Carbon capture

A team of scientists at UC Berkley have come with a solid chemical compound that can be used in capturing Carbon. They describe it as a cross between a filter and a sponge and a mere 8 ounces can be as effective as a tree, and like a tree, the substance can be reused.

https://archive.is/JPmvj#selection-2823.130-2823.161

Its safe and non-toxic...and well, I look forward to hearing more about it as the y ramp up production and testing.

Another budding young scientist

A young man by the name of Sirish Subash questioned whether washing fruits and vegetables actually did any good removing pesticides.  And to answer that question, he engineered a solution!

What he created was a hand-held AI system that can detect residual pesticides, based on light reflected, which is invisible to the naked eye. (And by the way, washing does NOT remove all pesticides)

And for his effort, he was recognized as "America's Top Young Scientist" and given a $25,000 prize.  

https://news.3m.com/14-year-old-named-Americas-Top-Young-Scientist-for-inventing-an-AI-based-handheld-pesticide-detector

To be fair, the other nominees were no slouches either, and you can read about their entries in the link above.

Two high schoolers and the Pythagorean proof

Back in May, there was a story about a couple of high schoolers who - mostly for fun - put their heads together to mathematically prove the Pythagorean Theorem - something that mathematicians had to that point, had been unable to do.  

Their solution involved trigonometry, and at the time they wanted to see what else they could come up.  Well, what they came up with were 9 MORE solutions to the problem!

https://www.livescience.com/physics-mathematics/mathematics/high-school-students-who-came-up-with-impossible-proof-of-pythagorean-theorem-discover-9-more-solutions-to-the-problem

They used their innate curiosity and ... Critical thinking for the win! 

NY is well on its way to reducing its carbon footprint

In 2019, NY state announced an ambitious plan to move toward solar power.  And recently, the state of NY announced they reached a milestone; they are producing 6 Gigawatts of power.

https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/About/Newsroom/2024-Announcements/2024-10-17-Governor-Hochul-Announces-New-York-State-Has-Achieved-Major-Solar-Milestone 

That amount of power can serve 1,000 homes for a year.

And the plan is to expand from there.  What a great start, and a terrific accomplishment.

Stephen Miller can suck it.

Are these the kids you grew up with? Are these the neighbors you were raised with?

He says as he points to photos of some immigrants of Hispanic origin. 

https://newrepublic.com/post/187108/lauren-boebert-stephen-miller-donald-trump-rally-racist

Why yes. Yes they are. So fuck you. 

How times have changed…

This may or may not be true, but it does feel about right. 

Flying cheese!

This is both amusing and almost was a disaster. But it should serve as a lesson in aerodynamics. 

Even a humble slice of delicious Gruyère cheese can throw off the balance on a rocket. 

https://futurism.com/the-byte/rocket-launch-sliced-cheese-leg

But the students took it in stride and learned something. Near failure is an option!

WAPO declines to endorse a candidate

… in spite of it being clear who they planned to endorse. I mean duh. 

Jeff Bezos bought the Washington post some years ago, and has mostly left it alone. In a general sense, his politics have been fairly neutral and he maybe even leaned a little more liberal for whatever that may be worth. 

But then comes a consequential election and he decides that the post should take sides. They shouldn't endorse a candidate. 

And why? One might assume it's about those clicks (and associated revenue). By not endorsing a candidate, his paper can be the controversy. Supporters of both candidates would talk about it and read articles and he would remain successful. 

Only the math didn't work. 

The tagline of the paper is "democracy dies in darkness" and here he was, in a way, thwarting that very democracy. 

Suck it, Bezos. 

https://www.thedailybeast.com/jeff-bezos-overrode-his-own-publisher-to-kill-washington-posts-kamala-harris-endorsement/

Eric Swalwell for the win

Great video. 

https://youtu.be/wiyGScJ7iWQ

Wait. Tua wants to play again this week?

People may say Tua is "good at football," but I've watched a lot of football in my life and I would argue he's middling at best. With players around him that essentially pad his stats, I can see how someone might get duped into thinking he's better than he is. 

In any case, 5 diagnosed concussions that we know of, two that were severe (the last one just 5 weeks ago), and he's ready to take the field again!

He says to people that they should just stop talking about it - it's his choice, and he's a competitor, and don't worry about him. And he doesn't want to wear a concussion helmet because he wants to play sportsball the way he always did. 

But what of the franchise that plays him? The coaches. The medical staff. Even the owner. Don't they bear some responsibility in all of this? "It's up to him. If the doctors clear him he'll play! He gives us our best chance to win!"

By the way, the dolphins are 2-4. They have a long road ahead to be successful and make the playoffs. Statistically it's a long shot, and if we're being honest the dolphins were bad with him playing, worse without him. The teams they have to catch are actually good. So they won't catch them even if he somehow does play well. 

Best chance to win, then, is laughable. 

And what of the nfl that talks tough about player safety? I guess that's window dressing. Hey he was evaluated and he's just fine!

The players union? They don't get involved in things like this because it undercuts their ability to negotiate for a large piece of the pie for the players. 

And meanwhile, here's another story about a player leaving the game due to concussions, and they mention Tua:

https://www.sportskeeda.com/college-football/news-someone-tell-tua-take-notes-cfb-world-reacts-nc-state-qb-s-decision-future-post-scary-brain-injury

But I guess the fact that Tua is a Trump supporter explains a lot. Brain damage is a fact of life in the cult. 

And the owner of the dolphins is also one, so if we consider how people are (mis)treated, then it makes sense. Just put him out there because it makes him money! His contract is guaranteed. He's not paying him for nothing!

This is a stupid, stupid situation in which there can be no winners. Only losers, including the fans that root for this team. 

That sounds about right.

What’s the point? To control people. Duh.

And of course the infant mortality rate has gone up since Roe v Wade was tossed out, too:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/10/23/infant-mortality-rate-dobbs-decision-abortion-bans/

Elon Musk shows he is smurt

"It's Simple Math. If You Work 100 Hours A Week And Others Work 50, You'll Accomplish Twice As Much As Them" - Musk

Except of course it's more than math. There's a limit to human productivity and fatigue that figure in there. 

There's a point of diminishing returns. Once someone reaches some number (I believe it's around 60 hours), their productivity plummets. 

But by all means, lex luthor, tell us how we need to be more like you to be a billionaire. 

Well, that productivity and a couple of million like you were fortunate enough to start off with. 

A new CEO at disney in … 2026?

The saga between Iger stepping down in 2020, and then resuming his duties in 2022 is already two years in the rear view mirror. 

The plan was to come up with a succession plan in "the near future." Which apparently meant nearly 5 years. 

There has been some turnover on the board after the attempted takeover by Nelson Peltz, and James Gorman (who will be the new chairman next year) said: 

"A critical priority before us is to appoint a new C.E.O., which we now expect to announce in early 2026. This timing reflects the progress the succession planning committee and the board are making and will allow ample time for a successful transition."

In other words, 'we totally screwed the pooch with the decision to move to chapek as the ceo. We know we have to get it right the next time.'

Done. And done. #Kamala2024

Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball

This happened in Miami (of course). Ohtani hit the ball into the stands. And people fought over it. And now the ball is up for auction, but the ownership is headed to a jury. 

While this one is actually about money, let's be honest here. I've seen people fight about balls that get hit in the stands - even a foul ball in a meaningless at bat. 

But I prefer this story to any of the general stupidity and hate we have in the world today. 

https://www.npr.org/2024/10/19/g-s1-29064/dodgers-baseball-shohei-ohtani-auction

https://youtu.be/X8XclxJ1iQQ?si=qI8xY2eiLf__mdP5

Just so dumb…

Disney’s new money making schemes are annoying

Disney announced that DVC members can purchase additional perks through a program called Membership Magic Beyond.  This is a "yearly enhanced benefits package" offered for the low price of $99 in addition to the annual dues to DVC.

The program allows for purchasers to have access to som discounted tickets, entry into a special lounge, and some other assorted activities. 

It feels like the things that used to be included are all now add-ons. 

Oh but that's not all! 

The company announced a new special lighting lane add on that has a variable price point starting at $400 per day, per person that allows you to have lighting lane / priority access to all attractions in that park for the day. So you pay the $150 or so for park entry and then you pay more to be able to do what the free fastpass used to give you. 

That just sticks in my craw. 

It's sad that it's become a rich persons park and it's all about squeezing as much money from you as possible. 

Can you go in and not pay the extras and still enjoy yourself? Yes. But it's unlikely you'll be able to get to everything you want to do in a day. As Bob Chapek said at one point, the system is designed for you to get to one or maybe two headliner attractions in a day.  

Its money being (probably) illegally spent

I've seen two different clips of Trump walking into a grocery store for some stupid photo op, and then walking over to the register and handing a customer a $100 bill and saying "vote for me" - which may seem folksy to some, but is, in fact, illegal.  

Of course no one wants to hold him to account for BREAKING THE LAW again.  Because why would they?

Then there's the stories about Elon Musk being a big donor to his campaign.  And make no mistake the man who is close to being the worlds first trillionaire - that's just unconscionable when we have people working two jobs to meet ends meet, or living in their cars - will get there with ease if Trump wins.  He will get every single advantage to run amok and not have to worry about pesky rules holding him back.

The stories are that he has a sort of ground operation where his donations are being used to pay campaign workers to canvas.  That is you can make a quick buck by working for the Trump campaign by asking people to vote for Trump.

But the kicker *appears to be* that in at least some cases, these workers are offering cash (on the order of around $100) to voters who pledge to vote for Trump.  

Again, let me state that this is 100% illegal.  And for the moment, it remains unverified and unsubstantiated.  But there are people telling us they either got or gave the money, so there must be a little something to it.

But again, who's going to do anything about it?  If he wins, then they all get away with it and democracy is essentially dead.  And if he doesn't, will anyone follow up and prosecute him?  Probably not.  He is teflon man after all.

This is what "we the people" who see the shadowy things he is doing and overt things he surely will do if he gets back into office can thwart by simply voting Kamala.  

The grift is real!

Donald Trump's campaign seems to be all about the grift.  He pleads for donations, then spends that money on himself for only marginally campaign-related things (or not at all in some cases). like gifts and items for staffers, and of course his own legal bills.  He has staff stay at Trump-related properties while on the campaign trail, and has them billing the rooms to the campaign.

And of course he goes into states he won't win and talks about how terrible they are! And the reason for holding a rally there?  It appeases his big donors in those states.  They give him money for simply showing up.

But the most egregious acts are selling items, as a part of the campaign, but pocketing 100% of the proceeds.

The two most odious examples are his limited-edition, "swiss made," $100,000 watches that are actually made in Wyoming and its unclear who owns the company that makes them.  Because of course it has to be a big secret. 

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-watch-maker-investigation-wyoming-b2631311.html

And his bibles. With his name emblazoned on the front (because he was sent from god, apparently?) that were made in China.  Because its cheaper there, in spite of his insistence that they are ripping us off!

And yet the christian right eats this up.  I believe there is a commandment about "not putting false gods before me' - but its possible he left that line out of course.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/thousands-of-trump-bibles-were-printed-in-china-as-he-campaigned-against-trade-practices

Reminder: election related videos

 Same on both platforms

https://www.tiktok.com/@lostandfoundwdw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP3oqLLQjcQ&list=PL2P9RQmz1CVMXc3gilWwaKJfSGzyYjTl3

Feel free to watch, share, or ignore (if that's your thing!) 

About abortion access

I know this is an issue in this country. But for the life of me, I can't understand why.  Most developed nations don't even consider this as a talking point.  Abortion is legal almost everywhere in the world where you might consider it a 1st world nation (and even in some developing nations!).  A woman's right to choose, while getting quality advice and health care from a doctor, makes this a human right.  

But here, we have a hodge podge approach to it, with no uniformity and courts ruling differently across the country based on "states rights"... and of course the Supreme Court (which started us down this path, with no case before it, in simply overturning Roe v Wade for "reasons") won't wade into this at all.

And so we have lots of heated arguments that just fan the flames of division with no real meaningful discussion on the topic. (aside: I find it weird that the most ardent pro-life advocates are the ones that want to leave it up to politicians to decide are the same people who talked about "death panels" when talking about general healthcare.  They really can play both sides when it benefits them)

And before us, we have two candidates who have differing views on how to solve this.  On the one side you have Kamala who believes we should live in the 21st century, and women should have a right to choose. She would like to make it a uniform, national standard. 

On the other side, you have the orange menace, who clearly has no real opinion because it doesn't affect him, personally.  But, the authors of "project 2025" have made clear that they have an opinion and HAVE ALREADY WRITTEN an executive order for Trump to sign early in his tenure in office - and the authors have gone on record as saying they know he will sign over 100 such orders that are already written, in those early days.

When Trump tells you that he wouldn't sign any legislation that outlaws abortion, he might be telling the truth.  This is NOT legislation.  This is him acting as a king in doing the bidding of a small group that fundamentally wants to shape the nation without consulting the legislature or the courts (so much for checks and balances!) 

The way they plan to do this is to essentially enforce the Comstock Act of 1873.  The act lists out obscene materials and abortion-related items, and specifically says they can not be mailed. They are saying that the shipping of items related to abortion is covered under the mail provision.  And enforcement means that no equipment used for abortion may be sent to any clinic or hospital.

Of course, they are operating with a broadsword, and some equipment used for abortion is also used for general women's health.  So... the outcome will be that women won't have access to medical devices and procedures unrelated to abortion that could be used in healthcare and/or to save their lives.  You've heard about women dying in parking lots in states where abortion is outlawed.  Get ready for it to happen everywhere and extend beyond pregnancy.

And oh, by the way, the prohibition would also include many contraceptives as well.  So unwanted pregnancies will go up.  And women who need hormonal control to treat other issues may simply be out of luck.

It seems to me that the way to avoid nonsense related to this is to simply vote for Kamala.  But what do I know?

And in return, you'll also avoid another 100 things that would be started through executive action - surely some of which will impact your life.  

Darwin’s finches and evolution

The actual study is intriguing. But the summary here is a quicker and easier read. 

Essentially, the researcher found that finches evolved into new species in a very short amount of time!

The article says this:

This study provides critical evidence that ecological factors, such as droughts that alter beak shape, can indeed drive the emergence of new species by changing how birds communicate and recognize one another. 

For those of you who don't believe in evolution, here's an example of it happening in our world. 

https://www.earth.com/news/finch-beaks-and-bird-songs-a-new-story-of-evolution/

An op-ed about hurricane Milton, life in St. Petersburg, and misplaced priorities

This is a good read about what has become of St. Pete, and can be extended to towns around Florida. 

It's sad to see how our priorities have been warped to focus on things that don't matter, and in a way how dystopian we've become.

https://www.cltampa.com/tampa/op-ed-the-shredded-trop-and-a-fallen-crane-illustrate-the-foolishness-in-st-petes-priorities/Slideshow/18770755/18770770

.

Watch "Watch a meteor land on Earth - BBC" on YouTube

This is crazy, cool, and a little terrifying. 

https://youtu.be/nKqzB6hlF8c?si=Rs6etMfkcF3HvBUy

The early days of gas cars

We talk about how there's no infrastructure for electric car charging and that's a sort of deal breaker in terms of convenience. 

But (a) for most people, the ability to charge at home and perhaps somewhere like work is enough to meet everyday use. The "mental model" of having to get gas and worry about charging shouldn't be a consideration. The infrastructure as it exists today should be enough for general usage. 

And then (b) is this article about how early cars were either electric(!) or were powered by kerosene that you purchased at a store and taken out in an early version of a jerrican. (Fun side note: the word Jerri is slang for German, as the Germans invented the current design of the can during WWII and it was replicated by the allies)

People were fine with that - because they now had the ability to drive somewhere. We have become so car centric, looking for convenience, that we couldn't imagine such a thing. 

But note that the story below has a little more subtext - kerosene was inefficient as a fuel source, and the gasoline that was a byproduct of kerosene production was simply discarded. But it was much more efficient as a fuel source, and thus was sold to consumers (a win-win for the refiners because they had no byproducts to dispose of and could make lots more money!)

But it still took rather a long time to develop a method for distribution that is still in use today. It just took time to build a network and people only fairly recently in that history started thinking about much longer trips in their cars. 

https://historyfacts.com/science-industry/fact/before-gas-stations-drivers-used-to-buy-gas-in-a-can-from-the-pharmacy/

Part of the roof came off the Polynesian village

Oops. It's intriguing to me that Disney developed the Epcot building code… and then proceeded to not use it for cost reasons. 

https://blogmickey.com/2024/10/photos-high-winds-from-hurricane-milton-peel-off-roof-from-disneys-polynesian-village-resort-buildings/

The benefits of organic farming

A group of researchers studied the benefits of organic farming on the soil itself. 

After comparing their results, the researchers concluded that soil treated with manure or compost fertilizer stores more carbon than soil treated with chemical fertilizers or no fertilizer.

So there's a benefit to carbon capture and therefore to how to positively impact climate change. 

I realize that with the global population such as it is, organic farming can not feed the world. At least, not yet. But maybe this will prompt companies to look at alternatives to harsh chemicals that can produce similar results. 

https://www.thecooldown.com/green-tech/organic-farming-soil-carbon-storage-study/

Woah. A black hole in a lab! Science rules

The notion of reconciling quantum mechanics and relativity has been a dream for some time. 

But it looks like some researchers who essentially created a simulated black hole by moving electrons between atoms to see what might happen have stumbled onto something interesting.  

That simulation could possibly reconcile the two theorems. They are showing how quantum states react while creating an event horizon that produces light and so it glows. That may be just the right thing to match this all up. 

https://www.sciencealert.com/physicists-simulated-a-black-hole-in-the-lab-and-then-it-began-to-glow

Its cool. 

Space junk: COLLISIONS ARE NOT A QUESTION OF IF BUT WHEN.

With all the debris that we continue to send into orbit, it's important to keep in mind that this could become a very big problem, very soon. 

https://futurism.com/the-byte/space-junk-disaster-inevitable

Toyota and hydrogen fuel rods

What a great idea! Let's make little devices that could be turned into bombs!

What could possibly go wrong?!

https://www.techradar.com/vehicle-tech/hybrid-electric-vehicles/toyotas-portable-hydrogen-cartridges-look-like-giant-aa-batteries-and-could-spell-the-end-of-lengthy-ev-charging

The big lie started with just one email

The daily show did some actual journalism and found the person who sent the original email about the big lie that the 2020 election was stolen. 

It was a crazy person basing it on literally nothing… and then Fox News and certain well known dipshits ran with it without doing a shred of fact checking. 

Resulting in much of the stupidity we saw between the election and the inauguration, and the nearly $800 million dollar settlement Fox News reached for not even attempting to see if there were any nuggets of truth. 

https://youtu.be/NWZjYZ4b6EE

Why monster hurricanes like Milton are happening in the Gulf. It’s not geoengineering

This is a well researched article that sums up two key things: that there is a ton of bullshit (aka "misinformation") out there about basic science. And there is a climate change effect that is causing bigger storms to form in the gulf. 

And both should serve as a warning to us. We need good science. Not to bury our heads in the sand. And we need to stop with the notion that some crazy person knows what they're talking about because they researched it. 

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/environment/climate-change/article293741614.html

Nature returns. And so do the salmon

A dam was removed on a river between California and Oregon. And lo and behold, the salmon made their way back to the river, as they had years ago before the dam was installed. 

Nature has an amazing means of "finding a way" doesn't it?

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/salmon-swim-freely-klamath-river-1st-time-century-114571347

Zachary Taylor legacy

I love this little nugget. Zachary Taylor had never voted, was unaware that he was nominated for president (after refusing to pay the postage on the letter that informed him of such), and refused to campaign. 

And he won, then died in office. 

Politics are weird, man. 

https://historyfacts.com/us-history/fact/zachary-taylor-never-voted-until-his-own-presidential-election/

Such odd responses

Back in June, there was a proposal (pitched by Democrats) to expand the selective service, so that women would also have to register.  The concept was to help encourage more people (both men and women) to signup for military service.

Senators and Congresspeople had mixed reactions, but in a general sort of sense, there was some agreement that the military needs to be expanded and automatically registering men (rather than having to send back a form), and perhaps some means of expanding the program to women might make sense.

But not everyone felt that way.  Senator Josh Hawley, for example 'derided the measure to put women on equal footing as another "woke" decision being made on behalf of the nation's military.' 

"We need to get reality back in check here. There shouldn't be women in the draft. They shouldn't be forced to serve if they don't want to."

But he also doesn't believe its a womans right to control her own body as it relates to abortion.  

Is it safe to assume he 'respects' womens rights ... as it relates to how they serve men? 

Watch "Titan submersible owner said he'd 'buy a congressman' if Coast Guard became a problem, witness says" on YouTube

Geez. Here's another reason why rich people suck. In this case, he was only hurting himself and others who were dumb enough to go an expedition with him. 

But buy a congressman? Really?

https://youtu.be/gSZJJztP3AI?si=edtVLFJtDiLlORb5

Sheer stupidity is rewarded

We live in such strange times. The news media (that is ALL of them, not a partisan thing) are governed by financials. 

Their goal is to "sell newspapers" or more precisely, to get clicks on sites. Because that generates revenue and pays the reporters.  

They try and fill in sometimes with these artificially generated stories. Which is sheer madness. Stories that don't mean anything but have a headline…really?

That's terrible. But worse is not reporting on actual news, and instead allowing salacious headlines to make the rounds. And to give idiots with an ill informed position a forum to air their nonsense. 

That's why Donald Trump was - and is - in the news without any sort of realistic fact checking. Why he's always on. It generates clicks. 

And why a mouth breather like that congress lady from Georgia can espouse idiotic claims like "THEY control the weather" without a dismissive "this claim is absurd and laughable" 

Like in the attached article. It sure feels like it should be downplayed much more as in "she is a nitwit and has no business being in office" or perhaps just ignoring her dopey comments. 

https://www.newsweek.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-doubles-down-weather-comments-after-backlash-1964508

Is it a cult?

As you may be aware, I am producing videos about the election for both TikTok and YouTube.  At first, I allowed for comments on said videos, but I had to turn that feature off when I started getting more vitriol (including "schoolyard taunts" that we might have heard back in the 70s by bullies) for saying anything that wasn't aligned with the MAGA point of view. 

Quick note: oddly sometimes the "off" feature resets on YouTube when I upload from my phone and also when it's a scheduled video. So once a while a comment slips through before I can fix it. 

On the YouTube videos, I also turned off the ability for the viewer to see the percent of thumbs up and down (you can only see the thumbs up); but I can see it as the owner.  It's strange to me - though maybe not surprising - how many thumbs down the videos get.  It's a VERY large percentage (in many cases, well over 80% of the responses).

I expect that sometimes someone won't agree with what I'm saying and will give a thumbs down. And sometimes people are just "being funny" (ie, jerks) and give a thumbs down "just because."  But the number of negative responses is far greater on these videos than what I've seen on anything I've produced in the past.  

A bit of an aside: you have to have a thick skin to produce content for anyone to see on the interwebs; you never know how people will react.

Most rational people just move on.  But in the case of anything related to MAGA, people take time out of their day to watch at least part of something that doesn't align with their POV and proceed to comment on it (spilling their hate), and opt to put a thumbs down. 

For what it's worth, that sure sounds like a cult to me.

It’s really sad when corporate malfeasance wins

Tesla was taken to court over misleading statements about its full self driving. 

And in the end Tesla won because the lawyers argued that corporate puffery can not be construed as reality. 

We are truly dystopian. Full stop. 

https://electrek.co/2024/10/02/elon-musk-celebrates-winning-lawsuit-tesla-self-driving-claims-embarrassing-defense/

Tom Sawyers Island

The Orlando Sentinel ran an article about the closure of Tom Sawyers island at Disney World. 

I found the end part interesting. It's exactly what Disney is all about these days…

What's so very Disney about it

The island leans into its cutesy, old-timey theme. It's Disney-level clean in a great outdoors way.

There are a handful of animatronics, including one that's snoring.

On the modern side, there are the standard warnings about alligators and snakes, and there are rules for Tom Sawyer Scavenger's Fort (ages 2-12 only) and the "surfaces may be hot" advisory.

What's not very Disney 2024 about it

On Tom Sawyer Island, there's no MagicBand needed, no PhotoPass stops, no Lightning Lanes, no dessert party offering and no cast members telling us to keep our hands and feet inside the fort at all times.

There are no characters to meet or greet, no touting the latest holiday, no Mickey Bars, no souvenir merchandise or really anything to spend money on with the exception of a couple of vending machines by Aunt Polly's.

Decide for yourself if that's a plus or minus.

Using your friends family in photos is just weird

This candidate for office posted a photo with a woman and kids without any context.  It looks like a normal family photo.  Only, it's not his family, it's a friend's wife and kids.

His opponents came out and cried foul because he's single, and wants to appeal to family oriented voters. 

He says it's perfectly normal, as he was just posing for pictures like people do during campaigns (you know, because you're a celebrity and can do whatever you want…even grab them….but I digress).  And anyway, where is his friend?

To make his point, he posts some other pictures with supporters.  None are staged like that.  They look like candid shots. And he even posts a picture of him and his fiancé.  She is standing a little behind him, and it's a selfie style photo.  I certainly didn't guess that was his fiancé based on how it looks.

Sometimes people do weird things.  And when it comes to politicians, it's often weirder still.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13910009/Virginia-GOP-candidate-Derrick-Anderson-borrows-friends-family-campaign-photo.html

Another example of gaslighting

"Raising the minimum wage will lead to more people getting laid off, and prices will go up"

Except, that hasn't happened. 

Here's an independent study of what is happening in California. 

https://www.kqed.org/news/12007150/californias-20-fast-food-minimum-wage-sees-no-job-loss-slight-price-hikes