Whimsical Wednesday
Whimsy
From Norfolk Daily New (4/6): "Acreage opened for thousands of cats to stay. It started w/a few kittens. But nearly a quarter century later, a California woman has transformed her 4,000-square-ft home into what's believed to be the largest no-cage cat sanctuary & adoption center in the U.S. An estimated 24,000 cats have been saved by the sanctuary, which houses up to 1,000 felines at any given time . . . " [As our last two cats grew increasingly insolent & incontinent, I grew increasingly insistent that "one of these days I'm going to find a cat refuge & release them into the wild." The girls knew it was an empty threat. Little did I know that it wouldn't have HAD to be an empty threat."]WARNING! Contains Adult Content! From Omaha World Herald (4/7): "Assume the 'power pose' to make your pitch perfect. When world-class athletes & gymnasts adopt a winning pose, they fill their lungs, expand their chest & raise their hands in the air.
"It might seem crazy, but assuming such a 'power pose' before your next big interview or pitch can dispel the jitters & trick your brain into feeling you've already won,' Amy Cuddy, a Harvard Business School professor told a business audience at a sold-out 23rd annual . . . Women's Leadership Conference . . . " [Apparently she neglected to mention the rest of the athletes' power pose . . . well, the MALE athletes' power pose, which involves a lot of spitting & grabbing your crotch to adjust your athletic supporter.]
Also from OWH, Car Talk Column (4/9): "The lone advantage of stick shift is the fun . . . " Dear Car Talk: My wife & I have been driving Japanese cars w/manual transmissions for decades. They're fun to drive, more fuel-efficient, & they never break . . . My wife has started to look for a vehicle to replace her aging Subaru Forester, & we are both stunned to find that: 1) It's hard to find cars w/manual transmissions. 2) They're more expensive. 3) They aren't as fuel-efficient as modern automatic continuously variable transmissions . . . Answer: . . . the only legitimate reason for driving a stick shift these days is that you find it fun--which is an acceptable reason. But there's no longer a financial or environmental . . . " [Emphases added . . . I drove a pathetically, tiny Nissan something-or-other while we lived in Hawaii and, yes, it had a stick & was a LOT of fun to drive. When it was time for me to move back to the mainland ahead of Lois & the kids, there was no longer a need for her to have two cars, so we did the sensible * thing . . . We sold the Buick, which had an automatic transition, & I endeavored to teach her how to use the stick over Christmas break during those fleeting, "fun-filled days" before I abandoned my family . . . Did I mention there were many hills to traverse? Did I mention that one approach onto the street leading to our rental townhouse necessitated a turn from an uphill position, so if we were stopped, Lois had to make the turn from a standing start? And did I mention that we were counting on lots of practice at a large, relatively flat parking lot at a nearby community college . . . but the very first time we went there to practice, a security guard, driving a golf cart, chased us off the property? This was one of the severest tests our marriage had ever encountered--up to that point . . . I never, never joke about divorce . . . I'm just sayin' that Lois would have had ample grounds, because I was not, shall we say, the most patient instructor.] **
* But--in hindsight--almost tragic . . .
** She did make enough progress before I left that I felt reasonably sure that I was not leaving her and the kids in mortal danger. ***
*** I was somewhat concerned about the clutch burning out, which, in her defense, it did not.
Food for Thought
Also from OWH (4/14): "New look at '70s study on dietary fats stirs the pot. That rigorous study, a report now reveals, did not link heart disease to eating meat & dairy. It was one of the largest, most rigorous experiments ever conducted on an important diet question: How do fatty foods affect our health? Yet it took more than 40 yrs for a clear picture of the results to reach the public. [Emphasis added.]""The fuller results appeared late TUE in BMJ, a medical journal, & included some never-before-published data. Collectively, the fuller results to challenge the conventional wisdom re: dietary fat that has persisted for decades & is enshrined in influential publications such as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the government's official diet advice book. [Red flag . . . "the government's official" dietary advice . . . "]
"And the long-belated story of the Minnesota Coronary Experiment suggests just how difficult it can be for new evidence to see the light of day when it contradicts widely held theories . . . " [Which leads me to this next item . . .]
