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Donald Trump: the Despicable Warmonger

When Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States, not many people, including his most fervent supporters, could ever have imagined that his belligerent actions would one day place us on the brink of WWIII.

Despite his many promises, three weeks ago, Trump directed a tactical strike on al-Shayrat air base (Syria) that was designed to weaken Syrian military defenses against rebels and terrorists, but which also jeopardized diplomatic relations between Russia and the United States.

Prior to that, Trump had attempted to garner a green light from the international community at large in order to launch a preemptive strike against Iran. However, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Hans Blix, warned him that,

“it would be disastrous for the world if the U. S. that it would be disastrous for the world if the U.S. tore up the Iran nuclear deal in which Iran agreed to scale down its nuclear aspirations in exchange for sanctions relief, which brought stability to the region.”

Under the pretext of defending the U.S. against North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, Trump obtained the long-awaited international support needed to implement his imperialist, warmongering plans. Although the international community at first supported Trump, in the end, it established some boundaries aimed at avoiding global instability.

Ignoring international demands, Trump recently announced the deployment of the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and its carrier group to waters off the coast of the Korean Peninsula. Furthermore, with his usual belligerence, Trump threatened Kim Jong-un, saying that the next time that North Korea conducts either a new ballistic missile or other variety of nuclear test, the U.S. will launch a preemptive strike against North Korea.

According to yesterday’s breaking news revealed by the New York Times, the aircraft deployment was fabricated:

The carrier, the Carl Vinson, and the four other warships in its strike force were at that very moment sailing in the opposite direction, to take part in joint exercises with the Australian Navy in the Indian Ocean, 3,500 miles southwest of the Korean Peninsula.”

“The Carl Vinson is now on a northerly course for the Korean Peninsula and is expected to arrive in the region sometime next week,” Defence Department officials said. The White House declined to comment on the misunderstanding, referring all questions to the Pentagon.”

Amidst growing tension, China, and Russia warned the international community that the U.S. and North Korea are set for a head-on collision and called on Trump to de-escalate the tension in Korea.

Several pundits noted that North Korea does not yet have the capacity to fit miniaturized nuclear warheads on long-range missiles. Nonetheless, North Korean military forces possess conventional weapons that can easily reach South Korean and Japanese targets and deal catastrophic damage.

Despite a multitude of warnings, Trump does not appear to be considering the consequences of a potential war with North Korea, and continues instead to escalate the tension with his usual belligerent rhetoric against Kim Jong-un. Each time this happens, Kim Jong-un announces counter-measures and elevates his nuclear threats against the U.S.

On Saturday, during the traditional military parade for the birth of Kim Jong-il, North Korea showed its armament’s capacity, including what appears to be an ICBM (an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching U.S. soil) However, most pundits think that it has never tested, and its purpose was to send a clear message to Trump.

On Sunday Kim Jong-Un unsuccessfully attempted to test a new ballistic missile, which exploded a few seconds after launch.

Due to the relentless escalation of the conflict, citizens living in the region are preparing for an imminent outbreak of violence. They say that they are used to this kind of narrative between the two countries. This time, however, it appears to be different with Trump, who is a very unpredictable president.

With the drums of war beating, the international community is warning Trump, saying that if he follows through on his threats and attacks North Korea, the outcome would cause up to 1,000,000 or 2,000,000 casualties (according to an investigation conducted two years ago by the Obama administration). It would primarily affect civilians in South Korea and Japan, but also the thousands of U.S. troops deployed in the region.

In response to the constant international pressure, Trump could decide not to attack North Korea. However, it is important to remember that Trump also said that he would never attack the Syrian government, but ended up putting the lie to those words and launched a nighttime attack.

Regardless of the outcome of the Korean conflict, it appears that Trump will continue following in the footsteps of previous warmongering presidents in pursuit of power and popularity. Thus, the only left question is whether Trump will cause more carnage than George W. Bush.

U.S. Strike on Syria

On Thursday night, Donald Trump directed a strike against a Syrian military airbase, which targeted fighter planes, ammunition bunkers, radars, and petroleum storage. The Syrian regime said that the attack killed 7 soldiers and wounded 3.

In a brief press conference, Trump assured the American public that the strike was in retaliation for the last chemical attack against innocent civilians in Khan Sheikhoun in north-western Syria, which caused as many as 80 casualties, including many children.

Despite the fact that the UN could not reliably determine the accountability of the Syrian regime over the chemical attack, the U.S. government and the mainstream media launched a campaign to accuse them.

Ignoring the resolution of the UN, the NATO and other allies expressed their support for the strike and said that it was proportional. On the other hand, the Russian government condemned the attack and said that the U.S. is helping terrorists on the ground. Furthermore, the Russian Army announced the cessation of its communications with the U.S. in Syria and reiterated its support for the Syrian regime.

48 hours after the strike, in a joint statement, Russia, Iran, Hezbollah, and several local militias said that the U.S. had crossed the line and that the next time they will respond with force. According to this coalition, there are many reasons to think that the U.S. wants to exert utter control over Syria due to its geolocation.

Despite their many lies, Russia and the U.S. have committed several war crimes in Syria. For years, the U.S. has bombed civilians and assisted rebel groups with ties to terrorist organizations, which have killed thousands of innocents. And Russia has supported the Syrian regime, which has also killed thousands of innocent civilians.

Everyone still remembers, when in 2003, at an assembly of the UN, the then U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell, assured that the Iraqi government had WMD, which could soon cause carnage in the region and perhaps worldwide. As a result, the international community created a coalition to invade Iraq, which caused as many as 1 million of deaths. It was not until after some years that the international community found out that the CIA deliberately fabricated that story to intervene in Iraq.

By attacking Syria, Trump has gained as much popularity as Bush did during the Iraqi invasion. Since the strike, the mainstream media, including the most critical such as CNN, and The New York Times have praised Trump’s military action and elevated him as an excellent President.

It is deeply troubling that Trump has found out the key to gain popularity. Due to his incapacity to govern the country, it appears that he will launch more military interventions in countries such as North Korea and Iran.

It is important to remember that for years, Donald Trump suggested that Obama’s intervention in Syria was a political move to gain popularity. However, he is now adopting the same ploy. Fortunately for everyone, he could not delete his past tweets and here there is a sample of them:

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Despite the complexity of the Syrian conflict, this will only end when all parties negotiate a realistic resolution. Apparently, Trump is not willing to do so, but a strong antiwar movement may force him (like in the past with previous administrations) to step back in his bellicose decisions.

While the U.S. antiwar movement is organizing to become stronger, Trump is deploying warships, and troops in the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula. Over the next months, the world will observe whether the antiwar movement succeeds or Trump causes chaos everywhere.

North Korea and the U.S.: Dangerous War Games

Over the last month, the escalation of the conflict between the U.S. and North Korea has seriously threatened the social peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. For the first time in 20 years, the U.S. government is seriously considering the launch of a preemptive strike against North Korean nuclear facilities to reduce its nuclear capacity.

In a recent visit to South Korea, the U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in a quixotic statement,

“Certainly we do not want to, for things to get to the military conflict,…If they elevate the threat of their weapons program to a level that we believe requires action, then that option’s on the table.”
“Let me be very clear: the policy of strategic patience has ended. We are exploring a new range of security and diplomatic measures.”

On the face of Tillerson’s threats, the young North Korean Supreme leader Kim Jon-Un has intensified his endeavors to endow the regime with a modern nuclear defense system capable of repelling any form of aggression.

Since Trump got into office, the North Korean regime has successfully tested ballistic missiles capable of reaching South Korean and American military bases in the region. Besides that, North Korea is also developing a new long-range ballistic missile capable of carrying weapons of mass destruction as far as the U.S.

According to the American Intelligence, the regime is in advanced stages of testing this new weapon, which will endow the regime with new military power. Further, this month, the North Korean government announced that it will test the above mentioned ballistic missile some time soon.

While the escalation of the conflict in the Korean Peninsula is reaching an unsustainable level, the weak South Korean government has merely suggested that North Korea is a global threat. These weak statements come after its former President Park Geun-Hye was impeached.

The North Korean regime has always used the same belligerent narrative against its enemies to repel any potential aggression. In fact, the continual American threats against North Korea, far from calming the situation, have encouraged the regime to adopt stronger bellicose positions.

Without a doubt, the North Korean development of new long-range ballistic missiles is bad news and should be halted somehow but always intelligently. For that to happen, the international community should soon present a new realistic nuclear disarmament program, including all of the parties involved in the conflict.

It is a fact that the North Korean regime is a tyrannical one, which punishes its citizens on a regular basis. However, it is hard to think that North Korea is willing to begin a conflict in the region because it would be a suicidal act.

Despite the fact that several countries think that a preemptive strike against North Korea is the best option at this point, the truth is that there are better alternatives that would not entail a potential war that could cause a real carnage in the region.

Over the last decade, the international community has routinely failed in its endeavors to normalize its relations with the North Korean regime. In part, this is due to the bellicose narrative directed at them by the U.S. However, this strategy has been demonstrated to be inefficient with “delusional” leaders such as Kim Jon-Un who has the courage of his convictions and will follow them to the bitter end.

China is probably the only country which can exert influence over the North Korean regime. Such being the case, to de-escalate the conflict in the region, the international community should count on the Chinese government.

Several experts gainsay this approach, on the grounds that China would never, in their opinion, cooperate with the international community to solve this conflict. However, the bottom line is, the Chinese government does not want North Korea to expand its nuclear arsenal. They know that a potential war in the region would jeopardize part of its territory. And if a North Korean failed launch accidentally drops a rocket on its territory it could cause countless casualties.

These developments are leading up to an inordinate mutual distrust between the two major powers in the world.

If there is one thing that is certain, it is that a preemptive war against North Korea would cause an undetermined number of casualties in the region. If it is true that the North Korean regime will never begin any war, it is also certain that if it ever feels attacked, the regime would then launch a mass ballistic missile attack against different locations (including South Korean and American military bases in Guam and Hawaii). Without a doubt, it would be devastating for the Korean Peninsula, and would constitute a point of no return in the conflict, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake.

Whether you are from Europe, China, South Korea, or the US is not important anymore. The most important thing for one to better understand is that the potential outbreak of a new conflict on the Korean Peninsula would negatively impact on your everyday life.

By coming to this understand, every citizen of every country, first of all, is morally obliged to explain the conflict to the political cast of his or her country, and secondly, demand a change in their strategy on the North Korean conflict.

Trump and his Dirty Relations with Saudi Arabia

Over the last few months, President Trump has declared himself the person who will lead the international community in eliminating Islamic terrorism. However, his cabinet, led by CIA director Mike Pompeo, has started to strengthen its collaboration with Saudi Arabia (a state sponsor of terrorism).

On Sunday, the director of the CIA, Mike Pompeo awarded Prince Mohammed, 57, with the George Tenet medal “for his counter-terrorism work.”

“excellent intelligence performance in the domain of counter-terrorism and his unbound contribution to realising world security and peace,” Pompeo said.

“The US and Saudi Arabia…have extensive ties. We have extensive challenges that we’re working on in counter-terrorism, in security, maritime security, and the whole gamut of issues,” Pompeo said.

Apparently, hypocrisy is rampant in the White House, President Trump himself once suggested that he believed that Saudi Arabia was a state sponsor of terrorism. He added:

“We are prepared to stop buying oil from Saudi Arabia unless the kingdom provides ground troops to fight Islamic State.”

Trump’s administration has also reported that they are preparing a $300m (£240m) package for precision-guided weapons technology for Riyadh (Saudi Arabia, a state sponsor of terrorism). At this point, the central question is how will Trump eradicate Islamic terrorism if he is arming those who sponsor and fund terrorism?

By collaborating with the Saudi government, Trump is indirectly funding terrorism and betraying millions of citizens who elected him to fight terrorism. Trump’s actions not only affect Americans, but also represent a global threat, particularly for Western countries.

Saudi Arabia governs based on an extreme interpretation of Sharia law (Islamic law widely compared to ISIL). The Saudi regime has also spent over $100 billion on exporting and implementing Sharia law worldwide. To succeed, it uses charitable organisations which work in refugees camps and poor communities where uneducated and oppressed people are more susceptible to become radicalised. Besides, Saudi’s elites and business community are funding terrorism through organisations such as the International Islamic Relief, an institution created to hide the illegitimate funding of terrorism from the international community. Wikileaks reported:

“…donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide.”

The Saudi government has shut down several charitable organisations which fund terrorism. However, the United Nations (UN) has reported several times that the Saudi government has not closed down those institutions listed by the international community as terrorists.

The U.S. intelligence services have always been aware that the Saudi regime has been collaborating with terrorist groups. In addition, it suggested that the Saudi Arabian government could have indirectly funded 9/11 (mostly perpetrated by Saudi Arabian citizens).

In conclusion, President Trump fully acknowledges that Saudi Arabia is exporting and funding terrorism worldwide. However, he is not taking any steps towards halting it. Instead, he has decided to strengthen the relationship between the U.S. and the Saudi regime by keeping several businesses in operation and providing them with arms. When President Trump was elected, he said:

“I am going to unite the civilised world to fight and eliminate Islamic terrorism”

Trump had a tremendous opportunity to take a step forward in seeking the elimination of Islamic terrorism. However, he has decided to prioritise his businesses with the Saudi regime before the security of millions of citizens. After this decision, the question is: How can Trump retain his legitimacy as President?

The fight against Islamic terrorism was Trump’s central promise during the last presidential campaign. It is evident that while Saudi Arabia funds terrorism, organisations such as ISIL and Al-Qaida will continue expanding their operational capacity. While this happens any collaboration with the Saudi regime will help terrorism and, the U.S. is collaborating with them.

There are still millions of people who, regardless Trump’s political orientation, still think that he is honest because he is fulfilling all his promises. However, the facts expose the contrary and politicians should be entitled to their words. Trump won the election as the person who would change the rule of law to fight against corruption, lies and terrorism.

So far, in just three weeks Trump has divided the country to levels not seen since the 60s, kept ties with his previous businesses directly or indirectly, and he has betrayed millions of American citizens by boosting terrorism.

For now, Trump will continue making controversial and unproductive decisions while millions of citizens will try to convince him to reverse them. For that reason, it is maybe time to ask oneself: if in just three weeks Trump has made unpardonable wrong decisions, what could happen after three or four years?

Remember to be reflective and honest with yourself when seeking an answer. Until then, you may try to convince your government to stop collaborating with Saudi Arabia and therefore indirectly with terrorism. There is still light at the end of the tunnel, however, it is gradually fading. You may consider taking (peaceful) strong actions before it is too late.

-Any sort of terrorism regardless of its political orientation should be eradicated as soon as possible-

By Josep.

President Trump Has Started His Personal Crusade Against the Islamic Community and Refugees

Yesterday, President Trump started his personal crusade against the world’s Islamic community by signing an order for extreme vetting action to “keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the United States.” The U.S. will now halt the entrance of refugees from SYRIA, IRAQ, IRAN, LIBYA, SOMALIA, SUDAN and YEMEN.

We want to ensure that we are not letting into our country the very threats that our soldiers are fighting overseas,” We’re going to have extreme vetting for people coming into our country and if we think there’s a problem, it’s not going to be so easy for people to come in anymore,”Trump said.

Numerous experts and the international community have warned Trump that this order does not represent American values.

It is a cruel measure that represents a stark departure from America’s core values,” former Secretary of State Madeline Albright said Thursday

We should not be excluding any religion or nationality from the U.S. refugee resettlement program,” said Michelle Brané, a director at the Women’s Refugee Commission.

