samhexum

The famous poster that hung on my wall: http://www.voyagersguidebook.com/photos/undefined/jonerikhexumtTree-fixed.jpg A friend of mine works as a camera man for CNN. They interviewed my late hubby before COVER UP started. He tried to reach me to tell me about it, but this was before cell phones & texting/email, so I had to settle for a bootleg unedited copy of the interview footage. I still have it on a VHS tape somewhere, in lousy condition.

If you put Willem Dafoe, Liam Neeson and James Woods in a room together, there wouldn't be room for anyone else. --Dana Delany

Did Grant Goodeve replace him in your fantasies? His role in the CHIPS film should've been Frank "Paunch" Pauncharello

Jon-Erik whatshisname

Higgins has kicked the bucket & bought the farm where's he's pushing up daisies: A spokeswoman for the family of actor John Hillerman says the co-star of TV’s “Magnum, P.I.” has died. Hillerman was 84. Spokeswoman Lori De Waal said Hillerman died Thursday at his home in Houston. She said the cause of death has yet to be determined. Hillerman played stuffy Jonathan Higgins to Tom Selleck’s free-wheeling private detective Thomas Magnum in the hit 1980s series set in Hawaii. Hillerman also was known for his 1970s roles as arrogant radio show detective Simon Brimmer on the “Ellery Queen” series, and as a difficult boss on “One Day at a Time.” Hillerman appeared in a number of other series, including “Valerie,” ″The Love Boat” and “The Betty White Show.” His film credits include “The Last Picture Show” and “High Plains Drifter.

His culture will probably allow him to beat her for disrespecting him and violating his privacy.

Your tax dollars at work!

An escort in Washington state says she shot her client twice in the head — because he was lousy at oral sex, according to reports. Marissa Wallen, 21, then allegedly stole her john’s wallet and gun, left him for dead and went on a $12,000 spending spree in Skagit County, according to the Herald of Everett, Wash. The 36-year-old North Everett man’s employer grew concerned when he didn’t log in for his stay-at-home job on the morning of Oct. 24. When police were sent to check on him, he was found alive — slumped against a wall with dried blood on his head. Two shell casings nearby did not match the caliber of his missing handgun, officials said. He was unable to speak, so police communicated with him using hand signals, according to the news outlet. He indicated he knew his attacker but could not provide a name. Security footage from the apartment revealed that Wallen had visited five times in October. She was last seen entering at 8:45 p.m. Oct. 21, and then fleeing at 10 p.m. clutching what appeared to be credit cards, officials said. Store security cameras showed Wallen using the cards, according to authorities, who tracked her down at a home in Mount Vernon, Wash., on Tuesday. When confronted with evidence, Wallen kept changing her story before finally admitting she shot the man twice in the back of the head, “because he was performing (a sex act) wrong,” according to her statement. Wallen, who has an 11-month-old child, was ordered held on pending charges of first-degree assault, first-degree robbery and first-degree identity theft. “I was stunned on Tuesday when the first detective came to our door,” next-door neighbor Mark Barnum told KIRO-TV. “He said, ‘Your neighbor was shot twice in the head.’” He said he “heard what sounded like two or three taps coming from the wall. It was notable because we don’t usually hear anything.” He said he initially thought the noise could have been from a hammer. “It’s just kind of shocking to think perhaps that was maybe — maybe those were the shots. Maybe it was [the victim]. And I feel really badly that I was unable to help,” Barnum said. Other neighbors said the victim works in high tech. “He keeps to himself a lot, he’s got his computer stuff up there. He handles a lot of websites, IT security,” Erik Buxton told KIRO. According to documents, the man “had been hiring female escorts and frequenting a strip club in Seattle, where he was bragging about how much money he earned and belongings he had at his house.” Buxton said the victim “liked to kind of flash his money a little bit. It’s what’s going to happen — you’re going to attract negative people along the way.” On Wednesday, a judge said Wallen had outstanding warrants for her arrest and set her bail at $1 million. Her public defender, Pooja Vaddadi, said medical problems have prevented her from appearing in court several times, according to the Herald. Another suspect, Jenner Matthews, was arrested in the case, KIRO reported. The probable-cause document said Wallen made payments to him through Facebook using the victim’s accounts.

When I started reading, I was sure the story was going to end with the ex in handcuffs for starting a fire to get back at you for some perceived wrongdoing on your part.

