I find nothing "Fun" about this particular Friday, so I'll put up just a couple of graphics. I'm hopeful to put something together more joyful next week.
This is how our journey began eight years ago:
And now we’ve come to the end of a presidency the like of which not only us, but few Americans have ever witnessed. Not sure where I saw this drawing, but I think it captures how most of us feel. It was actually drawn by someone in Amsterdam, Netherlands – so it’s a universal sense of thankfulness for those eight years, and now a sense of great loss:
This is a sketched drawing (you can see the pad) I saw on Twitter, and it prompted me to dig a little deeper. This site has a little background informat.
Now that we’re burdened with #45, we can at least be thankful we had #44. So with all sincerity I hope you'll join me in saying, "Thank you, President Obama!"
We’re all aware of the growing inaugural boycott by Democrats following Traitorous Trump’s denigrations of Civil Rights icon, Rep. John Lewis. Apparently skipping Trump’s “bigly day” is a common sentiment among true Americans, because there have only been 200 requests for bus parking permits for his inauguration on January 20th. That’s one-thousand FEWER than the 1,200 that have been requested for the Women’s March on Washington the following day.
So what if he had an inauguration, and nobody showed up? Apparently Donald is so worried about that possibility that he’s now gone on Facebook to offer FREE TICKETSto his inaugural! (Personally, I’d hold out for some really good swag to sweeten the pot, if I were a right-winger.)
And, of course, we’ve been reading about the endless refusals of A-list celebrities to show up and perform for Trump. It’s gotten to the point that it has Donald so desperate that he’s now going to take matters into his own hands (teeny, tiny though they may be), and has decided to play his accordion for the crowd!
That'll be sure to pack 'em in! A preview:
Background Note: I posted this GIF over at DailyKos, and it seemed to tickle folks’ funny bones – so I decided to share it here. Especially since there’ll be no “Friday Fun” on the 20th because I don't find anything really “fun” about that date.
But I do hope to put something together on a more serious note.
My best friend from medical school sent me a YouTube “Life Accordion to Trump” that prompted my search for the accordion GIF. So here’s the video:
In stark contrast to Pres. Obama’s eloquent and heartfelt Farewell Address, the next day we were subjected to Traitorous Trump and his bigly bad “press conference” – which largely dealt with him trying to deny an unverified salacious dossier produced by a former British intelligence officer.
Of the many very believable reveals contained in that leaked dossier was that Traitorous Trump was filmed while participating in one of his pornographic proclivities: having prostitutes pee for (?on?) him while he was in his pal, Putin’s, Russia.
This perversity is referred to as a “Golden Shower” ― also known as “Water Sports”. But we shouldn’t be too surprised about Trump’s perverse penchant – after all, Hillary warned us about those “Golden Showers” during the first Debate when she was describing his economic policies:
So let’s enjoy the subsequent Tweet storm his fondness for “Golden Showers” generated …
I wonder if Trump's press conference tomorrow will have a live stream.
And if you are planning to attend the inauguration, be sure to wear the appropriate hat (and I bet you thought I was going to say “Be sure to bring an umbrella”):
Who better than Stephen Colbert to compile almost every pun out there in an amazing “Punorama” that begins at about the 2:48 mark – and it has GREAT CC!
And the most recent Medal of Freedom recipient couldn’t pass up an opportunity for another wonderful prank:
[Disclaimer: Not miine! Saw if in a Comment somewhere. ]
I have a couple of apropos photos to close out this Friday Fun on Trump, and I was debating which one to use. But urine luck – I’m going to use both of them!
Hopefully this will inspire all of us for the need to …
During the recent Holidays I came across a photo that was described as “historically iconic” – but I had never seen it before:
Even on its face the photo is quite compelling, juxtaposing the Hanukah menorah against the Nazi flag. But the story behind it with its poem on the back resonated with me as a possible preamble – although assuredly (… hopefully) not at all on the same scale – to our impending travails come January 20th.
The picture was taken on the last (eighth) night of Chanukah in 1931 by Rachel Posner, the wife of Rabbi Dr. Akiva Posner, in the small town of Kiel, Germany. As tradition suggests, the menorah was displayed prominently in a street-side window, and the Posners happened to live directly across the street from the Nazi headquarters.
On the back of the photo Rachel composed a poem in German:
Chanukah, 5692 (1932)
"Juda verrecke"
die Fahne spricht
"Juda lebt ewig"
erwidert das Licht"
“Death to Judah”
So the flag says –
“Judah will live forever!”
So the light answers.
When posters began appearing around Kiel declaring “Entrance to Jews Forbidden”, Rabbi Posner was angry and wrote a protest letter that was published in the local paper. Subsequently he was summoned by the chairman of the local branch of the Nazi party to participate in a public debate which took place under heavy police guard.
As anti-Semitic sentiment rose, and then scattered violence began to rear its ugly head, the Posner family fled to then-Palestine (Eretz Israel) in 1933. Fortunately they were able to convince most of their fellow 500 Jews in Kiel to also leave. And they also brought the “Light in the Window” with them.
The menorah is on permanent display at Yad Vashem, Israel’s national Holocaust Memorial. But the family is allowed to use the menorah every year at Hanukah.
To me, the lesson is that we must all stay on guard, lest we deceive ourselves into believing “That could never happen again – at least not in America!”
Sadly, there is a vile person who will lead our nation come January 20, 2017. We must not let our guard down.
RESOURCES
[PS: I know Rachel wrote “1932” – but authorites agree that the eight days of Chanukay in the Jewish year of 5692 was 1931]
Having just returned from a delightful and low-key Christmas visit to my Mom’s in Illinois, this one will be brief.
While Donald may strut the world-stage thinking he’s cock of the walk (well, he is a dick – so there’s that), China has taken a different approach to his impending presidency disaster. They’ve decided to mock and ridicule him with a 23-foot tall statute of a cock. (23-feet? Right … with those tiny fingers? In your dreams, Donald!)
Since the coming January 28th Chinese Lunar New Year will be the “Year of the Rooster”, the company that owns a shopping mall in the Chinese city of Taiyuan (in the northern province of Shanxi) commissioned a giant statue of one to stand outside welcoming shoppers to their complex.
But this rooster comes complete not only with Donald’s peculiarly curious coif, but also his overgrown bushy eyebrows and strange semaphore hand gestures. (And you don’t have to be familiar with American Sign Language to know that Trump’s hands signal he’s a schmuck.)
So while Trump in just the short time from his “election” has managed to ruffle the feathers of China, they’ve managed to make money by mocking him. You can buy replicas of the Trump cock rooster being sold by the Shenghe Yangtai Business for anywhere from $57 up to $1,739 for one standing 32-feet tall.
And it’s not the first time the Chinese have enjoyed mocking Trump. Back in November a visitor to the zoo in Hangzhou noticed a golden pheasant had a striking resemblance to Donald.
This was brief because, as I mentioned, I just got back from my Christmas visit, and spent this morning paying my county’s Personal and Real Property taxes, and doing my year-end charity donations online.
From my own experience, for those of you interested in taking advantage of your tax-deductible donations, it may not be common knowledge that while some organizations are fully designated as 501(c)(3) [for me, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, Doctors Without Borders, Southern Poverty Law Center] – others that you may want to give to [like ACLU and Planned Parenthood] are not.
SO to work around that obstacle and get a tax deduction, you can instead donate to the ACLU FOUNDATION (both national and state ones) and the Planned Parenthood FEDERATION of AMERICA, Inc. Those are 501(c)(3) and fully tax-deductible.
Oh and don’t forget our duty for the next four years is to …
Feeling a bit rushed for time about now – and you haven't even gotten arount to putting up your Christmas lights outside yet?
Well, apparently a number of people have come up with an easy solution …
Oh, and for you who live in the Southern tier of states, a word to the wise WRT outside Christmas decorations: There's a good reason why you should NOT be adorning your palm trees with lights …
OK, I’m sneaking a small reprise in from last year. But you can’t create traditions without repeats. Besides, few things are cuter at any time of the year than Penguins – whether singing, dancing, waddling … or helping raise money for leukemia research.
Let’s start with my reprise from last year – and feel free to join in the singing to the tune of “Hark the Herald Penguins … err ANGELS Sing” …
“Hark!” the Herald Penguins sing:
“Please don’t eat our little wings!
“Eat a goose down to the bone,
“But leave Penguins all alone.
“Baby ducks are very sweet;
“Tastier than Penguin meat.
“Find us in your grocery store?!?
“Please don’t shop there anymore!”
So how exactly do Penguins help raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society? Well, right here in the KCMO Metro we can find that answer by meeting a Scrooge who had an epiphany.
Paul Craig of Olathe, KS lost his Mother to leukemia shortly before Christmas back in 1999, and his sorrow at Holiday time carried over for several years.
"For the next few years, I was no fun to be around during Christmas," Craig explained.
But then in 2003 he saw some of colorful giant inflatable penguins in a big box store, and decided to play joke on his wife who has been collecting penguin tchotchkes for years. So he bought three of them to surprise her by putting them up in the yard.
(Below is just some of his wife's Penguin tchotchke collection)
And like his wife's, Paul's inflatable penguin collection continued to grow and grow until there are now over 150 inflatable, motorized-moving, music-playing, bubble-blowing, illuminated display of penguins that fill his entire yard (and spill over into a neighbor’s) from Thanksgiving to New Year.
And thus was born Paulie’s Penguin Playground – to the delight children of all ages. And to make the Penguins – plus Santa, elves and other Christmas characters – feel right at home, he has now even added a snow-making machine!
Craig begins the work (with help from neighbors and friends) of putting the display up right after Halloween of setting up the display which requires over two miles of 12-guage extension cords! He estimates that the cost over the years for purchases, storage and financing the running of the display has mounted to over $100,000 – all of which he pays for out-of-pocket.
His biggest ongoing cost is the electricity bill. It jumps from a typical $300/month to more than $2,500 for the month of December!
Friends have pointed out to him that he could use the $2,500 to pay for a vacation to go and see REAL LIVE PENGUINSin their natural habitat.
But Craig says, “When you see the eyes of the little kids light up as much as the lights in the penguins, it just brings such joy to your heart. Then the other part, the good part we’re doing is raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.”
All the donations visitors leave go directly to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society – none are used to help pay Craig’s bills. And he’s raised over $50,000 in donations!
The past year Paul had surgery and was worried the Penguins were not going to get off the ground. But friends and neighbors pitched in, and Paulie’s Penguins were soon flying high again
Well, okay – Penguins don’t actually fly. But they sure make Holiday spirits soar! And all while helping to find a cure for a disease that had robbed him of the Joys of Christmas Season …
[NOTE: The Slideshow is NOT AutoPlay, so hopefully it won't so loading down too much. Click on the thumbnails to manually advance them at your own pace.]
(FOOTNOTE: I’ll be heading up to spend Christmas with my Mom in Illinois, so this will be the last "Friday Fun" for a bit. So hope you all have a Joyous Holiday – however, you spend it.)
