I can’t deal with “Ugly Americans” [of course, “Ugly Americans” = “Republican Presidential Candidates and their Fans/Supporters”] anymore; we keep thinking, “How can these guys sink so low?”, then, the next hour or day or week, one or two or several of them come out with such outrageous shit that we really need a new word to define what circle of hell lies beyond “outrageous” or “horrific” or “despicable” or “abhorrent” or “inhuman” – sorry, I need more words!
And I’ve had it up to HERE with the holidays being turned into meaningless “shop-’til-you-drop” commercialism [how about if “Black Friday” could be turned into “Black Lives Matter Friday” – hell, make every day of the entire Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday shopping season a day of protests]. So I’m going with some beautiful photos from National Geographic to start the week.
Here’s some pretty birds, from “A Flight of Birds”, a section of NatGeo’s Photo Ark, including a photo capturing the iridescent plumage of the Purple Glossy Starling, such as seen below,
and a more close-up shot of the Javan Rhinoceros Hornbill, like the one seen below:
And if you prefer a larger gallery for leisurely viewing, here’s more from NatGeo’s 2015 Photo Contest. The “Week 10” group includes a brooding sunset photo of Godafoss Waterfall in Iceland – here’s a chilly winter shot of the falls, just to start the calming process:
This is our daily Open Thread – enjoy the views or rant away – or you can do both!
TheZoo 
In The War Against Christmas, capitalism won.
Nice photos – what’s happening this Friday again?
I think it’s called “Black (Lives Matter) Friday” — something like that?? It’s where all people of every culture and of every race celebrate equality and mutual respect for one another. Signals the start of the annual ‘holiday season’ which is meant to celebrate the enduring concepts of love, respect, and charity. (see also Walmart, K-mart, Macy’s, etc.)
Gee whiz Captain Obvious, everyone knows it’s.
National Bavarian Cream Pie Day
http://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-bavarian-cream-pie-day-november-27/
I doubt I’m the only citizen of this country who’s getting fed up with its apparent inborn and inbred and irrational and unbelievably widespread sickness that’s defined by hate and fear of _________ (take your pick at any given moment in time). I’m also sick to death of the major politic that inspires, embraces, and encourages such demented irrationality, aka Republicans, mostly. “Sickos” would be a far more descriptive word.
Muslim student nearly run over by man who called her a terrorist: ‘I’m terrified to cross the street now’
Today’s the fifty-second anniv. of the JFK assassination. From an article on Salon.com yesterday comes this compelling excerpt from a new book written by Salon founder David Talbot —
Inside the plot to kill JFK: The secret story of the CIA and what really happened in Dallas
Folks probably already know that NatGeo was picked up by Murdoch. So here’s a picture of a kitten to make up for saying that
I’d forgotten that, dammit! WTF does Murdoch want with it–he’ll probably remove any references to climate change!
Here’s another kitten
Thanks, Gary! 🙂
Gotta go back to work.
Belgians reaction to the lockdown.
https://twitter.com/hashtag/BrusselsLockdown?src=hash&ref_src=twsrctfw
Apparently Trump did Nazi where those fake crime stats came from.
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/11/that-racist-trump-tweet-about-blacks-killing-whites-isnt-just-false-its-neo-nazi-propaganda/
I am so grateful to be seeing these nature photos on Monday (or any day).
While sometimes I get on a rant-roll, I prefer a bit of serenity to start off the week.
A friend and colleague of mine up in Rockford asked me to write something on plagiarism. So, for your amusement, yet another round of outrage from me:
http://garyherstein.com/2015/11/23/thieves-dirty-thieves-and-plagiarists/
I think the only thing I am worse at than copy-editing is ballet.
A: Cite your work. It’s not that difficult and it actually lends credibility to your work.
B: Websites now exist whereby students must submit their work for for plagiarism or it does not get accepted.
C: When I was school, plagiarism was grounds for expulsion. I don’t know if that sword still hangs over students heads.
I was having a conversation with a waiter and he commented about not getting an A in chemistry. I told him the grade isn’t what matters, it’s what you learn and your ability to problem solve and think.
I told him “in the real world, no one has ever asked what my grades were while I had their airplane scattered all over the hanger floor”.
– John Oliver
+10
Smart man this fella was – he produced the quote for these times almost decades before it was needed
+10 to H.L.
Creationism is a weapon on political control
I had a discussion a few decades back with a ‘devout’ Mormon, about origins. We agreed down the line to just beyond the Big Bang. When I said that the only thing science had not yet explained was the origin of the singularity that was the apparent origin of the Big Bang. He replied: “Oh, that’s easy. God created it.”
I paused a few seconds, then asked, “Where did God come from?”
“Oh, God’s eternal.”
“Hmmm. Wouldn’t it be more reasonable to say that singularities and the laws of physics are eternal, that God’s a creation of the human imagination?”
Crickets.
I’ve asked that question many times over the years and never gotten an answer. Never convinced anyone to think and ponder, either, but I guess that’s no surprise.
And God is then squeezed into such a tiny corner, that God is irrelevant – certainly irrelevant at a person level – “neither omniscient, not omnipotent” – actually simply irrelevant – belief in God makes no difference at all. So why bother, just get one with the life you have.
Now that’s Creationism I can believe in!
Sounds as though Dr. B.S. Carson is calling for security monitoring of the GOP, Evangelicals, and Fox News!!!! YEEHAWWWW!!
Ben Carson: Monitor ‘Anti-American’ Groups, Churches And Media Outlets
Kevin Swanson: Criticism Of Me Is Criticism Of God Himself
Sweat shit in 3 … 2 … 1 …
No arrogance there, not a shreddy shred shred.
Nope. One thing about Christers: never arrogant. Snotty maybe, but never arrogant. It is written (I think).
Kristy Swanson was the original, ‘Buffy, The Vampire Slayer’. Who’s Kevin Swanson again?
https://believervsnonbelievers.wordpress.com/2015/08/18/john-oliver-on-televangelists/
John has pegged the greedy bastards!
Makes me ill to see the ‘Sow the seeds’.
Before we get all verklempt and freaked out, you must realize the actual people who support Donald Trump is roughly the same amount of people who think we faked the Apollo moon landings.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/dear-media-stop-freaking-out-about-donald-trumps-polls/?ex_cid=538twitter
Wait … you mean we didn’t?
Yeah. It was the ultimate in foreplay, followed by a fake orgasm. Lots of people swallowed it hook, line and sinker!
*snort* — you said “swallowed” …
Yeah, I remember reading about that! Seems like all the photos and stuff were taken in Meteor Crater in Arizona, prolly!
By golly, that DOES make as much sense as Trump for Pres!!! Now I git it!!
Ben Carson admits he can’t tell the difference between New Jersey and East Jerusalem. And Carly Fiorina watched the video of ISIS drowning pregnant women in the Hudson river on 9/11.
http://www.mediaite.com/online/ben-carson-claims-he-saw-the-film-of-american-muslims-celebrating-on-911/
I’m sure he’ll get around to blocking me eventually. 🙂
I’d never heard of James Woods, so I googled him. Apparently I’ve seen one movie that he was in (Nixon ca 1995) but have no idea what his role was. The fact that Ted Cruz impresses him is all I need to know to avoid him from now on, prolly.
As James Woods tells the story, he took the weekly Flight 11 to LA on September 4, 2001. He noticed a few Arab men looking around, watching, talking among themselves (so far, so legal), and then pointing to things, as if they might be planning something, or so he got that impression. He says when he got home he called the FBI to tell them what he saw. When he finished, he asked if they wanted to know how to get hold of him if they had any other questions. He says they said, “That’s okay. We know where to find you.” Of course, one week later, Flight 11 was one of the ones hijacked and flown into the WTC. Oh, and Seth McFarlane, creator of some very, very popular animated series, was too hungover to make that flight and missed being on it.
Wow. He could have saved the WTC if only the FBI would’ve listened.
No wonder he likes Cruz.
Reminds me how one time I was on a flight to Phoenix and there were people speaking Spanish on it. I think it was a week later that a flight was hijacked and made to go to Cuba. I should have called. My bad/.
That was a stroke of inspiration, Wayne.
Thank you.
James Woods – dude you are dead to me now…. like Steve Segal, Chuck Norris and John wayne.
So…sex in space is just like sex on earth?
The belts are used differently.
Keep things strapped down and you’ll be just fine.
Explain ‘differently’.
You knew someone would do it sooner or later, and will again later