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The Complete Idiot's Guide To The Polar Vortex

1/30/2019

"Equal and Opposite Reactions"
By Patti Liszkay
$3.99 ON AMAZON KINDLE
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"Equal and Opposite Reactions is a rollicking good yarn about complex relationships and emotions in middle-class American culture. The author has created an incredibly funny romantic comedy, which transcends the ubiquitous romantic triangle and expands it into a quadrangle, complicated by the interweaving of relationships between the children of the principal characters. Cleverly plotted, twists and turns, and exceptionally well written, this part drama and part slapstick comedy is a tour-de-force. Bravo Patti."
- R. Bruce Logan, "The Narrative Arc"

The Complete Idiot's Guide To The Polar Vortex

     A vortex is a mass of whirling fluid or air.
      It so happens that there is a mass of arctic air constantly whirling around the earth's North Pole called the polar vortex.
     The air around the North Pole is, as we all know, cold, very cold. In fact we in the Midwestern United States know just how cold that North Pole air is, because for the past couple of days the polar vortex has been dipping south and whirling around us:

Now, the thing about the polar vortex is that, though it usually spins in a circular path around the top of the globe,

...this year's warming temperatures at the North Pole have caused the vortex to droop down,

...sort of like warm icing melting down over the top of a cake pop,

...except that the Earth is the cake pop and an extra-thick glob of icing has plopped onto Chicago.

I feel like somebody needs to explain in these simple terms the concept of global warming in relation to the polar vortex to Donald Trump, who, for all his bragging about being a very stable genius,

...seems not to grasp the scientific fact that global warming is the cause of, not the cure for, the polar vortex slamming the beautiful Midwest,

..which doesn't look so beautiful when you can hardly see it.

Reference:
https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/weather/bs-md-what-is-polar-vortex-20190129-story.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+baltimoresun%2Fsports%2Fmotorracing%2Frss2+%28Auto+Racing%29&utm_content=Yahoo+Search+Results

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The Roger Stone Bucket Of Fish

1/29/2019

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"Equal and Opposite Reactions"
By Patti Liszkay
$3.99 ON AMAZON KINDLE
http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa

The Roger Stone Bucket Of Fish

Okay, who understands completely what the indictment of Roger Stone, Donald Trump's smirky, snarky, highly unsavory advisor, associate, buddy, go-between - or whatever exactly he is, and even that's a little hard to pin-point - is all about?

      As for me, though I've read and re-read the news stories, I'm having a bit of a problem wrapping my head around the whole slimy, squirmy, smelly bucket of fish.
     In trying to make sense of it all, here's what I think I've sorted out, and this is just the condensed, highlighted version, minus a plethora of details, including Roger Stone's many contiguous side-hustles:
     1. During the 2016 election a Russian agent or agents under the persona of Guccifer 2.0 hacked into the computer system of the Democratic National Committee and stole thousands of emails and documents pertinent to Hillary Clinton's campaign. Guccifer 2.0 then released a file or two to the media.
2. Julian Assange, creator of WikiLeaks, enjoined Guccifer 2.0 to turn over to himself any other DNC documents in their possession for more effective media distribution.
       This Guccifer 2.0 did, and WikiLeaks subequently published a trove of the stolen Clinton campaign documents.

HOWEVER: Prior to the public release of these documents, Roger Stone had given the Trump campaign a heads up that he knew about the stolen documents and that WikiLeaks was about to to release them.

3. After WikiLeaks spilled the stolen documents a certain Someone, mayhaps Someone known for wearing a red "Make America Great Again" hat,

