Welcome to Chaos !! - Opinions

Stale

nospam@example.com (TATIANA) — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Yesterday I got some croissants. The expiration date/best before date on the box said February 27 so I was thinking they would be fresh enough. When I opened the package this morning I discovered that all four croissants were stale. Ewwwww like no. I was hungry and put two in the oven with some butter on them hoping that it would do it. I could barely eat one and took a bite out of the other. Selling stale baked goods and bread at full price is just not ok.
Some coffee shops do that too. You order a scone/muffin/baked goods and take a bite and that thing is like a brick. Sold for like $7. If the stuff is stale it should be sold at half price IF THAT as yesterday's goods. Better yet given away for free to the hungry. Anyhow. I decided to take the box of croissants back to the store for a full refund. Tired of spending $ on stale stuff.
I looked up the issue online first and found out that I am not the only one with a similar opinion about this store's baked goods. I don't think I will ever get croissants from that store again. Do better than selling stale food. Or like I said, sell it for less than half price or give it away to the hungry.
It should be ILLEGAL for grocery stores to throw away food that you can still eat. I think some places are making an effort and give away the safe to eat food to food banks. As they should. I do not like wasting food.

Sometimes I use an app called Yuka to check the quality of the stuff that I consume. It is a free app that scans the barcode on food and cosmetic products and rates them from excellent to poor. I like it, other people don't. For example......the juice on the left is about $3 more than the juice on the right. I like the juice on the right and according to Yuka it is also the better choice out of the two.

The 2026 Winter Olympics.....! Did you watch? I only watched the figure skating. Very impressed with Ilia Malinin and Alysa Liu. Born in the US, children of immigrants. Alysa's Dad, Arthur Liu's story is impressive as well.
Now I am going to eat apples and watch Dateline. And then I am going to take a bath and wash my hair. Dateline is great and also sad because of all the victims, mostly female victims. That is where I learn about all the pretend righteous often church going folks that do things to others that I would never ever imagine doing.

Protest

nospam@example.com (TATIANA) — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Depending on where you live in the world......you might be aware of (if living in the US) that there were many protests all over the US today. The protest was called NO KINGS and happened back in June as well.
Other countries showed support and people protested there too. Thousands of protests took place today and millions of people showed up. Same back in June.
In Astoria people gathered at the Astoria Armory for speeches and music performances. Oregon State Representative Cyrus Javadi was present and spoke. What is interesting is that he used to be a Republican but is now a Democrat.

These people were drumming and singing in honor of the Clatsop Indigenous People of the Pacific Northwest and the native people of the Yukon-Kuskokwin Delta in Alaska, an area that was recently badly damaged by severe storms.
It is easy to forget.....but before any white guys decided to "discover" what is today known as the USA, explore, take whatever they wanted and spread disease, there were native Americans living here.

After the assembly at the Astoria Armory, WE THE PEOPLE joined the rest of the people standing on the sidewalk flanking Marine Drive. Here are a few of the signs, of course there were MANY more.
But first GO FROGS!

I did not witness any violence, destruction or inappropriate behavior during the time I spent attending the NO KINGS protest today. A stark contrast to the J6 "protest" back in 2021 (which I did not attend in case I have to clarify that)
And yes I am very much aware of that nobody is a king here in the US, look at "king" being used as a metaphor. But certain behaviors have pointed to some sort of a wish for an autocracy in the US. So I understand why people protest.;

Jane Goodall

nospam@example.com (TATIANA) — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 15:00:00 +0000

Jane Goodall left the planet last week, she was 91. What a fantastic human being, what a role model. THAT is a role model in my opinion. I watched the documentary called Famous Last Words: Dr. Jane Goodall, on Netflix and I think it should be mandatory for every child over the age of 5 and every adult to watch it at least once, if not twice.

To pull some opinions from Dr. Goodall, on farm animals, "far more aware and intelligent than we ever imagined and, despite having been bred as domestic slaves, they are individual beings in their own right. As such, they deserve our respect. And our help. Who will plead for them if we are silent?" And on animals, "thousands of people who say they 'love' animals sit down once or twice a day to enjoy the flesh of creatures who have been treated with so little respect and kindness just to make more meat."
I do not eat meat because I LOVE animals and I KNOW that they have feelings. I can absolutely do better. I still eat milk products. And I know what the milk industry does to cows and calves, it is nothing nice to put it mildly. I admire vegans.
I believe that my journey in this life is to become a better human and do good, make a difference in the world. It is my duty. Every day I can do something good, even if it is to pick up litter and throw it in a trash bin.
Almost all of us can do better.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

nospam@example.com (TATIANA) — Sat, 25 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Last Monday, January 20th it was Martin Luther King Jr. Day here in the US. A big YES for Martin Luther King, he seemed to be a beautiful human being. What else is there to say?
I suggest starting with reading up on MLK if you want to learn more about him. We need more people like him in the world.
Martin Luther King Day which was January 20th this year is the most important thing that happened in the USA that day.

