Promises, promises, Yay Nancy and pro soccer in EL Paso!

So the Orange King’s budget proposal for the 2020 fiscal year has a name: “A Budget for a Better America: Promises Kept. Taxpayers First.”

Ok – so John Cassidy in the New Yorker magazine reminds us that on June 16, 2015,  when the Orange King was running for POTUS and  emoting as he descended an escalator at Trump Tower, these gems fell out of his mouth:  “Save Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security without cuts,” …. “Have to do it.”  And he kept repeating this as he ran for office, appealing to his adoring deplorables. (Oh yes – he made a point of citing his terrible Republican opponents running against him in the primaries out to cut Medicare and Social Security!) And just before the election he threw in a few more whoppers which included that he alone would “protect” Medicare and Hillary would destroy it.

Really? Oh yeah – gotta deliver my promises, says the Orange King. Promised my guys a WALL to keep out the "invaders".  Medicare? What’s that?

Yay Nancy! Asked if Trump was fit to be President, Speaker Pelosi said, “No. I don’t think he is….(he’s)  ethically unfit. Intellectually unfit. Curiosity-wise unfit. No, I don’t think he’s fit to be president of the United States. My kind of politician - go Nancy, go!

The newest fun word for pols:  “socialism” . Most people don’t have a clue to its meaning – other than it’s supposed to be pejorative. Like a public school education?

Time to start promoting Ethical Capitalism!

Peeve of the week: Nothing more important than a free press – but it seems some are more free than others. There are still journalists – print/social/whatever  -  who can’t bring themselves to say the Orange King is “LYING”; they write “falsehood”, “misrepresentation” or some other synonym.

A lie is a lie is a lie!!!

A neat story for sports lovers in El Paso: 

El Paso has a new soccer team – the El Paso Locomotives. The team will be sharing the Southwest University Park with El Paso’s AAA minor league team  the El Paso Chihuahuas (affiliate of San Diego Padres). So what happens to the pitcher’s mound when the soccer team arrives? Presto magic! The Esto Retractable Mound lowers the pitcher’s mound twelve inches in ten minutes – ready for soccer – and then can raise it back up for baseball in another ten minutes. Pretty neat!!

More Lies, High Drug Prices and - Wine in flat bottles?

Addressing CPAC on Saturday, March 2, 2019, the Orange King was in top form displaying a bizarre, lying, unhinged personality; he was cheered by his kool-aid sycophants and the press just wrote it up as another day in the life of a crazy president - who included wrapping himself around the U.S. flag at one point.

And the followers ate it up – listening to the King perform;  a bizarre performance based on fantasy, deceit and lies. (The Saturday performance served up 104 lies according to press counters.)

It’s what Goebbels said in the 1930’s – if you lie over and over – you will be believed

After watching Michael Cohen’s session with the House last week (Feb.27, 2019) it’s obvious that  Republicans (read: frightened, weak legislators)  can be counted on to run interference and defense for their Orange King no matter how much he lies, deceives, cheats or attacks innocents.

As an eternal optimist I had hoped that some of these Royal serfs would jump ship and decide that our country was more important than the Orange King’s “pockets”. My optimism, alas, is waning.

Nothing new under the sun:

 Sixty years ago, a panel of senators, headed by Senator Estes Kefauver,  grilled pharma about rising drug costs and drug-company profits. Those hearings led to new legal standards for drug safety and drug effectiveness; alas controlling prices were forgotten.

So last week the Senate decided to hold hearings once again about rising prices. My guess: nothing will change. Prices will only continue to rise!

Pharmaceutical companies know how to limit regulations and protect their profits! 

I read that Florida's governor wants to allow his state to import drugs from Canada – because they’re cheaper. Pharma infers imports may be unsafe.
Oh sure! Canadians are all taking unsafe drugs? 

(Talking about safety  - one thing is sure:  they’re 100 times safer than all the unnecessary supplements U.S. residents buy that have never been inspected by the FDA or other government entity!)

