Loosely Speaking

By Ciel - About Me - E-mail this page - Add to My Favorites - Add to Blog List - See other blogs in Everything Else

Monday, July 25, 2016

Why Putin is interfering with our politics

I don't think Putin likes or respects or admires Trump. What Putin sees in Trump is where his nation (he, really) gets to mock and sneer and cheer at the downfall of the American experiment in democracy, just as we did when the USSR fell. Payback, karma, whatever you call it, I believe that's the motive behind the evident tampering in American politics by Russia's current Grand Prince. Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, July 22, 2016

The Magic of Conflict and the Beauty of Compromise.

Some years ago, Thomas Crum, an aikido expert, reframed the very idea of 'conflict' from a negative to a positive, pointing out the beauty inherent in the conflict of ocean and land, for instance, on a rugged, sea-pounded coastline. His work suggests that acknowledgement of conflict is the key to resolving conflict: acknowledge it, accept its existence, work with the reality that is, rather than frantically trying to replace it, unconsidered, with what you want to be the reality. What you want... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Election Fraud and Voter Suppression

The biggest threat to the election of relatively sane, progressive (as opposed to obstructive) government in November is voter suppression. We have seen how it works, how well it works, throughout the primaries/caucuses, when the Parties abandon the American people in favor of their own Party interests and intentions. The DNC worked it to make sure Hillary couldn't lose the nomination. The Republicans will work it just as hard as they can, to elect Trump and a continuing Rep ublican Congress.... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

"Report originated at a fake news site..."

Snopes and other fact-checkers use this phrase a lot. Charles Redding brought up the question, how much do these fake news sites actually influence beliefs and generate real reactions to unrealities? I'm not referring to the ones like THE DAILY SHOW which actually tends to deliver news while reveling in the ironies and absurdities of humanity, and makes it pretty clear which jokes are theirs. I am referring to the sundry Onion copy -cat sites, the ones that are clever enough to fake a good... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Inspired by Pat's post today about the crazy old broads...

For us old broads and geezers: We remember a time when the Gun War was not the norm, when evenings were lit by sunsets to dazzle eyes and hearts, not by the tiny flickers of vigil/protest candles clustering in the streets, when tears blur the lights and hearts are broken. We are still shocked by violence, never taking it for granted. We remember times of quiet, of contemplation, of attention free of cell phones, of constant connection, interruption, demand... We remember when conversations were... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, July 4, 2016

Independence

After a long, exhausting day, Charlie had the energy last night and the inspiration to write this, and I am inspired to share it here with you: To protect the greatness we take for granted, and forgetting how we achieved it, we undermine and dismantle the very things that made us great. We come to think that our greatness is innate, disregarding the struggles, deeds, and sacrifices of the builders, warriors, and geniuses who came before... and they would weep to see us now. We all came from... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, July 2, 2016

From the Editor to the Serious Writer

So much of our communication in these times is written rather than spoken aloud. Timing and intonation happen vocally pretty much automatically. Not so much, in the written conversation. But they could. Mis-use or non-use of punctuation is, for anyone who knows the tools of written communication, like getting pinched, over and over again with each instance. Hence, this: Punctuation. Written words are your thoughts, punctuation is your tonality, it expresses your feeling about what you are... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, June 30, 2016

Finally recognized...

Some of us here have a particular interest in this information, and that it is slated to be included in the 2017 edition of the Psychiatric Diagnostic Manual. http://traumadissociation.com/complexptsd Maybe it applies to you. Maybe, to someone you love or work with, because it cripples relationships particularly, as the person with the condition is seriously damaged in their deepest beliefs and feelings about their own worth and lovability, and in their ability to trust others, especially... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, June 25, 2016

Walter Cronkite, I miss you...

What Corporate Media does instead of journalism: Takes a story that grabs attention at the outset and milks it until no one except crazy people ever want to see it or anything about it for years to come, maybe ever. Disasters, like tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, mudslides that kill a lot of people, floods and wildfires that destroy property, and other natural disasters; human-caused disasters like explosions and terrorist attacks in places we've heard of, and Donald Tr ump's run for the... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, June 24, 2016

Why do people vote against their own best interests?

After observing from afar the UK referendum to sever itself from the European Union, more intently than ever I am wondering why people vote against their own interests. Is it that they don't understand what their interests actually are? Or that they don't see their interests in relation to the Big Picture, only their immediate personal interests? If people don't actually see any real benefit to themselves, they will vote on their feelings, their impulse of the moment, their hopes and dreams... Sign in to see full entry.

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