ePistle bUrgoo

 Famous First Words: The Congress finds that... Americans With Disabilities Act

July is Picnic Month...Actually, it's also National Baked Beans Month, National Hot Dog Month, National Ice Cream Month, National Deli Salad Month, and National Watermelon Month...so Picnic and its various components Month. My friend Nicolas entered a contest to have lunch in the park with the Rolling Stones. I hope they pick Nick.

..........I don't want you to wash my clothes.........Rolling Stones with Mick Jagger …..I Just Want To Make Love To You

Peace is the breath of our spirit. --Universal Peace Covenant

It is a beautiful (74°) Friday morning. There are no clouds in the sky although the blue is very pale as if a very thin layer of white covers it. A 2 mph wind hardly moves the leaves on the trees, much less their limbs. Backyard sunflowers are bright and cheerful and everywhere there are the deep greens of summer. Birds flit through the greenery now and then. Sometimes their voices are heard while they flit, some are silent; the robins rarely converse. Currently there is a high pitched tweet but the maker is unseen. Puck is sleeping and lightly snoring on his pillow. Veronica the cat has not made an appearance yet this morning. I am munching a blueberry muffin and drinking sweet and creamy decaf. Jeff has a new electric mop and so the house begins to smell like soap and steam and the air is filled with swishing sounds. It's a pretty fine morning all the way around.

Hope your weekend is a walk in the park – with food, ePistliers.

First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I want my coffee so strong it would get somebody stripped of their Olympic medal. --Jonathan Edward Durham --Submitted by INRITH

Picnics are for lovers and ants. For a festive change of pace, Anna Anteater's family used to go to the park and lay out a nice checkered tablecloth on the ground and fill it with cake and pie. Then they would play I Spy until their picnic showed up.

..........You'll come running back to me.........Rolling Stones with Mick Jagger …..Time Is On Our Side

Trivia Questions: One Voice Day was created to read the Universal Peace Covenant.

• ^ The Universal Peace Covenant was created by the School of Metaphysics. What do you know about this KCK organization?
• ^^ What religious teaching informs the School of Metaphysics?
• ^^^ Have you read the Universal Peace Covenant?
• ^^^^ One Voice Day asks that we all give public readings of the covenant on what day of the year?

Big Hello of the Week: Fakaalofa atu – Niuean (New Zealand, Cook Islands, Tonga) https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm

Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Remember when we used to laugh at those commercials “I've fallen and I can't get up”? Well, it's not funny anymore. --Submitted by Laughing Librarian

Image of the Week: 2024 Olympic Mascot Phrygian – shaped after the small Phrygian hats. The hat mascot suggests an allegorical figure of the French republic and therefore freedom.

People Wearing Phrygian Hats of the Week: people wearing phrygian hats - Google Search

Literary Joke of the Week: I asked a literary agent what kind of writing paid the most. She said, “ransom notes”. --Submitted by Laughing Librarian

The taxidermist was at the hot dog stand stuffing his face. / A strange sect makes hot dogs from flying mammals...so from bat to wurst.

..........Too lazy to crow for day.........Rolling Stones with Mick Jagger …..Little Red Rooster

Moonbeam: After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music. --Aldous Huxley

Blasphemy of the Week: Jesus isn't American.

Puzzle of the Week: From Sandy Weisz, of Chicago: Think of a famous actor and a famous actress who co-starred in a classic movie of the past. The actress's first name, when reversed, and the actor’s last name, spelled forward, are similar romantic gifts. Who are these film stars? NPR Sunday Puzzle 7/21/24

Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Voting Prevents Unwanted Presidencies.

When it comes to picnics, spilling the beans usually precedes dishing the dirt. Baked beans are rarely brought to picnic these days. They have become tomato covered student food. Has beans.

..........I have to turn my head until my darkness goes.........Rolling Stones with Mick Jagger …..Paint It Black

Almanac: It is Friday, July 26, 2024. The moon will enter the last quarter on Sunday (7/28) and is in Aries. It is All or Nothing Day, One Voice Day, Lumberjack Day, National Talk in an Elevator Day, and System Administrator Appreciation Day.

Among those born on this day were George Bernard Shaw (1856), Carl Jung (1875), Pearl S. Buck (1892), Aldous Huxley (1894), Gracie Allen (1902), Blake Edwards (1922), Jason Robards Jr. (1922), Mick Jagger (1943), Helen Mirren (1946) and Dorothy Hamill (1956).

On July twenty-sixth Ben Franklin became the first Postmaster General (1775), New York ratified the US constitution (1788), the FBI was established (1908), the CIA was established (1947), the first black tv host aired (CBS, Bob Howard, 1948), Egypt seized the Suez Canal (1956), and Apollo 15 was launched (1971).

Night Sky, 7/26: Week by week, Venus is edging up in the west through the afterglow of sunset. Fading Mercury soon drops down. And can you make out fainter, twinkly Regulus near Mercury? http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/sky-at-a-glance/

Fraternal Picture of the Week: Family Picnic

This Week: Saturday, July 27 – Love Is Kind Day & National Day of the Cowboy & Walk On Stilts Day

Sunday, July 28 – Buffalo Soldiers Day & National Parents Day & National Waterpark Day

Night Sky, 7/28: The Piscis Austrinus meteor shower will be active from 15 July to 10 August, producing its peak rate of meteors around 28 July. Piscis Austrinid meteor shower 2024 - In-The-Sky.org

Monday, July 29 – International Butler Day & International Tiger Day & National Lipstick Day & Rain Day

Tuesday, July 30 – Cheesecake Day & Friendship Day & National Share A Hug Day & Paperback Book Day

Wednesday, July 31 – National Avocado Day & National Mutt Day & National Orgasm Day

Night Sky, 7/31: The tail of Scorpius is at its best low due south right after night is fully dark. Find it lower right of the Teapot's spout by a fist at arm's length or less. Or about a fist and a half lower left of Antares. How low it will appear depends on how far north or south you live: the farther south, the higher.

Thursday, August 1 - Girlfriends Day & Lammas & National Mah Jongg Day & Rounds Resounding Day

It's true that the ice princess grew up to be the Dairy Queen. Soda jerks learn their trade at Sundae School. These jokes are from Cone Appétit magazine.

..........While the sun is bright.........Rolling Stones with Mick Jagger …..Ruby Tuesday

^ The School of Metaphysics was brought into the world in 1973 as a place where all people of all backgrounds could come to study, learn, teach, research the ways to live in harmony with the Universal Laws that govern creation. It is a 501(c)(3) educational institute of higher learning. It is headquartered in Kansas City, KS. School of Metaphysics (som.org)

Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: The difference between JD Vance and his book is the book has a spine. --Adam Miller --Submitted by gr of oh

Moonbeam: Technological progress has merely provided us with more efficient means for going backwards. --Aldous Huxley

Conspiracy Theories of the Week: Almost immediately after the assassination attempt on Trump at a Butler, Pennsylvania, rally Saturday evening, a conspiracy theory emerged that the assassination attempt had been “staged” – that Trump and his campaign had set it up to orchestrate the iconic photos of a resolute Trump surviving an attempt on his life. The term “staged” began trending. AND Some suggested, without evidence, that the shooting had occurred because of deliberate negligence on the part of the Secret Service. Others, including elected Republican lawmakers, falsely tried to suggest President Joe Biden or his administration had some role in the attempted assassination. Conspiracy theories spread wildly after the first assassination attempt on a US president in the social media age | CNN Business

Joke Related to Conspiracy Theories of the Week: The reason I'm convinced that he didn't lose a piece of his ear is that he would have put it up for auction by now. --Submitted by 98%

Video of the Week: In Honor of Lumberjack Day – Monty Python: The Lumberjack Song (2:41) The Lumberjack Song (youtube.com)

Peace is our birthright. --Universal Peace Covenant

A picnic is a great way to see what all the foods you love would taste like if you add ants. --Maxine. I love everything about family picnics. Except the heat, the food, the flies, and the family. --Maxine

..........Hey, think the time is right for a palace revolution.........Rolling Stones with Mick Jagger …..Street Fighting Man

^^ The Bahá'i Faith's Universal Life Principles were a basis for the Universal Peace Covenant. Among these principles are the independent search after truth and the oneness of the human race. Universal Peace | What Bahá’ís Believe (bahai.org)

Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: We all deserve oscars for our stunning performances as high functioning humans in a crumbling society.

Weird Word of the Week: Percontation: A question designed to elicit confirmation or denial as opposed to a question designed to obtain information Percontation (worldwidewords.org)

Dragon of the Week: Street Lamp in Copenhagen

Wacky Uses for Common Products: Clean dirt, grease, and grime from walls, glass, porcelain, wooden furniture, and the outsides of appliances. Dissolve one-quarter cup Cascade in one gallon of very hot water. Scrub, then wipe clean with a dry cloth. Cascade is spot-resistant and contains water-softening agents, so everything gets shiny clean without rinsing. Cascade®: Wacky Uses

Watermelons write all the good tell-all books because they have all the juice. If life gives you melons, check with your optometrist, you may have dyslexia. You should never trust watermelons; they've always been a little seedy.

...........Well, you know I could never be alone.........Rolling Stones with Mick Jagger …..Dead Flowers

^^^ It's not very long and it's right here: The UNIVERSAL PEACE COVENANT (som.org)

Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: After watching a whole lot of TV thrillers...I've come to the conclusion that serial killers only murder women with matching bras and panties. This makes me feel very safe. --Submitted by Laughing Librarian

Science Fiction Convention of the Week: GalaxyCon 2024 (25-28, Raleigh, NC) Join fans from across the galaxy... GalaxyCon Raleigh

Actual Science Conference of the Week: 9^th International STEAM Education Conference (iSTEM-Ed) 2024, (7/31-8/2, Cha-am, Hua Hin, Thailand) Teaching with the Technology Resource Center 9th International STEM Education Conference 2024 | IEEE Education Society (ieee-edusociety.org)

Answer to Puzzle of the Week: Meg Ryan (Gem) and Billy Crystal (Crystal, When Harry Met Sally)

My love for pie is irrational. My philosophy in life is always leave room for pie. These fast food places would make a lot more money if they sold breakfast pies instead of breakfast burritos.

..........When I'm ridin' round the world.........Rolling Stones with Mick Jagger …..Satisfaction

^^^^ Originally the Universal Peace Covenant was to be read every year on December 31^st. The date was later changed to July 26^th, One Voice Day.

Fun Facts of the Week: Iceland is the only country in the world with no mosquitoes.

Quote of the Week: True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country. --Kurt Vonnegut

Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: My mind works so fast. When I think of something I say it. Lots of times I say it even before I think of it. --Gracie Allen

Today's Peace of History, July 26, 1990: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush.

S'more puns, I can't resist. I'll tell you where Puffy is. They smooshed his face between two crackers and doused him with chocolate. It was s'morbid. Little known fact: King Arthur took that sword out of the stone so he could toast marshmallows for s'mores.

..........Se a cabo..........Santana …..Se A Cabo

Masthead of the Week: Friday ePistle, July 16, 2024, ePistle bUrgoo**. Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. Lawrence, KS. **Burgoo is a thick soup or the outdoor meal where it is served.

Moonbeam: An intellectual is a person who's found one thing that's more interesting than sex. --Aldous Huxley

Cost of War:

• As of 07/25/24 State Department Costs: $241,721,963,445.
• As of 07/18/24 State Department Costs: $241,167,455,132.
• As of 07/25/24 Homeland Security: $1,174,267,015,918.,
• As of 07/18/24 Homeland Security: $1,173,664,695,216.
• As of 07/25/24 Interest on War Debt: $1,234,258,109,362.
• As of 07/18/24 Interest on War Debt: $1,232,709,317,418.
• As of 07/25/24 Military Costs: $3,096,807,130,702.
• As of 07/18/24 Military Costs: $3,095,631,242,609.
• As of 07/25/24 Veterans Care: $3,781,25,021,826.
• As of 07/18/24 Veterans Care: $3,769,513,972,329.
• As of 07/25/24 Total Cost of Wars: $9,528,309,356,738.
• As of 07/18/24 Total Cost of Wars: $9,512,687,051,250.

https://www.nationalpriorities.org/cost-of/

Our world is in the midst of change. --Universal Peace Covenant

Famous Last Words: “Good night, Gracie” --Gracie Allen (Burns and Allen Show)

..........The sands have run out.........Rolling Stones with Mick Jagger …..Lady Jane

Ever been to one of those church picnics where everybody brings enough for their family and another family. In fact, as a benediction** our pastor used to say, “Go in peace and take something with you.” Elon Musk is so stingy he held the company picnic at a soup kitchen. **My grammar AI wanted me to change it to blessing. It gave no explanation. FYI: AI doesn't understand puns at all and is down right snotty about whether you can use definite articles or whether you can leave them out.

May Peace be your entree
And Joy be your dessert
prairie mama
christine

Last Laugh:

dUal aCtion ePistle

 Famous First Words: This book was written in the hope... Herbert Marcuse On Dialectics

Happy Robin Hood Days! Those wanted posters that were up all over Sherwood Forest, they were printed in Serif of Nottingham font. At one time July 19^th was St Vincent de Paul Feast Day. Vincent de Paul was a 17^th century priest who cared for the poor and marginalized. In my lifetime they ran thrift stores. I thought the movie Good Will Hunting was about thrift stores. Spoiler alert, it's not.

..........I tell myself, “What's done is done”.........Vikki Carr …..It Must Be Him

The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman... --Declaration of Sentiments Seneca Fall Women's Rights Convention 1848

It is a beautiful Friday morning. 65°F is just a little cool and a 2 mph breeze is just enough to emphasize the “not quite cold”ness of it. Our willow tree is hardly moving at all and the mulberry waits for squirrels and birds to create motion, light and bouncy under the fat robin but rapid and unpredictable with the squirrel brothers. The sky is absolutely blue without a cloud or a jet trail for contrast. A mourning dove sits on the utility wires and mourns for us while a variety of unseen species sing praises to the newborn sun. I take a long sip of decaf and listen as Veronica the cat bats a jingling ball down the hallway and silently paces after it. A pine incense smoulders in the waterfall burner and the smoke snakes down the levels looking, indeed, like water dripping down a tiny rock ledge. What a comfortable morning. Happy Today!

Hope your weekend is first hand fun, ePistliers.

First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Snoring is basically bragging about being asleep, so loudly, that it stops other people from sleeping. It's like lying there screaming, “I'M HAVING A LOVELY SLEEP”. --Chris Ramsey --Submitted by SH

Legolas and Robin Hood were seen running from the Olympics. It makes them deparchers. Yesterday there was a fire at the Vincent de Paul store in Armourdale; one of the spectators died of second-hand smoke.

..........We'll have to pay for the love we stole.........Flying Burrito Brothers with Bernie Leadon …..Dark End Of The Street

Trivia Questions: Happy National Pajama Day!

• ^ Where did pajamas originate?
• ^^ When did pajamas come to the west?
• ^^^ What do you know about the word pajama?
• ^^^^ Where did footie pajamas come from?
• ^^^^^ In the US, what percentage of people wear pajamas to bed.

Big Hello: Salibonani – Ndebele (Northern Zimbabwe) (How to Pronounce Ndebele (youtube.com) https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm

Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: The world would be a better place if we all raised vegetables instead of voting for them.

Image of the Week: Puck - Before ...to be continued

Library Laugh of the Week: Let's turn an old bus into a mobile library, fill it with banned books, drive to conservative areas, and give them to the kids. We could call it “Banned on the Run” Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/FakeLibStats/?fref=ts

Robin Hood had many arrow escapes. You know you're a thrift-store-aholic when the highlight of your vacation is shopping at strange new thrift stores in new exotic cities.

..........Your prison is walking through this world all alone.........Eagle with Bernie Leadon …..Desperado

Moonbeam: Worry is evidence of an ill-controlled brain; it is merely a stupid waste of time in unpleasantness. --Dr Charles W Mayo

Blasphemy of the Week: If God made a man in his own image, why aren't we all, like......invisible? --Father Guido Sarducci --Submitted by rg of kc

Puzzle of the Week: From Dan Pitt, of Palo Alto, CA: Think of something in two words (7,5) that you might take camping. The phrase has seven consonants, which are all different and appear in alphabetical order through the phrase. What camping item is this?

Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I heard that Project 2024 is a lot easier to understand in the original German. --Occupy Democrats --Submitted by jm of ks

I overheard the sheriff of Nottingham complaining that Robin Hood was dominating the 24-Hour news cycles. The Salvation Army has started a new nationwide 12-step program for thrift-store addicts.

..........Ooo I like the way it feels..........Nitty Gritty Dirt Band with Beanie Leadon …..One Step Over The Line

^ Pajamas are soft garments which were adopted in the Western world as nightwear. These soft garments originated in India and southern Iran

Almanac: It is Friday, July 19, 2024. The moon will be full (Buck) on Sunday (7/21) and is in Capricorn. It is Celebration of The Horse Day, Hemingway Look-Alike Day, and Words With Friends Day. It is also Robin Hood Days (19-20). Because it is the 3rd Friday it is National Pajama Day and Parks & Recreation Professionals Day.

Among those born on this day were Edgar Degas (1834), Lizzie Borden (1860), Charles Mayo (1865), Herbert Marcuse (1898), George McGovern (1922), Vikki Carr (1938), Roy D. Bridges (1943), Bernie Leadon (1947), Brian May (1947), and Kathleen Turner (1954).

On July nineteenth Egyptian calendar was instituted (2781 BCE), Lady Jane Grey was deposed (1554), the first woman's rights convention opened (1848), the railroad finally reached Kansas (1860), the first Wimbledon championship was held (1877), the San Francisco public library began lending books (1880), Ty Cobb got his 4,000th hit (1927), fiberglass sutures were first used (1939), the Apollo spacecraft went into lunar orbit (1967), the Moscow summer olympic opened (1980), Geraldine Ferraro won the nomination of Democratic VP (1984), and the Richard Nixon library opened (1990).

Night Sky, 7/19: The nearly full Moon tonight shines in the handle of the Sagittarius Teapot. Cover the Moon with your fingertip to help reveal the stars near it. http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/sky-at-a-glance/

Fraternal Picture of the Week: Ollie and Max literally hanging out

This Week: Saturday, July 20 – Moon Day & Space Exploration Day & World Chess Day & World Jump Day

Sunday, July 21 – National Ice Cream Day & National Be Someone Day

Night Sky, 7/21: The low Moon this evening forms a huge, nearly vertical line with Altair about three fists above it and Vega the same distance above Altair, near the zenith. Look just a finger-width at arm's length above Altair for its eternal little sidekick Tarazed (Gamma Aquilae), a modest magnitude 2.7 compared to Altair's showy 0.7. But looks are deceiving. Altair looks so bright because it's one of our near neighbors, just 17 light-years away. Tarazed is an orange giant star about 380 light-years farther in the background — and it's 170 times more luminous than Altair!

Monday, July 22 – Casual Pi Day & National Mango Day & Spooners aka Spoonerisms Day

Tuesday, July 23 – Gorgeous Grandma Day & Hot Enough For Ya Day & National Sprinkle Day

Wednesday, July 24 – Cousins Day & Tell An Old Joke Day

Night Sky, 7/24: Neptune, magnitude 7.9 in Pisces, is 12° east of Saturn before dawn begins — easier if you have large binoculars or a telescope. Neptune's disk is a mere 2.3 arcseconds wide, hardly more than the size of a star's seeing disk during ordinary seeing.

Thursday, July 25 – Carousel Day & Hire A Veteran Day & National Refreshment Day & Wine and Cheese Day

Robin Hood on LinkedIn: Activist/Chief fundraiser at Nottingham. I may be a beginner at some things, but I've got a black belt in thrift store shopping.

..........Will you do the Fandango.........Queen with Brian May …..Bohemian Rhapsody

^^ One of the earliest known references to pajamas dates back to the 1600s when a Frenchman named Jean de Thevenot mentioned the Portuguese wore them when going to bed in his travelogue.

Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I'll believe corporations are people when Texas executes one. --Submitted by ff of ks

Peace is the only adequate war memorial.

Moonbeam: Study well and travel to the stars. --Roy D Bridges Jr

Reader Response: A video of rodeo jokes and a song. Robert Earl Keen - Copenhagen (Live in Dallas) (Official Audio) (youtube.com) --Submitted by vr of +66

Video of the Week: 7 ½ Cents – A union song from the musical The Pajama Game The Pajama Game | 7 1/2 Cents (Seven and a Half Cents) | Motion Picture #pjgame - YouTube --Doris Day, Jack Straw, and the Chorus (3:44)

In entering upon the great work before us, we anticipate no small amount of misconception, misrepresentation, and ridicule; but we shall use every instrumentality within our power to affect our object. --Declaration of Sentiments Seneca Fall Women's Rights Convention 1848

Robin Hood's doctor diagnosed him; it's menintightis. I finally gave up and joined TA, Thrifters Anonymous.

..........Gonna take on the world someday..........Queen with Brian May …..We Will Rock You

^^^ The word “pajamas” is used in America, which comes from the word “pae-jama” in Hindi which means leg clothing or leg garment and dates as far back as the 13th century Ottoman Empire. The British and Australians spell it pyjama.

Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: The forest holds many secrets … and many ticks. So many damned ticks.

Weird Word of the Week: oojah ('u:dʒa:) useful device which doesn't have a name, or something which does have a proper name but which you've temporarily forgotten (aka thingumabob, doohickey or whatchamacallit) Oojah (worldwidewords.org)

Dragon of the Week: The Jade or Sherwood Dragon – some say it originated in Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire.

Wacky Uses for Common Products: Prewash stains on clothes. Wet the fabric, and sprinkle Cascade on the stain. Scrub gently with an old toothbrush, rinse, and run through the regular wash cycle. Cascade®: Wacky Uses

Robin Hood laundred his money through a small business, Sherwood Florist. I like to take long romantic walks through thrift stores.

...........But the weather forecast is plain.........Nitty Gritty Dirt Band with Bernie Leadon …..Brass Sky

^^^^ The Chinese created footie pajamas, which are still made, proving popular with parents of babies and toddlers who won’t keep their covers on.

Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Unlike the brain, the stomach alerts you when it's empty. --African Proverb --Submitted by ma of va

Science Fiction Convention of the Week: JoMoCon (20, Joplin, MO) ...passions of the nerdverse... JoMoCon - Home

Actual Science Conference of the Week: Earth Educators Rendezvous 2024 (15-19, Philadelphia, PA) On the Cutting Edge Rendezvous 2024 (carleton.edu)

Distant Cousin of Image of the Week: After

Answer to Puzzle of the Week: Coleman Stove (c..l..m..n..s..t..v)

Robin Hood was on his deathbed in his little house in Sherwood Forest. Maid Marian, Friar Tuck, and the rest of the Merry Men gathered at his side. Robin whispered, "Bring me a bow and arrow. I'll shoot into the forest and wherever the arrow lands, that is where you must bury me". The bow duly arrived and Robin shot an arrow for the very last time. And so, with heavy hearts and many tears, Robin's friends buried him on top of the wardrobe.

..........She's got the moon in her eyes.........Eagles with Bernie Leadon …..Witchy Woman

^^^^^ A survey suggested that 74% of us wear pajamas to bed, 8% sleep nude, and the rest are clothed in something else.

Conspiracy Theory of the Week: Teletubby Recruiters: Jerry Falwell saw something off about Tinky Winky, the largest pal in Teletubbyland. “He is purple—the gay pride color, and his antenna is shaped like a triangle—the gay pride symbol,” Falwell wrote in an issue of his own magazine. The character had a boy’s voice, he continued, but he often carried a red purse—ahem. The article was titled “Parents Alert: Tinky Winky Comes Out of the Closet.” Jerry Falwell and Tinky Winky, the gay Teletubby. (slate.com)

Quote of the Week: That man is richest whose pleasures are cheapest. --Henry David Thoreau

Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Pre means before. Post means after. To use both prefixes together would be preposterous... --Submitted by Laughing Librarian

Today's Peace of History, July 19, 1958: Several black teenagers, members of the local NAACP chapter (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), entered downtown Wichita’s Dockum Drug Store (then the largest drugstore chain in Kansas) and sat down at the lunch counter. This was the first instance of a sit-in to protest segregationist policies. ~~It lasted 2 weeks and was totally successful.

Robin Hood's favorite television show is Archer. Captain Hook got his hook at the second-hand store.

..........No sweeping exits or offstage lights.........Flying Burrito Brothers with Bernie Leadon …..Wild Horses

Masthead of the Week: Friday ePistle, 2024, dUal aCtion ePistle. Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. Lawrence, KS.

Moonbeam: I'm fed up to the ears with old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in. --George McGovern

Cost of War:

• As of 07/18/24 State Department Costs: $241,167,455,132.
• As of 07/11/24 State Department Costs: $240,602,272,421.
• As of 07/18/24 Homeland Security: $1,173,664,695,216.
• As of 07/11/24 Homeland Security: $1,173,050,798,411.
• As of 07/18/24 Interest on War Debt: $1,232,709,317,418.
• As of 07/11/24 Interest on War Debt: $1,231,130,764,111.
• As of 07/18/24 Military Costs: $3,095,631,242,609.
• As of 07/11/24 Military Costs: $3,094,432,756,599.
• As of 07/18/24 Veterans Care: $3,769,513,972,329.
• As of 07/11/24 Veterans Care: $3,757,549,638,276.
• As of 07/18/24 Total Cost of Wars: $9,512,687,051,250.
• As of 07/11/24 Total Cost of Wars: $9,496,768,171,921.

https://www.nationalpriorities.org/cost-of/

Firmly relying upon the final triumph of the Right and the True... --Declaration of Sentiments Seneca Fall Women's Rights Convention 1848

Last Minute Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Why didn't I think to invest in Confederate Ear Bandages? --Submitted by mm of ia

Famous Last Words: ...but my soul will be justified before God. --Lady Jane Grey

..........You're just too good to be true.........Vikki Carr …..Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You

Robin Hood never missed; he was an arrow-dynamic shooter. May the thrift shop odds be ever in your favor.

May Peace be your mission
And Joy be your legacy
prairie mama
christine

Last Laugh: Salute to Parks & Recreational Professionals on their day

rOped ePistle

 Famous First Words: The Congress shall have power... US Constitution 16th Amendment

July is Rodeo Month! Actually, this is my first rodeo. First, let's straighten out some myths. Bulls DO NOT have love handles, they have rodeo grips.

..........You've got a way of lifting me up….......Fleetwood Mac with Christie Mcvie …..Love In Store

All bad precedents begin as justifiable measures. --Julius Caesar

It is a warm (83°F) Friday morning. Sun is shining in a near cloudless sky and a 9 mph breeze shakes the mulberry and the sunflower plants. I have been to the doctor (my regular one, not the hip one) who said my incision is not infected, “they always look like that”. So I can stop worrying about that and get on with walking around without pain. This morning is so far along that the birds have come and gone, the squirrels too have come and gone, and now I get to write to you – not a bad morning at all.

Hope your weekend is as exciting as a bull ride, ePistlers, but lasts longer.

First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: It's okay to cut negative people out of your life, just don't use your fabric scissors. --Submitted by sb of ar

Bareback Riding by Eiffel Down and Lord Howard Hertz. Most certainly the definitive work on the subject. / Bull Rider pick up lines: Got 8 seconds?

..........like they know the score.........Fleetwood Mac with Christie Mcvie …..Songbird

Trivia Questions: Happy 129^th Birthday to Oscar Hammerstein II !

• ^ How many musicals did he write – all or in part?
• ^^ Who did Oscar collaborate with before Richard Rodgers?
• ^^^ How many of those musicals did Oscar write with Rodgers?
• ^^^^ Where did Oscar go to college?
• ^^^^^ Do you know Oscar's full name?

Big Hello: Oraire ota - Nkore (Uganda) https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm

Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Language was invented because of the deep human need to complain. --Lily Tomlin

Literary Joke of the Week: British novel: Let's go to a party and find a wife. German novel: Let's go to the wilderness and find ourselves. Russian novel: Let's go to the depths of despair and then find out there is an even deeper level of despair we didn't know about and go there. --Submitted by Laughing Librarian

Weird Headline of the Week: Nebraska regent suggests putting fans' ashes under the football field. --apnews.com

Some friends of mine recently took up freestyle bullfighting. It sure didn't take them long to get hooked. / Steer Wrestling Motto: Everything will kill you so pick something fun.

..........So let yourself go and let love begin..........Fleetwood Mac with Christie Mcvie …..Think About Me

Moonbeam: I am a passenger on the spaceship, Earth. --Buckminister Fuller

Blasphemy of the Week: Next time someone says, “i'ts Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve”, reply with “it's homosapien not heterosapien.

Puzzle of the Week: From Evan Kalish, of Bayside, N.Y. Name a state capital. Remove its first two letters, and you can rearrange the rest to name something in two words that you might find while beachcombing in that state. What is it? --NPR Sunday Puzzle 7/7/24

Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: This is a song I wrote called, “I am absolutely delicious and I hate that mosquitos know it”. --Submitted by Laughing Librarian

Rodeo Wisdom: Never squat with your spurs on. / Barbara the bull rider had a way of singing bulls to sleep. She would put a bull to sleep in the first 2 seconds of her ride and relax during the last 4 seconds. She was known as the bull-dozer.

..........No, no, you can't disguise.........Fleetwood Mac with Christie Mcvie …..Little Lies

^ Between 1920 and 1959 Oscar wrote all or part of about 45 musical dramas.

Almanac: It is Friday, July 12, 2024. The moon will enter the first quarter tomorrow (7/13) and is in Libra. It is Different Colored Eyes Day**, National French Fry Day, National JELL-O Day, National Pecan Pie Day, Night of Nights, Paper Bag Day, Simplicity Day, and Wayne The Chicken Show Day. Because it is the second Friday it is also Collector Car Appreciation Day and National Motorcycle Day. **One of my eyes is light brown and the other is dark brown.

Among those born on this day were Julius Caesar (100 BCE), Josiah Wedgewood (1730), George Eastman (1854), Oscar Hammerstein II (1895), Buckminster Fuller (1895), Milton Berle (1908), Andrew Wyeth (1917), James E Gunn (1923), Van Cliburn (1934), Bill Cosby (1937), Christie McVie (1943), and Cheryl Ladd (1951).

On July twelfth Henry VIII married Catherine Parr (1543), the 16th amendment was approved and sent to the states (Income tax, 1909), Congress boosted the minimum wage to 33 cents (1933), and the Major League Baseball Players Association was founded (1954).

Night Sky, 7/12 : As summer progresses, bright Arcturus moves down the western side of the evening sky. Its pale ginger-ale tint always helps identify it. Arcturus forms the bottom point of the Kite of Boötes. The Kite, rather narrow, extends upper right from Arcturus by 23°, about two fists at arm's length. The lower right side of the kite is dented inward, as if some celestial intruder collided with it. The kite tilts toward the Big Dipper. http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/sky-at-a-glance/

Fraternal Picture of the Week: Ollie, the Birthday Boy !

Extra Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: It's time to raze existence, it's time to banish light, it's time to call the void in, on the Muppet Show tonight. --Mike Toole

This Week: Saturday, July 13 – International Skinny Dip Day & National Barbershop Music Appreciation Day

Sunday, July 14 – International Nude Day & World Chimpanzee Day & World Orca Day

Night Sky, 7/14: The tail of Scorpius is at its best low due south soon after dark. It's about a fist and a half at arm's length lower left of Antares, and a fist or less lower right of the Sagittarius Teapot's spout. How low this scene appears depends on how far north or south you live: the farther south, the higher.

Monday, July 15 – Global Hug Your Kid Day & National Give Something Away Day & St Swithin's Day**

**Legends says today's weather will hold for 40 more.

Tuesday, July 16 – National Personal Chef's Day & World Snake Day

Wednesday, July 17 – Take Your Poet To Work Day & World Emoji Day

Night Sky, 7/17: Saturn (magnitude 1.1, near the Aquarius-Pisces border) rises around midnight and shines high in the southeast before dawn. The Great Square of Pegasus is two fists upper left of it, and Fomalhaut sparkles two fists lower right of it.

Thursday, July 18 – International Sister Cities Day & Insurance Nerd Day

Barrel Racers are just crazy cat ladies with a little money. / Serene Bovine Ranch provided calves for the calf roping rodeo. But the calves were always grinning and cavorting so much that they were called laughing stock.

..........You can take me to paradise..........Fleetwood Mac with Christie Mcvie …..Over My Head

^^ Oscar worked with Vincent Youmans, Rudolf Friml (Rose Marie), Sigmund Romberg (Lover Come Back to Me), and Jerome Kern (The Last Time I Saw Paris) before he found Richard Rodgers.

Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Give someone a book and they'll read for a day. Teach someone to write a book … and they'll spend a life-time mired in paralyzing self-doubt. --Submitted by Laughing Librarian

Moonbeam: There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly. --Buckminister Fuller

Worthless Fact of the Week: A blue whale can fart a bubble big enough to encompass a horse.

Video of the Week: Van Cliburn playing Chopin's Polonaise, Op 53 on the Ed Sullivan Show (7:01) Van Cliburn "Chopin's Polonaise, Op. 53" on The Ed Sullivan Show (youtube.com)

The difference between a republic and an empire is the loyalty of one's army. --Julius Caesar

When Irad Ortiz told Brittany Tonozzi she rode like a girl, she said, “Yes, so try and keep up”. / Steer Wrestling Motto: Steer Wrestling is my therapy.

..........You and me got plenty of time..........Fleetwood Mac with Christie Mcvie …..Hold Me

^^^ Rodgers & Hammerstein wrote 9 musicals together. Oklahoma (1943), Carousel (1945), Allegro (1947), South Pacific (1949), The King and I (1951), Me and Juliet (1953), Pipe Dream (1955), Flower Drum Song (1958), and The Sound of Music (1959).

Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I've had burritos more supreme than this court. --Submitted by af of ks

Weird Word of the Week: Nidicolous – Nest dwelling Nidicolous (worldwidewords.org)

Dragon of the Week: What's in your garage?

Wacky Uses for Common Products: Clean a thermos bottle. Fill the bottle with two tablespoons of Cascade and hot water. Let sit for thirty minutes, then swish clean with a bottle brush and rinse thoroughly. Cascade®: Wacky Uses

The all around champion of the Dinosaur Rodeo was Tyrannosaurus Tex. / Rodeo Pick Up Line: Rope, spurs, leather gloves...even if I weren't a cowgirl, we're talking a good time.

...........So help me, help me, help make this feeling go.........Fleetwood Mac with Christie Mcvie …..Say You Love Me

^^^^ Oscar Hammerstein II studies law at Columbia University in New York City. 1912-16

Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: SIX – S = 9 --Submitted by SH

Science Fiction Convention of the Week: Con-Gregate 2024 (12-14, Winston-Salem, NC) ...Get thee to the geekery ConGregate 10 (con-gregate.com)

Actual Science Conference of the Week: 15^th International Congress on Mathematical Education (7-14, Sydney, Australia) ..a challenging congress ICME-15 (2024) | International Mathematical Union (IMU) (mathunion.org)

Answer to Puzzle of the Week: Tallahassee --> A seashell

Bull riding is one of those sports that got started with “Hey, hold my beer”. / Bronc Riding is very much like Bull Riding … there's lots of bucks and you've gotta hold on for 8 seconds. But broncs can lift their legs above your head and bulls are just heavy.

..........My friends say I'm acting peculiarly.........Fleetwood Mac with Christie Mcvie …..Everywhere

^^^^^ Oscar was born Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II

Conspiracy Theory of the Week: Many Illuminati believers are convinced that the Denver Airport is the headquarters. The airport has embraced the rumors by poking fun at it, but that hasn't stopped people from believing secret tunnels and lizard lairs lurk beneath the building. 30 Crazy Conspiracy Theories That People Actually Believe (popularmechanics.com)

Quote of the Week: Everyone is his or her own messiah. --James E Gunn, Lawrence's own science fiction master

Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I child proofed my house, but they're still getting in. --Submitted by jm or ks

Today's Peace of History, July 12, 1920: Lithuania & USSR signed a peace treaty and Lithuania became an independent republic.

Before he became a burger flipper Ronald McDonald was a rodeo clown who swore an oath of revenge against the bull that killed his brother. / The Barrel Riders warm-up ring is at best a three ring circus and at worst Dante's 7^th level of hell.

..........Sweet, wonderful you.........Fleetwood Mac with Christie Mcvie …..You Make Loving Fun

Masthead of the Week: Friday ePistle, 2024, rOped ePistle. Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. Lawrence, KS.

Moonbeam: Love is metaphysical gravity. --Buckminister Fuller

Cost of War:

• As of 07/11/24 State Department Costs: $240,602,272,421.
• As of 07/04/24 State Department Costs: $240,051,697,837.
• As of 07/11/24 Homeland Security: $1,173,050,798,411.
• As of 07/04/24 Homeland Security: $1,172,452,748,361.
• As of 07/11/24 Interest on War Debt: $1,231,130,764,111.
• As of 07/04/24 Interest on War Debt: $1,229,592,865,827.
• As of 07/11/24 Military Costs: $3,094,432,756,599.
• As of 07/04/24 Military Costs: $3,093,265,012,305.
• As of 07/11/24 Veterans Care: $3,757,549,638,276.
• As of 07/04/24 Veterans Care: $3,745,890,320,298.
• As of 07/11/24 Total Cost of Wars: $9,496,768,171,921.
• As of 07/04/24 Total Cost of Wars: $9,481,253,911,849.

https://www.nationalpriorities.org/cost-of/

I have always reckoned the dignity of the republic of first importance. --Julius Caesar

Famous Last Words: ...the best friend your car has ever had. --The Milton Beryl show aka The Texaco Star Theater sign-off

..........Open your eyes and look at the day..........Fleetwood Mac with Christie Mcvie …..Don't Stop

There is nothing in life that's worth doing if it can't be done from a horse. / I've heard that when rodeo clowns die they go to Y'allhalla.

May Peace ride beside you
And Joy hold your lead
prairie mama
christine

Last Laugh: Happy National Jell-O Day!