Friday, December 29, 2017

nOt nEw yEt ePistle

Famous First Words: When will my bitter misfortunes be ended? Ilia in Idomeneo
The Women’s March in Washington was on Saturday, and it had three times as many people as Trump’s inauguration. When he was told there were hundreds of thousands of women outside the White House, Trump said, “Wow, this Trump cologne REALLY WORKS.” --Jimmy Fallon (1/23/17) / According to The New York Times, the White House kitchen has been stocked with President Trump’s favorite snacks including Lay’s potato chips. And his Cabinet has been filled with crackers. --Seth Meyers (1/25/17)
..........Weia! Waga! Wandering waters..........Wagner …..Opening Das Rheingold
Let us resolve to put peace first. --United Nations
It is a cold (15°F) Friday morning. The sky is still a fairly featureless gray surface except to the east where the rising sun has painted streaks of pink and gold. The ground too is universally gray with frost except where snow still lies trampled by dog paws and thick soled shoes. It is too soon to tell if the day will be sunny or not and this gives the world a muted, dimness. There are no birds up and about yet nor squirrels. Puck conducts a brief argument with the dogs next door then goes about his perimeter business as usual. Only the drone of distant motors and people in the neighborhood driving off to work provide our soundtrack. There is no wind so the cold does not inch its way up the sleeve or around the coat collar, nevertheless, it builds up and we decide to go inside to warm up and smell the coffee brewing (Moose Munch, yummy). Some of us curl up in a warm spot while others shed layers of clothing – depending on the breed. Ah, yes, Moose Munch – coffee and chocolate and popcorn all in one taste sensation. What a morning – and there's a long weekend to follow. Delightful.
ePistliers, hope your weekend is terrific and your year is the best yet.
This is the president’s second weekend in a row at Mar-a-Lago, the resort he owns in Palm Beach, where he played golf and dined with the prime minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe. So on Saturday night they got the news that North Korea test-launched an intermediate-range missile. They decided to work that out over dinner, at a table in the middle of the Mar-a-Lago dining room surrounded by members of this club. Instead of getting and up going somewhere private they continued to eat while advisers rushed back and forth to the table handing them documents alongside the busboys handing them food. They used the flashlights on their cellphones to read these documents, like old men trying to see a menu. And in the end, they decided to impose more sanctions and also to split a tiramisu. --Jimmy Kimmel (2/13/17)/ Other diners even posted Facebook photos of Trump and Abe looking at what one imagines are classified documents by the light of someone’s cellphone flash light. But I’m sure those documents are secure unless that cellphone flash light also somehow has a camera attached to it. --Stephen Colbert (2/13/17)
Resolutions? This will be my 73rd New Year...if I have resolved it by now...
..........Where life ever is moving..........Wagner …..Scene Two Das Rheingold
Trivia Questions: Happy Birthday to the Modern Bowling Ball !
^ Has long as the sport of bowling been around – more or less?
^^ What were bowling balls made of before 1869?
^^^ Any idea what the patented 1869 ball was made from?
^^^^ If you buy a new ball today, what is it likely to be made of?
^^^^^ Ball park figure, guess the number of bowling balls produced by Ebonite of Tennessee per year?
Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: We can celebrate New Years Eve at 9 pm, as it is 12 pm somewhere...like Nuuk Greenland --The Crumpletons (Jazzhaus, December 31)
Fake Library Statistic of the Week: 99% of libraries already have patrons complaining that we don't have the new #StarWars movie on DVD https://www.facebook.com/FakeLibStats/?fref=ts
Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to Day 3 of “Healthcare Plan 2: Repeal and Revenge — This Time It’s Republican.” It took the GOP forever to release this thing. They’re the George R.R. Martins of health care. And just like in “Game of Thrones,” a lot of your favorite characters are going to die without warning. --Stephen Colbert (3/8/17) / In a new interview, President Trump predicted he would pass Richard Nixon for most appearances on the cover of Time magazine. Hey, dude, do you know WHY Nixon was on the cover so many times? “They’re going to make so many documentaries about me. I’ll bet I even pass Charles Manson.” --Seth Meyers (3/23/17)
Of course I've made new year's resolutions, but I'm bound to be the same mouthy bitch at 12:02 that I was at 11:58.
..........at its mighty spell we tremble in wonder..........Scene 4 Das Rheingold
Moonbeam: Every day, I wish to make the world more beautiful than I found it. --Madame De Pompadour
Something to Think About of the Week:

Big Hello: Selama pagi - Malay
Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I'm not sure I believe all this stuff about genetically modified food being bad for you. I just had a really tasty leg of salmon and I feel fine.
Week of the Week: It's About Time Week (December 25-31) – In 1915 Einstein developed a theory about space and it was about time too.
Donald Trump has removed his good buddy and chief strategist Steve Bannon from the National Security Council. This is quite a humiliating move that has very much left Steve Bannon red-faced, although that is his complexion anyway. --James Corden (4/5/17) / Since becoming president, Donald Trump has not left the country — he’s barely left the country club. But today, Trump sent Ivanka to Berlin to participate in a women’s conference, making her the first Trump to attend a women’s conference that didn’t include a swimsuit competition. Ivanka spoke on a panel titled “Inspiring Women: Scaling Up Women’s Entrepreneurship.” And the Trump family has a long history of inspiring women — to march, to sue, to flee from a dressing room. --Stephen Colbert (4/25/17)
..........A quickening draught of honeyed mead..........Wagner …..Act 1 Die Walkȕre
^ Some assign a possible origin of bowling as early as 3200 BC with a collection of objects which appeared to be an early form of bowling. Others assert that bowling began possibly in 300 AD or in England circa 1366 under the reign of King Edward III. No one is quite certain when bowling evolved, however, from a nine pin game to a ten pin game.
Almanac: Today is Friday, December 29, 2017. The moon was first quarter on Tuesday and is in Taurus. It is Tick Tock Day and YMCA Day. In Gabon they celebrate the President's Birthday and in Texas they celebrate (or comisserate, depending) Admission Day (1845) and worldwide it is Ante-Pen-Ultimate Day.
Among those born on this day were Wagner (1678), Madame De Pompadour (1721), Charles Goodyear (1800), William E Gladstone (1809), Elisabeth (queen of Romania, 1843), Tomas Breton y Hernandez (1850), Pablo Casals (1876), Charles L Harness (1915), Dina Merrill (1925), Mary Tyler Moore (1936), Jon Voight (1938), Ted Danson 91947), and Paula Poundstone (1959).
On December twenty-ninth Poland and Austria signed the Treaty of Gyalu (1541), Jolyot's Idomeneo premiered (Paris, 1705), the US's first nautical almanac was published (1782), the steam powered threshing machine was patented (1837), Texas was admitted as the 28th state (1845), the first YMCA opened (Boston, 1851), Emma Snodgrass was arrested for wearing pants (Boston, 1852), the modern bowling ball was invented (1862), brokerage firms first used the telegraph ticker (1867), the San Francisco Symphony was founded (1911), the first collegiate basketball doubleheader was played (NYC, 1934), Lorca's Yerma premiered (1934), construction on the Seattle Lake Wshington Floating Bridage began (1938), Canada recognized Israel (1948), at age 13 Streisand recorded her first song (1955), Thunderball premiered in the US (1965), Life magazine stopped publishing (1972), the Spanish constitution went into effect (1978), Jamaica issued a Bob Marley postage stamp (1982), Bear Bryant ended his career with Alabama (323 wins, 1982), and the US withdrew from UNESCO (1983).
Night Sky, 12/29: This evening, look lower left of the waxing Moon for Aldebaran, and upper left of the Moon for the Pleiades. Mercury should be an easy catch now low in the dawn. Look for it far lower left of Jupiter, as shown in the middle scene above (their visibility as dawn grows bright is exaggerated there).
