On a Two-fer Monday

Another weekend has passed, so how was yours?

Although we got some time on the ballroom floor, we were also dealing with my mother-in-law’s return to the hospital – thus a reason why I’m behind on my reading.

Meanwhile, Saturday was cool and damp …. but we get several days of improvement before a cold snap arrives later this week … which also means I must tackle the leaves while the temps are reasonable and before the next load falls.

Here are some celebration notes for your personal calendar.

• (Week) Food & Drug Interactions Awareness Week, Character Counts Week, Chemistry Week, Forest Products Week, Friends of Libraries Week, Massage Therapy Week, Nuclear Science Week, Kraut Sandwich Week
• (Mon) Pumpkin Cheesecake Day, Babbling Day, Clean Your Virtual Desktop Day, Info Overload Day, Iodine Deficiency Disorder Prevention Day, Reptile Awareness Day
• (Tues) Nut Day, Stuttering Awareness Day
• (Wed) Boston Creme Pie Day, Mole Day, Swallows Leave Capistrano Day
• (Thurs) Bologna Day, Black Cat Day, Food Day, United Nations (UN) Day, World Development Information Day

Here are two humorous bits to start your week – one for the daring and one for all. Did you celebrate No Beard Day last Friday? On the flip side of the coin, one can find people with beards doing weird things. Sure makes we wonder if this also serves as to kickoff Food & Drug Interaction Week.

Meanwhile, enjoy this domino effect from Mouse. Have a good week!

On Ruff and Reddy

This one may be new to most readers, but this may be the first cartoon series I can recall watching. The words to sing along are below the video, so scroll down before playing the theme song to Ruff and Reddy.

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Get set, get ready,
Here come Ruff and Reddy.
They’re tough, but steady,
Always rough and ready.

They sometimes have their little spats,
Even fight like dogs and cats,
But when they need each other,
That’s when, they’re rough and ready.

Characters
Ruff, a straight and smart cat; Reddy, a dumb and stupid dog

Villains: “Scary” Harry Safari, Captain Greedy and Salt Water Daffy; and Killer and Diller

Ruff and Reddy, plus Professor Gizmo meeting aliens from Muni-Mula (a strange planet of metal) is their most memorable episode

Muni-Mula is (“aluminum” spelled backward)

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The Show
Created by Hanna-Barbera, and their first production

Ruff, voiced by Don Messick with a similar voice he would later use for Pixie the mouse

Reddy, voiced by Daws Butler with this southern draw later becoming the voice of Huckleberry Hound

The show featured a live action host/emcee (Jimmy Blaine), and the episodes had a narrator (Don Messick)

In the show (but between cartoon episodes), Puppeteers Rufus Rose and Bobby Nicholson provided comedic relief as Rhubarb the Parrot and Jose the Toucan.

For those needing more Muni-Mula

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Production
NBC originally broadcasted Ruff and Reddy in black and white in December 1957 on NBC

3 seasons, 156 episodes

First: Planet Pirates (Dec 14 1957)

Last: Have Blop Will Travel (Feb 4, 1960)

The episodes were not much longer than four minutes, including an opening song and much repetition of preceding events.

There were 13 episodes in each of the 12 stories of the serials

The show’s episodes borrowed from the serialized storytelling format of such shows as Crusader Rabbit that used episodes with cliffhanger storylines

Although NBC cancelled the show after 1959-1960, they revived the show the spring of 1962 with Captain Bob Cottle as the host

NBC cancelled the series in September 1964

Additional FYI
Ruff and Reddy was translated into other languages: Jambo & Ruivão (Brazilian Portuguese), Pouf & Riqui (French), Ruff e Reddy (Italian),  Жолтко и Лутко (Zoltko i Lutko) (Macedonian), Ruff y Reddy (Spanish), Ruff och Reddy (Swedish), つよいぞラフティ (Japanese), Ralofo le Rali (Tswana)

Dell Comics published 12 issues of Ruff & Reddy (1958-1962)

Here’s another episode, but without Muni-Mula, enjoy The Long Gone Leprechaun

Opinions in the Shorts: Vol. 199

On Politics
Earlier this week I called my Congressional representative’s office and stated three easy-to-understand points: I’m not happy, get something done now, and he won’t be getting by vote in 2014. Then again, because I’m not a donor, he probably doesn’t care. In the end, he voted against reopening the government and extended the debt ceiling.

Now that the US government is open again for business, I wonder these two questions:

• If it possible that Speaker Boehner (R-OH) purposely administered more rope to the far right?
• Because the deal moves new deadlines to January and February (2014), will the recent situation replay in a few months?

I heard this interesting comment earlier in the week: I call upon all of you to wage a second American nonviolent revolution, to use civil disobedience to demand that this president leave town, to get up, to put the Quran down, to get up off his knees, and to figuratively come out with his hands up.

Two good truthful chuckles

• Polls show that the people favor the Affordable Care Act over Obamacare – which (for my foreign audience) are the same thing
• Interesting freshman roommates: Tea-Party advocate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Craig Mazin, co-screenwriter for the Hangover movies

The rollout of the government’s healthcare insurance site is pathetic.

With all the talk about the Washington Redskins changing their name, my shared this one with me: Redskins considering dropping Washington from their name

To help show the Washington discourse and the biased perspectives, see these real headlines:

• Republicans need to Dump the Tea Party
• Democrats Show Their Insincerity
• The Republican Party’s Age of Unreason
• Obama’s intransigence is a big bluff’
• Democrats Waiting for GOP Surrender on Shutdown A Small President on a World Stage
• Give Boehner a Break
• In Nixing Weekend Deal, Dems Exposed
• Republicans Will Pay for This
• Obama Can’t Waste This Moment
• Boehner is Speaker in Name Only
• The Presidency is No Place for Amateurs

On This Week’s Headlines from The Onion

• Cereal commercial completely neglects showing numerous life problems character faces beyond breakfast
• Internet rocks by blogger’s sarcastic sensibility
• Chipmunk’s plan for future better crafted than 8 of 10 Americans
• New Pumpkin Spice Channel offers fall-themed hardcore porn
• Thursday’s cry moved up to Wednesday due to scheduling conflict
• Heroic broken sewage pipe flood Congress

Interesting Reads
The American stalemate
Wow paintings from a Russian artist (Thank you Patti)
Both parties blundering columnist Michael Barone
A tribute to one of the original astronauts: Scott Carpenter
US, China, and Middle Eastern Oil
Five Misconceptions about Columbus
One Man’s Love for Math

On Potpourri
Look what made Smithsonian Magazine’s “20 Most Iconic Foods Across America!”

Home decorating tips for Halloween from The Onion

Upcoming Celebrations Calendar

• (Fri) Chocolate Cupcakes Day, No Beard Day, Alaska Day
• (Sat) Menopause Day, Bridge Day, Evaluate Your Life Day, Sweetest Day, Seafood Bisque Day
• (Sun) Toy Camera Day, Brandied Fruit Day

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame recently announced its 2014 nominees. NWA, The Replacements, Hall & Oates, LL Cool, and Link Wray are some of the nominees more worthy than the Moody Blues. At least Yes is on the ballot. Finally! Although this museum is a worthwhile visit, I continue to question its selection rationale and process.

A Saturday Morning Cartoon is next!

To send you into the weekend, a cheer to a rock classic, Roundabout by Yes – but as an acoustic version. Have a safe weekend and in the words of Garrison Keillor, Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.

On Remember (the) Maine

Remember the Maine was a battle cry associated with the Spanish-American War in the late 1800s. This post is not about the ship explosion in Havana harbor, but about our two port stops in Elyse’s beloved Maine.

We had visited Maine 15 years ago (or more), but this was our first visit to Bar Harbor. This small town is a resort town in a scenic setting and the getaway into Acadia National Park.

Bar Harbor received its name after a sandbar that only appears in the harbor during low tide. It’s a nice walk, but get back before high tide returns.

A nice walk across the bar to a small island …..

…. just don’t get stuck out there

With its outcroppings of pink granite, Cadillac Mountain is Acadia’s high point, and its summit provides an outstanding view of the harbor and surrounding islands.

3 Ships brought 6,000 people (We had the best spot on the right)

Our next-day visit to Portland delivered a warm, sunny day. With a population of about 66,000, Portland is Maine’s largest city. With walks along the Eastern Promenade, through the trendy neighborhood of Munjoy Hill, to the commercial district, and visiting the stores, galleries, and restaurants of the vibrant Old Port District, who knows how many miles we walked.

The Old Port District is alive!

On to the last stop.

On Satire Bits: Vol. 73

How’s your week going so far? The weather has deliver excellent days to Cincinnati, but change is due to happen any day.

Meanwhile, our handbell choir director has extended rehearsals so we can get more time preparing for all that is on our plate. The commissioned piece is a tough, but it’s starting to come together as the premier is just several weeks away. Then the normal avalanche of holiday music for November and December will drive us into a frenzy.

Given the stalemate in the US government, we in the USA need a special dose of midweek satire. In order to deliver a challenge, here is another special edition of identify the blogger – but these headliners are from all over the world.

Can you identify any? I’ll include the answers toward the end of my day.

1) Composer Stuck in Looping Coda

2) Aussie Super-Mom Won’t Leave Shower Until Water Runs Out

3) British-born South African in Florida Diagnosed with Identity Confusion

4) Homesick Aussie of Finnish descent spending too much time in Italy

5) Dog Owner Bets Switching Meals with Dogs on Running Time

6) Fashion Icon Wears Jacques Strapé Design at Exotic Polynesian Resort

7) Midnight Power Allows Photographer to Walk Across Bog

8) Ambidextrous Artist Challenged to Draw Hands with Her Feet

9) Artist Admits to Using Number to Paint and Play Piano

10) Cornfield Physicist Explains E = MC Hammer to Kevin Costner

11) Marching Band Director Would Rather Watch the Football Game

ANSWERS

1) Lynn at Composer in the Garden (Pennsylvania, USA)
2 Charlie at Hotly Spiced (Australia)
3 Sylvia at A Day in Paradise (South Africa)
4 Debra at Bagni di Lucca and Beyond (Australia, Finland, Italy)
5 Leo at Doggy’s Style (Spain)
6 Kay at Pure Complex (NYC, USA)
7 Robin at Beeze at Dawn
8 Raye at Jots from a Small Apartment (Oregon, USA)
9 Marina at Art Toward a Happy Day (Greece)
10 Jim at The JAR Blog (Iowa, USA)
11) Tim is a friend, commenter, and reader who has been with me from Day 1