H O W A R D S B E N D

Melania – Donald, have you been giving any thought to your resolutions for the New Year?

Donald – Not really.  I have everything I want and I do whatever I please.  I have people catering to my every need.  What should be my New Year’s resolution…to brush my teeth more often?

Melania – I am sure that there are somethings that you just have not gotten around to or things that you might do a little differently.

Donald – OK, I got one.  I would never again pay a broad that I have an affair with or a hooker that I spent a night with with a sum of $130,000 to keep her mouth shut.

Melania – Wow.  Does that mean you will not play around again?

Donald – I didn’t say that.  I mean, I just wouldn’t pay them again for their silence.  What a mess it got me in and the public does not even care how many affairs I have.

Melania – Any other resolutions?

Donald – I am going to spend more time with my kids.

Melania – Does that include Baron?

Donald – No.  I meant Ivanka.  I really need to spend more time with Ivanka.

Melania – Yea.  Poor girl misses her “Dad” time.  Any resolutions for the workplace?

Donald – I got an easy one…..I am going to fire Rudy Guilliani.  That guy gives me the creeps and I never know what the hell he is talking about.  He is an embarrassment even for me.

Melania – That sounds positive.  Anything else?

Donald – I am going to stop Tweeting.  It is too time consuming and it puts too much pressure on me to constantly be so articulate, powerful, charming and insightful…and it is a lot pressure to get all that spelling correct all the time…one little spelling mistake and the media is all over me.

Melania – Donald, why don’t you make New Year’s resolution that you might be able to keep.

Donald – OK, OK.  How about this.  I will stop badgering Hillary Clinton.  Might be time to give it up.  And I will try to stop attacking Obama.  He really is a good guy, but my base really gets a charge when I attack our first Muslim president who sold out to the Iranians with that treasonous peace treaty.  Might be hard to keep that resolution.

Melania –  How about your 2018 resolutions?  Have you kept them?  If not, maybe you should make these resolutions again for 2019.

Donald – Good idea.  I do have one thing that I have not been able to do in 2017 and 2018, that has really bugged me over the past two years but I am resolving to get it done in 2019.

Melania – Fire Mueller?

Donald – No.  I meant get a new golf cart for Mar-a-Lago, but I like your idea.  Why didn’t I think of that?

Many people have been asking what I, Robert Mueller, have been doing for the past year and a half.  Now I am ready to tell all.  Quite honestly, I don’t even know where to begin. This Russian investigation feels like I have been strapped down in a chair with my eyes pinned wide-open like Malcolm McDowell in Clockwork Orange and forced to watch in slow motion every episode of the Keystone Cops, or maybe the Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight, or Maybe The Three Stooges.  Torture, complete torture.

Let’s start with the Three Stooges…Don Jr., Eric and Jared.   Right after Trump secured the Republican nomination, these three clowns were running around everywhere trying to make contact with any Russian government person who might  put them in touch with Vladimir Putin.  Jared was  spotted walking up and down the boardwalk in Coney Island, Little Odessa, asking anyone with a fur hat if they could put him in contact with Putin.  Don Jr. made frequent trips to Northeast Philadelphia visiting every Russian restaurant asking if anyone had Kremlin connections.  And poor Eric was charged with calling everyone in the DC phone book whose  last name ended in “ski” or “sky” asking if they had a connection with the Russian government.

Despite these lame efforts to make appropriate contacts with Russian operatives, a meeting at finally took place in Trump Tower on June 9, 2016 in New York City between Don Jr.,  Jared and Paul Manafort and at least five other people, including Russian lawyer Natalia Ves-el-nits-kaya, the best name in the entire report.  Try saying that name very quickly.  The meeting was ostensibly arranged as a casual get-together to swap tickets to the Russian ballet for Yankee tickets at the Stadium.  After a year-and-a- half of investigation, we can definitely state that the Trump team was in fact seeking dirt on Hillary Clinton, received from stolen emails, along with the ballet tickets.  This is “collusion”.

The one question remaining is whether President Trump knew of this meeting in-advance of it taking place.  Our first question on the questionnaire that we delivered to Trump months and months ago asked this question.  Donald Trump in his own handwriting answer, “yes, of course, I knew,” and then crossed it out and wrote something about Russian adoptions.  We believe that he knew in-advance.

Then there is the question of whether Roger Stone, or the Riddler as we refer to him around the office, got stolen emails from Wikileaks, who in turn got these emails from the Russians, by illegally hacking into Hillary Clinton’s server.  Quite honestly, I have no idea why it took us soooooooo long to figure this out.  I apologize for missing this one, especially when Roger Stone, all his associates and Donald Trump and everyone in the Trump campaign were bragging about the obtaining of these stolen emails.  Well, we finally figured it out and I can assure you that Roger Stone will be spending many years behind bars for participating in the dissemination of stolen emails unless Trump pardons him right away.

Again, we posed this question to President Trump with the submitted questions and he answered that he in fact ordered Putin to have his people hack Hillary’s server and give these email to WikiLeaks and told Roger to give Julian a call.   This answer was also crossed out and followed with “NO COLLUSION…NO COLLUSION!!!”.  Again, we find Mr. Trump knew of these hacked emails especially as he announced a new leak was coming one day before it hit the presses.

There is bad….and then there is real bad…and then there is Paul Manafort.  This guy is pure evil.  He was taking money from the Ukrainians promising to lobby for their security while at the same time he was taking  money from the Russians, who could not wait to invade Ukraine.  Then Mr. Nice Guy volunteers to work for free for the Trump campaign, if you don’t count the millions of dollars that the Russian oligarchs were paying him to have the Trump administration lift all the economic sanctions against these same Russian oligarchs.  He then changes the Republican campaign platform from an anti-Russian stance to a pro-Russian position.  This guy was looking at more jail time than Jeffery Dahmer, except he stepped up and decided to help us bring this case against Donald Trump.

We asked a third question to Trump concerning Russian payoffs to change the Republican Party’s position on Russia.  Trump answered that he hardly knew Manafort and that he worked for the campaign for such a short time that nothing really could have happened.  This, of course, contradicts our findings that millions of dollars transferred from Manafort’s bank accounts in to the Trump campaign coffers.

This concludes my report.  Sorry it took so long. Hopefully, the newly elected Democratic House of Representatives will know what to do with this information.

I am looking forward to returning to my quiet life with my wife and  family and spying on my friends and neighbors just to keep my skills sharp in case I am called once again back to serve my country.

Melania – I love your Thanksgiving custom of taking a little time to give thanks for those things that are important to you.  Donald, what would you like to give special thanks for this year?

Donald – Oh Melania, that is so easy.  I want to give thanks for Ivanka.  Thank you Lord for Ivanka.  She beautiful, smart, composed, beautiful, energetic, professional and beautiful.

Melania – Is there anything else that you would like to give thanks for this holiday?

Donald – Now it gets a little harder.  Hmmmm……I’m thinking.  There’s got to be something.  Oh yeah. Mar a Lago  I love that place.  It is beautiful, in fact gorgeous, luxurious, elegant.  And the people…….everyone is beautiful, rich and so well connected.  Most beautiful place in the world.

Melania – Can you think of anything else to be grateful for this Thanksgiving?

Donald – This is tougher than the Mueller investigation.  I should have had you send the questions over earlier in the month and could have had the lawyers work on the answers. Give me a minute.  Oh yeah, Trump Tower.  I love Trump Tower.

Melania – You kind of went there  with Mar a Lago.  How about something or someone else?

Donald – Got it……I am very thankful for Twitter.  Oh my God, the greatest invention ever.  Before, I would make a really funny crack or a very sarcastic comment and then I would wait for Ivana or Marla to laugh and I would get nothing.  All my jokes and sarcasm went right over their heads.  Forget about you, getting my comments.   I don’t even think you understand English.  And now, I make a funny remark on Twitter and millions of people around the world are laughing immediately and asking for more.  I throw a jab at little Sessions and a million people pile on and pummel the poor guy.  Macron gets on my nerves and I crush him and his little French followers with a major wallop right across the face on Twitter.  I am truly thankful for Twitter.

Melania – How about another person.  Is there anyone else who you are thankful for?

Donald – Do you really need to ask?  Isn’t it so obvious who I am totally thankful for and indebted to?  Do you really have to ask who I give thanks to every day?  Obviously, you do not know me like I thought you  did.

Melania – You are making me blush.

Donald – I am not sure why you are blushing, but I would be nowhere without Mr. Putin.  He is the person who believed in me, went to bat for me and gave me everything that I needed to win the election.  Of course, I am thankful for Mr. Putin not just on Thanksgiving, but every day of the year.  And you Melania, what are you thankful for?

Melania -I am thankful that you married me and made me a US citizen.  I am happy that my parents are now US citizens, too.  And I am thankful that my lawyer gave me such an ironclad pre-nuptial agreement so I know what ever happens between us I will be getting lots of money every year of my life.  Oh yeah, and Baron is pretty cool, too.

FBI Agent Peter Strzok, who exchanged 375 text messages with Department of Justice attorney Lisa Page that led to his removal from special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into ties between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin’s efforts to interfere in the U.S. election last summer, photographed outside his home in Fairfax, Virginia on Wednesday, January 3, 2018. Credit: Ron Sachs / CNP (RESTRICTION: NO New York or New Jersey Newspapers or newspapers within a 75 mile radius of any part of New York, New York, including without limitation the New York Daily News, The New York Times, and Newsday.) Photo by: Ron Sachs/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images

Peter – Lisa, do you have a few minutes to text?  Please.

Lisa – I am not in the mood.

Peter – What are you wearing?  Why don’t you slip into something  comfortable.

Lisa – Come on Peter, that train left the station,,,,

Peter – Watching Trump stumble about this whole weak, watching him double-talk and take back everything he said from the day before  has really turned me on and watching Stormy Daniels spank Trump is very hot…..

Lisa – I must admit it was disgusting watching Trump being lead around on a tight leash .

Peter – Lisa, please, stop teasing me.

Lisa – Trump should be punished for all his transgressions…..he is a very, very bad boy.

Peter – I been very bad, too.  I violated standards of impartiality for a FBI agent.  I linked classified information.  Don’t you think that I should be punished, too?

Lisa – Peter, Trump is about to sell us out to the Russians,

Peter – No. No he won’t, We’ll stop him

Lisa – Where did I hear that before?

Peter – Trump is a big, fat lying crook who selling oou our country.  We have to get together immediately to stop him.  Does Friday night work for you?

Lisa – This country is quickly going down the tubes.  I need something to hold on to?

Peter – I got something that you can hold to.  I would really like us to synchronize our movements so we can get the best outcome.

Lisa – OK Peter..  GTG.  Maybe we’ll text again soon.

Don J – Kimmy, what the hell are you doing?  Didn’t we have a great meeting a few weeks ago?   Didn’t I go in front of the entire world and tell everyone how great you are?  Didn’t I put North Korea back on the map.  Didn’t I treat you and your crony generals to a great dinner?  What are you doing to me?

Kim – What do you mean? You are my new best friend.

Don J – Then why are you insulting me, embarrassing me?  New satellite photos just taken show that you are doing new construction at the plant that manufactures missiles.  This all over the news.  How can you do this to your new friend?

Kim – Donny, you got it wrong.  Those construction vehicles are dismantling that manufacturing facility.  There is no construction.  You have my word.  Trust me.

Don J – OK.  OK.  Sounds legit.  Remember, Mike Pompeo is visiting you this week.  You got to give him some additional concessions.  I got the Russian investigation that just won’t quit.   We lost 2,500 kids.  I got an lawyer that is about to flip.  I need some good news out of the North Korea.

Kim – Hey Don, you promised to lift the sanctions, yet the world still will not trade with us.  You showed me a video where Pyonyang looks just like the beautiful San Francisco with many, many tall buildings and a basketball team .  Where is that 100 story Trump tower in downtown Pyongyang?  Where is the NBA team that you promised me?  You told me that the Golden State Warriors would become the Pyongyang Samurai.

Don J – Come on, I need some time.  I cannot even get Warriors to come to the White House and you want me to get them to re-locate to North Korea for next season.

Kim – You promised me normalized relations between our two countries.   You were going to have Disney call me about a new theme park ?  And, I thought that Pepsi, GM, Apple and Boeing would be calling me about their new plants coming to our country.   You want denuclearization, we want normalization.  I tell you what I will do.  I will dismantle a five missiles if you have Pompeo bring five new iPhone Xs.

Don J – OK.  OK. Not the complete denuclearization that I was hoping for, but a start of a process.  I am pretty sure that I can sell it to my base.  Start putting together your “wish” of things that you need in order to dismantle a few nuclear sites in the Fall.  I need this by October,  right before the 2018 mid-term elections.

Kim -Will do.  Hello to Melania and the kids.

Did anyone get a message that they forgot to give me?  You know I hate that.  You know I hate when I don’t get phone messages left for me.  You don’t think maybe Rocket Man called Tillerson and Tillerson is fuckin with me , cause if he is, it definitely means that I made the right decision to fire that ungrateful, disloyal son-of-a-bitch .  How can we check if Tillerson is keeping the phone message from me just to prove that he was a better Secretary of State than I thought?  Put a wire tap on him right away!!!!

Jared, there were no calls for me down where you work, wherever that is, now that you have no security clearance?  Can you believe the Fat, Crazy, Little Madmen said he would call this week and still has not called?  I never thought that he would lie.  Who would stoop to that level?  Lying, can you believe it?  Jared, you are Secretary of the World,  is there anyone you can call, and don’t tell Netanyahu, who can tell the Little Korean to give me a call?   Where is Baron?  Someone find me Baron right away.  General Kelly go fetch me Baron.

Baron, I know that you are a busy boy.  You got all your video games and you got all those little women chasing you.  You’ve probably groped more women at your age that than Eric has done in his whole life.  But Baron, I need you to concentrate, did a man that sounds like a bad Chinese waiter call and leave a message for me this week?  Did anyone call and ask for Mista Plesident?

Junior, do me a favor and definitely don’t tell anyone that I asked you to do this.  This will be another secret between you and me.  Contact your Russian friends, and ask to see why Rocket Man has not called me yet?  What the hell is he waiting for,  a nuclear war that he cannot win?  Remind me, how is our relationship with China?  Get someone at State to give our friendly Little Fat Man a call, and have him tell his pyromaniac buddy in North Korea to call me like he promised.  What do you mean that there is nobody at State?

Melania, I know things have not been perfect these last 10 years.  I should not have had all those affair, except for that one with Stormy Daniels.  I mean look at those boobs.  I bet even you are attracted to them.  Anyway, I am……..I am………I am waiting for a call from The Little Dick-tator.  You did not happen to take a call and forget to pass along the message.  I’ll have the CIA go through yor phone records just to make sure you did not forget a thing.

Can you believe that this Little Fart has not called me yet?  I feel like a teenage girl waiting for her rumored prom date to call to finalize the date.  Rocket Man knows I need this bad!!!  I just lost a special election in PA, that Stormy Daniels’ thing just won’t go away, people keep resigning, the NRA is up my ass and Mueller is all over me like a cheap suit.  I was just getting a little down and then all of the sudden Rocket Man offers me the perfect national distraction.  I think even the Democrats were on board with these bilateral talks and then the Little Shit disrespects me, embarrasses me  and does not call.  Did that Little Fart play for the fool?   Did that Little Shit have me jump up and down all over the media just to make me look foolish?  Well. we will see who gets the last laugh.

Mr President, I dare you to go in front of the Special Prosecutor and just answer his questions!

Mr President, I dare you to meet the Special Prosecutor without your army of paid lawyers.

Mr President, I dare you tell the truth,the God’s honest truth to the special Prosecutor.

Mr President, I dare to stick by your original statements to the Special Prosecutor and not to have your legion of lawyers, publicity agents and sycophant Republicans then come out and tell the media and the world want you really meant to say.

Mr President, for over a year now, we have heard you repeat over and over again, “No collusion, no collusion, no collusion,” and for about this same period of time we have heard your boast that you would be happy to meet with the Special Prosecutor.  Well, Mr. President the time is now.  Are you man enough to backup those words that you have been uttering for the past year or so? Do you have the integrity and backbone to do what any innocent person would do and meet the Special Prosecutor and answer all questions that he poses to you on the Russian involvement in the 2016 election?

For some reason, Mr. President, I suspect that you are not going to man up and follow through on your false promises.  You have boasted for a year of your innocence, but when the time comes for you to prove it, your lawyers are seeking ways to shield you from the Prosecutor’s inquiry.  Got something to hide, Mr. President?

I am therefore asking all those in the public eye, including politicians, news reporters, movie stars, athletes, musicians to begin their public appearance, performance or show with the words, “I dare you, Mr. President”  Imagine the power of this collective challenge to the President.  You turn on your favorite news show and the commentator starts the show with, “I dare you, Mr. President.”  You favorite athlete scores the winning goal and the sportscaster comes over to get the athlete’s thoughts before the big shot and the athlete begins, “I dare you Mr President.”  You go to a rock concert and the featured musician comes out, picks up the microphone and announces to the crowd, “I dare you, Mr. President.”  And when we talk amongst ourselves, we do not begin the conversation with, “good morning or what a beautiful day,” we start our conversation with,  “I dare you, Mr. President.”  

We need to take collective action.  We need to raise our collective consciousness.  We have to be proactive in bringing down an administration that has colluded with a foreign power to undermine our democratic process and has lied to the American people and continues to obstruct our government’s efforts to get at the truth.

#IDareYouMrPresident

Yes, I’m mad.  I am mad as hell.  We have $20 trillion of national debt.  On top of that, we run a $600 billion annual shortfall, piling more debt on top of debt.  Our government representatives preach that this is unsustainable and thus refuse to fund the CHIP program, which provides healthcare tor 9 million children.  Our elected officials maneuver to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, effectively denying another 23 million Americans their right to affordable healthcare.  Then, the government of the people passes a $1.5 trillion tax-cut for the wealthy and for corporations.  This is a $1.5 trillion gift to the privileged at a time when so many Americans are in need of assistance.  Yes, I am mad, I am mad as hell, and I am not going to take it anymore.

I could ask you too, to go to the window and shout out as loud as you can, “I am mad and I am not going to take it anymore,” but honestly, protests such as this have yielded little results.  I have a better plan.  We are going to shut the government down.

Over the past few years, we have seen the Democrats or the Republicans hold the government hostage as the annual budget must be renewed, or as the government’s total debt approaches the debt ceiling limit specified in the current law.  The party out of power then uses this imminent crisis as leverage to get some additional “pork” programs for their districts or to cut taxes for their wealthy supporters, when it is clear these policies are for the benefit of a targeted few.

It is now our turn to hold the government hostage to the will of the people.  A government shutdown is the ultimate threat and the tactic that always gets immediate results.  Our government cannot run without our tax dollars.  What if we collectively refuse to pay our taxes?  On January 26, 2018, there is planned The People’s March on Washington.  At that rally, let us announce that no one in this country pay their 2017 taxes.  That is correct — a “tax holiday” for all those feeling disenfranchised from the policies of our current government.  That is correct – DO NOT PAY YOUR 2017 TAXES.  I am not sure our representative government is currently working for the majority of people, so it is time that the people make their demands directly to the government.    Only the threat of a total government shutdown will get everyone’s attention.  Therefore, I suggest we pay no taxes until the demands below are met:

1. Repeal of the the new tax law passed at the end of 2017
2. Provide funding for CHIP immediately
3. Restore the original ACA  and add a public option to the program
4. Pass a new $1 trillion infrastructure bill that hires millions of Americans
5. Force Donald Trump to release his tax returns to the public

If we can throw tea overboard and bring down a nation, then we can stop paying taxes and create a new government that is responsive and focused on improving the lives of the vast majority of its citizens with programs and policies that will in fact make our country “Great” again.  I am not going to stand idly by and watch this government become a government focused on serving a selected few.  No taxation without fair and equal representation.

Over the past year or so, we have watched professional athletes, led by Colin Kaepernick, kneel during the national anthem.  While this act has spurred national debate on the themes of “Black Lives Matter”, especially police treatment of  black victims, it has done little to affect immediate changes in our society.  The million women march on  Washington raised the public awareness of social and sexual injustices, yet does little to bring about immediate  changes in our society.  The anti-Vietnam war marches in the late 1960’s and early 70’s spurred the debate on the war, but did little to bring the war to a rapid conclusion.

Social protests need to have a more immediate result than just raising public awareness.  My good friend Jim gave me a great idea at a recent social gathering.  Jim’s cause is the growing number of voter suppression laws that have recently been enacted in so many state legislatures especially through the South.  The right to vote is under attack in America.  Over the last decade, nine Southern states have implemented voter restriction laws.   Most require voters to show state-issued photo ID at the polls. These laws have be enacted to make it harder for people of color and low-income to vote as they often lack the required voter photo ID.. These voter suppression laws have resulted in  final voter counts much more conservative than the population make-up would predict.

Jim gave me a simple solution to this social injustice  – convince young super athletes to refuse to matriculate in colleges and universities within those states that have voter suppression laws.  Of course, this would require a well-known and respected national organization such as the NAACP to endorse this policy and to seek out blossoming high school super-stars on a grand scale and convince them that they are leading a movement.  By choosing to take their talents to a university in a state that does have these voter restriction laws, they are in fact a force leading to improvements to the social equality in our country.  The sacrifice for the young athlete are minimal, but the results can be outstanding.

The immediate drop in top talent in these large universities should result in a quick drop off in the performance of these spots teams.  Jim is convinced that the people of these states are more concerned with the performance of their sport teams than they are about the racial make-up of the state’s electorate or elected bodies.   He believes and I agree that these laws would quickly be reversed and people previously denied access to the polls will quickly earn their right to vote.

Such a simple solution to a social wrong.  It would be nice if other social injustices could be attacked with such simple solutions.

 Let’s have yesterday’s spaghetti and Tuesday’s meatloaf for dinner.  Is that milk in the refrigerator still good?  It smells OK.  It is very hard to get excited about leftovers for dinner and it is very hard to get excited about political leftovers carrying the presidential banner in the upcoming presidential election.

John Kennedy stepped into the presidential arena in 1960 and brought with him all the hopes and aspirations that a fresh new approach could bring to Washington.  Then in 1968, first Eugene McCarthy and then Robert Kennedy joined the political race with hopes of taking on the Washington political establishment which was perpetuating a hopeless war in Vietnam.  After the death of Robert Kennedy and the shunning of Eugene McCarthy by the Party, the political establishment of the Democratic Party nominated Hubert Humphrey, a long-time political figure in Washington and in the Democratic Party, to represent the Party in the 1968 presidential campaign.  Was Humphrey committed to ending the War?  Maybe yes and maybe no.  Was Humphrey committed to expanding the social programs and escalating the war on racial inequality in the US?  Possibly.  Was Humphrey committed to the Democratic Party and devoted to not making waves that would rock the establishment and to make sure that friends of the Party would be rewarded with patronage jobs and positions in the new administration?  Absolutely.

This pattern has been repeated over the past half-century by both parties.  It is the policy of promoting the long established and blindly loyal politician to the position of standard bearer for the party in the next presidential election.  Of course, there was the disastrous campaign of Walter Mondale, another middle-of-the road, loyal serving and well-respected member of the Democratic establishment who got pummeled in the 1984 presidential race against the popular Ronald Reagan.  The Democrats nominated Michael Dukakis a nice centrist Democrat in 1988 who lost to the uninspiring George Bush.  We all remember the fate of John Kerry in the 2004 presidential campaign.

 This strategy of picking the old established, loyal party member to run for president was so disastrous for the Democratic Party that the Republicans could not help but adopt this strategy by nominating Robert Dole in 1996, John McCain in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012.  These presidential campaigns all ended with the same result of the old and stodgy nominee who was automatically ordained by the party losing in the general election.

I believe that the Democrats are following this very old and failed policy of nominating the established, most recognized name in the party to be the standard bearer in the upcoming presidential election.  Of course, there is one slight difference this time and it is the fact that this established political party hack is a woman.  This leading Democrat is running not to make waves and to promise to fellow Democrats that policy will remain the same.  Is she really for improving the living standards of the left-behind electorate?  Maybe.  Is she for forging new roads to get us to a safer and more peaceful world?  Not so sure.  Is she for ending the grip that Wall Street, the military industrial complex or the oil and gas companies have on the economy?  Probably not.  Is she for combating global warming?  Maybe a little.  So the Democratic Party is about to nominate a middle-of-the-road candidate who promises to keep most of our current policies in place and not disrupt the political establishment or their corporate contributors with any new policy that might “rock the boat.”  Will this capture the imagination and enthusiasm of the many young people who are getting involved in the political process for the first time?  I kind of doubt it.  Does Hillary inspire any of the hope that Kennedy or Obama inspired in their run for office?  Do we listen to Hillary’s campaign speech and discuss pressing political issues and their solutions at the water cooler.  I don’t think so.  Feels like like same old same old.