Tuesday, September 29, 2020

PS - Two Biggest Takeways?


*edited, video added, and further postscript added.


First of all, did you notice that Trump said every single one of my predictions below, and hit every single asterisked number on Saul Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals" list that I predicted he would?  :)

Had I actually drank shots, I would've been drunk 15 minutes in lol.

We did get the Maker's Mark, and Mark did a few shots -  but I didn't - because let's just say I had some spicy Pad Thai, that went awry, just beforehand  ;)

Regardless, my two biggest takeaways were:

 

1.    Both candidates were asked point blank whether or not they would urge their supporters to keep the peace despite the election results. 


 

Trump - the supposed "Law and Order" president - refused to encourage his supporters to accept the election results peacefully, explaining "if it wasn't fraudulent, but it is" - and instead encouraged them to "stand back and stand by."  


 

What does that mean???  

 

You want your supporters to riot over election results, if you lose and give the signal? 

 

Dohkay, Mr. "Law and Order" - mind your hypocrisy.

 

Biden, on the other hand, clearly answered "Yes" - he would urge his supporters to accept the results peacefully. 
Then he added, "I will be a President for both Republicans AND Democrats, as I hope Trump can be, too."

 

 

That was #1 of my 3 favorite, beautiful, clear, concise, uninterrupted, DIGNIFIED answers by Biden, IMO, lol 

 

 

2.  Trump was asked if he would denounce white supremacy - TWICE - by both the moderator and Biden - to actually say the words denouncing white supremacy. 

 

Trump never did denounce white supremacy - instead, he rambled on about Anti-Fa.

 



 If you saw nothing else - including Trump repeatedly trying to bully and bulldoze both Biden and the moderator, Chris Wallace - son of 60 Minutes' Mike Wallace - a conservative Republican and the only reputable and fair journalist remaining at Fox News (Trump's favorite news) - those two moments should be the most memorable.


BTW, I like Mike Wallace - he's old-school Republican - and in fact the only journalist left at Fox News I respect.  

I don't agree with him politically, but he IS good at his job, respectable and fair, and doesn't demonize all Democrats.  

I actually wish he should've shut down Trump talking over everybody sooner and more than he did -  but overall, he did a fantastic job, under the circumstances. 

I mean, just look at what he had to contend with ...





"Mr. President?  Mr. President?  No - the answer to the question is no. Sir.  Sir!  No."


LOL.

(Clearly, not a word Trump Baby likes or is used to hearing, but he already had his 2 minutes and rebuttal time, and refused to let Biden speak and have his, and now, it was time to move to the next segment.)


(I actually think they should turn the mics off when it's their opponent's 2 minutes - that would help a lot, wouldn't it?)


Trump people are just mad he didn't white-wash and hide Trump's bad behavior, and allow Trump out of answering questions, like everyone else at Fox News does.

You can't spin and whitewash it - "it is what it is" on live TV.

Trumpers are just mad because they can't hide the truth of who Trump really is, with live debates, like Fox News usually does for him ;)


And no, Press on both sides - we are NOT going to pretend along that the bad behavior was equal among the two candidates - not even close.


For those few moments that Biden stooped to Trump's level, the man has the right to defend himself from a very clear, bulldozing, bully - he's only human after all - and I doubt most of you would've handled it better.


And Trump going after Hunter like that was way, way below the belt - and bravo for Biden publicly admitting that Hunter previously having a drug problem, that he has overcome and that he's proud of him :)

(Hell, most evangelicals are addicts or addictive personalities, in some way, you can't fault him for that.)

I loved it that Biden ended that scuffle by saying: 


"Ha, we could really talk about some members of YOUR family, too, but it's not about YOUR family or MY family, it's about THEIR families - (to the camera), it's about YOUR family, the American people's families."



Bravo and Amen - beautiful, clear, uninterrupted DIGNIFIED answer #2, and my favorite.   

In fact, that may be may be my all-time favorite debate answer, and it's not being focused on as much as it should be, in lieu of other things and the nasty, IMO. 

And my third favorite answer from Biden #3:  


"Under this president, this nation has become poorer, sicker, weaker, and more divided."


Amen again.

I can't think of a single dignified thing Trump ever said tonight - not even one.  

There were a couple of things he said that were semi-valid - but they were delivered like a third-grade schoolyard bully. 

In fact, I'm not sure what all the press fuss is, about how 'undignified' it was - erm - did you not watch the 2016 debates with Hillary? 

If you can't remember how "undignified" Trump behaved then, Press, may I recommended watching them again because apparently you've forgotten?

And have you not seen how the president behaves on an everyday basis, particularly his Twitter feed? 

Come off it, Press - don't act like you're surprised and your memories are that short, and this was anywhere close to being equal.  

Even moderator Chris Wallace - who again is a conservative Republican at Trump's favorite news channel, Fox News -  said to Trump: 


"Yeah, both of you have interrupted, but mostly, it's been you."  

- AND - 

"Your campaign agreed to you having 2-minute responses; are you not going to comply?"



IMO, Trump's "undignified" behavior and refusing to answer questions was actually worse with Hillary in the 2016 debates.

It's just that Biden fought back - whereas Hillary mostly tried to remain calm and dignified.

Because God knows, you can't fight back with so much as a slightly sarcastic retort, as a woman  - and yet she STILL was called a "nasty woman." 



Hellllllooo ... does no one remember that, and the "nasty woman" T-shirts printed as a result? lol.

We women can't fight back, even a little, because that's what happens - we get called "nasty women" or "crazy bitches"  if we do.

Then, of course, the process of victim-blaming begins - the order of events gets reversed, our self-defense becomes justification and "proof" that our "nastiness" was the reason crimes were committed in the first place lol.



Regardless,  Biden actually handled Trump in a more dignified manner than most of us would have, under those antagonistic, provocative, below-the-belt circumstances -  male OR female - and you know it lol

In fact, most of us, if we're honest, after the first 30 minutes of baseless accusations and personal attacks, interruptions, and temper tantrums thrown by Trump, would've said something akin to ...

"Oh, why don't you go F yourself - with Putin's prick - you spiritually dead, bloated goldfish!"

"This so-called debate is a joke, an embarrassment to America, and YOU are nothing more a spoiled, emotionally arrested-in-development, fragile-ego-ed Nazi, posing as President.  I'm outta here."

LOL.


Well, on the bright side -  at the very least -  I don't believe Trump can ever call Biden "weak" or "Sleepy Joe" and be believed, ever again :)


_________________________


PS - Yes, overall, I would agree that it's a humiliating debacle for America, on display for the world to see - but this is where Trump has brought America - and Trump has already been an embarrassing train wreck for America, for the past four years.

And it's not like he didn't behave that way in the 2016 debates and every day since - so why are people acting so surprised?  

Because Fox News doesn't tell you that he behaves this way and they can't spin it because Biden's right there to halt Trump's spin?

And most comparing this to a fight or brawl - No, this was not a total TKO, for either side.

In fact, I'm not sure anyone actually won. 

Trump kept swinging and mostly missing -  Biden landed a few GREAT punches, and if nothing else, just kept standing -  just laughing at Trump's absurdity most of the time (which I was hoping he would do).


Now, you know if you were Biden, you would've walked out in the first 10 minutes, Press and most of America, so give it a rest. 


And I'm not sure why press isn't capitalizing on how much Trump contradicted himself (well, many times on COVID, climate change, law and order, etc., but particularly...) on Supreme Court Justice nominations?


He first said "Democrats would do the same thing," but went on to say "Obama left 128 judge seats open during an election year" (SCOTUS and federal).  

Both cannot be true - Obama could not have both appointed judges in an election year AND left 128 seats open - sorry, Trump.


He also, I might add, said he would use his conservative-led SCOTUS to decide the presidency.


Lastly, I just have this to say ...


Yeah, Trump?

We, The American People, are really going to need you to stop saying how much you've done for the military, when you don't pay your taxes - END OF.




_____________


PPPS - lol



Yes -  Biden DID drop an "Inshallah" on Trump regarding his taxes, which was actually pretty hilarious.


Though it literally means, "If God wills it" in Arabic and Farsi, when said sarcastically and with a dismissive tone/wave, it's like saying, "Dohkay, whatever" or an NYC "fuhgetaboutit/get outta here with that." 

LOL!

And Biden knew that Trump would know what that means, considering Trump's close ties to Saudi royalty ;)


However, the fact that both Trump and Biden know what that phrase means in Arabic/Farsi does NOT prove either is "secretly" Muslim - it proves they're well versed in Arabic/Farsi slang - period.



The Biden clapback was actually hilarious lol.

It's tantamount to if I said the debate was "mishuga" or "meshuga" - which means "crazy" or "senseless" or "nonsense" in Yiddish lol :) 

It doesn't mean I'm Jewish or revere the Jewish faith above my Christian faith - but I do revere the Jewish faith AND the Muslim faith (who derived their law from same Babylonian Hammurabi Code of Law, mind you) - just as much as my own of Christianity.


Jews and Muslims are our great-grandparents, faith wise, and Catholics are our grandparents.

Though we may disagree - particularly with their actual sources for both law and doctrine -  the fact remains,  there would be no us without them :)












 




Debate Drinking Game




 So, I thought the last debates in 2016 proved what a nut job Trump really was, and yet his voters didn't notice. 

So this go 'round, we've decided to make a game out of it.

Though we rarely drink - and I do mean rarely - we've decided to do a shot of Kentucky bourbon - specifically Maker's Mark - every time Trump says the following things:


1. Says "great," "amazing," or "wonderful" in lieu of a better vocabulary.

2. Says "Fake News."

3. Says "Law and Order."

4. Says "treated me very badly" or "very sad."

5. Deflects/projects off his own misdeeds by saying "Hunter Biden," "Crooked Hillary," or "Obama."



Additionally, do one shot for every time Trump employs any of the numbers on the list from his personal playbook -   Communist Saul Alinsky's "Rule for Radicals," - which was passed around at Tea Party gatherings (WSJ article) - and he clearly employed in the 2016 debates, along with deflection and projection, rather than actually answer questions.

Trump particularly employs #'s 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 8, 11, and 13 (denoted below with an asterisk).





They are (and Trump's playbook is):  


*1.  "Power is not only what you have but what the enemy thinks you have."

*2.  "Never go outside the expertise of your people (in other words, use populous ignorance to your advantage)"

3.  "Whenever possible go outside the expertise of the enemy."

4.  "Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules."

*5.  "Ridicule is man's most potent weapon. There is no defense. It is almost impossible to counterattack ridicule. Also it infuriates the opposition, who then react to your advantage."

*6.  "A good tactic is one your people enjoy."

7.  "A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag."

*8.  "Keep the pressure on."

*9.  "The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself. "

10.  "The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition."

*11.  "If you push a negative hard and deep enough it will break through into its counterside; this is based on the principle that every positive has its negative."

12.  "The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative."

*13.  "Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it."


Hell, we'll be drunk in the first 10 minutes LOL.

It's all nonsense, at this point - might as well have fun with it :)


_________________________________________


PS - Also do a shot if he says, "I paid my taxes."

Okay, there's a difference between paying business taxes, i.e. social security etc for yourself and your employees VS. your personal taxes. 

Additionally - I'm pretty sure haircuts aren't deductible - but he apparently spent more on his bad hair than I personally made in the last three years, and I pay double taxes - more than most people, though I make less - being a self-employed contractor. 

I'm not sure why Republicans think this is "smart" rather than dishonest and non-patriotic?

Or why it's okay with Republicans that the wealthiest people and corporations pay the least taxes - it should make you Republicans just as mad that the middle class and poor bear the brunt of the tax burden, and that we pay at least 3 to 4 times what millionaires and billionaires pay, "public servant" political roles or not, especially if we're self-employed :/






 



Monday, September 28, 2020

Trump Boat Parade - Sandusky, Ohio: Loose Cannons at Lake Erie



*Edited - because I goofed on certain aspects myself and had to brush up on my War of 1812 history ;)

Fact is, Mark and I both just discussed how our American History classes didn't spend much time on this brief war - probably because we were ultimately considered the losers of this war, and we Americans love to pretend we win every war we've ever fought, though this isn't true ;)

Granted, it IS confusing, though - so I will cut the people below a little more slack ;)

Because although we did win a couple of port battles (eventually) - the Battle of New Orleans and Battle of Lake Erie - Britain is  officially considered the winner of the War of 1812.

Adding to the confusion is that the War of 1812 is considered a minor-theater battle of the Napoleonic wars between Britain and France over their U.S. Territory.

We Americans only jumped in because Britain tried to re-seize Detroit and other Lake Erie Ports from us,  as well as seize the port of New Orleans.

However, we did so without us ever officially forming an alliance with France.

Regardless, we still lost the War of 1812 - or more accurately, Britain was winning, but they essentially got tired of fighting the French over colonial territory, and thus declared an end to the war,  negotiating a treaty with small concessions for both France and the U.S., retaining much, but not all, of Canada.

Thus, about the below I wrote earlier, I still say - WTF and why?

LOL

_____________________________


In other news, a bunch of Trump cult-member idiots fired cannons into Lake Erie, in Sandusky, Ohio, for what purpose, we don't know.

Though we garnered a few port wins, the actual winner of the War of 1812 is considered Britain - not us.









Though The Battle of Lake Erie and The Battle of New Orleans were significant port wins during the War of 1812 -  we officially lost that war - Britain was ultimately considered the winner. 

Only later were we officially granted these territories via treaty concession (1814 to 1817), to include land we'd recently previously purchased from the French (Louisiana). 

I ... guess that's cause for celebration? 

(I don't kn...?)

Regardless ... why the F is that Trump MAGA dude dressed like Napoleon?!?








Okay, to be fair - both British and U.S. Naval officers wore similar attire to Napoleon in the War of 1812.

Here are British Naval Officers and soldier uniforms in the War of 1812 ...









And here are United States Naval Officers and soldiers uniforms in the War of 1812 ...








