Saturday, March 31, 2018

And another day of Roseanne, the Nuge Spooge, and Laura Ingraham comes to a close:

“I don’t consider myself to be a celebrity. That would be kind of sad.” -- Adam Driver

Facebook plans crackdown on ad targeting by email without consent.

Autopsy disputing police account of Stephon Clark shooting sparks anger.

Hundreds take to the streets in Sacramento to demand justice for Stephon Clark.

Roseanne tweets support of Trump conspiracy theory, confuses Twitter.

Metal Band Member Sentenced to Six Years Prison in Iran Accused of Creating “Satanic Music”. Theocracies. They’re bullshit.

Ted Nugent is a poor excuse for a human being. And “Cat Scratch Fever” isn’t really that good of a song, anyway.

Frank Stallone is a poor...oh, screw it. He’s not worth spending any more time on.

New York passes bill restricting gun ownership for domestic abusers.

New York passes bill to ban police from having sex with people in custody. How sad we needed a bill for that.

Laura Ingraham to take week-long break from Fox News show after losing many sponsors because she attacked Parkland survivor David Hogg.

There will be little privacy in the workplace of the future.

How America's largest local TV owner turned its news anchors into soldiers in Trump's war on the media.

President Trump designates April "Second Chance Month" for people with criminal records. “Sexual Harassment” month, “Second Chance Month,” you know, whatever.

Governor Greg Abbott vows "Texas justice" for parents accused of beating daughter for refusing arranged marriage.

A new study shows how sports leagues like the NFL fan the childhood obesity epidemic. When sports heroes like Michael Jordan appear on cereal boxes and in candy commercials, it can sway the food choices kids make for a lifetime.

Recent study shows individuals with ADHD had reduced volume in their cerebral cortex.

Prostate-Cancer Gene Test Helps Patients Decide on Treatment.

The condom challenge is getting teens to snort open rubbers up their nose. WTF?

'Selfies' could be causing an uptick in plastic surgery procedures. Sheesh.

“Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.” -- Voltaire

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Friday, March 30, 2018

And another comes to a close:

“We have to talk about liberating minds as well as liberating society.” -- Angela Davis

Donations to the NRA tripled after the Parkland shooting.

The Parkland school shooter, charged with killing 17 people, has been getting piles of fan mail while he sits in jail. America. It’s who we are. Ugh.

Police shooting and killing black men? It’s not the White House’s problem, says Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The divider in chief.

In gun-friendly Vermont, lawmakers pass firearms control bill.

Kentucky teachers to skip work after lawmakers' 'bait and switch' on pension reform.

KOMO attacks 'biased and false news' in Sinclair-written promos. I know it’s difficult, but avoid Sinclair owned stations.

Trump declares April National Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Oh the hypocrisy.

White House frustrated with EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s apartment controversy. He’s renting a room in Washington, DC from the family of an energy lobbyist. Crooked.

The richest Americans get a $33,000 tax break under the GOP tax law. The poorest get $40.

Personal data of more than 150 million users of popular calorie-counting app MyFitnessPal accessed by 'unauthorized' party in late February. Breach includes user names, email addresses and hashed passwords; payment information not affected.

Stephon Clark was shot by police 8 times--6 of them in the back. Remember, he was unarmed.

Court: government can’t block immigrant teens from abortion.

Whooping cough is back, and experts are predicting an epidemic.

“Smile, it’s free therapy.” -- Douglas Horton

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Thursday, March 29, 2018

And another day of Facebook’s “ugly truth,” attacking a Parkland survivor, cancer and Starbucks, and of course, Trump being Trump comes to a close:

“I believe the root of all evil is abuse of power.” -- Patricia Cornwell

News that Trump’s CIA director nominee, Gina Haspel, was even more involved in destroying videos showing the CIA torturing people.

Facebook memo outlines ‘ugly truth’ behind its mission. “Maybe it costs a life by exposing someone to bullies. Maybe someone dies in a terrorist attack co-ordinated on our tools,” he wrote. “The ugly truth is that we believe in connecting people so deeply that anything that allow us to connect to more people more often is *de facto* good...That isn’t something we are doing for ourselves. Or for our stock price. It is literally just what we do. We connect people. Period.”

Zuckerberg Says He Strongly Disagrees With "The Ugly" Memo By Facebook VP. The Facebook CEO's comments came shortly after BuzzFeed News reported on the internal memo that championed growth even if "it costs someone a life." In other words: I better say something now, but in 2016 I agreed with him.

Mueller just connected a top Trump campaign staffer to Russian intelligence.

Laura Ingraham is a disgusting excuse for a human being.

Advertisers are dumping Laura Ingraham after she slammed Parkland survivor, David Hogg. There are consequences to one’s actions. Don’t be a dick.

Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg says he doesn't accept Laura Ingraham's apology, saying it was "an effort just to save your advertisers."

Vermont GOP Governor Phil Scott says he's 'changed completely' on gun issues. “I've evolved on this," Scott said. "Where I was a week or two ago has changed completely." See, it’s ok to change your mind.

Student shot at Madison Schools in Ohio gets detention for school-shooting protest.

March for Our Lives was the beginning. Town halls are next. Organizers are pushing for lawmakers to host events on April 7.

New Jersey sells off investments in gun manufacturers that make automatic and semiautomatic weapons for civilian use.

The NRA is a terrorist organization. No, we don’t want to “ban your guns.”

Trump chides Obama for court vacancies, ignoring Republican obstruction: 'I don’t know why Obama left that. It was like a big beautiful present to all of us. Why the hell did he leave that? Maybe he got complacent'. It seems a large number of people are choosing to forget about the Republican obstruction during the Obama years. We all lose when you vote Republican.

Trump thinks community college and vocational school are the same thing (they’re not). Um, no, they are not the same thing. Sheesh this guy.

The United States will require would-be immigrants to turn over their social media handles.

Tarrant County woman sentenced to five years in prison for illegally voting in 2016.

Trump is going after Amazon and Jeff Bezos, again. He always holds a grudge, and he always plots revenge...and many of you voted for him.

Scott Pruitt wants to base EPA decisions on a kind of science that doesn’t exist.

Teachers in red states are winning pay raises with walkouts and strike threats. First West Virginia, then Oklahoma. Is Arizona next? This is great, but why would anyone want to live a “red state?”

States are beginning to recognize a third, nonbinary gender option. For people who don’t identify as male or female, that can mean relief, freedom and validation.

Hawaii Democrats who backed doctor-assisted suicide say it's about 'freedom to live and die as we choose,' while others fear an 'environment of hopelessness.' This does not create an “environment of hopelessness,” Senator Harimoto. Stop being so dramatic. You got through your Cancer, not because of “God” or “prayers” or even “hope,” no, you got through your cancer because you were able to. Your cancer wasn’t bad enough to kill you before you began receiving treatment, and thus the treatment worked. Some people are not so lucky.

Starbucks must put cancer warning on California coffee judge.

Does Hell exist? Pope Francis says ‘No.’

Mexico rolls out ‘Trump’ Toilet paper that boasts ‘softness without border.’

“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” -- William Shakespeare

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

And another day of tantrums, guns, and rubber duckies comes to a close:

“I vote and I do jury duty.” -- Christopher Hitchens

As do I. My three day jury duty is now over, so I’ll have more time to pay attention to what’s going on in the world.

Trump today, March 28, 2018: “THE SECOND AMENDMENT WILL NEVER BE REPEALED! As much as Democrats would like to see this happen, and despite the words yesterday of former Supreme Court Justice Stevens, NO WAY. We need more Republicans in 2018 and must ALWAYS hold the Supreme Court!”

Trump on February 28, 2018: "I like taking guns away early...Take the guns first, go through due process second."

But, you know, facts and all.

South Carolina Democratic legislators propose taxing gun sales to pay for police officers in every school. Easier than trying to get at the root of the problem and fix that.

Missouri Republicans advance bill to allow concealed guns in bars, daycares and other previously prohibited places.

Texas Officer Fatally Shoots Unarmed Man Walking With Pants Down. Yes, the victim was black.

Trump’s lawyer reportedly broached pardons For Flynn and Manafort. That could be obstruction.

Facebook cuts ties to data brokers in blow to targeted ads.

Former sheriff Joe Arpaio suggested that he would, if elected to the Senate, revive the debunked "birther" claim that President Barack Obama's birth certificate is fraudulent. Shut. Up. Joe. Go away.

Indicted Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens will run a radio ad warning of liberals "hell-bent" on stopping his agenda. A large number of the GOP are just plain nasty people.

Baltimore officials say ransomware attack temporarily hobbled city's 911 dispatch system.

Gov. Inslee signs bill banning therapists from practicing gay conversion therapy.

Under-regulated amusement park rides across America are tragedies waiting to happen. Regulation is not always a bad thing.

Planned Parenthood is facing a backlash after one of its branches tweeted, and then deleted, a post suggesting Disney should create a princess who'd had an abortion.

Parents beware: Rubber duckies may be breeding ground for bacteria seen in "hospital-acquired infections," according to a new study.

“Where there is no vision, there is no hope.” -- George Washington Carver

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

And another day of walls, amendments, vaccinations, and abortions winds down and comes to a close:

“I thought of you and where you’d gone. And the world spins madly on.” -- The Weepies

Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Christopher Wylie tells British lawmakers the company doesn’t care if what it does is legal “as long as it gets the job done.”

Trump floats the idea of using military budget to pay for border wall. The wall is a stupid waste of money, but wait, that might be the actual point. And wasn’t Mexico supposed to pay for this stupid thing anyway?

