Famous
First Words: Good Morning, Breakfast Clubbers. --Don
McNeill's Breakfast Club
We
are in the middle of the Annual Audubon Bird Count (December 14 –
January 5). Welcome to the accounting department where everybody
counts. / Counters in Alabama noticed that when ducks fly upside down
they tend to quack up.
..........They
say that what you mock will surely overtake you.........U2 …..Peace
on Earth
Christmas
is joy, religious joy, an inner joy of light and peace. --Pope
Francis
It
is a dark Friday morning. The temperature (36°F)
is emphasized by the 10 mph Southeast winds. The sky is a solid gray
with streaks of darker gray changing with the breeze. The rising sun
is totally hidden behind this thick barrier of humidity. Puck
finishes his business and deserts me; he trots up the deck stairs to
the back door and convinces the people inside to let him in. But
Pepper and Pax come out to keep me company. Kirsten, dressed in her
elf outfit, comes out with a Merry Christmas and a hope they
can get off early from work since there is nothing to do. There is
no birdsong though a cardinal flies in to sit on the bare bush near
the feeder. The dawn sound track is harsh...motors near and far and
trash trucks; not even a Puck bark to give it life. The cold drives
me back inside. Warmth and comfort spill out of each room and Puck
greets me as if I have been gone on a long journey and have finally
returned safely. Best of all, now, I get to sit here tasting sweet,
creamy decaf and wishing you the very merriest of whatever holiday
you care to celebrate.
Merry
Christmas and a wonderful holiday season, ePistliers.
If
people who love each other are called “love birds” shouldn't
people who hate each other be called “angry birds”? / Wall Street
counters only counted the birds that came to invest money in the
stork market.
..........brothers
all are we.........Sharefare …..Let There Be Peace on Earth
Trivia
Questions: Happy Birthday to A Visit from St. Nicholas !
^
Who wrote the poem also known as Twas the night before
Christmas...?
^^
In what country did the real St. Nicholas live?
^^^
Know where the poem was first published?
^^^^
More or less how much did a hand written -signed by Moore- copy of
the poem fetch in 2006?
^^^^^
In what meter is the poem written?
Fake
Library Statistic of the Week:
This December 95% of librarians will have a book tree posted to their
facebook timeline. https://www.facebook.com/FakeLibStats/?fref=ts
Happy
Jólabókaflóđ!**
Christmas Book Flood (Icelandic)
Moonbeam:
Great ages of art come only when a widespread creative impulse meets
and equally widespread impulse of sympathy. --Harriet Monroe
Andrew
grew to resent the four calling birds his true love gave to him after
he got his telephone bill. / Counters in Hawaii kept hearing music
and singing long before they came upon the Parrots of Penzance.
..........Turning
water into wine.........Eddie Money …..Peace in Our Time
Something
to Think About of the Week:
Spirit of winter rest, help us to enjoy your peace in this quiet
time. Remind us to pause during this season. --Christine Robinson
http://www.uua.org/worship/words/meditation/5530.shtml
Big
Hello: Kablaaw – Iloko (Philippines)
Today
is Festivus:
I
understand that a crow has one less pinion feather than a raven. So
whether you count them as crow or raven is a matter of o'pinion. /
Hummingbirds are only humming because they can't remember the words.
..........
Peace on Earth and mercy mild.........Elvis Presley …..Hark the
Herald Angels Sing
^
The poem is popularly believed to have been written by Clement Clarke
Moore, however, others believe that it was written by Henry
Livingston, Jr. If you are really bored, you can read about the
controversy at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Visit_from_St._Nicholas
Almanac:
It is Friday, December 23, 2016. The moon was last quarter last
Wednesday and is in Scorpio. It is National
Pfeffernusse Day, National Roots Day, Festivus, and Human Light
Celebration. In Egypt it is Victory Day and in Montego Bay, Jamaica
it is John Canoe Day aka Junkunu.
Among
those born on this day were Pieter Bockenberg (1548), Richard
Arkwright (1732), Aleksandr Romanov (1777), Jean-Franҫois
Champollion (1790), Joseph Smith Jr (1805), Thomas Malthus (1834),
Harriet Monroe (1860), Don McNeill (1907), Helmut Schmidt (1918),
Jose Greco (1918), Leonard Stern (1923), Robert Bly (1926), Karol
Bobko (1937), Tim Hardin (1941), Harry Shearer (1943), Ronald Bushy
(1945), Susan Lucci (1949), Eddie Vedder and Slash (1965), and Corey
Haim (1971).
On
December twenty-third the Peace of Atrecht
was signed (1482), the Continental
Congress took out a loan from France for $181,500 to finance the war
(1776), Benedict Arnold was court-martialed (1779), Maryland voted to
cede land for the District of Columbia (1788), Turkey
proclaimed its constitution (1876), van Gogh cut off his left ear
(1888), L'apres-midi d'un faune
premiered (1894), the first Keystone Kops film was released (1912),
the Federal Reserve Act
was signed into law (1913), BBC Radio began daily newscasts (1922),
NBC set up a coast-to-coast radio network (1928), Castro offered to
trade 1,113 prisoners from the Bay of Pigs invasion for $62 million
worth of food and medical supplies (1961), Borman, Lovell, and Anders
orbited the moon (1968), The Young
and the Restless
debuted (1973), Congress passed the Metric
Conversion Act (1975),
and Squeaky Fromme escaped from Alderson Prison (1987).
