Trump and the AI

 My, didn't that weekend zip by so fast?  Outside, our temps are a comfortable 71(F).  That's fine with me.  Even better, there is not a drop of rain predicted in today's forecast and our high temp is only supposed to be in the mid 80s (F).  We have the same forecast for tomorrow.  This is quite doable.

My first load of laundry for the week is done and is hanging out on the drying rack.  I've not been able to do this for some time because of the frequent rains we've been getting  The less I use my dryer in the summer, the happier I am.  My only issue is with the mosquitoes.  The instant I stepped out the door I was swarmed.  The way I see it I have 2 choices:  wear sweatpants outside during the summer, or invest in some insect repellent.  Were I one of those people who spends hours and hours outside then a bug zapper would also be put into that mix, however I'm only outside a few hours a week so buying one would be a waste of money.

Work yesterday was slow.  Our plan has been lowered for the summer so we might have hit it.  I wasn't really paying that much attention.  On days when it's slow, I go into wordpad and write.  Somedays I can get quite a lot of words written.  Yesterday was one of them.

There was a charge for an additional line on my T-Mobile account this morning.  If they're going to charge me for an additional line and the $55 a month for the internet, this no long becomes a good deal.  I will have to talk to them in order to get this issue resolved.

Overnight Orangie has been posting different AI videos of Obama getting arrested, or in jail epitomizing how much he truly hates our first black president.  I find it interesting that he has always put a token black person in his cabinet and that token usually ends up being a corrupt Christian, an individual who believes he was put into that position to get as much free shit as possible.  Orangie does this in an attempt to influence people of color, hoping they run out and vote for him.  Sadly, there are people dumb enough to believe this, but then there are a large number of dumb people in Ameica and a majority of them are white.

One of the things that went through my head when I saw that JD Vance met with Murdoch in a hush hush meeting was succession.  Now I'm seeing more and more people are looking at that and thinking the same thing.  Could that be why Vance is out of the country so much on vacation, so that he's clean when it comes to not only the Epstein shit, but everything else that's piling up on Orangie?  The big, beautiful bill has already been signed into law, so at this point Orangie is useless.  Vance is far less popular among the cultists than Orangie, and this Epstein shit show has really begun to divide them.  Hhhmm.  Interesting. 

Trump and Murdoch: Deal or No Deal

 Baby, it's cold outside!  The temp is 30 (F).  Plants don't do well when the temp is below freezing.  And we're heading into a really big contrast since the temp, if the weather forecasters are correct, will be a scorching 81 (F) on Saturday. That is really a little too hot for this time of year.

On a whole, yesterday was really productive.  I'm pleased, not only did the small aquarium get cleaned, I also got a 10+ mile ride in on the bike.  During that 10+ ride I discovered something.  For the past several months I've been listening to audio books, mostly about Greek history.  Yesterday, rather than listen to a podcast, I played one of my old playlists and got in a decent ride.  Since a decent ride with music is preferable to a so so ride with a podcast, it seems as if the playlists are back on.  

I also cut up some beets and boiled them, the first step in making pickled eggs, or as we here in Central PA call them red beet eggs.  And, speaking of eggs, they cost only $4.99 at my local Giant supermarket, that's $3 less than they cost 2 weeks ago, so I'm wondering if they're buying local, or if these eggs were imported from Turkey.

The cushion on the futon in the living room, after three dogs, has finally begun to wear down.  The seam tore open so I temporarily fixed it with duct tape (and it is duct tape, not duck tape).  This is how it started:

Of course, when I got back from my visit to the supermarket, I discovered that the duct tape had been no match a 7.5 month old puppy.  There was now a hole, and about 2 pounds of stuffing were all over the floor.  So, this is how it ended:

Lily did the same thing when she was about the same age, which is why I ended up with an inexpensive futon in the living room.

