Welcome to a brand new week in a brand new year in a brand new decade. We kick all this off with Inventors and Innovators week here at OPOD, and we start with this picture of Alexander Graham Bell. He is remembered as the inventor of the telephone. Interesting that both his mother and his wife were deaf. Also, he apparently did not like the telephone much, as he refused to have one in his office. Now, last Sunday we did an experiment to see if it is possible to judge a book by its cover. We showed 4 pictures of nurses, and asked you to simply look at them and determine who the scoundrel was. By a 2-1 margin, Angel of Mercy #4 was chosen as the scoundrel. Initially, there was some unease with #1, but then people decided that she was just a stern woman, and maybe not a very friendly woman, but perhaps a tough woman in a tough job . . . not a scoundrel. Sure enough, #1 was Mabel Boardmen, who became director of the Red Cross, after Clara Barton. Certainly not a scoundrel. #2 and #3 were two worker nurses in the Red Cross. No scandals there. Now, #4, she was Ethel Langdon Drake, and she was the scoundrel. She was collecting money in World War I for her ambulance service to bring aid and comfort to our boys on the front line. She would also set up schools to train nurses, collect $175 per perspective student in tuition. Come to find out, she had no ambulance service, and would skip town after collecting the $175 tuition from students. Interesting well over half of you picked her, and she was picked with a 2-1 margin over any other candidate. So why did you pick her? When I saw her picture, it sort of gave me the creeps, so I looked into her, and found the items mentioned above. For me, it was sort of her self-pious look in the picture.
DOMESTIC UPDATE:
Thought I would give you a quick domestic update. Yes, I survived that great furniture buying expedition, but just barely. I learned some new stuff on the trip. While our household governing system in the past had been the "King of my Household" system, apparently, without anyone telling me, we moved to the "majority rules" system. I also noticed that my wife and daughter formed a unified voting block, and hence in all cases on the trip, I was voted down. I like the old King of My Household system much better. Will see if we can move back to that one in the coming weeks.
Also, quick update on Chickie Town. I have purchased a scientifically developed feed for the peacocks. It was developed based on years of research to guarantee beautiful plumage, healthy flock, and overall vitality and robustness. I also purchased a scientifically developed feed for the chickies to guarantee robust growth, exceptional egg production, and overall good health and balance for the chickens. Now, when I go out in the morning, I let the peacocks out of the peacock palace, and fill their feeder with the specially formulated feed. Then I go let the chickies out, and I throw their feed on the ground, as they like to scratch around and eat it off the ground. Well, as soon as the chickies start eating, Handsome Jack comes around the corner, and flairs his feathers up, and starts doing this menacing dance. He herds them under the chicken coup with all types of fearful moves. He holds them at bay there until the rest of the peacock flock comes in and eats all the chickens food. The chickies have an escape route on the other side of the coop, and they sneak out, go over to the peacock palace, and they eat the peacock food. When handsome catches on to what is going on, he goes over and gives them the evil eye again, but he has trouble keeping all the chickies in check. Anyway, the bottom line is that the chickies are eating the peacock food, and the peacocks are eating the chickie food.
I feel like if I had a tractor I could build an earthen berm between the two coops and solve the problem.
