mEthodized ePistle

 Famous First Words: Erhabener Geist, im Geisterreich verloren... Faust Part 1 by Goethe (Sublime Spirit, lost in the spirit realm...)

January is Get Organized Month! If you can't hire a house cleaner because you know they can't find the floor, you might need a professional organizer. / Professional Organizer Confession #18: I'm on a first name basis with staff at The Container Store.

It's so cold in Kansas that last night our snowman slept in the living room.

That was a joke this is real: It's so cold in Missouri that Andy Reid had icicles in his mustache after the Chiefs/Dolphins game.

..........Just waltz right in the door........Dolly Parton …..Here You Come Again

Radical simply means grasping things at the root. --Angela Davis

It is a frigid (1°F) Friday morning. The sun is up and shining on everything and everything (more or less) is covered with snow which glows in the sun and reflex the light. A stout breeze keeps the mulberry branches waving and the willow switches whipping. There are no clouds in the azure sky' not even a jet trail is visible. The bird feeder is very busy but other parts of the yard have no birds at all – none on the utility wires running to the house, none in the trees, none chirping to greet the day. The only sounds are furnace hum and since YouTube (whose revenues last year exceeded $29 billion) have decided I need to pay to listen to music much of which has to be past copyright, there is no music to fill in the gap. But Midco has an entire channel that plays nothing but the blues and I have cinnamon coffee and breakfast treats and I will survive. And since I get to write to you, I'll even enjoy it.

Hope your weekend is just right, epistliers.

First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: May your coffee and cannabis kick-in before reality does.

Am I Over Organized? Will this make it easier or harder to put things back where they belong? / Professional Organizer Confession #7: I straighten up the candy and magazines at the checkout counter.

It's so cold in Kansas that we have to thaw our meat in the freezer.

..........My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends.........Janis Joplin …..Mercedes Benz

Trivia Questions: Happy World Quark Day !

• ^ What is a quark anyway?
• ^^ Do you have any idea how old quarks are?
• ^^^ How were quarks discovered?
• ^^^^ What are different types of quarks called?
• ^^^^^ Where did the name quark come from?

Big Hello: Prana am – Maithili (India & Nepal) https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm

Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: In Canada we play a game called “Am I on the Road?” --Submitted by sb of ar
Image of the Week: Ta da … The 3 wheeler … ready and wintering in the living room

Fake Library Statistics of the Week: At any given moment, 12% of librarians are hiding in the book drop. https://www.facebook.com/FakeLibStats/?fref=ts

It is the evil Clutter Fairy who comes into your office at night and scatters papers onto desk tops like they're fairy dust. / Making a list and checking it twice...you must be a Professional Event Organizer.

It's so cold in Kansas that the legislature can't even get into a heated argument.

..........what a way to make a living.........Dolly Parton …..9 To 5

Moonbeam: It is well that war is so terrible, otherwise we should grow too fond of it. --Robert E Lee

Question of the Week: The noblest question in the world is, “What good may I do in it?” --Benjamin Franklin

Puzzle of the Week: From listener Steve Baggish, of Arlington, Mass. Name certain weapons. Remove the middle four letters. The remaining letters, spelled backward, describe what these weapons do. --NPR Sunday Puzzle 1/14/24

Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: The Cowboys got bounced out of the playoffs faster than a book from a Texas library.

I purposely keep a very messy closet so the monsters can't get in. / Don't want your party to be a meeting with food? You need a Professional Party Organizer.

It's so cold in Kansas that the Amish are using electric blankets.

..........O, come on, come on, come on, come on.........Janis Joplin …..Piece of My Heart

^A quark is any of a number of subatomic particles carrying a fractional electric charge.

Almanac: It is Friday, January 19. 2024. The moon went into the first quarter yesterday (1/19) and is in Taurus. It is Bean Day, Robert E. Lee Day, Tin Can Day, World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Bald Eagle Appreciation Days, Hat Day, and World Quark Day. Because it is the third Friday in January it is also Women's Healthy Weight Day.

Among those born on this day were Mohammed (570), John Weldon (1679), James Watt (1736), Auguste Comte (1798), Robert E Lee (1807), Edgar Allan Poe (1809), Henry Bessemer (1813), Paul Cézanne (1839), Alice Eastwood (1859), Alexander Woollcott (1887), Ish Kabbible (1906), John Raitt (1917), Guy Madison (1922), Jean Stapleton (1923), Robert MacNeil (1931), Richard Lester (1932), Tippi Hedren (1935), Phil Everly (1938), Janis Joplin (1943), Dolly Parton (1946), and Katey Sagal (1954).

On January nineteenth a democratic revolution in Amsterdam ended the oligarchy (1795), Goethe's Faust, Part I, premiered (1929), Verdi's Il Trovatore premiered (1853), Georgia seceded (5th, 1861), the first negro lodge was approved by the Masons (NJ, 1884), the first ever Tour de France was announced (1903), the neon tube sign was patented (1917), Acadia National Park was established (ME, 1929), UCLA fired Angela Davis (1970), and Ford pardoned Tokyo Rose (1977).

Night Sky, 1/19: Zero-magnitude Capella high overhead, and equally bright Rigel in Orion's foot, have almost the same right ascension. This means they cross your sky’s meridian at almost exactly the same time: around 9 or 10 pm now, depending on how far east or west you live in your time zone. (Capella goes exactly through your zenith if you're at latitude 46° north: Portland, Oregon; Portland, Maine; Montreal; central France.) So, whenever Capella passes its very highest, Rigel always marks true south over your landscape, and vice versa. (FYI, Lawrence KS is latitude 38.9) http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/sky-at-a-glance/

Fraternal Picture of the Week: Two sleepy people...

This Week: Saturday, January 20 – National Cheese Lovers Day & National Disc Jockey Day & Penguin Awareness Day

Sunday, January 21 – National Hugging Day & World Religion Day & World Snow Day

Night Sky, 21: Right after dark, face east and look very high. The bright star there is Capella, the Goat Star. To the right of it, by a couple of finger-widths at arm's length, is a small, narrow triangle of 3rd and 4th magnitude stars known as "The Kids." Though they're not exactly eye-grabbing, they form a never-forgotten asterism with Capella.

Monday, January 22 – Answer Your Cat's Questions Day & World Scotch Pie Day & National Polka Dot Day

Tuesday, January 23 – Maternal Health Awareness Day & National Pie Day & National Handwriting Day

Wednesday, January 24 – Belly Laugh Day & National Compliment Day & Talk Like A Grizzled Prospector Day

Night Sky, 1/24: Saturn, magnitude +1.0 in Aquarius, sinks lower in the west-southwest during and after dusk and sets around 7 or 8 pm In late twilight, look for Fomalhaut twinkling nearly two fists lower to Saturn's lower left.

Thursday, January 25 – A Room of One's Own Day & Opposite Day & Robert Burns Day

How many professional organizers does it take to fix … done! / Professional Organizer Confession #86: Never watch television shows about hoarding.

It's so cold in Kansas that terrorists are stockpiling industrial strength hot chocolate.

..........Your beauty is beyond compare..........Dolly Parton …..Jolene

^^ The first quarks appeared about 10^minus 12 seconds after the universe was formed, in the same era where the weak force (which today is the basis for some radioactivity) separated from the electromagnetic force. The antiparticles of quarks appeared around the same time.

Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Magic Johnson wasted the world's best porn name on a basketball career.

Moonbeam: The war...was an unnecessary condition of affairs, and might have been avoided if forbearance and wisdom had been practiced on both sides. --Robert E Lee

Homework of the Week: A Valentine Geography Activity: Ms Powell of Thayer Elementary School is asking folks from everywhere (states and countries) to send her class a valentine. They will mark a big map and talk about the places. Address: Thayer Elementary School / Ms Powell's Class / 401 East Walnut Street / Thayer, MO 65791. Thanks

Video of the Week: 5 minutes in Acadia National Park (ME) https://www.outsideonline.com/video/5-minutes-acadia-national-park-will-leave-you-breathless/

What this country needs is more unemployed politicians. --Angela Davis

Am I Over Organized? Will this really make it easier to find what I am looking for? / Professional Organizer Confession #5: No one is immune to clutter. Even the people who clear clutter for a living.

It's so cold in Kansas that people are getting the mitten instead of the finger.

.........Love in this world is so hard to find.........Janis Joplin …..Down On Me.

^^^ A mystery arose in the 1960s when researchers using the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center found that the electrons were scattering from each other more widely than calculations suggested. More research found that there were at least three locations where electrons scattered more than expected within the nucleon or heart of these atoms, meaning something was causing that scattering. That was the basis for our understanding of quarks today.

Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Jake said he needed his space, so I got him a 12x12 storage unit.

Weird Word of the Week: Kakorrhaphiophobia: fear of failure or defeat. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kakorrhaphiophobia

Dragon of the Week: New dragon in the Bangkok airport … perhaps for the Year of the Dragon. --Picture stolen from vr of +66

Wacky Uses for Common Products: Condition your hair. After shampooing, rinse dry hair with Budweiser, let set for five minutes, and then rinse clean with water. Beer gives hair great body. https://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/budweiser.html

Organized people are just people too busy to look for things. / The autobiography of the professional organizer is titled: Into The Closet.

It's so cold in Kansas that the local flasher is just describing himself.

...........How can we be wrong.........Dolly Parton …..Islands In The Stream

^^^^ Physicists refer to the different types of quark as flavors: up, down, strange, charm, bottom, and top. The biggest differentiation between the flavors is their mass, but some also differ by charge and by spin.

Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I'm starting to think I will never be old enough to know better.

Science Fiction Convention of the Week: COSine 2024 (19-21, Colorado Springs, ... liquid nitrogen ice-cream, and more! https://www.firstfridayfandom.org/cosine/

Actual Science Conference of the Week: 15^th Annual Symposium on Generating Functions of Special Number and Polynomials and Their Applications (17-21, Antalya, Turkey) https://gfsnpsymposia.com/

Answer to Puzzle of the Week: bayonets --> stab

Susie the snake was so disorganized that she needed a crochet pattern just to coil up. / I know an Event Professional who tried to organize a Hide And Seek Tournament but good players were too hard to find.

It's so cold in Kansas that opticians are giving away free ice scrapers with every pair of glasses.

..........I'll always be around.........Janis Joplin …..Cry Baby

^^^^^ Murray Gell-Mann, the co-proposer, pronounced the word for the quark model in the 1960s. Quork but never wrote it down. When he finally did, he drew inspiration for the spelling from the 1939 James Joyce book "Finnegan's Wake," which read: "Three quarks for Muster Mark! / Sure he has not got much of a bark / And sure any he has it's all beside the mark." (The book came out well before quarks were discovered and so their name has always been spelled in this way.)

Observation of the Week: I once spent a winter in New England (outside Athol, MA, in fact) and I said I would not complain about the cold in Kansas. I did not promise to stop complaining about the heat in Kansas. I am thinking of breaking the vow this year. It has been this cold before but I wasn't this old last time.

New Thing of the Week: I have been watching college basketball for decades and from time to time “types” appear – the guy with the hair (the hair itself can come in a number of dos) ...the guy with all the tattoos ...the really tall guy. This year KU has Hunter Dickinson, the guy with the beard.

Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I saw a snake that was 3.14 meters long. I think it was a πthon. --Neil deGrasse Tyson --Submitted by sb of ar

Today's Peace of History, January 19, 1970: Angela Davis was fired from UCLA. Because Davis was a member of the Communist Party, the UC Board of Regents, at the urging of then governor Ronald Reagan, tried to fire her before she even taught her first class. But enraged UCLA faculty, staff, and students protested in support of Davis, citing academic freedom. Davis was allowed to teach a course that, for the opening lecture, had to be moved from the Dickson Art Center to Royce Hall to accommodate more than 2,000 students and others who wanted to attend.

Son: Dad, I'm considering a career in organized crime. Dad: Government or private sector? / Professional Organizer Confession #12: I sort my m&m's by color before eating them.

It's so cold in Kansas that I chipped a tooth on my soup.

..........And I hope life will treat you kind..........Dolly Parton …..I Will Always Love You

Masthead of the Week: Friday ePistle, January 19, 2024, mEthodized ePistle. Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. Lawrence, KS.

Moonbeam: What a cruel thing war is...to fill our hearts with hatred instead of love for our neighbors. --Robert E Lee

Cost of War:

• As of 01/18/24 State Department War Costs since 2001: $226.702,064,306.
• As of 01/11/24 State Department War Costs since 2001: $226,151,755,345.
• As of 01/18/24 Interest on War Debt since 2001: $1,192,305,936,236.
• As of 01/11/24 Interest on War Debt since 2001: $1,190,768,785,736.
• As of 01/18/24 Homeland Security since 2001: $1,157,952,382,573.
• As of 01/11/24 Homeland Security since 2001: $1,157,354,560,720.
• As of 01/18/24 Veterans Care since 2001: $3,463,247,171,604.
• As of 01/11/24 Veterans Care since 2001: $3,451,594,291,019.
• As of 01/18/24 Military Costs since 2001: $3,064,954,793,913.
• As of 01/11/24 Military Costs since 2001: $3,063,787,625,905.
• As of 01/18/24 Total Cost of Wars since 2001: $9,105,164,706,612.
• As of 01/11/24 Total Cost of Wars since 2001: $9,089,659,187,794.

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

To understand how any society functions you must understand the relationship between the men and the women. --Angela Davis

Famous Last Words: E vivo ancor! --Verdi Il Trovatore (And still I live)

.........We sang every song that driver knew.........Janis Joplin …..Me And Bobby McGee

It's so cold in Kansas that Starbucks is serving coffee on a stick.

Am I Over Organized? Is the level of organizing that I am considering or maintaining worth the trouble, time, or expense? / Professional Organizer Confession #23: Everyone needs a secret clutter hiding space.

May Peace warm your cockles

And Joy heat your heart

prairie mama

christine

Last Laugh:

sAme bAt ePistle

 Famous First Words: Well, no one told me about her... The Zombies She's Not There (This is the first song played on the premier episode of Hullabaloo

58 years ago Batman premiered on television. So, Robert Pattinson is the new Batman. That means that vampires really do turn into bats. / Since there is Batman Shampoo, why not Conditioner Gordon?

..........Some merely come to pass the time away..........Limeliters with Glenn Yarbourgh …..There's A Meeting Here Tonight

We are all one – and if we don't know it, we will learn it the hard way. --Bayard Rustin

It is another cold (11°F), cloudy Friday. There is no hint of sun behind the thick layer of pale gray humidity without texture. Wind – gusting to 20 mph – thrashes the willow branches and even the mulberry trunk is swaying. This week's snow still covers rooftops and lawns. The bird feeder is busier than O'Hare and tiny footprints lead up to the patio water bowl but it is frozen solid. Puck licks it like a snowcone. If the crows have visited they have done so quietly nor do car motor sounds break the silence of the morning. ...and my computer gently hums... A yellow incense cone sends smoke down a tiny waterfall. Perhaps it is sandalwood; it is certainly not lemon. I drink Hazelnut decaf and watch for life out my back window. Best of all, now, I get to write to you. Yeah!

Hope your weekend is warm and cozy, ePistliers.

First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Got my DNA kit and turns out I'm 86% Danish Butter Cookie from the Costco region.

Batman's utility belt is a waist of equipment. / I emailed Netflix and asked if they had Batman Forever. They said, “No, just until the end of June.”

..........All over this land..........Limeliters with Glenn Yarbourgh …..The Hammer Song

Trivia Questions: Happy 58^th Birthday to the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC).

• ^ What informal group preceded the CBC?
• ^^ What change allowed many additional black members in congress?
• ^^^ How many founding members did the CBC have?
• ^^^^ What was President Nixon's relationship with CBC like?
• ^^^^^ Who is the current chair of the CBC?

Big Hello: Pǝrna'm – Magahi (India & Nepal) https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm

Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: What haunts me is that I'm just not smart enough for so many people to be this much stupider than I am. --Submitted by IIWSPIBH

Image of the Week: Max meets the dragon dancer

Update to Last Week's Image of the Week: Jeff's three wheeler arrived yesterday morning. It is all assembled in the living room and looks great. Now all we need are temperatures suitable for riding a bike. Pictures next week.

Fake Library Statistics of the Week: The “librarian Diet” is eating only one holiday treat each time you pass the break room. https://www.facebook.com/FakeLibStats/?fref=ts

Batman wears a mask because the citizens of Gotham are a lot more on the ball than the citizens of Metropolis. / A friend asked me today if she was wearing too much make-up. I told her it depends on whether or not she intends to kill Batman.

..........Ah de du, ah dee du dai day..........Limeliters with Glenn Yarbourgh …..Whistling Gypsy ~~For Lane Pennington

Moonbeam: The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. --Edmund Burke

Question of the Week: If you could smash a cream pie into one person's face, whose face would it be?

Puzzle of the Week: Think of a 10-letter adjective describing certain institutions. Drop three letters from this word, and the remaining seven letters, reading left to right, will name an institution described by this adjective. What institution is it? NPR Sunday Puzzle 6/29/14

Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Dear Texas, If you're really obsessed with going backward in time, return your state to Mexico. --Submitted by 98%

Once Batman saw Catwoman at the bar and told the bartender to send her a jigger of 20-year old single malt Scotch. Catwoman sighed and slowly scooted the glass to the edge of the bar, and tipped it over. / Ah, Bruce Wayne was just good at acrobatics.

..........Don't go there your sorrow for to drown..........Limeliters with Glenn Yarbourgh …..Hard Ain't It Hard

^ During the late 1960s, Rep. Charles Diggs (D-Mich.) created the Democracy Select Committee (DSC). It was created in an effort to bring black members of Congress together. and was an informal group that held irregular meetings and had no independent staff or budget.

Almanac: It is Friday, January 12, 2024. The moon was new yesterday (1/11) and is in Aquarius. It is Kiss A Ginger Day and National Hot Tea Day.

Among those born on this day were Adrian van Utrecht (1599), Pierre de Fermat (1665), Edmund Burke (1729), John Hancock (1737), John Singer Sargent (1856), Jack London (1876), Hermann Goering (1893), Henny Youngman (1906), Tex Ritter (1906), Charles Martin (1910), Ray Price (1926), Glenn Yarborough (1930), Joe Frazier (1944), Bob McEwen (1950), and Rush Limbaugh (1951).

On January twelfth Handel's Ottone premiered (1723), the university in Russia established (1755), the Royal Astronomical Society was founded (1820), anthracite coals was first used to smelt iron (1839), x-rays were first used in the US (1896), the football rules committee legalized the forward pass (1906), the Dow Jones closed above 100 for the first time (1906), Hattie W Caraway was elected the first woman senator (D-AR, 1932), the National War Labor Board was created (1942), the first supermarket opened in the UK (1948), Authrur Godfrey and his Friends premiered on tv (1949), the University of Tennessee admitted its first black student (1952), the Southern Christian Leadership Conference was founded (1957), Hullabaloo premiered on tv (1965), Batman premiered on tv (1966), the Congressional Black Caucus was organized (1971), Libya & Tunisia merged into the Islamic Arab Republic (1974), Idi Amin was expelled from Zaire (1989), and the OJ Simpson murder trial opened (1995).

Night Sky, 1/12: In this coldest time of the year, the dim Little Dipper (Ursa Minor) hangs straight down from Polaris after dinnertime, as if from a nail on the cold north wall of the sky. The Big Dipper, meanwhile, is creeping up low in the north-northeast. Its handle is very low, but the bowl is nosing up toward the upper right. http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/sky-at-a-glance/

Fraternal Picture of the Week: Max, Ollie, and Mom at the dancing dragon event

This Week: Saturday, January 13 – Eagle Day & Public Radio Broadcasting Day & Rubber Ducky Day

Sunday, January 14 – International Kite Day & Ratification Day & World Logic Day

Night Sky, 1/24: The Moon, Saturn, and Fomalhaut now form a triangle along the axis between the planet and star.

Monday, January 15 – Martin Luther King Jr Day & Humanitarian Day & National Hat Day

Tuesday, January 16 – Appreciate A Dragon Day & National Nothing Day

Wednesday, January 17 – Cable Car Day & International Mentoring Day & Popeye Day

Night Sky, 1/17: The Gemini twins lie on their sides these January evenings, left of Orion. Their head stars, Castor and Pollux, are farthest from Orion, one over the other. (Castor is the top one.) The feet of the Castor stick figure are just left of the top of Orion's (very dim) Club.

Thursday, January 18 – Pooh (Winnie The) Day & Thesaurus Day

Batman is thinking of buying a French restaurant and naming it “The Creped Crusader”. / Our company motivational speaker told us to dress for the job you want, not the job you have.” Now I'm cleaning out my desk in a Batman costume.

..........My brother took his leave but he didn't tell the army..........Limeliters with Glenn Yarbourgh …..Gilgarry Mountain

^^ As a result of court-ordered redistricting, one of several victories of the Civil Rights Movement, the number of African-American members of Congress rose from nine to 13, the largest ever at the time, and members of the DSC decided at the beginning of the 92nd Congress (1971-1973) that a more formal group was needed.

Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I think I'd like to have kids one day, but probably no longer than that. --Submitted by INRITH

Moonbeam: Power gradually extirpates from the mind every human and gentle virtue. --Edmund Burke

Blasphemy of the Week: If our Christianity is somehow offended by the idea of everyone having food, shelter, drinkable water, and a livable wage, not only does this paint a deeply uncaring picture of our faith, but it also reveals that capitalism informs our beliefs more than the gospel of Jesus. --Rev Benjamin Cremer --Submitted by MMS

Extra Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Suggestions for January 6^th salutations: Treason's Greetings! Happy Sore Loser's Day

Video of the Week: Patsy Cline singing Walking After Midnight on Authur Godrey's Talent Scouts https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=439583951182561

Where there is any power... as strong and as eternal as love using nonviolence, the promise will be fulfilled. --C K Steele

During prohibition, Robin made hootch in the Bat tube. / As an amateur horticulturist, Batman developed a new evergreen tree; he called Spruce Wayne.

..........Out of an alien sky..........Limeliters with Glenn Yarbourgh …..Western Wind

^^^ Shortly after the CBC was established, its battle with President Nixon began. After President Nixon refused to meet with the group, the CBC decided to boycott the 1971 State of the Union Address, which made national headlines. “We now refuse to be part of your audience,” Rep. William Lacy Clay, Sr. (D-Mo.) wrote to President Nixon on behalf of the caucus, explaining that President Nixon’s refusal to meet with the caucus was evidence that the Administration wasn’t interested in helping the African American community.

Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I just saw someone refer to mansplaining as “correctile dysfunction”... Anwen Kya

Weird Word of the Week: Pastineceous – like a parsnip. (...from 1657) https://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-pas1.htm

Dragon of the Week: Dragon dancing

Wacky Uses for Common Products: Shampoo your hair. Open a can of Budweiser beer and let it sit at room temperature until it goes flat. Shampoo oily hair with the king of beer and rinse thoroughly. Beer absorbs the oils from our hair, but shampooing your hair too often with beer may dry out your scalp causing dandruff. https://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/budweiser.html

Bruce Wayne gets his energy from Bat-teries. / Batman doesn't make New Year's Resolutions. He enforces them.

...........You can get all the things you seek..........Limeliters with Glenn Yarbourgh …..A Dollar Down

^^^^ Shortly after the CBC was established, its battle with President Nixon began. After President Nixon refused to meet with the group, the CBC decided to boycott the 1971 State of the Union Address, which made national headlines. “We now refuse to be part of your audience,” Rep. William Lacy Clay, Sr. (D-Mo.) wrote to President Nixon on behalf of the caucus, explaining that President Nixon’s refusal to meet with the caucus was evidence that the Administration wasn’t interested in helping the African American community.

Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Don't let anyone ruin your day. It's your day. Ruin it yourself. --Submitted by INRITH

Science Fiction Convention of the Week: MarsCon 2024(12-14, Virginia Beach, VA) Marso's Monster Mayhem https://www.marscon.net/wp/

Actual Science Conference of the Week: 2024 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Science and Technology Fourm and Exposition (8-12, Orlando, FL) Ignite the Future. https://www.aiaa.org/events-learning/event/2024/01/08/default-calendar/2024-aiaa-science-and-technology-forum-and-exposition-(aiaa-scitech-forum)?_gl=1*1hed5wt*_ga*ODUwNDAwOTgwLjE3MDQ1OTk0MTQ.*_ga_BFMKMMYM72*MTcwNDU5OTQxMy4xLjAuMTcwNDU5OTQxMy42MC4wLjA.

Answer to Puzzle of the Week: Collegiate --> Colgate

The difference between Batman and Trump's income tax forms is that people saw Batman Returns. / Sixteen sodium atoms walk into a bar...followed by Batman.

..........And I curse this wanderin' fever..........Limeliters with Glenn Yarbourgh …..Far Side Of The Hill

^^^^^ CBC current chairman is the Honorable Steven Horsford, a proven champion for Nevada’s working families.

Proverb of the Week: The ones doin' the accusin' are usually the ones doin' the doin's. --Old Southern Proverb

Quote of the Week: Sorry to interrupt myself, but it's the only way I stop talking. --Rush Limbaugh

Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: All those galaxies with trillions of planets inside and we ended up on the one with a 40 hour work week. --Submitted by akb of kc

Today's Peace of History: January 12, 1932 --Hattie Wyatt Caraway (D-Arkansas) became the first woman elected to the US Senate, eventually she would become the first woman to chair a Senate Committee and the first to serve as the Senate’s presiding officer.

Why does Batman only wear dark colors? Easy, Batman doesn't want to get shot. / Why does Robin only wear bright colors? Easy, Batman doesn't want to get shot.

..........If I never ever see you again, great God, remember me..........Limeliters with Glenn Yarbourgh …..Charmin' Betsy

Masthead of the Week: Friday ePistle, 1/12/24, sAme bAt ePistle. Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. Lawrence, KS.

Moonbeam: The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse. --Edmund Burke

Cost of War:

• As of 01/11/24 State Department War Costs since 2001: $226,151,755,345.
• As of 01/04/24 State Department War Costs since 2001: $225,591,148,394.
• As of 01/11/24 Interest on War Debt since 2001: $1,190,768,785,736.
• As of 01/04/24 Interest on War Debt since 2001: $1,189,202,004,239.
• As of 01/11/24 Homeland Security since 2001: $1,157,354,560,720.
• As of 01/04/24 Homeland Security since 2001: $1,156,745,669,789.
• As of 01/11/24 Veterans Care since 2001: $3,451,594,291,019.
• As of 01/04/24 Veterans Care since 2001: $3,439,726,101,242.
• As of 01/11/24 Military Costs since 2001: $3,063,787,625,905.
• As of 01/04/24 Military Costs since 2001: $3,062,598,883,810.
• As of 01/11/24 Total Cost of Wars since 2001: $9,089,659,187,794.
• As of 01/04/24 Total Cost of Wars since 2001: $9,073,867,088,619.

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

We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. --Martin Luther King, Jr ~~ today's quotes are from founding members of The Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Famous Last Words: e quel volto m'allet to (and that face that delights me) Handel's Ottone

..........I've laid around and played around this old town too long..........Limeliters with Glenn Yarbourgh …..Gotta Travel On

How many caped crusaders does it take to change a light bulb? None. They like it dark. / My friend said, “Do you want to hear an excellent Batman impression?”. I said, “Sure”. He shouted, “NOT THE KRYPTONITE!” I said, “That's Superman.” He said, “Thanks, I've been practicing a lot.”

May Peace be your cape

And Joy be your weapon

prairie mama

christine

Last Laugh: So all the pictures can be related to dragons one way or the other.

eXtended ePistle

 Famous First Words: We, the members of the congress of New Hampshire... Constitution of the state of New Hampshire

Happy National Screenwriters Day! It takes 10 screenwriters to change a light bulb. First Draft: Hero changes light bulb. / Predictions 2024: Disney will sell off ABC to only buyer they can find, some kids running a lemonade stand.

..........I should not be left to my own devices.........Taylor Swift …..Anti-Hero (Billboard's #1 hit in January 2023)

May peace fill all the empty spaces around you...may happiness answer all your wishes in this new year.

It is a cold (31°F), gray Friday morning. The sky is slate without texture or variance. There is no breeze to move the tree so that the backyard looks like a painting instead of a living lawn. An occasional snowflake tumbles from the layer of clouds but it is rarely joined by a second one. I am inside watching from the warmth of my room – drinking hazelnut coffee and eating chocolate croissants and listening to Maria Muldaur (with Ry Cooder on guitar). Pine scented incense disguises a number of sins and shows more life than the willow tree as it snakes down the burner path. Ah, the rent is paid and the fridge is full – bring on winter.

Hope your weekend exceeds all your expectations, ePistliers.

First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: You come right over here and explain why they are having another year. --Telegram sent by Dorothy Parker to Robert Benchley 12/31/29

2^nd draft: Villain changes light bulb. / Predictions 2024: Robert F Kennedy Jr (?-California) will end his presidential campaign and nobody will notice for several weeks.

..........I did all of this sober.........SZA …..Kill Bill (Billboard''s #1 hit April 2023)

Trivia Questions: Truman's Fair Deal is 79 years old. What do we know about it?

• ^ What did the Fair Deal actually do?
• ^^ How many points did the Fair Deal have?
• ^^^ What were the major goals of the Fair Deal?
• ^^^^ Why did Congress reject the Fair Deal?
• ^^^^^ How successful was the Fair Deal?

Big Hello: Здраво (Zdravo) – Macedonian https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm

Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: You know you are growing old when Happy Hour is a nap. --Submitted by 98%

Image of the Week: Jeff's new electric tricycle (some adults prefer three wheeled bike) on it's way here

Fake Library Statistics of the Week: at any given moment 86% of librarians are wondering “why me” or “why on my desk shift”. https://www.facebook.com/FakeLibStats/?fref=ts

3^rd draft: Hero stops villain from changing light bulb. Villain falls to his death. / Predictions 2024: SNL will air a funny episode for the first time in 25 years.

..........Kinda dream that can't be sold.........Miley Cyrus …..Flowers (Billboard's #3 hit May 2023)

Moonbeam: Our life is full of empty space. --Umberto Eco

Question of the Week: Why can't we tickle ourselves?

Puzzle of the Week: From listener Neville Fogarty, of Newport News, Va. Think of an area found in many workplaces, in two words. Move the first letter of the first word to the start of the second word. Phonetically you'll name two items that have a similar use — one of which might be used in the workplace. What place was this?

Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: You're an adult. You can drunk-dial senators. No one can stop you. McConnell's Office (202) 224-2541

4^th draft: Lose the light bulb. / Predictions 2024: Nikki Haley becomes Trump running make but is involved in a scandal one month before the elections

..........Big as the super bowl.........Drake …..First Person Shooter (Billboard's #1 hit October 2023)

^ The “Fair Deal” was an aggressive agenda for social reform legislation proposed by President Harry Truman in January 1945 and again in 1949.

Almanac: It is Friday, January 5, 2024. The moon went into the last quarter yesterday (January 4^th – my word processor kept turning one slash four to ¼) and is in Libra. It is Bird Day, National Screenwriters Day, and Twelfth Night.

Among those born on this day were Zebulon Montgomery Pike (1779), Konstantin Stanislavsky (1863), Jeanne Dixon (1918), Walter Fritz Mondale (1928), Edward Givens Jr (1930), Alvin Ailey (1931), Robert Duvall (1931), Raisa Gorbachev (1932), Umberto Eco (1932), Diane Keaton (1946), and Marilyn Manson (1969).

On January fifth Franςios Villon was banished from Paris (1463), New Hampshire adopted the first state constitution (1776), Kiowa recorded the night the stars fell (1834), Davy Crockett arrived at the Alamo (1936), the California Exchange opened (1850), the first school of librarianship opened (Columbia U, 1887), National Association of Audubon Society was incorporated (1905), the first National Hockey Association game was played (1912), German Farmers Party was formed later it became the National Socialist Party (Nazi, 1919), Nellie Taylor Ross became the first woman governor in the US (Wyoming 1925), Lucille Thomas became the first female baseball team owner (Topeka Franchise - Western League, 1931), National and American leagues select a uniform ball (1934), Show Boat premiered (1946), Truman announced the "Fair Deal" (1949), Member of the Wedding premiered (1950), the US broke diplomatic relations with Cuba (1961), Dr Spock was indicted for conspiring to violate draft law (1968), All My Children premiered (1970), the Harlem Globetrotters lost to NJ Reds ending a 2,495 game winning streak (100-99, 1971), and The Wiz opened on Broadway (1975).

Night Sky, 1/5: At this coldest time of the year, Sirius rises around the end of twilight. Orion's three-star Belt points down almost to its rising place; watch there. Once Sirius is up, it twinkles slowly and deeply through the thick layers of low atmosphere, then faster and more shallowly as it gains altitude. Its flashes of color also moderate and blend into shimmering whiteness as it climbs to shine through thinner air. http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/sky-at-a-glance/

Fraternal Picture of the Week: Max discovers Uvula

This Week: Saturday, January 6 – Epiphany aka Three Kings Day & National Bean Day & National Play Outside Day

Sunday, January 7 – Harlem Globetrotters Day & Old Rock Day & Orthodox Christmas

Night Sky, 1/7: It's a busy evening among Jupiter's moons with four pairs of events. – At 7:27 pm CST, Europa exits Jupiter's west limb. Nine minutes later Europa's tiny black shadow, trailing behind, comes onto Jupiter's opposite limb. – At 9:13 pm CST, Io emerges from an eclipse by Jupiter's shadow a small distance off the planet's east edge. Seven minutes later Ganymede's shadow crosses onto Jupiter's opposite edge, thus beginning a 35-minute period of two shadows in transit at once. – At 9:55 pm CST, Io's shadow leaves the western limb. Just over an hour later, at 10:58 pm, Ganymede's larger shadow does the same. And on Jupiter itself, the Great Red Spot (neither very great nor particularly red these days) should cross the planet's central meridian around 10:05 pm CST.

Monday, January 8 – Bubble Bath Day & Women's Day aka Midwife's Day & World Typing Day

Tuesday, January 9 – National Poetry At Work Day

Wednesday, January 10 – Houseplant Appreciation Day & National Save the Eagles Day

Night Sky, 1/10: Mercury shines low in the dawn this week to the lower left of bright Venus. Their separation shrinks from 22° on the morning of December 30th to 14° on January 6th. During this time Mercury brightens rapidly by 2½ times, from magnitude +1.0 to 0.0.

Thursday, January 11 – Learn You Name in Morse Code Day & National Milk Day & World Sketchnote Day

5^th draft: Light bulb back in. Fluorescent instead of tungsten. / Predictions 2024: Republicans will make even bigger fools of themselves.

..........I'll just keep the party runnin'..........Dua Lipa …..Dance The Night (Billboard's #1 hit September 2023)

^^ The Fair Deal was once known as the Twenty-one Points.

Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: But then science is nothing but a series of questions that lead to more questions. --Terry Pratchett

Moonbeam: I would define the poetic effect as the capacity that a text displays for continuing to generate different readings, without ever being completely consumed. --Umberto Eco

Video of the Week: Alvin Ailey Dance Company – Revelations (2:45)

May the new year bring you peace, joy, and happiness.

6^th draft: Villain breaks bulb, uses it to kill hero's mentor. / Predictions 2024: Democrats will make even bigger fools of themselves.

