SoINeedAName

Friday Fun: This, That & the Other

 Posted by at 9:00 am  Politics
Dec 072018
 

I suppose we can be thankful that the Bush family was gracious enough to extend an invitation to Twitler to attend 41’s funeral – and wise enough to NOT have him speak!

But that didn’t mean he still couldn’t embarrass an entire nation with his thoughtlessness.  Like not joining the congregation in the reading of the Apostles’ Creed.  How any religious person can support this man is unfathomable to me.

And he provided further evidence that even the simplest gestures of respect elude him.

But someone perfectly captured the essence of Twitler at the funeral.  (Hard to tell, but I think it’s Photoshopped.)

Personally, I was hoping for a reprise of the moment during the Barbara Bush funeral (that Melania attended just by herself) when Pres. Obama commented to her about her smile

Apparently Twitler is being riled up by the Mueller investigation and getting the feeling that the walls are finally closing in.  We all enjoyed reading between the lines of Mueller’s heavily redacted Michael Flynn court filings this week.

In fact the speculation of what was redacted was so rampant that it forced Mr. Mueller to issue a clarification:

MUELLER:

Any similarity between our redacted report on Michael Flynn …

 

And prison stripes …

 

Is purely coincidental.

And Twitler’s bad news was compounded when Michael Cohen agreed to plead guilty to lying to Congress.  And in those filings we learned who “Individual 1” is – which created the need for some major changes to Twitler’s campaign logo for re-election …

And the official presidential seal …

And the renaming of his New York Home

And it only got worse when Twitler’s top cybersecurity advisor, Rudy Giuliani, accidentally created a website (G-20.In) in his Tweet, and a prankster immediately took claim to it and is using it to bash Trump.  (You have to click the above G-20.In link, or the one in the Tweet to view it)

Giuliani is his top cybersecurity advisor?!?  Proving yet again that Twitler hires “only the best people”.  Righttttttt.

And I’d appreciate someone explaining to me why CNN felt the need to insert this correction at the bottom of this article:

Seems perfectly accurate to me!

Closing out with a few more seasonal observations, I got a kick out of some ducks who experienced snow for the very first time …

And ending with a PSA: Please be careful when putting up your Christmas decorations.  Think things all the way through first to avoid embarrassing faux pas like these:

And be especially careful when decorating palm trees:

 

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Friday Fun: Brief Potpourri

 Posted by at 9:38 am  Politics
Nov 302018
 

Since I’ve been out of town a few days this week enjoying a trip up to Illinois to take my Aunt back after her Thanksgiving visit, this will be a brief “Friday Fun”.

But there’s been so much bad terrible news for Twitler this week that we probably don’t need a whole lot of cheering up.  News like his own former lawyer, Michael Cohen,  now pleading guilty to lying to Congress, and is spilling his guts to Mueller’s team in over 70 hours of interviews.

And that Trump’s tax attorney’s office in Chicago was raided by the FBI, and the Feds actually papered the front door so no one could see what was happening.

(The bow is a nice touch, but was added on via Photoshop.  Doubt the FBI has that kind of sense of humor.  Bit it’s a gift I know we are all anxious to unwrap!)

But there have been a few other bright moments recently.  A month ago, an artist called “Porcupine Armadillo” got into the spirit of things by putting up “Pee on Me” statues of Trump all around Brooklyn for dogs (or I suppose, anyone) to take advantage of.

Also in October and just in time for Halloween, Daniel Holland captured a video of a “breathing forest” in Quebec.

It’s not special effects or CG (computer-generated) imaging – it’s real!  Time magazine explains that it’s because of the very strong winds that day combined with the fact that these trees grew in a very mossy area which allows their root system to be quite loose, so the forest floor lifts up when the trees sway.

And I’ll close with a two-fer: Shutting down the NRA AND Ann Coulter … by doctors!  (Maybe that makes it a three-fer.)

Physicians have really started speaking out about gun violence and the need to deal with it.  After we endured the 307th mass shooting this year on November 7th, the NRA finally had enough of their anti-gun talk and told them to “Stay in your lane”.

Well, Dr. Judy Melinek took care of the NRA via her Tweets

Not learning her lesson, Coulter unwisely decided to butt in and add her two cents with a snarky Tweet.

A perfect setup for Dr. Cathleen London to shoot her down in reply:

All-in-all, a pretty good week.  And it looks like Mueller is getting ready to land some serious blows – probably shortly after the new 116th Congress is seated.

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TC Update

 Posted by at 5:02 am  Politics
Nov 242018
 

TC is in the hospital.

When I got up for my nightly trip to the BR at ~ 1:00 AM this (Saturday) morning I saw I had a text message from TC, but it was written by Wendy.

She said she had taken him to the hospital yesterday for “respiratory issues” (but given the time I’m not sure if she meant Friday or more likely Thursday).

I started texting questions and “Thank you” messages thinking it was still her.  But finally TC asked me to quit texting because it was too hard for him to read.

Wendy’s text did say he was “doing OK & he’s where he should be.”

She said she tried to post a notice on the blog – but apparently w/out success.

So I know he’s in the hospital – but I don’t know which one and I don’t know what day he was admitted.  She said she’d keep us posted.

You now know as much as I do.

Squatch here.  This is Wendy’s post which was caught in the PP system last night:

Hello all this is an update from Wendy. Tom has been out of circulation for the last few days wanted to let everyone know that I had to take him to the hospital for admittance on Thanksgiving day. Tom is doing well and he is where he needs to be but is Recovering from a respiratory infection. He asked that no one spend any money on him please… He will be in the hospital probably till the beginning of next week. I will try and keep you updated all of your thoughts and prayers are appreciated

There you have it as of 23 November 2018 at 2207 hours.  Thanks Nameless for your post.  Hope you don’t mind that I added to your post rather than as a comment.  More visibility here.

We will continue to keep you updated as we have info.  I am preparing another OT for 24 November and will also include this there.

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Friday Fun: Abbreviated TGD Weekend Version

 Posted by at 3:16 pm  Politics
Nov 232018
 

No doubt everyone is busy recuperating from Thanksgiving activities or shopping or just enjoying a long Holiday weekend, so this will be very brief.

Have you ever seen more pumpkins in one place?

Me neither.  It’s a Bing wallpaper shot that I got from “Daily Picture” option.  It was taken in Columbia County in Pennsylvania – but that’s as much as I know.

https://bingwallpaper.com/20181029.html

PROLOGUE

OK, seems pretty clear I’ve created a “Failure to communicate …”

The YouTube Video has absolutely NOTHING to do w/ cooking a turkey.

It’s an O-P-T-I-C-A-L   I-L-L–U-S-I-O-N … that’s the POINT!

I’m not talking about the pros/cons of brining or roasting or grilling or smoking …

It’s about an OPTICAL ILLUSION!

*sigh*

And here’s a timely optical illusion for Thanksgiving involving a turkey from a regular cooking show that will make your head spin.

First, I would strongly encourage you to make the video full-screen.

Then you can watch from the beginning or just skip to the 1:50 mark and then continue to stare only at the swirling brine he just stirred.

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UPDATE on Wednesday 10:30 CST

 Posted by at 10:19 am  Politics
Nov 212018
 

Note: This is SoINeedAName & I’m accessing this through an “Edit” feature of Squatch’s last post, so not sure how (or if) it’ll appear.

I was able to contact the office staff in the building TC lives in & she (Amanda) went up to check on him.

She relayed he answered the door and is alert, responsive, in no acute distress, but under the weather.  But I have NO idea what her medical assessment skills are.

She’s going to check on him every couple of hours.

Hopefully one of our staff writers who can actually easily talk w/ Amanda will be able to check back w/ Amanda later today to see how he’s doing.

Not as good as I’m sure we all hoped, but not as bad as we all feared either.

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Friday Fun: Beauty Is in the Pie of the Beholder

 Posted by at 2:34 pm  Politics
Nov 162018
 

Thanksgiving is fast approaching and for those of us who are assigned the task of bringing the pies to the feast, we’re always looking for new ways to be “Puttin’ on the Ritz” to wow family and friends.

No, no – not “Puttin’ on the Ritz” from “Young Frankenstein”.  Rather something truly unique “where fashion sits” … something sui generis.

Well, I came across someone who has really created one-off type of pies and tarts that are absolutely gorgeous and mind-boggling.  It’s from culinary artist Lo Ko who lives in Seattle and has raised the bar for pie and tart desserts to incomparable heights with her geometric creations.  Here’s a baker’s dozen to give you an idea of her talent:

Ko, who was a nonprofit administrator, quit her job two years ago to devote her time to creating phantasmagorical desserts and savory tarts.  She now teaches at cooking classes and workshops throughout the United States, but primarily in her own Seattle Metro.

Surprisingly enough, she’s had no training in either culinary arts or regular art.  And Ko says she finds inspiration for her creations from architecture, string art, bamboo purses and even bathroom tiles.

Her pie and tart creations were so fanciful her friends convinced her to open an Instagram account to share them with the public, and she now has over 236,000 followers even though she has only posted 115 creations.  And one of those followers turned out to be Martha Stewart!  Martha was so agog about Ko’s creations she invited her to appear in two episodes of her “Martha Bakes” show.

Lo Ko & Martha Stewart

 

Ko did create a YouTube video to give you an idea of how she goes about creating her masterpieces, but it is a bit hard to follow because of the speed.  And she’s the first to admit that her creations look better unbaked than as a finished, edible work of art.  (Though her friends and family say they all are delicious.)  Ko herself says she doesn’t eat her desserts because she doesn’t have a sweet tooth.  But does admit to enjoying the savory tarts she makes.

“I consider myself more of an artist, and my medium happens to be edible. Of course my pies look more immaculate and pristine unbaked—you’re subjecting flour, butter, and sugar to 400-degree heat!”

So let’s enjoy a few montages of her creations, and then you can head to her Instagram site for further information on each.

 

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Giant Poppies Light Up Liberty Memorial in KCMO

 Posted by at 6:38 pm  Politics
Nov 112018
 

In commemoration of the 100th anniversary marking the end of World War I on November 11, a massive light show titled “Peace and Remembrance” has been created at the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, MO.

For the past nine nights, to honor the nine million soldiers killed during the Great War, over 5,000 giant poppies have been projected on the 217’ tall Liberty Tower and its massive base, the Great North Wall.

Poppies have become the traditional hallmark of remembrance after Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae saw them growing in a battle-scorched field in Waregem, Belgium, which inspired him to write the poem “In Flanders Fields”.  In fact, to enter the National World War I Museum at the Liberty Memorial, you walk over a glass bridge covering 9,000 poppies below.  Each one of those poppies represents 1,000 soldiers of the 9 million who were killed in WWI.

 

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month world leaders signed an Armistice ending four years of bloody battle in the “War to End All Wars”.  To honor the signing, President Woodrow Wilson made November 11th Armistice Day in 1919.  Following World War II and the Korean War, President Dwight D. Eisenhower rededicated November 11 as Veterans Day.

The over 5,000 poppies illuminating the Liberty Tower and Liberty Memorial base (part of the National World War I Museum park) are created by nearly 55 million pixels and 800,000 lumens.  Every 15-minutes a special presentation is shown on the base displaying images and details about World War I.

The display is the work of DWP Live, a stage and special effects production company used by major artists including Adele and Beyonce as well as Super Bowl halftime shows.

As part of the special commemoration, local artist Ada Koch created 117 intricate metal poppy sculptures displayed in the reflecting pool at the entrance to the Museum.  Each one of the 117 poppies in the symbolic arrangement represents 1,000 Americans killed during the Great War.

Having joined the tens of thousands who’ve had the joy of viewing, I hope it becomes an annual event.

 

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Friday Fun: Let’s Count the Ways It WAS a Blue Wave

 Posted by at 9:26 am  Politics
Nov 092018
 

Make no mistake about it, despite the Faux “news” (sic) blathering and Twitler’s mendacious claim that it was “close to a complete victory” (and when was the last time that man-child told the truth?) – it was most definitely a Blue Wave election.

Being truthful, we can admit that it was not the Blue Tsunami that we had all been hoping for.  But it was also NOT a Blue Ripple like RepubliKKKlans are trying to spin it.  Let’s get down to the nitty gritty and count the ways it does add up to a beautiful Blue Wave.

But I’m going to need your help doing that.  There was so much good news on Tuesday (along with some very disappointing news, like Beto’s loss) that I’m sure I’ll miss out on some of the news.  So I hope you will add the ones I forget in your Comments.

[MAJOR CAVEAT: As we know, votes are still being counted (even though republicans actually SUED in an effort to STOP votes from being counted).  And totals are generally moving in Democrats’ favor.  So numbers and results are not final]

Let’s begin with the “Big Picture” and look at the general trend in the 2018 Midterm.  And to do that we’ll use the House of Representatives results since it was the only fully national election:

Little too confusing?  Let’s break it down to first show Districts that became “Redder” – of which there were a couple dozen:

Now let’s look at a map showing districts that became “Bluer” – of which there were at least 317!

Even better news, let’s take a look just within those Districts that elected RepubliKKKlans – and show with a graph if they generally became “Redder” or “Bluer”.

Yup – 171 Districts, while electing RepuliKKKlans, still moved to the Left!

[Above graphics from “The New York Times”]

So to summarize, Nate Silver of 538 anticipates Democrats will have taken 34 seats in the House – well above the 23 needed to gain control

Democrats currently lead the popular vote in the U.S. House by about 6 million votes or 6% of the vote. Likely to rise to around 8 million votes and 7-8% once all votes are counted.

The final Rasmussen Reports poll said REPUBLICANS would win the popular vote. @Rasmussen_Poll

And Prof. Sam Wang of the Princeton University Election Consortium is even more optimistic, showing that while it may not be the largest “Wave” in history – it certainly qualifies as a Wave:

But the good news didn’t just come from the national level – it occurred at the state level, too!

America now has 45 Million MORE Americans living under unified control by Democrats from winning the Trifecta of Governor and both houses in the state legislatures!  Not only did they gain full control in six new states — Colorado, Illinois, Maine, New Mexico, Nevada and New York — but they also broke the GOP’s total hold in Kansas, Michigan, New Hampshire and Wisconsin by winning control of at least one Chamber or Governor’s chair.

Broken down, that includes at least seven governorships and at least six legislative chambers.

 

And all of this was accomplished by expanding the Democratic Tent – setting historic records for electing women, minorities and LGBTQ candidates – including electing the first openly gay governor in Colorado.  Maybe it was more of a “Rainbow Wave” than a Blue Wave.

But the good news didn’t stop with just our candidates – it extended to ballot measures and initiatives across the country.

Voters in Michigan, Colorado, and Missouri (busting with pride here) all approved ballot initiatives to end political Gerrymandering, with approval rates from 60 percent to more than 70 percent!

Two states voted to increase their minimum wages requirements – Arkansas and Missouri (even prouder still)!  Both Utah and Missouri (OK – I’ll quit) approved the use of medical marijuana, while Michigan went a step further approving its recreational use.  And voters surprisingly approved Medicaid expansion in the ruby-red states of Idaho, Nebraska, and Utah.  Plus the newly elected governors of Maine and Kansas pledged to not veto similar measures that had already passed but were blocked by their predecessors.  And voting rights were restored to felons who had paid their dues in Florida.

[This pretty much covers the above paragraph]

And for a cherry-on-top (I’m counting on you guys to add even more cherries that I missed in your Comments), that Bible-thumping hypocrite and homophobic clerk in Kentucky who refused to issue Marriage Licenses to gay couples – Kim Davis – lost her election!

While we should take a bit of time to enjoy our Blue Wave victories, we then need to start working on turning that Blue Wave into productive policies for America!

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