Monday, September 29, 2014

Rain; WWII Planes; ISIS; President; Barbarism; Rich Crooks; Climate Change; Mother Nature; Sweetness; Trivia; Humor; Inversion; Oaths

Overcast day.. the first one that I can remember for quite some time. 



Did you know that Baltimore, Maryland has the same amount of rain per year as Seattle, Washington?  I know that is hard to believe because it's always raining in Seattle, but apparently most of our rain comes during the night.. just like in Camelot.  Aren't we lucky?


"Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!
How I wonder what you're at!
Up above the world you fly!
Like a teatray in the sky."


Lewis Carroll  Alice in Wonderland


01.  A Chance to Soar


Next week, some World War II planes will be coming back to the Carroll County Regional Airport in Westminster, Maryland, and we will have a ringside seat on our deck to watch these well-kept antiques flying through our valley.  Three planes will be showcased: 


B17 Flying Fortress
B24 Liberator
P51 Mustang (dual control)


To fly in one of the bombers will cost you $450 for 30 minutes.


To fly in the Mustang (and maybe take over one control) will cost $2,200 for 30 minutes, or $3200 for a full hour.


World War II veterans "get in free"... I think that means that the vets will be able to get free tours of the planes, while ordinary folks will have to pay $12.  Where I live (Carroll Lutheran Village) has lots of guys who served in WWII.  I missed out by 7 years, but me and my buddies kept the home front free for democracy.


02. Make ISIS into WASWAS?


Yesterday, warplanes struck ISIS strongholds in Syria, as ISIS moved its adherents into the homes of civilians (nice guys!)  The news of the strikes was posted inconspicuously on page A7 of the Carroll County Times, while news about a local presentation ceremony occupied page A1.  Who was it that said that all news is local?


03.  In Defense of our President


The Progressive Populist:  Boehner said: "The president appears to view the effort against ISIL(ISIS) as an isolated counterterrorism campaign, rather than as what it must be: an all-out effort to destroy and enemy that has declared a holy war against America and the principles for which we stand."


"Our conclusion: Obama has plenty of feck.  He has enough sense to deny ISIS the reinvasion of IRAQ by American troops that the jihadis want. And he has an air force to supply cover for any native army that proves to be worth covering.  And once again, thank goodness John McCain isn't making the call."


AMEN!


04.  Random Barbarism Foiled


New York Times:  Australian PM Tony Abbott said that police foiled an ISIS plan to carry out a beheading of a random member of the public.  At the same time, the New York City police went on high alert because of ISIS warnings of attacks on Jews celebrating New Year.


05  Rich Criminals


Towson Times:  In the unit block of Texas Station Road a cashier behind the counter at Lowe's home improvement store was robbed at knife point.  The robber escaped in a Jaguar.




06  Climate Change


Tribune500,000 people marched in New York City for Climate Change.. the event was covered on one of the back pages only.


07  Mother Nature


Just when I thought that we had survived a nice Summer season without any nasty events, a strong wind came up out of nowhere and blew over my deck umbrella, squashed some flower plants, harvested some green tomatoes, and tore a hole in the screen door. 


08  You Sweet Thing, You!


New York  Times:  I didn't know this before, but aspartame is 200 times sweeter than sugar.   Apparently, this bothers Nutra-Sweet, because they are getting out of the aspartame business.  Is this the yellow, blue or pink envelope?


09  Entertainment Trivia


a.  Name 3 musicals based on Shakespeare's work


1.  Cole Porter's Kiss Me Kate (Taming of the Shrew)
2.  Rodgers and Hart's  The Boys from Syracuse (The Comedy of Errors)
3.  Bernstein's West Side Story (Romeo and Juliet)


b.  What are the names of the street gangs who slug it out in West Side Story?


Jets and Sharks


c.  How old was Irving Berlin when he died?


101


d.  What was Fred Astaire's real name?


Frederick Austerlitz


e.  Who was the famous singer who sang the role of stevedore Joe in the 1936 film version of Show Boat?


Paul Robeson


(Once, when Robeson was reviewing a script of Porgy and Bess, he asked the director what all the "Dis", "Dat", and "Dose" words meant.  Paul had no experience with folks that used those words.)


10  Who knew?


Car Talk:  The guys mentioned witzelsucht, which is a condition of excessive facetiousness and inappropriate or pointless humor.  People with this condition have trouble relating to the humor of other persons.  I'm sure we have all met some folks who are suffering with this condition.


11  Inversion News


New York Times:  Senators Sherrod Brown and Dick Durbin have written a bill to levy an additional tax on those companies going offshore.. at the point they depart.


12.  An Option


Carroll County Times:  The United States Air Force has now made the words "so help me God" optional in their oaths because of the threat of legal action by an atheistic airman.  This should generate a lot of comments.


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