SoINeedAName

Friday Fun: War Against the Zombies!

 Posted by at 3:24 pm  Politics
Mar 272020
 

We truly are at War … against two Zombies.

One is an ugly, almost invisible microscopic Zombie that is currently wreaking havoc not only in the United States, but around the world – and about which we’ve heard a great deal:

The other is also an ugly, but way too visible fat Zombie that is also wreaking havoc not only in the United States, but around the world – and from whom we’ve heard WAY TOO MUCH:

I’m bringing this up because there’s an excellent overview article in WaPo about how viruses function that’s aimed at laymen.  And it’s FREE to be read and shared as part of WaPo’s effort (like The New York Times and The Atlantic magazine, and I’m sure other publications) to help educate the public about Coronavirus disease or COVID-19 (which is caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2, or SARS-CoV-2).

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/03/23/coronavirus-isnt-alive-thats-why-its-so-hard-kill/

Viruses are a true conundrum for scientists, many of whom actually refer to them as “Zombies” – because they really do NOT fit the criteria of a living thing.

Specifically, viruses are problematic for biologists because they don’t have cells, and therefore do not belong to the three main groups of life that all other organisms do: Bacteria, Archaea (a different form of microbe) and Eukaryota (plants, animals, fungi, etc. – organisms whose cells have a nucleus enclosed in a membrane).

This diagram might be too technical, but it’s an overview of how a virus hijack’s a cellular host’s machinery:

Viruses are basically just rogue genetic material (either DNA or RNA) housed in a protein shell called a capsid. They are unable to reproduce on their own, and so they use their protein shell to invade the host cells in order to insert their DNA or RNA into the host’s cells, and commandeer the host’s “machinery” to produce more of their own DNA or RNA viruses.

As noted in the WaPo article:

There is a certain evil genius to how this coronavirus pathogen works: It finds easy purchase in humans without them knowing. Before its first host even develops symptoms, it is already spreading its replicas everywhere, moving onto its next victim. It is powerfully deadly in some but mild enough in others to escape containment. And for now, we have no way of stopping it.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/03/23/coronavirus-isnt-alive-thats-why-its-so-hard-kill/

So paraphrasing from a Comment, we can see a striking similarity between the Coronavirus Zombie as detailed above, and the Trump Zombie detailed below:

There is a certain evil genius to how this Trumpublican pathogen works: It finds easy purchase in humans who know nothing. Before its first host even develops symptoms, it is already spreading its lies and hatred everywhere through Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, etc. – before moving onto its next victim. It is powerfully deadly in some “hosts” causing them to run over protesters with their cars, but mild enough in others to make them merely vote for the GOP. And, for now, we have no way of stopping it.

But come November 3rd we’ll be able to decapitate (it’s the only way to kill one) that Trump Zombie  with our votes – and DESTROY IT!

(Have I hinted enough that I would truly encourage you to read the WaPo article to gain an overview to how a virus functions?)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/03/23/coronavirus-isnt-alive-thats-why-its-so-hard-kill/

BUT I also want to share some absolutely wonderful ads that are being produced from a variety of sources to attack *Rump – with many using his own words as a petard on which to hoist him.

I hope you’ll feel free to share them with like-minded friends, and those fence-sitters who are amenable to common sense.

This one is from Mike Bloomberg:

 

Documenting how *Rump Failed to Act

 

This is the Priorities USA one (again, using his OWN WORDS) that *Rump’s lawyers have sent a “Cease & Desist” letter to try stop it from airing.

NOT. GOING. TO. HAPPEN!

In fact George Conway (Kellyanne’s husband) is leading the charge in getting into as wide circulation as possible:

 

We know that all presidents at some point will face a true crisis – *Rump FAILED!

A timeline calendar of Trump trying to minimize the Pandemic

This is Biden’s most recent excellent ad put out just a couple of days ago:

Enough of this Doom & Gloom. Let’s close with a smile!

Since people are hunkered down, it’s amazing how inventive they’ve been in entertaining themselves. One theme I’ve seen repeated several times involves folks doing their own DJing. (Is that even a word?)

PSA Heads Up: If you have a cat, be careful what you employ in your bag of tricks:

 

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Saturday Smiles: Lemonade Out of Lemons (COVID-19 Version)

 Posted by at 9:26 am  Politics
Mar 212020
 

During Trump’s self-proclaimed “Democratic HOAX” that has morphed into an actual PANDEMIC, the world needs a leader who can be taken BOTH literally AND seriously. Sadly, Trump fails on both counts.

We’ll try to find some enjoyment – hopefully at Trump’s expense. But let’s first begin with some FACTS & TRUTHS – both of which are clearly anathema to Donnie:

Now let’s enjoy some humorous takes on Trump’s gross mismanagement of COVID-19 beginning with a microscopic view of the virus that explains a lot:

One does have to wonder why Trump put Pence in charge of dealing with the Coronavirus (other than to ensure that they’d BOTH go down together). But apparently in his own unique way, Pence is on top of it:

It looks like Trump and Pence are finally taking the Pandemic seriously:

Here are a couple of Tweets that provide a PSA about the virus:

 

And this would be Mitt Romney’s favorite PSA:

 

Taking hoarding to a whole new level!  Maybe we can do this poor soul a favor and provide a few recipes using boxes and boxes of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes and dozens of bottles of 1000 Island Dressing.

If you’re wondering where Trumpkins are getting their medical care …

And if you’re looking for that unique gift to commemorate the Pandemic:

Ones that I particularly got a kick out of:

And to close, my favorite: There are two types of Costco shoppers with different approaches in preparing to hunker down:

 

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Friday: Empty Venues Worldwide

 Posted by at 9:24 am  Politics
Mar 132020
 

Since this is (hopefully) a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic crisis, I felt it would be fitting to memorialize in pictures the impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on daily life.

(I know it will be large – but we should feel the impact of it.)

JFK Airport:

Dodgers Spring Baseball Game:

Madison Square Garden Last Night (NBA Season Now Canceled):

Soccer Game in Europe:

Louvre, Paris:

String Quartet Concert, Venice:

Duomo Cathedral Piazza, Milan:

Pigeons gather on Piazza del Duomo by Milan’s cathedral on March 10, 2020 in Milan. – Italy imposed unprecedented national restrictions on its 60 million people on March 10, 2020 to control the deadly coronavirus, as China signalled major progress in its own battle against the global epidemic. (Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP) (Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images)

Galleria Shopping Center, Milan:

TOPSHOT – A general view shows a woman walk across the deserted Vittorio Emanuele II galleria shopping mall on March 10, 2020 in Milan. – Italy imposed unprecedented national restrictions on its 60 million people on March 10, 2020 to control the deadly coronavirus, as China signalled major progress in its own battle against the global epidemic. (Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP) (Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images)

Paper Products Section, Costco:

A customer walks past mostly empty shelves that normally hold toilet paper and paper towels at a Costco store in Teterboro, N.J., Monday, March 2, 2020. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Ginza Shopping District, Tokyo:

TOKYO, JAPAN – FEBRUARY 26 2020 Virus frightens visitors at Japan’s shopping district of Ginza. Image of empty street in the heart of the luxury hub of the capital.- PHOTOGRAPH BY Massimo Rumi / Barcroft Studios / Future Publishing (Photo credit should read Massimo Rumi/Barcroft Media via Getty Images)

Super-Highway, Hong Kong:

St. Peter’s Square, Rome:

VATICAN CITY, VATICAN – MARCH 8: A view of empty chairs at St Peter’s Square before the live-broadcasting of Pope Francis’ Sunday Angelus prayer during the Coronavirus emergency, on March 8, 2020 in Vatican City, Vatican. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced the closure of the Italian region of Lombardy in an attempt to stop the ongoing coronavirus epidemic in the Italian country. The number of confirmed cases of the Coronavirus COVID-19 disease in Italy has jumped up to at least 5,883, while the death toll has surpassed 230. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)

Church Pews:

Mecca:

TOPSHOT – An aerial view shows an empty white-tiled area surrounding the Kaaba in Mecca’s Grand Mosque, on March 6, 2020. – An eerie emptiness enveloped the sacred Kaaba in Mecca’s Grand Mosque, Islam’s holiest site, where attendance at Friday prayers was hit by measures to protect against the deadly new coronavirus. (Photo by Bandar ALDANDANI / AFP) (Photo by BANDAR ALDANDANI/AFP via Getty Images)

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Friday Fun: Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

 Posted by at 2:13 pm  Politics
Mar 062020
 

You probably recall that Monty Python admonished us to “Always Look on the Bright Side” …

Of course, there is absolutely NO bright side to the suffering, pain and loss the *Rump administration has inflicted on Americans with their devastating mishandling, mismanagement and malfeasance of the Coronavirus.

No doubt this stems from Trump’s cutting $15 BILLION from National Healthcare spending that had been approved by Congress back in 2018. Exacerbated by his firing of the entire US Pandemic Response Team.

But some folks have managed to provide a few smiles and chuckles courtesy of the Keystone Kops incompetence in the Oval Office.

So let’s see if we can look on the bright side …

THIS IS THE BEST (BUT VERY WEIRD) IDEA MIKE HUCKABEE HAS EVER HAD

And I think *Rump is capable of that, if this picture is any indication:

If you needed any further proof that *Rump has absolutely NO idea what he’s talking about – here’s yet another example he doesn’t have a clue:

Well, to be perfectly honest – that’s actually a translation of Trump’s real words, courtesy of a linguist fluent in Argle-Bargle (scroll down):

I believe we should give God the last Tweet – and trust He’s not teasing us with his hopeful prescient prediction:

As for me:

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Friday Fun: And the Oscar for Best Makeup Artist Goes To …? Envelope, Please!

 Posted by at 12:46 pm  Politics
Feb 142020
 

Poor Donnie – he just can NOT compete with the Obamas. Barack and Michelle’s production company, Higher Ground, won its first Academy Award for Best Documentary this past week with “American Factory”.

And we can be sure that *Rump will not even be nominated for Best Makeup Artist anytime soon … or probably forever! And here’s the proof:

Of course, the Innertubes were not going to let this low-hanging fruit go by without picking it clean.

Some Trumpkins think that the late Bob Ross of PBS paint-instructor fame got a little heavy-handed with the orange on a portrait of Donnie …

But before we get too deep into it, let’s establish that this is NOT Photoshopped – as pics taken at the same time by other photographers prove:

(Although the original Tweeter, White House Photos, does explain s/he used Apple’s smartphone photo app to adjust the color.)

And besides, this is not the first time an obvious fake tan line has been documented. Here’s photo of *Rump at his 2019 Christmas party:

 

So let’s enjoy some of the fruits of the Intertubes’ labor.

In an apparent attempt to try to improve the situation, the original poster simply converted the photo to black-and-white – but I doubt that it was an improvement:

In fact, it reminded me of the movie “Cast Away” when Tom Hanks created his “friend” from that Wilson volleyball that washed ashore – and appropriately named it “Wilson”.

One kind soul tried to explain that *Rump wasn’t finished with his foundation makeup yet:

Other, more reality-based souls, were not so charitable in their assessments:

Then again, maybe *Rump just stood too close to a fence hole

We’ve all seen that color-coded card cartoon letting the police know if a person should be charged with a crime or let go because they’re white. But it’s now been updated to accommodate Donnie:

And of course you knew someone was going to compare him to the Oompa Loompas:

A lot of people are saying that Donnie just fell for that old “Banana-in-the-Tailpipe” gag …

But my favorite was the exploding cigar one with Bugs Bunny:

Susan Collins will be glad to hear that there is one lesson I learned from all this: He’s actually looks much better WITH the spray tan! Someone did Photoshop the picture by simply removed the orange coloring, and then you end up getting this:

And if you also take away that architectural hairdo, you get this:

So which do you think is better?  Spray tan, or NO spray tan?

[EDITOR’S NOTE:  I’m going to take off the next two Fridays.  The week after next I have out-of-town guests coming in and staying for extended visit, and I need to do some serious cleaning so the house doesn’t look like the after-effects of a debauched fraternity party.  Unfortunately my OCD does not extend to cleaning.]

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Friday Fun: I Get to Crow!

 Posted by at 7:19 am  Politics
Feb 072020
 

It’s been 50 long years in coming, but I think my Kansas City Chiefs gave America a Super Bowl super show!

Of course I couldn’t hear it, but I’ve been told it started off with a powerful rendition of our national anthem by Demi Lovato:

And the halftime show with Jennifer Lopez and Shakira has gotten rave reviews. If you want to enjoy it again, here it is:

And TC provided a great Highlights Reel of the game that you can enjoy:

But sadly, it did not include my favorite play.

Since the Super Bowl has no “Tomorrows”, teams tend to pull out all the stops. And one pulled out by the Chiefs featured some of the best dance moves we’ve seen – comparable to the Temptations or Four Tops … or if you’re young enough, your favorite Boy Band.

After lining up in normal formation, QB Mahomes and the rest of his backfield executed a dazzling synchronized 360-degree spin to realign themselves causing confusion for the 49ers. And then, rather than the snap going to Mahomes, it went to Damien Williams who power-plowed for a 4-yard gain – and a first down. Two plays later, Mahomes ran it into for the TD!

And from a different angle:

But as the adage goes, “Everything old is new again”. And there’s a very interesting backstory to this play.
The play came during a fourth-and-one on the 49ers’ 5-yard line. But its inspiration was from 71 years previous: In the Michigan-USC 1948 Rose Bowl game. Take a look:

And compare them side-by-side:

After the game, Coach Reid shared the backstory: “My brother’s high school coach was actually in that game for USC, so I had a little bit of tape. We went back through and pulled that out.”

Then Coach Reid teased us with a little sneak preview: “We actually have a whole package of it, so you’ll have to wait until next year to see the rest. There’s some good stuff.”

I’m looking forward to that already!

Wednesday was Chiefs Parade Day, and despite a windchill temp in the teens and snow flurries, there were still hundreds of thousands that lined the parade route down Grand Avenue …

Ending at Union Station for speeches and cheers. (If only we could get rid of that unfortunate arm chop.)

Fans gather for a rally in front of Union Station after a parade through downtown Kansas City, Mo., Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020, to celebrate the Kansas City Chiefs victory in the NFL’s Super Bowl 54. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) ORG XMIT: MOCR109

Unfortunately, Kansas City was subjected to a bit of unscheduled excitement about 4 hours before the parade started when someone breached the parade barricades shortly after 8:00 AM, and decided to beat the crowds with a tour of the parade route himself. He was pursued in a low-speed chase by the local constabulary, and fortunately the crowds lining the route were sparse at the time.

 

It ended safely, but I shudder to think what could have happened.

That wasn’t the only mishap.  An over-eager fan was taken out by a parking meter when trying to catch a QB Mahomes pass.  And there’s a zoom shot of it in slow-mo in the Tweet right below:

 

One of the most memorable moments for me was the pure joy shown by DE Derrick Nnadi making a “Confetti Angel” after their victory.

But Nnadi didn’t let his joy end on the field or in locker room, because when he got back to KCMO he agreed to continue his work with the KC Pet Project through his charity foundation by paying the adoption fees (generally around $150) for every adoptable dog in their shelter on Super Bowl Sunday! That was over 100 dogs!

He has been working with the KC Pet Project all year, paying the adoption fee of a particularly difficult dog to place after every KC Chiefs victory – so that would be 15 times prior to the Super Bowl.

And he hasn’t limited his charitable work to just finding Forever Homes for dogs – he’s also been helping people and kids in KCMO as well as the community where he grew up, in Virginia Beach, VA.

According to the NFL Players Association, which named Nnadi its first Community MVP this season for his philanthropy work, he gave 10 kids at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeast Virginia backpacks filled with school supplies and a note offering them his best wishes for the upcoming academic year. He also surprised 10 children from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City with a back-to-school shopping spree at Dick’s Sporting Goods.

In addition, Nnadi paid for a similar shopping excursion for a family of three children who lost their mother in a mass shooting in Virginia Beach in May.

“I’ve never been a champion before, all the years of me playing football. But that first time [Sunday] honestly feels like the best day of my life,” Nnadi said.

Trust me, Mr. Nnadi – you are a True Champion! And the shelter reports that the adoption rate has doubled since Super Bowl Sunday. Now that’s a definite Win-Win-Win: Nnadi-KCMO-Dogs!

So, on the second day of the second month in the year 2020, Coach Andy Reid notches his 222nd career victory (seems like there’s a theme there) – and finally earns his much-deserved Super Bowl ring!

 

Congratulations to Andy Reid, his staff, the Kansas City Chiefs team and its front office! A totally professional organization from top to bottom! You have made Kansas City very proud!

Now do it again next year!

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Friday Fun: A Few Farewell Smiles from the Senate’s Follies

 Posted by at 2:25 pm  Politics
Jan 312020
 

As the sham trial of Donald J. Trump Impeached draws to its rigged and foregone conclusion, I felt it would be fitting to draw on it for a few mirthful moments.  Because of its outcome, these will be more in the gallows humor range and with more than a soupçon of retribution.  And some of the Tweets actually made me laugh out.

We’ll start off with some posters that I found amusing or informative – and the first one is especially for Joanne …

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the start of his Oval Office occupation Trump claimed he knew only the “best people”. Now that most of them are either under investigation, indicted, convicted or doing time – he now doesn’t know ANY of them – especially Lev Parnas!

And his “crack” legal defense team has great difficulty even reading simple words, as demonstrated by Pam Bondi – who only had that one job to do:

And Al Franken poses the perfect question that we all would like answered – with clarification included:

We’ll close out this post with an accurate, pithy summary of what the American people have been subjected to by McConnell & his cronies:

 

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“To Every Thing There Is a Season”

 Posted by at 8:07 pm  Politics
Jan 262020
 

I have a very good excuse for being In Absentia for the past 48 hours: I’m pooped!

Yesterday marked the 35th Anniversary of the Cathedral Arts Project Flower Show at St. Cecelia Cathedral in Omaha – and as usual it was spectacular! It’s a delightful trek I’ve made almost annually for over the past quarter century.

I got up before dawn and picked up my 90 y/o “pseudo-uncle” in KCMO (he’s the brother of my aunt-by-marriage) to head to Omaha for the flower show. (His other sister, my “pseudo-aunt” stayed home for a grandson’s B-Day party). And we didn’t get back after a day of restaurant-hopping, flower-peeping and chocolate confectionary-shopping until late last night.

Pretty sure I’ve featured the Cathedral Flower Show before, and this year’s theme was based on the 3rd Chapter of Ecclesiastes: “To Everything There Is A Season”.

And for those of us of a certain age (and when I had hearing), the Ecclesiastes theme certainly revived memories of The Byrds hit “Turn, Turn, Turn”.

As I believe I covered years ago, the show assigns about 50 niches/locations/stations throughout the Cathedral for florists to present their arrangements. And this show clung very closely to the theme (something they not always have done), featuring every major holiday, life event, especially in the Catholic Church (baptism, confirmation, wedding, funeral, etc.), and a particular focus on Hispanic celebrations (Quinceañera, Cinco de Mayo, Día de Muertos, etc.).

The Cathedral is pretty packed with waiting viewers, so while you wait for your group number to be called to start your tour, you’re entertained by violin quartets, opera singers, organists, etc. My uncle is a real music aficionado, so he truly enjoys it. (It’s obviously lost on me.)

I happen to have found a decent YouTube video that at least gives a flavor of this year’s show – so I hope you enjoy it.

 

 

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