Sun. Nov. 20, 2022 – 11202022 – just didn’t happen

Cold and wet.   Low 40s to start, and if it keeps raining, to continue as well.   It was 42F when I went to bed.  Rained all day Saturday.

And partly because of the rain, I never really got anything done.   I got things started, but not finished.   I’m definitely not ready to head to the lake for a week, especially with a big meal in the middle.

Wife got home ok, said Vegas was about like always, and crashed out.   I ended up puttering around the house without much forward movement.   I spent a lot of time cooking, between pancake breakfast for the kids and the double meatloaf dinner.

I did take a look at the garden.   Watermelon vine is still there, still has flowers, but no fruit showing.  The lime tree in a pot that I thought was frozen has leaves on it.   The grape vine grew about 8ft, and still has leaves.  The herb garden is finishing out with the basil budding, and the rest either disappeared, or just small plants.  It’s enough to make me buy another couple flats of canned veg…

Plans.  Hah.   No plans for you!

We’ll see how today shapes up.  There isn’t a burning need to get to the lake today, and I’ve got stuff to do in town on Monday.   I may just plan to go up then, and let my wife have a quiet day at home.  Plans.  Hah.

There is comfort in plenty.  Stack some plenty.

nick

60 Comments and discussion on "Sun. Nov. 20, 2022 – 11202022 – just didn’t happen"

  1. brad says:

    I don’t want to know what my blood pressure is right now.

    Our crazy neighbors are at it again. To install their sewage, they made a cut across our paved access road. The heavy trucks have also damaged the curb, where they have been driving over it. All no problem, because – of course – the building company will fix everything at the end. Right?

    So we asked the building company when they will be paving the cut and fixing the curb. The answer was “not part of our contract, ask the owners.” So we ask our crazy neighbors. Their answer? It’s all somehow *our* fault, they certainly won’t be repairing anything, and don’t ever contact them again.

    I shouldn’t let this bother me, but after years of this crap I’m ready to strangle someone. The fact that we are going to be living next to these a$$holes does not fill me with joy. My wife’s reaction is to pacify things (as in, maybe we should just repair the street ourselves). My reaction is…more angry than that.

    Anyway, I’ve forwarded their answer to our lawyer. We’ll see what he has to say…

  2. Ray Thompson says:

    they made a cut across our paved access road.

    Unless they had an easement across the road that, in my opinion, is trespassing at the criminal level. I got the cable company to move a line that crossed my property, US laws. If the neighbors are in the wrong they could be liable for significant damages and penalties. You might also have the right to remove the sewer line at their expense.

    It will be interesting to see what happens.

  3. brad says:

    If the neighbors are in the wrong they could be liable for significant damages and penalties. You might also have the right to remove the sewer line at their expense.

    I’m thinking along similar lines. Likely they have the right to have the sewer line there, but suing them for damages, yeah. Also, they have done a lot of stuff not covered by their building permit. We have so far chosen not to protest, but it would be a legitimate way to cost them weeks or months of time and tens of thousands of cash.

    However, there are two reasons not to go that way. First, courts here are very different from the US. The definition of a “Swiss compromise” is something that makes everyone equally unhappy. Unless you have an incredibly clear-cut case, courts here tend to take that to an extreme: civil suits often wind up with everyone losing, one way or another. Secondly, we have to live here. Sure, we may be “right”, but taking the nuclear option might not make the best impression in a small town.

    Anyhow, we’ll see what our lawyer has to say…

  4. Greg Norton says:

    “Sad news about Greg Bear (see FB post from Astrid). Among the many wonderful encounters I had w/ Greg: when I reviewed the Foundation prequel trilogy he wrote w/ Benford and Brin, I said, surprisingly, Bear’s novel was the best. He wrote back quickly: “Why are you surprised”?”

    Sad.  Many of the science fiction authors I read are passing away.

    Is that the author who is … was …? … under the care of my wife’s former employers in Vancouver, WA?

    Here’s an easy one for those of you playing the home game … otherwise known as Vantucky?

  5. Greg Norton says:

    After 203,000 miles, it looks like my 2001 Solara is finally done.

    A leaky water pump may have drained the coolant to a critical level which caused engine damage. A contributing factor may have been some oil burning reducing the lubrication just enough … and my kids’ not paying attention to lights/gauges.

    Daddy is “OCD”, you see.

    Who knows. I drove the car once a week and only saw the occasional engine light due to evap codes — only an issue during “inspection”.* Plus, I babied that car, understanding the limitations of the 2.2L engine for over 20 years.

    The service place wanted $10,000 for an engine, water pump, and evap cannister when they casually called with the estimate after a significant delay yesterday.

    Hahahahahah. Right. Time for a second opinion.

    * Yup. I’ll use the scare quotes about another Texas practice which I don’t respect. A *Dem* Governor ended Florida’s “inspection” over 40 years ago but emissions checks occasionally resurface in some counties.

  6. Ray Thompson says:

    civil suits often wind up with everyone losing

    Except the lawyers. The lawyers always win lining their pockets with money.

    Secondly, we have to live here. Sure, we may be “right”, but taking the nuclear option might not make the best impression in a small town.

    There is that issue. Still you have to stand up for your rights and your property. Nuclear may not be the best but perhaps a large standard non-nuclear approach may be needed.

  7. lynn says:

    >> Yes.  I get the Fort Bend Herald three times a week delivered by USPS.

    So there’s no news the other four days? ;p

    Then there is https://www.drudgereport.com/

    He is a never Trumper but he is a really good new conglominator.

    Just wait until SCOTUS rescinds gay marriage next week. That will blow up the news cycle for a while.

  8. lynn says:

    It is 41 F and partly cloudy here in the wild west of Fort Bend County.  We have two feet of water in the front ditch now.  I suspect it will drain away quickly.  

    That big fusion reactor in the sky is coming up quick. I sure do appreciate it.

  9. Brad says:

    There is that issue. Still you have to stand up for your rights and your property. Nuclear may not be the best but perhaps a large standard non-nuclear approach may be needed.

    Yep, definitely.

  10. Greg Norton says:

    So we asked the building company when they will be paving the cut and fixing the curb. The answer was “not part of our contract, ask the owners.” So we ask our crazy neighbors. Their answer? It’s all somehow *our* fault, they certainly won’t be repairing anything, and don’t ever contact them again.

    The police won’t do anything?

    One of my rules of thumb regarding people is that about half of the white population in this country would be Rolf in “The Sound Of Music” if given the opportunity. I can only imagine what it is in a European country with a higher percentage of people with mid-to-north European ancestry.

    I don’t know if it is a genetic desire for quiet order or a conditioning thing, with a lot of white people I encounter still citing grandparents and great-grandparents as being immigrants.

    Of course, live anyplace here with a US Army or “joint” base being a dominant economic engine, and you’ll get lots of Boomer to X-er active duty/retired with German spouses in the suburbs who want those blades of St. Augustine cut precisely to the maximum height of your mower. Big Smile!

    Gotta get that ten bagger out of the one last off-base housing allowance.

  11. lynn says:

    The service place wanted $10,000 for an engine, water pump, and evap cannister when they casually called with the estimate after a significant delay yesterday.

    No freaking way.  If it was a suv or truck, maybe.  Camry, trash it and buy a new stripper for $25k.

  12. Ray Thompson says:

    Gocomics is still down. Second full day. Something major happened. ISP issues, network issues, server borked, payment in FTX bitcoin.

  13. Greg Norton says:

    The service place wanted $10,000 for an engine, water pump, and evap cannister when they casually called with the estimate after a significant delay yesterday.

    No freaking way.  If it was a suv or truck, maybe.  Camry, trash it and buy a new stripper for $25k.

    Kids’ car at this point. They will be lucky if I drop more than $5k. At some point, they need the incentive to study something meaningful.

    If the engine blows tomorrow, we’ll tap the emergency fund and probably end up spending more. I have my doubts about the engine, however, since the noise it is making comes and goes, and it is still late 90s Toyota tech, with the Solara being delayed going to the next generation Camry platform until the following model year.

    Being the offspring of a Ford Credit (almost) lifer, I keep the value of what is in the driveway as much below half of our annual take home as I can.

    I’ll ask the neighbor about his shade tree mechanic for a second opinion and a replacement of the water pump if the engine isn’t done.

  14. Greg Norton says:

    Just wait until SCOTUS rescinds gay marriage next week. That will blow up the news cycle for a while.

    That’s a possibility?

    If the majority opnion “leaks” again before January, the lame duck Congress will come under intense pressure to pack the Court with the nuclear option, and the Republicans might as well forget about any chance of winning the runoff in Georgia.

