the mellow tigger's musings

I've been saying at least since the Occupy movement that people "on the street" are distressed and need help. I've also said that Bernie Sanders (and Elizabeth Warren and Mike Gravel) was a populist answer to this need who appeared on the Democrat ticket for U.S. President. A new large-scale study appears to support my assertion that people want a populist leader during these trying times.

"Feelings of sadness, anger, and despair might hold the key to understanding the rise of populist leaders like Donald Trump in recent years. A large-scale study published in American Psychologist suggests that negative emotions among voters are not only linked to populist attitudes but are also significant predictors of populist voting behavior in major elections. This research, which spans over 150 countries and includes the analysis of more than 2 billion tweets, emphasizes the overlooked role of emotions like sadness and depression in driving the demand for populism."
- https://www.psypost.org/emotional-distress-among-voters-tied-to-trumps-populist-appeal-research-shows/

I also insist that similar reasons lead to the persistent trouble here in north Minneapolis. I woke early Sunday morning (and lost about 1.5 hours of sleep, being unable to return to sleep, even though I don't remember hearing the gunshots) around the time of some gunshots about 5 blocks southeast of my house. News broke later on Sunday that 5 kids received gunfire aimed at them at one of the blocks I travel through on my trips to/from the big Cub grocery store. They were found farther south, in a stolen Kia. They were shot by somebody with a fully automatic weapon. They're just kids, 11-14 years old, but one news report on tv said at least some of them had been arrested previously. I've seen multiple videos like this one of the brazenness of people in their stolen cars. I can't find it now, but I've seen video of actual children in these cars, driving through a red light at an intersection about 2 blocks southwest of me.

I don't know the answer here, but I still insist that the USA is not confronting its deep economic inequality. They say that USA inequality now is worse than during our historical age of robber barons, worse than during the Great Depression. I don't know what is keeping our systems together. I'll leave you with these 20 minutes of Bernie Sanders speaking on the Senate floor just 2 weeks ago.

It was -15C/4F in Minneapolis when I woke up this morning.  I really should get an indoor thermometer, so I can measure the temperature in my bedroom.  Slightly warmer than outdoors, but not by enough.  The glass of water by my bed was not frozen, at least.  Thanks to the very drafty old windows, I just keep my bedroom door closed during the day.  I also bubble wrap those windows in winter to slow the heat exchange as much as possible.

My energy bill is already low compared to the norm here, but I keep trying to think of ways to get it lower.  I don't know how much lower I can keep the thermostat than its current 19C/66F setting.  I have plants and fish to consider.  They're a luxury, I know, but I can't dismiss the psychological good it does to have them around 365 days a year, especially when it's so cold outside and I live alone (with cat).

My aquarium is unheated.  I chose fish that can handle it.  It's been almost 3 years since I bought them, but only 1 minnow remains.  I lost several during the aquarium leak and migration to temporary tank nearly a year ago.  I eventually resealed the aquarium, and the original is back in use now.  You can't see the minnow here because it's hiding in the foliage, but the tank made the transition okay, I think.  The java fern and pelia moss (Monosolenium tenerum, the rootless free-floating leafy liverwort mass on the far right bottom) obviously recovered just fine.

I think when this last fish dies someday, I'll try some shrimp.  Cherry shrimp are just so colorful, and supposedly they can survive at my house thermostat temperature. That's the bottom of their range, though, so that leaves no "fudge factor".  Also, colder temperatures slow growth and stop breeding, so I'd probably add a heater for their safety.  But... I still wish there were more energy efficient aquarium heaters.  Does any crafty person want to experiment with the design I listed in that blog post?  I wish I knew how to do it on my own.

Edit 2022 Dec 06 Tue: I'm thinking now that I have subwassertang, not pelia moss.  Apparently I'm not the only one who gets them confused by their similar appearance.

I may need to find a new icon that shows tears.  Once again, this post is not about Ukraine.  They are doing rather well for themselves, though, during the unprovoked invasion of their nation.  There are rumblings that they may even retake Crimea. 

An interesting tweet today had me following some links to news about human tears. 


A very old article (from a writer here in the Twin Cites) noted back in 1982 that:


Apparently there are 3 types of human tears.

1. Basal tears for constant eye lubrication.
2. Reflexive tears for removing irritants from the eye.
3. Psychic tears during high emotional states (positive or negative).

It's the psychic tear (psychogenic lacrimation) that is most curious.  They seem chemically designed to promote social bonding.  Fascinating.  Of course, I immediately started searching for correlations between crying and autism.  I couldn't tell there was anything notable.  The same variety of crying propensity as everyone else, it seems.  There is an interesting hint, however, that autistic baby cry vocalizations may be different.  Treating any baby's cries with a social response (holding and transporting the infant for at least 5 minutes), seems to help.  That's probably some useful info for new parents.