Now on to the circus that took over the White House this week. I am just waiting for some other additions to the roster of crazies. How about the QAnon Shaman, Bigo, Enrique Tarro and Andrew Tate? They seem to be a good fit.
So my first personal strong disapproval of what Donald Trump did this week is the renaming of Denali, the tallest mountain in North America, located in Alaska. He decided to rename it to Mount McKinley after a former US president that never even went to Alaska. Denali has been called Denali by the Native Alaskan people supposedly for over one thousand years. And for some time Denali was named Mount McKinley, until Obama reversed it back to Denali in 2015. IT SHOULD BE DENALI! If you want a mountain to be named after a former president from Ohio then the best solution seems to be to find some mountain in Ohio to name after him? In my opinion this is an action of showing disrespect by Trump but hey can you expect anything else really? Renaming Denali was an urgent issue for Trump I guess.
How about the price of eggs, bacon and gas that the Americans that voted for Trump were SO concerned over? Well guess what honey......billionaires do not care about the prices of eggs, bacon and gas and they do not care about YOU either. But according to whitehouse.gov, one of the several priorities mentioned on there is "all agencies will take emergency measures to reduce the cost of living." OK. What does that mean to you? To me it means lower rents, lower interest rates so people can afford to buy a house (especially for first time home buyers), lower the price of real estate so people can even afford to buy a house, condo or land, lower the price of food, lower the price of child care, significantly lower the price of prescription drugs, make health care affordable for everyone and do not let insurance companies make profits on people seeking medical care and purchasing medications (FREE LUIGI!).
What else? Trump repealed Executive Order 14087 and to quote pharmacytimes.com, "a measure from the Biden administration aimed at reducing prescription drug costs and increasing access to innovative cell and gene therapies for Medicaid recipients. Although the reversal did not immediately alter existing laws and regulations for Medicare and Medicaid prescription drug pricing, it has introduced uncertainty about the federal government’s strategy to address these critical issues and sparked widespread debate about the future of health care affordability in the United States."
YES......all you poor Republicans living paycheck to paycheck or on fixed income or on social security disablity that have health issues and need prescription drugs - enjoy the future! You voted for this.
And I am curious to find out what the Saudis will invest $600 billion in here in the US? Buy up more real estate perhaps? That will really help reduce the cost of living.
I mean I can go on and on about this. But before I quit this rant.....who in their right mind thinks THIS is normal and acceptable behavior from a person currently serving as the Administrator of the Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE under the Donald Trump administration?

Another thing that just baffles me is how the MAGA people cannot see anything wrong ever with any actions stemming from Trump and his administration. It is like a cult.

Disappointed In Humanity

nospam@example.com (TATIANA) — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 21:00:00 +0000

About 15 minutes ago I clicked on a video that showed a group of men on duty as correctional officers using violence on a handcuffed inmate that lead to the inmate's death. His name was Robert Brooks. He passed away December 10. There are yet no arrests in the murder of Robert Brooks. No perp walk. No flyers up with the faces of these men that ganged up on one handcuffed person and murdered him. They kicked and punched him for a while. He was probably scared and in a lot of pain. Truly abhorrent. What else have these individulas done to other prisoners or other people out in society that is not known? Yes I know that Mr. Brooks was incarcerated for assault but what did he do to get handed that treatment earlier this month? I will be waiting to see what charges all the correction officers will receive and the follow up to that.......
Meanwhile Luigi Mangione shot and killed the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson on December 4. The difference in how the deaths of the two victims are handled is very obvious. The spectacle surrounding his arrest looked like a movie scene. Way exagerrated.
Obviously a warning from the insurance companies to the public to think twice before trying to do something similar. We will find you and charge you with murder and terrorism so you might face the death penalty.
Yeah I am on team Luigi. I DO think what he did was wrong BUT what role did Brian Thompson have in thousands of people not getting proper healthcare that ultimatly lead to suffering and/or death? I totally understand why some see Luigi as a hero. I doubt Luigi has been shooting people for fun prior to shooting Mr. Thompson.
The problem lies with US healthcare and insurance companies and how much people suffer physically, mentally and financially from the impact of this severely flawed system.
According to The Guardian, "In a new poll, more than two-thirds of respondents said they believed denials of coverage and profits in the health insurance industry were partially responsible for the killing of Brian Thompson, the UnitedHealthcare CEO, in early December".
You can clearly see that justice has a price tag attached to it. There is no justice for many. People with money can buy freedom and special treatment. Is anyone suprised that people are angry? I am suprised that there has not been a revolution yet? But as long as people can watch football in giant stadiums or on giant TVs and sip on beer and soda and stuff themselves with hot dogs they are OK. Why rattle the OK?
Yeah my life will go on......we all struggle along in this wheel of life/suffering. People say that money does not buy happiness. I can guarantee you that money makes life a lot easier in many ways. When things are easier it is also easier to feel happy.
I would rather sit around at a spa several times/week for a few hours and hang out with Kaya at home later than go to work in order to keep a roof over my head.
Anyways.....I am disappointed in humanity in general. In case you haven't noticed yet.

(The picture above might be altered).

