Dec 11 2024 - We're in a great state

 

This from the CBC news:  In an interview with NBC News on Sunday, Trump said that if the U.S. is going to run up lopsided trade deficits with Canada, it might as well become a state. Trump posted that he was happy to have dinner with "Governor Justin Trudeau, governor of the Great State of Canada.  I look forward to seeing the Governor again soon so that we may continue our in depth talks on Tariffs and Trade, the results of which will be truly spectacular for all!"   The CBC named it "a jab" in the article but the headline said Trump again teases Canadian takeover with 'governor' Trudeau post.  Another headline said that Trump's quip about the 51st state was a joke by a Minister that was present.   This shouldn't be a surprise joke or jibe - there's still talk of Trump  "purchasing" Greenland.  Will we get more of this - what do you think?  Seems to go with the package. There's nothing like an Amaryllis at Christmas - this picture from last year.

Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Feb 23 2024 - Trump Shoes in the News

 

This isn't really about Trump's "Never Surrender" gold sneakers. The Guardian: Sneakerheads on Trump's "Never Surrender" gold shoe:  tacky and very, very dumb  MSNBC News:  Trump hawks $399 golden sneakers after his $350 million fraud trial penalty  The Washington post:  Opinion Donald Trump sneakers cast a spell over you  The New York Times:  Those $399 Gold Trump Sneakers are about a lot more than shoes The Globe and Mail:  Donald Trump has zero qualifications for making an athletic shoe, but he does  I get the Globe and Mail and that's not the headline in the Globe.  Here it is:  "Trump's sneaker highlights how low sports attain has fallen."  This article is by Cathal Kelly. He quotes from the Guardian article with its opinions by sneaker aficionados.  But Cathal Kelly's own words are the quotable words.  Here's what he thinks the shoes look like - not stupid, no:   "They are a chastity belt strapped to your feet." It isn't Trump's shoes that worry him the most:  "Not so long ago, there were two types of people - those who did sports for a living, and those who watched them.  You knew the difference based on their manner of dress." Adults dressing up like a professional basketball player worries Kelly.   "Eventually, children wanted to dress like their sports heroes, in much the same way a kid might carry around a sword and shield.. this wasn't fashion.  It was make-believe.  How can you tell the difference?  A six-year-old with a sword and shield is charming.  A 34-year-old decked out like a medieval squire means you should dial 911." "Now here comes Trump, a guy that would be just as likely to wear sneakers outside the house as I would be to wear a live iguana." You can see from these snippets that Kelly is a fascinating and entertaining writer. And what is the lament of this article?  "...we can no longer deny the truth. As a culture, we look goofy". So can I conclude that the shoes are just the tip of the iceberg?

It seems gardens do have something to do about shoes. Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Mar 20 2023 - Spring Arrivals

What is the significant Spring arrival this week?  Spring itself arrives today around 5:30pm DST.   A little Crocus tommasinianus is blooming in my garden, along with Iris Reticulata, Snow drops and Winter aconite.  That's the garden story.   Trump's arrest would likely be the big event. It is reported that he posted in all-caps on his Truth Social platform:  "ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK."  The prospect of Trump’s arrest—the first in history for a former president—raises questions about the process Trump would be subject to during his arrest and trial—including whether any extraordinary measures would be in place. TIME spoke to legal experts about each step of the process and outline it HERE.  Can you imagine Trump walking into the front entrance of a courthouse or police station?  Can you imagine jury selection?  Wouldn't the majority of people have some opinion? Or multiple opinions. So we await the revelation of the Trump prophecy. And for the equinox news?  It is pagan festival time. According to the BBC, "this turn in the seasons has been celebrated by cultures throughout history who held festivals for their gods and goddesses at this time of year. Aphrodite from Cyprus, Hathor from Egypt and Ostara of Scandinavia. The Celts continued the tradition with festivities at this time of year.  Today, Pagans continue to celebrate the coming of Spring" Ostara is continued to be used as its festival title today.  Poor Stonehenge - it is a commercialized tourist destination.  Look through all those tour listings.  The English Heritage website says that the Solstice will be celebrated at sunrise on Tuesday 21 March.   We can go to skycap HERE. This shows the ambient, skyscape and tour views.  Click on the about at the bottom left and find out about the website developed by English Heritage.

Here are the garden club spring gardeners on Saturday.  They are planting the pots that will hang along the main street in Grimsby.

Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Aug 16 2022 - Words Starting with Trump

 

There are lots of words that start with Trump, as in capital T.  Donald Trump gave rise to a very creative press.     Would the first one be Trumpism?  And along with it Trumpist and Trumpian?  These are terms used to refer to those exhibiting characteristics of Trumpism.  Supporters of Trump are known as Trumpers.  While Trumpism is a well-known phrase, it is considered complex and contentious by wikipedia.   "Trumpism is a term for the political ideologies, social emotions, style of governance, political movement, and set of mechanisms for acquiring and keeping control of power associated with Donald Trump and his political base." Alternately Trumpism describes Donald Trump's made-up words.  This gives rise to articles on how to talk like Trump. The big one for me is the Trumpometer.  This is a seemingly never-ending scrolling list of Donald Trump's lies.  However, it isn't being tracked much anymore.    Next is Trumpocracy - this one is the title of a book written by David From on the corruption the American Republic. From there we have Trumponomics.  This is a high-frequency headline  that reviews Trumps 7 biggest failures.    Trumpocalypse - this is another book by David From.  This time it is about restoring American Democracy and how to rebuild the nation after Trump.  Have I found all the Trump words today?  One would go on to the signature words of Donald Trump.  Perhaps another time.

This is Port Dalhousie's beach on Lake Ontario.  Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblog.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Oct 16 2021 - Waxing and Waning

 

There was a news item and a video clip on a technology museum in China that has robots representing scientific and political celebrities.  This is the link HERE.  It is shocking to see their version of Trump.   Is this the official government view of the celebrities represented?  Steve Jobs has hands waving.  Einstein looks like a Jewish comedian in Halloween costume hair.  Trump has even stranger hair than"his normal", is shiny and extremely double-chinned.  Mocking trump seems to be the purpose of the robotics museum. Robot at the Chinese Museum: But then the Disney Museum's wax version is considered creepy too - and people thought it resembled Jon Voigt.  The Madame Tussauds Wax Museum ridiculed the Disney version by showing its wax model on the right in side by side pictures.  Their version is very real looking. Other "likenesses" of Trump seem to vary considerably.   It just seems strange that the people in the business of creating likenesses have created things that are "unlikenesses". There are some humorous stories - for example the London Wax Museum refitted Donald Trump into plaid pants golf attire after he lost the election.  There is a fine sense of satire. After the election, Trump was replaced with Biden.  Again things take a turn into more "unresemblances".  I wouldn't guess this is Biden - this one is at the Paris Wax Museum.  He seems to have lost decades of wrinkles and has added some hairline. After looking at these pictures, I don't think I'll visit the wax museum in Niagara Falls.  There are too many articles showing celebrities who have  "unlikenesses" in wax museums.  There's no need to scare oneself. I will be checking out this section of Moyer Road today - looking to take this year's pictures of this grey-blue thicket with the gold Maples behind.  This is last year's picture from the same timeframe.

Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Jan 25 2021 - Who Canceled Thursday?

 

Yesterday's headlines, had an interesting reference. in Thursday is Cancelled.  This is an April 1st joke in 2008: "a fool resembling Donald Trump announced that Thursday had been fired."  "Later the same day a memo was released revealing the April Fool's prank.  What would a week be without Thursday and all those bloggers making lists of thirteen things?" In 1998, President Bill Clinton was the subject of more than 1,700 jokes on late night television.  The author of that information is Robert Lichter, political communications and sociology professor.   In 2017, there were more than 3,100 jokes aired about Trump during late night programs.  Lichter noted that in 2016, Trump jokes on late night programs outnumbered Hillary Clinton jokes three-to-one.  In 2020, Trump jokes outnumber Biden jokes 30-to-one. I looked through the Donald Trump jokes and didn't find any for today's post.  I must have gone through hundreds, but they were mostly insulting and vulgar. Instead, I found the Biden Obama jokes from when he was Vice President referencing Trump, and these are repeatable: Biden:  I replaced all the water glasses with vases. Obama: ... Biden:  Tiny hands can't pick them up. Obama:  Joe ... Biden:  He'll die of thirst. You can see more on Pinterest HERE.  Here's today's version of the three birch trees. Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Facebook Twitter Website Email Share Tweet Forward

Dec 31 2020 - Profanity Comes In as the Year Goes Out

 

This year, like no other, has significance in its ending.  We have a communal hopefulness that the next year will improve.  We hope that there will be no other year like this one. So I predict, given it is the end of the year, and there's a new one ahead, that 2020 will become part of our language as profanity.  A second prediction is that Trump will become also become a profane term.  I think it is going to start quite quickly with: That's a load of 2020!  and  That's a load of Trump! And will continue with What in the 2020...? So I went searching for confirmation of my prediction and find I am a little late - it is already on public billboards big and bold.   I hadn't considered "Shut the 2020 up".   There are a series of 2020 COVID-related messages that are very funny - they are  HERE.     Three Sisters Park is in Illinois and this sign is for hire with personal messages - you can see many more on their facebook site HERE:       And what about Trump as a profane term? This idea hasn't taken off yet.   What has happened, is that the American Future Fund created an ad that displays Trump's public displays of profanity vs public policy.  They feel that he is better at the profanity and so spent six figures on the ad.   It is an aggregation of some of Trump's most notable public displays of profanity.   They include "motherf*****," "a**," "p***y," "d**n," "s***," and "f***."  So maybe the profanity expressions will be: Don't Trump around me Clean up your Trump Flush that Trump Son of a Trump I foresee a whole line of jokes, like the despicable Yo' Mama jokes.  So we might be in for quite a ride.      This flower is Fritillaria meleagris with the common name Checkered Lily.  It is very small, and I have it in the garden.  We could imagine such a flower in Alice in Wonderland's Garden.  There are fantasy hockey, baseball and  basketball rankings, so why not fantasy garden flower rankings.  Looks like the start of the 2021 intentions/resolutions.   Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Nov 16 2020 - American Thanksgiving

 

It is coming soon - American Thanksgiving.  So late in the year, it crowds into Christmas.  They have developed orange Poinsettias to accommodate this cross-over.   The other thing it has in timing that is difficult is the American election.  This sets up difficult and troublesome situations.  For example, Trump has been ruining American Thanksgiving since 2015 when a poll showed he was the politician most likely to ruin the Dinner.  The headlines about Trump and Thanksgiving in 2015, 2017 and 2019 were things like: "How to talk to Trump-Loving relatives at Thanksgiving."  During this election campaign, Trump predicted that if Biden becomes their next president, the Americans will have to bid farewell to Christmas and Thanksgiving.  That is a definite "ruin Thanksgiving" headline. On the other side of the ocean, the UK does have a sort of Thanksgiving - it seems to be November 26th this year.  Here's a quote from a website named wayenglishcourse.co.uk:  "The American thanksgiving is not celebrated in the UK because no one had to be thankful for their new land and good ocean trip." Our picture today is compensating for the diminishing colours of our landscape that November brings. It is a lovely Florida sunrise in 2016.   I wonder when we can expect the best sunrise/sunset colour here in Niagara.  Is there a time of year when it is best?  In terms of locations, Port Dalhousie and Niagara Falls have dramatic sunrises/sunsets.  One dilemma for Niagara Falls is that it has the most dramatic ones during the coldest winter weather.

Read past POTDs at my Blog: https://marilyncornwell.blogspot.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Nov 14 2020 - Villains in Port Dover?

 

And what happened in Port Dover? Yes - they (the bikers) 'descended on this otherwise sleepy Lake Erie town'. It was very subdued and quiet - 600 was the number given compared to last year there were 75,000 in Port Dover for September's 13th day. My interest has turned to villains.  The first villain I remember is Lex Luthor - these excerpts are from Wikipedia: "Lex Luthor originally appeared in Action Comics No. 23 (cover dated: April 1940). He has since endured as the archenemy of Superman. Lex Luthor was originally a mad scientist, but since the late 1980s, he has more often been portrayed as a power-mad business magnate, the CEO of LexCorp.  He ranks as number 4 in the 100 Greatest Villains of All Time." "Following Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985-1986), DC reboots its universe yet again, creating the "Post-Crisis" reality. In the 1986 limited series The Man of Steel, John Byrne redesigned Lex Luthor from scratch, intending to make him a villain that the 1980s would recognize: an evil corporate executive. Byrne intentionally chose to base this new depiction of Luthor on businessmen Donald Trump and Ted Turner." There are a number of through-lines to Donald Trump except for the origins of poverty:  "As originally presented in the Post-Crisis version of the DC Comics Universe, Lex Luthor is a product of child abuse and early poverty."   On his character, Wikipedia observes: "Whether he is a mad scientist, corrupt businessman, or both, Luthor's ego is a defining trait in all his incarnations; he believes he is entitled to both popularity and power. While each incarnation initially wants the adoration of others and control over either Smallville or Metropolis, the goal eventually rises to control over Earth and possibly universal domination." I reminisced through the Chrysanthemums at Gage Park last month. What a beautiful creation each one is.

Read past POTDs at my Blog: https://marilyncornwell.blogspot.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Nov 8 2020 - To Offer Congratulations

 

What happened last time when Trump became President?  Did everyone offer their congratulations?  Of course - it is a formalism.  My guess, though, is that they were not prepared for the onslaught of personal insults combined with the mess that he was about to unleash.  There is an entry in Wikipedia for his congratulations:  International reactions to the 2016 United States presidential election HERE.  What Trudeau offered in 2016, below, is very similar to what he offered Biden this weekend. "I congratulate President-elect Donald Trump on his election victory in the United States. Our shared values are strong. Our common purpose is to build countries where everyone has a fair chance to succeed, and where the government works first, foremost and always for the people it governs. The Canadian government will continue its hard work toward these ends, and we offer our hand in partnership with our neighbours as friends and allies as they move forward." This time he added: "We will further build on this foundation as we continue to keep our people safe and healthy from the impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic, and work to advance peace and inclusion, economic prosperity, and climate action around the world." Others showed relief: "Welcome back America !" tweeted Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris. A city official in Berlin said, "After the birth of my son, the election of Joe Biden is by far the best news of this year." I am sure there are some very funny comments and congratulations to come our way over this next week.  This will be part of the having fun again social movement. Our picture is yesterday's view of our beautiful weeping willow tree on the lagoon at Charles Daley Park.

Read past POTDs at my Blog: https://marilyncornwell.blogspot.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca