Fluffy, The Cat
Here’s David Shadrick, my long time friend, and www.calamitypolitics contributor, telling the story about pet sitting his sister’s geriatric cat, Fluffy. It is just a reminder that we should all be careful how we say things.
Here’s David Shadrick, my long time friend, and www.calamitypolitics contributor, telling the story about pet sitting his sister’s geriatric cat, Fluffy. It is just a reminder that we should all be careful how we say things.

Spring is officially here. We have all heard April showers bring May flowers – with the budding of those flowers comes the promise of summer abundance. Spring means many things to many people. Some spring rituals include spring cleaning, spring planting and ‘spring break’. Spring is truly the season of renewal and regrowth. Religious holidays such as Easter and Passover can revitalize our spirits. ‘Spring break’ for college students, can be a carefree and joyous time.
Spring cleaning readies our homes in much the same way the spirituality of spring renews our souls. Many of us find major house cleaning to be therapeutic. Washing down walls, scouring the oven, shampooing carpeting and furniture, beating the rugs, flipping the mattresses, vacuuming draperies, polishing the silver, making light fixtures sparkle, and washing windows to let the sun shine in. By the way, vinegar works wonders cleaning glass. The physical labor of a good house cleaning can be invigorating and uplifting.
Spring is the sign of longer days and plenty of sunshine on the way. When we hose down the porch furniture we know family picnics, fun at the water park, or the beach are as predictable as ants at a picnic. In the same way we open our homes, welcoming daylight and fresh air, after a long winter’s cold confinement, we open our hearts and souls to the hope of new life once again. As we escape winter’s doldrums, our spirits soar with the promise of spring and sunshine. Such exhilarating rebirth does our hearts good.

It is Tuesday morning and it looks like a perfect day. The clouds are white cotton balls hanging over a green ocean with cresting waves breaking gently against the sand. It does not seem to matter that I am currently “sheltered in place” because of the COVID-19 pandemic. I was thinking before I started writing this blog post that I should discard politics for a few minutes and look for as many reasons as I can to smile. Here is what I came up with:
1.) Puppies and kittens 2.) A man in white T-shirt and faded jeans, that fit just right 3.) Hot, crispy french fries 4.) Beach bonfires w/friends 5.) Misty mornings 6.) My over-sized cat sleeping in the hanging fern 7.) Moonlight on water 8.) Old Godzilla movies at midnight 9.) Taking first place 10.) Tiny houses 11.) Wicker and lace 12.) Powdered doughnut holes with fresh perked coffee 13.) My secret journal 14.) An old cabin in the woods 15.) A check at the mail box 16.) Giving the peace sign, not the middle finger 17.) A new toothbrush 18.) An old Marx Brothers comedy 19.) Triple layer chocolate fudge cake topped with chocolate and cherry cordial ice cream 20.) Snowmobile rides under a full moon 21.) Sweet dreams 22.) Back rubs 23.) The rhythmic click of a spinning fan 24.) Remembering Mama 25) Following a stone wall to its end 26.) Babies dressed in boots and jeans 27.) Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef 28.) Machu Picchu 29.) Self-confidence 30.) The swooshing sound of corduroy on corduroy 31.) Toy Trains 32.) Cartwheels, somersaults, and hand stands on the front lawn 33.) Giant Tortoises 34.) Koi filled ponds 35.) Hot apple Empanadas 36.) Carte blanche 37.) Good posture 38.) A Denny’s breakfast of grease and goo 39.) Japanese lanterns floating on a breeze 40.) Twitter friends
No matter what is happening in Washington D. C. today, I will smile. Join me daily on www.Calamitypolitics.com and Twitter @calamitypolitics, as I autopsy the headline political news, promised to be served with a generous side of sarcasm and a double order of cynicism. For dessert, I promise a big dish of hope. as I attempt to analyze and comment on the upside down world of U.S. politics.
Join the Resistance

