FWWTW

Who Won The Week — 12/11/22

Fandango11 Comments

The idea behind Who Won the Week is to give you the opportunity to select who (or what) you think “won” this past week. Your selection can be anyone or anything — politicians, celebrities, athletes, authors, bloggers, your friends or family members, books, movies, TV shows, businesses, organizations, whatever.

This used to be a weekly prompt, but it’s been almost a month since I last published a Who Won the Week post. Frankly, there hasn’t been much to crow about in my humble opinion. But this week there is. And that winner is sanity.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that the election was a such a close one.

Sanity? In today’s crazy world, when sanity happens, that deserves acknowledgment. But more specifically, sanity this week refers to the voters in Georgia who elected Raphael Warnock to a full term in the U.S. Senate when he beat Trump-endorsed Herschel Walker for the seat in this past week’s runoff election.

Nearly 49% of Georgia voters cast their ballots for a totally unqualified candidate who may not even be a legal resident of their state. Of the more than 3.5 million votes cast, Warnock won by fewer than 100,000 votes. Seriously?

Well, I don’t want to focus on the negative, so I congratulate Senator Warnock on his narrow victory and the sanity of the 51.4% of Georgia voters who voted for him. And Warnock’s victory gives the Democrats a 51–49 majority in the U.S. Senate.

Oh wait…

Arizona’s Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema Announces that She’s Leaving the Party to Become an Independent

So who (or what) do you think won the week?

If you want to participate, write your own post designating who you think won the week and why you think they deserve your nod. Then link back to this post and tag you post with FWWTW.

Who Won The Week — 11/13/22

Fandango23 Comments

The idea behind Who Won the Week is to give you the opportunity to select who (or what) you think “won” this past week. Your selection can be anyone or anything — politicians, celebrities, athletes, authors, bloggers, your friends or family members, books, movies, TV shows, businesses, organizations, whatever.

It’s been almost a month since I last published a Who Won the Week post. Frankly, there hasn’t been much to crow about in my humble opinion. But this week there is.

Republicans were anticipating a big red wave in this year’s midterm elections, but what they got instead was barely a trickle. On Tuesday, in a repudiation of GOP election deniers and hard-core Trumpism, voters came out in droves to save democracy in America.

Democrats maintained control of the U.S. Senate when the incumbent Catherine Cortez Masto won a close race in Nevada to give the the Democrats 50 seats in the chamber, with Vice President Kamala Harris as the tie-breaking vote. Democrats could still gain a true majority (51-49) in the Senate, depending on the outcome of the Senate race in Georgia, which is headed to a runoff between Raphael Warnock, the Democratic incumbent, and Herschel Walker, a Donald Trump-endorsed former football star, after neither won a majority of votes on Election Day.

Democrats also fended off the GOP in most of the tossup districts Republicans had targeted in the House of Representatives. Hence, it’s not likely either party will have more than a slim majority next year, even though the Republicans will likely have more seats in the House than the Democrats. That said, there is still a very slim chance that, when all the votes are tallied, the Dems might still be in the hunt for an upset win.

So who (or what) do you think won the week?

If you want to participate, write your own post designating who you think won the week and why you think they deserve your nod. Then link back to this post and tag you post with FWWTW.

Who Won The Week — 10/16/22

Fandango18 Comments

The idea behind Who Won the Week is to give you the opportunity to select who (or what) you think “won” this past week. Your selection can be anyone or anything — politicians, celebrities, athletes, authors, bloggers, your friends or family members, books, movies, TV shows, businesses, organizations, whatever.

This week’s recipient of Who Won the Week recipient is the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The committee unanimously voted to subpoena former President Donald Trump. It’s about time!

So now that the congressional committee has subpoenaed him, you have to wonder what the former president’s next move will be. Will he or won’t he comply. And if he chooses not to comply, what might the consequences — if any — be?

The first thing Trump did after learning about the subpoena was to send a rambling 14-page letter to committee chairman, Representative Bennie Thompson. He started off reiterating the Big Lie when he titled his letter, “THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 2020 WAS RIGGED AND STOLEN!” It was not.

Trump did not say whether he would comply with the subpoena. Instead, he repeated various long-debunked election claims. But it seems unlikely that he will actually testify.

In his letter, Trump claimed that he “fully authorized” National Guard troops to be present at the Capitol before Jan. 6, but that Democrats, including Pelosi, refused the authorization. However, there is no record of Trump authorizing National Guard troops to be at the Capitol before the attack, and no evidence that Democrats denied such a request.

He also bragged about the size of the crowd that he had summoned on Jan. 6, claiming that it was a very big one, far bigger than anyone thought possible, and that it was “one of the largest crowds I have ever spoken to before, a very wide swath stretching all the way back to the Washington Monument.”

He went on to complain that the “massive size of this crowd, and its meaning, has never been a subject of your Committee, nor has it been discussed by the Fake News Media that absolutely refuses to acknowledge, in any way, shape or form, the magnitude of what was taking place.” What the hell does crowd size have to do with charges of instigating insurrection and engaging in seditious activities? It’s only meaningful to a sick egomaniac like Donald Trump.

Anyway, congratulations to the House Select Committee for voting to Subpoena the criminal Donald Trump. Now let’s see if anything comes of it.

So who (or what) do you think won the week?

If you want to participate, write your own post designating who you think won the week and why you think they deserve your nod. Then link back to this post and tag you post with FWWTW.

Who Won The Week — 10/09/22

Fandango24 Comments

The idea behind Who Won the Week is to give you the opportunity to select who (or what) you think “won” this past week. Your selection can be anyone or anything — politicians, celebrities, athletes, authors, bloggers, your friends or family members, books, movies, TV shows, businesses, organizations, whatever.

This week’s recipient of Who Won the Week recipient is not a who, but a what. It’s green burials. Green burials, also referred to as human composting, or natural organic reduction, is an environmentally friendly type of burial. And California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, recently signed into law a bill allowing human composting.

Natural organic reduction is an alternative to conventional burial and cremation. It offers less of an environmental impact. In general, it avoids direct use of fossil fuels like in cremation and takes up less space than conventional burial. It also avoids the use of materials like concrete and non-biodegradable caskets often used in conventional burial. Cremation, which accounts for more than half of “burials” in the state, is an energy-intensive process that emits chemicals such as CO2 into the air. Through a green burial, the body is naturally broken down into soil.

The process involves placing the deceased in an 8ft-long steel box with biodegradable materials such as wood chips and flowers. After 30 to 60 days, the body breaks down into soil that can be returned to relatives.

Of course, the California Catholic Conference opposes natural organic reduction, saying the composting process “reduces the human body to simply a disposable commodity.” Well, yeah. Whether you bury the body or cremating it, you’re disposing of the body, aren’t you? I thought the Church was focused more on the soul than on the body.

I, for one, am going to change my death directive from from cremation to natural organic reduction.

So who (or what) do you think won the week?

If you want to participate, write your own post designating who you think won the week and why you think they deserve your nod. Then link back to this post and tag you post with FWWTW.

Who Won The Week — 09/18/22

Fandango16 Comments

The idea behind Who Won the Week is to give you the opportunity to select who (or what) you think “won” this past week. Your selection can be anyone or anything — politicians, celebrities, athletes, authors, bloggers, your friends or family members, books, movies, TV shows, businesses, organizations, whatever.

This week’s recipient of Who Won the Week recipient is not a who, but a what. It’s rain.

For the first time in more than six months we got some measurable rain this morning. It wasn’t much — less than a quarter of an inch — but given the severe drought we are experiencing, every little bit helps. And we’re supposed to get an additional quarter inch of rain within the next 24 hours.

So what’s the big deal? Well, as mentioned, we in Northern California are in a severe drought. We essentially have two seasons here: the rainy reason from November through March and the dry season from April through October. Getting any rain in September is highly unusual.

December, January and February are typically the wettest months, with 75 percent of the state’s annual precipitation within those months. Unfortunately, for the last few years, the typical amount of rain we have gotten during the “rainy season” has fallen way below average, which is why we’re in the shape we’re in.

So yeah, even getting just a half inch of rain in September is something to celebrate.

So who (or what) do you think won the week?

If you want to participate, write your own post designating who you think won the week and why you think they deserve your nod. Then link back to this post and tag you post with FWWTW.

