Year: 2016

Summer Sensibilities

Griffin

A couple days ago my ape went to the pet store to get food for me and my cell mate Roswell. He has to go to a pet store with an onsite vet because Roswell is overweight and needs special food – sort of Weight Watchers for cats. So sad for him, but anyway I digress.

After my ape returned he told me the tale of watching customers bringing their pets, mostly dogs, into the store with them. Now this is a very Good Thing. It helps the bond between animal and ape.  But there is something that bothered us both as he told me this story. When people drag their animals with them they need to consider among other things that the animals are barefoot!!

This is a shady spot on the porch. The concrete is always cool.
This is a shady spot on the porch. The concrete here is always cool.

While standing in the check out line, my ape watched two dog owners standing outside in front of the store and talking while holding their dog’s leash. It was a hot day and the concrete was sizzling. The dogs were literally dancing trying to keep their paws cool. One dog was even trying to stand in the shadow of his master’s friend but kept being pulled back because his actions were misinterpreted as an annoyance to other ape. The spectacle was over by the time my ape was leaving the store or he probably would have said something to the inconsiderate owners.AnimalsMatterScarf500x500

There are always plenty of warnings in the summer about remembering to not leave animals or even children in hot cars. There was an actual incident a week ago at a grocery store near our compound where animals trapped in a hot car were released by heroic passersby. But remember to be considerate to all of the conditions you inflict on to your animals. Not just hot cars but any man-made environment, like hot concrete, can be harmful to an animal if left there too long. And always provide fresh water.

As Easy As A.B.C. ***UPDATED!***

Curmudgeon

WikiLeaks has released a group of emails from the DNC that shows a portrait of graft and conspiracy. Some examples are below and you can find a huge list on memoryholeblog.com.

When I first heard the controversy over the Hillary Clinton emails my first thought was “Why was she using a private server?” As a former network administrator I know of no good reason to set up a private email server and lots of bad reasons. I also know how hard it is to keep any server secure. This private server was setup when State Department’s policy was that all normal operations were to be on an authorized system.

ExtremelyCarelessThe pattern of questionable conduct seems to go on and on. When the House Oversight Committee asked if she had used private email the did not reply. This could be considered lying by omission. The State Department later responds without a satisfactory answer. Later the State Department told the committee investigating the Benghazi tragedy that Clinton used the private server exclusively as Secretary of State. The list of ethical questions goes on if you study the story.

Now, I have no problem with personal email accounts. Hell, I have four at last count. A personal email is not a problem until someone with clearance sends classified information through an unsecured server. That is the big problem there. The FBI called it “Extremely Careless.” Do you think someone who wants to be president should be allowed to be “Extremely Careless” with classified material?

I think the answer to that last question is as easy as ABC! Anyone But Clinton.

A sample of the links to WikiLeaks show the true nature of the DNC. More can be found at memoryholeblog.com.

DNC conspiring to create false Trump information and release with Reuters. https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/7102

DNC Hillary supporters infiltrated Sanders campaign. https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/4776

DNC making fun of black woman’s name. https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/17942

DNC member killing horses for insurance money. https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/578

And Then God Sneezed

Curmudgeon

I had a dream last night. I died and went to heaven. As I was standing there at the Pearly Gates, talking to God, He sneezed. I didn’t know what to say.

The joke above is a very old one. It revolves around the age old habit of saying “Bless you” whenever someone in the room sneezes. The origin comes from the ancient belief that when someone sneezes their heart stops for a moment risking death. Other beliefs are that the soul leaves by way of the nose. Saying “Bless you” is supposed to keep the soul from leaving.

Church in Colorado Mountains

In reality, this happened the other night at a family gathering. There were people from various sections of the country and various faiths. We had everything from Southern Baptist to agnostic. I was the one who sneezed with the result of more than half the people at the table saying “Bless you.” It got me wondering why those who are not normally superstitious still cling to this one. After all, the chances of a fatal sneeze are minuscule. I have however seen people with a nose big enough to accommodate a Greyhound bus so a quickly exiting soul could be a danger to them.

In today’s culture of political correctness this unsolicited blessing could become a sign of rudeness. How does a sneezer know that the people blessing him are not doing him any harm? Can you be overly blessed? Does an agnostic blessing even work? Is it ok for a Catholic to bless a sneezing Jew and vice versa? Would they have to convert? Maybe the person just doesn’t want to be blessed.

And what if in the future this leads to more superstitious traditions? What if one starts that’s totally opposite where when someone farts everyone in the room says, “Curse you”. This could become especially prominent in elevators. It might come in handy too as the farter joins in with the curse to leave doubt as to who the guilty party is.

Personally I find it annoying. I’m not gonna die from a sneeze. I do my own blessings, just as I do my own curses. So don’t expect me to thank you for keeping me from a nonexistent, fatal sneeze.