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.