...though this has not yet been verified by the Special Counsel (But just wait),

...anyway, this certain Someone ordered a high-ranking Trump campaign official - whose identity we likewise don't yet know - to ask Roger Stone to contact Julian Assange to find out if WikiLeaks possessed any other stolen documents or information that might hurt Hilary Clinton, and to keep the Trump campaign abreast of whatever he, Stone, found out.
       This Roger Stone did, keeping in contact with both WikiLeaks and Guccifer 2.0 and passing on information to the Trump campaign all summer long and into the fall while Russian agents continued to hack into Clinton's email server and that of her campaign manager John Podesta and WikiLeaks continued to receive and release stolen documents.
        And now Roger Stone is under indictment by the Special Counsel.
       But not for associating and communicating with foreign agents who were interfering with our election. Apparently what he was doing wasn't strictly illegal. Or maybe it was, but this hasn't yet been determined. (But just wait).
        What has been determined is that during a House Intelligence Committee hearing in 2017 Roger Stone lied, telling House investigators that he never discussed his WikiLeaks communications with anyone in the Trump campaign, that he didn't possess any documents relevant to the investigation ― he had dozens of emails and texts ― and that he never sent requests to Julian Assange for material that would hurt Hillary Clinton.
         He also pressed one of his associates to corroborate his lies under oath.
So, in a nutshell - or rather, a rotten egg shell - Roger Stone is charged with lying under oath, obstruction of justice and witness tampering. So far. (But just wait)
  Roger Stone was arrested at his Fort Lauderdale manse last Friday in a dramatic pre-dawn FBI raid.

He has pleaded not guilty and insists he's absolutely innocent.

(But just wait).

References:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/01/25/indictment-roger-stone-fills-new-details-about-wikileaks-campaign/?utm_term=.02b5f43b9afa

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/25/us/politics/roger-stone-indictment.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/26/us/politics/mueller-conspiracy-trump-collusion.html?login=email&auth=login-email

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Brussels Sprouts All The Way Down

1/24/2019

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"Equal and Opposite Reactions"
By Patti Liszkay
NOW ONLY $3.99 ON AMAZON KINDLE
http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa

Brussels Sprouts All The Way Down

THE FOLLOWING IS A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT:

If you happen to be in Kroger's in the healthful chip aisle, do NOT buy this product:

If, by chance, you have already bought the above product, do not open the bag, do not remove the contents, and, above all, DO NOT EAT ANY!
If, however, you have had the misfortune of buying the product, opening the bag, removing the contents, which look like this,

...and actually putting one of these noxious little entities into your mouth, as I did,

...may God have mercy on your soul.
Or rather your stomach.

My own most dreadful gustatory experience began yesterday afternoon when I was in Kroger’s looking for a snack to take along on my upcoming plane trip (see post from 1/22/2019, “My New Fear of Flying) and I decided to check the organic section to see if there might be anything available of a semi-healthy yet tasty non-perishable variety.
I was intrigued by the bag of Popcorners Flourish Harvest Kale Veggie Crisps, with chickpeas, rice & brussels sprouts.

30 crisps had only 100 calories,

... with the benefit of protein, dietary fiber and trace bits of vegetables.

And besides, I like kale and I like chick peas, and rice is benign enough. But I like brussels sprouts even better:

I’ll steam a bag of Kroger's frozen brussels sprouts in the microwave ‘til they’re just al dente then season them with salt,

...and eat them dipped in Hellman’s Dijonnaise mustard.

   The critical element in the preparation of brussels sprouts is to zap the sprouts until they’re just crisp-tender, and not cook them until they’re all mushy, smelly, and gross.
      Actually there’s about a minute before the sprouts pass from one state to the next.
    This being the reality of brussels sprouts, I should have been suspicious of any process by which they are baked into a chip. But I wasn’t. I wanted too much to believe that there could be a healthful and delicious chip that incorporated the essence of brussels sprout at its best.
      And so I bought the bag of veggie crisps and went on my way, blissfully unaware of what lay in store when I arrived home, tore open the bag and, like Eve proffering Adam the evil apple, invited Tom to join me in a Harvest Kale veggie crisp with chick peas, rice, & brussels sprouts.
       We each popped a crisp, and before I had the chance to squeal "Ewwwww!" Tom was bent over the kitchen trash can spitting out his crisp. Unfortunately for me, I swallowed mine.
     It tasted so bad. The offending taste was overwhelmingly that of brussels sprout. Very bad brussels sprout. I've since tried eating a variety of foods from sweet to salty to kill the lingering brussels sprout taste and yet the taste lingers still. But only when I think about it.
         I don't believe I'll ever be able to eat another brussels sprout with Dijonnaise.
        Epilogue:
        Later that day Tom returned the reminder of those vile crisps back to Kroger's for a refund. He impressed upon the customer service lady how terrible the crisps tasted. He stressed to her that when the remaining bags of crisps were removed from the shelf - which they doubtless will be soon, very soon - these items should NOT be donated to the local food pantry, but burned.
         The customer service lady laughed.

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My New Fear Of Flying

1/22/2019

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"Equal and Opposite Reactions"
By Patti Liszkay
Only $3.99 on Amazon Kindle
http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa

My New Fear Of Flying

This Thursday, January 24, my daughter Claire will be interviewed about her medical mission work among the most vulnerable populations on the planet,

...on Windy City Live, Chicago's ABC-affiliate daily talk show.

     The other day Claire called and informed me that I was welcome to come onto the set and watch her interview from the wings. And so tomorrow I'll be flying from Columbus to Chicago.
      And I'm dreading it. The flight, that is. I'm worried about the aviation inspectors and maintenance techs and air traffic controllers who are working without pay. How many of them are calling in sick these days? How are the air traffic controllers, whose jobs are already among the most stressful of occupations, faring on the job under the added stress of no income?
         I, who have never before had the least reluctance about flying - in fact, I've always loved flying (see post from 12/27/2013, "I Love Flying"), - don't want to fly. I'm going to. I just don't want to.
          In truth, though, I feel less fear of a plane crash than shame at having to face the TSA agents. I can't stand the thought of the hardship and anxiety they and their families are going through right now. I can't stand that I'll be one of the travelers who'll be adding to their unpaid work load. I wish there was something I could do and I keep wondering what I should do when I go through security: Say something to the agents, tell them I'm sorry about all this? Buy gift cards to hand out to them? Are they allowed to accept gift cards? Would they find a gift card demeaning? Even so, what good would a $5 or $10 gift card do for someone who doesn't have money for food, the mortgage, gas, and the heating and water bills?
         I don't know how I'll be able to look any of those TSA agents in the eye. I know this mess isn't my fault, nor will my not flying improve the situation for 400,000 unpaid TSA agents, but I still feel guilty.

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The Joy Of Stuff

1/21/2019

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"Equal and Opposite Reactions"
By Patti Liszkay
Only $3.99 on Amazon Kindle
http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa

The Joy Of Stuff

Until a few days ago I'd never seen or even heard of the Netflix TV series "Tidying Up," which I guess is not surprising considering that I generally don't watch television, being myself more of a movie buff.
Hence I had no frame of reference for the following quip, which has been showing up at least once or twice a day for the past few weeks on my Facebook feed:

It was at last week's meeting of the Panera Posse, my group of gal pals who meet every Wednesday at Panera (see post from 7/2/2105, "Just Another Morning with the Posse"),

...that I learned about "Tidying Up" and Marie Kondo, the host of the show who apparently teaches people how to part with their superfluous stuff by having them ask themselves of every object that they own whether said object gives them joy. If the answer is "no" then the object goes.

     Actually I'm kind of having trouble wrapping my head around this approach. Decluttering I understand. You got too much stuff, you get rid of some of it, it feels good.
        I also understand about being organized. Not that I am. But I understand the concept.
       But this idea of the retention or disposal of items being based on whether or not they give one joy...that doesn't compute too clearly in my cerebral hard drive.
       I spent some trying trying to figure out why I can't relate to Marie Kondo's modus operandi before it finally hit me: Most of my stuff doesn't give me joy. I mean, I guess I like most of my stuff well enough to share space with it, but joy? That's an emotion with a lot of propulsion behind it.

In taking stock of my stuff, I’d venture to say that most of what I own is utilitarian in nature,

…with some decorative pieces to fill in the blank spots.

But does any of that stuff have any strong emotional pull for me?
Eh.

I confess that I do have a whole closet full of stuff that falls into that no-man’s land of I don’t love-it-or-need-it-everyday–but-I-need-it-a-few-times-a-year-or-I-might-need-it-someday-or-my-kids -might-want-it, to include among other things blankets for when we have a houseful of company over the holidays, some spare warm clothes, my kids' photo albums,

...as well as some wedding supplies and decorations I got on the super-cheap years ago for one of my kids' weddings that I've been lending out and/or saving for any future family or friend weddings that might roll around.

Chair covers with light blue sashes. Anybody need 'em?

I don't know if Marie Kondo approves of you keeping that kind of stuff.

But is there anything among my stuff that actually gives me joy?

Okay, there is my electric water kettle. I drink tea all day long and hence I'm frequently filling the kettle with water, pressing the button, and one minute later pouring my tea. I must admit that my tea ritual sort of gives me joy. Or at least it gives me tea. Which I guess gives me joy.

