You Might Want to Rethink

The Pentagon appears to be confirming what a lot of tinfoil-hatters already suspected -- ALIENS are among us ... or at least they seem to be based on these mysterious videos.

The Department of Defense released three videos this week showing old Navy pilot footage, which captures what the feds describe as "unexplained aerial phenomena" in what looks to be like mini-ish flying saucers zipping around in the sky at incredibly fast speeds.

These clips have actually been out for years -- they were previously leaked to the media and published -- but this is the first time Uncle Sam himself is confirming their authenticity.

As for why now -- when folks are already freaking out over the coronavirus pandemic -- the Pentagon says ... "DOD is releasing the videos in order to clear up any misconceptions by the public on whether or not the footage that has been circulating was real, or whether or not there is more to the videos." They add ... what ya see here remains "unidentified."

One of these vids depicts what one of the Navy pilots described as a 40-foot oblong object hovering about 50 feet above the water, and then ascending to flight altitude within seconds. At one point, one of the pilots says the saucer is flying against super heavy wind without a problem, and then you see it stop and rotate mid-air. It's pretty freakin' wild.

You gotta wonder what the green people are thinking watching all this 'rona stuff from above (if, in fact, they're up there). Happy to hear your thoughts, fellas. We're all ears!

The Chicago house party that streamed live with at least 1,000 guests potentially spreading the coronavirus is gonna cost the building's owner.

TMZ confirmed Chi-Town officials have hit the owner with fines, and cited her for disorderly conduct -- namely, violating the state's stay-at-home orders. The fees will be determined by the court at a later date ... and a city alderman said the owner's been put "on notice."

Reports also say the woman's adult kid was to blame for the dangerous party. Apparently he had keys to the place and disarmed the alarms for the rager. Unclear if his ma knew what he was doing, but officials say he's previously thrown at least one other party this size.

Chicago's mayor, Lori Lightfoot, had some strong words for everyone who attended the event, saying eventually everyone who participated will be held accountable. She hammered the partygoers, saying ... "What happened in that scene was just foolish and reckless. There’s got to be a level of personal responsibility for that. Millennials aren’t children."

Forget the danger wet markets pose in China ... there are 80 of these markets in New York City -- the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic -- and the animal rights group that shot this shocking, undercover video says the images make it clear ... they need to be shut down.

NYCLASS Executive Director, Edita Birnkrant, went on "TMZ Live" Monday and said 2 of the markets are in the Bronx and Queens ... packed to the gills with caged live fowl ... many of which were being mercilessly tossed into a trash can by one of the workers, who was plucking them out for slaughter.

Edita says these markets -- which many scientists say could have caused the outbreak out in Wuhan, China -- are NOT foreign to the States ... they're everywhere, and they pose a massive health risk to the public as breeding grounds for infectious diseases.

She goes on to explain NY State Assemblywoman, Linda Rosenthal, is whipping up legislation to get these animal sweatshops closed down for good in New York, and similar efforts are underway here in California. Edita tells us it's well overdue -- and while it, unfortunately, took a pandemic to bring attention to the unsanitary (not to mention inhumane) ways these curbside factory farms run ... it's good folks are paying attention now.

Bottom line ... wet markets leave behind blood, feces, limbs and other potentially harmful remnants, which we don't need flooding our streets right now. Can't ignore this anymore.

Here's a sneak peek at a wet market with live poultry, which might remind you of something you'd see in China ... even though it's right here in our own backyard.

This footage was shot at two different wet/live animal markets in NYC -- one is called One-Stop "Vivero" Live Poultry Market in the Bronx and another is called Flushing Live Poultry in Queens. Both are currently open and operational, killing and selling the chickens and meat in the same location -- with what appears to be little regulation.

In the clip, you see a woman walking in without any trouble and getting up-close shots of chickens crammed in cages ... and she asks the workers if they're open. They say yes. Later in the video, you see pigeons are also cooped up in the same small space -- there are feathers and feces everywhere ... frankly, it's gross and definitely NOT sanitary.

