Pearls

Nature 3 Minutes

Pearl Education

Pearls, natural or cultured, are formed when a mollusk produces layers of nacre (pronounced NAY-kur) around some type of irritant inside its shell. In natural pearls, the irritant may be another organism from the water. In cultured pearls, a mother-of-pearl bead or a piece of tissue is inserted (by man) into the mollusk to start the process.

For both, the quality of the nacre dictates the quality of the luster, or shine of the pearl, which is very important to its beauty and its value. The surface of the pearl should be smooth and free of marks while the overall shape could be round, oval, pear-shaped, or even misshapen. Misshapen pearls are called baroque pearls.

While shopping for pearls, there are various lengths available:

  • A collar fits directly against the throat
  • A choker rests at the base of the neck
  • The princess length reaches near the collarbone
  • A matinee length is usually 20-24 inches
  • The Opera length is 30-36 inches
  • The longest length, known as a rope, refers to all strands longer than 36 inches

Necklaces can also be classified as uniform (where all pearls are about the same size) or graduated (pearls change uniformly from ends to center).

Natural Pearls

Natural pearls are extremely rare. Historically, many were found in the Persian Gulf; unfortunately, today, most have already been harvested. You may be able to purchase small, natural pearls, but they will be costly.

Cultured Pearls

Cultured pearls are grown in pearl farms. The mollusks are raised until they are old enough to accept the mother-of-pearl bead nucleus. Through a delicate surgical procedure, the technician implants the bead and then the mollusks are returned to the water and cared for while the pearl forms.

Not all produce a pearl; and not all the pearls are high quality. Over 10,000 pearls may be sorted before a 16” single strand of beautifully matched pearls is assembled.

Pearls can be found in saltwater and in freshwater. There are also different types of mollusks that produce very different looking pearls.

Saltwater Pearls

Saltwater pearls include the akoya cultured pearls grown in Japanese and Chinese waters. They range in size from 2mm (tiny) to 10mm (rare) and are usually white or cream in color and round in shape.

Australia, Indonesia, and the Philippines produce the South Sea pearl – the largest of all the pearls. They range in size from 9mm to 20mm and can be naturally white, cream, or golden in color.

Tahitian pearls are interestingly not exclusively from Tahiti – they’re grown in several of the islands of French Polynesia, including Tahiti. Their typical sizes range from 8mm to 16mm. These naturally colored pearls are collectively called black pearls, but their colors include gray, blue, green, and purple.

Freshwater Pearls

These pearls are grown in freshwater lakes, rivers, and ponds, predominately in China. Although many are white and resemble the akoya cultured pearls in shape and size, they can also be produced in various shapes and in an array of pastel colors.

Many freshwater pearls don’t have a bead nucleus — only a piece of tissue — resulting in a pearl with thicker nacre than the akoya.

Imitation Pearls

Imitation pearls are usually a coated glass bead. Most have a high luster, but not the depth of luster seen on high quality cultured pearls.

It’s possible to separate an imitation from a cultured or natural pearl. It can be a challenge, though, to determine if the pearl is cultured or natural. And, many pearls undergo treatments to either enhance their luster or alter their color.

Since this treatment affects their value, you will want to obtain the educated advice of a top jeweler, such as the certified gemologists of the American Gem Society.

Natural pearls are extremely rare. Historically, many were found in the Persian Gulf; unfortunately, today, most have already been harvested. You may be able to purchase small, natural pearls, but they will be costly.

Source: American Gem Society

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Published by pat frederick

Published

197 thoughts on “Pearls”

    1. Morning, Pat! Nipply here this morning at only 50 but clear skies and sunshine!!! Brrrr….but I will NOT turn my heat back on! Interesting that natural pearls can no longer be found….so they took ALL of the mollusks and there aren’t any left to continue the process? I guess the demand outpaced the ability to keep up, maybe….terribly short-sighted, eh? Cross your fingers that today is the day I finally find out what’s going on in my sinuses….

      Liked by 2 people

      2. Relying on yourself is scary…because if it all goes wrong, you have no-one but yourself to blame. BUT….if it all goes right, YOU also get all the credit! I’d rather sink or swim on my own, while accounting for my own shortcomings in my planning, and accept the responsibility for the outcome, personally. Bottom line? It all boils down to choices!

        Like

  4. Citizen 817
    Citizen 817
    June 12, 2023 12:22 am

    @realDonaldTrump

    9h
    Virtually everyone is saying that the Indictment is about Election Interference & should not have been brought, except Bill Barr, a “disgruntled former employee” & lazy Attorney General who was weak & totally ineffective. He doesn’t mean what he’s saying, it’s just MISINFORMATION.Barr’s doing it because he hates “TRUMP” for firing him. He was deathly afraid of the Radical Left when they said they would Impeach him. He knows the Indictment is Bull…. Turn off FoxNews when that “Gutless Pig” is on!

    Liked by 2 people

  7. the tweet and the reply

    See new Tweets
    Conversation
    Kevin McCarthy
    @SpeakerMcCarthy
    ·
    Jun 8
    Today is indeed a dark day for the United States of America.

    It is unconscionable for a President to indict the leading candidate opposing him. Joe Biden kept classified documents for decades.

    I, and every American who believes in the rule of law, stand with President Trump… Show more
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    Small Business in Transportation Coalition
    @TheSBTC
    ·
    Jun 8
    We are ashamed to be Americans today. All American patriot truckers should protest this political hit job outside the Federal Courthouse in Miami on Tuesday at 3 p.m. They are acting like he sold military secrets to an agent of a foreign power. This despicable weaponization of… Show more
    Square profile picture
    Small Business in Transportation Coalition
    @TheSBTC
    We are a group of 20,000+ truck drivers & small business owners. You may think we are just uneducated truckers but that is not that case.

    We are or have been Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.

    We have law degrees, business degrees and Masters Degrees in Criminal Justice. We have worked in the private sector, our own businesses, government and law enforcement. We once helped the @FBI
    catch a spy selling military secrets to our enemies as a matter of being all American patriotic private citizens. We know what espionage is.

    We have been the target of unethical government political hit jobs and know all too well about malicious use of power for political expediency and use of government as a weapon to inflict harm on adversaries.

    We have succeeded in business, failed, and come back… all the while doing it our way, like we were living in a Frank Sinatra song.

    We have run for public office, served our country in the military and donated our time in volunteer national and community service.

    Here are our two cents, America…

    There is no longer a neutral impartial criminal justice system in America. It has been hijacked for political expediency, warfare and personal gain.

    This is no different than how politicans who are hated are speciously impeached and/or convicted, depending on which party they are from and which party is in control.

    Sadly, most politicians in this day and age are guilty of something illegal, immoral… or just being cold, ruthless, or mean to their adversaries. Nice guys still finish last. Few are ever confronted unless ganged up against like in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Less are actually ever held accountable and fairly and truly brought to justice. Justice is no longer objective and is in the eye of the ideological beholder. Indeed, Lady Justice is no longer honorable, respectable or blind.

    We cannot selectively, discriminatoraly or preferentially enforce the law and punish one but not all and hypocritically and righteously proclaim “no one is above the law,” without losing credibility, respect, and integrity.

    We cannot go easy on those on our side of the aisle, and let them slide, yet be overzealous. vicious, or malicious toward those on the other side without causing Americans to raise their eyebrows.

    America is watching. The world is watching. Our children are watching.

    So is God.

    Our biggest problem is allowing our system to become perverted and used as a weapon. Live by the sword, die by the sword.

    Without integrity in our elections, our impeachment proceedings, and prosecutorial decisions and conduct, we are headed into a very dark chapter… the likes of which, we have never seen.

    Once we go down this path and give up our tradition and history of exercising restraint and being Conservative and reserved in levying criminal charges, it may be an irreconcilable and irreversible course that destroys the union forever.

    We need more honorable selfless statesmen, and less irresponsible selfish politicians.

    A fragile and unstable America is in your hands. Please handle her with the compassion, decency, respect, tenderness, and care she deserves while she is in your trust on your watch.

    History can either be forever grateful or eternally punishing in how you are recorded and remembered for all posterity.

