Whew! Had so much trouble with the previous post--with a stubborn virus that kept invading right at the very start. I couldn't seem to totally eradicate it. though finally I mostly did. The problem had first appeared long after I had first posted my opening there. I'm not sure quite what happened after that or why, but am starting over fresh here again right now. Fortunately, most of that last post was not affected, only the beginning.
Yellow flowers we saw here early this morning looked a little forlorn by afternoon, but the grass is still green after an early morning frost had melted.
Here's a recent comment from Michael Wolff, a Trump biographer,. about the Hegseth matter.
"President Donald Trump’s 'shameful' bombings of alleged drug boats are being overseen by a 'dope' Defense secretary who doesn’t fully think things through."
Author Wolff further notes on the Inside Trump’s Head podcast that Pete Hegseth’s professional experience hardly qualifies him to lead the Pentagon.
We already knew that. But Hegseth still remains on staff even now as a presidential employee despite his many apparent mistakes. Perhaps he or his family have made a substantial donation to Mr. Trump? That seems rather likely, as Hegseth is obviously completely unqualified, already having made a series of critical errors but still remaining in his position nonetheless. .
Daily Beast, Why Trump Is Using a Moron to Run His ‘War’: Wolff
Michael Wolff believes that Pete Hegseth’s lack of experience for the role of Defense Secretary is actually proving to be a boon to President Donald Trump. I'm not quite sure of the reasoning there, perhaps because Hegseth can then serve as a handy scapegoat for any ensuing problems? Wolff calls Trump and Hegseth members of a "morontocracy" whose major military achievement has been the "drone bombing of an unarmed small craft."
Why is Trump giving out these cruel orders? Do his donors demand it? Or is he just flaling about as he sinks even further into dementia? Why is he trying to deport people obviously committed to this country? Can he even remember that his own wife Melania, the mother of his youngest son Baron, is actually an immigrant who came here only as a visitor and then became a citizen in 2006? Probably Trump at this point hardly remembers anything.
Must the Military Disobey Unlawful Orders? Pam Bondi Has Said Yes.
As a lawyer for a conservative think tank, Ms. Bondi, now the attorney general, filed a Supreme Court brief last year saying service members who followed such orders were committing crimes.
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Marjorie Taylor Greene Says Trump Was ‘Furious with Me’ Over Epstein Files on Phone Call
"He was extremely angry at me," the Georgia Republican told '60 Minutes' in a preview of her first national interview since announcing plans to resign.
Anyway, now Taylor Greene has removed herself from the fray. Is she tired of being in Congress or just taking a break?
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A friend and former DC neighbor sent these photos below, first of his house, all colorfully decorated, then of some nearby houses. I do miss all my friends on Capitol Hill.
Out where we live now in the rural West Virginia countryside, there are no close neighbors nor do I know anyone here, except my son, with whom I live now.
China's former one-child policy has repercussions even today.
Ladies, if you're looking for a male partner, you might want to visit China which, as the legacy of its previous One-Child policy, has a surplus of single men. In those old days, if a couple's first child was a boy, then he became their one child. If it was a girl, then they might try again after giving her up for adoption in a foreign country. Someimes newborn baby girls were even left outside to die..
As an adoption agency board member at that time, I met many single American women whom we helped to adopt Chinese baby girls, often seeing that as their only chance to become mothers. One single woman I knew even adopted 3 Chinese baby girls. She was an excellent caregiver who really enjoyed her very busy family life. She said she had no time to date men, nor did she miss not having a man in her life. Two of her daughters were biologically related. When she had bonded with one baby girl at a Chinese orphanage, she was then aksed, "Do you also want her sister?" Of course, she said, "yes."
At present, China has a 3-child policy with corresponding assistance provided for all 3 children. For those with more than 3 kids, there is no punishment, but no extra help either. Three is considered really
enough.
Most intercountry adoptions from China and from anywhere else in the world have now been halted. Ethiopia had continued for a time, though not recently. There are still many orphanages around the world where children with living parents may stay for longer or shorter periods whenever their parents cannot care for them. Children with disabilities may still be available for adoption, as birth parents may feel they will have a better chance elsewhere.
I'm glad to have adopted my son Jon. with whom I am currently living, when he was just a baby. Now past 50, he was born in Colombia, and had started walking quite late, as he had been swaddled and not been allowed to crawl as an infant. He never actually learned to crawl, just stood up at 15 months and started walking. He has been walking ever since, sometimes now around a track or on a treadmill.
I realize that many folks today prefer to remain childless, including some members of my own family. They certainly have an easier time financially than do parents with children. But they don't know what they are missing--a deep bond with the next generation who will carry on after we are all gone. .
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A woman living in northern Virginia, sommeone indirectly related to me, just bought this black
2019 Mercedes Benz. She says it's been running very well, providing reliable transportation for her and her whole extended family. I've told her, :"Many congratulations; looks like you made a good choice."
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Donald Trump, in a rare wakeful moment, did not look too happy aboutMarjorie Taylor Grenne's comments to "60 Minutes" about the Epstein files, (He seems to be finding the presidency not so enjoyable any more, now with 3 years left to In Honduras, Trump's election interference swayed some voters and angered quite a few others. So was it a toss up?
I've been closely watching the Honduran vote now. I have visited that country many times, beginning when I was just 2 years old, then later served there as a Peace Corps volunteer as recounted in my books, and, most recently, had a mission in June 2024, as reported on this blog..
Whenever traveling there, I always try to blend in. I'm told that I don't speak Spanish with an American accent nor with any other foreign accent, which is quite helpful.
Hondurans had lined up early to vote in their recent presidential election.
Some Honduran voters admitted that they had been swayed by Mr. Trump.
Reuters, Impatience grows in Honduras over stalled reporting of election results
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My good friend Armando is someone I'd brought out of Cuba via Mexico years ago, which wasn't so easy, even back then. (And there was no internet at that time.) After he had gotten to Mexico (verified by phone), which had required a visa that I'd obtained for him, I then drove by myslf down to the border to take him by the hand and walk him right across, talking US border guards then into letting him through. That was back in the days when crossing the US border wasn't really any easier than it is now.
Armando has a chornic hereditary illness that requires him to take a medication not available in Cuba (not even now). He is currently over age 50 and is still living, thanks to that medication.
I had first learned about Armando via a letter he had sent to my workplace, the American Occupational Therapy Association, which was then given to me to translate. After that, I went first to Cuba and actually found him in person, promising then that I would do everything possible to get him across the border with Mexico and into this country where the needed medication was available. So that was the plan. And so we actually did that and he is still alive today, decades later.
Here above is his mother now with Christmas pending, as he was then able to bring her to this country after he himself came. They now live in Florida.
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I had once studied ballet but never aspired to become a professional dancer, as I wasn't committed to engaging in hours of daily practice. Ballet can be beautiful but requires a lifelong commitment. I have continued since only as a faithful and very appreciative audience member.
These dancers' moves seem so effortless but are carefully choreographed.
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Holiday gift suggestions can now be found everywhere.
What about a colorful outfit for the man in your life?
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Or perhaps a sign encouraging a friend to try something new?
Or maybe this "Funky chicken" tote bag as a gift for your friend who has everything?
Or perhaps a nice warm cozy sweater?
Or even this Santa-themed sweater below?
I actually kind of like this green plant that never needs watering.
There are just so many choices! So now start checking the names off your gift list.
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