Return to Publishing – Redux

Danny Hanning

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                           Welcome back, My Dear Shoevians, to The Other Shoe. First, I would like to say “Thank you!” to all you Shoevians that keep coming back… and viewing… and reading… and sharing. You ARE the BEST! Second, I would like to express my heartfelt apology for not“returning to publishing” as I stated in my last article back on February 13^th, 2016. Finally… an explanation.

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When I wrote my last published article, it was my real and genuine intent to work towards returning to my regular writing and publishing schedule. However, as most of us know, between desire and reality lives a gulf of possibilities… and a world of tears and broken promises. The fact of the matter is; on the morning of February 14^th (Valentine’s Day) I started up my computer (with the intent of writing several articles, to be published over the next week), as I have thousands of times before, launched Google Chrome and brought up the admin pages of my four blog locations.

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I had just logged on to all four admin pages… and… BAM! BSOD!!! (Blue Screen of Death). The computer rebooted, after saving the dump file, and…  it… was… dead! The video adapter was not working. The computer ran incredibly slow, and I was unable to connect to the internet… regardless of what I did. Over the next two weeks, whenever I was out of pain enough, I worked on the computer. I did everything I had ever learned about video cards, and Windows errors… to no avail. My Dear Shoevians, within hours of publishing that promise… I was unable to honor my commitment.

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The following Monday, not the 15^th but Monday the 22^nd, I took my computer back to the people that had fixed it the last time. They kept the computer for TEN DAYS! Only to return it to me… unrepaired, explaining that “the motherboard needs to be replaced… it is on backorder.”I am to bring my computer back (again) Thursday and they are going to have the motherboard effect the replacement. At least… that is what I am being told.

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My Dear Shoevians, over the past year I have invested; MORE THAN $400 in repair costs, weeks of time waiting, and a tremendous amount of anxiety and frustration. I have been completely unable to write and publish! I have been lost! All the while more and more newsworthy incidents have occurred… and I have been voiceless the entire time!!! I deeply long to write and publish articles about; the debacle that is the Trump campaign, the deep division growing in the Republican Party and the violence! I am just dying to write about the; bigotry, racism, intolerance, xenophobia, hatred, and sexism that has been the hallmark of Trump’s campaign. This is very difficult for me, very frustrating and extremely upsetting.

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If they can/do replace my motherboard, and my computer works, I will work to write and publish as often as possible. I genuinely long to write about; this election, the Trump candidacy, the tenure of narrative coming from the Republican candidates and contrast that withDemocrat nomination process. I can remember sitting, with my father, and watching the ‘Kennedy/Nixon’ Presidential debate. (The very first one with the sweaty Nixon) As well, I remember a great deal about all the Presidential elections since. My Dear Shoevians, I have never EVER witnessed a more; divisive, hurtful, negative and superficial nomination process (by either party) in my entire life. And, I am missing out on writing about this historic election… because after spending $400 on repairs… my computer still does not work.

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There you have it, My Dear Shoevians. The why I was unable to keep my previous promise to you. The how I hope to, now, meet that challenge. And the when it might happen. Oh, how I wish I was of the means to just forget the notebook computer I have used for writing and publishing these past five years. How I wish that I had the means to just buy a new computer and all the software that I need/use very single time I write and publish. I could never put into words… the feeling I get when I hit the ‘Publish’ button, and then go and view the article I have written and published at the four blog locations.

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The pride and joy I feel as I promote the articles I have written and published on; Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Pintrest. For you see, My Dear Shoevians, that right now in my life there are not a lot of times that I do feel pride and joy. That I can have these feelings and bring entertainment and information to all of you, My Dear Shoevians? Well, that is what has given me the desire to live that has empowered me through my diseases and maladies.

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Finally, I would like to take a moment to say “Thank you!” again to all of you from dropping by… and for many of you… for keeping coming by and visiting throughout the many months I have been absent. I promise you, I genuinely want to return. I sincerely have a ton of ideas and thoughts, insights and opinions, entertainment and information to share with all of you, My Dear Shoevians. I will keep you informed, to the best of my ability. Hopefully, soon, I will be writing you to tell you my computer is either fixed or replaced and that I will be working to achieve my previous publishing schedule. Until then, you can find me on Facebook… look me up and send me a friend request.

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Adieu!

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Thank you!

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    Danny Hanning Writer, Editor, Research Staff and Publisher at The Other Shoe

© 2010 – 2016 Hanning Web Wurx and The Other Shoe

Trump – Racism and Fraud

                                                              Trump June 16th 2015

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                                      Welcome back My Dear Shoevians to The Other Shoe. A long and difficult absence is ending. With Christmas a little under two weeks away, and the New Year just around the corner, I have elected to begin my renewed presence here on the web. As well, recent comments by Republican Presidential hopeful Donald Trump I feel compelled to stand for those he seeks to oppress and against the resurgence of a level of social hatred and racism I have not seen since when I was six years old.

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Even before the race riots of the early sixties, America had faced another trial by fire, the xenophobia and hatred of the McCarthy era. Honestly, My Dear Shoevians, I really had thought… hoped and prayed, that I would never see such racism and xenophobia infect our national dialogue again. I know that a majority of Americans do not agree with Donald Trump’s racist and xenophobic remarks about Muslims.

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As a matter of fact, just today ( December 14, 2015) a NBC/Wall Street Journal poll showed that 57%of Americans do not agree with Trump’s racist remarks against Muslims, or with his plan to halt all American travel based on a individuals religious preference. I was quite happy to read this poll, and have my faith in the American people restored. Only 25%, of Americans polled, agreed with Trump’s religiously insensitive remarks and his xenophobic plan.

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“Fifty-seven percent of all adults disagree with Trump’s proposal, versus 25 percent who agree.

But views are mixed among Republicans: 42 percent of GOP respondents support Trump’s proposal to ban Muslims from entering the U.S., while 36 percent oppose it.

And among Republican primary voters, it’s 38 percent support, 39 percent oppose.

By comparison, 75 percent of Democrats and 55 percent of independents disagree with Trump’s proposal.”[1]

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                          Lack of Support for Trump’s Ban on Muslims

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This is, My Dear Shoevians, one of the times when I am very glad that a growing majority of you, My Dear Shoevians, are international readers and not Americans. Our nation, America, has become so very divided, so very negative and so very hurtful. As I mentioned above, when I was but a boy of six years old, I watched in horror as policemen used fire hoses to beat down African-American protesters fighting for equal rights. I watched in revolution as Southern police unleashed attack dogs on said protesters. It was a shocking site to see angry, obviously mistreated, dogs bark and snarl right in the face of frightened African-American citizens.

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I had seen the pictures of the lynching, happening in states close by, and witnessed the burning crosses in my own hometown. I knew of the institutionalized racism that was so prevalent all through the ‘Bible Belt’. ‘How oxymoronic’ I thought to myself, self-proclaimed Christians acting and performing in such very UN-Christian ways against their fellow Americans. I was very happy when the ‘Civil Rights Act of 1964’[2]  and the ‘Voting Rights Act of 1965’[3] were signed into law. I had hoped that with these anti-discrimination laws, on the books, that America had decided to leave a very ugly and dark episode of our history… behind. That is, until recently and the Presidential run of one Donald J. Trump.

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It all began with this:

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“The U.S. has become a dumping ground for everybody else’s problems. … When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists”[4]

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This statement was made, by Donald J Trump, in early June 2025. Over the coming weeks Donald took opportunity after opportunity to double down on this remark. Never once did he retract his; hateful, hurtful, racist sweeping generalization of Hispanic Americans. And, why should he? On that, fateful, day Donald J. Trump hit a magical cord in the hearts and minds of a very vocal and hateful minorityof Americans. Again, for my international Shoevians? We, Americans, do not all agree with the hateful/hurtful/racist and xenophobic remarks. A great many Americans, like myself, find these words not only objectionable? We find that they are indicative of a time long past. A very dark and insidious time in America’s recent past, within my lifetime.

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Donald Trump ‘Doubling Down’ on Racist Remarks Against Hispanics

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Donald’s actions, his racist actions against Hispanic Americans, landed him in hot water with NBC and Univision.

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“At NBC, respect and dignity for all people are cornerstones of our values,” the company said in a statement on Monday. “Due to the recent derogatory statements by Donald Trump regarding immigrants, NBC is ending its business relationship with Mr. Trump.”[5]

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And Univision:

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“Last week, Univision decided to end its relationship with Trump by dropping his Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants, and now NBC has followed suit. The move comes after a Change.org petition asking NBC to get rid of Trump garnered more than 200,000 signatures.”[6]

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Then, just this past Sunday on ‘Face the Nation’ Donald J. Trump flirted with McCarthyism like no politician has since the end of the McCarthy Trials in 1956. In a statement made on CBS’ ‘Face the Nation’ Trump proclaimed that he would “go after the wives” and even families of terrorists.

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“I’d go after the wives…”

“What I’d do, I’ll leave to your imagination…”[7]

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You see, My Dear Shoevians, this is the slippery slope of “going after” secondary and tertiary people. It starts digressing into “naming names” and all the sudden, we have McCarthyism all over again! This kind of institutionalized social paranoia, this xenophobic hate and vindictiveness is what lead our great nation down the dark and bloody halls of a ‘Witch Hunt’!

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Even more recently, just seven days ago (on ‘Pearl Harbor Day’, December 7^th, 2015) Donald Trump, when asked if he would “get rid of Muslims”, took his statements of September 17^th, 2015;

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““A lot of people are saying that and a lot of people are saying that bad things are happening out there, we’re going to be looking at that and plenty of other things,”[8]

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A step further and Trump called for:

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““a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.”[9]

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Over the next week Trump has taken every opportunity to double down, again and again on this racist rant. OK! I know that, some, of my American readers (mostly, again ironically from the ‘Bible Belt’)have taken issue with my use of the word “Racist”. Stating that “Muslim is not a ‘race’”. Oy vey, if only they had been here when Americans were doing this same thing to Hebrew Americans at the turn of the 20^th century! However, since this ilk has an unquenchable hatred for anything; multi-national, international, ‘Other-Than-White-American’ they have (#epicfail) failed to read or acknowledge the United Nations – International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination of 1962.

