Tag archive: Victoria

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The (Cosmic) Week That Was

The week of January 13th, 2019 presented a number of interesting stories, which together paint a picture of celestial heavy weather such as we have rarely seen. With the Sun still within orb of its annual conjunction with Pluto, fresh off its tete-a-tete with Saturn, it was likely we’d have limitation and devastation on our minds, and events proved that to be the case. But it was asteroid NOT that really made its presence felt, in story after story, illumining various dead ends, impasses and reversals. NOT lent its particular brand of obstructionism to the proceedings, issuing a variety of nolle prosequi rulings worldwide, applying the breaks and throwing up roadblocks.

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Aster-Obit: George H. W. Bush

On Thursday, 30 November 2018, George H. W. Bush died at his home in Houston, Texas, at age 94. The 41st president of the United States, Bush was the son of a Senator, the father of the 43rd US president and of a former governor of Florida. Bush served two terms as Vice President for Ronald Reagan before succeeding to the office for a single term, losing the presidency to Bill Clinton in 1992. The subsequent friendship which grew between the two men (Bush and his wife Barbara often referred to Clinton as another son) was a beautiful example of a nonpartisan spirit that seems quaint and antiquated in today’s cruder, rough-and-tumble political atmosphere.

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AAA Profile: Nancy Pelosi, The Once and Future Speaker

When the 116th Congress convenes on January 3rd, 2019, it’s likely to have a most remarkable woman at its head. If chosen Speaker by the incoming Democratic majority in US the House of Representatives, it won’t be Nancy Pelosi’s first crack at wielding the gavel. The California-based Representative made history in 2007 when she became the first female Speaker of the House, a post she held until the 2010 electoral rout against the Affordable Care Act, spearheaded by the Tea Party, tossed Democrats out of power for 8 years. But progressives and Pelosi are back, and 2018’s Blue Wave has once again turned the tide in DC.

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Midterm Elections 2018: Post Mortem

Well, it’s finally over. Mostly. As of this writing (Wednesday morning, November 7, though a protracted Verizon service outage may delay posting), the results appear to be a mixed bag. The Democrats have retaken the House of Representatives, but the Republicans have expanded their Senate majority. Barring a few key races (Arizona, Florida and Montana Senate races still too close to call, a Mississippi Senate race requiring a run-off, and a likely legal challenge in Georgia’s gubernatorial election), the broad outlines are clear.

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Ted Cruz: Texas Toast?

Texas Senator Ted Cruz may be in the fight of his life for re-election this November. The one-term Republican Senator who famously shut down the government in 2013 with a filibuster comprised partly of a reading of Dr. Seuss’ “Green Eggs and Ham”, has made few friends and allies on Capitol Hill, having a reputation as uncompromising, caustic, and generally charm-free. Former House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) once described him as “Lucifer in the flesh.”

 

Polls show he is now neck-and-neck with Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke, a former punk rock band member who is currently US Representative for Texas’ 16th District. Cruz is so desperate, he has asked former 2016 GOP presidential nomination rival Donald Trump to stump for him. Trump, who during that campaign tagged him with the moniker “Lyin’ Ted”, insulted his wife as ugly, and accused his father of participating in the JFK assassination, is Cruz’ last best hope of retaining his seat. With friends like these…

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Florida Georgia Line (of Scrimmage)

Florida’s primary election on August 28th was a true shocker! Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum, who had been polling third in the Democratic field, edged past the leading candidates for a three-point win. This sets up an interesting dynamic for the November General Election, with the Bernie Sanders-backed Gillum facing off against Trump-endorsed Ron DeSantis. Gillum is African American, and would be Florida’s first black governor; with fellow Democrat Stacey Abrams vying to be the first black female governor just across the Georgia line, we can justly wonder if “the New South” is finally becoming a reality.

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