Weird Wednesdays: The Ennis House

Travel 2 Minutes

This month’s house in the spotlight is The Ennis House in Los Angeles, California. This house has been featured in several horror movies (none of which I’ve seen to be honest).  The house is angles and blocks but no curved features at all.  The pictures I’ve seen of the house show some interesting elements, but there is no warmth in them.  It gives me the impression of living in a mausoleum.  

From Architectural Digest:

If you’ve ever seen Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Day of the Locust, or Blade Runner, then you’ve also seen the Ennis House. In the films, the property is used to depict a vampire mansion, a private residence, and an apartment building respectively. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1923 and constructed in 1924, the home has made more than 80 onscreen appearances throughout its near century-long existence, according to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. However, it was the home’s feature in House on Haunted Hill in 1959 that brought it into ghoulish acclaim.

“In just a minute, I’ll show you the only really haunted house in the world,” Watson Pritchard, played by Elisha Cook Jr., says in the movie. “Since it was built a century ago, seven people—including my brother—have been murdered in it.”  The film’s plot follows five people who are promised $10,000 each if they can spend the whole night in the eerie property, which is “played” by the Ennis House. 

“It’s a really modern house, yet it uses ancient forms,” said Michael Wyetzner, architect at Michielli + Wyetzner Architects, in the newest episode of Blueprints, a YouTube series for AD. In the video, Wyetzner breaks down the Ennis House’s role in House on Haunted Hill, as well as the role of five other properties featured in horror films. “It doesn’t have a very domestic scale, it almost looks like it could be a museum or other type of religious building,” he said.  

Of course, though large, it was designed as a residential property. Located in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, Wright designed the home in the early ’20s for Charles and Mabel Ennis, owners of a local men’s clothing store. The home is one of four that makes use of Wright’s textile block system, which is constructed from precast, interlocked concrete blocks. Designed in a trabeated style, the home lacks curves, arches, vaults, and domes and is heavily inspired by Mayan architecture. As such, many have classified the home as a Mayan Revival. 

Drawing from the Mayan-design vernacular, the home looks older than it is—in the 1959 film Pritchard says the home was built “a century ago,” despite only being 35 years old at the time. Aside from its deceptive age, the house has two other important qualities that make it the perfect horror home: It sits on a hill (which is not just a nod to the film’s title) and features a deep, high roof. These two qualities have become commonplace in homes used in horror films and were made famous in what Wyetzner calls “the iconic house of horrors”: the Bates’s home in Psycho.

SOURCE: ARCHITECTURALDIGEST.COM

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Published by pat frederick

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116 thoughts on “Weird Wednesdays: The Ennis House”

  1. Good morning, Pat and Filly,

    The Ennis house exterior looks similar in design to the new Mormon building on one of our main streets.

    I’ve never liked interiors with dark or intense colors. Dark paneling, dark furniture, dark floors are depressing to me and intense colors are disturbing.

    The interior of the Ennis house is pretty tame – until you get to that bathroom – – eek! Looks like you could spill a lot of blood in there and it wouldn’t show.

    There was a bathroom in one of the houses in a real estate ad that had such a bathroom….

    From a past post on one of our blogs – “There can be some horrible mistakes in decorating and design as someone posted here recently.

    One morning, I was having a nice cup of coffee and looking at houses and saw the worst bathroom re-do (I didn’t save the link) – it had a mosaic tile shower stall using 1/2 inch square tiles in red and white.   The top of the wall started in white and gradually, they sprinkled in red tiles until the bottom of the wall and floor of the shower was red.   

    Well, the whole effect was like a horror movie where a murder and butchery occurred.   I could not use that shower – it would give me Psycho fears and nightmares. 

    I still shudder to think about it – and doubted that house would ever sell.
    — 
    Turns out custom gradient tile work is a thing. 
    Here it is in blue – try to imagine it in red. The red looks like a bloodbath.”

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Morning GA!
      the house looks so cold to me–uninviting. We have a great room–high ceiling for sure–but the room has a cozy feel to it (at least to me).
      And this house was in horror films–the outside at least, but i can see how that bathroom would harbor evil deeds!
      as for the gradient tile–i was never found of small tile–all that grout to clean…lol
      The tile store we bought the tile for this house from had gorgeous tile work throughout the building!

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Morning, Pat! I do not like tile at all, personally. The shower in the house where I lived in Nokesville, VA was tile and it rotted from within, causing a big hole in the wall – apparently, it wasn’t installed correctly from the beginning. Thankfully, the landlord had to pay for the repairs but I didn’t want any tile in my house here. The usual with Wheezer today. I tried to read Vance’s book but fell asleep around 20 pages – frankly, boring so far but we’ll see. Trip to Norfolk is on the schedule today.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Morning Filly!
          I have hardwood floors everywhere except where it can get wet–the kitchen, the bathrooms, the little laundry room and the entryways. I do not have tile on the walls except the backsplash in the kitchen. we did the tile work ourselves–nothing fancy except the backsplash. we had a picture of a little clay pot with an herb in it fired on to a few tiles–the rest are just cream colored tiles. it creates a little interest.

          Liked by 1 person

    2. Good morning, GA! All I can say about this house is yuck! I never have liked Frank Lloyd Wright’s style – it just says “cold” to me. And I’m definitely not a fan of horror movies – I’ve not seen any of these and never will, I’m sure.

      Liked by 2 people

        1. i loved the older horror films myself–Abbott and Costello meets the Mummy…for instance…LOL
          I liked Young Frankenstein and Dracula with Frank Langella only because at the time he was a hunkadoodle

          Like

  2. What are y’all doing today? Any special projects?

    Yesterday – I broke up a LOT of boxes that were piled up in my garage. Cleaning out and organizing the garage has been on my list for a long time.

    Yesterday – I worked on all my old lady comfort shoes – added double thick cushioned insoles – redid the laces as was recommended online for midfoot arthritis – leaving the laces open in the center so not to put pressure on the bone spur-arthritis area.

    Today – I need to go back to the Orthopedics office – The new graphite fiber orthotic they made for my ‘bad foot’ won’t fit into but one pair of shoes, so I need to take it to get it cut down if they can do that.

    Also might go get more UV film on rest of the windows in the minivan – to prevent skin cancer and keep the car cool in the blasting heat – since it’s parked outside half the week now.

    I’m also looking into getting a wheelchair exercise machine that Sally can use to get arm and leg exercise and a wheelchair accessible golf cart to take Sally for rides around the Village and to the stores on campus and to the Dollar Store outside the campus.

    I’ll have to design modifications for the exercise machine – but that won’t be too hard.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I am finishing up some Christmas crafts so that I concentrate on…CHRISTMAS COOKIES next month! lol

      Due to everyone’s schedules our family Christmas get together will be early in December, so those cookies have to be done then.

      You are amazing to be able to make “modifications” as necessary!!

      Liked by 2 people

    2. Oh, please don’t mention boxes….betcha I’ve got more than you have!!! You might ask your orthopedist about the hot paraffin treatment. It helped the arthritis in my hands.

      Liked by 2 people

          1. I’m heading to the orthopedics office to get the orthotic trimmed down. I’ll ask. Or I can email them through the patient portal. You are so kind to offer it.

            Liked by 2 people

    1. eilert (@guest_1353675)

      Online

      Reply to  TheseTruths

      October 23, 2024 05:26

      This thread is a related to the above:

      🧵🇬🇧THE “KILL MUSK’S TWITTER” FIASCO: A TANGLED WEB OF FOREIGN INFLUENCE, CENSORSHIP, AND ETHICS

      1/ The leaked CCDH documents have exposed a disturbing pattern of foreign influence in U.S. politics, with a British group actively working to undermine American tech companies and… pic.twitter.com/cVrEIF3jQB

      — Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) October 23, 2024

      1/ The leaked CCDH documents have exposed a disturbing pattern of foreign influence in U.S. politics, with a British group actively working to undermine American tech companies and shape online discourse ahead of the 2024 election.

      Their top priority? “Kill Musk’s Twitter.”

      2/ CCDH’s founder, Morgan McSweeney, is a key figure in UK politics, credited with Labour Party leader Keir Starmer’s rise to power.

      Now, he’s advising U.S. Democrats, including VP Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

      Liked by 2 people

      2. Reading the post and your response, PF, I agree with your reaction, but this shows that the US is too big and trying to control too much. Both Trump and the Cackler are fighting each other, when the US has been expanding territorial control since its inception. The Mexican war in the 1840s is only one example. The Mexicans had a legitimate gripe. Why are California cities named San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles?
        And, what about the Electoral College, which waters down the popular vote?

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Um….what about the EC? Without it, all the huge blue cities would wipe out 90% of the votes of people here in NE and many other states. I disagree that the Mexicans had a legitimate gripe.

          Liked by 2 people

          1. In your research, have you wondered about the Composition of the Electoral College itself? That seems a shady organization from the getgo, named without being personally named, in the US Constitution. Nor defined. A typical Alexander Hamilton trick. Attorney, by the way, and intentional diversion of attention from crucial issues of the We The People promise.

            Liked by 2 people

            1. You mean currently, what it has devolved into? Absolutely! There is corruption there, too. Interesting about Hamilton – I know next to nothing about him.

              Liked by 1 person

    1. Harrison

      Harrison

      October 23, 2024 12:52 am

      If they tell you the ballot machines aren’t working – either wait or if possible, come back later. Putting them in their magic box is a sure fire way for them to disappear or be replaced.

      So they’ll scan it later after hours? When nobody else around? Tell me you plan to cheat without telling me you plan to cheat.

      Illinois will go first.

      DO NOT LEAVE YOUR BALLOTS. pic.twitter.com/RPDRuIX9Vn

      — Sassafrass84 (@Sassafrass_84) October 22, 2024

      Liked by 1 person

    1. You know what REALLY ticks me off these days? Seeing ads on TV for drugs that will keep those with HIV “undetectable” —- but they can still spread it! Absolutely nothing about things like oh, not having risky sex and spreading it??? Nothing about TELLING your partner you’re HIV-positive BEFORE sex….just about keeping it “undetectable.” SMDH

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Agreed, Filly. The coverups, lies, and deceptions perpetrated on all levels have created the dishonesty in the government and in America. Whom or what to trust? I hope these crises will motivate grass roots America to return to local initiatives and community involvement to help themselves. Get BigBullyGovernment Out Of The Way.

        Liked by 2 people

        1. Trust is something I don’t give out easily. I can probably count the number of people I do trust on one hand and most of them are here!!!

          Liked by 1 person

      2. Agreed, Filly. The coverups, lies, and deceptions perpetrated on all levels have created the dishonesty in the government and in America. Whom or what to trust? I hope these crises will motivate grass roots America to return to local initiatives and community involvement to help themselves. Get BigBullyGovernment Out Of The Way.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. I have re- connected with long-term neighbors and old friends, on Facebook, which a college friend recommended to me. My cousin’s wife was the first person ro request me as a Facebook friend. She likes to report on public goings on in in the southeast, and Pete, my cousin, likes to make people laugh, as he has always done.

          “Don’t ask, don’t tell” is “SleazeBag” Bill The Lawyer Clinton’s policy about Gays, etc. in the military.

          Now, what does the military consist of?

          Liked by 1 person

    1. Good Morning, Ms. Pat, I looked Walz up online awhile back. He has a fishy past. I believe he was schooled by the US Army and has developed a proficiency with Mandarin Chinese, among other languages. I think he was born in Nebraska, went to high school there, and recruited by the Army to work in “intelligence”. You can look it up. My memory for facts is dim.

      Liked by 3 people

          1. Don’t hesitate to ask if I use some you can’t figure out – it’s a habit from my years in the military & defense contracting industry. You simply have to use acronyms there. As an example – my assignment at the Pentagon:
            Military District of Washington (MDW), Directorate of Military Personnel Management (DMPM), Military Personnel Center Typing Pool (MPCTP), Department of the Army (DA), Secretary of the Army (SA), Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army (DCS), Enlisted Division (ED). It’s so much easier and shorter.

            Liked by 1 person

    2. He was kicked out of the school in Alliance, NE allegedly for his sexual escapades with a minor but they won’t talk about it (personally, I believe every bit of it). Born in West Point, NE, lived in Valentine and Butte…from the NY Slimes:

      “Mr. Walz graduated from Chadron State College in 1989 with a degree in social science education before teaching for a year in China. When he returned, he taught high school in Nebraska, where he met his wife, Gwen, who was teaching at the same school.

      In 1993, Mr. Walz was named Outstanding Young Nebraskan by the Nebraska Junior Chamber of Commerce for his service in the education, military and small-business communities, according to his campaign.

      The next year, he got married and moved back to his wife’s southern Minnesota home.”

      And THIS fucking bitch!! SHE is at the heart of the upheaval in our state. She is the one who stoked the fight against the Canadian pipeline. One of her reps spoke at our City Council meeting here and convinced them to put the brakes on the pipeline company setting up a workers’ encampment right outside of town. It would have been a HUGE boon to our economy!!! My friend Marilyn’s daughter worked for the pipeline and knew most of the workers who would be here. Also, don’t forget that she and her hubby were closely connected to Seth Rich…..

      “Jane Kleeb, the chairwoman of the Nebraska Democratic Party, commended Mr. Walz’s “real and deep experiences in rural towns, veteran communities and of course with teachers.”

      “Walz has an ability to make us all want to fall in love with our politics again because he believes in the reality of being in politics to change people’s lives,” Ms. Kleeb said. “Rural America is having our moment being represented on the national stage with heart, joy and showing the nation what it means to care about our neighbors.”

      Liked by 2 people

  12. we all knew it was a land grab–they did it in Lahaina –they’re doing it in NC too…
    fta
    North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) confirmed the government won’t help to rebuild areas of the state devastated by Hurricane Helene last month, and will instead opt to buy out the land.

    Cooper claimed during a New York Times climate forum earlier this month that climate change was causing more frequent hurricanes and because of that, government land grabs were a more prudent approach to rebuilding.

    “North Carolina had two ‘500-year storms’ within 20 months of each other in the same place. We just had a ‘thousand-year’ storm event. We know that that’s not true anymore. We know that these events are becoming more and more intense,” Cooper said.

    There it is folks…

    🚨 Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina just confirmed that Certain Areas won’t be Rebuilt and they’re Buying Out Entire Communities Affected by “Climate Change”

    “We’ve spent a lot of time on the way we approach rebuilding… in some areas, you just… pic.twitter.com/5wDTh8fOe4
    — MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) October 22, 2024

    “We’ve spent a lot of time being smart about the way we approach rebuilding. We go into communities, we work with them, we have plans for local governments. In some areas, you just shouldn’t build back.”

    “And we’ve been able to convince certain communities and people that buyouts are better. And you create green space that soaks up flood water that comes and protects surrounding areas,” he continued.

    “When you do build back, you have to invest more in order for property to be more resilient. But when it is elevated, we even saw in some of the storm’s subsequent that those properties were unaffected because we had made them more resilient.”

    Cooper also said he was able to convince some Republicans to go along with the Democrat “Build Back Better” agenda to fight climate change.

    “So those are the challenges that we’re facing every day. And it’s one of the reasons why we’ve been able to get a number of Republican local officials, particularly on the coast who said, OK, guys, climate change is here,” he said.

    “We know that we have to do something about it. We know that the United States is the leader in the world [that] needs to set an example, North Carolina needs to set an example. And so we’ve gotten a number of them on board.”

    “There’s still a lot of climate denialists out there,” Cooper added.

    Like with Hurricane Helene, the media was quick to blame climate change for the wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii, that decimated the entire area last year and killed over 112 people.

    Hawaii Governor Josh Green (D) soon after announced that his administration was looking into acquiring the destroyed Lahaina properties.

    “I’m already thinking about ways for the state to acquire that land so we can put it into workforce housing, to put it back into families, or to make it open spaces in perpetuity as a memorial to people who were lost,” he said.

    “We don’t want this to become a clear space where then, yes, people from overseas just come and decide they’re going to take it. The state will take it and preserve it first.”

    https://www.infowars.com/posts/nc-gov-roy-cooper-confirms-govt-buying-out-entire-communities-affected-by-climate-change/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Kamala says she has teams of lawyers ready to challenge election results:

      “We will deal with election night and the days after as they come, and we have the resources and the expertise and the focus on that, as well.” pic.twitter.com/8lPYMONK2H

      — Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) October 22, 2024

      Liked by 1 person

  14. WORD of encouragement for us in these times….

    Days of Praise – 10/23/24

    Endurance Empowers Sanctification

    “But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses.” (2 Corinthians 6:4)

    The phrase “in much patience [endurance]” could be used to summarize all of the apostle Paul’s life. The Greek word for endurance (hupomone) is used in the New Testament over 30 times. Endurance is triumphant patience, causing the troubled saint to rise above difficult circumstances. John Chrysostom, an early church father, said endurance “is a fortress that is never taken, a harbor that knows no storm.” It describes a believer boldly facing the difficult circumstances of life.

    So, what were a few of Paul’s afflictions (Greek thlipsis)? Paul uses the same Greek word to describe his “trouble which came to us in Asia” (2 Corinthians 1:8) as well as his distress in writing his sorrowful letter to the Corinthians (2:4). He also used this word to summarize the troubles that caused him deep anguish (4:16–17). Even with these great struggles, Paul obediently overcame and endured.

    Paul remained steadfast under the most arduous trials, and so can any believer in Christ. “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body” (4:8–10).

    The sufferings of this present world are not to be compared with the glory that is ours in eternity. As one saint described, “Ministry will be a wildly oscillating experience.” Through all of life’s oscillation, the Holy Spirit grants the believer the strength to endure with contentment and integrity. May we be empowered to follow Paul’s example (11:1)! CCM 

    https://www.icr.org/article/endurance-empowers-sanctification/

    Liked by 1 person

        1. ahhhh…
          i dunno. maybe i’ve grown cynical. registrations except for primaries are meaningless, no? you can still vote how you want.
          (or steal more votes now there are technically now more votes in the whole pot)

          Liked by 1 person

          1. IDK, Pat, but I don’t put much stake in ANY kind of polls – I never have understood how getting answers from only 1K people when the overall population is in the millions can be considered to actually be representative of the general opinion. Plus, I worked for a company that did cold-call telephone polls – they’re a fricking joke, I can tell you that first-hand! It was awful and I only lasted about a week. My GS tried working for them once, too – he only lasted 1 day! LOL

            Liked by 1 person

  17. EXCERPT: “CNN’s Daniel Dale has a history of simping for the Democrats and issuing fact-checks that defy common sense, much less reality. Every once in a while, though, even he realizes that if he’s going to maintain an ounce of credibility, he has to tell the truth.

    Dale was forced to admit that Kamala Harris’ running mate, jumpin’ Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, fudged the facts on his recent appearance with the harridans of “The View”:

    In case the Tweet doesn’t show: https://redstate.com/bobhoge/2024/10/23/even-leftist-cnn-fact-checker-daniel-dale-has-to-slam-tim-walz-for-latest-whopper-n2180941

    Liked by 1 person

  18. EXCERPT: “Former President Donald Trump held a rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, Tuesday evening. Among those joining him on the stage was former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (HI), who ran for president in 2020 as a Democrat (and helped knock then Senator Kamala Harris (CA) out of the primary, then later became an Independent. 

    Gabbard has been stumping for Trump this election cycle, including appearances with Trump and alongside former Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who suspended his own campaign in August and has been campaigning for the Trump/Vance ticket ever since. 

    Gabbard, fittingly decked out in red, took the occasion of Tuesday night’s rally to make a stunning announcement: She is joining the Republican Party….”

    “Welcome to the party, @TulsiGabbard”

    https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1848886757334323441

    https://redstate.com/smoosieq/2024/10/22/shes-with-us-tulsi-gabbard-makes-huge-announcement-at-trump-rally-in-greensboro-n2180936

    Liked by 1 person

  19. SMH – more lawfare!!!

    Just The News: “A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Army to release records related to former President Donald Trump’s visit to Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) in August, where there was an alleged confrontation between an Arlington official and the Trump campaign.

    Trump participated in a wreath laying ceremony at the cemetery on Aug. 26, to mark the third anniversary of the terror attack at a Kabul airport in Afghanistan that killed 13 U.S. troops during the 2021 withdrawal. 

    Reports at the time claimed that during the visit, a cemetery official told a Trump campaign staffer that videography and photography wasn’t permitted in section 60 of the cemetery and blocked it off, which resulted in a “verbal and physical altercation.” 

    U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman on Tuesday approved a preliminary injunction that forces the Army to process and comply with a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from the government ethics watchdog American Oversight.

    “Defendants shall produce responsive, non-exempt records on or before October 25, 2024,” Friedman said in his order.

    The watchdog said it filed the FOIA request in August, and was “seeking records with the potential to shed light on the events” of Trump’s visit.

    “Specifically, American Oversight requested any report, including an incident report, regarding the alleged incident,” the group said, per The Hill. “This request would capture records, to the extent they exist, about ANC’s efforts to enforce and investigate any potential inappropriate political activity in a location where it is prohibited by law.”

    The company said that despite the prompt request, it had gone unanswered.

    Attorneys for the government countered at the time that granting the watchdog’s request “would effectively allow [them] to jump the line ahead of other FOIA requests” that the military branch and Pentagon were working to fill.” 

    Liked by 1 person

  20. Just The News: “The Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday unanimously rejected the state election board’s controversial mandate that would require poll workers to hand-count the number of ballots cast for the 2024 election.

    The Republican National Committee asked the high court to intervene on the issue, after a lower court stopped the rules last week. The election board passed the rules, which critics warned would wreak havoc on their vote counting system, in a 3-2 vote last month. The hand-count would be used to verify the number of ballots cast matched the voting machines’ totals.