Take A Chance On Me

nospam@example.com (TATIANA) — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 22:00:00 +0000

With Trump (and Elon) stepping into the White House again in January for another four year term (unless anything changes) there have been some new positions created and some new people getting jobs. Quite interesting, or should I say a mix of comical and WTF is happening?
Like the new ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle......does she even speak Greek?
I have to check, hmmmmm she has a Puerto Rican Mom and an Irish Dad. Ok, what are the chances that Kimberly learned to speak Greek at some point? In case you do not know, Kimberly is enaged to Donald Trump Jr. although it is rumored that the engagement is on its last leg because Junior has a new girlfriend. A newer model, following his Dad's footsteps.
So Trump Senior decided to make Kimberly the ambassador to Greece maybe as a band aid for his son's wandering eye. Like here you go now please go away.
Then we have the new ambassador to France, Charles Kushner. Does Charles speak French? He is Donald Trump's daugter's father in law, keep it in the family!
So......I think Trump should take a chance on me! In case you do not know that is the title of an Abba song.
I can do three jobs at once. I can be the ambassador to both Sweden and Poland and the ambassador to all the US exotic dancers. Do I qualify for this? Yes I believe so. I am fluent in Swedish and Polish. I would like to know if the ambassadors to Greece and France are fluent in Greek and French? I have spent time in both Sweden and Poland, so I am familiar with the cultures. I can even help Kushner with the French should he need help. Just like Melania, I am too a polyglot. Kind of. I mean a true polyglot should master like five or six languages according to many linguists. Master is the key word, knowing a few words in a language does not cut it. I can master two, I am good in one, ok in a fourth, I can pass by in a fifth and then I know some random words and phrases in other languages. So, not a true polyglot then.
Melania got me beat. 😉
As far as the exotic dancers......well you know the answer to that one. I surely am well above and beyond qualified for all three positions. I think it is time to put a stripper pole in the Oval Office (a nice one that rotates with fun lights) and we can read the daily press briefings while dancing. Or sitting down resting against the pole. I think that Trump will be very pleased.
So somebody needs to notify Donald Trump that there is a Tati that he should take a chance on. And one more thing.....Trump said that there would be no more taxes on tips. Let's see if that happens. I mean he should be held to his word on all the promises made. Please do not tell me that he was promising things just to get votes......

Vote

nospam@example.com (TATIANA) — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

It is the evening before election day. It is in between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. I am not voting because I can't, not a US citizen. In the 2024 election my vote is with Kamala Harris. From what I have seen and heard coming from Trump and his die hard supporters......where does one even start? I am actually in disbelief that there are people that are supporting him.
It is one thing to be a Republican, I don't have an opinion on that and I have nothing against that. But being a fervent Trump MAGA type person, that is something else.
I have no idea what is going to happen tomorrow......I just hope that this thing won't get too crazy and violent. Like can this election not be handled civilized? Is it going to be a "stolen" election again? Another coup attempt on the Capitol Building? I feel that anything can happen and if Trump wins then......it is what it is. Hopefully he won't manage to appoint himself as Potus for life like he has expressed in the past and hopefully he won't execute people that have been against him. What is this, Russia?
Then I also have to remember that the US in not a democracy, it is a Republic and there is a thing called the Electoral College here. In my opinion the Electoral College should be retired. And in this case the Electoral College feels scary.
I read through the Oregon Voter Pamphlet and I really like the Oregon Working Families Party......this is what I want to see.

I looked through both the Multnomah county (where Portland is located) and Clatsop county (location for Astoria) pamphlets.

And then there are people that feel very strongly about the way they do, like this person.
Advertising what he/she (?) believes in to all that pass by this property......Freedom of speech you know.

The sheriff's lieutanant in Ohio practiced his freedom of speech announcing that he was not going to help people that vote Democrat. Yes.....it is actually scary that there are people like this out there. He ain't the only one.
But it is late, I had a traumatic (yes traumatic) day. I am tired, upset, anxious but I have to push through, I know there are people that have it so much worse than me. If you are eligible to vote then I hope you do (or did already).

October 7

nospam@example.com (TATIANA) — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Last year on October 7 Hamas decided to massacre innocent people who peacefully were enjoying themselves at the Supernova festival in Israel. I won't go into details because with the internet at your fingertips there are many articles to read about what happened. And you should read up on what happened to those innocent that got murdered or taken hostage, a very sad read. Showing how truly evil humanity can be.
Since then there has been many demonstrations and support for Palestine and a lot of acts of antisemitism. I am disgusted by this. I am 100% in support of Israel and I am 100% against all terrorist groups like Hamas (Hamas and Hezbollah are backed by Iran by the way). I can say without hesitation that I hate the ones spreading violence, terror and murdering innocent people. Looking back at history, say since 1950 and forward there is a repeated common thread, mostly crazy men commiting henious acts in the name of their Allah. It is disgusting.
Hijacking airplanes, murdering Israelis at the Olympics, murdering staff running a magazine, murdering writers, plowing vehicles into crowds, knife attacks on random people out in public, kidnapping innocent people, rape.......the list goes on and on, this random violence in the name of Allah is neverending. Brainwashed sick people. HOW do you become this way as a human?
I do not comprehend it.
Yes, I KNOW many innocent people in Palestine have died. I don't have a solution......move the Palestinians somewhere else in order to end this? To some other Arab country like Iran that supports Hamas anyways or wealthy Saudi Arabia. There is enough money in the Arab countries to house all the Palestinians comfortably. But they don't want them. Egypt for example closed its borders to the Palestinians.
Just as a comparison, Poland immediately took in millions of people fleeing Ukraine and a lot of the Ukrainians live in Poland now. And speaking of Poland, as a message to never forget there are several concentration camps still standing in Poland that the Nazis operated during World War II. And there are idiots here in the US and Europe that are antisemitic?
Educate yourself you morons. Go live in Palestine and see how you will like it. Throw on a hijab or a burqa, submit to your husband and Allah, pump out a bunch of kids and know that your daughters will have limited rights. Have fun with that.
And since I am on this subject......if you want to keep your cave man beliefs and fight to death for your God please stay in the countries where this lifestyle is the norm. Do not soil civilized countries with your beliefs, those beliefs DO NOT belong there. I feel so bad for the women, children and animals in countries where basic human rights do not exist and where only men rule and spread violence.
October 7, to all the innocent beautiful people that were exposed to terror - I am so sorry that this happened to you.

