“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
Pablo Picasso
In my regular reading of Sputnik News to read about incidents in Oregon that do not show up in the local news sites ( such as May 16, 2023 Photo: US F-15 Eagle Fighter Jet Crash-Lands in Oregon Drainage Canal) there are other interesting tidbits about the US I missed at other news sites.
I was reminded of this song by this headline:
Biden: U.S. Supports Training Ukraine on F-16s, Lifts Objection to Transfer of Fighter Jets
Here's the reality of the matter:
Happy Friday everyone. Hope everybody is doing well. Post any photos, memes, or music you like.
I went to the rose garden and cactus garden in Balboa Park on Tue. Normally by this time of year the rose bushes are in full bloom so I was really disappointed to see most all of the bushes had been cut back again. Come to find out some infestation was running rampant through the garden requiring the pruning. On the bright side, all the rain this last winter and spring has the flowers and plants in the cactus garden growing and blooming like crazy.
I want to do something that I haven't done for a while. I want to express my appreciation to everyone at c99.
Thank you to all that have contributed donations, both past and present. It is you that keep this boat afloat. Donations are the lifeblood of this site since we accept no corporate advertising, who wants to see that crap? That lack of advertising is the main factor for c99's endurance, we answer to no one but our web host. It's why there has been no censorship pressure put upon us to date. That's why your contributions are so important. It's how we maintain an open discussion board, something that's very rare in today's internet world.
Thank you to all the essayist and open thread writers. I know how difficult it is sometimes to to come up with something to write about, I'm going through it right now, I think my Muse has died. The truth is sometimes the most difficult thing to write about, sometimes it hurts to even think about it let alone type it out for the world to read. It's difficult for a reason, it's an inconvenient convention, tough to swallow by some, a welcome drink of cool water by many, and most of all it's an elixir for the constant barrage of obfuscation and out and out lies being cast about in abundance.
Thank you to all commenters. Those little nuggets of gold that cause one to think, sometimes affirmatively, other times in opposition to normative thinking. That's how we grow and learn. That's how we break out of the echo chamber. Much like a songbird on a limb singing out to the world, "Here I am, I am a bird". It's how we sing out our songs, so the world knows that we are here and we are paying attention.
Thank you to all the readers and lurkers. Heck, you can't have a blog without eyeballs. Despite those that wish us to not communicate our truths with one another. You can slow the truth down but you can stop it.
And lest I forget, a big thank you to my fellow administrator and moderators, my good friends and accomplices.
I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you.
More takes from watching too many videos:
Supposedly something like 2/3 of corporations plan to replace white collar workers with AIs. Soon there will be no one left with an income, but then we'll just put everyone on a UBI. Capitalism has an answer for everything.
Tipping and Wages:
Should the minimum wage include tips for 'service' jobs? NO. Tips should be extra. I learned this a long time ago, in Europe. Wages were decent there, and the people doing a job which in the USA would be a tipped job, like waiting on tables and so on, were just as good and just as nice as the people doing those jobs in the USA. If you tipped service people in Europe, that was ok, but wasn't required for the worker to get a decent wage.
A waiter in Uptown New Orleans, slicing Pizza at the Ancora Pizzeria (image from Wikimedia Commons).
Trump was right: 'Russian collusion' was a hoax. Good luck regaining public's trust.
