Cool and sunny, lots of wind.
That was Monday to a ‘T’. Still not drying outside even with only 35%RH. I’ve still got standing water on my driveway from 2 days ago.
Well, I took 6 more bins of stuff to the auctioneer yesterday. And I didn’t even get into the driveway, much into the garage, or at all in my secondary or my storage unit. I’m going to continue pulling stuff today, and I’ll either get one last drop off today (if I can get away with my wife at work) or I’ll take some to my other auction tomorrow when I go to do my settlement with them. It won’t be before Christmas, but it will be ready to go right after. I’m finding stuff I forgot about which is nice but also horrifying. I found some model train stuff, and some nice Hot Wheels cars from the mid and late 70s. They should do well. I wish I had a thousand of them though.
My industrial auctioneer is still listing a few items they didn’t get in the last one, but he’s already told me twice he doesn’t want more stuff from me until next year in January. I’ve got a ton of stuff for him, but I can’t force people to take it.
On a personal level, I’m feeling very anxious while out driving around. Everywhere I look I see new bums panhandling. I see more new For Lease signs. I saw workers taking down a big sign on a business today, and a whole strip development on what is a pretty busy street with ALL the businesses closed. There were several- a chinese buffet, and ‘alkaline water’ boutique, some other salon, and a phone or tech repair place. All gone this week. Lots more trash in front of several stores too. Goodwill is parking trailers full of stuff in front of the Outlet. They can’t process the stuff fast enough to get rid of it. Even the temporary ‘day’ labor provider across from the Goodwill closed down.
On the sorta prepping front, my wife did most of the jewelry badge with her Girl Scouts this weekend. I was able to provide a dozen sets of pliers, wire, jump rings and clasps, different stones charms and bits from old costume jewelry, and some of reference material, even a ring sizing mandrel (one part of the badge is learning about the tools.) I had accumulated the stuff with an eye toward craft projects with my kids. I had plenty to share…
And I went into Costco today. I needed to pick up the Christmas cards, so I walked through the store too. Not much Christmas merch left on the floor. And they reorganized the whole place since I was last there! It looks like they did a major upgrade to their cooling system, made dairy and eggs a big walk in cooler, and tied all their display coolers together- there were pipes linking them that weren’t there before. They still had a guy wiping cooler door handles, and aisles seemed wider. I could see marks on the floor that showed that the stuff HAD moved. They had a whole corral set up for TP, mostly piles of Kirkland, but they had Charmin blue label, so I bought some. $23 instead of $16 on sale, but it’s time to start building the stack up again. The only other prices that jumped out at me were $1.87/lb for spiral sliced ham, and in the other direction, $6/lb for Kirkland organic ground beef. It’s been on sale to match their normal ground beef in the past. Normal hamburger was ~$3/lb which is a good price.
The TP was my only purchase. I’ll do instacart for my normal stuff.
The lot was not full, nor were there lines for gas, but it was a Monday afternoon, which is normally a slower time anyway. During my other dropoff I drove right past what should have been a busy shopping area, but it was not. In person retail is in trouble if that’s any indication.
All this is to say, even here, in one of the strongest local economies in the country, with ‘sensible’ restrictions from COVID, I’m seeing evidence that the economy is in trouble at ground level. Big trouble. We’ve found our local charity for the season, the Stagehand’s local has an emergency fund and present collection for their members. Yes, they are union pukes. But they’re OUR pukes… (my wife was card carrying for years) and entertainment is in our blood as well as being part of my wife’s business. I encourage you to find something local and direct that you can help with this year. And if you need help, get it, there are resources out there.
Local local local, and Meatspace baby!
Keep stacking. You can’t help others if you aren’t ok yourself. And there will be others.
nick
All this is to say, even here, in one of the strongest local economies in the country, with ‘sensible’ restrictions from COVID, I’m seeing evidence that the economy is in trouble at ground level.
Marble Falls was pretty grim when we went last weekend. Weather closed the tourist draw light display on the river, but the town was unusually slow for a Saturday night.
I’m mystified by the hospitalization figures being used to justify further restrictions in CA. Hospitals are built with the goal to have 85% utilization of the ICU beds so what the state seems to be saying is that restrictions won’t lift until numbers are better than normal.
With current laws any loan forgiveness is taxable unless in bankruptcy under a judge’s order. Executive orders don’t matter as that is not a law. Tax is governed by law set by congress. For dismissed student loans to be tax exempt would require a revision to tax laws by congress.
If student loans are forgiven does that mean my son, actually myself as I paid, can get that money back from the government? It would seem only fair. Or do the leeches keep sucking on the government teet?
“A question for the tax experts: I read a comment that if plugs forgives the first $50,000 of a student’s debt, that becomes taxable income.
Is this true?”
Depends on how the legislation is written. If done with an Executive Order, not sure.
The first time home buyer tax credit was done as a loan with payments buried in income tax for a certain number of years, but that got passed through Congress.
Plugs was talking about $10,000 in immediate student loan relief done in a similar way via executive order, but, regardless of number, the money has to come from a budgeted account somewhere unless Congress acts.
Congress knows they’re playing with fire with forgiveness because, prior to the last decade, when Sallie Mae gave way to Navient in the nationalization, most big student loan balances were carried by professionals like my wife who responsibly paid the minimums plus more every month even when it was a painful hit to the bottom line in the household. Lots of Dems in that category, including healthcare providers the government is counting on to be on the front lines of the Wuxu Flu.
If student loans are forgiven does that mean my son, actually myself as I paid, can get that money back from the government? It would seem only fair. Or do the leeches keep sucking on the government teet?
Anyone with paid off loan balances is hosed.
We paid somewhere between $275k and $300k in loan payments over fifteen years for my wife’s medical degree. 6% interest, a starting balance of more than $200k, and three years of deferment during residency. After that, when I wasn’t paying attention, my wife would make the minimum payment and that was it.
Buried in there is what I laughingly call the $30,000 Corolla.
My wife’s parents did nothing to help. The word from my father-in-law, who made six figures at the time, the mid 90s, was “Student loans build character.”
We have a lot of character if that’s the metric. Instead of lending a hand, my father-in-law helped pioneer the concept of the type of “day spa” which got Robert Kraft in trouble in Florida. The old man effectively owned a popular one in Cocoa Beach, and the madam -er- massage therapist who ran the place has since graduated to working out of what’s left of the nicer tourist hotels in the city.
I knew that. I was being sarcastic. Maybe I should go back to school, acquire a huge student loan, then ask for the loan to be forgiven. I can tolerate the tax bill in exchange for a few grand of someone else’s money.
Most of these students with the loans will not be able to afford the tax burden if/when the loans are forgiven. Not only are they on the hook for federal income tax, those in states with income tax will be wanting their share of the tax. Forgive $50K and there could be as much as $10K in taxes due on the forgiven money.
Sad part is that most of the schools to which the students attend, attended, are rife with greed. I have told the story before about my issues with MTSU and the continual money grab. All to keep the unemployable employed. Downright theft in some cases by MTSU. And they have the nerve to send me letters asking for money. I remove my name from the junk and mail it back to them in their postage paid envelope. I should mail back a huge box of bricks with the postage paid envelope as the mailing label.
Another time bomb that is ticking is the eviction deferral and utility disconnect suspension. That money will become due at some time. Landlords are going to want their money. The utilities are going to want their money.
At some point landlords are going to want their rent. If the renters don’t pay, then eviction and a lien on their property. These evicted people will have a difficult time renting again as no landlord will rent to someone that has not paid rent in the past. A lot of people are going to be looking for a place to live.
Same with utilities. That money will be due and it could be a large amount. No payment, then disconnect. Houses without water, sewer and electricity due to disconnects with people living in them can result in condemnation of the property and forced eviction. Cities don’t take kindly to people living in such conditions.
Unfortunately many will not pay and just move to another city. Those of us that are paying our utility bills will get stuck with higher rates to cover the losses. Once the losses have been recovered from the higher rates, the higher rates will remain in force.
If you have the time you might like Pearl Harbor Minute by Minute. It was released yesterday on Youtube on the “World War Two” channel. I haven’t watched it all (it’s in 30 minute segments) but I found it very interesting but also very saddening and to think it was just the opening blow. I had an uncle who was a k-9 handler in the marines in the Pacific. I never heard him talk about it and now everybody is gone that he might have told about it. Wish young me had thought to ask.
WWII information makes me think of this funny John Mulaney routine:
https://youtu.be/jRLH8E_CpP0?t=84
Sad part is that most of the schools to which the students attend, attended, are rife with greed. I have told the story before about my issues with MTSU and the continual money grab. All to keep the unemployable employed. Downright theft in some cases by MTSU. And they have the nerve to send me letters asking for money. I remove my name from the junk and mail it back to them in their postage paid envelope. I should mail back a huge box of bricks with the postage paid envelope as the mailing label.
I’ve written before that CS at the Masters level at many mid-tier state schools has turned into an OPT visa diploma mill degree chasing international tuition dollars.
Upper-tier state schools and pricey private places run “Professional Development” Masters in the engineering disciplines and business, most with questionable academic standards, even from “good” schools.
If you get stuck down here for any reason, my grad alma matter runs a sketchy PhD program which they sold to the Regents as justified because of the commercial-oriented nature of the cirriculum, unlike the PhD program at UT, which is more “academic”. I’m sure you could come up with a solid business plan for something which would catch the eye of one of the professors.
Applying to the PhD program was my fallback plan to working a real job when I graduated in 2017, but I live on the other side of town from the main campus. They’re only ~ an hour north of La Cantera, which would probably be better for you.
The new job works for me as long as no one yells. No more Adderall or T therapy patients as managers is the latest addition to my rulebook — they don’t get better. I’m not thrilled with 100% remote, but that’s the reality for everyone for at least another year.
The VA has delayed copays for prescription medicines I receive. Never gave me an option to continue paying.
Yesterday I got a letter saying I owed $125.00 for my copays. There were also instructions to follow if I had difficulty paying. A payment plan.
A lot of veterans living on the edge, those below 50% rating, are in for a nasty surprise. May put some over the edge.
This deferred rent, utilities and medicine stuff just kicked the can down the road. When all that money becomes due it will shock many. Will interest be charged? Late fees? Who knows?
The VA has delayed copays for prescription medicines I receive. Never gave me an option to continue paying.
Yesterday I got a letter saying I owed $125.00 for my copays. There were also instructions to follow if I had difficulty paying. A payment plan.
That must be new this week. My wife’s on televisits this week and had a vet go on at length about a billing issue yesterday. 40 minutes by my clock.
Yeah, patient privacy is nil when we both work from home, but the VA isn’t providing any money to establish a work environment and rectify the privacy, IT, and ergonomic issues. I generally don’t hear names if you are concerned.
That was probably the plan all along. Get deferral passed because that’s easier to get through Congress. Let that deferred debt pile up and create an argument for turning deferral into forgiveness.
“create an argument for turning deferral into forgiveness. ”
–my out of date experience with student loans suggests that they’d rather convert that to principle in a new loan, and extend everything out. They prefer debt slaves.
n
Currently going thru my video from last night. The neighborhood had a rash of mail theft and vandalism against Christmas displays. Two guys on bicycles, one on each side of the street, and they are quick. I don’t have anything that is really identifiable- just male, dark top, lighter long pants, and male, dark top and bottom, light colored hat or hair. I would really like to have the blutooth capture going, maybe could get a cell phone…
Why should landlords be required to forgive rent? That is stealing from an individual by the government. Forcing someone else to directly subsidize another will not fly. Of course congress may try.
Well, whether the tenants are under a heap of deferred rent they can’t pay or whether Congress forgives the debt. Either way, the landlords aren’t getting paid. The latter makes Congress look good to the FSA.
–my out of date experience with student loans suggests that they’d rather convert that to principle in a new loan, and extend everything out. They prefer debt slaves.
The student loan debt issued since the program was nationalized funds Obamacare. The accounting trick allowed ACA to pass under Reconciliation as revenue neutral, and I believe the revenue has to be replaced or open up the law to more court challenge.
Talk of forgiveness plans happened under the assumption that Congress would change hands and be amenable to taxing “the rich” to replace the revenue stream, but the Progs’ lead in the House narrowed to just 11 seats and the Senate will probably remain 51-49, pretty much eliminating any chance of dramatic new taxation with both sides facing a stirred up electorate in 2022.
Even if the improbable happens and GA seats Warnock in the Senate, I doubt there will be any enthusiasm for new taxes. The Dems have more members at risk in that chamber in 2022, and Mark Kelly goes before the voters again, facing the McCain family looking to take back control of what they consider their property.
As Michael J. Fox learned with his last wretched sitcom, the funding of which cost NBC Thursday nights, the American public only has so much sympathy to give shoddy product. Gabby Giffords shooting was a decade ago.
But, Georgia did a hand count that matched what the machines put out. So, nothing to see here.
Like I said, either way the landlords are not getting paid. No low income renter is going to pull a year’s worth of deferred rent out of thin air. Landlords can perform all the collection actions they want. Many of these low income renters have already resigned themselves to the fact that their FICO score is shit and always will be. You may get an anxiety attack at the thought of your credit report being dinged. They couldn’t care less. So, what’s left to insure that both the tenants aren’t homeless and the landlords aren’t bankrupt? The taxpayers (through a series of of rent assistance funds and programs at the local, state, and federal level) and future tenants (via elevated rents) get to pay the back due rent a nickel and dime at a time.
In other (old) news…
John Lennon was killed 40 years ago today.
I”m tellin’ you guys, something is up with aliens…
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9029557/Mankind-contact-alien-Galactic-Federation-Israeli-official-says.html
n
I’ve read some similar stuff from former leaders and officials who are so old that they’re no longer worried about backlash or consequences. Essentially, we’ve been in contract with one or more groups of aliens for decades. Unfortunately, in our world of religious zealotry, flat-earthers, uncontacted Amazon tribes, rednecks, and mud hut dwellers it has been determined that it’s best to not announce to the world the existence of aliens.
Long overdue house cleaning at Fort Hood.
https://twitter.com/NorahODonnell/status/1336299458393419778
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence
In other (old) news…
John Lennon was killed 40 years ago today.
Trivia note — Howard Cosell was arguably the first to break the story on a nationwide media outlet.
Check your white male heteronormative patriarchal privilege, you racist! That’s just one way of evaluating truth.
I’ll wait to see who gets cashiered and for what.
/IMHO
After being assigned there for two years, with all the units located there, it was always a mess. Throw in the pussyification of the Military by Obola, I can see why things got way out of hand. Discipline probably went to an all time low. More sensitivity training, critical Race theory, not only let predators roam, but encouraged the Brass and high ranking EM to *dabble* and get away with wrist slaps by saying “sniff, I’m sorry.”
/IMHO
New to us house progress report.
Oak floor is nearly all laid. Maybe 150 sf to go. I know how to do it now. Using the Bosch nailer is not unlike the experience I have firng semi-automatics vs revolvers. Revolver is more forgiving (after an action job) of my weak grip semi-auto not so much (fires, if grip insufficientI cause a jam). Likewise, if I don’t hang onto the Bosch and hammer on the activator with sufficient vigor, nail does not fully embed. I’m tired and explaining poorly.
Anyway, I know how to do it and am not dependent on my friend showing up to finish the job.
I was going to paint the ceilings myself but a couple hours painting from a ladder convinced me I’m no spring chicken. Hired a painter I’ve used previously to paint the ceilings throughout, correct poppped ceiling nails, and repair the single ceiling crack. Wasn’t in my budget however I can shift things around to stay within overall budget.
I cannot recommend laying 12” x 24” floor tile as a first tiling experience. I finished at 2 anytime. Today my hands are wrecked, my knees bellyaching. I have six more pieces with mildly complex cuts to lay. Didn’t have the hand strength last night to control the tool. I got everything square with even lines as far as I can tell.
Anchorage has been raising a louder ruckus over the most recent feloniously selective shut down of restaurants and similar small businesses. Shop at Costco / Walmart with zero limits (other than mask) but Covid will getcha if you set foot in a bar or restaurant. Humorously our interim mayor tested positive for Covid (after three tests so what does that tell you about reliability and accuracy).
I’m pooped and hear mysterious noises from the living room. Off to investigate (and probably clean something).
(Did I break a record yet with my parenthetical asides?).
Oh – Arborist quote for removal of end of life / weed / dying trees is $3,000 – $6,000 depending on how aggressive we thin. And the LVP is ready for pickup four days early – woot!
This mentions some options to avoid the tax impact:
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/08/heres-the-tax-impact-if-schumers-call-for-student-debt-cut-is-adopted.html
–which is what I was saying days ago…. I’ll let someone else go first.
n
After being assigned there for two years, with all the units located there, it was always a mess. Throw in the pussyification of the Military by Obola, I can see why things got way out of hand. Discipline probably went to an all time low. More sensitivity training, critical Race theory, not only let predators roam, but encouraged the Brass and high ranking EM to *dabble* and get away with wrist slaps by saying “sniff, I’m sorry.”
We see the stories frequently on the local TV news, particularly the Guillen case, where the murder may have taken place *within a building*.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/12/08/fort-hood-panel-faults-army-ignoring-sexual-assaults-some-fired/6481836002/
My sister-in-law has a friend on 100% disability paid as hush money because a very high ranking officer tried to dabble with her while she was stationed in DC. Gotta wonder how many others are out there.
@jenny, you are tearing thru it!
I’ve never used one of those flooring nailers, but I’ve watched them do it on tv. You def need to hit it with some feeling. As with all things hammer, let the hammer do the work. Let your whole arm guide the hammer with the use of gravity, and look at your target.
And as a general rule, absolutely do not look at your fingers to make sure you don’t hit them with the hammer!
WRT painting, I always use an extension handle for ceilings, and walls, and even floors if I’m using a roller. 4-6ft is usually good. That lets you keep your arms much closer to your trunk. Cutting in still takes a lot of ‘arms above the head’ time though. I’ve never found the special tools to be any big help either.
Like working out at the gym, all I can suggest is alternating tasks so you (ab)use different muscle groups.
You’re getting so much more done than 99% of everyone else, don’t forget to pat yourself on the back every once in a while.
n
Link to the FDA document from the FDA Products Advisory Committee on the Pfizer vaccine:
https://www.fda.gov/media/144245/download
Safety in certain subpopulations
There are currently insufficient data to make conclusions about the safety of the vaccine in
subpopulations such as children less than 16 years of age, pregnant and lactating individuals,
and immunocompromised individuals.
Chart on pages 22/23 (of 53) shows the comorbidities that were tracked.
Nick, I think I’ll get in line right behind you…
That would explain Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.
Keep trying until you get it right?
That just shows that Schumer and Warren have no idea how tax laws work. They are both calling for the president to issue an executive order to forgive up to $50K in student loans and bypass the tax. Tax rules are laws, passed by Congress. An executive order cannot bypass laws laid down by Congress nor can an executive order bypass Congress’ role in setting taxes. Doing so would violate the separation of powers and should be challenged immediately.
That just shows that Schumer and Warren have no idea how tax laws work. They are both calling for the president to issue an executive order to forgive up to $50K in student loans and bypass the tax. Tax rules are laws, passed by Congress. An executive order cannot bypass laws laid down by Congress nor can an executive order bypass Congress’ role in setting taxes. Doing so would violate the separation of powers and should be challenged immediately.
It could be that Schumer and Warren know it won’t be Plugs who is inaugurated on Jan 20.
Are you going to deny the first woman President the first defining moment of her Administration? A woman of color?
Here’s the thing. Trump. I’m just saying.
Texas just joined the par-tay:
https://amgreatness.com/2020/12/08/will-this-texas-lawsuit-overturn-the-2020-election/
Texas just joined the par-tay:
https://amgreatness.com/2020/12/08/will-this-texas-lawsuit-overturn-the-2020-election/
As a fifth generation Texas, I approve of this lawsuit. And Pennsylvania has already responded at SCOTUS. “Texas Sues Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania And Wisconsin At US Supreme Court Over Election”
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/texas-sues-georgia-michigan-pennsylvania-and-wisconsin-supreme-court-over-election
“Update (1006ET): The state of Pennsylvania has replied to the Texas lawsuit, arguing that it doesn’t actually address Act 77 – a 2019 statute which allows voters to cast mail-in ballots for any reason.”
“Pennsylvania also argues that Texas doesn’t articulate how ‘massive disenfranchisement’ of voters by tossing out the results of the election ‘would accord with the Due Process Clause, which requires the counting of votes cast in reasonable reliance on existing election rules,’ and that the case at hand wouldn’t result in a ‘circuit split’ – when two or more different circuit courts of appeals might rule differently on the same legal issue (and is one of the factors the Supreme Court uses when deciding to take cases).”
“PA is also arguing that Texas, or anyone, has had since 2019 to object to Act 77, which violates the ‘doctrine of laches.'”
Question for the scientifically literate (skipping Mr. Ray, LOL 😉 ) :
News articles are popping up on the COVID PCR cycles, the more the less accurate the test. Does anyone know the *standard* that is used, and, is that how the quick tests are done, only on the long test, does it apply for those tests, or only lab studies, etc. I know, a lengthy question.
That just shows that Schumer and Warren have no idea how tax laws work. They are both calling for the president to issue an executive order to forgive up to $50K in student loans and bypass the tax. Tax rules are laws, passed by Congress. An executive order cannot bypass laws laid down by Congress nor can an executive order bypass Congress’ role in setting taxes. Doing so would violate the separation of powers and should be challenged immediately.
It could be that Schumer and Warren know it won’t be Plugs who is inaugurated on Jan 20.
Are you going to deny the first woman President the first defining moment of her Administration? A woman of color?
Here’s the thing. Trump. I’m just saying.
Of course, there is a rumor floating around the tube that Biden will concede if Trump pardons him, Hunter, and the rest of their family that has been selling influence to foreigners for decades.
Good thing you excluded me, a knuckle dragging, slope headed Neanderthal.
@MrAtoz
The number of cycles required to test positive roughly correlates with the viral load.
U.S. PCR testing is using 37 or 40 cycles.
Fauci quote from July 2020:
“…If you get a cycle threshold of 35 or more…the chances of it being replication-competent are miniscule…you almost never can culture virus from a 37 threshold cycle…even 36…it’s just dead nucleoids, period.”
https://www.anti-empire.com/fauci-himself-admits-covid-pcr-test-at-over-35-cycles-is-deceitful-worse-than-useless/
ADDED: The high number of “asymptomatic” cases is likely just obfuscating the fact that a lot of these people not only don’t have Wuhan lying Chinese no-face coronavirus, a significant portion haven’t had enough exposure to develop immune response.
others agree:
https://thevaccinereaction.org/2020/09/coronavirus-cases-plummet-when-pcr-tests-are-adjusted/
The most commonly cited “reasonable” number of cycles from my reading is 30.
The discussion is months old, yet we are still:
1) getting positive test reports which do not include the number of cycles
2) letting the government and media report positive test results as “cases”
The most likely explanation for this double deception is that it was slated for correction after January 20, at which time the asterisk would be wrote very small and the LSM would hail the effectiveness of the Biden approach.
Looks like the bombing has already started. They drew first blood.
https://www.johnscreekpost.com/bizarre-explosion-crash-in-georgia-kills-harrison-deal/
–I’m sure it’s nothing, maybe one of those faulty airbags. And the world is FULL of weird coincidences.
n
@Lynn
“PA is also arguing that Texas, or anyone, has had since 2019 to object to Act 77, which violates the ‘doctrine of laches.’”
The doctrine of laches does not apply.
WRT backing up data:
With my WD My Cloud being 5 years old, I could get 512 GB micro SD card from Amazon for $65. Drag and drop all data from My Cloud to new card.
Then get an app that can be scheduled to copy modified data from PC to SD card.
Texas just joined the par-tay
The Attorney General in Texas, Ken Paxton, is in serious trouble himself. The lawsuit is an attempt to distract attention.
Paxton may even … gasp … face a primary challenge next year. Strange but true.
If Texas goes the way of California, Texas Republicans will have no one but themselves to blame.
Geesh, Texas Republicans, even Florida Man is running rings around you politically.
As in “Today, a Florida Man in a Fort Lauderdale Wal Mart ..”. You all can write the rest of that story.
Huh, did anyone notice that bitcoin has doubled in 6 months?
And that paypal lets you buy and hold bitcoin and other cryptos in your paypal account, but doesn’t let you use bitcoin for payment? I wonder if you can accept it as a payment?
n
Of course, there is a rumor floating around the tube that Biden will concede if Trump pardons him, Hunter, and the rest of their family that has been selling influence to foreigners for decades.
Fantasy. Biden wanted to be the youngest President in history 32 years ago, and he was beaten before the primaries even started by the Tank Commander’s (Google “Dukakis tank”) operatives. He wants this vindication.
And if that part of Plugs brain is already the consistency of chiken soup, *Dr.* Jill Biden (like the ‘!’ in Jeb!) will make sure it happens, forging the signature on the family pardons herself if necessary.
Dr. Jill Biden dumped her first husband for … Plugs. Think about that. She needs vindication as much if not more so than her husband.
So, the *death count from COVID* could really be a bogus number, either way, based on false +/-, lying death certificates, incompetent administration of the test, etc. Plus the goobermint has politicized COVID into fear porn. IMHO.
Re: Texas election lawsuit — desperate people have desperate ideas.
This idea – that Texas can invalidate other state’s election results – is about as likely as getting money from a Nigerian email scam.
IMHO.
–Added–
And, just after I posted the above:
I guess this was inevitable as IBM essentially becomes Red Hat.
Upstream users report the bugs but won’t get the critical security patches from IBM until after the embargo on information lifts. Nice.
https://www.cyberciti.biz/linux-news/centos-linux-8-will-end-in-2021-and-shifts-focus-to-centos-stream/
@Lynn, I still think it is worthwhile to get the intern cracking on verifying your product runs under Wine on CentOS 7 and then experiment with porting the backend. I don’t see IBM ending the tradition that binaries run for 10 years after compiling on the most current RHEL/CentOS 7 release.
I haven’t run CentOS on my home server in years, having moved to Fedora when it started to optimize for Atom CPUs like the one I had in the machine at the time. However, a binary I compiled at the Death Star for RHEL 4 using CentOS over a dozen years ago will still run given the proper support libraries on just about any 32 bit or 64 bit Intel Linux system. I still see attempts by the user base to obtain configuration help in the message boards for the project.
Sucks to be CERN, though. They trusted IBM when they pulled the plug on their CentOS-like Scientific Linux last year.
Another time bomb that is ticking is the eviction deferral and utility disconnect suspension. That money will become due at some time. Landlords are going to want their money. The utilities are going to want their money.
At some point landlords are going to want their rent. If the renters don’t pay, then eviction and a lien on their property. These evicted people will have a difficult time renting again as no landlord will rent to someone that has not paid rent in the past. A lot of people are going to be looking for a place to live.
All five of our tenants are paid up at the moment. Two commercial properties and three residential properties.
Looks like the bombing has already started. They drew first blood.
https://www.johnscreekpost.com/bizarre-explosion-crash-in-georgia-kills-harrison-deal/
An apparent car crash in Georgia – kills Harrison Deal. He was a staffer for Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler. Harrison Deal was also dating Gov Kemp’s daughter.
Neighbors in the area described the accident as an explosion. On the Pooler Police Dept social media, several residents commented they heard a LOUD EXPLOSION.
HarrisonDeal car exploded (witnesses heard the explosion over a mile away). Vehicle left as molten metal, engine block ejected 50-60 yards away. That’s not an accident. That’s a car bomb disguised as an accident.
–I’m sure it’s nothing, maybe one of those faulty airbags. And the world is FULL of weird coincidences.
n
It was a warning to Governor of Georgia not to call the state legislature into session to invalidate the electors. It will be his daughter next.
https://www.infowars.com/posts/deep-state-threat-gov-kemp-daughters-boyfriend-killed-in-fiery-explosive-wreck/
Re: Texas election lawsuit — desperate people have desperate ideas.
This idea – that Texas can invalidate other state’s election results – is about as likely as getting money from a Nigerian email scam.
IMHO.
“Louisiana Joins Texas In Motion Against GA, MI, PA, & WI After SCOTUS Denies Trump Ally’s Bid To Decertify Biden’s PA Win”
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/texas-sues-georgia-michigan-pennsylvania-and-wisconsin-supreme-court-over-election
“Update (1705ET):Louisiana just joined Texas in the SCOTUS Motion against Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin on the grounds that various changes to their voting rules or procedures – either through the courts or via executive actions – violated the Electors Clause of the Constitution because they did not go through the legislatures:”
“Attorney General Jeff Landry issued the following statement regarding the ongoing controversies over the 2020 federal election and the new motion put forward by the State of Texas before the U.S. Supreme Court:”
“Millions of Louisiana citizens, and tens of millions of our fellow citizens in the country, have deep concerns regarding the conduct of the 2020 federal elections. Deeply rooted in these concerns is the fact that some states appear to have conducted their elections with a disregard to the U.S. Constitution. Furthermore, many Louisianans have become more frustrated as some in media and the political class try to sidestep legitimate issues for the sake of expediency. ”
So this is how Civil War II got started.
Not going to happen, even as much as the ‘reds’ want it to. IMHO.
Sorry for your loss.
My father-in-law had a serious Asian fetish. To me, it isn’t that far removed from Pedo.
One of my FIL’s best friends at his job was at the center of one of Orlando’s most notorious Pedo cases, brutally drugging and raping a neighbor girl over the course of a decade. The guy was so awful that, among … three (?) … mistrials was one where his own defense attorney stood up and quit in the middle of court after hearing testimony from the victim.
One guess as to the ethnicity of the friend’s wife.
https://www.axios.com/china-spy-california-politicians-9d2dfb99-f839-4e00-8bd8-59dec0daf589.html
Yeah, my father-in-law would have hit that … or at least tried.
Shouldn’t that be OUR loss, as there is no doubt the election system was “gamed”, to be polite.
Wouldn’t want to put words in your mouth as to why your content with that…
“Louisiana Joins Texas In Motion Against GA, MI, PA, & WI After SCOTUS Denies Trump Ally’s Bid To Decertify Biden’s PA Win”
Not going to happen, even as much as the ‘reds’ want it to. IMHO.
Sorry for your loss.
“Update (1515ET): Just twelve hours after it was filed, the US Supreme Court has officially put Texas’s lawsuit against Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin on the docket, meaning the case will be heard.”
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/texas-sues-georgia-michigan-pennsylvania-and-wisconsin-supreme-court-over-election
“Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future.” Niels Bohr
https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/niels_bohr_130288
Time flies. Patch Tuesday. A couple of security fixes.
https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-releases-windows-10-builds-19042685-183631256—heres-whats-new
Living in an expat enclave in Hong Kong, it wasn’t unusual to see middle aged men snuggling with little Chinese or Philippine girls that looked 11 or 12. Our ama, Philippine maid, told us they were generally over 18. She said that guilo (white) men like to date / marry the girls that look too young. The girls like to date / marry the men because they are rich. My brother has much more explicit tales of Thailand and Vietnam where he went for entertainment while living in Korea. Take into account he spent 5 years in the federal prison system for pursuing his entertainment in the US.
My father-in-law’s friends story. He never served any jail time. That conviction was overturned on a technicality.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1988-03-11-0020330161-story.html
“Fighting your Personal Battle Against COVID-19” by Dr. Knope
https://conciergemedicinemd.com/covid19/
BTW, my Dad went to a doctor’s appt in the Houston med center this morning. The doctor’s nurse is getting the vaccine on this Friday. His doctor is getting the vaccine on Monday. So, the medical staff at the main Methodist hospital is getting vaccinated now.
I heard on the radio yesterday that they are distributing 230,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine in the Houston area as soon as the FDA approval is official on Thursday. I have been trying to read the approval report mentioned above by Alan. It is a slog, at least me, a lowly engineer.
https://www.fda.gov/media/144245/download
“Here’s how many doses of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine these Houston-area hospitals will get”
https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2020/12/07/houston-hospitals-pfizer-covid-19-vaccine.html
“Twenty-seven hospitals across the Houston metro region will receive nearly 60,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine as early as the week of Dec. 14, according to plans released by the Texas Department of State Health Services on Dec. 4. Across the Lone Star State, 224,250 doses of the Pfizer vaccine will be allocated to 109 hospitals in 34 counties.”
“In accordance with the vaccination protocols established by the Texas DSHS, frontline medical workers and support personnel who work in Covid-19 units or come into contact with Covid-19 patients will be first in line for the Pfizer vaccine. Other clinical workers and high-risk patients will be in the next group to receive a Covid-19 vaccine, per the Texas DSHS.”
Finished the LOTR trilogy extended edition. Lot of stuff left out of the film. The last episode was over 3.5 hours long. What also struck me was that there is 24 to 27 minutes of credits at the end of each episode of the trilogy. Everyone that had anything to do with the movie all the way down to the shoe shiners had their name listed. Little bit of overkill if you ask me. But then according to MrAtoZ I am little more than a knuckle dragging hunchbacked Neanderthal. So little wonder no one asked me.
I did watch some of the Extras which is about how they did some of the scenes. Quite clever use of blue and green screens and how many of the camera shots were actually quite short. A lot of clever people, especially to the knuckle draggers among us.
Few drugs get initial approval in those groups. In fact, damn near every new drug out there is contraindicated for pregnant and lactating individuals – testing a drug on pregnant women is pretty risky for them and their child.
At least one of the vaccines is looking for children for trials. I’ve seen the ads in Facebook.
Um, no. Just a collision.
From a local paper:
I’ve seen a car catch fire and burn. There was an “explosion” and loud noise as the fuel tank ruptured.
Source:
https://www.statesboroherald.com/local/few-details-released-fatal-crash/
But what about conspiracy theorists? Don’t they get to have the conspiracy theory?
(And there might be some CT’s here….maybe….)
Yep. I did not really enjoy them because I really enjoyed the books…
If I really like a book I will probably not enjoy a movie based on it and if I really like a movie I will probably not enjoy the book(s).
In my case that applies almost all the time.
“Miami’s Cold Weather Dress Code”
https://gunfreezone.net/miamis-cold-weather-dress-code/
“The temperature was in the mid 50’s so protection against the elements is mandatory. This is when hoodies get dusted and regular people wear them.”
South Texas ain’t much different. Since I take a baby aspirin to thin my blood and had heart surgery a couple of years ago, I now get cold at 75 F. Last night I wore sweat pants, running shoes, long sleeve work shirt, long sleeve t shirt, velour vest, navy hoodie, and white hoodie on the outside at midnight at 43 F to walk 1.2 miles. Yup, I am a pansy now. My dog wore her fur coat and was happy.
Here is a good article on the development of the Moderna vaccine. It took 2 days from release of the virus genome to finish design of the vaccine. The first samples were at NIH for Phase I testing a month later as the first death in the US happened.
But, the important takeaway is this. Using this technique, we could have vaccines designed, safety tested, and ready to make for $1 to $3 billion. For just about every virus out there that is a potential threat.
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/amp/2020/12/moderna-covid-19-vaccine-design.html?fbclid=IwAR3CVf_xwMKQQhmbeZqmbXRYLiQYXSNlZwJK-5HVIWnjvM09SinnkPHPm6U
“Ransomware gangs are now cold-calling victims if they restore from backups without paying”
https://www.zdnet.com/article/ransomware-gangs-are-now-cold-calling-victims-if-they-restore-from-backups-without-paying/
“Tactic used since August by ransomware gangs like Sekhmet, Maze, Conti, and Ryuk.”
Oh my. Sounds worse than an AT&T salesperson.
“Elon Musk Announces He’s Moved from Silicon Valley to Texas, Calls California “Entitled””
https://bigleaguepolitics.com/elon-musk-announces-hes-moved-from-silicon-valley-to-texas-calls-california-entitled/
“Tesla CEO and billionaire Elon Musk announced that he’s moved from California’s Silicon Valley to Texas on Tuesday. Musk made the announcement at a Wall Street Journal virtual event, and he didn’t have the kindest words for his former state.”
““They do tend to get a little complacent, a little entitled, and then they don’t win the championship anymore,” he said of the far-left state. “And I think they’re taking them for granted a little bit.””
But will he still vote for dum-bro-crats in Texas ?
But will he still vote for dum-bro-crats in Texas ?
Sure he will if he’s living in Downtown Austin, starting with the hypocrite Mayor.
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/coronavirus/article/I-will-work-to-re-earn-your-trust-Austin-mayor-15781888.php
Adler knows how to throw a party.
Doesn’t Musk have a baby with the Amy Winehouse wannabe? Maybe he’ll move to my neighborhood, like all of the other Austin hipsters once the kids come along.
A house near the Mormon Temple (hottest hipster real estate in the neighborhood) has been undergoing a rebuild of the interior from bare studs for the last few months. $100,000+ if I had to guess.
Oh my. Sounds worse than an AT&T salesperson.
My entry on the extra-special “Do Not Call. EVER!” list for grumpy ex employees must have expired. I had a rep knock on the door last week.
Don’t get too excited in Houston. Tony Dungy pushed the Lovie Smith era on the Yucs — two years, 8-14, and the Jameis Winston near-disaster.
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/texas-sports-nation/texans/article/Tony-Dungy-Jimmy-Johnson-Texans-advisory-committee-15783477.php
“Miami’s Cold Weather Dress Code”
“The temperature was in the mid 50’s so protection against the elements is mandatory. This is when hoodies get dusted and regular people wear them.”
50s? Really. Miami has seen unusually warm winters the past few years. That’s why the pythons are making national news.
“Miami’s Cold Weather Dress Code”
“The temperature was in the mid 50’s so protection against the elements is mandatory. This is when hoodies get dusted and regular people wear them.”
50s? Really. Miami has seen unusually warm winters the past few years. That’s why the pythons are making national news.
Remember my prediction for this winter ? COLD and COLDER. December 24, 1989 cold. 6 F in Sugar Land, TX. -4 F in Dallas, TX. Not sure what Austin was, probably 0 F.
Oh my. Sounds worse than an AT&T salesperson.
My entry on the extra-special “Do Not Call. EVER!” list for grumpy ex employees must have expired. I had a rep knock on the door last week.
I got called on my Verizon cellphone this morning from an AT&T business sales dude.
Cars rarely explode outside of movies. There is a loud ‘whoosh’, or a fat pop when the glass all goes, or the rushing of burning flames, but rarely a sharp explosive sound. Hell, I’ve been close enough to be hit with the glass when a minivan finally went from burning a little to burning a whole freaking lot… I had that unfortunate year that led to me carrying 5 extinguishers in my big truck and 3 or 4 in my Ranger. I’ve seen more than my share of vehicle fires.
It could just be coincidence. Weird things happen. Epstein managed to kill himself while under 24 hour observation and while in a jail cell… after having beaten the rap before, and getting conjugal visits… Vince Foster did a heck of a job in the park, and Seth Rich was robbed….
Who knows, russians might start getting poisoned by getting some bad soup, or an umbrella poke, or Koreans might get a kiss from a pretty girl…
n
https://jalopnik.com/why-cars-explode-into-fireballs-and-why-they-usually-do-560552028
Although a bit of explosive places on a gas tank and remotely controlled explosion might work.
All good fodder for conspiracy theorists….
All good fodder for conspiracy theorists….
But sometimes “they” really are out to get you! 😀
Doesn’t Musk have a baby with the Amy Winehouse wannabe? Maybe he’ll move to my neighborhood, like all of the other Austin hipsters once the kids come along.
According to his Wikipedia page, Musk has seven children, one is deceased.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk
I am not sure what Amy Winehouse did in music but here is Musk’s current squeeze. She performed at South by Southwest in Austin, TX in 2012. Apparently she and Musk had a son on May 24, 2020. His name is “X”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimes_(musician)
I think that I will continue to get my modern day music from Twenty One Pilots. Although, I am not brave enough to wear india ink on my hands and neck.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXRviuL6vMY
Just turned off the news.
The mathematically illiterate “fact checker” was looking at “excess deaths. 2020 is more than 2019 and 2018, hence we have “excess deaths”.
Using my finely honed research skills to consider the problem, I labored long before entering a search string in Google:
united states yearly deaths
After more intense thought, I chose
https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/death-rate
Linear trend upward 2013-2019.
Here is a car dealing with spontaneous and delayed combustion:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_9Kf0D5BTs
FFS linux, seriously? You are going to mount a drive as read only? An internal drive?
And then the F’d ‘differentiation’ applied by Mint- when you unmount the drive, which was mapped or mounted or symlinked or whatever, to /media/username/NVR_VIDEO and RE-mount it, it gets mounted to mnt/cadskajsdflksjaiaue
no way to change the permissions to something sensible like “I WANT TO USE THIS FREAKING DRIVE, WHICH IS WHY I HAVE IT INSTALLED” from the File Manager? No, gotta do something in a terminal, and all the ‘helpful’ folks online leave off some very important details, like WHERE TO OPEN THE DAM NABLE TERMINAL WINDOW. And also fail to mention if the changes are sticky.
NO idea how to do something simple, save a file to my installed second hard drive. And that folks is why linux is a niche desktop os.
n
Because my nvr is still not managing how much disk space it uses, the big disk fills up. I want to copy off today’s videos of the mail thieves to my archive drive, the previously mentioned NVR_VIDEO before I delete old videos. But I can’t. Because I’m being protected or something.
n
And how the F do I find out the free space on what would be my C drive in windows? the drive the os is on doesn’t have a simple disk icon anywhere I can find.
n
His first name is X (She goes by “c” btw.) His middle name though is a bit more unique…
Boucher and Musk have stated that they named the child as “X Æ A-12″[149][150] (pronounced “Ex Ash A Twelve”[151] or “Ex Ay Eye”[152]), although it has been reported that the name violates the naming law in California, where the child was born.[153] On May 24, Boucher announced the name was changed to “X Æ A-Xii”.[154] According to an image of the birth certificate released by TMZ, the letter “X” is the child’s first name, and his middle name is “AE A-XII”.[155]
I miss the ability of doubling down on thumbs ups. 🙂
How much time have you invested trying to figure out simple things (that will probably change in time and you will find out after they change) compared to having a simple routine of, once a month [mostly], updating your Windows system?
Please do not take this the wrong way. Only you can ascertain which one is better value to you.
“once a month [mostly], updating your Windows system?’
–it’s a valid question, and one Dr Pournelle would address by saying “I do these silly things so you don’t have too.” HOWEVER, I’m not him. I just want the stuff to work.
I had two reasons to try running the NVR software on linux. The first was that the windows version of the software wasn’t stable. It would crash and reload a dozen times an hour or more. It did it mostly without user intervention, but it missed recordings because of it. The linux version doesn’t have that problem, it’s been very stable, right up until it runs out of space. It MAY have an issue with error logging too.
The other reason was when a windows update broke the software completely.
In theory, once the linux install is stable, it should run forever. In practice, the software does a TERRIBLE job of managing files and disk space usage. There is a setting, but there is no documentation, so I’m just guessing at how it works (is it per camera or global, which takes precedence age? size? something else? and it’s specified in bytes, for multi terabyte directories) and I discovered this time, that it recreates its file save directory structure in half a dozen places as you config, and crash it, or run out of space on the drive you designated. Since I have to manually delete the video files, not being able to FIND 2-5 TB of old files is very frustrating. Add the way linux handles a full disk and you’ve got a mess.
The business with read only file systems is just dumb. There are millions of hits searching for solutions to disk access issues caused by that behavior so I know I’m not the only one. I’m sure they have reasons, and I’m sure they can argue for them all day long. Still dumb.
n
( I have now deleted terabytes of replicated directory structure, hidden in various places, all abandoned and out of date. Back up and running for the nonce. Still just monkey punching stuff, and still only have ro access to the archive drive.)
@Nick
I have experienced a read only issue on Linux disks – this was due to having a dual boot system where Windows 10 did not close the files when shutting down, therefore they were locked from Linux. Have you used the disks, or prepared them in a Windows environment? You can set up Windows 10 to fully shutdown and unlock the disks.