Tonight's
Sky:
the Ursid Meteor Shower is waning but still around. 10-15 meteors
per hour, not that exciting.
This
Week: Saturday, December 24 –
Hanukkah (12/24-1/1) & Christmas Eve
Sunday,
December 25 – A'phabet Day aka No “L” Day &
Christmas
Night
Sky, December 25: Mars and Neptune rise close together after
sunset.
Monday,
December 26 – Boxing Day & National Thank-You Note Day
Night
Sky, December 26: Jupiter and Saturn are both visible before
sunrise.
Tuesday,
December 27 – Hoody Doody Day & Visit the Zoo Day
Night
Sky, December 27: Mercury, Venus and Uranus are all visible
after sunset.
Wednesday,
December 28 – Endangered Species Act Day
Thursday,
December 29 – YMCA Day & Tick Tock Day
Night
sky, December 29: Orion, perhaps the most
beautiful of constellations, can be seen in the south.
Birds
run over by the lawnmower are counted as shredded tweet. / My birding
mentor's 14 year old daughter had taken a message for her father
while he was out. When he returned, this is what he got. "Daddy,
Mr Jones called, he said the Upland Plovers were in at the airport
but he didn't give me a flight number".
..........
Imagine all the people living life in peace..........John Lennon
…..Imagine
^^
The original Saint Nicholas lived in the village of Patara which was
in Greece at that time but is now part of Turkey.
Funniest
thing I read of the Week: America sure is having some bad
luck. It's almost like it was built on an ancient Indian burial
ground. --Submitted by ra of ks
Moonbeam:
The histories of mankind are histories only of the higher classes.
--Thomas Malthus
Tis
the Season of the Week:
Late
Night Snacks: We’re just 10 days away from
Christmas! And if you want to know if Santa has you on his “nice”
list or his “naughty” list, just ask Russia to hack it for you.
--Jimmy Fallon / According to a new report, the cost of all the gifts
listed in “The Twelve Days of Christmas” song is up $233 from
last year. Man, that Lords a Leaping union is killing us.--Conan
O'Brien / Uber just rolled out a new regulation — you can now get
banned from the ride-sharing service if you have sex in one of their
cars. Cab drivers heard this and they were like, “We’re back,
baby!” --James Corden / Google released their list of the
most-searched phrases of 2016. The top-trending search terms were
Powerball, Prince, Hurricane Matthew, and Pokémon Go. I think that
sums up our priorities as Americans: money, celebrities, the weather,
and playing games on our phones --Jimmy Kimmel / Today Donald Drumpf
chose Rex Tillerson, Exxon Mobil CEO, as his secretary of state.
Tillerson is an interesting pick. For one thing, he’s an oil main
who believes in climate change. Well, of course he believes in it!
He’s from Exxon — he INVENTED it. It’s pride of ownership. It’s
his baby! --Stephen Colbert
Christmas
is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and
goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of
Christmas. --Calvin Coolidge
Miriam
didn't know whether to count those greasy, gray spots as melted
penguins. / Did you ever notice that when ducks migrate in their vee
pattern one side is always longer than the other. Know why? The long
side has more ducks in it.
..........Give
me peace on earth.........George Harrison …..Give Me Love
^^^
The poem was first published anonymously in the Troy, New York
Sentinel, December 23, 1823.
Worthless
Fact of the Week: During the American
Revolution, a cash-strapped Continental Congress accepted loans from
France. Paying off these and other debts incurred during the
Revolution proved one of the major challenges of the
post-independence period. The new US Government attempted to pay off
these debts in a timely manner, but the debts were at times a source
of diplomatic tension.
Weird
Word of the Week: Machinima – image-generating computer
engines. “Making digital movies is now as easy as playing PC games”
. http://www.worldwidewords.org/turnsofphrase/tp-mac1.htm
Wicked
Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Dear World, Did you not
read my book? Sincerely, G. Orwell. --submitted by jgk of ks
Wacky
Uses for Common Products: Dress wounds and burns. Apply
SueBee Honey to the injury. Honey is hygroscopic and absorbs water,
creating an environment in which disease-producing microorganisms,
deprived of their moisture, cannot live.
http://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/suebee.html
Do
you know the easiest way to count a unique bird. Unique up on it. /
Know the easiest way to count a tame bird? Tame way, unique up on
it.
...........Ev'rybody's
talking about Ministers, Sinisters, Banisters and
canisters.........John Lennon and Yoko Ono …..Give Peace a Chance
^^^^A
handwritten and signed copy of the poem was sold by one collector to
another collector for $280,000 in 2006.
Word
Shakespeare Made Up of the Week: Discontent -
dissatisfaction, disaffection. Titus Andronicus Act I Scene
I Saturninus: Rest on my word, and let not discontent daunt all
your hopes...
Next
Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: What
I don't like about office Christmas parties is looking for a job the
next day. --Phyllis Diller
Amazing
Thing on the Internet of the Week:
Night of the Northern Lights.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVsONlc3OUY
Puck
the Brave Episode of the Week:
Here's our fearless Puck disguised as R2-D2 in the case of the Rogue
Rotterman.
Folks
along the Oregon coast keep track of their count with piles of
pebbles on the sand, but last year they were accused of an
inaccurate count so this year they are leaving no tern unstoned / The
idea was to get veterinarian students to count sick birds but instead
they gave giving them tweetments.
..........We
got to have joy, true in our hearts.........Curtis Mayfield …..We
Got to Have Peace
^^^^^
The poem's meter is
anapestic
tetrameter (four feet of unstressed-unstressed-stressed). The
anapest is the same foot used to construct limericks, and the common
metrical modifications that can be observed in the limerick form also
can be observed in Moore's poem.
Month
of the Week: December is 3D Prevention
Month (Drunk & Drugged Driving) - A
policeman pulls a driver over for swerving in and out of lanes on the
highway. He tells the guy to blow into a breathalyzer. "I can't
do that, officer -- I'm an asthmatic. I could have an asthma attack
if I blow into that tube." "OK, we'll just get a urine
sample down at the station." "Can't do that either,
officer. I'm a diabetic. I could get low blood sugar if I pee in a
cup." "Alright, we could get a blood sample." "Can't
do that either, officer. I'm a hemophiliac. If I give blood, I could
die." "Fine then, just walk
this white line." "Can't do that either, officer."
"Now, why not?" "Because I'm drunk."
Almost
Famous Kansans: Harriet E. Adams wrote of her
Christmas as a seven-year-old in Marysville, KS in the mid 1870s:
The Christmas which made the first lasting
impression upon my mind, I think must have been the one following my
seventh birthday . . . [A]fter dark I would peep out of the window,
or out of the door to consider anxiously whether all conditions were
favorable . . . enough to support that wondrous reindeer drawn sleigh
. . . There was no chimney down which he [Santa] could slide safely .
. . My concern on this matter finally reached such a pitch that I
took it up with Mother. I told her my fears, and she said he would
most certainly be able to leave his gifts, for when no large chimney
was provided, the parents would leave the door open a crack at least,
so he could push his way in with no difficulty whatever ….
Today's
Peace of History: December 23, 1943: A
135-day strike by 23 conscientious objectors (COs) ended dining hall
segregation at Danbury Federal Penitentiary in Connecticut. The
number of conscientious objectors had increased from 15 in early 1941
to 200 by the time of the strike.
When
counting birds on the wing, always look for those couple of guys that
aren't in the vee. Usually they 're back about ½ mile texting. /
The rumor that flocks save up all year just to drop their shit on the
counters is untrue.
..........Why
are we kicking our own ass.........Lenny Kravitz …..We Want Peace
Masthead
of the Week:
fRiday ePistle December 23, 2016, aVian ePistle. Online at:
http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/
Did
you really expect news?.
Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. 1800 Goodell Ct. Lawrence, KS
66046
Last
Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: If
you use a walker nobody suspects that you have been drinking.
--Submitted by pl of ks
Moonbeam:
To be wild is not to be crazy or psychotic. True wildness is a love
of nature, a delight in silence, a voice free to say spontaneous
things, and an exuberant curiosity in the face of the unknown.
--Robert Bly
Cost
of War:
Tax
dollars spent in Afghanistan: as of 12/22/16: $757,911,706,567.
Tax
dollars spent in Afghanistan: as of 12/15/16: $757,206,019,936.
Tax
dollars spent on the Iraq war since 2001 as of 12/22/16:
$820,082,971,307.
Tax
dollars spent on the Iraq war since 2001 as of 12/15/16:
$820,062,346,253.
Tax
dollars spent on Daesh conflict as of 12/22/16: $12,866,674,477.
Tax
dollars spent on Daesh conflict as of 12/15/16: $12,758,201,434.
Tax
dollars spent on the Pentagon Slush Fund as of 12/22/16:
$137,786,957,012.
Tax
dollars spent on the Pentagon Slush Fund as of 12/15/16:
$137,183,390,845.
Tax
dollars spent on all wars since 2001 as of 12/22/16:
$1,732,577,065,446.
Tax
dollars spent on all wars since 2001 as of 12/15/16:
$1,731,103,035,677.
Peace
on Earth will come to stay when we live Christmas every day. --Helen
Steiner Rice
..........Dreaming
about the world as one.........Cat Stevens …..Peace Train
This
year's flamingo count was much higher than last year until they
discovered that a bunch of them were thanksgiving turkeys on stilts.
/ Colorado counters were trying to keep up with a flock of redtails
who were swooping and darting in the winds. They finally marked it
under foul play.
Famous
Last Words: he
will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
--Francis Pharcellus Church Yes,
Virginia, There is a Santa Claus
May
Peace prevail on Earth
And
Joy prevail also
prairie
mama
christine
Last
Laugh:
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