Opinions in the Shorts: Vol. 259

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Got to wonder why I selected that opening image.

Love the fact Congressional Democrats are having a public family fight over trade.

Congress continues to shamefully ignore infrastructure.

Interesting that to be Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton signed of statement about separating herself from the Clinton Foundation – but would it have been prudent for her to have a similar written statement with the Clinton Foundation?

Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) is challenging Hillary Clinton for the Democratic Party nominee for president. Here’s The Onion’s introducing us to Senator Sanders.

The headline is interesting: South Carolina Republican Refused Obamacare, Now Going Blind, Blames Barack Obama (see for yourself)

Because there was no need, the events around the Tom Brady, the New England Patriots, and deflating footballs reminds me of the Nixon administration and Watergate.

The current season of Dancing with the Stars has been better than I thought it would be when it started. From Noah’s inspiration to the Nastia’s (now eliminated) athleticism to Riker’s full-speed approach to Rumer’s artistry, a tip of the cap to them.

Earlier this week I posted about my journey as one of the Cincinnati Burger Guys. Love the banner below that I found on a blog. Meanwhile, I hope to join them for a burger in the future.

Speaking of hamburgers, here’s one of my favorite burger places in Cincinnati. Come on now – click here to see the menu … so, what would you order?

A shout out to AbyssBrain for this brilliant problem-solving flowchart. It’s worth the visit.

I enjoyed this post by Ocean Bream about the internet, brain activity, and behaviors.

Act 4 (Meats) of Meals: The Musical seemed to throw many for a loop. As I write this, acceptable songs that haven’t appeared from artists like Alan Jackson, Roy Orbison, Uncle Kracker, Les Paul, Manhattan Transfer, Fats Waller, Doors, Andrew Sisters, Neil Young, Ike & Tina Turner, and more. As always, quite the musical selection has been gathered.

It’s spring in Cincinnati, and summer is approaching – but, this video is for my southern hemisphere friends.

There will be a Saturday post as the Explore series resumes.

To lead you into this week’s headlines from The Onion, here’s their explanation of Super PACS.

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On This Week’s Headlines from The Onion
Anthropologists discover Ancient Greek Super PAC that helped shape first democracy
One year old still waiting for father’s first words
God realizes he forgot to put souls in humans
Child visits Ellis Island to see where grandparents once toured
McDonald’s reintroduces Hamburgler as attractive suburban dad

Interesting Reads
Books about evolution published before Darwin
Berlin: Compared to 70 years ago
Generations and partisanship
Columnist David Brooks on the center-right
The bacteria at Yellowstone
A personal look at Ukraine

Your Weekend Celebrations
(Weekend) Art on the Square Days, Calaveras County Frog Jumping Days

(Fri) Straw Hat Day, Day of Families, Nylon Stockings Day, Peace Officer Memorial Day, Hyperemesis Gravidarum Awareness Day, Endangered Species Day, O. Henry Pun-Off Day, NASCAR Day, Bike to Work Day, Pizza Party Day, MPS Awareness Day, Defense Transportation Day, Tuberous Sclerosis Day, Chocolate Chip Day, Sauvignon Blanc Day, Dinosaur Day, Over-the-Rainbow Day, Kangaroo Care Day

(Sat) Mike the Headless Chicken Day, Do-Dah Day, Mimosa Day, Piercing Day, Sea Monkey Day, Biographer’s Day, Learn to Swim Day, Armed Forces Day, Love a Tree Day, Coquilles Saint Jacques Day, Wear Purple for Peace Day, Pickle Day, Spaghetti-O Day

(Sun) Morel Mushroom Day, Neighbor Day, Hypertension Day, Information Society Day, Telecommunications Day, Neurofibromatosis Day, Pack Rat Day, Cherry Cobbler Day, Walnut Day, Turn Beauty Inside Out Day, Merry-Go-Round Day

Here’s a two-fer to send you into the weekend – one questionable leftover from the latest Meals: The Musical Act and one for Dale who recently saw him in concert. 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. 220

On Politics
Is there a difference between a politician rebranding, repositioning, or evolving for personal gain and lying?

As the Benghazi beat goes on, I ponder this question: White House spin and Republican conspiracy theories? After all, both ways produce misinformation.

The kidnapping of the Nigerian girls is sad and pathetic. However, the conservative spin doctors have amazingly determined the real cause of Boko Haram’s actions – Hillary Clinton! Read it for yourself here. It’s probably safe to say that if she wasn’t a strong potential 2016 candidate for the Democrats, she wouldn’t have been blamed.

With many political pundits focusing on former Governor Jeb Bush (R-FL) as a potential GOP presidential candidate in 2016, I found this article interesting.

When it comes to caring for veterans, both parties are woefully inadequate.

On This Week’s Headlines from The Onion

• Stone-hearted ice witch forgoes exclamation point
• Study: Seeing Jesus in toast is perfectly normal
• Pharmaceutical industry reeling as more mom’s making vaccines at home
• Opposing team terrified after seeing home fans all wearing same color t-shirt
• Budget woes force Heaven to reduce eternal life to 500 billion years
• Report: Growing number of Americans forced to make ends meet by collaborating on song with Pitbull

Bonus Tips from The Onion

• Finding an apartment
• Preparing for questions during a job interview
• Baby-proofing your home

Interesting Reads

• Two from Columnist Michael Gerson: Aversion to science – The tension between science and theology
• Video animation of historical carbon dioxide levels
• Religious harassment across the globe
• Ballroom dance benefits the elderly (Thanks Elyse)
• Four rocks that look like people

On Potpourri
The coal mining accident in Turkey is horrible. Peace and strength to all involved and affected.

Multiple US cities are hosting the Great American Beer Run, in which participates get a pint of craft beer every half mile (800 meters). The event’s FAQ page is a good one.

Running events are common fundraisers. In Cincinnati last weekend one charity effort involved running .05K …. that’s 164 feet (50 meters).

Wow – the dedication of the 9/11 Memorial Museum was quite moving.

The current season of Dancing with the Stars is nearing an end. Overall, the dancing has been very good. As in past years, viewer voting did something stupid. How and the heck could Charlie White get the lowest number of votes?

Life: The Musical returns next week, so I will announce the Act 4 theme on the next edition of Monday Morning Entertainment.

Time has worked against me this week, so no Saturday Morning Cartoon Classic post this weekend.

Your weekend celebrations

• (Fri) Bats Day, Biographer’s Day, Endangered Species Day, Virtual Assistants Day, O. Henry Pun-Off Day, NASCAR Day, Bike to Work Day, Pizza Party Day, Spaghetti-Os Day, Sea Monkey Day, Pickle Day, Piercing Day, Coquilles St. Jacques Day
• (Sat) Mike: the Headless Chicken Day, Armed Forces Day, Morel Mushroom Day, Merry-Go-Round Day, Rat Pack Day, Hypertension Day, Turn Beauty Inside Out Day, Information Society Day, Telecommunications Day, Neurofibromatosis Day, Cherry Cobbler Day
• (Sun) I Love Reeses Day, Museum Day, HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, Mother Whistler Day, Neighbor Day, Visit Your Relatives Day, Cheese Souffle Day, No Dirty Dishes Day

To send you into the weekend, let’s travel back to 1965 when. Dominigo Zamudio had the first Billboard Number One Record of the Year that never made it to #1 on any week – a feat that stood alone for 35 years. Dominigo Zamudio? Yep – he’s also known as Sam. Have a safe weekend and in the words of Garrison Keillor, Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.