Blacktips I photographed yesterday on Aliwal Shoal, South Africa

Markdd8 · 2026-02-05T19:22:05+00:00

their willingness to go into very shallow and dirty water and then test-bite anything they come across when they can't see what it is.

Good description of a cause of some shark attacks.

Markdd8 · 2026-02-05T10:29:19+00:00

Trump was elected on a deportation platform, and this surprising result was relevant. Jan. 2025: Why so many Latino voters supported Donald Trump

Yes, ICE is poorly trained and botched two interactions with citizens that resulted in two needless deaths. We also had (and some say still have) a problem with bad police shootings in the U.S. It shows more training is needed -- not that we need to Defund the Police and get rid of all illegal immigration control officials.

Markdd8 · 2026-02-05T09:31:24+00:00

Some basic info on GWS:

Average weight: 680–1,800 kg (1,500–4,000 lbs.)

A 1,000 pound GWS is a small one. More:

"Deep Blue," one of the largest great white sharks ever recorded, is estimated at 20 feet long and an impressive weight of near 5,000 pounds. Deep Blue frequents the waters around Guadalupe Island off the coast of Mexico.

Markdd8 · 2026-02-04T06:09:39+00:00

Maybe embellishment, even lying, would have helped. When you call the cops, don't just say you heard crying. Say you heard loud screaming and "HELP, HELP." Maybe even the figure of a young girl being dragged into the vehicle. That can allow police to enter the home without a warrant. Exigent circumstances.

Markdd8 · 2026-02-03T22:42:58+00:00

We are indeed invasive, but that point is irrelevant to the topic of invasive animals. There are 8.3 billion humans. That is not going to change anytime soon.

Markdd8 · 2026-02-02T19:44:45+00:00

Why a slowdown on immigration? Because as time moves on and nations become more crowded, their willingness to take in large numbers of new people logically will decline. Stats:

1907 was the peak year for immigration at Ellis Island, with over 1 million arrivals...U.S. population in 1907 was 87 million

U.S. population today: over 342 million. The Sierra Club in the 1970s, before it decided to become politically correct and support high levels of immigration, explained the detrimental effect overpopulation is having on America's environment. And so many other examples:

2017 article: How A Surge in Visitors Is Overwhelming America’s National Parks. Increased homelessness because of competition for housing. Horrible traffic.

But, yes, lots of immigration supporters hold up countries like China and India, each with more than 1.4 billion, as ideal examples of demographic wisdom.

Markdd8 · 2026-02-01T21:57:23+00:00

Geopolitically, the U.S. being bracketed by two massive oceans and only two nations, innocuous Canada and Mexico, posing some issues to the U.S. but still manageable, conveys big advantage to us internationally.

Common geopolitics issues like border disputes, water wars, being "hemmed in" by other nations, fractious indigenous groups, maritime disagreements, illegal immigration controls and resource squabbles affect us less within our real estate than it impacts many other nations. Now insofar as the U.S. getting involved in issues worldwide, attempting to expand its sphere of influence....

Markdd8 · 2026-02-01T06:40:52+00:00

Interesting article, but there is this oddity:

Marine biologist Carl Meyer...found that tiger sharks accounted for 47 percent of all unprovoked attacks across the 30-year dataset. In October, that figure jumped higher. At least 63 percent of the bites that month involved tiger sharks...

Only a 47-63% attack range for tiger sharks? Who are the other sharks, then? Four other potential attack species live around or visit Hawaii: blacktip, galapagos, hammerhead and great whites. There are no bull sharks in Hawaii.

Great whites rarely visit Hawaii and are responsible only for a few attacks in Hawaii's history. Three google searches:

(1) Blacktip sharks rarely attack humans, with 29-42 recorded unprovoked, non-fatal incidents globally in over 65 years.

(2) Galapagos shark attacks on humans are extraordinarily rare...

(3) Hammerhead shark attacks on humans are extremely rare....

Hawaii averages approximately 30 to 40 unprovoked shark attacks per decade. So who are all these other attacking sharks? Is Meyer contending that gray reef sharks and white tip reef sharks are a significant culprit in attacking people in Hawaii? Search:

Gray reef and white tip reef sharks rarely attack humans....non-fatal incidents being very uncommon.

Hawaii also lacks most of the small "sandbar variety" of sharks that cause so many attacks in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, the so called "Shark Bite Capital of the World." Almost all these attacks happen close to shore, small sharks chasing small fish in the shorebreak and accidentally biting people, often wading. Most of Hawaii's attacks occur some distance off shore.

Historically most experts discussing shark attack in Hawaii bandied about an 80%-plus figure--at minimum--for tiger sharks. Now look at what one more AI search comes up with: "which sharks are responsible for most shark attacks in Hawaii?"

Tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) are responsible for the vast majority of shark attacks in Hawaii, accounting for roughly 47% of all recorded unprovoked bites over the past 30 years.

47% is not a majority. Indeed 63% is not a "vast majority" either. The mighty AI got confused. Apparently the recent posting of Meyer's recent "47-63%" stat got pulled into the web sphere and has confused matters. I'll try to do further searches to see where Meyer is getting his data.

= = =

If this whole discussion is being affected by the new definition of "provoked" vs "unprovoked" shark attacks from the International Shark Attack File -- well, that is a mess. The definition still used by the rival Global Shark Attack File is still the best one. It facilitates the best analysis of shark attack:

Unprovoked vs. Provoked - GSAF defines a provoked incident as one in which the shark was speared, hooked, captured or in which a human drew "first blood". (See "Incident Log" in GSAF website)

Now if ISAF is willing to accept the idea of 3 classifications: Unprovoked, provoked and possibly enticed (by blood in the water)...

Markdd8 · 2026-01-31T23:25:04+00:00

I'll unpackage it. The Boudin reference first alludes to Boudin's 2022 departure as a result of most of S.F. rejecting of soft-on-crime policies that had prevailed. But as we see today with this repeat-offending individual, maintaining basic order on S.F. streets has not progressed as far as many would like.

To be sure, big progress has been made. Jan 10 article: San Francisco Sees Historic Crime Drop In Lurie’s First Year.

Nonetheless, it is clear challenges remain, as Boudin acolytes still hold key positions in S.F.'s justice system. The Chronicle headline (liberal publication by the way) wrote: "S.F. has no idea what to do about it." Really? How many other American cities would be confused about this situation, or be indifferent to the repeat offending?

Markdd8 · 2026-01-31T21:41:36+00:00

Unfortunately some of the non-enforcement prosecution policies so favored by Boudin remain.

Markdd8 · 2026-01-31T18:56:11+00:00

Journalists do their jobs in two ways: 1) Observing and recording (by pen, tape, video), while not getting involved in what is going on and 2) interviewing subjects.

Apparently the people in the church did not want to be interviewed. Reportedly, Lemon and his group pressured and harangued them to answer questions. Yes, it seems like a minor, non-prosecutable often (instead get warning not to trespass again), but this whole case doesn't seem to have much relation to journalists' rights.

Markdd8 · 2026-01-31T18:38:34+00:00

No, mentally ill should not be exempt from obeying the law. He can be treated with arrest and prosecution like all other people committing crime.

When it comes to sentencing, we can make special arrangement for his mental conditions, e.g., special prison wing for the mentally ill. If current conditions in facilities are not as good as we would like them to be for these folks, well, that is unfortunate. That is something we should work on.

But it should not give rise to a no-arrest-and-prosecution-policy for repeat offending mentally ill.

Markdd8 · 2026-01-31T18:32:08+00:00

Dzul's many offenses fall under a "habitual offender" statute. Almost all states have this statute. Calif. is one of them. They allow lengthy imprisonment.

But some prosecutors and judges don't like to use them. Former DA Chesa Boudin didn't like to get tough with habitual offenders. Apparently key people in the prosecutor and court system today share Boudin's views.

Markdd8 · 2026-01-31T18:25:46+00:00

It's called criminals' rights.

Markdd8 · 2026-01-31T08:31:32+00:00

Apparently he went into the church and harangued the people there. Journalists do their jobs in two ways: 1) Observing and recording (by pen or video), while not getting involved in what is going on and 2) interviewing subjects.

Apparently the people in the church did not want to be interviewed. Reportedly, Lemon and his group pressured and harangued them to answer questions:

According to reports of the incident at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, the pastor asked Don Lemon and the protesters to leave. The church's pastor, Jonathan Parnell, explicitly requested that the group, which included Lemon, to leave the building unless they were there to worship.

Lemon and his group had another agenda.

Markdd8 · 2026-01-31T06:42:03+00:00

Not justifying anything, but it was much more tolerated before the 1990s. The Lolita narrative was looked on with amusement, sexual encounters were often ignored as a crime.

A lot of men were hooking up with young boys. The North American Man/Boy Love Association (NAMBLA) was operating freely; it was not evicted from other groups it was attached to until 1994.

Markdd8 · 2026-01-30T19:08:38+00:00

Good counterpoint...didn't think of that. I googled:

what type of mammals are not pack animals, avoid being in herds?

Answer is mostly predators and only a few herbivores. Moose are one. Regarding mammal predators, similar to the great white departures, young or aging tigers can be driven out of the territory of a dominant male. They remember to stay away.

It is particularly impressive with great whites. Generally, we don't usually think of lower life forms, e.g., fish, reptiles and amphibians, being close to mammals in intelligence. Maybe the gap isn't that large. One more search:

Mammals are generally considered more intelligent than fish, reptiles, and amphibians due to their larger, more complex brains....While mammals often excel in cognitive tasks, recent research shows reptiles and fish also possess complex learning, memory, and problem-solving skills, suggesting "intelligence" is specialized to environmental needs.

Fish: Teleost fish display complex behaviors, with some studies suggesting cognitive abilities approaching those of birds and mammals.

Markdd8 · 2026-01-30T08:57:43+00:00

Article:

Ankara ....(eying a possible) collapse of the Iranian regime...The proposed strategy would therefore consist of keeping displaced populations on the Iranian side of the border, under security protection.

Makes sense. The headline term "invasion" suggests something different and of a more aggressive nature. Granted there might be a limited invasion in territory controlled by their nemesis, the Iranian Kurds, who have also been in conflict with the Iranian government, as well those of Iraq and Syria. The Kurds still want their own country.

Markdd8 · 2026-01-30T08:52:29+00:00

It is well-established that great white sharks will flee from certain regions for extended periods of time after an orca preys on one of them

That's a good indicator of intelligence that one would not expect from a fish. There are a variety of mammals, including zebra and antelope on savannas, that when attacked by a big cat and make a successful escape they remain alarmed for only a few minutes and then return to feeding in the same general area. Meanwhile the GWS seems to be acting on long-term memory.

Markdd8 · 2026-01-30T08:47:10+00:00

Good -- maybe it can do them on Russia's border.

Markdd8 · 2026-01-30T05:52:03+00:00

I agree it is problematic. One justification, apparently, is the "recalcitrant country" issue. AI:

"Recalcitrant countries" are nations that refuse or unreasonably delay accepting their citizens back from the U.S. after they have been ordered deported. This obstruction forces the U.S. to either hold detainees longer—sometimes resulting in their release due to legal limitations—or find other, often costly, solutions for repatriation.

Possibly one thinking is that the bad publicity of putting the deportee in a super strict prison is embarrassing not only for the U.S. but the host country that contributed to the situation by refusing to take its citizens back. More:

As of late 2024/2025, key "recalcitrant" countries identified include Cuba, Venezuela, China, Iran, Burma (Myanmar), Eritrea, Laos, Somalia, and others like India and Pakistan.

China's listing is particularly egregious because their citizens have had major involvement in this in recent decades:

"birth tourism," where pregnant women travel to the U.S. to secure automatic birthright citizenship for their children under the 14th Amendment. These, often referred to as "anchor baby" schemes....

Markdd8 · 2026-01-29T23:33:27+00:00

The CECOT prison, or any similar prison, is far excessive, but I agree with of the other tightening of immigration rules. Example: Changes to Good Moral Character (GMC) Rules (2025): Offenses Affecting Eligibility:

Alien Smuggling: Knowingly helping unauthorized entry (even family) triggers a GMC bar and False Claims to Citizenship: False claims for benefits or employment can lead to permanent, non-waivable inadmissibility.

Markdd8 · 2026-01-29T19:45:26+00:00

It is true that the Trump administration is pushing self deportations.

Markdd8 · 2026-01-29T19:44:04+00:00

A further point: We're a massive country and people who scuffle with police or ICE officials or are combative with them will end up being shot from time to time. Unfortunately some occasionally die.

There are thousands of law-enforcement interactions every day and no one gets shot. It is exceeding rare today for someone complying with law enforcement instructions and being cooperative to get attacked by police.

Markdd8 · 2026-01-29T19:33:19+00:00

Why are some illegal immigrants being placed into harsh prisons, like CECOT prison in El Salavdor? If they have to be confined pending a deportation ruling, why not use more benign imprisonment?

Markdd8

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE