JACK

DIY 3 Minutes

I was scouring websites looking for pumpkin carving tips and I found these at Taste of Home!

1. You Don’t Need Fancy Tools

A simple $7 kit is sufficient for most classic jack-o’-lanterns and veggie carving projects, says Marc Evan and the crew at Maniac Pumpkin Carvers, who specialize in extraordinarily detailed etchings that are nothing short of stunning. For detailed work, you can use paring knives, linoleum cutters and precision blades. Rely on household items to step up effects. Lemon zesters are great for varying textures on your pumpkin. Melon ballers are useful for hollowing out a pumpkin or to create scooped-out balls that can later be pinned onto a pumpkin as eyes or a beaded necklace, says Evan. Scrubber sponges are optimal for smoothing out the surface (that is, if you plan on sculpting like Michelangelo).

2. Opt for an Imperfect Gourd

Most of us go to the pumpkin patch, or let’s be real, Wal-Mart, looking for the roundest and smoothest pumpkin. Don’t be afraid to get one that’s more visually interesting or even misshaped—as long as it doesn’t have any soft spots, according to Masterpiece Pumpkins‘ Gene Granata, who has been expertly carving pumpkins for more than 20 years. If you have a pattern, bring it with you. That way you can find the pumpkin that suits the shape of the pattern you’re going to carve. For the freshest pumpkin or one with the most staying potential, look for one that’s solid to the touch with a strong, sturdy stem.

3. Open From the Bottom

Here are a couple hacks that will simplify the job. Granata recommends always cutting open the bottom instead of the top around the stem. “When you pull that plug out, a lot of the seeds and stringy stuff comes out with it. Half your job of cleaning out the pumpkin is already done,” he says. Wipe down the exterior of the pumpkin before carving. If you’re creating a classic jack-o’-lantern, cut from the top so you can easily slip a candle (but beware it’ll dry out your pumpkin quicker) or battery-operated tea light into it.

4. Extra Scooping Saves Time

Scrap the walls of the pumpkin with a big metal spoon or the scooper from the classic carving kit until the walls are an inch thick. “This one is really important, especially for people who carve from stencils and patterns,” Granata says. How can you tell when you’ve scraped enough? Have inch-long dressmaker pins or thin screws ready to poke through a cut-out region to test the thickness. Or you can tape your template onto the pumpkin from the start and add pins all around the pattern. That way when you’re scraping down the inside, you can feel exactly when the thickness is right. “That will probably cut your carving time in half,” according to Granata.

5. Trace the Design

Thoroughly clean the face of your gourd. Then use sewing transfer paper (found in most arts-and-crafts stores) to replicate the pattern or design onto the pumpkin. Put the transfer paper between your design and the pumpkin, and make sure the transfer paper is facing down onto the squash. Use masking tape to tape down the design on the corners and the sides. Then trace the design with a ballpoint pen. “You can draw that whole pattern on there and now it’s on the pumpkin, waiting to be carved,” Granata says.

6. Be Patient While You Carve

You probably can’t wait to see your creative carving idea to come to life. So you’re likely carving and pulling the pieces out as you go. But to preserve your art’s stability, you should do the opposite and leave the pumpkin intact. Granata says, “It will help keep the whole thing stable and keep it from breaking. Then when you’re done and want to see the design, reach into the inside and gently poke the pieces from the inside out of the pumpkin. Things will come out way easier. If something gets stuck, go back with your tool and revisit the corners. Then you should have no problems.”

7. Save It for Later

Evan advises that if you’re carving something incredibly intricate like your favorite TV character of the year and need an extra day to complete it, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

8. Let the Kids Join In

If you’re in charge of carving, include your kids on the action with a few easier tasks like scooping out the pumpkin guts and separating the seeds from the stringy stuff.

For a simple yet spooky project, have your little helpers embellish a pumpkin without carving or sharp tools. Instead, decorate using glitter or stickers. Water-based paint such as acrylic or tempera works nicely on pumpkins, Evan says.

Some of the fabulous pumpkins done by pumpkin carvers:

Published by pat frederick

Published

140 thoughts on “JACK”

  1. Morning All!
    I do not intend to carve any of the pumpkins we bought–I am hoping to put them out for the animals to enjoy.
    Last evening i heard noises and the deck–it was early, but too dark to see–so i turned on the lights and there was a FAT raccoon raiding the mouse bait box. we tucked it under the small wooden table–really close to the house and he was trying to get his fat body between the chair and the house. the lights spooked him before hubby could get the shotgun out thou and he waddled down the front steps…LOL
    now we know why he never springs the trap–he’s tooooo fat to get in there!!!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Good afternoon! Started early this morning and finally got everything done after puttering around here for a bit. I saw 3 dead raccoons on the highway on my way to Norfolk this morning. Windy again, up to 81 on the patio. They are calling for some rain tonight and tomorrow – crossing my fingers! Mid-70’s tomorrow, then a high in the 60’s on Wednesday….but, again, they are always wrong so……got to put my trash out tonight for my once-monthly pick-up. Still ticks me off that people who pay the same price as I do have all their family bring their trash in for a weekly pick-up. Grrrr…….but life is not fair so……I didn’t want the big rolling bin they now require us to use either. I already had 4 trash bins with secure lids, 2 of them on wheels!!!! That was one thing really nice about VA – they have trash centers where anyone in that particular county can drop off their trash for free – recycling, too.

      Liked by 1 person

            1. Yeah – they had peach yogurt this time so I grabbed some to use with all my frozen peaches – I’ve got 4 or 5 pick bags and probably a dozen small ones. There were odd shortages here and there…..coffee filters, for instance. Not even ONE package!!! The beef section was sparse but plenty of ground beef.

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  3. from the tcth

    Citizen817
    October 3, 2022 12:24 am

    @realDonaldTrump

    1h
    Congratulations to President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro on greatly “outperforming” inaccurate early Fake News Media polls & getting into a two person runoff, to take place October 30th, with a Radical Left challenger. Now that other Conservatives are out of the race, President Bolsonaro is in a very strong position to win BIG. More importantly, he will be victorious because the wonderful people of Brazil appreciate the great job he has done, and is doing. Tremendous Voter Surge over last 24 hours!

    Liked by 1 person

        1. Yep: “BRICS is the acronym coined to associate five major emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Argentina has formally applied for membership. The BRICS members are known for their significant influence on world affairs.[1] Since 2009, the governments of the BRICS states have met annually at formal summits. China hosted the most recent 14th BRICS summit on 24 July 2022 virtually. BRICS host New Development Bank, Contingent Reserve Arrangement, BRICS payment system, and BRICS basket reserve currency officially announced in 2022.”

          Liked by 1 person

  4. i believe it has more to do with Podesta having control of what? close to a billion dollars? the clintons want some of that pie

    from tcth

    Citizen817
    Citizen817
    October 3, 2022 12:39 am

    Hillary Clinton’s attack on Biden’s border policy is a sign she WILL run for president again in 2024

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11272325/Hillary-Clinton-dusting-Bills-playbook-run-2024-husbands-ex-adviser-says.html

    Former President Bill Clinton’s surprise announcement of the Clinton Global Initiative’s resurrection this fall could have less to do with a desire to address the “steep” challenges facing the world and more to do with Hillary Clinton’s prospects for another run at the White House.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. he said / THEY said…and whom do they believe? the delusional one…
    from tcth

    Feisty Hayseed
    Feisty Hayseed
    October 3, 2022 1:04 am

    Randolph High School investigating gender locker room dispute

    RANDOLPH, Vt. (WCAX) – Randolph High Schools girl’s volleyball team has been banned from its own locker room while school officials investigate a conflict involving a transgender student on the team.

    “Allen says that the dispute started when the trans student made an inappropriate comment while members of the volleyball team were getting changed. She says her issue is not with having the trans student on the team or at school, but specifically in the locker room. “There are biological boys that go into the girl’s bathroom but never a locker room,” Allen said.

    In the email to parents, school officials say they are conducting an investigation into allegations the girls harassed the transgender student.

    Randolph Co-Principal Lisa Floyd said in an email that student safety was the district’s top priority and that when policies are violated, disciplinary action consistent with the law will be taken.

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/more-sports/randolph-high-school-investigating-gender-locker-room-dispute/ar-AA12mkn1

    Liked by 1 person

            1. It tells me that it was egregious and completely out of bounds and no way do I think it was the girls’ fault. These days, I think it would take something pretty blatant to get HS girls upset.

              Liked by 1 person

              1. I’m imagining something along the lines of “nice ta tas” meaning he wasn’t really transgender at all–just another pretender lying to get into the girls locker room to see some skin

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  8. so another new gov’t position is created for the wife of ultra maggot’s chief of staff…we do not need MORE gov’t…another greenie with delusions of saving the planet…

    Liked by 1 person

        1. Too many, IMO. I think the vast majority of environmental issues should be determined state-by-state. I’m not all that concerned about particular species going extinct, tbh. Having said that, I don’t like the wind towers killing the Golden Eagles because the wind towers are useless as teats on a boar hog and not dependable. It is not a worthy price to pay for wind towers that use oil anyway!!! Stupid and a waste of a beautiful bird!!!!

          Liked by 1 person

          1. agreed! they won’t reveal the numbers because that would alarm real environmentalists for sure…
            it’s illegal to kill bald eagles–unless you PAY FOR IT? how hypocritical is that???
            murder is illegal too…unless they’re gonna issue permits for that too???

            Liked by 1 person

  9. ultra maggot granting PERMITS to kill bald and golden eagles by wind turbine farms. the exact numbers killed can’t be disclosed because that is “sensitive law enforcement information.” WHAT A CROCK!
    FTA
    Bald eagle numbers have quadrupled since 2009 to about 350,000 birds. There are only about about 40,000 golden eagles, which need much larger areas to survive and are more inclined to have trouble with humans.

    The number of wind turbines nationwide more than doubled over the past decade to almost 72,000, according to U.S. Geological Survey data, with development overlapping prime golden eagle territory in states including Wyoming, Montana, California, Washington and Oregon.

    In April, a subsidiary of the Florida-based utility industry giant NextEra Energy pleaded guilty in federal court in Wyoming to criminal violations of wildlife protection laws after its wind turbines killed more than 100 golden eagles in eight states. It was the third conviction of a major wind company for killing eagles in a decade.

    Federal officials won’t divulge how many eagles are reported killed by wind farms, saying it’s sensitive law enforcement information.

    Nationwide, 34 permits in place last year authorized companies to “take” 170 golden eagles — meaning that many birds could be killed by turbines or lost through impacts on nests or habitat, according to permitting data obtained by The Associated Press. More than 200 permits were in place to allow the killing of 420 bald eagles, according to the data.

    For each loss, companies are responsible for ensuring at least one eagle death is avoided somewhere else.

    Illegal shootings are the biggest cause of death for golden eagles, killing about 700 annually, according to federal estimates. More than 600 die annually in collisions with cars, wind turbines and power lines; about 500 annually are electrocuted; and more than 400 are poisoned.

    https://gellerreport.com/2022/10/234762.html/

    Liked by 1 person

  10. long article but easy read…the “trans” walk outs at schools in VA were organized by dem staffers and most of the kids just wanted a DAY OFF…
    article
    National media covered “walkouts” by students supposedly objecting to transgender policies from Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration, but internal video of the “student” group shows that it is led by an adult former Democrat staffer and that the group knew that a large portion of students had no interest in the cause and simply wanted to skip school.

    In video of an internal Zoom call obtained by The Daily Wire, the Pride Liberation Project bragged about having tricked the media.

    The group’s leader claimed, “We had at least 12,000 students walk out. We were the reason Joe Biden was asked a question on this issue.” It boasted of “coverage from USA Today, the Richmond Times Dispatch, the Virginia Pilot, the Washington Post, AP News, and even some international outlets.”

    But in a debrief after the walkouts, one student asked, “I want to know if anyone else had this problem. Yesterday at the school walkout we had about 200 kids participating. Most of the students were just there to skip class. Most of the fliers I handed out got handed right back to me because most of the people weren’t there for the cause of the walkout, they just wanted to skip class.”

    Another activist replied, “I definitely had a lot of those people at my school… they are bolstering our numbers. We can count them as people who walked out for the Pride Liberation Project… They’re still helping and they don’t even realize it.”

    A top organizer, Rivka Vizcardo-Lichter, replied, “When helicopters are recording your school, they’re not seeing which ones care and which ones don’t, they’re just seeing the numbers. So ya’ll slayed.”

    Following the group’s extensive coordination with the media before the event, a local TV station dispatched a helicopter to capture a small group of students congregating.

    HAPPENING NOW: A student walkout at Culpeper Co. HS is one of many expected Tuesday across Virginia in response to the state’s new controversial policy regarding transgender students. https://t.co/zvQfpNxJyG pic.twitter.com/PnrGCKAvtE

    — FOX 5 DC (@fox5dc) September 27, 2022

    Aaryan Rawal, a college student and former legislative staffer for a Virginia Democrat who led the group on the call, told participants, “The goal of mass mobilization is not necessarily make people care about an issue… the primary goal is to give us credibility in the eyes of lawmakers,” he said. “For the 30 people who actually know what the policy is, and who actually know how they’re gonna advocate, those people suddenly have a lot of credibility when they talk to our Virginia lawmakers.”

    At issue is a model policy from the state Department of Education that says that schools should not hide transgender students’ status from their parents, and should only change their name and pronouns with their parents’ written permission.

    However, even some of the core group of activists on the call seemed to have little grasp on the policy they were disputing. One asked, “If this bill does end up getting passed… would that stop us from being able to have [a Gay Student Association]?” one asked. The Department of Education’s transgender guidelines are not a bill and would not stop that.

    In an internal message board, Rawal shared a “talking points” document that told people what to say, including repeatedly invoking suicide.

    If someone asked if walkouts jeopardized learning, he told them to say, “How can my friends possibly learn about photosynthesis in biology class when they’re worried about whether they’ll be able to come home to a safe place that night.”

    Our lead organizer @rvlichter just appeared on @MSNBC.

    Over 10,000 students in Virginia are making it clear to the DOE that students want to attend schools that aren’t political pawns, but safe and inclusive places that empower all students to thrive. pic.twitter.com/L6vIJuxL8S

    — Pride Liberation Project (@PrideLiberation) September 27, 2022

    The talking points memo said to tell reporters that “I’ve had to talk friends out of suicide at 2 AM in the morning, and I’ve not met a single Queer student who isn’t depressed.”

    The document continued, “Remember to focus on our narrative… Using a student’s true pronouns and name has consistently been shown to prevent suicide.”

    “We have access to messaging research, or we have access to people who have access to messaging research, and that messaging research really guides what we say in the media,” Rawal said.

    Noting that some students agreed with Republicans about transgender issues, Rawal boasted that they were going up against a professional-quality political operation. “It comes down to this: we know what we’re doing, they don’t know what they’re doing. Just remember, we were featured on international news and a lot of national news yesterday,” he said.

    https://www.dailywire.com/news/trans-student-walkout-group-admits-most-just-wanted-to-skip-school-boasts-about-tricking-media

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Duh! I’ll bet at least 80% just wanted the fun of not having to sit in class!!!! And I’ll bet all those organizations behind this are registered non-profits!!!! That means they don’t have to reveal as much data/money info.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Speaking of pumpkins……coming down a semi-rural road on the west end of the Norfolk area, I saw a huge bunch of pumpkins stacked up on a driveway and a flat-bed wagon with a sign up: Pumpkins $1 – honor system deal. There were some really big ones, too.

      Liked by 1 person

            1. That made me almost roll off my chair laughing!!! Tee-hee! Closest I might….maybe….someday get is to buy the pastry, use canned pumpkin (I can mix up those ingredients), throw it together and bake. But even that isn’t likely to ever happen again!

              Liked by 1 person

  13. okay this is laughable…hitlery as a MODERATE???
    I nearly fell on the floor reading that. she is a promise anything to get in and then do as i want tried and true ASSHOLE…borrowing ultra maggot’s MO…AND if we retake the house and the senate–she fears being finally imprisoned…so maybe this is her stay out of jail attempt?
    entire article
    Twice failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (D) might be gearing up to run for the nation’s highest office one more time in 2024 after her latest criticism of President Joe Biden (D), according to a long-time Clinton adviser.

    Political strategist Dick Morris made the remarks during an interview with John Catsimatidis on his WABC 770 AM radio show that aired on Sunday, the New York Post reported.

    “I see more and more signs that Hillary’s going to run,” Morris said, noting that Clinton has been echoing what many Americans believe, that they do not support “open borders.”

    The remarks come as the Biden administration’s policies on the southern border have led to national security and humanitarian catastrophe as there have been more than 2.3 million illegal border crossings over the last 11 months, an all-time record, and there have been more than 4 million total since Biden was inaugurated.

    “These are all signals that she is going to be the moderate candidate for president,” Morris said. “She’s going to say after the election, ‘See, the left cost us the House and the Senate. If we stay with a left-wing candidate in 2024, we’re going to lose the White House. I’m the only one who will tack to the center and give us a chance at victory​.’​”

    Morris said that Ms. Clinton was using the playbook that her husband, former President Bill Clinton (D), used when he ran for office during his first term, a strategy that Morris said he designed for the former president.

    “​Hillary is just dusting off Bill’s playbook that I wrote for him and applying it herself this year,” Morris said.

    The Post reported that Morris predicted last week that Democrats would push Biden out in favor of Clinton to stave off potentially ending up with an even more far-left candidate than Biden, which he said would cause the party to get blown out during the election.

    “Once Biden pulls out, the polling will show that the Democrats are leaning toward some crazy radical like Gavin Newson, Bernie Sanders. Maybe even AOC herself,” Morris ​said. “That’s going to drive the Democratic Party leaders to go to Hillary and say, ‘Hey look. Please run again. We need you to save us from the crazy left.’”

    “Otherwise we’ll have Sanders as our candidate. We’ll lose Congress by a ton,” he predicted. “And we’ll get wiped out in the presidential race.’”

    https://www.dailywire.com/news/ex-clinton-adviser-hillary-clinton-setting-up-2024-presidential-run-after-latest-shot-at-biden

    Liked by 1 person

  14. I am a little suspicious of someone who switches parties to be in the majority. if you disagree with your party that much…grow a set and switch now. otherwise you are just an opportunist. and who could trust that you won’t switch again when it’s advantageous to you
    FTA
    Days after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell praised Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona for being a champion of bipartisanship, commentator Steve Bannon said there is something more at work.

    On Monday, Sinema spoke at the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville and was introduced by McConnell as the “most effective first-term senator” he has seen during his time in the Senate, according to The Washington Post.

    Bannon on Thursday offered his commentary, which presupposes that November’s elections will give control of the Senate to the Republican Party. The Senate is currently split 50-50, but Democrats are the majority party because Vice President Kamala Harris serves as the tie-breaker.

    “Senator Sinema is looking downrange at the ‘24 cycle when the Republicans will only increase the majority they win in the Senate in ‘22 …the ‘24 cycle is that strong — watch her switch parties or go ‘independent’ and caucus with the Majority,” Bannon posted on GETTR.

    https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.westernjournal.com%2Fsteve-bannon-predicts-long-time-dem-may-switch-parties-2024-stay-majority%2F

    Liked by 1 person

  20. wonder how this will work? someone reports you to paypal??? paypal is a payment system…how/why would they have access to anything with speech?
    from tcth

    Sherri Young
    October 3, 2022 12:47 pm

    In case anyone has not already heard, PayPal has changed their terms. They have granted themselves the ability to impose $2,500 fines for unacceptable speech starting November 3rd. That is $2,500 per occurence. Robert Barnes says the way it was done, it probably is legal and enforceable.

    You must close any PayPal account you may have before November 3rd to avoid getting caught up in this. Don’t simply quit using PayPal — close the account. Tell your churches to close their accounts too.

    https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/ua/upcoming-policies-full

    Liked by 1 person

      1. that part i get…but i thought you use paypal for buying things. how will they know you said or wrote something they disapprove of unless they have a department of rats checking on this stuff…
        and who determines what they find offensive?
        just another company trying to be big brother…
        boycott

        Liked by 1 person

  22. are they confiscating the airplanes??? human smuggling is a crime and it should be impounded–cause these smugglers real financial pain EVERY TIME…
    entire article
    The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) says human smuggling attempts by aircraft are becoming more common in the border state.

    Over the last 30 days, Texas DPS has stopped three human smuggling attempts via plane at different airports in the same area of the Rio Grande Valley, according to Texas Highway Patrol Staff Lieutenant Christopher Olivarez.

    “We’re seeing an increase,” Olivarez said of human smuggling attempts by plane. “It’s started to become more common. But … these are small, private airports. They’re not using the larger airports where there’s TSA. These are the smaller airports where you don’t have the security measures in place for private planes. It’s kind of hard to … do surveillance at every single airport.”

    The reasoning behind the increase in plane smuggling attempts is two-fold.

    A press release states that the incident happened on Aug. 31 just after 5 p.m. when a DPS pilot was conducting a ramp check on a Gulf Stream IV aircraft because he suspected “the aircraft was being used in human smuggling,” noting that there was “some suspicious activity” from a group of people inside the airport.

    A press release states that the incident happened on Aug. 31 just after 5 p.m. when a DPS pilot was conducting a ramp check on a Gulf Stream IV aircraft because he suspected “the aircraft was being used in human smuggling,” noting that there was “some suspicious activity” from a group of people inside the airport. (Texas DPS)

    “There’s more people coming in, and the more people you have coming in, of course, they want to find more ways to make it into the interior,” Olivarez said. “But what’s unique is…you have to understand the different between the people who are being smuggled on planes — those are people who have not been processed. Those are people who are trying to avoid detection.”

    Border agents refer to these individuals as “gotaways,” or illegal immigrants who have not been formally released and have instead evaded Border Patrol.

    In July, officials estimated to Fox News that more than 500,000 gotaways were known to have slipped past agents at that time in FY22 but were detected by cameras or other sensors. There have been about 55,000 getaways each month this fiscal year.
    Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents apprehended six illegal immigrants from Mexico and El Salvador.

    Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents apprehended six illegal immigrants from Mexico and El Salvador. (Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) )

    On Sunday, DPS disrupted a human smuggling attempt by plane at the Mid Valley Airport at approximately 11 a.m. that led to the arrests of seven individuals, including six illegal immigrants and one female U.S. citizen. One of the illegal immigrants was a deported felon from Mexico who was wanted out of Wisconsin in a child sexual assault case.

    Agents were monitoring suspicious activity at the airport after receiving a tip, Olivarez explained.

    Texas DPS stopped two other human smuggling attempts by plane on Aug. 31, which involved 12 illegal immigrants, and on Sept. 23, which involved 19 illegal immigrants, according to the DPS officer.

    Another aircraft trafficking incident happened on Aug. 31 just after 5 p.m. when a DPS pilot was conducting a ramp check on a Gulf Stream IV aircraft because he suspected “the aircraft was being used in human smuggling.” (Texas DPS)

    A number of different criminal smuggling organizations with different trafficking “methods” will rent charter planes to transport illegal immigrants from the Rio Grande Valley to other areas of Texas — typically Houston, which Olivarez described as a human trafficking “hub.” From Houtson, traffickers will transport immigrants elsewhere in or outside the state of Texas.

    Charter pilots are required to match the names of passengers with the list of names on a manifest, but they are not required to check a passanger’s citizenship status, according to the officer.

    “A lot of times, they don’t even know what’s going on,” he said of the charter plane pilots. “They’re just told, ‘Okay, I’m going to charter this plane. We’re going to pick up this many passengers from this airport, and we’re going to take them to this airport.’ That’s it.”

    Retired Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent and Texas congressional candidate Frank Lopez Jr. also questioned the kinds of people involved in chartering private planes to enter the country.

    “Air travel certainly has played a role in this,” Lopez said of the influx of migrants illegally crossing the U.S. border. ” … My question would be: Who can afford a private [plane]? Even just a propeller. I’ve seen the pictures of the aircraft that are being used. So, who can afford that? … Who is involved with this? And the people that are being smuggled — are these your run-of-the-mill illegal aliens? Or is there something special about them? Is there something that that makes them a higher value package, per se?”

    He continued: “These are people who are not wanting to walk up to a National Guardsman, say, ‘Here I am,'” which tells him that those people chartering plans “either have money, or they’re going to owe a lot of money.”

    The total number of migrants that have crossed the southern border since President Biden took office has surpassed 2 million.

    https://www.foxnews.com/us/texas-human-smuggling-by-plane-becoming-more-common-border-officials

    Liked by 1 person

        1. I think so….if you get pulled over on the interstate with drugs/unexplained cash, everything gets confiscated, including the vehicle. They then turn around and sell them, sometimes for big $$$’s.

          Liked by 1 person

  23. wow! homeless people have a UNION??? Sausalito pays each homeless person $18,000 to NOT occupy a park. that’s just crazy.
    entire article
    The City of Sausalito was so desperate to remove 30 homeless people from its Marinship Park that it recently awarded each person $18,000 to leave.

    City officials declared a state of emergency over the homeless camp that occupied the field and the tennis courts at the park, according to KRON4.

    The city closed the park, cleared everyone out, and is planning to clean it up. But the City of Sausalito reached a settlement with a group representing the encampment, the Sausalito Homeless Union, agreeing to pay each qualifying camper a one-time $18,000 stipend to find alternative housing elsewhere, according to San Francisco news site SFist.com.

    The Sausalito Homeless Union will distribute the funds, and provide a monthly accounting of their use to the city.

    Many of the homeless people in Marinship Park had been living in the city’s Dunphy Park from which they were evicted last summer.

    If all 30 homeless people qualify for the grants, it will cost the city $540,000. But officials said the encampment has already cost $1.5 million, including legal fees, sanitation, and management.

    The settlement came after the homeless union sued the city regarding where the tent-dwellers were permitted to encamp, Sfist.com reported.

    The homeless had been forced to remain in a fenced, sanctioned area on the tennis courts since February 2021, and the city was ticketing residents who tried camping outside of that area.

    A nonprofit group, Urban Alchemy, managed several of San Francisco’s sanctioned tent camps, and was managing the site, with residents making complaints that the group’s staff had been engaging in drug use and sexual harassment.

    Before the park and tennis courts can be returned to the public for use, they must be cleaned and tested for public-health hazards.

    https://www.based-politics.com/2022/10/03/this-california-city-paid-homeless-people-18000-each-to-leave-a-public-park/

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  26. EXCERPT: “Spanish equality minister is on the way to normalizing pedophilia:

    Language used by Irene Montero is eerily similar to that used by the pedophile lobby, writes Catholic commentator Grzegorz Górny

    Last week’s statement by the Spanish Minister for Equality Irene Montero (privately, the life partner of Pablo Iglesias, a leader of the neo-Marxist Podemos party) is still echoing throughout the country. The leftist politician, while defending the rights of young girls to have an abortion without their parents’ consent during a parliamentary commission, said:

    “Every boy, every girl, every trans child in this country has the right to know their own body, to know that no adult can touch their body if they don’t want them to, and that if they do, then that is a form of violence. They have the right to know that they can love and have sexual relations with anyone that they want, based on mutual consent. These are recognized rights,” she added.

    The words, that children can have sexual intercourse with anyone they want, by many commentators, were deemed as the next step in the normalization of pedophilia. Spanish writer Juan Manuel Prada pointed out the consequences of Montero’s views.

    “If she decides that small children can choose their own sexual identity and decide about mutilation of their body through a ‘sex change,’ then why shouldn’t they have the right to decide with who they want to have sexual intercourse?” he asked.

    Italian priest Fortunato Di Noto, known as a “pedophile hunter” engaged in fighting such practice for a few decades, noted that Montero uses the same language as the pedophile lobby. She preaches the “right to sex” and emphasizes not the adult’s intent, but the child’s consent. Pedophile circles have been saying the same thing as the Spanish minister for years, that children have the right to sex and no one has the right to forbid it, if they consent.”

    https://rmx.news/poland/spanish-equality-minister-is-on-the-way-to-normalizing-pedophilia/

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  27. EXCERPT: “The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded a malaria vaccine trial study that used genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes to “vaccinate” humans. A team of researchers at the University of Washington conducted the study, which was published in the Science Translational Medicine journal.

    The study involved 26 participants who received three to five “jabs” — or bites from a small box containing 200 GM mosquitoes — over a 30-day period. Sanaria, a company funded in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), is closely connected to the research, and the researchers involved in the trial use a gene-editing technology heavily promoted by Bill Gates.

    Genetically modified mosquitoes used as ‘flying syringes’

    The trial used malaria-causing Plasmodium mosquitoes that were genetically modified to avoid causing sickness in humans to infect participants with a “minor” version of malaria — insufficient to cause severe illness, but enough to make the humans create antibodies. Dr. Sean Murphy, lead author of the study, told NPR, “We use the mosquitoes like they’re 1,000 small flying syringes.”

    Despite the publicity generated by this study, however, results appear to have been mixed. Of the 14 trial participants exposed to malaria, seven contracted the disease. For the remaining seven, the protection conferred by the “vaccine” did not last more than a few months and eventually dissipated.

    According to the study: “Half of the individuals in each vaccine group did not develop detectable P. falciparum infection, and a subset of these individuals was subjected to a second [Controlled Human Malaria Infection] 6 months later and remained partially protected.”

    https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/gmo-mosquitoes-human-malaria-vaccine-study-nih/

    Liked by 1 person

  28. EXCERPT: “Story at a glance:

    – On Sept. 14, Politico published a special report based on four dozen interviews with U.S. and European officials and global health specialists, who admit Bill Gates is running the global COVID-19 response.

    – Four health organizations — The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, GAVI, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the Wellcome Trust — rapidly took a lead on the global pandemic response, and while all four claim to be independent organizations, they’re all actually founded and/or funded by Gates.

    – During the earliest days of the outbreak, the Gates Foundation, GAVI, CEPI and the Wellcome Trust began a coordinated effort to identify vaccine makers, fund tests, drug treatments and mRNA shots and develop a global distribution plan in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO). In the end, they failed to meet their own goals on all fronts.

    – Gates is unqualified to make health recommendations, and he’s never been elected to represent the public.

    – Gates has used his wealth, influence and sheer shrewdness to get him into a position where he can dictate global health policy for his own financial benefit.

    The idea that Bill Gates exerts undue influence over global health has consistently been denied and dismissed as a loony conspiracy theory. But as with so many other things, this conspiracy theory is now turning out to be a conspiracy fact.”

    https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/bill-gates-wealth-influence-covid-pandemic-cola/

    Liked by 1 person

  32. EXCERPT: “Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) denied a legal petition by Center for Food Safety (CFS), Pesticide Action Network of North America and others, demanding that the agency fix its failure to regulate pesticide-coated seeds, which are known to be widely harming bees and other pollinators.

    These crop seeds are coated with systemic insecticides known as neonicotinoids, the most widely used insecticides, and have devastating environmental effects. CFS filed the rulemaking petition in 2017 that would close the loophole, but was forced to take take the agency to court when EPA failed to answer the petition as of late 2021. Last week’s response is issued pursuant to a court-set deadline.

    “We gave EPA a golden chance and a blueprint to fix a problem that has caused significant harm to people, bees, birds, and the environment — and it stubbornly refused,” said Amy van Saun, senior attorney with the Center for Food Safety. “It’s extremely disappointing and we’ll be exploring all possible next steps to protect communities and the environment from the hazard of pesticide-coated seeds, including a lawsuit challenging this decision.”

    Crops grown from pesticide-coated seeds, such as corn, soybean and sunflower seeds cover over 150 million acres of U.S. farmland each year. Neonicotinoids are taken up into the plant’s circulatory system as the plant grows, permeating leaf, pollen, nectar and other plant tissues. Neonicotinoids affect the central nervous system of insects, causing paralysis and death.

    Sublethal impacts include impaired navigation and learning. As a result, beneficial insects, valuable pollinators and birds — including threatened and endangered species protected under the Endangered Species Act — are killed or injured.

    For songbirds, ingesting just one neonic-coated seed can cause serious harm or death.”

    https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/epa-pesticide-coated-seeds-pollinators/

    Liked by 1 person

  34. Entire Article @ NewAmerican: “A man using the moniker “Kem” told Utica, New York’s WKTV how he scammed the local police department’s gun buyback program. He saw tweets exposing how people with 3-D printers were taking advantage of gun buybacks. He received a 3-D printer for Christmas and decided to seize the opportunity: print out some lower receivers in various calibers and turn them in for a reward. Here is his story:

    “I 3D-printed a bunch of lower receivers and frames for different kinds of firearms….[Utica Police Department officials asked] “How many firearms do you have?” And I said, “110.” [Haggling began, and] it ended with a guy and a lady from the budget office finally coming around with 42 gift cards and counting them in front of me … $21,000 in $500 gift cards.”

    New York’s Attorney General Letitia James, recently in the news over her politically motivated lawsuit against Donald Trump, was delighted with the “success” of the Utica buyback effort:

    ‘New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that 296 firearms, including 177 ghost guns, were turned in to law enforcement at a gun buyback event hosted by her office and the Utica Police Department….

    “Gun violence is a scourge that devastates neighborhoods and endangers New York families,” said Attorney General James. “Gun buybacks, such as the one we hosted yesterday, are one of the many ways I am working to combat this crisis, reduce crime, and protect New Yorkers from harm. Every gun that was turned in is a potential tragedy prevented and a potential life saved, and I thank the Utica Police Department for their invaluable support and collaboration.”’

    “Kem” scorned her celebration: “I’m sure handing over $21,000 in gift cards to some punk kid after getting a bunch of plastic junk was a rousing success….Gun buybacks are a fantastic way of showing, number one, that your policies don’t work, and, number two, you’re creating perverse demand. You’re causing people [like me] to show up at these events, and, they don’t actually reduce [gun] crime whatsoever.”

    “Kem” is exactly right. Keith Taylor, an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, called such programs a waste of taxpayer money: “It’s a waste of resources if the entities that are sponsoring [gun buyback programs] believe that it’s going to have a positive effect on reducing crime.”

    But it’s great for gun owners seeking to offload worthless, rusty, nonworking firearms at taxpayers’ expense: “But if the purpose is the provide a means for individuals to get rid of weapons from their households that they don’t want to have anymore, it absolutely is a good option.”

    Mark Anderson, professor of economics at Montana State University, went further: “Who’s choosing to turn their gun in? It’s probably not the person on the margins whose gun we’re trying to get off the street. That gun from Grandpa is not the one that is going to be involved in a crime….

    But such “successes” do make for great PR, as indicated by the boast above by Attorney General James. Not every gun turned in “is a potential tragedy prevented,” as James claims. Of the 177 “ghost guns” — i.e., 3-D printed ones — at least 110 of them were manufactured just for the occasion.

    James’ PR statement said nothing about that. However, when her office was informed about “Kem” and his scam that cost Utica taxpayers $21,000, the agency took umbrage: “It’s shameful that this individual exploited a program that has successfully taken thousands of guns off the streets to protect our communities from gun violence.”

    They added, “We have adjusted our policies to ensure that no one can exploit this program again for personal gain.”

    But what about the exploitation of taxpayers funding a scam that has virtually no measurable impact on gun violence, but instead serves as just one more way to promote the canard that guns cause crime — not the criminals using them?”

    Liked by 1 person

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    2. I am adding a short daily prayer to the board. I would invite each of you, if you wish, to also add one or maybe two of your own liking. I do not want to stifle anyone but please limit yourself to one or two religious postings. here’s one I found that I liked.

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  38. Video for tomorrow am, Pat.

    EXCERPT: “This month, Patriot Mobile sponsored the NRA Women’s Leadership Forum (NRAWLF) Summit in Arizona. The NRAWLF is a cross-cultural sisterhood of strong women that support the Second Amendment. Moms, executives, huntresses, activists, and survivors attend this annual summit for fellowship and valuable information.
    ————
    Unsung hero, Raul Mendez, saved the lives of his wife, children, and many others, because he was conceal carrying. While Raul was celebrating freedom on Independence Day July 3, 2022 with his family and friends, an intruder walked in and opened fire striking Raul in the head through his left eye. He fell to the ground unconscious but quickly woke up to screams of his family and friends. He regained consciousness, reached for his concealed weapon, and used it to put four shots in the shooter’s chest. As Raul says, if the gunman would have killed his family, the national media would have put this story front and center talking about how evil the gun is. But since he survived, using his legal weapon to stop a crazed intruder, no news channels covered it. Patriot Mobile is proud to share Raul’s heroic story of self-defense and so thankful this beautiful family survived.”

    —————
    One of the many highlights of this year’s summit was Arizona Gubernatorial Candidate Kari Lake’s stellar appearance to stand in solidarity with the strong women of the NRA Women’s Leadership Forum. Lake spoke to the mama bear hearts in the room and committed to protect Arizonans’ Second Amendment Rights.

    https://www.patriotmobile.com/best-self-defense-for-women/

    Liked by 1 person

  39. EXCERPT: “From the Superspreader filmmakers

    “As rights and religious liberties were being stripped away in the name of public health during the COVID-19 lockdowns, a Christian worship leader knew he had to take a stand for what he believed in: sharing the gospel, no matter the cost. Join singer and songwriter, Sean Feucht, as he takes you on the wild ride of what became the #LetUsWorship movement.”

    Superspreader is an incredible film that documents Sean Feucht‘s journey to protest the government lockdowns by taking worship to the streets and open air. With never-before-seen footage, we get an insider’s look at what his family went through, the opposition they received from the government and even from inside the church, and the conviction that drove them to take a stand against the unjust lockdowns of the church.”

    Trailer: https://www.patriotmobile.com/sean-feucht-ministries-superspreader/

    Liked by 1 person

      1. One more before you go, Pat:

        EXCERPT: “Patriot Mobile’s donation of “In God We Trust” framed posters to Texas schools has generated an immense response from the public. Thank you to all of you who reached out in support of our efforts!

        Our donation of the posters has also sparked a larger discussion: Why put God back into our public schools? Shouldn’t there be a separation of church and state?

        These are great questions!

        The History of Our National Motto: In God We Trust
        Today, many Americans have been led to believe that God has no place in the public square. But contrary to what the legacy media and academia tell us, our Founding Fathers never intended it to be that way. Throughout our history, we openly honored God and have not been hostile to religion until recently.

        Our national motto “In God We Trust” is one example. This faith-based motto declares that as a nation, we trust in a higher power. It doesn’t say, we trust in government or people, but in God, as it says in Psalm 118:8, “It is better to trust the Lord than put confidence in man.”

        While this official motto was adopted by the U.S. Congress in 1956 under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the history of “In God We Trust” goes further back. During the turmoil of the Civil War, devout pastors urged the government to acknowledge God in some form on our coins. Secretary of the Treasury, Salmon P. Chase, agreed, and wrote the following letter in 1861 to James Pollock, Director of the Mint in Philadelphia:”

        Long, detailed article: https://www.patriotmobile.com/religion-in-schools/

        Liked by 1 person

    1. i put a pumpkin (with the stem removed for easier access) out for the deer, raccoon or bear …see if anyone wants to eat some…

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