Tom-Cat
My week was sandwiched between two wonderful concerts. Music is inspirational, therapy and pure pleasure. Both musical experiences were Oldies Throwbacks, one older than the other. Sunday (in Windsor) was the incomparable, sexy and iconic
Tom Jones (age 76), whose voice was as strong and powerful as ever and whose stage presence was mesmerizing, plus he had a talented band which added to the intrigue. And Thursday is be my lifelong favorite,
Cat Stevens (age 68) in DC that coincides with a visit with our Georgetown sophomore son, Aviv. This week's message was sent to the system Wednesday evening due to Thursday morning travel plans, so no description of the Cat concert till next week, though I'm grateful to be able to attend (thanks DG) and know it will be enjoyable. I hope your life is filled with your favorite music to brighten and lighten your days.
Tom Jones Cat Stevens
Queen-Adam
Face-Face
Israelis have a wide range of musical tastes and opinions, but the one thing they all agree on is their deep desire for Peace. With Peace always on the minds of western world leaders, President Obama and PM Netanyahu sat down for their 17th face to face while they were both in NYC for the UN General Assembly. These two men have No Love Lost, though their respective countries do love each other and lately tensions have been slightly eased. The meeting was benign as neither of them wanted to stir up any controversy during this very tenuous campaign season that might sweep anyone into the arms of a Trump presidency (poo, poo, poo, kenahorah- keep the evil eye away). They did speak of future golf outings together, most likely not at Mar-a-lago.
Bridge-Gate
While heads of state at the UN try to bridge the peace among nations, another bridge to the big apple was being discussed in a court of law. As most suspected, it seems
Gov. Chris Christie knew all about the gridlock leading to the George Washington Bridge(gate) caused for vindictive political reasons. The trial is underway and the prosecutor started the first day with the revelation that Christie was well aware of the plan to close the lanes leading to the bridge to punish the mayor who didn't support him. Here is the NYTimes article for more details:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/20/nyregion/bridgegate-trial.html?_r=0
Privacy-Security
In the shadow of the UN were the remnants of last week's Manhattan and NJ explosion. The perp was caught rather quickly and I can't help but connect this effort with the current Snowden case in the news. Should Snowden be pardoned or prosecuted? Is our intelligence system overreaching or appropriate considering our era of homeland terrorism? Does our privacy overid our security? Personally, I don't mind the responsible digging with sufficient knowledge of these methods to help keep us citizens safe. Most news agencies, including the NYT, think Snowden should be exonerated, however the Washington Post has taken an historic different stance and suggests he be prosecuted.
https://goo.gl/e91N8X
Fire-Pants
Trump admits to 1 big birther lie, though his admission is a lie in itself, while so many other lies still fill his pants. And who should be blamed for the polls when all these lies land on the doorsteps of America where they are believed as truths. The media is not doing Americans justice when they don't fact check Trump's content. His lies are perpetuated as truths and we are the victims. No other candidate in history has ever had such "fiery pants" but many Americans are blinded to the flames.
Little Miss Flint can see right through the fire as these are her reactions when meeting POTUS and The Donald.
Pepe-Skittles
Publicly labeling the "
Basket of Deplorables" might have been a mistake but many of his supporters are extreme racists and anti-semites, including his son, Don Jr. Of course all causes need a mascot to express their views and these "Deplorables" are no different. Meet,
Pepe the Frog. If you don't know about Pepe, check out this video from Rachel Maddow which explains it all. Why would any "sane" supporter (and there are many even in our community) stand side by side with these despicable, deplorable Trump backers who are being fed and condoned by Donald. It is pure evil and against the fibers our nation.
As mentioned, his son Donald Jr. seems to be the king of deplorables with his constant hateful tweets and postings. This week, he compared Syrian refugees to a bowl of skittles which contained a few poisinous one.
George-Janice
Happy 225th anniversary to the
Farmers Almanac. It was first published back in 1792 when President George Washington was our nation's leader. The almanac is filled with weather predictions based on astronomy and more as their motto is
"to be useful with a pleasant degree of humor" . Also, in this year's almanac is the information about a total Solar eclipse expected to cover much of our country from Oregon to South Carolina in August of 2107. NPR interviewed the current editor,
Janice Stillman, who is only the 13th editor in their very long 225 year history. It seems to be a job for life. She was delightful to listen to and if you are interested, here is the interview:
"The irony to me is that the 'mitten' of Michigan will probably not need mittens this winter," she said. "They're the one spot along the border, really, that is predicted to be relatively mild." As a "mitten" resident and someone who hates to be cold, I hope she is right.
Want to take an Autumn Drive on the most scenic route in America? Try the pinky of the "mitten"
Willie-Dolly
If you are a country music enthusiast, you will enjoy this new collaboration from the most famous to the lesser known musicians paying tribute to country music in this wonderful video
https://goo.gl/K66Uvg