You mean this? https://www.companyofmen.org/threads/he-would-rather-have-a-dead-son-than-a-gay-son.130339/

Roger Federer is a skirt-chaser. Not the kind you’re thinking. The 36-year-old tennis legend turned heads on Tuesday when he played a tennis match at a Glasgow, Scotland, charity event sporting a polo shirt and a kilt. Federer crowdsourced the fashion statement at the beginning of the match. The Swiss athlete announced, courtside, that he’d put on a kilt if one was found. Naturally, his unique attire drew lots of attention on social media.

A scorned woman murdered her ex-boyfriend by pouring sulfuric acid over him and laughed, “If I can’t have you, no one can,” a court heard Wednesday. Berlinah Wallace, 48, threw the corrosive substance in the face of Mark van Dongen at 3 a.m. Sept. 23, 2015, and it ended up covering most of his body. Twenty-five percent of his body was covered in burns and he suffered such serious injuries that he was left paralyzed. In fact, he could only move his tongue. Van Dongen, 29, lost a leg, his left eye and most of the sight in his right eye following the sulphuric acid attack, Bristol Crown Court heard. Bristol is in southwest England about 115 miles from London. Civil engineer van Dongen was left wanting to end his life and eventually successfully applied for euthanasia and died 15 months after the attack. Wallace carried out the attack out of jealousy after the couple split up and van Dongen began seeing another woman, the court in Bristol was told. In the weeks before the attack, Wallace carried out internet searches including “can I die from drinking sulphuric acid?” and searched for graphic images of acid attack victims. Fashion student Wallace denies the murder and applying-a-corrosive-fluid charges. Prosecutor Adam Vaitlingam said: “The defendant had bought a bottle of sulfuric acid, which she bought online from Amazon.” “At around 3 a.m., as Mark was sleeping in bed, she poured the acid into a glass.” “She then went into the bedroom and woke him up. She laughed and said, ‘If I can’t have you, no one will’ and she threw the glass of sulfuric acid into his face.” “It covered his face and parts of his upper body and dripped onto his lower body as he moved.” “Covered in burning acid, Mark ran out into the street in his boxer shorts, screaming for help.” The court heard how the couple had a five-year relationship and lived together, but they hit the rocks when van Dongen began seeing another woman in August 2015. Shortly before his death, van Dongen, a Dutch national, told colleagues Wallace had been violent toward him, and he “seemed genuinely scared.” The couple appeared to rekindle their romance, exchanging loving messages promising to try to make the relationship work again on Sept. 22, the day before the attack. Van Dongen sent Wallace a message saying: “I love you, I always have. I’m truly sorry for what I’ve done, we need to work on our relationship.” “You and me are meant to be. I’ve always known that. I will treat you as you deserve to be treated. You are my princess.” Wallace replied: “It means a lot hearing these words. You are the love of my life. God does not make a mistake in this. I love you with all my heart.” The couple planned to cook dinner together when van Dongen returned to work, but that evening he went out to see his new girlfriend, Violet Farquharson, the court heard. Wallace and van Dongen argued when he returned to Wallace’s apartment in Bristol at 10 p.m. and she told him she would stay in a hotel that night, the court heard. But at 3 a.m., Wallace returned to the apartment and tossed a glass of acid over van Dongen, who was lying in bed wearing just his boxer shorts, it is alleged. In the street, horrified neighbors took him into an apartment and got him to stand under a shower on the advice of paramedics. Van Dongen was rushed to Southmead Hospital in Bristol, and asked paramedics to “please check that my girlfriend is OK” because he feared that Wallace would target Farquharson next. Vaitlingam said: “They could see Mark had severe burns — they said it looked as though he had had gray-colored paint poured over him and that the acid had burned through the top layer of skin.” “He kept saying he couldn’t see and asked if he still had eyelids.” Police arrived to find Wallace sitting on the sofa in the living room and noted there was a glass beer mug on the floor next to a piece of cloth and what appeared to be an artist’s paintbrush. Vaitlingam added: “The defendant was asked what the substance was that had injured Mark and she said, ‘Acid. I was using it to distress some fabric,’ and indicated to the glass, cloth and paintbrush on the floor.” A police officer who accompanied van Dongen in the ambulance recalled how he screamed in pain for the entire journey, and radioed ahead to ask for officers to visit Farquharson. Emergency consultant Dr. Rachel Oaten said van Dongen screamed, “Kill me now, if my face is left looking like this. I don’t want to live,” when he caught sight of himself in a mirror. Van Dongen was kept in an isolated ward in ICU for six months before being moved to a burns ward, spending a total of 14 months at Southmead. The burns covered 25 percent of his body and skin had to be surgically removed. Van Dongen’s left leg was amputated below the knee and he lost the vision in his left eye and was partially sighted in his right eye. He eventually regained speech but was permanently paralyzed from the neck down. Van Dongen fell into a deep depression. Vaitlingam said: “Sometimes he said he wanted to live, at other times that he wanted to die.” On Nov. 22, 2016, a care home in Gloucester — a city just north of Bristol — was found and it was understood van Dongen would require a “lifetime of constant and dedicated care.” He told his father he wanted to return to Belgium and his father hired an ambulance to take him to the Maria Hospital in Overpelt, a small town near the Belgium-Netherlands border. Doctors there confirmed he was paralyzed for life. He applied for euthanasia, which was approved after three consultants examined him. Euthanasia is legal in Belgium. It was decided this was a case of “unbearable physical and psychological suffering,” and van Dongen’s life was taken on Jan. 2, 2017. In a police interview, Wallace claimed van Dongen assaulted her and she poured the liquid over him as a response to his aggression. “She said it was he who had poured the acid into the glass, encouraging her to drink it with her pills, but that she had not realized it was acid,” Vaitlingam added. “When she threw the contents of the glass over him, she believed it was water she was throwing.” The court heard both Wallace and van Dongen were HIV-positive. The defense said: “It is Berlinah Wallace’s case that that evening as he had often done before, Mark had encouraged her to consider drinking the sulfuric acid they had bought for clearing the drains.”

