Electoral College Math
Two Teddy Bears Feeling The Holidays In Christmas Commercial For Heathrow Airport
Cute holiday commercial featuring a teddy bear couple making their way through Heathrow Airport on their way to a sweet reunion.
Clip description: Throughout their 70 years, Heathrow have specialised in reconnecting people with their loved ones, especially at this time of year, because coming home for Christmas is the best gift of all. Among the millions of seasonal passengers, there are some extra-special arrivals that have made it home in time for the big day…
Florida Senior Pulled From His Car And Beaten: “My President Says We Can Kill You Now”
Another hate crime, this time in Florida, since the election of President-elect Donald Trump.
A Sarasota man, Chuck Redding, tells the local ABC News affiliate that he was pulled from his car and beaten for being gay.
The 75 year old senior says the alleged attacker told him the election of President-elect Trump meant he had permission to “kill all you faggots now.”
From ABC News:
“He yanked the door open, dragged me out, ripped my shirt. I was on the pavement,” said Redding.
His arm is now badly bruised, his hand cut and swollen to twice its normal size, his knee scraped, and part of his toe ripped. Redding says the driver had clearly taken note of his marriage equality and rainbow bumper stickers.
“He kept saying, ‘You know my new president says we can kill all you faggots now,'” Redding said.
Redding is openly gay, but says he’s never been attacked like this. He’s now part of the spike in attacks against minorities nationwide..
“It’s absolutely horrendous,” he said.
Redding’s now taking action to protect himself. He and several friends are applying for conceal carry permits and encouraging others to do the same.
How Trump Compares To Recent Presidents Shortly After Winning Elections
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| (via Gallup) |
President-elect Trump lags far behind his predecessors in terms of how his constituents feel about him just after election.
Gallup Polls show, with only 42% favorability, he is by far the least popular president in decades.
At this point in their nascent presidencies, Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton enjoyed far better favorable numbers – 68%, 59%, and 58% respectively.
Transgender Awareness Week November 14-20
From GLSEN:
Transgender Awareness Week (TAW) is an opportunity for students, educators and community members to increase visibility of the transgender community and to raise awareness of the experiences of transgender and gender nonconforming students, who often face hostile school environments.
For example, the 2013 National School Climate Survey found that 42.2% of transgender students had been prevented from using their preferred name and/or pronoun.
Additionally, more than one fifth (22.8%) of transgender students said they were not out at school about being transgender (this included 3.4% who were not out at all, and 19.4% who were out about their sexual orientation, but not about their transgender identity specifically), perhaps because of a negative school climate or lack of acceptance at school or from family members.
Students aren’t the only ones who can benefit from more transgender awareness and education. According to GLSEN’s most recent study, From Teasing to Torment: School Climate Revisited, “12.6% of students reported ever hearing teachers or other school staff make anti-transgender comments”.
Celebrating and making time for Transgender Awareness Week is an important step towards creating a safe and affirming school environment. Transgender Awareness Week starts on Saturday, November 14 and ends on Transgender Day of Remembrance, Friday, November 20, when communities across the globe memorialize those whose lives were lost to anti-transgender fear, bigotry and hatred.
Ricky Martin Gets Engaged
The Ellen Show’s audience were the very first to hear the news that Ricky Martin is engaged!
The world-famous singer told Ellen about his new fiancé, artist Jwan Yosef, and how they first met.
“He’s a conceptional artist and I’m a collector so I started looking for art and I saw his art and I went crazy because I really love what he does. Really original,” Martin said. “And then I contacted him.”
He then went on to talk about his two children, Matteo and Valentino, and his newly announced residency at the new Park Theater at Monte Carlo in Las Vegas beginning early next year.
2016 Presidential Medal Of Freedom Honorees Include Ellen, Springsteen & De Niro
Via press release from the White House:
Today, President Barack Obama named 21 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the Nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors. The awards will be presented at the White House on November 22th.
President Obama said, “The Presidential Medal of Freedom is not just our nation’s highest civilian honor – it’s a tribute to the idea that all of us, no matter where we come from, have the opportunity to change this country for the better. From scientists, philanthropists, and public servants to activists, athletes, and artists, these 21 individuals have helped push America forward, inspiring millions of people around the world along the way.”
Among the honorees are openly gay Ellen DeGeneres, and two of Donald Trump’s biggest critics – Robert De Niro and Bruce Springsteen.
Here’s the full list:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Elouise Cobell (posthumous)
Ellen DeGeneres
Robert De Niro
Richard Garwin
Bill and Melinda Gates
Frank Gehry
Margaret H. Hamilton
Tom Hanks
Grace Hopper (posthumous)
Michael Jordan
Maya Lin
Lorne Michaels
Newt Minow
Eduardo Padrón
Robert Redford
Diana Ross
Vin Scully
Bruce Springsteen
Cicely Tyson
This event will be streamed live at: www.whitehouse.gov/live.
Hillary Clinton Leads Popular Vote Tally By More Than One Million Votes
Heavy.com is reporting that, as of yesterday, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s lead in the popular vote count has now exceeded one million votes.
The Cook Political Report and Dave Wasserman have compiled a continually updated popular vote tracker. Both candidates are still gaining votes as states count absentee and provisional ballots, millions of which were still uncounted after the election, especially in California.
Here are the updated popular vote totals as of November 15:
Clinton: 62,318,079
Trump: 61,166,063That means Clinton now leads the popular vote by 1,152,016 votes and 47.8% to 46.9%.
The issue for Clinton, though, according to the Wasserman/Cook Political Report numbers: Trump leads in the swing states. That gave him the Electoral College by a 290-232 margin and made him president-elect. Defenders of the Electoral College say it forces candidates to compete for the hearts and minds of Americans in all states, giving all states a voice in the presidential election.
Clinton’s vote total is a historic achievement. Clinton now has the third highest number of votes of any presidential candidate in U.S. history (she also became the fourth presidential candidate to win the popular vote but lose the Electoral College). She is behind only Barack Obama’s two historic elections. However, she just surpassed the tally of George W. Bush.
Without the Electoral College, a few large cities and states (New York, L.A.), would determine every presidential election. Indeed, Clinton’s popular vote edge was boosted by millions from New York and California alone.
There are now calls to abolish the Electoral College in that more Americans voted for Hillary Clinton than Donald Trump.
There is a petition over at Change.org with more than 2 million signatures calling for electors to defy the EC and vote for Hillary since she garnered more votes.
I don’t see the EC going anywhere anytime soon. Especially with the Republican controlled Congress in office.
Betty Buckley Stars In M. Night Shyamalan’s New Film “SPLIT”
The imminently watchable Betty Buckley stars in M. Night Shyamalan’s new film, SPLIT.
Film synopsis:
While the mental divisions of those with dissociative identity disorder have long fascinated and eluded science, it is believed that some can also manifest unique physical attributes for each personality, a cognitive and physiological prism within a single being.
Though Kevin (James McAvoy) has evidenced 23 personalities to his trusted psychiatrist, Dr. Fletcher (Betty Buckley), there remains one still submerged who is set to materialize and dominate all the others. Compelled to abduct three teenage girls led by the willful, observant Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy, The Witch), Kevin reaches a war for survival among all of those contained within him—as well as everyone around him—as the walls between his compartments shatter apart.
In theaters January 20th.
Funny: The BidenObama Instagram
Vice President Joe Biden is the star of this hilarious Instagram account featuring faux moments between the Veep and his bestie, Barack.
