Some Political Odds and Ends

The Week magazine for December 8, 2017 posted the 3 winning terms for their contest to describe the "current epidemic of political anxiety."

Ken Meier:  Post-Trumpatic Stress Disorder

Clare Christiansen:  Whitehousen by Proxy Syndrome

Margaret Weiss:  Democrazy

I love them!

In the same issue, it was reported that president trump has told a Republican Senator and aides that "he's no longer sure it's his voice on the infamous Access Hollywood tape..."

Earlier today, I found some messages that I created because of my case of "political anxiety."  Check them out..  I'll be publishing them on Facebook from time to time.

And my favorite:

Well, el presidente has now managed to get the United States removed from the status of the most important leader in the world to the status of a third-rate dictatorship and he seems to be happy about that.  Unbelievable!

Suckers!


.......................................................................................................................

More Mental Stuff; Knock,Knock; Dream; The Great Pumpkin

Yesterday, I talked about the music in my head.  That reminded me of a famous "Knock, Knock" joke:

Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Cecil.
Cecil who?
Cecil have music wherever she goes.

So... I also have music wherever I go.. all the time.  And I'm OK with that.

Let me also tell you about a strange dream I had last night.

In my dream, I was laying in bed... just as what I was doing while dreaming.  All of a sudden, an enormous smiling moose winked at me.  So, to be friendly, I invited him over to see me.  But, as he got near to me, I saw how enormous he was.  He did look a little tired too, so I decided that if he fell asleep, he would fall on me and crush me.... so.... I made him disappear.

But, when he was gone, in his place was a small table with lots and lots of pebble-sized pills laying upon it.  That was strange, because I never consumed any pills that looked like them.  So, as I sat up and examined them, I noticed that there were 4 pretty blue pills mixed in.  (Viagra?)  That intrigued me, and as I reached for them, a small Chinese man suddenly appeared and said:  "Those are mine!" .. And then.... I woke up.



Now, just what could a psychologist make out of all of that?  I'm afraid to find out.

........................................................................................................

Got to go.. but before I do, I want to remind you of something that Linus said:

"There are three things that one should never discuss with other people: 

Religion

Politics

The Great Pumpkin

..........................................................................................................

Mental Fitness

Let me tell you about my Train Your Brain session today.  TYB is a fun session.. one hour each month..  where we try to break simple puzzles of all kinds.  The leader is very good at finding topical puzzles for us.  While the puzzles are seldom very taxing on our brains, the session causes us to look at the world a little differently, at least for a little while.

Before each session, the leader talks to us about articles and books she has read on how to keep our old tired brains functioning.  Today, she mentioned five easy steps that we can take to attain Mental Fitness:

1.  Visualize goals

I am able to do this, usually.

2.  Meditate

I have  been unsuccessful at meditation.  Probably because I can't shut off the two programs that are constantly "on" inside my head. 

The first program plays Morse Code for everything I think or say.  I don't always pay attention to this and it is always a surprise to suddenly zero in on the dots and dashes circulating in my cranium.

For example:  Let's say that I'm reading about classical music in the BBC Music magazine.  If I stop and listen to my Morse Code, it could be spelling Mozart or Verdi or the name of a musical instrument.  Weird!

The second program plays music all the time. Usually it is tunes that I have heard a couple of days ago.  Sometimes it might be the theme music for a TV sitcom that I liked years ago... often from the Mary Tyler Moore Show. (Again: Weird!)

For example:  Now that we have brought Alexa into our home, I ask her to play some favorite music that Elaine and I like:  Usually:  The Carpenters.  In that case, when I concentrate, I can hear Karen Carpenter singing one of her songs..in my head... everywhere and at all times.

Surely, someone else somewhere suffers from these brain maladies..  actually, it doesn't bother me.. I kind of enjoy it.  When I  read of some nutjob doing something dumb because the voices in his head told him to, I believe him that he has heard something.  He probably just has misconstrued the meaning of what he has heard.

3.  Stop Multi-tasking

I have always been unable to do this.  Life is too complicated.  However, I must admit that when I concentrate a little on the task at hand, I do a better job than otherwise.

4.  Keep a Journal

I think my  blogs count.  I've kept diary type writing for years and have fun reading old entries. 

5.  Read Books and Magazines

Of Course.   Saint Augustine wrote that the most valuable thing he learned in school was READING.  Without  the reading skill, nothing else can be easily learned.  How true. 

Why can't politicians pass a law allowing free schooling for all children?  We are being overshadowed by students in other countries, where students do not have to worry about amassing a large student loan debt.  And now, I believe that our new GOP Tax Scam eliminates a deduction for student loan payments.  I could be wrong.

....................................................................................................

Some Old Stuff

I'm making a concerted effort to get my junk in order before I hurtle off this mortal coil.  I am eliminating one whole box of "stuff" each week and also reading 10 magazines from my big pile of them.  Now..  by talking about it, I may be tempted to stop.  Let's see how my resolve holds up.

Anyway, here are a few old items that I have come across while searching through my ancient archives:

TRIAD note from 2014:  New scam:  "get free diabetic strips"  ..  Someone calls you and says, "Do you have diabetes?"  If you say "yes,"  the caller offers to give you diabetic strips for free, from a special government program.  All you have to do is give the caller your Medicare number.. which is also your SSN.

The caller then can make some fake Medicare claims related to diabetes.

Now.. 2017, Elaine and I both get free strips via Medicare, but we have to fill out a form for the pharmacist, explaining how often we use the strips.  I'm a little confused about this because WalMart sells strips like I use "over the counter" and rather cheaply.



Family Note from 2014:  Nephew-in-law, Michael, sent me some great linguica... lots of it! It was frozen, but I was able to break it down in smaller amounts for our freezer.

Now.. 2017, I thawed some linguica and included it in my latest endeavor at soup making.  I named my soup:  Quelle Surprise! (translated to Kale Surprise)... the surprise part is my inclusion of spinach, because I didn't use kale.

My late and beloved wife, Elaine, liked to make delicious New Bedford style kale soup. Daughter Elizabeth tried it and said she liked it, "all except for that green stuff!"

Now.. that frozen linguica that I used was 3 years old... and I have lots and lots and lots of frozen linguica left over..  I wonder how long I can use it.

