Putin

 

Moving Cars

 

Conservative Philanthropy

Black cabinet member Mary McLeod Bethune and Eleanor Roosevelt at the opening of Midway Hall in May, 1943 [Courtesy of The National Archives and Records Administration, College Park. Still Picture Records Section, Special Media Archives Services Division]

While pundits and scholars continue to debate the extent to which Donald Trump’s time in office has eroded American democracy, what is clear is that the former president’s political rhetoric breached the boundaries of acceptable racial discourse in the United States.

Trump assailed Mexicans as criminals, called for a ban on Muslims, said African nations were “shithole countries”, and referred to white supremacists in Charlottesville as “very fine people”. In his final act as president, he showed no remorse for the deadly violence he instigated during the January 6, 2021 Capitol riots with his lies about a stolen election. In so doing, 

Trump mainstreamed white supremacy and a new, more aggressive racial discourse that encouraged his supporters to resist “cancel culture”, the “woke media”, and any semblance of liberal or progressive ideas around identity and race – including using violent resistance to “take back our country”.

Take, for instance, Trump’s executive order banning federal contractors from conducting racial sensitivity training which claimed that such training indoctrinated government workers with “divisive and harmful sex and race-based ideologies”. 

From banning diversity training to denouncing the New York Times’ 1619 Project on slavery in the US and Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States, which offers an analysis of US history told from the perspective of the oppressed, Trump, his allies and supporters engaged in a full-scale culture war just as a “racial reckoning” was taking place at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The massive protests in the summer of 2020, which came about in response to the violent death of a Black man, George Floyd, at the hands of law enforcement, sparked a backlash from the political right which took advantage of white American fears – real or imagined – of becoming a majority-minority.  READ MORE...

Feeding Mom

 

Severe Racism at Tesla

California’s civil rights regulator said it’s suing Tesla Inc. for racial discrimination after finding widespread harassment of Black workers at the electric carmaker's factory near San Francisco.

The state’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing received complaints from hundreds of workers and “found evidence that Tesla’s Fremont factory is a racially segregated workplace where Black workers are subjected to racial slurs and discriminated against in job assignments, discipline, pay and promotion creating a hostile work environment,” Kevin Kish, the agency’s director, said in a statement late Wednesday.

The complaint in Alameda County Superior Court wasn’t immediately available on the court’s website.  Tesla said in a Feb. 8 blog post — before the suit was filed — that the company “will be asking the court to pause the case and take other steps to ensure that facts and evidence will be heard.”

The DFEH said one Black worker told of hearing racial slurs as often as 50 to 100 times a day. Some who complained about the offensive language said supervisors and managers were active participants in the abuse or witnesses to it. On a daily basis, Black workers saw racist graffiti on restroom walls, lockers, benches, work stations, lunch tables and the break room, according to the agency’s emailed statement, which provided a detailed summary of its findings.Am
The agency is the state-level equivalent of the better-known U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, with a mission to protect Californians from unlawful discrimination in employment, housing and accommodations. The DFEH informed Tesla on Jan. 3 that it had grounds to file a complaint. Tesla warned investors of the agency’s investigation in the annual report it filed to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission this week.

The automaker’s shares fell 2% at 9:32 a.m. Thursday in New York.

Numerous Complaints
Tesla has more than 99,000 employees globally, and the factory in Fremont employs in excess of 10,000 people. The car company headed by billionaire Elon Musk moved its corporate headquarters from Palo Alto, California, to Austin, Texas, last year.  READ MORE...

Cat & Fish

 

Jailed For 150 Days

US actor Jussie Smollett was sentenced to almost five months in prison after being found guilty of falsely telling police he was the victim of a racist and homophobic hate crime in 2019 – an attack prosecutors said he himself staged.

The gay 39-year-old African American was found guilty in December of “planning” the fake assault by paying two Nigerian brothers $3,500, and of lying to police in his depositions.

“You really crave the attention and you wanted to get the attention,” Chicago Judge James Linn told the former “Empire” star as he read out the sentence late Thursday.  He said the actor had a streak that was “profoundly arrogant and selfish and narcissistic”.

“This was premeditated to the extreme… You’ve destroyed your life as you knew it,” Linn said, adding that “you did damage to real hate crimes victims.”  He said Smollett was “just a charlatan, pretending to be a victim of a hate crime”.

The sentence and Smollett’s ensuing outburst capped an hours-long hearing Thursday and more than three years of legal drama following Smollett’s claim that he had been the target of a racist and homophobic attack.

Smollett did not make a statement when offered the opportunity before the judge announced the sentence, saying he was listening to his attorneys’ advice. But after Linn issued his decision, Smollett removed the face mask he wore throughout the hearing to proclaim himself innocent.

“If I did this, then it means that I stuck my fist in the fears of Black Americans in this country for over 400 years and the fears of the LGBT community,” Smollett said, standing up at the defence table as his lawyers and sheriff’s deputies surrounded him.

“Your Honour, I respect you and I respect the jury but I did not do this. And I am not suicidal. And if anything happens to me when I go in there, I did not do it to myself. And you must all know that.”  As deputies led him from the courtroom, Smollett shouted out again.  “I am innocent,” he yelled, raising his fist. “I could have said I am guilty a long time ago.”  READ MORE...

Hudson & Randall

 

Senseless Helplessness

There is something inside all of us that has the ability to motivate us or demotivate us...  whatever that actually means...  however, we are all aware of how some people are successful and some people are not so successful no matter how hard they try...  this is not an indication of good or bad it is just an indication of how it is, will be, and has been.

At the age of 74, I look back at my life and wonder about my accomplishment and while what I have done falls short of what others have done, I realize that others have fallen short of me...  so, what does all this mean?

In 2015, I retired after working 45 years and while I managed to reach retirement, my career was not all that terrific as I was "laid-off" or "fired" 10 times...  which translates into losing my job every 4.5 years...  that was not only difficult mentally on me but it was difficult on my spouse as well...  in fact, it severely reduced the trust and respect that she had for me...  this is manifested in how we interrelate with each other during our retirement.

Throughout my life, my personality has been displayed in such a way that when I retired in 2015, I retired with:

• no friends
• no family, in that, neither my brother, my sister, my daughter, and my wife really had no desire to have anything to do with me...

My current situation is completely a result of my own actions and comments over the last 67-74 years, therefore my fault is clear and undisputed...  however, that acceptance does not offset the fact, that it has resulted or manifested itself inside a deep coffin of depression.

This depression is further magnified by the fact that in 2015, I started writing novels and to date have completed 5 and I am 2-3 weeks away from completing number 6, and when I submitted one of those to a local published writers group, was told it was not up to their standards of writing and my membership was rejected.

So, what does this response mean for me as I know what it means for them?

It means: what's the point of me continuing my writing?

Of course, I could take a free novel writing course at COURSERA and see if that improves my writing and reapply...

But, I am 74 years old and by the time I reapply, I will be 75...

So, is that too old to start over and build writing skills?

OR...  what else do I do?

I have no desire to do anything else...  I have no interest in doing anything else...  although, I do have these blogs and I will continue posting here...  and, could expand what I post here...  but, is that enough for me?

OR...  I could continue writing my amateur novels, knowing that the odds are against me ever-evolving into becoming a professional writer...

Now, that's a goal to try and achieve...

So, what is it inside human beings that causes some of them to be successful while others are not successful at all?

And, is this lack of success when these individuals want to be successful that causes depression?

Do people need a network of support to keep from being depressed?

If they do not have a network of support what happens to them and/or what do they do to pull themselves out of depression?

It is an interesting journey that I have taken and continue to take and will only end with my death...  and, I wonder what the point of my life has been?  I have had no meaning or purpose all my life...  I've just existed and gone to work...  I've just done my job and looked for other jobs...  there has been no direction...  my life has just flowed from one year to the next, oblivious to what has been or what will be...  Along the way, I saw no reason for anyone to get to know me better, although we had credible work relationships as we worked together and got things done.

It was a senseless and meaningless existence and I was so busy doing what needed to be done, I had no time to look inside and understand myself...  now, I am left HOLLOW, EMPTY of that which makes us who we are...  consequently, I am retired, unfulfilled, want nothing to do, have no interests, and am alone...  it's not sad...  it's just the way it is for me...

Living to LIVE

What is Life?
Life is the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.

So, is that how we want to view our lives as just growth, reproduction, working, playing, changing, and dying?

I don't think so because there's so much more like:

• how we work
• at what do we work
• how we play
• what we own
• helping our children grow
• teaching our children
• our religious faith
• how we express our faith
• our neighbors
• our friends
• our photographs
• our memories

and, I am sure that the list is much, much longer...

Different perspectives cause us to live our lives differently, like:

• being a child
• being a teenager
• being an adult
• playing sports
• being a veteran
• being disabled
• being sick with cancer
• being sick with other diseases
• being wealthy/poor
• being uneducated/educated
• living in the south/north/east/west/middle
• living with animals
• living with children

Another aspect of life is PURPOSE...  do we have a PURPOSE?  and, if so, what is our PURPOSE?  Do our PURPOSES change over time and/or are they different?

Do our PURPOSES have any kind of MEANING?

Does it make sense that we only live 80-100 years and then DIE FOREVER?

Does it make sense that earth is the only planet in our entire universe that has a human being form of life?

Is life perceived differently when one is dying?

Do we not worry about life until we are dying?

Living life is different for each of us for a variety of reasons...  some of which make sense while others do not...  some of these reasons are based or predicated upon our purpose, our meaning, our faith, our values, our health, our family/friends, and our experiences that change over time which is part of our original definition.  Many of us don't even worry about this until we are confronted with a traumatic experience(s).  Maybe we would have a better life or at least a different life if we thought about it now.

Dancing

 

Easing Stress

MBG HEALTH

March 8, 2022 — 17:36 PM

These past two years have piled unexpected stressors on top of our already hectic lives. I don't know about you, but I have had to be more intentional about finding ways to reduce stress and foster calm daily. For me, these things include consuming a nutrient-dense diet, power walking, praying, prioritizing sleep, and doing things that bring me joy (time with family and friends, playing piano, singing, dancing, good food, etc.). I've recently incorporated a new strategy to stress less: mindbodygreen's calm+.

The science behind mindbodygreen's most relaxing supplement.

I lead the mindbodygreen science team, where we keep close tabs on the latest clinical research and carefully vet ingredients to bring you one-of-a-kind supplements. I don't recommend products I haven't critically analyzed and tried myself. That's why I can fully vouch for calm+.

The supplement's hero ingredient is USDA and EU organic certified full-spectrum European hemp oil. This heritage hemp is 100% CO2 extracted, eco-farmed, DNA-tested, and phytocannabinoid-rich, delivering 20 milligrams of CBD per serving. This cream-of-the-crop hemp oil is strategically complemented by two other plants: the world's most bioactive Shoden® ashwagandha extract (boasting 35% glycowithanolide content), and steam-distilled lavender oil from flowers that are high in linalool, a terpene known to elicit calm.*

For a little bit of insider background, we landed on this trio of botanicals because they can nourish and support multiple dimensions of our stress management physiology simultaneously.* Cannabinoids from hemp oil and terpenes from lavender interact with our intrinsic "balancer," the endocannabinoid system, to relax us.* 

Furthermore, ashwagandha is a nootropic herb that works via our hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis to bolster our resilience to stress.* And not in a vague sense, either: Clinical trial evidence shows Shoden® ashwagandha's ability to reduce cortisol and DHEA-S, actual hormonal biomarkers of stress, at 240 mg (the dose in calm+).*

Mind you, this premium botanical trio is delivered in one convenient gelcap (no tincture mess nor gummy sugars to worry about here, folks). I should also point out that calm+ is GMO-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and major food allergen-free.  READ MORE...

Classic Sunday Morning Newspaper Cartoons

 

Listening Versus Reading

Would you prefer to read a book or listen to the audio version? Your answer may depend on several variables, such as convenience or availability. The debate about the differences between reading and listening comprehension has taken center stage once again.

Besides a preference for one over the other, the most crucial question is; which of the two helps us retain vital information, improve our comprehension, and make us more efficient?

Well, it depends.

There are numerous studies and articles on the topic, most of which evaluate both methods’ effectiveness. Individual preferences and even learning disabilities can play a role.

However, there are differences in comprehension, depending on how we consume information. One example is transcribers. They must develop excellent listening skills to transfer audio conversations into a text format. Poor listening habits won’t help someone transcribe a significant legal deposition or law enforcement interview efficiently.

It’s also important to point out that there are differences between reading or listening for pleasure versus learning. Below are some examples:

Audiobooks vs. Physical Books
Do we comprehend more information if we physically read a book compared to listening to the same material?

Remember when audiobooks hit the market years ago? Futurist suggested listening would eclipse reading as our preferred learning method. It looks like books are still with us and will be for the foreseeable future.

Having access to one version gives us options when the other isn’t convenient or available. Reading a book or magazine while walking in the park or on a treadmill is often challenging. That’s when using our earbuds to listen to audiobooks or podcasts is a better method.  READ MORE...

Dog Cage

 

Women Initiate Divorce

Divorce is common. For instance, in 2019, one million American women divorced.

Though divorce is financially costly, particularly for women, the percentage of divorces initiated by women is higher than men-initiated divorces. Furthermore, a surprisingly large number of women report post-divorce life satisfaction. For an explanation of this paradox and reasons why women divorce, we turn to a recent paper by Parker and collaborators, published in the February 2022 issue of Current Opinion in Psychology.

The authors argue, using the evolutionary theory, that various mismatches between the sexes increase the likelihood of divorce. These mismatches are detailed below. (Note, most of what follows applies to divorces initiated by women in heterosexual relationships in Western countries.)

Good genes, deep pockets, and other mismatches in mate preference
When it comes to mate selection, women value characteristics such as masculinity, facial symmetry, attractiveness, and social dominance. Quite a few of these characteristics signal good genes. For example, they correlate with health and physical strength, which are attributes that increase survival and reproductive success.

Why might a desire for genetically superior men result in mate preference mismatch? Because men with good genes are usually more interested in short-term relationships and do not make the best long-term partners (e.g., are less resourceful). So, women, especially those able to financially support themselves, may not feel motivated to stay in a relationship with such men.

Another mismatch concerns financial resources: Not only do women desire physically healthy and attractive romantic partners, but they also often desire resourceful mates (i.e. rich and successful men).

Mating preferences concerning money and resources might have an evolutionary explanation—e.g., women’s need to rely on men capable of providing for them during pregnancy and breastfeeding, which are periods of high energy expenditure and low mobility.

Though these mating preferences have not changed, society has changed drastically. Fewer women need to depend on men; indeed, an increasing number of women outearn their husbands.  READ MORE...

Glasses

 

Greed

Off My Rocker

Most of us here is East TN and probably throughout a majority of the entire state of TN, think and believe, not just perceive, that our President and his advising staff are OFF THEIR FRIGGING ROCKERS...

The debacle in Afghanistan was mainly seen as incompetence but how President Biden is handling the turmoil in the United States has surpassed the level of incompetence and gone straight into STUPIDITY and I am including the VP in this as well, especially since she traveled down to South America to discover the ROOT CAUSE of illegal immigration into the USA and nothing has changed...  perhaps she is still looking for the root cause...  who frigging knows at this point-in-time.

But, here we are in the United States of America experiencing the worst economic inflation in our nation's recent history of 50 years, mainly brought on by all the government spending, yet blamed on COVID when in reality, the issue boils down to the fact that Biden overturned or stopped everything that his predecessor put into action, the least of which was the flow of petroleum crude oil.

Now that we have a gasoline crisis on our hands, our administration in their infinite wisdom buy oil from Russia which allows him to continue to wage war on Ukraine...

Is Biden incompetent or stupid here?

So, there is pressure on Biden and his administration to stop buying oil from Russia, so what does our illustrious President do next...  he decides to buy oil from Saudi Arabia and Venezuela,,,  however, this decision is not necessarily going to reduce the price of gasoline because we are still buying it from somewhere else.

WHY NOT OPEN UP THE FLOW OF OIL IN OUR OWN FRIGGING COUNTRY???

WHY YOU ASK...

Because it would mean that President Biden would have to reinstate some of the policies of the TRUMP ADMINISTRATION...  and, that would be a mortal sin to the Democrats and Socialists...

Biden would rather screw the American public that admit Trump was right...

NOW...  is this incompetence or STUPIDITY...  and, don't let the all caps influence your decision.
 

CAUCASIAN BORN -- Debut