The Lockdown Diaries (6)
An open thread, in which to share links and bicker.
I’ll set the ball rolling with some lunchtime blues and a memorable encounter.
Oh, and added via the comments, some weird scenes.
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It helps to keep this place here.
For those in need of further diversion, the Reheated series is there to be poked at.
a memorable encounter.
Holy crap. Does anyone know what the dad is saying?
Actually, I say lockdown, but judging by the local park and shopping precinct, the lockdown seems to be dissolving. It looked much like a normal bank holiday.
but judging by the local park and shopping precinct, the lockdown seems to be dissolving.
Same here. Lot’s of traffic. Lot’s of people in the stores. Lot’s of people in the parks. Not a holiday here though. Oh and it’s a stifling 30 celsius plus the humidity.
Actually, I say lockdown, but judging by the local park and shopping precinct, the lockdown seems to be dissolving. It looked much like a normal bank holiday.
In my suburban city, the local park is open and full of people but the War Memorial is roped off so that nobody can get closer than 50 feet. It wasn’t enough to cancel all official observances, the authorities also deemed it appropriate and necessary to prevent all individuals from quietly visiting at any time.
Holy crap. Does anyone know what the dad is saying?
No speako il Italiano, but you can get the gist of it from some of the comments if you right-click and select “translate to English”…I’m using Chrome browser. YMMV, perhaps.
Lots of people in the stores.
The local M&S Food Hall was busy, and customers were doing much less of the ‘I’m-trying-to-avoid-being-near-you-but-please-don’t-take-it-personally’ dance. Still distancing, sort of, but much less punctiliously. I suspect that, whatever the arguments, these things can only be sustained for so long.
Does anyone know what the dad is saying?
Don’t tell your mother.
Don’t tell your mother.
Heh. I think mom is the one we can hear in the background, off camera, being slightly less composed. Albeit understandably.
Don’t tell your mother.
In one of my three close-up bear encounters, my mother chased the bear away with a broom. The bear had followed me back to our camp.
In one of my three close-up bear encounters, my mother chased the bear away with a broom.
I just thought that needed repeating.
I just thought that needed repeating.
I wanted to keep him.
I wanted to keep him.
Yes, if not for the claws and teeth and inhuman strength, they’d be adorable little critters.
and inhuman strength
My second ecounter happened while camping in Banff National Park. I was jolted awake at two in the morning by this enourmous metallic banging noise which repeated every 20 seconds or so. I stuck my head out of the tent to observe a bear across the way lifting the lid of a spring loaded garbage container (the large kind a truck slides on and off its back bed), looking inside the bin and letting the lid slam closed. So yes they’re strong.
I just thought that needed repeating.
I wanted to keep him.
Well, yes, a teddy bear.
ecounter
*encounter*
How Canadians deal with bears.
https://youtu.be/6O33JRDumOM
How Canadians deal with bears.
Steve E. is Canadian.
This is my favourite bear vid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktG5VeBt7Qs
I’ve met several people overseas who say they would never come to Australia as they are worried they’ll get stung/bitten/chewed to death by god knows what. I have no idea where this idea has come from. I have never known anyone to get injured by a wild animal and the worst thing I have come across (and I have done a fair bit of camping/hiking etc) are brown snakes – which are timid and will always leave you alone if your not an idiot who goes and harrasses them.
But we don’t have bears. I love bears but they are waaay scarier than anything we have…
Trust me, you need to watch this.
How Canadians deal with bears.
We’re not always so nice. This happened 8-years ago 3-km from my house. And I don’t live in the country.
My city has a population of 200K and is part of the Greater Toronto Area with a population around 6-million. There’s a greenbelt that has restricted any kind of development north of the area. So the wildlife is thriving and there are a large number of ravines plus river and creek valleys that drain south towards Lake Ontario that are like super highways the wildlife can follow into the city.
Trust me, you need to watch this.
So that’s what’s been going on with the glitter bomb guy.
Julia,
I hate to break it to you, but while Black snakes (yellow-bellied, red-bellied) are timid, Brown snakes are aggressive buggers.
Morning, all.
Weird scenes.
Features a steep rise in opportunist hysteria.
Always respect the media.
Steve E:“We’re not always so nice. This happened 8-years ago 3-km from my house.”
Are they sure they have enough firepower for that small black bear? Or did they just get off a call to deal with a loose indoraptor somewhere else in the city?
“Weird scenes.”
So, she knows he’s recording her, and she doesn’t realise that that’s proof he’s not threatening her…?
Isn’t making a false complaint a crime in the States?
Holy crap. Does anyone know what the dad is saying?
I think it’s something like this:
Don’t turn your back.
Don’t turn your back.
He’s doing his own stuff.
Excellent. Come here, come here come here.
Stay calm.
So, she knows he’s recording her, and she doesn’t realise that that’s proof he’s not threatening her…?
The escalation in hysteria is somewhat creepy. The key line being, “I’m going to tell them there is an African-American man threatening my life.” The psychology, the immediate resort to breathless dishonesty, is… interesting.
It’s very now.
By the way, Julia, I’ve still no idea why the spam filter has a grudge against you. If I don’t remember to check the bloody thing, you can always email me, and I’ll make an offering and plead your case.
Critical Drinker has some thoughts.
Weird scenes.
She went full Karen.
She went full Karen.
Some extra background here, which rather complicates things.
Some extra background here,
Bloody Canadians.
Although, I wouldn’t take it too well if someone tried to take hold of my dog by offering it treats. What non-dog owner carries dog treats while going birding in the park? She reacted inappropriately, but this sounds somewhat premeditated on his part.
She reacted inappropriately, but this sounds somewhat premeditated on his part.
It seems we have two people being Karenesque. My sympathies lie with the dog.
My sympathies lie with the dog.
But we’re told, somewhat breathlessly, that this is a civil rights issue. When, in fact, it appears to be an uncivil clash of the Karen’s.
an uncivil clash of the Karens
Now there’s the reality show we all want. Nay, demand.
Oh, come on. You know you’d watch.
One more time. Always respect the media.
Trust me, you need to watch this.
This is absolute genius!
One more time. Always respect the media.
‘Related’…
https://twitter.com/JerryDunleavy/status/1265144713415479297
“clash of the Karens”
All-female tribute band name.
(I find this whole “Karen” meme difficult. The only Karen I ever knew was a lovely girl. Looked like she belonged in a pre-Raphaelite painting.)
Weird Scenes.
The more of these things that I see, the more I remember how we learn the tactics employed by these self-regarding “videographers.” I learned them as a child on long car trips sitting in the back seat with my brother. One of us–invariably the one who hit the wall of boredom first–would start poking and pinching the other until finally the put-upon party would lose it and visibly (at least from the rear view mirror) fight back. Of course, from the front seat it looked like the put-upon party was guilty and was attacking his poor brother for no apparent reason.
The same thing happens today only the camera doesn’t get turned on until the victim snaps and looks a complete fool. I’ve become increasingly leary of videos that start in the middle of an altercation. Unfortunately you can’t drive the car if you’re constantly looking in the rear view mirror.
Oh, come on. You know you’d watch.
Two Karens enter.
No one leaves.
Our impartial and professional media.
Heh.
On Australia’s deadly critters….
“Our impartial and professional media.”
If I had a Sky subscription, I’d be cancelling it right now. Christ…
But we don’t have bears. I love bears but they are waaay scarier than anything we have…
Australian crocodiles are far more dangerous than bears.
I would walk through a park in the US with bears in it. I would not only not swim in a North Queensland river, I wouldn’t go within 5 m of the banks of one. People get taken out of boats, let alone swimming.
Box jellyfish are not friends of swimmers either.
Australians don’t get killed by various animals in large numbers because they work around them, not because the animals aren’t dangerous. Shark and Jellyfish nets are common. Australians know not to stick your hand down a pipe without checking it first because of the funnel webs.
But we don’t have bears.
You’ve got drop bears. Are you trying to get us tourists killed?
You’ve got drop bears. Are you trying to get us tourists killed?
Our impartial and professional media.
That appears to require me to follow someone on twitter to see whatever the hell it is they are tweeting about.
Not gonna. Perhaps a thumbnail sketch of the target of that link?
Chester Draws: True, I forgot the crocs. But crocs are limtied to certain parts of Aus (northern NT, northern QLD) – where most people live you would never see a croc in the wild. Same goes for box jellyfish. there have only been a handful of deaths by funnel web despite multiple bites every year as they can be easily treated. All in all, its not something that you think about much (though if I do see one I give it a bloody good stamp). Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying our creepy crawlies are not dangerous, but I think out reputation as a death island is disproprotionate!
JLM: Yep, brownies are more aggressive than blackies, but you still need to harrass them/accidently disturb them to be attacked. I have walked within a metre or two meters of a brown snake countless times while out hiking and we leave each other alone (or they flee). I can’t imagine having the same piece of mind coming across a bear! (or a croc)
TimT: That cartoon is adorable!
Always respect the media.
https://twitchy.com/sarahd-313035/2020/05/26/passerbys-own-footage-of-no-mask-shaming-msnbc-reporter-cal-perry-makes-msnbcs-faceplant-even-more-spectacular-video/
And speaking of our impartial media.
I wonder if it’s just a happy coincidence that Russell Crowe’s new movie could be interpreted as a salutary lesson to the Karens of the world?
*crosses fingers as she presses ‘post’*
*crosses fingers as she presses ‘post’*
Something seems to have gotten through . . .
Something seems to have gotten through…
I had to use magnets and a broom handle.
#EmotionalLabour
And speaking of our impartial media.
Twitter’s ‘head of site integrity’…
https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/375943/
Twitter’s ‘head of site integrity’…
Because he couldn’t just be a bit leftist. He had to be dementedly so.
I have never known anyone to get injured by a wild animal and the worst thing I have come across (and I have done a fair bit of camping/hiking etc) are brown snakes
Hmm, no magpies in your part of the country? I am terrified of the damn things – get swooped every year, and I have lost skin.
I am terrified of the damn things
One of the joys of living near woodland – the eternal turf war between the magpies and the crows. It’s like West Side Story, but with feathers and shrieking.
“And speaking of our impartial media.”
I don’t think my jaw has ever actually dropped before. That would be contemptible from a commercial broadcaster without our idiotic impartiality laws, but from the BBC it’s simply inexcusable.
End the licence fee, Boris. Shut it down. They’re practically daring you not to.
Trash media is trash.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK3p5Ij4gEE
End the licence fee, Boris. Shut it down. They’re practically daring you not to.
From the BBC’s charter, a condition of its access to coerced public subsidy:
I think this is where the sounds of dark laughter go.
I had to use magnets and a broom handle.
Yes, but how did you get the post to appear?
[ ba dum tsh ]
I’ll be here all week. Make sure to tip your server.
I’ll be here all week.
You’ll find your coat in the usual alley. On fire, obviously.
Well that didn’t take long. The second Karen isn’t sure how he feels about it.
I find it strange that no one thought it was odd that a man without a dog in Central Park was walking around with a pocketful of dog treats. Oh and in case you were worried about him he’s fine. He wasn’t going to let her intimidate him. You know, because like Emmett Till and stuff. Karen’s are so frail.
I wonder if it’s just a happy coincidence that Russell Crowe’s new movie could be interpreted as a salutary lesson to the Karens of the world?
Hmmmm… this year’s Falling Down?
David, if you check your Amazon Associates Reports and see an order for a Mambiwasa back scratcher, 130 gel refills, and Apple USB Charging Cable, that’s from me. Hopefully it’ll show up sometime in the next month.
that’s from me.
Bless you, sir. May your Marmite spread evenly.
Amy Cooper, a native of Canada, meanwhile, studied at the University of Waterloo in Ontario from 1998 to 2003
Holy ****. I thought she looked vaguely familiar.
“[…] as she grabs the harness by the neck without attaching a leash. It led to calls from social media for the dog to be removed from her care due to concerns she was choking it.
Oh, for the love of…I’ve owned three spaniels. It’s impossible to choke them. One of them had a choke chain collar he simply ignored, he would literally drag my sister around at the other end of the leash.
Everyone in this sordid debacle is acting like a shrieking….well, Karen.
Everyone in this sordid debacle is acting like a shrieking….well, Karen.
It’s not a testament to the gloriousness of the human species, no.
In one of my three close-up bear encounters, my mother chased the bear away with a broom.
Mrs. Oik and I went to Zimbabwe in 1992, our first “adventure holiday” (unless you count staying in a distinctly insalubrious dump at precisely the wrong end of Collins Ave. in Miami Beach). We were staying at the Safari Lodge Motel in Hwange, just outside the National Park’s main gate.
I woke from an afternoon nap to witness her indoors shouting “Shoo! Shoo!” at a fully grown male baboon which had infiltrated our room via the open French windows. The thing bared its teeth in defiance before urinating copiously over our suitcases* prior to departing. Thing is, the bastards can tear your arm or your face off without even blinking. I still occasionally wake up in a cold sweat after a very vivid re-enactment which regularly occurs in a dream.
*We had to burn the luggage when we got home.
before urinating copiously over our suitcases prior to departing.
Bet this place looks pretty classy right now.
Why do you think I prefer to hang around here?
Some *ahem* aromas facilitate reminiscence.
I thought it slightly odd until I learned he was a bird-watcher. It clearly wasn’t the first time he’d had to deal with jackwagon dog owners letting their pets run around loose spooking said birds and his solution was a lot better than kicking the pup.
I have a dog and am not particularly fond of leash laws, but they exist for good reasons. Amy Cooper just figured she was speshul and they didn’t apply to her. The appropriate response to being (politely, even) reminded that her dog should be on a leash in that part of the park would be to simply put the dog back on the leash. An apology to the guy would have been nice, too (not to mention practically mandatory for a Canadian).
An apology to the guy would have been nice, too (not to mention practically mandatory for a Canadian)
When they move to the US they go native.
a pocketful of dog treats
I had to dig to find it, but he explains elsewhere it’s a calculated tactic: he tosses the treats to the dog, and the only way for the owner to keep the dog from eating the treats is to put the dog on the leash.
It’s a borderline-autistic dick move.
It’s a borderline-autistic dick move.
Agreed, and it’s miles away from “politely” asking for the dog to be leashed. I’d like to see what happened before the camera started rolling. I don’t necessarily believe she was acting. She behaved badly but he’s no angel in all this.
Camille had been raised on Marxism since she was a baby.
She explained that her polyamory was based upon the detachment of sexuality and commitment. It was a more ethical philosophy than monogamy because it didn’t conceive of people as possessions and it did not moralize about sexuality.
Unlike me, she enjoyed stealing [ … ] The world would be much better if everyone stole, Camille explained to me one day in the dining hall, eating food she had just stolen.
This may not be for everyone, but I found this Quillette piece, “When I Was in Love with a Comparative Literature Student”, a surprisingly worthwhile read.
It certainly goes a long way to explaining the more likely underlying causes of campus radicalism.
This may not be for everyone,
I felt like I was bleeding out.
It certainly goes a long way to explaining the more likely underlying causes of campus radicalism.
Fathoming leftism requires parsing the psychology of it.
I felt like I was bleeding out.
I probably should have led with that, not the other.
Still, I did enjoy the the hierarchy of ‘John’, ‘Camille’, and the narrator: John the firebrand and leading Marxist on campus, who turns out to have been a narcissist, Machiavellian, and psychopath; Camille who tries to rationalise her obvious sexual exploitation by John using rationalisations given to her by him (which is really appallingly cruel if you think about it); and finally the narrator, someone who’s clearly what I believe all the kids are nowadays calling a “Beta orbiter” to Camille.
At no point are any of them even remotely interested in what they profess to be in a struggle against. Terrible, needy, grasping people – that such as these we’re supposed to believe are virtuous, often an hourly let alone daily basis, is just extraordinarily perverse.
Terrible, needy, grasping people – that such as these we’re supposed to believe are virtuous,
Sounds like a recurring theme of this blog. Glorious thing that it is.
I think out reputation as a death island is disproprotionate!
When I worked with an Aussie I greatly enjoyed explaining to him the peculiarities of various North American fauna, such as black bears, brown bears, mountain lions, moose, alligators, snapping turtles, alligator snapping turtles, and, my personal favorite, the shrike.
…the peculiarities of various North American fauna…
Don’t forget our friend the nine banded armadillo and their Mycobacterium leprae Pathology Power Paws™.
bears, brown bears, mountain lions, moose, alligators, snapping turtles, alligator snapping turtles,
We do get foxes in the garden. And the occasional badger.
#BraveFace
Ooh, a tit.
We do get foxes in the garden. And the occasional badger.
#BraveFace
And, don’t forget that every few years you also get a cluster of marauding Parliamentary candidates . . .
every few years you also get a cluster of marauding Parliamentary candidates
Like all good-hearted people, we put down traps for those.
Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger…
Sorry.
I was once smiled at by a badger on the north rim of Yellowstone Canyon. Scared the piss out of me.
This may not be for everyone, but I found this Quillette piece
Jesus H Christ, did testosterone levels drop sharply while I was away? What a load of soy-addled whimpering tedium. Quillette really needs to impose a word limit on its writers.
TLDR version: “He didn’t fuck her.”
A bunch of third rate intellects trying to get one over on each other by quoting postmodern word salad which none of them understand.
Max Diamond… is currently working on a documentary film about education in New York’s Hasidic Jewish Community. Of course he is.
Ooh, a tit.
I see what you did there.
I felt like I was bleeding out.
Best comment there compared it, unfavorably, to Woody Allen.
Left unsaid: the size of these children’s trust funds. (Also, John’s was probably bigger than Max’s.)
Terrible, needy, grasping people
As I’ve said before, it’s not a coincidence that so much radical leftism resembles Complex PTSD.
The world would be much better if everyone stole, Camille explained to me
Sure would. All peaceful and stuff.
A bunch of third rate intellects trying to get one over on each other by quoting postmodern word salad which none of them understand.
And today Camille is busily misspelling names at Starbucks.
The world would be much better if everyone stole, Camille explained to me.
“If only people violated each other more often, generating fear and distrust, and degrading life in general. Then I’d be happy,” she cooed, caringly.
I’m paraphrasing, of course. But not by much.
“If only people violated each other more often, generating fear and distrust, and degrading life in general.”
So, I see you’ve watched Fleabag.
peaceful
Nothing puts it to The Man like… er… burning down an affordable housing development.
So, I see you’ve watched Fleabag.
[ Googles Fleabag. ]
The episode summaries sound dismal. Is it as bad as it sounds?