Ephemeris of Miscellany

We lost the philosopher, psychologist, and historian William James on this day in 1910. "A great nation is not saved by wars, it is saved by acts without external picturesqueness; by speaking, writing, voting reasonably; by smiting corruption swiftly; by good temper between parties; by the people knowing true men when they see them, and preferring them as leaders to rabid partisans and empty quacks."  ... Director Tobe Hooper left us on this day in 2017. ... There was a Breitbart article condemning Clinton because Epstein's girlfriend's nephew worked in her State Department. I pointed out that Trump himself is in 100 pics with her and wished her well AFTER her arrest, multiple times.  This one person was certain I was making it up. I kept pressing her, asking if I did produce evidence, would she admit he's an awful person? She would only tell me over and over that I was obviously lying.  I gave her the evidence of him wishing her well, which happened to be video o...

I really enjoyed the Democratic convention, particularly all of the Republicans who spoke to the truth of Trump's unfitness for office. They had the former lieutenant governor of Georgia saying that he's voting for Harris, not because he's a democrat, but because he's "a patriot." Why? Because we all heard the recording of Trump calling Georgia's Secretary of State, demanding for him to find the 12,000 votes that he needed to win.  Does that seem normal to you? Is that the type of thing you tell somebody when you think the law applies to you? Or is that what you say when you have no regard for the will of the people?  Then there was Stephanie Grisham, saying that as a communications director, Trump told her just to say things over and over, that even if something is a lie, people will believe it is true. Adam Kinzinger said, “Donald Trump is a weak man pretending to be strong. He's a small man pretending to be big. He is a faithless man pretending to b...

Fran Lebowitz- "Your life story would not make a good book. Don't even try." ... Dorothy Parker- "The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue." ... Top comment on a Breitbart article about McCain ending treatment for brain cancer, hundreds of likes, hearts and laughs:  "The man is so evil, god will most likely turn his back on him. It’s time to pay up on your pact with the devil. I wonder, was it worth it? The pits of hell are opening, TA TA 👋🏻" These lunatics need to crawl back back under their rocks. What was McCain's crime, defying Trump, i.e. God? August 24, 2018 ... Live-commenting The Lady Eve on TCM. Haha... Henry Fonda is a herpetologist reading a book titled "Are Snakes Necessary?" The mirror scene is from another planet... the height of writing/directing. You can really see the influence it had on Woody Allen. "Well I'll be a cock-eyed cookie puss." You don't hear that too ofte...

NPR- Who Owns A Monkey's Selfie? No One Can, U.S. Says http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/08/22/342419651/who-owns-a-monkey-s-selfie-no-one-can-u-s-says August 23, 2014 ... Charles Darwin, The Descent of Man: "Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert this or that problem will never be solved by science." ... I'm watching this Republican debate and I have a prediction. Every one of these people would be Biden, but Republicans would lose again by running the guy who's not there. It's not like he's going to get more votes than he did last time, although it's still unclear how many votes he might successfully demand from Secretaries of State who don't want to live with death threats. Every single answer from every single candidate displayed a better grasp of the issues and that guy. Republicans have a decision to make- do they care about the...

Dorothy Parker was born on this day in 1893. Razors pain you, Rivers are damp, Acids stain you, And drugs cause cramp. Guns aren't lawful, Nooses give, Gas smells awful. You might as well live. She was cremated, and her ashes remained unclaimed in a filing cabinet for approximated 17 years until they were given to the NAACP. ... Joey Votto announced his retirement. I love this bit with David Letterman and Jerry Seinfeld each gushing over their interactions with him. https://youtu.be/8BdhnvR7uRc August 22, 2024 ... New York Times - No, ivermectin does not treat or prevent covid-19. Someone commented: "They'll call the vaccinated "sheep" in one breath and then take livestock medicine in the next." Can we make that person a professional commenter? August 22, 2021 ... When someone's middle initial is V, it sounds like their first name is battling their last name in court. ... My kids are serious chips off the old block. I put on a Buddy Holly song for the fi...