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Never Ending Story

1/31/2019

I attended college, which supposedly had more-rigid entry requirements for women than for men. We assumed that women were smarter than us and didn’t seem to suffer any negative effects. That does not seem to be the case in all other parts of the world.
Here are three related stories I saw today, which display a problem with life on this planet.
A German state passed a law requiring parliament to have equal numbers of men and women. Of course, the rightwing party has filed suit.
At the Equality Awards in the United Arab Emirates, all winners were men. Anyone surprised?
At some school in England, supposedly a democracy with separation of church and state, male students must finish eating before female students will be fed.

Dumb As A Stump

1/30/2019

Trump Comes Out Strongly Against Intelligence
By Andy Borowitz
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Using some of his harshest rhetoric in recent memory, President Donald J. Trump came out strongly against intelligence on Wednesday morning.
“I’ve listened to these people with so-called intelligence go on and on, and, quite frankly, it’s a waste of time,” he said. “I know a lot more than people with intelligence do.”
Trump added that he has stopped receiving intelligence briefings at the White House, arguing, “I can do my job without any intelligence whatsoever.”
He said that he has chosen, instead, to seek advice from his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and from his elder children, Ivanka, Eric, and Donald, Jr. “You won’t find a trace of intelligence in anything they say,” he boasted.
At a briefing for the White House press corps, the President’s press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, denied that Trump’s war on intelligence was a new development. “Intelligence has never played a role in Donald Trump’s life,” she said.

Stained

1/29/2019

In Ominous Development for Trump, Roger Stone Gets Mueller Tattoo
By Andy Borowitz
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—In a potentially worrisome development for the White House, Donald Trump’s longtime political adviser Roger Stone spent the weekend getting a tattoo of the special counsel, Robert Mueller, on his back.
Minutes after being released on bail, Stone was reportedly driven to a tattoo-removal specialist in Jersey City, who spent nine hours removing his notorious back tattoo of Richard Nixon to make room for the newly minted Mueller tat.
News of Stone’s Mueller tattoo sent a wave of panic through the White House, where top aides attempted to predict what the tattoo portended for Stone’s loyalty to Trump going forward.
For his part, Stone downplayed the significance of the tattoo as he stripped off his shirt to display it for reporters. “I will have no comment at this time, other than to say that Robert Mueller is a kind, fair, and extremely handsome man,” Stone said.

Boss

1/28/2019

I have discovered the smartest corporate leader lurking in Germany. The guy is CEO of the largest energy producer, RWE. After the government passed a law dictating that use of coal will be banned after 2035, the guy is quoted as saying: “There will be job losses.”
Imagine the knowledge, experience, and intestinal fortitude needed to make such a prediction. Of course, this was actually a hidden threat to politicians, who gravely fear unemployment increases. They prefer destroying the environment to having disgruntled citizens out of work and demanding payment.

Turned

1/28/2019

I watched the film, Red Sparrow, which I enjoyed. Jenifer Lawrence was outstanding and credible. I had one or two issues with staging, but will be generous and rate the film worth seeing.
But, I did have a thought when considering the changing loyalties exposed in the plot. Just as no child is born with a religion, no child is born with a nationality. All are given by parents.
Therefore, patriotism is a myth which has to be taught and learned. That explains why shifts can be so easily made. Loyalty must be earned and is easily lost…and not always merely to the highest bidder.

Disconnect

1/28/2019

Sad

1/27/2019

I am sorry to have to be the bearer of bad news, but America is never going to be “great again”, no matter what the lying conman says. Not that country ever truly was, except in the minds of deluded people. Some might have thought of the country as the source of good, the beacon of decency and freedom. These people—most, if not all, were white men—never rode through the rural south or inner cities.
Sadly, the country that was somewhat better than it is now, has been gutted by greedy men: bankers, hedge funds, private equity vultures, venture capitalist, and M&A leeches. The strong middle class, which is the backbone and foundation of any solid society, has been destroyed and will never rise again. The lifeblood of the nation has been sucked out to line the pockets of a few.
There is no leadership, no political party, no king’s horses, no king’s men, no nothing that can put Humpty Dumpty together again…

Sunset of the Day

1/27/2019

Boss Lady

1/27/2019

Ann Coulter Demands to Deliver State of the Union Address
By Andy Borowitz
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—In blistering remarks aimed at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Ann Coulter demanded on Tuesday that she be allowed to deliver the 2019 State of the Union address.
“Nancy Pelosi should stop playing politics with the State of the Union,” Coulter told reporters. “Tradition dictates that I deliver that speech next week, and I intend to do just that.”
The conservative pundit scoffed at congressional Democrats’ condition that she reopen the government before being able to deliver the State of the Union.
“Clearly, since becoming Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi has let power go to her head,” Coulter said.
Coulter indicated that she would use the State of the Union to speak to the American people not only about the border wall but also about her plans for the economy, trade, and America’s role in nato.
“The American people have put tremendous faith in me,” she said. “I am not about to let Nancy Pelosi stop me from doing the job I was elected to do.”

Gee...Men

1/26/2019

Trump Furious That F.B.I. Not Stopped by Shutdown
By Andy Borowitz
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—A furious Donald Trump told reporters on Friday morning that it was “a total disgrace” that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had apparently not been affected by the government shutdown.
Trump, who appeared agitated and was gripping his television remote as he spoke on the White House lawn, said that he had been under the impression that F.B.I. agents had been furloughed and were not going to work.
“You have people across the country, in national parks and places like that, who are not at work, and somehow the F.B.I. is working around the clock?” Trump said. “I think it’s a total disgrace. It’s a sick situation.”
Trump said that he would call an emergency meeting of his Cabinet to “get some answers” about why the F.B.I. was working during the shutdown.
“Let’s say you were trying to leave the country in a hurry with your family—would the F.B.I. be at the airport to stop you?” he asked. “What good is this shutdown, anyway?”