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“Article 1 of the Convention defines “racial discrimination” as

…any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life.

Distinctions made on the basis of citizenship (that is, between citizens and non-citizens) are specifically excluded from the definition, as are affirmative action policies and other measures taken to redress imbalances and promote equality.

This definition does not distinguish between discrimination based on ethnicity and discrimination based on race, in part because the distinction between the ethnicity and race remains debatable among anthropologists.^[25] The inclusion of descent specifically covers discrimination on the basis of caste and other forms of inherited status.^[26]

Discrimination need not be strictly based on race or ethnicity for the Convention to apply. Rather, whether a particular action or policy discriminates is judged by its effects”[10]

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So, as far back as 1962, the international community concluded that “racial discrimination’ (aka racism) is not based on race, in part because the distinction between the ethnicity and race remains debatable among anthropologists.”! Meaning, that ‘racism’ has the distinction of being any overt social action that seeks to separate for the means of demeaning/degrading another cross-section of humanity, while promoting themselves as superior to those targeted! That is‘racial discrimination’ and that = RACISM!

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Now, I understand that this makes some Americans… uncomfortable, and because of that lack of comfort that they reject the drawing of parallels between; racial discrimination and ‘racism’. What is funny, to me, is that they freely engage in racist acts… IN PUBLIC… but shy away from being‘labeled’ as racist. Seems to me, that if you don’t want to be perceived as ‘racist’ then one should put a wide breath between their; actions, words, posting, writings and anything that even remotely resembles RACISM! However, they would rather run from the truth, vainly attempt to turn the tables on their accusers and seek refuge among only like-minded individuals. This is the way it was during McCarthyism. This is the way it was during the Race Riots and the beating of African Americans in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. Little has changed, but the faces of those offending.

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Now, on with ‘Trump the Fraud’.

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                                          The Late ‘Great’? Trump University

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Some of the materials that I will share in the remainder of this article come from the November 16^th, 2015 edition of Time magazine. Starting on page #42, of this edition, Time reporter Steven Brill outlines, “What the litigation over Trump University reveals about the man who would be President.” Now, My Dear Shoevians, I had seen the advertisements, even received one of his‘invitations to attend’ one of the ‘Opening’ “seminars’ that were held in Los Angeles. My Dear Shoevians, I (like most Americans) would love to ‘Strike it Rich’. However, I spent from age 8 to age 13 watching my father attend ‘Dare to be Great!’ seminars, and seminars on ‘How to Make Your First Million in Real Estate’ and more that I cannot even remember the names. Yes, my father worked very hard at two jobs from as early as I can remember, until he left the family when I was 13. Trump University is, in my educated and informed opinion, just another ‘Dare to be Great’ SCAM!

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                                                  Trump University Promo Image

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(Advertisement Image for Trump University)

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Now, My Dear Shoevians, in order to get this article up for everyone to read today? (December 14, 2015) I am going to have to cut this part of the article… a little short. I have more than a half-dozen pages of the Time article to boil-down to its salient points, and a ton of material from the internet to research and condense. Here is the crux of the lawsuit, and the problem, with Trump’s ‘Trump University’.

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1. 1.   Trump claims, from onset, that it will be a “University better than any other…” However, there was NEVER ANY structures EVER built… ANYWHERE!
2. 2.   Claims it’s “The Next Best Thing” to being Donald Trump’s “apprentice”. Though, in FIVE YEARS not ONE SINGLE STUDENT ever; met, studied under, or was ‘mentored’ by Donald Trump.
3. 3.   Targeted emails and letters stating “Trump University was ‘Their Ticket’ to avoiding spending their final years working as greeters at their local Walmart”. Though in FIVE YEARS NOBODY EVER GRADUATED!
4. 4.   Lured 7,000 consumers to PAYING $1,495.00 to $34,995.00 for courses where “Donald Trump’s Hand Picked instructors” would teach them Trump’s “insider success secrets”. NO ONE EVER OBTAINED ANY “success secrets” some paying more than $50,000.00 for NOTHING!
5. 5.   Sold a $1,495 “Three Day Seminar Program” that was NOTHING MORE than a THREE DAY PITCH to purchase the $9,995.00 package or the “Ultimate Package with ‘Trump HANDPICKED Mentor’. That was ONLY another HARD SELL for the $34,995.00 package.
6. 6.   Trump University STOLE $34,995.00 from Boyce Chait (84) and his wife Evelyn (80) that live in New Jersey. Boyce claims (in court papers under oath) that the course was “to be worth nothing. When it came to the nitty-gritty, there was nothing there.” Their money was NEVER refunded by Trump or Trump University.
7. 7.   Donald Trump ‘claims’ that he made “no money” from the venture. However, the court discovered a TENDERED $500,000 check FROM Trump University to Donald J Trump
8. 8.   Promised ‘students’ “tricks to flip distressed properties with NONE OF THEIR OWN MONEY…” that “Banks would open doors for them to lend money…”. Only to be marched into bank after bank and being REFUSED LOANS with Trump’s “Hand Picked Mentors” standing right beside them!

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My Dear Shoevians, I will be back later this week to flesh out all this information. I just really want to get this article published… TODAY!

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I would like to take this time to say “Thank you!” to all of you, My Dear Shoevians, for dropping by and reading and watching. As always, if You have enjoyed your stay and this article? Please remember to ‘Like’ and ‘Share’ this article (and my blog) via any/all of your social media outlets. This way more and more people get to enjoy what you have enjoyed, here today.

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Adieu!

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Thank you!

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                                     Danny Hanning Writer, Editor, Research Staff and Publisher at The Other Shoe

© 2010 – 2015 Hanning Web Wurx and The Other Shoe

 

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[1] http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/nbc-wsj-poll-57-oppose-trumps-muslim-proposal-n477941

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1964

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_Rights_Act_of_1965

[4]http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/06/29/donald_trump_fired_from_nbc_celebrity_apprentice_star_and_republican_presidential.html

[5]http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/06/29/donald_trump_fired_from_nbc_celebrity_apprentice_star_and_republican_presidential.html

[6]http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/06/29/donald_trump_fired_from_nbc_celebrity_apprentice_star_and_republican_presidential.html

[7] http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/trump-i-would-go-after-the-wives-of-terrorists/

[8] http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2015/09/18/3703008/donald-trump-what-who-me-you-must-be-mistaken/

[9] http://time.com/4139476/donald-trump-shutdown-muslim-immigration/#4139476/donald-trump-shutdown-muslim-immigration/

[10]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Convention_on_the_Elimination_of_All_Forms_of_Racial_Discrimination#Definition_of_.22racial_discrimination.22

[11] https://timedotcom.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/trump-university.jpg?quality=75&strip=color&w=814

 

 

A Week in Review – 500th Articles A Week’s Celebration!

                Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. For the past two days I have been completely waylaid by pain and fevers. All day Saturday and Sunday I was completely unable to; get out of bed, raise my hands or arms, eat or pretty much anything. Today, I am feeling less pain, but I am still without the strength to do anything. However, I see that my blog traffic is down to TEN PEOPLE! My heart weeps, seriously. I am fairly upset that my pride and joy has fallen this far… and there is little I can actually do to change this.

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So I decided to write an edition of ‘A Week in Review’ to cover the week of celebratory articles for the publication of my FIVE HUNDREDTH ARTICLE! Yeah, I am very proud to have reached this milestone in publication. I do not know of many other people that have written and published over five hundred articles… much les in just four short years. IT was my pride that pushed me to write so very much last week. I am pretty certain that the push to publish is the reason for my woes.

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Honestly? IF I thought I could take a week… rest? I would! I really need some time off. However, each and every time I take even two days off… my blog’s traffic tumbles and suffers. My little personal hell. Anyways, here is a review of the week of review articles!

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• FIVE HUNDRED ARTICLES a Review & Celebration! #1 Redux : “Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. It is my sincere hope that everyone had a very safe and fun July 4^th weekend! This is the very heart of our ‘American Summer’ season, and one of the favorites for American children all over our great nation. I remember sitting atop the Herman Professional Building, right across the street from the Herman Zoo and Herman Park watching the 4^th fireworks while sitting in an air-conditioned office. Sitting and eating orange slices with my face (nearly) plastered to the doctor’s office window. What a great way to start a summer vacation!” This was the second time I published this article. NEITHER time did I realize that I misspelled the word ‘Review’ in both! One would think that somebody that reads my blog… and cares would have told me I made this mistake. Yeah… I am REALLY depressed… and it is only getting worse. Here is the first of the five articles I wrote to (try to) celebrate the publication of my 500^th article here at The Other Shoe. This review is of the wondrous article series ‘Lost In Space’! For the past year this article series has shared incredible images from the Hubble Space Telescope (and other sources) that have literally taken the breath away form hundreds of readers. Quickly ‘Lost In Space’ has driven large amounts of traffic to this blog. Wonder and spectacle are the hallmarks of this series. I hope to continue publishing this wonderful series of articles… just as soon as I am feeling better.
• FIVE HUNDRED Articles – #2 – The Mars Report : “Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Today is a continuation of the celebration of the publication (lots o’ations… there) of my Five Hundredth Article here at The Other Shoe. Yesterday we celebrated this auspicious occasion with a review of ‘Lost In Space’! With less than one year in publication, this article series enjoys a large following and handsome traffic numbers. I greatly increased its readership and traffic numbers, two weeks ago, by starting the ‘Tour of Our Solar System’ mini-series.” This is the second article of this celebratory series of articles, showcasing the terribly popular article series ‘The Mars Report’! My Dear Readers, “The Mars Report’ is the single most popular science based article series ever, for this blog. Over the past two years this single article series has driven thousands of readers to this blog. Combining cutting edge science with incredible and breathtaking images from Mars, this article series is one of the linchpins of my blog(s) and written works. Each week I publish this article it beings me tremendous pride and joy to thousands of readers.
• FIVE HUNDRED Articles – Part Three – MMORPGs And YOU! : “Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Here we are, My Dear Readers, well into our ‘Celebration and Review’ in honor of the publication of my Five Hundredth Article here at The Other Shoe. I really feel that I am hitting my stride, with this series. Especially since, yesterday, I spent most of the day; with my head in one imaging tube or another, getting off or on various and sundry mass transit and getting any number of steel needles plunged into the veins in both arms. There is a very good reason I avoid; doctors, hospitals and all medical facilities. Seems once they have me in their grasp… they just do not want to let me go!” Now, My Dear Readers, we come to the crux of my writing and my love! I just love playing GAMES! Right now MMORPGs are my favorite genre of game to play. I am very fortunate that I still have a working ‘Gaming PC’, as this affords me the opportunity to play these wonderful games. Just recently I was given a present… the newest MMORPG – ‘Elder Scrolls Online’! I have been playing the game and this week I am going to make w few In-Game Videos to share right here with you! I am putting together the videos and some ingame screenshots so that I can share with you, My Dear Readers, the wonder that is this new game. This (the THIRD) review article is all about the wonderful article series ‘MMORPGs and YOU!’.
• FIVE HUNDRED ARTICLES – Part Four – Politics and Editorial(s) : “Nothing highlights this more than two occasions when words I wrote found voice on a nationally viewed political news show. Most Americans will live out their entire lives without once their words reaching beyond the limits of their personal world. A handful, even a smaller group than previously mentioned, will have the honor and privilege to hear words they wrote spoken on a national broadcast television show. On July 31^st, 2011 I (Daniel Hanning) joined that small and vocal group of Americans.” TWICE, in my short life, I have had the great honor to hear MY WORDS SPOKEN on national television. This article is a celebration and review of the articles I wrote to celebrate the occasion of my words on national television. Just check out this article and it will tell you all about my moments of pride.
• FIVE HUNDRED ARTICLES – Part FIVE – The Horror in Smithville : “Now, My Dear Readers, I have always wanted to pen horror. Since a boy, reading horror stories late at night under the covers of my bed, desperate to not have my mother find out just what I was reading. I have yearned to write and publish a work of the horror genre. Today, I can cross that off my ‘Bucket List’! Not only have I wrote and published a work of horror… if I may say so myself… I have delved deep into the dark and murky waters of horror itself.” Horror! In all the years I have written, I have always wanted to write horror. Long have I longed for the challenge that is writing in the genre of horror. Now… I have! This article series is the most recent addition to my blog. The most recent and the most talked about, by far! In the coming weeks, and months, Timmy and Archer will take us on a journey to other worlds, other places, and bear witness to great suffering and horror. We last left, our intrepid heroes, Timmy lay unconscious in Archer’s lap. We left the story with Timmy’s father driving (rather recklessly, I might add) the trio (Timmy, Archer and Timmy’s Dad) to the Smithville County Hospital. Timmy had been (what appears as) severely beaten by the ‘school bully’ (I have often wondered… WHY? In our modern society… with school shootings and incredible scholastic standards putting tremendous pressure son children… WHY is it that we still allow ‘School Bulllies’? Certainly we can eradicate them via incarcerartion of violent offenders in ALL grades… RIGHT? Why don’t we DO that and be RID of them? ). This week… if I am feeling up to it… I will publish the next installment of this wonderful horror serial. I, really have about twenty pages already written… It is just a matter of proofing the pages, uploading and publishing. I am hoping that I feel ‘up’ to that task, later this week.

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That, My Dear Readers, brings us to the end of this week’s review… and brings us to the end of the ‘FIVE HUNDREDTH Article a Celebration and Review’. Over the past week I have worked, very had, to present an overview of the past five hundred articles, and four years, here at ‘The Other Shoe’. I have worked, every single week… through much pain and suffering, to bring the very best I have to offer. I do not have ‘a staff’… writers… assistants… publishers… an editor. Each and every week what you see is what I have managed to write, edit and publish… solo!

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Many weeks, like last week, I work through great waves of pain. My Dear Readers, I am not just so sure that I can continue. I just love writing… and I just love ‘seeing’ the traffic numbers… the ‘Visit Counter’ (on the blog) goes from 10… to 20… to 30… to 50! Yes, when it (and it does) hit FIFTY! I am so very deeply moved! Moved that fifty people, every week, are dropping by and READING MY WORK!

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So, I am sure you understand how… when, this week, I see the counter at ten. I am deeply depressed and heart broken. To expend so much effort… to endure so much pain and see my traffic fall? It just breaks my heart. I know that the blog’s web master… the server are having “problems”. I see that I cannot, or have real problems publishing… Still… it hurts.

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I am going to get some rest, later today. Rest and consider… if I am to continue… I want to go on and write and publish… another Five Hundred articles. I want to write for another four to five years. AM I a ‘terrible person’ for wanting… longing for… needing… recognition? That is all I have ever asked… that is all I have ever desired.

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I hope that everyone has enjoyed this ‘Look Back’ at the past Five Hundred Articles here at ‘The Other Shoe’.

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Adieu!

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Thank YOU!

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http://www.ebay.com/usr/enzomatrixlt

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Danny Hanning of The Other Shoe – May 6th, 2014

 

A Week in Review – June 28th, 2014

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                  Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. If it is Saturday, then it is time for ‘A Week in Review’! I am proud to announce that with the publication of this article, I have reached the lofty goal of, publishing eight articles in the past seven days! It is not only the number of articles, MY Dear Readers, but this week I published the single most; intense, violent, suspenseful and horrific episodes of ‘The Horror in Smithville’… ever!        

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Now, I know that some of you have been hesitant to read this episode. Fear not, it is not as frightful as I portray. Yes, I am hyping this episode. It is just that this episode is some of the best writing I have ever published. For those that have hesitated? Please, take a moment and give it a read. You will not regret it!

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Now, My Dear Readers, without further adieu I give you ‘A Week in Review’!

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• Sunday Funnies – June 22nd, 2014 : “Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. As well, this is a little ‘Welcome Back’ of/to ‘Sunday Funnies’! It has been several weeks since I last published this weekend treasure. In an effort to return normalcy and some regularity to my blog, I return with a short video if Prince Alexander.” I just love Prince Alexander! In this week’s ‘Sunday Funnies’ we catch Prince Alexander getting his weekly Sunday bath! He just loves playing in the water, running around and getting all clean for the upcoming week! Just to help him to relax, and enjoy his bath, I put Epsom salt in the bath water. It leaves his coat very smooth and soft. If you have a small pet, you might want to try this tip, too!

• The Mars Report – June 23rd, 2014 : “Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Today, I welcome you to the single shortest edition of The Mars Report, EVER! I am not too sure just what is going on, with the rover Curiosity but NASA/JPL have not posted any kind of update in the past six days! The very last Twitter update, from Curiosity on Mars, was back on June 17^th, 2014. I keep going back, to the NASA/JPL Mars Science Laboratory web site, and all they have posted are ‘RAW Images’.” Well, My Dear Readers, the NASA/JPL web site was quite bereft of ‘new’ images from Curiosity. So, Danny not to be detoured, I started rummaging through the vast stores of ‘RAW’images. That is where I found the images for this edition of ‘The Mars Report’. Readers? If y9ou want to know just what these images are? You will just have to click on the link at the beginning of this review! ENJOY!
• Lost in Space – Tour of Our Solar System #3 : “We leave the orbit of the planet of our birth, to pull our Ship of the Stars into orbit of our nearest planet. Now, as many of you, My Dear Readers, know we visit this planet every single week. We visit with my series of articles names ‘The Mars Report’. Just click on the link, behind you, and check out the latest edition of this wonderful series. Now, we leave the orbit of Mars, headed for our next solar destination. However, to get to our next destination of Jupiter we must pass through the ‘Asteroid Belt’!” My Dear Readers, this is a very special of ‘Lost In Space’! Instead of spending the next several editions on; Earth… Mars… I have decided to take our ‘Ship of the Stars’ to the furthest edge of our solar system. YES! My Dear Readers, there is a LOT to share at the very edge of our solar system! Want to know… what? Click on the link at the beginning of this article and take a journey of imagination!
• News from Around the World – June 25th, 2014 : “Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. First, I would like to take a moment and say ‘Thank You!” to everyone that enjoyed yesterday’s gargantuan article ‘Lost in Space – Tour of Our Solar System #3’ which, at last count, had nearly 20 ‘Likes’ already! I really poured my best into that article, hoped for the best and you My Dear Readers appreciated my efforts. For next week’s edition I will be writing about the ‘Dwarf Planets’ that exist at the very edge of the Kuiper Belt. Now back to today’s article and some startling news out of Iraq!” My Dear Readers, I cannot tell you just exactly how happy I am that this series of articles have found there success! Each and every week I scour through the week’s news and find articles that many have missed! I take these ‘missing’ articles and bring them to you, My Dear Readers. If you haven’t? Take a moment and read! ENJOY!
• Notes from Behind the Keyboard – Editorial : “The last couple of news cycles have been bloated with hype that Speaker Boehner is going to “Sue President Obama”. Sue our sitting President over, allegedly, his “misuse of power via ‘Executive Orders’”. OK… hang on… give me a minute to stop laughing. There, that’s better. OK…Seriously? Speaker of the House of Representatives is so ‘free’ of other obligations… The House of Representatives have so much ‘free time’… They have ‘finished their homework’? Oh… MERCY! I do take exception to that assertion. Let us review…” My Dear Readers, this is a rarity, for me. It is not often, anymore, that I share my opinion on news and politics. I know… some people are upset by my views. That makes me sad! My views are my own. My Dear Readers, I read a lot… and research… and read some more. Then, I sit down and.. think. Alone! Alone, with my thoughts, is where I make my decisions on what I think band how I feel. That is what I share, here, for you. Enjoy!
• I Believe in America : “Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Earlier, today, I penned an Editorial. In the, nearly, five years of publication here at The Other Shoe I have rarely published an Editorial. I wrote and published this editorial for one reason, and one reason only. I am concerned about my country. Concerned about our ‘National Political Dialogue’. As the title of this article indicates;…” Watch… and ENJOY!
• The Horror in Smithville – Part Thirteen : “Many of the teachers had moved to the very front of the crowd, almost like they had initially felt a responsibility to act. Only to, either, be transfixed by their fear of what they bore witness. Some, halted in their advance to help by their own gnawing fear that Barry night well do the same to them, too. Either way, nobody was moving stop Barry or come to Timmy’s rescue. There must have been more than thirty; teachers, students and bus drivers all gathered just a few scant feet away from Timmy’s, now, deformed head.” That came directly out of the story. If you want to read more? Click the link and READ! ENJOY!

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With that, My Dear Readers, we come to the end of this week’s review. This has been a very exciting week, here at ‘The Other Shoe’. I have written and published a record number of articles, we have ventured to the very edge of our solar system, and we (together) have taken a step into a truly horrific turn of events in ‘The Horror in Smithville’.

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Will Timmy be alight? What will become of Barry? Where is Principal Marsch? Where will this story take us next? Well. Honestly? I have already written the next several episodes. I know how things turn of with Timmy. You won’t want to miss what happens with Barry. And DearPrincipal Marsch? Well, My Dear Readers, you get to find that out, in next week’s episode!

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My Dear Readers, the fun has just begun. I look forward to seeing you all, right here, next week! Until then?

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Adieu!

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Thank YOU!

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The Other Shoe eBay Store

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http://www.ebay.com/usr/enzomatrixlt

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Danny Hanning of The Other Shoe – May 6th, 2014

Notes from Behind the Keyboard – Editorial

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Danny Hanning of The Other Shoe – May 6th, 2014

 

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                       Welcome back MY Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. If you looked, carefully, at the title of toady’s offering then you know that today is something special. In the, more than, four years that I have published this blog… four years and 493 (with this 494) articles I have rarely presented an ‘Editorial’. Events have transpired that have forced my hand, in that regard. Today I come to you, My Dear Readers, with a bone to pick.

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The last couple of news cycles have been bloated with hype that Speaker Boehner is going to “Sue President Obama”. Sue our sitting President over, allegedly, his “misuse of power via ‘Executive Orders’”. OK… hang on… give me a minute to stop laughing. There, that’s better. OK…Seriously? Speaker of the House of Representatives is so ‘free’ of other obligations… The House of Representatives have so much ‘free time’… They have ‘finished their homework’? Oh… MERCY! I do take exception to that assertion. Let us review:

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Ohio – Republican (R) John Boehner was (first) sworn in as ‘Speaker’ of The House of Representatives on January 5^th 2011 for the 112^th Congress. Below is a video of Rep. John Boehner after being sworn in as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

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(To this day… I am still vexed by why he picked the… ‘large’ [‘oversized’] gavel for his Speakership. Note: Each Speaker is allowed to ‘pick’ his own gavel to be used as ‘Speaker’ for the House of Representatives.)

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So, the last Session of Congress that was lead by a Democrat Speaker was…. (can anyone tell me?)… the 111^th Congress was the last to have a Democrat as a Speaker. Now, let us have a little review – The 111^th Congress passed 861 Bills (see next graphic below)that garnered 383 New Laws [1]that were signed into law. The last act of Democrats, while in control of the House of Representatives, was to work very hard and passed 383 bills that were signed into law. (That was the ‘Second’ Session of the 111^th Congress seated in 2010).

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Chart of Bills Passed by Congress Past 20 years

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Now, here is where it gets just totally squirrelly! Since (R) Rep. John Boehner was sworn in as Speaker the (Republican Controlled) Congress has voted (a Grand total of) FIFTY-FOUR times to ‘Repeal Obamacare’. Coincidently, each and every time their votes were ceremonial ONLY because they knew that they lack the votes in the Senate. Yet… and here is where the squirrelly part comes to play:

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• Congressional Republicans have held FIFTY-FOUR votes repealing ‘Obamacare’.
• The 112^th Congress was documented as “The Least Productive Congress”[2] Passing few bills, making fewer laws than any since the 107^th in 2001.
• The 113^th Congress (also) was documented as ‘The Least Productive in Modern History”[3]

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80th Congress to 112th Congress ‘Bills Passed’

(80^th Congress to 112^th Congress ‘Bills Passed’)

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Now we are in the first session of the 114^th Congress, and the pace of legislation has not changed. Yet, Speaker Boehner is calling on the ‘Bi-Partisan Legal Advisory Group’ to execute his (frivolous) action[4]. The ‘Bi-Partisan Legal Advisory Group’ is made up of: The Speaker of the House, The House Majority Leader, The House Minority Leader, and BOTH ‘Party Whips’. Let me see… is there anything else that this group of esteemed LEADERS of the House or Representatives could work on… instead? Say… like; ‘Immigration Reform’… ‘Improving Conditions at Veteran’s Administration Hospitals’… ‘Campaign Finance Reform’… oh, I could go on and one and list, maybe, fifteen items of National Importance that these Leadership Members could better spend their time on, than trying to figure out a way to sue President Obama over ‘Abuse of Executive Orders’. But, he is the Speaker… so let’s look at the number(s)!

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Below is a graphic showing the NUMBER of ‘Executicve Actions’ by President from Washington to President Obama. Let’s take a look-see!

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(Source for chart below: http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/executive-orders/disposition.html)

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Executive Orders:Washington – Obama

President	Term	Total Orders1	Average / Year	EO Number Range
George Washington	Total	8		unnumbered
John Adams	Total	1		unnumbered
Thomas Jefferson	Total	4		unnumbered
James Madison	Total	1		unnumbered
James Monroe	Total	1		unnumbered
John Quincy Adams	Total	3		unnumbered
Andrew Jackson	Total	12		unnumbered
Martin van Buren	Total	10		unnumbered
William Henry Harrison	Total	0		unnumbered
John Tyler	Total	17		unnumbered
James K. Polk	Total	18		unnumbered
Zachary Taylor	Total	5		unnumbered
Millard Fillmore	Total	12		unnumbered
Franklin Pierce	Total	35		unnumbered
James Buchanan	Total	16		unnumbered
Abraham Lincoln	Total	48		unnumbered
Andrew Johnson	Total	79		unnumbered
Ulysses S. Grant	Total	217		unnumbered
Rutherford B. Hayes	Total	92		unnumbered
James Garfield	Total	6		unnumbered
Chester Arthur	Total	96		unnumbered
Grover Cleveland – I	Total	113		unnumbered
Benjamin Harrison	Total	143		unnumbered
Grover Cleveland – II	Total	140		unnumbered
William McKinley	Total	185		unnumbered
Theodore Roosevelt	Total	1,081
William Howard Taft	Total	724
Woodrow Wilson	Total	1,803
Warren G. Harding	Total	522
Calvin Coolidge	Total	1,203
Herbert Hoover	Total	968		5075 – 6070
Franklin D. Roosevelt	Total	3,522		6071 – 9537
Harry S. Truman	Total	907		9538 – 10431
	I	504		9538 – 10029
	II	403		10030 – 10431
Dwight D. Eisenhower	Total	484		10432 – 10913
	I	266		10432 – 10695-A
	II	218		10696 – 10913
John F. Kennedy	Total	214		10914 – 11127
Lyndon B. Johnson	Total	325		11128 – 11451
Richard Nixon	Total	346		11452 – 11797
	I	247		11452 – 11698
	II	99		11699 – 11797
Gerald R. Ford	Total	169		11798 – 11966
Jimmy Carter	Total	320	80.00	11967 – 12286
Ronald Reagan	Total	381	47.63	12287 – 12667
	I	213	53.25	12287 – 12499
	II	168	42.00	12500 – 12667
George Bush	Total	166	41.50	12668 – 12833
William J. Clinton	Total	364	45.50	12834 – 13197
	I	200	50.00	12834 – 13033
	II	164	41.00	13034 – 13197
George W. Bush	Total	291	36.38	13198 – 13488
	I	173	43.25	13198 – 13370
	II	118	29.50	13371 – 13488
Barack Obama	Total	182	33.58	13489 – 13670…
	I	147	36.75	13489 – 13635
	II	35	24.65	13636 – 13670…

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Last Update: Data Through June 20, 2014. (through 5.42 years of the Obama Administration)

Citation: Gerhard Peters. “Executive Orders.” The American Presidency Project. Ed. John T. Woolley and Gerhard Peters. Santa Barbara, CA. 1999-2014. Available from the World Wide Web: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/data/orders.php.

Notes:
¹ 1789 to 1945 (Roosevelt) data includes “numbered” and “unnumbered” executive orders. 1945 (Truman) data includes only numbered executive orders including those with letter designations (ex. Executive Order 9577-A).

Data Sources:
• 1789 – 1945 (Roosevelt) data obtained from Lyn Ragsdale, “Vital Statisitcs on the Presidency: Washington to Clinton.” rev. ed. (Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 1998).
• 1945 (Truman) – present data compiled by Gerhard Peters, The American Presidency Project, from documents contained in the Federal Register.

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So, let me see… President Obama has used a total of 182 ‘Executive Orders’ (so far) in his two terms as President. What have the other Presidents passed?

• George W. Bush = 291
• William J. Clinton = 364
• George H.W. Bush = 166 (ONE term)
• Ronald Reagan = 381
• Jimmy Carter = 320
• Gerald R. Ford = 169 (LESS than One Term)
• Richard Nixon = 346
• Lyndon B Johnson = 325 (One Term)
• John F Kennedy = 214 (One Term)
• Dwight D Eisenhower = 484
• Barrack Obama = 182 (In nearly TWO Terms)

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Yeah, wow… that is a total “abuse of power”! While facing two sessions of ‘The Least Productive Congress” President Obama has used fewer ‘Executive Actions’ than any other sitting President in my lifetime (five year at least, Two Term Presidents). It would seem that Speaker Boehner is… jumping the gun. ?!? Shouldn’t there appear to be some abuse of a power before one would go and sue? Seems logical to me! Then why is Speaker Boehner jumping the proverbial gun? Why?

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APPEARENCES. Aye, there’s the rub! Living, as we do, in a visual and visceral society, Speaker Boehner need not wait for President Obama to do anything wrong, first. A good 20% to 22% of Americans already ‘see’ President Obama as ‘lawless’, so one need not actually wait for this President to do something wrong before hanging him out to dry. But… there is this nagging thought, in the back of my head.

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Immigration Reform… Campaign Finance Reform…. V.A. Hospitals… Veterans Benefits… REAL WORK that needs to be done, left standing at the crib, while Speaker Boehner plays games with the Leaders of the House of Representatives.

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This is worse than ‘Much Ado About Nothing’… This is an ‘abuse of power’ by… The Speaker!

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Nuff said?

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Adieu!

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Thank YOU!
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The Other Shoe eBay Store

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http://www.ebay.com/usr/enzomatrixlt

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Danny Hanning of The Other Shoe – May 6th, 2014

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[1]http://www.congress-summary.com/A-111th-Congress/Laws_Passed_111th_Congress_Seq.html

[2]http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jan/9/capitol-hill-least-productive-congress-ever-112th-/?page=all

[3]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/08/113th-congress-bills_n_3563008.html

[4]http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2014/06/25/should-speaker-john-boehner-sue-president-obama-over-executive-orders

A Week in Review – June 21st, 2014

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Danny Hanning of The Other Shoe – May 6th, 2014

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                Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Today, Saturday, is a great day for all of you, My Dear Readers, to catch up. Catch up on reading all the great articles that I have written, and published, right here at The Other Shoe over the past seven days. I know that a great may of you do not have the ‘free time’ to read my articles (and storied) during the workweek. That is THE reason I (originally) created ‘A Week in Review’ and why (today) I continue to write and publish this weekly review.

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For my blog, and all of you My Dear Readers, it has been a ‘good’ and productive week. Including this article I have written and published seven articles in seven days. Now, I have read comments that ‘that really isn’t all that much writing…’ Rest assured when I tell you that is a good deal of writing! Not just anyone can sit behind a keyboard and, in just seven days, produce more than seventy pages of; stories, articles; on Space Exploration, Hubble images from far-flung universes, current affairs and international news, political logjams’ and achievements, and a horror story.

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‘The Horror in Smithville’ (alone) is well over 95 pages in length, 220, 000 characters and 50,000 words. Each, and every, ‘A Week in Review’ is over ten pages long and contains nearly a dozen links to other content. As well, My Dear Readers, it is not just the writing. During the week I research many topics, sift through dozens of images (for ‘Lost in Space’ and ‘The Mars Report’), and work and rework political articles in an effort to be as factually correct as possible and to try to not offend ANY of my readers.

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Please do not get me ‘wrong’, I am not complaining… I am just explaining. The work I do is very tiring and, more times than not, makes my pain condition worse never better. Yet, I do not know what I would do with my time if I wasn’t working on these articles, stories and reviews. I just love the work I do here at The Other Shoe. The pain I experience, the physical limitations I have and the declining nature of my disease state causes a great deal of depression. I take ‘medications’ for my depression, but the one thing that works better than any/all my anti-depression medications? A single; comment, question, ‘Like’, ‘Share’ and/or ‘Kudos’ on any of the articles I write and publish each week.

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Every time I go to the primary location for my blog (www.theothershoe.blog.com) and see the counter has gone above 50!?! I am just ecstatic! To think that more than fifty people, in the last week, have come to my blog and looked at or read my work? Makes me feel like I just might be able to make a difference in the world I live in, still! That I might, still, be able to make people laugh! And, to think for just a moment… just a single moment that my words light help another person see and issue through the eyes of another? THAT gives my life new meaning!

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So, you now have a better idea just why it is I do all this writing and publishing. I want to help to inform and entertain people; family, friends, loved ones and all my followers here at The Other Shoe and Facebook. Yes… and someday…of course… I would just love to have something of my own to be published in a book or magazine! That will always be the dream, My Dear Readers!

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Now that I have shared a little of what drives me, and keeps me writing and publishing every week. It is time for another edition of ‘A Week in Review’.

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• Notes From Behind the Keyboard – June 16th, 2014: “Yet, today was different. I was extremely panicked upon waking and asked Allen to “turn on the lights… something is wrong!” Much to my chagrin, and Allen’s surprise, when he turned on the lights he discovered that my lips were blue… as was much of my facial complexion. So much so that Allen (usually stoic… almost indifferent) actually gasped when he looked at my face, with the light turned on. Allen then informed me “Danny… I think you stopped breathing. I heard you gasping, again, and I got up to wake you up.” Allen is visibly… shaken; this gave me the chills because Allen just doesn’t show emotions, like, ever.” To this day I have NO idea just what is going on with me at night. Allen has worked every single day since that hospital visit, I hope that soon he can help me get to the doctor I as given a referral. Barring that, I just sleep as light as I can… and (most of the time) sleep with one eye open. Allen is not sleeping very heavy, either. In just the past two nights I have had three bouts of the ‘gasping while sleeping’ and BOTH time Allen awoke quickly and came right over to my bed to check on me! I simply do not know what I would do without Allen. I not only love him more than anyone or anything in the world… I trust him with my very life! This was NOT a good way to start the week… and, looking back, I am really surprised that I manage to finish seven articles in the same week Monday started this way!
• Lost In Space – Tour of Our Solar System – #2 Venus : “Venus is known as the ‘Sister Planet’ of Earth. This is due to the fact that Venus is closest to Earth in; size, orbit of the sun, gravity and bulk composition. Venus orbits the sun in just 224.7 days. Now, most planets in our solar system rotate, on their axis, in an anti-clockwise direction, also known as a retrograde rotation or ‘orbit’. Further, Venus rotates the slowest of all the planets taking a full 243 Earth Days to complete on rotation. That means that a single day on Venus would last 243 days.” Well, My Dear Readers, this ‘Solar System Tour’ is being very well received by you! It is a lot of work, every week. Sorting through dozens of pages of images, picking which images I think will go best with the article. Downloading the images on to my computer, then resizing the images so they ‘fit’ on the blog page, uploading the images to my blog, then adding them to the text of the article. There is, also, writing of the dozen of so pages of information, news, and background information on each of the planets. However, you would not believe just how much I am LEARNING while I am writing and publishing this ‘Tour of OUR Solar System’! Next week… MARS!
• The Mars Report – June 18th, 2014 : “On April 18^th 2014 Opportunity managed to get some great landscape images of Endeavour Crater Rim from ‘Murray Ridge’. You, My Dear Readers, are very fortunate in that I have downloaded, and am going to share, two different versions of this wonderful landscape image. The difference between the two images is that one (the first) is in ‘True Color’. Meaning, in natural daylight on the Martian surface, the image has been enhanced for better viewing. The second image is done in what is called ‘False Color’. This means that the good people at NASA/JPL have done their best to reproduce the image in ‘Natural Earth Light’. So, if we were to ‘see’ this landscape on Earth, the second image is how it would look here in Earth light.” When I started writing the very first edition of ‘The Mars Report’ (I must admit) I had NO idea that I would still be writing and publishing this series three years later. I started this series with Opportunity and Spirit rovers. Took a bit of a break when Spirit ‘died’, then came back to this series with renewed vigor when Curiosity landed at ‘Bradbury Landing’! Now, each and every week I really look forward to going to the NASA/JPL web site and scouring the site for new and interesting images. Sometimes the number of images are few, but some real science has happened, since the last article. I have a ‘Good Feeling’ about this series, now. I have a feeling that I will be writing and publishing this series when we celebrate the Second 500 articles!
• Notes from Behind the Keyboard – June 19th, 2014 : “Since my neurosurgeon did not order the correct number of bone graft pieces prior to surgery, one or more bone grafts were not properly prepared prior to implantation into my neck. As seen in follow-up X-Rays the “bone grafts did not fully knit” the my bones. This is the reason that, now, seven years later I still have popping, and grinding sounds coming from my cervical spine, shooting pains in; my upper chest, face, upper left arm, lower left arm, left hand. What this means is that the bone grafts never “completely knit” with the surrounding bone (mine), that the structure is not solid and “durable”.” Long story short? (TOO LATE!) My neurosurgeon underestimated the extend of damage my degenerative disc disease had actually caused to my cervical spine, discs and nerve roots. This caused him to enter the OR less prepared than he need to be, and more overwhelmed by the severity of my condition. Combine that with an untrained vendor representative from the ‘Bone Growth Stimulation’ device and (unknown at the time) a severely diminished level of Vitamin ‘D’ in my blood stream? = Poorly knit bones, unstable construct resulting in spinal stenosis, more nerve root damage and possible growing pressure on my spinal cord. The last neurosurgeon I had a consult with, told me that ‘your condition will, likely, NEVER improve… you will spend the rest of your life on pain medications… you will loose more and more bodily functions until you will be unable to walk, use the bathroom, take a bath or brush your teeth without assistance…” That is NOT my image of what one’s ‘Golden Years’ should be like. I have no choice; I just pray and work hard so that just maybe I will earn enough money to make this terrible future more bearable.
• The Horror in Smithville – REVIEW – First Eleven Episodes: “Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. I would like to extend a deep and heartfelt “Welcome!” to everyone! To this, the third review of ‘The Horror in Smithville’. Today I am here to present; a short introduction, a little teaser, and a link to all of the First ELEVEN Episodes of this wonderful tale. Now, if you are just now joining the ranks of My Dear Readers, you might not know that this is my very first venture into the genre of horror. I have chosen to make this first, a story for young people. However, from what I am hearing (from many of you, My Dear Readers) is that this tale is enjoyed by adults and young adults, alike.” Twice a month I will publish another review, just like this one. This will enable people ‘new’ to the blog and this story a quick and easy way to catch up with the story. My Dear Readers, HONESTLY… when I started this episodic horror story? I NEVER imaged that so many people, from all over the world, would enjoy it SO much! As well, this story has… GROWN on me. Timmy and Archer have GROWN on me… and this whole story just keep getting bigger and bigger in my mind and in my heart. I am, already, ‘seeing’ more and more books! I can see this one story ending… then US returning to Timmy and Archer just a couple or a few years down the line, for yet another adventure in their alternate world! A couple of things… I am still working on the name of the other world. Two, the Latin in this story is giving me FITS! I have not ‘used’ Latin since High School. I used to be fairly versed in the Latin… not anymore. Just as soon as possible I WILL have all the Latin worked out for the; spells, enchants, and ceremonies. My Dear Readers, I want you to know that I am having a WONDERFUL time bringing this horror story to you, and yours!
• News From Around the World – June 19th, 2014 : “Now, let us proceed with this edition of “News from Around the World’. Today were are going to drop by L.A., Spain, Washington state, and Washington D.C. for a jaunty romp through the headlines. Every week I rummage through headlines to find some of the stories not covered by the network news, and a new take on some that were. Honestly, there were more stories to cover this week, than I had time to properly prepare the article. So, let’s jump right in and get our feet wet!” This is another article series that I started on a lark, which has managed to work its way into the rotation as a ‘regular’. It was worked its way into my mind and into my heart. This is another way for me to share some of my humanist views, without getting all political. Don’t get me wrong! I very much enjoy politics. However, at this point in time politics is being used all to often to DIVIDE people. Therefore, I am doing my best to address POLICY and leaving POLITICS off to the side! Thank you Kathye Warfiedl Rogers for YOUR input on that, it was instrumental in me finding a way to have a voice on policy without upsetting the people I respect and love! Thank you!
• The Horror in Smithville – Part TWELVE! : “The adventures of Timmy and Archer are as real, and come from my own personal experiences, as any thing I have ever written. There are moments, several of them, which you will be reading today that were literally taken out of my memories as a young man. As an extra special treat, for everyone out there from Pearland Texas, (and everyone that has known me and my scholastic life) there is a very special ‘Guest Appearance’ in today’s episode by someone we all dearly loved.” It is with GREAT pride that I present to you, My Dear Readers, THIS the 12^th episode of my wonderfully entertaining FIRST venture into the Horror Genre; “The Horror in Smithville’! With each and every passing week, I am continually amazed at what situations Timmy and Archer get themselves involved… then, just how they manage to extricate their happy butts! I refuse to tell you anything from this episode! There is just no way I can share… without ruining the suspense and thrills that are this episode. However, I will tell you that I have included (in this episode) a Very Special ‘Guest Appearance’ by someone that everybody knew and respected back in Pearland, Texas. I am very proud that he is making an appearance in this story! I REALLY hope that EVERYONE that I know, from Pearland, makes the time to come and read this episode and see ‘who’ it is that I picked for this Special ‘Guest Appearance’. Thanks!

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That, My Dear Readers, brings us to the end of another edition of ‘A Week IN Review’ right here at ‘The Other Shoe’! I am thrilled to have managed to write and publish another full week of seven articles in seven days. I really hope that everyone takes the time… makes the time to look over all of these fine works. To; look at the pictures, enjoy the stories, be challenged by the information and view into the lives and worlds of others.

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Yet, if I had but one wish? I would be to do all this work… and be more comfortable, in less pain, get more sleep, and have the means to enjoy the life I have… left. I refuse to beg for that which would make my life more livable. What little I have I thank God for his kindness in giving. I work just as hard as I possibly can, with the physical and neurological limitations I now experience. I do my best to keep my pain out of mind, and be thankful for every moment of life I have left.

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If I may? I would please, My Dear Readers, ask (respectfully) would you please ‘SHARE’? Share my work on Facebook. Share my posts on Facebook or My Space or Pinintrest or Tumblr. I do NOT do this out of vanity. Rather I do this because I DO believe that my work… is enjoyable and I have a genuine desire to entertain! As well, the more people my stories reach? The more likely it is that… someday I might be able to help to financially support myself!

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I am, physically, unable to return to work. As my last neurosurgeon told me and documented? It is completely unlikely that I will ever be able to return to the work force. That my condition will only worsen, and that in the coming years… I will loose more and more physical abilities, and neurological abilities. (I will feel less, have les control over my body) I would just like it if I was in a better financial position… when that happens. I think that any/all Americans would want the same for themselves and their loved ones.

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My Dear Readers, that brings us to the end of the week, the end of this article, and the end of another full week here at The Other Shoe!

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Adieu!

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Thank YOU!

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A Week in Review – June 7th 2014

            Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Well, it seems for the very first time in many weeks I have written and published enough articles to merit this weekend review! This will come as a surprise to some, and a comfort to others. Myself, I am a big fan of regularity, things happening each and every week like clockwork. My father used to have a saying ‘Consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds.’ Meaning, only people with small minds dislike a world of consistencies, and I agree.

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As well, this week saw a return of varied and different topics for the articles I published. We had everything from World News to PC Gaming and the return of ‘MMORPGs And YOU!’. Truth be told, that article is likely to see another return either next week or the week after. If you follow me on Facebook (Danny Hanning on Facebook) then you will know that I have updated and returned to ‘SWtOR’ = ‘Star Wars the Old Republic’ the on line MMORPG based on the wonderful intellectual property of Lucas arts. They had added an all new feature to the game, that I think will find wide appeal, and I am going to publish an update to the article (here) to include this all new feature.

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Well, now I think that is just about enough teasing and spoilers before the actual article. At this point, either you are going to go ahead and read this article, or you have already clicked through to some other destination. So, without further adieu, I bring you ‘A Week in Review’!

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• New From Around the World – May 31st, 2014 : “Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Today is Friday May 31^st, 2014, TGiF to everyone! With the first weekend, since my blog disappeared, rapidly approaching I have been searching my brain for just what content might peak interest by you, My Dear Readers. First, I thought of presenting Part TEN of ‘The Horror in Smithville’ for your reading pleasure.” Here is a perfect example of what I was talking about, this article is a double edged sword. I start out talking about social inequalities (from around the world) that have occurred in just the past week, and then I quietly segway into financial inequality. You see, My Dear Readers, I will likely never tire of writing about the grave and widening gap between our (now) ‘Two Class’ system. Gone are the days of the ‘Middle Class’, today you either struggle ‘hand-to-mouth’ making it paycheck to paycheck, or you have so much disposable income you have to buy symbols of ‘vulgar displays of wealth’. In the month of May, Pope Francis had the courage of his convictions to tell the leaders of this world that the time has come for a “legitimate redistribution of wealth”. The Pope has hit the nail on the head, and with one breath has set in motion forces that will, in time, level financial inequality once and for all. Want to know ‘why’ I say that, you will have to read this article.
• MMORPGS And YOU! – July 1^st, 2014 Republication : “Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Today is Sunday June 1^st, 2014 and I have decided to reblog/republish one of my single most popular article series ever. ‘MMORPs And YOU!’ managed to set a new record for the number of ‘Likes’, greatly increased traffic and was one of the very first of my articles to ever be ‘reblogged’ (posted by other blogger to their site). It is taking a little more time to get back into the habit of writing every single day… well, that is only partially true. I am not having any difficulty writing ‘The Horror in Smithville’… I am already done with Part TEN and am working on Part ELEVEN!” As I mentioned in the forward above, more than one MMORPG is seeking to increase membership by adding “all new” features to their games. In this case, World of Warcraft is adding another whole new continent with the upcoming expansion. ‘Warlords of Draenor’ looks to be a wonderful expansion of the world of Azeroth, and the game. Rather than just throw the particulars of the new expansion at You, My Dear readers, I went back and republished two of the previous articles from the series ‘MMORPGS And YOU!’. Take a moment and take a look, it will be time wells spent I assure you!
• MMORPGs and YOU! – World of Warcraft – Republication : “Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Today is Sunday June 1^st, 2014, and today I am here to share a previously published article. The reason fort his republication is simple, World of Warcraft is about to release another expansion to their game content. Earlier, this year, I published a very well received series of articles titled ‘MMORPGs And YOU!’ right here at The Other Shoe. Having said, I just feel I would remiss if I failed to update you, My Dear Readers, with regard to the newest expansion of content.” This is the second in the triad of articles I published, this week, to help herald the upcoming expansion to ‘World of Warcraft’. This is the article, out of the series, that I devoted just to WoW. It includes several in game screenshots and in game videos, too! Now, My Dear Readers, if you haven’t already read this article, this week, and/or you were not a visitor or Reader when this article was originally published, now would be a great time to check it out!
• World of Warcraft – Warlords of Draenor : “Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. As promised, I am here today to bring you the scoop on the newest edition to the storied MMORPG franchise, ‘World of Warcraft’! That’s right today you will get a peak at the upcoming expansion ‘Warlords of Draenor’. First, to get a little of the legal mumbo jumbo out of the way, ALL materials shared here are copyright of Blizzard Entertainment and not property of The Other Shoe. That means, I am just here to share what is already readily available at the web site I linked above. I am not to break any news, or share anything new.” Here we are! This is the article, the last of the triad, that is all about the all new expansion to WoW. I share many in game screen shots, a listing of many of the new features and upgrades, and a little of the back story behind the expansion. It is a great read and well worth the time and effort to learn all about the upcoming expansion. ENJOY!
• The Mars Report – June 4th, 2014 : “Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. It has been more than a week since I wrote, and published, an edition of ‘The Mars Report’. However, today’s edition just could not have come at a better time. For those of us that, daily, look to the stars and dream of living in outer space or another planet? A report from the National Research Council (named ‘Pathways to Exploration: Rationales and Approaches for a U.S. Program of Human Space Exploration’) outlines the genuine necessity of planetary exploration and colonization, a goal, which I have strong, and positive feelings about.” Now, this article is quite a departure for me. This is not the regular edition of ‘The Mars Report’. It does not contain ‘eyecandy’ from the surface of Mars, or science experiments from Curiosity. In this article I review a report, required by Congress paid for my NASA and compiled by the National Research Council. This report is very important to the future of American’s space program, our goal of landing a man on Mars, and the very future and life of our species. If you haven’t guessed it, this article is a ‘Must Read’!
• The Horror in Smithville – Part TEN : “Now, just as soon as the words “will be taken home early” were spoken the entire student body broke out into cheers and applause. Archer was pretty darn sure that the principal was not finished speaking. Pretty sure that there might have been even more important instructions for the students and the staff. Yet, everything was lost to the din of cheers and applause. Archer had stood up, like everyone else, and was clapping his hands frantically. Timmy, on the other hand, had no energy to get up and stand much less applaud an on coming snow storm. Timmy sat there, quietly, wondering if any of the children applauding right now had done the long math on this situation.” And, with that, you get all you are going to as a preview to this the TENTH episode of ‘The Horror in Smithville’. I am very happy with the following this article has garnered, and very happy with the direction the story is taking… us. Want to know more??? Quite simply, you will just have to read… and enjoy!
• The Mars Report – June 6th, 2014 : “Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. I apologize for the delay in the publication of this edition of ‘The Mars Report’. I have, yet, to write about it but my health is giving my fits and starts. For three days, this week, I had golf balls under my armpits, and fevers that would come and go within a day. I desperately need to get to my doctors, but I am unable to do so by myself. Anywho, I am here now and I have a pretty incredible edition of ‘The Mars Report” for everyone to read and enjoy.” Now, My Dear Readers, this is the edition of “The Mars Report’ that everyone is used to! This edition contains many new images from the surface of Mars. As well, there is a bit of a surprise in this article. NASA/JPL have crossed a milestone in extraplanatery exploration and I chronicle that achievement in this article. Want to know what happened? Read!

