Category: Grief
Faces of War II
A member of the Honour Guard stands next to a coffin with the body of Ukrainian Armed Forces member Valerii, who was killed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, during a funeral ceremony in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 8, 2022.
Faces of War I
Wounded Ukrainian soldier Vasily just after a battle in the #Luhansk region. A few days ago he lost his son, also a soldier.
Whatta Rush
It’s always fun to get a phone call during morning meeting from your oncologist, who you just met yesterday, and who says …
My Cancer Journey Begins
I called Monday morning and the news was what I thought—but with an unexpected twist
I have a malignant carcinoma on my toe…type is Kaposi’s Sarcoma.
American Civil War Casus Belli: African Negro Slavery.
Let’s be clear: The war was about slavery, from first to last. And after the gun stopped firing, the war continued in multiple ways that all-too-often includes violence and murder.
What We Hath Wrought
RIP Amara Renas and all the other unknown women and men and children. May you haunt our collective memory forever.
Beginning of the End Day
“Instead of “Thank you for your service,” try, “We’re sorry you had to expend your blood, sweat, tears and toil to clean up our monumental failings.” Every time you meet one of the dwindling numbers of WWII veterans (and those of all the other magnificent little American wars we’ve fallen into), keep your mouth shut and your brain focused on peace. These “Greatest Generation” folks answered the bell and won the fight. We might not be as blessed next time.”
Corporate Power
“Many states whose sovereignty is threatened are now finally waking up to the danger. But is it perhaps already too late to do anything about the seemingly over-mighty corporations?”
Capital Destroys All It Touches
“What’s our death toll up to in this week’s boutique pay lots of money and die fashionably sweepstakes? 19?”
Where Are the Bodies? We Have an App for That.
“The information presented is stark and perhaps unsettling.”
No Slope, No False Equivalency. Just the Same. Damn. Thing.
Immoral, indecent, inhumane. … We are running concentration camps and human beings are dying.
Another Anniversary
It’s been TWELVE (12)!!! years??! Holy cow. In spite of all the special dogs (Feargal, Fergus, Fred, Roux, Sascha, Bosco,
11:00 | 11-November-1918
100 years ago today, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, the guns along the 440-mile line stretching from Switzerland to the North Sea fell silent. The war started 1 August 1914 just as German Chancellor Otto von Bismark once famously predicted around 1884, by “some damned fool thing in the Balkans;” in this case, the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, a city of agony in the 20th century). But on 11 November 1918, it was finally “all quiet on the Western Front.”
9 November: Schicksalstag
In the next few days, there will be much remembrance of the events of 100 years ago—the end of World War I. Not as much in the U.S., where World War I is like the Korean War, a largely forgotten conflict, even though 115,516 Americans died between 1917-1918, along with over 320,000 sickened, most in the influenza epidemic of 1918.
Tragically Brilliant
Steve Bell’s ‘toons for The Guardian are always brilliant. But «in this one», he’s surpassed himself.
Remembering the Past
Remembering Bill Schock on his 100th birthday … and the 52nd anniversary of Braniff 250 in Falls City. Also …
A Final “Hangin’ Out the Warsh”
«This is Bill’s final column» out of countless ones he wrote over 71 years for the Falls City Journal. With
More Grief
This is kind of like how I feel about my (possibly four) upcoming surgeries: I don’t want to do this,
Dean Allen, RIP (Jan. 2018)
Because so much has been messed up and unstuck during the first half of this god-awful year, I just discovered
Shooting Up the Waffle House, Naked
In all this pouring (and pouring and pouring) rain, how difficult is it to find a naked man running around
Memories of Bosco, Part 2
Here is a series of pics of Bosco (and Sascha) from the moment we first saw them in October 2015
Memories of Bosco, Part 1
Some pics of a happy/sleepy Bosco. Always such a happy boy, until that last night. Farewell, Boscketty. Lordy do we
Farewell, Boscketty Bagel.
Our beloved Bosco is calling time and can now see the Rainbow Bridge and the finish line of a life
We Are … Human Shields
This is our reality … (another in a series): We are human shields. Posted by Steve Pollock on Tuesday, February 20,
This is Our Reality Now
This is our reality … (another in a series): Posted by Steve Pollock on Tuesday, February 20, 2018
This is Our Reality, Teachers
[Yeah, it's long and snarky. Yes, again. Read and think or move along.] A teacher's perspective: This is our reality,…
January is a Killer Month
It's the Mirror, so not exactly the greatest source, but the stats they cite are valid. We have now lost
Pics of David
Just some pics of David Garms I happened to find easily while waiting for sleep to arrive after this truly
David's Obit
[Here’s an obit of sorts to go with the post I just added above. Writing obits is what I used
Farewell David
Frank and I are beyond sad and shocked to have to announce the death this morning of our longtime housemate
Farewell Jerry Yellin! CAVU!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/jerry-yellin-fighter-pilot-in-last-combat-mission-of-world-war-ii-dies-a… Posted by Steve Pollock on Friday, January 12, 2018
Rose Marie Passes
Some three hours ago, the legendary Rose Marie tweeted about opening the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas 71 years ago
American Carnage: 10-Nov-17
Peckerwoods! What we learned this week: • Comedian Louis CK and Crusading Crazy Ass Roy Moore were accepted into that
Rick Stewart Memorial Bird Feeder
Presenting the Rick Stewart Memorial Bird Feeder Tree. Rick gave me these three feeders he made last spring and I…
That Was Rick
[An anemic attempt to define Rick, who was undefinable.]Rick Stewart, Feb. 2, 1966 – Feb. 11, 2016.Three months or… Posted
And Then There Was Maude …
Sad news today: «Bea Arthur passed away at 86 from cancer»: ‘Beatrice Arthur, the tall, deep-voiced actress whose razor-sharp delivery
A Eulogy for Brooksie Belle Ketchum Booth, My Grandmother (2001)
I wrote the following passages in two separate sections over two separate days. Part I – 2:00 a.m. San Francisco