Fish for Friday

The sunset of life

Edited by Morris Dean

[Anonymous selections from recent correspondence]

"Walk with me as I age" is a beautiful poem about growing older. I will quote it for you now, hoping that it will have the same effect on you as it had on me—if so, then my making this effort will have been worth it.
    ...Shit, I forgot the words.

End Times is a'coming!: "Former Texas Republican Party chair says immigration reform will bring about the End Times."

Cathie Adams, former chair of the Texas Republican Party

Some time in the past, the government must have done the same thing to the dumb and stupid as they did to the Indians, only they drove them to Texas. And since the history books are printed in Texas we weren't told.

Screen capture from
interview with Glenn Greenwald
& Laura Poitras on June 6, 2013

Do you think the supposed Senate staffer will now have to take a course in the fundamentals of clandestine discretion?: "US Senate IP Caught Defacing Edward Snowden's Wikipedia Entry [see Wikipedia paragraph on this]." These same people are more than likely in favor of governmental control of the internet to get rid of porn.

Roads, bridges, airports and air safety, federal housing assistance: these are just some of the things that are in danger because Congress isn’t doing its job.
    Working in Congress is a serious job that requires serious people. But last week, Tea Party extremists decided that they’d rather have talking points than a working government, and failed to pass bills funding the Departments of Transportation and Housing & Urban Development.
    We can’t afford to have dysfunctional government in Washington. Join me in demanding better.

    These bills weren’t about bloated government or bureaucratic waste, but about real people and real lives. California Congresswoman Jackie Spier offered one provision, for example, that would have helped the Department of Transportation to study new technologies that could have prevented the Asiana Airlines crash in San Francisco that killed two innocent teenagers. Ironically, after killing these bills, Members of Congress then got on planes to leave DC for their annual August recess.
    We can’t remain a great nation unless we rise to the challenges that face us. But time and again, this Congress has failed to do its duty. That has to change, and we have to be the ones to change it.
    Please stand with me as I fight to get Washington working again.

Knock, knock. Who's there? Right now there are over 7,700 people here. We are all knocking on Governor Pat McCrory's door together because we believe democracy should be about regular people and how government effects regular people.
    MoveOn told me I'm the youngest person to start a petition [twelve years old] and get so many signatures on my own. The reason this happened is because so many people believed in me right from the start and started knocking on virtual doors and telling their friends about what I was doing. So many people have tweeted about this petition, shared on Facebook, their favorite pages, their groups, and through email. Social media is a big part of how our democracy is going to continue to work in the future.
    ...If Pat McCrory doesn't answer the door, I'm determined it's not going to be because he didn't know I was knocking.
    Thank you all so much for your support and encourgagement. Thank you for helping me get more hands to knock on this door with me. It's a very big door. My next petition goal is 10,000 signatures. With your help sharing and talking to people about this petition, I think we can get many more than that.

Wow! This makes me feel VERY insignificant! And I had an inferiority complex to begin with!

    And you say it all just made itself?

Church services of the near future:
    Preacher: "Praise the Lord!"
    Congregation: "Hallelujah!"
    Preacher: "Can we please turn on our tablet, PC, iPad, smart phone, and Kindle Bibles to First Corinthians 13:13. And please switch on your Bluetooth to download the sermon. [pause] Now, Let us pray, committing this week into God's hands. Open your Apps, Blackberry Messaging, Twitter, or Facebook, and chat with God. [silence]
    "As we take our Sunday offerings, please have your credit or debit card ready. You may log on to the church Wi-Fi using the password Lord909887.
    "The Deacons will circulate mobile card swipe machines among the worshipers.
    "Those who prefer to make electronic fund transfers, there are computers and laptops at the rear of the church.
    "Those who prefer to use iPads can open them.
    "Those who prefer telephone banking, take out your cell phones to transfer your contributions to the church account."
    [The holy atmosphere of the Church becomes truly electrified as smartphones, iPads, PCs, and laptops beep and flicker.]
    Preacher: "Final blessing and closing announcements:
    "This week's ministry cell meetings will be held on the various Facebook group pages where the usual group chatting takes place. Please log in and don't miss out.
    "Thursday's Bible study will be held live on Skype at 1900 hours GMT. Please don't miss out.
    "You can follow your Pastor on Twitter this weekend for counseling and prayers.
    "God bless you and have a nice day."

Dog and child moment:


If they started burning poachers alive, and the people who hire them and buy their illegal products, then they might be onto something: "Burn Baby Burn: Indian Government Fights Tiger Poaching With Fire."

You must see this even if you're not a fan of ballet. I don't think Tchaikovsky had this choreography in mind when he wrote Swan Lake. How could anyone imagine the performance you are about to see?

The doctor emphasized the importance of a high-fiber diet. But I haven't gotten into granola (which I like) because of its high calorie content. I go long stretches being "good" and I have old fashion oatmeal with added Flax, a little olive oil, walnuts, a little cinnamon. On days I don't eat that I have half a banana with an Atkins bar or cut up one piece of whole wheat bread and peanut butter with a glass of milk. What I have also been doing on some days is have a smoothie with high quality whey protein in almond milk with frozen banana and blueberries or strawberries. I keep thinking of doing only smoothies all day to see if I could lose a pound or two....

It matters that he is unfailingly kind, encouraging, and interested. Niceness counts...something a friend taught me years ago.

Limerick of the Week:

Oh, to be good and unfailingly kind!—
a person like that's not easy to find—
    one with sympathy,
    full of empathy,
who'll put another person front of mind.

_______________
Copyright © 2013 by Morris Dean

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