Good Monday morn, my friends! I hope you all had a lovely weekend! I’ve been a bit under the weather, but we still managed to put up the Hallowe’en decorations & lights this weekend – the girls actually did most of the work while I supervised (there are advantages to being old and infirm!).
Have you noticed that more and more, websites are demanding that you either become a paid subscriber or disable your adblocking software? I utilize over 50 different sites in the course of a week … if I had to pay for each one, I would have to win the lottery! As it is, I have paid subscriptions for a few of the more important sites I use, but I’m not about to pay for a site I only use once or twice a week seeking something fun for Jolly Monday or seeking good people! UPI (United Press International) has long been one of my best sources for fun Jolly Monday stories, but all of a sudden they are demanding I turn off my adblocker … which I amn NOT about to do! So, for this morning’s post, I went on a discovery mission and found some other good ideas! Maybe I should thank UPI!
Anyway, it’s another week full of promise to be harrowing and stressful, so grab a snack and let’s start the week off with a bit of humour …
A murder gone awry?
Did I tell you that I committed murder this weekend … not once, but twice? I typically refuse to kill any critter. When I find a cricket or a spider in the house, I coax them onto a piece of paper, then take them outside and release them so that they may live to see another sunrise. However, this weekend, two very stubborn flies got into the house, and they were driving me crazy … no way to get them to go back out into the wild, and finally I gave in to my baser instincts and … WHAP! WHAP!
So, I can understand the frustration of the 80-year-old man in the French village of Parcoul-Chenaud in Dordogne, who was only trying to eat his dinner in peace when a fly began buzzing annoyingly around him. He picked up his electronic fly swatter (who knew such a thing existed???) and took aim at the fly. Suddenly there was a huge explosion in his kitchen! Turns out that unbeknownst to the man, there was a gas leak and when he ignited the electronic gizmo, it set off a reaction and caused the explosion.
Fortunately, the man suffered only a minor burn on his hand, but the explosion also damaged part of his roof, and his house is temporarily uninhabitable. No word on what happened to the fly. I think there is a lesson here …
And speaking of insects …
I am an anomaly, for I actually like spiders and, except the one that came zooming through my kitchen a few weeks ago at 70 miles-per-hour, they don’t intimidate me. A newfound spider species that wears a striking red-and-white pattern on its back that resembles the grin worn by Batman’s long-standing nemesis, the Joker, has recently been discovered by scientists in Iran.
The resemblance is so uncanny that the researchers who described the arachnid named the species Loureedia phoenixi after actor Joaquin Phoenix, who portrayed the tormented, smiling villain in the 2019 film, “Joker.” Now, personally I will always think of Jack Nicholson as The Joker, but that just shows my age.
Heath Ledger, Jack Nicholson, Joaquin Phoenix as The Joker
Ironically, the colorful spider belongs to a genus that was named for the late punk rock icon Lou Reed, who famously wore black and rarely smiled.
On the backs of the male L. phoenixi spiders, a splash of vivid red stands out against a background of white, much like the Joker’s unnerving smile contrasts with his white facial makeup, the scientists wrote in the study. Though, you’d need magnification to see it clearly, as the spider’s body measures only about 0.3 inches (8 millimeters) long and is covered in tiny hairs.
Discovering Loureedia spiders is challenging, because the arachnids are active aboveground only for a three-week period each year.
These spiders spend most of their lives in their subterranean nests. Males leave their burrows to hunt for females, usually from late October to mid-November, and spiderlings come to the surface when they leave their mother’s nest.
And now, the part of Jolly Monday you all love … CARTOONS!!!
And a few funny memes …
I’m sorry this Jolly Monday is a bit shorter than usual, but I’m just not quite up to par, and neither is Jolly, but we did manage to find a cute animal video we think you’ll like!
And for our friend Hugh, who is going through a difficult time at the moment … know that you are in our hearts and thoughts, dear Hugh!
I hope you all have a wonderful week … or as good as you can. Keep safe, my friends … these are difficult times for everyone. Please remember to share those smiles … you never know when one smile might change someone’s outlook. Love ‘n hugs from Filosofa, Jolly and Joyful!
Last Thursday, Stone made a video appearance on Alex Jones’ conspiracy theory program, InfoWars. Stone declared that the only legitimate outcome to the 2020 election would be a Trump victory. He made this assertion on the basis of his entirely unfounded claim that early voting has been marred by widespread voter fraud.
Now, it’s easy enough to write Stone off as the nutcase he is, but the danger here is that in the past he has been one of the people Trump listened to. Is he still? Are there saner heads in the Trump administration who would … or could … talk Trump out of following Roger Stone’s clearly unconstitutional advice? Would the republicans in Congress finally grow a pair and understand that this behaviour is in essence burning the U.S. Constitution, breaking the highest law in the land? Would the military refuse to do Trump’s bidding, should he decide to follow Stone’s advice? Would William Barr finally decide to do his job instead of toadying up to Trump?
Not to be confused with National Bacon Day, celebrated in December, International Bacon Day is a relatively new unofficial holiday. Here’s the story …
There are numerous websites about bacon (who knew???) with stories, recipes, pictures, etc., but I thought I’d share with you some of the fun bacon-logo merchandise I came across while in search of information for this post.
Well, I have to admit that ol’ Double Diamond has … um … shall we say … one certain attribute! Hung well, DD!
Good morning, friends … {yawn} … and welcome to Jolly … um … what the heck day is it? Oh yeah, right … welcome to Jolly Monday.
They have installed hemp-filled urinals in public outdoor locations that were considered “hotspots” for public peeing around the city. Called GreenPees, the urinals resemble planters and are filled with hemp. As an added advantage over traditional public restrooms, they use less water and create green spaces for bees and other insects.
Okay, hooray for trying to clean up the city and do so in an environmentally friendly way. But again, at the risk of sounding sexist, I really don’t see how this helps women who are … um … somewhat challenged in this area?