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With that, My Dear Readers, we come to the end of this weekly review. In this week I managed (in spite of serious health problems) to publish another seven articles. Now, I didn’t take the time to celebrate this milestone… but this week?!?! I published my 475^th article!! That’s right four hundred and seventy-five articles in less than five years!

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I am very proud of this accomplishment, and if I had been feeling better I would have written and celebratory article and posted all over Facebook about the milestone. AS a matter of fact… … later today (Saturday)… I might just go ahead and do just that! It does merit some attention and accolades! So, look out for later today… in a couple of hours, for a special posting on Facebook to celebrate my publication of the 475^th article here at ‘The Other Shoe’!

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Well, MY Dear Readers, that brings us to the end of this week and the end of this article. As always, it has been my honor to bring another seven articles to this blog for your reading pleasure. I hope that everyone enjoys the faire I have wrought, and takes the time to read and enjoy as many and as much of this week’s work as brings you pleasure.

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I know that not everything I write will appeal to every single reader. As a matter of fact… I am fearful that this week’s ‘News From Around the World’ might rub some of my readers the wrong way. If it has, I sincerely apologize. You see, MY Dear Readers, it is never my intent to offend. It is always my intent to expand intellectual horizons. This is the reason for my blog having articles from many different genres. Most blogs cover one topic, one type of story and have one kind of reader.

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I wanted more than that, and I wanted readers that enjoyed an ever-expanding realm of understanding. Thirsted for more than a mono-culture. This is my trademark… my hook, as it were. My Dear Readers, thank you for coming by and taking the time to read my work. You do me a great honor, and I hope that I show adequate respect for that honor.

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Adieu!

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Thank YOU!

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The Other Shoe eBay Store

http://www.ebay.com/usr/enzomatrixlt

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Danny Hanning of The Other Shoe – May 6th, 2014

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NBA GIves Middle Finger to Don Sterling

Welcome back MY Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. My Dear Readers today’s subject is not one I write about, like, at all. However, the past couple of weeks, and the action of the Commissioner of the NBA, have forced my hand. While the Conservative Majority of ACOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States) continues to rule as though racism no longer exists, ‘conservative’ Americans just keep proving racism does exist. I could spend hours and hours presenting proof of all the areas of American life racism is obvious; disproportionate number of African Americans incarcerated in America, ‘Voter ID Laws’ passed to decrease voter participation by minorities, seniors, disabled Americans, and Housing Discrimination. Like the in 2006 where Case Don Sterling chose to pay $3 million in order to avoid prosecution and continue his racist practices.[1]

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“In sworn testimony, one of Sterling’s top property supervisors Sumner Davenport claimed he made racist comments about black people living in one of the buildings he had just acquired:

“That’s because of all the blacks in this building, they smell, they’re not clean. … And it’s because of all of the Mexicans that just sit around and smoke and drink all day.”[2]

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It was his most recent comments that caused outrage by Clippers players and forced the hand of the NBA Commissioner. It was this weekend that Don Sterling’s remarks to his girlfriend, about Magic Johnson, when she posted an Instagram about Magic Johnson. Here are the comments that came to the surface this weekend.

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“It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you are associating with black people. Do you have to?” Sterling allegedly said.

“You can sleep with (black people). You can bring them in. You can do whatever you want. The little I ask is not to promote it on that … and not to bring them to my games.

“In your lousy … Instagrams you don’t have to have yourself walking with black people.”[3]

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Now, let’s look at how the talking heads of Conservatives handled these comments. From Rush Limbaugh we have;

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““This guy is a big Democrat,” Limbaugh insisted. “The only reason he is in trouble right now is that he did not give enough money to Obama.”

Limbaugh went on to say Sterling is “a typical Hollywood Democrat” and a “pretend A-lister.”

“The guy gave money to Gray Davis, the guy gave money to Bill Bradley,” Limbaugh continued. “He’s been donating to Democrat causes … doing what you do in Beverly Hills and LA to be in the A-list crowd, this guy’s been doing it — other than the slum lord business, and that may even be some of what you have to do.”[4]

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However, according to California State registration roles, Don Sterling is actually registered as a Republican.

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Don Sterling’s comments do not come in a vacuum, no they come on the heals of the racist remarks by Cliven Bundy. Yes, Cliven Bundy, one time championed by Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh as “A Patriot” and “in the mold of our Founding Fathers”[5].

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My Dear Readers it is not often that I share my deeply held personal opinions, on this blog. Oh, yes I will share political editorial, and political and social commentary, it is rarely that I present my own personal opinions on our nation. Today, I make a sharp exception right here, right now. My Dear Readers, it is not just that racism is not dead in America, in the twenty-first century, the fact of the matter is?

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In certain circles, certain walks of life here in America, racism is not only alive and well… it is used as a social barometer for membership in certain social and political organizations. Racism is alive and well in America today. As a matter of fact, we can clearly see that for a certain cross section of our nation, racism is ‘just common sense’. It is accepted like rain in the spring, and snow in the winter. For a (hopefully) small minority of Americans they would turn back the clock and take our nation backwards to a time where racism is institutionalized.

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My Dear Readers we must all be guardians of dark and hate filled past. It is an unfortunate truth that an injustice forgotten, is an injustice soon to be repeated. That we must judge, harshly, those that would allow or condone the return of racism to our great nation. You can tell by listening to small conversations, and in small places. This is where evils, like racism, are covered is shadows and allowed to flourish and grow. We cannot allow racism to flourish, anywhere. We cannot allow racism to hide in dark corners of our towns, and cities, townships and bumps-in-the-road. It is in these small places that racism can take root, and spread from one generation to another generation.

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We, all of us My Dear Readers, must work to stamp out racism anywhere, and everywhere it may grow and flourish. We cannot allow American to fall backwards and relive a violent and immoral past. I grew up watching African Americans; have police dogs turned on them for non-violent protest, have fire hoses turned on them for marching for their rights. If we let our guard down just a little bit, we will allow this social disease an opportunity to root, then flourish.

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‘Unfriend’ them on Facebook, turn away your business from the companies, do not sit and break bread with this ilk. One thing I learned, as a young boy in the Deep South, racism loves making new converts. When racism lives inside a person, it is always seeking out new converts. Racism knows it must spread to survive. Do not let it spread to you.

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That brings me to the end of today’s editorial article. I had hoped to bring something more to you, My Dear Readers, today. It is just not going to happen. My pain is terrific, and my home is intolerably hot. My A/C is not working, properly, and the maint crew here… well, blows. Hope that tomorrow is cooler. Take care and see you all soon.

Adieu!

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Thank YOU!

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[1]http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/27/us/donald-sterling-lawsuits/?hpt=hp_t1

[2]http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-sterling-racist-history-2014-4

[3]http://www.businessinsider.com/la-clippers-owners-alleged-racist-comments-about-magic-johnson-are-causing-an-uproar-2014-4

[4]http://www.salon.com/2014/04/28/rush_limbaugh_donald_sterling_is_in_trouble_because_he_did_not_give_enough_money_to_obama/

[5]http://uproxx.com/tv/2014/04/joe-scarborough-fox-news-has-been-exposed-by-cliven-bundys-remarks-about-the-negro-being-better-off-as-slaves/

Coming This Week To The Other Shoe – April 13th 2014

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Daneil Hanning of The Other Shoe 2001

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           Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Welcome to my weekly preview article for The Other Shoe. Each week I tip my hand and give you all, My Dear Readers, a preview of the articles I have planned for publication over the next seven days. Now, you may have noticed that the past two weeks were devoid of ‘Sunday Funnies’.

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This is simply because Alexander has not done anything… entertaining while I had my camera handy. I apologize for this shortcoming. However, rest assured that the article series IS still viable and just as soon as my camera and his antics cross, we will have another edition of ‘Sunday Funnies’. Now, let me ask you, My Dear Readers, if there is anyone out there that is handy with a pen or pencil and paper.

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I am looking for an amateur cartoonist or someone that is just handy with a pencil or pen. I can provide the narrative or captions, all I need is someone to provide the people… even stick figures. I am looking to replace Alexander, in the ‘Sunday Funnies’, with a weekly political cartoon or animation. If your fit the bill contact me via Facebook, this blog or any way you see fit. Joe Tilbury, if you are still out there and can still draw? Contact me, k? It pays NOTHING, so far. However, just as soon as this blog makes a profit I will cut you in for a share.

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Now, for the upcoming week. I can promise that there will be another edition of; ‘The Mars Report’, ‘Lost in Space’, ‘The Horror in Smithville’, ‘Coming this Week’ and ‘A Week in Review’. Beyond that I am not really sure, My Dear Readers. As you all know, by now, I will do my very best to make sure I write all the regular articles. As well, when I have the time and my body is not preventing me, I will do my best to bring even more articles. I have been toying with several ‘New Series’ and bringing back so older article series.

