••• The International Writers Magazine - 26 Years on-line -ARCHIVES

L I F E S T Y L E S - 2 016 - 2020 O P I N I O N - 2 0 16 - 2020

The Dishonest Artist Guest Columnist – Sean Barna I am 33 years-old. The negativity and anxiety I invited into my life by staying silent about my sexuality has been unbearable for a while ... Effectiveness of TMA, Wushu & Karate in MMA Dr. Antonio Graceffo I love all martial arts. And if you enjoy practicing karate, taekwondo, tai chi, or wushu, by all means. Keep doing it ... Learning from Beth: My days with a Down syndrome girl at the Concho Elementary School Kareena Maxwell - We teach each other. We are students in each other’s lives. Observations on the Year Past Martin Green The year 2018 is almost past and it’s tempting to just forget it, but tradition decrees that you look back and say something about it so here goes.  Transcending the Bitter Path Dr. Antonio Graceffo Learning life lessons from my Japanese martial arts heroes - The pain of the fight will end when you either quit or win. The same is true of life. The Development of the Martial Artist Through Hollywood Films Dr. Antonio Graceffo "Win, lose, no matter. You make good fight, earn respect." How the Hell Did This Turn Into a Period Story? Cassidy Mull This was the turning point-- the first omen. The moment when the day turns from fresh and hopeful to a dark shade of terra incognita. 2019 – The Year of Change - Sam Hawksmoor Predictions for the Year Ahead Aretha Franklin - 1942 - 2018 James Campion A tribute to soul legend - Please give a moment of RESPECT Food Insecurity & Substance Abuse Patrick Bailey It is estimated that, in 2016, 42 million individuals experienced food insecurity in the United States. 12.3% of all households that year were considered food insecure Debt-laden Brits could face crisis – City watchdog alerts - Jimmy Simond Consumer credit is also growing at a yearly rate of 10pc Marijuana is Better than Opiates at Treating Pain Sharon Torres Recent studies have shown that drugs and psychedelic substances have some beneficial components that science can use to produce different medicine to help relieve pain. A Close Shave Lionel Darmendrail Surviving a heart attack in France. While getting to our car in the alley, I felt a characteristic pain at the top of my chest ... Tom Wolfe – 1930 - 2018 James Campion Tom Wolfe was a novelist in journalist’s clothes – included with his signature white suits and cane and top hat and matching shoes and all the rest. This is what people in the know will tell you. But I wholly disagree with this. I believe it was the opposite. He was a journalist first... Shed that Load Sam Hawksmoor Ownership is on the way out. Rent everything is how we live now. The Art of Slowing Down Martin Green ...the danger of being overly busy is greatest at the beginning of retirement when you no longer have the structure of a working life Story from an Old Guy Martin Green First, let me warn you, nothing much happens in this story.  Not that it couldn’t, as I’ll try to write something about how it feels to be a really old guy pushing 90.  When you’re at that advanced age, you can expect something to happen at any time --- a fall, a stroke, a heart attack.  In Praise of Encounters Poetry/Paintings & A Slice of Dan Bern’s Life James Campion The book is a series of poems about Dan’s “encounters” with the famous, talented, and inspirational, each adorned with an original Bern painting of its subject. Mis-Adventures in Technoland Martin Green 1.1.18 Observations -When things break down - the age of gadget fatigue Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay Steven Slavin Let’s face facts, folks: The audience for the music I play is dying – in more ways than one – and there’s zero chance it will ever revive. Halloween or the Eve of All Saints: History and Traditions Alyssa Johnson Have you ever wondered what Halloween is, how this holiday has appeared, what exactly do we celebrate on this day and what is an origin of Halloween rituals and traditions? The Show Must Go On Sal Bolton Being with a Australian Travelling Zoo My eyes snapped open as I laid still on my back staring forwards, listening attentively to the bellowing voices in the dark which have disturbed my slumber. The Chapel Arts Plant-Based Café - Bath @Kittencat if ever there was a time to loudly FOODGASM, this was it. I immediately Instagrammed the burger saying that this was indeed, the most delicious burger I’d ever EVER eaten. Thomas Earl Petty - 1950-2017 James Campion Tom Petty is one of the great American songwriters of the latter part of the twentieth century; working in all of the genres that make it universal; rock and roll, country, folk, blues ... Give Me A Break Walli F. Leff Here’s me gasping for air in this Trump-Nazi-KKK-white supremacist-climate-change-denying-would-be Mexican-wall-building- Muslim-hating democracy across the Atlantic. I got sucker-punched by the fake election and haven’t been able to breathe properly for a good, long time now.  Crafting the YA Novel Sam Hawksmoor Why did they do that?  Show me why they made that decision and the consequences of their actions The Rise of College Identity Theft Justin Lavelle As a college student, you might not think anyone wants to steal your identity. You have no money or credit so identity thieves must not be interested in you…right? Think again. Stumbling into Fatherhood James Campion Dedicated to the Dad in All of Us I had something happen to me this past week that has never happened before. And for someone only a few months from 55 years of age that is oddly monumental Lost Weekend in Dover A Nightmare in Space A Travel John F. Fisher CAPT USNR (ret.) I should have heeded the omen, a constant, torrential downpour, and turned back right then. Love...To...Turn...You...On James Campion Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band at 50 It was fifty years ago today… June 1, 1967, to be exact; the day the cultural axis of the Western hemisphere is altered by a singular artistic event. Seven Hours Tyrel Nelson ...after trying the handle, I’m not sure if I can handle what I think has just happened—not this late anyhow. Heir of Karen Blixen to take over Manor Estate in Denmark - Cecilia Macaulay and Peter Horn A smooth transition takes careful planning as well as brave decisions. Running a family estate is not a job to be taken lightly. Observations Catches Up on Things Martin Green I’ve become a little suspicious of our new “smart” Samsung TV as it doesn’t always do what we tell it to Observations 2: View from the Lazy Boy Martin Green What I notice between the ages of 85 and 87-plus is that life has become more problematic.   Every day presents a new adventure, often a number of misadventures. Observations at Sea Once Again    Martin Green One of the first things we noticed was that there were a lot of kids on board ... Despondence Martin Green I had turned 85 at the end of last year, which was now a month ago.  85!  No wonder I felt despondent. Will Someone Please Have Sex with Bill O'Reilly - James Campion Tales of Old, Unattractive Perverts & Other Sociological Phenomenon Charles Edward A. 'Chuck' Berry - 1926 - 2017 James Campion E=Mc2 – Albert Einstein Rock and Roll – Chuck Berry A Comfortable Silence Tyrel Nelson We haven’t seen each other in four years. We have spoken occasionally—calls in the evening, motivated by guilt, on birthdays and holidays—but we haven’t actually been face-to-face since the spring after my pop died. My view through 'The Wild Reeds' Duncan Shaw When I first saw The Wild Reeds (TWR), last summer on NPR's online music series called the Tiny Desk Concerts - I was an instant fan. Crossroads, homeward. The Journey of a Brazilian Babalawo Lakunle Jaiyesimi  ...the passion to sap up the elements of the Yoruba culture is all pervasive that it drove Babalawo Ifagbenro to the doorstep of love From 36 to 63 Tyrel Nelson One of the first things I did after turning 36 was pull a hamstring. In an attempt to prove to myself and my softball teammates that I hadn’t lost a step, I tried to shift into a higher gear while rounding the bases. I ended up a peg leg instead. Nature Knows No Borders Jenny Wright Early morning and dawn is beginning. I'm walking along the beach, breathing in whiffs of sea spray.  White Rock’s’ lights are fading and ocean and skies turn blue against the backdrop of a glowing sunrise. How can Indians protect Indian Temple Gold? Murli Menon Once upon a time, there was a king in India, who paid his army in gold coins from his treasury. The king decided to conquer neighbouring kingdoms and soon exhausted his gold as he travelled further. So he got a brilliant idea. Demonetisation. Top 7 Mistakes That Can Keep You Out Of Law School - Robert Everett As you have intended to apply to law school, you need to know some things in order to avoid frequent mistakes that lead to refusal ... 2016 ____________________________________ Cinema Tourism Comes to Cuenca and Guadalajara Set-Jetting taking off in Spain. Come and see where the movies are made. Travellers’ Guide to Transportation in Samui Khanh Tran Paradise Navigational Tools - Being overpriced, getting lost and scammed are some of the unfortunate situations you may encounter. Fret not, here’s a little handy guide to help you prepare. Feasts and Festivals in Chicago Fred C. Wilson III November in Chicago is a time for celebration; (shootings don’t count) but especially this year. Those ‘lovable losers’ aka the Chicago Cubs have finally won the World Series after a 108 year wait. No Heavy Lifting Sam Hawksmoor I was asking students to tell me about something significant or life altering that had happened to them and suddenly thought –I’d better just try this thing myself...  China vs US Olympic Sports Training Compared Antonio Graceffo, PhD, China MBA China’s inability to top the Olympic medal charts in all but the 2008 games, which they hosted, demonstrates the limitations of the Soviet sport school system China Doesn’t Use Japanese Judo Terminology By Antonio Graceffo, PhD, China MBA Parallel to my dissertation research on Chinese traditional wrestling, I completed a bit of research on Japanese judo because of the similarities between the two arts. 5 Tips to Become the Most Production Student You Know - Robert Everett Have you ever met a person that was very productive and fast? Were you amazed by his/her work? Two Beings Victor J Castleton a steely like insect-creature struggled to escape the sweet sticky trapping Sara Troy interviews Sam Hawksmoor Q&A with the author of a love story in a post-apocalpyse 'J&K 4Ever' 9 Reasons Why Traveling Has To Become Part of Education Kelly J. Harris When you travel, you will discover there’s no one single solution to the same problem. Understanding Mass Shooting Terminology Antonio Graceffo People are crying for laws preventing convicted felons and people under the age of 18 from buying guns. But these laws also are already on the books. Muhammad Ali - 1942-2016 James Campion Few lives are as epic as Muhammad Ali’s. It is an American epic, an African American epic, a religious epic, a boxing epic, a socio-political epic, a generational epic, and most of all, an inspirational epic. Doctor's Visit in Indonesia Andrea Cox Christen It was the jarring shock and having to hobble a bit in the mornings that made me do it. And that I kept hearing how everything was covered by insurance. The Dream Country Fred C. Wilson III Dreaming is the cheapest form of travel I know. Everybody dreams; even those who deny it dream only they’re not cognizant of it. All it costs is your subconscious mind to work the magic. High Yields Reported for UK Airport Carparks Sean Lee A new piece of research by a UK based airport parking provider has revealed that investing in airport carparks is a high yield investment. Ogoni Freedom Charter Fegalo Nsuke To say that Ogoni is the worst place to live on earth may just sound like an over-statement. But it is indeed a fact. Everything seems to work against her. Two Revolutions Tom Kilcourse The expectations of young people are now lower than they were in my youth, and with good reason. Counsel of Despair Sam Hawksmoor The benefits of good advice and how to survive it... The Psychology of the Fear of Flying and How to Overcome It Phoebe Parlade If you are afraid of flying, avoiding taking a flight is the worst thing that you can do. Learn why that is true and identify ways to confront the underlying cause of your anxiety. Prince Rogers Nelson - 1958 -2016 James Campion During the most prolific musical period of my life, my early twenties, when I wrote and played music for a living, more or less, there was only one artist that mattered; Prince Rogers Nelson. Beware Of Toasters, They’re Going To Get You Joe Swain The first time I took a hammer to a machine, it was one of those big Xerox photocopiers with an A3-sized glass slab under its hood and an attitude to suit. Trump - America's Mussolini? Fred C Wilson “In politics stupidity is not a handicap.” ~Napoleon Bonaparte~ The Three C’s Tom Kilcourse The three C’s I have in mind stand for capitalism, competition and corporation, or more correctly, corporatism. The Great Wall of Chinese and the Internet Resources to Help You Over it Jenna Orkin Learning Chinese with on-line tutors Sir George Martin 1926 - 2016 James Campion Martin, as producer and creative Sherpa, did the heaviest lifting of all; he cajoled, conducted, re-imagined and realized the music that shook the very foundation of human spirit. Seeming Rather than Being Duncan Shaw We’ve been living for six years now with the massive and destructive academics and athletics scandal at the University of North Carolina (UNC), located in the town of Chapel Hill, state of North Carolina, USA.  Caravaggio The Other Michaelangelo Fred C. Wilson III My painter of choice Caravaggio stands tall alongside Leonardo da Vinci, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Vincent van Gogh, Egon Schiele and Alphonse Maria Mucha David Bowie 1947 - 2016 James Campion Bowie was our perpetual outsider – zigging when the rest of the thing zagged. In Defense of Ebenezer Scrooge James Campion A Christmas Plea For Leniency For A Misunderstood Freethinking Capitalist - I maintain, that Scrooge, while being obstinate and crotchety, mostly rude and myopic, is hardly a villain and does not deserve the kind of black mark rendered upon him next to some of the most vile of literature’s rogues Defacing the Syrian Stigma John Lambert These refugees have not set out to change American culture or the American way of life. How to Beat Rejection Sam North Nobody likes to be rejected.  Whether in relationships, business or in a creative enterprise.  It can damage your self-esteem, affect your future work or relationships and how others judge you. New Jersey Roast Dean Borok When I think about Thanksgiving I think about the suburbs and, more specifically, I think about New Jersey. My mother’s family is in New Jersey, and I got slammed with a pretty strong dose of that place while I was still a kid. Mom, Me, and Boyfriends Sarah Fils-Aime I never once woke to the sound of my mother sneaking in with a stranger, heels in her hand. I was not reared in a house where a new man would shuffle out while I ate my cereal. But my mother has had many boyfriends... Remembering Hotels, Good and Bad Walli F. Leff Once I had an exceptional experience in a hotel: I slept on an absolutely perfect mattress. I know that now you expect me to tell you where that mattress was. I would if I could, but, for the life of me, I just can’t remember. Consequences Tom Kilcourse Every action has consequences, some good, some bad and many unforeseen. Those consequences do not always occur in the domain where the action was taken because, in a sense, everything is linked to everything else. The world is a big place – Go explore it. Steve Sherk Go Explore designs is the name of the store created which showcases photography from all over the world. It’s allowed a unique way to blend fashion and art together... 'Cleaning' the Amman Nymphaeum for heritage Marwan Asmar This summer was a good cleaning period for the Amman Nymphaeum. From a blackened relic, its frontal facade, niches and apses are restored again. YOGI – 1925-2015 James Campion Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra was the best catcher in the history of Major League Baseball. He won ten titles, three MVP Awards... The Unemerging Writer Karl MacDermott I decided to make the appointment with Julie the prospective literary agent in the seated area of the Maxol service station off the M12 near Balgaddy. She wondered why I wanted to meet in such an unlikely place. I told her I lived near- by. That was a lie. Making an early exit Sam North When a friend takes his own life suicide is no easy solution... A Nuclear Middle-East Marwan Asmar Israel has long practiced what it calls its policy of "nuclear ambiguity" of neither denying nor confirming the fact it possess nuclear weapons Observations on Being Really Old Martin Green Let’s face it, when you reach the point of being really old, there are certain things you can no longer do. A Personal Story about Holocaust Irene Shaland I did not travel anywhere to find this story. It lives within me, as it does within most Jewish people’s hearts and minds. Chinese RMB Devaluation analysis Antonio Graceffo The recent drop in the Yuan will create more competition for US exporters... The Myth of MMA Fighting Your Way Out of Poverty Antonio Graceffo Rocky Marciano was born poor and die Mennonites Heritage @ St. Jacob’s Farmers Market Habeeb Salloum For years as I watched horse and buggies travel along the roads of the Waterloo region of Ontario, I thought of the Mennonites and their culture, of how they have maintained their traditions in the sea of modernity. UBER versus NYC James Campion This was bound to happen here. It has happened elsewhere. The grassroots ingenuity of transport services, more specifically Uber and to a lesser extent Lyft, offer a convenient alternative to mass transit and traditional cab services. Why the Pissing Contest? Anonymous What could I possibly say that wouldn't make me out to be one of those brutish and selfish men that make me look bad by association? 800 attempts to change the world as a Londoner - Nick Millman In May 2012, I decided to change my life with the assistance of my step-dad, David. He kept saying to me, ‘Why don’t I do things?’ ... Cinema Tourism Comes to Cuenca and Guadalajara Set-Jetting taking off in Spain. Come and see where the movies are made. *Addiction Resource, which raises awareness of the dangers of substance abuse among artists (https://addictionresource.com/addiction/drug-abuse-among-artists/) Get Qualified in the Mental Health Economy https://www.psychologydegrees.org/ https://www.socialworkdegrees.org/

Power to the Jersey People James Campion 7.11.19 Legalizing Recreational Marijuana Will Be on Us The Moral Low Ground James Campion Conditions at Our Southern Border & What It Says About Our Country - How do we, a nation so full of itself ... stand by and watch this happen? The Mexican Flip Off James Campion 6.21.19 + Readers Responses How Mexico Keeps Embarrassing Donald Trump and Why He Allows It - for some reason Mexico is the gift that keeps on giving for Trump Zara's Gift James Skinner The changing face of modern Spain - the mayhem of forming coalition local governments has started Bob Mueller's Primer in Passive Aggressive Truth-Telling - James Campion How the Speech of the Century Tells Us Everything We Need to Know - Mueller sees Trump as a thin-skinned loon with a Twitter account who has less respect for American values than the man who perpetuated these crimes, Vladimir Putin Joined at the Hip Barry Burgess The Theft of our Constitution The majority party for over forty years has indicated they are interested not in saving democracy, rather, they are willing to take it apart; How Bad Can Trump's Tax Returns Be? - James Campion + READERS RESPONSES Maybe he paid no taxes at all. We can think anything is in there, because he is going to great lengths to keep the proof from us. Time for Mueller to Speak James Campion 3.5.19 This was Mueller’s baby. He signed his name to it. And it has predictably been politicized by Congress and constantly battered by Tweety McTweeter in the White House. A New Broom in Spain James Skinner 1.5.19 The results, to a certain degree, have stunned the nation as such a severe swing from right to left was not predicted in the various polls prior to the elections. Trump Guilty of Obstruction of Justice - Now What? James Campion 4.27.19 What it comes down to is not that the president is guilty or not guilty, but what there is under the constitution to be done with this. 'Almost' Final Word On Mueller Report & Obstruction of Justice - James Campion As stated time and again in this space, this whole Russian obsession the Trump campaign and its administration’s first two years of governance has displayed had nothing to do with collusion. 8M James Skinner Spain goes to the polls and women are leading the way to Socialist victory To The Ballot James Campion Time for the People of NJ and Not Our Feckless Politicians to Legalize Recreational Marijuana Enough With Fox News James Campion 3.16.19 A recent study by New Yorker magazine has fully revealed the length and breadth of the damage FOX News has done to what was already loosely being sold as journalism ... Trump vs Kim II James Campion This Time It’s More Stupid & Just as Meaningless - So now the whole thing falls apart with no deal, but plenty of finger-pointing contradictory post mortems from two lying-ass camps, and a steaming pile of embarrassment for the United States. Spain - The Next European Problem James Skinner ...whoever controls the media controls the ‘people’. Spain is no different. But if a government is able to combine the above three elements it is virtually similar to a totalitarian state. Where We Are On Weed James Campion NJ Finally Poised to Vote to Legalize, Tax & Regulate Recreational Marijuana - You know you’re close to actual legislation when committees are being formed, with fancy titles, and taxation has numbers to it ... The Importance of Voting in a Truly Democratic Society Adewale T. Akande Voting is the most important exercise a citizen will do as a responsible citizen of a democratic nation. National Emergency Fallout James Campion Or The Political Price For Betting On Fantasies - Again, not that it matters legally or morally or whatever crap people like to argue, this move, while wholly constitutional if not wacky, will bring consequences. The New Left James Campion The Dawn of Generation Progressive - Socialism is everywhere, bub, and to be fair it is really popular and it’s getting more and more so. Totalan - Spain James Skinner on events in Spain Once the parents had confirmed that they saw their son fall down the well, a message was sent to the local Civil Guards that in turn triggered the organization of a national coordinated rescue mission. ... You Can’t Get Here From There Sam North January ends with political chaos both here and in the USA.  All of it is self-inflicted and there are probably easy solutions, but unpalatable ones The Delusion Factor + Readers Responses James Campion - Jan 2019 Or How to Get Out of a Political Impasse 101 - Not that he is inclined to take any advice, quite obviously, but I have some for the president of the United States to get him out of this political corner he has painted himself into. George H W Bush-1924-2018 James Campion Anything written about the legacy of George H.W. Bush in the annals of American governance must start with his place as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency for 357 extremely active days between the years 1976 and 1977 in which he enthusiastically supported a clandestine illegal maneuver called Operation Condor. The Russian Bank Phase James Campion Trump Scumbag Lawyer Spills Beans on Illegal Land Deals –Part of it included (gulp!) a $50 million penthouse apartment gift to Mr. Vladimir Putin, Draconian leader of a hostile nation Governing By Decree James Skinner Sr. Sanchez has been signing umpteen number of cheques that continue, literally, to turn the country on its head and presented a draft budget to the European Union that has been rejected by Brussels Mid-Term Roundup James Campion Women, Repudiation, Entrenchment & Reckoning Alt Right Underground - A Perspective James Campion When Mailed Bombs Become Teachable Moments #Feminist James Campion No clearly means Yes in Senate - Kavanaugh gives proud alcoholics and men a bad name. I will not stand idly by and allow people to put him into any category I am in. Curriculums - Spain in Turmoil James Skinner It is against the law to ‘lie’ in one’s curriculum, especially if one occupies a government position, be it national, regional or local. What is now emerging are refreshed nationalistic movements by other regions that are beginning to feel the ‘urge’ to review their own relationship with Spain I Love Politics James Campion The Unraveling of Judge Kavanaugh & The Heinous Beauty of our Human Experiment - I understand politics. I get what happens to people when they are in the midst of them and what it does to their brains and their nether regions and how it can at once titillate and mutilate. Catholic Church's Ongoing Child Rape Problem James Campion + Readers Responses The grand jury described the church's methods as "a playbook for concealing the truth" after FBI agents identified a series of practices they found in diocese files. Tuesday, August 21, 2018 - The Day the Raven Tapped for Mr Trump James Campion 07.21.18 - the day that tipped speculation and hearsay and mounting circumstantial evidence that the president of the United States has committed high crimes and misdemeanors into physical evidence. A #MeToo Mea Culpa A.R.G. The sad truth: I’m a male misogynist. There’s no doubt about it. Where Were You When The President Committed Treason? James Campion Russia and Putin are now the big players on the world stage and the U.S. will gladly rubber stamp its aggression against its neighboring nations, Promises - Promises James Skinner Everyone wants something from Sr. Pedro Sanchez - how will he keep all those promises to regional leaders - how can he afford them? Explaining "Roe v. Wade" in the Age of Stupid James Campion + Readers Letters Roe v. Wade is not about abortion ..., it is about the government’s right to enter the bodies of tax paying citizens and control the results. The Charmer James Skinner Tax and Spend returns to Spain - PM Sanchez is now Mr. ‘Nice Guy’ ready to talk to everyone, full of positive good will and painting a rosy picture of a real ‘change’ in Spanish politics The Kim Jong-Un Show James Campion a North Korean leader meets with a U.S president and it is one of the most flaccid, useless, innocuous occurrences in the grandest tradition of phot-op, international politics. The Lost Children of America James Campion U.S. Border Stations Overrun by Our New National Sin - It is June of 2018 in the United States of America. Right now 550 children have been stripped from their parents and are being detained in over-crowded border stations funded by your tax dollars. The United Trump of Trump James Campion All of a Sudden We’re Citizens of Trump Enterprises - Historians will marvel that we made it through it all. But we will. Because we are Americans. We have survived worse. Not as stupid, mind you, but worse. Topsy-Turvy in Spain James Skinner Political chaos in Spain after PP corruption convictions. Sr. Barcenas gets 33 years for his crimes; PM Sanchez and the Socialists take power. The Fight to Legalize Weed in NJ Continues James Campion As stated by Mr. Murphy throughout his campaign, the linchpin/ cornerstone/ foundation of his economic agenda and outlook for the Garden State leaned heavily on the rightful legalization of marijuana for sale, growth, and industry. The Pack - Spain James Skinner Justice in Spain = Rough Justice in Pamplona ...every feminist movement in the country mobilized massive demonstrations to overturn the ruling and called for a revision of the legal system regarding sexual criminal cases It's Uncle Rudy Time ... (Sung to The Tune of the “Howdy Doody” Theme) James Campion 4/27/18 Can the former mayor of New York City dig Trump out of a hole? Once Giuliani was the voice of the law in the most powerful legal team in the nexus of American street justice in the Southern District of New York ... Exit Stage Ryan James Campion 4.19.18 Speaker of the House Paul Ryan has seen the writing on the wall and it is not good. Internal Republican polling strongly indicates there is a political Blue Tsunami coming in six months and he wants no part of it. I'm Officially Bored of Crazy Trump James Campion Crazy tweets about celebrities and half-baked conspiracy theories and campaign rallies and hookers and Russians and knee-jerk racist rants and random firings of lunatics from every angle in jobs they have no business having ... was amusing for a while ... but this has become tiresome. The Chase James Skinner on the current state of Spain. Fugatives from Catalonia being rounded up ready for a show trial. - The secret service placed a device in the car and were tracking Puidgemont's moves all the way to the Danish/German border... All the President's Criminals James Campion This is getting silly. In just over one year, a record by any historical standards, a preponderance of people surrounding either the Donald Trump campaign or his administration have been indicted, sacked, left in disgrace or under investigation for some alleged crime ... Russia is Winning James Campion 2.2.18 No matter where you fall on the President Trump/Russian Collusion or Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy Theories, it is hard to argue that Russia, clearly an enemy of these United States, is a big winner in this. The Immigration Smokescreen James Campion 1.31.18 We’ve already been over this, so I will not belabor anyone with statistics, but there really isn’t a giant immigration problem in this country. It is a smokescreen; always has been and always will be. Time for Atlas to Shrug James Campion 5.1.18 Federal Government’s Attack on American Progress, Technology, Ingenuity & Creativity. Simply put; this ten-thousand dollar cap on state and local tax deductions, is in effect a discriminatory double-tax on the most important regions of the United States; the nation’s largest, most productive, creative and thus cutting-edge centers. Tabarnia - Spain James Skinner 1.1.18 Suffice to say that everything has changed for nothing to change - the whole Catalan political scenario has been turned on its head once again ... Welcome Back to Corporate Land James Campion Net Neutrality, Tax Rates and Deregulation A-Go-Go The main goal of this Republican-controlled federal government has been to deregulate everything in sight, cede the entire ecological, moral and structural game to not the private sector, but the corporate-level powerbrokers. The Tax Reform Shuffle James Campion - 12/01/17 ...according to the aforementioned Joint Committee on Taxation and the Congressional Budget Office, people making $40,000 to $50,000 would pay a combined $5.3 billion more in taxes, while the group earning $1 million or more would get a $5.8 billion cut. Wha…? Yeah…it ain’t good All Set - Catalonia Elections James Skinner As planned, the election campaign in the autonomous region of Catalonia has begun and despite most of the present deposed members of the separatist parties either in jail or exiled in Belgium these have announced that they will once again present themselves as candidates ... Mixed Messages - Election Day 2017 James Campion Here in New Jersey, it was simply a slam-dunk. Exiting Governor Chris Christie’s approval rating is the lowest of any governor in the history of the United States – or at least since they began polling these things. Christie was at 15 percent on Election Day ... A New Beginning in Spain James Skinner on Catalonia & Independence All depends on whether the law enforcing agents, the district attorneys, the judges, the police and civil guards are able to avoid violence ... Elect Phil Murphy - Legalize Marijuana in NJ + Readers Responses James Campion 10.28.17 Become 9th State in the Union to Move into 21st Century Caveat Emptor James Campion 16.10.17 Or How Facebook, Russia and The American Voter Equal Freedom Except for the president of the United States and a few FOX News shut-ins, it has been long established that the Russian government had an effect on the 2016 presidential election. Catalonia Breakaway and a 1000 year history James Skinner One thing is certain, whichever way the pendulum swings it is going to mark a new era that will change Spain for good. For better or for worse is yet to be seen. NFL Patriotic Nonsense Has Two Sides - James Campion 30.09.17 The National Football League has done a magnificent job these last few decades conflating patriotism with its product; a product, by the way, run by despots, played by a disturbing number of criminals, and whose chief purpose now is to keep everyone from recognizing that their sport causes brain damage. How Dishonest Politicians Cause Pain Among Citizens Odimegwu Onwumere While we listen to them, many of us do not believe their sermonizations. Jimmy Kimmel & The New Age of Celebrity Politics James Campion The political and commercial morals of the United States are not merely food for laughter, they are an entire banquet. – Mark Twain The Hillary Delusion James Campion Loser’s Lament – A Commentary Clinton, like Trump, the two most vilified and unpopular people to actually gain major party support, are one in the same to the people who defend them; they are symbols. And no matter what layers of nonsense you apply to their failures it will never end ... The Stinking Gap Between Politics And People Odimegwu Onwumere I was youthful when the military took over the political affairs in Nigeria on December 31, 1983, lasting till 1998. Killing of civilians and hounding of activists that were opposed to the whims and caprices of the military, were the first impression that I had about politics ... Premonition - Spain James Skinner For more than a couple of years, and because of the attacks in other parts of Europe, the terrorist threat level was raised to 4, short of a full scale level 5. Two Decades - One Space James Campion   How The Hell Did This Happen?   He told me not to worry about petty things like censorship or decorum and to write “whatever the hell you like” ...     Radical Caucasian Terrorism & The President Who Defends It James Campion Trump’s spectacular streak of stupidity mixed with the world’s most effective promotional tool for abortion has revealed much about America. He extracts the poison from the body politic and an astonishing pile of puke was on display this past week during a white nationalist coming-out party in Charlottesville, Virginia ... The 'Daddy Love Me' Nuclear Stand-Off - 2017 James Campion Who didn’t see this coming? The second Donald Trump took the oath of office, all of it; wildly manic Tweet storms about TV hosts and obsessions with fabricated inner demons and spastic firings and institutional in-fighting and ill-advised bluster about seemingly innocuous and mostly delusional self-congratulatory nonsense, and now, most likely crimes, was inevitable. It is the Trump branding. This is what we voted for ... Batea - (The town that dares to say no to Independence) - James Skinner Corruption and Nationalism rolls on as Spain enjoys a prosperous summer The Unsinkable ACA James Campion + Readers Responses After the Healthcare Repeal fails again - Bulletproof “Obamacare” Rolls On - The Affordable Care Act is the most hearty, defiant and impenetrable slice of legislation this nation has seen in a century or more. It may take a second Civil War to take it down. Citizens of New Jersey Unite Against Government Suppression! James Campion Before heading to Europe to kiss Vladimir Putin’s ass and after spending a week getting into Twitter wars with cable TV hosts, President Trump unleashed his completely unnecessary paranoid-central, daddy-didn’t-love-me-so-even-though-I-won-the-election commission cleverly titled Election Integrity. Our European Demons James Skinner writes from Vigo in Spain. ...instead of agreeing that rights should have been guaranteed 100% on both sides of the Channel, there is still an air of confusion. As far as Spain is concerned it has just added more anxiety to the over 200,000 Spaniards presently in Britain COMEY Speaks James Campion Fired and Vilified Former FBI Director Takes His Swings - The entirety of the United States intelligence community, including the NSA, CIA and FBI has all confirmed that the Russian government interfered with the 2016 presidential election. Third Time Lucky in Spain James Skinner Spain has had a month of political upheavals that once again may change the course of a country that is constantly travelling on a funfair roller-coaster. Apology Syndrome 2017 James Campion ... we all know Griffin apologized because everyone went nuts. So she is not apologizing for her opinion or the way she chose in a very strategic way to express it. Donald Trump: Stupid, Guilty or Both? James Campion + Readers Responses 6.1.17 The firing of FBI Director James Comey confirms two things; the president of the United States is probably guilty and most definitely stupid. The Trump Century Mark James Campion Dissecting the Worst First 100 Days of a Presidency Congratulations to Donald J. Trump. Not since 1933 when they started using this century metric to measure the length and breadth of a newly minted president have we seen more chaos, failure and mayhem in the first 100 days of an administration. When an Armada is Not an Armada James Campion 24.4.17 And Doomsday is Delayed For a Lark ...it appeared from that announcement that conflict was nigh – and not just any conflict; nuclear war level conflagration or millions-die-in-an-instant kind of level The Trump Doctrine James Campion 4.14.17 Spoiler Alert: There Is None When an unhinged simpleton is commander-in-chief of the most power and richest armed forces on the planet you get the week we just had Government Zero James Campion What Transpires When People Who Hate Civics Run Things - Trump said about four hundred times during his campaign that he would repeal and replace the ACA on his first day, which, of course, is insane ... Brexit Trigger and Spain James Skinner It is ‘Brexit’ month when most public transport around Europe including the United Kingdom will have a large sign that says ‘ALL CHANGE’. Health Care: Here We Go Again James Campion An Agitated Psalm to the Curse of Deja Vu - The Congressional Budget Office has yet to let us all know how much this boondoggle will cost us... More Fun with The Russian Thing James Campion Attorney General Commits Perjury In Expanding Cover-Up - It has now become a weekly thing for an official of this current administration to commit some kind of malfeasance and seemingly every other week for something to emerge that ties the president of the United States to Russian meddling in the 2016 American democratic process. Corruption in Spain James Skinner Corruption has and still is a worldwide malaise. It is endemic in all sectors of humanity and related to every area of public and private institutions. In other words, it is rampant and everywhere. China-Trump the First 30 Days Presentation on Youtube Antonio Graceffo, PhD, China-MB Insights into the New World Order Out Like Flynn James Campion 02.17.17 Or How To Go From Inauguration to Constitutional Crisis in 25 Days - For the record, I whole-heartedly agree with the president’s defense that his administration is not in chaos, we’re more into the territory of outright mayhem now. How Should One Live in Africa? Adeojo Kolawole Adeyemi Hannibal You must have heard about the clamour for change that is almost turning sour in the mouths of citizens, what you have not heard is the hunger wracking the very soul of the masses. Sorry - No 'Do-overs' James Campion 2.3.17 Trump is in Vladimir Putin’s back pocket, diplomacy is alien to him, he’s afraid of Steve Bannon, and he had no interest in divesting himself of any of his current business dealings ... Of Trump and World History Ogbonna Nwuke The signs had been there right from the time the new sheriff in town bared his fangs on the campaign trail. 'Alternative Facts' James Campion What The Trump Era Can Teach Us About Our National Illusions   Fact: The earth revolves around the sun. Alternative Fact: The sun revolves around the earth. Special Alliance James Skinner 'Spain vs UK' Brexit Mania - 'many if not most in Europe consider it the worst disaster to hit both the UK and Europe since the II World War' Ground Rules for Donald Trump Commentary James Campion A Template for “Covering” a Weird Presidency - As one can imagine, I have been getting a bevy of advice on what I should be writing or how I should be dealing with the emergence of this thing called Donald Trump   Joe Cool ... Out James Campion Our Journey From Hope To Change To Trump   Barack Obama is the only major party candidate for president I have ever voted for with gusto. And he shall be the last. That is my gift to him on his way out. Quite A Year James Skinner No doubt about it! We’ve ended one of the most incredibly tumultuous years this century. 10.1.17

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