From Lincoln Journal Star (4/15): "Getting Krispy Kreme before school is a plus. Editor's note: Lincoln East student Maren Miller shadowed Lincoln Journal Star features editor & dining critic Jeff Korbelik for a day, which included a trip to the new Krispy Kreme. This is her review. It seems like there is a sudden outburst of new restaurants that have been long awaited & anticipated opening up in Lincoln, one of which being the highly revered Krispy Kreme at 6410 O St. [Emphasis added.]
"When it opened 1/19 @ 5:30a, the 1st person in line received a punch card for a free dozen glazed doughnuts once a week for a year & the next 99 got free doughnuts once a month for a year . . . " [Wouldn't you know . . . totally bad timing on my part . . . clearly a lack of communication, which I could . . . I should . . . blame on closely-related family members who live in the aforementioned city of Lincoln.]
There Is No Place Like . . . Nebraska!
Also from OWH (4/15): "Nebraska judge: Flying Spaghetti Monsters is parody, not faith. A judge has dismissed a Nebraska inmate's lawsuit that claimed he was denied his right to worship the divine Flying Spaghetti Monster & that he was mocked & discriminated against because of his faith . . . U.S. District Judge John Gerrard dismissed the lawsuit TUE. He said 'FSMism' is not a religion as outlined by federal law but rather 'a parody intended to advance an argument about science, the evolution of life & the place of religion in public education.'" [Mock this man if you will, but this is yet another example of the federal government's ever encroaching attack on our religiously freedom. To be perfectly frank *, I'm surprised the LCMS didn't join in this man's defense as a "whatever-the-Latin-phrase-is-for-a-party-that-files-as-a-friend-of-the-defendant."]* Just for the record, I despise this phrase, because it implies that there may be times when I am NOT perfectly frank. I mean, either I'm being frank, or I'm not, right?
Criminal Minds
Also from LJS (4/15): "Lawyers: Teen treated unfairly after nude images shared. A Georgia high school senior says she was victimized twice--first when her ex-boyfriend shared nude images of her via social media & again when she was arrested for throwing water & cursing at him. The 18-yr-old student was shocked when a friend told her on 4/1 that a nude video & photos of her had been shared on the smart-phone messaging app Kik. Male classmates at Newnan High School also shared images of other female students, she says."Angry & embarrassed, the teen confronted her ex-boyfriend, who she said shared the video & photos of her. She cursed at him & threw water on him, she said. A teacher saw her outburst & took her to the principal's office . . . she was suspended for the first day back after [spring] break . . . She was told to come in with her parents the following day . . .
"Several police officers were at the meeting TUE. After a brief conversation, she shook & cried as an officer told her to stand up & put handcuffs on her, she said. She was charged w/disruption of a public school . . . The misdemeanor is punishable by up to a year in prison & a fine of up to $5,000, said her attorney . . .
"Newnan police Deputy Chief Rodney Riggs said the charge was appropriate because a large group of students gathered around when she confronted her ex. 'It took a number of faculty & staff to regain order & get people moving along to their classes, so there was a disruption to the school,' Riggs said. "The girl has also been kicked out for the rest of the school yr & it's not clear whether she'll be allowed to graduate . . . '
"The police report says the teen walked up to her ex in the center of campus, threatened to kill him & threw a water bottle at him." [It's going to take a few bullet points to complete my thoughts about this one.]
- My first reaction? Don't let your boyfriend take nude pictures of you . . . but that strikes me as being self-righteous . . . not to mention common sense . . . but in today's world . . .
- At Lutheran High Northeast, this young man's actions would have been a violation of several school policies, making him equally guilty . . . possibly more so.
- Oh, & we had policies about cursing, too.
- "Disruption of a public school?" And his actions didn't cause a disruption?
- In my deeply imaginative reflections, I picture myself, as the teacher, confiscating this young man's phone, seeing the video, confiscating this young lady's water bottle, and throwing it at the young man myself!
- She may not be allowed to graduate? . . . Oh, she threatened to kill him . . . Never mind . . .
- Unfortunately, I have a gut feeling that this young man is a hero among a certain class of people at this high school . . . but there I go being judgmental again.
- In retrospect, I maybe should have saved this for my new G.O.M.E.R. feature on my frightful FRI blog entry. *
* Yes, this is a shameless promotion for my frightful FRI blog entry. G.O.M.E.R., you ask? Grumpy Old Men & Their Elucidating Rants.
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