Famous
First Words: Well, for goodness sakes... Blondie Comic
Strip 2/17/1933
On
this date in 1897 the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) was founded.
All this time I thought PTA stood for Parents To Avoid. / The
Springfield Elementary PTA approved new classroom centers – Sit
Quietly, Behave Yourself, and Just Stop That.
..........Take
off your shoesies, dear, and loosen up your tie.........Bette Midler
…..Make Yourself Comfortable
One
child, one teacher, one book, and one pen, can change the world.
--Malala Yousafzai
It
is a nippy (43°F) Friday
morning. The sky is empty of cloud or jet trail but the fat quarter
moon smiles down on the morning. To the east gold and pink light
extends its fingers into the pale blue overhead. The sound of motors
unseen is loud; it gives the impression that everyone is in a hurry
to be somewhere else. (Sad) Also unseen birds are finding it hard
to compete; but their numbers are slowly growing. Pax joins us and
walks the perimeter while Puck sits by the gate ...watching ...just
watching. The air promises warmth but the world is still shrouded in
winter garb. There is no breeze, yet the cold seeps into the layers
of coats and gloves. Still I linger a while, enjoying the fresh air.
Finally, we return to the inside, to the smell of brewing coffee,
and the warmth. Puck enjoys a sip of half&half from his bowl and
settles in for his early morning nap. I sip my half&half in a
cup of Moose Munch and sit down to write to you. What a great
morning!
Hope
your weekend is two days out of school, ePistliers.
Don't
tell anyone but PTA is code for Pass the Alcohol. / You've probably
figured out by now I'm not the usual PTA mom. / Ms Smith was an
intense PTA president. She demanded sick notes if you missed a
meeting.
..........Could
it be a faded rose from days gone by.........Bette Midler …..Delta
Dawn
Trivia
Questions: On February 17, 1795, Thomas Seddal
harvested an 8.3-kg potato from his garden Chester, England.
^
What state hosts a designated Official Irish Potato Festival?
^^
About how much potato does the average American eat per year?
^^^
Which notorious queen was known to wear potato blossoms in her hair?
^^^^
Any idea where the potato originated?
^^^^^
About when did Mr. Potato Head appear on store shelves?
Fake
Library Statistic of the Week:
This morning (2/8) 86% of librarians who needlepoint scrapped an
existing design in favor of one saying “Nevertheless, she
persisted”. https://www.facebook.com/FakeLibStats/?fref=ts
Moonbeam:
The revolution has always been in the hands of the young. The young
always inherit the revolution. --Huey Newton
Don't
be the average PTA mom, be the Hot Mom that wears 3D fiber mascara
and makes the rest of them jealous. / I'm going to close my eyes and
cover my hears. I expect the governor who took my chair, my desk,
and our chalkboard to bring them back.
..........It's
the dream afraid of waking that never takes the chance........Bette
Midler …..The Rose
Something
to Think About of the Week:
The path of Spiritual Activism enables individuals or groups to
develop the noble qualities of compassion, wisdom, and gratitude. It
is in itself a Path of Transformation – a Spiritual Blueprint for
living. The core dynamics are creativity, adaptability,
understanding, and the peaceful resolution of conflicts.
https://fiercelove.wordpress.com/what-is-spiritual-activism/
Big
Hello: Konnichiwa - Japanese
Week
of the Week: Random Acts of Kindness
Week (February 12-18): No matter how kind you are, German children
are kinder.
Science
Fiction Convention of the Week: Gallifrey One – 28 years
later...February 17-19, Los Angeles. Welcome to
Gallifrey One Conventions - the world's largest and longest running
annual fan-run Doctor Who convention.
http://www.gallifreyone.com/
PTA-SD
– a stress-related condition brought on by repeatedly volunteering
for school events micromanaged by overbearing PTA moms. / Ms Jones
lost her bid for reelection as PTA president after her campaign to
teach all the children to tilt their heads when they didn't
understand the lesson.
..........Almost
every day some underpinning slips away..........Bette Midler
…..Laughing Matters
^
The
North
Carolina Potato Festival was designated as the Official Irish
Potato Festival of North Carolina in 2009.
Almanac:
It is Friday, February 17, 2017. The moon will be last quarter
tomorrow and is in Scorpio. It is Paczki Day,
Champion Crab Races Day, My Way Day, World Human Spirit Day.
Among
those born on this day were John Pinkerton (1758), Frederick Douglass
(1817), Banjo Paterson (1864), Noah Beery (1882), Otto Stern (1888),
Andrea Norton (Alice Mary, 1912), Arthur Kennedy (1914), Olive Gibbs
(1918), Margaret Truman (1924), Hal Holbrook (1925), Chaim Potok
(1929), Yasser Arafat (1929), Alan Bates (1924), Huey P. Newton
(1942), Dodie Stevens (1947), Rene Russo (1954), Michael Jordan
(1963) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (1982).
On
February seventeenth Boris Godunov was chosen tsar of Russia (1598),
Miles Standish became commander of Plymouth (1621), the first ship
ever passed through the Suez Canal (1867), sardines were first canned
(1876), PTA was organized (1897), Oregon had the first minimum wage
(1913), Blondie Boopadoop married Dagwood Bumstead (1933), color
television was first demonstrated (1938), the comic strip BC was
first issued (1958), Macau adopted its constitution and Bette Middler
was named Woman of the Year by the Hasty Pudding Theatrical Society
(1976), the Netherlands adopted its constitution (1983), and the
public Memorial for Carl Sagan was held (1997).
Night
Sky (2/17): Orion is now high in the
southeast at nightfall. Left of Orion's upper part is Gemini, headed
by Castor and Pollux at far left.
This
Week: Saturday, February 18 –
Pluto Day (!!We miss you!!) & Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day
Night
Sky (2/18): Before dawn on Sunday the 19th, look in the
south-southeast for Antares and upper Scorpius. Saturn is farther to
its lower left.
Sunday,
February 19 – Best Friends Day & Chocolate Mint Day
Monday,
February 20 – President's Day & World Day for Social
Justice & Bean Day
Night
Sky (2/20): By 9 pm or so, the Big Dipper stands on its handle
in the northeast. In the northwest, Cassiopeia also stands on end at
about the same height.
Tuesday,
February 21 – Travel Africa Day
Wednesday,
February 22 – Inconvenience Yourself Day & Curling Is
Cool Day
Night
Sky (2/22): Mercury, Saturn, and Jupiter grace the morning
sky. The evening sky hosts two bright planets (Venus and Mars), two
faint ones (Uranus and Neptune), and even a "dwarf planet:"
the asteroid Ceres
Thursday,
February 23 – Single Tasking Day & National Chili Day
You
know you'd get a much better turn out at the PTA if you held the
meetings in a bar. / May edict issued by the West Bottoms Elementary
School PTA: Have a great summer and please don't throw your books in
the air or run through the halls – until after the last student has
left the building.
..........Just
want to show you a few things........Bette Midler …..Hang On In
There, Baby
^^
The average American eats approximately 126 pounds of potatoes each
year.
Funniest
thing I read of the Week: New Word: SCROTUS – So called
ruler of the United States ---submitted by bg of ks
Activism
of the Week:
The Resistance has called for a General Strike today. NO
WORK. NO SCHOOL. NO SHOPPING. ...Drumpf isn't working. Neither
should we! Disrupt
the economy until we have a government, instead of being had by one.
This is how we stop Drumpf and the entire corrupt political
establishment before they destroy us and the planet we call home.
Hosted by General Strike USA. More at
http://www.attn.com/stories/14749/why-organizers-are-calling-general-strike
Moonbeam:
As
for courage and will - we cannot measure how much of each lies within
us, we can only trust there will be sufficient to carry through
trials which may lie ahead. --Andre Norton
Late
Night Snacks: Everyone watch the Super Bowl
last night? Incredible. Full of surprises. The biggest comeback in
Super Bowl history. Atlanta hasn’t been burned this badly since
1864. --Stephen Colbert / Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s
office recently reported that it gets around 1.5 million calls from
constituents per day, but most of them are just people asking him to
push up his glasses. --Seth Meyers / Today the East Coast was hit
with a major snowstorm and it forced New York City public schools to
close. When she heard that, new Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was
like, “Hey, my plan’s working already.” --Jimmy Fallon / Today
is National Kite Flying Day. Why we have this in February, I have no
idea. Having National Kite Flying Day in February is like having
National Snowman Building Day in July --Jimmy Kimmel / A recent
study found that the number of monarch butterflies migrating to
Mexico from the U.S. has dropped by 27 percent. Apparently the
butterflies are afraid if they go from the U.S. to Mexico, they won’t
be allowed back in. --Conan O'Brien
Optimism
for me isn't a passive expectation that things will get better; it's
a conviction that if we can make things better. --Melinda Gates
I
remember the day my mom and dad received the subpoena from the PTA. /
After all, children like your Tommy are our future. That's why I'm
moving to France.
..........and
stare at the shadows that stare out at me........Bette Midler
…..Come Back. Jimmy Dean
^^^
Marie Antoinette was known to wear potato blossoms as a hair
decoration.
Worthless
Fact of the Week:
There’s
no such fish as a sardine. The name applies to any small fish packed
in sardine cans. (They’re usually pilchard or small herring.)
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/625791.Stupid_History
Weird
Word of the Week:
Usufructuary – enjoy the use of without owning. From the Latin
usus (et) fructus – use and enjoyment. As related to slavery – a
slave was free to use and enjoy his/her clothing but the master
actually owned it. Today it is mostly used of indigenous people's
right to hunt and fish on land that is not theirs by treaty.
http://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-usu1.htm
Wicked
Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Sign
in the Park: Please Pick Up Your Dog's Alternative Facts. --Wiley
Miller Non Sequitur 2/13/17
Wacky
Uses for Common Products: Prevent cats from scratching dark
woodwork. Rub the area with Tabasco Pepper Sauce and buff
thoroughly. The faint smell of Tabasco sauce repels cats.
Plug
of the Week: March for Science –
Saturday, April 22...Washington DC and around the world. My
baby is nine, and pretty amazing. All she wanted for Christmas was a
microscope and a chemistry set. Thank you for marching. You're
marching for her.
Find a march near you:
http://www.ibtimes.com/march-science-dc-date-coincide-earth-day-2017-heres-where-find-protest-near-you-2484724
Keep
Calm and Join the PTA / It doesn't matter whether you want your son
to learn math, he's already decided that for himself.
...........While
you were the one with all the strength........Bette Midler …..Wind
Beneath My Wings
^^^^
The potato, which originated in Peru, took a long journey to reach
North America. The Spaniards took it back to Spain in the 16th
century; from there it made its way to Italy and northern Europe,
then to Bermuda and the Virginia colonies of North America.
Word
Shakespeare Made Up of the Week: Exposure – the revelation
of an identity or fact that was concealed. Troilus and Cressida
Nestor: to match us in
comparisons with dirt, to weaken and discredit our exposure...
Next
Funniest Thing I Read of the Week:
Cigarettes are just like squirrels...They're perfectly harmless until
you put them in your mouth and set them on fire. --Submitted by vr
of tx
Funniest
Activism of the Week:
Make Trump Tweet 8 Again. The Daily Show with Trevor Noah has a
website that turns actual Trump Tweets into crayon notes of an eight
year old.
http://ew.com/tv/2017/02/15/donald-trump-tweets-eight-year-old-daily-show/
Amazing
Thing on the Internet of the Week:
Here is Today. An interactive chart showing exactly where you fit in
time. It's fun. It makes you feel really small and then not.
http://hereistoday.com/
Puck
the Brave Episode of the Week:
Here's our fearless Puck looking askance in the case of the Awesome
Ausky.
Not
So Amazing Things on the Internet: Photo's from US Detention Centers
for immigrant detainees.
http://usuncut.com/news/immigrats-photos-detention-centers/
We
could solve the “no funding for schools” problem by putting Box
Tops for Education on wine bottles. / At the December PTA meeting the
principal assured parents that the school could train the children to
be productive citizens if they could ever get past “sit”.
..........And
maybe we're too serious........Bette Midler …..Night and Day
^^^^^
In 1952, Mr. Potato Head was
born, and was the first toy to be advertised on television.
Month
of the Week: February is Time
-Management Month...
Last
Funniest Thing I Read of the Week:
Cheat on your cell phone every once in a while with a book.
Famous
Kansans:
Gilbert
Gilgamesh Hamilton is a fictional character in the Known Space
universe created by Larry Niven. Hamilton was born in Topeka,
Kansas, to flatlander parents near the end of the 21st century.
https://www.amazon.com/Long-Arm-Hamilton-Larry-Niven/dp/0345342380
Today's
Peace of History: The first meeting of
Britain's Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) was held. CND
developed the peace symbol which became its logo.
As
a traffic safety consultant, I often gave talks to organizations on
accident prevention. One night after I spoke to a PTA group, the
program chairperson thanked me profusely and gave me a check for
fifty dollars. “Giving these
presentations is a part of my job," I said. "Could I donate
the money to one of your causes?" "That would be
wonderful!" she gushed. "We have just the program that
could use it. We're trying to raise money so we can afford better
speakers." /
The motto of East Heights Elementary PTA was Share
the Blame.
..........Gonna
have the whole world on a plate........Bette Midler …..Everything's
Coming Up Roses
Masthead
of the Week:
fRiday ePistle February 17, 2017, eDucated ePistle. Online at:
http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/
None
of the news that depressing.
Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. 1800 Goodell Ct. Lawrence, KS
66046
Moonbeam:
I've
begun to realize that you can listen to silence and learn from it. It
has a quality and a dimension all its own. --Chaim Potok
Cost
of War:
Tax
dollars spent in Afghanistan: as of 2/16/17: $763,256,782,298.
Tax
dollars spent in Afghanistan: as of 2/9/17: $762,599,588,319.
Tax
dollars spent on the Iraq war since 2001 as of 2/16/17:
$820,239,187,512.
Tax
dollars spent on the Iraq war since 2001 as of 2/9/17:
$820,219,979,877.
Tax
dollars spent on Daesh conflict as of 2/16/17: $13,688,224,972.
Tax
dollars spent on Daesh conflict as of 2/9/17: $13,587,197,173.
Tax
dollars spent on the Pentagon Slush Fund as of 2/16/17:
$142,358,250,409.
Tax
dollars spent on the Pentagon Slush Fund as of 2/9/17:
$141,796,078,981.
Tax
dollars spent on all wars since 2001 as of 2/16/17:
$1,743,739,700,111.
Tax
dollars spent on all wars since 2001 as of 2/9/17:
$1,742,366,010,078.
Do
it! What are you waiting on? Do it! Stand up for what you believe in.
The world needs your voice. Whoever you are, you have something to
say. Say it. --Kerry Washington
..........again
and again and again and again and again........Bette Midler …..Long
John Blues
Room
Mother: A position of great honor and responsibility bestowed on a
mom who inadvertently misses a PTA meeting. / Jill is such an
impossible nine-year-old her mother comes to PTA in disguise.
Famous
Last Words: the Puritan maiden Priscilla! --Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow The Courtship of Miles Standish
May
Peace be your companion
And
Joy be your partner
prairie
mama
christine
Last
Laugh:
No comments:
Post a Comment