Great Moments in Editing and Signage

 

It's your first collection of editorial and signage ya-ha's for the new month! Let's get rolling ...

I'm not sure that's a suitable substitute, but what do I know?

I'll bet those antlers hurt on the way out ...

I think this is my dentist ...

Uh ... no ...

I guess this is for those who plan on orgies in the kitchen ...

I think there's a reporter in Iowa looking for a new job ...

"Slightly used?" ...

You have to wonder how many people are dumb enough to fill it in ,,,

I wonder what the criteria for "fine" are ...

Worst case of mistaken identity, ever ...

That's it for this week. As always, if you find a Great Moment in your travels or reading, take a picture and send it to ol' Bilbo - I'll give you credit if I use it.

Have a good day, and be sure to come back tomorrow for Cartoon Saturday. More thoughts then.

Bilbo

Thursday Trees

 

New month, new trees! Welcome to Mike's Thursday Trees!

1 - a "Mayan Tree" (Albizia niopoides) in Mexico ...

2 - a "nurse log," raising a whole new forest ...

3 - this tree might look good at a nudist colony ...

4 - I think this tree is in need of an arboreal chiropractor ...

5 - leaves against the blue sky ...

6 - you know it's coming ...

7 - a tree's gonna grow where a tree's gonna grow ...

8 - this tree looks like a diagram of what passes for MAGA logic ...

9 - an olive tree, reminding me of those times when I've really gotta go and there's no rest room around ...

10 - a quiver tree forest in Namibia ...

And that's it for our first edition of Thursday Trees for November - I hope you enjoyed it.

Have a good day, and be sure to come back tomorrow for the first November collection of Great Moments in Editing and Signage. More thoughts then.

Bilbo

Presidential Qualifications, Revisited

Last Tuesday I published a post on some of the experiences I thought a President ought have. The reactions to that post (and there have been many, both on the post itself, on Facebook, and via email and PM) have been largely critical, and most of them seem to assume that I would want any presidential candidate to have lived all of the experiences I listed.

In hindsight, I think it went off the rails when I used the not-quite-accurate word qualifications in the title. 

My bad.

As I wrote in that post, "Nobody is likely to check all these boxes, but the more, the better." Anyone who had all of the experiences I suggested would probably not be available for the presidency, having his (or her) sights set on a more prestigious office, like Pope.

I believe that, over time, we've created a presidency that can be held only by those rich enough to buy it (or have it bought for them by the Elon Musks of the world), and that most of the people who are able reach that office have not the least understanding of the day-to-day challenges of the people they were elected to lead. What I'd hoped to convey was my belief that a person who aspires to the presidency ought to have had at least a few of the life experiences of those of us in the Great Unwashed. 

In retrospect, I think that the actual qualifications, rather than desired life experiences, ought to include the upper age limit and documentation of having paid taxes. I think there might be enough support for a constitutional amendment to add those. As for the remaining experiences, I'd hope we can agree that at least a few of them are reasonable.

Heaven knows, we've got to do better.

Have a good day. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Election Day, 2026

Today is Tuesday, November 3rd - the day of the 2026 midterm elections. Emotions are running higher than usual, given the condition of the economy and the corruption and ineptitude of many incumbents, and early mail-in and in-person voting numbers are near historic levels in many localities.

I don't care who you vote for. Well, actually, I do, but the decision is yours. You know your own situation. You know what you expect from your elected officials and can compare it to what you see them deliver. The choice is yours.

Don't vote on the basis of promises. Anyone can promise anything ... that's pretty much how we got the crowd in power we have now. What's important is not what they promise they'll do, but the actual measures they propose to turn those promises into action. Ask how they plan to fulfill their promises, and think about how plausible ... and even moral ... those plans are.

Vote, but be an educated voter. Don't let yourself be swayed by wild accusations and crazy conspiracy theories. Vote with confidence in the security and accuracy of a system administered by your friends and neighbors under the laws of your state. Just vote.

As I have since 2016, I will be working today as a county Officer of Election at my local precinct. I've had many hours of training and have sworn my oath to conduct the election honestly and lawfully. Ask yourself how many of the people howling about "rigged elections" can say the same.  

Exercise your power today. Vote. Accept the results, even if you're disappointed, and hold your newly elected officials to account. It's not enough to throw the bums out ... you need to keep the new bums honest.

Have a good day. Vote.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Monday Mountains

New month, new opportunities to admire the beauty of the world's mountains ...

1 - Chamonix, France ...

2 - Along the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway in Wyoming ...

3 - Colchuk Lake in the Cascades ...

4 - Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska ...

5 - San Juan Mountains, Colorado. I spent a month hiking in the San Juans in the summer of 1969 ...

6 - the Selkirk Mountains, Idaho ...

7 - Marguzor Lake in the mountains of Tajikistan ...

8 - The Tatra Mountains of Poland ...

9 - "The Sleeping Witch," a famous formation in the Lattengebirge range of the Berchtesgaden Alps in Germany ...

10 - the Zinalrothorn in Switzerland ...

November is off to a flying start! I hope you enjoyed these beautiful examples of glorious mountains around the world.

Have a good day. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Musical Sunday

There is a long and rich tradition in the musical world of artists covering a tune and putting their own stylistic spin on it. This has been taken to an amazing extreme in this cover of the Tom Jones hit "Sex Bomb," sung by Jonas Wolf in the style of the 1500's ... 

Hast thou an opinion on this presentation, pray tell? Leave a comment.

Have a good day, enjoy the rest of your weekend, and remember to vote on Tuesday if you've not already done so. 

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

 

Cartoon Saturday

Thank goodness this month is finally over ...

Failed Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, facing multiple criminal investigations in Brazil, has fled to the United States with the assistance of Der Furor; at least 68 people were killed and dozens injured in Spain when a high-speed train slammed into another that had stopped on the tracks on Wednesday; Secretary of Defense (not War) Pete Hegseth has fired yet another general, this time on charges that he had leaked classified information ... an offense only permitted to Der Furor and his cabinet officers; Newsweek Magazine reports that the U.S. Army has practiced digging mass battlefield graves for the first time since the Korean War; and in Ohio, a man has pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated felony burglary after he tried to recover a pet squirrel from his former girlfriend.

Today is the last Saturday of our annual Cartoon Saturday salute to the Halloween season ... and it's actually Halloweeen! Let's finish off the season with a collection of cartoons about werewolves ... 

This would be me ...

How embarrassing ...

The real story of Frankenstein vs the Wolfman ...

Introductions ...

When your alibi doesn't stand up ... 

Well, it is that time of year ...

Accurate terminology is important ...

Accuracy matters ...

Even werewolves post on social media nowadays ...

Well, that explains a few things ...

And that finishes out our annual Cartoon Saturday salute to the Halloween Season ... I hope you've enjoyed the last few Saturdays of spooky cartoons. Have a good day and a great weekend, and be sure to come back tomorrow for the first Musical Sunday of November ... probably the weirdest arrangement of a song you've ever heard.

More thoughts then.

Bilbo

The On-Crack Ass Clown for October, 2026

October is one of the months this year (May was the other) in which there are three Fridays available for Ass Clown Awards, which is actually a good thing, as there are so many Ass Clowns available for the dishonor at the moment. We've already had the two regular awards (Right Cheek* and Left Cheek**), plus two Special Awards***, giving us a total of five in this depressing month. It's also somewhat appropriate that this last award for the month takes place the day before Halloween ... the most frightening day of the year.

With that in mind, let us dip our skimmer into the swirling cesspool of ass clownery and scoop up

The On-Crack Ass Clown for October, 2026

and the award goes to

Elon Musk

Elon Musk today receives his third Ass Clown Award, having previously earned the Right Cheek Award for December, 2024 and the Left-Cheek Award for January, 2025. The first of those awards was based on his blatant purchase of the 2024 presidential election, in which he invested an estimated quarter of a billion dollars to get Der Furor back into the Gilded House; the second award noted, as I wrote at the time, that 

"From his position as primus inter pares among the Association of American Oligarchs, Elon Musk has taken full advantage of the culture of corruption around Der Furor, in blatant, obvious, and unpunished violation of the law."

Things have not changed since then. Today's award recognizes the vast amounts of money Mr Musk has spent to elect Republicans at all levels in this election - $446 million, nearly half a billion dollars - mainly to protect both his vast contracts with the federal government and the enormous tax advantages Der Furor's regime has bestowed upon him and his fellow billionaires.

In addition, Mr Musk appears to have usurped a measure of control over the nation's foreign policy by throttling back the Starlink and Starshield communications systems upon which Ukraine relies for its defense against Russian aggression. Der Furor and Mr Musk have blamed each other for this egregious betrayal of an ally, and Der Furor said that he had asked Musk to restore the connectivity. As historian Dr Heather Cox Richardson wrote in her Letter from an American on October 22nd, 

"... it is simply astonishing that the president of the United States, the commander in chief of the United States military, is suggesting he had to negotiate with a private citizen to tell him to stop interfering with American foreign policy."

Having done likely irreparable (at least in the medium term) damage to the United States government with his irresponsible slash-and-burn "Department of Government Efficiency," Elon Musk continues to wreak havoc on our nation both at home and abroad as he uses our tax dollars to advance his business interests and personal philosophies.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, the On-Crack Ass Clown for October, 2026, is Elon Musk. And in further recognition of the despicable behavior and abuse of his vast fortune which pose a continuing danger not only to the nation, but to the world, he also receives the Poop of Distinction in Gold.

Have a good day and be sure to come back tomorrow for the final Cartoon Saturday Salute to Halloween of 2026, featuring cartoons about werewolves. More thoughts then.

Bilbo

* "National Security."

** Der Furor, with Special Recognition to the Congressional GOP.

*** Secretary of Defense (not War) Pete Hegseth and Steve Witkoff and Vivek Ramaswamy.

Thursday Trees

It's time once again - for the last time in October - for Mike's Thursday Trees ... if you're ready to branch out with me, let's go!

1- An Australian baobab tree ...

2 - Autumn is definitely here ...

3 - I think old bristlecone pine trees are fascinating ...

4 - Dancing trees in Indonesia ...

5 - Golden aspens in Colorado ...

6 - A hawthorne tree in Scotland ...

7 - Your guess is as good as mine ...

8 - A little bit of history: trees on Little Round Top, scene of the crucial fight at the Civil War battle of Gettysburg ...

9 - A monkey puzzle tree (araucaria araucana) a slow-growing evergreen native to the Andes Mountains of South America ... 

10 - An elderly robinia tree in Fulda, Germany ...

And that finishes out our last Thursday Tree collection for October - I hope you enjoyed it. Have a good day and be sure to come back tomorrow for the announcement of the On-Crack Ass Clown for October. More thoughts then.

Bilbo