    Choose wisely…

    Liked by 2 people

        1. See, this is why I could never be in politics! A waste of time that will result in zero actual results! I’d wager that, when you really boil it down, 75% at least of what Congress does would be (and SHOULD BE) done much more efficiently at the state level. Actually, probably 60% of that would never GET done because it wouldn’t be good for each individual state. And THAT is how the Founders intended it! Instead, we sit with this fricking quagmire that just gets more and more out of control by the second!!!!

          OK….sorry…just needed to get that off my chest! I DON’T DO GAMES, PAT!!! And that’s all these are – sound-bite, photo opportunity games!

          Liked by 1 person

          1. you know, my sister and brother would torment me–the middle child.
            UNTIL I FOUGHT BACK.
            i kept turning the other cheek, taking the high ground. till one day I hauled off and whacked my sister in the face.
            I apologized as my mother made me–it was wrong. BUT she never hit me after that.

            Liked by 1 person

            1. I understand that completely and you were 100% right to smack the shit out of her. Had your Mother been willing to discipline HER for it and make it stop, then you would have been in the wrong. But, since she apparently didn’t, I have NO issue with you standing up for yourself.

              I’ve become quite the fighter now, especially considering what a quiet, shy, insecure, needy child I was for so long. Of the 3 of us kids, I was the only one who would mope and cry over missing Mom – Carol and Charlie were “oh, well…that’s Mom!” Not me!!! And my brother teased me unmercifully over it. Carol was, even then, very even tempered and practical-minded but occasionally would cuddle me during my tears. Grandma would do that but rarely – she was also not particularly demonstrative.

              My adopted parents raised me to be a victim…I had to get free of them before I could finally experience the real me, deep inside, and finally take the reins in my own hands. And I modeled that adult me after a combo of my sister and Mom. I am a curious mix of both.

              Liked by 1 person

              1. you see these things as useless. but what if?
                what if they impeach biden and the american people start calling their senators and demanding they vote for it? all it takes is a spark to create a fire…and it has to start somewhere!

                Liked by 1 person

              2. I’m just at the point where I’ve lost almost all optimism, Pat…again, they are all just shuffling cards in the Congressional deck. Who’s going to do the photo op today, guys??? WHEN NOTHING ACTUALLY HAPPENS and nothing WILL happen unless…sigh…I just can’t see it any more. But I won’t quit – never quit….

                Liked by 1 person

              4. I started a long time ago…you started a long time ago…we ALL started a long time ago…I’ll try to work on not being so pessimistic – if nothing else, I guess I’ll just keep my mouth shut…I do know that there are FAR more people whose eyes are opening every day and that is progress, I’ll admit that. But the problem is….the rate at which TPTB are replacing the “native” US population…how long will it be before we are vastly outnumbered? IDK

                Liked by 1 person

  15. whoa…so that property in DC that obummer “bought” gets $5000 a YEAR tacked on (in taxes) because the taxes are unpaid? WTH? apparently he used a false SS# to run for office, but no one cared. I gotta get her book
    entire article…
    Does Obama pay for anything with his own money?
    By Susan Daniels

    A memoir is a history of one’s past. Mine includes attempts to reveal who Barack Obama really is — or isn’t. I recently published my memoir at the age of eighty-one years: The Rubbish Hauler’s Wife versus Barack Obama.

    I have been chasing Obama since 2009, when I uncovered, while working as a licensed private investigator, that he has used a phony CT social security number his entire adult life. I was undaunted when my lawsuit to keep him off the Ohio presidential ballot in 2012 was dismissed, even though it is illegal to use a false Social Security number.

    My book contains other investigations, but I found more juicy information about Obama to include, especially about the alleged purchase of the Magnum P.I. property on Oahu.

    I note specifically: Hawaii television station KHON2 announced on March 19, 2015 that Marty Nesbitt bought the Waimanalo property, made famous in the television show Magnum P.I. for $8.7 million and that he is the “sole investor.”

    Nesbitt said that Obama was not a party to the transaction. It was listed then under Waimanalo Paradise LLC and still is. There was no sale to Obama.

    But the news media informed us incorrectly in August 2022 that Obama had purchased that estate. The original 9,000–sq. ft. house was razed and will be replaced by three houses. The repair of a hundred-year-old seawall on the property, slipped through with the help of a legal loophole, has Hawaiians outraged. They said it affected their beaches and the environment.

