Jane Austen is brilliant but I have always wished that she would have taken more risks in her novels. I used to think that was partly due to the time she lived in. But Mary Shelley and Maria Edgeworth took risks in their books.

And as Jane Austen scholars have said, the servants in her novels are rarely heard from and an Austen heroine may say that money doesn't matter in a husband but the man she marries is usually quite wealthy

But I have yet to read Emma & Mansfield Park so there is hope

"Disney Suggests Mediation in Federal Lawsuit, DeSantis Does Not Believe Mediation ‘Would Be Productive" -

This is a mistake on Disney's part because DeSantis is a bully and bullies don't back down unless you stand up for yourself. Only then do bullies leave you alone and agree to lower the temperature.

There was a time when I thought that DeSantis as President would be better than Trump but I have seen the things he has done, the latest being the homophobic ad he is running, and Ron DeSantis is equally as bad a choice for President as Trump and in some ways maybe even worse. The one good thing is that DeSantis has no chance of being President even if he wins the GOP nomination Trump will run third party. But DeSantis is a scary and strange man.

Living in Florida the one thing I am smiling about is that DeSantis' Presidential campaign is going nowhere. He can't win because even if he were to get the GOP nomination, Trump would absolutely run third party destroying DeSantis' chances.

The worry is that after DeSantis loses he'll be an even angrier man than he already is and he will turn that anger on Florida. He is capable of anything and at some point I may have to walk out of Florida if I have to and I am not completely kidding.

I never thought DeSantis would run for President because even if he got the GOP nomination Trump wwill run as a third party candidate. I figured DeSantis knew this.

Reading Last Train To Paradise by Les Standiford. It’s a about the destruction of the Key West Railroad by the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. The railroad operated from 1912 to 1935 until a category 5 hurricane hit the Keys. Enough of the structure remained though which is why we have the overseas highway today which links the mainland of Florida to Key West.

What's happening in Russia is a warning to us all. No one could tell Putin no and that's how he went into Ukraine dreaming of making Russia great again. Putin underestimated Zelensky and the Ukranian people and he greatly overestimated his own military because the people around him were afraid to bring him the facts.

Dictators eventually cause real trouble for their people. Many don't see it at first because the dictator speaks to their grievances and xenophobia. But it always ends badly.

The one thing Hunter Biden's attackers on the right willfully keep forgetting is that, yes, Hunter Biden has had addiction problems and did things he shouldn't. But when Hunter was a boy he was in a terrible car crash in which he and his brother were badly hurt and his mother and sister were killed.

That's a level of childhood trauma most of us never experience. Joe Biden understands this and will always stand by his son which is what a good father should do.

Andrew Weissman saying that if Trump is reelected he will never leave. I disagree.

Trump wanted badly to be reelected in 2020. But having to run again in 2024 was never in his plans. The Presidency involves work which Trump didn't want to do the first time. He's running in 2024 to stay out of jail. And if he's reelected no similar need will be there in 2028 .

The GOP hope is that if Trump is reelected he will have a few guard rails. Many of his supporters hope that too.

They don't grasp what it will mean to Trump that he doesn't have to face the voters again and that in his second term he will appoint complete men who will never tell him no on anything.

Sex and The City began in 1998 and it's still going strong. Maybe I'm missing something but I never saw my story reflected on Sex and the City or in the lives of any of these four women.

I lived in NYC for most of my life and like most New Yorkers I was never able to afford a Manhattan apartment and never will be.

New York Magazine, as I remember it is also very Manhatran centric. I love NYC but Manhattan is for the very wealthy and that might be a more accurate title for the series.

Robert Jarvis a Southeastern University law professor, said there is no question Peterson deserved firing but prosecuting him “seems like such an overreach” AP

I agree. Scott Peterson was the first officer to arrive at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas HS. He heard rapid gunfire inside. He did not yet have back up as I understand. He waited outside.

You can't charge a person with a felony because they weren't a hero. It sets a very bad precedent.

"Xi tells Blinken in high-stakes meeting: World needs stable U.S.-China relations" - CNBC

I don't recall US/China relations being this bad during the Obama years. So in my opinion a key factor in our worsening relationship has been Trump He seems to have had it in for China from the start of his 2016 campaign.

Trump also came into office with a desire to worsen relations with our NATO allies. Why would a US Pres seek to worsen relations with China and NATO?

If professional dress doesn't matter why can't Biden dress in shorts and a hoodie or go the office in pajamas. He can do it of course but the voters will believe it's their business and its not going to be a pretty situation on election day.

Senator John Fetterman giving a speech with Biden and he is once again wearing a hoodie and shorts. I am glad Fetterman won his race. But what is he trying to prove dressing this way?

Some say how Fetterman dresses is irrelevant.. It's his policies that matter. True but there is such a thing as respecting the office by dressing professionally. And how one dresses is the kind of thing many voters will take into consideration when he runs for reelection.

Nomadland by Jessica Bruder is a book that is going to be around for years to come. The author did an excellent job of writing and reporting. Also the subject matter, how hard it is for the elderly and really most people in the US to survive on salaries that are not keeping up with the rising cost of rent, is not going away anytime soon.

This year summer runs from Wed, Jun 21, 2023 - Sat, Sep 23, 2023 and I post this because a season can be a time of accomplishment in our lives.

For me I would like to spend the entire summer eating healthier and losing weight. Others may have different goals but we shouldn't waste this summer but rather it for a positive change.in our lives.

People occupy job titles In our lives (mother, brother, friend, spouse, doctor etc) where the assumption is they will be there for you when you need them. And so when they betray you it can be hard to take.

The Impulse is to get very angry because surely they will see how hurt you are and change their behavior. But sometimes the way they treat you is not an accident. And at that point you have to wish them well but distance yourself from them. You have to move on for your emotional health

He probably doesn't have a chance but if Chris Christie wins the GOP nomination in 2024 I will, breathe a sigh of relief. I may not agree with some of Christie's positions and would vote for Biden but a Christie vs Biden match up would mean Trump and DeSantis had been defeated and our democracy had been saved.

Watched The Verdict on TCM starring Sidney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre. They did about 8 or 9 films together in the 1940's. They were such great actors and I enjoyed the Verdict although I would have liked a happier ending.