And you were thinking talk of politics at the Thanksgiving...

And you were thinking talk of politics at the Thanksgiving dinner table would be weird.. try this on for size!

The NEW YORK TIMES is busy today reporting about a risqué party held last Thursday in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

Joshua David Stein reporting,

“Just because someone is wearing lingerie doesn’t mean you can touch them,” said Ellen Robin, the consent guardian at a risqué party held last Thursday in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

Her face covered in sequins, Ms. Robin, 28, a set designer from Williamsburg, stood on the sidewalk outside Lot 45, a large event space on Troutman Street. She had a clipboard full of release forms. “This is a sexy party, not a sex party,” she cautioned.

After patrons signed the releases, they were patted down by a gruff security officer and led into a cavernous room drenched in red light and velvet. Bodies were in various stages of dishabille and discipline.

A man with a gray ponytail rhythmically flogged a mostly nude woman draped over a small picnic table. Surrounding them, diners reclined on pillows, sultan style, around nine human “tables,” naked but for flesh-tone underwear and high heels. Dinner, consisting of North African comfort food prepared by a former “Chopped” contestant named Samia Behaya, was artfully arranged atop them.

“I would recommend not using your hands,” said one comely female platter, covered in raw sliced root vegetables. A man obligingly knelt beside her and plucked a radish from her torso with his teeth. “Vegetables are sexy,” cooed a nearby woman in a bustier bodysuit.

The most risqué on the dinner table for my family today: A sugar free apple pie that we picked up quickly last night at a local CrackerBarrel. I guess … we are missing out..

Gobbling at full throttle.

THIS IS IT! The big day.. the first Thanksgiving since we were...

THIS IS IT!
The big day.. the first Thanksgiving since we were told the world ended when Donald Trump won the November election.. and forgive me for speaking politically in another post, but let’s face it: This election and reaction has been visceral..

As I write this in a dark room during what we have always been told is the ‘biggest party night of the year,’ I have a light beer cracked open and Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis in playing the background.. I am perusing the online world of 'news’ article and realized that there are hundreds posted online from news sources across the nation all about how Thanksgiving dinner will be hit with politics.. and how to avoid it.

A few highlights..

The Baltimore Sun is speaking about how to avoid the dreaded political mayhem at the dinner table..

The Chicago TRIBUNE gives tips on 'no turkey talking’ ..

A CBS affiliate is asking if you can survive politics on Thanksgiving..

The NEW YORK TIMES is reporting that some are opting out of Thanksgiving politics talk..

x x x

Every year I post this image online. I have had a website since the year 2000, and around 2001, this was a shot taken by an AP photographer and it was posted online .. it was the first Thanksgiving that America had to live through since 9/11 .. that first Thanksgiving was difficult. It was intense.. The feeling of unity, however, was strong. There were American flags and pumpkin pies in every town and on every table. The photo of this man, on the eve of Thanksgiving, struck me.. it was someone who seemingly was racing through life, and with the events of that year racing around his head and our collective spirit, the whirlwind of time finally seemed to hit him as he raced for his subway.. and since 01, I posted this photo somewhere..

This year, time has moved on.. today the LA TIMES posted this photograph of people on the Left Coast struck in snail’s pace traffic jams..

Some are racing home.. some are pacing themselves.

We have come a long way since 9/11.. we have are now going into a term of a third president since the terror attack took place.
And ….united we stood then.. Divided we stand now.

x x x

I question whether we are really as divided as media sources would tell us.. I have divergent opinions in my own family and undoubtedly, as we always do, we will discuss politics at the dinner table. We never had that 'dinner is too sacred’ attitude to not talk about it.. I can also, however, acknowledge that this year there may be reasons to avoid talk. Hillary…Trump.. it’s been a long and hateful year.

x x x

President Obama pardoned his final turkey today.

This has always been one of my favorite moments of any year.. it’s the time when you realize the holidays have begun. The famed presidential pardon. I assume Donald Trump will continue the tradition.. but he will surely look strange doing it.

You can easily get used to seeing someone in the White House. When Bush left the keys to Obama, it took time to get used to a new face. Just as much as it took when Clinton handed over the White House to Junior. And when Trump takes the reigns? Well that will be the weirdest sight of all.

We are going on the second week since Trump’s victory and it still feels like the same election fight from prior to November 8 is taking place. Tonight, CNN’s headline is showcasing Hillary Clinton’s popular vote victory of 2million as their main headline..
….something perhaps only reinvigorating the debate that may take place at tomorrow’s dinner table.

x x x

I think political talk at tables is fine.. There was always politics discussed in my family’s house when I grew up. There were battles, too! Oh my were there battles. Anger.. hostility.. The Iraq war was the same, as I can recall. As will, probably, be tomorrow. And any other holiday.

I think it is healthy, in this nation, to have a good old fashioned debate or chat over turkey and yams .. anything goes.

Instead of avoiding political talk, just have it! Don’t be afraid!

Just.. be calm. Careful. And kind. Those traits go well with opinionated Thanksgiving dinner talk.

GOBBLE GOBBLE.

By plane, by train, by automobile! America comes home for...

By plane, by train, by automobile! 
America comes home for Thanksgiving 2016.

Every astronaut since 1969 landings has seen strange "flashing lights" while approaching the Moon

Every astronaut since 1969 landings has seen strange "flashing lights" while approaching the Moon:

Strangely, every astronaut since the first Apollo 11 Moon landings in 1969 has reported seeing the mysterious flashes - whether their eyes are open or not.

C-SPAN’s Trump Tower Elevatorcam, and the Meaning of Life

C-SPAN’s Trump Tower Elevatorcam, and the Meaning of Life:

Vanity Fair has a good description of the strange new world of watching the elevator at the Trump tower for tea leaves of the future..

The whole spectacle was very updated, digital counterpart to the Cold War days when Western analysts actually studied wall posters in what was then Peking, now Beijing. They looked for signs of who was up, who was down in the government.“It’s like a modern (and less entertaining) version of Grand Hotel,” says Jon Maas, a Hollywood writer-producer: “Always the same. People come. People go. Nothing ever happens.”

“You guys just wait all day?,” you could hear a disembodied voice ask, probably a pool cameraman or one of the nearby producers and reporters, all seeking morsels. And, this being the age of video, there were the tourists taking photos of the pool camera itself, in one case blurting out, “Say cheese, everyone!”

Oh and yes… the Naked Cowboy was there as well..

Suddenly a divided election is leading to a period of hope and...

Suddenly a divided election is leading to a period of hope and change in the coming year... Americans are optimistic in challenging times. It’s one of the best qualities about this nation..

Incidentally, I will start keeping track of the number of positive stories CNN now that Trump has initiated very tense meetings with media officials that he, to their faces, calls liars..

Tests raise hopes for radical new therapy for phobias and PTSD

Tests raise hopes for radical new therapy for phobias and PTSD :

Scientists have raised hopes for a radical new therapy for phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with a procedure that can dampen down fears linked to painful memories.

The advance holds particular promise for patients because in early tests, researchers found they could reduce anxieties triggered by specific memories without asking people to think about them consciously.

Very interesting article .. shock therapy .. be afraid and even more afraid and then be calm..

A traffic jam is seen as people evacuate after tsunami...

A traffic jam is seen as people evacuate after tsunami advisories were issued following an earthquake, in Iwaki, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo November 22, 2016. Kyodo/via
REUTERS

Fukushima reactor cooling system stops following quake & tsunami!!

Fukushima reactor cooling system stops following quake & tsunami!!:

The cooling system of the third reactor at the Fukushima nuclear power plant has stopped circulating water following a powerful 7.3 offshore earthquake.

TEPCO said it managed to restart the system some 90 minutes after the failure.

Tsunami waves have been visible along the coast..

Teenager films 'meteorite' burning across sky following Japanese earthquake

Teenager films 'meteorite' burning across sky following Japanese earthquake :

The teen, known as Asuka, 16, from Japan, filmed the extraordinary sight trailing across the evening sky this evening.

A rough translation of her Tweet accompanying the video says: “A movie I took while preparing to die.

No word from Fukushima if we need to buy up salt with iodine yet..

Donald Trump’s media summit was a ‘f—ing firing squad’

Donald Trump’s media summit was a ‘f—ing firing squad’ :

Trump kept saying, ‘We’re in a room of liars, the deceitful dishonest media who got it all wrong. He addressed everyone in the room calling the media dishonest, deceitful liars. He called out Jeff Zucker by name and said everyone at CNN was a liar, and CNN was network of liars.

“Trump didn’t say Katy Tur by name, but talked about an NBC female correspondent who got it wrong, then he referred to a horrible network correspondent who cried when Hillary lost who hosted a debate – which was Martha Raddatz who was also in the room.

This is wild ..
by the way Kellyanne Conway said the meeting went well..

I think it’s a harbinger of the next four years of the press relationship with Donald Trump..

7.3 magnitude quake hits Japan, Fukushima residents urged to flee

7.3 magnitude quake hits Japan, Fukushima residents urged to flee:

REUTERS REPORTING:
There were no immediate reports of damage or injury, which struck at 5:59 a.m. (3.59 p.m. ET).
Tokyo Electric Power Co was checking its nuclear plants in Fukushima for damage, public broadcaster NHK said. The utility could not immediately be reached by Reuters.

Tohoku Electric Power Co said there was no damage to its Onagawa nuclear plant.

Television footage showed ships moving out to sea from Fukushima harbors, as the meteorological agency warned of a tsunami of 3 meters (10 feet) for Fukushima, where Tepco’s Daiichi nuclear plant was devastated in a March 2011 quake and tsunami.

You are being a bad friend!! So says a new article posted in...

You are being a bad friend!!

So says a new article posted in the NEW YORK POST, all about how our constant reliance on social media is creating a terrible person out of everyone.

And I believe it.
We are getting winded by the steady stream of 24/7 junk. This election had consequences, too.. we just delved deeper into a pile of excrement on a daily basis of politics..

Real friendships aren’t online. Real friendships can be aided by social media.. but just quicky skimming through a feed and casually liking things and forgetting ten seconds later what you saw is the most repugnant form of friendship one can find.. and it’s very ‘BLACK MIRROR'ish to be perfectly honest..

I went back to my 2015 year in review and 2016 predictions. I actually am going to toot a horn. One prediction was that social media would wane, and that we would all find real ways to connect to people again. I sense that is happening.

I think the quicker it happens, the better it will be..

scarystoriestouploadinthedark: It was just a normal day for...

scarystoriestouploadinthedark:

It was just a normal day for Melissa Kurtz, 48, who was driving on a highway in the Maitland area of Florida, near Orlando, to take her 13-year-old daughter, Harper, to a beauty pageant. Harper wasn’t wearing a seat belt, which was normal for her, and taking selfies to pass the time.

And then when she saw the picture days later she realized she saw someone behind her … she was alone in the car at the time the selfie was snapped.

Kurtz decided to do some research on the road they were driving on that day and discovered that there had been an accident on that same road and the day her and Harper were driving on it happened to be the anniversary of the death that occurred because of it

The UK DAILY MAIL interviewed her.. Kurtz said that she thinks the (potential) ghost in the photo was a warning to wear seat belts.. 

For your consumption.. and decision. 

This comes from the same person that has also said to have had a number of paranormal events happen to her and her family.. in situations like this, when you decide what is real, take into consideration between someone who wants attention vs someone who received ghostly attention.

IS ANYONE READ FOR THIS!?

IS ANYONE READ FOR THIS!?

I neglected to upload this photo last week.. but it was the...

I neglected to upload this photo last week.. but it was the super moon over Ashland PA about a week ago in November.. great shot down Walnut Street..

bonniekristian: If “did not vote” was a candidate, it would...

bonniekristian:

If “did not vote” was a candidate, it would have won by a landslide. 

A perfect summation to the year in politics from @bonniekristian

Black Mirror mania: I love this show

I love this show.. I have avidly watched it since the program’s inception onto NETFLIX.. The pigs.. The tech… The lessons of morality and the consequences of people’s dirty deeds online. The future is now. Evident in this program: The cautionary tales of horror that can happen when tech goes wrong and the virtue of an honest life..

The newest season of Black Mirror was loaded onto Netflix around Halloween. Due to a lack of time, I have yet to watch about 1 and a half more episodes. But the pure joy I have in doing so makes me actually want to take it slow.

I recall quickly moving through the entire series of STRANGER THINGS. By the time it was done, I wanted to go back and start from the beginning.

Black Mirror is a bit different. Each program makes you ponder more than the next.. Each show has twists and turns that throw your mind into a loop of madness. Each program makes you feel like it’s real and, equally so, feel a sense of dread for our collective Internet-driven future.

The far best episode in the entire series thus far (my opinion of course) is ‘Hated in the Nation.’ Some others only call this episode solid but 'unremarkable’ but I think it is brilliant.

It takes into account a dwindling bee population and how our society may delve into tech to save the planet, and terrorism, hacking , assassination, murder, and espionage. Along with a lot of fun grammatical uses of the F and C word for emphasis. The show was pure joy.. It was over an hour long and could have easily been a successful box office hit. But thankfully because of Black Mirror and Netflix, we can have the show beamed right to our electronic devices.

In Hated in the Nation, a technology company invents a high tech drone bee to pollinate the planet. During a hack attack, someone gets the chance to control the bee population to use it for murder. A 'hash tag’ battle begins on social media. And the person most hated in the nation becomes a victim. That is just the beginning. It weaves itself into a moral play and a final act of redemption during the post-modem and Mortem.

You just have to watch it to understand what I am talking about.. It has quickly become of the best shows/movies/things I have ever watched.

I have grown to despise so many vast portions of social media while… Of course… Using it as well. Hashtags and red flags abound … I just can’t stomach seeing the 'trending’ words of the day. I hate myself for often looking.. But it’s how we get news. Opinions. Statements. Hell, it’s how we picked a president in 2016!

Social media.
And antisocial disorder. They go together so well.

Black Mirror’s HATED IN THE NATION is a must watch for those nervous about social media’s power, or for those who think they can act on devices without consequence.
There are consequences.
Perhaps in the future, the consequences will be fatal and final.

No more fake news. Long live fake news.

For people lacking a connection to the world over the past week, take note: There has been consternation, division, anger.. regret.. vitriolic rage. The election of 2016 has left charred corpses along the political battle lines. Whether it’s the purge of Chris Christie confidants within the transition team or the rioting on several city blocks across America, things have been tense. The other night, Donald Trump had the nerve and gumption to ditch the press and go for a steak dinner with family alone. You’d think world war three was declared with the reaction.


All of this political fervor, hopefully, will subside by the time the cold months of winter hit. But there will be a longer and more far reaching event…


The media world has been up in arms over the Trump victory. Though their actions most likely led to increased coverage and potentially aided in a Trump primary victory during the early onset of this year, the made a choice mid-way through 2016 to take on the Republican nominee more ferociously than Hillary Clinton. As a result, alt-right sites and other ‘media’ blogs started popping up on Facebook and Twitter. By the time the election had come in November, I had enough of all of it. I turned away from Facebook and other social media sites because it all became mentally too much to handle. It was an overload of information . But sadly so often that information lacked one important thing: Truth.


Since the election, collective soul searching has apparently forced Google and Facebook, including Twitter, to react. And now, a 1984 style removal process seemingly has begun. The ‘fake news’ sites have been getting deleted, or Google ads have been taken from them, or Facebook has been actively working on having users report sites for misleading information.

….and this is where some of my own fears begin.
Let me first say this: One of the most offensive social media sins—common on Facebook mostly—is the clickbait nonsense of fakery and eye-grabbing headlines that don’t amount to anything except false information and websites packed with ads just to make pennies on a dollar off of your click. It’s a cheap and tacky thing, to link such sites, on your own newsfeed. You need to proceed with caution. If your information is true, you can lead yourself into hateful debate. If your information is false, someone will “Snopes” you and you will forever look like a fool who fell for it.
That said, there is also a certain amount of first amendment fear in my heart. Yes, fake news is out there. But what fake news? Who determines that?

The problems of a polarized nation are constantly multiplying.


This year, after Trump won the election, a fan of his commented to me that, “maybe now he could do something about the media.” I asked pressing questions of the person about this. What resulted with some inane banter about how Trump should ban the New York Times and other media outlets from reporting ‘lies.’


While that opinion is frightening in itself, the mainstream media may argue that press freedom and constitutional rights should not apply to ‘bloggers’ and other non-media people. But who determines that?


Alex Jones and Matt Drudge may have been the two most important people in the year 2016. If TIME magazine was honest, they would name the alternative media as the person of the year.


And that has created a backlash from the mainstream. The Donald Trump press-less steak dinner episode is just the beginning of a tumultuous relationship.


Private companies have the right to do as they please when it comes to private affairs of business. So if Google blocks ads on pages, there may be no legal issue—unless of course the situation devolves into class action or civil litigation.
But there is a long term problem taking place, and the crackdown on ‘fake news’ may highlight that.


Over the past 15 or so years, the populace has dumbed down faster than a dial up internet connection. We have gone from reading newspaper reports written at a 7th grade level to only reading headlines written on a 1st grade level. We click on the bait and then we replicate. We don’t know much of anything except what some misleading headline told us. Social media has also given us an excuse to actually be dumb! We can pick our news feed. We want to be comfortable and calm when we read.. we don’t want alternative viewpoints. If we are liberal, we will Raw Story it up. If we are conservative, we only check World Net Daily. Living in a comfort zone is the cruelest thing we can do to our brains…


And sadly, the mainstream media has become more biased.. it is no lie to say FOX has a conservative bent and that MSNBC cries when it uses the words “Trump” and “President-Elect” in the same sentence. CNN has just become horrid, filled with nonsense in between Wolf Blitzer screaming out states and numbers.


Earthquakes persist… war zones are intolerable.. people across the world are having real issues. And American has plunged into a red-vs-blue disgusting array of garbage. Nothing we argue about is real. Nothing we ponder and conjure means anything in the final analysis. We fell for it. Congratulations.


Sadly, this crackdown on fake news will end up hurting people who actually tell us real news.


This morning, the INTERCEPT broke a REAL news story about a building in New York City with 29 floors being the home of ‘Project X.’ The INCERCEPT reports that this building, also with an AT&T office, is the location for a very important national security surveillance site. The NSA uses the location to tap into phone calls, faxes and the internet. I can easily picture a future where someone will chime in that ‘fake news’ includes anything that compromises national security. That fake news is anything which…well…is real.
The next few years are going to be very trying for people with common sense. And sadly, some will fall by the wayside… The debate over nonsensical political events and purposely contrived news stories will be the front and center topic on nightly news. And dinner tables.


Recall during the Iraq war 2 when the Pentagon got into the business of news reporting. It was propaganda purporting to be reporting. And hell if I know how, but it worked. I can envision the same thing… Donald Trump is a master of media manipulation. At the same time, clickbait headlines are creating constant false narratives. The conflict is there..
New media vs old media is one thing. But real news vs fake is another.


The only judge and jury, and decider of what is real and fake is the consumer. And consumption of fake news is high.

…..and we create the next 1984. Someone needs to start writing “2084” now.. Will the next George Orwell please stand up…

Mystery flight circles over Denver; Officials have few answers

Mystery flight circles over Denver; Officials have few answers :

7news in Denver was among the stations covering the weird event.. The flight path was an oval over Denver .. The plane then apparently left the city limits and flew to Oklahoma City..

From the report:

When contacting the military, including both U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) and United States Strategic Command (STRATCOM), neither organization could confirm the identity of the plane, or even locate it. 

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) also investigated the flight, however they couldn’t locate the flight or confirm its existence. When asked if the flight might have been a high-profile person, officials said the only high-profile flights in the air were in New York and Indiana. 

The long-term side effects tattoo ink has on your health

The long-term side effects tattoo ink has on your health:

I was always told to ‘think before you ink.’ All the more important given the many awful chemical components that you can find in the ink being carved into your body..

Google, Facebook move to restrict ads on fake news sites | Reuters

Google, Facebook move to restrict ads on fake news sites | Reuters:

I hate click bait.
I hate fake news sites..
But we need to be careful about what we say is fake.. and we also need to frame this debate in an honest way as we step down into the removal of ads from ‘fake sites’..

For prime example, the question to Google “who won the popular vote” has brought people to a site called 70news.wordpress.com, which reported that Trump won the popular vote.. despite losing by 700,000. Their argument was if you discount about three million votes cast by 'illegals’ then Trump clinched it.. False representation of the truth. Of course. But to say it would be right for Google to pulls its ads from 70news.wordpress.com is also not true—GOOGLE does not permit ads on free Wordpress sites to begin with. And 70news when I visited actually has no ads and 521 likes on Facebook.

There are two possible reactions about to occur.. 1) We are going to finally rid social media of nonsense fakery. Or 2) The mainstream is going to use this chance to think big and attack its competitors: Independent publishers and reporters.

We have to think 'bigly’ about this .. and actually do the intellectually honest thing instead of just going with an emotion…

This is a screen shot from a YouTube video portending to show a...

This is a screen shot from a YouTube video portending to show a UFO crossing by a supermoon in Surprise Arizona on Saturday.. the user described the type of camera he was using.. other users have reacted…
And the rest is UFO history.

Unfortunately modern phone cameras can’t do ancient relics...

Unfortunately modern phone cameras can’t do ancient relics of space any justice ..

Enjoy the super moon as it rises
Find your best compromises
Don’t inflict pain.
Relish in satellites of all sizes.

Gwen Ifill, one of the most prominent African-American...

Gwen Ifill, one of the most prominent African-American journalists in the country, has died.. . She was 61.

She died after fighting a battle with cancer..

Trump: Twitter helped me win but I'll be 'restrained' now

Trump: Twitter helped me win but I'll be 'restrained' now :

scarystoriestouploadinthedark:

While covering and linking up several political stories over the past 15 months, I have primarily been silent as to the candidate of my choice. I will continue to do so, so nothing within this opinion relates to who I actually voted for this year.. Some time honored private matters, to me, are still cherished.

That said, I do not think the election of Donald Trump should be considered a surprise to anyone watching. Social media, the way we chat and chatter online, created this. We created this. WE made Donald Trump …

It also reminds me of using a spirit board.. or conjuring up something from another existence. If you really, really REALLY want to talk to a spirit, one may just talk back. Then you got your wish.
In our world, social media use and the quit hits of Twitter and Facebook have allowed us to dumb down political talk .. we have gone from large 10,000 word articles on the events of the day or week down to 100 character or so tweets. We decide on things after only glancing at headlines.. we do not check sources, but instead eat up anything we see on Facebook. So as long as we agree with it.

And that is another problem with modern social media. We do not find things to challenge our thoughts or opinions… we don’t want to be challenged. Instead we are given the ability to follow the places we are fans of on the newsfeed……and you miss valuable contrary information by doing so.

And the news? The news has become a victim, too. There is no ‘news’ anymore.. Today as Itype this there was a 7.8 quake off New Zealand and a tsunami warning. That is news. But it doesn’t sell in America. Instead the airwaves will be filled with indigestable political stories 24/7.

The protests against Trump are being made worse by a media that glorifies them. But when violence occurs, the media shutters back and quickly showcases brief and not-so-serious calls for calm.

Today on Twitter a friend asked me why I think Saturday Night Live was a fan of Hillary. She pointed out that Trump guest hosted the program. My answer was twofold. 1) Ratings. Trump equals ratings. 2) It was pre-extreme and pre-Muslim ban and pre-wall.

Trump used his social media influence in the 2016 election like no other candidate. Elections will not be fought on airwaves anymore.. radio ads don’t matter. TV ads just annoy. YouTube ads? They work… Social media platforms? They work. And sadly, fake clickbait websites work as well as the solid and reliable ones.

The 2008 election was the first time a candidate was able to harnass social media and Facebook to elicit donations and support among the young. In 2016, eight lightspeed fast years later, a candidate did not even bother raising money but instead used the platforms to gain a mass of people who, many of which never voted before, to vote for him.

It was the perfect storm in 2016..
You may not be happy with results. You may be one of those college students in certified ‘weep rooms’ or being told by university staff to form PlayDoh to express emotions (very silly in my thought)… or you are a member of the red state victors now hoping and praying that the president you so hoped for does not become a president you are not proud of.

We just don’t know.
We don’t have a clue.
A social media candidate is the modern day version of Mr Smith goes to Washington. But even Mr. Smith was forced to give more detailed thoughts on plans. And Mr. Smith was fiction!!!

Fiction is now alive and real in modern day 21st century politics.

A Congress, a Court, and a populace will now have to work and watch a President Donald Trump.

We got to know him (*kinda!*) through social media. And now as president, he says, he will tone it down. Backtrack… keep it less brash and unabashed.

…..perhaps that is the most interesting thing of all. Sure, social media changed everything. It changed how we read politics.. it changed how we vote.
But as Donald Trump is now realizing, it does NOT change how to govern….
We will now collectively watch how President Trump governs.

(Through it all, I still cannot stop to think about the Simpsons in 2000 predicting that a president Trump would happen……… wise beyond years)

A long read from my other site I thought you’d enjoy.

Today’s Drudge headline.. the story linked:Anti-Trump Protests:...

Today’s Drudge headline.. the story linked:

Anti-Trump Protests: 1 Shot After ‘Confrontation’ in Portland; Marchers Hit NYC, L.A.

Anti-Trump protests are spreading

The media is loving it!
Ratings galore..
First help Trump beat the odds in the primaries…then turn on him during the general. When he actually assumes the mantle of leadership, promote raging anger against him.

ratings ratings ratings…
Can’t anyone see through this?

Nonetheless, there are some pretty big protests spreading throughout the United States.. three nights in a row. And some of them are getting very violent.

Thousands took to the streets of cities across the United States late Friday and early Saturday as anti-Donald Trump protests saw highways and interstates blocked, numerous arrests – and a shooting at a march in Portland, Oregon

Even President-Elect Trump (*read that a few times*) Tweeted (read that a few times) about the issue, saying “Just had a very open and successful presidential election. Now professional protesters, incited by the media, are protesting. Very unfair!” On Friday night, it appears the prestige of the presidency made him reconsider just how much more he wants to Tweet out.. he changed a tune, a bit, saying this:

Love the fact that the small groups of protesters last night have passion for our great country. We will all come together and be proud!

Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis was broadcasting live during a particularly hardcore protest in Portland last night.. what was not known at the time during his broadcast: In Portland Oregon, a man was injured in a shooting on the Morrison Bridge during a protest march early Saturday morning.
The suspect was believed to be in a vehicle on the bridge when a confrontation unfolded with someone in the crowd, Portland Police said in a news release. The suspect got out of the vehicle and fired multiple shots before fleeing the scene…

Developing..

I missed this last night and feel awful about...

I missed this last night and feel awful about it..

Singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen has died at the age of 82, according to a post on his official Facebook page.

“We have lost one of music’s most revered and prolific visionaries,” the post said.

A highly respected artist known for his poetic and lyrical music, Cohen wrote a number of popular songs including the often-covered “Hallelujah.” His 14th studio album, “You Want It Darker,” was released on October 21.

Apart from his successful musical career, Cohen also wrote novels and numerous collections of poetry.

Yet another RIP of 2016 that hits hard..

sfox111: A sliver of light through dark times Amazing photo

sfox111:

A sliver of light through dark times

Amazing photo

The Electoral College Is Hated by Many. So Why Does It Endure?

The Electoral College Is Hated by Many. So Why Does It Endure? :

This is a great article from the NEW YORK TIMES concerning the Electoral college, why it exists.. and why it probably is going to stick around.

Thanks James Madison.

The entire globe is shaking

The entire globe is shaking

grasslooter: Janet Reno, former attorney general, dead at 78..

grasslooter:

Janet Reno, former attorney general, dead at 78..

grasslooter: The moment Trump got rushed off stage in Nevada ..

grasslooter:

The moment Trump got rushed off stage in Nevada ..

JEEZ BEEBS.. the least you could do is PRETEND you’re having fun...

JEEZ BEEBS.. the least you could do is PRETEND you’re having fun in Dublin.

But I guess not.. Bieber gave up so much that apparently fans who went to see him are asking for some money back for the lackluster show..

November 5.

“Death is a cold, blindfolded kiss.
It is the finger pressed upon our lips.
It puts an unwanted emphasis
On how we should have lived.

Life is a gorgeous, broken gift.
Six billion + pieces waiting to be fixed.
Love letters that were never signed,
Sent to where we live.

But the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard
Is that I don’t have to have the answers,
Just a little light to call my own.

Though it pales in comparison
To the overarching shadows,
A speck of light can reignite the sun
And swallow darkness whole.”

~Sleeping At Last “Emphasis”

A meat-free Turin? Is Italy’s first 'vegetarian city' a recipe for disaster?

A meat-free Turin? Is Italy’s first 'vegetarian city' a recipe for disaster?:

Interesting article from Italy..

Turin’s new mayor has announced plans to make it a vegetarian city – even introducing a weekly meat-free day. But in an area with a meat-eating and rich culinary culture, the plans are proving divisive for residents..

MOMENT CAPTURED IN TIME.. This is the Drudge Report top fold as...

MOMENT CAPTURED IN TIME.. This is the Drudge Report top fold as we head into the final homestretch of campaign 2016..

Matt Drudge is right. All of these states are currently tied up – and that is a huge deal when compared to numbers from just one week ago. 

It really really is a good recipe .. (See my previous post)

It really really is a good recipe .. (See my previous post)

Let it be know ..

I’m so secure in my masculinity that I’ll steal a recipe magazine from the dentist office, make the food after my appointment, and bring a helping of it in the next day for women I work with to taste.

And they liked it .

The restaurant recession has arrived

The restaurant recession has arrived:

MARKET WATCH:

Restaurant companies should brace for a challenging period as consumers grapple with the rising costs of rent, prescriptions and car loans and take advantage of cheaper groceries to eat at home more.

That’s the verdict of Moody’s Investors Service, which on Tuesday slashed its operating-profit growth forecast for the restaurant sector and revised its outlook to stable from positive. The ratings agency is now expecting operating profit to grow 2% to 4% in the next 12 to 18 months, down from a previous forecast of growth of 5% to 6%.

“Consumers are wrestling with higher nondiscretionary spending needs, while restaurant companies face higher operating costs, predominantly labor and challenged traffic trends,” Moody’s analyst Bill Fahy wrote in a note.

I can personally attest to the facts and assumptions within this article.. not only have I cut back spending a bit but people I know who run restaurants or work within them also speak of much less customers now than one year ago when both time frames are compared.. 

A big day for NWSL

Ali Krieger is out at the Washington Spirit..
And my favorite player, Crystal Dunn, is going overseas!

The drive to see the best players may be a lot longer.. and now require a boat or a plane..

The WASHINGTON POST splashed this about three hours ago..

Spirit attacker Crystal Dunn, the 2015 NWSL MVP who scored twice in the championship defeat to the Western New York Flash last month, is apparently seeking to move overseas. Like Krieger, Dunn is under contract with the U.S. Soccer Federation, which underwrites the NWSL by paying the salaries of marquee U.S. player

And the soccer world went wild.. Reactions surely are on your timeline if you follow the usual suspects..

Pride and prejudice

A sad day for Washington Spirit fans.. Ali Krieger is most likely being announced to be going to the Orlando Pride today ..

Her true fans will follow.
But sadly for most it will be a much longer drive.

What you see is not what you get. Ayden was Chewbacca for...

What you see is not what you get. Ayden was Chewbacca for Halloween. I was just dad. We swapped faces and it’s entirely too creepy to stare at.
Hope your Halloween was filled with cool ghouls and frightening escapes into the netherworld. And candy as well.
Happy Movember. Gobble early and often.

This was ASHLAND PENNSYLVANIA around the year 1900.. Published...

This was ASHLAND PENNSYLVANIA around the year 1900..

Published by Vaughn’s 1400 Centre Street, Ashland, PA

I always wonder what stories, anecdotes, and interesting colloquial affairs were taking place the day that such old photos were taken..

Also amazing to see how structures that look as they are today looked then.. over 100 years back in time.

AND NOW FOR NEWS THAT YOU DIDN’T HEAR DISCUSSED ON DEBATE STAGES THIS YEAR

grasslooter:

Perhaps some of the most important information, as well.. things that are actually effecting our health. Our families. Our lives. And our futures..

THE OPIOID CRISIS..

The number of young children and teens hospitalized for overdosing on opioid painkillers have spiked nearly threefold in recent years, a new study finds.

Among children under 10, most of the painkiller poisonings were accidental, with children “eating them like candy,” said lead researcher Julie Gaither, a postdoctoral fellow in biostatistics at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn. Among teens, most were accidental overdoses, although some were suicide attempts.

In both age groups, the increase in cases involving painkillers like OxyContin, Percocet and Vicodin was dramatic.

Among children aged 1 to 4 years, the number of poisonings went up 205 percent from 1997 to 2012. For teens 15 to 19, the increase was 176 percent. Overall, the study showed a 165 percent increase in poisonings from opioid painkillers among those 19 and younger.

In addition, poisonings involving the use of heroin among teens increased 161 percent, while poisonings involving methadone went up 950 percent.

Among children aged 10 to 14, the incidence of poisonings from suicide or self-inflicted injury rose 37 percent, while the incidence of accidental poisoning increased 82 percent.

Among teens 15 to 19, poisonings from suicide or self-inflicted injury increased 140 percent, while accidental poisoning increased 300 percent, the researchers found.

Some Florida residents plan armed trick-or-treating after creepy clown 'threats'!

Some Florida residents plan armed trick-or-treating after creepy clown 'threats'!:

scarystoriestouploadinthedark:

In South Florida, Broward County schools prohibited clown costumes for Halloween activities, according to a Sun Sentinel reporter.

Parents received phone messages this week that said: “While many of the clown threats in our community and across the nation have proven to be hoaxes, it is still best for us to continue to operate in an abundance of caution.”

Ridiculous, as I have written before and will again next year when the August through fall small town clown romp begins anew.. 

But for tonight, don’t ARM YOURSELF to deal with clowns..
And …. as the message from the schools in Florida have even admitted, most of these clown ‘threats’ have been hoaxes and fake anyway.

Everyone be calm tonight.. Jeez Louise.. 

This is a little creepy…Katy Perry as Hillary..Orlando...

This is a little creepy…
Katy Perry as Hillary..
Orlando Bloom as Bubba.

It is realistic in a bizarro version of both of them..

Chop your broccoli.

It may actually stop aging.
See…
The ancient song from a century ago was right.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mXIL_LKvvI?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=540&h=405]

A tale of a few headlines

If you want the unbiased unabashed truth on the US economy as we head into the November election, don’t expect to find it..

Just look at these series of stories from Google News just this morning, a collection of links controlled by robots by the way .. The common theory is that the US economy is roaring back. Or … it’s slow. Or it’s anemic. But it’s the best in years. But it’s awful.

Good luck with understanding that.

6.6-magnitude quake rocks central Italy (*again)

6.6-magnitude quake rocks central Italy (*again):

More quake madness in central Italy–a location hit hard by tremors over the past six months..

A powerful 6.6-magnitude earthquake rocked central Italy on Sunday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey, in the strongest tremor to hit the country in 36 years.

From the CNN report..

A powerful 6.6-magnitude earthquake rocked central Italy on Sunday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey, in the strongest tremor to hit the country in 36 years.

Residents ran onto the streets in a panic as the quake struck at 7:40 a.m. local time (2:40 am ET), and rescuers were seen in the area around crumbling historical buildings soon after the tremor hit, helping evacuate a group of nuns. They worked through aftershocks that hit every 20 minutes or so.

Recall earlier this week that there was a 5.5 and 6.1 .. and in August a major quake that hit and killed 300 people..

Prayers go to the nation of Italy..

This is the latest cover of the NEW YORK POST.. The bombshell of...

This is the latest cover of the NEW YORK POST.. The bombshell of October surprises occurred just as the waning days off the 2016 presidential campaign began.. Hillary Clinton’s email server investigation was closed by James Comey and the FBI back in the summer. Safely paving the way for the nomination of HILL.. it was reopened yesterday .. Anthony Weiner’s computer apparently had emails that would have had, as the POST claimed, enough ‘dirt’ to compel the FBI into reopening the investigation. Reigniting the issue. Restoking the flames. And invigorating the Donald Trump campaign to use it as an issue as the last days of this election cycle now begin…

The race is on.

New Emails in Clinton Case Came From Devices Once Used by Anthony Weiner

New Emails in Clinton Case Came From Devices Once Used by Anthony Weiner :

The entire 2016 presidential campaign has now been rocked ..

ROBERT ENGLUND posted a whole bunch of old behind the scenes...

ROBERT ENGLUND posted a whole bunch of old behind the scenes images from NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET..

JUST PICTURE MICHAEL MYERS WITH A TERRIBLE MASK!

An artist named Marc Schoenbach did just that! 

There are some amazing Michael Myers masks out there for Halloween.

And some really, really awful ones.. I have owned both. 

The most iconic image of Michael Myers comes from the original film.. William Shatner’s face without paint is haunting and will forever be so. But just picture some of these wretchedly AWFUL Michael Myers masks replacing the first film’s SHAPE face!

For HALLOWEEN fanatics this may particularly funny..

Photo

I BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW THIS ABOUT GETTING BEHEADED..Guillotines...

I BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW THIS ABOUT GETTING BEHEADED..

Guillotines made the act of decapitating someone relatively quick (but not painless), but before the guillotine was invented, using a sword or axe often meant multiple strokes were required. Mary, Queen of Scots, for example, required three strokes when she was executed in 1587. Think that’s bad? According to Tudor History, Margaret Pole, the Eighth Countess of Salisbury, was beheaded by an inexperienced executioner who botched the job and practically shredded her head and neck. made the act of decapitating someone relatively quick (but not painless), but before the guillotine was invented, using a sword or axe often meant multiple strokes were required. Mary, Queen of Scots, for example, required three strokes when she was executed in 1587. Think that’s bad? According to Tudor History, Margaret Pole, the Eighth Countess of Salisbury, was beheaded by an inexperienced executioner who botched the job and practically shredded her head and neck.

Interesting breakdown..

Interesting breakdown..

This is an image from Seph Lawless–one of my all time favorite...

This is an image from Seph Lawless–one of my all time favorite photographers and one of the coolest people online today .. he takes footage inside abandoned places. He is best known for his work with malls that are closing or have closed, sneaking in and taking video and footage from inside of malls that once were amazingly busy and popular. He also has been in some very emotionally heavy places.. 

When Seph posted this doll head on Facebook, he also wrote this: (my emphasis added)

It is true that I’ve been inside and photographed some of the same abandoned houses that were used by serial killers Anthony Sowell and Michael Madison over the years. Both serial killers acted independently and used abandoned homes to torture, murder and hide the victims bodies in and/or on the property of these abandoned homes. Both men are currently on death row.
That being said I’ve seen crazy things inside abandoned places that make no sense at all and at times are truly frightening like a sex chamber set up at an abandoned building in Detroit that I reported to the Detroit PD years ago and never released those images and some that are just creepy like this abandoned home that had a room full of mannequin heads along with old lab equipment and intricate surgery tools oddly out of place.

People ask me all the time if I get scared in locations like this and the answer is undoubtedly yes but not because of ghosts…I’m petrified of humanity.

The Walking Dead torture porn hour

The WALKING DEAD gone too far!?
Fans revolted and repelled at Sunday night’s Torture Porn hour?

Fans are in a nightmare scenario: The Walking Dead may have lost its edge last season, but this year may have actually stooped lower and began the trend of being unwatchable..

The DAILY BEAST’s Melissa Leon writes this"

zombie drama aired its all-time most unwatchable hour Sunday night in a mind-numbingly brutal Season 7 opener that finally, after some ballsy meandering, revealed the identity of Negan’s victim, who was clubbed to death with a barbed-wire baseball bat in last season’s much-maligned cliffhanger.

You can read the entire review of the first night of the season here.

There is only so much you can do … Only so much hopelessness before you lose fans.

And I predict this year is the season when fans will say goodbye..

Trump, Clinton In Dead Heat As Race Hits Final Two-Week Stretch — IBD/TIPP Poll | Stock News & Stock Market Analysis

Trump, Clinton In Dead Heat As Race Hits Final Two-Week Stretch — IBD/TIPP Poll | Stock News & Stock Market Analysis :

This is much different than the ABC NEWS poll released yesterday showing Clinton with a 12 point advantage ..

The noteworthy number may be the sampling of R, D, and Inds…

The final stretch now begins. WE are almost to Election Day .. And then we can have our lives back again.

AT&T to buy HBO, CNN, and the rest of Time Warner for more than $80 billion.. If successful, AT&T will gain control of huge entertainment and news brands including HBO, Warner Bros. Entertainment, and CNN, and resembles efforts by competing ISPs in recent years to create enormous media conglomerates.

AT&T to buy HBO, CNN, and the rest of Time Warner for more than $80 billion.. If successful, AT&T will gain control of huge entertainment and news brands including HBO, Warner Bros. Entertainment, and CNN, and resembles efforts by competing ISPs in recent years to create enormous media conglomerates.:

And one of the biggest deals of all, AT&T is taking over the universe so much so that is will NOW OWN BATMAN..

That is a pretty big deal.

This is a mega merger.. Mega mergers as such often frighten me a bit.. And the thought of BATMAN characters and other DC Comics personalities being used for awful phone commercials is equally horrifying … And you know if they can do it they will..

But interestingly enough, people who hate mergers like this also hate Donald Trump, but the has expressed a desire during his ‘Gettysburg Address’ to somehow halt mergers like this if he becomes president! From the HR report:

Donald Trump expressed that he would not approve the AT&T and Time Warner merger if elected president. “Deals like this destroy democracy,” said Trump during a rally in Gettysburg, Pa., on Saturday, where he discussed what he would do in the first 100 days of his presidency.

Trump also said he would like to break up the Comcast-NBCUniversal merger. He opened up his speech, claiming the election is “rigged” against him and expressed that members of the media “lie and fabricate stories to make a candidate they don’t like look as bad and dangerous as possible.”

The real problem so often seems to be the consolidation of media power.. the powerless small guys have no shot at making it big. Thankfully the Internet came along and changed things, but with the NET being ceded over to the world government powers instead of the United States, I worry about the consequences of nations who could care less about the freedom of press saying what websites the press can have.. And even if you hate the Trump movement, you need to be aware that it is based off of a frustration deep within the United States over big trade deals, big mergers, factories closing, and bills for utilities going up despite the corporate executives making massive Christmas bonus dollars on top of already highly inflated salaries..

And …BATMAN.

God save BATMAN..

AT&T won’t.

The political winds of Halloween: Trump asking for a hand out of candy as his mask outsells Hillary. But does it mean anything at all?

I recall after 9/11, that particular Halloween, how ultra-sensitive and weird things were.. I remember the political ramifications of what you wore–the outfit could put you in the wrong category.. Are you with ‘us’ or against us..?

This year may be about the same.
It was strange to watch the Al Smith dinner the other night and see Donald Trump being jeered by the crowd of media elites for his commentary about Hillary–it was not really as much funny as it was biting. Hillary was more routine, more common.. more traditional. But this year the election is not traditional at all.
There are friendships dying and marriages drying, all because the people within relationships are choosing different candidates. Facebook has become a hostile battleground of red vs blue acquaintances..  It is all really too much .. over the top.

And this year, at your door step, the next fight might occur .. . Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are going to be there.. not in the forms of ADs or flyers in the mail, but in plastic form. Halloween masks.

x x x

I have been reading my Twitterverse feed as of late about this very topic. There are indications, we are told by prognosticators of all that is political, that the mask sales are indicators of who will WIN the election.  Some put about as much stock in that as people who say they see wooly little insects and that means a record setting year for snowfall was going to occur.

According to various reports from around the Halloween stores across America, people are buying up Trump masks over Hillary likenesses about 2 to 1.. Some locations even report a 3 to 1 advantage for the billionaire..  Clinton fans opine that it is not necessarily because the purchasers like Donald Trump .. but instead because recipients of the mask intend on mocking the Republican candidate for president across the fruited plain..

The HUFFINGTON POST just wrote up an article about very scary looking Trump mask production processes in mainland China.. –Maybe an import Trump would stop if he becomes president?

There are so many versions of his profile. And they are being bought up everywhere.

So … the polls.
Polls that show Hillary pulling ahead of Trump. Polls that indicate she is going to win the election, maybe not by a landslide but instead a razor close margin with the help of some swing states.

But history..
History of mask sales indicating who would win an election.
In 2008, TIME magazine had a story showing a 55-45 advantage of Obama over McCain in sales. It also spoke about How Reagan outsold Carter (despite polls in 80 showing Carter would win) …  And look at the numbers And realize just how close the mask sale figures were to the final popular vote tally.. maybe there is something to this?

But a cautionary tale for Trump fans who think his mask sales indicate a victory on November 8: Richard Nixon. His face is still a top seller. He is one of the most highly disregarded presidents because of his criminal activity and mental illnesses.. But people wear his face–often even during bank robberies.

Either way get ready. Get the candy warmed up.
Donald Trump is about to ask for a hand in a town near you.