Of course Signalgate continues.  While the anger and outrage being expressed by Americans and these dodo brains the Orange Anus installed in his cabinet, I'd relatively certain there is also a lot of smug satisfaction being enjoyed by a vast majority of the country:  Orangie deserves every terrible thing that comes his way.

As someone said, this is what happens when you staff your cabinet with TV personalities, rather than qualified individuals.  Hegseth, Homan, Waltz, and Gabbard all come from Fox.  As someone who's old enough to remember, Rupert Murdoch tried to become very influential in British politics a long time ago with several prominent members of Parliament in his pocket, so to speak.  Now, it seems, he's done the same thing with Orangie's administration and it makes one wonder if perhaps some deal was struck between the 2 billionaires, something like: you put my people in your cabinet and my entertainment channel will drown you with praise.  Such a deal would slack the appetite their egos have for attention and power.  It does make one wonder, doesn't it?

Supposedly

 Well, a new work week has arrived.  Accuweather is still predicting rain for today and tomorrow, however a look at the forecast shows us just having showers on and off throughout the next 48 hours.  What that means is that we're not going to see the sun until sometime on Wednesday afternoon.   It also means I'm going to have to mow my lawn before the end of the week.  Temps may be a bit cooler right now, but the azaleas and the dahlias are still bloomin' their pants off.  

As I expected, yesterday was a very slow day at the store.  I sat around.  I talked to associates.  Surprisingly, I did get a lead for a blind installation, as well as a measure for flooring, though the flooring measure was for vinyl planks not carpet.  They really want their carpet measures.  We probably make more on a them.

The new dishwasher arrives tomorrow, the electrician on Wednesday, and Lyndsey should have all of the new drywall up and the cabinets hung the following week.  Some of the plumbing I'm going to do my self, but the dishwasher hook-up is going to be done by a plumber.  After all of that is done, I'm going to put down the new vinyl plank flooring.  I'm waiting for the new countertop until sometime in December.

I did renew Peacock, they offered me a deal.  $1.99 a month for 6 months.  After that, I will probably keep it for a month or two and then cancel the subscription.  Hopefully another deal will come around just before the Tour de France.

So, is the government going to shut down?  There's a good possibility it might happen.  If it does, guess who looks bad to Independent voters?  Not the Democrats.  Nope.  Democrats are just sitting on their hands waiting for it to happen.  They don't even have to point their fingers.  Thank you Main Stream media.  It will be interesting to see how Fox handles it if it happens.  

Oh, and Rupert Murdoch is stepping down.  Supposedly there's so much bad blood in that family.  Conservatives are actually saying that Lachlan Murdoch is actually Woke, whatever the hell that is.  Another supposedly is that Rupert wishes Trump would die.  Now.  I suspect because backing him has cost Fox sooooo much money.  While I can't be certain, I say that, just supposedly, that might be the main reason Rupert is stepping down.  His decision to back the Spawn of Satan, Donald Trump, has cost the network dearly, and the expenses have not stopped.  There are other lawsuits approaching faster than the $$$ are flying out of the Fox bank account. 

The Hippocampus and I

Well lets say a sunny 'hello' to March.  It is bright and sunny here in Central PA.  The temps are supposed to climb into the high 50s (F).  Spring is definitely on it's way... that is until Friday arrives, bringing up to 3 inches of snow.  Of course, they've called for snow a few other times this winter and we got none.

Cosori sent me an email regarding my replacement air-fryer.  They'll be sending me a tracking number.  Sounds good, right?  That's what I thought until I read that it can take 6 - 8 weeks for replacements to arrive.  That's not too good.  Over 2 million units are being recalled, so I guess they're shipping them out as fast as they can make them.

I stayed up late to watch the end of Invasion on Apple TV.  The series started off good but episode after episode it became more and more predictable.  That was just one of several problems.  Another was likeability.  You need to root for the heroes.  Of all the leads, only epileptic Casper was likeable, however when it turned out his epilepsy tuned him into the alien subconscious (?) I couldn't help but say "been there, done that."  

