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Quote of the Day – Karl Popper

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.

“All life is problem solving” ~~   Karl Popper

Scores of years ago I decided that I have never had an original thought in my life.  When I think I have one now days, a quick Google search dissuades me from the delusion.

All to say that years ago I also decided that life was nothing more than a series of problems to be solved.  Even if you want to do something fun, say a trip to Tahiti, there are a series of steps — problems — that need to be resolved.  Once I had this epiphany, for lack of a better word, I stopped being so upset by the many speed bumps or even craters that life throws our way.

Take my profound advice and $2 and change, and you will be able to buy yourself a soda pop.

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

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Word of the Day – TheoBro

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: Theobro
    1. A conservative male (likely evangelical) obsessed with arguing Christian theology with others, often on Twitter. Theobro is the result of the combination of “theology” and “bro.”  ~~  Not a dictionary word at this point.  This definition is from slang.net and is the cleanest one I could find.
  • Synonyms:
    1. misogynist
    2. racists
    3. bigot
    4. homophobe
    5. authoritarian
    6. fanatic
  • Usage:
    1. “In their place, a group of young pastors hope to spearhead a Christian nationalist glow-up as they eagerly await a “Christian prince” to rule America. These often bearded thirty- and forty-somethings have suits that actually fit. They are extremely online, constantly posting on myriad platforms, broadcasting their YouTube shows from man caves, and convening an endless stream of conferences for like minded followers. Let’s call them, as one scholar I spoke with did, the TheoBros.”
  • Encountered:
    1.  While reading the Mother Jones piece: To Understand JD Vance, You Need to Meet the “TheoBros”

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

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I wonder how long…

I am not sure how smart this was of us.  I do wonder how long it will stay up in this super Republican neighborhood, being the district that elected Todd “Legitimate Rape” Atkins and Ann “What Climate Change” Wagner, but it is an important issue for us.

This is part of the reason I am so angry with the current Republican party.  They are essentially trying to push their minority religious beliefs on the majority.  Abortion is obviously a very charged subject, and I cannot imagine it ever being a very easy decision for any woman.  But I strongly believe that Continue reading “I wonder how long…”

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Matrimonial Log – Star Date 5784.264

“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.”

I was feeling a bit romantic and I told Señora, “I just love you to pieces.“

To which she replied, “Then you should love ALL the pieces.”

Oh well, I tried.  Romanticism is overrated anyway…

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Matrimonial Log – Star Date 5784.262

“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.”

Señora was telling me about her day tomorrow, saying she was going to lunch with Bettina.  She then asked me if I remembered who Bettina was.  I did not.  She then went on to describe Bettina, expounding on the details of their connection, she explained to me that Bettina is the mother-in-law of the one of the twin daughters of the woman whose is the fraternal twin of Señora‘s sister-in-law. Got all that?  Señora then added that Bettina is older than her.

Then I boldly went where no sane husband should go.  I remarked to Señora that it is hard these days to find such a person, someone older than her.

As fortune would have it, the closest thing at hand was a sofa pillow, which she sent screaming my way at wrap speed. There was no need to duck, plus it gave me a shield in case other items were to follow.

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Purina Diet

I can not shop at Costco anymore!

Yesterday I was at Costco buying a large bag of Purina dog chow for my loyal pet, Necco, the Wonder Dog, which weighs 191 lbs. I was in the check-out line when a woman behind me asked if I had a dog. What did she think I had an elephant?

So because I’m retired and have little to do, on impulse I told her that no, I didn’t have a dog, I was starting the Purina Diet again. I added Continue reading “Purina Diet”

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Quote of the Day – David Dunning

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.

“An ignorant mind is precisely not a spotless, empty vessel, but one that’s filled with the clutter of irrelevant or misleading life experiences, theories, facts, intuitions, strategies, algorithms, heuristics, metaphors, and hunches that regrettably have the look and feel of useful and accurate knowledge. ” ~~   David Dunning

Oops… sounds like the interior of my cranial chamber.

And yeah that is the Dunning of the Dunning-Kruger effect. As summarized in Wikipedia: “In popular culture, the Dunning–Kruger effect is often misunderstood as a claim about general overconfidence of people with low intelligence instead of specific overconfidence of people unskilled at a particular task.”

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

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Could YOU pass a citizenship test?

Years ago I knew a Turkish man who obtained US citizenship. Shortly after his induction ceremony, he told me about the test he had to take AND pass as part of his path to US citizenship.  I remembering thinking at the time that I was not sure I could have passed that test, and I am from a generation that was required to take Civics in high school and then again in college.  Plus for a while I majored in History, and I have always had an interest in the subject, especially the revolutionary period of American history.

All this came back to mind as there was an article on the da ‘net: Do you know the 3 branches of US government? Many don’t, leading to a push for civics education

In the article there is a link to a very short quiz that gives a small sampling of the type of questions on the citizenship exam.  It also stated that the actual test  was not multiple choice like the one connected to the news article.  I managed to get all 10 correct, but, most likely, only because it was multiple choice.

Here is the link: Could YOU pass a citizenship test?

I am definitely of the opinion that all students in the USA should have to take Civics course before high school graduation as well as American History.  While I am on the subject, why not Home Economics, not matter what your gender.  They all definitely are needed in our quotidian lives.  As an outsider looking in, I am not so sure all the super concentration of STEM subjects is benefiting our children or our country. I say this as a person with a science degree and a technology degree, and as someone who worked in these fields for most of their adult life.

Take my opinion and $2 and change, and you will be able to buy yourself a soda pop. Eso lo que hay.

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Vanity Plate for the Day – GRAZI

Vanity Plate of the Day… not actually daily, but whenever I encounter one in the wild that I think worth sharing and there are not too many in sequence.  When I was commuting from my home to downtown St. Louis and back, I was spending anywhere from an hour and half to two hours daily in rush hour traffic. I used the exercise of deciphering vanity plates to help pass the time… plus sometimes they are very clever and worth sharing.

GRAZI

This was on the back of an almost new Audi A5, not an inexpensive ride.  Of course, grazie is Italian for thank you… or bless your pea-pickin’ little heart.  I never remember exactly. They went with GRAZI I am betting because GRAZIE was probably taken.

Going with thank you, one wonders what the owner was thankful for, perhaps the luxury vehicle, perhaps a man bought this car for his wife and this was her way of expressing gratitude, perhaps…

To see more Vanity Plates of the Day use this link: Vanity Plates of the Day

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Rev. Joe’s Random Thought #8,062

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.

Am I bad?  A while back I put Trump’s Truth Social stock, ticker DJT, in my investment watch list.  Why?  Just to watch it tank.  I has fallen from a high in the mid $90s to $16 or $17 a share.

Just as an aside, apparently MTG (Majorie Taylor Greene) follows the common stock advise of buying high and selling low. She invested $50,000 in the stock at its peak.  So far she has not sold.  Maybe she is holding out for Trump’s reelection, thinking it will recover.

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