Amandine

Disclaimer: all the below is my own biased limited view-point of course. I'll always be on the side of the underdog, even whilst keeping open-minded and seeing different sides of the situation. I like with what Dr. Todd Grande has to say (I recommend checking out his videos, he analyses the personalities and mental states of various public figures involved in well-known cases). He believes Chauvin has the Four “Dark Personality” Traits (4 tetrad), namely psychopath, narcissist, Machiavellian, and sadist (altho' he admits the machiavellian part is not apparent), and explains why he thinks Chauvin is guilty of 1st Degree Murder. Amen. I've looked at everything Leo has written about the case and I don't see anything that could be said to be necessarily "untrue" or non-sensical in itself, and I believe he realistically understands quite well the grassroots level of things on a politico-social level. But I was disappointed at the stance he took in the significant historical context of this one, seemingly spending an inordinate amount of time "justifying" the murder and explaining the tough cop work and underfunded resources than showing any sorrow for an actual human life taken away flagrant delit by a cop conscious he was being filmed for the whole world to see as though that human life had no value, cold-bloodedly murdered in broad daylight ... because he knew he could ... and get away with it. This is an important point. Like hey, who's gonna bat an eyelid? Plenty of folk'll sympathize with me offing the crazy dude, black lives don't matter, perps scum don't matter, I mean hey, look what I've gotta put up with? Being "part of the problem" actually entails falling for this bait, Chauvin is counting on us (and our prejudices) to justify his murder as the video circulates internationally. Bad calculation on his behalf! So, in this context, no way am I going to excuse Leo's "problematic opinions". For me, him and his ilk are "part of the problem", aka white privilege. I watched the video in May and felt angry and cried over the scene, then came on this forum and the first thing I see from Leo is "police work is hard", followed by "police brutality is just love" and "policing assholes is difficult" (I'll spare you the rest), which made me even more angry. In my rage, I wrote a barrage of F-words, which were swiftly deleted by the mods who warned me to "take a chill pill". Came back when the mods "were out" and attacked Leo with a string of silly belligerent limericks, which I later deleted after doing some personal work, and realising they were more to do with my own personal projections of anger, which I would be well to deal with through some self-analysis. Personal responsability and all that. When other influencers on social media were using their platforms for the Black Lives Matter message in this historical moment in time in order to herald all-important change and better opportunities for blacks, (and we suddenly saw great things happening everywhere, like racist people being abruptly fired from jobs, etc) Leo didn't use that opportunity. On the contrary, his rhetoric was sounding more and more Trump-like with its lack of emotion, compassion and humanity, not a word of empathy for Floyd or the black movement, no Blackout Tuesday on this forum lol. Leo should have been invited to the Oval Office, he'd have had a great bonding conversation with the president. Sorry Leo, you must cringe reading that, but I just can't help imagining Trump loving what you'd have to say, you'd be his n°1 BFF for sure. I believe Leo has put himself in the cops' shoes, but nothing yet indicates to me that he's put himself in Floyd's shoes (or a black's, or a criminal's shoes). Surely merely for credibility's sake, you would do that if you want to present an unbiased perspective. I know if I were Leo, responsable for an influential platform, I wouldn't have leaned so heavily on sympathizing with the "system" but would have definitely had some compassionate words for Floyd and his plight and would have done my upmost to express my outrage and been part of the so-important movement. I haven't even seen any empathy for Floyd (and "his like") on Leo's behalf, which is a shame to me. Why not, I wonder? After all, he doesn't hold back on Trump (hasn't he called him a "narcissist sociopath"?). Why not give Trump the same privilege as Chauvin. After all, Trump's surely got a tough job too (like Chauvin), he's only got a huge country to govern lol. It's strange to me, Leo can run down Trump, but he "protects" Chauvin, albeit subtly and indirectly . I'm all for providing alternative ways of viewing things in a more balanced way, but c'mon man. A bit of heart in this cold, cruel world. Gotta be a human before attempting Superhuman (or God lol). But hey we know Leo's all about radically maverick and non-conformist opinions and helping people open their minds and see different perspectives, so what he said was to be expected I suppose. I have a lot of deep respect for Leo, I love him, he really is an awesome guy (if he didn't exist, you'd have to invent him), but this is my last message and my last visit on this forum in solidarity to Floyd among other things, cos the head honcho let me down badly on this one. I know what it's like from personal experience to be the helpless outraged bystander in a matter-of-life-and-death situation screaming at the sadist not to kill someone and be "threatened with pepper spray" if I utter another sound, I've been there, so this is a personal thing linked to my own personal trauma and probably less really to do with Leo. So yeah inexcusable, gotta agree. Sorry I haven't expressed myself that well in all this, I'm still a work in progress lol, but something's really got stuck in my throat concerning Leo's Floyd opinions. Again all this is just my own personal biased and emotional reaction. I hate with a vengeance cowardly bullies like Chauvin and will always stand up to them. Sincerely wish you all the very best tho' and thank you for all the rest. Turn anger to action #RIPFloyd #november votes #blacklives matter duh

Wow, thank you @Keyhole, fascinating stuff (and alas alarming), I love 'em even more and more now, done a complete 180° turn around on them today lol.

I guess, mea culpa, but it's taking one hell of a paradigm shift for me to digest that right now. Guilty as charged milord, tis enough with old covid to deal with which probably came from bats, but that's not their fault without worrying about zika too. If the Dalai Lama was not averse to squatting the pesky buggers, neither am I. Am only talking about mozzies and bats mind, not EVERY creature in the universe, so am not that much of a devil really, I'm actually a lot like this lovely lady herself in the video, man I won't even step on an ant, would never kill anything bigger than a fruit fly, yet I'd defo draw the line at tucking in a Mr Belgrave at night. Beggars belief how people actually eat them, ugh those huge webbed wings! ****** Update: ok, just back from a bit of self-analysis. Take back everything I said about bats personifying (yeah inappropriate word lol) evil, that was ignorant of me, I realise I'm scared of bats because I thought they were aggressive creatures which attacked humans, which is completely false. On the contrary: "bats are terrified of humans and do not fly down to attack you. ... If you are outside, bats may come close if there are insects around your head so they can eat them but they are just as scared of you as you are of them. Bats will try to avoid contact with humans. They're shy, gentle, intelligent and timid." Wow, that changes my whole perspective on them, I'd even go so far as to pet one now and see the beauty, love and cuteness in them, Mr Belgrave's big black beady eyes no longer scare me. I love their reciprocal altruism, they could actually teach humans a thing or two about selflessness lol.

What a lovely lady, surely she deserves more than Green, after all that's a freaking bat we're talking about. I dunno, those creatures scare the bejeezus out of me however cute you try and make them with fluffy white towels and banana treats, they're almost evil personified in my books, stuff that nightmares or bad trips are made of, probs watched too many Count Dracaula films in my day. But damn, she ain't scared of nothing that lovely lady, bless her, we need more like her in this world! Bats do after all serve a purpose, at keeping insects and mosquitos at bay for one thing.

MONEY is your answer, it's the key to your freedom to escape from this toxicity and dysfunction, of course you already know that. If I were you, I would keep out of her way as much as possible while living with her, in the meantime try "humouring" her so she doesn't get a rise out of you and use you as her scapegoat. Keep practicing self-love as tho' your life depends on it (it does)! I would try EVERYTHING in my power to try and find a way of getting enough money to be financially free of her. I imagine she's paying your way through college. Have you had any ideas on how you can gain some financial autonomy, what kind of part-time/weekend jobs you could do, perhaps put some money aside to save? I would look for opportunities to make/save as much money as possible, yes even as a student lol (it's what I did). You'll always have a sadness tho' whether you decide to be far away from her or not, the mother bond being a powerful one. It's also sad because our mums are suffering too and they sometimes don't know (or want to know) how to deal with their pain, apart from projecting it (onto us).

7, wow, never heard that before. Was it with the same girl lol ?

Sorry mate, you don't sound very psychic just from that phrase alone, if you don't mind me saying.

Dance like MJ and you'll get laid in no time.

but Leo, we're all a work in progress, and we're all God's creatures. Couldn't ya just find it in yerself to love us all a lil bit more, ignorant gits that we are? Just be thankful you're not where we are. It hurts me whenever someone gets kicked outta here, even tho' they always seem to sneak back in under a new alias the crafty little sods that they are, so what's the point, eh? it reminds me of me old man chucking us kids out of the car in the middle of the motorway cos we talked too loud, you know as kids do. We had to find our own way home.

Didn't you see his last trip report video? That was some party going on right there. Doesn't it give you just a little bit of FOMO?

Dedicating this one to Leo, we all wanna be where you are haha. He kinda looks like a marionette in this dance, amazing talent and energy, the little kid mesmerizes me, OMG I just wanna give him a big fat hug, he's defo being orange here tho', with a hint of flower power.

Were you still smiling the next morning @VeganAwake ?

Hahahaha don't know why your answer made me laugh so much. Yeah, you'll get there @Dazgwny if no other way than by the skin of your teeth. ?

Found a couple of easy Summer reads for y'all. "My journey into the dark, hypnotic world of a millennial guru" https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/09/strange-hypnotic-world-millennial-guru-bentinho-massaro-youtube and "Tech Bro Guru: Inside the Sedona Cult of Bentinho Massaro" https://gurumag.com/tech-bro-guru-inside-the-sedona-cult-of-bentinho-massaro/ Be careful folk about putting guras gurus on pedastals. Self-actualization is all very well but don't lose yourself in the process (even if losing one's Self seems to be the aim of this site lol). Enjoy.

"Those outside Massaro's grip see a man who has lost control of himself. Cult expert Cathleen Mann has added Massaro to a list of potential dangers she's following." When you've got a lot of clout you must be careful what you spout “Wake up to something important,” Massaro said. “Otherwise, kill yourself.” Now Brent is dead. RIP Brent ? Here's his story:"Bentinho Massaro's Sedona Experiment: How the search for enlightenment led to a digital cult" https://eu.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-best-reads/2018/05/09/bentinho-massaro-sedona-experiment-how-search-enlightenment-led-digital-cult/487923002/ Massaro attacks his kitten When Bentinho Massaro was a young boy, his parents brought home a kitten. The tiny animal was scared by strange people and new surroundings, so Bentinho clipped a leash to the kitten’s neck and led her around their Amsterdam home. He showed the kitten that her world was safe, that he could be trusted. Massaro told the story in at least two videos: He and the animal eased into each other. The kitten didn’t care about the twitches and outbursts that ensnared the young boy. She led where he followed. One day, as they sat in the backyard after another journey, young Bentinho felt an evil force take control of his body. He watched his hand pull tight on the leash and felt his arm swing the kitten into the air, throwing her into a prickly bush. Needles dragged across the kitten’s body as she squealed and squirmed away. Bentinho yanked again and again, swinging her back into the bush. Again. Again. He heard the kitten cry, felt the tears on his cheeks and fought against his body, trying to end his friend’s pain, but the spirits inside wouldn’t let go.

I agree ? @Aratrok Anyways my 2 cents on what can be done to encourage people to stop eating so much meat. Higher levies on meat could reduce climate impacts, help farmers move their production away from meat, encourage healthier diets (a lot of meats are carcinogenic, especially red meat and processed meat) AND improve animal welfare, but they have to be applied on an international level, nothing less will do. It is after all in humanity's global interest if we want to save the planet from further (irreversible) destruction. No point say France hiking meat prices if the French are then going to buy cheaper meat from Poland. Even if the US government raised meat taxes, they still buy most of their meat frozen anyway from places like Thailand, Mexico, etc. A world-wide "sustainability charge" or "carbon charge" (call it what you will) on meat to cover its environmental damage could raise billions that could be used to fund research and production of other sustainable (lab) meat substitutes for humans, animals and our pets to eat. A lot of meat is used in public canteens in hospitals, schools, government offices, prisons, etc, so on a national individual level, governments could supporting a carbon tax on high-impact food and lead by example, by removing or at least reducing unsustainable foods as much as possible. Food companies could make plant-based products the default choice, for example at catered events or on flights, and receive a premium from the state? We really have no choice though, we keep our heads buried in the sand at our own (and our children's) peril. Here's hoping UNEP, Bill Gates and co. can galvanize themselves to real action to effect radical practical changes on the world stage in our lifetime. We're running out of time. ?? “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”― Mahatma Gandhi

Never heard anyone advise an inflammatory diet before heehee. Don't mind me, I'm just having fun.

That goes both ways though. In the relative sense I do not view humans and animals as equals either. Simply because a human has more capability to do evil and negatively change the world than any other animal ever could. With all our so-called superior intelligence, us humans are actually self-sabotaging ourselves big time and cutting off (literally and metaphorically) the very branch we're sitting on, nothing positive about that. Only our whole eco-system is at stake, lol. The consumer has to be the one that forces everyone's hand to say "I will not buy from you unless you have a sustainability policy and a clear transparency on the whole supply chain of the product that I'm buying". I can understand why some are repulsed by the extremism, the all-or-nothing idealogy and black and white thinking of vegan activists, But I understand their agressive stance too. Desperate times sometimes call for desperate measures. When we find ourselves in dire straights, sometimes Tough Love is the only remaining thing we have recourse to in order to wake people up, bring about an "intervention" and effect sustainable change. We're only just talking about trying to save the actual planet we're all living on after all, lol, it's in our collective interest. I'm personally gradually shifting to becoming more vegan and so doing quite a bit of research right now. One main bone of contention for me is my cat whose food supports the horrific slaughter system that I am actively consciously eschewing. How to get around that? There is no Plan B for Fluffy's nutrition. I imagine vegans don't have cats. At the same time, if I hadn't adopted him, he could still be living a caged miserable life back at the Shelter. I can understand why some folk don't want to or "can't" become vegan, and who still prefer to eat fish, eggs, dairy, etc but how people can still eat MEAT today boggles my mind (except granted if it was the ONLY food around on offer at a restaurant and you were absolutely starving with no other choice). Firstly, because of the absolutely terrifying animal cruelty involved, but also because of the environmental destruction, let alone all the unhealthy hormones, toxins, etc they'd be pumping into their bodies. I challenge them to eat their juicy steaks in front of a Peta youtube, I bet they couldn't, so is there a kinda Split Personality thing going on there? C'mon guys, you can't have your cake meat and eat it too. ????? #animallivesmatter Animals just want love and respect like the rest of us, they do have feelings, they do suffer terribly. Forget about veganism for now. Eat fish and dairy if you want. But if y'all just stop eating meat, that would already make a big difference. Eating meat harms us all. ps. there is no such thing as "humane slaughtering" (oxymoron if ever I heard one). Do your research folks, I'm not kidding. Just because your meal is supposedly organic or "humane" doesn't solve the problem. pps. the best trick for keeping an avocado nice and fresh after opening that I've found is storing it on a little saucer (or bowl) covered with water. The contact with the water prevents oxydation and keeps the avocado nice and green looking. ppps. Chickpeas are great with around 19% of protein, they could be combined with a nutritious grain like quinoa (around 16%) which would make a good substitute for meat. Quinoa alone contains all the essential amino acids, so nobody really needs to be popping tons of food supplements, especially if you're on a budget.

Thank you @ajasatya I'll add this great link while I'm here https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/comments/4bz797/practical_stoicism/

Surely there's no reason to break up with her or do anything melodramatic, we're all more or less insecure/"codependent" in our romatic relationships (especially after a fight, lol!) since nobody's perfect and we can't own or control the other person. You obviously want to stay with her and feel safe with her in the future, you might even really love her, so to rebuild the intimacy and trust back between you both, wouldn't it be better right now if you just simply tell her there's something on your mind that makes you feel a bit strange? Tell her you'd just like to have a little chat with her about something, sit down next to her in a quiet room, take her hand in yours if you like, and share in a human-to-human way with her how you feel (that you don't like conflict, and the fight made you realise how much you appreciate her and that you would never want to lose her, that you're really happy with her and want to stay together). This will bring "emotional closure" and a proper healing after the fight. I take it you've both already explained to each other why you were both hurt and put yourself in each other's shoes to understand the hurt caused. Be careful of confusing neediness with vulnerability. It's good to be vulnerable and honest, it's what makes us human. It's by not expressing your need with your loved one that creates neediness. Communication is the key to making all human relationships work, as well as honesty and compromise. In the meantime you can work especially on your self-confidence/deep-down sense of insecurity, which will be a slow on-going process. There are plenty of google articles and youtube videos which can help you (just search on youtube or on google stuff like "stop being needy and insecure" or "tips for men more self confidence" or "How to Stop Feeling clingy and Worrying in a Relationship"). Also affirmations are a good way to feel more secure in a relationship. Every day you can simply repeat to yourself: "I have a loving and supportive partner". "I completely trust my relationship with my partner". "I feel safe and secure in my relationship". "My partner loves me and accepts me for who I am". "I am worthy of love and appreciation". Obviously if being with her goes against your deep-seated values, or if it's a constant on-off relationship and not getting anywhere, or you don't actually love her anymore, then the relationship is over and you must move on. Listen to your heart and do what really resonates the best with you. Things will work out fine, good luck @Askarov Let us know how it goes. Don't hesitate if you need to share more details or information with us so we can better fine-tune our responses.

I love the franglais (French English mix)! You are the one for me For me, for me, formidable You are my love very Very, very, véritable Et je voudrais pouvoir un jour enfin te le dire Te l'écrire Dans la langue de Shakespeare My daisy, daisy Daisy, désirable Je suis malheureux D'avoir si peu de mots À t'offrir en cadeau Darling I love you, love you Darling I want you Et puis c'est à peu près tout You are the one for me For me, for me, formidable You are the one for me For me, for me, formidable But how can you see me See me, see me, si minable Je ferais mieux d'aller choisir mon vocabulaire Pour te plaire Dans la langue de Molière Toi, tes eyes, ton nose Tes lips adorables Tu n'as pas compris Tant pis Ne t'en fais pas et Viens-t'en dans mes bras Darling I love you, love you Darling I want you Et puis le reste on s'en fout You are the one for me For me, for me, formidable Je me demande même Pourquoi je t'aime Toi qui te moques de moi et de tout Avec ton air canaille Canaille, canaille How can I love you ?

I agree with @Nak Khid's pertinent advice. Starting to do some good to make a difference now at a young age will stand you in good stead and make your life rich and fulfilling in many ways, you will feel better about yourself (and who knows will give you good karma, or at least be less of a devil ). With more awareness and growth, the back-patting and vain is-anyone-noticing-me? ego-boosting aspects will fall away. For you to make a contribution, I don't think it would necessarily be that helpful swinging from black-and-white thinking/all-or-nothing reactions that go from planning grandiose schemes (creating your own platform, wanting to control it all, giving away all you got, etc) to the other extreme of running away from it all and suffocating/denying your feelings through escapist activities. There are already so many animal and human rights advocacy groups out there, so you starting a new one may not be that supportive right now. The existing ones struggle as it is, many having to close down after a short while, so could already do with your help. The likelihood of a small, new organization making it versus a larger, established one is slim. Therefore, in most cases the time and money you spend building your own platform could be much more useful in supporting already established groups. You also have to be careful who you donate to as there are some charlatans out there. As for turning a blind eye to it all through video games, etc, you can't unseen what you've seen/unread what you've read, therein depression may lie ahead. To find some good avice, it would help you to just google something like "I can't stand animal cruelty" or "child abuse really disturbs me" or "petitions to end animal abuse", etc. Google is your friend. Try and do something this week, like do some research on how you can have an actual impact, however insignificant. We all feel good about adding compassion to our troubled world and it's really so easy to do, sometimes signing some petitions and joining a local protest. Also talk about your feelings to friends and your entourage, inform others about cruelty, maybe they will be galvanized to help out too? Maybe you can rescue an animal from the local shelter by adopting a pet? Even just becoming a vegetarian (or learn about becoming vegan) may help you manage some of the guilt/depression/anger/helplessness/worthlessness. Any action is an antidote to the feeling of powerlessness and sense of limitation. You will find comfort in seeing that the platforms are already there in place already created, just waiting for people like you to join in and participate. You will find communities already formed among like-minded people like yourself who are also empathic and sensitive but also depressed, angry and/or deeply disturbed by these same issues and with awesome advice and guidance on how you as an individual can make such a significant contribution even if small at the start. You will immediately begin to feel good about yourself deep down knowing you are helping make positive changes in the world. I suggest you also protect yourself from the horrific images and nightmarish stories as much as you can, but do proper research instead on how you can help make the world a better place in a practical realistic way. You can channel some of the suffering you feel about the horrors you have already witnessed by taking action against injustices you see in your daily life. When you see a panting suffering dog stuck in a boiling hot airless car, don't hesitate to do something immediately about that, for example try to set the dog free at once, call for help, film the scene, make a note of the car number and report it, etc. Take a stand. If you have some spare money, do research on the internet on the best charities that manage public donations the best. Even though I'm fortunate to be rich, I personally prefer to live quite economically and minimalistically, and am conscious of the need to reduce my carbon footprint (eg. I do all my shopping/errands by bike instead of owning a car), and give large sums every year to Doctors Without Borders, I'll also be leaving all my wealth to them when I die. At the moment, I'm currently researching on how to give money to animal associations too because I can't live with the animal cruelty and give nothing. I'm not just going to give my money willy nilly to any charity though that asks for it (and they WILL ask from every corner), but to the organizations with the best track record of being accountable and transparent with their financial accounts able to publicly justify where the money is really going, because unfortunately sometimes the money may not be spent as well as it could be, or there is corruption, etc. I'm wondering at the moment whether Peta is one of the best animal charities for me to give to, but I need to do some research first. Know too that a large part of the money you give is normally also deducted from your taxes. For example in my country, 75% of my contribution is paid by the government through tax relief. So by giving 1,000 euros I'm only actually giving 250e since the State is paying the 750e. The limit the State gives here is capped at 2,000 euros a year, so they will pay 2,000e (their maxi amount) if I donate 3,000e. I never "pat myself on the back", or do things for social or peer approval or acclaim, there is instead a sense of "blessedness" in my life that I am doing the right thing, quietly in my corner, and doing as much as I can with the resources I have, knowing that there is also always so much more I can do too. I'm particularly passionate about ending animal abuse because I love them so much, animals have no voice, show us so much unconditional love and rely on us humans so much. Needless to say I have now stopped eating all meat/fish (basically anything with a face), even organic or "humanly farmed meat" (Peta's youtube video shows there is no such thing as "humane meat") and am learning more and more on how to adopt a fully vegan lifestyle. However, I will always have a (rescue) cat in my life (regardless of the fact that the food my cat eats inevitably supports the terrible slaughter house system and there is no alternative, unlike for dogs). I do what I can as an imperfect human. I also help out at my local cat/dog shelter, walking the dogs, contributing blankets, etc. We are voting for our local mayors here soon, my vote is going to the guy who claims to be going to tackle animal welfare and environmental issues. It doesn't make the pain go away at the horror I come across, but it helps with the sense of impotence and utter helplessness that personally for me would be very crippling in my life emotionally and psychologically if were to do nothing and stick my head in the sand instead. I could not have a clear conscience. "Video games" only help so far, one still has to look at oneself in the mirror at the end of the day. I'll leave you with this little easy book from James Allen "As a Man thinketh" that illustrates eloquently how we make ourselves what we are and build our character, how what we think in our hearts create us : http://james-allen.in1woord.nl/?text=as-a-man-thinketh And here is some good advice from google : https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-feel-better-after-seeing-some-animal-cruelty-videos-I-have-tried-everything-I-could-but-I-cant-feel-better-The-videos-just-make-me-sad-and-annoyed-at-knowing-that-there-is-that-kind-of-people (I like for example what "Michelle A Rivera, Certified Animal Cruelty Officer" advises in the above link). She also says The worst thing you can do is to shut down. You will only become more despondent. https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-useful-ways-to-fight-against-animal-cruelty https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-live-in-a-world-with-so-much-animal-cruelty There are tons more on Quora and other sites. https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-deal-with-the-animal-cruelty-in-the-world-and-keep-myself-from-getting-depressed https://www.quora.com/As-a-highly-sensitive-person-and-an-animal-lover-how-do-you-move-on-after-watching-animal-cruelty-videos-I-always-try-to-avoid-such-videos-but-when-I-come-across-it-I-cannot-forget-it-and-I-become-extremely-sad-and All the best @hoherbasti and let us know how you get on.

Is the end nigh? It's enough to know that it's Trump's finger which might one day be on the (metaphorical) nuclear button, that Putin's declaring himself Supreme Leader (aka dictator), that we have this new coronavirus plague coming from China, that consequently we could be heading for a global economic recession, that there is an ever-present looming threat of a nuclear war (India/Pakistan), that we have an area about the size of South Korea that has been consumed by fires in Australia, and now a plague of locusts in Africa. What else is on its way? A comet cutting through the atmosphere headed for Earth? Doomsmongering aside, but wtf it's kinda starting to feel like it's the beginning of the end of the world. What is all this, God? Whose crazy perverse hallucination is this? I don't get it. Locusts in Africa are not unknown by any means. But the scale and increase of this thing is unusual. And it seems the plague is now spreading far beyond Africa across the Middle East. Some have now even actually been spotted in China. One swarm is estimated to contain billions of locusts and is big enough to cover Greater London. A swarm can eat enough food in one day to feed 34 million people. Somalia and Ethiopia is in a state of emergency and Kenya (and now Uganda, Tanzania, and Sudan) are seeing the worst invasion in 70 years, the region is struggling to contain the infestation. Millions of people there already struggle to obtain healthy food, and that's without the locusts. It's spreading fast, the farmers can't fight them because their numbers are huge and propagation uncontrollable. OMG. What a freaking nightmare. The images are horrifying. To add to that, the conditions in which the locusts are thriving have also produced huge swarms of biting flies in Kenya. Since the start of 2020, 60 donkeys have died after being bitten by bloodsucking flies leaving gaping wounds that became infected. Farmers are covering their donkeys in human clothes to protect them from the flies. The only way to sufficiently control the swarms is with pesticides. About $54 million is needed to step up aerial pesticide spraying, the only effective way to combat them, the UN says. At present Kenya only has five planes to combat swarms the size of 250 football fields. The UN is calling for $76 million in aid. So far it's only reached $20 million, and half of that came from an emergency fund. Time is running out. Planting season starts around April, and the UN worries a new generation of locusts will emerge around the same time. At the very least, officials are urging the world to step in and help. Dominique Burgeon, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN: "Now it's time for the international community to understand that it's an issue that needs to be dealt with now. Otherwise there will be high levels of acute food insecurity. There will be millions more people that will require food assistance and it will take us years to control the situation." 25.5 million people (half of them children) in that region alone are already suffering from severe food insecurity (hunger and malnutrition). The problem is that after all the aerial pesticide spraying (also seeping into the ground afterwards) could the biggest threat to these farmers be air pollution and soil pollution? Could these end up being the biggest killers? Script: They're so frightening they're mentioned in the scriptures as divine punishment. Locusts have been harbingers of doom from time immemorial. Notorious they may be but this is exceptional. It's 70 years since Kenya witnessed these sights and sounds sounds. A proliferation that began in Saudi Arabia's Empty Quarter now stretches 3,500 miles from there across much of East Africa. These desert locusts are among the world's great survivors. Normally they live in the hottest driest places on earth but their hardiness stands them in good stead. When the going gets good and in perfect conditions like these they prosper and their numbers simply explode. Rain is the reason a series of cyclones coming off the Indian Ocean have kept this region unseasonably lush. Crops and pastures used by livestock have been devoured by ravenous swarms. Each and every one of them can eat its own bodyweight each and every day. Mama Torito is a farmer and a mother and three weeks ago she watched locusts eat the flowers on her mango trees No flowers, no mangoes. She fears she has lost half of this year's harvest. She told me she depended on selling her mangos to clothe her two children and to pay for their schooling. The same swarm consumed all the sweet potato plants that Gladys Lemerry was cultivating here. She said they tried to scare the locusts away but that for two days they kept on coming back. We watched other farmers attempting the same thing but their ability to influence the movements of the swarms appeared limited at best. The Kenyan government has been trying to defeat the invasion with pesticides but there's not enough spraying happening. Now here in this country's breadbasket they fear the next generation is just about to hatch with devastating consequences. "We are getting worried, we are thinking that it might even get out of hand and cause more harm on people's livelihoods and food insecurity for the community". Locusts live for about ten weeks and each new generation can be twenty times the size of the previous one. The alarm might just have been sounded too late here. https://www.worldvision.org/hunger-news-stories/africa-hunger-famine-facts In Africa, hunger is increasing at an alarming rate. Poverty, drought, extreme weather and environmental degradation due to overgrazing, deforestation, and other types of environmental damages are reversing years of progress so that 237 million sub-Saharan Africans are chronically undernourished, more than in any other region. In the whole of Africa, 257 million people are experiencing hunger, which is 20 percent of the population. That's a hell of a lot of people, including children and babies, suffering. Are we going to actually have another famine? In 2020?! Despite the amount of wealth there is in the world, despite all our advances in sciences, technology, knowledge, .... we humans have got to get our act together. No individual should die from starvation today, and no individual should have inordinate wealth. The world produces enough food to feed everyone. How come over 9 million people still die of starvation each year? How come 1% of people own half the world's wealth? How come 30% of People in the world are obese or overweight? And 795 million people in the world (that's like one in nine people on earth) do not have enough food? How come more than 30% of the food produced around the world is never consumed? And so much still wasted? If this is all someone's hallucination, he's got one hell of a fucking imagination. A warm dry wind is all that breaks the silence, The highways quiet scars across the land. People lie, eyes closed, no longer dreaming, The earth dies screaming. Your country needs you, lets strike up the band. The earth dies screaming Despite all odds we must defend our land. Like scattered pebbles, cars lie silent waiting Oil-less engines seized by dirt and sand Bodies hanging limp, no longer bleeding The earth dies screaming. Your country needs you, lets strike up the band. The earth dies screaming Despite all odds we must defend our land. Half eaten meals lie rotting on the tables, Money clutched within a bony hand. Shutters down, the banks are not receiving, The earth dies screaming.

I love a lot of their songs, these are some of my faves. Love the echoing sound in this one Why do I have to dream of you when I dont wanna dream a lie Not sure they could release a video like that now tho' lol. Love the clippety-clop beat of this one Their early sound is so unique.

I'm gonna love you more, more than anything you heard about Love the light breezy feeling of this, the passion in his voice from bass to soprano, the bouncy and west coast jazzy tempo ...