Fiorina lied about Planned Parenthood tape during debate - her backers make up new one for her

Liar, liar, pants on fire, Fiorina!

In the last GOP debate conservative pundits applauded Carly Fiorina for her tough talk about Planned Parenthood. Too bad the film she described never existed!

Almost immediately after the debate, journalists, including those at Yahoo Health, called attention to the fact that the video Fiorina described during her debate performance does not exist.

Can that be any clearer? She lied. Her rant was dramatic enough, but bullshit.

So what’s her campaign supporters response? They make up a damning Planned Parenthood video out of thin air.

The video contains spliced-together video and audio from five separate places — all in the name of creating the footage Fiorina insisted existed during the past debate.

The video was made to prove Fiorina correct in the debate, but in reality, it resorts to the same methods as the Center for Medical Progress (CMP), the antiabortion activist group that used deceptive editing to create its now-discredited videos attacking Planned Parenthood. 

Fiorina’s super-PAC manufactured its own version of the alleged tape and posted it on the Fiorina campaign’s official YouTube channel.

It’s obvious, Fiorina has no shame, and no compunctions about twisting facts to fit her reality.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Not Quite ‘Back To The Future’ But New Hoverboard is Close

Good Day World!

The new recreational sensation this season is hoverboards that are reminiscent of the one used in the movie Back To The Future. 

For those of you who haven’t yet seen one, a self balancing scooter is sort of like a skateboard that requires absolutely no energy from you to get going.

They are similar to that hoverboard that you dreamt of having as a kid. Now, who wouldn’t like to own one of these? They’re becoming extremely popular now especially that a lot of celebrities are seen around and are posting videos of them using these scooters.

Like the hoverboard from Back To the Future, these scooters operate based on your body movements.

The "self-balancing scooters" will go on sale at Wal-Mart starting around November 1, according to Sapna Maheshwari at Buzzfeed.

The electric scooters have been described as a "hands-free Segway." Executives at Wal-Mart anticipate this will be the hot new holiday item. The hoverboards will only be for sale on the website at first.

FOR THE RECORD

Segway filed a lawsuit against major self balancing scooter producing companies for infringement of its patents. That lawsuit was filed against Inventist for creating a scooter with the same idea of the Segway.

Segway will probably chase down some of the other major producing companies in the upcoming days.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

The Catholic Church and Cash: Would Jesus Buy a Pontiff Doll?

(Pope Francis dolls are displayed at the World Meeting of Families souvenir store on Sept. 22 ahead of the Pope's visit to Philadelphia. Matt Rourke / AP)

                                        Good Day World!

Warning: if you’re a thin-skinned devout Catholic with no sense of humor or history don’t read this post!

As far as I can tell Jesus was poor.

Yet Roman Catholicism, which claims to be His church, is the richest of the rich, the wealthiest institution on earth.

Money flows in from individual donations from Catholics, government grants, the church's own investments and corporate donors.

Oh yeah…and from souvenirs of Pope Francis. The time-honored tradition of shilling for the church has been passed down from Pope to Pope for hundreds of years.

As you probably know, Pope Francis is doing the America gig right now. There’s been sightings in Philadelphia and Washington DC.

Really popular at the venues where Pope Francis is visiting are bobbleheads, life-size cutouts, rosaries, scarves, and ties with his likeness on it. Kind of like a superstar. Or, a professional athlete.

Bleacher Creatures is selling the papal "plushy" on their website, in case you can't get to one of the many venues in person. The site has sold over 50,000 pontiff dolls in five months, outstripping every other doll on the site.

All this pomp and business seems out of touch with Christ’s teaching. Can you imagine if he walked into one of the many palatial Catholic churches today? Or, the Vatican?

Better yet, what if Jesus returned today and asked for a dozen pontiff dolls for his disciples! NOT going to happen.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

 

I Was So Clueless That I Didn’t Know What ‘Yellow Face’ Was!

Good Day World!

Do you know how clueless I was?

I wasn’t aware of “yellow face” until I read this story and watched the video.

I’ve heard of “Black Face” and understand it’s now politically incorrect in the 21st century. Basically humor from the last 100 years ago, or so, is politically incorrect in today’s culture.

I find it sad that The Mikado, a Gilbert and Sullivan opera set in feudal Japan, won’t continue to be available to another generation of opera-goers because of racism charges.

Political correctness is going too far.

Chris Rock and Larry the Cable Guy won't book college gigs because, in their view, young people have been so indoctrinated in the PC mindset that it's not worth the agitation.

The "PC Police" patrol the world - mainly through social media these days - clamping down on anyone who makes comments they view as offensive or disparaging.

Author and filmmaker Jon Ronson wrote a whole book about it, called "So You've Been Publicly Shamed."

I may be publicly shamed for admitting I didn’t know anything about “yellow face,” but that’s the least of my worries…I need to know…are there “brown face” taboos too?

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

 

Douche Bag Walking: Drug Company CEO Was Too Greedy and the Public Responded

The smiling man in this photo is one of the biggest douche bags you’ll ever meet!

Let me introduce you to former hedge fund manager Martin Shkreli – fraud, cyber hacker, stalker, and all-around liar. 

Before reading his brief backround bio I want to point out why he’s in the news, and why a presidential hopeful is calling for legislation against people like him.

Shkreli made headlines this week when it was revealed that his current company, Turing Pharmaceuticals, boosted the price of Daraprim from $13.50 to $750 per pill (!) after buying the drug from Impax Laboratories in August.

Shkreli jacked up the price of Daraprim 5,500 percent overnight, claiming he had to in order to make money. The reaction was immediate;

Presidential wannabe, Hillary Clinton, responded to the move by calling Shkreli’s action "outrageous." Clinton's comment, and her vow to introduce a plan to control drug prices overall, sent biotech stocks plummeting Monday.

In response to the indignant public outcry, Shkreli changed course:

Drug CEO Will Lower Price of Daraprim After Hike Sparked Outrage

For the record; the average cost of brand-name medications rose 13 percent in 2013, according to a report from the Prime Institute at the University of Minnesota. New cancer drugs now cost over $100,000 a year.

In addition:

Read the affidavit claiming harassment by Martin Shkreli and see the related documents here.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

GOP Senators Fail to Infringe on Women’s Rights Today

I’m sick and tired of Republicans playing politics with women’s health.

They tried to pull a fast one in the Senate today but failed. The senate Republicans couldn’t get enough votes to pass their draconian ‘protection act” that would have implemented a federal 20-week abortion ban with incredibly limited exceptions.

When is the GOP going to learn that families, workers, and the economy should come before their silly ass politics that are plump with partisanship?

Right now we’re forced to watch a long line of show votes on an unconstitutional, dangerous bill to restrict women’s health and rights, and on defunding Planned Parenthood while taking away critical health care services millions of people rely on each year.

If a new budget is not approved by midnight on September 30, the government will shutdown, just as it did in the fall of 2013 when Republican leadership refused to initially negotiate on a budget deal that did not include defunding the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

We can thank the original idiot boy Ted Cruz (2013 shutdown instigator) for being the leading voice, of the Tea Party faction of the Republican party which has said they will not agree to any budget that does not include ending all federal funding to Planned Parenthood.

Two things Cruz and other Republicans fail to talk about:

1) The majority of funding Planned Parenthood received from the government goes towards Medicaid reimbursement. 

2) By law, no federal funding may be used towards abortion care. So what’s the problem? Hint: irresponsible ideology boosted by lies seeking to take away more women’s rights.

The entire Republican party should be ashamed of themselves if they hurt our economy again with another senseless shutdown where everyone looses except the rich pundits!

Time for me to walk on down the road… 

How Do You Get To Your Happy Place and Stay There?

Good Day World!

Today, I’m asking what makes you happy and how do you stay that way?

First, here’s a quick test to see what floats your boat!

Positive psychology guru, Martin Seligman studied happiness and found these characteristics of happy people.

Part of the reason happiness often feels so elusive is that we don’t spend time really focusing on what we need in order to cultivate that happiness.

When we’re bogged down at work or flustered with unsuccessful attempts, more often than not we mostly just wallow in those feelings of frustration and hopelessness, rather than taking a moment to question what needs to change.

Change that. Take the time to explore what you really need to make yourself happy.

Here’s another helpful article:

How to Find Out What Makes You Happy

Life’s too short to be unhappy. Don’t you agree?

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

What do you look for in a news story?

                                Good Day World!

When I was a newspaper editor back in the late 1970s the already old adage; “If a dog bites man – no story. But, if man bites dog – then you have a story,” was used to teach journalism students the basics in news gathering.

That 20th century advise has been given steroids in the 21st century.

Journalism students today must compete with other extreme (man not only bites dog, but eats dog and wears it skin over his face) stories that need gotcha headlines.

What does it take to get your attention? Perhaps some of the examples listed below may apply:

Meth Lab Found in Taco Bell

Newly Released Dashcam Video Shows Police Shooting of Jonathan Ferrell

Man Accused Of Masturbating In Driveway 3 Times In A Week

Woman Tries Eating Crack Cocaine In Front Of Cops, Police Say

Florida Man Chews Off Fingerprints In Hopes Of Not Being ID'd

Headline writing has always been an art. Reading the evolution of headlines is a fascinating study into our culture. Try reading headlines from newspapers in the 1960s, or the 1880s, to see what I mean.

We are being bombarded from more news sources than ever before thanks to the internet and social media. The competition for your attention has never been greater.

If headlines today don’t instantly shock, disgust or amaze, they might as well be written in invisible ink!

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Oh baby, baby! You’re looking good!

                               Good Day World!

How about a few pounds of cute? These babies are guaranteed to make you smile. Enjoy:

 

Left: this smiling Hedgehog baby has a grin that won’t end! The sleeping porker on the right is happily night night! Pics via Brain Jet

 

Left: baby Panda Bear saying hi! And this little owl on the right has eyes that are out-of-sight! Pics via Amazist

 

Left: wild kittens defy gravity, while this frog mom takes her offspring for a ride in the pond. Pics via Baby Animals

 

Left: a curious fox cub checks out his world and it’s bottle time for this long-necked baby giraffe. Pics via Amy Top

 

Left: friends of a feather – duckling and owl pals. This worried looking little kitten seems to be standing guard over the puppy. Pics via Shine On

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Misstatements, Stumbles, and Exaggerations: Where Was The Beef?

Good Day World!

Wednesday’s GOP debate was a meaningless function full of misstatements, stumbles, and exaggerations.

The format gave 11 presidential hopefuls a chance to tell Americans what they would do if they got elected.

That’s not exactly happened. It was more like Romper Room.

Viewers found out that:

* Donald Trump is so anti-vaccine (and clueless on the issue) that he was caught bullshitting about a two-year old boy who supposedly got a vaccine shot which gave him autism.

Study after study has shown no possible way that vaccines could cause autism, even in supposedly vulnerable children. You can read more about that body of medical research here.

* Some pundits say Carly Fiorina won the debate. I’m not sure how they arrived at that conclusion. All I know is she really exaggerated when she said she grew jobs while CEO of Hewlett Packard after a merger.

* Chris Christie flat out lied when he said: "I was named U.S. attorney by President Bush on September 10th, 2001," as a way of proving his 9/11 credentials. He was actually appointed U.S. attorney by George W. Bush on December 8, 2001.

Then there was the dull, plodding Ben Carson looking bored most of the time. Compared to his old job of shilling snake oil it was a dull gig. 

In case you didn’t know, Dr. Carson has shilled for a modern snake oil nutritional supplement company Mannatech (yes, manna-tech, they wanted the religious overtones of naming it after the miraculous God-bread that fell from the sky in the Old Testament, combined with, y’know, modern science and technology).

What’s wrong with Mannatech? That’s a good question, one that the folks over at the National Review have answered.

Viewers were left wondering what any of those clowns would really do in the Oval Office. They were all in lock-step about defunding Planned Parenthood, but what about our countries crumbling bridges and roads?

What about a foreign policy? They made the mandatory threats about Iran as pabulum for the clueless on world affairs, and assured us they were all conservatives (like that was something to brag about).

Sigh.

Timer for me to walk on down the road…

Back by Popular Demand! Meet the Booger Family

Good Day World!

The Booger family is back by popular demand!

It seems thousands of readers couldn’t get enough of this reality show when it appeared last June. So, in case you missed it here’s your chance to weigh in on this popular new reality show:

MEET THE BOOGERS

Travel through Texas with the Booger family as they gross out restaurant patrons throughout the Lone Star state.

Watch as Pa Booger, Ma Booger, daughters Mandy and Randy, and son Jim Bob blow diners minds with well-timed Booger battles. Listen to Booger family members as they explain their existence. Their mission in life.

Pa, a retired preacher and classic Booger collector, wants the world to know that there’s a place in the world for Boogers. He’s best known for his long stringy boogers.

Ma constantly catches her kids off-guard and blows a booger at them when they least expect it.

Twins Mandy and Randy have an ongoing argument over which has the better booger blower and which is the most accurate.

Jim Bob likes to eat boogers. And he’s not too particular.

Viewers will get to follow their adventures weekly as they travel about in their custom Bogermobile bus. At the end of every episode, viewers are asked to send in the names of restaurants they’d like to see them appear at.

Related video:

See the world’s biggest booger!

Time for me to walk on down the road…

I’m taking a blog break but there’s still stuff to view for you

                                       Good Day World!

Once a year I take a one-week blog break. It helps charge my creative batteries. I’ll be gone from September 9th through the 16th.

I would like to point out that the right side of this page offers viewers a number of options to explore.

I have articles from when I was a columnist for The Times-Standard newspapers in Eureka California, prior blog posts going back to 2008, links to my book Rafter’s Redemption, a fiction book in progress, and social media links.

 

Taxpayers are Paying for Kim Davis’ Hypocritical Run for Sainthood!

I sure would hate to be a taxpayer in Kentucky – especially lately – with a county clerk (Kim Davis) that refuses to do her job, but expects to get paid while she square-dances with religious zealots like Mike Huckabee and Mat Staver (representing the well-documented hate group Liberty Counsel).

After the judge released her today – taking some wind out of the Release Kim Davis Day, she promptly lumbered up some steps of a hastily-erected grandstand and told her fans she wasn’t done yet.

Translation for taxpayers: she is NOT going to do her job and she expects you to pay for her 15-minutes of fame. The judge warned her to not hinder the five deputy clerks now issuing everyone marriage licenses.

Mind you, Davis doesn’t have her name on these newly issued marriage licenses, but that doesn’t matter. She now feels emboldened to further defy the laws of the land (of which she took an oath to obey) and says she doesn’t even want any marriage licenses to gays being issued out of “her office.”

Apparently Davis feels pretty safe to flaunt the Supreme Court decision in a county where being country clerk is a family affair. As a matter of fact Davis has visions of more airtime (extending her 15 minutes of fame to 30 minutes).

As long as there are other hypocrites (Davis whose been married to four men, basically violating the tenants of the very church she goes to) and religious zealots jumping up and down waving posters depicting her as a crucified Christian woman, she’s going to ride that wave of intolerance for everything it’s worth.

Meanwhile, the taxpayers in her district have to continue paying her salary while she seeks sainthood.

Time for me to walk on down the road…  

A Buddhist Fraternity and Sorority? Why Not?

                                 Good Day World!

Most people associate Greek college fraternity's with wild parties, and not much else.

You can’t blame them. When was the last time you heard a story about a college fraternity doing something really positive?

But that could be changing soon.

Imagine having a Buddhist fraternity as an alternative to Greek? Guess what?

Planning is underway for a Buddhist fraternity and sorority at a school known for its partying reputation; San Diego State University.

Credit Jeff Zlotnik, founder of the Dharma Bum Temple in downtown San Diego with this idea. Instead of learning how to guzzle beer in prodigious quantities, members of this new frat could be learning how to focus better and get good grades!

I like the way he thinks.

His vision is a marked contrast to what’s currently available. He plans on offering classes in Buddhism and meditation to help college students cope with stress, anxiety and depression.

But don’t worry. This isn’t a sneaky backdoor attempt to recruit Buddhists disguised as a fraternity.

"We're not looking to start this heavy religious organization," Zlotnik told The San Diego Union-Tribune (http://bit.ly/1NbV83R). "This is a cultural organization. We're not trying to create ordained Buddhists."

But why stop with just a Buddhist frat?

This is the 21st century. How about an Italian fraternity (can’t you just see hand gestures becoming a trend)? I bet you could probably come up with a few yourself.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Stoner Network Looks Like A Cool Place To Hang Out

Good Day World!

It was only a matter of time.

Finally, a social network for stoners.

As an old hippie, I never thought I’d see the day when the majority of Americans were for marijuana legalization.

With 23 Legal Medical Marijuana States and DC and Oregon becoming the fourth state to legalize recreational marijuana, the writing is on the wall: Legal marijuana is finally having it’s day in the sun.

Sometimes I feel like pinching myself when I read stories like this stoner network article:

“MassRoots (^MSRT), which launched in 2013 and went public on the over-the-counter market in April of this year, has filed an application to have its shares listed on the Nasdaq.

The company bills itself as one of the "largest and most active communities of cannabis consumers," a place where people can find smoking buddies, share experiences and connect with local dispensaries.

MassRoots hopes a move to the Nasdaq will help it garner more interest from institutional investors and help bring legitimacy to a burgeoning legal American marijuana industry that’s still operating in the shadows even as public sentiment toward the drug is changing.

But MassRoots still has to win the Nasdaq's approval, a process that can take weeks and requires the company's share price to rise above $3, among other requirements. MassRoots shares were trading at around $1.38 a share on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of around $60 million.”

FOR THE RECORD

There’s two other cannabis-related companies, GW Pharmaceuticals (^GWPH) and Insys Therapeautics (^INSY) — both medical marijuana companies — that already trade on the Nasdaq.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

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…

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.”

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…

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…

Deadly Selfies: When Fun Takes a Tragic Turn

(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 while 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…