Birthday Play: Funny Girl

I know it is spectacularly early to see this show, the 3rd day in previews I think. But it was my birthday and this is what I wanted.

And it was very very good. I never saw the original, so I don't know how much of the book Harvey Fierstein changed. It was pretty different from the movie, but in many ways it felt more authentic. there was more of Fanny's mom (who was played by Jane Lynch and was pretty great). Nicky Arnstein was a jewish dashing gambler in this show - which makes sense given his name.

But Beanie Feldstein as Fanny was great. Except for a hat problem (lost three different times with three different hats), so was magnetic. And stayed in character no matter what. Even with the lost hats, she pressed on and was the ball of energy one would expect. Her voice and mannerisms were excellent.

On "People" she was pretty good but who can tell with Ed whispering I hate this song to me during the entire thing. On the other hand, she rocked the house with "Don't Rain on My Parade". She was great. I was not surprised, Ed and I had seen her in "Hello Dolly" with Bette Midler.

Oddly, I had purchased two extra seats, that I just don't remember. The great news there is that Ed's brother Phil, and our niece Dora were here and loved it too!

Would you invite this man to an orgy?

First, I know Madison is on my personal do not fly list, but this story is too funny.

Madison Cawthorn, the freshman representative that is handsome, suffered from a car accident where he blamed his friend for leaving him (the friend didn't) and exaggerated his acceptance to the Naval Academy (he wasn't accepted) has posted a totally believable story.

He claims now that 60 and 70 year old men in Congress that "he has looked up to his whole life" are kind of perverts. They have invited him to orgies and done cocaine in front of him. I'm sixty and haven't done cocaine in decades and would NEVER invite Matty to an orgy. He's a bit of an asshole around woman, you know, by getting them in his car and then trying to pressure them for sex after driving to a lookout. 

I mean rule #3 of orgies, never invite a sex offender to an orgy!

And if you think I am wrong that he is weird. Here is an image of him beating up a tree. Really. Here is the video, a still below.

Two Things

 1. Our niece Dora and my brother in law are here for a few days. They are staying in the bedroom / office, so I am not posting for a little while.

2. I'm 63. A age of little importance bar the age at which you start to lose your faculties. Humm.. are faculties meaning memory spelt the same as faculties meaning teachers? Well, I am too ld to tell, so Hi Ho.

3. Okay this is the 3rd of two things, but is the world becoming a bigger and bigger...

I'm Shocked. Shocked! I Tell you

The hemorrhaging of faux outrage over Ginni Thomas (outspoken insurrectionist wife of Supreme Court Clarence Thomas) would be laughable, if it wasn't so indicative of our media's stupidity.

For those of you thankfully out of the loop until now, here is the dirt. The wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is Ginni Thomas, a VERY right wing political leader. After working at the Heritage Foundation (a VERY conservative think tank), she started Liberty Consulting as an outgrowth of the Tea Party. So, yes she has always been this person.

Now, the media is all learning how much of a right wing wack job she is - by the release of increasingly unhinged texts she sent to Trump's Chef of Staff before the insurrection. She offered wild and incorrect justifications for supporting Donald Trump's attempts to stay in office and supporting a coup in the United States government. Incorrect is not the way Republicans define "Lying".

 But never worry. She and Judge Thomas have "seperate lives" and don't talk about their work at home. So Clarence-baby had no idea his wife was working to overthrow the government. Nothing. So because he did not have any idea about this (sigh), it was a pure coincidence that he was the only Supreme that voting against releasing the January 6th data - which has exposed his wife.

But kids, let's be serious. Ginni has literally been working on the right wing against government since Clarence joined the bench 30 years ago. And working in the less powerful areas before that. “America is in a vicious battle for its founding principles,” as Ginni Thomas has put it.

So now the pundit and media class has decided to clutch their pearls and warn us of this new development!  How will it effect the Court? How much will her work bleed into his decisions? What, oh what can we do?

Give it a rest. You have known, or should have known this for DECADES. If the media doesn't know this it is because they are myopic beyond belief. And if we don't know it, it has been because we haven't been paying attention. And if Clarence Thomas didn't know it ... No, he is a terrible man, but not an idiot.

Its a bit pathetic how far Texas politicians will go...

Texas is the state that has passed a zero sex education bill. It has defined accepting parents of kids who are questioning their gender as child abusers. It is had made it illegal for children of same sex couples to talk about it.

Select if you want to read
but it's pretty obvious

Now, they have outlawed Pride events in schools. Again, it would be funny if it wasn't designed to be so mean and hateful.

Just in case you are unclear on the concept of Pride in schools, it is NOT about changing people's orientations. It is pretty damn hard to change that. 

Think about it: If you are attracted to men, think about have sex and a relationship with only women. 

If you are attracted to women think about only having sex with men.

No one is going to change your preferences. No, Pride events are only designed to tell gay and lesbian students that they aren't hated. That there is a positive path towards a helpful and fulfilling life.

And, even thought many of us, and all the politicians in Texas, may still be squeamish about the sex part of that, the sex part is NOT what Pride is about in schools. 

If gay kids in school want to have sex, this hatred will not stop them. Maybe they will hide it from their parents. Maybe they will hate themselves. But it won't stop them. Think about masturbating when you were young. Did any amount of church or parental "disappointment" stop you?

So, this really is either about HATING kids or pandering to the most primal instinct of parents who thinking not telling them about LGBT or premarital sex will stop it. Did it stop you? The number of out of wedlock births prove this isn't true.

So, it seems stupid but it is going to have real world consequences.

Kaliningrad: How did Russia acquire this enclave?

If you look at a map of Russia today, there is an odd anomaly that doesn't seem to make sense to most of us born after the end of WWII. 

This is Kaliningrad an area of Russia separated from Russia proper by Lithuania. How?

Well, it is an interesting story in maps.

Kaliningrad was founded almost a century ago by the Teutonic Knights as Konigsberg in 1255. They effectively ruled the city for nearly 600 years. But now to relatively recent history.

Let's start at 1871, when the various duchies, monarchies, principalities, oligarchs and city states were united by Prussia to form Germany. It took 3 major wars, but the backwater of Germany was pushed into the forefront of history by the Prussian Emperor, Frederick III, and his military commander Otto Von Bismarck. The combined Germany included the traditional Prussia lands, including East Prussia, where Kaliningrad is now. 

Kaiser Wilhelm came to be Emperor of the unified Germany in 1888 - and dismissed Bismarck in 1890. The Kiser ruled until 1918 after Germany lost World War I.

After World War I, President Wilson and the Treaty of Versailles attempted to draw borders that capture the nationalities of its peoples. So Poland was carved out of the German and Russia Empires. But what to do with Koingsberg and East Prussia, where Germans lived? 

The decision (and treaty) kept East Prussia as part of Germany. The newly constituted Poland lay between the, connected by the Port of Danzig. The original plan had the city of Danzig a free port governed by the League of Nations. (Interesting side note, the city was renamed Gdansk, site of the anti-Communist riots that help drop the iron curtain.)

Germany always considered this situation temporary, and by 1936 the city was run locally by the Nazi Party. In 1939 Germany took the strip in the first invasion of WWII.

After Nazi Germany's defeat, the western powers created a Poland with new borders, and  created various spheres of influence in ex German territories. As you can see from the map below, Russia controlled the ex-East Prussia and renamed Koingsberg to Kaliningrad.

Most of the occupied lands were ultimately turned over to new countries, including the Soviet Sector of Germany proper into East Germany. But instead of given Kaliningrad up, the Soviet Union annexed half of East Prussian (the southern part going to Poland) and included it as part of Russia, not as part of one of the other Russian "states" - SSRs. It was due to its strategic placement as a warm water port.

When the Soviet Union dissolved and the states turned into countries, including Lithuania, the Russia SSR became the country of Russia, Kaliningrad stayed part of Russia under President Boris Yeltsin. Russia was becoming part of the new world, had a great relationship with the west and there was no reason to argue over Kaliningrad.

In 1990, Kaliningrad became a free economic zone as part of the Russian state. Now Kaliningrad borders NATO from both Poland and Lithuania. Thee are still war rumblings every now and then, usually about American missiles in Poland and Russian missiles in Kaliningrad, but the area is fairly peaceful.

So, now all is clear as mud.

Is Kid Rock now a Wayne's World Impression?

 In addition to being a stone cold idiot, Kid Rock is now sporting a look directly from Wayne and Garth.

The Original

The sad copy

Next in their sights: Miscegenation (Interracial Marriage)

First the idiots made restrictive laws against women and their rights in case of pregnancy.

Then they decided parents of trans kids were child abusers. And then, children of same-sex parental couples cannot say that in school.

Now they think interracial marriage was decided incorrectly at the Supreme Court! Same as they think that what happened with abortion, gay rights and voting rights were all decided wrong. And they have overturned voting rights. They are in the process of overturning abortion. They are in the process of outlawing protection for gays.

So guess what is next.

Senator Braun's position, no more mixed race marriages! Yes SENATOR from the great state of Indiana - that state that only overturned an antigay rights law after the NCAA threatened to move the national championships out of Indianapolis.

And if you think I am being overly dramatic, this happened today in the Senate of the United States:

Equality is for old straight white men only.

So this is a thing now...

 In Colorado, a group of Trump supporters is going door to door based on voters rolls. They are guessing" which voted Democratic and then visit them to see if there was fraud (link).

Our country is perfectly okay with armed white men knocking on minorities (or just Democrats) doors and say9ing things like, "Did you really for Democratic? We are just checking on individuals and their votes."

Lynn, things like this are why we are being labelled as a "Democracy in decline" by freedom house (a USA non-profit).

They are violating the actual Klu Klux Klan laws!

America in the 2020s.

Oddly, this is why Palm Springs is a gay Mecca

First, not sure if I should capitalize "Mecca" here. I mean it in a retreat kind of way, not in the pilgrimage way, so I don't know. Let's assume yes.

Palm Spring was not always a gay city / resort / retirement center , as it is now. 

In fact, it wasn't very gay at all. But Spring Break Partiers drove the city crazy for 6 weeks every year. And, in the USA, spring break is given to different people / schools at different times. Not like other countries where everyone goes on spring break at the same time (although they often call it something else).

Now when I was young, oh so long ago, in California the "spring break" at public K-12 schools was called "Easter Break" and everyone got the week before Easter off.*  But, even then, the colleges had varying schedules.

Palm Springs, warm with lots of inexpensive hotels as well as resorts, was overrun year after year by rowdy funsters.

And PS was mainly inhabited by older folks. Particularly annoying to residents was the cruising up and down Indian Canyon. It is a great cruising place because the road is one way in the center of town, with dedicated U turn areas at each end. 

Cruising, if you are not from Americana, is the practice of driving up and down (although in PS, it was "around" because both sides are one way with a block of restaurants in between). As you drive, you honk at friends or just hotties. Cruising usually brings traffic to a stop, at which time riders may change to a different car, or friends would race out, get cocktails, knowing that the car had barely moved.

On the other hand,  Palm Springs summer was crowded with many bartenders, waiters and retail workers. They could handle the heat and had various week-days off. And happily paid much reduced prices to spend the day at a resort - many of whom gave huge discounts mid-week in the summer, when these employees got days off. 

In fact, when I was a bartender, pre-Palm Springs being a Mecca, I got comp'ed at the few gay hotels, and huge discounts from the Hyatt and other resorts to stay. This would, hopefully for them, give them advertising that Palm Springs was open and fun, particular during the week. I mean, since it is routinely above 105 F in summer (40 C) you needed some built in markets in the summer.

Seeing the difference between "bad" spring breakers and the "good" gay clients, City Major Sonny Bono, yes - of Sonny & Cher Fame, decided it was time to cut out the cheap, loud drunk spring breakers and queue up the gays.

So the city outlawed cruising, public drinking and noise. AND they enforced this a lot. It only took 2 years for the Spring Breakers to move to the Colorado River area for break. And the welcome from city leaders, restaurants and hotels was extended to the gays - the good tourists who would stay AND gentrify the place.

And we did. Gays starting moving into the city (it was losing population to nicer cities like Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells) and fixing up the old Alexander Homes - they were going for less than $100,000 and now routinely sell for over $850,000. Restaurants opened and flourished. Mid-century modern antiques, furniture and art started booming in the city.

A restored Alexander home

Now, not every place troubled by spring break can do this. In fact places like Cancun and, previously, Miami went out of their way to get the college kids. But once a site becomes HUGE, it is hard to turn off.

*Let's face it, California didn't need a "spring break" for good weather. Hence, Easter Break.

And the up and down of Elon Musk's Reputation with Me Goes Back Up

Elon Musk is a genius weirdo. 

