Stocks rocked in their worst day since October 2008

President Donald Trump's Schedule for Friday, February 2, 2018

President Donald Trump will visit the Border Protection National Targeting Center where he will tour the facility then participate in a roundtable discussion on border control.

The president and first lady will then head to Palm Beach, Florida for a weekend at Mar-a-Lago.

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• 4:40 PM The President and First Lady depart Washington, D.C., en route to Palm Beach, FL – Joint Base Andrews

• 7:00 PM The President and First Lady arrive in Palm Beach, FL – Palm Beach International Airport

https://www.conservativedailynews.com/2018/02/president-donald-trumps-schedule-friday-february-2-2018/


Doctor approved, too.

After 22 years, a synagogue study group finishes reading the Torah from beginning to end

Source: Washington Post, by Julie Zauzmer

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They began reading Genesis in 1996. “I wanted to take my time with it, go slowly with it, so we could really just soak in and absorb the wisdom of the text,” Weinblatt said. “Like those people who like to take their time with a fine cigar or a fine glass of wine, we took our time with a fine work of literature.”

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(Amanda Bergman says)...“Over the course of these last 20 or so years, my concept of God has changed,” she said. “That truly is from studying the Torah and learning about all the different attributes of God and the different, if you will, personalities of God.”

When she joined, in her early 30s, she thought of God as “a person up in the heavens.” Now, she considers God to be a spiritual force present in nature and in people. “I’ve been able to look at God, I think, without blinders,” she said.

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Weinblatt says he doesn’t encourage anyone to take the Bible literally, saying that’s not a “Jewish way” to read scripture. In the study group, there’s a wide variety of views about the divine inspiration of the text, and he encourages everyone to keep an open mind. “If you believe the Torah is the product of human beings, you have to be open to the possibility that also the hand of God is involved here,” he tells them. “Conversely, if you believe that the Torah comes from God, you have to recognize that the hand of human beings was in here as well.”

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Read it all at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2018/02/01/after-22-years-a-synagogue-study-group-finishes-reading-the-torah-from-beginning-to-end/

The first reactions to 'Black Panther' promise a game-changing movie for Marvel

Source: Vox, by Alex Abad-Santos

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The hard truth is that there have been 17 Marvel movies (including Spider-Man: Homecoming, Marvel’s joint venture with Sony), and none of them have had a woman or person of color as the titular or central character. That will finally change with Black Panther, the first Marvel movie about a black superhero. (Marvel Studios didn’t own the rights to Blade until 2013.) And judging by the first reactions to film, which had its world premiere Monday night, it’s a milestone many fans are more than ready to see Marvel pass.

One of the most prominent reactions among those who saw the film — aside from how awesome the movie is — was the feeling that they were seeing themselves onscreen for the first time.

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https://twitter.com/NatashaSAlford/status/958157441946054657
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In the comic books, T’Challa, a.k.a. Black Panther, is king of a fictional African country called Wakanda. Within the Marvel universe, Wakanda is one of the most technologically advanced countries on the planet (if not the most), one that has repelled every attempt at invasion — including intergalactic ones — from anyone silly enough to think they could defeat the Wakandan forces.

Pride, power, and grace are synonymous to Wakanda and its king. That’s a big part of what makes Black Panther so powerful, since these kinds of depictions of black identity — superheroes, royalty, geniuses, warriors who have never been colonized — have so rarely been seen in mainstream pop culture up to this point.

When it comes to superhero movie first reactions, Black Panther’s included, they all tend to shout the same chorus: that it’s the best superhero movie ever. But in Black Panther’s case, there’s something deeper happening in how it’s inspired these sorts of reflections on the power of representation. It may be a good movie, but more importantly, it may also be a movie that changes the game.

Black Panther hits theaters on February 16, 2018.

Read it all at: https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/1/30/16950798/black-panther-marvel-first-reactions

February Premieres and Returning Favorites

Alternative programming for Tuesday night 'SOTU' 2-hour block of time.

Sorry - Broadcast networks and cable news stations will be televising this "Festival of Lies" which is nothing more than a repeat (ad nauseum) of what we have been hearing for over a year now.


Basic cable selections

WGN: 'The Hulk' and 'Bellevue' - 'Bellevue' premier last week pretty interesting!

NFL Channel: rebroadcast of '2005 Superbowl,' New England v Philadelphia - *trigger warning*

AMC: 'Demolition Man' - *spoiler* - the present-day mysterious "Taco Bell" is featured in our future!

Syfy: 'The Goonies' - Yes, that's for people who NEVER watch the 'SOTU!'

Alt-HBO: "The Great Wall" as in China. This is probably what the Dotard imagined!

Alt-HBO: "Why Him?" - If that's still nagging at you.

Alt-Cinemax: "American Psycho" - Yeah, we knew what the deplorables were getting us into!

Alt-Showtime: "Scream" - ALWAYS appropriate.

Alt-Movie Channel: "Hell or High Water" - For those who do not enjoy escapism.

New 'Go To Church or the Devil Will Get You' sign being erected on I-65

Source: AL.com, by Kelly Kazek




Many travelers along Interstate 65 have been wondering for more than a year what happened to the iconic sign with the image of a red-tailed Satan and the message "Go To Church or the Devil Will Get You." Whether passing motorists agreed with its sentiment, the sign was a well-known landmark that many will be happy to know is being replaced.

The sign, erected decades ago by W.S. "Bill" Newell, was toppled by a storm in fall of 2016. It was located on Newell's private property near the Verbena exit beside the north-bound lanes. Newell was known as a Christian and a patriot who enjoyed providing the message for motorists to contemplate.

Newell's sons, Sam and Keith, took over maintenance of the sign upon their father's death in 2009. A new signboard has been erected, this time closer to a picturesque mill waterwheel so that it is more visible to those traveling north, according to Althea Newell, wife of Sam Newell. The signboard is currently covered with blank, white paper.

Despite the fact that the original sign was damaged when it fell, the devil image was salvaged and will be used on the new sign, Mrs. Newell said. The message will be the same, likely with the exact wording as the original, she said.

Mrs. Newell didn't know when the message would be added to the new signboard, saying it depends on when crews at her husband's firm, Newell and Sons Construction in Montgomery, will be available to work on it.

http://www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2018/01/new_go_to_church_or_the_devil.html#incart_river_home

Patriots conspiracy theories cheat truth about latest Super Bowl run

U.S. Civil Rights Trail (ICYMI)

(U of) Alabama athletics brought in $174.3 million last year

Source: AL.com, by Michael Casagrande


University of Alabama athletics continues to be profitable and football remains the driving force, according to budget documents the school files annually with the NCAA.

The school made $15.6 million more than it spent in 2017, according to the document obtained by AL.com through open records requests.

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In terms of football, the profit was $45.9 million with total revenue of $108.2 million. With expenses rising last year, the profit was down $1.8 million from the 2016 report filed with the NCAA. The revenue, however, was up from $103.9 million in 2016.

For perspective, USA Today reported the University of Texas had revenue of $215 million in 2017 (compared to Alabama's $174.3 million). It was the highest revenue number in the 13 years of the newspaper's survey of athletics money, up from the previous record of $173.2 million Texas set in 2015.

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Contributions accounted for $32.9 million. That could take a big hit in 2018 with the new tax plan passed by Congress and signed by the president. In the past, 80 percent of those contributions could be written off as charity donations.

That deduction is eliminated under the new tax plan, which will make things more difficult for athletics departments to raise money from donors.


Read it all at: http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/index.ssf/2018/01/alabama_athletics_brought_in_1.html#incart_river_home_pop