These puzzles and such are usually the last thing we share at the end of a post so you can spend some time on them. In the spirit of the season we’re just gonna toss this right up here first thing. We can discuss it in the comments if you need a little help or feel particularly good about yourself and want bragging rights. Either way. Click the image to view larger.
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Someone used AI (Artificial Intelligence, not short for Albert) to generate an image of a closed Waffle House with the windows boarded up. The first thing I noticed was the plywood on the inside, not the outside, of the windows which defeats the purpose and it’s not just the windows but also the walls. If you were covering your windows to prevent storm damage, you would not also removed the signage, side the building with OSB, then replace the lettering. I noticed the tables and chairs left outside and the odd yellow stop sign but didn’t say anything. Others have pointed out that you can see the lights through the plywood and I must admit to missing that little detail.
The Waffle House Index is real and while that’s not an official metric used by FEMA, they do use it as a rule of thumb. Several cities in Florida and Georgia saw all Waffle House locations close as Hurricane Helene approached. Perhaps North Carolina received the most damage and loss of life of the six states most affected by Helene. This is a once-in-a-lifetime level event. One helicopter pilot compared the damage and aftermath to Katrina but in the mountains. Instead of boats they airlifting food and water into places like Asheville that were flooded and left cut off from the outside world by all land routes. There were 226 confirmed fatalities (across the six states affected) but there are still thousands without power or access to drinkable water. One bit of good news: According to the Asheville Police Department, 270 of the 300 people reported missing have been alive and well.
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We are officially in the fall season and once we pass the autumnal equinox I quit complaining about all the posts about pumpkin spice, hoodies, bonfires and other fall things. Take at look at this post from back in August. I was struck by the assertion that we were given “basically no time to prepare.” Unless you work at Starbucks, and this person obviously does not, how much preparation do you need? If I wanted a pumpkin spice latte I think I could pull up to the drive through and order with zero prep time.
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James Earl Jones (Jan 17 1931 – Sept 9 2024) Jones not only gave permission but worked with Disney/Lucas Film to preserve the voice of Darth Vader through digital A.I. so the character can continue indefinitely. Click here to watch him read the alphabet.
Continue readingI know, it’s been a few weeks. When The Master’s Table restarted I said not to expect the Deja Vu or Happy Monday, then I immediately started posting every Saturday and Monday. The Monday posts have been pretty consistent but the Satur-deja Vu has suffered from Friday night football games plus the fact that I’ve been under the weather for over a week at this point. But here we go, let’s catch up on the things that kinda sorta matter.
Oh Facebook algorithm, you scamp. Let’s see what violent and/or graphic content you have spared us from this time:
Continue readingCoincironical – adjective; a combination of the words coincidence and irony, used when you know it should be one or the other but are often told you are using irony wrong. Example: When I re-started the Master’s Table I said we would take it easy and probably not be doing the Satur-deja Vu and Happy Monday posts like we used to a regular basis then, coincironically, some weeks Satur-deja Vu and Happy Monday are all that gets posted. Last week I missed a Saturday post but it was a good day spent with family.
Family members and friends IRL know that my mother passed away a couple of months ago. She had a short struggle with ovarian cancer and spent just a few weeks on hospice care. Dad passed away 14 years ago and is buried at the Georgia National Cemetery near Canton, GA. This past Saturday, kind of a last minute thing with little planning, we met up with my brother and his family to view the newly cut head stone. I wrote lengthy obituary post for Lewis Bunch back in 2010 but after everything in May and June I was tired. My mush brain would hardly function well enough to do daily activities. When Dad was sick, Mom was his caregiver. It takes a visible toll on a person’s physical health to care for another person and manage a home at the same time. Teresa and I were in Kentucky back then and my brother Johnny did more than his fair share when Dad passed. So when Mom went on hospice care I was determined to be more available than I had been with Dad. Our immediate family had other things going on this summer as well but someone was with Mom during her hospital stay and then at her home at all times for several weeks. We made it work because that’s what you do for family. We were extremely blessed to have the support network of church members and extended family. The viewing and funeral turned into a reunion of sorts of old church friends, family and other close friends that we just don’t take the time to spend time with. At one point I stood in a small circle of my friends and realized a couple of them had never been in the same place at the same time.
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As the summer games wind down, the United States may bring home the most medals since the epic 1984 Olympics in Los Angles. The US is projected to win 124 total medals but the race for gold is still a toss up between the US and China (as I write this on Friday evening). Here’s a recap of how the US has done over the last 40 years:
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The USA became the first country in modern Olympic history to reach the milestone of winning 3,000 medals on Tuesday. When the four swimmers shown above won silver, that put the total number of medals won at the 3,000 mark. At the Olympic Games in Paris the US has won 9 gold, 18 silver and 16 bronze medals; going into this week, accounting for all medals through the 2022 winter games, the US held 1,175 gold, 951 silver and 833 bronze. Considering all medals from all time gets kind of complicated as some nations have combined or separated over the years. The Soviet Union fell apart in the early 90’s while Germany was reunified. There is no other nation anywhere close to the US record but If you really want to get deep in the weeds there are multiple tables and explanations of how the data is represented on this page.
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They don’t teach that in school – Every occupation will have things come up in the real world which the training program did not address. School teachers take courses in educational and developmental psychology but also know that bus monitor and lunchroom duty come with the territory. You went to school to learn the culinary arts but you may have to take a crash course in book keeping in order to pay your other employees. Just because you earned an MBA doesn’t mean you may never be called upon to unload pallets from a truck with a pallet jack. You may think that church pastors preach for an hour on Sunday morning then get paid to study the Bible 5 days a week. I hope no one thinks that but let’s be honest, some poor soul out there probably became a pastor thinking that was the job. Preaching sermons, leading Bible studies and counseling soon to be wed couples are what people see pastors doing. Sometimes, though, they are asked to break into parishioners homes (by the homeowner mind you) or take care of wildlife. Experience is the best teacher and I share some here.
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It has not been a good year for Francis Scott Key. At top is the Key Bridge, part of which collapsed in March after being struck by a container ship. The harbor is open again but it will be a while before the bridge is repaired. Ingrid Andress was widely planned for what many have called the worst rendition of the Star Spangled Banner ever at Monday night’s Home Run Derby. Andress has confessed to being drunk during the performance and checked herself into rehab the next day. I expected her to double down and tell all of her critics where they could go but she has admitted to having a problem and is doing something about that instead. It is only right that we wish her well.
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The Master's Table 