SoINeedAName

Friday Fun: Highlights & Lowlights of Michael Cohen Hearing

 Posted by at 9:53 am  Politics
Mar 082019
 

It was just this past week that Michael Cohen began the serious process of taking down Twitler – in both open and closed House hearings – under oath.

The Twitter reactions from his televised testimony on Thursday the 27th were still pouring in last Friday, so I decided to postpone coverage until this week to see some of the more interesting ones – so let’s get started.

Cohen opened with his prepared and profoundly strong statement.

 

About the only difference I could detect between the hideous performance of Rep. Gym Jordan (R-OH) from that of Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) is that Meadows had a suitcoat on.

Meadows opened with “I-have-a-black-person-who-worked-for-Trump-that-I’ll-use-as­-a-PROP-to-prove-he’s-not-a-racist” routine.

But Cohen countered him expertly with being the son of a Holocaust survivor.

When Rep. Gosar (R-AZ) went with his over-sized “Liar Liar Pants On Fire” poster …

MSNBC threw some excellent shade his way:

For some, like Rep. Steube (R-FL), a check for $35,000.00 SIGNED by Trump just wasn’t enough evidence to convince him Trump was paying hush money to porn star, Stormy Daniels.  But Cohen handled him well.

Rep. Clay (Sweater-Vest) Higgins (R-LA) is a good example of the level of incompetent, ignorant scum that runs rampant in the republican party.

Of note is that Higgins, prior to being elected, was a policeman who was forced to resign because of, among other transgressions, beating a suspect while handcuffed.

There were moments of humor – one provided by Rep. Massie (R-KY) asking Cohen if anyone had offered to pay for his lawyers.

Here’s an accurate summary of how the media covered the hearings:

No, I didn’t forget Rep. Gym Jordan’s disastrous role in the hearings.  But he got so much coverage during them, and then later on SNL, I thought it’d be redundant.

Most likely our collective reaction to his “performance” is best summed up by Rep. Plaskett (D-VI) eye-roll commentary during one of his numerous interruptions of Cohen.

I don’t know how good you are at speechreading (and sadly she’s turned too far for me to make out her first piece of advice), but on her second turn she’s clearly telling Jordan: “Why don’t YOU be quiet?”

One of the saddest consequences of the Twitler years is that it forces us to root for folks we normally wouldn’t.

In closing, surprisingly enough on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday show, Chris Christie actually provided the most accurate – and problematic analysis –for the republicans’ dealing with their entire line of questioning:

That bears repeating:

“There hasn’t been one Republican yet who’s tried to defend the president on substance.  I think that’s something that should be concerning to the White House.”

As Twitler frequently says: “Let’s see what happens”.  And my bet is it will NOT be good for him!

 

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PSA: Stop What You’re Doing and Update Google Chrome

 Posted by at 3:13 pm  Politics
Mar 072019
 

If you use Google Chrome browser, you would be well-advised to update it … RIGHT NOW!

Google is urging Chrome users to update the web browser right away to patch a zero-day vulnerability that is being actively exploited.

In a Tuesday tweet, Google Chrome Security and Desktop Engineering Lead Justin Schuh said users should install the latest version of the browser—72.0.3626.121—right away.

“Seriously, update your Chrome installs… like right this minute,” he wrote.

SOURCE LINK: PC Magazine

Although it’s possible to disable Chrome’s Auto Update, it’s not easy.

However, for Updates to take effect, you have to relaunch the browser.

What your goal is to end up w/ Version 72.0.3626.121

To check to see that’s what you’re running, click on the 3 Vertical Dots in the upper right-hand corner.  Then from the drop-down menu it generates, click “Help”.  Then from the next menu click “About Google Chrome”.  And you should get a window that looks something like this (this is mine):

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Friday Fun: “Letters – We Get Letters …”

 Posted by at 9:03 am  Politics
Mar 012019
 

Those of us of a certain age (ancient) probably remember the Perry Como Show segment addressing the letters they received each week with their signature song:

“Letters – We Get Letters, We Get Stacks & Stacks of Letters …”

Well, I came across a Diary at Daily Kos just a day ago about the impact of receiving letters, and it restored my faith in humanity.  So I decided to share it with you today

There’s a WWII Vet, a Mr. Joe Cuba (better known as “GI Joe”) who resides at Brookdale Assisted Living facility in Wichita Falls, TX who will turn 100 y/o on March 2nd.

The germ of an idea on how to mark that day started when his oldest daughter, Beverly, wanted to do something special for her Dad’s Centennial Celebration.  Joe (who is the son of Czechoslovakian immigrant parents), Beverly and the Brookdale staff talked it over, and he shared with them that he thought it’d be nice if he were to receive a Birthday card for every year he's lived.

The staff jumped into action and posted a very simple request on Brookdale’s manager (Stephanie Veitenheimer) Facebook page:

We here at Brookdale Midwestern would like to help our resident Joe reach his goal for his 100th Birthday will you…

Posted by Brookdale Midwestern on Thursday, February 21, 2019

Then a local news outlet, Texoma’s, picked up the story – and the ball started rolling.

From there, it was picked up by the USA Today Network … and the dynamite went “BOOM!”.

Veitenheimer said: "We've had people all over the U.S. call us to ask if it's a legit post.  It's been just humbling to know that people want to help us celebrate his 100th."

Medical equipment companies have reached out to her to see if they could give Joe any medical equipment he might need for his birthday.

"Teachers have said their students are learning about the Greatest Generation and want to send cards to him. It's just awesome," she said.

Joe was the second born of 12 children – 6 boys and 6 girls – who grew up on a farm in Archer County, Texas raising livestock, cotton and wheat.  The entire family only spoke Czech, and Joe didn’t learn English until he started school.

While there was plenty of work for all of them to do on the farm, the Depression they lived through wasn’t as hard on them as on people in the city – they always had food on the table.

(Reminds me of what my Mom always said, who was born in 1916 and grew up on a farm in Illinois with 3 brothers.  They never went hungry, and the Depression was much easier on farm folks than city folks.  And similar to Joe’s family, they only spoke German at home.)

Before heading off to war with the U.S. Army Air Corps, Joe made sure to marry the love of his life, Nida, on Aug. 3, 1943.  He later served in Guam and vividly recalls the 33 days it took for them to sail across the Pacific on the “iron ship” from Seattle.  He swears he’ll never eat another sardine or powdered eggs again.

The USA Today Network story got so much positive feedback, they did a follow-up story featuring the response not only from locals – but from people across the country.  And of course the cards started to trickle in.

And about “Gi Joe’s” wish for those 100 cards – one for each year?  Well, that trickle turned into a deluge!  He has gotten over SIXTEEN-THOUSAND CARDS AND LETTERS from well-wishers far and wide … and still counting!  (We all probably pity the poor postman.)

It’s been a response so exceeding their expectations that Brookdale had to dedicate an entire room just to store all the greetings and gifts.

GI Joe takes care to share the good wishes he’s received with the other residents at Brookdale, and especially enjoys it when other Veterans come to visit.

Without a doubt, it’s a Centennial Celebration that will be long-remembered and cherished … and one that helped restore my faith in humanity!

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Friday Fun OR Saturday Smiles OR Sunday Snickers

 Posted by at 7:44 am  Politics
Feb 242019
 

(Maybe it's Saturday SOMEWHERE in the world)

It’s been an unusually busy week for me, so I’m just pulling a few out of the air, hopefully for your amusement.  And a couple of Public Service Announcements. 

Stop me if you’ve heard these before …

Oprah, Obama, Trump and a high school girl were traveling on a plane together.  The engines start to sputter badly, and then they saw the two pilots parachuting out.

The four looked at each other in bewilderment and concern – because they saw there were only three parachutes left.

Oprah steps forward and tells the girl: "I'll take one of the parachutes, and I'll build a school for girls in your honor.  It'll benefit thousands of young women like you …" And she jumped out.

Trump lumbered forward announcing, "Give me one of those parachutes!  In case you didn’t realize, not only am I the best President America has ever had, I’m also the smartest person alive!"  He clumsily straps it on and jumps out the plane.

Obama looks at the girl and said "As you know, I have two lovely daughter – and I believe children are our future.  I want you to have the last parachute."

The girl replies: "No, we're good.  There are two parachutes remaining. ‘The smartest person alive’ took my backpack."

Just a reminder of what his Wharton professor said of him:

And Chancellor Merkel can provide proof:

But there’s an easy explanation for Twitler’s toddler-like “intellect” AND actions:

So it’s not a bit surprising that his Trumpkins are equally … hmmm … seriously IQ-challenged:

According to a recent CNN poll, Donald Trump's approval rating is 38 percent, which is the same percentage of people who think "collusion" is when two pickup trucks run into each other.

On the “Good News” front, it looks like Mueller Special Counsel’s Report is imminent. 

And yet Twitler continues to try and claim “No collusion”.  But I trust Mueller will be able to connect the dots – shouldn't be too hard:

And wouldn’t it be odd if this were true:

Reporter 1: "Donald Trump died yesterday, so they buried him."

Reporter 2: "Are you sure he was dead?"

Reporter 1: "Well, he said he wasn't, but you know how he lies."

And with 2020 approaching and the field of excellent Democratic candidates growing, this is how it must seem to Donnie:

 

SERIOUS PSAs

[1] Informed Delivery Provided by USPS

Informed Delivery provides eligible residential consumers with a digital preview of their household's incoming mail scheduled to arrive soon.  Users can view greyscale images of the exterior, address side of incoming letter-sized mail pieces (not the inside contents) via email or an online dashboard. Check out our FAQs for more details.

I set mine up to come as an email, and the notification typically arrives before 9:00 AM. 

Not only is it a nice feature, but it prevents someone from grabbing your option to use it.  There have been reported cases that someone signed up as another person, then monitored when packages were arriving in order to steal them.

You can see it’s a USPS address:

https://informeddelivery.usps.com/box/pages/intro/start.action

And the FAQ page:

https://faq.usps.com/s/article/Informed-Delivery-The-Basics

[2] Opt Out of Receiving Prescreened or Pre-Approved Credit Card and Insurance Offers

You can fill out the online form (or call) to opt out of receiving those annoying credit card and insurance offers that are pre-approved.  It helps protect your identity to some degree.

I did the 5-year option, because the permanent option requires you to mail back some form.  And I did NOT provide my SSN – but did provide my birthdate.  Seems like that was enough info to process me, because I got a confirmation notice.

You can see it’s a government website:

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0148-prescreened-credit-and-insurance-offers

Which will direct you to here to complete:

https://www.optoutprescreen.com/

ADDENDUM

I would strongly suggest that when you sign up at BOTH sites you enter your LEGAL name.

For example: If your legal name is "Robert" – enter "Robert" … NOT "Bob" or "Rob"

If your legal name is "Roberta" – enter "Roberta" … NOT "Bobbi"

I first entered my common name on the "Informed Delivery" rather than my legal name used on the IRS forms – and got rejected.

But entereing my legal name solved the problem.

CAVEAT: Dependiing on how long you have lived at the address you enter, you might still have to enter your SSN to qualify.  

PLUS if you select the "Permanent Opt Out" – they might be more restrictive.

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Friday Fun: Westminster Woozles, RBG Returns, Rosalynn Gets Bussed & Canadian Road Rage

 Posted by at 4:31 pm  Politics
Feb 152019
 

[Sidebar: Some of us (like TC) are much more conscientious in getting things posted in a timely manner than others of us (like ME).  There was just too much news happening today – I let the bright shiny object get my attention, just like a dog …]

Woozles Want Equal Time

And speaking of dogs, while many of us have shared our delight in having Pooties, I have no doubt we have our fair share of Woozle lovers out there, too.  I think they deserve some equal time – and what better way to provide it to them than some clips from this week’s Westminster Kennel Dog Show?

Not being a dog-person myself, I’ll be honest in saying that I was surprised how much I truly enjoyed the Agility Course Run  competition – especially the weaving part.  So here are some GIFs of the winners while weaving.

[NOTE: The heights refer to both the height of the bars they have to jump AND the dog’s height.  A dog cannot compete at a higher height than their own actual measured height.]

8” Division Winners

Lark

12” Division

Pixel

16” Division

Pink

Boss

Click for List of All Winners

 

Here are the entire runs of all the top winning competitors.  It really is quite entertaining!

Notorious RBG Returns to Work Today – YIPPEE!

How’s this for some great news?  One of our favorite Supreme Court Justices, Ruth Bader Ginsburg (AKA Notorious RBG) today has returned to her actual workplace – first time since her lung cancer surgery in late December.

(Even though not physically present, she has been keeping up with the Court’s workload while recuperating at home – although she has missed two weeks of oral arguments.)

No doubt her regular workout routines have helped the 85 year-old Justice in her rapid recovery from her fall, rib fractures and lung cancer surgery.

And it’s reported she enjoyed the Get Well Card that was signed by a few folks wishing her a speedy recovery whose names you might recognize: Steven Spielberg, Lady Gaga, Spike Lee, Glenn Close, Laura Dern, Amy Adams, Ron Howard, Ted Danson, Helen Mirren, Stephen Colbert, Meredith Vieira and MORE!

 

Rosalynn Gets Bussed on Camera

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, 94 year-old Pres. Jimmy Carter took Rosalyn to an Atlanta Hawks basketball game.  They were there to receive a humanitarian award from the Hawks for all the good deeds they do, and also to honor the LGBTQ community during the Hawk’s first “Pride Night” celebration.

The theme for the night was “Love Wins” – so it’s not surprising that the couple (who were married in 1946) was featured on the Hawk’s “Kiss Cam”.  And this is not the first-time they’ve been on a “Kiss Cam”.  The Atlanta Braves featured them twice, in 2015 and 2016.

Winter Road Rage – Canadian-Style

Despite Thursday being Valentine’s Day, everything was not all love, kisses and roses in Canada.  A couple people caught videos of some brutal winter road rage, Canadian-style:

Now THAT’S something we would all welcome crossing our borders!

In closing, I suppose for fairness’ sake, we should also give our Pooties some “face-to-face” time … with a window washer.  No doubt there was enjoyment happening on BOTH sides of the window pane in this video clip.

 

 

 

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Friday Fun: The Clap Heard Round the World

 Posted by at 2:44 pm  Politics
Feb 082019
 

(DISCLAIMER NOTE: Sorry for being so late, but as you might know from the news, KCMO and a good deal of the Midwest got hit with a triple-whammy weather-wise this week.  We first got hit with the dreaded freezing rain; then we got hit with a layer of sleet; then it was topped off by a little snow. 

(Today was the first day we got double-digit temperatures – but only in the teens.  I needed to take advantage of our “balmy” weather to work on getting my downhill driveway drivable – rather than slidable – as I haven’t left the house now in four days. End of Disclaimer.)

The Clap Heard Round the World

No doubt we’ve all seen Speaker Pelosi’s now famous “FU” clap to Twitler during his SOTU speech this past Tuesday.  (And in this instance, that “FU” is NOT the medical acronym for “Follow-Up”.)

But since it was such an iconic moment, I can’t help but feel we should memorialize it.

Pelosi has accomplished something few thought possible: she turned a clap into a viral art form.  I mean, who could imagine that she could use it to send a message of disdain, condescension, umbrage and even threats of revenge.  She clearly has become the new “Plaid Shirt Guy”.

And almost instantly it became a popular Internet Meme with many iterations, so let’s enjoy a few.

First, a quick review of Pelosi in action:

Some folks penned their observations about “The Clap”:

 

I liked the way he turned to her looking for approval.
– Did I read it good, Mrs. Pelosi?
– You did very well, Donnie. Now clear up the crayons and make sure your desk is tidy before recess.

WaPo Comment 1

I don’t understand all the analysis.  The dynamic is very clear: Grandma is applauding a three-year-old for not throwing his breakfast on the floor.

WaPo Comment 2

Some decided to take advantage of the cutout created for Photoshopping and have her appear in familiar scenes, just like Forrest Gump did:

Others decided to caption that famous photo:

 

And my favorite caption:

But as far as Trump’s SOTU speech, I think Twitler’s very own special guest, Joshua Trump, speaks for us all:

But I want to leave you with a strong positive note.

It’s been well documented that women rocked the vote in the 2018 midterms.  And on Tuesday they made a powerful statement dressed in white – joined by the in-your-face taunt of daughter, Tiffany Trump.

So it’s no wonder that I love the GIF that “Man In the Hoody” put together titled “she will rock u”.

I had hearing back in 1977 when Queen recorded “We Will Rock You”.  So just from the excellent visual cues in this GIF I was able to enjoy remembering the lyrics:

Stomp Stomp Clap

Stomp Stomp Clap

Stomp Stomp Clap

Stomp Stomp Clap

Stomp Stomp Clap

Stomp Stomp Clap

Buddy, you’re a boy, make a big noise

Playing in the street, gonna be a big man someday

You got mud on your face, you big disgrace

Kicking your can all over the place, singin’

We will, we will rock you

We will, we will rock you

I can hardly wait to see what Speaker Pelosi will do to Twitler in SOTU #3 … assuming he’s even around for #3.

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