{"id":10335,"date":"2020-02-21T21:53:31","date_gmt":"2020-02-22T04:53:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rocknponderosa.com\/?p=10335"},"modified":"2020-02-21T21:53:31","modified_gmt":"2020-02-22T04:53:31","slug":"not-so-nasty-news-feb-21","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rocknponderosa.com\/?p=10335","title":{"rendered":"Not so Nasty News Feb 21"},"content":{"rendered":"

Item #1: Smallest in the world <\/span> <\/p>\n

The title is:
\n“Little penguins get nesting boxes made by Albany Men’s Shed . . .”\"\"The scientific name is Eudyptula minor <\/em> so I went to Wikipedia: “The genus Eudyptula (“good little diver”) contains two species of penguin, found in southern Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand (including the Chatham Islands). They are commonly known as the little penguin, little blue penguin, or, in Australia, fairy penguin. In the language of the M\u0101ori people of New Zealand, little penguins are known as koror\u0101.<\/em>.” <\/p>\n

Story is here: Men’s Shed builds boxes <\/strong><\/a>
\nThe boxes will help researchers more easily tag and track the penguins, . . .
\nFine, but about that “Men’s Shed” thing \u2013 I looked it up. There is an organization that provides services to promote independence among frail, aged, and disabled people – and their carers.
\nMen’s sheds or community sheds are non-profit local organizations that provide a space for craft work and social interaction. The movement originated in Australia as a way to improve the health and well being of older men.
\nI’m getting a bit aged, but the existence of these is new. However, we have recently learned that some folks gather at a shed at the Ellensburg International Organization of Odd Fellows (IOOF) Cemetery on Saturday mornings \u2013 to fix things. We don’t know much more, but soon will. We have some older bicycles that will soon emerge from our own shed. As far as we know they are in good shape, except maybe the tires. If the folks at the shed want them, we’ll donate them and, when cleaned up, they can be sold or donated to support the work.
\nSo, more of this in a couple of weeks.<\/p>\n

Item #2: Good week for words <\/span> <\/p>\n

#1 Sumptuary<\/u>
\nA fellow named John Tierney published an opinion in something called “City Journal” and reprinted by the Wall Street Journal.
\nThe title and subtitle are:
\n“Plastic Bags Help the Environment
\nBanning them provides no benefit other than to let activists lord their preferences over others. <\/em>”
\nDown on the page there is this statement: (my bold)
\n“ Plastic bans are a modern version of medieval sumptuary<\/strong> laws, which forbade merchants and other commoners to wear clothes or use products that offended the sensibilities of aristocrats and clergymen.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

We have long used cardboard boxes to carry goods from stores \u2013 each of our cars have two such, with reinforced handles fashioned for easy carrying. Thus, when Ellensburg “aristocrats” instituted a 5\u00a2 charge for single-use carry-out bags we hardly noticed. And because plastic is used throughout \u2013 produce, meats, cheese \u2013 we often leave the grocery store with much plastic in our cardboard box.<\/p>\n

In any case, I had to look up Sumptuary laws <\/strong><\/a>
\nLaws made for the purpose of restraining luxury or extravagance, particularly against inordinate expenditures for apparel, food, furniture, etc. Historically, they were intended to regulate and reinforce social hierarchies and morals through restrictions on clothing, food, and luxury expenditures, often depending on a person’s social rank. <\/p>\n

#2 Episodic<\/u>
\nI’ve always like this word (also compensatory<\/em>) and think it should be used more often in place of cycle. My current rant is about the rise and fall of water levels of the Great Lakes. Folks are losing land, and a few homes (or moving them), to rising water.
\nAn earlier report \u2013 2014 \u2013 was about the declining lake levels and all the problems that caused.
\n“Earlier research uncovered a 12-year cycle of rising and falling lake levels in the Michigan-Huron lakes, as well as a shorter 8-year cycle. <\/em>“. When I think of the word “cycle” I think of a regularly repeated event \u2013 pedal a bicycle \u2013; or a pendulum \u2013
\n “swinging back and forth. The time for one complete cycle, . . .”.
\na left swing and a right swing, is called the period. <\/p>\n

I’ve lived long enough to know of several of these rises and falls of the Great Lakes, and Great Salt Lake also, and know they are not regularly timed as is a pendulum.
\nThe better descriptor is “episodic” \u2013 and that’s the rant, and the 2nd word of the week.<\/p>\n

Item #3: Is this wise?<\/span> \"\"
\nA 77-year-old man was lauded by the South Wales Police for defending himself against a man who attempted to rob him while he used an ATM outside a Sainsbury\u2019s grocery store in Cardiff, Wales, on February 5.
\n Put ’em up<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Item #4: Dog versus Cat <\/span> \"\"I was reading comments on a blog about dog domestication \u2013 when\/how\/why \u2013 and a person named Nicholas McGinley posted the following. If he wrote it, good for him. I haven’t tried to find another source.<\/p>\n

Excerpts from a Dog\u2019s Diary<\/u>:
\n8:00 am \u2013 Dog food! My favorite thing!
\n9:30 am \u2013 A car ride! My favorite thing!
\n9:40 am \u2013 A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
\n10:30 am \u2013 Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
\n12:00 pm \u2013 Lunch! My favorite thing!
\n1:00 pm \u2013 Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
\n3:00 pm \u2013 Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
\n5:00 pm \u2013 Milk bones! My favorite thing!
\n7:00 pm \u2013 Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
\n8:00 pm \u2013 Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
\n11:00 pm \u2013 Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!<\/p>\n

Excerpts from a Cat\u2019s Diary<\/u>:
\nDay 983 of my captivity.
\nMy captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.
\nThey dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape.
\nIn an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.
\nToday I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a \u201cgood little hunter\u201d I am. Bastards!
\nThere was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of \u201callergies.\u201d I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.
\nToday I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow \u2013but at the top of the stairs.
\nI am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches.
\nThe dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released \u2013 and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.
\nThe bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now . . .<\/p>\n

Item #5: Scientific fun<\/span> \"\"
\nAnd that, for this week, is the not so nasty news.
\nJohn <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Item #1: Smallest in the world The title is: “Little penguins get nesting boxes made by Albany Men’s Shed . . .”The scientific name is Eudyptula minor so I went to Wikipedia: “The genus Eudyptula (“good little diver”) contains two species of penguin, found in southern Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand (including the Chatham Islands). … Continue reading “Not so Nasty News Feb 21”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-random-issues"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p72iNf-2GH","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/rocknponderosa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10335","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/rocknponderosa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/rocknponderosa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rocknponderosa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rocknponderosa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10335"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/rocknponderosa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10335\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10338,"href":"http:\/\/rocknponderosa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10335\/revisions\/10338"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/rocknponderosa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rocknponderosa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rocknponderosa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}