I'll continue doing my thing, but I'm not boosting anyone anymore. I feel used and I don't think I entirely deserved it all.

Dr. King believed our democracy would only make sense when every child was fed, every mind was educated, and every community had dignity and freedom.

That vision is still unfolding. So, on this MLK Day, let us recommit to the work of building the world he dared to imagine.

We can't have a resilient, strong character and a life free from hardship, because character is forged in difficulty, while ease avoids the very trials that build it.

In the last weeks of dad’s life, I asked him about all he had witnessed and what he had learned, within the context of the then-current administration… lead by the same president we have now. “We can't always decide what happens to us," he said. "We can aways decide how we will react to it. How you decide to engage in life's ups and downs will make all the difference.” How will we decide to engage?

I often wonder what my dad, “The Real” Scott Westerman might say about today’s political climate.

Perhaps he would start with a reminder:

This is a difficult era, but it’s still our responsibility to shape it.

tinyurl.com/z3x9d8aw

Northern Lights Forecast: 10 States Could See Aurora Borealis Saturday And Sunday The Northern Lights could be “quite pleasing to look at” this weekend in parts of the US due to fast solar winds, NOAA says.

The Northern Lights could be “quite pleasing to look at” this weekend in parts of the US due to fast solar winds, NOAA says.

Christopher Mannino believes that one of the most powerful tools in parenting isn’t a schedule, a screen limit, or a perfect plan—it’s play.

Hear the conversation: tinyurl.com/ypsn4c4r
Get the Book: tinyurl.com/2rekxn33
Read my Substack Essay: tinyurl.com/4frmy3x5

When?

Let's face it. This year we have endured more than our share of sadness. How do we make 2026 better? People who keep doing good things, despite every challenge, endure and thrive. Reread Viktor Frankl. The survivors survive because they have a purpose. That’s the key. Purpose is a diamond that reveals fresh facets as you turn it, refracting whatever light or darkness surrounds it into opportunity. Keep looking for the prismatic light it projects into whatever each day brings. Interpret it and do something to spread love with what you see. This is the extent of our powers. And it’s enough.

On Sadness: With a prescription for how to rediscover joy.

substack.com/home/post/p-...

With all the frightening things happening, the question hangs in the air: What is the case for hope?

It is a fair question. But if we study history, something vital is revealed: Hope is not a fantasy. Hope is a muscle. And right now, we must exercise it.

More: tinyurl.com/54yckvea

Santa Claus And His Old Lady YouTube video by Cheech & Chong - Topic

Remember this #CheechAndChong Christmas Classic?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCzl...

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) is the third film in the Vacation series, a holiday slapstick comedy directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik and written by John Hughes. Starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, and Randy Quaid, it follows Clark Griswold’s chaotic attempt to create a traditional family Christmas. Based on Hughes’s short story “Christmas ’59,” the film was shot in Colorado and California, released by Warner Bros., and earned $73.3 million on a $25 million budget. Though reviews were mixed at first, it has since become a beloved Christmas classic.

Today in 1989, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, starring #ChevyChase and #BeverlyD'Angelo, hit US theaters, with a theme song written by the powerhouse songwriting duo #BarryMann and #CynthiaWeil, and sung by #MavisStaples.

Introduced my parents to the #MC5 on our living room stereo. They were not amused.

Complete with #pumpkin #pie and a #coke. #Thanksgiving

Today is the day #HappyThanksgiving #WKRP #LesNessman

One interesting POV about our borders.

So no terrorism then?

When someone tries to hand you their anger, don’t take the gift.
As the Buddha told a heckler: if a gift isn’t accepted, it still belongs to the giver. Same with rage and drama. Don’t accept it. It stays with the giver. Choose peace.

#Mindfulness #Boundaries #EmotionalIntelligence

My BlueSky friend @marczammit.bsky.social is in the home stretch with his film "Jitters." Check out the trailer and learn how you can help him bring it over the finish line.

☄️ The Sky’s Grandest Dance Returns — The Perseids Are Here From July 17 to August 23, 2025, the night sky will once again come alive, as the Perseid meteor shower streaks across our view — with a dazzling peak expected between August 12 and 13. Often called "the best meteor shower of the year," the Perseids are born from the ancient dust trail of Comet Swift–Tuttle. As Earth crosses its path, tiny fragments hit our atmosphere at 37 miles per second, igniting into fast, glowing trails — and, if you're lucky, a few spectacular fireballs. 🌕 Yes, the moon will compete this year. The nearly full Sturgeon Moon (84% brightness) will rise early and wash out fainter meteors — but the brighter ones? They’ll still blaze defiantly through the glow. Under dark skies, expect 50–100 meteors per hour during peak time. 🕐 Best time to watch? After midnight, before dawn — when the constellation Perseus climbs high and the show reaches full strength. But the Perseids won’t be alone. 🌠 Two other showers — Alpha Capricornids and Delta Aquariids — will be active too. The Alpha Capricornids may only produce 5–10 meteors per hour, but they’re famous for brilliant fireballs. The Delta Aquariids, peaking around July 30, deliver about 20 gentle meteors per hour, often leaving long, drifting trails behind them. 📍Tips for a magical experience: Escape city lights — choose a rural or high-altitude spot Bring a blanket, lie back, and give your eyes 30 minutes to adjust No need for gear — just look up and take it all in 🌌 This is more than a meteor shower — it’s a cosmic tradition that has lit up human skies for over two millennia.

#TheOutpost
More in alt

CBS to Cancel ‘Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ Citing ‘Financial Decision’ CBS said it planned to cancel Stephen Colbert's Late Show after next season, citing the weakening finances of late night

“Purely a financial decision” means Sherry wants her merger to happen. #stephencolbert #lateshow

variety.com/2025/tv/news...

No matter what side of this issue you're on, you own this.

Happy Heavenly 100th birthday to my extraordinary father. Whatever goodness lives inside of me is a result of his example. Hoping dad is celebrating the day with my mom and my sister, Judy.

scottwesterman.com/the-real-sco...

Be kind. Always. #AGoodPlace

Source: www.reddit.com/r/MadeMeSmil...

Live each day as if it were your last? What if we flip the script?

scottwesterman.com

I work as an elder and hospice caregiver, which I am oddly passionate about. I can love on them shamelessly and no one complains about my codependence. It's a win-win situation. Many of my caregiving colleagues complain about the repetitive questions and, sometimes reactions, of the elderly, especially when those patients happen to read the newspaper, especially with the current downward spiral of our country — as if these people haven't lived through enough horror... I love my dementia peeps, but sometimes wonder if there's a Guinness Book World Record for how many times an hour a dementia patient can repeat the same question — it's got to be in the hundreds. At least with small children, they ask different questions. Dementia patients will get stuck on one short question and ask it until you can interrupt their train(carousel) of thought and successfully redirect their attention. That carousel is pretty manic sometimes. A couple days ago, I picked up my mail from the post office and drove over to the nursing home to take (let's call her "Miss Daisy") Miss Daisy out for a drive. Before we took off on our road trip, to the end of The Road and back, in our landlocked little town (Juneau, Alaska), I set my copy of The Onion down in front of her. Over our two-hour excursion, tiny Miss Daisy read that front page at least a dozen times and each time she would snicker, giggle, and guffaw, then put it down on the dash board and, a minute later, discover it anew. I think it was the best afternoon of my life. We don't often hear them laugh and when they do, it's the sweetest thing you've ever heard. ... Thank you, thank you, thank you, for the really important work all of you do. You make the world a better place.

I got permission to share this, and I'm extremely grateful for that.

The Onion got this letter from one of our subscribers in Alaska. She works with dementia patients and decided to leave a copy in the car for each one.

This email made my year. Read it and you'll see what I mean. People are good.

We don’t have to agree on everything to care deeply about one another. That doesn’t mean sacrificing our values. It means honoring the relationship enough to make space for difference. Let’s face it. Social media has done more to fracture relationships and amplify division than any cultural event in our lifetime. And it’s not going away. Wisdom often appears in the rear-view-mirror. Over a lifetime of managing corporate and community political connections, I’ve learned that behind every strong opinion is a personal story. And when we’re willing to hear that story, without rushing to correct it, things can shift. We soften. We connect. That does not mean avoiding debate. It’s about learning how to disagree without being disagreeable. The people who’ve challenged me most have also helped me grow. They have stretched my empathy, expanded my world view, and reminded me that love has the capacity to be bigger than agreement. Friendship across the divide isn’t weakness. It’s wisdom. It’s choosing grace over judgment and connection over certainty. It’s finding out where someone else is hurting, and helping to alleviate their suffering… even when we disagree. And today, these skills might just be the most powerful things we can practice.

I woke up this morning thinking about someone I love with a world-view 180 degrees from my own. We’ve only locked horns about it one time. It was painful. But I came to a realization that I hope is helpful to you.

scottwesterman.substack.com/p/friendship...

If the Westerman dads had a credo, this might be it:

scottwesterman.com/the-father-f...

Remembering #BrianWilson.

keener13.org?p=29278

If your dream really matters, nothing will stand in your way. The tenacious survive because they stay focused on goal achieving — not tension relieving. You are where you are because of what you’ve accepted. #Motivation #MindsetMatters #Tenacity #GoalGetter #SelfDiscipline #KeepGoing #ReelMotivation

Melanie is right. No matter how dark a day may feel, there is always a person, a place, a random act of kindness that is worth a smile. It's even better when you're the giver!