Carole Simpson

Can The Coronavirus Be Funny?

Mar 27, 2020 | Health, Mental Health, Something. To. Say.

Can The Coronavirus Be Funny?

Hello Everybody. I have something to say about the amazing capacity of Americans to find humor in the face of adversity. I ‘m in the third week of my self-imposed quarantine from the coronavirus. I have been feeling depressed and isolated. But recently, I happened upon some You Tube videos that finally gave me a smile. Take a look:

[Music Medley]

“Don’t let the corona get on ya.” Love that. Go to You Tube to see the entire videos and some I couldn’t include. We deserve a little laughter.

See you next time.

Coronavirus Part Deux

Mar 13, 2020 | Health, Something. To. Say.

Coronavirus Part Deux

Hello Everybody:

       I have some more things to say about the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic

       I told you I was afraid a week ago?  Well, now I am 6 times as afraid. So scared, I got out of Dodge. Well, I actually got out of Boston and my high-rise condo, with its 35 floors and crowded elevators. I am now hunkered down in our summer home off the Atlantic Ocean. 

       Now I didn’t do this on my own. My daughter, Doctor Mallika Marshall was hounding me leave Downtown Boston and come here. There are no crowds this time of year and little to do. Mallika said she doesn’t want me coming back home until she decides it’s safe for me. Isn’t it funny how the children become the parents.

       Although otherwise healthy, it’s my age. Dr. Marshall said when we get older, we lose our reserves to ward off disease. I have a 79-year-old, heart, old lungs, old kidneys…you get the picture. So, elderly people are the most likely to die from the coronavirus.

        So here I will stay—quarantining myself. I have my pets with me, my iPhone, the Internet, my television, some books on tape, jigsaw puzzles and plenty of food. I’m blessed, I know, to have this option. And I pray that you will be safe. Just take all the precautions and know that “this too will pass.”

Until next time.

Old White Men

Feb 27, 2020 | 2020 Election, Democrats, Elections, Something. To. Say.

Old White Men

Hello everybody. I have something to say about the majority of candidates for president. They are old, white men. I can say this because I’m an old black woman.

I watched the Democratic debate in South Carolina and looked at the array of candidates and they were mostly men, who were old, with white or gray hair and wrinkled white skin.

You had 78-year-old Bernie Sanders; Joe Biden and Michael Bloomberg are both 77, Tom Steyer, a mere 62. Pete Buttigieg looked like a young boy, though he doesn’t talk like one, he looks like one at age 38. On the Republican side, Donald Trump wants a second term and he will be 74 in June. The race seems to be all about the old, white men. Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar are now, pretty much the also-rans. Most pundits don’t think either woman has a snowball’s chance in hell of becoming the Democratic nominee or beating Donald Trump.

So, the country has taken a big step backwards. No women or people of color are in the presidential mix. It may as well be 1960… or 1791 when the prerequisite for becoming president was being an old, white man…and being rich didn’t hurt, not one bit. I hate to say it, but “Goodbye, Ladies.”

 See you next time.

Government for The People, Not for Trump

Feb 18, 2020 | Education, Government, Something. To. Say.

Government for The People, Not for Trump

Hello Everybody.  I have something to say about Trump’s assault on our democratic form of government. I want to prove my case and in order to do that, I must put on my Civics professor hat.

      The Founders of our country established a government with three equal branches. The first is the legislative branch, the Congress made up of the House and Senate. As representatives of the people, the legislators make the laws and appropriate the money needed to pay for the government’s expenses.

       The second branch is the Executive Branch, made up of the President and his Cabinet and all the government apparatus and 5 million employees needed to enforce the laws that Congress passes.

       The third branch is the judicial branch which is made up of the federal court system and the Supreme Court. They interpret the laws based on what the Constitution says or implies.

       No branch is more important than the others. The system was designed to create a balance of powers.

       But we have a situation today, where for the first time in history, we have an executive, a president, who would be king of the United States. He is usurping the powers of the other branches. He wants to be the Supreme Power like his old pal, Russian President Putin.

        For example, Trump took 3.8 billion dollars, money Congress approved for the defense department, and is using it to his border wall. Congress wanted his tax returns and subpoenaed his staff to interview about White House scandals, and he just said “No.” He dismisses Congress as if it was nothing.  And recently he’s been intruding into the judicial branch claiming his good buddy, Roger Stone, who was convicted of lying and jury tampering, should not go to jail for 7 years as recommended by the courts. It’s expected his Justice Department will reduce the sentence.

       This is dangerous, folks. Trump is trying to take over all three branches of the government. And he’s got a lot of help. The Republicans and his executive branch cronies.  Lincoln said our government was created of the people, by the people, and for the people. Don’t let Donald Trump destroy it.

Harry & Megan: Are You Kidding?

Jan 21, 2020 | Something. To. Say.

Harry & Megan: Are You Kidding?

Greetings everyone.  I have something to say about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. I’m talking of course about Prince Harry and Megan Markle.

         Forgive my attempt at a British accent. More specifically, Queen Elizabeth’s accent. I do want to talk about Harry and Megan.

        When I first heard that a black actress from Los Angeles was going to marry into Britain’s royal family, I was ecstatic. Fairy tales do come true. I wondered what effect she would have on the Royals and the effect they would have on her. Apparently, it wasn’t good for either side.

