Musical Performance: Watch Savages Perform Live At The 9:30 Club
July 6, 2016 • “The London post-punk band is by turns tender and ferocious at the 9:30 Club in D.C.” (NPR) – This is a pre recorded event.
Photo: NPR
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton will square off for their second debate Sunday evening, October 9, 2016. The pre-coverage starts at 7 pm, ET and the debate at 9 pm, ET.
And there could be fireworks: The Town Hall Format event will proceed following the recent release of a video showing Donald Trump speaking about a married woman in a derogatory and predatory manner. The republican presidential candidate has lost a number of prominent political endorsements, and many in the GOP and beyond are calling for his resignation.
These revelations may be a gift to the Clinton campaign, and Trump must perform superlatively well in order to salvage his chances in November. Will he be up to the task, or has he gifted Hillary Clinton with an easy win? Watch the live streaming Presidential Debate to find out.
Here’s a view about this Trump scandal, and the election, from Gill, a long-standing Face Activities member:
This Trump sex scandal is irrelevant to the current election, and it’s a hurtful diversion for the American people at a critical time. His words, recorded during a private conversation, were spoken 11 years ago, back when he wasn’t a political candidate, and had never held public office. He was a private citizen, and a business man with a TV show—-that’s all. His inappropriate words from 2005 aren’t important or relevant to this election in 2016. But issues like tax reform are critically important.
Both Clinton and Trump are extremists, and we must focus on their current stands on important issues to make our decision this November. Trump will have us paying too little in taxes, especially the wealthy, hurting our important programs, and Clinton far too much, driving business interests over seas. We need a happy medium, and much discussion, debate and focus is necessary to select the best candidate to achieve this outcome.
Let’s drop the diverting sex sandal hype and focus on what’s important to the well being of the U.S. Economy, and the American People.
—-Gill
Photo: CBSN / CBS News
Here’s a brilliant engineering solution to Japan’s current energy crisis. Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan’s nuclear energy program was derailed, requiring the importation of most of their electricity. The nation turned to renewables, like solar and wind, but despite an abundance of wind, conventional wind turbines would fail catastrophically during the country’s ubiquitous typhoons. We’ve certainly seen the shocking destructive power of typhoons and hurricanes recently, with the tragic loss of 800 lives in Haiti when hurricane Matthew, a category 4 storm, passed over the island.
If a wind turbine innovation could withstand a typhoon, an enormous energy source could be tapped. In fact, the total energy contained in a single Typhoon could power Japan for 50 years. Enter a forward-thinking engineer named Atsushi Shimizu, who accepted the challenge, and appears to have succeeded. His company, Challenergy, has developed a prototype for a typhoon-resistant wind turbine that can both withstand, and generate electricity during, a typhoon. The turbine is strongly built, looks a lot like an egg-beater, and utilizes the Magnus force of physics to control the turbine’s speed, preventing damage during extremely high winds. The current version of the device functions at 30% efficiency, compared to 40% for conventional turbines.
Shimuzu’s innovation has great potential. His wind turbine could usher in an era of nuclear-free energy independence for Japan, pulling the country out of the post-Fukushima slump. It could also extend the same benefits to other parts of the world buffetted by high winds and severe storms. It’s clear that continued research, experimentation, and development of alternative energy technologies is the way of the future, and will be of great benefit to humanity in a world increasingly threatened by anthropogenic climate change, and industrial pollution.
Learn more about Shimuzu’s Typhoon compatible wind turbine (CNN)
Photo: By Astronaut photograph ISS008-E-19646 was taken March 7, 2004, with a Kodak DCS760 digital camera equipped with an 50-mm lens, and is provided by the Earth Observations Laboratory, Johnson Space Center. – NASAThis is a retouched picture, which means that it has been digitally altered from its original version. Modifications: Increased contrast; decreased brightness; adjusted color balance in favor of blues and whites; removed large black splotches in several locations (and resized by faceactivities.com) Modifications made by Tomf688., Public Domain, Link
The Legend Of Bigfoot (Special Edition), 1975
A film by Harry Winer (as Harry Stuart Winer)
“A documentary about the legendary creature, Bigfoot, with emphasis on him being the missing link.” (IMDB.com)
Accidental beachings are a grave risk for whales. If a cetacean can’t free itself and make it out to deeper water quickly, then it will likely die. People sometimes help stranded whales when ever possible, but the job can be dangerous, and they aren’t always successful. But in Australia, south of Brisbane, no human intervention was necessary when a female humpback got stuck on a sandbar. Astonishingly her small, loyal calf came to her rescue, nudging her repeatedly until she became free of the obstruction. The two then made it out to deeper water. This is the best of outcomes, with no human intervention required, and the safe return of two remarkable creatures to the wild.
Read and watch humpback calf rescue mother whale (Science Alert)
Photo: Science Alert (screen capture)
Nobody should be surprised that Donald Trump has a locker-room mentality, and says inappropriate things that are demeaning to women. This is known, well-documented stuff, but so far it hasn’t been enough to deter his base from offering their passionate support. But an 11-year-old video has surfaced, shot originally by a Bush-family relative, that shows Trump in full misogynistic flower, and it may be just enough to tip the scales against the unconventional candidate.
The video shows Trump on a bus that’s just arrived at its destination at a soap opera set, bragging about his failed attempts to seduce a married woman (he was in a relationship with his current wife at the time) and making numerous boorish comments about groping women, particularly grabbing their private parts, which pundits have compared to sexual assault. His language is anything but Presidential, his attitude far from respectful, and the net effect of this footage casts doubt on the candidates suitability for the office of the Presidency, in the eyes of many conservatives and liberals alike.
Trump issued a feeble non-apology, effectively invoking the past indiscretions of Bill Clinton, and apologizing “if” he offended anyone, as though there is any doubt what so ever that his remarks caused offense. A prominent CNN pundit has called Trump “a sexist, misogynistic pig.” Yes, it’s pretty bad out there for Trump and his campaign, right now. This may be a death knell for his White House bid.
However, in the past Trump has exhibited a surprising ability to bounce back from bad press, and numerous faux pas. A minority opinion in the political reporting community suggests that he may weather this storm if, and only if, he delivers a sincere, heart-felt apology, without qualifications of any kind, and sticks to it. That is a tall order for Trump, who is a master of deflection (referencing Bill Clinton as soon as this scandal broke, for example.)
Trump, most reasonable people would conclude by now, is an impulsive man, skilled in certain aspects of business and entrepreneurship (at least when he isn’t bankrupt) but lacking development and understanding in key areas necessary for national and global leadership. His relationship with female voters, a key demographic, was poor to start with, and it’s sinking fast. There are years of boorish comments and creepy misogynistic quips on file to digest—so many that the Clinton campaign has drafted several into effective campaign ads showcasing his ignorance.
In short, Trump has dropped the ball, consistently, on projecting a worthy Presidential image. Sadly his running mate, Mike Pence, is the consummate conservative gentleman—though many disagree with his right-leaning policies, everyone recognizes his stature as a kind and honorable man who behaves impeccably well. This video scandal must be difficult for him. There’s even a suggestion floating in the media that Pence should now step up to assume the lead role in the GOP ticket. That would be unprecedented, and though it may work to salvage many republican votes, it would have little influence on democrats, who martial a formidable field, despite Hillary Clinton’s many electoral challenges.
Learn more about Donald Trump’s misogynistic video tape (New York Times)
Photo: wikimedia commons
Watch Live Streaming coverage of hurricane Matthew, a category 4 storm threatening Florida now with 140 mile per hour winds. This hurricane is the most destructive to approach Florida in 118 years, and Governor Scott has urged evacuation from the coastal areas, saying that “this hurricane will kill you.”
In Haiti 300 people have died due to this storm, though it’s lost some force as it moved over the big islands of the caribbean. Most at risk are people living near or at the coast, particularly in flimsy structures like trailers, but with category 4 winds and a powerful storm surge even stronger structures are threatened.
Watch live streaming coverage of Hurricane Matthew (WCPO/WPTV)
Photo: WCPO/WPTV (screen capture)
Dirty Projectors’ Amber Coffman Announces First Solo Album—Hear ‘All To Myself’
October 6, 2016 • “Amber Coffman’s debut solo album is called City Of No Reply and its first single is a gorgeous, soulful — if a little bent — ballad called “All To Myself.”” (NPR)
Photo: NPR
Donald Trump speaks at a live town hall event in New Hampshire as practice for Sunday’s Presidential Debate. Starting at 8 pm, ET – Thursday, but tune in early to see him warm up at the podium.
Watch Town Hall Live Stream (YouTube)
The Naked Witch, 1961
A film by Claude Alexander and Larry Buchanan
A long-dead witch rises from the grave, alluring and naked, to visit vengeance upon the descendants of her killers, and generally wreak havoc with traditional morality. Can the the young history student who unwittingly released her finally stop her, or will she enslave him?
