"You've Got Mail"

Honestly, the drip, drip, drip of the leaked, hacked emails is enough to spike the rate of wine and xanax sales. I am with Hillary Clinton and have been for much of her career. I am sick and nauseous from all the innuendo, insinuation, gossip, and implication that Hillary Clinton has acted criminally.  Does anyone understand facts anymore?  Does anyone understand the bigger picture of what is at stake here?  Does anyone understand that the Republicans have repeatedly tried to take her out for her entire public life?  No one has been under fire or more scrutiny that Hillary Rodham Clinton.  She can't be bullied. She can't be put down.  She is a phoenix.  She keeps rising from the "ashes."  

If she were a he, she would be dead by now or locked up in a loony bin.  No one has had to endure what she has been subjected to repeatedly.  I know that there are those of you that hate her.  I've discussed it ad nauseum here, but much of the "hate" is misunderstanding fact from fiction.  The Republican machine is nothing if not focussed. If they keep repeating a statement long enough, it becomes a "fact."

So here we are, less than two weeks from election day and the head of the FBI, James Comey, has come out with murky, non-specific statements that just fuels all the mistrust for Clinton.  These emails were found on Anthony Weiner's computer.  They came across them during their preliminary investigation into his alleged criminal activity, sexting an underage girl across State lines.  Comey felt he needed to break protocol and regulations and alerted the Republican's on the oversight committee.  It was supposed to be on the downlow, but there is no such thing with the opposition. They can't keep secrets when it may work to their advantage.  The Republicans and media went whole hog on a partial, no information story.  All it can do is make Clinton look more dishonest.  She called for immediate release of any and all relevant emails.  Good move.  They will not be able to do that and Comey has, not only broken FBI investigative protocols, he has insinuated himself into an election for our highest offices.

I can't imagine what could be in any email that would be really concerning.  Many high ranking officials have deleted or "lost" thousands of emails.  Clinton isn't the first, ahem George W. Bush. Honestly, let's stop throwing mud and make clear and nonnegotiable guidelines for all future Secretary's of States, Presidents, government workers.  One rule for all classified emails.  One rule about cellphones, private servers, computers, emails.  Let's look forward and make sure that we elect Hillary Clinton and get a Democratic Senate. Let me paint a clear picture people, if we don't get a Democratic Senate and Clinton is President of the United States, we will spend her entire tenure in Senate hearings.  It will be a repeat of all the incredibly wasted time and money we saw in the 90's.  

We need elected Senators and Representatives that will work.  That won't just obstruct.  That will look at problems and solve them. That will care about all Americans.  That will show compassion and intelligence to the People of this Country.  At this point, we have a Congress that isn't interested in us, the People.  They just want to screw Obama and Clinton.  Congress has tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act over 60 times and never, ever tried to make it better, tweak it.  They just want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. There are problems with almost every bill and law, but members of Congress are supposed to make things better, not just sit on their asses saying no. What are we paying for?  Why aren't they flipped out that Russia and Wikileaks are effecting our election?  It shouldn't be partisan. All should care, but all they care about is themselves and their re-elections.  Bigger picture, again, people.

Pay attention.  Don't believe all the bullshit that you are reading and hearing online, on television, or on the radio.  Our problem as a Country, we don't have a Walter Cronkite anymore.  There is no voice that we all can trust.  It's confusing.  BUT we need President Hillary Clinton.  Don't stay home.  Get out there and vote.  This election will have longterm ramifications no matter who wins.  I just can't stomach if it's President Drumpf.  Women will be the biggest losers.  Hispanics will lose.  African-Americans will lose. This isn't something to take lightly.  I will keep pounding this until November 9th.  Mark out time in your day on November 8th.  If you're lucky enough to live in a State with early voting, go.  Check your polling location.  It's easy, just copy and paste: https://g.co/kgs/5M4TaF.  Ours changed, did yours?  

Please re-post, re-tweet, or forward to a friend.  VOTE!

@DianaPodolsky

Hip, Hip Hypocrisy

Okay, so when the unseemly Access Hollywood videotape was released on Friday with Drumpf and Billy Bush, I was nauseous but I also felt sorry for Billy Bush.  I've watched him on television for years and if there's one thing I thought about him, he was a suck up.  Whatever the situation he was never ever going to be contrary or combative.  He was an entertainment host and was going to play along in any situation.  Social media immediately called for Billy Bush' firing from The Today Show.  It was quicker than lightning and so predictable.  We, as a society, always want to make someone pay and swiftly.  

NBC, however, has an incredibly bad record. In the past decade they've messed things up and made someone take the fall, unless, of course, there's profit involved.  They messed up the Conan O'Brien/Jay Leno deal and Leno took all the heat.  Seriously, I never got that. From where I sat, Leno was a soldier in the NBC army and did what they told him to do, he's under contract.  NBC threw them both under and both struggled to regain their footing.  NBC let Lauer destroy and take the fall for the Ann Curry debacle. She was hired as his co-host and it was not the right fit.  It wasn't working.  NBC let him be scorched on that firing.  Now, with Billy Bush, there are thousands upon thousands of hours of tape that the Today Show execs could have watched, to see if Bush would be a good fit for the 3rd and flailing hour of The Today Show.  Now, whether they did or whether they didn't, Bush' participation in the now infamous and degrading video between Drumpf and Bush was theirs to seek and find.  Bush comes from entertainment not their precious news division, so wasn't it on the producers and heads to ask and vet?  

So this videotape is released on Friday and someone's head needs to roll.  Social media is asking for Bush' head on a platter.  It can't be Drumpf's, though after the pussyfooting he got from Lauer on the Commander in Chief discussion, it should be Lauer's, but he makes too much money for the network and himself. Don't for one second think that if Billy Bush had magically turned around the very problematic 3rd hour of the Today Show and was the saviour, NBC wouldn't have done things differently.  BUT after first announcing Billy Bush was going to apologize on today's episode this morning, they decided to suspend him indefinitely.  He, too, will go the way of Dr. Nancy Snyderman.  We will never see his face again on NBC.  

Now, to be fair, I defended Bush, initially, that he is just a suck up, but after watching John Oliver's show Sunday night on HBO, I can't.  Oliver did what NBC hire ups should have done before they hired Bush.  He found clip after clip after clip after clip of Bush being inappropriate, misogynistic.  Oliver eviscerated Bush.  If you take the time to watch, he won't be back.  BUT again, I say, NBC execs are always good at not blaming themselves.  I feel for Bush' wife and three girls, that's all on this.

Let's get to the debate or the bloodbath or the disaster we call the Presidential campaign.  I'm not going to go over the words, the manner, or the disgust.  What I do want to point out is how completely hypocritical all the shocked and holier than thou Republicans are.  They were okay to back and support Drumpf when he called Mexicans rapists, asked for a ban on all Muslims entering the country, insult the Khan family, tweet insults to Megyn Kelly, Alicia Machado, and so many other women.  He denigrated every group in this country except white men.  No one has been unscathed, but the video released on Friday saying he could freely grab a beautiful woman's pussy because he's a star, that was too far.  Really?  All the other insulting and heinous words didn't do it, but bragging about sexual assaulting women was just too far.  You are all hypocrites.  You have created this monster with recklessness to our country and your Party. You, Reince Prebus, allowed the "fine" men and women of your Party to fall in line until you heard the word pussy? Now your through?  Now all the spineless endorsers are falling out?  You are all a disgrace.  The only Republicans that can hold their heads up high, who never wavered or fell in with the Party line...Mitt Romney and John Kasich.  Integrity.  They're the only two.  

So, tonight, when you go home, take 5 minutes and look in the mirror.  Do you like what you see?  I am not even involved, except as a citizen, and I'm having trouble sleeping.  You?  

For All the Girls I've Groped Before

Okay, I seldom write over a weekend but the latest video release of Drumpf's interaction with Billy Bush, over hot mics from Access Hollywood, raises a whole new level of ire and disgust on social media and television that I can't keep silent.  I have gotten into a comment argument about Billy Bush being fired from the Today Show on a friend's Facebook page. I don't agree at this point, but people, we have to stay focused on the real culprit.  Over the last year, we have heard incredibly disgusting racist, xenophobic, homophobic, misogynistic statements from the Republican Presidential candidate.  Every time many of us have said this is it, he's out. He's more emboldened than ever. Even the Republican party can't support him anymore and every time Drumpf has skated through.  This audio and video tape uncovered by the Washington Post, who, by the way, seem to be the only journalists left, is the penultimate audio to take him down.  Will it?  Well, at this point, I'd rather he ride this out through the election, but the Republicans should stop selling their souls and peel their shaky endorsements back.  

The outrage is well founded, but again, it is much from the never Drumpf or the #ImWithHer crowd.  I would like to hear from true Drumpf supporters.  Does this change anything for you?  I doubt it.  That's the real disgrace.  That's the real pill we have to swallow.  The people that love him no matter what heinous things he says or does.  Drumpf was right when he said in December that he could stand on 5th Avenue and kill someone and his people wouldn't care.  They'd probably give him a standing O.  That's the real terror we are going to have to face after the election.  Who are these supporters?  Where are they?  I have FB friends from the middle of the country trying to draw them out for a conversation, but there haven't been any takers.  I've seen them interviewed by reporters at rallies and horrified by their ignorance or hate for Hilllary.  

And again, I ask, what did she really do to gain such venomous hate?  Come on, the haters hated her before Ben Ghazi, before the emails, before any "scandal."  That just gave them justifications for the hate, but seriously, what is the reason?  Is it that she's a woman and not afraid to go up against men?  Could that be it? Is it that she wasn't a stay at home wife and mother trying to buck the system to help others?  Is that it?  I've never understood, but clearly, Hillary Clinton hits a nerve and always has.  

So this latest realization of Drumpf's misogyny and criminal behavior, does it matter to anyone voting for Drumpf?  Is this the last straw?  I don't know. I kind of doubt it, but as we begin to explain to our children that you can be a hate monger and a sexual predator and be running for the President of the free world, well, really how can you explain away all the loathsome words that Drumpf has said?  He always doubles down.  He just doubled down on the Central Park Five and they were found wrongly convicted, but he's not letting go of that.  He reiterated that he still thinks they're guilty. His apologies are never really apologies, they're just words that he is programmed to say to try to alleviate the pain and anger he's caused.  He has completely taken down his precious family, once unknown or unscathed publicly, now all tainted by his deplorable behavior.  

We need everyone to vote, men and women, to send a clear message that we are better than this man of questionable means and character.  Stop trying to equate Drumpf with anything about Clinton.  It's not the same. They are all false equivalencies across the board.  The Republican Party and their elected officials have made their beds and now trying to take us down with them.  We won't let them.  We can't let them.  VOTE for Clinton, it's the only answer in this election.

Sidebars:  If you want great political discussion on television, the best 4 hours are Joy Reid on MSNBC Saturday and Sunday mornings, 10-12pm EDT.  She takes no sh*t from anyone.  She would have been a great moderator, but the Drumpf camp would've never approved her. -- Don't miss the "Town Hall" from Washington University in St. Louis Sunday night at 9pm EDT.  Hopefully they will show what a beautiful campus it is on the way into the venue. -- We are currently in the thick of the post season for MLB.  To my delighted surprise, the San Francisco Giants made it.  Post season goes until the first week of November.  Ridiculous.  -- There are a lot of new shows on television but don't think any have hit it out of the ballpark. Hoping that the new HBO shows on Sunday night are the ticket: Divorce and Insecure. -- Bill Maher was great this week, catch it on replay or On Demand. -- Samantha Bee's show is always worth watching. -- Bruno Mars dropped his first new song, 24K Magic, in two years,  Thursday night.  Love him, enjoy the song, hate the video. He didn't need the objectification of women.  He's got too much talent. -- Times are tough, people, don't sit this one out. Vote! 

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@DianaPodolsky

Me-llennials

Seriously, I am so bloody sick of the Millennials that are too ignorant about civics and how government works.  If you knew how things operated, you would know that it isn't just about you, it is about all of us.  Why do you think that so many people for decades have voted against their own interests?  Millennials seem to lack context.  Is it all your fault? No.  Education in school has lacked teaching about the foundation of this Country.  How did America come to be, how did our laws get created, and most importantly, how do laws get changed?  There are so many holes in education that social media trends and tweets get people riled up whether true or false.  

When Bernie Sanders was drawing huge crowds of Millennials, no one ever questioned how all his huge promises were going to happen.  Not once did I hear any young person question how.  The President can bring forth a bill for Congress to debate, change, and pass.  Did you know that?  Ask President Obama how many spending bills he put forth and Congress voted down.  Look it up.  He presented so many important bills that would've helped this Country, but Congress said, "f**k you."  Spending that helps all of us in this Country, not just the Me-llennials.  Obama most recently sent a bill for more money to research and create a vaccine for the Zika virus.  Congress said, "hell no."  Obama sent a huge spending bill for money for our crumbling infrastructure.  It would've not only helped all of us from crumbling bridges and roadways, but would've created a ton of jobs.  Congress said, "yeah, no."  

So, for the Me-llennials who look at the political landscape and hate Drumpf and don't trust Clinton, it's the future you are shaping.  It's not the now, it's the future.  You are already in college or in debt.  It's the future you are creating.  It's the elected officials in both the White House and Congress that shape the future.  It's not one or the other.  It's the elections in the so-called off years that Me-llennials must make time for and vote.  You can't just show up for the Presidential election years.  It doesn't work that way.  Again, maybe we, as parents and educators, didn't do enough to teach you how important all elections are.  How black people and women shed blood and fought for the rights the white men always had.  

I am way past childbearing so the right to choose has nothing to do with me, it has to do with all the women that come after me.  It is vital.  I haven't voted for the past 30 years for my right to choose, I have fought for your right to choose. I know that may not be the most important liberty for all people, but to me it is indicative of all liberties and rights.  It is the separation of church and state.  It is freedom of religion.  It is freedom of speech. It is all things our Founding Fathers so brilliantly, intuitively, and with great foresight fought for to create this Country.  It is foresight. It is not for now.  It is for the betterment of tomorrow and for our children and our grandchildren and so on and so forth.  Do you get that?  

So as you vote in this election, and I am sure this won't be the last time I say this, make a list of what matters to you.  If it's climate change, peace, the Supreme Court, a woman's right to choose, education, gun reform, etc. the media and social media fog should lift.  The choice should be clear.  But, seriously, don't vote for Gary Johnson and then be surprised and stunned that it is President Drumpf on November 9th.  It will be on you. It will be the future you create.  It's not about me anymore. I am thinking about you. I hope you will think about someone else, too.  Remember, democracy is messy.  It's not perfect. For the most part, elections are the lesser of two evils.  It's the world you want to create for others. It's the world you want to leave behind.  It's evolving our Country for the times and for the future.  

Monday, September, 26th is the first of three Presidential debates. Take the time. It's far too important and, please, don't get stuck on the fantasy of Gary Johnson and Jill Stein.  It's never going to happen in 2016 and all you will get is Drumpf. Think about it.  I really want to have faith in the Millennials.

Sidebars:  It was my birthday yesterday.  Facebook, honestly, has made birthdays far more fun and easy than ever before.  Hearing from friends from high school, college, and all over my life brings such joy and a wide smile.  Now, for me, birthdays are difficult.  It's not an age thing, at all, it's the expectation thing, like New Year's Eve.  With family and friends both near and far, it's joyous.  If for that reason alone, FB is worth it.  Though not having my kids with me is always bittersweet.  --  The Emmys were on Sunday.  I am not going to do a full review, but just to say how bizarre and disappointing "In Memoriam" was.  I don't understand why they can't get it right.  The omissions and the inclusions leave ones head shaking. -- Okay, the new television season has started.  The Voice began it's new season with Alisha Keyes and Miley Cyrus as new judges.  Looks to be another great season.  New series beginning tonight: Bull and This Is Us on different networks.  This Is Us has tons of buzz.  Will give both a try.  -- Looks like San Francisco Giants are pretty much done. I can't see a path to the playoffs.  They have the worst closers.  Can't collapse and lose in the 9th and see October. -- Fall begins this week and I am ready.  -- Life has been a gigantic roller coaster recently so my writing is suffering.  Stay with me and be patient.

Please re-post, re-tweet, and forward to a Millennial.

@DianaPodolsky

Liars, Liars Pants, Shirt, Shoes on Fire

Honestly, there are so many lies in this campaign season between both Presidential candidates, it is certain to turn people off, but voters, there is so much at stake.  Don't listen to all the ups and downs and ins and outs.  Sit down and make a list.  Refocus what is important to you ideologically and plow through all the rhetoric.  See where each candidate stands.  Forget, all the noise.  There is so much.  

If pro choice is important, then there is only one person to vote for.  If global climate change matters, then there is only one candidate to vote for.  If equality for women is important to you, there is only one person to vote for.  If common sense gun laws matter to you, again, there is only one Presidential candidate to vote for.  I could go on and on.  We each have our own lists of what we care about, so take the time and make the lists.  Don't look me in the eye and talk to me about Gary Johnson and Jill Stein.  Those are wasted votes.  Maybe someday we will have a strong multi party system, but we still only have two true parties that can win. So all the arguments that I hate T***p, I hate Clinton, I can't vote for either candidate is cowardice. Think about what is important for you.  Can't say it enough.  

We have the candidates "we" voted for and an imperfect system, but it is what we have.  I am completely passionate about politics and feel that this election may be the most important Presidential election in my life.  I am terribly fearful that voters are getting turned off and tiring of all the bulls**t, but don't sit this one out. The country is at a crossroads.  We are at the fork.  Which direction do you want to go?  For me, there is no choice than to vote for the Democratic candidate. I care about a women's right to choose and until the other side decides to get out of my uterus, I will never be able to support a candidate that wants to take away that right. Never. Since Roe V. Wade, that conversation comes up in every election.  If the Right could just stop talking about it, they'd be more palatable. That hasn't happened for 45 plus years.  

The utmost important issue in this election is the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court.  If Clinton gets elected, we will get a moderate to liberal Court.  If T***p gets elected, we will incur the most fascist and right wing Court. Our right to choose could certainly be lost.  Citizens United will remain in effect.  So the future is all of ours to choose.  There are issues bigger than either candidates faults and imperfections, so register to vote, don't sit this one out. If you were passionate for another candidate and bitter, I get it. If you're old enough, we've all been bitter before, but don't sit this one out.  There are too many life changing issues at stake for us, our children, our grandchildren, and so on and so on.  

I, clearly, stand with Hillary Clinton.  I haven't always in years past, to be honest, but I know that she will stand by and for all the issues that are most important to me.  No President can get everything they promise done because our system is built with checks and balances. We have the House and the Senate to help or block bills and laws.  Think about that when you go to vote.  I'd prefer that we have all Democrats in power for this cycle.  I'd prefer that the members of Congress actually work for their lifelong salaries and not obstruct and avoid.  I'd like the Democrats to succeed big time or fail big time.  

And again, make your list and check it twice.  This election is far too important. I will keep this mantra until November 8th.  Don't believe all the false equivalencies that the talking heads are spewing.  There are issues on the table that will have ramifications for generations to come.  Do not sit this one out.

Sidebars:  MLB season continues but for us, San Francisco Giants fans, it is getting harder to see a path to the playoffs. :-(  The US Open is midway and there have been some very exciting matches.  Sad to see Venus Williams out.  College Football season began and every year I die a little when it begins.  It is the longest and fully encompassing season.  What used to be a beautiful, fun Saturday filled college football day, now has turned into basically everyday with multiple games for viewing. NFL begins this week and it, too, has blossomed into far more days of the week than years gone by.  Takes the specialness out of all of it. Ugh! --  Rizzoli and Isles had their series finale last night.  Bachelor in Paradise ends its summer season tonight.  Must say the producers made a surprising misstep announcing Nick as the new Bachelor last week, so watching his storyline on Bachelor in Paradise is spoiled.  We know he didn't choose the girl.  America's Got Talent is winding down and it's still not too late.  Also, America Ninja Warrior is thrilling television.  If you haven't given it a go, it won't disappoint.  The athletes are amazing.  -- It's a blustery day in NYC.  Enjoy your week wherever you are.

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@DianaPodolsky

Hard to Take

There are far too many days left in this Presidential election and the nasty rhetoric is making voters weary.  He said, she said.  Now, the Republican's are rabidly hanging on to the pay for play of the Clinton Foundation.  Wow, seriously?  You batsh*t crazy people!  Seriously??  How ridiculously hypocritical.  The Clinton Foundation has done so much good for people all over the world to help fight Aids, Ebola, and many other fatal epidemics.  Has anyone shown any proof that any leader, Country, or anyone else got special favors from the then Secretary of State Clinton from donations made to this non-profit organization?  Not a lick.  Not one shred of evidence.  

