Small Talk: Out of Genoa

[jewel21]

Thanks for asking @peacheslatour

Knock on wood but it's been better. And I finally got that one dollar an hour pay bump. 

Sorry to hear about your co-worker, @Cupid Stunt

 

[Joimiaroxeu]

Again, the Xenomorphs show us how it's done:

Stay safe everybody!

[OhioSongbird]

Hey kids......update from Ohio.

Doin' just OK.  Really puny.  Doesn't take much to wear me out.  Do a little in the kitchen and then go sit for an hour or so.  Felt pretty good when I got home then suddenly on the 19th I started throwing up.  At least now I can eat and have an appetite but it ain't pretty.  Be very careful out there. 

Hubby is still fine for now....yay.   Boychild, too.  He's staying home this weekend.

Stay safe and have the best Thanksgiving you can....

 

[peacheslatour]

(((OhioSongbird))) I'm so happy to see you! What a time to be alive. 

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING PREVERTS!

 

                                                                                   

[OhioSongbird]

Totally forgot to mention (and totally meant to)....

                     YAY Molly B!

eta.....went back and re-read the posts and thought MollyB said she had her last treatment.  The mental fog they talk about is real.  

Mea culpa.....

Keep the faith and keep on truckin' girlfriend!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 25, 2020 by OhioSongbird

[Cupid Stunt]

14 hours ago, jewel21 said:

Thanks for asking @peacheslatour

Knock on wood but it's been better. And I finally got that one dollar an hour pay bump. 

Sorry to hear about your co-worker, @Cupid Stunt

 

One step forward with the job, Jewel.

 

Thank you for your condolences. The employee's family is relieved to have the task handled, and plan a private internment next week. I put the pedal to the floorboard, pushing the HR/insurance company to mail the death benefit to the family.  

BS insurance excuses and technicalities when the death certificate was hand delivered by messenger yesterday.

[Cupid Stunt]

 

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

[geauxaway]

Happy Thankful Day Eve to y’all.  What a weird time.  Today was my ma’s 70th bday.  We had a nice face chat.  I’m baking pies as I always do, but just making 2, usually I make 6 pies and 2 cakes for our familia.  Boy child is sad he won’t see his cousins tomorrow but happy he will have the whole chocolate pie and all the black olives to himself.  😂🙄
 

Me and the boy child went to see Santa last night (by appointment / no contact).  It was a nice visit as it was not busy at all so we got lots of time to talk to the Big Guy 😉.  We then shot BB guns (laser) at the targets and got some Chick-fil-A for supper.  Trying to get by and keep spirits up.  Tomorrow we will go eat with my auntie but it will be a party of 3, not the usual 25+.  We will pray as a family for better days.  But always thankful for what we have.

Peace, love and safety to all 😘😘😘

[babyhouseman]

I've never posted here OT, but I just have to say covid cases are increasing here.  A cousin got it. He's young and got through it. We're in a fairly rural area, but we're hearing about more local people  with covid. I usually have holidays with extended family, but it's just me and the parents this year. There are people refusing to wear masks including relatives. Covid is making obnoxious people more obnoxious. 

Edited November 26, 2020 by babyhouseman

[geauxaway]

6 minutes ago, babyhouseman said:

I've never posted here OT, but I just have to say covid cases are increasing here.  A cousin got it. He's young and got through it. We're in a fairly rural area, but we're hearing about more local people  with covid. I usually have holidays with extended family, but it's just me and the parents this year. Of course, this is the South, and there are people refusing to wear masks including relatives. Covid is making obnoxious people more obnoxious. 

It’s not just the south.  I’ve lived there (LA)and have people there, I grew up in the north and lived in WI and MN for a long time.  The ignorance is all over the place.  

[Cupid Stunt]

Mmmmm ... Pecan pie for breakfast!

Edited November 26, 2020 by Cupid Stunt

[MollyB]

On 11/25/2020 at 10:37 AM, OhioSongbird said:

                     YAY Molly B!

eta.....went back and re-read the posts and thought MollyB said she had her last treatment.  The mental fog they talk about is real.  

Mea culpa.....

Keep the faith and keep on truckin' girlfriend!

I plan a lot of truckin' for the next few years.  My last treatment is Jan 4. (was supposed to be the 31st but they cancelled a day because of trouble with the zapper that I don't even want to think/know/muse about.)  Still not having much in the way of side effects.  Had a very thankful Thanksgiving last night. 

You hang in there, too, Ohio, (did I mention I was born in Columbus?) and don't worry about the mindfog and other crap you're having now.  As my mom said "this too shall pass."

[Cupid Stunt]

To all Black Friday Shoppers ...

Stay safe!

 

 

Photo from motorcycle tour and AtlasObscrua article.

This Austrian village is changing it's name.

 

 

[Cupid Stunt]

Let's deck the halls with Christmas Kitsch!

It's going to a good thing. Honest!

 

 

Post-rehabilitation, the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree owl was released. 

Good flight, Rocky.

 

 

 

 

In 1981, ABC’s news program 20/20 aired a segment on the rising phenomenon of rap music called Rappin’ to the Beat. It is painful to watch in parts, but ultimately worth it for the footage of street scenes and artist performances. Part Two

 

[Cupid Stunt]

Christmas Kitsch Before ...

 

Christmas Kitsch After ... 

 

 

 

 

In this Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020, file photo, a pedestrian walks past a mural reading: "When out of your home, Wear a mask over your mouth and nose," during the coronavirus outbreak in San Francisco. San Francisco is joining a statewide curfew and Silicon Valley is banning all high school, collegiate and professional sports and imposing a quarantine for those traveling into the region from more than 150 miles away. Santa Clara County has the highest case rate in the Bay Area, leading to the stricter rules, said Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

 

 

Edited November 29, 2020 by Cupid Stunt

[peacheslatour]

Ugh, I hate those inflatable Christmas decorations. They look junky and sloppy. Can't we just keep it to lights and trees?

[Cupid Stunt]

6 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Ugh, I hate those inflatable Christmas decorations. They look junky and sloppy. Can't we just keep it to lights and trees?

The sheer number of inflatables is ... um, staggering.

It must be deafening having that many blower motors running at the same time.

[peacheslatour]

Dogs vs cats on quarantine.

[Cupid Stunt]

It's a busy Cyber Monday ...

 

Let's try on some Christmas Kitsch ...

You can leave your hat on.

 

 

And a Stocking Stuffer for our friends in Toronto ...

 

‘World’s loneliest elephant’ arrives safely in Cambodia

A photographer takes a picture of an elephant named "Kaavan" waiting to be transported to a sanctuary in Cambodia, at the Maragzar Zoo in Islamabad, Pakistan, Friday, Nov. 27, 2020. Iconic singer and actress Cher was set to visit Pakistan on Friday to celebrate the departure of Kaavan, dubbed the “world’s loneliest elephant,” who will soon leave a Pakistani zoo for better conditions after years of lobbying by animal rights groups and activists. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

 

They blinded me with Science!

 

And for our musical interlude ...

 

[Cupid Stunt]

White House Christmas decor gives nod to 1st responders

Cross Hall and the Blue Room are decorated during the 2020 Christmas preview at the White House, Monday, Nov. 30, 2020, in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

 

On the more tasteful side of Pennsylvania Avenue ...

Charles Phoenix presents the Cherpumple -- A Christmas presentation dessert consisting of a cherry pie baked into a white cake, a pumpkin pie baked into a yellow cake, and an apple pie baked into a spice cake, frosted with 7-minute frosting. 

<Urp!>

 

Coronavirus inspires the fetish aficionado.

With a post-industrial flair, as Ultravox serenades us out.

 

 

 

Edited December 1, 2020 by Cupid Stunt

[Cupid Stunt]

Inside COVID ward on Chicago's South Side

Florence Bolton, 85, a coronavirus patient, lies in her intensive care bed. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

 

Texas Parks And Wildlife Confirms First Documented Mountain Lion Sighting In Dallas County

Largest of the Lesser Cats that purrs and meows.

 

UN: Warmer world in 2020 busted weather records, hurt people

In this Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020 file photo, Herman Termeer, 54, stands on the roof of his home as the Blue Ridge Fire burns along the hillside in Chino Hills, Calif. An overheating world obliterated weather records in 2020 — an extreme year for hurricanes, wildfires, heat waves, floods, droughts and ice melt — the United Nations’ weather agency reported Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

 

Christmas means a lot of different things to a lot of different people – religion, family, charity, presents. For photographer Jesse Rieser, Christmas is a time to cast an almost anthropological eye over the “monuments to merriness” assembled by Americans in full holiday spirit. “I’m celebrating people celebrating,” says Rieser. 

 

Full Beaver Moon 2020; photo taken in Whittier, California, CNN.

 

 

 

Cheers!

Edited December 2, 2020 by Cupid Stunt

[Cupid Stunt]

Oh Flamingo Tree, Oh Flamingo Tree ...

 

US lawmakers unveil anti-slavery constitutional amendment

This Nov. 29, 2011, file photo shows the signature of president Abraham Lincoln on a rare, restored copy of the 13th Amendment that ended slavery, in Chicago. National lawmakers are expected on Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, to introduce a joint resolution aimed at striking language from the U.S. Constitution that enshrines a form of slavery in America’s foundational documents. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

 

Ferndale, Michigan COVID-19 Community Response 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 3, 2020 by Cupid Stunt

[Cupid Stunt]

Associated Press Photos: Pandemic calls off Christmas markets in Europe

This combination image shows a file photo dated Monday, Nov. 25, 2019 of the Roemerberg square in Frankfurt, Germany, with the traditional Christmas market, top, and the Roemerberg square on Friday, Nov. 27, 2020, below. Christmas markets, a cherished tradition in Germany and neighboring countries, have joined the long list of institutions canceled or diminished because of the coronavirus pandemic this year. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, file)

 

 

 

 

And 31 Other Beautiful Words In The English Language

 

 

The Japanese Sustainable Forestry Technique Called Daisugi (Platform Cedar)

Daisugi is a sustainable forestry technique that originated in Kyoto in the 14th or 15th century. The tops of Kitayama cedar trees are carefully pruned so that a stand of very straight branches grow straight up from a main platform. The technique is not really used in forestry anymore, but daisugi are popular as garden trees and bonsai. There are lots of terrible videos about daisugi on YouTube, so I’d recommend watching this one from NHK about how Kitayama cedars are pruned & harvested, what the wood is used for, and a short segment on daisugi near the end.

 

 

 

Edited December 4, 2020 by Cupid Stunt

[Snaporaz]

David Bowie to kick off the weekend?  Sign me up!

[Cupid Stunt]

Cheers! Or not: ‘Scandalous’ 1st Christmas card up for sale

 

 

Snoop Dogg is my Secret Santa

'Twas the Nizzle before Christmizzle, and all through the Hizzle ...'

 

Henri spreading joy and seasonal cheer ...

 

 

One country, one picture, one year

AFGHANISTAN: Afghan men celebrate in anticipation of the U.S-Taliban agreement to allow a U.S. troop reduction and a permanent ceasefire, in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, February 28, 2020. REUTERS/Parwiz

 

 

Associated Press Photos: Global

Bruce McDougal watches embers fly over his property as the Bond Fire burns through the Silverado community in Orange County, Calif., on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

 

COVID-19 was the leading cause of death in U.S. this week

Refrigerated trailers used to store bodies of deceased people are seen at a temporary morgue in Brooklyn, New York City, November 23, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

 

 

Edited December 5, 2020 by Cupid Stunt

[peacheslatour]

Pauvre, triste Henri. Tel angst, tel ennui.

[Cupid Stunt]

Oops! Wrong Hayabusa.

 

This undated photo provided by Time Magazine shows the cover of its Dec. 14, 2020 issue, featuring a 15-year-old Colorado high school student and young scientist who has been named the magazine's first-ever "Kid of the Year." Gitanjali Rao has used artificial intelligence and created apps to tackle contaminated drinking water, cyberbullying, opioid addiction and other social problems. Rao is a sophomore at STEM School Highlands Ranch in suburban Denver and was selected from more than 5,000 nominees. The process culminated with a finalists' committee of children, Time for Kids reporters and comedian Trevor Noah. Time says it wanted to recognize the rising leaders of America's youngest generation in announcing the award. (Sharif Hamza for TIME via AP)

 

Artist Spends 5 Years Covering Entire Kitchen in Millions of Glass Beads

 

What is the Guelph Treasure? The Guelph Treasure is a collection of medieval reliquary objects that is named after the house of Guelph, which had owned it since 1671. Today, forty-four of the 82 objects in the original collection belong to Kunstgewerbemuseum.  Nazi art dispute goes to US supreme court in landmark case

 

 

 

My new refrigerator was installed before the state COVID-19 lockdown. 

 

Hartford Courant, oldest US newspaper, to close its offices

 

 

 

 

 

Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special is the epitome of High Drag

[Snaporaz]

Oh my gods!  Who knew that Y&R's infamous reliquary was based on the true story of the Guelph Treasure?!?  

[jewel21]

I have a random question I need help with. Every weekend, a day after a new episode of Destination Fear airs, they put up a list of tricky scavenger hunt questions on their FB page. The first five correct entries get a prize box WHICH I NEVER WIN BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE RIDICULOUSLY QUICK and the rest of the correct entries are put in a draw and 10 winners are chosen. 

One question is driving me nuts and giving me damn anxiety. The question is the following: What is the temperature reading on the thermal camera at the precise moment Tanner catches the black circular shape shoot across the screen?

At first I read the temp as 76.6 F and submitted that answer. Then I re-watched and read it as 76.5 F and submitted that answer 10 minutes later. You can submit as many times as you want until the deadline. But re-watching, I noticed there another temp on the top right of the screen so I told them that temp which is 80.8.  And then I finally got fed up, made a screenshot and just sent them that, heh. And on the screenshot, the temp on the left now reads 78.4F although I didn't specify the temp at that point just sent them the screen shot. 

At this point, there's no way I'm one of the top five correct answers but I'm hoping to at least get into the draw. So, what is the answer, folks?

 

 

[boes]

Covid update - My brother is out of the hospital and home, still very exhausted and with continuing chest congestion and dizzyness.  He had some periods of confusion when he was being rehydrated but those seem to have passed.  My cousin's husband was admitted 4 days ago, released on Friday and was back in the Emergency Room this afternoon for another round of IV fluids.  This is a second Covid bout for both of them and this time is harder than their first was.  We're rapidly filling our ICU capacity out here in Northern California.

Sad news at my home.........

Today was our last day with Hazel. She's been having a tough time of it the past few months. Her heart became very enlarged and her lungs began to fail. We've had her on a regimen of meds which initially helped but this week, the past few days, nothing was helping. When she stopped eating we knew that was it.

She was almost 13, been with us since we rescued her when she was 4. She was never actively abused but her previous guardian had spent virtually no time with her. It took Hazel about a year for her to understand and accept affection. But once she did, wow.....

The house is unbearably quiet right now......

[jewel21]

Oh Boes, I'm so sorry to hear that. So much bad all at the same time. I hope your brother will improve as well as your cousin's husband. And I'm so sorry about the loss of Hazel. It hurts so much to lose a pet *hugs* My prayers are with you and your family. 

[Cupid Stunt]

 

 

There's never too many lights on a Christmas tree.

 

 

The NY Times recently surveyed 700 epidemiologists about how they are personally living during the pandemic and what they think is going to happen next. Epidemiologists should have a better idea than most of us about how to act during a viral pandemic, so there’s lots of good information in there about vaccines and high-risk behaviors. But I found their answers to a pair of speculative questions about a return to normalcy most interesting.

How and when will life go back to normal?

“For some, it has gone back to normal, and because of this, it will be two to three years before things are back to normal for the cautious, at least in the U.S.” - Cathryn Bock, associate professor, Wayne State University

“The new normal will be continued masking for the next 12 to 18 months and possibly the next few years. This is a paradigm shift.” - Roberta Bruhn, co-director, Vitalant Research Institute

What will never return to normal?

“My relationships with people who have taken this pandemic lightly and ignored public health messages and recommendations.” - Victoria Holt, professor emeritus, University of Washington

“Every part of my daily life that involves interaction with anyone other than my spouse.” - Charles Poole, associate professor, University of North Carolina

For many people, the pandemic has altered almost every aspect of their lives. If we listen to what epidemiologists are telling us (like we should have back in early 2020 to avoid much of our present hardship), it could help us accept that the pandemic will continue to affect most aspects of our lives even after it is “over”.

 

 

Google’s corporate headquarters have a tyrannosaurus rex named Stan who is constantly battling flamingos. I might have to go to Mountain View to further the war effort!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[OhioSongbird]

(((hugs))) boes....

Always hurts to lose a furry friend.  We lost our Nessa (Boxer/Lab mix) last March.  Hubs isn't ready to get another one yet.  We still have Casper (the pester-puss) to entertain us.  

Glad your brother's out of the hospital albeit still feeling poorly.  Much better to be in your own bed.  I'll be thinking of him and sending good vibes his way.  And your cousin's husband.....oy.

They sent me home Nov. 10 (after 2-1/2 days) and I'm still not up to snuff.  Very tired, taking naps every day, still cooking, tho.....just in stages.  Still need help in and out of the shower and no way I'm leaving this house till I feel better.  My thrush is gone...thank you Jesus, that medicine is NASTY....and my blood infection seems to be under control.  Now my eczema has reared it's ugly head.  Had it really bad as a child and rarely have had an outbreak in my adult years.  But it's back now since my immune system is down....

So tell him just take it day by day and don't push himself too hard.  This shit is nothing to blow off.  My husband works with a guy who still insists this is all a hoax!  Even after I was in the hospital and another co-worker and his girlfriend tested positive and quarantined for 2 weeks.

Dumbasses abound.....*sigh*

Is it 2021 yet?

[Cupid Stunt]

11 hours ago, boes said:

Sad news at my home.........

Today was our last day with Hazel. She's been having a tough time of it the past few months. Her heart became very enlarged and her lungs began to fail. We've had her on a regimen of meds which initially helped but this week, the past few days, nothing was helping. When she stopped eating we knew that was it.

She was almost 13, been with us since we rescued her when she was 4. She was never actively abused but her previous guardian had spent virtually no time with her. It took Hazel about a year for her to understand and accept affection. But once she did, wow.....

The house is unbearably quiet right now......

Lord of the Powers, have mercy. You who watch over all creatures, because of their simplicity of mind, embrace Your humble servant Hazel where there is no pain or suffering, and give rest to her long journey. Comfort boes in the spirit of grace and love for his lost companion, and to trust in your guidance. To You we pray Eternal Father, now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen

[peacheslatour]

I am heartily sorry Boes, my dear friend. I lost my beloved Peaches a year ago and it does get easier but it will never be the same. (((Boes)))

[Snaporaz]

So so sorry, boes.  There aren't words to describe that awful feeling.  Thank you for teaching Hazel what Love is and giving her a family.  💖

[Cupid Stunt]

 

Hal Ketchum, country hitmaker known for 'Small Town Saturday Night,' dies at 67

 

Reared in the village of Greenwich in the gorgeously verdant countryside of upstate New York, Ketchum hails from a family where singing and playing music was part of the daily (and nightly) diet for generations. He was exposed to country music (his father was a fan) as well as the symphonic classics and, one year, even the Newport Jazz Festival at the nearby Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

"It was just a natural thing to be intrigued with music," explains Ketchum, who started playing drums at age nine and by 14 was gigging at local bars and taverns. Anyone looking for a reason why "Small Town Saturday Night" immediately struck a chord with music lovers - and the roots of Ketchum's innate knack for connecting with an audience in live performance - can find the origins in his years of making music for regular people seeking to transcend the everyday on weekend nights.

"It was a great lesson in sociology because the bars would move the pool table over in the corner and put a three-quarter-inch piece of plywood on top, and that would be my drum riser. At 15 years old I'd get to sit up in the corner of these joints and just watch the evening progress. Friday night everybody would get paid from one of the local pulp mills, and they would wander in and be very generous during the first set. Then by halfway through the second set they're dancing with one of the girls. And by the third set they're fighting. I learned never to stop playing during a fight. That was an important part of my education." So it's no wonder that the scene depicted in his very first hit "is tattooed onto my soul."

Ketchum eventually traded one of his two drum kits for a five-string banjo and then traded another banjo for a Martin acoustic guitar, forming a duo with his singing and guitar-playing brother to also entertain at local nightspots. A move to Texas landed him in a house on the edge of New Braunfels in the very heart of the Lone Star State, just a stone's throw from historic Gruene Hall, an old dancehall that is the virtual mother church of the Texas music scene where talents like George Strait, Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen and many others began their rise to fame.

"The house was a fixer-upper, and I had just dried it in and put windows in, and I was moving in one Saturday night and heard music playing from up on the hill," Ketchum recalls. "I had come in from the San Antonio side and didn't even know Gruene Hall existed. I got in my truck and rolled the windows down and just followed this sound. I crossed the Guadalupe River and came up the hill and to the right, and there was Gruene Hall on a Saturday night in all its glory, with Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel playing for 600 drunken stomps and their dates. I was like, what the hell is this? It was like a movie."

He began spending every Sunday afternoon drinking beer and playing horseshoes with the locals at the dancehall, and "listening to Townes Van Zandt or Lyle Lovett staring at his boots playing to nine people or Butch Hancock and Jimmie Dale Gilmore with this guy named Spider on the musical saw," remembers Ketchum. "It was my songwriter school." With the encouragement of Lovett and Gilmore, he honed his craft as a writer, singer and performer and eventually landed the coveted Sunday afternoon slot at Gruene Hall. He then put together a band to propel his story songs with danceable rhythms and rose to become an opener and later headliner at Gruene and other Central Texas venues.

An album he recorded on his own dime and released on a small Austin indie label, Threadbare Alibis, caught the ear of Curb Records, which signed Ketchum and brought him to Nashville to record his major label debut, Past the Point of Rescue. "The label dropped 'Small Town . . .' in early 1991 as the first single. And it went to #1 on August 16th of that year. And suddenly I was a genuine hillbilly singer," he says with a chuckle. His success prompted Curb to shift its base of operations from Los Angeles to Nashville, and CEO and owner Mike Curb refers to Hal as the label's "cornerstone artist."

Since then Ketchum has distinguished himself as a hitmaker with 15 Top 10 singles and five million albums sold as well as a true singing and songwriting artist with a capital 'A' and one of the most engaging performers on the American live music circuit, also winning a devoted following in Great Britain - a natural outgrowth of his Celtic family and musical roots. He has forged his own singular presence in popular music thanks to such qualities as his vibrant talent and creativity, artistic integrity and natural soulfulness.

He has been a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1994 and often hosts the "Opry Live" show on GAC. In addition to being a master woodworker - which is how he made his living before music - Ketchum is also an accomplished painter who sold out his first show at the distinguished Penna Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico. 

 

 

[Cupid Stunt]

Partly in the fog lies the landscape covered with fresh snow in Friesenried, Germany, Monday, Dec. 7, 2020. (Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa via AP)

Avalanche warnings, power cuts after snowfall in Austria. Neighboring Switzerland and northern Italy saw massive snowfall over the weekend and snow also hit parts of Germany and Spain as well.

 

Chuck Yeager, 1st to break sound barrier, dies at 97

 

In 2020, Associated Press photographers captured a world in distress

A model wears a creation for the Givenchy fashion collection during Women's fashion week Fall/Winter 2020/21 presented in Paris on March 1, 2020. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

 

 

How to Beat the High Cost of Diabetes Care

Universal Music Publishing Group has acquired Bob Dylan’s entire catalog of songs in a blockbuster agreement encompassing more than 600 copyrights spanning 60 years. His catalog was previously administered in the U.S. by his own company; a rep for Sony/ATV Music Publishing tells Variety that it will continue to administer Dylan’s catalog outside of the U.S. through the end of their agreement “in several years.” Terms were not disclosed, but the amount is said to be between $300 million and $400 million.

 

The Battle of Black Santa Routed, but the War on Christmas Marches On: Family with Black Santa display heartened by community support after hateful letter

What it's like to be a black Santa: 'Kids don’t see color. They see the fat man in a red suit'

 

 

Union Gospel Mission 

 

 

Edited December 8, 2020 by Cupid Stunt

[Cupid Stunt]

<Tears>

[Snaporaz]

How are you doing today, @boes?  I remember you saying that Hazel had been unwell for a while.  The stress of caring for an ill family member can take a serious toll, so I hope you're taking care of yourself now.

[boes]

1 hour ago, Snaporaz said:

How are you doing today, @boes?  I remember you saying that Hazel had been unwell for a while.  The stress of caring for an ill family member can take a serious toll, so I hope you're taking care of yourself now.

Thanks for asking, Snaporaz.  I was really tired on Monday, slept most of the day.  Today was better but I still feel pretty beat.  And I see Hazel everywhere, out of the corner of my eye, just out of reach.  That's not so bad, though.  

[Cupid Stunt]

Still decorating for Christmas ...

 

Please enjoy this 'Home Alone' gingerbread house, ya filthy animal

 

There's good news on the COVID-19 vaccine front: The U.S. surpassed 15 million coronavirus cases Tuesday – with almost exactly 1 in 22 Americans having tested positive 

VIRUS TODAY: Glowing vaccine review, 100 million shots vowed

Everyone can do their part: Chicago 7-year-old raises money for hospital’s pandemic gear

 

 

 

Pictured is Delia Derbyshire who, along with Dick Mills, arranged the theme music based on Ron Grainer’s composition.

A Detailed Analysis of the Doctor Who Theme Music -- Even if you’re not a sucker for old episodes of Doctor Who, The Definitive Guide to the Doctor Who Theme Music is worth checking out to see how a very early piece of electronic music was constructed. Created in 1963, the Doctor Who theme was one of the first electronic signature tunes for television and after nearly five decades remains one of the most easily recognised. The original recording of the Doctor Who theme music is widely regarded as a significant and innovative piece of electronic music, recorded well before the availability of commercial synthesizers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 9, 2020 by Cupid Stunt

[peacheslatour]

"Really, mother? That long?"

[Cupid Stunt]

Foreplay, darling. If he isn't willing to camp out, then throw him back.

[peacheslatour]

32 minutes ago, Cupid Stunt said:

Foreplay, darling. If he isn't willing to camp out, then throw him back.

Sing it, sister. Plus who likes getting jack hammered in the cervix?

[Cupid Stunt]

It's Science Thursday!

Yay!

 

MOXIE, Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment, Could Help Future Rockets Launch Off Mars -- In a high-stakes mission that could take five years to complete, NASA wants to land astronauts on Mars in the 2030s. Transporting enough oxygen and fuel on a spacecraft to sustain the mission for anywhere near that length of time, however, isn't currently viable. The way NASA plans to address this problem is by deploying MOXIE.

 

A SpaceX Mars rocket prototype just exploded. It was still a success

 

Northern lights should be visible in some northern United States as far south as Pennsylvania and Oregon.

 

 

Satellite image of Iceberg A68a (bottom) as it nears South Georgia Island (top) on Dec. 9. (NASA)

World’s largest iceberg nears collision with South Georgia Island; could imperil penguins

 

The Milky Way galaxy may be home to billions or even trillions of rogue planets (planets that don’t orbit stars). In this video, Kurzgesagt considers how the Earth could go rogue (by following a nearby massive star away from the Sun) and what would happen to our oceans, atmosphere, and lives if it happened. The first part of the video is pretty bleak — “as the days turn dark, the final winter of humanity would begin” — while the second part is hopeful: we’ll be able to predict our ejection thousands of years before it happens and may be able to prepare. In light of the world’s response to the pandemic and climate change, it would certainly be interesting to see if human civilization could get it together to save itself from a cold death in outer space. I have no doubt that scientist could accurately diagnose the problem and supply solutions, but the politics would be a total mess.

 

A unicorn was discovered off the west coast of Mexico/Photo Credit: SIMON AGER/SEA SHEPHERD

Researchers believe they have found a previously unknown species of beaked whale in waters off Mexico's western coast. If confirmed, the new species would mark a significant discovery among giant mammals.

 

What Will the World Look Like in 30 Years? Sci-fi Author Kim Stanley Robinson Takes Us There

 

Sausage-making: The United States set a single-day record on Wednesday of more than 3,000 deaths linked to the novel coronavirus, according to a Washington Post analysis. Texas, Colorado, Illinois and Pennsylvania led the way, with each state reporting more than 200 deaths. The grim milestone came as British regulators directed hospitals not to administer the new coronavirus vaccine to people with a history of "significant" allergic reactions after two people who got the shot had problems.

 

Will the Porn Industry Be Disrupted by Coronavirus?

Shutterstock / Lucky Business

Pornhub is launching a sex-ed category to combat unrealistic expectations

 

 

Edited December 10, 2020 by Cupid Stunt

[peacheslatour]

RIP Marguerite Ray. OG Mamie.

[babyhouseman]

3 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

RIP Marguerite Ray. OG Mamie.

This article has a picture of Mamie with the first Jack and a young Brad and Tracy. It must be the holidays, covid or age, but I'm getting nostalgic.

https://deadline.com/2020/12/marguerite-ray-dies-the-young-and-the-restless-actress-89-1234653702/#!

[peacheslatour]

Back when Y&R was really special. Which Jack is that?

[babyhouseman]

11 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Back when Y&R was really special. Which Jack is that?

Terry Lester, the first one. His Jack was more devious while Bergman's has more heart.  TL

 is deceased now.