GoneOffShore

GoneOffShore's Journal

January 26, 2022

There are Nutella riots in France.

I hope that they don't spread and cause a lot of pain.

January 25, 2022

5 Questions for Free Speech Fetishists by Tim Wise

From the very insightful author and speaker, Tim Wise. He makes some very good points, and there's a lot to think about here.

I’m not shaming your kink, just curious about some things

Look, I get it.

As a writer and educator who makes my living speaking all over the country (at least virtually these past couple of years), I consider the First Amendment an invaluable instrument.

But that doesn’t mean that I don’t recognize its limits.

Nor does it mean that there aren’t legitimate questions about its application or how we balance freedom of speech with other Constitutional protections when they conflict.

And frankly, everyone believes in limits to free speech — even crypto-bro libertarians who think Bitcoin will replace currency and Ayn Rand wrote good novels.

January 24, 2022

Meat Loaf and Meatloaf and Weber Grills

https://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/weber-grills-apologizes-for-ill-timed-meatloaf-recipe-email-1.5750679?fbclid=IwAR1L5Ve0a-1lx66SYAofnFAGAAPRznhOTjvSf9ntUbvao2k6BciBkh2ExQw

January 16, 2022

Has anyone applied for Soc Security recently? Mrs GoS applied 3 months before her 62nd UPDATE!

Update

Received an email yesterday to check the SocSec website because there was an update on status. Did that and what do we find!
Huzzah!

We have processed 3 of 3 steps of your application.
We made a decision to approve your application on January 20, 2022.

Benefits & Payments
You are receiving:
Social Security (Retirement)
Your next payment is:
on February 3, 2022

Did the application on-line because we're in France. She hasn't started receiving benefits yet.
Called the Federal Benefits office at the Embassy, which now refers everyone to Baltimore. The office there says that her application is still being reviewed (possible code for: at the bottom of a deep pile of applications), and they will call and if they don't call back.

I'm trying to get a handle on whether it's just people living abroad who are experiencing delays in receiving benefits or anyone.

January 12, 2022

Demand a roll call vote on the Freedom to Vote Act.

Call Senator Schumer either in DC(202-224-6542) or Albany(518-431-4070 or New York City(212-486-4430 or all 3 and suggest when calling for a vote on the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Amendment demand that it be a roll call vote. US Senators will then be on record as being against Voting Rights.

Profile Information

Name: Sam
Gender: Male
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Current location: Aix-en-Provence
Member since: 2002
Number of posts: 17,590

About GoneOffShore

Moved to France in September of 2018 after buying our apartment in 2017 after the debacle of the election. We're glad to be here, but we continue to be involved with what's happening in the US.