Time’s – well it’s a changing

Tonight begins the move to Daylight Savings Time, where we turn the clock forward. Meaning longer days and of course more challenges with regards to how that affects us physically, emotionally and financially. I find the longer days much more taxing as the costs to heat or to cool rise. But I do laugh as frankly the move to South and to the better weather regions is showing that it is the most insane and least affordable option in which to undertake. But in all honesty it is as if we are all turning our clocks backwards and the South is bringing that to fruition. They said they will rise again, and yee haw they certainly have!

Floriduh, which is my new name for the State as you have to be a raging idiot to move there continues to fight for its quest to be the most extreme participant in the contest between Governors of Republican led States to be the most Conservative aka Facist. I still lean to Tennessee as the current Anti Drag Law is so vague, so poorly written it literally outlaws many Halloween costumes. This is the contest between a bunch of White men who can be the biggest asshole with right now the loudest, Ron DeSantis, is running a close number one. But that is because he has his “woke” eye on the White House, but to ignore Governor Abbott of Texas and Lee of Tennessee is at one’s peril. Missouri is not far behind, Arkansas with the wonderful former Trump Employee, Huckabee-Sanders making sure that no one is using LatinX as the standard bearer name regarding those of Latin descent. But in very blue Connecticut they are not having it either. Next up Cisgender. That will show them Mx Lindsay Graham!

While Florida is busy burning, banning books and curriculum they are ignoring how the State coming after Ian is struggling to recover thanks to Insurance companies denying and downgrading claims. Well get your big boy white boots on there Rhonda and help them! But to the people of Florida, to Tennessee and other states moving in the same bootstrap nations, YOU ELECTED THEM. Not just the Governor but the majority of State offices that have in turn enabled if not encouraged these hate laws into passing. So you did this to yourself. It is called Self-fulfilling prophecy. Some education there for you.

My personal favorite story of the week is the spin on January 6th and the framing of that message from the King of White Supremacy, Tucker Carlson, spinning it as Tourists Gone Wild. Irony that as his emails/texts regarding Trump and the “stolen” election are anything but flattering; actually saying in one that he hates Trump’s guts. Well go figure and welcome to the club.

Then we have another milestone, the third anniversary of Covid. This is usually marked by a gift made of Leather. Oh lord let’s not let the GOP know that brings all sorts of Gay connotations to mind. Well whips and chains ,aside the Republican investigation into this has stumbled on the conclusion by the Department of Energy and the CIA that is was a lab leak. Again for many, myself included I did think it was just sloppiness that led a worker into the wet market with a special treat attached to a shoe or garment and then in such a perfect breeding environment it was a delightful take home treat to the family. China’s endless secretiveness and their initial denials about what was transpiring in said lab regarding Gain of Function research is a clue that not all was what it was claimed to be. Do I think Fauci and his own NIH role in that was another coverup? No, but it was a contributory factor as again funding this and denying you are is not helping matters. This was written in 2021 the fall of our season of discontent and I feel that little has changed when it comes to understanding Covid, its origins or even how to combat it. The vaccines have not stopped the spread and it is “believed” to prevent serious illness or death and that is again a hard to measure factor, but Big Pharma made Billions. I had the first two vaccines, stayed largely masked and had one booster. I contracted Covid in September and with that took Paxaloid and recovered in a week to the day. I was all over the map that week with varying symptoms each day a new treat but never truly ill enough to seek medical care. We do know now that most deaths were elderly and those with health risks, such as Asthma, Obesity, etc. So with that the question remains how will we handle the next pandemic. Well sure as fuck not like this one.

The current economy aside it is a confusing one. The runaway inflation that seems to have the Fed giving literally mixed signals, while job growth is continuing at a record pace the same while layoffs as well as a Bank closure in the Tech Sector seemingly contradicts this is again a head scratcher. You cannot solve a New Math problem using Old Math techniques and there are many factors here that now must be considered. The Global Economy, the shutdown of China and the shortages that enabled if not allowed prices to rise and some of it gouging. The war in the Ukraine now at over a year and its affect on Europe cannot be ignored. The ongoing political struggles in Africa and Israel are lending to further confusion. Do I think it is bad? Yes and No. What I think is that this is a massive reset and this is the “new normal.” For now. The rich are still very rich, the working poor still poor and facing massive evictions, foreclosures will also rise trust me on this, and repossession of cars another; all of this , along with rising wages but failed tax credits, the cost of health care, child care will level those out and we are back to square one. I have yet to factor in the Immigration net role of those who have made it here, versus those leaving by choice or by force with the H1B1 tech workers and their Visa’s expiring if they do not find another job when laid off. That too will be a must watch in the year ahead. And yes it is just still March, talk about Madness!

As I move into a new week I am hoping for a wearing of the green in a way that will change my outlook and enable me to have a better perspective and outlook. The weather has been coming in like a Lion the last two weeks and with the Amateur Night of Drinking happening on Friday I am not sure the week will end on a high note. Well for some.

And with that I conclude with an article about Education. As I have written about for quite some time my experience in Education and my observations moving about the Country and finally realizing how bad it is, here there and everywhere all at once, I used to beat myself up quite a bit about my work and place in this institution. I have been numerous times been proven right but again this may be the most significant work to finally prove to others how bad Teaching and Schools really are. And no the solution is not Charters or Vouchers that is kicking the can and just re-gifting, it is about a system that deprives well Educated individuals the opportunity to earn a living, have a great work-life balance, bring Children a well developed learning plan and a place to learn not just the Three Rs, but find social skills, athletic ones, learn diversity and acceptance and tolerance of the differences of others – be that of Race, Gender, Culture, Sexuality and more importantly Abilities. That last one is the key and we often overlook this when we speak of the broad concept of diversity.

I hate my job and I have said many time it is not the children. The adults are horrific and that includes Teachers, Aides, and more importantly Administrators. The fish stinks from the head and that fish is well passed the three day sell by date. I have not known one in my entire 30 years, I have heard of one or two but actually met them? NO. And I will say the same with Teachers, the good ones are few and far and nowhere between. They hide in their classrooms, you do not see them much and have few words to offer than Salutations. It is a profession where one keeps one head down. This week walking in the snow and rain the lack of Teachers was so severe that I had to cover numerous classrooms over four floors. I went to each, dropped the rosters for the periods I was covering, opened a window a crack and the doors also open to ventilate, then left my coat, gloves and warm gears on a seat next to the desk, nicely folded. As I roamed the building, leaving each class early so to make it down the stairs, back up the stairs and somehow fit a toilet break in there I returned to the last room, the doors slammed shut, the jambs missing and my coat thrown on top of a bookcase, my gloves and scarf shoved beneath, the rosters missing and all the windows closed. Gee thanks. Oddly this Teacher forgot his laptop and came back to retrieve it and asked me how my day was. My response: “It was until I came in here and found all my personal belongings thrown about and the roster missing for attendance otherwise the same.” He walked out without a word. Two Students informed me he is a well known asshole whom no one likes and it explains also why during the middle of the day I will get a sudden switch in plans and must cover for him as he often leaves midday claiming long Covid. Okay fuck off then. I then went to the office and said, “My Tummy is bothering me so I won’t be here for the rest of the week, see you Monday.” And I walked out. And I came home to read about this Teacher of the Year. And thought about Teachers who were murdered by their Students or attempted murder, not via a mass shooting but by direct assault and thought, they will never be Teachers of the Year. One murdered for tutoring an angry kid, another for bad grades. I have said repeatedly that Children learn this at home no school can compensate or even remotely repair this damage.

So with this I am looking forward to reading this book and hope it comes with a trigger warning alert on the inside cover. I suspect it will be traumatizing but for me at least somewhat exonerating.

An inside look at the brutal realities of teaching

In ‘The Teachers,’ Alexandra Robbins tells the stories of educators and their successes, stresses and burnout

Review by Melanie McCabe

March 8, 2023 The Washington Post

Anyone contemplating going into teaching might be dissuaded after reading Alexandra Robbins’s latest work, “The Teachers: A Year Inside America’s Most Vulnerable, Important Profession.” That is not a disparagement of her book but rather a testament to its scope, accuracy and unflinching honesty. Never before have I read any work that so clearly depicts the current realities of teaching in America’s public schools, a subject I have followed closely as a recently retired teacher with 22 years of experience.

It isn’t that Robbins fails to shine a light on the considerable joys and rewards of working with young people. She herself took on a long-term sub gig in a third-grade classroom and writes movingly about the impact these students had on her life. And the book abounds with heart-tugging stories of students struggling because of a disability, an emotional issue or a situation at home, who were able to make a breakthrough or considerable gains thanks to the teachers profiled in the book. It is impossible to read about these students without being drawn into their stories and the efforts to reach them: Eli, a bright but volatile student whose mother shows little interest in his schooling; Zach, a selective mute whose past trauma has kept him from speaking to adults; Robert, a boy on the autism spectrum who finally achieves success by passing a state exam. The hope of experiencing moments like these was what attracted me and my former colleagues to teaching.

But the realities of teaching in 2023 are considerably different from when I entered the profession in 1999. Robbins notes that pressures on teachers began to shift in 1983, with the publication of the Department of Education’s report “A Nation at Risk.” Not long after, teachers found that their jobs now also required the management of high-stakes tests and the incorporation of new pedagogical practices and curriculum. Over the years, teachers were required to takeinstruction in social-emotional learning and accept an increase in mandated compliance training to monitor for neglect and child abuse. A sharp surge in school shootings brought a significant rise in lockdown drills.

As the duties placed on teachers piled on, no extra time was built into their day to manage them. Robbins cites several studies revealing that as teachers struggle to keep up, forsaking their evenings, weekends and lunch hours, the result is often burnout, exacerbated by “inadequate workplace support and resources, unmanageable workload, high-stakes testing, time pressure, unsupported disruptive students, lack of cooperative time with colleagues, and a wide variety of student needs without the resources to meet those needs.”

The result of these pressures is depicted in brutal detail in Robbins’s reporting on three teachers. There is Rebecca, an elementary-school teacher, whose high expectations of herself and lack of support from the school system have left her so exhausted that she is unable to manage any kind of a social life. She startsthe school year with plans to begin online dating and get involved again with musical theater, a pastime she has forsaken, but school demands on her time have her working straight through most weekends, making her plans all but impossible. Further complicating her life is a year-long mystery in her classroom: One of her students is stealing Rebecca’s possessions, as well as her students’, and she has devoted herself to trying to get to the bottom of it. She finally discovers the culprit, a girl named Illyse, whose mother agrees to get her daughter into counseling.By year’s end, Rebecca resolves to give up the social life she attempted, at least for the short run, and concentrate only on teaching, which takes all the energy she has.

Penny is a sixth-grade math teacher who struggles to maintain her high standards in the midst of a toxic workplace environment and the breakup of her marriage. Her school’s faculty is cliquish and unwelcoming, and Penny often draws the ire of a few women who see her as a threat. Penny seems to succeed with students the others can’t manage, and her colleagues’retaliation is to make her life as miserable as they can. As if this weren’t stressful enough, Penny spends much of the year sick with recurring respiratory infections caused by unaddressed mold in her classroom. Her complaints about it are ignored.

Especially unsettling is the experience of Miguel, a middle-school special-education teacher, who is teetering on the brink of leaving the profession because of the excessive requirements placed on him without adequate time and resources. His previous school year was a nightmare of abuse, with his students frequently attacking him; every few months he had to get HIV and hepatitis tests because of student bites. Complaints to a district administrator resulted only in Miguel’s being told, “That’s part of the job.” Ultimately, Miguel sued the district because of permanent disabilities caused by the attacks and won lifetime medical care.

Teachers nationwide endure similar scenarios and are leaving the profession at an alarming pace. Robbins reports that demand for U.S. teachers outstripped supply by more than 100,000 in 2019, while graduates from teacher prep programs plummeted by a third between 2010 and 2018. Along came the pandemic in 2020, and a serious teacher shortage became dramatically worse.

At first, when schools moved to online instruction in the spring of 2020 and parents saw firsthand the hardships teachers were enduring, plaudits poured in for the educators showing remarkable commitment to their profession in a difficult situation they had never trained for. Virtual teaching took much more time to prepare, execute and evaluate. And because students were often not required to turn on their cameras, it was a lot like teaching into a void. But as time crawled on and schools remained closed to in-person instruction, parents became critical, even angry. The hostility parents leveled against teachers was astonishing. In September 2021 alone, 30,000 public school teachers nationwide gave notice. Between August 2020 and August 2021, Florida’s teacher vacancies surged 67 percent, according to a count by the Florida Education Association. In 2021, California’s largest district, Los Angeles Unified, had five times the number of vacancies as in previous years, according to Shannon Haber, a spokeswoman for the district. The number of retirements skyrocketed, and I joined the exodus.I was within a couple of years of my target retirement date, but I left earlier than planned because of the mounting stress around the pandemic and an ever-increasing workload. My colleagues who remained have said that the 2021-22 school year was unbelievably hard.

One of these colleagues, who was named 2019 Teacher of the Year by my school in Arlington, Va., spoke recently before the school board to detail how her experience highlights some of the inequities facing teachers. Based on her careful record keeping, she stated that she expects to work a staggering 454 hours outside of her contract hours in any school year. “My job is impossible to do well in the time you pay me to work,” she told the board members. “I couldn’t even be average in the time you pay me.”

Almost every page of my review copy of “The Teachers” is marked with my comments and exclamation points as I encountered situations and circumstances remarkably similar to those I experienced myself. This is an important book that will come as no surprise to the nation’s teachers. But for those who seek a fuller understanding of what educators are coping with these days, it should prove invaluable. And for those who most need to read it — those in a position to effect change in the lives of conscientious and talented teachers who are considering abandoning the profession — one can only hope that its message will be heeded before it is too late.

Blown Away

I am not sure what I like more, the bad fleece, the bulging gut, the bad posture and the wind swept hair.

Often that expression is to connote one of amazement that is both transcendent and breathtaking. It can be seeing a performance or reading something that you did not expect to have such an impact when you first were exposed. That expression now means the reality of what is Florida. Puerto Rico is now in full blown disaster stage and we ignore it at our own peril which means we simply refuse to realize that this is an American island and with that should have all the pleasures and pains of belonging to the mainland, which would include FEMA and other federal responses for the damage to their STATE from Hurricane Fiona which preceded Ian a week earlier. How soon we forget.

Florida is now on record as having the worst hurricane fatalities and damage since 1935. Standing at over 100 deaths and I am sure more will follow as the damage clean up begins we have YEARS before we will fully restore much of what was lost. Ask New Orleans about that one, 18 years post Katrina. Sigh.

Florida has been long a retirement mecca and with that the snowbird capital of the US with Canadians long migrating there every winter to avoid the chill of the Canadian tundra. That won’t matter soon enough but with that Florida is a destination state for many visitors thanks to the beaches, the amusement parks and other storied places worth a visit. I am of the Miami Beach kind who goes every few half dozen years and then goes home and thinks, “Meh.” But then again I am not a beach person and with that I bore easily. Washington DC has my type of energy as it has a lesson tucked into every street corner and building. I love history of the living kind. *

In full disclosure my idiotic ex and his wife live in Ft Myers. Why? To avoid income tax. They are endlessly in search of fame and fortune and with that are also desperate to be famous, so living in Florida makes about zero sense but then again I know him so yes, it makes total sense. With that they have not posted on their social media any concerns or updates only to advise they were in Madrid and loving it. Good to know and an update on the Yankees. Compassion and empathy not a strong suit clearly. It appears the largest swath of Ian was the city of Ft Myers In Lee County. What may have contributed to much of it was the late evacuation notice led to more confusion if not more damage and loss to those who are already on the fringes of economic stability, aka the old and the retired. The reality is that a State that builds an industry on retirees with limited incomes, has NO income tax and relies on tourism is not exactly the most stable financially. The pandemic drew many to the area and with Ron “these boots are made for moon walking” DeSantis angry rhetoric it is drawing many of the elite class whom love the no regs and taxes thing. Yeah it really pays off when you have BILLIONS in restoration dollars being picked up by who? So they will fare just fine, the poor no. And once again we foot the bill.

When I was a child we had Christmas Club accounts that you deposited each week some allowance money and in December you could draw from it and buy gifts. It earned interest so the more you saved the more you had. Remember when banks paid interest? Me neither. And with that since there are no taxes and many of the populace hate the Federal Government they should be able to pocket extra money and in turn enable the State to draw on their accounts in case of disaster. They should waive all federal monies as States do when they are acting on Political concert to provoke rage or do theater as they did in many with ACA money to expand Medicaid and with Covid Relief funds. Irony in Florida they set aside 12M to handle Immigration issues and in turn chartered a flight for 50 Refugees to go to Martha’s Vineyard. Well that worked out, kinda sorta, no. Wish they had done that for some old folks I bet? What would that money be used for now? Hmmm.. But add to the problems Florida’s lack of Insurance in most the counties hit. Sorry, not sorry. Not paying for you either. Or climate deniers who vote no on Climate Change Bills and steadfastly decry SS and Medicare Increases, which irony on top of more of it, affect their largest population cohort.

I am not donating one dollar to any relief organization that is dealing with Florida or to A State run one the Governor and his wife are managing, me thinks that is equally not a good idea as they seem to have a problem handling money. Aside from making poor fashion choices. Florida you can fuck off and fly to Newfoundland where we sent many planes during the 9/11 chaos. They would love to make an updated musical about that I am sure! Come from Away and Fly Away, no really!

I am exhausted reading story after story of some quasi retired folk who now find themselves without a home, water, electricity or functioning vehicles. Cause they the expert weather/historian had rode through them all the last 100 years and know that storms are utterly predictable and they will be fine. Even if it doesn’t touch them it is irrelevant that surrounding communities will be hit. That roads and services are not going to be accessible and then complain that having to rely on such orgs as Churches and non-profits are serving them. The same kind, you know, like the ones that cared for the Immigrants when they landed against their consent/knowledge to places like Kamala Harris’ home, to Washington DC or NYC. As for the Vineyard, frankly I am trying to figure out how to get a free trip and I am willing to go on a bus so hey call me Conchita from Columbia…. Tennessee but hey.

But these excuses stand true regardless: “We’ve never experienced anything like this” Or “We just didn’t know.” Or “Oh my God … wrong decision” “My entire life changed in a matter of hours.” “We’re lucky to be alive” And of course the self reliant and refusing help or believing any messaging that would affect said belief: “I don’t have a place to live. I have been self-reliant my entire life,” he said. “I’ve never counted on anybody, and I’m not about to now.” And the search and rescue teams found this: Many residents planned to stay, despite the lack of power and water and the presence of dangerous debris everywhere. “FEMA, the government, they don’t give a crap about people down here like us” But hands will be out and waiting for the Government check. That is some self reliance baby.

One crackpot who stayed behind and lost everything said this: “The long-term recovery of Fort Myers Beach should be funded privately, as homeowners recoup insurance money and developers rebuild. Keep the government out of that part ” Right, so no updated building codes, any roads or bridges, power/water lines, or establishing a better communication and evacuation protocol? Nah that the Gummit! And so with that I agree not one cent. Not one dime. Nothing. And let’s add mandatory flood and property insurance, what did you say MANDATE? But hey you CHOSE to live there and I CHOOSE to not pay for it.

So bring me your old, your poor, your huddled masses. And with that we will demand money from you and in turn reject you and ship you out when shit or water or wind hit the land. And with that you refuse to leave anyway regardless so sit that out then and see what happens. Older not wiser, clearly.

Elderly bear brunt of Hurricane Ian as Sunshine state retirement turns sour

The devastating storm hit Florida’s high population of seniors hard and some are now reconsidering their future in the state

Michael Sainato in Gainesville, Florida Wed 5 Oct 2022 The Guardian

Joy McCormack had just retired and moved to a mobile park in Fort Myers near the Sanibel Island causeway before Hurricane Ian hit Florida last week. Her entire community was wiped out and her mobile home is still flooded.

She had managed to evacuate before Ian arrived with just her car and a few belongings, spending the night in a two-story office building inland. “You don’t expect it to be anything, because we’ve never been hit that hard,” said McCormack.

She is far from alone. In a state like Florida – popular with retirees seeking warm weather, cheap property and beautiful beaches – hurricanes hit the elderly hard. According to US census data, 40.5% of residents in Charlotte county, 33.1% of residents in Collier county and 29.1% of residents in Lee county are age 65 or older, nearly twice the percentage of the US population. Fema has cautioned residents to “make informed decisions” about rebuilding in areas hit by natural disasters.

In the days since the neighborhood where McCormack lives has seemed like a war zone. Electricity and internet access in the area are still spotty, boil water advisories remain in effect in Lee county, gas stations have long lines and information is sparse. She’s still waiting on her pharmacy to open to refill medical prescriptions.

“I can’t get into any of my accounts because of the internet, it’s really hard, you can’t do anything. It’s like living in a war zone,” added McCormack. “I’ve lived here for 20 years and there’s no reason for me to stay in the state of Florida any longer.” She plans to move up north to be closer to family rather than try to get a new home in the area.

Many other elderly are suffering too.

George Hill, 81, lost his mobile home in North Port, Florida, due to the hurricane, while his two daughters who live in Virginia and Delaware have been trying to coordinate assistance and make sure he’s safe throughout the storm and the aftermath. They are trying to find him another place to stay, but are unsure whether he will remain in the area or not.

“We’ve never experienced anything like this, so we’re just thanking God he is OK,” said Dawn Hill Anders, Hill’s daughter. “We’re trying to be patient and do what we can right now as far as finding some answers, help raise money and see how long everything is going to take for what needs to be done.”

Hurricanes nearly always hit senior communities particularly hard; a study found Hurricane Irma in 2017 caused over 400 nursing home resident deaths as the storm cut power supply. Half of the nearly 1,000 deaths during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 were individuals 75 or older.

Florida officials are facing scrutiny over delayed evacuation orders ahead of Hurricane Ian’s direct hit in south-west Florida, as the death toll is continuing to climb as search and rescue efforts in hard-hit coastal areas continue.

There have been numerous dramatic rescues and narrow escapes of seniors who were stranded as storm surges flooded their neighborhoods.

Johnny Lauder lives in a low-lying flood zone in Naples, Florida, within a few blocks of his two sons and his 84-year-old mother, an amputee who uses a wheelchair. She refused to go to a shelter, having ridden out previous hurricanes, and he stayed nearby at his son’s house in case something happened.

Then the storm surge came.

“It looked like a river on the side of the house,” said Lauder. “Within a matter of 15 to 20 minutes, it was already up a foot and we had two feet of water on the other side of the glass window.”

His mother’s house began flooding and the water was showing no signs of subsiding, so Lauder decided to brave the flooded streets. By then, cars were submerged, telephone poles were arcing and sparks were shooting off. On his way swimming to his mother’s he found a floating bench to help him maneuver and a life jacket from a boat. He finally made it to his mother’s house but couldn’t get in through the front door.

Karen Lauder in her home flooded by Hurricane Ian on 28 September 2022. Photograph: Via the Lauders’ GoFundMe campaign *nope refused to leave and handicapped. Not one red cent.

“When I made it to the back window, I was able to get the back window open and I saw her probably the happiest I’ve ever seen her to see me,” said Lauder.

The water had risen to her chest and she had started showing signs of hypothermia when Lauder reached her. He managed to wrap her in dry blankets and put her on a floatation device to keep her out of the water. He spent the next three hours with her to keep her dry until the storm surge started to subside enough for him to move her out of the house, at which point his son arrived and they were able to safely leave.

His house and his mother’s were severely damaged by the hurricane and flooding, as were most of their possessions and vehicles.

“It was just horrifying. Everything is just a total loss,” Lauder added. “The amount of water that hit here, there’s no way anybody could have prepared for that.”

The Storm Front

I am exhausted from the coverage on Hurricane Ian. These storms are increasing in both their ferocity and their frequency thanks to Global Warming which has led to significant climate change across the globe. The heat waves that permeated Europe this summer, the fires across the West, the heat that led most of the U.S. to have the hottest summer of record and lastly the storms that have resulted from Tornadoes and Hurricanes have slammed the landscape here and the Islands off the United States, Puerto Rico being the most recent. But we have other Islands in the area and they too are often damaged in these storms but do not get the same coverage as they are smaller and often part of a larger Commonwealth.

There are three parts to a storm – the storm itself with high winds, rain and in turn storm surge that comes after the storm passes as the tides rise. In the case of Katrina it was only a category 3 hurricane intially, (Ian a 4) with top winds exceeding 115 miles (185 km) per hour and a circulation that covered virtually the entire Gulf of Mexico. By the following afternoon Katrina had become one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record, with winds in excess of 170 miles (275 km) per hour. On the morning of August 29, as the storm made landfall it became a category 4 hurricane when it hit in a town just 45 Miles south of New Orleans. It continued on a course to the northeast, crossing the Mississippi Sound and making a second landfall later that morning near the mouth of the Pearl River. A storm surge more than 26 feet (8 metres) high slammed into the coastal cities of Gulfport and Biloxi, Mississippi, devastating homes and resorts along the beachfront.

In New Orleans, where much of the greater metropolitan area is below sea level, federal officials initially believed that the city had “dodged the bullet.” While New Orleans had been spared a direct hit by the intense winds of the storm, the true threat was soon apparent. The levee system that held back the waters of Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Borgne had been completely overwhelmed by 10 inches (25 cm) of rain and Katrina’s storm surge. Some levees buttressing the Industrial Canal, the 17th Street Canal, and other areas were overtopped by the storm surge, and others were breached after these structures failed outright from the buildup of water pressure behind them. The area east of the Industrial Canal was the first part of the city to flood; by the afternoon of August 29, some 20 percent of the city was underwater.

So the parallels between the two storms is not lost. Originally thought of going North in its trajectory, Ian was not predicted to hit the Ft Myers region. And we all know that storms are like people, utterly predictable. And with that the Weather-Historians who have lived through decades of storm warnings are sure that they will “ride it out” as they have generators, water and food. Their neighbors maybe but who cares. The roads, the ability to get to medical care, to help those stranded, the ability to restore power in which to operate and function the needed industries and businesses that will rebuild, support and aid communities will have issue, not an issue to the hardy weather-historian. Almost all of them Seniors, many with health issues, many disabled or care-givers themselves to disabled family members are all sure they have what they need to “ride out” the storm. No story, no what-if, worst case scenario is part of their world view. The ability to deny facts, not face truths and truly grasp the serious nature of this boggles the mind at this point. Watching tortured people stand among their losses, the lost pets and the inability to have the resources they will need in which to rebuild are common ones heard post storm, but these weather-historians apparently have along with willful ignorance, an inability to comprehend and grasp truth.

I am exhausted hearing about this and once again the FEDS will bail these States out without recourse, without demanding abandoning building in barrier islands, on flood plains, having them insure their property including flood insurance and with that demanding evacuation orders be upheld and in turn if they refuse signing waivers over regarding their liability and risk. Sorry folks you were told and told again at one point you will have to be responsible for yourself in ways that demand less intervention and support by the same Government you eschew and the taxes you are not required to pay when you live or relocate to these regions, the same regions hit by storms time and time again. I am talking to those not only in Florida, but Texas and Nashville and many other Southern States that simply want more and more residents and with that they offer the incentive of low taxes and even fewer regulations such as those regarding building and construction codes that could force many to build with said storms in mind. Nope, not going to do that.

I have attached story after story of the many residents who simply are lucky to be alive. A State in denial and the lack of effective communication by the Authorities to urge if not demand residents to evacuate regardless or risk not being rescued by anyone other than private citizens, as story after story concludes with just that. The idea of a loss of the ability to travel, to have power for weeks and access to health care and other needed facilities will not be possible thanks to the demand and possible damage. And with that all Hospitals and Long term care should be evacuated regardless and only those at high or serious risk to move remain with a core of volunteer staff in which to maintain a minimum level of care, with all waivers and liability signed off to prevent the 5 Days at Memorial story from ever happening again.

We have large failures to communicate, listen and to give a shit. We really don’t. The story about our Building Concierge’s Sister in Orlando with the Hurricane Party and the complaint she ran out of booze and could not replace it. Or Amazon delivering during a Hurricane. The bullshit about Cars being stored/parked in Garages getting damaged, yet have you tried to drive a car in a flood? You can’t. The morons jumping in surfs or going out shelling or whatever, and the rest should be arrested and prosecuted as they take away resources and time from those in need. Again we don’t give a shit not in the least and we truly are these willfully ignorant stubborn people who think we are super heroes who can survive it all, says the 72 year old man on a walker.

Here are the stories of the “Survivors” and the stories that resulted from Ian, now on on CBS as the newest reality series.

Those Boots are made for Moon Walking

Search Team Rescue

Tik Tok and shit its flooding

The Before and After

Caregiver and her disabled Brothers

Doorbell Camera the new documentarian

Paradise Lost

Survival Stories

Whopps its heading our way

Get MOM!

A one Man Cajun Army

Fuck this shit, I’m out

Real Life Shark Tank

Alligator Handbag

A Weak Review

Actually I am feeling quite fine. I am not sleeping great and got up at 5 am to move scarves and winter clothes around, a compulsion that I think stems from my need to have all my home perfect at all times. That was one thing that Covid does to one, the need to rest while also being fanatically clean. Trips to storage to get winter blankets and other accessories and the need to redecorate after being trapped again in quarantine reminded me of those early days where fussing about was never enough, and in this case I bought an expensive Miele Coffee/Espresso Machine to replace the three different coffee makers/grinders I have. I am sure that this will end as I am on day two of negative tests and dropping temp, but I want to avoid the bounce back Covid so I am on varying Chinese herbs to cleanse and cool the liver heat that generates from illness. But isolation aside I have found it quite amusing to wander about full on mask and yell, “Don’t come in this elevator or stand close, put on a mask, I have Covid!” There is great pleasure in watching people get confused, some comply and everyone is relieved and thanks me. We have come a long way from Typhoid Covid days.

I also made the decision to return to work on the 29th and 30th of the Month as my entry back into Substitute Teaching here in Jersey City. The schools a distinct counter to the high rises and money that the city espouses to have and explains the insane rents as the migration from the even more expensive city across the Hudson has done more to push people to move than any Governor of Texas or Florida ever could. And with that I would love a free trip to Martha’s Vineyard. Call me Carmen, I am from Columbia……. Tennessee but HOLA! That act of bizarre human trafficking, funded by a State using Covid relief funds, chartering two planes and landing in two different air bases and then finally arriving in Massachusetts without a word of advanced notice takes hubris and arrogance to new heights. The buses to NYC, DC and to the VP home have been equally an odd strange trip to be on when you have literally risked your life to come to a country that is in supposed need of workers. Well not those ones I guess.

The interesting aspect is that both Governors aspire to be President of the United States. Really? Are we that fucked up a country that we would elect either of them. Abbot alone with his handling of Uvalde, the energy and weather crisis of Texas alone should disqualify him. As for DeSantis the man is disturbing to say the least in both behavior and policy. He is the Prince Charles of the Aggrieved White Males in the U.S.

Which brings me to the death of the Queen, long live the King. And with that Charles who has been in training and in waiting all of his life finally assumes the throne. And assume he has. First up was the fussy videos of him signing documents, demanding that the varying items on the desk be removed and another with the pen leaking, the date wrong and the wandering up to reprimand the Secretary’s for this always happening. I loved those as apparently the Prince/King has a habit of asking aides to get items accidentally tossed in the bin to retrieve and is so known for writing notes in spider like penmanship that they are called Black Spider notes. God save the King! Diana was lucky to end it and perhaps die as none of these family members seem to age well. And with the Monarchy rumbling along the idea of how the Commonwealth will continue is the real age old question and with America at the cusp of losing Democracy I wonder if we can get a redo on that Independence thing? Call me Daddy Charles!

And with Europe on the cusp of many countries examining Populism/Fascism we are sure to ask ourselves if the Great World War is perhaps veering for a third series. We are asking ourselves if we are the brink of a new Civil War so this too must be a matter of import given what we are seeing in the Ukraine at present. And that is now like the many wars and conflicts we have watched from afar that seem to have no end but this time I am not sure if we can just sideline ourselves in a way that permits this to continue. But Iraq and Afghanistan are fresh in our memories and again we have shown repeatedly that we cannot pass on nor share Democratic ideals with any other country despite our efforts be they diplomatic or militaristic, so perhaps that explains the Trump doctrine.

And yet the American Dream persists and the migrants journey’s continue to affirm that reality and yet we are doing what we do best, kick the can or in this case the person, down the road to the next with no real solutions in site. Not the first nor the last time we have used people as human pawns with regards to political jockeying. We have a massive housing crisis in this country, the irony that the Vineyard, vacation home of the Obama’s, is a town that cannot afford to even offer housing to Physicians they have recruited to work in their hospitals. And this exists in all the wealthy playgrounds, from the Hampton’s to Aspen, workers and others who are not among the uber wealthy cannot afford to live there. How these rich folks get food is beyond me but they seem to manage. Perhaps they bring their own. Not food, staff.

Again the housing crisis is not just workers it is for the many transient individuals plagued with mental illness and other acute disorders that prevent or limit them from fully integrating into society. Numerous cities are trying numerous measures to house these individuals, Seattle has had mixed results with tiny house encampments as has Los Angeles but the idea is solid, but frankly I do not think these should be for these individuals that are in a mental health crisis; however, a they are well suited to single dwellers, workers and others who may find this arrangement conducive if well managed and operated. And in some cases other cities are modeling this and are moving forward with the concept so it is better than nothing. But we are at a housing crisis with regards to rentals as well in many cities as work from home and again foreign investment push more and more ordinary workers into the streets. And when Trailer parks are now big investment opportunities, so what does that tell you? And the problems continue with global warming as despite it all we want to seemingly live in Fire Zones or Flood Zones and with that the damages and costs will continue to rise along with the temps.

And with that we move into the last of my reviews, reality TV which shows us the best of us, okay a little bit as Drag Race and Amazing Race do have moments that are memorable in a good way when team work and positivity show how you can do well, but in the best of times it is also the worst of us. I cannot think of a show that does this better than Big Brother or any of the Housewives franchises. The social experiment that CBS does every summer putting a group of young people in a shitty fake home and fucks with them by subjecting them to grueling competitions and bizarre challenges is one that I have never understood after the first season, I checked in on occasion but largely out as the discussions and posturing is something that is beyond idiotic. The constant refrain, “have blood on my hands” and “put on the resume” are to say the least the most idiotic of phrases that endless “super fans” seem to repeat ad infinitum as a mantra. The other is the discussion of the 750K they will earn after they are declared a winner by a Jury of their former housemates. That is again largely laughable as with taxes they will see 37% removed immediately and depending on where they live another percent for income tax. So here in New Jersey I would see an additional 10% or so added to that, meaning I would earn about 353K. That would be a down payment on a house. Seriously. But to the aspirants they are sure they can buy a home, pay off student loans and travel. Start with a math class or find an accountant would be my suggestion.

Then we have the housewives who seem to have tastes that end with 10K handbags and 500 dollar hats. What the flying fuck? And yet one wife, the infamous Erika Girardi has 750K in earrings that were paid for from a victim fund and she refuses to either acknowledge the victims nor acknowledge wrongdoing at all. You are divorcing the man so call him a liar and crook and a cheater, the LA Times sure does. Getting a publicist and a therapist and off that show would be three things I would do to add to my resume and not have blood on my hands.

The last one I find still deeply infused with some form of religious torture and abuse is Survivor. There is something wrong with Mark Burnett to literally think this is Robinson Crusoe meets Cast Away which are works of fiction and should remain that way. The insanity over again 1M dollars which will be taxed has demonstrated a desperation and duplicity that rarely ends well for the supposed sole Survivor. I know my Doorman loves all these shows, a man hitting the over 200 lb scale, uses a walker and has a marginal intellectual capacity tells me all I need to know. The reality of this is the only real millionaire is Mark Burnett and frankly he is a religious crackpot who gave us Trump who actually believed his own show about him. Another false idol there which is not lost on anyone who watches that bullshit show. And a review of where are they now shows that many returned to their jobs or endlessly competing on version after another which makes one think that is their reality, a quick infusion of cash that you can blow or save, but life changing, no.

And as I move into the weekend I don’t think much about the endless Trump trials and sagas. Some more amusing than others, the Lindell claim about the FBI seizing his phone at a Hardee’s drive thru which is not only bizarre but likely missing a truth in the same way he is missing a screw. That and the endless Attorneys who seem to be in the business of hiring more Attorneys as they hitched their wagon to Trump. Which tells me that getting a law license is a lot easier than one thinks and proves that most Attorney’s are raving assholes and morons.

As for inflation and the economy, the reality is that we don’t have any measure of comparison nor way to get the big picture or the little one straight. One day Dow down, next up. The Feds raise the rates but spending goes on. The need for workers belies a recession but the reality is that the cuts and lay offs are happening just in the white collar world and mid-managment in the business that were once the darlings of Wall Street. The Pelotons, the Netflix and Chill and of course the Crytpo currencies. Start ups are starting down and staring down at a balance sheet which they have never had to do and it reminds me of 2000 when the dot coms bombed. This is much more parallel to that then 2008 that hit a wider swath of individuals. The rich that are on paper and received margin loans to buy those Aspen homes are getting called and with that see that too change sooner versus later. I do think Americans are in denial and always have been about housing and education, they truly believe they are valuable assets. We have finally seen that truth exposed and the other is coming as well. See a lot more Ivy League Degrees competing on Survivor and Big Brother.

As I am fortunate and privileged and just fucking lucky I do think about the world outside my window a great deal. I get checked at the door when I walk into the public schools and from them I realize how fucked up we are. I am not sure we are going to find the great saviors in the next generation, we have been saying that for many a generation now and so now you tell me, really? I see what I have always seen, some bright shining lights and many many more dim ones. The need to be heard, to be seen dominates the landscape. There is not a post on the comment pages of WaPo, Twitter, Reddit, Facebook or Instagram that are irrelevant and unnecessary, mine included. But we are desperate for connection to anything outside that window and with that we tap into our most darkest of impulses and rages. I buy expensive clothes and return most of them. I buy expensive household goods and keep them. I rarely talk to anyone without it being me being in full on Teacher mode or in automat where I nod and try to extricate myself as it is a waste of time and energy, and with that validating my no compromise promise I frankly feel no need to try. Have I given up? No I have just stopped caring and I give only what I need to when I need to. Energy is a source and I am conserving mine.

Below is an op-ed, and this sums up what I think we do and what we need to do. And we will do all of the wrong things and do nothing we need. That is America.

Opinion How to counter today’s tribalism and build ‘a more perfect union’

By Bernice B. Donald and Don R. Willett The Washington Post September 16, 2022

Bernice B. Donald is a judge on the U.S Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. Don R. Willett is a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit.

Federal judges rarely write newspaper op-eds. Rarer still: a joint op-ed by two assumed foes. In this era of poisonous tribalism, what could these two judges agree on?

After all, one is an African American female Obama appointee, the other a White male Trump appointee.

For starters, we’re friends. More, we respect each other as judicial siblings committed to a shared oath; our robes are black, not red or blue. In this coarse and graceless age, believing that our similarities eclipse our differences might be derided as Pollyannish. So be it.

Saturday is Constitution Day. But let’s begin with the Declaration of Independence, which in 2026 will mark its semiquincentennial — 250 years.

The Declaration is aspirational, debuting a uniquely American theory: that government exists to secure people’s inborn, individual, inalienable rights. The Constitution is architectural, erecting a structure to achieve those ideals. But the union was very far from perfect at the founding: One-third of the Declaration’s signers were enslavers.

Still, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was right in 1963 when he called the nation’s founding documents “a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.” While he recognized that America had “defaulted” on that note in failing to recognize equality for African Americans, he also knew that those founding documents made possible a government that could correct itself over time. He was echoing Frederick Douglass, who a century earlier declared that the Declaration’s promises of liberty and equality are eternal, even if America betrayed those promises.

King implored Americans not to tear down the nation’s heritage but to live up to it. Doing so might seem difficult these days, when entrenched tribalism threatens to swamp citizens’ shared attachment to the nation. But that makes trying all the more important. This Constitution Day, here are five suggestions to help form a “more perfect union.”

Log off. In today’s hot-take culture stoked by social media, the art of disagreeing agreeably seems quaint. The snarling, sneering and sniping are on full display in a realm we know well: modern law schools. Online incivility seems to fuel real-life boorishness. Earlier this year, a panel at Yale Law School brought together lawyers from the left and right to tout the importance of free speech. Chaos ensued. That is what happens when views held by the “other side” are deemed no longer debatable but disreputable. Better to reject venomous online voices — and promote civility in the physical world.

Learn up. The civics IQ of “We the People” is not exactly Mensa-level. According to the 2022 Annenberg Civics Survey, most American adults cannot name all three branches of government, and 25 percent cannot name a single one. The judicial branch is likely the least understood — especially by those who depict the judiciary as hijacked by craven politics. Facts are hostile witnesses. The Supreme Court’s rate of dissent today is no higher than it was in 1945, when eight of nine justices had been appointed by the same president. Besides, fixating on the Supreme Court is distorting: Ninety-nine percent of federal cases go no higher than regional circuit courts. That’s where we serve, and we can attest, as research has shown, that roughly 98 percent of circuit-court decisions are unanimous — hardly a sign of ideologically driven judging.

Reach out. Genuine across-the-aisle friendships are rare today. According to an NBC News-Generation Lab poll last month, about half of college sophomores say they wouldn’t date, or even choose as a roommate, someone who didn’t vote as they did in the 2020 presidential election. Americans too often hunker down in like-minded echo chambers, marinating in confirmation bias, rarely encountering, much less befriending, anyone who sees the world differently. Cross-party friendships are no easy feat. But if Justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg could do it, so can we — and so can you.

Pull back. Many Americans view everything through a political prism. Entire identities get distilled to partisan labels. The places where attachments were found — such as civic and religious institutions — have thinned out, and politics has rushed into the vacuum. Political strife is nothing new, but things have radically intensified. Regrettably, some judges contribute to the noxiousness, penning acidic opinions that fuel a perception of judges as ideological combatants rather than evenhanded arbiters. But the toxicity is culture-wide. Fact: There is more to life than politics.

Plug in. President Jimmy Carter put it powerfully during his 1981 farewell address when he said he would be taking up “the only title in our democracy superior to that of president, the title of citizen.” American citizenship is not a spectator sport. Be engaged citizens, not enfeebled (or enraged) bystanders. Self-government is not self-perpetuating. This raucous republic belongs to us all, and the secret sauce is a sleeves-rolled-up citizenry.

This Constitution Day, if any identity should define us as Americans, let it be one that transcends ideological and demographic differences: Our common identity as heirs to a rich civic inheritance.

Damn It All

As we enter a new era in America I want to say it is not new it is of another era firmly planted in past, a time when there were clear gender lines and regulations were a word that applied to the Military and little else. I think the concept of the show Mad Men that gave a sort of glamour to the era but also was clear about the shadows truly conveyed what a shitty time it was but to those who lived it, they see it as idyllic. They saw financial growth, world power, some bastions of what they defined equality and their place in the world was clear. Here we are now 50 years later and this new world, with its pronouns, Women running their own lives, People of Color actually being elected President; It was fine to have a sole Black Man on the Supreme Court and with that today we now have not one “colored” but three, makes two too many. So the effort to turn back time to the days of their lives began in earnest a mere 40 years ago. In my lifetime I saw the security of Civil Rights, some movement towards equality of Women’s Rights (but nowhere near what it should be) and of course Gay Rights. But that was enough but not enough as the strides that took prides began to integrate too much into the safe spaces that the right have crafted for themselves. The demands for clean air and water and away from the business of gas and oil and of war was all too much. They are angry and still are and with that they are like that Liberal parent who has scolded little (fill in the gender neutral name) one time to many with the adage, “This is why you cannot have nice things!” And with that were sent to bed, to the corner and the feelings of rage, of disappointment and of rejection were burned into them. And with that they studied, the bullied, they mastered the game to ensure they would have access to all that they had been denied and what better way to do so than through the bastion and gates of power – the Ivy League. Once thought of as a haven for intellects (is is a pun that Yale is located a town called New Haven?) and the belief that intellects are in fact liberal by nature as thought does that, they graduated with not one but often two degrees from these hallowed institutions. When I think of the word institutions little good comes to mind, but allow me to digress. When you review the CV’s (yes let us use the Latin word for Resume) those credentials and memberships to the hallowed clubs are owned largely by Men, usually white, often from middle America and Middle Class homes, some who are of privilege and every now and then a White Woman or a Black man. No wonder Affirmative Action is on the next Court’s docket. Ah Justice Jackson, what a hornet’s nest you have entered and yet you possess the same credentials but I am sure they are seen of as less as AA has to your fellow Justice Uncle Tom seen as a demeaning measure of deserved entrance. I must have thought that AA meant you can be a walking fucking moron and get accepted apparently, oh wait you can be? Shit I should have applied. But again I digress, as women do.

The Supremes are a conservative based lot filled with notions of revenge, rectitude and of course moral superiority as the majority are Religious with a CAPITAL R and one even has a spouse who was involved in the insurrection and willing to end Democracy of which her husband sits firmly in command of. As again on the next years docket is just that, an election case that puts the stolen in voting firmly on the forefront, as it will enable States to oversee and command all election results. Don’t like the tally for the candidate, not a problem, toss it with those others in the back of van, a suitcase or in the garbage. If you think North Carolina was gerrymandering the hilt out of the votes, I suggest you examine Governor Ron DeSantis’ Florida version of a voting map. I say, when it doubt draw it yourself. Did not Trump do that with the path of a hurricane once? Guess that is where he got the idea, a Trumpite off the old blockhead. And yet they are on the outs. This profile in The New Yorker is enough to make you be very afraid of DeSantis as he is a grad of both Harvard and Yale and pretty much hates the world in the same vein as Trump. Welcome the 2024 nominee! A Reagan on the spectrum as I see him. And this should be a comfort to families who worry about how Autism is perceived. Uh they are socially inept but academically inclined so what’s to worry!! We had a mentally ill idiot as a President so this cannot be worse. Or can it be? It seems that DeSantis is in as much denial as the Orange Baboon, as he has never faced that fact that he could be Autistic, and instead of embracing it as a tool to succeed he chose it as weapon. And that is where we are in America trying to fight a war with some hand tools and we need the big guns. I think that might be why the Supremes let the Gun law slide in NYC as they know we are going to go all 2nd Amendment nuts here soon.

The Court has decided it will be the de facto law making entity as the Congressional one is dysfunctional and has been now for decades. And with it they are the most conservative Court since the 1930s. Wow that is comforting. And with that we are seeing the slide of the stock market and the parallels to history never end. As for the other two parts of our Government, I am sure that the last time Congress worked was to enact tax cuts and ram through the Covid relief bills of the Trump Administration through. And since then, it has largely been a shit/freak show where little is done but posturing a plenty. Impeachment 2.0 and now a historical and terrifying Investigation that I am afraid will end like the other two – zip on indictments and guilt. As for the other half, certainly not the better one, the Senate, I am not sure what they do but it is where bills go to di but the band plays on as if they are on the Titanic and the iceberg was an 3-D image.

With that, I am not acknowledging, celebrating or caring about the 4th of July and the irony that this is something in which to be proud is hilarious. No folks, no. It is something of which to be ashamed. We are pulling shit out of our asses now to make laws, retract laws and with it taking to social media FOR HOURS to rant, rave and repeat over and over again the same shit. I see that you are really out there mobilizing and organizing or not. Shit I gots fireworks and BBQ’s to go to. Good luck with it all. I am going to the Me to see the Winslow Homer exhibition and then maybe treat myself to lunch and go home. I can’t stand this bullshit and why pretend otherwise. But hey Happy Birthday America. The Native Americans are surely thrilled especially as another Supremes ruling this week found them removing even more their independence and sovereignty. America is exceptional alright.

Father Figure

I have spent the better part of the last weeks traveling to Rhode Island to attend a day at the Newport Jazz Festival. The irony that two of the artists I wanted to see are also new fathers and had their now year and near year old babies with them to celebrate what is the essence of life for me, music. And with other artists they too had families, sons and fathers in the band so it was a full circle of life in celebration. The women were there too and of course my favorite song was one by Catherine Russell, I like my men like I like my Whiskey, aged and mellow. No truer songs could have been sung to remind myself why I travel alone. But with that I am able to meet interesting individuals whose paths I would not have crossed had I not.

My seat mate to RI was a man nearing 60 who owns a business manufacturing plant in Queens and was heading home. He and I could not be more distinctly different in the spectrum of politics but we found an engaging conversation that included such facts as his sister was in NXVIM for seven years and he had Covid in. March of 2020. He found himself driving back to RI made it Fall Rivers, MA and stopped at hospital and was there for four days when they said he was to be put on a respirator, or as he and I agree the kiss of death, so he got a private Nurse and O2 tank and went home to recover. He was very sick but he again took control and got through it. That is money folks right there and the distinct ability to tell a hospital to go fuck themselves and they probably were relieved and needed the bed space. So that is again a reflection of the health care system, rich or poor, when they need you gone they will do whatever it takes. Yikes how many did they send home without the kit they needed to survive? Anyway he is also unvaxxed and when he said, “You will try to talk me into it.” I said, “No, I am a great believer in preventative medicine and I blur the line between the metaphysical and physical so I am all about anything that will keep me out a hospital, including prayer and I am an Atheist. So, no you are on your own but with that drug it will keep me out as for you, you figured it out on your own before you will do so now.”

He was a much more interesting traveling companion that the Big Game Hunter or as I call the serial killer I met going to Raleigh NC. Truly I will never understand that mentality of killing innocent animals and mounting their skins on a wall as a trophy. Really? Said Ted Bundy.

Then this week another Big White Daddy made an appearance at the final show of Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett at Radio City Music Hall. Mr. Bennett turned 95 on Tuesday and is suffering from Alzheimer’s and they had managed to cut what will likely be his last album during the past year. I had seen the two a few years ago at the Hollywood Bowl which was a magical evening and I knew this would be as well. As we had to get their early to check our Covid vaccination status and check our phones so they could not be inside the auditorium which led many in the line to shove them down shirts, pants and bury them in bags. I tucked mine in my wallet and used it in the restroom so it was just to not film/tape the event as it was being done so for broadcast. Gaga’s father was there in the front tables they had set up and there were some on the stage as the rest of us filed into seats in the amazing Radio City for a night of music and memories, ours being of the greatest jazz singer still alive and his paring with a dynamo who crosses musical genres with ease. It was from Tony I learned what a gift Gaga possesses and I am now a big fan of this amazing woman. And then we waited, and waited and waited some more. Three G&T’s in finally the reason we were waiting arrived, it was Bill Clinton. No, he was not with Hilary it appears that it was his daughter and her husband included in his entourage. Another famous/celebrity wandered in shortly after but by then we were sorta kinda over it as what was at 8 pm start now was 9. I was furious as it interrupted my plans and in turn thought HOW RUDE as this man performing is likely also on a schedule and needs to be well managed and organized. Thankfully when Gaga arrived on stage wearing all white and said, “Hello, I see you Mr. President.” I laughed and thought of another era with a similar star and the girl next to me said, “Well at least it is not Trump.” How true and the show began and ended with my tears seeing Tony Bennett still singing tunes he had for years and fighting the good fight to the end.

This week it is Pink Martini on a rooftop a band with its own tragedy’s and history and then next week to Connecticut to see Kings of Leon. I am filling my time with as much music as I can and thankfully now the requirement of vaccinations that we had to have in Newport has extended to NYC which has traumatized the anti vaxx set. You know the same people that demand personal liberty unless of course it is a woman’s vagina, no. Sorry folks you women folk cannot have your own body and your own choice unless it is about masks and vaccines.

America led the way on preventative medicines/drugs, we supposedly have the best treatment and care in the world (which I will debate to my death on that one) but we have no CURATIVE treatments for most disease and little on the front of Covid. So go ahead test that one out I have a man in RI who fucking got out with a tank and his life, you many not be so lucky there daddy!

And speaking of Big White Daddies, Andrew Cuomo’s report on his behavior with women came out and showed he was a hypocrite, speaking one thing in public and in private demanding to see/touch women’s privates. Your body my choice kinda thing. Nothing changes there when it comes to powerful men and their ambition and lust for one thing – power. Basically the toxic masculinity that one carries inside their briefcase is like Pandora’s Box and once opened it spreads into the culture of the workplace and many become enablers if not equally predatory in all to preserve their own power. We have seen this with Trump and Cuomo is not different. And like Jeffrey Epstein, women are used to cover and shield much of this in the same way Ghislaine Maxwell did for her keeper and Melissa DeRosa did for Cuomo. Is it deflection or fear or sheer ambition that enables this and proves that women clearly are breaking the glass ceiling, just not the one we need right now. Again Hilary not at the concert told me all I needed to know about that marriage. Maybe she and Melinda Gates need to get together and have some tea, I am sure there is a lot to spill on both sides of that table. I wonder what Mrs. Tucker Carlson has to say about her husband being the big white daddy to White Supremacists as he is Hungary touting Totalitarianism? She must be a fucking moron or an abused spouse, either/or. And the same goes for Mrs. Ron deSantis, the Governor/Autocrat of Florida. What is with that state? No seriously that entire state.

And lastly we have the environment who is joining Covid in kicking our respective asses. The fires that began out west have extended to Greece and Turkey. Floods now are now a problem in Germany and China and we are of course waiting out the worst summer on record with immense heat problems that are in turn causing serious health problems and deaths. Yeah, Covid is a bitch, meet Mother Nature. One town in California is now totally out of water. Mendocino is where Oprah and Harry/Megan live, so they better have wells, just saying. But compared to this one, at least you can breathe, sort of. The fire in the air travels as I found out a few weeks ago in North Carolina, and with it created its own weather pattern. This is truly the long hot summer folks and not in a fun vaxxed way. Well thanks to the Delta variant that put the kybosh on that one but again the bioweapon that Covid has become seems to be working against the very individuals determined to let that fly. America the great – ish. Yes in America until it happens to you its all bullshit, smoke and mirrors. Hello Covid, my old friend its back to meet me once again. Ask this dipshit how his journey ended. He was lucky he lived. Some not so much. Or these fuckwads. Or this idiot.

We love our big white Daddies, from those in the sky to those on the planet and yet all of them repeatedly fuck us without dinner or lube. They are the big game hunters on the prowl to kill anyone or anything that could enable them to have a trophy to mount on the wall and prove what big dicks they are, whoops I mean have. It exhausts me at this stage as from the beginning we have known exactly who or what they are and yet we expect them in a crisis to fix it all. They cannot they live their entire lives in crisis mode so they can enable and obfuscate the truth, they are incompetent assholes. And we on planet earth pay for their sins which will never be forgiven, even the Sky Daddy is starting to say, hey coming up here isn’t going to fix it.