Higgs' ePistle

Famous First Words: I, Clarence Thomas, swear … Justice Thomas swore his oath on 10/20/1991

This is Nuclear and National Nuclear Science Week. It is also Disarmament Week. Have you seen Dr. Strangelove? Have you learned to love the bomb? ??? The most terrifying word in nuclear physics is Oops. ???

..........There's strontium , and silicon, and silver, and samarium..........Tom Lehrer …..The Elements

To serve the state is to serve the future, for a man’s legacy is defined not by the honors he receives, but by the stability he builds for others --Marcus Agrippa

It is a beautiful Friday morning. The 53°F temperature is cool and inviting; the nearly cloudless sky is a vibrant blue and filled with a plague of grackles challenging a duo of squirrels for peanuts. I hear crows in the distance too. Noise levels are off the charts. There is a light eastern breeze and birds, too far away for me to be sure what kind, are rocking on the willow branches and keeping watch over the neighborhood. Puck and Veronica have been out and have returned. Puck is sleeping and snoring under my desk and Veronica has disappeared into the house. I am sipping doctored decaf and writing to you. Wow, what a great morning it is.

Hope your weekend is both peaceful and electric, my sweet little collections of atoms.

First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Fruits that do not live up to their names: passionfruit, grapefruit, honeydew, dragonfruit. Fruits that do live up to their names: orange. --Submitted by LanguageNerds

When building an atomic bomb, I always use grandma's secret recipe. ??? Particle Board: The designated group of scientists who name tiny things inside atoms.

..........Higgs, Higgs, Glorious Higgs.........Danuta Orlowska & the CERN Choir …..The Particle Physics Song

Trivia Questions: Clarence Thomas has been on the Supreme Court 35 years today.

1. Where was he born?

2. How many black justices came before him?

3. Before “Law” what did he study?

4. What legal experience did he have when he was nominated?

5. Who nominated him for the supreme court?

Big Hello: Bon Dia! -Interlingua https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm

Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I just found out that Albert Einstein was a real person! All this time I thought he was a theoretical physicist. --Submitted by LanguageNerds

Image of the Week: Dashiell and I went to vote today (10/20) and then went out for breakfast. We arrived a little after 9. The parking lot was full; there were lots of people but no line. A helpful usher pointed us right to open check-in spots and my check-in lady was very helpful. There were 6 or so check-in desks. There were plenty of spots open in the booths. They even had a booth where you could sit in a chair. Altogether it took under 10 minutes. I saw a post suggesting that the early voters could be Republicans. I certainly didn't take an exit poll as I left; but the people voting seemed happy to be there which suggests to me Democrat, but I could be wrong. We had breakfast at Wheatfields. I had the delicious breakfast burrito and Dashiell had biscuits and gravy. Thank you to the Douglas County, KS Election Office.

Whatever This Is of the Week: If you take all the machinery in the world and dump it in the ocean, within months more than half of all humanity will die and within another six months they'd almost all be gone; if you took all the politicians in the world, put them in a rocket. And send them to the moon, everyone would get along fine. --R Bunckminster Fuller

While driving home do nuclear physicists worry whether they turned the atom smasher off before they left work? ??? The difference between the orange pedophile and a rabid dog is that the dog has no nuclear weapons.

..........We are billion year old carbon..........Crosby Stills & Nash …..Woodstock

Moonbeam: I am certain there is too much certainty in the world. --Michael Crichton

Blasphemy of the Week: “God works in mysterious ways” has survived for centuries because, apparently, “we have no idea” needed better branding. --Submitted by Blasphemy Memes

Coffee Joke of the Week: Coffee doesn't fix everything but it does add a tiny emotional handrail to the staircase of nonsense. --Submitted by MTCBWY

Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: If you ever feel useless, remember it took 20 years, trillions of dollars, and 4 US presidents to replace the Taliban with the Taliban. --Norman Finkelstein --Submitted by cjj of lfk

We're attacking Iran because they have nuclear weapons. Why don't you attack Russia then? Are you crazy? They have nuclear weapons. ??? I set up a small nuclear power plant in my garage. It was running well until I got busted – by the fish and game warden – for not having a fission license.

..........Gravity, stay the hell away from me.........John Mayer …..Gravity

1) Thomas was born in a small town outside of Savannah, GA. In 1948. His father deserted the family 2 years later. So Clarence was sent to live with his maternal grandfather.

Almanac: It is Friday, October 23. The moon will be new on Monday (10/26) and is in Aries. Today is International Stuttering Awareness Day, Make A Dog's Day, National Tavern Style Pizza Day, National Tex Mex Day, and Smart is Cool Day.

Among those born on this day were Marcus Agrippa (63 BCE), Samuel Morey (1762), John Heisman (1869), Gummo Marx (1892), Felix Bloch (1905), Gertrude Ederle (1906), Bob Montana (1920), Johnny Carson (1925), Pelé (1940), Michael Crichton (1942), Billy Talbot (1944), Ernie Watts (1945), Ang Lee (1954), Dwight Yoakum (1956), Weird Al Yankovic (1959), Robert Trujillo (1964), Sanjay Gupta (1969), and Ryan Reynolds (1976).

On October twenty-third King Charles II revoked the Massachusetts Bay Charter (1684), Congress barred blacks from service in the army (1775)**, the first US National Women's Rights convention opened (1850), the final day of the Battle of Westport (MO) was fought (1864), the New Orleans mint reopened its assay office (1876), 25,000 women marched in NYC demanding the vote (1915), Dumbo was released (1941), Pasternak won the Nobel for Literature (1958), Gabelich set an auto speed record 662.4 mph/1,002 kph (1970), 90% of women in Iceland strike for a day for equal pay (1975), Kosygin resigned as Soviet Premier (1980), Iraq released 330 French hostages (1990), and Justice Clarence Thomas was sworn in as US Supreme Court Justice (1991).

** Wait, wasn't Crispus Attucks the first man shot in the Revolutionary War? A mulatto, Crispus was not in the army but was one of a group of townsmen who brought clubs and sticks to a gunfight.

Night Sky, 10/23: Predawn Orionid meteor shower. https://www.space.com/stargazing/meteor-showers/the-orionid-meteor-shower-peaks-oct-21-22-2026-heres-what-to-expect

Retro Fraternal Picture of the Week: From 2022

This Week: Saturday, October 24 – Accountant's Day & Make A Difference Day & United Nations Day

Sunday, October 25 – International Artists Day & Sourest Day & Mother-in-law Day

Night Sky, 10/25: The big constellation overhead is The Northern Triangle. The bright stars are Vega (aka Alpha Lyrae), Lyra (the Harp) and Aquila (The Eagle).

Monday, October 26 – Mule Day & National Day of the Deployed & Howl at the Moon Night

Tuesday, October 27 – Black Cat Day & National Civics Day & National Mentoring Day

Wednesday, October 28 – Childcare Superhero Day & National Chocolate Day & National First Responders Day

Night Sky, 10/28: Sunrise: 7:43 am Sunset: 6:254 pm 10 hours and 42 minutes of sunlight. Moonset: 10:45 am Moonrise: 8:04 pm

Thursday, October 29 – Internet Day & National Hermit Day & Snowmobile Day

What's the difference between a nuclear-ravaged wasteland and Hong Kong? The amount Xi has been drinking. ??? Scientists in Hawaii are working on a non-weapon nuclear device, code name: Nukeulele.

..........Won't slow down, won't slow down.........Pegboard Nerds …..Speed of Light

2) Thomas was the second negro on the supreme court. Thurgood Marshall (Brown v Board of Education) was the first.

Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I'm going to start telling men they are dressed like rapists. And when they get offended I'll tell them they need to learn how to take a joke. https://www.facebook.com/NationalNOW

Moonbeam: People never ask people doing serious music, “Do you ever think about doing funny music?” --Weird Al Yankovic

On a scale of Cheech to Chong how high are you right now?

Non So Fun Fact of the Week: The Doomsday Clock is set at 85 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever been to global catastrophe in its history.

Video of the Week Pink Elephants On Parade From Dumbo, (2:00)

When the republic demands your hands, you give them without hesitation, for the cost of inaction is always higher than the cost of sacrifice. --Marcus Agrippa

The obnoxious tactical nuclear weapon called dynamite, Boomer. ??? Yes, she stole energy from the museum. She's a Joule thief.

..........And I know why they taught us math in school.........Eden …..Space

3) Thomas entered Conception Seminary with the idea of becoming a Catholic priest, but struggled with the passive stance of the church on racial justice. So he transferred to Holy Cross where he got a degree in English Literature.

Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: As I get older I realize I don't look good in certain things anymore...like photos and mirrors for example. --Submitted by jm of ks

Weird Word of the Week: Pernoctate – to stay up or out all night https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/pernoctate

Dragon of the Week: Nuclear Dragon Patrol Badge

Wacky Uses for Common Products: Bake moist brownies. Substitute Coca-Cola for water in brownie recipes. The brownies come out moist and delicious (thanks to the caramel flavoring). https://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/cocacola4.html

Bret the biologist broke up with Phyllis the physicist. There was no chemistry. ??? The Secretary of Defense is so bad at this job. When he was in high school he launched a weapon of math destruction at his calculus teacher.

...........I swear I can see atoms split.........Annabella Dinda …..Nuclear Fission

4) Thomas attended Yale Law School. After passing the bar in Missouri in 1974, he worked in the office of the Missouri Attorney General and then for the campaign of Senator John Danforth. Regean appointed him to the Employment Opportunity Commission.

Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Shawn: (yawns) I'm tired. Shaun: (yauns) me too. Sean: (yeans) and me. --The Language Nerds

Science Fiction Convention of the Week: GalaxyCon 20236 (23-25, St Louis, MO) Festival of Fandom...and People Like You https://galaxycon.com/pages/galaxycon-st-louis

Second Cousin Once Removed of Whatever This Is of the Week: My brother was a physicist. He taught his kids to sing “My Old Man's A Physcist”. Ah, the ever amusing life of the scientist. So one day I read that some scientists in Australia (I think) had found a minor exception to the general theory of relativity. So I asked him, did that mean we could take back the bomb. And he said, “no, and they will probably build something even worse from this discovery”. I've never heard any more in the media since. So it turned out to be not true or to not make any difference or they haven't worked out the math yet or worldwide, scientists are keeping it a secret so the people who would build the weapon won't hear about it.

Spark of Joy of the Week: Denmark installed red LED street lights near bat habitats because bats are less sensitive to red light. Their activity reportedly returned to normal almost immediately, while drivers could still see the road clearly. --Submitted by FNOG

Kim Jong-Un likes nukes so much they're already calling him Fallout Boy. ??? I am a Nuclear Technologist! Don't Argue! Just explain why I'm right.

..........We'll try to stay serene and calm when Alabama gets the bomb..........Tom Lehrer …..Who's Next

5) George H W Bush nominated Thomas, who has barely one year of judiciary experience, to the court in 1991. He replaced Thurgood Marshall.

Protest Sign of the Week: Clean Up In Aisle 47

Quote of the Week: All governments lie, but disaster lies in wait for countries whose officials smoke the same hashish they give out. --I F Stone --Submitted by Fractal Enlightenment

Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Protestors are being criticized for looting businesses without forming a Private Equity Firm first. --The Onion bit.ly/2AeYOzK

Today's Peace of History: October 23, 1947: The NAACP filed formal charges with the United Nations accusing the United States of racial discrimination. "An Appeal to the World," edited by W.E.B. DuBois, was a factual study of the denial of the right to vote, and grievances against educational discrimination and lack of other social rights. This appeal spurred President Truman to create a civil rights commission.

After the discovery of “antimatter” and “dark matter”, we have just confirmed the existence of “doesn't matter”, which does not have any influence on the universe whatsoever. ??? I've heard that yellow cake was the only dessert they served to the Manhattan Project members.

..........Physics answers for free.........Physishipp …..Vertical Motion

Masthead of the Week: Friday ePistle, October 23, 2026: Higgs' ePistle . Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. Lawrence, KS.

Moonbeam: Wherever you go, there are three icons that everyone knows: Jesus Christ, Pelé, and Coca-Cola. --Pelé

Cost of War: Pentagon Spending 10/22/26: $1,079,694,737,968

This week's total: we spent nineteen billion, six hundred and fifty-eight million, eight hundred and seven thousand, five hundred and ninety dollars for war.

Pentagon Spending 10/15/26: $1,060,035,930,378

Pentagon Spending 10/8/26: $1,040,766,835,854

Pentagon Spending 10/1/26: $1,020,702,251,165

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. -Mother Teresa

Pentagon Spending in September 2026: $83,835,546,693

Pentagon Spending in August 2026: $89,089,647,361

Pentagon Spending in July 2026: $85,053,017,282

Pentagon Spending in June 2026: $82,621,957,422

Pentagon Spending in May 2026: $87,601,145,719

Pentagon Spending in April 2026: $81,264,897,194

https://www.nationalpriorities.org/cost-of/

True service requires the shedding of personal ambition in favor of the greater good, a task that few men possess the strength to undertake -Marcus Agrippa

Famous Last Words: And I bid you a very heartfelt good night. --Johnny Carson ...signing off his last Tonight Show May 22, 1992

..........We go 'round every two hundred million years.........Monty Python …..The Universe Song

The most terrifying word at NORAD is Oops. ??? We were studying frequency in physics class today. Now my brain Hertz.

May you have classical Peace

And quantum Joy

prairie mama

christine

Last Laugh:

Mulled ePistle

Famous First Words: Granted: I am an inmate of a mental hospital... Günther Grass The Tin Drum

October is Free Thought Month! I just aced my philosophy test. The question was: What is the central question of epistemology? I answered: How should I know? !! Was it hard to adopt nihilism as your personal philosophy? Nah, there was nothing to it.

..........I can't tell if I'm a kingpin or a pauper.........Red Hot Chili Peppers with Flea …..Give It Away

The right to be let alone is indeed the beginning of all freedoms. --William O Douglas

It is a cold (46°, wind NW 14 mph) Friday morning. The sun is trying to melt away the fluffy white clouds but the wind keeps blowing more our way. Puck seemed to enjoy a cool morning staying outside long enough to breathe deep and try a drink of the cold water left out for birds and squirrels and the possum under the shed. The birds are silent and perhaps still in bed. Even the squirrels are absent from the morning sunflower feast. Some trees are beginning to show color on top but the world is still very green for the middle of October in Kansas. Puck is beneath my desk; his little snortings rising up like prayers. Veronica came and loved me up until I gave her some cat treats which she ate before disappearing. The willow trees are dancing wildly but the hammock in the neighbors yard is rocking slowly as if a kitten is sleeping there and even the wind refuses to disturb it. The picture is so autumnal that I expect my coffee to taste like pumpkin spice any minute now. But the best part, as always, is writing to you.

Hope your weekend flows as freely as your thoughts, my little thinkers

First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Jokes of the proper kind, properly told, can do more to enlighten questions of politics, philosophy, and literature than any number of dull arguments. --Isaac Asimov

Empirical Reasoning: 1) Observe 2) Hypothesize 3) Experiment 4) Assess Data 5) Have a beer !! We're thinking about that than which nothing greater can be thought. !! It's all in your mind, you know. --George Harrison

..........Please don't dominate the rap, Jack, if you've got nothing new to say.........Grateful Dead with Bob Weir …..New Speedway Boogie

Trivia Questions: It's World Anesthesia Day

1. What are the 4 kinds of anesthesia?

2. What are the 4 responsibilities of the anesthesiologist?

3. How many times a day is anesthesia used in the US?

4. Where does anesthesiologist rank on the best paying jobs list?

5. How many anesthesiologists are there in the US?

Big Hello: Hee Haj - Folkspraak https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm

Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: “I'm gonna put this somewhere safe” is an ancient incantation that opens a portal to a random point in another timeline, through which all safely kept things travel, never to be seen again. --Submitted by Laughing Librarian

Image of the Week: Happy Dictionary Day

Insult of the Week: If you're looking for sympathy, you'll find it between shit and syphilis in the dictionary. --David Sedaris Barrel Fever

Sometimes I wonder if my fish thinks about me. !! A friend told me my thinking is too one-dimensional. I can't imagine y.

..........Let there be songs to fill the air.........Grateful Dead with Bob Weir …..Ripple

Moonbeam: Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious. --Oscar Wilde

Blasphemy of the Week: If this is the best God can do, I am not impressed. --George Carlin

Coffee Joke of the Week: Coffee is the tiny adult in charge when the rest of me is feral. https://www.facebook.com/maythecoffeebewithyou

Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Moses left them alone for 40 days. They built a golden cow. This is why group chats need moderators.

What do you get when you cross a joke with a rhetorical question? … !! Is it solipsistic here, or is it just me?

..........For this is all a dream we dreamed one afternoon long ago.........Grateful Dead with Bob Weir …..Box Of Rain

1) Types of Anesthesia 1)Local: numbs one small area 2) Intravenous: patient can be awakened during sedation 3) Regional: a larger than local area (the epidural is an example) 4) General: a coma-like state

Almanac: It is Friday, October 16^th. The moon enters its first quarter on Sunday (10/18) and is in Libra. Today is Department Store Day, Dictionary Day, Global Cat Day, National Boss's Day aka Boss's Day, National Feral Cat Day, World Anesthesia Day, World Food Day, and World Spine Day. Because it is the third Friday it is also Mammography Day.

Among those born on this day were Noah Webster (1758), Oscar Wilde (1854), David Ben-Gurion (1886), Eugene O'Neill (1888), Michael Collins (1890), William O. Douglas (1898), William Conrad (1921), Angela Lansbury (1925), Günter Grass (1927), Barry Corbin (1940), C F Turner (1943), Suzanne Somers (1946), Bob Weir (1947), David Zucker (1947), Tim Robbins (1958), and Flea (1962).

On October sixteenth the Council of Vienne opened (1311), the first modern hotel in the US opened (Boston, 1829), John Brown raided Harper's Ferry (1859), the first hotel with indoor plumbing opened (1869), ~~This is my definition of modern hotel, by the way~~ Sanger opened the first birth control clinic (Brooklyn, 1916), the Chicago subway opened (1943), Elizabeth II married Prince Philip (1957), China became the fifth nuclear power (1964), Halley's comet was observed again (1982), Baby Jessica was rescued from a well shaft (1987), the US set off a nuclear test in Nevada (1990), and Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize (2007).

Night Sky, 10/16: Saturn, Mars, & Jupiter are visible in the morning sky before sunrise. http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/sky-at-a-glance/

Fraternal Picture of the Week: Battle of the Windmills

This Week: Saturday, October 17 – Black Poetry Day** & National Playing Card Collectors Day & Sweetest Day & Wear Something Gaudy Day

** The most beautiful peace poem I've ever read is Langston Hughes' Give Us Our Peace. https://www.how-matters.org/2011/09/16/langston-hughes/

Sunday, October 18 – Newspaper Comic Strip Appreciation Day & World Toy Camera Day

Night Sky, 10/18: October's first-quarter moon begins at 12:12 pm CDT. The Great Square of Pegasus is high in the southern sky and Andromeda is adjacent to it to the northeast. The 3 stars in the Summer Triangle are Deneb in Cygnus, Vega in Lyra and Altair in Aquila.

Monday, October 19 – Accounting Day & Evaluate Your Life Day & Lung Health Day

Tuesday, October 20 – Disabled Women's Equal Pay Day & National Day of Writing & Sloth International Day

Wednesday, October 21 – Hagfish Day & International Print Day & National Fossil Day & Reptile Awareness Day

Night Sky, 10/21: Sunrise: 7:31 am Sunset: 6:42 pm 11 hours and 11 minutes of daylight. Moonrise: 1:32 pm Moonset: 10:31 pm

Thursday, October 22 – Make A Dog's Day Day & Smart Is Cool Day & INTERNATIONAL CAP LOCKS DAY

Think outside the box? I want to think outside this timeline. !! Descartes walked into a bar. The bartender said, “You want a beer?” “I don't think so,” he replied, and promptly disappeared.

..........Trouble ahead, trouble behind.........Grateful Dead with Bob Weir …..Casey Jones

2) Anesthesiologist's Responsibilities 1) Evaluate the patient's current health prior to use 2) Administer anesthesia and monitor patient during surgery 3) Assess patient after the procedure 4) Personally performing or supervising the person administering the anesthesia.

Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: If you want to make everyone happy, don't be a leader. Sell Ice Cream. --Nick Saban

Moonbeam: Thought is a strenuous art – few practice it, and then only at rare times. --David Ben-Gurion

Fun Fact of the Week: When a company gets fined $10m for a practice that made them $100m, the government isn't regulating crime, it's taking a 10% cut as a business partner. --Submitted by AnarchistBeauties

Video of the Week: Happy National Feral Cat Day! You're a tiny barn cat on a big farm. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1191155141497353

The Constitution is not neutral. It was designed to take the government off the backs of people. --William O Douglas

If you're thinking what I'm thinking you probably need professional help. !! The way to start is by thinking about how you think. This may feel difficult at first, like trying to look down at your own mouth or defending the electoral college. --Elliot Kalan

..........I'm on my way, on my way.........Grateful Dead with Bob Weir …..Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo

3) Anesthesia is administered approximately 60,000 times a day in hospitals and medical facilities. --National Institutes of Health

Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I tell myself never again and then there I go againing like I've never agained before. --Submitted by INRITH

Weird Word of the Week: Bombinate: to make a humming or buzzing sound as bees or machinery. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bombinate

Dragon of the Week: Moon Swallower

Wacky Uses for Common Products: Clean permanent marker from a dry-erase board. Saturate a clean cloth with Coca-Cola and wipe down the dry erase board to remove permanent marker. https://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/cocacola4.html

Do Zen Masters send out Not Thinking Of You cards? !! Am I not thinking what I think I am not thinking?

...........Just don't tell them that you know me.........Grateful Dead with Bob Weir …..Sugaree

4) US News & World Report ranked anesthesiologists at the #1 best paying job: average salary $187,200/year; The unemployment rate is 1.7% and the field keeps adding new jobs.

Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Fall is cute, but coffee is still doing all the work. https://www.facebook.com/maythecoffeebewithyou

Science Fiction Convention of the Week: Sci-Fi Valley Con 2026 (16-18, Altoona, PA) Step into a realm of warmth and wonder... https://scifivalleycon.com/

Whatever This Is of the Week: It's National Feral Cat Day. One Christmas season Bruce worked at the Topsy's Popcorn factory in the neighborhood of 75^th & Wornall, KCMO. It was a warm December and one night when I went to pick him up, Mike's cat was sleeping in the backseat. When I got to the factory, I pulled around back to where the workers came out and the cat bolted, ran, streaked out of the car into the darkness of an alley. Calling did not bring him back. Come to find out there was a clowder of cats that lived behind topsy's and were encouraged to do so with occasional gifts of milk and food. The cats kept mice and rats to a minimum. So I once drove a cat to run away from home and join a gang. ~~Bruce saw him a couple of times after that but he refused to return to civilization.

Spark of Joy of the Week: Maybe I'm not overthinking, maybe I'm just regularly thinking about stuff that's overhappening. --Submitted by INRITH

It's like no one in my family appreciates that I stayed up all night overthinking for them. !! I'm thinking about what I need to think about.

..........You gotta play your hand.........Grateful Dead with Bob Weir …..Truckin'

5) According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics there are 29,200 anesthesiologists working in the US today.

Protest Sign of the Week: How Many Homeless Families Does It Take To Make A Billionaire?

Quote of the Week: There are no dangerous thoughts; thinking itself is dangerous. --Hannah Arendt

Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Unlike the brain, the stomach alerts you when it's empty. --Submitted by Writers, Readers and General Tomfoolery

Today's Peace of History: October 16, 1967: Folksinger Joan Baez was arrested in a peace demonstration as rallies took place across America during “Stop the Draft Week.” 1158 young men returned their draft cards in eighteen US cities. Baez was among 122 anti-draft protesters arrested for sitting down at the entrance of the Armed Forces Induction Center in Oakland, CA; she was sentenced to 10 days in prison.

Positive Thinking: When I fell down the stairs today, I thought, “Wow! I sure fell down those steps fast”. !! Think Less! Stupid More!

..........Fare you well, my honey..........Grateful Dead with Bob Weir …..Brokedown Palace

Masthead of the Week: Friday ePistle, October 16, 2026, Mulled ePistle. Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. Lawrence, KS.

Moonbeam: I love every bone in their heads. --Eugene O'Neill

Cost of War: Pentagon Spending 10/15/26: $1,060,035,930,378 This week's total is nineteen billion, two hundred and sixty-nine million, ninety-four thousand, five hundred and twenty-four dollars spent on warfare.

Pentagon Spending 10/8/26:$1,040,766,835,854

Pentagon Spending 10/1/26: $1,020,702,251,165

Imagine peace and love rule our lives. Think it, feel it, say it, pray it. Make it so. --Thomas Hillman

Pentagon Spending in September 2026: $83,835,546,693

Pentagon Spending in August 2026: $89,089,647,361

Pentagon Spending in July 2026: $85,053,017,282

Pentagon Spending in June 2026: $82,621,957,422

Pentagon Spending in May 2026: $87,601,145,719

Pentagon Spending in April 2026: $81,264,897,194

https://www.nationalpriorities.org/cost-of/

Measles in the US: October: 4,080 confirmed cases (786 new cases)

September: 3.294 confirmed cases (725 new cases)

August: 2566 (335 new cases)

July: 2231 (158 new cases)

June: 2073 (231 new cases)

May: 1,842 (94 new cases)

April: 1,748 (386 new cases)

An Update: There have been 3 deaths from measles in 2026; there were 3 in 2025. Between 2000 and 2004, only one death was reported (2015). In the entire year 2010 there were only 63 confirmed cases. https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html

Since when have we Americans been expected to bow submissively to authority and speak with awe and reverence to those who represent us? --William O Douglas

Famous Last Words: I'm a Writer, but then, Nobody's Perfect --Tombstone Billy Wilder (also the last line of Some Like It Hot)

..........It's the edge of the world and all of Western civilization.........Red Hot Chili Peppers with Flea …..Californication

If you give me a minute to think, I'm sure I can make it worse. !! What did you expect from thought that's absolutely free?

May Peace soothe your mind

And Joy relax your soul

prairie mama

christine

Last Laugh: 

Mid-ePistle

Famous First Words: Whereas several well disposed and Publick spirited Persons... An Act for Liberty to Erect a Collegiate School (Yale University Charter, 1701)

It's National Midwifery Week (4-10). Midwife (noun) Someone who does precision guesswork based on unreliable data provided by those of questionable knowledge. See also: Wizard, Magician ++ I'm not sure I'm cut out to help bring babies into this world. Sounds like you're having a midwife crisis. ++ Midwives help people out.

..........Nothing is real, and nothing to get hung about.........The Beatles with John Lennon …..Strawberry Fields Forever

We should do more and talk less. --Mary Ann Shadd Cary

It is chilly (61°F) Friday morning. A light breeze moves the air across my cheek without moving my hair. The light is slowly spreading across a cloudless sky which is evolving from white to blue. The trees, still green, are still; only the very top leaves sway in the music of the wind. The two bunnies that were nibbling sunflower seeds left over from yesterday do not run when I open the door. They move far enough a way to have a good head start in case they need to run, but they wait while I put out a fresh supply of seeds and peanuts. They eye Veronica, the cat, but do not even run from her. She just watches the whole yard like she's the guardian of the neighborhood. Now we wait, she and I, for the crows, for their noisy conversation, and their company. I sit at my computer typing and Veronica goes to the next room to sit on the desk and stare out the back window. All in all, not a bad morning. And the best is yet to come – writing to you.

Hope your weekend comes out okay, gentle folk.

First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Humans invented clocks so they could be late with mathematical precision. --Submitted by Club42

Yay! It's Friday. Oh, wait, I'm a midwife. ++ Does it hurt? Can I get you a beer or something? This is why there are no midhusbands.

..........Nothing you can make that can't be made.........The Beatles with John Lennon …..All You Need Is Love

If a woman doesn't look like a Goddess during labor, then someone isn't treating her right. --Ina May Gaskin, author Spiritual Midwifery

Trivia Questions: Happy World Egg Day

1. How many bird species' eggs are part of the regular human diet?

2. How long does it take a chicken to produce an egg?

3. What, if any, differences are there between white eggs and brown eggs?

4. Which US state processes the most commercial eggs annually?

5. What is the relationship between a chef's toque hat and eggs?

Big Hello: Sawubona - Zulu https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm

Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Learning French has really encouraged me to live in the moment because I currently cannot conjugate any other verb tenses. --Submitted by LanguageNerds

Extra Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Lord, the free oxygen you gave us. Lays is selling it in bags with like 5 chips. --Submitted by Official … Colbert

Insult of the Week: Eric Schmitt. Imagine being the dumbest senator in your state when the other one is Josh Hawley. https://www.facebook.com/wokeginger

Thank you for calling Acme Midwifery and Plumbing. If your water breaks, we've got you covered. ++ Midwife /midwarf (noun) 1. Delivers babies 2. Never wrong 3. Always awesome.

..........Integrations, meditions, United Nations, congratulations.........John Lennon and Yoko Ono

Moonbeam: No one is entitled to the truth. --E Howard Hunt

Blasphemy of the Week: The difference between you and me is you use scripture to determine what love means and I use love to determine what scripture means. --Jesus --Submitted by UUHS

Coffee Joke of the Week: Half Midwife, Half Coffee

Second Blasphemy and Second Coffee Joke of the Week: Through Coffee all things are possible.

Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: If you believe in countries, the United States is a much more powerful country than Russia. But if you just believe that it's gangster on gangster, well then sure, Putin is a much better gangster than Trump. --Tim Snyder

Midwives do it in any position. ++ No, not delighted...Dilated!

..........Nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too.........John Lennon …..Imagine

When we as a society begin to value mothers as the givers and supporters of life, then we will see social change in ways that matter. --Ina May Gaskin

1) There are over 10,000 species of birds but the eggs of only 7 are routinely used: Chicken, Turkey, Duck, Quail, Goose, Pheasant, Emu, and Ostrich.

Extra² Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Greek mythology is basically thousands of years of evidence that giving relatives superpowers is a terrible idea. --Submitted by Blasphemy Memes

Almanac: It is Friday, October 9, 2026. The moon will be new tomorrow and is in Libra. Today is International Beer and Pizza Day, Leif Erikson Day, National Nanotechnology Day (Honors the Nanometer Scale 10-9 meters), National Pro-Life Cupcake Day, PANS/PANDAS Awareness Day, World Postcard Day and Nautilus Night (Cephalopods). Because it is the second Friday it is also National Family Bowling Day (or Kids Bowl Free Day) and World Egg Day.

Among those born on this day were Mary Ann Shadd Cary (1823), Aimee Semple McPherson (1890), Bruce Catton (1899), E Howard Hunt (1918), Robert Shaw (1927), John Lennon (1940), Mike Peters (1943), Peter Tosh (1944), Jackson Browne (1948), Robert Whul (1951), Sharon Osbourne (1952), Scott Bakula (1954), Guillermo del Toro (1964), and David Cameron (1966),

On October 9^th Charlemagne was crowned King of the Franks (768), Leif Ericson "discovered" Vinland aka New England (1000), Yale was chartered as the Collegiate School of Connecticut (1701), slavery was abolished in Costa Rica (1824), the calliope and the sewing machine were patented (1855), the American Humane Association was organized (1877), Woodrow Wilson became the first president to attend a world series game (1915), the first transcontinental flight by a woman, Laura Ingalls, was completed (1930), Hoover Dam went “online” (1936), the Manhattan Project was approved (1941), the first electric blanket was manufactured (1946), Tanganyika became independent within the British Commonwealth (1961), Uganda became independent within the British Commonwealth (1962), Boston rioted over school bussing (1974), France abolished capital punishment (1981), Kathy Sullivan became the first woman to walk in space (1984), and the Strawberry Fields memorial to John Lennon opened (1985).

Night Sky, 10/9: Early this morning the Draconid meteor shower peaked. Tonight the Milky Way core is visible. It will be moving out of sight until next year on the 13^th.

Fraternal Picture of the Week: Seattle Sounders Soccer

Public Service Announcement of the Week: Oliver Brault aka Ollie would now like to be known as Alexis. Maxwell is still known as Max. Jack and Aleena are still known as dad and mom.

This Week: Saturday, October 10 – Hug A Drummer Day & I Love Yarn Day & National Chess Day & National Walk To The Park Day

Night Sky, 10/10: The moon becomes new in Libra occurs at 10:50 am CDT.

Sunday, October 10/11 – International Day of the Girl Child & National Coming Out Day & Clergy Appreciation Day

Night Sky, 10/11: The evening sky displays Aquarius, Cygnus, Lyra, Aquilla, and Pisces.

Monday, October 12 – Fossil Day & Indigenous Peoples' Day & National Farmer's Day & Read For The Record Day

Tuesday, October 13 – Silly Sayings Day & National No Bra Day

Wednesday, October 14 – Be Bald and Be Free Day & Emergency Nurses Day & S.A.V.E. (Stop America's Violence Everywhere)

Night Sky, 10/14: Saturn is at its brightest all night long. Jupiter & Mars are the morning stars.

Thursday, October 15 – Global Handwashing Day & I Love Lucy Day & National Grouch Day

Night Sky, 10/15: Sunrise: 7:24 am Sunset: 6:52 pm 11 hours and 28 minutes of daylight. Moonrise: 8:19 am Moonset: 5:17 pm

Midwife: Where is the umbilical cord? New mom: It's wireless. ++ For Sale Midwife Manuals. (Can deliver)

..........They're after you to sign your life away.........The Alarm with Mike Peters …..Sixty-eight Guns

2) It takes a hen between 24 and 26 hours to develop an egg. Once she lays, she takes a 30 minute break, and then starts the next one.

Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Just heard someone call a cybertruck a “Klanborghini”. @fooyoo2.bsky.social

Moonbeam: Your gut is always right. --Sharon Osbourne

Fun Fact of the Week: All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, filth, hatred, and schizophrenia. --George Orwell

Video of the Week: Lady Gaga: Til It Happens To You (5:25) Lady Gaga's song about rape. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmWBrN7QV6Y

Self-reliance is the fine road to independence. --Mary Ann Shadd Cary

I used to have a life but then I decided to be a nurse midwife. ++ Ask the Midwife: At which trimester will I be able to communicate with my baby via text?

..........And the river opens for the righteous someday.........Jackson Browne …..I Am A Patriot

3) Shell color is set by the breed not by taste or nutrition. Brown, white, blue, and green are all the same egg inside.

Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I wouldn't do much for a Klondike bar, but I might do some shady shit for a tank of gas right now. @blueheartedly1.bsky.social

Weird Word of the Week: Zohnerism: use of a fact to lead a scientifically ignorant public to a false conclusion. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Zohnerism

Dragon of the Week: Curtains

Wacky Uses for Common Products: Make a Cola Volcano. Mix two drops of Tabasco Pepper Sauce into a glass of Coca-Cola, stir well, and add ice. https://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/cocacola4.html

Midwife: Helping you release your inner child. ++ Midwives are the answer to your multiplication problems.

The energy that gets the baby in is the energy that gets the baby out. --Ina May Gaskin

...........Oh, won't you stay just a little bit longer.........Jackson Browne …..Load Out/Stay

4) Iowa hens lay 14.8 billion eggs per year. Ohio is next with 7.9 billion.

Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I miss the version of me that could sneeze without doing a quick risk assessment. --Submitted by INRITH

Science Fiction Convention of the Week: WindyCon 2026 (9-11, Chicago, IL) Sanctuary in the Stars https://www.windycon.org/

Science Fiction Joke of the Week: Me at 13: Wow, I can't wait till we have immersive computers everywhere like Star Trek. Me today: Wow, I can't wait until we destroy all computers like they did in Dune.

Spark of Joy of the Week: If you have never been called a defiant, incorrigible, impossible woman, there is still time. --Clarissa Pinkola Estés

Mary had a little lamb and the midwife fainted. ++ Modesty? Please, I'm a midwife; I've seen more privates than an army general.

..........who can show me what laughter means.........Jackson Browne …..The Pretender

5) Traditionally the chef hat has a pleat for each way he/she can cook an egg.

Protest Sign of the Week: Release the Trumpstein Files!

Quote of the Week: I'm not a person who thinks the world would be entirely different if it was run by women. If you think that, you've forgotten what high school was like. --Madeleine Albright

Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: When small men cast long shadows, the sun is about to set. --Lin Yutang

Today's Peace of History: December 9, 1949: U.S. Representative John Parnell Thomas, former chairman of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was sentenced to 6 to 18 months in federal prison for "padding" Congressional payrolls and using the money himself (embezzlement). He had pleaded no contest to the charges, and was pardoned by President Harry Truman shortly before the end of his presidency.

The laboring mother kept shouting “Shouldn't, couldn't” at the top of her lungs “didn't, can't”. The midwife assured her partner that they were just contractions. ++ I didn't become a comedian for the same reason I didn't become a midwife...I always screw up the delivery.

Pregnant and birthing mothers are elemental forces, in the same sense that gravity, thunderstorms, earthquakes, and hurricanes are elemental forces. --Ina May Gaskin

..........Was I unwise to keep them open for so long.........Jackson Browne …..Doctor My Eyes

Masthead of the Week: Friday ePistle, October 9, 2026: Mid-ePistle . Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. Lawrence, KS.

Moonbeam: O Hope! Dazzling, radiant Hope! What a change thou bringest to the hopeless; brightening the darkened paths, and cheering the lonely way. --Aimee Semple McPherson

Cost of War: Pentagon Spending 10/8/26: $1,040,766,835,854

Pentagon Spending 10/1/26: $1,020,702,251,165 So this week it's twenty billion, sixty-four million, five hundred and eighty-four thousand, six hundred and eighty-nine dollars. Whew! 20 billion would house the entire unhoused population of the US for 4 years.

This is the way of peace – overcome evil with good, and falsehood with truth, and hatred with love. --The Peace Pilgrim

Pentagon Spending in September 2026: $83,835,546,693

Pentagon Spending in August 2026: $89,089,647,361

Pentagon Spending in July 2026: $85,053,017,282

Pentagon Spending in June 2026: $82,621,957,422

Pentagon Spending in May 2026: $87,601,145,719

Pentagon Spending in April 2026: $81,264,897,194

https://www.nationalpriorities.org/cost-of/

It is better to wear out than to rust out. --Mary Ann Shadd Cary

Famous Last Words: I'm shot. --John Lennon In his memory on the opening of the Strawberry Fields Memorial Dedication 1985. John died 12/6/1980.

..........People need some reason to believe.........Jackson Browne …..Running On Empty

Nurse midwife...because Badass Miracle Worker isn't an official job title. ++ My sister is a midwife. The first Thanksgiving dinner when she cooked the turkey, she texted mom, “Good news. The turkey is dilated to 10 centimeters and the stuffing is crowning.

May Peace ease your labor

And Joy bless your result

prairie mama

christine

Last Laugh: Midwife Birthday Card