DEAR ABBY: I am a 43-year-old woman who is trying to win back my high school sweetheart. He contacted me through Facebook seven years ago, and we've been talking off and on ever since. I have never gotten over him, but he has had two bad past relationships and says he isn't ready for another one at this time. What can I do to let him know I haven't gotten over him since high school and that I'd love to try again? Our relationship ended because my parents thought I was too young to have a boyfriend. I was 15 and he was 17. He says he would love to try again "one day" -- just not now. What are some things I could do to let him know, "Hey, I'm still here, and I want a second chance" without scaring him away? -- HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEART IN FLORIDA DEAR SWEETHEART: He knows you are "still here" and want a second chance. Because he still isn't ready to give a romance with you another try, face it -- the status quo could last indefinitely. You have devoted seven precious years to trying to sway him. It's time for you to move on. How he reacts as you begin to disengage will let you know if you have made the right decision. DEAR SWEETHEART: Take a hint. It's time for you to go out and adopt 6 or 7 cats and learn to crochet. DEAR ABBY: My ex-husband and I have been divorced for three years and share custody of our 10-year-old daughter, who lives with me full time. Her father lives out of state and sees her during the summer months. Last year my daughter had an incident (an "I'll show you mine, you show me yours" kind of thing) with a friend at school, and my ex and I decided they should no longer hang out after school alone anymore. A year has gone by, and because they're in the same social circle at school, my ex is refusing to allow her to go to any events this friend attends (birthdays, sleepovers), even though there is always adult supervision. It makes me sad to see her miss out, and I understand that the incident is normal for kids that age. What can I do? Since she does not live with him, can I overrule? -- I'LL SHOW YOU MINE DEAR I'LL SHOW YOU MINE: I'm sorry your ex-husband doesn't understand that sexual curiosity in children is normal, because it appears he has overreacted. You cannot dictate the rules in his household. However, while your daughter is living with you during the winter months, he cannot overrule your parenting decisions either. DEAR I'LL SHOW YOU MINE: Your ex knows a tramp when he sees one (he married you, didn't he?). Heed his superior parental instincts and slap a chastity device on your daughter ASAP. DEAR ABBY: Since the last presidential election our oldest son has stopped communicating with us. He would text us, but his texts were so disrespectful and hurtful we had to block him from our phones. He's a grown man and we love him. What should we do? -- DISAPPOINTED PARENTS DEAR PARENTS: The last presidential election has proved to be so divisive that it has ended friendships and caused rifts in some families. Blocking your son from your phones was a mistake. It would have been better to have just told him you would prefer not to discuss politics via text messages. Until both sides can start listening respectfully to each other, healing and understanding will not happen. Unblock your phone and let your son know that he hurt your feelings, which is why you did it. DEAR MR. & MRS. TRUMP: I thought you both died a long time ago.

NICE ASS!!!

You really should get your memory checked. Told ya! [the ad no longer shows up]

I laugh every time I see one of Jennifer Aniston's ads for Aveeno. The tag line is always something like "Naturally beautiful results," spoken by a woman with bleached blond hair, who had a nose job before her acting career took off. http://starcasm.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Screen-Shot-2014-05-01-at-12.15.10-AM-490x323.png

I know the ad, but can't remember the brand/client, either. I think it's for a financial company of some sort.

I like that he named his kid after a ballpark... young Candlestick Jones. Or is it Astrodome Jones?

The calls started coming in over the past two springs as Giannis Antetokounmpo's talent began to come into focus. Trainers to some of the NBA's top-level superstars wanted Antetokounmpo to work out with their clients during the offseason. Among the suitors, LeBron James' camp -- the NBA's equivalent of being tapped for Skull and Bones, the society of the young NBA elite. Members of the Milwaukee Bucks' front office and coaching staff encouraged Antetokounmpo to take LeBron up on the invitation. What better way to hone one's game than training with the best player in the world? But Antetokounmpo would have none of it. Though he has a baller's appreciation of James and his place in the game, the Bucks' franchise player has no interest in following LeBron around like a puppy. Besides, why would he want to give his fiercest Eastern Conference rival a free look at his tendencies, vulnerabilities and anything he might be working on for the upcoming season? Summer was for the Greek National Team, for family and for grinding at the Bucks' training facility or wherever business took him. For Antetokounmpo, Bucks assistant Sean Sweeney -- and not LeBron orKevin Durant or anyone else -- would be his preferred workout partner. Antetokounmpo's thanks-but-no-thanks provides a small window into what kind of superstar he might be as he takes up residency in the NBA's pantheon. His response wasn't so much a tacit rejection of the NBA brotherhood, as James likes to call it, as it was a strong signal from Antetokounmpo that he plans to craft a superstar persona that's decidedly less social, less entrepreneurial and more introverted than the prevailing trends of the LeBron era. Antetokounmpo recently read "More Than A Hero: Muhammad Ali's Life Lessons Presented Through His Daughter's Eyes" by Hana Ali, part of an exchange with his girlfriend, whom he gifted "Me Before You" by British novelist Jojo Moyes, a love story. ("So far it's working," Antetokounmpo says of the transaction.) What struck Antetokounmpo most profoundly was Ali's admission that his mental and spiritual lives weren't truly fulfilled until his retirement. Thon Maker. When asked recently whether the Bucks routinely go out to dinner as a team, Antetokounmpo replied that on each occasion they had last season, they'd been blown out the next game. For Antetokounmpo, team-building occurs at the arena and at the facility, leading with his intensity and work ethic. He cited teammate Khris Middleton playing through a severe sickness in Game 6 of the Bucks' playoff series against Toronto last April as the sort of event that bonds a team far more than group dinners or goofing on the team plane. Just as LeBron has been chasing Michael Jordan's ghost as the game's preeminent icon, Antetokounmpo is drawing comparisons to James -- on the court, at least. Though Antetokounmpo is starting to realize that his exceptional talent makes him a marketable product, his inclinations as a professional thus far bear little resemblance to LeBron Inc. Antetokounmpo will almost certainly be on a first name basis with the public -- as much a function of syllables as stardom -- but there are few entrepreneurial ambitions. At a recent round of meetings with leading shoe companies, representatives pitched Antetokounmpo by citing their campaigns and brand-building for other NBA stars. Antetokounmpo, according to those with intimate knowledge of the meetings, found the approach perplexing. These stars were his competitors, and the notion of using their brands or personas as a template seemed backward. Present-day superstars can't escape inquiries into their politics, questions Antetokounmpo will undoubtedly be asked to answer as his star rises. For those who squawk that athletes should just play the game and stay mum about hot-button cultural issues, Antetokounmpo might be the athlete they're pining for. Antetokounmpo has expressed little interest in American politics whose issues are still foreign to him apart from a universal ecumenicism that calls for a general tolerance of difference. He recently started the Charles Antetokounmpo Family Foundation in honor of his father. While the foundation's emphases have yet to be named, Antetokounmpo has expressed interest in providing educational opportunities to youth in the developing world. Teammate Malcolm Brogdonrecently characterized Antetokounmpo as an introvert. To the extent that's an accurate description, much of that can be attributed to his relative newness to the United States and the world of North American basketball. The cultural tropes and idioms of American life are still relatively unfamiliar. Unlike virtually every top-10 player in the NBA, Antetokounmpo didn't grow up on the AAU circuit and he never played in a McDonald's All-American game. When he landed at JFK the night prior to being drafted by the Bucks, he'd never met any of his fellow 2013 classmates (he was introduced to Gorgui Dieng the following day). No college program recruited him and he'd literally never heard of the University of Kentucky. Over time, Antetokounmpo will catch up with his generational counterparts as he hones his skill, develops habits, and carves his own path in the NBA. He'll be exposed to the temptations that accompany fame, and to material wealth incomprehensible to his adolescent self, who grew up in poverty. Dramatic change in a life so young can alter one's approach to life, and Antetokounmpo could transform into a brand of superstar far different than the projections. It's also possible that "Giannis" never grows into the household name "LeBron," "Steph" or "Kobe" became. If Antetokounmpo chooses to pursue the shy, understated route, that kind of superstardom comes with a prerequisite -- an NBA championship.

Agreed, though (while you ARE affected) every person I've known who smoked regularly said they drove more slowly when high, because they were more mellow & less likely to be racing to get somewhere 5 minutes ago.

Ironically, a medical marijuana dispensary opened half a mile from me, & they deliver. God, I hope not! It definitely should be. And which politicians do you think are the reasonable persons who'll vote for these logical things on a national level? I still have my old 45s, but my turntable doesn't work. If you have one, we should get together.:rolleyes:

Never, other than a pack or two during periods of trying to quit pot (I smoke joints & missed the feeling of a joint in my hand.) I'm sure the Advair helps, but not nearly as much as quitting would.

I'm a long-time pothead, & my lungs are less than fully functional, though thankfully more functional than I figured they'd be at this point. I see my pulmonologist every 4 months & use Advair twice daily. I've had insomnia all my life, but I'm sure the pot doesn't help. Being up 18+ hours a day also leads to more opportunities to eat... also not helped by the pot.

DEAR ABBY: I have a problem I don't think you have ever addressed. Both of my testicles have been removed. Fortunately, they were not cancerous. It doesn't bother my wife, which is a blessing. Most support groups are for cancer survivors, and I'm wondering if you know of any groups for men like me. Some days I still can't cope with it because this is part of being a man. Any suggestions? -- TRYING TO COPE IN OKLAHOMA DEAR TRYING TO COPE: The doctor who saw you through the procedure may be able to refer you to a group or a therapist who can help you with your adjustment. If you haven't already contacted that physician, it would be a good place to start. Although most members of support groups are probably cancer survivors, you still will have much in common, so keep an open mind before dismissing the idea entirely. DEAR TRYING TO COPE: The doctor who saw you through the procedure may be able to refer you to a group or a therapist who can help you with your adjustment, but it will some big cojones to make that first move. DEAR ABBY: I have been married for 45 years. My husband and I get along fine. We each have our little quirks, but after all these years, we are used to each other. There is just one thing that really bugs me about him. When repairs need to be done outside the house, we have it done -- new roof, new siding, driveway paved, even solar panels. We have also done some work inside, such as remodeling the kitchen and bathrooms. Twelve years after moving into our home, I finally insisted that it be repainted on the inside. My husband griped about it nonstop. I told him he didn't have to do the painting; we would hire someone to do the job. (He did have to help me move the furniture.) Well, now it's time to replace the carpet. It's original. It's 30 years old, stained and worn out. Again, he's griping and complaining. It drives a wedge between us. Money isn't the issue. He says I am "always bothering him with one thing after another." Is it asking too much to have these things done inside my home after so many years? -- "NAGGING" WIFE DEAR WIFE: I don't think so. Nothing lasts forever, and that includes carpet. Make a deal with him -- you will hire someone to move the furniture this time if he will stop complaining. The disruption will be over in a few days, and the interior of your home will look fresher and newer once that carpet is history. DEAR WIFE: Does the carpet match the drapes? Maybe something else needs refurbishing.