Monday Music "The Hustle" By The Real McCoys

 

I am rolling with my 70's theme that is Disco related.....well because I can...Perhaps for the cringe factor?...and like I said in the past, I actually liked the music genre, one of the stations on my Sirius/XM is Channel 54 named for that famous night club in New York of the same name that seemed to define an era.  I think I did a blog post years ago on it, I may have to dig it up, and if I didn't it will be a great idea for one.

. Next week will be "Lets All Chant" by Michael Zager Band, Somehow Disco seems to fit the theme better....?

   I decided to do this version of "Monday Music" on the Hustle, it was very popular during the Disco era.

"The Hustle" is a disco song by songwriter/arranger Van McCoy and the Soul City Symphony. It went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Soul Singles charts during the summer of 1975. It also peaked at No. 9 on the Australian Singles Chart (Kent Music Report) and No. 3 in the UK.It would eventually sell over one million copies. The song won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance early in 1976 for songs recorded in 1975.

While in New York City to make an album, McCoy composed the song after his music partner, Charles Kipps, watched patrons do a dance known as "the Hustle" in the nightclub Adam's Apple. The sessions were done at New York's Media Sound studio with pianist McCoy, bassist Gordon Edwards, drummer Steve Gadd, keyboardist Richard Tee, guitarists Eric Gale and John Tropea, and orchestra leader Gene Orloff. Producer Hugo Peretti contracted piccolo player Phil Bodner to play the lead melody.
During the summer of 1975, "The Hustle" became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Soul Singles charts. Billboard ranked it as the No. 21 song for 1975. It also peaked at No. 9 on the Australian Singles Chart (Kent Music Report) and No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart.
According to producers Hugo & Luigi who owned the Avco record label that originally released "The Hustle", McCoy met with them shortly before his death in 1979 to discuss ideas for a new, longer version of the song, in order to appease Avco's UK and German affiliates who were clamoring for a 12" disco single release. The new version, clocking in at just under 6-and-a-half minutes, was assembled posthumously as a remix, using parts of the original recording plus new parts, including drum, Syndrum, and a "little" Moog synthesizer. It was credited to Van McCoy alone or with an unnamed orchestra, mixed by "The Mix Masters", identity unknown 

" A Day Which Will Live in Infamy"

 

Ironic that today is Sunday December 7 2025, how time has marched on and I read the last survivor from the U.S.S Arizona died last year and they only allow the interment of the Survivors of the U.S.S. Arizona and the U.S.S. Utah to be interned on their ships to join their shipmates, the other survivors can "Have their ashes scattered on the Harbor"

At 0755 a bomb exploded on the seaplane ramp at Ford island, this signified the start of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.  When it was done, the American Pacific fleet was crippled, and 0ver 3000 Americans were dead.  The sinking of the fleet at Pearl Harbor galvanized the Americans, and since it was a sneak attack it was considered "dishonorable and underhanded".  This infuriated the Americans sense of fair play.  The Japanese had planned on attacking right after the ultimatum was delivered, but the secrecy that the Japanese demanded forced the Ambassador himself to decode it slowing the response down so they delivered the message to Secretary Hull after the attack has started.  The attack gave the Japanese several things...It was a tactical victory, it allowed them to move against the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies with the rubber and oil that the Japanese war machine needed to build the stuff that a modern nation needs to wage war. The Japanese Admiral Yamamoto who lead the attack on Pearl Harbor had studied the Americans at length while he was a naval attache and he told the General Staff who was pushing for the war "I will be able to give you 6 months, after that I cannot guarantee victory.   And true to events, the Japanese raised hell for 6 months until the Americans smashed 4 of the Japanese fleet carriers at Midway, a blow that the Japanese Naval aviation never recovered from.  The attack also forced the Americans to utilize the carriers to do any offensive work against the Japanese.   Also the Japanese didn't launch the 3rd strike against Pearl Harbor, the drydocks and the fuel farms were still intact.  The victory was a Pyrrhic victory because it ended on August 6 and August 9 of 1945 4 years later when the Japanese cities were the site of the Atom bomb and a small part of the logic of the bomb drop was to pay Japan back for the sneak attack.

