If you aren’t checking out the website, Open Culture, you are missing out. Recently, the website alerted everyone to a wonderful opportunity to learn to cook from a stellar chef. Jacques Pepin.
Below is a direct link to all 48 videos. Enjoy.
Facebook and its Dirty, Dirty Practice of Allowing Right Wing Lies and Hate Speech
I have been off Facebook for a week. In mid-July, my page will disappear. While I miss the daily contact with friends and authors, I do not miss Facebook. I made the decision to leave Facebook after Facebook censored me for a second time for using the term, “white people.” Facebook determined it was hate speech. At the same time, Facebook allows right wing pages and groups to spread hate and misinformation. I cannot in good conscience support Facebook. Below is an article on one right wing outlet that is spreading hate and misinformation. Far from being censored, Ben Shapiro is a relationship with Mark Zuckerberg. Here is an article on the right wing hate allowed to flourish on Facebook. https://popular.info/p/the-dirty-secret-behind-ben-shapiros?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=cta
Free Course from Yale University
Yale University has made an African American History Course, From Emancipation to the Present, available to everyone for free. The lectures are available on video and the course materials are free. It is a wonderful opportunity to expand your knowledge. The course is described as follows: “Prominent themes include the end of the Civil War and the beginning of Reconstruction; African Americans’ urbanization experiences; the development of the modern civil rights movement and its aftermath; and the thought and leadership of Booker T. Washington, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, W.E.B. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, “Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X.”
https://oyc.yale.edu/african-american-studies/afam-162#sessions
A Lovely Article Describing A Visit To Boise
Treat Yourself and Introduce Yourself to Bardcore.
If you aren’t on the subscription of open culture, go to the site and sign up. It might be the best thing to arrive in your email. This week, it shares bardcore and medieval renditions of current songs. http://www.openculture.com/2020/06/listen-to-medieval-covers-of-creep-pumped-up-kicks-bad-romance-more-by-hildegard-von-blingin.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+OpenCulture+%28Open+Culture%29
In the meanwhile, enjoy the medieval version of Bad Romance.
Twitter Moment
Dancing Makes You Happy
This article https://www.inverse.com/article/7861-science-explains-why-dancing-is-the-fast-way-to-make-yourself-happier explains some of the reasons why humans love dancing. As a child, my earliest memories of dancing were with my mother who was dancing in our living room. Decades later, while I was visiting my youngest sister, Alicia, Vida da loca https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p47fEXGabaY came on the TV and suddenly it was a dance party. My mom, sister and I were dancing to the music. Our children joined the fun. It really isn’t a party unless everyone is dancing.
During the disco era, I was at the club dancing several times a week. Later, I was dancing to New Wave music at a gay bar in Champaign and at the New Wave Lounge in Fort Lauderdale. Even later, being heavy with child did not stop my dancing in clubs in Chicago. I miss those days. These days most of my dancing is done at home, by myself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG1NrQYXjLU
My youngest did competitive dance as a kid. I loved the practices and competitions. Judith also misses dancing. She is thinking of lessons so she learn new routines. When I post old videos and pictures of the competitions, her old teammates state they miss dance practices and competitions. We should find more opportunities to dance and we should never get too old to dance.
Twitter Fight
The fight between actor, Ron Perlman, and Rep. Gaetz and Sen. Ted Cruz is highly amusing. The 70–year- old Perlman is verbally pounding the two. Sen. Ted Cruz is demonstrating his toxic masculinity by challenging Perlman to wrestle 56-year-old Jordan, because might makes right in his circles. I would put my money on Perlman. But here are some screenshots of the flame war.
Miscegnation
Fifty years ago, the Supreme Court of the United States finally ruled that laws prohibiting marriage and intimate relations between races were unconstitutional. There is no human right more fundamental and basic than the right to your family.
Broken Knight
“Everyone needs to read this book. ”
I have been seriously neglecting this blog. I will be posting some reviews in the near future, including one for Broken Knight. It is sitting on my kindle, demanding to be read.
– Harloe Rae, USA Today bestselling author.
Broken Knight, an all new standalone about first loves, betrayal and loss from USA Today bestselling author L.J. Shen, is available now!
Not all love stories are written the same way. Ours had torn chapters, missing paragraphs, and a bittersweet ending.
Luna Rexroth is everyone’s favorite wallflower.
Sweet.
Caring.
Charitable.
Quiet.
Fake.
Underneath the meek, tomboy exterior everyone loves (yet pities) is a girl who knows exactly what, and who, she wants—namely, the boy from the treehouse who taught her how to curse in sign language.
Who taught her how to laugh.
To live.
To love.
Knight Cole is everyone’s favorite football hero.
Gorgeous.
Athletic.
Rugged.
Popular.
Liar.
This daredevil hell-raiser could knock you up with his gaze alone, but he only has eyes for the girl across the street: Luna.
But Luna is not who she used to be. She doesn’t need his protection anymore.
When life throws a curveball at All Saints’ golden boy, he’s forced to realize not all knights are heroes.
Sometimes, the greatest love stories flourish in tragedy.
Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
$2.99 for a Limited Time Only
Amazon: https://amzn.to/31NUvca
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/BrokenKnight
Pre-order the Audio edition now
(Available 8/25)
Amazon Audible: https://amzn.to/2HdgKQH
Amazon Audible WorldWide: http://mybook.to/BrokenKnightAudio
Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2YbCrun
Excerpt:
Right now I wanted to just be here in silence with my best friend. And somehow, I don’t know how, but Luna sensed it. So we sat there for what felt like two hours but was probably a lot less, until I opened my eyes again. Her eyes were closed, too. I watched her for a while.
When she opened her eyes, it felt like she took something away from me.
“Let’s jump,” she said.
“I’m quite fond of my limbs, Moonshine.”
“Stop being such a big baby.”
“Big, quarterback baby who just finished a football season in one piece and would like to keep all his body parts intact.”
She crawled out of the treehouse and settled on the branch. It was thick, but I doubted it could carry my muscular ass for more than a few seconds before snapping. I rolled my eyes and settled next to her. She slipped her hand in mine.
“Three, two, one.”
It was a short, sweet way down.
About LJ Shen
L.J. Shen is a USA Today, Washington Post and Amazon #1 Best-selling author of contemporary, New Adult and YA romance. Her books have been sold to nineteen different countries.
She lives in California with her husband, son, cat and eccentric fashion choices, and enjoys good wine, bad reality TV shows and catching sun rays with her lazy cat.
Connect with L.J. Shen
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorljshen/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lj_shen
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/authorljshen/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorljshen/
Stay up to date with L.J. Shen by signing up for her mailing list:
Website: http://www.authorljshen.com/
“Watching Democracy Circling the Drain..”
Another Day, More Assaults, and another fax to my Senators
To: Honorable Mike Crapo
Fax: 202-228-1375
Re: “Watching democracy circling the drain..” Ophi Edut
Today’s question: Is there a line that the treasonous felon and his apartheid-loving crony can cross that will strengthen your spine and encourage you to comply with your oath of office?
In the past 24 hours, the HeadStart program is locked out of their federal offices ( https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/head-start-childcare-programs-are-still-unable-access-federal-money-tr-rcna190791 ); the treasonous felon stated the US will occupy Gaza, deport the lawful residents, and create resorts (https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-palestinians-leave-gaza-us-rebuild/story?id=118463249 ); the current administration is going after federal civilian workforce (4% of the budget) and not federal contractors(12% of the budget) and notorious for waste, fraud, and abuse (for example, Space Exploration Technologies Corp. crashed a space ship and violated FAA rules in doing so): Musk minions, who lack any security clearance and legal authority, entered the offices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and demanded access to its IT system https://www.wired.com/story/doge-engineer-noaa-data-google-musk-climate-project-2025/ )(; ; the entire CIA workforce were offered buyouts
(https://www.reuters.com/world/us/cia-offers-buyouts-entire-workforce-align-with-trump-priorities-wsj-reports-2025-02-05/); USAID was investigating a Musk company when he shut down the company (https://gizmodo.com/elon-musks-enemy-usaid-was-investigating-starlink-over-its-contracts-in-ukraine-2000559365 ); and
West Point closed down all minority and women organizations (https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/west-point-disbands-women-minorities-cultural-clubs-trump-dei-executive-order/6137332/ )
This is the news from 10:00a.m. I can’t keep up with the atrocities.
Your failure to speak out against this outrage violates your oath of office.
Thank you
Phyllis Lamken
Child Mortality and USAID
Childhood mortality worldwide has been reduced 43 percent in the past thirty years. USAID played a big role in this achievement.
Phyllis Lamken
P.O. Box 586
Victor, ID 83455
208-313-7641
Fax: 208-787-2036
pal@lamkenlaw.com
To: Honorable James Risch
Fax: 202-224-2573
Why has USAID been shut down? I certainly didn’t see any legislation shutting down the agency. Oh, wait, a non-government employee, Elon (it wasn’t a Nazi salute) Musk shut down one of our nation’s most essential and effective foreign policy agencies. The employees are barred from the building. Yesterday, a group of rightly angry and outraged members of Congress were barred from the building.
In the past thirty years, the greatest reduction in childhood mortality rates was achieved. In 1990, 12.6 million children under the age of five died annually. In 2017, 2.5 million children under the age of five died. That is an 43 percent decrease. There is nothing comparable in the centuries prior to these three decades. This is a major achievement and the United States through USAID was a major player in the success of reducing childhood mortality.
As your constituent, I expect you to take action. I expect you to be outraged.
Your failure to speak out against this outrage violates your oath of office.
Thank you
Phyllis Lamken
Fighting Against Fascism Feb. 3, 2025
Call me stupid, call me naive, but I expect my congressional delegation to fight for freedom. It has been less than a month, but the treasonous felon has engaged in a shock and awe assault on the constitution, rule of law, and our economy. The control of our nation’s finances by Elon Musk is insane. He has not been elected. He does not head a government agency. Yet he has control of our payor system. I sent the following fax to my Senators:
To: Honorable James Risch
Fax: 202-224-2573
It is impossible to reach my Senators in Washington. Instead, I get a garbled voicemail. Did Elon Musk seize the Capitol’s phone lines? Being a former bar member, I assume you have a passing acquaintance with the US Constitution. But please consider Article II, Section 2 of the highest law of the land:” and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law.” DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, has not been created by Congress, Elon Musk has not been approved to head any governmental agency. There has been no security clearance for DOGE and its employees. So why does he, his computer systems, and staff have access to my personal information and that of most of my family? This is a national security breach of unprecedented, cataclysmic magnitude. His computers should be seized, his employees at DOGE arrested, and he needs to be stopped from further interference with the US government. He should not have access to our computer systems.
Have you forgotten your oath of office? Let me remind you.
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”
You need to stop goose-stepping to the demands of the treasonous felon that 77 million morons voted into office. He was elected president. But he needs to comply with the law.
In Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, the power to lay and collect taxes, impost, and excises rests with Congress, not the president. In addition, the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations is a Congressional power. While Article II, allows the president to negotiate treaties but two-thirds of the Senate must approve. The Senate did approve the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. This is US law! So why is the treasonous felon imposing tariffs on our two most significant trade partners?
The entire concept of the balance of powers was the expectation each branch would do its duty and rein in abuses of power. Senators were expected to put the country before power and party.
You need to quit goose-stepping to the demands of a malignant narcissist who is trying to destroy our democracy, the integrity of our government institutions, our most powerful foreign alliances, and our economy.
Thank you
Phyllis Lamken
wavingmyfreakflagdotcom 