This Week: Saturday, December 30 – Bacon Day & No Interruptions Day & Falling Needles Family Fest Day
Sunday, December 31 – Global Champagne Day & Look on the Bright Side Day & World Peace Meditation Day
Monday, January 1 – World Day of Peace & New Year's Day & Ellis Island Day & Polar Bear Plunge Day
Night Sky, 1/1: By mid-evening at this time of year, the Great Square of Pegasus balances on one corner high in the west. The vast Andromeda-Pegasus constellation complex runs all the way from near the zenith (Andromeda's foot) down through the Great Square (Pegasus's body) to somewhat low in the west (Pegasus's nose).
Tuesday, January 2 – Happy Mew Year for Cats Day & National Buffet Day & National Science Fiction Day
Wednesday, January 3 – JRR Tolkien Day & Earth at Perihelion Day
Night Sky, 1/3: The Quadrantid meteor shower, brief but sometimes rich, is well timed this year for North America. It should reach its peak for several hours late tonight.
Thursday, January 4 – Trivia Day & World Braille Day & World Hypnotism Day
Trump claims he would have won the popular vote if there hadn’t been voter fraud but there is absolutely no proof of that. We are now just creating commissions to prove Trump’s dumb theories. I can’t wait for the report from the Senate commission on “But No Seriously, Meryl Streep Is Overrated.” --James Corden (5/11/17) / Trump arrived in Tel Aviv this morning with his wife Melania. He went to hold her hand and she kind of gave him a little, kind of, get-that-away-from-me. I'm no body language expert but I think that's a sign for "I'm supposed to be shopping on Fifth Avenue right now." Either that or his hand is so tiny she just didn't see it. --Jimmy Kimmel (5/22/17)
Happy New Year? Damn well better be or ELSE...
..........Sister, Sister! What has befall'n?.........Wagner …..Act 3 Die Walkȕre
^^ In ancient times, rustic bowling balls were made with … well … whatever was available! In the early days of the sport, balls were often shaped by corn husks, and then bound with leather and string. Most primitive bowling balls did not have gripping holes and forced the bowler to “palm” the ball during each turn. Archaeologists have uncovered ancient bowling balls made from porcelain, as well, indicating that these may have been rolled along the ground, rather than thrown, due to their size and weight.
'Nother Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: ...new cliché ...as easy as taking healthcare from a baby
Science Fiction Convention of the Week: IKKiCON – December 29-31, Austin, TX IKKiCON is a Japanese Animation and Pop-Culture Convention held annually in Austin, Texas. http://ikkicon.com/

Actual Science Convention of the Week: 2017-18 Medical-Dental-Legal Update, December 25-29, Vail, CO. https://www.aeiseminars.com/the-medical-dental-legal-update/program-description/

Moonbeam: The wages of sin are death, but by the time taxes are taken out, it's just sort of a tired feeling. --Paula Poundstone
In Michigan, a Republican congressman said that God would “take care of” climate change. So now, a group of polar bears are on their way to “take care of” a Republican congressman in Michigan. --Conan O'Brien (6/5/17) / It came out yesterday that under the Republican healthcare plan, 22 million people will lose their health insurance over the next decade. 22 million! Or as Trump put it, "Wow — that's like, half my Inauguration crowd!" --Jimmy Fallon (6/27/17)
..........Wearisome labour..........Wagner .....Act 1 Siegfried
Late Night Snacks: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said that the tax plan is "an all-out looting of America, a wholesale robbery of the middle class." Which incidentally, is also the slogan for Whole Foods. --Jimmy Fallon / Hundreds of flights were canceled today at the world's busiest airport in Atlanta due to a massive power outage yesterday. Experts are saying this could lead to as many as 30 texts from your mother. --Seth Meyers ~~Everyone else was on vacation
Justice on the Web of the Week: Odetta singing Leadbelly's Jim Crow Blues https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pejC6hFJcVM
Not So Late Night Snacks: Yes, the tax cut bill...It is impossible to say if the tax cuts will do anything for our economy as promised but one effect is certian it got vice president Pence as close as he has ever been to experiencing sexual pleasure. Paul Ryan who was presiding over the house announced the bill's passage like he was Scrooge waking up on Christmas morning seeing that Tiny Tim had died and yelling, "Yoohoo! Free Crutch!" -Peter Sagal Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me
Still More Funniest Thing I Read of the Month: Caption under a picture of smiling Ryan and McConnell: Not Just Evil – Smugly Evil --From the Website of Roy Zimmerman End of the Ship
Let us make it a year in which we, all citizens, governments, leaders strive to overcome our differences. --UN Secretary-General
Don Jr. has a good explanation: “It was a short introductory meeting. I asked Jared and Paul to stop by. We primarily discussed a program about the adoption of Russian children.” Yes, I think they were talking about the adoption of little Timmy Kislyak. --Stephen Colbert (7/10/17) / The president has been very busy repealing and replacing his staff, most notably Anthony Scaramucci, the Mooch, who 10 days ago was named the White House communications director. Today he’s out of a job. Meanwhile, Donald Trump tweeted about Reince Priebus, who he fired. He wrote, “We accomplished a lot together, and I am proud of him.” That’s two lies in one sentence. --Jimmy Kimmel (7/30/71)
..........Victorious conqueror, conquering light!.........Wagner …..Act 4 Siegfried
^^^ As bowling became more popular over time, bowling equipment makers began to create balls from hard wood like lignum vitae.
Worthless Fact of the Week: the Boston Herald reported Emma Snodgrass had been ‘visiting places of amusement around Boston, ... used to circulate in all the drinking houses, made several violent attempts to talk 'horse,' and do other things for which 'fast' boys are noted.” ~~I did a little research but was unable to find out what talking “horse” meant.
Weird Word of the Week: Proteome – the complete set of the proteins produced from the instructions coded in genome. http://www.worldwidewords.org/turnsofphrase/tp-pro1.htm
Wicked Funniest Thing I Heard of the Week: A Cowboy Song: The legend of roy moore –Stephen Colbert video http://www.cbs.com/shows/the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert/video/7279C4F4-0C9F-8EE2-60C6-53225C4DA3BE/the-legend-of-roy-moore/
Wacky Uses for Common Products: Protect a rifle. To keep debris or rainwater out of the barrel of a rifle, place a Trojan Condom over the muzzle. http://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/trojan.html
Before heading out of town today, President Trump signed a number of sanctions against Russia. They passed with an overwhelming majority in the House, so Trump had to sign it. Vladimir Putin is not happy. In fact, he changed their relationship status on Facebook today to "It's complicated." --Seth Meyers (8/2/17) / The American Cancer Society has decided not to host its charity event at Trump’s resort, Mar-a-Lago. You know it’s not a good sign for Trump when he’s considered too toxic for cancer. --Conan O'Brien (8/17/17)
I resolve to drink enough that I need Ryan Seacrest's help to count backwards from 10.
...........Runes of treaties deeply pondered.........Wagner …..Prelude Gȍtterdȁmmerung
^^^^ Bowling balls continued to evolve, through to the present day, incorporating several pieces as part of the ball’s structure. In the 1980s, polyurethane coverstocks, the name given to the ball’s surface layer, became popular. Polyurethane gave players an edge over traditional polyester balls due to the friction that could be created between the ball and the lane surface. Polyurethane coverstocks also allowed bowlers to generate more hook on the lane and more entry angle into the pins than ever before.
Word Shakespeare Made Up of the Week: Rant – to speak or shout at length in a wild, impassioned way. Hamlet, Act V, Scene 1 Hamlet: Nay, an thou'lt mouth, I'll rant as well as thou.
Peace Website of the Week: Images of the Imagine Peace Tower in Reykjavik, Iceland Click Here
Puck the Brave Episode of the Week: Here's our fearless Puck enjoying Christmas Day off and watching Christmas Story marathon on television. ~~Yes, of course, his favorite scene is the dog stealing the meat.
In another tweet, Trump added "Move fast, Congress." Now how can you tell Congress to move fast when the Senate majority leader is literally a tortoise? --James Corden (9/13/17) / According to The Washington Post, in July of 2016, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort offered to provide private briefings on the presidential race to a Russian billionaire who is close with Vladimir Putin. So Paul Manafort was the campaign manager for Donald Trump, and he met with a billionaire who was friends with Putin, who was in a movie with Kevin Bacon! I did it! --Seth Meyers (9/32/17)
I can't believe it's been a whole year since I haven't become a better person.
..........and taste of the magical draught.........Wagner …..Act 1 Gȍtterdȁmmerung
^^^^^ The company produces 2,500 bowling balls per day, which amounts to 600,000 bowling balls each year.
Month of the Week: January is Book Blitz Month --Too many books? I think what you mean is not enough bookshelves.
Creative Activism of the Week: Utah Republican, misogynist, and yellow-bellied deadbeat official Jason Chaffetz held a town hall meeting where thousands of people showed up to protest his inability to do his job. Unable to get past his pathetic ego, Rep. Chaffetz has decided to follow the Republican Party line lie that anyone voicing displeasure with Republicans are “paid protesters.” Paid by who? Well, since so many of these “paid protesters” haven’t gotten paid yet, some have decided that they would like Rep. Chaffetz to reimburse them for their protesting efforts. Read More
Most Beautiful Thing in the State: Linville Falls, North Carolina Linville Falls drops 90 ft. into the 12-mile long Linville Gorge with cliffs towering above the river. Only one of the trails is strenuous, and you can hike to all five viewpoints with a four-mile hike. https://www.romanticasheville.com/linville_falls.htm
Today's Peace of History, December 29, 1996: War-weary guerrilla and government leaders in Guatemala signed an accord ending 36 years of civil conflict.
Of course, Donald Trump is dealing with huge issues right now — Puerto Rico, Las Vegas, sadly, North Korea — so, naturally, he kept his eye on the ball and let this Tillerson story pass. I'm just kidding! This morning he tweeted, “NBC news is #FakeNews and even more dishonest than CNN. They are a disgrace to good reporting.” What's lovely is that in times of trouble, Donald Trump always is there — for himself. --Stephen Colbert (10/4/17) / Why is Donald Trump so proud of getting a standing ovation? Standing ovations aren’t sincere. They are just something that people feel obligated to do. I’m saying this as someone who gets a standing ovation every night. --James Corden (10/25/17)
..........Came he unharmed through the fire..........Wagner …..Act 3 Gȍtterdȁmmerung
Masthead of the Week: fRiday ePistle, nOt nEw ePistle, January 29, 2017. Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Generic Tag Line. Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. 1800 Goodell Ct. Lawrence, KS 66046
Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: One of my biggest fears is that I'll marry into a family that runs 5Ks on holidays.
Moonbeam: Champagne is the only wine that enhances a woman's beauty. --Madame De Pompadour
Cost of War:
Tax dollars spent in Afghanistan: as of 12/28/17: $793,555,291,230.
Tax dollars spent in Afghanistan: as of 12/21/17: $792,871,213,468.
Tax dollars spent on the Iraq war since 2001 as of 12/28/17: $821,124,698,425.
Tax dollars spent on the Iraq war since 2001 as of 12/21/17: $821,104,705,413.
Tax dollars spent on all wars since 2001 as of 12/28/17: $1,807,013,812,449.
Tax dollars spent on all wars since 2001 as of 12/21/17: $1,805,585,225,562.
Our duty to the peoples we serve is to work together to move from fear of each other, to trust in each other, trust in the values that bind us, and trust in the institutions that serve and protect us... UN Secretary-General
..........Awake, life up thine eyelids.........Wagner …..Act 4 Gȍtterdȁmmerung
President Trump is headed home after his trip to Asia. And I saw that at one point, 2,000 protesters in the Philippines were shouting, “Go home!” — while back in America, 60 million people were shouting, “Stay there!” --Jimmy Fallon (11/14/17) / You might remember that while he was in China, Trump asked China’s President Xi Jinping to release three UCLA players who had been arrested for shoplifting from a Chinese mall — easily the most scandalous thing to happen in a mall that didn’t involve Roy Moore. --Stephen Colbert (11/20/17)
Famous Last Words: Alas for her whose breasts are sand! --Lorca's Women's Song from Yerma
May Peace cover your new year
And Joy kiss it every day
prairie mama
christine



Last Laugh
 

No comments:

Post a Comment