My Identity Is Not A Political Party

nospam@example.com (TATIANA) — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 00:45:00 +0000

Check out this comic that supposedly was in some Tokyo newspaper. (I found it on Reddit).

Ok....let's see, I would much rather have a latte or a coffee than a soda (in this case Pepsi) and I am currently typing away on a Mac laptop although my very first PC was a HP desktop but since that first computer I have stuck with Apple. I am more of a rainbow flag march person than a church going person. So according to this comic I must be a democrat.
Some background, I was not born in the US, I am not a US citizen so therefore I cannot vote here. Had I been able to vote in the upcoming 2024 presidential election I would hands down without any hesitation vote for my man Bernie Sanders but wait, Bernie is not running so I would vote .....drumroll......DEMOCRAT.
Let me explain why. And most likely I will lose readers now (and that is OK) because a large amount of people are so very divided here in the US on this topic, like you are either a democrat or a republican. Well I am a HUMAN first of all, my identity is not a political party. I float around on the political spectrum but I know what I am for and what I am against. I have friends that are republican, friends that are democrat and friends that don't stand for much politically and we manage to get along.
I don't like how polarized US society is, how much division there is. It is dangerous and unhealthy.
We all know by now that a 20 year old kid tried to take out Trump during a political rally. The bullet grazed Trump's ear and in his own words, he was "fine". One person in the crowd died, very tragic. Plus the shooter. Then Biden withdrew from from the presidential race. Which probably took a lot. So I admire him for that. Right now it looks like it is Kamala Harris and Donald Trump that will be battling for the votes. At this point I do not care who is the nominee for the Democratic Party, I would vote for anyone representing the democrats because I do not think that Trump should be in the White House. There are plenty of high ranking republicans and conservatives as well that oppose of him.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Republicans_who_oppose_the_Donald_Trump_2024_presidential_campaign
Does this mean that these individual would vote blue? I don't know. I know that the debates between Harris and Trump will most likely be thrilling. In case you do not know, Harris used to be a prosecutor.
I do not like how Trump has mocked Kamala's name, so arrogant. I do not like how Trump encouraged the January 6th attack (coup attempt) on the Capitol. One police officer tragically died that day doing his job, so many officers were injured and four commited suicide within a year. Shameful. Those people that rabidly ran around the Capitol looking for Nancy Pelosi and Mike Pence and were excited to cause destruction walk amongst us in society, that is insanity. I do not like the MAGA crowd that to me come across as unhinged bullies. I do not like individuals like Tucker Carlson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert. I do not like how the wife of the man that passed away at the Trump rally mentioned above refused a phonecall from Biden with the explanation that "I didn’t talk to Biden. I didn’t want to talk to him.
My husband was a devout Republican and he would not have wanted me to talk to him.” Like ??? This mindset to me is scary. What did Biden do to you and your deceased husband? Some republicans were quick to announce that it was somehow Biden's fault that Trump got shot. Mentally unstable people listen to that, believe it and that can lead to bad stuff.
When Paul Pelosi got attacked inside his own house by a far right conspiracy theorist that beat him with a hammer Trump thought it was funny. There are many more I do not like Trump examples that I can think of. These reasons and more is why I am would vote democrat in 2024.
Back in 2016 when Trump won the then election I was ok with him as president until he started acting out in ways that I do not agree with. I am sure Trump has a nice side to him in private at home with his children, around friends but another four years of Trump in the White House? Absolutely not. It is enough, just go away and take MAGAs with you.

Barf List

nospam@example.com (TATIANA) — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 11:00:00 +0000

There are some things on my Barf List. Littering is one. Another is how people handle their trash. In the rather small apartment complex I live it seems like majority of the tenants have zero clue about how to throw away their trash and how to recycle, this is very difficult for them to comprehend. Even though there are instructions posted on what goes where and how to bag and dispose of the trash in the garbage and recycle area, clearly written in English. As far as I know I am the only non American living here and I can read and understand the instructions. Bagging the trash in the appropriate trash bag and tying the bag? That is too much to ask. Just throw away half turkeys (?) not in a bag, put trash in the recycling bins, recyclables in the trash bins, plastic in the glass only bin, glass bottles and glass jars in the bins where the glass should not go, chunks of meat in the yard debris bins......whatever.

Food waste. Like WTF is this? Did you just buy a whole salad only to throw it away? Packages of unopened salad dressing just put there to be discarded. Lots of left overs here. I very rarely throw away food. Food scraps in the form of potato peels or apple cores, bell pepper cores etc go back into nature. Is is frightening how much good food is thrown away daily. It is disrespectful to the animals that died in order to end up at someone's plate. I feel the same way about fruits and vegetables. Something grew and I decided to eat it, so I will do my best to honor that. And then of course.....some people would be extremely grateful if they did not have to go hungry. And some people just don't give a fuck.

Public laundromats........yikey. One of the laundromats I used to go to (I do not have a washer and dryer in my apartment) had warm water, like a bit warmer than lukewarm half of the time even when I selected and paid for hot water. Yes, hot water costs more. I pointed that out but these places are not always staffed so there is like nobody to talk to about an issue most of the time. Plus they told me that they never clean the washers on the inside. They considered the washers to be clean enough due to laundry being done. Whaaaaaat? So I found another laundromat, in a "nice" area. They supposedly clean the washers here on the inside once a month. Wow. Progress I guess.

There are often some colorful individuals there......doing their thing. The super wash with hot water is $4.25 for 22 minutes. At least three of those minutes go to the washer filling up with water, draining the water and then the spin cycle. Do clothes get clean in 19 minutes or less? I don't think so.
This is not how Swedish tvättstuga worked when I lived in Sweden. The hot water is always HOT and I don't know if 22 minutes is even an option. That is like a pre-soak.
Since a while now I have been doing my laundry at a friend's house, she has a very nice full size washer with no agitator and a nice dryer. THANK YOU dear friend, my life has improved because of this. My laundry comes out clean and fresh. It really does make a difference where and how you do laudry. I like my stuff a certain kind of clean when I do laundry and laundromats can be very gross.......apparently I am not the only one that think so.

I love reading on Reddit, so many topics to dive into. Anyhow.....I had to copy one of the responses. It could had been me writing this except I would had added that the guy took his clothes off, everything and briefly stood around nekkid before he found a pair of pants to step into. Later he needed help to zip up his back pack so I helped him of course. Good thing I am not a pearl clutcher. I mean, I get it......You had to wash the pants you were wearing so you took them off, after all we are all naked underneath our clothes. Perhaps I should get naked at the laundromat as well but charge $, then I can use whatever I make to do my laundry. $4.25 is kind of a lot.
"When I lived in Portland I was doing my laundry at a local laundry mat and this homeless guy who was well known in the area with hair so dirty it formed thick disgusting dreads that his his skin infected, hairy face. You could literally smell this man coming from at least six blocks away if the wind shifted. I’m not kidding or trying to be rude I do feel for his situation in such a damp area. Even having access to clean clothes out there feels like they are always damp even out the dryer. Anyway I watched him come into the laundry mat and load his sleeping bag and other clothes all reeking with filth into a dryer and dry them so he could be warm…. These places are unintended and homeless people will take advantage of whatever they can and I’m not judging them for that, it’s really not their fault but it’s a reality. I made sure not to use the same dryer but I left Oregon with a skin infection regardless and I’d never had that issue in my life. I knew I couldn’t be sure he hadn’t already used every dryer in the place over time without them being cleaned I mean it was a crapshoot."
I do NOT use the dryers at laundromats for this very reason. Prior to using my friend's washer and dryer that is. I take all the clothes home, hang dry most. IKEA has good drying racks. Anything that needs to go in the dryer I take back home and put in the two dryers the tenants in my complex have access to. I am fairly certain that the tenants here put their laundry through the wash before putting it in one of the dryers.

My Identity Is Not A Political Party

nospam@example.com (TATIANA) — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 00:45:00 +0000

Check out this comic that supposedly was in some Tokyo newspaper. (I found it on Reddit).

Ok....let's see, I would much rather have a latte or a coffee than a soda (in this case Pepsi) and I am currently typing away on a Mac laptop although my very first PC was a HP desktop but since that first computer I have stuck with Apple. I am more of a rainbow flag march person than a church going person. So according to this comic I must be a democrat.
Some background, I was not born in the US, I am not a US citizen so therefore I cannot vote here. Had I been able to vote in the upcoming 2024 presidential election I would hands down without any hesitation vote for my man Bernie Sanders but wait, Bernie is not running so I would vote .....drumroll......DEMOCRAT.
Let me explain why. And most likely I will lose readers now (and that is OK) because a large amount of people are so very divided here in the US on this topic, like you are either a democrat or a republican. Well I am a HUMAN first of all, my identity is not a political party. I float around on the political spectrum but I know what I am for and what I am against. I have friends that are republican, friends that are democrat and friends that don't stand for much politically and we manage to get along. I don't like how polarized US society is, how much division there is. It is dangerous and unhealthy.
We all know by now that a 20 year old kid tried to take out Trump during a political rally. The bullet grazed Trump's ear and in his own words, he was "fine". One person in the crowd died, very tragic. Plus the shooter. Then Biden withdrew from from the presidential race. Which probably took a lot. So I admire him for that. Right now it looks like it is Kamala Harris and Donald Trump that will be battling for the votes. At this point I do not care who is the nominee for the Democratic Party, I would vote for anyone representing the democrats because I do not think that Trump should be in the White House. There are plenty of high ranking republicans and conservatives as well that oppose of him.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Republicans_who_oppose_the_Donald_Trump_2024_presidential_campaign
Does this mean that these individual would vote blue? I don't know. I know that the debates between Harris and Trump will most likely be thrilling. In case you do not know, Harris used to be a prosecutor.
I do not like how Trump has mocked Kamala's name, so arrogant. I do not like how Trump encouraged the January 6th attack (coup attempt) on the Capitol. One police officer tragically died that day doing his job, so many officers were injured and four commited suicide within a year. Shameful. Those people that rabidly ran around the Capitol looking for Nancy Pelosi and Mike Pence and were excited to cause destruction walk amongst us in society, that is insanity. I do not like the MAGA crowd that to me come across as unhinged bullies. I do not like individuals like Tucker Carlson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert. I do not like how the wife of the man that passed away at the Trump rally mentioned above refused a phonecall from Biden with the explanation that "I didn’t talk to Biden. I didn’t want to talk to him. My husband was a devout Republican and he would not have wanted me to talk to him.” Like ??? This mindset to me is scary. What did Biden do to you and your deceased husband? Some republicans were quick to announce that it was somehow Biden's fault that Trump got shot. Mentally unstable people listen to that, believe it and that can lead to bad stuff. When Paul Pelosi got attacked inside his own house by a far right conspiracy theorist that beat him with a hammer Trump thought it was funny. There are many more I do not like Trump examples that I can think of. These reasons and more is why I am would vote democrat. Women's reproductive rights are important to me as well.
Back in 2016 when Trump won the then election I was ok with him as president until he started acting out in ways that I do not agree with. I am sure Trump has a nice side to him in private at home with his children, around friends but another four years of Trump in the White House? Absolutely not. It is enough, just go away and take MAGAs with you.

