tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59327032634131740612024-02-18T22:26:42.444-05:00Welcome to Katfrog's CornerKatfroghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06958891915683675389noreply@blogger.comBlogger744125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932703263413174061.post-19728193934205127942022-12-09T17:39:00.003-05:002022-12-09T17:39:33.952-05:00Freaky Friday News: Unicorn Licenses<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUBR_dWVdgOgqz8ZLpSc9zhZZ-Fq-tTBctVhwk60m0JWfIuhGu8Xc2xM9YG767IcGgC0DBWijt2VZk9-1y80qfUrvJLzIEHE2oyf5tvPwHJnMO00mzXi03n8SIz0xepyqht4GcIqsg5LQVGsLh7vQiUHT9QRHtOjEuF2r70qmw2weK_bZxBhGBIMP_hg/s2000/Unicorn-free-range.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1650" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUBR_dWVdgOgqz8ZLpSc9zhZZ-Fq-tTBctVhwk60m0JWfIuhGu8Xc2xM9YG767IcGgC0DBWijt2VZk9-1y80qfUrvJLzIEHE2oyf5tvPwHJnMO00mzXi03n8SIz0xepyqht4GcIqsg5LQVGsLh7vQiUHT9QRHtOjEuF2r70qmw2weK_bZxBhGBIMP_hg/w528-h640/Unicorn-free-range.png" style="border-radius: 50% 20% / 10% 40%; border: thick double rgb(50, 161, 206);" width="528" /></a></div>
<br /><p style="text-align: left;"><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Los Angeles County Gives a Young Resident a Unicorn License</span></b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Last month, a resident of Los Angeles county, Miss Madeline, sent a handwritten letter to animal control asking if she has permission to keep a unicorn. In an act of kindness, Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control replied to her letter with the following:</p><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>A letter listing out the "requirements" for keeping a unicorn</li><li>A stuffed unicorn, complete with a metallic owner tag (to be a placeholder while the young lady searches for her real unicorn)</li><li>An official unicorn license</li></ul><div>In times like these, this simple exchange brings me some hope for the future.</div></div>
<div><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETLE6YFwdUp63NLrK5Gv6SvXiZO4OXF_qpWfi_-_jj5gblOQyEPFgIkC_CQ5Z18PpCw5yKtpgB_H8rlO7slEKQhcs_4wWYdxtH5PAGcXDzE75Rhv7LavEhSQ4wacXXLjlr04yGg6f2T1ziBkkpFt452BqI15OBQxF9Sff6T6Soi2VBBhYbSpUeFnWpg/s1440/letter-for-unicorn.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETLE6YFwdUp63NLrK5Gv6SvXiZO4OXF_qpWfi_-_jj5gblOQyEPFgIkC_CQ5Z18PpCw5yKtpgB_H8rlO7slEKQhcs_4wWYdxtH5PAGcXDzE75Rhv7LavEhSQ4wacXXLjlr04yGg6f2T1ziBkkpFt452BqI15OBQxF9Sff6T6Soi2VBBhYbSpUeFnWpg/w400-h400/letter-for-unicorn.jpg" style="border: solid black;" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYeNSNECR2-8sZb28DdyJ_WqRz28tb_TectsOoVsmV0vPe9-1sKPATwokpioDeKwYliTrBjbFI4XybIrKwYfFKSWilANnw0kg00yj4kNIa-tjWgqw3UlDW67c0-i5hDYvX1LypaB_1s0kH0--MWpMvj0OAUpPnSkho1Vy8x7RbiWXMP_uO75AqUUR4w/s1440/official-unicorn-letter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYeNSNECR2-8sZb28DdyJ_WqRz28tb_TectsOoVsmV0vPe9-1sKPATwokpioDeKwYliTrBjbFI4XybIrKwYfFKSWilANnw0kg00yj4kNIa-tjWgqw3UlDW67c0-i5hDYvX1LypaB_1s0kH0--MWpMvj0OAUpPnSkho1Vy8x7RbiWXMP_uO75AqUUR4w/w640-h640/official-unicorn-letter.jpg" style="border: solid black;" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipk5ehWQ586Idwl97qc5eFTcXFGrd3q4nnh0mkDb0nzMQZsI9itkkOtRt3gIbc3EeQ2ssEmCZor9N-tte7j-cF8O3AcGXyBeF8NiAj_5gzsJzmdrT15NolkMtC0NqwM6JCki_h5srneIK2UpqFrhD_VQV_4rZkFLUPV8h2EaPjZYPqPaqKyBP18SD_NQ/s1440/official-unicorn-license.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipk5ehWQ586Idwl97qc5eFTcXFGrd3q4nnh0mkDb0nzMQZsI9itkkOtRt3gIbc3EeQ2ssEmCZor9N-tte7j-cF8O3AcGXyBeF8NiAj_5gzsJzmdrT15NolkMtC0NqwM6JCki_h5srneIK2UpqFrhD_VQV_4rZkFLUPV8h2EaPjZYPqPaqKyBP18SD_NQ/w640-h640/official-unicorn-license.jpg" style="border: solid black;" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2UQ4ivPexqKR1xAlCkKtj3qXmrtUZvyazqWlslcs5aw1XevJRQCB8-9nVct7QRDGnA2q4nnQkYq8khV-gk23f475uwB-5pg_dAzKQzD0hQnBKlyxVAhtG_hHMdpZnBaStQGb9y120FxjNsixNETmGtpL_Wiuw2GvFH_PqPRFttavEB76GWrjlW0Vlw/s320/unicorn-license.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2UQ4ivPexqKR1xAlCkKtj3qXmrtUZvyazqWlslcs5aw1XevJRQCB8-9nVct7QRDGnA2q4nnQkYq8khV-gk23f475uwB-5pg_dAzKQzD0hQnBKlyxVAhtG_hHMdpZnBaStQGb9y120FxjNsixNETmGtpL_Wiuw2GvFH_PqPRFttavEB76GWrjlW0Vlw/s1600/unicorn-license.jpg" style="border: solid black;" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimePcM30U7-XPDEEetjr_x6qC9p-TVVAQvsQ_pr5GF5xk8MW-G674t4UnWJu03TxppV2PUBbJFxPgHv1xvFFh5w2MY6V4eIeN3ZbcS--ofnevr8byHbs2eUoiIb6h28Wz79pG20HLCsbe2OKy2a1MSROWPqUQVrZUJ45T7qgkmVC-PTzqEpLWrE7PRqQ/s640/Unicorn-w-license.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimePcM30U7-XPDEEetjr_x6qC9p-TVVAQvsQ_pr5GF5xk8MW-G674t4UnWJu03TxppV2PUBbJFxPgHv1xvFFh5w2MY6V4eIeN3ZbcS--ofnevr8byHbs2eUoiIb6h28Wz79pG20HLCsbe2OKy2a1MSROWPqUQVrZUJ45T7qgkmVC-PTzqEpLWrE7PRqQ/w640-h640/Unicorn-w-license.jpg" style="border: solid black;" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div>
<br /></div><div><br /></div>Katfroghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06958891915683675389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932703263413174061.post-56243295223184441602022-11-09T16:11:00.003-05:002022-11-09T16:11:37.859-05:00Why did I confess?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM7jd2PrDHpQATSX_lvQoscxmHoYbjDg1eYvx3KBbyDl_HnlT7Q-qWfceqX9zJByt4v4dvLaxM6KXsVpQbq6tsE9mj1ELZG0QYwHX1BbpQrJAtKHZ34dIT61gu3btCwDSmONtO3-8y4sEsZO3U3Nnuwy8Sng1UgunMp5jFIL77QkenBmoMlW5snolpMA/s4200/sonia-remizua-GRO9TOBGl-A-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3984" data-original-width="4200" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM7jd2PrDHpQATSX_lvQoscxmHoYbjDg1eYvx3KBbyDl_HnlT7Q-qWfceqX9zJByt4v4dvLaxM6KXsVpQbq6tsE9mj1ELZG0QYwHX1BbpQrJAtKHZ34dIT61gu3btCwDSmONtO3-8y4sEsZO3U3Nnuwy8Sng1UgunMp5jFIL77QkenBmoMlW5snolpMA/w400-h380/sonia-remizua-GRO9TOBGl-A-unsplash.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: medium;">What it feels like in the middle of a mood episode</span><br />Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@remizua?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Sonia Remizua</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/t/people?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p> I had a few people ask me why I posted my confession yesterday.</p><p></p><blockquote><p><i><span style="color: #990000;">"Aren't you scared that someone will use that information against you?"</span></i></p><p><i><span style="color: #990000;">"You'll never find a job if people know [the truth]."</span></i></p></blockquote><p></p><p>Here's the thing. In America, truthful information about mental health is difficult to find. A lot of stigmas exists around both mental health problems and people who have them. But not talking about mental health will not get rid of the stigmas.</p><p>We need to normalize mental health discussions. If a person has ADHD or autism or bipolar disorder, they need to be able to discuss their diagnosis without running into prejudice and bias from society.</p><p><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;">Today, that is not the case for the majority of Americans.</span></p><p>I announced my new diagnosis to do my part in helping to normalize bipolar disease. I am not a celebrity; I am a normal person with normal wants and needs. Furthermore, I have a family I love, amazing friends, and a dog who is honestly the goodest boy ever. Having a diagnosis of bipolar disorder is not mutually exclusive to having a life.</p><p><span style="color: #741b47; font-size: medium;">So if you have any questions, I will answer them to the best of my ability.</span> If you know someone with bipolar disorder and want more information, I can point you to some great online resources. If you are just curious, awesome!</p><p>Only if we work together, can we overcome societal stigma about mental health. Only if we work together, can we make society a safer place for everyone.</p>Katfroghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06958891915683675389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932703263413174061.post-44886259407070515292022-11-08T15:42:00.000-05:002022-11-08T15:42:05.334-05:00Confession Time: I just learned that I have Bipolar Disorder<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7qir8-ncvBA" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<p>And yes, it still hasn't sunk in. I mean, I'm bipolar?!?!???</p>
<p>Why is this so hard to acknowledge? Because I am human, and whatever I feel, feels normal.</p>
<p>Only needing 4-5 hours of sleep sometimes? Normal.</p><p>So tired I can't get out of bed until noon, other times? Normal.</p><p>Speaking too fast? Thoughts racing between ideas? Unable to fall asleep or wake up at the same time? </p><p>Normal. Normal. Normal.</p>
<p>To have a psychiatrist tell me, <i>well, your normal is actually a series of bipolar mood episodes</i>. That blows my mind.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN8IerOBce5nT9SCcOdZVbuqLgwD-osQd0qBAtwKa2aWsUBRMZ4PqnxRh-ZpfRFF8ps_4PZw55MII00Q81qQB3vMKvXx3TNVKvUoqM527-ReKSS4hZQosLAN-7el7McoVfciCDwMSIV7BP0BY3P70k1Z9Iz2M8wtCwhVH_9F6EO-q-6Dnu87Zq2Uwv0A/s5755/beautiful-old-house-lavender-field.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3837" data-original-width="5755" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN8IerOBce5nT9SCcOdZVbuqLgwD-osQd0qBAtwKa2aWsUBRMZ4PqnxRh-ZpfRFF8ps_4PZw55MII00Q81qQB3vMKvXx3TNVKvUoqM527-ReKSS4hZQosLAN-7el7McoVfciCDwMSIV7BP0BY3P70k1Z9Iz2M8wtCwhVH_9F6EO-q-6Dnu87Zq2Uwv0A/w400-h266/beautiful-old-house-lavender-field.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image by <a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/beautiful-old-house-lavender-field_29447614.htm#query=flower&position=9&from_view=keyword">Freepik</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />
<p>I started an antipsychotic medication - Seroquel - which turned me into a sleep zombie for a few days. Luckily, I'm adjusting to the side effect and staying awake for more than 30 minutes at a time. But the new changes in my sleep needs is only the most obvious effect to other people.</p><p>Internally, I can focus now on one thing at a time. I don't have to corral my thoughts every few minutes, as I also feel calm inside (though to be honest, "calm" isn't the correct word, just the closet to how I feel). I have a clarity to my thoughts that I did not have before. To be honest, I did not realize I needed the clarity until I had it.</p><p>I guess the strangest thing is that I now feel more like "me" than I have before. It's wonderful and scary to feel as though I am more a whole person now than I was last week. In turn, I wonder what I will feel next week, next month, even next year? </p><p><br /></p>Katfroghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06958891915683675389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932703263413174061.post-27571045572551401492022-10-19T12:44:00.004-04:002022-10-19T12:44:17.557-04:00Wordless Wednesday: Fantasy Restroom Sign<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEn_uY7xa2v_iIaXoFY-LK9cweNGmHv0tIMYY5jpmWOyTme0buu1cD-k1SaM6EV3G93jvKtNBsaU4_LHUzCzS_ZSDRtgE1azaUM83X4fkx7xXdaNGuSF3-ba3iDaitke4y1rADdC04iFYPa3SW-Ormii_5JeqjRPzmR_oJFjr-_UHR6N5q6hPQvmdrtQ/s393/restroom-sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="393" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEn_uY7xa2v_iIaXoFY-LK9cweNGmHv0tIMYY5jpmWOyTme0buu1cD-k1SaM6EV3G93jvKtNBsaU4_LHUzCzS_ZSDRtgE1azaUM83X4fkx7xXdaNGuSF3-ba3iDaitke4y1rADdC04iFYPa3SW-Ormii_5JeqjRPzmR_oJFjr-_UHR6N5q6hPQvmdrtQ/w400-h353/restroom-sign.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><br /></p>Katfroghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06958891915683675389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932703263413174061.post-39426228473301826202022-10-10T11:47:00.000-04:002022-10-10T11:47:25.294-04:00Music Monday: A Tribute to Loretta Lynn<p> <iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NZJ2dFe5Dag" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p>I am not a huge country music fan. I have no idea who is on the charts and I don't even know how to find the local country radio stations. But I grew up listening to Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, and John Denver (along with classical, disco, and rock music). These people define "country" for me. </p><p>And now Loretta Lynn is dead.</p><p>It's hard to describe what I'm feeling. I'm numb because the news feels fictitious. I'm sad because she was such a lovely person. I grieve for her family, because I know that they are reeling. I'm happy when I remember singing along to her on car rides. </p><p>I never knew that Loretta wrote and songs that were banned from radio stations. I listened to "The Pill" last week, and nearly laughed myself out of my chair. The woman had so many children, I completely get why she would be so happy at the advent of the pill. "Fist City" is violent, but in a way I understand and even approve of. Honestly, I would be introducing any woman hitting on my husband to my fist.</p><p>I guess it's time to say goodbye to Loretta Lynn, the woman. Luck for us, her music will stay with us forever.</p>Katfroghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06958891915683675389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932703263413174061.post-61177308603039477212022-10-05T07:00:00.001-04:002022-10-05T07:00:00.213-04:00Wordless Wednesday: You Oughta Mow<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg9jCFmi4zAATucEJZEqRKzwCcSfDnuXKuqKd2y6NQ4uV9ClJt24flUyPxPupHv68JqcZiLPbRJG0-FXQhpsLyp02aYcnog3Praxu4xe_duzNW8CbixNhqZW-NqjP783rWhwj7r-HBoT7Pv9iR6nnsvvjt6U4N1wpE5gYrRBHiQRqXt7v1vs6cuKwWEA/s1250/Alanis-Tweet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="737" height="621" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg9jCFmi4zAATucEJZEqRKzwCcSfDnuXKuqKd2y6NQ4uV9ClJt24flUyPxPupHv68JqcZiLPbRJG0-FXQhpsLyp02aYcnog3Praxu4xe_duzNW8CbixNhqZW-NqjP783rWhwj7r-HBoT7Pv9iR6nnsvvjt6U4N1wpE5gYrRBHiQRqXt7v1vs6cuKwWEA/w367-h621/Alanis-Tweet.jpg" width="367" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn0l9xHmziLCXr163YxY_GkiKTZTNycfYQjxl7V3ljFfxDDjbZkejkydvqo3wYC1nsY2Sg6hifTVVVrvut0Wg91TmeSm-YhIZtVfMxgCxdlfcXQ8L4wz5GkWDLaBD2beYnNQATX16RYsckjAYWEkXJ19REV_lvCSS5w6ARy6SOYEKXaqTiwTHaNNrRjw/s749/Al%20Y%20Reply.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="243" data-original-width="749" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn0l9xHmziLCXr163YxY_GkiKTZTNycfYQjxl7V3ljFfxDDjbZkejkydvqo3wYC1nsY2Sg6hifTVVVrvut0Wg91TmeSm-YhIZtVfMxgCxdlfcXQ8L4wz5GkWDLaBD2beYnNQATX16RYsckjAYWEkXJ19REV_lvCSS5w6ARy6SOYEKXaqTiwTHaNNrRjw/w559-h181/Al%20Y%20Reply.jpg" width="559" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Katfroghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06958891915683675389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932703263413174061.post-50997380134067690542022-10-04T17:10:00.002-04:002022-10-04T17:10:58.534-04:00Today is National Taco Day? Sort of...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:001_Tacos_de_carnitas,_carne_asada_y_al_pastor.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Larry Miller, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons"><img alt="001 Tacos de carnitas, carne asada y al pastor" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/001_Tacos_de_carnitas%2C_carne_asada_y_al_pastor.jpg/512px-001_Tacos_de_carnitas%2C_carne_asada_y_al_pastor.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Larry Miller, CC <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0" target="_blank">BY-SA 2.0</a> , via Wikimedia Commons</td></tr></tbody></table>
<div class="separator"><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000;">Tacos - a wonderful handheld food that Americans eat by the dozens</span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">As the American melting pot grew in the early 1900s, tacos became a staple of American diets in the Southwest. During the last century, this food moved across the country until nearly everyone in the country has eaten at least one taco during their lives and many restaurants even advertise <i>Taco Tuesday </i>every week.</p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">In 1968, Congress officially recognized the importance of tacos, saying:</p><blockquote><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">On May 3rd of every year National Taco Day will be observed, in honor of the birth date of the great Texan and American, the Honorable Henry B. Gonzalez, Congressman of Bexar County and San Antonio. The highlight of National Taco Day will come on the night of May 3rd, at which time a celebration will honor the birth of a new era for the Taco and the Mexican Food Industry.</p></blockquote><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">[From <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/Congressional_Record/vcoPxyNLl4cC?gbpv=1" target="_blank">the Congressional Records of 1968</a>, pg. 11132]</p><hr /><h3 style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #741b47;">So why are we seeing images for National Taco Day now, on October 4th?</span></h3><hr /><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">Because in 2009, Del Taco set up a marketing campaign the celebrate a "National Taco Day" on October 4th. I have absolutely no idea why they decided to create this campaign, but it both worked and didn't work. You see, I have heard of National Taco Day in October, but I had no idea where this idea came from until I did some research.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1080" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbIDu8kahua-xszY9wenanRUZGivtEpSbzN8vvwZPqEyqmBhd3xfVxa1q3muWoFKuJk9EVYl8-4i3PMxFKIjGXTQm-P3Z5CRQhgaHzqVGOvIhM3xTsl25rkYTpFmkHxJZ_RulJG3h1WOdy67pxSg5N-Zem89VpCtlu6cc7FyOcWmX0e11pdAAbavd9w/w400-h285/Taco-Day-FINAL-transparent.png.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From <a href="https://cheflolaskitchen.com/nationaltacoday/" target="_blank">Chef Lola's Kitchen</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">So which National Taco Day is the "real" one?</span></p>
<script type="text/javascript">
(function(d,s,id,u){
if (d.getElementById(id)) return;
var js, sjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],
t = Math.floor(new Date().getTime() / 1000000);
js=d.createElement(s); js.id=id; js.async=1; js.src=u+'?'+t;
sjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, sjs);
}(document, 'script', 'os-widget-jssdk', 'https://www.opinionstage.com/assets/loader.js'));
</script><div class="os_poll" data-of="kathryn-patterson" data-opinionstage-widget="26dfe3bc-a4d8-44d3-a9f3-bbeb44d34f5b" data-path="/polls/2869845" id="os-widget-1063842"></div>
<hr />
<h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">Taco Trivia</span></h2><p>Back in 1989, Taco John trademarked the name <i>Taco Tuesday. </i>For decades, the business defended their trademark against others, though in the end it was all for naught. Nowadays, plenty of restaurants advertise their own Taco Tuesday since the term is now considered <span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span>"a commonplace term, message or expression widely used by a variety of sources that merely conveys an ordinary, familiar, well-recognized concept or sentiment." by the United States Patent and Trademark Office [<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/11/style/lebron-taco-tuesday-trademark.html" target="_blank">citation</a>].</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Katfroghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06958891915683675389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932703263413174061.post-17648658176499380132022-10-04T13:20:00.001-04:002022-10-04T13:20:29.377-04:00Music Monday: Chris Barron & The Spin Doctors<p> </p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KPa0CiWeoOI" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<br /><div><br /></div><div>I don't know how many of you remember when the Spin Doctors first hit the scene, but I do. I remember gong out to clubs or bars and dancing to these high-energy songs while singing along.</div><div><br /></div><div>Like a lot of bands, Spin Doctors released a hugely successful first album and then never managed to match that success with their following albums. Mind you, the music is still exceptional. It just never became as commercially popular as <i>A Pocket Full of Kryptonite</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Chris Barron, singer and songwriter, still sings with the band. But he also does some solo work. I re-discovered Chris Barron in the 2010s, when I bought the album <i><a href="https://chrisbarron.bandcamp.com/album/songs-from-the-summer-of-sangria" target="_blank">Songs from the Summer of Sangria</a></i> off of <a href="https://chrisbarron.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">his BandCamp website</a>. The music is more chill but just as thoughtful as his Spin Doctors music. And I recommend listening to it when you want to just kick back and let life flow.</div>Katfroghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06958891915683675389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932703263413174061.post-2946605601403215952022-10-03T07:00:00.001-04:002022-10-03T07:00:00.209-04:00Music Monday: The Bright Side of Life<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="366" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ROAWKuXCTK8" width="440" youtube-src-id="ROAWKuXCTK8"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I didn't see "Life of Brian" until I was almost 50, and I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants. This particular song is one of my favorite earworms.</span></p>Katfroghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06958891915683675389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932703263413174061.post-26740060210140881662022-09-29T07:30:00.002-04:002022-10-04T13:05:02.206-04:00The Questionable Morality of America, part 1<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;"><b>mo●ral●i●ty</b></span></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><i>noun</i></blockquote><ul style="text-align: left;"><ul><li>principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior.</li></ul></ul><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">"the matter boiled down to simple morality: innocent prisoners ought to be freed"</blockquote></blockquote><ul style="text-align: left;"><ul><li>a particular system of values and principles of conduct, especially one held by a specified person or society.</li></ul></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><ul><li>the extent to which an action is right or wrong.</li></ul></ul><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">"behind all the arguments lies the issue of the morality of the possession of nuclear weapons"</blockquote></blockquote><p><br /></p><hr /><p><br /></p><p>Have you ever wondered how the normal, regular people living in Germany in the beginning of the 20th century followed and supported both the Kaiser and Hitler into brutal, terrifying wars? I'm not talking about the zealots; I mean the average citizens living average lives. </p><p><span style="color: #990000; font-size: medium;">How could these people reconcile the atrocities done with their own moral code?</span></p><p>I wondered about this since I first learned about Hitler and the concentration camps through reading books by Corrie Ten Boom and Anne Frank. As a child, I assumed that everyone had roughly the same morals as I did, and I could not imagine standing by as people were herded into train cars. </p><p>As a young adult, I traveled to Germany and stayed with friends of my grandmother. This couple was alive during World War 2, young adults during that time, but I never got the courage to ask them what happened. I can tell you that these people welcomed me into their home, showed me around West Germany, and were kind and caring individuals.</p><hr /><p>Sadly, I think I have an answer now. It's not that the German citizens were temporarily turned into monsters, or had secret brain surgery. They simply were faced with questionable morality of their society, and their own moral spines bent.</p><p><span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: medium;">It's the same thing that is happening in America today.</span></p><p>I should not say "today" as if this is a new thing. America has never had a shiny moral spine.</p><hr /><p>It started with our Independence, when our Founding Fathers compromised and allowed slavery even though the majority of them did not feel that slavery was morally correct. </p><div style="border-radius: 5px; border: 2px solid green; padding: 0.5em;"><p>Our Founding Fathers and Slavery</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>George Washington: Never made public statements about slavery, he freed all of his slaves in his will.</li><li>Benjamin Franklin: Founded the first abolitionist society</li><li>Thomas Jefferson: Said about slavery: “we have the wolf by the ear, and we can neither hold him, nor safely let him go. Justice is in one scale, and self-preservation in the other.”</li></ul></div><p></p><p>Our entire country almost split into two with the Civil War, but even that did not stop discrimination against people who are not of European descent.</p><hr /><p>But racism isn't the only place where America's lack of morality shows. During Prohibition, the federal government poisoned whatever alcohol they could, with the pretense of "stopping people from drinking". But government officials knew that this would not stop anyone from drinking alcohol. They just did not care how many people died from their poisoning.</p><hr /><p>Then during World War 2, while the Nazis rounded up Jews and shipped them off to concentration camps, the American federal government rounded up people who had Japanese ancestry, and sent them off to concentration camps. To be honest, when I first heard about this, I. Was. Floored.</p><p>Why?</p><p>Because I<b> never heard </b>about this particular atrocity in any of my history classes.</p><p>Not. One.</p><p>After World War 2, McCarthyism took over during a time we now call the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Scare#Second_Red_Scare" target="_blank">Second Red Scare</a>.</p><hr color="red" /><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">McCarthyism</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">noun</span></i></div><div style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><i><span><br /></span></i><span>the practice of making false or unfounded accusations of subversion and treason, especially when related to anarchism, communism and socialism, and especially when done in a public and attention-grabbing manner.</span></div><div style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><hr color="red" /><br />
<p></p><div>That's right, folks. Senator McCarthy used a campaign of fear to temporarily control the American public.</div><div><br /></div><hr /><div>During the 1960s, black Americans finally got fed up with being treated like second class citizens, and pushed for equal civil rights. Instead of supporting what is (in hindsight) a righteous cause, many white Americans either sat by and did nothing to help, or put on white robes and tried to terrify black Americans into being quiet.</div><div><br /></div><hr /><div>In 1964 we also learned about the "bystander effect" when no one intervened to help Kitty Genovese when she was raped and murdered in public. Some people did try to call the police, but no one physically helped out.</div><div><br /></div><hr /><div>I assume I do not need to keep listing the ways in which the American government or the American public has shown immoral activities or beliefs from the 1960s until 2016.</div><div><br /></div><hr /><div><span style="color: #134f5c; font-size: medium;">So what happened in 2016?</span></div><div><br /></div><div>In 2016 the world learned that a large segment of American society does not have working ethics. These people laugh when someone makes fun of a handicapped person. These people encourage below the belt comments in conversation, and accept having double standards as the norm.</div><div><br /></div><div>The world learned to be dubious about any agreement with our country, because there is no guarantee that the US will uphold their end. </div><div><br /></div><div>The world learned that racism is still a problem here, as a police officer - who is tasked with public safety - knelt on the neck of a black man <b>because he was black. </b></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: medium;">George Floyd died. No amount of jail time or fines will bring him back to life.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>And the American public stood there and watched.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #741b47; font-size: medium;">Police officers lied to a judge to get an arrest warrant and then killed Breona Taylor.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>And the American public did nothing.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: medium;">A group of Americans, emboldened and encouraged by the sitting President, invaded Congress in an act of sedition.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>And the American public stood there and watched.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: medium;">A SWAT team in Albuquerque burned an innocent teenager alive in a house.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>And the American public did nothing.</div><div><br /></div><hr /><div><br /></div><div>Okay, to be fair, the death of George Floyd and Breona Taylor did cause some uproar afterwards. And there are trials against the people involved in the attempted coup. But even with the uproar and the trials, there have been no substantial changes for the better.</div><div><br /></div><hr /><div><br /></div><div>It feels like America not only lost the "moral high ground" in world relations, we lost our morality. Yet if you ask people if they think they have morals, most (if not all) would answer "yes".</div><div><br /></div><div>Read the next blog post for a discussion on why Americans seem to have lost their morality.</div>Katfroghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06958891915683675389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932703263413174061.post-22132839306090343612022-09-28T07:00:00.001-04:002022-09-28T07:00:00.183-04:00Wordless Wednesday: Old Newspaper Article on Coal<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBj0AVWqQ7dHG5bhmyqJMu6WgGfYTq2Kisk3f1NL7xhCh426WsFSPi2ZrhA8a5eZPpKJMK--GP7WBl5cOOkz8RWvA3BoKAMQ594mFbvN_UePQxcuSrFvebQBYWMQlZnWBXDIBUo2T1HYyaT7RLpXNQGMZCvWS9sHexUPQwkg3h0b3CM1wM1hnHztkSPQ/s853/coal.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="640" height="658" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBj0AVWqQ7dHG5bhmyqJMu6WgGfYTq2Kisk3f1NL7xhCh426WsFSPi2ZrhA8a5eZPpKJMK--GP7WBl5cOOkz8RWvA3BoKAMQ594mFbvN_UePQxcuSrFvebQBYWMQlZnWBXDIBUo2T1HYyaT7RLpXNQGMZCvWS9sHexUPQwkg3h0b3CM1wM1hnHztkSPQ/w494-h658/coal.webp" width="494" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> <span data-offset-key="foo-0-0" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">An Australian newspaper, </span><a class="_3Bkfb _1lsz7" data-hook="linkViewer" href="https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/rodney-and-otamatea-times-waitemata-and-kaipara-gazette" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span data-offset-key="foo-1-0">The Rodney and Otamatea Times</span></a><span data-offset-key="foo-2-0" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">, reported about how coal consumption effects the climate back on August 14, 1912. The only error in the article is that it would take a few centuries for the temperature to rise.</span></span><p></p>Katfroghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06958891915683675389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932703263413174061.post-37383980853825265622022-09-26T07:00:00.001-04:002022-09-26T07:00:00.198-04:00Music Monday: Mercedes Benz<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Last month, my dear husband and I went to see Reina del Cid in concert here in Atlanta. One of the last songs she sang was a cover of Janis Joplin's "Lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz", but with an extra verse asking the Lord for a new guitar.</span></span></p><div data-draftjs-conductor-fragment="{"blocks":[{"key":"4l21e","text":"Last month, my dear husband and I went to see Reina del Cid in concert here in Atlanta. One of the last songs she sang was a cover of Janis Joplin's \"Lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz\", but with an extra verse asking the Lord for a new guitar.","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"a7n5m","text":"","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"b0def","text":"This got me thinking about what that song would be if Janis wrote it today. These days, housing is hard to afford. So I wrote a new verse to this classic.","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"bunp6","text":"","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"bb9b3","text":"Lord won't you buy me a new mobile home","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"cjjrt","text":"My old one is broken. It just will not roam","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"6jg62","text":"A new double wide one, with accents in chrome","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"b4eq4","text":"So Lord won't you buy me a new mobile home.","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"1noht","text":"","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"fa244","text":"You can listen to me singing it on SoundCloud.","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}}],"entityMap":{},"VERSION":"8.72.53"}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_25Ehb _3qYRK Oh89J public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr fixed-tab-size rich_content_P" data-block="true" data-editor="editor" data-offset-key="8hqq9-0-0"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="8hqq9-0-0"><span data-offset-key="8hqq9-0-0"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span></div><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="8hqq9-0-0"><span data-offset-key="8hqq9-0-0"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="396" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4-PRi1crGd4" width="477" youtube-src-id="4-PRi1crGd4"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="8hqq9-0-0"><span data-offset-key="8hqq9-0-0"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div></div><div class="_25Ehb _3qYRK Oh89J public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr fixed-tab-size rich_content_P" data-block="true" data-editor="editor" data-offset-key="civ3r-0-0"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="civ3r-0-0"><span data-offset-key="civ3r-0-0"><span style="font-size: medium;">This got me thinking about what that song would be if Janis wrote it today. These days, housing is hard to afford. So I wrote a new verse to this classic.</span></span></div></div><div class="_25Ehb _3qYRK Oh89J public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr fixed-tab-size rich_content_P" data-block="true" data-editor="editor" data-offset-key="dobp1-0-0"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="dobp1-0-0"><span data-offset-key="dobp1-0-0"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div data-draftjs-conductor-fragment="{"blocks":[{"key":"4l21e","text":"Last month, my dear husband and I went to see Reina del Cid in concert here in Atlanta. One of the last songs she sang was a cover of Janis Joplin's \"Lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz\", but with an extra verse asking the Lord for a new guitar.","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"a7n5m","text":"","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"b0def","text":"This got me thinking about what that song would be if Janis wrote it today. These days, housing is hard to afford. So I wrote a new verse to this classic.","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"bunp6","text":"","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"bb9b3","text":"Lord won't you buy me a new mobile home","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"cjjrt","text":"My old one is broken. It just will not roam","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"6jg62","text":"A new double wide one, with accents in chrome","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"b4eq4","text":"So Lord won't you buy me a new mobile home.","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"1noht","text":"","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"fa244","text":"You can listen to me singing it on SoundCloud.","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}}],"entityMap":{},"VERSION":"8.72.53"}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_25Ehb _3qYRK Oh89J public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth1 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr fixed-tab-size rich_content_P" data-block="true" data-editor="editor" data-offset-key="ckc1t-0-0"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="ckc1t-0-0"><span data-offset-key="ckc1t-0-0"><span style="font-size: medium;">Lord won't you buy me a new mobile home</span></span></div></div></div><div data-draftjs-conductor-fragment="{"blocks":[{"key":"4l21e","text":"Last month, my dear husband and I went to see Reina del Cid in concert here in Atlanta. One of the last songs she sang was a cover of Janis Joplin's \"Lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz\", but with an extra verse asking the Lord for a new guitar.","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"a7n5m","text":"","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"b0def","text":"This got me thinking about what that song would be if Janis wrote it today. These days, housing is hard to afford. So I wrote a new verse to this classic.","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"bunp6","text":"","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"bb9b3","text":"Lord won't you buy me a new mobile home","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"cjjrt","text":"My old one is broken. It just will not roam","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"6jg62","text":"A new double wide one, with accents in chrome","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"b4eq4","text":"So Lord won't you buy me a new mobile home.","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"1noht","text":"","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"fa244","text":"You can listen to me singing it on SoundCloud.","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}}],"entityMap":{},"VERSION":"8.72.53"}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_25Ehb _3qYRK Oh89J public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth1 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr fixed-tab-size rich_content_P" data-block="true" data-editor="editor" data-offset-key="dgqdi-0-0"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="dgqdi-0-0"><span data-offset-key="dgqdi-0-0"><span style="font-size: medium;">My old one is broken. It just will not roam</span></span></div></div></div><div data-draftjs-conductor-fragment="{"blocks":[{"key":"4l21e","text":"Last month, my dear husband and I went to see Reina del Cid in concert here in Atlanta. One of the last songs she sang was a cover of Janis Joplin's \"Lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz\", but with an extra verse asking the Lord for a new guitar.","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"a7n5m","text":"","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"b0def","text":"This got me thinking about what that song would be if Janis wrote it today. These days, housing is hard to afford. So I wrote a new verse to this classic.","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"bunp6","text":"","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"bb9b3","text":"Lord won't you buy me a new mobile home","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"cjjrt","text":"My old one is broken. It just will not roam","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"6jg62","text":"A new double wide one, with accents in chrome","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"b4eq4","text":"So Lord won't you buy me a new mobile home.","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"1noht","text":"","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"fa244","text":"You can listen to me singing it on SoundCloud.","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}}],"entityMap":{},"VERSION":"8.72.53"}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_25Ehb _3qYRK Oh89J public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth1 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr fixed-tab-size rich_content_P" data-block="true" data-editor="editor" data-offset-key="d5qms-0-0"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="d5qms-0-0"><span data-offset-key="d5qms-0-0"><span style="font-size: medium;">A new double wide one, with accents in chrome</span></span></div></div></div><div data-draftjs-conductor-fragment="{"blocks":[{"key":"4l21e","text":"Last month, my dear husband and I went to see Reina del Cid in concert here in Atlanta. One of the last songs she sang was a cover of Janis Joplin's \"Lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz\", but with an extra verse asking the Lord for a new guitar.","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"a7n5m","text":"","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"b0def","text":"This got me thinking about what that song would be if Janis wrote it today. These days, housing is hard to afford. So I wrote a new verse to this classic.","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"bunp6","text":"","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"bb9b3","text":"Lord won't you buy me a new mobile home","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"cjjrt","text":"My old one is broken. It just will not roam","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"6jg62","text":"A new double wide one, with accents in chrome","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"b4eq4","text":"So Lord won't you buy me a new mobile home.","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"1noht","text":"","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"fa244","text":"You can listen to me singing it on SoundCloud.","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}}],"entityMap":{},"VERSION":"8.72.53"}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_25Ehb _3qYRK Oh89J public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth1 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr fixed-tab-size rich_content_P" data-block="true" data-editor="editor" data-offset-key="5skul-0-0"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="5skul-0-0"><span data-offset-key="5skul-0-0"><span style="font-size: medium;">So Lord won't you buy me a new mobile home.</span></span></div></div></div></blockquote><div data-draftjs-conductor-fragment="{"blocks":[{"key":"4l21e","text":"Last month, my dear husband and I went to see Reina del Cid in concert here in Atlanta. One of the last songs she sang was a cover of Janis Joplin's \"Lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz\", but with an extra verse asking the Lord for a new guitar.","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"a7n5m","text":"","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"b0def","text":"This got me thinking about what that song would be if Janis wrote it today. These days, housing is hard to afford. So I wrote a new verse to this classic.","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"bunp6","text":"","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"bb9b3","text":"Lord won't you buy me a new mobile home","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"cjjrt","text":"My old one is broken. It just will not roam","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"6jg62","text":"A new double wide one, with accents in chrome","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"b4eq4","text":"So Lord won't you buy me a new mobile home.","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"1noht","text":"","type":"unstyled","depth":1,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"fa244","text":"You can listen to me singing it on SoundCloud.","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}}],"entityMap":{},"VERSION":"8.72.53"}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_25Ehb _3qYRK Oh89J public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth1 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr fixed-tab-size rich_content_P" data-block="true" data-editor="editor" data-offset-key="94hd6-0-0"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="94hd6-0-0"><span data-offset-key="94hd6-0-0"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span></div></div><div class="_25Ehb _3qYRK Oh89J public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr fixed-tab-size rich_content_P" data-block="true" data-editor="editor" data-offset-key="8vffr-0-0"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="8vffr-0-0"><span data-offset-key="8vffr-0-0"><span style="font-size: medium;">You can listen to me<a href="https://soundcloud.com/kathryn-patterson-2/new-mobile-home?si=1783df598ff549fab2139657abeee03f&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing"> singing it on SoundCloud</a>.</span></span></div><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="8vffr-0-0"><br /></div></div></div>Katfroghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06958891915683675389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932703263413174061.post-38646642328488559032022-09-21T07:00:00.001-04:002022-09-21T07:00:00.184-04:00Wordless Wednesday: How To Drive (19th Century Edition)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyxcnXTvskK-OmPpDCXcHDFt1ASVxlDjAaDGXhOQ99QLWzMrSyZAqN4o1cAABV_9mxmM0Gen1Jzy4sIY9S0V7981UU56lGDE32iPkD0K3KFZRN5FEENdJoF-7lXLowYnS0PAVGnzOHXMuG_-mpzd7Qx2Xhb4PRidvkGhbn1rurPk4BNQS4EUBB5-9x6g/s960/vangopedal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="960" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyxcnXTvskK-OmPpDCXcHDFt1ASVxlDjAaDGXhOQ99QLWzMrSyZAqN4o1cAABV_9mxmM0Gen1Jzy4sIY9S0V7981UU56lGDE32iPkD0K3KFZRN5FEENdJoF-7lXLowYnS0PAVGnzOHXMuG_-mpzd7Qx2Xhb4PRidvkGhbn1rurPk4BNQS4EUBB5-9x6g/w544-h356/vangopedal.jpg" width="544" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Katfroghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06958891915683675389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932703263413174061.post-78806609878307862832022-09-20T07:00:00.001-04:002022-09-20T07:00:00.189-04:00The Lost Children of COVID<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi71Rhr6OQ_oJpCqTyKlRkz-1YFhkhNp7OFt5kK7TkwqEJG2NNv08LuEA_uieUrm-WHfVjTHSOB740g1A2VBRANRsLM0BaCqcUYYGzOwxWlIwE3tS3l9m_9A6MRnuPDfXe5MgVSUkocVtE-fB-O5vedsh7oP3uWh38Hp1CjiRWn9MDTUgGMuM83YkN9eg/s885/kid%20with%20lion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="885" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi71Rhr6OQ_oJpCqTyKlRkz-1YFhkhNp7OFt5kK7TkwqEJG2NNv08LuEA_uieUrm-WHfVjTHSOB740g1A2VBRANRsLM0BaCqcUYYGzOwxWlIwE3tS3l9m_9A6MRnuPDfXe5MgVSUkocVtE-fB-O5vedsh7oP3uWh38Hp1CjiRWn9MDTUgGMuM83YkN9eg/w400-h269/kid%20with%20lion.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"> Recently, <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2795650#pld220034t1" target="_blank">a research letter</a> came out stating that approximately <span style="color: #cc0000;">10.5 million children</span> lost a primary or secondary caregiver to COVID-19. These children lost parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other adults who watched out for them. <span style="color: #741b47;">About 7.5 million of these children became orphans</span>.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Many countries and organizations are currently working to identify and help these children and their families with money, food, and different childcare arrangements.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Do you know who's not helping these children?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The United States Federal government</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">(Probably none of the state governments either, but I have not done the research to verify this.)</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSAcmOMCJWTGkUD5EIaFlDYcmkHeeEawHDb7wMW4NCmqym95WUuRfG_W3so7cy5ezrVtLy2SFMw5iuD7FqTTSh5QMnypX8zLXLa8V-CoSCPd5zALPo2wS9IWmrk6bH625MIKi6breAzjtrhfOEZmLYSs2C9VJQLRnbHOrAt3_Mi1QgkBTOBzbI8xlcLA/s528/money.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="351" data-original-width="528" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSAcmOMCJWTGkUD5EIaFlDYcmkHeeEawHDb7wMW4NCmqym95WUuRfG_W3so7cy5ezrVtLy2SFMw5iuD7FqTTSh5QMnypX8zLXLa8V-CoSCPd5zALPo2wS9IWmrk6bH625MIKi6breAzjtrhfOEZmLYSs2C9VJQLRnbHOrAt3_Mi1QgkBTOBzbI8xlcLA/w386-h257/money.jpg" width="386" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. But we, as in the American society, are doing nothing to help these children deal with the grief of losing someone so close to them. We are doing nothing to help their families cope with the lose. We aren't even discussing the situation or widely acknowledging that this is a problem.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I grew up thinking of the U.S. as a humanitarian country. We sent food to starving nations. We sent clothes, shoes, and books to people who needed them.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">But that is a lie. The United States has, as far as I can tell, never been about helping people. Any humanitarian effort is window dressing, a way to appear good without actually being good.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7uO27L5cwSSGz9vn0uAQ7dEyWgafKPt9asd3B3RrHaoUpc_hZtjo3NOhPNducQxUxDrTY28tB3wOqTmkgbmhX4T7O7o8W-wPYAGZMRGzAu-8DndS3hvmEuQAqhxCtA6skeZHYBbboi9qLWvam8587v0_QGEbwBY6US5_D4xEQzu_iXLLQTEunlw8z1g/s791/voodoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="791" data-original-width="528" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7uO27L5cwSSGz9vn0uAQ7dEyWgafKPt9asd3B3RrHaoUpc_hZtjo3NOhPNducQxUxDrTY28tB3wOqTmkgbmhX4T7O7o8W-wPYAGZMRGzAu-8DndS3hvmEuQAqhxCtA6skeZHYBbboi9qLWvam8587v0_QGEbwBY6US5_D4xEQzu_iXLLQTEunlw8z1g/w268-h400/voodoo.jpg" width="268" /></a></div><br /><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;">Did you know that the U.S. federal government <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2972336/">purposefully poisoned alcohol</a> during Prohibition to kill anyone who drank it?</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL9W-V1AKaTPtAM5sI5S_IcWOP1QNX9eyf5FTBzE-wUXVFFbnWQLzhhq3wwYnpB-XNVS7qDW4uy-7nFur4CUoq6XBWbe9Xux8qrdbEzDx9VYvZTL6I_UyM8OrBZjgY4sLETJapxNss9eK9xBzwQARNxoXB5f4KaKNdTYvMpF-aGcdS3aOzDwl28SkIFg/s560/Dr%20Charles%20Norris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Dr. Charles Norris, Medical Examiner, New York City, 1918" border="0" data-original-height="431" data-original-width="560" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL9W-V1AKaTPtAM5sI5S_IcWOP1QNX9eyf5FTBzE-wUXVFFbnWQLzhhq3wwYnpB-XNVS7qDW4uy-7nFur4CUoq6XBWbe9Xux8qrdbEzDx9VYvZTL6I_UyM8OrBZjgY4sLETJapxNss9eK9xBzwQARNxoXB5f4KaKNdTYvMpF-aGcdS3aOzDwl28SkIFg/w400-h308/Dr%20Charles%20Norris.jpg" title="Dr. Charles Norris, Medical Examiner, New York City, 1918" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div data-draftjs-conductor-fragment="{"blocks":[{"key":"91fu4","text":"In early 1927, Dr. Charles Norris made the following statement about the situation:","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}}],"entityMap":{},"VERSION":"8.72.53"}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">In early 1927, Dr. Charles Norris (pictured above in 1918) made the following statement about the situation:</span><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>The government knows it is not stopping drinking by putting poison in alcohol. It knows what bootleggers are doing with it and yet it continues its poisoning processes, heedless of the fact that people determined to drink are daily absorbing that poison … Knowing this to be true, the United States government must be charged with the moral responsibility for the deaths that poisoned liquor causes, although it cannot be held legally responsible. </i></span></blockquote><p></p></div></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">And don't even get me started about the <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/japanese-american-relocation" target="_blank">Japanese internment camps</a> the government set up during World War 2. Or how the government uses up soldiers then cuts them loose with no real support from the Veterans Administration.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8lUGuVJgQlSxPg5MNM3WC3SWw3SkDVch7p-5BRBG0mEC04nK1Fbs5CrVCXjbBkMEJ8vZoQUiGMoUUv5F0mm3dhtYy5axevLuhPFZQbFgHT46BeYXcwzfFxSzOip6BWOmd3PxsrZGupllSXVHBOp49dCaWGrGYnLm8goezzkhnW7D5-yHJdjHNAr0meg/s706/Japanese%20Camps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="706" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8lUGuVJgQlSxPg5MNM3WC3SWw3SkDVch7p-5BRBG0mEC04nK1Fbs5CrVCXjbBkMEJ8vZoQUiGMoUUv5F0mm3dhtYy5axevLuhPFZQbFgHT46BeYXcwzfFxSzOip6BWOmd3PxsrZGupllSXVHBOp49dCaWGrGYnLm8goezzkhnW7D5-yHJdjHNAr0meg/w400-h294/Japanese%20Camps.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div data-draftjs-conductor-fragment="{"blocks":[{"key":"fpd54","text":"So what happens now? ","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"9jkn2","text":"","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"8k4vv","text":"American society needs to decide to help these children and these broken families. Regardless of what our elected officials say, we the American people need to take care of our neighbors, help out those in terrible situations. Not for fame or to give ourselves a pat on the back. But because it's the right thing to do. ","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"f3gs5","text":"","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"2higu","text":"The question is, as always, will people do what's right? Or what's easiest?","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}}],"entityMap":{},"VERSION":"8.72.53"}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_25Ehb _3qYRK Oh89J public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr fixed-tab-size rich_content_P" data-block="true" data-editor="editor" data-offset-key="8536r-0-0"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="8536r-0-0"><span data-offset-key="8536r-0-0"><span style="font-size: medium;">So what happens now? </span></span></div></div><div class="_25Ehb _3qYRK Oh89J public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr fixed-tab-size rich_content_P" data-block="true" data-editor="editor" data-offset-key="2fa7p-0-0"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="2fa7p-0-0"><span data-offset-key="2fa7p-0-0"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span></div></div><div class="_25Ehb _3qYRK Oh89J public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr fixed-tab-size rich_content_P" data-block="true" data-editor="editor" data-offset-key="77cor-0-0"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="77cor-0-0"><span data-offset-key="77cor-0-0"><span style="font-size: medium;">American society needs to decide to help these children and these broken families. Regardless of what our elected officials say, we the American people need to take care of our neighbors, help out those in terrible situations. Not for fame or to give ourselves a pat on the back. But because it's the right thing to do. </span></span></div></div><div class="_25Ehb _3qYRK Oh89J public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr fixed-tab-size rich_content_P" data-block="true" data-editor="editor" data-offset-key="du07r-0-0"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="du07r-0-0"><span data-offset-key="du07r-0-0"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span></div></div><div class="_25Ehb _3qYRK Oh89J public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr fixed-tab-size rich_content_P" data-block="true" data-editor="editor" data-offset-key="1cbar-0-0"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="1cbar-0-0"><span data-offset-key="1cbar-0-0"><span style="font-size: medium;">The question is, as always, will people do what's right? Or what's easiest?</span></span></div></div></div></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>Katfroghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06958891915683675389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932703263413174061.post-58834611347129066962022-09-19T15:03:00.003-04:002022-09-19T15:03:37.891-04:00Music Monday: Fast Car<span style="font-size: medium;">In 1988, the world celebrated Nelson Mandala's 70th Birthday with a huge concert at Wembley Stadium. Over 74,000 people showed up to hear good music and honor the South African.
Early in the afternoon, a young unknown singer called Tracy Chapman performed a few songs. She didn't make a big splash, but did a good job. </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Later on, Stevie Wonder was supposed to take the stage. Only, he misplaced some computer programs and needed time to get everything together. The people in charge called on Tracy Chapman to come out and entertain the audience to give Stevie time. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> No one expected what happened next.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/teZsA_ci-7E" width="582" youtube-src-id="teZsA_ci-7E"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>Katfroghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06958891915683675389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932703263413174061.post-13781434273047773212021-10-27T08:00:00.001-04:002021-10-27T08:00:00.226-04:00Wordless Wednesday: Dymaxion Car<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnRV3zLul3EItsWgj8fQEkZdBt5Ol2QJaSHXB9QY1UmPqD4rsFtrNZSEVZIDdcDVLbthVkzO-qR5TRz8YNF7qIH-utMxhRWJ1OQqnbBjeSPaPx9AxpxYOdS3hRZ2ESmqqZ73XCV3Op5mMd/s2048/Type_Dymaxion%252C_1933_-_Flickr_-_Supermac1961.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnRV3zLul3EItsWgj8fQEkZdBt5Ol2QJaSHXB9QY1UmPqD4rsFtrNZSEVZIDdcDVLbthVkzO-qR5TRz8YNF7qIH-utMxhRWJ1OQqnbBjeSPaPx9AxpxYOdS3hRZ2ESmqqZ73XCV3Op5mMd/w640-h426/Type_Dymaxion%252C_1933_-_Flickr_-_Supermac1961.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By Supermac1961 from CHAFFORD HUNDRED, England - Type Dymaxion, 1933, <br />CC BY 2.0</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </p>Katfroghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06958891915683675389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932703263413174061.post-78216225310040775912021-10-21T08:00:00.019-04:002021-10-21T08:00:00.227-04:00Time for Not COVID News<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpMTHy7LSP1k5slGRpnD2nXrBfSHk-WH74Yd-UEHREHusCNuw4n5iC1z3COC-gBfK7x9q4whtgx2fhfnLWWB4H8wfqb023bjBXJj1TajowOoY9BmYBBqi9FEbXlmJwnPVhV-oPWNapS6lH/s828/witches-portal.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="edge of the forest with a perfect circle in the trees" border="0" data-original-height="807" data-original-width="828" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpMTHy7LSP1k5slGRpnD2nXrBfSHk-WH74Yd-UEHREHusCNuw4n5iC1z3COC-gBfK7x9q4whtgx2fhfnLWWB4H8wfqb023bjBXJj1TajowOoY9BmYBBqi9FEbXlmJwnPVhV-oPWNapS6lH/w400-h390/witches-portal.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Witch's Portal? <br />from the <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/WitchesVsPatriarchy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Witches Vs Patriarchy</a> subreddit</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> It feels like COVID-19 dominates the news cycle these days. But there must be other things happening in the world, right?<p></p><p>Right! And you can find some of them here, a place where COVID new is verboten and anything else goes.</p><div style="text-align: center;"><h2 style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;">Chinese Scientists Find Evidence of </div><div style="text-align: center;">More Recent Volcanic Activity on the Moon</div></h2></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium; text-align: left;">Recent </span><span style="text-align: left;">is a bit of a misnomer. The Chinese mission Chang’E-5</span><span style="text-align: left;"> returned with moon rocks that place volcanic activity from around 2 billion</span><i style="text-align: left;"> </i><span style="text-align: left;">years ago, give or take 4 million years. Not exactly hot off the press. But previously the scientific community believed that the last volcanic activity on the moon was around 3 billion years a</span><span style="text-align: left;">go. A billion years later does, in fact, mean more recent.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>The interesting find here, though, is the cause of the volcanic activity. Or rather, the lack of causation. There was an expectation that radioactive elements would be a heat source of any volcanic activity past after the 3 billion year mark. But the moon rock samples showed no indication of radioactive elements. This leads to the question - what caused the volcanic activity in the first place?</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiArkKs5rFIf8bv9ewYmBHr5sZk2p8vn-eeRycbLkaxvUp3R__FqQlqXU90T75TXzxcipAiBP8L4lDwnUH0tDuKNI37v01LCiQtAKEocidsko5a7VIGJwJQZwtXFlNUpgTEGV0Gw-S3it1H/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="photo of the Moon" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiArkKs5rFIf8bv9ewYmBHr5sZk2p8vn-eeRycbLkaxvUp3R__FqQlqXU90T75TXzxcipAiBP8L4lDwnUH0tDuKNI37v01LCiQtAKEocidsko5a7VIGJwJQZwtXFlNUpgTEGV0Gw-S3it1H/w320-h320/image.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; text-align: start;"> </span><span class="credit" face=""Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif" itemprop="copyrightHolder" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline; word-break: break-word;">(Image credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Citation:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Li, QL., Zhou, Q., Liu, Y. et al. Two billion-year-old volcanism on the Moon from Chang’E-5 basalts. Nature (2021).<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 16px;"> </span><a class="vglnk" href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-04100-2" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #006699; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration-thickness: 0.0625rem; text-underline-offset: 0.08em; vertical-align: baseline; word-break: break-word;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">https</span><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">://</span><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">doi</span><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">.</span><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">org</span><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">/</span><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">10</span><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">.</span><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">1038</span><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">/</span><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">s41586</span><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">-</span><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">021</span><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">-</span><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">04100</span><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">-</span><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">2</span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;">Reason #134 To Avoid NYC in 2021:</div><div style="text-align: center;">Disease Transmitted through Rat Urine</div></h2><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://cliparting.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Rat-clip-art-blogsbeta-2.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="cartoon rat" border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="480" height="149" src="https://cliparting.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Rat-clip-art-blogsbeta-2.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><br />While it's not a plague, New York City now hosts <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/leptospirosis/index.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">leptospirosis</span></a>, a zoonotic bacterial disease with 15 cases so far in 2021. While this sounds low, NYC averages around 4 cases per year, so this is a four fold increase.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">While no one can state with certainty why there is a spike in cases now, theories abound with shout outs to climate change and weather. What we do know is that the likely carrier is the humble rat, and the transmission method is rat urine.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So far, 14 out of the 15 people have been hospitalized, and one person died.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: center;">"Flesh-Eating" STI in the UK??</h2><div style="text-align: left;">Who knew that Eddie Murphy could predict the future? For those who have not seen <i>Delirious, </i>Eddie jokes that STDs were evolving from a simple rash to exploding penises. While I know of no exploding penises yet, the UK now reports a spike in <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/donovanosis.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">donovanosis</a>, which appears to be a flesh-eating STI.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In reality, this disease causes:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>loss of color in genital tissue</li><li>large, deep red bumps that can bleed</li><li>widespread ulcers around the genital area and anus</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;">If it is not treated properly, donovanosis can spread internally and can cause scarring. Oh, and proper treatment takes a minimum of three weeks, with a decent chance of the infection reappearing up to six months after what you think was an effective treatment.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Ugh, that sounds almost as bad as flesh-eating, doesn't it? </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Anyway, doctors are urging people to use condoms, since that significantly reducing the chance of transmission. To help spread the word, here are some slogans to encourage people to use condoms:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://loginportal.funnyjunk.com/pictures/Funny_e0e3f5_516017.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Funny condom slogans" border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="601" src="https://loginportal.funnyjunk.com/pictures/Funny_e0e3f5_516017.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Katfroghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06958891915683675389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932703263413174061.post-54956150325544240362021-10-20T08:00:00.001-04:002021-10-20T08:00:00.185-04:00Wordless Wednesday: Floating to the Wedding<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFrPA1jNdwI1bij2Z3Gm92MK5h8s-Hp-GZ9bRMYY-kj0xV8Dz7nxFSmyxqBo14qBpptN-DZg99O7eXQ9viHCZGkcHaE1uiER9cLiTfxEcug4Krzo26BlpSO3EclQq5_z9Yk9Ib6ukByx8t/s1535/couple-india-bucket-02.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1023" data-original-width="1535" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFrPA1jNdwI1bij2Z3Gm92MK5h8s-Hp-GZ9bRMYY-kj0xV8Dz7nxFSmyxqBo14qBpptN-DZg99O7eXQ9viHCZGkcHaE1uiER9cLiTfxEcug4Krzo26BlpSO3EclQq5_z9Yk9Ib6ukByx8t/w640-h426/couple-india-bucket-02.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Due to flooding, this couple floated to the temple in a large cooking pot.<br />Alappuzha, Kerala, India<br />@Shilpa1308/Twitter</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </p>Katfroghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06958891915683675389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932703263413174061.post-38276694013326994202021-10-19T14:02:00.003-04:002021-10-19T14:02:54.303-04:00We Now Interrupt this Blog For a Funeral<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYasizzrsFL2xOEXcjYaQ6Q1S7MyaYumfqphKkW7oFhIjUmwkMl0chcvd1GpzDOBRAxfEPC8IlbWDJUypeQc50ynXikQwCq2AC2NW70Fx1brVL09SeTUZ7m-tXdAITf342ivvF_CAOGmQM/s4032/PXL_20210421_160338842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYasizzrsFL2xOEXcjYaQ6Q1S7MyaYumfqphKkW7oFhIjUmwkMl0chcvd1GpzDOBRAxfEPC8IlbWDJUypeQc50ynXikQwCq2AC2NW70Fx1brVL09SeTUZ7m-tXdAITf342ivvF_CAOGmQM/w300-h400/PXL_20210421_160338842.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The perfect gentle<strike>man</strike> dog</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p>Last week, I received a terrifying phone call. My son's dog, Kareem was hit by a car. The entire situation does not bear repeating, because it was an unfortunate accident. There was no way anyone without the ability to see the future could have prevented it.</p><p>All Wednesday, we sat around on pins and needles as the status reports came in. Kareem seemed to be okay; his front left leg wasn't working but didn't look broken. Probably nerve damage that may or may not heal on its own. His right eye was swollen - would he lose his eye?</p><p>Kareem lasted for over 10 hours. Then the call came in. Kareem went into cardiac arrest.</p><p>He died.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4WOOyhV9HrPUSpM-zC9zZKBMuNpquW3iPyQxelhihstN6_p9iU4ZD0KsBk__cQmcApgOUX9hlvbMlETBx4l_BUYTvDYKC8J6Dy-xtkPKzD4ay2DDUBOaMnCK80Lc-zbjFUpE_blSNDpWu/s4032/PXL_20210501_155309027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4WOOyhV9HrPUSpM-zC9zZKBMuNpquW3iPyQxelhihstN6_p9iU4ZD0KsBk__cQmcApgOUX9hlvbMlETBx4l_BUYTvDYKC8J6Dy-xtkPKzD4ay2DDUBOaMnCK80Lc-zbjFUpE_blSNDpWu/s320/PXL_20210501_155309027.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for his daddy (my son) to come home</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Wednesday night was one of those times that demark a <i>before </i>and <i>after </i>time - an event that makes a lasting impression, creating an internal division in your personal history. <i>Before </i>I had a grandpuppy named Kareem who loved it when I sang to him. <i>After</i>... well, after my family is in the midst of the grieving process.</div><div><br /></div><div>We buried the body in our backyard on Saturday. It was... I lack the vocabulary to describe the mix of emotions on Saturday. But it's done and we all began to go forward again.</div><div><br /></div><div>Even though Kareem was not my dog, per se, I find myself grieving for him. Bouts of sadness hit me out of nowhere. I usually like watching <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/GirlWithTheDogs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Girl with Dogs on YouTube</a>, but now seeing the dogs feels bitter sweet. When I walk my dog, Titan, we'll see something interesting, and I will remember that we can't show Kareem anymore.</div><div><br /></div><div>I also find myself using the wrong words this week. I'm not suffering from word aphasia, but rather word misplacement? For example, I will want to use the word "stapler" but instead say "sandpaper". I am also using the wrong names for everyone. I keep calling my dog my son's name, and vice versa.</div><div><br /></div><div>I know myself well enough to know that this is a sign of internal anxiety and sadness.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Nf4AyidngF_TIlsu9iZtubRaVRiB2RbD5uI6XasZIhaBAmLbfzL-j5s5Nccx9kaY4AQW8LWlH9MMXbkkvfhGHiVnocjjGNnzvdtKBZ1Gbct5ntNkw-YDo-Z2d2ZGImIMANnhu1yeKR5b/s4032/PXL_20210423_212121027.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Nf4AyidngF_TIlsu9iZtubRaVRiB2RbD5uI6XasZIhaBAmLbfzL-j5s5Nccx9kaY4AQW8LWlH9MMXbkkvfhGHiVnocjjGNnzvdtKBZ1Gbct5ntNkw-YDo-Z2d2ZGImIMANnhu1yeKR5b/s320/PXL_20210423_212121027.MP.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing at a local dog park</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I know that life goes on. I survived so many people dying, and I know that I will be okay soon enough. I also know that a piece of my heart belongs to Kareem. </div>Katfroghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06958891915683675389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932703263413174061.post-60773152040164155442021-10-11T11:02:00.000-04:002021-10-11T11:02:03.370-04:00Monday Morning Blues: Why Do We Still Celebrate Christopher Columbus???<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1JTO4jI93t9D_tORru1op5h7DU5ETG9rSUBb9wL9mxmnVEpzhB_Gle9IGDpTieLpu4n3kYQuKNfzO9DnzJdVsKIT9VyH8hwSKdaJB6Tn8N9s9BCnVuYH5IUTf8R-fF82s7Yi0fJhzLzq/s2572/Explorer_Map_Shepherd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The Age of Discovery, 1300-1600" border="0" data-original-height="1223" data-original-width="2572" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1JTO4jI93t9D_tORru1op5h7DU5ETG9rSUBb9wL9mxmnVEpzhB_Gle9IGDpTieLpu4n3kYQuKNfzO9DnzJdVsKIT9VyH8hwSKdaJB6Tn8N9s9BCnVuYH5IUTf8R-fF82s7Yi0fJhzLzq/w640-h304/Explorer_Map_Shepherd.jpg" title="Map of trade routes used from 1300 to 1600" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A map of trade routes used from 1300 to 1600</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p> I'm serious. I mean, the man was completely mistaken about where he was, and he refused to believe otherwise. Columbus' travels resulted in the enslavement of several groups of people, and the extinction of more than one civilization. Plus, he was <b>not </b>the first person to discover the "New World"; the Vikings landed here centuries earlier. And the Vikings were not the first people over here either.</p><p><br /></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSXbU4aopJKPWlepHIxW6jaN0MICqIOwb2miFaowdSPJQC-mD0JvdA0zztp1FmIQZlW-SQwy1f8pyX_8qdy7TFseXVcLPNoHrr8lufhW3ejJfOfAsDzztQj8nInDwrWfti6HgcWDlGBmU9/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Viking Ship" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSXbU4aopJKPWlepHIxW6jaN0MICqIOwb2miFaowdSPJQC-mD0JvdA0zztp1FmIQZlW-SQwy1f8pyX_8qdy7TFseXVcLPNoHrr8lufhW3ejJfOfAsDzztQj8nInDwrWfti6HgcWDlGBmU9/s16000/image.png" title="The Moragsoorm" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption"><div style="text-align: center;">A modern replica of a Viking ship. This ship is of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snekkja">snekkja</a> longship type.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Attribution: archiwum własne wikingów, Jarmeryk</div></td></tr></tbody></table></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But the alternative of calling today "Indigenous Peoples' Day"?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That feels... like not enough. Hundreds of thousands of people died because of the arrival of the European invaders. The number is too large to truly comprehend. So semi-dedicating a single day to recognize them feels like a token, a gesture offered to history that still rejects any hint of responsibility.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now I realize that no one alive today is responsible for the massacre that happened centuries ago. But we are responsible for <i>how we treat people today.</i> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So maybe we do need this holiday, as a reminder that we are responsible for our behavior. When a hurricane hits an impoverished area, regardless of which countries are involved, do you help out in whatever reasonable ways you can or do you gloat that it wasn't you? Do you even care if it doesn't effect you directly? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Do you treat others with respect and kindness? Notice that there are no stipulations to that question. Skin color, spiritual beliefs, sexual preference, biology... none of this matters. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and kindness. So do you act that way? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Or do you expect people to treat you with respect first, before you will treat them that way? If everyone waits for the other person to act nice, when will anyone act nice?</div><br /><br /><p></p>Katfroghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06958891915683675389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932703263413174061.post-3127593905110786202021-10-07T18:50:00.003-04:002021-10-07T18:50:40.361-04:00And the answer is....<p> They are all coronaviruses. The pictures represent (in order): </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Influenza</li><li>COVID-19</li><li>Measles</li><li>Common Cold</li></ul><p></p>Katfroghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06958891915683675389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932703263413174061.post-80882660410238898552021-10-06T07:00:00.002-04:002021-10-06T07:00:00.238-04:00Wordless Wednesday: Which one is a Coronavirus?<p> A) </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_sWqwIHqkeORN-_c-Fj3-sVTnSdlV759DUvJpNs29VexIPKvKA9-lLk7papEz6uruzQIZg3sQp1JZA2Ac7qoOQySMEbpr9IuESZBvopV1AbRpOYw74kLTBLYm96jtIla7l913CpIIVSs8/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_sWqwIHqkeORN-_c-Fj3-sVTnSdlV759DUvJpNs29VexIPKvKA9-lLk7papEz6uruzQIZg3sQp1JZA2Ac7qoOQySMEbpr9IuESZBvopV1AbRpOYw74kLTBLYm96jtIla7l913CpIIVSs8/" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p>B) </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGy4upYEoP6M7Of06Im_hbMWZOWpCcGpA6jHPJSz1r62nd0X1sCkQj7rzNvtR2aSkj85jWg2-dbr9tfl-mVZqv8w6tPBQx_HI0GKR8JVMIXq7BfwrSOKk74Z0TceCKySlhae-AlHZ77xTf/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="525" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGy4upYEoP6M7Of06Im_hbMWZOWpCcGpA6jHPJSz1r62nd0X1sCkQj7rzNvtR2aSkj85jWg2-dbr9tfl-mVZqv8w6tPBQx_HI0GKR8JVMIXq7BfwrSOKk74Z0TceCKySlhae-AlHZ77xTf/" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p>C) </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-TfUqOL2at-o_EC4JMM6C_s2DXur089FhohSgL8WBgjVwaHWYDFgr-yf-w4So6w8zqx8btzmlINx5WD04FZvUXENR_xTQA_MbNvNXJt9sT9xGXKORXVjDixSQKFVmJDtm96mvCRMdWBH/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-TfUqOL2at-o_EC4JMM6C_s2DXur089FhohSgL8WBgjVwaHWYDFgr-yf-w4So6w8zqx8btzmlINx5WD04FZvUXENR_xTQA_MbNvNXJt9sT9xGXKORXVjDixSQKFVmJDtm96mvCRMdWBH/" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p>D) </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggCYxa_ZC1JYFdU50tSd7moadutEZU1zf7ZnVXbLPDSJmbDapxqZegtV8tbiUXvf6l185fVl6a-wIlfxeiumJMKOOEM9Ib7a9ByCAhyphenhyphenWDaXQdD9FkTQtj_q91gRDEUqUHfAn8GFmwJmd3f/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="382" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggCYxa_ZC1JYFdU50tSd7moadutEZU1zf7ZnVXbLPDSJmbDapxqZegtV8tbiUXvf6l185fVl6a-wIlfxeiumJMKOOEM9Ib7a9ByCAhyphenhyphenWDaXQdD9FkTQtj_q91gRDEUqUHfAn8GFmwJmd3f/" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Answer tomorrow.</p>Katfroghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06958891915683675389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932703263413174061.post-39610512369942381752021-10-05T11:24:00.001-04:002021-10-05T11:24:26.688-04:00Could You Really Not Just Put This in an Email?<div style="display: block, align: center; text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xcuP3VLFj70" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
</div>
<br />
<p> </p>
Katfroghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06958891915683675389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932703263413174061.post-73075466563491830522021-10-04T12:02:00.000-04:002021-10-04T12:02:02.491-04:00Boxes - A Piece of Philosophical Poetry<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGbqEzvx0mOn6Nd16aciwakN1avwhL2mLDB2dvyfnxsm_eR5aHyEUuLw0hC5l50KyBMyshYrtzCUqCUXAzTfkwwReaxuGq5zt_OIAMJOuoaiFDqUnN9rLSRKpc2QBvbAo72O2g-a1RnIeX/s510/gift-boxes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="340" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGbqEzvx0mOn6Nd16aciwakN1avwhL2mLDB2dvyfnxsm_eR5aHyEUuLw0hC5l50KyBMyshYrtzCUqCUXAzTfkwwReaxuGq5zt_OIAMJOuoaiFDqUnN9rLSRKpc2QBvbAo72O2g-a1RnIeX/w266-h400/gift-boxes.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>Life is all about the boxes.</p><p>People physically live in boxes. </p><p>Actually, people live in boxes that are organized into boxes.</p><p style="text-align: left;">They also use boxes to...</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;">drive<br />hang pictures<br />hold their stuff<br />store food <br />wash dishes and clothes and themselves </p></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"> Sometimes people even eat out of boxes.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_SXK8BKTWd4cs5aewyhane5GVHKiOuyPTLKPp5bq7aoC3uEK6WUzPo088u7j-lPMmJ2iDfPc-LelY3uSyTkJ03gS_u47mBsI9a9h4__3cWTaHlT5_5fVvKZUVVfBY8cZjRI6FJ2AFFJBP/s840/lunch-box.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="840" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_SXK8BKTWd4cs5aewyhane5GVHKiOuyPTLKPp5bq7aoC3uEK6WUzPo088u7j-lPMmJ2iDfPc-LelY3uSyTkJ03gS_u47mBsI9a9h4__3cWTaHlT5_5fVvKZUVVfBY8cZjRI6FJ2AFFJBP/s320/lunch-box.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>People also figuratively live in boxes. Everyone has</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">an Individual Box of Morality</div><div style="text-align: left;">a Societal Box of Morality</div><div style="text-align: left;">a Government Defined Box of Laws</div><div style="text-align: left;">a School/Work Defined Box of Rules</div></blockquote><p>Some people have even more boxes, based on religious or spiritual beliefs</p><p>Stress is when an individual wants something outside of their boxes.</p><p>Happiness can only happen when living comfortably inside the boxes.</p><p>And when all is said and done, a person dies. When they are then put into a box and buried in the ground.</p><p> </p>Katfroghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06958891915683675389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932703263413174061.post-31106320601546949532021-06-23T07:30:00.001-04:002021-06-23T07:30:00.257-04:00Wordless Wednesday: Nature Abides<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ2PSBRjCRoJe-k6Xsh-6cDE9KY_vw9xbBB9mL-NkSyvMKLzt4PB5G7CUsM9g9kVU53jVj11pZH40XawKeQRM-qG_TY7K7j3LHcmTMpXVOt75hA0-mMNKl1T8qFR9fuSSzFklSRnvJn2ak/s4032/PXL_20210604_155206597.NIGHT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ2PSBRjCRoJe-k6Xsh-6cDE9KY_vw9xbBB9mL-NkSyvMKLzt4PB5G7CUsM9g9kVU53jVj11pZH40XawKeQRM-qG_TY7K7j3LHcmTMpXVOt75hA0-mMNKl1T8qFR9fuSSzFklSRnvJn2ak/w480-h640/PXL_20210604_155206597.NIGHT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Katfroghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06958891915683675389noreply@blogger.com0