Latest Moan From You and Me 2024

"Graupel is also called snow pellets or soft hail, as the graupel particles are particularly fragile and generally disintegrate when handled."

This stuff was not all that fragile...

This morning it is 32f 0c and it's been steadily dark all night and up till now. I don't see any stars so it must be cloudy!

 

Ahhh..all becomes clear Hope you're having a better day today!

 

Just got an email from a distant relative who lives in New England saying how the whole family, scattered across the USA, have “stood in line” for up to an hour to vote for Harris. She says that the result is on a knife edge. It sounds a lot closer and more scary than it does in our news reports. She mentions someone called Heather Cox Richardson, a professor of history, as someone to read if you want to see the future if Trump wins. For example….

 

There's no good outcome for this. If Trump wins, well, 4 yrs of chaos as he swings from this idea to that on a 3 am whim. If Harris wins, uproar from Trump supporters, which could be a lot worse than in 2021.

The Republicans and Democrats are equally to blame for US politics becoming such a partisan mess, IMV. The whole system needs a complete rethink and the influence of big money should be totally removed from the equation.

 

Yes, in the 1930s we had Spain, Italy, Germany and Russia all with “strong men” making rousing speeches to adoring followers and look where they got us. Now we have Russia, China, North Korea, Hungary, on the same band wagon plus others such as Germany and USA on the brink.

 

But I can also see that for many ordinary Americans the Democrats in power just hasn't worked. Education standards, homelessness, inflation, all the things that matter to people have become enormous problems under both parties. Billions of tax-payer dollars get siphoned off in military contracts, to Big Pharma and Big Food. The moneyed elite behind the Democrats have no more interest in living standards for citizens than those behind the Republicans do. So, people get desperate ... and desperate people are more prone to persuasion by anyone who claims they can solve the issues.

America's problem (and, increasingly, ours) is that money (getting it, keeping it) has eclipsed humanity. The mantra about anyone being able to get on if they only try has been pure poison. Not only is it untrue, but it allows lack of compassion for others and their cirs to fester and take root. Add in religious obsession (god wants it this way) and gun mania (killing another is acceptable), and, well, we can clearly see the results.

 

That sounds about right @shiney ......those of us who attempt to help others need to keep a very large brick wall to hand these days

 

Little point in worrying about whether Trump gets in or not...... preferably not........he will still remain a PITA and cause trouble whether elected or not. Politics are a world wide joke - sadly not one you can laugh at tho.

 

I suppose we should be grateful that we don't have a 'strong man' at the top.