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‘MMORPGs And YOU!’ May well be making a come back with the arrival of ‘Elder Scrolls On Line’. Launched late last month, I have yet to be able to afford; the game, game time or any ‘Beta’ or promotional copy of the game. Unfortunately, I do not see any resolution to this dilemma on the horizon. Rest assured, just as soon as I have a copy of the game, I will get it installed, updated and get into the game. Once in-game I will make; ‘In-Game Videos’, take tons of screenshots, and write up outlines of the crafting procedures, the plot based questing and an evaluation of the PvP (player vs. player) part of the game. I really hope to get this together, for your viewing and enlightenment, just as quickly as is humanly possible.

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The Elder Scrolls is a wonderful intellectual property. It is being brought to the MMROPG world by Zenimax and Bethesda the people that brought us one of the GREATEST RPGs of the twentieth century, ‘Fallout’ and ‘Fallout – New Vegas’. With these two companies working on the Elder Scrolls IP I have great faith it will be a very enjoyable game. I do wonder… why they didn’t convert ‘Fallout’ from RPG to MMORPG… but I will take Elder Scrolls and run with it. Now, if there is anyone that might want to sponsor my work… a benefactor to assit me obtaining the game for purposes of writing and sharing on this blog. Please contact me as I will do pretty much anything… in return for sponsorship.

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Last, My Dear Readers, I have (already scheduled) an appointment with an Infectious Disease physician on Tuesday. I am working to get a BUN/Creatnine test scheduled on Monday or Wednesday. Further, I simply must get a C.T with Contrast scheduled as quickly as possible. My follow-up visit with Dr. Gorlick is May 6^th and I would very much like to have all the results prior. If I get these tests scheduled for this week, that will put a big dent in my ability to get all regular articles written and published this week. Barring the postponement till next week, of some of the; tests, scans and appointments. Then I will be able to meet all my writing/publishing deadlines.

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Well, My Dear Readers, that brings us to the very end of this week’s preview article. I am really looking forward to the coming week of writing and publishing. OH! I totally forgot! When it comes to Part SIX of ‘The Horror in Smithville’… remember… we left off with Timmy in a GRAVEYARD! Oui! That was quite a cliff-hanger, huh? We know that the next adventure starts in a graveyard… that has so much potential! A little spoiler… the first five parts… are the most mellow out of the whole story! Upcoming will be parts that I will assure you push the very limits of juvenile fiction. There may come a time when many of my readers… refuse to allow their children to read the work.

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It will not be; sexual, ultra-violent… but it will be; bloody, gory and fairly violent. As I have been working out the upcoming episodes… the plot development… the character development. Well, the story is taking me in unexpected directions with unexpected results. I do promise that I will warn all readers prior to the start of an episode of any above PG-13 content. I cannot simply tell you the images, or acts, that I have planned. However, I can tell you there will be physical violence that will scare and frighten.

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There, that brings us to the end of this wonderful preview of the articles to come in the following week at The Other Shoe. I would like to thank you for coming by and taking a look see. I hope that you enjoyed getting a ‘heads-up’ of the week to come… I hope that I can count on YOU for being here for some great reading over the next seven days.

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ENJOY!

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Adieu!

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The Other Shoe eBay Store

www.ebay.com/usr/enzomatrixlt

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The Other Shoe’s Daniel Hanning 2/2014

 

News from Around the World

           Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Today, Tuesday, should be a day for political faire, here at The Other Shoe. I have scanned the political headlines, and all things being equal, I just could not find anything in our nation’s politics that caught my attention. Yes, Rep. Paul Ryan is suggesting another austerity-based budget for Congress. One that continues the slashing of aid to American’s least advantaged while continuing in his ill advised (ill advised by dignitaries such as Pope Francis) ‘Voo-Doo’/’Trickle-Down’ economics by funneling even more money to the wealthiest Americans. Most likely, this ‘voo-Doo’ budget will get resounding support by Congressional Republicans, pass the House strictly along party lines, then die I silent and irrelevant death in the Senate.

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Just as the Founding Fathers designed. Yes, the Senate is the Elder body of our Congress, in that it is the senior and most reasoned body. The Founding Fathers knew (foresaw) that destructive populist movements might well gain a majority in the lower house of Congress. As a boy, and young man, I read “The Federalist Papers’ and ‘Articles of Confederation’. It was in these documents that our nation’s democracy were brought to fruition. They outlined how the lower house of a Congress was ‘The People’s House’ and, as such, could easily fall prey to populist ideals that ran contrary to the continued health of our democracy and our Republic. 

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Why, just this morning, one of the basic tenants of our Republic came under attack in our Supreme Court. Today the Supreme Court heard arguments in “Perkins vs. Federal Trade Commission,” a case brought by billionaire venture capitalist Thomas Perkins. His case is in support of ‘proportional voting’ for all Americans and American Corporations. It goes a little something like this; if a person pays a million dollars in taxes, that equates to that individual having “one million votes to cast” in elections. That corporations, since they now have free speech, which means that they too should each have votes proportional to taxes paid.

. Yeah, I haven’t stopped laughing yet, either. England has been a democracy for… well, since 1376 making it the oldest democracy on this planet. (Hang on the Isle of Man… The Althing… 930AD. Yeah, but let’s let the Brits’ take this one for the sake of argument. Now, in all that time our brethren ‘across the pond’ have not attempted to devolve democracy in this heinous manner. If one were to read; ‘The Federalist Papers’ and ‘The Articles of Confederation’ (now you have to read all the way to the end) . One would understand that our Founding Father’s actually considered this idea of ‘proportional voting rights’ during the great intellectual deliberations they engaged.
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Considered and discarded this idea. Why? One should really read this for oneself. However, when the intellectual exercise was over? They all came to the same conclusion, ‘proportional voting’ would result in… … … … (drum roll, please!) another Monarchy in the Americas. That, in time, would result in the creation of an Aristocracy just like the one America was fighting against! BINGO! Hundreds of years ago, the greatest minds of the time, the men that gave birth to this great nation, rejected this very notion. Oh, it took some time.. and lot of argument, and in the end a handful of them stood by their mistaken ideals. The majority agreed on ‘One MAN, One VOTE’, PERIOD.

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Little known to many Americans that, in our first elections only landowners were allowed to vote. Women were not allowed to vote until ‘Women’s Suffrage’ and the Nineteenth Amendment ratified in 1919. African Americans did not have the right to vote until 1965. American history is a story of expanding voting rights to the individual, not corporations. Our very Founding Fathers understood that ‘proportional voting’ would lead to an American Monarchy, and that would defeat the very purpose for American’s birth.

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Now that I have given you, My Dear Readers, a more complete understanding of the why of our voting rights in this Republic, let me share some words… from the bench, from today.

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“Sounds sensible, If you pay a million dollars in taxes, you should get a million votes, just like an investor in a corporation. That was the original intent of the Founding Fathers.” said Justice Antonin Scalia.

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“Obviously, if a corporation has First Amendment free speech rights, a corporation that pays taxes should have voting rights and in proportion to how much it pays in taxes.” Justice Samuel Alito

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Clarence Thomas, who rarely speaks, was jubilant and nearly shouted… “No taxation without representation!”

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I am bloody amazed that Supreme Court Jurists would express opinions that run so fundamentally contrary to the will of the Founding Fathers. This makes it abundantly clear that our Supreme Court Bench has been deeply corrupted by politics. Proof my opinion comes from the words of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg;

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“This must be an April Fool’s joke.”

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This, certainly, can be nothing more than a joke… right?

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Leaving the shores, and the insanity, of America behind us we venture down south to moderate climates of Venezuela. What, pray tell, brings us to this South American country? Huge social changes that could be precursors for American change. You see the distribution of wealth in Venezuela is even more striking than here in America.

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This week the Venezuelan government introduced a new voluntary ID card system. This card will track family grocery purchases in order to address the hoarding engaged in by the wealthy. You see in Venezuela the cost of groceries is subsidized by the government, due to rampant inflation placing food out of the reach of millions of families. These wealthy families would purchase the same items, day after day, at the subsidized prices. Later, they would see these groceries at greatly inflated prices.

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“”The rich people have things all hoarded away, and they pull the strings,” said Juan Rodriguez to the Associated Press.[1]

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Now, on the housing front there is a new law that focuses on improving ownership in Venezuela. Any resident, of an apartment, living in the same apartment for twenty years now has a new right. The right to purchase their apartment from the owner, at a ‘fair price’ set by the government. Landlords will have 60 days to offer up the apartment, or face a financial penalty of $40,000.00. This measure will, hopefully, increase ownership and result in ‘the pride of ownership’ by residents.

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Both of these measures are meant to improve the lives of the majority of citizens and bring equality. Here Venezuela is taking important steps to address the great financial inequality that has gripped the nation. The rampant inequality has resulted in violent riots, by the poor and disadvantaged, which have plagued this nation. America would do well to keep an eye on this nation, and the changes there to address their financial inequality.

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Finally, today, I have a disconcerting story out of Africa. Today, the Centers for Disease Control (here in America) have sent a team of five experts to Guinea[2]. They are there to evaluate an outbreak of Ebola! The Ebola virus is a virulent hemorrhagic virus that causes violent and deadly bleeding. Resulting, so far, in seventy deaths in just the past week.

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There is no treatment or cure for this type of infection. Patients infected with this virus bleed profusely and die from shock. There is little concern for the virus spreading outside this African nation. Most infections come from direct contact with bodily fluids from an infected person.

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This outbreak is particularly troublesome for two reasons. First, this breakout has happened at the border of three nations. This could result in a rapid spread of the virus, outside of Guinea, prior to the other nations make appropriate preparations. Second, this particular strain is an especially deadly strain of the virus. I will be watching this story, closely.

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That brings us to the end of this, the very first edition of ‘News from Around the World’. Thanks for dropping by and taking the time to read. Thank you for your support.

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As always I am deeply honored that you come here and read my work.

Thank YOU!

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The Other Shoe eBay Store

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The Other Shoe’s Daniel Hanning February 2014

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[1]http://www.nbcnews.com/#/news/world/venezuela-issues-voluntary-id-cards-stop-hoarding-n68746

[2]http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/u-s-sends-team-fight-african-ebola-outbreak-n68776