IMNSHO Friday's Eve 07.25.2024

 Today is the 5th day of the 30th week, the 25th day of the 7th month, the 207th day of 2024, and:

• Culinarians Day
• Feast of ST James
• Health and Happiness with Hypnosis Day
• International Afro-descendant Woman's Day
• International Red Shoe Day
• National Carousel Day
• National Chili Dog Day
• National Hire a Veteran Day
• National Hot Fudge Sundae Day
• National Intern Day
• National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day
• National Refreshment Day
• National Shiraz Day
• National Wine and Chees Day
• Thread the Needle Day
• World Drowning Prevention Day

Quote of the day:
"People do not seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character."

~  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Okay, it's time to turn off the firehose on social media, because I have some strong opinions today today about what I have been reading/hearing

Feel free to skip this post if you aren't interested...

Still here?  all righty then!

Netanyahu was invited by the alt-right GOP to address Congress, and predictably, he justified everything that has happened in Gaza and demanded full-throated support from the US - all without even a shred of a mention of working out a peace plan.  I'm sorry, but opposing what amounts to genocide as a response to the horrendous HAMAS attack is not anti-Semitism.  Israel had every right to respond to that terrorist attack, but they have lost any pretense to the high moral ground as they literally have declared they are going to empty that land of all but their people.  

While I don't agree with those who make Palestine and the two-state solution a litmus test for who they we vote for, the issue just shouldn't be this divisive

Donnie may think he is the darling of every autocrat in the world, but it would seem that Kim Jong Un, at least, is not a fan. 

I have flown os Southwest Airlines almost exclusively for decades.  I liked the level of customer service offered, BWI was a hub of sorts with many non-stop flights to where I was going, and I appreciated that they continued to let us check bags for free.  Like all customers, I learned how to arrange my check-in so that I was able to get the seat that I preferred.   And like everyone else, I really noticed as the cabins became more cramped and the seats less comfortable.  

Now?  It appears along with assigned seats, the prices for a comfortable ride will definitely be going up and up. 

To say the New York Sun skews to the right is an understatement.  I glance at it now and then to try and comprehend how the GOP is thinking about issues.  Imagine my surprise at this article popping up and being free to read!  The depiction of the Democrat's programs is flawed, but boy they hit the nail on the head with the rest of it

New Right Wing of the Republican Party Proclaims Themselves Champions of the Working Class

We all agree that the Secret Service blew it by letting that young kid get a bead on a presidential candidate.  Most of us think that violence has no part in politics and deplore the kind of radical talk that resulted in the attempted coup of Jan 6th.  But after Donnie started sporting a huge bandage on his ear and had a politician issue a letter about his injuries, it looks more and more suspicious that neither the actual doctors who treated him have made a statement nor have the medical records have been released.

Apparently, the FBI has questions as well.

Quite frankly, I was more than a little annoyed as the media and some Democrats piled on Joe after that miserable debate showing.  And at first I was downright angry when Joe renounced the candidacy for 2024.  Then, like many others, I realized the genius of the timing:  after the RNC spent a week vilifying him and waiting until a Sunday afternoon when all the news moguls weren't really paying attention.  I have been amused both by Donnie's Truth Social posts [he wants the DNC to recompense the RNC for money spent on anti-Joe swag] and by Mike Johnson's claim that legally Joe can't do that 

Oh, and one cannot ignore the conspiracy theories that the MAGA crowd, led by Donnie on Truth Social of course, stitched together as they tried to somehow turn Joe getting COVID and then his decision to withdraw into some sort of coup attempt by his Vice President or someone. 

And the lying about Kamala Harris has commenced.  

The internet problems caused by the Cloudstrike from Friday linger for many platforms.

Offering folks a $10 coupon to Uber Eats doesn't quite seem enough....

Inside the Magic's headlines are becoming more and more like click bait these days, which means I don't share articles from them as often, but sometimes the site offers interesting tidbits.  I would like to see an Animation Cafe for myself!  

There are some whacky theories out there about how suddenly climates can change.  One of my favorites was the novel The Hab Theory that blamed it on the poles shifting regularly by 90°.  Another favorite was the movie The Day After Tomorrow that blamed it on the Gulf Stream just stopping.  Like avidly reading about the Yellowstone caldera, I find myself reading all kinds of articles about our wandering poles and about the impact of ocean currents on our climate and weather.  Right now?  there is a raging controversy over that particular current known as the AMOC - everyone agrees that it slowing down signals a tipping point, but will it happen sooner rather than later, or has it already occurred?  Oh and speaking of Yellowstone, I don't think I would've just stood around gawking and taking pictures for so long when the explosion occurred!  

I said from the get go that anyone willing to get on a Boeing spacecraft after all the quality control issues their planes have had of late was very brave indeed.  The Starliner launched with a leaky valve, and made it to the ISS just fine - but getting home again safely has proven to be more challenging.

Yes I found Wesley very annoying while watching STNG.  And yes, I have enjoyed Wil Wheaton a great deal since then, following him on social media, buying his books, and listening to his audio book rendition of Ready Player One [and Two].  I loved that he popped up in Picard, always thought his adventures with the Traveler would be really a cool spinoff series, and I'll have to take a look now at Prodigy!

Seriously, if there is other intelligent life out there, why would they want to contact us when they can clearly see how we befoul the space around our planet?

Like everyone, I've seen the periodic table model used for many things, but I found this explanation of how the table actually works and why it is not universally applicable quite interesting.

Apparently the Gallop Poll has been asking the question of folks where they fall on the creationism VS evolution theories for the past 42 years.  During that period of time, there has been a shift towards the scientific explanation , although I object to this blogger's conclusion that shift is partially due to the number of folks now stating they are religiously "unaffiliated".  While I agree with the recitation of the preponderance of scientific evidence, I think many subscribe at least to the "First Mover" which reconciles the two disparate points of view.

And I think I have had quite enough to say for one day!

Remember, if you squint and peer carefully, you can see that Friday and the weekend are just over the horizon....