So, you know how snake oil salesmen symbolize fraud (related to fake cures)? Well, it turns out snake oil is actually good for you — it’s high in Omega-3 fatty acids. The Chinese use a snake oil to treat joint pain. A 2007 study showed that mice that were fed snake oil attained significant improvement in swimming endurance and their ability to solve mazes over mice that were fed lard. (It didn’t help them with crossword puzzles.) The fraud connection comes from the many sellers of “fake” snake oil who arose. BTW, that mouse study was ended early because of how hard it was getting them into those little bathing suits.

It all came up because of the clue at 30A today: ”Snake oil salesman’s offering.” ANS: QUACK REMEDY.

I didn’t even know mice could swim. Do guinea pigs whistle? That was a question on Hollywood Squares several hundred years ago. Paul Lynde’s answer was: “When brought to a boil.”

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Rex’s holiday cat picture campaign has brought out some unusual material. First, I liked how he referred to this gal, Misha, as a Hanukkitty.

Then there was a comment today from a guy who hadn’t commented since Sept 2022. He had been a regular (and well-liked, apparently) commenter up until then. The reason he stopped was he shared what he thought was a cute kitten photo, but it was deleted (along with his comment), by the Rex blog moderators. He was so miffed he stopped posting, until yesterday. I guess the stream of cat pix brought him out. In any event, this is the kitty that was “banned in Boston.” It made it by the mods today, obviously, and, really, should never have been cut.

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The clue at 33D was “Colorful symbols of hope and happiness.” It’s BLUEBIRDS, of course. But did you know there are three types? Eastern, Western, and Mountain. 

(1) Eastern bluebirds have a royal blue back and head, a reddish-brown chest and throat, and a white belly.

(2) Western bluebirds look similar to Eastern Bluebirds, except that the reddish-brown color of their chest extends to cover their shoulders, and the royal blue color of their back also covers their throat.

(3) Mountain Bluebirds, the bluest of all three bluebird species, have a bright royal blue covering their back, head, and throat, and a soft patch of white on their stomach.

The females of all three species look similar to the males, but are a duller blueish-gray in appearance.

Here’s a comment I enjoyed:

“Eastern Blue Birds beat out Western Blue Birds, but I would guess (I’ve never seen one) that the Mountain Blue Bird beats them both. I remember the mistake I made when I told a co-worker that I had seen my first Blue Bird, and damn, was it blue. He insisted for another hour to explain to me that I had been seeing Blue Birds all my life, and wondering what kind of an idiot I was that I didn’t know that. I explained otherwise, but he insisted he was right. I finally told him I wasn’t talking about a Blue Jay but a Blue Bird, and that if he ever once in his life considered that, in a disagreement between peers, he might, just might, be the one who is wrong not everyone would consider him the asshole they do.”

Wow. Where’d that come from?

[There is also the fourth type: The Jewish Bluebird. It’s the “Bluebird of Happiness?-Are-You-Kidding?-With-My-Back?” Very rarely sighted.]

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The sex-scandal-tarred Zieglers are still in the news! Mr. Z (Christian) is the head of the GOP in Florida who stands accused of raping a woman with whom his virulently anti-gay wife (and school board member) admitted (to the cops) to having gay sex via a threesome with Mr. Z. Mrs. Z was asked to resign in a 4-1 vote by the Board, the one nay vote being her own. But she refused. The vote was all for show, though. The Board is taking no real steps to remove her because her open seat could lead to control falling out of the hands of right-wing lunatics. God forbid.

Christian meanwhile has had his salary reduced to $1 and has been stripped (pardon the pun) of his powers as party head. 

Evan Power, the GOP vice chairman, said that party members considered the sexual assault charges against Mr. Z very serious. Here’s my favorite part: He said: “You cannot morally lead the Republican Party forward.” Hello? Knock, knock? Does anyone remember that Trump was actually found liable for sexual assault pretty recently? ”Moral leadership” may not be your best argument, Evan. 

Here’s pretty Mrs. Z again, who, believe me, no matter what happens, will land on her feet. Like a Hanukkitty.

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DK Metcalf is an outstanding wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks. He turned 26 just last week. He’s from Oxford, MS, and went to school at Ole Miss. In his five pro seasons, he’s averaged over 1,000 receiving yards per year — consistent excellence. DK is short for DeKaylin Zecharius. He’s a very good looking young man (and not married, ladies).

With much less flare (how could it not be less?), he is doing for the deaf community what Taylor Swift is doing for her fans, i.e., introducing many to pro football.  DK is not deaf himself, nor is anyone close to him deaf. So what’s going on? When he was in college, he took a summer class in signing (ASL). It was a way to exercise his mind and provide a break from football.

He resumed studying it this season online and is taking it very seriously. The instructor did not even know DK played football when they started, and he described DK as “an inquisitive and open-minded student, dedicated to learning sign language.” Deaf folks resent it when someone tries to learn to sign to use it for personal gain, or just to learn fun or dirty phrases. But there is much enthusiasm for DK’s embrace of it — it’s become a hot topic among the deaf.

At first, the joke was he was learning it just so he could trash talk without getting fined. But he’s using it on the field in a much cooler way — he signs as part of his touchdown celebrations. The first time he did it, he directed his message to the defensive back he just beat and signed “44, my son.” ”44” represents spiritual strength, or, in this case, the ability to outrun the coverage.

The next time was against Dallas. After scoring, he signed “Standing on business.” That means sticking by your principles and getting things done. It exploded (in a good way). The deaf community was “on fire” with it and can’t wait to see what comes next. DK said the “standing on business” idea came to him from his teammate Boye Mafe who also signs: He signs “I love you” to the sky before every game to honor his mom who died in 2018.

Metcalf is delighted by the response of the deaf community. He did not know they felt unseen or forgotten. Is it even a little bit a way to get some trash talking in? After all, DK has been fined about $100,000 over the years for his “colorful” conduct. ”I’m trying to learn a new language,” he said. ”Simply put.”

You can keep an eye on the man tonight — the Seahawks face the Eagles in a battle of the birds. It’s on ABC at 8:15.

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Good night, everybody. See you tomorrow.