..........I'm findin' ways to articulate.........The Weeknd & Ariana Grande …..Die For You (Billboard #1 hit March 2023)

^^^ The main goals of the Fair Deal were to outlaw discriminatory employment practices, pass anti-lynching laws, outlaw poll taxes for voting, increase the minimum wage, repeal the Taft-Hartley Act, expand public housing, propose a national healthcare system, extend social security to more Americans, and found a Department of Welfare.

Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: If you export armaments, don't complain about importing refugees. --Submitted by ff of ks

Weird Word of the Week: Obelus – the symbol for division in a math problem (÷)

Dragon of the Week: Gingerbread Dragon

Wacky Uses for Common Products: Prevent chisel blades from smacking into other tools and dulling. Wrap each chisel in a small sheet of bubble wrap. ~~This is the end of the bubble wrap section. I was getting really tired of them. Protect Everything!!!!!

7^th draft: Fluorescent not working. Back to tungsten. / Predictions 2024: Kanye converts to Judaism.

...........I must be favored to know ya.........Jung Kook …..Seven (Billboard's #1 hit July 2023)

^^^^ Truman's administration faced a conservative coalition in Congress, which was made up of Republicans and conservative Democrats who opposed the reach of the federal authority. Members of Congress viewed Fair Deal initiatives as an extension of Roosevelt's New Deal, which they strongly opposed and considered to be socialist in nature. In addition, Truman's problems in the Korean War lost him any opportunity of the Fair Deal programs and legislation being passed through Congress. Not only did he lose popularity because of this war, but military spending became more of a priority than expanding domestic programs.

Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Road Sign: Prayer is the best way to meet God. Trespassing is the fastest.

Science Fiction Convention of the Week: Anime ZAP (5-7, Peoria, IL) As the biggest winter anime convention in Illinois, Anime-ZAP! has more events, dealers, artists, attractions, and viewing rooms than any other convention. https://animezapcon.com/

Actual Science Conference of the Week: 2^nd International Conference on Combating Antimicrobial Resistance (CAMR 2024) {5-6, Pondicherry, India) ...brings together Faculty, PhD scholars, PGs & UGs from *Dentistry *Medicine *Life Sciences *Veterinary https://www.clocate.com/international-conference-on-combating-antimicrobial-resistance-camr/101720/

Answer to Puzzle of the Week: Break room — rake, broom

8^th draft: Hero forces villain to eat light bulb. / Predictions 2024: Zelensky will host SNL.

..........See how far ya make it down the road.........Jason Aldean …..Try That In A Small Town (Billboard #2 hit August 2023)

^^^^^ Despite the Fair Deal struggling to get legislation passed through Congress, President Truman did ensure the survival of social security, preserved the American welfare system, and prioritized civil rights legislation. He also set the stage for Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society, which was able to pass many of the programs that Truman could not with a conservative majority in Congress.

Discussion Topic of the Week: Is it better to be smart or lucky?

Quote of the Week: I went to a record store; they said they specialized in hard-to-find records. Nothing was alphabetized. --Mitch Hedberg

Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: If you identify a UFO as a UFO, then it becomes an FO. Unless it has landed, then it's simply an O. --Submitted by ff of ks

Today's Peace of History, January 5, 1968: Dr. Benjamin Spock was indicted for conspiring to violate the military draft law.

9^th draft: Hero laments loss of light bulb. Doesn't change it. / Predictions 2024: Desantis trips on his shoes and the ensuing gif ruins his campaign.

..........Starting from zero, got nothing to lose.........Luke Combs …..Fast Car (Billboard #3 hit June 2023)

Masthead of the Week: Friday ePistle, ePistle eXtended, January 5, 2024, ePistle. Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. Lawrence, KS.

Moonbeam: Beauty is boring because it is predictable. --Umberto Eco

Cost of War:

• As of 01/04/24 State Department War Costs since 2001: $225,591,148,394.
• As of 12/28/23 State Department War Costs since 2001: $225,030,178,822.
• As of 01/04/24 Interest on War Debt since 2001: $1,189,202,004,239.
• As of 12/28/23 Interest on War Debt since 2001: $1,187,636,095,212.
• As of 01/04/24 Homeland Security since 2001: $1,156,745,669,789.
• As of 12/28/23 Homeland Security since 2001: $1,156,136,285,818.
• As of 01/04/24 Veterans Care since 2001: $3,439,726,101,242.
• As of 12/28/23 Veterans Care since 2001: $3,427,847,513,578.
• As of 01/04/24 Military Costs since 2001: $3,062,598,883,810.
• As of 12/28/23 Military Costs since 2001: $3,061,409,053,926.
• As of 01/04/24 Total Cost of Wars since 2001: $9,073,867,088,619.
• As of 12/28/23 Total Cost of Wars since 2001: $9,058,060,012,467.

A note about the Cost of War figures. National Priorities is a wonderful site. The numbers themselves fly by so rapidly that by the time I type the amount it has changed. Yet, If I accidentally type 597 instead of 697, I go back and correct it. Sigh.

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

May peace prevail on earth.

Famous Last Words: There are so many things about the world I do not understand. --Frankie Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers

..........Something's tellin' me this ain't over yet.........Morgan Wallen …..Last Night (Billboard's #1 hit February 2023)

10^th draft: Hero changes light bulb. / Predictions 2025: Bernie Sanders will retire.

May Peace plot your future
And Joy script your present
prairie mama
christine

Last Laugh: