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4Mom
Audrey Hepburn’s Oscar-winning performance as Princess Ann in the 1953
Roman Holiday
with Gregory Peck as an American reporter who in the process of looking for an exclusive story falls in love with a princess. This timeless classic is worth watching
in its entirety. I have deeply personal reasons for loving this unforgettable romance between two giants of the big screen. Enjoy
Lyrics
Other movies I have never forgotten and would highly recommend to lovers of great entertainment include the 1942 Casablanca with Humphrey Bogart & Ingrid Bergman, rated by many as the greatest movie ever made, and of course the unforgettable 1964 My Fair Lady, with Audrey Hepburn & Rex Harrison. A SciFi Classic from 1951 The Day the Earth Stood Still starring Michael Rennie and Patricia Neal certainly made a huge impression on me as well. If you get a chance to see any of these movies, take my word for it, it is time well spent. I thoroughly enjoyed Julie Andrews The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins and always enjoyed the Bing Crosby Christmas movies as well as many of Shirley Temple's childhood movies.
Recently I was sitting on the rear deck enjoying the quiet, still, breezeless
summer day. It was a hot afternoon but not the usual humidity to make
it feel uncomfortable when suddenly an odour, a very familiar odour
I recalled from my youth of some sixty years ago, transformed the day.
The familiar odour took me back to a time when life was full of fun
and I had no cares. The memory was of the field we played in day
after day throughout the summer. We ran barefoot on freshly cut field,
a field cut short by my grandfather with a scythe. Everything from grass cutting
to planting, cultivation and harvest
were done by manpower since power tools did not exist for us at that time.
It was this
wonderful odour of the freshly dried grasses in the field of the hot
dry summer day that suddenly brought back not only memories but
feelings of the past, as if I were suddenly transported to a different time and place.
This was a most strange spiritual experience I had not experienced so vividly
before but it was at the same time a wonderful and exciting experience.
The hay from the field was used for the livestock over
the winter. Memories of the past came pouring back from my childhood.
My grandparents had a tiny home but there were many interesting and
exciting things for a child to enjoy. Fruit trees including varieties
of plum, varieties cherries, walnut, almond, peach, apricot, quince
apples along with raspberries, gooseberries, red current strategically
spread around the yard. Many flower gardens, beautiful roses and flowering
bushes with fragrances that lingered throughout the season strategically
scattered around the property made you feel the love care and pride of ownership.
A vegetable garden carefully tended by my
grandmother produced onions, garlic, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, beans, peas
and I am sure other items I no longer recall. Chickens and geese had
free run of the yard but the goats and the sow had their pen.
Funny how a simple experience conjures up so many long forgotten memories and feelings.
Sitting in a cherry tree eating till you got tired, collecting eggs,
my grandfather milking the goats, my grandmother gardening and feeding
the chickens, the annual birth of new chicks, the late fall when the
sow was slaughtered to provide sausage and meat for the coming year.
I remembered the time I locked my grandfather in with the goats, while
he was milking, and being afraid to go back to let him out, but I don't
recall getting in trouble for that since my grandmother eventually
released him from captivity. My grandparents worked hard but were
largely self-sufficient with that wonderful haven they created for
themselves. I vividly recall loving to spend my summers at my
grandparents with so much to experience and enjoy at a time when days
seemed to last forever.
Seared into all our memories are secret treasures.
In deep recesses we rarely encounter and have no command over, live hidden
treasures of experiences from the past. Every now and then the whiff of an odour,
a feeling, a phrase, a musical note, a flavour or image takes us back to a
different time and place.
There are from time to time inexplicable longings for something we know not,
triggered by something we can't explain and don't understand. I am sure
you don't need to have had a rich and exotic life for these simple
treasures to overwhelm a moment in your life. Perhaps it is for
self preservation, pain and suffering seems to be absent from these incidents.
Perhaps if one suffered greatly or witnessed true horrors and lived through
deep pain, the experiences may include horrors instead of only pleasant treasures.
The human mind is a wonderful instrument, capable of incredible achievements
and truly magnificent feats. I am convinced that only humans are capable of
such spiritual experiences but perhaps all living things possess this
miraculous capacity.
Wile sharing the images and memories of the home where Mom grew up, John reminded me of
a couple of items from our youth. The two bugs that seem to keep coming back in our
memories are the Stag Beetle and the Leaf Beetle pictured below. John reminded me that
we used to capture the very plentiful Leaf Beetle and tie a string to one of their hind legs and watch them fly. Reality is I am not 100% sure what we had were Leaf Beetles but the picture sure looks a like the beetles we had. These beetles are about the size of a
June Bug, not more than about 1cm (1/2") or so. The shiny green colour with the metallic
rainbow colours certainly made them interesting.
Not nearly as plentiful were the Stag Beetles (Szarvasbogár translates to Horned or antlered Beetle) we found fascinating and perhaps threatening or intimidating. Because these bugs were so impressive and remembered after all these years, I felt compelled to include them on this page. Stag Beetles vary in size from 2.5cm (about 1") to as large as 12cm (5").
The ones I recall were about 5-7cm (2-3") in size, about 30% is antlers or powerful pincers and of course the 70% is their winged body. I have never seen these fly, but they do have wings.
I have not researched this thoroughly but I have never seen these beetles in Canada. They may actually be European and not found in North America. Feel free to investigate.
Leaf Beetle
Stag Beetle
Click images for Larger Image
The following images are from Google Maps in 2019 and 2022 of Gárdonyi Géza Ut 58-B.
The building is located on the property where Mom grew up. Grandad built the humble
little home we remember. The property had lots of gardens and an incredible assortment of
fruit trees – Walnut, Almonds, Plumbs, Cherries, Quince Apples, Pears, Peaches, Apricots not to mention the Raspberries, Blackberries, Gooseberries, Red currents, Poppies, for the traditional Christmas poppy seed
Bejgli,
along with a wide assortment of Vegetables, Flowers, flowering Bushes and of course the Chickens, Geese, the Sow and the Goats. I am sure I missed some items like the Fig and Hazelnut that rarely bore
any fruit. Memories abound about the wonderful times associated with that little piece
of heaven from our youth. (Did NOT try the above recipes so I am not sure about
the texture or the overall results. Mom NEVER used margarine.)
Bejgli Images just to make your mouth water.
Local Bejgli Recipe
Alternate Recipe – Local pdf file
Croatian Poppy Seed & Walnut Roll – From Canadian Living
I am sure you realise the amount of filling makes a huge difference. I prefer
the image to the right. Much tastier. Practice makes perfect!
Click for larger Image
Needless to say, there are lots of recipes out there. Pick one you like and see how it turns out. You can always modify recipes to your taste or find one you like better. Once you find a recipe that you like keep it in a safe place and discard the ones you were less impressed with. This advice goes for all recipes.
The links are from 2019 and 2022 showing the dramatic changes and developments in the
short few years. Hopefully the links are still showing the images associated with the
dates mentioned.
(Added a few images just in case they are no longer available).
The area displayed was largely small single family homes when Grandad built his home, but
it soon became an upscale exclusive neighbourhood. In my youth there were several
large mansions owned by the wealthy – Lawyers, Engineers, Judges, Professors and Government officials. The changes in the last few years seem extraordinarily huge. Some
lofty mansions but a significant number of multidwelling buildings, perhaps exclusive
condominiums are obvious. It seems the initial small single family homes are no more
to be found. The huge construction taking place right next door used to be sizable single
family home owned by an author (a street bears his name even today,
Veres Péter út) who was also a member of parliament.
Updated May-23-2022
Gárdonyi Géza Ut 58-B Budapest
2019
2022
Looking Left and Right
Looking Left and Right
June 2022 Sunlit
Looking Across the Street and Next Door
Click Images Above for Larger Image
Sitting on the balcony sipping my coffee I watched the doves, squirrels, chipmunks, blue jays, cardinals and a bunny busily feeding on the sunflower seed I put out in the back yard for them. Suddenly a couple of hummingbirds danced around the feeder placed
strategically for maximum visibility and suddenly a gust of wind blew a few leaves by. I realised that I feed the animals as much for my personal enjoyment and solitude as for their sustenance. We are blessed with an
abundance of wildlife in our back yard. Some
rarely seen while others are numerous and visible throughout the four seasons. In recent
years we have had several foxes roaming the neighbourhood. Just discovered a never before observed bird this year (2022)
Summer Tanager a beautiful red bird resembling a
Cardinal in shape and size.
It is fall and the trees are shedding their magnificently colourful foliage.
It seems only a short time ago that I watched the trees bring forth their tiny leaves and the mother raccoons and bunnies bring their babies out to forage and bask in the warm spring sun.
With spring, the sun's rays bring not only bright light but warmth, sparking rejuvenation and rebirth. The spring air is filled with the sound of singing birds and a multitude of bright coloured feathers.
Flocks of goldfinches scurry about while the occasional Blue jay,
Cardinal, Oriole land along with many squirrels, chipmunks foraging for nourishment; as well; the occasional raccoon along with her skittish brood turn our back yard into a wonderland. In summer the trees were in full foliage and the garden filled with seasonal flowers along with a few vegetables adorned the green grassed yard. Shade and beach
are welcome to tame the hot humid summer sunshine. But today these are sweet memories
of a bygone time as it is the autumn of the year.
As the sunshine lights up the multitude of colours ranging from dark to light green and pale yellow to dark orange and brilliant crimson it reminds me of the circle of life.
The little critters are busy filling their winter storage, while feeding on the fruits
of the abundant summer.
Each season has its own beauty. Even winter, though it is my least favourite, with
huge snowflakes drifting down; laying a blanket of white over the landscape. Suddenly I recalled a recent article sent to me and in turn shared with my many friends and acquaintances,
And Then It Is Winter.
My thoughts wondered into how our universe is changing. As we observe the seasons
on our tiny planet, the universe itself is going through enormous changes. Galaxies are
being born with billions of stars not unlike our own sun, with their own planetary systems, where the beginnings of life are emerging. Galaxies are violently merging, destroying what once was and new galaxies are emerging with their own miracles of life.
These changes are subtle, taking millions or even billions of years. The circle of life
exists on a huge scale throughout this universe but our existence is a mere blink of an eye in the big scheme of things, yet we appreciate what we have while we are part of
the immensity that surrounds us.
I realised that reminiscing brought back a flood of memories about my personal circle of life. I am comfortable with mortality but wonder how often I will enjoy the seasons before I too will be like the drifting leaves heading into eternity. I remember
being a child and not particularly liking school. As a young man I wondered how my life
would unfold. How will I find my true love, what will I do for a living and wondered how long will I live. I wondered too about how many children we would have and how they would turn out.
We have Dawn, a wonderful young woman with enormous God given talents that I hope
she appreciates and will bring her lifelong fulfilment. As a parent all we can hope for is that our children are happy and healthy and as far as I know Dawn is everything one could ever hope for. Although a procrastinator Dawn is a kind, warm and caring human being with a love for life, humanity and everything in God's domain.
I have been blessed with good health over the last seven decades and accomplished
much more than I ever dreamt of in my youth. I drifted into a great job and made a good career out of it, mostly enjoying everything I did. Somehow I was fortunate enough to purchase a new home before the devastating inflation of the early 80's and
unlike so many I always purchased a new home where I had significant or complete input
into design etc.. The latest home was entirely designed by Gloria with a little input from me. I can't say that everything in my life turned out for the best but then I can't imagine how any of it could have turned out any better.
Here we are living comfortably, enjoying the autumn of our lives, wondering how long
this miracle will last, being grateful and making the best of what we have been
blessed with.
Growing older is an odd experience. You don't feel older but you notice you have less
stamina, your eyesight is not what it used to be, nor your hearing and your memory
plays some strange tricks on you. Some plans popping into your head are more appropriate for someone in their twenties and are quickly dismissed once reality gets hold of your thought processes. Inside you feel as young as ever but a glance
in the mirror reveals, your mind is deceiving you. Non the less being my age feels
comfortable and I am actually enjoying it. There are more and more centenarians
than ever in human history. One in three born in 2013 is expected to live to see
their 100th birthday. 8% of men and 14% of women age 65 in 2013 are projected to live to 100 but this number could be much much higher (British statistic).
It is not quantity but the quality of life that
truly matters and I would like to see a healthy 100th and perhaps even more.
Time will tell if I too will be a blessed healthy centenarian. Some project that
life expectancy is rapidly increasing. It could be that in the not too distant
future living to 150 may be as common as living to 100 today. Sure makes you wonder
about the lifestyle of all these ancient people. How will society support such a
significant change in the growth of non contributing citizens?
Not too long ago people worked for 40 plus years and collected a pension for 5-15
years but this is changing today. People work fewer years and survive retirement
for more years. Living to well over 100 will create an enormous burden on society
unless some creative solution is found to support the retired, or a way for
the elderly to contribute to their own support is found. Humanity is certainly facing
interesting times, looking for interesting and creative, lasting solutions.
Christmas was a very special time of year in my childhood. Tradition had it that the baby Jesus came on Christmas Eve to bring presents, unlike the Santa Clause of our current homeland. Old Saint Nick came on December 5th with his gifts in my youth.
My Mom made every Christmas a very special occasion. Recently when I was enjoying some roasted peanuts, I recalled the flavour of what we called American peanuts from a Christmas long ago. Actually I reminisced about such precious gifts my Mom was able to introduce us to over the years along with an orange one year and many other treasures I have long forgotten. I felt some guilt, because I don’t recall ever sharing with the parents who struggled and sacrificed to make every occasion memorable and special, as only the baby Jesus could.
Christmas Eve we had dinner as usual but my Mom would vanish near the end of the dinner only to hear something special announcing that the baby Jesus had been and left the decorated Christmas tree with lit candles, and lots of special gifts for each member of the family, but most especially for each of the children. My Mom would sing Silent Night to honour and sanctify Jesus, before we opened the precious gifts we were blessed with. In post war Hungary peanuts and oranges were a rarity as were many many things we take for granted today.
We shared Christmas Eve with family, enjoying a special meal, love and companionship, reserving Christmas day to be shared with our Grandparents.
You don’t have to be particularly religious to appreciate the love and sacrifices made, for Christmas to be a memorable and special occasion. Christmas is a time of love, harmony, compassion, caring and sharing with or without religious overtones.
We continued our Christmas Eve tradition till Mom was no longer able to host the sumptuous dinner. As the eldest I tried one year to remove the burden from my Mom and host the families for the traditional dinner but it was not the same, since each family had grown and wanted to host their own families for the special occasion. So it was that a tradition faded, to be replaced by new traditions for each of our families. Religion or no religion, Christmas is a very special occasion in our lives.
About Christmas – Useful background information
As I sit enjoying my breakfast on the balcony, the world goes by with little notice of my presence. As the sun prepares to peek over the horizon, everything is becoming more distinguishable. Each day sees a different visitor be the first to appear and enjoy the food I scatter for the nourishment and enjoyment of the hungry guest. Some days it is a Blue Jay, a Mourning Dove, a Hummingbird or a Cardinal, Cow Bird or a Grackle; while other days it could be a Groundhog, Raccoon, Rabbit, or one of the many Squirrels only to be followed by Chipmunks, Orioles, Redwing Blackbirds, Crows, Sparrows, Finches, Starlings or on rare occasions a Red Fox. Some simply eat to nourish their needs while others earnestly gather food for the nest-full of noisy, hungry offspring, carefully tucked in a sheltered tree branch. The scurrying Chipmunks industriously stuff their pouches taking their booty to their burrow for later enjoyment. I would be remiss if
I failed to mention the Robins pulling their huge worms out of the ground. As I make it to my morning coffee I often watch the fluffy billowing clouds drifting along paying little attention to us ground dwellers.
I am but one of generations of retired, old timers with time on my hands to enjoy the beauty of the breaking day and waking of the creatures and critters we are blessed with in the wild. I may have lost a step or two and sadly I have failed to maintain a routine to keep active and in good physical shape but I am healthy and I have learned to notice the little things and enjoy them with little attention to time flying by. It is a wonderful time of life. No worries, no pressures and lots of time to do things I actually enjoy doing. Of course the mundane chores are still mandatory but largely at a measured pace.
I am not in the least preoccupied with mortality but the inevitable is approaching and I hope to be one of the silently drifting clouds, keeping an eye on the tranquillity and the hustle bustle of the world where new generations will enjoy the beauty of the world I have discovered and cherished in these last couple of decades. I finally put on paper (August 5, 2020) these thoughts that have been swirling in my head for some time.
The other day I was watching TV as I so often do, only to have the power fail, producing a deafening silence. No TV, no furnace fan, no computer fans, as quiet as they are, not even the refrigerator making any sound. As I lay there in the silence, wondering how long before the incessant noise we all live with in modern times would return. Minutes turned to an hour then more, in the serenity and peace I noticed myself breathing with slow measured breaths. Involuntary activity of the human body we take for granted and rarely if ever notice. I never dwell on the inevitable but do realise it will eventually happen, as it has, to everyone, throughout history.
The stillness and quiet will one day become complete without any breathing, just total and complete silence that will last for eternity. Of course the racket and clatter along with sounds of songbirds will continue to fill the world, but not for those who have passed into the mysteries of the cosmos. I have often thought about those who passed and are familiar with the hereafter. I remember thinking many, many years ago that if there were a way for me to let those I love in on the secret of the hereafter I would certainly do it. I am convinced that such communication is impossible, because if it were possible, I know my mother who loved us so much would have found a way to share the secret of what eternity is really like.
The eternal peace remains perhaps one of the final mysteries humanity cannot conquer. Is the hereafter a homogeneous existence or solitude? I wonder if the afterlife is as I have concluded, absolutely nothing. The soul may survive but it has different priorities than the human mind. The soul is a mystery being investigated by scientists. I wonder if they can make headway. There are mysteries unexplainable by logic, science or religion. As for religion, if people find comfort in something like religion or any other belief, regardless of how irrational it may be, by all means let them, but don’t force others to share your beliefs.
Updated:
May-02-2022
I can't take credit for this but I am sure we are all aware that this is coming to
almost every one of us. Every case is different and I fortunately don't have nearly the
mess portrayed in the article but I am sure it will present a challenge one day all the same. I chose Clutter instead of Junk but you can make up your own mind. It would be appropriate and much appreciated if you took the time to clean up
the mess before you leave the chore to someone else. Mom did a great job clearing out
all the junk accumulated over the years in our home. I am sure I ended up with
stuff that I will clean up or leave, depending on how unexpectedly I make my final exit.
Click on the picture or the link to see the original article. I tried to save as much as I could in a local copy, just in case the article vanishes over time.
A well written article. I hope it remains available for future viewers.
Added Jun-03-2022
Local Copy Just in case the article vanishes.
Added interior images taken by Alex and Joyce on their visit to Budapest.
Image 1 shows the main entrance to our home (far left corner) and all the facilities we had access to, including the partial window far right. Our main entrance accessed the kitchen.
Image 2 shows the entrance (far left) to a large hallway and the windows of the 2 small (servants quarters originally) on either side of the door plus a corner doorway with a window on either side that was not part of our home.
Image 3 shows our entrance and 2 windows plus a neighbouring entrance on the left with
a ladder next to their entrance.
Note the Google map above with the image below it. The image is not interactive like the
map above but note the red outline of the five windows of the unit we occupied.
The three on the right are the huge room shared by the children and the two left
windows are our parent's bedroom. This image was captured by Google Maps in 2018. The
previous image, the blue arrows identifying the windows of our home,
captured in 2003 is far inferior in quality.
Uncle András with image of our home in the background.
The landscape has changed significantly since the 1950's. The images below are
from a time even much earlier than when we lived there. The Nemzeti Szinház
(National Theatre) has been
demolished to
facilitate the construction of the Metro (subway system). Note however the building
on the corner (below the theatre) with the cupola dome so prominent in the images,
still present to this day, although
the statue has been eliminated (probably during the 1956 revolution or even
during WWII).
Note the streetcar tracks are immediately next to the sidewalk in
these images but they were actually in the middle of the street by
the time we lived there
(totally gone from Rákóczi út today). The two images are from significantly
different times, witnessed by the buildings in the background.
Definitely the result of the ravages of WWII.
In our time the building on the left did not exist, it was a bombed out
pile of rubble. Today it is a hotel.
It was the National Theatre that was
directly across the street when we stepped out of our building at
Rákóczi út 44 Budapest. The image on the left is more current than previously.
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Click on image below for larger image
Click again for even larger image
Nemzeti Szinház (National Theatre)
On the images below, the building seen on the left is part of the physical building we lived in (the yellow building on the Google map image) but
a separate entity and different address that contained a magnificent huge Café, clearly seen on the ground floor (Kávéház). I recall walking by and seeing older people reading newspapers, playing chess, playing cards and probably enjoying some espresso or other libations. I looked forward to being old enough to actually partake of the activities the patrons seemed
to enjoy so much. I imagine being right across from the Nemzeti Szinház the night
life was much busier than I ever remember seeing it. As I recall the Café was not there when I visited in 1970, or at least it was significantly altered.
Corner Building with Cupola
Same Corner Building with Cupola today – different perspective from Google
The steeple to the left is the Boscolo New York Palace - Budapest
Just found these images of both the interior and exterior of the Emke (Café) Kávéház.
I just had to post it to show why I was so impressed in my youth. The exterior shot with horse and buggy indicate a time well in the past. Opened in 1894 the Emke
catered to the theatre crowd with outstanding Gypsy music and world class cuisine or
simply an afternoon espresso. Elegance was the norm in days of old for building
exteriors and interiors, even such mundane items as streetlights,
not only in Budapest but world wide. Such opulence is considered
extravagance by today's standards easily witnessed by such magnificent old
standards as the Royal York in Toronto, The Château Laurier in Ottawa, the Peabody in
Memphis, The Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City to mention a few we had the pleasure of visiting.
A brief video of the
Boscolo New York Palace Budapest, just a short walk from the Emke
shown in the picture above, looks like a church steeple (Erzsébet körút 9–11). I can't
recall what name it went by before (may have been Astoria) but Hotels are bought and sold regularly throughout
the world and this one is no different, however it clearly demonstrates the quality and elegance of a bygone era. The
hotel restored to its former glory and obviously
modernised to meet current demands.
Today everything seems designed to be functional and adequate, perhaps even comfortable
but no grand spaces decorated for public pleasure.
Seems the hotel has changed hands again, called the
Anantara New York Palace Budapest Hotel See the latest information from
Wikipedia.
If the brief video above has vanished, here is the LOCAL copy, (back in the Bosco days).
New York Palace Budapest – video
Click on images below to see larger image
Emke Kávéház (Café)
Click images above for larger image
This is the current Google Maps Street View (dated 2011) of our former building. What started out as a magnificent dining room became a tavern after the war
and has become a Burger King. The image on the left is the side street Akácfa Utca view; the one on the right is the front of the building Rákóczi út. The entire Rákóczi út
has had a facelift with pillars lining the front of the buildings accommodating
patrons with a covered window shopping experience of the new store fronts.
Nothing stays the same! As time passes new businesses will attract shoppers to
the evolving downtown environment.
I couldn't help but notice how clean all the streets are, even the narrowest side streets
have green garbage or recyclable disposal receptacles on virtually every corner and along the streets strategically located, obviously well utilised.
As Google improves its technology and images improve, updated images appear reflecting the changes and improvements to the buildings as well.
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Parliament Building Rare Rear View |
Buda Castle | Buda Castle |
Mount Gellért Citadel |
Mount Gellért Statue Overlooking Danube |
Fisherman's Bastion Mátyás Church Bg |
It’s common knowledge that Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas. But that isn’t completely true. A stone with old Hungarian written on it suggests that a Magyar was in Canada before Columbus. It’s at the Yarmouth County Museum. How long the Magyar visited isn’t completely clear, but it was a significant time before.
Hungarian = Magyar
One of the earliest remaining fragments of the Hungarian language was found in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland. Yarmouth County Museum in Nova Scotia keeps a unique
artifact – Runic Stone, which appeared to show that at least one Hungarian was
in America before Columbus.
Source
History is evolutionary.
Research may prove current beliefs to be inaccurate.
YOU can do more research, if you are interested.
A 200 kg stone with curious inscriptions found in Canada’s Nova Scotia has scientists and historians wondering if perhaps this stone bears proof that a Hungarian set foot on North American soil centuries before Christopher Columbus,
Click for larger image
Artist's renderings of the so-called Yarmouth Runic (or Fletcher) Stone.
Ancient Hungarian (Runic) text – No resemblance to modern writing.
Maria Rabl managed to decipher the runes (1996), claiming that, read from right to left, the text says,
“(Erik)son walked this place along with many of his fellows.”
Maria Callas - Madame Butterfly (For Mom)
It's called "Un Bel Di Vedremo," (Don't cry for me, I'm already dead)
from Puccini's Madam Butterfly.
The image below represents so many things I find it hard to do it all justice.
Let's begin by telling you that the image below is of a piece of Stalin's statue that stood on the
Stalin Monument in Budapest from 1951 to October 23, 1956. The statue symbolised the oppressive communist regime ruling over Hungary following WWII. On
October 23, 1956 the nation
revolted against the brutal Russian control over the lives of all Hungarians. All symbols of communism so prevalent on public buildings were targets
of destruction by the enraged populace, but the 25 metre (82 foot) tall Stalin statue was the most hated of all the oppressive symbols.
The Monument was defaced with graffiti, the statue was cut off at the boots and
unceremoniously dragged trough the city, landing right below our building on the
corner of Akácfa and Rákóczi, with the head landing elsewhere. Crowds gathered with
hammers and hacksaws to get a piece of the dictator. My father and I went with our
hacksaw to make sure we got a memento to remember the monumental event, few believed would ever happen. People borrowed our hacksaw and cut a piece for themselves and one for us
in return for providing the instrument of destruction. The piece pictured below is
the only one left in our family (4.5" (11.5cm) X 3.25" (8cm)). I mounted the piece for display purposes on stainless steel stand.
After arriving in Canada we shared our treasure
with others, including John Latimer, our first Canadian friend who was so helpful
in the early days and remained a lifelong family friend. Were it not for the events of October 23, 1956 our family would
have lived out our lives in Hungary instead of flourishing in the Free World.
WebCam displays a spectacular view of cultural sites surrounding the Danube River,
including the Chain Bridge, Buda Castle and the Hungarian Royal Palace.
Magyar / Hungarian – Graphics (some created by me) History and interesting tidbits
WebCams are not always working unfortunately. Occasionally, perhaps even too frequently,
the address of a webcam changes for a variety of reasons. Sometimes you can GOOGLE
search for a webcam you are interested in and find a suitable solution. The above webcam
is part of the
EarthCam Network of world wide webcams. I have seen a link broken for a period of time only to go live again in a relatively short time or several days on other occasions.
If at first you don't succeed try and try again.
Remember, a quitter never wins and a winner never quits.
Images below captured from the
Budapest WebCam May 2015, followed by much improved day, night images from December 2018. The images have significance for a number
of reasons. The
Chain Bridge (Lánchíd)
is one of the most memorable from my youth.
We crossed the bridge many many times including the last time we went to see
my grandparents during the 1956 uprising. My mom and I walked from our home
to her parents home, across this bridge, since there were no buses or any other public transportation. The bridge has an enduring history in Budapest. At the time of its construction, it was regarded as one of the modern world's engineering wonders and it was
the first permanent bridge in Budapest. At the 1849 inauguration, the centre span, over 200 metres, was the largest in the world. The Royal Palace completed in 1265 is visible on the right.
Many culturally and economically significant buildings are visible on the left.
The images captured show life on the busy Danube, Europe's second largest river, with many pleasure boats, cruise ships and commercial shipping. I encourage you to do some of your own cyber adventure/research to visit our amazing world from your perspective.
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Next two images NOT from WebCam
Information source is
Worldometers.info/world-map/ (opens in a new tab or window).
Maps of countries of the world are available. Click on the link above or the Map below
and – choose to search for a country or – scroll to the country name.
Four maps displayed are Physical, Political, Road and Simple map of selected country.
World population by country is available at
https://www.worldometers.info/population/
Gypsy music is as much a part of Hungarians as the air that we breathe. Though Gypsies have throughout the world, throughout history been treated like a subhuman class of humanity, they have survived by their cunning and resourcefulness. Largely a nomadic people, drifting from town to town till they are encouraged to move on by force if necessary, live by their wits and of course helping themselves to virtually anything
not tied down. This assessment may be somewhat exaggerated. Closer examination will
show that many Gypsies have developed unique talents and a willingness to do the
dirties jobs.
Living off the land and the generosity of people, they offer such services as
fortune telling and of course their talent for playing music to entertain their
hosts, have created a tolerance and even reverence. It is only fair to observe that
these generalisations obviously do not apply universally to any group of people,
Gypsies included.
The haunting sound of violins
played as only a Gypsy can, have brought tears to the eyes of many. The music usually revolves around love, family and of course the deepest affection for one's homeland. Since much of Europe has seen extensive turmoil, resulting in the exile of many
an idealistic patriot. The industrial revolution too forced many from small towns into
unfamiliar urban environments, away from the comforts of the familiar home, friends and family, resulting in loneliness, isolation, despair and constant longing for the love, warmth and familiar.
Gypsies capture in their music and melodies the love for their mother, father, children, first love, lost love, beautiful women and of course their roots.
Folk music of many nations cover the wrenching
yearning for that which should, but never will be. Gypsies have a knack for playing
to the emotions and most basic needs and instincts of humanity. The lyrics are often
haunting about unrequited love, but can be as gay as gay can be, to celebrate wonderful events and miracles of every day life experiences; birth, death, marriage and family relations we feel so deeply, but so seldom discuss with our loved ones. The extensive use of symbols rather than direct expression, lends itself to interpretation by the listener.
The sampling of Gypsy music will only be truly appreciated by those who understand
the expressive words and manipulation of the heartstrings, but the music can stand alone and is second to none.
Click images to view larger image
Budapest Gypsy Symphony Orchestra
Budapest Gypsy Symphony Orchestra – Listen to their enchanting sounds
There is no other instrument like the violin to tear at your heartstrings. Gypsy music
tends to be primarily but not exclusively string instruments; Violins, Base and of course
the uniquely Hungarian instrument the
Cimbalom (seen in the middle 2 images above). The Cimbalom has been adopted by many nations with a Gypsy
population. Woodwinds too
Tárogató, similar to a Clarinet are a common Gypsy orchestral instrument.
Gypsy orchestras can have as many as a hundred stringed instruments to enchant audiences.
Most commonly however it is smaller groups that entertain in Cafés, exclusive dining rooms and clubs. Western pop music is probably a far more common form of entertainment
these days with heritage sadly waning in popularity globally.
I in fact feel extremely sorry for the younger generation who miss out on these
wonderful traditional expressive and haunting melodies. I hope this amazing music
will be preserved for eternity so it can be enjoyed by future generations forever.
This music is comparable to historical treasures like the Mona Lisa of Paintings, the Pyramids of antiquity, the statue of David in sculpting.
Links to videos
From time to time videos disappear from the site identified in the list above
but you can search for the artist and song and find a new link to enjoy the music.
Copy the item (Artist AND Title) and paste it into the search box on your browser. Frequently several versions of the same item show up.
I have had to change a number of links (some more than once) but I won't catch every problem, however you can if you so choose.
Frequently they added short commercial clips (or more than one) to earn more money.
SAD but all too true! Greed Greed Greed!
The following number is very patriotic song from a popular musical (operetta) Bánk Bán with many popular songs. The singer, Simándy József, is in his 70s but has a great voice. One can only wonder how great he sounded when he was in his prime. The audio version (.mp3) is on the thumb drive as well.
English - Hungarian
Some numbers above are duplicates - different artist. Lost a few recently (removed from YouTube) may lose more over time. Each web-page has many more songs, often related by subject or artist. I have updated the links a few times but some vanish from time to time. You can search for the missing items but I have added most if not all
the numbers to the USB stick (the best version not always available or I could not find it). F:\Musical Selections\Magyar Zene F: is the USB
drive but may be different than F: for you.
If you executed backweb all the files will be in C:\WEB_Stick\ on your computer.
As hard as I tried I can not do it all for you. Some of it you will have to figure
out for yourself.
I may pay a huge price for my beliefs one day but despite the best efforts of my Mom to instill a sacred belief in God and religion I must admit I am at best an agnostic and most likely an atheist. Every religion claims to represent the one true God and the only way to eternal life or salvation is believing in their version of God. Studying biblical teachings clearly shows that the all loving God is not all that loving in reality but demands obedience and worship. Anything less than complete subservience is condemned to eternal oblivion, suffering or death. To deny anyone from benefiting from a generous and honest life purely for not believing in a God, making sacrifices to God, Serving and worshipping God, seems outrageous and barbaric.
Sacrifices of both human and animal to appease a benevolent and loving God so
prevalent for centuries seems incomprehensible today. How could a God we hear
about in places of worship permit such atrocities? This perfect God so loved the world that he unleashed the Great Flood
(Genesis 6:7) to kill all living humans and animals except those on Noah's Ark, marched two by two, to be saved. Many many more biblical references to such barbaric actions of revenge by God, but you do the research.
God says in Genesis 11:6, referring to the tower of Babel, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them."
God realizes that when people are unified in purpose they can accomplish impossible feats.
God's answer to human cooperation and magnificent accomplishments is to create
several languages preventing the understanding of each other and to scatter the people
across the planet. Why God would fear human cooperation and achievement is inconceivable.
Putting obstacles in the way of human development is not only cruel but insane. It would appear that God wanted to create ignorance and suffering, preventing a harmonious and cooperating humanity from accomplishing great things. Some wonder why we have ignorance,
poverty, hatred and misery? Wonder no more! The devil himself couldn't be more evil.
The Book of Exodus is certainly a prime example of Biblical violence and evil. In a nutshell, it contains all of God's evil attitudes, not to mention the motivation for countless atrocities committed throughout Christian history. Future books merely repeat the themes outlined here. God's acts of violence and cruelty are often directed against blameless children and distant descendants of those found guilty, and he defines numerous victimless crimes for which perpetrators must be put to death.
See other clear demonstrations of the loving kindness and mercy of the Lord.
There are other silly references from punishment for poor eye sight Leviticus 21:20 eating seafood (shellfish) Leviticus 11:10 or simply trimming your hair or beard Leviticus 19:27 or just planting two different crops in the same field or even wearing clothing of two different materials Leviticus 19:19 but it is allowed to sell your daughter to be sold as a maidservant Exodus 21:7 and much much more. This is Christianity and many loudly condemn the Islamic teachings that are not all that dissimilar.
Victimless crimes such as prostitution and "public indecency" are still on the books of many supposedly civilized nations (indeed, they are still punishable by death in some places), and we have the Bible to thank for the longevity of this idiocy. God behaves like a spoiled narcissistic megalomaniac, demanding to be worshipped despite his evil tyrannical behaviour throughout the biblical verses. The typical do as I say, not as I do schizophrenic.
Humanity has forever prayed for peace and prosperity yet there is nothing but suffering, hunger, disease and tragedy in most of the world.
How could a loving God allow the suffering of innocent newborns; the floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, crop failures and devastating fires? An all loving merciful God would never kill all the residents; men, women and children of a town just to give his chosen people a place to live, nor would he encourage you to
kill your neighbour
(Exodus 31:15) for working on Sunday.
How preposterous are the biblical references to God's wrath?
Killed merely for gathering wood on Sunday, a victimless activity to say the least
(Numbers 15:32-36).
Quite a different
perspective on a loving and merciful "turn the other cheek" God.
How absurd to think God would communicate with Moses the murderer and other
ignorant peasants
thousands of years ago but not take the opportunity in modern days of
mass communication
to let humanity know his will, his mercy, his wisdom!
Ironically I do believe there was a person we call Jesus who shared wisdom and
generosity with humanity but the notion of the holly trinity
is in my opinion just
another fable of humanity. Jesus is perhaps the best known of the wise men we have
been blessed with, just as we have had brilliant men of science who are extraordinarily
gifted.
We have many amongst us even today who genuinely believe and teach peace, love, compassion and understanding but this does not make them God nor the son of God.
See Pope Francis's address to the US Congress a truly enlightened and compassionate human being. We need more dedicated leaders with such wisdom and humanity as this incredible Pope.
Religion, behaviour based on faith seems irrational. Faith provides comfort to many
who allow the fear or retribution to guide their daily lives but the truly blessed
behave humanely without fear or expectation of rewards.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
not out of fear or expectation of any rewards must be the
most ideal and tranquil life one can ever hope to achieve. To fear the beliefs of others must be the most harmful to one's self. Religion as interpreted by many is one of the greatest evils in the world. Unless you believe what I believe you are damned for eternity, has been the source of some of the most heinous evil perpetrated on humanity throughout history.
I have been convinced for decades that man created God in his own image. In a universe with billions of stars and planets, pure ignorance would assume life exists only on this tiny speck we call earth. To claim to be a chosen people on earth is the height of self-serving ignorance and arrogance.
I believe religion serves the poor and ignorant best but also helps the suffering from thinking there is no hope. The scriptures are full of wisdom and wonderful teachings along with violence and narcissistic intolerance. Sermons are a wonderful way to create hope and to nurture self-reliance. Humans are most resilient and tolerate enormous suffering in the hope of something better at a future date. Live life to the fullest doing all the good you can and enjoy every moment you can because there probably is nothing after we leave this life. Humanity is good at remembering the positive and forgetting the negative events of our lives.
I am convinced that the reward is in the life we live and the love we share with all living things while here on earth. Perhaps humanity will be judged not by how it loves its friends but how it loves their enemies and the less fortunate.
Instead of give us our daily bread
we should ask to alleviate all living things from ignorance, suffering and hunger and
do our part in making this a reality. While I don't pretend to live up to my own expectations, I am comfortable in knowing that I am someone I would be proud to know.
I have always tried to give much much more than I ever expected in return, even when
it was unappreciated.
As mere mortals it is hard to accept or even conceive that the universe just happened without divine intervention. Some would argue that accepting that God just happened
is no more inconceivable than any other explanation. Perhaps there is a God after all.
If there in fact is a God, this God is vastly different than the one man created to worship and idolise. God as he may exist does not concern itself with the daily
lives of mere mortals. Life exists throughout this vast universe and this life does
what it can to evolve and survive, not unlike prairie grass, plants and trees, a pride of lions, a school of fish, a herd of buffalo or a colony of ants.
You can forget about heaven and hell; make life worthwhile while you are here.
Survival of all life is a matter of chance and perhaps some planning by the more intelligent life forms. Natural disasters can wipe out all living things on a given
planet but new life forms may evolve in the long run with the same vulnerabilities
we face in our quest for survival today.
Excepts from the website – in case the site is no longer available.
Of all the religions, and there are many in the world today, Islam is perhaps the least
known and least understood. Radical elements, with no redeeming qualities, have taken one of the most populous religions back to the primitive time of the middle ages. Christianity went through the crusades, a time of brutality, murder and barbaric intolerance. Today Islam is suffering the same fate. How insecure do you have to be
to be unwilling to engage in a dialogue about past history or the deeds of your prophet?
Islamic fundamentalists are instilling fear into followers of Islam by shear brutality and murder. Muslims displaying humanity, tolerance, reason or common sense fear the retribution of these barbaric, murdering thugs. These out of control cowards roam the countryside with their faces covered, armed to the teeth, enslaving and murdering
the population; raping the women and children or selling them into slavery.
Most religions have evolved to a semblance of civilization, but fundamentalists especially Islamic fundamentalists certainly do not qualify as civilized.
The fundamentalists apocalyptic behaviour is irrational and unsustainable.
The Islamic intolerance and inhumanity being witnessed today is unparallelled in modern society.
Dr. Tawfik Hamid on Muslims is a MUST read. This evil must be stopped and
eradicated if humanity is to survive. Most if not all religions have fundamentalists
but none are taken seriously and none display barbaric violence against those they do not agree with. The images of the beheadings, immolation and other savagery against the defenceless are sickening and must to be stopped as expeditiously as possible.
It is difficult to understand why the local Middle East nations do not mount an overwhelming force to destroy these barbarians, depending instead largely on the
US to spearhead the opposition to these atrocities.
While I think religion has been the source of much of the evil in human history, I fear
an unjustified backlash brewing. Islamophobia is creeping into our lives. As many
evils, it starts slowly and seems justifiable at first but quickly becomes overt and dangerous.
Just as the crusades murdered millions in antiquity, humanity has always found a
common enemy to hate and marginalise or murder. Enslaving the conquered or the poor
has been the historical tradition of humanity. The barbaric and shameful treatment
of the natives around the world throughout history is unforgivable. Some
of these injustices against natives are with us to this very day.
Sometimes we hate the poor, sometimes we hate the rich, most often we hate those who
are identifiable as different, especially if they are black, and we always seem to
hate those who are infirm.
History shows the slave trade, antisemitism, the internment of Japanese, Chinese,
Germans during times of conflict and unfortunately the abusive treatment of women throughout history. The weaker have always been exploited throughout the world.
While the vast majority of Islam is peace loving, God fearing and hard working; the
same as all civilised people in the world, the few can bring hell to all within the faith. Those willing to take a stand against the fundamentalist barbarians are abused, raped, enslaved or murdered in the most brutal and inhumane way. Islamophobia should
be fought with the same vigour as racism, sexism, homophobia, misogyny, misandry
or any other forms of intolerance or exploitation.
I wonder how long it will take humanity to treat everyone the same as we would
like ourselves to be treated, regardless of colour, faith, sexual orientation or gender.
Religion or faith is often substituted for common sense, reason and personal responsibility.
Perhaps if we stopped the religious teachings in each faith that claims we are the best and only valid religion and therefore the only people worthy to live on this earth or in some cases the only ones worthy for the afterlife a truly civilised humanity could inherit the planet.
We are all unique. We have our dreams, hopes, aspirations and goals but above all we
all see the world around us in our own way and I am convinced no two perspectives
are the same. We are, each of us, unique and our world, regardless of proximity to
others is unique and everything we experience is unique to no one else in the entire world but ourselves.
What we see today will never be the same again despite our best efforts
to try and relive an experience. There is no going back! Over the years I have had
the opportunity to revisit locations, events and people only to find that each
experience was different and unique, never exactly the same as previously perceived.
Those perfect moments in life can not be captured except in our memories.
This is life! Always different always interesting and always remembered in its own
unique way.
Humans always long for something that is not. Sometimes it is something that
was, sometimes it is what we hope it will be, but never exactly what it is.
Perhaps it is this longing and striving that makes life so interesting and worth living.
The rich never have enough. The composer, the writer, the athlete, the painter;
everyone is always striving for that something just a little bit better than what
has been achieved. All musical notes and all words have been written and spoken and all colours used but it is the sequence that creates a symphony, a masterpiece, a work of
art we recognise as rare and special.
Even the same words spoken, sung in different ways or by different people have
profoundly different affect on us and affect us differently depending on our own
mood, circumstance.
The two things I always wanted above all is to be
able to sing in a way that would stop everyone and want to listen; and to have the gift
of writing in a way that expresses feelings and events in a way that has yet to be
achieved but these are things that I have accepted as the unrealistic dreams of a dreamer.
My singing is bad enough to scare the trees much less people and attempting to put
feelings into words, I have learned is futile.
People will try and define you mostly as an ego boost for their own self-gratification
rather than a fair and just assessment of who you really are. Never allow others to define
who you believe you really are. You must accept realistically who you are on your own terms while constantly striving to improve the improvable.
Most of us will leave this earth without becoming famous. Fear of the inevitable is
useless but many strive to leave a legacy of accomplishment that will give them
immortality. Perhaps it is being forgotten for eternity that causes the most concern.
Some accomplish enduring deeds while others leave timeless words of wisdom, music or art;
etching their existence into history but the vast majority leave no enduring legacy.
Some are born to lead, some to follow but we must all accept a leadership role when circumstances dictate. I will never be a world class anything
but life still goes on and I still strive to be the best I can be with the gifts I
have been granted. I accept my uniqueness and limitations and I am grateful for
having contributed to the best of my ability and having made the world a better place
with my meagre contributions. I accept that many are far more gifted than I, as well as the fact that there are some who need my help to fulfil their dreams and needs. Some look for negatives in everything but I look for and see the good and positive in most circumstances and strive for solutions to make everything better.
I have learned that perhaps it is never achieving all
we wish to and never accepting anything as good enough that makes life what it is.
We own our own well being, success and happiness. I am finally at peace with not only
the world but myself. No streets, towns or concert halls will ever be named after me.
I am grateful for the selfless sacrifices made by my ever loving parents and the
wonderful values I learned from their example. It is not just what you do for your children but what you teach them to do for themselves that will make them succeed.
The universe will unfold as it should, with or without me.
There are things we can not change regardless of how rich or powerful we become.
Each individual has to make their own contributions and perceive reality their own way.
Doing wrong because everyone is doing it is still wrong. Doing right is always right even though nobody else is doing it. The main difference between humans and other living things, as far as we know, is compassion, humanity and intelligence but these qualities are not shared universally nor equally by all of mankind.
There will always be evil, mean spiritedness and ignorance in the world. The vast majority of people, I personally believe, are good and try to do good in the world. It is unfortunate that so few can do so much harm and hurt so many. People can be enslaved but the human spirit can never be bridled.
Be the best YOU can be and always be considerate of others. The point of no return is NOW. There is no way back, there is only tomorrow, the future is all we can shape starting with this very moment. Shape your moments so that when you look back tomorrow you will be proud of your yesterdays.
Tomorrow is not guaranteed to anyone. I am content with my accomplishments. There are many
things I may wish to do, but will never get to do them because tomorrow may not come.
I accept that my todays are numbered and there are fewer tomorrows left for me than yesterdays. If tomorrow never comes for me, I have few regrets. I may have wished to
change the world, creating peace harmony and an everlasting Utopian existence but far
more gifted and persuasive people have failed to achieve such a noble endeavour, but that
should never discourage anyone else from trying. If I am not here today, celebrate our
yesterdays; never regret anything left undone or unsaid. Live your todays.
Plan your tomorrows, remember your loved ones but live and enjoy your todays to the best
of your ability. I am not sure if I have mentioned the song that often pops into my mind;
The Dream Never Dies, Just the Dreamer. The simple words of this song are non the less profound and worth remembering.
Click for larger image
I grew up with conservative values however conservatism has changed over my lifetime.
Conservatism has moved so far to the right, conservative heroes of the past would be
ashamed to be associated with what today passes for a conservative.
Painting all conservatives with a broad brush, as intellectually and morally bankrupt,
I am sure is probably unfair but seems not too far off the mark. The driving forces
in conservative groups seem incapable of empathy, substituting baseless opinions for facts. Denying evolution, forcing rape victims to bear the resulting child, claiming
the earth is only 10,000 years old to denying the historical record of climate change
are just a few outrageous conservative principles.
The Republican solution to the onerous national debt, largely created by the unjustifiable wars in the Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East, is to repeatedly reduce the taxes on the wealthiest without reducing the burden on the middle class. This fallacy of not paying your fair share is irresponsible at best but almost criminal. Imagine your household debt being out of control and asking for a pay cut. There was a time after WWII when everyone paid their fair share of the cost of the recovery. The highest tax rate about 90% is now down to 35% and many don't even pay that with all the loopholes for the richest. The only sane solution to eliminating or at least significantly reducing the spiralling national debt is to once again have everyone step up and pay their fair share of the burden. The theory of trickle down economics has been repeatedly disproven. The wealthy do not create jobs by becoming more wealthy, nor does it lead to economic prosperity for the middle class, in fact the poor get poorer and in reality more and more are joining the poverty stricken by this irresponsible economic process.
Perhaps this Republican sponsored phenomenon can best be described as the war on the poor
to go along with their war on truth, justice, science and women.
Unable to garner support, Republicans resort to gerrymandering to hold political power.
Some districts have voted over 50% Democrat yet 75% of the seats went to Republicans.
This is NOT the democracy we had hoped for nor the one we keep hearing about.
As an example in 2014,
North Carolina voters
who have 13 congressional representatives,
voted 52% for Democrats yet 10 of the 13 seats went to Republicans. The US has the audacity to lecture about democracy and fair play, with many examples similar to the
North Carolina 2014 example. Voter suppression is prevalent in states where Republicans
control the State government, preventing those known to support Democrats from
voting. You would expect that elected representatives would vote along the lines of
the electorate who voted them into office on key issues, yet here again democracy fails. When Congress was asked to vote on gun safety legislation, they overwhelmingly rejected the wishes of over 90% of their constituents, rejecting bare minimum common sense
safety requirements. Billionaires have taken control of the US government.
How most democracies set up voting districts
Gerrymandered districts in the USA
The results are a distortion of voter intent and deprives the majority of fair representation.
Actual examples of
gerrymandering
far more blatant than the example above.
Millionaires, while providing billions to the wealthy and profitable corporations, denying ordinary workers their voting rights, civil rights,
health care, a living wage and life saving support when hard times befall them, seem
to be most prevalent among today's conservatives. Despite an average of over 240 shootings daily with 80 plus fatalities, conservatives block all efforts to pass gun safety laws (despite overwhelming public support varying between 80 and 90 percent) bringing the USA into the nations of the civilised, rather than just
the decadent rich.
From 2004 to 2013, 316,545 people died by firearms on U.S. soil, while 313
were victims of terrorism. Billions are spent to prevent deaths from terrorism
and virtually nothing to prevent domestic gun violence. Republicans
refuse to allow a vote on mandatory background checks to prevent the
obviously unstable from acquiring firearms.
Gun Safety
I have never heard of 50 innocent lives taken by a madman with a hammer
or a knife. Three year olds don't accidentally beat their little brother, sister,
mother or father to death with a hammer.
As for the constitution “A well regulated militia”, remembering that
they had single shot muzzle loaders. Not anyone who wants to take out his anger
on fellow employees for being terminated, or killing other drivers who refused
to get out of his way, with multiple 100 clip magazines.
For everyone who has used a weapon to defend against the mythical evil
doer, hundreds have killed their relatives accidentally and thousands have
murdered their families and thousands have murdered, friends, neighbours or
strangers, while further thousands have committed suicide.
Failing to recognise that the US is out of control with gun laws is unrealistic.
78% of US citizens do not own a firearm and a mere 3% own 50% of the guns.
Banning all guns would be irrational but the current slaughter is proof that
something must be done to save innocent lives. Something SANE
needs to be done to stop the slaughter of innocents. I don't pretend to
have all the answers but a realistic look at the state of affairs demands
some rational action.
Today's conservatives are best described as inhumane, selfish and greedy.
Conservative policies of exploitation at all levels; human, natural resources, wild life
and the very ecology required for the survival of our world, are driving the planet into a death spiral. Conservatives seem to drive one another further from reality into
irrational, irresponsible political positions.
My mantra of compassionate humanitarianism is today best reflected by the liberals. Liberals would rather help ten undeserving people to save a deserving needy, while conservatives would rather see ten deserving people suffer than to see one undeserving person be helped. The immoral greed supported by today's conservatives is unsustainable in the long run. We are our brother's keeper. Society has evolved to the point of being mostly civilised and willing to provide the most basic needs of even the most undeserving.
The inhumanity of the current conservatives would, if allowed to continue, destroy
humanity. Greed today has created such disparity between the haves and have nots
that it is immoral. The top five percent (the takers) have acquired ninety-eight percent of the wealth with conservative policies and support. Since money plays such a huge
role in elections, it is easy to see how the wealthy have hijacked the political process.
The lies in campaign ads both positive for the chosen one and the negative to destroy
the opponent, determine the vast majority of our lawmakers.
The makers are losing the war of survival to the takers.
I find it hard to understand how people repeatedly vote against their own best interests.
Republicans campaign to take away the necessities of life like a living wage, health care and protection from predatory practices against all life forms and the environment but
somehow many are convinced that it will only harm others and not themselves. Republicans not only vote against gun safety laws but against a living wage, wage equality between men and women, equal justice for all (including gays and transgender human beings) as well as the necessary education for survival in this complex and evolving world.
The claim of respect for all life by Republicans too is false. Many with limited means are framed or railroaded into conviction for expedience or as stepping stone for political ambition of immoral politicians. If you can't afford talented legal counsel your chances of a fair trial are negligible.
It is only women seeking abortion who are forced to respect life while Republicans
support the death penalty even though many who are executed are later proven innocent
and many on death row for decades have been exonerated of their wrongful convictions.
I am sure abortion is rarely if ever used for birth control but Republicans want to
force victims of rape and incest to bear the children even if the birth endangers the life of the mother. Republicans are willing to rip families apart, just to show they
are in control. Many living in the US are considered illegal immigrants but have
contributed significantly to the nations success for decades but some Republicans,
even if not the majority, are willing to deport them to countries they know little or
nothing about. They are even willing to deny citizenship to those born in the US
just to look tough and patriotic. This philosophy is not only immoral but unchristian.
The vast majority of people are honest and eager to earn a comfortable living.
Political decisions and greed often create situations where the burden on the
makers becomes onerous, like constantly swimming upstream in a raging torrent.
It takes courage and wisdom to recognise the need to correct unsustainable imbalances
between the haves and have nots and todays conservatives, instead of helping to solve
the problem, are mocking those struggling to remedy the intolerable inequalities.
There is a long history of denigrating and humiliating the poor by the conservatives.
The primary difference between Liberals (Democrats) and Conservatives (Republicans) is that Liberals are willing to work hard for everything they earn and are not afraid to share their wealth and expertise with others, willing to give a hand up to those in need, Conservatives are always trying to live off the efforts of others while criticising those who work hard and struggle to get ahead by their own efforts and placing obstacles in the way of workers, trying with significant effort to prevent hard working people or the less fortunate from getting ahead. Conservatives, generally, when in positions of power pay
below subsistence level wages whenever possible, while Liberals take less and give more to their employees. Conservatives while first in line for government handouts resent paying their fair share of taxes but Liberals tend to donate freely of their time, wealth and expertise for the betterment of humanity. Even poor Liberals are willing to share their meager wealth. Liberals willingly give $2 if they have 100 but Conservatives will grudgingly give $1 if they have 1000 and boast about it incessantly. Liberals take pride in and feel a sense of accomplishment by helping to improve the lives of the less fortunate; while Conservatives feel threatened by the success of others.
Conservative law makers refuse to make sure hard working Americans earn a living wage.
The exploitation of the less fortunate drives them into poverty they have no hope of
digging out from under, making them dependent forever. When you work two or three jobs
just for the roof over your head and the food on the table it is impossible to save for
a dignified retirement. Republicans keep blaming the victims of their outrageous and
immoral abandonment of a significant portion of the citizenry for their plight, blocking
every effort for the poor to be able to escape the deplorable abuse and exploitation.
Liberals tend to be Freudenfreude, meaning they take delight in someone
else’s achievements and successes, furthermore Liberals are willing to contribute significantly to help others to achieve success, without any personal gain.
Generally Conservatives are recidivist and proudly resort to mendacious rhetoric
while unashamedly Schadenfreude. Just to clarify Schadenfreude describes the sublime euphoria that suffuses a person when he hears about the misfortune of
another, mendacious is one given to lying, intentionally making untrue statements,
recidivist is someone who lapses into previous undesirable patterns of behaviour.
I must make it clear that these generalisations are not universal; there are rare exceptions to this pattern of behaviour in both Liberals and Conservatives.
Currently many Republican governed states are introducing Religious Freedom
legislation in many states to allow discrimination against Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Trans Gender and same sex marriages based on their religious beliefs.
There is NOTHING in the bible against any peaceful human, on the contrary.
Love thy neighbour is the prevalent theme in
biblical teachings. If your religion tolerates discrimination based on who someone loves,
your religion is immoral and against everything in the word of God; regardless of the
twisted interpretation or spin you choose to find comforting. God created imperfect
people and teaches only acceptance and love, not discrimination or humiliation.
There can be no just law that can justify discrimination or the
deprivation of human rights by anyone against anyone else. While Islamic teachings
discriminate against ALL who are not followers of Islam and all women, this is
unacceptable in a civilised society. Christians went through a burn, pillage, rape,
convert everyone to my faith and murder period a few centuries ago; but humanity
through the evolving of civilisation ended this barbaric practice.
Today is June 26th 2015 a most historic day in US history.
The Supreme Court
today ruled that Same sex marriage is legal throughout the USA and protected by
the US Constitution. This struggle for equal rights was not easy and was not quick.
Many states passed laws criminalising same sex relationships and denying the right
for same sex couples to marry and be treated equally under the law. Denying anyone
from loving another, regardless of colour, religion, race or gender is immoral and
inhumane. I am convinced that Republicans will find creative ways to make this equality difficult to implement.
The mere fact that the decision was not unanimous by the court clearly
demonstrates that we have a long way to go before we are truly civilised; but we are
slowly heading in the right direction.
I felt compelled to document this momentous day in history.
Conservatives acquisitiveness and mean spirited denigration of the vast majority
but most especially the working poor is evil beyond human comprehension.
A just fair minded society would not tolerate the current imbalances and Liberals while the majority seem to be losing the battle for fairness and equitability.
The Liberal philosophy of beneficence contrasts dramatically with the Conservatives
greed and persistence for ascendance is tantamount to maleficence toward civilization.
Failing to recognise that we are all in this together and only by being there for one another can our society flourish; will doom our prosperity and everything we cherish today. History students recognise that great powers remained great only while prosperity
was shared and the have nots (the makers) had an acceptable, even though not lavish lifestyle. The war on women and the poor must be dealt with in a humane and compassionate way. Humanity is evolutionary with each generation being more benevolent and
more tolerant, improving living standards and individual freedoms. Unlike the radicals
of society like Muslims and right/left wing bigots bent on controlling others, society
is progressive, enjoying ever improving standards of living, tolerance and freedoms.
Moral leadership belongs to those who are willing to provide a good education
to a healthy citizenry treated with fairness and compassion. Once a large segment of society loses hope, society is doomed. A nation that spends a disproportionate amount
of its resources on armament rather than the welfare of its people is on the
brink of failure. Take heed before you succumb to the inevitable.
Elaborating about the war on women. Conservative law-makers are passing laws
restricting women's access to family planning, contraceptives and abortion. Forcing
women to remain barefoot and pregnant, compensating them less than men performing
equal tasks perpetuates poverty and inequality. Women bear the physical and economic burden of child birth, even though it takes two to create the situation. Abortion
in my opinion should not be used as birth control but people's circumstances change
and they are the best judge of what is right for them. It is unacceptable to have
others make life changing decisions for anyone, including and perhaps especially for women. Women though in the majority are inadequately represented in the global power struggle for fairness and equality. Blaming women for being victims of rape or having
to cover their face in public so men (these weak willed out of control barbarians) are not tempted to attack them is preposterous. Much of the world openly treat women as second class citizens but their fate is not really much better in the developed world.
Out of touch old men passing laws, restricting women's right to choose and to determine their own fate, is uncivilized and immoral. Time for justice and equality.
As a footnote to Republican's struggle to dominate politics in the US, an interesting
but perhaps fatal event crept into their midst. The phenomenon known as the "Tea Party"
was welcomed into the Republican fray. The Tea Party made up of ultra right wing
conservatives opposed to virtually everything civilised and morally correct was welcomed
as a way to gain the upper hand in the political arena. This move in the long run may prove to be a "Trojan Horse" for Republicans. Having no other agenda than to oppose
everything, disrupt governance without any policies for the betterment of citizenry,
the coalition may in the long run destroy the Republican Party. With the Tea Party
as part of the established Republicans, they managed to elect a majority in the House of Representatives and eventually the Senate but their agenda soon became too radical and
uncompromising. The internal struggle within the party may be the total destruction of
a once viable institution. Republicans vote against things while Liberals fight and vote
for things. Claiming less government as a mantra the reality is they want to control
more not less. Unwilling to pay the national debt, shifting wealth from
the middle class to the one percent ultra rich, refusing to protect the environment,
making it difficult to outright denying citizens the right to vote to refusing
contraception to women and spending outrageous amounts on military power
can not bode well for the nation or its citizens.
Time will tell how this internal struggle will serve the party and indeed the nation.
The 2016 election could be a dramatic change and perhaps the beginning of the end
for the US if the likes of Cruz or Trump emerge as winners.
Trump reTweets Mussolini quote:
"It is better to live one day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep."
Regardless of who said it, I think it is valid and would be revered as memorable if
a US politician or Churchill had originally said it. Being master of your own fate
is always better than being a perpetual victim.
Despite the huge military budget, Republicans keep trying to significantly increase the
funding for our armed forces. You must of course remember that in addition to the
spending on military, huge amounts are spent on law enforcement, the CIA and other
non-military budgets for national security. Post 911 billions have been spent on Homeland Security to fight the reality of domestic and global terrorism. It may be responsible to allocate less
on military might and much more on improving the lives of those who toil endlessly
to fund the enormous budget. Education, Health Care, Food, Social Security, Infrastructure, Environment and Housing could certainly use much more attention.
Great civilizations have collapsed due to overspending on the military while neglecting the needs of its citizens.
Reducing military spending by twenty-five percent could improve the health and
well being of all citizens, while still remaining the safest nation on the planet and
significantly outspending the rest of the world. Imagine spending only ten more billion
on each of the items in the left of the chart below. The money spent on those who earn
it would improve the lives and future of all not only today but for generations to come.
My Observations about the 2016 US Election
Cruz more dangerous than Trump – by Robert Reich
Republicans Supporting Trump – Interesting statistics (SCARY)
Election Update June 2016 – Trump scares World leaders and even Republicans
Even Republicans Outraged by Trump
The Republican Party’s standard deserves to be hoisted by an honourable and decent man,
unlike Trump. It is better to lose with principle than to accept a dangerous deal from a demagogue. Time will tell if principle prevails or the GOP will hold their noses and fall in behind Trump despite the obvious danger to the American way of life he represents.
Saying women love me, Hispanics love me, I will create never before seen prosperity or
I will destroy our enemies; without a clearly defined plan is just so much hot air, like all the lies and fabrications rolling off his narcissistic lips incessantly.
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What could be scarier than this?
Research the record of each of these individuals. If these people don't remind you of
the Third Reich, you have forgotten history. Failure to learn from history dooms us to
repeat the errors of the past. |
Our allies are
terrified of a Trump victory, while our enemies are gleefully laughing at us.
Fear runs rampant throughout not only the USA but the entire civilised world, yet there are those who see something positive in the recent election. I have tried extremely hard to listen to those with a positive outlook and understand their exuberance. The best analysis I can come up with is that those who see anything remotely positive have fallen victim to a ruthless conman. To put faith in empty promises that everyone knows are impossible to deliver is irrational.
Failing to recognise that three diametrically opposing positions in a single sentence cannot all be true, and choosing the one that seems to bring a glimmer of hope and promise is the one they cling to as the basis for their vote, seems illogical. Ignoring iron clad truth and unprecedented progress for obvious undeliverables, based on flagrant lies is unfathomable.
The sad part of this is that everyone will be hurt by this evil, not only those willing to find hope in childish ignorance and boorish divisive tantrums but even those who k the truth and voted for continued prosperity and growth. This election seems to be the perfect storm of an ill-informed or purposefully ignorant minority inflicting devastation on everyone.
The first pages to be removed from the US Government website, certainly indicate the direction of the administration. The health care website, that provided health care for over 20 million, many for the first time in their lives, saving thousands of lives, so maligned by Republicans for years was the first victim but followed immediately by the
Human Rights, Civil Rights, Women’s Rights, Voting Rights, LGBT rights and Climate
Change pages; all this before the administration is 24 hours old. One might ask, What is Next?
An Associated Press combination of photos shows a view of the crowd on the National Mall at the inaugurations of President Barack Obama, top, on 20 January 2009, and President Donald Trump, bottom, on 20 January 2017. The Associated Press said both were shot shortly before noon from the top of the Washington Monument. Photograph: AP
In a blistering press room debut, Trump’s press secretary Sean Spicer accused the press of “minimising the enormous support” that had turned out for Trump the day before
(inauguration day - images above).
He first accused some media of “deliberately false reporting”.
On Saturday Spicer went on to say that photographs of the inauguration “were intentionally framed in a way in one particular tweet to minimise the enormous support that gathered on the National Mall.”
Almost shouting, Spicer continued: “Inaccurate numbers involving crowd size were also tweeted. No one had numbers because the National Park Service, which controls the National Mall, does not put any out. By the way, this applies to any attempt to count the number of protesters today (Women's March on Washington) in the same fashion.”
Then, although he had just said that no one had numbers, Spicer claimed: “This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period … These attempts to lessen the enthusiasm for the inauguration are shameful and wrong.”
Spicer took no questions, and vaguely said the administration would “hold the press accountable”. Only a few hours earlier, President Trump had addressed CIA employees at the agency’s Virginia headquarters, where he mused at length on what he claimed to be the record crowd that witnessed it. A serious question remains. If the administration goes
out of its way to so blatantly lie about easily provable facts, how can anything they say be believed or trusted? 01/21/2017
Some 200 CIA officers volunteered to attended the Saturday visit by the Commander in Chief.
Trump spent much of his speech -- which he gave in front of a memorial wall that honours the 117 CIA officers who have fallen in the line of duty -- focusing on the size of the crowd at his inauguration, his appearance on magazine covers and saying he "has a running war with the media." Calling the media most dishonest. It bares mentioning
that all demagogues attack the credibility of the media. The media is responsible for fact checking and investigative reporting of the truth behind the headlines, many have given their life for exposing the truth.
One source who attended Trump's appearance said many people there were troubled by the political aspect of the remarks, in which the president speculated about how many people in the room may have voted for him.
"We are not political in that way," the source said. "Talking about whether we voted for Trump is offensive and foreign to us by the president ... Many people felt used and awkward throughout. Of course there was applause, but it was uncomfortable."
"Former CIA Director Brennan is deeply saddened and angered at Donald Trump's despicable display of self-aggrandizement in front of CIA's Memorial Wall of Agency heroes," Nick Shapiro said in a statement. "Brennan says that Trump should be ashamed of himself."
Millions across the world marching today, the first full day of the Trump presidency, to
protest the ignorant, divisive and hateful Trump rhetoric.
Called the “Women's March on Washington” is well attended by women and children of all ages as well as thousands of men. 200,000 were
expected in Washington but over 500,000 showed up in Washington alone. Virtually all major cities in the free world marched, by the millions, in solidarity with their US sisters against Trump's undignified, misogynistic, racist and xenophobic commentary.
Beyond the disgust with the hateful Trump rhetoric the majority had positive suggestions for progress toward a more inclusive a more fair and more just world. Women rightly feel they should
not only be treated fairly as equals but must be allowed to control their own aspirations, dreams and health care without government control or interference.
One might be left wondering where all this support for truth, justice and continued progress was when it was time to vote. One can only hope that this movement for
a civilised inclusive and just society will become a force in future elections.
Many are asking where the principled Republicans are? Then again it is fair to ask
if such a breed still exists today. 01/21/2017
That’s all the devil wants of the son of God - to be let alone. That is all that the criminal wants of the law - to be let alone. All that evil men want is to be allowed to commit their evil unchallenged.
The sin of doing nothing is the deadliest of all the seven sins. The sin of supporting or trying to justify evil is perhaps more evil than the evil itself. Harassing those opposed to evil is the work of the devil. Perhaps the “Do Nothing” “Give Him a Chance” Attitude Is Responsible for Much of the Evil Residing in the White House today. We have seen throughout history what allowing evil to continue unabated until it is too late can do, and we must nip evil before they perpetrate irreparable damage to our world and our society. The protesters we see today are the saviours of our noblest values, because their cause is just.
Albert Einstein a survivor of Nazi Germany put it well, when he stated the following.
“The world will not be destroyed by those who are evil,
The Wall of Shame Updated 
A historical day in American history, December 18th 2019. Donald John Trump
Impeached. The Constitution gives the House of Representatives the sole power to impeach an official, including the President, and it makes the Senate the sole court for impeachment trials.
The two articles of Impeachment are Abuse of power and Obstruction of Congress.
Despite a lot of impeachable behaviour by Trump, Thirty thousand plus factually inaccurate statements, Fifteen thousand plus outright provable lies, he was surprised to be impeached on something he is incapable of understanding as a threat to national security
and unconstitutional, not to mention totally immoral.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi chose
the two most obvious, easy to explain and understand items for impeachment. Not only is there overwhelming evidence for both articles, by several life long patriotic career
public servants, Trump himself along with his personal lawyer Rudolph (Rudy) Giuliani
and Mick Mulvaney, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, made it obvious in
public appearances on some programs that Trump demanded the duly elected President of
Ukraine to open an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden, his
perceived top Democratic rival in the 2020 election.
Trump unilaterally withheld $391 million in aid, approved by Congress, along with a highly coveted White House visit, until an investigation was announced by the Ukrainian administration. It is notable that Ukraine a US ally is at war with Russia and desperately needs US moral and financial support against the vastly more powerful aggressor.
When Trump's illegal demand became public, a Congressional investigation ensued, resulting in the release of the Congressionally approved funding but no White House visit to the corruption fighting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Congressional
requests for information, both first hand testimony by the Executive Branch and documentation about the White House meeting and the withholding of the funding resulted
in Trump's orders to refuse any cooperation with Congress.
By comparison Nixon's crimes were akin to shoplifting a candy bar and Clinton's
grounds for impeachment were not much more than spitting on the sidewalk.
It is more than obvious that Trump's actions are a clear obstruction of
Congress being able to hold oversight over perceived inappropriate actions by the Executive Branch, as mandated by the US Constitution. Is anyone in any doubt about the fact that if anyone had exculpatory information Trump would not be demanding that they be
allowed to testify on his behalf?
Despite the indisputable, overwhelming evidence, Republicans not only voted against
investigating the facts of the case; every one of them voted against impeachment.
Not only was their vote unanimous their arguments were inane, irrational and fact free.
The Senate will have to try Trump on the impeachment articles but already the same
nonsense is emanating from Republicans willing to express an opinion.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has made it clear that his oath:
“I solemnly swear (or affirm) that in all things appertaining to the trial of ____, now pending, I will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws, so help me God.”
is as meaningless as his oath to “Defend the Constitution against ...”
Truly sad. Small wonder Congress has an approval rating of 14% currently. Democrats keep passing legislation to protect and improve the lives of citizens, only have it die on the
Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell desk without a vote or even a discussion. Seems like the Senate under McConnell is run like a dictatorship, NOT as a democratic institution. Currently there are over 275 bills passed by the House of Representatives that have been ignored and will probably never see any action.
Mr. Trump’s most egregious impeachable offences are inciting a violent insurrection against his own vice president, the Senate and the House of Representatives, January 6, 2021.
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Republicans chose Trump as their candidate in 2016. Leaders said they didn't care
if an ape won, as long as they could put a bill in front of him and have him sign it.
After years of lying about everything one could imagine, from the insignificant to the
most earth-shattering, without ever being held accountable; Trump finally did the
unthinkable. Even before the first election, which he never expected to win and probably
did not want to win, he whipped up sentiment about election fraud. Even after winning the 2016 election he claimed he won with the most significant electoral college support
in history, despite the clear evidence that it was not true. He lost the popular vote
but claimed it was due to illegal voting. After spending millions trying to prove
illegal votes were the reason for losing the popular vote, no evidence could be found to support Trump's claims. The Trump lies on a daily basis are too numerous to mention.
Months before heading into the 2020 election Trump started claiming that the election was rigged against his obvious and well earned victory. Claiming that the only way he could lose is if massive illegal voting and election cheating took place. Sadly too many
heard the irrational message, too often and bought into the lie. Despite the Corona-19
pandemic, record voting by both sides resulted in Joe Biden and Kamala Harris winning
the election in convincing fashion, with over seven million more votes than Trump
could muster. Following the election Trump held rallies claiming he was robbed and that he won the election by huge numbers. Demanding audits and recounts, taking irrational
unsubstantiated claims into court, Trump lost on every count and the Biden victory
was affirmed. Trump cultivated white supremacist, anti-semitic and neo-Nazi groups
and these malcontents invaded capital hill and breached the capital building threatening
to stop the affirmation of the vote. The unprecedented violence resulted in five deaths
and at this writing the perpetrators are being rounded up and charged for their crimes.
After years of cultivating, nurturing and encouraging domestic
terrorists with lies and misinformation on every aspect of life,
including the denial of the pandemic devastation; the Trumpista
goon squads are arming against the civilized people of the US.
Credible intelligence indicates major threats in all state capitals on
inauguration day. Republicans refuse to wear masks in huge numbers largely due to
Trump's claims that the pandemic is a hoax, the deaths are exaggerated just
to make him look bad. The death toll is nearly 400,000, with over 4,000
deaths some days, at least 300,000 due only
to lack of response by the Trump administration. One is left to wonder where
the Republicans are. Aside from Supreme court justices and huge tax cuts for the rich
Trump accomplished nothing in four years, all the time claiming how successful and productive he was.
Never in history has a president behaved so immorally. Within a week the House impeached
Trump for a second time. The Senate will have the final verdict on the outcome, in due time. Every aspect of life has suffered under the Trump administration. I am sure you can guess that I hope they throw the book at him and prevent him
from ever running for public office again. Time will tell! Stay tuned for the outcome.
History books will carry this historic image for thousands of years! If they can find 12 honest jurors a conviction in this case is immanent as are convictions in the other indictments. Trump's many crimes throughout his presidency are coming home to hold him accountable. Trump's lifetime of crime has largely gone unpunished but his attempt to undermine democracy has been considered a step too far by a significant segment of the US population.
Trump found guilty, today May 30th 2024, on all 34 counts of
felony charges for falsifying business records
to interfere with the 2016 presidential election
(won by less than 200,000 votes in 3 states).
Sentencing scheduled for July 11th 2024. Time will tell how this will
change the future! As with all convictions, there will be an appeal but
the convictions should be upheld. Felons are not allowed to run for office but
there is no law disqualifying someone from running for president.
You may have noticed a lot less being said about Trump. The Trump fatigue has just
been too much to keep posting about the never ending evil this tyrant subjects the
world to, on a daily basis.
History will record that Trump eked out a second term, becoming the 47th
president of the USA, despite losing the popular vote. Trump lost the 2020 election
resoundingly but as is his habit as a pathological liar, he refused to accept the
will of the people. The air waves were filled daily for the four years with lies,
misinformation and disinformation as has been the coward Trump's legacy throughout
his life of crime. Refusing to accept defeat, Trump tried to intimidate and threaten
election officials in many jurisdictions to change the outcome of the vote count,
giving him the victory. The courts upheld the outcome of the vote despite a deluge
of baseless and often fraudulent legal challenges.
Despite having lost the vote by over
seven million votes, Trump mounted an insurrection on the US capital where his
suppoters answered the call
“Fight like hell or you won't have country any more”
trying to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. The thugs rampaged through the capital
beating law enforcement officer within inches of their lives, severely injuring
over one hundred, threatening to hang the Vice President and threatening the lives
of all elected officials in attendance.
Trump illegally took top secret documents from the White House storing them in
an unsecured manner, refusing to return them to the government despite several requests.
The FBI eventually recovered over a hundred documents after a legally issued search
warrant that Trump labelled a raid on his residence.
Despite winning the office in 2024 with about 1.5% of the vote, the Republicans
claimed to have a resounding victory and mandate to rule as they please. On the first day
of taking office Trump pardoned the convicted criminals that attacked the capital in 2021.
Trump also issued over a hundred executive orders, many of them totally unconstitutional,
some simply making life unbearable for the vast majority of hard working patriots,
while many simply attacking the most vulnerable and defenceless.
The video below, from his second day in office highlights some of the turmoil faced by
the nation and the world. Trump attcked the
Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington
for simply asking
“Let me make one final plea. Mr. President, millions have put their trust in you. And as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic,
Republican and independent families, some who fear for their lives. And the people,
the people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry
farms and meatpacking plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants, and
work the night shifts in hospitals, they — they may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes
and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, gurdwara and temples.
I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children
fear that their parents will be taken away, and that you help those who are fleeing
war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here.
Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were all once strangers in this land. May God grant us the strength and courage to honor the
dignity of every human being, to speak the truth to one another in love and walk
humbly with each other and our God for the good of all people, the good of all
people in this nation and the world.”
Republicans fear the wrath of this narcissistic megalomaniac, incapable of decency, humanity or compassion, many of whom are simply clinging to power because they
could never earn a living in the real world. Trump in most cases picked mostly incompetent lap dogs and boot lickers to fill his cabinet, but Republicans refuse
to do their patriotic duty and live up to their oath to make sure the country
is protected by qualified leaders, not merely loyal to the whims of a dictator.
It will be an interesting four years. I hope somehow the damage will be minimal
before sanity returns to the White House.
Among the idiotic lies and misinformation, Trump's Make America Great Again,
Hire American, Buy American and of course his phantom job creation plans; despite
his and his family's businesses having everything made offshore and hiring
foreign workers, some supporters refuse to face reality. Trump keeps taking credit
for the robust economy created by Obama as well as jobs in the works for up to five years.
Visiting the Boeing facility, Trump touted all the American jobs Boeing is creating,
despite the fact that no new jobs are being created as a results of Trump policies.
The Boeing Dreamliner, in spite of Trump policies, is a thriving
American product but much of it is made across the world and assembled in the USA.
View the fallowing eye opening video (in full screen mode).
The video is presented by Robert Reich. Robert Bernard Reich is an American political commentator, professor, and author. He served in the administrations of Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter and was Secretary of Labour under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997 (the BOOM years).
The constitutionally protected news media at one time was exactly that; impartial NEWS, based on facts. Today the news is a for profit competitive entertainment medium. In order to attract larger audiences they rarely perform as investigative journalists, holding government accountable, as is their responsibility, fail to ask the tough questions. Politicians and their surrogates rant incessantly without accountability. We see responsible politicians speak in measured tones espousing their visions for the future and the good of the nation. Politicians who rant loudly get the vast majority of air time; even though their positions are usually pie in the sky desperate nonsense. Those who have a proven record and positive message are drowned out by the voices promising undeliverables more loudly. The exuberance of youth are often attracted to the noisy promises of the desperate. If the media were more responsible, our elections would produce better governance. Reason often seems to be drowned out by never ending loud, angry, irresponsible bluster. If you are unwilling to determine the facts from the incessant noise, we end up with the government we deserve.
ALL the Pundits Were Wrong
Trump Won the Election
The World Loses
Seems odd to most observers that Hillary got nearly 3 million more votes than Trump
but Trump is the winner. Americans lecture the world about Democracy yet their own
house is a real mess. Perhaps less significant but interesting is the fact that
Trump won in the sparsely populated, less educated rural areas in 2582 ridings by
36% of the vote and Hillary won a mere 472 ridings by 64% of the vote. The urban voters
voting for Hillary produce 2.4 trillion to the GDP and Trump supporters produce but
1.3 trillion and tend by enlarge to be recipients of aid from the wealth producing
urban dwellers. Despite the huge difference in the number of ridings won, the actual
vote count was in favour of Hillary by 2,864,974 votes. Trump won the Electoral College
in four states by less than 100,000 votes but these few votes gave him the Electoral
College total of 306 to Hillary's 232.
Personally I am convinced without any evidence that those who saw through the lies, deception, bluster and the unconstitutional promises did not vote for Trump, but those
who were hoping for some of his rants being true took a chance.
An interesting observation about the US Constitution. Every state gets 2 Senators.
States with a population of 40,000,000 get as much say about governing all the people
as a state with a population of 8,000,000; hardly a democratic process.
By 2040 30% of the population will control 68% of Senate votes in the USA due to
population growth.
One man one vote carries a disproportionate control over the fate of the nation.
To boot, each State decides how to allocate the Electoral College votes in their state. Some states allocate 100% to the majority vote getter, while others allocate proportionally by the party supported. Add to this the gerrymandering by the state governments to produce favourable results to the governing party. If all this seems undemocratic, your observation is absolutely correct.
Between the built-in inequities, gerrymandering and the prominent voter suppression,
it seem a miracle the nation has survived as long as it has.
The US is hardly a Democratic Republic as they claim.
Some changes must be made to have a more equitable form of governance.
American version of O Canada – Response to the Trump victory
Hate crimes are escalating across the US and Neo-Nazi group membership is rising.
Neo-Nazi 'alt-right' crowd cheers the president-elect with 'Hail Trump'.
Trump has condemned the cast of Hamilton for expressing concern about the
racist rhetoric by both Trump and his first few cabinet selections, yet refuses
to condemn the hate crimes and Neo-Nazi groups and their overtly racist propaganda.
Time will tell how things turn out but Trump surrounding himself with the most vile
and despicable advisors, surrogates and cabinet members is creating fear across
the civilised world and most especially our allies. Evil takes root when good men fail
to act. Republicans seem to forget about We The People when campaigning and especially once they take office. Republicans ignore the golden rule of
government of the people, by the people, for the people yet seem to find support
among the ill-informed looking for womb to tomb, un-earned security.
History seems destined to repeat itself with the racist, misogynistic, xenophobic and
overtly Anti-Islamic, Anti-Semitic and Anti-Press language emanating from the Trump administration. Trump coming into office with an approval rating of a mere 32% on inauguration day. We have never had a president take office with two active investigations about his victorious campaign till today. Republicans seem more than willing to ignore Trump's unconstitutional and tyrannical behaviour in order to
forge ahead with their unpopular agenda, repudiated repeatedly by the vast majority of the voting public.
Trump is on the warpath, with fact free arguments and outright lies, to reverse all the progress we have made over the last few decades. For the past eight years, Republicans skewered President Obama as an "emperor" for the executive orders he issued from the Oval Office. Every one of Obama's executive orders improved the lot of a significant portion of Americans, immigrants, poor, the environment or common sense gun safety regulations. Now, they are cheering President Donald Trump as he issues a raft of executive orders, which largely harm the American
way of life and security.
Some of the first executive actions by Trump and the Republicans:
Equal protection for women, equal pay for equal work or
a living wage as well as environmental protection initiatives are all gutted within the first week of the Trump presidency.
The Trump appointments to his cabinet clearly demonstrate his world view and total incompetence.
If these are not classic cases of insanity, immoral and unjust behaviour, I can't think of anything that qualifies. There are those who not only voted for this pure evil but
wholeheartedly support his tyrannical actions. It is fair to ask, what kind of people
are willing to cheer on and support such obvious evil? Those who feel they need to be
punished for something they have done, and get satisfaction from such masochism,
should practice their atonement in private, without imposing such evil on the rest of society. Trump supporters remind me of the case where in 1983 a woman in Newbedford, Massachusetts was gang raped in a pool hall while the non participating patrons cheered the perpetrators on, encouraging more and more outrageous acts of brutality.
The man who built his fortune by extortion, exploitation, bullying and intimidation seems to think he can continue on the path that got him into office.
The nation can't borrow money it never intends to pay back, nor declare bankruptcy, unlike the Trump empire. Threatening small business people with onerous law suits, bullying and intimidation, can make you rich but nations may retaliate against
Americans with guns and bombs, when bullied and humiliated.
Epistemological hedonism
Psychological or motivational hedonism claims that our behaviour is determined by the desire to increase pleasure and to decrease pain. Epistemological hedonism then, describes positions based not on fact, per se, but on the increase of pleasure or decrease of pain.
Trump fails to accept anything that displeases him, choosing to live in fantasy world filled with lies, misinformation, disinformation and manufactured conspiracy theories that support his twisted view of the world. The Constitution should contain a provision that allows immediate removal of elected officials who fail to uphold their Oath. It seems odd that a convicted criminal is not allowed to vote, yet they are allowed to run for elected office.
The Presidential Oath
"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God."
The world finally took positive steps to save the planet from climate change, caused by
human activity, called the Paris Accord. 195 nations all pledged to reduce harmful
emissions to reverse the devastating and measurable effects of human activity destroying
our planet. Replacing fossil fuel, a major cause of damage to the global environment,
with renewable non polluting fuel sources (clean energy), promised to save the planet
from irreversible damage. All but 0.03% of scientists agree we must change our ways to save the planet.
With the stroke of a pen, on June 1st 2017, Donald Trump joined Nicaragua and
Syria as the only nations rejecting the science designed to save our planet.
The clean energy initiative, called the Paris Accord, designed to stop the growth of temperatures by a mere 1.5° C is the first major global initiative to protect our planet from irreversible damage caused by irresponsible human activity, which ignores the damage we have already done to our planet. Scientists agree that a mere 0.5° C
change is causing enormous damage, famine and damaging weather phenomenon around the globe.
The clean energy industry in the US has created a half million previously unheard of
jobs in the few years of its existence. This growing and innovative industry designed
to make the world a safer, more healthy and prosperous place created hope for the
survival of our planet. The vast majority of Americans and even the fossil fuel
industry supports the clean energy initiative to save our planet. All we can do is hope
that the next President can restore the credibility of the US in the world.
Every argument Trump used for abandoning the Paris Accord was a complete and total lie
as is usual with Trump. The man is pure evil but Republicans need to get a backbone
and abandon their morally and intellectually bankrupt support for irrational and
dishonest nonsense.
It seems inevitable that the Trump tax plan, permanently transferring wealth from
the wealth creators to the wealth hoarders, will become the law of the land.
The US population in 2017 was 325.7 million. Three Americans have more wealth than
the bottom 50% of the nation; yet Trump and the Republicans are passing laws to further shift wealth from the wealth creators to the wealthiest, creating an increased national
debt that will in the long run be paid for by the working class.
The tax policy will cost millions their health care coverage, leaving them without medical care. To pay for the tax grab further attacks on social services will leave
the working poor and the most vulnerable in desperate shape, all with zero support
from Democrats and only 22% support from the tax paying public.
Officials at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the very agency tasked with saving and protecting the lives of the most vulnerable, are now under order by the Trump administration to stop using words including "vulnerable" in 2018 budget documents. A total of seven banned words, an analyst told the paper. On the list: "diversity," "fetus," "transgender," "vulnerable," "entitlement," "science-based" and "evidence-based."
Alternative word choices reportedly were presented in some cases. For instance, in lieu of "evidence-based" or "science-based," an analyst might say, "CDC bases its recommendations on science in consideration with community standards and wishes," the source said. But those working on the Zika virus's effect on developing fetuses may be at a loss for appropriate -- or acceptable -- words.
So much for freedom of speech in the land where the First Amendment,
an amendment to the Constitution of the United States guaranteeing the right of free expression; includes freedom of assembly and freedom of the press and freedom of religion and freedom of speech are under attack. Given the sheer irrational stupidity of banning these specific words leads me to believe there will be serious backpedalling about this. The administration is attacking universally accepted standards; health care, education, science, the press, the judiciary and basic human rights including voting rights.
Trump is appointing totally unqualified Republican, mostly white men, candidates to fill federal judgeships, a lifetime service, on top of cabinet positions designed to dismantle the institutions designed to protect such essentials as health care, the environment, women, workers, financial services and minorities.
Freedom of speech is a double edged sword.
My freedom to criticize your free speech of hatred, fear mongering, discrimination, misogyny, xenophobia, racism, religious intolerance and outright lies; must be protected at all costs or we descend into anarchy and lawlessness. Wars have been fought to protect
civil rights, civil liberties and human rights. Your religion or freedom of speech can not infringe on my rights or the rights of others to pursue their happiness or to express
their opinions.
Ironically Trump asked the question "When will the world stop laughing at us?"
The answer of course is, when we start behaving like adults and remove evil morons
like Trump from positions of power.
12/13/2017 02:17 EST
“A president who’d all but call a senator a whore is unfit to clean toilets in Obama’s presidential library or to shine George W. Bush’s shoes,” USA Today’s Editorial Board wrote, adding Trump was clearly suggesting Gillibrand would trade sexual favours for campaign donations.
The board added that Trump is a “uniquely awful” person with “sickening behaviour.” His tweet was a new low for a president redefining rock bottom, they wrote.
Opinions shared by over 60% of Americans, by not a Democratic leaning publication.
Finally more and more recognising evil for what evil really is.
I think the disgusting one’s days are numbered. The civilised are condemning Trump universally. Only the lowest of the low and dumbest of the dumb along with the gullible are still supporting this buffoon.
At a time when the top 1% controls more wealth than the bottom 90% combined, Republicans pass tax reform that distributes 83% of the benefit to the wealthiest 1%,
adding 1.5 trillion to the national debt. I call this Black Tuesday 12/19/2017 based on the irrational and obscene wealth grab from the wealth creators to the wealth hoarders. With the stroke of a pen, 13 million have lost their health care to boot. It will take at least a generation to recover from this insanity.
NATO is an alliance of shared values and unity, designed to defend against the alternatives such as Communism, Nazism and other barbaric dictatorships sewing discontent, hostility and division. NATO is proof that we are stronger together. The hand grenade diplomacy of Trump is destroying everything that made not only America a prosperous and generous leader of the world but brought peace and prosperity to much of the world. Attacking each of our allies is similar to throwing a hand grenade into a room filled with loyal allies just to see them scramble with no positive outcome possible.
No nation has benefited more from the NATO alliance than the USA by providing markets to American made products throughout post war, recovering nations. Trade imbalances have served as an investment to prevent catastrophic hostilities that would cost many, many times more to recover from; an ounce of prevention preventing a tonne of cure. NATO is the greatest and most successful military alliance in the history of the world, yet Trump
is doing Putin's bidding to destabilise this organisation and world stability.
"Donald Trump's press conference performance in Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of 'high crimes & misdemeanours.' It was nothing short of treasonous," Brennan, a frequent critic of Trump who served as CIA chief from 2013 through January 2017, tweeted during the event. "Not only were Trump's comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are you???"
Trump outperformed himself today. The worst predictions made by Republican presidential
hopefulls and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton; short of nuclear war,
were overshadowed by the abysmal performance by Trump in Helsinki.
Senator John McCain who ran for president unsuccessfully against Barack Obama in 2008
is a national treasure. I don't agree with many of McCain's policies but recognise
his contributions to not only the US but the world. McCain has been a rare, sober voice
in the current Republican party, hijacked by Trump. McCain suffering from terminal
brain cancer is still speaking out against tyranny and the abdication of responsibility
by the Republican Congress. McCain has served his country honourably,since turning 17 and
generally puts country first, ahead of party politics.
"Today's press conference in Helsinki was one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory," McCain said. "The damage inflicted by President Trump's naiveté, egotism, false equivalence, and sympathy for autocrats is difficult to calculate. But it is clear that the summit in Helsinki was a tragic mistake."
"President Trump proved not only unable, but unwilling to stand up to Putin," McCain said. "He and Putin seemed to be speaking from the same script as the president made a conscious choice to defend a tyrant against the fair questions of a free press, and to grant Putin an uncontested platform to spew propaganda and lies to the world."
The shameful betrayal of country and allies by Trump in recent weeks seems to have
turned the tide. Every great power, Rome, Egypt, Mongols and British Empire, eventually fades from dominance. It would seem the American influence, probably the shortest lived
of all super powers seems destined to lose its grip and dominance in a single generation;
due almost exclusively to Trump destroying, supported by Republican cowardice, all vestiges of integrity, compassion, humanity, justice and loyalty. Trump has lost the
trust of allies and the credibility of the USA for no reason, other than selfish
belief that he is worthy of respect; despite his lack of intellect, integrity and
his constant lies about the most insignificant and trivial things.
Trumps irrational bluster and rantings alienate allies, his cocooning mentality
is ceding power and respect to China and other emerging economies, diminishing US
global influence. World powers are becoming stronger and more independent both militarily
and economically, marginalising the US. The US will suffer irreparable damage domestically and globally due to Trump's boorish behaviour.
“Just remember, what you are seeing and what you are reading is not what’s happening,” Trump said. “Just stick with us, don’t believe the crap you see from these people, the fake news.”
July 24, 2018 — 3:42 PM EDT
Trump's ultimate insanity in keeping with most evil dictators:
It is important to remember Trump considers the responsible media outlets and dedicated journalists, fact checkers, The Enemy of the People, labelling them Fake News! Our dedicated intelligence services, law enforcement and judiciary are undermined, maligned and ridiculed by Trump and his supporters. The Trump mantra is "Divide and Conquer". The only occupation expressly protected by the US Constitution is journalism. The media keeps the public informed about the actions of those in power.
The parallels to Orwell's 1984 are chilling. Believe me, NOT what you see or hear.
The pathological liar is conditioning his minions to follow him into hell. But unfortunately the entire nation is being dragged down the same destructive path.
Trump often has multiple versions of events and multiple positions on really big issues
within the same speech or even the same sentence.
"The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears.
It was their final, most essential command."
— George Orwell, "1984"
Update:
Aug-02-2018
When Deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked to state that the press
is NOT the enemy of the people as Trump has repeatedly stated, she refused. Her explanation was the media is questioning the actions of the president instead of reporting how well the economy is doing, how many more have jobs today than at the beginning of the administration etc. etc.
Trump and his minions seem to forget that the media is NOT the cheering section for the
administration. The press fact checks actions, statements and claims; keeping the public
informed about what is happening. Trump has been documented as lying 7.6 times every day
since assuming the Presidency 558 days ago. Trump keeps gloating over the robust economy
Obama is responsible for creating and has been improving steadily for over 10 years. Everything he claims is the best since he assumed the helm and
everything done before his ascension was the worst in history. The Trump administration has done more harm to the domestic and global security, the environment and just about everything he
has touched, than any administration in the history of the USA.
Trump has been under investigation since before he took office for many illegal activities including conspiring with Russia to win the 2016 election. Putin himself stated without hesitation that he took action to make Trump win the Presidency. Congress has abdicated its responsibility of oversight, over the Executive branch of government as defined in the Constitution they swore to uphold.
The media does not report that Ford has sold 3 million cars that function as designed; what they report on is the few vehicles that fail or don't meet the claimed efficiency or safety standards. So it is with reporting on the activities of those in power. It is not the responsibility of the press to be the propaganda arm of any organisation but the
fact checker, the watchdog, of those whose activities affect the lives of ordinary people. As stated before
The White House on Sunday (10/06/2019) endorsed a Turkish military operation into northern Syria and indicated U.S. troops would withdraw from the area after a phone call between President Donald Trump and his Turkish counterpart, an abrupt shift in policy that would leave Syrian Kurds, U.S. partners, at the mercy of Ankara.
The move goes against the recommendations of top defence and military officials, who have sought to keep a small U.S. presence in northeast Syria to continue the operation against the Islamic State and reassure the Kurds that Turkey will not launch an invasion. Ankara considers the Kurdish fighters to be a terrorist insurgency and has long condemned American support to the group.
“Turkey has just overturned two years of effort to defeat ISIS, an effort they did nothing to assist with,” said one senior administration official who requested anonymity. “The entire DOD leadership was opposed.”
The Kurds fought with US support to defeat ISIS. The US supplied intelligence and
military hardware to the Kurdish forces in the fight to defeat the brutal ISIS caliphate.
The Kurds lost over 11,000 lives and suffered over 23,000 injuries in the struggle with less than a dozen US forces being killed. Trump abandoned our courageous and capable
allies against all common sense and against all advice by US military experts, forcing the Kurds to seek Russian support for their survival. The US suffered the most significant loss of credibility in the history of the world on the whim and impulse of
the most incompetent boor to occupy the Oval Office.
The damage Trump has done to both domestic and global security may never be recovered from. Impeachment can prevent further damage but will never undo the devastating damage
already perpetrated on the world. How the GOP can be so cowardly and support such an evil
incompetent boor, as the leader of this once great nation, is incomprehensible.
Pelosi to Trump
“All roads with you lead to Putin?”
Nancy Pelosi puts Donald Trump in his place 2019/10/16
A vote for Trump, the narcissistic sexual predator, is a vote to destroy freedom and democracy around the world. Trump's lifetime of crime against decency, humanity and civility almost destroyed America when he took on the Presidency. Trump
surrounded himself with criminals, doing his bidding; many convicted and imprisoned only to be pardoned later, frequently those who could provide evidence of Trump's criminal activities. Trump fired all those who tried to investigate his crimes, never stopped his daily lies; ruled by fear, threats, misinformation. The national debt increased by 25% under Trump's rule while he gave huge profits to the donor class at the expense of the middle class. The GOP is threatening not to pay the bills incurred by Trump, throwing the world into a financial crises, hurting all Americans. Nearly a million died needlessly because Trump failed to act to protect Americans against the pandemic.
Republicans have abandoned intellect and integrity, forcing all remaining republicans refusing to join the Trump cult of evil out of the party. Trump did not invent evil but he certainly made sure republicans lost their moral compass. Trump promised to clean up the none existent swamp, only to turn a mere wet spot into a cesspool. Trump said he loved the "uneducated unwashed" who were his supporters but he would never want to shake hands with any of them. Republicans have become morally and intellectually bankrupt. Trump fuelled the insurrection of January 6th 2021, trying to steal the 2020 election after winning the 2016 election only with Putin's support. Repeatedly sided with Russia and other dictators against the US. Trump was voted the single most existential threat against world peace.
Justice is moving slowly but several criminal investigations are under way to hold Trump
accountable for many of his outrageous crimes, both while in office and as a private citizen. For now there is but a single 34 count criminal indictment ... stay tuned.
Failing to learn from history will result in repeating the mistakes of the past. Never forget that it can happen again unless you act! The Trump cult has tried to make WOKE into something undesirable, just like everything else we have cherished throughout history. Never allow someone else to define who you are or what you stand for.
There are forces at work to control life in the US from what you are allowed to read, what you are allowed to study, to what history is acceptable to teach. A woman’s right to choose is under attack by most republican jurisdictions. Forcing anyone to bear children they know they cannot afford is immoral. Unless you are willing to pay for raising children you force to be born, you have no right to interfere in families deciding what is the right thing for them to do. Threatening women and doctors with imprisonment for seeking or providing necessary health care is against everything a free society stands for. Freedom is a precious, God given human right and must be preserved at all costs.
The choice is yours!
Vote for freedom and decency or vote to lose it all with Trump, or today’s Republicans!
Added 05/16/2023
Trump took office January 20th 2025 and proceeded to prove how incompetent and irrational he is. Surrounding himself with unqualified lapdogs who showed support for his insane prposals or simply feared standing up to him and his largely uneducate and uninformed cult, many outright criminals, threatening anyone and everyone willing to fight for truth, justice and freedom. Trump has turned the USA into a police state, promising to destroy anyone unwilling to bow down to his every insane whim.
Added 01/25/2025
Not a huge surprise but Trump called President Obama an “emperor” for issuing Executive Orders.
It goes without saying that every one of Obama's Executive Orders were
issued to solve a problem congress failed to address, each one being something to
help the public be safer and more protected from various systemic abuses or
injustices. The chart above clearly demonstrates the number of Executive Orderes
by each recent president. Obama 277 in 8 years of his presidency while Donald Trump
issued 220 in his first 4 year term. Many of Trump's orders removed essential
protections and irrational or non existent perceptions or fabrications.
Trump in his second term has issued many Executive Orders in the first few days, virtually all reversing much needed protections from individual freedoms.
Trump's orders are designed to be authoritarian and dictatorial, many doing irreperable harm to human rights, civil rights or simply protecting society from grave injustices
or dangers. Time will tell how drastically Trump undermines justice and freedom
provided for by the constitution in his second term in office.
Trump is ruling by hate and cruelty. Storm troopers are indiscriminately arresting
people of colour to verify they are not in the country illegally. Some citizens have
been rounded up along with women and childeren to be deported. Many are in the country
for decades without getting legal residency status. These people work and pay taxes
without being eligible for any benefits. Immigration has been a problem for decades
with congress failing to act to solve the problem. Bipartisan solutions have been
blocked by Trump, using the problem as a reason to put him in power. People fleeing
injustice and often starvation level poverty hoping to find freedom and a future
for their children only to face hate and dicrimination by the Trump cult.
Giving sanctuary is the law of humanity but not enough resources are committed to
solving the problem. Legal avenues of seeking asylum are often blocked by Trump
forcing people to go underground to survive. Making up lies about the hard working
asylum seekers “they are eating your cats and dogs, they are taking your jobs” to foster hate and mistrust is the Trump way of treating these people.
Trump pardoning the domestic terrorists (over 150) responsible for the 2021
January 6th insurrection at the capital, based on Trump's lies about the election
he clearly lost being stolen is probaly the most insane and unjust action by any leader
in the history of the USA. At least two people, who were convicted in connection
with the US Capitol riots, have “rejected” the pardon issued by
President Donald Trump. Police officers were attacked and over 140 were injured
while being beaten to within inches of their life for protecting elected officials
from death threats.
In a late-night Friday (January 24th) move, President Donald Trump fired at least 17 independent watchdogs -- known
as inspectors general -- at multiple federal agencies. An Inspector General has the responsibility to make sure their agency is operating within the bounds of
the US Constitution and not breaking the laws of the land (Waste, Fraud & Abuse).
While inspectors general can be fired by the president — it can only happen after communicating with Congress 30 days in advance and in 2022 Congress strengthened the law requiring administrations to give a detailed reasoning for any firing. Needless to say, the 30 day detailed notice of removal that the law demands was
not provided to Congress by Trump and may in actual fact be as lawless as Trump's
entire life. Stay tuned for lawsuits!
Added 01/27/2025
The unlawful insanity continues unabated. Hard to keep up with Trump's
destructive insanity. Not only did he fire inspectors general but he has withdrawn
from the
World Health Organisation and the Paris Climate Accord.
Trump ordered all to stop working for the WHO immediately.
About 200 nations committed (Paris Climate Accord) to fighting man made global climate change, respnsible for
untold disasters and mass extinction of many species. Trump and his cult are in denial
of the most obvious and daily observable climate crises caused by the indiscriminate
use of fosil fuels, refusing to fund reserch into alternative sources of energy.
You can save a trillion dollars by ignoring the problem but it can take 10, 20 trillion
or more to fix the problem once it gets out of control.
Trump put a complete halt into medical research into fighting Cancer, Diabetes and
HIV as well as Vaccine Research (may be more) conducted by the world's premier infectious disease research organisation National Institutes of Health.
NIH supports and conducts biomedical and behavioral research.
The Center Disease Control Foundation is a non-profit organization
responsible for controlling the introduction and spread of infectious diseases, and provides consultation and assistance to other nations and international agencies to assist in improving their disease prevention and control, environmental health, and health promotion. These organisation have been ordered to stop ALL activity including
communication with health care organisations domestically and globally.
In addition to the above insanity and leagally questionable actions, Trump fired
investigators responsible for investigating Trump's outragous crimes and those
who investigated and held the January 6th insurrectionists accountable for their crimes.
The constant whining about being persecuted flies in the face of reality. Of the
hundreds if not thousands of crimes, ordinary citizens would be in jail for, Trump
committed, a mere handful of the most egregious ever resulted in actual criminal charges. This coward has no sense of reality, truth, justice or fairness. There are not enough resources to hold Trump accountable for all his brazenly outragous lies and crimes.
Trump is actually doing what he claims were done to him by the Department Of Justice and
destroying the lives of career professionals doing what is demanded of them by a
just and honest system. The right wing cult fears nothing more than truth, facts
and justice. Trump in his first term, and even when out of office, Republicans spent months and billions on investigating Democrats, including President Biden, on fabricated
unfounded allegations without a shred of evidence.
Trump sent an e-mail to TWO MILLION Federal employees to QUIT.
Trump also issued orders to stop shipment of life saving medication and food to poor countries in desperate need of support.
The insanity just continues.
Trump abandoned Ukraine, siding with Putin. All shipments of military equipment and
vital intelligence has been halted immediately. Over 120 nations and over 70% of
Americans have expressed support for Ukraine. Hopefully Ukraine will have enough
support to prevail against the illegal Russian invasion.
There just is not enough space here to provide adequte disdain for the evil
Trump, with Republican support, is unleashing on the world. To expose the full truth
could take several books, not a mere webpage. History will certainly document how
the once powerful world power lost all sense of truth justice fairness and humanity.
Updated 01/28/2025
“A form of political behaviour marked by obsessive preoccupation with community decline, humiliation or victimhood and by compensatory cults of unity, energy and purity, in which a mass-based party of committed nationalist militants, working in uneasy but effective collaboration with traditional elites, abandons democratic liberties and pursues with redemptive violence and without ethical or legal restraints goals of internal cleansing and external expansion.”
If you don't see Trump and his rise to power in the above you probably failed reading
comprehension. Other definitions also mention the
delegitimising, humiliation of media and
the judiciary to gain tyrannical despotic power. Trump has made constant practice of pathologically lying about the most insignificant matters, while making every effort to discredit the media, judiciary and anyone unwilling to bow down to him, including the leaders of our allied nations and even the Pope. Trump's "I am the way" rhetoric about everyone being incompetent and stupid is typical of history's notable dictators.
Nothing the Trumps of this world hate more than truth and being held accountable.
I am afraid the mess created by the election of Trump will not be fixed in our
lifetime. Giving permission to the lowest of the low to hate and besmirch everything
civilized will take years, perhaps decades to remedy. The problem has
grown to global proportions and the genie will be difficult to put back in the
proverbial bottle. Undermining truth and hard work with lies and irrational
fabrications appeals to the lowest base instincts of the lowest among us.
Personally I am shocked at the numbers that seem willing to destroy humanity and the planet for no reason other than pure mean spirited ignorance.
As I See It – Personal Opinions
The Beacon On The Hill – Personal Observations
Senator Reid on Trump – Democratic Leader's opinions (My comments added)
Donald Trump displays classic traits of mental illness – Psychologists warn (01/30/2017) – Printable copy below
Why psychiatrists are speaking out about Donald Trump's mental health?
Hillary Clinton claimed Trump was “temperamentally unfit” to be President, and in recent months many people the world over have reached the same conclusion.
Clinton was, of course, Trump’s political opponent, but some psychologists have now started questioning his state of mind.
Until recently, psychologists weren't allowed to assess public figures and talk to journalists about their findings. But this rule is now being cast aside and mental health experts are speaking out about Trump.
In a bid to warn the public, psychologists are publishing their diagnoses of Trump. Most recently, John D. Gartner said Trump “is dangerously mentally ill and temperamentally incapable of being president.”
He believes Trump shows signs of “malignant narcissism,” which is defined as a mix of narcissism, antisocial personality disorder, aggression and sadism in Campbells’ Psychiatric Dictionary.
Narcissism is in fact one of the most common diagnoses of Trump from psychologists: “Narcissism impairs his ability to see reality so you can't use logic to persuade someone like that,” clinical psychologist Dr. Julie Futrell told NY Daily News.
“Three million women marching? Doesn't move him. Advisers point out that a policy choice didn't work? He won't care.”
In December, three leading professors of psychiatry wrote to Barack Obama expressing their grave concerns over Trump's mental stability:
“His widely reported symptoms of mental instability - including grandiosity, impulsivity, hypersensitivity to slights or criticism, and an apparent inability to distinguish between fantasy and reality - lead us to question his fitness for the immense responsibilities of the office,” the professors from Harvard Medical School and the University of California wrote to the then President, urging him to order a “full medical and neuropsychiatric evaluation” of the then President-elect.
Just after the election, a group called Citizen Therapists Against Trumpism was created, which was joined by thousands of psychologists. They published a manifesto warning of Trump’s psychosis, citing the following as the signs to fear:
“Scapegoating and banishing groups of people who are seen as threats, including immigrants and religious minorities; degrading, ridiculing, and demeaning rivals and critics; fostering a cult of the Strong Man who appeals to fear and anger; promises to solve our problems if we just trust in him; reinvents history and has little concern for truth (and) sees no need for rational persuasion.”
The American Psychiatry Association has a nine-point checklist for narcissism - if someone displays just five of the traits, they have Narcissistic Personality Disorder:
1.Has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognised as superior without commensurate achievements).
2.Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love.
3.Believes that he or she is “special” and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions).
4.Requires excessive admiration.
5.Has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favourable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations.
6.Is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends.
7.Lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognise or identify with the feelings and needs of others.
8.Is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her.
9.Shows arrogant, haughty behaviours or attitudes.
Even Trump’s most ardent supporters might struggle to deny the President displays at least five of those characteristics.
Misogynists more likely to be mentally ill, study shows.
Through numerous interviews and his infamous tweeting sprees, it seems Trump only believes facts that praise him - anything else is ‘fake news’ in his eyes. And according to psychologists, this pathological disconnection from reality is dangerous.
He surrounds himself with people who admire and applaud him, and goes on angry tirades against journalists who enrage him by daring to suggest anything negative about him.
Trump’s team will only tell him what he wants to hear, thus pandering to his narcissistic and sociopathic ways.
“With Trump, he's a disturbed person who protects himself by building up his ego and tearing down others,” an anonymous psychologist explained to the NY Daily News.
One woman who used to be one of Trump's construction workers, Barbara Res, emailed the NY Daily News with a story from 1982 when she was working on one of his construction sites. The NY Times had just published an article about narcissism, which one of the team-members brought to work.
“Being the team who was charged with building Trump Tower, we all knew Donald Trump very well, especially myself. To a person, we all agreed that the characteristics outlined in the article fit Donald to a 'T'. Now, 35 years later, professionals are saying what we knew back then. Only now he is so much worse.”
Majority of Americans now disapprove of Donald Trump as president.
For a “severe narcissist” like the President, the need to maintain the self-image is so great that he “bends reality to fulfil whatever fantasy about power, wealth, beauty, etc. he maintains” Futrell added.
The Citizen Therapists’ manifesto believes Trump’s egotistical ways are creating “the illusion that real Americans can only become winners if others become losers.”
“Simply stated, Trumpism is inconsistent with emotionally healthy living.”
However some mental health experts believe we should be wary of psychologists diagnosing someone they've never met:
The University of Glasgow's Professor of Psychiatry Daniel Smith told The Independent:
“It's considered not very ethical or good practice to comment on things like this if you've never assessed the individual. It's also important to remember that there's a difference between personality disorder and mental illness.”
But nonetheless, as more psychologists speak out, the more worrying the situation appears.
Donald Trump displays classic traits of mental illness
– Psychologists warn (01/30/2017)
Printable version
Trump keeps praising Putin as a strong leader but in addition he compares, and often equates the Putin murder of his political opponents and the murder of innocents around the world with how Americans conduct themselves around the world. There is no moral equivalency between Putin and America. You have to wonder what the Trump Putin
connection being investigated will uncover. The insanity of Trump is so obvious it
is painful to watch.
Video Source
Time to stop blaming everyone else for our ignorance and seek out the facts. Belittling dedicated leaders, scientists and journalists with fact free disinformation is destroying not only our unity but the recovery of our world from the disastrous, destructive Trump misinformation years. Failing to accept reality is disastrous for the future of our freedom, our democracy and our very existence.
I hope we can return to the world of truth, decency and justice, our forefathers
died to create, preserve and pass down to us.
WorldCovid.html – Covid-19 Pandemic Statistis
46th President of the United States
Sadly two giants of the fight for equality and justice, Elijah Cummings and John Lewis, never got to see the defeat of the unprecedented evil occupying the White House but were certainly instrumental in the victory of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris over Donald Trump.
Obama not only brought grace and dignity back to the White House, but he also accomplished a lot. This was a remarkable man; easily the most “presidential” president we have seen in our lifetime and probably for some lifetimes to come. And he has
accomplished a lot, despite the hurdles we placed in his way, not the least of which was a Republican Congress that refused to do anything he proposed because they wanted to damage him personally and his legacy. I am convinced Republicans would vote against the ten commandments if Obama proposed them. Obama leaves office with one of the highest approval ratings (over 60%), leaving behind a liberal record that we can be proud of.
We elect governments to serve us, not lead us.
We supposedly elect them to follow our lead and provide us with the services that make our country and our lives better.
Consider what Democrats have done over the years; Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP, WIC and AFDC (welfare). They also created OSHA, the SEC, the FHA, HUD, the EPA, the FTC, health care reform, the Civil Rights Act, including Title IX, the Voting Rights Act, and even the ADA. Obama strived to improve the lives of all Americans and despite the
obstructionist Congress had many successes.
Leaving office Obama leaves behind a robust economy. Unemployment at 4.7% down from the
10% when taking office; markets have tripled in the last 8 years, wages have increased
in real terms for the first time in over three decades, unprecedented job growth for
eighty-two consecutive months, saved the auto industry along with well over a million jobs and reduced the deficit from 9.8% to 3.2%. Add to these the improved respect and services provided to veterans, justice reform, providing a hand up to the working poor and restoring respect to the US by not only our allies but even our adversaries.
Obama Accomplishments – An incomplete but comprehensive record
Obama’s Presidency saw the Dow go from just around 6,450 at its low point eight years ago to the precipice of 20,000 today. If Trump can match Obama’s performance the Dow will be at inconceivable levels of 61,500 in eight years (assumes Trump will last eight years). Despite the rhetoric you hear from the sky is falling doom and gloom Republicans, the US recovery outpaced the next ten best performing economies of the world. Comparing progress and growth has to be done compared to current global economic conditions, not some historical record of one’s choosing as some try to do.
The following highlights President Obama's record of economic accomplishments in his
eight years in office.
The Obama Presidency – The outline of accomplishments
Some Facts about Obama's Presidency –
Complete Details & References
Source of Facts – hope the website is still available
Many tout Reagan as performing magic but Obama outperforms Reagan in almost every
respect.
Obama Outperforms Reagan On Jobs, Growth And Investing
"Now that 'Boomers' are retiring we are seeing the percentage of those seeking employment decline. This has nothing to do with job availability, and everything to do with a highly predictable ageing demographic."
"What's now clear is that the Obama administration policies have outperformed the Reagan administration policies for job creation and unemployment reduction. Even though Reagan had the benefit of a growing Boomer class to ignite economic growth, while Obama has been forced to deal with a retiring workforce developing special needs. During the eight years preceding Obama there was a net reduction in jobs in America. We now are rapidly moving toward higher, sustainable jobs growth."
Reality is, today there are more job openings than people looking for work.
Sadly many jobs require professionals, unavailable in the US today. More jobs are
being replaced by automation than outsourcing to cheaper off shore labour.
Being the best wagon wheel maker or making the best buggy whip no longer provides job security, and despite all the Trump promises, these jobs will never be restored.
All projections indicate that four out of every ten jobs of today will be replaced by automation, within the next decade. Hillary promised to retrain the workforce in order to keep them earning a living in dignity, instead of promising to bring back jobs that will
never exist again. The graveyard of rusted out factories dotting the rust belt
is not due to unfair trade practices or cheap offshore labour; it is mostly due to
automation and factories producing obsolete products that once provided a good living to millions.
Instead of idle promises, or saving a few jobs from moving, a comprehensive plan
needs to be developed to keep Americans productive and contributing to the economy
and the nations prosperity. Those feeling cheated by the current economy need to examine
their own willingness to take responsibility for acquiring and maintaining marketable
skills instead of clinging to pipe dreams and empty promises.
The Republican base supporting Trump have been brainwashed into believing it's all
the fault of "elites" contemptuous of ordinary Americans. Immigrants take the jobs
of ordinary working people at lower rates. Instead of accepting responsibility for
not keeping up with the demands of market conditions with appropriate education and
commitment to maintaining the high tech know how, to lead the world. It's always someone
else's fault. I agree there may be some contempt for the attitude of some forever
looking for a handout but this has nothing to do with being elites, it is common sense.
Instead of blaming those working hard to contribute, it is time to take stock and
accept responsibility for falling behind.
Sadly too many are entrenched in their political ideology without taking stock of
reality. Shockingly Trump has 80% support of Republicans despite his irrational, boorish criminal behaviour. Even this is a significant minority of Americans. Republicans
have 24% of the nation on their side and 80% of 24% is less than 20% of the 327 million
(less than 63 million). Democrats have 31% while independents enjoy 42% support.
An Interesting Read about diversity and shifting demographics (if it is still available).
Trump takes over a robust economy. All the doom and gloom leading to the Trump
presidency was based on outright lies, and the promises of restoring the
manufacturing sector, which will not materialise. If the early days of the Trump administration
based on hot air and lies are an indication of the future; the future looks frightening
in so many ways, it is hard to fathom. Trump has managed to insult and alienate virtually every ally since taking office which will not bode well going forward in an economy that depends largely on exports. Trump has no basic understanding of economics
yet claims to be a a stable genius but reality is that he is anything
but stable or even remotely informed.
Obama has been a truly great President. The world respect for America has improved
significantly and the global economy has started to climb out of the disastrous
slump of the past few years. While the world has not kept pace with the US prosperity,
it has certainly rebounded from the imminent economic collapse averted by the policies
of Obama. History will remember Obama respectfully, as the man who saved the world,
when the world needed saving. The Obama recovery, while slow to take root, has certainly
proved to have lasting and robust staying power, fuelling the Trump administration's positive economic numbers.
Obama's Letter to Trump
Antonin Gregory Scalia was an Associate Justice of the
Supreme Court of the United States from 1986 until his death in 2016.
This death could not have happened at a worse time, in the middle of the Presidential
election.
As a
controversial
justice he was consistently against human rights, civil rights, gender equality and always supported big business against individual or citizen's best interests.
With such a draconian record he became the hero of Republicans with a long history
of racism, oppression and favouring big business.
Scalia was the single most prolific supporter of predatory corporate conduct, always
ruling against the individual, in support of profit motivated corporate interests.
(local copy in case source vanishes)
As far as I am concerned they could not bury him soon enough or deep enough in order
for justice to once again flourish in the US.
Scalia was rightly considered a right wing conservative justice. While justice is
supposed to be blind, it has become very political. Most legal scholars consider the constitution to be a living document to evolve and reflect modern day realities as
opposed to the interpretation by any justice or individual of what was intended by the authors centuries ago. Each justice interprets the Constitution as they see it fitting
their personal biases. Unlike Conservative justices, Liberal justices tend to
rule in favour of individual rights and individual freedoms as opposed to corporate
interests or imposing the majority view on minorities. Without protection for the
individual we have mob rule, where the majority imposes its will, opinions and biases
on the minority. A truly unbiased justice system protects minorities and individuals
from discrimination and unfair treatment by authorities, governments or individuals.
Without equal treatment under the law, we have lynch mob mentality toward any individual
or group. In theory the US constitution provides checks and balances with the three
co-equal branches of government but the assumption is that each branch lives up to its
sworn responsibility. Unfortunately we are living in times where the Executive is
out of control and Congress is abdicating its responsibility of reigning in the
unlawful activities of the President.
MORE on this later
Although the flag was never an official flag of the Confederacy it became a flag of
hate groups, the KKK and white supremacist groups in defiance of desegregation. Designed
as a symbol of white superiority over the inferior blacks, supporting slavery and segregation, the flag was never adopted by any states during the civil war.
The flag gained popularity and support during the 1960's civil rights movement.
Primarily conservative groups along with the traditional hate groups made the mythical flag a symbol of state's rights and defiance against integration. Although most know nothing of the true history of the flag of treason, there are many opinions about the meaning and historical significance of the controversial and divisive symbol in American history. Conservatives used the flag as a rallying symbol of freedom of speech and freedom of expression to garner the white vote. Southerners claiming historical significance and honouring the fallen ancestors miss the point that those ancestors fought to keep
slavery and killed Union soldiers in the process. The South lost and freedom won.
Honouring your ancestors is not a problem but should not be done at government level.
State governments represent all citizens of the state not just white supremacists or
secessionists bent on the destruction of a nation and oppression of minorities.
There are delusional people out there who perhaps truly believe the Confederate side
had a noble purpose, meritorious of honouring to this day, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Southerners have the right to mourn their dead but must be honest at the same time and admit that the cause those ancestors died for was wrong.
The Confederates self-avowed reason for existence was the exploitation and debasement
of a sizeable segment of its population, they died for this cause and the flag to this day represents the same sentiment.
“As a people we are fighting to maintain the Heaven-ordained supremacy of the white man over the inferior or coloured race; a white flag would thus be emblematical of our cause.” – William T. Thompson (April 23, 1863)
There is no valid or morally supportable reason to be flying or honouring this divisive flag.
The Confederate flag symbolizes defiance at best and in reality it honours hatred
intolerance and division,
NOT any way the United States of America.
See the
Flags of the Confederate States of America for further understanding of the
history of the flag through American history. The 2015 Charleston South Carolina church massacre of nine blacks by a 21 year old domestic terrorist may finally remove this symbol from prominence once and for all.
So much happening it is hard to keep up. The twice impeached Trump has been indicted
by New York for the falsifying of business records related to the hush money payments
to Stormy Danials. The DOJ has indicted Trump for the theft of classified documents and
lying about returning them for 18 months. Trump has been convicted in a civil suite for defamation of character and sexual assault. Several investigations are still under way
related to attempted election fraud and of course the January 6th 2021 insurrection
on Capital Hill.
Despite the most outrageous and illegal behaviour Trump is the front runner as the
Republican nominee for president in 2024.
Republicans by and large fear the immoral and brutal behaviour of Trump supported by
the cult like following he has garnered. The party has lost all control and sense of reality. Some like Florida Governor DeSantis is trying to look tougher than Trump by
passing some of the most insane laws designed to hurt the vast majority of citizens.
Ranging from the war on Disney, for standing up for the rights of its employees
to banning books and history from being thought. The war on the WOKE is a war against
truth, human rights, civil rights and common sense. In a civilised society everyone
strives to become WOKE but the far right stands for the opposite of everything
we have always considered noble and righteous.
But of course Republicans try and twist the meaning of everything to mean something
quite the opposite of reality.
Books referencing the history of crimes against blacks or indigenous by the white
majority are banned and there is a concentrated war on the most vulnerable, the small
percentage of people who are LGBTQ. Anything someone finds upsetting, such as references to Rosa Parks or lynchings or even the history of slavery is banned from libraries and classrooms
in many Republican jurisdictions, the word Gay or Transgender are not allowed. Even the Christian Bible is banned in some jurisdiction. White Supremacy seems to rule the
roost with Republican law makers.
Democrats have always been most supportive not only of human rights but the most
vulnerable in all aspects of the human experience.
On January 1st 1863, in the middle of America’s civil war, Republican President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation liberating all slaves living in Confederate states. Of course even to this day racism is a major problem experienced throughout the USA.
Many Republican states keep passing laws restricting voting by anyone not white but especially those who are not a Republican supporter. Republican districts generally have many voting locations allowing voters to vote in minutes while minority areas and districts with predominantly Democratic voters frequently have to line up for many hours to cast their votes.
Democratic President Joe Biden made Juneteenth a federal holiday,
celebrating the abolition of slavery in the USA. Blacks have been asking for decades to have this memorable event enshrined in the history on the nation.
Myths About Slavery – Facts Republicans try to deny
Much more to come on this subject
See:
Trump's Second Term
The Final Blow – The Referendum June 23, 2016 Brexit or Stay in EU
Click for
larger image
Boris Johnson
Nigel FarageThe two most outspoken supporters of exiting the EU, Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage have decided to leave the restoration of the economy to others. Having done all the damage to the UK for generations to come, these cowards decided they were unwilling to lead the nation into the promised prosperity they knew could never come by leaving the EU. The lies and deceit were largely believed by those with less than a high school education, with 68% of these voting to leave, while 70% the youth and educated voted to stay in the EU. The turmoil is incredible. The resignation of the staunch supporter of the failed campaign to remain in the EU, Prime Minister David Cameron left politicians scrambling to take the helm at this difficult time. It is a little late now but the Brexit vote turned into Bregret because no one actually believed the vote would end the decades of peace and relative prosperity. Meddling by Russia contributed to the results. Russia has had a decades long record of surreptitious interference in the internal affairs of sovereign nations to destabilize both the internal workings of governments and to sew distrust between nations. Instability favours Russia in many ways too numerous to mention here. Annexation of Crimea and armed hostilities in Ukraine with Russian forces destabilising the rule of law in order to gain some control over the affairs of the nation are just immediate examples that come to mind to support the benefits Russia is seeking by the meddling.
The world is changing even more rapidly than many assumed. Further to the changes described in the document
A Different World,
technology is changing our world by leaps and bounds. Self driving
automobiles will have a huge impact in the long run. Truck drivers, bus drivers, taxi drivers all eliminated, along with
Pilots, ship captains, as automation eliminates the need for humans performing these
traditional jobs. Robotics changed manufacturing, eliminating millions of jobs but it
was just the beginning. Today many more jobs are falling to technology,
eliminating people's traditional bread and butter, even as the world population keeps expanding at unprecedented rates. Many activities once labour intensive are no longer
in existence, due to creativity, automation and technological advancements.
We must find creative solutions to providing the traditional roof over your head
and food on the table for everyone, in a dignified manner.
Dignity and self-esteem are essential to the survival of humanity.
A rare major natural catastrophe experienced in our lifetime.
Mount St. Helens, located in Skamania County, Washington.
On Sunday, May 18, a morning earthquake destroyed the entire north face of Mount St. Helens, which allowed a combination of lava and pulverized rock to explode out of the top of the mountain. This final eruption was directed north, toward Spirit Lake, and consisted of a column of super-heated ash that rose over 80,000 feet in the air. At least 55 people were killed by the explosion and its destructive aftermath. Many hundred square miles of land was laid to waste — rivers filled with debris, camps and lodges destroyed, and bridges washed away. The area along the north side of the mountain, which suffered the majority of the impact of the eruption, is now the
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.
Evidence of climate change are all around us, observable on a daily basis, locally and around the globe. 10,855 scientific studies on climate change in the last couple of decades concluded that climate change is not only real and getting worse by the year, but also that the change is largely man made. Only 2 scientists disagreed with the conclusions of the most eminent scientists. One might wonder how qualified the dissenters are, or perhaps what special interest may be influencing their conclusions. Unfortunately too many ignorant climate change deniers are getting their voices heard in the media and not enough coverage of the undeniable danger to the survival of all living things is being disseminated.
It is outrageous and reprehensible to see irrefutable science being ignored by some, choosing to quote instead opinion based on the musings of the ignorant or worse, opinions bought and paid for by special interests. This shameful ignorance reminds us of the years the tobacco industry denied the deadly consequences of the consumption of tobacco products.
Climate change isn't about belief. It's not like faith where you either believe in God or you do not. You either accept the copious amount of scientific data that supports the conclusion, or you choose to believe the massive financial interests that are attempting to debunk the science because they stand to lose billions if we change our way of life to avoid further and perhaps irreversible damage.
To argue that variations to our climate have occurred throughout history, without human intervention is supported by the science. Ignoring the overwhelming evidence that the current changes are just as scientifically proven to be caused by human activity is not only irresponsible but borders on insanity. If huge areas of the globe were to be under four feet of water, some would still try to find alternate explanations to the reality conclusively proven by the scientific evidence.
Even if the scientific evidence is exaggerated, changing our lifestyle to protect the planet from irreparable harm should be seen as a positive by even the most ardent sceptics. Extinction seems like too great a price to pay for meager profits.
Many nations have discussed the climate change problem for many years without
specific results or commitments but the
2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference seems to have produced
results.
On 12 December 2015, the participating 195 countries agreed, by consensus, to the final global pact, the Paris Agreement, to reduce emissions as part of the method for reducing greenhouse gas. In the 12-page document, the members agreed to reduce their carbon output "as soon as possible" and to do their best to keep global warming "to well below 2 degrees C". President Obama seems to be fighting an uphill battle in the US
against Republicans, in the emerging renewable energy revolution; but even China and India seem to be on board and making efforts to reduce their
carbon emissions. Being a leader in the renewable energy technology can produce incredible wealth and millions of heretofore unheard of jobs. India for example has gone solar at
Cochin Airport India to support the battle against man made climate change.
The solar plant
at Cochin Airport will produce 18 million units of power from the sun annually which is enough to meet the energy needs of 10,000 homes for one year.
The bonus is the environmental benefit of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by more than 300,000 metric tonnes which is equal to planting three million trees or not driving 750 million miles. The airport is completely powered by the sun; not partly but completely (well, except on really cloudy days where it will have to use power from the grid).
Scientists are working diligently to produce renewable energy cheaper and cheaper. Renewable energy, be it solar or wind power, has increased 3000% under Obama's leadership despite the obstructionist US congress.
Scientists have invented incredibly thin, flexible
photovoltaic cells
that are so lightweight, they can rest on top of soap bubbles without breaking them. Cells this thin and light could eventually be placed almost anywhere, from smart clothing to helium balloons. Some estimations suggest solar energy will actually be cheaper than coal within the foreseeable future. Renewable energy can and must be the salvation
of our planet and the benefits of a clean environment will lead to improved
health for all living things.
The Republican line on all this is I am NOT a scientist and therefore they refuse to even discuss the matter. What can be addressed for a few million today will cost several billion in the future to remedy. Not being a scientist does not stop them from approving the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline.
The pipeline to be constructed on one of the largest natural aquifers in the US could destroy, for generations, the water supply of millions.
Every pipeline ever built leaks some and many create disastrous conditions when they rupture. Keystone XL is to carry Canadian Oil-sands crude, some of the dirtiest product on earth. Both extracting the crude from the oil-sands and using the final product contribute negatively to global climate change. The product shipped through the pipeline is destined not for domestic consumption but for export.
Some pipelines have ruptured in as little as a year after being put into service, devastating the landscape and destroying wildlife and rendering the land unproductive for a considerable length of time. Construction of the pipeline would create a couple of thousand temporary jobs for a couple of years, but once operational, less than a hundred permanent jobs would remain. There is not a responsible person alive who would risk such a disaster destroying such a vital resource. Republicans willingness to risk a catastrophic disaster, that may harm the aquifer for several generations, for meager short term profits, is preposterous.
The current severe water shortage in the western US could certainly result in
decades of catastrophic water shortages effecting not only human inhabitation but
the production of crops and livestock for the national food supply.
Republicans repeatedly demonstrate just how irresponsible they are, how greed and the pursuit of wealth is their only motivation.
Notre-Dame de Paris ("Our Lady of Paris") A world heritage site
On 15 April 2019, just before 18:20 a structural fire broke out in the roof space of Notre-Dame de Paris, a medieval Catholic cathedral in Paris, France. By the time the fire was extinguished, the cathedral's wooden spire (flčche) had collapsed, most of the wooden roof had been destroyed, and the cathedral's upper walls were severely damaged.
Extensive damage to the interior was prevented by the vaulted stone ceiling, which largely contained the burning roof as it collapsed. Many works of art and religious relics were moved to safety, but others suffered smoke damage, and some of the exterior art was damaged or destroyed. The cathedral's altar, two pipe organs, and three 13th-century rose windows suffered little or no damage. Three emergency workers were injured. The fire contaminated the site and nearby areas of Paris with toxic dust and lead.
Notre-Dame did not hold a Christmas Mass in 2019, for the first time since 1803. Investigators in 2020 believed the fire to have been "started by either a cigarette or a short circuit in the electrical system".
It has been more than five years after the fire that blazed atop the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris and caused significant damage. Officials recently announced that the 12th-century landmark will reopen on December 8, 2024.
Although the cathedral will open on schedule, some restoration work will continue into 2026.
Nearly 2000 craftsmen worked diligently to restore the Cathedral from the ashes at an estimated cost of $928 Million.
Hopefully the magnificently restored Notre-Dame Cathedral will welcome millions of vistors from around the world for centuries to come.
Perhaps as controversial a section as any I have included. So many thoughts and ideas
its difficult to know where to begin. War is hell. There are no real winners, just
survivors. The power(s) that come out on top impose their will on those who came second.
History is full of man's inhumanity to man. The slaughter, the torture, the mutilation, the humiliation, the rape and pillaging of the conquered by the vanquisher hardly paints
a picture of a civilized people.
The world witnessed, almost silently, the slaughter of millions of men, women, children and infants by thugs carrying machetes into the homes of unarmed villagers. The world
has done little or nothing in the face of atrocities where breast feeding infants are
ripped from the arms of their mothers and tossed into bonfires; only to have those
grieving mothers savagely raped. With few exceptions the world ignored the fleeing
millions seeking refuge from these inhumane atrocities. Often leaders who took a stand
and provided humanitarian aid were criticised or mocked. Those Judeo Christian nations
willing to ignore the plight of the suffering have blood on their hands, just as if
they committed the atrocities, when they refused to help the suffering.
It is the Trumps and the other dregs of society who enable the atrocities by turning a blind eye, or refusing to provide refuge, to those in dire need of humanitarian compassion. Canadians have provided shelter to victims fleeing atrocities, yet even here we have some critical of the stand taken to make the world a more civilised and humane place.
These things are happening today.
What are you doing to make the world a better place?
Commitment, dedication, perseverance seem traits of the ancient past but
zealots adopt these very characteristics and devotion to evil ideologies.
Those who think evil can be defeated on the battle field are unrealistic.
Ideologies are defeated not by revolution but evolution. The very essence of
civilization is the evolution of the majority recognising that right
must prevail over might for the long term survival of our species.
Acceptance and tolerance of divergent and non-intrusive or invasive
differing ideologies coexisting in harmony is the foundation of civilisation.
We undermine our own success by attempting to force our ideology on others
or treating some as less respected or valued than others. Those deprived
of pursuing their core values will always be resentful and struggle to succeed.
The seeds of failure are sown as soon as one thinks they are better or
more deserving than others. Might may rule over right for a time but it
cannot succeed in the long run. Respect and tolerance are the foundations
that differentiate intelligent life from other life forms in the universe.
Those who would enslave or take advantage of others; or intrude on the
environment in a way that endangers others, must be regulated
to prevent intolerable disparities to develop in society.
To this day we still mock and berate the Nazis for their
atrocities against humanity and most especially the Jews. The world somehow agreed to
give the Jews a homeland they claimed to have owned some two thousand years ago but
in doing so we forced people off the land they loved and toiled on for centuries.
Israel today humiliates and subjugates the Palestinians with the aid and support of
world powers. Israel is not only a bully but a terrorist state in the middle east.
Our support for the inhumane treatment of Palestinians was a major contributing factor
for the attack on the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001.
I must begin by paying tribute to the Jewish people. Jews have suffered throughout history
at the hands of their enemies. Jews if one can generalise are a disciplined generous and educated people, self sufficient and supportive of their own kind. In spite of their
dogged determination to succeed and their education, they are not immune to being
deceived and lead astray by their less than scrupulous leaders. Israeli leaders willing to negotiate peace are drummed out of office by the hot heads and hatemongers.
Some background understanding about the sources of Palestinian Israeli conflict is
essential to fairly asses your position. Some may unjustifiably interpret the facts presented here as Israel bashing but the truth presented is undeniable and unprejudiced. Israel in biblical times existed in the Middle East but that was some two thousand years ago. Some Jews have lived in the Middle East since biblical times but in insignificant numbers after Egyptians conquered not only the land but the peoples in the area whether Jewish or otherwise. After WWII the tragedy of the holocaust found the world refusing to grant Jews refuge but the victors decided to give land owned for centuries by Palestinians, almost entirely without compensation, to homeless unwanted jews fleeing persecution in virtually the entire world. It goes without saying that giving what is not yours is easy when the vanquished are powerless to defend their ancestral homelands.
Palestinians were forced off their land to facilitate the jews settling land they revered from ancient biblical times. The conscience of the world was appeased by this act of giving jews a homeland. Palestinians were obviously less thrilled about the loss of their
ancestral lands. Israel was settled by jews from around the world to form a Jewish state.
Jews were not welcomed by their Arab neighbours and planned to reclaim their land by force. With support from around the world Israel prevailed.
Palestinians have been living on lands occupied by Israel with virtually no freedom of movement, their infrastructure homes and crops destroyed by the Israeli military.
Palestinians have made concession after concession over the decades to gain peace, with no results. You can watch Israeli missiles hit Schools, hospitals or residential homes on the news, only to have the Israeli military or Prime Minister claim it was not targeting civilians or even that the missiles causing the destruction were not theirs, all this despite irrefutable evidence to the contrary.
Palestinians are constantly humiliated at Israeli checkpoints. Israel has murdered Palestinians virtually at will and when Palestinians retaliate, Israel claims it is defending itself. Israeli leadership refuses to abide by international law. For political reasons the US is propping up the Israelis against condemnation by the civilised world. Israel thumbs its nose at US efforts to rein in the crimes against humanity, the ever expanding illegal settlements and never ending lies. Significant numbers of Israeli jews are opposed to the atrocities committed by their leadership but time after time coalition governments depend on the support of the hot heads for their very existence. Palestinians have made major concessions to restore peace in the region but Israel keeps moving the goalpost every time, resulting in continued hostility. The hope for peace, truth and justice is negated by those on both sides incapable of seeing the best interest of their own people.
Anyone condemning Israeli atrocities is labelled as antisemitic and systematically marginalised. Israel provokes hostility from Palestinians to justify their inhumane brutality and systematic slaughter of unarmed men, women and children. Israel targets
elected officials, schools, hospitals, ambulances, rescue workers, bombing residential
apartment buildings; only to claim they are trying to avoid civilian casualties, yet
80 to 90% of the victims are innocent men, women and children. Palestinian victims
of these crimes against humanity are almost always hundreds to each Israeli victim.
Imagine losing a loved one, a friend or co-worker to this kind of indiscriminate
slaughter and then be expected to negotiate with the same murderers for a just peace.
I can see how Palestinian hatred runs deep in face of what they have endured while
the US supports the Israeli atrocities with irresponsible claims that Israel has a right to defend itself without ever mentioning Palestinians right to defend itself. Children throwing stones in protest against the military assault on their homes and families are
shot at by Israeli military and killed in the streets right in front of news cameras.
Israeli terrorism and crimes against humanity are glossed over by governments and news organisations out of shame for the holocaust.
Israel brokers
cease fire and other agreements only to break those treaties and blame the Palestinians
for their retaliation against the never ending Israeli oppression and constant humiliation of struggling Palestinians. Israel with largely US support denies Palestinians human rights, civil rights while systematically undermining all efforts at the two state solution, touted by all as the only possible chance at peace.
The Jewish people may be criticised for their constant and unending whining about being unjustly victimised throughout history. Taking responsibility and ownership for their actions completely misses the Jews' thought processes. Israel's leaders openly and loudly
proclaim, we don't trust anyone, alienating friend and foe alike. Israelis treat everyone with disdain, contemptuous disrespect, negotiate in a condescending, holier than though manner. With such venomous and vitriol hostility how can Israelis ever expect the respect of anyone, especially its neighbours?
The civilized world condemns
the Israeli atrocities, the illegal settlements and the brutal, barbaric injustices only to have the US government repeatedly veto any retribution. If Palestinians offer peace, even requesting independent international observers, Israel repeatedly
rejects all efforts at a meaningful or just peace process, undermining covertly or openly any just peace initiatives. Jewish people are mislead by
their government with never ending lies, their victim mentality, into supporting their leader's crimes against humanity. Goebbels would be proud of the alternate universe created by Israel to garner sympathy and support. Israel constantly blames Palestinians for retaliation against the Israeli inhumanity and mass murder of Palestinians, falsely claiming Israel is only defending themselves against aggression. Israel rejects a contiguous Palestinian state free to govern itself, or to defend itself against the Israeli incursion into its sovereign territories. I could give
many many examples of how Palestine is being held hostage to the expansionist Israeli
hatemongers but these are well documented. The US seems willing to back the bully;
keeping US citizens misinformed about the realities of the Palestinian Israeli relationship and the Palestinian struggle for peace and justice. Virtually all news is slanted to support Irael and blame Palestinians despite reality not supporting the misinformation and outright lies. Virtually every conflict begins by Israel's neighbours retaliating to hostility and aggression yet Israel repeatedly claims it is defending itself. Israel often points to the age old Palestinian Charter wanting to eradicate Israel from the land Palestinians thrived on for centuries before 1948. Correctly interpreted Palestinians have no problem with a Jewish state as long as it is not on Palestinian homelands but even this has been negotiable and repeatedly rejected by Israel. Israel has never recognised the Palestinians right to exist, occupying Palestinians, denying Palestinians freedom and freedom of movement, blockading Palestinian access to trade with the world. Israel has conducted itself over the decades in defiance of international law, propped up by the US government against the international community. This is a very complex issue I can't do justice to without writing an entire book detailing the positions of both sides.
Think about the meaning of preemptive air strikes, which gave Israel the
regional military superiority in 1967 and a great deal of conquered land, still
conquered today;
as someone attacking with overwhelming force a sleeping, unsuspecting neighbour.
Virtually the entire world is demanding a return to the pre 1967 borders as a bases
for reasonable peace negotiations but constantly rejected by Israel.
It may be most appropriate for all Jews to examine the true sources of distrust and
the reasons behind the perceived antisemitism.
A story I cam across recently
A Story From Hell is an eye opener. There are conscientious and honest
Israelis but there are those who are less than honourable, being a blight on society by their inhumanity and dishonesty. Sadly the world is less than perfect and we must ALL
strive to become humane, compassionate and live by the golden rule of "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"
Terrorism:
–
The unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property
in order to coerce or intimidate a government or the civilian
population in furtherance of political or social objectives.
(Definition source legal dictionary)
I cannot find any way to interpret the Israeli mass murder of
Palestinians in the most recent conflict (40,000+), mostly innocent women and children, other than terrorism at its worst.
We can only speculate how Americans would feel if a couple of thousand years from now
Manhattan were to be returned to the natives along with other territories, how about
such lands as California, Texas, New Mexico and other conquests? Perhaps we would begin
to understand and have more empathy with Palestinians or even Hungarians who lost
so much of their homeland following WWI.
Osama bin Laden may be dead but who won that conflict? We are spending billions
annually on homeland security that we could be spending on much needed support
for the needy as we used to do before the war on terrorism. Many in the world view
America as the great saviour and generous protector of the weak but a huge number
see the Americans as the supporters of Israeli belligerence and evil in the
Middle East. The war in Iraq under false pretences cost trillions and thousand of
young lives on both sides of the conflict. We have been paying a huge price both domestically and globally for our unbalanced approach to justice in the world.
Exploiting the weak or siding with the unjust results in tension and inevitable conflict. With great wealth and great power come great responsibility. The world rightly expects fairness when we preach human rights and dignity around the world.
World's 85 richest people own nearly half of global wealth: Oxfam report
Read more at:
Oxfam report – duplicated here just in case it vanishes over time
DAVOS: A tiny elite comprising the richest 85 individuals hold
wealth equivalent to that owned by the bottom half of the world's population, a
report says.
The report by worldwide development organisation Oxfam,
titled 'Working For the Few', published ahead of the World Economic
Forum meet in Davos,
details the impact that widening inequality is having in both developed and
developing nations.
"Wealthy elites have co-opted political power to rig the rules of the economic
game, undermining democracy and creating a world where the 85 richest
people own the wealth of half of the world's population," Oxfam claimed.
It further added that since the late 1970s, tax rates for the richest have fallen
in 29 of the 30 countries for which data are available, meaning that in many
places the rich not only get more money but also pay less tax on it.
As per the report, in the last 25 years wealth has become even more concentrated
in the hands of fewer people so much so that one per cent of the world's
families own almost half (46 per cent) of the world's wealth.
The 85 richest people own as much wealth as the poorest 3.5 Billion people.
Oxfam wants governments to take urgent action to reverse the trend. It is asking
those attending the World Economic Forum (WEF) to make six-point personal pledge
to tackle the problem.
"It is staggering that in the 21st Century, half of the world's population own no more than a tiny elite whose numbers could all sit comfortably in a single train carriage,"
Oxfam Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said.
The report alleged that the richest individuals and companies in the world hide
trillions of dollars away from the tax man in a web of tax havens around the
world. "It is estimated that $21 trillion is held unrecorded and off-shore," it said.
The report further added that in India, the number of billionaires
increased tenfold in the past decade, aided by a highly regressive tax structure and
the wealthy exploiting their government connections, while spending on the
poorest remains remarkably low.
Moreover, seven out of ten people live in countries where economic inequality
has increased in the last 30 years. Besides, the richest one per cent increased
their share of income in 24 out of 26 countries for which we have data between
1980 and 2012.
The current imbalance between the haves and have nots is unsustainable. History once again shows that eventually the have nots will rebel against the inequality and the resulting turmoil will eventually move the wealth to a more equitable and sustainable level. Fair compensation by the takers to the makers is inevitable. How society permitted such obscene imbalance to occur is incomprehensible. Some societies have few resources and even what they have is often exploited. Eventually global wealth distribution will have to be addressed. We must provide all humanity with acceptable living standards. The global population explosion and climate change are eroding humanity's ability to cope. Allowing whole regions to perish is unacceptable. Perhaps a global pandemic, global flood or another ice age will reset the balance of power. Unless we recognise the problem we will not address it. Forewarned is forearmed.
Finally someone who has not only made it but is realistic about wealth inequality.
The article by one of the one percent recognises the reality I have been espousing for many years.
Nick Hanauer in a memo to his fellow Zillionaires reaffirms, more eloquently than I could, my philosophy on wealth inequality. The
article in Politico is well worth reading. In the event this article vanishes,
as all things do in time, I have created a copy for your enjoyment. The
article
is rather lengthy but a must read in my opinion.
Many think obesity will be next big epidemic. Our population is grossly overweight
and young people are suffering from obesity at an ever increasing and alarming rate.
It is not necessarily the amount of food we consume but the quality of the food.
Increasingly additives in food are providing less quality and more ingredients
that lead the body to become fat. Lack of exercise and poor food quality are producing
obese men women and children. Fast food consumption has contributed significantly
to the problem in the 21st century. Food production has employed
fast growth and disease resistance products to increase profitability with the
result of less healthy food products.
There must be a remedy for this phenomenon and I am sure there will be a cure one way or another before long.
Children today are less active, spending more and more time sitting indoors behind
entertainment and communication devices. I am convinced that the next real epidemic will
not be obesity but loneliness. You can't go anywhere without people sitting with
hand held communication devices. People don't communicate face to face. Much of
today's communication is trivial and superficial nonsense. Instead of calling to chat
with friends many consider it too much trouble and too time-consuming, choosing to send
brief text messages instead. We will forget how to communicate if the trend continues.
Many are already so self-absorbed they have little or no time for friends, family or any
meaningful relationships.
Enormous efforts are being made to develop robotic companions. These surrogates are mimicking facial expressions, make small talk and even have anatomically correct
orifices along with body shapes, colours and styles customised to the purchaser's desires.
I can see a whole industry developing around this technology. Today they have a heartbeat
a circulatory system to keep them at the right body temperature and use social media to
send messages pleasing to its owner. How far will this technology develop in the
future? Procreation of course is most unlikely but who knows where all this will lead in the long run?
Even realistic infants are being created to meet the needs of some.
These androids will be the only companions many will have to keep them company and of course can be replaced with whatever new whims one has. People are losing the ability
to communicate and attract warm blooded human companions.
In Japan today loneliness is
already a major problem for the elderly, being addressed by the government. The Chinese
have passed laws forcing grown children to visit their elderly parents at a minimum
number of times a year. Loneliness is a devastating condition in increasing numbers
of elderly. Loneliness will be the number one killer in a few generations if we keep replacing human contact with technology. Human relations must be nurtured if humanity
is to survive.
With our ability to manipulate DNA there exists a possibility that one day the rich
and powerful will create a superhuman race. Stem cell research is producing amazing
possibilities. Growing replacement organs to replace defective ones opens a whole
new world. The next step in human evolution may lead to combining the best and most
disease resistant genes for intelligence, strength, endurance and perhaps even body
part regeneration. Human hibernation for prolonged space travel?
Gestation may take place outside the human body under ideal conditions
for fetal development and monitoring. No more cancer, dementia, leucaemia, mental illness,
diabetes, aids or any of the devastating diseases of today. With finite food sources
interesting scenarios of population and lifespan control will inevitably rear its ugly head. This discussion probably merits a whole section of its own. Sex is used today
for procreation but one day its function may be strictly recreational.
One question however still remains. Will we end up with two
distinct groups of humans; the genetically engineered super-intelligent super-healthy
and the rest of humanity?
If humanity could once again speak one language as we once did and solve the problems
of the world in a cooperating manner, what could we achieve? It wouldn't be stretch to think only the devil would fear peace, harmony and teamwork! I digress.
Many today seem pleased to be able to watch a TV program on cooking a variety of
healthy and tasty meals and having the ability to get the ingredient list and recipe
from their computer to reproduce interesting dishes in their own kitchens. One day
in the not too distant future homes may have robots that can accomplish these same
feats without human intervention. The robot could create not only the list of
ingredients but a shopping list that will be delivered by automated robots to your
home and the meal prepared for your enjoyment by your in-home robot. Some of this
technology is already possible but not yet practical for universal implementation.
Robotic technology could evolve to the point where virtually everything humans do
today will be performed by robots. Medical research and procedures by robots.
Robots will be increasingly more intelligent and could
survive an apocalypse, being the only survivors after humanity is wiped out.
An interesting world with robots surviving on nothing more than sunlight to recharge
their power sources. Intelligence without humanity? Perhaps foresighted programming
will recreate humanity from DNA selected and stored for the doomsday scenario.
Robotic companionship? Robots nurturing people? Properly planned the future could be
far more interesting and exciting than we can even dream of today!
I would be negligent if I excluded the 3D printers capable of printing tools and
mechanical parts, including fully functioning mechanical devices, but today the discussion centres around printing human body parts.
You read it right. Within the next few years the expectation is to be able to print
a fully functioning human heart (within a day or less) or any other body part or organ. When we look back to human technology of a hundred years ago it seems extremely
primitive, as will our technology a hundred years from now.
I recall reading predictions for the future, some fifty years ago, that included flying everywhere in individual flying vehicles.
Some fanciful predictions never materialised and many more actually
became reality far ahead of their time but most advances were never even dreamt of
by the visionaries of old.
Driverless vehicles, pilotless planes and ships, babies grown outside the womb, replacement organs and body parts custom grown on demand are today's reality.
In many ways the future is already here but here is another attempt at seeing what the future will look like in the not too distant future.
From someone in the computer industry for so many years, it may seem incongruous
to be concerned about our digital technology. I have eluded to my concern about
the very information I am sharing with the world today. Many once popular or indispensable technologies have gone by the wayside in my relatively brief exposure
to technology, when considered in historical terms. I recall magnetic tape used to
store information, we were able to decipher the information without the equipment
designed to read the data, with tedious tools. Because the bits were magnetically
stored on the tape, pouring a liquid with very fine iron filings on the tape would
reveal the content of the tape, a character at a time.
We all still recall computer diskettes, audio and video tapes, CD's, DVD's, VCR and 8 Track, media but much of this technology is rapidly vanishing and the images and sounds will soon become un-retrievable.
I pity archaeologists of the future finding our stored information as nothing
more than 0's and 1's on magnetic media, scratching their heads as to the meaning
of their find.
Products many have never heard of and many have forgotten were defacto standards of
their time. WordStar, Visicalc, Word Perfect, Lotus 123, WordPro, Multiplan, SuperCalc, MS Paint and hundreds of other tools I can't even recall, we used to create the documents of our world, have been replaced by new tools that can no longer read the information stored by the above software.
Images too, including our precious photos and much loved music are being stored on today's favourite technology; soon to be replaced by more efficient newer tools,
rendering everything useless or at least undecipherable. Most innovation is backward compatible, translatable only for a very short time following technological changes.
See how different, things are displayed even today, by various user interfaces.
Old slates and parchment with hieroglyphs present a challenge to decipher but at
least many have shed light on ancient civilizations and history. Miniaturization,
storing more and more data on less and less space will one day become totally
useless without the equipment designed to read the data. Perhaps having tangible
hard copy documents, readable without specialised equipment, is the answer
to storing our most valued information. The technological evolution keeps replacing
old tools with new tools and old storage medium with much denser and more efficient
new ways to store and read data. Unless everything is migrated to the new technology,
which is virtually impossible with the amount of information we keep generating today,
much of what we value today will be lost within a generation or so. Critical
business and legal documents will survive but not the personal treasures we cherish
so much today. Most of us have old family photos, postcards, love letters but our
digital images and data will be lost as they become less and less relevant to
future generations. Unless someone keeps the data current with the technology
changing at leaps and bounds, not generationally as it used to be but annually,
even this warning will be lost in the near future.
One irony of the current technological trends is huge TVs 60" 85" HD, Ultra HD, 3D and yet tiny screens on smart phones, the size of wrist watches, Google Glass, to view movies, pictures and data. Many take pictures on their smart phones and never save them to a more permanent storage device. The photo albums so cherished and passed from generation to generation seems to be a thing of the past. Images are enjoyed but for
the moment and in many cases lost forever with the replacement of the device with
the latest and greatest new device hitting the market.
I wonder how the deteriorating eyesight of today's youth will change future technology? Small is great as long as you can see it. It is inconceivable to imagine the technology of the future. Watching technology evolve over just the last twenty years makes me
wonder what to expect in the next twenty, one hundred years or more. I wonder too
whether we will find ways to store our memories; music, pictures and data in a permanently usable fashion for future generations to enjoy.
Interesting challenges face the explosion of technology but I am convinced a solution
will be found that meets the needs of coming generations.
One interesting sidebar to all the automation is the health of humans. Humans need
to remain mentally and physically active for good health. How humanity remains
relevant, productive and retain dignity remains a huge challenge for the future
survival of our species. Humans today need to feel dignity, hope and accomplishment
for mental health. In reality we may be able to feed our growing population but
nourishing the human spirit will be a huge challenge of our robotic, automated
technological future generations.
Every one of us has dreams, hopes, aspirations, successes and failures. We all suffer setbacks but it is the testing of our mettle that makes us who we are. Losing a loved one is a painful experience whether it is to death or relationship failure but more damaging is watching a loved one suffer or deteriorate without being able to provide relief. Despite the most catastrophic events in life the human spirit is resilient and enduring. Some clichés come to mind but few seem as appropriate as “It is better to have loved and lost than not to have loved at all.” Some are made stronger by setbacks while others wallow in self-pity and still others are destroyed to various degrees. Adversity befalls everyone from time to time. How you handle your adversity determines how successful your life will be. Drinking yourself into a stupor, that happens to all too many, destroys any hope of success. Alcohol or other drugs may make you feel wise or invincible but in reality you are deceiving yourself and you are of little use to anyone, especially yourself. You must be the master not the victim of your circumstances. Cherishing your lifelong memories is wonderful but living in the past is unproductive. You must live life not for yesterday nor for tomorrow but live each day to the fullest because today is a present you can never reclaim if you don't make the most of it. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery but today, today is the present that must be cherished, nurtured and not wasted. Don't misunderstand living today, for foolishly using all your resources, without saving for your future.
Each generation seems to think they invented love and each individual seems to think there is no love like mine, never was and never will be, but the truth is, love is eternal and each of us are fortunate enough to taste but a smidgen throughout a lifetime.
The key to a lifelong relationships is love, commitment, trust and respect.
Treat everyone with the respect you expect from others. Self-respect is the foundation of self-worth and if you fail yourself others too will fail you. I see young children going about their daily activities and realise they are oblivious to the mysterious and exciting future that awaits them. I look at youthful pictures of my own family and myself and realise that none of us could foresee the interesting future awaiting each of us. Our lives have been a fascinating and most interesting journey. We have all loved and lost, tried and succeeded at some things, failed at others but overall we can all look back and consider the entire journey a resounding success. There are times when I think I want to live forever (as long as I am in good health) and so far so good but one day the hereafter will become my reality. There comes a time when you realise the years behind you with the precious memories, ambitious goals and grandiose plans outnumber the years ahead of you and your goals and plans are far less ambitious than what they have been
for your entire life. Each of us touch many lives, some positive and some less so.
I have been blessed to provide leadership and values, hope and commitment to future generations that will be in turn passed on to yet future generations. It is the positive unselfish values that improve with each generation even though the source may be forgotten over time. Perhaps the tenacity to do good whenever possible, regardless of
the risks or the prevailing opinion is my own perception of how I see my own life and
accomplishments. I feel comfortable that I gave it my best, without having to say
I should have or could have done more.
Few leave a permanent mark in history and I too will be forgotten within a few years but I consider my life productive and my contributions worthwhile, even though not earthshakingly memorable. I often think a good measure of your self worth can be best determined by; If I were to meet myself, would I like to be a life long friend, lover with the person I just met. If the answer after honest and critical evaluation is YES; you can be confident that others will recognise and appreciate those qualities in you. I am grateful to those who passed their values to me that I in turn was able to scatter.
We are fortunate to be the most blessed generation. Just ahead of the baby boomers but
all the benefits and blessings bestowed upon us. Perhaps spoiled to some extent with
enormous attention being paid to our every whim, not only by loving parents but
industry as well. Entertainers and entertainment specifically geared to the Now Generation. We had wonderful entertainers like Elvis the likes of who will not likely
grace this planet again. Patsy Cline, Paul Anka, Jimmy Rogers, Marty Robbins, John Denver, Connie Francis, Johnny Mathis, Nat King Cole, Barbara Streisand, Neil Diamond, Johnny Horton and the list goes on and on and wonderful groups such as the Lettermen, The Kinston Trio, The Brothers Four, The Everly Brothers, The Richeous Brothers, The Mamas and Papas, The Platters, Abba, The Browns and the Beatles just to
mention a few and I am sure I missed some amazingly talented and popular favourites.
Music was churned out to cater to the youth of our generation like never before.
We benefited from almost everything that happened, good or bad. The postwar boom
and technological inventions like transistor radios, cell phones and computers made our life like no generation before. The discovery of fire, the wheel and flight over
centuries of intelligent life, have been rivalled in significance within our lifetime.
Our generation witnessed incredible technological advances and shared the planet with
some of the most brilliant minds ever to grace civilisation.
Such greats as Einstein, Nelson Mandela, Erwin Rommel, Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi,
Martin Luther King Jr., Barack Obama, John F. Kennedy, Mikhail Gorbachev, Colin Powell,
Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis, Pierre E. Trudeau, Carl Sagan, Stephen Hawking, Albert Sabin, Frederick Banting, Alexander Graham Bell, Guglielmo Marconi, Nikola Tesla, Marie Curie, Igor Sikorsky, the Wright brothers, Thomas Edison, Wernher von Braun, Truman, George Marshall, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elijah Cummings, John Lewis, Dalai Lama
and many many more I can't recall, made the world a better place. Bill & Hillary Clinton, along with too many to mention; who while less than perfect, just like everyone else in this world, did more for humanity than most, with little recognition. Humanity evolved
in more ways than ever before in history. We not only visited the Moon but actually
sent probes to investigate some of the planets in out solar system. Discoveries to improve human health and end diseases from ravaging entire populations, all within
our generation or era. I am sure I have left out many areas of human endeavour from the
arts, sciences and humanities that changed this world for the better.
Even the staggering and painful inflation created
wealth and affluence like never before. Our health is better and remedies are much
more prevalent and available than ever and improving at leaps and bounds, resulting in
much improved quality and quantity of life.
Our generation, free of major wars, blossomed and flourished through economic prosperity and even the sexual revolution and the experimentation with drugs.
Some of the greatest works of faith, art, prose, poetry and music were conceived
or created under the influence of mind altering drugs or alcohol as has been throughout
history.
The wealth accumulated and passed to the next generation too is unprecedented in human history.
It would be wonderful if this unprecedented good fortune and prosperity could
translate into global plenty and peace for all future generations.
I would be remiss by failing to mention, without dwelling on their evil; Stalin, Hitler, Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, George Wallace, Joseph McCarthy, Augusto Pinochet, Idi Amin, Saddam Hussein, Benito Mussolini, Josip Tito, Pol Pot, Mao Zedong, Benjamin Netanyahu, Muammar Gaddafi, Francisco Franco, Francois Duvalier, Ayatollah Khomeini, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-un; along with many lesser known, who are a stain on humanity but lived in our lifetime or era.
These people, I am sure I missed some, murdered millions, starved millions or simply
destroyed those with intellect or integrity, setting back civilisation by generations.
Despite the prosperity we have experienced, today the disparity between the haves
and have nots has reached historic proportions. Only thirty short years ago wages
were much more balanced with heads of corporations earning 30-40 times the salary of
the makers but today the figures are alarming, with compensation reaching 400-600
times the earnings of the makers. Unprecedented numbers are unable to make ends meet
despite working not only one but at time two or three jobs just to put food on the table and a roof over their head.
Average weekly earnings for all workers, adjusted for inflation and seasonal factors by the Bureau of Labour Statistics, have gone up 4.2 percent from March 2009 to December 2015, during that small increase in weekly hours. Hourly earnings are up, too, over that time period, by a paltry 2.1 percent, adjusted for inflation. I have no actual figures to demonstrate the huge increases in worker productivity for the same period but the reality is worker productivity has increased by leaps and bounds.
All this while corporations are reporting significantly higher profits year after year.
Not everything that happened was positive. Millions lost their lives to war, poverty, hunger, natural disasters and inhumanity. World War II with the shameful Holocaust, countless global conflicts, the post war "Cold War", communism, assassinations of
some great leaders like John F. Kennedy. We survived countless disasters from floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, droughts, the great pandemic, and the Ebola crisis to the Cuban missile crises and the Trump attack on democracy. Climate change remains an unresolved issue requiring global attention and herculean commitment but the Ozone layer has largely healed.
"Trickle-down economics" and the "trickle-down theory", introduced by President Ronald Reagan, are terms Republicans espouse and it refers to the idea that tax breaks or other economic benefits provided to businesses and upper income levels will benefit poorer members of society by improving the economy as a whole, despite being proven as total and complete failure.
Our capitalist economy concentrates power in the hands of wealthy business people, who aim mainly to maximize profits. Unregulated capitalism brought you such ecological disasters as Love Canal, Bhopal, The Exxon Valdez, Three Mile Island and of course the Chernobyl disaster. The greed of
the wealthy for more wealth results in wages that are inadequate to sustain life.
Walmart, one of the richest family owned corporations in the world, pays its employees so poorly that a significant percentage are on food stamps just to survive.
For profit research does little to advance science, health and other essentials. Government funding without a profit motive, purely for the advancement of human knowledge and a thirst for pure scientific facts are foreign concepts to capitalists. Regulation to protect our environment and to protect individuals from the inevitable abuses by the greedy are essential to a healthy society and a sustainable planet. Left to their own resources capitalists would destroy our planet and enslave our society. Regulation is the key to maintaining a healthy and just society as well as a healthy planet for future generations. Capitalism balanced with responsible regulation
is the only viable solution to continued success, indeed survival, of the human race.
The middle class is shrinking and poverty is at alarmingly historic highs. Click the
Vulture Chart to the right to see the recent history of income disparity.
Today's obscene disparity is not only immoral but unsustainable in the long run. The top one percent obsessed with gathering wealth has forgotten the golden rule that "A rising tide lifts all boats".
The world keeps having more mouths to feed
but fewer acceptably paying jobs for people, in part due to automation but mostly
it is the lack of protection for the struggling by the greedy.
| Family Income at Various Hourly Rates | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly Wage |
Weekly Income |
Monthly Income |
Annual Income |
Earning Per Minute |
| $7.25 | $290.00 | $1,256.67 | $15,080 | $0.12 |
| $10.00 | $400.00 | $1,733.00 | $20,800 | $0.17 |
| $12.00 | $480.00 | $2,080.67 | $24,960 | $0.20 |
| $15.00 | $600.00 | $2,600.00 | $31,200 | $0.25 |
| $20.00 | $800.00 | $3,466.00 | $41,600 | $0.33 |
| $24.97 | $998.83 | $4,328.25 | $51,939 | $0.42 |
| $36.06 | $1,442.31 | $6,250.00 | $75,000 | $0.60 |
| $48.08 | $1,923.08 | $8,333.33 | $100,000 | $0.80 |
| $60.10 | $2,403.85 | $10,416.67 | $125,000 | $1.00 |
| $96.15 | $3,846.15 | $16,666.67 | $200,000 | $1.60 |
| $120.19 | $4,807.69 | $20,833.33 | $250,000 | $2.60 |
| $480.77 | $19,230.77 | $83,333.33 | $1,000,000 | $8.01 |
Measuring Worth – The incredible complexities of economics. There are
no simple answers.
(If the link fails
Click Here)
Source:
21st Century Median Income
A more equitable sharing of the wealth is essential for society to prosper and continue. Undermining the democratic process the Republican obstructionism for the sake of obstructionism seriously hurt the Obama economic recovery effort and the ripple effect hurt the entire world. Many lost their homes and still more lost their jobs,
causing painful suffering for millions. Despite immeasurable obstacles, Obama managed
to restore enviable economic growth not only domestically but globally, averting a
catastrophic recession or depression; leaving a robustly rising economy to his successor.
Trump has been riding the Obama Economy and doing his best to claim credit but reality
is the Trump economy will eventually replace the unprecedented economic upturn and prosperity. We may not experience the correction of
October 19th 1987, a single day loss of 23% (508 Points) Drop in Market Value.
I recall someone predicting the dramatic 500 point decline as being imminent, but every expert called it a ridiculous prediction.
Volatility precedes any major change in market direction and December 2018 has seen the worst losses since the Great Depression of 1929. As usual time will tell how the
global economy unfolds. Nobody like catastrophic market losses but Trump's inane actions are certainly a good reason why such an outcome is very highly likely.
While some of my thoughts and reflections seem repetitive, there should be no doubt that
these are truly life experiences I consider personal and important to me. Perhaps these
musings will help someone one day, to enjoy life more and be more at peace with their
accomplishments as well as their less successful endeavours.
The pandemic resulted in global wealth taking a significant dip in the first part of 2020. By the end of March, global household wealth had already declined by around 4.4%. Interestingly, after much monetary and fiscal stimulus from governments around the world, global household wealth was more than able to recover, finishing up the year at $418.3 trillion, a 7.4% gain from the previous year. Using data from Credit Suisse, this graphic looks at how global wealth is distributed among the adult population.
Global Wealth Distribution
55% of the population holds 1.3% of the world’s wealth.
1.1% of the population holds 45.8% of the world’s wealth
Printable Document
Added 01/03/2022
Added 01/28/2025
What is reality? Seems like such a simple question yet it is perhaps the most mysterious
and complex of all human experiences. The closer something is the more real it is, or at
least we perceive it to be. Humans created ways to measure many experiences around us.
Time, distance, speed, temperature and weight are all human creations to add credibility to our experiences; even colour, volume and density help us understand what is.
We yet have no way to measure love, faith, grieving, forgiveness, happiness fear or anger and many other things we experience as human beings. Forgiving is perhaps the most difficult and noble of human experiences but probably the most rewarding. Anger and hatred are self-destructive but forgiveness is a healing, therapeutic experience.
The truth is we are living in an illusionary world. We look at the stars in the sky
and accept that they are there, but truth is much of what we see could have vanished
hundreds or many thousands of years ago. Light travels at 299,792,458 metres per second
or 186,000 miles per second according to our measurements. When we look at the sky and
see a bright spot we call a star, it could actually be a galaxy containing billions of
stars; the galaxy could be billions of light years away. Think about this for a moment.
The light we see today actually left the galaxy billions of years ago. Reality is the
galaxy we are admiring could have exploded or vanished millions of years ago.
Communicating with objects on Mars takes about 8 minutes for our signal to get there
and another 8 minutes for the signal, indicating message received, to get back.
Humanity discovered radio signals mere seconds ago, relative to the existence of the universe. There are places in the universe that will not hear Elvis Presley singing for some millions of years; assuming, as I am convinced, there are living intelligent beings out there capable of deciphering our signals. The vast majority of what we see in the
universe is no longer the way we see it or may no longer exist. Perhaps life itself
travels through the universe, takes hold and flourishes for a while, then moves on
to a new hospitable host. In the end it's our human relations that will determine our
fate. Everything we call reality is perceived through our own perspective.
Humanity struggles to understand and give meaning to everything around
us and keeps searching for what is beyond. Reality changes with every new discovery
and deeper understanding of our existence. The thirst and quest for knowledge is
what makes life worthwhile.
Think back to how primitive life was a mere one hundred years ago. Look at all
the inventions over the last century and project technological advancement to
the next hundred years, the next thousand years. Is it conceivable that there are
civilisations in the universe who have achieved where we are heading? Were we to
make contact with an advanced civilisation, how would they perceive us? How would
they treat us? If such civilisation were truly advanced, not just technologically superior, what could we learn about surviving and coexisting? How utopian could
life here on earth be? If we could drive out greed, evil, selfishness and replace
it with compassion and love; how blessed would life on earth be? The possibilities
are endless and worth pondering, certainly worth striving for.
Unfortunately too many confuse facts with their version of truth.
I watched a man interviewed about the monstrous, immoral separation of infants from their parents at the border; only to have them sleep on concrete floors with nothing but a Mylar blanket covering them, locked in chain-link pens/cages. The man stated without reservation that the video released by the government is fake and these events are not happening. A woman at a Florida rally, where Trump claimed you require photo ID to buy groceries, stated unequivocally that if Trump says it, it is absolutely true.
Added Jul-08-2018 11:32
Trying to educate some to the realities of the world is futile. Too many buy into well documented lies, misinformation and irrational conspiracy theories.
FOX News (euphemistic term) for the propaganda arm of the current administration and the original fake news channel, is sadly the source of truth for far too many these days. There are several other sources of fact free information, many consider their source of truth. Each interprets the various lies to suit their reality of the world, but all are adamantly ignorant of the facts.
It isn't always the big deeds that are remembered. I recall to this day how
I was moved by the generosity of a little blonde girl. We were quite new to Canada
and lived in Lakeview just west of Dixie Road (west of
Etobicoke_Creek)
north of the Lakeshore, near Marie Curtis Park where
Hurricane Hazel devastated large residential areas in 1954. Huge areas looked like a war zone even in 1957. Some homes were damaged but still livable and this little girl lived in one of those homes but it was obvious from not only the home but her clothes that they were less affluent or quite poor in reality. Occasionally I would run into her on the way to school with her tiny siblings and I recall her offering a piece of Thrill Gum. Thrill gum was the cheapest confection you could buy but the generosity of this little girl and her willingness to share, what little she had, has stayed with me all my life and in fact I often wonder how her life unfolded. At times it is those who have little but are willing to share that make the biggest impression and the biggest difference in the world.
About the same time frame I was being picked on by a couple of school yard bullies for no particular reason but perhaps just for not being very fluent in English. Perhaps it would be more fair to say that I could hardly speak any English at all. As the bullying escalated I was quite fearful of being hurt, but unwilling to run, and one of my schoolmates,
that I did not know very well; in fact I did not know anyone at all back in those days, came to my defence. This young fellow was bigger than the bullies and he stood up for me as a fellow christian human being. The bullies pushed my rescuer and he fell, breaking his arm. I have never forgotten the stranger who came to my rescue and suffered a serious injury for someone in trouble that he did not even know.
On quite a different vein I just ran across a thought you seldom see; it goes like this.
We survived the crusades, we survived slavery so prevalent several times in human history, we survived feudalism, we survived the Nazis and Communism, we survived segregation and finally we allowed women equality in voting, even if we still have a long way to go for true equality. Even in the twenty-first century we have barbaric, evil groups like Boko Haram and ISIS in the Middle East murdering mutilating and enslaving those with differing views and beliefs, and women being deprived of an education, equality, as well as being raped and sold into slavery, just for being women, but such depravity is unsustainable and will not be tolerated for long.
The final battle we are fighting is Capitalism with its oppressive greed and worship of money. Once we conquer the mindless oppression and exploitation of the poor and less fortunate, sharing the abundance more equitably, we will be truly civilized.
This is one of the best editorials that I have ever
read regarding the United States. It is nice that
one man realizes it. I only wish that the rest of the
world too would realize it. Americans are always blamed
for everything and never even get a thank you for the positive
things they do.
I would hope that each of you would share this piece,
by a life long Canadian journalist, with as many people
as you can and emphasize that they should send it to
as many of their friends until this letter is sent to
every person on the web. I am a Canadian and I heard
the original broadcast that sent shivers and goosebumps
up my spine. Gordon Sinclair was a crusty, no nonsense, opinionated
journalist, respected by many; especially his peers.
This most appropriate and generous piece by Gordon made
many in both Canada and the USA proud. Many around the
world have realised the American's unselfish generosity
and embraced, even if just for a moment the contributions
to world peace and prosperity by a super power that
did not have to be so magnanimous.
The Americans – Video – I hope it is still available. The audio
version below is locally embedded.
The Americans by Gordon Sinclair
The original broadcast had no music but was stirring all the same.
The Americans by Gordon Sinclair –
Text of the Broadcast
How "The Americans" came to be and the
magnificent events that followed its original broadcast.
On June 5, 1973, Gordon Sinclair sat up in bed in Toronto and turned on his TV set. The United States had just pulled out of the Vietnamese War which had ended in a stalemate - a war fought daily on TV, over the radio and in the press. The aftermath of that war resulted in a world-wide sell-off of American investments, prices tumbled, the United States economy was in trouble. The war had also divided the American people, and at home and abroad it seemed everyone was lambasting the United States.
He turned on his radio, twisted the dial and turned it off. He picked up the morning paper. In print, he saw in headlines what he had found on TV and radio - the Americans were taking a verbal beating from nations around the world. Disgusted with what he saw and heard, he was outraged!
At 10:30, on his arrival at CFRB to prepare his two pre-noon broadcasts, he strode into his office and "dashed-off" two pages in 20 minutes for LET'S BE PERSONAL at 11:45 am, and then turned to writing his 11:50 newscast that was to follow. At 12:01 pm, the script for LET'S BE PERSONAL was dropped on the desk of his secretary who scanned the pages for a suitable heading and then wrote "Americans" across the top and filed it away. The phones were already ringing.
“I was fortunate enough to listen to the original broadcast. I found it most appropriate and felt great pride that a Canadian was so eloquent about American generosity and unselfishness.” Jim Fekete comment
Gordon Sinclair could not have written a book that could have had a greater impact in the world than his two-page script for THE AMERICANS. A book should have been written on the events that followed. But, no one at CFRB, including Sinclair himself, could have envisioned the reaction of the people of the United States - from presidents - state governors - Congress - the Senate - all media including TV, radio, newspapers, magazines - and from the "ordinary" American on the street. Nor, could have the Canadian government - stunned by the response to what has come to be regarded as one of Canada's greatest public relations feats in the history of our relations with the United States of America.
But, how did Sinclair's tribute to Americans reach them? It had been swept across the United States at the speed of a prairie fire by American radio stations - first, a station in Buffalo called and asked to be fed a tape copy of the broadcast with permission to use - both freely given. Nearby American stations obtained copies from Buffalo or called direct. By the time it reached the Washington, DC area, a station had superimposed Sinc's broadcast over an instrumental version of BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER, and was repeating it at fixed times several times-a-day.
Congressmen and Senators heard it. It was read several times into the Congressional Record. Assuming that it was on a phono (33 1/3 rpm), Americans started a search for a copy. CFRB was contacted. To satisfy the demand, CFRB started to make arrangements with AVCO, an American record company, to manufacture and distribute it as a "single".
As they were finalizing a contract that would see all royalties which would normally be due Gordon Sinclair be paid (at his request) to the American Red Cross. Word was received that an unauthorized record, using Sinclair's script but read by another broadcaster, was already flooding the US market. (Subsequently, on learning that this broadcaster had agreed to turn over his royalties to the Red Cross, no legal action was taken).
Sinclair's recording of his own work (to which Avco had added a stirring rendition of THE BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC) did finally reach record stores, and sold hundreds of thousands of copies, but the potential numbers were depressed by the sale of the infringing record. Other record producers and performers (including
Tex Ritter) obtained legal permission to make their own versions. In Ritter's case, because of the first-person style of the script, Tex preceded his performance with a proper credit to Sinclair as the author. The American Red Cross received millions of dollars in royalties, and Gordon Sinclair was present at a special ceremony acknowledging his donation.
Advertisers using print media contacted CFRB for permission to publish the text in a non-commercial manner; industrial plants asked for the right to print the script in leaflet form to handout to their employees.
Gordon Sinclair received invitations to attend and be honoured at many functions in the United States which, by number and due to family health problems at the time, he had to decline. However, CFRB newscaster Charles Doering, was flown to Washington to give a public reading of THE AMERICANS to the 28th National Convention of the United States Air Force Association, held September 18, 1974 at the Sheraton Park Hotel. His presentation was performed with the on-stage backing of the U.S. Air Force Concert Band, joined by the 100-voice Singing Sergeants in a special arrangement of The Battle Hymn of the Republic.
8 years after the first broadcast of THE AMERICANS, U.S. President Ronald Reagan made his first official visit to Canada. At the welcoming ceremonies on Parliament Hill, the new President praised "the Canadian journalist who wrote that (tribute)" to the United States when it needed a friend. Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau had Sinclair flown to Ottawa to be his guest at the reception that evening.
Sinc had a long and pleasant conversation with Mr. Reagan. The President told him that he had a copy of the record of THE AMERICANS at his California ranch home when he was governor of the state, and played it from time to time when things looked gloomy.
On the evening of May 15th, 1984, following a regular day's broadcasting, Gordon Sinclair suffered a heart attack. He died on May 17th. As the word of his illness spread throughout the United States, calls inquiring about his condition had been received from as far away as Texas. The editorial in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune of May 28th was typical of the reaction of the United States news media - A GOOD FRIEND PASSES ON.
U.S. President Ronald Reagan: "I know I speak for all Americans in saying the radio editorial Gordon wrote in 1973 praising the accomplishments of the United States was a wonderful inspiration. It was not only critics abroad who forgot this nation's many great achievements, but even critics here at home. Gordon Sinclair reminded us to take pride in our nation's fundamental values."
Former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau: "Gordon Sinclair's death ends one of the longest and most remarkable careers in Canadian Journalism. His wit, irreverence, bluntness and off-beat views have been part of the media landscape for so long that many Canadians had come to believe he would always be there."
Following a private family service, two thousand people from all walks of life filled Nathan Phillips Square in front of Toronto's City Hall for a public service of remembrance organized by Mayor Art Eggleton. Dignitaries joining him on the platform were Ontario Lieutenant-Governor, John Black Aird; the Premier of Ontario, William Davis; and Metro Chairman Paul Godfrey. Tens of thousands more joined them through CFRB's live broadcast of the service which began symbolically at 11:45 - the regular time of Sinc's daily broadcast of LET'S BE PERSONAL.
As Ontario Premier William Davis said of him "The name GORDON SINCLAIR could become the classic definition of a full life."
(recalled by J. Lyman Potts who was "there")
A wonederful human being and a most consequential US peresident, died today
December 29th 2024 at age 100. The longest living former president
in history.
Carter inherited an economic mess as is often the case following a Republican
administrattion (Richard Nixon resigned in shame, term completed by Gerald Ford).
Carter fought hard for equality and justice, Women's rights and the environment.
Carter lived and governed by a high ethical standard, kindness empathy and hard work.
Respected and admired throughout the world, his entire life.
“I believe that anyone can be successful in life, regardless of natural talent or the environment within which we live. This is not based on measuring success by human competitiveness for wealth, possessions, influence, and fame, but adhering to God’s standards of truth, justice, humility, service, compassion, forgiveness, and love.”
In the administration’s final days, Vice President Mondale famously summarized the four years:
“We told the Truth, We obeyed the Law, and We Kept the Peace,”
words Carter had inscribed on the wall of The Carter Center. In 2015, in the introduction of his then-new book, “A Full Life,” he repeated the Mondale quote, and then wrote these words, “I would add. ‘We Championed Human Rights.’”
As worthy as Jimmy Carter’s post-presidency has been, it shouldn’t overshadow his time in office, which has been too often overlooked, and which stands in sharp contrast to what we see in the White House today. President Carter was well known for tackling almost every tough issue that came his way, usually regardless of the political cost:
Carter’s accomplishments in the international arena were equally impressive:
Ultimately, what became cemented in Carter’s legacy were the failures of the Iran hostage crisis, when mobs ransacked the US embassy in Tehran capturing 52 people and holding them hostage for the duration of his presidency. Carter’s efforts to end the crisis were unsuccessful, including a failed rescue attempt.
Carter never stopped working for the betterment of life for the less fortunate. he and
his wife Rosalynn worked with Habitat for Humanity to build homes for the needy, well into their 90s.
His humanitarian work earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, long after he was out of
office.
Updated 2024/12/29
Information Source – Lots of Canadiana and useful facts
– Updated December 2022
Mom's Photo Album – Virtually a lifetime in pictures
Family Statistics – Interesting Family Facts Based on Today's Date
Our Mother – A memorial tribute
Life is a never ending learning experience – On Life
Private Section – Unreferenced by the main website
Online Dictionary – English ↔ Hungarian
Fekete Calendar – Birthdays Anniversaries
Hungarian History – Flag Coat of Arms Graphic tests etc...
A Hungarian Perspective – A Hungarians recollections on Canada etc...
Cremation – Inexpensive alternative arrangements
Bio With Opinions and Observations – An evolving document
Wondering Out Loud – Random thoughts past present and future
The city that never sleeps. You can watch 24 hours a day and observe the activity level change from people waking up to the traffic jams of commuters scurrying to work and returning home, from sun up to the dark of night. The city is always alive and busy. The curious may wonder what is happening in each of the images captured. There are times when the camera is above the clouds, with occasional faint images peeking through the breaks in the passing clouds.
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Some will never forget while some will never know.
A place of peace, tranquillity and solitude provided to one and all.
An adventure worth remembering. Wind swept with a leaky roof, but the trip is also memorable. Howling winds in the middle of winter, the thermometer at -40° but there wasn't always two feet of snow. Teaming rain dripping on you at the most inappropriate time, with mosquitoes and flies, perhaps the odd bee or wasp in the heat of summer and of course the sometimes dry newspaper or catalogue are not only unforgettable but a must to commemorate for current and generations yet to come. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the cobwebs and spiders along with the little critters that considered this a haven from the elements.
Be grateful for the creature comforts of today in so many ways. If you consider the alternatives you may recognise why every home had one of these regardless of how poor or how many children to share the privy. The elderly and young children had a Chamberpot for indoor use;
but that is another story you could research for yourself.
This iconic photograph marks the end of the career of matador Álvaro Munero. In the midst of the battle, he suddenly repented and sat down at the edge of the field. Subsequently, in an interview, Alvaro will tell: “Suddenly I saw not horns, but the eyes of a bull. He stood in front of me and started looking at me. Just stood and watched, making no attempt to attack. The innocence that is in the eyes of all animals looks towards me with a plea for help. It was like a cry for justice and somewhere deep inside me, I suddenly realized that he was addressing me in the same way we address God in prayer: “I don't want to fight you, please leave me, Because I have done nothing wrong to you. You can kill me if you want, kill me if you want, but I do not want to fight you." And I, reading it in his eyes, felt like the worst creature on earth and hindered the war. After that I became a vegetarian and stops fighting bullfights. " This story was published in 2012. After thousands of other foreign publications told about the case, millions of people learned about the matador Álvaro Munero, and this photo became one of the most recognizable.
One can only hope that ALL inhumanity will end. Bull fighting is a senseless brutally inhumane activity that serves no purpose. Wounding a defenceless animal for the entertainment of bloodthirsty crowds is insane.
All living things deserve to be treated humanely, with all the respect we expect for ourselves.
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Dr. Wayne W. Dyer – Success Secrets - Read his blogs
“One of my secrets for feeling successful and attracting bountiful abundance into my life has been an internal axiom that I use virtually every day of my life. It goes like this: |
Learning to Let Go – How to Let Go of Someone You Deeply Loved
Some thoughts are clever, cute or funny some are profound.
Give each thought a serious
consideration before moving to the next thought.
I often select one of the above as a thought provoking, humourous or inspiring e-mail signature.
Elvis Presley – Until It's Time For You To Go –
Lyrics
Having lived in Canada for over 60 years we have stopped pronouncing our own name
correctly. We have softened the K as well as the T when asked to pronounce the name.
It was my aunt who brought this subtle change to my attention. It is almost as if
we have started speaking with a dialect or accent, instead of the pure native
language we first learned. The attached clip is the best version of Fekete I have found.
I feel strongly that you are born with one name and you should do the best you can
to let the world know exactly what that name is. I have tried but often fail to
make sure I pronounce my name correctly.
The family name Fekete, is Hungarian for Black.
Some have trouble figuring out the pronunciation of Fekete.
Click on the speaker for the Correct Pronunciation of
Fekete
The Irish Rovers – The Unicorn –
Lyrics
The Twin Towers
The Twin Towers on Fire
World Trade Center Skyline
When Something bad happens, you have three choices
You can let it define you
You can let it destroy you
You can let it strengthen you
All losses are painful; be it loved ones, friends, acquaintances, pets, limbs or just treasured valuables. All adversity goes through various stages and degrees of the grieving process.
There are those who handle adversity well and those who are victimised by setbacks. Those who wallow in self-pity, anger and hostility toward the world and even themselves instead of moving on with their lives, practice self-abasement and live in untold misery of their own making. Often these poor souls turn to religion to escape reality and personal responsibility, trying to ease their misery, never finding true comfort or joy in anything. On the other hand you find those who hurt just as much, often suffering far greater misfortune but accept their predicament and instead of living in endless misery they see the joy of living and make the world a better place, not just for themselves but the world around them.
Acceptance of reality and personal attitude separate the winners from the losers. The losers lament what might have been, deceiving themselves into a Utopian world that never was and never could be. The self-destructive behaviour, resorting to alcohol or drugs, many ending in suicide,
to mask their dislike of who they have become and the forced alienation of anyone who shows love, caring or respect, eventually becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Learning to live and love again is essential to recovery. Some eventually come out of their self-imposed torture and misery but are seldom if ever the same.
The winners accept the love, compassion and beauty of the real world around them with its imperfections. Often these sufferers join self-help groups to help others recover from the devastation of adversity and in so doing become better, despite their own tragedy.
Winners become masters of their own fate instead of victims of uncontrollable circumstance.
See Grieving – an essential part of recovering from inevitable loss
Feng Shui – There is some mighty fine advice and wisdom in these words
Some Heroes just end up on the Wrong Side.
"Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfil it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is life, fight for it."
Mother Teresa
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