Hot hot and more hot, with humid and possible rain thrown in for good measure.
It was plenty hot yesterday. Over 100F in the shade and WELL over that in the sun. The sun did manage to peek out for a while.
I spent most of the day outside, when I wasn’t cooling off my brain. Cut the grass, cleaned the pool, and packed and moved more stuff out of the way of the freezer in the garage. I wish I’d taken a picture of the before. I’ll take a picture of the after, but there’s no way to really capture the amount of stuff that needed to be shifted. Maybe two or three pallets worth? Stacked 3 foot high? Something like that anyway. That is the corner where my workbench (really just storage shelves) lived, with tools on it, under it, and above it. Supplies, and more tools lived in a three drawer lateral file, and a cabinet above that. In FRONT of that was several bins worth of parts, “makerspace supplies”, ebay items, and stuff that needs to be repaired. The walkway from the door to that back corner has about 14 inches of stuff stacked along one side, waist high, that all needs to move so the freezer will fit by. It’s a mix of inventory, tools, supplies, and junk. That’s where I finally hit the wall yesterday, there’s no good place to move it to.
So today I’m getting a metro rack cart from my secondary and bringing that here to load up with all the stuff in that path. Some will go to auction, some will go away, some to ebay, and some will go to my secondary. There’s always more to do.
That’s the main goal for today. And tomorrow. And Wednesday.
We’ll see if it happens or if some other thing interrupts.
I really want to be getting stuff squared away. I thought I’d have freezer space by now.
Because the world is continuing to go nuts. With no end in sight. And I have kids to feed…
So even with all the stuff I’ve already got, I need to keep stacking.
nick
Tyler Durden cowardice, but Robinhood, increasingly, creates problems for the rest of the industry with the zero commission trading model, forcing other online brokerages to sell trades the way Robinhood does in order to pay for the websites’ maintenance and bandwidth. Schwab insider?
Fidely just sent me a long disclaimer, snail mail, *on paper* , following one trade I made recently making sure I understood the purchase was risky. Dunno if that is Robinhood’s influence or not. The ETF was a bit out of my usual comfort zone, but I play with my beer -er- soda money, not food money.
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/20000-robinhood-traders-are-rude-surprise-cbl-prepares-file-chapter-11
Ah, more suicides in the Epstein case. Specifically, the judge who was just assigned to the case had her husband attempt suicide, and her son succeeded. Suicide, in this case, took the form of someone wearing a FedEx uniform using them for target practice.
The FBI is investigating. Many of the press articles fail to mention the Epstein connection.
FYI, The Post Office is delaying First Class & Priority Mail packages, so don’t fault the vendor if they mailed on time. First Class parcels I mailed on July 13 to Frisco and Austin, normally 2 days, are finally being delivered today – 7 days later, and Priority Mail to Dallas, normally 1 day, took 4 days to be delivered. First Class packages from Texas to Ohio mailed on the 13th are still unknown as to when they will be delivered.
I don’t know why. Just that they all have notes on the tracking that says “In Transit, Arriving Late”. And the ones with no expected date just say “Your package will arrive later than expected, but is still on its way. It is currently in transit to the next facility.”
For the first months of the quarantine, they were actually faster, even books were arriving in a few days instead of 2 weeks.
I’m receiving stuff about when expected, but most is coming on amazons supply train…although that included USPS on Sunday for “last mile” yesterday.
I did just receive some parts from ebay, and they were right on time, via UPS.
Could be regional. Maybe your sort facility has an absentee issue.
n
Could be. Our stuff goes to the Ft Worth plant, and some thence to Coppell. So those two may be where the bottleneck is. But it is an awfully long lasting bottleneck.
Now there are three possibles headed for the Gulf… one of them will surely be at least a bad thunderstorm….
And the Federal Judge getting attacked- I’m putting that down in the “collapse” column, with the end of Rule of Law. I mentioned some time ago that it was clear that assassination was back on the table as a political tool. Welcome to the 70s. What’s next? 17% inflation?
n
The Clinton Mafia.
–the video further down the page puts the lie to the “mostly peaceful” nonsense. That is a war zone. They pulled down the barricades around the courthouse. Set a fire in a portico. Were beating on the building with pipes.
What kind of mother stands in a line in front of “protesters” carrying “ACAB” signs and the rest of the anarchist nonsense and gets tear gassed over a convicted felon who held a gun to a pregnant woman’s belly?
Think about what it takes to get people like that to that position. Someone is very good at organizing this.
n
FYI, The Post Office is delaying First Class & Priority Mail packages
Just to add to the regional characteristics, I sent a package Priority Mail from my location near Death Valley to Scottsdale on Friday, and it is showing out for delivery on the USPS site. Googling just the tracking number shows it delivered, but I don’t have a confirmation yet. If it is delivered today, it will be a day earlier than originally estimated by the USPS.
Yesterday, I received a package from Amazon Prime, delivered by a USPS truck as originally estimated by Amazon. I recognize our carriers, but couldn’t see the driver. Curious if it was a USPS employee or some other employer. Seeing USPS regular delivery vehicles on non mail days is uncommon in our little valley, but I am aware that Amazon contracts with the USPS for their services in various ways.
I received a FedEx package last Sunday, also from Amazon. Seeing FedEx vehicles on Sunday is becoming more usual; six months ago, never.
The USPS tracking estimates have been all over the map for estimated delivery dates, but in my very limited experience the original estimated dates have usually been the actual delivery date.
No recent experience with UPS, and only one recent FedEx arrival.
Maybe all the on line ordering, especially Amazon, is saturating some of the normal pipelines?
George Floyd’s past actions are irrelevant to what the cops did to him. It was unnecessary use of force and it killed him. You don’t use the neck kneel on a cuffed suspect and cops are trained to not use it after the cuffs are on. The cops involved should be held accountable.
Cops need to not use force on black citizens when it isn’t required, and they do at rates much higher than they need to. One study that found that cops were 20% more likely to use non-lethal force on a black person, one reported by the cops themselves to be fully compliant, than on a white person. Overall they use non-lethal force 55% more on blacks than whites. All adjusted for number of interactions. (The same study showed shootings show no racial bias.) Another study found that in daylight hours, cops stop black drivers more often than white. At night the numbers are in proportion to population. There is a problem and it needs to be fixed.
And protests are fine, just not riots.
Suspect found, killed himself. He was an attorney that had a case in her court in 2015. https://abcnews.go.com/US/federal-judges-son-shot-killed-husband-injured-attack/story?id=71871708&cid=social_twitter_abcn
And the Federal Judge getting attacked- I’m putting that down in the “collapse” column, with the end of Rule of Law. I mentioned some time ago that it was clear that assassination was back on the table as a political tool. Welcome to the 70s. What’s next? 17% inflation?
Nah. Ray is right. Clinton Mafia.
And inflation has been far worse than 17% in some categories. The Fed doesn’t have the stones to even let mortgage rates drift to historic lows, say 6%.
My dad used to have Howard J. Ruff books preaching civilization collapse in the 70s. I kept a few for the comedy for years. He was mainstream in the Carter era, mass market paperbacks right up front at B. Dalton.
Self inflicted gunshots, twice, in the back, with a rifle found at the scene.
Why did the killer, who went to the trouble of getting a FedEx suit and dummy up a FedEx package for the judge, stop after killing the son and injuring the father? The Judge, who they would have us believe was his intended victim, was in the house. Finding him in a car after killing himself with a FedEx package addressed to the judge next to him smells a bit fowl. Why did he not complete his disguise by bringing the FedEx package with him to the door. To me, the FedEx package in the car with the dead body seems to tie him to the crime and sew it up into a nice complete package.
Just Sayin’!!!
“‘WE DID NOTHING WRONG’ Coronavirus-infected couple put under house arrest and forced to wear ankle monitors after refusing to stay home”
https://www.the-sun.com/news/1166277/coronavirus-couple-house-arrest-ankle-monitors/
“Elizabeth and Isaiah Linscott said personnel from the health department and sheriff’s office showed up at their Kentucky home after she declined to sign a self-quarantine order, according to reports.”
@Greg, here you go. They cannot even go to the ER without permission.
@Greg, here you go. They cannot even go to the ER without permission.
I’m unclear after reading the article — the wife tested positive but they still went to Michigan to visit family? Or the wife took a test, they went to Michigan, and then later found out she was positive.
Regardless, the wife was still stupid. Yes, KY has yet another Governor with unfulfilled Daddy ambition issues and bureaucrats running wild, but someone voted for the mess. Gotta wonder if they did.
The lockdowns are pointless if sick people don’t stay home. We just delay the inevitable of a few hundred thousand dead and 60 million infections like H1N1.
Again, every single one of the cases my wife has done a telemedicine consult on in the last week was the result of someone being stupid in relation to the holiday.
Let’s see I read it differently.
“Citizens restrained without due process and right to legal representation”.
According to article I read about the Kentucky couple, not from The Sun, she was willing to stay home after getting the “positive” result. What she wasn’t willing to do was sign the “voluntary quarantine” paper which said she would not leave the house for any reason without permission from (IIRC) the county health department. As stated above, if she had to dash to the emergency room at 0200, when the health dept office was closed, she’d be in violation and subject to arrest and jailing for (IIRC) two months. Of course she didn’t sign it.
dkreck called it: false arrest, no due process, no access to representation
According to article I read about the Kentucky couple, not from The Sun, she was willing to stay home after getting the “positive” result.
The test results arrived *after* the couple went to Michigan and came back is the way I read the sequence of events. The article is vague, I’d argue deliberately so in order to generate sympathy for the girl.
I said at the beginning of this that it wouldn’t be the virus that killed us as much as the stupid and careless behavior.
Questionable Content: paper checks
https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=4311
Whoa, paper checks still exist 200 years in the future. I will still be in fashion.
Oh wait.
Whoa, paper checks still exist 200 years in the future. I will still be in fashion.
Oh wait.
I still use checks. I also use Postal Money Orders on occasion, when the fear of a visit from an armed Postal Inspector with a set of warrantless search powers will make the other party think twice about any funny business in regard to the payment.
A check just saved me a bunch of grief with Amex over yet another “late” payment. When the check is stamped on the back with an endorsement showing the date as being the same as the payment was due, there is very little argument possible.
“Texas county warns COVID-19 positive residents must stay home or face prosecution”
https://www.chron.com/local/article/Texas-county-warns-COVID-19-positive-residents-to-15420079.php?cmpid=trend
“The COVID-19 surge in rural Texas has escalated into a deepening public health crisis for Hidalgo County, where officials issued an order Sunday requiring those who test positive for the virus to not leave home for 14 days under threat of criminal prosecution.”
“On Sunday evening, Hidalgo County officials addressed the public in a Facebook Live event, asking the public to please heed the warning. Hidalgo County reported 1,320 new COVID-19 cases and 17 deaths on Sunday.”
Hidalgo County is McAllen, Texas on the USA – Mexico border. Population is around 860,000.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hidalgo_County,_Texas
Let’s see I read it differently.
“Citizens restrained without due process and right to legal representation”.
SCOTUS has ruled that in case of pandemics, local health officials have broad powers.
https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/publications/youraba/2020/youraba-april-2020/law-guides-legal-approach-to-pandemic/
“Under the U.S. Constitution’s 10th Amendment and U.S. Supreme Court decisions over nearly 200 years, state governments have the primary authority to control the spread of dangerous diseases within their jurisdictions. The 10th Amendment, which gives states all powers not specifically given to the federal government, allows them the authority to take public health emergency actions, such as setting quarantines and business restrictions.”
Awesome, I did not know that we had actual tenth amendment decisions. There is some hope for the Republic after all.
FYI, The Post Office is delaying First Class & Priority Mail packages, so don’t fault the vendor if they mailed on time. First Class parcels I mailed on July 13 to Frisco and Austin, normally 2 days, are finally being delivered today – 7 days later, and Priority Mail to Dallas, normally 1 day, took 4 days to be delivered. First Class packages from Texas to Ohio mailed on the 13th are still unknown as to when they will be delivered.
I ordered three 8 oz Purell bottles on July 12 from an Amazon third party seller who did their own shipping. I got them on Saturday, July 18 for a pleasant surprise. Amazon told me that they would not show up until July 21 to July 25. Of course the seller is out of stock now.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H3VL17E/?tag=ttgnet-20
I figured that I was taking a chance on getting scammed but the Purell is legit. They have a strong smell of alcohol but they are 70%. My disabled daughter is very scared of germs and Purells her hands constantly. We were almost out but this gets her going for a few more weeks.
The states and counties have broad powers in an epidemic, agreed.
The real question is what constitutes an epidemic. And what penalties apply to government officials who lie about morbidity and mortality in order to make the problem look worse.
And the Federal Judge getting attacked- I’m putting that down in the “collapse” column, with the end of Rule of Law. I mentioned some time ago that it was clear that assassination was back on the table as a political tool. Welcome to the 70s. What’s next? 17% inflation?
Assassination was never off the table ! You need to watch “Homeland” on Hulu to get properly paranoid.
Yes, 17% inflation is ongoing for food. Everything else including mortgages is 3%.
We have been living with 2% inflation for food for a long time due to the Super Walmart stores, maybe two decades. There is a lot of pent up food chain inflation there and people (not the farmers !) are going for it.
Portland mothers form a ‘Wall of Moms’ to ‘protect’ protesters from Trump’s federal officers before being tear gassed – as Democrat mayor demands President remove agents from city that has seen 50 nights of unrest since George Floyd death
–the video further down the page puts the lie to the “mostly peaceful” nonsense. That is a war zone. They pulled down the barricades around the courthouse. Set a fire in a portico. Were beating on the building with pipes.
That is a federal courthouse, right ? The feddies are not going to allow their courthouses to be torched. And the local police are not going to protect federal assets from what I can tell.
@Greg, here you go. They cannot even go to the ER without permission.
I’m unclear after reading the article — the wife tested positive but they still went to Michigan to visit family? Or the wife took a test, they went to Michigan, and then later found out she was positive.
A friend of mine here in Fort Bend County got tested two weeks ago. He got his negative result in ten days. That is not a timely notice. And then he got quarantined because he is taking care of his grandson while daughter-in-law (the infectee) delivers a baby. DIL is asymptomatic. Baby is healthy and over 8 lbs !
“Texas county warns COVID-19 positive residents must stay home or face prosecution”
“The COVID-19 surge in rural Texas has escalated into a deepening public health crisis for Hidalgo County, where officials issued an order Sunday requiring those who test positive for the virus to not leave home for 14 days under threat of criminal prosecution.”
Texas numbers in the urban areas are starting to retreat now that the incubation period starting on the July 4th holiday weekend has passed. I saw Texas Medical Center occupancy charts showing an improving trend line a second ago, but I can’t find it now in my pile of tabs.
14″ work laptop.
@SteveF The states and counties have broad powers in an epidemic, agreed.
The state is using its COVID powers to force me to house an unwanted roommate. Hopefully that will end soon.
Yesterday I went and talked to my local police. I told them I was living with an unstable person who would not leave my house. They are now aware that I am the worried one and I will be the victim in any altercation. Ground work done there.
I’ve also contacted the roommate’s brother. I told him about her growing instability and he is willing to help her financially, but she has to call him. More ground work and a possible safety valve.
Security cameras arrived from Amazon today.
State senator has asked for more info, there may be a change to the law coming.
I’m working all my legal options 8 ways from Sunday to get this person out of my house without me being the fall guy. (maybe you guys can tell, this is eating up way to much of my mental energy. The relief I will feel when she goes…..)
The state is using its COVID powers to force me to house an unwanted roommate. Hopefully that will end soon.
Yesterday I went and talked to my local police. I told them I was living with an unstable person who would not leave my house. They are now aware that I am the worried one and I will be the victim in any altercation. Ground work done there.
I’ve also contacted the roommate’s brother. I told him about her growing instability and he is willing to help her financially, but she has to call him. More ground work and a possible safety valve.
Again, what state is this ?
Document, document, document ! She may try to sue you once she is out. Have everything documented so that a judge can see what effort you went to. I would get a bound notebook or a spiral wound stenographer pad and log all conversations, etc by date. This is a case where verbosity is a good thing.
https://www.amazon.com/TOPS-Assorted-Covers-Sheets-80220/dp/B002HFJCXM/
Excellent on contacting her family. She has probably worn out her welcome there also.
The People’s Republic of Massachusetts
Yeah, the brother is jaded. He is concerned about his sister and is willing to help, maybe. But there was and undertone of “been there, done that”. I feel she has burned a lot of bridges.
Thanks for the documenting advice. I am doing that, but it is always good to be reminded.
From the local computer club (such as it is now a days) e-mail list:
http://enews.cnet.com/ct/55762616:sCn_JJ-fN:m:1:534197216:5E4140FE63374E6F8F23257B6758E5CE:r:21042825024136182068392951444370
It’s an AOC 27″ monitor. $100 + tax. From Staples. The field to enter the coupon code is somewhat hidden.
I have a couple of AOC monitors, no problems at all.
I ordered one. Order page said Thursday for delivery. After paying, Friday. Confirmation e-mail says Monday. Who knows?
That goes vastly beyond the quarantine powers which the Supremes declared that health officials have. Measures like that are nothing but a power grabbed disguised as compassion and using populism as a shield. Once the state declares that tenants can’t be evicted because of disruption caused by the state shutting down the economy, the bar will be lower for the next time they “protect” tenants or force landlords to rent to unqualified tenants because of a housing shortage or otherwise tell property or business owners how to run their business.
What the heck is an AOC monitor? It doesn’t work and it makes screechy noises but because of its contours men want it around anyway?
Mail and the like have seemed “off” lately. I ordered some clearance stuff for the van from Rock Auto on the 17th. FedEx delivered to the gate yesterday, the 19th. Wow.
Amazon delivery is lousy. A few days later than promised and dropped over the fence. Well, I assume that’s what dented the corner of the box.
Amazon delivered a package to one of my neighbors last week and were initially very unhelpful.
Admiral Overseas Corporation
Yep, had to Google it. I forgot….
Trader Jose follows AJ
https://hotair.com/archives/karen-townsend/2020/07/20/adios-trader-jose-youve-canceled/
“The cops involved should be held accountable. ”
–misses my point entirely. FIFTY DAYS after the initial protests pregnant moms are willing to stand between RIOTERS* and authorities and get tear gassed. Who is driving that? Who is whipping up that frenzy and how? Look at how effective they are getting THAT demographic to eventually LITERALLY take a bullet for the shock troops of the progressive movement. That is frightening to consider when they are able to do it for such an ugly and unlikely subject, and not just sustain it, but escalate.
n
*read the signs, the graffiti, and look at the actions. And what exactly do they have against that courthouse?
“Admiral ” used to be a big name in consumer electronics.
n
Went out on errands. Hit up my storage unit for some speakers I sold before the lockdown. The buyer wanted to pick them up when he was in town on business in April. He’s finally made it here. Then hit my secondary to pick up the shelf cart to temporarily store stuff out of the way while I move the freezer. Got a flat tire. Didn’t have my lug nut wrench or my jack in the truck. Took them out for a very good reason, and forgot to put them back. AAA sent a tech to change the tire and he was there and done in 1/2 hour.
Spent some time trying to get my forklift started. The battery was charged, and it spun for a while. Didn’t start. I’ll bring starting fluid with me next time. And a small puddle under the lift had me checking fluids. I’ll need hydraulic oil before I can use it. I’m pretty sure that’s what’s leaking.
Got rained on.
Stopped at my tire guy to get the tire repaired and put back on.
Got home and unloaded.
Got rained on.
Now to head back out to the garage and get some work done. Finally.
At least with the rain it’s only in the mid 80s.
n
It’s an AOC 27″ monitor. $100 + tax. From Staples. The field to enter the coupon code is somewhat hidden.
I have a couple of AOC monitors, no problems at all.
I have a 24″ AOC on my kids’ PC. The default settings are awful, but I got it looking decent with about a half hour of playing around. DVI-D is a new one on me. Absolutely problem free so far, a couple of years into ownership.
UPDATE: My kids AOC has speakers. The Staples discounted monitor does not. Plus 1080p at 27″ may not be a great amount of screen real estate for your needs. YMMV.
“The cops involved should be held accountable. ”
–misses my point entirely. FIFTY DAYS after the initial protests pregnant moms are willing to stand between RIOTERS* and authorities and get tear gassed. Who is driving that? Who is whipping up that frenzy and how? Look at how effective they are getting THAT demographic to eventually LITERALLY take a bullet for the shock troops of the progressive movement. That is frightening to consider when they are able to do it for such an ugly and unlikely subject, and not just sustain it, but escalate.
n
*read the signs, the graffiti, and look at the actions. And what exactly do they have against that courthouse?
The top comment is awesome, “The great wall of Karens.”
Uh, are they getting paid ?
xkcd: Photo Deposit
https://xkcd.com/2335/
Now that is funny !
Explained at:
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2335:_Photo_Deposit
Spent some time trying to get my forklift started. The battery was charged, and it spun for a while. Didn’t start. I’ll bring starting fluid with me next time. And a small puddle under the lift had me checking fluids. I’ll need hydraulic oil before I can use it. I’m pretty sure that’s what’s leaking.
Is your forklift diesel, gasoline, or propane powered ?
If diesel, sounds like your glow plugs are not working. Or, the parafins (wzx) in the diesel fuel have congealed.
If gasoline, check for fuel flow. My son has been trying to start his old 2003 F-150. He and his buddy pulled the bed the other day and replaced the fuel pump filter which had gone bad due to the alcohol in the gasoline. They got it started and then the fuel line collapsed due to the alcohol in the gasoline. He has not run his 2003 F-150 in a couple of years and did not drain the tank when he parked it.
FIFTY DAYS after the initial protests pregnant moms are willing to stand between RIOTERS* and authorities and get tear gassed. Who is driving that? Who is whipping up that frenzy and how? Look at how effective they are getting THAT demographic to eventually LITERALLY take a bullet for the shock troops of the progressive movement.
Portland. A sane parent moves across the river to Vantucky -er- Vancouver, WA, on the east side, where the schools are still decent around the old HP campus.
If gasoline, check for fuel flow. My son has been trying to start his old 2003 F-150. He and his buddy pulled the bed the other day and replaced the fuel pump filter which had gone bad due to the alcohol in the gasoline. They got it started and then the fuel line collapsed due to the alcohol in the gasoline. He has not run his 2003 F-150 in a couple of years and did not drain the tank when he parked it.
When he gets it straightened out, the Buc-ee’s in Katy had ethanol-free gas the last time we were there. Baytown also has the pure gas, but that’s the other side of town.
My wife’s Exploder appreciated the Ethanol-free gas. After filling up in Baytown three weeks ago, we didn’t have to stop again until Boonies, Alabama, just inside the border. 400+ miles.
Looking now, the fuel stop could have been Boonies, Mississippi, just across the border. Boonies looks like Boonies on either side.
WRT The Post Office
Today our Post Office collapsed. I experienced an incident and was able to have the local Post Master Assistant call me. I’ll spare you the details of the incident or the hoops I had to jump through, let’s just say I saw (and recorded) an exhibition of gross incompetence and dangerous behavior.
What I learned from the Local Postmaster Assistant is that they can no longer deliver all the mail every day. Today was a package only day. Tomorrow “may be” a letter only day (First Class). All junk mail, media mail, and periodicals (magazines) “may” be delivered at some time. In his tone, I sense a revolt. The USPS had better get back under complete control of the gooberment as was originally enumerated.
Yes, the frog is boiling.
[snip] The devil is beating his wife. [snip]
I once had a young woman who was working for me remark, during a thunderstorm, that “God is bowling”, thus producing the noise. I responded that it would never occur to me to ascribe a theological explanation for a meteorological phenomenon, but that if I did I’d simply say that “God farted”. The look on her face was hard to describe, but “You’re going to Hell” was a component of it.
And as far as the USPS, when I had to send some certified mail on Friday, the clerk told me that their current volume is greater than the typical Christmas rush. The system is failing.
And as far as the USPS, when I had to send some certified mail on Friday, the clerk told me that their current volume is greater than the typical Christmas rush. The system is failing.
And the USPS has 15% fewer employees (496,934) than a decade ago (583,908). 37% fewer employees than two decades ago (787,538).
https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-history/employees-since-1926.pdf
I LOVE AAA! They are the best thing since sliced bread. I will never be without them again.
@DadCooks, yikes that is scary. I’m guessing the unions are behind some slow-downs/sick-outs etc to try to force big pay raises and a new contract etc. No one is more overpaid than “career” USPS employees. Around here, we have rural carriers who drive brand new Jeep Saharas and similar to make their rounds: the mileage reimbursement is probably still calculated from back when gasoline was nearly $4 a gallon, so most of them are probably clearing six figures.
Lynn thank you for that link. That’s what I’ve been saying all along but without case citation and no one believes me.
JLP, prayers that the whole situation resolves quickly and smoothly.
The Associated Press (AP) has decreed that henceforth “white” will not be capitalized but “Black” will. This article is sickening.
Is there any doubt about what is happening?
Racism is now the Law of the Land.
This might add a bit to the story:
The Floyd/Chauvin transcript and what it reveals – The New Neo
Our carrier told me 2 or 3 months ago that each of their carriers was having a couple hundred packages every day to deliver. They have had all their subs working a lot – which is great because the subs don’t make much money, and don’t get benefits, so they need the work.
The post office originally forced the government to allow them to unionize back in the 1960s by effectively shutting down the processing plants while pretending to be working. The Feds tried to send in the army to sort mail, but didn’t have the patience to wait it out (sorting schemes can be a steep learning curve).
Today, union contracts require that the owner of the job (the clerk, not the boss) gets to decide if he wants overtime or to allow someone else to get the work done; no clerk can be forced to do anything except his exact job: management can’t ask them to do some other task in order to speed things along; management can’t step in and work themselves to get things moving without some clerk slapping him with a grievance over “doing the employee out of his rightful Overtime pay”. And like all other federal employees, they own their job until they die if the want to stay in it.
Mail volume has plummeted in the past 15 years. Although parcel volume has increased, the post office does not handle packages all the way: the parcels are flown on Fed Ex planes – even the ones that aren’t SmartPost or otherwise commercial.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/320234/mail-volume-of-the-usps/
The USPS last year handled the same volume of First Class mail pieces they handled in 1978:
https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-history/first-class-mail-since-1926.htm
My wife has AAA emergency road service. I won’t join, because of something very bad AAA insurance did to me a long time ago. An old friend said Allstate was much better in his experience, but he towed a horse trailer all over several states, so different needs.
Anyway, about four years ago we had a flat tire on a freeway, in a very bad location. No, not neighborhood: it was just past an on ramp, on a slight curve, with a 30 foot dropoff just past the edge of the shoulder. I didn’t want to ruin the nice wheel, and trying to get to a better location would have surely done that, because I would have had to drive at least half a mile.
I pulled off as far as I could, leaving just enough room to change the tire on the passenger side. We were pretty much stuck there. I suggested she leave the car for safety, but that dropoff scared her (me too,) and she didn’t want to walk down the shoulder to a better place. Fortunately, the heavy traffic was only going about 40, and visibility was good. She started calling AAA while I started changing the tire. Our car has easy access to the jack and spare, so I had it changed shortly, all the time watching traffic, ready to go down the dropoff if necessary. I didn’t bother to time it, but she was still on the phone when I got back in the car, ready to go. She told them to cancel. I could not imagine waiting there any longer.
Don’t get me wrong. AAA and others are good for lots of things. Newer cars have no-run failure modes that older ones did not, and can’t be fixed at the side of the road. Radial tires are actually more prone to sudden failure than older bias ply tires, but drive so much better they are worth the risk. I usually “retire” by the calendar, and often throw out tires with over half their tread remaining. Even so, I have had my share of failures. Radials can disintegrate with very little warning, even with the best of inspection and care. They are prone to hidden damage from rocks and curbs, especially the very low profile tires. Under inflation, caused by a small puncture leak, is especially dangerous. IMO, tire pressure warning systems are very worthwhile.
My recent mail delivery story…
Dad mails me something – in a big envelope. He purchased delivery confirmation. I never received the letter. Post office dissidents it was delivered last Tuesday and placed on the front porch. Nope, nowhere to be found.
Dad calls his local office and they investigate. They say our mailman scanned it and delivered it. No envelope. I happen to be outside the following Friday when mail is being delivered. The mailman, on his own, asked me if I ever found the envelope. I told him I didn’t. He said he didn’t understand. He scanned it and put it on our porch.
The next day, Dad called me and said the envelope was in his mailbox, returned to sender for incorrect address.
The system did its job and returned the incorrectly addressed envelope. The system also did a fabulous job of covering up for a blatant lying butt munch. I’m refusing from saying anything to my mailman. I really don’t want the rare piece of important mail being redirected to a ditch in the next county.
Nick must have enough surplus parts in that garage/driveway to launch one too 😉
Ditto. Some years back I wound up upgrading to their premium service level (Gold? card is in the car or I’d check) which significantly ups the allowable tow mileage. Anyway, soon after one of my kids had an accident in Philly that left his car non-drivable. He called AAA, they sent a flatbed truck and took the car back to northern NJ and he avoided a big tow bill.
Has anyone noticed that it now appears not possible to contact Big River’s customer service via email?
We have a fence too and if the gate is closed they’re more than happy to chuck packages over the fence despite stand delivery instructions on my account not to do that. If nothing else I can reference them in case of damaged goods received.
Re: throwing over the fence. It is quite common in our area that people have a large container labeled “Packages.” This prevents throwing over the fence. Some of these containers are secure, but we don’t usually have much trouble with theft.
Rain got heavy so I had to stop pulling stuff out of the garage.
Cut some trenches in the backyard to drain a couple of low areas.
Pulled the foam out of one gutter to get flow away from the patio.
Wife cooked dinner, yum.
since I was soaked to the bone, I put on dry clothes and now I am NOT motivated to get another hour in the garage…
n
My gripe is something with a signature required. Back a few ice ages ago, I had a signature override on my UPS account: even if the sender required a signature, it was not required, as long as I signed off that I would be responsible. That is no longer available. UPS in particular does not always knock or ring a bell because they are in so much of a hurry. I feel for the drivers, but that is ridiculous.
I have known many of the UPS and FedEx drivers over the years, but lately they seem to change, so I rarely see the same one. Sometimes they used to stop at my place to dig out packages for further deliveries. Probably not required with computers nowadays. The days leading up to Christmas, there are two people in UPS trucks especially. One drives, and the other runs. Those folks earn their pay.
I have a relative who used to deliver to industrial accounts in the LA area. He liked that, but after many years hustling, he changed to driving semis to and from the airport. Said it was relaxing. Not a job I would want.
I have known many of the UPS and FedEx drivers over the years, but lately they seem to change, so I rarely see the same one. Sometimes they used to stop at my place to dig out packages for further deliveries. Probably not required with computers nowadays. The days leading up to Christmas, there are two people in UPS trucks especially. One drives, and the other runs. Those folks earn their pay.
My cousin’s husband is a driver / deliveryman for UPS. That first step off the truck 200 to 300 times a day is real jolting. He is 53 ? now and has had both knees replaced on workman’s comp. And back surgery to lock his back in place. He has been working at UPS since age 18.
Wife and kids are watching Hamilton in the living room. Lotsa fast paced shouting chants, and rhythmic music.
n
Today, union contracts require that the owner of the job (the clerk, not the boss) gets to decide if he wants overtime or to allow someone else to get the work done; no clerk can be forced to do anything except his exact job: management can’t ask them to do some other task in order to speed things along; management can’t step in and work themselves to get things moving without some clerk slapping him with a grievance over “doing the employee out of his rightful Overtime pay”. And like all other federal employees, they own their job until they die if the want to stay in it.
Can you imagine every job in the USA working like this ? Nothing would get done.
ADD: I worked with many union employees back in the 1980s at TXU. None of them had contracts like this with rigidly defined job positions. Instead, they were Operator I, Operator II, Maintenance I, Maintenance II, Instrument Tech I, so on and so forth. They worked hard and got things done. They took me a little too literally since I was an engineer but that was ok. It also freaked them out that I was wearing a tool pouch on a belt but they got used to it after I explained I was only at the plant for a week to a month.
I worked in a computer shop that was unionized. I was one of the code slingers. Getting anything done was miserable, especially testing programs. I could not mount a disc platter, hang a tape, run cards through the reader, remove anything from the printers. Only a union person was allowed. If that person was on break, I waited.
A friend worked at on the plants in Oak Ridge. Union shop. An expensive piece of equipment failed, was destroying itself. He was not allowed to kill the power. Him and several workers watched the machine destroy itself for 10 minutes while they waited for an electrician.
There were many other cases that cost money, time and machines due to union rules.
ADD: I worked with many union employees back in the 1980s at TXU. None of them had contracts like this with rigidly defined job positions. Instead, they were Operator I, Operator II, Maintenance I, Maintenance II, Instrument Tech I, so on and so forth. They worked hard and got things done. They took me a little too literally since I was an engineer but that was ok.
I didn’t have direct exposure to the union since I worked for Death Star Labs, in other words, “management”, but we had to receive training to fill scab jobs for the planned big strike which was planned in 2009. Fortunately, Steve Jobs and Death Star management knew they had to get the iPhone 3GS out the door so they broke the union, sparing everyone in Contengency Planning (scab) roles a pretty miserable summer. The union has been broken ever since.
There are a LOT, probably most, of good people, hardworking, at USPS. And unions have their place. Unfortunately, the overreach has created untenable situations that protect the bad rather than the folks who would be great employees anywhere.
In unions pay, and tenure, is based on how long a person has tried to do something rather than how well a person does something.
Unions did solve a lot of problems in the Industrial Age. Needed and necessary. Think coal mines and company stores, child labor, and most importantly safety. That need has long passed with OSHA and labor laws.
I had a grievance filed against me and my company because I plugged in a lamp at my companies trade booth. The cost for the union electrician to plug in the lamp was $50.00 an hour, minimum 2 hours. That electrician plugged in 10 lamps at other booths. Got paid for 20 hours doing 15 minutes of actual work.
Absolutely. I know a couple of them. Hard workers, pride in their job, pride in delivery accuracy.
There are a LOT, probably most, of good people, hardworking, at USPS. And unions have their place. Unfortunately, the overreach has created untenable situations that protect the bad rather than the folks who would be great employees anywhere.
Yup. But many of USPS employees are now independent contractors, bidding for mail routes on a daily basis. We get our mail at our office and our house delivered by such. The main person is usually good, the fill in person is their buddy running the route for a day off or for a vacation trip. It is usually the first time that they have delivered the mail.
@ray, don’t get me started on trade show rules. I was an EAC, Exhibitor Approved Contractor for several years, working on shows in Vegas (the Sands) and in Chicago (Rosemont). EACs are who the exhibitor hires when they want to avoid the unions as much as possible. WE dealt with the unions, and while not enemies, we were usually some level of adversary- they wanted to do what we did. I worked for years in other places as well, but those were bad. Philly convention center was the worst and after they beat us up for a week we swore we’d never go back. King of Prussia PA was very friendly place to put in a show, right down the road, and had helpful and accommodating union members… F- Philly, they never got another dime from us. That’s the short-sightedness of some unions and locals, get as much as you can today, and forget about how it affects tomorrow. (this is how the UAW killed Detroit and the Big 3, and how the steelworkers killed domestic steel production.)
I had a great relationship with Local 1 in NYC, several of the Chicago locals, and IATSE locals all over the country. I even got on pretty well with the Teamsters, when they weren’t trying to steal gigs from the other locals.
I was invited to be a charter member of a new local in Phoenix in the late 80s (passed) and worked with 33 and 44 in LA. My wife carried an IATSE card for years.
SO, I know a bit about working with and for unions in the entertainment, public events, and film/tv industries. The short of it is, if the industry is still dangerous and abusive, there is still a place for strong unions. But the unions have to hold up their end, and provide skilled and experienced labor for the rate. The best situations were where the unions had to compete for the work with skilled and motivated non-union shops. Without real competition, all the bad things happen.
n
Regarding AAA: The last three times we used them when living in North Carolina it took between two and four hours before they arrived. They managed to damage the car each time they were called. I had pictures to prove the damage. They basically told me to sue. I am no longer a member.
Regarding the USPO: My son mailed a small (12x10x7) package from Montgomery AL to Chadwick IL (100 miles west of Chicago) on June 15th. It arrived on July 3rd. Seems much too long to me.
AAA roadside assistance has saved my bacon a bunch of times. I have the basic level. Only once or twice did I need towing more than that, and I think I’m well ahead money wise just paying for the longer tow. I did add my wife for whatever additional that costs.
SoCal AAA is probably the best in the nation, with lots of additional freebe’s and services. The best is not having to go to the DMV for license and tags. The maps, spare keys, and discounts were great too.
I use my AAA discount for hotels, but usually forget to ask anywhere else, that alone used to more than pay for my membership. In fact, I’ve been a member for over 23 years, first in SoCal, then Texas.
I’ve had a couple of long waits, but some short ones too. Remember, the service provider is just contracted to AAA, they really can’t do anything except refuse to renew the relationship.
Bad providers are everywhere.
n
Portland mothers form a ‘Wall of Moms’ to ‘protect’ protesters from Trump’s federal officers before being tear gassed – as Democrat mayor demands President remove agents from city that has seen 50 nights of unrest since George Floyd death
–the video further down the page puts the lie to the “mostly peaceful” nonsense. That is a war zone. They pulled down the barricades around the courthouse. Set a fire in a portico. Were beating on the building with pipes.
What kind of mother stands in a line in front of “protesters” carrying “ACAB” signs and the rest of the anarchist nonsense and gets tear gassed over a convicted felon who held a gun to a pregnant woman’s belly?
Think about what it takes to get people like that to that position. Someone is very good at organizing this.
n
BTW, I have been thinking a lot about this since BLM went nuts. The blacks do have a legitimate gripe. They are targeted by police since they are often easy targets. A lot of the poorer and younger people self medicate with pot and a detailed search of their belongings will turn up something. Off to jail they go with horrific legal fees they cannot pay and long jail terms that they do not deserve.
I have no idea how to fix this problem except getting rid of the “War on Some Drugs”. The War on Some Drugs has been a war on the self medicating portion of our population who do not use alcohol. I am not sure that getting rid of the War on Some Drugs will fix this problem but it might be a good start. And there is a downside, I do not want to see drug use on our streets and parks. There has got to be a line here that will work but I am not sure that this is not an all or nothing issue.
If we continue the War on Some Drugs, things will get worse. We may already be past the point of no return.
Lord, save us from the Do Gooders !
BTW, I hope that everyone understands what self medicating is. Most of the self medicating people are bi-polar. They can be great one day and a freaking disaster the next. One of my brothers is an alcoholic and a drug addict (pot). He claims to have gone cold turkey in the last couple of years as he has gotten older. My wife’s younger brother was a drug addict: pot and speed (meth). Dealing with their situations has been a freaking disaster for our families. Bringing the police in always made things worse. ALWAYS.
When my brother-in-law was murdered in 1982, the police justified it as a drug deal gone bad since he had been convicted of pot usage several times. It was not a drug deal, it was a robbery. The murderers were caught in the act by the police and plea bargained to 18 months in Texas prisons.
That sucks.
n