IMRAN™: In My Humble Opinion: November 2024

Friday, November 29, 2024

Blue Man Group “Blues” Savored With Blue-Eyed Beauties In Clearwater Florida- IMRAN™

#IMRAN #Tampa #Clearwater #Florida #BlueManGroup #blue #music #concert #musicians #entertainment

Camouflage K2mouflage? - IMRAN™

Can you see you easily my German Shepherd Dog K2 could camouflage himself in the woods in autumn?

#IMRAN #GSD #NY #LongIsland #NewYork #EastPatchogue #GermanShepherd #humor #nature #autumn #camouflage

Thursday, November 28, 2024

No All-Fried Hitched Cock Or Chicken, iCut Salmon RushToDie To AirFry - IMRAN™

I’m not a fan of slasher horror films other than a few notable exceptions, for example SCREAM and I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER. I’m even less a fan of cooking. But I’m an addict of bad puns and terrible wordplay.

When I sliced this large piece of salmon into two with a knife rarely used in 20 years, I thought the reflection selfie would be a fun homage to slasher films & Alfred Hitchcock — with a humorous title at the expense of the fishface sockeye garbage-writer Salman Rushdie and i-named products.

Happy, humorous, and safe thanksgiving everyone!

#IMRAN, #cooking, #salmon, #moviereferences, #SalmanRushdie, #AlfredHitchcock, #horrormovies, #wordplay, #humor, #Thanksgiving, #HappyThanksgiving, #NewYork, #LongIsland, #EastPatchogue,

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Raindrops Cling To Multiflora Rosa Hips On Long Island New York Property In Late Autumn - IMRAN™

On a rainy autumn day during this visit to New York, I took a stroll through my Long Island property with my German Shepherd, K2. As we explored spots I had never even stepped on in thirty years of living here, I noticed the vibrant red hips of the multiflora rose, glistening with raindrops. On another day I also photographed them in brighter conditions.

I did not know much about them, especially because biology and botany were my least favorite subjects as a kid. However, at this stage in my life, I love to learn as much as I can about everything I see.

I learned from an online search that these small fruits of the invasive plant species, which emerge after the shrub’s delicate white flowers bloom in late spring, play a vital role in nature even into winter. By late summer, the hips provide nourishment for birds and other wildlife, helping to spread the plant further.

If you know more about these please share that in a comment. It’s still a reminder of how even on gloomy days, nature’s beauty and resilience shine through.

#IMRAN #NewYork #LongIsland #EastPatchogue #HeronPointe #plants #fruits #autumn #seasons #species #botany #nature #biology

After Rainfall All Fall Colors Rise Up To Blue Sky In One Part Of One Tree At Long Island New York Home- IMRAN™

#IMRAN #NewYork #LongIsland #EastPatchogue #HeronPointe #plants #trees #autumn #seasons #FallFoliage #botany #nature #biology

Monday, November 11, 2024

Thanks, Poor Red State Voters, If Fewer Blue State Tax Dollars Go To Your Welfare Cheques & Checks - IMRAN™

Thanks, Poor Red State Voters, If Fewer Blue State Tax Dollars Go To Your Welfare Cheques & Checks - IMRAN™

I’m so thankful. Sure, the American electorate has voted in a known traitor, Putin puppet, serial adulterer, multiple bankruptcies causer, vile rapist, convicted felon, charity thief, and worse… but, hey… Look at the bright side. The price of eggs should go down. We hope, right?

But, seriously… Let’s examine just one aspect of this election AND Darwin Awards winning crowd. MAGA white nationalists probably think that the reduction in taxes and cuts in welfare services will hurt people they hate… blacks, minorities, Hispanics, blue states, etc.

But here’s a fun fact. Major segments of white welfare recipients are in the reddest states and will feel the cuts. The “bad” people in more diverse blue states and educated well-paid professionals will need to subsidize their diversity-hating MAGA non-brethren less than before.

So, thanks, MAGA voters in the states below. Here’s why. It's important to note that many red states receive more in federal funding than they contribute in taxes. This means that blue states, which typically contribute more in federal taxes, often subsidize red states.

Majority of white MAGA voters may think cutting welfare hurts blacks, Hispanics, or minorities only. Obviously identifying red states with significant white populations living in poverty and dependent on welfare can be complex, but some states consistently show higher rates of federal assistance. Here are a few notable examples.

Mississippi

Poverty Rate: One of the highest in the U.S., with a significant portion of its population relying on federal assistance.

Demographics: A considerable number of white residents live below the poverty line, making the state heavily dependent on federal welfare programs.

West Virginia

Poverty Rate: High poverty levels, particularly in rural areas.

Welfare Dependency: Many residents, including a significant number of white individuals, rely on programs like Medicaid and food assistance.

Kentucky

Poverty Rate: Notable percentage living in poverty, with many depending on federal aid.

Demographics: A substantial number of white residents are among those receiving assistance.

Alabama

Poverty Rate: Ranks high in poverty rates, with many residents relying on welfare.

Welfare Programs: Programs such as SNAP (food stamps) and Medicaid are crucial for many low-income families, including white households.

Arkansas

Poverty Rate: Significant poverty rate, with many residents dependent on federal assistance.

Demographics: A considerable portion of the population receiving welfare benefits is white.

So, thank you, thank you, thank you, all MAGA voters for letting blue states people reduce subsidizing your food stamps and welfare cheques. Sorry if we don’t do welfare checks on y’all either.

Sources to check the data:

https://apnews.com/article/north-america-business-local-taxes-ap-top-news-politics-2f83c72de1bd440d92cdbc0d3b6bc08c

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/07/07/states-federal-benefits/

(1) AP FACT CHECK: Blue high-tax states fund red low-tax states. https://apnews.com/article/north-america-business-local-taxes-ap-top-news-politics-2f83c72de1bd440d92cdbc0d3b6bc08c

(2) Do blue-state taxes really subsidize red-state benefits?. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/07/07/states-federal-benefits/.

Friday, November 08, 2024

Don’t Give Up Hope! Fall Is A Time To Rise, When Samaras Take On Winter - IMRAN™

https://youtube.com/shorts/HEYxTuLt-CI?si=IY9Tix_wlSngSeVD

Strange Times

What strange times we live in, where too many zealots believe that down is up, wrong is right, facts are fake, crime is law, bankruptcy is business brilliance, and treason is somehow heroic. Heaven help us all and God save our nation from a Satangelical cult of American Taliban.

As I look outside my blessed home on Long Island, on this autumn day during the week of a truly disappointing, if not shockingly surreal, election day in the United States, I see several similarities and some inspiring lessons.

Reflections on Biology

Forgive my digression. Biology was never my favorite subject. In fact, it was the subject I despised the most during my Cambridge University O-level education. I was forced to take it because my late father, an engineer himself, had dreams of my becoming a doctor (rather than an electronics engineer or an MBA, which I eventually chose to pursue).

Within biology, zoology at least had the fascination of living, breathing creatures that we can see on TV or in a zoo. Botany, however, was even more boring than biology overall.

Of course, there’s always something interesting in nature that one can appreciate in life as an adult. But it can easily be despised when one is expected to learn or memorize a lot of seemingly useless information - and then also have to take really difficult exams on it.

Nature's Lessons

Phragmites are part of the common grounds of the property that my neighbors and I share at Heron Pointe, on the Great South Bay, in New York. Today they reminded me of some biology lessons. I did have to look up some words to make sure I was spelling them correctly.

“In some plants, the pericarp of an achene extends into a papery, wing-like tissue longer than the seed. This fruit is called a **samara**. The wings enable the wind to carry the seeds farther from the mother plant than seeds without appendages that aid in seed dispersal.” That’s where the summer/samara vs winter wordplay in the title comes from.

Even though fall is all around us and leaves are falling from trees, large and small, in the annual rite of death —which is what our democracy seems to be facing—this is also the time when Phragmites and other plants are shedding their seeds for the future to rise up into the air, even though it is fall and gravity is at work.

Hope Amidst Carnage

This reminds me that despite the gravity of the situation, we must never give up hope. We must always be planting or shooting up and out the seeds for a brighter future.

These Phragmites may be individually flimsy and insignificant, but when bundled together, they are impossible to snap and break. This reflects the parable we all learned about strength in unity when individual sticks bundled together become unbreakable.

Not only that, but these seemingly easily breakable Phragmites have actually withstood the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. I experienced this while standing right out there on the boardwalk with water coming up to my feet.

Our dock and marina were completely destroyed by that hurricane, but the Phragmites stood strong against the onslaught of nature's fury. Together, they protected our precious homes by curbing the angry waves of a massive, ugly red wave of dirty water that would otherwise have drowned us.

Rising Together

Together we shall rise despite the dark forces that seem to be bringing down all the institutions and values that made our country great. Let us hope that this destructive storm passes without destroying our nation and democracy as Hurricane Sandy did to the places it landed.

That means resisting current storms, supporting other good people, and rebuilding stronger for a better future. Like samaras taking on winter - despite being buffeted by the vicious winds of war being waged on democracy globally and in America - let us take flight but stay rooted.

What do you think?

#IMRAN #NewYork, #LongIsland, #Suffolk, #nature, #biology, #botany, #plants, #inspiration, #democracy, #elections #America, #hope, #leadership, #wordplay, #philosophy, #seasons