From the New Yorker: keep this one handy. and read it HERE.

Enjoy them HERE

For those of you who have been wondering “Whatever Happened to Rudy Giuliani”, there’s no mystery. He’s 73 and has been a heavy drinker for the last 50 years. This is what happens. Sad!

Yes, every week in the Trump-era is crazy and unpredictable. But this week in particular felt even more over the top than usual. As it comes to an end, it seemed worth revisiting some of the headlines from the past five days…

— Rudy Giuliani pushed the Trump administration to grant a visa to a Ukrainian official promising dirt on Democrats…

— Mick Mulvaney admitted a quid pro quo, before attempting to walk it back…

— Rick Perry announced his resignation…

— Elijah Cummings passed away at 68…

— Gordon Sondland testified that Trump directed diplomats to work with Giuliani on Ukraine…

— The White House announced the 2020 G7 Summit will take place at Trump’s resort in Doral, Florida…

— Mark Zuckerberg delivered a major speech on free expression…

— Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats walked out of a meeting with Trump. Pelosi accused Trump of a “meltdown” and a photo from the meeting showing her standing up to Trump went viral…

The foregoing courtesy of Brian Stelter and CNN.  

Hint: It doesn’t involve payments to a head of state . Read about it HERE.

From the WAPO; an excellent summary of his “great and unmatched wisdom.”  Yes, he really said that.  Read it HERE.

POLITICO recounts how far “America’s Mayor” has fallen. Read about it HERE.

As curated by POLITICO. I like the Bernie one best. Enjoy right HERE.

I know, all you need is inspiration and encouragement. Now you’ve got it. If you win any prizes, send us a pic!   In no particular order:

1)  ZZ TOP    For this you need two tall skinny  people and one short one.  The short one gets a fright wig,  the others  get overalls,  porkpie hats, dark glasses and mops tied under their chins.  You’ll be the original Sharp Dressed Man!  Or men.

2)  MR. PEANUT-  This is a little tougher.  You need ONE tall skinny person who’s willing to wear a body sack made of leopard-print fabric,  tights and a leotard to make white arms and legs, spats, gloves,   a top hat and the plastic eyes you can get at the drug store, or maybe big glasses.  You’ll figure it out! Refer to the blue Planters’ can for details.  This is a winner.

3. ZOLTAR!!!  Zoltar is having a moment, due to those Progressive insurance commercials.   There used to be a Zoltar outside Eureka Books, or maybe  it was really outside Gepetto’s.  I’m too lazy to drive down there to see it it’s still in residence.  For Zoltar,  you need a plastic cube big enough to fit over your shoulders,   plastic lettering to spell “Zoltar”  in a semicircle,  a bag for the quarters you’ll take in-  let your imagination take over.  I  Googled and found that Zoltar is copyrighted, so if you get any monetary prizes for your  Zoltar homage, find out who owns the copyright  and mail them a nickel. 

See,  all your  Hallowe’en problems solved right here.!!  Send us those pix!

TRUMP’S LIES: NO, Nancy Pelosi doesn’t “Hate the United States of America”.  NO, it is NOT okay for the US to betray allies who have fought beside our troops. NO, the snarling, lying ingrate who currently occupies the Oval Office will not survive the 2020 election and possibly will not last until then.  NO I cannot keep up with the dally barrage of hatred and ignorance emanating from this vile creature.  No one can. All that is clear at this point is that Trump -not knowing  how to win a FAIR  election with no accomplishments-  is so desperate to dig up dirt on his opponents, he will break the law and embarrass his country to do so. He is patently unfit for office.  But you knew that.

TALES OF THE BLACKOUT:   Well, as far as the  3900 block of T Street is concerned ,  that “early warning ” system was a bust.  I signed up ages ago, but got NO phone call until after the blackout had already started.  As soon as the power came back on,  I signed up with an outfit called Sierra Power(?) for a solar evaluation, then they irritated me so much with their repeated calls that I lost all interest in using them.  I have an appointment with Six Rivers this week and I’m really interested to hear what they have to say.

THE BENBOW STILL RULES:  I was apprehensive going into our family reunion last weekend  in view of the horrid news about US Bank and their attempt to put the Benbow out of business.   I am happy to report that for the guest,  you will not notice anything amiss. The only bad news is that they have an obnoxious new policy regarding dogs, which cannot be left unattended in your room anymore. They are now banished to the small  patio. Humph!! We opted to board Bella with the  neighbors and everyone was happier. The food is as wonderful as ever and they had a few new dishes including  a kind of popover thing involving blue cheese  that I noticed the first night but they were out of it  the second. I discovered that my favorite breakfast,  the  lox Benedict,  is too much for one person but is perfect for sharing.  Please continue to divest  yourselves of any involvement with US Bank and watch for further developments.   And don’t forget that a ride down to Benbow for lunch is a great treat for the dark winter months.  Support our historic Inn!

THE CITY MANAGER: The field of applicants has been whittled down to five at this writing,  only one of which,  Miles Slattery, is currently a City employee.  I have only had very limited dealings with him ( he got me a composting bin when the City was handing then out)   but I hope he’s chosen.  I don’t see any wisdom in spending a lot of time to orient outsiders to the Humboldt Way.  And I’m not real sympathetic to the complaint that there were not enough female APPLICANTS.  Give me a break!!  Maybe the women were too SMART to apply for this job with an unstable City government and a County government  whose  chief legal officer is suing it. Good luck, Miles.  You’re gonna need it.