Thousands of refugees who have been going through a strict process based on background checks and personal conditions for years will now have to choose another destination.

Earlier today, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and International Organisation for Migration called on the new President’s administration to continue offering asylum to people fleeing war and persecution, a right protected by international law.

The needs of refugees and migrants worldwide have never been greater and the US resettlement program is one of the most important in the world,” the two agencies said in a joint statement.

The longstanding US policy of welcoming refugees has created a win-win situation: it has saved the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in the world who have in turn enriched and strengthened their new societies.”

In his inauguration speech, President Trump said:

“I want to unite the civilised world to fight and eradicate Islamic terrorism”

However, Trump’s decision will help terrorist organisations such as ISIS or Al-Qaeda to maintain their anti-western rhetoric and recruit thousands of new members from among the refugees to attack western countries. It might soon be catastrophic by causing thousand of deaths. President Trump also said:

“Starting today, the government has been returned to its citizens. You will tell politicians what to do.”

It was applauded by a large number of fanatics. However, Trump’s decision to refuse refugees from the Middle East was made against the opinion of the vast majority of Americans. They consider America a country of immigrants, which hosts and protects refugees from warring countries.

The ban of Muslims will also encourage racist organisations from the U.S. to persecute and denigrate refugees who are already settled in the U.S. Since Trump was elected president, there has been a great increase in racists actions against immigrants. These actions are often fueled by Trump and his advisors.

In this context, countries such as China or Russia will soon increase their influence in the world. It will soon leave the U.S. without any influence over important issues. Apparently, with Trump as president, the U.S. will be condemned to international isolation.

Although it is unthinkable, if Trump continues turning the U.S. into an authoritarian state, at some point, the international community might then decide to ban the admittance of American citizens into numerous countries. If that ever happens it would be devastating.

The criminalisation of refugees is absurd and hypocritical. The vast majority of them are fleeing war zones to be safe. They did not choose to be refugees. This status was imposed on them due to conflicts often started by the U.S. and its allies. They deserve more respect from the international community. They have already suffered a lot!

Terrorism should be eradicated from the world as soon as possible, but never by criminalising innocents. Yes, let’s unite to fight terrorism more efficiently, but never ever by persecuting innocents!

Let’s walk together!

By Josep

Trump and Terrorism

IN HIS INAUGURATION SPEECH, President Donald Trump announced his plans to unite the civilised world to eradicate ISIL (Islamic State). It was applauded by the vast majority of the audience. However, numerous experts suggest that Trump’s inexperience and his close collaboration with the Israeli government might undermine any effort to defeat Islamic terrorism.

President Trump will soon have to make two major decisions that will determine his future success fighting terrorism: Move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and decide whether he cancels the Iran nuclear deal or not.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to convince Trump that cancelling the Iran nuclear deal would benefit the security in both the region and western countries. He alleges that the current deal will soon give Iran the capacity to produce multiple nuclear weapons that might potentially be used against Israel and western countries.

In the coming decade, the deal will reward Iran, the terrorist regime in Tehran, with hundreds of billions of dollars. This cash bonanza will fuel Iran’s terrorism worldwide, its aggression in the region and its efforts to destroy Israel, which is ongoing.” Netanyahu said in a televised statement in English.

DURING THE LAST PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN, President Trump promised to tear up the  Iran nuclear deal. However, he might now reconsider it after numerous advisors and the international community have warned him about the catastrophe that it may cause in the region. Here are some possible consequences of cancelling the Iran nuclear deal:

1.Iran nuclear program.

If the Iran nuclear deal is cancelled, Iran would restart its nuclear program to produce nuclear weapons. It would create an escalation of the regional conflict between Israel and Iran with unpredictable consequences. Israel believes that Iran wants to produce nuclear weapons to exterminate them and it might trigger a war between both countries. The international community and regional governments would not ignore a war close to their borders and they would soon take part in the conflict, which would cause a catastrophe at such a large scale that it would impact western countries.

2. Iran and terrorism.

Iran has a lot of influence over tribes, countries and terrorist groups such as Hezbollah in the region. The international community has acknowledged several times that without the collaboration of Iran, it is impossible to eradicate ISIL. If the Iran nuclear deal is ever cancelled, Iran might then start endorsing ISIL and other terrorist groups like Hezbollah and ALQAEDA by hosting training camps and providing weapons of the latest technology to them. It would be a real threat to the region and western countries because it would produce thousands of new potential terrorists a year. An undetermined number of them would cross our borders spreading chaos everywhere.

3.Destabilisation in the Middle East.

Israel might decide to launch a preventive attack on Iran, which would probably trigger a war between both countries. Due to the proximity of the conflict to numerous countries, it would force some of them to take part in it. The consequences would be catastrophic by causing hundred of thousands of deaths in the region. In addition, the U.S. might also be forced to take part in the conflict due to its defence agreements with Israel. As a result, numerous countries would start endorsing terrorism in the Middle East to attack the U.S. It might also cause thousands of deaths in the U.S.

4.The resurrection of Hezbollah.

In the last decade, Hezbollah has lost its influential capacity in the region and it may perceive to attack Israel as a useful manoeuvre to recover it. Iran could also start providing them weapons to attack Israelis. It would be perceived by the Israeli government as a declaration of war which may trigger a new regional conflict.

As we can see, Trump’s decision to cancel the Iran nuclear deal could potentially cause numerous regional and international problems. Without the Irani, collaboration ISIL can never be defeated and actually, it would grow to levels never seen before. As a result, the Middle East would produce hundreds of thousands of new potential terrorists and it would be a threat to western countries. For that reason, Trump’s upcoming decision about the Iran nuclear deal will determine whether it is or not possible to eradicate ISIL.

PRESIDEN TRUMP WILL SOON also have to decide whether he moves the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem or not. Over the last few days, Netanyahu has intensified his contact with the Trump administration to convince them to settle the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem. Unfortunately, Trump’s nominee ambassador, David Friedman, who has a long history of supporting aggressive Israeli settlement activity in Palestine, is now supporting Netanyahu’s policies. However, the international community and numerous advisors have warned President Trump that moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem would cause serious conflict in the region.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has suggested that if the U.S. ever moves its embassy to Jerusalem, his government will then no longer recognize the Israeli state. The Palestinian government might also decide to call on its citizens to prepare for war against Israel. As a result, it would cause a long and difficult conflict in the region.

ISIL and other terrorist organisations would see this as an opportunity to recruit thousands of Palestinians to commit terrorist attacks in western countries. Countries such as Egypt, which has have been very critical of the Israeli policies towards Palestine for years, may decide to take part in the conflict. This would isolate Israel from the international community and would trigger a new conflict involving numerous countries. In this context, the U.S. might be forced to take part in the conflict to fulfil its obligations to Israel.

There is a clear evidence that moving the U.S. embassy from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem would be a catastrophe for American interests. It would also prevent Trump from eradicating ISIL. Instead, ISIL would grow stronger than ever and would increase its attacks against western countries.

President Trump’s upcoming decisions will determine his success fighting ISIL. He has a good opportunity to eradicate it. However, a wrong decision would cause a global catastrophe.

PREVIOUS U.S. ADMINISTRATIONS already made serious mistakes fighting Islamic terrorism. Jimmy Carter and Donald Reagan endorsed Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan during the Cold War, by alleging that it was a legitimate organisation, which was protecting civilians. With the disintegration of the Soviet Union, it would change, but the monster was already created.

Al-Qaeda had never had the capacity to commit terrorist attacks such as September 11, 2001, without the previous U.S. endorsement based on training, money and weapons. Carter and Reagan’s decision helped Al-Qaeda to increase Its operational capacity overseas and planted the seed for the posterior creation of ISIL.

ISIL is a scission from Al-Qaeda, which at some point disagreed with the vision of the direction. Its founders wanted to implement more ferocious strategies to achieve their goals. However, without the previous U.S.endorsement of AlQaeda, it would have been an isolated and tiny organisation in Afganistan and ISIL had never been created.

We can conclude that the U.S. was determinant in the creation and posterior expansion of both ISIL and Al-Qaeda. However, it cannot be changed, so it is now time to take more effective action to eradicate them. For that to happen, President Trump will have to make the correct decision.

Regardless of one’s political orientation, the vast majority of people want President Trump to succeed by eradicating terrorism. Hopefully, Trump will understand that moving the U.S. embassy from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem and cancelling the Iran nuclear deal would cause a global catastrophe.

All sorts of terrorism, including ISIL and Al Qaeda, are despicable, horrendous and should be eradicated as soon as possible. For that reason, let’s unite and fight terrorism more efficiently.

Let’s also make President Trump understand that a mistake now would be catastrophic for next generations.

By Josep

Trump and Putin: The Proliferation Of the Nuclear Arsenal

Putin and Trump have announced their intentions to extend the nuclear capacity of their countries. The announcements come after Putin and Trump suggested that they both will work together to solve international affairs (like the war in Syria).

For its part, the international community has shown its worries over what apparently, is the beginning of a new nuclear arms race between Russia and America.

Experts and journalists, who are scrutinising the case consider that, in extending their nuclear arsenal, Trump and Putin are saber-rattling because they secretly want to funnel money to the military industrial complex. Nevertheless, they agree that it is hard to predict Trump’s intentions since he is “deranged.” Other experts, however, have suggested that Trump and Putin have made such a decision to maintain their international influence.

A small error could trigger a nuclear war with unpredictable consequences, including the extermination of a city or human extinction. Supposedly, it will not happen because there is not any government in the world willing to support such an idea. Secret services from several countries have recently warned about the fact that terrorist groups are trying to obtain weapons of mass destruction (including nuclear). In such a scenario, the launch of a nuclear bomb by a terrorist group could cause a misunderstanding between Russia and the U.S. triggering a disaster.

For years, the international community, and the civil society have warned both countries about the dangers of possessing nuclear arms. Hopefully, It will be enough to make Putin and Trump change their ideas related to the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Until then, they should increase the security in their nuclear facilities. According to governmental authorities from both countries, the nuclear facilities are not safe at all; in fact, terrorists had easy access to obtain nuclear weapons.

The survival of humanity depends on the dismantlement of the nuclear arsenal and weapons of mass destruction in the world.


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Brace Yoursens, Winter is Coming.

The moment the temperature hits 24 degrees, I’m the person that will be moaning it’s too hot; the person you want to kick in the teeth.

I convince myself that I’m a winter person and I’ll feel better when it’s the time of year when you can wear bright scarfs and snuggle under the 10.5 tog duvet. ‘I hate it when it’s too hot’ explodes out of my mouth on far too many occasions.

I dislike running in the summer as I can’t regulate my temperature and feel like it’s too hot to run. I tell myself that once the winter comes, it will be much easier to run further and faster.

I look at what day the clock change falls on and cross my fingers that it falls on a night when Joseph is with his Dad because I know that usually it means me getting up earlier. And once they clocks have changed, my promises of getting out for longer runs are made much more difficult as I avoid running in the dark because for everything else I am, I’m not completely stupid.

The moment everyone starts to get excited by snow and your facebook friends are under the impression that you have no windows; people get overexcited about the coca-cola truck and the John Lewis advert, you know that the time is approaching when the immortal words will soon leave your lips….’I hate it when it’s cold. Can’t wait for summer’

The cold air starts to burn my lungs when I run and I have soon convinced myself that I run better in the summer and I won’t be able to run as much now it’s dark AND cold.

And without the obvious temperature changes, a life with autism during the winter brings about its own challenges.

Ever since Joseph was first diagnosed with autism, the professionals have hounded me with questions about Joseph’s sensory issues. I never believed he had any as I initially thought sensory issues purely related to him not liking a noise, smell, texture or taste. In fact it’s quite the opposite in Joseph’s case and he is under-sensitive in most areas. He thrives on extreme noise levels and doesn’t feel the cold or pain.

So whilst I am dressing like I would be at home with the Eskimos, Joseph will be happily peeling the layers off and wandering out onto the back garden half dressed, like it’s the most natural thing in the world. I’ve always been told I should pick my battles and I feel that trying to prevent my son from dealing with a bad case of hypothermia is one to fight. He takes the coat off, I make him put it back on; it’s what winter is all about isn’t it?

And as the season of goodwill draws in, I am only just over the summer schedule of parents evening, summer concert, summer fayre, sports day and the more recent harvest festival. Now the calendar is filling up with concerts, shows, parties, nativity plays, Christmas dinner, jumper and bobble hat days (yes indeed) in addition to the Armistice Day & Children in Need days. Whilst I am pleased that my son has an enviable social life in and out of school, it tests my organisational skills to ensure that he is in the right place at the right time and in the right outfit.

There are days when I am bundling him from one event to the next, dressing him, undressing him, expecting him to be compliant. He looks at me with his beautiful big blue eyes and if he was able to articulate what was going on his somewhat muddled thoughts, I am certain that it would be ‘What the fuck is going on?’. Of course he would be thinking that because he is my son and I have no doubt he has the same thoughts running through his head as I do mine.

We go through the motions of ‘What do you want for Christmas Joseph?’ knowing that he doesn’t quite grasp the concept of what it’s all about. That’s probably true of some adults too in all honesty, me included. I desperately hope each year that he’ll be too excited to go to sleep or get up in the middle of the night  (I’d let him off with that one if it was for the right reason) or that he asks me constantly each day, ‘Is it Christmas yet?’ but I know that we aren’t quite there and wonder whether we ever will be.

Every other child I know is getting up later because it’s dark in the morning and despite the pitch black surroundings in his room, Joseph begins to get up earlier and earlier and my language starts to get worse and worse.

On the occasions I manage to drag my shit running body out for a run and my lungs don’t burst, my endorphins are in full flow and my inner self tells me that it’s only around eight months until I don’t have to warm my toes on The Keeper’s little legs.

It may only be a change of season to most, but for us there is usually a change of behaviour on both our parts as Joseph becomes older and more headstrong. I wonder where that comes from.

But as with everything else we do in our lives, ‘We go forward. Only forward.’

…….As with every good series, I was late to the Game of Thrones party but I’m all over it now and it was obviously going to be Yorkshirefied.

5 Comments Add yours

  1. Lady Nym says:

    Any change is a challenge, isn’t it? I know I’m also guilty of thinking things will be easier in the Summer/Winter depending on what time of year it currently is! The challenge for me right now is – weirdly – the sun being in my youngest’s eyes when he’s in the buggy because it’s so low at this time of year. He has big sensory issues with light so it’s a bit of a nightmare.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Kirsty @ My Home Truths says:

    We’re entering the opposite season here in Australia. In fact today it was 35C here and I’m definitely wishing winter back!

    1. Joseph and his Amazing Spectrum Coat says:

      Ooh that would be too hot!

  3. I understand. Our eldest and youngest are well aware of the upcoming festive season. I have no idea if David is or not though. He will be there when the tree goes up and he will play with all the presents on Christmas day but I don’t think he has a level of anticipation like the others. Or maybe he is apprehensive. I don’t know. Christmas comes with breaks in routine and changes and that’s always a challenge. David doesn’t feel the cold either – he was out jumping on the trampoline in his PJs, no socks at 8 o’clock last night. It can’t have been too much above freezing and he was extremely upset when I called it and said he had to come in.

    Thanks so much for linking to #spectrumsunday – hope to see you again this weekend.

