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.
Showing posts with label Monopoly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Monopoly. Show all posts
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Mousetronaut
The unemployment rate has dropped. Not so surprising really, it has been coming down steadily. What's big about this small number is that it is now under 8%. It's at 7.8% now, so yes, that is lower than 8%. The reason that is making news is, for one thing, the Republicans have been kind of drawing attention for some time now that the rate is over 8% and now it isn't. So that's kind of a yikes moment. And the other thing is that some people have been saying the books are cooked. That is not a good recipe, believe me. Lots of fiber but not much flavor.
If you like to look at charts, here is a chart that shows private sector job growth. Personally, I love charts. You can see a whole bunch of information at a quick glance. This one shows a constant upward trend. The red lines show the last year of George W. Bush in the White House and the blue lines show Barack Obama in the White House.
Stephen has been paying close attention to the plight of the rich. As he put it, "It's not easy having green." In the recent stock market recovery, the top one percent of earners only got 93% of the gains. The wealthy are paying the lowest tax rate since the 1950s. The Dow last week closed at its highest in five years. Granted those things sound good, but the rich still have "trickle down tears." You see, they might end up having to pay a little bit more for their private jet. Can't we convince the middle class and the poor to help out? One thing Stephen was able to do for them was to create a Certificate of Richness.
Official Stephen Colbert Certificate of Richness
The Holder of This Document Has Amassed Inconceivable Wealth That He Truly Deserves, and More Importantly, Someone Likes Him.
It is signed by Stephen Colbert, has a nice blue border, has a gold seal on it and is available for $1 million.
Another thing Stephen has done is create a new political party, the
Protecting Industry Titans & Yachtsmen party. Hopefully this will help. Stephen does what he can and America is thankful for that.
Election Day is coming up soon - November 6. Stephen talked about Arkansas where the Koch Brothers have pledged to spend nearly $1 million there on Republican candidates. And then he talked about Maine where Colleen Lachowicz is running for State Senate, but she plays online video games. Stephen hinted at the possibility that she may have played Risk, Monopoly and Operation in her younger years. So, judge for yourself. I mean, have you ever played a game?
The guest last night was great, in that he also is an author. Mark Kelly was on to promote his new book, "Mousetronaut." There were a few things that confused me or befuddled me last night. First of all, the title of his book. "Mousetronaut." That's it. Today's books have long titles. Shouldn't it have a long title too, something like, "Mousetronaut - The Short Tale of a Brave Mouse and His Long Tail." Or maybe, "Mousetronaut - How One Rodent Singlepawedly Saved a Mission and Restored NASA To The Glory of the Moon Walking Days Not the Moonwalk Like Michael Jackson But The Moonwalk Like Neil Armstrong." Eh, maybe "Mousetronaut" will work fine.
The other think that confused me was my TV listing for last night's show. It said the guest was Author Mark Kelly. Okay, maybe that is to show that he has a lot in common with Stephen Colbert. Couldn't the listing also have mentioned that Mark Kelly was an astronaut? The only thing I can figure out is that it was easy for him to bring the tools of his trade as an author to The Colbert Report - a book. For him to bring the tools of his trade as an astronaut might have been more expensive, more labor intensive and it would have taken up too much room in the studio. What could he do, bring a shuttle?
Luckily, Stephen was able to get that whole outer space connection into the discussion when he casually mentioned the Combined Operational Load-Bearing External Resistance Treadmill. For that we say thank you, Stephen.
If you like to look at charts, here is a chart that shows private sector job growth. Personally, I love charts. You can see a whole bunch of information at a quick glance. This one shows a constant upward trend. The red lines show the last year of George W. Bush in the White House and the blue lines show Barack Obama in the White House.
Stephen has been paying close attention to the plight of the rich. As he put it, "It's not easy having green." In the recent stock market recovery, the top one percent of earners only got 93% of the gains. The wealthy are paying the lowest tax rate since the 1950s. The Dow last week closed at its highest in five years. Granted those things sound good, but the rich still have "trickle down tears." You see, they might end up having to pay a little bit more for their private jet. Can't we convince the middle class and the poor to help out? One thing Stephen was able to do for them was to create a Certificate of Richness.
Official Stephen Colbert Certificate of Richness
The Holder of This Document Has Amassed Inconceivable Wealth That He Truly Deserves, and More Importantly, Someone Likes Him.
It is signed by Stephen Colbert, has a nice blue border, has a gold seal on it and is available for $1 million.
Another thing Stephen has done is create a new political party, the
Protecting Industry Titans & Yachtsmen party. Hopefully this will help. Stephen does what he can and America is thankful for that.
Election Day is coming up soon - November 6. Stephen talked about Arkansas where the Koch Brothers have pledged to spend nearly $1 million there on Republican candidates. And then he talked about Maine where Colleen Lachowicz is running for State Senate, but she plays online video games. Stephen hinted at the possibility that she may have played Risk, Monopoly and Operation in her younger years. So, judge for yourself. I mean, have you ever played a game?
The guest last night was great, in that he also is an author. Mark Kelly was on to promote his new book, "Mousetronaut." There were a few things that confused me or befuddled me last night. First of all, the title of his book. "Mousetronaut." That's it. Today's books have long titles. Shouldn't it have a long title too, something like, "Mousetronaut - The Short Tale of a Brave Mouse and His Long Tail." Or maybe, "Mousetronaut - How One Rodent Singlepawedly Saved a Mission and Restored NASA To The Glory of the Moon Walking Days Not the Moonwalk Like Michael Jackson But The Moonwalk Like Neil Armstrong." Eh, maybe "Mousetronaut" will work fine.
The other think that confused me was my TV listing for last night's show. It said the guest was Author Mark Kelly. Okay, maybe that is to show that he has a lot in common with Stephen Colbert. Couldn't the listing also have mentioned that Mark Kelly was an astronaut? The only thing I can figure out is that it was easy for him to bring the tools of his trade as an author to The Colbert Report - a book. For him to bring the tools of his trade as an astronaut might have been more expensive, more labor intensive and it would have taken up too much room in the studio. What could he do, bring a shuttle?
Luckily, Stephen was able to get that whole outer space connection into the discussion when he casually mentioned the Combined Operational Load-Bearing External Resistance Treadmill. For that we say thank you, Stephen.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Haboob
Stephen is on vacation, so we're watching reruns. Tonight was the episode about Monopoly (see No Dice No Money) if you are interested in Monopoly. It is a fun game.
But Stephen also had the Threat Down. One thing we need to be concerned about is foreign words creeping into our language. That's why we shouldn't be saying haboob which is an Arabic name for intense sand storm. I imagine a better word would be intensesandstorm. Much better and we can avoid getting any Sharia Weather.
Other suggestions from Stephen for replacing words from Arabic included freedom juice instead of alcohol, freedom neck instead of giraffe and osalad bin laden instead of alfafa. Perhaps other words we should stop using might include:
admiral
algebra
apricot
candy
coffee
cotton
guitar
lemon
lime
magazine
mattress
orange
scarlet
sugar
tangerine
tuna
You can view a more complete list of Arabic words used in English at Wikipedia.
We are reminded (again) by Stephen that he is no fan of the Department of Health and Human Services. I think it's the services part and the health and the human aspect of it that bothers him. In response to learning that such things as Birth Control for Women and Breastfeeding supplies will have to be covered by insurance, Stephen had this to say, "A woman's health decisions are a private matter between her priest and her husband."
But Stephen also had the Threat Down. One thing we need to be concerned about is foreign words creeping into our language. That's why we shouldn't be saying haboob which is an Arabic name for intense sand storm. I imagine a better word would be intensesandstorm. Much better and we can avoid getting any Sharia Weather.
Other suggestions from Stephen for replacing words from Arabic included freedom juice instead of alcohol, freedom neck instead of giraffe and osalad bin laden instead of alfafa. Perhaps other words we should stop using might include:
admiral
algebra
apricot
candy
coffee
cotton
guitar
lemon
lime
magazine
mattress
orange
scarlet
sugar
tangerine
tuna
You can view a more complete list of Arabic words used in English at Wikipedia.
We are reminded (again) by Stephen that he is no fan of the Department of Health and Human Services. I think it's the services part and the health and the human aspect of it that bothers him. In response to learning that such things as Birth Control for Women and Breastfeeding supplies will have to be covered by insurance, Stephen had this to say, "A woman's health decisions are a private matter between her priest and her husband."
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
No Dice, No Money
No Fun!
After talking about Super Heroes, the North Dakota Territory, and Sharia Weather, Stephen got right down to the #1 Threat to America.
The game of Monopoly.
That's right. Hasbro is shortening and simplifying many of its popular games. Why? I don't know why, but I suppose it's some lame excuse such as people are too busy now or kids demand more bells and whistles on their games.
So new Monopoly has a Control Tower in the middle of the board. There's no dice, no cash and no chance of having fun. And for sure no chance of learning. I admit it. I like the educational potential of the old Monopoly.
Supposedly the kids today can't do math. Well, if they played Monopoly, they would learn some basic addition facts. After a while, they would learn that when they roll a three and a four, it always ends up being seven. And if they get six and six - doubles - they get to go 12 spaces! They also learn to count money and to make change when paying rent. And when they buy houses and hotels, they are learning to multiply and add larger numbers. And of course, there is some reading involved, not a lot granted, but more reading than in Candyland or even Chess.
(Now, I'm not saying that Idiocracy is in our future if we give up the old Monopoly, but sometimes the old ways are the best and we should pay attention when Stephen warns us about the #1 Threat.)
After a nice impression of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, Stephen discussed Health and Human Services. And of course, Stephen is always right. He did show a video clip of FOX News Contributor and Spray Tan Victim Sandy Rios. And I will admit, she was just as sure that she was 100% right as Stephen is. (Of course, the difference being that Stephen IS always right.)
Among other comical ideas, she had this to say: "Now we're gonna cover birth control, breast pumps, ah, counseling for abuse. Are we gonna do pedicures and manicures as well?"
You see, that's what I mean. She obviously has been playing the New Monopoly rather than the Old Monopoly. To equate the health care benefits of birth control to the health care benefits of pedicures is not exactly a logical comparison. The educational aspects of Monopoly were probably left behind as she went for the non-thinking version of the game. She should not pass Go.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Robert K. Wittman was on the show tonight to talk about his book, "Priceless." He is an investigator in art crime. I hope you were able to watch the show tonight. If not, you should buy the book or at least look at his picture on the front of the book. Unfortunately, you can't see his face. But get to recognize him from the back. Then, if you are ever in an art museum and just about ready to steal a famous painting and you see him, STOP. Don't steal the painting. You'll get caught. He's watching you.
After talking about Super Heroes, the North Dakota Territory, and Sharia Weather, Stephen got right down to the #1 Threat to America.
The game of Monopoly.
That's right. Hasbro is shortening and simplifying many of its popular games. Why? I don't know why, but I suppose it's some lame excuse such as people are too busy now or kids demand more bells and whistles on their games.
So new Monopoly has a Control Tower in the middle of the board. There's no dice, no cash and no chance of having fun. And for sure no chance of learning. I admit it. I like the educational potential of the old Monopoly.
Supposedly the kids today can't do math. Well, if they played Monopoly, they would learn some basic addition facts. After a while, they would learn that when they roll a three and a four, it always ends up being seven. And if they get six and six - doubles - they get to go 12 spaces! They also learn to count money and to make change when paying rent. And when they buy houses and hotels, they are learning to multiply and add larger numbers. And of course, there is some reading involved, not a lot granted, but more reading than in Candyland or even Chess.
(Now, I'm not saying that Idiocracy is in our future if we give up the old Monopoly, but sometimes the old ways are the best and we should pay attention when Stephen warns us about the #1 Threat.)
After a nice impression of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, Stephen discussed Health and Human Services. And of course, Stephen is always right. He did show a video clip of FOX News Contributor and Spray Tan Victim Sandy Rios. And I will admit, she was just as sure that she was 100% right as Stephen is. (Of course, the difference being that Stephen IS always right.)
Among other comical ideas, she had this to say: "Now we're gonna cover birth control, breast pumps, ah, counseling for abuse. Are we gonna do pedicures and manicures as well?"
You see, that's what I mean. She obviously has been playing the New Monopoly rather than the Old Monopoly. To equate the health care benefits of birth control to the health care benefits of pedicures is not exactly a logical comparison. The educational aspects of Monopoly were probably left behind as she went for the non-thinking version of the game. She should not pass Go.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Robert K. Wittman was on the show tonight to talk about his book, "Priceless." He is an investigator in art crime. I hope you were able to watch the show tonight. If not, you should buy the book or at least look at his picture on the front of the book. Unfortunately, you can't see his face. But get to recognize him from the back. Then, if you are ever in an art museum and just about ready to steal a famous painting and you see him, STOP. Don't steal the painting. You'll get caught. He's watching you.
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