Recent News Nuggets

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Randy Villegas – Randy Villegas is an educator, a small business owner, and the proud son of Mexican immigrants. He’s running to represent California’s Central Valley.

Donavan McKinney – Donavan McKinney is a State Representative who has already delivered for Detroit. He’s secured $10M+ for community violence prevention, millions for public schools and rec centers, and $600M to replace lead pipes poisoning Michigan families.

Nida Allam is a bold, unapologetic progressive who has delivered real wins by raising wages, investing in public schools, and launching a guaranteed income pilot program as Chair of the Durham County Board of Commissioners.

Trump – The only thing Trump knows about oil is what is on his French Fries.

Ross Reck – Over the years, I’ve crossed paths with a number of people who can’t admit it when they’ve made a mistake.

Gridlock, shutdowns, missed deadlines, and low public approval (often under 20%). Some members work hard; others appear disengaged, grandstanding, or focused on fundraising/media. Access to power, post-Congress lobbying jobs, and legal insider trading (via stock ownership rules) make the pay feel secondary. Pay feels high compared to median U.S. household income (~$75k).

“The new legislation does not alter conditions for such funding and churches, mosques, synagogues and other houses of worship will not be required to perform LGBTQ marriages if it goes against their beliefs.”

Port Hope’s St. John Lutheran School is closing due to declining enrollment after 133 years of offering a Christian education, most recently to K-8.

Ross Reck – Most of us are not afraid to try new things; we just don’t make it a priority. Then, when we do try something new and realize how positive the experience was, we often kick ourselves for not having done it sooner. 

According to Dr. Michaeleen Doucleff, the following foods can provide some anti-inflamation and pain relief.

Sam Glenn – We charge our phones, so why not our attitude? Your attitude is like a battery.

Ross Reck – Imagine a company where people are excited about coming to work and giving their best efforts every day. In this innovative and engrossing business parable, Harry Paul and Ross Reck show managers at all levels how they can immediately and easily increase productivity by tapping into the discretionary effort of the people who work for them.

Art Fettig – I’m in here at my computer early this morning so that I can send it off and get over to the library book sale in Chapel Hill.

Over the centuries, numerous philosophers have stated that a person’s attitude has far more to do with his or her success than ability.

Art Fettig – Asked to describe my point of view I might reply “Dimmed.”  There is a whole lot right now that is going on in this world and I haven’t a clue.

Art Fettig – After nearly half a century of professional speeches I’ve had almost everything happen to me, but recently I had a new experience.

Art Fettig – (This is something I wrote and used in my Bicentennial speeches nationally in 1976.)

As the president graffitis his name to beloved institutions and builds monuments to his own vanity, we must focus on how much fun it will be to tear it all down.

NewsQuill’s Recommended Reading List

Art Fettig – A very short video nugget showing Art Fettig, author, humorist and professional speaker, at a safety presentation for the military in Hawaii.

Art Fettig – I just made up a new game that I play when I listen to political newscasts. I try hard to play it silently.

Instead of offering a standard condolence, Trump’s statement linked Reiner’s death to what he calls “Trump Derangement Syndrome” — a phrase he uses to mock critics — saying Reiner’s intense criticism of him had “driven people crazy.”

Ross Reck – There was a time when I was intimidated by loud people. I used to think that their loudness communicated confidence and superiority!

“Over my decade with Fox, I long was proud of the association,” Col. Ralph Peters wrote in an email to colleagues. “Now I am ashamed.”

Art Fettig – There are a lot of wonderful quotes around expressing the idea that all we have is today. That is becoming more and more important to me with each passing moment as I race forward into my third childhood.

Art Fettig – Did you ever dip into the meaning of the word “Synergism” synergism (noun) the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.

For the past eight years, in a variety of situations, I’ve been performing as a character we named “Almost Andy.” For decades people have been remarking on how much I looked like Andy Griffith.

Art Fettig – Have you ever identified those individuals who had a major influence in your success and progress?

Rachel Mitchell, Maricopa County Attorney. She supports Donald Trump. That’s all you need to know.

Leonard Leo – Pick the Right Judges and Flood the Courts with Cases (video)

Look at the facts in the image and you get a real clear picture of where Republican David Schweikert stands on a woman’s right to choose. And he has Donald Trump’s “Complete and Total” endorsement.

Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, a right-wing extremist in the U.S. House, broke down and told the truth in a media interview earlier this year. Incumbent Republicans like Biggs have nothing to campaign on because they have accomplished—nothing. You should vote accordingly.

Arizona U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake must know she’s a loser when her own party excluded her from a recent batch of “Team Unity” billboards around the Phoenix area. The outdoor ads feature billionaire Trump pal Elon Musk, who is not even a candidate.

Arizona U.S. Rep. David Schweikert, a staunch anti-abortionist, is a six-time co-author of the failed Life at Conception Act. Schweikert is more than an anti-abortion voice. He helps write the oft-proposed nationwide ban. Arizona women should take note.

Wendy Rogers – “I’ve said we need to build more gallows. If we try some of these high-level criminals, convict them and use a newly built set of gallows, it’ll make an example of these traitors who have betrayed our country,”

Kari Lake Exemplifies Today’s Political Squalor George …

Consultants to the Liberal or Democratic Party now …

Don’t vandalize property! If you must make your political wishes know, while on public property, picket the Tesla Charging Stations but don’t block owner’s access… simply make your view point known through signage and picketing. KEEP IT PEACEFUL!

Groups that will give you Hopeful information …

The Actual Population May Not Be Counted and Why You …

Creating more economic opportunity, fully funding schools, fixing the damn roads, protecting personal freedom, and defending democracy.

Mike Sorrell writes, “I was a dutiful, fair-minded reporter who believed my role in democracy was to provide readers with facts and information.

“Just last month [November 2024], the Supreme Court announced they’ll review a case to decide whether Louisiana violated the law in the January 2024 redraw of the maps, hearing the challenge from the so-called “non-African-American voters.”

CNN and Major Media Outlets mistakenly constantly refer to the problems with the Healthcare Industry.  They SHOULD be referring to the Healthcare INSURANCE Industry.  Many folks are satisfied with their doctors and other various medical professionals, but the INSURANCE industry is what is making the patients experience a nightmare.

President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the latest federal stimulus bill to aid public health and economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, on March 11, 2021. The plan included $350 billion in emergency funding for state, local, territorial, and tribal governments, known as the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds.

Gerrymandering poses a critical threat to our democracy, with opponents of fair maps actively undermining redistricting reforms, electing Election Deniers, and threatening mid-decade map redraws.

The ACLU has evolved in the years since from this small group of idealists into the nation’s premier defender of the rights enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.

Happy new year to you. I hope in 2024 you found some things of value. Perhaps, like myself, you were both dismayed by what happened but also motivated. As I’ve discussed in a previous Audio From A Collapsing State, moments of immense danger and rising authoritarianism have a tendency to bring clarity.

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.

On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob of supporters of then-president Donald Trump in what several scholars have called an attempted “self-coup”, two months after his defeat in the 2020 presidential election.

Bangkok Pride #image_title “Same-sex couples across …

The web page for the Office of Gun Violence Prevention that was once on the White House website is now offline.

On January 20, 2025, I signed a memorandum entitled Exercising appropriate Discretion Under Parole Authority. That memorandum clarifies DHS’s position regarding the scope of the parole statute, 8 U.S.C. § 1182( d)(5), and directs a variety of actions to implement the memorandum.

Should the federal government continue to direct taxpayer money to support public broadcasting?

Target’s recent changes to its diversity and inclusion programs have also angered some longtime LGBTQ supporters.

Conservative Values Being Re-established in an …

Art Fettig – Purple heart recipients led the NC State’s Walk of Champions before the Wolfpack’s game against Syracuse at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, NC. The team followed, greeting members of the ROTC who lined the path during Military Appreciation Day.

Art Fettig – “You had to be there.” How many times have you heard that expression as an excuse for somebody’s strange behavior.

Art Fettig – In this recent Artic Blast our temperature here was low enough for us to take a new look at what we were wearing.

Art Fettig is a professional speaker and the author of 22 published books. His Three Robot series of books for children are based on three fictional robots’ names, Pos, Semi-Pos and Neg. Fettig’s goal and mission in life is to bring positive living concepts to children and their parents.

On October 7th, 1946 I received my Diplomat signed by William M. Scholl,MD, President of The Scholl Mfg. Inc. It stated that I had honorably completed the Course of Instructions in Fitting and Adjusting Dr. Scholl’s Foot Comfort Appliances.

Originally published on January 24, 2018 Weather …

Art Fettig – Wednesday we had a snowfall of 10 inches and it was still snowing, 12 inches when it finally stopped.

Art Fettig, humorist and motivational speaker, has given thousands of speeches and presentations throughout the world.

MiniGuard Cam is a compact yet powerful device that offers cutting-edge features without any installation or subscription costs.

Pete Hegseth is having one of the worst weeks a Cabinet secretary has had in recent American history. It’s very richly deserved. He’s a bombastic idiot. He’s a liar. And he’s a wease.

Ross Reck – The above is a quote from a “Snoopy” cartoon that appeared on Facebook recently.

Art Fettig – When I was working on a book of memories of my career a few years ago, I sometimes felt as if I had a memory bank in my head that was just packed plumb full and it was difficult for memories to break out free

Art Fettig – This is Friday and I woke up to find on AOL the good news that North and South Korea had signed the Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification of the Korean Peninsula.

Art Fettig’s The Platinum Rule is The Age Old Secret to Happiness and Prosperity. If you believe in the Golden Rule then, just maybe, you are one of those fortunate few who are ready to take a giant step forward in your lives to fame, fortune and a great new plateau of personal satisfaction.

Art Fettig – We drove to the ocean, Jean and I, for just two nights and had a room on the beachfront on the second floor where we could just lie in bed with the terrace door open early morns and listen to the waves coming in.

Art Fettig – I pulled into a newly opened gas station and was greeted with a sign that read “Courteous and efficient self-service.”

It doesn’t take much to stir up a vivid memory in this old head of mine. This time it was the memory of a conversation held in the dressing room for the hockey team at Wing Stadium, Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Art Fettig – My career as a professional speaker began in the very early 70’s. Herb True PhD, a professor from Notre Dame, became a sort of mentor to me when I attended his presentation for our railroad people and I gave him some jokes during his intermission. 

President Obama – This is a unique office, without a clear blueprint for success, so I don’t know that any advice from me will be particularly helpful. Still, let me offer a few reflections from the past 8 years.

Hegseth Makes Fun of War Crimes With Twisted AI …

Dr. Ross Reck is known by the media as the “Top Gun” negotiations expert.

Many Republicans, sometimes longstanding or high‑profile ones, have spoken out negatively about Donald Trump over the years. Below is a list of some of them — along with what they criticized him for or publicly said.

Greg Brayton – Greg was born July 23, 1955 in Coldwater to Lee and Helen Jean (Weakly) Brayton. He married Sally A. Culver on Aug. 4, 1979 in Coldwater.

My wife and I have two cats, Max and Fritz. Our two- and one-half-year-old granddaughter Brynn absolutely loves Fritz because he lets her pet him whenever she wants. Max, on the other hand, runs the other way as soon as he sees her coming. For this reason, Brynn does not like Max.

Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love, 1850-1950 portrays the history of romantic love between men in hundreds of moving and tender vernacular photographs taken between the years 1850 and 1950. This visual narrative of astonishing sensitivity brings to light an until-now-unpublished collection of hundreds of snapshots, portraits, and group photos taken in the most varied of contexts, both private and public.

Everyone has bad days, and you can usually spot these people coming from a mile away. They often look depressed, dejected, unhappy, miserable, or discouraged.

Once upon a time, there was a worn out locomotive that nobody seemed to care about. Except maybe Charlie Weller, who was an old retired railroad engineer. And maybe nobody cared about old Charlie anymore either. At least it often seemed that way to Charlie. He had little to do but sit around and remember the good old days when he would run that ancient train up and down the tracks hauling freight.

“I’ve given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than about protecting the Constitution.” – Mark Kelly

Is it reasonable to fear that Trump or his top advisers actually are giving illegal orders to people in the military or intelligence services, or is it not reasonable to fear this? The answer is: Yes, of course it’s reasonable.

Slate.com One of the great advantages of being an …

Donald Trump told a female reporter to be “Quiet, Piggy” while she asked him a question about the Epstein files onboard Air Force One. The commander-in-chief leaned forward to deliver the sinister remark, which he made in a cartoonish voice while wagging his finger.

If there is one characteristic that sets successful people apart, it’s the willingness to hang in there when it comes to pursuing a goal or dream. If you look at successful people throughout history, very few were overnight successes. Instead, they hung in there—they made lots of mistakes and encountered many obstacles, but they didn’t quit. They kept going long after most other people would have given up.

I recently went to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription. The person ahead of me had some issues with his prescription which took nearly twenty minutes of the pharmacist’s time to resolve. All the while, the pharmacist smiled as she listened to this person and entered information into the computer.

I came across the following post on Facebook from Marc and Angel Hack Life – Practical Tips for Productive Living. “If the face you always show the world is a mask, someday there will be nothing beneath it.

I received a lot of very positive feedback regarding last week’s Reminder which was titled, Waking Up Dormant Relationships Can Be Energizing.

On Saturday, October 18, 2025, over 60 folks from the senior retirement complex Friendship Village in Tempe, Arizona, joined the 7 million folks through the United States to display their opposition to the authoritarian United States presidency.

This video was posted on Trump’s platform Truth Social Saturday evening, Octoberk, 18, 2025 (with many reports dated October, 19, 2025) as the “No Kings” protests were underway. The soundtrack in the video reportedly includes Danger Zone (by Kenny Loggins) in the background.

We all have people in our lives that we’ve known for a long time but haven’t connected with in recent years. These could be people we went to high school with, worked with during our first job, or lived in our old neighborhood.

Many people fear failure worse than they fear dying. This makes the fear of failure a very powerful obstacle when it comes to taking the necessary risks to follow our dreams. In reality, death and failure aren’t even remotely related; death is permanent, but failure isn’t, so there is really nothing to fear!

The statue of Jesus the Fisherman [Jesús Pescador] is located on a rocky outcrop just off the lakeside malecón (boardwalk).

A Quilt of Valor® (QOV) is a quality, handmade quilt that is machine or hand quilted. It is awarded to a Service Member or Veteran who has been touched by war.  The Quilt says unequivocally, “Thank you for your service and sacrifice in serving our nation.”

It can be very frustrating when things don’t go our way; it can even make us angry. Some people feel that the best way to handle such situations is to vent that anger at the person they feel is responsible for the problem.

A grateful person posted the following story on Facebook several days ago: “It seems like it has rained and poured nothing but bad luck lately, but I want to say THANK YOU to the two ladies who were behind me at the intersection by Wings Etc. and Lowe’s in Benton Harbor (Michigan) today!