  4. Oh you’ll be sorry you wished for the questions about ‘is it here yet?’ 😉 I do feel for you though, I remember the days when I wished for the next stage, not knowing when, or if it would come. My girl is also not a fan of many clothes even when it’s freezing outside. I’ve got to the point where if it doesn’t bother her, it doesn’t bother me. Takes a lot for them to get hypothermia 😉 You’ve just got to hang on in there x

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Common Sense Economics

Professor Hahn, one of the greatest but least known Austrian economists of his generation, offers a fantastic refutation of Keynesian macroeconomics, including its wild obsession with effective demand, and also a systematic presentation of the Austrian theory of the business cycle.   It might have been common sense in his day, but it is surely […]

The Economics of Illusion

L. Albert Hahn was one of the most highly regarded economists and bankers in Germany before World War II, but he was unknown in the United States until this translation of The Economics of Illusion appeared in 1949. He immigrated to the United States in 1940. This book is his frontal attack on the Keynesian system, which […]


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Tag Archives: recipes

Grilled Salmon on Cedar Planks in 5 Simple Steps

Too many people pack up their grills for the winter after Labor Day. Unless it’s snowing you should grill well into fall and early winter. Perhaps you’ve gotten sick of burgers, steaks, and hot dogs. Let’s try something a little more challenging; I hope you enjoy my “Cedar Planked Salmon”.

4-10 oz Salmon filetsnowy grill, grilling in the snow, webber grill, josh martin blog
2 cedar planks

Rub Ingredients (optional):
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 garlic powder
1 teaspoon orange peel
1 teaspoon lime flavor,
1 teaspoon chili powder

1) Soak your cedar planks in water for at least on hour before cooking. (You can use your own cedar planks,but I recommend using food safe cedar such as, fire and flavor)

Cider Planks, grilled Salmon, Recipe, josh martin blog

2) Mix all or the rub ingredient together in a small bowl. Generously pour the spice mixture in a line down the center of the filet. Rub the mixture in to the filet thoroughly.

salmon rub. grilled, salmon, recipe, josh martin blog, how to

3) Heat your grill to 350°F. Add the soaked planks to grill. Close the cover and heat for at least 3 minutes. (don’t heat them longer than 5 minutes or it will prematurely char)

grilled salmon, cedar planks, josh martin blog, how to, about, make

4) Flip the cedar planks and add your salmon to the heated side of the plank. Next close the lid for 12-15 minutes.

heated cedar planks, grilling salmon, josh martin blog martin-cidar planks-american bbq- fish fry

Note: you can also grill asparagus, zucchini, eggplant, etc. on your cedar planks

5) Serve and enjoy!
asparagus, grilled salmon, mashed potatos

By: Josh Martin

Have a Questions? Ask me below:

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You may also like to grill: My Grand Mothers Cheeseburgers / Hamburgers

Posted by on September 23, 2013 in American Food, recipes

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Benedictine, a short history and the original recipe.

temp[Benedictine or Benedictine Spread is a condiment made with cucumbers, onions and cream cheese. It is used to make cucumber sandwiches and was invented around the turn of the 20th century by Jennie Carter Benedict, a caterer and restaurateur in Louisville, Kentucky. Benedict opened her restaurant in 1893. It was there that she invented and originally served benedictine. Originally used for sandwiches, benedictine has in recent years been used as a dip for chips and filling for potatoes.

“Louisvillians quiz guests and younger family members on the origin of Benedictine. The famous cucumber spread was, of course, created by one of our city’s most famous residents, Jennie C. Benedict. Setting the highest of culinary standards, “Miss Jennie” was also a successful businesswoman, a writer who for a time served as editor of The Courier-Journal’s Household section, and an important community volunteer.

The University Press of Kentucky has republished Jennie Benedict’s The Blue Ribbon Cook Book, from the fourth edition, 1922.” Susan Reigler, former restaurant critic and travel editor of The C-J, has written the Introduction, and for the first time the recipe for Benedictine Spread is published. The wonder is that it was never included in the other five editions, or in Benedict’s autobiography. Maybe she considered her recipe as secret as Colonel Sanders did his herbs and spices for chicken.

Reigler writes lovingly of her own youth when young ladies wore white gloves and munched cream cheese-and-nut sandwiches, based on Benedict’s concoction, in the restaurant of the old Stewart’s Dry Goods department store. She recounts the influence of recipes on today’s restaurants and home cooks as well.

A close variation of Miss Jennie’s “Stuffed Eggplant” has been on the menu of Simpsonville’s Old Stone Inn for many years. Louisville’s Kathy Cary at Lilly’s serves her own version of Benedictine, as do Chef Matt Weber at the Uptown Café, and Ouita Michel at Holly Hill Inn in Midway. Holly Hill’s sous-chef, Lisa Laufer, supplies her recipe for this book.

Reigler gives an interesting picture of the woman who, in 1893, started a catering business from her home. Benedict soon began defining Louisville’s tastes as she catered parties and weddings of its most prominent citizens and fed the middle class in her tearooms.

Miss Jennie’s menus became musts for Derby Day celebrations. Through the decades her cookbook remains popular. Reigler says, “I had many, many calls from readers trying to locate a copy. …”

The Blue Ribbon Cook Book contains a Glossary that is a cooking lesson in itself. The large sections on “Entrees” and “Desserts” are complemented by interesting advice in “Sick Room Cookery,” and practical kitchen tricks.

Probably the most intriguing recipe of all is that which keeps Miss Jennie’s name on Louisville lips. Here is the version supplied by cookbook author and former Courier-Journal food editor Ronni Lundy. It is the one that Jennie C. Benedict would most likely have included in her book:

Benedictine spread

· 8 ounces of cream cheese, softened
· 3 tablespoons cucumber juice
· 1 tablespoon onion juice
· 1 teaspoon salt
· a few grains of cayenne pepper
· 2 drops green food coloring

To get the juice, peel and grate a cucumber, then wrap in a clean dish towel and squeeze juice into a dish. Discard pulp. Do the same for the onion. Mix all ingredients with a fork until well blended. Using a blender will make the spread too runny.”

(Above) The interior of Jennie Benedict’s restaurant at 554 S. Fourth Street in downtown Louisville. The establishment opened in 1900 and was sold in 1925 for $50,000. Benedict was trained in New York by Fanny Farmer.

Weekend Edition Saturday Transcript:

temp[Cream cheese, cucumber juice and a touch of onion. That may sound like an unlikely combination, but Benedictine is a Kentucky favorite. Gwynne Potts, a self-proclaimed aficionado, says it’s delicious.

“The best thing to eat Benedictine on is just white bread,” Potts says. “No special bread; it only takes away from the Benedictine.”

Potts, who grew up in Louisville, Ky., has been enjoying the creamy combo for six decades. And for the first 18 years of her life, she says, Benedictine was like ketchup. She assumed it was eaten everywhere until, as a college student, she took a spring break trip to Florida.

“We couldn’t imagine having lunch without Benedictine,” Potts says. “We went from store to store, saying, ‘Where’s your Benedictine?’ And they just looked at us. It was the first time I realized the whole world didn’t know about Benedictine.”

Years later, that’s still pretty much the case. But this creamy, cool cucumber spread has persisted in Kentucky ever since Jennie Benedict, a famous Louisville caterer, invented it around the turn of the 20th century.

Benedict opened a tearoom on downtown Louisville’s South Fourth Street in 1911. Back then, that was the city’s bustling commercial center, packed with stores, cafes, theaters and hotels. Today, it’s a few boutiques and several wig shops.

Susan Reigler, a former restaurant critic for Louisville’s newspaper, The Courier-Journal, wrote the introduction to the re-release of Benedict’s Blue Ribbon Cook Book in 2008. Reigler says Benedict’s role in the city’s culinary history was huge and that the roots of many of the city’s flavors can be traced back to her recipes.

Of course, some of Benedict’s concoctions have fallen out of favor — like calf brains and peptonized oysters for the sick. But Reigler says Benedictine has endured.

“I think it’s just very different. It’s very refreshing. It’s a light spread,” she says. “What could be more light and delicate than cucumber juice?”

temp[One source of contention among Louisville chefs is whether to include the two drops of green food coloring that Benedict used in her recipe. The dye lets people know that it’s not just a plain cream cheese spread, but the practice is no longer popular with chefs like Kathy Cary, who prefer more natural ingredients. Cary has owned Lilly’s, a restaurant that specializes in Kentucky cuisine, for the past 25 years. For her, the dish is truly a way to showcase both local cucumbers and local traditions.

“Mine is really about … celebrating the cucumbers,” Cary says. “Obviously, no dye, no food coloring. And it’s filled with texture, and sort of the crunch of the cucumbers.”

Some cooks serve Benedictine as a dip, others as tea sandwiches with the crusts cut off. But Cary usually puts hers into a hearty sandwich with homemade mayonnaise, bacon, bibb lettuce and sprouts.

However you serve it, Benedictine is best accompanied with another Kentucky signature: bourbon.

Sources: Wikipedia,, The Courier Journal
Compiled By: Josh Martin

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Grandmothers Homemade Hamburgers / Cheeseburgers

2lbs Ground beef
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
3 eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon salt or Tony Cacheres Creole Seasoning
4 tablespoons colgin Liquid Smoke
5 tablespoons Lea & Perkins Worcestershire sauce
2 Packages of hamburger buns
1 Package of Velveeta cheese or thinly sliced cheddar cheese (optional)
2-3 Tomatoes (optional)
1-2 large white onions (optional)

1) Combine ground beef, eggs, parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, Garlic powder, salt (or Tony Cacheres Creole Seasoning), Worcestershire sauce, and liquid smoke in a large mixing bowl.

2) Mix ingredients, by hand; until all of the are ingredients mixed evenly.

3) Form the meat into 3-4″ patties, by slapping it between your hands.

4) Once all of your patties are made. Place them closely on to a grill or frying pan, on medium heat. Make sure to flip your patties often and try to lift them with the grill marks grain.

5) Once the patties show grill marks, are golden brown, and have no more pink meat in the center; you are ready to serve up!
6) Server with you favorite toppings and Barbecue sides. Personally I like corn on the cob with cold pasta salad as my sides.
20130601-181923.jpgBy: Josh Martin

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Posted by on June 13, 2013 in recipes, Recipies

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Easy Home Made Chicken Pesto

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese (or grated Parmesan)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine walnuts
3 tablespoons minced garlic cloves
2 Chicken Breasts
1 13oz package of pasta
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
A handful of spinach leaves

1) Combine spinach and basil with walnuts nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.

2) Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Now put the sauce mixture aside.

3) Place chicken breasts in a large pot. Pour 2-3 cups of water onto the chicken, until it is submerged. Bring the water to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium.

4) Once the pot has simmered for 10 minutes, strain off any fat that has rose to the top.

5) After the chicken is white and floating, place the chicken on a cutting board to cool(always make sure your meat is properly cooked). Bring the water you boiled the chicken in back to a boil.

6) Begin to boil your pasta. Now that the chicken has cooled some, you can start cutting the chicken breasts into strips.

7) Once your pasta is tender and strained of water, combine sauce mixture, chicken, and pasta in your large pot. Stir the ingredients together thoroughly.

20130222-125327.jpg8) Server with bread and salad, enjoy!
By: Josh Martin

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Posted by on February 22, 2013 in Italian Food, recipes, Recipies, Uncategorized

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Bold Smothered Pork Chops

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 pork chops, 3/4-inch thick
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 can french onion soup
  • Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

1) Put the flour in a shallow platter and add the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly.
2) Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels to remove any moisture and then dredge them in the seasoned flour; shaking off the excess.
3) Heat a large saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat with the oil. When the oil is nice and hot, lay the pork chops in the pan in a single layer and fry for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown.
4) Remove the pork chops from the pan and add the rest of the seasoned flour to the pan drippings. Mix the flour into the fat to dissolve and then pour in the French onion soup in. Fill the empty can with water and add to the mixture. Stir to make a creamy gravy and return the pork chops to the pan, covering them with the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes until the pork is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving. Pour excess sauce over you pork chops.

(typically I serve this with broccoli and Au Gratin)

By: Josh Martin

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Posted by on January 25, 2013 in recipes, Recipies

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Home Made Pumpkin Pie from Scratch

1 1/4 cups pumpkin purée
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger*
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon*
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg*
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup evaporated milk, undiluted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
9-inch pie crust, unbaked

*ingredients can be substituted for 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.

1) Preheat oven to 400°. Use a sharp serrated bread knife to cut the pumpkin in two. You can use a sawing motion, sea-saw motion or both to cut through.
2) Use a strong metal spoon to remove the seeds and strings. (Put the seeds aside if you plan to make roasted pumpkin seeds).
3) Cover both halves with tin foil and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 40-50 minutes. Once a fork can penetrate the skin of the pumpkin it’s done
4) Score the pumpkins skin with a sharp knife, peal off the pumpkins skin (Once cooked through, the skin should peel off easily).
5) Blend the pumpkin meat in a blender or food processor, until it is practically liquefied. (If you have extra it will keep in the freezer for about six months).
6) Preheat oven to 425°. Line a 9-inch pie plate with pie pastry, homemade or purchased
7) In mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves. Add eggs; mix until well blended. Add evaporated milk,and vanilla; mix until smooth and well blended. Pour pumpkin pie mixture into the prepared pastry lined pie plate.

8) Bake at 425° for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and bake for about 25-30 minutes longer, until the pumpkin filling is set.

By: Josh Martin

Click here for a brief history of pumpkin pie

Posted by on November 21, 2012 in recipes, Recipies

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Grandmothers Homemade Meatloaf

1 egg
1 bottle of chili sauce
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 lbs ground beef
1 tablespoon ground pepper
1 tablespoon creole seasoning (Optional)
1/2 tablespoon parsley
1/2 tablespoon paprika

1) Preheat oven to 350. Combine egg, breadcrumbs, ground pepper, creole seasoning, parsley, peaprika, and ground beef in a medium mixing bowl. Mix ingredients by hand (Actually use your hands). Mix until you can no longer find pockets of breadcrumbs or spice.
2) Place to meet into a well greased 5 x 9 glass pan. Flatten the beef into the pan then, make a 1 inch deep reservoir in the center of the meatloaf.
3) Pour entire bottle of chili sauce, into the reservoir.
4) Cover meatloaf with tinfoil and bake for 35-40 minutes. Typically I serve meatloaf with corn and mashed potatoes.
Note: for an old world taste add 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce to your meat mixture.
By: Josh Martin

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Posted by on October 30, 2012 in recipes, Recipies

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text:
Perspective: Life Without Regrets

How amazing would it be to live a life free of regrets? Where you don’t look back and beat yourself up for not having done differently? To freely live out the cliche of “you only live once”?

News flash: You can. Despite all the shortcomings, the times you’ve failed, you can live a fulfilled life where you look back and say, ‘I have no regrets’.

To me, it’s all about perspective. I could go walk down memory lane and point at each “mistake” that I made, and say how I could change this and that if given the chance for a do-over. OR I could think of each mistake as a learning experience, and remind myself that if things hadn’t gone the way they had, I wouldn’t be who I am and where I am today.

Each life experience has helped shape who I am. Through adversity, I learned how to stay strong and keep my eye on the prize, and to take the high road. I matured and learned to take criticism with both an open ear and a grain of salt. When disagreements arose, I’d always think of what I did wrongly before placing the blame on others.

Through each trial and tribulation, I would constantly try to better myself as a person to make me feel better. I’d pour my heart and soul into things that mattered, such as my studies, work, fitness, and spending time with those I love. And when I emerged from the tough times, I’d always bounce back stronger than before.

To be quite frank, I’m not quite at that stage where I’m happy with every single choice I’ve made in life. Because I’m not. But it’s one thing to beat yourself up for the choices you’ve made, and another to accept your decisions, know that you did the best you could in the circumstance, and label it as a lesson learned. Now you know for next time.

And letting go of regret is the most liberating feeling ever.

2 thoughts on “Perspective: Life Without Regrets

  1. Redo You Project says:

    A good post, Joyceyl. Lots of good, self-improvement advice. Perspective is very important to the self-improvement process. As is letting go of past failures, forgiving and moving on, etc. Keep posting the good stuff!

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text:
The Longest Day, Three Years On

It’s funny, the things I remember about June 21, 2011.

Like, as we were driving in to work that morning, I remember the scent of my hair. I’d just switched to a new shampoo, and I remember thinking it smelled wonderful, if a bit strong. And I remember talking about an episode of “Hoarders” we watched the night before, featuring a Michigan woman whose plumbing had been shut off, so she had resorted to pooping in plastic Meijer bags. I know, right? We laughed, but less than 24 hours, we’d be in the same situation.

I remember interviewing a quirky shop owner who gave me a copy of his novel, which can only be described as bizarre transgender underage soft-core erotica, and poorly written, at that. I remember taking it back to the newsroom and making people laugh at that. I remember wanting to make people laugh, because everyone in the newsroom was really tense that day.

I remember the email that came out around 10 a.m. It said that 700 people around the corporation would be laid before the day was done. I remember a voice in the back of my head urgently telling me that this would be a good time to mail off the application for my counseling license – now, today – as I’d just graduated a month before. So that’s what I did on my lunch break.

And I remember the look on my editor’s face when, at ten minutes before five, he told me to go with him to the big boss’ office. And the look on all the faces of my coworkers as I made that death march. And the words of the executive editor: “This is the worst part of the job,” as though I gave a flying fuck about his job at that moment. I remember waiting outside the human resources director’s office for ten minutes while she chatted with a friend on the phone.

I held it together until I made it to the computer lab where my girlfriend was doing some class work. One look at her and I lost it. I could barely get out the words to tell her what had happened. We went home, I called my parents.

And then, as though to punctuate  everything, the flood. Around 10 that night, I heard the furnace making strange noises, so I headed to the basement to investigate. Before I even got there, I saw the water rising up to the top of the bottom step of the staircase. The water line had broken, and the city had to be called out to shut us off the main line, which meant we couldn’t live in the house until that was fixed. The city utility guy looked baffled when I burst into sobs as he told me that, but then Stephanie explained that I’d just lost my job that day. He left quickly.

No job. No water. No home I could live in. Everything upside down. I realized with shame that I had laughed that morning about a woman who had to use a Meijer bag as a toilet, and now here I was in the exact same situation. You got me, life. How funny you are. How quickly you move.

So no wonder I remember June 21. It’s the summer solstice, of course, though that day seemed like the darkest one of all. But three years on, I know better.

I know better now, but at the time, I was terrified. Ashamed. Lost. When we drove by my workplace, I slouched down in the seat and hid my face, lest any former coworker see me go by. I felt embarrassed to be seen out and about in the middle of the day, with no place to be. I felt everyone could see through me. I had never failed at anything before, and now I was getting a crash course in it.

But even the worst point is still only a point. Life moves on. Things keep happening. With the help of my parents, we got the basement problem fixed, and we returned home after a few days in a hotel. And I quickly found ways to stay busy. I ramped up my volunteering efforts at a local crisis intervention center and found an agency that offered free counseling in my community and offered to volunteer there, too. Pretty soon, I was almost as busy as I had been when I was working. Just much, much poorer.

The severance package ran out after two months, before I’d even managed to land a job interview during that slow recovery from the Great Recession. Unemployment amounted to about half of what I used to earn, but it was crucial. Without it, I had nothing. I learned the confusing system of applying for food stamps, and then the shame mingled with defiance of using them in the supermarket. I learned the panicky feeling of needing medical help but having no way to get it. I learned the desperation of being just days away from running out of unemployment as politicians dithered about extending it. I learned what it meant to ask your bank for help because you couldn’t pay the mortgage, and what it was like to be told “do your best.” And then I learned what it was like to decide that doing my best meant letting it go.

I also learned that when you fall down, there are many people who want you to stay down. Time after time, I was told by people to just get a job, any job, a minimum wage job. I had been earning more than $50,000. I had a bachelor’s degree and a recent master’s degree under my belt. I had almost 15 years of experience working in an industry that required specialized skills and training. Yet there was no shortage of people who expected me to cash that in for a dead-end job where I would earn less than I received in unemployment. These were the same people who criticized how people used food stamps, who expected everyone who needed help of being a scam artist. Too many people are too quick to characterize misfortunate strangers as lazy, incompetent, unworthy or downright shady simply because they had fallen on hard times.

I also learned that you really learn about your most important relationships in a crisis. When I was married, crises always drove us further apart. We would turn on each other, point fingers and blame. It was different this time, with Stephanie. We leaned on each other. There was no blame, just love and support. When we were scared, we were scared together. We hoped together. We sacrificed together. We became stronger together.

I learned that hope is an active verb. It’s so much easier to have hope when you take action, and so easy to lose it when you stand still. I did apply for jobs – I kept a spreadsheet to keep track of which ones I’d applied for, when I needed to call them to follow up on the resume I’d sent and what the outcome was. I told myself that each “no” I heard only brought me closer to the inevitable “yes.” I kept trying.

I learned all these things well.

I like to think I perfected the art of being unemployed. I kept myself so busy, I really didn’t have time to despair too often – though to be honest, sometimes despair did overtake me. I volunteered to help others, which always left me with a sense of worth that held that despair at bay. I’ll never forget one bill collector who reached me on my cell phone as I was driving to do a shift on the suicide prevention line. He asked me, “Aren’t you ashamed that you haven’t paid this bill?” I shot back, “I’m on my way to do suicide prevention work. You’re harassing unemployed people on the phone. Which one of us should feel ashamed?” He hung up.

Being unemployed, I quickly learned that there were many people who wanted you to feel bad, like a lesser sort of human being, for having lost a job. But I wasn’t about to do that. I got busy, and then I looked around and got angry at how so many people want to kick others when they’re down.

So when the Occupy movement kicked into gear that fall, I was ready. I was liberated from a job that forced me to keep my opinions quiet, so I voiced them loudly. And amazingly enough, some people listened. A protest outside the bank that held my mortgage led to an interview in the local alternative weekly. Somehow, that story led to a phone call from a producer of a network news show in New York, who flew out to interview me three days before my 40th birthday. Though that story never made it to air, I talked about it on social media, where a public relations executive I’d known as a reporter read it. She had me in mind when the Michigan House Democratic Caucus came asking if she knew anyone who might be interested in being a writer for them. This amazing, serendipitous chain of events. This opportunity I never could have planned for, and didn’t even think I wanted.

The photo that led to the Internet fight that led to my job.

The photo that led to the Internet fight that led to my job.

When first asked, I turned down the opportunity. I had, after all, just gotten my counseling license, and I was pretty sure that’s where my heart was. But then, another happenstance – that same night, I got into one of my infamous Internet dust-ups with a former best friend from middle school who was throwing shade on anyone sympathetic to the Occupy movement. I fired back, and things got ugly. Some of her friends came at me with the “get a job at McDonald’s” line of thought, and I angrily stewed on that as I drove to my volunteering gig. And then it was clear – I had to go to for that job. Had to, because I couldn’t stay out of the fight.

