The ability to wiggle one's ears occurs in 10-20% of the population. I am one of those. My dad was. I think one brother can do it. My son can do it. One theory is that it is a vestigal evolutionary ability related to cats, for example, who can move their ears to locate sounds. And the ability of both predators and prey to locate suspicious and potentially dangerous noises has a strong survival of the fittest application. I can also raise my left eyebrow just a bit, but can't raise my right one. Mr. Spock could do that eyebrow raise pretty well, but he was from a different planet. ** * * * * * * In the world of politics, Lindsey Graham, Republican, has now entered the race and said if you were tired of Middle East wars, don't vote for him. To him I say: you got it. Now that there are as many Republican candidates as there are Duggar kids, it's hard to even keep track anymore. Politifact reports that about half of what they say is false. Rick Santorum, another Republican candidate has decided to pick fights with the Pope, saying that the Pope should leave science to scientists, particularly global warming, not realizing that the Pope has a Masters Degree in chemistry. Jeb Bush, meanwhile, is claiming that his brother "kept us safe." I guess that's sort of true if you don't count the worst domestic terror attack in the nation's history. * * * * * * * * * The 7th, yes, 7th, Republican Congressional committee has now concluded that while tragic, the deaths in Benghazi were not the result of any improper actions on the part of the US government, President Obama, or Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. But remember, this is the party that has voted to repeal Obamacare over fifty times, so there is an 8th Congressional Benghazi investigation underway. * * * * * * * * * ** * I went to see "San Andreas"the other day, a disaster movie starring Dwayne Johnson. Apparently it made a lot of money over the opening weekend. Great special effects in the destruction of LA and San Francisco (my dad's hometown) with a sappy love story. It does require the willing suspension of disbelief. I hope Stinson Beach withstood the 250 tsunami wave which destroyed the Golden Gate Bridge. Stinson Beach has been a family vacation spot for many many years. Just a few miles north of San Francisco, it sits at the western edge of Mt. Tamalpais and is famous for its long and sandy beach. At our family gathering last year, I walked across and back the Golden Gate Bridge. I hope they rebuild it.
2 Comments:
So Bud, do you know why the Golden Gate bridge is painted orange? (Did you know it IS painted orange?)
Hi Bud, My Dad could not only wiggle his ears, but move them up and down--and they were big ears! He must have had massive muscles in his ears, or maybe his head. They looked like the rear doors on a 1948 Hudson. Many members of my family can roll their tongues, which occurs in only about 20% of the population too--rumor has it that it evolved as an adaptation to suck up granulated sugar off of donuts, but the science isn't quite clear on it. Stay tuned for more results on that-- and if you can't stay tuned, well, what the heck fun is life anyway, wiggle your ears, curl your tongue or no? I think it was Aquinas who said that, but I could be wrong. Greg
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