Sometimes he does inventions that are game changing and fantastic - Tesla and SpaceX come to mind; some ideas are kinda duds - hypersonic tubes; others make you question his sanity - MAGA support, covid disinformation, working conditions at Tesla.

But Musk gets huge ass props right now. A few years back, Musk introduced an idea called "Starlink"

Starlink is a plan to use satellites to supply internet to underserved countries with no access to internet. Or to areas ravaged by natural disasters. 

It has received little press because to date it hasn't been a roaring success or a disappointing failure.

Until now.

When Russia attacked Ukraine's infrastructure on day 1, it was a great idea (militarily, not morally). Without internet access to the world, images wouldn't get out and Putin's propaganda would flourish in an information black out.

But Musk, in an act of both self-promotion and humanitarian interest, has provided free internet access to the entire country via satellite. 

AND it has worked. I have seen plenty of recommendations from resistance groups keeping in touch, regular citizens reporting images and stories from inside Ukraine. And, of course, the speeches of Zelensky to his citizens and the world wide audience.

This kind of technology will be / is great in areas hit by Tsunamis, floods and other local disasters. And the war in Ukraine is the worst kind of disaster (so far).

One of those things that should NOT be a surprise - but it is

Because of the current political winds, Americans tend to see most things through the eyes of a partisan divide. I am overly guilty of this myself.

Correlation with covid is one of those things we charge with politics. When blue cities or states, like New York, California and Boston, are hit with high covid numbers, Republicans use it to say masks don't work.

When Covid hits red states, Democrats say it is because the locals don't believe in science.

Funny how coastal writers use "internet" and "broadband access" interchangeably

But a much more serious correlation has been shown that has nothing to do with politics, it is internet access. And I find this explanation makes a lot of sense. 

I have seen the problems my mom has trying to get on the internet from rural-ish Montana - she has to pay for extra service, extra access and even then access is spotty and slow. Imagine if you lived somewhere without fiber and had a hard time paying the fees, or just can't get high speed internet.

So, I don't think it is a choice, per say, but a function of wealth and priorities.

I'm going to quote some of the article after the jump because it is so good.

Back: But Trying to Ignore These Topics

 I am back after my mental health break. Going forward I will try to ignore the following:

(I may not succeed, particularly after the June Supreme Court Judgements are released, but I promise to try. If not for you, for my mental health.) 

Clockwise from top left

Parts of the Ukraine War. At least I will try to not post on the idiotic points brought up by Politicians, Fox News, and Russian supporters

Donald Trump

Book Banning (plenty of people already post on how stupid it is and I don't have a lot to add, and a lot that makes my blood pressure rise).

The Squad of idiots, grifters, and performance artists of Congress.

Fox News in general and Tucker Carlsen in particular. Although I do love the nickname Tuckier Rose a play on Tokyo Rose.

January 6th Insurrectionists. I want them and their political backers to be punished. And yet, it is like teaching that pig to sing. It frustrates me and annoys the pig.

That still leaves plenty that drives me crazy: new vigilante abortion laws, new "don't make kids feel bad about racism, slavery, or inequality" laws, anti-gay laws, Texas (the state), and Florida (the government). So don't worry about me...

Caravaggio in Malta

 I was looking at Malta the other morning, and I came across some information I had never known. In a tours-by-locals write up, 1 tour guide said she would take tourists to the "Caravaggio Museum".

In investigating, I think it might be an English to English translation problem (Malta English to US English). The "Caravaggio Museum" is a newish opening of a wing of the St. John Co-Cathedral in Malta. The whole history of the Cathedral name is tied up in the history of the Knights of Malta, better to just accept it.

Anyway, the Cathedral was completed very plain outside, but in a baroque style with full wall / ceiling paintings in the 1600s inside. During a year in this period, Caravaggio sought refugee here, running for a murder rap in Rome (!?).

While here Caravaggio designed and completed a massive set of 14 tapestries, now housed in the wing. It also contains the massive painting "The Beheading of John the Baptist". It is one of Caravaggio's most famous paintings, and the only one he signed. And it is huge. About 12 feet by 16 feet! An image is below.

He usually paints a little too dark, but I adore Caravaggio!!

And the Cathedral (interior). Wow!

Not painted by Caravaggio, but the Baroque flare is ... breathtaking!

