Friday, May 13, 2016

eTiquettical ePistle


Famous First Words: I can't get no satisfaction...  The Rolling Stones
It's National Etiquette Week: Sam was thinking of jumping in front of the oncoming train today.  Then he decided not to because it would inconvenience people on their way to work. Train etiquette.  Super Simple Stuff  --QueenslandRail

..........It's nice here with a view of the trees.........Peter Gabriel  .....Lead a Normal Life
If we are to have peace on earth... our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective.  --Martin Luther King, Jr.

It is a gorgeous Friday morning.  The sky is not quite filled with wispy shreds of decaying jet streams and the very occasional, very small puff of cotton candy floating by.  The temperature is 54°F, how perfect.  The trees are filled with bird chatter.  The sparrows are solid into the middle of an ongoing discussion while the cardinals have just shown up at the feeder and are postponing conversation.  The hoot of the mourning dove is heard but the bird is not seen. There is also a background of bird song from yards and parks and trees all around like Spectre's wall of sound.  The sidewalk is filled with people walking their dogs or riding scooters and bicycles to school.  Lots of chances for a dog to do his job keeping threats away from the yard.  Two blossoming rose bushes, one red, the other pink, are exuding rose scent into the air in hints born on the light breeze.  Puck and I linger in the yard after the children are all at school, after the grown-ups have left for work.  We linger until the trash truck pulls around the corner.  Sigh.  Only then, we retreat to our rooms, our stuff, our Moose Munch.  Mmmmmm.  
Hope your weekend is way beyond polite, ePistliers.

Cat Etiquette: Remove kibbles from your dish before eating them. / If you must barf, do so on a carpet.
..........The only shirt I own is hangin' on my back..........Stevie Wonder  .....Uptight

Trivia Questions: Lucky Friday the 13th!
^ What is the 23 letter word that describes a person afraid of Friday the 13th?
^^ How about just fear of the number 13?  It's only 17 letters.
^^^ What is the name for the French professional 14th member of a dinner party unlucky enough to have only 13 guests?
^^^^ Which race track is noted for refusing to have a stall 13?
^^^^^ What do you know about the iconoclastic Thirteen Club of 1881?

Fake Library Statistic of the Week: The number of "Do you work here?" questions increase 10x when you don't wear a cardigan and 25x when you don't wear your hair in a bun.  https://www.facebook.com/FakeLibStats/?fref=ts
Moonbeam: Writers should be read, but neither seen nor heard.  --Daphne du Maurier

Golf Etiquette: Your authority to tell others what they are doing wrong is inversely proportional to your handicap. / It is generally polite to declare a rain delay only after the golf cart capsizes.
..........For all those who can tell me wrong from right.........Peter Gabriel  .....Signal To Noise
Something to Think About of the Week: Simply stated, a mandala is a sacred geometric figure that represents the universe.

 


Big Hello: Hej - Danish
Week of the Week: Reading is Fun Week (May 8-14) --I am not addicted to reading, I could stop as soon as I finish this chapter.
Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: It's going to be one of those days.  The voices in my head are fighting.  My imaginary friend is running with scissors, and at one point one of my personalities wandered off.  --submitted by scb of ks

Dating Etiquette: When you are on a first date it is never okay to stick your finger in their spaghetti twirl it and yell, "Lookie, sketti circles". / Agreeing to go on a date with someone isn't enough; you need to actually show up.
..........Travels the world and then makes home my soul..........Stevie Wonder  .....Moon Blue

^ Friggatriskaidekaphobia is fear of Friday the 13th, aka paraskavedekatriaphobia.
Almanac: It is Friday, May 13, 2016.  The moon is first quarter today and is in Leo.  Because it is the first Friday the 13th of the year it is Blame Someone Else Day  and because it is the 2nd Friday of May it is Fintastic Friday: Giving Sharks A Voice.  Among those born on this day were Maria Theresa (1717), Henry Stiegel (1729), Josephine Butler (1828), Arthur Seymour Sullivan (1842), Ronald Ross (1857), Georges F Braque (1882), Daphne du Maurier (1907), Sanjiva Reddy (1913), Syd Vincent (1921), Beatrice Arthur (Frankel, 1926), Jim Jones (1931), Raphel Campos (1936), Roger Zelazny (1937), Harvey Keitel (1939), Vladimir Dzhanibekov (1942), Stephen R. Donaldson (1947), Peter Gabriel (1950), Stevie Wonder (1950), and Claudie André-Deshays Haigneré (1957).  On May thirteenth Henri III fled Paris (1588), the University Library at Vienna opened (1777), the US passed the Tariff of Abominations (1828), the Republic of Ecuador was founded (1830), the Institute for Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE) was formed (1884), Brazil abolished slavery (1888), Mary first appeared in Fatima (1917), the Taft-Hartley Act was approved (1947), Diner's Club issued the first credit card (1950), Jordan and Iraq formed the Arab Federation (1958), the Rolling Stones recorded Satisfaction (1965), Braniff Airlines filed bankruptcy (1982), Apple released the Macintosh System 7.0 (1991), and the final episode of Night Court aired (1992).
Tonight's Sky: Regulus shines above the first-quarter moon as twilight fades, Jupiter is to the upper left.  Visible Planets -- Morning... Mars, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.  Evening... Jupiter, Mercury.

This Week: Saturday, May 14 - National Train Day & National Windmill Day
Sunday, May 15 - Straw Hat Day & Nylon Stockings Day
Monday, May 16 - Biographer's Day and National Piercing Day
Tuesday, May 17 - National Sea Monkeys Day
Wednesday, May 18 - International Museum Day & National Museum Day
Thursday, May 19 - Hummus Day & National Scooter Day
     Night Sky: May 19 – Mercury can be seen at twilight through the end of the month.

Office Etiquette: When the person on the phone asks to leave a message, do not say, "What's in it for me?" / It is acceptable to call the copier Bob Marley, coz it's always jammin'.
..........Keep your hands on the wheel, don't turn around.........Peter Gabriel  .....Digging In The Dirt
^^ Being afraid of the number 13 is called triskaidekaphobia.
Moonbeam: “I like libraries. It makes me feel comfortable and secure to have walls of words, beautiful and wise, all around me.  I always feel better when I can see that there is something to hold back the shadows.” ― Roger Zelazny, Nine Princes in Amber
Late Night Snacks: Kate Middleton revealed yesterday that her children have a pet hamster named Marvin. Well, technically, its full name is Marvin, Duke of the Running Wheel. --Jimmy Fallon / New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is coming out with a cookbook. The cookbook teaches you how to make a soufflé that falls then re-inflates at halftime. --Conan O'Brien / Yesterday at the National Earthquake Conference, a scientist said the southern part of the fault — which includes here in Los Angeles — is “locked, loaded and ready to go.” Like it's Bruce Willis or something. --Jimmy Kimmel / Respect to Ted Cruz for fighting the good fight against the asteroid that just destroyed a party of dinosaurs.  --Samantha Bee  / President Obama and the first lady were seen dancing with R2D2 and Storm Troopers yesterday in honor of Star Wars day. (~~May the 4th be with you) But C-3PO wasn't there — that's just how the president dances. --Seth Meyers  / Happy Cinco de Mayo! You know who doesn't celebrate Cinco de Mayo? Mexicans.  We drink on St. Patty's Day for the Irish. We drink on Oktoberfest for the Germans, and we drink on Thanksgiving to forget what we did to Native Americans. --Stephen Colbert / A report came out last week that members of ISIS are trying to fake doctor's notes to get themselves out of front line duty. Imagine a member of ISIS calling in like, "Hey guys, I have actually got a bit of a cough and don't think I can go to the suicide bombing today."  It's weird to think that this organization, which is so dangerous, has employees who are just like, "Oh, Mondays."  --James Corden

We have the ability to achieve, if we master the necessary goodwill, a common global society blessed with a shared culture of peace that is nourished by the ethnic, national, and local diversities that enrich our lives.  --Mahnaz Afkhami

Law Etiquette: No, unethical ethics are not better than no ethics at all. / It is considered polite to establish language that is gender-neutral, ethnic-neutral, and age-neutral, while celebrating a spirit of diversity.

..........Pretty little one that I adore..........Stevie Wonder  .....My Cherie Amour

^^^ In Paris one might hire a Quatorzieme to bring the party up to 14.

Worthless Fact of the Week: Fintastic -- The average shark has 40-45 teeth and can have up to seven rows of replacement teeth. Because sharks lose a lot of teeth and grow them back quickly, they often go through more than 30,000 teeth in a lifetime.
Weird Word of the Week: Hircocervus - a fabulous beast, half goat, half stag.  (1398)  Website has a nice Eco quote.  (in case you need it, the plural is hircocervi) http://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-hir1.htm
Wacky Uses for Common Products: Clean lipstick from clothing.  Rub the stain with Smirnoff Vodka, then throw into your regular wash.  http://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/smirnoff.html

Table Etiquette: It is rude to dunk your cake in your tea, even if it is sponge cake. / The cell phone goes to the left of the plate outside the forks.
...........Wind was blowing, time stood still.........Peter Gabriel  .....Solsbury Hill

^^^^ The stalls at Santa Anita Park progress from 12 to 12A to 14.
Science Fiction Convention of the Week: The Nebula Awards Weekend

 
Word Shakespeare Made Up of the Week: Accused - a person or group of people who are charged with or on trial for a crime.  Richard II  Act 1, Scene 1 (King Richard II)

 Puck the Brave Episode of the Week: Here's our fearless Puck praying for Leicester City (British Premier League Football) in the case of Everton 's Ewokian.
Theater Etiquette: Refrain from talking to characters on the screen. / Cannibal Etiquette: When arriving late for dinner, expect cold shoulder.

..........To find a way to leave our trouble behind ..........Stevie Wonder  .....Hey, Harmonica Man

^^^^^ In 1881 an influential group of New Yorkers led by US Civil War veteran Capt William Fowler came together to put an end to several superstitions. They formed a dinner cabaret club, which they called the Thirteen Club. At the first meeting, on Friday, January 13, 1881, at 8:13 pm, thirteen people sat down to dine in Room 13 of the venue. The guests walked under a ladder to enter the room and were seated among piles of spilled salt.

Month of the Week: May is Gifts from the Garden Month --The only thing I'm growing this spring is older and more irritable.  --Maxine
Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: My dog is so obsessed with where other dogs go to the bathroom, he could be the governor of South Carolina.  --John Hartzell

Famous Kansans: George Richard Tiller a physician was born in Wichita in 1941.  He was shot in 1993 and was murdered in 2009 for providing abortions. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/01/us/01tiller.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Today's Peace of History, May 13, 1992: Ecuador's government granted 148 native communities legal title to more than three million acres (slightly less than the size of the state of Washington) in the Amazon Basin.
Dog Etiquette: Always accompany guests to the bathroom.  It's not necessary to do anything; just sit and stare. / When supervising cooking, sit just behind the left heel of the cook.
..........Trying to read the flight of birds.........Peter Gabriel  .....White Shadow
Third Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I don't think America should elect any president in 2016.  We need to be single for a few years and find ourselves.  --Submitted by ra of ks
Week of the Week Too: National Police Week (May 8-15) --Officer: We're going to have to give you a drug test.  Perp: Cool, which drugs are we testing? / What do you call it when a prisoner takes his own mug shot? A cellfie.
Moonbeam: I may not yet be as old as dirt, but dirt and I are starting to have an awful lot in common.  --Stephen R. Donaldson
Cost of War:
Tax dollars spent in Afghanistan: as of 5/12/16: $736,343,240,303.
Tax dollars spent in Afghanistan: as of 5/5/16: $735,672,480,477.
Tax dollars spent on the Iraq war since 2001 as of 5/12/16: $819,452,605,016.
Tax dollars spent on the Iraq war since 2001 as of 5/5/16: $819,433,002,284.
Tax dollars spent on Daesh conflict as of 5/12/16: $9,551,639,559.
Tax dollars spent on Daesh conflict as of 5/5/16: $9,448,545,402.
Tax dollars spent on the Pentagon Slush Fund as of 5/12/16: $119,341,493,067.
Tax dollars spent on the Pentagon Slush Fund as of 5/5/16: $118,767,859,912.
Tax dollars spent on all wars since 2001 as of 5/12/16: $1,687,534,298,436.
Tax dollars spent on all wars since 2001 as of 5/5/16: $1,686,133,519,608.
https://www.nationalpriorities.org/cost-of/

There are no nations! There is only humanity.  And if we don't come to understand that right soon, there will be no nations because there will be no humanity.  --Isaac Asimov
.......... In the evening when the sun goes down..........Stevie Wonder  .....Hallelujah, I Just Love Her So
Steve is wasted.  He urinates in his pants not all over the train.  On ya, Stevo.  Train Etiquette. Super simple  stuff.  --QueenslandRail
Famous Last Words: ...shall not be affected thereby.   Taft-Hartley Act
May Peace be your protocol
And Joy be your rule
prairie mama
christine

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