Democratic Candidates Look Dumb

by | Aug 14, 2019 | Life

Intelligent people realize how dangerous Donald Trump is to democracy and freedom. It is imperative for our country, and the global environment, to remove him from office. Therefore, the 2020 election will be the most important one of our lives. If Trump wins, his grasp on power will grow exponentially, and America could possibly transition into a dictatorship. It will also mean bigotry, racism, hate, fear, and ignorance will continue to divide America and degrade the values so many of us cherish.

In light of the above, the Democrats must do everything possible to ensure a Democrat wins the election. And we know what the strategy is, appeal to those who voted for Obama, but switched to Trump in 2016. They must also attract Independents like me, and those traditional Republicans who can’t stand Trump, but want somebody with centrist values.  Here’s the common sense translation. The Democrats have to win the Rust Belt swing states they lost like PA. Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio. In order to attract those blue collar voters and Independents, the Democrats must present them with someone who appeals to middle America. That means they must present blue collar workers with a mainstream candidate who understands them and supports/represents their value system. 

But if you watched the first 2 Democratic Primary debates, it was a horror show. That is, unless you’re a Trump supporter, then you were thrilled with what you saw and heard. Instead of attacking  a very vulnerable Trump on a wide array of issues, they instead went after Joe Biden and President Obama. Are you insane? If that wasn’t bad enough, they

  • spent a significant amount of time debating 40 year old school busing issues
  • told blue collar workers we’re going to take away the private health insurance which they worked so hard to obtain
  • Then, Bernie Sanders and company presented a plan to provide FREE, LIFETIME health insurance to illegal immigrants

If the Democratic candidates think the ridiculous approach outlined above will appeal to mainstream, middle America, they really are stupid. In addition, Bernie Sanders, and possibly Elizabeth Warren, must drop out of the race. Bernie’s candidacy is a major gift to Donald Trump and Republicans. Since Bernie’s ego is enormous, he will stay in the race. And when he doesn’t get the nomination, you can bet a significant number of Bernie supporters will do what they did in 2016, they will stay home.. And as we learned in 2016, every vote counts in the swing states. The Dems cannot afford to lose any votes in those crucial elections.

Although I like and admire Elizabeth Warren, she also needs to go. Then the rest of the candidates can and should concentrate on exposing the lies, bigotry, and illegal actions of Donald Trump. And while they’re attacking Trump, they need to present middle America with centrist polices which appeal to the majority of Americans.

 

 

American Cliches and Expressions

by | Jun 7, 2019 | English Expressions

I’m fascinated by the hundreds of clichés we use every day where the words utilized have nothing to do with the meaning of the expression. It’s amazing how clichés develop because reading or listening to  the words never gives you a clue. Imagine someone from a foreign country, who’s learning English, reading these words while trying to figure out what they mean. We’ll talk more about this and related grammatical issues in the future. But for now, here are a few examples below. Please read the clichés and maybe you’ll understand why they are so fascinating to me.

Beat Around the Bush
Bite the Bullet
Blood Is Thicker Than Water
Bring Home the Bacon
Burning The Candle At Both Ends
Give Her the Cold Shoulder
Cut to the Chase
He was “Called on the Carpet”
The “Cat’s got your tongue”
Play it “Close to the Vest”
She “broke his heart”
We’re “holding his feet to the fire”
He has a “Green Thumb”
She’s making money “Hand Over Fist”
It’s a piece of cake
I’ve Been Around the Block a Few Times
Keep His Nose Clean
Keep Your Chin Up
Let the Cat Out of the Bag
Keep His “Nose to the Grindstone”
Push the Envelope
Money Talks
More Than One Way To Skin a Cat
Red Carpet Treatment
Red Tape
They “Tied the Knot”
The “other shoe dropped”
There are no silver bullets
Until the Cows Come Home
Watch Your Ps and Qs
Whole Ball of Wax
They Went “Belly Up”
Whole Nine Yards
Wild Goose Chase
He speaks with a forked tongue
Drop a Dime on him
This might “Open a Can of Worms”
Our CEO “Weighed In” on the issue
Our new employee needs to “get her feet wet”

A Cure for Cancer?

by | Jan 29, 2019 | Health

A Cure for Cancer?

Throughout our lifetime, the primary treatment for cancer was chemotherapy, which not only kills cancer cells, it also simultaneously kills the good cells. Many patients reported the side effects of chemotherapy were as bad as, or even worse than the cancer.  But the 21st century brought new advances in computer technology which enabled scientists to understand DNA and the body’s genetic system. I know very little about the science, but the results of that research helped foster a very different approach, immunotherapy. With this technique, finding ways to get the body’s own immune system to attack cancer cells, has brought a level of excitement never before seen in cancer treatment.

Here are 2 different approaches which I think illustrate why the research scientists are so excited about the near term future of cancer treatment.

60 Minutes did a fascinating report on how the Duke University medical school was using the polio virus to treat a certain type of brain tumor, which almost always resulted in death. The initial study and treatment was very encouraging as some patients, who would have died, survived, and are living a normal life.

The following comes from a June 26, 2018 story on CNN’s website. “An engineered version of poliovirus improved the overall survival rate of patients with a lethal form of brain cancer, according to results from a phase one clinical trial. Among 61 patients with recurrent glioblastoma who received the experimental therapy, 21% will survive for three years or longer, compared with just 4% of patients treated with multiple sessions of chemotherapy, the current standard therapy. “This is only the first step, and it’s opening the door to multiple new trials,” said Dr. Matthias Gromeier, a co-author of the study and a professor of neurosurgery at the Duke University School of Medicine.

I don’t know much about this Israeli team and/or the validity of their claims, but there was a fascinating story in the NY Post on January 29, 2019.

“A team of Israeli scientists claim they will likely develop a cure for cancer in the next year, The Jerusalem Post reported on Monday.  The new treatment is being developed by Accelerated Evolution Biotechnologies under the leadership of CEO Dr. Ilan Morad, according to the report.

“We believe we will offer in a year’s time a complete cure for cancer,” said Dan Aridor, chairman of the company’s board. “Our cancer cure will be effective from day one, will last a duration of a few weeks and will have no or minimal side-effects at a much lower cost than most other treatments on the market.” The treatment, called MuTaTo, will use a combination of cancer-targeting peptides and a toxin that will specifically kill cancer cells.”

Fox Versus the Real World

by | Jan 15, 2019 | Politics

Trump’s campaign, transition team, inaugural committee, business, and his administration are under investigation by the Southern District of NY and/or the Mueller team. However, the Fox propaganda network has a very different perspective on the events of the past 2 years. They’re telling their viewers that the paragon of virtue and honesty, currently living in the White House, is a victim of a corrupt FBI and Justice Department who are trying to negate the 2016 election. This is their “Deep State” theory. Robert Mueller, who is a war hero and a man who dedicated his life to serving his country, is considered an enemy of America by those who subscribe to Fox propaganda.

Fox implies, or actually says, the wide array of people in Trump’s orbit who plead guilty and became convicted felons are also victims. If you listen to Fox, those who plead guilty didn’t do such voluntarily, they were tricked into their plea by a devious and tricky FBI. I wouldn’t be surprised if Fox will soon claim the corrupt FBI put a gun to their heads, forcing them to offer a plea of guilty by force In addition, Fox doesn’t see the criminal enterprise Trump runs as a problem for Americans. In Trump World, he’s never held accountable or responsible for anything negative. It’s never Trump’s fault, they always find someone else to blame. And that’s usually President Obama or Hillary, or in this case, it’s their belief in a corrupt Justice Department and FBI.

You will never see Fox call the President a pathological liar. Can you imagine that? In the year 2019, we have a President who tells one lie after another. He contradicts what he said yesterday, by saying the complete opposite today. This is almost as scary as their lack of criticism when Trump calls the press an enemy of the people. Every budding dictator knows the biggest stumbling block to doing away with democracy is eliminating a free press. Study the rise of Hitler in the 1930s and you’ll see an eerie resemblance to the rise of Trump. At his numerous rallies, Hitler would say, “Make Germany Great Again”. Instead of immigrants and Muslims being the scapegoats, it was the Jews and Communists. Hitler took over the free press, he replaced them with the Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels. Hitler than eliminated the police; in their place he installed storm troopers and the Gestapo.

Finally, Fox uses the Joseph Goebbels propaganda technique. They understand very well if you repeat something endlessly to their low IQ viewers, who never do research of their own, they will believe it. There are many examples, but start by examining illegal immigrants. Much of Trump’s base lives in rural America, where they will probably never meet nor have any contacts with illegal immigrants. Yet they incredibly believe immigrants are coming to invade their towns, take away their jobs, and become a burden on the taxpayer. The mere mention of the term illegal immigrant makes a Trump supporter’s blood pressure soar. Fox is a major threat to our American democracy.