Who Won The Week — 09/11/22

Fandango14 Comments

The idea behind Who Won the Week is to give you the opportunity to select who (or what) you think “won” this past week. Your selection can be anyone or anything — politicians, celebrities, athletes, authors, bloggers, your friends or family members, books, movies, TV shows, businesses, organizations, whatever.

This week’s recipient of Who Won the Week is Prince Charles, now known as King Charles III.

First, let me say that I am neither fan nor foe of the British monarchy. And let me also offer my condolences to the family and fans on the death of Queen Elizabeth. But now it’s Charles’ turn.

Charles is taking the British throne at a difficult time for the monarchy and he’s got big shoes to fill, metaphorically speaking, of course. I don’t know what size shoes his mother wore.

But I digress. I wish him luck in his role as King. It will be interesting to see if he’ll be able to hold the monarchy together.

So who (or what) do you think won the week?

If you want to participate, write your own post designating who you think won the week and why you think they deserve your nod. Then link back to this post and tag you post with FWWTW.

Who Won The Week — 08/28/22

Fandango45 Comments

The idea behind Who Won the Week is to give you the opportunity to select who (or what) you think “won” this past week. Your selection can be anyone or anything — politicians, celebrities, athletes, authors, bloggers, your friends or family members, books, movies, TV shows, businesses, organizations, whatever.

This week’s recipient of Who Won the Week is the state of California. Why am I giving my home state this honor? Well, it’s because California is taking definitive action to do something about climate change.

Under a policy approved Thursday by regulators, the state seeks a dramatic cut in carbon emissions and an eventual end to gasoline-powered vehicles. California will require that all new cars, trucks and SUVs run on electricity or hydrogen by 2035. If the goal is reached, California would cut emissions from cars in half by 2040.

The rules mandate that 35% of the new cars sold be plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV), EVs, or hydrogen fuel cell by 2026. That proportion will rise to 68% by 2030 and 100% by 2035. Californians will be able to keep driving gas-powered vehicles and buying used ones after 2035, but no new models would be sold in the state by that year.

This move gives the most populous U.S. state the world’s most stringent regulations for transitioning to electric vehicles. It is expected to prompt other states to follow California’s lead and to accelerate the production of zero-emission vehicles by automakers.

The policy still needs federal approval, but that’s considered very likely under Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration.

Reaching the 100% goal by 2035 will mean overcoming some very practical hurdles, most notably enough reliable power and charging stations. The state now has about 80,000 stations in public places, far short of the 250,000 it wants by 2025. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents many major car makers, warned about the lack of infrastructure, access to materials needed to make batteries, and supply chain issues as being among the challenges to meeting the state’s timeline.

You may recall that in 1961, President John F. Kennedy said, “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth.” That goal was achieved in 1969.

Surely, if we could put a man on the moon in less than nine years, we can address the concerns of the auto industry and get enough public charging stations on the road to meet the needs of an all-electric vehicle state in twelve years.

What do you think of California’s move to electric vehicles by 2035? Too ambitious? Not ambitious enough? Not practical? Reasonable?

So who (or what) do you think won the week?

If you want to participate, write your own post designating who you think won the week and why you think they deserve your nod. Then link back to this post and tag you post with FWWTW.

Who Won The Week — 08/14/22

Fandango20 Comments

The idea behind Who Won the Week is to give you the opportunity to select who (or what) you think “won” this past week. Your selection can be anyone or anything — politicians, celebrities, athletes, authors, bloggers, your friends or family members, books, movies, TV shows, businesses, organizations, whatever.

This week’s Who Won the Week winner is Thomas Kennedy. After an FBI raid of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home near Palm Beach, a large group of supporters of the former president rallied outside to protest the FBI search of the home.

Floridian Kennedy, along with a handful of friends, paid $1,800 to commission a plane to pull a sky banner with the message “Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha.” They directed the pilot to fly back and forth over Trump’s home for four hours.

“We thought it would be funny,” Kennedy, a self-professed Trump critic and Democratic activist, said. “From our perspective, Trump is a bully, and we wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine.”

I thought what you guys did was hilarious. And with the way things are in the world today, we need all the ha, ha, ha’s we can get.

So congratulations Thomas Kennedy and your friends for flying your banner over Trump’s Florida estate and winning Fandango’s coveted Who Won the Week designation.

So, my friends, who (or what) do you think won the week?

If you want to participate, write your own post designating who you think won the week and why you think they deserve your nod. Then link back to this post and tag you post with FWWTW.

Who Won The Week — 08/07/22

Fandango16 Comments

The idea behind Who Won the Week is to give you the opportunity to select who (or what) you think “won” this past week. Your selection can be anyone or anything — politicians, celebrities, athletes, authors, bloggers, your friends or family members, books, movies, TV shows, businesses, organizations, whatever.

This week’s Who Won the Week winners are four American women, Brooke Downes, Sophia Denison-Johnston, Adrienne Smith, and Libby Costello.

These four women set a new Pacific record after rowing from San Francisco to Hawaii in 34 days, 14 hours and 11 minutes. The California-based group of friends managed, through storms, sickness, and exhaustion, to arrive in Honolulu, breaking a new world record for the fastest women’s crossing of the 2,400-nautical-mile stretch from California to Hawaii.

Rowing an average of 70 miles per day, the group was motivated by daily messages from fans, and during one stretch, an escort from a whale. But the final 3 miles were the most emotional, said team member Libby Costello: “We recognized it was the last time that we were going to have just the four of us, maybe ever.”

The four rowers were unsupported, carrying all their own food and making water with a desalinator. They rowed in non-stop shifts – two hours on, two hours off, so that a pair were always rowing while the other two slept.

After a month of nothing but ocean, seeing the green land of Oahu for the first time as they neared Hawaii was “insane.” They crossed the finish line and took in the “special moment” before they rowed the final few strokes to the pontoon to be met by friends and family.

“It was still only us on the boat,” Brooke Downes said. “We realised it could be the last time that we were alone together. We played our favorite songs while we saw so many people that were there to watch us finish.”

Congratulations Brooke, Sophia, Adrienne, and Libby on your feat of speed and endurance and for being holders of a new world record.

So who (or what) do you think won the week?

If you want to participate, write your own post designating who you think won the week and why you think they deserve your nod. Then link back to this post and tag you post with FWWTW.

Who Won The Week — 07/31/22

Fandango10 Comments

The idea behind Who Won the Week is to give you the opportunity to select who (or what) you think “won” this past week. Your selection can be anyone or anything — politicians, celebrities, athletes, authors, bloggers, your friends or family members, books, movies, TV shows, businesses, organizations, whatever.

I don’t know who won the week this week. I know someone did, but I don’t know who he or she is. Whoever this person is, he or she is a billionaire, having purchased the $1.337 billion winning ticket in the latest Mega Millions lottery.

One ticket, bought at Speedway gas station in Des Plaines, Illinois, roughly a 20-mile drive northwest of downtown Chicago, hit the top prize in Friday night’s drawing. The $1.337 billion prize is the third-largest jackpot of any U.S. lottery game. It’s kind of mind boggling, isn’t it?

If the winning ticket holder, whoever he or she is, chooses a lump-sum cash option, the ticket will yield a one-time payment of about $780 million. Otherwise, the nearly $1.34 billion prize will be spread over an initial payment and 29 annual payments.

So congratulations to the currently anonymous billionaire who won the latest Mega Millions jackpot. Woo hoo!

Losing is the New Winning

Because I can’t stay away from politics, I have a bonus winner this week. In the U.S., we are only three months away from the midterm elections and a lot is at stake. Republicans have been setting the stage to retake control of Congress, but not so much by winning more votes as by passing voting legislation that restrict access to the ballot in the name of “election security.” Most such legislation in Republican states is designed to make it easier for the “right” kind of voters (i.e., white, Christian conservatives) to vote while creating hurdles for the “wrong” voters to vote.

On top of that, claiming, à la Donald Trump, that the system is rigged and is fraught with voter fraud, is likely to be the Republican norm rather than the exception.

And that is why Garry Trudeau’s Doonesbury strip today resonated with me and why I’m going to share it with you.

So who (or what) do you think won the week?

If you want to participate, write your own post designating who you think won the week and why you think they deserve your nod. Then link back to this post and tag you post with FWWTW.