STUFF. Leaving America. Trade Deficit. More Ice. And Stuff.

Harper's Bazaar: “Why more women are leaving America.” They said: “For the 1st time in my adult life, I feel safe.” Okay. First of all, compared with others, Americans don’t need to go through tedious, painstaking visa applications to go anywhere in the world. And so if you have the dough, go ahead, go! Anytime. Then, they’ll be back whenever the “political whining” subsides.

      Yet Americans are not in the Top 5 of “I’ll go fly somewhere and leave home!” humanity. India is the world's leading country of origin for international migrants, with over 18 million citizens living abroad. Next: China, Mexico, Ukraine, and Russia. Migrations are driven by factors like work, education, and conflict. And Trump-induced drama. 👩‍🦰✈️👩‍🦳

Yahoo: “U.S. trade deficit widens, capping one of biggest since 1960.” Hey! Times have changed, and global trade has evolved–especially after China joined the WTO in 2001. Import/export or deficit/suplus don’t matter that much anymore. The pros and cons of both economic activity are a long discourse but, no big deal to me. In fact, most countries these days maintain deficits with China, or deficits overall. The only (large) countries that have surplus relations with China are Brazil, Australia, and Russia. 💸🏢💸

Reuters: “Trump administration expands ICE authority to detain legal refugees.” Media distortion of info! I don’t think ICE would just randomly grab anyone then toss them to Sudan or El Salvador, as what Left-wing journalism tells us. Are you that clueless to bite all these anti-Trump administration rabble-rouse?

      The historical fact is, foreigners or immigrants (legal residents, naturalized citizens) are removed, depending on the gravity of their offenses or crime. Refer to these, at least. <>1798: “Alien and Sedition Acts” and 1812-1940: “Alien Enemy Act.” Hasn’t stopped. Other countries don't do that, as well. 🗽🏃‍♀️🏃

NBC: “12 Democrats to skip Trump's State of the Union address and attend rival rally.” Again, not biggie news. Politicians have historically skipped the State of the Union address as a form of protest. Recent examples beside the new AOC drama?

     Google `em: 2016,  Rep. Cynthia McKinney. 2010: Rep. Lynn Westmoreland. 2012: Rep. John Lewis. 2015: Rep. Ted Yoho. 2018: Reps. Lewis and Earl Blumenauer. 2019: Rep. Maxine Waters. More, in fact. They got reasons. I reckon that they watched SOTU on TV and provided the transcript of the speech. But yes politicians have a right to hyperventilate their theatrics (sic). 🏛🗽🏛

Reuters: “FCC requests transcript of Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime performance.” I didn’t watch it so I didn’t know what the issue was. And NY Post: “FCC chair says agency is weighing action over 'The View' interview.” I don’t watch this show as well. You may (probably) also add to the Netflix episode whatever Stephen Colbert is yapping about in regards to his interview with Texas Rep. James Talarico.

      Anyhow, the FCC does not generally require transcripts for all public concerts (or TV shows), but it may request them to investigate complaints regarding violations of indecency or profanity regulations. So if the other side of the divide complains, the FCC has to respond. That’s just the way Democracy works. 🏛🗽🏛

About Dogs and Cats and their Buddies. And other quick jokes.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

BALLS are easy to throw and retrieve, and many dogs seem to find them fun to chase and catch. Frisbees can also be a popular choice for dogs that like to play fetch. Frisbees can fly through the air and provide an extra challenge. However, times have changed. Cats and dogs learned how to google, look `em up, for rationales WTH they need to do this and that. Catch! So to convince them to catch things for no apparent, sane reason, you need to prove that that is legal per animal rights. 🐕🏐🐕

DRIVERLESS, capable of traveling without input from a human operator, by means of computer systems working in conjunction with on-board sensors. Then, Fred Flintstone hoped for a car that doesn’t rely on his legs. So cars were invented. Humans worked less but used brain power more. Then we got lazy. We now want a driverless car to take us here and there so we can relax more. Driving is too much energy wasted that should be allotted for Facebooking and Netflix’ing. 🛻🚖🛻

DOGS and cats can form close bonds and even friendships with each other, but it's important to note that their interactions are based more on companionship and social dynamics rather than romantic love as humans understand it. Yes. So don’t overthink your dog and cat. They are not Republicans or Democrats. 🐈🥰🐕

CATS are considered smarter than dogs, just because of their more independent nature and ability to solve problems on their own. But dogs are more trainable, able to learn a wide variety of tricks, like search and rescue. However, training humans is an expertise of cats. Cyd, Fizz and Ching taught me subjects like optic flow, thermodynamics, quantum mechanics, objectivist epistemology, control theory, dynamical systems approach to movement, cybernetics etcetera. 🐈👩‍🏫🐕

ERASER, an object, typically a piece of soft rubber or plastic, used to rub out something written. Of course, “eraser” isn’t used anymore. The apt word is unfriend, block, delete, or “Nope, I don’t agree with you. But cool! See ya later.” (With a laughing emoji attached.) ✏️👎✏️

GOATS of all ages head butt. Most goats are social, inquisitive creatures and some even more so! Younger goats butt heads in play. Older goats participate in this activity to establish dominance and determine their position in the herd. Fizz told me the origin of “head butt.” She said the first dinosaurs’ head is located on their butt. So there you go, head butt. Also the reason why dogs, to say hello to new friends, smell butts first. Butt is like the face. Kind of. I guess. 🐏🐐🐏

TREATS. When given in moderation, they're great for bonding and training your dog and cat. But Arrow, Ching and Fizz are way past the training phase. Treats are obsolete. They get all kinds of chows. Diverse royale: Wet, dry. Fizz just text’ed me this: “Can you get us packs of Churu PremiumPlus+ squeezables? We just finished the SealMeal and Hartz. And also Cloud Star Buddy biscuits and Zuke’s naturals for Arrow. She googled those last night. She wants to try some. Thanks!” 🐈😋🐕

THERE is an app called Heaven. It is a trending dating app specifically designed for gay men and other members of the LGBTQI+ community. The platform allows you to meet fascinating individuals and enjoy your time without the worry of discrimination or social stigmas. Heaven revolutionizes the dating scene, it says. There is also an app for sexist and homophobic people. It is called Hell. (Just kidding, okay?) 😇📲😈

DO cats think humans are weird? Cats actually view people as fellow cats. Some researchers believe cats look at us as big, slow, clumsy, uncoordinated cats, but others say they're not quite so judgemental. The good thing is, whether or not they're judging our balance and agility, they still love us! Just don’t take on a  serious way or be so touchy about whatever your cat posted on Facebook about you. But yes you may name your new cat, if ever you have one, Jo Koy. It’s an okay name. 🥸😼😾

CATS and dogs are drawn to babies due to their nurturing instincts. Cats and babies can live together happily, but it will take some familial preparation to make sure everything is okay. It is important to prepare your cat for the upcoming changes, like a living thing who isn’t facing a cellphone. A dog's instinctual protective nature stems from their pack animal origins. And dogs think a baby is a puppy. But don’t let your baby squeak like your dog’s stuffed toy, you know what I mean? 🐈👶🐕

Lost (longtime friendships) Due to Social Media Political Zealotry.

From my responses to Facebook posts.

IT is an understatement to say that we lost friends, friendships that we created long before there was internet, because of this Left-Right/anti-Trump zeal on social media. 

       I was a very visible Left-wing activist then. Organizer, part of advising teams, and indie publisher/editor until I saw the Organized Left (back home in the Philippines) disintegrated due to infighting in the mid-1990s. That year I decided to move to New York City and regroup. I also had to fully recuperate from a lung ailment, mostly inflicted by my super-relentless Left-wing activities. I almost died in 1995. 

       Yet I was still drawn to Leftist activism in NYC and helped a nonprofit organization write a funding grant, while I co-organized cause-oriented events. My experience with these clueless zealots and rahrah choir chanters was the worst chapter of my life in America. A lot worse than my frustration from the RJ vs RA fissure in Manila.  

       "Pop politics," you know. Bandwagon noise. 

       I again messed up my lungs. So after my surgery, I moved to Asheville (North Carolina) to heal and chill. I eventually organized events and published a tiny paper for THE Community. Left, Right, whatever--community. EVERYBODY was happy. The only common ideal that I maintained is anti-war. 

       But life and politics changed in a very short time. Many of my anti-war friends have “mellowed down” or now prefer to throw their full activism energy on hate-Trump noise (mostly in Social Media) over the pro-active advocacy to end all these wars. Of course, they don't support Mr Trump's efforts to persistently broker peace amidst all the magnificent challenges, internally and globally. 

       These days, I just stay indoors mostly, write and when I go out to do errands, only with two female BFFs, separately. Friends who are more Conservative traditionally (than politically, like my family) but essentially "unengaged" but calm and peaceful. And definitely, fun. ☮️☮️☮️