Small Things Count

Wendy’s has not yet joined the Fair Food Program, unlike the other four major American fast-food companies. That means that they are supporting slavery in the tomato industry right here on U.S. soil, notably in Florida. Learn more and sign a petition calling on Wendy’s to do the right thing by going to https://www.change.org/p/wendy-s-we-re-boycotting-you-until-you-support-human-rights-for-farmworkers-boycottwendys .  It’s time that Wendy’s joins McDonalds, Burger King, Subway, and Taco Bell in helping end slavery in Florida’s tomato fields.

I’m noticing an increase in traffic and speeding vehicles. That means increasing chances for rising tempers and deadly road rage. It’s wise to remember these simple precautions:

1. You shall not kill.

2. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.

3. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.

4. Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents.

5. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.

6. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.

7. Support the families of accident victims.

8. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.

9. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.

10. Feel responsible toward others.

–Vatican’s Council for Migrants, 6/19/07

It’s been a very long time since I indulged myself in language-play in this space. (No, I’ll spare you any puns…this time.) You’ve probably heard people being accused of shedding “crocodile tears,” meaning crying fake tears to look like they’re sorrowful Odd phrase. Here’s how it came about:

Yes, this phrase really does relate to crocodiles.  In medieval times, people believed that, as crocodiles killed and ate their prey, they shed tears, as though they were sad.  The idea came from The Travels of Sir John Mandeville. That 14^th century book includes a description by a knight who, while in Asia, gives a fanciful description of crocodiles crying as they consumed men. Later, in the 16^th century, Shakespeare picked up the idea and “crocodile tears” became a permanent fixture in the English language.

If I were you, though, I wouldn’t get close enough to a crocodile to determine if there’s any truth at all to this phrase.

There’s finally hope for solving our environment/animal/human dangerous plastic waste problem. Thanks to some scientists at the Ames Lab who have discovered a process to break down polystyrene. You know–those bottles, plastic forks, food containers, packing materials, and such, stuff that is hard to recycle and often too expensive to do so, takes forever to degrade in landfills, and can’t be burned because of the toxic smoke it produces.

These scientists have a way to break it down. The process isn’t quite ready yet but is close.

Read the fascinating article Polystyrene waste is everywhere, and it’s not biodegradable. Scientists just found a way to break it down for specifics.

I don’t understand it.  The “F word” refers to a pleasurable sexual experience (PSE).  Yet, it’s most common use is in negative contexts.  For example, if someone offends or bothers us, we (not everyone, of course) might angrily say “[PSE] you!” or “Go [PSE] yourself!”  A person in trouble is said to be “all [PSE]ed up.”  In fact, if we want to sympathize with a friend’s bad news, we might say, “Wow…that’s [PSE]ed!” or simply “[PSE], Man!”  To let off steam over something we wish we hadn’t done we’d say, “Oh, [PSE] it!”

Doesn’t sound like there’s any pleasure involved in any of those situations.

 When it comes to this word, I just don’t [PSE]en understand it!

I don’t know who said this (it was sent to me), but today’s Thursday Thought makes a whole lot of sense.

Today’s post is for all animal aficionados but especially for cat lovers. If you’ve ever had a cat as part of your family, you will definitely relate to this cartoon.

Here are my reasons for getting vaccinated against Covid. 1) No vaccine is perfect, but what we have is scientifically proven safe and effective.  2) If I got Covid and didn’t know it (no symptoms), then passed it on to my son or other loved ones, I’d feel terrible.  If he died, I’d never forgive myself.  3) If my son or other loved one got Covid and passed it on to me, I’d likely not survive, and he would never forgive himself. 4) If Covid invaded my body, it would have a host to let it mutate, creating yet another variant that could be worse than those we now have. I choose not to encourage the growth and dangerous change of the virus.  5) Important people have shown their support by getting vaccinated, from Trump to Biden, religious leaders, scientists. 6)Even Pope Francis has said it’s our Christian duty to get the vaccine. It doesn’t violate any Catholic teachings but, instead, fulfills several of those teachings.  Basically, then, I did the right thing, because getting vaccinated is a small thing we can and should all do.

“I’m sitting in church, praying.  There’s that obnoxious noise again.  A teenager should have better manners!  I open one eye to peer in his direction, then snap it shut to close out the interruption.  After all, Mass is a time to be extra respectful of God!”   The parishioner thinking this believes that the person with autism should stay home and those who are intellectually challenged be relegated to the cry-room.  He feels that such people are not full members of God’s family.  If the person next to you gives a disapproving glance in response to the youngster’s sound, remind him that Scripture tells us to make a joyful noise unto the Lord.  Offer the Sign of Peace to the joyously noisy one and his family.  Next Sunday, sit near that family, simply being a buffer against those who would be judgmental.  Act as a reminder that the teen is special not because of any difficulty he’s dealing with but because everyone is so special in God’s eyes that He created us all in His image. 

Shorten laundry drying time and save energy. Add two dry towels to the load. They’ll draw moisture out of the other items, and the redistributed moisture takes a shorter time to dry.

[For more easy, money-saving, Eco-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7000, choose a format, and download to your computer or e-book device. For a description of the book go to My Free Books).