Roman Blazic Words and Pictures: January 2017

Monday, January 30, 2017

Trump's Travel Ban

Immigration Games

We're caught up in Trump's dog and pony show. It certainly is a show that has backfired. Immigration procedures established after 9/11 are very stringent and the list of nations was established by the Obama administration* (*fake news story) (team Trump made this list)
Trump just rebranded the measures from "stringent" to "extreme." It will strengthen his position with his base voters. It, however, will create even more confusion of what America's policy is and has been.
Yes. It backfired because now more people have a clearer understanding that the over all American foreign policy is in opposition to what we believe our nations values are put forth in action.

So remember this when you hear people call out that we're a democracy, recite the Pledge of Allegiance and concentrate on "to the Republic." This will explain much as to how the outrage comes about.

pov by roman blazic_all rights reserved

Friday, January 27, 2017

Shopping in Fishtown

Head Games

Head Games is located at 5 W Girard Avenue between Frankford Ave and Front St. The shop opened on June of 2015 by it's owner Brad Bernstein. I did a double take when recently passing by. The display seen through the window caught my photographer eye. I had to stop in and see things for myself.

Head Games has an attractive display throughout the store. I describe it as an artist boutique. My camera came out and started taking pictures with permission,

The store manager, Nicole Tossa, describes the shop as a venue for local artists of all kinds. We are proud to host paintings, glass art, jewelry, apparel, and other mediums created by some of Philadelphia's most talented artisans. While we do carry some higher end pieces, we pride ourselves on providing art made locally at an affordable price.

Nicole is a perfect choice for the store as she is a joy to talk too and very informative. I've seen her in action with customers and repeat customers. She is comfortable with herself which extends in making the customers comfortable.

Here's a look inside.

Follow the yellow brick road.

Ask Nicole about the story behind this figure

Stop in and say hello to Nicole

all photos by roman blazic

words both by nicole and roman blacic_all rights reserved

Friday, January 20, 2017

Enjoy It

That's it.

While you can..

...before it's gone.

words and pictures by roman blazic_all rights reserved

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

What's For Dessert?

Cheese Cake

all photos by roman blazic_all rights reserved

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Planned Parenthood

Is this what they meant by Make America Great Again?

It's apparent that this was just something clever to say to get applause. It, unfortunately, rings hollow.

Senator Marco Rubio was right to the point towards his concern that Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson was cautious to name countries as human right violators. One of Marco's examples was Saudi Arabia's oppression of women.
Marco is willfully oblivious to take that concern to the chambers and floor of the Congress and Senate of the USA. He, instead, walks lock step with Paul Ryan and the Republican Congress to defund Planned Parenthood. The Hyde Amendment wasn't enough restriction on a women. Ryan, Rubio and the boys now want to restrict a women's choice to receive medical screening and services totally unrelated to abortion. They want to force Planned Parenthood to be shut down that serves millions of United States citizens that will target millions of impoverished people.

The common thread between Planned Parenthood and Obamacare is that they both provide easy access to birth control whether it be in the form of a pill or a device (IUD).

Sen. Marco Rubio had introduced a bill in 2012, Religious Freedom Restoration Act, that could cut off birth control access for millions of women by allowing even non-religious employers to refuse birth control coverage as long as they cite a religious reason. In other words, if your boss doesn't want to cover birth control in the company health plan because he says it would offend his religious beliefs, he wouldn't have to—even if his Cialis was still covered. Rubio's bill could also allow states to refuse to provide birth control through Medicaid, which provides family planning services to millions of poor women. In other words, he and the boys would like to overturn the Supreme Courts decision regarding the Comstock Act (law).

Marco Rubio just has to look in the mirror to find a government that oppresses women.

Additional reading on Secretary of Health and Human Services nominee Rep. Tom Price.

pov by roman blazic_all rights reserved

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Is Vladimir Putin the Most Dangerous Person to the USA?

No! Paul Ryan and the Republican Congress is.

getty images

It still amazes me how people in the USA continue to vote against their own best interest.

Paul Ryan and the Congressional Republicans are presenting legislation to cut back Medicare benefits on the backs of senior citizens and the physically disabled citizens. This will happen, in part, by having these citizens pay even more out of their Social Security cash benefits (and savings if they have any) that they worked hard for and paid for throughout their lives as workers. This will be the result because he will offer "premium support" dependent upon your income. (aka privatized Medicare)

This group of people are one of the most impoverished group of people in the USA. This will force millions of more people to apply for food stamps which Ryan and the boys also plan to attack. It will also create a greater burden for these people for the upkeep of their homes aside for their heath and well being (medical and medicine): heating, electric, water and ever rising property taxes, etc.

How soon will home ownership be considered as a financial resource factor?

Medicaid is on the chopping block too. Ryan and Pence are spearheading this other morally corrupt charge. Their solution would come in the form of having the federal funding for each enrollee to be “capped” based on a state’s Medicaid matching rate and adjusted for different types of enrollees: seniors, blind and disabled people, adults, and children. There would be no Medicaid expansions allowed after January 1, 2016. They're also including Heath Savings Accounts so these recipients have the means to pay the difference on what the "cap" lacks. The full idea is to cut Medicaid funding by One Trillion dollars over ten years. THIS IS THEIR IDEOLOGUE INSPIRED CRAZINESS.

Most people who receive Medicaid benefits are even more impoverished than the Social Security recipients. How in the presences of God do these Congressmen and women and Senators expect these people (along with senior citizens and the physically disabled) to be able to put what little to no money they have into a Health Savings Account?

Obamacare (ACA) is to be repealed and replaced in that order. The glaring problem is that they have not offered any replacement plan. Just think about the chaos and harm that will come to millions of people already insured and will become without insurance. They, at present, are offering the Affordable Chaos Act. Sarah Palin might just be right that Obamacare would result in "death panels."

Yes. There are some problems with Obamacare. The first change I'd like to see is to end intrastate (within the state) policies providers into interstate (existing or carried on between states) policy providers. This would open up the insurance market and hopefully create competition to lower the cost. Lowering the deductible is a whole other can of worms.

FYI: medicare for all with its 3% overhead would leave no one in doubt about their deductible and cost. Oh yea, to the brainwashed and washers start screaming SOCIALISM while forgetting about public libraries, police and fire departments, public schools* (also under attack) and most of all that pesky motto of the United States of America, E Pluribus Unum or "out of many, one."

What will you be thinking when Paul Ryan and the Republicans slash taxes for the wealthiest citizens, business corporations who pay little and many no tax on top of government subsidy and *institute school vouchers were public funds go to "for profit" schools?

Will you still believe in and support the "trickle down theory" that hasn't reached your pocketbook yet which started in 1980? (I'd think you all know the vulgar version of "trickle down")

Will you start to wonder if this is what they meant by "make America great again?"

Or will you have the worst of thoughts and wonder why they hate the average American citizen?

Keep voting against your own best interest and you'll never have to ask yourself these questions.

pov by roman blazic_all rights reserved

Friday, January 6, 2017

The Epiphany

Epiphany, Three Kings Day and Little Christmas

Who would be the Three Wise Men today?

words and pictures by roman blazic_all rights reserved

Thursday, January 5, 2017

Christmas in Fishtown

Merry Fishmas

Times are changing as the neighborhood changes, Christmas is becoming harder to see as less and less homes and businesses decorate for the holiday. You can see, if you look closer, a Christmas tree through a window that is otherwise bare of any other decorations. Things change and so does my search to find that outward spirit.
I find it very odd in this up-trending neighborhood of many new businesses not fully seizing the opportunity to openly celebrate Christmas time. The Fishtown Area Business Association is doing a very good job of reorganizing and building a new future. This takes time and much effort.
It's left, at present, to the older established neighborhood associations, aside from the churches, to openly light the way: Fishtown's Historic Palmer Cemetery, Friends of Fishtown at Palmer Park and Friends of Penn Treaty Park.
I must remain hopeful that this trend is reversed in the new year by all the renters, homeowners and businesses to make Fishtown a more welcoming place during the holiday's.

Wildey St near Eyer St