Rainy Day Snarky Snippets

Posted on October 15, 2018 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, Environmental Issues, Political commentary, Social commentary

I slept poorly last night, waking about every 20 minutes. I awoke to a number of unpleasantries, such as a set of dirty sheets in the hallway because Princess Nala had an accident in Miss Goose’s bed, an extra large package weighing about 5,000 pounds being delivered in the rain, and a cat fight. As such, I am feeling rather snarky this afternoon and so, you know what that means, right? Snarky Snippets!

A portion of the population in the U.S. and Canada scoff at the notion of climate change. Rather than believe all of the highly-educated scientists worldwide who have studied the data and done the research, they follow Donald Trump’s lead 🙄 and claim it is a hoax, it is a scam, or that “sure, the weather is changing, but that’s a natural phenomenon – remember the ice age?” No, actually I don’t … it was a bit before my time. But take heart! I have found something that is going to make those skeptics sit up and take notice! Check out this headline from The Guardian …

Trouble brewing: climate change to cause ‘dramatic’ beer shortages

Extreme heatwaves and droughts will increasingly damage the global barley crop, meaning a common ingredient of the world’s favourite alcoholic beverage will become scarcer. Key brewing nations are forecast to be among the worst hit, including Belgium, the Czech Republic and Ireland.

The researchers said that compared with life-threatening impacts of global warming such as the floods and storms faced by millions, a beer shortage may seem relatively unimportant. But they said it would affect the quality of life of many people.

“There is little doubt that for millions of people around the world, the climate impacts on beer availability and price will add insult to injury,” said Prof Dabo Guan at the University of East Anglia, one of the research team. “There is something fundamental in the cross-cultural appreciation of beer.

“If you still want to still have a couple of pints of beer while you watch the football, then climate change [action] is the only way out. This is the key message.”

This, even more than food and water shortages, even more than un-breathable air, even more than the threat of extinction, will be a wake-up call to Trump’s base!

I typically think that it is wrong for the media to critique a politician’s family. Wives, husbands, and children ought to be off-limits, for they are not responsible for what their political spouse or parent says or does. There are exceptions, however, in the case of either grown children or spouses when they act in ways that seem to invite criticism. Melania Trump is one such exception.When she went to visit the New Hope Children’s Shelter in McAllen, Texas, on 21 June, wearing a jacket (it was hot that day, no need for a jacket at all) that read, “I really don’t care, do U?” she came under fire by the press, and many of us were seeing red, myself included. Her staff insisted there was no message intended, but nobody fell for that. The jacket was ugly, and Melania typically dresses like a high-class call girl, so it was quite outside her ‘norm’.

Now we get the real story. In an interview with ABC News on Saturday morning, she said …

“It was for the people and for the left-wing media who are criticizing me. I want to show them I don’t care. You could criticize whatever you want to say. But it will not stop me to do what I feel is right. I often asking myself, if I had not worn that jacket, if I will have so much media coverage. I would prefer they would focus on what I do and on my initiatives, than what I wear.”

So, first of all, her ‘initiatives’ amount to nothing. She is against bullying, but thus far has done next to nothing toward ending bullying, and in truth, she is the exact wrong person to convey that message, for she is married to the biggest bully the world has ever seen. Secondly, let’s think about something for a minute … she was on her way to visit a detention center where, because of her husband’s actions, 55 immigrant children were being held apart from their parents, and her primary thought is to send a message to the press and by extension, those of us who don’t support her husband. Okaaaaaayyyy …

In the same interview, she claimed that she is the most bullied person in the world. Back up a minute … Hillary Clinton was slammed by the republicans, most notably Donald Trump, for her husband’s affairs. It was claimed that she “enabled” him, although I always felt that what was really being said is the same tired old story that if a man cheats, it must surely be because his wife isn’t taking good care of him at home. But has anybody blamed Melania for Donald’s affairs? Not that I’ve heard. Michelle Obama was slammed for wearing a sleeveless dress … a dress that was quite conservative but just happened to be sleeveless. And yet … Melania, once a nude model, cries because her style of clothing is critiqued? It sounds to me like somebody has some growing up to do!

As I said, I don’t typically believe in picking on the president’s family, but in this case, Melania is getting exactly what she deserves from the press.

More than once, Donald Trump has belittled Senator Elizabeth Warren for claiming Native American ancestry, even going so far as to routinely refer to her as ‘Pocahontas’. Nice way for a nation’s leader to behave, right? He even went so far as to renew his diatribe against her at a November 2017 White House event honoring Navajo code-breakers.In July, Trump again returned to the attack, offering a $1 million personal donation to Warren’s favorite charity if she took a DNA test and it confirmed her Cherokee ancestry.

“I will give you a million dollars to your favorite charity, paid for by Trump, if you take the test and it shows you’re an Indian [sic].”

This morning, Senator Warren called Trump’s bluff and released a genetic analysis done by Stanford University geneticist Carlos Bustamante who stated that the facts support her claim to Native American ancestry. So, Trump picked up his pen and wrote a check, right? Surely you jest. Kellyanne Conway responded …

“I haven’t looked at the test. I know that everybody likes to pick their junk science or sound science depending on the conclusion it seems some days. But I haven’t looked at the DNA test and it really doesn’t interest me…”

And Trump simply denies he ever said it, despite the fact that his statement, made at one of his annoying rallies, was recorded by none other than Fox News! Senator Warren has requested that he make the check to the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center. Any bets as to whether the check ever gets written?

Thus concludes another episode of Filosofa’s Snarky Snippets, as I have sheets to wash. Have a great week!

A Bit Of This And A Bit Of That …

Posted on October 14, 2018 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, Election 2018, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry

Trump thinks Ivanka would be great to replace Nikki Haley.

“So nice, everyone wants Ivanka Trump to be the new United Nations Ambassador. She would be incredible, but I can already hear the chants of Nepotism!” Trump tweeted on Friday morning. He later re-iterated, saying she would be “incredible,” and that there is “nobody more competent”. And just what, pray tell, are her qualifications? Oh wait … Nikki Haley had no qualifications for the job, either. But at least she had government experience, having served six years each as Governor of South Carolina and a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, and until she drank the Trump Kool Aid, she had some good sense. Ivanka has … well, let’s see … she owns a company that daddy bought her whereby she uses overseas sweatshop labour to manufacture ugly clothing that she sells for an outrageous price. Oh, and she’s married to a shyster real estate ‘tycoon’ who doesn’t pay taxes. Oh yeah … everybody must surely want her to represent us at the United Nations.

Ol’ Duncan Hunter … back in the news again.

Remember Duncan Hunter? He’s been on my radar off and on for nearly two years, but the latest was last month when I wrote that he had been caught and indicted on charges of using a quarter of a million dollars in campaign funds for personal expenses. And then he had the gall to blame it all on his wife! Well, I guess when you’re caught with your hand in the cookie jar, one thing you can do is start pointing fingers at others. But his latest antic is a real piece of work. He has accused his Democratic challenger for the upcoming mid-terms, one Ammar Campa-Najjar, of being a Palestinian terrorist who is trying to “infiltrate” Congress. No, I swear I’m not making it up! My imagination isn’t that good!

He produced a television ad that claims …

“Ammar Campa-Najjar is working to infiltrate Congress. He’s used three different names to hide his family’s ties to terrorism. His grandfather masterminded the Munich Olympic massacre. His father said they deserved to die. … ‘He is being supported by CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood.’ ‘This is a well-orchestrated plan.’ Ammar Campa-Najjar: A risk we can’t ignore.”

And …

“He changed his name from Ammar Yasser Najjar to Ammar Campa-Najjar so he sounds Hispanic. … So his signs could actually say Joseph Campa or, or something. That is how hard, by the way, that the radical Muslims are trying to infiltrate the U.S. government. You had more Islamists run for office this year at the federal level than ever before in U.S. history.”

The Washington Post Fact Checker to the rescue:

Campa-Najjar is a Christian born and raised in San Diego
His grandfather died years before he was born
His father wasn’t around much and that Campa-Najjar was raised by his mother and her Mexican American family
Campa-Najjar obtained a security clearance for his past work in the Obama White House and the Labor Department

The conclusion:

This ad uses naked anti-Muslim bias in an effort to scare Californians into voting for an indicted Republican incumbent.

The Democrat on the receiving end of these attacks isn’t even Muslim. All the claims in the ad are false, misleading or devoid of evidence.

Hunter earns Four Pinocchios.

4 pinocchios

Mike Pompeo has a heart, but it’s very, very tiny. tiny heart The policy of the United States has long been to grant visas to partners of foreign diplomats serving in the U.S., even when those relationships are not recognized by their home countries, such as is sometimes the case with LGBT couples. In July, the U.S. mission to the United Nations informed foreign delegations that beginning Oct. 1, the State Department would no longer issue G-4 visas to same-sex partners of foreign diplomats and U.N. officials who are not legally married.

There are 69 countries around the world that criminalize same-sex relationships, and in 10 countries, LGBT couples face the death penalty for their orientation. Last week, 119 House Democrats sent a letter to Pompeo protesting the policy change. Let’s hope he listens, though I’m not holding my breath. This is a step backward in U.S. Civil Rights, not to mention Human Rights … and a loud statement of Pompeo’s views of the LGBT community.

Saturday Surprise — Beards, Beards, Beards!!!

Posted on October 13, 2018 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, Humour, Saturday Surprise

Hey folks! Here it is, the weekend once again. I have something fun in store for us today! We are going to the Great American Beard and Moustache Championship that took place on September 29^th in Richmond, Virginia. Yes, yes, I know that was two weeks ago, but that’s the cool thing about the Filomobile … we can go backward, forward, or whichever ‘-ward’ you wish! Personally, I like beards on guys and there was a time I wished I had been a guy for that sole purpose – so I could grow a beard. But some of these beards … well, I have trouble imagining cuddling with some of them. The event is sponsored by the RVA Beard League, of which I’ve never heard, and all proceeds are donated to the Humane Society of the U.S. Hop aboard and let’s go take a look …

Aarne Bielefeldt

Aarne Bielefeldt took 1st Place in the Freestyle Category. Last October, Mr. Bielefeldt’s home burned to the ground in the Redwood Complex wildfire that swept through Northern California. Gone was the barn, the workshop, the garage, the biodiesel generator, the old trucks, the vegetable garden. Gone were the little cabins he’d built himself the old-fashioned way — with hand tools and 27 years of sweat equity.Worse yet: He had no insurance. He was devastated … but before he knew it, along came his bearded buddies to help, and this humorous piece turns now into part ‘good people doing good things’!

The RVA Beard League in Virginia set up a PayPal donation site. Wisconsin’s Brew City Beard Alliance held a beard contest in Bielefeldt’s honor and gave him the proceeds. In England, the Wessex Beardsmen sold T-shirts with a drawing of Bielefeldt’s face on them. Bartender Mark Beneda, of the Omaha Facial Hair Society, donated a night’s worth of tips. Billy Braker, of Michigan’s Bearded Sinners club, organized a raffle and sent catnip for Bielefeldt’s cats (I just loved this one!). Most of Bielefeldt’s tools perished in the fire. So tools the beardsmen sent. Bryan Nelson, president of the Austin Facial Hair Club, set up a GoFundMe page.

For months, guys from various beard clubs across the country have been driving up to help Bielefeldt rebuild. They fix broken waterlines, repair solar panels, clear debris. They assist Bielefeldt with the gnarliest of the backbreaking tasks.

“Every two weeks, I have two beards show up here with a camper or a trailer. They don’t ask for anything. They drive a distance. They say: ‘We don’t need a guest room. We have our own bathroom.’ They spend some days here and help me. They helped me with shoveling here, shoveling there. They have taken down endless burned trees.”

Awesome camaraderie and a great bunch of people, even if their beards are rather strange. Just goes to show you should never judge a book by its cover or a man by his beard. I must say, though, that I don’t think I would risk cuddling with some of those beards … a few looked positively lethal!

Well, folks, I hope you enjoyed our trip the the Great American Beard and Moustache Championship and seeing the fun facial fur! And now, get out there and enjoy the weekend!

A Snarky Wednesday …

Posted on October 10, 2018 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, Political commentary, Social commentary

I am snarky today … yeah, I know, I’m snarky most everyday. There’s just so darn much to be snarky about these days, don’t you think?

Can anybody tell me why the Trump ‘team’ is still picking on poor Hillary Clinton? In the wee hours of 09 November 2016, Hillary Clinton conceded the election to Donald Trump and went home to lick her wounds. But Trump still uses “Lock Her Up” as a rallying cry at his campaign events (he began campaigning for the 2020 election the day after inauguration) and he never misses an opportunity to blame her for one thing or another. And now his little minions are jumping on the bandwagon.

Nobody is quite sure what it is that Kellyanne Conway does other than play ugly on television and put her feet on the furniture in the Oval Office, but this morning she appeared on Fox and Friends (Fox has ‘friends’? Who knew?) and slammed Hillary Clinton for … living?

What started it this time? Yesterday, Hillary did an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, and while she basically said nothing that we haven’t all been saying, about the lack of civility these days and the Kavanaugh fiasco having been highly politicized, it must have struck a nerve with the Trumpites, for Kellyanne showed her ugly side (wait … does she have another side?)

“Usually when she opens her mouth, respectfully, she offends at least one half of the country, and she did it again, but I think her discourse now is a little bit dangerous. I don’t like the implications there. It’s one thing to call us deplorable, irredeemable, laugh at people who don’t have all the privileges that she has had with her Ivy League law degree and her marriage to a much more popular man who was actually was a two-term president that she’ll never be … I don’t like that kind of talk. I avoid it.” — KellyAnne Conway, 10 October 2018

Perhaps if Trumpites attended to their own dirty house instead of trolling Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and others who they perceive as “the enemy”, they might manage to run the government?

Donald Trump is said to be the author of an OpEd that was published today in USA Today. Now, we all know that he is not capable of stringing whole sentences together and has zero grammar or spelling skills, so presumably he did not write it, but told somebody on his staff what he wanted to say, and it was written for him. The subject was ‘Medicare-For-All’, the controversial proposal to expand Medicare to cover all Americans. There are serious and legitimate concerns with the proposal, but rather than address those, Trump used his space to rant about democrats. And, according to The Washington Post’s Glenn Kessler, nearly every sentence contained a false or misleading statement. Wow – that’s a record even for Trump.

I won’t go into details, for the topic is complex, and Trump’s rambling OpEd was disgusting, but I have a few issues with this whole thing. First, he has a venue to speak to the people that is more fitting than an OpEd in a mid-market newspaper, and that is what used to be known as a ‘press conference’. Typically, when a president wants to reach out and speak to the American people, he calls a press conference that will be covered by every major news outlet and is more likely to be heard by all. Second, Trump’s rants against democrats in general are unprofessional, unbecoming of the office he holds, and have become extremely tiresome. Their only purpose is to rally the masses – his supporters – and to the rest of us they are offensive and disgusting. Third, as the so-called president of this country, I should think he has better, more important things to do with his time. In the past two weeks, all he appears to have done is hold campaign rallies where he rants against democrats, ‘write’ an OpEd ranting against democrats, and use the swearing-in ceremony of a Supreme Court justice to rant against democrats. As one who contributes to paying his salary (no, he doesn’t donate it to charity or back to the government), I am deeply disturbed, for he is not doing the job for which he is paid. Fire the bum! And fourth, health insurance is a complex subject and one that Trump, by his own admission last year, does not understand. Wiser men need to be studying this, not the man who has never had to worry about whether he could afford to purchase his medicine.

Hurricane Michael has already begun its assault on the Florida coast and has been upgraded to a Category 4 hurricane. We have a number of fellow-blogger friends who live in Florida, including Gronda, Horty (Dr. Rex), Don Massenzio, Maryplumbago, Patty Richardson and many others. Please keep safe down there, my friends … and let us know that you are alright when you can.

Shhhhhh … Don’t Tell, But It’s Jolly Monday!

Posted on October 8, 2018 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, Humour, Politic-Free Mondays

Hmpgpf … OH … Hi! Heh heh … forgive me if I look a bit disheveled … I’m so sleepy this morning! But … don’t worry … I’ve got it all together …

It is Monday, right? Come in, come in … don’t be shy … grab a seat … oh … let me just get those dirty socks out of your way …

Okay, so maybe I don’t quite have it all together, but I’m trying … gimme just a minute here …

Alright … I think I can do this now. So, how was your weekend? Ready to tackle an all new week with a smile and a positive attitude? But of course you are … wait … why all the long faces this morning? Yeah, I know, me too, but we have to rise above the detritus and make our own happiness, right? Tell you what … let’s see if we can find something to laugh about this morning, shall we? Grab some coffee and a donut … sorry I don’t have anything more to offer this morning … and lets go find humour!

The Gold Standard in Chicken? Do you guys have a Popeye’s chicken place where you live? We have one just down the street and we pick it up every now and then. I like it … just the right amount of kick in their Cajun spiced chicken. But I’m not sad to have missed their one-day promo last Thursday. It was in honour of their 3,000^th store that opened in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The ‘treat’ was called 24 Karat Champagne Wings and features wings dipped in champagne and then tossed in ‘edible’ 24-carat gold flakes.

Now … I thought, in all my ignorance, that gold would be toxic to the human body if ingested, so of course I had to go in search of how gold can be made ‘edible’. Turns out that pure gold isn’t toxic and will pass harmlessly through the human digestive system in its natural state. It only becomes toxic when copper or other metals are added to it to make gold leaf, etc. Still …

The wings were six for a mere $10 … or $1.67 per wing … oh, and you get a warm biscuit to go with them. Um … no thanks. If the promo was a hit, and I have no idea if it was or not, Popeye’s is considering offering them at some locations as a regular menu item. Blech.

You Couldn’t Even Drink It!!!

I have come to the conclusion that some people have a whole lot more money than sense. I am not a whiskey drinker … I like an occasional glass of wine, or a cold Sam Adams on a hot summer day, but whiskey I don’t care for. But, even if I were a lover of whiskey, and even if I had lots of money to burn, I would not pay $1.1 million for a lousy bottle of booze!

Yep, you heard right. An unnamed private collector placed the winning bid via telephone when a bottle of Macallan whiskey was auctioned in Edinburgh, Scotland last week. The whiskey was distilled in 1926 and bottled in 1986 … now what the Sam Heck was it doing for those 60 years that included the Great Depression (when people really could have used a drink) and World War II, to name a couple? Any of my savvy friends have a clue what all this means? And … if it’s over 90-years-old … I for sure don’t want to put it in my mouth! Hey … I’ve got some leftover something unrecognizeable in my fridge … I wonder if I let it hang around for 90 years if it will be worth a mil?

Anyway, I hate to tell the dude in Asia this, but I found this bottle …… online for only $59.99 … and they will deliver it to your home! I still think that’s too much to pay, but a heck of a lot more reasonable than $1.1 million. But what’s the guy going to do with it, anyway? You couldn’t possibly drink something you paid that bloomin’ much for, so does he put it in a safe and pull it out when he has company so that he can brag? I’m sorry, but I would have to laugh if, as he was bringing it out for show some night, he dropped the bottle! Yes, I am mean, but … think of how many hungry people could have eaten for a year for what one man paid for one bottle of booze. I have no empathy there.

From The Book of WHY???

Take a good look at the picture. Yes, yes, I know it’s the Mona Lisa, albeit not the original. What do you think it’s made of? No … nope, not that either. Rice crackers!!! And just to add to your knowledge, in case you weren’t aware, according to Wikipedia, a rice cracker is a cracker made from rice. Sigh.According to Guinness World Records …

Around 200 people gathered in Soka, a city just north of Tokyo in Japan, to create the replica of Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece using the surprising ingredient. A total of 23,360 of the neatly-layered round objects covered 116.02 square metres to help Soka-Senbei Promotion Conference set a new record for Largest rice cracker mosaic.

12 local producers of rice crackers provided seven different flavours and colours to create the palette for the Mona Lisa mosaic, including soy sauce (brown), sesame (black), and matcha (green).

Once the record was set the rice crackers were distributed (as part of the requirement for food-related records) to the participants as well as children of Soka.

All that work … and they ate it???

Kool Kars …

In pursuit of another story yesterday, I came across something so cool that I just had to share these pictures with you. The biennial Paris Motor Show in Paris, France, which first started in 1898, is taking place from October 4^th thru the 14^th. Here are a few of the entries …

Believe it or not, folks, this Bugatti Chiron is made from … Lego blocks!!! Yep … one million pieces and no glue! Take a quick look at this video and see this car actually run!

I just thought this one was cute … has a personality, y’know? It’s called the Smart Forease … no idea why.

The very first Renault, dating back to 1898!

And, of course, there were the usual collection of BMWs, Porsches and Mercedes, but I liked these more interesting ones better … the others … meh … status symbols.

That about wraps up Monday morning for me … I do hope I was able to help you find a smile … at least a grin, to start the week. And please, please share those smiles, try to make somebody else’s day just a little bit happier if you can. Keep safe and have a great week, my friends! Love ‘n hugs from Filosofa!

Super-Snarky Friday …

Posted on October 5, 2018 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, Political commentary, Social commentary

Well, Jeff Flake and Susan Collins will vote to confirm Kavanaugh. surprise. not. The Senate has the votes to confirm the jerk and by Monday, no doubt he will have donned his robes. And that is all I have to say about that. PPBBBBBTTTTTHHHH.

For those of you who may have wondered whether I retain the capacity of logical thought, allow me to share with you a conversation between me and myself this morning as I went about the Friday house chores:

Me: Chris’ birthday is on the 26^th. If it’s a weekday, we should send her flowers to her office.

Myself: What day of the week is it?

Me: I dunno. What’s today?

Myself: Friday.

Me: No, stupid, I mean the date.

Myself: I dunno. Yesterday was the 4^th.

Me: (pulls cellphone out of pocket, clicks on calendar app) Hey! It’s a Friday … three weeks from today.

Myself: Duh.

Juan Romero died on Monday of a heart attack. He was only 68, one year older than me. Who, you ask, is Juan Romero?Juan was 18 years old in 1968 and was working as a busboy when Robert F. Kennedy was fatally shot in the kitchen of the Ambassador hotel in Los Angeles, California. Juan has carried the guilt of Kennedy’s death with him his entire life, for he had reached out to shake Kennedy’s hand and as Kennedy stopped to shake hands with the young busboy, the shots rang out.

“If I wouldn’t have extended my hand, he wouldn’t have gotten shot,” he once told his daughter Josefina. Of course, we all know better, and perhaps so did Juan, but he nonetheless carried the guilt for 50 years.

Melania Trump is touring Africa … nobody is quite sure why, other than she wanted to get as far away from her husband as possible – who can blame her? Anyway, my friend Senam – he calls me his Big Sis and he is my li’l Bro – who lives in Ghana wrote to me a couple of nights ago to say that she was visiting Ghana, but that it was very low key … “Nobody really cares.”

Rather a fitting statement, don’t you think?

Ben and Jackee Belnap of Salt Lake City, Utah are not very happy campers today. They had borrowed money from Ben’s parents to buy University of Utah American football season tickets, and had been saving to repay them. Finally, they managed to save the $1,060 (for football tickets??? What were these people thinking???) and had taken the money from their locked safe and put it on the counter so they wouldn’t forget it when they went to visit the parents.

Enter two-year-old son, Leo. Now, at two years of age, I find this one hard to credit, but the Belnaps have already shown they aren’t the brightest bulbs in the pack, right? Apparently Jackee had taught little Leo to use the family’s office paper shredder. When Leo spotted that envelope full of cash cluttering up the kitchen counter, he decided to be helpful … and … yeah, you got it … Leo shredded the entire $1,060! Where were Ben & Jackee? Who knows, but they weren’t watching Leo! Shredders are dangerous things … they can mangle fingers and other body parts. In my opinion, being in full snark-mode today, this couple got exactly what the deserved. And Ben’s parents will need to wait a while longer to get their money, but hey … they raised Ben, so maybe they get what they deserve too!

Maybe I do have one last thing to say regarding the Kavanaugh fiasco. This morning, the a$$ in the White House declared that the two women who confronted Jeff Flake in the elevator last week were paid to do so.

“Don’t fall for it! Also, look at all of the professionally made identical signs. Paid for by Soros and others. These are not signs made in the basement from love!”

Way to go, Republicans, for voting this jackass into office. Thanks a million.

And on that note, I shall stop for today. I am obviously in no mood to play nice. I hope you all have a great weekend and I’ll be back in the morning with Saturday Surprise!

Jolly 1st of October Monday!!!

Posted on October 1, 2018 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, Humour, Politic-Free Mondays

Good morning, folks! Stopped by for a bit of humour to start your week out, did you? Or did you smell the fresh-baked goodies? Either way, come on in and make yourselves at home! I got up extra early today so I could do a bit of extra baking before you got here, and I even squoze the juice myself! Did you all have a wonderful weekend? Mine? Meh. Daughter Chris had a band performance Saturday morning in Indiana, then afterward went to a Reds ballgame and out to dinner with friends. Miss Goose took the neighbor boys, Ibraheem and Yousif, to a fall festival, so I had the house to myself for several hours and thought I could get a few posts written, get ahead of the game. But no … instead I read some other people’s posts, tinkered about on Facebook for a while, read a bit, did some laundry and washed some dishes. And so, I’m still behind as always. Not having slept well the past two nights left me tired, so I was grumpy and out of sorts yesterday. But now, it’s a new week and the first day of October … where has this year gone???

I found some things to bring us all a chuckle to start the week, so grab a cup of something and a plate with some treats, and let’s dig out those smiles, eh?

Candy Canes Galore!

I wasn’t kidding when I asked where the year has gone … it seems like only yesterday I was putting away Christmas decorations … oh wait, that was yesterday … and now there’s less than three months until that ~~costly~~ joyous holiday rolls around again. Sigh. I have one Christmas present purchased and it is residing on my night table, for if I put it away, I will forget where I put it! Anyway … back to the point. Novelty company Archie McPhee out of Seattle, Washington, has already begun preparing for Christmas with some new candy cane flavours for this holiday season. How about these …Yep, you got it … macaroni & cheese flavoured candy canes! They also have ‘pickle-flavoured candy’ and … look, I’ve found the perfect stocking-stuffer for Chris!Heh heh heh … I think I’m getting into the spirit of this thing now! Among the other flavours of candy canes on their website are: Clam, Bacon, Pickle, Rotisserie chicken, and coal. Be sure and check it out … they have some really fun stuff!

A Lego Wheelchair?

The Maryland Zoo said an employee found the eastern box turtle while walking in Druid Hill Park in July and brought the reptile to the zoo to receive treatment for multiple fractures to the bottom part of its shell. Now, the bottom part of the shell is the part that drags the ground as the turtle walks … or, rather, crawls.

“Because of the unique placement of the fractures, we faced a difficult challenge with maintaining the turtle’s mobility while allowing him to heal properly,” said Dr. Ellen Bronson, senior director of animal health, conservation and research at the Maryland Zoo.

One of the externs at the zoo, Garrett Fraess, had a friend who was a Lego enthusiast, so together they came up with the perfect solution … a Lego Wheelchair!!! According to Fraess …

“He never even hesitated. He took off and has been doing great. Turtles are really good at healing as long as the shell remains stable.”

Watch the little ‘tuga go …

Eating … Puppies???

Take a look at this little guy …Isn’t he just adorable? Wouldn’t you just love to eat him? Well, grab your spoon, ‘cause this little guy is made of … ice cream! That’s right, folks … J. C. Co Art Kitchen in Kaoshiung, Taiwan, serves up ice cream, or more aptly, gelato, in the shape of labrador, pug and shar pei puppies. The gelato is available in chocolate, peanut and milk tea flavors, and it takes them around five hours to make 100 servings!

Some customers have said that the puppies are so realistic that they couldn’t bear to eat them! Each puppy ice cream costs between $110 and $188 Taiwanese dollars, which equates to $3.50 and $6 in the U.S. (Talk about inflation!!!)

What to do with those empty chip bags?

Nothing I love better than a good protest … well, maybe chocolate … I might opt for a small square of chocolate over a protest. Anyway … what better sort of protest than an environmental protest, yes? Apparently, Britain’s Royal Mail isn’t all that thrilled with the latest protest on that side of the pond. People seem to be sending empty potato chip … er, potato crisp bags (over there, what we call ‘french fries’ are chips, and what we call ‘chips’ are ‘crisps’ across the pond.) and they are causing headaches for the royal mail crew.The protest, started by activist group 38 Degrees, is to protest Walker brand’s packaging, which takes 75-80 years to decompose. Seems a worthy cause to protest, doesn’t it now? The company announced during the summer that it was aiming to make the packaging recyclable by 2025, but protesters say the goal isn’t fast enough. And so, they are mailing their empty crisp bags back to Walkers … as is, not placed in an envelope with postage affixed.The problem is, when items are placed in post boxes without an envelope, they cannot be processed by machines, and therefore have to be sorted by hand, per the BBC. This means that the packets could cause delays to normal postal processing.

“We strongly encourage customers not to post anything into the postal system which is not properly packaged. And if they are taking part in this campaign we would urge them to put crisp packets in an envelope before posting.”

And that, folks, is all the chuckles you get for today! Now take thee off and go be useful, for I have laundry to do, dishes to break wash, and a nap walk to take. Please, folks, share those smiles you are wearing right now, and have a kind word for someone who looks a bit down today. Have a wonderful week and keep safe out there! Love ‘n hugs from Filosofa!

By the way folks … did you know that Maxine has her own Facebook page? Check it out!

A Dose of Saturday Snarky Snippets

Posted on September 15, 2018 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, Election 2018, Free Press Issues, Political commentary, Social commentary

Saturday afternoon … and all the news is about Paul Manafort’s plea bargain and Hurricane Florence. While these are both very important stories, I cannot add much to what is already being said, so, I went in search of a few snippets beyond today’s headlines.

The last laugh …

When Nike announced that their new ad campaign for the 30th anniversary of its “Just Do It” motto would feature Colin Kaepernick, the man who took a knee to take a stand against racial injustice, some portion of the nation went a bit berserk. There were reports of people burning their Nike clothing & shoes, cutting holes in their socks, and all manners of rather stupid (considering they paid for those clothes & shoes) protests. Boycotts were called for, and Donald Trump, of course had to get in on the act saying, “I don’t like what Nike did. I don’t think it’s appropriate what they did.” Rather tame for him, come to think of it.

The rumour mill, aka ‘social media’, fed by people who have entirely too much time on their hands to think up stupid things to do, went wild. Within days of the announcement, for example, it was reported that Nike scotched the deal after Kaepernick launched into an “anti-white rant” in public (false), that Nike lost an $80 million U.S. government contract because of the deal (false), and that former NBA star Michael Jordan had resigned from Nike’s board of directors in protest of the Kaepernick deal (also false). Then on September 9^th, it was reported by a junk website that Kaepernick was arrested for trespassing after running onto the field during the national anthem “as a publicity stunt” at an NFL game in San Francisco. Also blatantly false. Trump talks a lot about libel laws when somebody reports something unfavourable yet true about him … these stories about Kaepernick are what libel actually looks like.

And of course, the predictions by some were that Nike would be on the verge of bankruptcy within a year. Thus, it is with great joy that I report that on Thursday, Nike stock reached an all-time high, closing at $83.47, and gained yet another two-cents yesterday, closing at $83.49! Additionally, Nike’s online revenue increased by 31% in the days after the announcement. Go Nike!

NRA oopsie …

In 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal law prohibiting corporations and unions from making expenditures in connection with federal elections. Known as Citizens United, this case opened the door for massive amounts of money to be spent by big businesses and lobbyists such as the National Rifle Association (NRA) on advertising for individual candidates who they believe will, in return, vote in their favour once in office. There are, however, some rules & limitations.

One such rule is that while such groups can raise and spend virtually unlimited amounts on an election, they must do so independently of the candidate. In other words there cannot be an agreement between, say, the NRA and a specific candidate. And so, when the following conversation between republican senate candidate Matt Rosendale of Montana and an unidentified person took place in a bar one July night, it was in violation of the Federal Election Commission (FEC rules).

“I fully expect the NRA is going to come in… in August sometime. The Supreme Court confirmations are big. That’s what sent the NRA over the line. Because in ’12, with [Republican Senate nominee Denny Rehberg] they stayed out, they stayed out of Montana. But Chris Cox told me, he’s like, ‘We’re going to be in this race.’”

Chris Cox is the head of the NRA lobbying efforts, and sure enough, earlier this month, the NRA spent more than $400,000 on ads hitting Rosendale’s democratic opponent, incumbent Jon Tester over the precise issue that Rosendale mentioned—the senator’s votes on Supreme Court nominations. Dirty pool? You betcha. Is anything likely to come of it? It is extremely doubtful, for there is no evidence in the audio recording that Rosendale consented or encouraged the contribution. Just one more of the many tricks the GOP and NRA have up their sleeves.

‘Fear’-less library …

The town of Berkeley Springs is located in Morgan County, West Virginia. West Virginia voted 75% for Donald Trump in 2016, which says something about the state. Nonetheless, there is a library in Berkeley. The Director of the Morgan County Public Library is one Donna Crocker. On Tuesday, when Bob Woodward’s book, Fear: Trump in the White House, was released, Berkeley Springs resident Rob Campbell generously attempted to donate a copy of the book to the library but was turned down flat. Crocker declined his offer, saying that they “… wouldn’t be putting books like that on the shelves anymore.” Books like that??? Like what? What year is this, again?

After a hue and cry on Facebook by residents who are apparently eager to read the book, Ms. Crocker’s decision was overridden by Connie Perry, the president of the trustees of the Morgan County Public Library. Ms. Perry attempted to pass the incident off as just a ‘misunderstanding’, saying “It was an employee who . . . wasn’t aware of what she should have done.” And yet … Crocker is the Director, not just any employee. I strongly suspect Ms. Crocker made the decision based on her own political preferences, for when asked in a phone interview about her decision, she said “I don’t want to get in the middle of that. We have other Trump books.”

And thus concludes yet another episode of Snarky Snippets. Have a great rest-of-the-weekend!

Today in the ‘Alternative Universe’ …

Posted on September 13, 2018 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, Political commentary, Trump's Staff Picks

A few headlines caught my eye today …

Trump’s FEMA chief under investigation over use of official cars

I have to ask the question: Is there anybody in this administration who is not under investigation??? A quick 10-minute search turns up …

David Shulkin – Former United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs – spent more than $122,000 of department money on a 10-day trip to the UK and Denmark in July 2017—which involved only three and a half days of meetings. A government investigation into the trip found he had committed several “serious derelictions,” including bringing his wife on the trip at the taxpayer’s expense and improperly accepting free Wimbledon tickets.
Steve Mnuchin – Secretary of the Treasury – requested a government plane to take his wife on a honeymoon to Europe, and has come under fire for spending nearly $1 million on just seven trips.
Scott Pruitt – Former EPA Administrator – spent $168,000 on charter, military, and first class flights in his first year in office, despite EPA guidelines saying he should travel coach. The trips often included weekend layovers in his home state of Oklahoma. Pruitt splashed around $43,000 on a sound-proof phone booth in his office (to name only a few!).
Ryan Zinke – Secretary of the Interior – failing to keep proper records of his travel, been criticized for booking charter flights, and taken helicopters costing thousands of dollars when he could have taken a car. He spent $139,000 on new office doors (following a slew of embarrassing headlines, he says he has cut their cost by nearly half).
Ben Carson – Secretary of HUD – ordered a $31,000 dining set. The inspector general of Carson’s agency is also investigating whether Carson broke ethics rules by involving his son, the owner of a private equity firm, in government activities.
Tom Price – Former Secretary of Health & Human Services (HHS) – spent more than $1 million of taxpayer funds on his own travel in private jets.
Wilbur Ross – Secretary of Commerce – pledged to recuse himself from any matters involving his shipping interests, but he negotiates trade deals that could benefit some of his shipping interests.
Betsy DeVos – Secretary of Education – despite a potential conflict of interest, increased by as much as $10.5 million her investment in Neurocore, a company that offers brain performance training to children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, autism and depression.

And then there are the ones tagged by Robert Mueller in his investigation:

Paul Manafort
Michael Cohen
Michael Flynn
Rick Gates
George Papadopoulos
Jared Kushner
Stephen Miller
Don Trump, Jr.

And the list goes on … and on … where it ends, nobody knows!

Oh … and I left out another who, in addition to being investigated by Special Counsel Robert Mueller …

Donald J. Trump – continues to earn money from his businesses. The Trump Hotel in Washington, D.C., has become a fundraising mecca for special interest groups, foreign governments, Republicans and GOP-aligned groups. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort doubled its initiation fee after Trump’s election. Trump has also visited his properties more than 100 times since he was elected, according to news organizations that have tracked his travels.

All of this could explain why Walter Shaub, who resigned from his position as Director of the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) said on his way out, “I think we are pretty close to a laughingstock at this point.”

Do I recall somebody promising to “Drain the Swamp”???

Trump pushes conspiracy theory about Puerto Rico death toll

“3000 people did not die in the two hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico. When I left the Island, AFTER the storm had hit, they had anywhere from 6 to 18 deaths. As time went by it did not go up by much. Then, a long time later, they started to report really large numbers, like 3000. … This was done by the Democrats in order to make me look as bad as possible when I was successfully raising Billions of Dollars to help rebuild Puerto Rico. If a person died for any reason, like old age, just add them onto the list. Bad politics. I love Puerto Rico!”

That’s right, folks … the death toll, reported by George Washington University, was cooked up by some unnamed, evil democrats who only want to make Trump look bad. Does anybody else feel like just slapping this man across the face … over and over again?

The hue & cry was almost immediate, with San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz saying, “This is what denial following neglect looks like: Mr Pres in the real world people died on your watch. YOUR LACK OF RESPECT IS APPALLING!”. Representative Bennie G. Thompson, the ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, called on Trump to resign. “The fact that the President will not take responsibility for his Administration’s failures and will not even recognize that thousands have perished shows us, once again, that he is not fit to serve as our President.”

Even Paul Ryan, while not directly mentioning Trump’s tweet, said “This was a function of a devastating storm hitting an isolated island, and that is really no one’s fault. The casualties mounted for a long time, and I have no reason to dispute those numbers.”

The Washington Post’s Fact Checker was quick to issue Trump’s claim a ‘Four Pinocchio’ rating.

Populist Donald Trump drains swamp with fundraiser where he profits off $70,000 pictures with him

According to The Washington Post’s Josh Dawsey, the cheapest entry price is $35,000 per couple, which entitles an attendee to dinner. A “photo opportunity” with Trump costs $70,000, while participating in a roundtable with the president requires $100,000.

Now I ask you … who in their right mind would pay $70,000 to have their picture taken with … a slimeball??? And by the way … the purpose of the fundraiser is his 2020 campaign. Shoot me now.

The fun just never stops, does it? Have a great evening, folks!

Head-Shakers …

Posted on September 6, 2018 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, Humour, Political commentary

I don’t know about you guys, but I need a just a tiny break from this week’s relevant news stories that are swirling in a mad maelstrom of colours rather like a Picasso painting gone awry. And so, this afternoon, I give you two almost completely irrelevant stories that gave me cause to shake my head and roll my eyes. 🙄

I am somewhat of a dud when it comes to pop culture these days. I don’t watch television, for I far prefer to read, and I have little enough “me-time” as it is. So I am not ‘up’ on the latest in entertainment. For the past few months, a name kept crossing my radar, but I ignored it, for it didn’t seem apropos of anything. But now, this person is being sued by Roy Moore, so my curiosity is piqued. Thus, I was drawn to Google where I typed in “who is sacha baron cohen”.

Per Wikipedia:

“Sacha Noam Baron Cohen (born 13 October 1971) is a British actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer. He is best known for creating and portraying fictional characters Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, Brüno, and Admiral General Aladeen. Like his idol Peter Sellers, he adopts a variety of accents and guises for his characters and rarely appears out of character.

In most of his routines, Baron Cohen’s characters interact with unsuspecting people, documentary style, who do not realise they are being set up for comic situations and self-revealing ridicule.”

Okay … so, just what did he do to annoy former judge and pedophile Roy Moore? Well, apparently Moore accepted an invitation to appear on Cohen’s show, Who Is America, because he “thought he was receiving an award for supporting Israel.” Now wait … Moore was a federal judge for years … surely the man cannot be so bloomin’ stupid as to believe that a comedian, known for setting people up to make fun of them, would be awarding him for supporting Israel! According to The Guardian …

“In the segment Baron Cohen appeared as the bushy-eyebrowed faux counter-terrorism instructor “Colonel Erran Morad” discussing bogus military technology, including a supposed paedophile detector. The device repeatedly beeped as it got near Moore, who sat stone-faced.”

So, why didn’t he get up and leave when he figured out that he was the brunt of the joke? Not that he wasn’t getting what he deserved, but still … he had the option to get up and walk out. The lawsuit asks for $95 million in punitive and compensatory damages for “defamation and emotional distress”. Awwww … pobrecito! First, he was stupid enough to get suckered into going on the show, and then he just sat there like a bump on a log while being insulted, and now he wants to collect $95 million!!!

Remember back in 2016 on the campaign trail when things got ugly? Oh yeah … that’s right … the entire fiasco was ugly, wasn’t it? But there were a few that stood out, like the feud between Marco Rubio and Donald Trump. Trump kept mocking Rubio, who stands only 5’9”, calling him “Little Marco”, and so finally in March 2016, Little Marco decided to reciprocate by saying of Trump …

“He is taller than me, he’s like 6′ 2″, which is why I don’t understand why his hands are the size of someone who is 5′ 2”. Have you seen his hands? And you know what they say about men with small hands — “

Anyway … to the point … turns out “Little Marco” is a tough guy after all. After attending a Senate intelligence committee hearing yesterday, Rubio was being interviewed by reporters in the hallway. Alex Jones happened to be in the same place at the same time and he was heckling and harassing, interrupting the questions, and then, he … touched Rubio on the shoulder! GASP!!! And that touch led to … The Confrontation:

Rubio: “Hey, don’t touch me again, man. I’m asking you not to touch me again.”

Jones: “Sure, I just patted you nicely.”

Rubio: “But I don’t want to be touched. I don’t know who you are.”

Jones: “You want me to get arrested.”

Rubio: “You’re not going to get arrested. I’ll take care of you myself.”

Wow … who knew he had it in him? Jones, by this time out of patience, proceeded to call Rubio a few choice names like “little frat boy,” “snake-like” and a “gangster thug.” Heh heh heh … don’t you just love the maturity here? Now, personally I don’t much like being touched by strangers, and if Alex Jones ever so much as looked like he was going to touch me, he would be on the ground holding his nethers in a heartbeat, but then, I’m not a senator.

And that’s it for now … I’ll be back later! T.G.I.F. (Please don’t disabuse me of the notion)

Filosofa's Word

Cogito Ergo Sum

Category Archives: Bits ‘n Pieces