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.

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.

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

2 "Don't Cry Daddy" solo by Ivanka Trump

3 "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!

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.

How Are Republican Trump Supplicants Like Fainting Goats?

It's time to answer the pressing question:

How are Republican Trump supplicants like Fainting Goats?

A fainting goat is a breed of domestic goat that stiffens when startled.

Trumplican's are domestic terrorists who get startled and freeze when confronted with the truth.

 A fainting goat may fall over and appear to faint. But in actuality it goes into a myotonic state 

Trump worshipping minions go into a catatonic state when they see and listen to him.

Fainting goats - also called Myotonic Goats - in America have a southern origin. They were first discovered in Tennessee in the 1880s.

The majority of the followers of the Trump cult hail from southern states that fought with the Confederacy to overturn American democracy. 

An interesting fact: The Myotonic Goat is very similar to the condition seen in humans which is known as Congenital Myotonia, in case you wanted to see another tie-in between the two species.

I hope this post satisfies your curiosity on this very important subject. You're invited to return when I discuss other animal species similar to Trump acolytes.

Why is Jim Jordan in Congress Defending an Insurrection When he Should be in Prison?

He was involved in the most sweeping sex abuse scandal in the history of American higher education - to say nothing of college sports.

Jim Jordan, who was the assistant wrestling coach saw daily sexual abuse (as several witnesses testified under oath), but his involvement was swept under the rug by courts who gave small settlements to the abused athletes at the Ohio State University wrestling program.

Somehow, against all odds and sanity, the same sexual abuse enabler ran for Congress and won the seat for Ohio since 2007. Since that time, he's risen to the higher ranks of Republican extremists with antics like chairing the clown show Benghazi hearings that were thinly disguised attacks against Hillary Clinton's political future.

Jordan's crowning achievement thus far has been leading MAGA followers down rabbit holes where the 2020 election was stolen, and Biden is to blame for all the economic chaos in the world and America.

By not wearing a jacket in Congress like everyone else on both sides of the aisle, he's staked out his individual "tough guy" image meant to impress the weak of mind.

Now we know eleven Republican lawmakers from the House - including Jordan - sat down with the former president and plotted to overturn the 2020 election hours before Trump sent out his infamous tweet, " Big protest in DC on January 6. Be there, it will be wild." 

When the Jan. 6 committee subpoenaed Jordan about his involvement in the coup attempt, he refused to appear.

Jordan's office has admitted that he was one of the lawmakers whose texts to Mark Meadows (regarding overturning election results) was recently discovered.

There's no doubt that being Trump's favorite Ohio lapdog has furthered Jordan's career. Like the rest of the seditious Republican lawmakers involved in the insurrection the chance of their going to jail is slim to none.

Jordan should be rotting in prison for his part in the worst sex scandal in American college history. Instead, he's openly defying the Constitution with the most crooked president in the history of the United States.

Is Mark Meadows the Un-Named Witness Trump Tried to Intimidate?

It was almost another "perfectly fine" phone call to someone Trump wanted to do his will. 

But that someone - who just happened to be an upcoming witness for the Jan. 6 panel - didn't pick up the phone and instead reported Trump's attempt to reach him/her to their lawyer.

The lawyer contacted and informed the Jan. 6 Committee.

The committee contacted the Department of Justice which is now investigating the attempted phone call from the former president.

The question is "who is this upcoming witness" that Trump was so worried about he took a stupid risk and personally called to intimidate?

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Rolling Stone Exclusive: 7/14/22 

Trump's Lawyers Think Mark Meadows is Going Down

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My guess is the call was made to Mark Meadows.

I say this for several reasons. 

First, Meadows hasn't totally cooperated with the J6 panel. 

He was cooperating at one point, then Trump told him to clam up. And he did.

Secondly, the last few J6 hearings have dropped some bombs about Trump from close White House aides that paint a picture of Meadows complicity in not stopping Trump's brazen plans to overthrow the election.

Meadow's former assistant Cassidy Hutchinson provided damning testimony that revealed how afraid he was to deal with Trump's lunacy.

You can bet that the DOJ has been exploring Meadow's actions closely, especially after Hutchinson's testimony. They may have enough on him to offer a deal - immunity from charges (or reduced sentence) in exchange for first-hand quotes from Trump directly linking him to his co-conspirators in Congress and outside lawmakers and activists working with him to stop the electoral process.

Finally, it's not likely Meadows would take a fall and go to prison for Trump, regardless of how afraid he is of him. With new information flooding out of the J6 panel weekly the odds of Meadows taking flak from witnesses increases.

In summary, the DOJ would have the smoking gun it needs to indict and convict Trump of treason and other serious charges.

Who'll Be First to Indict Trump? 'Teflon Don' is Stuck with a Series of Sticky Legal Charges

The courts are finally closing in on Teflon Don.

Because he's never been convicted - thus far - of a major felony during his law-breaking career some people refer to Donald Trump as the Teflon Don.

I'm thinking that nickname is going to have to be changed in the near future. Why you ask?

Let's start with the fact that you can Google a List of Lawsuits involving Trump on Wikipedia. It's a long list. He's paying out more for lawyers than Uruguay's annual GNP. Eventually he'll run out of his donor's contributions and the RNC will stop funding his legal battles.

Here's the most serious court threats he faces:

It's a tie for the most serious threats to the Teflon Don between the Department of Justice's investigation on the insurrection, and the Fulton County Georgia charges of interfering with a state election.

There's a separate DOJ investigation involving 15 boxes of classified documents that were taken to Trump's Mar-A-Lago resort in Florida. The DOJ convened a grand jury who are currently looking into the matter.

The hits keep on coming...

Two related investigations by New York State and City officials are currently being carried out to determine whether the Trump Organization has committed financial fraud. One is a criminal case being conducted by Manhattan district attorney and the other is a civil case being conducted by the New York Attorney General.

How worried is Trump?

I'll put it this way; yesterday Liz Cheney on the Jan. 6 panel reported an incident of Trump calling an upcoming witness (who didn't answer the phone). He/she contacted their lawyer who called the Department of Justice who's investigating the incident. He's so afraid of the truth that he's personally trying to intimidate witnesses. 

The Jan. 6 committee has been doing an excellent job of getting the story out about Trump's plans to overthrow the 2020 election. More witnesses show up every week with damning testimonies against the Teflon Don.

The only question I have is who is going to indict and convict the Teflon Don first?

Today's Jan. 6 Hearing is a Continuation of the Summers Biggest Hit on TV

Netflix and other streaming platforms have been getting some serious competition from an unlikely source - Congressional hearings.

It's unprecedented. It's the Jan. 6 Committee which has been attracting tens of millions of viewers this summer.

With six hearings already history the seventh today promises the same production value that has attracted millions of viewers thus far. According to Nielsen, there's been a cumulative audience of 55.3 million. 

That's without counting all the reruns and prime time recap programs of the hearings on platforms like MSNBC and PBS. Even more impressive are all the major news stories the hearings have been competing against.

The committee has offered millions of people a riveting narrative of Trump's coup attempt based on facts. The documentary images and eyewitness testimonies given under oath are noteworthy.

The Jan. 6 committee has set a new standard for Congressional hearings by making them more compelling without dumbing them down. They put on a mass-audience civics lesson for a nation that no longer teaches civics in too many of its classrooms.

The "series" has carried a strong narrative; a separate theme for each individual "episode"; good use of camera, sound, and graphics to emphasize key points. We've seen compelling characters like Cassidy Hutchinson whose revelations have shaken Trump world.

No one is predicting that Trump supporters will drop their idol regardless of the massive amount of evidence being shown. 

A combination of political polarization, the advanced state of media fragmentation and the power of the right-wing media machine working overtime to discredit the hearings, has all but assured Trump's Big Lie will live on for the foreseeable future.

But the rest of America will know the truth. That's as important as holding all the culprits accountable for their attempt to upend a peaceful transition of power and our democracy.

SNAP! It's All-American Pet Photo Day!

Get out your camera!

Its All-American Pet Photo Day. 

Today is a day solely dedicated to appreciating our lovable pets who make life better every single day.

While our pets almost always enjoy the limelight, this day encourages us to make it even more special and make them the main focus all day. 

Today, people upload photographs of their pets on social media and share the love for their furry or feathery friends with thousands of people online.

History of All American Pet Photo Day

"People have been raising pets for centuries and animals have been found in almost every culture and community. Initially, dogs were kept by aristocrats for companionship and hunting, and they were symbols of elitism. However, by the 19th century, the middle class also began developing an interest in keeping pets, and not just dogs, but also fish, rabbits, dogs, reptiles, etc. Having pets serves a fundamental human need for caring and it is a symbiotic relationship that benefits animals and human beings.

Pets provide a plethora of physical and emotional benefits and provide companionship to people who are living alone or the elderly who do not have a lot of social interaction with other people. In fact, there are even therapy animals, mostly dogs, who are brought to visit children in hospitals or people in nursing homes to enhance their physical, social, cognitive, or emotional well-being and functioning.

In recent years, the advent of technology has brought social media into our lives and has given a platform for people to showcase their pets. In today’s society, we can even find dedicated social media accounts made and managed by pet parents. It’s safe to say that pets hold significant importance in our lives. All American Pet Photo Day is a perfect opportunity to appreciate our pets who give us unconditional love." Source -

Don't be shy. If you have a photo of your pet share it on social media. It makes for good karma all day.

Where in the World is Waldo/Gaetz?

In case you never heard of the Where's Waldo series it features a fictional character who travels all over the world.

In the real-world Matt Gaetz has been flittering around the country avoiding any unnecessary publicity. He comes out of hiding long enough to vote on something then skitters off like a cockroach to right-wing pod casts with his buddy Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Waldo the character is known for his distinct wardrobe of a red and white striped shirt, blue jeans, brown boots, and his red and white bobbled hat. His travels extend beyond this world and into magical lands.

Gaetz is known for his snappy mob-inspired suits and is currently under investigation since 2020 for having sex with a 17-year-old girl and paying her for it. His magical place was Jeffrey Epstein's private island for pedophiles. 

Waldo came from the Land of Waldos, which is filled with Waldos just like him.

Gaetz comes from the Land of Trump, which is filled with assholes just like him.

Waldo's magic hat contains any number of useful objects of various sizes.

Gaetz's MAGA hat has a label inside - Made in China.

Stay tuned for the next episode of Matt Gaetz the corrupt lawmaker who everyone loves to hate. Will his next adventure be in prison when the DOJ puts him away for sex crimes?