Saturday 9

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!

Saturday 9: Careless Whisper (1985)

On Saturdays I take a break from the heavy stuff and have some fun…

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

 

1) In this week's song, George Michael sings that, when it comes to relationships, "there's no comfort in the truth." Have you ever learned something about a friend, lover or relative that you wish you didn't know?

TMI… most definitely.

 

2) Though this was the top song of 1985, George wrote it years before, when he was still working as a dj at a restaurant outside London. He recalled the moment the sax solo popped into his head. It was while he was on the bus on his way to work. If you go to work, how do you get there (car, bus, train, etc.)? If you don't work outside the home, tell us about a trip you make regularly.

When I worked I drove the four miles, my car never heated up in the ten minute drive.

Now I try to avoid drying at night and my driving is basically limited to running errands. 

 

3) The video for this song was very expensive. It was filmed on location all around Miami, including the luxury Grove Towers Condominiums, but then much of it had to be reshot because George didn't like his hair. Are you having a good hair day today?

Well that presumes that you have hair.

4) 1985 was a big year for George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. As Wham! they had three songs on the charts and became the first Western pop music act to tour China. Have you ever visited China? Would you like to go?

NO! I will shout out the answer… no way. I believe that within four years we will be at war with China.

 

5) When he wasn't working, George was a creature of habit. For example, he never tired of Cocoa Puffs for breakfast and roast chicken for Sunday dinner. Is there a menu item you find yourself eating again and again?

Um… any long term players knows my answer. You know it will be be… Lobster.

Boil lobster

Lobster rolls.

Lobster Newburg

Lobster Tuscany…

Well you get the idea.

6) George enjoyed living quietly in Highgate, North London. It wasn't until after his death that his neighbors learned he was the "anonymous resident" who had been funding Highgate's Fair in the Square for years. Held in June each year, The Fair is known for its dog show, arts and crafts booths, music and food. Tell us about one of your community's annual events.

The local town fair that is run by the Lions Club, when I was in school we got a half day off so we could go to the fair.

 

7) According to Car and Driver, when "Careless Whisper" was popular, so was the Chevy Cavalier, a compact car. Nearly 40 years later, the vehicle landscape is very different. There are fewer compacts sold and last year, the most popular Chevy was the Silverado, a light duty truck. Do you drive a car, a truck, or an SUV?

Car. A Prius Plug-in

8) Also in 1985, Bill Shoemaker's earnings reached $100 million, making him the world's most successful jockey. Do you follow horse racing?

Nope. But I have a distant cousin who plays polo and has a string of polo horses.

9) Random question -- In which race would you do better: the Iditarod, with sled dogs in Nome, or speeding in a race car at the Indy 500?

Iditarod, that would be so near, in my younger days I would have picked auto racing.

Thanks so much for joining us again at Saturday: 9. As always, feel free to come back, see who has participated and comment on their posts. In fact sometimes, if you want to read & comment on everyone's responses, you might want to check back again tomorrow. But it is not a rule. We haven’t any rules here. Join us on next Saturday for another version of Saturday: 9, "Just A Silly Meme on a Saturday!" Enjoy your weekend!

So You Thought The Conservatives Are Only Going After Trans People

The right-wing makes no difference between trans people and lesbians and gays!

Megyn Kelly launches vile personal attacks on lesbian firefighters battling LA wildfires
Conservative media pundit Megyn Kelly has mocked the hierarchy of the Los Angeles Fire Department, taking swipes at lesbians in the department, as firefighters continue to battle the blazes that have devastated the area.

Pink News
By Sophie Perry
January 16, 2025

Kelly, a former Fox News host well-known for her controversial comments about LGBTQ+ people, criticised the department on her podcast, taking aim at the three women in charge and repeating claims that equality programmes were the reason firefighters have not been able to extinguish the 37.1 square miles of flames.

“I believe I speak for all females in Los Angeles when I say, we want a strong man to rescue us. That’s what we want,” Kelly said.

[...]

Crowley, in particular, has faced criticism from right-wingers, who claim she is nothing more than a “DEI hire” despite her 22 years of service. Before becoming fire chief, she was a firefighter, paramedic, engineer, fire inspector, captain, battalion chief, assistant chief, deputy chief and chief deputy.

Kelly went on to say: “I’m not trying to be mean but they’re obese. These are overweight, out-of-shape women, and the last thing I want to see, if I’m in a burning building is a) a woman and b) an obese woman.

“Who takes comfort? I’m going to die but it’s in the presence of an obese lesbian.”

Now is that homophobic or what? And it even gets worst...

During a Fox News affiliated KTTV report on Thursday (9 January), a reporter was broadcasted live speaking to a man who blamed the disaster on the amount of gay people who live in the city.

Why is there a fire happening right now? You’re the news, you’re supposed to know,” he said. “I think it’s all the gay people in LA.”

Politico writes that,

If you listen to Elon Musk or Megyn Kelly, Los Angeles was doomed in its fight against historically-devastating wildfires because of one thing: DEI.

The acronym for diversity, equity and inclusion has become the go-to scapegoat on social media and among some GOP officials as proof that leaders of the deep-blue city — including Mayor Karen Bass, the first Black woman to run the city, and Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, the first woman and openly gay person to run the department — let their progressive values distract them from public safety.

This I think is the first fire that has been so politicized... starting with Trump and working it way down to his cult followers.

You Know What Speaker Johnson Did To Us...

The Republican are myopic, they have blinders on, all the attempts of define "Male" and Female." The House is trying to pass a national bathroom ban...

House speaker sneaks in GOP’s transphobic bathroom rule

Daily Kos Staff

by Alix Breeden

January 09, 2025

House Speaker Mike Johnson quietly implemented the bathroom ban targeting transgender Rep. Sarah McBride, Democrat of Delaware, following his swearing in to the 119th Congress. 

To the delight of transphobic GOP Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, the policy mandates that single-sex facilities—including restrooms, locker rooms, and changing rooms—be used solely based on a person’s sex assigned at birth. 

“The Chair announces to the House a new policy that will be implemented in the 119th Congress pursuant to clause 3 of rule I,” the Congressional Record states. “In all areas of the Capitol subject to the Speaker’s general control under clause 3 of rule I, all single-sex facilities—such as restrooms, changing rooms, and locker rooms—are reserved for individuals of that biological sex. This policy will be enforced by the Sergeant-at-Arms. It is important to note that each Member office has its own private restroom, and unisex restrooms are available throughout the Capitol.”

But in their nearsightedness they ignore people like her...

I Wish It Was Different.

I scan the news each morning with the search word “Transgender” and in the past I got a wide variety of stories but sadly I only get one topic now. It is all about Trump.

 

"If Trump Does Half Of What He's Promised, I Will Lose Everything.": 21 Trans Americans And Their Families Share Their Fears For Trump's Second Term

"I know trans people who didn't survive Trump's last term."

by Ashley Holt

BuzzFeed

January 7, 2025

We recently asked people in the BuzzFeed Community who identify as transgender or who are the parents of someone who identifies as trans to tell us about their concerns heading into a second Trump presidency. The responses we received reflected both fear and helplessness. Here are a few of them:

1. "I fear we will all lose our healthcare."

"Testosterone is poison for me, so I don't expect to live through Trump's second term."

—Anonymous

2. "I'm graduating from high school this year, and I just want to know that I'm going to be safe in college no matter where I go."

"For any of my trans siblings out there, please, please, please stay as safe as you possibly can. Now is the time to have a community that we can rely on. Make friends with other trans people. Talk to someone. Have hope. Please."

—Anonymous

3. "As a transgender person who just recently turned 18 and was forbidden by my parents to transition as a minor, I am terrified my transition will be cut off before it can even begin."

"I live in a deep blue state, and my heart goes out to my trans siblings in red states. However, despite how lucky I am to live where I do, I'm worried it will mean nothing if Trump wields his federal power to keep people from transitioning."

—Anonymous

[…]

9. "I am seen as a woman by everyone, including my parents and even my conservative MAGA-supporting brother..."

"...yet, under some proposed laws, I could be criminalized for using women's facilities. Despite my appearance, complete with my vagina, I could be forced into spaces designated for men (including men's locker rooms and showers), placing me in unnecessary and dangerous situations.

I pose no threat to anyone, but these politicians are actively creating policies that endanger people like me. I can't help but wonder how they'll react when attractive, passing-transgender men, who look indistinguishable from cisgender men, are required to use women's facilities."

—Anonymous

This is one that I am concerned about my grand-nibling just enter the job market.

10. "I'm trans and just joining the job market."

"I'm already worried I won't be able to find a job in my field, never mind having to go back into the closet for it. I'm afraid people will be encouraged to discriminate against me and my trans friends because Trump has made it okay to hate others who don't do anything wrong or impact others' lives in any way. 

Let me use whatever bathroom I want! Do you really care what my genitals look like? Don't you think that's creepy? People who would have no trouble learning they/them pronouns and are just scared of the unknown are going to become full-blown transphobes because they are encouraged to hate instead of love."

—Anonymous

[…]

21. And finally, "How dare some moron who wouldn't know to put Neosporin under his Band-Aid override what a trained medical professional, parents, and a child have decided is in their child's best interest?"

"More and more worse decisions are on the horizon for anyone not on the Bible-thumping Trump train."

—Anonymous

My concerns… I worry about my medicare coverage, will my hormones be cutoff? I worry if I have to go into a Long Term Care facility how will I be treated. I worry about a federal anti-trans law that will override the state laws. I worry about today’s children if they will be denied healthcare and puberty blockers and they will develop secondary male characteristic like their voice deepens.

---

This is not new to any of us and there is more on the way…

• Ron Johnson reintroduces bill to ban transgender student athletes in school sports – Wisconsin Public Radio
• House passes ban on transgender students in girls sports – CBS News
• Speaker Mike Johnson maintains House transgender bathroom ban – NBC News

What one thing do all these laws have in common? It is simple that they only affect trans people who do not pass, those who can integrate into society are not effected by these laws. It is only people like me that will be harassed and also cis-women who happen to look masculine. 

Four more days of freedom. My motto for the next four years… "Ne permittas bastardus te deprimere"

“Don’t let the bastards get you down!”

And I have to wonder what the country be like after four years… will we have a fascist government?

Another Dangerous Wacko

Where do the Republicans dig these people up from… now a misogynist is being appointed to the Board of Directors for the University of West Florida!

How dare women go to college? DeSantis' new university trustee pick will fix it. | Opinion

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Scott Yenor, a political science professor at Boise State University, to sit on the board of trustees the University of West Florida, a public state university.

Palm Beach Post

By Frank Cerabino

January 15, 2025

All roads in Florida these days lead to blaming diversity, equity and inclusion for society’s ills.

It’s all about extending a hand up to we beleaguered white men, the real victims of discrimination, who have suffered mightily by failing to return Black people, women and LGBTQ+ folks back to the days of Ozzie and Harriet.

Thank you, Gov. Ron DeSantis, for feeling our pain. We white guys shall overcome DEI with your much-needed help.

Most recently, brother DeSantis reached out all the way to Idaho to find a white guy with the proper views on how women are ruining higher education and turning us men into what he calls “soy boys.”

And he is a humdinger… right along the line of Republican misogyny…

Yenor frequently mouths off from his perch at the Claremont Institute, a right-wing think tank in California, where he has written fondly of DeSantis for fighting “cancerous DEI programs” in public universities. 

“Florida’s university system was beginning to rot from DEI sickness. Governor DeSantis has targeted the blight and occupied the moral high ground in defense of the American university,” Yenor wrote in a Claremont Institute piece entitled “Making Woke-ism Die.”

But it even gets crazier! Who does he blame for all of this “Woke”? Why women, who else they should home cleaning house and making babies!

Yenor goes as far as calling colleges and universities “the citadels of our gynecocracy” that further the “personal and political evils that flow from feminism.”

He describes highly educated women as “more medicated, meddlesome and quarrelsome than women need to be.” 

And that by not encouraging women to seek marriage, childbirth and homemaking, we are ruining our country and robbing educational opportunities that need to be available for our cherished men.

Gee for once we are not to be blamed! AP News writes,

A professor at Boise State University, Yenor has written extensively on what he sees as the dangers of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in higher education as well as the declines of traditional marriage and birth rates in the U.S. He’s also a former fellow at The Heritage Foundation, which proposed Project 2025 as a policy blueprint for a hard-right turn in American government and society.

We heard of Project 2025 before… and it is a road map to a White Christian Nation!

Speaking at the National Conservatism Conference in 2021, Yenor detailed what he sees as the “evils” of feminism, labeled “independent women” as “medicated, meddlesome and quarrelsome” and decried colleges and universities as “the citadels of our gynecocracy” — a form of government run by women.

“If we want a great nation, we should be preparing young women to become mothers,” Yenor said, “not finding every reason for young women to delay motherhood until they are established in a career or sufficiently independent.”

So now he is on the Board of Directors of a university.

“An education system shapes the culture. Our current education system, with its divisive DEI policies and ideological monoculture, has produced an ever-worse culture,” Yenor told the AP in an email, saying Florida’s education system is better off because of DeSantis’ policies.

Translation. We want to be able to discriminate and put the uppity Blacks in their place, force LGBTQ+ back in the closet, and put women back in the kitchen barefoot and pregnant.

In articles and speeches, Yenor has labeled DEI as a “grave and gathering danger to national unity and state governance,” called for eliminating certain disciplines like African Diaspora Studies and said even departments of History and English could be on the chopping block. He’s also advocated for sex-segregated education and called for banning state employees from collecting data on the basis of race or sex.

Welcome to the new reality! Where the Jim Crow laws are bac, Title VII and Title IX have been torn up and the Fourteenth Amendment is ignored.