The Washington Post had a interesting article about the aging brain, something I find fascinating because mine is aging.  I do wish they would have delved into creativity a little more.  I have seen that doctors now believe we can go through several spurts of creativity as we age, a really big one when we're young adults, and then another one when we hit our 50s.  I'm no longer in my mid 50s, so I wonder if I might be just a little late on that one.  Another interesting bit was how playing video games seems to stimulate the hippocampus.  I don't know about you, but I had no idea just what the hippocampus does, so I did a little research.

What is the main function of the function of the hippocampus:

The hippocampus is a complex brain structure embedded deep into the temporal lobe.  It has a major role in learning and memory.  It is connected with the amygdala that controls emotional memory recalling and regulation (Schumacher et al., 2018)

I saw where stupid Keven McCarthy is coming under fire for giving that January6 footage to Tucker Carlson.  He claiming it's an exclusive.  Stop laughing.  Fox is, as Bob has said, a Republican propaganda machine.  Old Rupert's political ambitions are restricted in his native Australia, so he takes his ambition abroad.  He has no loyalty to America.  He doesn't care if Americans get hurt, or die, he just wants to tell Americans how to live their lives.  In Trump, he found a useful tool.  However, that tool's no longer giving Rupert the results his dirty, old heart desires.  In fact, that tool broke so badly, Rupert's been injured.  Let's all hope and pray that things turn out for the worst for old Rupert.

Hippocampus is a complex brain structure embedded deep into temporal lobe. It has a major role in learning and memory. It is a plastic and vulnerable structure that gets damaged by a variety of stimuliThat's your bit of science for today.

Precisely

 A new work week has arrived.  Notice my exuberance.  

They are forecasting rain for my weekend, which begins tomorrow, with high temps in the mid 50's (F).  Hopefully, I'll get some yardwork in between the showers.  Dahlias need to go into the ground in the front yard.  Lots of tuplipy things are sticking out of the dirt already.  And there are the dahlias.  My peonies are also sticking their buds above the soil.  And, of course, my roses are filled with budding leaves.

The Grammy's were on last night.  Meh.  I didn't' watch.  Pop music is so ephemeral.  No matter what you might want to believe, the timeless songs are very few and very far between.  Time has no problem burying trendy musical hooks.  I got into a discussion with a gent at the store about this very subject, and he said "look at all the great things Beyoncé is doing with music!  She'll be around forever!"  I replied, "they said the same thing about Madonna."  And he said, "What?  she's old!"  And I said, "precisely."

And tell me, does this look like the face of the most evil man on the planet?

I saw where someone had Tweeted that Joe Biden said "Rupert Murdoch is the most dangerous man in the world."  I believe that's a rather precise definition.  At 91, he maintains control over Fox News, and this bitter, old man has always desperately wanted to be a key player in politics.  He was a problem in the UK that was only solved by a legally forced separation: he was basically buying politicians.  The same thing is happening in the US with the Republican Party.  Here he buys them with frequent appearances on Fox News.  His mouthpieces are pro-Putin, and pro-Republican, spewing out lie, after lie, after lie.  As a result, the GOP, much to his delight, relies upon him.  That is precisely what he wants.  If there is any joy in American politics, it's that the political party he owns is blindly stabbing itself in the eye, and in the back, and in the foot, and, thanks to Loser #45, in the heart.

Drumming out the Truth

 Can you believe it?  February is past half over?  Spring is really just around the corner.  Forecasters said I was going to wake up to a crusty coat of icy, sleety, snow.  Maybe in your part of the world.  Outside the temp is a nearly balmy 34 (F).  The remnants of the past few storms are slowly melting away.  This is fine with me.  I don't mind winter, but I do long for a return to the more comfortable temps of spring, days when neither the furnace nor the Central Air need to be turned on.

I had a customer call yesterday about returning pieces of vinyl sheet we had cut for him.  We had some serious server problems, so I told him our system was down.  He hung up before I could tell him we don't take back vinyl that has been cut to size unless there is a manufacturers defect.  When customers hear this, they lie and blame the store, saying the vinyl was cut too short.  There is a certain breed of customer who, when faced with the choice of either paying for the cost of his own mistake, or getting a refund by lying, will always lie.  For those who don't know, we call these people Republicans.

Saturday morning, while I was sitting on the sofa in the writing room editing, Biggie decided to join me.  There are times when I think I post more pictures of Lilly and Seig, so, grabbing my phone, I took one of Biggie.  Keep in mind, his head is about the size of a small watermelon.  Here he is:

He's ready for his close-up, Mr. DeMille

On yesterday's entry, Maddie commented about her feelings regarding the Republicans failure to vote guilty on the failed presidents 2nd impeachment.  Keep in mind, 7 chose to side with the Democrats.  That's amazing.  Everybody knows that had there been a secret vote, he would have been found guilty. Still there are concerns regarding his acquittal.  While at lunch, I saw this article in The Guardian illuminating an article in the Wall Street Journal, owned by the Conservative Rupert Murdoch.  The numbers are fascinating.  58% of Americans feel the failed president is guilty of fueling the January 6 insurrection.  That number is not Democrats.  Nope.  That total represents over 330 million Americans.  57% of Republicans say the Loser should run again.  The article goes at great length to emphasize that number equates to the minority party.  On a good day, Republicans make up 30% of all voters.  Basically, 57% of that 30% ( on a good day) want him to run again.  One sentence that is repeated a number of times in the article is 'Democrats will win.'  This is what happens if the lying sack of shit runs, or back a loyalist, or simply back a Republican.  'Democrats will win.'  Americans are furious.  As a result, Republican voices will get louder and louder as they struggle to drum out the truth.

N7

 Saturday... ahhhh, the prelude to my long weekend.  Four days, jam packed with chores that needs to be done.  The temps here in Central PA will be in the low to mid 70's (F), if the weather forecasts hold true.  Wednesday, my final day off, we should be having rain... Eta, I believe.  

Yesterday the store was busy.  Lots of people were spending money.  Not too many flooring sales, but appliances?  Busy with a capital B.  Since nothing else has been normal this year, our Black Friday has been mutated.  We're now having a Black Friday Event... which has already begun.  This means we are filling our aisles with lost cost, high mark-up merchandise geared for the impulse shopper, buyers who believe the deal is a real steal... when it isn't.    Always remember:  buy cheap... get cheap.  Quality does have cost.

Another thing I will be looking forward to over the next few days is not having to do my daily health check before going to work.  Not that taking my temperature and filling out an online survey is complicated, but doing so is a constant reminder of what's happening out there.  Our heartland is on fire with the virus, as is our nation's administration.  I saw where Mark Meadows is now infected.  And people are beginning to wonder where Mike Pence is.  Evidently he hasn't shown his face in 3 days.  Is he simply lying low while trying to find a life preserver as his boat ride to a future in politics sinks?  Or could there be some other ulterior reason?

Business Insider reported that his aides had to school their leader on vote counting, how stopping the count would guarantee his loss.  Why is it this doesn't surprise me?

Biden is now winning Georgia by over 7,000 votes.  The higher, the better since it eliminates and surprises in their recount.

I don't watch any of Rupert Murdoch's propaganda outlets, but according the The Guardian they are turning on the Idiot Jerk in the White House, telling to accept defeat with grace.  For those who are expecting him to concede, forget it.  That will never happen.   They are telling him his legacy will be that of making the courts conservative.  However, the minute Amy Coney-Cumquat evokes her religious beliefs in a ruling, she becomes a political hack.  In fact, this is the same reason the Supreme Court is going to maintain a very safe distant from the decision making process of this election.  

And finally, today is N7 day.  For those who don't know, and there are many of you, N7 is the yearly celebration of one of the most popular, groundbreaking game franchises of all time.  Mass Effect.  You could play the main character, Sheperd, as either male or female, that choice was up to you.  You could make him black, or brown, or white, with tattoos or without, you could make him look which ever way you wanted. And you could have same sex relationships.  Social Conservatives shrieked loudly in anger... to no avail.  The expectation is that today Bioware is going to announce a remastered edition, updated, and with some changes.  The gaming world is... excited.  Here is Commander Shepard.

The same definition

 Ah... Friday.  This is kind of my humpy day since I'm in the middle of a 6 day work week.  That's right, today's my third.  The weather's supposed to be cool, drizzly, possibly rainy, so that might keep the shoppers away.  If you are interested in stopping by, our Halloween stuff is flying out the doors.  Markdowns have begun.  Now when a customer walks into the flooring department and asks what's on sale, I can point to the front of the store and say "that big, green, inflatable monster."

I'm a little sore from yesterday's visit to Planet Fitness.  I suspect getting back into shape may take a little longer since I am now a little older.  That's fine.  There's nothing wrong with a little muscular discomfort if muscles maintain their mass.  Maintenance is everything.  

Ben Sasse, a Republican from Nebraska up for re-election, apparently trashed the Idiot Jerk in the White House in a phone call to constituents.  This was not simple criticism. Once again, we hear the word 'bloodbath.'

And what about those New York Post stories on Hunter Biden?  Social media is in the process of shutting them down for a number of reasons.  I do believe now their source is being classified as being tampered with by the Russians.  This was, I think, supposed to be another October Surprise.  Instead, Giuliani is being investigated for possibly helping the Russians.  Could a charge of treason be in his future?

And there was a non-debate last evening.  Dueling Town Halls, is what the media was the event (s).  Evidently Biden talked for long periods of time treating the time with voters as an actual Town Hall, even going over his allotted times spot.  As for the Idiot Jerk?  He was contentious and irritable. One headlines claims he "even forgot to attack Biden."  Ouch!!  He used a throwaway line to say he rather than forcefully deny white supremacy.  Oh, and he couldn't bring himself to denounce QAnon (sp).  You have to remember, this man thrives on the underbelly of conspiracy theories.  

Oh, and there are quiet whispers coming from Rupert Murdoch, a billionaire buddy of the Idiot Jerk, who's quietly prophesizing a "landslide victory for Biden."  Notice, he didn't say bloodbath... but in this case, landslide has pretty much the same definition.

 

Faux News Falls into The Outer Limits

So, I had the closing shift yesterday which meant I had to miss most of the coverage for the Women's Marches that were held worldwide; only during my break did I manage to catch a couple of clips on my phone.  The reaction of 2 of the Trumplodites I work with was... expected, one (remember Bobo?) rolled his eyes and shook his head, the other said "I hate protesters," and proceeded to enlighten me as to what he, as a true conservative, thinks about protests and liberals.
Then, this morning, as I was scanning through the LA Times, I came across this article about Faux News.  I can't say that I was surprised by this.  Remember, Faux News is owned by Rupert Murdoch, who wants to be a major player in politics, and who is also a friend of DT, and who no doubt sees the election of DT as his Golden Path into American Politics.  In other words, DT has Faux News in his pocket.  When he drops his drawers, Faux News will let viewers know they should get ready to pucker.  All other news outlets are false.  They are phony.  They are bad.  DT and Rupert Murdoch want you to watch Faux News... 24 hours a day.  And DT wants Faux News to become the State Run Media, a thing most dictators control.  That's right, Faux News is going to take us all to The Outer Limits.

For the next 4 years they will attempt to control the Vertical, they will try and manipulate the Horizontal, they will turn the Volume up on what DT likes, and down on what makes him look bad.  Faux News will unscrupulously influence the picture you see....  This doesn't mean they're going to change, they're just going to get worse.  They will try and take a very unpopular president with an extremely low approval rating and deify him in order to keep his Trumplodite followers loyal.  They will fail.  Their ratings will slowly decline as this beast begins to rut his way across the country.