Banter Bites

Mask Up & Count Down

Be real. 100 days is less than a football or basketball season.

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Ok, talk about a challenge. How do you write a backstory where there really isn't a backstory? Yes, President Biden initiated a 100-Day Mask Initiative, but we didn't want to bore you with Black's explanation to Red about why he couldn't make it a national mandate. Yes, Red thinks the initiative's a great idea and, being a straight-A student, is happy to take the challenge, especially since she wears a mask anyway, but so does Black, the discipline problem. Yes, Black can do a risk-reward analysis and point out how the risks associated with not wearing a mask far outweigh the inconvenience of wearing one.

But are any of those truly a backstory? Probably not. But it really doesn't matter, does it? What does matter is … WEAR A MASK!

This is one of Red’s favorite Banter Bites in large part because of Black’s “corny” puns, but also because fresh corn is a summer staple – whether cooked on the grill or in the microwave, whether eaten on its own or as a primary ingredient in refreshing summer salads


This may be one of the corniest things you’ll ever read.

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: It’s just a vegetable, so how can it possibly elicit such a strong reaction from Red, while, for Black, it’s more a source of amusement and even, it turns out, admiration?

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Think you can avoid artificial intelligence? Think again …

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Red already fights technology at every turn, preferring to keep her ostrich head in the sand, plus, she finds Artificial Intelligence (AI) scary; whereas Black knows ignoring reality merely postpones the inevitable, so she’s started playing with AI to understand it better …

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A man better known for his death than his life, although Red, the straight-A student and history lover, immediately thinks of the costly and controversial movie of his life. (Well, technically, it was the life of Cleopatra.) Black, of course, focuses on business – leadership lessons, including the power of words, although she surprises Red with some food trivia. But the fact July’s named after him is the perfect excuse to rerun one of Red’s favorite Banter Bites …

Quick! If someone says "Julius Caesar," what comes to mind?

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Almost everyone has heard of Julius Caesar, but how many of us really know much about him, or at least that's what Red starts to wonder when she receives the usual flippant, but still accurate, reply from her sister, after feeling very proud that she knew that July was named after the famous Roman.

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