samhexum

Overdoses lead police to mobile home w/ drive-thru window 4 peddling drugs (link) AND... Police looking for person who left 5 pounds of pot at thrift store (link)

Drag Queen Story Hour sparks protests in conservative towns NEW ORLEANS — Once upon a time, in 2015, a writer in San Francisco named Michelle Tea got the idea for “Drag Queen Story Hour”: men in full drag reading children’s books to kids and parents in programs aimed at providing “positive and unabashedly queer role models.” Since then, Drag Queen Story Hours have been held at libraries or book stores in big cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and costume-loving New Orleans — where over-the-top hair, makeup and gowns and stories about gender fluidity aren’t exactly new. In some smaller communities, however, the programs have sparked protests from conservative and religious groups. In Lafayette, Louisiana, west of New Orleans, the president of the local public library board resigned amid debate over plans to hold “Drag Queen Story Hour” and Mayor Joel Robideaux has indicated he may seek to cancel the Oct. 6 program. A handful of protesters showed up in the rain outside an August event at a library branch in Columbus, Georgia, according to the Ledger-Enquirer. And, on its Facebook page, a group called Common Sense Campaign Tea Party is calling for protests of a planned Sept. 8 event at a public library in Mobile, Alabama. That’s where drag queen Khloe Kash is scheduled to read “Rainbow Fish,” a 1992 story about the value of sharing, and “Stella Brings the Family,” about a little girl fretting over what to do about her school’s upcoming Mother’s Day celebration because she has two fathers. “It’s growing all over the nation, including the South,” Jonathan Hamilt, a New Yorker who provides help in organizing the story hours nationwide, told The Associated Press. He said there are DQSH chapters in 40 states and in other countries. Hamilt performs as his drag alter-ego, Ona Louise, at charity events and at Drag Queen Story Hours. He acknowledges that the story hours draw protests in some cities. But he has also been surprised at the acceptance it has received in some rural areas and conservative states such as Wisconsin and Georgia, where he grew up. “You never know how the community is going to react to the programing,” Hamilt said. “It’s kind of a toss-up.” Critics see something sinister: “The program is designed to purposely target children so as to make sexual perversion acceptable through repeated exposure,” a poster on the Common Sense Campaign Tea Party page wrote. AL.Com reported that opponents at a Mobile County Commission meeting described the programs as a “plan to indoctrinate children.” But, so far, the reading sessions are still on. At a Mobile City Council meeting, according to news accounts, some members expressed sympathy with opponents but also cited First Amendment concerns that made them reluctant to try to block the program. Scott Kinney, executive director of the Mobile Public Library system, said the system’s policy on use of meeting rooms stresses maximum availability to the public, and he noted that library facilities have been used by faith-based groups. In Lafayette, the planned October story hour is being coordinated by members of the Delta Lambda Phi Social Fraternity at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. The national fraternity, founded by gay men in 1986, issued a news release supporting the chapter as the controversy erupted last week. “This program teaches love, diversity and acceptance — powerful and positive messages from which all can benefit,” it said.

Just drop off the key, Lee.

Singing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mERIFIwWYMg http://instagr.am/p/BI017Rkg_VI/media/?size=l http://instinctmagazine.com/sites/instinctmagazine.com/files/images/blog_posts/Kevin%20Symes/2018/02/26/Image-8.png

DEAR ABBY: Life hasn’t been easy for me. I taught in inner-city schools for 35 years and lost three life partners who were addicted to alcohol and drugs before they died of AIDS. Out of necessity, I had to carry on with my professional life while struggling with my unfortunate personal life. I’m happily retired now and living a wonderful life in Palm Springs, California. But sometimes I find myself starting to dwell on unhappy memories from my past. When it happens, I have found an effective coping method. It came from a simple mantra a former student of mine posted online: “There’s a reason the rearview mirror is so small and the windshield is so large. It’s because where you’re headed is much more important than where you’ve been.” Now, when a sad memory comes to mind, I say to myself, “big windshield; small rearview mirror,” let go of the unwanted thought and move on. This has been beneficial for my well-being, and I hope it will be for others. — DESERT JACK DEAR JACK: I’m glad you shared this. Clinging to loss and sadness isn’t healthy for anyone. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves to keep the past behind us rather than let it clutter up our present. Thank you for sharing your coping method. I, too, hope it will help readers.

Mogul was plied with alcohol, drugs by cheating husband in last days: suit The final days of the Manhattan mogul who made a fortune selling idyllic Snow Babies and Dickens Villages were a hazy, alcohol-soaked nightmare because of his grifter husband, the late millionaire’s family charges. Edward Bazinet, 73, who made as much as $100 million selling holiday figurines, was plied nightly with booze and drugs by Brett Jordan, who was 43 years younger and cheated on him regularly during their mere months as a wedded couple, according to the Manhattan Surrogate’s Court filing. Jordan “used Bazinet and he abused Bazinet, all while indulging himself in luxuries and wealth unimaginable to the boy from Tennessee who had often told stories . . . of a childhood steeped in abject poverty and abuse,” Bazinet’s family charges. Bazinet’s relatives have been battling Jordan over the businessman’s $54 million estate, most of which was set to go to a Minnesota trust before Jordan entered Bazinet’s life. Now Jordan, a real estate broker who also netted hefty commissions by buying apartments with his spouse, stands to inherit $32 million. The secret November 2017 nuptials were a “premeditated . . . scheme to defraud Bazinet,” the family alleges. Relatives charge Jordan made his true feelings clear in texts to friends, writing, “I HATE HIM,” while complaining about the older man’s incontinence and declining mobility. A lawyer for Jordan called the “spurious” allegations “a malicious smear campaign.”

Don't resurrect old Threads.

Don't resurrect old Threads

Mogul was plied with alcohol, drugs by cheating husband in last days: suit The final days of the Manhattan mogul who made a fortune selling idyllic Snow Babies and Dickens Villages were a hazy, alcohol-soaked nightmare because of his grifter husband, the late millionaire’s family charges. Edward Bazinet, 73, who made as much as $100 million selling holiday figurines, was plied nightly with booze and drugs by Brett Jordan, who was 43 years younger and cheated on him regularly during their mere months as a wedded couple, according to the Manhattan Surrogate’s Court filing. Jordan “used Bazinet and he abused Bazinet, all while indulging himself in luxuries and wealth unimaginable to the boy from Tennessee who had often told stories . . . of a childhood steeped in abject poverty and abuse,” Bazinet’s family charges. Bazinet’s relatives have been battling Jordan over the businessman’s $54 million estate, most of which was set to go to a Minnesota trust before Jordan entered Bazinet’s life. Now Jordan, a real estate broker who also netted hefty commissions by buying apartments with his spouse, stands to inherit $32 million. The secret November 2017 nuptials were a “premeditated . . . scheme to defraud Bazinet,” the family alleges. Relatives charge Jordan made his true feelings clear in texts to friends, writing, “I HATE HIM,” while complaining about the older man’s incontinence and declining mobility. A lawyer for Jordan called the “spurious” allegations “a malicious smear campaign.”

Don't have a Madonna choice, but Cher's is definitely BTW... If you listen to the lyrics, she's either singing to the guy who's leaving her for a guy or she's a lesbian singing to the woman who's leaving her for a guy. Either way, she needs to hone her gaydar.

Like that could ever happen! :D:rolleyes:

It's all his bitch wife's fault... Man convicted again for killing guy who answered ad for sex with pregnant wife An Illinois man was convicted for first-degree murder – again – for shooting dead a man who allegedly went to his house to pay for sex with his then-pregnant wife. Timothy Smith, 34, was convicted Thursday for the murder of Kurt Milliman, who was shot and killed in 2011 after answering a Craigslist ad Timothy had placed offering paid sex with his wife, Kimberly. It’s his second conviction of the same charge in the case following a retrial, the Chicago Tribune reported. Judge Sharon Prather ruled Thursday that Smith’s claims that he fatally shot Milliman by accident, or, alternatively, in defense of himself and his wife were not credible. Milliman, a former bar owner and sheriff’s office employee, went to Smith’s McHenry County home after answering a Craigslist ad for sex with Smith’s wife that was posted by Timothy. However, when he arrived, Kimberly Smith got cold feet and decided she didn’t want to proceed. And HE'S the one locked up?!?!? Bitch probably planned it all. Milliman reportedly got angry and violent and when Kimberly Smith called for him, her husband ran in from the next room with a gun. He shot Milliman in the back. And HE'S the one locked up?!?!? Bitch probably planned it all. Smith was previously convicted of first-degree murder in the fatal shooting, but he was granted a retrial after an appeals court ruled that Prather should have instructed jurors that they had the option of finding Smith guilty of the lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter. In the retrial, Prather said there was no proof that Milliman presented “a threat or danger that required the force applied” and noted that Smith initially lied during a 911 call and to police, claiming the man was a home intruder. On Thursday, Prather rejected less serious verdicts of second-degree homicide or involuntary manslaughter when she announced the new conviction. Smith will be resentenced next month. He was initially given a 50-year prison term. Timothy and Kimberly Smith have since divorced. And HE'S the one locked up?!?!? Bitch probably planned it all. Man convicted again for killing guy who answered ad for sex with pregnant wife... a better headline would've been A MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE!

Yeah, but doesn't that say more about YOU than them? :D:rolleyes:

As if a woman beating a man could be anything other than a myth... :D:rolleyes:

I occasionally recognize 'celebrity' voice-overs in commercials. For some reason, Frank Whalley's voice drives me up the wall in his Honda ads. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvHNfONwuxg How do feel about Ellen Degenerate's voice-overs?

Already posted...

I'm the only person in the world who admits to owning her greatest hits CD. I AM WOMAN actually had great lyrics. The song was originally recorded by Smokey Roberds, singing under the name of "Freddie Allen". It debuted within a wedding-themed television commercial for Crocker National Bank in California in the winter of 1970, with Williams on vocals. Hal Riney of the San Francisco-based advertising agency Hal Riney & Partners had commissioned the song to help Crocker appeal to young people. The song played over footage of a couple getting married and just starting out. In the song, direct reference to the bank was left out, in part to make the song more marketable. The commercial turned out to be very popular, but it attracted customers the bank was not interested in, young adult customers without any collateral for loans, so the campaign was eventually suspended, after which the concept was franchised by Crocker to other banks. Richard Carpenter saw the TV commercial and guessed correctly that Williams was the vocalist (both of them were under contract to A&M Records). Carpenter ran into Williams on the record company's lot and asked if a full-length version was available. Although the TV commercial had only two verses and no bridge, Williams stated that there was a bridge and an additional verse, forming a complete song; he and Nichols went on to write them. For Williams, the song was a personal victory; it was his first collaboration with Nichols that resulted in a hit single, and it opened the door to many more thereafter. In 1998, the recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for recordings "of lasting quality or historical significance".

Speaking of naked exercise... https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/video/3926969-naked-pursuit-suspect-bails-from-stolen-truck-during-pursuit-in-east-la-flees-on-foot/

The Village Voice is no more The storied New York tabloid the Village Voice — already down to just over a dozen employees — is now officially dead, its owner announced Friday, according to Gothamist.com. Half of the staff will be fired, with the other half hanging on briefly to work on an online archive, owner Peter Barbey told them Friday. The publication has stopped publishing new material. “I bought The Village Voice to save it,” Barbey told staffers, relaying the bad news by telephone. “This isn’t how I thought it was going to end up,” he said, blaming “basically, business realities,” according to an audio of the call obtained by Gothamist.

I assume you know Richard saw Bette Midler singing Superstar on THE TONIGHT SHOW and thought it would be a good song for his sibling to sing. Much like he saw a bank commercial and thought We've Only Just Begun would also work well for sis.

THIS is actually the headline in the NY POST: good spelling! Abadoned animals at Japanese aquarium spark public outcry The plight of a lonely dolphin and dozens of penguins that have been abandoned in a derelict aquarium in Japan since the start of the year sparked protests this week, with activists and ordinary Japanese alike calling for the animals to be saved. The female bottlenose dolphin, nicknamed Honey, was captured in 2005 near Taiji, a western port town that has become notorious for its annual dolphin hunt that was featured in the Oscar-winning 2009 documentary “The Cove”, media reports say. The practice of Japanese aquariums buying dolphins from Taiji came under heavy criticism following the release of the film. The hunt involves driving hundreds of dolphins into a cove, where some are taken alive for sale to marine parks, while others are killed for meat. The Japan Association of Zoos and Aquariums has since agreed to stop buying dolphins from Taiji. The operator of the Inubosaki Marine Park Aquarium in the city of Choshi in Chiba prefecture, just east of Tokyo, shuttered the facility in January citing a decline in visitors after the 2011 earthquake and nuclear crisis. Honey and 46 penguins, along with hundreds of fish and reptiles, remain at the aquarium, an official with the Chiba prefectural Health and Welfare department said. Employees have been regularly feeding the animals, he added, but photos and video taken by activists in March and August from outside the park show Honey floating in a tiny pool in an eerily empty facility. In another picture, dust-covered penguins can be seen perched on a crumbling structure near a pile of debris. “Honey is a symbol of both the problem of marine parks and Taiji’s hunting practices,” said Akiko Mitsunobu, chief of aquarium issues for Animal Rights Center, a local group. “When we went to check on the facility, she was showing signs of stress, putting her head weakly in and out of the water.” Repeated calls to Inubosaki Marine Park and its parent company went unanswered. A Choshi city official said they have also been unable to reach park representatives. “I get feelings of danger and doubt from the fact that they are so silent about this,” said Sachiko Azuma, a representative of local activist group PEACE (Put an End to Animal Cruelty and Exploitation). “As a group that handles animals, they have a responsibility to explain what they intend to do with Honey and the other animals.” News of the abandoned animals spread quickly over social media, with Twitter users posting photos captioned “Save Honey”. A resort hotel’s offer to give them a new home sparked a flood of retweets. “I beg the authorities to get in close contact with each other and push ahead with this,” wrote one Twitter user.

Former ‘ER’ actress Vanessa Marquez shot dead by police California police shot and killed former “ER” actress Vanessa Marquez when they visited for a welfare check and she pulled a “BB-type” gun on them, according to a new report. Cops were called to Marquez’s South Pasadena home around 2 p.m. Thursday after a landlord reported that the woman was in some kind of trouble, Lt. Joe Mendoza of the LA Sheriff’s homicide bureau said at a press conference, The South Pasadenan reported. “At the time [of the shooting], there was an LA County mental health clinician here with the officers,” Mendoza said. “They began to communicate with her; she became very uncooperative and during that contact, she armed herself with a handgun, she pointed it at the officers and an officer-involved shooting occurred.” Cops later recovered a BB gun that “resembled a semi-automatic handgun.” Mendoza said the woman, who sources identified as Marquez, “was undergoing some medical problems, some seizures, [and] it appeared that the female was gravely disabled,” according to the report. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department is investigating the incident, as is protocol for all police-involved shootings, according to the report. Police had been called to Marquez’s home in the past for help, Mendoza told the outlet. Marquez played Nurse Wendy Goldman on the popular NBC drama “ER” from 1994 to 1997. She also played the role of Ana Delgado in the 1988 film “Stand and Deliver,” and appeared in the flicks “Night Children” and “Blood In, Blood Out,” among others. In October, Marquez accused former “ER” co-star George Clooney of helping to blacklist her from the show in 1995 because she complained about being sexually and racially harassed on set. “Clooney helped blacklist me when I spoke up abt harassment on ER. Women who dont play the game lose career…I did,” she tweeted at the time. In a statement, Clooney denied the claims. “I had no idea Vanessa was blacklisted. I take her at her word,” the actor said at the time. “I was not a writer or a producer or a director on that show. I had nothing to do with casting. I was an actor and only an actor. If she was told I was involved in any decision about her career, then she was lied to. The fact that I couldn’t affect her career is only surpassed by the fact that I wouldn’t.” Witnesses and sources called Marquez a talented woman who was beloved by her friends — but had recently battled with health issues, including celiac disease and seizures. Marquez was a member of the cinephile group Turner Classic Movies Party, which paid tribute to her in a tweet. “I am devastated to say that Vanessa Marquez @R2DivaLA was shot and killed by the South Pasadena police on Thursday afternoon,” Turner Classic Movies tweeted late Thursday. “I met her through #TCMParty, I hope she knew how much we loved her and I hope too that she is at peace.”

Either way...:rolleyes: