IN THE NEWS: New Laws Show Some Gun-Sense

Some cities and states are actually doing some things to keep people safer from gun violence by putting forth some common sense laws or practices. It's not going to stop every incident, but something is better than nothing. Be safe. 

A NEW YORK DOMESTIC ABUSERS GUN LAW - On April 3, convicted domestic abusers will no longer be able to own a gun in New York state. In addition to expanding the type of crimes that will require confiscation of guns, it will also broaden current law to include the surrender of all firearms, not just handguns, associated with certain domestic crimes.
To learn what this means, visit: https://www.lawny.org/node/86/federal-and-new-york-state-domestic-violence-firearm-laws

FLORIDA AND GUNS - According to the Miami Herald on April 3, 2018, Florida mayors want to enact local gun regulations. First step: Sue the governor.

  In Miami Beach, Mayor Dan Gelber wants to keep guns out of City Hall. 

  In Miramar, Mayor Wayne Messam wants a new 5,000-seat amphitheater to be a gun-free venue. 

   In Coral Gables, Mayor Raúl Valdés-Fauli wants to block the sale of military-style rifles within city limits. 

VERMONT - Vermont Legislature Passes Sweeping Gun Restrictions

On April 11, 2018 Republican Vermont Gov. Phil Scott signed a series of gun restrictions on age, enhanced background check requirements and a ban on bump stocks and high-capacity magazines into law. The legislative package raises the minimum age for purchasing a firearm to 21, enhances background check requirements for private gun sales, and bans high-capacity magazines and bump stocks. Other measures expand law enforcement’s ability to confiscate guns from individuals labeled an “extreme risk” and people arrested for domestic assault.

NEW JERSEY- IN PROGRESS, BAN BODY ARMOR PENETRATING AMMUNITION
Lawmakers have put forward a package of bills that would, among other things, limit the magazine capacity of guns, ban ammunition capable of penetrating body armor and require residents to demonstrate a “justifiable need” for a permit to carry a gun.

THIS AFFECTS YOU - Lower Gas Mileage; LISTEN UP "RED" States!

Every day, something is done to hurt people. This time it will REALLY be done to the people that voted for Trump who live in rural areas, have little money and have to travel long distances. The Trump Administration decided that cars don't need to achieve better mileage, so YOU can pay more to put gas in your car and pollute more than you have in the last 8 years.  

   SIDE NOTE:  If you live in states like Montana, Wyoming or places where there are long expanses of highway, YOU voted for this.   Open up your wallets...
   Under order from the Trump Administration, "The Environmental Protection Agency said Monday, April 2, it plans to undo a landmark Obama-era rule tightening fuel standards for vehicles, weakening the only major federal policy to reduce planet-warming emissions from the nation’s top source of greenhouse gas pollution."  

Great Superhero Novel: Hellboy "The All-Seeing Eye" by Mark Morris

I recently enjoyed reading "Hellboy: The All-Seeing Eye" by Mark Morris. Hellboy is a supernatural superhero, whom you may remember from 2 movies years ago. Although Hellboy is a devil-like creature, he's a superhero who fights supernatural threats.
  This was one of several novels with the character, and it was well-written and a page turner. I really enjoyed it. Of course, if you see the first or second film, you'll get a good picture of the characters as you read it.
  The book takes place in London, and the author is either British or purposely injects some British words (that I had to check the meaning of). It was a good superhero-supernatural thriller!
- Rob

WHO IS HELLBOY? - Hellboy, or "Anung Un Rama" as he was called, is a half-demon child. The child was summoned to Earth in the final months of World War II by the "Mad Monk" Grigori Rasputin on Tarmagant Island, off the coast of Scotland, having been commissioned by the Nazis to change the tide of a losing war at what remained of the ruined Bromwich Church on December 23, 1944. A devil-like creature, the child was rescued by the U.S. Army and dubbed "Hellboy" by Professor Trevor "Broom" Bruttenholm. He grew up to work for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD), a private organization dedicated to combating occult threats.

BOOK SUMMARY:  In a London funeral parlor, the dead rise and walk again. On a train in the London Underground, a young couple is terrorized by a demon. In a suburb, a poltergeist forces a family to flee their home. Hellboy has his hands full.

L to R: Liz, Hellboy, Abe the amphibian man

While the supernatural is on a rampage in London, a series of brutal "Torso Murders" turns up at various sites around the city. All of the corpses are headless, limbless, and drained of their blood.

Called in to investigate the killings, B.P.R.D. agents Abe Sapien and Liz Sherman discover a wellspring of black magic under the London streets. They also find a sack of heads. Hellboy descends into the dark underworld of London, encountering demons who prophesy the coming of plague and the opening of an Eye to the otherworld, bringing forth death and destruction upon the land.

 

Idiot of the Week: Bill Dix, Iowa Republican Senate Majority Leader

This week's Idiot of the Week is a conservative, married Republican man with 3 children. At first I thought "well, he just kissed a woman." But he passionately kissed her in a bar, and this is AFTER the same Senator was involved in a Senate harassment scandal, where the woman he harassed received a big settlement. So, he didn't learn his lesson.
  Here's the really irritating thing... he ran a campaign on "FAMILY VALUES" and was anti-gay marriage.It's yet ANOTHER Conservative who HATES Gay people and fought Against Gay Marriage, and said he stands for family values. Then he sexually harassed a co-worker (and makes a massive pay-out for it). Then he was caught cheating on his wife.
   This guy is one of MANY conservative "family Values" guys who have done the same thing. When will conservatives understand they've all been taken for a ride?

Here's the story from the Des Moines Register:

Republican Bill Dix swiftly resigns after video of him kissing lobbyist appears online

Jason Noble,Brianne Pfannenstiel and William Petroski,
The Des Moines Register Updated 7:12 p.m. CT March 12, 2018

Family Values guy commits Sexual harassment, cheats

Iowa Senate Majority Leader Bill Dix resigned from office on March 12, hours after the publication of a video and photographs showing him kissing a female lobbyist in a Des Moines tavern. His exit from the Capitol leaves Senate Republicans without their most powerful leader.

Dix, an 18-year veteran of the Legislature provided no explanation for his abrupt resignation. But the timing and subsequent statements from fellow lawmakers made clear his decision was linked to the report published Monday morning by the Iowa Starting Line political website. That report included a 52-second video in which Dix, a Shell Rock Republican, and a woman sit next to each other on barstools at the Waveland Tap bar in Des Moines.

The Des Moines Register on Monday independently obtained the photos and video, which depict Dix and the woman engaging in close conversation at the bar and then show the woman leaning over to kiss Dix on the mouth. Dix, 55, is married with three children, according to his legislative biography.

The Register has identified the woman in the bar with Dix as Lindsey McCune, a registered lobbyist for the Iowa League of Cities.

Encounter follows Senate harassment scandal
Whatever the ethical dimensions of the situation, the political reality of engaging in a romantic relationship with a lobbyist was fraught for Dix, who in recent months has become the face of the Republican response to allegations of sexual harassment in the Senate.

Former Senate GOP caucus communications staffer Kirsten Anderson received $1.75 million to settle a sexual harassment and wrongful termination lawsuit last year. Dix faced calls for his resignation over the Senate's handling of that case and saw protesters demonstrate outside his Shell Rock home.

The case led to internal and independent reviews of the Statehouse culture and reporting systems for harassment, leading to the creation of a new human resources manager position to handle workplace complaints. That human resources manager, Kate Murphy, on Monday directed questions about the Dix situation to Secretary of the Senate Charlie Smithson.

Congrats to Our friend Heidi on her New Book! Extrasensory Deception: Book One (Suny Davis Series)

A HUGE congratulations to our friend Heidi on the publication of her new mystery novel!  I (Rob) have read Heidi's (who writes under the pseudonym "McLean Jacobson") drafts and love them, and have been cheering for this book and series. We're both so excited that the first book in the series has come to print and is available on Amazon.com!  Check out this fun paranormal-mystery! - 

Extrasensory Deception: Book One (Suny Davis Series)   
by McLean Jacobson (Author)

Published on Amazon: April 14, 2018! 

ABOUT THE BOOK:  Suny Davis has plenty of reasons to swear. Everyone at boarding school hates her since she learned her social skills from hundred-year-old books. Her father’s a celebrated paranormal researcher (who might be a fake). She’s being transferred to—what?—a college for young geniuses? Her father’s infuriating (but handsome) assistant, Anthony, is assigned to babysit her. And then she’s the last to see the student who’s murdered in the (supposedly haunted) science building! But is the murderer really a poltergeist? That would give Suny even more reason to swear. When her father asks Anthony to investigate and he has the audacity to suggest she help him by using the psychic abilities he’s sure she possesses, Suny really swears! Swears to find the killer with good old-fashioned detective work. Swears not to use any of her psychic powers. Well, maybe a little…

McLean Jacobson

TO BUY THE BOOK ON AMAZON.COM: https://www.amazon.com/Extrasensory-Deception-Book-Suny-Davis/dp/0991265262/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1523804455&sr=1-1&dpID=51sdWFr4dJL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

MEET McLean Jacobson on Sunday April 22, 2018 Maryland Psychic Fair, Elks Lodge, Rte 450, Gambrills, Md.

30 vendors including: authors of paranormal books (including Rob Gutro), Psychic readings, crystals and more. TIME: 9am to 5pm ET *$5 fee via eventbrite/$10 at the door
Contact: Ed Hruneni: mdparconf@gmail.com, or mdpsychicfair@gmail.com

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/maryland-psychic-fair-tickets-40994528739

Great Short Animated Series: Freedom Fighters: The Ray (On CW on-line)

The CW network launched Freedom Fighters: The Ray, an animated series on the web-based CW Seed (on-line) site, and it's really well-done! 
  As a superhero fan, I have enjoyed it so far. 
  Its main character, The Ray/Ray Terrill (Russell Tovey) appeared in the network's "Crisis on Earth-X" crossover event in the live action superhero shows in November  (Supergirl, Flash, Arrow and Legends). 

WHO IS THE RAY? -The Ray is a fictional character, a superhero in the DC Comics Universe. He is the second character to use the codename The Ray. Ray Terrill, an young gay man first appeared in The Ray #1 (February 1992), and was created by Jack C. Harris and Joe Quesada.

WHAT ARE HIS ABILITIES? Ray absorbs, stores and processes light; uses the energy to fly and create destructive bursts of coherent radiation. His energy capacity is virtually limitless. He is capable of manipulating light externally to create illusions and even solid light constructs, as well as render himself and others invisible. He can convert his body completely into any wavelength on the EM Spectrum. No physical harm from impact can come to him in this form

THE ANIMATIONS -    The animations are about 6 minutes long and are well done. They use some of the characters from that "Earth-X" crossover, including my favorite: the Red Tornado. 
   
  You can watch all 6 episodes (so far) here: http://www.cwseed.com/shows/freedom-fighters-the-ray/episode-one/?play=25836258-32cb-49ac-aef2-06cfb2dce2dd

Like Nazi Germany, Sinclair Broadcasting Promotes Alt-Right Views on 170 Owned Stations

Remember how the Nazis used messages on TV and Radio in the 1930s to promote their Alt-Right party? Well, today, Sinclair Broadcasting Corporation, a right-wing nut-job company is doing the SAME THING across the U.S.. *Included here is a link to find out what stations Sinclair Owns NEAR YOU.*
One of the stations they own is Channel 11, WBAL-TV,Baltimore.. We've watched it on some mornings, and they have a white man, who comes across as a Nazi reading an "Editorial" that praises Trump, spews hatred against gays, people of color and anyone who isn't Christian. It's totally offensive.

Most of the staff on TV are white people, which is no surprise. If you're not a bigot, straight, white, christian and conservative, it's no place for you to work (or watch).

TO FIND SINCLAIR STATIONS NEAR YOU- Plug in your Zip Code on this website:
https://www.vox.com/2018/4/4/17190240/sinclair-local-tv-map-data?ncid=newsltushpmgnews__TheMorningEmail__040618


NAZI HISTORY REPEATING - The Nazis intended to use television as a medium for their propaganda once the number of television sets was increased, but television was able initially to reach only a small number of viewers, in contrast to radio. Despite many technical improvements to camera technology, allowing for higher resolution imaging, by 1939, and the start of World War II, plans for an expansion of television programming were soon changed in favor of radio.

OUTRAGEOUS DEMANDS -  During the last week in March, Sinclair Broadcasting Group, which owns more than 170 U.S. TV stations,  ordered local news anchors across the country to read a script decrying “some media outlets” for “false news” and “fake stories.” 
They are using their stations to promote the Alt-Right agenda of the administration.

Don't believe it? Here's the VIDEO PROOF from many of the stations owned by this ALT-Right, extremist hate group loving company::

 VIDEO: https://youtu.be/fJbGCZuB0rM

Sinclair is also requiring its stations to run segments from Boris Epshteyn, a former advisor to President Donald Trump, who often speaks in support of the White House, the newspaper reported. 

If you're a broadcast journalist and you work for them and have any decency, want to stand up against bigotry and hatred, QUIT. Go find something else to do. We have no respect for those who stay and promote this propaganda. 

In the News: A Wild Turkey Tries Hitching a Ride?

Turkey Damage!

There's a well-known myth that says "wild turkeys can't fly." Well,  they can, and one driver in Massachusetts was surprised and shocked when one flew into her windshield, and it wasn't Wild Turkey Bourbon! Perhaps the turkey was just looking for a ride.. and the driver needed the latter afterward.

TALKING TURKEY - FACT: Wild turkeys feed on the ground, which may have something to do with the myth that they can't fly. The have to fly, however, because they roost in trees at night. Some accounts say they can soar up to 55 mph for short bursts.

THE INCIDENT: Woman Injured When Turkey Strikes Windshield in Norton
   On March 31, 2018 at about 6:00 p.m., a woman was traveling on Interstate Route 495 Southbound in Norton, Massachusetts when her windshield was struck by a wild turkey. A 30-year-old Saugus woman was traveling southbound, north of exit 9, in a 2014 Toyota Corolla when a wild turkey flew into her windshield, shattering the glass. The woman was treated at the scene for injuries sustained by flying glass. State Police were assisted on scene by Norton Fire and EMS.

POST ACCIDENT- We bet the woman needed some of the "Other" Wild Turkey- the bourbon - to get over the shock!

What Are REAL IDs? When Should You Get One?

Sample REAL ID with star, top right

There's a new "ID" called REAL IDs that are coming to every state. We happened to find out about them because we saw an article in the Boston Globe on-line (because Massachusetts is currently distributing them). So, this blog will explain what they are, why you need one, and give you info to check status in your state. 


WHAT'S A REAL ID FOR? - Residents are not required to get a REAL ID. However, beginning in October 2020, standard licenses will no longer be acceptable as identification to board a flight or enter a federal building. Even after October 2020, states will still offer non-REAL ID licenses to those who want them and don’t mind carrying their passport. REAL IDs will also be needed to enter a nuclear power plant, accessing a military base or flying to another state.

WHEN DID THESE COME ABOUT? - After years of discussion, Real ID is finally getting closer to being implemented. States have been given extensions to get on board. And now by October 2020, you'll need a Real ID to fly on a plane. Congress passed the Real ID Act in 2005 to establish security standards for state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards.

Sample REAL ID, star at top right

ABOUT REAL ID (from Homeland Security): The REAL ID Act establishes minimum security standards for license issuance and production and prohibits Federal agencies from accepting for certain purposes driver’s licenses and identification cards from states not meeting the Act’s minimum standards. The purposes covered by the Act are: accessing Federal facilities, entering nuclear power plants, and, boarding federally regulated commercial aircraft. More info: https://www.dhs.gov/real-id

WHERE THEY ARE ALREADY - In Indiana, a Real ID looks and acts like a driver's license. The biggest physical difference is a star in the right-hand corner. Minnesotans will be able to apply for REAL ID-compliant driver's licenses and identification cards before the current extension expires on Oct. 10. In March, Massachusetts launched them. Real ID is coming to Rhode Island near the end of this year or January 2019.
STATE STATUS - Find out where your state is in the issue process now at: https://www.dhs.gov/real-id

MASS DMV NOW ISSUING FEDERALLY MANDATED REAL IDS. Wait time is Ridiculous! The agency reopened the last week in March 2018with a revamped system, capable of issuing new federally mandated REAL IDs and designed to ease customer experience. However, the waiting times at RMV offices reportedly averaged one hour and 20 minutes, with some offices seeing peak waits of up to five hours. That's because REAL IDs cannot be processed online and people have to go into the DMV in person.

Cali, a Real 'deputy first dog' and Cartoon Deputy Dawg!

Cali, California's new 'deputy first dog' (Cr:Gov. Jerry Brown's office)

You may remember "Deputy Dawg" the cartoon character from the 1960s, but now in California, there's a real-life Deputy Dog!  Now you can learn about both.  If you missed the story from the LA Times in March, here it is-

Meet Cali, the Golden State's new 'deputy first dog'
By MELANIE MASON, LA Times

Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration just got a whole lot cuter.
   The governor announced Wednesday that Cali, a 2-month-old “bordoodle”— a mix of a border collie and a standard poodle— will serve as the state’s “deputy first dog.”
   The job responsibilities entail helping Brown’s dog Colusa, dubbed the state’s “First Dog” in “herding staff at the state Capitol and lending a paw around the family ranch in Colusa County,” according to the governor’s office.
   The news was buried in a routine press release unveiling a number of Brown’s administration appointments. But the canine-inspired comedy indicated this announcement was unlike the others.
   “This position does not require Senate confirmation – though the Deputy First Dog will gladly appear almost anywhere there are treats – and the compensation is per diem belly rubs. Cali is a Doggocrat,” said the news release.
   Brown’s pups have played a high-profile role during his tenure as governor. Sutter, his beloved Corgi who died in 2016, was the face of Brown’s 2012 effort to pass Proposition 30, a temporary tax hike. Colusa, a border collie-corgi mix, is a constant Capitol presence with a cheeky Twitter account.

THE CARTOON DEPUTY DAWG- The Deputy Dawg television series first ran, on a weekly basis, from September 8, 1962 to May 25, 1963. The cartoons are between four and six minutes long, and were packaged three at a time and shown as a half-hour program. The character of Deputy Dawg (a dog) is a deputy sheriff in the State of Florida, of the United States. As the episodes progressed, the location changed to Mississippi, and later to Tennessee. The other main characters are the 'varmints' Muskie Muskrat, Moley Mole, Possible 'Possum, Ty Coon, Vincent van Gopher, Pig Newton, and Dawg's boss the Sheriff, as well as Mrs. Deputy. Deputy Dawg

Congressional Budget Office: DEFICIT Expected to be Larger than any Year Since WWII

Are you tired of all this "Winning" yet?  Well, it seems that the Trump Administration and the Republican party who all claim to be "Fiscally conservative" and "hate deficits" are creating the biggest deficit ever in large part due to Republican tax cuts. The Congressional Budge Office (CBO) said the deficit will grow to $804 billion in fiscal 2018 (up from $665 billion in fiscal 2017), which ends on Sept. 30.
   The CBO Report says "That amount would be far greater than the debt in any year since just after World War II." 
   

Credit: CBO.gov

FROM THE CBO REPORT:  https://www.cbo.gov/ 

The Budget and Economic Outlook: 2018 to 2028

If current laws governing taxes and spending generally remained unchanged, the federal budget deficit would grow substantially over the next few years, CBO projects, with accumulating deficits driving debt held by the public to nearly 100 percent of GDP by 2028. That amount would be far greater than the debt in any year since just after World War II.

In CBO’s projections, real GDP growth is relatively strong this year and next, as recent changes in fiscal policy add to existing momentum. Between 2018 and 2028, real GDP expands at an average annual rate of 1.9 percent: Productivity growth returns to nearly its average over the past 25 years and recent changes in fiscal policy boost incentives to work, save, and invest; nonetheless, economic growth is held down by slower growth of the labor force. 

Record-Breaking Flooding- A Harbinger for Boston (and all coastal areas)

Flooding at Christopher Columbus Park during nor’easter Riley in March 2018.

The flooding from strong storms that hit Boston is a harbinger of storms to come in the future as the climate continues to warm.
 
An article in the Boston Globe noted that a "record-breaking storm in January brought Boston the tallest high tide since 1921 and distributed over a foot of water in parts of Downtown, Dorchester, South Boston and East Boston. Since then, Boston has experienced two more intense nor’easters, and all Boston is looking at vulnerability to flooding as a coastal New England city with waterfront, rivers and more intense storms."

Flooding on Atlantic Avenue during the January 4th storm.

SEA LEVELS RISING- According to NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Sea level has been rising over the past century, and the rate has increased in recent decades. In 2016, global sea level was 3.2 inches (82 mm) above the 1993 average—the highest annual average in the satellite record (1993-present). Sea level continues to rise at a rate of just over one-eighth of an inch (3.4 mm) per year, due to a combination of melting glaciers and ice sheets, and thermal expansion of seawater as it warms.

WHY SEA LEVEL MATTERS - 

In the United States, almost 40% of the population lives in relatively high population-density coastal areas, where sea level plays a role in flooding, shoreline erosion, and hazards from storms. Globally, 8 of the world’s 10 largest cities are near a coast, according to the U.N. Atlas of the Oceans.

For more information about sea level rise: https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-sea-level




Boston City Council is having hearings about how to deal with these floods: https://northendwaterfront.com/2018/03/city-council-hearing-on-flooding-brings-together-city-groups-to-discuss-strategies-solutions/