Damn You, Mitch McConnell – Part I

A big problem in the U.S. Senate.

Filosofa's Word

Addison Mitchell McConnell is the very definition of corruption.  Last Friday, Dana Milbank wrote an opinion column in The Washington Post titled “Mitch McConnell is a Russian Asset”.  The column so incensed McConnell that he went on a 30-minute tirade on the Senate floor yesterday, referring to the column as “modern-day McCarthyism”.  To Mr. McConnell I would say this:  If it walks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck.

It is a proven fact that the Russians did interfere in our 2016 election and that without their assistance it is unlikely that Trump could have won enough votes to win the electoral college (remember that he lost the actual vote by nearly 3 million).  Proven. Fact.  So, why would anybody who is elected to protect and preserve this nation, its Constitution, and its people, refuse to take steps to prevent…

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When All Else Fails, Call Dad

 

Photo Copyright: Ted Strutz

Here we are again and this week we’re gathered near a river to watch a seaplane take off. We’ve come together to discuss our original stories for the week. This is the Friday Fictioneer’s group. Our hostess for the gathering is the talented and gracious author and artist, Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. The challenge for each of us this week and every week is to write a story with no more than 100 words, not counting the title. It’s supposed to have a beginning, middle, end, and be inspired by the picture prompt for the week. This week’s prompt was provided by Ted Strutz. Thanks, Ted. To read the other stories by group members, just click on the link below, then on the smiling frog. Next, follow the given directions.

2 August 2019

Genre: Human Interest Fiction

Word Count: 99 Words

When All Else Fails, Call Dad by P.S. Joshi

Frank sat on the bed, crying. He felt rotten.

He’d trusted Hank with his money, and now it was gone. The guy said his friend was hiring seaplane pilots and there was training. The fee was $200 to get into the program.

Here he was in Alaska, broke, hungry, and the rent was due, He’d had such high hopes of becoming independent.

There was just enough credit on his iPhone to call his parents and ask for money.

The call connected, and his dad answered.

“Hi son, what do you need, money to come home? Don’t worry. I’ll wire some.”

 

 

 

 

Greta Thunberg — Simply Amazing

The force that is Greta Thunberg.

Filosofa's Word

I have written before about the young Swedish climate activist, Greta Thunberg, and in fact she was one of my ‘good people’ one Wednesday last December.  Sometimes an activist will start like gangbusters, and then after a few months you hear nothing more about them, but not so Ms. Thunberg.  I see her name in the news at least once a week, and she has been inspirational to many young climate-conscious groups around the world.

Today, she is back in the news, and in a big way! A couple of big ways, actually.

Swedish teen climate activist Greta Thunberg and The 1975’s Matty Healy pose for a photo. (Photo: Jordan Hughes)

The first is that she is featured on the first track of the forthcoming album of British pop-rock band The 1975.  In the track, Greta delivers a speech about the global climate emergency, against an instrumental background…

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art always fascinated me

Beautiful.

It’s An Understatement To Assert: US Democracy Is At Precipice Of Devolving Into Fascism.

We need to know what Fascism is.

Gronda Morin

Tim O’Brien, author of “TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald” tweeted the following on 7/16/2019: (This might be one of the few books that Mr. Trump read.)

“Trump’s first wife, Ivana, told her lawyer during their divorce that Trump kept a copy of Hitler’s collected speeches by his bedside in Trump Tower. When a reporter questioned Trump about the book in 1990, he balked and then said it was a gift.” https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/opinion/articles/2018-10-24/trump-lobs-a-nationalist-grenade-into-the-midterms …

8:52 PM – 16 Jul 2019

REP. CUMMINGS (L)

***

If I ran a media outlet, I would insist that the republican President Donald Trump be referred to as an advocate for a US Fascist society who has based his success to date by trumpeting his racist impulses, starting in 2015 with his anti-immigration tirades against sh*thole countries and peoples of color and/ or of the Muslim faith to his current overt…

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Palms to Pines & Rare Desert Storm~

Cindy Knoke’s beautiful pictures taken from the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.

Cindy Knoke

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway has the world’s largest rotating tram cars.

The two and a half mile trip up the mountain from the desert floor takes ten minutes.

It brings you from a desert floor elevation of 479 feet to 8, 516 feet. That’s a big climb in ten minutes!

The ride up moves through five different life zones, from the Sonoran Desert floor to the Arctic/Alpine Zone, where the highest peak, Mt. San Jacinto, is 10, 834 feet.

You leave the stark, baking desert, and hike in the mountains where the temperatures are 30 degrees cooler than below.

During our trip, a summer storm was moving in, causing it to rain on the mountain, and dropping the temperatures even more.

By the time we returned to the desert, we could watch the rain clouds move in over the mountains accompanied by lots of thunder. This is a rare…

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The secret of perfect hair!

First, an amusing story of hair care with Sal the border collie as the example. Next is an amusing, reasonably-priced book about farm life by Jim Webster on offer. There is a good review by a pleased reader.

Jim Webster

As you can imagine, I’m regularly asked for beauty tips, but I have made a point of not endorsing any commercially available products. Admittedly nobody has ever asked me to, but I feel that is rather beside the point.

Still, I was going to mention Sal at this point. Again, to the best of my knowledge she isn’t sponsored by any of the major agencies, and indeed she’s far too busy for a career in that field. As it is she’s kept fully busy just doing the things that a respectable Border Collie Bitch has to do here.

Now we no longer have sheep, Sal has transferred her attentions to the maintenance of good order among the dairy herd. This looks like being a long drawn out process and it is undoubtedly going to be a cause of stress for everybody.

In simplistic terms you could regard a dairy herd…

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It’s not who you know, it’s what you know …

Here is another installment of the Gentlemen Behaving Badly blog tour. First, we have an amusing story from Tallis Steelyard about a man who travels to Port Naain at the urging of another man in the book trade and is helped by Tallis to become known as an agent to writers, printers, and publishers with unfortunate results. Next, there are two amusing books about Port Naain and Tallis published by Jim Webster. There is a helpful description of both.

M T McGuire Authorholic

It’s time to see if I can boost the visitor numbers to my blog a bit and for that purpose, once again, I have procured the services of a celebrity guest. Yes you have a special treat in store today. The ever popular Tallis has returned to my blog – along with a little help from Jim Webster, his publisher and agent. Enjoy.

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It’s not what you know …

I realise that it might not be a fashionable view. Indeed I know some people who would disagree vehemently with me on this. They will boast of their wide circle of acquaintance, and the fact that should they want a decision making in their favour in high places, they merely have to drop a hint into the ear of the right person. Yet I would suggest that if you don’t know…

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India calls out Trump lie

President Trump’s statement about Kashmir could not be correct.

musingsofanoldfart

A story that got very little press occurred this week regarding India and Pakistan. It was overshadowed by the Mueller testimony, budget bill and the presidential seal issue, but it was a major faux pas and harmed relations with India, an important ally.

In a HuffPost article by Mary Papenfuss called “India Calls Out Trump Lie That He Was Asked To Mediate Kashmir Conflict,” she spells out what happened.

“President Donald Trump spun a tale in front of reporters Monday that he was personally asked by India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, to mediate the Kashmir conflict with Pakistan.Trump raised the issue during a meeting with Pakistan’s prime minister, Imran Khan, in the White House while reporters listened.

‘No such request has been made’by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the U.S. president, said a spokesman for India’s government, despite what Trump claimed.” It should be noted, the White House…

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Open Mouth, Insert Foot — Part I

Now there has been an insult to Sweden.

Filosofa's Word

This week, Donald Trump managed to royally piss off two of our allies, Sweden and India.  Say what you will about Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter or Barack Obama, even George Bush, both Jr. and Sr., but not a single one of them were as adept at making enemies out of friends as Trump is.  It’s no wonder he didn’t have any friends as a child!

Rakim Mayers aka A$AP Rocky

First, Sweden.  Turns out there’s a rapper known as A$AP Rocky (real name is Rakim Mayers) who went to Sweden earlier this month on tour and got himself in a bit of trouble.  It seems there was a street brawl and he and members of his entourage assaulted another individual, throwing the man, Mustafa Jafari, to the ground, then hitting and kicking him.  He and two others were arrested and are being held pending trial, which is scheduled to begin…

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