And there are the LGBTQ and transgender rights flags hanging over my front porch.
Seeing those as I come and go gives me some joy,

...as does my living room lamp,

...which Tom has noted resembles the Martian invaders in the 1953 movie classic "War of the Worlds,"

...a movie I happen to own because it likewise gives me joy, as does my television, on which I've often watched the above movie and many others.

I do receive joy from my photo albums,

...and from my laptop, and from my blog, which I guess, technically speaking, isn't a "thing,"

...and from my book,

...and from my Mickey Mouse sweatshirt worn with my soft, fuzzy pajama pants, which are about the only clothes that give me joy,

...unlike the the rest of the clothes that take up my half of Tom's and my bedroom closet. In truth I see clothes mainly as something I have to put on to avoid going around naked. Every now and then some of my clothes wear out or don't fit right anymore or I get tired of them so I get rid of them and buy some new ones with no expenditure of emotion.

I likewise am not given joy by the dressers wherein reside the remainder of Tom's and my clothes. These dressers belonged to Tom’s great-aunt,

…as did our bed,

…and were passed down to us when his great-aunt died shortly after we were married forty-two years ago. I figure our bedroom furniture must be a hundred years old but is still perfectly usable and still solid and sturdy as an oak, as is my sewing table, which was my father’s desk in his first medical office.

But after 42 years of looking at these pieces I’d kind of like to thank them for their service then give them the heave-ho and replace them with some bright, kicky Ikea pieces which might give me joy briefly until they fell apart.
Same goes for the furniture in this bedroom. These pieces also came from Tom’s great aunt but are newer than the ones in our bedroom.

I figure from the hardware on the drawers that the dresser and vanity must date back to the early 1950’s.

In truth I’ve always found these pieces rather ponderously ugly and oppressive. Especially the vanity.

On the other hand I’m sure they were top-of-the-line and expensive at one time. And we got them for free. And they were functional. You could fit a slew of stuff into their big, boxy drawers.

       But now the drawers of the vanity are empty so I guess I could get rid of it.
       But then there would be a big empty spot in the room.
       And so I keep it.

As the Dude* would say,

...It really ties the room together.

I also have a number of storage pieces, a second-hand desk,

...a colossal armoire,

...a dresser from Tom's childhood bedroom set,

...that since all my chicks have flown the nest now sit empty or almost. But if I get rid of them the rooms will be bare and sad. Unless I replace them with other stuff.
I expect that having not enough stuff can be as oppressive as having too much.
It's probably all a matter of acquiring the right stuff.

*The Dude was the philosophical anti-hero who owned a rug which gave him joy the fantastic flick "The Big Lebowski."

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Just Don't Fly. Or Eat.

1/14/2019

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I have a trip to the West Coast planned for the beginning of February.
     At this point I'm afraid to go.
     I, who have never in my life had any fear of flying am now anxious about my upcoming flight. In truth, until the government shutdown is over and all aviation workers are back on the job with their pay - and back pay - reinstated I don't want to set foot on a plane. Because:
       1. The personnel who inspect the planes and equipment before takeoff have been furloughed. This means that nobody has been inspecting the planes for safety.
       2. Some aviation inspectors have been called back to work but without pay. The technicians who maintain the planes and equipment are also working without pay. So are the air traffic controllers. So are the baggage screeners.
        So: The techs who are doing the plane maintenance haven't been paid in weeks and either no one's inspecting their work or the inspectors are also not getting paid. That's making me nervous.
         It's also making me nervous that air traffic controllers are not getting paid. Mix the normal high pressure of that job with the added stress, resentment and frustration of not getting paid and how long until air traffic controllers start calling in sick? Or making mistakes on the job? How much stress, resentment and frustration can someone work under until they start making mistakes on the job?
        My confidence as an airline passenger is not high. Plus I feel really badly, as I'm sure most of the rest of the country does, about the hardship these people and their families are suffering and I'd feel guilty about them having to serve me while not getting paid for their service.
        But then, in a worst case one can cancel a trip and avoid getting on a plane.
        What none of us can avoid is eating, and now I'm worried about eating, too. Because:
        1. Since the Food and Drug Administration is one of the agencies going unfunded during the shutdown, food safety inspectors of foods that have a high risk of bacterial contamination - such as fruits, vegetables, seafood, cheese, and eggs - have been furloughed.
         2. Meat and poultry inspectors are still on the job but they aren't being paid. Meat and poultry inspection is a taxing job even when the inspectors are getting paid.
         So: The people who keep our food supply safe are either not there or are being expected to do their job without pay and food safety experts are now worried about outbreaks of food poisoning due to the shutdown.
          Furthermore, due to the shutdown the federal government hasn't been able to pay the quarterly $5 million water bill now overdue for the use of water at the White House.
         I sincerely hope the DC Water Company turns off Donald and Melania's water.

References:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/government-shutdown-what-closed-open-affected-explained-post-office-irs-national-parks-2019-01-05/

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/10/air-traffic-controllers-miss-first-paycheck-1093977

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/federal-regulation/government-shutdown-impacts-airline-industry

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/09/health/shutdown-fda-food-inspections.html?module=inline

https://slate.com/technology/2019/01/fda-government-shutdown-routine-food-inspections.html

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Our Border Crisis

1/12/2019

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There can be no reasonable doubt that our country is facing a crisis along our border. This fact has been verified over and over again not only by experts in the field of such occurrences, but by the the American citizens who've suffered, continue to suffer, and will suffer in the future by the effects of our border crisis.

I'm talking, of course, about the crisis along our coastline, our country's border with the sea, where in recent years cities in coastal states have been battered by monster hurricanes and flooded by subsequent rising ocean waters and behemoth rains of biblical dimension.

In 2017 and 2018 areas of Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Puerto Rico, North Carolina and South Carolina were invaded by hurricanes that massed out at sea then grew and intensified and churned with super-charged energy absorbed from the heat of too-warm ocean waters, then swooped across our shores onto our land to wreak death and devastation so great that many people in the ravaged areas still haven't recovered their losses and some never will.

Scientific data point to future hurricanes and storm surges - the rising post-hurricane waters - getting worse, bigger, more intense, lasting longer and subsequently causing more damage and loss of life in regions along our sea border. The reason is climate change, as the ocean temperatures rise along with that of the rest of the planet.
Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the Paris Agreement, the purpose of which is to bring all nations together to combat climate change and its destructive effects on our planet.

Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the Paris Agreement, the purpose of which is to bring all nations together to combat climate change and its destructive effects on our planet.

In 2017 the Federal Emergency Management Agency - FEMA - was sucked dry by the hurricanes and lacked sufficient funds to deal with the scope of the destruction they wrought. In 2018 Donald Trump cut FEMA's budget by $10 million and diverted the money to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement - ICE - detention program.
FEMA contractors are currently not working on disaster response projects due to the government shutdown, nor is the FEMA website being managed due to a lapse in federal funding.

Tragically, the President of the United States is neglecting our border crisis.

References:
"A Warmer World Makes Hurricanes Wetter and More Intense,"
https://www.apnews.com/47d8e0bf05354260931de08ad9976a37

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-data-hurricanes-will-get-worse/

https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-season-2017-maria-irma-harvey-2017-9

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/09/11/femas-budget-cut-10-million-support-ice-documents-show/1274723002/

https://www.fema.gov/lapse-federal-funding-impact-fema-website-operations-notice

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/01/10/hundreds-fema-contractors-ordered-halt-work-government-shutdown-drags/?utm_term=.82feea36d699

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What Nancy Pelosi And Chuck Schumer Should Have Said

1/11/2019

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How it went down:

Chuck Schumer: "Why won't you open the government and stop hurting people?"

Donald Trump: "Because then you won't give me what I want. What is going to happen in 30 days if I quickly open things up, are you going to approve Border Security which includes a Wall or Steel Barrier?"

Nancy Pelosi: "No."

Donald Trump: "Bye-bye."