   The attack on Pearl harbor was a huge shock to the Americans, for the fleet and the Army air corp to be so woefully unprepared for battle left a mark on the American psyche.  Never again would we be so defenseless.  Also the end results was that out of all the ships sunk and damaged at Pearl Harbor, all but 3 were repaired and returned to service. 

"Wal-mart Gift Card Scam"

 

I got this from "MalwareBytes"   when it comes to cyber security, the old adage "There ain't no free Lunch" comes to mind.  Listen to your gut, just because someone says "that it is free"....Is it really?...What is the hook?  The scammers are getting more sophisticated as time goes, and we have to stay on our "A" game to not get fleeced.  for example, I don't use my debit card anymore except at a couple of retailers, everyone else gets the credit card, because of the extra protections the CC gives me and when I get home I pay off the balance.  Debit cards don't give you the same protections..despite the credit card name on the card..and cashapp and zelle, paypal  and the other money transfer services.....none, once the money leaves your account, good luck in getting it back.  so abundant caution.

News | Scams

Watch out for Walmart gift card scams

Posted: November 10, 2025 by Stefan Dasic

You’ve probably seen it before—a bright, urgent message claiming you’ve qualified for a $750 or $1000 Walmart gift card. All you have to do is answer a few questions. It looks harmless enough. But once you click, you find yourself in a maze of surveys, redirects, and “partner offers”—without ever actually reaching the end and claiming your prize.

This so-called “survey” is part of a lead-generation and affiliate marketing scam, designed not to reward you but to harvest your data and push you through ad funnels that make money for others, at the cost of your privacy.

What’s really going on?

It’s a scam because these pages rarely deliver any real gift card. What they’re after is your personal data.

As you move through each step, you’re asked for details like your name, email, phone number, ZIP code and even your home address. In some cases, you’re prompted to share interests such as home repair, debt help, or insurance quotes—each answer helps categorize you for targeted marketing.

Even if the page itself doesn’t steal money, that information is still valuable. It can be used to target you with more ads and offers, add you to marketing lists, or personalize follow-up contact. In other words, completing the questionnaire hands over data that can be exploited for profit—even when no gift card ever appears.

In some cases, the funnel gets even more specific. For example, if the survey asks you about home projects and you say you’re planning to replace your windows, you might be redirected to what looks like a legitimate home improvement site—often just another form asking for the same details again. The whole thing is designed to keep you filling out more forms, giving up more of your data, to more websites and affiliates.

These scams aren’t just annoying time-wasters. They are harvesting your data, eroding your privacy and exposing you to wider risks. Once your details are shared, they can travel far beyond that fake survey.

Your information may:

• Be resold to advertisers and data brokers, who build detailed profiles about your habits, spending, and location.
• Lead to a surge of spam calls, texts, and phishing emails tailored to your interests.
• Feed more convincing scams down the line, since criminals can now personalize their lures using real information about you.
• End up on unregulated marketing lists that circulate for years, keeping your data in play long after you’ve closed the page.

That’s the hidden cost of a “free” gift card: each click fuels a network that profits from your identity, not your participation.

Why do people fall for it?

The hook is simple—free money and easy participation. But this fake Walmart promotion taps into three powerful psychological triggers:

1. The sense of luck: “You’ve been selected!” sounds personal and special.
2. The promise of low effort: Answering a few questions feels harmless.
3. The illusion of credibility: Walmart’s branding lends legitimacy.

These scams spread mainly through advertising and malvertising networks—pop-ups, spam emails, social media ads, or sketchy website banners that imitate real promotions.

You might spot them alongside news articles or as “sponsored links” that sound too good to be true. Some appear via push notifications or redirects, whisking you from a real website to a fake reward page in seconds.

The designs often use official logos, countdown timers, and congratulatory language to make them look like authentic brand campaigns—tricking people into lowering their guard.

It’s an easy mental shortcut: “If this was fake, it wouldn’t look so professional.” That’s what these scammers count on—the appearance of legitimacy mixed with urgency and reward.

How to protect yourself

These gift card offers aren’t just harmless internet fluff—they’re the front door to a sprawling network of data collection and affiliate profiteering. Each click, form, and redirect is designed to extract value from your attention and information, not to reward you.

Recognizing these scams early is the best defense. Here’s how to stay safe:

1. Be suspicious of online surveys promising big rewards. Legitimate promotions from major retailers rarely require long questionnaires or partner offers.
2. Never give personal information to unknown pages. If a site asks for your phone number or address for a “free prize,” it’s a red flag.
3. Use browser protection tools. Extensions like Malwarebytes Browser Guard can block known scam domains and malvertising networks before they load.
4. Check the URL carefully. Real Walmart promotions will always come from official domains (like walmart.com or survey.walmart.com), not random URLs with extra words or numbers.
5. Stay alert and skeptical. Online quizzes and reward offers are a favorite bait for scammers. When in doubt – close the tab.

---

We don’t just report on scams—we help detect them

Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. If something looks dodgy to you, check if it’s a scam using Malwarebytes Scam Guard, a feature of our mobile protection products. Submit a screenshot, paste suspicious content, or share a text or phone number, and we’ll tell you if it’s a scam or legit. Download Malwarebytes Mobile Security for iOS or Android and try it today!

Monday Music "Tragedy" By the Bee Gee's

 

 Now can you imagine "Old NFO" or "Old AFSarge" wearing a leisure suit? and making the moves like John Travolta did in Saturday night Fever?  It IS their generation, LOL

I decided to go with the BeeGee's .....again.   I know that some people didn't like the BeeGee's and they got typecast as a Disco band.  The truth is that they have been around longer than the Genre but they have been typecast.   I like Disco, I do remember the the anti disco sentiment, especially in the early 80's.  Disco had gotten squeezed out by the new wave coming out of England.  I think the backlash came from the fact that Disco was around longer than it should have been, rather than be remembered fondly like I do with my 80's music now, it was crammed down people and it was too much.  This caused the backlash.  I knew that the BeeGees were more than a Disco band, but Disco is where many people really heard of them for the first time.  The BeeGee's were extraordinarily talented musicians and the range of their music spoke of their talent and showcased it.  I also know that they seemed to drop off the planet for about 10 years.  I didn't know why but I am sure the anti-disco backlash caught them up as did many other acts from that era.    

"Tragedy" is a song released by the Bee Gees, written by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb, included on their 1979 album Spirits Having Flown. The single reached #1 in the UK in February 1979 and repeated the feat the following month on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Spirits Having Flown is the fifteenth album released by the Bee Gees. It was the group's first album after their collaboration on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. The album's first three tracks were released as singles and all reached No. 1 in the US, giving the Bee Gees an unbroken run of six US chart-toppers and tying a record set by The Beatles. It was the first Bee Gees album to make the UK top 40 in ten years (not counting the soundtrack for Saturday Night Fever), as well as being their first and only UK No. 1 album. It has sold 20 million copies worldwide.
Spirits Having Flown marked the tail end of the band's most successful era, prior to a severe downturn in the early 1980s when they would endure a near-total radio blackout (particularly in America) that Robin Gibb would refer to as "censorship" and "evil" in interviews.

The Bee Gees had been effectively typecast as a disco group after Saturday Night Fever, and in a 1978 interview Barry remarked "People think we're just about disco now. Of course that's not true. If you look at the SNF soundtrack, there's some dance music, but we also have ballads like More Than A Woman." In an attempt to counter this typecasting, the first single from Spirits Having Flown was the ballad "Too Much Heaven". The horn section from Chicago (James Pankow, Walt Parazaider and Lee Loughnane) made a guest appearance on this album. At the time, they were next door working on the Chicago album Hot Streets. Thus the Bee Gees would return the favour as they appeared on Chicago's song "Little Miss Lovin'" and their keyboardist Blue Weaver appeared on "No Tell Lover". The Bee Gees also recorded "Desire" for the album but it was rejected and instead released as a solo single by their brother Andy.

Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb wrote this song and "Too Much Heaven" in an afternoon off from making the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band movie in which they were starring. In the same evening they wrote "Shadow Dancing" which was performed by Andy Gibb (and reached #1 in the US).
Though not originally in Saturday Night Fever, it has subsequently been added to the musical score of the West End version of the movie-musical. The song knocked "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor off the top spot in the US for two weeks before that song again returned to #1 for an additional week. In the US, it would become the fifth of six consecutive #1s, tying the record with the Beatles for most consecutive #1s in the US.
In 1979, NBC aired The Bee Gees Special which showed how the sound effect for the explosion was created. Barry cupped his hands over a microphone and made an exploding sound with his mouth. Several of these sounds were then mixed together creating one large boom heard on the record. The song is also playable on Rock Band 3.

 The accompanying music video for "Tragedy" was directed by David Amphlett. It starts with a Doraemon-shaped alarm clock ringing and sees Faye, Claire, and Lisa getting married. The lads, Lee and H, sabotage all three weddings before they all go to a disco. The church and disco scenes were filmed in All Saints' Church, Harrow Weald, London and the adjoining Blackwell Hall, respectively. The external location shots of the boys leaving their house and driving were filmed in Blackheath, South London. The group's actual families all took part in the video, with the girls' fathers walking them down the aisle, and record producer Pete Waterman appears as the wedding DJ.

Seditionist Blue Falcon Democrat Stunned To be held Accountable.

 

I follow Kurt Schlichter on "X" and this article he posted on Town hall, so I shamelessly clipped it. 

 I am staying away from retail outlets today, LOL

AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey

The problem with getting a free pass on your responsibilities is that, after a while, you begin to think that you don’t have any. That’s what’s happened to the Democrats. They’ve gotten so used to thinking the rules don’t apply to them because ORANGE MAN BAD that when the rules do get applied to them, it feels like outrageous oppression. Take the “illegal orders” video, a combination of stupidity, narcissism, treachery, and blue falconry rarely equaled even by the low standards of the Dems

The six schmucks who appeared in it have been congratulating themselves on their “courage” for the last week. It was the courage to cajole other people into nuking their lives for a news cycle of Democrat spin. Except this time, there is some fallout on the people pushing the button. The Trump administration could have given them a pass. They are used to perpetually getting a pass. But he isn’t offering one this time, and they are mortified. Oh well.

Let’s talk about Captain Mark Kelly, and I emphasize “Captain” because Captain Mark Kelly always uses his rank in his X username and elsewhere, because it’s very important to him that he is a captain. Yes, your rank belongs in your bio because that’s what you were – I’m an O6 too, and it is in my bio. It’s a credential. Take it for what it’s worth. But it’s not in my username. I’m Kurt, just Kurt. I just find it tacky to use rank all the time. So do most other officers. But it’s actually important for other reasons discussed below.

Anyway, Captain Kelly is now being investigated under the UCMJ, the Uniform Code of Military Justice, for his participation in that obnoxious video. That’s not a good thing for him. He could be called back to active duty and prosecuted in a court-martial. I cover the potential penalties below.

At the outset, I have some questions about whether it’s a good idea to do that, because I tend to defer to free speech even where there is a technical argument for prosecution. I would normally let it be handled in the political arena. But these aren’t normal times, thanks largely to Captain Mark Kelly et al. I have to fall back on the threshold question – what’s the rule? The new rule, supported by all six of these people, is to use the legal system to target political opponents. Would they give Trump or any of his folks a pass? We know the answer because they not only did not do so, but actively invented crimes to harass them. Well, there can only be one rule. I didn’t want this to be the rule, but they overruled us. So they can choke on their new rule.

But that is a political analysis, not a legal analysis. Let me provide one; you can weigh my credentials as a retired colonel with command experience and a lawyer with 30+years of experience. This investigation is not frivolous because a potential charge lies here. This is not, like the “crimes” of Donald Trump, a frame job manufactured out of whole cloth. But you can decide for yourself. You’ve seen the festival of onanism that was the video. Now look at the applicable statute:

18 U.S. Code § 2387 - Activities affecting armed forces generally 

(a) Whoever, with intent to interfere with, impair, or influence the loyalty,

morale, or discipline of the military or naval forces of the United States:

(1) advises, counsels, urges, or in any manner causes or attempts to

cause insubordination, disloyalty, mutiny, or refusal of duty by any

member of the military or naval forces of the United States; or

(2) distributes or attempts to distribute any written or printed matter which

advises, counsels, or urges insubordination, disloyalty, mutiny, or refusal

of duty by any member of the military or naval forces of the United

States—

Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or

both, and shall be ineligible for employment by the United States or any

department or agency thereof, for the five years next following his

conviction.

