Ephemeris of Miscellany

From the ridiculous Immunity Case, aka The Supreme Court Deciding Whether Or Not We Actually Have A King But Didn't Realize It All Along Case: Justice Sotomayor: If the president decides that his rival is a corrupt person and he orders the military to assassinate him, is that within his official acts to which he has immunity?" Trump Attorney: That could well be an official act.   So I guess this genius Trump is having his lawyers argue that this same privilege applies to the current president, if in the event he'd decide that his rival is a corrupt person. Hmmm. When you argue absurdities, you end up with greater absurdities. April 25, 2024 Björn Kristian Ulvaeus from ABBA was born on this day in 1945. May they all live forever . ... A White Buffalo was born on this day in 2024, in Kansas. That's the most sacred thing that can happen to the Lakota. There's a one in 10 million chance of it happening. You can imagine the Lakota living on the plains, maybe seeing 100,...

Within the last week, I stepped on a rake that bashed me in the face, I knocked my head so hard on a branch while I was running that my hat flew off, and twisted my ankle in half while carrying two bags of mulch. I came out unscathed each time, but in a few decades any one of these antics could end with me in the grave. In the meantime I'm going to sell my life story to Hanna-Barbera. April 24, 2022 ... Here's a foundationally good thing about the cops that I think everybody can agree on. When cops break the law, it's great that the cops arrest them. April 24, 2021 (in the wake of the Floyd verdict) ... All people should obey just laws, but an unjust law is no law at all. -MLK ... The rate of violent crime in the US has halved in the last 20 years, inversely proportional to the rise in 1st person shooter video games and increasingly realistic film violence. ... So get this...a study showed that inmates who were given fish oil had 35% fewer incidents of violence in prison. I...

Roy Orbison was born on this day in 1936. This song is from another planet, in a class all its own. "I close my eyes, then I drift away, into the magic night I softly say. A silent prayer, like dreamers do, then I fall asleep to dream my dreams of you." ... New Coke was released on this day in 1985.  My relatives used to play poker at get-togethers. After each game, the person to the left would deal and pick the next poker variety. If my grandma won and then it was her turn to pick the game, she would keep it the same. You know what she used to say? "Never quit a winner."  My grandparents were farmers and then restauranteers, and every census I've seen listed my grandmother as a housewife. She lived to be 95, but apparently even in her mid-70's she could have excelled as the Marketing Director for the Coca-Cola Corporation. Coke quit a winner.  Never quit a winner. That crosses my mind often.  ... What a story from Ken Burns' Hemingway! I never heard abo...

Sometimes I lament the fact that Woody Allen will one day be gone, but then I look at the bright side. I might die before him. ... On this day in 2017, everybody joked that the president might squint at the solar eclipse, and then he did! ... Every once in a while... maybe once a year... it crosses my mind that with all his faults, Trump is ALSO the type of guy who makes fun of people's faces. I mean look at the guy! Imagine what he would say about the female version of himself. It would be devastating. ... Every once in a while... maybe once a year... it crosses my mind that with all his faults, Trump is ALSO the type of guy who makes fun of people's faces. I mean look at the guy! Imagine what he would say about the female version of himself. It would be devastating. April 22, 2020 ... The French New Wave film Le Samurai begins with this quote: "There is no greater solitude than that of the Samurai, unless it be that of the tiger in the jungle... -Bushido, Book of the Sam...

Mark Twain said he came in with Halley's comet in 1835 and he was ready to go out with it. He did just that, on this day in 1910. "The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time." No word on whether the cat is still living. ... Iggy Pop was born on this day in 1947. At the top of the charts was "Heartaches" by Ted Weems and His Orchestra with Elmo Tanner. He was born exactly 23 years after Ira Louvin, and 12 years before Robert Smith. (Robert Smith, by the way, was born on a Tuesday, and had to wait three days to be in love.) “It was in the winter of my fiftieth vear When it hit me I was really alone And there wasn't a hell a lot of time left Every laugh and touch that I could get Became more important Strangely, I became more bookish And my home and study meant more to me  As I considered the circumstances of my death I wanted to find a balance between joy and dignity On my way out Above all, I didn...