    The papers for the property at 41-505 Kalanianaole Hwy. were signed by Judy Grimanis, Nesbitt’s assistant, who previously worked for Penny Priztker. Priztker, whose brother is now Governor of Illinois, was a prominent Obama fundraiser and U.S. secretary of commerce under Obama.

    In 2012, Penny thought Obama was going to lose his re-election and was trying to enlist donors to cough up $35 million to buy Plantation Estate for him in Kailua, the place where the Obamas, the Nesbitts, Valerie Jarrett, Marian Robinson, and others celebrated Christmas every year on our dime. No one would kick in.

    According to IL recorder documents, he did not own the mansion at 5046 S. Greenwood Ave. in Chicago. The house is owned by Homefront Holdings LLC, which does not even appear as a company on the IL secretary of state’s business website. It bought the house on October 1, 2017 from ATG Trust Company for $1 and a Quit Claim Deed. Although the filing said “Land Only,” it describes a 6,243–sq. ft building.

    Obama’s Kalorama house at 2446 Belmont Rd., NW in Washington, D.C., is owned by Homefront Holdings, although there is a claim that the Obamas control Homefront Holdings. Since the property was purchased in 2020, an extra $5,000 has been tacked on each year as penalties for the late payment of $70,000 taxes due in 2021 and 2022.

    And the $12-million property at 79 Turkeyland Cove, Edgartown, Mass., is listed in the name of James F. Reynolds, Trustee.

    Does Obama own anything? Does Obama pay for anything with his own money?

    https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2023/06/does_obama_pay_for_anything_with_his_own_money.html

    Liked by 2 people

          1. because there’s no precedent…LOL
            but now that they’ve indicted a president…it can be done!
            none of them are safe now

            Like

              7. OK, if that were me, he would never have to listen to an answer….50 words? Good heavens!!! LOL – then again, sometimes I can come up with some fairly perspicacious quips that shoot the point home….(I’ve loved that word ever since I saw Bill O’Reilly go on about it…😁😂🤣🙃)

                Liked by 1 person

          1. Salt water/ocean fish, like Bluefish, grouper, flounder, etc. You can find most types of fish in both salt water and fresh water (like bass) but they are genetically different.

            Liked by 1 person

            1. so would fresh water bass taste the same as salt water bass?
              (this is just curiosity mind you, I don’t intend to ever eat either one…LOL)

              Liked by 1 person

              1. I’ve never eaten either, TBH. They are a sporting fish for me, both large-mouth and small-mouth (different tactics/locations) – catch & release, go back a year later and catch ’em again when they’re bigger! Take a picture, always! Most people keep catfish for eating – it is really tasty – but even that, C&R after taking a picture.

                We always practiced C&R unless someone asked us to get them some bluegill/pan fish. HB’s Dad and I did keep a few salt-water bluefish a few times and cooked them in foil on the grill, w/butter and lemon. But there is a dark vein that runs along their sides that has to be removed or the flavor is so wild it is inedible. Even then, it’s an acquired taste and I wasn’t fond of it.

                I am not a big fish eater at all. Other seafood, yes, but not fish. Usually, I have a package of frozen Tilapia – that is a very, very mild-flavored salt water (I think) that is one of the most common fish people eat. But all you can get in the US is farm-raised Tilapia…most Salmon is, too. Wild-caught fish are expensive here.

                Like

        1. Cool! One of these days…at this point, I think all it would take on your part would be putting a chair out there and sitting quietly. maybe? It will take a LOT of patience. I’m trying to picture how I would do it…maybe put some nectar in a small enough cup to fit in the palm of your hand and rest your hand on the railing? IDK – I’ve never tried it.

          Liked by 1 person

          1. I have a single flower feeder for just this purpose.
            it would require removing all the other feeders though to tempt them to the one i was holding.
            i usually wait for later in the summer when there are a lot of hummers…so tempting them to mine is easier

            Liked by 1 person

              2. It’s been several years now that I hardly see them at all. The Orioles are bully-birds and chase them off; plus, they are so tiny that if they aren’t on a feeder under the patio eaves, I have to strain to find them. I know they hit the Honeysuckle blooms and mine are starting to bloom. I would probably see them if I went outside and specifically looked for them.

                Liked by 1 person

              8. Of course, my favorite…altho I’m happy NOT to have to watch it at this point since I hate both of them…is when the blackbirds ran the squirrel out of the cottonwood tree! Oh, that was fun to watch that pissant bitch jumping left and right trying to get out of the yard alive!!! Yessss!!!!!

                Liked by 1 person

  19. i like this theory…lol
    disallowed for LACK OF STANDING!

    Mike Robinson
    Mike Robinson
    June 12, 2023 9:02 am

    This hapless foot-soldier of the Deep State is about to collide with at least three settled SCOTUS cases which are grounded in Article 2. And proper findings of “malicious prosecution.”

    These employees of the Executive Branch have tried to “determine” that said Executive Branch mis-handled, according to them, things which they themselves “determined” to be national security documents, and to then use the Judicial Branch to imprison him for a hundred years.

    Ostensibly, “just because THEY disagree.” And THEY get to decide.

    They seem to do this “on their own authority,” whereas in (e.g.) “Navy v. Eagan,” it was determined that ALL of them have none. Only(!) the President himself can make such determinations, and there is no “due process” for doing so. There can be no objection. He cannot be overruled.

    The legal term for this is that his powers are “plenary.” Our entire system of classification was created by a President and derives its delegated power from him yet never applies to him.

    This is settled law, and there is nothing Congress, nor any Court, nor any Grand Jury, nor any Executive Branch =employee= can do about it. Article 2 says what it says.

    All of these charges should simply be disallowed for lack of standing, and not even be filed. Presidency had its privileges.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. from what i understand this case is in Clarence Thomas’s section of the country. he will decide to move the case to SCOTUS. or he can dismiss with prejudice for lack of standing.
        i have read the arguments over and over…no underling (and they ALL are underlings to the president) can question what he considers a personal record. NO ONE. it is not even reviewable. the constitution is supposedly clear on that.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Ah, yes, bowling! Man, I used to love bowling! I was on 2 leagues at one point when I first married my son’s Dad – I finally had to quit when I was 8 mos. along and fell – but I was still playing keep-away with a beach ball in the pool, which drove my a-Mom bonkers – LOL When I was in the Army, Carol and I were on a league together. One of the guys I met there, Andy, took me to the Preakness that year….I finally threw out my trophies some years ago, after carting them around for years and years. No, there weren’t a lot – only a handful, one of which was a blooper one of a bowler who has dropped the ball on their foot! Yeah, not a good season for me that year! LOL

        Liked by 1 person

  22. Portion of I-95 collapses in Philadelphia after tanker truck fire… All north and southbound lanes are completely closed after a fire broke out on Interstate 95 in Philadelphia Sunday morning, causing part of the interstate to collapse…

    Liked by 1 person

    1. hubby reminded me this isn’t the first time something like this happened on I-95. before it was a tire fire that caused a collapse and headaches for years

      Liked by 1 person

  25. “White House accused of US Flag Code violation over Pride Month display”
    June 11, 2023

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “President Joe Biden’s administration is receiving backlash online over its Pride Month display at the White House on Sunday as many Twitter users are saying it violates the U.S. Flag Code. Biden celebrated the LGBT community in a post Saturday, revealing a set of flags hanging from the White House that faced the South Lawn. The display includes a rainbow-colored Pride flag flanked by two American flags.

    Twitter users argue the display violates a section of the U.S. Flag Code that mandates the American flag be in the center of any display featuring multiple national flags or pennants. “To advance revolutionary transgender agenda targeting children, Biden violates basic tenet of US Flag Code and disrespects every American service member buried under its colors,” wrote Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

    Fitton went on to cite U.S. Flag Code ?7. (e), which reads, “The flag of the United States of America should be at the center and at the highest point of the group when a number of flags of States or localities or pennants of societies are grouped and displayed from staffs.”

    The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

    The display was featured prominently during Biden’s Pride Month celebration at the White House on Saturday. The event, which hosted performers and speakers representing LGBT causes, acclaimed the Pride community as “the bravest and most inspiring people” and an example for the U.S. and the entire world. “Outside the gates of this house are those who want to drag our country backwards, and so many battles yet to be braved. But today, we’re not here to be strong. We’re not here to be courageous. Even though for so many of you, just coming to this event is an act of bravery,” said first lady Jill Biden.

    Biden also praised the LGBT community as “some of the bravest and most inspiring” people he has ever known. “You know, we all move forward when we move together with your joy, with your pride lighting the way,” the president continued. “So today, let us proudly remember who we are – the United States of America.”

    Fox News’ Timothy H.J. Nerozzi contributed to this report.”

    Liked by 1 person

    1. pandering to a fringe group is never recommended.
      if they claim ignorance of the flag code, then someone needs to be fired. it’s their damn JOB

      Liked by 1 person

  26. Wow! I just saw a HUGE Oriole – the biggest I’ve ever seen! There was a blackbird nearby and he was almost as big! Yesterday evening, I looked out and saw that the jelly feeder was hanging over almost sideways…something big landed on the top and knocked it off-kilter. Sure enough, half of the jelly had slopped over the side into the garden bed below. Pretty sure it wasn’t a squirrel but if a big enough bird, like a turtle dove, landed on one side, that would do it. I’ve seen some making half-hearted attempts to get to the jelly. SMH…

    Tee-hee! DTV must be trying to win people back. I now have 3 brand new remotes. Just got the 3rd one via FedEx. LOL – driver had to duck underneath my Trump flag to put it on my porch. I have it hanging straight out, parallel vs. upwards, to keep it from getting hung up on the gutter.

    What’s cool is that the old-style one that I can use in the dark can remain on my reading table next to my recliner, where I only have a reading light. The newer one is about 2″ shorter and fits much better here on the table next to me and it isn’t taking nearly as long to get used to it as I expected. And oh, joy – not ONE interruption in service!!!

    Liked by 1 person

  28. “Dr. McCullough Testifies in the Pennsylvania Senate–Four Domains of COVID-19 Vaccine Injury Syndromes Revealed”

    PETER A. MCCULLOUGH, MD, MPH™
    JUN 9, 2023
    By Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH

    “On Friday June 9, 2023, I returned to the Pennsylvania Senate on request by former military officer and American hero, Senator Doug Mastriano (R-33). The session was co-chaired by Senator Cris Dush (R-25). Co-presenters included Steve Kirsch, Founder of the Vaccine Safety Research Foundation, and attorney Tom Renz. I organized my comments along the lines of this outline:”

    https://petermcculloughmd.substack.com/p/dr-mccullough-testifies-in-the-pennsylvania

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Oh, don’t EVEN get me started on Haiti, the Bush/Clinton fraud, the trafficked children…..what sucks even worse is that Haiti is sitting on top of some of the richest resources in the world, yet the people themselves never, ever see one dime of those riches!!!! The corporations, in league with the corrupt government, collect all those $$$’s!!!!!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. isn’t that what always happens?
        how about those lithium mines? those kids doing the mining aren’t getting enough to get out of there. but the shynese are getting rich off those batteries

        Liked by 1 person

  32. Island Brüce (Pu/to)🇺🇸
    @Fishing_Huuker
    BIDEN SCAM: Hunter Biden sold paintings to foreigners who needed direct access to @JoeBiden
    , the ‘Big Guy’.

    To collect Joe’s share, Joe ‘leased’ a property to Hunter, (Hunter never stayed there) for $50k per month, even though the Zillow estimated lease value was listed at $7500 a month.

    This is how they scam…

    Liked by 1 person

  33. “What Can Wildfire Toxicity Teach Us About COVID-19 and Treating COPD–Tips for Those Stuck in Fumes of the Current Wildfires”
    A MIDWESTERN DOCTOR
    JUN 9, 2023

    EXCERPT: “New York recently had the worst air quality in the world due to the smoke from numerous wildfires converging on it. Thus we are now seeing news stories like this: ‘New York Attorney General Letitia James is warning residents to be on guard for price gouging of essential goods like masks [just like during the start of COVID-19], air purifiers, and air filters as the air quality worsens from Canadian wildfires.’

    Since the medical system did not do its job throughout COVID-19 (as it was focused on creating lucrative products rather than treating the disease), those who wanted to save lives had to creatively innovate ways to treat it. In my case, I noticed that COVID-19 (and the later vaccine injuries) had many characteristics of other complex diseases I was familiar with, including wildfire toxicity, and that many treatments for those conditions could also be applied to spike protein illnesses.

    A fairly under-recognized problem is large numbers of people becoming ill from an air pollutant (e.g., after the recent East Palestine train derailment). Before discussing the most pressing issue, wildfire illness, I would also like to share two other airborne conditions I am familiar with.”

    NF: sigh…”conditions with which I am familiar” — I know, I know: picky, picky, picky! Marked as a paid article but it appears to be complete.

    https://amidwesterndoctor.substack.com/p/what-can-wildfires-poisoning-teach

    Liked by 1 person

  35. NF: Yep, this is going to work out well!😡😡😡

    “US military looking to immigrants to bolster enlistment”
    Posted on June 12, 2023 | 2 comments

    WASHINGTON (AP) — When Esmita Spudes Bidari was a young girl in Nepal, she dreamed of being in the military, but that wasn’t a real option in her country. Last week, she raised her right hand and took the oath to join the U.S. Army Reserves, thanks in part to a recruiter in Dallas who also is Nepalese and reached out to her through an online group.

    Bidari, who heads to basic training in August, is just the latest in a growing number of legal migrants enlisting in the U.S. military as it more aggressively seeks out immigrants, offering a fast track to citizenship to those who sign up.

    Struggling to overcome recruiting shortfalls, the Army and the Air Force have bolstered their marketing to entice legal residents to enlist, putting out pamphlets, working social media and broadening their outreach, particularly in inner cities. One key element is the use of recruiters with similar backgrounds to these potential recruits.

    “It is one thing to hear about the military from locals here, but it is something else when it’s from your fellow brother, from the country you’re from,” said Bidari, who was contacted by Army Staff Sgt. Kalden Lama, the Dallas recruiter, on a Facebook group that helps Nepalese people in America connect with one another. “That brother was in the group and he was recruiting and he told me about the military.”

    The military has had success in recruiting legal immigrants, particularly among those seeking a job, education benefits and training as well as a quick route to becoming an American citizen. But they also require additional security screening and more help filling out forms, particularly those who are less proficient in English.

    Both the Army and the Air Force say they will not meet their recruiting goals this year, and the Navy also expects to fall short.”

    https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/join-military-become-us-citizen-112359094.html

    Liked by 1 person

  36. Mondays….


    NF: This one reminds me of when I had my new roof installed – I listened to them dropping those heavy bundles of shingles above me and the whole house shook…I kept looking up every time, expecting to see one crash thru the ceiling! LOL


    Liked by 1 person

    1. reminds me of my sons roof that we helped him redo. (he worked as a roofer the summers he was in college.) his new bride was up on a roof much like that with all the gables scraping the old shingles off…she was a trooper. hubby and my son (with my help, lol) put the new roof on in less than 2 days–amazing for us old timers…lol

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      1. I found an ex-veteran, handicapped, from Norfolk who had a 4-man roofing crew – possible they were illegals but we also have a lot of temporary Hispanic workers periodically, especially during harvest season – I picked shingles with a 50 year guaranty…I just wish I had chosen gray instead of black.

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  40. “So this morning’s first question is, what the fuck was this Dylan character doing at the Tony’s aside from making a spectacle of himself?

    My wife and I were watching the Tony’s last night for a total of about ten minutes before it devolved in to yet another virtue-signalling jerkoff fest. Of course the first winner had to kiss his husband before going up to accept his award, telling us all how gay and how jewish he is but he then had to add on to his acceptance speech this little ditty – ‘Parents! When your little children tell you who they are, listen.’

    We both reached for the remote so quickly our heads banged together and we almost knocked each other out. It’s a shame really. I usta areally enjoy the theater. Juss’ sayin’…”

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  41. Liked by 1 person

  43. clarion
    June 12, 2023 11:26 am

    This is from 2018.

    Want to know how China took over rare earth metals?

