AN INSTANT COLLECTIBLE?

I'm always fascinated when major corporations make really stupid mistakes. The latest is Old Navy. For some reason they thought that a great fashion item for female tots was the tee shirt above. Some wit thought it would very clever to change the word "artist" to "astronaut" or "president". Why? To be an artist is an admirable achievement. This shirt suggests it isn't. I can't think of any profession Old Navy could use that wouldn't insult someone: Housewife? Secretary? Teacher? It's a bad idea all around. Anyway, parents have expressed their outrage. Old Navy is abashed. And the item is being removed or never sent to their stores.

Note: I would have written YOUNG ASPIRING and let the parents fill in whatever they wanted with a Sharpie.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO TOAST.

For most of my life toast was bread that was, well, toasted. It was generally white bread that was put in a toaster until it was golden brown. No matter where you went that was what you could expect when you asked for toast. Not any more. For some reason toasted toast is no longer available. More often than not the bread you have with your breakfast out looks like it was toasted with a hair dryer. This seems to be the standard today and I can't imagine why. It's true with bread and true with bagels. At Starbucks and Panera and elsewhere I have to request for a bagel to be triple-toasted to even make it acceptable. Is this under toasting to save time? save electricity? save money? Who knows? But it's another example of Americans being like sheep. They generally accept everything they are handed without question or complaint. I say this assuming that most people would rather have nice crispy toast than semi-warm bread. Now that I've got that out of my system, what's with these restaurants who give you one or two pats of butter for a stack of pancakes?

Look at the photo above. That's typical of restaurants today. Toast with hardly any color change at all, and two small dollops of butter for six pieces of "toast" and three pancakes. 

ANOTHER CASE OF THE D.T.s

I see where Donald Trump has dragged out the Monica Lewinsky incident as an illogical attack on Hillary Clinton. Frankly I don't see how Clinton's peccadillo (which was nobody's business as far as I'm concerned) reflects badly on her. She and Bill were married in 1975. And they're still together after 41 years. I think that speaks volumes about Hillary's loyalty, patience and forgiveness--all virtues.  Fickle Donald, on the other hand, has been married three times.  It seems that when Donald got horny, he cheats on his present wife (with not one but several women) then gets a divorce, marries the latest infatuation and eventually dumps her. Not surprised Monica was infatuated with Bill Clinton; he's a handsome guy with tons of charisma. Donald Trump's appeal on other hand is more than likely the vast fortune he always brags about.

"What, me worry?"

When is Jeb!!!!!!Bush going to accept that fact that he does not have a shot at being president? When is he going to realize that his goofy, ex-alcoholic, inside trader, Malaprop-spouting, mass murderer, war criminal brother has ruined any chance he has at such a high office? The Bush name is an anathema to political discourse. Jeb may be the smarter brother but he is not smart enough, not dynamic enough, not appealing enough. In another futile attempt to appear macho he says he'd like to square off with Donald Trump on a one-on-one debate. I assume he feels he will have better arguments that Mr. Trump. But the loud-mouthed, much divorced, boastful boor Donald is way ahead in the polls despite his lack of humanity, intelligence, logic, and class. Which means that Jeb! has nothing to fight him with but useless reality stated in his non-stentorian voice with his constant look of wounded befuddlement which does him no good at all.

I hate euphemisms. They may make people feel better about something unpleasant, but they hide the truth, which is always a bad idea. A soldier isn't "fallen", he's dead. Your son isn't "experimenting with drugs" he's taking them. He's a user, not a scientist.

NUN SEQUITUR

What a moronic commercial. The message, if there is one, is not very clear. It isn't funny. It isn't trenchant. And despite being an atheist, I find it very offensive when ad agencies use religious figures for that they think will be a funny spot, which this isn't. Why would a nun need contact lenses? According to these morons because her glasses don't go with anything. (Though the actress does not state the line very clearly.)By even suggesting that she is guided by vanity, they are insulting her calling.

VICTIM OF MURDER

What is going on? A patrolman drives up to a suspected crime scene, emerges from his police cruiser and within two seconds shoots 12-year-old, Tamir Rice to death. No questions, no evaluating the scene, no attempt at wounding the child, not a second wasted in questioning whether the gun was real or the child had mental problems. No. Get out of the car. Point your gun at this child and kill him.  Now nearly 400 days later an Ohio grand jury has declined to indict either the shooter, rookie patrolman Timothy Loehmann,  or veteran officer Frank Garmback. Both officers claim they repeatedly yelled at Tamir to "show me your hands" but surveillance video shows that to be a complete lie. This is murder. This is cold-blooded murder. This is murder without hesitation. The members of that grand jury should
be absolutely ashamed of themselves. This is a horrible crime that keeps happening more and more.