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I guarantee you this week will include Tweets from President Trump bragging how much better the RNC convention ratings are than the DNC’s. I’m sure that will be the case as he’s decided to speak in prime-time each of the four nights of the convention. Normally, the nominee keeps a low profile until the last night, but if there’s one thing America has learned under his “leadership”, there’s no such thing as normal.

In the past, conventions always ran long, but the virtual convention last week made things more manageable when it came to a time schedule. Since Trump is speaking all four nights, I expect this week’s convention to run long. However, this convention is scheduled to start a half-hour earlier. Perhaps that was done in anticipation of Trump being long-winded, he is full of hot air after all.

In looking at the schedule of speakers, it’s very Trump family-friendly. I don’t think we’ll see a lot of GOP leadership in prime time speaking spots, like the Senate Majority Leader. Perhaps, this is really more a Trump convention than the RNC conventi0n. Former President Bill Clinton once famously said, “Democrats fall in love, Republicans fall in line.” That’s certainly true as you look at Trump’s former opponents.  Senators Marco Rubio, Lindsey Graham, Rand Paul, and Canadian Zodiac Ted Cruz, once primary campaign rivals, are now vocal defenders of Trump. But as I said once before, Trump supporters don’t care if he’s a Republican, what they care about, as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich put it, “I’m not sure he’s a conservative, but he’s the most effective anti-liberal in my lifetime.” And consider this, the list of confirmed speakers at the RNC has no former Republican Presidents, nominees, or even prior candidates for President. It’s not the RNC Convention, it’s the Trump Convention.

2020 has already proven to be an unpredictable year. This more than likely won’t happen, but wouldn’t it be crazy if somehow Trump’s nomination was contested and someone else was nominated? I bet there has been talk amongst some “party first” or “country first” Republicans thinking about what’s best for the country. Just don’t rule out a contested convention.

As for Trump accepting the nomination at the White House, it doesn’t bother me because we are living in a unique time because of the pandemic, despite the Hatch Act. Now, if he was accepting the nomination at the White House and social distancing wasn’t encouraged, I would feel uncomfortable with that. I’m actually surprised he didn’t choose his DC hotel, making it an instant historical spot, like this hotel did with Ronald Reagan and where he heard he won the election.

I think it’s great Lynda Carter is promoting the wearing of masks, but if you are familiar with her old Wonder Woman, it looks like she cut up an old pair of pants to wear on her face.

Right now, all of us have a simple but crucial civic duty to wear a mask when going out in public. Today I'm wearing a Wonder Woman-inspired mask made by Clothe Your Mouth, which donates proceeds to a featured nonprofit. Civic duty + good cause = win/win! pic.twitter.com/ZihjUsqM7t

— Lynda Carter (@RealLyndaCarter) August 10, 2020

Again, cue Hamilton’s ‘It’s Quiet Uptown‘, the song about parents suffering the unimaginable. Former Cowboys QB and their current radio color man tweeted the following on the eve of the anniversary of his son’s death.

Kentucky coach John Calipari teaches his men more than just basketball.

Great talk with the guys tonight about registering to vote and how to get their absentee ballots. This is about more than basketball! pic.twitter.com/GEYTOgjIeT

— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) August 23, 2020

Star and Stripes – Why is Fort Hood the Army’s most crime-ridden post?

BoyGeeding uses an iPad for distance-learning and DaughterGeeding uses my Chromebook. All of a sudden, the touchpad stopped working. I tried a wireless house and that didn’t work. I changed all the settings I could find and searched every message board and nothing worked. I ever performed a “powerwash” resetting the device as if it was brand new. I was at the point that I was going to buy a new Chromebook, but found out there’s a shortage of them everywhere. I searched online and couldn’t find one at our local Best Buy, Staples, OfficeMax, Wal-Mart, Target, or MicroCenter. I guess parents are snatching them up for their kids. But, I was able to fix my Chromebook. I found an old wired-mouse and oddly not only did it work but it somehow triggered the touchpad to become responsive again.

Luka showed up to play yesterday, 43 points, 17 rebounds, 13 assists, and he recorded his second straight triple-double of the playoffs. Oh, and hit the game-winning shot. I love how the play to set it up. Carlise set up a great pick so the man originally guarding Luka had to switch which led to a more favorable one-on-one matchup.

LUKA CALLED GAME pic.twitter.com/g7URYgcAoE

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) August 23, 2020

Here’ a cool angle of the game-winning shot.

https://twitter.com/TaylorRooks/status/1297664727288614912

Deservedly so, this skit on college football conferences was all over the place on social media.

Armchair Political Pundit

• I thought it was smart of the DNC to have the candidates Biden beat come together for a virtual round-table discussion and endorsement. It shows party unity.
• Whoever came up with the parking lot viewing party should be praised.
• Nice idea making the most of the virtual obstacle having him exit the stage fairly early and walking outside to fireworks and the honks of car horns.

Bet money on Rush Limbaugh accusing the stuttering boy who spoke at the DNC convention last night of acting or faking his stutter.

I’d also bet money that after President Trump’s death his Twitter account will live on for at least a decade.

People like Joe Biden, Barak Obama, George W. Bush, and Jimmy Carter inspire me to just be more than just a decent human being.

When Hunter Biden spoke last night I thought he looked a lot like Ray Liotta. For a moment, I thought he was going to tell me how much Chantix helped him quit smoking.

The narrator of the Joe Biden biography video stated Joe experienced the “unimaginable” when his son lost. If you’re a fan of the musical Hamilton, you probably choked up a bit. It’s quiet uptown…

Whoever chose Joe Biden’s suit, tie, and shirt did a very poor job. The black suit looked like he was either going to a funeral or a working as a maitre d’.

If you’re a big supporter of President Trump and enjoy being on a yacht, well, you better be on your best behavior. Just as Steve Bannon and Jerry Falwell Jr. But then again, the president loves boaters.

Delta bans ex-Navy SEAL involved in bin Laden raid after maskless selfie

A former Navy SEAL involved in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden has been banned from flying Delta Air Lines after posting a selfie of himself on a flight without a mask on, the airline confirmed to The Hill on Thursday.

Robert O’Neill tweeted a photograph of himself on Wednesday morning without a mask on, with the caption, “I’m not a p—-.” The tweet has since been deleted.

A 19-year-old who admitted to blackmail, revenge porn, and bullying won his Democratic primary race for the Kansas House and is now running unopposed

Three actors that played Batman have Oscars, but four actors that played the Joker have Oscars, and two of them won Oscars for the role of the Joker.

The Western Elite from a Chinese Perspective – by Puzhong Yao

The Evangelical Christians I have met in the United States often talk about how reading the Bible changed their lives. They talk about being born again.

I am not an Evangelical Christian. I am a Chinese atheist who came to the West to study at the world’s best universities and, later, to work at one of capitalism’s greatest companies, Goldman Sachs.

But, like the Evangelical Christians, my life was changed by a book. Specifically, Robert Rubin’s autobiography In an Uncertain World (Random House, 2003). Robert Rubin was Goldman Sachs’s senior partner and subsequently secretary of the Treasury. Only later did I learn that certain people in the United States revere him as something of a god.

This made me think of the Game of Thrones intro.

Going postal?

Drew Barrymore Confirms Legend That Her Grandfather’s Body Was Snatched From The Morgue For ‘One Last Party’

While appearing on the YouTube series Hot Ones, the Never Been Kissed star said that the body of her grandfather, the actor John Barrymore, was stolen by friends and propped up against a poker table shortly after he died.

Hot Ones host Sean Evans suggested that three of the veteran actor’s friends were responsible for the kidnapping, namely Errol Flynn, the comedian WC Fields and the poet and anarchist Sadakichi Hartmann.

“They did!” Barrymore said. “And I will say this, I hope my friends do the same for me. That is the kind of spirit I can get behind. Just prop the old bag up and have a last few rounds.”

Never accept tea from Putin – Russian opposition leader Navalny is hospitalized after suspected poisoning, spokeswoman says

Today’s dose of ‘MURICA!

Yesterday was the first day of school for BoyGeeding and DaughterGeeding. Even for online learning, they have to abide by the dress code rules of at least wearing the top of their uniforms.

Last week I had to take the kids up to school for a meet the teacher event. It was a well-organized event with assigned meeting times. We arrived on time, in the middle of a 107° afternoon. Outside was the assistant headmaster controlling the flow of traffic of parents and students entering the building and keeping six feet apart. But I question the man’s sanity as he was wearing a sweater vest. I mean, I understand wearing a tie and being professional, but dude, it’s August in Texas and you are working outside. And get this, he’s from Canada, you’d think he’d melt like a popsicle.

Speaking of Popsicles, CBS Sunday Morning had a segment on the history of the frozen treat. It was invented by Frank Epperson who patented it in 1924. He called it ‘Ep-sicle’. ‘Ep’ for Epperson and ‘sicle’ because it looked like an icicle.

But his four-year-old son George came up with a catchier name: “He ran up and he put his arms around his father’s leg and he said, ‘Pop, pop, can I have a ‘sicle? I want a popsicle!'”

I thought the background used for Kamala Harris’ speech was pretty cool looking. And when she referenced poll workers, I turned to WifeGeeding and said, “Poll workers should not be confused with pole workers.”

Boredoom is the perfect term for the crushing mix of boredom and anxiety in 2020

It’s defined by a 2009 Urban Dictionary entry as “doomed by boredom.” But I think we can all agree that’s not our current fate. A more recent entry from March 30, 2020 (near the start of the coronavirus era) defines the term as “the intense feeling of boredom resulting from sheltering in place during an emergency.” Closer. But in my mind, boredoom is simply the state of feeling numb and restless while things around you seem hopeless. And if that doesn’t scream “2020,” then I don’t know what does.

The Guardian has an article about a study that found Facebook funneling readers towards COVID misinformation.

Researchers Were Able to Duplicate Keys from the Sounds They Make in Locks

Researchers have demonstrated that they can make a working 3D-printed copy of a key just by listening to how the key sounds when inserted into a lock. And you don’t need a fancy mic — a smartphone or smart doorbell will do nicely if you can get it close enough to the lock.

The inventor will probably go on to create Skynet.

Robots can now store energy like humans in ‘fat reserves’ after battery breakthrough – Zinc batteries that integrate with robot’s structure ‘do double duty of storing charge and protecting the robot’s organs,’ researchers say

This coin pic.twitter.com/EDjjlwnM9r

— Zero Gravity Media (@zerogravityhxp) August 19, 2020

The perspective or scale of objects this video is interesting. These logs are huge, but they look like toothpicks and the humans look like ants.

Do not allow them to take away your power.

https://twitter.com/RexChapman/status/1296199761146642432

For reasons unknown to the whole family except for WifeGeeding, during the middle of supper, she decided to take out her prosthetic-eye and place it on top of the watermelon. We all thought it was pretty out of place but pretty funny. She finished dinner eye-less, which is probably something you can’t write about your wife. And yes, that’s a smiley face on it, it’s not visible when it’s in her ocular cavity. Usually, she has her initials in that place, but her ocularist opted for a smiley face last time.

I could do without ever seeing another Uber Eats commercial again. I hope to never hear Return of the Mack ever again.

I haven’t spent much time researching it, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a photo of President Trump with his sleeves rolled up. He prefers to wear a polo type shirt in those type of situations.

This sentence took me a little while to process: An Alabama man who calls himself a witch has been charged with kidnapping the toddler son of a missing Georgia woman, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

This sentence also took me a little while to process: An Arkansas farmer disguised himself as a woman to sneak into a cemetery and deface the grave of his longtime nemesis with animal carcasses, police say

Lego piece falls out of New Zealand boy’s nose after being stuck for two years – Sameer Anwar’s parents thought the lost piece of Lego was long gone – until their son took a great big sniff of a plate of cupcakes

Yet another story which reminds me of The Simpsons episode in which homer stuck a crayon in his nose when he was a kid.

I wonder if Jaws is her favorite movie.

Michigan governor caught on hot mic: ‘It’s shark week mother f******’

Just a new form of window shopping?

Berlin brothels reopen after lockdown, but no sex allowed

To save you a click, massages are allowed.

I’m reminded of a certain Wheel of Fortune segment on a South Park episode.

Charlotte Hornets suspend radio announcer who tweeted N-word instead of ‘Nuggets’

Don’t watch this, I repeat, do not watch this YouTube clip if you are easily offended, marginally offended, know nothing about South Park, or do not like South Park humor.

Budweiser wants to be Utah’s official state beer, suggests can with Delicate Arch and LDS temple

How the US government built a top-secret iPod right under Steve Jobs’ nose –
Only four people at Apple knew about the project at the time

For a period of time starting in 2005, Apple allowed two US government contractors to work in its offices to develop a custom version of the iPod — but exactly what that iPod would do was a mystery, and remains so today, as shared in this fascinating story by former iPod engineer David Shayer that you should go read.

This Historic House For Sale In Missouri Comes With Its Very Own Jail

Listed for $350,000, the 2,465-square-foot home has two bedrooms, two baths and — what’s this about picture #30? — a secret prison.

According to House of Brokers Realty, hidden away inside 203 E. Morrison is the former Howard County jailhouse, originally established in 1875. It’s equipped with nine cells, a booking room and a toilet.

“The cell door lock throws appear to be operational,” reads the ominous caption of the property listing.

America Has Two Feet. It’s About to Lose One of Them. – For decades, U.S. metrologists have juggled two conflicting measurements for the foot. Henceforth, only one shall rule.

How big is a foot? In the United States, that depends on which of the two official foot measurements you are talking about. If it comes as a surprise that there are two feet, how about this: One of those feet is about to go away.