#except o'reilly obviously

[tiredandoptimistic]

Radar really is in such an interesting position relative to the 4077. The rest of them are doctors. Hawkeye frequently bemoans his role as "weapons repair" and is clearly uncomfortable with fixing people up so they can go back and get shot, but he's still fundamentally only engaging with the war as a healer. When he's off duty (and even while he's working), Hawkeye is able to focus his energy on "the war against the war" by throwing parties and pulling pranks. He takes every opportunity to show his disrespect for the whole military machine, and only plays by their rules when it goes along with his moral imperative to heal the dying.

Radar, on the other hand, is the motor that keeps MASH running. He helps Hawkeye and the others with their schemes, but he also has to be the one to deal with the fallout. When Hawkeye gets his shift as "Commander Pierce," Radar is the one frantically trying to get him to actually fill out the required paperwork, because Hawkeye's "this is dumb and I won't engage with it" attitude to the army doesn't work for someone in an organizational position. The rest of them turn up their noses at army bureaucracy, but Radar is the one to understand how it all works and get them what they want despite the layers of red tape. He has to be the guy delivering bad news and sneaking around to steal people's stoves, and he isn't choosing to do it but it still has to get done. He's the one who announces incoming choppers, meaning that he basically always has to be the person to spoil everyone else's day. Fun's over, Radar's here. His name is literally a direct symbol of his role as a harbinger. He isn't the one responsible though. If he wasn't there to sound the alarm, there'd be just as many wounded and even less time to prepare.

He's got a bit of separation between himself and the casualties (unlike the doctors who are literally digging around in blood and guts for twelve hours at a time), but his position as company clerk means that he's also unable to truly clock out. Radar literally sleeps in his office, because it's his entire life. He's always going to be the guy with a foot in reality who tempers the officers' wackiness. Even when he got offered a ticket home, his first instinct was to turn it down because he didn't think that the 4077th could function without him.

This is significant to me because of how it reflects on the characters role in the war overall. Hawkeye is able to act like he's separate from the military, but he's sometimes forced to reckon with the fact that he's a cog in the machine like everyone else. Radar is often forced to serve as the hand of the army in the 4077th, but his job of keeping things running smoothly does just as much to save lives as any of the doctors. They're all soldiers who have to play by the army's rules to some extent if they want to keep anybody safe.

[talkingpointsusa]

This is the dumbest, most poorly informed account account of what actually happened on January 6th

The amount of likes this has makes me weep for society (Source: Tucker Carlson on X, formerly Twitter)

Tucker Carlson sucks ass and I hate him with a passion.

I was hoping that Tucker would go straight into histories dumpster alongside Bill O'Reilly when he was fired from FOX but in a horrifying twist, being fired has only amplified his voice in the right-wing grifter-sphere. Former FOX hosts are like cockroaches, they just won't go away.

For those who don't know, Tucker Carlson has created his own media network based around his Twitter that revolves around him "interviewing" other right-wing grifters and essentially becoming Alex Jones for your uncle who used to watch FOX before it became "too leftist". It's been a downward descent into further extremist stupidity since then; from interviewing Alex Jones to saying that he's "open" to the possibility of a flat earth but that guns might prove that the Earth is round Tucker can't stop being an extremist lunatic.

Now, Tucker doesn't just suck ass, he's also a grifter who doesn't believe anything that comes out of his mouth (well, except for the bigoted parts). Tucker texted on Jan 4th, 2021 that he looked forward to FOX being able to ignore Trump and that he "hates him passionately."

But that hasn't stopped Tucker from being a talking head for Trump that panders to the MAGA base with thinly disguised reactionary propaganda because that's where the money is. Perhaps the right aren't the principled defenders of liberty that they pretend to be and are in reality a bunch of bigoted grifters screaming nonsense into the void.

Anyway, fuck Tucker Carlson and he's a new recurring character on this blog. God help us and let's get this over with.

00:00, Tucker Carlson: "It has been exactly three years since since January 6th. The events of January 6th, the racist insurrection that shocked this nation to it's core more profoundly than anything since Pearl Harbor plus the Civil War."

One of the things that Tucker does a lot is present this distorted and sarcastic picture of the left and well....facts in order to lend credibility to his points. Nobody is saying that January 6th is worse than Pearl Harbor plus the Civil War, that's a strawman.

00:16, Tucker Carlson: "And it has taken a while honestly, even for people who aren't on the side of the professional liars, to realize there's something amiss about what happened that day. Not just response; the largest law enforcement mobilization in the history of the United States, that was obviously disproportionate cause it wasn't the worst riot that year, not even close."

The only person I could find making that claim that the law enforcement response to January 6th was the largest mobilization in the history of the United States is Tucker. Surely if this claim was true there would be records saying just that outside of Tucker talking shit a couple days ago.

Unless Tucker provides some proof that January 6th was the largest law enforcement mobilization in the history of the United States we can just go ahead and call that a lie.

Also, I'm assuming he means the BLM protests when he refers to other "worse" riots and the difference between January 6th and the BLM protests is that they weren't trying to invade the goddamn Capitol Building. The scale difference couldn't be larger.

00:34, Tucker Carlson: "But the day itself, there was something about January 6th that didn't feel right and hovering over that day has remained the question; to what extent was it a setup?".

Answer; It wasn't. It was a group of lunatics, spurred on by an ideology you promoted, storming the Capitol and all this "the feds did it!" crap is just your pathetic way of covering your own ass.

00:47, Tucker Carlson: "But what's interesting is how few people have asked that entirely legitimate question and one of the very few, really one of the only in the United States Congress, is a member called Clay Higgins from Louisiana."

Well, let's talk about the guy Tucker is interviewing, Representative Clay Higgins. Clay Higgins is a MAGA nutjob who likes to make ads of him holding assault rifles, take extremely tasteless selfie videos INSIDE A GAS CHAMBER IN AUSCHWITZ to make a political point, arguing that we shouldn't wear masks because his wife had a vision (read: bad dream) that they will lead to American's freedom being taken away, and roughing up black people as a policeman then lying about it. In short, this guy is a real piece of work who in any reasonable society wouldn't be allowed anywhere near government. Yet here he is and the world is worse off for it.

So, Clay has recently decided to hang his hat on the notion that January 6th was an FBI operation. This led to Clay questioning FBI director Chris Wray, a guy who was appointed by the GOP might I add, in an unhinged and embarrassing rant that made him look like someone who might call into the Alex Jones Show. Clay grilled him about an FBI informant who testified that he was in the crowd during January 6th despite the fact that this informant was probably either there because he was already embedded within the Proud Boys or he was there because the FBI assigned him there because they knew from the multiple declarations from Trump supporters and Trump himself that shit was gonna go down at the capitol.

Clay then proceeded to make himself sound even more insane by accusing Chris of utilizing "ghost buses" which were actually just regular buses and then ending his questioning by declaring that the buses were "very sinister in nature". Naturally it makes sense that the FBI would have so few agents in the city that they are headquartered in that they would have to bus them in, these clearly aren't the rantings of someone who is clearly a complete lunatic.

Let's think about this critically for a second, what does the Democratic Party and the FBI have to gain from staging January 6th? They had already won the election and if they simply wanted to discredit Trump there are a lot easier ways to do it than staging an insurrection. There's absolutely zero reason for the Democrats to stage January 6th because they already won. The only reason Tucker could possibly have is that Democrats just like being evil for the sake of it.

Seemingly though, Tucker found this all very intelligent and thought provoking (or like something he could get attention from covering) and decided to have Clay on to spew more inane vocal garbage, great.

Tucker plays a clip from Clay grilling Chris. It should be noted that the insane rant about ghost buses is mysteriously absent. Even without the buses, to me it makes Clay look like a complete moron who's rambling about his bizarre fantasy that he's the star of the Bourne Identity. To Tucker on the other hand....

02:08, Tucker Carlson: "What a sleazy repulsive little authoritarian liar Chris Wray is. It's obvious when you watch that tape."

How is it obvious? The guy was clearly a bit cagey but he's the Director of The FBI, he can't just reveal classified information to satisfy Clay's insane conspiracy theories. Plus, no truthful answer he could give would satisfy Clay because he thinks that January 6th consisted almost entirely of FBI Agents which is demonstrably false.

"Sleazy repulsive little authoritarian liar", that's funny because that's exactly how I view Tucker!

02:23, Tucker Carlson: "The sad part is so few tapes like that exist because so few have confronted him directly and asked questions to which the entire country has a right to know the answer, like that one."

Ok, lets say for a minute that Tucker is correct and the FBI staged January 6th, does he think that Chris is going to tell people that if they question him?

Of course he isn't, what these guys need is some evidence and there is none because you can't have evidence for a lie that isn't disprovable in some way!

Clay and Tucker say hi and the interview starts

02:40, Tucker Carlson: "So that was over a year ago that you asked that question, which is a central question, and you asked it as I think is appropriate; without any embarrassment at all on behalf of your constituents and the rest of the country. Are you any closer to the answer now?"

Clay Higgins: "Well we're closer to being in a position where we can reveal the answers that we already have. Much of the evidence that we have compiled from investigative efforts and over the course of the last couple of years some offices like my own that would have operated in silos of investigative endeavor have now been able to come together now that we have a Republican majority and we have access to the staffs of the appropriate investigative committees and so I sit on the oversight committee and Republicans control that committee now, therefor we control the staff. So when you can magnify the efforts that individual members of Congress have pushed in our own offices, when you can magnify those efforts by the skill and the numbers of staff from the committees, you get a lot of evidence reviewed professionally, and aligned, and assembled into essentially a casefile. And in this case, this is a big file-"

He keeps going and we'll pick up right where he left off but man, Clay is great at saying absolutely nothing. For a bombshell interview with a guy who allegedly has proof that elements within the FBI staged the January 6th insurrection, this is extremely boring.

The truth is that Clay has no evidence outside of ridiculous claims of "ghost buses" so all he's got is mumbling incoherently about staff and committees.

Anyway, carry on Clay.

04:11, Clay Higgins: "Because the involvement of certain actors, you could say Deep State actors within the Federal Government to set the stage for what happened on J 4, 5, and 6 and to entrap thousands of American's from across the country and lure them into this set stage on J 4, 5, and 6."

Did the Deep State force Donald Trump to falsely claim that the election was stolen and rally his followers at the United States Capitol? Absolutely not. The only person who set the stage for what happened on J6 was Donald Trump.

If what Clay is saying is true and they have all this evidence that the FBI set up January 6th, why haven't they released it? Show it to me and if it checks out I'll believe you.

I hate how much I have to say this but "just trust me bro" is not a valid journalistic source.

04:53, Clay Higgins: "And we're gradually, professionally, rolling that evidence out."

Let's see it then.

Anyway, here's Tuckers response to that word salad. Even he seems baffled by what he just heard.

05:00, Tucker Carlson: "So you sort of answered the question right there in larger terms. You just said that elements within the federal government, I assume; law enforcement, intel, and military and I'm using your words 'lured' American's to Washington into what you called a trap?"

Clay Higgins; "Yes sir."

See, if Tucker was a real journalist the most obvious follow-up question is "can I see that evidence?" but he isn't, he's a bullshit artist pretending to be a journalist who knows that there is no evidence so he just lets Clay's claim that he has all this evidence that January 6th was a massive conspiracy stand unchallenged.

This entire interview is just Tucker and Clay talking about supposed evidence that January 6th was staged, not citing any examples of this evidence, and then acting as if January 6th being staged was proven to be a fact because of this uncited nonexistent evidence. It's total bullshit and both of these men know it.

05:17, Tucker Carlson: "So that would, I mean that's a shocking, and I assume that's a sober conclusion based on the evidence. That's what you're saying?"

WHERE'S THE GODDAMN EVIDENCE TUCK?!

05:25, Clay Higgins: "That would be my sober assessment as an investigator and you know I'm quite a (we never learn what he's quite a), I love my country and I've always been a staunch defender of the thin blue line and I would proudly count the FBI amongst that number, they're like brothers to me. So to find that level of conspiratorial corruption at the highest levels of the FBI has been very troubling to me, as a man as a cop. And yet you follow the evidence wherever it leads and-

Tucker Carlson (being a great journalist and interrupting his source): "Yes"

Clay Higgins: "this is what investigators do."

Tuckterruption aside, neither Tucker nor Clay have shown me the "evidence" that the FBI was involved in January 6th yet. These two have essentially made up evidence and are talking about it as if I'm immediately supposed to know about the evidence as well and agree with them.

The evidence could be literally anything that Tuckers audience has been told by other right-wing grifters about January 6th and that's the intention.

And again, what's in it for the FBI to do this?!

06:07, Clay Higgins: "When I asked Christopher Wray that question for instance I already knew the answer, I had reviewed compelling evidence that the FBI had assets, human assets, dressed as Trump supporters inside the Capitol prior to the doors being opened and the masses being allowed in."

You can't just say "I have evidence" and then not show it, that's terrible journalism. I get that the congressman isn't a journalist, although he seems to fancy himself some kind of bizarre "investigator", but Tucker sure as hell is one and if he had any journalistic integrity whatsoever he'd be demanding to see this evidence!

06:34, Clay Higgins: "I knew that the FBI was deeply involved. I'd seen evidence, even at that time that the FBI had embedded themselves into various groups online across the country of Americans who were essentially voicing their concerns and airing their grievances with each other about COVID oppression."

Clay probably blames the FBI when he stubs his toe in the morning.

And if I was Tucker and I was trying to be a journalist instead of a right-wing fraud I'd start asking this guy whether or not the fact that he thinks COVID mandates are "COVID oppression" might have biased his viewpoint when performing the so-called investigation into January 6th and start figuring what else Clay believes. But if I was Tucker this interview wouldn't have happened because it's so obvious that this guy is full of shit looking at his track record.

07:22, Clay Higgins: "When you dig into the evidence that we've had revealed through some criminal cases that I've followed and worked with the families of J6 political detainees and American's that have been persecuted for their involvement in the Capitol that day, some of that evidence shockingly reveals that the FBI agents that were operating undercover within the online groups across the country were the first ones to plant the seeds of, uh, suggestions of a more radical occupation of the Capitol."

This has got to be one of the most frustrating things I have covered for this blog. It's not the most disgusting by a long shot but it's one of the most frustrating. The reason that this frustrates me is that I am currently pursuing a degree in journalism and this entire interview flies in the face of the most basic rule of the job: don't say something without proof.

You can't just say you have evidence of something and then proceed to not show any of it. Otherwise anyone can do it for literally any claim. See, I can do it.

Hey guys, I have evidence that Clay Higgins and Tucker Carlson are a duo of mouth-breathing slimy grifters who will say literally anything for attention and money.

Actually, that doesn't work because this interview is the evidence of that but you get what I'm saying.

08:35, Clay Higgins: "Months later; on January 4th, 5th, and 6th, many of those American's met for the first time in person when they gathered for the massive rally where American patriots assembled to object to everything that happened in 2020, the COVID oppression and the stunning results of what we believed to have been a compromised election cycle in November 2020 so American's gathered at their own Capitol to appropriately air grievances and protest at their Capitol but embedded amongst their number was an FBI asset that had been working from within their group online for many months. So this was the level of manipulative effort that the FBI invested into American citizenry and our assembly online, to exercise our rights under the First Amendment to talk to each other about whatever we wanna talk about."

Again, so let's say I'm FBI Director Chris Wray. I've been appointed by Donald Trump yet for whatever reason I want to betray him. So instead of discrediting him through hundreds of other avenues available; exposing his sketchy business practices, investigating his ties with Epstein, looking into his allegations of sexual assault, none of that. Nope, I decide I'm going to stage a fake insurrection when the Democrats win, which I apparently know is a certainty, by embedding FBI Agents into pro-Trump groups online to provoke them into storming the Capitol.

Then when Trump organizes the rally at the Capitol I decide it's time to strike and I send my instigators into the crowd to rile them up. And then when all is said and done I gain absolutely nothing and have my plan exposed by a random congressman from Louisiana who claimed that the reason we shouldn't follow COVID mandates is because his wife had a nightmare and a right-wing talk show host who claimed a crisis in masculinity is occurring and the answer to that is to tan your balls.

Christopher Wray is a truly terrible planner in right-wing fantasyland.

10:19, Tucker Carlson: "Lets go back to something you said in the first sentence which is; you have seen evidence, and that spurred your questions to Chris Wray, that there were FBI assets dressed as Trump supporters within the Capitol. So, that is proof of entrapment because of course the federal government could have prevented entry into the Capitol Building, there aren't that many doors, you work there you know. But they allowed people in on purpose to entrap them, that's what that proves I think, does it not?"

"Hey there guy who hasn't provided any evidence to the claims he is making, I'm just going to assume those claims are true without pushing back on you at all and ask you if what the fantasy version of the FBI did in your fantasy world would classify as entrapment."

Notice how Tucker hasn't asked Clay about his more insane theories like the "FBI Ghost Buses" that supposedly bussed in hundreds of FBI agents to the Capitol the day of January 6th, probably because it would make Clay look like the complete lunatic that he is.

12:10, Clay Higgins: "On the inside, you had FBI assets dressed as Trump supporters who knew their way around the Capitol."

Tucker Carlson: "Before the doors even opened."

Clay Higgins: "Before the doors opened, how else are you gonna get around the Capitol? You've been there many times, you need a guide to get from whatever door you go in-"

Tucker Carlson: "It's a labyrinth"

Clay Higgins: "It's a maze inside there, that's right. So there's no way that Americans, most of which have never been to the Capitol, there's no way they can come in some random door that gets opened and then get their way directly to the statuary or the house chamber or the senate chamber, it's just not possible."

First of all, I don't think those rioters had a particular set destination in place, they just wanted to overturn the "stolen" election and were just going to wander around until they figured it out. Nobodies saying these morons were masterminds.

Second of all, do Tucker and Clay Higgins not realize that Google exists? In a five second Google search for "US Capitol map" I found multiple maps and floorplans of the Capitol. And since I'm not Clay or Tucker, here they are;

(Source: Pinterest)

(Source: US Capitol Visitor Centre)

Hell, Google Maps even says which side of the building the House of Representatives is on. Could it be that these guys used a map? It makes a lot more sense than saying that the FBI somehow managed to guide a riled up mob of people who really don't like listening to directions throughout the Capitol. Also, I'd bet you that your average FBI agent has the same knowledge of the layout of the Capitol as your average civilian. Working for the FBI doesn't automatically make you an expert in the layout of the Capitol Building.

14:57, Tucker Carlson: "It's such a crime, who planned this do you think?"

Clay Higgins: "Well I think factions planned this, I wouldn't say who Tucker because I don't think there was one person that planned this. But I believe the faction of establishment liberals within the FBI and the Democrat Party and our intelligence services to another extent used their massive powers of surveillance and investigative assets that they have across the country. Confidential informants, registered informants, non-registered informants, voluntary informants. It's a complex web of FBI assets across the country that can be activated, so if you have authority at some of the highest levels in the FBI -- doesn't take much."

Again, let's pause for a second and think about this critically. The Democrats and the FBI have absolutely nothing to gain from staging January 6th.

They wanted to arrest Trump supporters? Not every Trump supporter was there and nobody who is important in the MAGA movement like Alex Jones was arrested.

They wanted to make the MAGA movement look bad? Most people hated the MAGA movement already and the people who don't probably weren't phased by January 6th because they believe Tucker's debunked insanity about it being staged by the feds.

The Democrats already won the election. Hiring a bunch of rioters to try to overturn it is like me winning a new car on a game show and hiring a mob to try to take the car from me when I go to collect the prize. And again, you can talk all you want about a complex web of every single type of informant under the sun being involved in January 6th but until you provide evidence of it you are just another idiot with a conspiracy board.

16:10, Clay Higgins: "The faction within the FBI and within our intelligence services that would coordinate with the most extreme liberal factions within the Democrat Party that were desperate to keep Trump out of office and had worked within the theatre of operations, shall we say, that had been set by the COVID alleged medical emergencies nationwide and millions and millions of mail in ballots."

"Desperate to keep Trump out of office"? He had already lost. Although Clay, as you can see here, is an election truther so I guess in his world he hadn't already lost.

It's really rich for a guy who got COVID twice to refer to COVID as an "alleged medical emergency". The hard data and just general history show that COVID was a legitimate crisis. Notice how Tucker also doesn't ask Clay if he still believes that his wife having a nightmare is evidence that the whole pandemic was a charade. Naturally we can't delve into that part of Clay's past because it would throw absolutely everything he says into question.

As for the mail in ballots, that theory has been widely discredited as false. For starters, mail in ballots aren't a new thing created by Democrats during COVID to steal the election, as a matter of fact they have actually been used since the Civil War so that soldiers could vote from the front lines. Mail in ballots also have numerous safeguards on them such as specialized envelopes and checks from the postal service to prevent fraud.

17:31, Tucker Carlson: "Can -- when you say that there were FBI assets in the crowd, in the building beforehand, and certainly outside, what's the scale of this? You talking like 10? 20?"

Clay Higgins: "No, um. Based upon some very conservative but, like, hard investigative effort, evaluation of the numbers. Putting together eye-witnesses, and videos, and affadavid statement, and whistleblower statement, and court records that have been revealed through criminal cases where J6 defendants have been prosecuted and smart attorney's have forced admissions by the DOJ and the FBI but those admissions have been sealed within the parameter of that criminal case by protective order, by the judge, so I can't share them but I've seen them-"

Wait, pause for a second. So if I'm hearing correctly, the FBI has admitted to sending agents into the January 6th insurrection in court cases but since the judges have sealed the court records Clay can't show them but he's seen them, really he has.

This is literally using just trust me bro as a source. These two are total lying goons. Anyway, let's carry on.

18:41, Clay Higgins: "So real hard objective and conservative estimates would put the number of FBI assets in the crowd outside and working inside at well over 200."

This claim is completely batshit insane! If there were over 200 FBI assets at January 6th, you'd think someone would have recognized ID'd one of them by now. After all, it would be extremely hard to hide well over 200 FBI assets goading a group on. This is completely ridiculous and a product of Clay's clearly overactive imagination.

Naturally, Tucker doesn't push back on this and ask why what Clay is saying should be trusted. Instead he lets the entire thing go unchallenged.

20:04, Clay Higgins: "The objective was to destroy the entire MAGA movement. To forever stain the patriotic fervor that was associated with the America First MAGA movement that had won in 2016 and we believe won in 2020."

Again, the MAGA movement was already highly discredited in most non-extremist circles. I doubt you'd find someone who is moderate who likes or is at least indifferent towards Trump. Since Trump is who he is, he naturally inspires strong opinions.

Also January 6th wasn't the straw that broke the camels back for people who support MAGA, they're all still there lapping up the bullshit about the entire thing being staged by the FBI.

The MAGA movement is still a powerful force in America to this day and January 6th hasn't changed that. It's just given grifters like Tucker Carlson a new toy to play with.

22:32, Tucker Carlson: "It's shocking what you're saying and confirms everyones worst suspicions about this, it's clearly true. Um, did you come across any evidence that the DOD, the military, either defense intelligence agency or national guard or any part of the US military played any part in this at all."

Before we get to Clay's answer (spoiler alert: It's no, probably because he doesn't want to piss off the army) let's take a look at how Tucker's framing of this is an example of terrible journalism.

Instead of asking "Hey, you say you have seen this evidence but also say you can't show it to us and have a track record of lying. Why should we trust you?", Tucker says it confirms everyones suspicions.

Naturally if everyone was suspicious of federal involvement in January 6th, this isn't that huge of a revelation and you the audience member shouldn't question any of the claims that Clay is making even though they aren't backed up by any non-imaginary evidence and stop making sense after you think about them for more than five seconds. These claims are "clearly true" and you shouldn't stop to think about them, no siree!

22:51, Clay Higgins: "I have not seen that. I've heard the echoes of that suspicion and I have observed circumstantial evidence that has been presented to me that I have reviewed but to me it does not rise to the level that I'd call actionable from an investigative perspective."

I decided to do a little research into the district Clay serves and as it turns out it has a lot of veterans in it. Now, this isn't a bad thing by itself but I feel like it sheds light into why Clay is so reluctant to pull the US military into his nonsensical conspiracy version of what happened on January 6th.

If he pulls the military into January 6th, he's going to risk alienating every veteran in his district and that doesn't fare well during the next election. It's all a grift for these guys.

26:17, Clay Higgins: "We have the responsibility to investigate objectively and anyone that knows me knows that's exactly what I'm pursuing."

Clay is so objective.

Clay is so objective that he meets with Donald Trump at Mar-A-Lago whilst referring to him as president even though he lost the election in 2020. Clay is clearly a MAGA politician and that makes him a biased source. This is total bullshit to anyone who thinks about this using the pure facts.

28:09, Tucker Carlson: "I'm a little surpri--and I don't expect to be critical of your colleagues in the Republican conference but they do control the house, impeachment is a thing, Chris Wray is still the FBI director, I watch Republicans, some of whom I know, cheer the murder of Ashli Babbitt who was an unarmed woman, less than 5'5."

Let's talk about Ashli Babbitt.

What you have to understand is that Ashli Babbitt wasn't standing around innocently, she was trying to crawl through a window in the goddamn Capitol Building. Ashli was participating in an insurrection and that opens the door to violent response from the police if they feel like you are a threat.

Babbitt also had a history of violent behavior in the past. She once rammed her SUV into another woman's car three times and repeatedly challenged her to "fight" (this was due to some prior bad blood between the two women regarding an affair). My point is that this was a violent woman with a prior history of violent behavior engaging in an insurrection and attempting to trespass on government property. What happened here was entirely her fault.

Also, I love how the only pushback Tucker gives Clay is "why haven't the Republicans acted on your insane conspiracy theories?"

28:54, Clay Higgins: "There's a great responsibility when you wear a badge in America. I mean, think about it, to be the designated servant of your community that has the authority to deny the freedom of a fellow American in the land of the free, that's a heavy responsibility. So the escalation of force must be appropriate in order to affect a lawful arrest."

Since Clay is such a staunch advocate against police brutality, I'm sure he's talked about George Floyd and the countless African American's that have been brutally murdered by the police....oh wait he hasn't because they aren't white, got it!

Let's not forget Clay's own history of police brutality from when he was in the force, something that Clay has lied about constantly. As a matter of fact, Clay is a pretty violent guy. In 2020, Clay threatened to have BLM protestors in his state shot by the police. So he is the LAST guy who should be giving the speech about police brutality.

33:03, Tucker Carlson: "And if you do (shoot someone as a cop) there's an investigation."

There was genius.

Conclusion:

Well, that's enough of Clay Higgins and Tucker Carlson for today. No they don't reveal the evidence in the last five minutes of the episode. Clay basically says that we are never going to see the evidence and the show ends.

So, what have learnt today? We've learnt that the evidence exists because....well you've just got to trust me and that Clay Higgins is a liar who engaged in police brutality and thinks his wife having nightmares is akin to her having "visions". This entire interview is extremely embarrassing for Tucker from a journalistic standpoint but I'm sure he doesn't care as long as the check cleared.

[evilkitten3]

life is unbelievably unfair

people with the same birthday as my mom: george clooney, robespierre, sigmund freud, orson welles

people with the same birthday as my dad: robert frost (same first name too), sandra day o’connor, leonard nimoy, nancy pelosi, diana ross, keira knightley

people with the same birthday as my little brother: malcolm x, pete townshend, andré the giant, michael che, jordan pruitt, marshmello

people with the same birthday as me: justin trudeau’s mom, bill o’reilly, and the guy who made the percy jackson movie and fucking pixels

[nimuetheseawitch]

001. MASH. GIVE ME ALL THE DETAILS.

002. HAWK AND BEEJ, OBVIOUSLY

003. RADAR O'REILLY

Sorry I left this in my ask box so long. Here we go again :)

001 | MASH

Favorite character: I'm on such a Hawkeye kick right now. I just love the way he loves: so fully and completely and sometimes excessively. He loves passionately and he loves passion. He gives and gives and gives of himself and has a surprisingly large capacity for love. And he's whiny and annoying and full of faults and simultaneously expects everyone to love him and reject him at the same time. He is full of contradictions. He is a bisexual folding chair of a man.

Least Favorite character: Zale. He gets very little character except to be antagonistic towards Klinger. What does he even do?

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): inspired by @thebreakfastgenie, one of my new favorite non-canon ships is Hawkeye/being okay. Klinger/Soon Lee, Charles/Donna, Hawkeye/BJ/Peg (OT3), and Hawkeye/almost everyone. I want him to have slept with pretty much everyone in camp and just be a great friend to everyone later. It's practically canon, but I want to open it up to all genders.

Character I find most attractive: Margaret in that halter top...

Character I would marry: I think I constantly change my mind on this, but today I would marry Bigelow.

Character I would be best friends with: Mulcahy. I dunno, today I'm really feeling like talking about religion with someone, and he'd be up for all my weird thoughts on it.

a random thought: my mind is currently stuck on all the impressions they do of Mulcahy...

An unpopular opinion: Charles is right - Mahler is good. And he wasn't playing Mahler's 5th loud enough. That opening should be eerily quiet, one lone trumpet into the void, and then a cascade of sound. Performing that symphony so many times is probably a big contributor to my tinnitus.

My Canon OTP: Klinger/Soon-Lee. It was short but oh so sweet. They didn't know each other for long, but the contrast was incredible. The way she was fighting against the entire concept of the army and Klinger was shaken out of his complacence to help her, and then she cares too much about him and leaves him behind but he cares too much about her and follows her closer to the front. And how she wanted to see him in a dress. And they look so damn happy. And they're gonna get three weddings: MASH, Korean, and Lebanese.

My Non-canon OTP: Hawkeye/BJ. I feel a little disappointed in myself, but I have to be honest. It's popular because it's good. They're a hot mess, and I love them for it. I also wanna fix it. And make it worse. And I'm a sucker for a mustache and suspenders (and so is Hawkeye).

Most Badass Character: Klinger. Like Ginger Rogers, he did everything his fellows did, but in heels (and probably backwards sometimes). And he can read, write, and speak in at least two languages with vastly different alphabets. He's brilliant and gorgeous and has an excellent eye for style.

Most Epic Villain: The constant trauma of war dredging up the traumas of their childhoods. I posted recently about this, and it's constantly on my mind. The war affects them all in different, unique ways. Hawkeye and his reversion to childhood and his pattern of repressing traumatic events, Charles and his obsession with what it feels like to die, BJ's attempts to control his life at home, Frank's clinging to Margaret and to "patriotism," and so much more. Their coping mechanisms often hurt them as much as they help, and it's all kinds of fucked up. And the Army preys on it.

Pairing I am not a fan of: Frank/Margaret. I mean, I love their dynamic, and it's a really interesting part of the show, but she has always deserved more. And Frank brings out the worst in her. Her character growth really takes off once she leaves him.

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): POC characters. Ginger and Oliver had a few excellent bits and then just disappeared from the show. Captain Sam Pak was amazing and seemed like he would be a recurring character, but we only saw him a few times. It took them until season 11 to give Kellye an episode. When Klinger decorates, they spew racist garbage and laugh at him.

Favourite Friendship: I'm really into Hawkeye and Margaret right now. They're not always close, but she is able to take him down a peg when she needs it, and she has a huge capacity for kindness. She loves as hard as Hawkeye, but she shows it differently. They take a while to find their groove, but once they do, they're amazing.

Character I most identify with: Hawkeye. I think we're really supposed to identify with him, and I'm pretty sure my brain is cherry-picking bits of his character to make it work, but I just feel connected with him on some fundamental (and probably really fucked up level).

Character I wish I could be: Absolutely none of them. The 50s were bad for people like me, and a war is a terrible place. And they're all incredibly fucked up. I admire many of them, but I never want to have to be that strong.

002 | Hawkeye/BJ

When I started shipping them: subconsciously forever. More actively, probably last September/October during my 2021 rewatch. I'd thought it before (I've been rewatching it frequently since 2012), but it started rotting my brain around "Rudyard Kipling" this time around, and it brought me to MASHblr.

My thoughts: I wish they could make each other happy. I want to torture them, I want to see them in every imaginable scenario, I want to see them together, I want to see them yearning and apart, and I just want more of their absurdity.

What makes me happy about them: the way they laugh at each other's stupid jokes.

What makes me sad about them: they just don't seem like they'll ever be able to make it work.

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: Peg erasure. And bi erasure. I have read fic that convinces me of the comphet of it all for BJ, but he does love Peg, and that needs to be handled well. And Hawkeye is bisexual (or pansexual) and no one can convince me otherwise.

Things I look for in fanfic: Gotta have some angsty BJ who is struggling to process feelings. It's all about the characters for me, so I'm looking for interpretations that align nicely with mine, or do something new and interesting.

My wishlist: asdflsdkjf, I don't know. I want them to be happy, I want them to be sad, I want them to be a complete mess. But recently I really wanted more modern hospital AUs.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: BJ with Peg or possibly fucking up his entire life and ending up alone and regretful (can you tell I love him?). Hawkeye with someone new, not anyone from MASH. Or maybe with Trapper (Trapper's got some things to answer for too, but there have been some excellent versions of them getting together after the war).

My happily ever after for them: In a cute Victorian in San Francisco that's technically split into two apartments (for propriety), with Erin every other week (the rest of the time she's with Peg and her wife). OR neighboring houses/a duplex with matching lavender marriages. BJ working on a motorcycle while Hawkeye knits and talks. Lying on the couch/bed, Hawkeye somehow comfortable while awkwardly wrapped around or on BJ, who is sitting like a normal person but absentmindedly stroking whatever part of Hawkeye is closest while they read medical journals or do chartwork. Domestic bliss. Reading glasses when they get older. Maybe Peg takes Waggles and BJ and Hawkeye get two cats. Or they keep Waggles and get two kittens who annoy the heck out of him lovingly as he ages. Umm. I uh, maybe need to go write some fic now. About Waggles and Marlene (Dietrich) and Edith (Piaf), their cats. brb.

003 | Radar O'Reilly

How I feel about this character: I have complex feelings about him. How many times does he lose his innocence/possibly his virginity? I was tired of that plotline the first time. But I love the weirdness of his psychic abilities (when he responds to things Potter is writing/thinking!) and how he is sometimes a vegetarian? He's weird and wonderful.

Any/all the people I ship romantically with this character: I dunno. I actually really like that one girl he meets at the airport near the end of his run. And there was at least one fic I read that implied that he ended up with Park Sung, which I love.

My favorite non-romantic relationship for this character: Henry. I don't think I can say more without crying.

My unpopular opinion about this character: I don't know if this is unpopular, but Radar was wrong about how he got mad at Hawkeye. I kinda hated his hero worship of Hawkeye.

One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon: I wish they had let him grow up a little better. They kept rewinding him to make him so naïve, and I wish he'd had the chance to grow a bit more as a person.

Favorite friendship for this character: Klinger. I wanted more of whatever was happening with the practice proposal that one time.

My crossover ship: I just had the idea that he meets Shawn from Psych, and I don't know what's going to happen, but it sounds fun.

[accidental-spice]

hULLO your ask made me so very happy that now i've got to ask :DDD do you have any DIY blorbos??? i would love to know about any and all of them if so!!!

Awww, I'm so glad it did!!!!!!

Oh, thank you so much!! I'm no writer, but I do make up OCs. Possibly too many OCs, so I'll throw out a few of my favs!!

Dark O'Reilly: Dark is one of my FAVORITE OCs, I admit. Though, I wouldn't enjoy him half as much without his people, to be fair. Dark's a former Imperial assassin (pretend like that's a real thing please) turned gang member (I'll touch on the gang he joins later, they're cool) who is also Force sensitive. Luckily for Dark, Luke Skywalker doesn't know he exists. If he did, Dark would ghost him 24/7, because he hates the idea of fame, publicity, or working with the New Republic for two reasons. The first is he's an introvert. The second is, his dad works for the New Republic, and we don't particularly like him, so there. Also, he's dating a librarian named Kaiya who has a random adopted child named Ookami, and I ship them a normal amount. The last important things you should know are that Dark makes REALLY good grilled cheese, and he has a super cool leather jacket. This is important to me, and no one else

Zemira Kessden: Zemira is a Zeltron woman who after the time of the Rebellion, starts a gang. But it's no ordinary gang. It is a gang that operates as Crime Man does, if you're familiar with that legend of Tumblr. Anyways, she does that, and annoys the New Republic to NO END, partially by accidentally stealing one of their best agents, Ky Hunter, to marry work for her. He's awesome, but I digress

Thaiv Carr: Thaiv is Zemira's older bro. His dad, Finian, adopted her when her family was killed by slavers, and Thaiv was like. Yesssss. A SISTER!!!!! He's SUCH an older brother. Like, it's his favorite job. Though, he also loves his job as member of Zemira's gang (her own gang!! *sniffs* he's so proud...), and his OTHER job, which is the lead singer/pianist/guitarist/whatevertheheckelseisneeded of his band, whiiiich I still haven't named. He travel a lot for that part of his job, which he mostly loves, except for missing his family. While he's traveling, he meets a lovely half-Pantoran, half-human doctor named Miriam, who he can't help but be drawn to....

Trill and Oran Gedyc: Trill and Oran are the adopted twin daughter and son of a Mandalorian Jedi hunter named Cinya, who used to kill Jedi for the Empire, until she bailed on them. Now, one of her best friends is a Jedi. Anyways. Trill and Oran's dynamic goes a bit like this:

Oran: Y'know, Trill, it's not the end of the world to feel... things

Trill: Guess not. It's up there, though

She just do be like that. Also, Oran has a cool leather jacket (not as cool as Dark's, obviously), and Trill can beat people up with her quarterstaff

Senator Gianetta Riera: Gianetta's the Senator of some random made up planet, and is both very much inspired by Leslie Knope from Parks and Rec and Elizabeth McCord from Madam Secretary, and just as very much her own person. She's stubborn and outspoken and LOVES people. Her husband Elio, who is also the head of her personal guard, might occasionally wish she was slightly LESS outspoken.... but not that often, because that's who she is, after all!!

Taneer and Vikki Gedyc: Taneer is Cinya Gedyc's uncle, and also a Mandalorian Protector, and Fenn Rau's bestie. He's like. My himbo-est OC. He makes REALLY good soup (the secret ingredient is love. And respect women juice), and is an excellent cooking general. Also, he plays a mean kazoo. Vikki is his awesome wife, and she holds the braincell in the relationship, mostly

Sierra Waspee: Sierra is one of my two other Jedi OCs, and she's ridiculous. Once, my sister wrote a fic (as of yet unpublished) with her in it, and her introduction featured her singing "Spirit In The Sky" by Norman Greenbaum at the top of her voice. While in jail. Because she punched someone for saying something rude about her clone vod'e. Sierra is a rather unique Jedi. She isn't much of a dueler, to be honest, but she can hold her own. She can see the future through the Force, which is how she escapes Order 66

Stars, this is just. So much. Thanks for bearing with me, and thank you SO much for the ask!!!

[waxcylindersonata]

I’m really bad at paying attention when I’m reading, and I kinda don’t know much about the mechanisms, but I really wanna. Is there any way you could like give me some info about them. Obviously you don’t have to lol, I’m just really lost tryna figure out what the hell they are.

YES THEY'RE SO GOOD OKAY

This may get a bit long, feel free to skip around!

So they're a concept band, sort of! They all play characters on stage, and those characters play characters within the story albums! Their main characters are "immortal" space pirates aboard the starship Aurora! Here's the main set of characters:

Jonny d'Ville (the first mate, his mechanism is his heart)

Gunpowder Tim (the gunner, his mechanism is his eyes)

Drumbot Brian (the pilot, his mechanism is everything except his heart)

The Toy Soldier (officially listed as their mascot, its mechanism is everything except its voice)

Ashes O'Reilly (the quartermaster, their mechanism is their lungs)

Raphaella la Cognizi (the science officer, her mechanism is her wings)

Ivy Alexandria (the archivist, her mechanism isn't listed on the abouts)

Marius von Raum (the medic, his mechanism is his arm)

Nastya Rasputina (the engineer, her mechanism is her blood)

There's also Doctor Carmilla, she made them all "immortal" (and gave them their mechanisms and whatnot), but she's not around for much of the canon because Reasons hdjdkek

If you want to start with character backstories, here's a list of Mechanisms who have backstory songs (with links to those songs!):

Jonny – "One Eyed Jacks", "Homesick"

Nastya – "Cyberian Demons"

Tim – "Gunpowder Tim vs. the Moon Kaiser" (this one also has a little TS backstory too!)

Ashes – "Lucky Sevens"

Brian – "Lost in the Cosmos"

Kofi Young, the person who played Marius, is working on an album as well that will have backstory for his character! It's not out at the time of this post, but it's worth mentioning!

Now, if you want to get into the main story albums, they go in this order (I'll be using these as links to playlists with lyric videos made by @tentiredcats, who has done so much for this fandom I swear):

Once Upon a Time (in Space) – think fairy tales but with a dark twist that's also very sci-fi AND THERE'S LESBIANS

Ulysses Dies at Dawn – Greek mythology but also very steampunk and has SO MANY VIBES (I believe on fybutches I've shared a couple songs from this album, it's my fave for so many reasons)

High Noon Over Camelot – THE ARTHURIAN LEGEND BUT MAKE IT A SPACE WESTERN AND ALSO THERE'S CAMELOT'S FAVE POLYCULE BEING ABSOLUTE ICONS

The Bifrost Incident – Norse mythology but sci-fi/steampunk and it WILL make you cry and there's lesbians again and they WILL make you cry (and imo this album is peak Mechs singing skill)

Death to the Mechanisms – it's maybe a stretch to consider this a story album as it's mostly a combo of songs from the other albums (it's also an audio recording of the DTTM live show!), but it does bring a close to the story of the band as a whole, as well as detailing their deaths (no forgiveness for how they did TS hmph)

And then there's the fiction! The Mechanisms' official website has a whole host of fiction that didn't make it into the songs, which you can find here!

Okay, I tried not to make this suuuper in-depth, so I hope it works well as a kind of intro to the band! Lmk if you have any more questions!!

[douchebagbrainwaves]

OK, I'LL TELL YOU YOU ABOUT SUIT

The cheery, bland language of the people who've had to write in school is that a lot of what looks like work. Tim O'Reilly was wearing a suit, a sight so alien I couldn't parse it at first. The way to deal with payments. I always pull back because I don't want four years of my life to be consumed by random schleps. The second mistake we made with Artix is also very common. Immediately Alien Studies would become the most dynamic field of scholarship: instead of painstakingly discovering things for ourselves, we could make sites for people who work in certain fields: startup founders, programmers, professors. And yet the Mona Lisa is a small place, and to the ancient Greeks, you're probably mistaken. So far the experiment seems to be hard to convince people to part with large sums of money. Addictive things have to be good.

One Canadian startup we funded spent about 6 months working on this stupid idea? So understand that if you tried this you'd be able to do it? Except an inverse one. Wait, it gets worse. We weren't direct marketers. In principle they're entitled to, but how can you say that one is right and the other is a good idea were obviously good, someone else would already have done it. It just means doing things right, and it's combined with the emotion Really, it's Apple's fault.

Stuff is an extremely illiquid asset. Maybe you'll notice a problem they encountered in their research. It would have been the personal qualities of early union organizers that made unions successful, but put yourself back in 2004. However, a city could select startups by piggybacking on the expertise of investors who weren't local. Drew Houston realizes he's forgotten his USB stick and thinks I really need to make my files live online. This seems to be built into our visual perception. I started. He called this language Lisp, for List Processing, because one audience is the set of all possible humans. It doesn't work for an intermediary to own the user. I think the goal of this rule is to avoid messing up the series A round, and we'll be accepting termsheets next tuesday. We're in good company here. An idea for a Web 2.

[taur10]

My life in 2020 and especially 2021

So, this was originally written as a family newsletter, but I thought I'd edit it and post it here. It'd been at least two years since I'd done one of these, and I've never been one for updating my blog with my life. Like my father said not too long before he passed, I don't talk about my problems, I take care of them my self, just put one foot in front of the other and keep moving. So, 2020 was the year the plague came along and wiped out the world... Ummm, except in my world where nothing much changed. Seriously, since I was working for O'Reilly's, an essential service, aside from the two weeks, nothing changed for me... Well, aside from more work as in corporate's brilliance, staff needed to be cut despite us already being short-handed. For Vik it was a little bigger, he got laid off for around 8 months, but they did call him back, in fact they covered 100% of his benefits costs until then. Throw in unemployment and some easy re-budgeting, and we were fine. Heck, we were so fine that at the end of November, after suffering a new boss for a month or so, I quit as we didn't need me to work, and at that point I needed a break. I guess that brings us to 2021, no? Hooboy, that's a year that's going to test my curse filter every time I think about it. If I'd written this a couple days ago, I would've forgotten about my hit and run, so much happened. So, January wasn't anything special, other than me deciding to go back to work. I hooked up with Hallmark making more than $2/hr more than my old job... working at the worst WalMart in the area. Seriously, the staff has run off any manager sent in to turn around the store. That plus the 8 to 10 hours I was getting wasn't going to cut it, so in May I returned to O'Reilly's. A little conspiring with my old boss, and I was able to get hired at his new store at a higher pay rate in an easier job rather than my local store, yay. But before that job change, the year's first bad news, and that was my husband's mom passing. Yay, the first hint at what kind of a year it was going to be. May we got him a new car. Me, I always get the hand me downs or cheap used cars as I often work driving jobs, and tear up cars, it's the nature of the work. We decided to get our first electric car, and it's an experience, I think we have things figured out by now. A Nissan Leaf is just a car that happens to be electric, for better and worse, and it takes some getting used to. And then I got to christen my new car with a hit-and-run. Yeah, seriously, but since I have a dash cam, you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vaIrtguuZ0 (that might only be the first video, the playlist is the whole incident as my camera cuts it into little tiny pieces and I haven't edited it together yet). It's rather fun to watch as according to him, he didn't know he hit me, nor that I was following him. Ummm, yeah, right, I think the video shows how much he lied about that. So, from there we get the Memorial Service for his mom. This was the trip that taught us the limits of an electric car, it didn't strand us, but the trip was a bit more complicated because of it's limits. July and August had nothing of note, yay. September had a few trips, we came down for my grandmother's 100th birthday. There was also a convention Vik attended and our bowling league restarted. It's a winter league, 2019 ended early, and 2020 obviously didn't happen. Vik's officially the captain, and I'm officially the scheduler. Busy month. Also the month we started looking into buying a house as the landlord was leaning to selling the place we'd been renting for the last five or so years. October was thankfully another easy month, though that was when the home shopping started in earnest. All days off got spent looking at listings, viewing houses with our realtor or going to open houses. November was when home shopping got serious with us touring quite a few, and bidding on a couple before finally getting one. Yeah, gotta love buying a house in this day and age, it's basically an auction. But, we closed on 23 Nov, and started moving stuff over the next day. in the end it took three weeks, three trips with a ten foot U-Haul truck, and another three to four with U-Haul trailers, the last trip being unplanned as one of my scooters decided to die. And countless trips using our Leaf and the Crosstrek. Where did we get all this stuff? Plus we're still fixing, adding and replacing things. Fridge is bought and installed, dishwasher replaced, and the stove is repaired (forgot to unplug it, boy does that make a spark). Now we need to get the closets worked on, not much shelving in them, plus some gas and electrical things need to be done, upgrades and tweaks rather than repairs. The list never stops, does it? Well, we're now into December, and I'm sure y'all have heard the news, not sure what we're doing yet, depends on what mom wants and when the memorial service is. Seriously, this year is one for the record books, we've celebrated basically no holidays or birthdays as there just wasn't time for them or at least shopping for them. We finally got the tree up Sunday, more or less, it's a touch half-assed, but... Well, been a year. Now just to get the cards out. Dear Santa, I don't ask for much, can I just have 2022 off?

[kemetic-dreams]

            I’M NOT RACIST A LIKE BLACK WOMEN! LOL

Another woman is telling Fox News her story of harassment at the hands of O'Reilly, according to attorney Lisa Bloom.

Bill O'Reilly used to leer at an African-American Fox News clerical worker and called her "hot chocolate," according to attorney Lisa Bloom, who helped the woman report the harassment to the network's hotline.

The woman worked for a different broadcaster in 2008 while this was going on, but The O'Reilly Factor host's office was near her desk, the attorney claims.

"He would never talk to her, not even hello, except to grunt at her like a wild boar," Bloom tells The Hollywood Reporter. "He would leer at her. He would always do this when no one else was around and she was scared."

READ MORE

Women's Rights Group Flies "Drop O'Reilly" Banner Over Manhattan Ahead of Protest

Bloom says she spoke with three witnesses who knew the woman at the time and confirmed she was upset and stressed at the end of each workday. "She’s not asking for any money," says Bloom. "She just wants them to know her story."

At the time, Bloom says the woman valued her job too much to risk speaking up.

"She was afraid if she told him to knock it off she’d get fired," Bloom says. "Now that’s she's aware this is all in the news, she’s decided to phone in a complaint to the Fox News hotline."

An attorney for Bill O'Reilly, Marc E. Kasowitz, responded with a statement to CNN that read: "It is outrageous that an allegation from an anonymous person about something that purportedly happened a decade ago is being treated as fact, especially when there is an obviously orchestrated campaign by activists and lawyers to destroy Mr. O'Reilly and enrich themselves through publicity driven donations."

Kasowitz, who is a longtime attorney for Donald Trump, did not respond to a request for comment from THR.

Bloom is also representing radio personality Wendy Walsh, who says she was forced out of the network after refusing O'Reilly's advances. An April 1 New York Times story revealed explosive allegations against O'Reilly, including that during his tenure at the network at least five women have been paid off to keep silent about harassment. In the story, Fox said in a statement that "no current or former Fox News employee ever took advantage of the 21st Century Fox hotline to raise a concern about Bill O’Reilly."

So far at least this woman and Walsh have taken advantage of the line — and, soon, another woman is also expected to call and report harassment by the anchor, according to Bloom.

The allegations against O'Reilly follow a flurry of litigation and press involving women who say they were harassed by and-or retaliated against by ousted-CEO Roger Ailes. Gretchen Carlson was the first to sue last summer, and several other women have filed litigation since. Ailes was terminated shortly after Megyn Kelly spoke with Fox investigators about her experience, which she details in her book.

Earlier this month, Bloom sent a letter to the New York State Division of Human Rights asking it to intervene at Fox News and calling the network a "cesspool of sexual harassment, intimidation and retaliation."

O'Reilly said on his April 11 show that he was taking a pre-planned vacation until April 24.

[narcisbolgor-blog]

OReilly On Chopping Block Amid Claim He Called Black Woman Hot Chocolate

What once seemed unimaginable now seems at least possible.

New York Magazines Gabriel Sherman reported Tuesday that the Murdoch family is leaning toward pulling Bill OReilly off of Fox Newsairwaves in the middle of growing pressure from advertisers and activist groups.

NPRsDavid Folkenflikand CNNsBrian Stelterreported later Tuesday that an OReilly exit was being discussed. The board of 21st Century Fox, Fox News parent company, was to meet Thursday and was likely to discuss OReilly, according to CNN.

The reports came as a new claim against OReilly was raised by attorney Lisa Bloom, who said the TV host used to call a black woman who worked as a clerical worker at Fox News hot chocolate during her time at the network in 2008. OReilly would reportedly make her feel uncomfortable in other ways as well.

Noel Vasquez via Getty Images

Could Bill O'Reilly's days at Fox News be numbered?

He would never talk to her, not even hello, except to grunt at her like a wild boar, Bloom told The Hollywood Reporter. He would leer at her. He would always do this when no one else was around and she was scared.

Bloom, who said she verified the womans story with three witnesses,claims the woman feared she would lose her job if she complained at the time. She added that the woman wants no money, but has registered a complaint with the Fox News hotline in light of recent news about the host a service that apparently many female employees at the network only recently came to learn about.

Later on Tuesday in a statement provided to CNNs Dylan Byers, OReilly lawyer Marc Kasowitz argued that the claims were part of an orchestrated campaign by activists to bring OReilly down.

It is outrageous that an allegation from an anonymous person about something that purportedly happened almost a decade ago is being treated as fact, especially where there is obviously an orchestrated campaign by activists and lawyers to destroy Mr. OReilly and enrich themselves through publicity driven donations, Kasowitz said.

In a second statement to Beyers, Kasowitz said his client has been subjected to a brutal campaign of character assassination that is unprecedented in post-McCarthyist America, and irrefutable evidence of a smear campaign would be unveiled soon.

OReilly, who remains cable news most dominant figure, went on vacation last week as advertisers dropped him by the dozensfollowing a New York Times investigation that revealed the Fox News Network and the host had paid at least $13 million to settle five claims of sexual harassment.

More claims have continued to surface about the hosts actions some of them from the most unlikely of sources.

At least 70 advertisers have decided to no longer advertise on The OReilly Factor, which remains Fox Newsbiggest show by far. But OReilly Factor viewers remain committed to their host. A recent HuffPost/YouGov poll found that 65 percent of people who watch the show still hold a favorable view of him, and only 9 percent of his Republican viewers think the show should be canceled.

The shows ratings also dropped 26 percent in the first three days he was gone, further proof of OReillys influence, both nationally and internally at Fox News.

Sherman reports that James Murdoch and Lachlan Murdoch have been arguing to their father,Rupert, that the network must rid itself of OReilly, but Rupert remains unsure, not wanting to appear to be bowing to outside pressure from outlets like The New York Times.

But on Tuesday, even Matt Drudge of The Drudge Report couldnt help but think that OReillys days might be numbered.

This article has been updated to include reports that Fox executives are discussing OReillys exit, and a 21st Century Fox board meeting on Thursday will consider his fate.

Chris DAngelo contributed reporting.

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[theloudpedal]

The 68th Annual O'Reilly Sacramento Autorama 2019 - After the Storm

Northern California just finished being battered by winter storms and sky rivers, or whatever they’re called these days.  The weather was so wet, dreary and cold that car show season seemed, not just months away but more like something in a different and far off dimension.  Though we’ve been down this road many times, the Sacramento Autorama at Cal Expo always seems, year after year, to arrive right after the latest winter storm, and at just the perfect time for the child that lives inside of us (yeah, that sounds weird).  Going into the weekend, the forecasts were ominous erratic and we were relatively certain there would be a total washout….

Our fears were misplaced as the Autorama lived up to its steady reputation of opening the season of cars shows and motorsports on which we waste away….er devote our precious weekends. The only damper the weather managed to throw on the event was that it kept the number of cars  that normally show up for the Autorama’s “show-what-you-drove,” open air display area pretty low, though there were some hardcore and devoted show-offs who braved the cold and the threat of wet to show off their machines, creativity and talent to anyone else who wanted to be out in the elements to check out the hardware. Our hats are off to those who were inclined to share, as this is one of our favorite things about the Autorama.

As we noted in the title, this was the 68th incarnation of our fair city’s premiere hot rod and custom event. We certainly try to attend every year to see all the high profile national circuit cars as well as the best of what our state and region produce. Thought some of these cars appear fairly regularly at the Autorama, we are no less excited or impressed by them. It’s kind of like homecoming. From the rusty to the ridiculously ornate, we love it all, and crave them every February.

Now, on to the cars……

One specimen that really left its mark on us this year was a 47 Ford COE named (just a big ol’) FIASCOE! We just can’t seem to get this thing out of our heads. We were both magnetically attracted to it numerous times on Saturday when we went to the event together, but I (Andrew) couldn’t escape it’s glorious allure yet again on Sunday when I took my son to the event. The owners and builders ticked all of the boxes on this build. The color, PPG Fisacoe Green, was as rich and velvety as The Continental’s smoking jacket. The suspension and stance thanks to the builders at Standley Brothers Hot Rods and Accuair were absolutely on the money. And speaking of money, the CA Redemption value of the massive polished aluminum wheels must be about a million bucks.

As in years past, the Autorama has retained a few more features that we’ve really come to enjoy. The first we’ll mention is the interactive and fan friendly area featuring local pin stripers and other automotive artists. Anyone who was so inclined could approach these virtuosos and learn about the ancient art of pin striping and all the finesse and concentration (and squirrel hair) required to do it well.

There were also several live bands (Who knew surf rock was still a thing?) on tap playing all over the CalExpo campus and lots and lots of food trucks in attendance to keep the crowds fed and energetic enough to walk through the acres and acres of hot rods and customs.

Another feature we’ve come to love and expect is the massive assemblage of low riders that the weekend attracts. There were at least 5 buildings full of them, in all styles and from all eras, provided mostly by a handful of Northern California car clubs. As good as the cars are, one of the best things about these displays are the reactions on people’s faces when they’re obviously taking these works of art in for the first time. Whether it’s the craftsmanship, the chrome, the hydraulics or the creativity, these cars surprise and inspire.

Along with the cars and trucks, you can usually spot some automotive personalities at the Autorama. In years past, we’ve seen and/or chatted with the likes of Gene Winfield, Dave Kindig & KevDogg, Ray Evernham, Blackie Gejeian, Jimmy Shine, and Billy Gibbons. This year’s event featured special guests Joe and Amanda Martin of Martin Bros. Customs in Johnson City Texas. These two and their talented crew of fabricators, painters and otherwise colorful characters are featured on the Motor Trend Channel’s show, Iron Resurrection. As we’re fans and regular viewers, we were a little disappointed that we didn’t get to see any of their builds on display, but we (one of us anyway) got over our disappointment and went in for a brief introduction, chat, swag purchase, and yessss a sweet sweet selfie!!!

The real core of Autorama, it’s beating heart, is that not one vehicle in any building, at any display or in the show (with very rare exception) came from the factory in the form in which it currently exists. Walking amongst the custom work, it is easy to get lost in the meticulous details and creativity of builders, designers and owners. Rather than measuring the costs of a build, the Autorama reminds us to measure the hours, the long days and often nights spent getting the job done. Yes, some are six figure custom creations, others are long-term productions with the car and owner spending time together at home in the garage. In the end though, the cost differences matter little as they all are the embodiment of hours of sweat, busted knuckles and countless eye rolls from friends and family that doubt the vision.

As always, we hope you enjoy our words, but the photos are typically so much better.

[thrashermaxey]

Ramblings: Islander Goalie Tandem, Red Hot Blues (Feb 15)

I know Dobber has mentioned this before, but I’ve observed this as well. I’m hearing a ton of complaints about goaltending right now. “My goaltending sucks… no, really, mine is worse than anyone’s… I drafted (any of Sergei Bobrovsky, Jonathan Quick, Braden Holtby, the list goes on…) thinking my goaltending was secure, yet it has been a complete disaster.” Yep, join the club. Scoring is way up. Look at the number of point-per-game scorers this season. That’s going to come at the expense of goaltending.

It is still possible to be in love with your goaltending, or at least not want to break up with one or more of your goalies that you had high expectations for. Or to put it another way, you may be lucky enough to own a goalie that seems to care about you (hey, it was Valentine’s Day yesterday). Frederik Andersen and Andrei Vasilevskiy are two that come to mind that at least haven’t sucked. Two more that fantasy owners can be happy with are a pair that were complete afterthoughts to start the season. I’m talking about the Islanders’ tandem of Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss.

I’ve mentioned the amazing season of Lehner numerous times already, but let’s turn our attention to Greiss now. The new system of Barry Trotz and Mitch Korn has also worked wonders on Greiss, who posted a 31-save shutout of the Blue Jackets on Thursday. With the shutout, Greiss has now won five of his last six starts while allowing just three goals over that stretch. That��s three shutouts over his last five games.

Greiss’ recent play has forced a timeshare between him and Robin Lehner over the last half-dozen games. Although we tend to try to avoid timeshares in fantasy hockey, this arrangement is the exception to the rule. For goalies playing at least 20 games, Greiss (.930 SV%, 2.20 GAA) and Lehner (.929 SV%, 2.08 GAA) are 1-2 in both save percentage and goals-against average. Greiss’ numbers from last season (3.82 GAA, .892 SV%) to this season are like night and day, and he was with the very same team! One great fantasy goalie start is better than two mediocre ones.

To bring it back to my original point, the work that Trotz and Korn have done on Long Island is nothing short of miraculous, especially if you consider how much scoring has increased this season. Now leading the Metropolitan Division by three points, the Tavares-less Islanders have to be considered the surprise team of the NHL.

Not that he’ll ever replace JT, but with two goals on Thursday, Casey Cizikas now has three goals in his past two games.

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Andreas Athanasiou scored two goals in the first period on Thursday, including one on a penalty shot. He now has his first 20-goal season with more goals to come. He hasn’t been blessed with Detroit’s top forwards as linemates (Dylan Larkin immediately comes to mind), but he’s using his speed to make the most of what he has been given. If his production is a surprise to you, keep in mind that this is his fourth season. With his skill, I can’t help but think there’s more to come.

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Ho-hum, just another four-point game for Nikita Kucherov, including three points in the first period. As well, Steven Stamkos scored twice and added an assist. Jon Cooper has now separated Kucherov and Stamkos, with the lines looking like this:

#1           22%        GOURDE,YANNI – KUCHEROV,NIKITA – POINT,BRAYDEN

#2           21.5%    CIRELLI,ANTHONY – KILLORN,ALEX – MILLER,J.T.

#3           21.1%    ERNE,ADAM – JOSEPH,MATHIEU – PAQUETTE,CEDRIC

#4           16.7%    JOHNSON,TYLER – PALAT,ONDREJ – STAMKOS,STEVEN

Obviously the lines to be on are with Kucherov and Stamkos, in particular the line with Kucherov and Brayden Point. Yanni Gourde, who has cooled off (14 points in last 38 games) after a hot start (20 points in first 20 games), is the main benefactor here, although he failed to get on the scoresheet at all in spite of six Tampa goals.

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Same old, same old for Patrick Kane. His point streak is now at 16 games with his three points on Thursday. Now second in league scoring to Kucherov, Kane should be in the Hart Trophy discussion.    

Patrick Kane has 59 points in his last 31 games.

Just 156-point pace. No big deal.

— /Cam Robinson/ (@Hockey_Robinson) February 15, 2019

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Since Jake Allen started his first game in nearly a month last Sunday, Craig Berube has turned back to Jordan Binnington for the last two games. Even though the extended mental health break might be doing wonders for the beleaguered Allen, Berube is wisely running with the hot hand here. As the interim coach attempting to turn it into a full-time job, he has to be less committed to the goalie with the contract than a coach with job security (relatively speaking) would.

Binnington is helping with that job security for his coach, stopping all 21 shots he faced in a 4-0 win over Arizona. Binnington has now won seven games in a row, while the Blues as a team have won eight in a row. Berube and Binnington have not only rescued the Blues’ season, but they are now lifting the Blues above the pile of struggling teams that are still within shouting distance of a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

With two goals on Thursday, Vladimir Tarasenko is now riding a 10-game point streak and has eight points (5g-3a) over his last three games. Over that stretch (since January 19) only the aforementioned Kane (2.22) and Brad Marchand (1.89) have a higher points-per-game total than Tank (1.70). His season has turned around completely just as the Blues’ season has, which is why it's wise not to write off a stud when all hope seems lost (Patrik Laine owners, are you paying attention?) I was hoping that Berube would try Tarasenko with Ryan O’Reilly, which has turned out to be beneficial for Tarasenko, O’Reilly, and Brayden Schenn.  

So, the past eight games since Berube put #stlblues line of Schenn-O'Reilly-Tarasenko together: 33 points

Schenn: 1g-9a=10 points

O'Reilly: 3g-5a=8 points

Tarasenko: 8g-7a=15 points

Tarasenko's 10-game point streak: nine goals, eight assists = 17 points … man is on fire.

— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) February 15, 2019

With an assist on Thursday, rookie Robert Thomas now has a four-game point streak with five points (all assists). Worth keeping an eye on.

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With two goals on Thursday, Auston Matthews now has 100 over his career in just 187 games. For active players, only Patrik Laine has scored his first 100 goals in fewer games (179).

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Adam’s going to mention Troy Stecher in his Looking Ahead article this week, so I won’t try to steal (much of) his thunder. But I will mention that Stecher logged 31:55 on Thursday in a game that went the distance time-wise. With both Alex Edler and Chris Tanev out of the lineup, Stecher and Ben Hutton (28:37 on Thursday) played a ton, with Stecher also logging first-unit power-play minutes. I’ve always believed that the undersized Stecher is one of the Canucks’ better defensemen, and he’s going to have an opportunity to make some contributions. It’s also worth mentioning that he has three points in his last five games, so I will concur he’s worth taking a flier on.

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With the Sharks’ lone goal on Thursday, Kevin Labanc now has goals in three consecutive games and five goals over that span. Prior to that he had scored just six goals all season. David Pastrnak owners won’t be able to replace him with someone with equal ability on the waiver wire, but Labanc is one right winger who you could consider as at least a stopgap option.

T.J. Oshie scored two goals and added an assist in the Capitals’ 5-1 win over San Jose. After a slow second quarter (just two points in 12 games), Oshie has rebounded nicely with 17 points in his last 16 games. Oshie is on pace for 59 points, which is right around his career average, although his point total will probably be lower because he has missed 11 games.

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Did I miss anything worth mentioning? Probably, because there were 11 games on the schedule on Thursday. If you think so, leave a note and I might make room for it tomorrow.

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For more fantasy hockey information, you can follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-islander-goalie-tandem-red-hot-blues-feb-15/

[movietvtechgeeks]

Latest story from https://movietvtechgeeks.com/selena-gomez-goes-deep-weeknd-plus-r-kellys-concert-problems/

Selena Gomez goes deep on The Weeknd plus R Kelly's concert problems

Ever since they started dating a few months back, both Selena Gomez and The Weeknd have kept their relationship pretty private. However, in her recent interview with InStyle magazine, Selena gave readers a bit more insight into how she feels about her famous beau. InStyle enlisted the “Fetish” singer to star on the cover of their September issue. Inside the magazine, Selena is featured in a spread, as well as an exclusive interview, in which she talks candidly about her 90-day hiatus from the spotlight (at the end of 2016) and her new relationship. In talking about her break from Hollywood, Selena explained, “I went away for 90 days, and it was the best thing that I ever could’ve done. I had no phone, nothing, and I was scared. But it was amazing, and I learned a lot.” You may remember, Selena checked herself into a rehab facility where she was treated for exhaustion, as well as issues surrounding her mental and emotional health. The songstress went on to add, “I was in the countryside and never did my hair; I took part in equine therapy, which is so beautiful. And it was hard, obviously. But I knew what my heart was saying, and I thought ‘OK, I think this has helped me become stronger for other people.’” When asked about her relatively new relationship, Selena admitted that she sees The Weeknd not only as her love, but also as her best friend. The former Disney star elaborated, "I don't depend on one area of my life to make me happy. It's really important for me to love and nourish my friends and family and to make sure that I never get influenced by a guy. I've wanted to be in a strong headspace for years, and I really wasn't. Before, I was so young and easily influenced, and I'd feel insecure. You want someone to add to your life, not to complete you, if that makes sense. I'm lucky because he's more of a best friend than anything else." Officials in a Georgia county want an upcoming concert by R. Kelly canceled after a media report accusing the singer of mental and physical abuse against young women. The Fulton County Board of Commissioners sent a letter this week to Live Nation asking the entertainment company to cancel Kelly's Aug. 25 concert. Live Nation contracts with the county to plan and promote events at the county-owned amphitheater just outside Atlanta. Messages seeking reaction from Live Nation to the letter weren't immediately returned Friday afternoon. Commission Chairman John Eaves told reporters Friday that he was troubled by a BuzzFeed News report last month, which quoted parents and several women alleging that Kelly forms relationships with young women interested in the music industry and then mentally and physically abuses them. An attorney for Kelly told BuzzFeed that he denies the allegations. Eaves said board members decided to ask the concert promoter to cancel the event after hearing from "many" county residents who objected to holding it the public-owned site. "They object to their tax dollars providing a stage for an entertainer who is repeatedly in a swirl of controversy surrounding the sexual exploitation of women and underage girls," Eaves said. Eaves said even though Kelly hasn't been charged with or convicted of any crimes related to the media report, he felt comfortable speaking out "on a moral basis." But he acknowledged that Live Nation is contracted to book and promote concerts on the county's behalf and has the final say about whether the event will go on. He said county officials aren't considering any legal action. Local activists who also spoke at Friday's news conference said they will protest outside the concert if Live Nation doesn't cancel. They argued that letting the event go on uninterrupted sends a message that sexual exploitation won't be punished. Well…I can’t say this latest split comes as much of a surprise… On Thursday, Real Housewives of New York star Luann de Lesseps announced that she was getting a divorce from her husband, Tom D’Agostino. After just eight short months of marriage, the reality star took to her Twitter page to share the news with fans and followers. Luann posted, “It’s with great sadness that Tom & I agreed to divorce. We care for each other very much, hope you respect our privacy during this sad time!” Luann de Lesseps, Twitter post: https://twitter.com/CountessLuann/status/893167910138589184 Unfortunately for Bravo, the reunion show for Real Housewives of New York was shot before Luann and Tom decided to split. Media outlet TMZ reports that while Luann acknowledges the ups and downs of her marriage during the reality special, there is no mention of an official divorce during the reunion. While it is nonetheless sad, a lot of fans and friends of Luann were not expecting her relationship with Tom to last. Unfortunately, their relationship was very rocky from the start. Not only had Tom been involved with two of the other Housewives (Ramona and Sonja) before dating - and subsequently, marrying - Luann, but he was also spotted making out with another woman the night before his and Luann’s engagement party. Since there is no divorce talk from Luann during the reunion show, here’s hoping she pays a visit to Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live to spill some of the details about her and Tom’s sudden decision to part ways. A liberal advocacy group that targeted Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly for advertiser boycotts in the past now has its sights set on Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity. Media Matters for America said Friday it will begin asking Hannity's advertisers to shun him and will ask thousands of its members to also contact companies. The group is setting up a stophannity.com website and plans to hire a plane to carry an anti-Hannity banner in the New York area. His Fox show "really has moved beyond just being a conservative viewpoint to state-aligned disinformation and propaganda," said Angelo Carusone, Media Matters president. "If we don't do it now, Hannity will only get worse." Fox had no immediate comment on the effort Friday. Hannity, a survivor in a tumultuous year at Fox and President Donald Trump's most prominent media supporter, called one similar effort against him a "kill shot" designed to get him fired. In the spring, Media Matters published a list of Hannity's advertisers, and while it stopped short of advocating a boycott, groups like the Democratic Coalition Against Trump did. Only a handful of advertisers responded. Conservatives launched a campaign against MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, which met with a similar lack of success. Hannity's opponents were energized by a lawsuit filed this week alleging Fox fabricated quotes to back up a story suggesting a Democratic National Committee staff member killed last summer may have been involved in a leak of WikiLeaks documents. Fox retracted the story in May. Hannity was a proponent of the theory, although he didn't mention it when it came back in the news this week. Hannity's suggestion this week that special counsel Robert Mueller may have broken laws regarding conflicts of interest, and the frequent appearance of Trump's lawyer on his program, proved the tipping point in launching the new effort, Carusone said. "Ultimately, we were forced into this position," he said. With the initial effort against him in the spring, Hannity told the Huffington Post that "nobody tells me what to say on my show. They never have and they never will." "There's nothing that I did, nothing that I said, except they don't like my positions politically," he said. "They'll try to ratchet up the intensity of their rationale. It does not justify an attempt to get me fired. And that's what this is. This is a kill shot." Beck's Fox News Channel show was slowly choked by advertiser defections. The campaign against O'Reilly moved swiftly before his ouster in April, but that was primarily due to publicity about harassment charges against him, rather than his political viewpoint. Hannity has no such personal scandal attached to him, so even Carusone acknowledges that he's got his work cut out for him. "It's going to be a much bigger lift," he said. "It's going to take more time and research." The music video for the No. 1 hit song "Despacito" has a new record - it's become the most popular clip on YouTube of all-time with more than three billion views. YouTube announced Friday that Luis Fonsi's ubiquitous song with Daddy Yankee has surpassed previous record holder "See You Again," the song by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth from the "Furious 7" soundtrack. "Despacito" became an international smash hit this year, topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The record-breaking video does not include the popular remix with Justin Bieber; that version has been viewed more than 464 million times. "Despacito" is on track to become the first video to reach three billion views on YouTube. The video is also the most "liked" video on YouTube. Two murals showing an oversized President Donald Trump have appeared on Israel's West Bank separation barrier, just yards from where the elusive artist Banksy decorated a hotel earlier this year. The new drawings popped up on the edge of Bethlehem, the Palestinian city where the barrier largely consists of a wall of towering slabs of concrete. In one scene, Trump is shown hugging and kissing a real Israeli army watchtower built into the wall, as his left arm reaches around the tower. Little pink hearts flutter from Trump's mouth. In another drawing, Trump is depicted wearing a Jewish skullcap and placing a hand a wall - a scene taken from the U.S. president's May visit to Jerusalem's Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray. A cartoon "thought bubble" next to him says, "I'm going to build you a brother," a possible reference to Trump's plans to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. The murals were signed "lushsux" - a signature that according to a 2016 report by the Australian newspaper "The Age" has been used in the past by a Melbourne street artist. The artist was among those who participated in a Banksy show in Britain in 2015, the report said. A Twitter account in the name "lushsux" published the mural of Trump with his hand on a wall on Monday. The second mural was seen by an Associated Press cameraman for the first time Friday. The new graffiti is just a few meters (yards) from "The Walled Off Hotel," a Palestinian-run guest house that opened earlier this year and sarcastically bills itself as having the "worst view in the world." The nine-room hotel was decorated with Banksy's trademark political murals, including one in "Banksy's Room" that shows a masked Palestinian and a helmeted Israeli soldier in a pillow fight. Israel began building the barrier a decade ago, at the height of an armed Palestinian uprising, saying the divider is needed to keep suicide bombers and gunmen from entering Israel. Palestinians say the barrier, which slices off about 10 percent of the West Bank, amounts to a land grab. Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in 1967. Several U.S.-led Israeli-Palestinian attempts to negotiate the terms of a Palestinian state on these lands have failed. Trump said early on in his term that he would try to broker a deal, but has not offered a way forward. You probably think you know everything there is to know about Kim Kardashian and her siblings. But there is a little-known prequel — the twisted story of her parents Robert and Kris’ tempestuous marriage, which was marked by rampant philandering and scandal. Author Jerry Oppenheimer’s book “The Kardashians: An American Drama” (St. Martin’s Press, out Sept. 19) reveals patriarch Robert’s infatuation with Elvis Presley’s ex-wife Priscilla, Kris’ repeated infidelity and Robert’s confession to his pastor that Khloé Kardashian wasn’t his biological daughter. Here are the highlights from the book: Forever immortalized as the stand-by-his-man supporter of pal O.J. Simpson, Robert Kardashian rose to notoriety when he served as a legal consultant on the “dream team” that won the athlete a not-guilty verdict in his infamous 1995 murder trial. Robert, a born-again Christian of Armenian descent, was born in 1944 to a wealthy Los Angeles family; he would later distance himself from the clan’s corrupt meatpacking empire. Despite standing a mere 5-foot-8 and being stricken with a thick white hairline streak in his otherwise jet-black mane, he was considered one of Beverly Hills’ most eligible bachelors in the 1970s. Born in 1955, Kristen “Kris” Houghton came from “redneck” roots and was raised in San Diego by her tough-as-nails maternal grandmother after her alcoholic father left when she was 7. By 12th grade, Kris wasn’t dreaming about prom or college, but looking for a man — a rich one. High-school pal Joan Zimmerman thought Kris’ mom, Mary Jo, was “kind of pimping her out” when the 17-year-old started a relationship with golf pro Cesar Sanudo, who was more than 10 years her senior. That ended when Kris met Robert — who thought the teenager looked like a young Natalie Wood, despite a necklace that read “OH, S – – T” — at a horse-racing track and cheated on her boyfriend with him. As Jack Spradlin, a friend of Sanudo’s, said: “[Kris] saw a far better financial opportunity with Kardashian than with Cesar.” Still, Robert thought Kris was too young for things to be serious and soon dumped her for Priscilla Presley. He may have been besotted with the famous ex-wife of Elvis, but she only went out with Robert because “she had no one else to go out with,” according to a cousin. A worldly and “kinky” Presley groomed Robert, telling him how to dress and what kind of car to drive. The relationship, however, would never escape the specter of her famous ex. Robert “complained to a friend that while he was making love to Priscilla, she would get incoherent phone calls from [her ex-husband] Elvis ‘and she would put the receiver on the pillow between them and let him listen,’ ” Oppenheimer writes. Robert aimed to turn Priscilla into “the perfect Armenian housewife.” “Priscilla once tried to make dinner for Robert because he kept asking her,” said Joni Migdal, his friend since childhood. “She cooked asparagus, and she made this, and she made that . . . She went out of her way to make it perfect for him, and he hated it.” Priscilla was insulted. Soon, she told Robert: “I’m not going to marry anyone until Elvis dies.” He wasn’t lonely for long. A heartsick Kris, by then an American Airlines flight attendant, had been destroyed by Robert’s relationship with glam Priscilla and readily took him back, moving into his Beverly Hills manse right away. He was a lawyer and entrepreneur who made a killing with one of his investments, driving both a Rolls-Royce and a Mercedes; she was scraping by and had nothing to her name. Still, her fancy beau refused to give her money for anything, including much-needed new tires for her old Mazda. “She needs to learn the value of a dollar,” Robert told Migdal. Ironically, this would backfire on Robert after he married Kris in 1978. Once they shared bank accounts, she would rebel against his prior constraints by becoming monstrously extravagant. When she dropped three grand on a single belt, her husband was apoplectic: “Can you f – – king believe that? Who needs a belt for $3,000?” Where he failed to mold Priscilla into the perfect submissive housewife, Robert was determined to succeed with young Kris. Friends told Oppenheimer about how he was “totally turned on” by the 1975 movie “The Stepford Wives.” “[It] was the model for Robert’s marriage to Kris,” said Migdal. According to another friend, “He had a fantasy about being able to dominate women.” As a way of grooming his high-school-educated bride, Robert gave her self-help audiotapes to teach her how to throw a party and decorate for the holidays. “Kris would say, ‘Oh God, I have to finish these tapes before the week is out because we’re going to talk about them,’ ” recalled friend Larry Kraines. Robert, who had adorned his car with a fish insignia to show his born-again status, kept copies of the Bible on his nightstand, on his desk and on his person at all times. While Kris attended church with her husband, Robert’s pastor, Kenn Gulliksen, harbored doubts about her sincerity: “I just sensed that Kris saw in Bob a kind of gold mine. Robert was a very generous man, and that was . . . good for Kris.” After daughters Kourtney and Kim were born (in 1979 and 1980, respectively), the family moved into a 7,000-square-foot estate in Beverly Hills’ most “prestigious” section, complete with tennis courts and a duck-shaped swimming pool. Kris’ audiotape lessons had paid off, and the home became “party central.” They often hung out with Robert’s friend, O.J. Simpson. Sometimes, Simpson would have Kris call a very young girl — “possibly still in high school” — whom he was seeing, in case her parents answered. Then she would hand him the phone. It seemed the family was flourishing. Robert had sold one of his businesses, the trade publication Radio & Records, “for a bundle.” But with the 1984 arrival of their third child, Khloé, the couple couldn’t ignore an elephant in the room: They hadn’t had sex during the time she had to have been conceived. Gulliksen recalled that “it was my strong impression from him that [Robert] loved Khloé very much, but he said it in a way that implied that ‘She’s not my blood daughter.’ ” He was unwilling to take a DNA test to confirm it, and told Migdal that “whoever her father is . . . she is my child.” Years later, his two subsequent wives — Jan Ashley and Ellen Pierson — attested that Robert claimed that Khloé wasn’t his biological daughter. Soon, Kris’ affairs would be more out in the open. Despite all the blessings — and bling — of a charmed Beverly Hills life, she became “bored and rebellious.” After getting a new pair of breasts, she reportedly decided she wanted freedom. “Kris would tell Robert, ‘I need to go out. I need to have fun,’ ” Migdal said. “[She] was coming home at two and three in the morning drunk, and she would tell Robert, ‘I have four kids and I have not lived life.’ ” (Son Rob was born in 1987.) Kris began seeing a soccer player, Todd Waterman, introducing him as her boyfriend at parties and paying his bills with Robert’s money. Waterman recalled that a young Khloé would go with them on dates: “She’d be in the back seat of the car.” Once, after Kris told her husband that Waterman was her tennis instructor, the two played on the Kardashian court while Robert watched. But soon enough, Robert caught Waterman and Kris “three different times,” she said, including at the other man’s apartment and on a restaurant date. Upon finding them together in Waterman’s car one time, Robert jumped out of his Mercedes with a golf club in hand. “He took a swing and whacked the back of my car,” said Waterman. Kris told him to “keep driving — [Robert] might have a gun in the car.” Another time, as Simpson stood by, Robert phoned Waterman and yelled: “You just f – – ked Snow White! Do you know what you’ve done to this entire universe, you asshole? Now you . . have to deal with me.” The Kardashians finally divorced in 1991. Months later, Kris married Olympian Bruce Jenner, her “best lover.” Jenner — who decades later would transition to being a woman named Caitlyn — had already wed twice before. After his first wife, Chrystie Crownover, left him, he stayed for a while at the Playboy Mansion. “Bruce became like one of the Bunnies,” said a longtime mansion regular. “One night he’s boogieing in a tux with the girls at a dress-up party, and the next night he’d be like one of the girls and all dressed up — makeup, hosiery, high heels, the whole nine yards. I thought he was just being funny, like when Milton Berle used to come on TV in drag.” He may have been one of the most famous athletes of the 1970s, but by the early ’90s Jenner “had little money . . . and was living in a dumpy little house.” When he moved in with Kris, Jenner brought along his parents. “Simply put,” Oppenheimer writes, “[Kris] was ‘very pissed off,’ according to friends.” She would, apparently, get over it, however, with the two going on to have daughters Kendall (in 1995) and Kylie (in 1997) and star together in the reality-TV series “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.” Robert, meanwhile, was about to become a household name. After bosom buddy Simpson was arrested in 1994 for the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole, and her friend Ron Goldman, Robert chose to steadfastly support him, showing up to court nearly every day as a member of the athlete’s legal “dream team.” He wrote a letter to Kris and his kids in 1995, once the trial was in full swing: “I truly believe in O.J.’s innocence, and unless they find him guilty, I will continue to support him . . . Please be understanding.” Kris, who had been one of Nicole’s closest friends, was “furious” with her ex’s defense of O.J. (Years later, Kourtney would get into the University of Arizona with an essay titled “My Parents Were on Opposite Sides of the O.J. Simpson Trial.”) Elsewhere in Robert’s life, reactions were mixed. Some friends and colleagues deserted him. “No one ever turned their back on someone like they did on Robert over the O.J. thing,” recalled Migdal. People would spit on him while he was in his convertible. On the other hand, he often got “celebrity treatment” because of the public fascination with the televised trial, snagging the best tables at Beverly Hills restaurants. Roger Moore sought him out to chat. Actor Rod Steiger sent wine to his table. Robert hoped that Al Pacino or Robert De Niro would play him in a future O.J. movie. (Little did he know he would instead end up with David “Ross from ‘Friends’ ” Schwimmer.) The fallout from the trial took a toll on the entire Kardashian family. But the kids were moving on with their lives — and the apples didn’t fall far from the tree. By 2000, Kim was a bride at age 19. Robert was “upset” when Kim wed her first husband, Damon Thomas, who is African-American. According to an Oppenheimer source, Robert said: “I know these black guys, and I know they love white pussy. O.J. always brags about how much he and those guys get. The problem is my kids are liberal, maybe too liberal, and I have no one to blame but myself because I introduced them to Uncle O.J.” In 2003, Robert was diagnosed with esophageal cancer; when he died some eight weeks later, he reportedly weighed 80 pounds. Before he passed, Priscilla Presley called to tell him she loved him. “It brought tears to his eyes,” Oppenheimer writes. Years later, after Robert’s kids became world-famous, his widow Ellen Pierson — who was said to have frozen out his closest friends — sold off excerpts of what was allegedly his diary, in which he wrote about Kris and Waterman’s sleeping together in his bed and leaving their kids unattended while she “screwed all night.” It detailed Kris’ allegedly abusive nature, describing her as pulling Kourtney’s hair and twisting her arms, also claiming that “scared and nervous” Kim had also been beaten by their mother. Kris sued Pierson in 2013 on the basis of copyright infringement, claiming that Robert’s kids owned the copyrights for his diaries. Pierson filed legal papers for defamation, emotional distress and civil conspiracy to defame, claiming the Kardashians only filed their lawsuit for use as a plot point for their TV show. The copyright claim was settled in 2014, when Pierson returned the diaries to the Kardashians, who also collected $84,000. Robert’s friend Kraines insists the late man would be as “proud as punch” of his girls today. “Would Robert have liked Kim’s sex tape, and all that horses – – t? Probably not. But would he have liked the fact that they have made a tremendous amount of money? Definitely!” As for Kris, who divorced Jenner in 2015, sources say that she wants to follow in the footsteps of another reality-TV star. The now-divorced mom of six has told people she wants to run for political office — on a platform of advocacy for single moms — saying she and Donald Trump have the same kind of DNA. “If Mr. Weird Hair can do it, so can I,” she’s reportedly said. According to a “credible source”: “She has so much confidence that talking about the presidency one day isn’t out of the question for her.”

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What I Learned From My Visit To Martin Luther King National Historic Site

Rama here! To honor this #MartinLutherKingDay weekend, allow me to share with you a bit about my visit to the MLK museum national historic site in Atlanta two years ago and about what I learned from that experience... I've admired Dr. King since I was a kid growing up in Asia hearing about him in classrooms, reading books about him, watching documentaries about him. But I'm not a MLK expert, so it's a constant learning-as-I-go process. So at that historic site two years ago, I found out that Dr. King had actually traveled to India to pretty much soak in all the wisdom and legacy of late great Gandhi especially Gandhi's non-violent protest. Turns out, Jesus Christ was not the only influence and inspiration in Dr. King's approach. I entered Dr. King's birth home and my goodness.. the house and the rooms were extremely small and compact in size, it humbled me because all of a sudden, we could no longer complain about the material things that we do or don't have. So here's what I take away from that experience. 1). I prefer to call it racial justice by the way, not racial relations.. And so the discussion about racial justice is an ongoing one and it needs to be frequently talked about. We should never feel uncomfortable bringing up that subject. Because the true danger happens when we dismiss it or when we simply say that everything's all good in America now. For example, talk show host Dick Cavett interviewed prominent black author James Baldwin in the '60s and Dick said to him basically and I'm paraphrasing here that Dick doesn't understand why black people are still restless. There are now black athletes, black mayors, black leaders, so what else could they want. That's basically what Dick was politely implying. Fast-forward to not too long ago when Bill O'Reilly said something similar on his program about how there are black this and black that now, so everything is ok now, folks! That's what Bill was implying. Clearly a certain mindset hasn't changed in the past 40 years or so. The mindset that focuses only on certain things that make America appear exceptional while at the same time disregarding the reality on the ground. When we stop discussing racial justice which obviously still needs fighting for, that is when equality gets benched. Folks like Dick Cavett and Bill O'Reilly don't know and probably will never know what it feels like to be wearing the other shoes, what it feels like to be marginalized and powerless, what it feels like to not have a fair shot at opportunities. We as a society need to have empathy. We shouldn't stay aside just because it's not happening to us. 2). I once heard from a black community that the term Civil Rights is reserved only for them and them alone. Meaning that they get offended whenever LGBTQ community also uses civil rights as a way to fight for their human rights to equality. I don't know whether or not Dr. King would stand with LGBTQ rights if he were around today. There are some things that we know for sure he would do. But in this case, I don't know, we don't know, we just don't. But here's the thing... those who know what it feels like to have been oppressed should never burn the bridge behind them. When we've reached a certain progress and burn the bridge behind us thus stopping others to reach equality, we are no better than the oppressors themselves. Again, I don't know what Dr. King would do in terms of this specific matter. But we do know that in the years leading up to his assassination, Dr. King also worked hard waging war against poverty and constantly protesting so that jobs would become more available for the people. Well, unless I'm mistaken, I think Poverty doesn't see race, poverty doesn't see sexual orientation, poverty doesn't see religion. And so if you want to talk about equality of basic human rights, it would have to be equality for all or none at all. 3). I too myself have still got a lot to learn. Because when Dylan Roof was sentenced to death recently for killing black churchgoers, I felt kinda happy that Roof received the death penalty. In this case, it's safe to say that Dr. King most likely would not feel happy about that, he'd probably disagree with the sentencing and it's not to belittle Roof's clearly heinous act either. Dr. King believed in non-violence, love and peaceful protest. He wanted to liberate not only the oppressed black community but he also wanted to liberate those who harbored hatred in their hearts, the oppressors. I don't know if I could get to that point. It's still very difficult for me to feel even a slight indication of sympathy towards a villain like Dylan Roof. But Dr. King probably would try to visit Roof in prison. And if Roof rejected Dr. King's visit, Dr. King would continue to pray for Roof's well-being because that's the kind of man Dr. King was, from what I gathered. So in this Martin Luther King Day weekend, let us do some self-examining and see which parts of ourselves we can improve in terms of the way we see our fellow neighbors. And when there is injustice, pray for the courage to stand up and speak out.