Tag: USA

USA, sorry I have to say it.

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What place in the world do you never want to visit? Why?

I know it’s an awful thing to say, because as with all countries there are good and bad people in all of them. It’s not so much the population as the behaviour of some of them that I find so frightening. Just writing this on social media could see me detained and deported because it could be read as criticism.

But I am afraid of flying, and there have been too many crashes lately. My health is poor, and I could not afford the exorbitant costs of the treatment I might need.

I also would not be comfortable in a country that is so happy to allow it’s population to freely carry guns. When I read of the school shootings that happen on an almost weekly basis I cry inside for the loss of the children.

More fears grip me, the lack of safety because vaccination is not encouraged. The levels of measles and bird flu are increasing, but you cannot find out what is happening because many government websites have been deleted or distorted to remove useful information. How can this continue?

No, I don’t think I would dare to visit. It’s strange and threatening to outsiders. It’s not for me, sorry.

Day after

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14 years after the Conservative Party took over government in the UK, the Labour Party has now won our General Election.

Yes the election votes were counted last night, and this morning, after the votes had been collected in only two results are outstanding. I guess that’s because we have about a fifth of the population of the USA and I think I’ve read that the UK would fit into Texas?

But it is remarkably speedy. Sir Kier Starmer is now Prime minister. He is already selecting his cabinet and has taken over the reins of government today. Rishi Sunak the Prime minister yesterday has left number 10 Downing Street already.

It’s so different from what we saw on January 6th 2021 in the States. No fight over the winner, maybe a few recounts, all done manually with people counting bundles of votes which were collected in from Polling stations within hours of them being cast. And how do we indicate who we want to vote for? With a pencil cross in a box next to the candidates name.

The only change recently? Having to have photo ID. Not universally appreciated as not everyone has it and you have to apply for a certificate of authenticity if you don’t have a photo driving licence or a passport. The amount of electoral fraud was only in the hundreds if I remember rightly. This was one expensive policy by the previous government that might have disenfranchised some voters yesterday.

So congratulations and hoping for a much better, less frantic, government for at least the next five years!

Tired again

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I made a mistake last night and decided to watch the Presidential debate. It started at 2am and I went to bed at 4.30am totally dejected by the whole thing.

What they talked about has no doubt been reported across the world. But as a person interested in politics it was in turn worrying and unbelievable! It was like two boys squabbling, one a big bully and the other a child with illnesses that made him weak. I’d hate to be their parents. Two moderators tried to keep control, but never chastised the bully or called out the constant lies. In fact I’d call one of the speakers a spoilt brat!

Why run politics this way? Too much power and pressure in the hands of one man. There must be other ways to do it. I know of one country that chooses a random citizen once a year in a type of raffle? You have to be a decent, healthy person, but then your job is to work hard for your country. There must be some guidelines but no one gets absolute power. Is that a good idea?

Happy Thanksgiving

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We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in the UK. It comes from the arrival of settlers in the USA and their survival despite the conditions there. I don’t know much about its history, it seems like many of the same treats and foods for Christmas are eaten during Thanksgiving. I know people make their way home to be with family and friends.

I have been to Plymouth in Devon, England, where the Mayflower left to go to America, but there is some argument about where it first set out from, and I believe there was another ship due to travel across the ocean, but it was in such poor condition that it did not go. I’m interested in the history of the celebration, and the variations between it and Christmas or other winter celebrations. I wonder if it’s similar to our harvest festivals earlier in autumn?

Card from abroad

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Propped on my easle next to my latest painting, a lovely card from my friend in the USA. I felt a wave of joy and guilt! Joy to be connected with such a lovely person. Guilt because all my intentions to send cards were knocked for six by this chest infection. I had to rely on sending emails and Facebook. I only sent cards to a few close relatives. I even have cards in my handbag I was going to deliver on Christmas eve but didn’t get out on the freezing cold.

Thank you to Martha for this card and letter. You really made me smile today. Thinking of you and Bear and Teddy. Hope you get some good snow!

will the counting ever end?

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Will the counting ever end? 200,000,540 or 74,002,350 or 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ….

I’m sitting in the UK watching the news about the USA election. Thinking about how disorganised it seems. Clearly they needed mail in ballots ( we call them postal votes) because of the pandemic. How can that be argued against. Then it said Pennsylvania is supposed to be causing problems because the mail in ballots were counted after the polls closed, but thats because the Republicans would not allow them to be counted before then!

The delightful Donald is tweeting that they should stop counting in one state but he is behind, so that would give the win to his rival?

I am being disparaging I know. I apologise, but when you sit outside and look in it does seem peculiar. It feels like one of the greatest countries in the world is being run by a toddler. I’m expecting him to say he’s not playing football anymore and is taking the football with him. He may be very good, what do I know? And I can’t claim we have got the best government ourselves. I guess democracy is not an exact science, humans get in the way of sensible ideas.

Apologies if I have given offence to anyone.

I found a black cat drawing

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Found a digital drawing I did in 2016 on my Facebook memories. This was drawn on ArtRage free app. Black cats are not that popular, robably because of the myth that they are witches familiars. I just like how they look, like mini panthers or jaguars.

Black cats are proud creatures, mainly short-haired although I have seen long-haired ones. They can cause some allergies because their dandruff seems to trigger things. But I don’t think that’s a problem.

Black cats crossing your path are considered good luck in Britain, but unlucky in the USA. It’s funny how things can be so opposite in these countries. As they say America and Britain are two countries seperated by the same language. Anyway I still like black cats.