    The state Supreme Court did not comment on the rejection, but said requests for “emergency” and “expedited” relief were denied. The court also prevented the implementation of a rule allowing officials to conduct a “reasonable inquiry” into the 2024 election results before the state certifies them.

    The order on Tuesday does not permanently slam the door on requiring hand-counts on ballots. The Supreme Court said it would consider the election board’s ability to issue new rules “in the ordinary course,” which could take six months or more, according to Politico.

    Supporters of the measure hoped the new rules would help identify and correct errors early in the process, but critics warned it would delay election reports, and could cause even more errors.”

    Liked by 1 person

        1. all they want to do is count the paper votes (not even reading them) and let’s say they get 25 paper votes in hand in the morning batch and 78 in he afternoon batch. the vote totals in the machine at the end of the day should be 103.
          they are not counting 13 for harris or 90 for Trump. just making sure that the same paper ballot has bot been scanned into the machine more than once.
          this would insure that no “out of sight” or overnight scanning of ballots would occur.

          Liked by 1 person

  21. Just The News: “California agreed it could not legally enforce a law (AB 2839) against “materially deceptive” political content, including memes and parodies of elected officials, by the Christian conservative satire site The Babylon Bee under a joint stipulation Tuesday with Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office.

    U.S. District Judge John Mendez already blocked the law, which claims it targets “deepfakes,” in a separate legal challenge by “Mr. Reagan” Chris Kohls earlier this month, ruling that YouTube videos and social media posts are the “newspaper advertisements and political cartoons of today.”

    “This case was subsequently transferred to the Eastern District of California and assigned to this Court. All parties have agreed to consolidate this case with Kohls v. Bonta in a separate stipulation filed concurrently with this Court,” the filing says. The parties agree the “plain language” of the injunction applies to the Bee and the other plaintiff, law blogger Kelly Rickert.

    “The Babylon Bee and Rickert are now free to post their political content online during the current election season without fear of violating the law while the case continues,” their lawyers at the Alliance Defending Freedom said Tuesday.

    Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom “has no constitutional authority to act as the humor police,” Vice President of Litigation Strategy Jonathan Scruggs said. “While lawmakers act as if posting and resharing memes is a threat to democracy, these laws censor speech California politicians don’t like.”

    “Our job is hard enough when our jokes keep coming true, as if they were prophecies,” CEO Seth Dillon said. “Unfortunately for them, the First Amendment secures our right to tell jokes they don’t like.”

    Liked by 1 person

  22. EXCERPT: “The Internal Revenue Service on Tuesday released details about the new income tax brackets for 2025.

    The IRS also released updated numbers on several other tax markers, including the standard deduction, which rose $400 from last year, up to $15,000.

    “For married couples filing jointly, the standard deduction rises to $30,000, an increase of $800 from tax year 2024,” the IRS said in its announcement. “For heads of households, the standard deduction will be $22,500 for tax year 2024, an increase of $600 from the amount for tax year 2024.”

    The new tax brackets, adjusted for inflation, from the IRS announcement are below:….”

    https://justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/irs-releases-new-tax-brackets-standard-deduction

    Liked by 1 person

  23. “33 Reasons to Vote for DJT — From an unlikely new supporter”

    Jimychanga, Oct 23, 2024

    “Prominent Wall Street hedge fund manager Bill Ackman provided one of the best lists of reasons to vote for Donald Trump. What would you do differently if you wanted to destroy the United States?

    While the 33 actions described below are those of the Democratic Party and the Biden/Harris administration, they are also the actions and policies that, unfortunately, our most aggressive adversaries would likely implement if they wanted to destroy America from within and had the ability to take control of our leadership.”

    https://www.independentsentinel.com/33-best-reasons-to-vote-for-donald-trump/

    Liked by 1 person

  24. Well, I’ve decided my new fancy coffee mug is a real PITA and it’s glitchy. I set it on the lowest setting and suddenly, it just arbitrarily flips to the highest heat. On top of that, I have to actively turn off both pieces – the mug and the charging plate. Good grief! It would be boiling!!! When I ordered the electric heaters from Amazon I also found the regular electric mug warmer that I was looking for originally – less than $10. I’m going back to regular mugs….

    Liked by 2 people

    1. There’s a catch with the mug warmers – the mug needs to be flat for it to work really well. Most mugs are not flat on the bottom.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. This came as a set with the heating plate and the mug, with sensors in both. I used to have one that I used in my office way back when that worked perfectly to keep my tea hot. The one I’ve ordered is exactly like it.

        Liked by 2 people

  25. “Cost of Corruption: Tens of Millions in Salary for Employees Involved in NYC Mayor’s Bribery Investigation”

    OpenTheBooks, Oct 23, 2024

    Photo Credit: Metropolitan Transportation Authority from United States of America – Subway Safety Announcement, CC BY 2.0

    EXCERPT: “New York City Mayor Eric Adams recently earned a rather ignominious distinction: he became the first sitting NYC mayor to be indicted when he was charged in late September with five counts of bribery, wire fraud and soliciting illegal foreign donations.

    There are a dozen other individuals somehow involved in various angles of the investigation, and New York City taxpayers paid them more than $3 million worth of salary in 2023. Over the course of a decade, taxpayers invested $13.34 million in salary as they advanced to leadership ranks. For their trouble, New Yorkers got a complex web of alleged criminal behavior and mutual favors among Adams associates, friends and family….”

    https://openthebooks.substack.com/p/cost-of-corruption-tens-of-millions

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yeah, I think I saw something yesterday about that. I don’t know that I believe they were actually Iranians who did it, personally.

      Liked by 1 person

  29. I’m back – nice day, sunny, up to 71 now. I didn’t have to get much today so it was a quicker trip than usual. But, on my way down the highway towards Pierce, I thought…..you’re going right by the CH, who knows what might happen come election day – we could get a blizzard, my truck could break down, I might get sick, all hell might break loose….so I decided to go ahead and vote.

    There was one couple there voting early. I had my ID out and my voter registration card, ready to go, and offered them to her (since they are REQUIRED by law to see ID before letting people vote) and she brushed it off, saying she has all the info in the computer and she would verify what I had submitted…..hmm….do I or don’t I send a letter to the County Clerk about that failure???? I’d bet $$$ they don’t have a picture of me in the computer (unless they have a copy of my DL) – so anyone with the correct info could pass as me. That does NOT make me a happy camper!

    So, should I send the letter or should I just do a LTE about it in our local paper?

    Liked by 1 person

      1. I think first I’ll find out if they have a picture of me available on the computer….I don’t want to cause her any trouble if that’s the case.

        Liked by 1 person

          1. Do you remember the brouhaha and ruckus that I raised over voting in 2016? They had my address wrong because the PO just arbitrarily changed it. Oh, the clerk was so pissed at me! Which is another reason to be cautious – don’t want to further damage my already shady reputation. LOL – it is a different clerk now but still….they talk to each other!

            Liked by 1 person

  30. Dear HSLDA Members and Friends,

    I know many of you have been praying for the Romeike family while awaiting the results of today’s meetings. I am pleased to report that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) staff met with the Romeike family and extended their permission to stay in the US for another year. We are celebrating this good news and praising the God who provided it.

    This is consistent with the prior decisions of ICE going back to 2012. As a reminder, last year ICE informed the Romeikes—after the family had spent 15 years in the United States building a home in their community—that they would need to go back to Germany.

    Though the Romeike’s remain under an Order of Supervision, the ICE notice in 2023 to the family to get their passports in order and prepare to leave the country came as a shock. With your help, a lot of hard work, and the faithful provision of the Most High God, that situation will not be repeating itself this year.

    Sadly, the Romeike’s legal status remains unchanged. Until a permanent solution is achieved, we will continue to work with members of Congress and others to advocate on their behalf for a just and permanent solution, so that the family does not face this risk each year. If you want to support HSLDA’s work in helping the Romeike’s and other families in need, please donate here.

    We’re grateful the current hurdle in front of them has passed, and we remain hopeful for the future. Indeed, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end….”

    Rejoicing,

    For anyone who might not be aware of this situation – article from 2023:

    EXCERPT: “A German family that unsuccessfully fought for asylum to homeschool their kids in the United States is facing deportation next month — despite living in Tennessee for 15 years with the government’s blessing.

    In 2014, the Obama administration’s Department of Homeland Security granted “deferred action” status to seven members of the Romeike family, who pulled their kids from Germany’s public school system over concerns that it was warping their children’s personalities and attacked “family values.”

    Yet earlier this month, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer told the family they had four weeks to apply for German passports ahead of their deportation — with zero explanation for the sudden expulsion. Deportation “would tear the family apart,” patriarch Uwe Romeike, 52, told The Post, his voice quiet and exhausted.

    The government’s sudden upending of the Romeike family’s life has come more than a decade after Uwe Romeike and his wife, Hannelore, fled Bissingen, Germany with their then-five children for violating the country’s strict education laws, which effectively bans homeschooling….”

    https://nypost.com/2023/09/30/german-family-who-sought-asylum-in-us-for-homeschooling-faces-deportation/

    Like

  32. EXCERPT: “Argentina’s President Javier Milei is rapidly becoming one of my heroes. He’s what we so desperately need here: an actual, by-gosh small-government advocate willing to come in and swing a meat axe to chop down excessive government. In his latest move, he announced the dissolution of Argentina’s existing tax bureau, which will be replaced by a smaller, more efficient agency.

    Argentina’s government has announced it will dissolve its current tax bureau and replace it with a new “simplified” agency, cutting a third of jobs in the process.

    In a statement, President Javier Milei’s government confirmed the closure of the Administración Federal de Ingresos Públicos (AFIP) and the creation of the Agencia de Recaudación y Control Aduanero (ARCA).

    The new entity will maintain AFIP’s current dual role of overseeing tax collection and customs monitoring.

    More than 3,000 AFIP agents who joined during former president Alberto Fernández’s 2019-2023 government will be laid off as part of a 34 percent reduction of current staffing levels, said the statement.

    This, readers, is what we small-government types refer to as “a good start.” The AFIP folks were quick to react…

    This, as the saying goes, is “the Way.”

    It’s no secret that our taxation system is well and truly out of control. The tax code makes “War and Peace” look like “See Spot Run.” Nobody really understands it, including the people charged with enforcing it.

    My wife has done our taxes for almost 30 years now, and with our various business ventures and my propensity for self-employment, that can be a complicated process. She will tell you, having dealt with the IRS all that time, that if you call the IRS help line for advice and talk to three different people, you’ll get three different answers.

    The purpose of taxation – the confiscation of our assets by force of law – should be to fund the essential functions of government and nothing more. But our system has become a labyrinthian system for picking and choosing winners and losers, for favoring selected parties at the expense of others, and for buying votes…”

    https://redstate.com/wardclark/2024/10/23/argentina-dumping-their-version-of-the-irs-can-we-do-that-please-n2180956

    Liked by 1 person

  33. “Like clockwork, upset the deep state by seemingly aiding Trump, and they will unleash the government attack dogs on you.”

    What are the odds of this coming out right after Trump’s campaign event at McDonalds?

    The CDC is either making up BS or intentionally releasing this info now to cause the McDonald’s stock to drop so that their media lackies can then turn around and say – “see what happens when you support Trump. We told you there will be a backlash.”

    I call BS. The timing is too extraordinary…”

    Liked by 1 person

  34. “He was guilty of protesting in the buffer zone. The buffer zone is to keep protestors away from the clinic. The court determined silently praying qualified as protesting…

    FROM BBC:

    ‘A physiotherapist who prayed outside an abortion centre has been convicted of breaching a safe zone after refusing requests to move on […] Adam Smith-Connor was outside the clinic in Bournemouth in November 2022 where a public space protection order was in place. The safe zone, introduced in October 2022, bans activity in favour or against abortion services, including protests, harassment and vigils. During the case, brought by BCP Council, the court heard Smith-Connor had emailed the council the day before to inform it about his silent vigil, as he had done on previous occasions. On the day, he was asked to leave the area by a community officer who spoke to him for an hour and 40 minutes – but he refused.’

    So a man standing silently was convicted of a crime of thinking his own thoughts. Welcome to mad house Britain in 2024. Shit isn’t it?”

    Liked by 1 person

  35. Ah-ha! There’s the connection!!!

    “On Friday: Joe Rogan, please push Trump on all things Jeffrey Epstein…”Trump to appear on Joe Rogan’s podcast” — Does Trump think Epstein: -was assassinated? -was Mossad? -what was his goal? -who was involved? All the juicy stuff we’ve been wanting to know. Push Trump on it and don’t let him cop out…

    By the way, in 1988, Jeffrey Epstein’s financier Les Wexner took control of Abercrombie & Fitch and placed Mike Jeffries as CEO in 1992..Now, Mike Jeffries, the former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, has been arrested on sex trafficking and interstate prostitution charges, prosecutors announced Tuesday.”

    Liked by 1 person

  36. “Large Boeing satellite suddenly explodes into pieces…

    According to an official update, an “anomaly” caused the satellite — dubbed IS-33e — to be destroyed, resulting in what the company calls a “total loss.”

    “Migration and service restoration plans are well underway across the Intelsat fleet and third-party satellites,” the update reads.”

    Liked by 1 person

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