MEDIA MISOGYNY GASLIGHTS MEGHAN

If you thought misogyny was a thing of the past, think again. All you have to do is go on social media to see pages of derogatory posts about Meghan Markle. Although she graduated from a prestigious university, became a successful actress and wrote a wildly popular blog, it seems she really can’t do anything right. It’s bad enough that she married a handsome prince. She’s also beautiful and smart—a lethal combination in the minds of the Meghan haters. It’s okay to be beautiful if you know your place in the patriarchy and don’t try to compete with men. It’s also fine to be bright if you’re overweight, plain, or unattractive. But beautiful and smart is just too much. Male misogynists see her as a threat to their masculine superiority, and the females are green with envy. All the media misogynists delight in gaslighting Megan.

MEDIA MISOGYNISTS GASLIGHT MEGHAN beause she's beautiful and smart. — MEDIA MISOGYNISTS GASLIGHT MEGHAN because she’s way too beautiful and smart.

Let’s start at the beginning. A bi racial woman who lived in a garage apartment with a single mom is not supposed to rise to the top of anything. One of their favorite insults is that she was a B actress. Hey, what’s wrong with that? According to reports, she made about half million a year while acting in “Suits.” Not bad for a boot strapper. Most of the A actors got there because of their connections with Hollywood insiders: Dakota Johnson, Kate Hudson, Nicholas Cage, Sissy Spacek, to name a few. The list goes on and on. But that’s okay—they somehow deserve their place on the A train.

The haters invalidate any of her words or actions by saying she’s nothing but an actress. I suspect Megan became an actress for the same reason Harry became a prince. Her parents worked in the movie business. Harry’s parents were in the royalty business. But if she says she was depressed or felt objectified by a part in a tv show, they refuse to validate her feelings. She can’t express any emotion because to them, it’s all just “acting.”

And then, she had the nerve to marry an English prince. Of course, she’s just a gold digger. I’ve heard that said a thousand times. What? You marry a charming, drop dead handsome hunk for his money? I’d think you might fall madly in love with Harry even if he were nothing but a commoner.. In some ways, she’s the one who married “down.” Harry never had to compete for a real job, and he didn’t even go to college. Megan struggled on her own to graduate college and make it as an actress. Obviously, she’s the more accomplished of the two. And I’ll give Harry credit for appreciating that. He behaves as a gentlemen and treats her with the respect she deserves.

It’s glaringly apparent that the media misogynists want to to bring Megan down to their level, or worse. They’d love it if she ended up living in a trailer park and waiting tables at Hooters. If that were to happen, they would finally get the schadenfreude they’re so desperately seeking. But I’m afraid they’re going to be disappointed, because Meghan is way too smart for that

October 22, 2022

WOULD YOU VOTE FOR A YARD SIGN?

Now is the time for a plethora of ugly yard signs dotting the landscape. Candidates seem to favor busy street corners near stoplights. Usually, you’ll see at least twenty signs lined up in a row or jammed in a muddled mess. I suppose if you’re riding shotgun, they give you something to look at. But if you’re driving, they’re mostly a nuisance distraction. I find it hard to believe that signs garner many extra votes, but then maybe they increase familiarity for a certain name. Would you vote for a yard sign if you had no idea of the person behind the name?

Early voting started last week in our county. About 300 people cast their ballots at all the voting centers on the first day. and the media considered that quite a crowd. By the time I voted the following Tuesday, there was only one other person before me. That doesn’t sound like an early voting crowd to me. However, in the State of Georgia, it’s another story. It’s a different population than ours, demographically, and folks have pretty strong feelings one way or the other, depending on which candidate they dislike the most.

Some reporters believe that the number of yard signs for a certain candidate has a predictive value. I didn’t see that with the last presidential election. There were Biden signs all over town, and yet Trump carried our county by a wide margin. I guess the Trumpers were the silent majority.

Personally, I never vote a straight ticket. I’m always amazed that anyone would do that, especially in a small town, where we’re familiar with most of the local candidates. Anyone who watches the news or reads the paper should have formed an intelligent decision about the incumbents. It’s not as easy with the challengers, but there are threads of familiarity in most of them. You knew the family, or they went to your church, or their kids ran around with your kids.

Sometimes, I don’t vote at all. As an example, there were 14 candidates for the school board. I only voted for two—one an incumbent and the other with an impressive track record in the community. Yes, I could have picked another name from a yard sign, just to fill in the blanks, but that would be fairly risky. What if the unknown came from out of nowhere, and has no credentials whatsoever?

I feel sorry for the candidates who spent a pile of time and money on yard signs, and lost anyway. You wonder what do they do with the old signs. Store them in hopes of a future run? Must be a pretty sad day when you burn them in a bonfire or take them to the city dump.

Nevertheless, my sympathy has it’s limits. If I had my druthers, there would be no yard signs allowed. But it’s a free country. Would you vote for a yard sign? I wouldn’t.

October 17, 2022October 17, 2022

SHOULD HOMELESS SLEEP IN LIBRARIES?

Anyone who reads my blog knows that I’m concerned about the plight of the homeless. No one should have to live on the streets, IMO. Not in a civilized society. In many cities, the homeless can often be seen in public libraries. Our local library removed all the couches, which helped a little. But many men and women still manage to fall asleep slumped over in chairs. Should the homeless be allowed to sleep in the library? And if not, why?

Three reasons:

1. Public safety. Statistically, many homeless are drug addicts. who could be running out of money for their next fix. When I walk past them– snoring in a chair beside a backpack– I feel somewhat apprehensive. Yes, there are many employees and patrons around, but as we know, that doesn’t always stop a random attack on innocent people.

Library employees are not social workers or police officers, and they are not expected to deal with this problem—nor should they be. Naturally, some folks might doze off while reading a book or magazine, but when it goes on for an hour or more, here’s what I would suggest: Call a plain clothes police officer who can gently awaken the individual and offer to connect them with someone who can help. Wait with that person until you’re sure they have found a roof over their head. If they refuse shelter, then they really must be banned from the library.

2. Public health. Because of where they live, and lack of running water to clean up, a homeless person could be carrying a communicable disease. Whether you touch them or not, they are breathing the same air as you. They’re also using the restroom, touching handles, faucets and door knobs.

3. Humanitarian concerns. If they are truly homeless, their needs should not be ignored. Suppose you saw a child asleep in the library. . Would you walk past them as if they didn’t exist? Of course not. You would ask a librarian to awaken the child , find his parent , or refer him to some social service agency if he was alone. Or, if someone fainted , an alert librarian would call an ambulance if the patron had no companion.. Surely, a homeless person deserves the same consideration.

No man is an island. A homeless person is part of our collective humanity. Should they be encouraged to sleep in the library? I don’t think so.

October 14, 2022October 14, 2022

SAVOR SPICY PERSIMMON PUDDING

If you live in flyover country, there’s a special fall treat awaiting you. Along with the turning of leaves, persimmons are ripe and ready to harvest. If you know someone with a persimmon tree, you’re in luck. That is , if you don’t mind the chore of picking the fruit, simmering for hours, and then mashing it through a colander to produce the pulp. That requires a dedication that only persimmon lovers can understand. Fortunately, persimmon pulp is available for sale at this time of year, if only you can find a place to buy it. Typically, there are stands at fall festivals all through the country. If not, you might find it at a fancy, specialty grocery store. It’s fairly expensive, but so what? Persimmons only come around once a year. It’s time to savor spicy persimmon pudding.

It takes a special palette to appreciate persimmon pudding, It’s one of those foods you either love or hate—there’s nothing in between. . For some, it’s a passion to be pursued at any cost—even if it’s fifty miles away. If you serve persimmon pudding, cookies, or cake at a holiday meal, be sure to have pumpkin pie and other more conventional desserts for those who don’t enjoy the unusual flavor.

I used to make only one batch of this recipe at Thanksgiving, which provided enough for those who wanted it. It’s best served warm, and covered with cream. But it’s good at room temperature and a dollop of whipped cream..

PERSIMMON PUDDING

2 cups persimmon pulp

½ cup melted butter

1 cup milk

1 cup half and half (it’s okay to use milk)

2 eggs

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ tsp nutmeg

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp allspice

Mix pulp, eggs. sugar, melted butter and milk. Mix dry ingredients separately. Then combine both mixtures. Stir well. Pour into greased 9 X 13 inch pan and bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Stir several times while pudding is baking so that it won’t harden at edges of pan.

The pudding will turn dark, but that’s natural with this particular recipe. If you want a firmer, lighter product, you can find other recipes on the internet.

Memories are made with persimmon pudding around the holidays.

October 9, 2022October 9, 2022

DOCTORS GHOST YOU ON WEEKENDS

There’s a trend in healthcare which you may not be aware of. At least not yet. If you’re young and healthy, you won’t even know about it, until it’s too late. Let’s say you’re seeing a specialist because you’ve developed one of thousands of medical conditions that require the ongoing care of a doctor. Not just a yearly checkup, but something more serious. Supposing you have a flareup of this condition on a Friday afternoon. And so, you call the physician who’s been treating you. Not too long ago, if your doctor was not available, he had a partner who was “on call.” That doesn’t happen anymore. Now, many doctors ghost you on weekends.

In our case, my husband has frequent nosebleeds while being prescribed a well advertised, over priced blood thinner. Thanks to information gleaned from the internet, I have learned how to deal with the situation most of the time. No doctor gave me this advice. I had to find it out on my own, after one too many trips to the emergency room for a procedure I could have handled on my own, if only someone had been on call who could have told me what to do.

Doctors may ghost you on weekends. You may have to call 911. — DOCTORS MAY GHOST YOU if you call on weekends of holidays with a nosebleed.

He had seen an ENT a few days before, who insisted the problem wasn’t caused by blood thinners. The doctor said he simply needed a cauterization to stop the nosebleeds. Afterwards, she said that he should never have another one. . But, if he did, he should consider it a medical emergency and call her office immediately. She assured him that he would be given top priority to be treated right away. That sounded very comforting. We could rest assured that he was in good hands.

Fast forward to less than 10 days later, on a Friday afternoon at 1:30. Major nosebleed. Called the doctor’s office and got no answer at all. Called the hospital where she’s on staff, and was informed that the office closed early for the weekend. Frantically tried to find a way to contact her. Finally got an answering service from her old office which she had left three years ago. Said they couldn’t help.

Now, of course, we knew what we were supposed to do, based on previous experiences with other physicians. If you have a problem on weekends, you’re basically up shit creek. You’re supposed to call 911, get taken to the hospital emergency room, wait hours until SOMEONE shows up to decide what to do. If they admit you to the hospital, you will not see your original doctor. You will be treated by “hospitalists” who have been assigned to treat you over weekends and holidays. These strange doctors are starting from scratch. They have access to your medical records, but other than that, they know nothing about you as a living, breathing, human being. .

Not all physicians operate this way. But many of them do. They’re covered, legally, by the old refrain on their answering machine: (if they have one). “If this is an emergency, call 911.” (Average cost of ER visit is $1,610 in most states)) Beware: your doctor may ghost you on weekends.

Follow up: I did finally stop the nosebleed by placing a frozen bag of peaches on the back of his neck. I doubt if I would have received this piece of advice if I had actually received a call back. It was something learned while in girl scouts, back in elementary school.

October 4, 2022October 4, 2022

WILL SEX OR MONEY DECIDE ELECTION?

A couple of months ago, it looked like the Republicans were going to take over the Senate and Congress like a tidal wave. That was before The Dobbs decision, overturning Roe vs. Wade. Now, scads of people have changed their minds , and the Democrats couldn’t be any happier. They’re pretty sure no body is going to vote for some prissy old Republican who says they can’t get an abortion. On the other hand, the Grand Old Party wants to believe that inflation will be blamed on the Democrats, and folks are going to vote their pocketbooks. Both pretty hot button issues. What do you think? Will sex or money decide the outcome of the November election.

Inflation is a no brainer. They say it’s only running at 8 % but all of us know that we’re spending almost twice as much money on everyday expenses as we did a few years ago. . Obviously, the Covid- stimulus money is part of the reason. Then, we have the war in Ukraine, and Lord knows what all. Student loan forgiveness. Labor shortages, Supply chain issues. Republicans are blaming it all on the tax and spend policies of the Democratic party and up until this month, they figured no body in their right mind would vote for a continuation of those policies. Everybody wants inflation to end, especially those who are living paycheck to paycheck. .

Nevertheless, most people of child bearing age would like to enjoy their sex life without having to worry about unwanted pregnancies. None of them can remember a time when abortion wasn’t an option, but I can. In fact, most single girls were virgins before the pill and Roe vs. Wade. because they had a mortal fear of getting pregnant. When an unmarried woman was pregnant, the father was expected to marry her. Whether he liked it or not. And if he didn’t, an illegitimate child would be a disgrace to the mother and her entire family. Some people did get abortions in places like New York City, but that was not an option for women in the rest of the country, unless they were very rich.

If you’ve reached the age where you read the daily obituaries, you see that most people over the age of 80 married at a young age….preferably, by the time they were 21 years old. Contraceptives were available, but they weren’t reliable. If you wanted to live together, you were supposed to get married.

So now, it looks like the younger people will have to make a decision. Shall they vote for a Republican, in the hopes that it will put an end to inflation? Or will they go with the pro-choice policies of the Democrats? I imagine it will depend on your age and how important a carefree sex life means to your overall happiness. What is more important? Love or money? We’ll find out in November.