monkeybuddha.blogspot.com/search?q=maya" target="_blank">Maya</a> people extensively. There is so much to learn from them, but unfortunately so much has been lost to conquest and time.</p><p>That is why it is so amazing to be able to use this technology to visualize the details of the time period, especially when it is done is such a meticulous and historically accurate way. Eventually, we will be able to use these digital reconstructions and virtual or augmented reality devices to "time travel" and visit such sites in an even more immersive context.<br /></p>paul_michttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145973937556808067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038115.post-85078531783033897602023-09-23T13:49:00.012-05:002023-09-23T13:55:11.505-05:00A.I. Architecture - Futuristic Green Cities<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4R9-sNTlUYMlRXQi0LUFhwt9QtXtQvQBoUyGgKb1MVOiGWYOWw2EWGssgtCrRPHczBl9WqNv2v5nN8ItVoC1vDLksvGk5x5JU66iqXL1J0v0JwzJ69Ays0ynWQlvfi2vHU3BMqj7HVJkaEYGE0dXooTVstF08ef-cUGQtmbMERgG622TdeJtRqA/s768/a%20futuristic%20organically%20inspired%20city%20with%20greenery%20and%20sleek%20rounded%20architecture.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4R9-sNTlUYMlRXQi0LUFhwt9QtXtQvQBoUyGgKb1MVOiGWYOWw2EWGssgtCrRPHczBl9WqNv2v5nN8ItVoC1vDLksvGk5x5JU66iqXL1J0v0JwzJ69Ays0ynWQlvfi2vHU3BMqj7HVJkaEYGE0dXooTVstF08ef-cUGQtmbMERgG622TdeJtRqA/w400-h400/a%20futuristic%20organically%20inspired%20city%20with%20greenery%20and%20sleek%20rounded%20architecture.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I have been dabbling in simple A.I image generation. I created pages on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AC.Artificial.Creativity" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ac_artificial_creativity/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> under @ac_artificial_creativity. <br /></p><p>I've been using the online program <a href="https://stablediffusionweb.com/" target="_blank">Stable Diffusion</a>. I actually don't like the newest version, so I found the older <a href="https://huggingface.co/spaces/runwayml/stable-diffusion-v1-5" target="_blank">Stable Diffusion v1.5</a>. It's actually faster, & generates 4 images at a time. The newer version only generates one image (which is more "polished" looking), and is much slower. The one thing I like about the older version is the glitchy & weird images it could produce.</p><p>The explosion of A.I. generated art is still blowing my mind. There is now endless novel artwork being created, & I don't think we've full grasped the implications of this technology on human creative efforts. I look through my social media feeds of all this amazing imagery, thinking it's just overwhelming.</p><p> I've also begun to use generative tools in my professional life, which is just as amazing. I couldn't find the right photo of a chocolate bar online to use for a food label, so I used A.I. to make one that I could plug into the design. On another project, I had to use a photo of a cheesecake with the end cropped off, so I used Photoshop's new "generative fill" tool & it completed the crumble crust end of the cheesecake <i><b>perfectly</b></i>. I just thought, "Holy shit, this is insane."</p><p>Anyway, when I first started generating A.I. images, one of the series I made that made me sit back and just feel totally awe-struck was of architectural illustrations. The prompt I used was "<b>a futuristic organically inspired city with greenery and sleek rounded architecture</b>". The results were so impressive & beautiful, I couldn't believe they were generated by a computer program. </p><p>I think artificial intelligence software could help advance mankind in unimaginable ways, if it's not used to make a dystopian inescapable control system first. Even before the current proliferation of these programs, I've long thought we should get rid of human politicians whose self-interest & corruption fucks us all over, and feed policy problems into A.I. for the optimal solutions that benefit the greatest number of people. </p><p>Here are some more more images depicting the potential green urban utopia that A.I. could help us to implement. I think they're absolutely fantastic:</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqfuPJyqDaTbQje-OMdu8GIcXJMGXYntfYUaXpYBVYYlMLCpWb0VfD0fV9gWwosmSH5wDO-F13mvGFBXbWKsZzmXMaHRQhdHVThPmBRJFDiZN7WaqGTVz3g-fKWtDIHK8gwHwFeOVq3HXYsq-JiyVga1heeOZLJ88cqN_Q02WfZx5USB_cL3Ub7g/s768/a%20futuristic%20organically%20inspired%20city%20with%20greenery%20and%20sleek%20rounded%20architecture2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqfuPJyqDaTbQje-OMdu8GIcXJMGXYntfYUaXpYBVYYlMLCpWb0VfD0fV9gWwosmSH5wDO-F13mvGFBXbWKsZzmXMaHRQhdHVThPmBRJFDiZN7WaqGTVz3g-fKWtDIHK8gwHwFeOVq3HXYsq-JiyVga1heeOZLJ88cqN_Q02WfZx5USB_cL3Ub7g/w400-h400/a%20futuristic%20organically%20inspired%20city%20with%20greenery%20and%20sleek%20rounded%20architecture2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsPxOIyUGHHHzreTIjVOSjzDs2NXEouqPYHcV8IagMVNahYzyuhzqsL6WwFWp2TQvwy1zDTML5FUZf-2gm69B_1wroOogjvAXBmIuU1RtxXyJVTAzEL2L9qTIm89Whn0h0IYRM3_lHAJHctBEvmmjhAuLH2NbAgftCJics11W871ghTXHRD3IKQ/s768/a%20futuristic%20organically%20inspired%20city%20with%20greenery%20and%20sleek%20rounded%20architecture3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsPxOIyUGHHHzreTIjVOSjzDs2NXEouqPYHcV8IagMVNahYzyuhzqsL6WwFWp2TQvwy1zDTML5FUZf-2gm69B_1wroOogjvAXBmIuU1RtxXyJVTAzEL2L9qTIm89Whn0h0IYRM3_lHAJHctBEvmmjhAuLH2NbAgftCJics11W871ghTXHRD3IKQ/w400-h400/a%20futuristic%20organically%20inspired%20city%20with%20greenery%20and%20sleek%20rounded%20architecture3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi73eocXt24__GKIKCfiVKd2rR0dTqMs9od8KWNF3ORj_apy57EjCLAld3KJ0RTiNnep21vdzVSYet-CBUaHu08GZCV0Ob7f9iULNBEyiFqMkxnU1IpJDqkDU_UkLqsths7BsppgRqFYeNELq-x9reSCKOKnpAQJu4EryGLtjMuqBUq4bNpRS4MvA/s768/a%20futuristic%20organically%20inspired%20city%20with%20greenery%20and%20sleek%20rounded%20architecture4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi73eocXt24__GKIKCfiVKd2rR0dTqMs9od8KWNF3ORj_apy57EjCLAld3KJ0RTiNnep21vdzVSYet-CBUaHu08GZCV0Ob7f9iULNBEyiFqMkxnU1IpJDqkDU_UkLqsths7BsppgRqFYeNELq-x9reSCKOKnpAQJu4EryGLtjMuqBUq4bNpRS4MvA/w400-h400/a%20futuristic%20organically%20inspired%20city%20with%20greenery%20and%20sleek%20rounded%20architecture4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrm_LI7HkmXBI2aePVJ46Fur03fA_GVv5e-DxsqVaDMbk7OOsqytkApq3yPpOlyRXg19mFusamL8jgEz0X6nfGbM33XmFDEo26rVGDLgD_qmEKlTO6OPNbPpnPebTPu6gTtnTHcsQ8IprDckjgskirJ2ntxkcLp-f00bm5NJhKPdouUTuWdZ7mlg/s768/a%20futuristic%20organically%20inspired%20city%20with%20greenery%20and%20sleek%20rounded%20architecture5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrm_LI7HkmXBI2aePVJ46Fur03fA_GVv5e-DxsqVaDMbk7OOsqytkApq3yPpOlyRXg19mFusamL8jgEz0X6nfGbM33XmFDEo26rVGDLgD_qmEKlTO6OPNbPpnPebTPu6gTtnTHcsQ8IprDckjgskirJ2ntxkcLp-f00bm5NJhKPdouUTuWdZ7mlg/w400-h400/a%20futuristic%20organically%20inspired%20city%20with%20greenery%20and%20sleek%20rounded%20architecture5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12IEIiryQAY0z87HmMGef3rutvCDt83FYTxCQRon8wy4eHXNHtFmY8dd_fH8AEI8QklnjWsaNASiq4yK7NwXiKr3-JlY5rxtpwZhrPIAex7RDkVzEC7fBhXDMx5_6skpBMfqybIVA2KKjG1HQ6KL5n0zXx7K7QCRBWhbXKtio_b98YZ5d6m1epA/s768/a%20futuristic%20organically%20inspired%20city%20with%20greenery%20and%20sleek%20rounded%20architecture6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12IEIiryQAY0z87HmMGef3rutvCDt83FYTxCQRon8wy4eHXNHtFmY8dd_fH8AEI8QklnjWsaNASiq4yK7NwXiKr3-JlY5rxtpwZhrPIAex7RDkVzEC7fBhXDMx5_6skpBMfqybIVA2KKjG1HQ6KL5n0zXx7K7QCRBWhbXKtio_b98YZ5d6m1epA/w400-h400/a%20futuristic%20organically%20inspired%20city%20with%20greenery%20and%20sleek%20rounded%20architecture6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicfLXsVqd5ilPW7VDA7I4ypDYeN1SGRthWqEiMl4a_51jZ3ULo63ibRfrn0vTcm-NyCvn5M0PLi4nN1089_-4kERIRgP_MUih5gOavVwJg_BAbggosO2MXKtSrSXm8Kd1OhDaapEZOEKebAlmylCIsggM3AK3qZGzJCKPKoeI1sLi6sE9uZGWQ_g/s768/a%20futuristic%20organically%20inspired%20city%20with%20greenery%20and%20sleek%20rounded%20architecture7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicfLXsVqd5ilPW7VDA7I4ypDYeN1SGRthWqEiMl4a_51jZ3ULo63ibRfrn0vTcm-NyCvn5M0PLi4nN1089_-4kERIRgP_MUih5gOavVwJg_BAbggosO2MXKtSrSXm8Kd1OhDaapEZOEKebAlmylCIsggM3AK3qZGzJCKPKoeI1sLi6sE9uZGWQ_g/w400-h400/a%20futuristic%20organically%20inspired%20city%20with%20greenery%20and%20sleek%20rounded%20architecture7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>paul_michttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145973937556808067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038115.post-8403228209874146342023-09-04T23:07:00.006-05:002023-09-04T23:11:32.599-05:00Summer of Bugs<p style="text-align: left;"> This summer, I was able to take a lot of nature photography, especially macro close-ups of insects & spiders. Being able to zoom into the intricate details of these creatures gives you a deeper appreciation of their amazing complexity.<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://goo.gl/photos/Cv4Pu65KiYepxejz7" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Nature Photography</span></a><br />by Paul Micarelli</p><p>This post is a roundup of photos I've taken of interesting creatures in my backyard. (I try to use my finger for scale whenever possible.)<br /></p><p>First up is this little jumping spider that was staring at me as I snapped his pic:</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirVyyggU4ZnEtd6CWM6gxBc35OnjBN4Yoedbtvz-i-xAx-Px0rCBa9vaUF1pbIVMgmIgFiSMGg5IOK2tdHkE9SYyt3yYt7c_yw0g5yKis_HQIcxVbxVAo1cV1MNKRyFAOkmN6Lc7fgip2Aw1hYxJBcLU6cOeicbIdtelEJlUOYG6xl2SLR23CNzA/s2504/IMG_E5338.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2504" data-original-width="1877" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirVyyggU4ZnEtd6CWM6gxBc35OnjBN4Yoedbtvz-i-xAx-Px0rCBa9vaUF1pbIVMgmIgFiSMGg5IOK2tdHkE9SYyt3yYt7c_yw0g5yKis_HQIcxVbxVAo1cV1MNKRyFAOkmN6Lc7fgip2Aw1hYxJBcLU6cOeicbIdtelEJlUOYG6xl2SLR23CNzA/w300-h400/IMG_E5338.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">Here are some alien-like macro shots of a kaytdid. Thankfully, I'm part of a local Facebook nature photography group, so they are a big help in identifying some of this wildlife. Otherwise, I would've thought this was just some kind of grasshopper:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROm8BNYWGTkRxqT75EhcFwu9RqrG1_0LUvV45fK6KJWy0wzUp9R0cQewqB7IkdH3Lc40DB2MGvHq0NjfvaVi4lxqyExrFQGyNWdva8ZDuZC0GtiggphEZnGLe6xGVO2z64hhv2W4d6iAMy41xKS7qFImH-X_l3F80qcc61pLLImIdHB4rhFbaXg/s4032/IMG_6706.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROm8BNYWGTkRxqT75EhcFwu9RqrG1_0LUvV45fK6KJWy0wzUp9R0cQewqB7IkdH3Lc40DB2MGvHq0NjfvaVi4lxqyExrFQGyNWdva8ZDuZC0GtiggphEZnGLe6xGVO2z64hhv2W4d6iAMy41xKS7qFImH-X_l3F80qcc61pLLImIdHB4rhFbaXg/w400-h300/IMG_6706.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfz5q9RICEqnsnETIAKV59lpURQNso15d1GQIXQrI--oFfVRXGpavh9yuKSpiOgc3oFMQRPHByVUv5fDG4O2Rz65MwzJiBrqCPabmUjkqW_BtKg_2RobvN1LhefQ4J4mqEAM-bpm8jwGjIbc8F0XtG99IpgC3-S6SwW1w_MzmvUFUNzaWnb0J1Q/s4032/IMG_6707.