When I woke up the stock market was in free fall. A one session drop of 2,997 is jaw dropping
I watched the Democratic debate Sunday night. Somewhere during the post-debate analysis I fell asleep. My eyes opened at 6:35 a.m. PST Monday morning, to the sound of MSNBC’s anchor Stephanie Ruhle’s voice. The stock market was in free fall. Down 1,200 points on the open. I shook my head, clearing the cobwebs. I reached for the volume button. After a minute my vision cleared and I saw the collapse in full color, in a few small numbers in the corner of the screen. I checked my cell phone, for messages. There were none. I turned back to the television, hypnotized. I didn’t want to miss a moment of the coming Armageddon.
By afternoon the Trump administration was holding another press conference. During the briefing, Trump was still self-congratulating himself, patting himself on the back, time after time to the television audience. He in fact, announced he was giving himself a “10” for his presidential performance. “A perfect 10”. OMG. I am having visions of the Jefferson Airplane classic, “White Rabbit.”
As Trump and his panel of experts closed the press briefing the stock market also closed. Today’s Dow drop of 2,997 was jaw dropping. A bloodbath. No other description necessary. To refresh your memory, when Trump was inaugurated on January 19, 2017 the DOW was at 19,804. On 2/16/2020 the Dow hit a record high of 29,551. Today the Dow closed at 20,188. Trump has taken investor’s on a wild ride. Hang on because its likely to get rocky from here on out.
I am officially declaring, today as “Coronary Monday”. It’s great sometimes, being the boss, even if it’s only me, and Hamlet, today. Thinking about political theory, political science, political reality, political bullshit, political incompetence can be a real downer. But, not TODAY! I refuse to let the real world penetrate my home isolation. So, brace your self. There will be no further political discussion. There will be no further analysis, there will be no relevant comment, other than what some crazy ass athletes once said:
Mike Tyson: Responding to a question regarding his retirement plans to: “Fade into Bolivian, I guess.” Joe Theismann: “The term genius is inapplicable to anyone in this game. A genius is Norman Einstein.” Pedro Guerrero: About his relationship with the press, “Sometimes they write what I say, not what I mean.” Chuck Nevitt: On why he appeared nervous: “My sister is having a baby, and I don’t know if I’m going to be an aunt or an uncle.” Yogi Berra: “It gets late early out here.” George Foreman: “There’s more to boxing than hitting. There’s not getting hit, for instance.” George Roberts: “I want to rush for 1,000 or 1,500 yards, whichever comes first.” Tug McGraw: “Always root for the winner. That way you won’t be disappointed.” Don King: He (Chavez) speaks English, Spanish, and he’s bilingual.” Dizzy Dean: The doctor X-rayed my head and found nothing. Bill Cowher: On whether the Steelers bent NFL regulations: “We’re not attempting to circumcise the rules.”
Thank you, Dr. Rod L. Evans, Ph.D. quotes taken from his book, Tyrannosaurus Lex.
Join the Resistance

Part of my job at Calamity Politics is to do research. Research can be lots of fun and I look forward to it. Since the election of Donald J. Trump to the presidency, I, along with about 75,000,000 Americans have joined the Resistance. The opportunity to replace Trump will be by election. The 2020 election is only seven months away. I believe that we are going to need strength and courage to see this political battle to a satisfactory Progressive conclusion. To give some perspective, I decided to look up the word courage.
Here’s what I found out. When I looked up courage, I found innumerable quotes on the idea of courage. Most were quite inspiring. Here’s a brief collection of some pretty smart comments by some pretty smart people. Winston Churchill has two quotes noted, he was a really smart and courageous guy who led a nearly defeated nation to victory.
“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen,” –Winston Churchill
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
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“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.”
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“Courage leads starward, fear toward death,”- Seneca
“Courage conquers all things,” – Ovid
“The strongest, most generous and proudest of all virtues is courage,” Michel De Montaigne
“Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.”
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“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”
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Well, I’m definitely inspired. How about you? If you are even a little inspired, do something to fight the Trump administration. Be brave. Be courageous. Step up our very democracy is at risk. There are many things you can do, write a letter to your congressional representative, make a phone call to your state senator, most important, vote.
1. Marilyn Monroe, the 1950-1960 sex goddess, had 6 toes on one of her feet. See. None of us are perfect.
2. Did you know a cockroach can live for up to nine days without a head, until it starves to death? Who knew?
3. An Ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain.
4.
Women blink twice as often as men.
5, No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.
6. Leonardo Da Vinci invented scissors. Thank God! Man and woman lived on this planet for 200,000 years before someone invented scissors. They seem so basic, so necessary. How did people live before scissors? Amazing.on so many levels.
7. Our noses and ears never stop growing, while our eyes remain the same size for life.
8. A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.
9. Whether protesting or electioneering, petitions can serve as important democratic tools, such as when California governor, Gray Davis was recalled in 2003. Arnold Schwarzenegger famous body builder and movie action hero took his place in Sacramento.
10. Some species of piranhas are vegetarians, while all butterflies are carnivores.
11. The most shoplifted book in America is the Bible. I wonder what that says about us as a society?
12. Rats can tread water for three days without stopping.
13. All the clocks in the movie Pulp Fiction were stuck on 4:20. I know what 4:20 means to me. I wonder if it means the same to Tarantino? Probably. Sit back, light up.
14. Mosquitoes are attracted to the color blue.
15. There are 13 witches in a coven.
16. Abraham Lincoln’s first choice to lead the Union Army was Robert E. Lee.
17. “E” is the most used letter in the English alphabet. “Q” is the least used letter.
18. Fingernails grow 4 times faster than toenails.
19. November 15th is National Clean Your Refrigerator Day.
20. Cleopatra was Greek (Ptolemy), not Egyptian.
21. The colder your bedroom the higher the chance of having a nightmare.
22. Cornelius Vanderbilt was born a farmer’s son who left school at age 11 and despite his lack of education went on to become the richest man of 19th century America.
23. Oprah Winfrey, a black woman raised by her grandmother, sent to juvenile detention at 13, an unwed mother at 14. Oprah went on to TV stardom and stratospheric wealth in the 20th century.
24. The most common spoken word around the world is “O.K., ok, okay, or, k” It can be heard from New York City to the tiniest rain forest village.
25. “Jiffy” is an actual unit of time. So when Mom says she’ll be there in a “jiffy” she really means in 1/100th of a second.
26. It takes six months to build a Rolls Royce……and 13 hours to build a Toyota.
Okay, there you go. 26 Tidbits of Fascinating and Useless Information. Use it as you will.
The cold days of February bring thoughts of one of my favorite holidays, Valentine’s Day. Some of my fondest memories involve Valentine’s fun. We all remember when we were growing up getting those tiny Valentines in their little white envelopes placed in a big wooden box on the teacher’s desk. Each year my miniature Valentines had a different theme: puppies, kittens, Barbie, and of course, princess.
My earliest Valentine’s memory is my kindergarten campaign to give trousers to that little guy with the bow and arrow, since it was cold outside. Those timeless teddy bears with pink and red bows, and heart-shaped boxes of candy covered in ruffles, bring back many teenage memories.
Be Your Own Valentine-HumorThe cold and blustery days of February are here, once again bringing one of my favorite holidays, Valentine’s Day. Of course, reminders are everywhere. Just like pumpkin spice in the fall, this month brings us heart-shaped everything, from butter knives to nail files, and the phrase “Be Mine” is emblazoned on nearly every surface of retail establishments.
This year, my husband and I will be celebrating by attending a screening of my favorite film, “Legally Blonde”, at the library, followed by the requisite romantic dinner, or maybe we’ll opt for a heart-shaped pizza – mine just might be topped with a pair of heart-shaped gold earrings. Of course I have my story ready, “Honey, I found them by accident, really; I mean I wasn’t snooping in your sock drawer, or coat pocket – I was looking for the heart-shaped butter knife, and just happened upon them”.
Well, we are a month into the new year. I suppose we are all keeping our healthy New Year’s resolutions; or perhaps they have gone awry? I find more often than not good intentions dealing with weight loss, visiting the gym, or other health-related resolutions, by this time of year have hit the back burner.

