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FakeNoose

FakeNoose's Journal
FakeNoose's Journal
March 19, 2018

Tourists posing with sculptures (humor)

I just received another forwarded email from my dear friend who's an older woman. Sometimes she sends me stuff that's good enough to share with you all.

These photos are rather clever and creative. They came from some place in Eastern Europe (don't know where, but the language might be Hungarian, Czech, or ?)






































March 15, 2018

Millions of Students Are Quietly Being Taught the Koch Bros' Whitewashed Version of Black History

Link: https://www.theroot.com/millions-of-students-are-quietly-being-taught-the-koch-1823742091?utm_source=theroot_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2018-03-14

Source: The Root (blog)
Author: Michael Harriot, March 14, 2018

Cash-strapped social studies teachers across America have discovered an exciting new resource that provides lesson plans, study materials and even seminars geared toward elementary, middle and high school students.

The lessons are extremely detailed and come with suggestions for activities, multimedia and additional reading. More importantly, unlike many educational tools, most of these materials are provided free of cost. There’s only one catch:

It’s right-wing brainwashing.

These free resources are part of an effort by the innocuously named Bill of Rights Institute to brainwash students into buying the far-right narrative on history, politics and economics. The charitable organization describes itself as “a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization that works to engage, educate and empower individuals with a passion for the freedom and opportunity that exist in a free society.”

What it really is, is an education arm of a network of right-wing charities funded by the ultraconservative Koch brothers in conjunction with a number of other conservative philanthropic individuals and organizations. It takes millions of dollars in donations and claims to have taught the Bill of Rights to more than 5 million students and 50,000 teachers, including directly training 22,000 educators through its constitutional seminars.


- More at link -

Those sneaky Koch Brothers are at it again.

They're quietly funding right-wing educational "philanthropy" through the Bill of Rights Institute - sounds patriotic and safe, right? They're using this foundation to rewrite history on slavery, civil rights, Roe v. Wade, voting rights, health care protections, and many other issues that rightwingers hold dear.

More at the link including references to NY Times article that mentions the Kochs' plan to fund this educational program for $900 million.

March 12, 2018

Hey! These old guys and gals are still with us

Sometimes we forget about older celebrities who are still around, not dead yet!
Just because they aren't in the news, it doesn't mean they've left the planet.
I've got this list here, confirmed in Wikipedia:

Herman Wouk (author) - age 102
Beverly Cleary (author) - age 101
Kirk Douglas (actor) - age 101
Olivia de Havilland (actress) - age 101
I.M. Pei (architect) - age 100
Lawrence Ferlinghetti (poet, painter) - age 98
George Shultz (government) - age 97
Carol Channing (actress) - age 97
Hugh Downs (anchorman) - age 97
Prince Philip (royalty) - age 96
Betty White (actress) - age 96
Al Jaffee (cartoonist) - age 96
Doris Day (singer, actress) - age 95
Norman Lear (TV producer) - age 95
Henry Bloch (businessman) - age 95
Janis Paige (singer, actress) - age 95
Stan Lee (cartoonist) - age 95
Larry Storch (comedian, actor) - age 95
Red Schoendienst (baseball) - age 95
Franco Zeffirelli (movie director) - age 95
Chuck Yeager (test pilot) - age 95
Carl Reiner (comedian, actor) - age 94
Bill Macy (comedian, actor) - age 94
Pierre Cardin (fashion designer) - age 94
Henry Kissinger (government) - age 94
Bob Dole (government) - age 94
Rhonda Fleming (actress) - age 94
Glynis Johns (actress) - age 94
Bob Barker (TV host) - age 94
Freeman Dyson (physicist) - age 94
Gloria Vanderbilt (fashion designer) - age 94
Stanley Donen (movie director) - age 93
George H.W. Bush (government) - age 93
Jimmy Carter (government) - age 93
Lee Iacocca (businessman) - age 93
Hal Holbrook (actor) - age 93
Jack Whitaker (sports announcer) - age 93
Eva Marie Saint (actress) - age 93
Joyce Randolph (actress) - age 93
Barbara Bush (wife, mother) - age 92
Arlene Dahl (actress) - age 92
June Lockhart (actress) - age 92
Marv Levy (sports announcer) - age 92
Russell Baker (journalist, author) - age 92
Angela Lansbury (actress) - age 92
Dick Van Dyke (actor) - age 92
Alan Greenspan (government) - age 92
Brent Scowcroft (government) - age 92

This list is not exhaustive, so does anybody have a name they want to add?


March 7, 2018

Joe Biden: 'He reminds me of my son Beau': Biden stumps for Conor Lamb



Pittsburgh Post Gazette March 6, 2018

Link: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-local/2018/03/06/Joe-Biden-Conor-Lamb-Rick-Saccone-18th-Congressional-District-special-election-Tim-Murphy/stories/201803060165

Former Vice President Joe Biden paid Democratic congressional candidate Conor Lamb the ultimate compliment Tuesday: “He reminds me of my son Beau,” Mr. Biden said, referring to the Delaware attorney general who died of cancer in 2015.

“He reminds me of my Beau because with Beau and with Conor, it’s about the other guy,” Mr. Biden said in remarks in a crowded Collier union hall Tuesday afternoon and again in an evening appearance before several hundred people in a ballroom at Robert Morris University in Moon.

Mr. Lamb, 33, is running in a special election Tuesday against Republican Rick Saccone to represent the 18th Congressional District seat vacated by Tim Murphy. Like the late Beau Biden, Mr. Lamb is a former military lawyer with a family legacy in politics: His grandfather was a Democratic leader in the state Legislature. Or as Mr. Biden put it, “Public service is in his blood. It’s all he’s done; think about it.”

Much of Mr. Biden’s two stump speeches were the same, but the audiences were different. In his afternoon appearance at the Carpenters Training Center, Mr. Biden spoke to a group that was mostly male and skewed older. In RMU’s Yorktown Hall, the capacity crowd was made up of more women and young people.


-more at link - including many more positive quotes by Biden and Lamb

Warning: many stupid comments posted by RWNJ bots (crazy rightwingers) who jump at every chance to post garbage on the PPG news stories that favor the Dems. Don't read the comments because they're mostly a waste of time.
March 6, 2018

Joe Biden to support Conor Lamb with March 6 visit to area



Link: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-local/2018/03/01/Biden-to-support-Conor-Lamb-with-March-6-visit-to-area/stories/201803010124

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette March 1, 2018
By Chris Potter

Former Vice President Joe Biden is visiting the region on March 6 in an effort to support Democrat Conor Lamb, one week before a special election in the 18th Congressional District.

Mr. Biden will appear at two events: a rally with union members at a training center for carpenters, followed by a 6 p.m. event at Robert Morris University’s Yorktown Hall.

“Conor Lamb will be a champion for the working people of southwestern Pennsylvania,” Mr. Biden said in a statement. “He’s not afraid to say the word 'union.' I know he will stand up for the people of his district, whether it means protecting Social Security and Medicare, or fighting to create good, quality jobs you can support a family on.”

A visit from Mr. Biden, who has said Mr. Lamb has “a genuine chance of winning” the March 13 against Republican Rick Saccone, has been anticipated for weeks. He was last in Pittsburgh in mid-February as part of a book tour. And while he didn’t address the race specifically, he did urge Democrats to reconnect with voters on economic issues.


More at link

Local Democratic organizers are inviting all interested parties to attend the 6 p.m. Rally. I've received invitations even though I'm not in the 18th District. However I have contributed to Conor Lamb's campaign and I'm sure that's why I received the invitation. It's open to the public. The special election for the 18th Congressional seat is next Tuesday, March 13th.

February 28, 2018

SCOTUS Justice Alito asks for responses to GOP bid to block new Pa. congressional map

Link: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2018/02/28/Samuel-Alito-GOP-bid-block-new-court-drawn-Pennsylvania-congressional-map/stories/201802280163

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Feb. 28th, 2018 1:01 PM
Authors: Jonathan Lai and Liz Navratil, Harrisburg Bureau

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. on Wednesday asked participants in a key Pennsylvania gerrymandering case to respond to a request from top Republican lawmakers that the nation’s highest court step in and block the new congressional map.

State Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson, and House Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stay the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s ruling overturning the previous congressional map and imposing a new one.

Justice Alito gave participants in the case until 3 p.m. Monday to file their responses.

He made a similar move a few weeks ago after Mr. Scarnati and Mr. Turzai filed a similar request to step in and stop the Pennsylvania Supreme Court from overturning the state’s congressional map. In that first request, Justice Alito sought responses from the parties in the case before denying the request without comment and without referring it to the whole court to decide.


Experts are calling this a long shot because Judge Alito's previous ruling was on an almost identical argument which was later denied a hearing.

Michael Li, a redistricting expert at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University, has also maintained that the request is unlikely to succeed.

“If you’re a Republican defending a map and you can’t even get Justice Alito to refer the thing to the whole court, that’s a pretty weak challenge,” he said. “And this go round, it’s even weaker.”


So it's just another delaying tactic and the Judge Alito will decide whether to hear the case next Monday March 5th.


February 27, 2018

I'm designing my new poster for the "March for Our Lives" March

What do you guys think? Is it too much?



February 26, 2018

The Church Ladies' bulletins (Humor)

Please don't anybody get offended, this is just silly stuff! My friend who's a nice older woman is always forwarding me her emails and sometimes they're good enough that I've posted them here on DU.

So these are snips taken from various Church Bulletins, where lack of copyediting or proofreading skills have created some unintended but (possibly) funny results.

--------------------------
They're Back! Those wonderful Church Bulletins!
Thank God for the church ladies with typewriters.
These sentences actually appeared in church bulletins
or were announced at church services:

--------------------------

The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.

--------------------------

Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled.
Proceeds will be used to cripple children.

--------------------------

The sermon this morning: Jesus Walks on the Water.
The sermon tonight: 'Searching for Jesus.'

--------------------------

Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those
things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.

--------------------------

Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.

--------------------------

Miss Charlene Mason sang, 'I will not pass this way again,'
giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.

--------------------------

For those of you who have children and don't know it,
we have a nursery downstairs.

--------------------------

Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir.
They need all the help they can get.

--------------------------

Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church.
So ends a friendship that began in their school days.

--------------------------

A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall.
Music will follow.

--------------------------

At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be 'What Is Hell?'
Come early and listen to our choir practice.

--------------------------

Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several
new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.

--------------------------

Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased
person you want to be remembered.

--------------------------

The church will host an evening of fine dining, super
entertainment and gracious hostility.

--------------------------

Pot-luck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.

--------------------------

The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind.
They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.

--------------------------

This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across
from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.

--------------------------

The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the Congregation would
lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.

--------------------------

Low Self-Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM.
Please use the back door.

--------------------------

The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church
basement, Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.

--------------------------

Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church.
Please use large double door at the side entrance.

--------------------------

And this one just about sums them all up:

The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new campaign slogan last Sunday:
'I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours...


February 21, 2018

How much is your "favorite" Republican worth?

I've just spent a few hours on a click-baity website called Celebrity Net Worth, so now you don't have to.

I've looked up the net worth* of lots of prominent GOP members including people who are currently serving in Congress and White House. So OK the numbers may be off by a little bit because people tend to keep their financial info private.
I think this website did a little guessing, but here's what they say. (Listed in no particular order.)

Karl Rove - age 67 - $8 million
Donald Rumsfeld - age 85 - $30 million
Dick Cheney - age 87 - $100 million
George W. Bush - age 71 - $40 million
Dan Quayle - age 71 - $3 million
Mitt Romney - age 70 - $250 million
Arnold Schwarzenegger - age 70 - $400 million
Sean Hannity - age 56 - $80 million
William Kristol - age 65 - $5 million
Paul Ryan - age 48 - $7.8 million
Mitch McConnell - age 76 - $17 million
Joe Scarborough - age 54 - $18 million
Charles Koch - age 82 - $47 billion
David Koch - age 77 - $50 billion
Ann Coulter - age 56 - $8.5 million
Roger Stone - age 65 - $20 million
Rush Limbaugh - age 67 - $550 million
Donald Trump - age 71 - $3.1 billion (does anybody actually believe this?)
Donald Trump Jr. - age 40 - $300 million
Ivanka Trump - age 37 - $300 million
Jared Kushner - age 37 - $800 million
Mike Pence - age 58 - $2 million
Kellyanne Conway - age 51 - $40 million
Betsy DeVos - age 60 - $1 billion
Rex Tillerson - age 65 - $300 million
Rick Scott - age 65 - $220 million
John Boehner - age 68 - $5 million
Steve Bannon - age 64 - $20 million
Robert Mercer - age 71 - $900 million
Steve Mnuchin - age 55 - $400 million
Chris Christie - age 55 - $4 million
Paul Manafort - age 68 - $70 million
Glenn Beck - age 54 - $250 million
John McCain - age 81 - $16 million
Sarah Palin - age 54 - $12 million
Newt Gingrich - age 74 - $9 million
Carly Fiorina - age 63 - $60 million
Rick Perry - age 67 - $3 million
Rand Paul - age 55 - $2.5 million
Steve Forbes - age 70 - $430 million
Rupert Murdoch - age 86 - $13 billion

All these names and many more can be found at this website:
https://www.celebritynetworth.com/

Warning this is very click-baity with lots of "fake news" ads. There are plenty more names I could look up, but I'm getting really tired of this. If anybody else wants to post their favorites on here, feel free.



Edit 2/23/18 to add - please scroll down for more names added below.

Profile Information

Name: Kathy Hinsman
Gender: Female
Hometown: Pittsburgh PA
Home country: USA
Current location: Pittsburgh
Member since: Sat Feb 18, 2017, 02:16 PM
Number of posts: 32,628

About FakeNoose

Hey DU friends! Baby boomer here. I became a voter in 1972 when I turned 21, and I've been voting regularly ever since. For a long time I remained independent - always voting for Dem candidates. However that changed in 2008 when I wanted to vote for Hillary Clinton for President. But I live in Pennsylvania where we have closed elections, and my only chance to vote for Hillary was in the Dem primary. So I joined the Democratic Party in 2008, voted for Hillary, and I've never looked back. Barack Obama won the primary in Pennsylvania, as ell as most other states, and I supported him in the general election. It was a different story in 2016 .... You'll never convince me that Chump didn't CHEAT his way into the White House. The worst 4 years in the history of our country ensued, 2017 to 2020, and the first few days of 2021. We all lived through it and i don't need to explain it now. My goal is to make sure that Chump NEVER gets elected to ANYTHING again. Not even Dogcatcher of West Palm Beach FL. Whether he goes to prison is not up to me - but he must be CONVICTED of his crimes and PREVENTED from running for office again. Better yet - he should be in prison or six-feet-under. You get me? I love the cooperation, optimism and can-do spirit of Democratic Underground. We're a community of liberal-minded Americans and we know how to share our stories constructively and pro-actively. Let's all pitch in and get this job done. There has never been a more important election that right now, this year. Democrats everywhere MUST WIN. Joe Biden must win FOUR MORE YEARS!
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