By Issa Hardrain Konefal
“Well, that was unexpected.” --Kevin J. Williamson
“I did not see that coming.” --Jim Geraghty
“What a revoltin’ toin of events this is!” --Curly Howard of The Three Stooges
Polling may be over for political races, apparently because fear has led people to lie to pollsters. Still good for food wrap product preferences and “good taste/less filling” contests, though.
The Connecticut state senate is tied, 18-18. The state constitution does not address the issue. Therefore the issue appears to be political, not legal. When a similar situation arose in the U.S. Senate for a brief period following the 2000 elections, the legal situation was that Vice President Dick Cheney had the tie-breaking vote, but the practical situation was that the Republican and Democratic leaders, Trent Lott (R.) and Tom Daschle (D.), worked out a power-sharing arrangement.
There’s no overwhelming reason the Roman Empire in the West couldn’t have lasted a couple of centuries longer. Change a few small things -- easier said than done -- and it would have. Change some larger things -- imagine that the Empire had found a way to absorb and integrate the Barbarians -- and it might still be around. A strong and united Western Empire might have preserved the Eastern Empire indefinitely. I say ‘indefinitely’ rather than ‘into modern times’ because if the Roman Empire had lasted till now, we might not be periodizing history into Antiquity, Medievalty, and Modernity.
"The genius of the Madisonian system is it doesn’t take a genius to run it." --Neal B. Freeman
In dealing with President Trump, congressional Republicans must bear in mind two principles of negotiation: (1) the real power in any relationship belongs to the party most willing to walk away from the relationship, and (2) get what you're getting before you give what you’re giving.
4/ The Supreme Court had to decide the election and tied 4-4.
The Connecticut state senate is tied, 18-18. The state constitution does not address the issue. Therefore the issue appears to be political, not legal. When a similar situation arose in the U.S. Senate for a brief period following the 2000 elections, the legal situation was that Vice President Dick Cheney had the tie-breaking vote, but the practical situation was that the Republican and Democratic leaders, Trent Lott (R.) and Tom Daschle (D.), worked out a power-sharing arrangement.
There’s no overwhelming reason the Roman Empire in the West couldn’t have lasted a couple of centuries longer. Change a few small things -- easier said than done -- and it would have. Change some larger things -- imagine that the Empire had found a way to absorb and integrate the Barbarians -- and it might still be around. A strong and united Western Empire might have preserved the Eastern Empire indefinitely. I say ‘indefinitely’ rather than ‘into modern times’ because if the Roman Empire had lasted till now, we might not be periodizing history into Antiquity, Medievalty, and Modernity.
"The genius of the Madisonian system is it doesn’t take a genius to run it." --Neal B. Freeman
In dealing with President Trump, congressional Republicans must bear in mind two principles of negotiation: (1) the real power in any relationship belongs to the party most willing to walk away from the relationship, and (2) get what you're getting before you give what you’re giving.
Four bullets we dodged:
1/ One candidate seemingly won the Electoral College -- but two electors in Washington threw the election to the other candidate.
2/ The Electoral College vote was tied, the GOP-controlled House decided who became President and a Democrat-controlled Senate decided who became President, with the choice constitutionally limited to Pence or Kaine.
3/ The Electoral College winner depended on a tied vote in one state, and our President was decided by two balls in a jug.
Don't read the fourth one unless you have something alcoholic at hand.
A quick change of subject is called for. High in protein, low in fat (2%), high in concentrated linoleic acid (CLA), kangaroo meat (“kep”) has long been a staple of Australian indigenes. CLA is allegedly anti-carcinogenic and anti-diabetic and reduces obesity and atherosclerosis.
Kep has a stronger flavor than meat from commercially raised animals. Most kep is harvested in legal, regulated hunts. Kep is considered tender and when minced or ground may be substituted for minced beef in recipes.
Kangaroos require no processed feed. They are well-adapted to drought, do not destroy the root systems of native grasses, need no extra land or water, produce little methane (a greenhouse gas), live natural lives, eat organic foods, and are harvested humanely.
Kangatarianism is a diet, chosen for environmental and ethical reasons, that excludes all meat but kep.
For similar reasons, some Australians advocate and practice cameltarianism, that is, vegetarianism except for meat from Australian feral camels.
For similar reasons, some Australians advocate and practice cameltarianism, that is, vegetarianism except for meat from Australian feral camels.
In Australia and New Zealand, “smallgoods” means small meat products like sausage and bacon.
Changing subjects again, popcorn!
If our 18.6 million vacant houses were distributed to our homeless, each homeless person would have six houses.
If our 18.6 million vacant houses were distributed to our homeless, each homeless person would have six houses.
The average human brain takes 80 milliseconds to process information. So we all live in the past, some farther back than others.
Putting dry tea bags in smelly shoes will absorb the odor. Not only that, but the tea afterwards tells overtarrying visitors it's time to go.
Alexander the Great conquered half the known world by age 22 and the other half by 32, when he entered the unknown world.
Alexander wouldn’t have wept for lack of more worlds to conquer if he’d worked at NASA.
Pride comes before a fall, humility before a winter.
Reality is a broken system, generating broken subsystems. Reality checks bounce. Resistance is not only futile but positively entropic.
Nothing was at the air and space museum.
To avoid boring others, change your obsessions periodically. Sometimes only a new one can drive out an old one.
The soap opera way to a clear conscience: amnesia.
Changing subjects for the last time, fourteen African proverbs.
(1) “The greatest human swimmer does no more than the smallest fish.”
(2) “Smooth seas make no skillful sailors.”
(3) “The fool speaks, the wise listen.” (Minority reading: the wise became so by listening to the speech of fools.)
(4) “A tree that grows in the shade of another will die small.” ("I never wanted to be vice president of anything." --Nelson A. Rockefeller)
(5) “No thorns prick shod feet.”
(6) “Whoever sees, steps not amiss.”
(7) “Dig your well before you grow thirsty.”
(8) “Pick up a bee from kindness and you will learn the limits of kindness.”
(9) “Worry is a chair that rocks you back and forth, taking you nowhere.”
(10) “If you aim at nothing, you will surely hit it.”
(11) “The wise keep on while fools are forever beginning.”
(12) “Staggering need not be a falling down but the start of a journey."
(13) “Life is a turning shadow.” (Sounds Platonic.)
(14) “Great people have big hearts.” (Mr. Trump, be magnanimous in victory.)
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