The classic line from Captain Renault in Casablanca, just before he collects his gambling winnings, is a perfect lead in to today’s latest news from the Orange Asshat in Washington, D.C.

Trump today announced that he is firing the director of the Office of Government Ethics, a man who was confirmed by the US Senate in November 2024 and sworn in December 16, 2024 for a five year term - a term that would have lasted completely through Trump’s second term. See the attached news article:

and new beginnings?

Go out to all those adversely impacted by last night’s plane collision in Washington, D.C. - I have flown through Reagan National Airport more times than I can count. It was a hub for US Air for a long time, and then later for American Airlines when US Airways bought them out and kept the American name when merging the two operations. As my home is in the New York Capital Region, for many years I would fly out of the Albany International Airport on a weekly basis - although less often the past few years.

So i possibly won't get to post new stuff for about ten days.

Well here it is ladies and gents, the next assault on the transgender and gender fluid communities:

https://apple.news/AVzOxhPqGSxGebk2RufpD_g

When they learned she was transgender IBM fired her.

Lynn had managed to put together some fragile bits of support and help from her family and friends. However, when IBM fired her everyone lost confidence in what she was doing and her support system collapsed. Lynn went abroad for her surgery, all alone. She had lost not only her career and professional reputation, but also her family, relatives, friends and colleagues. She faced a frighteningly uncertain future without a soul in the world to help her other than her doctors.

Yep, a new short story collection from yours truly!

to the post i put up this morning?

Isaac Asimov said, “Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.” Although his intent was clear, in that the incompetent resort to violence as they can think of no other action to take, he is inherently wrong. The Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928 attempted to outlaw war as an act of national policy, but it has obviously failed. The simple fact is that throughout history, war has been much more the norm than peace.

and all that

for riding or much else!

The situation around LA seems as bad or perhaps worse than a disaster movie. At least with a movie you can detach yourself by it being make believe. What is going on right now is real and there really are people dying. I had expected the death toll to be higher and perhaps it will be. I wonder how many people will die because of smoke inhalation.

In the Portland, Oregon area I have noticed some haze, and upon inquiry it seems that the weather prognosticators expect the smoke to come up here eventually.

Gwen

or more accurately here in Brizzle, Fahrenheit 32!

I see severe winter marching across from Kansas to DC. Please stay safe, our sisters and brothers in its path, and preferably under cover and off the roads. The temps and snowfall make our disruptive UK winter weekend a mere shower by comparison.

I thought I knew about all this. I was wrong and it was a coup attempt which Trump lied his way out of again. Also, it seems republicans have shorter memories than woodlice. How do I know, I'm a scientist.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jan/03/januar...

I've been listening to the radio today; hearing people talk about him. As very vocal evangelical he could have been the person so many here, including myself, have portrayed as ignorant and hateful. Instead, I don't recall him ever condemning anyone's actions, just putting his hand to helping where he could. I think that in a world filled with men like that I would never have found a reason to leave the church. He didn't just mouth his creed, he lived it.

Yep, its the big day!

Yep, we are just 7 days away from the 'big' day!

Just a quickie that i thought i'd share.

Just to let people know that Fictionmania has successfully changed servers and is back and running, albeit with my recent postings there, gone.
It was interesting that when WebDeb advised us it was down there was a couple of comments about FM like - "nothing but soft core porn, most of the time" and "more sexually oriented material, for they who prefer more erotic fare". There was also the chilling statement - "PROJECT 2025 won't see any difference - if it's transgender, it's PORN; and a danger to the Fatherland".
Here is my comment in response:

season is here

So yesterday and the day before, it pretty much snowed here all day, and it was what you would call a mixed blessing.

One the one hand, the city looks beautiful, white everywhere, and after a pretty grim summer that is a good thing.

On the other hand, drivers here seem to forget how to drive in snow, so car accidents have been plentiful.

Ah well, into every life a little snow must fall, right?

I was wondering if Sarah McBride had had her GCS. If so, she could confirm her physical sex for the house.

The German Green Party has proposed the creation of “women only” train cars for the underground network in the capital city of Berlin, due to the huge increase of sexual assaults and rapes in the last ten years. This proposal has caused a huge backlash from most other sectors of the German society.