April 2019 chit chat

And here we are. 1st April. Any April fools?

It's gone 12 noon here, so I think I'm safe to venture out now!

I'm happy not to know people with enough energy to stage April Fool's jokes.

Lol, true Way2.

Sometimes I feel like my whole life is just one big prank. Sigh.

Me too

Heavily

I don't consider this idle chit chat: Tiger Woods won the Masters today. His 5th, and first in fourteen (!) years. Whatever anyone thinks about him personally, that is greatness.

He's like the Serena Williams of golf.

Way2Old4Dis wrote:He's like the Serena Williams of golf.

Let's see him play pregnant, then shortly after giving birth, then I'll decide if I agree 

Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is on fire.

Admin wrote:

Way2Old4Dis wrote:He's like the Serena Williams of golf.

Let's see him play pregnant, then shortly after giving birth, then I'll decide if I agree 

Ha! You're right, of course. I was considering the greatness-in-longevity angle. But not even a neck surgery and three back surgeries in four years compares to playing during early pregnancy and again shortly afterwards... and having a bunch of old men tell you your fashionable compression garments to prevent more of the blood clots that almost killed you, aren't allowed.

annemarie wrote:Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is on fire.

I'm just watching it on the news. That's unbelievable, and who's ever been there and embraced this 800 years old cathedral and its wonderful art knows what's in danger and probably lost...

I Never was there......

I can't even look at latest news

Carolhathaway - Maybe it isn't as bad as it looks. They said it was under renovation, so maybe things that could have been damaged were already removed or protected. I really hope so. It's such a beautiful place. I hope the damage can be repaired.

Lizzy,

last night I watched a reportabout the ongoing reconstruction which might have caused zhe fire. They had removed the figures on top of the roof due to the construction, and the treasures - the most valuable the crown of thorns Jesus was said to have worn when he was cricified - wasn't reached by the fire. Other treasures were saved, so hopefully nothing is past recovery.

President Macron said the cathedral will be rebuilt, and the Pinault family (Salma Hayek's husband) announced the donation of 100 million Euros for it.

Yes there are a lot of paintings and valuable items
that haven't been damaged.
I've been there and that large round window
is just MAGNIFICENT. 
I was so sad to see how quickly the spire burned
and collapsed.

(I climbed to the top of one of the large towers at the front......
I then discovered I suffered from Vertigo. LOL)

The firefighters did a Wonderful Job.  

I got shivers when I saw the spire collapse.  Although I know it's a totally different thing, but I had a brief flashback to the twin towers collapsing.  A feeling that somehow something in life has changed forever.

Even though it seems they had removed a lot of the art, it's the building itself that's also a work of art and much of it has gone.  The good news is that with so many photos and probably even 3d imagery that they should be able to recreate it pretty much as it was, but gosh, it's going to take time and craftsmanship.

Yes
A lot of both
And a lot of money too

I think, if they asked, the money would come pouring in from all over the world. I just wonder if there are enough well-trained craftsmen to do the repair work. I hope so.

Well, among others now, Arnault (LVMF luxury goods) has donated a couple of million. Thank goodness they didn't take Trump's advice!

Trump's advice?

Admin wrote:I got shivers when I saw the spire collapse.  Although I know it's a totally different thing, but I had a brief flashback to the twin towers collapsing.  A feeling that somehow something in life has changed forever.

Me too.... I felt exactly the same....

I stayed in Paris a good bit at one stage in my life ... and a (free loading) friend foisted herself on me, when I had a real bad flu... being the good host I took her on the usual quick tour... as we walked over the bridge I pointed to my right and said “lovely view of Notre-Dame” I looked behind me to see she was looking left and backwards  ....later I suggested it was a good time for evensong/vespers, if she wanted to go.... No she said .... I kinda wasn’t surprised... Vespers in a florists....

We are always left breathless/shocked when someone or something we always thought would be there disappears in a heartbeat.....it’s what keeps us human...

Randomly found

One of many

... Resurfaced

Very timely find, It's me. I wonder who he's supporting this time around. There are so many Democrats running (18 at last count) with Bernie in second place after Joe Biden. Who the Democratic candidate will be is anyone's guess at this point and fundraising is still a huge problem for anyone running. I wonder if he'll volunteer to raise money for anyone like he did for Obama and Hillary.

  To all who are celebrating, Happy Holiday!

Just askin'.... Neither George nor Amal made Time's 100 people of 2019.   If I recall- didn't make it 2018 either.

LizzyNY wrote:  To all who are celebrating, Happy Holiday!

Thanks
AUGURI to you too !

Happy Easter to everyone.

HELP.....HELP.....HELP. ......
IM TRYING TO WATCH HAIL CEASER.....

EUROPEAN DVD OF COURSE.

I CANNOT SORT SUB TITLES FROM THE WEIRD SYMBOLS INSTEAD OF WORDS.

CAN ANYONE HELP ME SORT THEM.

GEORGE......I AM SOOOOOOO ANGRY  

Er, sorry Joanna, no idea!

Hope you all had a happy Easter? We all had a bit of a shock with the Sri Lanka bombings. Thankfully no one I know seems to have been directly affected.

So sad....

It is sad. Really sad. It was a horrible act carried out by people filled with hate. I read that more than 40 children were killed in the attacks.

Yes, and as more comes out it tragically sounds like warnings were given over two weeks ago by the terrorist group but were missed because of continual infighting between Sri Lanka's president and prime minister I understand - tho you will know more no doubt Katie

Yes, it gives me the shivers - I was planning to be there.  I've lost a crown on my tooth so thought I'd pop over to get it fixed, catch up with one of my best friends who lives there who I haven't seen in ages.  And I would have stayed at the Kingsbury . . .  

A bunch of stuff came up and I stayed in the Maldives for Easter instead. My god, I can't tell you how glad I am.

Katie - It seems like someone was looking out for you. I'm really glad you weren't there and I hope your friend is safe. It's infuriating that we have to think about things like random attacks when we're just trying to live our lives.

Katie so thankful that “stuff” came up to keep you in the Maldives. So glad you are safe!

ISIS continues to terrorize. They have not been wiped out as ‘some’ might like to believe.

Kagie,
I'm so glad 'stuff' kept you away from going to Sri Lanka! And I really hope that nobody you know was harmed!

This is so horrible, so many people were killed or injured or lost loved ones.
It's always so anonymous, just a number. The last number of killed people I read about was 359. Which is aboug half of the population of my village. All employees of the town council I work for. And they all have people who are mourning their death, friends and family. People who depend on them, are maybe their employers or employees. And suddenly it's not just a number anymore...

P.S.: I've just read that the richest man in Denmark lost three of his four children in the attacks. Don't know if the forth child is injured or wasn't with the others. But I'm very sure that their parents would give away all their money if this would bring back their children...

carolhathaway wrote: But I'm very sure that their parents would give away all their money if this would bring back their children...

Wouldn't we all, right?  I think it was that particular news story that brought it home to me, because I was thinking the exact same thing: 'all the money in the world isn't going to put that right for him'.  

I feel so bad for Sri Lankans - the tourists are just pouring out of the country right now, and this is a country that so desperately needs tourism and worked so hard to get back on the map once the civil war ended.  It's an incredible country and somewhere that's on my mind for my next move.  I've been telling everyone I know that they should go there are least once.  Oh well.

By the way - to change the subject completely - did anyone see the video of the rooftop pool in Manila during their recent earthquake?  Waves of water cascading down the side of the building.

Katie,
I just watched the video about the pool and the earthquake in Manila you recommended. I just hope that nobody was injured from the pouring water but I guess the building is so high that it spreaded widely. And it's quite interesting that people seem to be able to film it instead of saving their lives but hopefully they weren't in danger. 

Thanks for your recommendation! I've never discovered an earthquake and can only guess how it must feel.

........worse to come for the world too. Heavy rains and landslides in Durban SA yesterday - and now Mozambique is going to be hit again - but harder - by Cyclone Kenneth.

They have not recovered from the previous one yet...dreadful

Last weekend we were invited to my cousin's birthday party. My cousin announced there that he and his partner will get married this September.
They are two fantastic guys and a wonderful couple for more than twenty years, so everybody was hurrahing and celebrating them. It's just allowed for same-sex couples to have a 'real' marriage since October 2017, before that they were allowed to have a civil ceremony which gave them the same duties but not the same rights as ther married couples. My husband who works as a registrar will marry them and is really happy that he doesn't have to keep the secret anymore.

It's the first same-sex marriage in our family and also in our village, and since everybody simply loves them, they are totally accepted in our family and community, everybody is just happy for them. My cousin's partner's family broke up with him when he told them he's gay. When my cousin came out, this wasn't so easy for his parents to accept it, but they did - knowing that they would lose contact to him. Meanwhile, my aunt calls him her son and loves him like her own children.

Can this be wrong? Something people should be imprisoned or even killed for? I don't think so

Carolhathaway - What a wonderful family you have! You opened you hearts to this loving couple and welcomed them into your family because you see them as people, not as straight or gay or anything else - just people. That's how it should be. The world would be a much better place if more people were like your family!

I just saw a report on TV (nationwide). A millionaire who had made his money with shops, collects old cars from the minute he was able to afford them and restored them. So he now owns more than 300 old cars, motorbikes and bikes and in 2014, opened a fantastic museum just 20 miles away from where I live. Lots of these cars are still roadworthy and have the allowance to be driven on public roads. Just before easter he had his eldest car certified so it's now allowed to run on public roads. It's a Benz from 1894, so it's 125 years old and is one of the very first cars Carl Benz had produced and the eldest worldwide which is still roadworthy. It had been owned by the same family until ten years ago when it was sold to this millionaire.

Just imagine seeing such a car on the road...

LizzyNY wrote:Carolhathaway - What a wonderful family you have! You opened you hearts to this loving couple and welcomed them into your family because you see them as people, not as straight or gay or anything else - just people. That's how it should be. The world would be a much better place if more people were like your family!

Lizzy,
well, one of my mother's cousins had been married about 40 years ago, and very shortly after the birth of their first and only child her husband told her that he was actually gay and didn't want to live with this lie anymore. His partner had served as  his best man at their wedding and had even joined them on their honeymoon - as a surprise as said at that time.
My mother's cousin and her husband divorced, he moved to Hamburg with his partner where homosexual couples were more tolerated than in small towns at that time, and he never cared about his daughter.

Maybe that's part of the acceptance of the older generation ...

Carolhathaway - My father had a cousin who married and had two children with her husband. They started having problems with their marriage so they went for counseling. After about a year of counseling they divorced and the marriage counselor moved in with my father's cousin and the kids. The husband moved downstairs to the basement apartment and they all lived together until the women split up and the husband moved out.

The whole family knew all about it and, because we all loved our cousin and her husband, we just accepted it for what it was - a strange and slightly funny situation. We all felt that if they were happy that was good enough for us. I don't know what the neighbors thought, but we really didn't care.

Lizzy,

up to the early 1970s homosexual relationships erre a crime in Germany, so these people had no choice of living the way they wanted to do. And that wasn't any different in other countries - the place in Europe where gay men were able to live together and were accepted in the firsf half of the 20th century was actually Istanbul -quite strange if you think about the strict politics now. If you think about people like Alan Tring who really suffered and were criminalized and told to change their way of life, I just hope these times will never return. Nowadays we know that they don't choose to be homosexual and that homosexuality can't be cured with medical treatments or therapies. And yet there are those telling people that it's their own fault, and it doesn't help either that churches in general say: "It's okay to love people of your own sex. God and Jesus / Allah ... loves you anyway."

After my cousin's coming out, my mother-in-law said that she didn't understand how his patents could have accepted it. I said: "Well, I guess they were aware of the danger to lose their son (or at least the contact with their son) and accepted it the way it was. What's the alternative? Forcing your child to choose between a happy relationship with a partner you love and a life the majority of people wants. What if it was one of your sons?" My in-law's reply: "Then I would want an unhappy life for him rather than living in a homosexual relationship!"
I know my mother-in-law's intention: Her other son lives in Hamburg since he was in his early twenties, has never married, never been in a relation (as long as we know) and has lots of homosexual friends. So there is a certain suspicion about him though he never outed himself. But does it matter? I don't think so. We accept his way of living, he accepts ours. That's it.

It's the same with trnsgenders etc. Last year, my husband received a call from a young mother who said that her newborn child is a girl. Buf she had had an amniocentesis when she was pregnant where it had been revealed that it's a boy. So my husband didn't include the baby's gender in it's birth certificate until further genetic tests were evaluated and it was confirmed that it really was a boy. Years ago, nobody had cared about that the child had been brought up as a girl and would have had serious problems. We just have to accept that mother nature has a huge variety available...

Carolhathaway - You accept people's differences because you are exceptionally open minded. There are still many, many people who are not. There are many churches (at least here in the US) that preach that anything other than heterosexuality is wrong. Their parishioners are taught to be intolerant of anyone and anything that doesn't fit their idea of how things should be. For the life of me, I will never understand how they call themselves Christians.

John Singleton died. Only 51 years old. Can't say I was a huge fan of his movies, but he was a ground breaker, a visionary, and a warrior for our culture. Tremendous loss.