äääDefenestrated

Happy Saturday morning. There are mornings where whatever pent-up stuff is regarded worthwhile and writing comes in an amazing flush. Then, sometimes mere moments later, there comes this “huh?” moment. As a result, whenever it’s a ‘huh’ moment it’s likely a second mug of coffee which allows for some settling in. This is a two-mug morning.

Now that I’ve poured a #2, let’s get busy.

Quotation – Here’s a modernized, but very timeless, quotation from Machiavelli’s The Prince (completed in 1514, published after his death in 1532):

“Generosity” funded by debt or currency devaluation is the opposite of generosity: it is the ultimate taking.”

This quotation was especially poignant when Marcia and I swung through our local Aldi’s. This week it was noticeable; comparing equal amount of dollars spent two or three years ago now appears to result in about 35-40% less product in the cart – the difference I’ll treat as a ‘gift’.

Palace Coup – If we read about the events of last weekend occurring in any other country our esteemed media and leadership would assign a list of labels beginning with “Banana Republic”. Yet here we are. And by and large these same groups are either silent or sitting around with an “all’s Okay, nothing to see here” demeanor.

Timeline – Last week all began to unfold with the President attending another ‘shuffle round the stage’ event.

Next morning, he was declared to have come down with Covid—19, and so President Biden was isolated to what can be equated as in ‘house’ arrest.

The President in isolation Tweeted: “Here’s my plan for the first 100 days of my second term.

Within the week, The President; “it’s time to pass the torch to a new generation.”. This via text and              email was sent to staff, media, and the world. The operative word to each and all was ‘blindsided’.              Maybe Party ‘high rollers’ delivered a kick in the pants, a Party Putsch?

Magically (coup?), a day later, totally UNDEMOCRATIC but very OLIGARIC, 100% of the Biden delegates had switched votes to Kamala Harris.

This is the same group of cheats which, Tammany Hall style, previously knocked leading candidates (Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Bernie Sanders) out of contention – no debate, no discussion, actually, no voters required!

Wait, it’s been done before when in 1968 (also in Chicago) Hubert Humphrey was quietly ‘crowned’; without any of the pain of campaigning.

I guess we’ll see where this all will lead.

Two Powerhouses Discus – attached is a Master Class where two of the leading thinkers/doers in the world talk with each other – Jordan Peterson PhD Psychologist/Professor with Elon Musk founder of Tesla, Neuralink, SpaceX, Giga Factory and more. This last section deals with the direction of our nation.

Just a FYI, Peterson is a Canadian & Musk was born in South Africa – mentioning this since you’ll get a bit of an outsider’s perspective.

Set the video to the 1-hour, 26-minute mark. The first part deals much with Philosophy, Psychology, Religion, and History – the kind of stuff I live for – which you might want to also view. Else, just appreciate the discussion.

View podcast here”

Singaporeans – now boast the world’s most powerful passport once again, as nationals are now able to visit a record 195 travel destinations visa-free. This I spotted during my week’s readings.

The Olympics and our town – The woman’s US Olympic 8-man crew is Coxed by a young lady from our neighborhood. As a youth, she was a team member in Dinah’s rowing club.

Then it’s with immense pride that Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) music Director Designate Cristian Macelaru  conducted the Orchestre National de France at the Opening Ceremony to an estimated 1.5 billion viewers worldwide.

“plunge for distance”– were they to bring the, turn-of-the-last-century-Olympics-event, back as an event – I do believe I’d try out. In lieu of that event’s return I’ll just watch the 2024 Olympics a time or two.    Click here to grasp the fine details of the “plunge for distance“.

 CHANDRA, NASA’s X-ray telescope — This week is the celebration of the 25th anniversary of Chandra’s launch, NASA is releasing 25 never-before-seen views of a wide range of cosmic events taken by the Chandra X-ray Observatory.

Approximately 60’ in length it was almost the heaviest payload ever put into orbit on July 23, 1999 by the space shuttle Columbia. It’s in a large sweeping elliptical orbit from near the earth to about 1/3 of the distance to the moon. To date it’s made over 25,000 observations. Most impressive is that in the pursuit of knowledge, 700 individuals have earned their PhDs through the information gained through Chandra.

Weekend Highlight – Now I had best start to get ready. Grab my ‘geezer-pass’ for a quick bus ride to the city center. Then a walk across the Purple People bridge across the “Big Muddy” (pretty clear these days) and into Newport Kentucky. It’s their annual Goetta Festival.

Just think, over 50 Goetta themed food items to taste + two or three stages with live music.

As an aside, Marcia will NOT be attending.

Life is AMAZING!

May Peace prevail! Shalom.

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

What did the middle initial in President Ulysses S. Grant’s name [‘S’] stand for? 

1) Standiford

2) Studebaker

3) Simpson

4) Swafford

5) He didn’t have a clue

6) Salsbury

I’ll accept two answers from the list as being correct

CSO – Pops Brady Block Party

Happy Saturday morning. Last evening was our local block party. Marcia and I went and we had a great time. So, this morning, getting up I was gob smacked when I saw Marcia sitting on the couch with her second cup ‘du café’ — she beat me to being upright. Now that I’ve poured mine, let’s get busy.

Thursday at 3:00 pm I took Adrianne, Tevita, and the kids to the airport. They were off to Boston for the annual Polynesian Days weekend – it was ‘Tongan’ focused this year. I mention the whole time-thing because the traffic was horrid! Almost an hour for a trip what normally hovers around a half hour.

The reason? The new Superman movie is being filmed in town. Union Station is one of the backdrops  for the film. But, it’s the Lytle Tunnel (I-71 into downtown) which was closed to all traffic for 15 minute intervals all afternoon long that was the real problem.

Apparently, Superman has clout.

Traffic being a mess anyway I swung by Costco. Here is one purchase from the place. As you can see, we’re supporting the town of Traverse City. But, if you’ve never tasted Great Lakes potato chips from Traverse you’re truly missing something.

Politics – stormed into our lives front and center. We witnessed the horror of the assassination attempt on former President Trump. The sanest reference on how it could have happened comes from Erik D. Prince, who has had a career in the military, US Navy SEAL officer, and afterwards founded a private military company named ‘Blackwater‘:

“DJT was not saved by USSS brilliance. The fact that USSS allowed a rifle armed shooter within 150yds to a preplanned event is either malice or massive incompetence…………In my old business of providing Diplomatic Security in two active war zones we were expected to execute the basics or we would be fired. Clearly USSS failed at the basics of a secure perimeter and once shots were fired their extraction was clumsy and left DJT highly exposed to follow on attacks. It looked like they had never drilled together because those responses should be effectively autonomic. Will there be accountability? That’s not the Washington way. “

Political junkie – means that I pay (what Marcia calls “way too much”) attention to the matters that impact all our lives. This week it was the watching of the RNC 2024 convention.

It was unlike any political convention I’ve seen in the past. This was upbeat, fun, and offered a huge variety of people of differing backgrounds: College ‘frat’ boys, Gold-Star families, a spry 98 year old WWII veteran who had hit the beaches of Normandy, business types, and even ‘Hulk’ Hogan. To me it was a political event for the history books. Now we’ll see how the Dems fare.

JD Vance – is now officially running as Trump’s VP running mate. Here is a snippet of why I am paying special attention. ‘Special’ not necessarily because he’s our State’s junior Senator, nor that he hails from the little town of Middletown a mere 20 miles up the road. But, here’s why.

Attached is a picture of the cover of one of my graduate school projects and the title will give a clue as to why I’ve been following J.D. Vance since he began his run for the senate. Coming from probably the poorest backwoods ‘hollow’ in Kentucky and a drunk mother to being raised by grandparents up the road here in Middletown.

Do read his book, “Hillbilly Elegy“, it’s the all-American story of how drive, mentoring, and love can get even the poorest to be lifted up.

Block Party – was where Marcia and I were last evening. Several hundred neighbors and friends got together, got caught up, had dinner from Food Trucks (including a ‘cakes & cupcakes’ truck), and music by the city Symphony’s Pops Orchestra. All that on a perfect evening (the temps had lowered and the humidity dropped)

The music offered something for all of us. I took a few clips and put them together. You’ll see an AMAZING local highschooler play her Cello. A local gal singing from George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, to music from the Godfather of Soul, James Brown (who recorded at the old King Studios about a mile away). All this in the fresh air, sitting in a bag chairs with sunlight dancing in faces; it really doesn’t get any better.

Life is AMAZING!

May Peace prevail! Shalom.

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

Which one of these Presidents have everyone in their family with the same initials?

1) WHH
2) JKP
3) RBH
4) LBJ
5) USG
6) CAA
7) WHT

Wit – Zwart

Happy Saturday morning. Had I only been invited to the White House and the impressive NATO meetings there earlier this week, I would still be tasting one of many Double Espressos. Sadly, that wasn’t the case, no invite and therefore no Double Espresso offerings. Still, my own morning brew is just lovely.

What I also don’t think I lost much on were the vast array of speeches; speechifying on any number of topics. Considering the importance of the folk in the gatherings these speeches just had to be important, uplifting – especially those on drawn out wars, and long.

In fact, the renowned Babylon Bee wrote this satire piece on the keynote address: “U.S. — In a much-needed surge in popularity after disastrous debate performances and gaffe-filled public appearances, President Joe Biden’s popularity skyrocketed overnight after he announced Donald Trump as his vice-presidential running mate.”

Personally I would urge these NATO aficionados to pay less attention to the fancy-dinner circuit, and a little more to what powerhouses such as the following two bring to the ‘table’.

Aleksandr Isayevitch Solzhenitsyn – (1918 – 2008) author and Soviet dissident. Spent 8-years in the Soviet Gulag and then in internal exile for criticizing Joseph Stalin. In 1970 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. This is one of his countless shrewd insights:

“We know they are lying
they know they are lying
They know that we know they are lying
We know they know we know they are lying
But they are still lying”

Nelson Mandela – (1918 – 2013) South African political anti-apartheid activist. Jailed for 20-years and later became the first leader of democratic South Africa.

“Our world is not divided by race, color, gender, or religion. Our world is divided into wise people and fools. And fools divide themselves by race, color, gender, or religion.”

A Film’s Loss – Most who know me know that I am not huge into movies. Other than several old silence black and white flicks my appreciation revolves around maybe a couple of dozen or so films.

In that small listing are two, The Shining and Popeye. One of the prominent characters in each was Shelley Duvall. In Popeye she played the character of Olive Oyl – and it’s been stated that it was Duvall’s portrayal of her character that pushed the movie into being a massive popular hit.

As we journey around this infinite universe at over 50,000mph it’s no secret that some of us will fly off every day or so as we spin through our galaxy and its beyond. This week it was Shelly Duvall’s turn to explore what lies beyond.

Zwart – Wit – was spotted on the shelf of the Aldi’s (Aldi Nord) in Amsterdam, and my eyes opened wide. Have you ever had a flash-back of some very long-ago sight, smell, sound, or taste? How about one with sight, and smell, and taste all in one package?

There it was on that Aldi shelf just as what I remembered getting as a kid. The white powder delight was then also sold in a cone shaped wrap as it was still. I remember enjoying it by licking your finger, putting it into the stuff, and then into your mouth. Nothing like it. Ever!

Made of anise, salt, powdered sugar, and licorice and my ‘white’ powder came through US Customs without a hiccup. After decades of only remembering this was marvelous!

The Remains – played their ’60 and ’70 sounds a couple of days ago; for two hours straight (without intermission). Two hours with The Remains at a cemetery – Spring Grove Cemetery that is. This surely was one perfectly fine evening.

Urban Jazz – was also on the platter this week. An outdoor concert on the city’s central square complete with a sandwich from Potbelly’s and a can of Heineken was most excellent.

Excellent except for the guy at whose table I found an empty seat; he had one additional ‘add-on’. My new urban tablemate friend advised me that he too loved Jazz, but enjoyed it even more with some ‘weed’; did I mind if he lit a ‘doobie’?

I advised him that this was the new America, and so to proceed as he wished.

Turns out that this guy was schooling wise barely pitiful; however, street-smarts and insight-wise he was brilliant. I ended up hearing some great music and having a fantastically insightful discussion.

I took a picture of him (it was his Tee I liked) and sent it to Marcia who was home. This resulted in her getting worried and calling me to check if all was OK.

Mentioning Marcia. Last Saturday the Kroger grocery delivery came early, and this gave me time to dash off to Findley Market where, on Saturdays Marin’s Blue Oven Bakery sells their restaurant quality breads. If you’re not early enough, then it’s the ‘empty rack’ syndrome.

I got hot soft Pretzels straight from the onsite oven, a loaf of salted Rye Sourdough, and an apricot/walnut Loaf.

Marcia had a pretzel and a slice of the apricot/walnut bread. Within the hour she was on her back on the couch and couldn’t get up – something about stomach and being so full of bread.

Life is AMAZING!

May Peace prevail! Shalom.

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

We all have been exposed to the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, author and the grandfather of modern fantasy. Question; what was he also known to have done:

1) wrote on scientific subjects
2) held the position of Postmaster General
3) was his town’s Mayor
4) wrote part of the Oxford English Dictionary
5) Fought in the war of 1812

Harmolodics

Happy Saturday morning. Getting my coffee ready this morning I realized just how quickly we’re working our way through the coffee I brought back from Germany, Caffè Gustoso . It’s a bit of a sad realization.

So, here is your ‘word of the day’; nadir; the lowest point in something – “could it be that once we finish up this batch of coffee that we’ll quickly reach the nadir of what is our Saturday morning’s delight?”

“Harmolodics” – Early in the week I took the bus into town for a late afternoon/evening concert on our downtown Fountain Square. My plan was to brave the heat and listen to a jazz concert by a little known group, the Justin Dawson Quartet. It wasn’t so much to hear the group as it was to listen to what they were going to play.

The whole concert was devoted to the music of Ornette Coleman. In fact, their second set was the playing of Ornette’s complete 1959 – Jazz altering – album; “Changing the Face of Jazz”.

It was a wonderful performance.

Some might ask, who is Ornette Coleman? Rather than me blather on, here’s a YouTube to give you some insight:

A strange Fourth – It was a joint decision; we weren’t going to head out to grab one of our surrounding area Fireworks shows. This proved to be a great decision when, exactly at eight O’clock, the rain came rolling in.

Then it got better. Across the street was a porch party and they were loaded up with beer and Fireworks. They were not to be deprived! So, every few minutes, with nearby thunderclaps and sheets of rain, a ‘volunteer’ would dash out with some piece of barely legal Firework (not certain – maybe these weren’t legal).

Through and above the trees we could see the colorful explosion to be immediately followed by the street filling with smoke. This explosion-noise-sparkle-smoke scenario continued till sometime after we fell asleep.

A strange Fourth (part deux) – Mid week my ‘homey’ buddy and I were off to a nearby Kroger’s for some grocery shopping. So, here we were, two grizzled senior types, one loud because the other is hard of hearing, trying to decide on the best hotdogs to buy.

I don’t think our presence was at a level where moms would remove their children from the aisle.

After pass number two through the store, and a little nonplussed, I asked a clerk where the bread aisle was. Turns out it was at the other side against the wall with 3-foot lettering overhead – whoops.

After pointing out the signage and me thanking the young man, he replied with a: “thanks for your service!”.

Me, looking totally nonplussed glanced over at my neighbor buddy and realized he was sporting his ‘Veteran’s’ baseball cap. Yup, that was a first for me. I thanked the lad on behalf of my friend who hadn’t heard him.

Yes, we are a good team!

Life of Brian – During the Seventies I delighted in anything put out by Monty Python. Even solo stuff such as Faulty Towers starring the brilliant comedian John Cleese was all part of it.

In 1979 they made a wonderful satirical movie. Ok, so it was also a wee bit irreverent, but still, as the Brits would say; “brilliant” – Life of Brian.

Anyway, what I want to get across that what we enjoyed as being great satire in 1979 has now become reality — now merely 45-years on our society is just catching up.

It’s not simply reality, but should you laugh at it today, in various parts of the country you can get slapped with a healthy fine. We’ve come a long way baby!

And, Marcia is up. Now, with this week’s Ramblings nearly complete I can join her and be on the lookout for Kroger to deliver her grocery order. Are you beginning to also realize that much of retirement revolves about food? Food to eat, foods to select, food to order, and food to discuss?

Life is AMAZING!

May Peace prevail! Shalom.

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

Question: Independence Day is not all parades, grilling, flag waving, and fireworks. It also has a darker side. Which three of these former Presidents all died on July 4th?

1) James Monroe
2) John Quincy Adams
3) John Adams
4) Thomas Jefferson
5) Andrew Jackson
6) Martin Van Buren

A not so compendious ‘bit’ on travel

Happy Saturday morning. Just think, today is the start of the 2024 ‘Tour de France’. While we’re sitting back, maybe with feet up enjoying our morning coffee, all over people are peddling, walking, and running, and riding.

As I’m writing my brother Pieter and his grandson, Wyatt, are about to start their bicycle trip crossing The Netherlands from West to East.

And, reflecting on my travels of a few weeks ago, there was plenty of riding, pedaling, and much walking and climbing. All this we’ll explore today.

“Moorish” influx – has finally arrived to the ‘Nati – this too is part of traveling these days. For some time now I’ve come across videos of people who pride themselves on being “Moorish” Sovereign Citizens. A clap-trap wayward group who drive the authorities crazy with their “we’re traveling and we’re not driving” jargon.

Under this ‘umbrella’ they seem to believe that there is little need for them to be on the road with a driver’s license, Insurance, or vehicle registration.

Invariable their arguments fail, nevertheless much like the dandelion crop in your yard, they keep on springing up (the internet is a powerful thing).

Now, mere blocks from my home I spotted this auto (car, vehicle, conveyance – whatever they call it) parked by the curb. Whoever owns the ‘thing’, I wish them luck. Happy traveling!

Traveling in all of its forms – Here is a quick compilation of all that it takes to get around Europe.

First, be prepared to do a lot of walking and climbing. My little wrist gizmo had never been so busy.

Then, be prepared to pedal. Pedal a bunch! In our case, by day two of our stay we found ourselves sitting on a saddle for five hours while we explored fields, canals, and historic towns (Monnickendam in this case.

The above clip is of the new 7,000 bicycle garage built underneath the canals in front of the Amsterdam Centraal Station (Amsterdam’s main train station)

Then, be amazed at just how well the public transportation system operates. Everything from buses and trams to short rail and long-distance high speed ‘bullet’ trains – 184mph was the top speed in our case. Wait times never exceeded 10-minutes in our case it averaged 6-minutes or less.

Polynesian fun – Last week I mentioned that we’d be heading up to Beavercreek, OH for an evening of Polynesian dance, music, and food. What made it special is the focus and costumes specific to each of the many island nations. Then, just how Marcia and I, as proud grandparents, enjoyed watching Vai and Vili participate. It was quite and evening.

Here’s a short piece of one of the dances – the Poi Ball dance.

Life is AMAZING!

May Peace prevail! Shalom.

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

Question: Now that we’re finishing up the never ending, twenty weeks of Pride Month, in the US, which of the following is observed throughout the entirety of July?

1) National Watermelon Month
2) National Hot Dog Month
3) National Ice Cream Month

Happy Saturday morning. And actually, this week’s title; ‘canapé lit deux places’ is a bit of a lie. These past weeks crisscrossing Europe I slept well and did so comfortably. In fact, these past weeks have been beyond expectations and memorable to the extreme.

Even down to remembering that back at home we were getting close to running out of coffee. So, in downtown Berlin, I popped into a nearby Aldi’s (a ‘Nord’ branch one) and picked up a 1,000g bag. Schlepped it around for a week, and yes, entering the USA it was given a quick test for nasty drugs, but this morning I am sitting here drinking a wonderful mug of Barissimo’s ‘Caffé Gustoso’. Good stuff.

The most difficult ‘bit’ is catching up on the time and sleep deprivation – but I’m managing both. The other is shifting from temperatures hovering in the high 70s to being subjected to a week-long onslaught of high humidity coupled with real-feel temperatures between 101 and 105F. My body isn’t yet willing to accommodate.

Marcia keeps extending her arms – palms out, hands wiggling, and tossing out the words; “So Sorry”. That’s our current favorite way of saying; “No More”. Seems she has heard the many, ongoing stream, of my travel tales one too many times.

In all honesty it’s been difficult to not get caught up with the retelling of one happening after another.

Hence, I will just relate one bit (and possibly add to this a little on subsequent weeks). Let me know if that satisfies.

The Polynesian – community in SW Ohio is having a festival this evening in Beavercreek, OH. Tevita, our master roaster, is doing a pig. Vaioleti and Viliami are involved in dances (complete with Polynesian dress), Vili in the Polynesian intimidation Haka dance, and both in the working of Hawaiian Poi balls. This proves that there is absolutely no slow-down with our life here in the ‘hood’.

The trek home – As you might guess, detailing my crossing the pond on the way home tells my tale in reverse order – so be it. Subsequent weeks will have details of a different single stand-out event. So, stay tuned as my tale unfolds.

These days all of Europe is wrapped up in the UEFA EURO 2024 soccer tournament. One of the many cities hosting is Munich. We, Kirstin, Derek and Kellen, and Moi, were there for the German-Scottish match. The ‘Tartan Army’ ruled the city. Whole city squares were wrapped in song; “No Scotland No Party”.

A day later I was on a train heading for Amsterdam and my flight home (Kirstin and the boys flew out of Munich). Boarding I had a table seat and except for a few Germans the wagon was filled with partying Scottish lads heading for their team’s next venue.

When I say “partying” it’s serious stuff. They were awaiting my arrival with a cold brew on the table. And a never-ending stream of ‘brewskies’ kept on coming. Singing in the aisles and hugs all around. What a time!!!

Oh, oh, a problem. First, a broken train ahead of us had us stuck in a tunnel for 40 minutes. An hour later the train again stopped. This time for Police up the track time to clear drunks of the same track (this is a bullet train mind you). Traveling and massive delays are not conducive to efficiency and deadlines.

In this case I missed my connection to Amsterdam from Dusseldorf – and that was the LAST train of the night. Horrid for catching my early morning flight.

With some help from my compatriot partygoing Scotts and a German lady who came from a village a few kilometers from where I was born, I was parked in front of the Station’s, Deutsche Bahn railroad manager. 20-minutes later I was on a pre-paid (courtesy of Deutsche Bahn), new Mercedes taxi van which dropped me off at Terminal 3 – Schiphol airport Amsterdam at 3AM.

Life is AMAZING!

I won’t bore you with the details of delays and other hiccups and lack of Customer Service concerns by United Airlines. Let it be said that my scheduled 3:00PM return to the ‘Nati’ was magically moved to 9:00PM.

Now – Welcome back to my readers. Thanks for hanging in

May Peace prevail! Shalom.

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:
Question, answer in subsequent weeks. French Huguenots favored:

1) John Calvin
2) City of Berlin
3) Dutch Poffertjes
4) Soccer
5) Gouda Cheese
6) EV Bicycles
7) Rocky Road ice cream

Cancel?

NEXT 4 WEEKS THE RAMBLINGS WILL BE ON HIATUS!!! Out of country travel means I have little choice. See you in late June.

Happy Saturday morning. And face it, no matter what, mine is ‘light-years’ better than Kentucky’s Governor’s morning was yesterday. He woke up to an aide saying: “Sir, we just arrested and placed into cuffs, the number 1 golfer in world as he approached our PGA tournament’s entry gate.”

I hope Andy Beshear’s morning coffee was a double espresso – if not, it should have been.

But, carrying on, yes, Morning has Broken this by keyboard legend Rick Wakeman, today on this his 75th Birthday.

Marcia keeps on promoting – her insight that people say these weekly Ramblings are a bit lengthy. Huh? These Ramblings have never become a ‘chapter’ read. But there is a purpose in being a wee bit more expansive.

What I’ve concluded over the past decade of this epistle is that just quickly detailing a point can actually be counterproductive.

See, should you embark on a bit of, as Ricky Ricardo famously said, ‘splaining’.  Then you’ll discover, in short (pun) order I might add, that coming to grips by calling out ‘uncle’ does have a purpose – it teaches decision time; stop short or plod on.

As proof, read or listen to most anything uttered by a politician. Read a legalese disclaimer accompanying any new purchase. Listen to anything put out by a group wanting to achieve something requiring your pocketbook – be it a new park, a new stadium, even in increase for education. Then you’ll quickly discover that they have fully mastered the fine art of ‘splainin’.

See, there is value in all of this.

“WHAT?”    “HUH?”

Spotted on ‘’X’ — When a fly falls into a cup of coffee:

The Italian – throws the cup, breaks it, and walks away in a fit of rage.
The German – carefully washes the cup, sterilizes it, and makes a new cup of coffee.
The Frenchman – takes out the fly and drinks the coffee.
The Chinese – eats the fly and throws away the coffee.
The Russian – drinks the coffee with the fly, since it comes with no extra charge.
The Israeli – sells the coffee to the Frenchman, sells the fly to the Chinese, sells the cup to the Italian, drinks a cup of tea, and uses the extra money to invent a device that prevents flies from falling into coffee.
The Palestinian – blames the Israeli for the fly falling into his coffee, protests the act to the UN as an act of aggression, takes a loan from the European Union to buy a new cup of coffee, uses the money to purchase explosives, and then blows up the coffee house where the Italian, Frenchman, Chinese, German and Russian are all trying to explain to the Israeli that he should give his cup of tea to the Palestinian.

Apolitical – As most of you know, I am quite apolitical. So, this is nothing about politics.

With all the never-ending court cases in New York and in Georgia regarding a prospective national candidate, I made an observation.

When all this hoopla first started, I remember this little guy being rolled around the neighborhood in his little pram. My, my, how time does fly.

Our Nation’s Aunt – Ever notice how the ‘hamster-wheel’ news-cycle spins faster and faster. Especially when they get a hold on whatever the subject ‘du Jour’ is. Then obscene things can happen.

This event happened a few years ago, but now the ‘what’ and ‘how’.

Over the last few years, the BLM hucksters got a lock being able to proscribe to the general population what could and could not be uttered, seen, or promoted – they held a lock on it all.

During the fever pitch height of the ‘movement’ politics busily erased all memory of Aunt Jemima of the pancake mix fame to future generations.

There were several ‘aunts’, most notably one Nancy Green who was born a slave in Kentucky (1834). At age 56 she was hired as the marketing face of the pancake brand. Her debut at an exposition in Chicago, and over the years traveled across the country. On tour she would be the hit of the event with storytelling, making pancakes by the hundreds, to such a point that often extra security had to be brought in.

She earned a great income and was awarded a lifetime contract. Throughout, her financial independence allowed her to become a leading advocate against poverty and in favor of equal rights for all. She passed away in 1923 at age 89. Nevertheless, her image had to disappear.

Isn’t it a shame that we’re so hell-bent on erasing our past, and give little mind as to how disrespectful this is? Cancel culture is a horror.

Ben’s Idea – Just in case you were unaware, Benjamin Franklin developed a new alphabet. He added a couple of vowels and dropped six consonants (c, j, q, w, x, and y). If you have difficulty deciphering the sentence below, you’ll understand just how well Franklin’s efforts took hold.

“?i am, m?i diir frind, iurs afeks??netl”i, — (I am, my dear friend, yours affectionately), taken from a letter Franklin wrote.

Having said that, the Tongan alphabet has just 17 letters – think they co-opted Franklin’s idea?

QUOTATION:

“All that we don’t know is astonishing. Even more astonishing is what passes for knowing.”
and
“Sheer Playfulness and Deadly Seriousness are my closest Friends.”

Phillip Roth ~ American Author (1933 -2018) Novelist and short-story writer

May Peace prevail! Shalom.

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

Question, which one of these Ice Cream flavors is NOT in the top ten of popularity for 2024?

1) Butter Pecan
2) Chocolate
3) Vanilla Chocolate Chip
4) Mint Chocolate Chip
5) Strawberry
6) Black Raspberry
7) Rocky Road

Plans Awry

Happy Saturday morning. A lot of things are labeled as “fluid” these days. Most I view as claptrap. But the ongoing morning ‘fluidity’ coffee provides is something to celebrate.

For my part, I didn’t manage to see the aurora. I thought about heading up to our roof garden at around about three AM. Two problems with that plan. First, I didn’t get passed ‘go’ (got sidetracked by the bathroom). Two, the building’s roof garden hasn’t been planted yet.

Did any of you see the Northern Lights this morning? For many northern states and Canada last night and this night are supposedly the best since 2005.

My ‘friend’, Al, informed me that I might have an identical Voice Message from Dr. Kaplichnik waiting for me. One with Kaplichnik perchance substituting “Ramblings” for Comic Strip. Possibly a little on the ‘edge’, but effectively referring to authors such as Al and I; “crazier than a pair of Loons”, is far beyond the pale.

Marcia – had her 1-week post-op visit; and all is well. The key word of that day and visit was Patience. The medical definition of ‘patience’ means; we have no clue how long before all is as it was. Which in layman’s terms means that nerves operate on a totally independent schedule. Independent from medical intervention or owner’s deepest wishes.

But Marcia does love the breathable surgical tape strips they put on the incision. Thank you, 3M.

Thoughtful Quotation for these times – especially now that our Media’s daily barrage of video showing lots of impertinent ‘lost’ kids on College campuses is being pelted at us. I even saw one of the little dear’s ‘glamping’ on her University’s Square bemoaning the fact that the University wasn’t supplying her food and water.

As my cousin from France would have said: “Sooo Sorry.”

Anyhow, this is what the great satirist P.J. O’Rourke (1947-2022) once wrote especially well; “you can judge the momentum and heft of a political movement by how many attractive women attach themselves to it.”.

In 1968, it was reasonably clear that the anti-Vietnam set was full of the cool kids. But, as we would have said in the language of that time – these days, you don’t see too many ‘swell lookers’ in those keffiyehs.

Cicadas – Were you aware that two broods of periodical cicadas are emerging across the US? periodical cicadas burrow underground for up to 17 years. This year, for the first time in over 200 years, there is a special event.

This year, trillions of cicadas from Broods XIX and XIII—underground for 13 and 17 years — are surfacing together. This for the first time since 1803. Just think, the last time this occurred, Thomas Jefferson was our President.

The mid-west will host and Springfield, Illinois will be the epicenter. Day trip anyone?
This little video clip is well done and explains beautifully. It’s worthwhile watching. Enjoy:

My Flying Pig 5K – Monday morning a mail in my in-box exclaimed (loudly in Bold):

Congratulations on crossing the 2024 Flying Pig Finish Swine, Dirk!
Another Pig weekend in the books! Thank you so much for joining us, we loved watching each one of you soar across the Finish Swine.
We hope to see you at the next Flying Pig event!

But there is more to that story. I didn’t race. I did volunteer the next day for the full Marathon and that was a blast!

Boy, was I ready for the 5K. Mother nature was not. A 3-hour delay for the storms to clear happened. As luck would have it, that morning we also had a major backup in our bathroom.

3-hours to kill and a blockage to clear; PERFECT. I drove home, and got bathroom fixed

Then headed back into town. The first of my problems was that the FREE parking was now a pay lot as it was getting ready for a Reds game. Plus, long lines of Reds fans trying to get into the area.

My second problem was due to me outsmarting myself. ‘Save on weight’ I schemed; therefore, left my wallet at home – now no money to park. Meters were close enough to have made it back to the start in time, and I had plenty of quarters in the car. Problem, meters now only take credit.

Let it be said, I’VE HAD BETTER SATURDAYS!

Before I forget, have a very Happy Mother’s Day celebration.

At the same time, it might not be a bad idea to stop a moment to reflect on your special mom who might not be with us anymore.

Should you end taking Mom out for a Movie. Did you know that early on, Popcorn was banned in theaters? Today, with the price charged for the stuff it probably should be. Just thinking.

May Peace prevail! Shalom.

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

Homo Sapiens historically have generated a lot of statistics. Which one of the following numbers is NOT correct?

1) We’ve been in existence on the Earth 0.0067% of its existence
2) Estimated number of people who have ever lived; 117 billion
3) Years Homo Sapiens have been the only human species; 40,000
4) Human Species that have lived on Earth: ~12
5) Fossils of early humans that have been discovered; 6,000

Pigs in Pink?

Happy Friday evening. It’s an early evening as I prepare for a busy weekend. Hence NO coffee. Still, let me point out that in one short week I’ve fallen in love with Cuban coffee (it’s almost a reason to move to Little Miami).

Marcia – surgery went well. Full anesthesia and still an out-patient procedure had us arrive at 7:00am last Monday and home shortly after 10:30 in the morning. My brothers mailed her a set of kneepads to help her get ready as her desire to scrub the floors returns. The ‘reveal’ as of today

Quote – “Never murder a man who’s committing suicide.” ~ Richard Nixon (37th President of the United States of America)

Our current President’s call-out was to return the nation to normalcy, this after the turmoil of the Trump Presidency and the pandemic. Might be good to take a close look just to see how well the new ‘normalcy’ is working out.

Building on all the aforementioned is a statement by psychologist and tenured Professor Jordan Peterson weighing in on the college campus happenings by saying: “The situation at the Universities is far worse than you imagine….The parasites and scavengers have taken over the whale carcasses.”

The Kentucky Derby – is always full of hype and hoopla. Louisville, being our downstream neighbor means we get a heavy stream (pun) of both.

Personally, I am tolerant of the sport. Throw a ‘Derby’ party and I’ll be there, if not, I might just forget that the event happened.

What I will complain about is our media’s proclivity to blur over the video with an ongoing, hyper and ‘uber’ loud, audio stream by the announcers, i.e., non-stop prattle – this goes for most any sport. Watch the short video to see how much more interesting a horse race is when the announcer remains a bystander who is merely conversant:

Jazz on First – was last Sunday. As time moves on, I find myself appreciating Jazz more and more, especially as performed by our local core of Maestros. Last Sunday the afternoon’s intimate performance setting was named: “Springtime in Paris.” This in honor of a French singer, Valérie Graschairek, a keeper of the great tradition of swing and scat. She’s an amazing and mesmerizing chanteuse. Valérie sang popular American traditional pieces, some of the best from Brazil done in Portuguese, and of course great French tunes in her native tongue. It really was a joyful afternoon:

Gladys the Gorilla – Last week you were treated to see how the broken arm of the Zoo’s gorilla, Gladys, was set and had her broken arm placed in a printed, titanium, cast. Here is the rest of the story.

Eleven-year-old Gladys, born and human raised at the Zoo, got into a ‘kerfuffle’ with a pair of younger females (still called a ‘cat’ fight?). The result was a break at her elbow.

This week you’re treated to see just how the situation was managed. Along with a few words from the medical team members – both Zoo and Children’s Hospital:

This ‘Ramblings’ is being posted Friday evening. Earlier I picked up my ‘bib’ for my Saturday morning 5k race, which is a precursor of the full Flying Pig marathon which runs Sunday morning. The full ‘Pig’ will have about 20,000+ runners and is rated as being the nation’s best. For the full marathon, Adrianne, Vai, and I will be at the Start line at 6:00am to volunteer both the Start and Finish.

And to close this week, an advertising billboard Marcia spotted – just to leave you with a smile.

May Peace prevail! Shalom.

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

The wearing of pants, ubiquitous today, was considered uncivilized in what countries?

1) Rome
2) Scythians
3) Greece
4) Persia
5) Gaul
6) Lydia

‘pa pa pa pa’ Read the rest of this entry »