My personal complaint: I use eye drops made by a U.S. company who moved their headquarters to Ireland to avoid U.S. taxes; their medication is made in various locations around the world – same box, same drops, same everything except price: about $35 in Spain, Portugal, Mexico, South/Central America and close to $200 in the U.S.! Interestingly, the U.S. price was about $75 two years ago – the raised prices indicate nothing new - except greed. There is no generic version; a few years ago the company made the medication less potent (yielding same results) but were able to claim  (in court) this was a “new” drug – therefore the patent was extended!

I’m sure one of the reasons for drug price hikes (in addition to greed) are the hefty payments for  their daily tv commercials we endure every day. If you feel fine when you sit down to watch tv, you may very well end your viewing with assorted illnesses/symptoms thanks to  pharmaceutical company suggestions.

Once upon a time, these companies couldn't advertise to the public........

Moving on to pleasanter topics: 

How about wine in a flat plastic bottle?

A story in the UK newspaper The Guardian about the Garcon Wines company invention: flat, plastic wine bottles. Their claim:  full size flat wine bottles will  reduce carbon emissions and costs in the entire wine industry supply chain. Santiago Navarro is the chief executive, co-founder of Garçon Wines; he said normal wine cases offer "costly logistics, excessive packaging, wasted resources and a grotesque carbon footprint".

Just imagine: gift a friend by dropping your favorite bottle of wine in a mail slot!

Sanctions, POTUS cleaners and Pig Wings....

Politics: Annoyed  is an understatement  when referring to our fraudulent Royal Orange King and his  "courtiers" who recently lifted sanctions on yet another group of rich Russian thugs - and the end result will help Putin acquire more undeserved riches.

Added garbage: the illustrious Treasury courtier Mnuchin pushed for this- he's a buddy of Len Blavatnik - who is rich enough to play every side of the aisle - Mostly Red, (M.McConnell  is the lucky recipient of some of his millions - surprised?) some Blue and he sweetens the damage by including big bucks to Harvard Medical School. His family came from the Ukraine in the 1970's - he earned graduate degrees from Columbia and Harvard) and he's "ungeshtupt with gelt" - couple of billion - mas o menos. But I guess the more you have the more you want; Blavatnik is a buddy of Derapaska - and all buddies lead to Putin!  And Pootie boy is cozying up with China, making nice with Little Rocket  - and can you smell WWIII???

Whatever happened to the  McCarthyites and other Republicans who used to see Communists under every chair, table or bed and now are so chillingly quiet as Putin, his oligarch buddies  and flock of slaves (many former hard core Communists) work hard at destroying us and other democratic countries?

Needed: Laughter! I'm always glad to have a laugh in the kitchen - where I spend most of my happy hours. Just got a news release that made my day!

Something new from the innovative New Metro Design Group (I use their remarkable BeaterBlade attachment on my KitchenAid Mixer which scrapes the sides of the bowl as it mixes!): the ANGRY POTUS Microwave Cleaner!

Using language familiar to this creature: ANGRY POTUS is absolutely the greatest, bigliest way to clean your microwave. All you have to do is remove POTUS’ hair - add vinegar and water, stick him in your microwave for 3 minutes on medium high. Hot steam comes out of POTUS’ head – really! – which softens crusted, stuck-on microwave dirt and stains. Let POTUS sit for about two minutes- remove him – and wipe the inside of the microwave with a sponge or rag. Voila! Sparkling clean – BIGLY!!! About $15 at Amazon. (There's a less  expensive model – ANGRY MAMA – available if you have a problem cooking the Orange King!) 

More foodie news:
Robots on campus in Virginia: If you're a student, faculty, or staff member at the Fairfax VA campus of George Mason University and feel the need for a nosh - contact your local robot:  Sodexo Inc. and Starship Technologies launched robot food delivery services to the campus. The service is supposed to integrate with student meal plans and food and drinks will be delivered anywhere on campus!

And if you see Pork Wings on the menu next time you eat out - not to worry,  pigs are not flying (as of now) .This item on the menu refers to cuts from the animal's leg known as shanks. The Pioneer Meat company in Michigan gets the credit for promoting this relatively new snack type food. Their pig wings include a small attached bone (from the hog's fibula) making it easy to hold while nibbling. The company estimates  about 5 to 7 million pounds of pig wings are sold annually at this time!

Ninety - or Chai 5!!!* for me. A bumpy year for the Orange King!

Welcome to 2019!
What's on the Orange King's agenda? How about some more delusions? Like
"I could be a great general!" Really? Not after the podiatrist in his father's building attested to Orange King's "bone spurs" - (unfit for military). Podiatrist  was rewarded with quick repairs to his apartment by landlord Fred Trump!

The Orange King's  "friends/sycophants" are rolling their eyes after his story about Russia's invasion in Afghanistan. My own take on Afghanistan: no need to be there - takeovers tried since mid-19th century - and everyone left - the Brits, the Russians, etc. After 18 years of wasted men and money maybe it's time for us to leave; I'm assuming Orange King wants to leave because he sees no Trump Towers rising there. (Probably the only time I agree with the King.)

And Nancy Pelosi is a shining example that age "numbers" are meaningless when you're a smart, politically savvy politician. Brava Nancy!!

The new House Representatives added a bit of spice with a newcomer from Michigan, Democratic Congresswoman Rashida  Tlaib. She's interested in impeaching the Orange King and used an expletive to express herself at a party:  Democrats will “impeach the motherf….r” Although this is not my choice of words and does not really advance the Democratic Party’s  goals it's interesting to note the rush to criticize her.

How quickly we forget – especially if the speaker is a “man”. Dick Cheney once told Sen. Patrick Leahy to “go f..k yourself” on the floor of the United States Senate. He did not apologize – but went on to say that he believed his colleagues felt the same way and his comment was “badly needed to be said”!  (He received praise from Conservatives and was seen as “strong”.)

 Like father, like daughter -  Cheney’s daughter, a congresswoman from Wyoming was also quick to criticize Tlaib!

Fun stuff:

I celebrated my 90th birthday on the Celebrity Infinity - a short cruise in the Caribbean with most of my family. My "kid" cousin Florrie, her daughter Barbara and granddaughter Carly really surprised me - timing their arrival in Fort Lauderdale in time to greet me before we boarded our ship. (Florrie, my closest favorite cousin will reach the ChaiXFive in May!)  And thoughtful Carly came supplied with Prosecco for a toast!

I love travel on any water - ocean, river, whatever. Where we sail is not too important. We sailed on Celebrity's Infinity and once again - I can only rave about the service level on Celebrity ships. Every staff member - from officers to those polishing hand rails was always quick to ask if we needed help and,

always with a smile. Interesting note - I was able to rent a walker for my husband for the cruise and it was waiting for him in our cabin when we arrived! (We just left it in the cabin when we disembarked; Celebrity wheeled my husband on and off the ship with their wheelchairs.)

Celebrity staff sent flowers, champagne, wine to my cabin and posted a big Happy 90th sign on my door.





Happy group - Sarah, Miriam, Joan, Susan, Lee . me, standing; Ben sitting.

Birthday cake in the Tuscan Grill Restaurant:

Celebrity Infinity docked in Cozumel







*For my friends who are not familiar with CHAI: "Chai" is a word formed by two letters in the Hebrew alphabet: Chet (ח‬) and Yod  (י‬); the combination means  "alive", or "living".
 If one assigns numbers to the Hebrew alphabet, chai adds up to 18 and this is considered a lucky number. Chai X five thus equals 90!

Cruising across the pond in your tenth decade - what a wonderful tonic!

Just returned from a November 15-day westbound transatlantic cruise" from Southampton, UK  to Fort Lauderdale, FL. on the wonderful Celebrity Silhouette.
Absolutely delightful - despite one stormy day. After the dark clouds left we sat on our balcony enjoying balmy sunshine! Who would've believed that November in the North Atlantic could  be so pleasant? It helped that I selected a cabin on the port  (left) side of the ship - since I assumed (or hoped) that going west, we would receive late morning/afternoon sun. So - when we weren't eating, playing bridge, attending cocktail/tea parties or playing trivia - we sat on our balcony and enjoyed reading, playing gin rummy or snoozing!
The ship's first port was Boston and we met our granddaughter Sarah for lunch at the No Name restaurant on Fish Pier - not far from the ship. (She came from her school, Brandeis University, in Waltham.)
Next port was  New York City   - sailing under the Verrazano  Bridge and  saluting the Statue of Liberty; we were invited to view our NYC arrival from the  ship's helipad which was exciting (and chilly); staff handed out blankets and hot chocolate to warm us up!
We docked  at 55th St. and 12th Ave. and remained overnight - not leaving until the afternoon of the next day! This was special since we got to visit our kids/grandkids Laura, Dave, Evan, Jeremy in Chappaqua!
Laura arranged for a car to pick us up at the ship and return us after our visit. What a fantastic treat!
The ship continued on to Bermuda and we disembarked in Fort Lauderdale -flying home to El Paso.

So why was this such a great cruise? After all we've been doing this for more than 25 years - on almost every cruise line/river ship/barge - here and abroad. But  when you're in your 10th decade - getting frailer - can't really handle stairs....like my Ben -  vacation options diminish.  The level of service on this Celebrity ship was phenomenal. Wherever Ben walked (with his cane)  someone on the staff asked if they could help lend  a hand in walking, carrying a cup/plate,  holding the elevator, whatever. Didn't matter if it was a ship's officer or someone polishing the stair railings.... kind, thoughtful service was the watchword.  Ben needed a wheelchair for getting on and off in ports and the ship's staff couldn't do enough to make sure Ben was comfortable.

Which explains why we're returning to Celebrity this December - for a five day Caribbean cruise with Joan (and granddaughters Sarah and Miriam) and Susan (and Lee) to celebrate my 90th!! This time we'll be on an older ship, the Infinity - but I'm expecting the same wonderful service!

Photos below show Celebrity Silhouette docked in Bermuda, the Library, Trifle dessert day at the buffet lunch (Ben's highlight!)  Ruth and Ben - and the lawn at the top of the ship.

 

Invasion of five-year old children without shoes

Lies are getting bigger (Fuhrer style)!
Our Orange King is sending thousands of troops to the US Mexican border for the coming "invasion"! That's what the Trump network (aka FoxyNews) is advising - and they're doing their best to remind viewers constantly about the upcoming invasion.....? The worst part - people living thousands of miles from the border - believe this is an imminent threat!


In the meantime, the Orange King continues to spend your money - on campaign trips, needless posting of troops, National Guard and more. And when there's no more money - he'll reduce Medicare, S.S. and anything else that might help the middle class!

And to extend his exposure before election day, the Orange King serves up bigger and more lies - how about the U.S. "birthright" challenge: "we're the only country" etc. BIG LIE!

Crooked voting machines; sending wrong voting addresses or moving polling places (especially if there are students or minorities involved)  - I find it so hard to understand why the Orange King has such devoted followers; do they really believe he cares about them?

Mendacity rules - hard to laugh......

Haven't posted since August 24 - so depressed at what's happening in this country. Mendacity is still the rule - and I feel hopeless since I don't have political clout or money to counter the lies.
The orange king's mantra: Deny, Deny, Deny is now chanted by all his courtiers and slaves.
And the orange king continues to gloat over his court's accomplishments while campaigning (at our expense) and criticizing/calling names of any who might dare to speak up against him.
For a brief moment I had hopes that Flake and Collins would show some gumption. Collins is either stupid or getting paid off by McConnell and Flake apparently wants to run for president so he's avoiding stepping on toes and antagonizing possible sources of funding.
And Manchin? A Democrat? Where coal is god? Impossible
So I will cast my vote in November and hope that the Democratic Party doesn't shoot itself in the foot before then and mess things up.

Wouldn't it be great if Beto gets elected?