Before I knew it, I had my first interview, which was amazingly quick (about 30 minutes) compared to the newspaper interviews I’d been used to (which took all day). And then I was called back for the second interview, which took place in a stunning office suite inside the Capitol. I remember waiting to be called in for the interview, looking up at the ornately painted walls with crown molding, trying very, very hard not to be intimidated. And then I got the job offer.

Life being what life is, that opportunity arose just as another did in counseling. In fact, the very same morning of my first interview with the House Democrats, I had another interview with Community Mental Health. That job offer also came through – though only for a part-time, on call position.

There was a tortuous week where I didn’t know which offer to take, before reason won out. I was truly desperate. I couldn’t give up a full-time job with benefits for a part-time job with none. So, with a lump in my throat, I said yes.

I did know that this belabored decision would be one of the most important of my life. What I couldn’t have guessed, though, was what a good choice I had made. As I eased into that job, I would feel years of unappreciation and underestimation slough away. I had no idea that I would like my work as much as I do, and that I would thrive. I had no way of knowing that at last I would have a job where I felt like what I did mattered, that I was finally a part of the struggle instead of just sitting on the sidelines. Never before had I known what it was like to have an employer trust in me and see my potential, and then give me the chance to run with it. But I do now.

And all because I lost my job.

Losing my job was a momentous turning point in my life. It taught me how to fail, and how to rise. It taught me how keep hope when despair would be so much easier. It taught me how to come together with the one I love, rather than falling apart. It taught me what it means to be afraid, to know what it’s like to wonder if there will still be food at the end of the month, to wonder whether you can afford heat in the winter, to not be able to see a doctor when you need one, to be scorned by those luckier than you because you are struggling.

I was more fortunate than many – I only had to live it for six months. Others have that uncertainty over their heads their whole life long. But I never want to forget what it was like. I remind myself regularly what that was like. I keep it in mind when I’m at my job, a job where I can try to make a difference for people who are still living in desperation and need and fear. I never want to forget.

So, welcome back, June 21. You truly are a holiday of light. Today, I remember that time when I lost my job and a place to live all in the same day. And how that turned out to be one of the best days of my life.

Me, happy in my work. Who could have guessed?

Me, happy in my work. Who could have guessed?

4 thoughts on “The Longest Day, Three Years On

  1. I understand everything you are feeling. Although I’ve “sort of” bounced back with a full-time job, it’s a third less of the low pay I was making before. However, I’m growing as a journalist (I hope) and am living with a very wonderful man. I’ll never forget, though, the shame I was supposed to feel by not landing on my feet sooner. It took me more than two years.

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Archive for January 11th, 2010

iTunes is gay

January 11, 2010

If by chance you are looking for the new ar album Love Lu Le Lo, you will find the album under the name A&R on iTunes.  Out of all the work they put into licensing this from Japan, they couldn’t even spell two letters right.

But of course if you must pay for mp3s,  you might as well buy them at Japan Files.  It’s a couple pennies cheaper and isn’t gay.


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Yellowstone was not our list, but hey, it’s on the way (mostly) to the Tetons so we did a very quick drive through some of the southern loop.

The short trip through meant we had to choose what we wanted to see carefully. Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon won. The Falls within the canyon, the trademark canyon color, the geographic features, and the history of what we were witness to confirmed that we had made a good choice!

We saw a lot of the Park on the way in from the western access point to the Park and we continued to be awed by more as we headed out the southern entrance/exit. We saw our share of elk and bison. At one point we had to stop as a family of bison crossed the road. Majestic papa bison was making his presence known with a series of snorts.

We had planned on visiting Old Faithful, but as its clock was set to a timeframe, so was ours in terms of finding a campsite in Teton. Another time I guess!

3 thoughts on “Yellowstone

  1. It’s been 15 years since I was in Yellowstone and your pictures helped jog my memory of how it looked. We camped at a lizard name campsite and I just remember staring at the Tetons the whole time we were driving around. They are such beautiful mountains. Then again, after seeing the mountains in Glacier maybe the Tetons will seem tiny. :)

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How to be Saved

The Empty Tomb

If you’re reading this, then you are a living person. Unfortunately, that also means you are a sinner; “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God;” – Romans 3:23. The Bible also says that “The wages of sin is death;” (Rom. 6:23a); because of the sins we have committed we have earned death – seperation from God for eternity in a place of torment. “Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” – Revelation 20:15

But, praise God!, the story doesn’t end there. The rest of Romans 6:23 says, “but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” God sent his only son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for our sin. As God incarnate (in flesh) he was a perfect and holy sacrifice, the only thing that could wash away sin. “…[H]ow that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” – 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4. The fact that he not only died for our sins, but that he also rose from the dead and ascended into heaven means that he has power over sin and death; the power to save you from it.

The only thing left for you to do is to accept what Jesus has done for you; just repent, believe, ask, and receive.

Repent: Acts 3:19a – “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out,”. Repentance is more than just being Three Crosses by Ian Brittonsorry, it means to take action – to turn from your sin and give it up. Salvation is not just a band-aid for your sin, it is freedom and deliverance from your sin.

Believe: Acts 16:31 – “…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…” None of this will work without faith. God is not a pill you take that works whether you actually believe it works or not; he operates on faith. Salvation is the start of a relationship with God; if you didn’t believe in your friend and believe what he says you would not have a good relationship. A relationship requires trust.

Ask: Romans 10:13 – “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Talk to God – tell him you’re sorry, tell him you accept his sacrifice, ask him to forgive you and save you. Word it however you want; you’re talking to him personally, make it real.

Receive: John 1:12 – “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” If you’ve really believed and really meant it, then God has kept his promises and has cleansed you from your sin and made you his child. While you’re at it, why not thank him for what he’s done?

God bless!

9 thoughts on “How to be Saved

  1. joshuaprobinson says:

    I’ve used it for my blog ( is that ok?

  2. russtharris says:

    Very concise. May I borrow it?

  3. selah says:

    these days repentance is usually left out.. God bless you for this post which is truth.

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Want to join Just Mind?

Just Mind periodically hires new clinicians to join our team. We work with adults, adolescents, and children and view our program as a center of excellence. We want to help our therapists grow and feel part of a community. If you are interested, please let us know more about yourself below. We have a structure for therapists that is based on years of experience and that encourages professional growth. We have monthly trainings, weekly supervision meetings, provide scheduling help, find all new clients, provide networking events, help assist in media exposure, process all in and out of network insurance billing for clients, maintain and update the office environment and decor.

Current openings:

Just Mind is currently seeking a part-time, fully licensed (no interns) Children’s and Family Therapist to join our group counseling practice. We are seeking a skilled therapist with experience in play therapy and counseling experience with children of different ages, teenagers, parents, and families. Hours and caseload size flexible, but hours would primarily be after-school/evenings and/or weekends. All marketing, scheduling, insurance billing, and overhead costs are taken care of with opportunities for peer consultation and continuing education. This is a great opportunity to begin or supplement your private practice work! If you are interested, please send a resume and letter of interest to Teri Schroeder, LCSW at [email protected].

What others say about us

Mary-Jane Warren

I refer my patients to Just Mind for individual and group therapy.  I get back reports that have been universally positive. The scheduling is straight forward, they provide valuable feedback, they are congenial, and a pleasure to work with.

Mary-Jane WarrenNurse Practioner
Lavanya Balasingham

William is a very kind and skillful therapist, and I always feel confident that when I refer people to see him they will be well cared for.

Lavanya BalasinghamPsychologist
Nakia Scott

I refer patients to Just Mind for individual therapy.  They empower individuals with very useful coping skills.  They provide a valuable service to the community, and have been a pleasure to work with.

Nakia ScottPsychiatrist
Alex Conant

Just Mind is a great group with a plethora of therapists that ensures the group’s ability to pair clients with therapists who can best relate and meet the client’s needs. The staff is efficient and responds in a timely fashion. There is not a better group in Austin to seek help from.

Alex ConantAttorney


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The Kalamazoo Outdoor Kitchen

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