SoINeedAName

Friday Fun OR Saturday Smiles OR Sunday Snickers

 Posted by at 7:44 am  Politics
Feb 242019
 

(Maybe it's Saturday SOMEWHERE in the world)

It’s been an unusually busy week for me, so I’m just pulling a few out of the air, hopefully for your amusement.  And a couple of Public Service Announcements. 

Stop me if you’ve heard these before …

Oprah, Obama, Trump and a high school girl were traveling on a plane together.  The engines start to sputter badly, and then they saw the two pilots parachuting out.

The four looked at each other in bewilderment and concern – because they saw there were only three parachutes left.

Oprah steps forward and tells the girl: "I'll take one of the parachutes, and I'll build a school for girls in your honor.  It'll benefit thousands of young women like you …" And she jumped out.

Trump lumbered forward announcing, "Give me one of those parachutes!  In case you didn’t realize, not only am I the best President America has ever had, I’m also the smartest person alive!"  He clumsily straps it on and jumps out the plane.

Obama looks at the girl and said "As you know, I have two lovely daughter – and I believe children are our future.  I want you to have the last parachute."

The girl replies: "No, we're good.  There are two parachutes remaining. ‘The smartest person alive’ took my backpack."

Just a reminder of what his Wharton professor said of him:

And Chancellor Merkel can provide proof:

But there’s an easy explanation for Twitler’s toddler-like “intellect” AND actions:

So it’s not a bit surprising that his Trumpkins are equally … hmmm … seriously IQ-challenged:

According to a recent CNN poll, Donald Trump's approval rating is 38 percent, which is the same percentage of people who think "collusion" is when two pickup trucks run into each other.

On the “Good News” front, it looks like Mueller Special Counsel’s Report is imminent. 

And yet Twitler continues to try and claim “No collusion”.  But I trust Mueller will be able to connect the dots – shouldn't be too hard:

And wouldn’t it be odd if this were true:

Reporter 1: "Donald Trump died yesterday, so they buried him."

Reporter 2: "Are you sure he was dead?"

Reporter 1: "Well, he said he wasn't, but you know how he lies."

And with 2020 approaching and the field of excellent Democratic candidates growing, this is how it must seem to Donnie:

 

SERIOUS PSAs

[1] Informed Delivery Provided by USPS

Informed Delivery provides eligible residential consumers with a digital preview of their household's incoming mail scheduled to arrive soon.  Users can view greyscale images of the exterior, address side of incoming letter-sized mail pieces (not the inside contents) via email or an online dashboard. Check out our FAQs for more details.

I set mine up to come as an email, and the notification typically arrives before 9:00 AM. 

Not only is it a nice feature, but it prevents someone from grabbing your option to use it.  There have been reported cases that someone signed up as another person, then monitored when packages were arriving in order to steal them.

You can see it’s a USPS address:

https://informeddelivery.usps.com/box/pages/intro/start.action

And the FAQ page:

https://faq.usps.com/s/article/Informed-Delivery-The-Basics

[2] Opt Out of Receiving Prescreened or Pre-Approved Credit Card and Insurance Offers

You can fill out the online form (or call) to opt out of receiving those annoying credit card and insurance offers that are pre-approved.  It helps protect your identity to some degree.

I did the 5-year option, because the permanent option requires you to mail back some form.  And I did NOT provide my SSN – but did provide my birthdate.  Seems like that was enough info to process me, because I got a confirmation notice.

You can see it’s a government website:

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0148-prescreened-credit-and-insurance-offers

Which will direct you to here to complete:

https://www.optoutprescreen.com/

ADDENDUM

I would strongly suggest that when you sign up at BOTH sites you enter your LEGAL name.

For example: If your legal name is "Robert" – enter "Robert" … NOT "Bob" or "Rob"

If your legal name is "Roberta" – enter "Roberta" … NOT "Bobbi"

I first entered my common name on the "Informed Delivery" rather than my legal name used on the IRS forms – and got rejected.

But entereing my legal name solved the problem.

CAVEAT: Dependiing on how long you have lived at the address you enter, you might still have to enter your SSN to qualify.  

PLUS if you select the "Permanent Opt Out" – they might be more restrictive.

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Friday Fun: Westminster Woozles, RBG Returns, Rosalynn Gets Bussed & Canadian Road Rage

 Posted by at 4:31 pm  Politics
Feb 152019
 

[Sidebar: Some of us (like TC) are much more conscientious in getting things posted in a timely manner than others of us (like ME).  There was just too much news happening today – I let the bright shiny object get my attention, just like a dog …]

Woozles Want Equal Time

And speaking of dogs, while many of us have shared our delight in having Pooties, I have no doubt we have our fair share of Woozle lovers out there, too.  I think they deserve some equal time – and what better way to provide it to them than some clips from this week’s Westminster Kennel Dog Show?

Not being a dog-person myself, I’ll be honest in saying that I was surprised how much I truly enjoyed the Agility Course Run  competition – especially the weaving part.  So here are some GIFs of the winners while weaving.

[NOTE: The heights refer to both the height of the bars they have to jump AND the dog’s height.  A dog cannot compete at a higher height than their own actual measured height.]

8” Division Winners

Lark

12” Division

Pixel

16” Division

Pink

Boss

Click for List of All Winners

 

Here are the entire runs of all the top winning competitors.  It really is quite entertaining!

Notorious RBG Returns to Work Today – YIPPEE!

How’s this for some great news?  One of our favorite Supreme Court Justices, Ruth Bader Ginsburg (AKA Notorious RBG) today has returned to her actual workplace – first time since her lung cancer surgery in late December.

(Even though not physically present, she has been keeping up with the Court’s workload while recuperating at home – although she has missed two weeks of oral arguments.)

No doubt her regular workout routines have helped the 85 year-old Justice in her rapid recovery from her fall, rib fractures and lung cancer surgery.

And it’s reported she enjoyed the Get Well Card that was signed by a few folks wishing her a speedy recovery whose names you might recognize: Steven Spielberg, Lady Gaga, Spike Lee, Glenn Close, Laura Dern, Amy Adams, Ron Howard, Ted Danson, Helen Mirren, Stephen Colbert, Meredith Vieira and MORE!

 

Rosalynn Gets Bussed on Camera

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, 94 year-old Pres. Jimmy Carter took Rosalyn to an Atlanta Hawks basketball game.  They were there to receive a humanitarian award from the Hawks for all the good deeds they do, and also to honor the LGBTQ community during the Hawk’s first “Pride Night” celebration.

The theme for the night was “Love Wins” – so it’s not surprising that the couple (who were married in 1946) was featured on the Hawk’s “Kiss Cam”.  And this is not the first-time they’ve been on a “Kiss Cam”.  The Atlanta Braves featured them twice, in 2015 and 2016.

Winter Road Rage – Canadian-Style

Despite Thursday being Valentine’s Day, everything was not all love, kisses and roses in Canada.  A couple people caught videos of some brutal winter road rage, Canadian-style:

Now THAT’S something we would all welcome crossing our borders!

In closing, I suppose for fairness’ sake, we should also give our Pooties some “face-to-face” time … with a window washer.  No doubt there was enjoyment happening on BOTH sides of the window pane in this video clip.

 

 

 

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Friday Fun: The Clap Heard Round the World

 Posted by at 2:44 pm  Politics
Feb 082019
 

(DISCLAIMER NOTE: Sorry for being so late, but as you might know from the news, KCMO and a good deal of the Midwest got hit with a triple-whammy weather-wise this week.  We first got hit with the dreaded freezing rain; then we got hit with a layer of sleet; then it was topped off by a little snow. 

(Today was the first day we got double-digit temperatures – but only in the teens.  I needed to take advantage of our “balmy” weather to work on getting my downhill driveway drivable – rather than slidable – as I haven’t left the house now in four days. End of Disclaimer.)

The Clap Heard Round the World

No doubt we’ve all seen Speaker Pelosi’s now famous “FU” clap to Twitler during his SOTU speech this past Tuesday.  (And in this instance, that “FU” is NOT the medical acronym for “Follow-Up”.)

But since it was such an iconic moment, I can’t help but feel we should memorialize it.

Pelosi has accomplished something few thought possible: she turned a clap into a viral art form.  I mean, who could imagine that she could use it to send a message of disdain, condescension, umbrage and even threats of revenge.  She clearly has become the new “Plaid Shirt Guy”.

And almost instantly it became a popular Internet Meme with many iterations, so let’s enjoy a few.

First, a quick review of Pelosi in action:

Some folks penned their observations about “The Clap”:

 

I liked the way he turned to her looking for approval.
– Did I read it good, Mrs. Pelosi?
– You did very well, Donnie. Now clear up the crayons and make sure your desk is tidy before recess.

WaPo Comment 1

I don’t understand all the analysis.  The dynamic is very clear: Grandma is applauding a three-year-old for not throwing his breakfast on the floor.

WaPo Comment 2

Some decided to take advantage of the cutout created for Photoshopping and have her appear in familiar scenes, just like Forrest Gump did:

Others decided to caption that famous photo:

 

And my favorite caption:

But as far as Trump’s SOTU speech, I think Twitler’s very own special guest, Joshua Trump, speaks for us all:

But I want to leave you with a strong positive note.

It’s been well documented that women rocked the vote in the 2018 midterms.  And on Tuesday they made a powerful statement dressed in white – joined by the in-your-face taunt of daughter, Tiffany Trump.

So it’s no wonder that I love the GIF that “Man In the Hoody” put together titled “she will rock u”.

I had hearing back in 1977 when Queen recorded “We Will Rock You”.  So just from the excellent visual cues in this GIF I was able to enjoy remembering the lyrics:

Stomp Stomp Clap

Stomp Stomp Clap

Stomp Stomp Clap

Stomp Stomp Clap

Stomp Stomp Clap

Stomp Stomp Clap

Buddy, you’re a boy, make a big noise

Playing in the street, gonna be a big man someday

You got mud on your face, you big disgrace

Kicking your can all over the place, singin’

We will, we will rock you

We will, we will rock you

I can hardly wait to see what Speaker Pelosi will do to Twitler in SOTU #3 … assuming he’s even around for #3.

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Friday Fun: A Polar BRRR!

 Posted by at 3:27 pm  Politics
Feb 012019
 

There’s an old and wise adage that advises one to not change horses in midstream.  But if you thought I’d heed its wisdom, you’d be wrong!  I had a “Friday Fun” all worked up – but then decided this once in a lifetime (hopefully) record-shattering Polar Vortex needed to be memorialized.  So it was back to the drawing board, which is why it’s so late in getting posted.

Plus it gives me a chance to showcase my old stomping grounds of Chicago, which was brutally hit – like much of the country.

But if you thought sub-zero temps with wind chills of -50 degrees – or more – would stop some idiot adolescent from going outside WITHOUT A SHIRT to throw boiling water in the air to have it freeze instantly, you would be wrong.

But it does make for a pretty photo.

JOHNNY CARSON: It was really cold this week.

AUDIENCE: How cold was it?

Cold enough to actually make light poles shiver!

We’ve all seen lots of pictures featuring the record-breaking weather, so I want to focus on some of the unique phenomena peculiar to Chicago.  But first, an aerial overview of the city showing Lake Michigan frozen along the shoreline.

 

WHY ARE THEY BURNING THE TRAIN TRACKS?

Probably the most surprising thing that was covered was the “burning” of the train track – both Amtrak and Metra.  But actually this is standard practice when the weather drops below freezing.

As one could imagine, brutal cold weather can wreak havoc on the rails with snow and ice clogging the track switchings that are vital to keep the trains running.  The tracks aren’t actually set on fire, as Chicago actually uses a gas-fed system adjacent to the rails to generate heat at its A-2 interlockings – the busiest intersections for switching tracks.  Similar to the gas logs you might have in your fireplace.

And fire is also employed to repair “pull-aparts” where the temperature is so cold that it causes the metal to shrink causing the rails to pull apart.  In those straight-away locations that are not equipped with gas (or electric) heating they use a rope soaked in kerosene.

The four guys in the orange vest in the slideshow above are working on a pull-apart.  You can tell from the black smoke created by the kerosene.

Not to worry – it’s perfectly safe.  Not only does at least one staff person stay on hand to monitor the flames, but the diesel fuel trains use combusts only with pressure and heat, not open flames.

The gas-powered heaters are a little old-fashioned and are only used at A-2 intersections – the busiest interlocking sites.  That’s because the density of the rails makes it difficult to employ more modern technology.  At other locations, electric-powered heating elements and electric-powered hot air blowers are used.

WHAT THE FOG?!?

“Smoke On The Water” … it’s not just the title of a Deep Purple song.

When a very cold air mass moves off the land and blows over the warmer water it creates what’s called “Sea Smoke” or “Sea Fog”.  This happens even if Lake Michigan is iced over – that’s because the Polar Vortex produced temperatures that were significantly colder than the ice.

For about the first 25-seconds of this Twitter video you can get a sense of how cold it must be to create the vastness of Sea Fog/Smoke like this.

KA-BOOM!

I actually experienced an “Ice Quake” on Tuesday – KCMO’s coldest day.

Decades ago Illinois had an earthquake on a Saturday morning when I was in high school that I can still recall.  And I felt that again on Tuesday and checked w/ the neighbors who said they felt it, too – accompanied by a loud “BOOM”!

Apparently these “Ice Quake” or “Frost Quakes” were felt across wide swaths of the Midwest on Tuesday and Wednesday.

When temps tumble below zero it can cause a natural phenomenon known as “Cryoseism”.  It’s an actual seismic event that happens when there’s enough water in the ground that freezes with super cold temps.  This then  cause enough expansion (just like the old milk bottles dairy men would leave on our porches in the old days) to crack the frozen soil causing a “quake”.

But enough of the science lessons.  Let’s enjoy some of the really odd outcomes of this Polar Vortex visit.

 “♫ I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles ♬ … That FREEZE Instantly”

And You Might Have Problems With Your Car – Especially When the Polar Vortex Begins With Freezing Rain

And If Your Car Does Start, Hope You Don’t Get Pulled Over By This Officer

And If You Get Hungry, Do NOT Eat Your Noodles Out On The Balcony

And Lord Help You If You Have To Go To Bathroom

But it also created some beautiful photos, too.  So I’ll leave you with my favorite – a flock of geese in a Sea Fog on the lake.

 

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Friday Fun: Trump Turns White House Into “White Castle”

 Posted by at 9:52 am  Politics
Jan 252019
 

It was just a little over a week ago that Twitler regaled the NCAA Championship football team – Clemson – with a repast that was hard to believe: Fast food from McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s and Domino’s Pizza because of the Trump Government Shutdown.

Of course, the Innertube could not let that go by – and they had a field day:

And it got worse when he misspelled “hamburger” in one of his Tweets (which was taken down to correct it, so only a screenshot):

Which, of course, led to more mocking by the Innertube:

And topped off by a brilliant Tweet from Burger King:

Knowing of Twitler’s adoration of the Big Mac, one Tweeter imagined the reaction he would have viewing a buffet bursting with burgers …

This forced Sarah Huckabee Sanders to intervene and try to defend him:

While on the topic of sports team visiting the Trump White House, there’s an update.  The 2018 NBA Champions Golden State Warriors had first said they would refuse a visit to the White House – so petty, petulant toddler Twitler retaliated by not inviting them.  But yesterday they relented and did visit the President …

A REAL President (he’s the short guy in the middle).

Yesterday when Mueller called the Grand Jury together on a very rare Thursday gathering, we got a hint that something was up.  So let’s just cut to what makes THIS Friday so freaking Fun … and call it a day!

And here’s the FBI in action:

But if you’re like me and really will probably never tire of watching it, here’s a GIF for you:

And who knew that Roger Stone getting all decked out in his Rich Uncle Pennybags Top Hat & Tails for Twitler’s inauguration would come in so handy for mocking him:

Rest assured, this will NOT be the last shoe to drop!

 

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Friday Fun: Celebrating Cat Critters … and Human Critters, Too

 Posted by at 2:16 pm  Politics
Jan 182019
 

[Apologies for being later than I usually post, but I spent the morning and good part of the afternoon running errands and stocking up for being iced, snowed and frozen in beginning this evening.]

America is very fortunate to have Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the helm in the House – her fierce leadership is a good reason people call her “Ninja Nancy”.

But our pootie critter friends  also want to show off their chops with some of their fantastic Ninja moves that were caught at just the purrfect moment.

ATTRIBUTION:

https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/ninja-cats/?utm_medium=fk&utm_source=fkk-c4m&utm_term=1022019&utm_campaign=ninja-cats&utm_content=blog-link

https://mymodernmet.com/ninja-cats-hisakata-hiroyuki/

In fact, someone has suggested that rather than Trump’s wall or “steel slats barrier” that a kitten-fortified shrubbery hedge would both be attractive and efficient.

(And as always, the Comments are even more entertaining.)

And meet a cat who thinks the kitchen floor must be made of lava because, with his Ninja-like moves, he avoids touching it at all costs!

 

I wanted to close with a heart-warming story 5to restore our faith in humanity, and I needed to go no further than our own Kansas City Chief’s offensive lineman, Jeff Allen.

A week ago last Saturday when KCMO was dealing with a snowstorm that pummeled the Midwest, Allen’s car got stuck in a snowbank on the way to the big game.

A Good Samaritan by the name of Dave stepped right up and pulled Allen’s car  free – even towing it up the hill.  Allen wanted to thank him, but improperly entered Dave’s phone number on his cell, so only knew that his first name was “Dave” and he drove a Suburban SUV.

So, he turned to the Chiefs Kingdom for assistance with a Tweet:

Through the power of social media, he was able to locate Dave.

And as noted, Dave Cochran is a homeless man – but with a big heart.  So that Suburban SUV Dave used to haul Allen out of the snow also serves as Dave’s home!

Turns out that Allen was not the only person Dave helped that day:

Cochran helped free at least five autos and asked for nothing in return, not even from the guy behind the wheel of a flashy new car.

“I was kind of scared because I’m towing with a ’95 Suburban,” Cochran said, “and he’s driving a brand new 2019 BMW.”

Washington Post

Dave earned the three free tickets he’s getting!

 

Dave said the reward meant a lot to him — he’s a lifelong Chiefs fan, but has never been to Arrowhead Stadium.

“God bless him,” Dave said. “I’ve never been to a football game in my life.”

CBS News

Well, not only did Dave get three tickets for tomorrow’s AFC Championship game against New England at Arrowhead Stadium courtesy of Allen, but the KC Glass Guys noticed that Dave’s Suburban SUV/Home had three missing windows – not good for a home, given the weather we’ve been having and are going to get.   They put in all three new windows as an appreciation for his good deed!

When Trump continues to plumb the depths of hate, bigotry, misogyny, etc. (and apparently has still not hit bottom), I hope a story like this helps restore our faith in our fellow man.

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Friday Fun: The Sweet Smell of Success

 Posted by at 9:59 am  Politics
Jan 112019
 

Well, the Kossacks (of which I count myself a proud member) over at Daily Kos outdid themselves in sending a sweet smell of success to newly-elected Speaker Nancy Pelosi – and she deserves it!

At the suggestion of Daily Kos founder, Markos Moulitsas, they raised enough money to send 25,000 long-stemmed roses to her!  And at her request, to share them with other Democrats and the largest bulk to patients at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

This was not the first time Kossacks have flooded the office of Speaker Pelosi with roses.  Back in 2010 they delivered 2,600 roses to her, other Democratic staffs and patients at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on her birthday as a “Thank You!” for her efforts in getting the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) passed.

This time the original goal was to raise enough money to send 10,000 roses, estimating that $10 would provide 3 roses.  But they far outstripped their goal raising enough money to send 25,000!

Obviously, no office could hold that many roses, so at Speaker Pelosi’s suggestion, 8,000 were delivered to her office and other Democrats’ offices around the Capitol – and the remainder sent to patients at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

 

As you no doubt can imagine, you don’t just trot into the Capitol offices with 8,000 roses.  It took the planning of military precision to accomplish that feat, with coordination between Daily Kos and Speaker Pelosi’s staff.  And in fact, Moulitsas himself flew to Washington, DC and spent the morning helping carrying crate after crate up to Pelosi’s second floor office – which he described as “A great workout”.  (I’d be drenched in sweat.)

But it did not only involve coordination between the Daily Kos and Pelosi staffs, it took the Herculean efforts of a wholesale supplier and florist preparer to get the job done.

There have been some people who point out that the money could have been better used – and as someone who donated both times, I really can’t quibble with that too much.  But I will also point out that the people at DK raised over $200,000 at ActBlue just for Democratic candidates during the past 2018 election.  So I would say they have a history of being generous donors – as witnessed by the fact that it only took an hour and a half after posting to raise the money for the original goal of 10,000 roses.

The order for the 25,000 long-stemmed roses was placed at the wholesale florist Potomac Floral Wholesale in Silver Spring.  Jeff King, a sales team manager and public relations specialist for the floral wholesaler said, “It was the largest single rose order that we’ve ever received.”

King explained that red roses come in 20-50 different varieties with names like “Red Paris” and “Sexy Red” – but by coincidence, all 25,000 long-stemmed roses were the “Freedom” variety.  A nice happenstance!

They ended up sending 25,000 roses at 89 cents a stem, or $22,000.  BUT that does not include the cost of a local florist processing the shipment for delivery.

When you place a huge order like this, they don’t show up arranged in cute little vases.  The blooms come straight from the fields, wild and packed into large cardboard boxes.  That means someone is hired for picking them up, unpacking them, cutting the stems, removing excessive foliage, arranging them in vases, and delivering them.

That mammoth undertaking of processing 25,000 roses was handled by Angela Brunson of Blue Iris Flowers in Eastern Market.

As anyone who’s ordered flowers knows – it’s the middle-man that takes the biggest cut.  I have no idea how many thousands of dollars it cost to have the florist pick up 25,000 roses, unpack 25,000 roses, cut the stems of 25,000 roses, remove excess foliage from 25,000 roses, arrange 25,000 roses and deliver 25,000 roses – but I’m sure it was a huge sum!

With 8,000 roses in the Longworth House Office Building, it was reported that you could smell them just on entering the building.  Surrounded on all sides by the virtual garden of flowers, Speaker Pelosi exclaimed, “I’ve never seen so many roses in my life.”

At a time when Trump has cast a tumultuous dark cloud over America – and the World – Paul Hogarth, who managed the DK end, said: “We wanted to express our love for all the work she does and how hard Speaker Pelosi worked to get a Democratic majority.”

Founder Moulitsas added, “People wanted to do something nice for once.”

RESOURCES

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/10/1825079/-So-we-delivered-soooo-many-flowers-to-Nancy-Pelosi

https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/01/09/nancy-pelosi-gets-delivery-roses-thanks-an-online-fundraiser/?utm_term=.d31ccf9b31ca

https://www.washingtonian.com/2019/01/10/nancy-pelosi-freedom-roses/

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/3/1823278/-Join-our-Roses-for-Pelosi-effort-and-thank-our-new-House-Speaker-for-her-incredible-leadership

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/03/bloggers-send-nancy-pelosi-260.html

BONUS

As you know, Paul Manafort’s “crack” legal team posted their latest filing on line with the parts documenting he was getting paid for the colluding he was doing while on the Trump campaign “redacted” – well, sort of redacted.

You can view a PDF of their failed filing here:

https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/5677512/Manafort-20190108-Dc.pdf

All you had to do was copy/paste it into a word document – and voilà – the whole thing shows up.

It was a pain to reformat it, because it was in  that weird legal formatting, but it did it.  But if you want to see what Manafort didn’t want you to see, you can view it as my Word document on the OneDrive cloud here:

https://1drv.ms/w/s!AvRxVTeLcrBWtPg7S97c6HYuzRomjw

 

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