Badalona By Neus Bonet i Sala

Esta ola de calor me lleva a no poder pensar claramente. Las gotas de sudor que corren por mi frente, se van posando indefinidamente en mi camiseta de algodón. ¡Hasta parece que me haya metido en el mar para refrescarme! Ni delante del ventilador, ni debajo de la ducha, mis neuronas están aletargadas. Sólo piensan que en tres días verán el mar, se refrescarán y volverán a crear.

https://taplink.cc/nbonetsala

Source: OLA DE CALOR – El plumier de Nenuse

Entranced by my love’s radiant glow,

I stumbled upon a peaceful place to go…

But soon found myself in a labyrinth’s hold,

With paths unfolding, and stories untold…

.

A twisting path beckoned, bright and long,

I followed, adrift, in its serpentine song…

There stood a tree, ensnared in its own design,

A refuge for lost souls, like me, so divine…

.

Its quietude resounded as I gazed in awe,

A message whispered, to rise above the law…

Of fleeting desires, and illusions that bind,

To let go, and soar, leaving the past behind…

.

So I turned back, my steps retraced,

Toward the home, with a newfound grace…

The tree’s wisdom echoed, shone so bright,

Guiding my path, through the dark of night…

.

–Kaushal Kishore 

image: dkkaul 

Source: A Labyrinth – Kaushal Kishore

Source: Euphorbia Griffithii at Culzean Castle — FOTD Jul 31

Source: Red rose and bumblebee | Kamerapromenader

What locked in Harris was the overwhelming resistance of D voters and activists to anyone else. It was national columnists and a large number of D elites pushing for a thunderdome primary. A good bit of this was support for Harris herself. A lot of it was …

2/ that with the incumbent president and presumed nominee out and no time to run anything more than a fake primary she had legitimacy on her side. 80 million voters literally chose her to be person who took over for Joe Biden if he couldnt serve. D primary voters in effect …

3/ just reconfirmed that this spring, since Biden and Harris were again running as a package deal. The democratic legitimacy argument of her claim, the fact that veep succeeding presidents is so embedded in US politics made her the one person who all party

4/ stakeholders could rally behind even if she wasn’t personally their choice. That was never going to be possible with any other potential nominee. If the pick was Whitmer on what basis were Shapiro or Newsom supporters ever going to think that was fair?

5/ An additional part of the story is that millions of Biden loyalists had to be dragged kicking and screaming to accepting his withdrawal from the race. For most of them Harris was the only acceptable alternative since she was his loyal deputy. Finally, the D party is …

6/ defined by the support of women and African-Americans, and especially Black women. The idea that in an unprecedented emergency situation they were going to skip over the Presidents loyal Black woman VP for no clear reason but the opposition of elite political columnists and …

7/ consultants never made any sense if you’re familiar with the Dem voting coalition. The equivalent of deciding to toss a few sticks of dynamite into the D coalition at a moment of unprecedented crisis. The thunderdome primary idea was always the fantasy of the …

8/ DC chattering class. What shut it down was the rush of support for Harris from people across the Democratic party, high and low, who understand its inner workings and the points made above. You only think that’s “the establishment” if what you understand of …

9/ the Democratic Party is only what you see in DC. The Thunderdome primary crowd was always either oblivious to or at war with the actual mass of the party. Harris absolutely deserves credit for remaining resolutely loyal to Biden until the very end and then rapidly moving …

10/ to channel and direct support for herself in a way that all potential challengers threw their support to her within 24 hours. The “establishment” didn’t shut down the thunderdome contested convention columnists and reporters were demanding. The convention remains open.

11/ Once Biden ended his campaign all the delegates have a total free choice. What killed thunderdome was the mass of the party making it impossible for anyone to challenge Harris.
(https://x.com/joshtpm/status/1816095093373145244?t=Jc8HwaOvTAbXD1qdnjzlHA&s=03)

Source: Open Thread | No, The Regular People Near the Ground Had No Stomach For A Contested Convention and Nipped That Nonsense In the Bud Immediately | 3CHICSPOLITICO

Image Credit: Tumisu/Pixabay

Today’s post will not be open for comments, because I had to rewrite it so many times to turn my ‘furor’ into ‘food for thought’. I hope this message will be of some comfort to anyone who needs it, and make others who are soaked in the ditches of foolery become more compassionate about the topic.

Today I am on my soapbox about a very sensitive topic I am passionate about and I am clapping back on behalf of the women I have ministered to or spoken about over the years who dealt with the pain of this subject for far too long. Typically, I don’t get into a debate regarding politics, because it wouldn’t be pretty, it would be a waste of time because everyone wants to fight, and in this current political climate, it wouldn’t even be a civil discussion. But when one asinine comment was made, and has now become an idiotic, insensitive, ignorant soundbite that folks are repeating unapologetically, I was furious. Now, I am unapologetic for my response.

When I began writing this piece, I was madder than a Saber-tooth Tiger. But then, after reading my discipline this particular morning, the following message was included in the narrative and my anger subsided…a little.

We have seen this: “A person makes an impulsive decision, and that decision leads to another and another. One wrong turn begets a second poor choice, and a third, until what seemed like the action of a moment or a lucky coincidence or a seized opportunity becomes a pattern of harm against others. And when the harm-doer has power, this route is so much easier to travel.”

