Welcome to the post number 1,901. I enjoy milestones. Given Friday’s timely post temporarily bumping OITS from its slot, I present OITS: The Weekend Edition.
Anything wrong with this sentence? “Rodriguez was involved in a deadly car crash last month and will reportedly miss several months due to shoulder surgery.”
Now compare the above sentence to this one. “Rodriguez needs left shoulder surgery thanks to a January car crash and will not play for three to five months.”
Here’s a throwback to the days of Monday Morning Entertainment. I love it … and had to watch to the end because I wanted to know how it ends. For those who chose to watch, enjoy.
I have long maintained that the viewer is more biased than the news source. Consider these points about the morning shows. CBS This Morning is more about news than entertainment, and its ratings are last in the race between the big 3 networks. The highly biased Fox & Friends has by far more viewers among the cable morning shows.
I was surprised that the recent post about Charles Darwin’s faith created little reaction.
Baseball teams are starting spring training this week. My Cincinnati Reds will be preparing to defend last place in the division.
Not only did Americans voted in Donald Trump, people across the globe voted out an iconic Monopoly piece – the Thimble.
Regarding President Trump’s latest press conference, these two comments say it best. First, from Scott Pelley at CBS News: “President Trump called a hasty news conference and reached for the familiar tools that built his career: bluster, bravado, exaggeration and a few loose facts.” Second, from one of the greatest American orators.
The lack of vetting of cabinet members by Republican senators is pathetic.
Many Democrats are looking ahead to the 2018 mid-term elections. In the Senate, 33 seats are up: 8 held by Republicans, 23 by Democrats, and 2 by independents … plus, a good number of the 23 Democratic seats are in states Mr. Trump won. All that adds up to not looking good at the moment. Besides, the party blew the great chance they had in the 2016 Senate elections. Pathetic … simply pathetic.
I’ve been telling my wife and a friend that the reason why Congressional Republicans don’t investigate the White House or vet the cabinet nominees is because Congress has not received any of the agenda they want. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) confirmed my thoughts Wednesday by saying, “I don’t think it’s useful to be doing investigation after investigation, particularly of your own party. … We’ll never even get started with doing the things we need to do like repealing Obamacare if we’re spending our whole time having Republicans. I think it makes no sense.”
The analogies keep getting better and better. I’ll paraphrase Scott Pelley. He’s not mad at the media. He’s mad at not being the man at the top any more because he has to answer to the public, Congress, Federal Courts, and the press. He is now the apprentice, not the boss, so a press conference is one of the few places he can take command.
Advice for the Democratic Party. Go left! Energize the base. Go Left! Follow the Republican lead of abandoning the center. Go left!
Former President Obama’s Five Faults of the Week
The Appeals Court going against President Trump’s executive order
National Security Adviser Michael Flynn’s resignation
The end of Cincinnati Bearcats 15-game winning streak
Flu outbreaks in many states
Shortage of vanilla beans
To lead you into this week’s dose of satirical headlines, The Onion offers tips for starting a community garden.
Weekly Headlines from The Onion (combos welcome)
Cryptic new laundry rule hints at tale of bizarre infraction
Short film drags on
Scientists developing pollinating bee drones
Tupperware will not truly recover from red curry leftovers
Pope Francis sneaks leftovers to false god Moloch at backdoor of St. Peter’s Basilica
Report: That was a very stupid thing to say
Interesting Reads
Five of the most violent moments of the Reformation
Toads: To kiss or not to kiss
Lessons from the 1937 flood
High school graduation peril in Tennessee
The parasite that lures mosquitoes to humans
A way to build productive bipartisanship
To here’s a song for your weekend, enjoy the group of legends known as the Traveling Wilburys. In the words of Garrison Keillor, Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.
Thanks, as usual, for a thought-provoking post. I like Obama’s ongoing influence–he has a long reach! And I think Bugs is rather wise. I may start quoting him. Have a good weekend.
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Patti,
Bugs is a great orator. It’s been some time since I’ve used this clip, but this opportunity was too good to pass up. Meanwhile, The statute of limitations on blaming Obama is at least 25 years. Much rain in your area?
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Wonderful post, Frank. And Bugs Bunny on Saturday morning – old school 🙂 You make a great point about viewer bias; there is a certain ugly satisfaction about hearing our own biases confirmed by others, hence our bubbles. I recommend that everyone take one of the hidden bias tests online; you may be surprised at what it reveals, I certainly was. Here’s a link to one: http://www.tolerance.org/activity/test-yourself-hidden-bias
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Lynn,
Thanks for the survey link. I didn’t take the test because of my bias against registrations. 😉 (I couldn’t resist). View bias also extends to online outlets that start with a preferential view for readers seeking that view. Crazy … absolutely crazy and unfortunate. In terms of Bugs … well, it’s been a long time since I used it, so the time is right. Then again, given the situation, it could be overused.
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It appears those Reds are some years away from contending again. Condolences in advance. I believe the Phillies are faring nicely in the rebuilding process and also have enough one-year veterans on-hand to compete for a .500 mark in 2017. Money will be available for the next two free agent classes regardless. The Thimble deserved a better fate but we know what can happen when you take a vote…
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Bruce,
I’m not expecting much from the Reds. However, games have to be played and surprises can happen. Much will depend on the kids on the mound and in the infield.
Good luck to your Phillies!
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Every time I see a video of the Traveling Wilburys, I’m amazed – how these gents ended up together…. love it!
I constantly use the “maroon” thing… I’m surrounded by them :O
Poor Obama, he’ll be in his grave and will still be guilty of something or the other.
AS for the news.. What? You want people to pay attention to the REAL news?
Have to agree with the Rodriguez statement sounding ridonkulous in the first one.
