Remember When? Dec. 21, 2011 - Moms Turn to Phone-Sex to Supplement income, Support Families During Hard Economic Times

Editor's Note: While I'm on break, I'm recycling past posts that I hope you find enlightening and entertaining.

An increasing number of cash-strapped mothers are taking jobs as phone-sex operators, finding that talking dirty to strangers is an easy way to support their families.

The number of mothers with young children who have become telephone temptresses over the last 18 months has shot up about 400%, reports ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

The data comes from ratracerebellion.com, a website dedicated to helping mothers find jobs that allow them to work from home.

Chris Durst, who runs the online organization, has been tracking the working habits of mothers for more than a decade.

She says the number of women who search for phone-sex work generally spikes after Labor Day, as their children return to school. 

But in the past two years, the level of interest in phone-sex employment has been extraordinary — and Durst blames it on the economy.

As it Stands, by 2011 standards phone sex was considered really nasty. Compare it to the digital sex that's now available online and you can see how far the sex industry has come (pun intended).  

Remember When: Dec. 19, 2010 - Is Assange a Robin Hood Trying to Take the High Road by Thievery?

Editor's Note: While I'm on break, I'm recycling past posts that I hope you find enlightening and entertaining.

By Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange opened the 21st century version of Pandora's Box. He spread illegally obtained raw classified information on his website for the world to view. As a result, the journalism world may never be the same again.

WikiLeaks has exposed secrets about corruption in governments and corporations; embarrassing stuff that makes a good read, and some humanitarian issues that call for action.

So, who is this crusader for justice, this Robin Hood who leads his merry band of hackers and other followers on behalf of humanity? Should we trust the motives of this convicted computer hacker and alleged sex offender? If so, why? Because he's been the darling of hackers, anarchists, and international journalists since 2007, when he started WikiLeaks?

Assange recently turned himself in to British authorities and is currently out on bail awaiting extradition to Sweden for questioning about sexual misconduct with two Swedish women. Hardly a ringing endorsement for his character.

The question is, “How much good and bad has come of releasing those secret documents?” Assange claims he's a champion for truth. Whose truth would that be?

I question why he didn't hide the identities of Afghan informants in his revelation revolution. The Taliban picked right up on their names and promised to “punish them.” Make that murder them. Collateral damage? OK. At what point do these lives start counting?

Still, Assange has supporters. Recently, a loose-knit group of hackers who gather on the website 4Chan.org under the name Anonymous called for cyber-attacks against those who worked against him. They successfully attacked Mastercard, Visa, PayPal, the Swiss bank Post Finance, the Swedish government website and others who criticized or tried to shut down WikiLeaks.

These cyber-attacks were called “Operation Payback” and “Operation Avenge Assange.” So far, the damage has been temporary. Innocent consumers have suffered financially from these retaliatory actions. More collateral damage.

Which leads me to wonder, what's next if the British send Assange to Sweden and he's convicted of a crime? How will international hackers respond to that? After all, he's one of their own and used to go by the nickname “Mendax” -- a classical Latin word for “liar.”

He and two other hackers called themselves the “International Subversives” and regularly broke into the computer systems of some of America's most sensitive government installations, including nuclear weapon labs, before forming WikiLeaks. He's never made a secret of his hatred for the United States.

This is where it gets scary. Unknown, unorganized hackers have flexed their digital muscles in the name of Assange. Authorities can expect more trouble if things go bad for him. His followers threaten governments and corporations with impunity.

It's hard for me to believe that a so-called whistleblower organization involved in international espionage may change journalism for the better. 

In a recent MSNBC interview, Stephen I. Vladeck, a law professor at American University, said, “It's quite clear that the Espionage Act applies on its face regardless of whether the individual who is distributing classified information is the initial thief or an intermediary.”

That initial thief, Pfc. Bradley E. Manning, is no hero. He's been arrested and charged with the unauthorized use and disclosure of U.S. classified information. Spreading that information on WikiLeaks makes Assange a co-conspirator in the theft.

I'm having a hard time joining some of my peers who still support Assange. Someone who provides a website for the dissemination of raw data is not an editor or reporter in my book. Even calling him a whistleblower is misleading, because he's pursuing a personal agenda against the United States.

According to numerous media reports, Assange is leading a troubled life. His wife and child left him. He lost his main supporter and confidant, Daniel Domscheit-Berg, who is launching a rival website called “Open Links” which promises to be more transparent than WikiLeaks.

Is WikiLeaks a real journalistic organization devoted to truth and the betterment of mankind? Is Assange a modern-day Robin Hood stealing information for the masses? Or is WikiLeaks just a gathering of computer hackers, self-avowed humanitarians and assorted disgruntled individuals all pursuing personal agendas against the established governments of the world?

As It Stands, before people try to make Assange a legend, it might be a better idea to see how his story plays out.

Remember When: Dec. 28, 2019 - Trump Appointed Judges: Where Justice Goes to Die

Editor's Note: While I'm on break, I'm recycling past posts that I hope you find enlightening and entertaining.

The most devastating effect Trump has on our society is the appointment of numerous right-wing judges across the country. 
Because of Trump's collusion with The Federalist Society, only extremist judges are getting approved in record numbers.

Trump's judicial appointees are not selected because they are unbiased or nonpartisan or fair-minded. They are chosen because of their loyalty to the Federalist Society and Trump himself.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel has devoted the last three years to appointing Trump-judges while letting all bills from Congress (over 400 this year) fester in his partisan graveyard.

A warning sign for what to expect in the future can be seen with what's happened to the 5th District Court; it's been stacked with right-wing judges during the last three years. Now it's a court where justice goes to die.

The future portends more extreme decisions that will drag other courts to the far right. Trump has already flipped the 2nd, 3rd, and 11th Circuits by creating a majority of Republican appointees loyal to him.

This year the conservative majority of judges went on a rampage. This month, the courts ruled that Obamacare's individual mandate has become unconstitutional in an overtly partisan decision and suggested that the rest of the law may have to fall, as well.

Trump has managed to neutralize moderate conservatives. With the waning influence of balanced courts Americans are facing a dark future for personal freedoms.

Roe vs Wade (Jan.22, 1973) has been threatened before in 1992. Based upon the current rapidly slanted changing judiciary, 2020 may see the biggest challenge of all for the controversial law.

Even if we do get a Democratic president and Senate in 2020, the damage Trump and McConnell have done to the judicial system is going to be there for years. In some cases, even a generation.

As it Stands, as history shows Roe vs Wade was later overturned by the Supreme Court thanks to Trump's appointments and McConnell's obstruction.

Remember When: Dec. 30, 2021 - Wrapping Up the Year America Avoided a Coup Attempt

Editor's Note: While I'm on break, I'm recycling past posts that I hope you find enlightening and entertaining.

This year came in with a bang as Trump followers tried to overthrow our government in a failed coup attempt.

It's official, Kellyanne Conway's alternate realities have polluted the country, as Republicans embrace the lie that launched the coup - that the presidential election was stolen from Trump. 

It's weird. Americans are watching another coup attempt slowly unfold before their eyes. If Republicans don't legally win the presidency in 2024, they have plans to overturn the results. Is anyone watching?

Red states have been passing voter suppression laws and stuffing GOP election officials in states electoral systems in anticipation of winning - one way, or another.

Is anyone watching?

Yes. 

We're watching democracy shrivel up as Trump's minions drag the nation into an authoritarian state with him as dictator for life.

It's really sad. 

We got a new president this year but can't seem to get rid of the old one who hangs around the fringes of society steadily plotting another assault on our freedoms.

This is America today. I hope the new year is better. For all of our sakes.

Remember When: Dec.10, 2022 - Animal Tales: Terrorist Iguana Causes Large Scale Outage, Pet Unicorn License Issued, Cow Visits Doctor's Office and More

Editor's Note: While I'm on break, I'm recycling past posts that I hope you find enlightening and entertaining.

Authorities in Florida recently reported a suspected domestic terrorist disguised as a Green Iguana who went by the name Louie, attacked a power substation causing a "large scale outage" for power customers.

Authorities had been searching for him ever since he was seen running from Mar-a-Lago with confidential files in his mouth earlier this month. 

Breaking New Ground

A handwritten letter from a young California girl to animal care and control officials has broken new ground when it comes to fantasy animals.

