Tag Archives: Keith Olbermann

Happy Monday. Enjoy the rest of the week. I love you.

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How would your life be different if on the first day of school/kindergarten, you received a card or a note that said: “Happy Monday. Enjoy the rest of the week. I love you.” This card was from your teacher, and s/he explained everyone would make a card for the following Monday, to give to someone in the class, everyone would make a card, everyone would receive a card. And this card exchange would be every Monday for the rest of your school life, through graduation of High School.

How would your life be different if, every Monday through your K-12 school life, you learned to give and receive a gift, homemade or store bought, to one of your classmates? That’s thirteen years of giving and receiving gifts. 

Your brain would have probably been wired toward the perspective of compassion and pro-social thoughts. You would have a moral identity reinforced by friends and family. You would see yourself as a helper person, a caring person, and an ethical person, all of which would help you in decision making.

Your aggressive reactivity would probably be reduced, your social confidence and belonging built and shored up by the frequent positive reaction with strangers and neighbors. Social anxiety would not be nearly as strong, your community attachment and long-term civic orientation would be strengthened.

Children exposed to structured generosity are more likely to engage in volunteering, cooperation, and nonviolent civic participation as adults. The net gain effect of 676* structured acts of kindness during developmental years creates a durable pro-social identity, higher emotional stability, and stronger community trust norms that persist into adulthood. 

The immediately preceding paragraphs are paraphrased from:

America’s Real Threats – And Our Plan to Reduce Them (Without WASHINGTON0  Former Black Panther Speaks: Can America be Saved? This link is to his substack and is free. You can also find it on YouTube. I have his permission to post the substack link. I hope you’ll take the 23 minutes to listen to the whole talk. I hope you’ll subscribe, and watch/listen to all the videos in the series. 

And, as my final paragraph on this topic, please think where we, as a nation, would be if this had started say in 1900, or 1920, or even 1940. And, please, become part of the nationwide network to think and act with strategy, not anger. It is never too late to change.

*The Former Black Panther was counting on 52 weeks a year times 13, most school years are closer to 40 weeks, I think, which would make it closer to 520. But then, there’s no reason during summers and school breaks, that giving couldn’t be carried on with neighbors, which would bring it right back up to 676 or so 😉

Uncoupling, Poems by Margo Davis

All couples will uncouple at some point. Train engines are uncoupled from train cars, children are uncoupled from beloved pets, parents are uncoupled from children, and lovers and life partners are uncoupled through mutual agreement or death. With the (presumably) exception of the trains, the loss of uncoupling brings pain of varying degrees, as well as freedom (of varying degrees) and maybe guilt, and even joy as we acknowledge the happy memories of earlier days, that our beloved is free of pain, of agony and now Rests in Power with their God.

Davis has a marvelous sense of humor that comes through in many (most?) of these poems, from the very first poem, Southern Tradition, “A Southern woman could / lace a rat with garnish / and pass it on. // the mixologist’s cocktails /…/ hurricane comin’!” One of my favorites being Better Times about the old codger, Lassie, Timmy and a three-foot glass of milk. Her humor is anything but juvenile, as noted in her last poem, Breathless In Portugal, “Messejana sheep take me / as I am. Uphill downslide I traverse //…Sleight of Hand. Oh tongue / that I never knew. I knew.”

I found this book delightful and engaging and one with poems I have read more than once! I heartily recommend it. Available through your favorite bookstore or online through https://Bookshop.org

On a More Political Topic

I believe I’ve mentioned a time or two, my favorite political pundit is Keith Olbermann, (my second favorite pundit is David Reddish, but that’s another post). It isn’t just the politics, I enjoy Olbermann’s personal discussions, too. Especially when he talks about famous people, or not quite famous people, he knows or has met. Keith’s sense of humor is marvelous, at least over the air. He is one of the famous people I’d like to have a cup of coffee with, though I’d probably be so tongue-tied I wouldn’t be able to put three words together that made any sense. Anyhow, Thursday’s episode (His podcast, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, airs every Monday and Thursday morning) is a bit long, but the last part, where he talks about Robert Duvall and the movie Network is worth the price of admission. Network, for those of you who, like me, haven’t seen it, is a 1976 American movie about a fictional tv station, UBS, with low ratings, written by Paddy Chayefsky. Olbermann brings up 23 instances in the movie that were prescient to today’s tv networks that were not even thought of when the movie came out, and which when people saw it laughed because those things could never happen. Is it time for a movie? Starring Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Peter Finch, Fobert Duvall, Wesley Addy, and a host of others. Although I could find places where it’s streaming, all the sites want money. Clap if you’re surprised.

What Did Sheri S. Tepper Know, and How Did She Know It?

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One of my all-time favorite books by one of my all-time favorite authors, Sheri S. Tepper, is Gate to Women’s Country.I’ve read the book at least 3 times, but it’s been a while, and have just read about it in Wikipedia and in The Big A. I can tell it is time to re-read it because the thing I remember the most, and loved the most, is the way they fought wars. Projectiles were not allowed. Warriors had to be able to look to look their opponent in the eyes as they either prepared to kill or be killed. No atlatls, no spears, no bows and arrows, no darts, no projectiles. Period.

If you gotta fight a war, do it with dignity, with respect. No missiles, no bombs, no planes, no drones. Look your intended victim in the eyes and know whose life you’re taking. Or who is taking yours.

Why am I asking this question now, after her 1988 book has been out and is still selling? Because of Keith Olbermann’s podcast on Monday 12 Jan 26. The gun part starts at 15:18. There is research out there that shows that firing in indoor situations, and firing military weapons outdoors or indoors, leaves the shooters suffering concussion-like symptoms from the repeat blast exposure.

The New York Times has an article Target Shooting Could Be Causing Brain Injuries. We Measured the Danger. By Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Dave Philipps, and Jeremy White. Cinematography by Zach Caldwell and Jonah Markowitz. A friend kindly sent me the article, to which I am paywalled from, so I could read it. Well worth reading, however you can do it.

According to the US military findings, evidence shows “that firing some military weapons can damage brain clls, and repeate 4xposure may cause permanent injuries. But there is next to no public information about the strength of the blast waves delivered by civilian firearms, or the potential hazard.” [emphasis mine] (From NYT article)

To me, the most fascinating graphic of all three articles is in the one, about 2/3-3/4 of the way down the NYT one, where the guy is firing with a heavy metal curtain behind him to visibly show the shock waves as they pass over and through the shooter. How they twist, etc. Scary. Honest. Trust me.

NPR’s article, Blasts from military weapons may injure the brain yhrough its blood vessels has different information, including the quote below.

“A blast isn’t just like a blow to the head, when it comes to brain injury.

“A head impact tends to injure structures near the surface. A blast wave keeps going.

“The result can be impaired blood flow to an area like the brain stem, which controls breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure.”

The American Brain Foundation’s article, The Hidden Impact: How Military Activity Affects Brain Healtharticle opens with: “Military activity, specifically exposure to blasts in training and combat, can have a significant impact on brain health. Ongoing research is uncovering how repeated exposure to blast waves can cause brain injuries and may be linked to cognitive decline. They can also lead to long-term effects, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and increased suicide rates among veterans.” 

I gotta admit, I love this quote from the article: “Researchers are currently exploring how to measure blast exposure and evaluate its effects on soldiers during routine training. As they learn more, the hope is to not only develop diagnostic tests and treatments for those who suffer from the long-term effects of blast waves, but also to find ways to adjust military equipment to decrease the exposure level.”  [emphasis mine] I know it’s a simplistic idea, and I’m a simplistic kinda gal, but why not get rid of the damn guns? Issue all GI’s (and cops & robbers) swords and knives. period. Or better yet, get rid of all weapons and use hand to hand martial arts combat only. Yeah! I like that idea the best. Bring Bruce Lee back!

When I was in the Washington State Air National Guard, I fired expert with the M-16 and was asked to join the Rifle Team. It was quite an honor, and I seriously considered it, until I discovered I’d have to buy my own practice ammo. That stuff’s expensive, so I regretfully declined. I don’t know if the competition meets were indoors or outdoors, but being the wimp I am, I imagine most of my target practice would have been indoors. Especially since I lived in the rainy part of the state at the time. Turns out that firing indoors is the worst possible scenario due to a number of factors, primarily the echo effect.

It isn’t the noise, it’s the blast waves. We didn’t evolve surrounded by munitions going off all the time. Our skulls are bone, are permeable to things we can’t see. So, maybe Sheri S. Tepper was truly on to something. Of course, I’m not so naïve as to think we’ll ever get rid of our guns, especially in this country. We don’t care about other people’s lives, why should we care about ours? But boy of boy, it is fun to dream.

Please, if you are a gun enthusiast, and enjoy firing, do it outside where there is a considerable drop in the amount of blast blowback, and stick to smaller weapons. And, yeah, firing is a rush of fun. Take up skeet shooting — 1. it’s an outdoor sport, 2. the longer barrel of the shotgun means less blast effect on your head, and 3. no matter how many skeets you shoot, they will never go on the endangered species list. Honest. Trust me.

In the meantime, give the GIs and the Vets you know and meet, an extra hug. Their sacrifice may be greater than they, or we, know. Especially those who no longer feel safe in a traditional home. 

Sorry, I have no photos of projectile weapons, nor of soldiers using same; however, I will share a photo I took a few days ago of some of the local Canada geese preparing to March to Pretoria. Okay, not really. The Boer War ended long before these guys were hatched, but the song is still around. Apparently, the English came up with the song as a rally for the troops marching to Pretoria, and the Boers took it up, and sang it in Afrikaans, so it was a popular song on either side of the war. Who knew? I remember singing it when I was a kidlet but haven’t a clue why. Anyhow my clueless geese, on their way to somewhere in the dawn’s early light…

Yep, there’s one in every crowd…..

Preach it, Rev. Staceypants!

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Good morning! It is cold out (30F), and dark (6:30am), and I’ve already spent a couple of hours on poetry. My computer is playing soft, ambient music, Sammy the Bravest Dog, has been out and is now back on the bed, sleeping. Sometimes, he truly acts more like a cat than a dog, but I’ve promised not to tell his union representative 😉 After all, I did ask for a cat, and got him.

I am setting a new morning habit. I now get up, turn on my computer, and put four items on my playlist. This mornings were two of Ilia Malinan skating, one mildly political (the National Opera has pulled out of The Kennedy Center Memorial), and finishing with the hours long ambient music. I am also trying to limit my news, especially political news to two days a week—Mondays and Thursdays.

Why those two days, you may be wondering? Well, it’s easy. Those are the two mornings Countdown with Keith Olbermann is on. I admit, if I see something from David Reddish, I do tend to watch it, because a) he’s cute and b) he usually has some good snark to make me laugh.

I also watch not political news, and news not laden with American Politics. you know, fun stuff like Ukrainian winning, wars, revolutions, cats, volcanoes, Don Kim upcycling old jeans into designer bags, Quilt Like an Artist, and AI stories which don’t mean to be funny but I can’t help LOLOLOLing, because they are.

I am trying to get back to writing on a regular basis, and don’t need/want all the distractions of YouTube. Well, yes, I want them, but then I don’t write. Squirrel!! And as you may have gathered, writing is hard work.

I have resigned from my volunteer work, which was not an easy decision. I miss helping people, but let’s be honest, at my age, I ain’t as young as I used to was! At least that’s what my body keeps telling me;-) That, and it’s time to act my age—where’s the fun in that?

I also need to get back to reading. Yes, I spent a year reading very little. It’s so much easier to listen to the mindless AI stories. Incidentally, the SF/F ones, especially HFY are pretty entertaining. IF you like SF/F, give them a try. But, please, I beg of you, do not leave any comments or clicks on them. Don’t help them get better or make it harder for a human writer.

Speaking of AI, a friend sent me an interesting article on X, Footprints in the Sand: The House You Thought Was Emptyby @iruletheworldmo. Or maybe @iruletheworldmo just reposted it? I don’t know, but it is an interesting, and somewhat disconcerting if not downright scary, article on AI. My cousin pointed out to me that Yuval Noah Harari has been writing articles about this for some time. Anyhow, as my friend said when he sent it, it could be written by AI for all he knows. If you can’t open it, and want to read it, please let me know.

Oh, if you haven’t yet discovered Dr. Stacey Patton, you’re in for a treat. Especially her Sunday Sermons! Yes indeedy, this old Atheist is back in the pews yellin’ Amen! and Preach it Rev Staceypants! and anything else appropriate. I think it takes a modicum of courage to read Dr. Stacey’s columns, etc., because she is not dainty, diplomatic, or quiet. She yells it as she sees it and that’s got to be hard on some readers, especially those raised white and privileged. Google her. Check her out. She’s my kinda person!!!

I’ve now read this morning’s sermon, and finished this piece. It is now 7:30am, and the cold (31F) outside my window is black and white, in another 30 minutes or so, it will be in freezing color, but it’s o’cast, and no true sunlight, yet.

And here is my photo of the week. I took it out of my office window of an afternoon a few days ago. Those are Canada Geese in the sky, coming in for a landing.

Have a Marvelous Week, remember to be grateful you’re still looking down at the grass. Remember the words of our Dalai Lama that pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. And tell someone you love them this day.

To Baseball or No Baseball

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Weather in the Tries:
Stock up on ice, my friends. While Monday is a nice, low 85F for our high, we begin a low and steady burn to 87, 90, 92, 101, 106, finish the week off with Sunday being 103F. The good news is the pool is open and the sun is shining with no clouds in the sky.

To Baseball or Not Baseball: 
When I was a kidlet, living in Northwest Portland, Oregon, I loved baseball. I could sit on the front porch in the summer and have the radio on and listen to Bob Blackburn and Rollie Truitt call the games live from the Vaughn Street Park. It was many years later I learned they called the games from ticker tape that came into the radio station downtown. But I could hear the crowds roar from the stadium as well as from the radio.

I listened to the Countdown Podcast by Keith Olbermann for 20 Jun 24, in which gave an interesting tidbit about Willie Mays, and talked about why the World Series has lost so many fans through the years. That got me to thinking about why I no longer care for baseball all that much. I do admit, I’m not a huge sports enthusiast. I used to like American Football, until the dangers of being hit in the head came to light, and somehow, watching these overgrown kids playing a game lost its appeal. And now, they are discovering the same problems with Soccer (the rest of the world’s Football), and women are coming down with it now as much as men. 

But back to my real topic, about how I lost my love of baseball. One of Mother’s friends took us to a Beaver’s game at the Vaughn St. Stadium. I was so excited to go. It was hot. We sat in the bleachers in the full sun for a double header. And it was duller than watching paint dry, or grass grow, or a rock at the ocean be ground into sand. There were these guys on the field, wearing their pajamas, and standing around and running and batting now and then. BUT BOB BLACKBURN AND ROLLIE TRUITT WERE NOT CALLING IT. Oh. Emm. Gee. Booooredom. Bob and Rollie called it for the radio, brought it to life, a life I expected, not the life that was before me.

Eventually, I think the Portland Beavers disappeared. I know they moved to a different stadium, I think it was Multnomah Stadium, but by then, I really didn’t care. The next time I heard from Bob Blackburn, he was the radio voice of the Sonics, and though I wasn’t a great fan of basketball, I was a great fan of Bob Blackburn, and I became a fan of the Sonics. I actually did see a professional basketball game back in 1970 when I believe the Sonics played a California team in Portland as an exposition game to help bring professional basketball to Portland. A young hotshot player was in the game, Kareem Abdul Jabar? Wilt Chamberlain? Kobe Bryant? I don’t remember, but he seemed to stand around center court and not do much. We were pretty disappointed in him until the next morning the headline said he made something like 53 baskets! A record at the time. And we realized he was so gosh darn tall, he’d shoot from farther back than most. 

Since I no longer have Blackburn or Truitt to make sports come alive for me, I don’t listen or watch much anymore. And yet, if Keith Olbermann talks about sports, I’m spell bound. Those three men could, I’m sure, talk about the paint, grass, and or sand mentioned above, and make it the most interesting story on the radio/television/internet of the day. Oh, is Formula One racing a sport? I love F1 races as long as there is one really good, spectacular crash and THE DRIVER WALKS AWAY FROM IT! I also still watch the Thunder Boats when I catch them on streaming. And golf. I actually enjoy golf. Talk about going from the ridiculous to the sublime;-)

Oh, and I did listen to one World Series in 1969 when the Mets won their first World Series. As I recall I won a dollar off my grandfather on that one.

A note from/about one of my favorite authors, M. K. Tod:
She writes historical fiction, and I’ve yet to read one of her books I didn’t enjoy to the max! She sent a note advertising her newest book, which I have but have not yet read, and asked the recipients to take a reader’s survey. Which I did, and was asked both in her email, and at the end of the survey, to share the survey link. She would really like to get men to take the survey, as well as women, so please consider it. The survey takes about 10 minutes, or less. It’s not often you are asked for input, to help writers write what you’d like to read, so here is your chance. Just click the link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LSYVTG7

Photos of the Week:
This is a wee quilt I am making a friend. It will be about 16×20 when finished. She picked out and bought the fabric, and wanted it to be Mount Shasta and three of her sister mountains. I call it Purple Skies Over Mt. Shasta and Three of her Sisters. The title is almost larger than the quilt. I hope to have it finished this week. Well, the piecing. Then I have to figure out how to quilt it.

from the desk of the big chihuahua;
all week it will be sunny and really warm. I hope my human spends time on the patio, so I can go outside and keep her safe. I take my duty to guard her very seriously. she’s so funny. every time she leaves, she gives me a job to do. then she leaves and locks me in. how am I supposed to keep the hippopotamesses out of the parking slots? or the jiraffs and allegators out of our pond when I can’t open the door to go outside. and what are those things, anyway.

Quote of the Week:

Add life to day not days to life
                        ~ Samuel Sangwa.

Fridays with Thurber

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Weather in the Tries:
It looks like our snow is about to go away. It’s still scheduled for today (Sunday) but tomorrow (Monday) has rain on the schedule and 39F. The rest of the week is high 30s and low 40s during the day, o’cast, but so far, no precip on the agenda. The nights will be freezing and higher. Monday morning: the snow is melting, the snow is melting;-)

Fridays with Thurber:
Years ago, when I first started watching MSNBC, one of my favorite commentators was Keith Olbermann. He could even make me enjoy sports news. But what I enjoyed most was the sharing of his visits with his father. On Fridays he would read his father a short story by James Thurber, and on Fridays, he would also read a short story by Thurber as the last item on his broadcast.

Then, Mr. Olbermann left MSNBC and moved on to bigger and better, and the newest better is his podcast, Countdown, where he still reads a Thurber short story on Fridays. The podcast for Jan 19, is his most favorite of all the Thurber stories, and I think it is now mine—The Macbeth Murder Mysteries. Please give the podcast a listen to. And if you like the podcast, be sure to Like and Subscribe.

More on Ice Dragons:
Well, the Ice Dragons imitated Icarus. I finally couldn’t up with put the constant below freezing draft on me, so covered the cardboard with a plastic bubble envelope, then lots of tape all around all four sides. The drafts stopped. Alas, the escape of the warmer, moister air from inside the apartment also stopped. The morning after adding the new envelopes and tape, I noticed the Ice Dragons had, like Icarus from so many years ago, fallen or slid, to the bottom of the window. By nighttime, they had faded away. Yes, I know. Icarus fell into the sea, but my Ice Dragons did the best they could.

I wrote a poem, Ice Dragons, Dancing, sent it, and last week’s photo off to Quill & Parchment online magazine, and I am so proud to tell you they will both be published in the February 2024 issue. When it’s published, I’ll let y’all know, and send a link.

Photo of the Week:

Ice Dragons imitating Icarus, fallen to bottom of window. By morning the next day, they had fallen to their eternity.

The new, improved, replacement window:
Due to a series of ‘perfect storm’ type delays, the guys came out with the new window on Thursday. It was snowing. They removed the old window, brought the new window down, and the perfect storm continued—it was too small. The guy who came out and measured missed by 3 inches. They removed the new window (it’s still snowing), wrapped the old window in plastic and put it back. They hope to have the new (and improved!) window in one or two weeks. I know this company does good work, because they made the windows for my house addition a long time ago, and they replaced all my windows in my condo. We don’t get much snow in the Tries, and I think it’s affecting everyone;-) The old window is still broken, and the plastic isn’t quite as good as a double paned window. But it does close the hole. 

everyone is entitled to my own opinion by Jeff Tiedrich:

I have been introduced to a new Substack, everyone is entitled to my own opinion. This is one of two I actually pay to read, the other is Sherman Alexie’s. 

This column, a pastor was arrested for saving homeless people from freezing. what the [fark] have we becomesays I can share it, so it’s hot linked. The language is adult, but so are you. Most of the time. There are some excellent comments, should you be interested. Every so often, someone will ask me why I left Christianity and became an Atheist/Secular Humanist/Buddhist. This article does a fair job of explaining why I now consider myself a Recovering Christian.

And now a word on Fani:
OMG, the OP and his cult members/followers are going after Fani Willis because she may have had an affair, may still be having an affair, with a member of her team whom she has known and been friends with for several years. Yeah? Really? This latest tangle of yarn by a CONVICTED RAPIST and his followers/members??? Ms Willis is an adult. Her friend is an adult. IF they had or have an affair it’s no one’s business besides themselves. I’ve said for years there are only two conditions for sex—consenting adults! Something the OP should learn. Except he’s too old to learn anything he doesn’t think of himself. 

From the Paws of the Frozen Chihuahua:
hello again. so glad you stopped by. please, will you cover me. i’m not really frozen, unless one of my humans make me go outside. then my mostly fat-free body starts to shiver and shake. my main human says i remind her of jerry lee lewis, then she laughs. i don’t know who he is, but heres his shakin’ song.  

Quote of the Week:
“My momma always said, ‘You and Elvis are pretty good, but y’all ain’t no Chuck Berry.” ~ Jerry Lee Lewis

Public Service Announcement:
Don’t forget my 15 minutes of fame is fast approaching, on 6 Feb at about 8pm PST.