Pop Culture Frenzy, Round 37

Welcome once again to Pop Culture Frenzy.  Our question concerns Cecil.  Cecil has gotten a great deal of attention in the news.  Many are outraged and enraged and even the President of the United States is so troubled by Cecil that he has vowed to "get to the bottom of it".

What is this Cecil matter about?
Molly?

The dangers of playground equipment?

 

 

 

 

Hostmaster:  fascinating response.  However.  The issue is Cecil.  Not seesaw. 

 

 

 

Oh!  Cecil!

  I have a friend who's a

Leader Dog for the Blind.  Cecil means

blind.  Was someone mean to a blind

person?

 

 

 

Hostmaster:  probably.  But that isn't what the current Cecil outrage is about.

Bryan?

 

 

 

 

Is Cecil that cabinet member who

 used a private server to handle

sensitive classified emails? 

 

 

 

 

Hostmaster:  incorrect.  That would be Hillary Clinton.

Fluffy?

 

 

 

 

Is Cecil the name of the abortion

doctor that was caught on tape

negotiating higher prices for

aborted baby parts so she could

buy a Lamborghini?

 

 

 

Hostmaster:  incorrect.  That charmer's name is Debra Nucatola.

Cyndi?

 

 

 

 

Cecil the Lion was a totally innocent

majestic beloved creature who was

 murdered because of the gun culture.

That dentist should be made

accountable for his heinous crime.

 

Planned Parenthood is being attacked by

right wing religious zealots that

are against women having

health care.

It's all a lie that they

are selling body parts. 

Besides, it's legal.  Anyway 

abortion is only 3%

of what Planned Parenthood does.

 

 

 

Sigh.  You are correct.  Cecil the Lion is what's news.  It seems some guy, an American dentist, wanted to go big game hunting and his "guide" told him Cecil was a legitimate target.  Turns out Cecil the Lion was a thirteen year old tourist attraction at a Zimbabwe Park. 

 

That this innocent lion's death has created more outrage than the 125,000 or so innocent babies killed by abortion every day is a surely a testament to our culture.

 

So ends another round of Pop Culture Frenzy.

 

 

 

 

Round 37

Fluffy/Molly  16

Bryan/Cyndi   14

 

 

 

 

 

The Giant Hole

There is no filling the hole Mabel left when she left us.

Well, life goes on and all that.  Grieving is a time consuming process.  Why not fill it with something worthwhile.  Like training a puppy?  Or two?

So.  We've taken in a couple of baby giants that would probably cause Mabel to roll her eyes.

Lily is a Great Pyrenees.  Clover is an Irish Wolfhound.

Meanwhile, Lois is not the sort of gal who rolls her eyes.  Still, sweet Lois is ten and feeling the years.  Even so, no.  Lois didn't roll her eyes.  At first, Lois was not thrilled with the appearance of these two wild babies.  But Lois being sweet Lois, has warmed up to them. 

Perhaps she remembers when Mabel was a pup.

Things have a way of working out.

Flickers

A member of the Woodpecker family, there are two types of Flickers in North America: the yellow shafted Flicker and the red shafted Flicker. 

Shafted?  This refers to the tail feathers (shafts).  The color of the shafts are visible when the bird is in flight.

 

 

The red shafted Flicker's range extends from Canada to Mexico.  The yellow shafted Flicker is found in Texas, New Mexico and Mexico.

 

Some red shafted Flickers migrate to northern parts of their range in spring where they mate, raise a brood or two before heading south in the fall.

 

Individual birds typically return to the same area year after year and often to the same tree where they drilled a hole for a nest the previous year (sometimes they use the same hole, sometimes they drill a new one).

 

The males and the females travel in separate flocks of up to one hundred birds.  When they get to the breeding grounds, the males drum their beaks on trees and sing to call to his mate.  Flickers usually mate for life but the couple are only close for a few months of the year, during breeding season.

 

After mating has been accomplished,  the female lays 7-9 eggs.  Both parents incubate the eggs and care for the young.  Unlike other Woodpeckers who feed the nestlings live bugs, the Flicker feeds by regurgitation.

 

 

 

 

 

Flickers eat bugs mostly- ants and beetles are favorites- which the Flicker digs out of the ground with his bill.  When the youngsters are a couple months old, they are able to dig their own bugs.

 

The Flicker's habitat is open woodlands, suburbs (red shafted) cactus country, desert woodlands (yellow shafted). 

 

 

Ducks Redux

Just three months old, they've got their grown-up feathers.

Here's a couple of fun facts about these ducks. 

With a snap of their beaks, they can catch a bug in mid air.

 

 

When in the presence of a human being holding an open umbrella they run wildly in circles uttering frenzied vocalizations.

 

 

 

Summer is Here

That is certain.

For here is our annual It's Hot Enough for Malcom to be Outside picture.

Meanwhile, at the Homestead

What happens when Henry barks at a deer?

 

 

 

 

The deer pauses briefly, then returns to eating apples off the tree.

 

 

 

 

 

Five Minutes More

It was difficult to set the alarm clock.  My eyes were watering and it has been so long since I'd had to set it, I'd forgotten how.

You see, Mabel used to wake us promptly at 4:55 AM.  Thus, we had no need to set the alarm clock.

But Mabel had to leave us.

Now the alarm clock goes off at 5:00 AM.  I never dreamed that an extra five minutes of sleep in the morning could make me feel so sad.

Pop Culture Frenzy, Round 36

Welcome once again to Pop Culture Frenzy.  Today we look at a photo that has gone viral.  It features US President Barack Obama and the Italian Prime Minister standing outside of an office on a balcony.  Mr. Obama has an object in his hand that looks very much like a pack of cigarettes.  When Press Secretary Josh Ernest was asked if this was indeed a pack of cigarettes, he said no.   Then he got snippy about it.

OK.  It wasn't cigs in the photo.  What was POTUS holding in his hand?
Bryan?

A Dime Bag?

 

 

 

Hostmaster:  incorrect.

Fluffy?

An I pod?

 

 

Hostmaster:  incorrect.  Though it does seem likely that he'd want the Italian Prime Minister to hear all those speeches that he missed.

Cyndi?

 

 

 

 

 

The press secretary has more important

things to know about than what Obama

has in his hand.

 

 

 

 

Hostmaster:  alrighty.

Molly?

 

 

 

 

 

Even when he is smiling, the

 president looks crabby. 

He's probably hungry.

  He had some cookies?

 

 

 

 

Hostmaster:  incorrect.  Though the crabby part is correct, it seems to me.

Fluffy?

 

 

 

 

 

 



A mirror compact so he can
look at himself?

 

 

 

 

 

Hostmaster:  incorrect.

Cyndi?

 

 

 

 

This is so racist.

They never questioned

Bush this way.

 

 

 

 

Hostmaster:  yeah, right.  Bush was never questioned.  Ever.  But when he was, it was always respectful.  Cuz he's white or something.  

Bryan?

 

 

 

 

 

E cigarettes?

 

 

 

Hostmaster:  incorrect. 

 

 

 

 

 

You know, this isn't a joke.

Cigarettes are more addictive than

heroin.

 

 

 

 

 

So the President of the United States
feels he must deny his addiction?

No wonder he's crabby.

 

 







 

If e cigarettes weren't defamed,

regulated and taxed so much

maybe Obama could use this less

toxic alternative of nicotine.

At least until, you know, he's out of

office and isn't subject to the awful

scrutiny of the world.

 

 

 

 

Hostmaster:  that makes too much sense, Bryan.

 

 

 

 

 

It is outrageous that we

are even talking about this.

There is so much rape and

injustice happening on college

campuses and we are talking

about Obama's personal life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cyndi's right!

We could be watching Mattress Girl's

performance art instead of speculating

on this piffling matter!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since the White House is not likely to tell us what the president had in his hand, we don't know the answer.  This round could go on forever.  Let's end it. 

 

There are no winners.  

 

 

 

 

 

That is true in so many ways. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Round 36

Fluffy/Molly  16

Bryan/Cyndi  13

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Special thanks to Misred and Sonny for their unintended assistance!