Category: Update

10 Plus 1, Election Night “Ratherisms”

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10 Plus 1, Election Night “Ratherisms”

D. S. Mitchell

About three months ago I was wandering around a second hand bookstore in Seaside, Oregon when I came across a a book that I instantly loved; “Uncle John’s FAST-ACTING LONG LASTING Bathroom Reader.” The reader is published by Bathroom Readers’ Press, Ashland, OR. I bought the book, the 18th edition, and brought it home and it now has a small shrine on the counter next to the toilet in the master bath. The following quotes are from that book.

Television news anchor Dan Rather is known for his reserve and professional presentation of world news. But apparently, old Dan had a habit of dropping some pretty funny ad-libs now and then, especially during election night coverage. Check out the following election night “Ratherisms.”

1.) “This race is hotter than a Times Square Rolex.”
2.) “Bush is sweeping through the South like a big wheel through a cotton field.”
3.) “In the southern states, Bush beat Kerry like a rented mule.”
4.) “His lead is as thin as turnip soup.”
5.) “The re-election of Bill Clinton is as secure as a double-knot tied in wet rawhide.”
6.) “The returns are running like a squirrel in a cage.”
7.) “He’s sweeping through the South like a tornado through a trailer park.”
8.) “This race is spandex-tight.”
9.) “This race is shakier than cafeteria Jell-O.”
10.) “His lead is as thin as November ice.”
11.) “This race is as tight as the rusted lug nuts on a 1955 Ford.”

Hope Dan gave you a couple chuckles. Thanks again, Uncle John for tracking down this sort of thing.

Calamity Politics is a Progressive on-line news magazine. Join us as we look at the good, the bad, the planned and unplanned that is Washington, DC. Join the Resistance.

Dar

10 Simple Dream Interpretations

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10 Simple Dream Interpretations

D. S. Mitchell

Dream content varies from person to person, but there are common themes. Psychologists have long claimed that dreams are nothing more than a reflection of our waking lives. See if you recognize any of your dreams.

If, in your dream:
1.)You are being chased, you are probably avoiding or running away from something in life. Being unable to run in a dream indicates feeling overwhelmed with daily pressures.
2.)You die. It doesn’t mean you are about to die, it suggests insecurity and/or anxiety.
3.)You are falling. It is a subconscious response to real-life stress, something as simple as a leg spasm.
4.)You can fly, you have conquered a stressful situation. If you can control your flight, it is a sign of confidence. If you fly aimlessly you are cautiously optimistic about your success.
5.)Your teeth fall out, you are unhappy with your physical appearance.
6.)You watch a car crash, a big undertaking in your life seems doomed to failure.
7.)You dream of water, it is a representation of your general emotional state. Clear water means satisfaction with work and home. Muddy water is a sign of skepticism and discontent.
8.)You are naked, you are dreading an upcoming event due to feelings of shame, or vulnerability.
9.)You are giving birth, great change is unfolding. Dreaming about babies indicates a desire to behave more maturely.
10.)You are peeing. You may be expressing desire for relief from a difficult situation. Or you may really have to pee, or you may already be doing it.

 

I love Sundays it lets me do silly things. Dream on.

Calamity Politics is an on-line news magazine directed at the politics of the United States. Join us for comment and sarcasm. Join the Resistance.

Dar

Trump Attacks The FBI

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The FBI is a world-famous crime fighting organization. It is synonymous with solid professionalism. I have never heard anyone say they didn’t want the FBI working their case after a crime has been committed.

The FBI is like all organizations, imperfect. In the post 9/11 era, its anti-terrorism focus was at times thought to be overzealous, generating complaints from multiple sources including minority communities, and civil libertarians. The fast and loose ways of the J.Edgar Hoover FBI are long gone. The infamous founder of the crime fighting agency was famous for pursuing personal vendettas and agendas. But since FBI Associate Director, Mark Felt was discovered to be “Deep Throat”, the secret source for the Washington’s Post’s insight into the corrupt Nixon administration, a large majority of Americans have viewed the FBI as an honest and neutral bulwark against criminals of all kinds, inside and outside of the government.

Last weekend, in a rush of tweets Trump took aim at targets old and new. Trump criticized the FBI and raised questions about the special prosecutor’s investigation into Russian election meddling and the possible ties to the Trump campaign.

In that storm of tweets, more than a dozen–came after his former NSA, Mike Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. In one of his posts Trump once again denied that he had asked former FBI Director James Comey for a loyalty pledge, or directed him to stop investigating Flynn. Trump called the nation’s top law enforcement agency a biased institution whose reputation was “in Tatters–worst in History!” and urged FBI Director Chris Wray to “clean house.” Trump personally promised in his tweet meltdown to “bring it back to greatness.”

Eric Holder, former FBI Director, tweeted in response, “Nope. Not letting this go. The FBI’s reputation is not in ‘tatters.’ It’s composed of the same dedicated men and women who have always worked there and who do a great, apolitical job. You’ll find integrity and honesty at FBI headquarters and not at 1600 Penn Avenue right now.”

Trump had seized on reports that a veteran FBI counterintelligence agent, Peter Strzok was removed by special counsel Mueller last summer after the discovery of an exchange of text messages that were viewed as potentially anti-Trump. The agent, had also worked on the investigation of Democrat Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server.

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Times Change

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Times Change

D. S. Mitchell

I stumbled across some statistics from 1900. Mind you, just over a 100 years ago things were very different from today. I thought the information was both amusing, and eye-opening. Check it out.

1) Average life expectancy in USA was 46 years. 2) Fourteen per cent of American homes had a bathtub.  Eight per cent had a telephone. 3)Mississippi, Iowa, Tennessee and Alabama all had larger populations than California. 4) There were 8,000 cars and 144 miles of paved roads.5) The average hourly wage in USA was 22 cents and the average worker made between $200-$400 a year. 6)  Population of Las Vegas was 30. 7) Ninety per cent of doctors in the USA never attended college.8) The Eiffel Tower was the tallest structure in the world   9) Sugar cost 4 cents a pound, coffee was 15 cents a pound, and eggs were 14 cents a dozen. 10) There was 230 reported murders in the USA. 11) Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Hawaii, and Alaska were not yet states.  12) Only six percent of American adults were high school graduates. Ten percent of adults were illiterate. 13) Most women washed their hair once a month and used egg yolks or borax for shampoo. 14) Ninety five percent of all births took place at home.  15) Leading causes of death in the USA were pneumonia, influenza, tuberculosis, heart disease, diarrhea, and stroke. 16) Eighteen percent of American homes had a full-time servant. 17) Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn’t been invented yet.

Hope you got a laugh or two. Calamity Politics is a progressive on-line news magazine. Join the Resistance. *This list of what was going on in 1900 came from “Uncle John’s Fast-Acting, Long-Lasting Bathroom Reader by the Bathroom Reader’s Institute, 18th Edition.”

Dar

Net Neutrality Is A Very Good Thing

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Net Neutrality Is A Very Good Thing

D. S. Mitchell

Saturday in the middle of the night the GOP Senate passed a tax reform bill, Trump went psycho on Twitter,  an agitated North Korea fired another missile, Kushner was tied to Flynn and Russian Ambassador Kislyak, and a platoon of powerful men were being brought down for sexual harassment.

Hard to imagine, but amidst all these issues, I believe the end of net neutrality in the United States will become the most important, historically. The internet has been the bulwark of much of the country’s economic growth over the last twenty years, in fact, the internet has produced some of the most powerful and richest companies on the planet. Exemplified by Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Amazon.

It has to be admitted that the economic muscle created by the new online giants came at the cost of the brick-and-mortars, the analogs and the manufacturers.  This country’s economic fortunes have been dependent on the enormous growth of these internet entrepreneurs and startup companies, which have changed our world, in some ways for the better, and in some ways for the worse.

The internet, the last great libertarian frontier of entrepreneurship, free from government intervention and the constraints of the physical world, is at serious risk. Net Neutrality is about to be cancelled by the FCC, led by Republican chairman Ajit Pai.

Imagine it this way, you now access the internet to view a website, or stream video at pretty much the same speed as everyone else in the United States. The companies that built the internet must treat all traffic exactly the same, no matter where it is headed, or how it got there.

Service providers claim net neutrality is an unfair burden that limits their ability to recoup their development costs. These ISP’s (Internet Service Provider’s) have made significant investments in the online infrastructure, and they want to be allowed to monetize their investment into more revenue and higher dividends for their shareholders.

The FCC Commission is under Republican control, holding  3 of the 5 seats on the panel. If the FCC moves forward, as it keeps signaling it will, the net neutrality rule will be eliminated. If allowed to do so, ISP’s can soon sell a faster connection to certain destinations, for certain customers. For example, Twitter might benefit from that situation. A customer could load their site faster and at a lower cost than you could another site, a site which does not have the financial ability to pay Spectrum or Comcast, or any other ISP for that matter, to give faster (preferred) service to their site.

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While We Slept

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While We Slept

D. S. Mitchell

The bill will hurt most Americans. Remember it was passed in the middle of the night, done without hearings, and without time for basic analysis of the economic impact. Central to the bill is the redistribution of income from lower and middle class income families to corporations and business owners.

Corporate tax rate drops to 20%, while ordinary families are “nickle-and-dimed” by a series of tax changes, not one of which is a big deal, but when added together become significant tax increases on at least 75% of middle class taxpayers.

Additionally, ObamaCare will be repealed in such a way as to sharply cut assistance to lower-income families and raise the cost of insurance for many in the middle-income group.

And Lisa Murkowski was bought off with a pledge to open Arctic Wilderness to oil drilling. I just want to barf, and I hope it lands right on her shoes. Social and environmental issues entangled with the tax legislation, really shameful.

This is what the Republican senators accomplished while you were asleep. I guess the rule here is, don’t close your eyes while the Republicans are in control of the government.

Calamity Politics is a progressive on-line news magazine that keeps you up to date on the Washington political scene. Join the Resistance.

Dar

Quick Tips To Help Organize Your Pantry

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Quick Tips To Help Organize Your Pantry

D. S. Mitchell

Here are some quick strategies to organize your pantry. An organized pantry through labeling, and zoning helps reduce prep time for meals and gives you control when unexpected guests stop by.

Start with breaking down your pantry space into 8 zones.  Label the areas, 1.)Home Remedies, 2.)Holiday 3.) Staples 4.) On-the-Go 5.)Weeknight Meals 6.)Baking & Spices 7.)Kids 8.)Guest Snacks.

Zone One: If you have a flu or cold you are in no mood to rummage through multiple drawers looking for cold remedies. Prepare a bin with proven com fort food: Chicken noodle soup, ginger tea, saltine crackers and even medications. Zone Two: Find a hard to reach corner  and fill it with seasonal items, pumpkin pie filling, cranberry sauce, holiday specific table decor. Zone Three: Store dry goods, like pasta, beans and rice in clear airtight containers, this makes it easy for you to restock when products become visibly low.

Arrange canned goods so all labels are visible. Every six months you should check expiration dates and donate food you may not be able to consume by the expiration date. Zone Four: Purchase or find in your garage a three compartment bin. Fill with items you might need to bring breakfast or lunch with you. In first section fill with breakfast bars or small cereal boxes. In the second section fill with microwavable soups, dried fruits and nuts. Keep utensils and napkins in the third compartment. Zone Five: Planning ahead can help reduce stress. Sort ingredients for a week’s worth of easy dinners into separate bins, organizing by meal. For example store taco fixings in one bin and spaghetti fixings in another.

Zone Six: Arrange spices on a two-tier turntable with cooking spices on one level, baking spices on another. Use a larger turn-table for oils and shortening. Store items such as sugar, flour and other baking goods in labeled, stackable canisters. Zone Seven: Remove individually wrapped children’s snacks from their boxes. Store in a large basket on a low shelf with fruit, crackers and other treats so they are easily accessible for the little munchkins. Zone Eight: Place specialty goodies in a basket or bin. Items that favorite friends enjoy or fancy crackers for appetizer trays. You will always be ready for surprise guests.

Armed with a plan, your canisters, your bins and baskets, rearranging your pantry space should only take a couple of hours. Do not take on this project when you are stressed, overtaxed or short of time. Plan on doing it when the family is out of the house and you can work uninterrupted.

Good luck, you can do it. And, you will be glad you did.

Calamity Politics is a progressive on-line news magazine pointing out the activities of our government, for good or bad. Join me for comment and opinion. Join the Resistance.

Dar

27 Reasons To Smile

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27 Reasons To Smile

D. S. Mitchell

The wind is howling, the surf is broiling, and the fireplace is blazing. The dog is contentedly snoring in front of her food dish. I just remembered it was Sunday, and I am supposed to be working on my weekly, “Reason To Smile” post. So, here we go, I want you to smile too:

1.) Willow tree at the pond’s edge 2.) First day cold enough for a cable knit sweater 3.) Elephants, lions, rhinos, hippos and the majesty of Africa 4.) Palm Springs,CA at Christmas 5.) An unexpected caress 6.) Penguins marching 7.) Mist rising off the river 8.) A vine covered cottage 9.) Coffee and cinnamon toast 10.) Steamer clams dunked in melted butter 11.) A friend’s smile 12.) A silent beach walk after the tourists leave 13.) Polished wood floors 14.) A winning Bingo card 15.) Long winter weekends 16.) Watching whales journey the Pacific coast 17.) High school basketball games 18.) 1/2 off sales 19.) The estimated 45,000 words per pencil 20.) My dog greeting me when I get home all wiggling and waggling 21.) Scented oils 22.) The weathered shingles of beach side cottages 22.) Tootsie Roll Pops 23.) A bathroom towel warmer 24.) Old suitcases to make a coffee table 25) Portland, OR 26.) Turkey & Spiraled Ham for Thanksgiving dinner 27.) Shorty skies for speed

Hope you smiled at a couple of the entries. Have a great week.

Calamity Politics is an online political news magazine. Calamity Politics has an admitted progressive agenda, supporting Democratic and Independent candidates with Progressive ideas and ideals. Calamity Politics shares opinion and comment on the catastrophe going on in Washington, D.C. Join the Resistance.

Dar

The Color Of My Hand

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The Color Of My Hand

D. S. Mitchell

Random Question: If you were blind and wandering confused in an unfamiliar landscape, would you care the color of the offered hand?

Join The Resistance
Calamitypolitics.com is a progressive on-line news magazine working for a future that will benefit everyone, and not just the few. Speak up, speak out, sometimes you only have one chance to make your voice heard. Make it Blue in ’18.
Dar

Does It Really Matter?

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Does It Really Matter?

D. S. Mitchell

I was sitting in the doctor’s office reading a February 2016 Reader’s Digest article that offered the following advice on when and what to shred.  It seems our greatest danger is through ‘mass hackings’ of our credit information. No matter how cautious we are our greatest danger is as victims of other people’s carelessness, or bad intent.  But, every bit of protection we can develop should help keep our private information private. Kelsey Kloss article suggested the following things, we as individuals can do to protect ourselves.

 

Receipts: If you aren’t saving the receipt for taxes or other purposes and you made your purchase with a credit or debit card shred it. The receipt shows the last 4 digits of the card number and possibly your signature. Those clever crooks can use receipts for fraudulent returns and benefit from your store credit.

Prescription Labels: Sometimes they are stapled to the prescription bag or on the bottle. Labels frequently list your name, date of dispensing, name and strength of the drug and dispensing pharmacy.  Crooks can use the information to refill prescriptions or steal your identity.

Pet Medical Documents: Keep records of major events for the pets health history, but shred the rest.  The paperwork will show your name, address, phone and the pet’s name, which according to many studies to be the most common computer password choices.

Airline Boarding Passes: Shred after landing. The boarding pass will show your name, your itinerary, and a bar code that in some cases will show your frequent flier number, which would allow thieves to “log in to airline accounts to view upcoming travel plans, check in to flights, and even cancel trips.”

Return Labels: Shred free return labels that come in the mail and any envelopes showing your name and address. When writing a return address on an envelope omit your name. Identity thieves will use that information to collect more information from social media and piece together your identity.

Any little thing we can do to help keep our private information private should be considered important. Do it.

Calamity Politics is a progressive news magazine that shares interesting information with its primary focus on the ongoing events in Washington, DC.

Join the Resistance

Dar