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfz5q9RICEqnsnETIAKV59lpURQNso15d1GQIXQrI--oFfVRXGpavh9yuKSpiOgc3oFMQRPHByVUv5fDG4O2Rz65MwzJiBrqCPabmUjkqW_BtKg_2RobvN1LhefQ4J4mqEAM-bpm8jwGjIbc8F0XtG99IpgC3-S6SwW1w_MzmvUFUNzaWnb0J1Q/w400-h300/IMG_6707.JPG" width="400" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb5l8jUeFodwW_3eH2IijdwPJiMBYzJcf8lOfFGdVNMFUQGiguHF3B6k9qZpJv7SzR9Mcuua7mxI4js0MWT1pWa2B7IpGWl_eLZVfi8UKupxzCGHDvDzLpwhQb7FvpLjLHgSkspcxBYW5bcsoiVhqz44aeV1p48jCcSMZHBMpa8OZN-EvkfdBUEA/s4032/IMG_6714.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb5l8jUeFodwW_3eH2IijdwPJiMBYzJcf8lOfFGdVNMFUQGiguHF3B6k9qZpJv7SzR9Mcuua7mxI4js0MWT1pWa2B7IpGWl_eLZVfi8UKupxzCGHDvDzLpwhQb7FvpLjLHgSkspcxBYW5bcsoiVhqz44aeV1p48jCcSMZHBMpa8OZN-EvkfdBUEA/w400-h300/IMG_6714.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Have you ever seen a katydid breathing? Now you have:<br /><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dydV3irxwgfadHYdc7FGKwmk8Q3G1uPosUo8mGaQnOMY6tsdhVogc-OOHqHjI04qZvDgyDNklNfdlw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p>The next photos are actually post-mortem of what I was later informed was a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphecius_speciosus" target="_blank">cicada killer wasp</a>. I was in the yard with my 3-year old son & it started buzzing around our heads. So, I took Paulie up to the porch, tracked it down, & sprayed it. I'd already been stung by multiple bees & wasps this summer, and this one looked it could definitely hurt one of us. I watched it fly across the yard & drop. I went over to the dead wasp & decided that it was pretty insane-looking, so I might as well get some photography of its physical features. </p><p>Well, I caught a lot of shit from people in the nature photography group, because I had killed it. It actually cause a bit of a debate among the members who were defending me vs. the wasp defenders. Lol. I found out that cicada killer males put on a false show of aggression & actually are not super-dangerous. Although I don't want to kill any kind of life if I can help it, I truly felt that this wasp was a threat. I don't feel bad about taking out a wasp to prevent my son from possibly getting injured. Despite it's potential threat level, it's details were definitely fascinating:<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_sUe1oAqHy_GeDD6UMW7HMbI2hpyrncNoJrqyykliAvKYHPcIAo3MbekT15EtOUIp6VEKZRBB1TTDkimImFE2sWLM1vUhBgy96LLbIRBdd7uMU2H-wH7a7MvSWPPDxRm4uRD__SvBPEp54RIbQd5Pxr5SGooZ_NMBcvGlDrrWqFDAoTLvM9Ayig/s4032/IMG_6382.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_sUe1oAqHy_GeDD6UMW7HMbI2hpyrncNoJrqyykliAvKYHPcIAo3MbekT15EtOUIp6VEKZRBB1TTDkimImFE2sWLM1vUhBgy96LLbIRBdd7uMU2H-wH7a7MvSWPPDxRm4uRD__SvBPEp54RIbQd5Pxr5SGooZ_NMBcvGlDrrWqFDAoTLvM9Ayig/w480-h640/IMG_6382.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjllh1H6vzDNoXm5o0gnDFmbpuemOT6WTTupQ0qZBtjsluxYxsjjk76AsiPu3NLbOLTy5ov_VA-rcSBgQvIcVRUyExwnIfAtuRZNs1FST25QlD15BxrWq7sfO9XNQMOck2Edw6esn-p3YSizOVz9QYKAwY7eh9e-ory6U7NrHjAxKWyEr7h0iMvAg/s4032/IMG_6392.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjllh1H6vzDNoXm5o0gnDFmbpuemOT6WTTupQ0qZBtjsluxYxsjjk76AsiPu3NLbOLTy5ov_VA-rcSBgQvIcVRUyExwnIfAtuRZNs1FST25QlD15BxrWq7sfO9XNQMOck2Edw6esn-p3YSizOVz9QYKAwY7eh9e-ory6U7NrHjAxKWyEr7h0iMvAg/s4032/IMG_6392.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCowDVrbMboZi0IFiwurpg8dDEDyBT8SozMEXajj1C2O-E5oaCv7c8XpgPgzHHw6RMfBltuOznYr3QKM_yigmXa3RTlAlInXncV-2bDuwTX5fNcAserV_G6pQi45TxHG-vorVGT_5yG1oNoyFOgU6oKflpr3k7pQUF-GQ-G-i_LT7QVCVpQIF2mA/s4032/IMG_6366.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCowDVrbMboZi0IFiwurpg8dDEDyBT8SozMEXajj1C2O-E5oaCv7c8XpgPgzHHw6RMfBltuOznYr3QKM_yigmXa3RTlAlInXncV-2bDuwTX5fNcAserV_G6pQi45TxHG-vorVGT_5yG1oNoyFOgU6oKflpr3k7pQUF-GQ-G-i_LT7QVCVpQIF2mA/w300-h400/IMG_6366.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjllh1H6vzDNoXm5o0gnDFmbpuemOT6WTTupQ0qZBtjsluxYxsjjk76AsiPu3NLbOLTy5ov_VA-rcSBgQvIcVRUyExwnIfAtuRZNs1FST25QlD15BxrWq7sfO9XNQMOck2Edw6esn-p3YSizOVz9QYKAwY7eh9e-ory6U7NrHjAxKWyEr7h0iMvAg/w300-h400/IMG_6392.JPG" width="300" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjllh1H6vzDNoXm5o0gnDFmbpuemOT6WTTupQ0qZBtjsluxYxsjjk76AsiPu3NLbOLTy5ov_VA-rcSBgQvIcVRUyExwnIfAtuRZNs1FST25QlD15BxrWq7sfO9XNQMOck2Edw6esn-p3YSizOVz9QYKAwY7eh9e-ory6U7NrHjAxKWyEr7h0iMvAg/s4032/IMG_6392.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeetkdd1qrG6BmXrN6dUwIV7QryapP7OSpot-fl9jdnERz1EGY9uFpYC0e8ikxWhgVxGBU52fSHqaHy2R9NJY_rqRMAnYJUmg1L9vKI-ItbSvPSKMCKQGjeMFRnZO2g-WFmCNubQUNJiUTTkmbXk-poDK6yGlx05-UlO32rFFCRI67QrRKbKMkuQ/s4032/IMG_6389.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeetkdd1qrG6BmXrN6dUwIV7QryapP7OSpot-fl9jdnERz1EGY9uFpYC0e8ikxWhgVxGBU52fSHqaHy2R9NJY_rqRMAnYJUmg1L9vKI-ItbSvPSKMCKQGjeMFRnZO2g-WFmCNubQUNJiUTTkmbXk-poDK6yGlx05-UlO32rFFCRI67QrRKbKMkuQ/w300-h400/IMG_6389.JPG" width="300" /></a></div></div><p><br />Here's another really tiny spider, that was in a web on the leaves of a hibiscus plant. It was so small, I couldn't even pick up fine details with my macro lens:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiaECo4mfxeayGGNm3yyGIfZAdI8kdBmPNx5_x2xu1BMVJS6fuWv00idSazNIV0oIEantxavEtQahuiAaY5hxFvfvfdSYheSGJ29BWM_r1pTD1fPwlrYZ0wJo0eWtj_02PrA8PN5YcgaeXNcS_abOWQxMlDzdK36HTHFkK4O-r_ktonRtKC9QeWw/s4032/IMG_6960.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiaECo4mfxeayGGNm3yyGIfZAdI8kdBmPNx5_x2xu1BMVJS6fuWv00idSazNIV0oIEantxavEtQahuiAaY5hxFvfvfdSYheSGJ29BWM_r1pTD1fPwlrYZ0wJo0eWtj_02PrA8PN5YcgaeXNcS_abOWQxMlDzdK36HTHFkK4O-r_ktonRtKC9QeWw/w300-h400/IMG_6960.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAmlBcKfvKZHQqP5UgMVwvilGljyzEM5JUT0D7xYkEvxDrdAonYZa2pgr610qUh8_oxLBwkmdRZS8MZULtFwmMOh2Oqhlb3BY2mbTOhzQedNlWVJGYLvw-xHp0Zz3KSA9CfB5VOlblCSfPxfLOb5pj97OP9VoS67yDutjIt7UvhdFh-qcarNtONw/s4032/IMG_6978.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAmlBcKfvKZHQqP5UgMVwvilGljyzEM5JUT0D7xYkEvxDrdAonYZa2pgr610qUh8_oxLBwkmdRZS8MZULtFwmMOh2Oqhlb3BY2mbTOhzQedNlWVJGYLvw-xHp0Zz3KSA9CfB5VOlblCSfPxfLOb5pj97OP9VoS67yDutjIt7UvhdFh-qcarNtONw/w300-h400/IMG_6978.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p>This little green fella turned out to be a <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiUwvDUyZKBAxV7jokEHW9DDWoQFnoECEUQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FBanasa_euchlora&usg=AOvVaw0lT61Hs9EcAJHWwRwphh2H&opi=89978449" target="_blank">juniper stink bug</a>. I knew it was shaped like a stink bug, but thought it was a small beetle or something. I'm used to the ugly brown stinkbugs.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGhObGnIrHAQX1MEHByQrbymJUFAQ4tczEcqWqM4V5KSeRWUJYo2sOKBlDqpL4FA9tS20wZir-uKtUEAA9wRxh6jBzRqcyX4a8QPUQ_gKVg8LNPSTwWzkiQ6xJYE7CSA6jkoqkQJsuv-OGuU7UR3zoAWKg93_jyNt6vmFk9gh6xMkflcG-lMSd5A/s3024/IMG_E6952.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="2268" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGhObGnIrHAQX1MEHByQrbymJUFAQ4tczEcqWqM4V5KSeRWUJYo2sOKBlDqpL4FA9tS20wZir-uKtUEAA9wRxh6jBzRqcyX4a8QPUQ_gKVg8LNPSTwWzkiQ6xJYE7CSA6jkoqkQJsuv-OGuU7UR3zoAWKg93_jyNt6vmFk9gh6xMkflcG-lMSd5A/w480-h640/IMG_E6952.JPG" width="480" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJDdfw4e6YvmUjgs2yGvesLvzKQ8dHEgifNvP2yXoA14NmBx-nKFClZwVT1toN4h5eKed0LedauRNQa0ug7C5E6sKLx5UbjvZcOcP98BI7AXBYVE73S-1-36xogfQSqrRy1dvSnNdBQGz8WIJmfsQOhFNE7pvpLwA8WLTU-ECF6qJoGZm6m9CFA/s4032/IMG_6954.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJDdfw4e6YvmUjgs2yGvesLvzKQ8dHEgifNvP2yXoA14NmBx-nKFClZwVT1toN4h5eKed0LedauRNQa0ug7C5E6sKLx5UbjvZcOcP98BI7AXBYVE73S-1-36xogfQSqrRy1dvSnNdBQGz8WIJmfsQOhFNE7pvpLwA8WLTU-ECF6qJoGZm6m9CFA/w300-h400/IMG_6954.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally, this alien-like praying mantis was waiting for my family on our back door, as we came home from a Labor Day party yesterday. It was about 4-6 inches long. My wife refused to open the door until I got it the hell away from there.<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfYikhRT4-fR4evK8tenbfATOSuuURvR-xsZwikGxCbk97970DId4gPAAI8CzRXXG-_N6pbNcaw_wC8zqKalVl0FBcHeHcdAMCdBf61G7ZXVi03vZMNV-ceslJ5k-zveF7mcqqHTZV1j9RrRUrXTo_-D8Q7qw4isToY1beK8H5F7REH2GqHT5CIQ/s4032/IMG_7328.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfYikhRT4-fR4evK8tenbfATOSuuURvR-xsZwikGxCbk97970DId4gPAAI8CzRXXG-_N6pbNcaw_wC8zqKalVl0FBcHeHcdAMCdBf61G7ZXVi03vZMNV-ceslJ5k-zveF7mcqqHTZV1j9RrRUrXTo_-D8Q7qw4isToY1beK8H5F7REH2GqHT5CIQ/w480-h640/IMG_7328.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p></p>paul_michttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145973937556808067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038115.post-77893372607045859152023-08-28T00:31:00.008-05:002023-08-28T22:57:18.181-05:00The Mugshot<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbgexJY0xk58zwqHsJcbAo-gO40TQJ4gv62cdb4PDnRvVgR-l95PRAVv4UDLDj1IFn7NSr8jPa2lsUwvp--1N3imT_b-nef9maESpUghYtA-61596ev6pVX_G5r8SZvqhPOOKaLzZTN3uD-ZlGkMfHJYZBV2dKMAV0sx5U-UncNzyH4AoQC2MZRg/s2560/Donald-Trump-Mugshot-Fulton-County-Georgia-Inmate-No.-P01135809%20.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="2560" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbgexJY0xk58zwqHsJcbAo-gO40TQJ4gv62cdb4PDnRvVgR-l95PRAVv4UDLDj1IFn7NSr8jPa2lsUwvp--1N3imT_b-nef9maESpUghYtA-61596ev6pVX_G5r8SZvqhPOOKaLzZTN3uD-ZlGkMfHJYZBV2dKMAV0sx5U-UncNzyH4AoQC2MZRg/w400-h400/Donald-Trump-Mugshot-Fulton-County-Georgia-Inmate-No.-P01135809%20.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>After 4 federal & state indictments, for almost 100 criminal charges (<i>so far</i>), Donald J. Trump has finally taken his <i><b>greatest publicity photo yet</b></i> - his booking mugshot at Fulton Co. jail in Georgia. This arrest was for the charges that he's facing there as <span>Inmate #P01135809</span> - of racketeering & conspiracy to overthrow the election.</p><p>This will obviously go down in history as the most infamous mugshot ever (& maybe photo, in general). Like everything Trump does, it is the Biggest & Best Ever, <i><b>but for all the wrong reasons</b></i>. </p><p>It's such a surreal situation- the former President of the United States being booked on charges to basically thwart the fundamental democratic process of free elections. He is a straight-up criminal thug whose activity is inexcusable when looked at objectively (an impossible feat for a true MAGA devotee).</p><p>This ridiculous mugshot is typical Trump, trying to control the media narrative for his benefit. You can tell he's trying to do the "tough & intimidating" look, but to any sane person it just comes off as silly & fake like everything else he does. One comment I saw online likened it to an Angry Bird that has morphed into an old man. </p><p>Predictably, Trump supporters immediately embraced the normally-humiliating mugshot as a perverse badge of honor. In MAGA Bizarro-World, it's become a symbol of über-patriot Trump being unjustly persecuted by the corrupt system. In reality, it's the symbol of the justice system <i><b>finally</b></i> holding a corrupt, self-centered asshole in power accountable for his actions. </p><p>The memes, merchandise, & fundraising began the micro-second the photo was shared online. <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/26/trump-mugshot-fundraising-00113118" target="_blank">Trump raised millions of dollars</a> in the first day from <i>absolute idiots</i> willing to donate money to a "billionaire" for his criminal defense. Trump's own account posted this totally shitty graphic:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNvUDsqMY85ojuWaP_C7At37V-7z4RkYxGRDdD7ue0pZEyxtJMT3ZKkpYC75tTp1timt6Em_vnZJcPc7jzJzTI3VySTQtzb9uyhisDEEsPRReTOs2vnua-qIAh7hnyCewKU9CXcVlQ_P6xDTplQLPqo6VUkGNlTlEPv5zTDpLTryR1ZMoh1SLJA/s1065/Donald-Trump-Mugshot-Never-Surrender-Maga-Twitter-Meme.