Florida weather in New York this time of the year (it was 75 degrees yesterday) feels great but also out of tune with nature. Global warming is a fact and its consequences will be far from pleasant even in our lifetime. Those in denial could deceive themselves for a while, but reality will sooner or later check in. This is an issue beyond partisan politics, even beyond international politics. The time to do something serious about it before it’s too late is about to expire. Let us all do whatever we can!
From my humble part, I will replace my 12 cylinder car with one of eight and I pledge to stop …farting! Yes, farting is a major source of carbon dioxide and disallowing my frequent emissions will definitely help! Well, it’s cow’s farting that mainly contributes to the enlargement of the Ozone hole, but according to vegans we are not that different and judging by some (vegans) that I happen to know I think they have a point …
Good thing that in a couple of days snow is predicted! I kind of enjoy these ups and downs that make the Fahrenheit scale look like the New York Stock Exchange or like a roller coaster and I hate roller coasters! I can’t say the same about cold though, I can definitely take it. Besides, much more than cold weather, it’s cold people that make me uncomfortable…
Being in the giving up mood, this Lenten season I decided to religiously stop consuming bourbon! From now on only Scotch, no cheating with the ones made in Japan, of all places! I also gave up cigarettes, totally! I don’t remember to have started them, but it fits with the giving up process. From now on only cigars and only the real ones! No more Cohibas made in Mexico. We fought so hard to lift the embargo so that legally we can enjoy what Canadians and others, even Greeks, have enjoyed far too long. We have a right to taste socialism and taste it we will! Venceremos!
Speaking of Cuban cigars and socialism, Grexit is in vogue again and I seriously have no idea what’s going to happen. And none can risk predictions at this point because the peculiarities are such that any kind of forecast will certainty look more like a farce, as it did so many times in the recent past. It seems Greece is too big to fit in the European Union and too small to fit outside of it…
And while Greece is in an in and out mood with the EU, her neighborhoold is again about to erupt in flames. Besides Turkey who’s constantly a pain in the ass to ALL her neighbors, the Albanians are up in arms (metaphorically for the moment) demanding equal status in the Former Yugoslav Republic of “Macedonia” (FYROM), although they constitute only 25% of population. It seems they got the idea from Cyprus, where the 18% Turkish speaking population also demand equal status with the rest, providing Turkey who occupies almost half of the island will concede in allowing them to be left alone.
However, same way minority Albanians in FYROM are asking for their language to be official along the Slavic, minority Greeks in Albania should demand that Greek also becomes an official language there! Moreover, in the latter’s case, the treaty by which Albania became an independent state provides that Northern Epirus be an autonomous region within Albania. Minority rights cannot be a one way street and Albanians should take that into consideration along with the Turks and other irredentism- minded fanatics in the Balkans…
Closer to home now President (I know, it’s hard to get used to) Trump said he saved the country hundreds of millions of dollars on the F35 project, but he announced more than 50 billion additional “defense” spending! If that’s not socialism for the big guys, then what is it, Castro’s or Tsipras’???
In the mean time, Main …Scream media in the US are so discredited that the more they attack Trump the more support he gets from people and more solidified his base becomes. It seems that loosing an election taught nothing the pundits and they are sticking to their game as nothing had happened. So far the only sensible opposition to this administration has been …Trump himself!
On the other hand, Pres. Trump should not complain about fake news because he was elected thanks to them! And Dems should stop portraying him as Hitler, he might believe it! As if his German ancestry weren’t enough of an alarm!
It seems we are witnessing the end of politics or the politics of the end …Whatever you pick, you loose!
Demetrios Rhompotis
P.S. 1) Honoring the International Women Day, earlier this month, I bought my wife a new washing and drying machine! Because we must show our appreciation in deeds, not just words!!!
2) “Serghey” (pronounced sir gay) is the Russian version of the Latin name Sergius NOT a title conferred by the Queen to a gay celebrity!!!
