Here is the sight from this weekend’s weather forecast.. anything pink and purple are winter weather somethings. And there are lots of them, storms are a plenty..

The season is almost ready to change. I hear song birds in the morning now and the noon sun—when it is out—is strong.. But until the spring blossoms bloom, it’s going to be considerably cold and snowy. That continues, obviously, this weekend. 

I think the second week of March will be a transition..

Let’s see how good I do with that forecast..

Just ffaaaaannnntttaaassttiic…

Now healthy eating is a mental disorder? POPSCI says: Striving For The Perfect Diet Is Making Us Sick

Call me a bit of a paranoid conspiracy theorist, but when I see articles critical of people who are attempting to get a little healthier and eat better, all I can think of is some sugar-selling CEO from ‘Name your GMO company’ giving talking points to clueless reporters just trying to get a clickbait article to go viral.

Now excuse me while I finish my sauteed kale over baked chicken..

Now healthy eating is a mental disorder? POPSCI says: Striving For The Perfect Diet Is Making Us Sick

A worthwhile retort on the CABLE TV cord cutting

Last night, I dropped a link on this site and espoused some of my beliefs that the current generation growing up will drop out of the TV scene much prior to the next one. . the link on the ‘cord cutting’ actually came from TIME magazine.. However, a reader comment on the situation offered a very different and good perspective on the potential other side of the coin.. Since it was buried at the bottom of the site and few may have seen it, I’d like to share it in full, as it offers up a counter argument to the believe that Millennials are ready to abandon their TV sets altogether:

It’s important to put this in perspective. The industry does a really good job of hyping reports and headlines based on a single, biased view. If we were to describe “millenials” as the age group of 18-34 from the inception of cable TV in the early 80s, things really don’t look that different. People don’t make primary choices about TV services until they have their own homes. The median age of first-time home buyers has gone up considerably just in the last 10 years alone. Until you are making a primary decision about TV service (not living with mom and dad, in a dorm or with several roommates), you are just making do (i.e., watching video online). SNL is not irrelevant. People are just choosing to record it and watch it later, not live. Nielsen, the author of this report, does not have the capacity to measure this.
Since the inception of the VCR, live TV viewing has declined. When operators introduced DVRs into consumer homes, live TV viewing declined even more. A couple of years ago, DVR penetration among pay-TV subscribers was only about 40%. Throughout 2013 and 2014, due to much lower manufacturing costs and a hefty drop in the global price of chip sets and memory, operators have been able to put a lot more DVR set-top boxes in homes at a much lower price to subscribers. So what happens? Again, live TV viewing declines even more. This is not to say that people are watching less TV, they are just watching it on demand from their DVR. The popularity of broadcast TV programming has never been higher. People are just not watching it “live”.

And that all makes sense.

It does not shake my perspective though that SNL is irrelevant..I base that a bit simply on the humor or lack thereof that often comes from the show. But there may be other shows that are quite relevant, perhaps being recorded later.. Which changes the game altogether for Neilson and advertisers.

No matter how you look at it, the pop culture world has changed.

Los Angeles hospital warns 179 patients possibly exposed to 'superbug'

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A large Los Angeles teaching hospital has told scores of patients they may have been exposed to a drug-resistant bacterial superbug during endoscopy procedures that infected seven patients and contributed to two deaths

It seems high time for a new fear.. Ebola never quite hit home. Measles didn’t much more to shake the nation to the core.. and the Polar Vortex  was replaced with a ‘Siberian Express’ to remind us of how awful weather is and how it’s our enemy. Plus don’t think for a second that news directors aren’t getting a kick out of a slight percentage of Americans believing that Vladimir Putin is somehow creating polar surges into the United States to destroy our Western Civilization..

But all mocking aside, perhaps the new fear of the SUPERBUG is warranted? 

More from the REUTERS report:

The possible exposures occurred at the UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center between Oct. 3 and Jan. 28 during procedures in which a specialized endoscope is inserted down the throat to diagnose and treat pancreatic and bile duct diseases.

One thing to note: Many of those who may be infected are in the predicament after a ‘routine’ procedure. And now there is nothing routine about the possibility that they have a life-altering bacteria that may kill up to half of the people who get it..

And while we are not calling this one Captain Tripps just yet, public statements being made now will either be looked on as prudent caution or blatant disguises sometime soon in the future..

"It’s important to emphasize: This particular outbreak of CRE is not a threat to the health of the public in Los Angeles County," said Benjamin Schwartz, deputy chief of the acute communicable disease control program at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

Los Angeles hospital warns 179 patients possibly exposed to 'superbug'

No good things come from a Year of the Sheep

Or goat—or ram.

No good things come from a Year of the Sheep

Perhaps the title speaks for itself..

Clear evidence that the United States serves garbage to children in school lunches

Since the 80s the entire program was turned to waste. Nothing improved even with newer guidelines. The sugar industry had too much say… sick examples are presented here when the Daily Mail compares the US school lunches to cash strapped nation…

Clear evidence that the United States serves garbage to children in school lunches

This image is sure to stir up controversy (and sell some fish wrappers).. the NEW YORK POST pictures President Obama with a blindfold around his head as a message that he is ignoring Islamic terror threats…

You can read the article in full here: http://nypost.com/2015/02/18/obama-refuses-to-acknowledge-muslim-terrorists-at-summit/

Billionaire Mark Cuban Says Net Neutrality Will 'F%$k Everything Up'

Billionaire Mark Cuban Says Net Neutrality Will 'F%$k Everything Up'

Maybe next year I’ll try to do a ‘somewhat famous people with big Ashes’ on Ash Wednesday.. here is one: Bill Donohue on Fox News

Tonight you get a two for one.. Not only is there a snapshot of my dinner, baked squash, red onions, peppers, and mushrooms, over pasta. But you also get a little hint of my feet. 

Thank me later.

I really bungled this one up. Here it is Ash Wednesday and not one thing posted about it, despite my Catholic education as a younger lad.

I hope all reading had a fine and hot Ash Wednesday.

The 500 pound meteor in the room

AAn amazing—and scary—piece of news is being reported ..

Americans in New York, Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania reported seeing a fiery, 500-pound meteor soar through the sky this week before the space rock apparently broke up somewhere over the Keystone State, according to scientists.
NASA said on Tuesday this week that the meteor entered the Earth’s atmosphere in the sky above western Pennsylvania earlier that morning and was reportedly witnessed by spectators stretching for hundreds of miles across the United States from the Mid-Atlantic to the Midwest.

The meteor burst into flames above PITTSBURGH..

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

Remnants of the meteor ended up on the ground in Pennsylvania—my home state as well. I didn’t see this, however, it seemed more confined to the Western part of the state.. 

It was traveling at 45,000 miles per hour..

The video and the story are both equally amazing.. 

There were reports of sonic booms.. Lots of calls to the AMA..

And also this piece of interesting news: A meteor exploded over New Zealand yesterday.. 

The pink stars are falling all too often lately, don’t you think?

The 500 pound meteor in the room

I went back and found this Microsoft PAINT creation I made in the year almost ten years ago—already! It seems like yesterday.  What was obvious then is that TV mattered—certainly more so than it does NOW as proven by the TIME magazine article I posted tonight on the death of television..

Pop culture was once dictated to us.. It was once forced down our digestive tracts.. 

Like AM radio, conventional TV is dead.

There is a revolution in what people want and how they want it.. The talking heads who gave us what they wanted us to digest are almost no more—the power is in the people’s hands.. is this why regulation is being discussed? Why the Internet will be branded as a public utility and the government will act accordingly?

Since 1998 the NET was a wild west, tamed a bit by modernization and maturity.. but we are living in unparalleled times.

Anything is possible.
Good.
And bad.
It is our choice .. and cutting out the norm of how we once acted is a good choice.

Cord-Cutting: Millennials Abandon Their TV, Cable Faster Than Ever

This is important and game changing.. A cultural switch is going on. And this backs up my point the other night that Saturday Nighy Live and other live programs are becoming increasingly irrelevant ..

Like AM radio, conventional TV is dead.

Cord-Cutting: Millennials Abandon Their TV, Cable Faster Than Ever

This being reported by ROLLING STONE and various other sources

Mystery Bright Spots On Dwarf Planet

So many things in the universe we don’t know yet.. so many mysteries we have yet to discover.. we are left to ponder the strange things we have yet to find a d these little lights on a tiny planet showcase the infancy of our universal lives. .

Mystery Bright Spots On Dwarf Planet

Alarming isn’t the word for this.. at this point let’s not be surprised though

Tom Delonge says he knows people 'in the know' who KNOW UFOs are real..

I miss his STRANGE TIMES website..

Tom Delonge says he knows people 'in the know' who KNOW UFOs are real..

Jumpin Joe!

This is what a real woman looks like when she is near 50.. CNN reports this:
《 The image comes from a cover shoot for the December 2013 issue of Marie Claire Mexico and Latin America, representatives for the Mexico-based publication said. The photo in question was not published, and spokespeople did not provide an explanation for how it surfaced last week.》

The ultimate response to the photo has been applause.. I’m OK with the picture too..

Clearly we have been overwmeled by popular media and lied to about what real beauty is…

Another one bites the dust

The Schuylkill Mall is being hit with another store closing.. Kmart liquidation will be this year..

80 employees out of a job..another anchor store shuddred.. another day closer to the now very likely demise of the once great mall on the hill..

Another one bites the dust

Thundesnow. 90 inches of snow in Boston.. the coldest air for 100 million people since 1994. What more could go wrong?

SINKHOLES!

If people think this is journalisitucally offensive they probably never visited the Newseum or have any inkling on just how rude and crude newspapers once were.. that’s not to diminish what this paper did. But shouldn’t first amendment protections be afforded to those who we disagree with the most?

Quite frankly this is one of the major problems I have with Raw Story and other publications geared to promote themselves in Facebook. The vast majority of time is spent on click bate or controversial headlines that often neglect to delve any deeper than the byline.

Online news gathering and consumption should NE amazing. Instead we are left to debate mundane and insignificant events on social media.

Why I am quitting sleep meditations

The march of machines is taking our jobs from under our feet.. robots will accomplish tasks once held by human.
But in all of the futureshock we are being hit with, one thing remains clear: People are still trying to be people. And get in touch with the larger element of our cosmos..

Enter into the equation something that maybe could be the job of the future: An expert on meditation..

Mary Macvean of the LA TIMES writes that people are seeking a way to slow down.. a moment to take a breather and disconnect from the highly wired world. And in doing so, find the inner peace that is promised with meditation..

The LA TIMES opens this way:

“Bring your attention to this moment,” Janice Marturano instructed. “Be open to sensations of warmth or coolness, sensations of fullness from breakfast, or perhaps hunger.” Minutes later, the meditation ended with the traditional strikes of little hand cymbals.
Buddhists? Old hippies? New Agers?
Nope. The room was full of hospital executives and managers in lab coats and scrubs, jeans and sports coats at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. And the teacher was Marturano, once a top executive at General Mills.

And it goes from there–people who are in highly respected walks of life are the new meditators.. They are attempting to slow down a bit..

Years ago, well before the 60s generation drugged the meditation world up, this would have been unheard of. It wasn’t so long ago that even Catholic priests warned of the dangers of meditation.. you can slip out of the realm here and let evil forces take over. Now most religions are heralding in the power of yoga and mixing it with prayer. What was blasphemy then is bastioning now.

I can see it now.. experts in meditation opening up their own buildings where people can find solitude in darkness. Experts and ‘gurus’ will be the new fad–and lots of people will pay big money to those who call themselves a subject matter expert in the art of just being alive without a handheld device.

Instead of a quiet walk in the woods, we will pay hundreds of dollars to someone who can give us the experience in alternate ways.. A new movement! And a new job market.. Finally humans may have found the one thing robots can’t do. Well.. maybe not.

There is one interesting caveat, and a personal one, I’d like to share on this, however.. And an important one. For about two weeks, I was attempting a certain sleep meditation (one that will remain nameless, as I don’t want to besmirch the reputation of a highly visited YOUTUBE page.)  It seemed to be putting my to sleep quite fast.. the video’s essentially said it would connect me, or the user listening, to the God of the universe. Whatever that meant..

The video clearly had an impact on my life. But not the one I expected.. For about two weeks, I fell asleep fast without trouble. But I didn’t dream.. I literally can’t remember one instance in the two weeks where I woke up remembering any dream at all. Even more, for about a week and a half my daily life seemed slower and more zombielike. I didn’t get excited about nearly anything.. I was zoned out, and even my morning coffee didn’t do much to awaken me. I  stopped the meditation and without about three or four days I was back acting normal again, heart racing after caffeine. Even my tin-foil hat paranoia was back in full force.

So which ‘me’ was the better me? Zoned out and careless about most of everything. Or wired with a touch of mental anarchy? A better question, perhaps: Which was the real me? I have lived most of my life being stranger than some and perceiving conspiracy where others don’t even see smoke. But I am never at rest. The meditation-version of me was at rest. At night, and even during the day..

This showcases, at least for me, the power of meditation and the ability of the mind-body connection becoming more of an albatross than a savior.

I am quitting the nighttime hypnoses.

Instead maybe I’ll just take a phone-free walk in the snow winter woods.

A good Clyde Lewis tonight for those who have a chance to listen— go to groundzeromedia.org to hear the show live for free..

There’s quote the tale of intrigue and prophecy with the latest ISIS crimes against hunabity. For instance they are just 500 miles from Italy and have announced a clear intention to get to Rome..

Should youveish, you could read more about that twist in today’s news here: http://nightterrornews.com/2015/02/16/hell-on-earth-thanks-to-prophecy/

I got a new phone today.. goodbye to the intrusive and slow spy device from Apple. Hello fast and modern extra illuminati spy device from Samsung.. expect some really lame little strokes of art until they lose all humor even to me, which won’t be long.

It’s my hope that my phone will listen to me closely and tell my smart TV everything I was too ashamed to admit to it..

I thought it was a big deal in 2007 when I was on the cutting edge of my friends with an iphone. With this new phone I feel like I’m walking on Mars

Call me dorky but of all the facts presented on this page about time, the John Tyler factoid got me the most..

Even more than the Pizza Hut bit.. go see what I mean here: http://higherperspective.com/2015/02/understanding-time.html?utm_source=cleo&ts_pid=2

Now is the time to try to find real journalism and leave this trash heap behind… sadly it was once a respected network.

Clinton also spent years traveling and partying with Ron Burkle, a billionaire bachelor with a penchant for very young girls. Clinton spent so much time on Burkle’s private plane that it came to be known in Burkle’s circle as “Air F—k One.”

Clinton also spent years traveling and partying with Ron Burkle, a billionaire bachelor with a penchant for very young girls. Clinton spent so much time on Burkle’s private plane that it came to be known in Burkle’s circle as “Air F—k One.”

I highly encourage everyone who hasn't seen FED UP to watch it..

Suddenly, after my viewing, I feel like a very irresponsible parent..

Here I am, a lover of food and cooking my own meals.. but at the same time in a constant battle with my child about how he should eat. He is about to turn four—and I worry some of the bad habits have already become too ingrained in him to change.

However, after watching FED UP, I am just angry.
Purely angry.

Some day in the future, a generation—maybe my son’s—will look back in anger at the previous for making the world a very sugar-addicted unhealthy place.

The link here:
http://fedupmovie.com/

And it’s on iTunes

And if you really REALLY want a challenge, take it on the site: http://fedupmovie.com/#/page/fedupchallenge

Another troubling aspect of this, the AP is reporting tonight that ISIS is now about 500 miles away from Italy.. 

The Associated Press is adding to the fear over this horrid story.. ASHRAF KHALIL AND MAGGIE MICHAEL are reporting this in recent runs across the news wire:

The killings raise the possibility that the Islamic militant group — which controls about a third of Syria and Iraq in a self-declared caliphate — has established a direct affiliate less than 500 miles (800 kilometers) from the southern tip of Italy. One of the militants in the video makes direct reference to that possibility, saying the group now plans to “conquer Rome.”

My really ultra sad and depressing assessment of tonight's SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE 40th anniversary nostalgia

I was looking forward to this 3+ hour extravaganza celebrating SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE’S 40 anniversary for weeks.. Tonight when it finally began, I couldn’t to turn it off..

Let me explain.
I grew up watching the show.. from an early age, I recall my parents allowing me to stay up late on a Saturday to watch the cold open, usually with Phil Hartman nailing his Ronald Reagan impression. I typically was only able to stay away until the band’s first song.. As I got older, the show was a staple of my existence on weekends.. after working late at a restaurant for several years, this program was the go-to before turning in and waking up the next day to do the same grind job again. There are even particular seasons I find the best: The 92-94 years, and then 97-the early 2000s..

The special airing tonight is giving me a different sense of SNL.. In a sense, I think the forced nostalgia is a bad thing. The live recreation of old skits using the same actors—actors clearly who have aged and gained weight—are not kind.  The parade of stars is obviously interesting to watch, but it’s also a bit unnerving to see how fast 40 years went by. And how many stars have left our world.. the number of unfortunate deaths of cast members is normal with a program that spans four decades.. But the sharp recall it gives so many people seemingly makes them also think of their own demise..

Call me a little too negative on this, but I was reminded watching it of my own aging process as well.. Some may call me young yet.. But when you realize that you’re about 6 years younger than this program, you get the ‘oh boy’ moment..

There are some other things that are called to mind when seeing this many years of memories. First off, SNL is running shorter clips of the classics. They used to be 20 years old.. but now as they age, the life of the memories has become abbreviated to fit more..

And in fitting more, it also showcases how the ‘not ready for prime time’ comedians of the 1970s have led to a ‘does anyone still watch this show?’ mentality of our current age..

The modern world of comedy is a bit different.. The youth of today, for better or worse, like watching clips on Youtube or short 10 seconds VINES.. or even shorter three second GIFs.. Or better yet, one frame memes usually featuring some sarcastic or rude commentary about life. The live entertainment offered up on SNL is not cutting edge. While they have attempted to mix the internet generation onto their show, the last effective cast to do that was Andy Samberg. And really, he only gave us a ‘dick in the box’ as the fondest memory some have of him on the show..

I am really not trying to be negative—I am not. But seeing Chevy Chase’s weight start gathering around his neck like a brace, and “Opera Man” coming back, Steve Martin singing ‘King Tut’, and Dan Aykroyd blending up a fish al-la-70s style, I get a bit nostalgic. And a bit sad.. And quite honestly a bit too much.

Maybe some nostalgia should be left to the personal moment, the time when you’re alone and contemplating all you have seen and done.
Maybe this 40th anniversary special is a little unhealthy..

Yes, I am seeing the Facebook and Twitter messages of people “LOL”ing  .. And they are taking photographs of the show from the smart phone of the TV, mostly trying to brag about the APPLE TV or SAMSUNG in their homes… It all seems so vacant.. It seems so forced..
Compared to the early clips of racy and risky humor, the current incarnation of this show is overly safe and about as cutting edge than a dull butter knife.

This is my honest assessment and gut instinct of this NBC special..I may be wrong.. But it’s how I feel.

Perhaps I am alone..
Or maybe 40 years worth of three generations is LOL in spite of themselves tonight.. and when it’s over they will wonder where their night has gone. And their lives.. As the beat goes on.

A really scary way that Jehovah Witnesses are scared their kids

A really scary way that Jehovah Witnesses are scared their kids

30 years after the BREAKFAST CLUB, it is coming back to some theaters.. It is interesting now to go back and see what TIME magazine, then in 1985, said about the classic movie.  One fun concept is to look at what will never happen again, thanks to modern technology..  

It was a movie for its time and of its time, but yet somehow stands the test of time. Yes, outfits are different.. the technology is limited.. 

But there’s one common thing shared by that of all generations: Our attempt to fit in, find our niche, and create a ‘character’ out of our reality. 

In the BREAKFAST CLUB, the most amazing part is that all of the characters, by the end of their Saturday detention, actually discover who they really are because they are faced with the clear vacancy of others judging them. I bet, though, by Monday their egos were back and they ‘role’ resumed. But it’s all fiction, right?

Backstreet Boys will be together for the SNL 40th.. and now .. Looks like Justin Timberlake and the rest of the members of the popular 90s boy band might just reunite for an appearance on Saturday Night Live 40th anniversary special. If you’re excited about that, you’ve clearly run your course with modern pop culture and are stuck in a period of time when your youth dictated what you’d love for your life. Backstreet’s Back. Alright.

Megan Fox or not..? Michael at Bay? Rumors abound. Journalism doesn't.

Some new rumors about Megan Fox and Michael Bay–could it be that she’s in the new TRANSFORMERS movie but HE is out!? At this point just rumors. I highly doubt them as well.. for better or worse, Michael Bay IS the TRANSFORMERS movie. and lots of people are really excited about the idea that Fox will return along with Shia LeBouf, so as long as he’s not wearing some paper apparatus over his head that day..  

These casting and production rumors are getting a little ridiculous.. as noted with a headline like this: “‘Transformers 5′ Cast, Trailer & Plot: Mark Wahlberg & Megan Fox Confirmed For Film [Rumors]… ahhhh..entertainment journalism. Where the words ‘confirmed’ and ‘rumors’ can appear in the same sentence..

Thanks for the fear porn, FINANCIAL TIMES.

I guess you need to make money sexier with threats of impending doom..

I wish John Podesta would have given us disclosure, too..

Imagine: A United States citizen with high profiles and extremely high credentials and clearances in the United States government publicly saying that he wishes he could have brought disclosure on the topic of UFOs. Imagine.. Stop imagining.. it’s exactly what John Podesta is saying! Some hate him politically, others love him. But stop with the ridiculous two-party division nonsense and just realize what Podesta, a former Clinton staffer, is really saying: Podesta said in a tweet February 13th: 

“Finally, my biggest failure of 2014: Once again not securing the #disclosure of the UFO files..”

The Large Hadron Super Collider is going to be restarting again–a new particle, we’re told, could be detected this year that would make the Higgs Boson look minor. For those keeping score, there are tons of websites online depicting a frightening scenario, one that they say even Stephen Hawking is warning us of.. perhaps a new black hole opening? Maybe the universe itself being eaten up..? Maybe the Langoliers coming ..or wait, that’s a Stephen King book. Not Hawking. But what we do know is this: The extremely updated Collider is going to search for signals that could become a new model of physics. And maybe open a  black hole, too..

Lions and tigers and bears oh my

Some good news for your Sunday morning sidewalk–tongue in cheek on that.. a reliable publication like the FINANCIAL TIMES would never attempt to just scare us with awful things, right? They have. They are giving us a list of the 12 ways the world could end.. Asteroids.. supervolcanos.. global monetary collapse.. nuclear war.. pandemic.. Perhaps my favorite though: “Unknown consequences.” The catch all. Just in case they missed any disaster scenarios, they want to go for the full wide ranging effect on your psyche. Thanks reliable reporters at FT. Never expected it from you.. (though every bit of what they reported was accurate, and probably underdone in their descriptions) ..

Cupid’s dangerous arrow: Those ancient Romans and what they gave us

Those ancients were wild and crazy.. Imagine the scene: A naked herd or folks dancing while the sacrifice of animals takes place.. There are smiles and cheers, and hopes that the burning animals wi…

Cupid’s dangerous arrow: Those ancient Romans and what they gave us

waitingonoblivion:

i had this on vhs

I love this one..

Russian city wakes up to find it is covered in BLUE snow

The strange weather phenomenon hit Chelyabinsk, in the Russian Urals, sparking fears the snow was contaminated with toxic materials.

It sure looks beautiful. In a toxic sort of way..

Russian city wakes up to find it is covered in BLUE snow

'Future of Food'

PBS series ‘Food Forward’ centers on one question: How did something as fundamental as food go so fundamentally wrong?

Looks like a good documentary..

I hope the information presented will occur. I want my generation and the one coming after me to make food better, healthier, fresher, and cleaner..

It’s a hope.

'Future of Food'

I'm completely fine with the idea of digital immortality.

LIVE FOREVER. BABY.
liked.
Cars.. Houses.. Things. Things of tangible value.. They are passed down and willed to others after death. Why not Facebook, or even going further, blogs and other social network space! We may not have a tactile ability to touch our Facebook page, but your digital life has become a branch of your existence. Selfies and all..
There’s good news for those who want to forever live online after death: Facebook is about to let more than one billion users to decide who takes over their account when they die..

Sure some may scoff at such news.. Others may deem it another example of our digital and self addicted society . But it makes sense..

There’s a caveat to this story–and perhaps a relief for millions: ABC reports:
Once Facebook is notified someone has died, the profile page will turn into a memorial with “Remembering” listed before the person’s name. The digital heir will be able to change the profile photo, make posts on the page and respond to friend requests.
The one thing off-limits: Private messages. Facebook said a person’s heir will not be able to log in under their identity or see any of their private discussions.
It will be called Facebook Legacy. And it will set into place a concise plan Of action for who represents our memorial page once we are not within an earthly realm..
I have pondered something, though.. If EVPs and VHS tapes can prove ghostly presences as so many believe, how long until these spirits learn to communicate on Facebook.. Perhaps one day when you log into your deceased family’s facebook page, you’ll be greeted by evidence that they were recently there as well.

Where’s Brian Williams?

Again Brian Williams? Again?

"What was my wow … I’ve been so fortunate. “I was at the Brandenburg Gate the night the wall came down."

Williams went on to tell a possible whopper at the Gipper’s Ronald Reagan museum in 2008..

The only problem with him standing at the Brandenburg Gate is that he really didn’t. Tom Brokaw did. Williams arrived 12 hours after it came done. But it was a long time ago, right?

I figured six months would be ample time to find the other Williams whoppers ..

I love it..

Me and my son are now fighting over who gets the last Cadbury Mini Egg in the bag..

A strong magnitude 6.9 earthquake has struck in the open waters of the Northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge; the quake struck within the last 30 minutes

The NATIONAL TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER says this:

"A destructive widespread tsunami threat does not exist based on historical earthquake and tsunami data. However, there is the small possibility of a local tsunami that could affect coasts located usually no more than a hundred kilometers from the earthquake epicenter."

Just to add some more levels to your triskadekaphobia..

9 reasons Philly is suddenly 'hot'

Get ready America..

Coors light..
Hoagies..
Cheesteaks with fake meat..
Philly faces.
Mullets and boots.

And the Pope.

All coming to the city of Brotherly Love.

9 reasons Philly is suddenly 'hot'

Governor Wolf Announces Temporary Hold on Death Penalty in PA

Pretty big deal here in the keystone state..

Paterno didn't abuse the children. He reported the story of abuse (abuse he did not actually even witness) to his superior, which is what university policy instructed him to do. Maybe Paterno had an opportunity to be a hero, hindsight is 20/20, but he was not particularly knowledgeable about the issue at large OR the actual events, so he did what he thought he was supposed to do. He was an extremely accomplished and well loved man - merely following protocol is not a reason to take that all away

I know for a fact that my Paterno statue post would cause some commentary.. This one being shown here is among the most innocent, a few others detailed some awful things I should do to myself..Unprintable things. Sandusky things..

And you’re right, anonymous, Paterno didn’t do the wretched deeds that others did.. 

But for some record, I’d like to place a number of news items from the memory hole back into the cyberworld of today:

Penn State’s Rap Sheet Way Longer Than Sandusky Scandal

Why did Penn State hire the president of football-rape-probe-cover-up U? 

And we also cannot forget the Freeh report: Freeh Report Slams Joe Paterno

All of this does not matter to some fans, though.. But it matters to  me.. Just as any group of highly placed people abusing their rights or the decency of their human presence, it bothers me..

The devil with roses: Many nations are now banning Valentine's Day

You may have already guessed which ones: Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia prohibit it. And many more in Central Asia.. the theory is that it runs completely opposite to Islam..

The devil with roses: Many nations are now banning Valentine's Day

Until I saw—quite literally—a black cat walk underneath a ladder this morning, I completely forgot the calender read Friday the 13th.. 

So for all of those out there with that sick sense of doom lurking behind every bad event, happy day to you all..

In 2004, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC detailed the horror that some people face when they wake up on the 13th when it’s on a Friday.. the fear.. the refusal to even get out of bed!  In that report 11 years ago, NAT GEO said that over $800 mil was lost in productivity because of people neglecting to live their normal lives, instead fearing the 13th..

I would imagine that fear is only amplified as time goes on.. 

For those with triskadekaphobia, it’s going to be a long day.

It’s a tweet that ultimately fell on deaf ears: “#ServicioPublico Infalgan solution of 10 Mg for injection is needed for Vanessa Chacón.” S ent from San Rafael del Piñal, a small town in Venezuela near the border with Colombia, the tweet was sent on behalf of Chacón, 22, who needed the medicine to survive a severe coronary condition.  Unfortunately, it’s simply not available there — and isn’t likely to be anytime soon.

Think for a second of the utter horror that many are now feeling in this nation.. Several hundred tweets—at this point—are being posted daily asking for the same help. Oil prices dropped.. an economy crashed.. This nation seems to be teetering on the brink of destruction..

The ECONOMIST is summing up what it calls mismanagement and an oil slump as the main culprits for the decaying social fabric of the nation.. The publication reports,

About this, at least, Mr Rondón is correct. Sixteen years after Hugo Chávez took power in Venezuela, and two years after he died, his “Bolivarian Revolution” faces the gravest threats yet to its survival. The regime is running out of money to import necessities and pay its debts. There are shortages of basic goods, from milk and flour to shampoo and disposable nappies. Queues, often of several hundred people, form each day outside supermarkets. Ten patients of the University Hospital in Caracas died over the Christmas period because of a shortage of heart valves.

Another aspect of the trouble in the nation: Education is at risk of becoming meaningless there as the LATIN AMERICAN HERALD TRIBUNE writes in an editorial:

If something has been evident during 16 years of “socialism of the 21st century” is that education has stopped being a priority, unless the State finds it useful to get its ideology into the heads of citizens.
Evidence of this contempt for education is there for everyone to see: schools and educational centers have collapsed; professors and teachers are poorly paid and poorly prepared; curricular changes eliminated basic subjects, distorted reality and introduced indoctrinating concepts and materials; evaluations and automatic promotions were eliminated, among others.

Meanwhile: Bonds are tumbling.. 

And as mentioned above: The pharmacy shelves are empty and barren..

Welcome to America: Grandfather visiting ALABAMA from India stopped by cops for walking on the street,bodyslammed and left partially paralyzed..

The crime of yoga pants? A Montana legislative panel moved to kill an indecent exposure bill Wednesday after the lawmaker who introduced it said he thinks yoga pants should be illegal…

Massive hurricanes used to strike New England. Now scientists are worried that will happen again

Monster hurricanes once plagued New England.. new predictions today that the history of horror may repeat itself.. While Europe was going through the Middle Ages, America’s East Coast was being pummeled by hurricanes at least as intense as Katrina every 40 years or so.. Such storms would be catastrophic if they hit the northeast U.S. today, according to lead author Jeff Donnelly of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution… 

Is this simply a plant of a story to mentally prep us for something they know is coming?

Two completely alternate views of the current measles and vaccine controversy.. One from WIRED on anti-vaxxers in Silicon Valley; another from TRUTHOUT on Merck itself..

WIRED magazine argues the case: How to get Silicon Valley anti-vaxxers to change their minds.. But quick the alternate argument was presented in TRUTHOUT with a piece written by ALEX JAMES, who says the dangers presented by recent revelations about MERCK are much more troubling than anti-vaxxers.

NBC expands 'SNL 40th Anniversary Special' to more than three hours

NBC is already making a big deal of the 40th anniversary of “Saturday Night Live” — and now it’s making it a little bigger.

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE 40th anniversary special will be more than three hours long.. Which I think is well worth it. The show, for all its troubles through time, has given us memorable pop culture moments.. sadly most cast members were forgettable. 

Maybe it was because it was when I was younger and dumber, but I think some of the best humor on the show came from the 92-94 seasons and then the 97-2004 years.. The most recent few have showcased how the program is quickly losing its influence as the power of television wanes..

NBC expands 'SNL 40th Anniversary Special' to more than three hours

Seems like the entire state of Pennsylvania forgot about the crime of children being molested, having their dignity and innocence stolen, and have a head coach who couldn’t care less.. A new poll shows that a vast majority of Pennsylvanians want the Joe Paterno statue to return to Penn State..

More on Carr's death: Just hours before his death he had moderated a "Times Talks" conversation with Edward Snowden, director Laura Poitras and journalist Glenn Greenwald about the documentary "Citizenfour," which chronicles Snowden's leak of National Security Agency documents. Carr, engaged as always, drew them out with pointed questions and wry observations to speak candidly about the film.

Yep. Getting creepy.

More on Carr's death: Just hours before his death he had moderated a "Times Talks" conversation with Edward Snowden, director Laura Poitras and journalist Glenn Greenwald about the documentary "Citizenfour," which chronicles Snowden's leak of National Security Agency documents. Carr, engaged as always, drew them out with pointed questions and wry observations to speak candidly about the film.

Islamic State fighters reportedly seized most of a western Iraqi town on Thursday, in fighting taking place mere miles from an air base where hundreds of U.S. Marines are training Iraqis.

Islamic State fighters reportedly seized most of a western Iraqi town on Thursday, in fighting taking place mere miles from an air base where hundreds of U.S. Marines are training Iraqis.

Musingsinhtx is referring to this just posted tonight.. 

And to answer: Indeed I did hear Clyde Lewis—I also sent him the link tonight through Twitter of the most recent two deaths, and he spoke about it on his show only moments ago..

The ‘brain drain’ he is talking about is interesting.. He compared it to the way the Dirty War was fought in Argentina.

There’s one thing about Clyde Lewis that I love.. he makes me think differently than any other host or program out there.

Are reporters suddenly in danger?

Yesterday Bob Simon of CBS was killed in a car crash..

Ned Colt, NBC News Journalist, Dies in Boston at 58 

 David Carr, Media Columnist for The Times, Is Dead at 58

Bob Hager, the man you may know very well for commentary on aviation on NBC NEWS, was unhurt after a head-on crash today..

A friend of mine is live-Facebooking her theater viewing of FIFTY SHADES OF GREY tonight..

For the first time, Facebook has become NSFW..

A few other thoughts from the news world on the movie:

A FIFTY SHADES OF INSANITY weekend:
FIFTY SHADES OF GRAY described as ‘domestic violence dressed up as erotica’
Family groups fury..
SUPERMAN with sex..

Art Bell resigning the night? Without his bumper music, his show WILL NOT go on

It is really, really, really hard being an Art Bell fan on days like today..

Art Bell resigning the night? Without his bumper music, his show WILL NOT go on

This is Craig Stephen Hicks, 46.. He surrendered to police after allegedly killing 23-year-old Deah Barakat, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and her sister, Razan Abu-Salha, 19, in their home.. 

Disgusting to say the least..

There is worldwide anger on social media with accusations that American media is busy ignoring this hate crime..

One fact worth noting:

Some reports point to a possible parking dispute as the catalyst, although Hicks also appeared to harbor vehemently anti-religious views, not only toward Islam but toward all faiths. His Facebook page includes a post denouncing both Christianity and Islam. In January, Hicks posted a photo of what he claimed was his .38-caliber revolver.

Parking anger.. And hatred of all religions..

I suppose another killing in the name of no god.

This is why we should never look at the world as black and white .. We miss the beauty of uncertainly and the simplicity of shades of gray.

'SNL' celebrates 4 decades of being 'Live, from New York!'

This gives the chance for me to tell my readers this: Follow snlbound, she may be profiled on the 60th anniversary special.

'SNL' celebrates 4 decades of being 'Live, from New York!'

Sex toy injuries rocket after release of Fifty Shades of Grey - Telegraph

Injuries involving sex toys has doubled in the US since 2007, according to new figures, with a particular jump since the release of Fifty Shades of Grey

I can only imagine ER visits after the newest film is released..

Sex toy injuries rocket after release of Fifty Shades of Grey - Telegraph

Horror behind the walls: PA family finds disturbing discovery in house

This is a story from my local area—but worthy of some attention from fans of the macabre or slightly paranormal..

In Auburn, PA, a tiny little hamlet in Schuylkill County, a secret existed behind the walls of a quaint house..

FOX 43 ran a story about the Bretzius and their discovery of a disturbing secret behind their walls: It was insulated with dead animals..

WNEP interviewed the family .. as expected, Kaiji Bretzius was a little shocked and horrified by what was hidden in their home..

We were shocked, horrified, and disgusted

Fair to say that would be the emotional of us would experience if faced with the same circumstances, no?

WNEP’s  Jackie de Tore goes on to report more:

The mother of four said they first found animals in the walls back in 2012 and have been removing the items ever since.
The dead animals were all wrapped in old newspapers from the 1930s and 40s.
She said when they got a home inspection before they bought the place in Auburn, the inspector didn’t find a thing.
“We got the radon inspection. We looked for everything. We didn’t know to look for chickens.”
The family said when they bought the house in 2011, it was their dream home because they weren’t going to have to do any work, but now that’s all they’ve been doing.

Insurance isn’t covering the situation since the corpses of the animals were there long before this family bought what they thought would be their dream house.

A dream became a nightmare according to their account. They aren’t sure if all the dead animals are out.. 

Various reports indicate that the animals were most likely placed there because of the old Pennsylvania Dutch tradition of pow-wowing—an American folk and magic belief held by the Dutch in the Keystone state decades ago, taking from even older traditions that link back to Germany.. 

So what a tale! Witch doctors and powwows.. the Dutch. Home ownership. Undoubtedly a perogie and sausage sandwich will show up sooner or later..

But there are some not buying it.

The family has chosen to begin a GO FUND ME campaign to raise more money to get more dead animals from out behind the walls.. but at least a few viewers of WNEP and readers of the article aren’t believing the tale..

A few snippets from a few commentators on the WNEP article:

Get freakin real! Mold? There is NO WAY, NO HOW in the WORLD, mold will be caused from a dried up old carcass from the 1930s-1940s. There’s no moisture there. There wouldn’t even be a smell. Creepy? Yeah. Insurance claim? Come on. Welcome to home ownership. Inspectors can’t find everything. They don’t have x-ray vision.

Another:

GoFundMe? How about this: go after whatever home inspector who didn’t do his job, or the previous owners who didn’t disclose the Dead Animal Insulation. Asking for handouts is so damned cocky.

This:

Someone should do a fundraiser to help remove the bones and spices. Maybe a few of the hunting clubs, wait, wait, I know……….THEY COULD SELL T-SHIRTS………

This one from ‘neighbor’ is interesting:

This was actually my aunt and uncle’s house. They lived there for close to 50 years before it was sold, but they did move in it after the critters would have been put in the walls and I can honestly say that they had no clue that any of this was there. I visited there many times growing up and they raised 4 boys and we never were sick or noticed odd smells. It must have been exposed when the walls were ripped out in construction.

Regardless of a few ‘spicy’ comments—powwow pun certainly intended there—the Go Fund Me campaign is already raising some cash..  The story is also making some national news now that various other ABC and FOX affiliates are picking it up.

One comment the Go Fund Me account perhaps said it best.

Look on the bright side… It’s not haunted

As long as the powwow inspired Dutch medicine man in Pennsylvania got his ancient potions and magic right of course.

Horror behind the walls: PA family finds disturbing discovery in house

Did Bill O’Reilly Cover Up a War Crime in El Salvador? | The Nation

This story from THE NATION sort of compliments another one I read in the WASHINGTON POST today by Chris Cilliza about how no secrets from past stay secrets these days..

Did Bill O’Reilly Cover Up a War Crime in El Salvador? | The Nation

Like besides being creepy as heck and stuff, smart tv's encourage self censorship. Idk I think that's dangerous.

Amazingly good point, thank you for making it. People will now, because of all of these revelations about what SAMSUNG’s products (and others too) can do, they will be a little more fearful walking in their homes.. a little more self-censored. A little less themselves.. Even if people go by that awfully annoying motto “if you have nothing to fear you won’t be worried” nonsense, they will still act different knowing what their living room friend can hear.

I also think this: Red light cameras have led to less people picking their noses at red lights.. Think about it.

Also street light cams have led to quieter streets..

People, when they are being watched, act different. 

I try to be myself no matter where.. But I certainly don’t want a third party knowing me THAT well.. 

Of course, I have a PHILLIPS. But I didn’t read their legal agreement .. I assume I’m being listened to as well. 

Self-censorship is dangerous. Marching to the beat of ‘their’ drum, regardless of who ‘they’ are, is an insult to your character and your own personality. And it’s going to be more commonplace as our technology tracks our every move.

Oklahoma Considers Gas Chamber For Future Executions

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — With executions in Oklahoma on hold amid a constitutional review of its lethal injection formula, Republican legislators are pushing to make Oklahoma the first state in the nation to allow the use of nitrogen gas to execute death row inmates

Oh.. so AMERICA is bringing back the gas chambers..

I see..

Oklahoma Considers Gas Chamber For Future Executions

I vote that Samsung uses this image in their next ad for a Smart TV. Freddy with television antennas on his head may be the only thing a little freakier than Samsung’s products. The only thing is, Freddy really didn’t care what we were saying..

Samsung TVs freak users out by inserting ads into movies

You’re used to ads in regular TV programming, but what would you say if your smart TV started inserting ads into videos you own?

If people are creeped out by this, they must have missed last week’s big news that SAMSUNG is warning purchasers of smart TVs that they should not have personal conversations in front of the device for fear that third party advertisers will get a hold of it..

It should all be creepy..

I can foresee one day coming soon—very soon since it seems to be going so fast lately—when you’ll be watching a home video of you in your private setting.. and your “SMART” device will note a product in the house. Perhaps a beer can, Pepsi bottle, or particular cereal.. suddenly you’ll be beamed an advertising lallapalooza ..

Until then, people will lament their smart TEEVEES..

Samsung TVs freak users out by inserting ads into movies

The Big Bang Never Happened? New Equation Says The Universe Always Existed

Physicists have found a new model that could explain the origin of the universe without needing the Big Bang theory.

Try to contemplate that one. Try..

I dare you.

The Big Bang Never Happened? New Equation Says The Universe Always Existed

BUZZFEED offers a list of things that kids of today don’t have to experience like me and other kids of my day.. God I’m 34.. and each one of these things that made the list is something I also experienced in my own life as I grew up..

Sorry @Drudge, but I really think you should reverse the ‘real’ and ‘fake’ in your headlines tonight..

The fall of Brian Williams.
And six months for people to find more fibs and fables..

Rare Pacific Typhoon Forms in mid-February

Pretty strange time for a typhoon to form..
During amazing earth changes I suppose anything can happen..

Rare Pacific Typhoon Forms in mid-February

The monarch massacre: Nearly a billion butterflies have vanished

The monarch massacre: Nearly a billion butterflies have vanished

Just when you thought it would be safe .. DON’T HUG ME I’M SCARED 4 is getting filmed..and there’s horses.

HALLOWEEN is coming back.. and the writers from SAW are going to make it happen… I am going to put myself in the category of not being overly enthused about this yet.. Maybe the SAW folks will bring some form of gore and creativity.. I don’t know. But can we get on with it already? Can we move beyond Michael Myers at some point soon? And quite frankly, if any Halloween movie deserves a remake, it’s SEASON OF THE WITCH–that movie had potential but ended up being a laughable parade of accidental humor.

Careful, Your Samsung Smart TV Might Be Eavesdropping on You

No chance for damage control at SAMSUNG.. the company has been in the news for having actual text in their documents warning consumers of smart TVs not to have personal conversations in front of them.. They will be recorded and sold to third party people.. SAMSUNG shares fell and an outcry has ensued among people who suddenly realize their privacy got sold when they bought their TV.

And a fellow blogging friend musingsinhtx has a great photo along with a message to the sheeple on his site tonight..

Careful, Your Samsung Smart TV Might Be Eavesdropping on You

Major accident on the NJ Turnpike this evening near Cranbury/Monroe by the Molly Pitcher Service Area.

For anyone driving in Pennsylania, New York, Jersey, and Delaware: The roads are completely covered in lots of spots.. Everything is icing over. Stay slow..

I know my Boston readers may roll their eyes at this, but I’d rather their 20 inches of snow as opposed to my one inch of ice..

Neil Armstrong's widow discovers moon camera in cupboard - Telegraph

The astronaut had secretly kept equipment from the moon mission, including the camera used to film footage of the landing, for more than 40 years

He apparently did what any one of us would have done: Slipped out of work one day with interesting mementos of when he made history.

Except our jobs are mundane and the best most of us could probably do is bring home a fancy stapler.
HE was the first man to walk on the moon and tucked away a few interesting things to prove it.

Neil Armstrong's widow discovers moon camera in cupboard - Telegraph

Here are the 1,784 RadioShacks set to close

This map shows how much of the 20th century still existed.. until now.

All of the Rs are about to shut down..

Here are the 1,784 RadioShacks set to close

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2lUGZx2mps?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=281]

Now I see why MSNBC has about 5 viewers left..And four of them are in the control room..

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

I’m not the only one who noticed an unsettling image of a sweaty Obama last night.. Matt Drudge did too.. Of course he took it a step further pondering if Obama knows ‘something terrible’ is on the way ..Though I still think the 2009 phase of flies being attracted to Obama was much creepier..

Kanye West on Beck's Grammy: 'He Should've Given His Award to Beyonce'

It was a tense moment..At least Beck and Taylor Swift weren’t together on stage..

Kanye West on Beck's Grammy: 'He Should've Given His Award to Beyonce'

Oh tumblr..

The one post that gets reblogged over a 100 times and you realize you have a dumb misspelling..

Forever reblogged with problems..

Robot vacuum cleaner 'attacks' South Korea housewife's hair

The perils of the robot future.. Sweeper terminators plugged and ready to kill the master human..

Robot vacuum cleaner 'attacks' South Korea housewife's hair