Coffee House Musing

If you leave out the pasta, garlic and salt and add in crushed chipotle you will have something...

QAnon Sex Trafficking Conspiracies Have Shut Down a Texas Butterfly Center

On Thursday, QAnon conspiracy theories about the National Butterfly Center became real-world threats.

quote:

---

A QAnon conspiracy theory that a butterfly sanctuary on the southern border of the U.S. is being used for sex trafficking has led to the center closing “due to credible threats” against its staff.

The National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas, is situated on the Rio Grande river less than half a mile from the U.S.-Mexico border, and has long been the focus of intense and completely baseless conspiracy theories pushed by the QAnon community.

---

quote:

---

On Thursday, those theories became real-world threats and the center announced it was closing its doors for the weekend because of a MAGA-style conference taking place eight miles away in McAllen, Texas.

“We are writing to let you know the National Butterfly Center will be closed Friday, Jan. 28 - Sunday, Jan. 30, due to credible threats we have received from a former state official, regarding activities planned by the ‘We Stand America’ event this weekend,” the center’s staff wrote in an email.

The email went on to say that the former official had suggested the center’s director, Marianna Wright, should “be armed at all times or out of town this weekend because the ‘We Stand America’ events include a ‘Trump Train’-style, “caravan to the border” and that the National Butterfly Center would likely be a stop on this ‘take action tour.’”

---

quote:

---

The “We Stand America” event is being organized by a number of pro-Trump groups, including Women Fighting for America, Veterans for America First, and Latinos for Trump. The event is being headlined by Trump’s disgraced former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, along with a number of QAnon influencers like Ann Vandersteel, Mel K, and Doug Billings as well as Mark Finchem, the QAnon-supporting Arizona lawmaker who’s running for secretary of state.

---

quote:

---

The butterfly center has been a focus of pro-Trump groups for years, because it refused to make way for Trump’s border wall, which is still under construction on federally owned land just south of the center, the Daily Dot reported.

The plan initially called for Trump’s wall to be built right through the center’s 100-acre sanctuary, but in 2020 a federal appeals court in Texas ruled that the work violated the center’s property rights. And it was the center’s refusal to make way for the border wall that has led to online conspiracy theories about its role in supposed child sex trafficking. But last week, those theories lead to a real world incident involving Wright.

---

Monumental Project Underway To Sequence the Genome of Every Complex Species on Earth

quote:

---

The Earth Biogenome Project, a global consortium that aims to sequence the genomes of all complex life on earth (some 1.8 million described species) in ten years, is ramping up.

The project’s origins, aims, and progress are detailed in two multi-authored papers published on January 18, 2022. Once complete, it will forever change the way biological research is done.

Specifically, researchers will no longer be limited to a few “model species” and will be able to mine the DNA sequence database of any organism that shows interesting characteristics. This new information will help us understand how complex life evolved, how it functions, and how biodiversity can be protected.

---

quote:

---

The aim of phase one is to sequence one genome from every taxonomic family on earth, some 9,400 of them. By the end of 2022, one-third of these species should be done. Phase two will see the sequencing of a representative from all 180,000 genera, and phase three will mark the completion of all the species.

---

quote:

---

But why not save time and money by sequencing just key representative species?

Well, the whole point of the Earth Biogenome Project is to exploit the variation between species to make comparisons, and also to capture remarkable innovations in outliers.

There is also the fear of missing out. For instance, if we sequence only 69,999 of the 70,000 species of nematode, we might miss the one that could divulge the secrets of how nematodes can cause diseases in animals and plants.

There are currently 44 affiliated institutions in 22 countries working on the Earth Biogenome Project. There are also 49 affiliated projects, including enormous projects such as the California Conservation Genomics Project, the Bird 10,000 Genomes Project and UK’s Darwin Tree of Life Project, as well as many projects on particular groups such as bats and butterflies.

---

I have been part of a research team for a few years now who are working on sequencing the genomes of dragonflies. Early on we were looking at specific regions of the genome of several small families to work out their evolutionary relationships but as the sequencing technology and computer processing power has improved so rapidly we started working on whole genomes and looking at all the known species of dragonflies and damselflies..

These are exciting times to be involved in biological evolution research.

Wow! Those are really kind words. Thank you!

One of the great epicurean pleasures in life is the consumption of wine. All kinds of wine. Nectar. With a kick.

These days I mostly like a few sips of a nice tawny port a couple times a month.

In high school I built a small glass still and kept a lot of the guys in my junior and senior classes supplied with high proof apricot brandy. They supplied a 250ml bottle of Vick's Formula 44 cough syrup which I dumped and refilled with my brandy for $5.

I still like a nice brandy or cordial a couple times a year.

When I get together with my 4 dragonfly hunting pals on our annual field trip, we usually have one night of serious drinking and sampling interesting alcoholic drinks, last year was peanutbutter whiskey...interesting indeed.

Science has taken away my pizza, beer, steak, spaghetti, burgers w/onion rings and my Häagen-Dazs along with every other wonderfully fat, carb and sugar filled delight on the freaking planet. Now it wants to take away my wine. I hate science.

Ice cream has been the hardest for me to resist. Moderation is the key for all those pleasures.

