All Entries Tagged With: "humor"

Quality of Rum to Improve

(Latino News Briefs – Montrose, Colorado – December 27, 2014)
Baby steps to normalization may allow outcast, quality
Cuban rums to grace American palates, grab share of market

(Havana) A warm-up or meltdown in United States–Cuba relations may signify overdue diplomacy to some but more likely recall a kaleidoscope of petty Cold War events, center stage since Fidel Castro was rebuffed by Dwight Eisenhower during a post-revolution trip to Washington in April of 1959.

An end to a 50-year economic embargo and the reestablishing of embassies is just a start to what experts say threatens to redefine Cuba and crush what has become a self-sufficient, yet fragile culture. Big changes are in store, some good, some not.
One of the big ones is the presumed availability of exotic Cuban rum, acknowledged as the best in the world. It is a development that would most certainly cause the quality of rum to improve here in the U.S.
Following an Obama Administration announcement that the two countries will seek a normalization of relations a bevy of Presidential pretenders and self-serving politicians let out a howl. It was the same howl that we heard after the overhaul of the Immigration Policy, or following the implementation of Obamacare, or the bail out of General Motors, or the murders in Bengazi, or the choice of a White house dog, or the fashion and manners of the President’s daughters, or the First Lady’s attempts to promote healthy diets in schools, or elusive birth certificates, posh vacations or the employment of executive privilege…or Jimmy Carter’s return of the Panama Canal to Panama in 1977 for that matter.
Now happier howls are resounding over the likelihood of access to Cuban rums previously banned in the United States. It could easily be argued that this previously illegal sugar-cane concoction might soften the response from even the dead-in-the-wool Cold Warrior.
“Every quality anejo rum has its genesis in Cuba,” said a Miami purveyor of exotic cordials and elixirs, “and has since 1539 when a royal order of Spain formalized rum production. “All of the Nicaraguan rums first originated in Cuba while most rums from other Central American countries draw recipes from that island nation. Although it is often more difficult to corroborate, most fine rums found in Colombia and Ecuador trace their origins to Cuba too. Many of the wealthy Cuban exiles would prefer to lose the tag “Cuban rum” due to a class distinct distaste for the current government on the island but the first drops derive from Cuban heart and soil.”
Mass-produced rums may now go the way of the dinosaur like Communist vodka and a slew of sage-based frontier sweet wines that all but disappeared from American shelves of following the French Revolution.
Critics of the recent diplomacy say a warming of relations vindicates what they call an immoral government in Cuba. Isn’t this like the vindication of China, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey, and Wall Street for humanitarian offenses in the light of trade entitlements.
“The practice of ignoring the fox in the henhouse while stealing pies cooling in the window must terminate if we are ever going to get along on this increasingly crowded planet,” offered Jane Jane, of the Baseball for Rum Coalition, which endorses the importation of Cuban rum to the United States and the establishment of a National League baseball franchise in Havana. “Most politicians here are far more interested in personal fortunes rather than solutions,” she stressed.
Another angle suggests that the Cubans do not want us. Already the government there has taken steps to protect Cubans from destructive mass marketing and Yankee strip malls. Meanwhile America’s corporate bullies drool with the prospects of new markets open so near our borders.

 

Che lines up a putt in Havana in 1962

 “Ours is a fragile culture honed in the shadow of the embargo, the necessity of manufactured car parts and prevalent food shortages, drenched in tropical sunshine and the whiff of a smooth cigar,” said Wanton Perez, a spokesman for the Coconut Alliance in Santiago de Cuba. “We must take inspired steps to protect the Cuban people from the menace of mindless strip malls and death food consumerism.”

In a show of sincerity Cuba will donate a mature King Palm tree to the White House lawn while President Obama is sending his old Toyota sedan to Cuba.
“Most Cubans are not familiar with these newer, computerized, fuel-injected engines, but given a few weeks they will figure it all out,” said Perez. “Let’s face it, the lines on one of these boxy models just don’t stand up to a ’57 Chevy or a ’58 Buick.
Regarding the King Palm gift Perez expressed hope that the tree would survive cold Washington winters.
“I guess nobody thought of that,” she smiled. “But what’s most important is to take things one day at a time and with moderation. The Cuban people want goods and services for so long denied them. This silly squabble must end. America must move on into the 21st Century. Saludos! God help our integrity when cruse ships call. “ – Kashmir Horseshoe

Pen Pal Murderer Released

(Special to the San Juan Horseshoe – Nov 28, 2014)
A jury decided in favor of leniency today in the case of Darrel Ducktape, a former convict accused of killing his pen pal. In a unanimous vote the 11 man, 1 woman panel recommended that Ducktape be freed due to “cruel and unusual falsehoods blatantly repeated within an aggravated state of affairs”.
Tears flowed freely in the quartroom as the defendant gave his account of the tragedy.
“I had begun to correspond with Irm (Peawit) in 1989 after she sent me a photograph,” cried Ducktape. “All the time I thought I was writing to this lovely fox, but the picture was really that of her cousin, Molly. When I was paroled I went to Eureka to pay her a surprise visit only to meet the real Irm Peawit who was bald, older than me and 30 pounds overweight. She had lied to me. I lost my head,” he sobbed.
On a lighter note, Molly Peawit and Ducktape, who met during the proceedings, plan December nuptials. -Warren of Wexley

STATE TO JERKY FALL COLORS

Special to Western Colorado newspapers – Nov 28, 2014
(Denver) In an attempt to stretch the dramatic fall colors far into November state officials have implemented a plan to jerky aspen, oak and cottonwood trees still in their splendid state. Already teams of botanists have been busy in an attempt to isolate and expedite the most effective formula for the approved extension.
“First we’ll focus on the aspens since they are far and above the most popular with autumn tourists,” said Melvin Toole who holds a third degree in Popular Venison Culture from Cal Amari. “The oak and cottonwood are far less fragile and we think we can jerky them later in the month and still come up with a hardy supply that may last through Thanksgiving.”
The process of jerking the fall colors involves a lengthy drying process which has been proven to extend the life of other entities such as wild game and the terms of Congressmen. Aspen leaves in particular conform to the rigid properties necessary for the current jerk thinking.
“We have experimented with canning and applied freezing since the Sixties,” says Toole. “What’s important is to harvest the chosen leaves and introduce them to our methods before the natural process takes hold. Rest assured that we have gone to great lengths to protect the birds and fury little animals who call the trees their homes. They have until tomorrow to evacuate.”
Even though leaves and most bark samples are void of nutrition many desperate people tend to eat them come February or March when other supplies have been exhausted. Unlike leaves from tree farms, where an assortment of fertilizer and additives are employed, these wild trees offer supplement-free leaves, roots and bark.
“Many mammals enjoy a diet comprised of mountain vegetation throughout the winter. We plan to test the jerky on herd animals, state prisoners and even fish before the snow falls,” said Toole. “We’ve already turned the bear on to the spicier blends and they liked it…of course they’ll eat anything that one leaves lying around.”
Residents and visitors are asked to stay clear of jerky operations until the end of the month when the Department of the Interior will join state agencies in presenting an open house to further explain their priorities. For a map of the more concentrated jerky operations contact the gov’ment agency of your choice.
– Small Mouth Bess

Lease -A-Liver Opens in Delta

(Just for laughs? – Nov 28, 2014)
A spanking new business has opened its doors in downtown Delta at the former site of Ed’s Beds on Main Street. It’s Mel’s Lease-A-Liver! Although the ribbon cutting is not slated until November, the facility will begin taking applications for its services this week.
Strictly leasing and not renting these imperative, curious glands, the innovative service seeks to offset liver damage caused by any number of abuses.
“We are prepared to lease a customer a new or used liver for up to six months with a one month minimum,” said owner-operator, Melvin Toole. “When a client comes to our offices he chooses one of a dozen livers hanging from the ceiling. If he finds one that fits, he leaves his own liver as collateral, pays a deposit and signs an agreement saying he is responsible for its safe return.”
Toole said most people couldn’t destroy a healthy liver in six months, although some have tried and a few have succeeded. Alcohol abuse is the number one culprit although other factors, such as regular prescription drug use and simple aspirin can do irreparable damage.
Since 2009 Toole has been performing liver transplants in his dark, shoddy office underneath Maybell’s Bar on the river. Many locals see him as a witch or warlock but he says he’s just a regular guy trying to make a buck.
“We aim to undress every possible aspect of the classic metabolic process,” smiled Toole. “We have had much success with parallel treatment of blood flow disorders using maggots and leeches to do the real work.”
Only a few centuries back the leeching process was a principle means of dealing with an array of maladies and avoiding such final verdicts such as amputation, osteoarthritis and long drawn-out diagnosis leading nowhere.
“It was in vogue back in the 1800s,” smiled Toole. “In those days the gland supposed to be a seat of love and violent behavior. How far we’ve come.” – Muffy Hollandaise

Fur to play CB

(Crested Butte, CO – Nov 28, 2014) The controversial rock opera “Fur” will travel to Crested Butte in late December where it will play for four nights at the Center for the Arts. The socio-political drama, based on the radial street theater of the 60s, features tidbits from every social phenomenon common with that period of readjustment. But there’s no need to worry, anarchism will not get you since everything has returned to a safe and sterile 3.2 status in the United States of the 21st Century.
The play features naked animals, engaged in obscene dances and frivolous song,” said the Almont Pilot.
“Fur” is a banal portrayal of the free spirited life in the pumped up Sixties by people who have only been around since the Eighties,” said the Pilot. “It should be banned from the county at least until the tourists go home.”
The plot, if any exists, involves the plight of the hero, Smokey Bear, who, after ingesting a healthy dose of marijuana, attacks and eats three ditch whale snaggers near Yellowstoned Park. The action then shifts to a Brooklyn tenement house, a Hell’s Angels’ pancake breakfast, and finally to Nancy and Ronald Reagan’s second Inauguration in 1984.
One noted critic, who spoke on the condition that he would not be quoted, told the Horseshoe “Fur was recognized as a classic in muffled dialogue and lighting intertwined with the cutting edge use of minimal props and audience participation.”
 He has seen the play over 200 times in three years saying it was the best thing to come out of the animal kingdom since Cheetah.
Fur will be presented at Kochevars Ballroom on December 28 and 29 and at the Talk of the Town’s Little Theater on the 30 and 31.
– Harvey Birdseed

Famous quotes from the Ancient One:
“Nihil et bene cum trae sul vestra stricta!”
Translation: “Nothing goes right when your underwear’s too tight.”
“Primum wienorum”
Translation: “First among weenies.”

FEDS TO STUDY CANYON WEATHER

(Sapinero, CO – Nov 28, 2014) The United States government, located somewhere on the East Coast of North America, has announced that it will drop upwards to $750,000 to determine the causes of shifting weather patterns and odd climatic behavior in Blue Creek Canyon near here.
The canyon, dubbed Refrigerator Canyon due to extreme winter temperatures often lurking there, receives very little sunshine for most of the year, compared to surrounding hills and mesas. Often the canyon floor is extremely icy while other adjacent roadways are clear and dry.
The study represents the first time the Department of the Inferior and the Colorado Division of Transportation have cooperated on a project of this enormity. It comes in response to growing complaints by motorists, skiers, hunters and people who never leave the relative safety of their homes.
Prioritized questions include: Why has the sun deserted this beautiful stretch of highway? Where does ice come from? What government agency is most likely to take responsibility for guardrails, wildlife incursions, rockslides, slow moving traffic, and the incompetent actions of other motorists?
Already employees of both entities have wasted valuable time driving for coffee breaks in Gunnison and Montrose, two communities roughly 35 miles away in each direction.
A kickoff field trip has been scheduled to Cochetopa Canyon to examine and compare the two spots for possible clues. Back in 1998 the Department of the Interior, disguised as the BLM, conducted a month-long mission to determine why water collects in Blue Mesa Reservoir and not in the high country that surrounds it. Despite spending an undisclosed sum, the results of the test were inconclusive. – Tammy Tomichi

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