    @SenFeinstein
    abused her Desert Protection Act to close down America’s most profitable Mountain Pass mine in the Mojave in 2002

    Her husband Blum was exclusive importer of rare earth metals from China

    Want to know how China took over rare earth metals?@SenFeinstein abused her Desert Protection Act to close down America’s most profitable Mountain Pass mine in the Mojave in 2002

    Her husband Blum was exclusive importer of rare earth metals from China pic.twitter.com/rgYvRr6uAF

    — Bronze Age Pervert (@bronzeagemantis) August 3, 2018

    Liked by 1 person


  44. “You know time is going by way too fuckin’ fast when you realize the rock stars you most relate to are all starting to look like yer grandmother…”

    “I really wanna point something out, so you’re not all confused by some of the shit I post and comment on. I am, in no way, shape or form, anti-gay, or even anti-tranny or anti-whateverthefuckyouwanna be. I really do believe that it’s cool to be whatever you want to be if that’s what you need to do to live a meaningful, happy life. I get it. No sweat. What I don’t get is why the media, along with so many people and corporations, want to jam this virtue-signaling shit down our throats.

    I’m not gonna buy a beer because straight guys drink it. I’m not gonna buy a truck because queers drive ’em. I’m not gonna wear an outfit or a piece of clothing because a it has a message on it, except maybe an occasional Harley or S&W t-shirt, or one I got from a bar for free. That’s my point – nothing more. Trying to jam an ideology down my throat is no way to market a product. Tell us how good the product is and why it’d be worth our while to pay for it. Nothing more, nothing less.”

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  46. Well, I got a bit of a surprise, altho not a total shock, when my Sis forwarded the pic Piper is using as her e-mail icon….she looks like a boy to me but Sis didn’t agree…apparently, I had forwarded the e-mail I sent to my Sis with the pics of the Orioles that I saved from the jelly, to Piper. This was quite some time ago, if you recall…oddly, Piper replied to that e-mail (which went to my Sis) at 5:43 am yesterday morning!!! What an odd time!!! I just couldn’t talk about it any more with her after seeing this…I dread what might be happening with her right now…

    Liked by 1 person

      1. LOL – as usual, I got distracted…but I got the white weigela pruned of the old wood anyway! LOL – I started snapping off dead branches and next thing you know, there’s a pile to haul over to my brush pile! Also pruned the rose bush – I am keeping that under close control this year. Now, I’ve got to hit the shower…BBL…

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  49. Liked by 1 person

  50. they better put the 87,000 irs employees ON THE TRAIL OF THIS CASH!
    we want it BACK!!!
    they should have a quota to retrieve or they lose their job. period
    FTA
    Why were they so disastrously corrupted?

    “In the haste, guardrails to protect federal money were dropped,” the AP reports of the loan programs. “Prospective borrowers were allowed to ‘self-certify’ that their loan applications were true. The CARES Act also barred SBA from looking at tax return transcripts that could have weeded out shady or undeserving applicants, a decision eventually reversed at the end of 2020.”

    A similar lowering of standards occurred in the expanded unemployment benefits program. It’s all so bad that even officials from inside the government are holding their hands up and admitting defeat.

    One government official described the COVID spending as a “sort of endless pot of money that anyone could access.” Meanwhile, the Justice Department’s acting director for COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement admitted to “an unprecedented amount of fraud.” Yet perhaps the most shocking statement came from DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz.

    “If you open up the bank window and say, give me your application and just promise me you really are who you say you are, you attract a lot of fraudsters and that’s what happened here,” Horowitz said.

    It’s maddening enough to think of how recklessly federal officials handled our taxpayer money during such a challenging time. But, as it turns out, the most fraud-rife spending programs were also the least effective “stimulus” initiatives of all.

    At least the COVID checks eventually got some money back into people’s pockets. The Paycheck Protection Program’s “loans” — they were really grants — failed miserably at their intended purpose, which was to keep businesses afloat and avoid layoffs. An MIT economist’s analysis found that most of the money went to “preserve” jobs that weren’t actually in danger, and that the PPP ended up spending an astonishing $170,000 to $257,000 per job it actually “saved.” (Far more than most of those jobs pay in annual salary.)

    Meanwhile, the super-charged, expanded unemployment benefits actually constrained economic activity. They paid many people more to stay at home than they could earn by working and, unsurprisingly, millions of people who otherwise would have re-joined the workforce instead stayed home and cashed checks (long after the actual threat of COVID-19 had passed).

    ‘The Great Grift’: New AP investigation reveals stunning scope of COVID fraud

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