tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-236836582024-03-18T16:32:15.287-04:00Bilbo's Random Thought CollectionRandom observations and comments from the Fairfax County, Virginia, Curmudgeon-at-Large.Bilbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14213505386288233192noreply@blogger.comBlogger5180125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23683658.post-44800191475827911072024-03-17T06:46:00.000-04:002024-03-17T06:46:59.153-04:00Poetry Sunday<div><br /></div><div>We live in strange and frightening times. A resurgent Russia, trying to seize back an independent Ukraine, threatens nuclear war. Der Furor noisily paints a picture of a "bloodbath for the country" if he loses the election, and a national hellscape utterly at odds with reality, but fervently believed by his cult. Storms become worse and sea levels rise as the climate responds to our centuries of abuse. Yes, it's a tough time. How do we cope? Today's poem by Kim Stafford has some suggestions ...</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Citizen of Dark Times</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>by Kim Stafford</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Agenda in a time of fear: Be not afraid.</div><div>When things go wrong, do right.</div><div>Set out by the half-light of the seeker.</div><div>For the well-lit problem begins to heal.</div><div><br /></div><div>Learn tropism toward the difficult.</div><div>We have not arrived to explain, but to sing.</div><div>Young idealism ripens into an ethical life.</div><div>Prune back regret to let faith grow.</div><div><br /></div><div>When you hit rock bottom, dig farther down.</div><div>Grief is the seed of singing, shame the seed of song.</div><div>Keep seeing what you are not saying.</div><div>Plunder your reticence.</div><div><br /></div><div>Songbird guards a twig, its only weapon a song.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>If your only weapon is a song, be sure you sing it loud enough to resonate with those who refuse to sing. </div><div><br /></div><div>Have a good day and enjoy the rest of your weekend. More thoughts coming.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bilbo</div><div><br /></div>Bilbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14213505386288233192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23683658.post-1197977796220613702024-03-16T05:55:00.000-04:002024-03-16T05:55:12.260-04:00Cartoon Saturday<div><br /></div><div>Please, just make it stop ... </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68505228" target="_blank">Russians are voting for president</a>, with Vladimir Putin the only actual candidate - the sort of election favored by contemporary Republicans; Fulton County Georgia Judge Scott McAfee ruled on Friday that District Attorney Fani Willis <a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-election-indictment-fani-willis-trump-60b7dd9642fc9ef7c03d75980692334c" target="_blank">can stay on and prosecute the Georgia 2020 election interference racketeering case against former President Donald Trump and 14 of his co-defendants, but only if she removes the special prosecutor with whom she engaged in a romantic relationship</a> in order to avoid any appearance of impropriety (that prosecutor has <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/15/politics/read-nathan-wade-resignation-letter-willis-fulton-county" target="_blank">resigned</a>); the Army's West Point military academy <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/03/14/1238617877/west-point-usma-duty-honor-country-mission-statement" target="_blank">changed its mission statement</a> (but not it's motto, which remains "Duty, Honor, Country") to reflect the values it seeks to inculcate in future officers - which caused Congressional Republicans' heads to explode and charge the academy with the unforgivable sin of "wokeness;" the House of Representatives has passed and sent to the Senate <a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-house-vote-china-national-security-8fa7258fae1a4902d344c9d978d58a37" target="_blank">a bill making offer of the popular social media app TikTok illegal in the United States unless its owner sells it within six months</a>, ensuring it is no longer under the potential control of a "foreign adversary" (China); and in Thailand (not, oddly enough, Florida), a would-be alpha male is recovering after <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2024/03/14/man-thailand-puts-inside-11-penis-rings-20467344/" target="_blank">emergency room doctors successfully cut eleven penis rings</a> from his swollen member. </div><div><br /></div><div>There are a lot of cartoons out there that take off on the lyrics to popular songs. This week, we'll take a look at a few of them ... </div><div><br /></div><div>Don't worry, he'll survive ...</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6M_98eQa23LzZlnp37YRpgMJdb7hbNtW03PU3n9MSSxjnBT1AJe8tfxrDFPx78JgjjDt5rgg1x0xpRqJjh7y_EW2xLH_5YO6HXDe1KN0-rHdG6TvXjYfPHzpz64zTikqSHR-R_3vMTvr9p3Vn5N5cX5udEBj2UxWR0jpcyhn-ERV427ilU_6CJA/s960/Afraid,%20then%20Petrified.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="492" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6M_98eQa23LzZlnp37YRpgMJdb7hbNtW03PU3n9MSSxjnBT1AJe8tfxrDFPx78JgjjDt5rgg1x0xpRqJjh7y_EW2xLH_5YO6HXDe1KN0-rHdG6TvXjYfPHzpz64zTikqSHR-R_3vMTvr9p3Vn5N5cX5udEBj2UxWR0jpcyhn-ERV427ilU_6CJA/s320/Afraid,%20then%20Petrified.jpeg" width="164" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Inspiration comes from many places ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-fGCiUYxxSR4FnxCnvJK1rfWZLYA47hASr8q-V_97NWhLFgKxDQjKKb1SpM4RHmoOsbXVjqU6IXkwWwLC3TBp9l1qWLiu88jpQoeUegeM5Ni8UQ-71Vk7u3BlUsVXYSvGGUUMpY_QC0KF8wbmIGO3I5jkADzQPcuAjRkc1Rq2xLmlsZdPmX2uA/s346/At%20the%20Motel%20California.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-fGCiUYxxSR4FnxCnvJK1rfWZLYA47hASr8q-V_97NWhLFgKxDQjKKb1SpM4RHmoOsbXVjqU6IXkwWwLC3TBp9l1qWLiu88jpQoeUegeM5Ni8UQ-71Vk7u3BlUsVXYSvGGUUMpY_QC0KF8wbmIGO3I5jkADzQPcuAjRkc1Rq2xLmlsZdPmX2uA/s320/At%20the%20Motel%20California.JPG" width="277" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you need something to sing at breakfast ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJlbqMkdFORVOpZW_FLv5NVKL1Ii-TGjLc_pPl0D8-Nq3X5rDmPgjFt_JTT9oqoUVumUslBK4r-6Qj0X2i5v8AR-he5nlAvM0eQQ2YAPyiW3KookS2q_oUdBTK7RT3-MalQ2t9-iUQgxtaGYM-L3irGtKglG-J1MdhznpZzyURfpg4KJsRe-i2nA/s960/Breakfast%20Song.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="863" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJlbqMkdFORVOpZW_FLv5NVKL1Ii-TGjLc_pPl0D8-Nq3X5rDmPgjFt_JTT9oqoUVumUslBK4r-6Qj0X2i5v8AR-he5nlAvM0eQQ2YAPyiW3KookS2q_oUdBTK7RT3-MalQ2t9-iUQgxtaGYM-L3irGtKglG-J1MdhznpZzyURfpg4KJsRe-i2nA/s320/Breakfast%20Song.JPG" width="288" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yep, some classics just can't be improved on ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7BObPnO-rDNAUCm5FCAcrO0aZ5XHJDuyqOxfvJ_jv68djmbnyA_2w35g_i7JgHIlksfAIW1wehjUF5DcvsXpmDSPJCLuh74sYSYLxWPeWEmiWkSDPb6-xiBozvXm5sqTNkroVUetvHwbfCp8zWce5IjZ4xlj8jlQCARBCp54Ar89sI_oDFNhZg/s1387/Can't%20Beat%20Those%20Lyrics.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="954" data-original-width="1387" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7BObPnO-rDNAUCm5FCAcrO0aZ5XHJDuyqOxfvJ_jv68djmbnyA_2w35g_i7JgHIlksfAIW1wehjUF5DcvsXpmDSPJCLuh74sYSYLxWPeWEmiWkSDPb6-xiBozvXm5sqTNkroVUetvHwbfCp8zWce5IjZ4xlj8jlQCARBCp54Ar89sI_oDFNhZg/s320/Can't%20Beat%20Those%20Lyrics.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Most of us don't have to worry about our choice of washing machines, but classical musicians sometimes do ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbiFa0_zTxV6WjoQA-exViBOBPG3TXk0yWZBmAS8asfe_ZQchyv2_LZ7eN31_p6YTJyblr23sVbqSFXzeSi0mQ03vPDONwR1uzmbzVCkkJL8GaivkBldPyY0gt7_jaKoA_o1EnhXZt7O8T_lqVLQegJDM3DGx_uOGxQOJqIHxVKkqjv4xdLole3A/s1344/Dryer%20by%20Richard%20Wagner.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1344" data-original-width="1072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbiFa0_zTxV6WjoQA-exViBOBPG3TXk0yWZBmAS8asfe_ZQchyv2_LZ7eN31_p6YTJyblr23sVbqSFXzeSi0mQ03vPDONwR1uzmbzVCkkJL8GaivkBldPyY0gt7_jaKoA_o1EnhXZt7O8T_lqVLQegJDM3DGx_uOGxQOJqIHxVKkqjv4xdLole3A/s320/Dryer%20by%20Richard%20Wagner.jpeg" width="255" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">He needs somebody ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHNvAcROq9aRyxCb27G_gQPC09yPtEnXVQ8CuTUVm3-cznXYPWr_ugvykIQAmYzbPeuG48qoSZ9FAekFbc7q6qYgnOB4DFiK5A7K2qV7RNyguFxIQU1Q9bx_d41tRjUQeD8ko-2bhiqg8bSkPYDW7wkW80xqTe9yNCwNy4znVD9VwzEmMJMZ0Ug/s2022/Get%20Back,%20Get%20Back.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2022" data-original-width="1922" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHNvAcROq9aRyxCb27G_gQPC09yPtEnXVQ8CuTUVm3-cznXYPWr_ugvykIQAmYzbPeuG48qoSZ9FAekFbc7q6qYgnOB4DFiK5A7K2qV7RNyguFxIQU1Q9bx_d41tRjUQeD8ko-2bhiqg8bSkPYDW7wkW80xqTe9yNCwNy4znVD9VwzEmMJMZ0Ug/s320/Get%20Back,%20Get%20Back.JPG" width="304" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's a long setup for a joke, but I'll take it ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWjR0lVUlpQJgecJPxWvxUY50kSTsGYoxDHWhfxxQAaI47Vx3eOwtq3VIu-ohYGMCN68JvEOvOxW40iGiO0_NR9elKrA1kIdH22-UcLSkKPmdVBi8AUVhE-9DJFMn-9-5mSvwMVi2tLVek4sXqVynCMoPrabh9P1ERkLr1zMgbh9GSrqyWxXFYzg/s359/Killing%20with%20a%20Song.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="359" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWjR0lVUlpQJgecJPxWvxUY50kSTsGYoxDHWhfxxQAaI47Vx3eOwtq3VIu-ohYGMCN68JvEOvOxW40iGiO0_NR9elKrA1kIdH22-UcLSkKPmdVBi8AUVhE-9DJFMn-9-5mSvwMVi2tLVek4sXqVynCMoPrabh9P1ERkLr1zMgbh9GSrqyWxXFYzg/s320/Killing%20with%20a%20Song.jpeg" width="267" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's a matter of opinion ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztkRn4hZi6OMDI-uXeWHdjjr5xAKsZGi_5GRD25Bnp7BZO53Ye8JFDbnehmrtuU7na61-Q1QwXpw55CwOMpk6hkvoogPk8fuJtAjZcivhkDDx7YMRNBGcK7gjlEpFKjwH155N_xuQrvXlilTgIJMeOxXZsc8_bzPP_l6KrV22yORjFSF4Pm4e6g/s960/Lennon-McCartney%20Home%20Decor.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="774" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztkRn4hZi6OMDI-uXeWHdjjr5xAKsZGi_5GRD25Bnp7BZO53Ye8JFDbnehmrtuU7na61-Q1QwXpw55CwOMpk6hkvoogPk8fuJtAjZcivhkDDx7YMRNBGcK7gjlEpFKjwH155N_xuQrvXlilTgIJMeOxXZsc8_bzPP_l6KrV22yORjFSF4Pm4e6g/s320/Lennon-McCartney%20Home%20Decor.jpeg" width="258" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's important to pick the right song to sing to your beloved ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ZFCSzOH345zIz8kb9JDYJRNbVyg8A3-NuVdtQFeZNM25FEvqYwjZtJrjGL8vzUIcO_OA0Gq6sWXwLu2ZkVd_QWUwWhrWMiA1Sh0bt4q9uq7_TWP3w3eXovb9X1JiYb3UZUpWz3tpI82JUxbCeApqjS3s4KaH4XK-O55FyGE65lgpkwoq3BSPbg/s720/Song%20vs%20Stalking%20Law.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="657" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ZFCSzOH345zIz8kb9JDYJRNbVyg8A3-NuVdtQFeZNM25FEvqYwjZtJrjGL8vzUIcO_OA0Gq6sWXwLu2ZkVd_QWUwWhrWMiA1Sh0bt4q9uq7_TWP3w3eXovb9X1JiYb3UZUpWz3tpI82JUxbCeApqjS3s4KaH4XK-O55FyGE65lgpkwoq3BSPbg/s320/Song%20vs%20Stalking%20Law.jpg" width="292" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Mr Zevon seems to have trouble with his alibi ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibWnlN5AI4uTMYn9RK8ZaZecobIfn4KYkC3cjpsfEhKIoMatAPBDxwexyUZmO-j1uhW7vvACC_QQjfhRLIi2wGq2PVgxX9tfp3POCg1CFX7AX38krTW3yAYjz3OFkkedT89GTgjefphlvwoZyQIs4iFWGHu7__hIbvth8FdPEjIhpj3yi7bLM-dQ/s512/Warren%20Zevon's%20Werewolf%20Statement.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibWnlN5AI4uTMYn9RK8ZaZecobIfn4KYkC3cjpsfEhKIoMatAPBDxwexyUZmO-j1uhW7vvACC_QQjfhRLIi2wGq2PVgxX9tfp3POCg1CFX7AX38krTW3yAYjz3OFkkedT89GTgjefphlvwoZyQIs4iFWGHu7__hIbvth8FdPEjIhpj3yi7bLM-dQ/s320/Warren%20Zevon's%20Werewolf%20Statement.jpeg" width="281" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>And that's it for this week's cartoon Saturday sing-along - I hope you enjoyed it. Have a good day and a great weekend, and come back tomorrow for Poetry Sunday ... more thoughts then.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bilbo</div><div><br /></div>Bilbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14213505386288233192noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23683658.post-26728912316804166982024-03-15T05:39:00.003-04:002024-03-15T05:39:59.445-04:00Great Moments in Editing and Signage<div><br /></div><div>It's the ides of March, and time for us to take another stab (sorry) at Great Moments in Editing and Signage ... </div><div><br /></div><div>The 2024 official drink of the undecided voter ...</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixPU5KAlApxJqgvwhg4OlVX4DFnYcMClQnq7Wo7INCOAEphb6-Rn_2jivX8SIN_SGJucUe7iiDdg0szF0iSKfOcjs3e2qg4KHJwmOnrg2qHS7v6gSj3pTC_zpHW96H0JhCnb3tUNtF9MNhZrrJCqDiPARFNHBFbFOloZySFN5ek76fAEPDpkZjYg/s853/Apathetic%20Red.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixPU5KAlApxJqgvwhg4OlVX4DFnYcMClQnq7Wo7INCOAEphb6-Rn_2jivX8SIN_SGJucUe7iiDdg0szF0iSKfOcjs3e2qg4KHJwmOnrg2qHS7v6gSj3pTC_zpHW96H0JhCnb3tUNtF9MNhZrrJCqDiPARFNHBFbFOloZySFN5ek76fAEPDpkZjYg/s320/Apathetic%20Red.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As endorsed by Alabama Senator Katie Britt in her bizarre State of the Union rebuttal last week ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhRg3BbWixI4NJa8j8YwODwp9WkW2mpASJ12LGC9I36SxypSSr6T4m4Hl_k2xJZn5ew_0p0tl9kKmzZ05JTDABEdBtQh6BCd_0CThu0RHDIOWmJa0bYOvZ5N57VhhDgNvszhSz64ZVDBh0SZUOBRyx1X4cIhpTEsi4hXSIznAHhyXHj1FnFz7e7w/s445/Back%20Where%20They%20Belong.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="245" data-original-width="445" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhRg3BbWixI4NJa8j8YwODwp9WkW2mpASJ12LGC9I36SxypSSr6T4m4Hl_k2xJZn5ew_0p0tl9kKmzZ05JTDABEdBtQh6BCd_0CThu0RHDIOWmJa0bYOvZ5N57VhhDgNvszhSz64ZVDBh0SZUOBRyx1X4cIhpTEsi4hXSIznAHhyXHj1FnFz7e7w/s320/Back%20Where%20They%20Belong.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The high-caliber standard for modern American manhood ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAoLOIfLVbkzczfIUq9xnJdzWZbZJ4GLoAKcETSo1hSNv6lBAYMcno165e8aySgppMZpIpc6BzjqxlBW11UDbzqOL342YHYJ_1pVwNpCR6TG-uwgTuJj3Vz90D9HQfsuiZQjkV6soYFF-VMEEeXsGW2AKpOgkNgZ5xg8Gw2nA_Y0WpDg78oaqDQg/s854/Big%20Dick.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="621" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAoLOIfLVbkzczfIUq9xnJdzWZbZJ4GLoAKcETSo1hSNv6lBAYMcno165e8aySgppMZpIpc6BzjqxlBW11UDbzqOL342YHYJ_1pVwNpCR6TG-uwgTuJj3Vz90D9HQfsuiZQjkV6soYFF-VMEEeXsGW2AKpOgkNgZ5xg8Gw2nA_Y0WpDg78oaqDQg/s320/Big%20Dick.jpeg" width="233" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm no expert, but I think it's a bit late for that ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMHicBJCDHuD1JZit_5Fi5FknwKn04rpLDs4lkDFvzlju1HlDFfIEGI6irJ5wre_6deL8mlFo_SBb0VswAGpHCKjsnltWA7pS-b5J_-WWwurkAATYzaiuUWgXjTxd4H_zKiBspAcnzbW0906ddCfq2fM7fXYUr7khC4xedwqDzEgNYb-04ClBqYw/s980/Crematorium%20Gets%20Defibrillator.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="980" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMHicBJCDHuD1JZit_5Fi5FknwKn04rpLDs4lkDFvzlju1HlDFfIEGI6irJ5wre_6deL8mlFo_SBb0VswAGpHCKjsnltWA7pS-b5J_-WWwurkAATYzaiuUWgXjTxd4H_zKiBspAcnzbW0906ddCfq2fM7fXYUr7khC4xedwqDzEgNYb-04ClBqYw/s320/Crematorium%20Gets%20Defibrillator.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Just what ... or who ... are we exhuming, here? ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxga8r5ZlQJZ9dyBsywodzfzXh5lL-WSxomRXfAlly-6yXxSlghNmT7ehVdqbS4dvN7yqsOocd3wMLGTMpSe2OKfcQ0Tr9W2jPUKbo3nH8FGLz2ktreo9-6VlgBoEKfEpfID5J0cnMxT74ANnPW4cSf5AAp3LPe6PgvANalGeF9UIpgnzJv2CgmQ/s960/Home%20Exhumes%20Haven.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="764" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxga8r5ZlQJZ9dyBsywodzfzXh5lL-WSxomRXfAlly-6yXxSlghNmT7ehVdqbS4dvN7yqsOocd3wMLGTMpSe2OKfcQ0Tr9W2jPUKbo3nH8FGLz2ktreo9-6VlgBoEKfEpfID5J0cnMxT74ANnPW4cSf5AAp3LPe6PgvANalGeF9UIpgnzJv2CgmQ/s320/Home%20Exhumes%20Haven.JPG" width="255" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Has there ever been a better room number assigned for an office? ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjyJQH2sSjgEhDr3348xdw-W9s6pcUI0RqhphnrTEnqkB0Q7Nrt6iJXoNORXRi79SovCb1pULZTejwsIEg3Hh0gSQwIAORGzPeYoxhQ0lf4hIyWLkQ1opcAvjvDls_zzWelVFlOVVVO1uclhfttcy1ceY1x_5yAnufLGzD-4z0gDcVeKCm1E62A/s853/Mammogram%20Room.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjyJQH2sSjgEhDr3348xdw-W9s6pcUI0RqhphnrTEnqkB0Q7Nrt6iJXoNORXRi79SovCb1pULZTejwsIEg3Hh0gSQwIAORGzPeYoxhQ0lf4hIyWLkQ1opcAvjvDls_zzWelVFlOVVVO1uclhfttcy1ceY1x_5yAnufLGzD-4z0gDcVeKCm1E62A/s320/Mammogram%20Room.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If I were going to pay $49 for an eerie antique wall sconce, I'd want it full evil ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsk8w2MnOQFpSpJoV9yO3nN1dVJ9w6CQFrv6seY26jNGM4tNTh478dKBqL8x0jizmI7Z_y6r8sv5AdaYrxaS__lXrtIXAUbWNnnDNd6w177VbmI64IRBNgXFHlr1lHLDWyoIpVcPO0_adSx6wbBMzusmLnB2haXXAm5-2ozVBPpfF3lLPQPQaTSg/s902/Mid-Evil%20Sconce.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="828" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsk8w2MnOQFpSpJoV9yO3nN1dVJ9w6CQFrv6seY26jNGM4tNTh478dKBqL8x0jizmI7Z_y6r8sv5AdaYrxaS__lXrtIXAUbWNnnDNd6w177VbmI64IRBNgXFHlr1lHLDWyoIpVcPO0_adSx6wbBMzusmLnB2haXXAm5-2ozVBPpfF3lLPQPQaTSg/s320/Mid-Evil%20Sconce.JPG" width="294" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If this is the #1 school district in the state, I wonder which one is #2 ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiap72mJLW5gbCzcG9QjYeefVAvWWEqweuHh6DPOuJCBhdCavvcyaZmDWZko6gWN46gyX_dNPAwc8M4ewAI81fxCWwO6QbjqCnwJGdqnAiPDSnyc0FUplmeosqVsQw2xtgK3TP1ZsHcXIXwmnrF6dMzmj8QXsH7wewMG0w4akoom9JjmKJ7gQ2JZw/s500/Mississippi%20Education%3F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="358" data-original-width="500" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiap72mJLW5gbCzcG9QjYeefVAvWWEqweuHh6DPOuJCBhdCavvcyaZmDWZko6gWN46gyX_dNPAwc8M4ewAI81fxCWwO6QbjqCnwJGdqnAiPDSnyc0FUplmeosqVsQw2xtgK3TP1ZsHcXIXwmnrF6dMzmj8QXsH7wewMG0w4akoom9JjmKJ7gQ2JZw/s320/Mississippi%20Education%3F.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If I were going to name my "Christian center," I think I'd pick a less ... uh ... suggestive name ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbtFp7AHY8o_utefNQtsydYkXEZmIq1AssYdjCaaePHbB6LxoKfTW1kCEAYFYHd9EwDYm31LBr50WzlHeid0De8eex2yVtGIhxVCsj-SZVvknE5czQ03w6663DFsxMf6PABCrNbmRYi7FXC5D0-ZFahOLX005YL9F_SpTioB1X7D4LnP48-1LKcA/s318/Ram%20in%20the%20Bush.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="159" data-original-width="318" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbtFp7AHY8o_utefNQtsydYkXEZmIq1AssYdjCaaePHbB6LxoKfTW1kCEAYFYHd9EwDYm31LBr50WzlHeid0De8eex2yVtGIhxVCsj-SZVvknE5czQ03w6663DFsxMf6PABCrNbmRYi7FXC5D0-ZFahOLX005YL9F_SpTioB1X7D4LnP48-1LKcA/s1600/Ram%20in%20the%20Bush.JPG" width="318" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If this is the sermon topic at the Third Presbyterian Church, I wonder what the topics are at the First and Second ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4OjHsYNaQWUo75IcUHF8C70q_ao1zpvMY1GCI9AaBM7_vWztCdzdtCxHOv1iqIxg3CDJ3DAIoVuqfYd4wFha2w9h3pFyyAOQWVZuzqIMR_HTfXQVup0eK1W9V5ieM2wTaVoBknlR-I9d4TZ8Dr9_J7pG5bn809HxgEU-51OIzgL7zpsl6Fr10NA/s500/The%20Peter%20in%20Me.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4OjHsYNaQWUo75IcUHF8C70q_ao1zpvMY1GCI9AaBM7_vWztCdzdtCxHOv1iqIxg3CDJ3DAIoVuqfYd4wFha2w9h3pFyyAOQWVZuzqIMR_HTfXQVup0eK1W9V5ieM2wTaVoBknlR-I9d4TZ8Dr9_J7pG5bn809HxgEU-51OIzgL7zpsl6Fr10NA/s320/The%20Peter%20in%20Me.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And, as the late, great Walter Cronkite would have said, that's the way it is for today's collection of great moments. I hope it brought a smile ... if not a grimace ... to your face.</div><div><br /></div><div>Have a good day, and come back tomorrow for Cartoon Saturday. More thoughts then.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bilbo</div><div><br /></div>Bilbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14213505386288233192noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23683658.post-5863119501547235152024-03-14T06:20:00.000-04:002024-03-14T06:20:03.273-04:00An Endless Series of Hobson's Choices<div><br /></div><div>A "Hobson's Choice" is defined as: (1) <i>an apparently free choice when there is no real alternative</i>; and (2) <i>the necessity of accepting one of two or more equally objectionable alternatives</i>. In its second meaning, it can be compared to the popular expression <i>"damned if you do, damned if you don't."</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijy28AgCTdZIrz-M9NpqqSzOKsBhSyfSpmSs_cuZPWpoBnxJukTyVQYppib9-4EeulndOxWppa6UfHbYFK89YkHMqN8KnvuNQgmTnGCzjNzWyD2s8wSU8n6Io7_NSiCN4-C4QDZZf-IBM_uLKeyKPgdZWzKVq0_EyxdB-8dJ3ic3UOLyT0uvPgWQ/s433/Damned%20Either%20Way.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="433" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijy28AgCTdZIrz-M9NpqqSzOKsBhSyfSpmSs_cuZPWpoBnxJukTyVQYppib9-4EeulndOxWppa6UfHbYFK89YkHMqN8KnvuNQgmTnGCzjNzWyD2s8wSU8n6Io7_NSiCN4-C4QDZZf-IBM_uLKeyKPgdZWzKVq0_EyxdB-8dJ3ic3UOLyT0uvPgWQ/s320/Damned%20Either%20Way.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>It occurs to me that the modern American presidency is a job defined as an endless series of Hobson's Choices:</div><div><br /></div><div>Support Israel's war in Gaza (angering progressive and Arab-American voters), or act to protect needlessly suffering Gazan civilians (risking accusation of anti-semitism and support of genocide); </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/07/biden-intel-briefings-trump-00145651" target="_blank">Provide sensitive intelligence briefings to Der Furor</a> (a provably untrustworthy scoundrel who could otherwise never qualify to hold a security clearance), or deny them (and be thunderingly accused of "election interference"); </div><div><br /></div><div>Try to reform immigration laws so they make sense (and offend both supporters and opponents of immigration, depending on what reforms are suggested); </div><div><br /></div><div>Support measures to decrease gun violence (and be denounced by gun rights advocates), or support unrestricted gun ownership and carriage (ensuring the probability of future mass murders); </div><div><br /></div><div>Advocate policies that ensure individuals and businesses pay fair shares of the tax burden (earning the support of Main Street), or support tax policies that benefit businesses and the wealthy, and place a higher burden on average taxpayers without political influence (earning the support of Wall Street); and,</div><div><br /></div><div>Reduce government spending by cutting social programs (delighting the right and offending the left) or by ending policies that economically benefit businesses and the wealthy (delighting the left and offending the right). </div><div><br /></div><div>Damned if you do, damned if you don't.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.willrogers.com/quotes" target="_blank">Will Rogers was right</a> ... we shouldn't elect a president, we should elect a magician.</div><div><br /></div><div>Have a good day. More thoughts coming.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bilbo</div><div><br /></div>Bilbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14213505386288233192noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23683658.post-27406545656513610472024-03-13T07:05:00.001-04:002024-03-13T07:05:42.592-04:00The Gohmert-Greene Stupidity Scale, Updated<div><br /></div><div>I decided, back in 2021, that we needed a unit of measurement for stupidity. This was meant to augment both my National Stupidity Index (DUMBCON), which estimates the overall level of national stupidity at a given time, and the twice- (sometimes thrice-) monthly Ass Clown Awards, which single out specific individuals and groups for recognition of ass clownery above and beyond the call of doody.</div><div><br /></div><div>I established the Gohmert Stupidity Scale* in a pair of blog posts (<a href="https://bilbosrandomthoughts.blogspot.com/2021/06/the-new-official-unit-of-stupidity.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://bilbosrandomthoughts.blogspot.com/2021/06/the-new-official-unit-of-stupidity_14.html" target="_blank">here</a>) in June, 2021, and called the unit of stupidity the "<i>gohmert</i>," abbreviated <i>ghm</i>. Experience of use led me to <a href="https://bilbosrandomthoughts.blogspot.com/2023/03/the-gohmert-stupidity-scale-revised-and.html" target="_blank">change the scale in March of last year</a> to the Gohmert-Greene Stupidity Scale, taking advantage of the stupidity multiplier represented by Georgia representative Marjorie Taylor-Greene (aka Empty G) and updating the abbreviation to <i>gag</i>. Now, however, universal stupidity has reached such a level that I feel compelled to update the scale once again. The new version updates some descriptions and examples, and introduces "unfocused anger" as a contributing factor in the calculation.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, I give you The Gohmert-Greene Stupidity Scale, Version 3.0 ... click it to embiggen the image for easier reading.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlPV7NU1RJOMdgJSWlTnehHBsXF3G4qQdS9l8o4DsL-pmJWQz-0J4ZA5Rq5hyphenhyphen5FP41oC96c-w5qPYyk5ZjB4kcK15OhQvfMDW-UuUX5KiUtFYB7fAGWNJGyjuJKbr05UbJ_BhsmhdbqJnLnck6EYL8s9I8XgpgBE185PcYDFcQ4c62xFLEFpndEA/s2200/The%20Gohmert-Greene%20Stupidity%20Scale%20v3.0,%20March,%202024.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1700" data-original-width="2200" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlPV7NU1RJOMdgJSWlTnehHBsXF3G4qQdS9l8o4DsL-pmJWQz-0J4ZA5Rq5hyphenhyphen5FP41oC96c-w5qPYyk5ZjB4kcK15OhQvfMDW-UuUX5KiUtFYB7fAGWNJGyjuJKbr05UbJ_BhsmhdbqJnLnck6EYL8s9I8XgpgBE185PcYDFcQ4c62xFLEFpndEA/s320/The%20Gohmert-Greene%20Stupidity%20Scale%20v3.0,%20March,%202024.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Have a good day, and feel free to use the updated scale as you need to describe the idiocy state of individuals and groups in this bizarre year. Comments for improvements and updates are welcome.<div><br /></div><div>More thoughts coming.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bilbo</div><div><br /></div><div><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">* Named in "honor" of former Texas Representative <a href="https://www.congress.gov/member/louie-gohmert/G000552" target="_blank">Louie Gohmert</a>, whose level of personal stupidity set a new standard even in a Congress not noted for its intellectual brilliance.</span></i></div><div><br /></div>Bilbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14213505386288233192noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23683658.post-22499319530022965122024-03-11T06:32:00.001-04:002024-03-11T06:32:51.194-04:00Talking the Talk<div><br /></div><div>Last Thursday evening President Biden delivered the traditional and Constitutionally-mandated* State of the Union speech. As has become sadly normal in these times, the speech was less a dignified overview of the current state and future direction of the nation than a feistily-delivered and angrily-received laundry list that checked all the expected boxes (reproductive rights, voting rights, Ukraine, Gaza, immigration, presidential vitality, etc).</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVkoZU2UHkidbb-nGFxvPgvusGucNj_Bk6m4r6cwnDcc0uZPqw55gpiU9oIoBMq6PcGVe8fjGrD76I39pTImUQ3twPmuY1L3oEc3RDUdD50lNNjJikg4xU9ZBJlhMWgkwR6Kf8fLkyh9qd7xFJNGdBvhLWwb_IhvA8321x4ZHiKpUmJcjy_AeMiA/s1024/Biden%20SOTU.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVkoZU2UHkidbb-nGFxvPgvusGucNj_Bk6m4r6cwnDcc0uZPqw55gpiU9oIoBMq6PcGVe8fjGrD76I39pTImUQ3twPmuY1L3oEc3RDUdD50lNNjJikg4xU9ZBJlhMWgkwR6Kf8fLkyh9qd7xFJNGdBvhLWwb_IhvA8321x4ZHiKpUmJcjy_AeMiA/s320/Biden%20SOTU.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Simply put, the State of the Union speech (or "SOTU," for short) is what has replaced inspirational, thought-provoking oration. As drama and theater critic Peter Marks said a few years ago, </div><div><br /></div><div><i>“... if you’ve ever listened to some of the desultory rhetoric from the well of the Senate, you know that American politics has not exactly built an assembly line of Ciceros.”</i></div><div><br /></div><div>As you may recall, I love public speaking and think I'm pretty good at it**. I enjoy preparing and delivering an entertaining and thought-provoking speech, and I especially enjoy listening to one. Unfortunately, nowadays there aren't a lot of speeches worth listening to.</div><div><br /></div><div>We've come a long way from <a href="https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbpe.24404500/?st=text" target="_blank">Lincoln's Gettysburg Address</a>, Franklin Roosevelt's stirring <a href="https://www.fdrlibrary.org/four-freedoms" target="_blank">"Four Freedoms"</a> and first inaugural (<a href="https://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5057/" target="_blank">"Nothing to fear but fear itself"</a>) speeches, and John F. Kennedy's <a href="https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/historic-speeches/inaugural-address" target="_blank">"Ask not what your country can do for you"</a> inaugural address.</div><div><br /></div><div>What do we have now?</div><div><br /></div><div>We have angry, meaningless word salads from Der Furor that are nevertheless cheered by those unused to thinking in terms of the nation, the world, and the common good. Or, in fact, to thinking at all.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDpPQf457MveSgFgqLtNjXs2PiCfXS4iC4XhqBo7S0nuovY8V3AVo2lau7DSt0kMNNkkxmx0FHVTYQDOcFwNWaRtBkBPy_Ctr7YTLuhK-mJAot0PLAOQ9Voz-QrAbsGNo3IXnGA_uxT9gl45GZ9GHTdXR3_UnvF3SnOWXdoXSPzHb5k_tjT3P37Q/s560/Angry%20Trump.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="411" data-original-width="560" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDpPQf457MveSgFgqLtNjXs2PiCfXS4iC4XhqBo7S0nuovY8V3AVo2lau7DSt0kMNNkkxmx0FHVTYQDOcFwNWaRtBkBPy_Ctr7YTLuhK-mJAot0PLAOQ9Voz-QrAbsGNo3IXnGA_uxT9gl45GZ9GHTdXR3_UnvF3SnOWXdoXSPzHb5k_tjT3P37Q/s320/Angry%20Trump.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>We have a State of the Union address delivered in a forcefully belligerent tone in an attempt to combat the persistent image of a president diminished by age ... an address that was memorable more for its delivery than for its content.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is sad.</div><div><br /></div><div>I serve from time to time as a judge for local high school debates, and enjoy the chance to see young people do the difficult work of organizing and presenting ideas with the aim of changing minds. Unfortunately, while they are almost always superb at amassing facts and assembling arguments, they tend to be far less skilled at actually <i>delivering</i> those arguments in a way that will sway the opinions of their audience. Emphasis is placed more on the rapid-fire delivery of as many facts and arguments as can be jammed into a given period of time (anywhere from two to seven minutes in most debates I judge) ... with the result that the listener feels like the exhausted survivor of an oratorical tsunami. </div><div><br /></div><div>I firmly believe that two of the most vital skills we can teach our children are to speak and write clearly ... and yet these are the skills lost on a population unable or unwilling to read complex arguments, write cogent and thoughtful letters, and deliver or listen to thought-provoking, challenging speeches.</div><div><br /></div><div>We don't need the lost assembly line of Ciceros bemoaned by Peter Marks, but we do need a population that can read, listen, speak, and think ... the very population that, sadly, can be swayed by the useless blatherings of empty windbags.</div><div><br /></div><div>Have a good day, and listen critically to the speeches you hear during this election year. Learn to separate the wheat of rational ideas and policies from the chaff of unfocused anger and retribution. Vote for content - not for noise.</div><div><br /></div><div>More thoughts coming.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bilbo</div><div><br /></div><div><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">* Article 2, Section 3, Clause 1.</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">** Pats self on back.</span></i></div><div><br /></div>Bilbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14213505386288233192noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23683658.post-88494262020765940272024-03-10T06:07:00.000-04:002024-03-10T06:07:09.871-04:00Musical Sunday<div><br /></div><div>This past Thursday we celebrated the birthday of the great composer Maurice Ravel, whose marvelous orchestral composition <i>Boléro</i> has entertained millions of listeners with its haunting melody. Today, in honor of M. Ravel, we have the Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra playing his famous piece under the direction of conductor Gustavo Dudamel ...</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E9PiL5icwic?si=-Y3IXUDZL49F7VHw&controls=0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Boléro</i> has always been one of my favorite instrumental pieces, and I hope you enjoyed it as well, in spite of the stupid ad inserted in the middle, which you can skip after about five seconds. I hope there's an extra-hot spot in Hell for the guy who came up with <i>that</i> idea. </div><div><br /></div><div>Have a good day and enjoy the rest of your weekend. More thoughts coming.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bilbo</div><div><br /></div>Bilbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14213505386288233192noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23683658.post-55847911560246384732024-03-09T06:06:00.000-05:002024-03-09T06:06:52.028-05:00Cartoon Saturday<div><br /></div><div>Who ordered the March with a double side of crazy? </div><div><br /></div><div>President Biden delivered <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/08/us/politics/biden-sotu-speech.html?unlocked_article_code=1.bE0.fia3.P88bgqaH_crZ&smid=url-share" target="_blank">a fiery State of the Union address</a> that earned stony silence from Republicans who refused even to acknowledge Russia's aggression in Ukraine; the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/republican-national-committee-trump-whatley-legal-fees-53402f8e8ac845db3cf4ab82c882ea74" target="_blank">Republican National Committee has installed Der Furor’s handpicked leadership team</a> - including his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, completing his transformation of the GOP into a cult of personality and giving him access to more funds to help with his mounting legal bills; <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68512942" target="_blank">Der Furor has posted a $91.6 million bond</a> as he appeals his losing verdict in E Jean Carroll's defamation lawsuit; a United Airlines plane taking off from San Francisco International Airport on Thursday morning <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-03-07/a-united-airlines-plane-departing-sfo-loses-a-tire-but-lands-safely-at-lax" target="_blank">lost one of its tires shortly after takeoff</a>, but landed safely at Los Angeles International Airport ... although the falling tire badly damaged two cars in an airport employee parking lot; and a doctor in Louisville, Kentucky, will stand trial for allegedly trying to hire a Brazilian 'spiritual healer' - who claimed an 85% death rate using voodoo - to <a href="https://www.wdrb.com/in-depth/louisville-doctor-allegedly-tried-to-hire-brazilian-spiritual-healer-to-cast-death-spell-on-ex/article_f030c914-dc9d-11ee-b037-33e073fdb5ba.html" target="_blank">cast a death spell on her ex-husband</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Spring is just about here, and the birds are singing in the trees around our house, which made me think that birds would be an appropriate theme for today's Cartoon Saturday. And since this year's already for the birds, it's even more appropriate!</div><div><br /></div><div>After a certain age, that's just how it is ...</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhncjBXNvYQFOLgp90tCX46p_Q2DlH3DOtaW0d2hZ4Eh6XLiQzO2Vs9VF3D9NJMBUx1G0NAi69K979G5V_yGyM5Idc7BqMprCpuoID-KHjR_OJHtTmje07EMFU-ZgPeF8gMv7wwmAWrBgoS4SNCTZDtKoVahQ_51MukW-Vy8hM0WUJ7-UamsN8giw/s960/Big%20Butt%20Bird.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="807" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhncjBXNvYQFOLgp90tCX46p_Q2DlH3DOtaW0d2hZ4Eh6XLiQzO2Vs9VF3D9NJMBUx1G0NAi69K979G5V_yGyM5Idc7BqMprCpuoID-KHjR_OJHtTmje07EMFU-ZgPeF8gMv7wwmAWrBgoS4SNCTZDtKoVahQ_51MukW-Vy8hM0WUJ7-UamsN8giw/s320/Big%20Butt%20Bird.JPG" width="269" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bird obstetricians ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbOvJx-nLmchjyAGMisv_tFAW8Wa6_BITaj_jQNxRbCqf3drZgRTDsWeAt64pSm7l3BQA7xK09SdxTBLdMojJf-lkd3LYCWA5x9yUPHBjAbATzRKkTrphgAG_TeCCq_W4sjUkdlsf0xV1d7VnN7lvqtTkmKqj6F40CleeVxsv-V9biPG0_KaKwhA/s720/Bird%20Doctor%20Induces%20Labor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="653" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbOvJx-nLmchjyAGMisv_tFAW8Wa6_BITaj_jQNxRbCqf3drZgRTDsWeAt64pSm7l3BQA7xK09SdxTBLdMojJf-lkd3LYCWA5x9yUPHBjAbATzRKkTrphgAG_TeCCq_W4sjUkdlsf0xV1d7VnN7lvqtTkmKqj6F40CleeVxsv-V9biPG0_KaKwhA/s320/Bird%20Doctor%20Induces%20Labor.jpg" width="290" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You can bet they'll specify in the future ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHctIuvlpvPJ-nIvE1rVD1vO6trQpLcUq51Qsuk6Bm3vNCvXfaSjKFUaIb3uRZblPwr4Qdvw91o4ulgZ_tjBo9bykNRGhuUfgZ6vLB7dbjVh1jkImRm2NGR1cI8UcVIUasOWHVkbS_vzrDJt5esxxcMfpcjazAvChweySDC0qJylTCAi0ziGxcNQ/s595/Bird%20Feeder%20for%20Vultures.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHctIuvlpvPJ-nIvE1rVD1vO6trQpLcUq51Qsuk6Bm3vNCvXfaSjKFUaIb3uRZblPwr4Qdvw91o4ulgZ_tjBo9bykNRGhuUfgZ6vLB7dbjVh1jkImRm2NGR1cI8UcVIUasOWHVkbS_vzrDJt5esxxcMfpcjazAvChweySDC0qJylTCAi0ziGxcNQ/s320/Bird%20Feeder%20for%20Vultures.jpeg" width="269" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well, it doesn't hurt to try ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7Bp8OR_QjaE1us65BWEU0oO209PIsY5aHdLHle95FevVlMUVCxlu6CZtPfDzltYdl6MtUAaZKJEPF0R6J6e4Ra9LrrydoFvxee1m__gJvL3DQxthy_1B4g3BuvjzV2_Dlq7W8mpF6H_Kjq60Xap5_-TOs76eYjifvccR-YA1fxrHX7abMrlRcg/s600/Bird%20Feeding%20Presentation.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="195" data-original-width="600" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7Bp8OR_QjaE1us65BWEU0oO209PIsY5aHdLHle95FevVlMUVCxlu6CZtPfDzltYdl6MtUAaZKJEPF0R6J6e4Ra9LrrydoFvxee1m__gJvL3DQxthy_1B4g3BuvjzV2_Dlq7W8mpF6H_Kjq60Xap5_-TOs76eYjifvccR-YA1fxrHX7abMrlRcg/s320/Bird%20Feeding%20Presentation.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bird foodies ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY4pkf0Vcx_WCcRDFW3U4EiHLmaCzX5yYNigBQ5OY7x7akd6Xlc3S1DlO5Ux3XudnjXF_8tuhPrrAh37bGvjdsMfV1gWc69K9flVgRiWOKERVMGmxck_ix_8Xej5ohGVXRI8EFiz0se_nB69iWJ4xiDzp95k71HF7aMMpUVr1-ckVwdM1Gt7mKbQ/s360/Bird%20Takes%20Picture%20of%20Food.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY4pkf0Vcx_WCcRDFW3U4EiHLmaCzX5yYNigBQ5OY7x7akd6Xlc3S1DlO5Ux3XudnjXF_8tuhPrrAh37bGvjdsMfV1gWc69K9flVgRiWOKERVMGmxck_ix_8Xej5ohGVXRI8EFiz0se_nB69iWJ4xiDzp95k71HF7aMMpUVr1-ckVwdM1Gt7mKbQ/s320/Bird%20Takes%20Picture%20of%20Food.jpeg" width="267" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Namedropper ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-YBLgR97uQDKsrsxAkVD3nbOaPPN7Z5EfBqGG1bxNN4_rnAPT2xhr7sFVEcTHncOdkqgbtTA6MbFq58BrvDF6rXbOLhQAwW0h3NqI5IX1esYALBujdgp-5q6I8CeWAh9llMBwAKBbD60B-nJD7PLRZQFCFA64stCXKcTgxyqAILkShBAXf_ox4Q/s899/Celebrity%20Raven.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="759" data-original-width="899" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-YBLgR97uQDKsrsxAkVD3nbOaPPN7Z5EfBqGG1bxNN4_rnAPT2xhr7sFVEcTHncOdkqgbtTA6MbFq58BrvDF6rXbOLhQAwW0h3NqI5IX1esYALBujdgp-5q6I8CeWAh9llMBwAKBbD60B-nJD7PLRZQFCFA64stCXKcTgxyqAILkShBAXf_ox4Q/s320/Celebrity%20Raven.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was worth a try ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX83eKNBNvQ9G_TlioBUu_h_8Kj0sfy-QOpKxMbDzkx4aJyUAa-gCek3YwWzigCT_M2ppmpPNrrf1GbR9EGr_ZmwzbPoWCwdafe7ZB9gYqrewAqFgolU2CTovaf7dZpXSgBN6B0WAdH2Q1R8U-GXfbmsCG92VgPR7R2V8F7iavSGSzVXepjNKOJQ/s831/Funeral,%20Not%20an%20Auction.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="831" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX83eKNBNvQ9G_TlioBUu_h_8Kj0sfy-QOpKxMbDzkx4aJyUAa-gCek3YwWzigCT_M2ppmpPNrrf1GbR9EGr_ZmwzbPoWCwdafe7ZB9gYqrewAqFgolU2CTovaf7dZpXSgBN6B0WAdH2Q1R8U-GXfbmsCG92VgPR7R2V8F7iavSGSzVXepjNKOJQ/s320/Funeral,%20Not%20an%20Auction.JPG" width="289" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Good idea ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTtR0n3XKhdI_rYB2oqt632klCPV1ci_t0KIGMQh2prz8ffyGVCQVDUAfD715_v3-FBd1hoqcIh2DPNv2fxvJzRv8XCpPBo6XnaqxO7IKiZ_Nmvxu_QkhVnsF4ghe-_yuWUHxKNLkzN6U3ofB-Fgjye3ueYLjxO_Od2mh5jO8nIPINfwEtrYBJbQ/s1058/Good%20Day%20to%20Skip%20Birding.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1054" data-original-width="1058" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTtR0n3XKhdI_rYB2oqt632klCPV1ci_t0KIGMQh2prz8ffyGVCQVDUAfD715_v3-FBd1hoqcIh2DPNv2fxvJzRv8XCpPBo6XnaqxO7IKiZ_Nmvxu_QkhVnsF4ghe-_yuWUHxKNLkzN6U3ofB-Fgjye3ueYLjxO_Od2mh5jO8nIPINfwEtrYBJbQ/s320/Good%20Day%20to%20Skip%20Birding.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sometimes, the geese want to send a message back ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6yHB8khjssqhvcY6nqRVPuuSKaCAzommGwJqkNkmsZ8OSHdYrZwQgfqvk5Qi6wQZAoiFjCysLwXjQ2HEd2VuUOwoZJChDWeQciN-ykoMmb3TyBUZpavfHdDjnXu_lL2qnEMTd2TIIxxmqstwRuM5t7sdP-IGL-TtqnJdV9FAE8Bg2oKYDFWutRg/s365/The%20Geese%20Laugh.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="365" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6yHB8khjssqhvcY6nqRVPuuSKaCAzommGwJqkNkmsZ8OSHdYrZwQgfqvk5Qi6wQZAoiFjCysLwXjQ2HEd2VuUOwoZJChDWeQciN-ykoMmb3TyBUZpavfHdDjnXu_lL2qnEMTd2TIIxxmqstwRuM5t7sdP-IGL-TtqnJdV9FAE8Bg2oKYDFWutRg/s320/The%20Geese%20Laugh.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And sometimes they REALLY want to send a message back ...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGhD7Gv7zM6b1luSPO1A8lWZ7hnT6QzvvpvDejB3iG_vV1berQkFaWiwD7QVWTMHGXJnlB1ZIStpPQM1pgU5-Hkx_SKVStYFGWXSKezzu9IwBWe2zECy8ZA0PIsO4yjLbtOW0Xq9ZrfSg-XxHPBEEfz3OUKF4Ko8UxMMoCVZHlowoUxq1V6xFUFw/s460/The%20Geese%20Vote.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="460" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGhD7Gv7zM6b1luSPO1A8lWZ7hnT6QzvvpvDejB3iG_vV1berQkFaWiwD7QVWTMHGXJnlB1ZIStpPQM1pgU5-Hkx_SKVStYFGWXSKezzu9IwBWe2zECy8ZA0PIsO4yjLbtOW0Xq9ZrfSg-XxHPBEEfz3OUKF4Ko8UxMMoCVZHlowoUxq1V6xFUFw/s320/The%20Geese%20Vote.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'd write more, I have to wren along* and do other things.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Have a good day and a great weekend, and come back tomorrow for a Musical Sunday salute to composer Maurice Ravel, whose birthday we celebrated this past Tuesday. More thoughts then.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Bilbo</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">* Sorry.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Bilbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14213505386288233192noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23683658.post-21616589693809939042024-03-08T06:37:00.000-05:002024-03-08T06:37:05.583-05:00The Right-Cheek Ass Clown for March, 2024<div><br /></div><div>A new month has arrived, and with it the opportunity to explore expanded horizons of ass-clownery. We'll just skip the usual blah, blah, blah about how hard it is to single out a single ass clown for the award, and get right to it -</div><div><br /></div><div>Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, we present the award for</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Right-Cheek Ass Clown for March, 2024</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALwC2wwtgy4Su9yU2STjJh1Mxs0tAOAqoYGytkUla4cyrzXgNfQNBgS0baYCyt1QYo2stKwwGugcVWwTBk61xomyMhi2h2w6UVMFbKiR1CkFQd7hUtmK0RyHcUYyaA_z2zyrAe__VZ6O4ElPKHl9vc24UlxgkbJHu_aCbjyMy_AaVaAf_8bslgw/s300/Ass%20Clown%20of%20the%20Month%20(reduced%20size).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALwC2wwtgy4Su9yU2STjJh1Mxs0tAOAqoYGytkUla4cyrzXgNfQNBgS0baYCyt1QYo2stKwwGugcVWwTBk61xomyMhi2h2w6UVMFbKiR1CkFQd7hUtmK0RyHcUYyaA_z2zyrAe__VZ6O4ElPKHl9vc24UlxgkbJHu_aCbjyMy_AaVaAf_8bslgw/s1600/Ass%20Clown%20of%20the%20Month%20(reduced%20size).jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">to</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Senator Mitch McConnell (R, KY)</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_WX6_eVRwpL3Oa8-755_07lzMz1jUfkKFNhiMQesbq8Vw8xflkyYBKcVCSX86WEfeJl_O6VpO0SjnjnnyWys_IHX_cWltC0fU9PWZVZjT8PklWFnsoLY09j98Hr2eQw1jR_nBbdw_JXiFWZ8t-wHC-MdfLZ57qLGORAO2pHB_w6lnjaym2W3Sw/s960/Mitch%20McConnell.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_WX6_eVRwpL3Oa8-755_07lzMz1jUfkKFNhiMQesbq8Vw8xflkyYBKcVCSX86WEfeJl_O6VpO0SjnjnnyWys_IHX_cWltC0fU9PWZVZjT8PklWFnsoLY09j98Hr2eQw1jR_nBbdw_JXiFWZ8t-wHC-MdfLZ57qLGORAO2pHB_w6lnjaym2W3Sw/s320/Mitch%20McConnell.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Today marks the <i>twelfth</i> ass clown award presented to Senator McConnell - a record exceeded only by the 19 awards won by the Republican Party and the 16 presented to Der Furor since I instituted these awards back in 2011. Senator McConnell, however, has the added distinction of being the Ass Clown of the Year for three consecutive years - 2018, 2019, and 2020.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">But that's all history. Senator McConnell recently announced that he would step down as the Senate Minority Leader after the upcoming election, having apparently decided he had done enough to destroy the nation he was sworn to serve. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div>You may recall that, after the attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of Der Furor's partisans on January 6th, 2021, Mr McConnell <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4946114/minority-leader-mcconnell-president-trump-practically-morally-responsible-january-6-attack-capitol" target="_blank">stood before the Senate and solemnly intoned that Der Furor was "practically and morally responsible" for the insurrection</a>. Now, with an election coming up, <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5109021/senator-mcconnell-defends-decision-endorse-donald-trump-president" target="_blank">Mr McConnell has made a disgraceful about-face to endorse the man he once denounced</a>, simply because he is his party's nominee. </div><div><br /></div><div>It is apparently not enough for him to have taken a lead role in destroying the independence and reputation of the Supreme Court by shamelessly rushing through unqualified justices ... now, he hypocritically supports a disgraced former president facing dozens of state and federal criminal charges, a man who is a convicted sexual offender, and a man who childishly insulted McConnell's own wife using racially-charged language. Raw political power and advantage are the only things he understands or cares about - the nation and the world be damned.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZwoVGHKZ2GMWI7I2gM-xIkA-8agNqf2qQ2kxKxTlljErlNHMH_qGUtD2GiPcx_OXqUVodlCgSeoep64YlR6azqLYx9djd-nlZXjqnVASptf8lJMGRICsp9GJDUlYFmRqTG2laBvwMa-fPx_GQKzOR8QIfD4YDQtjuih8WlbplR1smNOu1q_1hw/s4013/McConnell's%20Work%20Is%20Done.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3141" data-original-width="4013" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZwoVGHKZ2GMWI7I2gM-xIkA-8agNqf2qQ2kxKxTlljErlNHMH_qGUtD2GiPcx_OXqUVodlCgSeoep64YlR6azqLYx9djd-nlZXjqnVASptf8lJMGRICsp9GJDUlYFmRqTG2laBvwMa-fPx_GQKzOR8QIfD4YDQtjuih8WlbplR1smNOu1q_1hw/s320/McConnell's%20Work%20Is%20Done.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, the Right-Cheek Ass Clown for March, 2024, is Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell - surely one of the most profoundly hypocritical men ever to disgrace a seat in the United States Senate.</div><div><br /></div><div>Have a good day. Be sure to come back tomorrow for some much-needed laughs on Cartoon Saturday - you know you need them. More thoughts then.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bilbo</div><div><br /></div>Bilbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14213505386288233192noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23683658.post-89598113147207008882024-03-07T06:03:00.001-05:002024-03-07T06:03:17.955-05:00Thoughts and Observations About Super Tuesday<div><br /></div><div>As many of you know, I work as an Election Officer in my home precinct in Fairfax County, Virginia. I've blogged about the experience many times, stressing how it has enabled me to understand the inner workings of our electoral system and to push back with authority when I'm confronted by dumbasses whining about rigged elections when their candidate doesn't win.</div><div><br /></div><div>I worked at my local precinct for the presidential primaries on Super Tuesday, and thought I'd share a few of my candid observations with you. I don't pretend that every voting precinct in every state is as well-organized and well-run as those in my county in particular and Virginia in general, but I firmly believe that our elections are overwhelmingly free, fair, and honest. Is there corruption? In a very few isolated instances, probably. Is it on a vast, organized scale that would tip an election? Don't make me laugh.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here are a few of my observations.</div><div><br /></div><div>To those of you who maintain that fraud is rife and elections are rigged, you are simply displaying your ignorance. The number of checks and balances built into the system makes it all but impossible to rig the system. Consider the system we use to calculate and validate the counts at the end of the day ... </div><div><br /></div><div>Once the polls close, we cannot leave until <i>every number</i> balances. Using example numbers, say we started the day with 1,000 shrink-wrapped ballots in packages of 200. The packages are opened one at a time as needed. Each voter who checks in receives a ballot card, which they exchange for a ballot at a separate station. After marking the ballot, the voter takes it to an optical scanning machine, where it is recorded. After the polls close, we <i>must</i> account for every single ballot: the number of voters who were checked in <i>must</i> equal the number of ballots we handed out, which <i>must</i> equal the number of ballots scanned. Ballots which were marked in error by the voter or rejected by the scanners for whatever reason must be turned in, marked as spoiled, replaced by new ballots, and accounted for at the end of the day like any others. The number of votes cast, as tabulated by the optical scanners, <i>must</i> agree with the number of voters checked in. </div><div><br /></div><div>On Super Tuesday night, we went crazy for a while because our numbers were off ... <i>by one vote</i>. It took us a while to figure out the discrepancy, which was the result of human error ... because this was a two-party primary, voters had to check in for either the Democratic or the Republican primary (although a number of people wanted to vote in <i>both</i>, which was not allowed). Depending on the primary in which they wanted to vote, they were issued either a blue or a red ballot card, which was then exchanged for the appropriate ballot. What happened to throw off the numbers was that a voter had checked in to vote in the Democratic primary, but - once he'd been issued his ballot card - had changed his mind and announced that he wanted to vote in the Republican primary instead. There being no way to go back into the system and change his choice of primary, he was simply given a card for the other primary and allowed to proceed. Thus, at the end of the day, our records showed a one-vote discrepancy between party primary check-ins and votes recorded ... a discrepancy of <i>one vote</i>, which we were able to explain. I doubt that that single vote would have been sufficient to sway most elections.</div><div><br /></div><div>A few other observations ...</div><div><br /></div><div>Although our precinct is historically strongly Democratic, voters in the Republican primary outnumbered voters in the Democratic primary by almost three to one. Why? Was it a measure of surging support for the GOP, or an attempt on the part of Democratic voters to sway the Republican outcome, or were there just more excited Republicans coming out to vote than Democrats? No idea, but the ratio was interesting.</div><div><br /></div><div>Many voters didn't realize that there were two separate primaries running in parallel. As we checked in each voter, we told them that there were two primary elections - Democratic and Republican - and asked them which one they wanted to vote in. Some voters objected to having to publicly state a choice of party, claiming it violated ballot secrecy. When we explained that they could vote in either primary, and were not being asked to specify which specific candidate they would vote for, most understood. There was, however, a small handful of voters who continued to grumble about it, although no one refused to vote over the issue.</div><div><br /></div><div>As I noted above, quite a few voters wanted to vote not in one or the other primary, but in both, and some were upset that this wasn't allowed. Go figure.</div><div><br /></div><div>A distressingly large number of voters arrived unsure of what they wanted to do, and agonized at check-in over which primary in which to vote. Many seemed to select voting in the Republican primary because there was "more choice" - there were five names on the GOP ballot, and three on the Democratic one.</div><div><br /></div><div>The average age of the voters skewed to the high end, which is normal in primaries. We did have two young, first-time voters, both of whom were excited to be casting their first votes and one of whom wanted to know how to apply to work as an Election Officer in the future. We always make a fuss over first-time voters (clapping, cheering, handshakes, etc) ... they're momentarily embarrassed, but we want them to know it's something special.</div><div><br /></div><div>Although we election workers are forbidden to make any sort of comment or give the least sign of any partisan leaning*, the same isn't true for the voters. When I was handing out ballots, I'd tell each voter that they could sit an any of the desks we'd set up to mark their ballots, and that we'd placed pens at each table for them to use. I'd usually note that there was a pen at each table "unless it had been stolen as a valuable souvenir" (silly, because they're the absolute cheapest of mass-produced plastic pens) ... one voter actually glared at me and growled angrily that, "those f...ing Democrats probably steal them like they steal elections." I guess I know how he'll vote in November.</div><div><br /></div><div>One of my duties is to serve as a "Same-Day Registration Specialist." Virginia law allows a person who has not already registered to vote to register on election day and cast a provisional ballot, which is counted at the County Board of Elections after the registration has been confirmed as accurate and legal. The process is complicated and time-consuming, but it allows more people to vote. I think it's great that Virginia tries to make it easier, rather than harder to vote.</div><div><br /></div><div>Those are a few of my observations on how the Super Tuesday voting went at my precinct in Northern Virginia. Election days are always long for us (5 AM until all the numbers balance and everything is cleaned up after the polls close ... usually around 9 PM), but it's good to be able to see the election administration process from the inside and to recognize that, for all the baseless claims of rampant fraud, we run a clean, honest, and accurate election.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll be working two more elections this year - another primary in June, and the General Election in November, which will be ... interesting. Get out there and vote. And if you are one of those people who are convinced everything is "rigged," volunteer to be an election officer and get trained on the actual procedures that ensure voting security ... it will help keep you from sounding stupid.</div><div><br /></div><div>Have a good day, and come back tomorrow for the naming of the Right-Cheek Ass Clown for March ... more thoughts then.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bilbo</div><div><br /></div><div><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">* It's not mandated one way or another, but most of us won't even wear anything red or blue for fear of being accused of sending subliminal messages.</span></i></div><div><br /></div>Bilbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14213505386288233192noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23683658.post-46413709620984677832024-03-05T04:04:00.000-05:002024-03-05T04:04:46.377-05:00Super Tuesday<div><br /></div><div>Today is Tuesday, March 5th, 2024 - "Super Tuesday" - on which 16 states and territories (Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and American Samoa) hold their presidential primary elections. Because roughly a third of all nominating delegates is at stake, and because the states in play represent a geographic and demographic cross-section of the country, candidates must appeal to a broad range of competing interests ... farmers, miners, tech workers, federal employees, etc.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's a big deal.</div><div><br /></div><div>As you read this blog post, I will be working as an Election Officer at my local precinct. In order to become an EO, I had to go through a great deal of training and swear an oath to uphold the law. Because I'm also a Same-Day Registration Specialist*, I had to have extra training above and beyond the normal EO skill set. Finally, all EOs must adhere to the Election Officer Code of Conduct**, shown here - </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAoKqdsMVsmL99uHKZUl8pmlthw1UWW26XdClvwjmIRpETkkKptSNywKj1qMLS1DOzZQ92EMqO6vEdefe8yTerD_rlRmpC3VjgI_gcvBdjBquu7VikEITaslOAnCY5Aa1_LwmiAiChT9AeukVXeH2EyvQWCpskiqQmoo5jjFvm7qiCpUmMRZBHQw/s2200/2024-eo-code-of-conduct.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2200" data-original-width="1700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAoKqdsMVsmL99uHKZUl8pmlthw1UWW26XdClvwjmIRpETkkKptSNywKj1qMLS1DOzZQ92EMqO6vEdefe8yTerD_rlRmpC3VjgI_gcvBdjBquu7VikEITaslOAnCY5Aa1_LwmiAiChT9AeukVXeH2EyvQWCpskiqQmoo5jjFvm7qiCpUmMRZBHQw/s320/2024-eo-code-of-conduct.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><div><br /></div>When you hear someone screaming about all the fraud and chicanery they claim is preventing their candidate from being elected, ask them whether they have undergone any training in the procedures for managing elections. Ask them if they have sworn an oath to uphold election law. Ask them what experience they have actually working as an election officer that gives them any authority to make their accusations. <div><br /></div><div>I think we all know what the answer to each question will be.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you are living in a Super Tuesday state or territory, vote today. Even more important, vote in November. And when you vote, remember that a small army of well-trained, professional people is sworn to make sure your vote is legally cast and accurately counted. And if you can't answer "yes" to the questions I listed above, cast your vote, sit down, and shut up.</div><div><br /></div><div>Have a good day. Vote - it's your right and your duty. </div><div><br /></div><div>More thoughts coming.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bilbo</div><div><br /></div><div><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">* Virginia law provides a process by which persons can register to vote and cast a provisional ballot on election day. The number of people who want to vote on election day, but either haven't registered or have changed their residences since the last election, is large enough that the Office of Elections trains and designates certain EOs as specialists to process their applications. </span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">** At least we <u>have</u> a Code of Conduct, unlike the Supreme Court.</span></i></div><div><br /></div>Bilbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14213505386288233192noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23683658.post-28165602454241141362024-03-04T06:01:00.005-05:002024-03-04T06:01:43.299-05:00Fine Print<div><br /></div><div>Do you read all the fine print that everyone bombards you with?</div><div><br /></div><div>I try to, but it's a challenge - not just because my eyes aren't what they used to be and the print is so insanely small, but because all that small print is written for lawyers, not for those of us in the great unwashed.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's a picture of yours truly with the latest set of terms and conditions from one of my credit cards. This is the front side ... the back side is also fully covered with the finest of fine print. Do I know everything it says? Sort of. I actually read it, but the ratio of what I could comprehend after translating it from the legal equivalent of <a href="https://www.omniglot.com/writing/ocslavonic.htm" target="_blank">Old Church Slavonic</a> to Common English Real People Can Understand was shockingly small.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBeVENJxxDco01fx4SIVS9qLPjh8LNXA_JsE7VCIQkLXh9Ltsa7GFCZ7QBvNI92LC6O7mC38e8r2VnWCJCAKvvHB-vp0krNcfHhID3UcGpkOLKYmPM3KZKuoYTeYaT3MdhCs7FptIzkNAxg_KPNcuG4wZI189QrqIuEBdDyh2qzj2GaauZxsVaXQ/s4032/The%20Size%20of%20the%20Fine%20Print%201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBeVENJxxDco01fx4SIVS9qLPjh8LNXA_JsE7VCIQkLXh9Ltsa7GFCZ7QBvNI92LC6O7mC38e8r2VnWCJCAKvvHB-vp0krNcfHhID3UcGpkOLKYmPM3KZKuoYTeYaT3MdhCs7FptIzkNAxg_KPNcuG4wZI189QrqIuEBdDyh2qzj2GaauZxsVaXQ/s320/The%20Size%20of%20the%20Fine%20Print%201.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Why I despise lawyers, Part 792. Parts 1 through 791 deal with their undermining of democracy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Have a good day. More thoughts coming.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bilbo</div><div><br /></div>Bilbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14213505386288233192noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23683658.post-70154256442060297032024-03-03T06:32:00.001-05:002024-03-03T06:32:47.310-05:00Poetry Sunday<div><br /></div><div>As I work my way through my 70s en route to my 80s and the distant sunset of my own mortality, I need to make a lot of decisions and changes. One of them is what to do with all my <i>stuff</i> that I've collected over a lifetime ... stuff that means a lot to me, but that my children won't want and that I will need to discard if (when) we move to a smaller home. I can tell you, it's not easy to toss away the things that Margaret Hasse describes in today's poem as <i>"all the weight that encumbered and rooted me on this earth." </i></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Belongings</span> </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>by Margaret Hasse</b> </div><div><br /></div><div>After being a student, then an hourly worker,</div><div>I became a career girl and earned real money.</div><div>I left behind a provisional furnished apartment</div><div>with its stained curtains, butt-burned table</div><div>and Goodwill mattress I was never sure about.</div><div>Alone I bought a house with an attic,</div><div>a basement and a skirt of flowers.</div><div>Freely I spent on white paint, silver knobs</div><div>for kitchen cabinets and a sofa made of corduroy</div><div>that wrinkled my face when I napped.</div><div>A bureau with a display to worship</div><div>photos and framed mottos:</div><div>If only one prayer, thank you will suffice.</div><div>Do I regret the down payment,</div><div>fixtures, fittings, furniture, years of mortgage?</div><div>Would I take anything back?</div><div>No, I would not. I meant it all,</div><div>every purchase, all the weight that encumbered</div><div>and rooted me on this earth.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMVtoc98n7z3CUM_g4jg6ux5ycyWIrY52eJit8tlHVP-nC0LdZb-Jr8-epLGI9aJuU4I6zGdkiNFO_68OaJcJFtJtAvmHQSN36Bz3hOgGF8NwAZHKWmhnPqOBKKnDoEIcGRoT2p5YS-H_EfSNBhW3GSuN6lC1RbOslhnon9X-3LpCLRAYoTcj3uQ/s1080/Messy%20House.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMVtoc98n7z3CUM_g4jg6ux5ycyWIrY52eJit8tlHVP-nC0LdZb-Jr8-epLGI9aJuU4I6zGdkiNFO_68OaJcJFtJtAvmHQSN36Bz3hOgGF8NwAZHKWmhnPqOBKKnDoEIcGRoT2p5YS-H_EfSNBhW3GSuN6lC1RbOslhnon9X-3LpCLRAYoTcj3uQ/s320/Messy%20House.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>I'll let you know when the estate sale is.</div><div><br /></div><div>Have a good day and enjoy the rest of your weekend. More thoughts coming.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bilbo</div><div><br /></div>Bilbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14213505386288233192noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23683658.post-80005176817879427702024-03-02T05:13:00.000-05:002024-03-02T05:13:35.738-05:00Cartoon Saturday<div><br /></div><div>Well, it didn't take this month long to go south, did it? </div><div><br /></div><div>The Supreme Court threw Der Furor yet another lifeline of protection from accountability, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-trump-immunity-election-interference-trial-ff4b251967b4f1ae85bd01a0db24931f" target="_blank">agreeing to hear - but not until April - his case arguing that unlimited presidential immunity allowed him to try to overturn the 2020 election</a>; <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-middle-east-68438112?src_origin=BBCS_BBC" target="_blank">more than 100 people were reported dead</a> when a crowd apparently attempted to storm trucks delivering aid in Gaza; <a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-primary-takeaways-biden-trump-uncommitted-48b7ab77b7af425c3662e5a8f28e37f6" target="_blank">voters in Michigan delivered mixed messages to both Der Furor and President Biden</a> in Tuesday's primary election; <a href="https://apnews.com/article/president-joe-biden-white-house-congress-budget-shutdown-ebab3860ab19d47904fae09fe077863d" target="_blank">Congress once again kicked the fiscal can down the road</a>, passing two continuing resolutions to fund parts of the government through March 8th and March 22nd; and in (where else?) Florida, <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/crime/2024/03/01/largo-florida-dunkin-manager-arrested-deposit-thefts/" target="_blank">the former manager of a Dunkin' Donuts store in the town of Largo accused of stealing $153,000 from the business explained the money in her bank accounts by saying “[the] extra income was from her boyfriend’s narcotics sales.”</a> </div><div><br /></div><div>The news has made me feel pretty curmudgeonly lately, so I thought a collection of cartoons about cranky old age would be appropriate ... </div><div><br /></div><div>If only ...</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAuQyHvLEtWeEF_49ibvbxBd2YAu0fLxphmV8AOvCw3KoXcFhP-K6CvFZwmNvoKcII5_CxMyUvGiKV5Bsdh8rTe3pgghEnnNDnAOdSWRvyOpSzFXAwAC3s5FdPBwFZPMHIc3rdwdCPcovWiuoHOCJBmcAj1DQ1ZMSilWXiNWduqkrEW9ZQOLQdXg/s900/Age%20Reset%20Button.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="274" data-original-width="900" height="97" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAuQyHvLEtWeEF_49ibvbxBd2YAu0fLxphmV8AOvCw3KoXcFhP-K6CvFZwmNvoKcII5_CxMyUvGiKV5Bsdh8rTe3pgghEnnNDnAOdSWRvyOpSzFXAwAC3s5FdPBwFZPMHIc3rdwdCPcovWiuoHOCJBmcAj1DQ1ZMSilWXiNWduqkrEW9ZQOLQdXg/s320/Age%20Reset%20Button.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Those are the sorts of places I hang out, now ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZTkeJ2aOiwzQhzNRH2c5jzQYc9bHjrJ1Z-hMpg6rORRVjvRJN619EWABb27K8vFY18pM_1mUzz5L1R8DxLxHjiIASsh0XzG9HM61zFhGXvEk9lRy78mprFKjfmOlylcO1wC8Aak9GWw-5gxTwLjyQycuYYpZxTAvhd79iWWBplJcgasFOQFYVQ/s760/An%2080's%20Club.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="760" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZTkeJ2aOiwzQhzNRH2c5jzQYc9bHjrJ1Z-hMpg6rORRVjvRJN619EWABb27K8vFY18pM_1mUzz5L1R8DxLxHjiIASsh0XzG9HM61zFhGXvEk9lRy78mprFKjfmOlylcO1wC8Aak9GWw-5gxTwLjyQycuYYpZxTAvhd79iWWBplJcgasFOQFYVQ/s320/An%2080's%20Club.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Mine's always wrinkled ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4QAokTuI9yQBG3yPM41ZN7VTKEmc1jJ49Bh73vUJVPgbtTPbAo3SeawDoTTVskLAOuFhccIw_GW0ddot_hAes6IcMTt1zAfbv49F8WvBxDMZmhtllWPqygw3KlFG6Is4tsyJ4bRlQzwT7r2vQuojULcu1HC_ByfWMsF9ty7O6TXWdzrJa1b21wg/s600/Birthday%20Suit%20As%20Vintage%20Clothing.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="600" height="97" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4QAokTuI9yQBG3yPM41ZN7VTKEmc1jJ49Bh73vUJVPgbtTPbAo3SeawDoTTVskLAOuFhccIw_GW0ddot_hAes6IcMTt1zAfbv49F8WvBxDMZmhtllWPqygw3KlFG6Is4tsyJ4bRlQzwT7r2vQuojULcu1HC_ByfWMsF9ty7O6TXWdzrJa1b21wg/s320/Birthday%20Suit%20As%20Vintage%20Clothing.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I don't think I can afford it ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOlOpA0Ht8iUuFh3km8iSfofSJxbwk1_Q3sHRhWnivNbVWzu4ptLBx848yC6NRtgMtj_3FGhF10XWs3xL2KgOGNzBGJjJtgidH-49fHeQmD7luXwHoJGOeb3MsXM23v5K1LpoHW5VZAoCuEWN8qWOeeUhJBCUJs4SocjYMD99dtBlo02Bz8THYfg/s568/Carbon%20Credits%20for%20Birthday%20Cakes.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOlOpA0Ht8iUuFh3km8iSfofSJxbwk1_Q3sHRhWnivNbVWzu4ptLBx848yC6NRtgMtj_3FGhF10XWs3xL2KgOGNzBGJjJtgidH-49fHeQmD7luXwHoJGOeb3MsXM23v5K1LpoHW5VZAoCuEWN8qWOeeUhJBCUJs4SocjYMD99dtBlo02Bz8THYfg/s320/Carbon%20Credits%20for%20Birthday%20Cakes.gif" width="254" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All my warning lights are on ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj33o7M4_9qSzFkAILLkzqOso2Fulz7uJg48C-rmxSlYXsDocyGB1xZIVwfrTQNxEXSO2JawO-CI3dSu2p458LOmvVI3gPvJfYKECOvLclJ3dg-Xba4FuKxZwbKWb4ljhD_k3CRkbGuhAG2Pob8X6i46h6kxlBBEH8LHMMkgQcfbrXNwuGOG3IkNw/s596/Check%20Knee%20Light.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="446" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj33o7M4_9qSzFkAILLkzqOso2Fulz7uJg48C-rmxSlYXsDocyGB1xZIVwfrTQNxEXSO2JawO-CI3dSu2p458LOmvVI3gPvJfYKECOvLclJ3dg-Xba4FuKxZwbKWb4ljhD_k3CRkbGuhAG2Pob8X6i46h6kxlBBEH8LHMMkgQcfbrXNwuGOG3IkNw/s320/Check%20Knee%20Light.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Depends on the day ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4VoGCfh4TsoFJn3JjgnVwFrB_GwjkYHkd6c5X9PGBtjjsCcWhlD1diHaOHKFFfdwXTBRhre09juYkI5tj1Qm-UfXbCxQAqAOgSipRhPz5FjTvx2q89ZN6kSJNaEaRNdu4VD6nvucM4kPjageukupkobFS6U5aYUTd0timmBGs77teXhCgizDaw/s550/Curmudgeon%20or%20Old%20Bastard%3F.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="550" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4VoGCfh4TsoFJn3JjgnVwFrB_GwjkYHkd6c5X9PGBtjjsCcWhlD1diHaOHKFFfdwXTBRhre09juYkI5tj1Qm-UfXbCxQAqAOgSipRhPz5FjTvx2q89ZN6kSJNaEaRNdu4VD6nvucM4kPjageukupkobFS6U5aYUTd0timmBGs77teXhCgizDaw/s320/Curmudgeon%20or%20Old%20Bastard%3F.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yep ... me, too ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmOTx1cZM5piCJieMFM-X9tuVcWYFZsrGOyp43tMvMPtKA1W6IItJt9xooWobANpUNRQH6wPxZOkT2mRzAf8S_mQumw92o7cIW2Wph2-i1SSzbGWl61O-y4gItW7WCCb4uRvHOZB4M8fHx_6Ndqw9CfNClSqnuSgOKWRD7BFhkoAVY9xE6bfHtQ/s520/I'm%20Just%20Old.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="404" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmOTx1cZM5piCJieMFM-X9tuVcWYFZsrGOyp43tMvMPtKA1W6IItJt9xooWobANpUNRQH6wPxZOkT2mRzAf8S_mQumw92o7cIW2Wph2-i1SSzbGWl61O-y4gItW7WCCb4uRvHOZB4M8fHx_6Ndqw9CfNClSqnuSgOKWRD7BFhkoAVY9xE6bfHtQ/s320/I'm%20Just%20Old.jpeg" width="249" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yes, it's fun. Yes, it's also an honorary title ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQM48MMbQTv6syzPb9mLfm1xabfq8Fo95I0z4mGQme7XDLIrFTwy-pDUtFQ91wBF8NYNUU0YAGuAy72zwcIQ6ij3VbLZ2YtnqAQ1AiPxPR5eFZPF6dfAzDURavvi3JszKv0SbZUPa_Ap7i-6wSbLdaTvCEOTXVqYC5be53lQwZkby2pIlXI4HmKw/s716/IMG_6291.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="716" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQM48MMbQTv6syzPb9mLfm1xabfq8Fo95I0z4mGQme7XDLIrFTwy-pDUtFQ91wBF8NYNUU0YAGuAy72zwcIQ6ij3VbLZ2YtnqAQ1AiPxPR5eFZPF6dfAzDURavvi3JszKv0SbZUPa_Ap7i-6wSbLdaTvCEOTXVqYC5be53lQwZkby2pIlXI4HmKw/s320/IMG_6291.JPG" width="252" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is as true as it gets ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIcwBA5yK1uuQA0y0V3N3COnvoMVAfPnScxmOOU4dkVrXufyVJZPeilgZKUeDVJteutpCG9-VSlCKqNW_Z9SnsvBVJSc0PXyWfwQiALFY6MiRYdyCCJV7Vg1OW0FRLsWpmeLkSk8QIxUbpEa6fFNx-oI3gwIpgujIO4g6ExU8dwn3F5srE1US4ug/s568/Pillage%20of%20Old%20Age.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="549" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIcwBA5yK1uuQA0y0V3N3COnvoMVAfPnScxmOOU4dkVrXufyVJZPeilgZKUeDVJteutpCG9-VSlCKqNW_Z9SnsvBVJSc0PXyWfwQiALFY6MiRYdyCCJV7Vg1OW0FRLsWpmeLkSk8QIxUbpEa6fFNx-oI3gwIpgujIO4g6ExU8dwn3F5srE1US4ug/s320/Pillage%20of%20Old%20Age.JPG" width="309" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was born less than 100 years after the end of the Civil War ... it tends to put history in perspective ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1zi9kBM3FbnBIK4drgPFzvorB9Cc8pkrct6h9zMbA__oJCq-luu67dVKOeN2xd3d0H0S2RKDPrtsuDf6w3QXIsVqdz4Yn_syrmKEmBk8xbe8YOlMGopRsnmj1p95sRrG-s1zJrxEqyjnyTpuafJlFdJOCyvhT835s87EdPTrquEi52bppIDxYKA/s760/What%20Was%20the%20Civil%20War%20Like%3F.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" height="93" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1zi9kBM3FbnBIK4drgPFzvorB9Cc8pkrct6h9zMbA__oJCq-luu67dVKOeN2xd3d0H0S2RKDPrtsuDf6w3QXIsVqdz4Yn_syrmKEmBk8xbe8YOlMGopRsnmj1p95sRrG-s1zJrxEqyjnyTpuafJlFdJOCyvhT835s87EdPTrquEi52bppIDxYKA/s320/What%20Was%20the%20Civil%20War%20Like%3F.gif" width="320" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>And that's the way it is for the first Cartoon Saturday of March, 2024 - I hope you enjoyed it. Have a good day and a great weekend, and plan to come back tomorrow for Poetry Sunday ... more thoughts then.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bilbo</div><div><br /></div>Bilbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14213505386288233192noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23683658.post-74238324518769961412024-03-01T04:38:00.000-05:002024-03-01T04:38:09.195-05:00Great Moments in Editing and Signage<div><br /></div><div>As we leave February in hope, but not expectation, of better things, it's time for our first collection of Great Moments in Editing and Signage for the new month of March - let's get to it!</div><div><br /></div><div>I don't think he'd do well in Vegas with a record like this ... </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzIUIcNWFQPJLq3QFn2rB-afNLnB1s0sR9KvkSpCIy1n-CHFhhMkEhhnGo56MqtPv44piYmD4LS2qw54G6NmOGdlAELKlFxJissl_XRDt6gLdE9Jvz8xqvrx0pWjmvKmOrQeWZE2TCY6HTeO6NEhsJ4TW1AuUh9dSnRKi5WFwI0QcnNf1A48AxQg/s500/Bad%20Bet.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="500" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzIUIcNWFQPJLq3QFn2rB-afNLnB1s0sR9KvkSpCIy1n-CHFhhMkEhhnGo56MqtPv44piYmD4LS2qw54G6NmOGdlAELKlFxJissl_XRDt6gLdE9Jvz8xqvrx0pWjmvKmOrQeWZE2TCY6HTeO6NEhsJ4TW1AuUh9dSnRKi5WFwI0QcnNf1A48AxQg/s320/Bad%20Bet.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If the folks who are trying to "fix" education in Florida and Texas have their way across the country, this could be in our future ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfCPUbDKWQIDZkwhvKeLNy9P9n0ooLAbWC60Kvy-J9eM16DnAYTXfU-RxiVBEjT-hg32UR8_00vjJpjn8RXwZ3FKDhCEbRm-9V2pWNEmjyZSg0bEYmWevrNDdVCzyX-ksNHfP6JH8tgV3ngwiklwcOuNpQDuD3QkA_4dmIxO5aAoWoZa-QBhsXMA/s930/Pornstar%20School.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="930" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfCPUbDKWQIDZkwhvKeLNy9P9n0ooLAbWC60Kvy-J9eM16DnAYTXfU-RxiVBEjT-hg32UR8_00vjJpjn8RXwZ3FKDhCEbRm-9V2pWNEmjyZSg0bEYmWevrNDdVCzyX-ksNHfP6JH8tgV3ngwiklwcOuNpQDuD3QkA_4dmIxO5aAoWoZa-QBhsXMA/s320/Pornstar%20School.JPG" width="248" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I studied linguistics, not math, but even I think there may be a problem here ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-6hBWuwg2qxjrr5oT78DvObwR8KgUeQm30RHgvcqWZ23j4GWSuKXbcM40DzTW-JlJdyhmEFnTkNAja7x3oEA6QhrMwqb8ZEjYebc1IPxC3CSDigpB5Qf86A-oti9_7Z8nbFAEww98n3KvYaenGMCB6pLK2Zvi0QwQgSnyr119i_vzqdX0GF9ZA/s656/Odd%20Track.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="656" data-original-width="554" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-6hBWuwg2qxjrr5oT78DvObwR8KgUeQm30RHgvcqWZ23j4GWSuKXbcM40DzTW-JlJdyhmEFnTkNAja7x3oEA6QhrMwqb8ZEjYebc1IPxC3CSDigpB5Qf86A-oti9_7Z8nbFAEww98n3KvYaenGMCB6pLK2Zvi0QwQgSnyr119i_vzqdX0GF9ZA/s320/Odd%20Track.jpeg" width="270" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Where else? Florida ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZv090u5_qKrGHByXJNV8niumzW3cbv_oVcdKMwZGrLhCCFGnc7XnWYpuuISf1Be0ZhOD3Nc1d6schcwVdvco-AkDgks7vIIpqSqenT8KKniZG8_uGVDlyWWTFJBGJta0_djSA4XJHuMdQlJiYFSURFTyVvzli7o1ZGSMs1Jrt6R_tBEAVTydJWg/s640/No%20Nose%20Biting.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="491" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZv090u5_qKrGHByXJNV8niumzW3cbv_oVcdKMwZGrLhCCFGnc7XnWYpuuISf1Be0ZhOD3Nc1d6schcwVdvco-AkDgks7vIIpqSqenT8KKniZG8_uGVDlyWWTFJBGJta0_djSA4XJHuMdQlJiYFSURFTyVvzli7o1ZGSMs1Jrt6R_tBEAVTydJWg/s320/No%20Nose%20Biting.png" width="246" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As twisted murder plots go, this one is pretty much world class ...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj12dPn6oWuVlbyAxZvgAWa7q7dGV-2oti5Rng6H07cWol7v5-Q_9LpiPNToWnfVQSUTzPCxAvVwH7DZm6w3XtxNrMp6mBlsA7zoXjXLACiXXTdMKy7-lp5z2qVXGyQfETxMcEU1-BRDahvOveewj4gsYtAlbLq7RJ3ZRWE9MSolbjPaAopRQJTOw/s1437/Death%20by%20Cow%20Licks.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1437" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj12dPn6oWuVlbyAxZvgAWa7q7dGV-2oti5Rng6H07cWol7v5-Q_9LpiPNToWnfVQSUTzPCxAvVwH7DZm6w3XtxNrMp6mBlsA7zoXjXLACiXXTdMKy7-lp5z2qVXGyQfETxMcEU1-BRDahvOveewj4gsYtAlbLq7RJ3ZRWE9MSolbjPaAopRQJTOw/s320/Death%20by%20Cow%20Licks.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It must be part of the societal movement to help prostitutes get into more wholesome lines of work ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBWu3i6iICTbZeC6Iggg6nvHBNqKLRo4yDl9vBk0aho-1xNVd8TMfalOEsW5-rKBPoHpQM35iHTYGGXSPzth07NqRVXLC_OH1bLUPtvUdSqE3MIvU1BkKQt5myLvJH2yHtujnV1IOHGb_vVqFUR8Aiy09pT-2XdstmxFJDrU-5hlmGSgvNV1xRQ/s720/Ho%20Made%20Sandwiches.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBWu3i6iICTbZeC6Iggg6nvHBNqKLRo4yDl9vBk0aho-1xNVd8TMfalOEsW5-rKBPoHpQM35iHTYGGXSPzth07NqRVXLC_OH1bLUPtvUdSqE3MIvU1BkKQt5myLvJH2yHtujnV1IOHGb_vVqFUR8Aiy09pT-2XdstmxFJDrU-5hlmGSgvNV1xRQ/s320/Ho%20Made%20Sandwiches.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I guess it's good for the ducks ...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF37KneouNzevvKwwCuFPWFotrcwcoY7Hp0iC3a7ZFrRajK3H8d5yGTvXCg-RpAtv3293kBiclbM7o_YCnvN5D0JMQF9GPZD9Z-QilnVB_fIYLgZMItU8f9YR7DsUY8SFDVPb5ruYs_UGKT30E09zvH4BbneBdoCJKPxqpp8SS1dIhWyvbV8v0-g/s700/IMG_7340.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="700" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF37KneouNzevvKwwCuFPWFotrcwcoY7Hp0iC3a7ZFrRajK3H8d5yGTvXCg-RpAtv3293kBiclbM7o_YCnvN5D0JMQF9GPZD9Z-QilnVB_fIYLgZMItU8f9YR7DsUY8SFDVPb5ruYs_UGKT30E09zvH4BbneBdoCJKPxqpp8SS1dIhWyvbV8v0-g/s320/IMG_7340.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Uh ... no, thanks, I'll have the sushi ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTuNZJuftf29204S2nsXtbdLwba_VZm9tmRhcvNWvQYh_v4FUI9Zlkt1zR54b_KFIFYy8AIk43YR0ZBGNPkYLv8LC34ExAAyOjKYBbviVMhU_w8CzW8Ijlk46PiMjbdUr-9ftZdoFl8_iXXDpB_mqXX6h6gCpcTo-BaOFNcSo6DPHe6JLP28h0YA/s811/IMG_7311.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="811" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTuNZJuftf29204S2nsXtbdLwba_VZm9tmRhcvNWvQYh_v4FUI9Zlkt1zR54b_KFIFYy8AIk43YR0ZBGNPkYLv8LC34ExAAyOjKYBbviVMhU_w8CzW8Ijlk46PiMjbdUr-9ftZdoFl8_iXXDpB_mqXX6h6gCpcTo-BaOFNcSo6DPHe6JLP28h0YA/s320/IMG_7311.JPG" width="284" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Anything I could say about this one will get me into trouble with somebody, so I'll just leave it here ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFaGz3igAVPkJaiyG2U4eUA4BUrAGLEs4bxtK864GE1oVEql159k1bvMC9q_WeyPRhJsd1RBw1pdRcXKVAiVI58VZtW8OiVH1Pf_E9czycVa1YivJ_8yuQ15lQllwmHVLpxnKF4XCZEMDqkAo8Tl72gpyTMhFerW1ofhK2SM67Lu3rIt08OBE1Q/s719/Butt%20Ready%20for%20Action.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="719" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFaGz3igAVPkJaiyG2U4eUA4BUrAGLEs4bxtK864GE1oVEql159k1bvMC9q_WeyPRhJsd1RBw1pdRcXKVAiVI58VZtW8OiVH1Pf_E9czycVa1YivJ_8yuQ15lQllwmHVLpxnKF4XCZEMDqkAo8Tl72gpyTMhFerW1ofhK2SM67Lu3rIt08OBE1Q/s320/Butt%20Ready%20for%20Action.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I do NOT want to piss off the lady who gave birth to this baby ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-Nqe2gybids6ZhIgJAY2cGpIN2uLEBdBlzPLJP2h5Hhk78QCq631MgWs6BE0MPS8dmiRY6SKyGngQnEynjYp4pfGq7OimhtEj33L5HOmKWpgkp_59tFccV4oMAPZHB8FQ5QSN-r38w0nVgvDuDpvYoxirUIjFX3y_OtzeqhN3JqoeqjIdi49VQ/s613/Changing%20Station%20for%20Big%20Babies.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="613" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-Nqe2gybids6ZhIgJAY2cGpIN2uLEBdBlzPLJP2h5Hhk78QCq631MgWs6BE0MPS8dmiRY6SKyGngQnEynjYp4pfGq7OimhtEj33L5HOmKWpgkp_59tFccV4oMAPZHB8FQ5QSN-r38w0nVgvDuDpvYoxirUIjFX3y_OtzeqhN3JqoeqjIdi49VQ/s320/Changing%20Station%20for%20Big%20Babies.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And that's the way it is for our first March issue of Great Moments in Editing and Signage - I hope you got a good laugh to start the new month. Have a good day, and be sure to come back tomorrow for a grouchy Cartoon Saturday ... more thoughts (and grins) then.<span style="text-align: center;"> </span></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Bilbo</div><div><br /></div>Bilbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14213505386288233192noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23683658.post-48903350400692886802024-02-28T05:20:00.094-05:002024-02-28T05:20:00.139-05:00Ass Clown Special Award<div><br /></div><div>It looks like it's going to be that kind of a year ... it's just the end of February, we've already had two Ass Clown Special Awards this year, and I'm about to announce yet another one - the second in a short month.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, I hereby present an</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Ass Clown Special Award</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDFdCK0jq3O5ALAd54SvoZb9zGKMz_BQDAL2WjEupGKY-W6Ew-JXtuaYo7BeoQVSrzCQPnoAiFMmjAoggCEPH3e5lZk7fK01CdRaJPymgGG8CdidUxaS3umS58S7k20I66GePCCbl4dLA2cEgwAEIAxN6IdrNG0Nlv-LV3zi3T7YLdhLrS5gy-Cg/s300/Ass%20Clown%20of%20the%20Month%20(reduced%20size).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDFdCK0jq3O5ALAd54SvoZb9zGKMz_BQDAL2WjEupGKY-W6Ew-JXtuaYo7BeoQVSrzCQPnoAiFMmjAoggCEPH3e5lZk7fK01CdRaJPymgGG8CdidUxaS3umS58S7k20I66GePCCbl4dLA2cEgwAEIAxN6IdrNG0Nlv-LV3zi3T7YLdhLrS5gy-Cg/s1600/Ass%20Clown%20of%20the%20Month%20(reduced%20size).jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">to</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Jack Posobiec</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvi-vDSSFHo34tmS3HNLFW5ky5EqTrbvc4hgv_lR7FTezdY6Lfyucf5boeEQjx1bRvYv2t4DOaP6dB3ZpRKApDlM6N5NL1jVxRY0E-FN6gaMATNxHGCimvUXV0l9-0-1vqQlKULmGqXjlDxAZD3zEJcMEN0k29tmMaHO4FxInzR43RwDfZrA-8Cw/s280/Jack%20Posobiec.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="218" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvi-vDSSFHo34tmS3HNLFW5ky5EqTrbvc4hgv_lR7FTezdY6Lfyucf5boeEQjx1bRvYv2t4DOaP6dB3ZpRKApDlM6N5NL1jVxRY0E-FN6gaMATNxHGCimvUXV0l9-0-1vqQlKULmGqXjlDxAZD3zEJcMEN0k29tmMaHO4FxInzR43RwDfZrA-8Cw/s1600/Jack%20Posobiec.jpeg" width="218" /></a></div><br /><div>Mr Posobiec, for those of you who haven't heard of him, is a far-right activist and former correspondent for the ultra-conservative One America News Network. He <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2024/02/22/jack_posobiec_were_here_to_overthrow_democracy_we_didnt_get_all_the_way_there_on_january_6th.html" target="_blank">said the quiet part out loud</a> in his speech to this week's Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, when he told the noisily appreciative audience,</div><div><br /></div><div><i>“Welcome to the end of democracy. We are here to overthrow it completely. We didn’t get all the way there on January 6, but we will endeavor to get rid of it and replace it with this right here.”</i> </div><div><br /></div><div>He held up a cross necklace and continued: </div><div><br /></div><div><i>“After we burn that swamp to the ground, we will establish the new American republic on its ashes, and our first order of business will be righteous retribution for those who betrayed America.”</i></div><div><br /></div><div>You may recall the famous quotation attributed to Sinclair Lewis ...</div><div><br /></div><div><i>"When Fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross."</i></div><div><br /></div><div>A similar version of that sentiment came from the Jewish author and lecturer <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1983/11/30/obituaries/james-w-wise-81-author-and-lecturer-warned-of-the-nazis.html?unlocked_article_code=1.YU0.UK_f.A0E4BZ-V7D4B&smid=url-share" target="_blank">James Waterman Wise, Jr.</a>, who warned in 1936 that if fascism came to America, it would not be identified with any "shirt" movement or with an "insignia" like the swastika but would probably be <i>"wrapped up in the American flag and heralded as a plea for liberty and preservation of the constitution."</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Sound familiar? Messrs. Lewis and Wise might be writing about today's MAGA movement and its Evangelical Christian base. And it's also worth noting that, contrary to Mr Wise's warning, both the cross and the swastika are commonly seen at far-right rallies, and that <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1983/11/30/obituaries/james-w-wise-81-author-and-lecturer-warned-of-the-nazis.html?unlocked_article_code=1.YU0.UK_f.A0E4BZ-V7D4B&smid=url-share" target="_blank">white polo shirts and khakis were the uniform of choice</a> for the neo-Nazis who violently rallied in Charlottesville, Virginia, back in 2017. </div><div><br /></div><div>Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, for his clear advocacy of religious-based fascism in the United States, Jack Posobiec is presented this Ass Clown Special Award.</div><div><br /></div><div>Don't say you weren't warned.</div><div><br /></div><div>Have a good day. More thoughts coming.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bilbo</div><div><br /></div>Bilbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14213505386288233192noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23683658.post-36144734914126200852024-02-27T07:04:00.002-05:002024-02-27T07:04:35.553-05:00Three Names<div><br /></div><div>Today, February 27th, is the birthday of the famous American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, whose works were required reading for those of us of my generation or earlier ... I can still recite portions of his famous poem <a href="https://poets.org/poem/paul-reveres-ride" target="_blank">"Paul Revere's Ride."</a></div><div><br /></div><div>But Mr Longfellow's birthday got me to thinking about something else: why do so many poets seem to have three names? Consider that in addition to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, we also celebrate:</div><div><br /></div><div>Edwin Arlington Robinson; </div><div><br /></div><div>Edna St. Vincent Millay;</div><div><br /></div><div>Edgar Lee Masters;</div><div><br /></div><div>James Whitcomb Riley;</div><div><br /></div><div>Ralph Waldo Emerson; and,</div><div><br /></div><div>James Weldon Johnson</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Howcumzit?</i>, as my father would have asked, that so many poets seem to have three names? After all, most Americans commonly use only two, although we tend to have three - first, middle, and family.</div><div><br /></div><div>As I think about it, though, there are some other well-known people in other fields who are known by three names ...</div><div><br /></div><div>Former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt is one, as is businesswoman, socialite, and philanthropist Marjorie Merriweather Post. </div><div><br /></div><div>Empty-headed Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, sometimes referred to in the media as "Marjorie Three Names," is another. </div><div><br /></div><div>Former President Barack Obama is often referred to by his detractors as Barack Hussein Obama, as if stressing his middle name somehow connects him to the hated "other" of Islamic terrorism.</div><div><br /></div><div>Three names. Why? Any ideas?</div><div><br /></div><div>Have a good day, no matter how many names you use. More thoughts coming.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bilbo (one name only)</div><div><br /></div>Bilbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14213505386288233192noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23683658.post-84391206512675571872024-02-26T05:29:00.000-05:002024-02-26T05:29:57.870-05:00Black-Letter Law<div><br /></div><div>In reviewing the story of the <a href="https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/4b56014daa6dda84/a039b1d9-full.pdf" target="_blank">Alabama supreme court decision on the status of embryos being stored for in-vitro fertilization (IFV) treatments</a>, I learned an interesting new term: "<a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/black_letter_law" target="_blank">black-letter law</a>" (also known as "<a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/hornbook_law" target="_blank">hornbook law</a>"), defined as </div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>"... standard rules that are generally known and free from doubt. The black letter law on any subject consists of the principles so fundamental in that subject and contained so frequently in hundreds of years of common law that challenging them would be extremely difficult."</i></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>This appears to be related to the legal principle, recently shredded by the U.S. Supreme Court, of "<a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/stare_decisis" target="_blank"><i>stare decisis</i></a>" ("settled law"), which states that</div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>"... courts will adhere to precedent in making their decisions."</i></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>Black-letter law may not be as black*, nor <i>stare decisis</i> as settled as we think, for the Supreme Court has also ruled that </div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>"... stare decisis is not an “inexorable command.” When prior decisions are “unworkable or are badly reasoned,” then the Supreme Court may not follow precedent, and this is “particularly true in constitutional cases.”</i></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>But who decides whether a prior decision is "<i>unworkable or badly reasoned,"</i> and on what basis do they make the decision?<i> </i></div><div><br /></div><div>The waiver of <i>stare decisis</i> has allowed the righteous overturning of disastrous decisions like <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/plessy_v_ferguson_(1896)" target="_blank"><i>Plessy v. Ferguson</i></a>, which sanctioned racial segregation in the United States. Unfortunately, it has also led to more questionable decisions such as the recent <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/19-1392_6j37.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Dobbs</i></a> decision that overturned the protection of abortion rights codified in <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/410/113/" target="_blank"><i>Roe v. Wade</i></a> ... the first time** a Supreme Court decision has taken away, rather than granted or reinforced a right. Where one can defensibly argue that <i>Plessy v. Ferguson</i> was "wrongly decided" based on Constitutional guarantees of equal rights (not to mention simple human decency), the decision to overturn <i>Roe v. Wade</i> - like the decision in the Alabama case - seems to have been based primarily on religious arguments of questionable Constitutional validity which replaced factual legal analysis and logic with faith-based theological dogma.</div><div><br /></div><div>We are approaching a time when "black-letter law" is what the party with political control of the courts decides it is. The current Supreme Court, heavily conservative, is clearly willing to overturn settled law with which it philosophically disagrees, <i>stare decisis</i> be damned. </div><div><br /></div><div>Perhaps it is time to stop referring to "black-letter law" and start referring to "gray-letter law." <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Scarlet-Letter-novel-by-Hawthorne" target="_blank">The Scarlet Letter</a> has already been taken, in a different context ... and if the GOP has its way, it may well be back.</div><div><br /></div><div>Have a good day. More thoughts coming.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bilbo</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">* I'm reminded of the wonderfully eerie short story "Absolute Ebony," by <a href="https://www.felicepicano.net/other-writing/short-stories?start=5" target="_blank">Felice Picano</a>, about an artist's search for the ultimate, perfect shade of black ... and what comes with it.</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">** As far as I know.</span></i></div><div><br /></div>Bilbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14213505386288233192noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23683658.post-78753552730574854382024-02-25T05:42:00.000-05:002024-02-25T05:42:38.404-05:00Musical Sunday<div><br /></div><div>As we trudge slowly out of February, the month of Valentine's Day, it's sometimes fun to take a different sort of look at love, as Kid Creole does in this classic tale of the unfortunate guy living next door to - and always being compared to - the perfect husband ... </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0s0onZaiL4Q?si=T3g5BqN1roloAH61&controls=0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>I wish I had a better quality video of this, but it's the only one I could find, and it's more fun than the concert clips you can find on YouTube.</div><div><br /></div><div>Have a good day and enjoy the rest of your weekend. If a guy named Endicott moves in next door ... move.</div><div><br /></div><div>More thoughts coming.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bilbo</div><div><br /></div>Bilbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14213505386288233192noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23683658.post-15840277828694050352024-02-24T05:41:00.000-05:002024-02-24T05:41:47.079-05:00Cartoon Saturday<div><br /></div><div>You just can't make this stuff up ... </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/21/business/china-corporate-militias-resurgence-int-hnk/index.html" target="_blank">Many companies in China are setting up their own private militias</a>, officially known as "Peoples Armed Forces Departments," which could both significantly increase the wartime size of the Peoples Liberation Army and serve as another means of social control; Der Furor wasted no time in <a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-navalny-russia-putin-2024-indictments-71513abe8f128ab885d9d2382f92e9d6" target="_blank">comparing his self-inflicted legal woes with the imprisonment and death of Russian activist Alexei Navalny</a>; a U.S. company more or less successfully conducted <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-68377730" target="_blank">the first landing of an American-made vehicle on the Moon in more than 50 years</a> ... the vehicle seems to be lying on its side, although many of its onboard experiments are still functioning; extreme pro-life conservatives punched themselves in the face when IVF clinics across Alabama began ceasing operation in the wake of a state supreme court decision which declared - in language full of unconstitutionally religious imagery - that <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2024/02/23/1233023637/ivf-alabama-frozen-embryo-personhood-abortion-supreme-court" target="_blank">frozen embryos awaiting implantation are legally considered to be children*</a>; and in Akron, Ohio, a man who tried to rob a grocery store fled with less money than he started with when he panicked at the sound of an alarm and <a href="https://fox8.com/news/failed-robbery-suspect-leaves-his-own-money-behind/" target="_blank">ran away without the change</a> from his original purchase. </div><div><br /></div><div>This week, inspired by the relentless attacks by Der Furor and his enablers on law enforcement, the judicial system, and the rule of law, a collection of cartoons on the topic of law and justice ... </div><div><br /></div><div>There's a shortage of oil for the sheen because of the needs of Der Furor's large army of lawyers ...</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAdXYRcSmVOoB_a3XS3FFNvtFFLp8Rn2g7zwb7JDCXwgWM0Tt2GZ9BbiLwCkYo1oBr9Vy4Vn8dva6wl-8WOt0E_kdRj2Ox1ENU79RvSgeEFkAIni_858H_xgw2gQzy4iXNq-ScPYRAPy2CLCCWWCF_GPlTu0s4FXs8G60pGoc2XYps4fSObitRVA/s404/Applying%20the%20Oily%20Legal%20Sheen.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="344" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAdXYRcSmVOoB_a3XS3FFNvtFFLp8Rn2g7zwb7JDCXwgWM0Tt2GZ9BbiLwCkYo1oBr9Vy4Vn8dva6wl-8WOt0E_kdRj2Ox1ENU79RvSgeEFkAIni_858H_xgw2gQzy4iXNq-ScPYRAPy2CLCCWWCF_GPlTu0s4FXs8G60pGoc2XYps4fSObitRVA/s320/Applying%20the%20Oily%20Legal%20Sheen.jpg" width="272" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It depends on where he was and what he did on January 6th, 2021 ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizGKsS081p8B2m98g95BT3admWaec22Yg3irFMVmYzjMICEYryEbGY4vfrBcJ2ZuorB1v3SxD_4wBGHi8U4EwfMRxMlSVYdvFTbL0N5hnME9m6Nkg9EFC7OzGCy6K-g3BR_MpVd2_QxwxhVBi8w3aRr3v4oOmES-akae3aGJ8dcIN_pVD089WACQ/s599/Could%20He%20Be%20Innocent%3F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="494" data-original-width="599" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizGKsS081p8B2m98g95BT3admWaec22Yg3irFMVmYzjMICEYryEbGY4vfrBcJ2ZuorB1v3SxD_4wBGHi8U4EwfMRxMlSVYdvFTbL0N5hnME9m6Nkg9EFC7OzGCy6K-g3BR_MpVd2_QxwxhVBi8w3aRr3v4oOmES-akae3aGJ8dcIN_pVD089WACQ/s320/Could%20He%20Be%20Innocent%3F.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If lawyers spoke the truth to the media ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwk5G2F9YN0w5mR_qkySL9iU4uikYVYEettEwd-Wyqhywslz-pPzwFvpnR3SXbN-LrDMVSenMl4n6pFTxdrXBqD0yGdiVIxsW06UWwXgaKb5Is6BL6vRszu5uo3r5psRse-whmT7Qm5Wo7cFCUGgurCKNJ-4a3eKmACx37k9_7Nm166gst6x6_2g/s519/Dumbass%20Client.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="519" data-original-width="442" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwk5G2F9YN0w5mR_qkySL9iU4uikYVYEettEwd-Wyqhywslz-pPzwFvpnR3SXbN-LrDMVSenMl4n6pFTxdrXBqD0yGdiVIxsW06UWwXgaKb5Is6BL6vRszu5uo3r5psRse-whmT7Qm5Wo7cFCUGgurCKNJ-4a3eKmACx37k9_7Nm166gst6x6_2g/s320/Dumbass%20Client.jpeg" width="273" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Time to sell that kidney and your firstborn child ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFMID779MsxTjs8_yGtTwvqt0Z0hNqSdIiiArsXgx-ObHohg83yzIhXcX_9XOt-xuJQUkT_TLTW9PFMkXTjHfr4LWOr4M6lz2LWVk6eFg0iZkE3aTBCKe1l6Lky494wbQQA8nb2VvSGNMDoe7l3WN2pxN5YBETQ44lZrdG7qdg1iGc90aty1_bFQ/s500/Lawyer%20Bill.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="500" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFMID779MsxTjs8_yGtTwvqt0Z0hNqSdIiiArsXgx-ObHohg83yzIhXcX_9XOt-xuJQUkT_TLTW9PFMkXTjHfr4LWOr4M6lz2LWVk6eFg0iZkE3aTBCKe1l6Lky494wbQQA8nb2VvSGNMDoe7l3WN2pxN5YBETQ44lZrdG7qdg1iGc90aty1_bFQ/s320/Lawyer%20Bill.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It seems to work for a lot of people ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuzbiRLTZk_s5xrnCXoIsscu2SvChC81E9vG7I4PAFHsrSp1F85BbbW1-hfSQTUNSXufI7v60as2Iu6J0abM8vz27KOfD_vKdmOc6era0_dgjIC2eqLO_6l_HEPlYpC0u2O-7Sr9j3gVvDADil4xc6sE8EJPt96ICMqdxLCsgMazK3VwL57Lr8_g/s692/Move%20for%20Acquittal.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="629" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuzbiRLTZk_s5xrnCXoIsscu2SvChC81E9vG7I4PAFHsrSp1F85BbbW1-hfSQTUNSXufI7v60as2Iu6J0abM8vz27KOfD_vKdmOc6era0_dgjIC2eqLO_6l_HEPlYpC0u2O-7Sr9j3gVvDADil4xc6sE8EJPt96ICMqdxLCsgMazK3VwL57Lr8_g/s320/Move%20for%20Acquittal.jpg" width="291" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It would make trials more interesting ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBMYjD4MhvT7_XbcRsxCyR8PBJJTIhtxgM09KfJfONW1ZYzZBvQxCBV1r36flrfw7DjeRQmTHJSuGAWOAqfY_ilL2AO4fSU9eVr4scFUo4pWax-4AW7dhhclZ9QYBmzkoNjsVz_grhE1znE-SM3KsbwJ81zH_r9YSnDxwpZXHEhfPMPgVmjdOZVQ/s514/Recess%20for%20Flaming%20Pants.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="514" data-original-width="432" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBMYjD4MhvT7_XbcRsxCyR8PBJJTIhtxgM09KfJfONW1ZYzZBvQxCBV1r36flrfw7DjeRQmTHJSuGAWOAqfY_ilL2AO4fSU9eVr4scFUo4pWax-4AW7dhhclZ9QYBmzkoNjsVz_grhE1znE-SM3KsbwJ81zH_r9YSnDxwpZXHEhfPMPgVmjdOZVQ/s320/Recess%20for%20Flaming%20Pants.JPG" width="269" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The best legal representation you can afford, right up to the moment you can't afford it any more ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqtbxEt4ilGBP6yIN9ySK6v76VkAUQ_EBH0ssQji4TtX42hea1OwPz_1XtR2gjeIyOkn7052UemLrlbk2OUR_lhaSqWe7W0IUorqGnt8dcvgdrhmYsPYUmJvpW_9LI3Xl9xsZeR_KKp62vLHK3MaKYPIUzdWC8VX2I4zMUhaOB0Nfj69wwjhOh6A/s760/Throwing%20Money%20at%20the%20Lawyer.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="237" data-original-width="760" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqtbxEt4ilGBP6yIN9ySK6v76VkAUQ_EBH0ssQji4TtX42hea1OwPz_1XtR2gjeIyOkn7052UemLrlbk2OUR_lhaSqWe7W0IUorqGnt8dcvgdrhmYsPYUmJvpW_9LI3Xl9xsZeR_KKp62vLHK3MaKYPIUzdWC8VX2I4zMUhaOB0Nfj69wwjhOh6A/s320/Throwing%20Money%20at%20the%20Lawyer.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's all part of the GOP's economic plan, which is based on full employment for lawyers, bail bondsmen, and flag-waving apologists ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpWpBzV5EAjzfrdMHWDayB58pdBsdA3V_t0CyOJIgVFwooVbFrry2mHbMpEu2pJVya8fEbxv5wh9GkJxJLPL2wi3UR8BZG14UXa4JyeGcUZ22s7UJR0QlDwb6IvYbaF0C0bDTupShF-vUJaPOP-47GpZrbImaNAIynMDGaVh2xtgjhwTWkZmJN-w/s960/Waiting%20for%20the%20Next%20Attorney.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="860" data-original-width="960" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpWpBzV5EAjzfrdMHWDayB58pdBsdA3V_t0CyOJIgVFwooVbFrry2mHbMpEu2pJVya8fEbxv5wh9GkJxJLPL2wi3UR8BZG14UXa4JyeGcUZ22s7UJR0QlDwb6IvYbaF0C0bDTupShF-vUJaPOP-47GpZrbImaNAIynMDGaVh2xtgjhwTWkZmJN-w/s320/Waiting%20for%20the%20Next%20Attorney.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I got this from a fly on the wall of Rep Jim Comer's House Committee on Ludicrous and Unsubstantiated Buffoonery ... uh ... I mean ... House "Oversight and Accountability" Committee ... </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4a-0tUehDaYhzbdyVA7GhLbaHiwOYcFucF308yCG8JzXY1nbHeOb4-6SkbaLmsvUJqevG9LbgvrVDPWA_Evyo4xjvXknagOS_9USWgM7yFzhQW5Q5VcmJSrW9pDpHFW7GP0XYIzBNhcO4bMYffweLrKpsErp5dlNDMhj4DvTx9X7CNo23FN6nQ/s438/Who's%20Guilty%20of%20What%3F.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="385" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4a-0tUehDaYhzbdyVA7GhLbaHiwOYcFucF308yCG8JzXY1nbHeOb4-6SkbaLmsvUJqevG9LbgvrVDPWA_Evyo4xjvXknagOS_9USWgM7yFzhQW5Q5VcmJSrW9pDpHFW7GP0XYIzBNhcO4bMYffweLrKpsErp5dlNDMhj4DvTx9X7CNo23FN6nQ/s320/Who's%20Guilty%20of%20What%3F.gif" width="281" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If some people could plead stupidity, it would probably speed things up considerably ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgogkKfAVKg6fc7LlQbT7giO7aN8HuNcnyr46SOnTviYBQesKZHl_QABIzAj00TGwVXQ0zsuPXfjAiQwxph7MYh_EJySW8NYcEsn9_IwEDgTxv7tTKcu36OY0fBBWe_dJnDZBirIkAez61qNWZpoKyoUF059Jc-rm3SoDP1xHYM7frL_NmmRzFmZQ/s480/You%20Can't%20Plead%20Stupidity.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgogkKfAVKg6fc7LlQbT7giO7aN8HuNcnyr46SOnTviYBQesKZHl_QABIzAj00TGwVXQ0zsuPXfjAiQwxph7MYh_EJySW8NYcEsn9_IwEDgTxv7tTKcu36OY0fBBWe_dJnDZBirIkAez61qNWZpoKyoUF059Jc-rm3SoDP1xHYM7frL_NmmRzFmZQ/s320/You%20Can't%20Plead%20Stupidity.png" width="320" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>And that's it for this week. I hope you never need a lawyer ... and if you do, I hope you can afford it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Have a good day and a great weekend, and come back tomorrow for Musical Sunday. More thoughts then.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bilbo</div><div><br /></div><div><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">* <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/02/21/us/alabama-supreme-court-embryo-ruling.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Xk0.Ao4s.eOCfZHAijSkO&smid=url-share" target="_blank">The decision</a> states that "... the Wrongful Death of a Minor Act applies to all unborn children, regardless
of their location."</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div>Bilbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14213505386288233192noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23683658.post-86468565898688803182024-02-23T06:06:00.000-05:002024-02-23T06:06:14.957-05:00The Left-Cheek Ass Clown for February, 2024<div><br /></div><div>It's always been hard to pick a single ... or a pair ... or even a <i>group</i> of ass clowns each time on whom to bestow the Tinfoil and Toilet Paper Crown. I know that I always complain about this and I hate to sound like a broken record, but it's nevertheless true, and this period is no different. The news of the past week has been so full of insanely worthy ass clowns that I didn't even have enough room on any wall of my house to hold all the post-it notes bearing names at which I could blindly throw darts to make a selection.</div><div><br /></div><div>One wonders what has happened to the country.</div><div><br /></div><div>But it's my job to make a selection, and so I have sighed deeply, shaken my head in sorrow, and decided to name as</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Left-Cheek Ass Clown for February, 2024</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguKxgrmUb0eGAxfkxG6NS6OzEXu23hdJ194rDoKry49ce5N2U1q0RwvgWe1qTtf41Ppdhfcmdv7nsKd4-hbNrjrKbIBFHDfwBzekJ3I25jeqH0VkgfYJs4mLxLpYSipwadbrjrIeUtL_Id-KdfVFyRkrUD7IRh8S637iAuPhczpYyGHSHVlkMDMg/s300/Ass%20Clown%20of%20the%20Month%20(reduced%20size).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguKxgrmUb0eGAxfkxG6NS6OzEXu23hdJ194rDoKry49ce5N2U1q0RwvgWe1qTtf41Ppdhfcmdv7nsKd4-hbNrjrKbIBFHDfwBzekJ3I25jeqH0VkgfYJs4mLxLpYSipwadbrjrIeUtL_Id-KdfVFyRkrUD7IRh8S637iAuPhczpYyGHSHVlkMDMg/s1600/Ass%20Clown%20of%20the%20Month%20(reduced%20size).jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Der Furor*</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnFjKC7DulzUDnGtfpbazBnTbpGOPyYQ6eH9QFewQLKOcJltr-Btn7pgdW8eZ2NtjjzIWSGvd87DlswlClXMlRzTu2ZYo9st0ctCld_oVAMgFVh7QbC1NcQ6Ixv52QG79O9rOuiVmCjmBq8TXT32ZBI8Bp-We4i5V9V79AAz_4FbRUeexclwVZNQ/s316/Donald_Trump_mug_shot.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="316" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnFjKC7DulzUDnGtfpbazBnTbpGOPyYQ6eH9QFewQLKOcJltr-Btn7pgdW8eZ2NtjjzIWSGvd87DlswlClXMlRzTu2ZYo9st0ctCld_oVAMgFVh7QbC1NcQ6Ixv52QG79O9rOuiVmCjmBq8TXT32ZBI8Bp-We4i5V9V79AAz_4FbRUeexclwVZNQ/s1600/Donald_Trump_mug_shot.jpg" width="316" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">If you've been keeping track, this marks Der Furor's <i>sixteenth**</i> Ass Clown Award - consisting of 11 individual awards, four shared awards, and Ass Clown of the Year for 2015. While presenting him this award for the 16th time may seem like a lazy grab for the lowest-hanging fruit, I believe it is well supported by the recent evidence:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">- Continuing to shamelessly kowtow to fellow authoritarian Vladimir Putin, he claimed in a campaign speech that under his rule, <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/video/trump-russia-hell-nato-nation-pay-bills-107161341" target="_blank">Russia could do "whatever the hell they want" to NATO nations</a> that do not pay enough for their own defense; </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">- <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/trump-talks-of-his-own-legal-problems-when-speaking-about-the-death-of-russian-opposition-leader-alexei-navalny" target="_blank">Comparing his embroilment in multiple criminal and civil lawsuits of his own making to the murder in prison of Russian dissident leader Alexei Navalny</a>;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">- Helping to cover his campaign expenses and ever-mounting legal bills by launching <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/02/19/1232438349/donald-trump-golden-high-top-sneakers" target="_blank">his latest product - gold-toned sneakers bearing a capital T and an American flag - priced at $399</a>***; and,</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqrkIgdTrrGdv12hYs7MOtbUCEvVMP2e04C0pZWDUqce6ExcaW35Ne5kCB3L9sz24x8YRM8DW5gbrxBYxvBHFFUmSFtMaPUn4OROJXxhd1sVfgLmJDagPe2CVb0JhKyS11takRXD0lXbM6PYrgmdxVrT41ACtJet6DGKQ_me-K8WnVl3R7M97WoQ/s764/Trump%20Sneaker.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="764" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqrkIgdTrrGdv12hYs7MOtbUCEvVMP2e04C0pZWDUqce6ExcaW35Ne5kCB3L9sz24x8YRM8DW5gbrxBYxvBHFFUmSFtMaPUn4OROJXxhd1sVfgLmJDagPe2CVb0JhKyS11takRXD0lXbM6PYrgmdxVrT41ACtJet6DGKQ_me-K8WnVl3R7M97WoQ/s320/Trump%20Sneaker.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">- <a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-border-security-ukraine-a39e188fa2c6a563203d2c69eaabdc6d" target="_blank">Forcing Congressional Republicans to reject a border security bill that gave them almost everything they wanted</a> so that he could continue to use the immigration crisis at the southern border as a campaign topic. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Yesterday, February 22nd, marked the birthday of George Washington, our first President and the man fondly remembered as "The Father of His Country." Today, we once again place the Tinfoil and Toilet Paper Crown on the artistically-permed head of Der Furor, the man who will most likely be remembered as "The Embarrassing Drunken Uncle of His Country."<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Have a good day, and if you're clutching your pearls over President Biden's age, consider the potential horror of a second administration headed up by an unhinged Furor and his army of political, social, and religious bigots. Choose wisely.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">See you tomorrow for Cartoon Saturday, when we'll look at law and justice in today's America. More thoughts then.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Bilbo</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">* AKA, the only president ever to have his own glowering mug shot.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">** No other individual recipient even comes close to this towering record of ass clownery. Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell is the next individual runner-up, with 10 awards (including a record three Ass Clown of the Year awards), while the all-time biggest winner is The Republican Party with a total of 19 awards overall, including 14 solo wins and three Ass Clown of the Year designations (in 2011, 2017, and 2023).</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*** Isn't it interesting that Der Furor's MAGAts are hysterical about how terrible the economy is, and yet they are able and willing to shell out $399 for a pair of tacky sneakers and still have money to contribute to <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/4475076-gofundme-launched-to-help-pay-trumps-legal-fees/" target="_blank">a GoFundMe page to help pay his legal bills</a>?</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Bilbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14213505386288233192noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23683658.post-9776227534824322162024-02-20T05:19:00.000-05:002024-02-20T05:19:08.643-05:00Nicknames, Updated<div><br /></div><div>History is filled with persons who earned descriptive nicknames because of their personal characteristics or their accomplishments: English Kings Alfred the Great and Richard the Lionheart are prime examples. Of course, nicknames are often earned for other reasons, as we note in remembering English King Aethelred the Unready, Viking warlord Ivar the Boneless, and Wallachian Prince Vlad the Impaler. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7E9_hPfm-w931crp-TXmlSwAK2B99UJoSc1oGwSgn-v2Rmq5DlZV8Ggv5fritb2go1_kttiH5tBUvX2WNJS27tueJRtmabBCAWP39bRuok5CrR4llEDRLBAtqynMr2qjC7DeZ9b8pHsbnY3SHM0sojrqIDGCdZdgnKhEoctrs88B3SBRdlhnTw/s560/When%20%22The%20Great%3F%22.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="496" data-original-width="560" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7E9_hPfm-w931crp-TXmlSwAK2B99UJoSc1oGwSgn-v2Rmq5DlZV8Ggv5fritb2go1_kttiH5tBUvX2WNJS27tueJRtmabBCAWP39bRuok5CrR4llEDRLBAtqynMr2qjC7DeZ9b8pHsbnY3SHM0sojrqIDGCdZdgnKhEoctrs88B3SBRdlhnTw/s320/When%20%22The%20Great%3F%22.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Last Thursday (February 15th, for those who celebrate) marked the birthday of Piero di Lorenzo de’ Medici, the lord of Florence from 1492 until his exile in 1494. Despite his status as the eldest son of Lorenzo “The Magnificent” de’ Medici, his feeble, arrogant, and undisciplined character earned him the nicknames “Piero the Fatuous” and “Piero the Unfortunate.” </div><div><br /></div><div>Considering that we have no shortage of feeble, arrogant, undisciplined, unfortunate and fatuous characters, many of whom are either members of Congress or aspiring autocrats trying to strongarm their way back into the presidency, it occurs to me to wonder once again why we no longer attach descriptive nicknames to notable individuals. Der Furor is noted for his childish habit of giving demeaning nicknames to his enemies and opponents ("Ron De Sanctimonious," "Little Marco," "Crooked Hillary," etc), but that's not the same thing. I wrote about this two years ago in a blog post titled - surprise! - <a href="https://bilbosrandomthoughts.blogspot.com/2022/06/nicknames.html" target="_blank">"Nicknames,"</a> and on noting Piero de' Medici's birthday last week, I was inspired to revisit the topic and update my list of new, history-worthy nicknames ...</div><div><br /></div><div>President Joe Biden: Joe the Underestimated; </div><div><br /></div><div>Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy: Volodymyr the Courageous;</div><div><br /></div><div>Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman: John the Underdressed; </div><div><br /></div><div>Missouri Senator Josh Hawley: Josh the Sprinter; </div><div><br /></div><div>Maine Senator Susan Collins: Susan the Perpetually Concerned; </div><div><br /></div><div>New York Representative Elise Stefanik: Elise the Obsequious; </div><div><br /></div><div>Texas Governor Greg Abbott: Greg the Heartless; </div><div><br /></div><div>Der Furor: Donald the Felonious; </div><div><br /></div><div>Special Counsel Jack Smith: Jack the Relentless; </div><div><br /></div><div>Useless blowhard Tucker Carlson: Tucker the Traitorous. </div><div><br /></div><div>That's a start ... what nicknames might you suggest for the famous and near-famous? Leave a comment.</div><div><br /></div><div>Have a good day. More thoughts coming.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bilbo the Snarky</div><div><br /></div>Bilbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14213505386288233192noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23683658.post-13851194368485908542024-02-18T06:24:00.000-05:002024-02-18T06:24:16.064-05:00Poetry Sunday<div><br /></div><div>I used this poem a few years ago, but it seems appropriate to dust it off and bring it to you on a new Poetry Sunday, in honor of those who wish for the return of a golden past that wasn't quite how they remember it ... </div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Land of Sandra Dee</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>by Leland Waldrip</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Long ago and far away,</div><div>In a land that time forgot,</div><div>Before the days of Dylan</div><div>Or the dawn of Camelot.</div><div><br /></div><div>There lived a race of innocents,</div><div>And they were you and me,</div><div>Long ago and far away</div><div>In the Land of Sandra Dee.</div><div><br /></div><div>Oh, there was truth and goodness</div><div>In that land where we were born,</div><div>Where navels were for oranges,</div><div>And Peyton Place was porn.</div><div><br /></div><div>For Ike was in the White House,</div><div>And Hoss was on TV,</div><div>And God was in his heaven</div><div>In the Land of Sandra Dee.</div><div><br /></div><div>We learned to gut a muffler,</div><div>We washed our hair at dawn,</div><div>We spread our crinolines to dry</div><div>In circles on the lawn.</div><div><br /></div><div>And they could hear us coming</div><div>All the way to Tennessee,</div><div>All starched and sprayed and rumbling </div><div>In the Land of Sandra Dee.</div><div><br /></div><div>We longed for love and romance,</div><div>And waited for the prince,</div><div>And Eddie Fisher married Liz,</div><div>And no one's seen him since.</div><div><br /></div><div>We danced to "Little Darlin'",</div><div>And Sang to "Stagger Lee"</div><div>And cried for Buddy Holly</div><div>In the Land of Sandra Lee.</div><div><br /></div><div>Only girls wore earrings then,</div><div>And three was one too many,</div><div>And only boys wore flat-top cuts,</div><div>Except for Jean McKinney.</div><div><br /></div><div>And only in our wildest dreams</div><div>Did we expect to see</div><div>A boy named George with Lipstick</div><div>In the Land of Sandra Dee.</div><div><br /></div><div>We fell for Frankie Avalon,</div><div>Annette as oh, so nice,</div><div>And when they made a movie,</div><div>They never made it twice. </div><div><br /></div><div>We didn't have a Star Trek Five,</div><div>Or Psycho Two and Three,</div><div>Or Rocky-Rambo Twenty</div><div>In the Land of Sandra Dee.</div><div><br /></div><div>Miss Kitty had a heart of gold,</div><div>And Chester had a limp,</div><div>And Reagan was a Democrat</div><div>Whose co-star was a chimp.</div><div><br /></div><div>We had a Mr Wizard,</div><div>But not a Mr T,</div><div>And Oprah couldn't talk yet</div><div>In the Land of Sandra Dee.</div><div><br /></div><div>We had our share of heroes,</div><div>We never thought they'd go,</div><div>At least not Bobby Darin,</div><div>Or Marilyn Monroe.</div><div><br /></div><div>For youth was still eternal,</div><div>And life was yet to be,</div><div>And Elvis was forever,</div><div>In the Land of Sandra Dee.</div><div><br /></div><div>We'd never seen the rock band</div><div>That was Grateful to be Dead,</div><div>And Airplanes weren't named Jefferson, </div><div>And Zeppelins weren't Led.</div><div><br /></div><div>And Beatles lived in gardens then,</div><div>And Monkees in a tree,</div><div>Madonna was a virgin</div><div>In the Land of Sandra Dee.</div><div><br /></div><div>We'd never heard of Microwaves,</div><div>Or telephones in cars,</div><div>And babies might be bottle-fed,</div><div>But they weren't grown in jars.</div><div><br /></div><div>And pumping iron got wrinkles out,</div><div>And "gay" meant fancy-free,</div><div>And dorms were never coed</div><div>In the Land of Sandra Dee.</div><div><br /></div><div>We hadn't seen enough of jets</div><div>To talk about the lag,</div><div>And microchips were what was left </div><div>At the bottom of the bag.</div><div><br /></div><div>And Hardware was a box of nails,</div><div>And bytes came from a flea,</div><div>And rocket ships were fiction</div><div>In the Land of Sandra Dee.</div><div><br /></div><div>Buicks came with portholes,</div><div>And side shows came with freaks,</div><div>And bathing suits came big enough </div><div>To cover both your cheeks.</div><div><br /></div><div>And Coke came just in bottles,</div><div>And skirts came to the knee,</div><div>And Castro came to power</div><div>In the Land of Sandra Dee.</div><div><br /></div><div>We had no Crest with Fluoride,</div><div>We had no Hill Street Blues,</div><div>We all wore superstructure bras</div><div>Designed by Howard Hughes.</div><div><br /></div><div>We had no patterned pantyhose</div><div>Or Lipton herbal tea</div><div>Or prime-time ads for condoms</div><div>In the Land of Sandra Dee.</div><div><br /></div><div>There were no golden arches,</div><div>No Perriers to chill,</div><div>And fish were not called Wanda,</div><div>And cats were not called Bill.</div><div><br /></div><div>And middle-aged was thirty-five</div><div>And old was forty-three,</div><div>And ancient were our parents</div><div>In the Land of Sandra Dee.</div><div><br /></div><div>But all things have a season,</div><div>Or so we've heard them say,</div><div>And now instead of Maybelline</div><div>We swear by Retin-A.</div><div><br /></div><div>And they send us invitations</div><div>To join AARP,</div><div>We've come a long way, baby,</div><div>From the Land of Sandra Dee.</div><div><br /></div><div>So now we face a brave new world</div><div>In slightly larger jeans,</div><div>And wonder why they're using</div><div>Smaller print in magazines.</div><div><br /></div><div>And we tell our children's children</div><div>of the way it used to be,</div><div>Long ago and far away</div><div>In the Land of Sandra Dee.</div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKm1tA6GQoRNaoDUcz8abQXsQnv-_6T6-furXI5Op91E2gMvgWPcQvJZkPZLOFe7UcPM1PEOVhGJi3T4oKSPw-AmSRDAAUOcxChNiwFpdKjUn9hH6EIqK9w6SDJvC3hyphenhyphen3qSJdgYSmFgL2xnedzCYUyaO3mkWga6HsAM63LH2iQZ-_Bfbw4BBxIdQ/s401/Sandra%20Dee.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="306" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKm1tA6GQoRNaoDUcz8abQXsQnv-_6T6-furXI5Op91E2gMvgWPcQvJZkPZLOFe7UcPM1PEOVhGJi3T4oKSPw-AmSRDAAUOcxChNiwFpdKjUn9hH6EIqK9w6SDJvC3hyphenhyphen3qSJdgYSmFgL2xnedzCYUyaO3mkWga6HsAM63LH2iQZ-_Bfbw4BBxIdQ/s320/Sandra%20Dee.jpeg" width="244" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I realize that a lot of the references in this poem may not mean much to those younger than I, but just trust me ... it's how things used to be in the Land of Sandra Dee ... what we might today call the Land of Barbie.</div><div><br /></div><div>Have a good day and enjoy the rest of your weekend. More thoughts coming.