You're lucky it wasn't hornets. I don't think a human can outrun a hornet except maybe if your last name is Bolt. I got one in my apartment flying around loose. I opened the sliding door and luckily he decided to exit. Like a bullet. Damm, he was fast.

I had a nest of yellowjackets once in my apartment balcony bbq. Did the DIY beesuit - 3 pairs of pants, 3 jackets, motosickle helmet, etc, and hosed down the nest with Raid. First thing in the morning with no wind - it could work.

What are you going to be doing on the road for 4 months, chop?


Someday I'd love to do exactly that, eating zero franchise food, play poker, attend sports. Doubt I'll ever find myself in position to do it, but it is a dream.

miss my little '72 corolla. beat the **** out of that thing

Breakfast, posh-ish hotel. I take my food from the buffet, sit at the nearest empty seat. Man comes along and says "excuse me, that's my seat". Obviously I move. But on reflection, it's dumb: none of the cutlery had been used, there were no plates or drink there, he'd left nothing on the chair or table. Shouldn't he just take the next one along instead of make me move?

Not possible he was up after his first plate and his stuff got bussed and his cutlery replaced? It would still technically be unused I guess but definitely weirder to stay in that case.

When I am discussing politics lately I feel like I am taking crazy pills. Am I really the only one as worried about the Syria situation?
I feel like we are arguably in the most volatile political situation since the end of ww2.
Some politicians openly stated their great concern about the situation but the " man on the street" seems not to worry.
Which ha me wondering was it always like that or have people become numb?
Were any of you guys around for the Cuba or Berlin crisis?
Were people more worried back then?

I was not around for either Cuba or Berlin, but I talked to my parents at length about Cuba. They were seriously worried. I don't think Syria is even close to either Berlin or Cuba -- remember Cuba really was a lets-play-chicken situation in which USA#1 made it clear that Russian ships would not be allowed to get to Cuba, and Russian ships carrying nuclear weapons were steaming directly for Cuba. Unless someone backed down, that very easily could have gotten entirely out of hand.

I definitely did duck-and-cover drills during elementary school. I laugh about those now, but I didn't think even then that getting under my desk at school would matter one bit if there was a nuclear explosion.

The only time I personally remember thinking that the world was well and truly at risk of going to hell was the 1973 Yom Kippur war. I was ten, but I was glued to the newspapers every day, and it was all we talked about at home. I don't know how much press it got then, but I remember finding out later that the Soviet Union threatened to intervene militarily on Egypt's behalf if USA#1 didn't agree to help broker a cease-fire; and as I recall it, the Nixon administration was embroiled in Watergate and nobody thought Nixon was capable at that point of making tough decisions. I think Kissinger was the one that really dealt with the issue so that it didn't turn into open USSR-USA#1 conflict, for which he deserves credit.

For whatever reason, I'm not overly concerned about Syria. There doesn't seem to be an iminent threat of major-power shooting war, even though Putin is an evil, aggressive thug. I also haven't read up carefully on it, and I'm not even sure that I could find Aleppo on a map.

The Ukrainian situation is scarier than the Syrian

Yes, he probably should. If I were in your shoes, I'd feel immense pressure to move, although I'd internally think that the man asking me to do so is an overly aggressive dickhead. I think that because if the situation were reversed, I'd likely just go and find a different seat. All that said, I might try to reverse the pressure by saying "I didn't see anything here to suggest someone had already taken the seat, but why don't you join me for breakfast?" The risk, obviously, is that he takes you up on the invite.

Duck-and-cover was not originally as dumb an idea as people these days assume.

The initial Duck and Cover civil defense film was written in 1951. At the time the Soviets only had fission bombs. It wasn't until after the film came out that the Soviets tested their first thermonuclear device, pushing their bombs into the hundreds of kilotons range. And they didn't truly succeed and get into the megatons until 1955.

Against a Hiroshima-size bomb, of the kind the Soviets had at the time, duck-and-cover made a lot of sense.

It's just today, when we imagine a nuclear war involving dozens of megaton-yield airbursts, that it seems insane. But at the time the film was made, the war was survivable and getting under your desk could save your life.

Generally yes -- and again, I haven't read on this carefully -- but I get the sense that USA#1 is giving some arms assistance to the Ukraine, but that there isn't a risk of an out-and-out shooting war between USA#1 troops and Russian troops. Without that, a larger war doesn't seem all that likely.

I of course believe that the evil thug Putin wants to annex the entire Ukraine, rather than just Crimea.

I was a kid during those times, so I let the adults do the worrying. I do remember playing in examples of bomb shelters that my grandparents were thinking of buying, so I assume they were worried. I practiced duck and cover in school and I also remember being told not to play outside when fallout was heavy.

I am a bit worried over Syria, but even more, I'm really, really sad.

I think Putin is playing to the fears in this election, it probably looks to him like we are heading into insurrection, because other systems haven't really had the nonviolent changeover that we are used to. Who knows?

To me the biggest risk of an actual war between the USA and Russia, would be over the Baltics. Ukraine never made it into NATO so Russia could move in with relative impunity.

But a violation of the territorial integrity of Lithuania, Latvia, or Estonia becomes a big deal, fast.

Plus, Turkey seems to be acting strangely uncommitted to the West lately.

I wasn't ducking and covering until 1969 or perhaps 1970. Even then, the film seemed passe and slightly ridiculous -- both because at that age, it's impossible to perceive mortality, and second, because it seemed so simple and outdated.

Yeah by 70 it was dumb. But when I was growing up in the 80s and 90s we did duck and cover for earthquakes, where it still made sense.

did duck & cover in elementary, but for earthquakes, not lolruskies

Media and its constant coverage make it feel worse then it is imo.

We always learned to head for the nearest doorway in the event of an earthquake, presumably on the theory that the structure supporting the doorframe was a better spot to avoid collapse etc.

I always wondered what would happen if we had an earthquake while in school and everyone tried to run for the same doorway.

I really do miss California, earthquakes and all.

I miss California 6 months of the year.

This year's 6 months started about last week when the weather started to turn from livable to cold.

elementary school desks are osha approved to support the weight of a collapsed building.

or they didn't give two ****s about us living.


one of the above statements is true.

I think both of you underestimate the severity of the situation.
Putin warned in June 17th in a meeting with journalist that the NATO missile defence system would soon start to threaten Russian nuclear capabilities and the grave consequences that would have. I really advise people to listen to it in its entirety. He basicly pleads with the journalist to finally make people aware of how close a irreversible chain of events is to be set in motion that would end in nuclear war.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier recently stated that in the super powers at least didn't cross certain red lines they do cross now.
Nurman Kurtulmus warned that if not resolved soon the proxy war in the middle east would lead to war between the USA and Russia.
Russia moved nuclear missiles closer to the polish border.

The warning signs are all there and if Russia and the NATO come to blows it will always lead to the use of nuclear weapons. The NATO can't defend Europe with conventional means. The defence plans in case of a Russian attack involves the use of tactical nuclear weapons used against the invading troops so it doesn't make for Russia to not go the nuclear route in the first place.

Howard how come you despise Putin so much?

Howard,

I was in Tahoe recently. All the beaches had yellowjackets that would appear out of nowhere when people got food out. And if people left trash piles with food remains, there would be swarms of them. Terrifying at first, but they strangely didn't seem very interested in stinging people.

For real?

Hey look a politics thread, THANKS OHOWARD!