I'm not sure all sides wearing mostly blue was the best idea, but considering this was sea battle, perhaps it didn't matter, and ship recognition and flags were more important?


HOWEVER ... note the subtle differences in uniforms.


The British wore their "Napoleonic" hats sideways, just like Napoleon, but the U.S. wore their hats straight forward.


Though the hats were sometimes adorned with medals attached with brown ribbon - the hats themselves were always either dark blue or black - not brown.


In fact, it would appear that only Napoleon wore the brown hat, to distinguish himself as self-crowned "Emperor of France" and military dictator ...









(Well, they got Trump's Napoleonic-style ego, rash behavior, and dictatorial ruling style right, anyway lol.)

Regardless, I'm pretty sure your average American doesn't know the difference in uniforms, and thus, most people associate that look with Napoleon, right?

To be fair, since the history of that war is confusing, and since that guy got right the hat straight forward like an 1812 U.S. Naval Officer might, he gets a half a point for his obscure U.S. Naval History knowledge - but it was still brown, like Napoleon, for which he is is awarded zero points.

But even if we give that guy that benefit of the doubt - though we won the Battle of Lake Erie, we still lost that war, so ... ?


"Yay! Let's celebrate battles we won, despite losing the war, and only being granted these territories by the winner, Britain, in treaty, or by purchase from France! MAGA victory, woooo hooo!"

Hmmm.  Allllrighty. 

Or is it, "Make America like Early 19th-Century British-Monarch or Napoleonic-French Territory"

#MALEBMONFT ?


I don't know, but either way - sorry,  I don't get it - it's not like it was a true war victory.  

Or maybe I just need to read more about the War of 1812, which again, wasn't a war we spent much time on, in American History, probably because there wasn't a clear military victory for the U.S.

And Good Lord, if you watch the full video, the poor man can't even close his jacket because of that beer belly.

Loose cannons in Lake Erie - Trump must be so proud :)




Sunday, September 27, 2020

NYT Bombshell: Trump Paid No Income Tax for at Least 10 of the 15 Years Prior to His Presidency


According to the NYT - whose anonymous source is one of those granted federal-judge approval to legally obtain Trump's tax documents in NYC (despite Trump fighting it for the last four years)   Trump allegedly paid no income tax at all for at least 10 of 15 years before he was president (2000-2015) - AND - only paid $750 federal tax in 2016.


It's a very long article, but here are are some other highlights:


- Trump also allegedly wrote off millions in personal expenses as business expenses - i.e., haircuts for himself and Ivanka, linens for Mar-a-Lago, paying Ivanka "consulting fees."  

- Trump reported multimillion dollar losses ever year - - far more losses than gains - and more losses than any other American in the same income level. 


(Not sure if he lied about those losses to get lower taxes, or those really were losses, which wouldn't surprise me - I mean, he is a terrible businessman - his businesses have bankrupted 4 times).


- Trump took out personal loans for over $300 million over the past five years, which are soon coming due. 


The NYT claims to have seen the documents, but is legally barred from publicly publishing them.

Trump has already dismissed it as "fake news" - but also has admitted he was now being audited by the IRS. 

Again, for the full article, read HERE:

There's more, but since it is a very long and detailed article, the highlights can be found HERE.





Mark's Stepdad is Home :)

The worst is over - after a week in the hospital with both COVID and pneumonia, Mark's stepdad is finally home: )

The pneumonia has cleared, but he's still coughing from COVID and very weak and tired, and will be quarantining for another week.  

The kidney problems are believed to be acute (AKI) and will hopefully clear with no lasting damage. 

Fortunately, because of his history daily running, tennis, and mountain-climbing, he was never put on oxygen or a respiratory - but most on the rest of his unit were not as lucky.

He has no idea when or how he contracted it, as he is a retired widower and lives alone, and went nowhere but outside for running and tennis and the grocery, always wearing a mask and disinfecting his house regularly, and receiving shipped deliveries. 

Speaking of which, they have a team that comes in and disinfects the home and vehicles in hazmat suits - no joke. 

Be safe folks - and when you wear a mask, make sure it fits properly securely, covering both nose and mouth, with no gapping, if you can - at this point, that's all they were able to come up with as a cause. 

Also, if you're hospitalized, you will basically get no rest - constant check-ins, questions about contraction history trying to trace it (both for you and others), and questions about Living Will/DNR orders if your condition suddenly worsens - so even though he's not improved by much, he has improved - and he's home where he can rest, and will receive check-ins by hazmat-suited home healthcare workers :)

Regardless, the worst is over for him - and he's home :)

Thank you for your warm wishes, thoughts, and prayers :)

_______________________________

PS - More good news - as of today, I've lost 10 of my 15 pandemic pounds - all thanks to change in diet and my Schwinn IC-4, which I ride 20 minutes a day (working up to 30 minutes) :)

As for changes in diet, I already rarely did sweets or desserts, but I stopped the pop (except for about 2 oz first thing in the morning) and no more bread (except occasional piece of ciabatta with a sandwich) and an occasional a home-made blueberry pancake with whole-wheat flour :)

I also do probiotic gummies and a Greek yogurt smoothie with oatmeal and a small amount of fruit, with a dash of honey, almost every day (sometimes an over-easy egg on avocado and a slice of ciabatta toast, if especially hungry) and veggies, at least 2 servings a day, but often 3 :)


If you're like me, and get bored looking at the floor or around your house while cycling, and really don't need anymore time with your own thoughts, at this point (lol) -  I recommend watching YouTube hiking and travel videos from your TV rather than phone, if you have Roku.

Yesterday, I went to Bourdeaux, France, and have been to Marseilles, Tulum, Mexico, New Orleans, Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park,  Zion National Park, Sedona, Arizona, Banff, Alberta, Canada, Asheville/Boone/Blowing Rock, North Carolina, the Seychelles, the Maldives, Thailand, Amalfi, Italy, and many more - today, I might go to Greece :)

There are days that the menopause fatigue flashes and fibroid discomfort/nausea/breakthrough bleeding kicks in and I crave and can't do the full 20 minutes, but I find that even if I can't do the full 20, just getting my heart rate up a bit and the exercising helps all of the above.  

Though it's true that your muscles really are weaker during menstruation and menopause, exercise really does help all of it, once you get past the initial start and sometimes a flare of a hot flash when you're heart rate goes up - but since you're trying to sweat anyway, it's no big deal - and I find the hot flashes are better overall, too.  (Of course, the hormones to help shrink the fibroid are helping that as well;)  If the discomfort, nausea, and sudden fatigue flashes are super bad, I might skip entirely, but that's only happened twice.  

Otherwise, on we go - I have much more energy and after D's experience, I want to make sure my lungs are more conditioned and I'm stronger, just in case there's ever a COVID fight ;)









Friday, September 25, 2020

On Justices and Justice ... And The Lack Thereof ...

(PS added) 


University of Kentucky students gathered at the Wildcat statue at Memorial Hall, here in Lexington, to protest the Breonna Taylor decision. 

The protest was peaceful and there were zero violent incidences reported, but four protesters were detained - we're not sure why yet. 




I said this the other day, when I heard the verdict, and I understand Breonna Taylor's family is in hopes for the same thing now - but I'm afraid there may be a catch. 


I said I was glad the FBI did a separate investigation - with blatantly different results than Kentucky law enforcement - because it means they CAN step in with their own federal trial if unsatisfied with local results - and we can all hope that if so, the FBI at least SAYS HER NAME - which the Commonwealth of Kentucky did NOT do, when reading the outcome of the trial - as if she never existed and her life had no value at all.


*HOWEVER* - and I'm not 100% sure - but I believe their may be a catch - I believe President Trump can stop an FBI investigation/trial or the DOJ can? 


A federal trial would NOT be the SCOTUS immediately, unless a federal judge punts it or the federal case is appealed to the SCOTUS - and a federal judge would be DOJ's jurisdiction.


As for a new SCOTUS to replace RBG, I haven't much to say - I'm not surprised they'd pick one in an election year, despite the GOP hypocritical bashing that possibility when Obama was in office - I mean, really, are you surprised with that hypocrisy?  

All the GOP bellyaching about "abuse of power" and "lack of transparency" and "authoritarianism/communism," when Obama was SCOTUS, only to turn right around and be power-abusing, Communist-behaving, opaque decision-makers and abject lies about those decisions - no one should be surprised lol. 

(The modern GOP - and especially Trump - love to project their own motivations and what they would do, onto other people, in deflection of their own misdeeds - and it keeps working :/)


What I AM surprised at is that there hasn't been a constitutional amendment for us to vote on SCOTUS judges yet, rather than  presidential appointment, despite the fact that this has always been a bone of contention in this country?

Nor why they are allowed to serve for life - most people have trouble getting their parents and grandparents to stop driving, if they feel their judgment is impaired, past a certain age - so how would you stop one from ruling on cases? lol

In fact, I can't understand why our forefathers didn't foresee that becoming a problem, or why they did it in the first place, considering at the time, they were trying to avoid too much power in one person's hands after an oppressive king abusing power, and the SCOTUS is the supreme law of the land?

I mean, I get it somewhat - the idea was supposed to balance power between the parties over time rather than short-term - but it's turned out to be nothing but political-battles creator. 

I don't know, maybe Congress just likes to fight and wants us to fight over it - and it's clear this president does :)


I'd still be okay with Congress grilling them first in congressional hearing  - but I'd also like to see the same for a voted-in President ;)



_________________

PS - I understand that Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal have drawn flack for saying that Breonna Taylor's case shouldn't be "lumped in" to the same category as George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, because Breonna's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired on police raiding/barging in, thinking they were an intruder/Breonna's ex-boyfriend.

That's true - and I get where they're coming from - but again, Breonna wasn't armed, she was lying in bed, and no crime had been committed - and despite what police claimed, all but one witness said police did not identify themselves upon entry.












Thursday, September 24, 2020

The Perfect Retort to Trump, if I was Prince Harry and Megan ...

 





So yesterday, a reporter asked Trump:


“Prince Harry and Meghan Markle chimed in on the U.S. election and essentially encouraged people to vote for Joe Biden. I wanted to get your reaction to that?"

Trump replied:

"I’m not a fan of hers, and I would say this, and she probably has heard that. I wish a lot of luck to Harry because he's going to need it."

I doubt Harry will stoop to Trump's level, but if he did, I hope he would Tweet something like: 

"Thank you!  We wish Melania the same luck, every single day :)"

____________________




*I have updated the original post on the family member hospitalized COVID below.  Little known fact, sometimes COVID attacks the kidneys as well - see link provided in that post :(




Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Breonna Taylor Grand Jury Ruling is In: One Officer Indicted on Wanton Endangerment (But Not for Breonna's Death), Other Officers Not Charged ...


*Updated


A wanton endangerment charge - *for the bullet that landed in her neighbor's apartment - NOT for Breonna's death.*




"(1)A person is guilty of wanton endangerment in the first degree when, under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life, he wantonly engages in conduct which creates a substantial danger of death or serious physical injury to another person. 
(2) Wanton endangerment in the first degree is a Class D felony."


Okay, being that we have friends that are cops and friends who are people of color - and friends who are cops of color - I have tried every which way in the world to make sense of this ruling, looking at it from both sides.

However, the fact is -  this ruling just doesn't make any sense.


Because if the reason they were shooting at Kenneth - who shot first, thinking they were her ex-boyfriend barging in - was self-defense - then why make any charges at all?

And you're telling me the stray bullet in the neighbor's apartment is legally considered wanton endangerment, but shooting Breonna 5 times, while she lay unarmed in bed, isn't wanton endangerment?

Erm - did y'all not read the legal definition of wanton endangerment, according to Kentucky law?!?

Dohkay, Daniel "Uncle Tom" Cameron.



Seriously - there is no way to look at this ruling that makes any sense at all.

I at least expected the charges related to her death, and at the very least, a charge of manslaughter?!?

But her death as the result of stray bullets fired at Kenneth isn't even legally wanton endangerment - just the bullet that went into the neighbor's door??

No other charges were made, to include the other officers who participated in the "no-knock" raid.

And again, may I remind you that this was a wrongful raid - Breonna's ex-boyfriend was using her address, to have packages delivered to her address, that he picked up, without her knowledge. 

This isn't enough, and really, it makes no sense - and I know it won't be enough to stop protests and rioting.

Louisville may be set on fire, later tonight. We shall see.

God, help us :(

#JusticeforBre 


#NoJusticeNoPeace









Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Oh, Yeah ... The Bronco Is Back :)

(Updates on the family member hospitalized with COVID will be added to the original post.)


So, a few months ago, we started thinking about buying a new car, but they've changed the Nissan Murano model, and though it's a great SUV, and was very unique, a few years ago, they changed the body style - to look like every other cookie-cutter SUV :/

I was like, "Let's wait, all the SUVs seem to look alike, right now, they're so boring! Surely somebody will come out with one that doesn't look exactly like all the others again?"

In fact, I specifically mentioned, "What happened to the little 2-door Ford Bronco? That size was perfect, and safer than a Jeep Wrangler, and ran better, too."

My cousins had a Ford Bronco, years ago, and I loved that little 2-door SUV.  I couldn't figure out why they discontinued it.  

Wish granted!  I had no idea they were working on these!

The 2021 Ford Bronco!





Except they now come in not only both two-door and four door, but they also now have a lower-clearance "sport" model, and they come in an array of colors, body-styles, and engine sizes.  The prices will range from $28,500 for the base 2-door model, all the way up to the luxury off-road 4-door at $65,000.






Thank God, I was getting super tired of seeing the same 5 basic colors, over - gun metal, white, black, silver,  cobalt blue - on basically the same body style, regardless of company. 

I haven't researched how it tests, yet, on safety, gas mileage, etc., and I know Ford is, well, Ford, dipping in quality in recent years, with the exception of their trucks, so we can only hope it has the Ford truck quality.

They're kind of like a Bronco + Land Rover + Jeep Wrangler combo - and they are AWEsome!




In fact, one of the two-door models is already sold out in presales.








Monday, September 21, 2020

Emmy Social-Distancing Fails, But CORE's Table Read of Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a Winner :)


(Note:  Updates on the family member with COVID will be added to the original post on the subject.)


So ... I had to stop watching the Emmys. Not because it was already weird, as the Emmys were being delivered to people's homes by people in ridiculous Hazmat-type suits, but because people were also having huge parties - with not just family - at their homes, and eventually took off their masks to hug each other  - and it made me incredibly nervous.

Interestingly, though those these "oops" moments were plentiful, there aren't a lot of pictures of them available (in fact even this one only shows a partial mask) which is probably an intentional good thing - more about a culture trying to maintain social distancing upkeep, rather than trying to hide it/be dishonest ;) 






Other people who visited the Staples auditorium, who despite being in otherwise funny (but slightly too mocking) skit about social distancing, got entirely too close to Jimmy Kimmel, neither of them wearing masks.  

In fact, though I can't find a picture of it, trust me, they got much closer then this without masks on ...





Jennifer Aniston, this means mostly you,  defeating the purpose about an otherwise funny skit about social distancing.  

As opposed to Tracee Ellis Ross, who did it right, and never got close enough to Jimmy for them to even get a picture together ...




Then you had a surprise Zoom visit by Lisa Kudrow and Courtney Cox at you home as a semi-Friends reunion, which I ordinarily would've been super excited about - if you weren't sitting so close together WITHOUT MASKS on!







All right, now, we love you all, but I'm gonna have to get my rant on a minute.

Just because you live together, or are a family on your shows, doesn't mean you are in real life - and shouldn't get that close together without wearing masks!

In fact, wasn't the production of Batman just halted because Robert Pattinson contracted COVID?


Look, I get it - we're all tired of social distancing, this could be your only shot at a win, and when people get together and get excited, it's natural to want to hug others and move closer to people - but that is exactly what continues to spread this virus, and what masks are for!

COVID does not care that you're a celebrity or that you just won an Emmy, or that this could be your only win - you are not immune.


Just because you are celebrities doesn't mean you're immune - as Tom Hanks, Robert Pattison, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Idris Alba, and many, many others have proven.

If you want to risk that, don't do it on camera, please?


My husband's stepdad is currently in the hospital with both COVID and pneumonia, in the fight of his life - not so funny when it hits home, is it?

(In fact, Mark walked out of the room during the Jennifer Aniston/Jimmy Kimmel "fumigation" skit, angry that they were, in his words, "mocking" the dangerousness of COVID.  I'm not sure I took it the same way, but with his stepdad in the hospital, I get it. )


If you're role models -act like it - especially if you're my self-proposed liberals who supposedly support science!


I turned it off not long after Mark left the room and saw the Schitt's Creek winners removing their masks and hugging - it was making me crazy - nervous and frustrated for the spread of COVID - so I turned it off, sorry :/


Now -  rant over :)


And just so as not to be too hard on Jennifer Aniston - because I actually otherwise really like Jennifer Aniston -  here's an example of where she did a good thing - the cold table read, via Zoom, of "Fast Times at Ridgemont High." 





The event was sponsored by CORE (Community Organized Effort Relief), all of the donations and proceeds going to CORE, to provide free testing and support, and starred Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt, Jimmy Kimmel, Julia Roberts, Matthew McConnaughey, John Legend, Shia Lebeouf, Ray Liotta, Henry Goulding, Sean Penn, and Dane Cook, with narrated screen direction by Morgan Freeman.

If you haven't seen it, the full video is  below, and worth a watch - both for Shia Labeouf's take on Spiccoli - which Sean Penn, the original Spiccoli, got a big kick out of) - or  for Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt's re-enactment of the red bikini fantasy scene via Zoom, which was both awkward and adorable, considering their ancient history together.  


Jennifer handled it like a pro, where as Brad was clearly a bit embarrassed - aw, he actually turned red. 

(Now, Brad, you know you deserved that embarrassing moment, after publicly humiliating her by leaving her for Angelina Jolie, didn't you? Good for you, for taking it on the chin for charity ;)

All the other actors clearly were interested in this moment - even Shia Labeouf broke character for a second to directly watch them on Zoom screen - with Julia Roberts having the best lip-biting-smile reaction over it - do you blame them?  

Thank God that Morgan Freeman was there to transition it along  (but did include a "Lord have mercy" lol)

And if nothing else, it's worth a watch for Brad Pitt in the pirate hat? lol




Or just looking at Brad Pitt, I couldn't stop staring - even though he was a bit disheveled, and at first, I thought he was going to play Spiccoli lol. 


Brad Pitt has almost the same effect on me that Paul Newman and Alexander Dreymon has on me onscreen, I just can't stop staring - ever since I first saw him in Thelma and Louise!