Drug Use

nospam@example.com (TATIANA) — Sun, 02 Jul 2023 10:00:00 +0000

A few years ago Oregon voters voted YES on Oregon Measure 110 which decriminalized drug possession for own use, any drug. Since then fentanyl has swept the nation. In fact the leading cause of death nationwide for people age 18-45 is fentanyl. Of course I got that info from the world wide web, it is not like I have interviewed experts on leading causes of death in the US. Best to not do drugs. But people do drugs, that is just how it is. Unless you live in a country like Japan, Saudi Arabia or N Korea or some place where there is zero tolerance to all illegal drugs and the penalties for drug offenses are harsh. Sweden too has zero tolerance but people do drugs there but you won't face the death penalty or ten years incarceration if you get caught with heroin for personal use for example.
With Measure 110 open drug use became kind of normal around Portland. Random people would sometimes come into one of the clubs I worked and smoke drugs in the bathrooms (meth and fentanyl supposedly). I have seen people get high on the streets here and seeing people completely passed out in the middle of sidewalks all over Portland is nothing unusual. You don't know if they are dead or sleeping. I should add here that people were coming in to one of the clubs I worked at in Alaska and smoked meth in the bathroom. So this is not some sudden Oregon issue due to Measure 110.

The difference between rich people doing drugs and poor people doing drugs is that rich people can basically be functioning addicts for as long as they want while poor people run into issues like losing their job due to addiction, homelessness and how they are going to support their drug habits. Had Hunter Biden not had the money his family name has amassed I think he would be living in a tent somewhere or be dead by now.
I personally know a very wealthy guy here in Portland (richer in dollars than most will ever be) that is an alcoholic with not a single worry in his life. Well, he probably has some worries but nothing close to the worries that most people have. He has a huge home that is paid off by the family trust money, does not work, gets a monthly "allowance", spends most of his days doing not much of anything. The everyday chore is basically getting booze and frying up a large steak. He lost his driver's license years ago cause he crashed his car into another car (driven by an attorney) while drunk. Got off with a slap on the wrist because he is wealthy. Lost his license but still drives. And drives drunk. Yea.....
So yea there is a huge difference here in the US between the treatment of rich people and their addictions and poor people and their addictions.
Recently a modification to Measure 110 got passed here in Oregon, House Bill 2645 which criminalizes posession of fentanyl, even small amounts. Because a very small amount of fentanyl is lethal. Let's see what changes that will bring.
I am downtown Portland volunteering on an almost weekly basis since almost four years now and I have seen some stuff.
I have a lot of empathy for the homeless. This is not only a Portland problem like some seem to think. There are homeless people all over the US. At the same time that I have empathy I also feel annoyed and frustrated with what I have seen.
What can be done if anything to deal with these problems? I read the local news and the opinions on issues from the people that live here. One of the biggest complaints the people that live in Portland have is the homeless issue with the tents and the RVs all over and all the problems this brings. Some say that taking away the resources is the way to go because that forces people to hit rock bottom and only when you hit rock bottom you will want to make a change. I don't know, this is not a black and white issue. I would have a hard time denying somebody food and water if they needed it.
Portland is now building tent cities and small homes areas where the homeless will be asked to live so they do not live on the streets or the side of the freeways and roads anymore. I think that this is a good idea but some of the homeless are angry and comparing these places to concentration camps which I think is a ridiculous comparison not even worthy to discuss. And there are in fact some people that rather live on the streets instead of some form of housing.
It is so easy to judge but a lot of the people living on the streets have mental health issues, they self medicate with drugs, many people that were shuffled through the system as foster kids end up homeless. Remember, that person was once a child. Many children live terrible lives filled with abuse. Not such an easy and straight road perhaps to become a successful and functioning person after having a trauma filled childhood.
I do think affordable housing is super important. Rents are way too high in Portland and other places too. That should be illegal. Some people can't afford to live in an apartment even with a full time job, it should not be like that.
I feel strongly that an early start educating teenagers about family planning is important. I also think that active drug addicts and alcoholics should not be allowed to reproduce until they are completely clean. If you can't take care of yourself, you cannot take care of a child. Being a child's parent is the most important task a person can ever take on and if you are not equipped to go on that journey you have no businesss putting children to this already over populated planet. Rights to reproduction should also be immediately terminated for life if a person commits crimes against children and animals, like pedophilia, child abuse/neglect and animal abuse. To me that person should no longer be allowed to be around children and animals. There are no excuses in my eyes for people like that. Yea I think having children should not be somebody's automatic right just because you have sperm or a uterus. The planet IS over populated. There is no need to put more children into the people pool unless you are able to be a great parent and even then the outcome is not guaranteed.
So Australia recently legalized clinical prescribing of MDMA (often called ecstasy) and psilocybin. Oregon passed Measure 109 a few years ago which allows for the use of psilocybin in a licensed psilocybin center. I personally have very positive experiences with both MDMA and psilocybin. And no I do not use drugs or drink alcohol on a regular basis, on the contrary. The prices to use psilocybin in a theraputic center in Oregon are outragous, I am not sure how many clients these places will actually attract. I have seen numbers like $500 for a microdose and up to $3500 for 4 grams of psilocybin. Also only a certain kind of psilocybin is permitted. Too bad that the Feds closed down Shroom House here in Portland last year.
I strongly believe in the amazing qualities of psilocybin and MDMA which I think can do wonders for humanity if used with care.

Where Is God?

nospam@example.com (TATIANA) — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 23:30:00 +0000

Where is God I am asking myself while slowly crying when looking at the picture of the Dad holding his dead daughter's hand crushed under the rubble in the earthquake that shook Turkey-Syria a few days ago. Is there a God really? If God exists somewhere up there beyond the blue sky.....why is God allowing these things to happen? Why is there so much suffering here on Earth? Can't we just be born and live somewhat peacefully for like 8-10 decades until we die? Why do we need to deal with hunger, natural disasters, painful diseases etc on top of everything else? What good do these things contribute to our already difficult existence? What did those poor people do to deserve to be crushed in that earthquake? And their poor loved ones left behind that have to deal with the mental agony aftermath and having nowhere to live and all their belongings destroyed. I do not know what to believe. I consider myself spiritual, I do not belong to a particular religion. I am not sure what I am trying to say here but I am sure that most of us have at some point prayed to God or asked God why when faced with a difficult situation. Except the atheists of course. I just wish there was no suffering. We have enough to deal with already on our individual life journeys. All I want to do for the remainder of my life is to live as calmly as possible, care for animals and do something positive for......for? I guess positive somehow for the things I care about.....like animals and nature and the World as a whole. Not trying to be a Saint or anything, I am not that nice to everybody. In fact I dislike humanity in general. But animals and nature I do like.

Tati's State Of The Union

nospam@example.com (TATIANA) — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 00:30:00 +0000

Did you watch the State of the Union today delivered by President Joe Biden? Yes? No? I did not but I briefly read a bit about it just minutes ago so while I still have the enthusiasm and energy I will now deliver to you Tati's State of the Union. The only one you will need. First of all let me address hecklers. People that act as immature and stupid like Marjorie Taylor Greene did during Biden's speech should be banned from attending all public events. She is as ugly on the inside as she is on the outside, a real embarrassment. My eyes hurt when I look at her face......seriously. During MY speeches you either shut up or get kicked out. An adult that holds a position in Congress should be held to a higher standard. Taylor Greene makes $174,000/year and she is not happy with that because she made more money before. Pack your shit up and quit then and I will take your position for LESS pay and actually get stuff done instead of what you do. Let's touch on some of the issues Biden addressed. Fentanyl. I am for the legalization of drugs because people do them regardless. I wish people were not using Fentanyl to get high and instead only used it as it is supposed to be used, closely supervised pain management. Unfortunately Fentanyl is here to stay, so either DO NOT DO these kinds of drugs or get some Naloxone. I do not know how to stop Fentanyl coming into the US since drugs have been coming into the US since several decades now. People do drugs. It is what it is. According to Donald Trump's response to Biden's State of the Union, the murder rate is higher than it has ever been in the US under Biden. OK....? Look people are INSANE nowadays in case you haven't noticed yet. Ever since Trump's presidency the a large amount of the US population has became borderline unhinged. So I would not blame Biden for it. Biden is certainly not responsible for randos shooting people. That too has been going on for decades in the Land Of The Free. Perhaps Trump should scrutinize himself and ask himself if he has a role in the according to him higher than ever murder rate? Sit down Donald. Be glad Melania has not officially left you yet. My input, because Tati's State of the Union is THE real State of the Union......guns are not the answer. Too many crazies out there now with guns. So many that even I'm thinking about getting one just in case. Sorry America, WAKE UP, time to get with the times. This is not 1791 anymore OK. Time to rethink The Second Amendment. I know it is a difficult pill to swallow for many but it is time. Time for the boys to stop playing Rambo and put those guns away. No....the Government will not take over your life more than it already has, you pay taxes so you are not truly free. People in other westernized countries somehow live so you can too here in the US with very strict gun control. Bipartisanship and unity? Absolutely! Remember united we stand divided we fall, there is real truth in that statement. I am all for more help for seniors. Seniors are awesome and should enjoy their retirement and absolutely support Social Security. I will also say that Universal Health Care needs to happen in the US. Like immediately. How should we pay for it? Tax the rich more. Why not? They can afford it. Tax large companies like Amazon. And tax churches and religious organizations. And stop wasting money on bullshit. And spend money where it matters, like on affordable healthcare for all. Also start teaching responsible parenting. To save money it is time to only allow responsible people to reproduce. If you cannot take care of yourself you cannot take care of a child and I do not want to take care of your child. I am for population control as well. This planet has too many useless humans on it. Stop squeezing out kids. By the way.....poor children that have to deal with this disaster that is happening all over this planet. Who in their right mind wants to put children into today's world? And as far as abortion goes? I am PRO CHOICE of course. Pro lifers only care about the fetus. Once the baby is born they do not care what happens to it. Way too many children in this country get severely neglected, abused and murdered by their parents or Mom's new boyfriend. Care about the EXISTING children. Not unborn children. Figure out a way to make rents affordable or deal with more homeless. Many Americans are only one paycheck away from homelessness and that is terrible. Put a cap on rents. Allow people to be able to afford the basics - food and shelter. How to deal with Russia and Putin? I told you many times before, let me deal with Putin. How to deal with North Korea? I am not sure. I hope Kim either gets to his senses but as the dictator he is I don't think he will so my next hope is that he dies soon. I really do not care how he dies. I truly feel very sad for the poor innocent people of North Korea. I cannot even imagine how miserable life must be there. So Americans hold on to everything you take for granted everyday and be GRATEFUL that you have it. As far as the "American Dream" goes.....there is no American Dream. That is an empty promise to keep you from either rebelling like the people in the 60s touched on or completely losing your mind. You will never be truly free unless you are one of those rare very fortunate people. Most of us will be forced to go to school, some will be conned into getting an expensive and useless education, then some will squeeze out innocent children that will repeat all of the mistakes of their parent/s and more, you will be forced to work in order to survive, pay taxes and scrape by until you are a few years or a decade plus from death. So try to make the best of it. It will not be easy. Is that it? What else? Better care for animals. ALL animals. We can always improve on that. Because animals are beautiful contrary from us. Do YOUR part to improve the world.

Shroom House

nospam@example.com (TATIANA) — Tue, 24 Jan 2023 20:00:00 +0000

Sometime in October of last year a place called Shroom House (with the cutest sign) opened up on NW Burnside in Portland. They managed to stay open for about two months with not much buzz......until a local newspaper/website sent in a reporter that purchased some psilocybin. And then he wrote an article about it. After the article was published the word was officially out and people were standing in line for hours to get some. Basically to get some "magic" mushrooms. And a bit after midnight on December 8 2002 local police officers raided the place, arrested several people and Shroom House is now permanently closed. Psilocybin got seized and most likely destroyed which is terrible. Yes yes....I KNOW that psilocybin is considered a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act and bla bla bla but there is no way I think that you can compare psilocybin to heroin (also a Schedule I substance) for example. Cocaine and methamphetamine are considered Schedule II drugs.....just some random facts. People do all kinds of illegal shit every day. Some illegal things are not that bad in my eyes.....like buying and using magic mushrooms. Although personal use of psilocybin here in Oregon is legal. If I am not mistaken it is illegal to pick magic mushrooms like for example psilocybe azurescens in the wild.....like WTF. The law differs on possession and consumption, educate yourself on it because I am certainly NOT doling out legal advice. I totally believe in microdosing although I do not do it. Currently at least. Who knows if I ever will in the future. But I also believe in being responsible and educating yourself about these matters before taking anything mind-altering (for microdosing one can look up the Paul Stamet's Stack Method). Same as educating yourself on the possible side effects of whatever prescription drugs you might be taking. I think it is too bad that Shroom House closed down and that people were arrested. I wanted to at least go inside to see what it looked like and feel the vibe. It would had been better in my opinion to arrest pedophiles, animal abusers and scum like that. Close down some other place that perhaps is not contributing to anything useful or good. Not that the police is not working actively to arrest random scum bags and criminals out there but I think that Shroom House was a nice addition to Portland. The city’s (un)official slogan is “Keep Portland Weird” after all. In case you do not know....I am a sober person like 99.5% of the time. But I am also for psychedelics, to be utilized in a responsible manner as should alcohol and marijuana as well. Most people that can think for themselves have realized that psilocybin mushrooms are an amazing fungi that can be of great benefit for humans. Of course not everybody should eat a handful of magic mushrooms. Just like most people should limit their alcohol intake to one or two beverages in one sitting, three at the most. There are several articles written about Shroom House if you are interested in finding out more about the place. Something called Measure 109 passed here in Oregon in 2020. I was in total support of Measure 109 and went to see Sheri and Tom Eckert speak about it in 2019 and I had a "Yes on 109" lawn sign in my front yard (now it is in the back yard). I have even considered becoming a psilocybin facilitator but for now I am holding off and gathering more information about the whole psilocybin thing here in Oregon since it is still developing. You can read about Measure 109 here. https://ballotpedia.org Oregon_Measure_109,_Psilocybin_Mushroom_Services_Program_Initiative_(2020)