Famous
First Words: An
act to allow a drawback of the duties... The
Stamp Act of 1773
It
is Sky Awareness Week (April 22-28) --Emma,
the teacher, is reading her class the story of Chicken Little. Emma
gets to the part where Chicken Little tries to warn the farmer. "So
Chicken Little went over to the farmer and said, 'The sky is falling,
the sky is falling." Emma then asks her class, "What do
you think the farmer then said?" Little Moshe raises his hand.
"I think he said, 'I can't believe it! A talking chicken!"
..........He
is the moon in the morning, and the sun at night.........Sheena
Easton …..When He Shines
50
Ways to Promote Peace # 2: Attend Peace Rallies ~~The next peace
vigil in Lawrence is tomorrow, May 4 at noon at 9th and
Mass.
It
is a lovely Friday morning. The sun is shining and there is not a
single cloud or jet trail or even flock of birds in the sky. A light
breeze enforces the 41°F without being outright cold. The white
flowers of the decorative pear are gone, replaced by cute little baby
leaves but the white bud (albino red bud?) is in full bloom and even
the big, old trees in the little wood across the street and the
stubborn pin oaks are sporting green stubble. In fact, green is
everywhere – the lawn, the bushes, the trees, the flowers. Yapping
Puck and cold-nosed Cooper and wiggly Cy are all chasing squirrels
who are long gone from the yard by now, but Puck barks and Cy jumps
on the fence and Cooper stands by me patting my leg with is cold, wet
nose. Birds are on branches high and low; a pair of robins silently
vie for position, a quarrel of sparrows are discussing something
quite animatedly, and lone birds fly from yard to wood to housetop.
The air is full of birdsong from seen and unseen sources. Bare spots
in the yard are still a bit muddy from yesterday's rain and give a
damp, dank smell to the morning which blends well with the scent of
new foliage on the wind. But my nose and my toes begin to feel the
cold and the dogs have finished whatever they call what they were
doing and so Puck and I return to our rooms and warmth and fresh
brewed decaf. Now I sit with my mouth enjoying creamy sweetened
tartness and my brain enjoying thoughts of you. ….lovely morning.
Hope
your weekend unfolds under clear skies, ePistliers.
Do
we have any idea what Spring is up to this year that she can't show
up for work? / The Bible says it rained for 40 days and 40 nights and
it's called a “catastrophe”. In Sweden, we call it summer.
..........For
a dime I can talk to God.........Sheena Easton …..In The Winter
Trivia
Questions: Happy Birthday, Ulysses
^
Do you know what Ulysses S Grant's actual name was?
^^
At the time of his election Grant was the youngest president ever to
be elected. How old was he – more or less?
^^^
Which Caribbean nation did Grant attempt to annex?
^^^^
In what war did Grant and Lee fight together?
^^^^^OK,
so who is really buried in Grant’s tomb?
Funniest
Thing I Read of the Week: I don't always roll a joint, but
when I do it's my ankle. --Submitted by sd of ks
Fake
Library Statistic of the Week:
10%
of librarians are currently keeping an eye on the computer user who
keeps nervously peeking around his monitor.
https://www.facebook.com/FakeLibStats/?fref=ts
What
did tornadoes sound like before there were freight trains? --Stephen
Wright / There is a technical name for dangerous precipitation. It's
called rain of terror.
..........I
wanna give you better days.........Sheena Easton …..Fire And Rain
Moonbeam:
It is justice, not charity, that is wanting in the world. --Mary
Wollstonecraft Godwin
Something
to Think About of the Week:
Next
Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: The
inventor of the doorbell did not own a chihuahua.
Big
Hello: Yá'át'ééh
- Navajo https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm
Week
of the Week: National Tattoo Week (April
25-30) –The blue dragon of Punr had a distinctive tattoo under his
right wing. It was a picture of a drunk college boy.
There
is a technical name for a warm, sunny day following two rainy days.
It's called Monday / Arizona has two types of weather. HOT and a
little less HOT.
..........So
you better beware.........Sheena Easton …..When The Lightning
Strikes Again
^
Hiram Ulysses Grant was stuck with the name Ulysses
S. Grant due to a mistake by a benefactor on his application form to
West Point. And as with President Harry S. Truman, the middle initial
"S" doesn’t stand for anything. But having the name
"U.S." Grant gained Hiram the nickname “Sam”--as in
Uncle Sam--among soldiers.
Almanac:
It is Friday, April 27, 2018. The moon will be
full (Blue) next Monday and is in Libra. It is Babe
Ruth Day, LGBT National Day of Silence, Mantanzas Mule Day, Morse
Code Day, (Some also observe this on May 24) National Little Pampered
Dog Day, and Undiagnosed Children's Awareness Day. Austria
commemorates 2nd Republic Day (1945) while in Sierra Leone-1961 and
Togo-1960 it is Independence Day. Because it is a Friday it is
Arbor Day in the US and, apparently, in particularly in Utah.
Because it is the last Friday it is also National Hairball Awareness
Day, National Day of Silence, and Day of Dialogue. ~~Wonder how
often the 27th
of the month was on a Friday that wasn't the last Friday...
Among
those born on this day were John Burman (1707), Mary Wollstonecraft
Godwin (1759), Andreas Romberg (1767), Samuel Morse (1791), Ulysses
Grant (1822), Edward Whymper (1840), Walter Lantz (1900), Jack
Klugman (1922), Casey Kasem (1932), Sandy Dennis (1937), Cuba Gooding
(1944), Jim Ryun (1947), and Sheena Easton (Shirley Orr, 1959).
On
April twenty-seventh the universe was created (according to Kepler,
4977 BCE ~~Hey, he was only off by 4 billion years), the Peace of
Beaulieu & Paix de Monsieur was signed (1576), the Tea Act was
enacted in British Parliament (1773), Regent's Park zoo opened
(London, 1828), West Virginia seceded from Virginia (1861), Cornell
University was chartered (1865), Schliemann discovered the ruins of
Troy (1870), the World Exposition opened in Luik (1905), the
Brussels' World Fair opened (1935), US Social Security paid it's
first benefit (1937), the first atomic powered submarine was launched
(Tullibee, 1960), Syngman Rhee of South Korea resigned (1960), Apollo
16 returned to Earth (1972), and students took over Tiananmen Square
(1989).
Night
Sky, 4/27:
Look
below the bright Moon this evening for Spica. Jupiter rises far to
their lower left around the end of twilight.
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/sky-at-a-glance/
Science
Fiction Convention of the Week:
Pine Fur Con (27-29, Portland, ME) Heroes vs Villains – Maine's
first furry convention. https://pinefurcon.org/
Actual
Science Convention of the Week: Annual meeting of the Solid State
Division of the Mexican Society of Physics
(26-28, Zacatecas, Mexico)
https://www.aps.org/meetings/meeting.cfm?name=SSD18
This
Week: Saturday, April 28 –
National Herb Day & National DEA Take Back Day & Workers
Memorial Day
Night
Sky, 4/28:
Face north just after nightfall, look very high, and now you'll find
the Pointers, the end stars of the Big Dipper's bowl, on the meridian
pointing toward Polaris straight down below. From the Pointers to
Polaris is about three fists at arm's length.
Sunday,
April 29 – International Dance Day & Peace Rose Day &
Zipper Day
Monday,
April 30 – Kiss of Hope Day & International Jazz Day &
Walpurgis
Night
Sky, 4/30:
As
night descends, Pollux and Castor are high in the west lined up
almost horizontally (depending on your latitude). The heads of the
Gemini twins, they form the top of the enormous Arch of Spring. To
their lower left is Procyon, the left end of the Arch. Farther to
their lower right is the right end, formed by Menkalinan (Beta
Aurigae) and then brilliant Capella. The whole thing sinks in the
west through the evening.
Tuesday,
May 1 – Beltane & International Workers Day &
Skyscraper Day
Night
Sky, 5/1:
Mercury
is very low in the glow of sunrise while Neptune is deep in the
skyglow of dawn. Mars and Saturn both rise about 2 am in
Sagittarius.
Wednesday,
May 2 – World Tuna Day & National Deaf Interpreter Day
Night
Sky, 5/2:
Venus
shines brightly in the west in twilight. Jupiter rises around the end
of twilight after dark and shines after Venus sets
Thursday,
May 3 – Lumpy Rug Day & National Textiles Day &
Public Radio Day
..........The
darkness has passed.........Sheena Easton …..Flower In The Rain
^^
Grant, the former general was 46 years old and had
never held elected office when he took office in 1869. His
inexperience would be a factor in a tumultuous eight-year term in the
midst of Reconstruction.
'Nother
Funniest thing I Read of the Week: How to win the war on
drugs. 1. Legalize drugs 2. Require all drugs to be purchased
through Comcast customer service.
Although
a soldier by profession, I have never felt any sort of fondness for
war, and I have never advocated it, except as a means of peace.
--Ulysses S Grant
Moonbeam:
The beginning is always today. --Mary
Wollstonecraft Godwin
Late
Night Snacks: Thanks to the royal baby, today
was the first time in a long time that the breaking news wasn't about
Donald Drumpf. Which is weird, 'cause usually #royalbaby is about
Donald Drumpf. --Conan O'Brien / Over the weekend Drumpf tweeted
about James Comey and Robert Mueller but he misspelled the words
"counsel" and "shady." Drumpf doesn't know the
red underline means spell check — he thinks it's his phone telling
him that it loves that part of the tweet. --Jimmy Fallon / White
House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said today that
President Drumpf has no intention of firing special counsel Robert
Mueller. Instead, Drumpf's plan is to be so guilty of so many things
that Mueller just works himself to death. --Seth Meyers / President
Drumpf did not attend the funeral (Barbara Bush). The White House
said they didn't want him to be a distraction. Only Donald Drumpf
could make people say, "I'm glad he's not at this funeral. He'd
ruin the mood." --James Corden / Drumpf hit on a variety of
subjects, but the one that really seems to have stuck in his craw was
a New York Times article, "Michael Cohen has said he would take
a bullet for Drumpf. Maybe not anymore." Yeah, I don't think
he'll take a bullet. At this point, my money is on Russian poisoning.
--Stephen Colbert
Not
So Late Night Snacks: So Cohen claimed
attorney-client privilege for a lot of these records, but he said
that he only had three clients - President Trump, this other big GOP
fundraiser, who also had to pay off a Playmate or four, and a mystery
client. Who could it be? Somebody who didn't want his name mentioned
in court - was it maybe Mike Pence, who needed to pay off a young
woman who saw him with his necktie loosened once? No. It was Fox
News' Sean Hannity. So the question immediately arose - who did Sean
Hannity need to pay off? It's horrible to think there are people who
got money for sleeping with him. But it's worse... It's worse to
think of all the people who slept with him and got nothing. --Peter
Sagal Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me
Actually,
Cloud has been dating Fog for quite a while now. She finds him very
down to earth. / Remember the ice bucket challenge? It Scotland it's
called going outside.
..........Won't
you close your weary eyes.........Sheena Easton …..St Judy's Comet
^^^
The president wanted to take the Dominican Republic
into the Union for several reasons: as a military base, as a
sanctuary for freed slaves, and as a market for US goods. The treaty
was approved by the Dominicans, but stalled in the Senate. Grant’s
fight with Senator Charles Sumner divided the Republican party.
Worthless
Fact of the Week: Under
the terms of the Peace
of Beaulieu
the Huguenots were given freedom of worship throughout France.
Weird
Word of the Week:
Hebdomadal – something that occurs every 7 days. Its
full moniker is Pre-Deadline Tension, the bane of wordsmiths such as
myself with a hebdomadal column to devise, write, rewrite, endlessly
tweak and, usually at the eleventh hour, email to a hotly expectant
press. --Alison
Taylor, in the Liverpool
Daily Post,
7 Feb. 2008.
http://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-heb3.htm
~The ePistle is hebdomadal – who knew?
Wicked
Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: You
know what's cheaper than therapy? Just admitting you're nuts and
running with it. --Submitted by nm or ks
Wacky
Uses for Common Products:
Make your own household cleanser for walls and floors. Add one-half
cup 20 Mule Team Borax, one-half teaspoon Dawn Dish Washing Liquid,
and one teaspoon ammonia to two gallons of warm water.
http://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/20muleteam.html
Florida
– where the weather is so messed up we give it names. / My mother
always said hurricanes are like stray cats...you give them a name and
they move right in with you. Pretty soon they've ruined the
furniture and you're living on their time schedule.
...........Divided
in your thoughts.........Sheena Easton …..Calm Before The Storm
^^^^
Grant and Lee served in the army during the Mexican
War. Lee was the chief of staff for General Winfield Scott, while
Grant served under General Zachary Scott. Both men received high
marks from their superiors.
Word
Shakespeare Made Up of the Week: Gnarled – knobbly, rough,
twisted, especially with age. Measure for Measure
Act II, Scene 2 Isabella: thou rather with they sharp and
sulphurous bolt splilt'st the unwedgeable and gnarled oak the the
soft myrtle...
Penultimate
Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: This
guy in my art class forgot his paint brush so he just cut off a chunk
of his hair and taped it to a pencil. I feel like he has more
commitment to fine art than I do.
Science
You Can Do At Home of the Week:
Pasta Rocket … Make a homemade rocket engine with pasta and
peroxide. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrhdMYJJRxM
Puck
the Brave
Episode of the Week:
Here's our fearless Puck listening with skepticism to his mom explain
why she still hasn't given him his summer haircut in the case of the
Cold Chow.
The
Automobile Association warned that anyone traveling in icy conditions
should take a shovel, blankets, extra clothes, 24 hours supply of
food and water, de-icer, rock salt, a flashlight, a spare battery, a
gas can, first aid kit, and jumper cables. Then they wouldn't let me
on the bus. / It's official. The weather has been diagnosed with
Bipolar Disorder.
..........You
can let down and kick around.........Sheena Easton …..No Deposit,
No Return
^^^^^
That’s
a trick question. Grant and his wife, Julia, are interred inside the
tomb, but their crypt is above ground. No one is buried. It is the
largest mausoleum in North America.
Month
of the Week: April is National Humor
Month – A Pun, a Play-on-Words, and a Limerick walk into a bar.
No joke!
Final
Funniest Thing I Read of the Week:
Exercise? I thought you said extra fries.
Most
Beautiful Thing in Wyoming:
Grand Teton National Park --Crowned
by the craggy peaks of the mighty Teton
Mountain Range,
Grand Teton National Park is one of the jewels of Wyoming.
https://www.nps.gov/grte/index.htm
Today's
Peace of History, April
27, 1942: Sixteen pacifists, including
Evan Thomas and A.J. Muste, refused to register for the World War II
draft. Muste was a Quaker activist, founder of the Fellowship of
Reconciliation, and author of two pamphlets that same year, War
Is the Enemy
and Wage Peace Now.
Weather
Warning! Southerners are urged not to travel unless absolutely
necessary. Northerners, you will need your big coat. / A snow day is
only bad news if you forgot to run to the liquor store.
..........I
think of things we used to do.........Sheena Easton …..Misty Blue
Masthead
of the Week:
fRiday ePistle April 27, 2018, Azure ePistle. Online at:
http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/
Generic Tag Line. Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. 1800 Goodell Ct.
Lawrence, KS 66046
Moonbeam:
Men, in general, seem to employ their reason to justify
prejudices...rather than to root them out. --Mary
Wollstonecraft Godwin
Cost
of War:
As
of 4/24/18 Military Costs of War since 2001: $2,815,525,306,556.
As
of 4/19/18 Military Costs of War since 2001: $2,813,565,582,699.
As
of 4/24/18 Homeland Security Costs since 2001: $822,774,407,167.
As
of 4/19/18 Homeland Security Costs since 2001: $821,442,570,350.
As
of 4/24/18 Interest on War Debt since 2001: $584,001,998,869.
As
of 4/12/18 Interest on War Debt since 2001: $580,630,461,317.
As
of 4/24/18 Veterans Care since 2001: $288,364,070,304.
As
of 4/19/18 Veterans Care since 2001: $287,683,527,130.
As
of 4/24/18 Total Cost of Wars since 2001: $4,510,666,379,982.
As
of 4/19/18 Total Cost of Wars since 2001: $4,505,319,076,475.
50
Ways to Promote Peace #1: Treat all people with kindness, regardless
of race, gender orientation, sexual orientation, religion, etc.
http://uncustomary.org/50-ways-promote-peace/
..........How
high is the sky.........Sheena Easton …..How Deep Is The Ocean
You
thought spring was near. That's adorable. Welcome to 2018! /
Welcome to Cleveland where the weather is made up and the seasons
don't matter. --Drew Carey
Famous
Last Words: ĀR - .-.-. --OUT - Morse Code
May
Peace color your sunshine
And
Joy paint your rainbow
prairie
mama
christine
Last
Laugh:
