zEalous ePistle

 Famous First Words: Captain's log, star date 1513... First episode of Star Trek

Take Heart! It's National Enthusiasm Week! Your Monday morning enthusiasm is creating a hostile work environment. Sage advice: Herb your enthusiasm. I prefer the folly of enthusiasm to the indifference of wisdom. --Anatole France

..........Here's to the man who drinks dark ale and goes to bed quite mellow.........Kingston Trio …..Three Jolly Coachmen

Resolved, That we shall forever oppose every action, emanating from what source it may, whether civil, political, social, or religious, in any manner derogatory to the universal equality of man. — Colored National Convention of 1848

It is a breezy Friday morning. The sun is shining on the tall willow which is dancing in the cool (67°F) air, sweeping southward. Even the mulberry is waving its branches and stretching. There are no clouds in the sky, nor jet trails, nor birds for that matter. I hear birds chirping and singing but they remain out of sight. Puck is asleep under my chair and freshly brewed and doctored coffee is in my cup. A small red cone of incense sends a fruity scent into the air; but the smoke rises straight up in contrast to the constantly moving outdoor scene. The rest of my day begins to creep into my thoughts: physical therapy for my hip at 11, fast food lunch at 11:30, a nap after that, but mostly writing to you right here, right now. Ah, what a nice morning.

May enthusiasm define your weekend, ePistlers, in a good way.

First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Sometimes the supply of available profanity does not meet my daily needs.

You will never have more energy or enthusiasm, or hair, or brain cells than you have today. --Tom & Ray Magliozzi I am often amazed at how much more capability and enthusiasm for science there is among elementary school youngsters than among college students. --Carl Sagan

..........Dicen que por las noches..........Harry Belefonte ….Cu Cu Ru Cu Cu Paloma

Trivia Questions: Happy Birthday, Star Trek

• ^ In the very first episode, The Man Trap, what substance was the shape shifting monster composed of? Sodium / Sugar / Silicon / Salt
• ^^ In Journey to Babel we meet Spock's parents, Sarek of Vulcan and Amada Grayson of Earth. Who played Spock's mother?
• ^^^ What is the registry number for the starship Enterprise in the original series?
• ^^^^ What is Chekov's full name?
• ^^^^^ What is Captain Kirk's middle name?

Big Hello: Bonjorn! - Occitan (Southern Europe, Spain to Italy) https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm

Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: My odds of winning powerball and having all of my students listen to directions the first time are the same. --Submitted by Laughing Librarian

Image of the Week: Since his haircut, Puck's fur is growing out slowly, but his eyebrows are growing much faster. Ain't he cute?

Library Joke of the Week: 265: The number of jokes found in Philogelos, the world's oldest surviving joke book. Philogelos, commonly translated as “the laughter-lover” or “the joker” is believed to date back to 4^th or 5^th century Greece.

What I lack in enthusiasm I make up for in lack of competence. Science is the great antidote to the poison of enthusiasm and superstition. --Adam Smith

..........'Cause it must be a mighty fine town-o..........Burl Ives …..The Fox

Moonbeam: When the government violates the people's rights, insurrection is, for the people and for each portion of the people, the most sacred of the rights and the most indispensable of duties. --Marquis De Lafayette

Blasphemy of the Week: What's the difference between Atheists and Christian Nationalists? Atheists are honest about not following Jesus. --Submitted by Anti-Capitalist Education

Joke That Should Have Been in Last Week's ePistle of the Week: When you're down by the sea and an eel bites your knee that a moray

Puzzle of the Week: From listener Dominick Talvacchio of Chicago. Think of a common two-word phrase for something you experience in a desert. Rearrange the letters to get a single word for something you should do in the desert as a result. NPR Sunday Puzzle 8/2/2020

Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Every time you help another person, a libertarian dies.

Winner of the Most Enthusiastic Hula Hoop Champion: Saturn. Enthusiasm moves the world. --Arthur Balfour

..........Way up, Suzianna.........Kingston Trio …..Bay of Mexico

^ The Salt Monster was analogized in this episode to the Buffalo, the Passenger Pigeon, and the Chameleon. Although her frightening "true form" was never revealed until the very end, she took on many false appearances, chiefly Old Nancy Crater, but also, in order: Young Nancy Crater, Wrigley's Planet girl, crewman Green, Uhura's Swahili fantasy man, and finally Dr. McCoy himself! "The creature leading you on a merry chase, Mister Sulu?"

Almanac: It is Friday, September 6, 2024. The moon was new on Tuesday (9/3) and is in Virgo. It is Fight Procrastination Day and National Lazy Mom Day. Because it is the first Friday it is also Bring Your Manners To Work Day, National Food Bank Day, and Stand Up to Cancer Day.

Among those born on this day were Heinrich M. Muhlenbert (1711), Marquis de Lafayette (1757), Alexander Tilloch Galt (1817), Joseph P. Kennedy (1888), Jimmy Reed (1925), Jo Anne Worley (1937), Swoosie Kurtz (1944), and Jane Curtin (1947).

On September sixth the pilgrims set sail (1620), the National Black Convention opened (1848), Carnation processed its first can of evaporated milk (1899), Star Trek premiered (1966), Eric Clapton plays on the Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", and Begin and Sadat met at Camp David (1978).

Night Sky, 9/6: Now the thickening crescent Moon shines about 18° (nearly two fists) left or upper left of Venus in bright twilight. And Spica is now part way between them. Then several hours later as dawn is getting under way on Saturday the 7th, Mercury poses low over much fainter Regulus. http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/sky-at-a-glance/

Fraternal Picture of the Week: The Lego Chemistry Set

This Week: Saturday, September 7 – Grandma Moses Day & Grateful Patient Day & National Play Outside Day

Sunday, September 8 – International Literacy Day & Grandparents Day & World Physical Therapy Day

Night Sky, 9/8: At nightfall, the crescent Moon shines low in the southwest. Look almost two fists upper left of it for orange Antares. Two thirds of the way from the Moon to Antares is the near-vertical row of three stars marking the head of Scorpius. The brightest of these three is the middle one, Delta Sco. It's not all that much fainter than Antares.

Monday, September 9 – National Teddy Bear Day & Opposite Day & Wonderful Weirdos Day

Tuesday, September 10 – Swap Ideas Day & (World) Suicide Prevention Day

Wednesday, September 11 – National Day of Service and Remembrance

Night Sky, 9/11: Mercury is up in pretty good view during early dawn. Watch it brighten fast this week, from fairly faint to obvious. Look low in the east-northeast starting about 50 or 60 minutes before sunrise. On the morning of August 31st Mercury is still only magnitude +0.8, but by just a week later, September 7th, it's mag –0.7. That's four times as bright!

Thursday, September 12 – National Day of Encouragement & National School Picture Day & Video Games Day

If you're a true car enthusiast you will remember people not by name but by the car they drive. A mediocre idea that generates enthusiasm will go further than a great idea that inspires no one. --Mary Kay Ash

..........Fa la la la la dee dee bow wow wow..........Harry Belafonte …..The Drummer and the Cook

^^ Nothing had really been mentioned about Mr. Spock's parents to this point in the series. It came as quite a shock to find he has a human mother. If you had shown me a police lineup with ten women and asked me to pick the one I thought was Spock's mother, I am sure Jane Wyatt would've been the last one I would have chosen. Her most well-known TV role was as Margaret Anderson, the mother on "Father Knows Best". (Does that make Betty, Bud and Kathy Spock's step-siblings?)

Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: We have art so that we shall not die of reality. --Friedrich Nietzsche

Moonbeam: Don't buy a single vote more than necessary. I'll be damned if I'm going to pay for a landslide. --Joseph P Kennedy

Conspiracy Theory of the Week: Unhumans: The Secret History of Communist Revolutions (and How to Crush Them),” co-written by right-wing conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec and professional ghostwriter Joshua Lisec. It is an attack on the left posing as a history of revolutionary “abuses.” This book has been endorsed by JD Vance.

Video of the Week: Jane Curtin addresses complaints after Chevy Chase left SNL. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r29-JkdKDec

Resolved, That whatever is necessary for the elevation of one class is necessary for the elevation of another; the respectable industrial occupations, as mechanical trades, farming or agriculture, mercantile and professional business, wealth and education, being necessary for the elevation of the whites; therefore those attainments are necessary for the elevation of us. Colored National Convention of 1848

The enthusiasm and confidence you bring to our table on Trivia Nights is rivaled only by the impressive consistency with which you are always wrong. Enthusiasm is everything. It must be taut and vibrating like a guitar string. --Pele

..........There ain't no hammer under this mountain, rings like mine.........Odetta …..Waterboy

^^^ Registry Number: NCC-1701 The letter “A” is later added to the registry number so that it could be distinguished from later models.

Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: If only you could see yourself through my eyes, you'd be amazed how blurry you are.

Follow Up to Joke That Should Have Been In Last Week's ePistle of the Week: When an eel has a maw with a pharyngeal jaw, that's a moray. --Submitted by SH

Weird Word of the Week: Vigintillion: a 1 followed by 120 zeros (10¹²⁰) OR 1 followed by a mere 63 zeros (10⁶³) https://www.worldwidewords.org/ww-vin2.html

Dragon of the Week: Architectural Dragon from Riga

Wacky Uses for Common Products: Stop bleeding while shaving. Dab on some ChapStick if you nick yourself. The wax clogs the nick and stops the bleeding. https://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/chapstick.html

All jokes should be told with confidence. Bad jokes should also be told with a lot of enthusiasm. Ask any 10 year old. None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm. --Henry David Thoreau

...........Pretty stars were made to shine.........Kingston Trio …..Little Maggie

^^^^ Pavel Andreievich Chekov, a young, slightly rebellious ensign on the Enterprise.

Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I asked my mom if I was a gifted child. She said they certainly wouldn't have paid for me. --Calvin & Hobbes

Late Breaking Conspiracy Theory of the Week – Taylor Swift Thread: Travis Kelce Gets Lawyers Involved After Someone Leaked A Contract That Seemingly Proves His Relationship with Taylor Swift Is Fake: https://www.facebook.com/TotalProSports ~~This seems to be a website devoted solely to showing and almost ALL pro athletes really support Trump.

Science Fiction Convention of the Week: I found no science fiction conventions this weekend. ...Why do they call them conventions when everyone attending is unconventional?

Actual Science Conference of the Week: SaaStr Annual (10-12, San Francisco, CA) software-as-a-service industry professional https://www.saastrannual2024.com/

Answer to Puzzle of the Week: Dry Heat → Hydrate

The Navy has discovered that non-swimmers defend the ship with much more enthusiasm than swimmers. Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. Live today with gusto. --Dale Carnegie

..........And he's the man who never returned..........Kingston Trio …..M.T.A.

^^^^^ Captain James Tiberius Kirk. In Where No Man Has Gone Before, he is referred to as James R Kirk, but it was changed to James T later.

Stunning Fact of the Week: There are at least 372 food banks partnering with 20,000 food pantries, soup kitchens, etc serving about 53 million people. (2020)

Quote of the Week: When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. --Hunter S Thompson

Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: You all realise that the Iliad and the Odyssey were originally both audiobooks, right? --Mateusz Fafinski

Today's Peace of History, September 6, 1963: Anti-nuclear marchers who began in Glasgow, Scotland, arrived in London and attempted to present a dummy missile to the British Imperial War Museum.

Ever have one of those days when your t-shirt is more enthusiastic about life than you are? There is a real magic in enthusiasm. It spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment. --Norman Vincent Peale

..........Away, you rolling river...........Harry Belafonte …..Shenandoah

Masthead of the Week: Friday ePistle, September 6, 2024, zEalous ePistle. Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. Lawrence, KS.

Moonbeam: What you sees is what you gets. --Jimmy Reed

Cost of War:

• As of 09/05/24 State Department Costs: $245,066,291,307.
• As of 08/29/24 State Department Costs: $244,502,021,362
• As of 09/05/24 Homeland Security: $1,177,899,568,641.
• As of 08/29/24 Homeland Security: $1,177,286,712,137
• As of 09/05/24 Interest on War Debt: $1,243,598,821,977.
• As of 08/29/24 Interest on War Debt: $1,242,023,066,924
• As of 09/05/24 Military Costs: $3,103,899,029,607.
• As of 08/29/24 Military Costs: $3,102,702,747,197.
• As of 09/05/24 Veterans Care: $3,852,056,368,318.
• As of 08/29/24 Veterans Care: $3,840,114,109,286
• As of 09/05/24 Total Cost of Wars: $9,622.518,923,815.
• As of 08/29/24 Total Cost of Wars: $9,606,629,826,783

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

Resolved, That we impressively recommend to our brethren throughout the country the necessity of obtaining a knowledge of mechanical trade, farming, mercantile business, the learned professions, as well as the accumulation of wealth,--as the essential means of elevating us as a class. --Colored National Convention of 1848

Famous Last Words: Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow. --Jane Curtin Weekend Update

..........I could feel the way I do and still be on the wagon.........Kingston Trio …..Scotch and Soda These are all songs from albums my brother shared when we still lived in the same house.

I want to open a dispensary for people who like weed, but not too much... I'm going to call it “Herb Your Enthusiasm”. Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. --Winston Churchill

May Peace inform your spirit
And Joy inhabit your soul
prairie mama
christine

Last Laugh: