This is the one I typically used for TomCat – but I’m sure he won’t …
Aug 012025
SoINeedAName
May 262025
After Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae saw poppies growing in a battle-scorched field in Waregem, Belgium, he was inspired to pen the poem “In Flanders Fields”. Since then, poppies have become the traditional symbol of remembrance for our fallen soldiers. So, on this Memorial Day I thought it fitting to revisit two light shows featuring the poppy.
The nation’s only memorial and museum dedicated “in honor of those who served in World War One in defense of liberty and our country” is Kansas City’s Liberty Memorial. And in recent years its 217-foot-tall tower has served as a canvas for two light shows featuring the poppy.
The first was in 2018 marking the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month marking the “War to End All Wars”. The light show ran for nine days and was viewed by tens of thousands.
Over 5,000 poppies illuminating both the Liberty Tower and Liberty Memorial base (part of the National World War I Museum) were created by nearly 55 million pixels and 800,000 lumens. Every 15-minutes a special presentation is shown on the base displaying images and history about World War I.
To honor our nation’s veterans, the second light show installation was commissioned by the Liberty Museum and Memorial in conjunction with the NFL Draft that was held in Kansas City at Union Station in 2023. It was titled “Horizons” and was designed by Kathy Pittala, a lifelong Kansas City area resident and the Graphic Designer at the Liberty National WWI Museum and Memorial.
May 252025
This past week “Dear Leader” took the next step on the way to becoming a fascist dictator by unfurling a HUGE banner – of HIMSELF – at the Ministry of Truth USDA.
A colossal, brooding image of Donald Trump now looms over the U.S. Department of Agriculture headquarters in Washington, D.C. The banner is unmistakably authoritarian in both style and scale. It features a stone-faced Trump gazing down upon the capital like a watchful overlord.
History has shown that such arrogant, pompous, narcissistic displays of self-exaltation do NOT herald a healthy, thriving democracy. Quite the opposite.
But folks took advantage of such pretentious chutzpah to have some fun …
If that wasn’t galling enough, salt was rubbed into the wound as it was displayed alongside a banner of Pres. Lincoln. It was Lincoln who founded the USDA in 1862 to
” … provide leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and related issues based on public policy, the best available science, and effective management.”
But one Paulley Ticks took a bit of “artistic license” and saved the day with his pièce de résistance revision:
And he interestingly notes that the hand doing the flipping-off is his, because he could NOT find a pinky-sided image of a “giving-the-finger” photo.
https://x.com/PaulleyTicks/status/1923130550459470260
Feb 152025
One would think that destroying democracy, ratcheting up in inflation with his tariffs and trade war, abandoning our longtime allies, kissing Putin’s ass and firing people would keep Donnie busy enough.
But now he’s investigating his desire to pave over the lawn in the Kennedy Rose Garden so it more closely resembles his Mar-a-Lago place.
(An aerial view of Kennedy Rose Garden PRIOR to Melania’s desecration)
While that’s galling enough, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung released a statement “justifying” Trump’s intentions to modify the grounds:
Designers are already busy drafting options for how to “remake” the Rose Garden to then recreate the patio experience at Mar-a-Lago.
But Donnie isn’t stopping there with his makeover plans:
- Hang a grand chandelier from the ceiling of the Oval Office
- Gold vases and statuettes and at least one gold figurine embedded in an elevated wall molding
- Build a ballroom at the White House, “like I have at Mar-a-Lago,” which Mr. Trump says would cost $100 million
Sadly, the White House Historical Association has no statutory authority over the premises. Additionally, the Rose Garden is outside of its scope because it is outdoors.
And worse, the National Park Service, controlled by the Department of the Interior, maintains the grounds, including the Rose Garden.
At least the roses are currently reported to remain.
Anyone else reminded of the lyrics from “Big Yellow Taxi”?
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot
STORY SOURCE:
Trump Considers Paving Grass at White House Rose Garden to Match Mar-a-Lago – The New York Times
Jan 252025
Got a text message from Trinette that JD won’t be posting today because of computer issues.
I really don’t have anything in the hopper, but I did recently come across a post about a man in Wales who thought he was having poltergeist invade his workshop.
Every night for months he would leave a mess of odds-and-ends scattered all over his workbench – and every day when he went back to putter, the place was tidied up with things placed in a wooden box.
Baffled long enough, he setup a camera with a special night-vision lens to find out what was happening.
And he got his answer: A tiny mouse with obvious OCD!
Shop owner Rodney Holbrook thought he was doing this to hide the birdfeeder nuts stored in the shop. But pest control expert Gareth Davies said, “Mice are like the magpies of the rodent world. They just collect things and hoard them because they think they’re prepping for the future and hard times.”
Dr. Megan Jackson from nearby University of Bristol explained that this is actually common behavior for mice. They scavenge and keep things in a safe place that they think might be useful. But she added that a good deal of what “Welsh Tidy Mouse” (Mr. Holbrook’s nickname) keeps in the box really wouldn’t be useful to build a nest – their primary goal.
She thinks the mouse simply enjoys the activity.
This isn’t the first time this kind of behavior was observed. A little over five years ago a mouse in Bristol was caught on video doing the same thing.
Steve McKears, the owner of the workbench, was relieved when a neighbor friend setup a night-vision camera and caught “Metal Mickey” moving the objects.
Mr. McKears was quite relieved when he saw the film. His previous two choices were ghosts or losing his mind.
Jan 202025
You gotta love the surprise gift Pres. Biden left for Donnie on the way out the door….
A delightful – and very appropriate – redecoration of the White House:
And then we need to thank Melania for the yuks that hat of hers provided:
But it turns out Melania was a step ahead in her planning when Donnie was only able to give her an “Air Kiss” because of that Hamburglar wide brim:
Way to go Melania! Got any more tricks up your sleeves?
Dec 292024
A Life in Pictures
1946 — Wedding
1977 — Inauguration
1977 — Oval Office
1978 — Fishing
1980 — Official Presidential Portrait
1992 — Habitat for Humanity
1993 — Woodworker — His Chess Set
1994 — His Faith
2002 — Nobel Peace Prize
2013 — Celebrating MLK’s “I Have a Dream” Speech
2018 — Taking a Walk with Rosalynn
2019 — Injured but Still Working
2021 — 75th Anniversary
2023 — Rosalynn’s Funeral
Dec 272024
Time just got away from me. But I had worked on a post earlier, so rather than waiting until 2025 I’m just going to go ahead and share it.
I was hoping to post it yesterday so I could slip it in as a Boxing Day article – so I’m just going to pretend it’s STILL December 26th.
Boxing Day, a UK holiday tradition celebrated the day after Christmas, was once a day to donate gifts to those in need. But it has now evolved to become a part of Christmas festivities, and an extension for those of us wanting to participate in the PoliticsPlus Holiday Festivities – but got tied up with other things.
To start I created some GIFs of the drone light show employing 4,981 drones to create the Guinness record-breaking holiday display over Mansfield, Texas on November 26, 2023
The spectacular show was created by Sky Elements Drone Shows and UVify, a North Texas-based drone company.
To be honest, I’ll post the YouTube source video – but they make so many cuts and change of speed it was a bit difficult.
(And you might want to kick up the speed in YouTube because the drones tend to move pretty slow in performing their precision aerial display.)
In the same order as the video:
And here’s the source YouTube video:
And I borrowed a Jacquie Lawson Christmas message to add the one word we’re all hoping for:
And it just wouldn’t be Christmas without a reprise of those Caroling Penguins. (That song STILLS makes me chuckle just thinking about it.)
♩ ♪ ♫ ♬
Hark! The Herald Penguins sing:
Please don’t eat our little wings!
Eat a goose down to the bone,
But leave Penguins all alone.
♩ ♪ ♫ ♬
Baby ducks are very sweet,
Tastier than Penguin meat.
If we’re carried in your store,
Please, don’t shop there anymore!
…