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="965" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNvUDsqMY85ojuWaP_C7At37V-7z4RkYxGRDdD7ue0pZEyxtJMT3ZKkpYC75tTp1timt6Em_vnZJcPc7jzJzTI3VySTQtzb9uyhisDEEsPRReTOs2vnua-qIAh7hnyCewKU9CXcVlQ_P6xDTplQLPqo6VUkGNlTlEPv5zTDpLTryR1ZMoh1SLJA/w363-h400/Donald-Trump-Mugshot-Never-Surrender-Maga-Twitter-Meme.jpg" width="363" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">___________________<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"NEVER SURRENDER!" </span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;">- From a guy who has already <u>SURRENDERED 4 TIMES</u> to law enforcement.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p>The stupidity truly has no limit. The hypocrisy in this graphic alone should be enough to make your head spin, but there are actually people out there who are eating all his bullshit up. It's just baffling to me.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0r_nOCDkdlPMomVZ65-tfHh4AcP56z1g7f8pJdvtQxJYQxGaBHpvElFuvTyyqsL1dHZimWGVmMKF1mtp2q3UAqyXcwVZI9wLF_ysaUhmszLToK0hqypKP-JeH5VqKGAzj-fmnveEkr8iKHfyQ5c-67JuAB718-JlMRZQDc3VING2sYrfxAF7dog/s1500/Donald-Trump-Co-conspirator-Mugshots-Names-Federal-Indictment-Criminal-Racketeering-Charges-Giuliani-Powell-Meadows-Ellis.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0r_nOCDkdlPMomVZ65-tfHh4AcP56z1g7f8pJdvtQxJYQxGaBHpvElFuvTyyqsL1dHZimWGVmMKF1mtp2q3UAqyXcwVZI9wLF_ysaUhmszLToK0hqypKP-JeH5VqKGAzj-fmnveEkr8iKHfyQ5c-67JuAB718-JlMRZQDc3VING2sYrfxAF7dog/w512-h640/Donald-Trump-Co-conspirator-Mugshots-Names-Federal-Indictment-Criminal-Racketeering-Charges-Giuliani-Powell-Meadows-Ellis.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;">New York Magazine:<br /><a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-mug-shot-gallery.html" target="_blank">All the Mug Shots of Donald Trump and His Alleged Co-Conspirators<br /></a></p><p>The really wild thing about this indictment is the 19 other co-defendants who are also being charged. It's a who's-who of MAGA scumbags- "America's {Disgraced} Mayor" Rudy Giuliani, Batshit Conspiracy Lawyers John Eastman & Sydney Powell, Trump's own Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and so many people who willingly tried to break the law to subvert the election process... all for a con-man who has now hung them out to dry. It's sad & shameful that these people are now facing jail time for the likes of Donald Trump, but they deserve the consequences of their actions.<br /></p><p>They all are entitled to their day in court & to maintain their innocence, but the evidence already is pretty damning. You just cannot put so much faith into 1 party, or 1 man, that you are willing to completely overturn the election process & the votes of American citizens. It's authoritarian bullshit that has no place in a democratic society. </p><p>Of course, there are people who sincerely believe that Trump won the election, but that's just pure ignorance. Trump is not <i>THAT</i> popular, AT ALL. Trump supporters can't wrap their heads around the fact that the majority of the people preferred Biden. "<i><b>...but, but there were NO Biden flags anywhere before the election!!!</b></i>" Guess what? Normal people don't fly a flag outside their house with an old politician's head on Rocky Balboa's muscular body, like Trump supporters do.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTSAbSfOHwEBx8ESgWI8hGhAVJ2SrZ11KxMFAed4xEtaOEQoETrCvPXOp6H1YNOzsK36tFAO5Iru5Vw8U-s23LqelKNqW2aMWqhy2FfqFFodAei6vqtRlHcKA2-ETsKYAQWqbniZFx1L4fDkmlZRl7GxhsAg8MOQ5L4bUbJek4EWbTMXJBe6PiA/s2999/Donald%20Trump%20Van%202024%20Maga%20vehicle%20political%20meme%20ivanka%202028.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2872" data-original-width="2999" height="383" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTSAbSfOHwEBx8ESgWI8hGhAVJ2SrZ11KxMFAed4xEtaOEQoETrCvPXOp6H1YNOzsK36tFAO5Iru5Vw8U-s23LqelKNqW2aMWqhy2FfqFFodAei6vqtRlHcKA2-ETsKYAQWqbniZFx1L4fDkmlZRl7GxhsAg8MOQ5L4bUbJek4EWbTMXJBe6PiA/w400-h383/Donald%20Trump%20Van%202024%20Maga%20vehicle%20political%20meme%20ivanka%202028.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;">Anyway, the one good thing to come out of this fucking mess is the endless memes. So, far the best one regarding all the co-conspirators shows them as the rogues gallery of Batman villains. My brother sent it to me before Trump got his mugshot. I said, "send them all to Arkham Asylum! Looks like they're waiting for Trump to be the Joker." Sure enough, the wonderful genius (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/iamhappytoast" target="_blank">@iamhappytoast</a>) who created these images made Trump the Clown Prince of Crime. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzPUw6Yd12Lhd1CXT1z-fI0ApdF4EAklhGIJQncBJnhsaAjch5Dujb09T-MFtc5kNcausxBQOK9QtV7VMpR00JoB7MKB4EGs3olvhSKXV0cUWuVN1RALaN_mXe2HGqpynynkMJLAhrk_CyJ38TP1tTrsGzUkJU6lVmzj5aa6kPvRU6xZIABXC7Hw/s500/Donald-Trump-Co-conspirator-Mugshots-Federal-Indictment-Criminal-Racketeering-Charges-Batman-Villains-Enemies.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="340" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzPUw6Yd12Lhd1CXT1z-fI0ApdF4EAklhGIJQncBJnhsaAjch5Dujb09T-MFtc5kNcausxBQOK9QtV7VMpR00JoB7MKB4EGs3olvhSKXV0cUWuVN1RALaN_mXe2HGqpynynkMJLAhrk_CyJ38TP1tTrsGzUkJU6lVmzj5aa6kPvRU6xZIABXC7Hw/w436-h640/Donald-Trump-Co-conspirator-Mugshots-Federal-Indictment-Criminal-Racketeering-Charges-Batman-Villains-Enemies.jpeg" width="436" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;">So, damn, what else is there to say? Shit's so crazy. All you can do is watch and wonder what comes next. I do think all right-minded people have the responsibility to speak out, & not accept the possibility of another administration that is as unrepentantly criminally-minded as Trump's. Extreme right-wing conservatives think that they have some kind of moral mandate over the rest of us, when the actual policies that their values reflect are usually downright horrible for the people and the country. <br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">The MAGA mindset is really a cult-like phenomenon that has coalesced around the incarnate golden calf, Donald Trump. Anyone can see it, except for the people who have been propagandized into that mindset. It's scary how detached from reality certain people in that mindset can be, and it has proven to be a serious danger to the smooth functioning of our democracy. I am all for conservatism playing their part in politics, as well as skepticism of systems of control & the government. However, we can't just let a random band of crazy fuckers screw everything up because they want their guy to win.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Trump is a toxic influence that has infected politics in a way that is amazing and disgusting at the same time. His malignant narcissistic personality disorder has gone beyond him, & has led to a type of cultural mental illness that is demonstrably harmful to society, in all aspects. The only way for us as individuals to counteract this influence is to ridicule it, & call it out on it's own nonsense until it's marginalized. The way for society, as a whole, to counteract it is to do what is happening here; prosecute those who are acting on de-stabilizing our institutions and norms in a way that will cause harm to the country & it's democratic processes. Our relative freedom & rights as citizens depends on us not succumbing to authoritarian and fascist tendencies, like MAGA & Trump-worship. <b> </b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>The very idea that Donald Trump can try to run for President after being indicted in several different jurisdictions is absolutely bonkers & totally unacceptable</b>. It does not surprise me that the boot-licking sycophants of the Republican party would still back him as their candidate, but it's still pathetic.<br /></p><p>It's a surreal & a scary time, when American democracy is being threatened by True Believers who cannot accept that maybe, just maybe, they are wrong or have been misinformed about many, many things. Hopefully, enough people can look past their own biases and media influences, to bring some normalcy to political discourse and policy. Trump & his fans ultimately need to be seen for what they are - an anomaly, & not the norm. This begins by society holding Trump accountable for his continual stream of misdeeds. This mugshot is symbolic of the idea that no one should be above the law, especially someone as destructive to society as Donald Trump.<br /></p>paul_michttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145973937556808067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038115.post-8050447954484719742023-08-17T00:11:00.007-05:002023-08-17T00:13:44.300-05:00LOCK HIM UP! Indictment Part 4: The Devil Came Down to Georgia<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioUHPlYCSdpVtRcwFjpgCD-oCe8xX1VfUPxqcqH_FwJhTs-js4pNSb0HjcSVv0onMmhV_ozERb8V2T23i0PfMmT-Q0vFzdn5bHCwfzksDGXWtXFpQsVMBGVVwn3S_kh1WHuNOYh2GbnDokauOurynq0voW6fCrcYGKOEs-JK7nKnsgI7mD8p-x6Q/s2000/Trump-Lock%20Him%20Up%20Arrest%20Indictment%20Jail%20Prison%20Inmate%20Criminal%20Mugshot.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioUHPlYCSdpVtRcwFjpgCD-oCe8xX1VfUPxqcqH_FwJhTs-js4pNSb0HjcSVv0onMmhV_ozERb8V2T23i0PfMmT-Q0vFzdn5bHCwfzksDGXWtXFpQsVMBGVVwn3S_kh1WHuNOYh2GbnDokauOurynq0voW6fCrcYGKOEs-JK7nKnsgI7mD8p-x6Q/w400-h400/Trump-Lock%20Him%20Up%20Arrest%20Indictment%20Jail%20Prison%20Inmate%20Criminal%20Mugshot.jpg" width="400" /></a> <br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">****LOCK HIM UP!***</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">by The Monkey Buddha </span><br /></div> <p></p><p><i> *YAAAWN*</i> Just another day, another (totally unfair) Deep State Conspiracy Witch Hunt™ for poor, innocent Donald. This time, his 4th criminal indictment is coming from Fulton Co., Geoergia, with a MAGA who's-who of fellow conspirators. It sucks that American politics allows an objectively shitty person like this to gain any sort of power, but it is at least reassuring that karma is finally coming around to finding Trump accountable for his crimes. </p><p> In this case, it is the very provable and obvious criminal act of trying to tamper with & overturn the Presidential election results, specifically through illegal efforts in Georgia. He's publicly on tape doing it, & now there is tons of other hard evidence that shows he tried to completely fuck-over the American election process itself to stay in power- it's not some kind of fabricated storyline. Thank God Trump, Giuliani, Sidney Powell are goddamn idiots/lunatics, or else they may have gotten away with subverting the election process. I believe there's been plenty of election fuckery going on since the beginning of voting, but rarely have officials been <i><b>this</b></i> totally fucking stupid & blatant about it.</p><p>Under Georgia law, Trump & the MAGA crew's actions are subject to RICO statutes that cover organized crime activity. It <i><b>was</b></i> a conspiracy of power-hungry people who were explicitly breaking the law, through a coordinated effort. "Teflon Don" Trump wants to act like a tough-guy crime boss? Welp, it looks like he's about to get<i><b> criminally prosecuted</b></i> like one!</p><p style="text-align: center;">Fulton County Superior Court: Case No. 23SC188947<br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.fultonclerk.org/DocumentCenter/View/2092/MOTION-08-16-2023-151715-39070073-1C86D04A-9755-4D11-B5B2-0C36FAC21C70" target="_blank"><b>STATE OF GEORGIA |<br />v. <br />DONALD JOHN TRUMP</b></a></span><br /></p><p>It seems like the Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis is especially competent in these types of criminal proceedings. I hope that she and the justice system uphold the law & protect the basic democratic institutions of this country. Already, Trump is using inflammatory rhetoric toward the prosecutors and judge, & his followers are propagating the personal information of the grand jury members. It's just a scumbag mob mentality, and he wallows in the social upheaval like a pig in mud.<br /></p><p>I will continue to express my disbelief that, especially by now, anyone would put any kind of faith or trust into such an all-around horrible man. It's so crazy... Republicans & conservatives should be ashamed that they thrust such a tremendous asshole upon this nation. Conservatives love that he's an asshole, though- it's easier than deeply thinking about the issues & debating them in good faith. Even if someone thinks Joe Biden is doing a good job, most people are not going to defend him tooth-and-nail. It's a Trump cult of personality, & a shit personality, at that.</p><p>I would love to rant about this fucking loser-ass criminal for hours, but I've got to get to sleep. I can sleep with a clear conscious. Trump will be spending the rest of his life in court or jail, but his ego will not let his mind self-reflect on the bad choices that led him to this situation. It is just constant whining about the "Witch Hunts", "the Biden Crime Family", "the Deep State"... blah blah fucking blah. "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0OaeMYTbs4" target="_blank">Shut the fuck up, Donny</a>."<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzySZaiKPQg_TbJLYJOXPpq3LIUoVSS7DyvXg_DrzDaiShRX2l9TXlC3QHdO23IL_GykrPuFI0Zjc6y1RuYgTLqhAqXcR-F-Cw9dK41PFxxkQR37hMGStIdICG72dZ3hD37lIZV4Yn7xKnpGyYO2gVIPSthjzlFYIdEELhsZ07t_JCdY3u393X4w/s881/MAGA-donald-trump-meme-red-hat-crimes-makes-no-sense.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="881" data-original-width="747" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzySZaiKPQg_TbJLYJOXPpq3LIUoVSS7DyvXg_DrzDaiShRX2l9TXlC3QHdO23IL_GykrPuFI0Zjc6y1RuYgTLqhAqXcR-F-Cw9dK41PFxxkQR37hMGStIdICG72dZ3hD37lIZV4Yn7xKnpGyYO2gVIPSthjzlFYIdEELhsZ07t_JCdY3u393X4w/w339-h400/MAGA-donald-trump-meme-red-hat-crimes-makes-no-sense.PNG" width="339" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>paul_michttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145973937556808067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038115.post-577118977037039722023-08-11T16:55:00.002-05:002023-08-11T16:55:00.139-05:00Ants in a Hibiscus Flower<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSXN7-GhWKSGBM-g6FUJN7xqiqiQ-pvAOpcIubxqNfMcCG701mjqOSABOmlr_CX1-WsbCvE9MP_OVGJ4lWQ6fJtmdiMZxBCc5yMWaWCByQrs4hi9dJjpl-BEtmIuiHq6CRHCtVwNEbQnOEm0E3nYpBNOVsYz6d4liocEFgsIeKgIQBCi1bUnGRSw/s4032/IMG_6398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSXN7-GhWKSGBM-g6FUJN7xqiqiQ-pvAOpcIubxqNfMcCG701mjqOSABOmlr_CX1-WsbCvE9MP_OVGJ4lWQ6fJtmdiMZxBCc5yMWaWCByQrs4hi9dJjpl-BEtmIuiHq6CRHCtVwNEbQnOEm0E3nYpBNOVsYz6d4liocEFgsIeKgIQBCi1bUnGRSw/w480-h640/IMG_6398.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7TvRWjvvcUgg2bz1DVpdDyOmLuMkPFwZAqFYp5IV62Zps7vQYllcXn6kcILZAB0rMWT1iOB_S2fNt0ZzMmWPhtuy_XnGcr7TiTmLX6ZsL6YwmS099L1Ma5q40hBIvdx1T_QM-970DcDoYgQVVqA-VR1P1Be5e8rSbYlRSejXcVgcoz2DyyCznAA/s4032/IMG_6397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7TvRWjvvcUgg2bz1DVpdDyOmLuMkPFwZAqFYp5IV62Zps7vQYllcXn6kcILZAB0rMWT1iOB_S2fNt0ZzMmWPhtuy_XnGcr7TiTmLX6ZsL6YwmS099L1Ma5q40hBIvdx1T_QM-970DcDoYgQVVqA-VR1P1Be5e8rSbYlRSejXcVgcoz2DyyCznAA/w480-h640/IMG_6397.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I saw these ants getting the nectar from deep within a hibiscus flower.<br /><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://goo.gl/photos/Cv4Pu65KiYepxejz7" target="_blank">Nature Photography</a></span><br />by Paul Micarelli <br /></div><p> </p>paul_michttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145973937556808067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038115.post-63628017278449591432023-08-10T15:45:00.002-05:002023-08-10T15:45:31.930-05:00Black Racer Snake<p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqig_h3Gf-h2FBs0N-8wvIc0L08WKj1xDNrGFnlVBfjtHGYcDv_EFk-J5d5AbgYJSXXkVy9jPQrbHXTEdNxnEwsxtsqPdiuvb7NZo5aiSjPQPYBp6DhTkoNOdJUG2hX2rb43YwvnmFLhFGONeb647Gn3I_NWsFvc38M7VYASkf8hMngFc2Oekckw/s4032/IMG_6178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqig_h3Gf-h2FBs0N-8wvIc0L08WKj1xDNrGFnlVBfjtHGYcDv_EFk-J5d5AbgYJSXXkVy9jPQrbHXTEdNxnEwsxtsqPdiuvb7NZo5aiSjPQPYBp6DhTkoNOdJUG2hX2rb43YwvnmFLhFGONeb647Gn3I_NWsFvc38M7VYASkf8hMngFc2Oekckw/w480-h640/IMG_6178.JPG" width="480" /></a></div> <br /><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">I was taking my son Paulie over to a big tree in our yard to catch some insects for his bug collecting kit, & we saw this guy chilling on the tree trunk. It wasn't really moving at all, so I got some closeups.</p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://goo.gl/photos/Cv4Pu65KiYepxejz7" target="_blank">Nature Photography</a></span><br />by Paul Micarelli </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXAQRzLFhWkAWoieidsidw5z8Hf4mYA0DMOK10qkCXtLXe9U5kqXUhUahdQZ1iGyuvA5KEh8hLIm07660VPb_4w-5ZvAAbNLSNAhOIkFfhE_E-V3lV09qDZkxeAnDyD4jErn0GTfwooy1Pv9uEQcx7OKfF-x8B859PLCSF1u2KXxv1W3TbNkcfrw/s4032/IMG_6175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXAQRzLFhWkAWoieidsidw5z8Hf4mYA0DMOK10qkCXtLXe9U5kqXUhUahdQZ1iGyuvA5KEh8hLIm07660VPb_4w-5ZvAAbNLSNAhOIkFfhE_E-V3lV09qDZkxeAnDyD4jErn0GTfwooy1Pv9uEQcx7OKfF-x8B859PLCSF1u2KXxv1W3TbNkcfrw/w400-h300/IMG_6175.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWtW2C7OQIf_K5MmNpsSnaQ_cppnn4slzZ-I3en3AR_qC_FvRosN-v6a7q03y-HsAuZQWQzE1oIwdxexAKN2FISSiQQhKtoSrl0Ng1bEJ8elh4g4B2MeXXg0ZMYNBI0CBYV9SvDwQFQ5PBtCSn96fcOXltlOLpOasweRIwd1JEmxwv2tCPOhJ5A/s4032/IMG_6176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWtW2C7OQIf_K5MmNpsSnaQ_cppnn4slzZ-I3en3AR_qC_FvRosN-v6a7q03y-HsAuZQWQzE1oIwdxexAKN2FISSiQQhKtoSrl0Ng1bEJ8elh4g4B2MeXXg0ZMYNBI0CBYV9SvDwQFQ5PBtCSn96fcOXltlOLpOasweRIwd1JEmxwv2tCPOhJ5A/w400-h300/IMG_6176.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpIYSa0Tjv3VrWpVQuXYRggJxMDfHmO3qCg6wu3DH5mMmaCgGSViX4ax5qz-7wFHp8ddm2Fy5Pd0D9F5dCpU6teMF_o_-QQKvPzU3ydmkCTEIDDv1mt61Oz1Nw1XGMPujS3bleA8-bAicCgP_WMWFkexbLXSeriAbl2XuZkYZKMj2cISpt5Lo-g/s4032/IMG_6182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpIYSa0Tjv3VrWpVQuXYRggJxMDfHmO3qCg6wu3DH5mMmaCgGSViX4ax5qz-7wFHp8ddm2Fy5Pd0D9F5dCpU6teMF_o_-QQKvPzU3ydmkCTEIDDv1mt61Oz1Nw1XGMPujS3bleA8-bAicCgP_WMWFkexbLXSeriAbl2XuZkYZKMj2cISpt5Lo-g/w400-h300/IMG_6182.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /> </div>paul_michttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145973937556808067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038115.post-75244281947764932892023-08-03T21:00:00.069-05:002023-08-03T23:21:28.842-05:00Neonna Loretta Micarelli - Born 8-3-23!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5_UVnV2R86gfE668mjdzO_bdsiJBYg5qEn55EAfIPTv-acVNwx386w9inCLhu_5hadKQPh5qT_HuT2SxFSYeC2dQ-yK74IMt0CvsuBJLb06Ku7bO1GohF017-rS8DX-Txwk46aoJI9nw-EVw01_RlAsofWyLRTgBgcKXf_i2AyMX1GfTaqhHNQ/s4032/IMG_6478.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5_UVnV2R86gfE668mjdzO_bdsiJBYg5qEn55EAfIPTv-acVNwx386w9inCLhu_5hadKQPh5qT_HuT2SxFSYeC2dQ-yK74IMt0CvsuBJLb06Ku7bO1GohF017-rS8DX-Txwk46aoJI9nw-EVw01_RlAsofWyLRTgBgcKXf_i2AyMX1GfTaqhHNQ/w480-h640/IMG_6478.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Photo Album:<br /><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/DCrWzhxkXLjXr72j6" target="_blank">Neonna Loretta Micarelli - Born 8-3-23!</a></span><br /></p><p>My wife & I are deeply grateful to welcome our daughter Neonna into the world! 💜 After a very difficult pregnancy, Loretta was induced since her water broke at 4am on Wed., & the baby had to be delivered within 24hrs. Having contractions all last night & finally giving it her all during 2-hours of labor, Loretta gave birth to this precious little angel at 11:07 this morning @ 7lbs 9oz.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPO385ygC4HSEudSa27UHsEmpRDdy2dtGQalwQMzayK96P_8a_f_AWmXmfuoibh4zKQa4zXntrZxQIHb-nae2VdKRnUKNk7fg1WY2iIAGLP6FGSVaEBZzbI6FzSoxlTr58odhDr_1vtluNAa-796pnDq2TRIJanx_h8Zj2bcGUOaXvsyiToO3WjA/s4032/IMG_6461.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPO385ygC4HSEudSa27UHsEmpRDdy2dtGQalwQMzayK96P_8a_f_AWmXmfuoibh4zKQa4zXntrZxQIHb-nae2VdKRnUKNk7fg1WY2iIAGLP6FGSVaEBZzbI6FzSoxlTr58odhDr_1vtluNAa-796pnDq2TRIJanx_h8Zj2bcGUOaXvsyiToO3WjA/w480-h640/IMG_6461.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">Neonna is already alert and strong like her brother was, staring at us and making faces as we talk & sing to her. She is going to be a strong, smart, & beautiful woman like her Mommy, and is very lucky to have many wonderful women in her family to serve as role models in her life.<br /><br />It was a rough pregnancy & intense delivery, but we are so relieved and happy that Neonna is here! I hope that she has a long life, full of blessings and happiness.<br /><br />When my son Paulie finally got to meet his little sister, whom we've been telling him so much about. Being the rough little wildman that he is, we didn't know how he was going to react, but it was absolutely precious- he was so gentle & loving with her. He's going to be a great big brother! </p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBhVVdKOIg5vPnm3XGz9oAMMkCZqGXH5X5LKNrhtlZ0POADgM70AOOSM3SZdaeortVzNN_g7EHiwQm23-XjnRochnHtXb9fFWnVWYf8vm6x9yTfbRheowkqBVB-6-2i7osZy4OJP6NUEXNwVBQ3OuPYTLtISb_GYattDoN_0vyT7smI0PXxSpr9g/s4032/IMG_6998.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBhVVdKOIg5vPnm3XGz9oAMMkCZqGXH5X5LKNrhtlZ0POADgM70AOOSM3SZdaeortVzNN_g7EHiwQm23-XjnRochnHtXb9fFWnVWYf8vm6x9yTfbRheowkqBVB-6-2i7osZy4OJP6NUEXNwVBQ3OuPYTLtISb_GYattDoN_0vyT7smI0PXxSpr9g/w480-h640/IMG_6998.HEIC" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBxlhQRj6ToLVcPJPojJRRIzKPktvSy9yF4NbzOD2NT2XkhG9YZyAwa8G9PHbPNpZFyKtvCk4iHHAOGTxdw0gC7dfiSFC8NBJIOQJw0WPzL0Jm_Bq198SB-DQrCL9fIVEVZBJTu18f077bZEhRh4cKYx8BW5_ajTSt39vQxYjWc7RfltTFeyKFQ/s4032/IMG_7054.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBxlhQRj6ToLVcPJPojJRRIzKPktvSy9yF4NbzOD2NT2XkhG9YZyAwa8G9PHbPNpZFyKtvCk4iHHAOGTxdw0gC7dfiSFC8NBJIOQJw0WPzL0Jm_Bq198SB-DQrCL9fIVEVZBJTu18f077bZEhRh4cKYx8BW5_ajTSt39vQxYjWc7RfltTFeyKFQ/w480-h640/IMG_7054.HEIC" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">Being a parent is truly the most difficult, yet rewarding experiences a human being can have. After experiencing <a href="http://monkeybuddha.blogspot.com/2020/06/paul-giuseppe-micarelli-born-6-13-20.html" target="_blank">the trauma with Paulie's emergency C-section</a>, and the craziness of Neonna's induced delivery, I can say that childbirth is a miraculous & totally mind-shattering event that exposes the deep mystery of life itself. It is definitely not for everyone, but I am personally grateful to have been able to be a part of it.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>paul_michttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145973937556808067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038115.post-69022086899974562172023-08-03T08:12:00.007-05:002023-08-03T13:04:24.496-05:00LOCK HIM UP! Indictment Part 3: Return of the Jackass<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioUHPlYCSdpVtRcwFjpgCD-oCe8xX1VfUPxqcqH_FwJhTs-js4pNSb0HjcSVv0onMmhV_ozERb8V2T23i0PfMmT-Q0vFzdn5bHCwfzksDGXWtXFpQsVMBGVVwn3S_kh1WHuNOYh2GbnDokauOurynq0voW6fCrcYGKOEs-JK7nKnsgI7mD8p-x6Q/s2000/Trump-Lock%20Him%20Up%20Arrest%20Indictment%20Jail%20Prison%20Inmate%20Criminal%20Mugshot.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioUHPlYCSdpVtRcwFjpgCD-oCe8xX1VfUPxqcqH_FwJhTs-js4pNSb0HjcSVv0onMmhV_ozERb8V2T23i0PfMmT-Q0vFzdn5bHCwfzksDGXWtXFpQsVMBGVVwn3S_kh1WHuNOYh2GbnDokauOurynq0voW6fCrcYGKOEs-JK7nKnsgI7mD8p-x6Q/w400-h400/Trump-Lock%20Him%20Up%20Arrest%20Indictment%20Jail%20Prison%20Inmate%20Criminal%20Mugshot.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">****LOCK HIM UP!***</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">by The Monkey Buddha </span><br /></div> <p></p><p> <br />So here we are... on indictment #3 for Donald Trump, the malignant narcissist con-artist & shitty game show host who preyed on the worst instincts of America's most clueless voters to become President of the United States. Just like everything else he touches, Trump debased and corrupted the office to the extent that he has multiple criminal indictments, for dozens of charges, finally coming down on him.</p><p>I am actually typing this in a hospital delivery room, as my wife is in induced labor & we are patiently waiting for our daughter to be born. She woke up from our brief, interrupted sleep this morning & looked at her phone & said "What the fuck is this??" as Donald Trump's scowl appeared in her news feed. 😂 My son's third birthday was during Trump's 2nd indictment in June, & now my daughter's being born while this 3rd set of charges are being brought forth. Causes for celebration all around! Of course, Trump's misdeeds are nothing to be celebrated- but every American should be glad that no one, not even a former President, who breaks the law is above facing consequences.<br /></p><p>Unfortunately, there is a sizeable minority of Americans who have been propagandized into believing that this is all just a partisan "witch hunt," persecuting poor lil' innocent Donald- instead of the justice system actually holding a serial criminal & immoral asshole accountable for his provable crimes. The Republican Party has become The Cult of Trump, and for them, circling the wagons to protect their own party is more important than loyalty to the country as a whole. <br /></p><p>This set of charges is for his involvement in the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol and the effort to illegally overturn the 2020 election. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.justice.gov/storage/US_v_Trump_23_cr_257.pdf" target="_blank">UNITED STATES OF AMERICA VS. DONALD J . TRUMP<br />8/1/2023</a></span><br /></p><p>Even though he is a loser who fails at so many things in business and life, his twisted ego could not let him accept (at least publicly) that he had lost the election to Joe Biden. Instead of doing the honorable thing and gracefully leaving office, he had to break the law and use any means necessary to keep his grip on power.</p><p>The crazy thing to me is that anyone would take this buffoon seriously about anything. For instance, he's calling special counsel Jack Smith "deranged" and all these charges coming from various investigations "fake" & "prosecutorial misconduct". As with everything, his accusations are just projections. Does this look like an unhinged man to you?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="355" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TDpdlw0kmBw" width="427" youtube-src-id="TDpdlw0kmBw"></iframe></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;">Yes, a total lunatic, compared to this dignified gentleman:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvteCfj8BWBc5GQZKG9-5bj6TvvB29y0xbzoEpZTHvNlr5Y8Oji7LnQKRyA5xSzSr2mHdPfolIbG5yYuE4orsgLttWDqjBfWrRIuqBshO7puWlA25Trt3bty7RGFCZF9B4KcRmbPThQKych8Fkz7abKMi4Rx2wScxVPKisDQEGaqKdA0mSuzLuBg/s498/donald-trump-mocks-mocking-reporter-disability-disabled.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="498" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvteCfj8BWBc5GQZKG9-5bj6TvvB29y0xbzoEpZTHvNlr5Y8Oji7LnQKRyA5xSzSr2mHdPfolIbG5yYuE4orsgLttWDqjBfWrRIuqBshO7puWlA25Trt3bty7RGFCZF9B4KcRmbPThQKych8Fkz7abKMi4Rx2wScxVPKisDQEGaqKdA0mSuzLuBg/w400-h225/donald-trump-mocks-mocking-reporter-disability-disabled.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;">What an absolute fucking joke. I can't take it... how can people worship this fool? The funny thing is that his dumbass supporters believe that this is all a Democrat plot by Joe Biden's Justice Dept. to keep Trump out of the Presidential race. However, the charges have been voted on by an impartial grand jury, & in the latest indictment, <b>all the witnesses are Republicans who worked under him!</b></p><p style="text-align: left;">It's all so stupid, in a nefarious way. The power of party politics and right-wing misinformation have brainwashed a third of the U.S. population to believe that a total moron, traitor, & the embodiment of the worst human qualities imaginable is some kind of hero. <br /></p><p>Trump has at least one more set of criminal charges coming from Georgia, which are related to these charges for his attempt to subvert the election process. However, there is no number of indictments from any authority that will convince the MAGA rubes that Dear Leader is the self-serving crook that everyone else recognizes. It still cracks me up that the GOP call themselves the "law & order party," when they support one of the most egregious political criminals in the nation's history.</p><p>Well, my wife is about to start pushing our baby out, so I'll end my rant and let justice (& childbirth) take it's course!<br /></p>paul_michttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145973937556808067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038115.post-7593556481687781092023-07-24T23:37:00.006-05:002023-07-24T23:40:50.601-05:00Psycho-Branding: "Twitter" to "X"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJq5EG7xPtPu3HwX-0bgakE0IoUbEZKOpUHmSd_7fP23ZmF-Od77SA0I7kgWnbHGv_9pRyp9xEAkQE0npbXe5Yf0--pWzyV6nDGENOj-rHkk74THGD2z_xszs-hgMtu5jV8YGZL6FjonUaeDrSreDOamqy6oJNG4xvJuz5Esc3SdxG8rpFlBKrmg/s512/twitter%20icons%20covering%20elon%20musk's%20face.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJq5EG7xPtPu3HwX-0bgakE0IoUbEZKOpUHmSd_7fP23ZmF-Od77SA0I7kgWnbHGv_9pRyp9xEAkQE0npbXe5Yf0--pWzyV6nDGENOj-rHkk74THGD2z_xszs-hgMtu5jV8YGZL6FjonUaeDrSreDOamqy6oJNG4xvJuz5Esc3SdxG8rpFlBKrmg/w400-h400/twitter%20icons%20covering%20elon%20musk's%20face.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">"twitter icons covering elon musk's face"<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">-Images: Stable Diffusion AI Software<br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">-Prompts & Curating: Paul Micarelli</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AC.Artificial.Creativity" target="_blank">@AC.Artificial.Creativity </a></span></p><p><b><u>* Full Disclaimer*</u></b>: I do not have a Twitter account, nor do I really give a shit about Twitter as a social media platform. </p><p>Of course, I've read plenty of people's tweets, mostly related to politics or current events, but mostly I would be interested in the user comments of each post. Since Elon Musk made the 'Big Brain' move to hide comments unless your logged in, I don't even bother clicking on any links to tweets anymore.</p><p>Still, it is interesting to see how Elon has been running this company head-first into the ground. It has been a definitive example of what many have suspected- that he's kind of a dipshit, who thinks he's the smartest guy in the room because he was born ridiculously wealthy & made good investments off the hard work and research of others. He is probably never told "No Elon, that's a really stupid fucking idea." It's glaringly obvious that he's a skin-thinned egomaniac, as well. I know you can't be a total invalid & be a billionaire, so he obviously has a certain level of competency. The image of a "tech genius" has been pretty well shattered, though- especially since taking over Twitter. He makes monumentally bad decisions, and the latest news about Twitter's re-branding is my field of design & branding, so I felt compelled to speak on it.</p><p style="text-align: center;">ARS TECHINCA:</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/07/musk-rushes-out-new-twitter-logo-its-just-an-x-that-someone-tweeted-at-him/" target="_blank">Musk rushes out new Twitter logo—<br />it’s just an X that someone tweeted at him </a></span><br /></p><p>To me, this is just an absolutely insane marketing / branding decision. Words like "tweet" & "follow" are now being used as common verbs because they've become so widespread, & Twitter's unique branding was originally carefully crafted by a team of experts... but yeah, Elon thinks it's a brilliant idea to completely change the identity of the platform into the uninspiring - "<b>X</b>". If he thinks this is edgy or cool, he's dead wrong- because it's pretty much the most lame & stupid goddamn approach imaginable. It's like he never got past the 1990's "<i>X-Treme!</i>" trend. I know people with big ideas have been laughed at before, but this is so comically bad it's almost like he's doing it just to troll everyone. Besides throwing away a well-established name & brand, he's replacing it with a symbol that's near universal in the tech world for "close application" or "stop process". It's also a symbol for death in many cultures. Oh, and don't forget the porn connotations!<br /></p><p>Besides the negative, hostile symbolism, it's also super-awkward to use. He wants tweets to be called "exes" now? So, people are supposed to say, "Did you see so-and-so politician or celebrity's 'x' about that topic?" How are people supposed to search for something from the site with such a basic & general name? Ugh, it's just so, so dumb in so many ways...<br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNh032MxMvvGO2yJhag1PzzLEL_bpKbUYH0VdU7MzXdyFbN8RMGDHt1r53z7wUZhqcKzACgGgBlRPHAnVK79KyPdFM0J_Sz0Eq7NXf3SPwB8ftuKMzwFVT_UEFp4oR2wyGRbJ6YxQT3oFczJHFEMBb3IuXs2x6zJW8ZHmCLU4K24EZdixp8epTw/s806/twitter-rebranding-x-elon-musk-meme-social-media-design-fail-stupid-insane-logo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="806" data-original-width="750" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNh032MxMvvGO2yJhag1PzzLEL_bpKbUYH0VdU7MzXdyFbN8RMGDHt1r53z7wUZhqcKzACgGgBlRPHAnVK79KyPdFM0J_Sz0Eq7NXf3SPwB8ftuKMzwFVT_UEFp4oR2wyGRbJ6YxQT3oFczJHFEMBb3IuXs2x6zJW8ZHmCLU4K24EZdixp8epTw/w373-h400/twitter-rebranding-x-elon-musk-meme-social-media-design-fail-stupid-insane-logo.jpg" width="373" /></a></div><p> </p><p>Apparently, Elon's dream that he can't let go of is to turn "<b>X.com</b>" into a multi-purpose digital platform that covers all the bases - social media, banking, news, etc. What his dumb ass doesn't realize, is that if he can't even keep one of the most popular communication sites in the world minimally profitable, he sure as hell isn't going to be able to completely re-brand it into a successful multi-purpose platform!</p><p>When I was reading this news, I couldn't believe how asinine this idea was. You couldn't make up a worse solution if you tried. It's like "How to Destroy Your Company Brand 101" with Professor Musk. As I stated in the beginning of this post, I didn't even want to bother with a Twitter account, anyway. Thanks to Elon's shenanigans, I'll definitely be sure to stay off whatever horrible iteration of the platform he comes up with in the future.<br /></p>paul_michttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145973937556808067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038115.post-35805508123785431252023-07-19T16:30:00.001-05:002023-07-19T16:30:00.139-05:00Tiny Stinkbug Eggs<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio31k_voV-DSX7b14qv0RfsCth8PggNR0gW30FC-3z7v41QrP8rl88mioAXTdEAqVCg6-IG8q0zyHNXbjEQfJKR52WsdwfvzIP5hMSNqfsMW8NQCcUj8tjXK_s2c7Kemmjknc6UqeUVIAKnlKr95eAdWnRW6-VWWy4tdmlN9Q-W12ehaCX456lvg/s4032/IMG_6199.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio31k_voV-DSX7b14qv0RfsCth8PggNR0gW30FC-3z7v41QrP8rl88mioAXTdEAqVCg6-IG8q0zyHNXbjEQfJKR52WsdwfvzIP5hMSNqfsMW8NQCcUj8tjXK_s2c7Kemmjknc6UqeUVIAKnlKr95eAdWnRW6-VWWy4tdmlN9Q-W12ehaCX456lvg/w480-h640/IMG_6199.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p>I was trimming a tomato plant & saw this cluster of tiny eggs fall off a leaf. Not sure what species they belong to, but I got some macro photography & was amazed at the structure of these tiny eggs! </p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://goo.gl/photos/Cv4Pu65KiYepxejz7" target="_blank">Nature Photography</a></span><br />by Paul Micarelli <br /></p><p>I was informed by a member of a Facebook nature photography group that they are (unfortunately) <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_marmorated_stink_bug" target="_blank"><b>stinkbug</b></a> eggs. My family is quite familiar with these bastards; they've been pretty pervasive at our home, & always seem to get inside somehow. However, I told my wife that even by bug standards, stinkbugs are dumb as shit.</p><p>Still, even life forms as stupid as a stinkbug are <i>still</i> miraculous. Inspiration can be found in all things, even the strange form of tiny egg pods...<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilHI1MTGDfNpsnUIi92Cx84LdYXmEb_gv4n5voIub9zfGPFNOmyPjq4sFQ5Vd9zWHYdJrmX2bXws8am4erm0X-6ycAhGfSRdhZSWgja3AWvaDe_uNMz7mwF61v5Kj85ai1u-1Jxlv57I09P-2SwbMdiCsrsvVY8fu7SXPXOin9n1h6mKMvuov7bA/s4032/IMG_6192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilHI1MTGDfNpsnUIi92Cx84LdYXmEb_gv4n5voIub9zfGPFNOmyPjq4sFQ5Vd9zWHYdJrmX2bXws8am4erm0X-6ycAhGfSRdhZSWgja3AWvaDe_uNMz7mwF61v5Kj85ai1u-1Jxlv57I09P-2SwbMdiCsrsvVY8fu7SXPXOin9n1h6mKMvuov7bA/w300-h400/IMG_6192.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDW_HJ_v8-0ThMeFcT0-5XvRyzntsdliITGPffXh9Cn-wd4FIAK9r92idQjajByHDcIymEK1t6kvxFMlGxo-tE5Y_Rdi9i96u8pm5qWvGjd82l2v5fYuSn98PzVHRlfdZA99GUPqwqT747fyY1csBH_473By8WkgyJ9-aooSdT3w7XMCEl-IOsbg/s4032/IMG_6193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDW_HJ_v8-0ThMeFcT0-5XvRyzntsdliITGPffXh9Cn-wd4FIAK9r92idQjajByHDcIymEK1t6kvxFMlGxo-tE5Y_Rdi9i96u8pm5qWvGjd82l2v5fYuSn98PzVHRlfdZA99GUPqwqT747fyY1csBH_473By8WkgyJ9-aooSdT3w7XMCEl-IOsbg/w400-h300/IMG_6193.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDqSNPakZJO0PUS6Ak99ZS9TON0UNAoFF0btOV7pg-B04ExVP0dgsGmKbyI0H2s1DnAgZXkfRggvVyNaV58MxlUZ1h63cwjF7hBGvkx4OrzWQBrl2kkfe2Hbei8LxMa0ZfLz_tOJUt1zzFDCmYPojJ7sHfUjj-a_i0N5eAEVElmNr7yqWN-ZDdw/s4032/IMG_6198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDqSNPakZJO0PUS6Ak99ZS9TON0UNAoFF0btOV7pg-B04ExVP0dgsGmKbyI0H2s1DnAgZXkfRggvVyNaV58MxlUZ1h63cwjF7hBGvkx4OrzWQBrl2kkfe2Hbei8LxMa0ZfLz_tOJUt1zzFDCmYPojJ7sHfUjj-a_i0N5eAEVElmNr7yqWN-ZDdw/w480-h640/IMG_6198.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><p></p>paul_michttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145973937556808067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038115.post-72816092503569058982023-07-17T22:50:00.003-05:002023-07-17T22:50:48.224-05:00Chewbacca Moth<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzU3lgBvusdXd79s0VfZCL184Ue8bkBQgVjvGfJm9mTUMHtlBuwpD43siT2R6gwzeEBBwPx58QGTra8lTtnrAyl21TRfdG_vWf2Dx919RwXjBWhubTDbXOv0lVYspHfZ7rRYKzOD2Tfn590XlxF3PuBLV5FcWAeKTG-bOfZYqGni2KPj8H-Uomrg/s4032/IMG_5950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzU3lgBvusdXd79s0VfZCL184Ue8bkBQgVjvGfJm9mTUMHtlBuwpD43siT2R6gwzeEBBwPx58QGTra8lTtnrAyl21TRfdG_vWf2Dx919RwXjBWhubTDbXOv0lVYspHfZ7rRYKzOD2Tfn590XlxF3PuBLV5FcWAeKTG-bOfZYqGni2KPj8H-Uomrg/w400-h300/IMG_5950.JPG" width="400" /></a></div> <p></p><p>Now that the weather is warm (& by "warm", I mean <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/17/europe/europe-weather-second-heatwave-charon-climate-intl" target="_blank">oppressively hot</a>) I've been spending a lot of time outside, observing nature & taking photos:</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://goo.gl/photos/Cv4Pu65KiYepxejz7" target="_blank">Nature Photography</a></span><br />by Paul Micarelli<br /></p><p>I believe the scientific term for this furry-looking insect that I saw on my deck is a "Chewbacca Moth"... but I've been told that some call it an "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_tent_caterpillar" target="_blank">Eastern Tent Caterpillar Moth</a>".</p><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglWpqj0dUxrBTPNKeN_c16kVDWuBHpvD4XsiiF0z_lVHnJO50KusLOhLRuIdcqBZ213uFwwl7OqXwt5tZQAGpWaH9t6vVbPcznMU5jZ8dijZ6x_1wRtwyHBMRdo3aW6Lr2d8WxdXDLwr8C5NcL4Q_Q-1QftGkDfj3dwWVFg39ronYQ85ekPCkIeg/s4032/IMG_5948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglWpqj0dUxrBTPNKeN_c16kVDWuBHpvD4XsiiF0z_lVHnJO50KusLOhLRuIdcqBZ213uFwwl7OqXwt5tZQAGpWaH9t6vVbPcznMU5jZ8dijZ6x_1wRtwyHBMRdo3aW6Lr2d8WxdXDLwr8C5NcL4Q_Q-1QftGkDfj3dwWVFg39ronYQ85ekPCkIeg/w400-h300/IMG_5948.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7ngDfk2qmsS2YrsCMA63VhmLRs8C_NLgO9-XO6gsveU_IH02_oxhMju4Ci-ioemCtLkS8b7xWFzEZvjC0SC1mJRAZpyAYyaFTuJQIBGVa1ZmjUluANFwq2Kr-aRSr0iHYqH7uU8oejJASHBAsFRLPBRsdq0t375EV8bDNcmjAMv5JY6Ea2fPew/s4032/IMG_5952.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7ngDfk2qmsS2YrsCMA63VhmLRs8C_NLgO9-XO6gsveU_IH02_oxhMju4Ci-ioemCtLkS8b7xWFzEZvjC0SC1mJRAZpyAYyaFTuJQIBGVa1ZmjUluANFwq2Kr-aRSr0iHYqH7uU8oejJASHBAsFRLPBRsdq0t375EV8bDNcmjAMv5JY6Ea2fPew/w400-h300/IMG_5952.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p>paul_michttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145973937556808067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038115.post-15384171684819902552023-06-21T21:19:00.002-05:002023-06-21T21:19:44.562-05:00Milestones in Human & Cosmic Evolution<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3c2coGYejzUQv1AXbcJdGhP5xMODErPJwAk-f9h4zDxXkYAhTT4VuoXr26hTz6O7BIoj9UycUaOkRGlJ61Vo4VoBdgZdZidNyaaO7u2Paq8md0BZFwDZb6N462M0XsjIt8I3dZ5sMoKECr8b5K_elW90TIke5ZqLhOkUV0fhfZxa0R9N0i4417Q/s3814/step-by-step-guide-to-evolving-into-a-human-evolution-guide-cells-life.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3814" data-original-width="1800" height="966" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3c2coGYejzUQv1AXbcJdGhP5xMODErPJwAk-f9h4zDxXkYAhTT4VuoXr26hTz6O7BIoj9UycUaOkRGlJ61Vo4VoBdgZdZidNyaaO7u2Paq8md0BZFwDZb6N462M0XsjIt8I3dZ5sMoKECr8b5K_elW90TIke5ZqLhOkUV0fhfZxa0R9N0i4417Q/w455-h966/step-by-step-guide-to-evolving-into-a-human-evolution-guide-cells-life.jpg" width="455" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I saw the above graph on <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/coolguides/" target="_blank">r/coolguides</a>, by <b><a href="https://www.visualcapitalist.com/path-of-human-evolution/" target="_blank">Visual Capitalist</a></b>. Although it is not a totally accurate representation of the morphological progress that led to human beings, it still gives a sense of the vast evolutionary history that has spanned the eons - resulting in our present state.</p><p>Here's another chart showing more specifically the hominid evolutionary tree:</p><p style="text-align: center;">Smithsonian Institution:<br /><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-family-tree" target="_blank">Human Family Tree</a></span><br /></p><p>The sense of the long, continuous chain of life that has come before us is humbling and profound. The fact that we are here<i><b> at all</b></i> is the deepest of mysteries. It can be explained away with extensive screeds about God, evolution, or the Big Bang, but these are all just monkey grunts that only hint at the true nature of the infinite reality we inhabit.</p><p>For a real mind trip, there's this <b>cosmic</b> evolutionary spiral I also saw on the <a href="https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/nature-timespiral-the-evolution-of-earth-from-the-big-bang/" target="_blank">Visual Capitalist</a> site, but was originally from <a href="https://www.pablocarlosbudassi.com/2021/02/nature-timespiral.html" target="_blank">Pablo Carlos Buddassi</a>:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc8Q1CSOiQuOXkPeTbdRL4Vh098p2S0a1r4MEFvWabPjRsU-THHficx40LF0I_jzZ0vGefaoQpIQgn4wDG4zhRzUZ_QgCa5KuKcFWjIAufdkGNwXfO8JwhyysjCS8yKBgmXs5TTqYep-PmFfVL8vOT4QMVwjpjfpDV9DAx3KdLL0tdYJqwnCcXtA/s2048/nature%20timespiral%20Pablo%20Carlos%20Buddassi%20universe%20cosmic%20evolution.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1753" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc8Q1CSOiQuOXkPeTbdRL4Vh098p2S0a1r4MEFvWabPjRsU-THHficx40LF0I_jzZ0vGefaoQpIQgn4wDG4zhRzUZ_QgCa5KuKcFWjIAufdkGNwXfO8JwhyysjCS8yKBgmXs5TTqYep-PmFfVL8vOT4QMVwjpjfpDV9DAx3KdLL0tdYJqwnCcXtA/w548-h640/nature%20timespiral%20Pablo%20Carlos%20Buddassi%20universe%20cosmic%20evolution.jpg" width="548" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>paul_michttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145973937556808067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038115.post-19923631113792950952023-06-13T00:10:00.001-05:002023-06-13T00:20:19.814-05:00LOCK HIM UP! Indictment Part 2: Dumbass Boogaloo<div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJMz1o1PEBCLPPOPScn1JOWZjtbPTpJDa0Zsqzvn3TbuhmW71XiinZZGYIfSFYv_BDhPvcfiB6-EpQQtcJS6Y8gvtvvLoeY-dYXAbxMqU7d9Gkt0hiry9aYRZhW-A05mbiv2LwBztesUiUH7FzectWEnRlKbcBn1Fj_Of15qpH2h6am2Yltw/s2000/Trump-Lock%20Him%20Up%20Arrest%20Indictment%20Jail%20Prison%20Inmate%20Criminal%20Mugshot.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJMz1o1PEBCLPPOPScn1JOWZjtbPTpJDa0Zsqzvn3TbuhmW71XiinZZGYIfSFYv_BDhPvcfiB6-EpQQtcJS6Y8gvtvvLoeY-dYXAbxMqU7d9Gkt0hiry9aYRZhW-A05mbiv2LwBztesUiUH7FzectWEnRlKbcBn1Fj_Of15qpH2h6am2Yltw/w400-h400/Trump-Lock%20Him%20Up%20Arrest%20Indictment%20Jail%20Prison%20Inmate%20Criminal%20Mugshot.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: x-large;">****LOCK HIM UP!***</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">by The Monkey Buddha </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div><p></p><p>Donald Trump is being indicted on more criminal charges, this time for federal offenses regarding the mishandling of classified information. Specifically, he lied & refused to cooperate with authorities to return sensitive government documents, <b><i>some of which are still missing</i></b>. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Read the Indictment:<br /> <a href="https://www.flsd.uscourts.gov/sites/flsd/files/23-CR-80101-INDICTMENT.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">United States of America vs. Donald J. Trump</span></a><br /></p><p>It is obvious to anyone with at least a few brain cells firing that Trump <i>(an absolute imbecile who has the reading comprehension of an elementary school student)</i> would only want these documents for very bad reasons. A) Being a malignant narcissist, he wanted to show off these secret documents like trophies. B) To use as some kind of leverage, because everything has to be reduced to a zero-sum deal. C) The most likely reason - to sell to the highest bidder, in the ultimate grift. </p><p>Trump son-in-law <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-house-panel-probing-saudi-arabias-investment-kushners-firm-2022-06-02/" target="_blank">Jared Kushner's 2 billion dollar gift from the Saudi's</a> to his investment firm right after Trump left office is just a coincidence, I'm sure! Anyway, Republicans say Hunter Biden's laptop and his shady deals are a much more serious matter, even though Kushner directly worked in the Trump administration & Biden's son did not...</p><p>Speaking of which, the most infuriating thing about Republican reaction to this shitshow is the what-aboutism. "Oh yeah?? Well, what about Hillary's Emails, & Burisma, & Hunter's Laptop, & Joe Biden's $5 Million Bribe & BLAH BLAH FUCKING BLAH!?!" Guess what, dummy? If YOU get caught drunk driving, telling the cop "It's not fair! there was a bar full of other drunks!" doesn't mean shit! "Party of Personal Responsibility" & "Party of Law & Order," my ass! </p><p>I really don't love the idea of putting people in cages, but society needs to dole out some form of punishment to deter crime. If those are the consequences in our society, than everyone, including Trump should be subject to their enforcement. If you believe in the necessity of the rule of law, then Donald Trump should have to deal with it, like everyone else who willingly breaks it.<br /></p><p>After the charges were announced, I was listening to the cable news stations as I was driving around. They were discussing the seriousness of the charges & the implications. Then, I decided to turn on Fox News, & thought "I bet they're gonna be talking about Biden & Burisma or some shit"... Sure enough, über-douche Jesse Watters was ranting in his recognizably smug voice about: Burisma, The Biden Crime Family, & how even Dr. Jill Biden should be in jail (& she's not a real doctor) because if the "Left" can prosecute Trump, conservatives should be able to imprison the Bidens for any perceived corruption. </p><p>Hey asshole, it's the Dept. of Justice indicting him- not exactly an organization of leftist hippies. The insane, disingenuous reactions of conservatives about this is both astonishing & maddening.</p><p>Why are so many Republicans completely embarrassing themselves, by defending the criminal behavior of the sleazy jerk that <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/back-to-the-future-writer-biff-tannen-is-based-on-donald-trump" target="_blank">Biff from "Back to the Future" was modeled on</a>? Let him go, & move beyond the shitty cult of personality. <br /></p><p>The fact that Trump has gone this long without facing serious legal consequences for his lifetime of misdeeds speaks to the imbalance of the justice system, in favor of the wealthy & powerful. However, like a doofy, loudmouth Icarus- Trump flew too close to the sun. He thought he was untouchable, and perhaps believed that he WAS the government and could do as he pleased with no real consequences. </p><p>Unfortunately for him, he is now realizing that the Federal Government is much, <b><i><u>much</u></i></b> more powerful than any one man - even one with blustering bravado of Trump. By basically stealing sensitive documents, refusing to return them, & then lying about the whole ordeal to the Feds, he crossed the line into a level of criminality that forced the Justice Dept. to enforce the law on this reckless, immoral fool.</p><p>This statement alone- that he can declassify documents “<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/09/21/trump-i-could-declassify-documents-by-thinking-about-it-00058212" target="_blank">even by thinking about it</a>” should make it clear to EVERYONE that his guy is out of his damn mind, stupid as hell, or a shameless fucking liar. </p><p>Guess what??? ...<b><i><u>IT'S</u> <u>ALL</u> <u>3</u>!!!</i></b><br /></p><p>This is now the second installment of the Trump Criminal Indictment Saga, with a couple sequels on the way- "Georgia Election Interference" & "January 6th Insurrection". Trump wants to be a TV star... well, now he's starring in the craziest damn reality drama this country's ever seen!<br /></p>paul_michttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145973937556808067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038115.post-28570302296164332522023-06-04T10:41:00.002-05:002023-06-04T10:41:19.022-05:00Movie Review: Arrival<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Q8zPuxMhNkff2wM7x6oQvV0WA7rGW9_iF_wUArXWWrloiuJLIenVbZg_xbZR6MwnzuBG8Ur5G5KKdZgpIx5bYZEUzLBrxM-p_QyBzkxPDpOWgN8bf9Bj_tkj_Bjuc3sMhRdQL21AfrobTidyieecJgCF60f-tBYHtzi0ONj-_5cKR-oe_Xs/s990/arrival-movie-poster-alien-heptapod-amy-adams-jeremy-renner-writing-language-circle-symbol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="990" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Q8zPuxMhNkff2wM7x6oQvV0WA7rGW9_iF_wUArXWWrloiuJLIenVbZg_xbZR6MwnzuBG8Ur5G5KKdZgpIx5bYZEUzLBrxM-p_QyBzkxPDpOWgN8bf9Bj_tkj_Bjuc3sMhRdQL21AfrobTidyieecJgCF60f-tBYHtzi0ONj-_5cKR-oe_Xs/w452-h640/arrival-movie-poster-alien-heptapod-amy-adams-jeremy-renner-writing-language-circle-symbol.jpg" width="452" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>My wife & I recently watch the movie "Arrival". It is a movie about the sudden appearance of enormous alien spacecraft around the world, and the effort to communicate with their inhabitants. It was a very interesting exploration of the intellectual challenge such a scenario would present to the entire human race.</p><p>I don't watch a lot of movies, so going into it I have to know it's good & worth experiencing. My wife usually balks at my choices, because they're usually sci-fi or some kind of documentary, but she ends up admitting it was good!</p><p>The movie is based on a short story by Ted Chiang:</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://raley.english.ucsb.edu/wp-content/uploads/Reading/Chiang-story.pdf" target="_blank">The Story of Your Life </a></b></span><br /></p><p>We both enjoyed this movie & it spurred some great discussion on language and communication, which is already mysterious enough between human beings. Trying to exchange ideas or information with another species is absolutely mind-boggling... just really think about the idea of somehow recognizing brain patterns in another biological system- from a distance. Although the process of deciphering the alien language was simplified for movie purposes, it still provided real insight into the difficulties that would be involved.</p><p>"Arrival" imagines another aspect of a situation where alien life appears around the world. How would different nations and governments act when presented with this scenario, and how would they <i>interact</i> with other countries? You would hope that people would realize the existential importance of such an event, to come together as a species. However, the primitive monkey mind of human beings is still a powerful influence on our collective behavior, something the aliens in the movie realize and work around. <br /></p><p>The key insight that's highlighted in the story is this- <b><i>the type of language used by a living being is a defining factor in their mindset, and even the basis of conscious experience itself</i></b>. The inverse is also true-<i> <b>the way a sentient being perceives the world will be reflected in the way they communicate</b></i>.</p><p>In "Arrival", the alien <b><a href="https://aliens.fandom.com/wiki/Heptapod" target="_blank">heptapods</a></b> are found to perceive time-space holistically, meaning they see time as a fourth dimensional space that can be perceived as a whole. This is reflected in their writing, consisting of dynamic, ink-blot circular forms. These round symbolic creations are layered multi-dimensionally with vast amounts of information and meaning.</p><p style="text-align: center;">Medium:<br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://medium.com/the-cin%C3%A9philia/arrival-decoding-the-universal-language-of-time-876ba7d7e485" target="_blank">Arrival — Decoding the Universal Language of Time</a></b></span><br /></p><p>I would recommend this movie to anyone interested in the mysteries of language, the likelihood of extraterrestrial life, and the nature of consciousness. As I mentioned, it created some deep discussion and really makes you think about these profound, universal issues. When a movie or any work of art can do that, it has succeeded.</p>paul_michttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145973937556808067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038115.post-67396226145038651452023-05-24T23:30:00.006-05:002023-06-04T08:33:30.137-05:00Transhuman Sexuality<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1R1V9YCCkDeLJozaGqyZneUOCk_04TjJF6u2iZz_PDDJoG0I5-4aSo7QV9GPTqSbowhcC9pUqORunyuUWcbXulqc4-aYjTIJRB4GdjR1MYofOUc1McosiRg120pQhaAksouu4cw_2rh5kL60BKGQTTDqrC0uEtWpRFYshzF-XiGPvfkpO13k/s1080/Transhumanism-monkey-buddha-cybernetic-augmentation-ai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="457" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1R1V9YCCkDeLJozaGqyZneUOCk_04TjJF6u2iZz_PDDJoG0I5-4aSo7QV9GPTqSbowhcC9pUqORunyuUWcbXulqc4-aYjTIJRB4GdjR1MYofOUc1McosiRg120pQhaAksouu4cw_2rh5kL60BKGQTTDqrC0uEtWpRFYshzF-XiGPvfkpO13k/w457-h457/Transhumanism-monkey-buddha-cybernetic-augmentation-ai.jpg" width="457" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNImGkppn1ozMnloCWWAI7eWbiT5Af5jhjMKd0ntc8UR3gkwlXS2XFYXGx1hf6Lk7eoma7IqNqZ_hEJVfSRmDQdAlHKC7CnfiBzgS7cszrSw5JIWvXuAtmBRh3uFD-EyUWspS-D_GCE2Pp8GRPTqL6OH-bSq_tCDEAjvIiNYXJkAVKRoAzTfU/s1080/Transhumanism-monkey-buddha-cybernetic-augmentation-ai.