Cryptic Scientists developing Short film on very stupid bee pollinating Tupperware
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Dale,
I wonder the same thing about the Traveling Wilburys.
Hooray … and thanks for taking the time to study the two sentence about the baseball player. I winced when I read the first one.
Now I know that combo headline is NOT Fake News!
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I had to read the first sentence a few times..talk about trying to get the biggest shock value. Doesn’t mater if it’s incoherent 😉
😂To my headline!
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It gave me the impression he died, and then will play.
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Right!
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Super post, Frank. End of the Line is one of my favorites. I couldn’t stay until the end of washing machine. Had to go balance mine. My Combo: Report Pope laundry developing red curry.
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What a great paraphrase from Scott Pelley. So true.
Thanks for another great OTIS
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Trump’s press conference was like a train wreck: no matter how much I wanted to, I couldn’t look away. I didn’t see it all because I was in between conference meetings, but I saw enough to have constant-head-shaking syndrome two days later.
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Carrie,
I find it interesting how some people can’t seem to turn away … Seemingly hoping to catch the train wreck. Oh well … I just can’t do that … cheers to those who cane!
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I may sometimes watch it, but you can be rest assured I’m mumbling and cursing while I do. 😄
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I look forward to Gilbert’s take after a Trump event … It’s good for a laugh.
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… and probably even more than that.
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The Bad Lip Reading guys wouldn’t be able to do that Trump press conference any better. You just cannot satirize satire . . .
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Cayman,
Well know … that’s quite the description! 🙂
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I’m just a curious observer, that’s all.
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… and that I appreciate!
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Doesn’t seem to be a thimble of good sense around these days. (Wonder if the majority of the people actually know what a thimble was and how it was used?) A whole new era in so many ways. It often appears that all the representatives in DC are about the same no matter the party: All about them keeping their jobs ( and becoming more and more power crazed millionaires) and paying no attention to the general voting public, the “little people” or what is good for the country. (I cannot watch any tv right now. At least the yard is cleaned up.)
Sigh, We’ll always have Bugs and music. Thanks for the clips and smiles
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Mouse,
Watching today’s news is difficult … and I admit to watching less. Washington two groups involve a new party of no … and the other party of see no evil and hear no evil – so there must not be evil. Crazy. Long live Bugs!
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You know with little kids, 2 playing is sometimes problematic sharing toys, but get a 3rd in there and it’s impossible.
Somewhere there’s a whole bunch of sane middle of the road people looking around. (Bugs fans all HAHA)
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Unfortunately, I’m no longer sure about the size of the slice is the sane middle.
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True, people are pretty irritated. We’ve gone from being smirked and lectured at during “news conferences” to wild generalities and snarls.
Regan may have been a movie star, but reality stars are a whole different / poor imitation of reality.
As you well know, given the education level and tendency to parrot and follow on cue (as trained in schools now) rather than think, may mean we’re in for a rough ride.
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The parrots always drive me bonkers … and the clueless ones are the worst.
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and they seem to be multiplying. Run for the hills…or beach
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🙂
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BTW … See Recent Posts on top of sidebar … then the post about Electoral Reflection.
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I had read most of those but on cell phone in transit places which makes it too difficult for me to comment. Always great reads here!
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NP … give it a read when one a bigger screen.
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Your read “Could caucuses help rebuild bipartisanship on Capitol Hill?” supports my call for coalitions to defeat the Trump agenda, and went into my golf bag this morning.
Concerning your previous post about Charles Darwin’s faith: “One of the first priorities of demagoguery is the fostering of ignorance. Lies require collaboration from those who are being lied to, and for a propaganda machine to be effective it needs a special kind of public ignorance.” – From the article: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2017/02/18/charles-darwin-would-see-right-through-mike-pence.html
Be warned that I have saved the thimble to use the next time we play Monopoly.
After a long dry spell, a splat from “Short film drags on.”
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Tim,
Governing has always involved coalitions … but much less so in the last 30-40 years. In terms of your point about the Trump agenda, it won’t happen until enough members within the GOP are willing to against someone in its own party … and I continue to maintain that won’t happen because the GOP hasn’t received much yet … or that the president backed them into a corner. … Let me remind you I was not a member of the Party of No in the previous administration and I am not a member of the Party of No in this administration.
Cheers to the splat, especially the one that I held in high confidence.
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Good article on the Reformation, Frank. People want to understand themselves and their origins. They want to understand the meaning of existence (if there is one). The same passion was aroused by publication of Darwin’s theory, albeit not the same level of violence. Meaning is essential to human culture and will be supplied just as nature abhors a vacuum.
The truth of our origin is still sinking in more than two centuries later. Evolution takes time. It is apparent to any casual observer that evolution has little significant personal effect, so it is easy to dismiss it as more theory (in the common sense) than fact. If the human race is some kind of experiment, the outcome is on very shaky ground. Knowledge increases, but so does disinformation.
Your OITS always stimulates my brain, and especially now that I will be house-bound for a few weeks. As of February 15, I have a titanium hip joint! Technology outpaces epistemology.
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Jim,
Most importantly, good luck with the healing. Being a bionic man is quite the accomplishment. People that I’ve know how got replacement hips have said, “Just do as the physical therapists say.”
Glad you enjoyed the reformation article.
Agree … most people want to know more about origins. Evolution is fascinating, as was Darwin’s life. Several posts ago I did a post about Darwin and his faith.
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That washing machine song was a hoot…. good clean entertainment!
Happy President’s Day! It’s a holiday here, too. (Family Day)
Just watching some of the “Not my president”protests on TV!
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Resa,
Happy Family Day to you!!!
I’m trying to ignore the protests as much as I try to ignore President Trump. On the plus side, he gives endless and great material for Stephen Colbert’s monologue.
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