Wednesday, July 20, 2016

No Way José



No Way José

By Fred Owens
Who are these guys?

No Way José...
For Pete's Sake...
Luke Warm...
Smart Alec...
Yes Sirree Bob...
Peeping Tom...
Even Steven...
Nick of Time...
Jim Dandy...
Who are these gals?
Heavens to Betsy...
Nervous Nellie...
Ruth Less
Did I miss anybody?
Melania Trump. I like Melania Trump. She's very pretty. I don't like her husband  -- he walks on stage next to her and shatters the fantasy.

The first East European bombshell was Zsa Zsa Gabor and her less famous sister Eva Gabor -- both from Hungary, with that sexy accent, dripping in diamonds and furs, tossing rich husbands aside one after another.
Democrats hate Melania because she has no independent career. She is a stay at home mom with a rich husband. She takes care of her son -- with help, of course -- and does her nails. I am not aware that she has done harm to anybody.
What I am Reading. My daughter Eva suggested that I read contemporary fiction, so I have read Plainsong by Kent Haruf, published in 1999, a story of small town life in the plains of Eastern Colorado.
Then I read Bilgewater by Jane Gardam, published in 1976, a lighthearted tale about a British teenage girl named Marigold.
Now I am reading Henry Duchemin And His Shadows, written by Emmanuel Bove in 1920 or there about, but newly translated from the French and published in 2015. This slim volume is a collection of short stories of surprising intensity.
What I Have Stopped Reading. Baruch Spinoza, the Jewish-Dutch philosopher, published the Theologico-Political Treatise in 1670. That is such an unfortunate title. The work is actually very easy to read. Basically Spinoza declares and proves that the Bible ought not to be taken literally, that Moses did not actually part the Red Sea because that would be contrary to the laws of nature. The laws of nature and the laws of God are one and the same. There are no miracles -- only events that we cannot yet explain.
Spinoza explained all this and he was considered to be a wild heretic. He argued for scientific inquiry freed from Biblical tyranny. Thomas Jefferson read this book and it inspired his secular vision.
But no one wants to talk about it. Spinoza? Never heard of him.  For this reason I put this book aside and I am reading contemporary fiction -- because these are good stories, and because people I know have read these books and we can discuss it further.
Back to the World. I wrote these mini-book reviews to remind you that the world has not gone crazy, just the Republicans.
Meanwhile We're Stuck With Hillary.  Here are the basics. She is strongly supported by older woman, Latinos and African-Americans. Among these groups are people I know who genuinely admire Hillary Clinton. This is her base. And it's almost enough to form a majority in the November election.
But she still needs people like me and there are millions of voters out there who think the same way I do. I call us Luke Warm for Hillary. We don't want Trump, so we're stuck with Hillary. We're the key group, the swing votes, the independents. As a Luke Warmer I will vote for Hillary, and that will be the margin of victory.
WSJ. I sometimes I buy the print edition of the Wall Street Journal for $3 because it is so calm and un-disturbing. The regular news is about war and death, crime and assault, murder and mayhem. Awful things happen. Awful photos and gruesome videos come at us from social media. But not at the Wall Street Journal because it's all about money. Some people make money. Some people lose money. Who cares?
Somebody gets shot -- that's suffering. Somebody loses money in the stock market. Who cares?
Today WSJ reported that Netflix shares are down 13% because growth has not been as robust as expected. In London, the hedge funds bet short on the pound sterling -- expecting it to go down after Brexit, and it did go down and the hedge funds earned some billions. Chinese investors are buying Hollywood studios. Wells Fargo is up. J.P, Morgan is down. The money goes round and round.
Stay  calm with financial news from the Wall Street Journal -- but the editorial page can be combative and conservative and might increase your blood pressure. I skip that part of the paper.
Health Care for Older Folks. My daughter Eva Owens is working for a healthcare startup in Seattle and wishes to conduct a survey of needs.  She says, "Right now we're looking for elderly clients that are on publicly funded (Medicaid) in Washington state and utilize home health care aides."
She is looking to conduct hour long phone interviews about your experience and will provide a $20 gift card for your time. Do you know someone that might be interested in being interviewed? Contact her at evadee@gmail.com.
The Frog Hospital Mission. Our mission at Frog Hospital is to cover the presidential campaign and other catastrophes, but to do so in a grounded fashion. It is never good to panic, especially when things are going badly. So we will bring you news of breakfast, books, barbeques and baseball  -- it helps us all to keep steady and be useful.
Signing off for today with these immortal words:
I don't wanna work, I just wanna bang on the drum all day.....

--

Fred Owens
cell: 360-739-0214

My gardening blog is  Fred Owens
My writing blog is Frog Hospital



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