First of all, I admit the error in my previous post of my prediction that Thursday night's Presidential debate would amount to little more than a glorified game of Gotcha.
I was very wrong. Painful as it was to watch, this turned out to be a debate of great import and one that we needed to see. We needed to see Joe Biden as he was, looking every day and then some of his 81 years, shuffling, stiff, frail, elderly. We needed to see him standing at the podium, staring off in the distance with an empty, slack-jawed expression. We needed to hear him stumbling, at times incoherent, often unable to make a clear and effective point, barely able to raise his voice above a raspy whisper. We needed to hear Donald Trump evade question after question that was put to him, instead veering off into a fantastical verbal stratosphere, spewing out the most brazen, ridiculous, fly-in-the-face-of-reality lies, fabrications, misinformation and nonsense: That Nancy Pelosi was responsible for the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol; that Democrats would allow abortion up to the moment of birth and the killing of babies after they're born; that Biden indicted him, Trump, because he was Biden's political opponent; that Biden encouraged Russia to attack Ukraine; that Biden is being paid by China. And these are only the tip of Trump's iceberg of blatant falsehoods and fantasies during the debate. Seeing this alarming face-off between, as CNN commentator Van Jones put it, "an old man and a con man," one or the other of whom is slated to be the next leader of our country, was a heavy hit of reality. It rocked my world. Alas, I'm afraid my world needed to be rocked.
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I'm starting to think the debate - and everybody knows which debate I'm talking about, unless they've been hermiting for the past decade or so somewhere off in a hidden cave or cast away on a remote desert island, which at this point is starting to sound like a not terrible idea - anyway, I'm starting to think this debate is dumb. Not that I'm not going to watch it, 'cause of course I am. I'm just thinking it's dumb.
It's dumb, because what's the point? Of course, we all know what the point is. To get to know the candidates? No, we all know the candidates. We've seen their Presidencies in action. To find out what their campaign platforms are for a second term? Eh, maybe a little. Not really, though. You can look up their platforms online. In fact, in case you're interested, here's what Joe Biden has promised to do so far: https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2024/04/politics/biden-campaign-promises-dg/ ...and here's what Donald Trump has promised to do: https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2024/04/politics/trump-campaign-promises-dg/ But no, the reason we're watching the debate is in hopes that our guy won't flub and the other guy will. Right? The Trump supporters are hoping that Biden will look like a doddering old gaffer and and Biden supporters have fingers crossed that Donald Trump will act like an impulsive unhinged meshuggener. It's going to be a sports event, the Gotcha Superbowl, where the objective is not for your team to score points, but for the other team to lose points, by which your team scores points. Does Biden at some point hesitate or trip over his words? Gotcha goal for Team Trump! Does Trump go overboard in an offensive rant? Gotcha home run for Team Biden! (Though it's to Trump's advantage that muting the mics, a tactic to try and force Trump to behave himself on stage, will likely force him to behave himself on stage). I can hear the alternating cheering and gnashing of teeth. And for what? What if this debate turns out not to be Joe Biden's best 90 minutes? Will that cancel out all the accomplishments of his Presidency? What if it turns out to be Donald Trump's best 90 minutes? Will that cancel out his 34 felony convictions and his role in inflaming the January 6 insurrection to overturn our democracy? Will this one 90-minute Circus Maximus event determine who should be our next President? Alas, for some people it will. Books by Patti Liszkay available on Amazon: "Equal And Opposite Reactions" http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa "Hail Mary" https://www.amzn.com/1684334888 "Tropical Depression" https://www.amzn.com/B0BTPN7NYY |
11. Try using popcorn for croutons - it's really good.
12. If you're going to apologize for something, say "I'm sorry," not "I'm sorry you feel that way." The latter is not a sincere apology, just a self-excuse that puts the blame on the offended person, rather than on oneself for offending. If you can't give a sincere "I'm sorry" then don't apologize at all.
13. If you're full, don't feel you have to clean your plate (or clean somebody else's for them) because you don't want to waste food. If you eat more food when you're already full you're wasting it just as much as if you threw it away. Except you'll be stuck with the extra calories.
14. Consider this quote by James Michener: This is the greatest evil that grows out of a wrong act. Somebody always remembers it..." (So be careful how you act. And also what you say.
Best wishes, class of 2024!
"Equal And Opposite Reactions" http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa
"Hail Mary" https://www.amzn.com/1684334888
"Tropical Depression" https://www.amzn.com/B0BTPN7NYY
Columbus Pride Festival 2024
Young folks,
There was an array of food stands, mostly of the State Fair variety,
And it occurred to me as we spent this lovely evening in lovely Goodale Park that, though the world is still far from the place it should be and too many people still navigate life guided by ignorance, small-mindedness, intolerance, and unkindness that cloaks itself in the ugly rags of self-righteousness, still how much better it is to be living in this time and place than it once was.
TODAY thru June 16
"Equal and Opposite Reactions"
will be 0.99 cents on Amazon Kindle
Adventures in Paradise Bay, Part 3: Kailua, Kualoa, And Mokoli'i
The next morning we asked the friendly young lady staffing the lobby desk where we might find a nice beach in the area. She recommended Kailua Beach for the wide smooth beach and good swimming, but also suggested that we visit Kualoa Beach for the scenery, including the small off shore island of Mokoli'i, also known as Chinaman's Hat. She then offered us some of the resort towels to take with us, which we accepted.
We set off first for Kailua Beach, a state park about half an hour south of Paradise Bay along the Ko'olau ridge.
After a few hours at Kailua Beach we decided to go and seek out some lunch.
Tom ordered scrambled eggs which were served with a mountain of rice and a bushel of bacon, all very tasty.
TODAY
June 10 thru June 16
my romantic comedy
"Equal and Opposite Reactions"
will be 0.99 cents on Amazon Kindle
Adventures In Paradise Bay Part 2: Ho'omaluhia Botanical Gardens
In the lagoon there was a large raft where the guests could lounge about,
Soon afterwards we set out along the Ko'olua range,
To be continued...
TODAY
June 10 thru June 16
my romantic comedy
"Equal and Opposite Reactions"
will be 0.99 cents on Amazon Kindle
Adventures In Paradise Bay, Part 1: Valley of the Temples And Other Wonders
But no, a few feet ahead between a couple of buildings we caught sight of a sign in front of a driveway that read "Paradise Bay."
We had lunch in the town of Kaneohe at a Vietnamese restaurant we found called Pho My Vi.
The Windward Mall
At the temple entrance it was requested that all visitors remove their shoes,
Now, the Paradise Bay Resort is rather a topographical wonder. It's constructed vertically on a steep hill that slopes down to a lagoon, with some of the cottages at the top of the hill, some at the bottom, and others built into the side of the hill.
Next we headed back to the Windward Mall to the Waiahole Poi Factory to try some poi for dinner.
In truth we weren't quite sure how poi was supposed to be eaten: Alone? As a side? Mixed with something? Not wanting to look too much like the clueless tourists that we were, we just ordered the Kalua Pig Combo that included an enormous helping of delicious pulled pork and sides of lomi salmon - a yummy dish made of tomatoes, onions, green onions and salmon - and poi.
On our way home we stopped at a Safeway we came upon,
And suddenly, for a few moments we were no longer on a scenic Hawaiian island, but back in anywhere USA,
TODAY
June 10 thru June 16
"Equal and Opposite Reactions"
will be 0.99 cents on Amazon Kindle
Pride Comes To Theori Avenue
It was around 8:45 am Pacific Time - I was still in Los Angeles (see previous post, https://www.ailantha.com/blog/another-unforgettable-where-were-you-when-you-heard-moment) - when I received from my friend Karen,
Theori Avenue:
The parade turned out to be a group of mostly Gahanna folks, moms and dads,
by Patti Liszkay
Buy it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTPN7NYY
by Patti Liszkay
Buy it on Amazon:
http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa
or from
The Book Loft
of German Village,
Columbus, Ohio
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