Caution: Political Content...But still worth checking out

Precocious Grand-Children...We're #1...Shades of WKRP...

Conversations w/My Grand-children

Bentley, age 4, was at our house yesterday, accompanied by his mom, our daughter Rachel. Here are some highlights from our conversations with him.

• Me, observing that he's using chopsticks at the table: "You don't know how to use those things." Bentley: Uses a chopstick to stab his Hawaiian sweet roll, take a bite, & give me a little stink eye. Me:  "You're silly." Bentley: "You're silly most of the time."
• Winston, one of the Broders' 2 dogs, threw up in Rachel's car on the way to our house. Bentley:  "Actually, he's getting his temperature taken when we get home."

Criminal Minds

• From Norfolk Daily News (10/19):  "Player suspended for conduct. A footballer in Italy has been suspended for 5 matches for urinating toward opposing fans." COMMENT:  This gives new meaning to "We're #1!"
• From Omaha World Herald (10/19):  "In first, Iditarod dogs test positive for drugs. For the 1st time in the history of the world's most famous sled dog race, several of the high-performance animals have tested positive for a prohibited drug . . . Several dogs tested positive for the opioid pain reliever Tramadol . . . " COMMENT:  Opioids are highly addictive. This sled driver needs to be punished. No, I'm not kidding. No, I don't think this is funny at all. Yes, if it sounds like I'm ranting, remember G.O.M.E.R. [Grumpy old men & their elucidating rants]
• From NDN (10/18):  "FAA looking after pilot drops turkeys during festival. To some it's an Ozark Mountain Mardi Gras that includes live turkeys being dropped from a low-flying plane to an eager crowd below. To other's it's just animal abuse. The FAA will check to see whether any laws were broken when a low-flying pilot dropped live turkeys at the festival over the weekend. The annual Yellville (AR) Turkey Trot in northern Arkansas has included a turkey drop for more than 5 decades, though sponsors in recent years have distanced themselves from the practice. Several birds were dropped SAT & then chased by festival-goers . . . Last year, about a dozen birds were dropped, but not all survived the fall."  COMMENT:  Turkey Trot organizer Les Nessman was quoted in this same article as saying, "We treat the turkeys right. That may sound ironic, but we don't abuse those turkeys. We coddle & pet those turkeys. We're good to them." Fake news? You decide.

There Is No Place Like Baltimore

From NDN (10/20):  "'Fatberg' removed. A 'fatberg' that may have taken beyond half a century to grow below Baltimore has been removed. News outlets report the city's Public Works department used a camera, pressure washer & truck-mounted industrial vacuum to clear the mass of curdled grease, wet wipes & other waste . . . The notorious glob was found clogging up to 85% of a 24-inch pipe near Penn Station . . . It's blamed for causing more than 1 million gallons of sewage to overflow into the Jones Fall stream. It's the culmination of objects caked along a pipe's walls that shouldn't go down drains . . . " COMMENT:  First, I apologize IF this article caused tummy distress if you read it while eating breakfast. Second, somebody must be held accountable for this. Barack Obama? She-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named? Donald Trump? Inquiring minds want to know.

Political Potpourri

From "Why NFL games are unwatchable," a column by Michael Reagan in NDN (10/24):  " . . . If I want politics, I can watch 'Hannity,' listen to Rush or tune in to one of the liberal Trump-bashing Sunday shows like 'Meet the Press.' The NFL should keep political posturing or messaging of every kind out of its games. It's up to team owners to put an end to pre-game kneel-downs & protests before it gets out of control. The owners need to tell their protesting stars & scrubs that, yes, you have a 1st Amendment right to kneel or sit during the National Anthem if you want. But they should add that if a player wants to make a political statement on game day, as owners they also have the right to make them sit out the rest of the season."  COMMENT:  I know that I'd mentioned in previous blogs that my content would veer away from political content. However, it's my blog, & I can write whatever I want. It's your choice to stop following me. Actions have consequences.