Monday, February 27, 2017

The Osmosis of Malicious Nature

                                                         


I waited a while before posting this article because I wanted to see where we are going as a nation. I should have titled this blog “Birds of a Feather” because this has to do with how we see ourselves and how others see us by the company we keep.

Osmosis: is the spontaneous net movement of solvent molecules through a semi-permeable membrane into a region of higher solute concentration, in the direction that tends to equalize the solute concentrations on the two sides. ... Osmosis is a vital process in biological systems, as biological membranes are semipermeable...
                                                            

Birds: Why do birds flock together? Scientists believe that birds tend to fly and hang out together in flocks because there’s safety in numbers and flocking together helps birds stay safe from predators.

People behave the same way. People with same tastes and similar ideologies tend to spend lots of time together. This flocking of people in designated groups helps insulate them from criticism from other groups. For example, I am very into ghost investigations. There are many people who don’t believe in ghosts and I would find myself up for ridicule if I did not have a safety net of people with the same belief in the theory of an active afterlife.
                                                              
Sometimes the process of osmosis and flocking is beneficial for people as it is with married couples and families in general. When people are first married, they bring along their own individual ideals and dreams. But over time, those married couples evolve into a new creature; one that shares values.

The disturbance to osmosis and flocking usually appears when the offspring of said married couples develop their own ideologies that are in sharp contrast to their parents. It’s called life and that’s okay. It’s better to be a civilization of free thinkers than blind followers. The majority of the time, these young dissenters will point out the antiquated osmosis (ideologies) that kept their parents insulated from the world around them. The flock then has the opportunity to change direction and begin to include other species at their waterhole. Inclusion and acceptance is always good for everyone.

Osmosis of Politics

The threat to all ideologies is eminent when a mutation happens to certain birds nesting at a particular waterhole. This mutative thinking or bigotry begins to spread because all the birds of let’s say the Cuckoo species looks upon the other birds as intruders...or worse...less worthy than them.
                                                           

The Cuckoos will then begin a slow, manipulative method of destroying all birds at that waterhole that do not assimilate into the new world order. With the constant use of conspiracy theories and the constant shaming of those birds that resist joining the flock, the Cuckoos slowly destroy the ecology of the waterhole forever.

Conclusion

Can this happen in real life? Yes! We see it happening with Trump and his cabinet that consists mostly of people who have shown in the past that they are intent on destroying anything that protects the environment, education and the survival of the American middle class. They hate the poor and dehumanize anyone who thinks or looks differently than them. Maybe Trump isn’t a person of bigotry, but if the flock he’s getting his advice from is tolerant of bigotry then Trump by association will be held responsible. Is Trump a subscriber to the Alt-right ideology? What exactly is Alt-right?

Alt-right: Bannon once described Breitbart News in an interview with the Investigative Fund as the “platform for the alt-right”. Alt-right is far-right conservatism that embraces and promotes white nationalism, racism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, transphobia and misogyny. The article, which I’ll include here, goes on to say that Breitbart does concede in that article that neo-Nazis or “1488ers” make up part of the alt-right. Like I’ve stated above...the Cuckoos are slowly destroying the waterhole forever.

“1488ers”

This is the description that I found explaining this group. It is the term given to the hardcore racists who populate the movement, though in smaller numbers. They believe in the radical and violent eradication of minority groups from the USA. The first part of the term is a reference to a 14 word, new Nazi slogan, while the second part of the number -88- refers to the eighth letter of the alphabet “H” which put together stands for “Heil Hitler  

Is Trump a follower of Alt-right ideology? If not, then Trump will need to explain in clear and concise language to the entire nation why he picked Bannon for his cabinet. And it better make sense to us on why our president is hanging with haters. If it walks, talks, and flocks like a Cuckoo, then it’s a flocking Cuckoo! End of discussion!
                                                              
 
How do we fight this mindset of entitlement, hate and bigotry? The other birds (Republicans and Democrats alike) need to stand together and protest against any signs of hatred coming from this administration. The Free Press must be diligent in reporting only the truth and holding themselves to a higher level of journalism. We Americans must hold our representatives in Congress to the fire and demand that they explain the policies coming from the White House. And, if these policies are harmful to us as a nation, then these representatives in Congress are duty bound to protect all the other birds at the waterhole.
                                                             
Because in the end...it will be where Congress places its loyalty that will give proof to what flock they’d prefer to associate themselves with. Will they stand with...us or the Cuckoos? The ball is in your court Messieurs Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell.

Side note: I wish to offer my sincerest apology to the cuckoo bird species for using them as an example for this story.

Thursday, February 2, 2017

The Foils of Nature on the Family Car

                                                             
                                               
 
I love nature and so does my husband, Dan. After growing up and living in Philly most of our lives, my husband and I were ready to live alongside the plentiful Jersey flora and fauna. We even built a beautiful pond in our back yard to encourage the visit of woodland creatures. Life was good as we added all types of beautiful trees and plants that attracted humming birds, bees and butterflies.

Then it happened!

My husband’s pride and joy...his GMC Terrain had been invaded...but Dan found out the hard way that this invasion had even taken place the day his car began to act up. You can imagine my husband’s surprise after taking his car to Jim Reid’s Auto Repair Shop. A few important engine wires had been chewed in half.
                                                            

 
After the car was fixed, my husband was told to put some moth balls around the engine to keep all furry critters away from the engine and wires. The moth balls had no effect on the critters, but I began to smell like a dry cleaning service every time I used the car.

Killer Squirrel

After several trips to the Reid Auto Repair shop to repair more chewed up wires, my husband bought an animal trap. Dan’s mission was to catch the little bugger and drop him off in a park far, far away. He put the cage inside the engine, and inside the cage he placed a few crackers with peanut butter.
                                                          
   
Then he waited. The next day, the cage was empty, but the crackers were gone. There was a note from the squirrel. It was a menu for its next meal. Jersey squirrels are known for their sense of humor, but my husband wasn’t laughing.
                                                         
 
It took two days of empty traps and continuous damage to the engine wires before my husband finally caught the squirrel. It was huge. When caught, the squirrel was wearing a tee shirt that said, “Make my day!”

Conclusion

My husband took the squirrel for a long ride. He didn’t want the squirrel to easily find its way home. Killer Squirrel is now living at a nice park, and hopefully, Killer Squirrel has forgotten where we live. Just to play it safe, hubby is leaving the trap under the hood for a few more days.
                                                         
 
I didn’t have the heart to tell my husband that I’ve recently noticed a few chipmunks surveying the car. I better get that box of moth balls from the garage. We might be very busy with potential squatters.