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Rev. Joe’s Random Thought #7,519

yeah I know you did not ask!

You should so be blessed – well cursed at times actually – with a mind such as mine, making all these weird connections between my rumored neurons. Just be thankful that I do not share all of my random thoughts.

I read once that they used to say that you could buy a Ford Model T in any color you wanted, as long as it was black.

It seems to me this last year or so, you could say that you can buy any new car, regardless of brand, in any color you want, as long as it is gray.

The interstates around St. Louis are beginning to look like an endless, gray ribbons.

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Just in case you have forgotten: Electricity – a good thing

I received the following message from one of my Spanish tutors who lives in a jungle town in Ecuador:

Hola David!! quería preguntarte si es posible que podamos tener la lección del lunes en la tarde? es posible que no tenga electricidad en la mañana!? avísame por favor gracias ?

Basically she is asking if we could have our scheduled lesson in the afternoon rather than the usual morning as they do not have electricity during that part of the day.

I talk with this young lady every two weeks for conversational practice, and have been doing so for years.  We almost always have interesting conversations, even with her frequently playing Devil’s Advocate Continue reading “Just in case you have forgotten: Electricity – a good thing”

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Quote of the Day – Yuval Noah Harari

Quote of the Day… not actually daily, but whenever I encounter one I think worth sharing and there are not too many in sequence.  I like quotes as they frequently distill a piece of wisdom into a brief passage, or make other points very succinctly – such as the witticisms of Oscar Wilde.

“In the past, censorship worked by blocking the flow of information. In the 21st century, censorship works by flooding people with irrelevant information. People just don’t know what to pay attention to, and they often spend their time investigating and debating side issues.” ~~Yuval Noah Harari

To see more Quotes for Day, visit this link: Quotes for the Day

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Rev. Joe’s Random Thought #3,946

yeah I know you did not ask!

You should so be blessed – well cursed at times actually – with a mind such as mine, making all these weird connections between my rumored neurons. Just be thankful that I do not share all of my random thoughts.

Many maps and globes depict the planet’s largest island, Greenland, as all white.  Given what seems to be an accelerating pace of global warming, I wonder how long it will be before the cartographers have to re-colorize this island?

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Frozen Bird      

This article needs just a tad of an introduction.

Being a man of certain age, I Am Official Old,I have some minor problems with arthritis, fortunately they are still not a daily preoccupation. The major culprits are my ankles, my knees, my left shoulder that was injured in a car accident, and my hands, principally my left hand.  I broke the ring finger and the finger next to it on that hand many moons ago in a fight. Plus I wonder since Continue reading “Frozen Bird      “

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A Billboard – Somewhere in Georgia

First of all, the shear hubris of this billboard is more than I can fathom.  Then the divisiveness promoted by this sign, surely placed by a religious organization or person, is the exact opposite of what religion should be doing.  Historically, however, Christianity has not be an inclusive religion, except by force, nor has it been an agent for tolerance and acceptance of people who believe or think differently than themselves.  IMHO, this attitude continues today in many branches of Christianity.

On the other hand, I have been and am certainly demonizing MAGA Republicans.  For me, they are espousing the worst side of humanity.  Why so many Christians, especially Evangelical Christians, are so adamantly onboard with the MAGA crowd is mystifying.

That persons like tRump, Putin, Maduro, Kim Jung-un, Netanyahu and many more of that ilk are in positions of power is proof that a god does not exist — at least the god as detailed in the various religious texts, or if he does exist, he certainly does not love humanity.

Oh well.

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Matrimonial Log – Star Date 5785.280

“Matrimony… the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Casamiento Segundo, its until-death-do-us-part mission… to explore a strange new relationship… to seek out a new life and new adventures… to boldly go where no sane couple has gone before.”

Click on picture to see it larger

This is a picture I took of Señora gleefully experiencing a ménage-à-trois, well okay, a ménage-à-doobie, with two music icons painted on the wall of a cannabis store in Muskogee, by gawd, Oklahoma.

Of course, the person on the right is the legendary Bob Marley, the Reggae musician, famous for his advocacy of the legalization of cannabis and giant spliffs.

The cowboy hat wearing gentleman is none other than Continue reading “Matrimonial Log – Star Date 5785.280”

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Word of the Day – Hierophant

Word of the Day… not actually daily, but whenever I encounter one I think worth sharing and there are not too many on my landing page.  Words have always fascinated me, and I am a fan of all types of word play, especially puns.  I have a hard time not looking up a word that I am unfamiliar with or not sure of the definition. I like those authors that stretch me by throwing in unexpected terms.   

  • Noun: Hierophant
    1. a priest in ancient Greece, specifically : the chief priest of the Eleusinian mysteries
  • Synonyms:
    1. proponent
    2. supporter
    3. advocate
    4. advocator
    5. apostle
    6. paladin
    7. promoter
    8. expounder
    9. white knight
    10. herald
    11. champion
    12. true believer
    13. tub-thumper
  • Usage:
    1. “One of the enduring mysteries of America is why the citizens of Red states are generally poorer, less educated, and sicker than the citizens of Blue states. To that question, I step up as your hierophant with an answer to this deep mystery that you may not have previously considered..”
  • Encountered:
    1.  While reading the following article by Thom Harmann piece shared to me by a friend: Why are Red State Citizens Poorer, Less Educated, & Sicker than Blue State Citizens?

To see more Words of the Day, visit this link: Words of the Day

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Why are Red State Citizens Poorer, Less Educated, & Sicker than Blue State Citizens?

Here is an interesting, short read from the pen of Thom Hartmann:

Why are Red State Citizens Poorer, Less Educated, & Sicker than Blue State Citizens?

The quick synopsis is that they are shooting themselves in the foot.

Just something to think about as you getting ready to vote in what seems like the most consequential election of my lifetime. I see this election as clear option between democracy and fascism, between inclusiveness and Christian Sharia law, between joy and a Draconian world view, between sanity and insanity, between the have-too-muches and the rest of us…

If nothing else you have to wonder why Elon Musk is pouring so much money into the tRump campaign. Musk is the epitome of self-interest, seeing himself better and smarter than practically every other person on the planet, willing to use and abuse just about anyone for his own ends.  Wait, that describes tRump also.

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