Today's Mighty Oak


Alright, let’s see what have today. First up, in cool space news, we have a new atlas of the Solar System!

NASA has also released a stunning photo of Saturn in its summer.

In other exploration news, NOAA is sending divers down a blue hole off the shore of Florida!

A video showing the evolution of the world’s tallest buildings:

Has your mail been slower lately? It’s not your imagination, the new Postmaster General admitted he’s slowing it down. It’s all an effort to discredit voting by mail, BTW.

Don’t come at me with any ‘both-side-ism’ because they are far from each other. The North Dakota GOP had to disavow it’s own platform because they admit that no, gay people don’t ‘infect society.’ Monsters.

In other state political news, Washington State is suing the federal government because they are trying to take away queer rights in regards to healthcare. So yes, things are in fact much worse now.

Back to federal again, Biden vows to allow the military to display pride flags again. With their new ban on Confederate flags (you know, the traitors that killed members of our military), it also banned pride flags (you know, currently serving members of our military).

And in what should cause you endless rage, the administration initially decided they didn’t need to do anything about the global pandemic because it was only affecting ‘blue’ states. Not only are they dumb as fucking bricks, they are monsters willing to literally sacrifice American lives for their own gain.

And some local bad news, protesters at a Pro Police Rally decided to chant about killing queer people. Because no where is actually really safe, sadly.

Okay, some good news. AOC delivered an amazing rebuttal to the lawmaker who insulted her and gave a fake apology. Worth a watch!

And surprise, surprise, the antifa movement has caused zero murders in 25 years.

Okay, pallet cleanser: check out this music video from The Mandalorian:

XKCD examines the habitable campfire zone.

Johnny Walker is coming out with a sustainable, paper based bottle! How cool is that!

A reminder, when we talk about toxic masculinity, not only is it bad for everyone around us, but it’s also bad for men. When we talk about defeating toxic masculinity, it’s also good for the men as well! A new study shows that those more disposed towards those toxic traits are more likely to be depressed themselves.

Okay, and finally, The Muppets take on Hamilton Act One and Act Two!

That’s it for now, have a great one!



Alright, let’s see what we have today. First up, the crew of Queer Eye makes over my favorite sports mascot, Gritty!

A thing which I did not exists, is the Boston Typewriter Orchestra. And they’ve done an at-home concert!

Also in musical news, a saxophonist accompanies himself!

Sam Smith has an amazing cover of Coldplay’s, “Fix You:”

In uplifting news, John Boyega (Star Wars) delivers a great speech at a BLM protest!

We’ve had some good SCOTUS rulings lately (And some bad ones), but buried detail in the earth-shattering workplace discrimination ruling is the Trojan Horse that we’ll be seeing next: religious liberty laws. This fight is far from over, but for now, we can celebrate the bit of ground we gained.

And speaking of queer rights, the fascist in the White House used the anniversary of the Pulse massacre to remove healthcare rights for trans people.

Ending on something fun, The Hamilton Polka!



Alright, let’s see what we have today, first up, the new Google ear buds are going to change the world with live translations.

Stan Lee takes a stand against bigotry.

Fitz and the Tantrums’ new song is my new jam:

A touching tribute to Matthew Shepherd.

And speaking of, the politician who was saved by a married lesbian spoke at a convention dedicated to taking away her rights.

Oh hey, so did the president.  The first to do so.  He spoke at a convention that has discussed ways to pass legislation to put gay men to death.  Let that sink in.

Also in the horror show that is this administration, Jeff Sessions has rescinded protections for trans* people.

The president has also removed all mention of the queer community from the Health and Human Services department, meaning no mention of queer focused health initiatives.

And Jeff Sessions rescinded other protections for all members of the queer community.  These are things that affect people you love.  Be fucking pissed.

Okay, quick pallet cleanser.  The new trailer for Super Mario Odyssey takes the form of a Big Band musical number:

After the horrific shooting in Vegas, just a reminder that your thoughts and prayers do jack shit.  We need comprehensive gun control in this country, including a rescinding of the second amendment.

It boggles my mind that it takes something personally happening to someone for them to take action.  It is not that hard to actually think about other people and try to imagine a better world for them, as well as yourself.  But, predictably, when gun violence is close to a gun fanatic, suddenly, he realizes his mistake.  It infuriates me that it takes a tragedy like this for him to realize how wrong he is, but hey, at least he came around I guess.  I just won’t be patting him on the back for his sudden realization.

A Dutch news program takes on (with dark humor) the insanity that we live with here in the US:

Okay, the graphic designers have gotten a hold of the US map.

Speaking of graphic designers, a great SNL skit about fonts:

And if you can believe it, the man who created Papyrus, responds!

Stranger Things 2 (or the second season, not sure what to call it) looks amazing:

The president rolls back the mandate for birth control under health care, because he wants to drive up abortion rates, the cost of healhtcare and get rid of preventative medicine.  Just kidding, he’s a racist and since it is both something Obama put into place and a GOP wet-dream, it’s gone.

And I’ll just drop this here, the 10 things you need to know about Patriotism:

In good medical news, due to PrEP, there has been a huge drop in new HIV cases in England (where it was studied).

And finally, the amazing trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi:



Couple things for everyone, first, The Onion will be getting a second show, the first will be “news,” the second will be sports centered.  I just rewatched The Onion movie over the weekend, highly recommended!

A followup to the passage of Healhcare Reform:

The note, which reads “Dad, the unfinished business is done.” was left by Patrick Kennedy on his father’s grave

Also as a follow up to Healthcare Reform, I donated a dollar to A Ticket for Rush.  I don’t expect him to go, but it’s fun anyway.

Glee comes back in two weeks!  Check out the new trailer, as well as a special message from Sue Sylvester:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDLk1t47u1E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLDrntGjvo8

And just for fun, here’s a man who taught an alpaca to stay on a surfboard in the water.  Alpacas are cool, but not as cool as llamas!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-pszEeduNk



Hey all, I’ve been caught up in the Olympics, so not much posting here, but all kinds of stuff that I want to share.  So enjoy the update:

First, in regards to the snow, check out this article from The Radical Middle, and then this video:

Also, the Pittsburgh Zoo finds out that kangaroos don’t like snow.  Who would have guessed?

I love Fleury, a whole lot.  Here’s him and Sid talking about the snow (which I realize is ridiculous on at least three levels, but hey, it’s fun):

Speaking of Fleury and Sid, Olympics!  Here’s what Slate suggested you watch if you watch just one thing a day.  A really funny read (and I apologize in advance for the tardiness of all the Olympic articles, I got so caught up in the games that I didn’t write about them).  And here is their awesome Sap-O-Meter.  I’ll give you a hint, NBC is really sappy, and generally, awful at covering the Olympics.

I don’t know what’s going on in this picture, but we are seeing Bob Costas outside of his living room, so it’s got to be a plus.  Also, Colbert!  Make sure you watch this video that I’m not allowed to embed.  Stupid NBC.

Slate also takes a stab at the biathalon.  Awesome read, which just helps me galvanize my mindset that it’s a weird sport.  I have more respect for it, but it’s weird.

I’m thinking it may not be actually from Verizon, but this is an awesome blend of nostalgia and current technology:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkWKdJF7Md0

This might be one of my new favorite sites, someone watching season six of Lost, who has never seen it.  It’s worth it just for the drawings!

And the healthcare debate rages on, it’s a few days old, but still worth a watch.  Rachel Maddow is, of course, amazing:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

 

And Jon Stewart takes on Glenn Beck, who is railing against…public libraries?

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Rage Within the Machine – Progressivism
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show
Full Episodes
Political Humor Vancouverage 2010

A gut wrenching blog entry over at PG+, if you’re a subscriber, check out the link.  If not, consider signing up!  And I know I’ve promised to talk about it over at Metblogs, and I still am planning on doing that, I promise!

A great follow up to the video clips I posted before about the phrase “fucking retard.”  As in, “Sarah Palin is a fucking retard.”

I’ve been really, really excited about the return of URU.  To help you get into the Myst spirit, check out this awesome online fan project  – Myst and Riven books! And in related news, over a million people are now playing D&D online, probably because it’s free (with some premium content).  Maybe we’ll see a lot of interest in URU!  We can only hope!

See, even lawyers need typography!

Wow, scam artists keep going, just under different names, preying on different people.  The Stranger starts a new campaign and the Onion, once again, hits it home:


New Law Would Ban Marriages Between People Who Don’t Love Each Other

The Onion does a great job, and maybe humor is what we need in the discussion, but marriage equality is serious.  Don’t believe me?  Try filing taxes as a same-sex couple.

What is Wes Anderson directed Spider Man?  Oh yes:

Cool ad that was apparently really effective, although the price must be really big, and installation I’m sure was a pain:

So not safe for any eyes, and just the idea of it (you’ll understand if you click through) confuses me, but this may in fact be the worst Unicorn tattoo ever.  Ever.  Also bad for your eyes: the 20 worst tramp stamps.

Gizmodo has a cool article about the hypocrisy of Apple and their app store.  A good read.

Have you been reading PittGirl’s new column at Pittsburgh Magazine.  You really should, here’s her latest.

I agree, this is the best ending to Judge Judy ever:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mehdpEf-XCI

And finally, I always suggest watching Arrested Development, here are the eight biggest ongoing jokes through the whole series, enjoy.

Alright, I’m heading home to watch the gold medal match of Olympic hockey, so excited!



Here we go again, first with a clip from The Daily Show:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Highway to Health – Last Tea Party Protest of the Year
www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes
Political Humor

Health Care Crisis

And here’s the follow up (I think this was right after the previous clip, but I’m not certain):

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
The D.C.
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show
Full Episodes
Political Humor Health Care Crisis

So apparently Youtube may or may not be considering charging for content, like Hulu is going to do next year.  Not good.  Where will I get my doses of keyboard cat, rickrolls and classic ads?

First of all, I love CMU.  Not only because of things like this, but this helps a lot.  Also, I really would love a giant coffee table that was really a Microsoft Surface:

SurfaceScapes Gameplay Session from Surfacescapes on Vimeo.

Speaking of healthcare, Andrew Sullivan (away this week) covers Joe Lieberman excellently in his blog here.  As awesome as it is to have Independents in congress, they really are not making me happy.  They should listen to their citizens (either way), not the lobbies.

I don’t typically watch Keith Olberman, I think he’s a little too angry, and sometimes too one-sided.  And to be fair, I still don’t see the connection between Beck and the Pittsburgh LA Fitness shootings (but then again, everyone here in Pittsburgh comes from a little different perspective about that I think), but it is always nice to see him take on FOX news:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

 

And lastly, this billboard was put in Australia (I think) in order to spark discussion about the perceived gender of God.  I’m really not sure how that connection is supposed to be made, but even so, I like the billboard (yes, I know, I’m going to hell):

Alright, that’s it for now, have a great one everybody!

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