Peterkin

I didn't count him in 1982 when he first floated the idea in an interview. Only later did I learn that he wanted to do The Apprentice to acquire a widely recognized presence (the money didn't hurt, either), personifying success, power and leadership. It took him a while after that to worm his way into politics. Interesting career of party-hopping, celebrity appearances, networking and self-promotion books, finally latching onto the Tea Party's rancorous grievancism and Nixon's divisive strategy. The least well educated portion of the population was trapped under the media umbrella of Murdoch. The GOP was already pretty much deboned by Reagan, Nordquist, et al; there was a moral vacuum to fill with populist hot air, and here was a guy addicted to public attention, willing to say anything people would applaud, primed and ready to take over the world.

That's soooo last century!

Even with commercial television and social media, Trump took 38 years to get the presidency (from the first time I recall his mentioning it). Even so, the institutions and most people's minds were still working then; it took another 8 years to unravel America sufficiently to put him in power. But I have to give him credit for not wasting any time in his second term.

There is nothing unique about any of those conditions. The United States had racism embedded in its DNA; the Civil War never really ended; nor did the Mexican-American war, in the minds of the southern states. American democracy was flawed from its inception and has been systematically corrupted for decades - yes, it's failed. A couple of ill-advised wars were lost, damaging American self-image, and many unsavoury alliances formed. The economy hasn't collapsed yet, but there is much anxiety linked to offshoring and automation, since regulation on business is declining and workers rights are eroding. Add the inflammation of extreme religious prejudice and misogyny, all of which factors, carefully cultivated over time, divided the nation so that there is no coherent information source or means of communication. Hitler would have revelled in social media!! 😂 🤣 That's an interesting observation, 'racially-driven'. Have you ever wondered how so many German Jews became successful professionals, academics and businessmen before Hitler came to power. Where was all this hate in 1930? Why didn't previous administrations get driven by it? Of course, it's not specific and it wasn't 'racially-driven'. There was prejudice - there always is, and the haters always welcome a champion. The demonization of minorities is invariably a ploy to disguise a larger agenda: unlimited power. People so easily go along with persecution of people they don't approve of. Start with the Black and Hispanic immigrants (and btw, don't ask how their native governments were corrupted); go on to persecute the gender-nonconformists, disable the women, target other religions.... there is no shortage of scapegoats. Change the channel; you might learn something. Seems we [Canada] are next on the agenda, so I have cause for concern. We're a bigger challenge than Gaza (it'll be uninhabited soon, thanks to a staunch US ally with similar ambitions - a walkover) and Greenland (where the US already has a military foothold). The economies of Panama and Canada may not be quite so easy to destroy, and the US military might have some qualms about invading - but I can't say I have confidence in those safeguards. Any day now, he'll lose his rag over the drop in tourism, and who knows ? I just had a hilarious vision of Trump, bare-chested, wearing a slouch hat, brandishing a saber, charging up a hill on horseback.

Maybe. Many of us are praying very hard for thunderstorms in D.C. I'm an atheist, but it's that important to send him a message. Appropriately enough, that was the attitude of Britain and Germany in 1936. They, along with Americans attended the 1936 Olympics. Bit of a wake-up call, that spectacle was. I wonder how the 2028 winter games will fare under Trump (....always assuming it's not Vance by then.) I imagine there are not quite as many Americans as there were this time last year, still convinced that The Constitution will protect their rights. Archives can burn as easily as legislatures, and you never know what those lunatic radical socialist might get up to.

The Generalissimo seems to think so. Watch his Big Parade tonight.

No, it's accurate. Trump is right on schedule. Fascism didn't begin with the big war: Before he was sort-of-elected, Hitler campaigned hard, at big loud rallies with lots of flags, on nationalism, the past glory of Germany, ethnic superiority, and distrust of 'dangerous' Others. From 1933 onward, Hitler sytematically replaced government functionaries with his own adherents, spread vicious lies about minorities, silenced opposition through intimidation, rounded up non-Aryan 'undesirables', eliminated independent journalism, increased military spending and militarized policing, held military parades, detached law enforcement from legal chains of command, attacked elected officials and disabled government agencies. He began to talk early on about annexing the territories of neighbouring nations and made alliances with other aggressive governments. Any of that sound familiar? Of course it is. He might have been about to challenge the whoppers told by the 'security' tzarina. That's not allowed in Trump's America.

He wasn't On The Agenda. She was supposed to be giving a news conference on the protest in LA. But she wasn't answering questions, just making a speech - full of lies, btw. (Well, I mean, it's not like she has any qualifications to be talking about law-enforcement or immigration, so she just delivered all the usual platitudes, praising the armed forces that are there illegally for liberating LA and California from their democratically elected officials and lawful protesters, while the heroic masked ICE men rid them of all those unarmed murderers, drug traffickers, rapists, socialists and pedophiles who pack their chicken and pick their lettuce at minimum wage.... If you didn't hear the speech, you didn't miss anything.) Anyway, Padilla had gone through security; his presence was legitimate. He did interrupt her interminable prattle, saying "I have questions." Nothing threatening or hostile. Four guys jumped him immediately and dragged him out into the hall, forced him down on the floor and handcuffed him. That's all - no biggie; that's how they treat everyone. But he's on the watch-list now; I sincerely hope he doesn't have a dog.

No, I pulverized the seeds, added the other stuff and cooked all of it - can't recall how long - to blend the flavours. Then I canned it the same way I did chutney, hot pepper sauce and tomato salsa. My SO made marmalade and jellies. We sold them at a farmers' market. Great fun. But this was 25 years ago. All I make now is melon chutney and pickled roast pepper.

Victorian relish? An excellent candidate. Perhaps the larger container was for whatever the household favoured, or whatever went with the menu.

I have two - one for savoury spices, one for poppy seeds, sunflower and sesame seeds (and pills). So I don't have to wash them after use, just a quick wipe with a damp cloth. I've lost my mustard recipe, but I know it started with yellow mustard seed, grape seed oil and wine vinegar. (Any wine that's gone sour will do; mine was home made wild grape or apple.) Water's for horses.

I'd love to find melon chutney in such a container. Mango will do.

Looking at the containers, I would assume the two small shakers were salt and pepper, so the larger one would likely be for sugar - in a household with such fine silver, probably castor; in a less prosperous one, coarse brown. Another contender may be honey. A sweet condiment could reduce the sharp edge of vinegar on salads or sweeten fruits. The container seems to have a large handle, presumably so the diner could lift the lid and find a little spoon.

I do not care.

At $15,000,000, I can't blame him. But I'd hold out for American prison guards.

I wonder where he and the other Afrikaners will be deported.

No I'm saying that, statistically, cancer is less prevalent in Asian countries than western ones, Hispanic Americans have a lower incidence of cancer and Asian Americans Have lower incidence of some cancers than paler skinned Americans, while African Americans have a generally higher incidence and native Americans, a significantly higher incidence. The differences may be due to genetics, home environment, early childhood health care, diet, life style, working conditions or a combination of factors. In North America, the genetic component is difficult to assess, because the population is racially mixed.

No, but it rates pretty high. Asians seem to have the highest rate of resistance. highws and

If three other three don't, their immune system may be to thank. Yes, the immune system does prevent some cancers - possibly many cancers. We can't know how many times a malignant cell has been caught and killed before it could do any harm, before one mutation is so aggressive that it overpowers our natural defenses. The genetic factor may include a less robust immune system or poor recognition by leukocytes of invasive cells. Also, the immune system may be weakened or blocked by various infections, injuries, drugs and environmental factors. The production and proliferation of malignant cells is also influenced by the environment: exposure to radiation or chemicals in the air, water and food promote cancer. Thus, smoking is a major contributor. There are excellent diagnostic methods and treatments. Some lifestyle changes can benefit people prone to cancer, but industrial societies cannot provide a cancer-negating environment. I very much doubt there will be a cure in the absence of radical change in how we conduct our affairs.

It's a question of dignity. Egyptian aristocrats could lie around in public for weeks without losing esteem. For Jews, it was a matter of hours. You have to cope with the prejudices of your forefathers - in this case, the importance of leaving the body intact for burial vs keeping some bits in jars in the same room. Everything in the process of organic disintegration exudes chemical vapors that we find offensive. The vapour doesn't kill us, but the decomposing matter very well might. Being offended by the smell warns us off potentially harmful food. These warning signals, so important to wolves and lemurs, are the price we pay for evolution. Part of the price.

So, if nature performed that electrode experiment at some stage of evolution, we must all be descendants of the control group.

If they let you! France doesn't give up good food so easily. Nor does China. As for the sugary drinks, not necessarily! If they can make fast food outlets conform to local expectations, so can we. If I remember correctly, the Canadian MacDonald's franchises are most like the American ones in terms of menu, presentation and premises. (Though I wouldn't be surprised to see that change in the near future.) I wonder why Americans don't demand better.

Why is everything quickly? Does it make people happy and healthy to rush though life? We still have to wait for all kinds of things: checkouts, weekends, test results, medical appointments, car repairs.... Hurry-up-and-wait is pretty much the urban way of life. But not a good way of life. Drivers? Surely drivers are people who live someplace and work or go to school someplace else. Why were they not eating at home, in peace and quiet, or in the cafeteria, where foods have been prepared ahead of time? Why eat in a rush between places? If you're on a long trip, you need to stop sometimes for rest, relief and refreshment. If you can't spare half an hour, you can pack sandwiches and fruit for the road: no waiting. You still have to stand in line at MacDonald's, to place your order and and pay, then to pick up your paper package of inferior food, then have to stand in line to pick up plastic sacs of condiment to give it some flavour. For special occasions, we may go to a restaurant, where we are shown to a table right away, sip wine and chat while waiting for our order; there is a tablecloth and flowers and maybe a candle between us and we eat with metal cutlery from china plates and drink from glass vessels, like civilized grownups. Such a meal is for pleasure. For nourishment of body and soul, we cook our own meal, combining ingredients in an infinite variety of options, according to our own taste. We gather with family around our own table, relax and recount the events of our day, laugh, argue, learn things, bond. What is a MacDonald meal for? Children like it because they can be little savages, eat with their hands, enjoy the playground if there is one maybe even get a toy that becomes plastic garbage in ten minutes. But they're not in a hurry, are they? Then you're talking - reverently - about a bad idea. It was only one of many bad ideas to speed up everything in moderns life. Faster cars, bigger roads, vending machines, bar codes, bank machines, drive-throughs, air travel, instant soup and coffee... ulcers, hypertension, heart disease, insomnia, chronic anxiety, sleeping pills, alcoholism...

Why was that a good thing to do? Their food may be fast, but it's neither good nor wholesome - so why eat it?

Closely followed, no doubt, by a Peace Commission, a Truth Commission, A Commission for Plenty , and and Commission of Love. ... Yes, we've been aware of the trend for some time. All that whining about "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" and not putting up nativity scenes on the the lawns of government buildings and no prayers in public school; how the poor Christians are being persecuted, even to being forbidden to persecute others. It plays well with Trump's 'beautiful Christian' right - who will never have to vote again, since king/archbishop/generalissimo Trump will fix everything to their satisfaction. (He doesn't know a single biblical passage, and his behaviour would make Jesus throw up.... but, never mind, so long as they're buying it - and the Trump 2028 teeshirts he's peddling.) The whole flea-circus is fake.