Fish for Friday

The clown princes of the Monterey Bay, if you're on the peninsula stop by the Aquarium and say hello.

Heard on the radio: "In Britain a psychic just had to cancel a meeting 'due to unforeseen circumstances'."

This is what you can do without a Tobacco Lobby: from AM Costa Rica Newspaper:

The Ministry of Health advises retailers that effective June 26 a complete ban of tobacco advertising will take effect. Supermarkets and other retailers will be subject to fines if they fail to completely obscure tobacco products from view.

They decided last year to go after smoking. Their new laws sound like Cali.

Here in North Carolina's Piedmont, we are pleased to announce that we have two local teams—the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State—competing in the Colllege World Series (or at least we did, until the former defeated the latter last night: "UNC Tar Heels send N.C. State Wolfpack packing, 7-0"). Nevertheless, for some of the best writing on the topic, skip the following article about the misspelling and go straight to the comments on the article, "‘Colllege’ World Series opens with conspicuous misspelling on dugout." By the way, "WORLD Series"?—which other countries were invited to play?

George Washington and Thomas Jefferson probably would be pleased about modern Americans' avid, if sometimes manic, pursuit of life and happiness, but after reading "If Edward Snowden Had Watched '60 Minutes' In High School He Could Still Be Living In Hawaii With His Beautiful Girlfriend," we're doubting they would think much of the lack of concern for liberty. Or privacy. Or individual rights. As for Snowden, he is either a patriot cut from the same cloth as our founding fathers, or he is insane for giving up an idyllic life in Hawaii in a vain attempt to get other Americans to actually give a damn.

This dog's play is serious work: "Graham police dog retires after eight years on the job." If he's presented his Kong toy, he knows he's supposed to sniff around for drugs; if he's given his jute roll toy–which looks like a piece of rolled burlap with handles–he's to search for something or go trailing.

"‘America The Great?’ Maybe, But These Five Graphs Beg To Differ (IMAGES)."

There is a place where McDonald's is giving up and taking down its golden arches. Despite 10 years of operating at a loss while coaxing, cajoling and blitzing the public with massive ad campaigns, it hasn't been able to lure them down the fast food road to ruin. Where is this enlightened populace that somehow managed to resist McDonald's efforts? Maybe the cafes at MIT? Cambridge, MA, home of Harvard University? Some far out vegetarian cult in California? No. The holdout that has forced McDonald's to give up and not only leave town, but to actually leave the whole country, is Bolivia: "McDonald's closing all restaurants in Bolivia as nation rejects fast food."

Back 40 some years ago, I came across one off the original copies of this poster in a print shop in Cow Hollow in San Francisco, didn't get to hang on to it over the years, or it would hold a place of pride on my wall today.

As for your niece who is running for Congress is facing a 20-year Repug hack in a deep red district, Good Luck, she'll need it. My best hopes, but also a quote from Warren Zevon: "Send lawyers, guns, and money."

Kerri Condley for Congress 2014,
Candidate for California's 42nd District

The activists campaigning for urban farms should not forget the wildflowers, bees, and butterflies that are critical to our survival: "Greedy Gardeners."

Next time you don't feel like exercising at all, or you're backing off from your strenuous workouts because you fear you are getting too old, think about this: "91-Year-Old Breaks Bench Press Record" and take heart. If we all start training now, maybe we can smash the record by the time we get to that age!

While the U.S and state governments are ignoring environmental logic and condemning private property as needed to enable big oil to complete a pipeline from the tar sands of Canada to refineries in Houston (Keystone Pipeline), Native Americans and some states are building wind power as a green energy alternative ("South Dakota Sioux Announce Wind Project"). With South Dakota and Iowa already producing more than 20% of their power from wind, and with many other states are following suit, why the rush to add to an oil pipeline that even if it isn't an environmental disaster now, it will be when no longer needed?

Parody of that Cheerios ad:


A few more things like this and I may be totally speechless: "Domestic Violence Survivor And 14-Year Teacher Fired By Catholic School For Ex-Husband’s Actions."

This is what an ocean sand looks like when it is magnified 250 times:

Limerick of the Week:

The writing of limericks has grown for me tiresome;
if you know of a blog with enough writers to fire some,
    please tell me
    so I can see
if I might find some way or other to hire some.

_______________
Copyright © 2013 by Morris Dean

Please comment