New country discovered at the Marin County Fair
Bookworm on Jul 04 2010 at 8:42 am | Filed under: Anti-Semitism, Israel
I spent yesterday at the Marin County Fair. It was, for the most part, a very pleasant experience and could have been any county fair, anywhere in America.
The kids wanted to spend all their time on the midway, standing in long hot lines, spinning to the point of acute nausea, and being suspended upside down for considerable amounts of time. The carnies hawked games guaranteed to lose you as much money as possible, as quickly as possible, in pursuit of elusive and always disappointing prizes.
Inside the fair buildings, you could see beautiful arts and crafts, flowers, creative writing samples, science projects, etc., all the while scratching your head as to why that one, rather than this one, won the prize.
Head over to the farm area, and you could see racing pigs, sleeping turkeys (that was an unexpectedly funny one, as the turkey just collapsed where it lay, so that everyone kept asking “is it dead?”), ridiculously cute bunnies, and surprisingly beautiful chickens. All in all, a typical county fair.
Or maybe not so typical. First of all, I must share with you the garbage cans gracing the fair. On the Midway, where the hoi polloi hang out, the garbage cans are ordinary, garbage-in-here cans. But on the other side of the fair, the one with the booths and displays, the cans definitely cater to Marin sensibilities:
Clutching the children’s dripping ice cream cone remainders in my hand, I was quickly able to eliminate “bottles and cans,” but got confused by “compost” versus “landfill.” I finally went with the latter choice, seeing it as the safer, catch-all option. But really, who knew that there was going to be an environmental IQ test at the garbage cans at the county fair?
There was another thing that was atypical, not for ordinary fairs, but for the Marin fair. Every year, the Democrats and the Republicans set up booths. What fascinated me this year (and this is an entirely unscientific observation, based on my own periodic walks past the two booths) was the fact that the Democratic booth most closely resembled a ghost town, while the Republican booth consistently had people walking up and just exuded energy. This was fascinating, not only because it visually represented the enthusiasm gap we’re hearing about, but because, in Marin, going near Republican things can make you radioactive if your friends catch you — but this year, fewer people seemed to care.
But what I really wanted to post about was the fact that a new country has been discovered at the Marin County Fair. I kid you not. You see, the fair’s theme was “Going Global — Connecting Cultures.“ In the spirit of that theme, the YMCA contributed an umbrella that its members (presumably its young members) had decorated.
I was too short to see the top of the umbrella, but I could see that base holding the umbrella had pasted on it the names of different countries. (The pictures are sidewise to make it easier to view the writing.) You’re familiar with many of these countries:
As you have, I’ve heard of Colombia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Honduras.
Things got a bit surreal, though, on the other side of the umbrella base:
Honduras, Zambia, East Jerusalem, Ireland, Bangladesh.
Whoa, whoa!
Did you say East Jerusalem?
Why, yes, I think that, if you were working with the Y in Marin, you did indeed say that there is a nation among nations called “East Jerusalem.” Apparently the Y is ahead of even the U.N.’s own wishful thinking curve. If it could, there’s no doubt that the U.N. would go back and undo that pernicious 1948 vote creating and recognizing the State of Israel. But why wait for the U.N. to act when you can do it yourself at the Marin Y?
I sometimes think that Marin might be its own country too.
Cross-posted at Right Wing News
Related posts:
- Marin County’s hidden conservatives *UPDATED*
- Recruiting in Marin
- A couple of interesting polls at the Marin IJ
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YMCA umbrella
“compost” or “landfill” ?
How about “dangerous weapons”? ( http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/region/eastern_shore/woman-impaled-by-umbrella ) “Umbrella checkpoint”??
I have no doubt we’ll soon have _all_ our umbrellas prohibited. (By the way…did a search to find this…search terms “stabbed by umbrella”. There were _way_ more hits than I anticipated, and some were _very_ interesting! Maybe umbrellas _should_ be prohibited!)
While we are vaguely on the topic of things Jewish, here is a joke for SADIE:
One rainy afternoon, Irving Spielglass enters the rabbi’s study and announces that he has a special request. When the rabbi asks what it is, Mr. Spielglass replies that he would like him to say Kaddish for his recently deceased dog Buster.
“Much as I would like to accommodate you, Mr. Spielglass,” says the rabbi, “I cannot. Jews do not say Kaddish over animals.”
“I don’t think you understand, rabbi,” says Spielglass. “I have no family, no relatives, no one. I had only Buster, who was everything to me, and now he’s gone, and I don’t want him to depart without proper commemoration.”
“Again, Mr. Spielglass, apologies, but I cannot do it.”
“Look, rabbi,” says Spielglass, “as a member of the synagogue board I happen to know your special fund for helping inner-city children is currently without funds. Accede to my wish here, and I shall be delighted to contribute $20,000 to it.”
The rabbi pauses in contemplation. “All right,” he says, “I’ll do it. But no one must know. We’ll meet tomorrow in the small chapel at 2 p.m. before the children arrive for cheder.”
The next day, at 2 p.m. sharp, the rabbi says Kaddish for Buster and speaks about the dog for fully 30 minutes. Mr. Spielglass, alone in the audience, listens intently, tears streaming down his face.
When the rabbi has finished, Spielglass, dabbing his eyes with his handerchief, hands the rabbi his check for the inner-city fund.
“Rabbi,” says Spielglass in a choked-up voice, “I cannot thank you enough. What you said today meant everything to me. Until this afternoon, Rabbi, I had no idea how much Buster had done for Israel.”
I had no idea how much Buster had done for Israel
The punchline has more punch to it [File the info below under, Who Nu] Remember when saying, who nu, shoulders must rise several inches towards the ears, while turning both hands open and up towards the sky and tilting the head slightly back and to the side of a raised shoulder for full effect.
And that, Charles Martel, is my grand thank you for thinking of me and sharing a joke.
The Torah states that just before imposing the Tenth Plague upon the Egyptians (killing of the first born), God told Moses that while there would be loud wailing throughout Egypt, but that where the Hebrews lived, not even a dog would bark.
The Midrash states that just before the Angel of Death descended, God instructed the dogs living amongst the Hebrews to be silent. The dogs complied with loving obedience. God was so impressed that He told them that because they had obeyed with such love, He would reward them. He would instruct the Jewish people that hereafter they should give their non-kosher food to the dogs.
How about East America and America?
East America is a new country that has Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Maryland, Washington D.C., parts of northern Virginia, and New York State, with New York City a Berlin-esque divided city, it’s conservative half lost deep in the socialist heartland. ”Yo! I am a New Yorker”, declared President Sarah Palin of America when she flew in to the divided city, causing cheers to break out. She then led a chorus of “God Bless America” before flying back to America’s capital to enact round three of the Limited And Reduced Government Act, the final nail in the coffin of the entitlements programs of the 20th Century, and the linchpin of the massive economic boom underway in the (real) America.
East America, mired in a massive deep depression that shows no sign of ending, called the massive economic boom in (real) America “nothing more than mere luck”.
Charles Martel and Sadie (3 and 4)
Let me in on the joke! Is it that rabbis, in speaking after the official part of the Kaddish, always overpraise the recently deceased and attribute a wild array of (non-existent) virtues to said departed?
Mike, that sounds plausible to me, but I’ll let Sadie handle it. (I’m an RC. I love Jewish humor but don’t presume to explain it to anyone other than laugh my arse off when I hear it.) I took the punchline partly as an example of a rabbi who was determined that Mr. Spielglass indeed receive $20,000 worth of tribute.
“Yo! I am a New Yorker.”
Thanks, Mike, a new one for the ages.
[...] Bookworm: “New country discovered at the Marin County [...]
Mike Devx and Charles Martel
Fellas, you both did a fine job of breaking down the joke and I’ll only add that the Rabbi felt compelled, out of habit, to embellish Buster’s life by stretching the truth with non-existent anecdotes.
BTW… It should have been Yo, I am from Brooklyn. Sarah was playing to one of the boroughs, which are as far removed from NYC as is the heartland.
There used to be a decent county fair where I grew up. I remember it very fondly. Unfortunately, the county fair is no more. Actually, it is somewhat fortunate as the last few years, before the county fair went kaput, the booths had all become “junk.” Selling things like aluminium siding were the least “offensive.” Too many people felt that they had the “right” (and went to court to prove it) to display their “message” for all to see. I mean, come on, I don’t care what your political viewpoint is, the county fair is no place to display pictures of aborted babies! Nor is it the place to yell about “coat hanger abortions” while families with their kids walk by.
So, not meaning to minimize your post, Book; but, if the multiple trash bins and funky “country” labels are the only thing “wrong” with the Marin County Fair, then it isn’t too bad . . yet.
However, I do so miss the 4-H kids with their animals. They were the best part of the fair.
>>I do so miss the 4-H kids with their animals.>>
Our fair is in August. The few kids we have with sheep have started walking them already. It’s interesting – our fairgrounds were donated for that purpose – on condition that there must be a livestock show for 4-H and FFA. There has been talk of selling the land or redeveloping it for more “income intensive” activities…but there’s that livestock clause…!
And I have a couple of stray hens setting on eggs – it looks like at least one has hatched between yesterday and today. Right on schedule! She started setting on Flag day, and hatched the first one on July 4th! Must be a patriotic hen!! Don’t know exactly what I’m going to do with them – I don’t know diddely about chickens except how to cook them!
There…make you feel better??
They didn’t spell it right. It isn’t East Jerusalem, it is East Asia.
[...] Bookworm Room – New country discovered at the Marin County Fair [...]
[...] Third place *t* with 1 vote – Bookworm Room – New country discovered at the Marin County Fair [...]
You need to come up to our Sonoma County fair in Snata Rosa Book!
Once you pass Petaluma you can hear an audible *pop* as you break free of the Marin bubble and enter back into a land we like to call…
…America.
Watcher’s Council nominations…
* Rhymes With Right Obama #15? No Way! * The Colossus of Rhodey And the Philly Inquirer wonders why its dying a slow death? * Right Truth – A World Without Islam Review * Bookworm Room……
[...] past summer, I blogged about the fact that the Marin YMCA had created a brand new country called East Jerusalem. That was foolish but, in terms of reach, relatively innocuous. The Marin County Fair, while [...]