    Of course, the lame duck Congress could also use the nuclear codify the previous opinion in the next few weeks, but that might just fire up the Republicans in GA to actually … you know … vote. And in numbers to offset the funny business in South Fulton.

    Imagine. God forbid.

  15. PaultheManc says:

    @Brad

    Sorry to hear about your neighbours … again.  Some years ago, when leading a Charity/Company we had issues with our Landlord not undertaking their lease obligations.  We sought legal advice from the Solicitors with whom we had worked on the original lease.  His observation was, we were entirely within our rights to pursue the matter through the courts … but the legal costs would kill any potential benefit.  We just sucked it up!  Well worth the GBP300 or so the advice cost us, in my opinion.  Sometimes the right thing can be the wrong thing to do.

  16. drwilliams says:

    @Alan

    Of course without veto-proof majorities in both houses it will be a challenge for the Repubs to roll back the $80B I-R-S expansion. 

    It has to be funded at budget time.

  17. drwilliams says:

    So we asked the building company when they will be paving the cut and fixing the curb. The answer was “not part of our contract, ask the owners.” So we ask our crazy neighbors. Their answer? It’s all somehow *our* fault, they certainly won’t be repairing anything, and don’t ever contact them again.

    Don’t wait to ask questions. 

    I’m not in Switzerland, but I would have stopped any such work immediately: Criminal damage to property and trespass.

  18. Greg Norton says:

    Gocomics is still down. Second full day. Something major happened. ISP issues, network issues, server borked, payment in FTX bitcoin.

    Plus holidays and weather. 

    Someone probably had a travel day yesterday which turned into a travel weekend.

  19. Greg Norton says:

    Of course without veto-proof majorities in both houses it will be a challenge for the Repubs to roll back the $80B I-R-S expansion. 

    It has to be funded at budget time.

    You’re assuming that the IRS will be able to hire people with a jab mandate still in place.

    The mandates requiring jabs and in-person work have caused a major sh*t storm at the big IRS center here in Austin, especially with most of the private employers in town dropping their mandates for proof of jab or test required to enter their buildings along with continuing “hybrid”* work schedules.

    Tax returns for 2021 at the center didn’t see processing begin until August. Of course, no one is going to say that on the record.

    My current gig dropped the requirement a couple of months ago. I just went to the campus Friday night to pull a plug on a piece of hardware. Labor Day was pretty much it at private employers for the most part.

    I know the VA still requires mask kabuki on top of the jabs. I’m not sure about the IRS. Continuing the pandemic performance art wouldn’t help employee morale. The VA has a kinda-sorta excuse but everyone is over it.

    * No respect for that concept either.

  20. Greg Norton says:

    It has to be funded at budget time.

    So did Obamacare, but we know how that turned out.

    Fortunately, Plugs is not a Jesus President, but the Republicans have a thin margin in the House without horsetrading for ‘no’ votes being possible even at the level Pelosi had until recently.

  21. lpdbw says:

    Gocomics is still down.

    arcamax.com is up and running.

  22. Nick Flandrey says:

    Hey, I ‘m awake!   57F and sunny.  Well, partly cloudy with some sun.  

    Crashed at my desk last night, woke at 3:40, did my post and crawled into bed.   Woke about half hour ago.   House is very quiet, so I suspect I’m not alone in sleeping late.

    REALLY didn’t expect this.

    Coffee.  Yes please.

    n

  23. Nick Flandrey says:

    Well  I have learned the reason my wife was not up and pushing everyone to head out.    She and D2 are going to the theatre tonight.    They have tickets to “Six”.

    Takes any failure to get ready off of my back.

    n

  24. drwilliams says:

    Whatever the motive, this guy had serious issues.

    The privileged class and the police are already screaming “hate crime”. 

    ADDED: I wonder if the police would respond positively if they were asked “Is this being investigated as officer brutality?” each time someone was arrested?

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  25. EdH says:

    A low of 21 last night, leaves are falling in droves from trees around town.  
     

    At 7am it was still quiet enough to sound like rain. 
     

    No crowds at WinCo or the 99 Cent store, Home Depot was very busy. 

  26. drwilliams says:

    What are you — what are we — getting in exchange for letting this thug get away with murder, Mr. President? Other than the stink of complicity?

    https://hotair.com/headlines/2022/11/20/tapper-biden-now-has-stink-of-complicity-in-mbs-murder-of-khashoggi-n512442

    Jake the Fake doesn’t like it when a journalist gets killed by a state actor. Maybe he should take a look at his own years-long complicity in deceiving the American people and ignoring the predations of the Democrat Party and the DOP (formerly DOJ, now “Department of Persecution”). 

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  27. Nick Flandrey says:

    I’m reading thru the package of evidence that the Santa Fe Sheriff’s dept released regarding their investigation into the death on the set of Rust. 

    https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Binder_Rust-Case_Digital-of-Hardcopy-Sheets_optimized_Redacted.pdf

    pages 134 an onward are the interviews that are most relevant.

    Most of it is as I expected from my experience in Hollywood, and familiarity with the industry.   The statements from the people inside the set describe a pretty typical shoot, and negate almost all of the armchair experts’ comments and pontificating about what should or shouldn’t have been happening.  

    Baldwin was doing what he was told to do.  He was not grandstanding or messing around.  They were specifically setting up  a shot looking directly into the barrel of the drawn gun.  The camera was about 4 feet from Baldwin.  No one thought the gun had anything in it besides cosmetically accurate but inert bullets.  Baldwin’s statement says he pulled the hammer back to show the director and confirm it could be seen on camera, and when he released the hammer the gun fired.    He denies any intention of pulling the trigger, but admits his finger could have been on the trigger. [ie, the trigger might have been depressed enough to not stop the hammer from moving forward, or the hammer might have not been retracted enough to engage the trigger mechanism, and still had enough force to set off the round (which was supposed to be inert.)]

    From the’ armorer girl’s’ statements (the nomenclature of several of the interviewees), I see several places where an actual round could have entered the gun.    The 1stAD (Dave) definitely F’d up by overstepping his responsibility and authority when he handed the gun to Alec.   Covid restrictions may have played a role in subverting safety practices.   And the 1stAD seems to have played a role in subverting safety practices too.

    I’ve got more to read, but it still looks like an industrial accident to me.   Protocols weren’t followed precisely, people were far too casual about safety, and bad things happened.   In other words, an accident.

    Responsibility should fall directly on Dave, 1stAD and Hannah (purple haired girl- aka armorer girl).

    Like any accident a whole lot of things had to go wrong to get to the bad result.  At any step it could have been averted, and similar situations might have been averted dozens of times, with no one the wiser.  No one complains about the cock that doesn’t crow.

    Some side notes.   A conversation Hannah had on the phone before she was mirandized  happened “in our presence” according to the cops and was entered into evidence.     There has been video released of cops asking questions of witnesses before they are mirandized, captured on body cam.  This has also been admitted into evidence.  EVERYTHING you say or do in the presence of a cop after an incident WILL be used against you if they feel like it.

    It took about 25 minutes for aid to get to the scene.   Even with an on set medic, and a guy with army medic training helping, that’s a LONG time to keep someone shot in the chest alive.  They were not prepared for a traumatic injury in  a rural setting.  The stunt coordinator wasn’t present, and I’m betting that was because of budget requirements.  (and really, no stunts were being done, just action involving a gun battle. /sarc)

    EVERYONE involved with the production was interviewed, and their phone numbers and emails were NOT redacted in the release of evidence.    

    There is always a disgruntled whiny little b!tch to give statements of dubious veracity to someone.

    Cops have really poor spelling and grammar skills, despite having to routinely write reports.  Anyone getting nit picky or lawyerly over a specific word or usage in a report is not being honest.  The reports are ‘best effort’ and general descriptions of what happened AT BEST, and should not be relied upon for specific details unless corroborated with physical evidence or video.

    Eye witnesses are often unreliable.

    People just don’t pay much attention to their general daily activity or the stuff happening around them.

    n

  28. Greg Norton says:

    Jake the Fake doesn’t like it when a journalist gets killed by a state actor. Maybe he should take a look at his own years-long complicity in deceiving the American people and ignoring the predations of the Democrat Party and the DOP (formerly DOJ, now “Department of Persecution”). 

    Tapper? Years? Try decades.

    Further up the Tapper complicity chain is Hannity, who I remember having Tapper as a guest on occasion in the 00s. These days, they’re bitter competitors, but I recall the pair being chummy.