The power of mocha lattes cannot be denied.
Gut health seems to be big on the resolution scale this year. Back in the day, it was rather unladylike to discuss one’s guts, unless, of course, you were prepping fish. The times, they are a changin’, since it is now quite stylish to converse about your innards. I’m sure that mine are pretty and pink, happily filled with mocha latte, with maybe a few probiotics thrown in for good measure.
My dear fashionable friend L.J., has taken an unusual interest in my gut health this year. She has gone so far as to suggest that I embrace ginger. L.J. recommends I take some ginger root and steep it in boiling water giving me a yummy little elixir that will do truly exemplary things for my mocha latte-challenged gut. Should I have the guts to actually drink this ginger miracle, I’m sure my system would dance an Irish Princess jig.
I did actually go so far as to buy the ginger root, which looks like the dried up root stump of a dead bush. It now sits on the pantry shelf, taunting me – my gut reaction is to use it the next time we have sushi. My gut instinct tells me perhaps a simple cup of tea with a Krispy Kreme jelly doughnut chaser should perhaps replace the ginger culinary potion. Mind you, I’m not speaking of an exotic fig twig kumquat pomegranate purple berry blast tree bark tea – but an uncomplicated cup of chamomile laced with honey, drunk with one pink-polished pinkie extended.
Perhaps my gut advisor, the rather debonair L.J. will join me in a simple respite of Earl Grey, or orange pekoe. I think I will just resolve to stick to non-GMO, preservative-free, low-sodium, plant-based, meatless-Monday, actual-dairy, high-protein, real food in 2020 with a once-a-day multivitamin thrown in to top it all off. With that recipe I will allow my insides to take care of themselves. Furthermore I resolve to make frequent trips to the pool for water aerobics, to have the guts to stand up for my convictions, and of course, I’ll do it all with style…..
Anna Hessel is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists
Want more Anna Hessel? She’ll be back, Calamity News and Politics loves her too.
Minority identity in mainstream art and culture is often illusive. Everybody wants to be seen. Everyone wants to be recognized. Now in the age of branding, group identity is held up as the most important part of a person. As such, the notion of “Media Representation” has become a hot topic in recent years. The #OscarsSoWhite campaign has highlighted the issue. As with most things however, not every situation is the same and there needs to be some nuance.
The #OscarsSoWhite campaign had a legitimate point to make. The point being, most Academy Award nominees/winners have traditionally been white. Those numbers make no sense. There is now, and always has been, a giant reservoir of talented and creative people of color working in the arts. So why are people of color so poorly represented in the awards department, I wondered. I believe that particularly in terms of acting, there is the ever looming issue of tokenism. Tokenism dramatically affects the dynamics, by limiting the type of roles offered to black actors. The hipster cabby. You know the image.