Trump's blistering tongue and stinging tweets spare almost no one. But there are two blatant exceptions: Vladimir Putin and Stormy Daniels.

Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens argues for repeal of the Second Amendment. Um, that’s not the answer, John. That’s also not what we’re fighting for. Please stop talking, you are making things worse.

In the wake of the Stormy Daniels saga, some Evangelicals are comparing Trump to the Bible's King David, an adulterer who remained beloved by his people and God. Christ on a cross. Isn’t there something about beware false prophets?

Alex Jones releases video depicting Parkland survivor Emma Gonzalez as a member of the Hitler Youth. Because Alex Jones is a waste of human flesh.

Alton Sterling killing: No state criminal charges against two Baton Rouge police officers.

The Kentucky House of Representatives passed legislation on Tuesday to ban a common abortion procedure from the 11th week of pregnancy, in what would be one of the strictest abortion limits in the United States. It now goes to the Governor, Matt Bevin. Yep, as we’ve been shown, Republicans are so the party of “pro-life”--I mean, pro-birth, pro-birth, sorry about that. Yeah, we all know they don’t give a damn about you after you’re out of the womb.

Federal judge orders Florida governor Rick Scott, state cabinet to create system to restore felons’ voting rights.

2020 census under Trump will ask a person's citizenship status. Critics say immigrants will be less likely to respond and final count will be inaccurate.

Larry Nassar's former boss at Michigan State University used his power to sexually assault, harass, and solicit nude photos from female students, according to a criminal complaint.

An Ohio fertility clinic says more than 4,000 eggs and embryos were affected by a freezer malfunction, double the number previously thought -- and that it's unlikely any of them are viable.

3-year-olds will have to go to school in France.

Towering, autonomous robots are beginning to roam the aisles of select Walmart stores, scanning shelves for data on out-of-stock, misplaced or mislabeled items.

Texas sinkholes: oil and gas drilling increases threat, scientists warn.

Prince had a "exceedingly high" concentration of fentanyl in his body when he died.

Health care providers may be failing to routinely offer HPV vaccine to boys, new study says, potentially putting them at risk of cancer later in life. Get your kids vaccinated, people.

Walmart wants to make autonomous robotic bees a reality. The giant retail chain makes a buzz by filing a patent for remote-controlled bees capable of detecting pollen.

“Universal vaccination may well be the greatest success story in medical history.” -- Michael Specter

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Monday, March 26, 2018

And another day of Facebook trouble, Russian expulsions, and a fake photo--and oh yeah, I guess we’re not supposed to buy Girl Scout Cookies anymore--comes to a close:

“Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.” -- Albert Einstein

A new report finds that Democrats would need to win by a CRAZY amount in order to overcome gerrymandering and take the House. “In order to take back the House, Democrats would need to win the popular vote by 11 points--an enormous margin in American politics today. Ugh. Leave it to the GOP to stack the deck in their favor.

The feds confirm they're investigating Facebook's data practices.

Facebook admitted it has been keeping records of Android users’ calls and texts.

It's not just Facebook. Thousands of companies are spying on you.

The White House says President Trump continues to deny that he had an affair with Stormy Daniels. Wait, they deny the affair but admit she was paid $130,000. Hmmmm...

Trump expels 60 Russians, closes Seattle consulate after UK chemical attack.

The U.S. and its allies are expelling Russian diplomats in response to the poison attack in Britain. Here's the complete list of countries.

Emma Gonzalez is responsible for the loudest silence in the history of US social protest. Because she is what we professionally call a badass.

People are sharing fake photos of Emma Gonzalez tearing up the Constitution. Just so you know the picture is...

Remington, one of nation’s top gunmakers, files for bankruptcy.

Steve King is a horrible person.

A clear generational divide in the U.S. is evident in views of government, with those in younger generations more likely than those in older generations to express a preference for a bigger government with more services.

Suicide hotline calls double in Puerto Rico 6 months after Hurricane Maria.

Dozens of hate-fueled attacks reported at Walmart stores nationwide.

New Indiana law requires all doctors to quiz women about their past abortions. “A new state law directs Indiana doctors and hospitals to investigate every time a woman seeks treatment for a physical or psychological condition whether she previously had an abortion that is in any way connected to the ailment.” Fucked. Up.

More states move to end ‘Tampon Tax’ that’s seen as discriminating against women.

Notes, emails reveal Trump appointees’ war to end Health and Human Services teen pregnancy program. Abstinence-only activists (which is a total bullshit way to help teens) overruled the HHS experts.

The founder of a conservative Christian ministry and legal counsel which represented Kim Davis has urged his followers to stop buying cookies from the Girl Scouts, claiming it "promotes abortion and sexual promiscuity to innocent girls." Seriously.

NIH is faring surprisingly well under Trump.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wants hemp removed from controlled substance list.

Netflix booted from Cannes Film Festival competition. Some people are terrified of change.

RIP Linda Brown. Yes, from Brown vs. Board of Education.

“Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.” -- Plato

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Sunday, March 25, 2018

And another day where the forecast called for Stormy weather but all we got was a little bit of rain (no, not that kind of rain) and a spanking with a magazine comes to a close:

“I wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then.” -- Bob Seger

Trump’s lawyers are threatening Stormy Daniels with financial ruin, saying she has to pay $1M every time she violates her agreement to stay silent about an alleged affair Mr. Trump denies. But that didn't stop her for coming on 60 Minutes.

After marching to demand stricter gun laws, student activists are taking aim at gun laws and the midterm election.

58% of Americans believe owning a gun makes people safer, according to a new poll by NBC and the Wall Street Journal. Research suggests the opposite. But, you know, science and stuff.

Gun violence kills at least 14 people across U.S. on same day as March for Our Lives.

Former GOP Sen. Rick Santorum suggests students protesting for gun control would be better served by taking CPR classes. While CPR would be a good thing for anyone to know, it would essentially be useless after an attack with an AR-15 and people are bleeding-out on the floor. Rick needs to go away.

Laws backed by the NRA and other pro-gun groups prevent the public from seeing which firearms dealers are selling the most guns used in crimes. The NRA is a terrorist organization.

Trump is staffing _ or casting_ from Fox. “This is the Fox television presidency all the way up and down.”

Undocumented workers find new ally as unions act to halt deportations.

Female Candidates Breastfeed Children In Campaign Ads.

Rich people will soon be able to buy fake meteor showers on demand, thanks to a booming private space industry. A large number of people have to defecate in the street, and others have to dig in dumpsters to find food, but, you know, whatever.

Drug-resistant infections could, by some estimates, become responsible for 10m deaths a year by 2050.

“Jump, and you will find out how to unfold your wings as you fall.” -- Ray Bradbury

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Saturday, March 24, 2018

And another day—a rare one that fills my heart full of hope—comes to a close:

“Wake up baby ‘cause I’m coming to you from the future.” -- Monster Magnet

Hundreds of thousands take to streets demanding end to gun violence.

Why the March for Our Lives could win.

March for Our Lives’ Edna Chavez speaks for the kind of gun violence that doesn’t make front pages. America’s gun problem goes much, much further than mass shootings.

What works to reduce gun deaths. There was a 23% increase in gun homicide rates after Missouri scrapped its background check law. But you know, facts.

Just how large were the March for Our Lives rallies? Take a look at these images. Impressive.

Aerial images from March for Our Lives rallies around the world shows huge turnout.

Facebook makes it pretty easy to find out how much data it’s collected from you, but the results are a little scary.

Ex-Cambridge Analytica staff say a super PAC run by John Bolton used compromised Facebook data.

“Guns do kill people. Unlike cars, that is all they do.” -- Molly Ivins

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Friday, March 23, 2018

And another day of Trump asking for something that’s already been ruled unconstitutional (this time the line-item veto) comes a close:

“You can’t see a mushroom cloud through rose colored glasses.” — Sarah Kendzior

Young activists to descend on Washington tomorrow for March for Our Lives.

Trump order would ban most transgender troops from serving. He’s such an asshole. 

Leaked: Cambridge Analytica's blueprint for Trump victory.

Trump adviser John Bolton worked with Cambridge Analytica on YouTube voter experiment.

Trump signs $1.3 trillion spending package—supposedly to provide money for the military. Mmmm hmmmm.

Tipped workers and advocates across the country won a major victory today.

Pennsylvania Republican state legislator moves to impeach four state Supreme Court justices (Democrats) because they declined to block the new congressional map from taking effect. America, 2018.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court chief scolds his own party for trying to impeach justices.

University of Vermont mathematicians invent tool to judge when voting maps have been unfairly drawn.

Pennsylvania school district stocks its classrooms with stones as “last-ditch” to fight off potential shooters, superintendent says. “You can throw them very hard and they will create or cause pain, which can distract.” And history has shown how well primitive weapons have stood up against firearms. This isn’t Endor for Pete’s sake.

Dow sinks 425 points, closing out worst week in 2 years and extending weekly drop to 1,400 points. So much “winning.”

Craigslist axes personal ads after sex trafficking bill passes.

Trump didn’t want to give Haiti $11 million for cholera. So Congress found another way.

Scientists spent three years on the most comprehensive and localized look at the state of Earth's biodiversity. Their conclusion: Nowhere is doing well. UN reports see a lonelier planet with fewer plants, animals.

Study: Over the next 20 years, up to 11 U.S. states are predicted to see the average annual area burned increase by 500%.

Company that operated Kansas water park and a former company executive are charged with involuntary manslaughter in the decapitation death of 10-year-old boy on a giant waterslide.

“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.” -- Elie Wiesel

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Thursday, March 22, 2018

And another day where we wished you wouldn’t have run for president comes to a close:

Saturday’s March for Our Lives will be worldwide. 833 marches have been listed so far.

Time Magazine's Latest Cover

Trump prepares for war with Mueller.

The lead attorney in President Trump’s personal legal team handling the response to the Russia investigation, John Dowd, has resigned.

Trump says he still "would like" to testify before special counsel Robert Mueller as part of the investigation into alleged collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.

Trump replaces National Security Adviser HR McMaster with John Bolton. Just great. A warmonger.

John Bolton’s curious appearance in a Russian gun rights video. He was encouraging the Russian government to loosen gun laws. Is there anyone--anyone--in the administration not connected to Russia? Asking for a friend.

Mr Zuckerberg doesn't seem to have grasped the graveness of Facebook's crisis. His remedies don't go nearly far enough.

When asked what advice he’d give his 25-year old self, Trump says: “Don’t run for president.”

Western media and leaders—not just Trump—are helping Putin legitimize his sham election victory.

Trump slaps China with tariffs on up to $60 billion in imports: ‘This is the first of many.’

Retailers slam China tariffs, saying they'll amount to $50 billion tax on consumers.

China plans reciprocal tariffs on $3 billion of U.S. imports, including California specialties.

Teenage girl who was shot when a classmate opened fire inside their Maryland high school is brain dead and is being removed from life support.

70-year-olds Trump and Joe Biden are threatening to fight. What is this, fifth grade?

25 years ago, Republicans were more educated than Democrats. Now it's the opposite, a new Pew Research survey shows.

Omnibus spending bill would fund gun control background checks, allow the CDC to study gun violence. Of course, there’s also funding for 100 miles of new construction for the border wall.

Clear backpacks are not the answer.

Judge tells Scott Walker he can't block Wisconsin elections where seats might flip to Democrats. Scott Walker needs to go.

Want to find the source of online conspiracies and general nonsense? Look toward YouTube, not Facebook. Yeah, there’s a lot of shit on YouTube.

There’s An Online Harassment Campaign Underway Against People Advocating For Diversity In Comics. Comicsgate.

Bill Cosby’s lawyers ask judge to step aside over his wife’s work with assault victims. Interesting...

NASA just found a way to fire up Voyager 1’s thrusters after 37 years of inactivity. It’s more than 21 billion kilometres away from Earth. We are capable of doing great things if we’d just stop being shitty to one another.

Great Pacific Garbage Patch is 16 times bigger than previously estimated, study finds.

Recycling wastewater makes people squeamish. But the world may need to get over it.

A new UN report confirms the last three years were the hottest since records began.

College students are using student loans to invest in bitcoin. Yes, really.

In the age of stupid teen challenges on social media, the "choking game" is back. Here's what parents need to know.

“Patience is not simply the ability to wait--it’s how we behave while we’re waiting.” -- Joyce Meyer

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

And another day of knowing we can do better than this comes to a close:

Today is World Down Syndrome Day.

It’s also World Poetry Day.

“Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.” -- William Butler Yeats

“We are a nation not only of dreamers, but also of fixers. We have looked at our land and people, and said, time and time again, ‘This is not good enough; we can be better.’” — Dan Rather

Cambridge Analytica's big promise in 2016: developing detailed psychological profiles of every American voter, so that campaigns could tailor their pitches from person to person.

Mark Zuckerberg has regrets. "I'm really sorry that this happened," the Facebook CEO says after news that Cambridge Analytica, a data firm with ties to President Trump's 2016 campaign, accessed information from 50M Facebook users without their knowledge. Mmmmm hmmmm. Your response took too long.

Remember, a personality quiz on Facebook, that was only played by 300,000 people, gave the quiz creator access to the data of 50 million people.

Zuckerberg has sold more Facebook stock in the last 3 months than any insider at any other company. Analysts don't believe there was anything nefarious behind the insider selling, which are part of regularly scheduled plans.

Mueller team so far has indicated 4 main areas it wants to ask the President about. Yeah, he’s not going to like those. No wonder he’s been in meltdown city these last few days.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team has had growing interest in better understanding the relationship between Trump campaign, RNC and Cambridge Analytica.

McCabe authorized perjury investigation into Sessions.

The Austin bomber is dead. He blew himself up as law enforcement closed in on his car. Mark Anthony Conditt was a terrorist. It doesn’t matter that he was white.

The President and chief of staff are furious that someone leaked a warning not to congratulate Putin on his victory -- hours after Trump did just that.

More people view NRA negatively than positively for the first time since before 2000. The NRA is a terrorist organization.

YouTube is cracking down on gun videos posted.

Police shot and killed an unarmed black man in his own backyard. All he was holding was a cellphone. They shot at him 20 fucking times. When’s this shit going to change?

CBS says it will air "60 Minutes" interview with porn star Stormy Daniels this weekend. Grab your popcorn.

Today, Mississippi became the 49th state to chose its first woman to send to Congress. That just leaves Vermont as the only state that has never sent a woman to Capitol Hill. Montana was first, in 1917. I’m rather disgusted by this.

In the first major change to an Internet freedom law in years, Congress votes this week on making Internet companies take a little more responsibility for content on their sites. Later in the day, the Senate approved the anti-sex-trafficking bill. It’s now headed to Trump.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ohio Gov. John Kasich press for a Republican Party that escapes Trump turmoil for cooperation on climate change and immigration.

The alcohol industry gave the government money to prove moderate drinking is safe.

Researchers create robotic fish that can swim underwater on its own.

Third-grader leading Colorado measure to allow schools to administer medical marijuana .

“It’s difficult to free fools from the chains they revere.” -- Voltaire

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

And another day--an Aubrey O’Day kind of a day--complete with a polygraph test, a warning not to congratulate a dictator, and another high school shooting comes to a close:

“An American president does not lead the Free World by congratulating dictators on winning sham elections.” -- Senator John McCain

Cambridge Analytica executives boast of role in getting Trump elected. CEO Alexander Nix claims he met Trump “many times.”

Cambridge Analytica CEO: 'we ran all the digital campaign' for Trump. A second report by Channel 4 News shows executives claiming that their work was responsible for Trump's "narrow victory" by 40,000 votes in three states. Nix said in the video that "We did all the research, all the data, all the analytics, all the targeting, we ran all the digital campaign, the television campaign and our data informed all the strategy."

The board of Cambridge Analytica suspends CEO Alexander Nix pending an investigation.

‘Utterly horrifying': ex-Facebook insider says covert data harvesting was routine.

Facebook finally responded to the Cambridge Analytica scandal—and it’s passing the buck. Hmmm. That statement said, well, nothing really.

Trump congratulated Putin on his “election victory” after his national security team told him not to. They actually wrote in Trump’s written briefing ahead of the call to Putin, “DO NOT CONGRATULATE.” The notes also said to condemn the attack of an ex-Russian spy in London with a nerve agent. He of course did not. He has clearly been compromised by the Russians.

Package bound for Austin blows up at FedEx building near San Antonio.

Sixth Texas parcel bomb blast leaves U.S. investigators baffled.

Armed student dead after he shoots 2 others at Maryland high school. The school resource officer shot and killed the 17-year old gunman.

Garth Brooks shares inspirational message for "March For Our Lives" leaders: "This is your world. Take it, shape it." March For Our Lives is this coming Saturday, March 24th.

Kroger’s Fred Meyer plans to phase out firearms business.

Lindsey Graham calls for the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold a hearing on McCabe's firing.

Senator Jeff Flake warns of impeachment if President Trump fires special counsel Robert Mueller.

A New York judge ruled that President Trump must face a defamation suit brought by a former contestant on 'The Apprentice.’ No, not even the president is above the law.

Betsy DeVos: School safety commission to consist of four Cabinet secretaries, no Democrats. The commission would consist of DeVos, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, Department of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Fucking ugh.

The Weinstein Co. Files For Bankruptcy, Cancels Non-Disclosure Agreements.

Donald Trump Jr. reportedly had an affair with Celebrity Apprentice cast member Aubrey O’Day. Like father, like son.

Lie detector test shows Stormy Daniels truthful about Trump affair.

Former Playboy model Karen McDougal sues to break silence on relationship with Trump.

It was a bad day in court for Trump’s efforts to silence women. Good.

How bisexuality gets erased, explained by the reaction to Cynthia Nixon’s candidacy for governor of New York. Why does one’s sexuality have to be “black and white”--gay or straight? Why should you care about someone else’s sexuality, anyway? As long as all parties are consenting and of legal age, why should you give a shit?

It would be nice if Harvey Weinsten's legacy is the demise of nondisclosure agreements, which let abusers remain cloaked in secrecy. Yep. NDA’s foster abuse.

China’s Xi strikes nationalistic tone, vows to protect "every inch" of China.

Fox News analyst quits, rips network as a "propaganda machine" in letter to colleagues. Fox News is complete rubbish.

The biggest late-March snowstorm on record is taking aim at the East Coast.

Uber victim stepped suddenly in front of self-driving car, police say.

Toyota shuts down testing of self-driving vehicles on public roads after fatal Uber crash. Perspective, people. Perspective.

World’s last male northern white rhino dies.

“There was never an angry man who thought his anger unjust.” -- Saint Francis de Sales

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Monday, March 19, 2018

And another day of living in “very, very bad commercials...unsavory situations” comes to a close:

“It has to happen without anyone thinking it’s propaganda, because the moment you think ‘that’s propaganda’ the next question is: ‘Who’s put that out?’” — Mark Turnbull, managing director of Cambridge Analytica’s political division.

“It doesn’t have to be true, it just has to be believed.” — Alexander Nix, CEO Cambridge Analytics.

Cambridge Analytica boasts of dirty tricks to swing elections. Bosses tell undercover reporters how honey traps, spies and fake news can be used to help clients. In addition to bribery, used Ukrainian sex workers to entrapped politicians.

This is why Facebook's data scandal matters -- and what it means for your personal information.

Cambridge Analytica has agreed to a digital forensic audit of its servers and systems in an attempt to show that it deleted certain Facebook data it held on some American users, Facebook says. But from my understanding the original data was never encrypted. So who knows where it has spread to now.

UK official to seek warrant to search servers of Cambridge Analytica in investigation into whether Facebook data was "illegally acquired and used."

Brad Parscale, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort were the primary players involved in hiring Cambridge Analytica for the Trump campaign.

Facebook's security chief to leave company over internal disagreements of how Facebook should deal with its role in spreading disinformation.

Facebook profile fraud in 5 steps. This is the Cliff’s Notes version.

This Time, Facebook Really Might Be Fucked.

The only relevant known fact about McCabe’s firing is that he is a key witness against Trump.

The Federal Elections Commission is looking at pro-Trump donations made to the National Rifle Association.

The FBI, ATF, and Austin Police Department seek the public's assistance with identifying the individual(s) responsible for the package bombs which injured and killed several Austin, Texas, residents. Reward offered.

All of a Sudden, Voting Rights Are Expanding Across the Country. Washington state is leading the pushback against national moves to curtail ballot access. Yay, Washington state!

Supreme Court rejects Pennsylvania Republicans' fight over maps for U.S. House.

Trump announced that his administration will push a "large-scale" ad campaign aimed at combating the opioid epidemic. Since he stole his MAGA slogan for his campaign, maybe he’ll just use the phrase “Just Say No.” Because that worked.

Trump pushes death penalty for some drug dealers. Following one of his idols--Duterte.

The "Deep State" is real and controls U.S. government, most Americans believe. We’re so fucked.

Trump's National Labor Relations Board is ignoring its own guidelines and rushing to settle a major workplace action involving McDonald’s. If the workers win at trial, it could have a profound effect on how major corporations are held liable.

Mississippi gov signs nation's toughest abortion restrictions. The law immediately bans most abortions after 15 weeks' gestation with no exceptions for rape or incest.

Martina Navratilova "angry" after learning BBC pays John McEnroe at least 10 times more for Wimbledon work.

Self-driving Uber car involved in fatal accident in Arizona. It's believed to be the first fatality attributed to a self-driving vehicle.

A self-driving Uber killed a pedestrian. Human drivers will kill 16 people today. Among high-income countries, the US is one of the deadliest places for drivers and pedestrians.

Warming climate to displace millions in coming decades: World Bank phy.

D.C. lawmaker says recent snowfall caused by “Rothschilds controlling the climate”. Jesus. Christ.

Republicans Have A Plan To Lower Health Care Costs, But It Would Also Limit Abortion Coverage. Some abortions are necessary.

Teen suicide is soaring. Do spotty mental health and addiction treatment share blame?

The FDA says its plan to cut nicotine in cigarettes could extend American lives by 134 million years.

“If I were to remain silent, I’d be guilty of complicity.” -- Albert Einstein

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Sunday, March 18, 2018

And another day that leaves us full of questions comes to a close:

“Shortly before President Donald Trump and one of his personal defense attorneys made their most brazen calls yet for the Russia investigation to be shut down, they apparently received a list of questions from the special counsel Robert Mueller...Mueller is still seeking an interview, sources told The Times, but sent the list as a starting point that he can later use to ask follow-up questions. Soon after, Trump embarked on one of his most heated, weekend-long tirades against Mueller, former FBI director James Comey, and former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe.” Guilty. As. Sin.

Christopher Wylie, the whistleblower who exposed the Facebook data theft in Trump campaign firm, says he has been banned from Facebook for speaking out.

Cambridge Analytica scrambles to pull Channel 4 exposé. Got something to hide?

Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook under fire from politicians over data controversy. As well they should be.

Key Republicans on Sunday warned President Donald Trump not to interfere with special counsel Robert Mueller.

Lindsey Graham: Trump firing Mueller would be 'the beginning of the end of his presidency'.

Trump had senior staff sign nondisclosure agreements. They’re supposed to last beyond his presidency. He’s got to go.

This is the legal thicket the NRA has created to make it impossible to study gun violence.

Kushner Cos. filed false documents with NYC. Then earned millions of dollars.

Putin easily wins another six-year term, firms grip on Russia. Trump eyes how to make that happen here.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is posturing for higher political office, including a possible run for president in 2024 or later, The New York Times reports. Hahahahahahahaha! Whew! Damn, that shit was funny.

Proposed Tennessee bill lowers penalty for those caught carrying a gun without a permit from $500 to $250.

Sources contradict Sessions' testimony he opposed Russia outreach.

Democrats hold double-digit lead for 2018 midterm elections. Don’t listen to the polls. Get out there and vote the GOP out of office in November.

AP: Officials recommended Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz be committed as early as 2016.

Up until about a week ago, children in Florida could be forced to marry their rapist. That’s what happened to Sherry Johnson, who was 11 when forced to marry her rapist. Thanks to her efforts, this won't happen in Florida ever again.

The #MeToo movement and resistance to Trump have put the unequal treatment of women in the workplace in the spotlight. And as public outcry spreads, corporate America is slowly responding.

Why is Hollywood pushing a bill about sex-trafficking? Maybe because it would let them reshape the Internet. How FOSTA Could Give Hollywood the Filters It's Long Wanted.

Cirque du Soleil aerialist dies after fall during performance in Florida, company says.

Joe Montana advocates cannabis for pain relief, healing.

“Life is too short to do the things you don’t love doing.” -- Bruce Dickinson

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Saturday, March 17, 2018.

And another day of overwhelming proof that the next “great day for Democracy” will be the day Trump is out of the White House (preferably headed to prison) finally comes to a close:

“When the full extent of your venality, moral turpitude, and political corruption become known, you will take your rightful place as a disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history. You may scapegoat Andy McCabe, but you will not destroy America...America will triumph over you.” -- Former CIA Director John Brennan in a tweet responding to Trump after he gleefully tweeted about the firing of FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.

Trump’s actions have shown the firing of McCabe was political and nothing more. He is a disgrace to the office he holds.

Ex-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe was fired late Friday--and he fired back. “This attack on my credibility is one part of a larger effort not just to slander me personally, but to taint the FBI, law enforcement, and intelligence professionals more generally," McCabe said. "It is part of this Administration's ongoing war on the FBI and the efforts of the Special Counsel investigation, which continue to this day. Their persistence in this campaign only highlights the importance of the Special Counsel's work."

AP learns McCabe kept memos regarding Trump.

Fired FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe's memos on his interactions with President Trump are in the hands of special counsel Robert Mueller.

Democrats on Twitter are offering former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe jobs, after Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired the 49-year-old two days before he was set to retire.

Trump lawyer calls for Rosenstein to end special counsel's Russia investigation.

Trump’s actions are that of a guilty man. Period. If he won’t talk with Mueller (and is really trying to get him fired) then he’s not innocent. Stop preaching about “actions speak louder than words” if you’re going to still support this disgusting excuse of a human being.

50 million Facebook profiles harvested for Cambridge Analytica in major data breach. “The data analytics firm that worked with Donald Trump’s election team and the winning Brexit campaign harvested millions of Facebook profiles of US voters, in the tech giant’s biggest ever data breach, and used them to build a powerful software program to predict and influence choices at the ballot box. A whistleblower has revealed to the Observer how Cambridge Analytica – a company owned by the hedge fund billionaire Robert Mercer, and headed at the time by Trump’s key adviser Steve Bannon – used personal information taken without authorisation in early 2014 to build a system that could profile individual US voters, in order to target them with personalised political advertisements.” This is big. Very big.

If you only read one thing today, this is the story: Now meet Christopher Wylie, the above mentioned whistleblower, as he discusses his role in hijacking the profiles of millions of Facebook users in order to target the US electorate. Seriously. This is the most important story of the day--maybe in days. If you’re a Facebook user, then you should know what has happened. Wow.

Facebook suspends Cambridge Analytica over concerns about violations of the social media site’s policies. About goddamn time.

In a 2016 interview with WIRED, the CEO of Cambridge Analytica specifically denied using this Facebook user data, a denial that directly contradicts the company's own statement on Friday.

Massachusetts A.G. Maura Healy is launching an investigation into Facebook and Cambridge Analytica.

The cover of next week's New Yorker

Fred Meyer phasing out sales of all guns and ammunition.

Marielle Franco, councillor and police critic, shot dead in targeted killing in Brazil, sparking protests.

Two moms took three children to a mosque and live-streamed their hate-filled tirade. “‘Mommy, they buy their chicken to rape it,’ the child says.” We must stand against this bullshit. Fight Islamophobia and racism.

California school bus driver accused of sexually assaulting special needs children.

About a quarter of U.S. adults say they are ‘almost constantly’ online.

While you were sleeping, Dennis Prager's right-wing YouTube empire was quietly nudging millennials toward conservatism.

Parenting doesn’t matter. We’re all terrified we’re going to mess up our kids. The science says we probably won’t have much impact at all.

YouTube Kids has videos on how reptilians rule the world, moon landing was fake. And the indoctrination of “fake news” begins early. Ugh.

“Standing up to bullies is the hallmark of a civilized society.” -- Robert Reich

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Good night.