(Yes, my husband knows, he gets the same way about certain women like Angelina Jolie or Michelle Yeoh lol).

My God, he's so sexy - I mean, look at him - that man is 56 years old and genetically blessed, it's crazy!





This video really revealed that Jennifer Aniston had more plastic surgery than he even thought about (her face looks a bit - distorted, especially around the mouth?), and he still looks THAT good! 

Speaking of bad plastic surgery, what the hell happened to Dane Cook's face!?!




People used to confuse him with Ryan Reynolds ...



(Ryan Reynolds and Dane Cook in the mid-2000s)


Yeah, that's not going to happen ever again, jeez.




And just in case you're wondering why he fell off the planet in general, circa 2010, it's because first, several other comedians accused him of stealing their material, and then his brother, who was his manager, stole all his money and is now in prison.

In fact, I'd feel sorry for him, if it weren't for stealing other people's material:/

And I'm not against plastic surgery, and might someday get Botox or a nip and tuck here and there, if I had the money - but this is what happens when you go plastic surgery nuts!

And don't do fillers, people - ever! 

(Fillers always do a bad job, they're not where they need to be yet! 
That's clearly what Jennifer and Dane have had done, in addition to Dane's botched facelift.  Fillers makes the area around the filler injection lumpy, especially around the mouth).

Look at Brad and Julia, who although do appear to have Botox sometimes (especially Julia),  otherwise allows a few wrinkles or signs of aging, with no weird lumps and stretches around the mouth, beyond the normal that accrue with age - again, even with Julia, Botox, not fillers.

Anyway, without further ado, I give you the Zoom cold table read of  the script of "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" :)

You probably want to skip past Mayor Garcetti's speech, which goes on entirely too at the beginning (almost a full 5 minutes), just saying ;)





By the way, just in case you were worried that Shia had a relapse, because he's acting so weird and wasted even during the pre-read interview, no worries, it's not a relapse - Shia is a method actor, he's in character the entire time, even in the pre-show interview, because that's just what Shia does - it's method acting :)




Go Shia! Back on the A-list, where he belongs!

Okay, I've already spoken ad nauseum about my adoration for Shia's acting skills and joy that they've accepted him back on the A-list, so I'll stop. 

And no, that's not real weed, and I'm not sure about the cigarettes - Hollywood does have fake cigarettes and weed for smoke effect, you know :)






Sunday, September 20, 2020

Temporary Perk-Up for a Worn Sofa ...



I will update the post below with the condition of the family member with COVID and pneumonia, I mentioned, but in the meantime, the pillows I ordered last week arrived today, so just trying to keep myself busy and distracted with arranging them in the meantime. 

So ... our dogs had pretty much destroyed our sofa - which is okay, they were worth it (RIP Snuggy Pug)  :)

However, sofas often require try-before-you-buy for comfort, we'd prefer not to try out a multitude of sofas with other people that refuse to wear masks, plus we've got to budget one in; thus,  we decided to just give the old one a temporary perk-up with some cheap throw pillows and a throw blanket :) 

Now, I love embroidered, Turkish, kilim, Native-American/Southwestern, and tribal-style tapestried pillows - all of which, I guess, is kind of incorporated into the term "Boho Chic," these days. 

However, Mark doesn't dig reds (and most Kilims contain at least some red), authentic ones are pretty pricey, and we're just talking about meantime accents until we're ready for the new sofa, right?

So everything you see here - including the dark-chocolate throw was on sale - for a grand total of $75.

Of course the sofa itself still looks a bit worse for wear, but it's a meantime fix? 








I'm thinking the rope pillow covers may little need a little ironing after shipment, hmm ...







However, it's almost time for fall decorating, pumpkins, leaf garlands, wreaths etc. - so I may add 2 copper/deep orange rust pillows to blend with my fall garlands etc. -

For now, I just bought 2 leaf pillow covers (I already had the pillow inserts, which I also bought on sale a couple of months ago. I just change out the covers seasonal or if I just want to change the colors) - and I'm not sure about them :/

Because the problem with buying stuff online is, until you get them and see them in your lighting, you don't know if they'll blend - and everything does but these leaf pillows, which came out slightly darker cream than I wanted, and they may be too much/too many pillows?









Hmm, I think the arrangement in the picture below may work better the one in the pic above, but I'm still not sure ... 






If you have to arrange them a certain way to blend, that kind of defeats the purpose of "throw pillows," doesn't it? :)

Don't get me wrong, like I said, I'm all about the kilim multi-pillowed look, but these aren't true kilim and I'm just trying to incorporate a little fall, but I'm not sure this works, what do you think?


I may add small dark orange rust/copper rectangular pillows instead, and put the leaf pillows on the bed, we shall see :)