“Calamity News and Politics”
Calamity News and Politics
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Come visit and stay awhile. We are a NO ad site. Progressive articles written from a quirky viewpoint.
A recent crock of bullshit that has been pedaled is that the U.S. joined the Allies in WWII because of the holocaust. America entering WWII had nothing to do with the holocaust. Almost no one knew what was going on at the time, including several levels of the German government itself. The only reason America joined, two years after the war started, I might add, was because of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The vast majority of fighting by American personnel was in the South Pacific in its war against Japan. Of the 16 million men and women who served in the U. S. military during WWII, only 2 million went to Europe. For some peculiar reason the war against the Nazis in their snazzy uniforms has taken on a supersized place in the American self-image. I will remind folks it would have been hard to kill Hitler from Guam. Not that it matters much.
Russia is a different kind of place. It boasts the world’s largest land mass. It is the only place that stopped an invasion by both Napoleon and Hitler. It is also one of the most insular nations in the world. Significantly it is a Slavic language. It has it’s own unique alphabet derived from Cyrillic script for Old Church Slavonic. It is also functionally unilingual, the vast majority of Russians, unless they have lived or were educated elsewhere, speak only Russian.
It would be tempting to say “The Russians” in the grand narrative sense, it is however, far more accurate to say the Russian government, which is itself divided and distinct. To the point that there are technically two people in charge at any given time. Quite apart from the political sphere, there is also the everyday civilian dimension in which most people live. While there are certainly many who fall into line with Putin’s way of thinking, either naturally or because they have been swayed by propaganda, there are many who do not. Which really only stands to reason, it being a statistical impossibility that in a country of hundreds of millions that the majority would completely, or even strongly, agree with those in power.
One of the lesser known aspects of Russian culture is its large and diverse music scene. One of the most popular genres is a modern incarnation of Russian folk music. Some mix it with elements of rock music, like the infectiously catchy and usually upbeat Otava Yo. Others are more traditional like Igor Resteryaev who sticks to accordion and vocals, in a style that can veer from the pensive to the goofy depending on the song.
Today’s Calamity Politics Jukebox Choice of the Day is “Psychosocial” by Slipknot and comes from the twisted mind of Calamity herself. There are just some days that you need the dark lyrics of a group like Slipknot. The group has been breaking guitars for over 25 years and show no signs of slowing down. The guys behind the masks have proven they are talented songwriters and performers. In 2020 Slipknot was voted the ‘Best Band in the World’ by NME. The band’s last three albums have reached number one in the US Billboard Top 200 charts. Their live shows are legendary for both production and energy. Enjoy! Lyrics are below. DSM
I don’t usually talk about my ‘personal’ (real) self, but I am going to reveal a couple of small clues by posting the two following quotes. I have no idea who to give credit to, other than Unknown. Somehow these two quotes came up within moments of me going on the internet this morning.
I have been doing some recent reflection on past behaviors, not all of which I am proud of, HOWEVER, there’s a whole lot of shit that I am damn proud of. With that said, here are the two quotes for 3/10/2021.
“I don’t have to attend every argument that I’m invited to.” (Unknown)
“Love yourself first because that’s who you’ll be spending the rest of your life with.” (Unknown)
Hugs,
DSM
https://www.calamitypolitics.com/2017/03/29/quotes-on-courage/
There can be no better song for the International Women’s Day than “I Am Woman” by Helen Reddy. I know that because all three of us in the office said that’s the one! Please enjoy the Calamity News and Politics Juke box choice of the day. Lyrics below.
March 8th is celebrated world wide as International Women’s Day. I thought it might be fun to just look at some famous quotes celebrating women.
1.) “Here’s to strong women: May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.” –Unknown
2.) “To tell a woman everything she cannot do is to tell her what she can.” –Spanish Proverb
3.) “Well-behaved women rarely make history.” –Eleanor Roosevelt
4.) “The best protection any woman can have is courage.” –Elizabeth Cady Stanton
5.) “Where there is a woman, there is magic.” –Ntozake Shange
6.) “You were given this life because you are strong enough to live it.” –Unknown
7.) “Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world.” –Hilary Clinton
8.) “Feminism is for everyone.”-Bell Hooks
9.) “There’s nothing a man can do that I can’t do better and in heels.” –Ginger Rogers
10.) “Above all, be the heroine of your life. Not the victim.” –Nora Ephron
11.) “Girls should never be afraid to be smart.” –Emma Watson
12.) “Life is tough, my darling, but so are you.” –Stephanie Bennett-Henry
13.) “A strong woman looks a challenge in the eye and gives it a wink.” –Gina Carey
14.) “She wasn’t looking for a knight. She was looking for a sword.” –Atticus
15.) “A strong woman stands up for herself. A stronger woman stands up for everyone else.” –Unknown
16.) “Feminism isn’t about making women strong. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.” –G.D. Anderson
17.) “You can always tell who the strong women are. They are the ones you see building one another up instead of tearing each other down.” –Unknown
18.) “The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who’s going to stop me.” –Ayn Rand
19.) “I’m tough, I’m ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay.” –Madonna
20.) “A woman is like a tea bag: You can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.” –Eleanor Roosevelt
21.) “A woman should be like a single flower—not a whole bouquet.” –Anna Held
22.) “I know what I bring to the table… So trust me when I say I’m not afraid to eat alone.” –Unknown
23.) “Women are the real architects of society.” –Cher
24.) “When women wake, mountains move.” Chinese Proverb
25.) “She’s a strong cup of black coffee in a world that is drunk on the cheap wine of shallow love.” –Unknown
26.) “Never be ashamed of a scar. It simply means you were stronger than whatever tried to hurt you.” –Unknown
27.) “I expect woman will be the last thing civilized by man.” –George Meredith
28.) “Women are made to be loved, not understood.” –Oscar Wilde
29.) “The age of a woman doesn’t mean a thing. The best tunes are played on the oldest fiddles.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson
30.) “In our society, the women who break down barriers are those who ignore limits” –Arnold Schwarzenegger
https://www.calamitypolitics.com/2017/03/29/quotes-on-courage/
Things aren’t always as they seem, particularly with definitions changing over time. Nowhere is this truer than in politics. Hardly a week goes by without a ‘no true Scotsman’ fallacy being hurled at one side of the aisle or the other. At least part of the problem is one of definition.
The modern understandings of ‘liberal’ and ‘conservative’ are, slightly bastardized, adaptations of neutral descriptors, as in a ‘conservative wager’ and a ‘liberal sprinkling.’ The former generally used to denote restraint and the latter excess. Whether it is positive or a negative depends on the situation, an excess of freedom generally considered a good thing. An irony coming into play when one considers that those calling themselves ‘conservative’ advocate for the excesses of a free market economy and those labeling themselves ‘liberals’ support restraint in terms of access to firearms.
Another example of conflict comes in the forms of identity politics and who it is ‘okay’ to criticize. My fellow liberals aren’t going to like to hear this but the idea of ‘protected classes’ shows restraint as reflected in functional conservatism. What we are saying in terms of merging social equality with protected classes is “we are all equal, except for them, don’t dare even criticize them.” An attitude very much in line with the most staunch monarchists who, at least historically, have been in stark opposition to those calling themselves liberals.
I have been planting native species plants and using water conserving drip irrigation for at least a decade. But I want to take it to the next level. I opened the March/April 2021 issue of Sierra magazine and found an article that motivated me to get busy. To be carbon positive, just means your landscape/plantings remove more carbon dioxide than they generate. Planting a tree that will grow large can remove hundreds of pounds of carbon from the atmosphere over its lifetime. Conversely, adding a concrete patio can add hundreds of pounds of carbon to the atmosphere. Lydia Lee’s article offered some great suggestions on how to create a truly green landscape.
There is a free carbon calculator at climatepositivedesign.com/pathfinder, just enter details about hardscaping, plants, and maintenance equipment into the free carbon calculator. For example, stone pavers score poorly because of the intense amount of energy required to cut and transport them. You can also download the Climate Positive Design Toolkit, which lists 50 strategies for improving your landscapes footprint, such as planting bamboo.
Concrete is essentially artificial rock. Using concrete for a walkway or a patio dramatically increases your garden’s environmental footprint. Concrete is created with cement which during manufacturing needs to be heated to 2,500 degrees F. It would be better to use decomposed granite or gravel when creating paths and patios. A new product, Trugrid (truegridpaver.com) is a permeable paving system that holds gravel in place. The product is made from post-consumer recycled plastic. It even allows rainwater to drain into the ground rather than run off.
David Shadrick has a lot to say about the proposed $15 Minimum Wage. His points make sense, hear him out. Thanks for supporting CalamityNewsandPolitics.com