Propeller Dog

This excellent ceramic sculpture was done by Cleveland artist S. Judson Wilcox. It is both artistic and humorous. I will look for more of his ceramics, as this one is remarkable.

Much Ado About Nothing: The Boobs of Haboob

I "borrowed" a title from Bill Shakespeare as it seriously seems to frame this to-do covered by the old fussbudget newspaper, the Washington Post.

Here are the facts: Lately The Weather Channel has been using a term haboob to refer to events in Texas and the Great Plains that most people call a sandstorm. Some people in Texas got a little riled that good old-fashioned sandstorms are now called haboobs, instead of referring to a part of a specific woman's anatomy. And the WaPo raised her eyebrows with disbelief and disapproval for these base Texans' impudence! 

From my perspective, there's a lot of fail going around, forsooth!

First of all, The Weather Channel unnecessarily used an obscure word to its audience when a simple word would lead to more clarity. Or, as the old saying goes, don't use a $10 word when a two-bit word would suffice.

Then there is the unofficial word posse that criticized the use of that word. There's an absence of a sense of humor going around; because, dammit, haboob is a funny word. The usual response is to grin.

Then The Washington Post leapt to the opportunity to disapprove of some cranks out there and demonstrate that they were a different kind of crank as well. A P.C. crank.

The only possible reason I can think of for this present-day intolerance for the vagaries of others is the upcoming election. The general rules for tolerance and "live and let live" have been jettisoned for cheap shots. People need to behave themselves better.

The U.S. Capitol at Dusk

This view of the U.S. Capitol at dusk shows the building with scaffolding in place to restore it. It conveys a sense of permanence, and that life will go on:

Despite the rain, Washington is an inspiring city to visit. Plus we dined at a world-class Acadian restaurant there, of all places!

Tacky Yard

Election Expatriates, Bah!

With the imminent candidacy of Donald Trump for President, a number of celebrities have declared that they would move to Canada if he gets elected.

Among those who have so declared include Cher, Jon Stewart, Miley Cyrus, Samuel Jackson, Whoopi Goldberg, and others.

Now my take on it is that Trump becoming President is an unlikely event; so they are betting on a sure bet.

But if there was the Trumpian twilight of the gods, they certainly would have the means to effect being comfortable expatriates. Unlike most of us.

But what does it tell the rest of us? That they are suggesting that we leave also and flood Canada with refugees? Or are they saying, "I've got mine; screw the rest of you!"

That's one possibility. Another is that they're parleying their celebrity status into making their opinions something other people should particularly care about. In short, they're attention whores who have an inflated sense of their own importance.

But it also says that they're not really into assuming the burdens and obligations of American citizenship in the clinch. Winter soldiers they are not.*

Nuts to them. Don't let the doorknobs hit you in the asses.

*Thomas Paine allusion.

http://www.inquisitr.com/2835395/list-of-celebrities-who-will-leave-the-u-s-if-donald-trump-becomes-president-jon-stewart-whoopi-goldberg-al-sharpton-more/

http://dailycaller.com/2016/03/04/8-celebrities-who-promise-to-leave-the-country-if-trumps-elected-slideshow/

Pig Statue

I found this pig statue in the yard of a garden store:

I wonder when it will be sold and who will buy it.

In Honor of Prince

Knoxville, Tennessee lit up the Henley Bridge purple in honor of Prince. Enjoy!