BITS & PIECES

Openers:  He was smiling continually, with such an air of removal from the concerns of ordinary mortals, with such an upward lifting of the head, that his fellows in the boat had called him, from the first day of labor and thirst, "The Saint." -- "The Saint" by "Max Brand" (Frederick Faust) (from Adventure, August 1937)

I've Been Reading (Not Much):  I finished F. Paul Wilson's Panacea and immediately jumped int the sequel, The God Gene.  Both books fall into the author's Secret History of the World sequence, but not as closely as his Repairman Jack novels or his Adversary cycle.  Both thrillers are recommended.  The only other book I read this week, which hardly counts, is Neil Gaiman's children's book Cinnamon, a brief tale about a princess who would not speak and a man-eating tiger.

In Honor of Women's History Month:  Three men were on one side of a broad river and didn't know how to get across.

The first man prayed to God that he be smart enough to find a way to cross the river.  God answered his prayers and the man realized how he could cross the rive.  He dove into the water and swam to the other side.

The second man prayed to God that he be made even smarter than the first man.  God immediately upped the man's I.Q. and the man built a boat and rowed across.

The third man prayed to God that he be made the smartest of all, so God turned him into a woman and she walked across the bridge.

Speaking of Women:  Here are fifty photographs celebrating (mainly) unsung women:

http://mamabee.com/50-unsung-women-heroes-paved-way-rest-us/

While I'm on a Roll:  Here's seven more "unsung" women and how they made the world better.  (Although one of them, Dorothy Height, was certainly well-known in many circles, besides being on of my personal heroes.)

http://www.businessinsurance.org/7-unsung-heroes-to-remember-on-international-womens-day/

Instead of a Rant, How About a Bad Pun?:  After last week's resignation, many people agree that our president is truly Hope-less.

Ohio Leads the Way:  Mike Tyson's former home is being converted into a house of worship.  I would be wary, however.  Instead of wine and bread (or wafer) for Communion, expect wine and ear.

Will They Spend It on Math Classes?:  The town of Tiverton, Rhode Island's, school district is asking taxpayers to vote on (and cough up) what amounts to a one dollar increase in their budget -- the minimum allowed by law.  According to one school committee member, the board had never asked for a one dollar budget increase before.  Go figure.

Crider Is Smiling from Heaven:  It's official:  There are more pigs in Denmark than humans.  )I don't know how many of them are wild, though.)  First pigs...can gators, emus, and Bigfoot be far behind?

Beautiful, Amazing, Heart-warming, and at Least one Heart-breaking:  Here are fifteen winning photographs from the 2017 Wildlife Photography Awards.  We live in an amazing world.  May we appreciate it everyday and stop screwing it up.

https://mashable.com/2017/10/18/wildlife-photography-awards-2017/#c6u18PdZmmqa


UPDATE:  Two items from Florida I feel I should add:

1)  The Florida State Senate, in response to and in front of Parkland School survivors, voted to BAN ASSAULT WEAPONS!  Fifteen minutes later they voted to reverse that vote.  Democracy in action?  Something to remember this November:  all elections -- national, state, and local -- count.

2)  I have nothing to report on Florida Man this week.  Florida woman, however...  Dayanna Volitich, 25, a social studies teacher at Crystal River Middle School, has reportedly been hosting a white supremacist podcast under the alias "Tiana Dalichov," where she has been boasting of spreading her venom in the classroom under the noses of the school administration.  You've heard of higher ed; this particular classroom epitomizes lowest ed.