Sunday, September 6, 2015

Babies and dogs that will leave you smiling

(These best buds were born on the same day and share a strong bond. Photo source)

                                             Good Day World!

It’s time for a massive overload of cuteness!

We love out pets in America. Taking care of them is a billion dollar industry. Taking pictures of dogs and babies is guaranteed to be popular. Enjoy:

 

                               (Google common images)

At sleep, or playing, these adorable pals set the bar on cuteness.

 

                                (Google common images)

Left – Ready to party! Right – A room with a view

                              (Google common images)

First encounter: these two already see eye-to-eye!

 

                              (Google common images)

Left – Surprised Pug meets new member of the family. Right – Hoodie pals forever!

 

                           (Google common images)

Left – These buddies are ready to fly. Right – these two cuties show how to share at mealtime.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Saturday, September 5, 2015

Does Kim Davis know a hate group is supporting her?

Kim Davis, the controversial Kentucky clerk who decided not to issue gay marriage licenses in spite of the law, has a hate group supporting her.

They call themselves Liberty Counsel, although their interpretation of liberty is pretty narrow. Liberty Counsel has been listed as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Davis claims that her decision to break the law by ordering her office to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples has never been a gay or lesbian issue.”  Either she’s lying, or she doesn’t know about Liberty Counsel’s goals.

What’s happened is that Liberty Counsel has found a martyr for their homophobic mission. They’re using her to claim that Christians in America are not only facing oppression, but have no need to follow the Supreme Court’s ruling on marriage.

Chairman for the hate group, Matt Staver, argues, if Davis wins then other elected officials can turn their counties (or cities and states) into “sanctuary cities” safe from gay marriage.

“If they come out with a decision that is contrary to God's natural created order,” Staver said before the court had ruled, “I personally will advocate disobedience to it ... and collectively, we cannot accept that as the rule of law.”

Staver is no stranger to anti-gay activism, as he has predicted that President Obama will impose “forced homosexuality” upon the nation, regularly likened gay people to terrorists, labeled the gay rights movement as “demonic” and defended countries that outlaw same-sex relationships.

Liberty Counsel is fundraising for theor newly appointed saint Kim Davis, with a goal of $100,000 (she only makes $80,000 yearly) to support her while she lingers in a jail that only she has the key to!

How convenient. A blatant payoff under the guise of religious freedom. Kind of like Judas selling out Jesus, but I doubt she regrets her decision.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Mexicans Love Poking Fun At ‘Clueless’ Donald Trump

(An image from the video game "Trumpéalo", currently in a Beta version users can access and try. It is being developed by the Mexican app developers Karaoculta.)

                                            Good Day World!

I think Donald Trump is clueless.

He’s definitely wrong about getting support from the Hispanic community. He likes to say Mexicans love him, and he has thousands who work for him.

First off, working for someone doesn’t mean they love you.

Trump’s argument sounds like pre-Civil War rhetoric coming from plantation owners who had slaves...”my darkies love me. I feed, house, and cloth them.”

Donald Trump pinata created by Dalton Avalos Ramorez

The only thing Mexicans love about Trump is he can be entertaining. Just ask the makers of piñatas in Mexico and the United States. Trump piñatas are the rage.

But it doesn’t stop there.

"Trumpéalo," created by Mexican developers KaraOculta, is a new parody game in which players follows a cartoon Trump around and throw shoes, soccer balls, and an assortment of items at him to prevent him from exiting the stage.

The game currently is in a Beta version (test version) and people can download it for free here.

Who knows what those merry Mexicans will come up with next?

One thing is for sure, The Donald will continue to come up with zingers like a… “country sending its rapists and criminals over the border.

Jorge Suarez, CEO of KaraOkulta told a Mexican newspaper Milenio that after Trump's statements one has to find the humor in things. "It turns out people have loved it (Trumpéalo)." 

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Friday, September 4, 2015

New Late Show Host Stephen Colbert Takes Jeb On Prior to Premier

                                   Good Day World!

I’m counting the days until Stephen Colbert is back on the air!

The political satirist is taking over the host duties for new The Late Show which premieres Sept. 8 at 11:35 p.m. on CBS.

I admit I’ve been going through Colbert withdrawals since he ended his legendary show, The Colbert Report, on December 18, 2014. That nine year run provided me – and millions of others - with endless hours of laughter.

When I ran across this video of Colbert mocking Jeb Bush prior to his appearance on his show, I laughed once again with wild joy!

That’s my boy.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Deadly Selfies: When Fun Takes a Tragic Turn

Xenia Ignatyeva Fell 30 Meters, But Was Killed By Electrocution

(Xenia Ignatyeva Fell 30 Meters, But Was Killed By Electrocution. Image credit Terra)

                                     Good Day World!

Believe it or not, there can be a dark side to selfies.

On any given day and any digital platform that shares photos you can find people (and animals) showing off their selfies.

But selfies can be deadly as a Houston man recently found out when he accidentally shot himself while posing for selfies with a handgun. It wasn’t a suicide attempt either.

Perhaps the real story was …why was this guy playing around with a loaded handgun in the first place? The fact that he had to record his stupidity is really tragic for his family.

Just last month there was a similar circumstance when Oscar Otero Aguilar, 21, lost his life when he tried to take a selfie with a gun for his Facebook page. The Mexican gun enthusiast accidentally shot himself in the head and didn’t survive.

Then we have Xenia Ignatyeva who took a selfie from a bridge 30 feet off the ground to impress her friends. The 17-year-old Russian girl lost her balance and fell. But the teenager didn’t die from an impact. The girl fell on a cable, which electrocuted her.

The Inquisitr recently reported a Polish couple who fell to their death whilThe Love For Fast Motorcycles Proved Fatal For Jadiele taking a selfie on the edge of a cliff.

This photo (right) is a selfie snapped by a famous Mexican reggaetón musician Jadiel (also known as El Tsunami), uploaded to Instagram moments before he had a fatal motorcycle crash in New York in May, 2014.

I don’t see the selfie trend slowing down anytime soon.

What I would like to see is a safer approach to taking selfies. I recommend having a friend take it for you.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Flake is No Flake: GOP’s Only Voice of Reason Wants To End Political Polarization

                                     Good Day World!

Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake is no flake.

He’s more of a throw-back conservative in the Barry Goldwater tradition. He really understands how to look at the big picture in politics.

Two Examples:

* In 2013, he joined the bipartisan Gang of Eight to craft a comprehensive reform bill that included a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants. Earlier this August, he was the only Republican accompanying Secretary of State John Kerry to Cuba to preside over the reopening of the U.S. embassy after a 54-year diplomatic freeze.

* Flake vowed to consider the Iran deal with an open mind, and for more than a month, even as every other Senate Republican came out against it and anti-Flake attack ads began airing on Arizona TV, that’s exactly what he did. 

Eventually, on Aug. 15, Flake announced that he could not, in the end, bring himself to support Obama’s Iran pact. But at least he really studied the situation and didn’t follow the rest of the sheep who jumped the moment Obama’s name was mentioned.

WHY FLAKE IS GETTING THEDEAD EYEFROM OTHER CONSERVATIVES

Simply put, Flake doesn’t think that “scraping back the veneer” and “uncovering a lot of pent-up rage” is an effective approach to governance.

He doesn’t consider it particularly conservative to overturn the 14th Amendment, or send drones to the Mexican border, or promise enormous levels of growth with no supporting evidence whatsoever.

But the thing that really rings the bell for reason is Flake’s recognition that running the United States is ultimately about working within the system, persuading the skeptics, and accepting difficult compromises.

Flake developed a reputation as a honest broker who was willing to go against the GOP grain on issues as diverse as Cuba, immigration and gay rights. (Flake has voted to ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell.”)

I have just one question; why doesn’t Flake run for president? He’d beat out all the sorry GOP candidates who are making a circus out of the primaries.

Time for me to walk on down the road… 

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Big Winners in Illinois State Lottery Are Getting Screwed

Good Day World!

The state of Illinois is messing with people’s dreams.

It’s committing fraud against lottery winners whose prize is over $25,000. Instead the state is passing out IOUs.

So what’s going on?

In a nutshell, Illinois lawmakers have not passed a budget so they aren’t paying their bills.

Under state law, the state comptroller must cut the checks for lottery winnings of more than $25,000. According to lottery officials lawmakers have yet to pass a budget so the comptroller's office does not have legal authority to release the funds to the big lottery winners.

To make matters worse, the state is nowhere near passing a budget. That leaves the big winners wondering when – if ever – they’re going to get their rightful winnings.

State Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo, has been a frequent critic of the state's handling of the lottery and said this is just another example:

"Our government is committing a fraud on the taxpayers, because we're holding ourselves out as selling a good, and we're not — we're not selling anything," Franks said. "The lottery is a contract: I pay my money, and if I win, you're obligated to pay me and you have to pay me timely. It doesn't say if you have money or when you have money."

How about that?

It’s typical: if you owe money to the government they’ll shake you down like a rat until they get it. But reverse the situation – where government owes you money – and it’s okay to give lame excuses and pay whenever they feel like it.

Don’t you just love our democracy where the people come last?

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

Alien Contact: Hunting Humans For Sport?

Good Day World!

I firmly believe there are other life forms, aka aliens, in the universe and galaxies far, far away. 

It would be narrow-minded not to acknowledge the odds of other entities out there among the millions of stars. 

People have talked about what aliens would do if they made contact with us for over 150 years – since the subject was first brought up.

Views about aliens range from fear to hope. The fear they’ll invade earth and slaughter us all, or the hope that an intelligent and compassionate species would share their knowledge with us.

I’ve pondered what contact would mean and have come up with a scenario that would truly be ironic:

For eons Humans have used violence as sport, and the idea is probably not mutually exclusive to us.

If the Aliens descended from a predatory base species, the use of violence as a means of entertainment is likely.

In any case, Aliens might invade because they are just so advanced and they can do it just like elk hunters travel thousands of miles to kill one prize stag.

Think about it – earth’s most powerful predator hunted like a prize stag! I suppose it would be intergalactic karma…

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Black Lives Matter Activists Chant ‘Pig in a Blanket, Fry ‘Em Like Bacon’

I’m having less sympathy daily for Black Lives Matter activists.

The group started out peacefully enough, but that’s changing rapidly.

It’s organizers – who vary from state to state – have gone from just being rude to chanting dangerously provocative lyrics that call for police to be targets.

Protesters were captured on camera yelling "pigs in a blanket, fry 'em like bacon" during last Saturday's four-hour march around the fairgrounds in St. Paul, Minnesota.

This generation of protestors claim to be peaceful, but what they’re actually saying and doing are two different things. Their protest came hours after a white Houston officer was gunned down execution style by a black man.

Black Lives Matter St. Paul organizer Rashad Turner told the Associated Press on Monday that no one was advocating for violence against law enforcement. He said it was meant to call for similar treatment between black people and police officers.

How does Turner get that meaning from “pigs in a blanket, fry ‘em like bacon?” Is he claiming the chant is a politically correct way of saying they want to be treated equally?

If so, something is getting lost in the translation.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

  

  

It’s About Respect: Presidential Candidates Need to Earn It

                                     Good Day World!

If the emperor has no clothes on it’s only right to point that out.

Author Paul Krugman points it out succinctly:

“If people consistently make logically incoherent, ignorant arguments, the duty of a commentator is to say just that - not to mislead readers by pretending that these people are serious and making sense.”

He was talking about the whole Republican field of presidential hopefuls and claims they are talking nonsense about economic policy. I have to agree.

“Consider a couple of recent entries. Jeb Bush, the supposedly sensible candidate, has been pushing the utterly ludicrous claim that he can deliver 4 percent economic growth; so now Mike Huckabee, another G.O.P. candidate, is trying to one-up Mr. Bush by promising 6 percent. Well, I can beat all of them: Whatever they're promising, I promise the same - plus a pony.”

Krugman lasers in on Rand Paul and the Tea Party:

“Meanwhile, Rand Paul is decrying the irresponsibility of US fiscal management - why, the United States hasn't been debt-free since 1835. Clearly, disaster looms, and has been looming for 180 years.”

