So. Florida Trip #1 - An Old Friend

Tom, Rob, Chris, Jeff

This past weekend, we took a 4 day trip to Fort Lauderdale as I (Rob) was working at the South Florida Pet Expo to promote my books and give a talk, and Tom was going to the beach to celebrate his birthday (early) this month.  There were a couple of highlights (one being meeting an old friend), but for the most part, the weekend wasn't a banner weekend due to rain, not good lodging, bad traffic and insane drivers and lost luggage.

Rob and Jeff at the Pet Expo

BIG HIGHLIGHT -  A true highlight was seeing our friend Jeff J. We haven't seen Jeff in years because he lives in south Florida, so this was a treat. His friend Chris came along the night we went to dinner at a place called "Rosie's" - which used to be part of the Washington DC based "Hamburger Mary's" chain, now renamed. 
   PET EXPO - Jeff came to the first day of the pet expo and saw me there, which really helped break up the long day.

NEXT: Pictures from the Everglades

  

Why we are Upset about the Election

Yesterday, I (Rob) called all who voted for Trump something not nice. I was emotional and I apologize.  However, even if you support us as a gay, married couple, you need to know WHY we are afraid of a GOP Presidency and GOP House and Senate because they have threatened OUR personal security in plans to invalidate our legal marriage... and they CAN do it. We'll explain.
 -  FIRST: We KNOW It is a great country and always has been. We also condone the violence and protests against the election.
- OUR CONCERN - As gay married men, we are again being threatened by the Republican party to again have our marriage (and countless others) invalidated again for no reason but hatred, its difficult to feel "welcomed."   (Of course, there are MANY other reasons to be concerned including denial of science, education, adversely affecting world relations, eliminating pollution controls, etc.)


BELOW- the letter from the Hate Group "The National Organization of Marriage" about how they plan to do it.

Remember? Trump's VP passed the most anti LGBT laws in Indiana. He hates gay.people. 
Now, the GOP has.promised to sign into law a bill to make it legal to discriminate against gay people in jobs and housing.  SEE: Donald Trump pledges to sign anti-LGBTQ ‘First Amendment Defense Act’
Trump has pledged to sign the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA), if passed by congress. It was first introduced in the House on June 17, 2015 and would effectively legalize anti-LGBTQ discrimination across the board, including among employers, businesses, landlords and healthcare providers, as long as they claim to be motivated by a firmly held religious beliefs.
It would act to overturn the executive order signed in 2014 by President Obama prohibiting anti-LGBTQ discrimination among federal contractors.

VETERAN AND MILITARY CONCERN- The Washington Blade reported today: There’s more. Advocates have said they fear Trump could roll back administrative changes, such as those benefiting LGBT veterans or status of forces agreements allowing service members to bring a same-sex spouse with them overseas, or halting movement on lifting the ban on openly transgender service.

OUR QUESTION TO YOU - How are we and millions of gay people supposed to accept that? We are in shock and horrified that gay people are now facing this hatred. 

BOTTOM LINE: We can accept the presidency and deal with it. What we cannot accept is the hatred, intolerance and purposeful assault on me and the LGBT community in the U.S.

LETTER FROM THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MARRIAGE:
Source: http://www.joemygod.com/2016/11/09/nom-issues-plan-work-donald-trump-inevitable-reversal-sex-marriage-ruling/   
NOM Issues Plan To Work With Donald Trump For “Inevitable Reversal” Of Same-Sex Marriage Ruling
NOM's website said:
Here is our plan:
We will work with President Trump to nominate conservative justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, individuals who will adhere to the words and meaning of the constitution. Such justices will inevitably reverse the anti-constitutional ruling of the Supreme Court imposing same-sex ‘marriage’ on the nation in the Obergefell decision, because that decision lacked any basis in the constitution.
We will work with President Trump to rescind the illegal, over-reaching executive orders and directives issued by President Obama, including his dangerous “gender identity” directives, attempting to redefine gender just as he sought to redefine marriage.
We will work with President Trump to reverse policies of the Obama administration that seek to coerce other countries into accepting same-sex ‘marriage’ as a condition of receiving US assistance and aid. It is fundamentally wrong for a president to become a lobbyist for the LGBT agenda, and we are confident that will end in the Trump administration.
We will work with President Trump and Congress to pass the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA), which Mr. Trump supports. FADA is critical legislation to protect people who believe in marriage from being targeted by the government for persecution.
This is a bright and exciting time for NOM, and we are committed to taking full advantage of the opportunity we have. Our voice and our views matter to the incoming administration, and that means your voice and views matter.
To make sure that we can influence the policy debates that are coming, we need to step-up our communications. The first step is to grow our presence on social media. Please act today to follow NOM and me on Twitter, and to like us on Facebook.
It only takes a few seconds to follow us on Twitter and to like us on Facebook, but doing so will help us increase our ability to educate and mobilize our supporters.
We’re excited about the future, and we are looking forward to work with the Trump administration to restore marriage, uphold gender, protect religious liberty and promote families.

Science Behavior News: Dogs ignore bad advice that humans follow

 We  love Science- and when I (Rob) give lectures about how pets, like dogs, are intelligent and can

Tyler graduated from obedience school in 2013

communicate with people and other animals in the physical world, I explain the science of behaviors, learning, and even how it has been proven that they have the same emotional responses that humans have. Now  a recent scientific study at Yale University with dogs and then children tested their ability to problem solve faster. Dogs won. 

  It's really not a surprise to us, since we see how smart our dogs are figuring out puzzles and how do to things. Here's the info about the study and a brief video explaining the experiment.

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Dogs ignore bad advice that humans follow

By Bill Hathaway

    Dogs are less likely to follow bad advice than children, according to a new study conducted at the Canine Cognition Center at Yale. In contrast to children, dogs only copy a human’s actions if they are absolutely necessary for solving the task at hand, according to a recently published study appearing in the journal Developmental Science.
  “Humans often fall prey to the bad advice of others” said Laurie Santos, director of the Canine Cognition Center at Yale and senior author on this study. “Children tend to copy all of a teacher’s actions, regardless of whether they are necessary or not.”
  For instance, in one study previously conducted at Yale by Dr. Frank Keil and colleagues, children watched a demonstrator solve a puzzle by first moving a lever and then lifting a lid to pull out a prize.   
   Although the lever was completely irrelevant for solving the puzzle, children repeatedly performed both actions, even when they were in a race to solve the puzzle as quickly as possible.
The new study shows that dogs will leave out irrelevant actions when there is a more efficient way to solve a problem, even when a human repeatedly demonstrates these actions.
FULL Article: http://news.yale.edu/2016/09/26/dogs-ignore-bad-advice-humans-follow
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/QyhqbVkqQaw

A great Local Ghost Story Collection: Vineyard Ghosts

I recently enjoyed reading a great book written about many local haunts in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.  Our friend Lynn  surprised us with a copy of "Vineyard Supernatural" by Holly Mascott Nadler and it's a must-read. 
  It's wonderfully written and very engaging, and will take you to many places on Martha's Vineyard where hauntings occur often. The author is a resident who also owns a bookstore and does ghost walks, so she's very familiar with the local "haunts." 
  Whether you've been to the island or not, there are so many ghosts there, that you'll find this fascinating. 

ABOUT THE BOOK: Holly Nadler, the ghost lady of Martha's Vineyard, won lots of attention for her collections of ghostly accounts on the island in Haunted Island. Now, in her second volume, Nadler brings her sassiness and spunk to investigating and delivering the dirt on even more eerie happenings on an island that is home to the rich, famous ― and, yes, the otherworldly. In fact, she says, Martha's Vineyard is America's most haunted island.
  Available on Amazon.com 

***NEW VIDEO***Trump-Pence, Trump-Pence - Randy Rainbow Song Parody

It's another Randy Rainbow masterpiece for election day, 2016;

Trump-Pence, Trump-Pence - Randy Rainbow Song Parody

As we head into Election Week, I send you off to bed with this - the song most requested by all of you since July. God Bless America, and God Bless Julie Andrews. xo - Randy 

https://youtu.be/G19s4OmvFw8

Valiant Comics Faith #5 Features Hillary Clinton / Like Spiderman Featured President Obama

Faith #5 November 2, 2016

Being a HUGE comic book fan, and a liberal guy, I was really excited to get the number 5 issue of a Valiant Comics new super heroine called "Faith" that includes Hillary Clinton on the cover. In 2009, Marvel Comics put President Obama on the cover.


ARTICLE: Valiant To Send Out Double The Hillary Clinton Numbers Of Faith #5 To Comic Shops
Source: http://www.bleedingcool.com/

On November 2nd, just days before Election Day 2016, legendary writer Louise Simonson and Harvey Award-nominated artist Pere Perez present history in the making with a presidential milestone like no other! Faith Herbert, star of the highest selling independent superhero debut of 2016, is a shining beacon of optimism in a challenging world. Her day job as a blogger and journalist is about to bring Faith face to face with Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton…but its her daring alter ego as Los Angeles’ leading superhero that will have to save the day when a new threat emerges to imperil a pivotal moment that has all of America watching! 

REMEMBER WHEN PRESIDENT OBAMA APPEARED ON THE COVER OF SPIDERMAN? 

Amazing Spiderman #583 in 2009

When newly-elected President Obama appeared on the cover of Spider-Man I saw it as an opportunity to sell to people who weren’t predisposed to buying comics. It worked well. We sold 3000 copies of the book and frankly, made a killing doing it. Now Valiant is jumping on that bandwagon but lo, not so fast. Obama appeared AFTER the election. The book had a street date that fell right after the inauguration. In short, ASM was jumping into a piece of history and regardless of political stance, Spidey was interacting with the President of the United States, not a candidate for the job in a very contentious election season.

"Spidey Meets the President!" is a backup feature in The Amazing Spider-Man #583, written by Zeb Wells, with art by Todd Nauck and Frank D'Armata. The cover of the issue shows Barack Obama giving a thumbs-up to Spider-Man. The comic book was published the week before Obama's inauguration in January 2009. 

U.S. Winter Outlook: Warmer, drier South and cooler, wetter North

Since we get a lot of questions about what weather the next season has in store for friends around the U.S., we're sharing the outlook from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
 
U.S. Winter Outlook predicts warmer, drier South and cooler, wetter North Drought expected to persist in California and expand in the Southeast

October 20, 2016 Forecasters at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center issued the U.S. Winter Outlook today, saying that La Nina is expected to influence winter conditions this year. The Climate Prediction Center issued a La Nina watch this month, predicting the climate phenomenon is likely to develop in late fall or early winter. La Nina favors drier, warmer winters in the southern U.S and wetter, cooler conditions in the northern U.S. If La Nina conditions materialize, forecasters say it should be weak and potentially short-lived.

“This climate outlook provides the most likely outcome for the upcoming winter season, but it also provides the public with a good reminder that winter is just up ahead and it’s a good time to prepare for typical winter hazards, such as extreme cold and snowstorms,” said Mike Halpert, deputy director, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “Regardless of the outlook, there is always some chance for extreme winter weather, so prepare now for what might come later this winter.”

Other factors that often play a role in the winter weather include the Arctic Oscillation, which influences the number of arctic air masses that penetrate into the South and create nor'easters on the East Coast, and the Madden-Julian Oscillation, which can affect the number of heavy rain events in the Pacific Northwest.

The 2016 U.S. Winter Outlook (December through February):

Precipitation

• Wetter than normal conditions are most likely in the northern Rockies, around the Great Lakes, in Hawaii and in western Alaska

• Drier than normal conditions are most likely across the entire southern U.S. and southern Alaska.
   
  Temperature
• Warmer than normal conditions are most likely across the southern U.S., extending northward through the central Rockies, in Hawaii, in western and northern Alaska and in northern New England.
• Cooler conditions are most likely across the northern tier from Montana to western Michigan.
• The rest of the country falls into the “equal chance” category, meaning that there is not a strong enough climate signal in these areas to shift the odds, so they have an equal chance for above-, near-, or below-normal temperatures and/or precipitation
• Drought
  
• Drought will likely persist through the winter in many regions currently experiencing drought, including much of California and the Southwest
• Drought is expected to persist and spread in the southeastern U.S. and develop in the southern Plains.
• New England will see a mixed bag, with improvement in the western parts and persistence to the east.  
• Drought improvement is anticipated in northern California, the northern Rockies, the northern Plains and parts of the Ohio Valley.

This seasonal outlook does not project where and when snowstorms may hit or provide total seasonal snowfall accumulations. Snow forecasts are dependent upon the strength and track of winter storms, which are generally not predictable more than a week in advance.  However, La Nina winters tend to favor above average snowfall around the Great Lakes and in the northern Rockies and below average snowfall in the mid-Atlantic.
Source: NOAA
VIDEO EXPLANATION: https://youtu.be/KF8YwYUcB_E

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Today's Science Video: NASA Watches Magnetic Arches Tower Over Sun's Surface

Today we're showing you what a NASA satellite observed on the sun!
In this short animation, NASA's SDO satellite saw magnetic arches over the sun's surface.
     Massive arches of solar material brighten and stream over an active region on the sun’s surface in this animation of imagery captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, on Sept. 29, 2016. Active regions are areas of particularly strong and complex magnetic fields. Charged solar particles travel along and illuminate the magnetic field lines above this region. The Earth is inset in the video for scale. SDO captured this video in a type of light that is invisible to human eyes, called extreme ultraviolet light. The imagery is colorized here in gold.
Video: https://youtu.be/9gX49SznRIs

Video credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/SDO/Steele Hill

It's Franklin Friday!

Franklin

Franklin loves hiding under his blanket

Dolly, Tyler and Franklin

Friday is Franklin the Dachshund's favorite day, as it likely may be yours. To celebrate Franklin Friday today, here are a number of different pictures of our senior pup (he's 12). 
  Sometimes he doesn't mind sharing the spotlight with sister Dolly (the Weimaraner) and little brother Tyler (the black and tan Dachshund). 
   Have a great day!

Newsweek Reports: Donald Trump’s Companies Destroyed Emails in Defiance of Court Orders

If you haven't seen Newsweek's report this week, and you think "finding emails" (that have

nothing in them from Mrs. Clinton's Assistant) are a big deal- this is REALLY a big deal. Destroying evidence for court cases after being told not to by judges: Welcome to the real world of Donald Trump. Here's the beginning of the newsweek article, and a link to the rest of it.
Wake Up Trump Supporters. He's actually done the criminal things he's (wrongly) accused Mrs. Clinton has done. Trump is appalling.

Donald Trump’s Companies Destroyed Emails in Defiance of Court Orders

By Kurt Eichenwald On 10/31/16 at 7:00 AM 

Over the course of decades, Donald Trump’s companies have systematically destroyed or hidden thousands of emails, digital records and paper documents demanded in official proceedings, often in defiance of court orders. These tactics—exposed by a Newsweek review of thousands of pages of court filings, judicial orders and affidavits from an array of court cases—have enraged judges, prosecutors, opposing lawyers and the many ordinary citizens entangled in litigation with Trump. In each instance, Trump and entities he controlled also erected numerous hurdles that made lawsuits drag on for years, forcing courtroom opponents to spend huge sums of money in legal fees as they struggled—sometimes in vain—to obtain records.

Trump’s use of deception and untruthful affidavits, as well as the hiding or improper destruction of documents, dates back to at least 1973, when the Republican nominee, his father and their real estate company battled the federal government over civil charges that they refused to rent apartments to African-Americans. The Trump strategy was simple: deny, impede and delay, while destroying documents the court had ordered them to hand over.

THE FULL ARTICLE: http://www.newsweek.com/2016/11/11/donald-trump-companies-destroyed-emails-documents-515120.html 

A Lion and 2 Dachshund Friends in an Oklahoma Zoo

Here's a great story that we learned about from our friend John. - Since it's about 2 Dachshunds that have made friends with a lion we had to share it.

A friendship that’s a real Wiener: The disabled 500-pound lion and his unlikely Dachshund pal who have been inseparable ever since the cat was a cub

By Jennifer Newton for MailOnline

Updated: 13:46 EDT, 14 August 2014

 

A disabled lion who was reared by a double amputee zookeeper has formed an unlikely bond with a miniature sausage dog with the pair inseparable ever since the cat was a cub.

   Bonedigger, a 500lb male lion might dwarf Milo, an eight-year-old Dachshund but he rarely leaves his side. The two have been inseparable over the past five years at G.W. Exotic Animal Park in Wynnewood, Oklahoma. 

   Bonedigger was born with a metabolic bone disease that left him mildly crippled and has also struck up an unusual bond with zookeeper John Reinke, who lost both of his legs following a bungee jump accident.

When Milo and two other five-year old wiener dogs, Bullet and Angel, sensed that the the lion was disabled they sought to comfort and protect him.

 ow Bonedigger and his pack of dogs cuddle, feast on raw meat and play in the grounds together.

   Mr Reinke, who works at the zoo witnessed the bond develop between the unlikely duo.

   He said: ‘This friendship between an 11 pound wiener dog and a 500 pound lion is the only of it's kind in the world ever seen.

‘Milo does his best to copy Bonedigger when the lion tries puffing to communicate with other lions in the park.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2724858/They-busy-Meet-double-amputee-new-lease-life-hand-rearing-tiger-cubs-lets-chew-prosthetic-leg.html#ixzz4OmVfj9SB

**Thanks to our friend John  for sharing this video!** 
https://youtu.be/NT1HGnotQWc

Halloween 2016: Green Arrow, Black Canary, Dunkin' Donuts, Webb Telescope

Black Canary and Green Arrow

At work yesterday, thanks to our friend Lynn, we had a great Halloween party!  Halloween happens
to be her favorite holiday as it is mine. Unfortunately, Tom doesn't work in our department, and he didn't get to stop by.  This year, Lynn and I collaborated on a duo costume - fresh from the CW Network's TV Show "ARROW."
HOW THIS DUO COSTUME CAME TO BE -  Lynn was the Black Canary and I was the Green Arrow. Lynn suggested the duo and really made it happen when she went all out and bought me a Green Arrow custom-made jacket with hood for my birthday. I was overwhelmed. Lynn put her Black Canary outfit together and I got the rest of the Green Arrow outfit. I was surprised to find out so many at the party didn't know who these superheroes were- especially since BOTH have been around since the early 1940s and are now on a TV show! I'll explain their histories in a minute.

Dunkin Donut and Webb Telescope!

THE DUNKIN' DONUT -  First, though, I want to highlight Cynthia's awesome costume! She found a donut outfit and made a hat out of a donut box! Being the huge Dunkin' Donuts fans- that costume was a real winnter!

 JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE - Christine from the office
was also extremely creative. Based on the newest space telescope that NASA is building, Christine made an incredible costume showing many of the components of the Webb telescope from mirrors to a sunshield skirt. Incredible!  She also carried a little bunny with her, because the technicians who work on the telescope wear protective clothing called "Bunny suits." Outstanding.

Lynn and Rob as the heroes

WHO IS BLACK CANARY?   (Dinah Laurel Lance) - The daughter of the original Black Canary, trained against her mother's wishes to become one of the best fighters in the world, along with her trademarked "Canary Cry" sonic scream. The character debuted in Flash Comics #86 (August 1947). One of DC's earliest super-heroines, Black Canary has appeared in many of the company's flagship team-up titles including Justice Society of America and Justice League of America. Since the late 1960s, the character has frequently been paired with archer superhero Green Arrow

WHO IS THE GREEN ARROW? -  He first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in November 1941. His real name is Oliver Queen, a billionaire businessman and owner of Queen Industries, also a well-known celebrity in his locale of Star City. Sometimes shown dressed like Robin Hood, Green Arrow is an archer who uses his skills to fight crime in his home cities of Star City and Seattle, as well as alongside his fellow superheroes as a member of the Justice League. Though much less frequently used in modern stories, he also deploys a range of trick arrows with various special functions, such as glue, explosive-tipped, grappling hook, flash grenade, tear gas and more for use in a range of special situations

Green Arrow, Black Canary comic

Black Canary and Green Arrow from the CW Network show "Arrow" 2016