trumpster saloon, another reason to drink at home

Parma Ohio (O, the ignomy)

First of all, Trump's witness is false. He does not know the best words, he is not very smart, he is not a stable genius, he is not humble. Those boasts, and others, were false. 

The government's shutdown, which he produced (and was abetted by Miss McConnell) has recently ended. I posit three reasons for the commencement: 1— Trump wants to give his stupid speech Tuesday night in full audience in the House of Representatives, and he has found out that Nancy Pelosi will firmly stand her ground; and she still will not allow him that particular night. 2—The arrest of Roger Stone, casts further light and depth of his campaign conspiracies with Russians and American knaves and malefactors, and Trump wants attention diverted. 3—A few air traffic controllers not coming to work inconvenienced enough rich people to have an effect. We must remember how Reagan began the evisceration of the unions with the destruction of the PATCO union. Strikes and labor stoppages have become very rare. The ability to strike is the greatest arrow in the quiver of working people. If one cannot refuse to work, he is a prisoner, or a slave. Strikes forces attention to be made.

Still no matter how wretchedly horrible Trump is, and he is definitely so, he still will have his deplorable supporters. But for workingmen to support Trump is stupid in extreme. 

ruminating on the recumbent couch

Justin A. Frank, M.D., is a professor in clinical psychology at George Washington University Medical Center. He is greatly influenced by Sigmund Freud, and more so Melanie Klein.  

In December i read Justin Frank's "Trump on the Couch". With items from the public record up to April of 2018, he tells information and observations that anyone who has been paying attention would know and realise. The book also reminds me of the old joke, "Guy goes to the psychiatrist. The first thing the psychiatrist says is 'Why do you hate your mother?'" But beyond that, Trump is not only unfit (and dangerous) for the office of the presidency, Trump is unfit for society (any society). 

Where Frank does not explore enough is what is wrong with people who approve of Trump. Trump came in second place to Hillary Clinton; the electoral college structural opportunities was manipulated by the Russians in concert with the Republican Party/Trump campaign; the 'deplorables' (the base, as Rove called them) were ginned up by delusion, and hatred (hatred especially of Barack Obama, a man that did not look like them).

Then i read the bushjr book, and began the Obama book. There is much redundancy between gwbjr and Trump. Frank saw a danger to the country in bushjr, and wrote the book. He has empathy for bushjr, and believes his religious conversion was genuine. If it was, he could not have chosen any other sect [evangelicals] that so conveniently accommodates fraud. Besides the obvious reports on junior, he sees a mild form of Tourette's syndrome. Both Trump and bushjr are horrible, but Frank is not so generous about Trump. 

Malignant narcissism, mendacity, sadism, a profound ignorance, and the desire to be dictators are in both. They would have been nothing, if their fathers were not born before them. Both really enjoy destroying, they glee in destruction. Trump moreso. Trump is extremely loud and gaudy, while gwbjr enjoyed a smug emptiness, and politically wanted to appear folksy. The oft asinine statement repeated by many was "the kind of guy you'd enjoy a beer with"; he is a dry drunk, who when active was a terrible drunk.

I have many times found myself reading about Trump's behaviour of the day before, and i would fume and catch myself using gwbjr's name, and have to correct and say "Trump" whenever in discussion. They have several similar qualities of personality, habit, action, and response. Trump is an extreme con man, with bottomless rottenness. gwbjr had two looks: the smirk of sadism, and the emptiness of incomprehension.

I have been thinking for months what sort of film(s) can be made on the Trump presidency. Recent films like Spotlight, and The Post come to mind. Before he was inaugurated it seemed inevitable that he would be removed from office, or hellacious disaster would come. Reading about the politics leading up to WWI, it reads as the war between the great powers would come inevitably. Reading about the Galveston hurricane in 1900, and how reports came from Cuba to get ready were ignored, that the storm was going to hit hard no matter what officials in Texas thought. Trump's fall from power was evident before he "won" the election. I nominate Martin Scorsese to direct the Donald Trump biopic. His body of work - Goodfellas, Gangs of New York, etc - suggests he has done a great job bringing similar characters to life on film. The best thing that can be said about Trump is that we are closer to the end of his presidency than the beginning.

Now, Obama is a different story: "Obama is more intelligent and more articulate than many of his critics and remains civil and respectful even in the face of criticism. This angers envious people who are insecure about their own intelligence and who cannot stand kindness in people they hate." p. 190 [of the Obama book]. 

The trouble with Obama is he is too much a political gentleman, and refuses to see the malevolence of Republicans. He truly wants unity. Obama believes everyone has a view to consider, and he avoided confrontation. Obama wanted to be a president for all Americans. Yet his detractors called him 'divisive'.  His greatest failure was not to prosecute the busheviks, and then the Wall Street financiers, and British Petroleum. Obama, unlike the shit gibbon clowns before and after him, is not a narcissist: 'No drama Obama' as many have said.

Zima Winter Invierno L'hiver

 St. Vladimir Parma, Friday 18 January 2019

I figured that because this part of January is the coldest time of the year here, it would also be across the country; but, no. January 19, 1994 it was -20°F in Cleveland. I decided i wasn't going to work, i was working at the baseball park. To schedule events now is foolhardy.

                                                 from Casimir the Cat Weather Bureau:
With the upcoming storm this weekend, Casimir is nervously preparing for his Feb. 2 forecast. Many of you will recall that Casimir’s prediction was right on the money again last year as we endured a brutal April. His words were simply: “Sorry, you’ll be Freezing your Whiskers off for weeks to Come”. Casimir still batting 100%. Remember Casimir makes his forecast at High Noon on Feb. 2. He has the brains to sleep in not like that varmint in Pennsylvania. Look for the news release about 12:30pm that day.  

Wishing you many happy pierogi dinners followed by paczki for desert,
                                             —John Niedzialek

John is perhaps the most fervent member of St. Casimir Cleveland. When the Homecoming Mass, the 14oᵗʰ week after the attempt of episcopal extinction, arrived a street kitten was found.  John named the cat, Casimir. John teaches at Lakeland Community College and had been giving weather forecasts with his cat, Abby, on February 2nd. Casimir inherited the duties. [click]

But here, in the Middle West and the North East, now is generally the coldest days of the year. A polar vortex, or air blowing in from Siberia, would make it worse. Monday is the MLKing Jr. holiday, and several cultural institutions around Cleveland (and elsewhere) have scheduled events, and museums have free admission. The weather makes leaving the home not so cheery.

In the bottom part of the mural is the Baptism of the (Kievan) Rus nation in 988. The holy day on the 19th is also the baptism of Jesus. Some places in the old country people go for a dip outside, sometimes a hole has to be cut in the ice. The cross is a better idea, if you are not in Greece or somewhere warm.

finished

group picture

time to go home

Now, on the Julian calendar, January 19ᵗʰ is the Theophany/Epiphany/Baptism of Jesus. St. Vladimir Ukrainian Orthodox in Parma erects an ice cross. To-day's the 18ᵗʰ and the waters have been blessed, and for the 34ᵗʰ time the parish's cross has been made. [click, and click] Some years the timing goes perfectly for the weather.  Sometimes, in the old country the ice is stained with beet juice. The cross is red, this has not been done in Parma. I asked Fr. John, where else in America do they do this. At one time, Maplewood New Jersey, but not now.

St. Eugene Byzantine Bedford

To-day is the Baptism of Jesus, the First Sunday after the Theophany. It was also the last Divine Liturgy at Saint Eugene Byzantine Bedford Ohio.

 On the iconostasis, there is an icon of the parish's patron, Pope St. Eugene 657☨.

 icon of Jesus with mosaic elements

 The iconostasis is framed in aluminum.

Divine Liturgy has not been held for a few months. Bishop Milan Lach presided to-day. After the Liturgy was over, he said the church will be de-consecrated under canon law. Unlike the Roman diocese of Cleveland, this closure was done in consultation with the parishioners. The parish began in 1951, the present church is from 1963.

Little Christmas

Rosetta Vercellino has been La Befana for about twenty-five years

Epiphany is Little Christmas, and people celebrate, and choose certain celebrations to commemorate and enjoy. Italians have Befana (the Housewife), Befana is a diminutive of Epiphania, which is the form to name a female child (it is a stretch for 'Tiffany'). Befana was so busy doing chores in Bethlehem when the Magi came, she missed seeing Jesus. So she says, "I sweep, I clean, I cook, I bake, I wash, I iron, I sweep, and I missed seeing Jesus. So now I look for him every year". Epiphany Sunday Befana came to Holy Rosary Pico Italia Cleveland. She tells her story, especially to children, but others too.  

This was originally a Roman tradition, but it has spread across Italy. La Befanas sometime gather together. She is sometimes called the Christmas witch.

Some of the actors in St. Casimir's drama company waiting in the narthex: angels, shepherds, kings, Mary and Joseph—the usual crowd, but without the livestock.

St. Casimir's is a fine place to celebrate a Pasterka (Shepherds' Mass) for the greater Polish community, and that of all Christians. This is traditionally the Mass on Christmas Eve. In the last few years, there has been attempt to have one on Epiphany in the daytime collectively for several Polish parishes in Cleveland and Lorain.

German Village Columbus

 Joan Wobst. Umbrella Girl. 1996. Schiller Park Columbus.

Previously, a statue of Hebe (goddess of youth) was there in 1872 with a drinking fountain. In the 1920s plumbing had 'rain' fall on her, and then an umbrella was suspended over her. Sometime in the 1950s she disappeared.

In winter the fountain is dry. The winter is cold, and on this early January day she is wearing a jacket, maybe from a Santa suit. With humour and affection, another outdoor statue is given clothing.

 Maximilian von Widnmann. Friedrich Schiller. [Munich 1863] Columbus 1891.

Stewart’s Grove→City Park1867→Schiller Park1905→Washington Park1918→

Schiller Park1930

This park is an example of national love, and national hate. Columbus had a large German population after the 1830s. Germans love their culture. This area south of downtown Columbus became to be called German Village. Independence Day 1891 thousands came for the dedication of this statue of the German poet. In 1918 German books were burned in front of the statue. Other anti-German measures also gripped the state's capital. German dogs (German shepherds, dachshunds...) were taken from their owners and killed.

St. Mary Church was hit by lightning on August 28, 2016. An examination found major structural damage. Some millions have been raised to do a complete repair, and remodeling.

St. Marien Kirche A.D. 1867

The yearstone is above the central pair of doors in the form of a cross. The building began in 1866, and the bishop came in 1868. In 1893 the spire was built to 197 feet, and is the tallest building in German Village. Clock was added in 1894. 

Karma discovers Gambrinus

 August Wagner Brewery/Gambrinus Brewing Company (1905-1974)

Years ago, Cleveland had Leisy's Brewery. Some of their animal statues went to the Cleveland Zoo. They also had a King Gambrinus (legendary Fleming who made beer), where that one is...i dunno. Karma found Columbus' Gambrinus. The brewery was demolished. The statue was saved by the Columbus Dispatch.