Like Krugman, I believe in telling the truth to my readers. It might be ugly, but it’s unvarnished. Until these presidential candidates start handing out well-researched plans, and realistic policies, they don’t deserve your respect.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

 

Monday, August 31, 2015

Why do some so-called patriots fear the Spanish language?

Good Day World!

Why is it that some so-called patriotic Americans get upset when Hispanics speak their native language?

This clip shows a Southern California woman berating Norma Vasquez and her son Carlos for speaking Spanish amongst themselves at an IHOP.

She chose to tell this Salvadorian family to go back to Spain because they weren’t conversing in English. If they spoke another language – like French or German – I seriously doubt that “patriotic” lady would have said anything.

It takes some real hutzpah for someone to proclaim their own views as being "patriotic" while outright dismissing the rest. That First Amendment right that allows someone to tell people off is the same one that allows people to speak whatever language they want, without being asked to leave the country.

Let's look at why English is spoken in America. Let's look at the pilgrims.

Pilgrims were thrown out of England. A fact that bears repeating — they were thrown out of England.

In the Americas these rejects took root and their intolerance and confidence bloomed so much so, that not only did they disregard entire populations already living for centuries on this land, they decided to demonize every new wave of immigrant that landed on these shores.

The lie that America is 'white' and should only speak English in order to be 'great' has been perpetuated ever since. It's so ingrained in our national development that we've all accepted it as a default even though it's a fabrication.

If you think it may be a select few that are so willfully ignorant, look at Donald Trump's poll numbers. The guy has yet to present a viable policy point.

Yet all he's had to do to jump miles ahead in the primary race was to declare that Mexicans are rapists and criminals.

The woman’s outburst against the mother and son can be blamed on the divisive seeds being planted by GOP presidency hopefuls, struggling to "out-patriot" others in the political race to the bottom.

But 'the Donald' didn't start this ugly, he just gave people a target and a license to attack it.

I don't know why some parts of 'English America' are so intimidated by Latinos. They – and the native Americans - were here before the pilgrims. This was their land before it was taken away from them.

Unfortunately, this country is politically polarized today and still infected with racism. What the pilgrims started still divides us. The “Great Melting Pot” only a myth perpetrated by propagandists.

Time for me to walk on down the road… 

 

Sunday, August 30, 2015

A look at comedic duos in film and politics

Good Day World!

When it comes to comedic duos in films my favorite pair is Abbot and Costello.

Up until now, I didn’t have a favorite comedy duo in politics. That’s changed however, since Donald Trump and Ted Cruz hooked up.

Ted recently invited The Donald to join him at a rally highlighting opposition to the Iran nuclear deal. It just may be the start of a comedy act that’ll make political history.

President Trump and Vice President Cruz.

They’ll be a lot like Laurel and Hardy with Cruz playing the clumsy and childlike friend of the pompous Trump. Trump and Cruz’s signature tune (like Laurel and Hardy’s), will be "The Dance of the Cuckoos."

Like Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin, they’ll perform slapstick sketches and deliver jokes. Their punch lines will be thinly disguised as policy issues on the campaign trail.

It’s obvious that Cruz will play the straight guy and Trump will be the joker. History has shown that Trump has some real laughable ideas.

For example, building a massive wall on the US Mexican border to keep immigrants out and making Mexico pay a couple of billion for it!

Yeah right! What a kidder.

Americans are fed up with the status quo in Washington. These are dangerous times when anything could happen.

Electing a comedy duo, like Trump and Cruz, would certainly be good for a barrel of laughs. 

And, no doubt, we’ll become the laughingstock of the world – if we’re not already!

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Saturday, August 29, 2015

‘All Lives Matter’ Dangerous Rhetoric Threatens Cops, Deputy Murdered Today

It’s fashionable lately to accuse all law enforcement officials of being unthinking brutes that victimize the public they serve.

Lost in the rhetoric of “Black Lives Matter” activists is the fact that all lives matter.

It matters a lot that the national dialogue has been anti-law enforcement. An “Us” versus “Them” mentality is threatening to further degrade respect for all lives.

(Deputy Darren Goforth, pictured in this official image from Harris County Sheriff's Office. Handout / Harris County Sheriff's Office)

For example:

Authorities have arrested a suspect in the "execution-style" shooting of a uniformed Texas sheriff's deputy, Darren Goforth, today. The suspect, Shannon J. Miles, 30, is black.

Investigators did not know what the motive was and believe the suspect targeted the married father of two simply because he was in uniform.

"We've heard black lives matter — all lives matter," a visibly angry Harris County Sheriff Ron Hickman told reporters. "Well, cops' lives matter, too."

Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson said that law enforcement needs support despite there being a "few bad apples" — an apparent reference to the recent spate of police shootings of unarmed people. (source)

Here’s a thought; who would protect us from people like Shannon Miles – a cold-blooded murderer – if we didn’t have cops? It’s really quite simple, without cops we slip into total anarchy.

Sadly, I suspect that’s just what some people want.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

USA has 5% of world population and 31% of world’s mass shooters

Good Day World!

Why does the USA have the most mass shooters per capita than any country in the world?

The answer may lie between the availability of guns and people seeking fame.

A just-released study found that although the United States has just about 5 percent of the world's population, it has 31 percent of the world's mass shooters.

The possible association between mass shootings and a desire for fame is particularly eerie, given the nation's latest high-profile killing.

A former employee at a local news station in Virginia killed a reporter and a cameraman on-air, while filming the shooting with a GoPro camera. He later posted the film to social media.

The apparent desire to broadcast the crime places the killer in the same company as many notorious mass shooters of the past decade. (The History of Human Aggression)

YOUTH MOVEMENT

Experts are finding that younger shooters want attention. That's why you see them wanting to have a bigger head count, a bigger body count, to try to outdo the last one or to do something that is going to cause more of a rise.

OVERALL CRIME STATS DROPPING

Interestingly, the rise in active-shooter events bucks the general trend toward less violent crime in the United States: Overall violent crime dropped 14.5 percent between 2004 and 2013, according to the FBI.

What did predict the number of mass shootings, however, was the prevalence of firearm ownership. Countries with higher firearm ownership rates have more public mass shootings. [Private Gun Ownership in the US (Infographic)]

Studies within the United States have also found links between gun ownership and gun crime.

Research published in July found that states with more gun-owning households had higher rates of firearm assault, robbery, homicide and overall homicide compared with states with fewer gun owners.

There is a 'fame at any cost' mentality.

Many mass killers explicitly cite fame as their motivation: A quick Google search for "wanted to top Columbine" reveals multiple news articles about killers or would-be killers mentioning the 1999 school shooting as their inspiration.

WHAT CAN WE DO?

The answer is simple, but probably unattainable thanks to gun lobbies and the NRA – make it harder to buy guns by having a nationwide backround check on prospective buyers.

Also, get the media to focus more on victims instead of their killers who are looking for their 15-minutes of fame.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Friday, August 28, 2015

Presidential Candidates Range From Cats to People With Fake Names

7878767da441a54a5a1e7b8a6ee3c44a

Good Day World!

It started with a 15-year old prankster.

Brady Olson filed to run for the President of the United States with the FEC on July 26 as Deez Nuts.

The rest is viral history.

Deez Nuts – running as a Republican - polled at 9 percent in North Carolina against Trump and Clinton setting off a firestorm of imitators.

Some people don’t think fake candidates running for president are very funny.

For example:

‘Deez Nuts’ Copycats Are Giving Election Officials a Headache

Imagine a presidential debate that includes Frank Underwood from “House of Cards,” Ronald Reagan’s Ghost, a Bill Clinton imposter and three fraudulent Joe Bidens.

But these wags — including a bunch whose names crudely refer to body parts or sex acts — are also potential headaches for federal regulators, who already struggle with limited resources and massive paperwork backlogs.

What follows are actual Statement of Candidacy filings from presidential pretenders I’m (almost) certain are giving America the business.

1. Dat Ass (Independent-New York)

2. Sidneys Voluptuous Buttocks (Independent-New York)

3. Sir TrippyCup aka Young Trippz aka The GOAT aka The Prophet aka Earl (Federalist-Wisconsin)

4. Underage Candidate (unaffiliated-California)

5. Buddy the Cat (Democrat-Arizona)

6. Captain Crunch (Independent-California)

7. Jeffrey Dahmer (Independence Party-Maryland)

8. Mary Jane (Libertarian-Tennessee)

9. Dank Ass Kaptain Kush (Independent-U.S. Virgin Islands)

10. H. Majesty Satan Lord of Underworld Prince of Darkness (Republican-Texas)

11. Ronald Reagan's Ghost (Independent-Minnesota)

12. Slim Sack Shady (American Party-California)

13. Jack Sparrow (Independent-Oregon)

(candidate source)

Currently, there are about 850 registered candidates running for president this election. And counting…

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Why stop at green when spray painting your lawn?

                                 Good Day World!

There’s a new slogan; “Brown is the new green in California.”

In other words, it’s cool to stop watering your lawn and let it turn brown. But a lot of folks can’t hang with that “dead look.”

The answer to their concern is a proliferation of “drought free” yards. They range from using rocks of various sizes surrounding drought-resistant plants, to artificial turf.

Oh yeah. And spray painting brown lawns green.

The paint is non toxic (according to the manufacturers) and grows out with the grass, similar to temporarily highlighting one’s hair. Furthermore, this practice is already quite common in golf courses, ballparks, and other athletic venues.

I have to ask…why stop at just one color?

Imagine designer lawns that match with the colors of your house?

The possibilities are endless. You could change colors every three months (that’s how long the paint is supposed to last before needing touched up).

Red-white-and blue lawns would undoubtedly be popular during patriotic holidays (4th of July, Veteran’s Day, and Memorial Day).

Go retro at Christmas with a green lawn. Maybe add touches of red reminiscent of Santa’s outfit for that extra festive look.

Valentine Day offers romantics a chance to paint their lawns pink with purple letters spelling out their names.

Yeah…you have to have a green lawn for St. Patrick’s Day, but that doesn’t mean you can’t add a dash of gold for good luck. 

Perhaps the best chance for people to really get crazy with their designer lawns is Halloween. Black and orange lawns will be di rigueur. Blood-red lawns will also blossom in neighborhoods celebrating All Hallows Eve. 

Personally, I like the color blue. What about you?

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

 

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

I’m a bit confused, maybe you can help me

Good Day World!

I’m trying to understand where the line is between political correctness run amok, and legitimate claims of racism.

It’s not easy.

For example:

A recent news story reported that members of a mostly black women's book club said a luxury Napa Valley wine train kicked them off because of their race.

Okay. So I did a little research.

The fact is that Napa Valley wine train kicks off a group every month (on average) for being too rowdy. Think about it. People drinking booze and partying.

I’m not saying any of the women were drunk. I don’t know that. But, according to the story they were warned multiple times to keep their hilarity down to a low roar because they were disturbing other passengers.

Getting kicked off the Napa train is not an unusual circumstance. However, this group of mostly black women are claiming they were kicked off because of their race. If that isn’t playing the race card I don’t know what is.

In the tense atmosphere of racial accusations of injustice, Americans are divided on what to do to make things better. One of those camps is all about political correctness gone wild. They play the race card regardless of the situation.

That camp is a problem for everyone.

Legitimate accusations against authorities and racists are watered down by those who chose to take advantage of certain situations to benefit themselves – or make themselves appear to be innocent victims of racism.

My problem is trying to figure out who is taking advantage of being black, and who isn’t.

If you have a formula for figuring this out, please share it with me.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

USA skies threatened with barely regulated drones

(Illustration source)

                                    Good Day World!

I’m down on drones.

Not the one’s the military are using – that’s another story.

I’m talking about much smaller drones.

The one’s that are available to American hobbyists/consumers, businesses, and people with bad intentions. 

Rogue drones operators are rapidly becoming a threat to our national security as they interfere with private, commercial, and firefighting aircraft. They invade sensitive airspace and private property — with the regulators of the nation’s skies largely powerless to stop them.

BAD INTENTIONS

Men Planned to Use Drone to Fly Contraband Into Md. Prison, Authorities Say

CLOSE CALLS

This year, two drones flew illegally near the White House, with one landing on the lawn.

HOBBYISTs or BAD INTENTIONS?

$75,000 in rewards offered to catch operators who flew drones above fires

Cheap Drones Are Interfering With Firefighters' Work

FAA records detail hundreds of close calls between airplanes and drones

BUSINESS DRONES

37 Critical Problems that need to be Solved for Drone Delivery to become Viable

ACCIDENTS WAITING TO HAPPEN

Meanwhile, the lax regulation we have consists largely of an educational campaign that warns drone pilots of the few rules that exist, such as no flights more than 400 feet in the air, or no flights within 5 miles of an airport.

Lack of U.S. drone regulations creating dangerous ‘Wild West’ in American skies

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Monday, August 24, 2015

Fake African-Americans Hurt the Black Rights Movement

Good Day World!

There’s a lot of confused people out there.

Some “disremember” things and come up with alternative realities. Others are blissfully ignorant or looking for some other form of recognition.

Some are just clueless.

For example, take Rachael Dolezal, a former NAACP leader and Africana studies professor whose white parents publicly disputed her claims of being a black woman. Why did she have to lie about her race?

Dolezal ended up sapping legitimacy from the black rights movement.

It seems whites claiming to be African-American are fashionable nowadays. It’s kind of hard to understand, considering all the challenges blacks in America face. But it’s becoming a common theme.

Most recently Shaun King, a leader of the 'Black Lives Matter' movement, has been accused of lying about his race.

I’m sure these racial imposters mean well. They just over compensate by trying to take on a racial identity to show solidarity. Nevertheless they aren’t helping black activists when they get “outed.”

Attacks from the right delegitimize the white folks who find value in the “Black Lives Matter” movement in finding them, in some cases, untrustworthy and, in other cases, crazy.

I can think of other efforts by whites disguising themselves as black, that were more effective.

In 1948, journalist Ray Sprigle disguised himself as a black man and wrote a series of articles under the title, "I Was a Negro in the South for 30 Days," which was published in many newspapers.

There’s also the more well-known story of “Black Like Me” a nonfiction book by journalist John Howard Griffin which was first published in 1961.

Griffin was a white native of Dallas, Texas and the book describes his six-week experience travelling on Greyhound buses (occasionally hitchhiking) throughout the racially segregated states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia passing as a black man.

You’ll notice however that in both cases the men reverted back to their white identity after a certain period of time. Their deception was short-lived but it gave a realistic look at the lives of blacks without ultimately lying about their own race.

Black activists – regardless of their color – would do well to read both accounts. That way the minions on the Right won’t have fodder to discredit the “Black Lives Matter” activists.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Sunday, August 23, 2015

What does paradise look like to you?

Good Day World!

Simply put, paradise is a term for a place of timeless harmony.

There are many versions of paradise.

Christians, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and followers of Islam all have their own versions.

Individuals often have their own concept of what paradise looks like. I know I do, but before I share that with you, what’s your version of paradise?

“The Abrahamic faiths associate paradise with the Garden of Eden, that is, the perfect state of the world prior to the fall from grace, and the perfect state that will be restored in the World to Come.

In old Egyptian beliefs, the otherworld is Aaru, the reed-fields of ideal hunting and fishing grounds where the dead lived after judgment.

For the Celts, it was the Fortunate Isle of Mag Mell.

For the classical Greeks, the Elysian fields was a paradisiacal land of plenty where the heroic and righteous dead hoped to spend eternity.

The Vedic Indians held that the physical body was destroyed by fire but recreated and reunited in the Third Heaven in a state of bliss.

In the Zoroastrian Avesta, the "Best Existence" and the "House of Song" are places of the righteous dead.” (Source)

SO WHAT IS MY VERSION OF PARADISE? 

A lush landscape. Unpolluted air. A place where I’ll be reunited with friends and family forever.

There’ll be free high-grade marijuana plants growing in endless rows with vaporizer stations nearby with compassionate bud tenders.

Led Zeppelin will be playing “Stairway to Heaven” while we all dance the days away. Oh yeah, and there won’t be any politicians, or lawyers, to harsh our highs!

Time for me to walk on down the road… 

 

The Burning of Cities Only Exists in Trump's Imagination

Fact versus fiction is in the news today...again. Trump's apocalyptic view that American cities are war zones on fire is right out of a...