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exvangelicalrage · 11 months

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christianity is fucking everywhere

6/29/23

When I was a christian, one of the ever-present narratives passed around every church I attended was this idea that christians are being persecuted. The examples were numerous: family values were being eroded by liberals and gay people; atheists didn't want the ten commandments on government buildings; prayer wasn't allowed in schools anymore; teachers weren't allowed to express their faith in the classroom; people weren’t voting for pro-christian legislation; secular music was bringing demons into people's houses straight through the radio waves; profanity scribbled onto playgrounds was corrupting the minds of children... I could go on. And most of these are pretty innocuous things talked about in front of me, a child.

As I grew older, I was let in on the secrets of how sex perverts holy minds and how divorce was a sign a couple had allowed satan into their marriage and how using swear words gave demons a foothold on your mind. I learned that christians must stand tall and resilient to resist the temptations of the flesh, because the government, schools, and pretty much everyone who didn't attend the same church as us (and maybe even some people who did! *gasp*) were dripping with satanic influence.

It sounds like hyperbole when I write it out, but I'm dead serious.

It's been over ten years since my Exit. I thought when I quit christianity that my life would suddenly be filled with "secularism." I thought I'd run into people who actively weren't christian anytime I went to a bar or an event or work. I thought it would take me no time at all to find spaces to exist in that didn't involve christianity. Because, after all, christianity was being eroded, right? It was being attacked from all sides! We had donned the armor of god and were ready to do battle in the lord's name! The enemy was everywhere!

If atheists = the enemy, and then enemy was everywhere, therefore, atheists must be everywhere. Right?

And now that I had defected, I wanted to find the enemy and ask them to be friends.

But I couldn't fucking find the enemy.

Because, as it turns out, atheists aren't everywhere, but christianity is.

You can't fucking escape it. You can't avoid it. It. is. ubiquitous. Way worse than dandelions.

There are christians in the office at work. christians at mcdonalds. christians in bars, getting wasted and sexually harassing people. There are christians in your neighborhood. There are christians at the doctor's office. There are christians who hunt and christians who play sports and christians who go to college and christians who mow lawns and pave your driveway and install sump pumps.

There are even corporations who are explicitly christian. Hobby Lobby. Chick-fil-A. Forever 21. Whataburger. Not to mention all those small-town businesses who are closed on sundays, which is annoying af.

There are 2300 people in my small USA town. Guess how many churches. FOURTEEN. In like, a five-square-mile radius. And if I expand to a twenty-mile radius? Over a hundred churches. I got tired of counting, so it could be more. I tried figuring out how many are in my county, but all I got was that there were 72 towns. Multiply that by 14 churches/town? Over a thousand.

If life were a Where's Waldo book, I'd be Waldo and everyone else would be a christian.

All the churches have signs too, just in case you forgot they were a church. One near me says "jesus is risen and nothing can change that." My husband likes to say, "Pontius Pilot would beg to differ," lol. Another one says, "It's not about guilt, it's about being free." Sure. Gaslighting 101, right there.

It's not just churches who have signs either. My neighbor still has up an easter flag that reads "jesus is risen" (this flag replaced the "trump: right to bear arms" flag with two pistols on it). There are a bunch of farms around who put bible versus on signs, too. One nearby says, "He knows every hidden thought," which is super creepy. It doesn't make it less creepy knowing it's a bible verse. And tons of people have christian shit on their cars—bible verses, jesus fish, crosses. Not to mention bibles in hotel rooms (I throw those away when I find them) and christian billboards (I flip those off when I see them).

I even have christian clients and I have to edit their books! Even my therapist is a christian.

christianity is everywhere.

You can't escape it.

Every time I meet a new person who is christian, or remember that someone I know and like is still christian, I experience a surge of disappointment.

Not you too.

On my worst days, when I am triggered and anxious and full of rage at the ideology that caused me so much pain, I can't even leave the house, because doing so would require me to drive down a road named after the church located on it.

christianity is like hydra. You can run. You can chop off a head or two or three. But it always grows another.

birth is a curse, and christianity is a prison.

#exvangelical #exchristian #ex christian #ex religious #atheist #atheism #agnostic #agnoticism #religious trauma #christianity sucks #fuck christianity #christianity is everywhere #birth is a curse and existence is a prison #hydra #churches #i flip off churches #no escape #cult #christian cult

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brightlotusmoon · 27 days

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The most credible story traces 4/20 to Marin County, Calif. In 1971, five students at San Rafael High School would meet at 4:20 p.m. by the campus’ statue of chemist Louis Pasteur to partake. They chose that specific time because extracurricular activities had usually ended by then. This group — Steve Capper, Dave Reddix, Jeffrey Noel, Larry Schwartz, and Mark Gravich — became known as the “Waldos” because they met at a wall. They would say “420” to each other as code for marijuana.

As Reddix told TIME in 2017, “We got tired of the Friday-night football scene with all of the jocks. We were the guys sitting under the stands smoking a doobie, wondering what we were doing there.”

The shenanigans continued long after 4:20 p.m., too. The group challenged each other to find ever-more-interesting things to do under the influence, calling their adventures “safaris.”

Later, Reddix’s brother helped him get work with Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh as a roadie, so the band is said to have helped popularize the term “420.” On Dec. 28, 1990, a group of Deadheads in Oakland handed out flyers that invited people to smoke “420” on April 20 at 4:20 p.m. One ended up with Steve Bloom, a former reporter for High Times magazine, an authority on cannabis culture. The magazine printed the flyer in 1991 and continued to reference the number. Soon, it became known worldwide as code for marijuana. In 1998, the outlet acknowledged that the “Waldos” were the “inventors” of 420.

Bloom, now the publisher of Celebstoner.com, has credited the people who wrote the flyer for the date’s reputation as an annual gathering of pot smokers. “They wanted people all over the world to get together on one day each year and collectively smoke pot at the same time,” he wrote in 2015. “They birthed the idea of a stoner holiday, which April 20 has become.”

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homomenhommes · 6 months

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THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY

based on: The White Crane Institute's 'Gay Wisdom', Gay Birthdays, Gay For Today, Famous GLBT, glbt-Gay Encylopedia, Today in Gay History, Wikipedia, and more … November 19

1889 – Clifton Webb (d.1966) was an American actor, dancer and singer born Webb Parmelee Hollenbeck in a rural part of Marion County, Indiana, which would, in 1906, become Beech Grove, a self- governing city entirely surrounded by Indianapolis. Webb's parents were Jacob Grant Hollenbeck, the son of a grocer from a multi-generational Indiana farming family, and Mabelle A. Parmelee, the daughter of a railroad conductor. In 1892, Webb's formidable mother, Mabelle, moved to New York City with her beloved "little Webb," as she called him for the remainder of her life. She dismissed questions about her husband Jacob, a ticket clerk who, like her father, worked for the Indianapolis-St. Louis Railroad, by saying, "We never speak of him. He didn't care for the theater."

Webb was in his mid-fifties when actor/director Otto Preminger chose him over the objections of 20th Century Fox chief Darryl F. Zanuck to play the classy, but evil, radio columnist Waldo Lydecker, who is obsessed with Gene Tierney's character in the 1944 film noir, Laura. His performance was showered with acclaim and made him an unlikely movie star. Despite Zanuck's original objection, Webb was immediately signed to a long-term contract with Fox. Two years later he was reunited with Tierney (with whom he shares this birthdate) in another highly praised role as the elitist Elliott Templeton in Somerset Maugham's The Razor's Edge (1946). He received Academy Award nominations for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for both. Webb received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 1949 for Sitting Pretty, the first in a three-film series of comedic Mr. Belvedere features with Webb portraying the snide and omniscient central character.

Webb's elegant taste kept him on Hollywood's best-dressed lists for decades. Even though he exhibited comically foppish mannerisms in portraying Mr. Belvedere and other movie characters, his scrupulous (read "deeply closeted, highly repressed") private life kept him free of scandal. The character of Lynn Belvedere is said to have been very close to his real life — he had an Oedipal devotion to his mother Mabelle, who was his companion and who lived with him until her death at age ninety-one. Webb's mourning for his mother continued for a year with no signs of letting up, prompting Noël Coward to remark of Webb, "It must be terrible to be orphaned at 71."

Among the many stories, once, he and Tallulah Bankhead were smitten with the same handsome Austrian army officer and vied for the uniformed stud's favors. While Tallulah did her stuff vamping him, Webb retreated for a moment, and returned with an armload of roses. To Tallulah's amusement and the officer's shock, Webb danced around the man and began pelting him with flowers. Tallulah won.

1942 – Calvin Klein, American clothing designer, born; Calvin Richard Klein was born in The Bronx to Jewish-Hungarian immigrant parents. He attended the High School of Industrial Arts and matriculated, but never graduated, from New York's Fashion Institute of Technology, receiving an honorary Doctorate at the graduation ceremony in 2003. He did his apprenticeship in 1962 at an old-line cloak-and-suit manufacturer, and spent five years designing at other New York shops. He later launched his first company with a childhood friend, Barry K. Schwartz.

Klein was one of several design leaders raised in the Jewish immigrant community in the Bronx, New York along with Robert Denning and Ralph Lauren. Cal became a protégé of the ever-so-flaming editor of Town & Country Baron de Gunzburg, through whose introductions he became the toast of the New York elite fashion scene, even before he had his first mainstream success with the launch of his first jeans line. Later, speaking in an interview with Bianca Jagger and Andy Warhol for Interview magazine, published shortly after the Baron's death, Klein said:

"He was truly the greatest inspiration of my life... he was my mentor, I was his protégé. If you talk about a person with style and true elegance — maybe I'm being a snob, but I'll tell you, there was no one like him. I used to think, boy, did he put me through hell sometimes, but boy, was I lucky. I was so lucky to have known him so well for so long."

Calvin Klein was immediately recognized for his talent after his first major showing at New York Fashion Week. Klein was hailed as the new Yves Saint-Laurent, and was noted for his clean lines.

Thirty years on, it all seemed like a surreal curiosity — when the billboard of a well-muscled young man in white briefs went up in Times Square in 1982, it stopped traffic there. The perspective which focused on the obvious bulge in the briefs caused a big controversy. It nonetheless led to the acceptability of the male form in mainstream American advertising and ushered in the era of "male as sex object" which saw a renaissance in the early 1980s. American Photographer magazine named the photo as one of "10 Pictures That Changed America." His wildly homoerotic advertisements transformed the men's fashion advertising and fashion industry.

Married twice, he has never actually come out, but he divorced his second wife in 2006, and it has been reported that he has dated gay, ex-porn star Nicholas Gruber.

Klein and Nicholas Gruber

1955 – Steven Jay Powsner (d.1995) a founder and former president of the Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center in Greenwich Village.

Born in Brooklyn and raised in Oceanside, L.I., he graduated from New York University in 1976 and the New York University School of Law in 1979. After working as an associate at a New York City law firm, he established his own practice in 1982, specializing in real estate.

Steven's early passion was theater, especailly muscial theater. In high school he took acting lessons at the Neighborhood Playhouse and auditioned for every play. He had chorus roles in My Fair Lady.

1974 marked the beginning of Steven's most formative years. A major part of these years was his first lover, Bruce Philip Cooper, who died of AIDS in 1987. They met when Steven was a freshman at NYU and Bruce was a freshman at Columbia. They were determined to prove society wrong by committing themselves to a permanent, long-lasting relationship, or "marriage" as Steven called it. They moved into their own apartment.

Working as a volunteer for the fledgling gay center in 1983, Steven guided the organization through a yearlong negotiation with the city to buy the former Food and Maritime Trades High School at 208 West 13th Street, which now houses the center.

Everything fell apart in 1983 when Bruce was diagnosed with AIDS. Doctors were judgmental and uncaring. Hospital workers left food outside Bruce's room, refusing to go inside. Their cleaning lady was told by another client that she would be fired if she continued to work for a person with AIDS. Steven would come home from work to find "AIDS" scrawled in large letters across his mailbox.

He took care of Bruce for four years until he died in 1987. During these four caregiving years, Steven became a very dedicated gay activist. His family offered no support around Bruce's ordeal and even scorned Steven when Bruce died because Steven included his name in Bruce's New York Times obituary.

After Bruce died Steven donated to Columbia University a large endowment, with which they established the Bruce Cooper Memorial Fellowship for graduate studies in Philosophy.

Steven met Ben Munisteri 1987 at the the Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center. Ben was 22 years old, just out of college, and a modern dancer. They were commited partners until Steven's death in 1995

A few months before Steven died he won the Center's Heart of the Center award, something he had always wanted. After he died, the Center created the Annual Steven J. Powsner Volunteer Recognition Award.

Besides his work for the center, a hub of lesbian and gay life in New York, Steven left a two-and-a-half-mile mark on the city in the form of the lavender line that is painted along the Fifth Avenue route of the annual Lesbian and Gay Pride March. He paid for much of the painting of the first line in 1985.

1962 – Gottfried von Bismarck-Schönhausen (d.2007) was a member of the German House of Bismarck best known for his flamboyance and parties.Born in Uccle, Belgium, Gottfried von Bismarck-Schönhausen was the second son of Ferdinand, Prince von Bismarck and grandson of Otto, Prince von Bismarck, a diplomat at Germany's embassy in London until a feud with Third Reich foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop. He was the great-great-grandson of German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck.

Bismarck's great uncle and namesake, Count Gottfried, was a Nazi official who allegedly became part of the famous plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. His younger sister, Vanessa Gräfin von Bismarck-Schönhausen is a public relations agent in the United States. His elder brother Carl-Eduard Graf von Bismarck-Schönhausen was a member of the German Bundestag.

Gottfried had multi-faceted history as a pleasure-seeking heroin addict, hell-raising alcoholic, flamboyant waster and a reckless and extravagant host of homosexual orgies. When not clad in the lederhosen of his homeland, he cultivated an air of sophisticated complexity by appearing in women's clothes, set off by lipstick and fishnet stockings. Never concealing his homosexuality, von Bismarck continued to appear in public in various eccentric items of attire, including tall hats atop his bald Mekon-like head. At parties he would appear in exotic designer frock coats with matching trousers and emblazoned with enormous logos. Flitting from table to table at fashionable London nightclubs, he was said to be as comfortable among wealthy Eurotrash as he was on formal occasions calling for black tie.

The death of heiress Olivia Channon in Graf von Bismarck's room would disrupt his life. She was found dead from a heroin overdose in Bismarck's rooms at Christ Church College in 1986. Bismarck was charged with drug possession. He was fined £80. His father, Prince Ferdinand, recalled him to Germany for treatment at a private clinic, it was said he left Oxford so quickly that a family servant had to settle his bills with public houses, tailors and restaurants.

In August 2006, Anthony Casey, 41, fell 20 metres from Graf von Bismarck's Chelsea flat and died. Bismarck was not arrested and the police said there were no drugs found in his flat. This incident triggered speculation from the tabloid press. London's Daily Mail claimed the incident was triggered by a cocaine-fueled orgy. The coroner's report had found no alcohol in Casey's body, but did discover a significant amount of cocaine. The accusation of a 'gay orgy' was officially denied by Gottfried, though the coroner, Dr. Paul Knapman, told The Guardian that a great deal of sexual paraphernalia was discovered in the flat, including sex toys, lubricant, and a rubber tarpaulin. "In common parlance, in the early hours of the morning, there was a gay orgy going on", Dr. Knapman told the newspaper. "Nevertheless, this was conducted by consenting males in private."

On 2 July 2007 Bismarck was found dead in his almost empty £5 million flat, which was in the process of being sold. He was 44 years old at the time of his death. Sebastien Lucas, the pathologist who carried out the autopsy, said that Bismarck had been injecting cocaine on an hourly basis on the day before his death, and that Bismarck's body contained the highest level of cocaine that he had ever seen, as well as morphine; he also had liver damage, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV.

1993 – Romania: Marius Aitai, Ovidiu Chetea, and Cosmin Hutanu are sentenced to up to two and a half years in prison for same-sex acts in private. Amnesty International calls for their immediate release and protests the imprisonment of 54 other people on similar charges, as well as the reportedly widespread torture and sexual abuse of persons arrested on suspicion of homosexuality.

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parttimereporter · 1 month

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How did April 20 become 420 day?

It is NOT because police use 420 as their code for pot.

The history is a little more boring and organic..

In the early '70s, five students at San Rafael High School in Marin County, California would meet outside of the school after extracurricular activities had ended for the day. The group, eventually called the "Waldos," simply for the fact they met by a wall to do their thing, made their official meeting time 4:20 p.m. and eventually started using 420 as code for smoking. One of the Waldo members, Dave Reddix, later got work as a roadie for the Grateful Dead, and the band helped to popularize the term, he told Time. Specifically, a flyer distributed by a group of Oakland Deadheads in December 1990 inviting people to smoke on April 20 at 4:20 p.m. did the trick. A reporter at High Times magazine got hold of the flier and printed it in 1991, bringing it to the attention of cannabis fans across state lines. The magazine continued to use the term in future publications, solidifying its place in popular vernacular. Steve Bloom, the "High Times" reporter who originally received the flyer, later credited the Waldos for originating the term, saying in a 2013 blog, "...they wanted people all over the world to get together on one day each year and collectively smoke pot at the same time. They birthed the idea of a stoner holiday, which April 20 has become."

#420 #420 day #pot #drugs

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lover-of-the-starkindler · 9 months

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List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the inbox of the last 10 people who reblogged something from you, get to know your mutuals and followers!

1. Milkshakes

2. I found Waldo in the crowd at the county fair today

3. All the lovely creative arts on display

4. Watching the barrel racing and pole weaving classes

5. The extroverts who were happy to roll up to a stranger and strike up a conversation--I meet the most interesting people that way

#a side of smart alec and a pinch of honesty

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desertedvault · 2 years

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i think there should be more weird public art. sculpture of a fish pointed down, as if standing on its nose, outside tesco. a 15 foot statue of nelson mandela inexplicably erected in a small home counties village. a mural of uh... skeletor in a public park - in every public park. life sized, full colour statue of wally / waldo of 'where's' fame, in tienanmen square

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emperornorton47 · 6 months

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Dock

#boat #dock #Bay #belfast #Waldo county #maine #original photographers #photo #digital #photographers on tumblr

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eopederson2 · 2 years

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Late-Season Fires in the Pacific Northwest

"The fire season normally winds down in the Pacific Northwest in the fall, but several blazes continued to light up forests in Oregon and Washington well into October 2022.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this natural-color image of smoke plumes spanning hundreds of kilometers in both states on October 9, 2022. In Washington, smoke from the Bolt Creek Fire and Goat Rocks Fire amassed in a network of valleys in the Cascades. In Oregon, a long smoke plume extended to the west and created hazardous air quality in Oakridge. Smoke from the fire has also degraded air quality in Portland, Eugene, and Roseburg at times during the past week.

Much of the smoke in Oregon was from the Cedar Creek Fire in Lane County, a large lightning-triggered blaze that burned in Willamette National Forest. The fire, which started west of Waldo Lake, has burned through rugged terrain thick with Ponderosa pine and Douglas fir timber stands since August. The 730 firefighters assigned to the blaze have focused primarily on protecting Oakridge, Westfir, and other nearby communities.

The Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8 acquired this natural-color image of the Cedar Creek Fire on October 9, 2022. Areas recently burned by the fire appear dark brown. The lighter brown area north of Waldo Lake is land scarred by the Charlton Fire, which raged through the area in 1996. The fire killed 95 percent of trees within the burned area, and the regrowth of new forests has been slow.

“The [Cedar Creek] fire is currently burning with low to moderate intensity with creeping and smoldering along most of the perimeter,” firefighting authorities reported on InciWebon October 11, 2022. “Pockets of interior fuels on the west side continue to torch with short uphill runs. [The] east side is exhibiting creeping and smoldering and occasional torching. Although limited, fire spread is supported in sheltered areas of timber litter with high fuel loading.”

Dry and unusually warm weather has played a role in invigorating these late-season fires. All of Lane County is abnormally dry, according to data published by the U.S. Drought Monitor. Meanwhile, Seattle has seen record-setting warmth this fall.

Despite the late-season fires, Washington’s wildfire season is on track to have the smallest area burned in a decade."

NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey and MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. Story by Adam Voiland.

Source: NASA Earth Observatory.

Love the lower photo of South Central Oregon with Crater Lake near the center.

#space photography #fires #not mine #nasa #washington #oregon #pacific northwest #pnw #2022 #autumn

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all-about-tents · 18 days

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Searsport Shores Ocean Campground Hosts The Hot Suppers for Potluck Stir Fry Dinner and Dance Party

An Evening of Music, Food, and Community at Searsport Shores Ocean Campground

Searsport Shores Ocean Campground in Searsport, Maine, is gearing up to host an exciting event on Thursday, May 16. The campground will welcome The Hot Suppers, a group of seasoned musicians from Waldo County, for a potluck stir fry dinner and dance party. This lively evening promises to bring together music enthusiasts, food lovers, and members of the community for a night of entertainment and camaraderie.

The event will kick off the 29th Annual Ship-Shape Week at Searsport Shores Ocean Campground, a week-long celebration that offers free camping in exchange for assistance with various spring projects. It's an opportunity for campers to contribute to the campground's maintenance while enjoying the company of fellow outdoor enthusiasts.

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A Unique Potluck Experience

The potluck stir fry dinner, starting at 6:30 p.m., invites attendees to bring their favorite stir fry ingredients. These items will be cooked and combined with a delicious pot of rice, creating a mouthwatering feast. This innovative twist on a traditional potluck supper promises to be a fun and interactive dining experience.

Participants will have the chance to mingle and share their culinary creations, fostering a sense of community and connection. The event aims to bring people together through the shared love of food and the joy of coming together for a meal.

The Hot Suppers Take the Stage

At 7:30 p.m., The Hot Suppers will take the stage, offering a captivating blend of Americana music. With influences from country, rock, and blues, their sound is dynamic and rhythmic, appealing to both discerning listeners and enthusiastic dancers. The band, comprised of talented musicians from Waldo County, Maine, showcases their original compositions alongside a diverse repertoire of covers.

The Hot Suppers' harmonious vocals and acoustic/electric blend create a unique musical experience. Each band member contributes their individual talents, resulting in a rich and engaging performance. Their music is sure to captivate the audience and set the stage for an unforgettable night of entertainment.

Supporting the Community

Admission to the potluck stir fry dinner and dance party is by donation, allowing attendees to contribute to the event and support the local community. The evening serves as a platform for both seasoned musicians and aspiring artists to showcase their talents while fostering a sense of togetherness among attendees.

The event also marks the beginning of Searsport Shores Ocean Campground's Ship-Shape Week, a week-long celebration of community engagement and collaboration. Participants are invited to assist with a variety of spring projects, such as painting, building, gardening, and organizing. In exchange for their help, campers receive free camping and the opportunity to be part of a vibrant and supportive community.

Searsport Shores Ocean Campground's upcoming event promises an evening of music, food, and community. The potluck stir fry dinner and dance party, featuring The Hot Suppers, will bring together individuals with a shared passion for music, delicious cuisine, and the great outdoors. This event not only offers a unique dining experience but also serves as a platform for fostering connections and supporting the local community.

As the 29th Annual Ship-Shape Week commences, campers will have the chance to contribute to the campground's maintenance while enjoying the company of fellow outdoor enthusiasts. It's a celebration of camaraderie, creativity, and the joy of coming together in a beautiful coastal setting.

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masterofd1saster · 23 days

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CJ current events 2may24

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Big Brother don't care

Police love surveillance cameras, but not the cost. Setting up a high-definition system at a single site can cost thousands of dollars. So officials came up with a workaround in Richmond Heights, Ohio, east of Cleveland. The city will soon make all banks, restaurants, hotels, and retail outlets within its jurisdiction install and maintain surveillance systems at the businesses’ own expense. A previous ordinance, passed in December 2021, does the same thing at apartment complexes. Cameras must be government-approved and cover every entrance and parking lot 24/7. Property owners must also store the digital files for 30 days at their own expense. If anything breaks, they must pay for repairs or risk $500 daily fines. The city makes no exceptions for vandalism, power outages, or technical glitches.*** https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/2979641/cities-are-forcing-businesses-to-spy-on-themselves-and-pay-for-it/

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Should they not have stolen a car? Are you telling me they shouldn't lead police on a high speed chase?

Four teenagers including high school football star aged 14 to 16 are killed in horror crash after cop cruiser used PIT maneuver to stop them speeding at 111mph - as horrifying photos show their mangled wreckage ***The four, who were between the ages of 14 and 16, attended Newberry High School in Bradford County, northeast of Gainesville. Two of the teens in the car died at the Waldo area scene, while the other two passed away from their injuries days later at UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville.*** The vehicle appeared to be slowing down but then the driver hit the gas and sped away with the car reaching speeds of 111mph.*** Authorities later added two of the teens that were killed in SUV were wearing ankle monitors, while three had active warrants, reports WLBT. Some of the occupants also appeared to be wearing ski masks.*** https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13360151/Four-teenagers-including-high-school-football-star-aged-14-17-killed-horror-crash-cop-cruiser-used-PIT-maneuver-stop-speeding-111mph-horrifying-photos-mangled-wreckage.html

If only there were some way to prevent high speed chases in stolen cars....

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Eh, she's cute so she'll get straight probation

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (BP) — A former volunteer for Immanuel Baptist Church turned herself into police April 17 on charges of sexual assault, first degree. Reagan Gray, 26, was a volunteer in the church’s music ministry and a teacher at Little Rock Christian Academy, reported the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. She had been on leave from her job as a teacher at Sylvan Hills Middle School since Feb. 7. A criminal court hearing has been set for June 17 at 10 a.m., according to court documents. The Democrat Gazette cited a March 12 affidavit that authorities charged Gray with assaulting a teen from Sept. 1, 2020, through May 31, 2021. While the victim’s age is redacted, in various reports he is stated as being 15 or 16. In addition to physical interactions, the volunteer and teen also swapped nude photographs.***

If anyone tells you American criminal justice is sexist, tell her "no poop, Sherlock."

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Wait - they're safer where people shoot?

SELMA, Ala. (WSFA) - Due to multiple weekend shootings involving juveniles, some Selma City School District schools are transitioning to virtual learning this week. A Facebook post by Selma City Schools announced on Sunday that, in light of recent events affecting the community and at the recommendation of local law enforcement, Selma High School and Saints Virtual Academy/Alternative School will transition to virtual learning Monday.*** https://www.wsfa.com/2024/04/29/multiple-weekend-shootings-cause-some-selma-city-schools-go-virtual/

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Drugged her?

DENVER (KDVR) — After Suzanne Morphew’s remains were found in 2023, an autopsy determined Morphew died by homicide with several drugs in her system. Morphew never returned home after she went on a bike ride in Chaffee County in 2020. Five days later, a personal item of Morphew’s was found, but it took three more years for her remains to be found in Saguache County in September.*** Morphew died by “undetermined means in the setting of butorphanol, azaperone, and medetomidine intoxication.” According to the autopsy, “These drugs are marketed as a compounded injectable chemical immobilizer for wildlife providing pharmacologically reversible analgesia, sedation and immobilization.”*** https://kdvr.com/news/local/suzanne-morphews-autopsy-finds-animal-tranquilizer-other-drugs-in-system/

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Let's see how his corpse balances the scales.

DENVER — An ex-National Security Agency employee out of Colorado Springs was sentenced to more than 21 years in prison on Monday for attempted espionage. Jareh Sebastian Dalke, a 32-year-old Army veteran who lived in Colorado Springs, was sentenced on Monday morning. He faced charges in connection with his effort to transmit classified National Defense Information (NDI) to an agent of the Russian Federation, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Dalke, who has degrees related to cybersecurity, worked as an information systems security designer at the National Security Agency (NSA) between June 6 and July 1, 2022. Between August and September, he used an encrypted email account to transmit excerpts of three classified documents to a person he believed was a Russian agent but was actually a FBI online convert employee, the DOJ said. The department said Dalke communicated with the undercover agent thinking he was demonstrating his "legitimate access and willingness to share." In late August, he requested $85,000 in return for the information.*** On Sept. 28, 2022, Dalke arranged for more classified information to be passed along to who he thought was a Russian agent. He transferred five files, four of which contained top secret information. The other file was a letter that read "My friends! ... I am very happy to finally provide this information to you… I look forward to our friendship and shared benefit. Please let me know if there are desired documents to find and I will try when I return to my main office.”*** According to his arrest affidavit, Dalke told the undercover agent that he had $237,000 in debts, according to the Associated Press. In 2017, he filed for bankruptcy because of student loan and credit card debts, it said. He allegedly told the undercover agent that providing the classified information for payment was “an opportunity to help balance scales of the world while also tending to my own needs," the AP reported.***

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So the women in the house shot all those officers?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) — Three U.S. Marshal task force officers and a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer were killed, and four other officers, three of whom were with CMPD, were hurt during an east Charlotte shootout that stemmed from a fugitive warrant operation on Monday afternoon. Residents, along with anyone in the area of the neighborhood, were asked to avoid the area as active gunfire was ongoing for hours. At 4:56 p.m., CMPD said the area was safe. The situation began around 1:50 p.m. along Galway Drive near Denson Place. CMPD announced that Officer Joshua Eyer was shot in the line of duty Monday afternoon after assisting other officers with the apprehension of a suspect. Eyer was a six-year veteran and a member of the 178th Recruit Class. The North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections stated that two of the U.S. Marshals Task Force members were N.C. Department of Adult Correction veterans. They were identified as Sam Poloche and Alden Elliott. Poloche leaves behind a wife and two children, while Elliott and his wife are parents to one child. Police say as the task force tried to serve a warrant for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, they were met with gunfire, and officers returned fire. During that shootout, authorities struck the suspect, identified as 39-year-old Terry Clark Hughes, and he was pronounced deceased in the front yard. Hughes was wanted for possession of a firearm by a felon and two counts of felony to elude out of Lincoln County. As officers approached Hughes, they said they were met by more gunfire from inside the home. After a long standoff, officers cleared the house and found two females inside, who were both brought to the police station as persons of interest.***

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What is it w/ the Porter family?

The younger brother of Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. was arrested early Sunday morning in Missouri on investigation of driving while intoxicated. Jevon Porter, 20, was arrested at 1:31 a.m. in Boone County, Missouri, State Highway Patrol records show. Porter, who was released, also was accused of speeding. The 6-foot-11 Columbia, Missouri, native is a sophomore on the Loyola Marymount University basketball team. *** The incident represents the latest in a string of arrests and other alleged misdeeds for the Porter family. Coban Porter, another brother of the NBA star, was sentenced to six years in prison last month for killing a woman in a drunk-driving crash in Denver last year. Jontay Porter, another sibling who played for the Toronto Raptors, was banned from the NBA last month after a league investigation found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors about his health. https://www.denverpost.com/2024/05/01/jevon-porter-arrested-driving-intoxicated-missouri/

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amusing

Mark Pomerantz was a deputy DA in Manhattan who investigated a variety of allegations against Donald Trump. He testified in Congress and a video was released on 1may24. He repeatedly invokes his 5th Amendment right to silence. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXnRgPW5D1g.

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Speaking of ethical lapses by Trump prosecutors....

***Judge Juan Merchan expressly ruled that prosecutors are not permitted to use Cohen’s guilty pleas for two campaign finance violations in 2018 as evidence that Trump committed a crime, but the judge did provide leeway on the matter, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has used it.*** Matthew Colangelo, one of Bragg’s leading prosecutors, outright said in his opening statement that he expects Cohen, Bragg’s star witness in the trial, to testify about how Cohen pleaded guilty for his role in arranging hush money payments to former Playboy model Karen McDougal and porn star Stormy Daniels. Both women alleged they had affairs with Trump. “Cohen will also testify in this trial that he ultimately pled guilty and went to jail for causing an unlawful corporate contribution in connection with the Karen McDougal payments and for making an excessive campaign contribution in connection with the Stormy Daniels payoff,” Colangelo told the jury. Conservative legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Andy McCarthy called the remarks “breathtakingly mendacious.” “Colangelo was not properly admonishing the jury that Cohen is a witness of dubious credibility. He was signaling to them that the NDA payments to McDougal and Daniels — for which he had just blamed Trump in an extensive narrative — were crimes for which Cohen ‘went to jail,'” McCarthy said in an op-ed. “In reality, Cohen was sentenced to prison because of his lucrative fraud crimes, not the [Federal Election Campaign Act] charges. The SDNY never charged Trump, and it almost certainly wouldn’t have charged Cohen if he hadn’t agreed to plead guilty.”*** https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice/2987906/prosecutors-test-limits-admissible-evidence-trump-hush-money-trial/

***

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stephan-paints · 7 months

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A plein air study of the famous #lostkitchen restaurant in Freedom, Maine. I sell a painting this size for less than you pay to have dinner there. I’m sure it’s very good. You can only get a seat here by a yearly lottery. The town is a small town in the middle of the woods, a long drive from anywhere. Originally I was planning to do a larger painting of this famous restaurant for the Waldo County habitat fundraiser I participated in last week. 9 x 10“ or 22 x 25 cm, oil. #pleinairpainting #freedommaine

#pleinairpainting #mainepainting #lostkitchen

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newenglandsept2023 · 8 months

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Day 3, Thursday, Sept 7: Conway, NH to Camden, Maine (201 km ) to Portsmouth, NH (414 km).

I start the day heading east toward Maine, and within 15 km, I'm there, crossing the border at Fryeburg.

Maine is a gorgeous state that reminds me of Northern Ontario, lots of rolling hills, and pretty small lakes. It's green and beautiful, the people are positive and friendly, and the roads are dotted with small towns and are a dream to ride.

Due to the back road reduced speed limits and the numerous small towns, it takes me all morning to ride the 201 km to Camden. But what a ride. Here are some of the towns I pass: Poland, South China, Auburn, Newcastle, Manchester, Leeds, Hope, Rockland, and Norway. And check the photos, I think I may have found Waldo.

And check the photos again. I have to make a special mention of Augusta (pop 18,900). Augusta is the easternmost state capital in the United States and the third smallest state capital in the country. Located on the Kennebec River at the head of tide, it is the home to the University of Maine, the domed Maine Statehouse, and historic Fort Western, one of the oldest wooden garrisons in America dating back to 1754.

My awe of Augusta is matched in Camden. Perched overlooking Penobscot Bay, it is a resort town in Knox County, with a population only 5,232 that more than triples during the summer months due to tourists and summer residents. It's a beautiful spot on par with Bar Harbor, Nantucket, and North Haven.

I eat lunch overlooking the harbour, then turn my bike SW to head for Portsmouth NH. Again, the 213 km ride takes me all afternoon, but the roads, the scenery, and the small towns are worth it. Check the photos for some of the classic, New England homes.

I arrive at my hotel around dinner time and launch into what is now my standard routine: gas up and wash the bike, check into my room and unpack, check if the pool is open (almost always no), take a shower and head out for dinner. I've promised to cut back on the meat and eat some fruit, vegetables, and salad, so that's what's on the menu tonight - that and my stand-by, a tall glass of cold local beer.

I check the bike on the way back home and settle in to write my blog. By the time I finish, it's generally time to read for a bit, then hit the sack.

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my-weird-news · 9 months

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Raging Washington Wildfires: 2 Lives Lost, Hundreds of Buildings Devastated 😢

Wildfires: Nature's Uninvited BBQ Party Gone Wrong Well, well, well, if it isn't the latest episode of "Mother Nature's Hot Mess Express"! 🌲🔥 And let's just say, this time she really outdid herself. Wildfires have decided to set up camp in eastern Washington, leaving destruction and chaos in their blazing wake. Two people have already met their unfortunate demise, probably thinking, "Well, at least I won't need sunscreen anymore." One unlucky soul was discovered lifeless in the midst of the Gray fire, which sounds more like a failed color experiment in a paint factory than a wildfire. 🎨 Another unfortunate person was found crisped to a golden brown in the Oregon fire. I guess even the wildfires thought "Portlandia" was a bit overrated. So, let's get this straight: the Gray fire thought it was a good idea to spark up near Medical Lake in Spokane County. Not exactly the ideal spot for a lakeside vacation, I'd say. By the time Monday rolled around, this fire had transformed 15.6 square miles of land into its personal barbecue pit. Meanwhile, over 5,000 residents were forced to pack their bags and experience an unexpected "camping trip" in the city's evacuation centers. What a way to test your survival skills! Hold on to your marshmallows, because those brave Canadian firefighters are battling these infernos too. It's like a cross-border firefighting exchange program! Thousands of people are huddled in evacuation centers, probably exchanging stories about how their pets are the real MVPs in a crisis. And here's the kicker – at least 185 buildings have been roasted, toasted, and generally reduced to ashes by the Gray fire's pyromaniac tendencies. But fear not, folks, the number is expected to skyrocket as officials play the world's most depressing game of "Where's Waldo: Charred Edition." Isabelle Hoygaard, the official spokesperson for the Gray fire circus, confirmed that the small town of Medical Lake and its not-so-distant neighbor, Silver Lake, have received special attention from the flames. It's like a twisted real estate makeover show hosted by a fire-breathing dragon. Now, let's not forget the Oregon fire, which decided it was a great idea to join the blazing party. This fire started its own little forest rave northeast of Elk, Washington. It's like the forest version of a college frat party gone wrong, complete with too much heat and not enough water to go around. The flames devoured 15.8 square miles of land, leaving a trail of disappointment in its wake. But wait, there's more! Over 80 buildings have been turned into s'mores by the Oregon fire, and about 150 more are eagerly awaiting their turn to experience the crispy crunch. It's like the universe's worst bake sale – instead of cookies, you get burnt shingles and a side of regret. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee took a little field trip to the charred remains and decided to declare a statewide emergency. And, of course, he took to social media to announce his findings, probably with a selfie in front of a smoking tree stump. He's even had a chat with President Biden and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell about getting some federal aid. Both of them agree that these wildfires are the Earth's way of reminding us that it's really mad about climate change. In the meantime, investigators are on the hunt to find out what exactly sparked these fiery fiestas. Dry, windy conditions were obviously the uninvited guests, turning a barbecue into an all-you-can-burn bonanza. 🔥 So, let's hope Mother Nature gets the memo and starts sending invites to cooler events. Until then, remember: when nature throws a party, it's always BYOB (Bring Your Own Buckets). Stay safe out there, folks! 🚒🔥🌲# Wildfires: Nature's Uninvited BBQ Party Gone Wrong Well, well, well, if it isn't the latest episode of "Mother Nature's Hot Mess Express"! 🌲🔥 And let's just say, this time she really outdid herself. Wildfires have decided to set up camp in eastern Washington, leaving destruction and chaos in their blazing wake. Two people have already met their unfortunate demise, probably thinking, "Well, at least I won't need sunscreen anymore." One unlucky soul was discovered lifeless in the midst of the Gray fire, which sounds more like a failed color experiment in a paint factory than a wildfire. 🎨 Another unfortunate person was found crisped to a golden brown in the Oregon fire. I guess even the wildfires thought "Portlandia" was a bit overrated. So, let's get this straight: the Gray fire thought it was a good idea to spark up near Medical Lake in Spokane County. Not exactly the ideal spot for a lakeside vacation, I'd say. By the time Monday rolled around, this fire had transformed 15.6 square miles of land into its personal barbecue pit. Meanwhile, over 5,000 residents were forced to pack their bags and experience an unexpected "camping trip" in the city's evacuation centers. What a way to test your survival skills! Hold on to your marshmallows, because those brave Canadian firefighters are battling these infernos too. It's like a cross-border firefighting exchange program! Thousands of people are huddled in evacuation centers, probably exchanging stories about how their pets are the real MVPs in a crisis. And here's the kicker – at least 185 buildings have been roasted, toasted, and generally reduced to ashes by the Gray fire's pyromaniac tendencies. But fear not, folks, the number is expected to skyrocket as officials play the world's most depressing game of "Where's Waldo: Charred Edition." Isabelle Hoygaard, the official spokesperson for the Gray fire circus, confirmed that the small town of Medical Lake and its not-so-distant neighbor, Silver Lake, have received special attention from the flames. It's like a twisted real estate makeover show hosted by a fire-breathing dragon. Now, let's not forget the Oregon fire, which decided it was a great idea to join the blazing party. This fire started its own little forest rave northeast of Elk, Washington. It's like the forest version of a college frat party gone wrong, complete with too much heat and not enough water to go around. The flames devoured 15.8 square miles of land, leaving a trail of disappointment in its wake. But wait, there's more! Over 80 buildings have been turned into s'mores by the Oregon fire, and about 150 more are eagerly awaiting their turn to experience the crispy crunch. It's like the universe's worst bake sale – instead of cookies, you get burnt shingles and a side of regret. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee took a little field trip to the charred remains and decided to declare a statewide emergency. And, of course, he took to social media to announce his findings, probably with a selfie in front of a smoking tree stump. He's even had a chat with President Biden and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell about getting some federal aid. Both of them agree that these wildfires are the Earth's way of reminding us that it's really mad about climate change. In the meantime, investigators are on the hunt to find out what exactly sparked these fiery fiestas. Dry, windy conditions were obviously the uninvited guests, turning a barbecue into an all-you-can-burn bonanza. 🔥 So, let's hope Mother Nature gets the memo and starts sending invites to cooler events. Until then, remember: when nature throws a party, it's always BYOB (Bring Your Own Buckets). Stay safe out there, folks! 🚒🔥🌲 Read the full article

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