Tues. April 16, 2019 – so much crazy in the news

By on April 16th, 2019 in Random Stuff

Possibly 60F and damp. Awaiting confirmation (and better batteries for the weather station.)

There is nothing but crazy in the news. A man uses a crossbow hidden in a package to attempt an assassination (I bet it is a woman trying to eliminate a love rival.)

A stranger grabs a kid and throws him off a 3rd floor balcony at the mall.

And on and on. Not much coverage of Brexit, the Italian bank crisis, failing banks throughout the EU, “migrants” fighting in Greece, or the 100k that continue to pour across our border… Nor anything about pedophile Epstein, crooked Hillarity, or the Ukraine or Syria.

Hmm, almost like it’s on purpose.

n

44 Comments and discussion on "Tues. April 16, 2019 – so much crazy in the news"

  1. Nick Flandrey says:

    500 on entering the admin page, 500 on posting. None yesterday.

    n

  2. Nick Flandrey says:

    Speaking of crazy in the news, where is the worldwide outrage at New Zealand? They have a 18 year old, denied bail, facing years in prison for sharing a LINK to a video (with a comment.)

    Where are the tearful parents? The vigils for his release? What about the other 4 in custody? ( IE. LOCKED UP.)

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6924059/Six-people-appear-court-charged-distributing-livestream-footage-Christchurch-shootings.html

    n

  3. MrAtoz says:

    Perhaps NZ is the place to watch for a soft tyranny. I don’t know, do they have that pesky Bill of Rights like the US?

  4. nick flandrey says:

    No they don’t seem to.

    It’s pretty much the definition of ‘draconian’.

    n

    ask yourself what the NZ rulers don’t want people to see-

    — how quick it is? IE. cops aren’t there to save you
    — how playing dead doesn’t work?
    — how EASY it is? If the guy had a plan to exfil, he could have done so
    — how many muzzies are already there?

  5. nick flandrey says:

    Even following their commands won’t keep you from getting shot…

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LQ3mESRIsw&feature=youtu.be

    You can even hear the guy say “you told me to put it on the ground”.

    n

  6. Greg Norton says:

    Perhaps NZ is the place to watch for a soft tyranny. I don’t know, do they have that pesky Bill of Rights like the US?

    After four years in WA State, my automatic assumption is that if Seattle Progs dream about living in a place, it isn’t a good sign.

  7. DadCooks says:

    A new meaning for NIMBY (not in my backyard). Thanks, A.F. Branko.
    https://comicallyincorrect.com/a-f-branco-cartoon-from-the-heart/

    I really hope Trump does this. The Illegals are going to be dumped somewhere so let the self-righteous liberals experience what they have wrought.

  8. Greg Norton says:

    I really hope Trump does this. The Illegals are going to be dumped somewhere so let the self-righteous liberals experience what they have wrought.

    California won’t care. More $40/mo. domestic servants — nannies, gardeners, maids.

    Plus, the $12 phone line goes in the maid’s name, and the subsidized toll tag belongs to the gardener.

    In Vantucky, the illegal domestic labor lived in a trailer park hidden within the nicest, most desirable real estate in the city:

    https://goo.gl/maps/DX36PF2HpuG2

    The nearby elementary school, Fishers Landing, is arguably one of the best in the state, having essentially been built by HP (that’s their old corporate campus across the street). However, the illegal labor offspring are not zoned to go there, with the zone wrapping around them and extending west down Evergreen Highway to I205.

  9. brad says:

    Well, the obvious question is: If you have a busload of known illegals, why don’t you drive them back across the border? But if that’s not possible, for whatever legal reasons, then dropping them off in sanctuary cities is very reasonable.

    Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, Trump is downright lousy with follow-through. He says a lot of things, but actually does almost none of them. Sad.

  10. Greg Norton says:

    Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, Trump is downright lousy with follow-through. He says a lot of things, but actually does almost none of them. Sad.

    A sensible moderate Democrat would easily beat Trump in 2020, but the party doesn’t have any of those left on the bench.

  11. JimL says:

    Surely the biggest city in the country wouldn’t fall victim to something so mundane as a totally foreseeable software glitch.

    https://tech.slashdot.org/story/19/04/16/1723218/new-york-city-has-a-y2k-like-problem-and-it-doesnt-want-you-to-know-about-it

    Edit: and then try to play it down like there’s nothing to see.

  12. nick flandrey says:

    in one tweet he exposed their hypocrisy and got them to admit on camera that having those illegals there would decrease safety….

    That’s a plus for those with eyes to see….

    n

    (this was alot like his move on tariffs, when he proposed eliminating them all, and forced the Euros and the press to either admit that they wanted THEIR tariffs and not his or shut up.)

  13. Greg Norton says:

    Surely the biggest city in the country wouldn’t fall victim to something so mundane as a totally foreseeable software glitch.

    Two words: Northrup Grumman

    Also, the only way we get paid by our large government customer in that area is to file a lawsuit.

  14. SteveF says:

    RickH: If you want an edit of Light Blink II: This Time the Gloves Come Off, gratis, drop me a line. I don’t know your proposed publishing schedule, but I can usually do about 10-15k words/evening. (Though effectively half that because I prefer to do two passes.)

  15. Rick H says:

    @SteveF

    Thanks for the offer. I still have to do the final pass through Book Two myself.

    Been working on the updated web site for the books. It’s got a slightly different look than the current site, plus the cover images I have built for all three books (and lots of links and some back story of the stories).

    And wrote the prequel short story. That one needs one final edit by me. I may send that to you.

    Was interested to know where you got the title “Light Blink II: This Time the Gloves Come Off”. The ‘official’ (unreleased) title of the book is just “Light Blink – Book Two”.

    I don’t have a specific publishing schedule yet. I’ve been working through the “20BooksTo50K” FB group, which has been quite instructive. I’m trying to do a coordinated marketing effort so I can get past the ‘friends and family buyers’ effect. Part of that is the branding effort (the new web site, and the new covers); work continues on that. It may be that I released the first book too early.

    Writing books is hard. Publishing them is easy. Marketing is hard. All three steps are important.

    Thanks for the offer. Email coming your way.

  16. SteveF says:

    Was interested to know where you got the title “Light Blink II: This Time the Gloves Come Off”.

    Oh, that was easy: I joke about everything and I’m full of, er, shinola about everything.

    It was inspired by the taglines of the sequels to a number of action movies, or possibly parodies of the taglines of sequels to action movies. “Murder Hamster III: Now it’s Personal”. “Texas Chainsaw Barbecue IV: No One Gets out Alive”.

  17. lynn says:

    Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, Trump is downright lousy with follow-through. He says a lot of things, but actually does almost none of them. Sad.

    Trump performs his own market research. Much of what you hear from him is market research.

  18. Rick Hellewell says:

    @SteveF

    Ah, that explains it.

    Possibilities: “Light Blink – The Crows Don’t Have It”, “Light Blink – Edgar’s Last Flight”, “Light Blink – De-Counting Crows”.

    Now you’ve got me started…..

  19. lynn says:

    Possibilities: “Light Blink – The Crows Don’t Have It”, “Light Blink – Edgar’s Last Flight”, “Light Blink – De-Counting Crows”.

    “Light Blink II: The Strobe Effect”

  20. JimL says:

    I knew it had to happen eventually. They all turn, sooner or later.

  21. lynn says:

    I knew it had to happen eventually. They all turn, sooner or later.

    Huh ?

  22. JimL says:

    Huh ?

    The puns. The puns are flying about like spaghetti at a 1-year-old’s food-fight birthday party. Even you, Mr. Lynn, are participating. A sure sign of the fall of the empire.

  23. lynn says:

    I am going to go see Mom in the Houston medical center in a bit. She had her first surgery two weeks ago, the hip replacement. The second surgery to remove the hematoma in the hip incision was a week ago. She is not doing well and my middle brother and Dad are moving her to a highly skilled nursing place in the med center.

    The current analysis is that the left leg nerve will take three to six months to heal. Right now, she cannot feel the left leg nor move anything on it. I do not know if she will need skilled care all that time or if she can go home once she can move the leg a bit. The original go home criteria was for her to walk 100 steps. We may be weeks away from that goal.

  24. Nick Flandrey says:

    @Lynn, that is bad news and I’m sorry to hear it. I hope she does better than anyone expects.

    It’s so much harder at that age….

    N

  25. lynn says:

    The puns. The puns are flying about like spaghetti at a 1-year-old’s food-fight birthday party. Even you, Mr. Lynn, are participating. A sure sign of the fall of the empire.

    Gotcha. However, my suggested title was quite serious even if it was a play on the book series name.

  26. SteveF says:

    The puns.

    Fear my power!

  27. Rick Hellewell says:

    Those “Light Blink” puns made me smile. Some even relate to the story. Although the only “Light Blink” happens at the beginning of the story in Book One.

    Keep them coming, although I probably won’t use any of them. But they are an alternative to ‘gloom and doom’ things.

    And the “Dad” in me enjoys puns. My children (and now grandchildren) all have perfected the art of rolling their eyes.

    Work continues on the new version of the Light Blink web site, as well as an ‘author’ site. Part of the marketing effort that is needed for the books to get beyond the ‘friends and family’ group of readers.

    Thanks to those that are helping out with that effort. It is appreciated.

  28. Lynn says:

    Light Blink: The Crows Continue

    Light Blink: The Light Continuum

    Light Blink: Bands of Light

  29. nick flandrey says:

    Home from my CPA meeting. DWI for the whole session tonight. Gruesome and funny by turns. A bit harrowing when I consider my own past actions.

    TL:DR- don’t do it. Not even a little bit.

    n

  30. Rolf Grunsky says:

    New Zealand uses the Westminster Parliamentary system. Even with a bill of rights, parliament can do whatever it wants to.

    The Canadian constitution has the “not withstanding clause” that allows either the federal or provincial governments to pass legislation that is in direct conflict with the constitution. Legislation that is passed in this manner has to renewed every five years. So far, only Quebec has invoked it for Bill 101 that made the province unilingual.

    The “not withstanding clause” is similar to the nullification that some of the states advocated in the nineteenth century.

    @Lynn
    I broke my arm last August . I ended up with my right shoulder joint replaced and the fall also damaged the axillary nerve. While I have regained both extension and abduction motion, I was able to do unassisted external rotation for the first time last week. I still have little strength. I can not raise a ten pound weight to a horizontal level with my shoulder. I was told that it could take a year for the nerve to heal and even then I would not have the full range of motion or strength that I had. I have no trouble raising ten pounds with my left arm. Nerve damage takes patience and time.

    That little misadventure was my first experience in a hospital since 1947. The health care system works well in the case of emergencies and critical situations. I am also close to Sunnybrook Hospital which is the also the regional trauma centre for Southern Ontario. If I had been in Outer Armpit the situation would have been quite a bit different

  31. brad says:

    Ah, the joys of Microsoft. I have a Windows laptop supplied by my employer. I never use Windows – I have a parallel Linux installation, and probably last booted to Windows more than a year ago.

    Man, am I glad. We just received a mass email that the school is about to install the latest 6-month windows update. Which would be fine, but…geez…the instructions are impossibly complex for anyone non-technical. You must attach your laptop to the wired network, ensure that the VPN is not in use, remove any removable disks, create a backup copy of any local data, follow a language-specific walkthrough for something else, and, and, and… All of this within the next 10 days.

    Probably wouldn’t work for me. Somehow I failed to boot my computer to Windows during the last round, when Win-7 would have been replaced with Win-10. So I’m still running around with Win-7.

    I know Linux has its own problems, and I’m just used to them. But the MS world sure isn’t easier, and it must cost a total pile of money. Especially now that the school is moving all the old web services onto Sharepoint.

    They have the money for all that, along with an increasing pile of administrative personnel. Meanwhile, my average class size is somewhere between 50% and 100% higher than it used to be. Ya gotta love their priorities.

  32. nick flandrey says:

    OMG, Sharepoint sucks dead bunnies. Our BigCorp bosses just used it to codify existing business rules and filing. No benefit from shared data at all. Of course, you needed mgmt permission to make entries in the wiki…

    n

  33. Greg Norton says:

    Probably wouldn’t work for me. Somehow I failed to boot my computer to Windows during the last round, when Win-7 would have been replaced with Win-10. So I’m still running around with Win-7.

    If Microsoft does manage to pull the plug on public Windows 7 support at the end of the year, you will need the Windows 10 upgrade to continue receiving security patches unless your employer cuts an extended support deal. If you travel with the machine and use public WiFi booted to the unpatched OS, you will place the organization’s information at risk.

    That said, I don’t think Microsoft will be able to pull the plug on public Windows 7 support in January. Still, a company laptop is their property, and you’re going to eventually run into an IT admin with an AA or an Arts degree who will make your life hard for not going along just so he can get the gold star.

    I’ve worked with/for lots of people around my age who carry chips on their shoulders about “unfairly” flunking out of engineering school 30 years ago. Most of us are “managers” of some kind these days.

  34. brad says:

    @Greg: You’re likely right. But I’ve gone a year without needing to boot into Windows, so hopefully I can go another year. There are very few things that can *only* be done on Windows – some parts of the SAP system, which I rarely use.

    A year or so from now, my laptop should be up for replacement. So I’ll get a new one, with the current Windows install, and put Linux on that.

    It’s really a shame, seeing a school turn into an MS shop. If there is any place that ought to be OSS-friendly, it ought to be a public university.

  35. Greg Norton says:

    It’s really a shame, seeing a school turn into an MS shop. If there is any place that ought to be OSS-friendly, it ought to be a public university.

    Nah. They’re part of the education racket, and Microsoft gets their cut.

  36. lynn says:

    @Lynn
    I broke my arm last August . I ended up with my right shoulder joint replaced and the fall also damaged the axillary nerve. While I have regained both extension and abduction motion, I was able to do unassisted external rotation for the first time last week. I still have little strength. I can not raise a ten pound weight to a horizontal level with my shoulder. I was told that it could take a year for the nerve to heal and even then I would not have the full range of motion or strength that I had. I have no trouble raising ten pounds with my left arm. Nerve damage takes patience and time.

    Mom got her right shoulder replaced last year. It took about a month for her to get used to it and now she loves it. Before, it was waking her up every time she rolled over at night.

  37. JimL says:

    I love Waze. I’m not known for my lead foot anymore – I think it’s just easier to obey the limit than to speed, and my wallet appreciates it as well.

    That said, I like to wave to the police as I drive past. Waze often tells me where they are. I wave at them while running and walking as well. I had a bad experience when I was younger, and I’ve been afraid of interactions ever since. So I make it a point to confront that fear by waving. (I’m also afraid of heights. So Jump School in the Army helped a lot.)

  38. JimL says:

    Incidentally, Waze also gives me a GPS view of my speed and shows what it thinks the speed limit is. That it doesn’t always agree with the posted limit is a little worrisome when I think about Google information about speed limits & self-driving cars.

  39. Nick Flandrey says:

    Google maps are warning of speed traps now…

    N

  40. RickH says:

    @Nick:

    Google maps are warning of speed traps now…

    Because they are starting to integrate Waze features…Google bought Waze company.

    Big fan of Waze. Use it especially when I am traveling to CA or UT. I’m a Wazer!

  41. nick flandrey says:

    “Was I wazir? — He was!”

    name that musical….

    n

  42. RickH says:

    @Nick:

    “Was I wazir? — He was!”

    name that musical….

    The googles (or bings or ducks) know all: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kismet_(musical) .

    And the lyrics: https://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/kismet/wasiwazir.htm

  43. nick flandrey says:

    Ah, cheating!

    I worked on Kismet! in high school. I still sing that particular song occasionally…

    n

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