Tuesday, September 26, 2017

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.

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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!

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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.""

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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?



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Sunday, September 24, 2017

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.

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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.

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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?

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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!


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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!


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Monday, September 18, 2017

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!)

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Tuesday, September 12, 2017

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!"



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Now, go, and sin no more!








Friday, September 8, 2017

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."



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Duh!

(From the Reader's Digest for February 2015)


Label on a Batman costume:

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

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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.



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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."

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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."


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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."

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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?)



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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?"

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