Famous
First Words: Congress shall make no law... 1st
Amendment of the US Constitution
Happy
International Tea Day! It's always Tea Time somewhere. If tea can't
fix it, you know it's really serious.
..........I
rock 'em, roll 'em all night long..........Dominoes …..Sixty
Minute Man (one of the first R&B songs promoted by Alan Freed,
1951)
Peace
is joy at rest. Joy is peace on its feet.
It
is cold (34°F) Friday morning. The sun is not quite up yet but the
enlightening in the east clarifies silhouettes of roof peaks and
smokeless chimneys. There are a few stars shining bravely as the
dark softens. The bare trees look like skeletons against the light.
There is no breeze and every shadow is still. Cooper and Sy (?Psi,
Si) are in the backyard – two dark dogs in the dark of early
morning. They are so excited that I am afraid to open the gate and
have them spill out onto the shadowy grass unseen; so Puck and I
stand outside the fence in the glow of the Christmas lights that wind
their way around the backyard fence, the storage shed, and the deck
railing. My hands glow yellow. Puck rubs noses with the pair
through the slats and then sits, facing the street, barking mostly,
although there are no squirrels or birds this early. There is still
the grinding of motor off to the west, even at the early hour. My
hands begin to get cold and Puck just sits so we return to indoor
warmth and the smell of fresh coffee. This morning, I cream my
coffee with artificial milk - to throw in sharp relief my artificial
sugar – because I am out of half/half. Puck who usually gets a
little cream, goes off to sulk and will not be appeased with treats.
But mostly I return to we return you.
Hope
your weekends soothes and refreshes, ePistliers.
Why
can't we all just get oolong? / Tepidophobia – the fear of a badly
made cup of tea.
..........Wiggle
like a snake, waddle like a duck.........Paul Williams & the
Hucklebuckers …..HuckleBuck (Headliner Freed's Moondog Coronation
Ball, 1952)
Trivia
Questions: Happy National Cupcake Day
^
In which century did small cakes appear in cookbooks?
^^
Any idea why they are called cupcakes rather than, say, cakelets?
^^^
The cupcake uses the same 4 basic ingredients as regular cakes. How
many can you name?
^^^^
Do you know anything about the first cupcake bakery?
^^^^^
How about the world's most expensive cupcake?
Funniest
Thing I Read of the Week: The cable company told me that they
would send a guy out and I need to be home between 1 pm and 2018.
Fake
Library Statistic of the Week:
75%
of librarians watch 'Desk
Set'
each December and nervously laugh about being replaced by a computer.
https://www.facebook.com/FakeLibStats/?fref=ts
I
have finally realized that the only way to lose weight from green tea
is to climb the mountain and pick it yourself. / Tea is the answer to
everything, unless there is chocolate.
..........Your
love is so exciting….......Varetta Dillard …..Mercy, Mr. Percy
(from Freed's Coronation Ball, 1952)
Moonbeam:
By adopting the 'free trade,' or British, system, we place ourselves
side by side with the men who have ruined Ireland and India, and are
now poisoning and enslaving the Chinese people. --Henry Charles
Carey
Something
to Think About of the Week:
Big
Hello: Pranam – Maithili (India)
Week
of the Week: Human Rights Week (December
10-17) – So, as an outside observer, what do you think of human
rights?
She
brewed a cup of tea so mean, it robbed us at gun point before we
could drink it. / The hipster burnt his tongue because he drank tea
before it was cool.
..........Awop-bop-a-loo-mop
alopbom-bom.........Little Richard …..Tutti Frutti (From Freed's
First Movie Don't Knock the Rock, 1956)
^
The
first mention of the cupcake can be traced as far back as 1796, when
a recipe notation of “a light cake to bake in small cups” was
written in American
Cookery
by Amelia Simmons.
Almanac:
It is Friday, December 15, 2018. The moon will be new on Monday and
is in Scorpio. It is Bill
of Rights Day, Cat Herders Day, Free Shipping Day, International Tea
Day, National Cupcake Day, and National Wear Your Pearls Day. In the
Esperanto League it's Zamenhof
Day
(1859) and in the Netherlands Antilles it is Kingdom Day aka Statute
Day (1954) . Because it is the Friday of the second full week it is
also National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day and finally because it is
the third Friday it is Underdog Day.
