Monday, July 27, 2020

Goon squad; Strandfunde/beach finds

Friends from the UK were meant to fly over last week for a group get-together up in Oregon consisting of old uni-pals. Given current restrictions, travel plans were put on hold and we opted for a Zoom-chat insteadIt great to catch up with everyone. I think some of us hadn't 'seen' each other in nearly 25 years. One of us lives in Portland, so we asked her how things were going with the protests. She actually hadn't much to say. I was a bit surprised at her response considering what I've been reading in the news. 

Federal troops have been dispatched to Portland (and other democratically-led cities like Seattle and Austin) in effort to quell protests. These troops, decked out in camo-gear, are both unnamed and unidentifiable. And they seem to be operating under a different mandate than that of the local Portland PD. Not only have protesters been hit by tear gas and rubber bullets, but they have also been led away by the federal cops into unmarked vehicles. To where they have been taken, I do not know. The mayor of Portland has publicly stated that the federal presence in his city is not wanted. So far, his words have fallen on deaf ears. 

The guy in the White House is clearly fanning the flames of dissent by sending out his goons. I think he must hope that he'll be re-elected as some sort of 'law and order' candidate. Most recently, Moms and healthcare workers have faced off with the feds in Portland. I'd like to think that anyone wanting 'law and order' would surely see that attacking doctors, nurses and parents isn't the way to go about achieving that end.  

***

The below adjective is a bit of a repeat, but I've added an adj. ending to it as seen in red. Given that German is a phonetic language, the final -e of 'winzige' is spoken. So it would be, roughly, for English speakers: vin-tsik-eh. 



Super literal name: the 'et' sign. 



21 comments:

  1. I have watching the state of play from afar - in horror.
    Law and order seems to be much more about (abuse of) power and domination than anything else.
    Big, big sigh. And fervent hopes for November.

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  2. I have been following Octoberfarm blog and was worried to see that your leader had said he may not accept the election results. She has some excellent, if scary items. I am pleased to be watching from afar.

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    Replies
    1. He says whatever he feels with no compunction. That we've allowed someone like Trump to take the reins, is very troubling.

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  3. It took me a long time to understand that ananas was not bananas with a typo on German restaurant menus. I see that one of Trump's relatives has written a book on how her family created one of the most dangerous men in the world.

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    Replies
    1. Haha. Yes, it does look like the 'b' went a-wandering.

      I would imagine that the German Trumps are none too pleased with the connection to him.

      Delete
  4. I'm beginning to wonder whether we are witnessing the slow decline of democracy. Would Trump actually leave if he lost?

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    Replies
    1. He will be removed, if need be. And, yes, we are certainly watching the slow decline/dismantling of democracy. May we able to reverse the trend!

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  5. I knew right away that "ananas" was "pineapple" because it's the same word in French. I assume the adjective means "tiny" or something.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, 'Ananas' is deffo not German. Yup, you are correct. This is a super winzige Ananas!

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  6. Less than four years to become a fascist state. I had no idea it was that easy to slide into.

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  7. Replies
    1. Eine teeny/winzig-e Ananas! (sing., feminine adj. ending -e)

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  8. I can't wait until it's over. Nuff said.

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  9. I am reading about Trump’s troops in The Guardian. For goodness sake, this is the 21st century and the USA are meant to be a democratic country.
    I beg you, get rid of this ironic monster.

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    Replies
    1. It's very distressing, indeed. My German friends check in periodically. They are scared for us.

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  10. It's a bummer that you couldn't have your get together. Glad to hear that you at least got to catch up on Zoom. I can't believe what is going on in Portland and now Seattle. Then again everything he has done seems bonkers.

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    Replies
    1. Yeah, it is a bit of a bummer. PDX, Seattle, NYC...pretty startling stuff.

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    2. Hopefully the madness will end on Nov. 3.

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Bartie in the yard. Backyard horse, Palo Alto Ocean Beach after a recent storm. Wild wood in Golden Gate Park The most I've 'made...