Mine.
I hope all my American friends know and will be involved in this
day. I’m looking forward to it enormously, and would give my back teeth to participate in it – anywhere !
Erasmus or Nostradamus ?
… what I’ve been occupied with.
Well, my American friends would be interested, and so would my friend Hev. But the rest of you couldn’t care less, I suspect, when told. And that’s not good, because what’s currently driving my rage is going to affect all of us.
I wish I could flood the Internet with it ! Obama became my all-life political hero when first I started reading about his candidature for the Presidency – that’s a fair span of years (even though a fraction in comparison with my total). He is readily acknowledged by everyone who is not a tRumper to be by far the best President in living memory. And the mad bad man, surrounded by lickspittles and followers-only-for-a-purpose (looking at you, JD) can simply remove the portrait because he hates Obama more than anyone, and not a soul in the White House raises an eyebrow.
I’m following two Substacks: one is by American historian of note Heather Cox Richardson and the other by Robert Reich, who has so many titles and past occupations – “Robert Bernard Reich is an American professor, author, lawyer, and political commentator. He worked in the administrations of presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, and he served as secretary of labor in the cabinet of President Bill Clinton” – as to almost defy listing ’em. The former’s Substack lays out exactly what’s happening on a daily basis in terms that make you understand her being an historian; and the latter— well, his latest post is this. He posts all manner of things, all in some way positive.
And I’m commenting fairly often on both. (Yes, there have indeed been some blokes who decided they wanted to ‘befriend’ me; but they were easily put off and just went away. They all, btw, protested that my being 82 did not affect their desire to chat. I think there are lots of lonely people …) When I shut down the laptop to go to bed, I wonder how many likes and return comments there will be in the morning: that’s sort of fun.
tRump’s insane tariffs have already started affecting Oz, and they’re not going to improve trade any time soon.
But in truth, it’s America that’s breaking my heart: country of Obama’s 16-year stint as the President whose employment as such was mostly joyful. It was certainly filled with intelligence, grace, charm, humour, music and deep thinking. For that, so recent and so memorable (in spite of Mitch McConnell) to be now replaced with the police state that’s almost there … the anger, the cruelty, the carelessness of everything except power and money … I don’t have the words.
I start out with high ideals.
I always end up having dropped ’em by the wayside.
Yeah, that’s me alright.
I do have a sort of excuse— no, I mean explanation: it’s the dwindling of energy that being almost unbelievably ancient causes … brings … is responsible for.
When I was young (about two years ago), I would NEVER take any easy way out of bloody anything ! – in fact, I was driven to being a kind of seeker of Trouble … right here in River City; and that rhymes with P and that stands for Pathetic. [Apologies to that extraordinary wordsmith, Meredith Wilson. Oh, there are some wonderful American musicals ! – no wonder Stringer loved them so.]
And the pathetic is what now characterizes me, alas. Rather than save muchos dollari and forego Microsoft, learning how to make the large change from Outlook to Thunderbird – also a downward step in terms of calendar function – and the only slightly less large change from Excel to LibreOffice’s Calc, within which I cannot find most of the functions I use regularly in Excel without having to open the online manual and search … Oh, and also take the plunge to NOT LOG IN TO MY MICROSOFT ACCOUNT when firing up the old laptop … Rather than take on all these challenges, I say, I have opted out. Pa-the-tic.
So, seeing as how I’ve capitulated to Bill’s software megalodon, I might as well do the same to Matt thingummy’s blog platform.
I have admitted under (blogging) oath to being weak and useless and totally unadmirable, so what’s the point of taking a stand about anything ?!
[sits back with satisfied sigh …]
A bloke named Chip Franklin, who has a lengthy and successful history in various media, posts regularly on YouTube and I read his stuff.
The post that caused me to choke can be watched here (pretty sure I’m not meant to do this, but I honestly think the channeleers ( ! ) don’t care.
I did write in time (meaning, before they closed off comments) to the NYT to add my piece regarding the shutting down of Stephen Colbert’s late-night talk show, and am happy to see it there amongst all the others. The orange lunatic at his best.
The YouTube clip can be said to show him at his most typical – to say two-faced is to grossly flatter the fucker.
This was the latest item in a seemingly unending line of statements from suppliers about escalating prices:
I’m not going to cough up that amount, any more than I’m going to put up with Microsoft’s appalling greed – with regard to which I shall forego Outlook in divesting myself of Office 365 and Edge and use Firefox and Thunderbird, as my sister tells me the latter can now have a calendar added.
With regard to Automattic’s cash-grab, I shall cease this blog. It didn’t do much, anyway.
I started reading this article in the NYT because recently I was abandoned with cold deliberation by someone I love greatly. Well, that is … that’s how it seems to me. But maybe – just maybe – there’s no cold deliberation but a temporary surfeit of ME.
RSD, eh …?
ADHD ????? – why not then ? Certainly I have it in spades with regard to reading, as all who know me are aware.
Sighh … If you feel like finding out what this pertickler ancient is like, seems you have only to peruse the linked article. Would it were not so.
A large part of the problem stems from
My mate over in my home town Perth is a serial emailer – of late they’re mostly political. He is conservative.
I am of late mostly apolitical; and were I to return to giving a rat’s arse about which party runs this country, I would very definitely not be voting the Coalition.