Authorities spent weeks investigating if unicorns were real without success. But they wanted kids everywhere to still believe there was a chance that unicorns really did so they gave the child a pre-approved license to keep a unicorn as a pet should she find one.

Unicorn dolls have been selling out in California since the news broke. 

Meanwhile

Cows have been escaping from tractor trailers a lot lately. 

Just two weeks ago a great escape - about 30 cows - made a slow dash to freedom before being re-incarcerated by several cattle wranglers.

On Dec. 9th a rogue cow (who goes by Bonny the Bad Ass - photo above) jumped from the back of a trailer and headed straight for a doctor's office. 

The 650-pound bovine literally came through the front door and demanded to see the doctor.

If it wasn't for two cattle wranglers scaring the shit out of Bonny authorities said she might not have crashed through the front door and would have been content bellowing for a doctor from outside. 

Afterwards, the two men were given cognitive tests to see how stupid they were.

Meanwhile

Authorities at Dane County Regional airport in Madison, Wisconsin accidently put a dog through an X-Ray Machine.

The Dachshund-Chihuahua mix had some harsh barks for its stupid owner who didn't follow the proper protocol for traveling with pets. 

Asked what the dog thought while being subjected to x-rays the sheepish owner said, "He probably thought about biting my ass!" she theorized. 

As it stands, I hope you enjoyed today's tall tales. I intend to bring Animal Tales back again when you least expect them!

Remember When: Dec.27, 2022 - Who Are You Going to Call? Reality Busters!

Editor's Note: While I'm on break, I'm recycling past posts that I hope you find enlightening and entertaining.

When you don't like the results of an election who should you call?

The Reality Busters aka the Republican Party.

Did you lose the midterm elections despite the fact that you think you won?

Are you a Trump minion fighting against the Deep State?

Do you think Trump is still president?

Don't worry. Reality means nothing when you have a cabal of election-deniers and outright liars.

That's why Kari Lake (GOP candidate for governor of Arizona who lost the real election) is declaring herself the governor-elect in spite of losing both court cases trying to disenfranchise valid voters.

It's common knowledge that the Republican controlled House of Representatives is morphing into the new Reality Buster headquarters in January.

Now that the last 2022 midterm election denier Kari Lake has failed in her attempt at voter suppression the Reality Busters are turning their wrath against Democrats by holding endless Kangaroo Courts to please their fact-free supporters.

Under the supreme Reality Buster poohbah Trump, the last six years has been a steady denial of facts and truths. His minions can no longer think for themselves, choosing instead to embrace a world of lies being spoon fed to them.

Ironically Trump's loyal base is also a dependable source for grifting as they willingly send him donations that seldom - if ever - go towards the stated goal. He squeezes them like lemons every chance he gets.

Meanwhile Democrats and Independents are tasked with keeping a grip on the real world by bringing truth to combat the Reality Busters agenda against our republic.

As it stands, historically there's consequences for cults like the Reality Busters, and they're seldom good.

Remember When: Dec. 15, 2022 - Trump's Shameless Bigly Announcement Sparks Mockery and laughter on the Internet

Editor's Note: While I'm on break, I'm recycling past posts that I hope you find enlightening and entertaining.

You can't shame Trump.

It's impossible.

In his world he's a superhero.

To prove it he's come up with a new grift. 

The official Donald Trump Digital Trading Card collection featuring him in a superhero costume, cape and "True Champion" belt.

Trump's much touted announcement hit the internet today - via his ironically named Truth Social platform - and made a big splash. Basically, it turned out to be a big belly flop that social media platforms are joyously exploiting for their followers as you read this.

Speculation Has Been Rampant

Social media users thought Trump might announce a bid to be speaker of the House. (I think I hear a Coco Bird clock chiming) 

Yesterday, Mike Sington tweeted,

"Donald Trump making a "major announcement" tomorrow. Unless it's "I'm guilty and turning myself in" no one cares."

 Just wait. It gets better.

"Donald Trump's major announcement is that he's selling his own Pokemon cards." 

-Santiago Mayer, executive director of Voters Tomorrow.

"This is somehow hilariously dumber than even I had expected."

Ginger Gibson, senior Washington editor for NBC Digital wrote.

One twitter user noted that the stupidest part of Trump's NFT cards con, is his fans can screenshot them for free!

Pardon me for a moment until I can stop laughing!

We're talking about a former president of the United States selling Digital cards ($99 per card) because he needs money to pay his legion of lawyers in multiple court cases.

It was really amusing watching two Faux News hosts try to explain away the sheer stupidity of the stunt, attributing it to his sense of humor(!) and marketing genius.

The former president probably would say there's nothing humorous about his great announcement while shilling a product he claims will become more collectible than baseball cards!

To think there are some maroons who will buy these Digital cards with the twice-impeached former president decked out in superhero costumes, is sad.

Like I said, Trump is shameless.

As it stands, I suspect Trump was the first person to try and sell the Brooklyn Bridge. 

Remember When: Dec. 29, 2017 - Trump's Records Are All in His Head

Editor's Note: While I'm on break, I'm recycling past posts that I hope you find enlightening and entertaining.

The most recent case of Trump lying about the supposed "records" he's broken in his first year happened Wednesday, when he visited some Florida firefighters.

 He spent the brief visit bragging about his supposed accomplishments.

The whopper-for-the-day came when he claimed he helped pass and sign more laws than any of his predecessors during their first year in office.

Pause: Trump loves captive audiences.

Fact: Every president since Eisenhower (who signed the most laws) signed more laws than Trump in their first year. He comes in dead last, but he didn't let that bother him yesterday.

As usual, Trump makes up his own realities and expects people to go along with them. I wonder what those hard-working men and women thought about his ego-driven visit?

How many of those firefighters knew he was lying but had to stand there and clap?

This revision in history was closely followed by Trump's biggest whopper of the year - his Tax Scam. Or, as financial experts call it, the huge boon to the wealthy and corporations.

He's been outright lying to the public ("This tax reform is not going to be good for me, or my friends") about what provisions the bill really held.

To put the cherry on the cake, Trump claims it's the biggest tax cut in history. 

That's bullshit. It's another record only existing in his tiny brain. For the real record:

Obama passed a larger tax cut - by making most of President George W. Bush's cuts permanent.

President Reagan definitely did.

And Presidents Kennedy and Johnson did too.

Trump's disconnect with truth and reality is moving us towards a Constitutional crisis. Tweet by tweet. Lie by lie.

As it Stands, when I wrote this, I had no idea just how bad Trump would turn out to be and the real threat he poised against our democracy. Against all odds he got reelected. It seems we didn't learn our lesson during his first regime.

Remember When: Nov. 15, 2013 - Here Today, Gone Tomorrow, Folks in Florida Have that Sinking feeling Again!

Editor's Note: While I'm on break, I'm recycling past posts that I hope you find enlightening and entertaining.

I’m funny about some things.

 If I even suspected my house was in sinkhole heaven, I’d move! Residents of Florida live with the knowledge that their house, boats, swimming pools, and even themselves are subject to suddenly disappearing into the earth's core!

You go to bed on nice level ground and wake up in a giant hole in the earth…if you’re lucky. One poor individual – about a year ago – didn’t wake up when he and his bed dropped into a cavernous hole never to be seen again despite the efforts of would-be rescuers.

Why would anyone live in an area like that? I suppose the same can be said about people who live in tornado alley – that collection of states that gets clobbered annually - or along the Gulf Coast. Some people may think California is dangerous. Earthquakes are common there.

As a transplanted Oregonian, I thought I was living in the safest possible place in the country. Turns out, scientists say Southern Oregon is going to disappear some day when an expected massive quake strikes!

Despite that possibility, I’ll take my chances here. I suspect the odds of dropping down a gaping hole in the earth are higher in Florida. Here’s the latest example of disappearing real estate in the Sunshine State: 

"Another large sinkhole has formed in Florida, causing parts of two homes to collapse and swallowing a boat and a backyard pool.

The sinkhole in Dunedin, Fla., erupted early Thursday morning between the two houses, and by noon, had grown to a size of about 70 feet wide by 53 feet deep.

There was apparently some work being done to try to fill in what they thought was a sinkhole beneath the house the last couple of days," Dunedin Fire Chief Jeff Parks said. "The owner woke up this morning at 5:40 when he heard noises on his back porch and went out and found the sinkhole at that point."

Six houses in Dunedin — a city on central Florida's west coast — were evacuated, and power and utility lines were cut after officials arrived. The engineering company that was working on the house earlier in the week was also on the scene, waiting for the ground around the sinkhole to be stable enough for them to work to fill it.

They thought it would slow down to the point where it would stop, but in the last half hour, it's still continued to grow," Parks said. "They're just assessing right now to see what they can do.

Sinkholes are relatively common in Florida, but do not always cause major disruption or injuries. In February, a Seffner, Fla., man was killed when a massive sinkhole opened up underneath his family's home.

Engineers had been pouring grout into the house's foundation for the past two days."

From a report by Michael Dupre for BayNews9.com in Florida.

As it Stands, I wonder how bad the sinkhole problem is today in 2026? I haven't heard about any houses sinking to the center of the earth recently but with MAGA moron Gov. DeSantis controlling Florida media outlets it's no surprise.

Remember When: Dec. 29, 2022 - There Are No 'Norms' in Our Weather Now

Editor's Note: While I'm on break, I'm recycling past posts that I hope you find enlightening and entertaining.

Weather records were shattered so far this winter and the season just got underway.

We might as well get use to unprecedented climate events throughout the year unless a miracle happens and all the countries on earth take serious steps to mitigate the damage.

Multinational oil and gas corporations along with the fossil fuel industry have successfully fought off climate change bills in most of the major countries in the world.

The billions of dollars they generate assures their continual obstruction of any laws to restrain the pollution they create.

Scientists are saying that the climate challenges we currently face are happening sooner than ever predicted. What was once 50-to-100-year projections are happening now according to world climatologists. 

Therefore, we will no longer be able to count on milder winters or summers ahead. The writing is on the wall in places like Buffalo, New York. As of this writing 39 people have died due to the extreme winter conditions. That number is expected to go up in the days ahead.

I wish things weren't like this and mankind wasn't so stubborn, greedy, and destructive. My only wish now is that I won't be around to see the last days of humanity.

As it stands, I'll do my best to enjoy whatever time is left to me and my family.

Remember When: Dec.20, 2024 - Exploring the Mysteries of Memories

Editor's Note: While I'm on break, I'm recycling past posts that I hope you find enlightening and entertaining.

Why are some people's memories so good and others so poor?

To answer that question, I turned to several sources, including the Queensland Brain Institute and the Alzheimer Society.

What I found

There are numerous types of memories including...

* Sensory Memory: we have a brief storage of sensory information, such as a flash of light, hearing a bird sing, or smelling popcorn. Sensory memory helps the brain process incoming stimuli, but most of it is forgotten unless processed.

* Short Term Memory: I'm guilty of this limited storage of information for a short period of time, typically around 15 to 30 seconds. For example, trying to remember a phone number while getting a pen to write it down.

* Working Memory: A type of short-term memory that involves holding on to and manipulating small bits of information in the mind. It's closely related to attention and is used to hold information while engaging in other cognitive processes.

Long-Term Memory: Can hold an unlimited amount of information over a period of time, from a few hours to a lifetime. Have you ever known someone like this?

* Episodic Memory: My wife Shirley is blessed with this type of memory to recall past events, recent or distant. 

* Semantic Memory: Used to remember the meanings of words or remember facts.

and finally, the trickiest...

* False Memories: They happen when someone recalls an event incorrectly either by misremembering details or by remembering something that never happened. They can be vivid and convincing, and it can be difficult to convince someone that their memory is wrong.

Moving on...

It's common knowledge that our brains-and specifically, our brain cells-store memories.

Get this; a team of scientists at NYU has discovered that cells from other parts of the body also perform a memory function, opening pathways for understanding how memory works and creating the potential to enhance learning and to treat memory-related afflictions.

Researchers tell us the rarest type of memory is Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM). I've never personally met someone with this skill level but have read about people currently, and in history, who had it.

Out of curiosity, I wondered what types of memories are the easiest to recall. The answer is declarative memories are easier to form than nondeclarative memories. For example, it takes less time to memorize a country's capital than it does to learn how to play the violin. Once you've learned to ride a bicycle, you're not likely to forget.

As you might guess, the hardest memories to forget are emotional memories. The reason is an involvement of an area of the brain that plays an important role in controlling behaviors that are important to your survival, including feelings of fear.

As it Stands, I hope this post answers at least some of the questions about your own memory.