Among
those born on this day were Nero (37), Gregory King (1648), Ludwig
Ernst (1667), Philippe-Jacques Pfeffinger (1765), Henry Charles Carey
(1793), Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel (1832), Charles Duryea (1861),
Arthur D Little (1863), Maxwell Anderson (1888), J Paul Getty (1892),
Kermit Bloomgarden (1904), Alan Freed (1922), Cindy Birdsong (1939),
Tim Conway (1933), Dave Clark (1942), Don Johnson (1949) and Jill
Pipher (1955).
On
December fifteenth the Bill of Rights was ratified (VA, 1791), the
first US law school was established (University of PA, 1791), the
Patent Office burned (DC, 1836), the first street cleaning machine
was used (Philadelphia, 1854), Edison patented the phonograph (1877),
ground breaking began for the Jefferson Memorial (DC, 1938), Glenn
Miller was lost over the English Channel (1944), Camus "les
Justes" premiered (1949), Christine Jorgenson changed her sex
(1952), the Equal Access Rule went into effect (1961), the first
rendezvous in space was completed (Gemini 6 & Gemini 7, 1965),
the Plastic Ono Band played their only concert (1969), the American
Psychiatric Assocaiton declared homosexuality is not a mental illness
(1973), 3 KC Royals were suspended for cocaine use (1983), and
Ireland lifted the ban on Playboy
magazine (1995).
Night
Sky, 12/15: As dawn begins to brighten on the
morning of Saturday the 16th, look low in the southeast for the
thinning crescent Moon. It forms the end of a ragged diagonal line
with Jupiter, Mars, and Spica extending to its upper right.
Science
Fiction Convention of the Week:
Con+Alt+Delete (Chicago, IL 12/15-17) C+A+D
gives you the chance to meet a thousand of your fellow friends and
anime fans in celebrating Japanese animation and nerd culture.
https://conaltdelete.com/
Actual
Science Convention of the Week:
20th
Annual Medical Dilemmas: A Patient Care CME Conference. December
15-17, NYC.
https://sma.org/education-sma/events/medical-dilemmas-conference/
This
Week: Saturday, December 16 –
National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day
Night
Sky, 12/16: As the Summer Triangle sinks lower
in the west, Altair is the first of its stars to go. Start by
spotting bright Vega in the northwest right after dark. The brightest
star above Vega is Deneb. Altair, the Triangle's third star, is
farther to Vega's left or lower left. How late into the night, and
into the advancing season, can you keep it in view?
Sunday,
December 17 – Clean Air Day & Wright Brothers Day
Night
Sky, 12/17: Have you ever watched a
Sirius-rise? Find an open view right down to the east-southeast
horizon, and watch for Sirius to come up about two fists at arm's
length below Orion's vertical Belt. Sirius comes up sometime around 8
pm now, depending on your location. When a star is very low, it
tends to twinkle quite slowly and often in vivid colors. Sirius is
bright enough to show these effects well, especially with binoculars.
Monday,
December 18 – Answer the Phone Like Buddy the Elf Day &
International Migrants Day
Tuesday,
December 19 – Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop's Birthday (HI)
Night
Sky, 12/19: Orion
is coming into good view low in the east after dinnertime now. And
that means Gemini is also coming up to its left (for the world's
mid-northern latitudes). The head stars of the Gemini twins, Castor
and Pollux, are at the left end of the constellation — one over the
other, with Castor on top.
Wednesday,
December 20 – International Human Solidarity Day
Night
Sky, 12/20: Meteor Shower Ursids is often
neglected due to the fact it peaks just before Christmas and the
rates are much less than the Geminds, which peaks just a week before
the Ursids. Observers will normally see 5-10 Ursids per hour. There
have been occasional outbursts when rates have exceeded 25 per hour.
This shower is strictly a northern hemisphere event as the radiant
fails to clear the horizon or does so simultaneously with the start
of morning twilight as seen from the southern tropics.
Thursday,
December 21 – Crossword Puzzle Day & Celebrate Short
Fiction Day
I
get this pain in my eye whenever I drink tea. Have you tried taking
the spoon out of the cup first. / What do you call a dunking biscuit
with a mustachio? A Lionel Rich-tea.
..........A
shag going down by the social hall.........Bill Haley & His
Comets ….Rip It Up. (From Freed's first Movie Don't Knock
the Rock, 1956)
^^
In
previous centuries, before muffin tins were widely available, the
cakes were often baked in individual pottery cups, ramekins, or molds
and took their name from the cups they were baked in.
Second
Funniest thing I read of the Week: Trying to be happy by
accumulating possessions is like trying to satisfy hunger by taping
sandwiches all over your body. --George Carlin
Moonbeam:
I ought to be jealous of the tower. She is more famous than I am.
-- Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel
Late
Night Snacks: Thirty-two Democratic senators
have now called on Sen. Al Franken to step aside after another woman
accused him of sexual misconduct. Also stepping aside: women when
they see Al Franken coming. --Seth Meyers / Al Franken announced he
is resigning from the Senate due to sexual harassment allegations.
Other senators said he seemed heartfelt, contrite, and dignified and
there’s no place for someone like that in the United States Senate.
--Jimmy Fallon / Yesterday, we finally got congressional testimony
from Donald Trump Jr. His grilling by the House Intelligence
Committee lasted roughly eight hours, making it the first time a
Trump has put in a full work day. --Stephen Colbert / Manafort has
had so much contact with the Russians, today he found out even he's
been banned from the upcoming Olympics.--James Corden / This morning,
Vladimir Putin announced he's going to run for re-election. Then this
afternoon, he announced he won. --Conan O'Brien
Not
So Late Night Snacks: Roy Moore
candidate for senate in Alabama. SoTrump is all in. He told Moore,
quote "Go get 'em, Roy" to which Roy responded: ok, Mr
President but they all have driver's ed now...he values your family,
for instance, thinks your daughter is an 8. --Peter Sagal Wait,
Wait, Don't Tell Me
Inhale
love, exhale joy. Inhale joy, exhale peace. Inhale peace, exhale
love. Repeat
..........Love
didn't stay if flew away.........Connie Francis …..Little Blue
Wren (from Freed's second movie Rock, Rock, Rock, 1956)
^^^
A
standard cupcake uses the same basic ingredients as standard-sized
cakes: butter, sugar, flour, and eggs.
Worthless
Fact of the Week: On
September 25, 1789, Congress transmitted to the state Legislatures
twelve proposed amendments to the Constitution. Numbers three through
twelve were adopted by the states to become the U S Bill
of Rights,
effective December 15, 1791.
Wicked
Funniest Thing I Read of the Week:
Unbeknownst to most theologians, there was a fourth wiseman, who was
turned away for bringing fruitcake. --Sumbitted by sd of ks
Weird
Word of the Week:
Nipperkin – an English West Country unit of volume (1/32 of a pint)
http://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-nip1.htm
Wacky
Uses for Common Products:
Improvise a float. Inflate and tie knots in two Trojan Condoms, tie
a shoelace to the knot in each condom, and position the shoelace
around your back and under your arms.
http://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/trojan.html
If
the tea leaves, does that give the coffee grounds for divorce? / I
don't need a diet tea that suppresses my appetite. I need a diet tea
that smacks the ice cream sandwich out of my hand before I eat it .
...........I
love you that's way.........The Moonglows …..Over and Over Again
(from Freed's second movie Rock, Rock, Rock, 1956)
^^^^
Candace Nelson is the founder and pastry chef of
Sprinkles Cupcakes, the world's first cupcake bakery. Started in
Beverly Hills in 2005, Candace's sophisticated take on the classic
American cupcake made Sprinkles an overnight bakery sensation.
Word
Shakespeare Made Up of the Week: Puking – vomiting. As
You Like It Act II Scene VII Jaques – At first the infant,
mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
'Nother
Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: My boss arrived at work in
a brand new Lamborghini. I said, “Wow, that's an amazing car!”
He replied “If you work hard, put all your hours in, and strive for
excellence, I'll get another one next year.”
Senior
Moment of the Week: I've gotten to the point where I can plan
my own surprise party.
