I guess I have to post something non-political , calm down a little, and chill.
So, I’m just going to post some random photos.
This one’ s amaryllis. I planted the bulb 2 months ago. Lovely.
The pic below are my Valentine’s Day haul. p(^w^)p Chocolates , roses, and Teddy Bear. So cliché. Ha ha ! Darn, chocolates are my favorites, especially Ferrero! I’ve been joining 5k Runs, and at least once a week , I run 10 miles. One chocolate a day is okay, I guess ?
By the way, it annoys me to no end that people say ” politicians ” are doing nothing about gun control, or at the very least, about banning the sale of assault weapons that can fire 1 million bullets a second. Kindly be specific about the do-nothing politicians…. Don’t just lump them all together….if you cannot say the names of these politicians, especially those who are beholden to the National Rifle Association ( NRA ) and gun manufacturers, then specify which party… the Democratic Party or the Republican Party ?
Okay. This is all for now. Thank you for reading. Peace.
Am a Molecular Microbiology student, love to read books, and I play the violin. 
dreamsending
renxkyoko
renxkyoko's space 
Posted by cindy knoke on February 21, 2018 at 4:00 am
I am very proud of you! You made it through three photos and I am counting, sorta two paragraphs, before you got political. Laughing…….You go girl!
It’s all that fake news again, you know like the facts about which politicians are on the take from the NRA and for how much. The lists are published now……The blood is on their hands.
Posted by renxkyoko on February 21, 2018 at 4:04 am
Ahahaha ! ! I couldn’t help it, Cindy !
Posted by renxkyoko on February 21, 2018 at 6:47 pm
Where is the COMPLETE LIST published , Cindy ? I have a partial list of names, like Trump got $30M from the NRA, McCain got over $7 M.
Posted by disperser on February 21, 2018 at 8:00 pm
https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/recips.php?id=d000000082
Here’s the link, but I’ll still say you’re looking at the wrong thing. If that’s all it takes, why aren’t the really wealthy (you know, all them people who are vehemently anti-gun except for their own security details) don’t just buy all these republicans off?
Movie stars and Silicon valley tycoons have more than enough money to buy every single congressman and senator. You know, if that’s how things really work. Is it that they care? Heck Gates alone could spend a couple of billions and never even miss it.
Posted by Dead Donovan on February 24, 2018 at 12:41 pm
Why should anyone have to be “bought?” It’s pathetic how people expect that these days.
Posted by disperser on February 25, 2018 at 2:44 am
That’s the point:
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/16/nra-money-isnt-why-gun-control-efforts-are-failing-commentary.html
Posted by mihrank on February 21, 2018 at 5:48 am
wow – you are so creative, have impressive presentation – BRAVO!!
Posted by renxkyoko on February 21, 2018 at 4:39 pm
Thanks, mihrank ! ! Cheers !
Posted by disperser on February 21, 2018 at 6:00 am
If you really want an answer, both. And neither.
Also, reducing the problem to one factor is to fail before even starting toward reducing (not eliminating) the problem. The claims about “easy” solutions and prevention are appeals to ignorance and stupidity made by people seeking political advantage (at least, the ones I’m hearing).
We’re not having the right conversation and we’re not even hinting at having the right conversation.
So, new beau or just random gift of chocolate, flowers, and huge predator?
Posted by renxkyoko on February 21, 2018 at 7:38 am
Random haul …. ~_~
There are no easy solutions, but anything is better than thoughts and prayers.
Posted by disperser on February 21, 2018 at 9:33 am
Sure, I’m all for gesticulating and sacrificing a few pieces of fried chicken while chanting political platitudes. I still don’t think it will help.
And yes, the HS kids wishing for a better world than they got are a powerful visual. They are asking for a “real” conversation and everyone is nodding . . . but . . .
Have you heard anything from anyone that wasn’t bullsh*t? And that includes the kids.
Say, for instance, that the FBI would have acted on the tip they got (they didn’t, so we don’t know what might have happened if they had), what exactly could they have done? What can you do when someone says they could do something? You hold them for a while, and then what? Do you charge him with “maybe committing a crime”?
The shooter should have been “caught” years ago. But what do you charge him with? Hurting animals? Do you go to jail for that? Held forever in an institution?
We don’t have a good system for “handling problem people” who haven’t actually committed a crime.
This I have personal experience with; there’s nothing more frustrating than having Child Services say they can’t do anything and must return the kids to their drugged parents with a history of abuse. One of those kids has mental issues and tendency toward violence. The state pays for his monthly medicine . . . but the parents use the money for other stuff (no one checks up on them). The grandmother uses her own money to buy medicine and when she can get the kid away from the parents, he’s somewhat OK. But, we all know he’s a timebomb waiting to go off. At some point, he’ll hurt someone, and then, boy does the public and the state take notice!
He’ll probably spend the rest of his life in some criminal asylum and at this point, I’m not sure if that’s not the best outcome. Years of doing nothing to help him got him where he’s at. In four years, he’ll be an adult . . . out on his own. And that’s just one case. We spoke with the caseworker; he’s nothing special. She sees tens of kids that are the same, and even more of situations like I’ve described. In Illinois, each kid is $800 a month in aid. Plus insurance for the kid and the parents. Plus other support money for food and stuff. Care to guess what’s easier; having kids or keeping a job?
We certainly don’t encourage people not to have kids. Quite the opposite. If you can, find someone who is or knows a social worker and ask what’s going on out there in the trenches.
The shooter’s case is a little different as we don’t yet know his biological parents (that I know of) but (he’s an adult now) was a “problem child” for years. Still smart enough to make use of the stupid rules they have to “secure” the school for maximum effect.
“The answer is don’t let him buy a gun!” Sure, I’ll buy into that. It won’t stop him, but sure. Let’s restrict guns and stuff. But you know what? It’s not going to stop future shooting because it’s not addressing the underlying problems.
They are now holding his brother for evaluation. Has the brother done anything to warrant what is essentially incarceration? How long are they going to hold him and on what charge? Do we even know anything about the brother? I don’t know, and I don’t think anyone cares as they’re out in front of cameras spewing platitudes.
We can’t even answer how many “problem kids” are likely to turn into mass murderers. Do we incarcerate them all? Do we have a way to reach out to them, rein them in? We don’t know. Each case is different.
And, I’ll repeat it again . . . listening to those HS kids speaking as if they know what should be done . . . I’m sorry; I feel for them, but I can’t help thinking of them as . . . kids. I want to say idiots, but only because every adolescent is an idiot; they haven’t lived enough to know anything (especially here in the US) and their brains aren’t fully developed yet. There’s a reason we don’t have HS kids run the country (although, we do have older idiots who sneak into a position of power).
Here’s an interesting read (read the kind of problems the kids have):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fetal_alcohol_spectrum_disorder
Now, consider these numbers:
https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics
By the way, alcoholism and alcohol abuse are in the increase in the US, and that’s not even counting drug use (and not just opioids). I wonder how many alcoholics and drug users will have kids this year.
As a side note, I personally knew two people who were killed by drunk drivers. One was an 18-year-old kid of a friend, and one was one of my employees. I don’t know anyone who was killed or even shot by a gun.
Wait, you say . . . that’s your experience, not the experience of the kids. I agree. But my experience is crime and gangs and people breaking into homes. Me saying “that can’t happen again” is worth absolutely crap.
And we should never make decisions or policy based on what’s emotionally charged at the moment . . . look to 9/11 . . . we got the patriot act, blew up half the Middle East, and we just celebrated our 6,000th day of the Afganistan war . . . and that country is no better for it and we are currently losing ground to the Taliban as our drones keep killing “suspected” insurgents and innocent people alike.
. . . crap . . . now my calm is damaged.
Look; let’s talk of adding more counselors in schools, better discipline, demanding parents be more engaged (not sure how you enforce it), stop bullying, catch problem kids early, and yes, provide better protection in schools (gun-free zones are like a magnet for these killers), and yes, better screening for gun purchases and ownership, possibly tied to medical issues (but that’s difficult to implement without violating privacy laws that are in place to protect individuals from other abuses). Limits on magazines; it won’t help, but sure. No scary-looking guns? Again, it’s stupid, and there’s no data for it working, but sure. What else? Waiting period? Won’t help, but OK.
There’s nothing I mentioned there that hasn’t been tried. Have you heard of anything that will stop someone who’s intent on killing?
Posted by renxkyoko on February 21, 2018 at 6:43 pm
This is a lot to take in and absorb, disperser, but I notice you have dismissed most of the possible solutions that can mimimize gun violence.
When I was in elementary , we practiced how many of us could fit in that small closet. .
I guess the only solution is to close down all school, and have all the kids homeschooled.
I am not demeaning thoughts and prayers , , but what the heck ! ! ! ! ! ! !
The world has so many mentally unbalanced people , but the US is the only country where they have easy access to weapons of mass destruction. . Hence, Sandy Hook ,Virginia Tech, Columbine, and now in Parkland.
I don’t see any good reason why Congress cannot pass more strict backround checks, such as longer waiting period. Yesterday, the Florida Legislature rejected a resolution to HAVE A DEBATE on guns. Rejecting a debate on the floor is the lowest of the low. WITHOUT EXCEPTIOn , ALL Republicans voted NAY on the issue of DEBATE. At the same time, they were debating whether PORN is dangerous to one’s health, all this on the same day.
No one is planning to take away the guns, but we do need sensible gun laws. I got a license to own a dog, even if one of my dogs is 13 years old, and totally blind. The state considers dogs to be dangerous and ownership should therefore be licensed, and paid every year.
I don’t know what to think anymore. All I know is , it’s all about guns, no ifs or buts.
Posted by equinoxio21 on February 22, 2018 at 7:48 pm
Rejecting a debate? Can’t be more obvious can they?
The first top Republican senators collected 30 Mil from the NRA for their campaigns… (In my book that is corruption) (In Mexico or Philippines it would, wouldn’t it?)
And now they want to arm teachers? Seriously!
Posted by renxkyoko on February 22, 2018 at 8:11 pm
Yes, over here, if they want a discussion on the floor of the Legislature, hey have to vote on it. In this case, it wasn’t even a vote on gun control, it was a vote on a discussion , which they rejected. Same day, they were discussing the deleterious effect of pornography on a person’s health.
I’m as sure as the sun’s up there nothing will happen. If the massacre of twenty 6and 7 year olds at Sandy Hook Elementary School didn’t move them, nothing would.
Posted by equinoxio21 on February 23, 2018 at 5:19 pm
Yes, I’m sure porn kills everyday… 😦
Don’t give up hope.
Posted by soiba on February 21, 2018 at 6:16 am
Yep it’s fine, I also never skip chocolates 😀
Posted by renxkyoko on February 21, 2018 at 4:38 pm
One choco a day keeps the doctor away. I read chocos contain a lot of anti-oxidants. ( prevent cancer ). It’s the sugar that makes it unhealthy.
Cheers !
Posted by soiba on February 21, 2018 at 6:10 pm
I agree
Posted by rubycommenting on February 21, 2018 at 12:52 pm
The amaryllis makes a great plant for a beginner. I know because I had one once. I enjoyed your pictures. I will bet you are a sensitive person the way this political stuff upsets you. Sensitivity is a good thing:)
Posted by renxkyoko on February 21, 2018 at 7:05 pm
I planted one bulb in a big pot…. it didn’t grow any flower. Then I read amaryllis prefers to flower in small pots. And it’s true ! ! !
I remember when I was in grade 2, we practiced how all of us in our class could fit in the closet . We learned what to do during lockdowns. We were new immigrants from the Philippines….. my parents were shocked.
Posted by Drew on February 21, 2018 at 4:05 pm
That is one giant bear!
Posted by renxkyoko on February 21, 2018 at 4:34 pm
I got a bigger one years ago. It actually scared me to have it in my room, so I donated it to Goodwill. I hope there’s a kid fully enjoying it now. ^^”
Posted by equinoxio21 on February 22, 2018 at 7:45 pm
Peace indeed. A chocolate a day keeps the Doctor away…
😉
(Or was it an apple?)
Posted by renxkyoko on February 22, 2018 at 8:13 pm
A banana, too.
Posted by equinoxio21 on February 23, 2018 at 5:20 pm
Probably. Though chocolate wins by a wide margin. 😉
Posted by The Otaku Judge on February 23, 2018 at 7:22 am
Yum! I love Ferrero Roche. Sadly no one gifted me any on Valentines.
Posted by renxkyoko on March 1, 2018 at 3:11 pm
It’s expensive, those cheapos ! Kidding LOL Well, we can buy for ourselves and savor each expensive morsel, ^__^
Posted by Peter Wells aka Countingducks on February 25, 2018 at 2:23 pm
That charming companion in the pictures looks as though h enjoys chocolates as well. I’m trying to stay off the political stuff, because all we can do is grind our teeth until Nov, when I hope some sense will return to Washington 🙂
Posted by renxkyoko on March 1, 2018 at 3:07 pm
I hope so. Special elections had been held in some states, and Democrats were winning. The problem with Democrat voters is they usually don’t vote during midterm elections. ( in fact, any election ) . Republicans vote en masse. When Democrats voted , say ,in Alabama, where no Democrat has ever been elected ( Alabama is the cesspool of racism ), voters who have never voted at all ( because what’s the use ? ) did go out and , to their horror, a Democrat finally won in the state of Alabama. So, as a Democrat, I hope people now realize the power of a vote.
Posted by Peter Wells aka Countingducks on March 1, 2018 at 3:21 pm
I agree with you completely which, hopefully, is no surprise 🙂
Posted by jakesprinter on February 26, 2018 at 1:48 am
Nice to see you Ren 🙂
Posted by renxkyoko on March 1, 2018 at 3:08 pm
Nice to see you, as well, jakesprinter. Cheers.
Posted by jakesprinter on March 2, 2018 at 12:05 am
🙂
Posted by The Hook on February 28, 2018 at 12:55 am
Chill, baby, chill!
Sorry, couldn’t resist…
Posted by renxkyoko on March 1, 2018 at 3:19 pm
Helllo there, Mr. Hook ! !
Posted by Christy B on March 2, 2018 at 4:38 pm
Congrats on the running! I was doing 5Ks and then hurt my ankle, blahhhh 🤒 Maybe I’ll just try something else for a while? That flower is lovely! Have a nice weekend 😘
Posted by John Hric on March 3, 2018 at 5:50 am
renxyoko yes there are some politicians doing nothing. and there are some trying to do something. and there are some who are doing worse. our president one day says one thing and the next day he says the opposite. considering he has no idea what law is or why he or anyone else should obey the law it should come as no surprise. sadly criminally he is a walking talking violation of the constitution. peace.