Now, a little context ... the video here was shot by an animal rights org called NYCLASS, and they tell us there are more than 80 wet markets in the New York area ... which haven't seen increased oversight since the pandemic began ... they don't fall under the NYC Dept. of Health's purview. Instead, these wet markets fall under the USDA and State Agriculture Dept. ... state and federal orgs, which NYCLASS believes poorly manage these markets.

Of course, its reminiscent of the wet markets in China -- where some scientists believe the coronavirus pandemic got started. Some reports suggest bats were at the center of this, but all the same ... having live animals exposed in markets like this ain't healthy.

Of these markets, NYCLASS executive director, Edita Birnkrant, says ... "Their existence poses a public safety risk to the New Yorkers who live and work in these areas. Market floors and even public sidewalks are often covered with blood, feces and other biohazards that put everyone in danger."

A Vallejo official has left his post after he was caught apparently drinking and chucking his cat across the room during a virtual meeting he was conducting with his colleagues.

The guy's name is Chris Platzer and he was one of the city planning commissioners before he tendered his resignation this week ... after a wild Zoom meeting that included shots of him seemingly taking swigs out of a beer, and then hurling his feline in jest.

Check it out ... over the course of the 2 hour-plus meeting -- which was a formal meeting being held to discuss city business on Monday -- you see Platzer taking lots of drinks from a mug he has throughout, and constantly getting up and leaving the meeting several times.

At one point, he picks up the laptop he's using and carries it over to what appears to be his kitchen, where it looks like he opens his fridge and pulls out a green bottle -- which has been reported locally as a beer. Perhaps Heineken -- seems to be that from our POV.

Anyway, at another moment in the meeting ... Platzer's up to talk, and you hear meowing going on in the background. He gets up, brings over his cat and introduces it to everyone ... then throws it off camera, after which you hear a thud. Some of his colleagues laughed.

Toward the end, when everyone had logged off, Platzer's heard calling someone a "bitch," and he supposedly hurled a racial epithet too ... according to the City of Vallejo.

We'd like to introduce you to the Quarantine Quitters of America (the QQA for short) as a reminder folks are at their wit's end and throwing in the towel all over the country.

Click through the gallery and you'll see what we mean -- folks from coast to coast have been heading outdoors en masse over the past few weeks, hitting the beach, hitting the trails, hitting the streets, hitting anything they can to get a feeling of normalcy back.

Of course, in almost all of these cases ... so many are not practicing proper social distancing.

Whether it's beach-goers in Venice or Huntington Beach, or the good people of New York flocking out to Coney Island, or even the many protesters in Austin, TX and beyond -- people are clearly ready to break quarantine ... it looks like they've had enough, 'rona be damned.

That's a problem, obviously, because this many people going out and standing so near each other can and might very likely cause another wave of COVID-19 cases, not to mention the deaths that'll follow. These folks don't seem to care though ... apathy wins the day.

A Bronx storefront is a perfect example of when keeping it real goes RIGHT -- the owner is giving his customers some straight talk, in very explicit terms, over coronavirus protocol.

Check out this sign posted in the window of what appears to be a liquor store or bodega of some sort in the NYC borough, which tells its patrons exactly what's expected of them as they come in and shop ... without any room for misunderstanding, or coddling at all.

The sign reads, "COVID-19 IS SOME REAL S***! Cover your f***ing mouth! Shut the f*** up! Buy your s*** and leave immediately." Oh, it gets better ... the owner lets it rip!!!

They continue, "Absolutely NO titty or sock money! Stand back at least 6 feet, playa. Store capacity limited to 5 motherf***ers at once. You cough, you die. Drink responsibly."

It's interesting ... the scientists and doctors aren't getting through to a large number of Americans with rock-solid data, so this seems like a viable Plan B.

We gotta say, the dude (or dudette) who put this up deserves an award of some kind, because instead of tip-toeing around what NEEDS to be said, they just came right out and told it how it is. No pussy-footing or sugar-coating ... just to-the-point, NYC instructions.

It's funny too -- this very much reminds of us of Michael Rapaport (a New York-native himself) coming out with an expletive-filled PSA telling youngsters and their parents to stop screwing around and stay indoors, while other celebs came out with PC/watered-down takes of their own. Those Big Apple dwellers sure do have a way with words, huh?

A popular astrology app that sends daily advice to users appears to be disregarding safety and telling folks to break quarantine -- but it's probably just an algorithm problem.

The company is Co-Star, which will send people horoscopes every day if you sign up ... based on stars and the cosmos and stuff. Someone on Twitter took a screenshot of a recent alert they received from Co-Star, and it definitely doesn't look coronavirus-conscience.

The alert reads, "Your day at a glance. Don't be afraid to find ways to safely see the people you love." They covered their asses by adding in the word "safely," but to be frank, it sure sounds like they're encouraging an in-person reunion here. The vagueness doesn't help.

A full horoscope sent to one Co-Star user says they can either "lie there or you can stand up." Not too bad, but then it gets even weirder, with the prompt reading ... "Your desire to change this month depends on your ability to sharpen yourself against every obstacle. This is a big step for you, who likes to maintain a high level of tension in their relationships. This is your opportunity to practice love that defies societal expectations."

Then comes the nail in the coffin ... "The general theme of your life during this period is to get free by transforming your surroundings. You're allowed to wince at the truth right now."

Now, we should point out ... a lot these horoscope companies send pretty generic nuggets of "truth" to their users, and it's even possible this most recent wave of apparent bad advice is automatically generated and hasn't quite been updated to reflect the pandemic.

If you had any doubt cases of coronavirus are about to explode because of reckless conduct, check out this video and all doubts will be swiftly erased.

1,000 people ignored the stern warnings of doctors and scientists in a city that has been ravaged by the virus ... and jammed into a house on the westside of Chi-Town.

You see what looks like around 100 people in just one room, dancing as music blares in the background. The rest of the house was also packed with people. It goes without saying but there is no visible social distancing ... none.

One of the partygoers told MTO News, "I'm not worried about [the coronavirus] . . . but if I didn't have it before, I probably got it now. Oh well."

Land O'Lakes made a big branding change, and one woman's utter and ridiculous fury at the move has caught the attention of the Internet -- which is churning up joke after joke.

You mighta heard about the company removing the image of a Native American woman holding a box of their butter from the logo and simply having the surrounding lakes and trees instead -- which was seen by some as a progressive step forward and long overdue.

Of course, the pendulum swings both ways ... with many people getting astoundingly pissed about the pivot to "PC culture" -- including one Twitter user who had some choice words.

The lady's tweet -- which has resurfaced and since gone viral -- reads in clear terms, "Land O Lakes can kiss this butter buyer's ass. My family has been a Land O Lakes family since I can remember. No more. I'm fine with the store brand from here on out."

There's even more outrage ... she goes on to say, "Your virtue signaling lost you some good customers who were always willing to pay more for your product. #BuhByeLOL." The lady also included a pic of the old Land O'Lakes butter, as well as a shot of her cart with a TON of the generic store brand stuff which she apparently bought. Okay, jeez ... point made.

Now, Twitter found this and is having a field day ... with many people pointing out that to identify oneself and your brood as a "Land O Lakes family" is interesting in and of itself, but there are even more takes that are coming from this ... including cracks at LOL itself.

One user took a screenshot of a text exchange between her and her dad, and her papa said ... "Finally got rid of her. But kept her land." The daughter replied, "omg." That's one way to look at it -- then of course, there's the 'Star Wars' POV too, which is more light-hearted.

People super-imposed Lando Calrissian onto the logo and turned Land O'Lakes butter into Lando Lakes butter ... slow clap, well done, guys. The rabbit hole goes deeper and deeper on this thing, and we're not gonna walk you through all of it, 'cause it gets pretty weird.