Puck
the Brave
Episode of the Week:
Here's cub detective Cooper showing the ropes to Psi, the new guy, in
the case of the Tired Torkies.
Life
is like a cup of tea...it's all in how you make it. / Karl Marx
didn't care for Earl Grey because all proper tea is theft.
..........the
horse was tired and I was too..........Freddy Bell …..Giddy Up A
Ding Dong (from Freed's third movie Rock Around the Clock,
1956)
^^^^^
The
opening event at The Dubai Mall saw the unveiling of a whopping
$1,010
(Dh3,700)
cupcake which is coated in edible 23 carat gold sheets , setting the
world record for the most expensive cupcake, according to the World
Record Academy.
Month
of the Week: December is National Tie
Month. --A
guy goes into a restaurant and lounge, his shirt open at the collar,
but is stopped by a bouncer who tells him he must wear a necktie to
get in. So
the guy goes out to his car and he looks around for a tie and
discovers that he just doesn't have one. He sees a set of jumper
cables in his trunk. In desperation he ties these around his neck,
manages to fashion a fairly acceptable looking knot and lets the ends
dangle free. He goes back to the restaurant and the bouncer
carefully looks him over for a few minutes and then says, "Well,
okay, I guess you can come in -- just don't start anything."
Seasonal
Thought of the Week: The very best
description of the creche scene that I encountered in my lifetime was
by Stephen ...a kid so stoned even the cows know it...
Most
Beautiful Thing in the State:
Ghost Ranch, New Mexico. With
the dramatic landscape of red and yellow cliffs, Ghost Ranch in
Abiquiu, New Mexico, encompasses 21,000 acres of towering rock walls,
vivid colors and vast skies. It boasts beautiful scenery, was home to
Georgia O’Keeffe and has activities to suit any interest including
hiking, horseback riding and kayaking among others.
https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/ghost-ranch-abiquiu-2
Today's
Peace of History, December
15, 1930: Albert
Einstein urged militant pacifism and the creation of an international
war resistance fund. Einstein stated in New York that if two percent
of those called for military service were to refuse to fight, and
were to urge peaceful means of settling international conflicts, then
governments would become powerless since they could not imprison that
many people.
What
is the plural of iced tea? Bottomless glass. / The children were
trying to be quiet because grandma's tea needed to sleep for 3
minutes.
..........I'm
wearing my heart like a crown..........The Platters …..The Great
Pretender (from Freed's third
movie Rock Around the
Clock, 1956)
Masthead
of the Week:
sTeeped ePistle December, 15, 2017. Online at:
http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/
Peace and Pekoe. Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. 1800 Goodell Ct.
Lawrence, KS 66046
Final
Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: It
should not have to take 98% of black women and 92% of black men to
save white amerika from itself. --submitted by rhb of ks
Moonbeam:
There are some men who lift the age they inhabit, till all men walk
on higher ground in that lifetime. -- Maxwell
Anderson
Cost
of War:
Tax
dollars spent in Afghanistan: as of 12/14/17: $792,189,390,743.
Tax
dollars spent in Afghanistan: as of 12/7/17: $791,521,130,892.
Tax
dollars spent on the Iraq war since 2001 as of 12/14/17:
$821,084,778,436.
Tax
dollars spent on the Iraq war since 2001 as of 12/7/17:
$821,065,247,269.
Tax
dollars spent on all wars since 2001 as of 12/14/17:
$1,804,161,711,009.
Tax
dollars spent on all wars since 2001 as of 12/7/17:
$1,802,765,711,291.
Sleep
in peace and wake in joy.
..........the
world goes round and round.........Frank Lymon & the Teenagers
…..Love Is a Clown (In July 1957 Frankie Lymon danced with a white
girl on Freed's national tv show and the show was promptly canceled)
Tea
is the magic key to the vault where my brain is kept. --Frances
Hardinge / I'm well aware that I'm not everyone's cup of tea...I'd
rather be someone's shot of tequila anyway.
Famous
Last Words: If you want to be a hero well just follow me.
Working Class Hero by the Plastic Ono Band
May
Peace steep your work
And
Joy brew your leisure
prairie
mama
christine
Last
Laugh:
