Pondering

Did you know what your U.S. Supreme Court was up to recently? - those nine robed thinkers with no term limits?
- They ruled in favor of the police who raided a noisy party in a vacant house. The defendants pleaded that it was a bachelor party but Justice Clarence Thomas broke his silence by asking "How can you have a bachelor party without a bachelor?"
-The court agreed to hear a case on the habitat of an endangered animal, the dusky gopher frog. Weyerhauser vs. U.S. Fish & Wildlife.
-And still unsettled is the issue of the baker who refused to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple.
-These are all weighty issues to ponder and keep them up late but they will take a break to attend the State of the Union address and show off their finery. Oyez! Oyez! All rise!
tjs

Flying Circus

Delta Airlines is tightening its rules for transporting service and support animals. Service dogs are specially trained. Emotional support animals providing comfort are not.  Both types ride free. But some pet owners trying to avoid the $100+ charge are declaring their pets as comfort animals. Some have attempted to fly with comfort turkeys, gliding possums, snakes, spiders and more. Delta said they carry 500 support animals each DAY. It isn't just an obese passenger you will have to fight with over the arm rests. On the bright side, JFK Terminal in New York is opening a luxurious animal center with "pawdicares" for dogs and high end horse stalls. And all you wanted was a little leg room.
tjs

Government Speak

St. Paul's Epistle Sunday began "Time is running out........." With the Government shut down all the bureaucrats are lingering over their coffee. Which recalls the dilemma faced by Joe the plumber from Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was about to begin a complex operation and needed to know the effect of sulfuric acid on cast iron. (This was pre-Google) He decided to contact the U.S. Labor Dept. in Washington, D.C. - they would know the answer. After his initial inquiry the exchange went something like this:
L.D. - (hard mail) Sulfuric acid is contraindicated for your project.
Joe - Thank you for your interest - I have ordered a carboy of acid.
L.D. - (overnight mail) Be advised this acid is deleterious to cast iron.
Joe - Thank you -the acid just arrived and I am starting my work tomorrow.
L.D. (via Western Union Telegram) DON'T USE THE ACID - IT EATS THE HELL OUT OF CAST IRON!
tjs

Tough Town

Congress: The difference between being part of negotiations or being outside the talks: "If you aren't at the table, you are on the menu.!" (NYT)

POTUS told Ivanka, who was being berated by Bannon, "I told you this was a tough town, baby!"

Which recalls that old saw - If you need a friend in D.C. buy a dog.
tjs

Testing 1-2-3

POTUS took the Montreal Cognitive Assessment test and his doctor said he scored 30 out of 30 - with a 26 normal. He is truly remarkable - repeating five words after five minutes without a cue. Recall that he accused Hillary of receiving the debate questions in advance. The easy part was identifying three animals - a lion, rhino and a camel. He, being a RINO - (Republican in Name Only) had no trouble with this 3 point question. Now it's on to the treadmill and that fish diet - and perhaps walking eighteen holes.
tjs

Language Usage

Dateline Turkey - a 737 while landing skidded on a wet runway, went down an embankment with the nose resting feet from the Black Sea. The airline statement said they had a "runway excursion incident".

I keep hearing the phrase "chain migration" coming out of our nation's capital. Don't they realize that some of our ancestors arrived in chains? POTUS says "he knows words" - would think he could find a better "link" than chain. Wiliam Safire, where are you when needed?

Trump with his 5th grade vocabulary is parsing the difference between "I" and "I'd" - he's taking on that quirky apostrophe. Reminds one of Bill Clinton's "it depends on what the meaning of "is" is!"
tjs

Calendar Quirks

2018 is providing some calendar quirkiness. Both January and March have "blue" moons - a blue moon is the second full moon in a calendar month.
In February we find Valentine's Day falling on Ash Wednesday so those chocolates have to be consumed on Shrove Tuesday. And All Fools' Day coincides with Easter Sunday. A friend used to remind me that April 1st was the opening of trout season - no fooling! But trout have too many bones for me.
tjs