Merriam-Webster word of the Day - Anthropomorphic

WORD OF THE DAY January 29, 2018

anthropomorphic    adjective | an-thruh-puh-MOR-fik     Definition   1 : described or thought of as having a human form or human attributes   2 : ascribing human characteristics to nonhuman things   Scroll down for more about anthropomorphic       WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE   January 2018 Words of the Day Quiz   Word of the day quiz. January-style.     PLAY NOW     Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try!  TAKE ME THERE     Plus:   SEE WHAT LOOKUPS ARE TRENDING NOW!         Did You Know?   Anthropomorphic comes from the Late Latin word anthropomorphus, which itself traces to a Greek term birthed from the roots anthrōp- (meaning "human being") and -morphos (-morphous). Those ancient Greek roots have given form and personality to many English words. Anthrōp- relatives include anthropic ("relating to human beings or the period of their existence on earth"), anthropocentric ("interpreting or regarding the world in terms of human values

Sextortion Online Predator Used Familiar Tactics to Victimize 12-Year-Old Girl

A 32-year-old Georgia man who pretended to be someone else online is behind bars after using familiar predatory tactics to coerce a 12-year-old girl to produce child pornography and send it to him.

The victims of this type of crime—commonly referred to as sextortion—are almost always vulnerable teenagers who are tricked online and then find themselves in a nightmare situation: They are afraid to tell their parents or friends what is happening, and believe complying with their abuser is the only solution.

“The predators typically pretend to be teenagers online and lurk on popular social media sites,” said Special Agent Kevin Orkin, who investigated the case from the FBI’s Atlanta Division. “The victims—striving for attention, maybe having issues with their parents, as teens often do—are easily manipulated.”

“The victims are too scared to tell anyone what’s going on, and before they know it, they are in way over their heads.”

Kevin Orkin, special agent, FBI Atlanta

The predators establish an online relationship, flirt, and in time convince the victims to send them a sexually provocative picture. “That initial image might not be too incriminating by today’s standards,” Orkin said, but the predators use the image to blackmail the victims. If they don’t send more explicit material, the victims are told, the image will be shared online with their friends and family to humiliate them.

Senator Portman - Rob’s Rundown: Week of January 21 – 26, 2018

Sen. Portman file photo

On Monday night, the government shutdown ended, and with it, a long-term extension for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) was passed. Portman was vocal in urging his Senate Democratic colleagues to open the government and end shutdowns for good, saying in a speech on the Senate floor that the “shutdown isn’t helping anyone. It isn’t helping Americans who need access to vital government services. It isn’t helping federal employees who should be working instead of being furloughed. And it sure isn’t helping nine million children who need basic health care services. Let’s re-open the government and let’s get back to work.” Portman was also vocal in getting CHIP extended for the 219,000 Ohio children who rely on the program. Portman has consistently spoken out against government shutdowns and will continue to push for his End Government Shutdowns Act to be signed into law.
Also this week, Portman released a stunning new bipartisan report that details how drug traffickers exploit vulnerabilities in our international mail system to easily ship synthetic drugs like fentanyl from China into the United States. He held a hearing on the report on Thursday. Portman has been a national leader in the effort to fight addiction, and this marks another step in his commitment to helping Ohioans in need. 
On Monday night, Portman hosted his first tele-town hall of the year. During the call, Portman discussed the amazing results of the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act. He was also asked to include a link to a tax calculator for those looking to see how the tax cuts will impact them and their families. That link is here. 
For a more detailed look at Senator Portman’s week, please see the following:

This Week's "American Political Zone"

The American Political Zone - A Political Commentary on Current Events

One of the best political discussion programs you can find, our hosts possess a vast knowledge of current affairs and they share this with us in a lively and interesting fashion.  Featuring Daria Novak, 2nd District Congressional Candidate and President of the Institute for American Politics, and Frank Vernuccio, New York Analysis Policyand Government, The American Political Zone is now a regular feature in the Middletown Insider and South Central Bulldog.

Today's topics are:   Washington scandals, Secret societies within the government, Power, politics and influence, Fracking and environmental extremism, Who actually runs the country? . . .

Quote of the Day - The Limited Power of Government

Bill Richardson, photo from his book

"Having lived under the arbitrary power of the English parliament and under the foot of the imperial King George III, our forefathers realized the necessity to limit the power of man and government - in perpetuity.  To do so, they drafted the United States Constitution . .  ."

Former California State Senator, Bill Richardson, from his book,"Confrontational Politics".

Photo of the Day - From Columbus Ohio . . .

From Columbus OH, Fo/Mo/Deep band leader and bassist, Ron Holms. Drummer 
Andre Scott can be seen on the left.  Other band members include Keith Newton, 
Saxes / Flute, Josh Boyd or Kevin Jones, Piano / Organ / Keyboards.
This photo was taken at the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz in Hartford CT in July 
of 2017.  Eventually forthcoming will be a series of articles, 
including photos and videos of the entire festival.

If you have a great photo from anywhere in the south central Ohio vicinity (or elsewhere) that you would like to share, please forward it for consideration for the Photo of the Day to SouthCentalBulldog@gmail.com.
(Unless otherwise credited, all photos are by the editor.)

Merriam-Webster Word of the Day - Popinjay

WORD OF THE DAY January 28, 2018

popinjay    noun | PAH-pin-jay     Definition   : a strutting supercilious person   Scroll down for more about popinjay       WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE   January 2018 Words of the Day Quiz   Word of the day quiz. January-style.     PLAY NOW     Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try!  TAKE ME THERE     Plus:   SEE WHAT LOOKUPS ARE TRENDING NOW!         Did You Know?   Popinjays and parrots are birds of a feather. Popinjay, from the Middle French word papegai, is the original name for a parrot in English. The French word, in turn, came from the Arabic word for the bird, babghā’. Parrot, which English speakers adopted later, is probably a modification of the Middle French perroquet, which is also the source of the English parakeet. In the days of Middle English, parrots were rare and exotic, and it was quite a compliment to

The Old Farmer's Almanac - 6 Proven Strategies to Boost Garden Harvests

We all dream of a garden brimming with delicious abundance, yet the reality often falls short. But there are several simple techniques that even new gardeners can use to grow bumper harvests.

6 Proven Strategies to Boost Garden Harvests

Think strategically and plan your garden with care, and you’ll enjoy a truly prolific plot with lots to pick!
In this short video we share six proven strategies to boost productivity, turning your garden from average to high-yield in just one season.

Let's Beat the Pests Together Want a warning when pests are heading towards your garden? Then get involved with the Big Bug Hunt research project! Report any bugs you've seen at: BigBugHunt.com

Other Videos to Help You Get the Most from Your Garden Learn essential gardening techniques in Under 5 minutes with our Gardening How-To video series:

Red Notes From a Blue State - Free Speech - UConn And Its Enemies, Ben Shapiro

by Don Pesci

“The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges ...” -- Anatole France.

Of course, we all know that the rich do not sleep under bridges, and so the law, which in this case enforces the same rules of behavior for rich and poor, is not at all majestic, or merciful, or just. Justice, Aristotle says, treats equal things equally and unequal things unequally.

Let’s begin with an obvious observation: a university talk by Ben Shapiro and Anita Hill are in no sense equal. And we know from bitter experience that opposition to such talks are radically (pun intended) unequal. President of UConn Susan Herbst would be hard pressed to cite a case in which a political sermonette by a noted liberal was cut short by audience thugs. But in the case of conservatives invited to speak at colleges, address-interruptus, sometimes violent, always ill mannered, is as common as applause. It would appear then that conservative speakers are in no sense equal to liberal/progressive/socialist/communist speakers; their messages are different, and reception to their messages is different.

Anita Hill was permitted to speak a UConn without enduring the kind of interruptions that have become common when conservative exercise their First Amendment rights at public universities such as Berkley, where protesters set fires, broke windows, taunted cops and speakers, and engaged in mob behavior reminiscent of Hitler’s Sturmabteilung. In California, a progressive poverty catch-basin that has more homeless people on its streets than Alabama, Antifa, aligned with other groups that would not protest a college address given by, say, Anita Hill, was successful in closing down an addresses given by Milo Yiannopoulos, a former senior editor of Breitbart News, a “cultural libertarian,” a gay provocateur in full scale rebellion against the baneful excesses of third wave feminism, radical Islam, political correctness, academic intolerance and weepy students searching for safe places in edenic universities.

Quote of the Day - Will Rogers