As the world around us gets Strange & Stranger with good news intermingling with bad – and even much badder – leaving us all in a sea of information that engulfs us to the core, we all need to step away from all that occasionally and find our Zen moments in order to replenish and revitalize ourselves. My favorite escape mechanism has always been reading. Recently though, and with all the turbulence, chaos and noise swirling around me, I have not wanted to read anything other than light and fun books to amuse me and transport me away to a totally different world than the one we are all living in. So, here are four delightful titles written in a seemingly effortless (it isn’t) no-nonsense style that were my refuge during the past few months.
The Startup Wife by Tahmima Anam
Beach Read by Emily Henry
Cobble Hill by Cecily von Ziegesar
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick
While the first three were entertaining and amusing, the Arthur Pepper book was an absolute joy! I fell in love with Ove when I read: A Man Called Ove, then with Hendrik after I read: The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, and now I have Arthur! All three gems!
However, I remain an avid political junkie and I follow the News and Views regularly, even though I criticize all of our pathetic talk shows, as well as most hosts and journalists!
Since I posted my last blog, a virtual forum conducted from the White House occurred on Earth Day, which was on April 22nd., with an array of Heads of State promising that they will take steps towards climate change and saving our Planet. Well, I thought! If NASA succeeded in converting CO2 into Oxygen on Mars – what an extraordinary achievement! – then I am very hopeful that our children and grandchildren could live a healthy and uncontaminated life right here on our precious Earth, while Elon Musk, whose genius borders on a touch of madness, happily dwells in his Mars condo?! Quite exciting and interesting as the upcoming Inventions in the fields of science, medicine and all else promise to be quite amazing! Caveat: only if we are serious about fixing our Climate and making Peace amongst the nations of the world so as not to blow the Planet up in the meantime!
Amongst the Strange & Stranger occurrences was one that hit me after I saw a full page Camel Cigarette advertisement this month. Huh? I thought that cigarette ads were banned in 1971? Apparently, that law, just like so many others, has outlived its life, and R J Reynolds is now running their Camel ads in Vanity Fair and Sports Illustrated magazines. However, there is now a ban on Menthol Cigarettes, because, presumably, they are more lethal! Who and What decides when Anything is deemed Lawful, or Unlawful? More importantly, and after creating such a Huge Hullabaloo from 1971 and to date about how damaging, dangerous and lethal cigarette smoking is, what makes Any Cigarette okay now? Can Anyone Explain this Unexplainable bullshit?!
Another Strange & Stranger issue is that of Police Shootings, especially after we all heard the encouraging verdict that came about as the George Floyd court hearing ended: Chauvin was found Guilty on all three counts. For me (Pollyannish as it might be) it is once again a beautiful affirmation that our Democracy Works – most of the time, anyway! The fact is that most Police Men and Women are decent, honorable professionals doing their much needed and dangerous job in the best way that they know how, and within the parameters of the law. I respect and appreciate every one of them! Some are very bad apples, racists, criminals and corrupt. We shouldn’t really be surprised about that since they are part of humanity where amongst us there are Good and Wicked people and everything in between, as well as within all professions! Hopefully, and as this trial has drawn attention to, there will be a weeding out process, as well as new laws that will check the atrocious and criminal behavior that sadly happened with Floyd, as well as with so many others. The Police really do NOT have to shoot to kill. They can, and they must, try everything else before murdering people. This is just sensible and humane, but then, what did you expect, America, when you send your police to train in Israel where they shoot first and ask questions later as the dehumanized and demonized Palestinian men, women and children – children! – can tell you? Not that our vaunted MSM will ever inform you about this. After all, Palestinians are a mostly taboo subject with them in case they ruffle extremist feathers! Talk about Truth and Journalistic Integrity! Frankly, this asset is becoming Rare and Rarer!
Nevertheless, all is not lost because there are terrific things happening in these United States, many of which, again, the MSM do not even mention. I bring you one that vindicated me to the nth degree, and that took a woman – Acting FCC Chair: Jessica Rosenworcel – in command to get the long-overdue job done! I hope the culprits are all fined and hauled off to jail, especially that many of them these days are corrupt Inside Jobs! Please read!
https://www.engadget.com/fcc-robocall-mitigation-database-182723864.html
However, the news from many corners of our world remains disconcerting, and the tragic situation in India leads me to believe that this Virus we are all dealing with has unveiled so many things about Political Leadership and Corruption at the highest levels, as well as pathetic Human Behavior. Foremost is the fact that there seems to be so much more Ignorance in our world than many of us believed! This Ignorance is perpetrating the Virus and sickening and killing too many human beings. It is also further proof that unless we collectively begin to Inform, Educate and Elevate girls and women, especially, Ignorance will continue to permeate our Planet, and dealing with future Pandemics and other World Catastrophes will be even worse than it is now! Pretty sad!
Yes, good news intermingling with bad and making us all wonder how much Strange & Stranger could it possibly get, especially since those Extremist Bullies in our Senate and Congress seem to be the dominant voices in our political discourse, and are propagating that very Ignorance pulling us all down and back to the Dark Ages! How bizarre! Vote them out, America! Out!
My Seventy Year Old Eyes 
Well said, dear Hala!
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