I lost my good boy today. My heart is beyond broken. His spirit was strong and he tried so hard to stay on, but his organs started failing him.

Up until yesterday I refused to let emotions get the better of me and was trying so many different things to bring his toxic level down. But last night as I was taking a shower, Fido had a surge of anxiety and tried to go up the stairs to look for me. He has been so weak that I have been camping in the hall with him and we have not gone up to the room this week. That’s when I knew. They said when it's time, they will look for their person - and he came looking for me. After that he went on rapid decline.

We had his home administration of sub cut infusion, his gastric concoction, various liquid food, even vanilla ice cream to soothe his throat, his vet has been on back to back house calls - but he was no longer responding.

All I could do was to give him his belly rubs and gentle massages but emotions came rolling in. I told him to take his time and I think he didn't want to let me go just as much as I wanted him to stay. Even until his last breath he wanted me to pet him.

He has been my happy moments even when times were hard, and a constant joy. He is my shadow and side kick in everything I do and I cannot imagine a day without him in it.

Last lesson from Fido - when you love, just love.

💜🧡 Good morning #NOSTR 💜🧡

You'd be right if he used nukes. But I think a limited well-signaled conventional military strike under Article 51 would unify many corners of the world WITH Russia not against.

Most countries in the world secretly resent the USA but play along with them because they know who has the power. Once BRICS showed up and Russia-China relations warmed, we started to see many nations that seemed like Western allies turn away from strict allegence to the West, either to hedge their bets and play both sides, or to join the other side economically, or policy wise, or sometimes even militarily.

Negotiation is the best path if all sides want it. Maybe some European countries want to negotiate. Does the UK? Does the US? Does Ukraine? Are they signalling this by launching ATACMS and Storm Shadows deeper into Russia?

#politics #russia

I think Russia retaliating by attacking a US military base overseas, or even a carrier strike group, won't be effective. The only way to send a message America understands, a message so strong that everybody will 'wake up' and start thinking rationally and thinking twice about attacking Russia, is for Russia to attack the American homeland with a conventional strike.

#Nostr is the superior protocol. It is.

Why is [barely] anyone using it?

List why you think 👇 and if you think this is a long or short term problem.

In our darkest moments, we don’t need solutions or advice. What we yearn for is simply connection—a quiet presence, a gentle touch. These small gestures are the anchors that hold us steady when life feels like too much.

Please don’t try to fix me. Don’t take on my pain or push away my shadows. Just sit beside me as I work through my own inner storms. Be the steady hand I can reach for as I find my way.

My pain is mine to carry, my battles mine to face. But your presence reminds me I’m not alone in this vast, sometimes frightening world. It’s a quiet reminder that I am worthy of love, even when I feel broken.

So, in those dark hours when I lose my way, will you just be here? Not as a rescuer, but as a companion. Hold my hand until the dawn arrives, helping me remember my strength.

Your silent support is the most precious gift you can give. It’s a love that helps me remember who I am, even when I forget.

Ernest Hemingway

Put this in your pipe and smoke it….

#WeAreAllApes

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Marshall McLuhan interprets money as a profound extension of the basic human action of “grasping and letting go,” likening it to the physical motion of apes swinging between trees. This analogy reflects his broader framework of understanding technology and media as extensions of human faculties and behaviors.

The Ape Swinging Analogy

1. Grasping and Letting Go: Apes swinging from tree to tree embody a cyclical motion of holding onto a branch and releasing it to reach the next one. This act requires coordination, timing, and trust in the continuity of the environment to support their progress.

2. Money as Symbolic Grasping: For McLuhan, money performs a similar function in the human world. It allows individuals to metaphorically “grasp” value in a tangible form (e.g., coins, paper currency) and “let go” by spending it to acquire goods or services. This exchange process mirrors the physical rhythm of the ape’s motion.

3. Trust in the Medium: Just as an ape trusts that the next branch will hold its weight, humans trust the monetary system to maintain the value of the medium. Without this trust, both the ape’s swing and the financial system would collapse.

McLuhan’s Media Perspective

McLuhan would see money not simply as a tool for trade but as a medium of exchange that shapes human relationships and consciousness:

• Extension of the Hand: Money is a technological extension of the hand’s grasp, enabling trade without the need for direct barter. It abstracts the act of holding onto something of immediate value and turns it into a transferable, symbolic medium.

• Impact on Perception: Money, as a medium, alters our perception of value, time, and relationships. It commodifies time and labor, encouraging humans to think in terms of quantifiable exchanges rather than immediate, personal interactions.

• Cultural Implications: The evolution from barter to money reflects a shift in how societies organize themselves, moving from direct, tangible exchanges to a system mediated by symbols and trust in abstract systems.

A Broader Insight

The grasp-and-let-go metaphor underscores the continuity between human physicality and the technologies we create. Just as apes use the swing to navigate their environment, humans use money as a dynamic medium to move through their social and economic worlds. This analogy reveals how even the simplest actions—rooted in our primal instincts—are amplified and transformed by the media we adopt.