Family Note from 2017:  Whaleman Statue in New Bedford.  My wonderful sister in law, Janine, sent me a pewter belt buckle in the shape of the New Bedford statue.  A great gift!  Here is a picture taken when the statue was dedicated.. around 1909 or so:

My grandfather, Arthur S. Vaughan worked in his father's funeral shop when the guy who posed for this statue passed away.  He was an enormous man and there were no caskets big enough to contain him, so my grandfather found a piano case somewhere and they used it to hold the big corpse.

TRIAD discussion item from 2014:  A Baltimore policeman slit the throat of a 7 year old Shar-Pei, because "the dog had nipped at the hand of a woman."  Why did he kill the dog?  The owner said that the dog had "escaped" from her house and it was not a naturally vicious dog.  (The officer who killed the dog was named Bolger... any relation to the notorious Boston criminal, Whitey Bolger?)

Someone said, "Why did they have to kill the dog?  Couldn't they just have sicced a cat on it instead?"


Mensa Bulletin note from 2011:  Begging the Question.

The meaning of Begging the Question has eluded me for years, but
Douglas Perret Starr of Jackson, Mississippi has actually looked the phrase up and says:

"To beg the question means to use an argument that assumes as proved the very thing one is trying to prove... and 'loosely'evade the issue."

Sorry, Doug, but I still don't understand the phrase.
..................................................................................................................

Damn cold weather!

......................................................................................................................

Prepop Wants to Know

Questions for Monday, December 4, 2017

Before I start.. I hope you all saw the Pumpkin Moon last night.  Yes... it was a perfectly round, orange creation! (The Great Pumpkin is what I think Charlie Brown would call it.)  I could have looked at it for hours.  How about you? 

And now.. to some questions that are "eating at" my psyche and keeping me from getting good nights' sleep:

1.  Why did one of Trump's lawyers say that he was the "sloppy" tweet creator that was put out over Trump's name?  Did he really write it?  Why?

2.  In the "sloppy" tweet, Trump says that another reason he fired Flynn was because he had "lied to the FBI."  If so, then wouldn't that mean that Trump was breaking the law by asking Comey to "go easy" on Flynn?

3.  Why didn't Trump mention Flynn lying to the FBI earlier than the other day?

4.  Why is Trump now saying that the voice attributed to him where he is supposed to advocate "grabbing" doesn't sound like his voice and is probably not him?

5.  Why is Trump bringing up the "birther" issue again?  Distraction or idiocy?

6.  Is it true that a "typical" meal for Trump was 2 McDonald's Big Macs, 1 Fish Fillet Sandwich, and a large "slurpy," or did I mishear that?

7.  Is Trump going to fire Rex Tillerson?

8.  Is Trump going to try to fire Mueller?

9.  Will Trump pardon Flynn?

10.  Does Trump owe billions of dollars to Russian banks?

11.  Will Jared Kushner be charged with a felony by Mueller?

12.  What will happen if Trump insists on pushing Jerusalem as Israel's capitol?

13.  Does the law of averages hold that one of North Korea's rockets will explode on the launch pad?

14. Can our techies trigger a reactor problem in North Korea... as was done in Iran some time ago?

15.  What gems are held in the 500 page tax bill that will be voted through by the Republicans, even though nobody has had time to read it all?

16.  Will Mr. Moore get elected in Alabama?

17.  If elected, will Mr. Moore get ejected by Republican Senators?

18.  Why did Trump tweet three misleading videos from a discredited British source?

19.  Will Britain rethink Brexit?

20.  Will the Republicans shut down the Government later this week?

21.  Why doesn't Congress take the steps to rein in, and/or impeach Trump?

22.  Now, sexual abuse accusations have been leveled toward Opera Conductor James Levine..  who is next?

23.  Is the alleged butt grabbing done by Al Franken somehow as bad as what Weinstein, Ailes, O'Reilly, Trump.. et al..  did?

24.  How much money has Trump made from his DC hotel since his election?

25.  What is going to happen on DACA?

26.  Will we ever see Trump's tax returns?

27.  How many Americans will lose health insurance if the Tax overhaul package kills Government subsidies?

28.  (I could go on and on.......maybe later.)

                                                               GOTCHA!

Prepop Sez Words and Observations for October 2017

Some more Facebook entries about the day's events.


     October 1, 2017   Intensive-blame-caster.

(Trump is fighting with the "female" mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico.)

     October 2, 2017  "Why?!!"

(Shooting in Las Vegas)

     October 3, 2017  "New silencers!??"

(NRA sponsored bill is in Congress... just what we need!)

     October 4, 2017   "Guns!"

(When will we learn?)

     October 5, 2017   "Congress, please wake up!"

(Re: gun control)

     October 6, 2017   "Ban bump stocks!

(!!)

     October 7, 2017   Check out October 7, 2016 events.

(Trump's "locker-room" remarks.... plus a lot of other stuff on that day.)

     October 8, 2017   "Locker room?"

(What Trump said when reminded about his 10/7/16 remarks.)

     October 9, 2017   "He's a corker!"

(Senator Corker and Trump are having a feud.)

     October 10, 2017   "White House Adult Day Care?"

(Senator Corker's remark about Trump's "house.")

     October 11, 2017   "The smartest President."

(Trump says he is.)

     October 12, 2017   "Abusing women."

(All over the place now... starting with Trump.)

      October 13, 2017   Thought:  Sick people will soon pay more!

(Trump killing more Obamacare rules.)

Word:  "Hater in chief"

(So says the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico.)

     October 14, 2017   Sycophantic-delight.

(Fun for Pence and other ass-kissers.)

Thought:  Leo Rosten says:  "It is the weak who are cruel, and gentleness is to be expected only from the strong."

     October 15, 2017   Bad decisions made on Friday the 13th.

(Re:   Trump's decision on Iran and Obamacare)

     October 16, 2017   Thought:  Senators should keep the "blue slip" process, where two Senators from the nominee's state must agree and accept that person for the Senate to vote on the nominee.

(Unfortunately, the GOP Senate (Grassley?) dropped the "blue slip" process.. now it is ok for non-lawyers and such to get voted on.

     October 17, 2017   "Hurricane Harvey W"

(Harvey Weinstein rears his ugly head.)

     October 18, 2017   "Half-baked and spurious."

(McCain's views on Trump's ideas.)

Question: Who would win?  The draft-dodger or the war hero?

(Trump vs McCain)

     October 19, 2017   "Mr. Zig-Zag"

(Trump's confusing switching of opinions.)

     October 20, 2017   "Bubbles"

(Mike Pence' nickname)

     October 21, 2017   Suggestion for America in the 21st century:

S'il vous plait - pensee!

     October 22, 2017   Motto Redux: 

Make America think again!

     October 23, 2017   A Falstaff in the flesh!

(Mr. Trump of course, and probably also, Harvey Weinstein.)

     October 24, 2017   Media Giants Dream Team!

(Weinstein, Ailes, Cosby, O'Reilly and Trump...  with waterboys: Weiner and Clinton)

     October 25, 2017   Human types of Mencken's Boobus Americanus:

(Donald Trump:  Homo Eruptus
Harvey Weinstein:  Homo Erectus)

     October 26, 2017   Ego affirming statement for today:

"One of the great memories of all time."

(Yes, this was, of course, Trump, talking about himself.)

     October 27, 2017   1.  The corruption is getting overwhelming.

2.  How about some 'trickle up' for a change?

     October 28, 2017   "La comedia e stupenda!"

(re: La Boheme)

     October 29, 2017   Book to read:  "A Citizen's Guide to Impeachment"  by Barbara A. Radnofsky (Melville House 2017)

You have to read this!

     October 30, 2017   Personal Note: Internal blemish is not cancer.  !!!!!!

     October 31, 2017   tergiversate

(Trump uses diversions to avoid damage to himself.)

However:  later, Tom Zirpoli says Trump is not that smart.  Instead, he tweets to draw attention to himself.. which he continues to need.  (This is a lot about a kid throwing a tantrum.  But will Trump go away if we ignore him?)

............................................................

Just some odds and ends

This is a mad world and getting madder every moment.  Just watch and listen to our fearless leader.  We are becoming a third-world country thanks to the con-man in charge and his GOP henchmen who do not relate to the so-called middle class any more.  (IMHO)


Someone who shares a birth year with me!

Sophia Loren says:  "Everything you see I owe to spaghetti."

(No, that's not Sophia, but it kind of looks a little like her.)

Hypocrites?

The Week magazine for May 4, 2012 reported that Dirty Bastard Beer was banned in Alabama because of its name;  however, one could still buy Fat Bastard Wine and Dirty Bitch Beer.

(I wonder what kind of alcoholic beverage Roy Moore drinks.  As a good Baptist, he should be a non-drinker, a non-smoker, a non-sexual-predator, and a non-curser, just like those guys that taught me the Bible years ago in New Bedford's First Baptist Church. Yeah, right.)

Who, me..using steroids?  Nah!

The Week magazine for May 29, 2009 wrote that doping officials showed up at a Belgian bodybuilding championship unannounced.  Surprised, all 20 of the muscular guys "grabbed their gear and ran out the door!"

When I was into bodybuilding, I refused to take steroids even though it would have given me a much muscular body.  Big Arnie Schwartzenegger used them of course, and he was already blessed with a muscular body long before he started.  I don't believe anyone has ever had such a developed body.  When you use steroids, your gonads are supposed to shrink.. however, I don't think that Arnie ever had that problem.

Well.... I have run out of time for today, so I have to close.

.........................................................................................

And to the Republic for which it stands....

In the latest Funny Paper, "Tom Tomorrow" produced a cartoon strip that is fantastic.  You need to see it and appreciate it!  Even though it is copywrighted, I don't think anybody would mind if I copy a little bit of it, because its so good and it  bends my mind.

As part of the strip, a month of activity is outlined.... just imagine...  every day there is something new and amazing.  Our unbelievable President keeps us sadly entertained.. even though some things happen that he doesn't cause... but perhaps could prevent.. maybe.

In one month's time:

Trump threatened to destroy North Korea.

Trump began to call Kim Jon Un "Little Rocket Man."

The Republicans tried once again to repeal Obamacare.  No luck.

Hurricanes devastated large parts of the US and its possessions.

Wildfires ran rampant.

Gun massacres occurred.

"Trump golfed while Puerto Rico flooded."

Trump picked fights with football players and sports commentators.

Trump challenged Rex Tillerson to an IQ test after Tillerson called him a moron.

Trump mocked Senator Corker's height.

Senator Corker was worried that Trump might start WWIII.

Trump wanted to shut down all media outlets that criticized him.

Trump sabotaged Obamacare by defunding a key subsidy.

Etc.   Etc.

Please... Please... Mr. Mueller...   take us out of this nightmare!  Mr. Trump is ruining our country and is going to destroy all of us if he isn't removed from office.  (That is my humble opinion... and I think that is is the opinion of the majority of the people of the United States.)

.............................................................

Some Stuff That Interests Me at the Moment

A fat little mouse has invaded our garage. I would love to let him live there undisturbed, but I can't.  He could gnaw on electrical cords, chew up clothes, invade the pantry stuff, etc.  I really feel bad about this, but I went out and bought some traps, the old fashioned kind that kill quickly... not those sticky things that torture the poor creatures, or "cells" where the live mouse would be imprisoned until drowned somehow.

Meanwhile.... our life goes on, although based on what that nut in the White House does next, we may not live to see tomorrow.  Can't do anything about it, but I like to think that somewhere, some group is figuring out how to impeach him.  Mr. Mueller is getting closer to the fire all the time. TV people are predicting more indictments very soon.

So... let's take a look at some of the things that interest me.

Communion wafer?

The Week for May 29, 2009 reports that a Texas couple has found d Cheetos  cheese snack that "bears an incredible resemblance to Jesus." If they can't sell it for at least 25 cents on eBay, they will have to eat "Cheesus."

But wait!

The Week for February 17, 2017 mentioned that a single Cheeto thought to resemble "slain Cincinnati Zoo gorilla Harambe"  sold on eBay for $99,900!  This was the highest of 132 bids!

Godiva on a Bike?

The Week for May 4, 2012 reported on a Romanian traffic officer who pulled over a completely naked woman riding with her boy friend on a motorcycle.  The offense which required the issuance of a ticket?  Riding without a helmet.

How to Make Lemonade out of Nazi Lemons

Moises Velasquez-Manoff writes in the New York Times about the German town of Wunsiedel, the birthplace of  Rudolf Hess.  Every year neo-Nazis march to his grave site and cause problems for the town.  Even after the town had old Rudolf's body and headstone removed, those Nazis still think its fun to visit and make themselves unwelcome.

Town fathers had a great idea, called Rechts Gegen Rechts (the Right Against the Right). For every meter that the neo-Nazis march, residents pledge to donate 10 Euros to a program that helps people leave right-wing groups.

Why can't we do something like that right here in the USA?

She has a Boy-Toy.

The Week for February 17, 2017 wrote about the 106-year old Brazilian "cougar" who got engaged to a 66-year old (Jaco) at the nursing home where they reside.  Jaco says: "I know she's a little older than me, but that doesn't matter because she makes me really happy."

How to Feel Good about Waiting on the Telephone.

Kent Graham wrote this on the Readers Digest for April 2017:

"I didn't realize how good I am on the phone until I found out my call to customer service may be used for training purposes."

Downer!  How are we doing in our War on Drugs?

In 2014, there were 2.2 million American adults in prison, mostly because of drug violations.  This equates to 1 in every 110 adults, the highest incarceration rate in the world!

Unbelievable!... but true.

......................................................................................................................

Prepop Sez Words of the Day for September 2017

September 1, 2017

No-State-pardon.

(Trump's pardons are for federal crimes only.)

September 2, 2017

Cover-story.

(Mueller has draft of Trump's Comey firing memo.)

September 3, 2017

Brazen-lies.

(Stephen Miller, Trump aide, lies all the time.)

September 4, 2017

DACA-killer.

(Trump)

September 5, 2017

Congress-please!

(Reign in that madman!)

September 6, 2017

Heartless-despot!

(Trump and DACA)

September 7, 2017

Not-"My-Friend-Irma!"

(Hurricane is here.)

September 8,  2017

Define-collaboration.

(Trump deals with Dems Schumer and Pelosi ... good or traitorous?)

September 9, 2017

End-time?

(So many disasters and Trump.)

September 10, 2017

Survive!

Hurricane Irma in Florida.

September 11, 2017

Irma-n'est-pas-la-douce.

(Irma is not La Douce in the Florida Keys.)

September 12, 2017

Travel-ban.

(Supreme Court says part can take effect.. at least for now.)

September 13, 2017

Lawyers-getting-lawyers.

(Running scared.)

September 14, 2017

A-real-deal?

(Trump supposedly reached a deal on DACA with Schumer and Pelosi.

September 15, 2017

Juniors-in-trouble.

(Donald Jr, and now Flynn Jr.)

September 16, 2017

Heads-or-tails?

(Which way is Trump trending today? Dem or Rep?)

September 17, 2017

Golf-cart-rental.

(Trump charged the Secret Service $60,000 for golf carts to use.)

September 18, 2017

Untrump!

(Trump to speak at the UN.)

September 19, 2017

"How do you solve a problem like Maria?"

(Hurricane Maria)

September 20, 2017

A-la-trompette.

(A trumpet... sound of Trump at the UN.)

September 21, 2017

"Awful, but lawful!"

(Trump and son's use of campaign funds for legal fees.)

September 22, 2017

Dangerous-Donald

(Getting closer to WWIII by "egging on" Rocketman.)

September 23, 2017

Heroic-McCain!

(Opposes the new GOP ill-thought-out health plan.)

September 24, 2017

Enough-Tweets-Already!

(Trump in Tweet fight with everybody.)

September 25, 2017

Senatorial-tunnel-vision.

(GOP asking for votes for an undeliberated healthcare bill just to say they killed Obamacare.)

September 26, 2017

"Beating a dead horse."

(Another attempt at Obamacare repeal.)

September 27, 2017

Subpoenas.

(Given to some White House folks.)

September 28, 2017

Goodbye-immigration.

(Trump and friends?)

September 29, 2017

"Lock-em-up!"

(Trump folks using private email.)

September 30, 2017

The-price-is-not-right.

(Price resigns cabinet post over airline tickets rip-off.)

..............................................................................................

Quick Stuff.. Raising Cain, Raising Hands, Initiation, Deer Urine

(Hurricane Ian just made landfall in Florida, with winds of 150 mph!  So, no time to be original.  Here is an old blog entry I thought you might like.)

I just got back from the 2017 awards ceremony for the Maryland Senior Citizens Hall of Fame.  I had nominated Ruth Milligan, and she received her certificate and had her picture taken for the newspaper.

I am now on the Honorary Board for MSCHF and will be meeting with some board members to discuss my "vision" paper.  The main thing left to do is to get County chapters going.  Should be fun.

I just finished my course about Giuseppi Verdi and started on my course about Saint Augustine.  Two professors with strong New York accents share the lectures... one kind of makes me sleepy, but I'll get used to it.  I've now heard 4 lectures and they still have not gone into any kind of detail about Augustine's life... but there are lots of more lectures to go.

Speaking of religion, here is a little story that Peggy Johnson wrote to Readers Digest a few months ago:

"During Bible studies, I asked my fifth-grade students to name the first couple.  they correctly answered Adam and Eve.  But when I asked about the first children, they were silent.  So I said, 'One son's name started with C, for Cain.  the second son's name started with A, for...'  One student shouted 'Adam Junior!'"

Smart kid.

And speaking of kids.... how about this report that was in The Week for October 28, 2011:

"...Evergreen Park High School in Illinois announced that students would be allowed to leave class to go to the bathroom only three times per semester.  Students who need to pee more often will have to make up class time after school."

This reminds me of when I was in grammar school class and was called on to read in front of the class.  I was so shy and had such bad stage-fright that I would do, or say, anything to get out of it. One excuse was...  I have to go the little boy's room.... or, I'm having a nosebleed... or, I don't feel good.   (Perhaps this was why that teacher slugged me in second grade.)

That also reminds me of something my Grandfather Vaughan told me once.  He said that he made up an exclusive club when he was in grammar school.   To get into the club, one had to be subjected to an initiation procedure called "pee more yet."

The initiate was blindfolded and each member of the club would take turns peeing into the initiate's pockets.  Yuk!

Well, that was before the Internet, TV, radio, record players, video games, and the like... therefore they had to improvise their fun.

Speaking of pee: Adam Davidson in The New Yorker magazine for September 25, 2017 mentions  that an Amish gentleman named Elam Lapp, Jr., is one of "America's premier producers of deer urine."  Hunters squirt the urine around to disguise their scent and also to attract bucks, if the urine comes from does.

There apparently is a "nearly undetectable" amount of prions in deer urine. (Prions may be one cause of C.W.D.  or Mad Cow Disease) Even so, fearing prions, some states have banned deer urine, and Mr. Lapp and other deer urine gatherers like him are not politically poised to be able to fight the ban.  This all gets into something called "regulatory capture,"  which I don't want to get into here.

Speaking of deer... here is a picture of a "family" scene that Elaine took through our back porch window.  At one time there were at least 11 members of our neighboring deer family, and once, Elaine saw a doe give birth to three (count 'em!) little Bambis.

....................................................................

A Little This and That. Postcards and puns.

Looking through some archived material, I found a card from a lady named Cathy that I beat in a Postcard Contest back in 1999.  She was the prior year's winner and did not like losing to me.   The rules said that the prior winner was to provide a trophy to the new winner.  She refused to do so.

Anyway, to make up for it, maybe, she sent me some jokes about dieting:

"You're so fat: when you step on the scale it says 'to be continued.'

"You have more chins than Chinatown."

"When you take the subway, the train gets stuck in the tunnel."

"You have to go outside to put on deodorant."

"They use your underwear for bungee-jumping."

These were printed on a Boomerang Freecard: Amsterdam "You're so fat": Nr. 1 uit een serie van 4 Hate-kaarten.

I used to spend a lot of time communicating with my Postcard Pals.  I sent and received hundreds each month.  The group was called the 1Ksig  ...  a Special Interest Group.. and the 1K just reminds people of when postcards cost just 1K (one cent equivalent) in the British Isles.

Like other fun things.. this group got smaller and smaller... especially when computer assisted communication made the world too small for the postcard sender.  But... I still like to send them when I get a chance. 

....................................................................................................

Pre-Halloween words from Richard Lederer:

The latest issue of the Mensa Bulletin had a "punny" article by Richard.  All puns related to the upcoming Halloween season.   I especially liked these:

Re: Dracula "it seems that the sun never sets on the brutish vampire."

Dr. Frankenstein "voted for Al Franken and Jill Stern on the Franken-Stein ticket."

"When the monster rose from the table and spat on the ground, the proud doctor (Frankenstein) exclaimed:  "It's saliva!  It's saliva!"

All right, all right,.... yell at Richard and not me.

.........................................................................................................................

Escape from the White House Madness

To try to find a way to escape all of the madness emanating from our Adult Day Care of a White House (ain't that a "corker?").... I will do a random pick of my files and see if I can find anything of interest to divert our minds.

Slow down, man! You're killing us.

According to The Week for October 28, 2011, a former Target manager was fired for working through his lunch break.  Unbelievable?  Maybe not..

My late wife began work in the Social Security Administration mail room.  She liked to keep busy and did much more than her boss required of her.  The other employees got together and asked her to slow down because she was making them look bad.... and also killing their need for overtime money. She refused, so, what did her boss do... had her promoted and moved out where she could really work and ended up at double the pay grade of her former fellow employees who were still doing their "slow bit."

In my own case, when I became a full-fledged Analyst at Social Security, I was required to do 11 cases a day.  I enjoyed the work, but 11 cases was too many to really allow one to do a perfect job on each.  I did my 6 or 7 without error, but because I did not do 'superficially' the required 11, I was moved to the section that did foreign claims, where there was no minimum requirement.  From there, I went to the Congressional Unit and later I got a chance to become a computer programmer.

So... what is the lesson here?  If one is satisfied to do only that which is required, one will remain at the same level of accomplishment and reward.   I tried to teach this to my kids and I think they learned it well because they all became "over achievers."

Public Speaking

Jerry Seinfeld said:  "According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking.  Number two is death.  This means to the average person, if you have to go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy."


Until 1986, I also feared public speaking more than anything else, including death probably.  After my friend, Allan Kaufman finally got me to go to a Toastmasters meeting, I discovered that I could stand up and speak without shaking in my boots.  Now... you can't shut me up... especially when it comes to eulogies... I get to do a lot of them now that most of my friends are on their "last legs"... like me.


Old Guys Rule!

The Week for October 28, 2011, also mentioned an amazing old guy.  Fauja Singh competes in marathons at Toronto, Canada.  Fauja began running at the age of 89 after his wife and child died.  In 2011, he finished a local 26.2 mile race in 8 hours and 11 minutes.  He was 100 years old!

Now, aren't you ashamed for not getting into an exercise program?

Planet Richness.

The BBC says:  "Atmospheric data suggests that it may literally rain diamonds on Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune."

If scientists can detect this.... why can't they duplicate the conditions here in a laboratory?  Maybe they have... lots of billionaires living in New York City all of a sudden.

Why don't we send Trump to check it all out!

Sexy Rocketman

The Readers Digest for October 2017 cited an article in China's People's Daily that proclaimed Kim Jung Un to be the Sexiest Man Alive.

The Daily quoted an article stating:  "While his devastatingly handsome, round face, [and] boyish charm, this Pyongyang-bred heartthrob is every woman's dream come true."

The article in question was a spoof created by theonion.com.

Did the Chinese folks ever figure that out, I wonder?

Some Religious Stuff from Readers Digest

Halo-head.

Joan Anastasi said: "Our two-year-old, Tess, was sitting quietly in church one Sunday when she became mesmerized by a balding man seated in front.  her curiosity got the better of her, and she shouted for all to hear, 'Why is that man's head coming out of his hair?'"

Sin No More!

Steve Jakin said:  "While standing on line for confession, I overheard a woman whisper to her friend, 'I really don't know why I'm going to confession.  I've been so busy, I haven't had a minute to sin.'"

....

Oh...by the way.. here is something that my son gave me.  I love it.

........................................................................................................

Comments from a Grouchy Citizen

FLASH.... a picture just in of the latest White House staff:

I just was listening to Rachel Maddow talk about October 7th, 2016....(one year ago today) and what amazing things transpired on that date:

1.  Hurricane Matthew ravished Eastern Florida.

2.  Our Intelligence Agencies first reported that Russia was involved in our presidential election.

3.  A video surfaced, showing Donald Trump bragging about grabbing girls by their genitals.

4.  John Podesta's private emails suddenly were made public.

All on the same day!  Now... which one of these major events took first place in the news rooms of America and in the minds of our citizens?  Of course... it was the "grabbing" story.  Unbelievable... that lecher is now the most important person in the world!

What is going to happen today?  El Presidente just winked when someone asked him what he meant when he said yesterday that we were in the "calm before the storm?"

And what about Secretary of State Rex?  Did he really call the President a F. Moron?  I wouldn't doubt it, but if so, he will probably be the next cabinet member to get the axe.  I would think that Rex would really like to get out of the job so he can retire and spend some of his hundreds of millions of CEO money.  He's probably saying right now:  "Who needs this S?"

And what about that Indonesian buddy of Trump's who asked the American Copper company for a bribe of 4 Billion Dollars (count'em!)  He finally got caught and will be going to the Goulag or whatever its called in Jakata.   By the way, there are pictures of this guy posing with Mr. Trump, or so I've been told.

Hurricane Nate is making its way towards the U.S after beating up on the Carribean.  Here we go again.

Gun Control?  After the mass murder in Las Vegas, it should be a priority item.  Not a chance while the NRA gives big bucks to our Congressmen.  Let's get a massive march on Washington to denounce the NRA lobby and push our Congress to get off its dead ass and get some common sense rules into the ownership of weapons.  Who the hell needs a "bump" on their rifle... why does any one need a machine gun?

I told this before, but when I moved to Carroll County, I purchased some weight lifting equipment from a guy in Woodlawn.  In his house, next to  his front door was a machine gun!  I asked him why it was there.  He said it was protection for when "the bastards" tried to break in.

Wow!  This guy later moved to Carroll County and is probably the proud owner of lots more weapons of destruction.

"When will they ever learn?!"
...................................................................................................................

More and More Controversy

Our President seems to breed controversy.  A New York Times article documents how he has "bad-mouthed" and insulted 350 individuals and institutions since he arrived on the political scene.  I am involved with two discussion groups, and even though many of the members of these groups are Republicans, they all are distressed about the words and activity of Mr. Trump. Meanwhile, here are a few thoughts about him.

The Mexican Wall

Was this an original idea of Mr. Trump?  Hardly.

In 2011, Herman Cain was a Republican Presidential hopeful.  Herman proposed building a wall along the whole Mexican border with the USA.  This wall would be "topped with a fatal electrical charge".... and if that didn't kill them, troops would be stationed along the border with "real guns and real bullets" to shoot them. 

Herman's base loved it.  Probably the same base that Donald claims.  Luckily, Mr. Cain did not become President.  Sadly,  Mr. Trump did.

..............................................

Good Nazis?

Why did Mr. Trump indicate that there were "good folks" among the Nazis at Charlottesville?

Didn't he remember WWII?  He was born after the end of the war, but surely he heard about the atrocities that the Nazis perpetrated?  For instance:

Charly Wilder wrote in yesterday's New York Times, an article with the title: "Seeking the Shtetl."

The "seeker" visits the Polish and Lithuanian areas where his ancestors lived before WWII.   Read the article and cry... and notice especially one of the article's sentences:

"In 1941, the entire Jewish community of Anyksciai was taken to the woods beyond the stream and shot, their bodies thrown into a mass grave, marked today by a stone memorial."

Good Nazis?  Give me a break!

................................................................

Remedial Reading?

Some of the President's critics say that he doesn't read.  If true, perhaps that is why he has strange (it seems to me) ideas about almost everything.  A famous author had a suggestion for him.

The New York Times Book Reviewer talked to Celeste Ng, author of "Little Fires Everywhere" and asked her this question:

"If you could require the president to read one book, what would it be?"

Here is what she replied, and I quote" I'm not wholly confident in the president's reading ability, let alone his desire to read anything, but okay: 'Have You Filled a Bucket  Today?,' a picture book my son's preschool class read, in which the concept of morality is illustrated by a literal bucket of good feelings that each person carries around.  When you do good things for people, it fills their bucket and yours too, but when you're unkind to people, it empties both buckets.  It is so clear that even 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds understand it right away.""

............................................................................

The End of the National Football League?

Mr. Trump has now stirred up the "kneeling" controversy.   For some time, we have only had to consider one kneeling player attempting to express his Free Speech right.  Now, thanks to the President and his "Fire the Bastards" screaming, we are almost into racial strife. 

What else is this guy going to do to us?  Where is a responsible Congress when we need them?

....................................................................................

Random Rant and Rave; Chicken and Egg; Fire; Diet; Dirty Tricks

I feel quite frustrated reading about the latest ridiculous mouthings and actions coming from our president.  Enough with the Goddamn tweets!  I wish that Congress would get off of its dead ass and do something about it.... they have the means under the Constitution.  How much longer can this country exist with this guy "in charge?"

Meanwhile... to get my mind off of the news, let me pick some items to talk about at random from my "blog box."

Which came first?

Besides a (kind of) obscene cartoon in the New Yorker, the Smithsonian Magazine published a poem by Stephen Dunn in June 2012.  I liked it so much that I want to quote it here so those of you who have not seen it can enjoy it.

The Chicken and the Egg

The chicken for dinner with earnest friends, the egg for breakfast

with folks who like to play with their food before they eat it.

The chicken fills you up so you can't move,

the egg cracks open, and choices begin--

scrambled, sunny side up, Benedict... Throw in peppers,

cheese, slices of onion, and you have an omelette.

One good, narrow pleasure for the ethicist,

many pleasures for the omelette maker.

The ethicist can't help thinking of Benedict Arnold,

the egg -- of Ben, Benjamin, Benny, the varieties

that emerge all gooey, shapeless, to be fooled with.

Yet sometimes the chicken is both necessary and sufficient,

and sometimes your earnest friends instruct you

about how to live with the beak and the gizzard.

The egg allows itself to be hard boiled or deviled.

It doesn't worry.  To live right isn't an issue.

...................................................................................

More on Eggs  (Reported by Mark Strauss)

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote:  "There is always a best way of doing everything, if it be to boil and egg."

French gastronomist named Herve informed the chefs of the world in 2002 that he had discovered l'oeuf a soixante-cinq degres....the 65 degree egg.  Slowly cooking an egg at 65 degrees Celsius (149 degrees Fahrenheit) in water or an oven, makes it perfect.... Herve said that the time in cooking is not important, "Heat it for one hour or eight hours, the outcome would be the same."

However, renowned Chef Wylie Dufresne says: "When an egg is overcooked, it breaks my heart."

Now... how do I measure the cooking time at a specific temperature?  I'll have to Google that.

...................................................................................

Fire!  For Food!

John Lanchester wrote a piece in the New Yorker for September 18, 2017 with the title: How Civilization Started. 

In it, he quotes people who feel that the greatest technology that has helped man evolve, has been the control over fire by our famous ancestor Homo erectus.  In his book, "Catching Fire, Richard  Wrangham argues: "... our ability to cook allows us to extract more energy from the food we eat, and also to eat a far wider range of foods.  Our closest animal relative, the chimpanzee, has a colon three times as large as ours, because its diet of raw food is so much harder to digest.  The extra caloric value we get from cooked food allowed us to develop our big brains, which absorb roughly a fifth of the energy we consume, as opposed to less than a tenth for most mammals' brains..."

So.. what about people who just eat salads?  Are they members of Densa?

............................................................................................

On a Diet?

Readers Digest for July 2006 had some diet tips.  Here are a few I like, but will probably never follow:

1.  Stick with bland tasting diet drinks until they begin to taste good.  (yuk!)

2.  Smash all those boxes of cookies and donuts; ruin them; run water over them.

3.  Instead of splurging on high calorie snacks, drink two glasses of water and eat an ounce of nuts.  Dr. Michael Roizen says that this will extinguish any cravings within 20 minute. (I'll bet.)

4.  Take a power nap and forget about a snack.

5.  When  you get a craving, brush  your teeth and gargle with mouth wash.  That way, you won't want to mess up a dirty mouth with junk food.

6.  Since cravings usually last only ten minutes, find some diversionary activity to engage in for that time.  Listen to music.  Do a puzzle.  Meditate.  Exercise!

7.  Avoid passing the bakery shop or the pizzeria!

............................................................................................................

Dirty Tricks

I always thought that Karl Rove was the master of political dirty tricks, but a "dirtier" guy named Allen Raymond "spilled his guts" in a political memoir,  How to Rig an Election.  He spent some time in prison because of his bad activity and now says that he feels some remorse.  Some of his dirty tricks:

He arranged for white ethnic voters to get derogatory messages from someone with a phony African American accent.

He linked Congressmen with rotten real estate deals that they had nothing to do with.

He leaked documents related to "years-old" indictments.

He flooded party phone lines with computer-generated calls.

Allen claims that he has no intention to return to politics, because: "Who would hire me?  And why would I want to work for anybody who would?"

Hey.... Allen, I know just the folks who could use you... or, maybe they already have!

.........................................................................................................................

Prepop Sez Words of the Day for August 2017

   August 1, 2017

scare-a-moocher

(Scarramucci is out at the White House)

   August 2, 2017

joke

Mr. Trump says that his remark to the police to be rough on arrestees was just a "joke"....

   August 3, 2017

trustworthy-boy-scout

Trump made a campaign type speech to a captive audience of Boy Scouts.

   August 4, 2017

oval-office-general

Trump thinks that he knows how to wage war better than his generals.

   August 5, 2017

dream-vacation

Mr. Trump and his family are going on a 17-day vacation.

   August 6, 2017

futile-bullying

Trump attempts to control everybody.  He may be in for a surprise.

   August 7, 2017

Pence-offence

Boo Boo to Mr. Pence if he's already setting up a Presidential run against Mr. Trump.

   August 8, 2017

Trump-induced-stress

Mr. Trump seems to generate stressful situations.

   August 9, 2017

Big-Mouth!

Re: Mr. Trump's decision to talk like North Korea's dictator.

   August 10, 2017

improvised

Mr. Trump's threat to North Korea was not approved or even talked about with others.

   August 11, 2017

dangerous-ad-libbing

Trump's yelling threat to North Korea.

   August 12, 2017

25th Amendment Time

Let's get Trump out of the Presidency... legally.

   August 13, 2017

time-to-jump-ship

White House folks are going to get subpoenas from Mueller.

   August 14, 2017

bigotry

White supremacist's violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

   August 15, 2017

delayed-condemnation

Why did it take Trump two days to condemn the white supremacists?

   August 16, 2017

alt-left

A name Trump made up to demean counter-protesters at Charlottesville.

   August 17, 2017

advisory-council-exodus

CEO's are leaving Trump's groups because of his words.

    August 18, 2017

sheriff-lover

Trump to pardon Arapio.

   August 19, 2017

no-thanks-Steve

Trump sez:  "Thanks, Steve Bannon... and Goodbye."

   August 19, 2017  (extra word)

Sieg heel!

Trump misspells "heal."

   August 20, 2017

Failure to lead.

Mr. Trump's ailment.

   August 21, 2017

decency-eclipsed

Like the sun today, Mr. Trump's activity and words.

   August 22, 2017

insult-to-Pakistan

By Trump in his speech last night.

   August 22, 2017 (observation)

Outside armies have never been successful in Afghanistan.

   August 23, 2017

warmonger

Mr. Trump is increasing our presence in Afghanistan

   August 24, 2017

slum-lord-diplomat

Jared Kushner?

   August 25, 2017

bloodless-military-junta

Three generals are now is charge of Trump.

   August 26, 2017

Mother-Nature

Hurricane Harvey is here.

   August 27, 2017

GRIEF!!!!!!

My wonderful, beautiful daughter, Elizabeth, is gone!!

   August 28, 2017

time-for-reflection

My baby girl, Elizabeth!

   August 29, 2017

provocation

North Korea shoots missiles over Japan.

   August 30, 2017

Hateful-Harvey

This damnable hurricane won't leave. It has deposited 51" of rain so far on Texas!

   August 31, 2017

Mixed-Emotions!

(The funeral for my baby girl, Elizabeth.  Sadness at her passing, but joy in her remembrance!)

......................................................................................................

Battle of the Sexes

Testosterone

Leah Shaffer wrote a short article about Testosterone in Discover magazine.

Testosterone is thought of as being just a male additive; women have it too, but usually only at about 5 to 7% of the male supply.  Testosterone is certainly a big factor in male aggression, and is a dangerous factor for young men, especially since the average male brain does not mature fully until around twenty-five years of age.

It is my belief that the elevation of an over-masculine bully to the highest office in our land, is contributing to the feeling among our young men that they can act very aggressively towards women.

They see the President menacing Hillary Clinton in a debate by hovering over her as she responded to questions.

They hear the President demeaning women in so many ways.  And, believe me, that so-called "locker room talk" is not a common feature when gentlemanly guys get together.  I know... I worked at a YMCA for many years and very seldom heard anything close to what we all heard the Donald say on that bus.

I'm worried about the violence against women that I read about every day.  For instance, just today, in the "small town" Carroll County Times of Westminster, Maryland, could be found the following three headlines:

Mount Airy Man Accused of Choking Woman

Manchester Man Charged with Assaulting Two Women

Man Hit Woman as She Talked on the Phone

(and that is just out of a County population of around 80,000.... and just for one day out of 365.)

What the hell is going on!

Anti-Gay

The Week magazine for March 7, 2014 reported that Gay persons in Uganda can now be imprisoned for life.  It provides prison terms for anyone who has gay sex or counsels gay people.  Therefore, international human rights groups will not be able to operate in Uganda.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni says that homosexuality is a choice, and had a hit list of 200 known gays published.

Barbie, Baby!

In that same magazine, Blondie Bennett, aged 38, was quoted as saying that she is trying to become a real-life Barbie.  She has spent lots of money on plastic surgery, lip fillers and Botox to make her look like her idol. Now she is taking hypnotherapy to make herself dumb as a doll... in effect, a "vacant bimbo."

Quick, find my Key!

The Week magazine for February 5, 2016 wrote about an Italian woman who called the fire department to break the iron clasp on her chastity belt.  She had lost the key.  When asked why she wore a chastity belt, she replied that it was to prevent her from succumbing to temptation.

Watch Out, Guys!

The Week magazine for March 6, 2009, reports that a 68-year old lady in Indiana has been married 23 times and is looking for husband number 24.  She says that she is addicted to romance.

This reminds me of when I attended a police function where a 60-year old lady was talking about scams.  In the middle of her talk, my friend, Jack Kolb, walked into the room.  Now, Jack was a good looking man for his 80 years.  As he entered, the lady stopped in mid-sentence and  said "Are you married?" to Jack.  He said "no,"  and she hurried up with the rest of her talk and then sat down next to him, engaging him in conversation for the rest of the morning.

Let it All Hang Out

According to The Week magazine for March 11, 2016, New Hampshire lawmakers are planning to ban bare-breasted women from bathing on beaches in the State.  There is a movement called "Free the Nipple" which advocates topless swimming.  One of New Hampshire's Representatives said: "... topless women will scare off families who vacation in the State."

Hey, Mike, What's Up?

The Week magazine for September 16, 2016 mentions that Brazilian researchers have  found that Michelangelo "secretly included lots of hidden images of female reproductive organs and pagan fertility symbols in painting the Sistine Chapel."

Supposedly, Michelangelo was irritated with the Catholic Church's male-dominated culture.

 Sorry, Dave, I Have a Malfunction

That same magazine issue reports that robotic experts predict that by 2050, humans will be having sex with cyborgs.  Robots would never say "no".... however, remember the movie "2001!"



.........................................................................................................



Now, go, and sin no more!

A Little Humor for Horrible Times

How about a little humor to take our minds off the catastrophes for a while?

Good Sport

(From the American Legion Magazine for December 2016)(

A man met a friend at a football game as the first quarter was winding down.
"Why are you so late?" his friend asked.
"I had to toss a coin to decide between coming to church or the game," the man replied.
"How long could that have taken you?"
"I had to toss it 14 times."

..............................................................................

Duh!

(From the Reader's Digest for February 2015)


Label on a Batman costume:

"Caution:  Cape does not enable user to fly."

...................................................................................

Famous Politician

(From Paula Poundstone's Podcast)

Dick Cavette was famous for anagramming, and had these two results for:

Former Vice President  SPIRO AGNEW

GROW A SPINE
GROW A PENIS

Both of which are probably appropriate for Mr. Agnew.

...........................................................................................

Eggspensive

(per Eddie Brewster)

At the grocery store, I couldn't understand why free-range eggs were more expensive than ordinary eggs.

"Well, sir, think of it as being like your cell phone," explained the clerk.  "They get you with roaming charges."

............................................................................................

Get Shorty!

(reported by The Week magazine in May 2014)

"The Great Men Wax Museum of China admitted it had agreed to North Korea's request to add six inches to its wax figure of Great Leader Kim Il Sung, who was actually 5-foot-2."


..............................................................................................

Some New Apps

(From Lenore Skenazy in Funny Times for July 2016)

InstaCram:  Summarizes reading assignments in a couple of lines.
    For Example:  "Guy mad that whale ate leg.  Also, there's symbolism."

Elfie:  "Allows user to take photos of self with imaginary friend, who does not show up in photo."

..............................................................................................

Tweet, Tweet.

(From The Week for June 2014)

The FBI published an 83 page used to decipher Twitter slang.  As well as the common shorthand like LOL, it also listed some less common ones, like TPK (total party kill) and (my favorite) IITYWTMWYBMAD (if I tell you what this means, will you buy me a drink?)

...............................................................................................

Titles

(From Connie Strohecker, AARP)

Wife to husband: "Could you fix the leaking faucet?"
Husband to wife: "No. Do you see 'plumber' written on my forehead?"

Wife:  "Well, could you please mow the lawn today?"
Husband: "No. Doe you see the word 'landscaper' written on my forehead?"

Wife: "Well, how about at least fixing the broken step on the stairs?"
Husband:  "Do you see the word 'carpenter' written on my forehead? I'm going out for a beer."

Four hours later the husband comes home and notices the chores have been done. He asked how.

Wife: "Well, a nice  young handsome man knocked at the door while you were gone and offered to fix that faucet, mow the lawn and fix the broken step.

After he was done, I asked him how I could pay him for the jobs.  He told me: 'You could bake me a cake or sleep with me.'"

Husband: "What kind of cake did you bake for him?"

Wife:  "Do you see 'baker' written on my forehead?"

.............................................................................................