Opinions in the Shorts: Vol. 289

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Yep – playing handbells is so easy, ___.

Our handbell choir plays this weekend, which will be my first since returning. The song is interesting … slow, a touch of haunting and passion. For those interested, here’s another choir doing the song.

I didn’t have a good week of visiting other blogs. 😦

This is Super-Bowl weekend. It’s been awhile since we haven’t attended a party for the game, but we’ll sit back, watch the game, and enjoy the commercials. Without a preference, I think Carolina is the better team, but I would like to see Peyton Manning go into retirement with a win.

Colors: The Musical returns next week. Act 2 features Red, so all songs must have Red in the title. However, no compound words contain red (redbird, redbud, etc) and no shades of red (crimson, scarlet, maroon, etc). Show time is Tuesday night at 9:30 pm (Eastern US).

There will be an Explore this weekend about a person, place, or thing.

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Hooray … Iowa is over! I’ve heard multiple Republicans complain about the Democrats’ results, My independent research discovered the following: (Jim in Iowa – Is my capsule close?)

1. The political party determines the rules. (They can be different)
2. Just because the opposing party uses a different method does not mean the other method is incorrect.
3. Since the first statewide caucus in 1972, Democrats do NOT report the number of votes, but on-location caucus leaders determine the number of delegates based on a weighted vote calculation.
4. Caucus leaders submit the final weighted calculation results and the subsequently elected delegates to the Iowa Democratic Party. (Read about the process here)
5. aFa conclusion: Complaining Republicans shouldn’t care, thus complain to discredit a particular candidate – in this case, Hillary Clinton (D-NY).

New Hampshire is next. No matter the results, the race is not a sprint. On the other hand, I wonder about the next candidate(s) leaving the fray … but I continue to point to the pivot dates of March 1st (Republicans) and March 15th (Democrats).

There is a bit of a lag after New Hampshire, which will cause some angst to some candidates.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has withdrawn. Republican party rules in Kentucky were that a candidate could not appear on the ballot for two different positions. Because 2016 is election year for his Senate seat, Sen. Paul convinced the state’s party leaders to change the way the state determines the Republican presidential delegates from a primary to a caucus. (thus allowing him to run for president and senator.) Now, the caucus is in March while the primary is in May. I imagine many Kentuckians are confused while others will be surprised when they get their ballot in May. Stay tuned. NOTE: Republicans complaining about the Democrats in Iowa are not complaining about this bit of craziness within their own party.

A good question for the candidates. Governing is much easier when one party controls all facets. If the opposite party controlled the Senate, and other than inviting them to join your ideas, how would you handle your legislative agenda?

Hillary Clinton’s explanation defending her progressive label was very weak.

I decided not to include several fact checks from recent debates. Let me know if you want them.

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To lead you into your weekly dose of satire, The Onion identifies the biggest campaign gaffes of this current election season.

Weekly Headlines from The Onion (combos welcome)
Car windows rolled down to let out shitty music
Chiquita introduces easy-grip banana (See for yourself)
Back of library smells like weed
Car alarm turned off just as it was starting to get good
Researchers announce they don’t have heart to reveal what will happen to 1 In 5 women

Interesting Reads
The crumbling of one of Africa’s biggest dams
A BiPartisan Policy Center’s report about improving the Affordable Care Act
18th Century smugglers and the tea cartel
Communicating with only yes and no no
Recognizing the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
(Photos) Winter in northern Whales

To sent you into the weekend, enjoy a touch of high-level ballroom to a Michael Buble song. Have a safe weekend and in the words of Garrison Keillor, Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.

Opinions in the Shorts: Vol. 124

On Politics
Rick Perry’s candidacy ended several days before I thought it would.

With all the Republicans rage able President Obama’s rejection of the Keystone Pipeline, why is the Republican governor of Nebraska wanting a re-route for he would approve?

Very interesting that instead of losing the Iowa caucus by 8 votes, Rick Santorum won by 32 votes. Better yet, where as the Iowa Republican Party previously declared Mitt Romney the winner, the party now calls it a virtual tie. Ah yes … consider this an example that the power is not in the voters, but with the ones counting the votes.

Governor Romney changing from declaring victory to promoting a virtual tie is another example of fuzzy math. No wonder he is reluctant to release his tax returns.

Yippee … Congress is back in session!

Thursday morning I heard Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) explain (regarding SOPA) that the legislation will likely not proceed as quickly because “it is important for us to get it right.” Sorry Senator, that’s what I always expect and have no confidence in Capitol Hill to do that on any issue.

State of the Union is next week and a great chance for our senators and representatives to make asses of themselves on national television. Try sitting and listening for a change without partisan interruptions you jackwagons.

On Headlines from The Onion
Mischievous Raccoon Wreaks Havoc on International Space Station
Pervert Thinks You Seem Tense
Supreme Court Overturns Right v. Wrong
Poll Finds Americans Open to Third Type of Screwdriver
Local Woman Dies of Lost Cell Phone
Justin Timberlake Wins Golden Globe for Funniest Goofball at His Table

Special Edition: On Political Headlines from The Onion
President Obama Wonders Why He Always has to Initiate Phone Call with NCAA Champions
Minnesota Braces for Return of Bachmann’s Full Attention
Tentacle Quickly Smooths Romney’s Hair
Grover Norquist Admits Engaging in Week-Long Drug-Fueled Orgy with Corporate Income Taxes
Critics Slam Obama for “Just Standing There” during Photo Op
Congress Gets 12 Solid Hours of Gridlock before Calling it a Day

On Potpourri
We have our first nominee for 2012 Dolt of the Year – Costa Concordia Captain Francisco Schettino.

Last Monday, many commented that they still enjoy holding a book. In a similar thought, I still enjoy holding a newspaper. Unfortunately, many newspapers are a mere shell of their past. On the plus side, the Internet allows many news outlets to be a click away. Because I still have the urge to hold a good newspaper and with the Cincinnati Enquirer continually getting smaller and smaller, I have purchased the weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal.

The work project his hitting the fan, thus will be demanding many hours for a few months. So far, I’ve been able to keep up with posts, replying to comments has been slow, and visiting others has been minimal. Starting next week, I will cut back to three posts per week. Thanks for everyone’s patience and understanding.

In the words of Garrison Keillor, Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.