Happy Father’s Day to all fathers. If your father has passed, remember something about him that makes you smile. On the day before Father’s Day, let me offer some random musings.
Amazon is buying Whole Foods. This might be scary to all grocers, especially those who pride themselves on premium products. Distribution of ordered food will have to be well crafted and closer to the consumers to make it work, but my guess is Amazon will do better at it than others.
The City of Houston is the leading US city on renewable energy with over 89% of its electricity produced by renewables. Yet, it has a lot to lose with climate change given its sea level position and porous natural defenses. With the fossil fuel distribution centers in its harbor, it is ironic that the centers are in jeopardy due to sea level rise caused by burning fossil fuels.
Since I cannot pass on a couple news items from the White House, it is reported our Attorney General Jeff Sessions may have been more than just evasive in his testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee. He may have perjured himself. When he said he had not met any Russian lobbyists, he failed to recall he had one over to his house for dinner twice. What is equally troubling is this lobbyist wrote a speech for then candidate Trump.
In trying to push the Senate on a repeal and replace of the ACA, the President described the House AHCA Bill as “mean.” Mind you, this is the same bill he celebrated with a party of GOP House members on the White House lawn. That was before the CBO said the AHCA would result in 23 million Americans losing health care coverage. Note to Senators, you may want to get the CBO results before passing anything. The AHCA was “mean” before the party.
Finally, we must remember our tragedies and learn from them. The shooting of Republican congressmen tells us violence is not the answer and we must stop the polarized rhetoric. The tragic fire in London means safety checks mean safety checks. We must value human life and do everything in our power to make well planned improvements to buildings that meet all standards. And, we cannot forget the Flint lead poisoning in the water piping. A half a dozen Michigan government have been charged with manslaughter over the death of one man, but the culpability and damage goes further. Leaders ignored reports of the problem after making a cost cutting decision retap the Flint River.
That is all for today. Have a great weekend and be safe.
musingsofanoldfart 
So true Keith…Have a very happy Father’s Day.
Thanks Holly.
Dear Keith,
And a Happy Fathers’ Day to you, as well.
THIS NEXT WEEK IS GOING TO BE A ROCKY ONE WITH DDT EXPLODING AS HE FIGURES OUT HE IS F______D! We all knew that he wouldn’t go down easily.
It is frustrating that for over 3 years, Flint has yet to be made whole after their water supply was contaminated with lead, but those who created this nightmare deserve some jail time.
Government is supposed to exist to help folks out, not to poison them and then turn their backs on those complaining.This is part of what is causing some folks to be angry and frustrated.
Hugs, Gronda
Gronda, Flint is a perfect example of saving money on the backs of the voiceless. There are three key points. First, the State officials would not have done this on an affluent neighborhood. Second, once done, the officials should have heeded reports of concerns. Third, there was significant CYA going on. This debacle goes all the way up to the governor’s office. Keith
“When he said he had not met any Russian lobbyists, he failed to recall he had one over to his house for dinner twice. What is equally troubling is this lobbyist wrote a speech for then candidate Trump.” Have been ‘out’ all day; when I read this, my jaw dropped.. but then I chuckled….
Lisa, one legal expert said the AG just made a date with a Grand Jury. The President’s guilt has yet to be determined, but there are definitely two things happening that should give everyone pause – there is certainly a lot of lying going on including, but not limited to the President. And, the President’s nonchalance over the Russian meddling is puzzling at the very least. If your Ecuadorisn friends ask, tell them these two facts. Keith
Our new president seems to be doing the polar opposite; pardoning those who protested against mining, not stepping between investigations that involve family member of the vp, etc… He appears to be operating from a higher code of honor, so great to witness.. Thanks for the updates; I wll be traveling back to the cloud forest this afternoon and busy the next few days, so getting your updates will be helpful!
Higher sense of honor, that sounds nice. It would not take a lot to be higher than our guy.
Have a great weekend, Keith. I am on a break from now on. See you in about 2 weeks. Huge hugs to you 🙂
Erika, enjoy your holiday. Keith
Thank you and I will for sure 😊
Note to Readers: I saw the ABC special report last night on the 45th anniversary of Watergate. The break in occurred in June, 1972. They showed previous and current interviews with Nixon, Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Dean, Liddy, Hunt, etc. The first three were the orchestrators of a covert burglary and countermeasure team that would do anything to get Nixon reelected and discredit critics. The similarities of making the press the enemy to today is downright eerie. In fact, Nixon was so irate with The Washington Post (due to Woodward and Bernstein’s reporting), he ordered its reporters not to be invited to the White House. It should be noted that The Washington Post was dead on accurate and over twenty of Nixon’s people went to jail including his Chief of Staff, AG, and Senior Advisor. And, the President was wrong when he said “I am not a crook.” Yes, he was.
Happy Father’s Day, Keith! Take a day off from the news… you’ll be much happier that way. Believe me, it will be there when you get back. 🙂
Janis, very true. Yet depending on the Twitter in Chief, I will have to catch up on two or three iterations of crazy tweets. Keith
Note to Readers: I once referred to my Dad as my 45 year old pitching machine. One of my best memories is my Dad pitching batting practice to me, often after work. He played baseball and basketball and ran track at Berry College in Rome, GA back around 1950, but I know now he was tired, but happy to pitch to his son.
Happy Father’s Day Keith! Hope you’re doing something special. Love your dad memory. As always, thanks for recapping the crazy news of the week.
Thanks Lisa. I hope you have a nice one there.
Belated Happy Father’s Day to you Keith from ‘Across The Pond’
Roger, many thanks. Do you have a similar holiday there? Keith
Yes,indeed 18th June, Our family is quite scattered but my two daughters and son keep in touch and don’t forget birthdays, Mum’s Day or Father’s Day
Roger, happy Father’s Day in return. My three are the opposite, two sons and a daughter. The best of the day was the five of us gathered around the pool just chatting and cutting up. It was fun. I hope you had a wonderful day. Keith
Thanks for sharing an image of love during these troubled times, I am happy for all of you. We had a good day, two long phone conversations- with my younger daughter about her beloved music; the second with my son about Batman comics, film adaptations thereupon and the Netflix superhero series; and yesterday with my eldest (and daughter) about all sorts (or as she used to say when she was four ‘food and days and things’). Good times.
All the best
Roger
Roger, few things are better than good conversations with your children. That is terrific. Keith
I somehow got far behind in my reading of blogs, so I will wish you a belated “Happy Father’s Day”! Hope it was a good one! Enjoyed your bits ‘n pieces!
It was indeed. We had a brunch with a few of our extended family over. Good times. The best time with our family after everyone left with conversation by the pool.