AOL

FLORENCE, Arizona, Jan 11 (Reuters) – Long before the desert sun has had a chance to heat the dusty prison yard, some 20 inmates at an Arizona state prison begin quietly tending horses.

The men – many with violent histories – gently maneuver bits into the mouths of mustangs still unaccustomed to human touch; they remove caked mud from hooves and tighten girths against bulging bellies. And the horses, which just weeks ago roamed free, mostly comply with what is asked of them.   Continue reading “U.S. Border Patrol recruits: Wild horses, tamed by prisoners”

AOL

In August 2015, street artist Hanksy painted a mural portraying Donald Trump as a pile of feces.

The Lower East Side artist, whose name is an off-shoot of famous British street artist Banksy, became known for superimposing Tom Hanks’ face on a Banksy rat. “Hanksy” comes from the use of Hanks’ image.   Continue reading “Viral ‘Dump Trump’ mural in New York erased”

AOL

An upset Baltimore man, Daniel Brian Blackwell, 55, triggered an hours-long standoff with police after opening fire in his home because someone took a bite out of his grilled cheese sandwich.

Baltimore County officers were called to at the home in Dunkirk, Maryland in response to a reported domestic incident later Sunday evening, Baltimore County police spokesman Cpl. Shawn Vinson told WBAL-TV.   Continue reading “Baltimore man sparks police standoff over grilled cheese sandwich”

The Weather Channel

Hundreds have been evacuated and at least three people have died as one of the worst flooding disasters in the past decade hits California and Nevada.

Residents voluntarily evacuated at least 400 homes, which affected 1,300, in a south Reno neighborhood Sunday as the Truckee River breached its banks.   Continue reading “Hundreds Evacuated As Worst Flooding In a Decade Hits California, Nevada”

AOL

President-elect Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, may be headed for a job in the White House.

Kushner is in the process of filing financial disclosure documents in preparation for taking a formal role as an adviser to the president, sources close to the process told The New York Times on Saturday.   Continue reading “Report: Jared Kushner is taking steps to explore a White House role”

New York Times

WASHINGTON — Rex W. Tillerson owns more than $50 million of Exxon Mobil stock, has earned an annual salary of $10 million and holds a range of positions — from director at the Boy Scouts of America to the managing director of a Texas horse and cattle ranch.

But Mr. Tillerson is prepared to resign from all those posts, sell all his stock and put much of his money into bland investments like Treasury bonds if he becomes secretary of state, according to an “ethics undertakings” memo he filed this week with the State Department. And, if he returns to the oil industry in the next decade, he could lose as much as $180 million.   Continue reading “Trump Nominees’ Filings Threaten to Overwhelm Federal Ethics Office”

Fox 5 News

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) – Ivanka Trump will be by any measure one of the most influential first daughters in history. Even those who wanted someone else to win have taken notice.

“Dear Ivanka” letters filled the window of a pop-up store in Union Square. Some signs plead with the future first daughter to tell her father climate change is real. Others read “Dear Ivanka, Every family deserves family leave.” Another uses profanity to express emotion: “Dear Ivanka, your daddy is scary as hell.” An Instagram account with the same name posts similar sentiments.   Continue reading “‘Dear Ivanka’ letters surface online and IRL”

NBC 4 New York – by Michael George

Two police officers were captured on video appearing to pose for a selfie in front of a home as it went up in flames on Long Island Thursday afternoon.

The fire destroyed the house in Uniondale, though no one was hurt.

Moments after the officers posed for their apparent photo op, one of them appeared to approach another man taking selfies as if to ask him to leave the scene.    Continue reading “Cops Appear to Take Selfie in Front of Burning Home”

NBC 5 News

PROVO, Ut. — In Provo, hitting someone with a snowball may get you cited.

According to Good4Utah, the ordinance has been around for years – and it’s not meant to cite those having a snowball fight.

“Ultimately, this is not going to be applicable to somebody in a snowball fight, or people who are willing participants in throwing snow,” said officer Nisha King with Provo Police.  Continue reading “Throwing a snowball may get you a misdemeanor”

WISN 12 News – by Sheldon Dutes

The city of Milwaukee is looking to sell its foreclosed homes in the greater Sherman Park area for $1, and interested developers are eligible for a $10,000.00 grant per home.

“This entails a rehabilitation in the Sherman Park area. We’re going to do a massive rehabilitation of homes that are city owned in the neighborhood,” said Russell Stamper, the 15th District alderman who co-sponsored the legislation.    Continue reading “Milwaukee program offers $1 homes, $10k grants for repairs”

New York Post – by Gina Galdone

Video has surfaced of an NYPD officer punching a man in the head while on the ground during an arrest on New Years Eve morning in the Bronx.

Police are now investigating the incident, in which three uniformed officers — two males and one female — are seen restraining Heriberto Nunez, 50.

Nunez is pinned to the ground and hit in the head several times by one of the male officers, as the others tried to handcuff him.   Continue reading “Video shows NYPD cop punching man in head during arrest”

BBC News

At least 35 people have lost their lives in an attack on a nightclub in Turkey, Istanbul’s governor has said.

Among the dead at the Istanbul club is one police officer, Vasip Sahin stated, adding that it was a terror attack.

At least another 40 were injured in the attack which took place in the Reina nightclub, in the Ortakoy area, at about 01:30 local time (22:30 GMT).   Continue reading “Istanbul Reina nightclub attack ‘leaves 35 dead’”

Snopes – by David Mikkelson

CLAIM: A variety of superstitions are associated with New Year’s Day.

ORIGIN:Besides getting sloppy drunk and kissing everybody in the room at the stroke of midnight, celebrants throughout the ages have observed numerous lesser-known New Year’s customs and superstitions. Many of the superstitions associated with the event bear the common theme that activities engaged in on that day set the pattern for the year to come. Others have to do with warding off evil spirits or attracting luck.
Continue reading “New Year’s Superstitions”

Athens Puns

  1. Eating black-eyed peas and greens, I remember this one the most from other years and I remember eating them. Eating them brings good luck and financial prosperity. You are to eat the peas with greens for prosperity. The peas represent good luck and the greens represent money.
  2. Nothing goes out of the house, or you will be losing things during the upcoming year. Don’t take out the trash or food or anything, if your trash needs emptying, do it before midnight or on January 2nd. If you have food or anything to take somewhere on New Years day, have it outside or at their house already.

Continue reading “13 New Years Superstitions!”

Variety – by Carmel Dagan

Debbie Reynolds, the Oscar-nominated singer-actress who was the mother of late actress Carrie Fisher, has died at Cedars-Sinai hospital. She was 84.

“She wanted to be with Carrie,” her son Todd Fisher told Variety.

She was taken to the hospital from Carrie Fisher’s Beverly Hills house Wednesday after suffering a stroke, the day after her daughter Carrie Fisher died.   Continue reading “Debbie Reynolds, ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ Star and Carrie Fisher’s Mother, Dies at 84”

ABC News

If President-elect Donald Trump wanted to show he planned to obliterate President Barack Obama’s approach to Israel, he may have found his man to deliver that message in David Friedman, his pick for U.S. ambassador.

The bankruptcy lawyer and son of an Orthodox rabbi is everything Obama is not: a fervent supporter of Israeli settlements, opponent of Palestinian statehood and unrelenting defender of Israel’s government. So far to the right is Friedman that even many Israel supporters worry he could push Israel’s hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be more extreme, scuttling prospects for peace with Palestinians in the process.   Continue reading “Donald Trump’s pick for ambassador to Israel, has all sides on edge”

The New York Post

Tribal warfare has broken out over a millionaire’s offer to give a piece of Manhattan — his West Village home — back to the Indians.

Jean-Louis Goldwater Bourgeois is ready to bestow the $4 million house on the Hudson River to Anthony Jay Van Dunk, a chief in the Lenape nation, the tribe that originally inhabited Manhattan.   Continue reading “The tribal war over property gifted to banned Indian chief”

I haven’t tried this recipe but, it looks interesting…

AOL

‘Tis the season for all things apple and spice!

I have been meaning to share these apple spice cookies on the blog for a few weeks now. They are one of my favorite breakfast cookies I’ve made in a while and they don’t require a lot of sugar to sweeten.   Continue reading “Apple cinnamon cookies perfect for the holidays”

AOL

During a business forum in Manila on Monday, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte bragged about killing people while he was mayor of Davao City, CNN reported. “In Davao, I used to do it personally. Just to show the guys that, if I can do it, why can’t you,” he said.

Duterte also bragged about riding around the city in search of people to kill — “And [I’d] go around Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike around and I would just patrol the streets and looking for trouble also,” he said. “I was really looking for an encounter so I could kill.”   Continue reading “The president of the Philippines just bragged about ‘personally’ killing people”