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">It's so disheartening to see that, despite all of humanity's technological & informational advancement, there is still so much primitive hate & fear for other people. There is currently a serious backlash against LGBTQ+ lifestyles in the U.S. and other places. Although I'm a straight white dude, I think other people should be free to pursue whatever experiences make them feel good. However, I also think that there needs to be limits - such as intentionally causing harm to others, or subjecting your will to non-consenting parties. Having a son now, my wife & I often discuss how we're going to deal with the complex issues of sexuality / identity. I don't think it's appropriate to force these ideas on young kids, but you also can't shelter them forever. Although what should be displayed in public is very subjective, especially when children are involved, common courtesy & discretion are ideas that I think are generally beneficial.<br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Sexuality and gender is such a contentious subject because it is such a basic & important aspect of being human. Sex = survival of our species. However, we have gone beyond biology in many ways - allowing us to experiment & experience possibilities outside the evolutionary imperative. So, I don't think the importance of biological purpose is enough of a reason to restrict anyone's sexual preference & other forms of personal experience. </p><p style="text-align: left;">I feel bad for people who are still offended by alternative orientations, such as homosexual or transexual. Guess what??? Things are going to get <i><b>waaaay</b></i> more interesting... with the explosion of A.I., as well as advancements in both physical & mental cybernetic augmentation, and bio-hacking the body to create "un-natural" biological systems. What we understand to be "human" is going to continue to evolve & change. Fear and resistance will not stop the change, any more than it stopped the transition into the Information Age.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Besides the morphological changes humans will undergo due to technological advancements, it is also inevitable that people will be straight-up fucking robots or virtual entities. So, people who are currently disgusted by people's "unnatural" sexual preferences for other human beings will absolutely lose their minds when they see the techno-debauchery to come! <br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">There are many things about emerging technologies, especially artificial intelligence, that freak me out. However, I also know that things will always be changing... so you have to be open, ride the wave, & realize that <b>the future is coming, despite your fears and feelings</b>.<br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>paul_michttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145973937556808067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038115.post-41831956744577170212023-05-16T22:24:00.003-05:002023-05-16T22:25:10.656-05:00Flowering Clematis Vine<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyREC5CuXAvC__Dcy2V29DEH9ACuZZlcsEuHcC5bi74Ty9xaG6Gc4ZHnyk7E6VjXKUTrOHKg6GpDasnsS44WFBhaM68_KIIztslYmJxSMtYGrPOAKIqHGn4cJZHBIYA0Vt_BrUiWhNMSby91sFSeLISQ4USAkIwuodeMc31Vb7Hq0cOCFZZu8/s4032/IMG_5230.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyREC5CuXAvC__Dcy2V29DEH9ACuZZlcsEuHcC5bi74Ty9xaG6Gc4ZHnyk7E6VjXKUTrOHKg6GpDasnsS44WFBhaM68_KIIztslYmJxSMtYGrPOAKIqHGn4cJZHBIYA0Vt_BrUiWhNMSby91sFSeLISQ4USAkIwuodeMc31Vb7Hq0cOCFZZu8/w480-h640/IMG_5230.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://goo.gl/photos/Cv4Pu65KiYepxejz7" target="_blank">Nature Photography</a></span><br />by Paul Micarelli</p><div dir="auto"><div class="x1iorvi4 x1pi30zi x1l90r2v x1swvt13" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id=":rsl:"><div class="x78zum5 xdt5ytf xz62fqu x16ldp7u"><div class="xu06os2 x1ok221b"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><div class="xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br />After a few years of training a Clematis vine to grow over a trellis in our backyard, this Spring it is absolutely bursting with huge purple flowers. <span class="x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xhhsvwb xat24cr xgzva0m xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od"></span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span class="x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xhhsvwb xat24cr xgzva0m xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">It looks awesome, & it's probably our favorite plant in our gardens. We have a lot of plants in our gardens & in our house, but this is the one that I'm most proud of. It just makes me happy to come home & see it flourishing now.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvvU-RAaWugvzFtVh7_c9lNmoBDDfehl_7RGec_53PJrkQ3StmlzM_VBQS855YzHixQp6gjkzgADRR__qn1_3JXDvplhyMeDXTCcNNo0BmC7ZukXehdNGPE2CO9Ac6XtnH4MiC7HWs9g_teawne-EpXa3v7N9iXr5jYFBSKgk5pYK6brZDB2M/s4032/IMG_5229.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvvU-RAaWugvzFtVh7_c9lNmoBDDfehl_7RGec_53PJrkQ3StmlzM_VBQS855YzHixQp6gjkzgADRR__qn1_3JXDvplhyMeDXTCcNNo0BmC7ZukXehdNGPE2CO9Ac6XtnH4MiC7HWs9g_teawne-EpXa3v7N9iXr5jYFBSKgk5pYK6brZDB2M/w400-h300/IMG_5229.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">In previous years, our landscapers cut down the vines, which totally destroyed the growth process that I was working so hard to </span>cultivate. After telling them numerous times & putting up some garden fencing around it, they finally got the hint to leave it alone. Then, Loretta unknowingly cut off the old growth last Spring, thinking it was "dead" vines. I made sure she left alone this Spring, & it is blooming like crazy now. </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">We also now have a little garden helper who likes to water plants (& soak himself with the hose). We call my son Paulie "Nature Boy" because he loves the outdoors, and he is always right there helping us with gardening or any other yard work.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbOe5LY9cE54Ny8U54FIuh02RAyqklZrsAyombt6I0DTYYIRiAXDkTA9ZVgCWu6Q02y4-NNlDtWlwNxt2j6E5l1YeX3LI-kpBjadVRpfs2lz-I4rEmlJt-M5k6frAOPHgPuFVW0pKqFFf1ZwsgHmCrFYv_h_ejal_lyQrektjFBrhDWJxKcBE/s4032/IMG_5223.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbOe5LY9cE54Ny8U54FIuh02RAyqklZrsAyombt6I0DTYYIRiAXDkTA9ZVgCWu6Q02y4-NNlDtWlwNxt2j6E5l1YeX3LI-kpBjadVRpfs2lz-I4rEmlJt-M5k6frAOPHgPuFVW0pKqFFf1ZwsgHmCrFYv_h_ejal_lyQrektjFBrhDWJxKcBE/w400-h300/IMG_5223.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhre5hRyC2L7JH7h_BUvaov-dReYg6rLva2YQrf9yerWxMKvyAYaIAzhrHIs9KyquDN-Ch4WgPjDrgXYwySIXZfrTEfRuBOmA1Glmj9e_BuzGgjBbUaZ5t8YgD6N1gBRM_CqPj1C7qWf5t9XY0lRWFEVcE5cIudJwojjzUVrBK3K8JBAfeZaA8/s4032/IMG_5215.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhre5hRyC2L7JH7h_BUvaov-dReYg6rLva2YQrf9yerWxMKvyAYaIAzhrHIs9KyquDN-Ch4WgPjDrgXYwySIXZfrTEfRuBOmA1Glmj9e_BuzGgjBbUaZ5t8YgD6N1gBRM_CqPj1C7qWf5t9XY0lRWFEVcE5cIudJwojjzUVrBK3K8JBAfeZaA8/w480-h640/IMG_5215.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDm_MwuPvPVqptHFWRhwwSxN534XBYjtSLO0O_hos1zgYgbBhBnSbheu_-tpqRKsktckGKel3mv_J_JM3oZ1jHZOtvksTNufhfD7EZ1AF6A1hCBlKEXoTw-_hjZiSKI-JVE8SSHR6brZiYquoLgOIn5eyoeMCHEVgrVwqhxKnnAdvZau7IVU4/s4032/IMG_5195.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDm_MwuPvPVqptHFWRhwwSxN534XBYjtSLO0O_hos1zgYgbBhBnSbheu_-tpqRKsktckGKel3mv_J_JM3oZ1jHZOtvksTNufhfD7EZ1AF6A1hCBlKEXoTw-_hjZiSKI-JVE8SSHR6brZiYquoLgOIn5eyoeMCHEVgrVwqhxKnnAdvZau7IVU4/w480-h640/IMG_5195.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCBWaIvXib1_W_UQKMQ7lWR23ZpetG_zlzsAotZymaegHNqjg5H6SJsWYqU34R0Ma-e01MosbcMM6hT0DXRg2Sq7I8V7j0RXszBmQkA7lZdMEbPaR5eSYnJJnBRjbTHEFNH_PtQkAVgyicrZj8J1GMNMM9bZEqE3YPP6nXDQmcAs6zaHPzWLI/s4032/IMG_5204.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCBWaIvXib1_W_UQKMQ7lWR23ZpetG_zlzsAotZymaegHNqjg5H6SJsWYqU34R0Ma-e01MosbcMM6hT0DXRg2Sq7I8V7j0RXszBmQkA7lZdMEbPaR5eSYnJJnBRjbTHEFNH_PtQkAVgyicrZj8J1GMNMM9bZEqE3YPP6nXDQmcAs6zaHPzWLI/w480-h640/IMG_5204.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></span></div></div></div></div>paul_michttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145973937556808067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038115.post-54923727794989930022023-05-12T00:07:00.005-05:002023-05-24T22:39:21.975-05:00Trump & The Anti-Christ Archetype<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Yr2RP0JP3NMO8kNPYapB9eHkHpxbjmXE6o4t6rH_BKjaeugkCCLRTeeqHK4kZLhid3IXi-3JIySLRZgQ-Ldzqju6XNVB3TUKgMhwWGunc1M145k5X9ixrfYb_sagt894NJpw_uxmYkjSfactJOccQfZZIR3L20UTVSZADTUaeWq6Pqmhyec/s1080/Trump-Anti-Christ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="423" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Yr2RP0JP3NMO8kNPYapB9eHkHpxbjmXE6o4t6rH_BKjaeugkCCLRTeeqHK4kZLhid3IXi-3JIySLRZgQ-Ldzqju6XNVB3TUKgMhwWGunc1M145k5X9ixrfYb_sagt894NJpw_uxmYkjSfactJOccQfZZIR3L20UTVSZADTUaeWq6Pqmhyec/w423-h423/Trump-Anti-Christ.jpg" width="423" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p>Now, I'm not saying Donald Trump is "The Anti-Christ"... but I <b><i>am</i></b> saying that he's the complete opposite of the idea of Jesus Christ that has been passed down to us.</p><p>The fact that Trump is still campaigning for President, and even more so that people are still backing him, is beyond absurdity. With the prevalence of social media & endless connectivity permeating our lives, American culture itself is becoming increasingly psychotic, especially when it comes to national politics. Trump is the ultimate manifestation of that cultural psychosis.</p><p>When I was younger, the idea of an "Anti-Christ" really was weird to me, for the reason in the graphic above. I didn't have the life experience to see the power in cults of personality & the appeal to authoritarianism that would make such a phenomenon possible. Now, I see that it's not only possible, but probable. However, I view the concept of an Anti-Christ as more of an archetype than any singular individual. <br /></p><p>I'm not a Bible literalist by any means, but what confuses me is that someone who does truly believe in the danger of an Anti-Christ figure would not look at Donald Trump & immediately go, <i><b>"Ummm, I'm pretty sure that guy fits the description."</b></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.benjaminlcorey.com/could-american-evangelicals-spot-the-antichrist-heres-the-biblical-predictions/" target="_blank">Could American Evangelicals Spot the Antichrist? <br />Here Are the Biblical Predictions:</a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>via www.benjaminlcorey.com</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p>paul_michttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145973937556808067noreply@blogger.com0