by

Opinions in the Shorts: Vol. 359

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I knew my Cincinnati Reds baseball team would not be very good, but they have exceeded my expectations of badness. They are more than pathetic. People here complain more about the Bengals while many give the Reds a free pass, but as an organization, the Bengals are much better – an it’s not even close. The Reds fired the manager Thursday morning. I feel sorry for him because it tough to with those players.

Did anyone see 60 Minutes last Sunday? Allegiant Airlines has a significant presence in Cincinnati. After watching the segment about them, I doubt I would consider them in the future.

It’s been a big week for planning our 2019 vacations.

During my teacher days, I was reformed minded and a long-time antagonist toward standards and standardized testing. My cynical side smiled when I read this view of testing results.

Our handbell was preparing an interesting piece for our last song before breaking for the summer – The Day of Resurrection (Jason Krug). Unfortunately, circumstances caused the director to delay that song until the fall. For those who want to hear it, click here.

News earlier in the week of former First Lady Barbara Bush’s death marks a sad time. Besides living into her 90s and being married to the same man for 73 years, I admired her strength and wit – even though I didn’t always politically agree with her . Loved the fact that she was known within the family as The Enforcer. Meanwhile, her granddaughter – Jenna Bush Hager – wrote a beautiful piece for the Today show. Read it here. (Video here @ CBS)

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Cheers to UN Ambassador Nikki Haley for standing her ground after the White House appeared to throw her under the bus. To me, she is one of the few bright spots in the Trump administration.

This is my favorite one of the week. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) said “I have not” heard President Trump lie. A perfect example of a partisan hack!

A candidate running for a local office in the upcoming May primary. His campaign signs state, “A Real Republican” – which (to me) is code for obstinate asshole.

For those who didn’t see the hair trade deal between President Trump and Kim Jong Un, search the following on Google Images: president trump kim jong un hair deal

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To lead you into this week’s dose of satirical headlines, The Onion shows an image of a man fearing he may never trust again after a treasured picture of a duck turns out to be a rabbit. (I have a personal reason for loving this one.)

Weekly Headlines from The Onion (combos welcome)
Man with backed-up shower drain enjoys luxurious foot soak
Shy balloon spends entire party floating in back corner of room by itself
Grandma defiantly taking scone recipe to grave
Controversial theory suggests aliens may have built Ancient Egypt’s intergalactic spaceport
Woman who choked to death alone in apartment kicked out of book club for missing last 2 meetings

Interesting Reads
How France cut heroin overdoses by 79% in 4 years
The dark side of solar energy
Life in the world’s most polluted city
A Nazi who defected to the Soviet Union then became a hero
Ways people cook pasta wrong
Honey bees and bacteria
(Photos) 50 years of powerful photography

To send you into the weekend, enjoy this song from James Taylor. In the words of Garrison Keillor, Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.

65 thoughts on “Opinions in the Shorts: Vol. 359”

  3. Since I am totally out of the loop when it comes to baseball, let me say how much I loved your post anyway. The tribute to Barbara Bush is very thoughtful, such an amazing life and to have shared it in a 73 year marriage is quite beautiful. I agree wholeheartedly about Nikki Haley, I am very proud of the way she has handled herself and her position. I had some doubts initially but she has shown herself to be no nonsense and if anyone was confused regarding the outrageous back walk on the add. Russian sanctions it was probably that chaotic west wing, pretty sure it wasn’t her. Thank you for a lovely and entertaining post Frank.
    Holly

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    • Holly,
      Jenna’s tribute stopped me in my tracks this morning. On the video, one can hear when she’s fighting to keep her composure … but she hung on!

      I too initially had doubts about Nikki Haley as UN Ambassador. All ambassadors in that position get talking points from the White House, but she stood her ground this week against the new Economic Advisor (Larry Kudlow).

      Meanwhile, these posts are meant to be a mish-mash of topics – thus something for everyone!

      Liked by 1 person

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      • I saw Jenna on the news this morning, she did a fine job as spokesperson for the family at such a sad time. I do appreciate your including many subjects for discussion on your blog, that’s what makes it so outstanding. Thank you Frank!

        Liked by 1 person

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        • What? Jenna was on the air today? I didn’t see her, but I saw the video during the Hoda/Kathy Lee hour.

          Thanks for the kind words. Blogs come in all shapes and sizes. Some specializing and others eclectic .. and to think of all the specialized topics! Something out there for everyone!!! Thanks for what you do!