  29. drwilliams says:

    How many gun accidents does it take for a film production to take firearms safety seriously? According to new reports, the answer is something north of three. Multiple news outlets report that Alec Baldwin’s shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was the fourth such incident on the set — and at least one crew member had quit in protest of the dangerous conditions

    https://hotair.com/ed-morrissey/2021/11/02/oh-my-three-other-accidental-discharges-on-baldwin-film-before-fatal-shooting-n426396

    Sounds pretty typical to me. No more problems than the average film set, or just a bunch of guys out deer hunting in Colorado. Just because a black swan is rare doesn’t mean that having a flock of them in one place is any cause for comment. Move along, nothing to see here.

  30. drwilliams says:

    There’s been a blizzard of pia’s (what a wonderful congruence in abbreviations that is) doing tv commercials to solicit clients for the Camp Lejuene Taxpayer ripoff Follies.

    My favorite so far is the self-described vet and attorney who warns that the water was contaminated with “deadly chloride”.

    It would be very interesting to find out how many febrile idiots let that one pass right by.

  31. Nick Flandrey says:

    According to new reports, the answer is something north of three.

     see page 248.   The pages are images, so I can’t cut and paste the text.

    n

    added- both the props master, and alec’s discharges appear to be letting the hammer slip while de-cocking.

  32. Lynn says:

    “Spybot! (Perry Rhodan #53)” by Clark Darlton
       https://www.amazon.com/Spybot-Perry-Rhodan-Clark-Darlton/dp/B0006WT5NU?tag=ttgnet-20/

    Book number fifty-three of a series of one hundred and thirty-six space opera books in English. The original German books, actually pamphlets, number in the thousands. The English books started with two translated German stories per book translated by Wendayne Ackerman and transitioned to one story per book with the sixth book. And then they transition back to two stories in book #109/110. The Ace publisher dropped out at #118, so Forrest and Wendayne Ackerman published books #119 to #136 in pamphlets before stopping in 1978. The German books were written from 1961 to present time, having sold two billion copies and even recently been rebooted again. I read the well printed and well bound book published by Ace in 1974 that I had to be very careful with due to age. I bought an almost complete box of Perry Rhodans a decade or two ago on ebay that I am finally getting to since I lost my original Perry Rhodans in The Great Flood of 1989. In fact, I now own book #1 to book #106, plus the Atlan books.
       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perry_Rhodan

    BTW, this is actually book number 61 of the German pamphlets written in 1962. There is a very good explanation of the plot in German on the Perrypedia German website of all of the PR books. There is automatic Google translation available for English, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese, French, and Portuguese.
       https://www.perrypedia.de/wiki/Der_Robot-Spion

    In this alternate universe, USSF Major Perry Rhodan and his three fellow astronauts blasted off in a three stage rocket to the Moon in 1971. The first stage of the rocket was chemical, the second and third stages were nuclear. After crashing on the Moon due to a strange radio interference, they discover a massive crashed alien spaceship with an aged male scientist (Khrest), a female commander (Thora), and a crew of 500. It has been over sixty-nine years since then and the Solar Empire has flourished with tens of millions of people and many spaceships headquartered in the Gobi desert, the city of Terrania. Perry Rhodan has been elected by the people of Earth to be the World Administrator.

    One of Perry Rhodan’s spies has signaled for a high alarm pickup from a planet where he is getting information for the Terran Empire. Perry Rhodan and and his crew on the 1,500 meter spaceship Drusus are the closest ship and proceed to pick him up, along with his new dog. As they make the first hyperjump back to Terra, a hypercom message is emitted from the Drusus giving their location. As the Arkonide Robot Regent is still looking for Terra, it threw the crew into a panic searching for the source.

    Two observations:
    1. Forrest Ackerman should have put two or three of the translated stories in each book. Having two stories in the first five books worked out well. Just having one story in the book is too short and would never allow the translated books to catch up to the German originals.
    2. Anyone liking Perry Rhodan and wanting a more up to date story should read the totally awesome “Mutineer’s Moon” Dahak series of three books by David Weber.
       https://www.amazon.com/Mutineers-Moon-Dahak-David-Weber/dp/0671720856?tag=ttgnet-20/

    My rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
    Amazon rating: 5 out of 5 stars (2 reviews)

  33. paul says:

    It’s cold with a bit of sprinkle outside.  

    So I clicked through a lot of Amazon Vine pages.  Who knew there was such a thing as disposable underwear for men?  Like 20 pair for $29 or something like that.  Seems pretty cheap for undies.  But you can wash them and wear them again.   How many times they can be washed before falling apart is unknown.  They’re between Jockey Elance and standard waistband on your belly button Fruit of the Looms. 

    Huh.  Amazon sells shirt(-r) that I never thought existed.  They even sell hair extensions for men…. might oughta be negro so the color and texture matches but whatever.   Go for the blonde surfer look and weave in a few dreadlocks. 

    Raining again.   I dumped a quarter inch from the gauge this morning.  

  34. Nick Flandrey says:

    Still chilly and grey out but not raining.   

    I wasted too much time on the info dump from the baldwin shooting.  I’m going to regret that later.

    n

  35. Alan says:

    >> There is comfort in plenty.  Stack some plenty.

    Don’t leave out the good.

  36. Lynn says:

    So I clicked through a lot of Amazon Vine pages.  Who knew there was such a thing as disposable underwear for men?  Like 20 pair for $29 or something like that.  Seems pretty cheap for undies.  But you can wash them and wear them again.   How many times they can be washed before falling apart is unknown.  They’re between Jockey Elance and standard waistband on your belly button Fruit of the Looms. 

    Uh, diapers for grown men is a big thing.  Should my PSA continue to increase, I will have prostate removal surgery.  My buddy who had his prostate removed four years ago was in a diaper for three months.  Some men never get out of the diaper.  I am hoping to be like my buddy should I go there.

  37. nick flandrey says:

    There are alternatives and more coming on line.  The impotence and incontinence are pretty big deals for quality of life.

    n

  38. Lynn says:

    Dilbert is homeless now …
    https://www.isitdownrightnow.com/dilbert.com.html

    http://dilbert.com/

    But Scott Adams other website is up.

       https://www.scottadamssays.com/

  39. RickH says:

    Dilbert is homeless now …

    I think Dilbert is hosted on the same servers as gocomics.

    I just can’t understand why a site that big is down for two days (and counting). There must be some major incompetence there. Or a massive ransomware problem.  Where are their backup databases/files? 

    And why is there no ‘noise’ about the site not being available on the interwebs?  Even Reddit doesn’t have any clues or information (unless I am not searching properly).  

    Inquiring minds want to know!

  40. nick flandrey says:

    At the very least they  should be able to get a “we have an issue, but will be back asap” page up…

    n

  41. RickH says:

    In other news, there was a bit of snow in the area of Buffalo NY.   Up to 6 feet and more in 24 hours. 

    https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/national-guard-activated-deadly-western-new-york-snow-storm-dropped-6-rcna58014 

    Some of the pictures are quite impressive. 

  42. nick flandrey says:

    I wonder what the golden parachute is worth?  

    –more than you or I is likely to see, and more than it should be…

    n

  43. drwilliams says:

    There is clueless…

    And totally effing clueless…

    And proof that there is something beyond:

    https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2022/11/20/lori-lightfoot-is-sick-of-this-st-like-the-co-springs-shooting-gets-reminded-where-shes-mayor/

  44. Lynn says:

    There are alternatives and more coming on line.  The impotence and incontinence are pretty big deals for quality of life.

    n

    Are you talking about new male diapers or new prostate cancer treatments ?  My buddy is not incontinent.  I have not had enough guts to ask about impotence.

    Over 30 of the guys at my church have had prostate cancer treatments.  Plus one of my friends outside church. Plus both my grandfathers, one at 86, one at 59.  For me, removal is the best option. Radioactive needles, female hormones, proton treatments all have serious downsides.

  45. nick flandrey says:

    New surgeries and therapeutics.  Saw something just the other day about  a super fine laser.

    My wife’s uncle is still incontinent and it’s been several years.  At the time, he said, “it sucks but I got to see my little girl get married.”  He’s a bit less sanguine about it now, especially the waking up in a wet bed part.

  46. Alan says:

    >> At the very least they  should be able to get a “we have an issue, but will be back asap” page up…

    I mean, come on, even we have one thanks to @RickH. 

  47. Greg Norton says:

    And why is there no ‘noise’ about the site not being available on the interwebs?  Even Reddit doesn’t have any clues or information (unless I am not searching properly).  

    Peak “Dilbert” popularity happened about 20 years ago, around the time of the animated series on UPN.

  48. Greg Norton says:

    “Hello, Governor? Its Bob Iger. Funniest thing just happened. Look, we need to talk …”

    https://deadline.com/2022/11/disney-bob-iger-returns-ceo-bob-chapek-out-1235178223/

    Canned … like a tuna. DeSantis wins again.

    I thought it would be a few weeks at a minimum before The Mouse was brought to its knees in Tallahassee. I guess “Wakanda Forever” box office returns fell off a cliff along with Bob Chapek’s job.

  49. nick flandrey says:

    I guess “Wakanda Forever” box office returns fell off a cliff….  

    –when you tell 88% of your potential audience to stay home, and not watch the film, they go “ ‘K, bye!”

    n

    On the other hand–

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever spends second week at top of box office with $546.3M worldwide… but #MeToo drama She Said flops despite $32M budget and strong reviews

    Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever spent a second consecutive week at No. 1 by earning $67.3M from 4,396 US theaters
    Wakanda Forever currently has a ‘certified fresh’ 84% critic approval rating (out of 367 reviews) and a 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes

    n

  50. Alan says:

    >> In other news, there was a bit of snow in the area of Buffalo NY.   Up to 6 feet and more in 24 hours. 

    Well, not really a problem for all those Twitter engineers WFH…eventually it will all melt. 

    Besides, don’t want to take those Tony-mobiles out in this weather.

  51. Nick Flandrey says:

    eventually it will all melt.  

    eventually the sun will expand an everything will melt….  🙂

    n

  52. brad says:

    @Nick: Thanks for your review of the Baldwin shooting incident. One question which I haven’t really seen answered: Given that they are shooting a movie, why are there any live rounds anywhere on the premises. Inert rounds, I understand. Blanks, I understand. But actual, live rounds – why?

    @Lynn: I’ve been working my way through your 6-star list. I had already read several of them. Of the others, so far I totally agree with your taste in books! Won’t be long, and I’ll have to start on your 5-star list… Do you keep updated lists online anywhere?

  53. Nick Flandrey says:

    @brad, 

    I think the live rounds came on set by mistake, either arriving already loaded in the gun belts (because either someone had been using the leather for real shooting, or because it was used during the weapons familiarization on another movie that purple haired girl’s dad and the real armorer were involved in) or arriving in a mixed box from the real armorer who was also involved in the other movie, when they suddenly and on short notice needed more ammo because they were losing ammo from gunbelts during action scenes.

    There are texts, and a letter from pinky’s dad describing most of those circumstances.   The FBI found live rounds at the armorer’s shop, which might be the same rounds that Dad was talking about, and that NEVER should have been in his shop.   The powder doesn’t match the deadly bullet, so there is still some question in my mind, but I could make my case based solely on the stuff in the evidence packet.

    It’s the nature of accidents that there  are a number of factors that need to be present for the accident to have happened.    IF the real ammo was not on set there wouldn’t have been a fatal accident.   IF the girl did her job correctly, insisting on handing the gun to Baldwin, properly inspecting every round, insisting on proper protocols, etc. there wouldn’t have been a fatality.  If the 1stAD didn’t subvert safety regs and normal practice and handle the gun himself, no fatality.   If the armorer supplier had not mixed live with dummy ammo at his shop, etc. 

    But all those things did happen.   Like a fire needing oxygen, heat, and fuel to burn, accidents need a combination of things to happen.   Rules and regs are in place to prevent as many of those as possible, and you ignore them at your peril.

    Given a likely route for the ammo to get on set, and the admitted failures of procedure,  I’m still convinced that the ultimate responsibility lies with Hannah (purple hair) for her failure to inspect the last and fatal round she loaded in the prop on the day, and the 1stAD- because his job is to ensure safety rules are followed on set, and because he acted directly contrary to those rules by taking the prop from Hannah and handing it to an actor (ie. functional moron.)

    The UPM and real Producers who made the decision to employ a known safety risk (1stAD) and an inexperienced “armorer” (Hannah) have some contribution to the cluster, as does the real (off set) armorer for mixing live and dummy rounds.   Unfortunately for the haters, Baldwin does not, in his role as actor and employee*, who was doing as he was directed in the course of his work, in an environment where those actions were supposed to be safe, due to the controls and rules in place, overseen and enforced by other employees who manifestly failed in their duties.

    n

    *Baldwin the Producer might have had some contributory guilt, but people have already testified that his Producer title was a vanity title with no real responsibility (which is common in the film industry.)

  54. JimB says:

    Anybody home?

  55. SteveF says:

    Yes, Jim. We’re living in the future. You’re the only one stuck in the past.

  56. JimB says:

    That moment of silence was a little frightening. Quiet here, as normal.

  57. JimB says:

    Maybe I need a time machine.

Comments are closed.