When the farm says it's time to farm, everything else has to wait. And so, I have been away from my beloved computer. Sigh.
I only recently realized that perhaps Stephen did not actually get trapped under a soda machine. It was a ploy to get Matt Damon on the show and even more surprising, a ploy to show a clip from his recent movie, Elysium!
That Stephen. Always coming up with something to trick me. When will I learn? When will I learn?
Friday, August 30, 2013
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Claude Debussy
For those of you who have just tuned in, Stephen is on vacation. He is not having Claude Debussy as his guest tonight.
The reason this post is about Claude Debussy is that today is the 151st birthday of composer Claude Debussy. There's a nice little Google Doodle today about him and his very famous composition, "Clair de Lune." Read about Claude Debussy here at Wikipedia. And for sure go over to Google and watch the animated celebration of his birthday. It's quite nice and incorporates what you would have seen in Paris at the time. Very clever and enjoyable. Give yourself a little break and go watch and listen. And Google around and read some more about him and the Google Doodle.
The reason this post is about Claude Debussy is that today is the 151st birthday of composer Claude Debussy. There's a nice little Google Doodle today about him and his very famous composition, "Clair de Lune." Read about Claude Debussy here at Wikipedia. And for sure go over to Google and watch the animated celebration of his birthday. It's quite nice and incorporates what you would have seen in Paris at the time. Very clever and enjoyable. Give yourself a little break and go watch and listen. And Google around and read some more about him and the Google Doodle.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Nicholas Selby
OK, so I didn't stumble upon this myself. I saw it on "All In" with Chris Hayes tonight. Have a little bit of fun. It's only 1:56 minutes long. Nicholas Selby speaking at Georgia Tech.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
John Oliver
Oh, I know what you're going to say. This is supposed to be about Stephen Colbert. Well, it will be tomorrow or whenever I get a chance to watch tonight's The Colbert Report. But Stephen is going on break and we won't see him until September 3. I'll surely have time in that long break to get caught up on past shows.
So I just wanted to take a chance to give a shout-out to John Oliver for doing a smashing fine job filling in for Jon Stewart on The Daily Show while Jon was directing Rosewater. Many of the other correspondents, past and present, also gave John Oliver a shout-out on the Daily Show tonight. They all had choice words for John Oliver.
Jon Stewart comes back, coincidentally, also on September 3. I hope that Jon enjoyed his time off and I also hope he will be glad to be back. Just like I can't imagine The Colbert Report with anyone other than Stephen Colbert at the helm, I can't imagine The Daily Show without Jon Stewart. But I will say again, John Oliver did a smashing fine job filling in. Smashing fine.
So I just wanted to take a chance to give a shout-out to John Oliver for doing a smashing fine job filling in for Jon Stewart on The Daily Show while Jon was directing Rosewater. Many of the other correspondents, past and present, also gave John Oliver a shout-out on the Daily Show tonight. They all had choice words for John Oliver.
Jon Stewart comes back, coincidentally, also on September 3. I hope that Jon enjoyed his time off and I also hope he will be glad to be back. Just like I can't imagine The Colbert Report with anyone other than Stephen Colbert at the helm, I can't imagine The Daily Show without Jon Stewart. But I will say again, John Oliver did a smashing fine job filling in. Smashing fine.
Yippee! Look at What We Get To Do!
I happened upon this news story today about Stephen and his Dance Extravaganza. Why are people surprised that it became an Internet Hit and went viral? And why would they call it tongue-in-cheek? Anything Stephen does immediately becomes a hit or newsworthy or groundbreaking. No one should have been surprised.
So go take a look if you want some more background. Hear Stephen talk about getting people to play with him. We find out that when Daft Punk agreed to be on the show, they wouldn't really do anything, just show up. They wouldn't talk and they wouldn't perform. Sheesh. Jay the Intern does more than that every time he shows up.
So go take a look if you want some more background. Hear Stephen talk about getting people to play with him. We find out that when Daft Punk agreed to be on the show, they wouldn't really do anything, just show up. They wouldn't talk and they wouldn't perform. Sheesh. Jay the Intern does more than that every time he shows up.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Red, White, and Blue Nuthugger
The Winter Olympics are almost upon us. Only about half a year to wait. This time around, the Olympics are in Sochi, Russia. And of course, the big news is about the Mascots, although Stephen highlighted the anti gay laws in Russia and the concerns for safety of participants while in Russia.
In a seemingly related story, we found out that Vicco, Kentucky has a gay mayor, Johnny Cummings. Granted, he is mayor of a very small town, but a mayor's a mayor. The people interviewed for tonight's segment were mostly all complimentary about what he's accomplished for the town. Only Pastor Truman Hurt seems to have a bone to pick with the Mayor. The town has earned the honor of being the smallest town to have passed a LGBT fairness law.
Nudge. Kind of a gentle suggestion or urging to do something rather than a mandate. This is being tried in order to, well, nudge people to do the right thing. I think nudging is used all the time, sometimes to urge you to do something beneficial to yourself or the community at large. Sometimes to benefit a small group of people. One example would be to put the stairs in a prominent place and put the elevator back in the corner. The elevator is available, but people would probably be happy taking the stairs and getting a little bit more exercise. Stephen highlighted a case in, I think he said Amsterdam, where the eyesight of men seemed to be improved by simply painting a fly on some porcelain. Stephen also demonstrated the Nudge in a conversation between two people. No he did not demonstrate how his eyesight could be improved. It's a family show.
Stephen's guest was Kevin Spacey. You never can be sure what you will get with Kevin Spacey as a guest. He has sort of a reputation for some reason. The two talked about "House of Cards" a TV show that is not on TV but rather on Netflix. It has been nominated for Emmy's which is very disturbing to Stephen because it is not really a TV show! The men talked some more, about the upsides and downsides of Washington D.C. and Hollywood. Stephen mentioned that Washington is the Hollywood for unattractive people. And while Stephen had complimented Kevin Spacey on his classy suit, I was more impressed by his shoes, especially the red laces.
I thought things were going well. Stephen probably thought things were going well. Then the word Emmy was mentioned, Kevin Spacey noticed Stephen's Emmy on the set and ran over and stole it! All heck broke loose in the studio. It ended up with Stephen actually sitting on the lap of a stunned audience member. While I was surprised that Stephen got so friendly with some unknown woman in the front row, I was not at all fazed by Kevin Spacey. Surely you've heard the expression, "You get what you pay for." If you are going to invite Kevin Spacey to be on your show, well, you get what you pay for.
In a seemingly related story, we found out that Vicco, Kentucky has a gay mayor, Johnny Cummings. Granted, he is mayor of a very small town, but a mayor's a mayor. The people interviewed for tonight's segment were mostly all complimentary about what he's accomplished for the town. Only Pastor Truman Hurt seems to have a bone to pick with the Mayor. The town has earned the honor of being the smallest town to have passed a LGBT fairness law.
Nudge. Kind of a gentle suggestion or urging to do something rather than a mandate. This is being tried in order to, well, nudge people to do the right thing. I think nudging is used all the time, sometimes to urge you to do something beneficial to yourself or the community at large. Sometimes to benefit a small group of people. One example would be to put the stairs in a prominent place and put the elevator back in the corner. The elevator is available, but people would probably be happy taking the stairs and getting a little bit more exercise. Stephen highlighted a case in, I think he said Amsterdam, where the eyesight of men seemed to be improved by simply painting a fly on some porcelain. Stephen also demonstrated the Nudge in a conversation between two people. No he did not demonstrate how his eyesight could be improved. It's a family show.
Stephen's guest was Kevin Spacey. You never can be sure what you will get with Kevin Spacey as a guest. He has sort of a reputation for some reason. The two talked about "House of Cards" a TV show that is not on TV but rather on Netflix. It has been nominated for Emmy's which is very disturbing to Stephen because it is not really a TV show! The men talked some more, about the upsides and downsides of Washington D.C. and Hollywood. Stephen mentioned that Washington is the Hollywood for unattractive people. And while Stephen had complimented Kevin Spacey on his classy suit, I was more impressed by his shoes, especially the red laces.
I thought things were going well. Stephen probably thought things were going well. Then the word Emmy was mentioned, Kevin Spacey noticed Stephen's Emmy on the set and ran over and stole it! All heck broke loose in the studio. It ended up with Stephen actually sitting on the lap of a stunned audience member. While I was surprised that Stephen got so friendly with some unknown woman in the front row, I was not at all fazed by Kevin Spacey. Surely you've heard the expression, "You get what you pay for." If you are going to invite Kevin Spacey to be on your show, well, you get what you pay for.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Wake Up - I Have A Dream
New York City's Stop and Frisk has been ruled unconstitutional by a judge and so that's why everyone everywhere is talking about it, including Stephen. Apparently it targets minorities at a much higher rate than whites. People who have been stopped and frisked for no reason feel like they have been targeted. Mayor Bloomberg will appeal. He feels like the law has been targeted for no reason.
The TSA is stepping up their "inspections" of people to include more modes of transportation and even such things as sporting events and rodeos. That presents a real problem because horses wear horseshoes which are metal and could set off the metal detectors. Stephen suggested Crocs for the horses.
This is all very disturbing to Stephen. On the show to calm Stephen down was Steven Pinker. He told Stephen that things are not as bad as they seem. Yes, if you watch the news, scary things happen. But that's what the news is all about. News is about the extraordinary events of the day or week. It's not about the mundane. So, calm down. And maybe go out and buy his book. The book is "The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined." It is kind of a big book, but it looks interesting, and I have confidence that any of you reading this would be able to read such a big book.
The guest tonight was Representative John Lewis. Stephen wore himself out just telling the audience a little bit about the accomplishments of John Lewis. The two men talked about the August 28, 1963 March on Washington. Both men were there in Washington, although Stephen was not much more than a blip in his mother's belly. John Lewis was one of the speakers at the March, in fact he is the last surviving speaker from that historic event. Stephen was proud to display his souvenir from when he attended and you can see a facsimile here.
John Lewis also has a book out now. It is a graphic novel which to some means a comic book, but finally comic books are really being valued for their literary contributions, so still a good reason to also consider buying this book. It's called "March: Book One"
I never actually take a stop watch to see how long each interview is on the show, but this one did seem to be a little bit longer. Stephen and John Lewis talked about lots of things. If you did not live through the years of Jim Crow and the Civil Rights struggles, it can be hard to comprehend what happened. Now we see Voting Rights again being threatened. It used to be that some people had to take a test to prove that they were "capable" of voting. Questions even included such things as "How many bubbles are on a bar of soap?" That tells you that the question was pretty much designed to disqualify a person from voting. The struggle continues.
Okay, lots of stuff tonight and you're feeling overwhelmed perhaps. Well, did you to look at Steven Pinker's website? Do it now, here. You don't even have to read anything. Just take a minute or ten minutes and watch the slide show of wonderful photographs. There's birds, butterflies, scenery, people, architecture and just ordinary everyday life. It is very calming and you deserve a little bit of relaxation. So cute... so lovely... so picturesque.....
The TSA is stepping up their "inspections" of people to include more modes of transportation and even such things as sporting events and rodeos. That presents a real problem because horses wear horseshoes which are metal and could set off the metal detectors. Stephen suggested Crocs for the horses.
This is all very disturbing to Stephen. On the show to calm Stephen down was Steven Pinker. He told Stephen that things are not as bad as they seem. Yes, if you watch the news, scary things happen. But that's what the news is all about. News is about the extraordinary events of the day or week. It's not about the mundane. So, calm down. And maybe go out and buy his book. The book is "The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined." It is kind of a big book, but it looks interesting, and I have confidence that any of you reading this would be able to read such a big book.
The guest tonight was Representative John Lewis. Stephen wore himself out just telling the audience a little bit about the accomplishments of John Lewis. The two men talked about the August 28, 1963 March on Washington. Both men were there in Washington, although Stephen was not much more than a blip in his mother's belly. John Lewis was one of the speakers at the March, in fact he is the last surviving speaker from that historic event. Stephen was proud to display his souvenir from when he attended and you can see a facsimile here.
John Lewis also has a book out now. It is a graphic novel which to some means a comic book, but finally comic books are really being valued for their literary contributions, so still a good reason to also consider buying this book. It's called "March: Book One"
I never actually take a stop watch to see how long each interview is on the show, but this one did seem to be a little bit longer. Stephen and John Lewis talked about lots of things. If you did not live through the years of Jim Crow and the Civil Rights struggles, it can be hard to comprehend what happened. Now we see Voting Rights again being threatened. It used to be that some people had to take a test to prove that they were "capable" of voting. Questions even included such things as "How many bubbles are on a bar of soap?" That tells you that the question was pretty much designed to disqualify a person from voting. The struggle continues.
Okay, lots of stuff tonight and you're feeling overwhelmed perhaps. Well, did you to look at Steven Pinker's website? Do it now, here. You don't even have to read anything. Just take a minute or ten minutes and watch the slide show of wonderful photographs. There's birds, butterflies, scenery, people, architecture and just ordinary everyday life. It is very calming and you deserve a little bit of relaxation. So cute... so lovely... so picturesque.....
Don't Tell Mom
It's Colbchella '013 (or StePhest Colbchella for purists) time! That means a big sponsor and great, great music. Daft Punk was supposedly the guest, (back on August 6, yes, I'm behind on posts, you all know that already) but that whole Daft Punk deal fell through because of MTV and the VMAs. It's all very confusing and sad, and what's worse, Stephen already cashed the check from Hyundai. I don't know how that whole deal played out. Stephen is still doing the show, so probably something that was agreeable to both sides was worked out which benefits Hyundai, Stephen, and of course all of us - his loyal fans- because we still get to watch him every night on the TV machine. Well, not every night, just Monday through Thursday and not every week because he takes vacations all the time. Oops. Sidetracked. Sorry.
So. Not to be disappointed, we got to see Stephen dance and dance and dance. Along with nearly everyone else in the entertainment world. That's great. It shows that news journalists and musicians and entertainers can come together for meaningful dialogue and dance. If you did not see it last week and if you haven't watched it yet somewhere on the internet, or on any one of a number of other news shows, of course you can see it over at Colbert Nation. You can also see all these people:
Hugh Laurie
The Rockettes
Jeff Bridges
Jimmy Fallon
Jon Stewart
Charlie Rose
Anna Gunn
Aaron Paul
Vince Gilligan
Bryan Cranston
Matt Damon
Henry Kissinger
Tek Jansen
Mel B
Nick Cannon
Howie Mandel
Heidi Klum
Howard Stern
Go here to see one of Stephen's best performances yet.
Finally, in what has to be the most fortunate event in TV history, Robin Thicke just happened to be in the audience for this show of all shows and agreed to sing for Stephen, thus saving Stephen's career. Stephen has officially dubbed "Blurred Lines" as the song of the summer. He does have that authority, so there you have it, the Song of the Summer.
So. Not to be disappointed, we got to see Stephen dance and dance and dance. Along with nearly everyone else in the entertainment world. That's great. It shows that news journalists and musicians and entertainers can come together for meaningful dialogue and dance. If you did not see it last week and if you haven't watched it yet somewhere on the internet, or on any one of a number of other news shows, of course you can see it over at Colbert Nation. You can also see all these people:
Hugh Laurie
The Rockettes
Jeff Bridges
Jimmy Fallon
Jon Stewart
Charlie Rose
Anna Gunn
Aaron Paul
Vince Gilligan
Bryan Cranston
Matt Damon
Henry Kissinger
Tek Jansen
Mel B
Nick Cannon
Howie Mandel
Heidi Klum
Howard Stern
Go here to see one of Stephen's best performances yet.
Finally, in what has to be the most fortunate event in TV history, Robin Thicke just happened to be in the audience for this show of all shows and agreed to sing for Stephen, thus saving Stephen's career. Stephen has officially dubbed "Blurred Lines" as the song of the summer. He does have that authority, so there you have it, the Song of the Summer.
