Just a bunch of random stuff - hockey downs and ups; Carney learns us some economics; fun with mis-pronouncing words; Pope Leo disses the Vances; Biden's awful diagnosis; and the Battle Hymn Updated

OK, I think I can safely say now that we are finished with winter -- it's planting season for the flower pots, too.  So for now, here's just a random selection of interesting stuff I saw today: 

 First, we watched Toronto lose - doom and gloom all around! 

They just couldn't seem to play like a team tonight, even though they pulled together all season. Maybe they annoyed the hockey gods somehow?  

And it was just as sad to see the Jets lose on Saturday. So thank heavens Edmonton made it through, and we still have a Canadian team to cheer for.

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— The Globe and Mail (@theglobeandmail.com) May 18, 2025 at 9:42 PM

Leafs are a fascinating psychological study. Their fans even more so.

— Andrew Coyne 🇺🇦🇮🇱🇬🇪🇲🇩 (@acoyne) May 19, 2025

But this was impressive!

Shout out to Dallas Stars fans for donating to KidSport and True North Youth Foundation on behalf of the Winnipeg Jets centreman Mark Scheifele on his dad’s recent passing. #55for55 www.ctvnews.ca/winnipeg/art...

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— Virgo Momma 🇨🇦🇮🇹 (@christina00017.bsky.social) May 18, 2025 at 8:01 PM

Moving on --  by the fime PMJC is through, Canadians will all have learned the equivalent of a university economics course. He makes me feel smarter every time I listen to him:

Prime Minister Mark Carney asked- yes or no- if he wants house prices to go down.

Says it's not yes or no question, adding the question is layered, and explains how the feds are aiming to build homes and lower costs. pic.twitter.com/0OhMAW4the

— Courtney Theriault (@cspotweet) May 18, 2025

Next, here's a funny thread:

Folks, get in here. We’re admitting all the dumb wrong shit we believed until we were way too old.

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— Nick (derogatory) ✨ (@slothropsmap.bsky.social) May 18, 2025 at 7:03 PM

Oh! To be sincere for a second, this thread gives me a chance to share my all-time favorite comic panel. It’s from @xkcd.com. It captures beautifully why you should never make fun of someone who doesn’t know something you know. I must have shown this to 30 people over the years. xkcd.com/1053/

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— Nick (derogatory) ✨ (@slothropsmap.bsky.social) May 18, 2025 at 10:16 PM

There's a subreddit for this, specifically mishearing words ... www.reddit.com/r/BoneAppleTea

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— Art Vandelay (@artsvandelay.bsky.social) May 18, 2025 at 10:36 PM

When the first time you encounter Socrates is via Calvin & Hobbes, you can go pretty far into secondary school before figuring out it doesn’t rhyme with ‘low plates’

— dahlian (@dahlian.bsky.social) May 18, 2025 at 8:38 PM

the pronunciations of all the dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the brains of the living

— Sara Straw (@oneoneder.bsky.social) May 18, 2025 at 9:02 PM

And here's my favorite mis-pronounciation story -- an oldie but a goodie:

A student at UCI brought my linguist friend a cryptic Derrida paragraph (in French). My friend couldn't make sense of it, but then saw his neighbor, Derrida, walk by & he asked him for help. Derrida read it and said, "Not only do I not understand it, I don't remember writing it."

— 🇺🇦 Guillermo Carro (he/him/él) (@GuillermoCarro6) April 6, 2021

Compare and contrast:

Who would you rather have a handshake with, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his family or...

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— Doug Johnson 🇨🇦🇺🇦🇬🇱🌦️ (@smikooman.bsky.social) May 18, 2025 at 6:12 PM

JD and Usha Vance? #CdnPoli 🇨🇦

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— Doug Johnson 🇨🇦🇺🇦🇬🇱🌦️ (@smikooman.bsky.social) May 18, 2025 at 6:13 PM

I guess Pope Leo isn't particularly interested in chatting with the Vances. 

The news about Joe Biden's cancer diagnosis was shocking and saddening. I hope his treatments will be successful and he will be able to continue to enjoy his life for many years yet. 

Reactions are all over social media, here's two I liked:

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🐾💔 I am heartbroken. But rest pawssured, I will always be at my dad’s side, pawtecting him from all the evil hoomans who might want to cause him harm or distress. Now more than ever. And so will Major, Willow, Poppet and Cece. That’s a pawmise! - Commander pic.twitter.com/79yFMeYl6f

— The Oval Pawffice® 🇺🇸 DOTUS Fans (@TheOvalPawffice) May 19, 2025

Finally, today on some blog or other, I saw a reference to the Battle Hymn of the Republic Updated -- apparently it was written by Mark Twain, though not published until years after his death.

Anyway, I think you will understand why it is coming up again right now - here is the last verse:

In a sordid slime harmonious Greed was born in yonder ditch,
With a longing in his bosom—and for others' goods an itch.
As Christ died to make men holy, let men die to make us rich—
Our god is marching on.

Apparently tonight a US house committee approved Trump's Big Beautiful Bill to cut American government spending on poor people and finance a big fat tax break for rich people.
OMG America has gone crazy and I just hope they don't take us with them!