Famous
First Words: Ladies
and gentlemen of the convention: --Geraldine
Ferraro Acceptance Speech 1984
It's
the week of the National Comic-Con. --Any of you going to Comic-Con?
I was going to go, but I was stopped by security for “Possession of
a Wife and a Job” --Conan O'Brien / Things to Look For: A
Steampuck version of something that should not be steampunk.
..........Lighten
up while you still can..........Bernie Leadon & the Eagles
…..Take It Easy
There
is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass
through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we
reach the mountaintop of our desires. --Nelson Mandela
It
is a muggy (81°F, 71% RH) Friday morning. The sky is empty of
everything except the ghostly image of a waning moon. There is a
light breeze that now and then gusts to almost cool. The three
little dogs that moved into the corner house are out this morning and
the barking is so fierce that Puck and I turn back before we reach
that end of the block. It clears the area of squirrels and rabbits
but not mosquitoes. It is even half a block before we can hear
birdsong again. Puck is into tracking mode this morning and sniffs
every clump in every yard and every bump in the pavement. So I walk
slowly and take deep breaths of air that smells hot and dusty and
scorched. Grass and foliage are still very green and vibrant. Can I
feel the moisture in the air or is it sweat? So we return home to
hot creamy coffee and a cool people to write to.
My
heroes and heroines, I hope you all have super weekends.
This
week at New York's Comic-Con, Sylvester Stallone charged fans almost
$500 for a photo with him. So far, he's made almost $500. / Things
to Look For: Domineering Dad: Join me and you will complete my
costume. With our combined cosplay, we can end this destructive
imbalance and bring order to the con.
..........Wavin'
your banner all over the place..........Brian May & Queen …..We
Will Rock You
Trivia
Questions: Happy Birthday to Kansas Trains
^
Know which line was the first to reach the Kansas border?
^^
How about when the first rail construction began in Kansas proper?
^^^
Any idea what it took to get a railroad charter in Kansas?
^^^^
When did Lawrence/Topeka get “connected”?
^^^^^
How did the state help the railroads move west?
Funniest
Thing I Read of the Week: Donald Drumpf
likes his women like he likes his Geneva Conventions … mostly
ignored, but regularly violated.
Fake
Library Statistic of the Week:
50%
of librarians say the glass is half full, 50% say it's half empty;
100% say you aren't allowed to have it in the computer lab.
https://www.facebook.com/FakeLibStats/?fref=ts
We
started this morning with bagels and then some tequila. --Bill
Murray (Day 1 Quotes) / A couple of English guys brought a donkey as
part of their costume, but it got lost in the crowd; what a pair of
assless chaps.
..........I've
done my sentence but committed no crime..........Brian May &
Queen …..We Are The Champions
Moonbeam:
Free election of masters does not abolish the master or the slave.
--Herbert Marcuse
Naturally
Occurring Mandela of the Week: Sea Anemone
Big
Hello: AccaЛomy
aЛeЙkym – Tajik (Tajikistan)
https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm
Next
Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I
don't know why people are complaining that Ariel went from white to
black, your ex-girlfriend did the same and it was the best decision
she made. --Grandma Gertrude
Something
or Other of the Week:
Late on Wednesday afternoon (4 – 4:30ish) we noticed that our house
was getting warmer and was hardly cooler than outside. The air
conditioner was running but not the fan and the air may or may not
have been as cold as usual. Before noon on Thursday, Cloud had
replaced the part, cleaned the coil, replaced the filter and we were
cool before it even got hot enough outside to kill us. Thank you to
Tom for finding Cloud and to Cloud for making us cool.
Week
of the Week:
Hemingway Look-Alike Days (18-21) --Paula Deen's (Yes, the racist
fired from the Cooking Channel) husband won a Hemingway Look Alike
Contest. ~~This is not a joke.
https://www.dailybreak.com/break/paula-deen-husband-wins-hemingway-lookalike-contest
Tomorrow
is the start of Comic-Con. You can tell because San Diego
prostitutes are holding up signs advertising a “First Timer
Special” --Conan O'Brien / The Fibonacci
Panel was sold out. This year's was as big as the last two years put
together.
..........Are
you happy, are you satisfied ..........Brian May & Queen
…..Another One Bites The Death
^
The Hannibal-St Joseph line, completed in 1859, was the first
railroad to reach the border of the Kansas Territory.
Almanac:
It is Friday, July 19, 2019. The moon was full (Buck) last Tuesday
(7/16) and is in Pisces. It is Flitch of Bacon Day**
and Laos celebrates Independence Day (1949).
Among
those born on this day were Edgar Degas (1834), Lizzie Borden (1860),
Charles Mayo (1865), Herbert Marcuse (1898), George McGovern (1922),
George Hamilton IV (1937), Vikki Carr (1938), Roy D. Bridges (1943),
Bernie Leadon and Brian May (1947), and Kathleen Turner (1954).
On
July nineteenth the presumed start of the Egyptian calendar (2781
BCE), Lady Jane Grey was deposed (1554), the first US women'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 1
went into lunar orbit (1967), the Moscow summer Olympics opened
(1980), Geraldine Ferraro won the nomination of Democratic VP (1984),
and the Richard Nixon library opened (1990).
Night
Sky, 7/19: The
tail of Scorpius is low due south, the farther south you live, the
higher it will appear. Look for the two stars especially close
together in the tail. These are Lambda and fainter Upsilon Scorpii,
known as the Cat's Eyes. They're canted at an angle; the cat is
tilting his head and winking. The Cat's Eyes point to the right by
nearly a fist-width toward Mu Scorpii, a much tighter pair known as
the Little Cat's Eyes.
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/sky-at-a-glance/
**A
flitch* of bacon was awarded to married couples who could
swear to not having regretted their marriage for a year and a day.
*A flitch is a side of unsliced bacon.
Max
Picture of the Week:
Max re-imagines great works of art: Jean Baptiste Simeon Chardin:
Cook,
washing the dishes
This
Week: Saturday, July 20 – Moon
Day & Space Exploration Day & Strawberry Rhubarb Wine Day
Night
Sky, 7/20: Once the Moon does rise in the
east-southeast, contemplate the moment 50 years ago today when a man
took the first step onto another world. The sunset terminator tonight
is approaching Tranquillity Base, and everything there must be
casting long shadows.
Sunday,
July 21 – Anne
Hutchinson Memorial Sunday
Monday,
July 22 – Casual
Pi Day & Global Hug Your Kid Day & Spooners aka Spoonerism
Day
Night
Sky, 7/22: If you have binoculars or a telescope, it’s
fairly easy whenever Jupiter is visible to see the giant planet’s
four largest moons. They look like pinpricks of light – like tiny
“stars” – all on or near the same plane crossing the planet.
They’re often called the Galilean moons to honor Galileo, who
discovered them in 1610.
Tuesday,
July 23 – Gorgeous Grandma Day & Hot Enough For You Day
Wednesday,
July 24 – Cousins Day & Tell An Old Joke Day
Thursday,
July 25 – Hire A
Veteran Day & National Intern Day & Red
Shoe Day
According
to a poll, about 1/3 of couples who attend Comic-Con met there. And
the most common pick up line they used was, “your parents basement
or mine?” --Conan O'Brien / At the Math Booth there was a table
with some bags filled with math related items...Pi pie, Hypotenuse
mouse, etc. So I went to the table to grab one, however, no matter
how hard I tried I couldn't reach them. Then I saw the sign: Asymp
Tote Bags.
..........Easy
come, easy go..........Brian May & Queen …..Bohemian Rhapsody
^^
On March 30, 1859 the first rail was laid in Kansas. By April 23rd
they had five miles of rail wandering down to Wathena.
'Nother
Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Do you think that the
person who invented vibrators heard voices saying...if you build it
they will come! --Submitted by rc of ks
Original
Joke of the Week: I tried that aging face app but my just
screen turned into a mirror.
Moonbeam:
The problem before us is so to exchange information and so to educate
people through travel that there shall develop a final, cosmopolitan
system of medicine which will combine the best elements to be found
in all countries. --Charles Mayo
Late
Night Snacks of the Week: I don’t know
what’s worse: the fact that the president thought it was acceptable
to say go back to where you came from or the fact that he said it to
people who are already where they came from. --Trevor Noah / If that
strikes you as a little racist, you do not know the meaning of the
word little. --Stephen Colbert / Lindsey Graham is the closet Trump
has come to owning a dog. --Jimmy Kimmel / The
only way you could support Drumpf without lying at this point is if
you have the part of your brain that’s responsible for memory
replaced with the brain of a goldfish. --Seth Meyers
Not
So Late Night Snacks of the Week: The Supreme
Court said, no, we can't do it. And so apparently, the last week has
been people trying to convince the president that you can't just
ignore the Supreme Court. He had plans, though, for the whole census.
He wanted to redo the whole thing. Under race, the Trump census
would've had only two options - white and loser. And you only count
your spouse if she's a 10. He's given up the fight. Instead of the
census, he's just going to get Jeffrey Epstein to guess everyone's
age. --Peter Sagal Wait, Wait, Don't Tell
Me
7/13/19
For
to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a
way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. --Nelson
Mandela
Due
to the drought, officials are urging people in California to take
common-sense measures like showering less. However, they might change
their minds on that after this weekend's Comic-Con. --Conan O'Brien
/ I went to the Solipsists Panel last Comic-Con, but I was the only
one who showed up.
..........With
fiery eyes and dream no one could steal........Bernie Leadon &
the Eagles .….Lyin' Eyes
^^^
In 1886 any person could obtain a charter to build any amount of
railroad, anywhere in the state by asking and paying $1.
Worthless
Fact of the Week: After only nine days as the
monarch of England, Lady Jane Grey was deposed in favor of her cousin
Mary. The 15-year-old Lady Jane, beautiful and intelligent, had only
reluctantly agreed to be put on the throne. The decision would result
in her execution.
Preantipenultimate
Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Time
is an illusion, only back pain is real. --ad of ??
Wicked
Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: If
you boil a funny bone it becomes a laughing stock. --Submitted by
msh of bc
Obsolete
Word of the Week:
Curglaff – The shock one feels upon first plunging into cold water.
(1800s).
https://www.buzzfeed.com/lukelewis/27-delightful-obsolete-words-its-high-time-we-revived
Antipenultimate
Funniest Thing I Read of the Week:
Bad News. It turns out we can't leave our bodies to library science.
--rl of ??
Wacky
Uses for Common Products:
Prevent car doors from freezing in winter. Rub the gaskets with
Wesson Vegetable Oil to seal out water without harming the gaskets.
http://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/wesson.html
I
accidentally went to my first Comic-Con dressed as Chewbacca. Wookie
mistake. / I stopped by the Flat Earth booth at Comic-Con. Come to
find out they have members all around the globe.
...........You
ain't getting' no younger........Bernie Leadon & the Eagles
…..Desperado
^^^^
In 1865 a line was completed from Kansas City through Lawrence into
Topeka.
Penultimate
Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: The
only difference between a KKK hood and a MAGA hat is that the hood is
made in the USA. --Submitted by ae of mo
Science
Fiction Convention of the Week:
Avalon Expo 2019 (19-21, St. John's NL) Newfoundland's
summer fan convention. Fun, friendship, and all things geek.
https://www.avalonexpo.com/
Actual
Science Convention of the Week:
Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) International Summer School
(15-26, Vila Nova de Cerveira, Portugal) Build
on innovative ideas and take into account the planning of the novel
product or service.
https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/event/training-course/international-summer-school-gnss-2019
Puck
the Brave
Episode of the Week:
Here's our fearless Puck mulling over the clues in the case of the
Hiding Havapoo.
I
went to a fan convention once. It was very interesting with a large
range of fans including metal, plastic, and even wooden. Quite
frankly, I was blown away. / Come to the convention for irregular and
non-quadrilateral shapes...be there or be square!
..........If
it all falls to pieces tomorrow........Bernie Leadon & the Eagles
…..Take It To The Limit
^^^^^
Aid
granted to the railroads in Kansas was in the form of land grants,
amounting to 6400 acres per mile of road constructed.
Month
of the Week: July is National Picnic
Month –Yogi Bear, driving his Furrari, was misunderstood. He was
only looking for the bear necessities in those picnic baskets. Face
it, unless you're at a picnic, life is no picnic.
Final
Funniest Thing I Read of the Week:
Bastille Day celebrates the storming of Louis XVI's airports. --Andy
Borowitz
Grammar
Joke of the Week: Don't run on, come to comma con. Comma on.
It's for a good clause! Comma, Comma, Comma, Comma Chameleon.
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. And they
eventually won.
Every
time I go to Comic-Con in my normal clothes, people ask me who I'm
going as. Thanks to Marvel, I finally have an answer...I'm a Skrull
in disguise. / If Grammar Nerds had a convention they'd call it
LexiCon.
..........And
I know you won't let me down........Bernie Leadon & the Eagles
…..Peaceful Easy Feeling
Masthead
of the Week:
Friday ePistle, July 19, 2019, Comic ePistle. Online at:
http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/
Laughs, Peace, & Cosplay. Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. 2511
Morningside Dr. Lawrence, KS 66047
Moonbeam:
The highest patriotism is not a blind acceptance of official policy,
but a love of one's country deep enough to call her to a higher
standard. --George McGovern
Cost
of War:
As
of 7/18/19 Military Costs of War since 2001: $2,941,945,047,011.
As
of 7/11/19 Military Costs of War since 2001: $2,939,966,891,510.
As
of 7/18/19 Homeland Security Costs since 2001: $908,690,720,586.
As
of 7/11/19 Homeland Security Costs since 2001: $907,346,494,300.
As
of 7/18/19 Interest on War Debt since 2001: $692,011,106,020.
As
of 7/11/19 Interest on War Debt since 2001: $690,321,485,897.
As
of 7/18/19 Veterans Care since 2001: $312,911,601,111.
As
of 7/11/19 Veterans Care since 2001: $312,527,595,490.
As
of 7/18/19 Total Cost of Wars since 2001: $4,855,559,975,006.
As
of 7/11/19 Total Cost of Wars since 2001: $4,850,163,525,470.
I
think that if the world was a bit more like Comic-Con, we'd all be a
little happier. --Matt Smith (11th Dr Who)
..........You
make the rockin' world go round..........Brian May & Queen
…..Fat Bottomed Girls
I
tried to sneak into a Star Trek convention disguised as a doctor, but
Security suspected I wasn't the real McCoy. / This year's convention
for English Teachers is called Comma, Con.
Famous
Last Words: ...women
an equal participation with men in the various trades, professions,
and commerce. Declaration
of Sentiments
aka the Seneca Falls Declaration --Elizabeth Cady Stanton
May
Peace inform your graphics
And
Joy flood your text
prairie
mama
christine
Last
Laugh:
