N.S.A. Collecting Millions of Faces From Web Images

We already knew the database was extensive.. we already knew they were collecting information. And we already assumed they had our faces.

Our selfies..
Our couplies..
And doublies..
Or whatever elseies we will be coming up withie..

Have we surrendered our privacy for the fleeting moment of vain attention?  Or is this just a product of the future being now? 

It’s a big big world in a biometric land..
We are strangers in it.

I hope you smile! 
You’re on camera.

N.S.A. Collecting Millions of Faces From Web Images

Brazil's sex trade: How the country's one million prostitutes are preparing for the World Cup

Only a small part of the preps: Prostitutes are taking English lessons.. Limo services being offered.. Apparently one dental student will earn $5000 for giving ‘exclusive attention’ to a German businessman for two weeks.

The INDEPENDENT reports further:

In one zona, Santo stops continually to chat with the younger girls who stand at the doors of their rooms. “Those girls when they start, they are too crazy, they start making too much money. They have sex without condoms and sometimes they get boyfriends inside of here and that’s when they get pregnant. Loads work until just before they have babies. As I say, they get crazy. They also fall in love, but with the wrong guys. They could have all the businessmen and they end up marrying a builder. I’m not discriminating but they should see the prostitutes that marry a rich guy. One married a judge and lives in luxury. Another got pregnant by a guy, married him and now has eight maids in her house.” How many actually attain this particular fantasy is unclear.

What’s love got to do with it?

Money to be made.

The World Cup is there..

Brazil's sex trade: How the country's one million prostitutes are preparing for the World Cup

The Gitmo detainees swapped for Bergdahl: Who are they?

The Gitmo detainees swapped for Bergdahl: Who are they?

The cast of the WONDER YEARS together again—20 years since the show.

Finally.. proof that Paul Pfieffer is NOT Marilyn Manson..

The MPAA squashed this SIN CITY poster because of the semi-visible breast.

Thanks to the Internet we can still see it.

It's a dog eat dog afterlife

I read a somewhat moving article on HUFF PARANORMAL about a man who lost his pet dog.. In death, he sought to find the animal’s spirit.. His method was to use a smoke bomb and camera.. The author of the article is sure that he saw the face of his beloved deceased pet on the foggy image..

Before you laugh and mock, there’s two things to note.. First off, science can explain so much. But there’s a cutoff when science stops.. At least at this point. Logic may say that this image is just smoke within smoke.. For for the believer when faith, it’s something more. And science by no means can explain even a morsel of faith.,

And secondly– perhaps this would be more for pet owners– who didn’t lose an animal and feel the presence of that same beloved pet after death? And even more, I have known a handful of people that claimed per visitation from an afterlife..

In my own circumstance, I fondly remember seeing my dog Newt walk by my door. It was after he died. I had a witness– he saw it but years later now claims he didn’t. And my dog Bailey loudly walked down the stairs in my house. After death. My wife heard that one and I think would still testify that it happened..

Death of a mystery. One that I have made myself willing and ready to investigate .. I crave answers on what happens to our soul when we perish..

In the case of Steve on Huff Paranormal, he thinks his dog is still with him. Or at least visited.

And that’s a nice thing to think…comforting in a sense , even when coupled with the dark mystery that death is..

Directive outlines Obama’s plan to use the military against citizens

Sayyy….whaaa??

Bill Gertz reports…

Directive outlines Obama’s plan to use the military against citizens

Vince McMahon's losses: $750 million in two months

And the Billionaire falls…

Vince McMahon's losses: $750 million in two months

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN8WRNkrYLI?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=281]

This pitch and a 50 Cent can buy me a cup of coffee..

My God that was a bad pitch.

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

Expect to see this cover of TIME magazine everywhere.. it may sell as good as their mother breastfeeding from a bit ago.

I credit TIME with one thing: They are able to still give us some provocative covers to keep themselves relevant. It’s journalism, sure, but it’s also about the bottom line. They are trying to make a profit in print during the age of Internet.

This is the type of cover that may help them..

The actual text and subject aside, this magazine will sell. Maybe not like hot cakes, but lukewarm pouches.. Or something.

And the real question: How many tough men will take a second or even third glance before they realize what they’re seeing?

All in all we're just another crack in the floor

I am already scared of heights.. but the thought of the floor cracking under me–while I’m on the 103rd floor!? No way..

That is exactly what happened to a family in Chicago.. They were on the tourist attraction, the Ledge, on the 103rd floor of Chicago’s Willis Tower. 

Even worse.. apparently after the family joked about how the stability is safe and glass floor is unbreakable, they began to hear cracking.. and saw it happening.

Never again.

I don’t think I’d be a person yearning to stand on a glass floor that high up to begin with, but hearing this I never will..

Study claims: Possible cynicism link to dementia

I better get positive quick..

Though I think this study is a little quackery.. 

Study claims: Possible cynicism link to dementia

OOOH SNAP

Snapchat founder is ‘mortified’ over leaked emails that he wrote..  Even Spiegel wrote emails referencing cocaine, binge drinking, and urinating on women. Snap.  They were the frat days..

Just for fun, I logged into AOL IM tonight..

It was like an immediate blast from the past! The noises.. the messages.. the away messages. Just brought my back to a simpler time.

Remember those days? You’d post the away messages featuring some song lyric that symbolized your mood.. others would ponder its meaning.. you’d slam that ‘door shut’ noise when you offline.. how many fights between couples ended with that AOL noise? And the AOL chatrooms? My God.. those bizarre and weird chat rooms, making friends with people who you’d never see..

I actually made a few real friends on AOL believe it or not.. some are actually now “Facebook” friends.. So that’s the real internet now, right?

One shocking thing I noticed tonight: People are still on AOL, including MDrudge, who I think is the actual Matt Drudge. He messaged me once on there years ago a night before he was going to appear on CSPAN. He confirmed the air date .. I think I may have framed the conversation screen shot.

I also thought back to my original internet exploration.. besides that ridiculous ICQ program, I frequented the world of CHAT1.COM .. check that website, it still exists.. but the chat portion has some error that forever will stricken it from the net..

The good old days. Dial up—you could unplug yourself for a while when you were done online.. 

Now we are always connected everywhere. Then we chose when to be, and decided what others would hear. 

Which time was easier? Which would you prefer?

The world of the net has changed.

I just wish those old AOL sound files would still be used somewhere ..

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjvspeLgeww?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=374]

This is music from the TRUMAN SHOW by Phillip Glass.. It’s the sort of mood I’m tonight. Slightly Beethoven-ish but with more of a modern edge. It gives me the feeling of peace and security.. it’s as though you’re sleeping in safe quarters while fires of hell and scourge of war rages outside your window. And when you wake up, in the pile of your nightly drool, trying to remember what your last few seconds of your dream excursion was, you’ll have to face the day again. And you won’t like it at all..

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

Pay-to-potty: Teacher's bathroom policy causes accidents, outrages parents

A “pay to potty” policy at a Vancouver elementary school is being called “inhumane” by outraged parents.

How disgusting and humiliating for a child.. 
How horrid of a teacher.

I am not in favor of torture, but I would be fine with forcing this woman to stand in a classroom and not use the bathroom unless she pays for every child’s lunch for the next year.. 

Sick..

Pay-to-potty: Teacher's bathroom policy causes accidents, outrages parents

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixXberGwzM8?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=281]

You heard this right.. a CNN anchorwoman thinks that Michelle Obama can sign bills into law. Her the script writer does.. 

CNN needs to go back and try to find that airplane.. it obviously cannot grasp the basic concepts of  the three branches of government.. 

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

DAILY BEAST gets an exclusive: Texas VA Run Like a 'Crime Syndicate,' Whistleblower Says

It would seem that state by state this scandal is only intensifying.

But we knew this—people have known this for years.. And people inside have known even longer.

Promises broken..

And the bottom is falling out..

What else will we learn?

DAILY BEAST gets an exclusive: Texas VA Run Like a 'Crime Syndicate,' Whistleblower Says

For those in the service industry (as I once was) .. here is a handy list if you’re a bar going drunkard: These are the things NOT to do or say at a bar .. and certainly a list of comments NOT to say to your bartender.. My personal favorite: Don’t hold your dollar up ..others have it too.

I never liked the bartender gig as much as I enjoyed serving tables in restaurants..

Male bartenders are treated differently than female.. I frankly think that bartenders are expected to be women, and when men see other males serving their drinks to them, the tips are much worse and the patrons leave much sooner. But on the flipside..

Grief: Maybe you should just avoid your pastor

I am not certain if I published this before, but I have become addicted over the past few months to a website written by Caleb Wilde, a Philadelphia-based mortician who mocks death and ads humor to the dying process..

He has written a new blog post about dealing with death and grief.. He argues that if you are going through rough straits, seeing your pastor should be secondary to seeing a therapist.  

A good read.  And something sadly that every human on this planet will face or has faced already: Grief about death and losing someone close..

A true icon is gone.. Maya Angelou has met her final fate in his lifetime on earth.. Thanks to her, we will always know why the caged bird sings.. 

The poet was 86.. 

She posted one final tweet (amazing, think her life.. from the old days of racism to being able to freely speak to millions of people on Twitter) said this:

Listen to yourself and in that quietude you might hear the voice of God.

Regardless of our religious beliefs, it should be our collective hope that Ms. Angelou has met God.. and that he welcomed her gracefully into Maya

Snoopin' Snowden: He was a spy before he was a leaker.

NBC News’ Brian Williams scored a major interview when he landed Edward Snowden.. the ads have been nonstop on all of the NBC stations for the event—it is an event and truly important that Americans get to see and hear what Snowden is about, and why he says he did what he did in revealing some of the deepest secrets from the spy underbelly ..

On that same note, he apparently also told Brian Williams that he was not just a low-level contractor as the American media (and government) has previously said.. 

According to Snowden, he was trained as a spy and worked under cover for the US’s biggest alphabet agencies..  

The wide-ranging interview will air on NBC Wednesday at 10pm.

It should be something watched by the entire nation..

GlaxoSmithDecline: Some interesting headlines about the big drug company

GlaxoSmithKline is under investigation in the UK by the Serious Fraud Office (real name, seriously) ..

The criminal investigation is into the drug maker’s commercial practices, according to reports.. 

The New York TIMES details some more in its reporting on the matter, but neither the drug company nor the Fraud office are providing any more background on what the fraud accusations may be..   but we do know this from REUTERS: The drug company already is facing claims of bribery in China and four other countries.  

Shares are falling in the stock market..  

But across the world today, vaccines are still being administered to crying children in pediatricians’ offices en masse.

So Glaxo still has that going for it. Bribery or not.

Marshall Fine Journalist, Movie Critic, writes: Farewell to horror films

He is done with them.. He makes a few points I can agree with.. for example, this: 

Vampires? Werewolves? Zombies? Again, sorry — it’s less that I don’t believe in them (I don’t) than that they have become such tired concepts or conceits, full of familiar tropes. I simply can’t summon the energy to care about them.

Even those, however, are preferable to the kind of torture-porn that seems to dominate the genre. Special effects have evolved so far that you can find a way to graphically depict any sadistic act you can imagine, from disembowelment to decapitation, and worse.

I have found a few gems that actually are good stories mentally scary.. One movie recently I saw was HAUNTER.. I am not in favor of the sadistic torture porn, and have written a number of articles against it over the years..

Fine also writes that age itself may have done in his horror experience.. he opines:

When you’re young — which I’m defining as under 30 — you crave sensation. It can come from thrill rides or extreme sports (participating or watching) or horror movies. The more exaggerated the sensation, the better — it’s a way of expanding your boundaries, testing yourself against extremes, figuring out your own limits.

After 30, however, there’s an increasing awareness of just how brutal, random and arbitrary life can be. Bad things do happen to good people; there are people out there who do commit these acts and you simply hope you never cross paths with them.

I fondly recall long summer nights with my friends all together mocking and jesting about badly made B horror films.. we laughed way past midnight and often saw the sunrise after a night of  movie watching.. And in a sense, I’d like to do that again.

I don’t quite think I ever watched horror movies for the storyline.. There have been a few ‘paranormal’ entries into the genre that have thrilled me for other reasons—SIXTH SENSE, SIGNS, THE RING, JEEPERS CREEPERS (1) and even the CONJURING were all good for the right reasons.. other films were good only because they were fodder for the teenage sense of humor..

Now, as I crossed into the my 30s three years ago, I can attest to with Marshall Fine is saying. Horror sort of comes and goes.. I am more afraid of reality than fiction—bloodbaths in real life happen every day.. 

Fine writes in his conclusion:

Yes, yes – I can hear the arguments already. Horror films allow us to confront our fears and, perhaps, deal with them in a non-threatening way. Or: Horror films serve as metaphors for (A) our lack of control over the world at large or (B) specific real-life horrors like nuclear holocaust, racism, environmental catastrophe, etc. Or they’re a harmless diversion, a catharsis in which the powerless ultimately overcome the powerful.

I get that. But I don’t need horror movies to make me think about those things. And really, only critics parse horror films in that way. Most of the mass audience is simply looking for a cheap thrill.

I suppose that’s all true.

But ‘horror movies’ aren’t the only torture porns out there.. PASSION OF THE CHRIST was almost as bad as HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES.  Which is why I have long thought the new breed of sadism in some films need their own genre—and I don’t think fans of that sort of movie would disagree. I argue that they’d be much happier going to a Rob Zombie section of Netflix and finding all of the blood and gore that they yearn to consume.. 

Horror movies can still be new and fresh, inventive and scary. 

Where Mr. Fine is right is in his broad perception that most horror movies are not good and fresh.. instead sadistic and without merit. 

Thoughts anyone?

Marshall Fine Journalist, Movie Critic, writes: Farewell to horror films

The Gamma Ray burst that may be. Or may not be.

Amazing news from beyond the Milky Way galaxy today.. There may have been (and may NOT have been) a Gamma Ray burst in the Andromeda Galaxy..

Scientists say that if one did actually occur, it’s far away and will not destroy the planet earth. Data is still coming in—scarce at this point, reports say..

It was apparently either a Gamma Ray burst or an Ultraluminous X-ray object.  Either way the idea of both are complicated to contemplate and require brain power.. Either save it for something else or try to manage a way to think about what this is or means.. So amazing, isn’t it?

It may be worth remembering during Art Bell’s brief Sirius stint, he interviewed Michio Kaku on his first program. Among the many topics discussed: What a Gamma Ray burst would do the planet earth should one occur close enough to hit..

Looking good after all these years.

This is the GERBER BABY at 87 .. her name is Ann Turner Cook.

And I am not being sarcastic about her appearance at all.. She looks fantastic! As adorable as the image which first appeared in 1931. 

One baby’s image became the timeless symbol of infancy and innocence.. Amazing.

'Asteroid to hit Earth' story goes up on CNN

A user posts a fake news piece to CNN’s iReport news hub. It stays live for 22 hours before someone realizes it must surely not be true.

CNN is really red-faced about this one.. A user posted a fake news piece about the end of the world coming in the 2040s.. the fiction: An asteroid will hit earth on March 35, 2041. 

March 35..
And people believed it..

I am not sure what CNN should be more ashamed at: It’s false asteroid report or its real months’ long reports on flight 370..

I also thought this, though: While March 35 may not be a real date, nor will this 2041 asteroid be a real threat, others are very true and very real. 

For example, the planet earth may face a brush with destiny in 2032. That is if the 2029 "Friday the 13th Asteroid" doesn’t hit first..  and if we make it through all of these dangers, the next lurking possible life altering rock from the sky comes in 2036, about when I will hopefully start contemplating a late-life retirement. 

And they are the big ones we know about.. 

Obviously, proven by the Russian meteor impact in 2013, we don’t know all of the space rocks around.. we rarely see them incoming more than a day or two in advance.

And while the 2041 asteroid story was fake, ironic twists and turns occur in our news cycles. What’s fake today is history tomorrow. 

Either way.. CNN needs to figure a better way to exist online than this.

'Asteroid to hit Earth' story goes up on CNN

New details emerge about HUNGER GAMES KILLER Elliot Rodger

The plot may have been years in the making, but the killer gave just minutes’ notice before he rained terror across a Southern California community.

We know Elliot Rodger used a gun—but he also slaughtered three with a knife—his roommates. 

We know from allusions made that he seemingly was hooked on video games—presumably shoot-em-up games …

We also know that he has been seeing a therapist since the age of 8. Though a list of medication he was on has not been released, it is more than likely that he was on something. Apparently a family friend said that Rodger was seeing the therapist ‘almost every day.’

New details emerge about HUNGER GAMES KILLER Elliot Rodger

This is Chervony Lloern. She really isn’t there, it’s just her body. Her lifeless corpse.. she is making headlines across the Netland because, in death, she got a wish: Being propped up in a red rocking chair, surrounded by flowers and plants, and wearing her wedding gown..

Just another day at the Marin Funeral Home in Puerto Rico, as the WASHINGTON POST reports in full here..

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF7EpEnglgk?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=281]

Kids reacting to old computers..

This is the current generation gap.. the ‘old folks’ who used the mainframes.. the new kids who use the cloud..

It’s actually quite fun to have lived through the evolution of computers from the floppy disks of THE OREGON TRAIL to the new age of apps on demand..

Everything has changed.

And as for homework before the internet? I suffered that age for most of my schooling… And it was rough.

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

Median CEO pay crosses $10 million in 2013

Lifestyles of the of the rich and rarely seen..

Median CEO pay crosses $10 million in 2013

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adCFW-prWZo?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=281]

A very creepy video.. ominous lightning flickering over New York City.. and One World Trade Center was struck with a bright flash.

The first thing I thought about when seeing the video: The souls of the 8000 body parts are a little angry at the cocktail party on their makeshift grave in the 9/11 Memorial.. Or maybe that’s just how I think.

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

White House staff tried to 'un-ring the bell' after revealing CIA chief's identity

This is a great article from the GUARDIAN on the White House blowing the cover of a top CIA agent in Afghanistan this weekend—which completely now takes any attention away from the impromptu Obama visit to the country for Memorial Day..

Just think of Snowden would have done this? Or Assange? Instead the Obama administration did .. And then tried to subdue the obvious damage in foreign policy implications this has..

5,999 names don’t matter when 1 name is the top secret covert agent in Afghanistan..

I am sure Jay Carney wants to avoid work tomorrow..but Jay, you left TIME for this.. The heat is on you tomorrow. The gaggle is calling..

White House staff tried to 'un-ring the bell' after revealing CIA chief's identity

Nigeria 'called off deal' for girls

The entire world wanted to ‘bring our girls home.’ 

They blamed the terrorists..

And now they should ask the Nigerian government why they called off the deal to actually bring these girls back from the torture they are most likely enduring..

Anyone want to begin a Twitter campaign to actually expose this truth?

Nigeria 'called off deal' for girls

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2me4KExKIY?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=281]

It’s still Memorial Day, and never too late to showcase some of the dumbest Americans that Mark Dice can find on the streets of California.. 

I really enjoyed the working theme that Memorial Day was more for surfers who lost their lives..

Any one see why the VA is as bad as it is? I’d venture to say some who work there don’t even know the promise that was meant to be kept.

I am laughing in spite of myself at this..

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

When I play with my son, I feel like a kid again.

And sometimes I look like one, too.

Seriously, I am look like a child with a receding graying hairline! Maybe my wife just took it at a weird angle.

Either way, it looks like Ayden is a year away from outpacing my in growth..

Short is the sport.
It was a great weekend all in all..

White House outs CIA official

Seriously, this is getting to be like the Bush Administration part three! History repeats itself one administration of the time

White House outs CIA official

He mimicked America Psycho - he wanted to be a star

Elliot Rodger was trying to act out the role of a film star when he went on his killing spree - to make up for the fact he felt like a failure in real life. Clearly he did not feel he had the status he deserved.

Interesting take.
It makes sense..

He mimicked America Psycho - he wanted to be a star

In Death, Girls (and Boys) Swoon Over Santa Barbara Mass Murderer

Not shocking.. 

It reminds me a bit of the Tsarnaev reaction, like his photo on the cover of ROLLING STONE ..

In Death, Girls (and Boys) Swoon Over Santa Barbara Mass Murderer

Don’t ever make me eat junk food again!

An angry Ayden tonight after I put spinach in his mouth..

Pop tarts in the toaster …

3-Year-Old Remembers Past Life, Identifies Murderer and Location of Body

A little boy identified a man he said killed him in his past life, and even showed where the body and murder weapon were buried. The man admitted to the crime.

This is a fascinating story from the Golan Heights region near the border of Syria and Israel.. If we are to believe what we read, a 3-year-old boy remembered not only how he died (and ax to the head) but also the person who killed him.

We are also led to believe from the article that the boy led his parents to the murder site. There they found an ax and bones of a body. Also when he confronted the man who he said killed his former self, we are told again, the man confessed to murder as his face ‘turned pale.’ 

This comes from Eli Lasch, a leading German regressionist in the past lives realm. 

This is a matter for discernment, I’d suppose.

Belief in reincarnation seemingly can cut across religious background. I know some Muslims and Catholics who are very open to the concept of reincarnation. I also know some atheists that would never entertain the thought.

The part of this whole story I found most doubtful is that we had a story of a ‘boy’ and a ‘man,’ a ‘family’ and a ‘murder site.’ No names are places were revealed..

Even more, if the story is accurate and we have a real life case of a past life matter, how can we be sure the person regressing this boy did not plant false memories? What scientific assurances can we be given?

After all.. a ’3-year-old confronting’ his murderer? 

My son is a little over 3. He loves Scooby Doo and the Care Bears. I cannot imagine him confronting any adult about issues of this nature. Of course, every child is different.

I have long wondered before Ayden was 3 and soon to be 4 (next year) if he would relay some moments of his past lives.. So far nothing. I also asked him where heaven was, who God is, and where he came from. He dodged my questions as only an artful toddler could..

But in the Golan Heights we have a miracle child.. 

The ax marks the spot.

3-Year-Old Remembers Past Life, Identifies Murderer and Location of Body

3-Year-Old Remembers Past Life, Identifies Murderer and Location of Body

What say you, discerning readers?

3-Year-Old Remembers Past Life, Identifies Murderer and Location of Body

The National 9/11 Museum... some thoughts worth reading

I listened with some amazement to Clyde Lewis Friday night.. he had a very interesting take on his GROUND ZERO radio program concerning the controversy of the 9/11 gift shop—I am sure you heard about it by now..

I also learned something new.
There was something much more offensive that took place within the ‘hallowed’ halls of the museum than the gift shop selling chotchkies.. 

As Clyde Lewis writes on his page:

As the Gothamist reported, “The National 9/11 Museum opened to the public [May 21], with dozens of museum employees on hand to assist visitors through exhibits, numerous Red Cross workers and chaplains eager to help those who needed comfort… President Obama dedicated the museum last week in a special ceremony that was by invite only. There were mostly politicians and a few of the victim’s families in attendance.”

And, of course, select members of the media – which did not include that Gothamist reporter who was actually thrown out.

But those honored visitors were told to leave because only the VIPs, which included former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, were allowed back inside for a black-tie cocktail reception, the NY Daily news said. It is said later this summer there will be a family restaurant opening up in the facility.

The creepiness here is evident, the cocktail soiree was being held on the site where it is believed many of the victim’s remains are still buried and many people feel that it is also a bit sick to open a restaurant on the site.

The museum’s cocktail hour took place near the “remains repository,” where 8,000 unidentified body parts are being stored.

Now that it has opened to the public, there are mixed feelings about the museum. While some see it as a place where people can reflect on the tragedy, some see it as politically exploitative and not as dignifying as maybe a wall with names or a monument.

Again, our censored Gothamist reporter noted: “There’s a warning in front of the entrance, “The exhibition may not be appropriate for visitors 10 years old and younger. Adults accompanying younger visitors should exercise discretion before entering.””

Upon arrival, the scene is set up like a Halloween spook alley in a posh library. Scorched car doors, salvaged firefighters’ uniforms, banners, toys, and a destroyed fire engine are preserved forever and on display at the museum.

Never knew of this party.. this sick, sick party.. 
A cocktail hour on the grave of 8,000 body parts.. There seems to be something very ghoulish about that choice, don’t you think? A little vampirish, perhaps? The blood lust, the pain.. the suffering.. all beneath the feet of the elite and wealthy as they sip their champagne. Their riches are thanks to the thousands dead.. A little more honor is due than a cocktail hour on top of a grave site.. 

Clyde Lewis goes on to write more, 

For $64.00 you can purchase survival tree earrings and $39.00 gets you a hoodie emblazoned with an image of the towers. There is also a collectable [sic] cheese plate you can purchase as well.

Victims’ families didn’t ask for this, they didn’t expect their family members to be important deaths for eternity and have their remains in a containment hold piled behind a locked door in a museum that doubles as a mausoleum with an adjacent Shake Shack.

Disturbed yet?

The full article *(and show*) from Clyde Lewis is worth the read and listen. I would dare say, if you have any sense of morality, you’d be a little grossed about the goings on within the public building.. 

The remains of all of those body parts being at this location seems to be one of the worst decisions made.. 

The HUNGER GAMES hitman

ALL OF THESE DISPATCHES FROM CNN:

— Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said that “it would appear as if” Elliot Rodger — the suspect in a deadly rampage near the University of California, Santa Barbara — “took his own life” after he was wounded by officers. Rodger was found “obviously dead” in a crashed car, after he allegedly killed six people and injured 13 others.

— After leaving his residence Friday, Rodger apparently fatally shot two female students from the University of California, Santa Barbara, while a third person “suffered multiple gunshot” wounds, Brown told reporters. The suspect then went into a delicatessen, where he shot and killed another USCB student, Christopher Michael-Martinez, according to Brown.

— In addition to the six victims and the dead suspect, 13 people “were injured during this melee,” Brown said. Eight of those suffered gunshot wounds, four were hit “by the suspect’s vehicle” and one has a “minor injury of unknown origin.”

— The suspect “had over 400 remaining rounds of ammunition” when he was found “obviously dead” in his crashed car. Brown said that more people could have been killed if not for the actions of law enforcement.

Here is the HUNGER GAMES htiman Elliot Rodger, extreme left, with his father, the assistant director of the film, Peter Rodger.. and to the right: Sylvester Stallone.. 

MORE HERE..

ELLIOT ROGERS APPEARS TO HAVE FATALLY STABBED THREE MALES BEFORE HIS SHOOTING RAMPAGE

…and police talked to him..
His HUNGER GAMES assistant director father reported him..
His YOUTUBE videos shows a premeditated madness…

ELLIOT ROGERS APPEARS TO HAVE FATALLY STABBED THREE MALES BEFORE HIS SHOOTING RAMPAGE

The weird HUNGER GAMES link to the Santa Barbara shooter..

Very weird stuff..
Information about a mentally disturbed 22-year-old responsible for a mass shooting in the California city is now coming to light.. There is a bizarre angle of the story involving the movie HUNGER GAMES.. CNN reports this in recent dispatches about the shooting:

Based on what police told the family of Elliot Rodger, the parents believe he is the shooter, attorney Alan Shifman, a family spokesman, told reporters. He is the son of Peter Roger, who is identified as an assistant director of the 2012 film “The Hunger Games,” according to IMDb.com.

The younger Rodger died from a gunshot wound after his car crashed Friday night, police said. It was unclear whether the fatal head wound was self-inflicted or the result of a firefight with police.

A video has also been uploaded to YouTube by the would be killer .. Along the chilling statements, he says he is an alpha male and says he would take pleasure in hurting girls who denied his sexual advances 


And this: The family of the killer warned cops prior to the deadly rampage but police simply high the was polite.. Meanwhile he was planning his slaughter of blonde women..

Some good Saturday reading for a cloudy day.. The curious case of Edward Mordrake.   That is supposedly an image of him. He also reportedly had a face on the back of his head that did not talk, but would laugh and cry. Also, this: He supposedly wanted doctors to remove the ‘demon face’ from the back of his head.. when they did not, it would keep him awake at night and finally he succumbed to suicide due to the extra face..

There is even a book in 1900 that supposedly documented all of this.

But is it true?
Could this just be one of those weird urban legends that never went away with time?

I came across this website, Verum Fabula, which attempts to figure out of this is truth or crap.. 

There is also debate on the SNOPES forums as to the real story behind this..

It’s certainly medically feasible for it to be true.. but is it true?

Forgive me, but I would rarely want to trust a medical book from the 1900s… 

Gay divorce

My local fishwrapper, the POTTSVILLE REPUBLICAN & HERALD, published a front page above the fold article on the first gay divorce in Schuylkill County, PA.. Now that gay marriage is legal, I suppose, gay divorce will be just as commonplace as the nuptials.

Although the actual article was accurate as far as facts, it was a bit tacky to do it.. seriously.. above the fold top news status?? Did they set out to embarrass this man? Why don’t they write about straight divorce in the same fashion (well maybe because 70% of marriages end that way..) 

Bad form, POTTSVILLE rag.. bad form.

Let’s be happy we had medical advancements. If not, we’d still be doing this AND MANY OTHER CREEPY THINGS.. 

I also wonder: In the future, will generations laugh at how undeveloped we are in this age ..? Will they chuckle that we didn’t map the brain yet? Will they joke about our futile attempts to use life support..?

Well.. at least we don’t use ‘invalid carts’ anymore..

There are a collection online that blew my mind: Incredibly awkward pregnancy photos. And there is a set of 41 of them on the site Newslinq.

I don’t get it.. if these are a joke, then it’s just weird.. if they are serious attempts to showcase a pregnancy, then it’s weirder.

Either way, have fun.. 41 photos of oddities of woman and their stomachs.

Two of my favorites:

Could it be? An old mystery from last century solved? Will this finally put the story of the Solway Spaceman to rest? Logic and science and common sense solving one of the most famed UFO and paranormal photos of all time?

We know this about the photo: 

Jim Templeton took the image of his daughter in 1964. A strange white figure of a man who appeared to be in a space suit was visible behind her..

According to the story, Templeton took the image to police.. they said it was nothing out of the ordinary. He sent it to Kodak, which reportedly said the image had not been altered or tampered with..

And finally, according to lure, Men in Black, “Number 9” and “Number 11”
 showed up and talked to Templeton about the photo.. One aspect of the story that I actually was not aware of is reported by the BBC:

Perhaps the strangest turn of events was a link to the planned launch of a Blue Streak missile in Woomera, South Australia.

Just days after Mr Templeton had taken his photograph, that missile test on the other side of the world was aborted by technicians who reported seeing two men in the firing range.

That is a little creepy, perhaps. All of it is, really. 

The BBC has more, though, and interviewed an expert who attempts to finally solve this old mystery with a logical conclusion. Dr. David Clarke met the Templetons, the BBC says.. Also this: Clarke does not think the image is a hoax or purposely fake. Instead, he thinks the spaceman is actually Templeton’s wife..

This: 

"I came away absolutely convinced he was telling the truth and couldn’t explain it himself, although I was less convinced about his ‘Men in Black’ story. Whoever it was who visited him, I don’t think they were from the government."

However, the spaceman, Dr Clarke says, is almost certainly not anything of the sort.

"One of the other stills [taken that day] shows Jim’s wife who, according to him, was standing behind him when he took the photo of Elizabeth," he said.

"I think for some reason his wife walked into the shot and he didn’t see her because with that particular make of camera you could only see 70% of what was in the shot through the viewfinder."

Annie, he argues, was standing with her back to the camera and the photograph was over-exposed - causing her blue dress to look white.

Whatever the truth, for Dr Clarke it is a reminder of a more “innocent time” and he is in no doubt about its importance.

Could that be it? A simply solution to the story.. An ending to what has been a part of UFO lure for decades? Just a woman in a white dress.. over-exposed in color and a product of an early came in an innocent time..

Interesting way to conclude it all..
Are you with Dr. Clarke? Are you of the opinion that this is solved, over and done? Or do you still think that aborted missile launch had something to do with the spaceman.. and that Number 9 and 11 were on to something other-worldly or even alternate worldly..? 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
As is the Solway Spaceman. 

Hundreds of sheep commit suicide by cracking their heads open after becoming drug addicts

….true stuff.

I wonder if they were also listening to Miley Cyrus at the time.

Hundreds of sheep commit suicide by cracking their heads open after becoming drug addicts

Craze for hamster bottoms hits Japan

… blame the radiation..

Craze for hamster bottoms hits Japan

The pink skies are falling.. these days it seems like, whenever a large asteroid is near the planet, it seems like it is discovered just a day or two before a potential strike.. And even worse, we hear about how we almost die a year or two after it occurs, like the 2012 solar flare that NEARLY ruined most of our grid on earth.

And now this: A year after Chelyabinsk had that big meteor rip through its skies and ruin buildings, we hear this: That meteor actually collided with an asteroid before it hit earth!! 

What I don’t think I will ever forget is that night, while NASA was telling people not to worry about a large asteroid passing by the planet, Chelyabinsk happened and no one knew it until Twitter started flowing with images and videos of this large meteor over the Russian  city..

But what worries me about it is this: That not only were we unaware of a meteor that could hit the planet, but also apparently had no clue about this other asteroid, either. Even though we were being told no fear of the skies that very night.. We need to come up with an earth-defensive system soon. It always seems like our luck will run out.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmpCtchEO3w?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=281]

Jimmy Kimmel nails it..

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

The alien's not for sale

Remember just about 48 hours ago we and others reported that NASA had a book about aliens potentially being associated with ancient rock art? Well.. NASA has pulled that e-book. Without explanation. … Do we really need an explanation…?

The HAARP playing the last chord

Better late than never?  The AIR FORCE is getting ready to dismantle HAARP.  The REAL site (though denied by many over the years) has been active since 1993.. some have blamed it for earthquakes and hurricanes..others believed it was less dangerous. Either way funding has been cut..

Either way, we got one last hurricane season to be HAARPed on..

This is a picture from the Berkshire Mall in Reading, PA.. 

As I wrote yesterday, the Eastern part of Pennsylvania had some pretty massive hail storms..

Parts of Reading, PA’s Berkshire mall skyline broken into pieces.. Parts of Philly’s airport smashed..  

One report I got from a friend who works in Reading, PA, said that ‘every car in the parking lot’ at her job was smashed up with broken glass all over the concrete..

With all of these earth changes on the way, we may want to reconsider glass ceilings ..

....but will we program the robots of tomorrow to have the morality of today?

People are very naive about the future.. Most people who I talk to about the robotic wars of the new ages on the way laugh at me.. they think I am a tin foil wearing nutjob when I speak about soldiers who are more machine than man.  

If you’re the same, good reading material is here from the UK GUARDIAN, scientists in the United States have created bionic particles inspired by TERMINATOR.  

But with all this creating we are doing, are we going to establish a programmable moral code into the machines?

If not… then what?  

Machines without mercy on the way.

What is creepier: Prince Charges, or Prince Charges wearing Google Glass?

The day after today: Hail and high winds deep in the coal region of PA

I swear I was just in a scene from the DAY AFTER TOMORROW. A monster storm just rolled through with tornado warnings and severe storm alerts.. Hail, high winds.. Saw no funnel clouds or dogs floating by my window with witches on brooms, so that’s a plus.. but word on the ‘net’ is that Danville, PA, got socked with so much hail that windshields are broken all over town..

Here is how big they were 

It may sound a little cliche at this point, and you can blame it on global warming or earth changes or manmade chemtrails, but I think weather is getting stronger. Maybe not ‘worse’ in the sense that it’s widespread, but where storms do pop up they gain so much strength so fast that it makes you truly wonder if the tails of tribulation to come across our planet are true.

There was one blast of thunder that was so loud, so deep, it sounded like a train literally tore open the house and ran through .. Mutley the Dog ran from his normal hiding spot under a desk to the closet floor and attempting to squeeze in between a pair of my jeans and the wall…

Safe here in the coal mines of PA still, though. Lots of flooding and broken trees, but life will go on. 

Always could be worse.

IMAGE: Twitter / DannyReeseWx

Inmate Found Naked on Rikers Cell Floor After 7 Days Dies: AP

It sounds gruesome indeed.. 

Inmate Found Naked on Rikers Cell Floor After 7 Days Dies: AP

If you want a real change, vote for an atheist in 2016

Christian website are proclaiming a bit of a victory in light of a new poll which seems to show that Americans would take a gay, drug addicted, cheating candidate for president over an atheist in 2016..

But forgive me Lord, but I don’t see the newsworthy nature of this poll..

After all, we had the follolwing the USA: James Buchanan, who was probably the nation’s first gay president.. John Kennedy, who reportedly was so high on meth one night that he pranced naked around the lobby .. Bill Clinton, who did not inhale. Obama, who admitted he did. And an endless trove of presidents who cheated and lied their way through scandals. All of them were Christians. Men of God.

Maybe an atheist would do us well for four to eight years.

It's all alien to us

The Vatican has been publicly commenting about baptizing aliens for years now—the Pope even did it recently in a ‘joking’ comment.. The man behind the original comment, Vatican astronomer Guy Consolmagno addressed Georgetown University in a commencement address where he specifically talked about his famed alien comments. He admitted aliens are not within our grasp—yet. SETI agrees, as I wrote last night.. they think it will be about 20 years before we realize aliens are among us.. or out there somewhere. Getting closer..

How Facebook Knows What Television Show You're Watching Right Now

Facebook wants to make it easier for users to share what they’re listening to or watching. The company today announced an update to its mobile app that will allow Facebook to automatically detect what song, movie or TV show a user is listening to or watching.

A little creepy..

Facebook also will allow you to instantly post—or post for you —the song you are listening to right or the television show..

And as creepy and privacy-invasive as this is, expect it to be utilized with great ferocity by Facebook users..

It’s either the beginning of big time invasion of privacy or it’s just another example of how much we share, and in this case overshare.

But don’t kid yourself.. it’s not new technology.. Facebook listening to you in 2014 is nothing inventive.  Way back last decade in 2006, Google made some headlines because it was finalizing its plans to listen to you through your computer.

Also let’s not forget how often the power to hear you through your device has been abused. In 2010, school children in Philadelphia were being watched through their school issued laptops by officials. You know.. for ‘inappropriate behavior.  Also in 2012, then CIA chief (before the sex scandal) David Petraus said that the government will listen to us, the citizenry, through our dishwashers. 

So there you have it.. the slippery slope was already traveled .. not Facebook is simply filling the potholes, making it become ‘trendy’ and using Beyonce’s music as a selling point to sell your information to the world. At a very low cost. You’ll do it for free.. 

Welcome to the cloud. The very overshared and eavesdropped cloud..

How Facebook Knows What Television Show You're Watching Right Now

A broken garden gnome is a good garden gnome.. but what about when the gnome contains a secret? The broken garden gnome is the talk of the town of Lynnsville Tennessee.. The gnome smashed to pieces but inside was another statute .. Heather Andrews has acquired local fame and now, somehow, worldwide attention with her broken gnome.. some have hinted that they think there is a religious overtone to the statue hidden within the hideous gnome.. The woman even broke open more of her garden gnomes to see if any more Jesus-like figures were hidden within. While this may not be the next plot of an INDIANA JONES movie, it’s causing quite the headlines in the small town .

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnKEQtR30rM?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=374]

Let’s see you top THIS, Mr. Colbert..

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

CBS MIAMIA REPORTS: Miami VA Whistleblower Exposes Drug Dealing, Theft, Abuse

When asked why he would risk his job and speak publicly, Detective Thomas Fiore considered the question carefully before answering.

The nation professes its love of veterans.. they tie yellow ribbons on trees.. they use their mouths to praise them.

Then they let them commit suicide, die, and become slaves to the VA system which is designed to help, but apparently has failed .. Big time.

CBS MIAMIA REPORTS: Miami VA Whistleblower Exposes Drug Dealing, Theft, Abuse

nbcnightlynews:

President Obama on VA scandal: ”If these allegations prove to be true, it is dishonorable, it is disgraceful, and I will not tolerate it.” 

More: http://nbcnews.to/1sUwpnn

But.. it was known for months.
If not years..
Hell, even CNN managed to report this in between its breaking news segments on flight 370..

To act surprised now is a little disingenuous.. 

Ebay asks users to change passwords after cyberattack

breakingnews:

Ebay: EBay asked users Wednesday to change their passwords after a reported cyberattack on a database containing passwords and non-financial data.

Follow the latest at Breaking News. 

Oh boy..

Everyone is Democratic in Pac-Man.

So says Ayden after I took him to vote today in the Pennsylvania primary .. in a very light turnout.

I think there is profound logic in that somehow

Cannes: Movie-maker courts controversy with MH370 thriller

So much for the question: “Too soon?” 

We may never find the wreckage of signs of flight 370, but someone sure will make money of it.

But maker of THE VANISHING ACT, Rupesh Paul, told CNN this:

"The movie is based on an investigative report by a journalist which was rejected by the media so it is definitely controversial. The movie will answer two questions: one is what went wrong with MH370 and where is MH370 on this earth?"

Sounds like the maker of this film knows more about the whereabouts of the plane than any government on earth?? 

HOORAY FOR BOLLYWOOD.

Cannes: Movie-maker courts controversy with MH370 thriller

Thousands of Dead Fish Found in Marina Del Rey

So far the blame is a lack of oxygen..

Lots of fish calls lately .. lots.

Thousands of Dead Fish Found in Marina Del Rey

Data mining your children

The NSA has nothing on the ed tech startup known as Knewton. The data analytics firm has peered into the brains of more than 4 million students across the country

A little creepy for my taste. But common sense would tell us this is where we would have been by now..

The brave new world has been here for some time, it’s not just beginning.

Beer ads target kids really early.. sexualized products have robbed them of their childhood.. Sex ed, for all of its benefits, also teach things way too early. Sure, all the kids are doing it (And always did, evidenced by the syphilis cases a century ago) .. but something seems to be taking everything that is innocent from children. 

Everything is tracked, traced, and delivered to a behemoth computerized spying apparatus. Some of it is government. It’s also corporation. Which scares you more?

Data mining your children

Don’t mess with us Russia.. or you’ll get marshmallowed. 

What you see is not real.. such as the creepy Michael Jackson hologram last night on the Billboard Music Awards.

There was a dance group.. the curtains opened.. and there sat Michael Jackson on what looked to be a throne fit for a king.  The hologram danced and moonwalked across the stage like it was the 20th century again.

But it was not. Obviously what we were seeing was not real—a ghost of Jacko purposely made to make headlines today..

Jackson was brought back from the head with the help of technology—people were crying as they saw the computerized former human.. There was sun symbolism.. 

If you want some real hardcore views on last night’s show, Mark Dice presents it in a typical humorous and abrasive way on his latest video..

Equally creepy: Miley Cyrus attempting to re-do a Beatles song.. but she wasn’t a hologram.. I don’t think..

The Billboard yawnfest

These music awards are probably duller than watching ink dry on Robin Thicke’s prenuptial agreement..

All of the performers are just horrendous live, with the exception of Luke Bryan, but he’s just horrendous ..

ABC.. It’s easy as 1-2-3.. Get some excitement.. And excitement is not Brad Paisley making arm wrestling jokes.

Inside the 9/11 museum’s offensive gift shop

The New York Post goes in depth.. Apparently a lot of really tacky but expensive items are for sale in the shop.. Hoodies with the twin towers and $39 heart shaped rocks with overused slogans on..

 One woman who lost a son was quoted in the Post article.. She said, “To me, it’s the crassest, most insensitive thing to have a commercial enterprise at the place where my son died”…

 WE have all seen these gifts, whether it’s in your local thrift shop or on the corner being sold by a street vendor. Some has been …ok.. others? Nah. 

Be proud, US of A. Tacky is America. Come on, we still sing “Proud to be an American” more often than the national anthem.. no matter what Lee Greenwood did, he made a bundle off of the weird emotions of Gulf War I .. 

We sell tacky things here.. You’d have to think those Chinese slave laborers who put together such profoundly graceless items are wondering what the hell the people in the free world are buying them for..

 But the question really remains: Should profits be off the list of what the 9/11 memorial is tasked with? After all, they have quite a hefty debt to pay back. 

In fairness, it’s a debt so high that overpriced ground zero hoodies will never pay back..

Inside the 9/11 museum’s offensive gift shop

I am about to sound crazy... But here we go:

Tin foil hat time.

Something very ‘out there’ happened last night—I cannot explain it nor will I subject any readers to the stupidity of assuming what it was..

I simply can convey what occurred. . I took Mutley the dog out for a midnight bathroom session.. It was profoundly quiet, with the exception of one bird in the woods singing, something I didn’t expect since you really don’t hear the sounds of birds at night. There was a very deep chill in the air, the temperature was already below 50, cold for this time in May.

Mutley and I heard something .. it sounded like the rolling of chains together, or perhaps even something heavy being drug across the forest floor. Mutley’s hair spiked up high as he started to form his body into an attack mode.. I ran into the house quickly to turn on the outside lights and grab a flashlight, about 5 seconds in time.. Upon the return to the outside air, the noise of chains clanging had gotten louder as though it was coming directly to and my dog. Here is the odd part: I heard nothing walking in the woods.. no noise of footsteps on dry leaves.. nothing. Perhaps adding to the bizarre flavor of the event, in the distance, what seemed like a pack of wild dogs, began barking. My dog at this point couldn’t contain himself.. He went crazy, and the midnight air was filled with the noise of Mutley the dog trying to scare away whatever it was..

I controlled Mutlery a bit. As I did, the noise slowly got more muffled as though it was leaving .. But again, as it quieted down in volume, no other sounds accompanied it. Not even the sounds of something or someomne walking ..

And then, it was gone. The only sound heard after the event was that lone songbird chipring in the cold midnight air. I still found that so be the creepiest ..

I tried explaining this to my wife.. As I am doing here, I did with her: I offered no explanation. I told her that I know I heard something but yet lacked any knowledge on what it was I heard..

Did my ears deceive me?
Does a bird, the singing bird, make a noise that may be similar to the clanging chains?

It was less like I was hearing a real event taking place before me, and more like I was witnessing a recorded event. The only logical way for me to explain this was that it seemed like the noise was not of nature or animal, and the lack of walking compels me to ask if something was being ‘played’ .. maybe an endless loop of something. I am attempting to stay away from the paranormal, because despite my love of it and all things weird, very few ‘weird’ things of note have happened to me. And I would like to sort of keep it that way..

And on a final note, to make matters weirder, I have been hearing those famed booms lately—I am not ready to call Linda Howe yet but I sure have her email at Earthfiles if necessary. Last night, while hearing some of the ground rumbling noises, a small meteor looped in the sky above me. I think it was a meteor..

It wasn’t a typical Saturday… things did go bump in the night. If I had to make a guess, the only thing I kept thinking as I closed my eyes and went to sleep was that the ghost of Marley doesn’t know it’s not Christmas yet.. Am I Scrooged?