Random Thoughts

Tyger wrote:I didn’t hear about the robbery. Damn. An ICU in LA is not a great lace to be, he might not make it to the next episode.

Tyger wrote:

UltimateMarvel wrote:Are you guys watching this news on the Capitol? Was not expecting this to happen at the rally.

You didn’t??

Rusty wrote:Keep Their Heads Ringin'

Would love if it it come to be his wife sent in goons to try and steal shit because of the divorce. That would be so fucking cool.

Ring ding dong, ring-a-ding-ding-ding dong.

joey con carne wrote:Not sure if I ever mentioned this but last year, I got a question from one of the first-year associates on the audit. I don't recall the exact numbers but the question was something like "Your balance sheet shows you have $1,200,000 in the bank account but your bank statement indicates $1,199,000. Can you explain the variance?"

To put it into an even worse perspective, that's like saying "You told me you had $10 in your bank account but your bank statement says there is only $9.99. Please explain the variance."

I thought it was a gag because I was the new guy. It was not a gag. It was a serious question.

UltimateMarvel wrote:

High-flying Tesla shares have nudged founder and CEO Elon Musk to world’s top billionaire, past Amazon’s Jeff Bezos who had been the world’s richest human since 2017.

Tesla’s uptick has boosted Musk’s wealth to about $190 billion, passing Bezos’ $187 billion, according to Bloomberg. Its Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which tracks the net worth of the top 500 billionaires in near real time, will update at market close.

Musk started the year at $27 billion and his upward trajectory tracked an 800% surge in the stock price of the electric carmaker over the past 12 months. Shares are up 5.8% mid-afternoon at $799. Both entrepreneurs are now well ahead of number 3, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, at $132 billion.

UltimateMarvel wrote:What, you don't have $1.2 million in the bank? Go look in the mirror and re-evaluate your life choices.  

UltimateMarvel wrote:Yeah, too little too late now. I will take it but with only 2 weeks away, I don't think it matters. Not much more damage he can do. Especially now that he's been blocked on social media. When it came time to address the storm on the Capital, he again said "The election was stolen from us." ZERO leadership skill!

joey con carne wrote:I really hope a lot of people there got the 'VID because of him. I read five people died. It just gets better and better except for the fact one of the five who died was a cop who was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher.

The best part is Trump was nowhere to be seen. He was probably just chillin' on his gold couch thinking "Look at these dumbasses. Lemmings. I tell them to jump and they storm the capitol. Total losers!"

joey con carne wrote:Yea, I saw the video of her getting shot. I can't say she deserved to die but it really is hard to feel sorry for her. I'm not sure what she was expecting. Did she really think breaking into the space where all the senators are hiding was a good idea? What the hell is wrong with them. If she broke in, the mob would follow. By killing her, that cop potentially saved the lives of all the people inside that barricaded area.

I hope that cop who shot her is okay. I'm sure it's not easy to take a life no matter the situation. That might have been the first time he ever fired his weapon and he killed someone. That can be traumatizing. If he is disturbed by the incident, I really hope he gets help to deal with it.

Roku snapped up the rights to the majority of Quibi’s multimillion-dollar portfolio original programming — more than 75 shows in all — and will make them available free to stream in 2021 on the Roku Channel.

Following Quibi’s decision last October to shut down after failing to attract a sustainable base of subscribers, Roku acquired Quibi Holdings LLC, the company that holds all of Quibi’s content distribution rights.

Financial terms of the pact were not disclosed. A source familiar with the agreement said Roku is paying “significantly” less than $100 million for the Quibi library, confirming an earlier Wall Street Journal report. Rob Holmes, Roku’s VP of programming, said in an interview, “We do think this deal represents a great value.”

“Fundamentally, we think that Quibi has created great, high-quality content,” Holmes told Variety. “It’s a great value proposition for our users… We’re pivoting from Quibi’s SVOD model to an ad-supported model, and this type of new, original content is not usually available for free.”

Roku is obtaining exclusive global rights to Quibi’s scripted series, alternative and reality programming and documentaries featuring such stars as Idris Elba, Kevin Hart, Liam Hemsworth, Anna Kendrick, Nicole Richie, Chrissy Teigen and Lena Waithe.

More than a dozen Quibi shows will debut on the Roku Channel for first time. Those include “The Now,” a suicide-themed comedy from Peter Farrelly, and “Slugfest,” a docuseries based on the story of Marvel vs DC comics from the Russo brothers. Another evidently will be “Spielberg’s After Dark,” a horror series from Steven Spielberg (which originally was designed to be viewed only after sunset on Quibi).

For Quibi, despite its quick flameout, the deal will help it recoup some of the massive investment it made in original content. It also will provide a high-scale outlet for the shows after the Quibi app went dark in December: Roku said it had more than 50 million active accounts in the fourth quarter of 2020, and that the Roku Channel reached U.S. households with an estimated 61.8 million people in Q4.

Quibi founder Jeffrey Katzenberg said in a prepared statement, “The most creative and imaginative minds in Hollywood created groundbreaking content for Quibi that exceeded our expectations. We are thrilled that these stories, from the surreal to the sublime, have found a new home on the Roku Channel.”

The Quibi shows coming to the free, ad-supported Roku channel include “Reno 911,” a revival of Comedy Central’s cop spoof; dystopian thriller “Most Dangerous Game,” starring Liam Hemsworth and Christoph Waltz; dark comedy “Flipped” with Will Forte and Kaitlin Olson; plane-crash drama “Survive,” starring Sophie Turner and Corey Hawkins; comedy “Dummy,” starring Anna Kendrick as a woman who befriends her boyfriend’s sex doll, and “#FreeRayshawn,” a police drama from executive producer Antoine Fuqua, for which Laurence Fishburne and Jasmine Cephas Jones each won short-form acting Emmy Awards.

Other Quibi shows coming to Roku are “50 States of Fright” from Sam Raimi starring Rachel Brosnahan and Travis Fimmel; comedy “Agua Donkeys” from Funny or Die; “Elba vs. Block” starring Idris Elba and stunt driver Ken Block; “Chrissy’s Court,” a “Judge Judy”-style show starring Chrissy Teigen; a reboot of “Punk’d” hosted by Chance the Rapper; and money-giveaway reality show “Thanks a Million” from Jennifer Lopez.

“Quibi championed some of the most original ideas and inventive storytelling, and I’m so proud of what I was able to create for the platform,” said Veena Sud, creator, writer, director and executive producer of the Quibi series “The Stranger,” a psychological thriller about a young rideshare driver’s encounter with a passenger in the Hollywood Hills. “I’m so excited to now be able to share this thriller with millions of streamers on the Roku Channel.”

Quibi’s shows were produced for viewing on mobile phones, but Holmes said, “We think they will play really well on the big-screen TV.” Not included in the Roku deal are the majority of the news and lifestyle programs in Quibi’s Daily Essentials lineup.

Roku is picking up Quibi’s seven-year licensing rights to the shows, Holmes said. Under Quibi’s deals with producers, two years after their premiere they have the right to reassemble the episodes into movies for distribution on other platforms.

Roku will launch the Quibi shows initially in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. (the regions where the Roku Channel is currently available). Holmes did not specify when the content will go live.

The pact for the Quibi shows will boost engagement with the Roku Channel, Holmes said. The 75-plus Quibi shows, representing several hundred hours of programming, will join the more than 40,000 free movies and TV shows and 150 free live linear television channels already available on the Roku Channel.

“We believe in this broader AVOD [ad-supported video-on-demand] trend,” Holmes said. “At a very high level, we know that our users engage in a very significant way with free content.” With the Quibi deal, he added, “We think this pivot form SVOD to AVOD is really compelling.”

Quibi had raised $1.75 billion from backers including Disney, WarnerMedia, NBCUniversal, ViacomCBS and Sony and reportedly told investors that it would return $350 million of its cash on hand to them. The company, led by Katzenberg and CEO Meg Whitman. spent upwards of $6 million per hour of produced content on short-form originals. Their hypothesis — which failed to materialize amid the COVID-19 pandemic — was that millennials would pay $5-$8 per month to watch pricey programming on their smartphones.

Talks between Roku and Quibi were reported earlier this week by the Wall Street Journal.

LionTree, the New York-based boutique investment bank and financial advisory firm specializing in the media and telecommunications sector, acted as sold advisor to Quibi on the sale to Roku. Law firm Hogan Lovells advised Roku on the transaction.

Tyger wrote:Glad to see arrests starting, but the charges so far are ridiculous. However, I watched a clip of one of those idiots falling off a wall just feet away from stairs so many times I lost count. I also heard that one of the guys that died accidentally tasted himself and got a heart attack and a woman who was carrying a Don’t Tread On Me flag was trampled. Laughed my ass off.

one was shot Rusty wrote:Read a report that SPIRNet had to be shut down because a bunch of Laptops were stolen during the Capitol raid, and some were actively logged in at the time.

SPIRNet is essentially the DoD's classified version of the civilian internet, allowing Govt. departments to share/access classified info. The same place Manning got his info from that he gave to Wikileaks.

The man whose bizarre horned headdress and painted face captured widespread mainstream and social media attention during the Capitol building takeover Wednesday has been arrested.

Arizona resident Jacob Anthony Chansley, 33 — better known through his social media alias as Jake Angeli — was arrested Saturday, officials said. Read the Justice Department’s full announcement below.

Chansley “was identified as the man seen in media coverage who entered the Capitol building dressed in horns, a bearskin headdress, red, white and blue face paint, shirtless, and tan pants,” the Justice Department said in its statement. “This individual carried a spear, approximately 6 feet in length, with an American flag tied just below the blade.

No information was immediately available on what fines or imprisonment Chansley may face.

Footage from the chaotic Capitol scene showed Chansley on the Senate dais. He was charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

Chansley crowed to NBC News about his invasion of the building: “The fact that we had a bunch of our traitors in office hunker down, put on their gas masks and retreat into their underground bunker, I consider that a win,” he said.

The Justice Department also said today that the man seen carrying off Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern has been arrested. Adam Christian Johnson of Parrish, FL, was charged with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; one count of theft of government property; and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia is prosecuting the cases.

Here is the Justice Department’s release, which also announces the arrest of a thirds man:

WASHINGTON – Three men were charged today in federal court in the District of Columbia in connection with the riots at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021.

Jacob Anthony Chansley, a.k.a. Jake Angeli, of Arizona, was charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. Chansley was taken into custody today.

It is alleged that Chansley was identified as the man seen in media coverage who entered the Capitol building dressed in horns, a bearskin headdress, red, white and blue face paint, shirtless, and tan pants. This individual carried a spear, approximately 6 feet in length, with an American flag tied just below the blade.

Adam Johnson, 36, of Florida, was charged with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; one count of theft of government property; and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. Johnson was arrested yesterday and is currently in custody.

It is alleged that on Jan. 6, 2021, Johnson illegally entered the United States Capitol and removed the Speaker of the House’s lectern from where it had been stored on the House side of the Capitol building. A search of open sources led law enforcement to Johnson, who is allegedly seen in a widely circulated photo inside the Capitol carrying the lectern.

Derrick Evans, 35, of West Virginia, was charged with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol Grounds. Evans was taken into custody Friday.

It is alleged that on Jan. 6, 2021, Evans, a recently elected member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, streamed live to his Facebook page a video of himself joining and encouraging a crowd unlawfully entering the U.S. Capitol. In the video, Evans is allegedly seen crossing the threshold of the doorway into the U.S. Capitol and shouting, “We’re in, we’re in! Derrick Evans is in the Capitol!”

These cases are being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the United States Capitol Police.

The information contained in the charging documents are merely allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The ATF and FBI continue to urge the public to report suspected use of explosive devices, or violent, destructive acts associated with the recent unrest. Anyone with information can call 1-888-ATF-TIPS (1-888-283-8477), email ATFTips@atf.gov or submit information anonymously via ReportIt.com.

The FBI is looking for individuals who may have incited or promoted violence of any kind. Anyone with digital material or tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or submit images or videos at fbi.gov/USCapitol.Hansley SOFEvans complaint affidavitJohnson SOF

Capitol Insurrection FBI Investigating Inside Job ... Capitol PD, Building Staff Under the Microscope

The FBI has reasons to believe the mob of Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol not only premeditated the assault, but might have been aided by police and staffers in the building ... TMZ has learned.

High ranking sources inside the Capitol Police Dept. tell TMZ the FBI is looking at several facts that stink of an inside job. For starters, the Bureau is puzzled by the ease with which the mob found its way to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office.

It's not off any main hallway or next to other Congressional offices ... in fact, the path to get to the entrance is maze-like and not open to the public like other parts of the Capitol. The rioters who took it over -- vandalizing it and stealing a laptop -- got there within 10 minutes of entering the Capitol.

We're told the FBI feels someone must have provided a roadmap for them to find it that quickly. Remember, the Capitol has been closed to the public since March due to the pandemic so it's not like these guys could have been casing it to plot their path.

As for suspects -- we're told the FBI is looking at Capitol Police officers and many other Capitol staffers, such as engineers, plumbers and janitors.

We're told another image raising eyebrows at the Bureau are those videos of a few police officers opening gates and removing barricades to give the hoard easy access to the Capitol.

Our sources say some officers could be charged with cowardice -- legally defined as failure to take proper police action. Additionally, we're told the rioters -- and anyone who aided them -- could also be charged for threats and menacing against Congress ... because the House and Senate were in session when the mob breached the building.

We're told the feds are also extremely motivated to find the people responsible for attacking Capitol PD officer Brian Sicknick ... who later died from his injuries.

We're told the FBI and the National Security Agency are using cell phone tower data, and state-of-the-art digital imaging systems to help ID people who were in the Capitol during the insurrection -- that includes rioters, Capitol staffers.

The FBI particularly wants to know if any off-duty Capitol Police officers were in the building, and if so, why.

UltimateMarvel wrote:Looks like justice is being served. It's definitely suspicious and an inside job wouldn't surprise me, they got in way too easily.

Trump also tried to use his POTUS account but they blocked him there too. lol

I also learned today that if Trump is impeached, not only does he not run again but he also loses his pension, life time secret service detail, and $1 million travel allowance. I change my mind, they should absolutely move forward with this.

Tyger wrote:Those are two big if's unfortunately. I’ll believe a second impeachment happens when I see it and I’ll believe punishment comes when I see it. Tired of this lack of consequences.

Tyger wrote:Yup, exactly.

Apparently that cop that was beaten to death by the terrorists was a Trump supporter. Sounds about right.

joey con carne wrote:Feels like it's been a loooong day. Got a little while longer. How's everyone doing today?

Inauguration Fears Members of Congress Briefed ... Trump's the Glue Holding Extremists Together

There are 7 main groups of extremists that are organizing to descend on Washington D.C. for the Inauguration, and Capitol Police officials told Congress Monday night they all have one thing in common ... their allegiance to Donald Trump.

Congressional sources who were present late Monday for a security briefing tell TMZ ... the members were told these extremist groups, including the Proud Boys, have either a loose or no real connection to each other, especially since it's increasingly hard for them to go back and forth with each other on social media because of the various blackouts. Trump, they were told, is the glue that will hold these groups together once they assemble in D.C.

The Capitol Police and the Sergeant at Arms ran the meeting, and told members that security at the Inauguration will include metal detectors and even members of Congress must pass through. The officials running the meeting said they can't take anything for granted, especially given that there seems to be a small QAnon faction that presents a danger.

The meeting was frightening ... there was talk that the extremists might target Democrats for murder so the Republicans could take over Congress.

Our sources say the members have all been told they can get security for themselves if there is a "direct threat" to them, and that's already the case with many members of Congress.