Monday, August 12, 2013
He Met the Real Goliath
After a little bit of popular culture about Fla Rida and not so current popular culture about J. Robert Oppenheimer, Stephen headed right into the 72nd installment of his Better Know a District. (I can hardly wait until he gets to my District - it can't be much longer, right?)
Anyway, Representative Rush Holt was in the hot seat tonight. He represents New Jersey's 12th District. Currently, he is running to be Senator from New Jersey and tomorrow is the primary, so everyone be sure to vote. Oops, just people in New Jersey should vote.
Anyway, some important facts about Representative Rush Holt. He was on Jeopardy. And he did pretty good. He has a tendency to follow facts and develop policies. He believes public education is what has made this country great and wants every science taught to every student every year. Not just biology this year and chemistry next year. This of course prompted Stephen to bring up a discussion of astrology which he claimed to be science because it is one of the -ologies. While Rush Holt wanted to talk about conservation, Stephen wanted to talk about Sharknadoes. Rush Holt, the only Quaker in Congress, is proud of looking for alternatives to war. Stephen challenged him to a thumb war. Rush Holt easily beat Stephen both times!
You need only remember "European Vacation" to realize that Americans are not always perceived well when vacationing in Europe. Sadly, a Missouri man recently broke off the finger of a 600 year-old statue in Italy. (What would the just punishment be for that? Maybe the statue gets to, well you know.) Stephen's solution was to replace the finger with a breadstick. That should work well. Stephen then went on to confess a similar incident that he himself had with the statue David. You see, the Missouri man broke the finger because he was comparing the size of his own finger with that of the finger on the statue. Luckily Stephen did not break anything off the statue of David, but he boasts about easily besting David in the size department.
Sheldon Whitehouse, Senator from Rhode Island, was the guest tonight. He has a book out now that took him 20 years to write which is amazing because it is of famous quotes, so it's not as if he actually wrote those quotes. The book is "On Virtues: Quotations and Insight To Live a Full, Honorable, and Truly American Life." No wonder it took him 20 years, the title alone probably took a year to write. When asked about a famous quote, he quoted the one that is on the statue of Adam Lindsay Gordon.
Life is mainly froth and bubble
Two things stand like stone --
Kindness in another's trouble.
Courage in your own.
Anyway, Representative Rush Holt was in the hot seat tonight. He represents New Jersey's 12th District. Currently, he is running to be Senator from New Jersey and tomorrow is the primary, so everyone be sure to vote. Oops, just people in New Jersey should vote.
Anyway, some important facts about Representative Rush Holt. He was on Jeopardy. And he did pretty good. He has a tendency to follow facts and develop policies. He believes public education is what has made this country great and wants every science taught to every student every year. Not just biology this year and chemistry next year. This of course prompted Stephen to bring up a discussion of astrology which he claimed to be science because it is one of the -ologies. While Rush Holt wanted to talk about conservation, Stephen wanted to talk about Sharknadoes. Rush Holt, the only Quaker in Congress, is proud of looking for alternatives to war. Stephen challenged him to a thumb war. Rush Holt easily beat Stephen both times!
You need only remember "European Vacation" to realize that Americans are not always perceived well when vacationing in Europe. Sadly, a Missouri man recently broke off the finger of a 600 year-old statue in Italy. (What would the just punishment be for that? Maybe the statue gets to, well you know.) Stephen's solution was to replace the finger with a breadstick. That should work well. Stephen then went on to confess a similar incident that he himself had with the statue David. You see, the Missouri man broke the finger because he was comparing the size of his own finger with that of the finger on the statue. Luckily Stephen did not break anything off the statue of David, but he boasts about easily besting David in the size department.
Sheldon Whitehouse, Senator from Rhode Island, was the guest tonight. He has a book out now that took him 20 years to write which is amazing because it is of famous quotes, so it's not as if he actually wrote those quotes. The book is "On Virtues: Quotations and Insight To Live a Full, Honorable, and Truly American Life." No wonder it took him 20 years, the title alone probably took a year to write. When asked about a famous quote, he quoted the one that is on the statue of Adam Lindsay Gordon.
Life is mainly froth and bubble
Two things stand like stone --
Kindness in another's trouble.
Courage in your own.
Catching Up Is Hard To Do
Way back on August 5, Stephen enlightened us on Code Brown. He discussed some of the possible threats, but really, just live your life, exercise a bit of caution, and of course keep watching the The Colbert Report. Maybe find a new hobby. One you might like to try is Combat Juggling. After watching that video, I now understand why the tripod was invented. I was getting dizzy just watching all those jugglers. Filming without a tripod didn't help. I shouldn't be too critical. It's quite possible that the person doing the camera work was juggling at the time. Of course, faithful readers of this blog will remember the video I found of the juggler Blue. Here's another video of Blue and you can see the video is a lot smoother than the Combat Juggling one. And that's taking into account that Blue is on a unicycle for much of the video!
Hugh Laurie was the guest that night and it was crazy different. For one thing, he was on in the middle of the show, not the end like almost everyone else is. For two things, Hugh Laurie was one of the few guests I have seen that was comfortable sitting and waiting for Stephen to dance or prance or dressage his way over to the interview table. Most people stand up as soon as Stephen mentions the guest's name and then they have to stand there awkwardly waiting for Stephen to finally arrive at the table and shake hands with him. I'm assuming Hugh Laurie is either a great fan of the show and knows how long it takes Stephen to arrive, or he is the supreme professional. For three things, Hugh Laurie was clean shaven. I got so used to seeing him with a scruffy beard on Dr. House that it took me a minute to realize what was different.
Anyway, in addition to being an actor, he is also a musician. His first album, "Let Them Talk," did fairly well, something about Platinum I think. His latest album, "Didn't It Rain," has him performing on a very tiny piano. Impressive for such a tall man.
After the interview, there was still some show left and I did not know how Stephen would fill the time. I was shocked to realize that the last segment was dedicated to the two men, Hugh and Stephen, taking turns reading naughty words on the air.
By the way, we found out what England's greatest gift to the world is. It's America.
Hugh Laurie was the guest that night and it was crazy different. For one thing, he was on in the middle of the show, not the end like almost everyone else is. For two things, Hugh Laurie was one of the few guests I have seen that was comfortable sitting and waiting for Stephen to dance or prance or dressage his way over to the interview table. Most people stand up as soon as Stephen mentions the guest's name and then they have to stand there awkwardly waiting for Stephen to finally arrive at the table and shake hands with him. I'm assuming Hugh Laurie is either a great fan of the show and knows how long it takes Stephen to arrive, or he is the supreme professional. For three things, Hugh Laurie was clean shaven. I got so used to seeing him with a scruffy beard on Dr. House that it took me a minute to realize what was different.
Anyway, in addition to being an actor, he is also a musician. His first album, "Let Them Talk," did fairly well, something about Platinum I think. His latest album, "Didn't It Rain," has him performing on a very tiny piano. Impressive for such a tall man.
After the interview, there was still some show left and I did not know how Stephen would fill the time. I was shocked to realize that the last segment was dedicated to the two men, Hugh and Stephen, taking turns reading naughty words on the air.
By the way, we found out what England's greatest gift to the world is. It's America.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
I Need an Intern, I Want an Intern
Jay, how's it going working for Stephen over at the The Colbert Report? Is he working you too hard? Making you get his coffee even before you got some for yourself?
How about working for me?
It would be easy and I would treat you well. All you would have to do is the cooking and cleaning and yard work and grocery shopping and once in a while, you would have to write stuff for this blog.
Summer, at least summer this year, has been way too busy for me. I don't have the same kind of energy and stamina that Stephen does. I've gotten behind on the posts again. Once you start sliding, it's hard to get the creative process flowing again.
There's been great news and even some entertainment this week that I haven't told you about. I sure hope everyone who didn't watch Stephen's show did get to see "Get Lucky" over at Colbert Nation. It's about five minutes and it is amazing. Does Stephen just have all those people sitting around in the Green Room waiting for something to do? And those high kicks! When will they let a guy into their dance line?
Now I'm way off track. Jay, will you come work for me? I will pay you about the same as Stephen is paying you. (You work for free, right???)
How about working for me?
It would be easy and I would treat you well. All you would have to do is the cooking and cleaning and yard work and grocery shopping and once in a while, you would have to write stuff for this blog.
Summer, at least summer this year, has been way too busy for me. I don't have the same kind of energy and stamina that Stephen does. I've gotten behind on the posts again. Once you start sliding, it's hard to get the creative process flowing again.
There's been great news and even some entertainment this week that I haven't told you about. I sure hope everyone who didn't watch Stephen's show did get to see "Get Lucky" over at Colbert Nation. It's about five minutes and it is amazing. Does Stephen just have all those people sitting around in the Green Room waiting for something to do? And those high kicks! When will they let a guy into their dance line?
Now I'm way off track. Jay, will you come work for me? I will pay you about the same as Stephen is paying you. (You work for free, right???)
Saturday, August 3, 2013
White Earwig
I posted a photo of a white earwig three years ago and that post continues to be one of the most popular posts here. It's not about Stephen Colbert or the The Colbert Bump, but I did claim the right to name it after Stephen.
Anyway, it's that time of year when the earwigs are scurrying around. I don't really like them. They crawl into the tiniest of places and really like moisture. I'm pretty sure they can squeeze their way into your house by finding an opening between the door and the door frame.
Why are they so fascinating to people? I think it's because they are one of those "Ewwww" types of bugs. If you normally see 7,374 of them in a day that are brown and then you see one that is white, that prompts a lot more curiosity.
So, if you want to read what I wrote three years ago and see the photo of Stephen Colbert The Earwig, go to my post on Albino Earwig. Also of interest, at least to me, are the wings. Folks don't always realize that they can fly, but they can. They just don't choose to do so very often. Then are excellent when it comes to drop and scurry, but not so graceful when it comes time for them to fly. Their wings seem inadequate for the task, more like a fashion statement then actual, useful wings.
Enjoy!
Anyway, it's that time of year when the earwigs are scurrying around. I don't really like them. They crawl into the tiniest of places and really like moisture. I'm pretty sure they can squeeze their way into your house by finding an opening between the door and the door frame.
Why are they so fascinating to people? I think it's because they are one of those "Ewwww" types of bugs. If you normally see 7,374 of them in a day that are brown and then you see one that is white, that prompts a lot more curiosity.
So, if you want to read what I wrote three years ago and see the photo of Stephen Colbert The Earwig, go to my post on Albino Earwig. Also of interest, at least to me, are the wings. Folks don't always realize that they can fly, but they can. They just don't choose to do so very often. Then are excellent when it comes to drop and scurry, but not so graceful when it comes time for them to fly. Their wings seem inadequate for the task, more like a fashion statement then actual, useful wings.
Enjoy!
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Gimme Gimme Gimme Gimme
First post of August when we start realizing that summer is coming to an end. Yikes! Of course, we could have nice weather until November. One can hope.
Anyway, Bradley Manning, the least athletic of the Manning brothers, has been in the news lately. We learn that Hillary Clinton could possibly maybe perhaps be thinking of running for President in 2016. I think that would be neat. Enough of the sons of Presidents also becoming President. It's time for a spouse of a former President to also be elected to that high office. If not Hillary, then maybe Barbara?
Remember how I talked about the humility contest going on between Ted Cruz and Stephen Colbert? Now there seems to be, I'm not quite sure, but perhaps a Bacon Eating Contest going on between Chris Christie and Rand Paul. Oh, wait, I have it wrong. It's about who gets more bacon and by bacon I mean money from Washington, from the Feds, in other words our tax money. Funny story. For every dollar that Chris Christie's state (New Jersey) sends to Washington, only 61 cents comes back to New Jersey. Rand Paul has it way better. Kentucky sends one thin dollar to Washington and whoa! gets back a whopping $1.51. Seems like Rand Paul is getting bacon and also pork.
