Friday Follies...

Welcome to the weekend, such as it shall be.
And to think that in just TWO weeks, all the presents will be opened, the dinner devoured, and all the post-Christmas activities will be in full swing...(whew).
Seemed like we just put the decorations away a couple months ago.
(well, we did...about ELEVEN months to be exact...lol)
Our Hooiserland weather will see us with a continued warm-up...temps will top out around the 40 degree range, and although we're starting off on the cloudy side, the sun will be making an appearance later on (so we're told, anyway)..
Gonna be a good weekend to get some shopping done, that's for sure.
Now, without any further delay, let's all get a piping hot cup of our favorite morning "brew" of whatever, and get started with seeing what's been going on elsewhere...
*** First off of the toboggan trail is our "What the hell happens today, Bob? feature:
December 12 - 

--- Today is NATIONAL AMBROSIA DAY. I remember some people at my old church (in Philly) who made some EXCELLENT ambrosia.
Those pot luck dinners we had around the holidays were something to look forward to, and that includes the desserts.

Cheap property taxes on THIS crib!

--- It's also GINGERBREAD HOUSE DAY, so go build yourself a mansion, and then enjoy eating it.
--- It's POINSETTIA DAY, too.

We used to always have them around the house, and Mom loved to have both the red and the white ones. As long as they were out of reach of the family pets...no worries.
--- Lastly, it's (you're all gonna lobe this one)...NATIONAL DING-A-LING DAY...lol.

They're ALL good...

Now, we can run with this in one of several ways.
I tend to lean toward playing the CHUCK BERRY song...but that's me.
I'm sure those in the nation's capital are STILL celebrating this day from LAST year (and it certainly shows, right, Pelosi?)
I wonder if RING DINGS figure into this, because I KNOW the Hostess brand is a good fit, too (those are called Ding-Dongs).
Hmm...perhaps I'll have some Ding-Dongs while listening to Chuck Berry sing about HIS ding-a-ling...
Yeah...that's the ticket!
And, since we're on this subject,  here's a peek at  the weekend lineup:
December 13 - 
Saturday is NATIONAL COCOA DAY (have a cup or three - with marshmallows)
It's also NATIONAL VIOLIN DAY

(play some Itzhak Perlman)
And, it's NATIONAL WREATH FOR AMERICA DAY, DAY OF THE HORSE, and PICK A PATHOLOGIST PAL DAY (?)
December 14 - 
Sunday is NATIONAL  BOUILLABAISSE DAY  (have a bowl), WORLDWIDE CANDLE LIGHTING DAY (not near the drapes, though...and never when no one's at home).
And, it's  MONKEY DAY

Enough with the monkeys...

(seems like most days where we live...lol)
It's also WORLD CHORAL DAY

Allelujah!!!!

(listen to some choral music...makes the season bright).
Moving on...
*** Saw two things in today's paper that I think you might find interesting, not only because they are "related", but they are also completely different tales that are being spun.

Here's the link to the first story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/business/Report-shows-nation-mired-in-medical-debt-3951501
In this article, we see the millions of Americans are mired in Healthcare DEBT...
Here's the link to the other (source) story:
http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_27103758/mercury-news-editorial-affordable-care-act-is-lowering
So, now we're told that Obummercare is really LOWERING costs?
Not hardly.
What it seems to be (actually) doing is lowering the AMOUNT of RATE HIKES we're still seeing.
If that's not a crock of duplicitous crap, I don't know what is.
Healthcare costs are STILL rising, people...that's FACT.

I love the manipulative manner in which the lame-stream media presents this, and if you don't bother to do some fact-checking, you too can be caught up in the propaganda machine.
*** Next up,  Christian Bale (Batman) as MOSES?

"Who are you?"      "....I'm MOSES!!!"

I don't think so...
Ridley Scott might make a good director for movies like Blade Runner or Aliens, but the Old Testament book of EXODUS? 

Not in any way, shape, or form..
It's not a story that needs 3D and CGI with lots of action...gimme Chuck Heston and Yul Brynner...ANY day.Besides, I already "read the book".
So let it be written...so let it be done.

MUCH better movie...hands DOWN.

PASS on it...!!!
*** Next, just when you thought that we couldn't possibly spend MORE money on our schoolkids, we hear about THIS:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/schools/Schools-chief-seeks-more-money-3958001

Imagine that - a "request" for a whopping $560 MILLION DOLLAR budget HIKE...for WHAT???
I guess once a democrat (spendaholic), always one, hmm?
Now, you have to realize that here in the USA, we spend MORE per student than ANY other nation.
We spend $11K per elementary student and over $12K per high school student, so blowing THAT much of the wad SHOULD have OUR kids at the TOP of the global educational heap, right?
Not really.
The USA ranks (good choice of words)  11th with 4th grade math and 9th in 8th grade math.
(not the best return for our dollars spent, is it?
So, what to do...
We go and toss MORE money at the educational system for something that's been proven to not guarantee our kids will be the BEST on the planet.
Sounds like Liberal educational economics to ME.
Here's only one story (of many) pertaining to this:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-education-spending-tops-global-list-study-shows/
Cripes, we rank behind LUXEMBOURG when it comes to high school teacher's PAY for God's sake.

No matter how much money is wasted!

It's little wonder that students graduating colleges are not pursuing the teaching field (when they see teachers being assaulted, for example)...that means a shortage of educators in the coming years, does it not?
Guess we'll all be doing the e-classroom gig soon enough, which should cost LESS, but will invariably cost us all MORE.
After all, that's the way it always seems to work, right?
Sure wasn't like this when WE went to school (and performed better with less)
*** Last back to the outhouse...it's not hard to play "spot the deception" these days.
In fact, it's getting kinda easy.
We can't all be "Stretch-Armstrong" and be pulled in several directions at once, and still be expected to snap back into place, like nothing's happened.

Nor should we be.
I'm always saying that life is nothing if not "complex", and there's a reason for it.
You know by now that life is meant to be a LEARNING experience, and that it is also to be enjoyed.
There seemed to be a time when learning things was enjoyable (okay, aside from the random test you failed in school...lol), and that whenever we DO acquire knowledge, we're better off for the experience.
After a time, we can look back and say we learned a lot. A few of us...not so much.
But again, that is wrapped up in our human nature.
At this time of year, we need to remind ourselves of that which we have learned in years past, and to embrace the opportunity to learn.
It's not only a time of religious reflection and celebration, but one might say it's also a time of PERSONAL reflection, as we celebrate life itself.. And I think one is done for the other.
It's the CHRIST part of Christmas that gets us thinking about the US part of it.
Then again, I don't believe God does anything without a REASON. We're expected to be thankful and we should always choose to be.
How often we  forget that simple thing
Each of us has our own place in life...and in HIS plan.
I suppose the best thing to take from all this is that while we might not always get what we WANT, HE makes sure that we are provided with that which we NEED.
I can work with that.
DO have yourselves a great weekend.

Be well, make a difference to someone today...and, as always...
Stay SAFE out there, America.