From whence Morse Code you say?

In 1825, while painting a portrait in Washington, D.C., Samuel Morse received a letter informing him that his wife was seriously ill. The next day, another letter arrived with devastating news; she had died. Morse immediately abandoned his work and rushed home to New Haven.

By the time he arrived, his wife had already been buried. The slow pace of communication meant he had missed her final moments and couldn’t even attend her funeral. The emotional toll of this experience left a deep mark on him, fueling a desire to find a faster way to transmit urgent messages over long distances.

This personal tragedy became the catalyst for Morse’s groundbreaking work in telegraphy. Driven by grief and frustration, he developed a system of electrical signals that could be sent quickly across wires, what we now know as Morse code. His invention revolutionized communication and changed the world forever.

 #thehistoriansden 

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It's still available at this price - jump on it 

before it disappears again...

 

This portable tire inflator is marked down to

 $ 16.99 and you can keep it in the glove box.

We have one in each of our vehicles.

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A family - such as it is...

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  Your furnace has been cranking all winter.

It's a good idea to change you HVAC filters.

I change mine every eight weeks or so.

Find the size you use here ...

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Like something straight out of a 'B' movie with Italian subtitles...

Heavily-armed robbers posing as police blocked an Italian highway and blew up an armoured van during a brazen raid in southern Italy, before exchanging gunfire with police. The attack unfolded on State Road 613 in the Puglia region, where masked gunmen armed with Kalashnikov rifles shut down the road in front of shocked motorists. The gang blocked the road by setting a truck on fire, while using vehicles with flashing lights to impersonate police and move in on the armoured van. 

 

Video footage shows the bandits crouching behind a car as the armoured vehicle explodes on the road, with flames and debris billowing into the air. Other clips filmed by motorists show at least six masked suspects, some wearing white overalls and carrying weapons, moving between vehicles as terrified drivers watched on. The targeted vehicle belonged to Battistolli, which operates armoured cash transport services across Italy. Other drivers caught up in the ambush were also robbed. The report did not say if there were any subsequent arrests made...

There's a fox in the hen house. Literally...

File this one under 'Ya sure as fuck don't see that every day'...

 

A Florida homeowner captured a rare and surprising wildlife moment after discovering a red fox resting peacefully inside a backyard chicken coop, surrounded by numerous hens. Instead of showing typical predatory behavior, the fox was found curled up and napping on the straw-covered floor while the chickens remained calm and undisturbed nearby.

Red foxes are highly adaptable animals found across many parts of the United States, including Florida. While they are known predators of poultry, fox behavior can vary depending on factors such as age, hunger level, prior exposure to humans, and environmental conditions. In rare cases, a fox may enter a coop seeking shelter, warmth, or rest rather than food.

 Wildlife experts advise homeowners not to approach or attempt to interact with wild animals, even during calm encounters like this. Securing coops and maintaining safe distances helps protect both wildlife and domestic animals. Moments like this highlight the unpredictable and fascinating ways wildlife can intersect with everyday backyard life.

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All of the jewelry pieces my wife creates make great gifts,

and Valentines Day is less than a week away.

Click the picture to see what she has available today.

 

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HillBettys grazing in the grass is a gas...

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Any of the jewelry pieces my wife creates make great gifts,

and Valentines Day is this weekend.

Click the picture to see what she has available today.

 

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Another one I don't know if I should like or not...

She certainly has done her share of pissing people off in the past year or so with her contrarian - yet refreshing - takes on things happening around us. Candace Owens just nuked both sides of the Super Bowl debate. She dislikes a halftime show with no English - but she also rejects the "Right-Wing Grift" that she claims is paying for fake views and influencers to artificially inflate the outrage.

She says the nonstop "Left vs. Right" war has become boring, meaningless, and detached from reality. Hers is actually quite a simple question: "What exactly are we doing here, America?"

Is she the only honest voice left? I find I agree with her more often than not, and - if nothing else - she is surprisingly insightful, but sometimes...

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There really has to be something in the air - or the water - or something somewhere up in Seattle that has a sorta de-masculating effect on some of the manliest of men. Take these two professional footballers enjoying their day off together at DisneyLand after their hard-fought victory in the Stupid Bowl...

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There was a time when I could see this every evening...

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Sen. Adam Schiff argued this week that requiring photo identification to vote amounts to voter suppression, renewing Democratic opposition to nationwide voter ID proposals as Congress debates election integrity measures.

Polling data, however, shows strong public support for voter ID laws across party and demographic lines. Surveys consistently find large majorities of Americans favor requiring a government-issued photo ID to vote. That support includes Black voters. Multiple national polls show roughly three-quarters of Black Americans support voter ID requirements, undercutting claims that such laws are broadly opposed within minority communities. Critics of Schiff’s position argue the polling highlights a disconnect between Democratic messaging and voter sentiment, while supporters maintain concerns remain about access and implementation despite the overall approval.

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That's subtle. I like subtle...

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Pitchers and catchers start reporting today. Yankees start Thursday.

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So, feel free to jump in here and correct me if I'm not reading this news blip properly. This was a demonstration - in The City by the bay - in California - in support of the ultra wealthy? Am I getting that right? Cause fuck if that don't seem a little cattywampus...

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My God, what a frightening thought...

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 Seriously - this news item needs a comment? I think not...

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 Valentines Day is less than a week away, but you still

have time to get her something nice..

Click the picture to see what jewelry Barb has available today.

 

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Where are the real Marine Vets when ya need 'em?
Me thinks there'da beena buncha ass-kickin' happenin'.

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In light of what's happening all around us lately, 

you might want to get one for yourself...

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Trying hard just to get up...

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Gift pools? They still do that?

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Evidently, fire juggling while you're riding on a unicycle is - somehow - a nono...

 Colorado Police have caught a man juggling fire while 

riding a unicycle on a pedestrian crossing.

Footage shows the unicyclist performing on the pedestrian crossing at the intersection between US-85 and East 60th Avenue in Commerce City, Colorado.

The man, wearing a red hat, blue trousers and a colourful jacket, can be seen driving forwards and backwards on the crossing, entertaining motorists waiting for the traffic light to turn green. He expertly balances on the unicycle, even lifting a leg at one point to balance on just one pedal, all while juggling three torches, before hopping off his vehicle and running out of the way of the waiting cars.

"Our drone caught his act, which was both quite good and quite illegal," the Commerce City Police Department wrote in a social media post.The force said the performance violated several laws, including trespassing and impeding traffic by failing to vacate the crossing in time.

"Let's all take a moment to appreciate this man's talents, then all agree that we aren't going to do stuff like this," officers warned in the post. Commerce City police said the busy intersection was often a target for enforcement action to ensure that pedestrians selling items and services weren't interfering with motorists, but that this was the first time they received a call about a fire-juggling unicyclist.

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All of the jewelry pieces my wife creates make great gifts,

and Valentines Day is less than a week away.

Click the picture to see what she has available today.

 

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The News. On TV 24/7. It gets old, we know, but when did it start?

In June this year CNN will haved been broadcasting 24 hours a day, 365 days a year 46 years. 

CNN is and was the world’s first 24-hour news network. When it launched on June 1, 1980, CNN promised something no other outlet had offered before, news whenever you wanted it. That promise reshaped journalism. It also transformed how Americans experienced war. 

The defining moment came in 1991 during the Gulf War. As bombs fell over Baghdad, CNN reporters Bernard Shaw, John Holliman, and Peter Arnett broadcast live from their hotel room. Viewers heard explosions in real time. They saw war unfold not in summaries or press briefings, but minute by minute, as it happened. 

It was the birth of modern war coverage, and it gave rise to what became known as the “CNN Effect,” where real-time media could influence public opinion and even foreign policy decisions. For the first time, world leaders and citizens were watching the same footage at the same time. The speed of reporting changed the stakes of global engagement. 

That shift was part of a longer story. 81 years ago, the world learned of the D-Day landings through newspaper headlines and live radio updates. CBS reporter George Hicks broadcast from a ship under fire, describing planes overhead and ships spread across the Channel. Millions heard the war as it happened, raw, urgent, and close to home. It was a breakthrough for wartime reporting, one that brought distant battles into living rooms across America. Regular updates from the front kept Americans at home informed. 

To my mind, the proliferation of 24/7 news channels does considerably more harm than good. Even local stations here in NoCen Florida broadcast all day every day on satellite feeds. it's noise - or should I say news - pollution and there's no need for it. Not when there's reruns of Barney Miller and Rawhide available on their own streaming channels.

 Juss' sayin'...  

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They're determined to tax everyone out of their State...

Like other states with “jock taxes,” California taxes non-resident pro athletes a percentage of their income based on “duty days” spent in the state. A duty day is a day in which the athlete performs work-related activities; for an NFL player, that includes not only the day of the game but also days traveling, practicing, attending meetings and otherwise preparing for the game.

The Patriots and Seahawks traveled to California on Sunday, meaning they’ll have at least eight duty days in California (Sunday to Sunday). To the extent they spend additional time after the Super Bowl in California for work, their duty day count will rise.

According to Sportico, Darnold’s bill to the Golden State will be $249,000 following Seattle’s latest championship. 

 

The outlet stated the sizable check is due to California’s “jock taxes,” which force pro athletes who don’t live in the state to fork over percentages of their yearly income based on the number of days they work in California.

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In light of what's happening all around us lately, 

you might want to get one for yourself...

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