Let's take a look at the lobbyists.  Isn't it the same thing?  There is massive proof that lobbyists have had a huge impact on our elected officials.  Does the NRA ring a bell?  There are reams of paper linking donations to campaign coffers and votes in Congress.  The evidence is clear.  What about SuperPacs?  There is so much money influencing our government and laws, so why the hell is anyone giving any airtime and credence to the Clinton Foundation accusations?  What a waste of time.  There are so many clear violations of money corrupting our laws and regulations that we, the People, should be far more concerned with lobbyists.  Isn't that the whole problem with campaign finance reform? Nothing can get passed because there are too many special interests paying off the Senators and Congresspeople?  Look at any blocked vote or ill-fated bill getting passed or not getting passed, there's a money trail for sure.  

Isn't that what Woodward and Bernstein would've been investigating if this was 40 years ago?  Where are the intrepid investigative reporters?  They are fewer and farther away from any investigations we need today.  Did you see the movie, Spotlight?  I think that may have been the last fully researched and vetted investigative reporting.  What the hell has happened to journalism?  Are they just bloggers only shooting from the hip and taking people down now?  Is it just ratings and not quality?  Les Moonves basically let us in on the dark side of network news when he admitted Tr**p is great for ratings and shareholders.  Should there be more than that?  By the time the talking heads started to take Tr**p seriously, he couldn't be stopped and he took down possibly more prepared and "intelligent" candidates.  I mourn the loss of journalism.  Investigative reporting has come down to snippets and edits.  No one wants to read a long expose.  We are 140 characters and out.  

People, don't believe the tweets.  Take the time in this election season to find out truth, not truthiness.  This election is by far the most important election in my life.  I will keep harping on everyone to take the time to vote.  Don't get turned off of all the bickering and nastiness that highlights the internet and news everyday.  Take the time to read, watch, and listen for yourself.  Dig deeper than they do.

                                                                         *******

Okay, well for those of us that have lived with, admired, rooted for, was disappointed in, disgusted by, rooted for again, and then just completely done...Anthony Weiner is the greatest disgrace to all of us.  WTF?!?!  He sexted his dick to a woman, disgraced his family, apologized, resigned from Congress, hid away from the public for awhile, ran for Mayor, got caught again, stopped running for Mayor, retreated from view again, and then every so often popped up on talking shows about politics.  Most recently he was on The Bill Maher Show.  He was good, but of course, made me feel what a waste.  He could've been a contender if he could've kept his pecker private.  Most recently, the New York Post has caught him again. Now, to be fair, the NY Post is so right wing Republican that tearing down Democrats is an Olympic sport, but today's front page makes Anthony Weiner dead to me.  Children's Services should be paying him a visit!  He tweeted a photo of his hard penis to a woman with his little baby boy next to him!!!  Who does that??  What is wrong with him?  It sickens me and makes my head just keep shaking.  Clearly, the worst thing that happened to Anthony Weiner was a cellphone.  Made it all too accessible.  This latest photo is beyond the beyond.  He is done.  Breaking news here: his wife is leaving him.  I appreciate she gave him multiple chances, but she has to get her son and be done, too.  

Sidebars:  Watched the VMA's, which in years past have had some very memorable, talked about moments.  Not this one.  It was all Rihanna and Beyonce.  Poor Britney Spears, whom I don't get at all, seemed to be lip-syncing again.  Beyonce was the Queen Bee but I felt too old to thoroughly appreciate her.  For me, not a great show. Too many, stellar, I'm sure.  Sweet moment when Drake publicly pronounced his love for Rihanna since he was 22 years old. A letdown show for this older woman.  --  The Night Of concluded last night.  I have had love/hate feelings for this 8 part series on HBO.  Lots of good and lots of hard to believe conversations and events.  AND I have to find out the truth about Rikers Island so if there is anyone that knows anything, I need to know.  --

Monday night it's Bachelor in Paradise and American Ninja Warrior.  Both aren't for the entire family, but both have something to offer.  -- Kids are back again at college.  Another adjustment period for the parents and the dog.  We will get there. -- There's a lot of possible severe weather all over the country.  Be careful out there. 

Happy Monday wherever you are.

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@DianaPodolsky

Back to Olympus, Please

I have the most fond memories of the Olympics.  Was it that I was young and idealistic or has it been compromised so much that it now is just annoying?  NBC has been the home of the games since 1988.  My most vivid memories are the ABC years.  Who can ever forget Howard Cosell's voice and the exquisitely painful coverage of the Munich games?  Not that NBC was the first not to broadcast events live, but they have taken it to ridiculous and annoying levels.  The manipulation is so apparent.  They show only what they deem worthy, edited and cut to the enth degree.  Tim Daggett, the male gymnastics analyst, almost single-handedly ruins the beauty and greatness of the athletes. I'm not even sure if his voiceover is in the actual moment or done in the studio after.  Swimming has been both great and has been deservedly criticized by much of its sexist comments by the NBC talking heads.  

What has really gotten my goat?  The USA men's and women's basketball teams.  Their ridiculous privileged accommodations is why people hate America.  Seriously?  You are all too great to stay in the Olympic village?  If you haven't read or heard, they commissioned the Silver Seas cruise ship for their stay.  Plush rooms, beds, food, air conditioning, spa, etc. If that doesn't give them an unfair edge, I don't know what does.  It's equal to me as taking steroids for athletes.  To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised that they included the women's team on the ship.  This illustrates exactly why it should only allow amateurs in the Olympics.  If these professional athletes can't be equal to all the other players, they shouldn't be allowed to compete.  I think it is a disgrace.  Seriously, why in the world should they have fist class accommodations while other NBA stars from around the world are living in too short of beds for their countries?  I heard someone on ESPN say that they'd be swarmed in the Village.  Well, then don't compete.  Only amateurs.  I never liked the influx of pros.  Feels very unfair and egotistical or jingoistic.  Think about this a bit, and hey, what a global humiliation if the teams don't bring home the Gold.  You set yourselves up.

The USA Women's Gymnastics team is stellar.  Some say the best ever.  The talent and precision of each of these "women's" routines are at such a height of perfection.  What I can't believe or get over is that only the top 24 women get to compete in the much coveted all-around, but no more than two from each team.  That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard.  It didn't used to be like that and I'm not sure when it changed, but it now really isn't the top 24. I understand that the IOC didn't want all the top spots by a couple of teams, but you can't call it top 24 anymore.  That Gabby Douglas didn't make it because she finished 3rd in our team's scoring is ridiculous.  So, time to re-think or re-name this supposed and not top 24.  The women's finals are tonight.  It should be spectacular.  Don't miss it and remember, it's not technically the top 24 competing. 

There have been a lot of decries of sexism by the announcers.  Particularly by the swimming announcers.  Al Trautwig had to apologize for making comments that Simone Biles parents aren't her "real" parents because she was adopted.  Wow, it's 2016.  Tim Daggett and the NBC producers should not speak during the gymnastics routine and allow us, the viewer, to have the experience.  Way too much talking.  NBC needs to put tiny little flags in the swimming lanes so we can keep track of who is in which lane during the races.  They do it in rowing, so it's possible.  

I can clearly state that I don't like beach volleyball as an Olympic sport.  It should have stayed a fantastically fun recreational activity.  I think the big draw for many is watching women in bikinis jumping up and down. It began as fun at the beach and has continued to be the same at the Olympics.  I am not saying that the athleticism isn't great, that's not what I'm saying at all, but they don't give the same air time to indoor volleyball.  The men's beach volleyball team are not half naked, either, shorts and tank top.  I have a lot of problems with the dress code for many of the women's sports.  Just keep it in mind while you're watching.  We continue to live in a very sexist world. It may not be obvious, but it's there.  Just keep it in mind. The men are fully dressed and the women at every opportunity are not. I know, sex sells, it just shouldn't be at the expense of the incredible athletes.  I think it demeans and diminishes their greatness.  Be aware and come to your own conclusions.

Sidebars:  I can't handle all the politics so the Olympics with all it's flaws and annoyances are a great diversion.  I will still torture myself with politics, I can't help it, but this is a much needed break. It is revelatory to see how many stations NBC owns.  It becomes clear during these two weeks when they take over MSNBC, CNBC, Bravo, USA, and I can't find a re-run of Law and Order.... -- It's that time of year again when the college kids are beginning to pack up and go to school.  My baby boy leaves this week and my baby girl in two.  Another adjustment period. To those of you first timers sending your kids to college, keep breathing.  It feels overwhelming but you'll get used to it.  When they transition, you can find satisfaction that you let them go.  Breathe.... -- Ah, those hot, muggy summer days.  We are definitely in August.  Stay cool, drink water, and don't over do it.  Enjoy!

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@DianaPodolsky