I began getting a daily email of the “National Day” events a few months ago, for our friend Ellen occasionally teased me for not knowing that it was a certain “National Day” on the calendar. It has become a nightly ritual for me to read off the many national days on a nightly basis, to my girls, and we have a bit of fun over such things as National Hug-a-Plumber Day, National Shrimp Scampi Day, etc. However, as I was reading off the National Days last night, one in particular caught my eye. I pondered, and daughter Chris said she could smell the wheels turning (a bit of rust … the wheels need to be oiled).
National Honesty Day is celebrated on April 30 in the United States to encourage honesty and straightforward communication in politics, relationships, consumer relations and historical education. It was invented by M. Hirsh Goldberg, who chose the last day of April for two reasons. First, since the first day of that month, which is April Fools’ Day, celebrates falsehoods. Second, it is the anniversary of the First inauguration of George Washington on April 30, 1789.
By now, I’m sure you know where my mind is headed, yes? Interestingly, this month, according to The Washington Post Fact Checker, Trump logged his 10,000th lie since taking office! I debated writing a little made-up conversation with Trump in which I asked questions and he answered honestly, since it is Honesty Day, but even when I allowed my creativity to flow freely, I simply could not imagine him telling the truth. So, instead I thought I’d feature a few ‘toons related to the subject. But first, a bit of related trivia I came across:
- According to Times Dispatch, a recent Gallup poll found that nurses are the most honest people. In contrast, lobbyists, salesmen, and members of Congress are supposedly the least honest people. (This was from 2012, in the ‘pre-Trump era.)
According to Goldberg’s book The Book of Lies: Fibs, Tales, Schemes, Scams, Fakes, and Frauds That Have Changed The Course of History and Affect Our Daily Lives, the average person lies about 200 times a day with lies including omission and white lies. (Seriously???)
- According to a poll conducted by London’s Science Museum upon 3,000 British citizens, the average British man tells three lies a day, while the average woman tells two lies a day. The average lie for a man is “I didn’t drink that much!” and for a woman it is “Nothings wrong, I’m fine”. Also according to the poll, people are more than likely to lie to their mothers.
And my own personal favourite …
Good morning, folks … c’mon in … please forgive the mess … the kitties decided to shred a couple of cardboard boxes last night, and I haven’t had a chance to vacuum yet. I’m sad to tell you that Jolly is still not up to himself, but his girlfriend Joyful, to whom I 
Yep, one of those Roomba thing-a-mah-doos that vacuums the floor by itself. Apparently, this Roomba decided the floor had become dusty … now who in the heck vacuums the bathroom, anyway? According to Sergeant Danny DiPietro …
Those were great Joyful! Thank you, honey! Now go back and see to Jolly … here, take him a fresh cup of tea …
Awww … that’s so cute, Joyful! Thank you!
Payton took the little guy in, bottle fed him and nursed him to health, and from that day forward, she was his momma! She named him ‘Jack’, a fitting name for a donkey, although I likely would have named him Eeyore.
“He became really playful and now loves playing with my dogs. Right now he sleeps inside with me since he’s still so little and I give him a bottle about every two hours and then take him outside to use the bathroom. Jack also will not go to sleep unless my dog is with him. He will cry all night instead. I grew up showing steers and I’ve had my fair share of what you would call life on the farm. I don’t actually live on a farm but we do have property with other livestock animals on it.”
“Jack’s transformation has been the greatest thing ever to watch. It’s been so heart touching watching him thrive. From watching him barely have enough strength to stand up to watching him run around and play with my dogs has been the greatest thing ever!”
There’s a saying that they grow them big in Texas … I think this young lady’s heart is proof enough of that!
And on that note, I shall send you off to your Monday duties, hopefully with a bit of a smile on your face, one which I will no doubt relieve you of later today with my next post. Sigh. Have a great week, my friends, and remember to share your smiles & hugs … we all need a few extras these days! Love ‘n hugs from Filosofa and Jolly!
Tucker Carlson, who I consider one of the most bombastic fools of the 21st century, had his 15 minutes in the spotlight last week. Turns out he’s always been an idiot, as evidenced by some decade-old radio recordings unearthed by Media Matters for America. A few samples …
While I’m in the Trump-mocking mode, what about his claim … repeated claim … that his father was born in Germany? While declaring his love for Germany, Trump said he’s proud that his father was born in the country. “Born in a very wonderful place in Germany, so I have a great feeling for Germany,” Trump said. Fred Trump was born in the Bronx.
Yesterday, at an impromptu gathering on the White House lawn, Sarah was asked by a reporter by what statute, by what authority Trump felt it was within his power to shut down the Mexico-U.S. border as he has threatened. Her response?
Hi everyone! You like cartoons? I like cartoons a lot. I find some funny cartoons dis morning I think you’ll like, okay?
Dis is a Bush Viper. It lives up in the trees of the tropical forests of Africa, and does most of its hunting at night. I think it’s cute, but kinda scary.
This one’s a Giant Isopod, one of the largest of the existing isopods. “The enormous size of the giant isopod is a result of a phenomenon known as deep sea gigantism. This is the tendency of deep sea crustaceans and other animals to grow to a much larger size than similar species in shallower waters.” I would be scared of it, wouldn’t you?
Don’t be a-scared! It won’t hurt you. It’s a Goblin Shark! It’s really rare, and they sometimes call it the ‘Living Fossil’. “… the only extant representative of the family Mitsukurinidae, a lineage some 125 million years old.” Goblin sharks inhabit around the world at depths greater than 100 m (330 ft), with adults found deeper than juveniles. Given the depths at which it lives, the goblin shark poses no danger to humans. See, I told ya it won’t hurt you!
This one is a Mantis Shrimp! Also called the “sea locusts“, “prawn killers” and even “thumb splitters”, this is one of the most common predators in tropical and sub-tropical waters; little is known about them, however, because of how much time they spend hiding in their burrows. Isn’t it beeeeeooootiful?
How can you not love this cute little Panda Ant? This one will hurt you, though! The Mutillidae are a family of more than 3,000 species of wasps (despite the names) whose wingless females resemble large, hairy ants. Found in Chile, they are known for their extremely painful stings, hence the common name cow killer or cow ant. Black and white specimens are sometimes known as panda ants due to their hair coloration resembling that of the Chinese giant panda.
You like dis Red-Lipped Batfish? It looks like it has lipstick on, doesn’t it? Found on the Galapagos Islands, this fish is actually a pretty bad swimmer, and uses its pectoral fins to walk on the bottom of the ocean. I don’ think I wanna meet up with dis one!
Dis is the most interesting one, I think. Umbonia Spinosa is its name. These thorn bugs are related to cicadas, and use their beaks to pierce plant stems to feed upon their sap. Their strange appearance still poses many questions to scientists. I think it’s pretty, but kinda scary, too.
