Here is a list of Blogs ordered by Most Commented, posted by members. A Blog is a journal you may enter about your life, thoughts, interesting experiences, or lessons you've learned. Post an opinion, impart words of wisdom, or talk about something interesting in your day. Update your blog on a regular basis, or just whenever you have something to say. Creating a blog is a good way to share something of yourself with others. Reading blogs is a good way to learn more about others. Click here to post a blog.
I Don't Think I was Rude
It happened about seven houses from home. The man saw me coming and moved to his garden wall as I returned from my regular morning walk. I cursed at myself for not being on the other side of the road. 
It was obvious that he intended to talk to me and I don’t want to talk to him. I avoid people I don’t like. If a woman has to wear sunglasses to hide a black eye at times one can still argue that she walked into the door jamb; they both drink excessively during weekends but I know that is not the reason for the occasional black eye. I greet him when I see him but that is where it ends whereas I normally stop for a little small talk with the other neighbors.
He asked me if I’m upset with him and I denied it. I’m not upset with him, I simply don’t like him. Then he asked why I never talk to him. I had already tried to get out of it by my tame reply on his previous question but he was not going to let up so I told him that I don’t like him. It is not an insult. I just don’t like him.
He wanted to know why I don’t like him. “Look,” I said, “I’m sure you will be able to think of one or two reasons that will cause people not to like you. Some people dislike me as well. So why not leave it at that. I don’t want to get into an argument with you about this.” I was about to resume my walk home.
But he insisted that I tell him so I told him that I don’t like the way he treats his wife. He turned red and told me I’m interfering with his privacy. I replied that as his wife had to run to the neighbors for help several times in the past, it is no longer a private or domestic affair. He said that we’re a bunch of busybodies and that we should stay out of his private life.
I told him to hell with his privacy and that if he asked a question, it is not my problem if he did not like the answer. I started walking again.
When I was about ten meters off he shouted, “You effing oxygen thief. You should stay out of my private affairs, effing rude old bastard.” I preferred to ignore him and walked on. For special effects he still added: “You effing stupid old arsehole!” He’s got a good thirty years on me but I fancied my chances with him. I had a good mind to turn around but sanity prevailed and I walked on.
Now, more than two weeks later, I find the episode amusing and I wish there was somebody around to record a video of it. I would have loved to look at it from another angle but one thing stuck with me. How can he tell me I was rude when he was the only rude one around? I was polite and soft-spoken the whole time. I only responded to questions that he insisted on being answered.
May you have a glorious Monday!
It was obvious that he intended to talk to me and I don’t want to talk to him. I avoid people I don’t like. If a woman has to wear sunglasses to hide a black eye at times one can still argue that she walked into the door jamb; they both drink excessively during weekends but I know that is not the reason for the occasional black eye. I greet him when I see him but that is where it ends whereas I normally stop for a little small talk with the other neighbors.
He asked me if I’m upset with him and I denied it. I’m not upset with him, I simply don’t like him. Then he asked why I never talk to him. I had already tried to get out of it by my tame reply on his previous question but he was not going to let up so I told him that I don’t like him. It is not an insult. I just don’t like him.
He wanted to know why I don’t like him. “Look,” I said, “I’m sure you will be able to think of one or two reasons that will cause people not to like you. Some people dislike me as well. So why not leave it at that. I don’t want to get into an argument with you about this.” I was about to resume my walk home.
But he insisted that I tell him so I told him that I don’t like the way he treats his wife. He turned red and told me I’m interfering with his privacy. I replied that as his wife had to run to the neighbors for help several times in the past, it is no longer a private or domestic affair. He said that we’re a bunch of busybodies and that we should stay out of his private life.
I told him to hell with his privacy and that if he asked a question, it is not my problem if he did not like the answer. I started walking again.
When I was about ten meters off he shouted, “You effing oxygen thief. You should stay out of my private affairs, effing rude old bastard.” I preferred to ignore him and walked on. For special effects he still added: “You effing stupid old arsehole!” He’s got a good thirty years on me but I fancied my chances with him. I had a good mind to turn around but sanity prevailed and I walked on.
Now, more than two weeks later, I find the episode amusing and I wish there was somebody around to record a video of it. I would have loved to look at it from another angle but one thing stuck with me. How can he tell me I was rude when he was the only rude one around? I was polite and soft-spoken the whole time. I only responded to questions that he insisted on being answered.
May you have a glorious Monday!
