TODAY IS IMPORTANT

My wife is 36. My son is 5.
Birthdays galore.. and moments in time that we need to stop and reflect.

Tara may not want picture herself at the age she is–though I remind her she can now run for president. Heck if Trump can anyone can.

As for Ayden, 5 is a big deal.

I still remember his first birthday.. And third.. and now fifth–we didn’t skip the 2nd and 4th but we just opted not to have parties for them.

So later today as a dozen kids roll around a giant play time location with a ball pip and giant sliding board, it will feel strange and real.

Later this year: Kindergarten.

Until then let’s hold on to 16 as long as we can. The changes coming around real soon will make us women and men.

I love you Tara.
I love you Ayden.

Brazilian health officials and the World Health Organization are denying links between a well-known pesticide and microcephaly, a condition that causes babies to develop abnormally small heads and leads to death in some cases. The pesticide is called Pyriproxyfen, and it’s used in water tanks to eliminate mosquito larvae.

Brazilian health officials and the World Health Organization are denying links between a well-known pesticide and microcephaly, a condition that causes babies to develop abnormally small heads and leads to death in some cases. The pesticide is called Pyriproxyfen, and it’s used in water tanks to eliminate mosquito larvae.:

MORE:

“We decided to suspend the use of the product [Pyriproxyfen] in human consumption water until we get a position in the Ministry of Health and because of that we strengthen the appeal to the population to eliminate any possible breeding ground of the mosquito,” said Gabbardo said…

There are a large number of people who believe that Zika is being blamed too quickly..

SALON writes: Could a horror movie set in the 17th century explain America’s current insanity?

SALON writes: Could a horror movie set in the 17th century explain America’s current insanity?:

Is “The Witch,” under the surface, a story about sexual abuse, and about the vicious combination of guilt and jealousy that can poison relationships between mother and daughter, or between sisters? That’s certainly one way to read it. Is it, on a grander scale, an allegorical tale about religious hysteria and paranoid delusion, and even about the current of self-hatred and self-destructiveness that lies at the heart of the American experience? I would strongly argue for yes. But those aren’t mutually exclusive options — and it’s also a story about a well-meaning American family confronted by evil.

There is a witch in the woods, after all. We see her sneaking away with infant Sam, the unbaptized babe so crucial to certain diabolical rituals. Later in the film, we see her lure Caleb (Harvey Scrimshaw), Thomasin’s slightly younger brother, into her lair with a display of legs and cleavage entirely without precedent in 17th-century America. Is it relevant that we have already seen Caleb, a devout and loyal son, eyeing his sister’s body with the first stirrings of prurient interest? It might be. I’m sure someone will write a piece this week suggesting that Eggers is playing into misogynistic stereotype by implying that there may really have been child-killing witches in the New England woods, who could fly and who engaged in unorthodox sexual practices and who had signed their names in blood in the Black Book.

UMBERTO ECO DEAD AT 84

UMBERTO ECO DEAD AT 84

A pair of NASA astronauts released a capsule loaded with 1.5 tons of trash Friday. The spacecraft should re-enter the atmosphere and burn up harmlessly over the Pacific on Saturday.

A pair of NASA astronauts released a capsule loaded with 1.5 tons of trash Friday. The spacecraft should re-enter the atmosphere and burn up harmlessly over the Pacific on Saturday.

Trump says he'll release hidden 28 pages of 9/11 report

Trump says he'll release hidden 28 pages of 9/11 report :

Those pages detail the nation that that aided the hijackers… Some have seen, a few. But you haven’t. Or me. Trump says he’ll show us. And he thinks it implicates the Saudis…

This is wild.

WINTER IS NOT OVER..Evidence supplied from the latest computer...

WINTER IS NOT OVER..

Evidence supplied from the latest computer model runs of a storm coming next week showcases that.. 
BUT…
The confidence level of a cold storm is low.. there is so much uncertainty about this. It could be rain. Ice. Mix. Snow. All of the above.. And all for a long duration–if this is all snow get ready for more than 1 foot. If it’s a mix, get ready for one of the sloppiest segways into March winter can provide..

Accuweather is forecasting that enough cold weather should pour in to make snowmen possible.

All this possible. And developing. A days away.

McDonald's survey of franchisees finds pessimistic view of chain

McDonald's survey of franchisees finds pessimistic view of chain:

McDonald’s Corp. franchisees remained pessimistic about the company’s turnaround efforts during the much-hyped rollout of all-day breakfast, according to an internal survey. ..

Breakfast all day isn’t helping.

And speaking of breakfast all day, they don’t do egg-white sandwiches, so I hear. Maybe that has hurt too.

OR .. the turn to more healthy food in America would have gone wild on their profits and futures..?

Pope suggests contraceptives OK to slow Zika

Pope suggests contraceptives OK to slow Zika:

In other Pope news, he said that Donald Trump was not really a Christian. Trump fired back that when ISIS attacks the Vatican, the Pope will wish he would have prayed that the Donald would have been President.

2016 sure has been wild so far..

scarystoriestouploadinthedark: CUTE SELFIE MOMENT GONE WRONG:...

scarystoriestouploadinthedark:

CUTE SELFIE MOMENT GONE WRONG: KILLS BABY DOLPHIN

Real news from Buenos Aires.. James Joiner from the DAILY BEAST reporting:

Two Franciscana dolphins were ripped from the waves near an Argentinan resort last week, then manhandled to shore, where they were passed around a clutching mob seeking cute selfie moments. In the process, at least one of the intelligent, playful cetaceans died from the experience. Franciscana, or La Plata, dolphins are unable to spend as long out of the water as their larger brethren.

“At least one of these dolphins suffered a horrific, traumatic and utterly unnecessary death, for the sake of a few photographs,” a spokesperson from the World Animal Protection group told ABC in Australia, condemning the despicable incident. “This terribly unfortunate event is an example of the casual cruelty people can inflict when they use animals for entertainment purposes.”

And then get this:

After being pet and pawed at by dozens of people, one of the small creatures was found discarded on the beach, its usefulness as a social-media prop at an end. It was left coated in sand and soon died slowly of dehydration..

There were a few people still snapping some last minute photos as the creature lay gasping for its last bits if air before death.

There are a number of societal issues within this article.. commentary on our culture can be made as well. 

Feel free to make those.. 
And the next time you see a life form of any kind gasping for air and grasping for life, perhaps you should intervene before the selfie shot is taken.. 

Maybe?

Ranch owner clarifies how he found Scalia's body

Ranch owner clarifies how he found Scalia's body:

The weirdness doesn’t end..

The ranch owner, John Poindexter, tried to clarify his comments, telling “CBS This Morning” that Scalia “had a pillow over his head, not over his face as some have been saying. The pillow was against the headboard.”
Judge Cinderela Guevara said investigators found no signs of foul play or struggle. She added Scalia’s personal physician believed “the death was due to natural causes.”
William Ritchie, the former homicide commander of D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department, said an autopsy would put all these questions to rest.
“If you’re called to the scene to investigate a death, you will assume that death is a homicide until your investigation proves otherwise,” Ritchie said. “If the death scene was handled in an appropriate manner, we wouldn’t be having this discussion.”

Pope John Paul letters reveal 'intense' friendship with woman - BBC News

Pope John Paul letters reveal 'intense' friendship with woman - BBC News:

Photographs which have never been seen before by the public reveal Karol Wojtyla at his most relaxed. He invited Ms Tymieniecka to join him on country walks and skiing holidays - she even joined him on a group camping trip. The pictures also show her visiting him at the Vatican.
“Here is one of the handful of transcendentally great figures in public life in the 20th Century, the head of the Catholic Church, in an intense relationship with an attractive woman,” says Eamon Duffy, Professor of the History of Christianity at Cambridge University.

There are no present allegations or evidence revealed showcasing the relationship became romantic.. But it sure has some wondering if the Polish pontiff desired.
A game changing set of correspondence? Or swept under a Vatican rug?
The world knows now a bit more than it ever did about Pope John Paul II.

Apple ordered to break into San Bernardino shooter's iPhone

Apple ordered to break into San Bernardino shooter's iPhone:

A fascinating battle developing in the tech world and that of justice ..

Apple CEO Tim Cook said late Tuesday that the company would oppose the ruling.
In a message to customers published on Apple’s website, he said: “We can find no precedent for an American company being forced to expose its customers to a greater risk of attack. For years, cryptologists and national security experts have been warning against weakening encryption. Doing so would hurt only the well-meaning and law-abiding citizens who rely on companies like Apple to protect their data.”

NY MAG: The world might never know exactly what killed U.S. Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia

NY MAG: The world might never know exactly what killed U.S. Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia:

His family didn’t want an autopsy performed.

Tin foil hats were properly adjusted.
And conspiracy theories went wild.

GRAMMY STYLE 2016.. Strange times we live in.

GRAMMY STYLE 2016.. Strange times we live in.

Washington POST reports: Conspiracy theories swirl around the death of Antonin Scalia

Washington POST reports: Conspiracy theories swirl around the death of Antonin Scalia:

Two days after Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died suddenly in remote West Texas, a former D.C. homicide commander is raising questions about how the death was handled by local and federal authorities.

“As a former homicide commander, I am stunned that no autopsy was ordered for Justice Scalia,” William O. Ritchie, former head of criminal investigations for D.C. police, wrote in a post on Facebook on Sunday.

This reporting from the Washington POST–which incidentally is the newspaper of record that sort of started the ball of conspiracy theories rolling.

Intrigue over Scalia death–now hits the Drudge Report..

Intrigue over Scalia death–now hits the Drudge Report..

Scalia strangeness part 2?

Yesterday I posted a few snippets of the Washington POST article of how a conclusion was made that Justice Scalia had a heart attack without an autopsy.. Today another article is upping the ante on strange activity.. Again, I am not placing conspiracy into your head.. I am simply mind-boggled as to why a high justice dies after reports of a relatively healthy day previous and yet no one is concerned that ‘heart attack’ is placed on the death certificate without ANY medical evaluations to say so.. 

Nonetheless, tie Cilbola Creek ranch owner and Houston businessman John Poindexter. In his own words:

We discovered the judge in bed, a pillow over his head. His bed clothes were unwrinkled. 

He was lying very restfully. It looked like he had not quite awakened from a nap

US NEWS: Obama Keeps Public in Dark About 'Black Budget' Requests

US NEWS: Obama Keeps Public in Dark About 'Black Budget' Requests

More than 200,000 army, navy and air force troops fanned out...

More than 200,000 army, navy and air force troops fanned out Saturday across Brazil to teach people how to eliminate the Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads the Zika virus, which many health officials believe is linked to severe birth defects.

I think this entire situation is being overplayed in some ways by worldwide media.. and the WHO. But “who” am I? 

It is also of extreme importance for one other reason: The Olympics. As a matter of fact, just yesterday, Brazil’s president said that the summer games will go on as planned. Perhaps this issue explains the sudden emergence of 200,000 troops nationwide.

A few days ago news headlines were made in the soccer world: Major US players openly were concerned over ZIKA.

An obvious developing scenario..

Scalia death: A series of a few strange events

Not to sound the conspiracy alarm–Alex Jones already did that last night..

But just read some of these points from the WASHINGTON POST dispatch on the Supreme Court Justice’s death today:

The man known for his elegant legal opinions and profound intellect was found dead in his room at a hunting resort, either by a housekeeper or the ranch owner, according to conflicting accounts.

It then took hours for authorities in remote West Texas to find a justice of the peace, officials said Sunday. When they did, she pronounced Scalia dead of natural causes without seeing the body and decided not to order an autopsy. A second justice of the peace, who was called but couldn’t get to Scalia’s body in time, said she would have ordered an autopsy.

More:

“If it had been me . . . I would want to know,” Juanita Bishop, a justice of the peace in Presidio, Tex., told The Washington Post in an interview Sunday about the chaotic hours after Scalia’s death at the Cibolo Creek Ranch, a luxury compound less than an hour from the Mexican border and about 40 miles south of Marfa.

The U.S. Marshals Service has not issued a statement about the events surrounding Scalia’s death Saturday. And as official Washington tried to process what the justice’s death means for politics and the law, some details of his final hours remained opaque.

No autopsy? Quick embalming?

As late as Sunday afternoon, there were conflicting reports about whether an autopsy would be performed, though officials later said Scalia’s body was being embalmed and there would be no autopsy. One report, by WFAA-TV in Dallas, said the death certificate would show the cause of the death was a heart attack.

More information on his death:

Scalia did not appear for breakfast with others from the party, officials said; people at first thought he might be sleeping in, but they eventually grew concerned. A housekeeper found the body, according to Presidio County Judge Cinderela Guevara; other witnesses said the housekeeper opened Scalia’s door at the request of the ranch owner.

After emergency personnel and officials from the U.S. Marshals Service were called to the scene, two local judges who also serve as justices of the peace were called, Guevara said in an interview Sunday. Both were out of town, she said — not unusual in a remote region where municipalities are spread far apart.

Guevara also was out of town, but she said she declared Scalia dead based on information provided by officials at the scene, citing Texas laws that allow a justice of the peace to declare someone dead without seeing the body.

And finally this conclusion after all of the intrigue in high places.

“An autopsy was declined at about 3:30 a.m.,” Lujan said. “The justice of the peace said there was no indication of foul play and that he died in his sleep from natural causes.”

About 5.5 million people around the world die prematurely every year from breathing polluted air, and the majority of those deaths are occurring in China and India, where factories and coal-fired power plants are fueling economic growth, according to a report released Friday.

About 5.5 million people around the world die prematurely every year from breathing polluted air, and the majority of those deaths are occurring in China and India, where factories and coal-fired power plants are fueling economic growth, according to a report released Friday.:

The authors said the findings show that disease from air and household pollution ranks as the number two cause of death worldwide. It comes in right behind smoking, which the World Health Organization says kills 6 million people annually. The research, part of an initiative to monitor the global burden of disease, is being presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington.

Smoke em if you got em…

Earth's rarest minerals offer exciting potential in understanding life's origins - Modern Readers

Earth's rarest minerals offer exciting potential in understanding life's origins - Modern Readers:

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY. AND NOW ACCEPT MY RARE EARTH MINERAL AS A GIFT.

-LOVE, NOBODY.

This week we found out that scientists have finally detected...

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egfBaUdnAyQ?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=400&h=225]

This week we found out that scientists have finally detected gravity waves. That is a big deal. Einstein was right. He always seems to be.

Nonetheless, the video with this post is extra interesting: It’s the sound of two black wholes, 1.3 billion with a B years ago, combining into one super black hole. The sound is beautiful and amazing. The sound is our distant past.. Purely amazing./\

The report, written by the Argentine group Physicians in the Crop-Sprayed Towns (PCST), suspects that pyriproxyfen—a larvicide added to drinking water to stop the development of mosquito larvae in drinking water tanks—has caused the birth defects. The authors said that the pesticide, known by its commercial name SumiLarv, is manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical, a Japanese subsidiary of Monsanto.

The report, written by the Argentine group Physicians in the Crop-Sprayed Towns (PCST), suspects that pyriproxyfen—a larvicide added to drinking water to stop the development of mosquito larvae in drinking water tanks—has caused the birth defects. The authors said that the pesticide, known by its commercial name SumiLarv, is manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical, a Japanese subsidiary of Monsanto.:

This will surely cause controversy in the medical world.. and the chemical world.

All Thumbs: Megan Fox should rethink age jokes

All Thumbs: Megan Fox should rethink age jokes:

It was on Ellen. It was weird..And it went like this:

Fox was discussing how 30 – a milestone birthday – always seemed to be so “old” when she was younger.

Ellen, jumping in the conversation, agreed. The talk show host volunteered that when she was younger, “I would think somebody 50, 60 years old was, you know, just like…”

And then came Fox’s zinger. “In a hospice?” the young actress rushed to finish Ellen’s sentence for her, perhaps not realizing that DeGeneres is 58.

Awkward.

“I’m just saying!” Fox added, trying to recover. “When you’re young, that’s what you think.”

DeGeneres, pro that she is, defused things with,“I wouldn’t go that far, but certainly close to going to a hospice, yes.”

Thankfully ELLEN herself was on stage. The consummate professional allowed the program to flow. Even though this would have been a blockage of epic proportions in a plumbing world.

….VD Day..

….VD Day.. 

My wife’s least favorite fruit. But her favorite guy!

My wife’s least favorite fruit. But her favorite guy!

Migrant children vanished in Germany have 'had their organs harvested'

Migrant children vanished in Germany have 'had their organs harvested':

The worst horror show on earth..

Many of the 5,000 missing refugee and migrant children in German will have been forced into prostitution or harvested for their organs, according to the leader of the country’s Muslim council.

Aiman Mazyek, the chairman of the Central Council of German Muslims, said that immediate changes need to be made to the asylum system to protect children and young people.

He demanded to know why Europeans were not speaking out in defence of the missing children.  

AND THIS: 

Europol, the European police agency, had previously said that at least 10,000 unaccompanied refugee children had gone missing in Europe in the past 24 months.

Suffer the children. As always.. the most victimized by adults. All of the time.

Sculptures in the shape of cows are displayed in a paddock...

Sculptures in the shape of cows are displayed in a paddock ahead of Valentine’s Day on the outskirts of the town of Nowra, south of Sydney, Australia, February 13, 2016. The cow sculptures have become a local tradition to mark Valentine’s Day, which is celebrated on February 14. Picture taken February 13, 2016. REUTERS/David Gray TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY AQ

And what says love better than pink and white cow sculptures.

Ayden’s first haunting experience!

A little ghost story–one that hits a bit closer to home than anything else I have written.

Tonight, my wife and I took my son Ayden to a birthday party for a classmate at the Ashland Pennsylvania ELKS–sorry for the bad press (or good depending on your point of view) I am giving them on this matter..

The party was fine. It took place in the basement level bowling alley. Kids had a blast.. the cake was fine. And the pizza was as it should be.

There was one moment, though.. One strange event.

You see, the bathroom in the basement is unisex. So both genders shared their turns using it.. At one point, my son wanted to wash his hands. We made him wait because all three of us heard people in there. We figured it would be proper and kind to allow them to finish their business before barging in.

The seconds turned into minutes.. no one was coming out. So I decided to go in..
No one..
no one was there.
Not a soul.

The bathroom was empty and quiet. The voices we heard and shadows we saw–all there of us–were gone. Instead remaining were just two urinals and a toilet.

My son had the most amazing reaction of all. He immediately said “we just saw a ghost!” Almost excitedly as a matter of fact.

My wife and I were left pondering a few things. We attempted scientific logic. We tried making excuses for the voices we heard. We wanted to explain the shadows. And funny, both my wife and I independently agreed: We heard and saw three people. We just both agreed on that. Three people.

This is not the first time something unexplained happened to us. I saw things before. I think we all have. We just need to take a step back and consider the times we do. But the funny thing is the acceptance my son had to the entire episode. He sort of, well, just figured he took part in some paranormal event. And does not even know why..

And perhaps that memory will stick. The shadows at the Elks. Almost the same as it was for my at the age of 5 seeing people in the choir of the former St. Ignatius in Centralia, along with hearing whispers come from the confessional ni the church at night.

But Ayden was fine with it all….He went on with life and ate cake, enjoyed bowling, and had a blast.

I did a few Google searches tonight. Nothing found. I did locate a few strange sites about ghosts of Ashland, PA.. but nothing specific about this location.

We do know what we saw. We agree on what we saw. And heard. Shadows along the wall.. voices echoing in the room. No one there and not a trace of humans within.

It was an interesting moment.

And quite possibly my son’s first paranormal event..