Groveling as Leadership

GOP leaders John Boehner and Mitch McConnell got out their box of crayons and wrote an editorial for the Washington Post this week. Allow me to give you the highlights.

When congressional leaders of both parties meet at the White House today, all of us will have an opportunity to show the American people that we got the message of the elections earlier this month.

Republicans heard the voters loud and clear...focus on the priorities of the American people...he conceded that "the overwhelming message" he heard from the voters...they want both parties to work together...the message voters have been delivering for more than a year....We can work together...It's time to choose...It's time to get serious...Americans have been asking...work together on common-sense...Time is running out...the things we know Americans want...Together, we can focus...the things Americans want...time to do the right thing.

If you had just landed in Washington DC from the planet Gormaria* and you heard this, would you think these two had any ideas in their heads at all? It's like they're begging to be puppets. There's listening to the voters and then there's abject abasement. In theory, we hire these guys because they know how to run the government better than we do. If all they're going to do is follow the polls, we could have done their jobs ourselves.

Oh Most Almighty and Noble Voters, to hear you is to obey!
* - If I had just landed in Washington DC from Gormaria, I'd bang my GPS** unit against my dashboard, reset my coordinates and take off for Maui. Washington DC?!? Are you crazy?

** - GPS: Galactic Positioning System

Getting Excited!

A Tiny Bit More on Wikileaks

The Wikileaks fiasco underscores how hard it is for a president to come back from poor approval ratings. Fate seems far more likely to deal you an embarassing setback than a chance for redemption. In this case, a fellow about 20 levels removed from Obama has made him look like a nitwit.

Blogger's Day in Istanbul

Is it really that close to Christmas?  Hard to believe as it’s  an unseasonal 21 degrees outside for a start!

a mountain of mistletoe for sale



But IWI – International Women of Istanbul – certainly knows it is fast approaching as yesterday was their major annual fundraiser and the theme is certainly Christmas complete with decorated trees, merry helpers wearing red aprons and Santa hats, carols and festive food! Not to mention the many attractive stalls where you can easily be persuaded to part with your pennies and do some Christmas shopping!  It is a huge affair, meticulously organized, involving many members in months of planning, and raises millions for the many Turkish charities it supports.Traditionally it’s held in the Hilton Convention Centre, a most suitable venue as it is centrally located, very important in this huge city of ours,  and large enough to comfortably accommodate the Food Court upstairs and the various stalls downstairs.

a delectable French hamper

Swedish bacon - so close to the expat's heart

familiar Dutch cheese

 All the different nationalities try to outdo each other in terms of their speciality foods which you buy and enjoy for lunch with your friends,  or through selling enticing items, many of a foodie nature that are not usually available here, and are specially brought in from their countries.  All in all, it’s an occasion that everybody looks forward to. Not only hard work but fun too as it is very social : you see all your friends in one fell swoop.

the American stall is always a winner

This year I was one of the team selling tickets for the food and drink upstairs in the Food Court. After donning my purple top as our particular theme was purple, I left home at 5 to 8 in order to be sure of arriving at the Centre by 10. Traffic wasn’t too bad and I was there at 9.20. It’s a great occasion for everyone to work together and the spirit of community is unmistakable.

everybody pitching in ....

....... to prepare these delicious open salmon sandwiches!

I got home just after half past five feeling elated but exhausted! It was a great day.  Now to check online to see if I have won a raffle prize or two...

Holiday Gift Giveaway Hop - Two $5 Amazon.com e-cards

I am very excited to be participating in the Holiday Gift Giveaway Hop hosted by Simply Stacie. Thanks for stopping by my blog and entering! This giveaway is for US residents only!

So what is up for grabs? Not one, but two $5 amazon.com e-gift cards! I will be choosing two winners, so you have double the chance at wining! Since this is an e-gift card, upon wining, you will receive the code through e-mail to use at checkout when ordering on amazon.com! Here is how to enter!

Main Entry:
Follow Golden Reflections publicly on Google Friend Connect and include your e-mail in your comment. (1 comment, 1 entry).

Extra Entries:
Follow Golden Reflections on twitter. Please include your twitter account name. (1 comment, 1 entry)
Grab my button and place it on your blog. Please include a link to your blog. (2 comments, 2 entries)
Vote for Golden Reflections on Picket Fence Blogs. (1 comment, 1 entry)

All entries will be verified before two winners are selected. In the event that one person wins both cards, another winner will be randomly selected by random.org Winners will be sent an e-mail and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected. This giveaway closes on December 5 at 11:59pm EST.

Thanks for entering and good luck!

Be sure to check out the rest of the Gift Giveaway Hop!