Opinions in the Shorts: Vol. 256

Embed from Getty Images

While I appreciate the No-Labels organization and their agenda as the National Strategic Agenda (for problem solving), in the end, politicians remain loyal to their party. Nonetheless, this is a good read.

The Senate’s delay of dealing with confirming a new Attorney General is the type of political theater I deplore. All presidential nominees should be acted upon, thus not treated as political footballs … and that’s regardless of the president’s party and the majority party in the Senate. If the senators are hiding behind Senate Rules, then I suggest changing the rules.

Welcome to another edition of It’s Time for Truth with Presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). Here’s the explanation from PolitiFact.

Wayne LaPierre is the Executive Vice President of the National Rifle Association (NRA). Given a high position in many other organizations (if not most), remarks like he makes would have gotten him fired.

The Rock n Roll Hall of Fame recently inducted new members. Joan Jett before the Moody Blues? Joan Jett before Yes? That organization has no credibility – None, nada, zilch, zero. Their credibility level is near that of Baseball Commissioner Emeritus Bud Selig and Congress … and that’s not good company.

I had a lousy week of visiting your blogs. 😦

Our energy provider recently sent us this graph regarding energy use.

Meals: The Musical is scheduled to return next week, which means I will announce Act 3’s theme on the next Monday Morning Entertainment.

No Saturday Morning Cartoons this weekend, but Saturday will bring a new Explore post.

Milestone alert – Approaching a quarter of a million hits, thus should surpass next week.

Body cameras on police is getting a lot of attention. To lead you into it’s headlines, The Onion offers a list of pros and cons regarding this issue.

On This Week’s Headlines from The Onion
Medical experts disappointed in man who failed to live up to life expectancy
Lethal injection least effective drug man took while in prison
Hand gestures transform friend’s story into immersive virtual reality experience
Relationship reaches point where breaking up, getting married would be equally huge hassle
Lovestruck Arabian princess begs father to spare John Kerry’s life

Interesting Reads
Columnist Dana Milbank on partisanship, the elected, and the electorate
Redefining India’s textile heritage
World War I Anzaks (and Anzak Day is Saturday)
How an octopus is coordinated
A short web & digital technology quiz from Pew Research Center

Your Weekend Celebrations
(Fri) Hairball Awareness Day, Satchmo Days, Meningitis Day, Arbor Day, Pigs in a Blanket Day, New Kids on the Block Day, Teach Your Children to Save Day, Puppetry Day, Sylvester the Cat’s Birthday, Natasha’s (Sesame Street) Birthday
(Sat) Anzac Day, DNA Day, Dance Day, Hug a Plumber Day, Bob Wills Day, Eeyore’s Birthday, Hairstylists Appreciation Day, Marconi Day, License Plates Day, Malaria Awareness Day, Go Birding Day, Herb Day, Penguin Day, Red Hat Society Day, Rebuilding Day, Save the Frogs Day, Sense of Smell Day, Spring Astronomy Day, World Day for Animals in Laboratories, World Healing Day, Veterinary Day, Tai Chi & Qigong Day, Telephone Day, Kiss of Hope Day, East Meets West Day
(Sun) Hug an Australian Day, Photography Day, Static Cling Day, Hug a Friend Day, Help a Horse Day, Audubon Day, Mother-Father-Deaf Day, Kids & Pets Day, Pretzel Day, Pet Parent’s Day, Richter Scale Day, Intellectual Property Day

There should be any doubt why these songs will send you into the weekend, Have a safe weekend and in the words of Garrison Keillor, Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.

On the First Week of March

Hello from Breakville. No … I’m not back in the swing yet … nor lucky enough to be somewhere warm … thus just a temporary lifting of the Pause button. The relatively minor redesign of the pages here has gone slower than anticipated, so returning to anything resembling my regular routine remains at least a week away.

As I endure the cold wind and a tad of new snow, my wife has left the premises for a week cruising the Caribbean. Why didn’t I go? Hello … I wasn’t invited because I don’t qualify because this is a girls’ trip .. which means solo trips to the dance hall for me this week.

This week’s celebrations for your calendar

(Week) Procrastination Week, Chocolate Chip Cookie Week (don’t procrastinate), Autograph Collecting Week, Maple Syrup Week, Ghostwriters Week, Cheerleading Week, Write a Letter of Appreciation Week, Universal Human Beings Week, Celebrate Your Name Week (now there’s a frank thought), Consumer Protection Week, Pet Sitters Week, Schools Social Work Week, Severe Storm Preparedness Week, Sleep Awareness Week (anyone out there not aware of sleep?), Words Matter Week, Read an e-Book Week, Return Borrowed Books Week, Save Your Vision Week, Telecommuter Appreciation Week, Women in Construction Week, Share a Story – Shape the Future Week, School Breakfast Week, Newspaper in Education Week, Women of Aviation Week, Camp Week, Bike Week, Human Resources Week, Pancake Week, Drug & Alcohol Awareness Week, Volunteers Week, Agriculture Week, Foreign Language Week (Hola!)

(Sun 1st) Compliment Day, Daughters & Sons Day, Black Women in Jazz & the Arts Day, Wear Yellow Day (Endometriosis Day), Go Bowling Day, Horse Protection Day, Fruit Compote Day, Peanut Lovers Day, Pig Day, Plan a Solo Vacation Day, Refired not Retired Day, Seals Day, Self-Injury Awareness Day, Share a Smile Day, Zero Discrimination Day, Namesake Day (mine is after my Dad’s Army buddy from SF – we met sometime in the 1990s)

(Mon 2nd) Dr. Seuss Day, Old Stuff Day, Read Across the World Day, Banana Cream Pie Day, Pyramid Day, Book Day, Cat in the Hat Day, Silly Putty Day, Babysitter Safety Day, Elmer Fudd Day, Porky Pig Day, Time magazine Day Fun Facts About Names Day (I’m not a Franklin or a Francis)

(Tues 3rd) Mulled Wine Day, Cold Cuts Day, Ear Care Day, I Want You to be Happy Day, Peace Corps Day, World Wildlife Day, US National Anthem Day, Princess Day. Peach Blossom Day, If Pets had a Thumb Day, 33 Ice Cream Flavors Day, Unique Names Day (my middle name isn’t Stanislaus)

(Wed 4th) Dance the Waltz Day, Cadbury Chocolates Day, March for Yourself Day, Courageous Follower Day, Holy Experiment Day, iHop Pancake Day, Scapbooking Industry Day, Math Day, March Forth-Do Something Day, Stop Bad Service Day, Grammar Day, Pound Cake Day, Toy Soldier Day, Hug a GI Day, Discover What You Name Means Day (mine is honest)

(Thurs 5th) Nametag Day, Cheese Doodle Day, 8-hr Day, Dr. Dolittle Day, Mother-in-Law Day, Healing from the Inside Out Day, Multiple Personality Day

(Fri 6th) Day of the Dude, Oreo Cookie Day, Employee Appreciation Day, White Chocolate Cheesecake Day, Day of Unplugging, Dentist Day, Read Aloud Day, Michelangelo Day, Chocolate Cheesecake Day, Toronto Day, Fun Facts about Names Day (I don’t know anyone named Stanislaus), the start of Festival of Owls Weekend, Middle Name Pride Day (mine’s Paul)

(Sat 7th) Cereal Day (Raisin Nut Bran in my favorite), Be Heard Day, Telephone Day, Frozen Food Day, Sock Monkey Day, Crown Roast of Pork Day, Monopoly Game Day, Unique Names Day (Do you know anyone named Stanislaus?)

(Sun 8th) Proofing Reading Day, Working Women’s Day, Girl Scout Sunday, Geneology Day, Check Your Batteries Day, Be Nasty Day, Peanut Cluster Day, Plant a Flower Day (sure, dig the snow first), Day of Women’s Rights & International Peace, Learn What Your Last Name Means (other than personal identification, I have no clue)

Avere una buona settimana. Gerai savaitę. On hyvä viikko. Heb een goede week.

Opinions in the Shorts: Vol. 251

Embed from Getty Images

The kerfuffle about vaccinations has raised the ire of many. Here is a collection of worthwhile posts to help clarify various aspects of an issue I mentioned last week.

• Politico look back at President Obama’s 2008 statement about vaccinations
• Politfact also examined President Obama on vaccinations
• The Washington Post Fact Checker chimes in
• Anneberg Fact Check offers 2 reads as it examines false narratives about the measles outbreak and claims about vaccines

A note to Gov. Scott Walker (R-WS) and all presidential aspirants in both parties. When one seeks or considers seeking the highest office in the land, all questions are on the table … so ducking them isn’t a good idea. At least learn to give an answer that doesn’t answer the question – after all, that’s what candidates do well.

I learned to tune out Jay Carney when he was the White House Press Secretary (well, actually change the channel) but, at least I can listen to his replacement, Josh Earnest. Interestingly, when Carney is contributing on CNN, I still tune him out!

In a recent hearing, Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO) accused Veteran Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald of glossing over the extraordinary problems confronted by your department among others things. Cheers to Mr. McDonald for his replies

• “I’m highly offended by your comments, Mr. Coffman.”
• “I’ve run a large company (Procter & Gamble) sir, what have you done?”
• “I’ve been here six months. You’ve been here longer than I have. If there’s a problem in Denver, I think you own it more than I do.”

Life: The Musical is officially over, and Epilogue was a smashing finale. Thanks again to all participants, and as I’ve said many times, I’m the lucky one because I listen to all entries. Who knows, maybe someday I will list the collection of songs. Meanwhile, the next musical won’t be until mid-to-late March.

A tip of the hat to Dale for a valiant effort in catching up on Life: The Musical. At the time of this posting, he is approaching completion of all acts within 24 hours … and I listened to each entry … although she did receive the buzzer once (obviously from over confidence).

Interestingly, this is post #1600. After 6+ years of hosting over 52,000 comments,  plus who knows how many visits and comments elsewhere, I proudly say I only need the fingers on one hand to count the bloggers who truly irritated me. Thus my point – blogging is just like life because so much is about who one chooses to hang around.

No Saturday Morning Cartoon this weekend, but, I am working on the next one. After last week’s delightful trip to the Gobi Desert, wonder what person, place, or thing will be next … hmmmmm ….

To lead you into The Onion, here’s a graphic showing the results of their opinion poll about government requiring vaccinations.

On This Week’s Headlines from The Onion
Literary study finds all modern narratives derived from classic Alien vs. Predator conflict
Area woman not good enough artist to justify eccentricities
Scientists working to harness energy produced by intense fracking debates
Astronomers discover new planet that makes Earth look like S#-t
Health experts recommend standing up at desk, leaving office, and never coming back

Interesting Reads
American Ideas: a brief history
Baltic Dry: Not what I thought it meant
Doodles from Darwin’s children (Thursday was Darwin Day)
Columnist David Ignatius on acting like a superpower
Columnist David Brooks scandals and forgiveness
US-Cuba relations and Netflix

Your Weekend Celebrations

• (Weekend) Great Backyard Bird Count, American International Toy Fair
• (Fri) Blame Someone Else Day, Get a Different Name Day, Desperation Day, Employee Legal Awareness Day, Madly in Love with Me Day, Radio Day, Tortellini Day, International Condom Day
• (Sat) Ferris Wheel Day, Quirky Alone Day, Pet Theft Awareness Day, Library Lovers Day, Have a Heart Day, Cream-filled Chocolate Day, National Condom Day, Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day, League of Women Voters Day, Women’s Heart Day, Race Relations Day, Singles Appreciation Day, Donor Day, Telephone Day, Organ Donor Day, Marriage Day, Whale Day, Read to Your Child Day, Valentine’s Day
• (Sun) Gum Drop Day, Hippo Day, Remember the Maine Day, Susan B Anthony Day, Clifford the Red Dog Day, Angelman Syndrome Day

Since hearing this classic song early in the week, it’s been crawling around in my head – so, it seems to be right for sending you into the weekend. Have a safe weekend and in the words of Garrison Keillor, Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.