Quote:Ex-employees said one executive producer “had a reputation for being handsy with women,” and that another solicited oral sex at a work party.

Being asked to join the control room inside The Ellen DeGeneres Show is a coveted spot in Hollywood, but according to dozens of men and women who work behind the scenes, the office is a place where sexual harassment and misconduct by top executive producers runs rampant.

One ex-employee said head writer and executive producer Kevin Leman asked him if he could give him a hand job or perform oral sex in a bathroom at a company party in 2013. Another said they separately saw Leman grab a production assistant’s penis.

In May 2017, another former employee also said she saw Leman grope a production assistant in a car and kiss his neck.
Nearly a dozen former employees, who range from longtime, senior-level employees to production assistants, said it was also common for Leman to make sexually explicit comments in the office, like pointing out male colleagues’ bulges in their crotches, or ask them questions like, “Are you a top or a bottom?”
“It’s masked in sarcasm, but it’s not sarcasm,” a former employee said.
Many of his targets, employees added, were lower-level and younger employees who felt they lacked any power to speak up.
“He’d probably do it in front of 10 people and they’d laugh because ‘it’s just Kevin being Kevin,’ but if you’re in a position of power at a company, you don’t just get to touch me like that,” a former employee said.

In a statement after this article was published, Leman said he categorically denied "any kind of sexual impropriety."

"I started at the Ellen Show as a PA more than 17 years ago and have devoted my career to work my way to the position I now hold. While my job as head writer is to come up with jokes — and, during that process, we can occasionally push the envelope — I’m horrified that some of my attempts at humor may have caused offense," he said. "I have always aimed to treat everyone on the staff with kindness, inclusivity and respect. In my whole time on the show, to my knowledge, I’ve never had a single HR or inter-personal complaint made about me, and I am devastated beyond belief that this kind of malicious and misleading article could be published."

BuzzFeed News spoke to 36 former employees, many of whom independently corroborated incidents of harassment, sexual misconduct, and assault from top producers like Leman. All of the ex-employees, many of whom had voluntarily left the show, asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retribution.

Warner Bros. declined to comment on specific allegations, citing an ongoing internal investigation that was launched after an earlier BuzzFeed News report in which current and former employees said they faced racism, fear, and intimidation at work.

But in a statement on Thursday, the studio said it "hoped to determine the validity and extent of publicly reported allegations and to understand the full breadth of the show’s day-to-day culture."

Quote:Ellen DeGeneres may be tired of talking.

Anonymous insiders at Telepictures said the longtime host of her eponymous talk show is ready to hang up her microphone in the wake of recent allegations about “toxic” workplace conditions.

A source at Telepictures told DailyMail.com that the host is telling executives at Telepictures and Warner Bros that she has had enough and wants to walk away from the show.

“She feels she can’t go on and the only way to recover her personal brand from this is to shut down the show,” an insider told the outlet on Friday. “The truth is she knew what was going on — it’s her show. The buck stops with her. She can blame every executive under the sun — but Ellen is ultimately the one to blame.”

In 2005, a study published in the journal Virology found that Chloroquine exhibited prophylactic and therapeutic effects on SARS-CoV, otherwise known colloquially as SARS. SARS-CoV is a coronavirus very similar to MERS(Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) and COVID19 (SARS-CoV-2). So since at least 2005 the government has known about the effectiveness of Chloroquine and it's milder and better-tolerated version, hydroxychloroquine on SARS-like coronaviruses. 


Here's the study:
Virology Journal

Quote:Background
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is caused by a newly discovered coronavirus (SARS-CoV). No effective prophylactic or post-exposure therapy is currently available.

Results
We report, however, that chloroquine has strong antiviral effects on SARS-CoV infection of primate cells. These inhibitory effects are observed when the cells are treated with the drug either before or after exposure to the virus, suggesting both prophylactic and therapeutic advantage. In addition to the well-known functions of chloroquine such as elevations of endosomal pH, the drug appears to interfere with terminal glycosylation of the cellular receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2. This may negatively influence the virus-receptor binding and abrogate the infection, with further ramifications by the elevation of vesicular pH, resulting in the inhibition of infection and spread of SARS CoV at clinically admissible concentrations.

Conclusion
Chloroquine is effective in preventing the spread of SARS CoV in cell culture. Favorable inhibition of virus spread was observed when the cells were either treated with chloroquine prior to or after SARS CoV infection. In addition, the indirect immunofluorescence assay described herein represents a simple and rapid method for screening SARS-CoV antiviral compounds.

Last weekend, there was a riot in Frankfurt am Main.  35 arrested by the police, windows shattered, etc.

Today, a demonstration march by at least 20,000 in Berlin protesting government coronavirus restrictions.  Police blocked the march because many of the participants were without masks . . .

 

Methinks governments, sooner or later, are going to let everyone behave without excess restrictions again just to avoid incidents like riots and demonstrations.

Cheers

I  know we have at least one Canadian here  ( @"Sol" ) ; any others? 

I thought you might find this interview interesting.  Seems Canada and the U.S. have a lot of similarities in what's happening to our countries at this time. 

Quote:Jurgen Vollrath is a Canadian Patriot who is working to undo decades of influence on Canadian citizens as a result of the culture war.  The issues facing Canadians are not all that dissimilar to this facing Americans, they're just further along.  Canada is our closest English speaking neighbor, our largest trading partner and a stark reminder of what can happen if we become complacent. God Bless President Donald Trump.

Quote:I don’t know if all of this is true, but it is fun to read!

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

 
 

VERY 
INTERESTING STUFF 


In the
1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed
To beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb.
Hence we have 'the rule
Of thumb' 






Many years ago in
Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled 'Gentlemen
Only...Ladies Forbidden'.. .and thus, the word GOLF entered
Into the English language. 



------------
--------- --------- --------- ---- 



The first couple to
Be shown in bed together on prime time TV was Fred and Wilma
Flintstone. 



------------
--------- --------- --------- ---- 



Every day more money
Is printed for Monopoly than the U.S.
Treasury. 



------------
-- ------------ --------- -------- 



Men can read smaller
Print than women can; women can hear better 



------------
--------- --------- --------- ---- 



Coca-Cola was
Originally green. 



------------
--------- --------- --------- ---- 


It is impossible to lick
Your elbow. 



------------
--------- --------- --------- ---- 



The State with the
Highest percentage of people who walk to work:

Alaska 

------------
--------- --------- --------- ---- 



The percentage of
Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get
This...)

The percentage of
North America that is wilderness: 38% 

------------
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
------ 

The cost of raising
A medium-size dog to the age of eleven:

$ 16,400 


------------
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
------ 


The average number
Of people airborne over the U.S. In any given
Hour:

61,000 

------------
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
------ 


Intelligent people
Have more zinc and copper in their hair.. 



------------
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
------ 

The first novel ever
Written on a typewriter, Tom Sawyer. 



------------
-- ------------ --------- --------- --------- ---------
--------- - 

The San Francisco
Cable cars are the only mobile National
Monuments. 



------------
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
------ 

Each king in a deck
Of playing cards represents a great king from history: 




Spades - King David 


Hearts - Charlemagne 


Clubs -Alexander,
The Great

Diamonds - Julius
Caesar 


------------
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
------ 

111,111,111 x
111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987, 654,321 

------------
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
------ 


If a statue in the
Park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air,
The person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in
The air, the person died because of wounds received in battle.
If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died
Of natural causes 



------------
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
------ 

Only two people
Signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, John Hancock
And Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but
The last signature wasn't added until 5 years later. 




------------
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
------ 


Q. Half of all
Americans live within 50 miles of what? 



A. Their birthplace 


------------
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
------ 




Q. Most boat owners
Name their boats. What is the most popular boat name
Requested? 



A.
Obsession 

------------
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
------ 


Q.. If you were to
Spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you
Would find the letter 'A'? 



A. One
Thousand 

------------
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
------ 


Q. What do
Bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser
Printers have in common? 



A. All were invented
By women. 



------------
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
------ 

Q. What is the only
Food that doesn't spoil? 


A.
Honey 


------------
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
------ 


Q. Which day are
There more collect calls than any other day of the
Year? 



A. Father's
Day 


------------
--------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
--- 






In Shakespeare's
time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes.
When you pulled on the ropes, the mattress tightened,
making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the
phrase...'Goodnight , sleep tight' 



------------
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
------ 

It was the accepted
practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the
wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with
all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because
their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the
honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon. 




------------
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
------ 

In English pubs, ale
is ordered by pints and quarts.. So in old England , when
customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them 'Mind
your pints and quarts, and settle down.' 



It's where we get
the phrase 'mind your P's and Q's' 



------------
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
------ 

Many years ago in
England , pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or
handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill ,
they used the whistle to get some service. 'Wet your whistle'
is the phrase inspired by this practice. 



------------
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
------ 

At least 75% of
people who read this will try to lick their
elbow! 




------------
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
------ 

- 



Don't delete this
just because it looks weird. Believe it or not, you can read
it. 



I cdnuolt blveiee
taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The
phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at
Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the
ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the
first and last ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a
taotl mses and you can still raed it wouthit a porbelm. This
is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by
istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? 



------------
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
------ 

YOU
KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2020 when.. 



1. You accidentally
enter your PIN on the microwave. 



2. You haven't
played solitaire with real cards in years. 



3. You have a list
of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of
three. 




4. You e-mail the
person who works at the desk next to you 


5. Your reason for
not staying in touch with friends and family is that they
don't have e-mail addresses. 



6. You pull up in
your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is
home to help you carry in the groceries. 



7. Every commercial
on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen 




8. Leaving the house
without your cell phone, which you didn't even have the first
20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic
and you turn around to go and get it. 



10 You get up in
the morning and go on line before getting your
coffee 




11. You start
tilting your head sideways to smile. : ) 



12 You're reading
this and nodding and laughing. 



13. Even worse, you
know exactly to whom you are going to forward this
message. 



14. You are too busy
to notice there was no #9 on this list. 



15. You actually
scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this
list 


~~~~~~~~~~~AND
FINALLY~~~~~ ~~~~~~~

NOW U R LAUGHING at
yourself. 


Go on, forward this
to your friends. You know you want to!  Go lick your
elbow. 
 

--
null

This is a weird story to say the least.

This seemed like the best fit for this, if not, I tried.

I got the idea for this thread from another post, seemed like it might be fun. 

I figured it would be cool to post a few paragraphs about when/where/how you got sucked into the CT type world. I did one in another thread, but will redo/elaborate here.

Basically, in a few paragraphs(for ease of reading, but post whatever you want). What got you into the subjects, when, where and what specific topics do you most gravitate toward. I'm assuming most here have been around awhile, so it's interesting to see the origins of some of our interests before the world changed so rapidly.

Yes watch the Liberal Progressives Heads Explode.
Another Win For POTUS Trump and America.

Quote:Supreme Court denies request to halt construction of the border wall

Quote:The Supreme Court by a 5-4 vote has denied a request to halt construction of President Trump’s border wall over environmental concerns.

Quote:A number of groups, including the ACLU and Sierra Club, had asked the high court to get involved again after the justices last year cleared the way for the administration to use military funds for construction while the case played out in the courts.

A federal appeals court had ruled against the administration last month, but the justices, for now, have given another temporary victory to the administration.

Quote:"The fight continues,” said Dror Ladin, a staff attorney with the ACLU’s National Security Project. “Every lower court to consider the question has ruled President Trump's border wall illegal, and the Supreme Court’s temporary order does not decide the case. We’ll be back before the Supreme Court soon to put a stop to Trump’s xenophobic border wall once and for all.”

We’ll be back before the Supreme Court soon to put a stop to Trump’s xenophobic border wall once and for all.” TDS Much?

Quote:The four liberal justices dissented from Friday’s order.

Quote:The groups, led by the Center for Biological Diversity, challenged a 1996 law giving the president authority to fight illegal immigration and border crossings, and limiting some legal challenges.

Quote:The coalition claimed that the Trump administration did not conduct sufficient environmental impact studies for the construction and that endangered species like the jaguar and Mexican wolf would be adversely affected by the barrier.
Source

The above is a book I’ve been reading for a little while now. It’s non fiction, everything in the book being true. My Dad is a huge WWII buff, me not so much. But I have been watching TV shows and reading the occasional book regarding WWII. There was so much I didn’t know regarding WWII. The thing in the book that surprised me was that the Nazi soldiers, all the way from the lowest enlisted rank to the upper echelon of officers, including Adolph Hitler himself, were taking all kinds of drugs. Many of the rank and file were given tablets called Pervitin. Back in those days that’s what they called what now is known as methamphetamine. In the earlier years of WWII, this worked very well, as the soldiers were able to stay awake and alert for days at a time without sleep. They were able to push through France like it was butter. A lot of this was before Germany declared war on the United States in 1941. There were massive warehouses where they manufactured all kinds of drugs for the German military. Among them were methamphetamine, cocaine, morphine, and other derivatives of the opium plant.

There was a doctor, Dr. Morell, who wound up becoming Hitler’s personal doctor. In 1940, this doctor used all kinds of illegal things to manufacture drugs. He even owned a drug company of his own, along with manufacturing plants. He harvested all kinds of animal organs to create doping agents. This doctor became very close to Hitler and started feeding him all kinds of drugs. Hitler wound up addicted to a form of opioids that the doctor injected into him multiple times a day. In addition, there was another doctor who swabbed Hitler’s throat and nose with liquid cocaine. By the time WWII was about to come to an end, Hitler was a mess. He secluded himself inside of bunkers and was basically stark raving mad. He wasn’t exactly stable before the drugs, but the drugs wound up being the final nail in the coffin for him. I had no idea that this happened in WWII. This is the first book I’ve read that talked about this stuff. It seems that drugs and their affects on the leaders of Germany led to their downfall in WWII. 

The book is a pretty good read, sometimes like reading fiction. The author puts together a riveting story as to what happened and how the Nazi’s tried to cover it all up. I kept looking at the beginning to make sure I was reading non fiction. It sounds almost unbelievable but is all true. When I think of how drugs utterly destroy many lives, I think history is repeating itself.

Just when I thought I'd heard it all...      



HAHAHAHA....Oh God....

Quote:Philippines' president Rodrigo Duterte has once again told people to disinfect their face masks with petrol - insisting he was "not joking".

He had made similar remarks last week - but officials were quick to correct him, and suggested it was a joke.

Health officials also said cloths masks should be washed normally, and surgical masks replaced after use.

But on Friday, the president doubled down - saying "what I've said was true... go to a gasoline station".

There is no evidence that gasoline can disinfect masks; having prolonged contact with it can be harmful; and pouring flammable liquids can be a fire risk.