The Coffee House

[CherylL]

DW and I had this conversation a few days ago. Man has always been violent, from the very beginning. In Biblical times, people were slaughtered by the thousands, how many Jewish people died at Hitlers hand, 800,000 people in Rwanda in just 100 days in 64, and the list goes on and on. TV coverage plays a part also, when I was a kid people killed each other, it just wasn't publicized on 24/7 media circuses.

Then there's the book of Revelations......are we nearing the end of time???? Quoting from an article I read by the EU Commission back in 2022, archaeologists have characteristics they look for that signal the decline of civilisations - disruption to trade routes, shifts in supply and demand, disease, environmental degradation, and extreme political dysfunction. Any of those sound familiar?

I was a child in the '60s and remember that my Dad had the nightly news on every night during dinner. The news gave that days tally of wounded, killed and missing. My Dad always told me that the world is a hard cruel place. He survived WWII

 

[CherylL]

To counteract all the evil in this world, I donate weekly to the local food box. Take what you need & leave what you can. There is a local group that does community outreach, unhoused outreach, and they help other groups. They also help individuals with a specific need. I've donated to them beds, bedding, household items and contribute to their Amazon wish list. Really nice to see people helping people.

 

[jeffashman]

Man has always been violent, from the very beginning.

You are right, violence has always been around, and media of all types amplifies that violence, but it doesn't make it any more understandable. Steven Pinker, in his The Better Angels of Our Nature, makes the argument that violence has actually declined over the centuries, but that doesn't make it any better. State violence is one thing, but individual violence is another, and I think it has a lot to do with mental health, and our refusal as a society to deal with it in a way that there is a better outcome.

 

[smoke665]

mental health, and our refusal as a society to deal with it in a way that there is a better outcome.

Agree 100% having dealt with issue as a 1st responder and with a family member, I can say that help for the problem is nothing but empty talk. There's only a limited number of mental health hospitals in the state. They are so full that they have a revolving door that does little for those needing help.if a pill doesn't fix you, prison is where you ultimately end up.

Sadly whether it's societal change, drugs, food/water contamination, microwaves, genetics etc, I believe the incidents of mental heal conditions are increasing.

 

[jeffashman]

I'm sitting here cryin'! I'm make dinner, since I don't have a commute, and decided on a healthy broiled flounder and green beans (no starches) tonight. After I clean up after dinner, my dear wife asks me, "What do you want from Chili's?"

 

[cgw]

You are right, violence has always been around, and media of all types amplifies that violence, but it doesn't make it any more understandable. Steven Pinker, in his The Better Angels of Our Nature, makes the argument that violence has actually declined over the centuries, but that doesn't make it any better. State violence is one thing, but individual violence is another, and I think it has a lot to do with mental health, and our refusal as a society to deal with it in a way that there is a better outcome.

Sad to see this argument here. Mental health? It's the guns.

 

[snowbear]

Let's be carefull not get close to politics.

 

[smoke665]

Beautiful morning on the lake today, just by myself. Rising fog , no wind, glass smooth water, temps in the low 70's and minimal trash from the last rain, just about perfect morning. Didn't catch a single fish, but I didn't care, it was relaxing to just cruise.

 

[vintagesnaps]

When I used to work at summer camp, we took kids fishing... that mostly involved untangling fishing line! Did go fishing with friends too, made for a nice dinner. But now, I don't know, there used to be fish kills from industrial waste in.the river so kind of thought that wasn't a good idea anymore! I think these days there are efforts to be more enviromentally friendly and not so toxic.

I think we hear an awful lot about all kinds of things. Too much information! Was kind of nice to have local news and... that was mostly it for me! maybe I'd watch national news after the local. Can be challenging to minimize it these days. I don't think things are necessarily worse but we hear about everything everywhere.

 

[vintagesnaps]

Been watching NCAA lacrosse playoffs, games all day! I like this! Notre Dame advanced, so did Virginia, and now the Georgetown Hoyas just won a close scoring game over Yale to advance. The championship is always over Memorial Day weekend.

And the 'black knights of the Hudson', as the announcer called Army (and yes they are the men in black! lol), will play the Maryland Terps next. Probably will flip back and forth between this and NHL hockey playoffs.

 

[snowbear]

Been watching NCAA lacrosse playoffs, games all day! I like this! Notre Dame advanced, so did Virginia, and now the Georgetown Hoyas just won a close scoring game over Yale to advance. The championship is always over Memorial Day weekend.

And the 'black knights of the Hudson', as the announcer called Army (and yes they are the men in black! lol), will play the Maryland Terps next. Probably will flip back and forth between this and NHL hockey playoffs.

Fear the Turtle!

 

[smoke665]

now, I don't know, there used to be fish kills from industrial waste

We live on a river that starts in N.GA and ends in Central AL. Three dams form lakes and generate power. Over the years there's been some pollution from industry but the biggest polluters were greedy developers who built on the shoreline on soil that wasn't suitable for septic tanks. For several years feces contamination was bad. There's been a move to clean up the rivers that's working. Weekly water quality test are all green, and fishing is mostly safe now.

 

[snowbear]

Made it to Maine without major issues. MLW, MLSIL, lazy lobster and I went to dinner at the waterfront.

 

[vintagesnaps]

Eww, Smoke! I actually get a water quality report every year. There's enough industry I guess where I live, but I think it's cleaner than it used to be.

Not that it makes me want to go fishing! What fun would it be without kids getting their fishing line tangled up in a tree?!! and yes we kept moving them farther from the trees and there they'd go again, moving back by a tree! lol

 

[vintagesnaps]

Sounds good Charlie! too far inland to have much great seafood here.

Army just eliminated Maryland in college lacrosse playoffs. (And Army is actually called the Black Knights, I just thought an announcer was trying to be clever!) It was a close back and forth game and unexpected win since Maryland was the defending champion.