Archives for March 2023

From The Grand Jury of New York, an updated version of an old classic; new lyrics written for a new generation:

“Indictment” Replacing the lyrics to the West Side Story signature song “Maria.“
The most beautiful sound I ever heard.
Indictment, Indictment, Indictment, Indictment.
All the beautiful sounds of the world in a single word.
Indictment, Indictment, Indictment, Indictment.
Say it loud and there’s music playing.
Say it soft and it’s almost like praying.
Indictment.
I’ll never stop saying Indictment!

Note:  In theory, a person is innocent until proven guilty.  An Indictment is not a conviction…yet.

I saw a list of non-extradition countries and was intrigued by number 9 on the list, Vatican City.  It’s near Italy, rich in art and architecture and with its close proximity to Italy, you are never far from a gelato shop.  I just wonder about the cost of living and are they a “Jewish Friendly” community?

Wondering why am I googling countries with no extradition to the US?  Simply researching a book, (that sounds good, right?) or asking for a friend; pick one.

The Dodo, (Raphus cucullatus), one of the three species that constituted the family Raphidae, was thought to be extinct by 1681 (17th century). The dodo is frequently cited as one of the most well-known examples of human-induced extinction.

It now appears that a mutant relative of the Dodo, the DumDum (Bad Comboverus Buttmuncheus) is alive and thriving in Palm Beach, Florida.  In a state filled with Palmetto bugs, alligators, snakes, humidity and (ick) the DeSantis creature, who’s going to care about one more slimy DumDum?

(Editor’s Note): Fred acknowledges this is a cheesy post, again slamming the world’s most slam-able cretin, but he has a dental appointment today and has to take it out on someone.

This list from The Good Trade covers just about anything you can do other than sit mesmerized gazing into your phone.  But the following four activities captured my interest:

1. ( #2) Write a Poem:
   • Violets are blue and Roses are red, original poetry on Betterfredthandead.  Done! (The astounding originality is how I turned the line around!)
2.  (#36)  Volunteer:
   • I tried but the Joyful Conclusions Massage Parlor is not currently accepting volunteers.
3.  (#64) Do Ten Push-Ups:
   • I have to work up to this but I only need 9 more; perhaps tomorrow?
4.  (#95) Go to the Park and People-Watch:
   • I went at midnight and there was only one other person at the park.  I watched him take my wallet…and watch.

But I agree there are many things to do better than gazing at your phone.  One notable omission from the list: Manscaping!

This is the title of an article by Dr. Roneet Lev, in the AISH Newsletter.  I clicked on the link and got the frowning page emoji telling me this site can’t be reached.

I guess the cannabis industry gets its wish.

According to Inc. Magazine your complete happiness comes down to one question:  “Am I doing the work I want to be doing?”

Gag me with a spoon!  The question should be “Am I being paid enough to allow me to bury my conscience and work for a soul-sucking bunch of arch-villains draining our planet of natural resources and poisoning the earth?”
At least that’s the question I imagine the folks at ExxonMobil are asking.

The above titled article was written by Slovie Jungreis Wolff, a noted teacher, author, relationships and parenting lecturer.  These are the 7 signs about which she wrote.  A spoiled child; 

1. Never accepts “No” for an answer.
2. Never gives.
3. Is always impatient.
4. Feels entitled.
5. Is never content.
6. Is a SORE LOSER.
7. Won’t do the work without a bribe or begging.

While Linda and I have 3 perfect sons, six perfect grandchildren and 3 perfect great grandchildren I, along with all citizens of the United States, have been part of the raising of a horribly spoiled ex-president.  I think it’s time we gave little Donald a big TIME-OUT!

How about 5 to 10 in Leavenworth?

According to the History Channel on March 23, 1839 the initials O.K. were first published in The Boston Morning Post; meant as an abbreviation of “oll korrect,”  a popular misspelling of “all correct.”  In the 1830’s making up misspelling words and then abbreviating them to use as slang was popular among educated youth.

OMG!  Educated youth made up clever acronyms in the past just like today’s kids.  BTW, I wonder how else they were like us today.  D0 you suppose they moved back home with their parents and, instead of saving to move out, bought fancy cars and designer clothes?  The say history repeats itself.  TTFN.

Socrates understood.  We have limits but some are easy to grasp:

• Our senses perceive only a narrow band of visible light and audible sound.
• The accepted beginning of the cosmos, the big bang, is a barrier that prevents us from knowing anything about the pre-created state of the universe.
• Despite theories about what lies outside space-time, the human brain is constructed from the materials produced in space and time.
• The visible universe is less than 10% of the total matter and energy in creation. The rest is “dark” because it doesn’t obey the known laws of nature.

Most people are content to live with these limitations, but there is a percentage of humans that are so ignorant and fearful they must make things up to believe in.  For example, some people still are wallowing in the banana oil of thinking that the results of the last presidential election were manipulated by some great conspiracy.  They really know nothing! (And some are running our government, Yikes!)

This Teachable Moment brought to you by the last remaining vestige of sanity in American politics: 

First of all, get your mind out of the gutter!  I said for the ladies because in our culture it was generally accepted that women are more obsessed with weight loss than men.  But in my case it is not so.  I have been obsessed with my weight since 1975, the year I took my first leap from 186 lbs. to 240 lbs.  From then on my life has been a non-stop struggle to lose weight.

So with the help of world renowned gurus including Deepak Chopra, D.J. Pavey and Linda L Berman, I no longer set myself up for failure with restrictive diets, daily weight goals with graphs and intricate calorie counting.   I am changing my feedback loops and thought patterns to radiate success.  I set my intention to eat a healthy diet whenever I can, but totally without specifics.  Whatever I choose to eat is fine.  It is the equivalent of giving yourself a participation trophy; regardless of the results I win!

Now the cucumber part.  I read a clean-eating expert’s advice.  She suggested you eat as healthy as possible. ” If you can afford to pay the extra for organic vegetables than do so.  If not, conventional is fine.  An organic cucumber is only slightly better than a conventional one.  But a conventional cucumber is a thousand times better choice than a Baby Ruth candy bar.”

Success at last!