Fish for Friday

Edited by Morris Dean

[Anonymous selections from recent correspondence]

I thought you might like to see the TV interview about my book, Fall in Love with an Orange Tree or a Book, which I did for the show, California Life with Heather Dawson.
    My book is the story of a young illegal immigrant and the shadow world in which she lives as she tries to continue her education and support her family.

Hello, friends! Last week, I appeared on the radio show Plain Talk Politics. I talked about my activisim and the new voter ID law, including pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-olds. You can listen to my interview here: "Plain Talk Politics Radio–October 2, 2013 Madison Kimrey and Elon Poll." [Click on the "10-2-13 PLAIN TALK POLITICS" link.]
    This week I am honored to be presenting to the United Nations for International Day of the Girl Speak Out. My video will be shown during the presentations that begin at 3 p.m. Eastern time on October 11th. You can watch the webcast and find out more information on this great opportunity to showcase the work of girls around the world here: "Day of the Girl Webcast."

    Here is a link to my video: "Madison Kimrey, NC Youth Rock: Video Presentation for UN International Day of the Girl." I hope you'll like it much better than the commericals McCrory has been airing here in North Carolina.
    I hope you'll share my interview and my video with your friends, especially with any girls you know. Encourage them to get involved in issues they feel are important. Maybe they could start their own petition...I never would have gotten the opportunity to present to the United Nations without your help. Thank you for your continued support!

Ted Cruz, bungling demagogue

Sorry to ruin your day, but people have got to see this. It's beyond scary: "A Federal Budget Crisis Months in the Planning." Tag: "The stand by conservatives that led to the current crisis was the outgrowth of a long-running effort, waged by a galaxy of well-funded groups, to undo President Obama's health care law."

Paul Krugman, reasonable man

Paul Krugman's latest column references the "Federal Budget Crisis" article: "The Boehner Bunglers." Excerpt: "But there’s one more important piece of the story. Conservative leaders are indeed ideologically extreme, but they’re also deeply incompetent."

The UNC Department of Public Safety is investigating reports received Friday, October 4 of three burglaries occurring during late Thursday and early Friday in Ruffin Residence Hall on the UNC Campus.
    Preliminary police investigations have revealed that, in each case, a suspect reportedly entered rooms on the third floor through unlocked doors and took items including wallets, cash, credit/debit cards, and keys. The Department of UNC Housing and Residential Education is deactivating any room keys or residence hall key fobs reportedly missing.
    UNC Police are asking anyone with information about these incidents to please call UNC Police Department or contact the Chapel Hill-Carrboro-UNC Crime Stoppers. Calls are confidential and anonymous. You can also submit information to Crime Stoppers online.
    Students should take extra precautions: make sure to keep room doors locked at all times, don’t allow strangers to “piggy-back” through entrances to residence halls or any campus buildings, and call 911 immediately to report any and all suspicious activity on or near campus.

On my evening run I saw that our jacklighter has already killed a small buck, out of season. He hack-sawed off its antlers, cut off one hindquarter, and left the rest in a ditch to rot. We now know who it is, the problem is catching him at the right time. He will have to be incredibly lucky to make it to the end of the year. I don't like his odds.

In surveying 25 vegans/ vegetarians, I found only 1 Christian, 2 Hindus, and 2 Jews.Of the remaining 20, 2 were agnostic, 2 atheist, and the rest "Not Religious."
    My methodology: I've been in contact with two ladies on VeggieConnection.com. One is agnostic and the other atheist. Out of curiosity, I looked randomly at other professed vegans/vegetarians and came up with those statistics.

So you can beat death and taxes: Damn!: "Judge tells living man that he’s still legally dead."
    I could get into all kinds of observations about the afterlife being quite different than any of us probably envisioned—unless you thought it was just like life, only older—but I will let it go at this.

In Dead Earnest

If I should die before I wake
All my bone and sinew take.
Put me in the compost pile
To decompose me for a while.
Worms, water, sun will have their way
Returning me to common clay.
All that I am will feed the trees
And little fishes in the seas.
When radishes and corn you munch
You may be having me for lunch.
And then excrete me with a grin
Chortling there goes Lee again.
[After a pause] 'Twill be my happiest destiny
To die and live eternally.

–Lee Hays 1914-1981, One of the original Almanac Singers and co-founder of the Weavers, with Pete Seeger. Composer of "If I Had a Hammer" and "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine" [Quoted in Pete Seeger in His Own Words]

The Weavers [Lee Hays wearing bow tie]

If it fits, I sits:

Inner Peace: This is so true:

If you can start the day without caffeine,

If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,
If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it,
If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment ,
If you can conquer tension without medical help,
If you can relax without liquor,
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,

....Then You Are Probably The Family Dog!

What Is Couple Sex? An 8-year-old girl went to her grandfather, who was working in the yard and asked him, "Grampa, what is couple sex?"
    The grandfather was surprised that she would ask such a question, but decided that if she's old enough to know to ask the question, then she's old enough to get a straight answer.
    Steeling himself to leave nothing out, he proceeded to tell her all about human reproduction and the joys and responsibilities of intercourse.
    When he finished explaining, the little girl was looking at him with her mouth hanging open, eyes wide in amazement.
    Seeing the look on her face, the grandfather asked her, "Why did you ask this question, honey?"
    The little girl replied, "Grandma says that dinner will be ready in just a couple secs.

Limerick of the Week:

"What silly lives!" I could shout, when I see
cars with rally flags flying peppily.
    But they could intone their own song,
    "See that boring fellow along
the road—he's writing something, isn't he?"

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Copyright © 2013 by Morris Dean

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