Reflections From a Murky Pond

I’d like you to pause a moment or three and think about this. Those masks that so many of us are wearing all the time we’re away from home? They’re our new niqabs! And yeah, I’m betting there’s a bunch of old, Muslim men laughing their asses off over it.

PPE Masks – Our New Niqab

There’s a lot of similarity between our masks and niqabs. Aside from the fact that both cover the lower half or more of one’s face, the demand to wear them is quite similar. Both PPE and niqabs are required for the protection of others, not of the ones wearing them. The former to protect against the spread of COVID-19 and the latter to ward against triggering “uncontrollable” lust in Muslim males.

The nature of the proscription against bare faces and the “moral” component applied to it is the first thing you should think about.

Versus The Actual Niqab Of The Muslim World

And, of course, like any other mandatory clothing item, designers of both our and the Muslims’ niqab try to make them interesting and attractive, i.e., commercially viable. True, with at least 1400 years more experience, the Muslims are better at it than the West is so far. But, we’ll catch up with them because haram is haram and people want attractive clothing.

But… it might be that we don’t limit ourselves to just our new niqab. There’s plenty of other face coverings that fit the sentiment behind our masks.

There’s A Lot Of Choices For Compliance

Now True; a lot of the non-niqab veils won’t meet the standards of those demanding that we stay masked in what seems to be perpetuity – variants of the coronavirus are not going away people! – but they could be incorporated into designs or worn as an adjunct to our mandated PPE.

Some Fashion-Forward Designers Are On-Board Already

In all truth, what I’m expecting is that the continuance of mask mandates – be they through direct government fiat or social pressure – is a two-layered approach, with some non-protective, decorative layer of masking over a “nude” or subtly shaded PPE mask.

And, oh yeah; “nude” or “flesh-toned” PPE masks would bring their own special breed of crap from the Woke Crowd and what they pander to- and enable.

Then, this isn’t rocket science and should be easily expected. Form follows function and the function of both our masks and those of the Muslims and the intended function of both is to protect others from the dangers intrinsic to- or associated with the wearers’ faces. Both are symbols of compliance with authoritarian rule, be of the government, priesthood, or the mob of fearful and faithful, who haven’t moved that far from pitchforks and torches.

Yes, this is definitely something to think about. Our new niqabs, striking and beautiful or not, are a sign that we’re fundamentally moving in the same direction that the Muslims did.

Back in 2014, Colorado completely legalized the use, sale, and growing of marijuana, the latter both by individuals and by commercial/agricultural concerns. This was hailed as a landmark in “progress,” both by the ever-drug-loving Leftists and many Libertarian sorts. And, indeed, there seems to have been little, if any, human damage or negative consequences caused by Colorado’s drug experiment.

But What About The Ecological Consequences?

With marijuana now growing all around The Centennial State, it follows that mice, rats, voles, rabbits, and various varieties of squirrels will be eating the seeds and some of the vegetation. This would both end up concentrating the cannabinoids in those prey species’ tissues, and make them both more unaware and sluggish. Hence, those rodents and similar prey animals would be easier for various predators to catch and consume.

So yeah! Stoner owls – owls both primarily subsisting upon small, terrestrial prey and being a major predator thereof – look likely to be an unforeseen, probably negative, ecological consequence of Colorado’s legalization of the use and growing of marijuana.

So… Stoned owls. That’ll be “fun.” 😛

Lies, lies, lies, and damn lies, I tell you! You can’t trust anything – much less anyone – anymore. The cake’s a rock; the dutch oven’s a cake; and the bloody rock is just years and years’ worth of piled up, dried automotive paint. 😉

Yep! Extinction Events aren’t always the catastrophes that we’ve been taught. Sometimes, they’re pretty and somewhat goofy-looking pink birds… of doom.

A Risen Dragon – Dragon Con That Is, And Only Sort Of

So, in something resembling defiance of the long haul panicdemic, Dragon Con has resumed this year and currently as of this writing in session. True, they’ve deliberately limited the number of attendees to only slightly above half their normal number, and certain favorite, public events have been left off the schedule, but the convention is happening.

So, in support of Dragon Con, here are some lovely cosplay babes, since they’re actually the favorite part of SciFi conventions like Dragon Con for many attendees. And, like the convention itself, posts like this are something of a tradition with me. 😉