If you're of Vietnam War era vintage, you likely remember the Dow Chemical commercials, from the producers of Agent Orange:

Without chemicals, life itself would be impossible.

13.

Earthquakes don't kill people. Buildings kill people. Buildings made with no intent of withstanding known, not to mention unforeseen, still natural consequences.

According to Al Gore's predictions, we should be deep sea fishing in Miami right now.

#2 | Posted by lfthndthrds

Prove it.

Neither of you dopes remember the flooding of the NYC subways, the hurricane that killed Boaz's undesirables in Western North Carolina, unprecedented wildfires, or the rest of it.

But Al Gore is still rattling your brains.

Grow up.

I was hoping the headline meant that mofo had died and I missed it.

Oh, and the extra benefit to Evangelical and I neglected to mentioned fundamentalist Messianics is that they get to spend yet another day or two in "church."

Sunday morning and evening
Wednesday evening
Friday night
Saturday morning

Lather, rinse, repeat.

Speaking of worship, my wife and I are headed to Waffle House.

8. Don't get me started on Messianic Jews. But you have.

I've been to three Messianic temples out of curiosity. I've found the rabbis to be old-fashioned Jews for Jesus, urban Jews (like myself) who at some point bailed, probably in college. Weird, but not much more so than a lot of pulpiteers when you get to know them a little. NO small degree of ego whoredom, very few letting any power of any spirit show through.

Messianic congregations are full of people who'd be as comfortable in a snake-handling environment. Evangelical Christians looking for a way to raise their hands, offer affirmations, writhe a little in the aisles, and go up for healings.

I brought my wife one time, a Methodist/Presbyterian who grew up with southern Jewish friends (and married me), and she could barely keep from laughing.

The other thing: In my work I've read a few Messianic monographs. It's like the first few waves of womanism. Stop justifying yourself and get to the point.

I've only read part of a book that dealt with Messianic theology.

Then again, as they willfully admit, the Catholics are just getting into Bible studies 1700 years later.

It's all job security for me. And that's good. Just like DJT. I'll be reading about him til I die. I hope it's after him, though.

Judaism to Catholicism.

A transference of what to do with one's self-loathing. And institutionalizing it.

Presumed kiddy-diddler (sex not important), especially if he's married.

And Iran has achieved 95% of its universal healthcare initiative for all its citizens, soon to be 100% like Mexico will have in 2027.
WTF do we have here in the US?
#2 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS

NW as hell.

I don't know what ratioed means in the current era, but ugly, evil, cruel, and bald is pretty damn hilarious.

Someone told him Onan was in trouble and he said he had a handy solution.

"He can attend the newly-reconstituted US Army Jungle Warfare School (18 days) in Panama."

Sounds like a School of the Americas satellite campus.

Right up the road from me.

Driver from Staten Island . . .

"No, that's Romney/Ryan, Romney/Ryan."

Ego whores. Even the well-meaning ones (above not included). You have to be.

"After smoking pot daily for over 30 years, a VA doctor told me..."

OK, so the doctor was a daily user. You still considered his advice? Good for you.

(I predict Danforth's amusement at the grammar Nazidom.)

14.

Excuse me?

Caffeine alters mood, perception, judgment, and thinking, in addition to keeping someone awake and being useful to accelerate other drugs, such as acetaminophen.

People don't take ingest caffeine for the taste.

AI:

Yes, caffeine actively alters [mood, perception, judgment, and thinking]. As a central nervous system stimulant, it primarily blocks the brain's adenosine receptors, causing a cascade that increases dopamine and adrenaline.

How Caffeine Alters Your Brain

Mood: It reliably boosts feelings of alertness, pleasure, motivation, and well-being. However, excess consumption can trigger nervousness, jitters, and heightened anxiety.

Perception: Caffeine enhances vigilance and short-term sensory processing, making you feel more receptive to your environment. It can lower your subjective perception of fatigue, but may increase your perceived task demand.

Judgment: While it improves simple reaction times and attention, caffeine's effects on complex judgment and higher-order executive function are inconsistent. Some studies even suggest high doses can negatively impact complex decision-making and lead to impulsivity.

Thinking: It sharpens focused attention, speeds up cognitive processing, and reduces mind-wandering. However, it does not necessarily improve deep creative thinking or complex problem-solving.

4, 5:

Exactly. Charles Kuralt, Charles Osgood were treasures.

Revelations of Kuralt's double life are bizarre, but whatever. . . .

Christ, they already don't have room for $2 bills in the cash drawer.

I'm envious of you.

And it's here.

Check out Jeff Parker, a fantastic atmospheric guitarist. Popular among the younger crowd who is discovering jazz. Played with Tortoise.

I've found a YT channel that livestreams free jazz from a spot in Brooklyn -- a variety of instruments each time, and most of the players look like they're in their 20s.

Going to see Ron Carter et al. at Detroit Jazz Festival Labor Day. I am pumped. Young crowd there last year from my son's report. World's biggest free jazz festival.

AI: The 2026 Detroit Jazz Festival takes place from September 4-7, 2026, in downtown Detroit. The free, outdoor event features headliners and performances from jazz luminaries, including Artist-in-Residence Joe Lovano, Ron Carter, Bob James, Ravi Coltrane, Artemis, and Kurt Elling & Yellowjackets.

Headliners & Key Performers
Artist-in-Residence: Joe Lovano (spearheading the "Coltrane 100" celebration and performing in multiple configurations like Sound Prints with Dave Douglas and his Paramount Quartet).Legendary Acts: Ron Carter & Foursight, Bob James, and the Ravi Coltrane Quartet (Centennial Celebration).

Ensembles & Groups: Kurt Elling & Yellowjackets (celebrating Weather Report), Artemis, Take 6, and the Miles Electric Band.

Special Guests & Features: Cindy Blackman Santana, the Vijay Iyer Trio, and the Django Festival Allstars.

It's all those years of deep, deep breathing.

#8 | Posted by Danforth

My wife was in ICU years ago for hypoxia. They gave her a spirometer to practice deep breathing.

I was able to max that thing out at will.

I am stunned every time I go to the doctor and they say my lungs sound perfect (Xrays for other reasons confirm) -- after a half-century-plus of cannabis use.

My esophagus may occasionally beg to differ, but that's just life.

I figured one of them was Trump.

You liked me better when I was more detached. Fine.
#93 | Posted by BillJohnson

Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

22. Yes, and what people remember after NDEs from culture to culture often plays into preconceived religious frames of reference.

Jews ain't seeing The Big Guy at the end of the tunnel.