71F and 92%RH. Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous in the afternoon. Sure it was hot, but not boiling in the shade and I was driving with the windows open. FEMA has us forecast as on the edge of a storm system, openweathermap has us sunny and clear. My money is with openweathermap.
Aesop posted about Ebola getting out of DRC, and I put some links and additional info in the comments. Particularly interesting is this pdf which details the FedGov plan for dealing with Ebola.
Basically, have frontline healthcare rapidly identify a potential case and isolate. Transfer to a hospital that can treat them while waiting for confirmation. Then transfer to a hospital for care. Backed up by 10 regional Ebola Treatment Centers. The pdf lists the hospitals tapped for that duty. In Houston, it’s in Galveston. Of course, the plan will likely fall apart with the first case. It’s all well and good to say you’ll take patients when they are offering big money for training and upgrades, something else when your staff walks out the back door.
Note that the updates say the kid’s younger brother and grandmother have both since died. The rest of the family group is sick too. They were in the end stages shedding bodily fluids and virus like crazy. There is ZERO chance they didn’t come in contact with anyone until they were admitted. So expect some native Ugandan cases soon. (and thank the rapacious drug companies for the vaccine, which might contain this new outbreak.
Elsewhere, things are proceeding with IRAN–
“2 Tankers Damaged After Torpedo Attack Near Strait Of Hormuz; Oil Soars”
Accusations and denials to follow…
Getting sporty out there guys. Get ready to take care of yourself and your loved ones. Everyone else is going to be too busy to care much about you and yours, if they’re not actively persecuting you.
n
The Saudi led war with Yemen is heating up —
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7136443/Saudi-air-strikes-hit-near-Yemen-capital-day-missile-attack-Saudi-Arabian-airport.html
Some other links you probably never thought you’d see–
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7135233/Detroit-based-mosque-leader-says-wife-beating-reminder-misbehaved.html
“Detroit Imam says ‘wife beating is a reminder and a means of clarification for when she has misbehaved’ – just months after he made anti-Semitic comments about Jewish women”
— and he wasn’t immediately denounced or demoted.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7135549/My-Little-Pony-debut-sex-couple-revealed-Scootaloos-aunts-NOT-sisters.html
“My Little Pony unveils the show’s first same-sex couple as the writers reveal Scootaloo’s aunts are NOT sisters
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic reveals it’s first lesbian characters Saturday
Writer-and-producer Michael Vogel celebrated the moment in a Monday tweet
He said showrunners are ‘doin what we can to bring more EQuality to EQuestria!’
October Vogel said characters are a ‘cute couple’ and told fan ‘they aren’t sisters’
It just felt like something important to do’ ”
–kids show. ACTIVELY pushing the agenda.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7135611/Census-Bureau-numbers-shows-typical-illegal-immigrant-lived-inside-US.html
“Census data reveals the ‘typical’ unauthorized immigrant adult has lived in the US for 15 YEARS – the longest on record
In 2017, the typical unauthorized immigrant adult had lived in the US for 15 years
Less than half the 10.5 million unauthorized immigrants that arrived in 2017 were from Mexico
More migrants are currently arriving from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras than Mexico”
— fifteen YEARS of theft and crime. No mention of how many dependents.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7134773/House-floor-erupts-groans-female-Democrat-blasts-sex-starved-males-abortion-debate.html
–yep, half the country not entitled to an opinion on a subject, due to their genitals. Nice one lady. What’s next? Only child molesters get to speak out on laws about child molesting?
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7136263/Police-shooting-Tennessee-leads-anger-chaos.html
“Twenty-five cops injured as rioting grips Memphis after police officers ‘killed a local man by firing at him 20 times in his family’s front yard’
The riots broke out after Brandon Webber, 21, was shot and killed by officers
Cops reportedly went to his house to look for him because of felony warrants
His couisin claimed officers shot Webber as many as 20 times in his front yard
Webber’s aunt claimed he shot at police before he was gunned down by officers”
— I’ll wait until I see more on this before commenting
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7135547/Homeless-man-20-arrested-trying-rape-woman-three-year-old-daughter.html
“Gabriel Adrian Emmanuel, a 20-year-old transient, was arrested and charged with assault with intent to commit rape, kidnapping with the intent to commit rape, burglary and false imprisonment. ”
–feel the vibrancy.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7134861/Shocking-moment-men-climb-manhole-middle-traffic-border-town-El-Paso.html
–more vibrancy coming soon!