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bilbo</div><div><br /></div>Bilbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14213505386288233192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23683658.post-48210324397062906102024-02-17T05:46:00.000-05:002024-02-17T05:46:06.410-05:00Cartoon Saturday<div><br /></div><div>It's been quite a week, hasn't it? ... </div><div><br /></div><div>The FBI informant on which House Republicans have based their attempts to impeach President Biden for being the head of a "crime family" has been <a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-burisma-fbi-informant-lying-6969656f6012780a23a4b8841ce2689b" target="_blank">arrested by the FBI</a> for lying in his testimony; Russian news sources have reported that <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68315943" target="_blank">opposition figure Alexey Navalny has - strangely enough - died in prison</a>; the judge in Der Furor's New York trial on fraud charges has <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-fraud-carroll-fines-82d423b8e7a7f9a32470729c5f4410e5" target="_blank">levied a fine of more than $350 million on Der Furor and his sons</a>, and has prohibited them from operating in New York City for three years; in an amazing example of GOP diplomatic acumen, Georgia Representative <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/kiss-my-ass-marjorie-taylor-greenes-message-to-david-cameron-carried-no-regard-and-no-respect-13071776" target="_blank">Empty G said that the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom could "kiss my ass;"</a> and in the financially challenged Chicago suburb of Dolton, <a href="https://wgntv.com/dolton/unpaid-loans-could-lead-to-dolton-police-vehicle-repossessions/" target="_blank">banks have threatened to repossess a large number of town assets</a> - including six police cars. </div><div><br /></div><div>Super Tuesday is coming up in a few weeks, The Election is in November, and in between will be an unprecedented and hideously expensive bombardment of fact-challenged balderdash. It's time to start getting ready by taking our first cartoon look of the season at the subject of elections ... </div><div><br /></div><div>George Burns once commented that it was too bad all the people who knew how to fix the country were busy driving cabs and cutting hair ...</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0aY48-thDJljNJ7iapAJhSK22Z4lH_H-qZU26mzqwDeyUfYgEMSkCE3nKHrDugks1eELD3AeW5rPVWNI_TRoV5wEuVfcocR-zq3vX-HFz6WTUUgjR7GEYQabcrcYCfofpYz5B5Ruoll_xhFtrueHHXJZ3wHn2UsC07dfBfx80V0ynHD01J1nskg/s760/Barber's%20Election%20Opinion.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" height="93" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0aY48-thDJljNJ7iapAJhSK22Z4lH_H-qZU26mzqwDeyUfYgEMSkCE3nKHrDugks1eELD3AeW5rPVWNI_TRoV5wEuVfcocR-zq3vX-HFz6WTUUgjR7GEYQabcrcYCfofpYz5B5Ruoll_xhFtrueHHXJZ3wHn2UsC07dfBfx80V0ynHD01J1nskg/s320/Barber's%20Election%20Opinion.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The ultimate goal of the MAGA movement ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvGHt7ObflLGhdwvPxjPeggactnO-oRNvph16WjDp-_pFvYU6D6G9P0o8ZM4WnLWa9jwkyxjZzMeYCI8HhFLFuS8QQ9fJrthbKPIh8yvKsWsRqxCNYkZXyZpBYddtsO3p3p6QnTq0_8Hk2pBRweVvHLo44_7zGgkOTLTfo_jEfx4RExrbiv_flyA/s509/Caveman%20Election%20Satisfaction.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvGHt7ObflLGhdwvPxjPeggactnO-oRNvph16WjDp-_pFvYU6D6G9P0o8ZM4WnLWa9jwkyxjZzMeYCI8HhFLFuS8QQ9fJrthbKPIh8yvKsWsRqxCNYkZXyZpBYddtsO3p3p6QnTq0_8Hk2pBRweVvHLo44_7zGgkOTLTfo_jEfx4RExrbiv_flyA/s320/Caveman%20Election%20Satisfaction.gif" width="283" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We have the best government money can buy, thanks to Citizens United ... </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTmQN4ZAsKBwwfhcxxM3P7sGF-irDTe7C3lT9pqdFb6CjLwaiF3rOfbvCt15UOMboqrbZuJjIiqlWC1XBj0kpypxtrWh-l94oDDGGnAGZuPlHBMhXV1RgxqmDQyazFfryiSJcjxJeb8W4h1zOVXScfb7pTtgMNRL1sCNwczDT0cvHWLlfZdpeUg/s600/Corporate%20Post-Election%20Party.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="195" data-original-width="600" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTmQN4ZAsKBwwfhcxxM3P7sGF-irDTe7C3lT9pqdFb6CjLwaiF3rOfbvCt15UOMboqrbZuJjIiqlWC1XBj0kpypxtrWh-l94oDDGGnAGZuPlHBMhXV1RgxqmDQyazFfryiSJcjxJeb8W4h1zOVXScfb7pTtgMNRL1sCNwczDT0cvHWLlfZdpeUg/s320/Corporate%20Post-Election%20Party.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I can sympathize ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxTQQZwD95WR_XrHCJ6lQFUigvkaEJI4FOWKRBjThlGth2i2RdIhaqCD_MUBYcETrpelqWc6fg27otcsdobJYfsDEZGoOeI5tBcDpeAsdGJKpX8GPKK9ATKbFbCb0OS2dxkYH__0O5b-FCBT-RkEHBi9fFZPAG3vlbOeOTRa-RhvlRFJP35DAjpQ/s760/Crystal%20Ball%20Election%20Prediction.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="760" height="98" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxTQQZwD95WR_XrHCJ6lQFUigvkaEJI4FOWKRBjThlGth2i2RdIhaqCD_MUBYcETrpelqWc6fg27otcsdobJYfsDEZGoOeI5tBcDpeAsdGJKpX8GPKK9ATKbFbCb0OS2dxkYH__0O5b-FCBT-RkEHBi9fFZPAG3vlbOeOTRa-RhvlRFJP35DAjpQ/s320/Crystal%20Ball%20Election%20Prediction.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Why you really don't have a choice ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgigPnSdkJE5gzDKCgVgXqwyqDSw_dVvrvc2YzlSOmMCZpdtNNiiwo8lxcHX6aN3sObm-6r5XxjmXiD7WrRRJrES6PY69fWXS5Fsw8hYhg-vafAKyKCxWyIpo6dGN0yk57KIQ_pQvfy3PIWO9sz60tzI9RefDKyZSeLTzd83Otjj3kRYZfI_rBc-A/s620/Electing%20Reps%20vs%20Selecting%20Voters.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="489" data-original-width="620" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgigPnSdkJE5gzDKCgVgXqwyqDSw_dVvrvc2YzlSOmMCZpdtNNiiwo8lxcHX6aN3sObm-6r5XxjmXiD7WrRRJrES6PY69fWXS5Fsw8hYhg-vafAKyKCxWyIpo6dGN0yk57KIQ_pQvfy3PIWO9sz60tzI9RefDKyZSeLTzd83Otjj3kRYZfI_rBc-A/s320/Electing%20Reps%20vs%20Selecting%20Voters.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yes, that's about how it would work ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguyxPH6xt5M3IZjZcrTO-MZAvhYhEfnUX07Anz_5mrBdN-mNI5aDl4vKfJim7-b_sEmrapwQI4QJz1GO6fMImC5Gb8y1AultIp0U_AAz-AIY6PtQksKE4QQGgKt0jzfzGF_hKB5OYYgyeC016PO0AYi2D_ZC97BIxbSw0V4EmibaTpxHYZ-YSshw/s1200/Gerrymandering%20in%20Chess.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1031" data-original-width="1200" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguyxPH6xt5M3IZjZcrTO-MZAvhYhEfnUX07Anz_5mrBdN-mNI5aDl4vKfJim7-b_sEmrapwQI4QJz1GO6fMImC5Gb8y1AultIp0U_AAz-AIY6PtQksKE4QQGgKt0jzfzGF_hKB5OYYgyeC016PO0AYi2D_ZC97BIxbSw0V4EmibaTpxHYZ-YSshw/s320/Gerrymandering%20in%20Chess.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Didn't you ever wonder why none of the down-ballot races seem to be "rigged" if the outcome is what was hoped? ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV02Lbmqt0ZbjWXoQPkAujgkIfvvqTLgXVWF3N961IxwvwB_XSo39_yQ_RxYpu_I_MLRALnwytA-3ZNna2gHIAhnBVOe94Ab5UmCWjdhk9455G6HWnnTJ3mLLcvjmtb3LV5r8mAZYk55JWNt1jw0F8qWFb1CjABTwZQNIo5Ab9pRwnnRIJO2CP9w/s707/Heads%20or%20Rigged.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="521" data-original-width="707" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV02Lbmqt0ZbjWXoQPkAujgkIfvvqTLgXVWF3N961IxwvwB_XSo39_yQ_RxYpu_I_MLRALnwytA-3ZNna2gHIAhnBVOe94Ab5UmCWjdhk9455G6HWnnTJ3mLLcvjmtb3LV5r8mAZYk55JWNt1jw0F8qWFb1CjABTwZQNIo5Ab9pRwnnRIJO2CP9w/s320/Heads%20or%20Rigged.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is clearly the GOP playbook ... when you don't have a platform of your own, distort the other guy's ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGxTw6gGR3XoGUhrD8AkXsp56E8Cq8md-KFvgk48Ap4rTjUX5o-HRVvbpZwLBPwD4G_JfgbMJIojSsT_cBk4N-R50ED31ku45eCMIK3VheSch0nyZCezWLnmSFfq8T-cJMU_GA-0QKa91j_GzC0QFzVlVaBFFQlV1k7xuuiJwQupTJUGwSheUJA/s1670/How%20to%20Lie%20About%20the%20Opposition.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1670" data-original-width="1670" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGxTw6gGR3XoGUhrD8AkXsp56E8Cq8md-KFvgk48Ap4rTjUX5o-HRVvbpZwLBPwD4G_JfgbMJIojSsT_cBk4N-R50ED31ku45eCMIK3VheSch0nyZCezWLnmSFfq8T-cJMU_GA-0QKa91j_GzC0QFzVlVaBFFQlV1k7xuuiJwQupTJUGwSheUJA/s320/How%20to%20Lie%20About%20the%20Opposition.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Debate by meme ... it's the modern method of campaigning for people who think only in bumper stickers ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiDf9mKkCfQRDV17FLUA-sUUS-kkIE2LxnDVcG2062P5S9lpJPIzpFFNBjTrFXdE9B3goA8DFq-zqI4e2SzzTwFPIOA1pc3Ol7DpjRKRrVj-q4KBj4_E3lYPtrf8fgsLeNfN7yRwGHK7GMypbZhDcOGLVk7WqYOWerxLkzceFx1tPwqOMzLPZttg/s720/Meme%20Debate.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="658" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiDf9mKkCfQRDV17FLUA-sUUS-kkIE2LxnDVcG2062P5S9lpJPIzpFFNBjTrFXdE9B3goA8DFq-zqI4e2SzzTwFPIOA1pc3Ol7DpjRKRrVj-q4KBj4_E3lYPtrf8fgsLeNfN7yRwGHK7GMypbZhDcOGLVk7WqYOWerxLkzceFx1tPwqOMzLPZttg/s320/Meme%20Debate.jpg" width="292" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It wouldn't surprise me ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEoGL66R0tZQ5FXKOSzjjj8RtEKSVym7RqP5esx9tkdUrmoy3Pnz7OY31CYDojHDYAN8SlzPKmAWFkTZ9yKax0BpK8DPD6w0Ka2ulEF5wz_RiHBf3nrDIr3d-3FtXxNNJ7E0EPGHEF19ZNwvyqWkI2uEziFfKOrPWVHSt1H8MNqd910phEscAjCg/s1246/Super%20PAC%20for%20None%20of%20the%20Above.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1246" data-original-width="973" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEoGL66R0tZQ5FXKOSzjjj8RtEKSVym7RqP5esx9tkdUrmoy3Pnz7OY31CYDojHDYAN8SlzPKmAWFkTZ9yKax0BpK8DPD6w0Ka2ulEF5wz_RiHBf3nrDIr3d-3FtXxNNJ7E0EPGHEF19ZNwvyqWkI2uEziFfKOrPWVHSt1H8MNqd910phEscAjCg/s320/Super%20PAC%20for%20None%20of%20the%20Above.JPG" width="250" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">And that's how it is for our first Cartoon Saturday visit to the wonderful world of elections. You know you needed something to laugh at.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Have a good day and a great weekend, and come back tomorrow for a nostalgic Poetry Sunday. More thoughts then.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bilbo.</div><div><br /></div>Bilbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14213505386288233192noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23683658.post-1701688569470572922024-02-16T05:42:00.000-05:002024-02-16T05:42:23.427-05:00Great Moments in Editing and Signage<div><br /></div><div>And away we go! ... </div><div><br /></div><div>I think there may be a larger issue here than just the theft ...</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBKoLHJWI-77xJBl12H4ekFiLYjcCqeEo32x6xsKTJB8Lc6e2qq3eGqdTlEpkUlrlcsI23BMndWRa1zi-C12tZagdimbMyZ8csArLAQidBsAqwgJA21NPsAWk_AG9F3peSTh8LTgIhd-cpZCDrQNd8CTXBVfB4eHz4txpzGcyU3hMJLZLDwN-c6Q/s500/$25%20Bills.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="500" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBKoLHJWI-77xJBl12H4ekFiLYjcCqeEo32x6xsKTJB8Lc6e2qq3eGqdTlEpkUlrlcsI23BMndWRa1zi-C12tZagdimbMyZ8csArLAQidBsAqwgJA21NPsAWk_AG9F3peSTh8LTgIhd-cpZCDrQNd8CTXBVfB4eHz4txpzGcyU3hMJLZLDwN-c6Q/s320/$25%20Bills.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's nice to see inflation coming down in the service industry ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihK5KMQCTXhfLugUYFO0QfP3tJw5ZBlNLrTY6oizQrB2fPg-HnoBLpCLOppA0RWEWnJbayuU3fNdpctNL5oD7vDiW-fUMMIW1_uzhfz62HwCwKve4mlowr3MnQQ0mxIPXl4Cv2_MhW4Q2mBcd4ohDTYAcpPNbmtwPO5eiEE078ReZwQYoRZ0B0gQ/s604/99-cent%20BJs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="604" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihK5KMQCTXhfLugUYFO0QfP3tJw5ZBlNLrTY6oizQrB2fPg-HnoBLpCLOppA0RWEWnJbayuU3fNdpctNL5oD7vDiW-fUMMIW1_uzhfz62HwCwKve4mlowr3MnQQ0mxIPXl4Cv2_MhW4Q2mBcd4ohDTYAcpPNbmtwPO5eiEE078ReZwQYoRZ0B0gQ/s320/99-cent%20BJs.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you missed getting a Valentine's Day gift for your beloved, there are still some good deals to be had ... </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBmM6GXvuPhraFOQldEr9aZtWYgo4uhoj6AkWYfYOfjO4q_0ZjR5ErtnsJTNg8qT6eceLcADfoJNdDwFPAYIhD89yc2o2c7k2QBp3COj1pkUGuwTh-qJyTEUF-M_u4i0dluBzINMl7-knYgzBNil1Cdm2eVigKH4bcDX-RWHSjEOMMSQPlxLR8ug/s2048/Bleach%20for%20Valentine's%20Day.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBmM6GXvuPhraFOQldEr9aZtWYgo4uhoj6AkWYfYOfjO4q_0ZjR5ErtnsJTNg8qT6eceLcADfoJNdDwFPAYIhD89yc2o2c7k2QBp3COj1pkUGuwTh-qJyTEUF-M_u4i0dluBzINMl7-knYgzBNil1Cdm2eVigKH4bcDX-RWHSjEOMMSQPlxLR8ug/s320/Bleach%20for%20Valentine's%20Day.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's nice to see that not everybody is angry about Mexicans ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr0sWSvK7WvMeu4w1qopox54K864zRZE5kJvXHYgFQu7_QE5vcoAmGqFDxPuLPyQN-auZR0IEAIrQCje8a22wQMFeEXLzPBCLaw-ztTZMlYnUlBJi64nnFHfWT88pSn_WiIM8KeZiVnxsCov3pqikbJh_Vf4u1HbYmrxXVkUX6BoDYIpldiYf3Vg/s500/Bring%20Your%20Mexican.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="361" data-original-width="500" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr0sWSvK7WvMeu4w1qopox54K864zRZE5kJvXHYgFQu7_QE5vcoAmGqFDxPuLPyQN-auZR0IEAIrQCje8a22wQMFeEXLzPBCLaw-ztTZMlYnUlBJi64nnFHfWT88pSn_WiIM8KeZiVnxsCov3pqikbJh_Vf4u1HbYmrxXVkUX6BoDYIpldiYf3Vg/s320/Bring%20Your%20Mexican.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Speaking of unfortunately-named schools ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOq0HZil_LU_7XcrjKdERjNEANhRAkEy_CTZ5_g7Ym0-r7DOsBEjDWAa6HxinbPDXOkfFYX76NT55Nyt78eSYUVxsMAKUZxav7MoI_anVEpj4URJ01wdwmeOldUiVldAWsZjrb_J1Dw9lTZNuUPaJu_TjYBqDrhtz8U8meQFEFqazPZCoBYfGCCA/s514/Dummer%20Students.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="494" data-original-width="514" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOq0HZil_LU_7XcrjKdERjNEANhRAkEy_CTZ5_g7Ym0-r7DOsBEjDWAa6HxinbPDXOkfFYX76NT55Nyt78eSYUVxsMAKUZxav7MoI_anVEpj4URJ01wdwmeOldUiVldAWsZjrb_J1Dw9lTZNuUPaJu_TjYBqDrhtz8U8meQFEFqazPZCoBYfGCCA/s320/Dummer%20Students.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I think they're using Republican math ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfqH4EQNi7j7virPe0aV5sycQ-8i23vy7AQ3YP_h9JjSbtG1-u6V1K_D3Kj9Gygqe36HZezhPp_8RpZM7RQGiv6HsrLr_ksC2L0HsmltFVQd-zgZUL64QOWxqEKeET9H4BfYoV3FnNlw7ML85F2IQpeJP5zhWjx-Hi17yHVy6hetBtgsiXsRgaQ/s500/Four%20Weeks%20in%20Five%20Days.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="271" data-original-width="500" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfqH4EQNi7j7virPe0aV5sycQ-8i23vy7AQ3YP_h9JjSbtG1-u6V1K_D3Kj9Gygqe36HZezhPp_8RpZM7RQGiv6HsrLr_ksC2L0HsmltFVQd-zgZUL64QOWxqEKeET9H4BfYoV3FnNlw7ML85F2IQpeJP5zhWjx-Hi17yHVy6hetBtgsiXsRgaQ/s320/Four%20Weeks%20in%20Five%20Days.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I think Agnes and I may reconsider the option of moving back to Germany after getting a hint about life expectancy ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy5cUOinkUwddR0spMXbbBLrible6JnPGqgat6t11hzxkFw56C-7yFA8_JwU0Ux18HYg1qEnnrAsXS8VXy5KY5QBJCKoJKwj7sNUYjNSz66_y8y4hobmadnJ6ycA1ThQGG22uzO5m6aNCeuZ8etKNBBzGIZQLp4YjTGucOkey88szDOshg24Bbzw/s640/Life%20Is%20Short%20in%20Germany.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy5cUOinkUwddR0spMXbbBLrible6JnPGqgat6t11hzxkFw56C-7yFA8_JwU0Ux18HYg1qEnnrAsXS8VXy5KY5QBJCKoJKwj7sNUYjNSz66_y8y4hobmadnJ6ycA1ThQGG22uzO5m6aNCeuZ8etKNBBzGIZQLp4YjTGucOkey88szDOshg24Bbzw/s320/Life%20Is%20Short%20in%20Germany.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is good news for political action committees that have been milking people for a long time ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQE9aTpM9jAEG8IiGW4tJgDVlL3YbcEPdsGTnvl476_6nZaba0z5a6wqet8TksB0_zqHixNK1RS-_nsBUkMLHRsQ5bYwMkFelbZnHFW3_UqClUkZITLy8sRaaiUNYovbhhg4c8DuhsJpkr0TMB1-4JhWZoQcor1H6D3BwpYE29fjcEalxXzo-gvQ/s1103/Milk%20a%20Cow%20or%202%20People.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1103" data-original-width="1072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQE9aTpM9jAEG8IiGW4tJgDVlL3YbcEPdsGTnvl476_6nZaba0z5a6wqet8TksB0_zqHixNK1RS-_nsBUkMLHRsQ5bYwMkFelbZnHFW3_UqClUkZITLy8sRaaiUNYovbhhg4c8DuhsJpkr0TMB1-4JhWZoQcor1H6D3BwpYE29fjcEalxXzo-gvQ/s320/Milk%20a%20Cow%20or%202%20People.JPG" width="311" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've heard the Pope is furious ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjifCB4vXSMQgGSuridTXzNmvdqQ6bC0cathXPd210AsS8KYW3elNGfY6Htoo5KPt8DyF3xD0kDlUJBSKYFkaLX4yhRU6HSqSuYEzgfPnOFZjsQO5oRRpPE_lABYzTBaWCC-yLlGKI4jjORBX2kQy9NNtX1QXvK_xU2CUf3b-6p3RdFp4LyZWwcYw/s2035/Sinner%20Leads%20Italy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="2035" height="101" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjifCB4vXSMQgGSuridTXzNmvdqQ6bC0cathXPd210AsS8KYW3elNGfY6Htoo5KPt8DyF3xD0kDlUJBSKYFkaLX4yhRU6HSqSuYEzgfPnOFZjsQO5oRRpPE_lABYzTBaWCC-yLlGKI4jjORBX2kQy9NNtX1QXvK_xU2CUf3b-6p3RdFp4LyZWwcYw/s320/Sinner%20Leads%20Italy.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Anything I could say would just get me in trouble, so we'll leave it here ...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5fYKfLEyGn4wjDAifZJs6QvHIvGTH1pke3NdUDIdKuX1TLSgUuUM_PNF4gGcKH6OXNmNLhmZhzjHFy2zng3b2Ld9ue1LI6Oiw5SD8gIR6zERzDJmxh2FwY_fVLFeMbezR7CcphazIurYMQQxKdGX4tJ26tY6PAOXSTHkqkYv0YWbiGHK3pYefg/s1080/Sit%20on%20Your%20Face.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1080" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5fYKfLEyGn4wjDAifZJs6QvHIvGTH1pke3NdUDIdKuX1TLSgUuUM_PNF4gGcKH6OXNmNLhmZhzjHFy2zng3b2Ld9ue1LI6Oiw5SD8gIR6zERzDJmxh2FwY_fVLFeMbezR7CcphazIurYMQQxKdGX4tJ26tY6PAOXSTHkqkYv0YWbiGHK3pYefg/s320/Sit%20on%20Your%20Face.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And that's it for this week's edition of Great Moments in Editing and Signage - I hope it helped bring a smile to your face at the end of a week of social, political, and religious suck.</div><div><br /></div><div>Have a good day and come back tomorrow for Cartoon Saturday. More thoughts then.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bilbo</div><div><br /></div>Bilbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14213505386288233192noreply@blogger.com2