musings

Three rainy seasons in a row have failed in the Horn of Africa and its surroundings.

Some years ago, I drove from Johannesburg to Lüderitz on the Namibian coast for a friend’s wedding.

As I approached the town, the dysfunctional railway line which once linked Keetmanshoop to Bahnhof Lüderitz (as the Germans who built it in 1906 called it), frequently vanished under shifting desert sands. In the town, the station itself was derelict.

Construction of the railway line by the Germans took 9 months. Let me quote a well-documented historical account :

Theodore Roosevelt is said to have said: “If you've got them by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow.”

There's an abundance of wildlife video showing hyenas taking down lions. The hyenas attack the lion's testicles first. This causes the lion to sit down and then it's all over.

I attended a birthday party today; my mother's best friend turned 90 during the week. They have been friends for 75 years.

Two things of significance for me today:

1. Russia called an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council claiming that the United States was funding research to create biological weapons in Ukraine.

2. YouTube blocked access to the biggest Russian media channels including Russia Today and Sputnik.

I'm not going to dwell too much on these other than to point out a couple of things.

Japanese folklore tells of the Jorōgumo which is a type of Yōkai 妖怪, ("apparition"). Tales dating back to the Edo period (1603-1867 AD) say that this particular apparition is a spider that can shapeshift into a beautiful woman. She seeks men to seduce, binds them in her silk, and devours them.

I have a great-nephew who is an acclaimed filmmaker. I like his film reviews — I like reading them because he offers really nuanced insights

Some wise words on a chat group I visit occasionally.

This evening’s train of thought, triggered by recent events in that part of the world with hot women, ugly men, and nukes, naturally ended with a bottle of vodka.

In 1991, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, took to the screens. This would become William Shatner’s final voyage on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise as Captain James T. Kirk.

The premise of the movie is that the Klingon moon Praxis, a key energy production facility, explodes, leading to radioactive contamination which will destroy the ozone layer of the Klingon home world. As a result, the Klingons propose opening a dialogue for peace with their long-term enemies, the International Federation of Planets.