Board Games are apparently now considered Bored Games and so they are being jazzed up, spiffed up, and toned down so that kids and families will play them. I think this is a terrible trend. Monopoly is going to do away with "Go to Jail!" Or not as the case may be. Stephen went through a whole lot of games and how they are being ruined (my word, not his) by this constant updating and changing of stuff that works just fine so why do you have to go and change it anyway for crying out loud! Are we going to see a Checkers board with only 36 squares? I suppose they will do away with the Queen in Chess. (GOP War on Women????) Will Hopscotch become Jogscotch?
Some say this has to do with the shortened attention span of kids today. Well then, teach them how to play a board game that lasts for more than ten minutes. You are not born with an attention span, you have to develop it. If you only have thirty minutes, then play the game, leave it on the table in the dining room or basement until tomorrow. Or, put it away, keeping track of who had Boardwalk and who had Marvin Gardens, and put your money in a pile. Finish the Monopoly game later. It can be done.
I just had to join in with Stephen and talk about this horrible assault on traditional board game values. I'm glad I was able to clear the air on that subject.
The guest last night was Emily Matchar. She helped Stephen understand the new and yet traditional roles for women. What was old is new again. Her book is "Homeward Bound - Why Women Are Embracing the New Domesticity." Personally, I had hoped she would teach Stephen how to can tomatoes or at least how to knit a scarf. But they did talk about people, not just women, getting back to doing all sorts of tasks for themselves. I wonder if there is a pickle recipe in the book. That would be delicious.
Anyway, Bradley Manning, the least athletic of the Manning brothers, has been in the news lately. We learn that Hillary Clinton could possibly maybe perhaps be thinking of running for President in 2016. I think that would be neat. Enough of the sons of Presidents also becoming President. It's time for a spouse of a former President to also be elected to that high office. If not Hillary, then maybe Barbara?
Remember how I talked about the humility contest going on between Ted Cruz and Stephen Colbert? Now there seems to be, I'm not quite sure, but perhaps a Bacon Eating Contest going on between Chris Christie and Rand Paul. Oh, wait, I have it wrong. It's about who gets more bacon and by bacon I mean money from Washington, from the Feds, in other words our tax money. Funny story. For every dollar that Chris Christie's state (New Jersey) sends to Washington, only 61 cents comes back to New Jersey. Rand Paul has it way better. Kentucky sends one thin dollar to Washington and whoa! gets back a whopping $1.51. Seems like Rand Paul is getting bacon and also pork.
Board Games are apparently now considered Bored Games and so they are being jazzed up, spiffed up, and toned down so that kids and families will play them. I think this is a terrible trend. Monopoly is going to do away with "Go to Jail!" Or not as the case may be. Stephen went through a whole lot of games and how they are being ruined (my word, not his) by this constant updating and changing of stuff that works just fine so why do you have to go and change it anyway for crying out loud! Are we going to see a Checkers board with only 36 squares? I suppose they will do away with the Queen in Chess. (GOP War on Women????) Will Hopscotch become Jogscotch?
Some say this has to do with the shortened attention span of kids today. Well then, teach them how to play a board game that lasts for more than ten minutes. You are not born with an attention span, you have to develop it. If you only have thirty minutes, then play the game, leave it on the table in the dining room or basement until tomorrow. Or, put it away, keeping track of who had Boardwalk and who had Marvin Gardens, and put your money in a pile. Finish the Monopoly game later. It can be done.
I just had to join in with Stephen and talk about this horrible assault on traditional board game values. I'm glad I was able to clear the air on that subject.
The guest last night was Emily Matchar. She helped Stephen understand the new and yet traditional roles for women. What was old is new again. Her book is "Homeward Bound - Why Women Are Embracing the New Domesticity." Personally, I had hoped she would teach Stephen how to can tomatoes or at least how to knit a scarf. But they did talk about people, not just women, getting back to doing all sorts of tasks for themselves. I wonder if there is a pickle recipe in the book. That would be delicious.
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