DramatistDreamer

OMG, Rafa's hair, or should I say head?!!

Your concerns are valid, I hear what you're saying. In a way, I think we may be communicating two slightly connected but somewhat different viewpoints. ETA- Speaking of areas of concern in Europe, I think Poland could and should be added to that list, given their gradual lurch toward the less culturally tolerant right more weaponized, which may have a lot to do with their geographic proximity to Russia.

Oops sorry. Clearly, I wrote this in a hurry. @DRW50 Points taken. Speaking of the use of humor in the midst of a what could potentially be a winter of discontent.

The quest for likes is a concern, OTOH, I couldn't imagine where we'd be, if we didn't make a place for satire and humor, especially when sh*t hits the fan! Even if you look at times of war and privation, there is a place for comedy, humor and biting satire. Amazon has a, er, "tradition", I guess you could say of mocking things and aspects of society that are backward, incorrect and just plain wrong. As a "lady-writer" myself, I thought the reviews on the specially made 'Lady Pens' for 'Lady Writers' made especially for our incapable hands (too soft to pick up an ordinary pen or do the equal work of a man) were biting, sarcastic and yes, funny. It made fun of the plight of women writers, which is plight caused by sexist, ridiculous standards about the supposed limitations of 'female writers', comediennes, etc. (thanks Jerry Lewis). By mocking, it showed this sexist mindset to be ridiculous as are the people who represent that mindset. Sorry @Vee but I took it a completely different way reading these mock reviews as I did when reading about the pink Lady Pens. Sometimes satire is done clumsily and poorly and the intention doesn't come through clearly- I don't see this as one of those times though. And yes, I have read about what's going on in Germany and of course, it is point of concern (as is Syria, Nigeria, the Sudan). Hopefully the majority of Germans will be a bit smarter than Americans in their voting choices (after all, Austria rejected their far-right candidate). We can only hope at this point.

Dummies! Some Trump Voters Will Be ‘Pissed Off As Hell’ If He Defunds Planned Parenthood

Low-key, I think so too, TBH. That six months is the best case scenario.

Update on Petra: Doctors say that it will take 6-8 weeks with a splint, rehab, then 6 months to recuperate the hand. I read also that for at least 3 months there is to be no weight on the injured hand. Doctors say that they are cautiously optimistic.

For what it's worth, JMO but I think that a schism among evangelicals is inevitable. There has been an emerging community of evangelicals of color that are breaking ranks with the old guard. There are also younger and middle aged white evangelicals who believe that the Paula Whites, Jerry Fallwell Jrs of the world are only looking out for their bank accounts and not doing any service to the poor, which many evengelicals (particularly those of color) believe should be central duties for evangelicals. I read about the clash between Liberty University and Fallwell Jr where hundreds of students staged a walkout and were reprimanded by Fallwell Jr. I think there will only be more of these clashes to come. Just reading that Trump has the 3rd lowest percentage of popular votes of any candidate since 1824, when they began recording the popular vote-- but Trumpkins can keep lying to themselves and believing that he has any mandate (55% of Republicans actually believe that Trump won the popular vote).

I have no idea but that would make sense. I imagine that GH got a lot of publicity with Taylor and everyone was probably trying to get their own grande dame ruthless type. ATWT was never at their best when they followed trends. They were always at their best when they brought on people who were on the verge of stardom (Whitney Houston) and low-key stars (Jermaine Jackson) or unassuming celebrities who can melt into a role. Nothing about Zsa Zsa says blend or melt into anything. Still, just to satisfy my curiosity, I'd love to see those episodes. If only some person could post online one day.

Do you even know the story? Do you even read? Unfortunately the door was unlocked and the building, which apparently has less security than my apartment building (I've seen pictures of her building and it doesn't look secure), had someone who unfortunately let the intruder into the building because the intruder was posing as a gas man. Petra and everyone in that building probably felt safe because there were no prior incidents but have learned the very hard way that they must now be less trusting and more suspicious even of someone who poses as a utilities employee. Anyway, for those who truly care about Petra, The operation lasted nearly 4 hours (3 hours, 45 minutes) and doctors had to suture the tendons on all of the fingers of the left hand (her dominant hand) and two nerves (which is tricky for anyone who relies on 'feel of the ball'). She faces months of rehab.

Poll: Majority of Americans Pessimistic or Uncertain About Trump Presidency Maybe many, in your mind, but not the majority, certainly not from where I see things.

I'm sorry that this has happened and sorry that this is the way of our world now. Unplanned attacks. Yes, sadly right-wingers will seize to promote their agenda (e.g. more weaponization) because predictably that is what they always do as political opportunists, even before asking whether people are okay or what they can do to help. Hopefully where you live @Huntress people will resist that urge and instead help one another. It's really the only way that seems to work.

People pretend like the hacking makes any difference to Republicans (and some Bernie bros) who chose to vote for a racists, sexist, mysogynist who has no experience with even so much as running a non-profit properly. Yet, we're supposed to believe that these hacks would've made all the difference puhlease! Republican voters (and a some Democrats) don't care about any of this. They just wanted to tear things completely down, thinking that someone will rebuild it but they are most likely in for a rude awakening.

Interesting statistics on the sustained efforts by the Obama administration to transfer/resettle Guantanamo detainees. George W. Bush bequeathed 242 detainees to the Obama administration and by the end of his two terms 41-42 detainees will be bequeathed from Obama's administration to the next administration. Also while the Bush administration transferred/resettled less detainees, they had a higher "suspected" recidivism rate at 35% (projected) while Obama transferred/resettled many more detainees but had a much lower "suspected" recidivism rate at 12% (projected). This sort of speaks to how much more thoughtful the O administration has been about who and where they have chosen to settle/transfer. Obama Administration Intends to Transfer 17 or 18 Guantánamo Detainees

I was all set to post this news about Vika- 2016 is a year I don't want a repeat of...ever! There has been a message posted through a fan Twitter feed that Petra is now with her family and is alright. No word from her reps so far but I'm not expecting anything right now, TBH.

@JuliajmsNo need to stand corrected. I actually meant to say "I hope I'm referencing an accurate article". These days, you just cannot be sure that an article is giving the most accurate facts. Take this picture for instance.

This day is pretty long too. The judge in the Brock Turner sexual assault case has been cleared of misconduct (bias) in his light sentencing of Turner. Judge cleared of misconduct in light sentencing of Brock Turner

Sadly, when there are any Muslim victims, I doubt there will be that much investigation into whether this is part of a chain of coordinated attacks. According to this article, the gunman stormed the mosque and fired on praying people. Gosh, I hope I'm referencing an accurate article. You can never be quite sure these days. Gunman storms mosque and opens fire on people praying leaving three injured

Now a gunman opens fire at an Islamic Center in Switzerland??! WTF, people! Are we trying to implode as a species, all in one day?!!

Now the Berlin truck speeding into pedestrians is also sprouting terror speculation. Truly a terrible day.

I haven't read the articles but I have seen photos and it is horrifying!

Who is "they" though? Progressive groups? Who are these progressive groups? Many have their own implicit biases that were put on display during this campaign, so I don't have much hope in whatever media they could possibly build getting to the crux of the problem or solving the matter. Most of them are too busy blaming identity political platforms for Democrats' loss. Michael Eric Dyson's Op-Ed piece was very good at highlighting some of the problems why Blacks were so dubious of Bernie. That's a divide that's not going away any time soon but it needs to be solved before the next election and I mean mid-terms. As for the media, of course they are looking to profit and they're already being successful with that strategy as subscriptions for newspapers like the NYT and WAPO have jumped in recent weeks. I do think it's laughable that they are riding Obama over him mentioning the unbalanced coverage that Clinton received in comparison to Trump. There are studies that have been done that reflect this--why doesn't the MSM debate the sociologist and political scientists who have done and reported this research? @DRW50 Did you see Friday's news conference? The way Martha Raddatz continued to quote Trump to Obama then demand an explanation of a Trump quote? After the 4th question quoting Trump, Obama, clearly exasperated testily told Raddatz "...that's all you're going to get, Martha". It seems as if it's not just progressive groups focusing too much on Trump. The press went from 0 to MACH 10 on asking questions about Trump policy moves- too bad they were asking Obama these questions.

People are mad at Obama for failing to stop them from their own stupidity. Oh well, at 3pm, it becomes a fait-accompli. Christine LaGarde may be headed for prison. IMF chief Christine Lagarde convicted over payout I've said this before but 2016 has been a bad year for women in politics and international power circles.

The character sounds familiar but I was probably too young to have watched it. What year was this?