Zelensky's rock and hard places

I feel so bad for Volodymyr Zelensky. Six months into his tenure as President of Ukraine, he is a changed man. At the centre of the US House impeachment hearings, he finds himself embroiled in controversies not of his doing, stuck in the middle between Trump and Putin. He has no chance to succeed. Ukraine has no chance to win the battles.

Yet, he has secured the release of a batch of prisoners who are suing Russia over torture. And he's made the cover of Time magazine in a year when Trump was only shown in caricature. His story was so hopeful. The comedian turned President who made a TV show come to real life. I hope he can endure.

Refugees

Being a child of immigrant refugees, I am acutely concerned with the issues around immigration reform in the US and the EU. Being an immigrant myself, having moved from the US to Ireland, I have a degree of understanding of what it takes to pick up and leave, though not under duress. Trump's rhetoric and rants are particularly distressing and divisive. But someone posted this poem by Brian Bilston called Refugees. It hit on something I've always said. There's no truth, only a point of view.

Read the poem and think about refugees. Not colonists like the British who devastated the Native American population or the conquistadors who decimated the Maya and Inca, or the European missionaries and fortune hunters who enslaved Africans. Think about all those who fled oppression to give their children a chance to survive and thrive. They didn't choose to leave like I did. They had to leave. I do not condone illegal immigration and all those who simply overstay their visas and break the laws of the countries they adopt. I do support the belief that anyone can be an American. I am a citizen of Ireland, but I can never be Irish; yet I will always remain American.

The shopping experience

My how things have changed since my childhood. Shopping used to be such an amazing experience. My mother preferred Wanamaker's department store in downtown Philadelphia. We'd take the trollies down to center city and walk the short distance around 'Billy Penn' to the store. It was a magical experience, especially at Christmas when the gorgeous building was decorated with the most opulent and magnificent decorations for Christmas. It was back in the time of Miracle on 34th Street, when Gimbel's, Macy's and Wanamaker's were jostling for market share. You didn't buy quantity. You bought quality. Things that wouldn't go out of style and were superbly made to last. How times have changed in one lifetime.

The eagle at Wanamaker's was iconic. If my mother, my sister, and I got separated, we were to return to meet up at the eagle. You could always find your way there.

Now we shop online at amazon with Prime delivery making it a snap. But we can't touch the fabric in advance, we can't see the quality, we can't smell the natural fibres. We look for reviews by others who have done so and hope, that when it arrives, it will be as promised. I miss the days when it took some effort to shop. We'd stop at the candy department on our way out and get chocolate coated orange peels and Napoleans from the bakery department.

I will never forget those experiences with my mom. Especially, when she asked for the 'shits' department. It's 'sheets' ma, 'sheets' not 'shits'.

Happy Christmas everyone, and to all a good night!