That’s the statute. You can make your own judgment. What’s mine? 18 U.S. Code § 2387 is potentially applicable to the conduct on the video. As a lawyer, I can see both sides. I know how I would prosecute it, and how I would defend Captain Kelly using substantive defenses (that he did not violate the statute), a First Amendment defense (free speech), and a Speech and Debate Clause defense (which I think is weak, but I would argue it).

Advertisement

There’s a threshold question: Why is a retired O6 (a Navy captain or a full colonel in other services) subject to the UCMJ? Because Captain Kelly is a retired active duty O6. If you retired from active duty, you’re still subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. This is apparently supported by case law; I have not reviewed it, and that might be another avenue for the defense. If convicted, there are a variety of penalties, none of which is the death penalty. I’m sure he’s going to squeal girlishly that Donald Trump is trying to kill him. He’s such a freaking embarrassment.

One problem Captain Mark Kelly might have is that he uses his rank and affiliation in connection with his obnoxious, potentially punishable statements. That ties him into the military in ways that, if he were just a senator, probably would not apply. “Hi, I’m a Navy captain and I’m telling you to disobey orders if your feelings tell you so” hits differently from “Hi, I’m some Twitter rando and I’m telling you to disobey orders if your feelz tell you so.”

The problem for Captain Kelly is that it’s clear to all but the willfully obtuse that his stupid video was a transparent attempt to undermine President Trump, our elected commander-in-chief. They are playing both dumb and innocent – “Why, we were just advising military personnel of their right.” Nonsense, unless you believe that they just happened to decide one day was a great day to remind soldiers of what every soldier knows, that you are not allowed to obey an illegal order. Oh, and to put it specifically in the context of future orders you expect the president to issue.

Advertisement

Now, I spent 27 years in the Army and never once had an illegal order. This is because an illegal order is not just an order you don’t like. It’s not even an order that MSNBC doesn’t like. Illegal orders are very, very rare, and it is no surprise that the example everyone uses is the My Lai massacre of almost 60 years ago. It’s just not a thing.

But these guys want to make it a thing as a means to cause division within the military by accusing Trump of being illegitimate. They specifically named Trump. But none of them has been able to cite a Trump illegal order. This is because he hasn’t issued any. They’re playing the “I’m just asking questions” game. They’re pretending that this is all hypothetical. It’s like a little kid who’s holding his fist in front of another kid’s face and going, “I’m not hitting you. I’m not hitting you.” We all know what they’re doing. They know what they’re doing. It’s nonsense, childish, and unworthy of people who served. We are not obligated to accept manifestly bogus justifications for outrageous misconduct.

Captain Mark Kelly thought it was good politics to betray his oath. Well, welcome to Consequencesville, population you.

What do I think is going to happen? Will Mark Kelly be called back to active duty and punished under the UCMJ? I think they won’t charge him in the end, but they are going to investigate him, and the investigation is likely to, correctly, point out that he’s an absolute disgrace. Not only were these creeps improperly undermining the man elected to be commander-in-chief, but some dumb young soldier – including dumb young officers (which Super Agent 003 Slotkin mentioned specifically on TV) is going to listen to these guys and get himself/herself/themself (one JAG has sacrificed – hopefully – her career on the altar of trans perversion by insisting she will not follow orders regarding discharging them) into a ton of trouble and carry a bad conduct discharge with him/her/them for the rest of his life. These jerks are not going to care. They won’t be showing up at Leavenworth to share margaritas. I find this a disgraceful betrayal of our troops – as officers, especially senior ones, we should be protecting our troops from making dumb mistakes, not encouraging them to do so to create political martyrs who can be used and tossed away like so many Cindy Sheehans once the cameramen go home.

Now, why are all of these six jerks not being investigated? Because Captain Mark Kelly is the only active-duty military retiree among them. The other military personnel were honorably discharged, but they are not subject to the UCMJ because they are not military active-duty retirees (I, for example, was a federal commissioned officer who retired from the California Army National Guard, so the UCMJ does not cover me in retirement). Neither are the ridiculous CIA hacks who are pretending to be the equivalent of vets, which is just embarrassing. They are the equivalent of DMV clerks, except DMV clerks occasionally accomplish something.

There is my analysis. That’s what I think. The bottom line is screw Mark Kelly – oh, I mean, Captain Mark Kelly