You Are What You Eat???

 

Eh'??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

I like going to the restaurant and have something good to eat, but I admit that I don't always trust that what I order is what I get. And what about the kitchen, is it always up to scratch as to cleanliness? Maybe the chef isn't as much into washing his/her hands when using the bathroom - or maybe he/she is ill? You go to the restaurant, eat a meal that may - or may not - be tasty, and then you get a feeling that you shouldn't have taken that dish, you did take because it looked deliciously in the photo of the menu, but "tasted funny". 

OK, this is supposed to be salmon, and it should agree with most people unless they hate fish. However, one doesn't know for sure when it was caught and whether it was kept in the right manner, and fish go bad very soon. 

However, some fish don't "go" bad, they just "are bad", and I encountered one a week ago: I like fish, but not what I call "ordinary meat" from cattle or pigs. For some years cod has been quite expensive here, but I decided to treat myself to some and was looking forward to having a delicious meal. However, when I was about to cook it I happened to look at the plastic wrap that held it, and what did I see that made my hair stand on end, so to speak? I saw a live worm, making its way out of the cod and wriggling happily in the wrap.

The worm I saw wasn't this one, but it might be its twin. Relative or not, I got rid of it at once, as I did with what had looked like a delicious - and expensive - cod. I'm sure that the very idea that I might have eaten it, without knowing so, will be with me for some time ....

Somehow, this incident made me think of those murderers who have fed their victims to animals they sell for human consumption. One of them is this creep, Robert Pickton from Canada. It sure is a disgusting thought that he stalked and murdered women to feed his pigs, and that these pigs were sold as food. Buying some of that meat, one might involuntarily become a cannibal.

The very idea ....

 

https://www.eatthis.com/warning-signs-restaurant-not-clean/ 

 

https://fsns.com/what-is-food-fraud/ 

https://www.gucca.dk/ultra-processed-people-why-do-we-all-eat-stuff-that-isnt-food--and-why-cant-p694318?srsltid=AfmBOoopnvo4GvQgKkepnzm2Gh9SQdSlgxM7o3vpsyM2nkBS821EUXrN

https://www.foodrepublic.com/1293876/learning-about-cod-worm-the-hard-way/

 

 

Our Hairy Cousin

 

 

Well, I shouldn't be surprised if gorillas made some thought-provoking comments about humans that we don't get because we were misled as to how they live and what they are. Originally, we only saw a very strong and muscular hoodlum-like animal, where in reality gorillas are the opposite of that popular, but misleading KingKong-characteristics. Also, the male gorillas don't long for blonde women whom they want to abduct and rape. All of that is projections of human fantasies: KingKong is strong, he beats his chest so he must be showing off his masculinity and his capacity of fighting, right? Naahh, wrong!

Gorillas are peaceful and social creatures, as well as intelligent and, as humans close to them report, even thoughtful. The days of these magnificent animals are not being spent fighting, but foraging for vegetation, and if the nights of some of the males bring dreams of lovely ladies it will be someone like this beauty.

This gorilla mother with her baby reminds me of one of the most famous gorilla ladies, namely Koko, who lived in a zoo for most of her life. She didn't have any offspring, but at one point she was gifted a kitten, which she took to at once. However, when she herself had ruined a sink in the zoo, she tried to blame it on the kitten. So very human, right, as that is what many criminals have tried to do when caught.

When two celebrities, Koko and Robin Williams, met, they seemed to bond at once. I don't know if the story of Koko's grief at Robin William's death is true, but I shouldn't wonder if that's the case

The muscular strength and the chest beating - the latter in reality being a sign of stress and nervousness - became some kind of signifiers of valid, human, masculine characteristics. The fictive movie-character, KingKong,  became one of the animals portraying human maleness, but it's Koko, who is the most accurate image of the gorilla in its true form. She may have been more or less frustrated, living in a zoo, and not having any gorilla babies, but she was treated well - or as well as was possible - and she made a staying impression on the people who got to know her.

Koko and her adopted "baby"

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koko_(gorilla)

 

https://sandiegozoowildlifealliance.org/species/gorilla 

 

Wikipedia

 

Britannicus

 

Testicles For Fun

 

It looks like something that might a celebration of the workings of these male-praised body parts, but no, it's not. The working was stopped before the festival was planned, and the testicles became a cherished item on the menu of a lot of people. Somewhere, it has become a tradition for a very long time, and nothing indicates that it's about to stop.

"25 years"? I've seen it announced as the 33th annual, and the idea may even be older.

 

Sometimes I've seen a television program about some Yorkshire vets, and one of them - who is a former student of the famous vet, Herriot - is very proud of his capacity of castrating everything from cats and guinea pigs to bulls with a weight of a ton or even more. In his opinion, castration is a solution to some "bad behavior" in the animal world, but I've never seen him save the cut-off testicles for human consumption. A dog or cat, on the other hand, may have them if they happen to be around. Otherwise, they may just be scrapped. Not so with the animal testicles for these festivals, as they are being saved for human meals: The more testicles the merrier!

"Delicious"? Well, maybe they are as they are being the main part of a menu, year by year 

Some festivals are not only for consumption, but for awareness 

Testicle festivals look very cosy, offering both something to eat and to drink, but to find abandon one should go to Spain. Here there is a special festival for "tomato smashing" which looks fun if you're into being smeared in with vegetables. I pass, but I suppose that very young people mike like it.

 

https://eu.lenconnect.com/story/entertainment/events/2025/03/26/village-of-deerfield-24th-annual-testicle-festival-rocky-mountain-oysters/82640030007/ 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testicle_festival 

 

https://www.the-sun.com/news/6518430/testicle-festival-balls-contest-boobs-balls-arkansas-fyre-fest/ 

 

https://www.macclesfieldrufc.co.uk/2021/08/boobs-vs-balls-charity-event/ 

 

Wikipedia

 

 

 

Was She A Time Traveller?

 

I bet they had their own ways to see what time it was: The sun, the moon and the stars would give them the time of the day. The seasons would do the rest as would their own aging.

As to the ability to travel back or forth in time then it's a most beloved concept in science fiction. Just think of H.G. Wells and his novel "The Time Machine" (1895). In physics there are theories about "wormholes" and "a rotating black hole" which may - or may not! - bring a feasible solution. As I don't want to pretend to understand these theories, I shall not get into them.

However, this year of 2025, may bring some kind of solution to a mystery - or blatant hoax! - that presumably goes back to 1898 when a beautiful, young woman, Alexandria Alexis, all of a sudden appeared in New York. She made a splash with her beauty and charisma, but also with her allegations of being a time traveller from the year of 2025. Actually, according to her, that would be the year that the very art of time travelling would be invented which should make it possible for all of us, living now, to take a trip back or forth in time.
 

In 1898 people, who met this mystery woman, Alexandria Alexis, debated who she was and also how "sane" - or insane - she was. However, she has been supposed to simply disappear on New Year's Eve 1899 .... 

Well, well, the people of 1898 may have been blended by her charm to such a degree that it was impossible for them to figure out that her true identity most likely was Grace Rawlinson. Some fierce fans of her and her story were - or became - adamant that the English actress Grace Rawlinson was nothing, but a front for the time traveler, Alexandria Alexis, and that she shall be back this year of 2025 which tRump already has made so weird .... 

 

https://youtu.be/e4fBR4p_UtE?feature=shared

 

 

https://youtu.be/dNbrI18BOAI?feature=shared 

 

 

https://broadway.library.sc.edu/content/grace-rawlinson.html

 

 

Wikipedia

 

 

Are There Any Insect Whisperer???

 

The Dedicated Insect-Killer

 

It's strange, but I kind of like insects, although I do whatever I can to eliminate a lot of them. However, I wish I could have one or two as a pet, but that's difficult as it can't be denied that many breeds, for instance, either eat one's clothes or sting, causing a more or less heavy pain. That may happen, even for those, who don't act as stupidly as this teenager. HOW could he be that dumb? Oh, I forgot, he is a boy of a certain age.

Here we have an insect that might become a pet - at least for a while, or maybe just a moment. As far as I can see this bee is having honey for a snack, which I suppose is quite fitting.

 

 

 

One of the facts that fascinates me the most is that many different breeds  of insects are living in societies that are centered around one female, which is called the Queen by us humans. That goes for e.g. the ants and the bees. Anyway, males don't count for much in the world of the insects, and, actually, most of them end up being eaten by a hungry female, or like with the kneeling mantis has his head devoured, but leaving his body as a sex instrument.

 

Insects may be dangerous to each other, like with the many females who murder and devour the males after - or during - sex. However, some may also be very dangerous to humans. It's strange that such a small animal in fact can kill a human being, but that's the case with some.

 

Fascinating, but not exactly something one should go for

 

Maybe it's surprising that one of the deadliest animals on this planet is the mosquito. How can such a small, (but annoying!!!), creature be that dangerous? Well, it's the mean to destruction by transmission of serious diseases and viruses like e.g. malaria that may be deadly. 

Surprisingly enough, the most important animal we have also is an insect:

That should make us grow plants they like and be careful not to harm them, but that's not always the case. I admit that insects - useful or not - may be quite annoying: They "sing", they sting or pollutes one's food, e.g. by dying on it. Sometimes some poor human takes out one of these annoying creatures, even when he/she shouldn't have done so ....   

https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/insects-invertebrates/deadliest-insects

 

https://www.orkin.com/pests/stinging-pests/bees/honey-bees/honey-bee-life-span 

Wikipedia

 

Errors In Typing And So On

 

Oops!!! And then something like that may happen more often than expected. When I sat browsing one of my own previously published books, I found a couple of spellings or typing errors on the first page. Not liking what I saw and which I couldn't do anything about, I made an effort not to focus on those misprints, but I couldn't quite quench my embarrassment at seeing them. Luckily enough, they were not as misleading as the (above) error in The Sentinel, but I didn't like to see them as they were the embarrassing proofs that I hadn't been thorough enough in my proofreading.

Not being "born yesterday" I've experienced the days when there were no computers. Errors were even more annoying at that time, as one had to correct them on what may be several copies. The means of doing so was a sort of white correction fluid, which, as far as I remember, was called "Tipp-Ex" or something like that. Very useful, but tiresome, and not always doing what it was supposed to do, namely obliterating errors in spelling or writing. What was wanted was to make those kinds of blemished go away, to disappear, becoming non-existing proofs of failures as a typist. (Many times in life, one might look in vain for something like this "Tipp-Ex" to blot out errors of all kinds).

Oops, the day of the computer has arrived which means that now the errors are different, substantial and manifold in nature. No "Tipp-Ex" will be needed as it will make no difference. "Delete" will have to do the job, and I must say, that most often it does a good job of it, but not if it's up against one's trigger finger which somehow is connected to the "blind spot" in one's eye.
 

Yes, that's the new hazard: Someone is looking for errors that might as well be overlooked and forgotten. It's like setting out to catch a criminal or just pretending not to see what he/she has done. Or "don't rock the boat, if you don't appreciate being sent headlong into the filthy water". I don't think it's possible not to make errors in life, typings or not, but I shall not go hunting for them if they aren't of vital interest or impact. The Sentinel error I do find to belong in that category, but not a reasonably non-misleading spelling error, so no more hysterics over that kind of mishaps in my publishing.

The Mad And Furious Bachelors

What is the logic of something like the Incel-movement which harbour feelings of extreme misogyny "because a lot of guys can't have a woman or even get laid"? Well, as far as I can see, there is no logic in that claim as nothing in nature caters to or is designed for the benefit of the penis and the sexual needs/demands of the male. However, sadly enough, at some point c. 8,000 years ago, Patriarchy came into existence with the arise and development of the agriculture. 

Women, being the more versatile gender, found a way to make the system even work for them, but with time it became more difficult or just less fulfilling for them. That meant that "the rules of the game" changed from a sort of implied "contract" to free forms of a female life style that upset what had been taken as "nature", but never was. Everything in nature is indicating that what counts is women, and that men are expendable, except for the upkeep of Patriarchy. That's the crux: Do women want the Patriarchy in a modern world, and if so, then for how long????? One generation more, two or maybe three?

All those men who are dreaming of the women former times seem to forget that what made it work was that they, then men, had to provide for their families. When they extoll the women of the 1950s - which somehow  seem to be the dream girls of the incels - they forget that this presumed wonder setting of the roles of the sexes didn't float around in a social vacuum. On the contrary ....

What's so intriguing about the incel subcultures of today is that these young guys feel entitled to sex and a certain way of living, and that what made them feel that way are ideologies, not social or biological facts. They don't like the feeling of being without what makes a man a success in the modern world, including a sexual outlet. Beeing less than a success in what might be called "maleness" makes them angry and even aggressive. Some/Many of them give vent to a violent misogyny that doesn't leave out any suggestions of what "should be done to those damn women".

As it is, men murdering women over sex has been part of the social setting for ages. Male sex criminals abound in shocking numbers. To some it obviously was nothing but a game or a "sport" that gave them the feeling of being "supermen". That being the case makes it even worse and it will take some doing - or as I call it some "sexual exorcism" - even to start a re-establishing of acceptable paths in our society for both sexes. 

 

https://www.cadtm.org/How-do-patriarchy-and-capitalism-jointly-reinforce-the-oppression-of-women 

 

https://lex.dk/incel 

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13552600.2024.2374084

 

https://boobytrapec.blogspot.com/2024/06/blue-as-balls.html 

When A Car Goes ELECTRIC!

 

I have to admit that I don't know much about cars, so I'm neither for nor against the electric ones. Are they too expensive to buy, and what about the upkeep? Will a car bought in 2025 hold its worth in e.g. 10 years??? Nobody seems to have a fixed answer for that question, so to me, it looks like an unsafe investment - if that's what one is after.

And what about that anti-pollution argument? After all, electricity doesn't make itself, even though many seem to think so. What LOOKS "clean" may not be what it looks.

I like the idea, but I don't trust the information about the product - which may not be fair to the producers, but that's how it is for many people who don't really know the intricacies of the car industry. Also, I admit that the very idea of someone like Elon Musk getting rich on his TESLA model even though it's reputed to have several flaws doesn't do much for my trust in either him or his car.
 

Tesla cars may look smart, but .... 

I remember reading about the horror of ordinary people when the first cars were launched, and they saw them move without horses. We may laugh at those people, but are they difficult to understand? I don't think so.

No horses, no anything - sheer (demonic) MAGIC!!!!

 

https://www.caranddriver.com/rankings/best-electric-cars 

 

https://www.topgear.com/car-news/electric/top-gears-top-20-electric-cars 

 

https://www.caranddriver.com/rankings/best-electric-cars 

 

https://archive.md/20250425022848/https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-waymo-diss-john-krafcik-robotaxi-wars-cybercab-2025-4 

The Woman Who Led China

 

Cixi 

For fifty years, China was in fact led by a truly remarkable woman, namely Cixi (1835-1908). She was born a noblewoman, who became one of the Xianfeng emperor’s low-ranking concubines. However, after giving birth to the emperor's only son, the Tongzhi emperor (reigned 1861-1875), in 1856 and adopted mother of the Guangxu emperor (reigned 1875-1908) she attained an impressive power together with the Xianfeng’s former senior consort, Ci'an. The two of them orchestrated a coup with Kung Quinwang (Prince Gong), the former emperor’s brother, and the regency was transferred to Cixi and Ci’an. Gong became the prince counsellor until he fell out with Cixi who, of course, resented his urge for power.

Prince Kung

For the first 20 years of her reign, she worked together with Ci'an, but when she died suddenly in 1881 she kept her power for another 27 years.

In 1889 when the young Guangxu emperor formally assumed power Cixi nominally relinquished her control over China to retire. However, after the so-called "100 Days of Reform" by the new emperor she regained power. Upon her death in 1908, death rites were observed for a year, after which she was laid to rest in the Eastern Qing tombs northwest of Beijing.

 

The day before Cixi died, the death of the emperor Guangxu was announced. It was generally believed that he had been poisoned, but that suspicion wasn't substantiated until 2008 when a report was issued by Chinese researchers and police officials which confirmed that the emperor had been deliberately poisoned with arsenic. Although the report did not address who may have ordered his death, and there never has been any hard evidence of culpability, suspicion long has pointed toward Cixi. One thing is for sure, those were confusing times in China, but even so, the former concubine kept her power ....

Empress Dowager Cixi and women of the American legation. Holding her hand is Sarah Pike Conger, the wife of U.S. Ambassador Edwin H. Conger

 

Wikipedia

 

Britannica

Babies Are For Abuse, Right?

 

Three criminals if ever there were any! I bet they thought they would get away with their crime, and when that didn't happen, that people would understand and maybe even shrug off what they had done. However, nobody, sane of mind, would go with them instead of their victim, little, innocent Brianna Lopez. 

Brianna was a beautiful, little girl when her Mom, Stephanie Lopez, gave birth to her in 2002. However, when she died five months after her birth, she was a sad sight. Her life and death is one of the worst instances of child abuse we know about. Sadly enough, the cruel abuse she was subjected to, and which started when she was born, was her only life experience. Was she an unwanted child; did her Mom want an abortion, but didn't get one? 

Anyway, both her Mom, Dad and an uncle abused her in any way possible. Daily she was bitten, raped and beaten by these three sad excuses for human beings.

 

When her parents brought her to a hospital because she "had fallen down from the high stool for babies, it was too late to do anything for her. She was too injured by being used as a ball by her Dad and uncle. They found it so very funny to see how she fell when she was thrown up to the ceiling in a free fall landing.

The hospital found two fractures of the skull, several fractured ribs and one fractured arm besides 15 wounds after bites all over the body. Also, there were evidence of sex abuse by her Dad and uncle. One of their "games" was to put various objects up in her vagina, which had led to severe damage of her abdomen. The perversities of these two male monsters included endless series of rapes, and it's unfathomable that the mother of the child didn't stop the madness, but no, she only stopped the screams of the baby by putting a sock in her mouth.

Stephanie Lopez was sentenced to 27 years of prison, but was released before that because of her "good behavior". I suppose that's an indication that she is considered "redeemed" in what, even today, is deemed the worst case of child abuse ever. 

https://morbidology.com/the-ultimate-betrayal-brianna-lopez/ 

https://eu.lcsun-news.com/story/news/crime/2016/09/16/baby-briannas-mother-released-prison-sept-25/90524908/

Wikipedia