It turns out that cannabis helps relieve one of the worst effects of my COPD, thickening mucus in my lungs that is hard to cough up. THC loosens it up enough for me to cough it up. It's turned out to be the most effective treatment and has the added benefit of pleasant euphoria and other sensations and also aids in focus and concentration on my work. I know there are negative effects of cannabis as well, but I have personally rationalized that the benefits outweigh the harm, at this point in my life.

It turns out that cannabis helps relieve ... Better living through chemistry.

Some strains of cannabis available commercially here are awfully potent (high THC). I grew 4 plants to harvest last year of 3 strains and one had higher yield and also seemed to have the strongest smelling terpines. It turned out to be the most potent as far as THC goes that I have ever experienced, so it takes fewer tokes to achieve the effect I want, so less lung damage.

I figured I would just to wait till it became legal at a federal level, but I don't see that happening.

I have a hard time understanding why the federal law has not been dumped. It is another perfect way to tax the poor.

The city council (republicans) where I live voted to ban cannabis sales in the city. Once they saw how much tax revenue other cities were raking in from cannabis sales, that changed.

It is still a completely cash business, because federal banking laws will not allow cannabis businesses to use normal banking practices for businesses.

I couldn't put up the effort to grow my own stuff. I'm lazy.

The growing took hardly any work besides watering, but the harvest was a pain in the butt, with all the trimming. It took a lot more time than I expected. If I grow in the future it will be just one plant at a time.

The plants provide lots of interesting extreme macro photography subjects and I love the odor.

I vape. Cartridges are available from my favorite state-regulated drug pusher superstore at a surprisingly decent price. Quality and dose are excellent. I haven't seen anything less that 90.3% THC, so ya, a little goes a long way. I don't take lung hits. I take little sips. Mild throat hits. Just a couple small sips is all it takes for a almost immediate buzz.

I have never tried that. Do you have any recommendations for a vaping device?

I got a bit more than 5 lbs. of dried buds from from 4 plants and have been thinking about cooking a lot of it down to extract the THC and CBD into a tincture. It can be used in edibles and I assume vaped also.

Thanks that helps a lot. I'm going to check it out today.

Thanks for the song and the story!

The best strain that I grew last year was called Deep Purple, but the flowers and leaves mostly didn't turn purple and the fan leaves near the flowers turned a beautiful gold while it was blooming.

Stories are nice with songs. Quite a few years ago we saw Arlo Guthrie at a small concert in Eugene and he told wonderful stories.

OK, I got a $10 pen battery device with 3 power settings (medium seems about right). The draw on it is much more restrictive than with my pipe so I suck a mouthful and inhale that...I guess that can be described as sipping.

A very attractive and friendly young woman (wearing a mask) explained everything to me but the mask muffled her voice enough that some things were not completely clear and I got tired of asking her to repeat herself. Not being able to read lips is my biggest complaint with face masks.

First choices: Sativa, Indica, or Hybrid?

Second choices: Pure THC, THC with terpines, or THC with flavors added?

Third choices: Do you want a high to make you sleepy (I guess a head high) or a body high?

Now I like the odors and tastes associated with cannabis, but I don't notice differences in the psychoactive sensations they produce. I think almost all the descriptions of the different effects of various strains is pure bullshit mythology from the hippie flowerpower days, but as a science nerd I would like to know for sure if there is any reality behind the marketing BS.

There are noticeable difference in how quickly the sensations are felt after inhaling, how strong the high is and how long it lasts, but I have never really been able to detect other effects in an objective systematic way.

You do realize that Gates microchip in your vaccine just activated?

I hate it when the conspiracy nuts get it wrong and subtly change the terminology. Obviously those are nanochips, not microchips!

I can tell the difference but then I'm one of those hippies from the flower power days. For me indica is more of a stimulating head-high while sativa is more a relaxed buzz. So why not do both? Hybrid is my choice.

Ok, that's what I have mostly been doing also, hybrids or indica.

As far as flavorings and terpenes? Personal preference. I like lemon kush, pink champagne, cherry, all kinds of different ones with or without (natural) terpenes. There was one called skunk. Yes, it did have that odor but just enough to make it interesting.

One of the plants I grew last year, Moby Dick, produced dried buds that are very skunky grape and Deep Purple is piney grape with a wiff of skunk. I have always liked skunky weed.

I find the vape convenient and immediately available, though the ritual of rolling a joint in just the right way, with just the right packing, is missed.

I like the convenience and compactness. Back in the 70s my friends and I got tired of the mess with joints pretty early on. Uneven burns and burnt holes in all our clothes plus it seemed like a waste. My friends gravitated to bongs with ice or water. I preferred small easy to clean metal pipes that hold about 4 good hits, perfect for sharing with another person.

I feel I have corrupted your innocent ways. Enjoy.

I'm incorruptible.

ringo writes: Tanypteryx writes: Not being able to read lips is my biggest complaint with face masks. I noticed that a couple of years before covid when a lady wearing a niqab asked me a question. Our senses overlap more than we often realize.

Yeah, my state of the art hearing aids are amazing, often I can hear the sounds well enough, but I can't understand what is being said. Closed captioning on the TV makes it possible to really enjoy what I'm watching. What I need is closed captioning for every day life!

I may have to stop bragging that heavy-metal music didn't damage my hearing.

Sex, drugs and rock & roll...I always blamed the sex.

I have that problem with the TV. And with DVDs, the music and sound effects are way too loud but I can barely hear the dialog.

Yep! I have had that problem since the 1st Star Wars movie.