Do you need something to laugh at? Of course you do, considering what is happening during the current U.S. presidential campaign. Like every other U.S. voter, this blogger also wishes that the 2024 U.S. presidential election were already over. We keep wanting the sweet meteor of death to strike planet Earth in order to end our misery, but it never arrives. Even if you … [Read more...] about Do you need something to laugh at? Of course you do!
Miscellaneous
Ghost Stories for Christmas underscores traditions, celebrations of Christmas past
I've finished reading this absolutely marvelous new anthology, Ghost Stories for Christmas: Volume 1. Compiled by writer Andi Brooks, it's a collection of supernatural Christmas stories published in the 19th and early 20th century periodicals. There are great writers featured, including Washington Irving, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Charles Dickens. But just as much fun is … [Read more...] about Ghost Stories for Christmas underscores traditions, celebrations of Christmas past
Do you know the sources of famous quotes?
It is not uncommon for people to attribute famous quotes to the wrong sources. How are you at identifying correct quote sources? Let's start with a saying that is sometimes misattributed: "Cleanliness is next to godliness." Yes, John Wesley says it in one of his sermons, but he puts the saying in quotation marks, thus indicating that the saying did not originate with … [Read more...] about Do you know the sources of famous quotes?
Barbie has been vindicated. Mathematicians are nuts.
Poor Barbie was severely rebuked when she dared to say, "Math is hard." Now, she has been vindicated. As it turns out, mathematicians are nuts. For example, what does 8÷2(2+2) equal? Mathematicians do not agree on what the correct answer is. Sean Gannon has a B.S. in Mathematics and a M.S. in Mathematics Education. According to him, 8÷2(2+2)= 16. A British … [Read more...] about Barbie has been vindicated. Mathematicians are nuts.
THE PERFECT STORM
This is so much more than grief -- what we are living with every day. The more we know about our world, the more we can respond, not react, to the chaos we’re living in. The more we know about ourselves, the better chance we have of making it through with less permanent damage. Yes, we’re all grieving – personally and universally. For ourselves, for our loved ones, for … [Read more...] about THE PERFECT STORM
You get a Zamboni! You get a Zamboni! You all get a Zamboni!
Did you know that a 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis is an off-road vehicle? No? Well, neither did I until the morning of 08 February 2021 when I deliberately took my 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis off-road. It was either do that or hit another car that was out of control. A Slip 'N Slide is fun, but I prefer not to go Wham-O into another person's vehicle, which I would have if I … [Read more...] about You get a Zamboni! You get a Zamboni! You all get a Zamboni!
Donald, Pretender to a Throne::: TYPICAL TRAITS OF MENTALLY ILL KINGS
They usually wind up burning down the castle [if I cant have dominion, I will unleash scorched earth], or fleeing in the midst of a severe anxiety collapse, or being deposed, e.g., dragged out by the feet, or mocked until retreating by cover of night, or going into hiding whilst still asserting at every turn how he was mistreated. Rather than how he betrayed and took the … [Read more...] about Donald, Pretender to a Throne::: TYPICAL TRAITS OF MENTALLY ILL KINGS
Wow, Pigs Really Do Fly
Pigs really do fly. That is according to flight attendant Patricia Leung, who was interviewed by Yahoo Canada for a story titled Ask The Expert: Can your outfit get you a flight upgrade? Flight attendants reveal airline secrets. When asked what are the weirdest items that people bring on a flight, Leung gave this response: "Yeah, a miniature pig. So I guess our airline … [Read more...] about Wow, Pigs Really Do Fly
If you are going to be a criminal, then don’t eat beans.
If you are going to be a criminal, then don't eat beans. From news station WCYB in Bristol, Virginia: "Police in Liberty, Missouri, were able to 'sniff out' a hiding suspect after authorities say the suspect passed gas so loudly, it gave away their hiding spot." If a sequel to the movie Blazing Saddles is ever made, then perhaps the suspect can get a role in it. … [Read more...] about If you are going to be a criminal, then don’t eat beans.
Sports Columnist Needs Cheese With His Whine
In a column for USA Today Sports, Andy Nesbitt whines about the Superbowl always being played on a Sunday. Nesbitt writes, "Having the Super Bowl on a Sunday night makes no sense anymore. Moving it to Saturday allows everyone to have more fun while watching the game, not having to worry about how they might feel when they sit down at their desk at work on that following … [Read more...] about Sports Columnist Needs Cheese With His Whine
How about some good news for a change?
"We sure could use a little good news today." That is the ending statement of a song recorded by Canadian singer Anne Murray and released in 1983. That lament is applicable right now. So, how about some good news for a change? 1. A would-be mugger gets his just desserts. 2. Families of Sandy Hook victims score a legal victory. 3. Finally, a pardon for the … [Read more...] about How about some good news for a change?
How Facts Get Chosen and Minds Get Changed
One of my recent articles, “The Mistake You Make in Every Political Argument” (Mistake) made the claim that most political arguments that seem to turn on a disagreement over moral values actually hinge on a disagreement about empirical facts. Mistake was shared by thousands of people of all political persuasions because they saw power in its diagnosis of, and prescription … [Read more...] about How Facts Get Chosen and Minds Get Changed
Job Search Psychology and How to Help Veterans Get Jobs
Looking for work can be one of the most stressful experiences of all. It’s intimidating to put yourself out there and to set yourself up for possible rejection along the way to finding a job. We wouldn’t do it if we didn’t have to. So, other than the obvious need to support ourselves and our families, what goes through our minds when making the decision to look for a new … [Read more...] about Job Search Psychology and How to Help Veterans Get Jobs
‘NCIS’ Again Skunked—Except by the People
Once again, as expected, the people who give out Emmy nominations skunked NCIS. No nominations for acting. None for writing. Not one for directing or producing. Not even a nomination in what the industry calls the minor awards—sound editing, stunt coordination, and dozens of others. The one-hour drama, with light overtones, is the most-watched drama in television, but the … [Read more...] about ‘NCIS’ Again Skunked—Except by the People
Uptown Funk and The Time
It's been a while sine I last penned a column for TMV. I hope to blend politics with a few other items of interest a few times a week. Last year, a catchy song hit the airwaves from Marc Ronson and Bruno Mars entitled Uptown Funk. It's fun, contagious and very danceable with a nice hook to it. For music folks, who love to dance, the hook is the part of the song that makes … [Read more...] about Uptown Funk and The Time
A New Default Self
Why are you unhappy? Because 99.9 percent Of everything you think, And of everything you do, Is for yourself -- And there isn't one. -- Wei Wu Wei Wei Wu Wei is the pen name of Terence Gray, a 20th-century, Anglo-Irish author of pithy provocations aimed, like the one in the epigraph, at the prevailing notion of selfhood. By flatly denying the existence of self, he … [Read more...] about A New Default Self
6 Reasons You Can’t Win (And 3 Reasons You Can Anyway)
6 Reasons You Can't Win Why are you unhappy? Because 99.9 percent Of everything you think, And of everything you do, Is for yourself -- And there isn't one. - Wei Wu Wei 1. An interior witness acts as an impartial judge of our shifting fortunes, tracking our wins and losses. No matter what we have to show for ourselves, regardless of the evidence in our defense, … [Read more...] about 6 Reasons You Can’t Win (And 3 Reasons You Can Anyway)
The Annual Avariciousness Assault; And a Non-Existent War Upon Christmas
by Walter Brasch It’s now been about a week after Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. During the four-day spree, about 133.7 million shoppers spent about $50.9 billion, according to AP and TIME magazine. The psychological necessity to push, shove, and trample strangers while fighting for the right to purchase overpriced merchandise made in … [Read more...] about The Annual Avariciousness Assault; And a Non-Existent War Upon Christmas
Keep Portland Weird
I grew up in Portland but have not actually lived there for decades. I do still live a few miles from Portland and I'm proud of it. Can "Keep Portland Weird" be a winning strategy? Apparently so! [icopyright one button toolbar] From across the country, Portland looms as this place where everything comes in quirkier, locally produced, more artisanal versions of what the rest … [Read more...] about Keep Portland Weird
Another Happy 4th Of July
OK, I use the same picture every year but it fits me. A picture I took in Berkeley, CA in the mid 70s. So a happy 4th and a recycled picture. … [Read more...] about Another Happy 4th Of July