So, on April 20th 2021, the jury in the case of the State of Minnesota vs. Derek Michael Chauvin (Court File No.: 27-CR-20-12646) found the defendant guilty on counts of unintentional second-degree murder while committing a felony (count I), third-degree murder, perpetrating an eminently dangerous act (count II), and second-degree manslaughter, culpable negligence creating an …
Well, there's an update on my previous post that, frankly, I didn't want to write... nobody ever really does. On December 8th 2020 I had—what neither of us knew at the time would be—my last webcam session with my father. A day later he was bed-ridden due to one of a number of recent falls. …
Anybody who knows me, knows that I am a pretty lousy correspondent. I'm lousy at returning personal e-mails, lousy at returning actual, real, paper mail. I don't send Christmas cards and rarely remember my own birthday, let alone anyone else's. And a couple of years ago I killed my Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and almost …
In the United States, June 14—or Flag Day—commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777 by resolution of the Second Continental Congress. Well, I'm not in the US, but I am very proud to hold my own Virtual Flag Day... If you have ever waved one of these, Take …
Over the last week or so, I have read a number of fountain pen blog entries which begin with something akin to, "I usually try and stay in my lane..." or "I try to stay apolitical...". Well, here at Writing for Pain and Pleasure, I've never really had a lane as such, and I've never …
Continue reading It’s Not About Politics, And Yet It Is, And Must Be.
I must preface this by stating that everything I write here is purely my own opinion and personal feelings about this topic. I am a guest writer on this blog, and my opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions or feelings of anyone else. The murder of George Floyd has seared my soul. I will …
During a pandemic accurate, scientifically verified information isn’t just important—it can save lives. With a global crisis underway, science is more important than ever. That’s why AAAS and Science are striving to provide you with the best and most timely research, analysis, and news about COVID-19. Visit our “Coronavirus: Research, Commentary, and News” page …
I received the following comment a few days ago (with some follow-up in a similar vein), from someone who read at least one post of mine, and replied via the encrypted e-mail service "protonmail.com". EMail Address: ausoz@protonmail.com IP Address: 37.120.215.243; 45.152.182.131 Although, of course, these are probably not their real IP addresses, and I'm not …
My name is Debi Humphrey. I’m writing as a guest on Paul’s blog (and I'm plenty grateful to have her. Thank you Debi! -- Paul). I’ve been collecting and using fountain pens for about four years now. I favor minis and smaller pens; partly because I just love miniature things, but also because I have …
I don't write much poetry—and after you read my efforts below, no doubt you'll feel that's probably the right choice, and that's the way it should stay. However, following the recent arrests of a couple of very good friends of mine, protesting the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in New York a couple …
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