Some folks are scared that debt collectors will try to get their stimulus payments. This is a legitimate fear since collectors are generally scum. Back when I was a debt counselor I once spo… Read More
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Hi, I'm back. Yeah, I know. It's been a while, but I figured what better time to restart my blog than during a worldwide pandemic. Plus at that time we had a relatively normal person leading… Read More
"Welcome, welcome Englishmen! Do you have any beer?" Sub-Chief Samoset of the Abenaki tribe is supposed to have happily exclaimed when he first met the Pilgrim Fathers. Of course, that… Read More
Meanwhile, at the Honorable Society of King’s Inns in Dublin, Ireland...
Nom nom nom...
Image courtesy of Noel Donnellon
But this sort of thing happened much more frequently in… Read More
Trainy has a tense conversation with "The Man"
Image: Sony Pictures Television
By now the whole world knows the misbegotten saga of the HMS Boaty McBoatface*. The state-of-the-art British… Read More
Back in 2014, you may recall, I told you of the dreadful Clown Epidemic that afflicted the world at that time. If that was an incredibly proactive advertising campaign for that freaky… Read More
Voting Booth
Public domain image
What if they gave an election and nobody came?
That's what happened in McIntire, Iowa the other day (well, really back in august but "the other day soun… Read More
Florida sea pork
Image by Andrea Westmoreland
Continuing on, however tenuously, with our "pork" theme from yesterday's church sign featuring the apparently quite delectable pastor Re… Read More
A very mellow (but guilty) puppy
Public Domain
Just so you know, if you use medical marijuana -- or whatever other kind you might possibly have -- you might want to stay out of Illinois. S… Read More
Harvey coming for a visit
So as it happens, the mighty city of Conglomeration is right in the middle of all the hurricane Harvey action -- on "the dirty side," as we like to say. Follow me… Read More
Photo courtesy of Disney
Here in the ever propagating city of Conglomeration, Texas the "feels like" temperature is 257 ° F and the humidity is approximately what it will be here when c… Read More
The Chair
Last year my father passed away and so this Father's Day will be the first one where he isn't sitting in The Chair. Actually, last year he probably sat mostly in his wheel chair s… Read More
Adam West tries to coax Mona the astro-monkey into eating
The late Adam West (Batman, that is) didn't just sear his portrayal of the Caped Crusader indelibly public psyche. He was in a lot… Read More
RIP Adam West
This is the end of an era for me. This is the day that Batman died. And by Batman I mean Adam West, who just passed away at the age of 88.
During the psychedelic 60s when I w… Read More
Emma Morano -- last of her kind
I haven't been posting recently due to over-busyness (see my previous post), but this is just too epic to miss: the last surviving human from the 19th… Read More
Stuff I gotta do
Image by Tom Ventura
Due to being deluged with various financial things (like doing a couple of income taxes, etc), I'm going to have to suspend my usual daily stream of dr… Read More
Native Texan?
As we all know, Bigfoot is a cosmopolitan citizen of the world. But for some reason very few people can imagine him living in Texas.
This, however, is a major misconception… Read More
Your navel hard at work
Now for a cultural reference that Star Wars nerds like me will recognize: Remember the Sarlacc from Episode VI -- the ravenous creature in a huge desert pit lin… Read More
eBook
Image by Kelson
I am so glad to be living here in the future. There are so many things I wished for -- or would have wished for if I'd have had sufficient imagination -- that now are… Read More
The embodiment of evil
Image from Smurfsfanon Wiki
In the Israeli town of Bnei Brak they are very modest and there are laws to keep it that way. There, the majority of citizens are Ultra-Or… Read More
Have you ever noticed that when you're hiking through the Great American Northwest, you never run into Werewolves anymore? Nowadays, you run into Bigfoot instead. And that despite the fact t… Read More
Hard as it may be for us to grasp from our vantage point in the 21st century, in the 1950s and early 60s atomic weaponry was cool. Sure this was due, in part, to our arch-enemies of the time… Read More
Coming attractions?
(This is a repost of one of my earlier articles that I still kind of like)
Remember the last time we survived the Apocalypse? Probably not. But as it turns out the uni… Read More
If this doesn't work...
Image by Azreey
Not that I live in an action/adventure movie or anything, but the other day it randomly occurred to me: What do I do if the driver of this car is sud… Read More
Photo by Carsten Schertzer
So, when is skim milk not skim milk (Florida answer, please)? When it's skim milk, of course!
"Let me ‘splain… No, there is too much. Let me s… Read More
Public domain
I've always been a history buff, as far back as I can remember. The past, and especially the people who lived then, fascinate me. I might have been a history teacher if my hig… Read More
Logo by Dgultekin
A long time ago, before our present political situation was a twinkle in the space-time continuum's eye, I wrote a post about what a glorious thing it would be if the… Read More
Photo by DasWortgewand
Call me weird (go ahead; I'm used to it) but I've always been fascinated by nuclear explosions. I just love to watch old government films of atomic tests back in the… Read More
Chuck Berry
Photo in public domain
Sometimes we speak of something as "the end of an era." Really important stuff, like, you know, when Monica moved out of Rachel's apartment on Friends&nbs… Read More
And since he always wore the appropriate color for St. Patrick's Day I want to belatedly note the passing of Van Williams -- the Green Hornet. He was 82 years old.
Mr. Williams actually d… Read More
(Being a true son of the emerald isle -- well, mostly -- I repost this every St. Patrick's Day with some new things added each time to freshen it up.)
St. Patrick asks some excitable reve… Read More
Hard working drivel producer
Photo: Onomatomedia
So, one piece of advice famous writers often give to us non-famous writers (I'm a full-time writer/researcher now by the way, no longe… Read More
Dust
Photo by Jskvbinmv, Public domain
I think I know how philosophy started.
People go through their lives and they accomplish things, they learn things, they enjoy things… Read More
Always remember: "Life is absurd. Dealing with that is how you get to Heaven."
Happy 2017 everybody! Read More
Zsa Zsa Gabor (apparently Gábor Zsazsa in her native Hungary), who married one husband for every decade she lived (i.e., 9), has passed away at the age of 99. Of course she star… Read More
Camel accident waiting to happen
Photo credit: Popolon
In Iran they have a problem. When in hot pursuit through the desert sands of a criminal riding a souped up camel, the Dromedary Polic… Read More
John Glenn, doing what he did best -- being a hero
There were a few moments during my childhood that I can exactly pinpoint the exact time they occurred. The earliest one happened during th… Read More
What he thought he looked like
Photo credit: Appaloosa
Naturalists sometimes set up cameras in the woods to get an idea of the current animal population or to spot rare or dangerous animal… Read More
Al Gore makes a dynamic point to Ivanka Trump
"National Public Radio?" Yeah, right. Never heard of 'em. That's got to be one of those fake news sites. I mean, look at this crazy story for … Read More
So long, old friend!
Photo credit: MaxPayne473
Plastic? We don't need no stinkin' plastic! All we need is to be wired into a vast electronic financial holonet that knows everything about y… Read More
Photo credit: Joe Sullivan
"Mommy? Where does face powder come from?"
"Why, from a magical wonderland far away, full of colorful chemicals and high-pressure machines. Here, let me show yo… Read More
Everyone knows the famous speech President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered to congress after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor: "Yestahday, Decembah seventh, nineteen fohty-one, a date which… Read More
Every federal agent's weakness!
When you're bribing the FBI it's vitally important to offer something that's enticing... tempting... something you're sure they can't resist. Especially if y… Read More
Humanity's Greatest Conundrum
Photo credit: HeroX
Some problems are so intractable that even a rocket scientist can't figure them out. Sure NASA overcame the myriad challenges we faced to p… Read More
"Pay us the acorns and nobody gets hurt"
Photo credit: Rapaceone
A cautionary message for Republicans and Democrats alike: Be careful who you speak out against. The tiny woodland creatures… Read More
Photo credit: NewsOnJapan.com
The Space World ice skating rink in Kitakyushu, Japan wanted to do something different. They wanted to give visitors the chance to "enjoy skating under unreal… Read More
Domino's Pizza Reindeer With His Trainer
Photo credit: Rankin/Bass Productions & DreamWorks Classics
Speaking of Japan (in the last post), as with most places on earth neith… Read More
Separated at birth?
Parker Posey photo by Arnold Gatilao
Netflix, which has basically replaced TV for us and keeps coming up with neat shows, is doing a reboot of one of my all-time favorit… Read More
Fidel Castro
Photo: Roberto di Fede
Rest in Peace, Fidel Castro.
That's about all I have to say. I desire that every human being will rest peacefully when their term is done here. I've see… Read More
How I unfortunately remember Florence Henderson
Photo by David Moore @ Bionic Disco
Florence Henderson (aka Mrs.Brady) passed away yesterday due to heart failure. She was 82, and appar… Read More
I just discovered that steak with pineapple on it is delicious! Read More
Photo by Shanghai Killer Whale
If you thought yesterday's 8 minute post disbursed your stress like wisps of fog on a sunshiny day, try this half hour version! (Warning: you may not regain c… Read More
"Welcome, welcome Englishmen! Do you have any beer?" Sub-Chief Samoset of the Abenaki tribe is supposed to have happily exclaimed when he first met the Pilgrim fathers. Of course that… Read More
Please, don't be mean to the water! Read More
STRESS!
Photo by LarMG
Stress, it seems, is the air we breathe. In work, play, family life, child rearing, and certainly your politics (don't even get me started on the election!), if you a… Read More
A website may walk like Google and talk like Google (sort of) but still not be Google, thanks to this quirk of the Internet.
Beware Read More
Photo by dkinsley
In China the pickpockets are pretty clever. Problem: How to keep your fingerprints off whatever you pick from someone's pocket? Solution: Pick your intended pocket with ch… Read More
Back in my day, Presidents knew what's what, lemme tell ya sonny boy... Here's a bedraggled kinescope of one now!
Ah for the good old days! Read More
Plane of Doom
Did you know we have a Doomsday Plane? I didn't (at least under that name), although having lived through parts of the Cold War I kind of suspected.
The Doomsday Plane, built… Read More
Make your Android phone/tablet great again (as in stopping it from sapping your battery and improving its performance)! How? Well, it's really complex, but I believe in you!
Ready? Ok, here… Read More
So apparently, doing aerobics in a funeral home showroom is looked down upon in Russia for some reason. Thank goodness for our precious american freedoms. Over there, it got this lady fired… Read More
"You don't navigate challenges and remain unchanged. Not that you don't sometimes yearn to be young again, but you'll never see the world the way you did when you were truly young."
Tom Hayd… Read More
Bacon -- it's the future, man!
Graphic buried somewhere deep inside this game
In the year 2020 we will all get our food by jumping on counters at fast food restaurants and yelling. What a… Read More
Bedtime!
Photo by Paul Spijkers
There are a lot of perks to working for Federal Express, like hitching flights on cargo planes, which worked out so well for Tom Hanks in Cast Away… Read More
Remember the majestic ship Boaty McBoatface, and the slightly less majestic but at least on time train, Trainy McTrainface? Now another member has joined that proud lineage: the mighty… Read More
Is the curry that bad? Read More
The bone of contention in Albany
In the world of politics, the participants can sink pretty low sometimes. Just look at how this year's presidential contest is shaping up. But there's… Read More
Lonesome
Photo by Uday1254
The place in North America that is farthest from any coast is in a gully on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation between Allen (famous for being the poore… Read More
CIA skincare plot exposed!!
Who doesn't want soft, supple, blemish-free skin? We all do, of course! And so does the CIA, with their new line of skin care products. All they ask… Read More
"I'm feeling a bit peckish right about now."
I don't know how many times I've asked myself, "I wonder what a professional Bull Fighter (the kind and loving 'murican version… Read More
::Sob!::
In a sudden fit of moral outrage the jolly german tourist town of Tegernsee has officially revoked Adolph Hitler's honorary citizenship there. It really must have preyed on their c… Read More
Mr. Newman, World's Saddest Dog ™, realizes he's going up the river
Photo by Christopher Michel
Sick and tired of that dadgummed neighbor dog doin' his business in your petunias? Y… Read More
Today it's boring, ordinary April 2nd, of course, but I really liked this April Fools email/post thingy I got yesterday from the Historical Emporium (which can make anyone look spiffy)! Read More
It's little known today but famous inventor Thomas Edison was actually the greatest humanitarian who ever lived. Sure, we're all used to hearing of Edison the jerk, Edison the man who b… Read More
It's little known today but famous inventor Thomas Edison was actually the greatest humanitarian who ever lived. Sure, we're all used to hearing of Edison the jerk, Edison the man who b… Read More
Jupiter does its stuff!
You may have heard about the planet Jupiter's altruistic ways, how it protects the Earth from gigantic planet-killing rocks by flinging them back out of the solar sy… Read More
The Austrian national motto: "Pay up!"
I get the feeling Austria is a rather uptight country. What makes me think that? Well, if you are assessed a fine in Austria, not only do you have to… Read More
Noticing the current trend of trusting the news more if it's delivered by comedians, ABC News decided to try some of that hilarious Bad Lip-Reading on the Prime Minister of Canada. But… Read More
The man who built the famous (?) Ft. Worth beer can house is moving. You can't stop progress and what was once a quiet residential neighborhood is now chock full of development. In fact… Read More
WHEN A GOOD MAN GOES TO WAR
Demons run when a good man goes to war,
Night will fall and drown the sun when a good man goes to war.
Friendship dies and true love lies,
Night will fall a… Read More
Milton & Michael: Two old hippies who might save your life
Photo by Ken Harrison
Earlier in the week I wrote about how to spot a riptide and the official government way to escape on… Read More
French science hard at work!
Photo by la Nouvelle République
The french are geniuses! While we slave away on space ships and robot cars, they've created the marvel of the modern a… Read More
Need some liquid courage to make it through the ceremony, sir?
Photo by Fabio Ingrosso
Last week I mentioned a cemetery in Spain that provides wifi for its customers. The live custom… Read More
Here's a handy photo to study so you can spot (and therefore run away from) a rip tide.
And here's how to get away Read More
POOF!
Two years ago in Azilal, Morocco a man named Abragh Mohamed received the sad news from a Casablanca hospital that his wife had been in a horrible car accident and probably wouldn't su… Read More
POOF!
Two years ago in Azilal, Morocco a man named Abragh Mohamed received the sad news from a Casablanca hospital that his wife had been in a horrible car accident and probably wouldn't su… Read More
The mighty Boaty McBoatface proudly plows the seas
Great Britain, one-time ruler of the waves, is renowned for her many-storied tradition of unmatched scientific and oceanographic explorati… Read More
The cities of Brazil are seething with turmoil these days as thousands fill the streets of São Paulo and Rio, clamoring angrily for the ouster of their corrupt President Dilma Roussef… Read More
Who is this man?And you thought selfies were just a phenomenon of the iPhone age! But in ancient times they had a wonder of modern (for then) engineering called the Photo Booth, and anybody… Read More
Artist's impression of Bigfoot going for a SlurpeeJust in case you were wondering, remember the Bigfoot shot in 2012 by an intrepid yahoo using $200 in ribs as bait? It was a fake.Which… Read More
Photo courtesy of Dean MuskettTiny, secret aircraft are buzzing us down here in Texas. We assume they are 'ours,' but you never know. What if the President of China feels like Tex-Mex? It co… Read More
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself...Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.— George… Read More
What the well-dressed Czech naturalist is wearing nowadays
Photos by Dick Daniels and Steve
So let's say you are the head of the Czech Environment Ministry and you need to find a way… Read More
Ever been just about to bite into a juicy, delectable Whopper or one of those Carl's Jr. 1/2 lb $6 Thickburgers, especially the messy ones ones with bacon and guacamole, when all of a s… Read More
This is an ancient 12,000 year old puppy discovered in Siberia. No ancient dog chow found though, poor little guy Read More
(Being a true son of the emerald isle -- well, mostly -- I repost this every St. Patrick's Day with some new things added each time to freshen it up.)
St. Patrick asks some excitable reve… Read More
