Here is a list of News Blogs ordered by Most Commented, posted by members. A Blog is a journal you may enter about your life, thoughts, interesting experiences, or lessons you've learned. Post an opinion, impart words of wisdom, or talk about something interesting in your day. Update your blog on a regular basis, or just whenever you have something to say. Creating a blog is a good way to share something of yourself with others. Reading blogs is a good way to learn more about others. Click here to post a blog.
The Toad
Amidst the fallen and scattered stones of a ruined castle close to where I live, it is said, dwells an ancient toad. For five hundred years and more has the toad lurked, squatted, crawled and roamed within the castle grounds, confined inside its boundaries forever by force of a medieval spell.
Way back in the sixteenth century, when the toad was just a normal toad, he came upon a beautiful princess, asleep on the grassy bank below the the castle wall. Through some amphibious instinct or mystic influence, he knew not which, he shot out his lightning quick tongue towards her lips, as if to catch a fly. No sooner had the sticky tongue flicked the princess’s lower lip than her eyes opened, but no longer were they the eyes of a princess. To the startled toad’s amazement, there, on the grassy bank before him, lay an ugly old witch who had been turned into a beautiful princess in a previous legend.
Sitting up, the witch stared down at the toad for a moment and then scooped him up off the ground to take a closer look at him. The toad was alarmed to be raised by a toothless, bearded hag in this abrupt way, but it was all right, she set him back down again on a nearby stone, which had rolled part way down the bank.
The witch had mixed feelings about being restored to her original form but was obliged by witch lore to grant a wish to her restorer. The toad quite liked the idea of being a handsome prince, so, with the uttering of a few strange words, the witch caused it to be so; although her dissatisfaction at being old and ugly again found it’s way into the wish. So, while she did grant that the toad become a prince, and should be so for eternity, she rather meanly contrived that he should be a toad prince, which, from the perspective of a
human, is barely any better than just being a toad. She did make him handsome, but only another toad would be able to tell.
All in all, things worked out pretty well for the toad. Being a handsome princely toad, he naturally acquired a harem of pretty girl toads around him at all times.
Through the years there have been many sightings of the ancient toad, and all the documented descriptions of him bear a remarkable similarity; too similar, some say, for mere coincidence. All who have seen him report his appearance as being uncannily similar to that of an ordinary toad, making the claims difficult to dismiss as nonsense. Several of the witnesses have also remarked how quickly he is able to leap into the undergrowth or behind a stone and disappear without trace. This is most probably how the toad came to be known locally as Jumping Natterjack Flash.
Way back in the sixteenth century, when the toad was just a normal toad, he came upon a beautiful princess, asleep on the grassy bank below the the castle wall. Through some amphibious instinct or mystic influence, he knew not which, he shot out his lightning quick tongue towards her lips, as if to catch a fly. No sooner had the sticky tongue flicked the princess’s lower lip than her eyes opened, but no longer were they the eyes of a princess. To the startled toad’s amazement, there, on the grassy bank before him, lay an ugly old witch who had been turned into a beautiful princess in a previous legend.
Sitting up, the witch stared down at the toad for a moment and then scooped him up off the ground to take a closer look at him. The toad was alarmed to be raised by a toothless, bearded hag in this abrupt way, but it was all right, she set him back down again on a nearby stone, which had rolled part way down the bank.
The witch had mixed feelings about being restored to her original form but was obliged by witch lore to grant a wish to her restorer. The toad quite liked the idea of being a handsome prince, so, with the uttering of a few strange words, the witch caused it to be so; although her dissatisfaction at being old and ugly again found it’s way into the wish. So, while she did grant that the toad become a prince, and should be so for eternity, she rather meanly contrived that he should be a toad prince, which, from the perspective of a
human, is barely any better than just being a toad. She did make him handsome, but only another toad would be able to tell.
All in all, things worked out pretty well for the toad. Being a handsome princely toad, he naturally acquired a harem of pretty girl toads around him at all times.
Through the years there have been many sightings of the ancient toad, and all the documented descriptions of him bear a remarkable similarity; too similar, some say, for mere coincidence. All who have seen him report his appearance as being uncannily similar to that of an ordinary toad, making the claims difficult to dismiss as nonsense. Several of the witnesses have also remarked how quickly he is able to leap into the undergrowth or behind a stone and disappear without trace. This is most probably how the toad came to be known locally as Jumping Natterjack Flash.
My Visitor
An entity has appeared in my room twice now; on the second occasion I managed to capture its image. I don't know what it is but I sense it means me no harm.
The tide begins to turn for removing Trump from office.
With the senate trial not even beginning yet, most Americans are in favor of Trump being removed from office. That will likely increase, as the trial proceeds.
In response to:
CNN poll: 51% say Senate should remove Trump from office
By Jennifer Agiesta, CNN Polling Director 1/20/2020
According to a new CNN poll, 51 percent of Americans say the Senate should vote to remove Mr. Trump from office while 45 percent support his acquittal. And nearly 70 percent say the trial should feature testimony from new witnesses.
(CNN)About half of Americans say the Senate should vote to convict President Donald Trump and remove him from office in the upcoming impeachment trial (51%), according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS, while 45% say the Senate should vote against conviction and removal.
Nearly seven in 10 (69%) say that upcoming trial should feature testimony from new witnesses who did not testify in the House impeachment inquiry. And as Democrats in the Senate seek to persuade at least four Republican senators to join them on votes over allowing witnesses in the trial, the Republican rank and file are divided on the question: 48% say they want new witnesses, while 44% say they do not.
The poll is the first major national telephone poll since the articles of impeachment were sent to the Senate, formally launching Trump's trial there. They are also the first such poll results since Soviet-born businessman Lev Parnas, an associate of Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani, publicly implicated the President in the Ukrainian pressure campaign during a series of television interviews.
The new poll also finds majorities of Americans view each of the charges on which Trump will face trial as true: 58% say Trump abused the power of the presidency to obtain an improper personal political benefit and 57% say it is true that he obstructed the House of Representatives in its impeachment inquiry.
Massive partisan gaps continue to dominate views on Trump and his impeachment trial. Overall, 89% of Democrats say he should be removed from office, while just 8% of Republicans feel the same way. Among independents, it's nearly dead even: 48% say the Senate should vote to remove him, while 46% say that they should not. Views on whether Trump should be impeached and removed are also evenly split across battleground states, 49% are on each side across the 15 states decided by 8 points or less in 2016. Those states are Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Beyond partisanship, there are wide divisions in the poll by gender, race, education and age. Nearly 6 in 10 women (59%) say the Senate should remove Trump from office; 42% of men agree. Among African Americans, 86% say Trump should be removed. That drops to 65% among Hispanics and 42% among whites.
Combining race and gender, about eight in 10 women of color (79%) say he should be removed. That dips to 59% among non-white men, 49% among white women and 33% among white men. For whites, education adds another degree of division: 59% of white women with college degrees say the Senate should remove Trump, compared with 43% among white women without degrees, 44% among white men with degrees and 27% among white men without college degrees. A majority (56%) of those under age 45 say the President should be removed, while older Americans are more evenly split.
CNN poll: 51% say Senate should remove Trump from office
By Jennifer Agiesta, CNN Polling Director 1/20/2020
According to a new CNN poll, 51 percent of Americans say the Senate should vote to remove Mr. Trump from office while 45 percent support his acquittal. And nearly 70 percent say the trial should feature testimony from new witnesses.
(CNN)About half of Americans say the Senate should vote to convict President Donald Trump and remove him from office in the upcoming impeachment trial (51%), according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS, while 45% say the Senate should vote against conviction and removal.
Nearly seven in 10 (69%) say that upcoming trial should feature testimony from new witnesses who did not testify in the House impeachment inquiry. And as Democrats in the Senate seek to persuade at least four Republican senators to join them on votes over allowing witnesses in the trial, the Republican rank and file are divided on the question: 48% say they want new witnesses, while 44% say they do not.
The poll is the first major national telephone poll since the articles of impeachment were sent to the Senate, formally launching Trump's trial there. They are also the first such poll results since Soviet-born businessman Lev Parnas, an associate of Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani, publicly implicated the President in the Ukrainian pressure campaign during a series of television interviews.
The new poll also finds majorities of Americans view each of the charges on which Trump will face trial as true: 58% say Trump abused the power of the presidency to obtain an improper personal political benefit and 57% say it is true that he obstructed the House of Representatives in its impeachment inquiry.
Massive partisan gaps continue to dominate views on Trump and his impeachment trial. Overall, 89% of Democrats say he should be removed from office, while just 8% of Republicans feel the same way. Among independents, it's nearly dead even: 48% say the Senate should vote to remove him, while 46% say that they should not. Views on whether Trump should be impeached and removed are also evenly split across battleground states, 49% are on each side across the 15 states decided by 8 points or less in 2016. Those states are Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Beyond partisanship, there are wide divisions in the poll by gender, race, education and age. Nearly 6 in 10 women (59%) say the Senate should remove Trump from office; 42% of men agree. Among African Americans, 86% say Trump should be removed. That drops to 65% among Hispanics and 42% among whites.
Combining race and gender, about eight in 10 women of color (79%) say he should be removed. That dips to 59% among non-white men, 49% among white women and 33% among white men. For whites, education adds another degree of division: 59% of white women with college degrees say the Senate should remove Trump, compared with 43% among white women without degrees, 44% among white men with degrees and 27% among white men without college degrees. A majority (56%) of those under age 45 say the President should be removed, while older Americans are more evenly split.
We have lost a true CS Lady.
A Long Grey Road
Saturday 4.30am phone call.......
Saturday 6.30 am phone call.......
Saturday 9 am it starts
My heart is heavy
My heart is sad
Sky is grey reflecting how I feel
Driving a long grey road on automatic
A journey I do not want to take
A destination I do not want to reach
What will I do?
I have no choice
Saturday twice, again Sunday
will it be Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday...........until it stops?
It stops Monday 17.10
My friend -
Snezhanks Petrova Dimitrova dies
She is at peace now after 30 months of fighting
We have fought together at great cost with the help of others.
They know the price paid by all in keeping a great woman alive.
What can I say?
No-one that met her was not affected by her peace and goodwill.
Rest in peace now spdspd62
Always in my thoughts
zandaar
Saturday 4.30am phone call.......
Saturday 6.30 am phone call.......
Saturday 9 am it starts
My heart is heavy
My heart is sad
Sky is grey reflecting how I feel
Driving a long grey road on automatic
A journey I do not want to take
A destination I do not want to reach
What will I do?
I have no choice
Saturday twice, again Sunday
will it be Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday...........until it stops?
It stops Monday 17.10
My friend -
Snezhanks Petrova Dimitrova dies
She is at peace now after 30 months of fighting
We have fought together at great cost with the help of others.
They know the price paid by all in keeping a great woman alive.
What can I say?
No-one that met her was not affected by her peace and goodwill.
Rest in peace now spdspd62
Always in my thoughts
zandaar
Nice Witches
On Woman’s Hour this morning (BBC Radio 4, 10:00am), the presenter was interviewing two witches. For most people the word “witch” has negative connotations, but these witches seemed like two very nice women. Their witchcraft mostly consisted of messing about with assorted herb combinations and directing various types of energy hither and thither. Both said they have never put a spell on anyone, as witches tend to believe that what they give out comes back to them "three fold". I don’t normally have much patience with this sort of thing but these witches sounded so nice that I didn’t mind at all.
Patriot...
Some of you may remember the guy who propped his feet up on Nancy Pelosi's desk on the January 6th insurrection. He had his day in court yesterday and was found guilty on all eight counts in his indictment, including felony charges of civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding.
The jury deliberated for approximately two hours before unanimously convicting Richard “Bigo” Barnett of the charges.
Sentencing for Barnett is scheduled on May 3rd.
Outside the courthouse after the verdict, Barnett vowed to appeal his conviction, calling it an "injustice.” He noted that the judge had rejected his request to move his trial from Washington to Arkansas.
“This is not a jury of my peers,” he told reporters.
Yes Richard... it wasn't your peers because they were all arrested too!
The jury deliberated for approximately two hours before unanimously convicting Richard “Bigo” Barnett of the charges.
Sentencing for Barnett is scheduled on May 3rd.
Outside the courthouse after the verdict, Barnett vowed to appeal his conviction, calling it an "injustice.” He noted that the judge had rejected his request to move his trial from Washington to Arkansas.
“This is not a jury of my peers,” he told reporters.
Yes Richard... it wasn't your peers because they were all arrested too!
online today!
FBI introduces 'rat on your family member' program
I'm not messing
Reminiscent of what happened in Nazi Germany and Communist Russia and China whereby the regime encouraged citizen to turn against citizen, all of course to maintain power for the regime
Thoughts?
Reminiscent of what happened in Nazi Germany and Communist Russia and China whereby the regime encouraged citizen to turn against citizen, all of course to maintain power for the regime
Thoughts?
Please don't cry...
Trump has been indicted in the Federal probe over the effort to unto undo the 2020 election. In other news, Ron DeSantis ain't doing so well after the NAACP issued a formal travel advisory for Florida, warning visitors that the state has become “openly hostile toward African Americans” under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’s leadership.
Two major Black organizations announced they are moving their annual multimillion-dollar conferences elsewhere.
Ron's politics is killing tourism in Florida with his fights with Disney.
Since he's been out on a failing campaign trail, Florida gets neglected.
But... maybe that's a good thing as his presence here is quickly turning sour.
These are the two top contenders in the Republican primary.
Issues, issues... let me get you some tissues.
Two major Black organizations announced they are moving their annual multimillion-dollar conferences elsewhere.
Ron's politics is killing tourism in Florida with his fights with Disney.
Since he's been out on a failing campaign trail, Florida gets neglected.
But... maybe that's a good thing as his presence here is quickly turning sour.
These are the two top contenders in the Republican primary.
Issues, issues... let me get you some tissues.
Tucker Carlson releases Jan. 6 footage, politicians, media lied about Sicknick, 'QAnon Shaman'
US Capitol Police appeared to give Jacob Chansley, the so-called “QAnon Shaman,” the run of the place during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot, trailing him in a bizarre escort as he walked the halls near the Senate chamber that day — and even opening the door to allow him inside, according to surveillance footage made public Monday night.
The never-before-seen video aired on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” part of more than 40,000 hours of closed circuit security footage that Carlson and his producers were given access to by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
In contrast to the running battles between cops and pro-Trump rioters outside the Capitol building, clips aired Monday show Chansley — clad in his eye-catching horned fur headdress with red, white and blue face paint and holding an American flag and a bullhorn — leisurely strolling through the building, hardly being challenged or acknowledged by police.
At times, Chansley walked alone in the hallways on the Senate side of the Capitol, occasionally pausing to look at his phone.
In September 2021, Chansley pleaded guilty to one count of obstructing an official proceeding and was sentenced to 41 months in prison that November.
According to a timeline of events — compiled by the Justice Department and upon which Chansley signed off as part of his guilty plea — the Navy veteran from Arizona was one of the first 30 rioters to enter the Capitol at around 2:14 p.m. on Jan. 6 through doors that had been busted open from the inside.
Despite disobeying orders to leave the building and, in the DOJ’s words, “using his bullhorn to rile up the crowd and demand that lawmakers be brought out,” Chansley was allowed to climb the stairs to the Senate viewing gallery, from where, according to the government, he “scream obscenities … while other rioters flooded the Chamber below.”
After leaving the gallery, Chansley encountered Capitol Police Officer Keith Robishaw, whom Chansley had confronted with his bullhorn earlier. When Robishaw again asked Chansley to leave the building, prosecutors said, the rioter “insisted that others were already on the Senate floor and he was going to join them.”
For several minutes, the video shows, Robishaw and another officer follow Chansley as he tried to enter the Senate chamber. At one point, Robishaw tried a locked door with the Senate seal etched on its frosted glass.
At another point, Chansley and the officers pass a group of seven other cops, who seem to pay them no mind.
Chansley and the two officers eventually find an unlocked door and one of the policemen holds it open after Chansley lets himself onto the Senate floor. The DOJ timeline confirmed that Robishaw followed Chansley into the chamber as the “Shaman” took the seat on the dais recently occupied by then-Vice President Mike Pence.
Read more and watch:
The never-before-seen video aired on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” part of more than 40,000 hours of closed circuit security footage that Carlson and his producers were given access to by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
In contrast to the running battles between cops and pro-Trump rioters outside the Capitol building, clips aired Monday show Chansley — clad in his eye-catching horned fur headdress with red, white and blue face paint and holding an American flag and a bullhorn — leisurely strolling through the building, hardly being challenged or acknowledged by police.
At times, Chansley walked alone in the hallways on the Senate side of the Capitol, occasionally pausing to look at his phone.
In September 2021, Chansley pleaded guilty to one count of obstructing an official proceeding and was sentenced to 41 months in prison that November.
According to a timeline of events — compiled by the Justice Department and upon which Chansley signed off as part of his guilty plea — the Navy veteran from Arizona was one of the first 30 rioters to enter the Capitol at around 2:14 p.m. on Jan. 6 through doors that had been busted open from the inside.
Despite disobeying orders to leave the building and, in the DOJ’s words, “using his bullhorn to rile up the crowd and demand that lawmakers be brought out,” Chansley was allowed to climb the stairs to the Senate viewing gallery, from where, according to the government, he “scream obscenities … while other rioters flooded the Chamber below.”
After leaving the gallery, Chansley encountered Capitol Police Officer Keith Robishaw, whom Chansley had confronted with his bullhorn earlier. When Robishaw again asked Chansley to leave the building, prosecutors said, the rioter “insisted that others were already on the Senate floor and he was going to join them.”
For several minutes, the video shows, Robishaw and another officer follow Chansley as he tried to enter the Senate chamber. At one point, Robishaw tried a locked door with the Senate seal etched on its frosted glass.
At another point, Chansley and the officers pass a group of seven other cops, who seem to pay them no mind.
Chansley and the two officers eventually find an unlocked door and one of the policemen holds it open after Chansley lets himself onto the Senate floor. The DOJ timeline confirmed that Robishaw followed Chansley into the chamber as the “Shaman” took the seat on the dais recently occupied by then-Vice President Mike Pence.
Read more and watch:
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