Potpourri VIII

Big Ben, the iconic clock in London, will go silent for several months next year as part of refurbishing it and its tower. It has been said that a stopped clock is correct twice a day but if you had intended to check your Rolex with Big Ben next summer you may have to refer to the sun dial in the garden.

Thomas E. Dewey was a two time loser when he ran for President in 1944 & 1948. He wasn't well liked universally and as he prepared to run the second time it was reported that Teddy Roosevelt's daughter was heard to say "A souffle doesn't rise twice."
tjs

Your Cheatin' Heart

When Hank Williams sang his song about cheatin' in 1952 it really could choke you up. Fast forward and we have political candidates accusing others of "lying" and being "crooked". Now in the real world yesterday's paper had the following two items on the same page:
-Volkswagen has set aside $18 Billion to cover the fallout of their cheating on exhaust emissions.
-And Mitsubishi says it cheated on fuel tests for decades. I would think someone might fall on their sword for this
one. I can still hear old Senator Charlie Tobey yelling at mobster Frank Costello "Be ye clean!" But, then again, they say that politics ain't beanbag!.
tjs

Primarily Political XIII

A NYTimes opinion writer has never seen a political season like this one that strained relationships and long standing friendships. It is basically the Trump/No Trump forces at work. A good friend of mine for many years indicated he probably would vote for Trump and thought having Christie and Carson would be a plus. I gently replied - Try this scenario - with Trump at the top of the ticket - the party regulars will sit on their hands - the down ballot folks will run for their lives - the Senate will go "D" - we'll get that ninth jurist - and Bill Clinton will sleep in the Lincoln bedroom. Christie will be pre-occupied with the Bridgegate trials and Carson should have stayed in the O.R. I haven't heard from him since but I think our friendship will endure.
tjs

The Real Deal

Upon opening yesterday's NY Times I was startled to see a 8x6 photo of the late Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo circa 1977.  His brash style was being compared to that of a current Presidential candidate. He was a former police commissioner and served two terms as mayor. He jousted with TV reporters and preached "law & order" and at social occasions you might find him with a night stick tucked inside the cummerbund of his tuxedo. They called him the Cisco Kid! A historian noted "The difference between Rizzo and Trump is that Rizzo was the real deal. Rizzo had the authenticity but Trump is really good at playing that role."
tjs

Potpourri VII

The film Elvis & Nixon was reviewed in the NYTimes last Friday - they gave it an "R" rating for...."suspicious and dirty minds." I kid you not. And their meeting was several years before Watergate. Prescient?

Quote of the week: "You need a majority. 'Almost' only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades." -Reince Priebus.
Quote II - "What makes me faster now is that everyone else slowed down." - Ida Keeling - Age 100 as she trains for the Penn Relays event - 100 meters. Despite her exceptional discipline her only indulgence is downing a tall shot of Hennessy Cognac. She describes it as "putting gas in the car". Quite a gal!
tjs

Potpourri VI

From the global news feed:

Dateline - Xingtang County, China- Two competing construction companies were after the same project and instead of flipping a coin like gentlemen they decided to duke it out on the street using front-end loaders "with their buckets held high like the horns of battling beetles the two machines repeatedly slam into each other." Another joins the fray. A few knives and pellet guns appeared - a veritable Caterpillar vs. Komatsu. Our union strife is tame by comparison.

Dateline - Dubai, U.A.E - The first calf to come from a cloned camel was born at a research center here in November. They didn't say whether it was one hump or two.
tjs

A Golden Throne

Donald J. Trump's taste for gold-plated bathroom fixtures is being surpassed as the Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan will be installing a solid gold toilet in a rest room in May. This unique item is officially a "sculpture" by a prominent Italian artist. Guggenheim officials said that they anticipated lines for the bathroom and added that a guard or attendant might be placed near the door to ensure orderly waiting - and also to prevent anyone from "absconding" with a piece of the facility. They added that 18-karat gold was chosen for its "solidity" (no pun intended). Anyway, don't get trampled in the rush - and you won't have to tip the attendant.
tjs
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/20/arts/design/duchamp-eat-your-heart-out-the-guggenheim-is-installing-a-gold-toilet.html