Breaking News ! The New York Times got access to Trump's tax returns for the past 2 decades
In response to:
Today From The New York Times
EXCLUSIVE
The Times has obtained tax-return data for President Trump extending over more than two decades. It shows chronic losses and years of tax avoidance.
Sunday, September 27, 2020 5:16 PM EST
Mr. Trump’s finances are under stress, beset by losses that he aggressively employs to avoid paying taxes, and hundreds of millions in debt that he has personally guaranteed, which comes due in the coming years.
He paid $750 in federal income taxes in 2016, and nothing in 10 of the previous 15 years — largely because he reported losing much more money than he made.
Also hanging over him is an audit battle that he has long been waging, out of public view, with the I.R.S. An adverse ruling could cost him more than $100 million.
Today From The New York Times
EXCLUSIVE
The Times has obtained tax-return data for President Trump extending over more than two decades. It shows chronic losses and years of tax avoidance.
Sunday, September 27, 2020 5:16 PM EST
Mr. Trump’s finances are under stress, beset by losses that he aggressively employs to avoid paying taxes, and hundreds of millions in debt that he has personally guaranteed, which comes due in the coming years.
He paid $750 in federal income taxes in 2016, and nothing in 10 of the previous 15 years — largely because he reported losing much more money than he made.
Also hanging over him is an audit battle that he has long been waging, out of public view, with the I.R.S. An adverse ruling could cost him more than $100 million.
In response to:
The Times obtained Donald Trump’s tax information extending over more than two decades, revealing struggling properties, vast write-offs, an audit battle and hundreds of millions in debt coming due.
By Russ Buettner, Susanne Craig and Mike McIntire
Sept. 27, 2020
Donald J. Trump paid $750 in federal income taxes the year he won the presidency. In his first year in the White House, he paid another $750.
He had paid no income taxes at all in 10 of the previous 15 years — largely because he reported losing much more money than he made.
As the president wages a re-election campaign that polls say he is in danger of losing, his finances are under stress, beset by losses and hundreds of millions of dollars in debt coming due that he has personally guaranteed. Also hanging over him is a decade-long audit battle with the Internal Revenue Service over the legitimacy of a $72.9 million tax refund that he claimed, and received, after declaring huge losses. An adverse ruling could cost him more than $100 million.
The tax returns that Mr. Trump has long fought to keep private tell a story fundamentally different from the one he has sold to the American public. His reports to the I.R.S. portray a businessman who takes in hundreds of millions of dollars a year yet racks up chronic losses that he aggressively employs to avoid paying taxes. Now, with his financial challenges mounting, the records show that he depends more and more on making money from businesses that put him in potential and often direct conflict of interest with his job as president.
The New York Times has obtained tax-return data extending over more than two decades for Mr. Trump and the hundreds of companies that make up his business organization, including detailed information from his first two years in office. It does not include his personal returns for 2018 or 2019. This article offers an overview of The Times’s findings; additional articles will be published in the coming weeks.
The returns are some of the most sought-after, and speculated-about, records in recent memory. In Mr. Trump’s nearly four years in office — and across his endlessly hyped decades in the public eye — journalists, prosecutors, opposition politicians and conspiracists have, with limited success, sought to excavate the enigmas of his finances. By their very nature, the filings will leave many questions unanswered, many questioners unfulfilled. They comprise information that Mr. Trump has disclosed to the I.R.S., not the findings of an independent financial examination.
The Times obtained Donald Trump’s tax information extending over more than two decades, revealing struggling properties, vast write-offs, an audit battle and hundreds of millions in debt coming due.
By Russ Buettner, Susanne Craig and Mike McIntire
Sept. 27, 2020
Donald J. Trump paid $750 in federal income taxes the year he won the presidency. In his first year in the White House, he paid another $750.
He had paid no income taxes at all in 10 of the previous 15 years — largely because he reported losing much more money than he made.
As the president wages a re-election campaign that polls say he is in danger of losing, his finances are under stress, beset by losses and hundreds of millions of dollars in debt coming due that he has personally guaranteed. Also hanging over him is a decade-long audit battle with the Internal Revenue Service over the legitimacy of a $72.9 million tax refund that he claimed, and received, after declaring huge losses. An adverse ruling could cost him more than $100 million.
The tax returns that Mr. Trump has long fought to keep private tell a story fundamentally different from the one he has sold to the American public. His reports to the I.R.S. portray a businessman who takes in hundreds of millions of dollars a year yet racks up chronic losses that he aggressively employs to avoid paying taxes. Now, with his financial challenges mounting, the records show that he depends more and more on making money from businesses that put him in potential and often direct conflict of interest with his job as president.
The New York Times has obtained tax-return data extending over more than two decades for Mr. Trump and the hundreds of companies that make up his business organization, including detailed information from his first two years in office. It does not include his personal returns for 2018 or 2019. This article offers an overview of The Times’s findings; additional articles will be published in the coming weeks.
The returns are some of the most sought-after, and speculated-about, records in recent memory. In Mr. Trump’s nearly four years in office — and across his endlessly hyped decades in the public eye — journalists, prosecutors, opposition politicians and conspiracists have, with limited success, sought to excavate the enigmas of his finances. By their very nature, the filings will leave many questions unanswered, many questioners unfulfilled. They comprise information that Mr. Trump has disclosed to the I.R.S., not the findings of an independent financial examination.
Everything you ever done.
I recently heard that one day it will be available for everyone to see, review, read...or whatever...all your activity you have ever done on the internet.
I am not sure how true that is....but what is to stop whoever from doing so?
How would you feel if everything you have ever done online is shared?
I think I would be okay with it. After all, it was well known that everything that is done on the internet was/is not entirely private in the first place.
It would be a great way of identifying who many people really are.
I am not sure how true that is....but what is to stop whoever from doing so?
How would you feel if everything you have ever done online is shared?
I think I would be okay with it. After all, it was well known that everything that is done on the internet was/is not entirely private in the first place.
It would be a great way of identifying who many people really are.
OK so this may seem like a silly question,
but Whats the skinny on Trumps Vice president ?
Who is he what is he high profile for and what is americas opinion on the guy.
and out of interest who was Kennedy's, did he do anything worth while.
and does the strength of the person holding that position have any bearing on the odds of assassination attempted or achieved .
Who is he what is he high profile for and what is americas opinion on the guy.
and out of interest who was Kennedy's, did he do anything worth while.
and does the strength of the person holding that position have any bearing on the odds of assassination attempted or achieved .
Music to work to?
I like to have music in the background when I'm working but I get bored with the usuals. Anyone looked at the music offered for studying? Whale song, harp music, sea sounds - nope!
Very familiar music from seventies and eighties is distracting because it keeps jerking my memory back, not good.
Boring music makes me sleepy - not good.
Lively music makes me restless, I want to jump up and dance. Not good.
Any suggestions before I just switch off? It's so QUIET if I do! And I'm studying at the moment, a bit boring but I have to concentrate.
Housework music is so easy - driving anthems, the louder the better
The huge advantage of choosing something I knew in the 70s and 80s is it wakes up my teenage brain (which is still fairly shiny and unused). Now if I can just get my inner teenager to settle down to some work ...
Very familiar music from seventies and eighties is distracting because it keeps jerking my memory back, not good.
Boring music makes me sleepy - not good.
Lively music makes me restless, I want to jump up and dance. Not good.
Any suggestions before I just switch off? It's so QUIET if I do! And I'm studying at the moment, a bit boring but I have to concentrate.
Housework music is so easy - driving anthems, the louder the better
The huge advantage of choosing something I knew in the 70s and 80s is it wakes up my teenage brain (which is still fairly shiny and unused). Now if I can just get my inner teenager to settle down to some work ...
The CS Retro and Vintage Art Roadshow-Female bloggers edition
Things that some people consider older can be quite valuable and a great investment.
Some valuables here are definitely worth looking at and investing in, some masterpieces available for a forthcoming auction are:
The Geordie Sconemaker, a fine looking painting from Northumberland, Land of the Trees.
The Blur, This statue shows fine lines and beautifully carved features, a sassy and very valuable piece.
The Stealth van, a veritable and warm piece hand carved from platinum with gold edging.
The Innkeeper, from across the pond, adorned with beanaroni and with eyes and demeanor mirroring the goddess Venus.
The Goddess of Love, A Spanish Piece found in Tasmania, Generates electricity too.(Sold to the Celt)
The Swiss masterpiece, Adorned with fine clothing and vodka, looks fabulous on a beach.
The Poet, a gentle soulful piece, with beautiful words emanating from within.
The eyelash model, fresh and well-travelled, an Art lovers dream. (SOLD to a private collector)
The blessed cheesemaker, strong and self-sufficient, sharp as a knife.
The remnants of a warm fire, a hippy type, soulful and often misunderstood.
Herself, self-sufficient forest dweller from the land of potjie.
The Fish sounding woman, a very abstract and complicated chunk of African Art, now mainly hidden in attics.
The spell caster with an itchy exterior, a somewhat unknown piece that would look OK hanging above any fireplace. declined to be sold
Wrapped in Filo pastry, the humanitarian sculptured from passport stamps.
The art work from Vancouver “cultural blond”
The Semental Caballo lover, often mistaken for lady Godiva, an Alien abductors dream.
If you have been missed, there will be another catalog put together sometime. So any bids? These pieces wont last long on the market.
Some valuables here are definitely worth looking at and investing in, some masterpieces available for a forthcoming auction are:
The Geordie Sconemaker, a fine looking painting from Northumberland, Land of the Trees.
The Blur, This statue shows fine lines and beautifully carved features, a sassy and very valuable piece.
The Stealth van, a veritable and warm piece hand carved from platinum with gold edging.
The Innkeeper, from across the pond, adorned with beanaroni and with eyes and demeanor mirroring the goddess Venus.
The Goddess of Love, A Spanish Piece found in Tasmania, Generates electricity too.(Sold to the Celt)
The Swiss masterpiece, Adorned with fine clothing and vodka, looks fabulous on a beach.
The Poet, a gentle soulful piece, with beautiful words emanating from within.
The eyelash model, fresh and well-travelled, an Art lovers dream. (SOLD to a private collector)
The blessed cheesemaker, strong and self-sufficient, sharp as a knife.
The remnants of a warm fire, a hippy type, soulful and often misunderstood.
Herself, self-sufficient forest dweller from the land of potjie.
The Fish sounding woman, a very abstract and complicated chunk of African Art, now mainly hidden in attics.
Wrapped in Filo pastry, the humanitarian sculptured from passport stamps.
The art work from Vancouver “cultural blond”
The Semental Caballo lover, often mistaken for lady Godiva, an Alien abductors dream.
If you have been missed, there will be another catalog put together sometime. So any bids? These pieces wont last long on the market.
Chasing Shadows
Do you ever get times when you feel sentimental and reflect on past relationships?
Do the good times you had together run through your mind like a movie and bring a smile to your face?
Do you still feel that persons arms around you and the sweet taste of their kiss on your lips?
Do the moments of intimacy leave you aching for the warmth of their touch?
Do you sometimes wish you could turn back the clock and have all those wonderful moments again?
If you do... you are chasing shadows... life is cruel,
BUT...
It sure is nice to have memories.
Do the good times you had together run through your mind like a movie and bring a smile to your face?
Do you still feel that persons arms around you and the sweet taste of their kiss on your lips?
Do the moments of intimacy leave you aching for the warmth of their touch?
Do you sometimes wish you could turn back the clock and have all those wonderful moments again?
If you do... you are chasing shadows... life is cruel,
BUT...
It sure is nice to have memories.
Broken hearted
What would you do if you really liked a person a lot maybe even loved him . The two of you weren't compatible in the bedroom would you get your feelings hurt if you couldn't turn each other on? Would you end the relationship after trying for a few weeks ?
Garden mayhem
Photos from my garden - I have no idea where to start. Or how.
Clearing the path so Postman Pat can get through would probably be best but
I have almost exactly a month before the gala days start, and that means parades through the Scottish country towns, of which mine is one, and literally thousands of international visitors who have nothing better to do with their holidays than follow parades through Scottish country towns. It is quite a tourist attraction so gardens that look like jungles are frowned upon. The parade in my town doesn't just pass my garden - I am on the corner of the road the parade turns up. It will be sneered at by many, many, many people.
This is what happens when you spend too much time writing or chatting on CS
okay and when it rains most weekends so you can't get out there ...
Postman is getting restless. Health & Safety is being mentioned in a grumbling undervoice.
Glimpse of house behind black acer, forsythia and rioting honeysuckle
Clearing the path so Postman Pat can get through would probably be best but
I have almost exactly a month before the gala days start, and that means parades through the Scottish country towns, of which mine is one, and literally thousands of international visitors who have nothing better to do with their holidays than follow parades through Scottish country towns. It is quite a tourist attraction so gardens that look like jungles are frowned upon. The parade in my town doesn't just pass my garden - I am on the corner of the road the parade turns up. It will be sneered at by many, many, many people.
This is what happens when you spend too much time writing or chatting on CS
okay and when it rains most weekends so you can't get out there ... Postman is getting restless. Health & Safety is being mentioned in a grumbling undervoice.
Glimpse of house behind black acer, forsythia and rioting honeysuckle
The Telltales Of A Liar.
I was brought up to see the good in people and as a result, I have been deceived and lied to more than often. I was always prepared to believe a person until given enough reason not to believe him any more.
But this is no longer so. I don’t know exactly when this change came about but it was with some mild shock that I came to realize that I no longer trust people. Sometimes I even doubt people who had never given me reason to do so.
Of course, I never tell people that I don’t believe them; nor do I alert them by probing for the truth. A liar at ease will soon betray himself.
Having been a college lecturer for more than 20 years I had to listen to countless excuses why a task was not completed in time or why a lecture was missed. I did not take such lies personal; they were gambling with their own futures, not mine. Being the keen observer of people that I am, I learned the telltales of a lie with time.
Liars will often place extra emphasis on the denial by the use formal language and will unconsciously send signals of anxiety by adjusting a tie or touching the hair. They may unconsciously smile when they believe that they have deceived you again. Sweating may also be a sign but the person may just me nervous.
They tend to give too much information in an effort to cover up their lies. They will have problems repeating the events around the lie in reverse sequence because it did not happen that way.
They will often repeat the entire question before starting to reply to it. This is to buy time to think about what to say. A person speaking the truth will maintain eye contact for about 60% of the time while a liar will often keep eye contact for much longer in an effort to create an image of honesty.
True emotions ‘leak’ through the best disguise when lying and is best witnessed when a person nods his head while denying something or shake it when confirming. Your body will often betray a lie. Liars often change their vocal tone when lying and will be hesitant in their speech.
A liar will subconsciously point his feet to the exit and will attempt to place physical barriers, (like water jugs or glasses) between himself and his questioners.
Unlike a liar, an honest person – when falsely accused – will be furious. However, they will still be co-operative and helpful while interrogated.
You will probably never see all these signs at the same time but when you see two or three the warning lights should flash. More than that and you can safely assume that you are being lied to. However, knowing that you are being lied to, is only part of the problem. Getting to the truth is another matter and this is where I play dumb and wait for the truth to surface.
Greeting to all of you from a hot and sunny Capetown.
But this is no longer so. I don’t know exactly when this change came about but it was with some mild shock that I came to realize that I no longer trust people. Sometimes I even doubt people who had never given me reason to do so.
Of course, I never tell people that I don’t believe them; nor do I alert them by probing for the truth. A liar at ease will soon betray himself.
Having been a college lecturer for more than 20 years I had to listen to countless excuses why a task was not completed in time or why a lecture was missed. I did not take such lies personal; they were gambling with their own futures, not mine. Being the keen observer of people that I am, I learned the telltales of a lie with time.
Liars will often place extra emphasis on the denial by the use formal language and will unconsciously send signals of anxiety by adjusting a tie or touching the hair. They may unconsciously smile when they believe that they have deceived you again. Sweating may also be a sign but the person may just me nervous.
They tend to give too much information in an effort to cover up their lies. They will have problems repeating the events around the lie in reverse sequence because it did not happen that way.
They will often repeat the entire question before starting to reply to it. This is to buy time to think about what to say. A person speaking the truth will maintain eye contact for about 60% of the time while a liar will often keep eye contact for much longer in an effort to create an image of honesty.
True emotions ‘leak’ through the best disguise when lying and is best witnessed when a person nods his head while denying something or shake it when confirming. Your body will often betray a lie. Liars often change their vocal tone when lying and will be hesitant in their speech.
A liar will subconsciously point his feet to the exit and will attempt to place physical barriers, (like water jugs or glasses) between himself and his questioners.
Unlike a liar, an honest person – when falsely accused – will be furious. However, they will still be co-operative and helpful while interrogated.
You will probably never see all these signs at the same time but when you see two or three the warning lights should flash. More than that and you can safely assume that you are being lied to. However, knowing that you are being lied to, is only part of the problem. Getting to the truth is another matter and this is where I play dumb and wait for the truth to surface.
Greeting to all of you from a hot and sunny Capetown.
A Blog is a journal you may enter about your life, your thoughts, interesting experiences, or lessons you have learned. It's your own page on Connecting Singles that you can update on a regular basis, or just whenever you have something to say. You can write about an opinion, impart words of wisdom, or talk about something interesting in your day. Creating a blog is a good way to share something of yourself with Connecting Singles members. Reading blogs is a good way to learn more about members you have met here. Please be sure to read the blog rules before posting.
Would YOU like to post a blog on Connecting Singles? Have you written blogs that you'd like to share with other members? Posting your blogs shows your skill and creativity and helps members get to know you better. Your blog will appear on the Connecting Singles Blogs page and also in a link on your profile page. Click here to post a blog »