ePistle

Friday, January 10, 2025

bLocked ePistle

Famous First Words: Perhaps the sentiments contained in the following pages... --Thomas Paine Common Sense

Today is Ray Bolger's birthday. (He would have turned 121 years old.) In Vaudeville he was known as Legomaniac because of his loose joints and strange dances. So Lego...Just today I discovered that a raspberry makes a great lego Afro. ® Clark Kent's alter Lego is Superman.

..........If words could make wishes come true.........Jim Croce …..Time In A Bottle

Where there is no vision, there is no hope. --George Washington Carver

It snowed another inch or two last night. Puck and I are back at our house on Morningside Drive. Jo's hip replacement surgery has gone well and she is at her daughter's house recuperating. Joyce (Frass/Khan) is in the hospital because she fell and broke her hip and had surgery yesterday to put screws in it. Dashiell, Veronica the cat, and Jeff seem to be okay. Jo's dogs, Mary and Martha, are with her. I think that accounts for everybody. I'm drinking regular ole coffee and eating a KC chiefs cookie. Happy Weekend!

Hope your weekend is built for fun, Legolites.

Challenge of the Week: In an attempt to spread peace we need to start when people are very young. Children need to grow up knowing what peace is and why it is valuable to seek it. There are several books for children of various ages about peace. What we need is to reach even younger children with lullabies about peace. Most lullabies have peaceful music, soft, cuddly, safe, etc. We need some that also speak of peace – the word peace, images of love and community, you are safe and so is the world, that sort of thing. Write your lullaby and send it to me. Maybe we can make videos and put them on the internet, or publish them. ~~I have a list of peace books which I will send you and I will accept additions of any peace books you have found.

First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: The secret to surviving the cold is to put on enough layers that you can't fit through the door to go outside. --Crabby Road

Leo Lego is tired of people complaining about stepping on legos. Chuck Norris stepped on him and, let's just say, his career is over. ® A lego truck ran into a jigsaw puzzle truck on the freeway. Police are still trying to piece it all together.

..........Come on, sugar, tell me so.........Rod Stewart …..Da Ya Think I'm Sexy

Trivia Questions: Happy Birthday to the League of Nations

What American president proposed creating the League of Nations?
Where was the international headquarters of the League?
How many nations were charter members of the League of Nations?
Which was the only nation expelled from the League?
When did the League cease to exist?

Big Hello: Oi! - Portuguese (Brazil) https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm

Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: This Home is Protected by Feline Security. I have 9 lives – You have 1. Do the Math!

Image of the Week: See how they've grown

Coffee Joke of the Week: Every day my coffee gives me the strength I need to screw up in new and exciting ways. --Women's Freedom Ride

Humpty Dumpty's parents have been arrested for child abuse. They gave him the legos to build that wall. ® Captain America, Iron man, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye all got lego sets for Christmas. Avengers, Assemble.

..........With your eye so big and shiny..........Neville Brothers with Cyril …..Yellow Moon

Moonbeam: Mountains and ocean, water, and beasts and trees are protagonists, the human people are only symbolic interpreters. --Robinson Jeffers

Blasphemy of the Week: We're already in the presence of God. What's absent is awareness. --Richard Rohr

Jeff Foxworthy Kansas Joke of the Week: If you have had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you may live in Kansas. https://alicewhite.wordpress.com/2017/08/03/humorous-truisms-about-my-home-state-kansas/

Puzzle of the Week: From listener Bobby Jacobs, of Richmond, Va. Think of a famous singer — first and last names. Use all of the first name, plus the first three letters and the last letter of the last name. The result, reading left to right, will spell a phrase meaning "punctual." What singer is this? NPR Sunday Puzzle 1/5/25

Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Never did find out what the knights in white sat in.

After stepping on a lego for the millionth time, Judy's mom threw all of the lego sets into an old Topsy's Popcorn 6 gallon bucket. Judy didn't know what to make of it. ® No, we don't call them lego doctors, we call them plastic surgeons.

..........Have we become a habit.........Pat Benatar …..We Belong

1: Woodrow Wilson proposed the League of Nations in 1919. By the way, the United States is one of the nations that never joined the League.

Almanac: It is Friday, January 10, 2025. The moon will be full (Wolf) next Monday (1/13) and is in Gemini. Today is Houseplant Appreciation Day, League of Nations Day, National Cut Your Energy Costs Day, National Oysters Rockefeller Day, National Save The Eagles Day, and Peculiar People Day. Because it is the second Friday it is also National Hockey Mom Day.

Among those born on this day were Gasparo Visconti (1683), George Washington Carver (1864), Robinson Jeffers (1887), Ray Bolger (1904), Paul Henreid (1908), (Baby) June Haver (1926...more or less), Sal Mineo (1939), Jim Croce (1943), Rod Stewart (1945), Cyril Neville (1948), George Foreman (1949), Pat Benatar (1953), Shawn Colvin (1958) and Doug E Doug (1969).

On January tenth Cesar crossed the Rubicon (49 BCE), Common Sense published (1776), the first London underground railway opened (1863), Standard Oil incorporated (1870), Gandhi was jailed for the first time (1908), the first international air meet was held (1910), The National Women's Party began daily picketing of the white house (1917), the League of Nations first met (1920), Metropolis premiered (1927), the first meeting of the UN General Assembly was held (1946), Finian's Rainbow premiered (1947), the 45 RPM record was introduced (1949), Elvis recorded Heartbreak Hotel (1956), Delmore Schwarz won the Bollingen Prize (1960) and India and Pakistan signed peace accords (1966).

Night Sky, 1/10: Now the Moon shines in line with Jupiter and Aldebaran. How exactly in line? That will depend on your time and location. Watch the straightness of the line change hour by hour. Every hour the Moon moves by nearly its own diameter eastward against the stars. http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/sky-at-a-glance/

Fraternal Picture of the Week: Such handsome young men

Extra Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: When two people argue online I believe the one who spells correctly. --Submitted by Laughing Librarian

This Week: Saturday, January 11 – Eagle Day & Heritage Treasures Day & National Milk Day

Sunday, January 12 – Kiss a Ginger Day & National Hot Tea Day

Night Sky, 1/12: 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. After Sirius clears the horizon, 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.

Monday, January 13 – National Clean Off Your Desk Day & Plough Monday & Public Radio Broadcasting Day & Rubber Ducky Day

Tuesday, January 14 – International Kite Day & Organize Your Home Day & World Logic Day

Wednesday, January 15 – Humanitarian Day & National Bagel Day & National Hat Day

Night Sky, 1/15: Venus (magnitude –4.6, in Aquarius) shines very high and bright as the "Evening Star" in the southwest during twilight, and lower in the west-southwest as evening grows late. Venus doesn't set until about 2½ hours after dark. It forms a long triangle with Saturn to its upper left and Fomalhaut much farther to their lower left. Get your telescope on Venus early in twilight. This week it appears very close to half-lit, at or just past dichotomy. Venus is enlarging week by week as it swings toward us while waning in phase. It now measures 24 or 25 arcseconds from pole to pole.

Thursday, January 16 – Appreciate A Dragon Day & Civil Service Day & National Nothing Day

If I give you a big bunch of lego for your birthday, don't make a big deal of it. ® I stepped on a rusty lego the other day. I'm afraid I'm getting tetris.

..........Back to the flat fine line..........Shawn Colvin …..Wichita Skyline

2: The League of Nations headquarters was in Geneva, Switzerland. The League's first seat was in London, UK. Geneva was chosen largely because Switzerland had not participated in World War 1 and was seen as a neutral site.

Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I wish Judy Blume had done a follow up book about Margaret going through menopause. --Submitted by Laughing Librarian

Moonbeam: Learning to enjoy today has two benefits: it gives me happiness right now, and it becomes a good memory later. --George Foreman

Fun Fact of the Week: Happy National Oysters Rockefeller Day. This easy Oysters Rockefeler recipe is always a hit. Topped with creamy spinach and breadcrumbs that get hot and golden under the broiler. https://www.skinnytaste.com/oysters-rockefeller/

Video of the Week: Sal Mineo as Gene Krupa (2:19) ~~ Mineo was my movie star crush in 8^th grade. Sigh. My current movie star crush is Viggo Mortensen.

Education is the key to unlock the golden door to freedom. --George Washington Carver

A lego without a leg is just an O. ® The opposite of lego is legstop. ® When a lego minifigure dies it rests in pieces.

..........I know the rainbow's end.........Shawn Colvin …..Round of Blues

3: 42 nations signed on immediately. The charter members were: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, El Salvador, France, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Italy, Japan, Liberia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Persia, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Siam, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Yugoslavia. An additional 21 nations eventually joined; none of them were the US.

Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: You make antifreeze by stealing her blanket.

Weird Word of the Week: Librocubicularist – a person who reads in bed.

Dragon of the Week: legodragon

Wacky Uses for Common Products: Give yourself a moisturizing facial. Make a paste of ground up Cheerios, lemon juice, and honey. Apply to face, let sit for ten minutes, then rinse with warm water. https://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/cheerios.html ~~I don't endorse any of these uses, I just report them.

What has four wheels and eats lego bricks? A Vacuum cleaner ® All legos measure the world in square inches.

...........You're the right kind of sinner.........Pat Benatar …..Heartbreaker

4: In 1939, the Soviet Union became the only nation to be expelled from the League of Nations. Having joined in 1934, it was expelled for its invasion of Finland.

Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Bro, we don't want Greenland. We want healthcare. --Submitted by jm of ks by 98%

Science Fiction Convention Joke of the Week: What's terrifying is, though they walk among us, there is to way to tell science fiction fans from the rest of us. --Nick Downes

Actual Science Conference of the Week: Consumer Electronics Show (7-10, Las Vegas, NV) The most powerful tech event in the world. https://www.ces.tech/

Answer to Puzzle of the Week: Justin Timerlake Just in time

Legos have Block Parties for their birthdays. ® How do you find lego in the dark? With your feet

..........And just like the river I've been running ever since.........Neville Brothers with Cyril …..A Change's Gonna Come

5: The League of Nations dissolved on 18 April 1946. Many of its assets were transferred to the United Nations.

Late Night Joke of the Week: I read a new report that said president elect Trump privately complains about how much Elon Musk is around. Today Trump jumped into a broom closet to hide from Musk and Melanie said, "Hey, get your own closet". --Jimmy Fallon The Tonight Show 1/6/25

Quote of the Week: Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder. --E B White

Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Celebrated 4/20 on January 5^th because I know how to reduce fractions. --Submitted by IIWSPIBH

Today's Peace of History: January 10, 1946: The first General Assembly of the United Nations convened at Westminster Central Hall in London, England, and included 51 nations. On January 24, the General Assembly adopted its first resolution, a measure calling for the peaceful uses of atomic energy and the elimination of atomic and other weapons of mass destruction.

Steal a man's wallet and he will be broke for a week. Give a man lego and he will be broke for life. ® Legos prefer square dancing.

..........You stole my heart, I couldn't leave you if I tried.........Rod Stewart …..Maggie May

Masthead of the Week: Friday ePistle, January 10, 2025, bLocked ePistle. Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. Lawrence, KS.

Moonbeam: When you put your hand to the plow, you can't put it down until you get to the end of the row. --Alice Paul National Women's Party

Cost of War:

As of 01/09/25 State Department Costs: $255,069,664,989
As of 01/02/25 State Department Costs: $254.531,714,210
As of 01/09/25 Homeland Security: $1,188,765,352,970
As of 01/02/25 Homeland Security: $1,188,181,030,223
As of 01/09/25 Interest on War Debt: $1,271,539,564,236
As of 01/02/25 Interest on War Debt: $1,270,037,031,805
As of 01/09/25 Military Costs: $3,125,113,524,249
As of 01/02/25 Military Costs: $3,123,972,648,300
As of 01/09/25 Veterans Care: $4,063,856,807,585
As of 01/02/25 Veterans Care: $4,052,467,727,763
As of 01/09/25 Total Cost of Wars: $9,904,345,010,799
As of 01/02/25 Total Cost of Wars: $9,889,191,873,044

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

Fear of something is at the root of hate for others, and hate within will eventually destroy the hater. --George Washington Carver

Famous Last Words: May we meet in Glocca Morra some fine day. --Petula Clark Finian's Rainbow

..........All the downtown ladies call him treetop lover.........Jim Croce …..Bad, Bad Leroy Brown

When lego people want to motivate each other they say,dream big and you'll achieve your legoals.® The latest lego movie is a real blockbuster. ® A woman obsessed with lego is known as legolass.

May Peace be your building blocks

And Joy the structure you build

prairie mama

christine

Last Laugh:

Love is the energizing elixir of the universe, the cause and effect of all harmonies. --Rumi

Friday, January 3, 2025

ePistle sUmmary

Famous First Words: Through the power given him from God... Papal Encyclical excommunicating Martin Luther

It is Someday We'll Laugh About It Week (2-8). In the 1970s, as manager of Baskin Robbins', my mom was tasked to create new flavors related to Richard Nixon. Her choices, as she told me, were 'ImPeachments & Cream' and 'Watermelon-Gate' (as a sorbet). Both were denied. This is actually true.

..........Singing songs and a-carryin' signs.........Stephen Stills (Buffalo Springfield) …..For What It's Worth 1966I

The world has never yet seen a truly great and virtuous nation because in the degradation of women the very fountains of life are poisoned at their source. --Lucretia Mott

It is cloudy Friday morning. The sky is slate and without texture. The temperature is 24°F with a light breeze. The media (local, national, weather.com, etc) are predicting a big snow storm starting tomorrow afternoon and running all the way through Sunday morning. So I'm staying the weekend with Jo who doesn't want to face a winter storm all alone just days before her surgery. (By the way, the Physical Therapist said to me, you can do anything but fall.) Other than that, things are fine. For now, I'm sipping that wonderful toasted almond decaf and nibbling some butter sourdough toast. But best of all, writing to you. That is one of the constant goods in my life. Happy New Year.

May your weekend give you much to laugh about for years to come, ePistliers

Challenge of the Week: Create recipes and names for ice creams of the Biden and Trump presidency. Send them to me and they'll be in the next ePistle.

First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I'm getting to that age where it is considered rude to pull out a bottle of ibuprofen, if you don't have enough for everyone. --Submitted by INRITH

"Fidel is being replaced by a younger, sexier Castro: his younger brother Raul. Is this even possible? Can you imagine a country run by one family for years and years and years? That could never happen here." --Craig Ferguson ++ "But his retirement will not change the relationship Cuba has with the United States. Cubans will still not legally be allowed to enter the United States unless they have an overpowering fastball." --David Letterman

I don't wanna say it's hot in my room but two hobbits just came round and threw a ring into it.

..........Though the other side is just the same.........Stephen Stills (Buffalo Springfield) …..On the Way Home 1968

Trivia Questions: Happy Birthday to Alaska! 66 years

Of the 20 highest mountains in the US, how many are in Alaska?
How many volcanoes does Alaska have?
On which 3 seas does Alaska have coastline?
Can you name the two largest forests both of which are in Alaska?
What does the word Alaska mean?

Big Hello: Olá - Portuguese https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm

Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: It's so important to stay a little feral. @savage memes

Image of the Week:

Coffee Joke of the Week: I told my shrink that I did not have a problem with coffee. I had a problem without it.

What was the weather like during the French Revolution? Storm and Terrorble Reign ++ The most popular game during the revolution was Head-over-heels.

Lord of the Rings would have been much shorter if Lelolas had an AR-15.

..........They are one person, they are two alone.........Stephen Stills (CSN) …..Helplessly Hoping 1970

Moonbeam: Silence is one of the great arts of conversation. --Marcus Tullius Cicero

Blasphemy of the Week meets Conspiracy Theory of the Week: The Atheists are using Satellites to intercept prayer to Jesus and turn them Evel (sic). https://www.yahoo.com/news/fact-check-rumor-suggests-mtg-224800758.html

Classic Puzzle of the Week: Take the following 5-word sentence: "THOSE BARBARIANS AMBUSH HEAVIER FIANCEES." These 5 words have something very unusual in common. What is it? NPR Sunday Puzzle 1/4/15

Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: May you be as happy as a seagull with a french fry.

At a roast for vice president Cheney, Joe Liberman said something to the effect that we're all at the Plaza instead of in cages after some war crimes trial. ++ Scooter Libby, everyone's favorite, brought down the house with jokes about that wacky time he was imprisoned for obstructing a federal investigation into outing a CIA agent.

Little Known Fact: The dwarves really left Erebor because of the pollution...too much Smaug.

..........Tin soldiers and Nixon coming.........Stephen Stills (CSNY) …..Ohio

1. 17 of the 20 highest peaks: 1: Denali (20,320 ft) 2: Mt Foraker (17,400 ft) 3: Mt Fairweather (15,325 ft) 4: Mt Hubbard (14, 951 ft) 5: Mt Blackburn (16,391 ft) 6: Mt Hayes (13,832 ft) 7: Mt Saint Elias (18,009 ft) 8: Mt Marcus Baker (13,176 ft) 9: Mt Redoubt (10,197 ft) 10: Mt Vancouver (15,787 ft) 11: Mt Meacola (10,253 ft) 12: Mt Torbet (11,414 ft) 13: Mt Iliamna (10,016 ft) 14: Mt Sanford (16,237 ft) 15: Mt Bona (16,552 ft) 16: Mt Bear (14,831 ft) 17: Mt Alverstone (14,500 ft)

Almanac: It is Friday, January 3, 2025. The moon goes into the first quarter on Monday (1/6) and is in Aquarius. Today is Drinking Straw Day, J.R.R. Tolkien Day, Memento Mori "Remember You Die" Day, and National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day.

Among those born on this day were Cicero (106 BCE), Lcuretia Coffin Mott (1793), Father Damien (1840), John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892), ZaSu Pitts (Parsons, KS 1898), Ngo Dinh Diem (1901), Ray Milland (1905), John Sturges (1911), Betty Furness (1916), George Martin (1926), Van Dyke Parks (1942), Stephen Stills (1945), John Paul Jones (1946) and Mel Gibson (1956).

On January third Martin Luther was excommunicated (1521), the Truce of Andrusovo was signed (1667), British seized the Falkland Islands (1833), Yerba Buena was renamed San Francisco (1847), the first deep sea sounding was taken (1840), construction began on the Brooklyn Bridge (1870), the first waxed drinking straw was patented (1888), Washington requested statehood (1889), Turkey made peace with Armenia (1921), Tutankhamun's sarcophagus was discovered (1924), the March of Dimes was established to fight polio (1938), Dragnet premiered (1952), Alaska was admitted as the 49th state (1959), Reactor in ID exploded killing 3. (1961), Castro was excommunicated (1962), Carl Wilson (Beach Boy) indicted for draft evasion (1967), Apple Computers was incorporated (1977), Bush & Yeltsin agreed to reduce the number of nuclear warhead by nearly half (1993), and Brazil canceled 12 new fighter planes to spend the money on the poor (2003).

Night Sky, 1/3: Quadrantids Meteor Shower https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-quadrantid-meteor-shower/

Fraternal Picture of the Week: Christmas Peace Books

This Week: Saturday, January 4 – National Play Outside Day & Tom Thumb Day & World Braille Day

Earth at Perihelion --Perihelion is the point in Earth's orbit when it is closest to the sun.

Sunday, January 5 – National Bird Day & National Screenwriters Day & Twelfth Night & Whipped Cream Day

Night Sky, 1/5: As we enter serious winter in January, the bowl of the Little Dipper hangs straight down from Polaris sometime around 8 or 9 pm, as if (per Leslie Peltier) from a nail on the cold north wall of the sky. The brightest star of the Little Dipper's dim bowl is Kochab, marking the bowl's lip. It's the equal of Polaris. Kochab passes precisely below Polaris around 8 pm, depending on how far east or west you live in your time zone.

Monday, January 6 – Bean Day & Epiphany aka 33 Kings Day & I Am A Mentor Day & National Technology Day

Tuesday, January 7 – Harlem Globetrotter's Day & Old Rock Day & National Bobblehead Day

Wednesday, January 8 – Argyle Day & Bubble Bath Day & Midwife's Day

Night SkY 1/8: Mercury, magnitude -0/4 for most of the week, is having one of its best apparitions. Look for it low in the southeast about 60 minutes before sunrise. http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/sky-at-a-glance/

Thursday, January 9 – National Cassoulet Day & National Static Electricity Day

Napoleon: He introduced lasting legal reform, revolutionized military tactics, and was a catalyst for the transition to the modern years. Remembered for being short. ++To think, Louis and Marie-Antoinette almost won the French Revolution. They were neck and neck

Hobbit valentines: Beards can be red, Blades can glow blue, There is only one Precious and that must be you.

..........If you can't be with the one you love.........Stephen Stills (CSNY) …..Love the One You're With

2. Alaska has more than 1000 volcanoes and volcanic fields.

Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Anxious? Depressed? Burnt out? You might be suffering from Capitalism. --Submitted by Films for Action

Moonbeam: My greatest pleasure is to serve the Lord in his poor children rejected by other people. --Father Damien

Fun Fact of the Week: On January 4, 2002 The Mars Rover, Spirit, landed. Therover is about the size of a golf cart. It carried Panoramic cameras, navigation cameras, miniature thermal emission Spectrometers. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mer-spirit/

Video of the Week: He Needs Me from the movie Popeye. Written by Van Dyke Parks and sung by Shelly Duvall https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUWNVoGm4T4

If our princip;les are right, why should we be cowards? --Lucretia Mott

Industrial Revolution...because children need to be taught about a hard day's work. ++ How many Microsoft executives does it take to change a light bulb? None. They just redefine “darkness” as an industry standard.

Saruman's arm has grown so long he can't read his wrist watch any more.

..........Sweeping cobwebs from the edges of my mnd.........Stephen Stills (CSN) …..Marrakesh Express

3. Alaska has coastlines on the Arctic Ocean, the Bering Sea, and the Pacific Ocean.

Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Coffee – because sarcasm needs to stay hydrated.

Weird Word of the Week: Xenotransplantation – Using the organs of other species to transplant into humans. https://www.worldwidewords.org/tp-xen1.html

Dragon of the Week: Baby 2025

Wacky Uses for Common Products: Prevent hair coloring from dying your skin. Rub ChapStick along your hairline before coloring your hair. https://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/chapstick2.html

When I hear that someone is very Catholic, I assume that person favors a very high toddler to priest ratio. ++ Lapel Button: My Pedophile Priest Supports Traditional Marriage.

Was Frodo also the ring bearer for Aragorn and Arwen's wedding?

...........I see you in the morning.........Stephen Stills (CSNY) …..Dark Star 1977

4. The two largest forests in Alaska are the Tongass in the southeast and the Chugach in the south central.

Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Lord, please grant me the confidence of a white dude who's about to become the head of a federal agency he doesn't understand. --Lauren Kelley

Science Fiction Convention Joke of the Week: One of the best things about conventions is the costumes (called Cosplay). My personal favorite is my Ranch hand-blacksmith-barber-barbarian-insurance-salesman.

Actual Science Conference of the Week: International Conference on Solar Power at Technology (4^th, Florida City, FL) ...practical challenges encountered... https://www.allconferencealert.com/event/1305458

Answer to Puzzle of the Week: The letters in the odd positions in each word name part of the body: TOE, BRAIN, ABS, HAIR, FACE.

Did you hear, the government evacuated all the Branch Davidians in a single school bus. 20 in the seats and the other 74 in the ashtray. ++ David Koresh's last word, “Is it hot in here or is it just me?” The FBI's last words, “Did anyone bring marshmallows?”

62% of Americans believe that second-breakfast should be a real meal.

..........We found things to do in stormy weather.........Stephen Stills (Still-Young Band) …..Long May You Run 1977

5. The name comes from the Aleut word Alyeska which means great land.

Classic Late Night Joke of the Week: The Alabama Supreme Court has just outlawed burning the dictionary, because all the words in the Bible are in there. --Shaun Eli, freelance late night joke writer ~~This was not a good week to start a late night section since they were all on holiday break.

Presidential Quote of the Week: America did not invent human rights. In a very real sense, human rights invented America. --Jimmy Carter

Quote of the Week: Greed, in the end, fails even the greedy. --Cathryn Louis

Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: There are literally NO rules saying your new year resolutions can't be for evil. --Linda Hopkins

Today's Peace of History: January 3, 1971: On her first day as a member of Congress, Bella Abzug (D-New York) introduced a resolution calling for the withdrawal of troops from Southeast Asia.

I wasn't going to make jokes about mass shootings, but then I thought, why not take a shot. ++ Why do Americans hardly ever make jokes about mass shootings? Because it's always too soon. ++ I knew we had gotten over covid when there started being a couple of school shootings a week in the papers.

I don't want to accuse anyone of anything. I'm just saying that it looks a bit odd. The only one in this fellowship who doesn't want Aragon to become king gets shot.

..........like yours, milady, like yours.........Stephen Stills (CSN) …..Guinevere 1971

Masthead of the Week: Friday ePistle, January 3, 2025, ePistle Summary. Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. Lawrence, KS.

Moonbeam: Short cuts make long delays. --J R R Tolkien

Cost of War:

As of 01/02/25 State Department Costs: $254.531,714,210
As of 12/26/24 State Department Costs: $253,961,920,474
As of 01/02/25 Homeland Security: $1,188,181,030,223
As of 12/26/24 Homeland Security: $1,187,562,290,640
As of 01/02/25 Interest on War Debt: $1,270,037,031,805
As of 12/26/24 Interest on War Debt: $1,268,446,208,874
As of 01/02/25 Military Costs: $3,123,972,648,300
As of 12/26/24 Military Costs: $3,122,764,814,780
As of 01/02/25 Veterans Care: $4,052,467,727,763
As of 12/26/24 Veterans Care: $4,040,409,245,368
As of 01/02/25 Total Cost of Wars: $9,889,191,873,044
As of 12/26/24 Total Cost of Wars: $9,873,146,765,243

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

Let our lives be in accordance with our convictions of right, each striving to carry out our principles. --Lucretia Mott

Famous Last Words: Mark VII Limited --Ending of Dragnet on television

..........And there's so much time to make up everywhere you turn.........Stephen Stills (CSNY) …..Wasted on the Way 1989

Whoopie Goldberg said a second Trump presidency feels like she is having periods again. ++ I'm surprised that Trump doesn't want to colonize Denmark. Then he could build his wall out of Legos®. ++ “Now, as a late-night host, people often say to me, ‘Come on, part of you has got to want Trump to win because he gives you so much material to work with,’” Colbert said. “No, no. No one tells the guy who cleans the bathroom: ‘Wow, you must love it when someone has explosive diarrhea. There’s so much material for you to work with.’” --Stephen Colbert

May Peace start you right

And Joy bind your year

prairie mama

christine

Last Laugh:

Remember: Love is literally the whole point...

Friday, December 27, 2024

yEarly ePistle

Famous First Words: Dear friends... Speech by Carrie Nation Muskegon, 1902

January is Get Organized Month: 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 F) twice...you must be a Professional Organizer. (From mEthodized ePistle 1/19/24)

..........Went to a party just last night.........The Eagles …..Funky New Year

IFOR members share a vision of a world where conflicts are resolved through nonviolent means, where systems that foster fear and hatred are dismantled, and where justice is sought as a basis for peace. While coming from diverse religious backgrounds, we have a common belief in the transforming power of nonviolence and reconciliation. --International Fellowship of Reconciliation

It is a rainy Friday morning. It is also warmish (45°F) and there are dense fog warnings. There is no wind to blow away fog or make the world feel colder. While I stand on the back porch waiting for Puck to finish his morning routine, I hear individual raindrops hitting the leaf cover on the ground. Plop, Plop. We need the rain and it is welcome. Puck returned to our room and went back to bed, asking me to lift him onto the covers. Mary has been asleep there since last night. It is Jo's birthday. Her celebration goes on. Everyone here had a very nice Christmas. In fact, I am sipping toasted almond decaf – a Christmas present from the Roots, Thank you Deirdre and Grant, it's delicious – and writing to you.

Happy New Year, ePistliers

First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Before I agree to 2025 I want to see the terms and conditions.

February is National Haiku Writing Month: Unsuspecting son. Dad waiting with bated breath / sets the perfect trap Knock Knock. /Who's there? Hike. Hike who? Ж Human connection is what life is all about she typed on her phone. (From ePistle 575, 2/2/24)

I don't think I want a new year this time around. I want a gently used year like 2015 or maybe a 1998 if it's in good condition. --Jonathan Edward Durham --Submitted by ar of ks

..........I got my resolution made.........B B King …..Bringing in a Brand New Year

Trivia Questions: 124 years ago today Carrie Nation broke up her first tavern. What do you know about the world's most famous prohibitionist?

^ Do you have any idea when she was born or when she died?

^^ What made Carrie such an imposing figure?

^^^ Why did Carrie take up the prohibitionist cause?

^^^^ What do you know about Carry Nation the opera?

^^^^^ What article of women's clothing did Carrie also disapprove of?

Big Hello: Kasalehlie – Pohnpeian (Pohnpel & Caroline islands) https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm

Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Principal: Your son always causes trouble here at school. Dad: He always causes trouble at home. Have I ever called you?

Image of the Week: In 2024 I lost my brother, Fletcher. Here he is with my sister, Vivian, whom I lost several years ago.

Coffee Humor of the Week: My grandparents had resolutions like donating more time and money to charities. I've resolved to make my own coffee once a week. https://www.rd.com/article/new-years-jokes/

March is Women's History Month: You're born. You die. Everything in between is subject to interpretation. --Nora Ephron Ж Never have more children than you have car windows. --Erma Bombeck Ж I've tried Buddhism, Scientology, Numerology, Transcendental Meditation, Qabbala, T'ai Chi, Feng shui, and Deepak Chopra; but I find straight gin works best. --Phyllis Diller (From Funny Girl ePistle (3/8/24)

..........A world in white gets under way..........U2 …..New Year's Day

Moonbeam: Truth is the daughter of time, and I feel no shame in being her midwife. --Johannes Kepler

Blasphemy of the Week: We hear a lot about LGBTQ people trying to indoctrinate everyone else. But I've never – not even once – had an LGBTQ person come to my door to talk me into being LGBTQ.

Puzzle of the Week: From listener Joseph Young. Change one letter of a place on earth to get a familiar phrase much heard around this time of year. What is it? The answer consists of three words (5,2,5). --NPR Sunday Puzzle 12/22/24

Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: My reality check bounced.

April is Jazz Appreciation Month: A jazz musician is someone who puts a $5000 horn into a $500 car and drives 50 miles for a $5/hour gig. Ж The difference between a jazz trumpet solo and a jet plane is about 3 decibels. Ж How late does the band play? About 3 beats behind the drummer.

..........How does the turn of the century sound..........Alabama …..New Year's Eve 1999

^ Carrie Nation nee Moore was born 11/25/2846 in Garrard county Kentucky and died 6/9/1911 in Leavenworth, Kansas.

Almanac: It is Friday, December 27, 2024. The moon will be new on Monday (12/30) and is in Scorpio. Today is Howdy Doody Day, International Day for Epidemic Preparedness, Radio City Music Hall Day, and Visit The Zoo Day.

Among those born on this day were Johann Kepler (1571), Jean Bernoulli (1654), Louis Pasteur (1822), Sydney Greenstreet (1879), Oscar Levant (1906), William H. Master (1915), Cokie Roberts (1943), and James Sanford (1957).

On December twenty-seventh Carry Nation smashed her first bar (Wichita, KS, 1900), the American Sociological Society opened their first annual meeting (1906), Show Boat premiered (1927), Radio City Music Hall opened (1932), the Howdy Doody Show was first telecast on NBC (1947), Apollo 8 returned to Earth (1968), the last Carol Burnett Show aired (1991),

Night Sky, 112/27: Right after dark, spot bright Venus in the southwest. Look just 1.1° to its left for the 3rd-magnitude star Delta Capricorni. Binoculars will help. Although 3rd magnitude sounds easy naked-eye, Delta Cap is less than a thousandth as bright as Venus and less than a finger-width at arm's length from its glare!

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/sky-at-a-glance/

Fraternal Picture of the Week: Christmas Jewelry

This Week: Saturday, December 28 – Endangered Species Act Day & National Chocolate Day

Sunday, December 29 – Tick Tock Day & YMCA Day (The Organization, not the song)

Night Sky, 12/29: Mercury, magnitude –0.3, is having one of its better apparitions in the dawn. Look for it low in the southeast about 60 to 45 minutes before sunrise. Late in the week, look too for twinklier orange Antares about 8° to Mercury's lower right or right. Antares is more than a magnitude fainter. Binoculars will help.

Monday, December 30 – Bacon Day & Falling Needles Family Fest

Tuesday, December 31 – Hogmanay aka New Year's Eve & Universal Hour of Peace Day & World Peace Meditation Day

Wednesday, January 1 – Ellis Island Day & New Years Day & Polar Bear Plunge & Rose Bowl (Parade and game)

Night Sky, 1/1: As the year begins, Orion has fully come into its own. He's striding up the east-southeastern sky as soon as it gets dark, with his three-star Belt nearly vertical. Left of the Belt is orange Betelgeuse and right of the Belt is bright white Rigel, supergiants both. The Belt points up toward Aldebaran and Jupiter and, even higher, the Pleiades. In the other direction, it points down to where Sirius rises shortly after twilight's end.

Thursday, January 2 – National Science Fiction Day & Stop Spam Day & World Introvert Day

May is National Smile Month: The IRS called Rev Smith and asked if a certain church member had donated $10,000 to the congregation. Rev Smith responded, She will. Ж I was walking down the street the other day when I thought I saw Carol and Carol thought she saw me. But when we got up to each other, it wasn't either of us. Ж Sorry, I just assumed the king kept his armies up his sleevies. (From mIscellaneous ePistle 5/3/24)

..........Then see the year come into bloom.........Let's Eat Grandma …..Happy New Year

^^ Carrie was almost 6 feet tall and weighed about 175 pounds. It is said she also possessed an imposing personality.

Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Y'know what I think. No, but I can tell you are about to take that small happiness away from me. --Submitted by Heinlein Society

Moonbeam: As long as there is algebra in school there will be prayer in school. --Cokie Roberts

Fun Fact of the Week: This is what the moon would look like if it was colonized. M:O:O:N--Submitted by Laughing Librarian

Video of the Week: Roy Zimmerman singing Christma-Hanu-Rama-Ka-Dona-Kwanzaa https://www.royzimmerman.com/christma-hanu.html

IFOR maintains permanent representatives in Geneva, New York, and Vienna and at the UNESCO in Paris who regularly participate in conferences and meetings of UN bodies, providing testimony and expertise from different regional perspectives, promoting non-violent alternatives in the fields of human rights, development, and disarmament. --International Fellowship of Reconciliation

June is the month of the Summer Solstice: Thank you so much for making the longest day of the year even longer by explaining in detail why it is the longest day of the year. Ж Summer is such a crazy time. The frogs are wearing open-toad sandals and the bananas are wearing sunscreen so they don't peel. Ж A group of sunbeams is called a Ray Brigade. (From sOlstitial ePistle 6/21/24)

..........Let's turn over a new leaf.........Carla Thomas …..New Year's Resolution

^^^ On June 5, 1899, Carrie received a vision from God, telling her to smash saloons in Kiowa, KS. ~~This contradicts my date and place of 1900 in Salina, KS. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/carry-nation-smashes-bar OR https://visitgyphills.com/highlights/hatchet-wielding-carry-a-nation-began-her-saloon-smashing-career-living-in-medicine-lodge-kansas#:~:text=Carry's%20Career%20as%20an%20Activist&text=The%20first%20saloon%20smashed%20by,and%20anything%20else%20she%20could.

Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I've lived so many lives this year; it's like the plot changed every single month. --Submitted by 98%

Weird Word of the Week: Widdiful – deserves being hanged https://www.worldwidewords.org/ww-wid1.html

Dragon of the Week:

Wacky Uses for Common Products: Lubricate furniture drawers and windows. Rub ChapStick on the casters of drawers and windows so they slide open and shut easily. https://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/chapstick2.html

July is Rodeo Month: Bull rider pick up lines: Got 8 seconds? Ж Rodeo wisdom – never squat with your spurs on. Ж Barrel racers are just crazy cat ladies with a little money. Ж Before he became a burger flipper Ronald McDonald was a rodeo clown who swore an oath revenge against the bull that killed his brother. (From rOped ePistle 7/12/24)

...........Let's make it a great night.........Snoop Dogg …..New Year's Eve

^^^^ Douglas Moore created an opera, Carry Nation, under commission from the University of Kansas. It premiered at the University in 1966 and later that year was given its first professional performance by the San Francisco Opera.

Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Today I signed up for a one year membership at the gym. My bank called to see if my card had been stolen.

Science Fiction Convention of the Week: 911 call from the Hilton hotel where a major Science Fiction convention is taking place: A fight has broken out between Dr Who fans and Star Trek fans. No hurry, the likelihood of anyone getting hurt is very small.

Actual Science Conference of the Week: International Conference on Computer Science, Cybersecurity, and information Technology (ICCSCIT) (20-31, Vinena, Austria) digital https://conferenceindex.org/event/international-conference-on-computer-science-cybersecurity-and-information-technology-iccscit-2024-december-vienna-at#:~:text=International%20Conference%20on%20Computer%20Science,31%2C%202024%20in%20Vienna%2C%20Austria

Answer to Puzzle of the Week: Place on Earth → Peace on Earth

August is National Crayon Collection Month: Nurses always carry a red crayon in case they need to draw blood. Ж The white crayon is seeing a therapist. She says she feels useless. Ж It's tricky becoming friends with other parents. Your kids will be besties for a while, then, out of the blue, someone uses the wrong color crayon and I can't speak to their parents ever again. (wAxy ePistle 8/23/24)

..........When it's exactly twelve o'clock that night.........Ella Fitzgerald …..What Are You Doing New Year's Eve

^^^^^ Carrie encouraged women to stop wearing corsets, due to the pain they inflicted and the physical damage they could do to a woman.

Conspiracy Theory of the Week: It's only a conspiracy theory now, but with the right marketing it could become a widely held belief. https://www.facebook.com/PhilosophyMttrs

Quote of the Week: Knowledge is the harvest of attention. --Charles Olsen

Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Nihilist's Lives Don't Matter

Today's Peace of History: December 27, 1914: The International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR), an inter-religious peace group, was founded in Cambridge, England.

September is All American Breakfast Month: I don't mind breakfast in bed, but I prefer it on a plate. Ж When my partner asked, “What's for breakfast?” I answered, “The one after three breakfast.” Ж The French eat small breakfasts because one egg is œuf. (From eGgy ePistle 8/15/23)

It's not fair. Spiders get to make resolutions to spend more time on the web.

..........Kissing the old year out.........Bing Crosby …..Let's Start the New Year Right

Masthead of the Week: Friday ePistle, December 27, 2024, yEarly ePistle. Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. Lawrence, KS.

Moonbeam: The only difference between the Democrats and the Republicans is that Democrats allow the poor to be corrupt also. --Oscar Levant

Cost of War:

As of 12/26/24 State Department Costs: $253,961,920,474
As of 12/12/24 State Department Costs: $253,403,876,634
As of 12/26/24 Homeland Security: $1,187,562,290,640
As of 12/12/24 Homeland Security: $1,186,343,814,310
As of 12/26/24 Interest on War Debt: $1,268,446,208,874
As of 12/12/24 Interest on War Debt: $1,265,312,808,865
As of 12/26/24 Military Costs: $3,122,764,814,780
As of 12/12/24 Military Costs: $3,120,385,719,347
As of 12/26/24 Veterans Care: $4,040,409,245,368
As of 12/12/24 Veterans Care: $4,016,656,727,498
As of 12/26/24 Total Cost of Wars: $9,873,146,765,243
As of 12/12/24 Total Cost of Wars: $9,841,540,758,224

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

How can we support conscientious objectors and deserters from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine? The war in Ukraine has raged for a year now, and there is little hope that it will end soon. The death toll and the destruction rise daily. Russia is unwilling to end its attack and withdraw, and is pumping more and more troops into Ukraine. There is an ongoing risk of Belarus’ active involvement in the war. Meanwhile, the Western countries support Ukraine in its defence by continuing to send more and more heavy weapons. Calls for negotiations and cease-fires remain unheard.

Famous Last Words: Long Live Bhutto! --Benazir Bhutto died in an assassination attempt 12/27/07

..........We drank a toast to innocence. We drank a toast to time..........Dan Fogelberg …..Same Old Lang Syne

October is Learn To Bowl Month: I was about to write a really bad bowling pun here, but I spared you. Ж Gutter balls are officially known as Alley Oops. Ж Spinal Tap used to use eleven bowling pins. (From sPare ePistle 10/8/21)

May Peace guide your brain

And Joy escort your heart

prairie mama

christine

Last Laugh: