Games people play

There is an old expression about not knowing whether to "shit or go blind" and today I don't know, either.  The whole QAnon thing may have been a hoax, a ruse to bamboozle Trump supporters.  Even if it is a hoax there are enough disgruntled voters to make it something real, a movement they can get behind despite the many false presumptions.  In a better world popular notions would have some basis in facts and truth but that is not the case today.  Informed opinions don't carry the same weight as they did in years gone by and the guy that shouts the loudest gets the most followers.  The rules of the game have changed while we weren't paying attention and now we don't know what those rules are.  But we still can't get out of the game.  Damn.  Maybe the real hoax is that "they" want us to believe it's a hoax.

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Before I forget, I've been meaning to ask Uncle Ken if that raven has made a return appearance. Are the Ivory Towers not worthy of it's attention?

Another item on the nature beat relates to our recent discussion of worms.  I keep finding articles about topics we've discussed and it's getting a little creepy; why are articles published so soon after we discuss them?  According to this we are destroying our farmlands and are on the verge of what they call a "worm apocalypse."  Humanity has been farming for thousands of years and now we are on the brink of turning that farmland into deserts, not exactly what we need.  If this kind of thing keeps up we're going to end up eating nothing bugs and seaweed in the not too distant future.

The final item in today's nature update regards our past discussion of the Asian Carp that has invaded out waterways.  Leave it to the good people of Ill Noises to make lemonade out of the lemons.  In the town of Bath there is a tournament where they catch the damn things on the fly in nets, no fishing poles allowed.  It looks like fun but no mention is made about eating them; I think Asian markets would find them quite delectable, a cash crop if you will.

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Speaking of Asian markets, the Chinese are playing the capitalist game more extensively than I thought.  They are using loans to undeveloped nations to improve that nations' infrastructure which in turn improves China's trade and supply routes.  No big deal if the nations default on the loans; China simply assumes ownership, like a bank foreclosure.  It's a clever way to gain power, a lot easier (and cheaper) than using soldiers.  But think for a minute about the amount of US debt that is held by the Chinese; we owe them a lot dough and will be in trouble if they decide it's time to pay up.  I wonder how much real estate they already own or how many US companies they already control.  Forget the mind games the Russians have been playing; the Chinese may have already bought us out with cash.  Who would believe such a scenario?