The Knights of Malta, who ran the island from 1520 started as the land grant to the Knights Hospitaller - who later became the Knights of Malta. This is also the foundation of the story of the Maltese Falcon. Below from wikipedia:

It's not just the USA that has idiotic politicians... I'm looking at you UK of NI and GB

 Ah, when you think the US has a lock on idiotic politicians, England comes to our rescue.

Of course the Ukrainian War is like Brexit. 

The difficult British hardship of choosing to exit an economic bloc, one that let's you go voluntarily, is just like a war.

In Brexit, you get self-inflicted harm, however you don't have to let foreigners in. The economic hardship of getting sausages to Belfast.

That is exactly the same as being attacked from a neighboring superpower that has ruined all you major cities, caused 4 million refugees to flee and destroyed 80% of your infrastructure.

Totally see it.

Baby Elephants and Goats

 There is a CNN article you should go through for a great feel good story. Here is the title and LINK. 

It is a story of a Reteti, the first elephant orphanage to be owned and managed by the local population. It is in Kenya. During the supply chain breakdown, they were unable to buy baby elephant formula (I did not know that was a thing). 

So they worked with the local population to provide Goat milk for the orphaned baby elephants. It has worked and now the elephants are great, the sanctuary saves a ton of money on formula and the locals have more money.

And it is a great story and visuals.

Coming up on three year

 Three years ago, Lynn and I went to the Faroe Islands. I absolutely adored it.

Wait, Wait! Another Sign of Americans' Democracy of Destiny Circa 2022

I guess that ever since President Trump stated he grabbed women by the pussy, the term is now an acceptable phrasing for Americans in the political class (or classlessness - har har). Again, this is either profoundly sad, or sadly hilarious.

The fact that this is real, and not an Onion article, is sad and (if in the right mood) hilarious

 Welcome to the the rootin' tootin' USA circa 2022!

Hey, your body, your choice.

Trust the Canadians to be Honest - Russia Does NOT Respond Happily

 Just read this:

Thank you @RussiaUN for your letter dated March 16.

Please see our suggested edits below. #StandWithUkraine #RespectTheCharter pic.twitter.com/0M663R0tUW

— Canada Mission UN #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 (@CanadaUN) March 17, 2022

The Drive of a Lifetime - That I never thought I would be able to take

 I grew up driving. Like most Angelenos of a certain vintage, I got my learner's permit on the day I turned 15 1/2 and my driver's license a day or two after my 16th birthday. My car was not more than 2 months later.

My first fun rides were up to Griffith Park (about 45 minutes from my house) and then on the roads in the park that were built in the 1930s and were a superass fun drive. Particularly as they went nowhere slowly with 1930's switchbacks and "guardrails". 

Those roads were the first victims of cut backs with Prop 13 (long story). They are still there as too steep bike paths and asphalt hiking trails. If you check google maps, they still have the solid green lines of paved, versus the dotted lines of trails. Now they are the purview of long distant or trail bike riders looking for a serious workout.

You can actually see one of those roads in the movie La La Land. It is the road that the leads actually dance on high above LA. They added the streetlight (as you can see because there are no others), but the posts instead of guardrails, and the absolutely gorgeous views to the West and Northwest are true. It was a fantastic drive. But, like I said, you can't drive there anymore.

Filmed on the old Griffith Park "Mount Hollywood" Road that ran through the empty west side of the park.

(Note to my mom: And just FYI, no, that wasn't the gay cruising section - which I honestly never did. I was lucky and grew up shortly after the only way to get sex was to wait in the park. I would not be good having illegal sex OR outside sex. That, to me, is a boner killer right there).

The other legendary drive you could not take without a special off-road vehicle. And, seemingly, an armed backup. That was the road down Baja from San Diego to Cabo. Well, now you can and there is an entire story about it.

You can read it if you want, it describes the magic of that road trip. The road is new. At least since I was young 30 years ago. It used to only be paved part way down the peninsula. For those that don't know, and I assume that is many, because lots of people think Baja California is part of California, it is a glorious and unpopulated part of Mexico. The northern part became a (Mexican) state in 1954. The southern part (Baja California Sur) became a state in 1974.

But the road was still dirt until 1973, and supposedly in the grip of banditos (and yes, I understand how racist the term was - which is why we don't use it) and so it was not to be driven except by big rigs who would not be attacked and hippy caravans, who had nothing to steal.

Well, with the development of a few places along the road, the trip is now safe. The multiple police checkpoints help with that! And the story talks about a road trip up from Cabo. Along the way are the grey whale spawning grounds, where you can paddle out among them in season. And the whales seem comfortable with people.

It is something I am dying to do (the drive first, the whales second). Even going so far as to plan a compatible "safe" desert coastal drive in Australia. I now that it is safe, I would rather go up Baja. Soon! (although the list of "I want to do" is long as Ed will atest).

A moment on the toilet leads to an epiphany

"An epiphany I tell you!*

No, get your minds out of the gutter.

I was watching Tic-Toc (I know, don't judge) and a bizarre informational moment came on that blew me away TWICE.

First: Octopus has 3 different plurals. Octopuses (English ending because the English used it first). Octopi (Latin plurals are "i") and Octopodes (Greek ending, once people thought about it and decided the base was Greek, not Latin).

And yes, I do know that Lynn and Ed will look this up and not believe me, and yet I press onward.

Second: In discussing this, the narrator continued that English uses all three becaue it is a "descriptive" language not a "proscriptive" language. 

Well, I wanted to call bullshit on that, but I investigated and it turns out English IS a descriptive language. Even more shocking, "descriptive" language isn't some crap.

So, I read it. Rather than summarize this more simply, which I could literarily do if I wanted to, I will post the chart (and that whole Octopodes brew ha ha) below.

*Ed: Luckily I was not in the library during my epiphany

The Two Things Ed Hate's Most

I was walking the pup for a PAWS client this morning and I saw this. Ed's worse nightmare.

All "Levels of Talent Welcome". Oy

He hates Talent Shows. He hates Zoom. I'm sure his 3rd fear will show up too, someone will do improv (I'd like a name, an animal and a disability).

Speaking of improv. If you haven't heard this story. A million years ago (pre-New York) we were in a Disney World resort with the Brits. One night we went to Disney's nighttime set of clubs for adults. We had a drink and waited in line for a show and made some new friends in line. and we drank a little more. and more.

We finally get into the comedy club where we had been waiting. We sat relatively close.

The performers came on stage and said, "Can someone give us a job and a place?"

Ed said, in a drunken whisper, "Why are we here? I HATE improv!" And got up (I had to follow) and walked from the front rows to the exit, now giggling as people watched us leave.

Ah memories.

Yeah, I can't do it right now.

 I have tried to be occasionally funny and upbeat the last few weeks. But I have seen this film before, and I didn't like the ending (hat tip Taylor Swift). I have seen Sarajevo, and Mostar, and the results.

I can't blog for a while. I'll be back after this short break...

I'm having a hard time with this - like everyone else I know.

Spoiler Alert, how it ends...

One of the hundreds of Graveyards from the Bosnian War

NAAA (No Ass At All)

 I have been told I have no ass since I was, like, 6 years old. And it has always been true.

Or so I thought...

Turns out, as I age, my ass - what there was of it - has gotten even smaller. "But how can you tell Scott?"

I can tell because my pants no longer stay up with a belt. Seriously, even with a belt cinched as tight as possible (which is not a good look, as now my stomach hangs over a bit in the front), my pants still fight to fall down if I have anything heavy in my pockets - like a phone.

How to get around this? Well, men for ages have used suspenders (braces for you in Ye Olde). Maybe I could get through with suspenders. But I had to think for a moment. I will illustrate my conundrum.

What I want to look like is on the left, what I am afraid I WILL look like is on the right. You can see my trepidation.

FYI - Solution. I am starting pilates. It won't turn my ass to the one on the left, but it should prevent me from looking completely like the guy on the right.

Thank goodness this doesn't happen here (he said sarcastically)

Thank goodness this doesn't happen here (he said sarcastically). We never had fake news that wasn't real news. All our news was real.

I mean are a stable democracy, with an intelligent electorate. This would never happen here.

Let's look at a short list of facts that our last administration gave that are undeniable:

• Trump had the largest crowd in history for his inauguration.
• Covid will just go away after 1 or 2 deaths.
• MRNA vaccines will change your DNA
• Ivermectin (horse dewormer) will kill Covid
• Trump knows about more about disease that almost anyone
• Bleach and an electric light either down your throat or up your ass will kill Covid
• NATO members are behind on "dues"
• Squeezing Iran will force them to agree to new limits
• Climate Change is not caused by humans
• Windmills kill more birds that anything else
• Tax cuts raise government revenues
• Companies who get tax cuts will raise workers' pay

See, no 'fake news' here.

This is what happens when old white men make the rules

 I am sure they heard the words "ectopic pregnancies" and resolved by abortion, they freaked out. Because they are ruled by buzzwords. Ectopic pregnancies are non viable pregnancies because the egg attacks to the Fallopian tube, were a placentia cannot grow and so the fetus will not survive. The new law will force women to keep the fetus, potentially killing the woman (the fetus is already dead no matter what).

Idiots.

And the list of Companies still doing business in Russia

 In the post below I mentioned that Lynn supplied me a list of companies and how to affect them. Here is Lynn's list.

Companies that are still doing business in Russia that we could/should boycott: Amway; Dunkin Donuts; General Mills/Nestle joint venture Cereal Partners Worldwide; Herbalife Nutrition; Hyatt; and Marriott.  There are others (see https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russia-ukraine-companies-continue-to-do-business-in-russia-cbs-news-explains/) but these are some of the easiest to boycott and still have product options. 

Effects of the Ukraine War on Us

The Ukrainian invasion is horrible. And it is more horrible for the Ukrainians (and Russian conscripts) than anyone.

However... there is always a however if I am posting. However, social scientists and psychologists are watching the effect on Americans - I am sure in Europe they are doing the same thing.

It turns out, this is just one more damn thing to freak us out.

Just as Covid is finally ramping down, Americans were a bit freaked out by inflation. The number was something like 60% of people were worried about that. But then Ukraine happened.

The war in Ukraine is just one more thing we cannot control. And. like Covid, seems to mock our ability to do anything to stop it. Like the never ending Covid, it shows up on our screen night after night with a new attack and death.

That is why some Americans that are going to fight on the Ukraine side. Why there are lists of companies that are in Russia and making their lives easier and how to boycott or avoid (thank you Lynn). Why so many Americans are pissed that we just can't take the Polish MIGs and send them to Ukraine. And why the world loves Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He is a leader that doesn't hide behind platitudes and a dysfunctional Congress. He just stays and gets his work done. And yes, I know he started as an actor and is better at messaging that US politicians. But still, he is there and rallying both Ukrainians and the World to support him.

63 Things About Me: #46 - My Superpower - Invisibility

Not me, but you get the idea

I am about to turn 63 this month (hence the 63 things about me). And I have learned one thing above almost all others. Old men (and women) are invisible to much of the world.

I used to be able to joke and flirt with anyone. Now I am ignored if not openly dismissed. I can site a zillion examples, but why? You get it.

I am now as invisible as I was when I was a teenager. But then it was dread about the world, hesitancy from bizarre parents (see # 47 below: Deanna) and self-consciousness. Now it is just age.

I don't like it.

63 Things About Me: #47 Deanna

Deanna was my fathers 5th and 7th wife. So I lived with her a lot. In fact from about 11 to 17 when I left for college. But this isn't about Deanna, per say. It is about a comment that summarizes her and that Ed and I have changed over time to a standing joke.

Seriously, now her cold ass comments are a joke.

Caught in a candid moment by Zela. By the glare on her face, they must have been looking at me.

First let me say that many of our relationship issues were via my father, who would tell her one thing and me another. It was exacerbated by my father's insistence I call her "mom". Look at the cold fish above, would you want to call her "mom". Particularly when your own mother was alive and well? Maybe I should have objected but aI was an 11 year old who was always afraid of offending anyone.

There are lots of crappy stories I could tell about Deanna. LOTS. But that is for another time (and nightmares). So we are going with a different story.

I was feeling particularly awful one day with a canker sore in my mouth. I was probably 12 at the time. Deanna was at home as we got ready for school (myself and her two sons). I went to her for advice and hopefully to get some remedy for the pain. 

I walked up and said, " I have a canker sore..." 

And before I could finish the sentence, she said "Well, it's going to get worse before it gets better." I think she cackled, but that might be my misremembering.

I remember walking away and deciding that I never would go to her again for advice on anything after that. Anything. I wasn't always able to keep that promise to myself, but I did about 85% of the time.

Her snide, bitchy comment succeeded in her plan to keep a staggering distance between us.

Bitch.

BUT, Ed and I have now made it a joke. When watching TV or a movie and someone complains about almost anything, Ed or I will say "It's gonna get worse before it gets better."