QUARANTINE BLOG # 151

August 28, 2020

Cruise ships are sailing, but not to exotic destinations, and not with passengers aboard.  The 1995-built Carnival Imagination departed from Curacao on Wednesday and her track shows her heading for the scrap yards of Aliaga, Turkey, to join her sister ships Carnival Inspiration and Carnival Fantasy.  

Carnival Corporation initially announced that it would be removing nine ships from its fleet during the summer in addition to four that it had previously sold to new owners.  In addition, two other ships, the Pacific Aria and Pacific Dawn, both which had previously operated for P&O Cruises in Australia had been sold to CMV Cruises for delivery in 2021.  CMV, however, went into receivership in the UK during the summer.

👉  I have been asked how I come up with the ideas about which I write for the blog.  And I really don’t know from whence most of them spring, but I do know the source of this one.  I was discussing politics with a reader when I asked, “Have you heard that The Donald wants Sleepy Joe to take a drug test before debating?”  The reader replied, “Don’t you mean Dumb Donald?  He gets a push in the polls and then heads straight for Twitter.”  And then we started talking about “Match Game” and the Dumb Donald questions, and I was off to search YouTube.

If you don’t remember, “Match Game” starred Gene Rayburn and featured contestants who had to fill in the blank to match the answers of the celebrity stars.  Also a lot of the time of the 30 minute show was taken up by Brett Sommers mugging for camera time.

Anyway.  Dumb Donald s so dumb (and the audience replies “How dumb was he?”) that for entertainment, instead of watching the TV he sits around the house and watches the BLANK https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjjHCfM8puM.  Or Dumb Donald was so dumb he thinks ping pong is a Chinese BLANK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgZRUWRFN5E.

And not to leave the ladies out, Dumb Dora was so dumb she thought the Happy Hooker was a book about BLANKING https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIBJw0aUcQo.  Or Dumb Dora was so dumb, she tried to catch a BLANK with a catcher’s mitt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q4DNfGGZTc.

One of the neat things about watching those clips is trying to remember who those celebrities are.

👉  The swinging 60s gave us The Beatles, mini skirts and Woodstock – as well as, for many people, a sizeable disposable income.  Here are three of those iconic items everyone was splashing the cash on – I plucked these from a list of 31; if you want to see the rest check out go to  https://www.lovemoney.com/galleries/62942/the-bestselling-products-of-the-60s-how-many-do-you-remember?page=1.

Barbie was the number one doll of the decade.  Barbie’s looks and outfits reflected the fashions of the time, with dolls sporting everything from chic Jackie O-style suits to hip Mod-inspired threads. She originally sold for $3, but at a recent auction she fetched an astonishing $27,460 – in mint condition.

Chatty Cathy was the second most popular doll of the 60s.  She was a pull-string doll who would utter any one of eleven phrases when her cord was tugged – which, by many kids, was every five minutes.  Launched in 1959, Chatty Cathy remained in production intermittently until 2001, when she was discontinued.

Etch-a-Sketch.  If you’ve ever wondered if anyone could actually draw anything decent on these, take a look at this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4CTyWwQrMo.  Invented by French toy maker André Cassagnes in the late 50s, Etch-a-Sketch was acquired by the Ohio Art Company and launched in the US market in 1960, priced at $2.99, around $25 in today’s money.  It’s still going strong today.  Oh, I asked Google for some other pictures produced by this device, and next week I’ll show you some.

If you missed the 60s, you can find all of those goodies on eBay.  Or maybe in your parents’ storage building. 

👉  On December 8, 1980, Mark David Chapman murdered John Lennon.  As Lennon walked into his apartment building’s  with his wife Yoko Ono, Chapman fired five shots at Lennon, hitting him four times in the back.  Chapman remained at the scene reading J. D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye until he was arrested by police.  Chapman was incensed by Lennon’s lifestyle and public statements, such as his remark about the Beatles being “more popular than Jesus.” 

Chapman’s legal team intended to mount an insanity defense, but as the trial approached, he instructed his lawyers that he wanted to plead guilty based on what he had decided was the will of God.  The judge sentencing him to a prison term of 20 years to life.  On Wednesday Chapman was denied parole for the 11th time.  Hopefully the results of the parole hearing in August 2022 will be # 12.

👉  I know that today is only August 28, but that means Christmas is less than 4 months away, so I offer the following gift suggestions (culled from a website wanting you to click through so they get a commission) so you can beat the rush and start now to run up credit card debt.  Seriously – do we really need more STUFF? (I looked for a version of George Carlin’s “Stuff Routine” that had been cleaned up and found none.  Sorry.).

Airomé Serenity Medium Diffuser offers aromatherapy for $29.74, plus $9.99 for an Essential Oils Top 6 Gift Set.  It provides an even scent for up to six hours and is available in 28 designs to suit your giftee’s decor.

Last year, you bought Apple AirPods, but this year the upgraded AirPods Pro will be all the rage.  Nothing much wrong with the old ones, but the new ones are only $220.  Stuff that in your ears.

You’ve just binged on Top Chef or Guy’s Grocery Games and now you are heading for the kitchen.  You’ll need Always Pan from Our Place which will replace eight pieces of cookware and can do everything from sauteing, frying, boiling pasta, and so much more.  And it’s $145 for a fancy skillet.

If you walk from room to room saying, “My house is sooo dirty,” you need Eufy RoboVac 11s.  The slim profile also makes it easier to reach every crook and nanny, and since it’s reasonably priced – $159.99 you can splurge a little on your loved one.

You’re welcome!

👉  Today’s closing article is from Rick Warren.

“Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers” (Ephesians 6:18 NLT).

Why should you remain persistent in your prayers when you don’t get an answer?   Here are three reasons.

Persistent prayer focuses your attention.

When you pray a prayer request over and over, it’s not to remind God.  He doesn’t need to be reminded!  It’s to remind yourself that God is the source of your answer and all your needs.

Persistent prayer clarifies your request.

A delayed answer gives you time to clarify exactly what you want and to refine your prayers.  When you pray persistently to your heavenly Father and you say something over and over again, it separates deep longings from mere whims.  It says, “God, I really care about this.”

Persistent prayer tests your faith.

James 1:3-4 says, “When your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.   So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing” (NLT).

Growing in spiritual maturity may require having your faith tested.  One of the ways God tests your faith is by delaying some answers to your prayers.

Remember, “God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20 NCV).

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