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  5. I hope to read more of your selections, but I’m really interested in “Honeybees and Bacteria.” You find the most fascinating topics! I can’t add a thing to a baseball conversation, but I join you in honoring Barbara Bush. She exemplifies a woman with a backbone and character, and when she spoke you knew she was truthful, even when she had to be diplomatic. It didn’t matter to me if my politics didn’t align. I still saw her as a woman of integrity. i hadn’t heard Jim Jordan’s comment. I honestly don’t know how lightening doesn’t strike some of these people! I do think I’ve seen their noses grow! Happy vacation planning!

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    • Debra,
      Smiles always occur at this end when someone finds an interesting article in the Interesting Reads!

      Strength, integrity, & honesty are good characteristics describing Barbara Bush. Plus – gotta love her pearls!

      As for Jim Jordan – simply amazing – and he’s not alone! Scrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeam!

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  6. Last things first . . I love this James Taylor song!
    As for the Reds . . well . . sorry.

    And Barbara Bush, may she rest in peace. Her example is, hopefully not as long gone as it feels right now. It’s funny but I miss the good old days when I was blaspheming her son. Because right about now . . I would take W. And the spread.

    Go Shohei Ohtani!

    Liked by 1 person

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      • Yes! But really . . you can’t go wrong with James Taylor.

        If the Reds were a TV show, they would have been canceled a couple seasons ago.

        And in your wildest dreams . . did you ever imagine you would be looking back on W with fondish memories? lol

        Liked by 1 person

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        • Rooting for W’s return just shows that everything is relative – as in compared to what!

          While not backing the fired manager, some of the local beat writers are taking bites out of the organization …. Finally, I’m no longer the lone wolf.

          Liked by 1 person

        • Yes . . to think we might be thinking fondly on W . . is not a good thing.

          As for Price, he wasn’t getting the job done certainly. But who really would be able to get the job done with this squad?

          Liked by 1 person

  7. Another entertaining read, thank you. The hand bell piece is beautiful – something for you to look forward to in the autumn. I am always excited about a new term and new songs with my choir. 🙂

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  8. Yay to Nikki Haley. She’s doing what more of them need to do: standing up for herself and not kowtowing.

    It boggles the mind and warms the heart to think the Bushes were married for 73 years. How difficult this must be for her husband.

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  9. Thanks for the laughs (the Onion headlines), the music, and the interesting articles, Frank. I especially liked the photography (go figure…lol!) and the article on solar. We’re seeing another dark side of solar here on the Eastern Shore (a company from Italy came in, put up panels without following county requirements in terms of buffer zones, hired no one from the county to work on the project even though they held out promises of lots of jobs, and failed to pay the workers from out of state they did hire who are now suing the company, and there are 18 other law suits including some that involve trash and pollution). As a treehugger, I’m all for green solutions, but we need to stop looking at wind and solar as they exist right now, and start funding more R&D (and stop shunting aside possible solutions such as nuclear which has become safer over the years).

    I admired Barbara Bush, too. Not her politics, of course, but she was a strong woman and her work with AIDS babies during a time when people thought they could catch AIDS just by being around people who had it was commendable.

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  10. I don’t follow sports at all. My husband remarked on the bundled-up fans at the Phillies’ game last night. He was content to watch it on TV. 🙂
    To me, anyone who agrees to work in dt’s administration is suspect, and Haley is way to chummy with Pence, but I admire that she has stood up to the horror in the White House.

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  12. I really liked the handbell choir arrangement “The Day of Resurrection” by Jason Krug (based on the hymn tune “Lead on, O King Eternal”). The moderate range for the trumpets makes the piece accessible to a lot of adult and high school level players. In addition, I thought the slow tempo in the recording would give the congregation a chance to hear with a lot of clarity the excellent handbell writing. Altogether I found “The Day of Resurrection” to be a very emotional listening experience.

    I scratched my head after reading “How France cut heroin overdoses by 79% in 4 years.”

    Several Onion splats today but the biggest cleanup resulted from “Controversial theory suggests aliens may have built Ancient Egypt’s intergalactic spaceport.”

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Tim,
      One thing for certain, I never know the one (if any) that will cause a splat! Glad you enjoyed Day of Resurrection. As I mentioned, it will delayed until next season … probably in the fall. Handbell music can be more intricate than some may expect.

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      Reply

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