Be that as it may, Roger’s latest included an article written for The Australian (known for being right-wing) by none other than our not-very-recent Prime Minister of onion-chomping and budgie-smuggling fame, one Tony Abbott. Whom I have castigated and fulminated about more than once in this blog.
It nearly chokes me to say this, but the article actually makes sense to me …
I dunno that this is something anyone other than easily-irritated old broads think about. It’s definitely a current syndrome: authors writing fiction a good while back didn’t indulge.
But today’s writers, imnsho, do so with impunity. Which is to say, only this e.-i. o. b. (see above) appears to notice.
The characters can read minds: they know what other characters are thinking.
They can also read expressions.
They never fail to get it right.
In fact, novels actually depend upon this amazing ability; and if you refer to anything current – meaning written in your lifetime – you will find it portrayed often.
As most of you know, I don’t read but listen to audiobooks: maybe that’s why I notice.
And maybe that’s why I write in the first person: it’s not just that I’m an egomaniac, but that I cannot read anyone’s mind and have never been able to and am awfully happy with this lack.
They won’t be seen behaving like this with any other country’s leader, of course: they plotted to take advantage of Zelenskyy’s arrival to posture and froth, like the scumbags they are.
The reaction around the world was instantaneous – especially from Europe:
I don’t think I’m allowed to have Brian’s show appearing on my blog; but I doubt very much that he’s in a mood to stop anyone from sharing his opinions.
I follow Maddow with enthusiasm: she is knowledgeable, cogent and believable. She’ll be there telling it like it is when she’s as old as I am now.
Kendrick, Malcolm; MbChB, MRCGP. Medical Director; Adelphi Lifelong Learning. Adelphi Mill, Bollington, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 5JB, United Kingdom. Essays
is my health hero (you may recall that I have one only hero in just about every category that an old broad’s life can cover); and he it is who has caused me more trouble, anxiety, worry and frustration than, I think, any other individual in all my days.
Because Malcolm writes books about – well, check these:
that I find absolutely credible. I believe every word he writes – well, those I know the meanings of. Malcolm is no fly-by-night snakeoil salesman: he is a fully qualified and still practising medico; and were you to look him up on Google you would find that he is ubiquitous (to put it mildly). I am completely persuaded of Malcolm’s evidence-based beliefs; and will remain so to the end of my days.
The problem is that the medical fraternity is up in arms about Malcolm and what he writes, but they cannot come up with anything to prove him wrong. As has happened several times in the past, medicos worldwide have locked arms against “new” medicine – and they are wrong, which makes their arm-locking even tighter (of course).
What this division amongst doctors – for Malcolm is far from being a lone voice crying in the wilderness – means to people like me is that we have no access to those who understand what he has written and agree with him. They’re far too scared to raise their heads above the medical ramparts and identify themselves, because the majority have the power to not only make their lives hell, but to see them relieved of their qualifications and kicked out of their positions. And, needless to add (but I do), the majority feel hurt and injured and are behaving badly – petty, bitchy, thunderous, sneering … think of a pejorative and it is applicable.
So here is an ancient fattish broad who wants to go carnivore but needs to really understand her own medical condition and if/how it relates to such a radical step, and I cannot find any doctor, be it at GP level or cardiologist, who will say aught but how vital statins are to my long-term health !
Having with huge pleasure come across
— which made me feel a shitload better about the whole thing, seeing as how nearly all these people are fully qualified medicos, like Malcolm — I picked out all the Australians in the list and wrote a group email thus:
With the exception of Dr Kendrick, whose writings are what turned me into one of these – and I make ZERO claims for the right to be numbered amongst this august fraternity ! – all can be contacted in Australia — unhappily, none in Victoria.
My approach, gentlemen, is a fervent hope of anyone’s being able to refer me to someone in Melbourne to whom I can turn for medical advice.
My GP and my ex-cardiologist are both wedded to the status quo regarding the evils of cholesterol and the benefits of statins. As I’ve made it utterly clear that nothing on this earth will convince me to take statins and I would like my “cholesterol level” to be a lot higher, my GP is now more than somewhat off-side and the cardiologist gone. I have … ahh … interviewed one or two new GPs in hopes of their being more up-to-date, without success.
I seek a credible “medical supervisor” because I have, I’m told, hypercalcemia.
I’m a young 81. Until all this started I thought myself in perfect health; and I find this mysterious degree of hypercalcemia irritating to the point of infuriating: I feel absolutely fine !
I want to embark on a carnivore regimen. I now detest cooking and, having before that fainting episode managed to lose 30 kg (am now ±77 kg), I’m desperate to maintain (if not improve on) that weight loss. But I would greatly prefer to embark on something as radical as carnivore with rather than without medical advice.
Please, gentlemen, can you point to anyone whose medical opinion I can respect ?
In the words of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, that famous writer and poet, relevant to whom anyone knowing me is aware of my fondness for his work —
«but answer came there none.»
One had since died; one’s email sent an automatic reply saying he wasn’t there any more; two were simply silent and one actually replied – but it was so off-topic in terms of what I’d asked for that it might as well have not arrived. Total fizzog, basically,
I hope you now see why I describe the wonderful Dr Kendrick as the most infuriating, irritating, trouble-causing hero I have ever had …
DOWNUNDER WITH BOODZ 