Mike Pence:

                               How it should have gone down:
     Chuck Schumer: "Why won't you open the government and stop hurting people?"
     Donald Trump: "Because then you won't give me what I want. What is going to happen in 30 days if I quickly open things up, are you going to approve Border Security which includes a Wall or Steel Barrier?"
     Nancy Pelosi: "Re-open the government. Let people get back to work and get their paychecks. Then we can talk about Border Security and a Wall."
     Donald Trump: "I said, are you going to approve Border Security which includes a Wall or Steel Barrier? Yes or no?"
     Chuck Schumer: "Re-open the government. We'll talk, we'll negotiate, We'll do a deal. You'd like that, a deal?"
     Donald Trump: "Yes or no?"
     Nancy Pelosi: "Something for you, something for us?"
     Donald Trump: "Yes or no?"
     Chuck Schumer: "A DACA deal for us, some wall money for you?"
     Donald Trump: "Not 'some wall money.' $5.7 billion. I want it all. I want it all. I want it all. And I want it now. Yes or no?"
     Nancy Pelosi: "Re-open the government. Then we'll talk. We'll negotiate."
     Donald Trump: "Negotiate?!" Slams table. "I'm asking you, would you do that if you were in my position? If you would do that you should never be in this position because you'd never get anything done. Bye-bye."

      I did not give the above imagined scenario a happy ending or different outcome than that of the actual meeting which took place the day before yesterday because it's not within the realm of believability that there's anything Chuck Schumer or Nancy Pelosi could have said - short of, "fine, we'll give you your wall money and you can go ahead and deport all the DACA kids, too" - that would have convinced Donald Trump to re-open the government.
      It's just that that it would have been far more savvy and shrewd on Schumer and Pelosi's part and more beneficial to their purposes if they could have linked arms and stuck to one consistent response throughout the meeting: "Re-open the government then we'll negotiate."
     That direct "No," on the other hand, sounded like a door slamming on the hopes of those whose lives have been disrupted by the shut down. It also gave fodder to feed the narrative of the Democrats being as intransigent as Donald Trump, even if that narrative isn't true.
     Remember that last year Chuck Shumer with Republicans Mike Rounds and Susan Collins laid before Donald Trump a bipartisan compromise immigration bill that would have funded the wall and reinstated DACA . But Donald Trump rejected that bill even though it would have given him his wall money because what Donald Trump really wanted from that bill, what he wants now from a federal budget, what he always wants, first and foremost, more than a wall, more than a functioning country, more than the security and well-being of Americans, is one thing and one thing only: to win.
        And in Donald Trump's universe, unfortunately, a productive compromise isn't a win.

Reference:
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/09/trump-calls-meeting-with-chuck-schumer-and-nancy-pelosi-a-total-waste-of-time-after-he-storms-out.html

https://freebeacon.com/politics/trump-challenges-reporter-would-you-sign-dems-bills-to-end-shutdown-if-you-were-president/

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But A Wall Against What?

1/6/2019

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             Is there anyone out there who still believes that the government shutdown is about border security? Or, for that matter, about building The Wall?
             I do actually believe the shutdown is about building a wall. But not between the United States and Mexico.
            Quick Quiz: What huge Trumpian issue that has dominated the news for most of the last two years has suddenly disappeared as if sucked down a black hole? Anybody remember the names Robert Mueller? Michael Flynn? Paul Manafort? Michael Cohen? Anybody remember the Special Counsel investigation into collusion between Donald Trump’s campaign and the Russian government and a potential obstruction of justice charge against Trump himself?
           Anybody remember the dozens of indictments against Donald Trump’s associates, advisors and aides? The continuing news stories that investigators could be closing in on Donald, Ivanka, and Don Jr.?
          What happened to those news stories?
          In truth they’ve been shoved behind a big concrete wall of stories about a government shutdown, 800,000 Federal workers furloughed or working without pay for weeks, Donald Trump crossing his arms and standing his ground that the government will stay shut down for years if necessary if he doesn’t get $5.6 billion for his wall, and House Democrats responding that he’ll get not a penny. Or at least not 560 billion pennies.
          So where does this leave the Mueller investigation besides out of the 24-hour news cycle and subsequently the minds of Americans?
          Bonus Question: Who are the worker bees that carry out the Mueller Investigation? Which agency gathers the information, collates it and turns it over to the Special Investigator’s team for adjudication?
          Answer: The Federal Bureau of Investigation. And which investigative Federal law-enforcement government agency has been shut down and will continue to be shut down until funds are appropriated for its continued operation? Bingo.
         Granted, FBI agents, like airport Transportation Security Agency agents, are as a rule highly dedicated individuals who so firmly believe in the importance of their mission that they continue to carry out this mission even without pay. But for how long? In the past few days hundreds of TSA airport screeners have been calling in sick for work. How long until they all start getting sick of trying to put food on the table, pay their mortgages and doctor’s bills, take care of their families, their children, live without a paycheck? How long until this sickness starts hitting FBI agents, including those working on the Mueller investigation?
         Donald Trump blithely tossed out that the shutdown could go on for months or years. How many months or years would it take to starve the Mueller Investigation of its starving FBI agents?
          And so this shutdown may be politically bad for Donald Trump, though maybe not too bad if it rallies and excites his base, but it could also save him from a potential indictment if it causes not only breakdown in the government agency that’s moving his investigation along, but such a grave national crisis that there’s no time or resources to spend on a Special Investigation. This shutdown is buying Donald Trump time, maybe all the time he needs.
         Not that Congress couldn’t put an end to the shutdown and all the suffering it’s engendered among the population, not only among those who are struggling to exist without a paycheck but those who are suffering from the loss of services of the government agencies that have been shut down for weeks now. Here’s how it ends: The House approves the same budget that received bipartisan approval last year. The Senate approves the budget by a 60-vote, Presidential veto-proof margin. The Federal Government gets back to work. The workers get their paychecks.
          But Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he won’t allow a Senate vote on a budget that Donald Trump won’t sign. Because Mitch McConnell has hitched his wagon to Donald Trump’s star. Or rather, Donald Trump’s Wall.
         But it isn’t a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. It’s a wall between Donald Trump and his just desserts.

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Abby And Luke's Wedding

1/4/2019

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Here's a photo taken in October,1998 of my first group of piano students after their first recital.

The little one in right-hand corner is Abby, a second-grader at the time,

...her sister Sarah, a third-grader, sitting on the other side.

I wonder how amazed we all would have been if we could have looked into a crystal ball back then and seen that a little over 20 years later we'd be at another event together,
...the joyful event of Abby's marriage to her childhood sweetheart Luke,

...her sister Sarah again by her side,

...this time as her maid of honor.

Luke and Abby were married on Saturday, December 29, 2018 in Bexley, Ohio at St. Catharine of Siena Church, a wonderful old building which I'm guessing from its art deco-style architecture was likely built sometime in the 1930's,

...as was also evidenced by the details of its beautiful interior,

...the more beautiful for being decked out for the Christmas season,

...and for Abby and Luke's wedding.

The brother and mother of the bride.

The bridesmaids.

The groom and his groomsmen.

The attendants,

...and the flower girls.

The bride and her father.

The wedding ceremony was lovely and heart-touching.
At one point the priest instructed Luke and Abby that from now on they belonged to each other,

...but it was clear by the beautiful light in their eyes that they already knew this,

...as did we all.

The reception was held at the Creekside Conference & Events Center in Gahanna, a stunning venue,

....with a great picture-window view of downtown Gahanna.

In the vestibule was a table set with cards on which the guests could write their good wishes and words of advice to the newlyweds.

Servers brought around trays of yummy hors d'oeuvres,

...pesto-stuffed mushrooms,

...and lamb topped with fig and tomato,

...while the guests socialized,

..sampled more appetizers from the cheese and fruit table,

...and let me randomly snap their pictures.
Sisters of the bride,

Vince and Kathleen (see post from 10/23/2016)

As the sun set the view from the picture window became more magical,

...until the magic moment when we entered the dining room,

(which offered pretty views of Creekside Plaza below),

...the guests were seated,

...and the wedding party arrived.

Greg and Birdie, parents of the bride.

Lisa and Mike, parents of the groom.

The father of the bride welcomed us and offered a blessing before the meal, then we ate.

Dinner was a lovely buffet.

After dinner there were heart-felt speeches given by the best man and maid of honor,

...after which Luke and Abby cut the wedding cake.

Then they danced their first dance together,

...followed by Abby with her dad,

...and Luke with his mom,

..after which we all joined in the dancing,

... and/or visiting.

The cake was out of this world, a sort of sponge cake with a fruit and whipped cream filling,

...and later in the evening the left-overs were brought out,

...along with trays of yummy pastries.

It was a beautiful evening.

After the reception was over Abby, Luke, and their friends moved to Signatures, a tavern across across the street from Creekside, to continue the celebration.

May their celebration of this day never end.

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