INTERESTING SLIP OF THE LIP!

I'm currently, like at this moment - I have it paused in fact - watching today (Jan 16th) broadcast of Outnumbered (FNC) ... and today's guest is Mr. Wonderful .... I have no idea who this guy is, really.

I have seen him on here before, I know he has some affiliattion with the show Shark Tank (ABC) .... but that's it .... I don't know anything about him oher than he's got money.

Anyways - the segment is on Michelle Obama and why she didn't show up for the FUNERAL OF JIMMY CARTER - I noticed she wasn't there, but Obama and Trump were laughing, so I figured she must have had a fight with Barrack or one of the girls needed her attention ....

After all, this was he funeral for the oldest living former President ... EVER ... not o menttion that he was President during her high school years - he probably had a huge influence on her life ...

NOW - it seems that she will NOT be going to Trump's 2nd Inaugeration either .... again, no reason given.

But Mr. Wonderful piped in with when his show, Shark Tank, went tto HER White House ...

Excuse me????

No no no .... She was never elected into office, therefore it was never HER White House!

Although .... there have been rumors .... but I wrote them off as so much gossip ....

Yet - I totally believe them about Jill Biden pushing her agenda through with Joe Biden as President ....

Hmmm.

I know there was talk about Michelle Obama being ran instead of Harris -- but the MONEY factor, the "War Chest", was the reason they didn't do that ... 

And while she could have been chosen as V.P. - she really doesn't like Harris all that much ....

Oooo - there would have been some wig-snatching in the White House if that had happened ....

But .... still ... Cuban even chose his words carefully .... at first he said "his White House" but corrected himself ino saying "HER White House" ...

Yup.

TAKING CREDIT WHERE CREDI ISN'T DUE ...kind of

OMG - they showed a clip of a press "conference"/speech which Biden gave after the news of the Cease Fire had been released ....

Harris was standing off to his side ... and I suppose it's okay that she was there, although she didn't look very happy, not that it's an occasion for smiling - but at least look interested.

Any how - according to BIDEN, the negotiations were joined by the "incoming administration" .... dude, your side lost - it's okay to say his name now .... BUT that these aspects of the agreement HE had been thinking of since MAY ....

The Cease Fire is supposed to last for 45 days ... that's it ... and that 2 American hostages will be amongst those released during "Phase 1" ....

More on the hostages at the end ... I don't want to miss my point ...

When President Biden turned to leave, a REPORTER shouted out a question .....

She asked about IN THE HISTORY BOOKS, who was going to be given credit for releasing the hostages and the Cease Fire, BIDEN or TRUMP??

Biden stopped and began to turn around, Harris STOPPED HIM, but he did yell back over his turned shoulder,

"IS THAT A JOKE?"

They then very quickly got him OFF THE STAGE where he couldn't be asked anymore questions ....

Later on, a spokeman said that things went smoother once Trump's representative joined the negotiations ... 

To which at the daily Press Briefing, Jean-Pierre denied knowing who had said it .... when she was informed that i was someone very high up - she was given a name - she simply said she couldn't speak to how HE felt about it, she could only speak for the White House.

Okay - the hostages ....

Of the 33 being returned ... 20 or so will be LIVE hostages ... the rest will likely be remains, by the sounds of it.

only 2 of them will be Americans who had been taken during the invasion ... obduction ... kidnapping ... whatt do we call it??

BUT - no word yet as to whether they are alive or dead ... they better hope their alive, I'm not sure if Trump will count a deceased hostage as being "returned" ...

During one of the previous exchanges - it seems that one of the prisoners let go was the leader of Hammas, which then kicked up the fighting once he got back into power.

Let's hope they do not have the same "luck" with the ones they are returning now.

FOLLOW UP: CEASE FIRE, ISRAEL & HAMMAS

I have finally gotten to today's broadcast of Special Report (FNC) ... that is Wed. Jan 15th ... and I have some rough numbers ....

Number of Hostages to be given back?

33 ... no word on how many are Live hostages, nor how many are Remains of hostages ....

Number of people Hammas will get?

"Hundreds" according to this this report .... and here's why ...

For the first 9 hostages, there will be given 110 Palestinian prisoners ... ALL of whom had LIFE SENTENCES ... any one else see a problem with this??

The Rafah Crossing will be ready for the transfer of Palestinians (civilians & wounded) in order for Israel to get female hostages back ... sound suspicious yet?

50 Hammas FIGHTERS are to be allowed into EGYPT for medical care ... these are supposed to be "Daily" trips as well ....

Now - FoxNews was given a copy of the agreement from HAMMAS .... and it has been shown before that "agreements" being handed over by Hammas aren't worth the paper they are written on ....

Hammas has had a rather .... loose interpretation, shall we say ... of what they have agreed to ...

BUT - if this is true .... it is VERY HEAVILY favored in Hammas's favor ...

HOPEFULLY, the woman hostages are NOT a part of the 33 mentioned .... if it is ... that puts way too much power ino the hands of Hammas ...

The next worry is EGYPT ... why the heck are they involved - and what do they get out of this??

So when is this exchange to take place??

SUNDAY, 2025 January 19th ... in DC ... 

I'm telling you - it's just like in 1981 when Reagan was sworn in!

Hammas does not want to take any chances with Trump - he's been described as "unpredictable" and "hirsty for war"  ... He already said that if the hostages weren't released by the time he took office, they would feel a world of hurt!

But in conclusion, I will leave you with what the ACTING POLITICAL LEADER (why don't they have a formal political leader? Did Israel kill him?) .... anyways - after the Cease Fire was announced, he said this:

"The criminal occupation clashed with our steadfastness of our people, and their adherence to their land, and to fail to achieve any of its secrets or declared goals - our people remain steadfast to our land and not leave or immigrate."

Ummmm .... that could have been said by Harris - it makes very little sense, but it could be just how they clipped it too - I will have to see if they show any of it tomorrow on other news shows.

I'm not gonna argue with him .... and I'm thinking the circular speak was likely due to it being done on short notice ....

But - they don't have SPEECH WRITERS over there???

What the heck?  

LAST MINUTE PUNCH IN THE DARK ....

Remember, I am behind episodes of Special Report (FNC) ... I have just finished Tuesday's episdoe (jan. 14th) .... so I am almost caught up, but not quite ....

At the end of this episode/news broadcast, there was some "Breaking News" .... which isn't breaking anymore, but I don't recall hearing anything about it on any otther program today ... or yeserday eiher ... so perhaps the others simply overlooked it.

The SEC (Securitties and Exchange Commission) have file suit against ELON MUSK .... for having purchased more than 5% of Twitter stock in a "timely manner" ....which allowed him to purchase stock at a lower price than he would have been able to had the news gotten out ahead of time ....

So .... wait ....

The SEC .... currently ran by Gary Gensler ... I think that's how his name is spelled ... sets the price for stock, then????

I thought they were just there to make sure there's no "Insider Trading" .... such as what Martha Stewart did ... no playing with stock prices, making something look better than it really was (aka Enron) ...no misuse of company funds in illegal matters (aka Enron & that guy who stole money from his E-Coin operation, I can't recall who he is right now) ... 

I thought they were supposed to prevent things like Hostile Take Overs ... at least that's what they were ttrying to do when Musk talked about taking over Twitter the first time ...

This is yet another over reach by the Biden minons to try to wreck the next Trump presidency before it even starts ...

But instead of going after Trump, this time they are going for those he is wishing to put into a post which will be scrutinizing the spending in D.C. of the PEOPLE'S money ...

We will have to see what happens with this ... 

FIrst thing they will have to do ... is define "Timely Manner" ....

After all, he might have purchased more than 5% from a single stockholder ... in which case, the question becomes ...

Is there a LIMIT as o how much stock any single person can OWN at any given time .... while the stock is on the Stock Exchange?

And IF the stock is NOT on the Exchange, does the SEC have a standing as to how it is owned and when things need to be "reported"??

GLASS HOUSES ... JUST SAYING

So - I am up to yesterday's (Jan 14th) episode of Special Report (FNC) and I have to admit - I had a chance to watch the Senate Hearings of Hegseth earlier in the day .... but somehow, had missed the parts which werre on the show on this date.

OMG - talk about throwing rocks at Glass Houses!

And Billy Joil's music just popped into my head ... this album was such a big hit when I was in high school.  Wow.

Any how - The senators ... okay, the Democratic senators ... those from the Democratic party, I should say ... went for the juggular!

One asked about Hegseth's former drinking issues - um - one of the other senators pointed out that several senators tend to show up for WORK at the CAPITOL not exactly sober either!

And there is quite a problem with alcoholism in political circles - let's face it - they drink when they have parties, they drink while they are negotiating with other senators, they drink when they celebrate a win, they drink when they are drowning the sorrow of a loss, they drink ... a LOT.

That's why there's an AA meeting at the White House ... and in Congress .. etc.  

It even made it's way into an episode of "The West Wing" ... Leo invited the VP of the time to the AA meeting.

Then they jumped all over Hegseth for "sexual harrassment" ... which he had settled out of court .... basically, he paid the lady to Go Away, which she did .... for a while.

He said it came about when he was getting a job with Fox News - she decided it was "harrassment" and if he didn't pay her, she was going to ruin his chances of getting the job.

He paid ... his wife knew ... 

You need to understand women from Minnesota .... there aren't too many of us who will simply look the other way if we find out our husband has been "looking around" ... in fact - most will either take him to court, or take him out.

We Minnesota girls don't play them games!

Trust me - if it had been going on, she wouldn't have stuck around.  There would be an EX-Mrs Hegseth!!

But they jumped down his throat anyways ... 

But the one who really ground my grits ... the Stupid Question of the Day award goes to the senator from Illinois ... I don't recall her name .... but she (a)didn't even give him time to answer, (b)she didn't give him a chance to answer, and (c)I'm not so sure she even understood what she was asking!!!

She basically accused him of being AUDITED ... "are you saying you've never been audited?!?!?!"

MA'AM, audits happen EVERY YEAR ... some are done because there's a question about a deduction ... some are done "just because" ...

I understand the Pentagon has a huge budget ... I understand that you might be worried about how the money is spent (under a different political parties control, because let's face it - they haven't cared for the last 4 years) ....

BUT ...

Just because you've been audited does NOT mean you have broken the law!!!

It does NOT mean you haven't paid taxes ... (cough, cough Hunter Biden)

It does not mean you have claimed something incorrectly ... again, Biden.

It simply means, you got called in, and had to defend your tax return ... or your reported taxes.

Does anyone else notice how often the Democrats bring up the Republicans taxes?

Anyone else think they "doth protest too much"?

Just saying ....

Really guys - take a chill pill.

maybe familiarize yourself with what the heck has been going on ... like the IRS being given a heck of a lot more power than they should have ... it's starting to remind me of "For Richer, For Poorer" with Kristie Alley and Tim Allen (good movie, btw)

Here's a better question ....

Whatt was the HIGHEST RANK you held?
How are you going to expect those of HIGHER RANK THAN YOU to follow orders you are giving?

Because let's face it - a Lt., a Captain, a Major, a Colonel, nor even a General is going to listen to a Pee-On!!!

It justt isn't going to happen ... they will always figure hey know better than him ... they know more than him ... and they have more experience than him.

THE COST OF LIVING, IN CALIFORNIA

No, I am not going to compain about much ... political-wise in California ... at least I don't think so ...

I am a couple days behind in watching Special Report (FNC) and so I am watching Jan. 13th's episode ...

They have reached one of the stories on the Wildfires happening there ... most of the stats & observations on these will come later, in a differentt post ....

This is about a report where they were talking about some of the housing ....

Well, we all know that "beach front" property in CA is "Prime" realestate ... BUT this blew my mind.

The reporter points out where a MOBILE HOME PARK used to be ... yup, all gone ... and he said what it was worth ... for a SINGLE mobile home in that park ...

I couldn't believe my ears!

Now, we care for the Resort ... three of the properties are Lake Front properties - and the majority of the property tax is based on how many feet of lake shore each property has ...
And it's not cheap, by any means ...

There are a few mobile homes around the lake which SHARE a docking situation, but in general, you are hard pressed to see the lake .... they are valued at about $200,000 by the Property Tax people ....

In the cities, I would think you could likely buy one for about $40,000 ....

So how much does one cost in California??

$1 MILLION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah .... a mobile home ... a House with Wheels! ... the things you are NOT supposed to be in when a tornado hits (because God hates them) .... Shoe Boxes with a kitchen and bathroom ....

A Million Dollars!!!

All because they overlook the beach!

Holy crap ... and then we hear about how many eople DON'T have fire insurance ... 
But not because they didn't buy any - but because INSURANCE COMPANIES cancelled coverage on people BEFORE this years out break of wildfires ....

Word is, there is now a MORATORIUM from Governor Newsome which prevents any more insurance companies from dropping coverage for ONE YEAR ... yup ...

So - if they didn't cancel you this year, you can pretty much count on it for next year ...

The next election is in 2026 ... we will have to see who gets to keep their job, and who gets voted out ...

I suggest changing the person who decides how much that property is worth ....
A million dollars for a mobile home????

Geez

BREADKING NEWS: CEASE FIRE REACHED, HOSTAGE DEAL TOO

So, it seems that Israel and Hammas have worked it out ... somehow ...

There is a SIEZE CEASE FIRE deal which has been worked out ... yes, I've fixed the boo boo ... Lol ...

There has been a Hostage release deal worked out too .... it is going to allow 90+ Palestinians currently jailed in Israel out, but there will be hostages released!

No word as to whether the American hostages, taken on Oct 7, 2021, but .... truthfully .... I'm wondering how many of the hostages are even alive -- when you see videos of how the invasion happened, you would wonder too - and I've only seen the parts fit to go on television!

I heard about it on Outnumbered (FNC) which was on nearly 4 hours ago .... so this isn't really "Breaking" news ... but it is "news"

Hopefully this will go through without issue - we will have to see.

It reminds me very much of when Ronald Reagan became President - the Iranians had US Hostages for over a year ... they had no respect for Jimmy Carter .... BUT they paid attention to what was being said on American news programs ....

And like the recent election, Reagan was painted as being hungry for a war - they kept equating him to WW3 .... they kept saying he was going to end the world ... etc. etc. etc.

Well - Iran wasn't going to take any chances with Reagan ... and on Inauguration Day - when Carter got on Air Force One, Reagan took the oath of office, and AF1 simply became a regular aircraft, regular call sign, no longer AF1 ... it was THEN that a plane was allowed to take off from Iran ...

That plane had EVERY single American hostage onboard ...

When Trump was elected ... he came out and told Hammas that they better work something out with Israel before he took office ... or there would be a World of Hurt upon them ....

And I truly think they took him seriously ....

And I think THAT is the real reason for the negotiations which took place.

UNCONDITIONAL DISCHARGE: TRUMP

So, I assume everyone has heard of the verdict by the New York judge ... the one who gave Mr. Trump's legal team a ton of "reversable error" to get the conviction of President Trump (at the end of this term he will be called "Former President" or "fmr President" ... right now he is either "President Trump" or "Presiden-elect Trump")

Wait - I've lost my train of thought ... oh yeah ...

The verdict is in ... Mr. Trump has received a sentence of "UNCONDITIONAL Discharge" ...

Kind of interesting, really ... but it's what I think most people would have gotten in NYC for a simular crime.

Many of the major news channels were hoping/rooting for a "Conditional Discharge" meaning simply ... if Trump had gotten arrested for ANYTHING - jaywalking, littering, loittering, spitting on the ground, etc - any little thing - then he would be subject to jail time, without regard to why nor when it happened .... and, as we know, the Dems have a ton of cases lined up ...

But the judge gave an "UNCONDITIONAL" Discharge .... basically, it's a slap on the wrist ... it says "you've been a bad boy, don't do it anymore"

The only thing is .... This case should have NEVER even made it INTO THE COURT SYSTEM!!!!

Why??

Because of "Statute of Limitations" had run out on ALL the accounting issues ....

Then, they had to claim it was a "RICO violation" - think "mobsters", think "The Godfather" or "The Sopranos", think "John Gotti", "Al Capone" aka "scarface"...

Actually, Al Capone is probably the closest we will get to how things were applied to Trump ... Capone was also caught on an accounting problem - only his was "Tax Evasion" ... Trump's was "falsefying records" ...

Although - Trump tried to argue that he was not responsible for how items had been recorded - he simply signed the documentts ...

Kind of like when you have a tax-guy do your taxes, and if he's a bit loose with the catagories, YOU are the one who the IRS looks to for an accounting .... in most cases.
In this case, they should have looked to Trumps accounting department to find out what was going on.

As a felon, Trump can:
NOT own a gun ... well, "weapon", the reporter said "gun" but felons cannot own shotguns nor rifles ... I don't know about bows/arrows (remember the "Dukes of Hazzard" tv show?)

CAN vote in Florida - as it stands right now ... I, personally, don't think felons should have the right to vote - but then, I guess I'm a Baby Boomer (I don't think so, but they say I am).

He has to give a DNA sample to the New York crime lab ... wait ... why??  This wasn't that sort of crime!  This was a bookkeeping error, not an assault, rape, or murder ... this is hosed up, man.

WILDFIRE: CALIFORNIA

I don't know what to believe any longer .... I have been listening to numbers all week ...and up until now, they've been fairly consistant ...

But now, I don't know what the numbers are ....

Today I have heard the death toll so far fluctuate between 21-26 .... I know it's only 5 people, but that actually quite a bit ...

Also, on FNC I heard that there are missing people being reported as well ....

I think it was only a totaly like 23 ... the majoriy of which was from the Palisaides fire zone, the rest from the Eaton zone ... 

Actually, it's quite amazing that it only seems to be these 2 locations which seemed to have been hit the hardest ... but they aren't done yet.

Today, until Wednesday, they have "Red Flag" warnings back out - while the winds won't be as strong as they were last week, they will still be strong enough to cause issues and more potential blazes.

It has been said - by the LAFD - that some of the blazes have been linked to ILLegal immigrants having fires to keep warm and to cook with .... the wind would come down and whisk away the embers ...

Only thing is - there used to be a lot of hippies in them hills during the 60s and 70s .... and I don't remember there being fires like this ...

Of course, they had better prevention programs back then ... Forestry management didn't get stopped because of an owl or a titmouse might have to live someplace else.

I remember an episode of "Emergency!" from the 70s where they went from house to house warning people about the hazards of tumbleweed ... long grass ... dead trees .... etc. etc. 

The episode then went on to cover what the firefighters and paramedics had to go through during Fire Season in California ....

If I can find it - I will strike this out and attach the episode here ... if it's on YouTube, that is.

RECIPE: 15 BEAN SOUP

I make this yesterday, to warm hubby up after a long day of ice fishing ... but I will make one major change ...

I also used my Instant Pot, but I'm going to guess you can do this in a pressure cooker as well..

Ingredients
1 1/2 C 15-Bean Soup bean mix (tthey sell it by the bag full in the stores)
3 Bay leaves 
1T Kosher salt
water to cover by at least 2 inches

Cook on Pressure Cook for 60 minutes.  Let naturally release for 10 minutes, then quick release.
Pour into a strainer and rinse very well - leave the bay leaves in there too.

Return the beans to the pot and add:
1 can Diced Tomatoes
! can Ro-Tel style tomatoes
1 can Whole Kernal Corn WITH the water (I use the water to rinse out the tomato cans)
1/2 lb kielbasa (about 6-8 oz)
2 qtts. of water or broth (I chose water)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 Cup minced onion
3 rib celery, diced 

Put it all in the Instantt Pot and Pressuer Cook for 60 minutes ...
Let set until you are ready to eat ... 

Serve with hot biscuits or cornbread

Notes

Next time - I will not be using the RoTel tomatoes -- my sone liked it, but they just didn't sit right on my stomach.

It's one thing in chili, but something totally different in this type of soup.

BROTH: UGH ... THIS BROTH!

This Turkey Broth is going to drive me crazy ... I swear.

So, it's been a week since I sttrained it - and everytime I think I'm going o get around to canning it, something comes up and it doesn'tt happen.

Well - I'm putting my foot down!

TOMORROW .... tomorrow I am either going to can it up or freeze it!

My youngest daughter - who does the shopping for us in the city, because they have lower prices - sent up 5# (5 punds if you thought that was a "hashtag") .... another 5 LBs of CARROTS!!!!!!!!!

I still have about 3 lbs lef of the last bag she bought me - which I have wound up not using as many of as I thought I would have ...

See, I love soup ... adore soup ... marvel at soup ...
But I'm the only one in the house which does ...

I would eat soup 5 days a week in the winter if I could ... not so much in the summer, but for the winter I crave soup ...

Knowing how much I love soup - she bought me a huge bag of carrots.

One good thing though - a pint of carrots pressure cans for the smae length of time as a quart of broth ... so IF my 30 qt canner can fit under the microwave topped range ....
I don't lnow what my mother-in-law was thinking ...
I will be canning them together.

BUT - that's tomorrow ... and it's almost midnight ... but I'm not tired.

SIGH ...

I can do this.

MAYOR BASS AND THE BUDGET CUTS

Interestingly enough, and I did not know about this until a guest on The Faulkner Focus (FNC) mentioned it this morning ...

But, did you know this could have been a LOT worse???

You see, when Mayor Bass put forth her budget cut for the Fire Department ... it was not originally the $17.6 Million she recieved ....

$30 MILLION is what she originally wanted to cut!!!!!!

Almost twice as much!

WTF???  Knowing that hese are a "different breed" of people - ones who run towards trouble, not away from it - she decided to play with he residents homes!

In fact, her "foresight" was so narrow, that there likely is not enough in the city coffers to REBUILD a number of buildings which the city, itself, has lost ...

So - President Biden has pleadged to cover 100% of the cost of clean-up, overtime, temporary housing, etc. etc. etc.

All of it - the entire nation will be paying for 160 days worth ... that is 6 monhs .... when there are people still in North Carolina who are waiing for assistance from FEMA ....
Which, if you listen to D.C., is just a bunch of melarchy ... they swear everyone has gotten help ...
BUT - there are still "church" groups (because they are tthe only ones outside of FEMA allowed to do it) are still helping with:
Food
Wattter
Living Areas
Clothing
etc. etc. etc.

If you don't believe it - check it out on YouTuve -- there are videos all over the place talking about it ...

And now these people have been hit by a snow/ice storm ...

Biden, I swear, is out to leave the USA in a pile of poo for Trump to try and straighten out ...

Just so in 4 years, the Dems can say "see - Trump made itt so much worse" .... eye roll here.

But ... Back to California ...

In 2 more years, there will be another election ... I'm going to guess that more of the sttate will begin to the Right, butt that BIG CITIES (such as L.A. and SF and SD) will likely still be to the Left ...
The more people you have receiving income from the government, the more likely they are to lean Left, I have found

MINNEAPOLIS MELODRAMA

Well, while it's not a big as the horror going on in CA right now ... MN is having some political issues right now ...

And first up is Minneapolis -- you see, one of the people who represents the city (district 60) in the State cangress died last month .... I want to say it was on Christmas, but I'm probably wrong - Rep. Dietz died of cancer ...

She had known about it for quite a while, but wasn't expecting to go so soon ... my understanding is tha she had just won her seat this November, so the death was unexpected so soon.

Today - early voting has begun ... BUT ... there is already some controversy ...

Apparently, like the other political problem, there is some question about residency for the person the DFL (Democrat-Farmer-Labor party, only in MN btw) ....

It seems he does own a home within the district ... BUT ... according to neighbors he does not actually live there.

And a record check has shown that he claims HOMESTEAD at the other home he owns which is out of district ...

So - this will be going to court ... The DFL says it's a "gray area" in the law, the Republicans say it's very clear ... 

But this leads us to the other political story in the state dealing with the new legislative session ...

There was a man who ran for office, WON the vote ... he actually won the seat fairly decisively ... BUT then it was found out that at the time of the election he did NOT live within the district .... um, the law says you must live wihin the district boundries during the election ... I don't know about when you file to run, just during the election and your term in office.

This DID go to court, and the judge ruled he was not eligible at the time to hold office - so the seat is now VACATED ...

Gov. Tim Walz - remember him? - decided to order a special election right away ....

Which the Republicans say was jumping the gun - apparently, there is something in the law which states the election in such a case can NOT be ordered until AFTER the new session is called into order.

Well - this particular chamber of the legislature is technically TIED at 63-63, or something like that ... something which hadn't happened since 1979!!!!

So before the fiasco was discovered, both parties had figured they would simply "share" control of the chamber ... that ain't gonna work, but they are gonna try ...

But with the missing seat, the count is now 63-62 ... giving the Republicans the majority ....

Technically, the majority party gets to chose the leader of the chamber ... and the leader is in that position until the NEXT regular election ... so at least 2 years.

Well - you can imagine the ruckus this raised! Especially when the Republican leaders said hey were in fact going to do just this!

The Democrat leader, basically, stomped her foot and said they were going to take their ball and go home ...

She said that when the new session begins - Jan 13 - that here will be NO Democratic representatives there, thus denying them a "caucus" ...

To which the Republicans said "define caucus?" ...

and as it turns out ....

There is NO DEFINIION in the Stae's Constitution or charter about what a "caucus" is ....

So .... I see a couple more court cases lining up!

However, apparently you can be on the Minneapolis City Council and not live in the city, nor even the state ... as Councilmember Thomas, or was it Thompson, wasn't removed from his seat when it was discovered that he did not have a valid MN driver's license, but he did have one for WISCONSIN ... a matter which would never have come to light, had he not accuse the officer who pulled him over as being racist ... 
And, yes, he even tried to say the newscasters were racist because they actually covered .. um ... the news 

FIRE SEASON HAS BEGUN IN CALIFORNIA

Yes, you read that right .... where most states have "road work" season, states such as California actually have a "Fire Season"

It's that thime of year where Wildfires are a major concern - it seems to happen about the same time every year, although in California, it has been growing over the last decade or so ....

This year, the Los Angeles mayor (Karen Bass), decided to cut funding to the LAFD (Los Angeles Fire Department) by a whopping $17.6 MILLION!!!!!

About a month ago, the Los Angeles Fire Chief wrote the mayor a letter explaining why this was such a horrible idea - mentioning thatt i would cut into overtime, training, equipment, etc ... and that it would seriously effect the city/county in unknown ways if there were a huge disasterous fire ... 

There is also a question regarding water supply ... not so much for the residents, but for the fire hydrants in the effected areas.

Apparently, it was found that there simply was not enough water/pressure to the point where it rendered the hydrants useless ...

One of the officials at a news conference today (I'm not sure if she was the Fire Chief or not) said that they had chosen to delay the normal checks this year - I would assume because of the budget cuts, but she didn't really say why - but that she had sent units around to "visually inspect" inspect the hydrants for any damage done to the exteriors of them.

Pacific Palisades is GONE

These are homes valued at over a Million Dollars, but there are a few mobil homes as well.

Will Rogers State Park is GONE

There was a historic ranch in this park ... burnt to the ground.

Yesterday, reporters showed just how close the fire was to the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) ... where MOST of the beach houses WERE .... they aren't there any longer - with all that water so close, they all became cinders.

Now, as of last night before midnight, the Hollywood Hills caught on fire ... THEN they began to step it up ....

One would assume because "stars" would now be effected - and they are one of the big income sources for the state ... interestingly enough ... so they had o "step up the game"

Speaking of games - the NFL Playoffs ... which is scheduled to happen this Sunday MONDAY (2025 Jan 13), between the L.A. Rams and the MN Vikings ... has a "secondary plan" in place now ...
But it's not what you think ...

Instead of having the game in MINNESOTA, which just seems natural to me, they are planning on moving it to ...

ARIZONA????

What the heck??

Why?? It just seems best to move it to the other teams home stadium - what the heck?

The officials have also put out a warning about HAZARDOUS DEBRIS ... not just from the chemicals they use to put out the fire, but from what might have been in the house as well.

So - they don't want anyone going back to their homes ... they don't want any looters ... but according to the reporter on Faulkner Focus (FNC, extended programming) this could take as long as a month for the state to "clear" it out.

I have a feeling, it's going to mean they will simply bulldoze the whole thing down &/or out.

And, it turns out, MOST people no longer haveFire Insurance ... but not because they couldn't pay for it, or didn't want it, or such ... but because of California Law it became too expensive for the INSURANCE COMPANIES to stay in the state ... so the cancelled policies and withdrew!!

Thanks Governor Newsome, et al.

Plus, with all he NEW regulations which are in place - even if they only had a small trailer home, they will have to comply with tthe new regulations ...

Solar panels ... electric appliances only ... new water restrictions ... etc.

Whatever they are - it's going to cost a bundle to rebuild ... and without insurance too.

I feel for everyone in California right now ... but ... they are the ones who voted these guys in office

THE BIRDS

I predict that if you ask any Millenial what "The Birds" is - they will answer "a type of flu"

It was one of the best movies of the 1960s - I remember my Ma telling me I couldn't stay in the room when it came on television -- it was way too scary ....

I suggest the ORIGINAL Hitchcock version with Tippy Headron - it was a great movie ...

Even better, find a recording of the radio version - but be ready for a few bad dreams ... remember, you can only dream about things you've already seen .... but this one will screw things up!

Back to the Bird Flu ... there has been 1 official death to the Bird Flu in the USA ....

DON'T PANIC ...

The man was 65 yrs old .... and he had other health issues .... which simply means - ANY FLU likely would have caused him to die as well.

There has been 1 case, so far, reported of a cow being infected by Bird Flu as well -- now how the heck this happened is any one's guess ...

Unlike the last illness which shut the country down ... you know, the one we aren't supposed to talk about ... eye roll here ... unlike that one, Bird Flu does NOT mutate ...

This means, if they find a cure or an "innoculation" or, more than likely, the mRNA version of a immunization (m stands for "mutated") - they will not have to keep updating it ...

It is a "stable" little bugger ... and - yes - it was first reported in China ... but it has taken a long time for it to show up in the United States.

I do not know very much about the disease - but I know that if you own chickens, you are supposed to keep them away from other wild life, especially birds, who might carry the illness wihout you knowing about it.

But ... DON'T PANIC!!!

STATEMENT FROM JET BLUE

I didn't want to put this with the other post - because that post had a lot of conjecture in it, from my own mind ... and this is a serious topic ...

Here is a statement Jet Blue put out this morning:

    "This is a heartbreaking situation, and we are committed to working closely with authorities to support their effors to understand how this occurred."

They plane took off from JFK (New York City, Long Island, NY) to Fort Lauderdale, FL ... straight shot by the sounds of it ...

Remember, this is the seconde incident in the last month of a body being found in a wheel well ...

The first one was Christmas Eve - a United flight from Chicago to Maui - where another body had been found in a wheel well of that flight as well ....

Needless to say, the FAA is looking into things to see what the heck is going on!!

BAGGAGE JUST TOOK ON A WHOLE NEW MEANING ...

You know, we all have "baggage" in our lives ... things we wish he had said ... things we wish we hadn't said ... things we wish we had done ... and those which we look back at and wish we hadn't done ...

This is a "Hadn't Done" story ...

Imagine you are working for an airlines ... not one of the cabin crew, or one of those in the tower directing air traffic (what a stressful job!) ... or even one of those doing tickets or screening passangers ...

Nope - you're one of the Tarmack crew ... 

Those people responsible for refueling ...
Diresting the plane to the gate (the guys with the funny flashlights)
Loading and Unloading of luggage ...
Looking over the outside of the aircraft for anything unusual ...

Ah - now here the story begins ... kind of ...

You see, a Jet Blue aircraft landed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida yesterday (Monday 2025 January 06) and everything seemed to be okay ...

No bird strikes ....
No rude passengers ...
No one seemingly having gotten air-sick ...

The plane pulled up to the terminal ...
Let the passengers off ...
Unloaded the luggage ....
Pulled away from the hanger to do the next step ...

So while it was getting maintainence - where they fill the "gas tanks" (Fill 'Er Up!) and getting the septic tank cleaned out and rinsed down ...

While all that was going on - the inspection began ...

"Fuselage looks okay" Check
Wings all here ... Check
Tail all there ... check
Wheels still have good tread on them ... check

But ... wait ... what's that hanging down from the top?  Did a cable of some sort break??

No - it was an arm ... and it was ATTACHED TO A BODY ...

Actually - I have no idea how they managed to find the 2 BODIES in the wheel well of the aircraft ...

Here's what I do know ... from the news ...

2 male bodies were found in A wheel well of the Jet Blue plane ... it was a "cargo" plane, so there really wasn't supposed to be any passengers

I made the rest of that story up in my head -- let's get that straight right now ... NO PASSENGERS, NO GATE ... JUST PACKAGES ...

My understanding is ... they have no idea WHO these men are ... or where they came from ...

It reminds me a lot of the scene in "Commando" where Arnold Schwartenzeggar's character escapes from the plane by jumping out the wheel well into a swampy area at the end of the runway ...

MY GUESS is these were a couple of ground crew - loaders - who accidentally got caught in the back of the cargo area (maybe they fell asleep) when the plane got closed up and took off.

Somehow, I doubt there's any sort of telecom system in the cargo area - so how could they let the pilots know they were there??

Pounding wouldn't work - the sound of the engines would have been way too loud - plus the pilots would have been going through their checklists and talking to the tower for clearance.

And unless there was something like an animal in the cargo area, there wouldn't have been any need to "pressurize" it nor pipe in air ...

There would be no reason to worry about things back there getting too cold, so they would have flown very high - where the air is extremely thin, higher than even Mount Everest ...

My guess is .... the men figured this out fast and looked for a way out.

The landing gear!

But the timing has to be just right ... if you jump while it's over the tarmack - you're a sttain on the asphalt ... if you wait until after the gear is up - you can't get out, your path is blocked ...
And, even if there's a swampy spot to land, you likely will be hitting it at such a speed that you will break every bone in your body!!!

There is a statemen from Jet Blue ... but I will post tthat seperately ...

I feel bad for these mens families ...

But ... you have to wonder ... why hasn't anyone noiced them MISSING yet???