1/ Matt Taibbi, as usual, nails it - why are Americans so frightened ? It's TV and our "news" business.....there's money to be made keeping the stupids constantly frightened......
Read the sentence below, and if it makes sense for you read the article.....excellent.
The solution to most of our fears? Stop watching the news.
Americans are the safest, richest, most extravagantly protected people in the world, but we're more miserable, divided and frightened than ever. That we literally want to be walled off from the rest of the world would be bad enough, were it not also true that we increasingly also hate and fear each other
2/ Viral video - a guy strapped a GoPro to his dog to see what he did when he left the house....three surprising [and a little heartbreaking] minutes....
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Pet owners like to think that when they head off to work every day, their pooch or kitty happily sleeps and plays most of the day away with no bouts of separation anxiety or despair.
That's what Springfield radio host, Mike Holmes(better known as Mike the Intern from 104.7 The Cave), assumed his beloved dog Guinness did while he was at work.
But then one day he put a GoPro camera around Guinness' neck and walked out the front door. When Holmes viewed the video — one that captured poor Guinness howling and yelping, frantically trotting back and forth from the window to the door with the hope of seeing his master return and finally collapsing on Holmes' bed to cry — Holmes said he felt terrible.
"It just broke my heart. I had never heard him howl like that. I never heard him whine like that," Holmes said.
3/ This is one of the most infuriating stories I've read recently - there seems to be no end to the exploitation and ruthless plundering of the poor.....you will be angry and disgusted if you read this article from the Times....
Clifford Cain Jr., a retired electrician in Baltimore, was used to living on a tight budget, carefully apportioning his Social Security and pension benefits to cover his rent and medication for multiple sclerosis.
So Mr. Cain was puzzled when he suddenly could not make ends meet. Months later, he discovered why: A debt collector had garnished his bank account after suing him for about $4,500 the company said he owed on an old debt.
Mr. Cain said he never knew the lawsuit had been brought against him until the money was gone. Neither did other Baltimore residents who were among the hundreds of people sued by the collector, Midland Funding, a unit of the Encore Capital Group, in Maryland State Court. Some of them said they did not even owe any money, or their debt had long expired and was not legally collectible, according to a review of court records.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/
4/ A dance Supercut from the movies - see how many you recognize!.....
About 4 minutes....
5/ Interesting - I had always thought organic eggs were best......but this analysis by Vox says "maybe".....
I am, of course, assuming you don't eat Walmart eggs.....
Cage-free, free range, organic: what all those egg labels really mean
If you've ever bought eggs in a supermarket, you've probably faced this conundrum: do I buy the regular, cheap eggs, or the nicer, organic/cage-free eggs? And supposing you want to spring for the humane stuff, how do you know which farms are really treating their hens right, and which are just throwing up smoke and mirrors?
The short answer: yes, you should be buying cage-free eggs. But the case for buying organic or free range eggs isn't very compelling. When shopping around, be sure to look for "Certified Humane" and, even better, "Animal Welfare Approved" stickers on your eggs. They're your best bet if you love egg products but want to be sure the hens laying them are being treated well.
6/ I love these videos of outer space.....it gets our lonely little planet in perspective.....this one is well done....about three minutes....
It's tough to convey these huge numbers in a way that makes sense. But YouTube user daveachuk made the astounding video above that helps put them into perspective.
As the video zooms deeper and deeper, remember that every single pinprick of light is a star — in most cases, scientists believe, a star orbited by its own planet (or planets).
Think of it this way: our Solar System is so big that we still haven't sent any spacecraft beyond its borders. But it's replicated over and over, literally billions of times, in the Andromeda Galaxy. And Andromeda is just a single galaxy, relatively close to our Milky Way — both are part of a larger supercluster of galaxies called Laniakea.
Make the video full screen, turn the volume up, and let it sink in. The vastness of our universe is beyond words.
7/ We know local weather has nothing to do with climate change, but patterns of weather do.....as this article says the unseasonal temperatures are due to El Nino. but climate change makes it more extreme.....
This year, Christmas Eve feels more like the tropics for much of the East Coast. Here, Timmy McGovern dressed as Santa Claus walks along the beach passing out candy canes and posing for pictures with beach-goers on Dec. 21, 2015 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images
As a journalist, I know you’re not supposed to personify inanimate objects, but the weather in America this week seems angry.
Take Wednesday, for example. As travelers rushed home to celebrate the holidays, temperatures in New England soared to spring-like levels. Street vendors dismantled Christmas-tree stands in New York City in the driving rain. Tornadoes tore through the South. On Lake Michigan, wind gusts approached hurricane force. And the data backs up what we already intuitively know: None of us, or any of our grandparents, ever experienced a December with weather like this.
8/ I was looking for an update to this story from 2014, but couldn't find one......which means either the scientists didn't do one or someone told them not to! Although the team works for NASA look at the disclaimers - NASA has disowned this report, probably because all of NASA's budget is gub'mint money and vulnerable to political pressure.
Either way read it.....in essence a team of genius scientists has analyzed patterns and data mathematically and concluded society will collapse within 15 years like the Roman and Mayan empires did.....in about 2030.....and their data did NOT fully factor in the effects of climate change.
If you read DDD you are above average intelligence, so look at this, think about it and even if they are off a decade it's not looking good folks....
Civilization was pretty great while it lasted, wasn't it? Too bad it's not going to for much longer. According to a new study sponsored by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, we only have a few decades left before everything we know and hold dear collapses.
The report, written by applied mathematician Safa Motesharrei of the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center along with a team of natural and social scientists, explains that modern civilization is doomed. And there's not just one particular group to blame, but the entire fundamental structure and nature of our society.
Analyzing five risk factors for societal collapse (population, climate, water, agriculture and energy), the report says that the sudden downfall of complicated societal structures can follow when these factors converge to form two important criteria. Motesharrei's report says that all societal collapses over the past 5,000 years have involved both "the stretching of resources due to the strain placed on the ecological carrying capacity" and "the economic stratification of society into Elites [rich] and Masses (or "Commoners") [poor]." This "Elite" population restricts the flow of resources accessible to the "Masses", accumulating a surplus for themselves that is high enough to strain natural resources. Eventually this situation will inevitably result in the destruction of society.
9/ This is a three minute video of a tornado destroying a home, taken by the poor guy from inside the house.....heartbreaking....
About a minute of it is sound only where I guess they are in the basement.....
If you’ve never experienced the power of a tornado, you should put yourself in this couple’s shoes, if only for three and a half minutes.
This is incredible video captured in the middle of an actual tornado.
10/ A list of the best apps for travel.....from the travel lady at the Times.....
Recently I deleted dozens of travel apps from my iPhone. Many are great. They allowed me to research unfamiliar places, listen to audio tours and turn my photos into postcards. But travel is about tapping the world, not a screen, so I’m ending the year with an app purge. I’ve kept only what I use often. An app didn’t have to be new (most weren’t) to make the cut, but it had to make travel easier or significantly more enjoyable. Below are a dozen that have earned a spot on my smartphone heading into 2016
11/ Movie review - "The Hateful Eight', directed by Quentin Tarantino.....review is basically if you like Tarantino movies you'll love this one....
Quentin Tarantino is a scholar of old movies with a particular antiquarian fetish for the ways they used to be made and consumed. His eighth feature, “The Hateful Eight,” was shot on film with antique lenses and is being projected at some theaters in sumptuous, wide-screen 70-millimeter Panavision.
Mr. Tarantino and his director of photography, the three-time Oscar winner Robert Richardson, revel in the tonal and compositional possibilities of the format. The dense colors and clever shifts in focus hold your attention when the dialogue starts to sputter. There is quite a lot to see and hear. Almost three hours long, “The Hateful Eight” has an overture at the beginning — a static title card accompanied by a sinister and swaggering Ennio Morricone score — and an intermission a little past the midpoint.
Interesting trailer is in the story!
Todays blonde joke....with a difference!
A blonde city girl named Amy marries a Colorado rancher.
One morning, on his way out to check on the cows, the rancher says to Amy, "'The insemination man is coming over to impregnate one of our cows today, so I drove a nail into the 2 by 4 just above where the cow's stall is in the barn.
Please show him where the cow is when he gets here, OK?"........
The rancher leaves for the fields. After a while, the artificial insemination man Arrives and knocks on the front door.
Amy takes him down to the barn. They walk along the row of cows and when Amy sees the nail, she tells him,
"'This is the one right here."
The man, assuming he is dealing with an air head blond, asks,
"Tell me lady, 'cause I'm dying to know; how would YOU know that this is the right cow to be bred?"
"That's simple," she said. "By the nail that's over its stall," she explains very confidently.
Laughing rudely at her, the man says, "And what, pray tell, is the nail for?"
The blond turns to walk away and says sweetly over her shoulder,
"I guess it's to hang your pants on."
Todays husband joke
His wife is puzzled and asks Vern if he's been to the club before.
"Oh no," he says. "He's in my bowling league ."
When they are seated, a waitress asks Vern If he'd like his usual and brings over a Budweiser.
His wife is becoming increasingly uncomfortable and says, "How did she know that you drink Budweiser?"
"I recognize her, because she's also the waitress at the golf club. I always have a Bud at the end of the first nine, honey."A stripper then comes over to their table, throws her arms around Vern, starts to rub herself all over him and says, "Hi Vern. Want your usual table dance, big boy?"
Vern's wife, now furious, grabs her purse and storms out of the club.Vern follows and spots her getting into a cab. Before she can slam the door, he jumps in beside her and tries desperately to explain how the stripper must have mistaken him for someone else.But his wife is having none of it. She is screaming at the top of her lungs and calling him every four-letter word in the book.The cabby looks in the rear-view mirror and says, "Geez Vern, you picked up a real bitch this time."VERN'S FUNERAL WILL BE THIS COMING FRIDAY
Todays Catholic joke
The parish priest went on a fishing trip.
On the last day of his trip he hooked a monster fish and proceeded to
reel it in. The guide, holding a net, yelled, 'Look at the size of that Son of a Bitch!'
On the last day of his trip he hooked a monster fish and proceeded to
reel it in. The guide, holding a net, yelled, 'Look at the size of that Son of a Bitch!'
'Son, I'm a priest. Your language is uncalled for!'
'No, Father, that's what kind of fish it is - a Son of a Bitch fish!'
'Really? Well then, help me land this Son of a Bitch!'
Once in the boat, they marvelled at the size of the monster.
'Father, that's the biggest Son of a Bitch I've ever seen'
'Yes, it is a big Son of a Bitch. What should I do with it?'
'Why, eat it! Of course. You've never tasted anything as good as Son
of a Bitch!'
of a Bitch!'
Elated, the priest headed home to the rectory.
While unloading his gear and his prize catch, Sister Mary inquired
about his trip.
While unloading his gear and his prize catch, Sister Mary inquired
about his trip.
'Take a look at this big Son of a Bitch I caught!'
Sister Mary gasped and clutched her rosary, 'Father!'
'It's OK, Sister. That's what kind of fish it is, a Son of a Bitch fish!'
'Oh, well then, what are you going to do with that big Son of a Bitch?'
Sister Mary informed the priest that the new Bishop was scheduled to
visit in a few days and that they should fix the Son of a Bitch for
his dinner.
visit in a few days and that they should fix the Son of a Bitch for
his dinner.
'I'll even clean the Son of a Bitch', she said.
As she was cleaning the huge fish, the Friar walked in.
What are you doing Sister?'
'Father wants me to clean this big Son of a Bitch for the new Bishop's Dinner'
'Sister! I'll clean it if you're so upset! Please watch your language!
'No, no, no, it's called a Son of a Bitch Fish.'
Really? Well, in that case, I'll fix up a great meal to go with it,
and that Son of a Bitch can be the main course!
and that Son of a Bitch can be the main course!
Let me know when you've finished cleaning that Son of a Bitch.'
On the night of the new Bishop's visit, everything was perfect.
The Friar had prepared an excellent meal.
The wine was fine, and the fish was excellent.
The new Bishop said, 'This is great fish, where did you get it?'
'I caught that Son of a Bitch!' proclaimed the proud priest.
'And I cleaned the Son of a Bitch!' exclaimed the Sister.
The Friar added, 'And I prepared the Son of a Bitch, using a
special recipe!
The new Bishop looked around at each of them.
A big smile crept across his face as he said,
'You fuckers are my kind of people!"
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