        Now Megan and Harry are abdicating their royal duties, moving to Canada and striking out on their own to have a more peaceful life. Are they crazy? Most people would want to be in their shoes. They want to be like the rest of us, having jobs, paying their bills, getting stuck in traffic, flying commercial airliners, and calling the plumber. Will baby Archie be in day care? They are just throwing away the palaces, world travel, limos and the gold carriages.

        Okay, I get it. Megan has had a rough time. The British press has been racist, her in-laws have been frosty and so the dashing Harry basically left his family for the woman he loves. But it hasn’t even been two years. They couldn’t wait a little bit longer to see how things work out.

         Well, I hope it will all work out for them.  But it sure was nice to see a beautiful black American woman holding little bi-racial Archie, while talking with his great grandmother, the Queen of England!

        See you next time.

How Does an Impeachment Trial Work?

Jan 15, 2020 | Congress, Something. To. Say., Trump

How Does an Impeachment Trial Work?

Hello Everybody. I have something to say about how the Trump impeachment trial will work. I found out some friends were confused about what the House and Senate are doing.

        As a former civics teacher, who knows firsthand about the sorry state of civics education in America, I thought I’d offer a simple explanation to everyone.

        First of all, remember that this is a trial. Think of President Donald Trump as the defendant. He has been charged with committing crimes: obstructing justice and obstructing Congress.  Who made the charges? The House of Representatives, who voted in December to impeach Trump. They found him guilty.           

        The impeachment case then moved to the Senate, for trial. A real trial. Several House members will act as the prosecuting attorneys. They will present their case against the President to all 100 members of the Senate. The Senators are the jury and at the end of the case they will vote on whether to remove Trump from office. The President, like any accused person, will have a team of White House lawyers who will act as his defense attorneys.

         Presiding over the trial is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts. He serves as the Judge. Sustaining or overruling objections and maintaining order.

         How an impeachment trial should be conducted was established more than 213 years ago by the Founders and enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. Got it? Got it.

Until next time.

C’mon. Cure the Common Cold

Jan 13, 2020 | Health, Something. To. Say.

C’mon. Cure the Common Cold

Hello Everybody.  I have something to say about the common cold.

As you can see, I’m suffering from one right now, like millions of Americans. I wonder how we can design driverless cars, and smartphones and take pictures of a black hole, but can’t come up with a cure for the common cold. I know it’s a bad flu season but there’s a flu vaccine. But nothing to prevent a cold. Do you know Americans have a billion colds a year? Adults get colds 2 to 3 times, and children 10 times a year.

I was walking down an aisle in Home Goods a few days ago and a man was approaching on the other side. He got about a foot from me and let out a loud, wet, sloppy sneeze. I was like, “Oh no. There are cold droplets in the air and they’re falling on me.” What could I do? Nothing. And two days later I was had a runny nose, started coughing and sneezing, had a headache and sore throat. No fever. A bad cold.

Researchers, who have been trying to find a cure since 1950, say it’s extremely difficult because there are at least 160 different viruses that cause colds. They ask, how do you get a vaccine that will take care of all of them? Still seems a cure is a long way off.

So, we have to be content with cough syrup, decongestants, nose sprays, Tylenol, and lot of tissues and hot tea. It’ll be over in 7 to 10 days, but in the meantime, it’s a drag.

Until next time.

2019 Top Ten List

Jan 2, 2020 | Activism, Bad Behavior, Something. To. Say., Trump, Women

2019 Top Ten List

Happy New Year, Everybody!

I have something to say about 2019. Everybody has a top ten list. Since I am a wise old woman, I compiled mine.

My whole year seemed consumed with all things Donald Trump. But Number One on my list is his impeachment in December. Finally, somebody told him, no more.

Number Two was seeing old women leaders exercise power, like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Senator Elizabeth Warren and the best Supreme, Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Similarly, young women showed their muscle and that’s my Number Three. The four Congresswomen of color, known as the Squad, shook up the old white men in Congress, who didn’t much like their chutzpah. And Katie Bouman, the young scientist who helped make possible the image we saw of a Black Hole.

Number Five is youth activism. Greta Thunberg and youth across the planet have taken on the fight for climate change and American teenagers continue to protest gun violence.

The MeToo Movement was my Number Six. The resistance gained traction that led to new laws and corporate policies against sexual harassment and sexual assault.

I joined a huge gathering of some of the most successful, brilliant, and celebrated African Americans in the country. My Number Seven was the History Makers, an important reminder of the contributions that black people have made and continue to make to our communities and the nation.

Like any wise old woman, I feel compelled to speak about some personal things that happened in 2019.

My Number Seven is retirement ain’t all it’s cracked up to be. After 62 years of non-stop working, I retired in 2019, not because I wanted to, I was given a push. I realized that I love to work, so I started this blog.

Children and grandchildren are Number Eight. My son and daughter are both happily married and enjoying their careers, and nothing is better than watching my three grandchildren grow and learn. My best times are spent with them.

Number Nine is my health. I’m grateful to still have most of it. I do what the doctors say, wear sensible shoes and grab handrails.

Now Number Ten may seem inconsequential but it’s not. It’s my pets—my toy poodle Coco-Puff and my Siberian cat, Catarina. They are my home companions. They are glad to see me, happy to cuddle and don’t talk back. They made 2019 tolerable. 2020 may be pretty rough. I expect them to ease the pain.

 

The best to you all.