It doesn’t matter to me what your political affiliation is. In this country (USA), we have the freedom to choose what or who we want to be, even if it means being a butthole. But a recent comment and repeated soundbite, “Childless Cat Ladies,” made my blood boil and I was seeing the red weapon of furor. I was appalled by how this scathing, derogatory remark was generalized and was meant to degrade women without children in such a disrespectful, careless, and callous manner. No, I am not making more of it than what it is, and no I am not taking this comment out of context. There is absolutely nothing funny about that. Don’t start nothin’ it won’t be nothin’.

Image Credit: Antonio Friedemann/Pexels

If you have children, whether you are a father or mother, you will never understand the mental and spiritual grief many women of childbearing age who thought they would be biological mothers one day would never get to experience. I do not have biological children and it is not by choice. The majority of my friends and classmates had children by their early 20s. Having people constantly ask me when I was going to have children at one point, left me feeling depressed, alone, and unfulfilled.

While attending a church service a few decades ago, the pastor was preaching a message on how many people misinterpret and only quote part of Genesis 1:28, “Be fruitful and multiply.” He noted that this was often quoted by folks talking about having children and emphasizing the reproduction of producing new generations. Apparently, he was addressing someone in his congregation who was experiencing the shame and heartbreak of being a childless woman, but the message hit me too. This pastor went on to say that God wants us to be “fruitful” in whatever He calls us to do, to abundantly use the gifts He blesses us with, such as our fruitfulness in love, compassion, perseverance, kindness, and goodness. This was a balm to my spirit and food for my soul.

I remember it wasn’t until I was fresh out of college, that I heard a counterpart talk about her struggle with endometriosis and how this condition could prevent her from having children. I was unfamiliar with this term, but I did research to learn more about this condition. I watched her endure pain almost every day, often running to the bathroom because her pain was so excruciating. Ironically, we had a female buyer in our department who had children but was less than empathetic and compassionate about my coworker’s struggles, and she did not hide how matter-of-fact she was about how she felt. This reminds me of what the barren women in the Bible went through.

But there are some gnawing questions about reproductory rights that I have wondered about for decades now, whatever the woman’s choice may be.

• Why is the government (consisting mostly of male lawmakers) or higher courts making a declaration and decision against a woman’s right to make her “own” decision about “her” body? Just in case these men/women need a refresher course on Sex Ed. 101, it takes an egg and sperm to produce a baby. Humans aren’t asexual like the paramecium we learned about in biology.
• What about the responsibility of the male, who is the sperm donor for this fertilized egg? Where are the federal laws charging men for their role in getting the female pregnant? Where and what is their punishment and the jail time that they will receive if the female decides to terminate her pregnancy? Why is this burden falling solely on the shoulders of the female?

Now trust me, I am not here to bash or get into a debate with individuals who are pro-life (before birth) and my pro-life stance (after birth). It seems like after a child has arrived, especially those born in poverty-stricken conditions, they are systematically ostracized and thrown on the back burner of society (out of sight, out of mind, you’re on your own). And for those individuals who continue to raise the “Thou shalt not kill” Commandment for their argument, don’t. Far too many of these same individuals cast aside obeying the other 9 Commandments they don’t want to talk about because it is uncomfortable and inconvenient. If you don’t understand a particular angle, we should focus on having a civil discussion, even if we agree to disagree. No one is perfect.

I think about one of the 1974 episodes of the TV sitcom “Good Times,” when James Evans says, “How you gonna know where I’m at, if you ain’t been where I’ve been; understand where I’m coming from?” Somehow, sensitivity towards those who look, think, speak, and act differently from us, are stereotyped as enemies in plain sight or deemed beneath us. Some may be, but many others could be your allies. Don’t alienate or degrade those individuals, regardless of their creed, race, or culture if you have not had the chance to listen to their stories.

So with the above offensive comment that I won’t repeat about a targeted group of women, which is becoming an unnecessary, sexist soundbite, just remember that can go two ways. I hope these folks initiating and repeating this soundbite have not cursed their daughters or sons, with such a careless tongue. But at this point, it could be too late. My mother would always tell us to be careful of what comes out of our mouths because we can’t hit a rewind button to retract our insults.

As the old folks used to say, “When the chickens come home to roost” is truer than ever. All I have to say is, that a cat is far more methodical and more patient than a dog. I find that a dog may be a little more predictable than a cat. I don’t underestimate either one, especially a cat.

Image Credit: ArtTower

Source: Idiotic, Insensitive Comments, and My Infuriation! 😤 | From Behind the Pen

Source: Wood Duck – 100CountryTrek.com

Source: Wordless Wednesday – 100CountryTrek.com

Y’know … every Wednesday I write about ‘good people’ … those who do wonderful things for others, some risking their own lives to save others, some helping build homes for the homeless, others donating money, starting charities, going the extra mile for the environment, etc., but in reality, few of us will ever have the opportunity to do most of those things.  However, that doesn’t mean we can’t still be ‘good people’, can’t do our small part to help others.  So this week, I want to share with you some stories of everyday people like you and me, doing something … some random act of kindness … and being ‘good people’.  I found these stories in an article by Reader’s Digest, and chose just a few of my favourites for this post, but if you’d like to check out the rest, I will post a link to the full article at the end of this post.Source: Good People Doing Good Things — Little Things Mean A Lot! | Filosofa’s Word

2017-07-30 00421-tod-014384 Green Frog

NIKON D7100 – ƒ/6.3 1/250 105mm ISO100 – Mission, MN

Source: Sharpshot Nature .Com 00421-tod-014384 Green Frog