The List 5976

The List 5976     TGB

Good Monday Afternoon 17January

A few more items to round out Monday

Regards,

Skip

 

 

Thanks to Mike

Prognostication

The State of the Union.  

In 2022, both Groundhog Day and the State of the Union address will occur on the same day.

This is an ironic juxtaposition of events. One involves a meaningless ritual in which we look to an insignificant creature of little intelligence for prognostication . . . The other involves a groundhog.

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

Thanks to Micro

She would have been 100 Today

 

Read these wise and witty Betty White quotes

 

1. "Get at least eight hours of beauty sleep, nine if you're ugly," she said in 2011.

2. "My mother always used to say, 'The older you get, the better you get. Unless you're a banana.'"

3. "I may be a senior, but so what? I'm still hot."

4. "If one has no sense of humor, one is in trouble."

5. "You don't luck into integrity. You work at it."

6. "I don't have a sweet tooth, but I do have a cocktail before dinner."

7. "It's fun to show appreciation to the ones you love."

8. "So you may not be as fast on your feet, and the image in your mirror may be a little disappointing, but if you are still functioning and not in pain, gratitude should be the name of the game," she wrote in her book, If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't).

9. "Anger tears me up inside … My own … or anyone else's."

10. "I think older women still have a full life."

11. "There is even a funny side to aging, if one has a warped sense of humor."

12. "Since I am turning 99," she said last year, "I can stay up as late as I want without asking permission."

13. "That's a lot of candles!" she said in 2018 when she turned 96.

14. "I get bored with people who complain about this or that. It's such a waste of time."

15. "I have no idea what color [my hair] really is, and I never intend to find out."

16. "My philosophy for staying young is [to] act bubbly every day. Drink bubbly every birthday!"

17. "I don't get political."

18. "It's good to mix things up as an actor. Or else you can grow too accustomed to a character."

19. "I like double entendre because then the people who get it enjoy it, and the people who don't get it don't know about it."

20. "My mother and dad were big animal lovers, too. I just don't know how I would have lived without animals around me. I'm fascinated by them — both domestic pets and the wild community. They just are the most interesting things in the world to me, and it's made such a difference in my lifetime."

21. "I got an award for everything: inhaling, exhaling. I've been so spoiled rotten. I'm the luckiest old broad on two feet. Truly! I've always been working at something."

22. "A lady likes to be complimented on her looks, her eyes, her figure. But the personality comments are much appreciated."

23. "I feel good that I've turned down roles for the right reasons."

24. "I like those touches of chivalry that are fast disappearing. If I sound old-fashioned, it's because I'm as old as I am! But it's just polite."

25. "It's fun once in a while to do a serious part but I really enjoy doing comedy because I love to laugh."

26. "When I pontificate, it sounds so, you know, 'Oh, well, she's preaching.' I'm not preaching, but I think maybe I learned it from my animal friends. Kindness and consideration of somebody besides yourself — I think that keeps you feeling young. I really do."

27. "It is important that you not believe your own publicity. Be grateful for whatever praise you receive but take it with a grain of salt."

28. "Accentuate the positive, not the negative," she said in 2018. "It sounds so trite, but a lot of people will pick out something to complain about, rather than say, 'Hey, that was great!' It's not hard to find great stuff if you look."

29. "Friendship takes time and energy if it's going to work. You can luck into something great, but it doesn't last if you don't give it proper appreciation. Friendship can be so comfortable, but nurture it — don't take it for granted," she wrote in If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't).

30. "I think it's your mental attitude. So many of us start dreading age in high school and that's a waste of a lovely life. 'Oh ... I'm 30, oh, I'm 40, oh, 50.' Make the most of it."

31. "You're never too old for anything."

32. "I've always enjoyed the opposite sex a lot. Always have. Always will."

33. "I have never lied about my age, but these days I seem to work it into the conversation at the drop of a hat."

34. "I don't seem to require a lot of sleep … If I get four, five good hours, I'm fine. But sleeping is sort of dull. There's a lot of other good stuff that you can do without just lying down and closing your eyes."

35. "All creatures must learn to coexist. That's why the brown bear and the field mouse can share their lives in harmony. Of course, they can't mate or the mice would explode."

36. "Keep busy and don't focus everything on you — that wears off pretty fast. It's not hard to find things you're interested in, but enjoy them and indulge them," she said when she was 95.

37. "Best thing about being in your 90s is you're spoiled rotten," she said in 2013. "Everybody spoils you like mad and they treat you with such respect because you're old. Little do they know, you haven't changed. You haven't changed [in the brain]. You're just 90 every place else. Now that I'm 91, as opposed to being 90, I'm much wiser. I'm much more aware, and I'm much sexier."

38. "People say, 'But Betty, Facebook is a great way to connect with old friends.' Well, at my age, if I want to connect with old friends, I need a Ouija board," she said in 2010.

39. "If a joke or humor is bawdy, it's got to be funny enough to warrant it," she said in 2012. "You can't just have it bawdy or dirty just for the sake of being that — it's got to be funny."

40. "I always wanted to be a zookeeper when I was growing up, and I've wound up a zookeeper! I've been working with the Los Angeles Zoo for 45 years! I'm the luckiest old broad on two feet because my life is divided absolutely in half — half animals and half show business. You can't ask for better than two things you love the most."

41. "I go out to the kitchen to feed the dog, but that's about as much cooking as I do," she said in 2012.

42. "I think I've been spoiled enough, don't you think? Might as well quit while I'm ahead! But I'm not going to quit, that's for sure."

43. "The bottom line is, I'm blessed with good health. On top of that, I don't go around thinking, 'Oh, I'm 90, I better do this or I better do that.' I'm just Betty. I'm the same Betty that I've always been. Take it or leave it."

44. "I love bawdy humor, but not dirty humor."

45. "Don't try to be young. Just open your mind. Stay interested in stuff. There are so many things I won't live long enough to find out about. But I'm still curious about them."

46. "It's your outlook on life that counts. If you take yourself lightly and don't take yourself too seriously, pretty soon you can find the humor in our everyday lives. And sometimes it can be a lifesaver."

47. "Does desire melt away with age? I'm waiting for that day to come."

48. "I don't have time to miss much. Because I'm still working. I just love to work, so I'll keep working until they stop asking," she said a few years ago.

49. "If a guy's a cutie, you've got to tap that booty."

50. "I just make it my business to get along with people so I can have fun. It's that simple."

51. "You can always tell somebody by the way they put their hands on an animal." 

52. "My answer to anything under the sun, like, 'What have you not done in the business that you've always wanted to do?' is, 'Robert Redford.'"

53. "I am interested in a lot of things — not just show business and my passion for animals. I try to keep current in what's going on in the world. I do mental exercises. I don't have any trouble memorizing lines because of the crossword puzzles I do every day to keep my mind a little limber. I don't sit and vegetate."

54. "I'm a health nut. My favorite food is hot dogs with French fries."

55. "I have a two-story house and a bad memory, so all those trips up and down the stairs take care of my exercise."

56. "There's no formula [for handling grief or loss]. Keep busy with your work and your life. You can't become a professional mourner. It doesn't help you or others. Keep the person in your heart all the time. Replay the good times. Be grateful for the years you had," she said in 2011.

57. "I don't get tired. I have a good energy level, but I'm blessed with good health and love what I do for a living. That's a good combination. I'm a very lucky old broad," she said in 2012. 

58. "I've always liked older men. They're just more attractive to me. Of course, at my age there aren't that many left!" she said in 2010.

59. "I am still to this day starstruck. I look out at this audience and I see so many famous faces, but what really boggles my mind is that I actually know many of you. And I've worked with quite a few … maybe had a couple … and you know who you are," she said on live TV in 2009 while accepting her Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award.

60. "I do a lot of crossword puzzles. I'm an addict. It keeps your mind limber."

61. "Animals don't lie. Animals don't criticize. If animals have moody days, they handle them better than humans do."

62. "About being called a 'legend,' I just laugh. Have I got them fooled."

63. "Gravity has taken over. So there's not much I can do about it … My problem with [plastic surgery] is you'll go to a women's press conference or something like that, and old friends will come up and I kind of don't recognize them. I recognize the voice, but I don't — all of a sudden, there's this whole new face that I don't know who that is," she told CNN in 2010.

64. "Why retire from something if you're loving it so much and enjoying it so much, and you're blessed with another group of people to work with like the gang on 'Hot in Cleveland'? Why would I think of retiring? What would I do with myself?"

65. "I'm not looking forward to death; it's important to live while we are here. But those who have died, [as] my mother said, now they know the secret. And someday we all will."

66. "Laughter keeps everyone feeling wonderful."

67. "I'm a teenager trapped in an old body."

68. "Just looking at the positive side and not dwelling on the downside. Takes up too much energy being negative," she told People in 2020.

69. "Butterflies are like women — we may look pretty and delicate, but baby, we can fly through a hurricane."

70. "I think everybody needs a passion. Whether it's one passion or a hundred, that's what keeps life interesting. If you live without passion, you can go through life without leaving any footprints."

71. "Animal lover that I am, a cougar I am not."

72. "For me, humor is about rhythm. It's like an ear for music. It's hard to explain."

73. "People greet me on the street as a friend, not a celebrity. 'Hi, Betty!'"

74. "Mind your own business, take care of your affairs, and don't worry about other people so much."

75. "Guys all come on strong, that's fine. But don't forget to be a little bit romantic now and again. There's a sweetness that appeals to girls and gets 'em every time."

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

Thanks to Brett

 

Geopolitical Futures:

Keeping the future in focus

https://geopoliticalfutures.com

Daily Memo: Chinese Economic News, US Support for Europe

China's central bank is cutting rates in an effort to boost growth.

By: GPF Staff

January 17, 2022

 

Chinese economy. China's gross domestic product grew by 4 percent year over year in the last quarter of 2021 and by 8.1 percent for the entire year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Meanwhile, China's central bank said it would cut interest rates to 2.85 percent on 700 billion yuan ($110 billion) worth of one-year medium-term lending facility loans. It is the first reduction in the rate since April 2020.

Energy support. The U.S. held talks with international energy companies to discuss ways to export gas supplies to the European Union in case of a conflict between Russia and Ukraine, according to a report by Reuters. Since the bloc depends on Russia for approximately one-third of its gas needs, an interruption in supply would only worsen the current energy crisis, which is driving inflation across the Continent.

Cyber concerns. Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation said it had evidence of Russia's involvement in recent cyberattacks on Ukrainian government websites and non-profit organizations, adding that the purpose of the attacks was to destabilize the country and undermine confidence in the government. Notably, Russia's FSB domestic security agency over the weekend detained several people allegedly involved in a major hacker group called REvil at the request of the Biden administration.

Missile launches. North Korea on Monday launched two short-range ballistic missiles from Sunan Airport in Pyongyang, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. It's the fourth missile launch by the North this month. The top nuclear envoys of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan held talks to discuss the situation and potential countermeasures. Also on Monday, a North Korean freight train crossed the Chinese border into the city of Dandong, a day after a cargo train also crossed the border. According to the Yonhap news agency's sources, the trains were used to carry back emergency relief and medical supplies.

German diplomacy. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is in Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. Baerbock will next travel to Moscow, where she's scheduled to hold talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Missile deal. The Philippines reached a deal to purchase India's BrahMos missiles for $375 million. The anti-ship system will support the Philippines' efforts to deter incursions by foreign vessels in the country's exclusive economic zone.

Strategic relationship. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in Albania to meet with Prime Minister Edi Rama and discuss the strategic relationship between the two countries, areas for stronger cooperation, and regional issues.

Uzbekistan first. Uzbekistan said it would stop exporting its natural gas in order to meet its own domestic needs. The country is a gas supplier to markets like China and other Central Asian countries.

Red Sea drills. The Saudi and French navies held joint military drills in the Red Sea over the weekend. Saudi Arabia will also host exercises involving Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain later this month.

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

Thanks to Tricia

 

The grass is blue

> 

> The donkey told the tiger, "The grass is blue."

>

> The tiger replied, "No, the grass is green."

>

> The discussion became heated, and the two decided to submit the issue to arbitration, so they approached the lion.

>

> As they approached the lion on his throne, the donkey started screaming: ′′Your Highness, isn't it true that the grass is blue?"

>

> The lion replied: "If you believe it is true, the grass is blue."

>

> The donkey rushed forward and continued: ′′The tiger disagrees with me, contradicts me and annoys me. Please punish him."

>

> The king then declared: ′′The tiger will be punished with 3 days of silence."

>

> The donkey jumped with joy and went on his way, content and repeating ′′The grass is blue, the grass is blue…"

> The tiger asked the lion, "Your Majesty, why have you punished me, after all, the grass is green?"

>

> The lion replied, ′′You've known and seen the grass is green."

>

> The tiger asked, ′′So why do you punish me?"

>

> The lion replied, "That has nothing to do with the question of whether the grass is blue or green. The punishment is because it is degrading for a brave, intelligent creature like you to waste time arguing with an ass, and on top of that, you came and bothered me with that question just to validate something you already knew was true!"

>

> The biggest waste of time is arguing with the fool and fanatic who doesn't care about truth or reality, but only the victory of his beliefs and illusions.

>

> Never waste time on discussions that make no sense. There are people who, for all the evidence presented to them, do not have the ability to understand.

>

> Others who are blinded by ego, hatred and resentment, and the only thing that they want is to be right even if they aren't.

>

> When IGNORANCE SCREAMS, intelligence moves on.

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

 

By Jacob Fraden

American Thinker

January 16, 2022

 

The power of government rests on ignorance of the people, and it knows this, and therefore will always resist enlightenment.      Leo Tolstoy

 

Every nation has its fair share of people with no useful abilities, yet harboring considerable ambition and an insurmountable craving for la dolce vita. The longing is there, but with no means for its realization. So, what are they to do? Sooner or later the mediocre find a workable solution: they go into politics.

 

A sufficiently high position in a government structure that doesn't require any special abilities or talents gives a nearly assured opportunity to receive lucrative benefits, including money, respect, and influence. There is a famous saying: "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach." There is a corollary: Those who can't teach, govern.

 

This is how the selection process works: mediocrities float to the top. Thus, government agencies accumulate several bureaucratic politicians for whom the main goal in life is to hold on to their positions and, if possible, move up the career ladder. The good of the country and its people becomes secondary and intrusive. Many professional bureaucrats possess just one talent: seizing and holding onto power.

 

Until recently, leaders of many countries had a clear understanding that the intellectual potential of a society can be of exceptional value to the state and for the preservation of their power. Even such bloody dictators as Stalin and Hitler allowed a certain degree of free-thinking and independence of ideas in scientific and technical academia. They were well aware that quality education and the existence of an intellectual elite were among the cornerstones of the foundation of their power.

 

This understanding seems to have been lost in America.

 

Nowadays, our ignorant leaders don't understand the importance of studying the sciences, which has led to the systematic destruction of education on all levels.  In colleges, the ability to play football is valued far above mathematics. Children in secondary schools often don't study physics, chemistry, biology, and other basic subjects. These have been replaced by an ephemeral discipline called "science," which, like a salad, comprises little bits and pieces of everything.

 

When high school graduates go to colleges and universities, many of them take what is called "liberal arts." Today's highly politicized version of these disciplines don't develop strong analytical and critical thinking, nor entice creativity, and thus don't prepare students for a productive life. The vast majority of liberal arts graduates cannot find jobs in their fields, so they work as baristas or in other semi-skilled trades or live off their parents and occupy themselves with nonsenses like fighting climate change or protesting all kinds of things, no matter what, as long as they are "against." Due to the collapse of education, young Americans en masse have become mediocre --  which is exactly what the ruling elite wants. It's easier to govern such people.

 

As a result, science and technology are deprived of domestic human resources, and the country's intellectual elite is disappearing. Engineering departments still exist in colleges and universities, but enrollments lean heavily toward those not born in America. Go to almost any school and you will find a disproportionate share of students from Asia or of Asian ethnicity, while many of the faculty and researchers are immigrants. Going to almost any high-tech company much of the intellectual and creative work is done either by recent immigrants or foreigners. In Silicon Valley, almost three-quarters of the professionals are from other countries. The native-born Americans work in marketing, sales, customer service, and other positions where highly specialized education is not a job requirement. This forces companies to outsource R&D and production overseas.

 

Because of a high standard of living (which was created by the previous generations), people live well in the U.S., better than in many countries. Thus, young people have little incentive to study or work hard. Why bother when you're doing just fine, and the "old folks" readily provide enough freebies? The result was the decline of intelligence, degradation of morality, destruction of work ethic, and decrease in the intellectual and moral quality of the U.S. population. Mediocrity becomes the norm.

 

One can see that today's upper echelons of government are bad managers and inept businessmen. Everything they touch turns to ashes. During the first year of their direct rule under the figurehead presidency of Biden, there has been a sharp decline in all economic indicators, and inflation has reached levels not seen since the failed presidency of Jimmy Carter. The worst thing they have done to the country is the distribution of freebies — massive "stimulus" payments, even to those who don't need them, a form of universal welfare.

 

To keep the populace on a short leash, the mediocre have turned on the printing press and now are spending money like a drunken sailor. The national debt is skyrocketing. Fuel prices have doubled since 2020, everything becoming more expensive, and a situation unseen in history has arisen: millions have dropped out of the labor force and most businesses cannot find workers. Apparently, people prefer not to work but to live on handouts. Today, in a country with millions of idle hands there is an acute shortage of labor.

 

Free cash has destroyed the foundation of Americanism — the incentive to work and strive for personal success. Why work when your government pays you to stay at home and do nothing?

 

What about the other areas? 

 

The inept government doesn't know how to deal with the tsunami of illegal immigrants besieging the southern border. History has seen this before — ancient Rome collapsed because of an influx of barbarians pouring into the empire for free bread and circuses. 

 

Think of the staggeringly botched withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan when scores of billions of dollars worth of the most advanced military hardware were abandoned. 

 

Think of the FBI persecution of dissenters who dare to disagree with critical race theory and political correctness. 

 

Think of the rampant crime: record-setting murders in Democrat-run cities, smash and grab shoplifting gangs, and the passivity of intimidated police. 

 

Think of stifling freedom of opinion in academia. Shall I continue?

 

Only a year ago, under Trump's presidency, the situation was diametrically opposite: prices were falling, for the first time in decades the country became energy independent, unemployment was noticeably lower even amid pandemics and mass quarantines (3.6% at the end of November 2020).

 

Trump must be called anything but a mediocrity. Yes, he is a bull in a china shop, but he was doing what was good for the country with little concern for his reputation. Unsurprisingly, Trump's actions went against the interests of the inept bureaucrats, and they did everything they could to replace him with a vegetative puppet, which led to the degradation of the American way of life. They declared war on him and they won. Even a year after Trump's departure, they continue to persecute his supporters — the fear of a "Reconquista" is too great.

 

Over the past half-century, our political system has been transforming into a form of governance that I would call "dexiosocracy," which in Greek means "the rule of the mediocre." Consequently, the country is heading toward the abyss. 

 

The mediocrities have seized power, and we are reaping the rewards. 

 

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN