Saturday, July 23, 2022

Another Day of 'Heat in Our Lives' Politically and Globally

Have you ever been really hot somewhere and have some smart ass ask, "is it hot enough for you?"

Those are fighting words now, as scientists try to convince governments to take immediate measures to mitigate the global warming that has so dramatically materialized decades sooner than predicted.

Heat waves pose a particular threat to global food supplies, already under pressure from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

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A ray of hope - Russian and Ukraine agree to resume Ukraine grain exports from Black Sea ports, UN Chief says

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The growing number of historical heat highs across the planet are linked to health problems and correlate with high rates of crime, anxiety and depression.

There are record-setting temperatures this summer in the UK and in places ranging from Texas to China and Western Europe.

Back in the USA Americans are facing politics so heated that democracy may melt down in the near future. Polarized politics are fanning the flames of hate between Trump's Republicans and Democrats.

Threats of a "scorched earth" policy against the truth are being promised by the Republican party if they retake the House (and or the Senate). 

To bring the temperatures down (as in the ongoing coup attempts) Trump and his cronies must be indicted for treason in order to save our republic from burning to the ground.

Friday, July 22, 2022

Republicans Are Going All Out to Make Women Second Class Citizens

The Republican Party has taken a deep dive into extremism by targeting women's rights.

They don't want women to have the right to their own bodies as evidenced by their all-out assault on abortions after the Supreme Court struck down Roe vs Wade.

Why are women being targeted as second-class citizens who must yield to right-wing ideologies?

For starters look who is leading the charge against women's freedoms... men. Men who don't like women. Men that fear women and do their best to marginalize them in society.

Women are faced with cult like religions who don't think a women should be independent and have autonomy of their own bodies.

The unholy alliance between the extreme Christain Nationalists and the Republican party was cemented back in 2017 when Trump slunk into the White House. 

The Republican party's latest push against women's rights involves taking away contraception. When the House voted to protect contraception yesterday 195 Republicans voted against the bill.

Against contraception! Astonishing! The Republicans claim the bill was a way of seeking more abortions even though they prevent unwanted pregnancies.

As for the Republican women who join their men against other women... what can I say other than they enjoy "twisted Biblical" servitude to males?

Every woman who believes she's equal to men and who wants control of her own body has a mission this November... vote Democrat!

Thursday, July 21, 2022

The Last Jan. 6 Committe Hearing is Today - or Is It the Last?

Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

Today the Jan. 6 panel is offering the most compelling evidence
yet of Trump's "dereliction of duty" on the day of the insurrection.

It's noteworthy that today's hearing will be the first in the prime-time slot since June 9 debut that was viewed by an estimated 20 million people.

The committee will be sharing a minute-by-minute account during the time frame, from when he left the stage at the Ellipse, came back to the White House, and sat in the White House dining room.

Just because today's hearing is the last originally scheduled by the J6 panel doesn't mean their investigation is over.

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Related: Jan. 6 Hearings: What We've Seen So Far and What's Next

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On the contrary, committee member Rep. Zoe Lofgren said, "The fact that a series of hearings is concluded today doesn't mean the investigation is over. It's very active, new witnesses and additional information is still coming forward."

Which is bad news for Republicans who were hoping they heard the last from the J6 committee. In essence the panel will accumulate more damning evidence daily that will pop up like a Jack-in-the Box unexpectantly and they'll hold a hearing on it. For months ahead.

We've yet to see why the Secret Service deleted texts from Jan 5 and 6. That's a rabbit hole which could lead to the complete restructuring of the Secret Service which has been polluted by Trump enablers.

It's reasonable to assume more key witnesses will testify for the panel in the months ahead.

A majority of liberal and conservative pundits agree that the hearings have taken a political toll on Trump. No one's sure how much damage has been done, but the fact that more damning revelations are on the way has the Republican party - and Trump - cringing.

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

Smashing Skulls: Woodpeckers Secret Power is Revealed

So, some scientists with lots of time and money to spend, discovered that Woodpeckers little skulls are not shock absorbers.

This is supposed to be a big deal

If you ever wondered how their tiny brains stay intact as they smash their faces into a tree, Sam Van Wassenbergh a biologist at the University of Antwerp has the answer. He discovered that woodpeckers are not absorbing shocks in the skull during pecking, and they likely aren't being concussed by using their heads like hammers.

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Here's the report published in Current Biology

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Say what?

Apparently when a woodpecker's beak makes contact with a tree it generates a shock. The researchers say that the shock is basically absorbed by the bird's whole body in layman's terms.

The researchers came up with a computational model based upon the pecking movement and skull shape and size to prove their theory. 

But there's still questions about woodpeckers that scientists want to know about like how it maintains stiffness between its skull and its beak during pecking and what other factors may be involved that could mitigate possible damage to the brain.

All of this is fascinating... I suppose.

I certainly don't see this knowledge of why woodpeckers don't get hurt when they smash their beaks into wood saving mankind.

I hate being a party-pecker pooper, but there's way too many studies on dumb shit like this and not enough on global warming or curing cancer, two of the biggest threats to mankind.

Tuesday, July 19, 2022

This is the Dystopian Future that Science Fiction Writers Have Been Writing About for 100 Years

After a century of dire predictions by science fiction writers we've arrived at 2022... 

a year where no science fiction writer could have predicted that we'd have an ex-president who incited an insurrection, and that American democracy would be hanging on by a thread because of one man.

Here's a summary of fictional dystopian futures that go back 100 years. See what worried these writers:

In 1921 a Russian writer, Yevgeny Zamyatin, wrote "We" one of the first modern dystopian tales that projects a dark future for mankind.

One of my favorite dystopian stories in the 1930s was "It can't happen Here," by Sinclair Lewis.

More favorite novels in the decades ahead:

The 1940's - Animal Farm, by George Orwell.

The 1950s - Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury

The 1960s - Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess

The 1970s - The Stand, by Stephen King

The 1980s - 1984, by George Orwell 

The 1990s - The War in 2020, by Ralph Peters

The 21st Century

2000s - Feed by M.T. Anderson

2010s - Wool by Hugh Howey.

2020s - The Ballet of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

And here we are... 2022.

Living in fear of the collapse of our republic and the ensuing chaos that'll bring. Our society seems intent on imploding. We've become the collective fear of a century of writers.

Monday, July 18, 2022

Trump Cult Album to Be Released as Fundraiser

With Donald Trump the grift never ends because of the need for platoons of lawyers to defend him in over a dozen lawsuits is constant.

In the latest MAGA world merchandizing gimmick there's a collection of songs by right-wing lawmakers and extremists that has been assembled for a fall release.

Let's take a look at some of the titles and artists in this music-inspired grift:

 1 "Puppet on a String" by virtuoso Vladimir Putin

"Don't Cry Daddy" solo by Ivanka Trump

"In the Capitol" by the Trump Rioters Band

4 "Hey! Little Girl," by Matt Gaetz

5 "Come Buy My Lies," by the Freedom Caucus Choir

6 "Dancing in Outer Space" solo by Rudy Giuliani 

7 "Hate Street," solo by Steven Miller

8 "Tell All the People Lies," solo by Mike Lindell

9 "When the Election is Not Over," duet by John Eastman and Sidney Powell 

10 "Break on Through to the Other Side" by the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers Orchestra 

11 "Jewish Space Lasers in the Sky" solo by Marjorie Taylor Greene

12 "That'll Be the Day I Don't Lie," solo by Josh Hawley accompanied by Lauren Bobert on the Hand Harp

I know. Pretty crazy stuff. Just don't be surprised if you see something similar in future grifts. 

Remember, there are no bounds to the stupidity of Trump's cult followers. He could sell them petrified parrot poop to cure acme and rake in thousands of dollars... and get away with it!

Sunday, July 17, 2022

Legos Announce New Set Inspired by Trump's Attack on the Capitol

The biggest toy company in the world, Legos, has announced a new, and sure to be controversial, set titled The Insurrection set which displays the attack on the nation's Capital.

This new set follows Lego's foray with iconic television shows like Friends that inspired the 25th Anniversary with a Central Perk set of the New York coffee shop that served as a hub for the characters on Friends.

FYI - the set will go on sale in September. 

The new Insurrection set features 10,089 pieces and is fun to build and display in your house for a conversation piece and attention grabber.

Check out the props that range from a hanging scaffold, a temporary stage, the presidential SUV, to fence barriers.

The set also includes mini figures of characters like Trump, Mike Pence, Ivanka Trump, Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, Mike Lindell, John Eastman, Cassidy Hutchinson, and Pat Cipolloni. 

In addition, there'll be mini figures for all the members of Congress and Capitol Police.

Builders will be able to re-enact the scene where the 11 Republican lawmakers plotted an electoral overthrow with Trump.

Imagine the excitement of putting little Donnie on a stage whipping up hatred before thousands of crazed supporters!

Re-enact Trump's wild ride in the presidential SUV when he attacked the secret service agents because they would not drive him to the steps of the Capitol after sending the armed mob there.

You'll be in charge of sending rioters past barricades and into the Capitol itself where they can desecrate the people's house.

The Lego company is looking forward to monitoring sales for the Insurrection set with hopes of creating other political sets to preserve American history. 

This new Insurrection set is a fictional parody and I doubt if Lego would ever go this far... well, never say never.

Universal Music Power

In a delightful description of the power of music William Congreve wrote "Music hath charms to sooth a savage beast..." in his 16...