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7135325/Cops-shot-rapper-sleeping-car-outside-Taco-Bell-55-times-35-seconds-acted-reasonably.html
“Investigator says cops who shot an aspiring rapper 55 TIMES in 35 seconds while he ‘slept in his car with a gun in his lap’ outside Taco Bell ‘acted reasonably’
Vallejo Police Department’s shooting dead of Willie McCoy ‘was reasonable and in line with contemporary training and police practices,’ according to a report
Vallejo announced the May 17 finding from a retired peace officer Monday
Officer analyzed footage of the February 9 moment McCoy was fatally shot multiple times by officers at a Taco Bell drive-thru in California
Investigator looked at six interviews, six body cam videos and one police report
Report ‘focused on human factors related to high-stress incidents as well as police training and constitutional standards associated with use of deadly force’
He had apparently been asleep but had a handgun on his lap
Report says 3 seconds of verbal commands after McCoy woke was reasonable
‘Officers are not required to wait until a weapon is pointed at them to take the necessary steps to save their own lives,’ officer says in report
But Blake report adds body-worn camera video from each officer is ‘more-likely-than-not an inaccurate field of view concerning key visual information’ ”
–reasonable, based on current training. That should terrify you.
n
Tipping. What’s everyone’s opinion? Restaurants, sure, that’s easy. Though I take a different approach based on what the pushed norm is. I start at zero for a tip. If I get even mediocre service, I’ll leave 10%. If I get good service, 15-20%. I’ve left more than that a few times when there was someone who was just exceptional.
I am having more of a problem with ever place bombarding for tips now. Go to Jersey Mikes sub shop – tip option when paying. Haircuts? Hell, the place I go has the cashier walk you thorough the paying process, and the tip window comes up and they say “enter how much you want to tip then press next.”
I never tip for food unless it’s at a sit down restaurant.
Tipping hotel housecleaning? Yeah, they don’t make a lot. Why is that my problem? Part of my bill is to pay for that. Overhead cost of doing business.
Is the whole tipping guilt trip a more subtle conditioning of people to voluntarily transfer money to those who have less?
I may also just be having a really bad “get off my lawn” day too.
This Article is what set this off.
@Nick, I can’t believe you missed that Friday the 13th is a day early this month.
Oh well.
If I am staying more than one night I will generally leave $10.00 for the house cleaning each night. That way I am almost certain to have a room that is better cleaned and ready for the next day. If I am staying just one night I will leave $5.00. Yes, house cleaning should be the cost of doing business but if the room is well cleaned I think they deserve a little extra.
Same here. I carrying my own food, generally cleaning my own table, getting my own drink. I went into one restaurant in Pigeon Forge, a buffet, and I was asked for a tip when I was paying to enter the place. I immediately said no and walked out. I am not tipping before any service is rendered.
Yes. If the person cuts my hair well, and I will be returning, I leave a tip of about 25%. Next time I use that person I generally get much better service.
In an eatery if the service is bad I will write on the bill, “BAD SERVICE” and will leave $0.00 in the tip line. If the service is good I leave a tip, bad service deserves nothing.
I generally tip, if the service is good, for people that are doing something for me, not something that is part of their job.
–kids show. ACTIVELY pushing the agenda.
Ever been to a “My Little Pony” movie event and seen the ‘Bronies’ in the audience?
Even if it isn’t my thing, I usually go into any special fan experience like a convention with an open mind because the people watching is interesting if nothing else. Bronies are flat-out disturbing.
Tipping hotel housecleaning? Yeah, they don’t make a lot. Why is that my problem? Part of my bill is to pay for that. Overhead cost of doing business.
I leave $20 cash if I stay overnight. $40 if I’m there for a week or the kids made a big mess.
I’m not a big tipping person, but that investment has paid off over the years multiple times when we’ve forgotten something important in a room when leaving, as is usually the case, in a hurry.
The one time I didn’t leave a tip was at a LaQuinta in Nashville. The room smelled like wet dog and the staff didn’t seem to care. Of course that’s when my son left his blankie — a trauma he still reminds us about occasionally.
The hotel tipping situation I don’t like is the scramble to lay hands on your bags at the entrance to a place in a big city when checking in/out. The taxi driver is already getting the gratuity, and doormen always pop out of the woodwork to lift suitcases out of the van/trunk, even if the guest can visibly deal with the luggage.
Leaving Chicago, we ventured out to the airport 5-6 hours early, after checkout time. The hotel had a complementary valet service to hold the bags, but I didn’t wan’t to face what that would cost in tips to get the luggage from the desk to the driveway to the cab with a family of four.
Would you like to leave a dollar for hungry kids?
Tipping – Restaurants with table service, haircuts, hotel cleaners – sure. We hired students (College Pro Painters – a summer jobs franchise) to paint a room in our house. They did a good job. After we paid they came back and asked why we did not tip. Huh? Do you tip the plumber after the bathroom is re-plumbed or just pay the price agreed to before the job? We sent him away with no tip. Anyone else have that experience?
On a side note, my other ridiculous customer experience is when you post an item for sale (Kijiji in Canada, but essentially like Craigslist), the buyer confirms the item is available at the posted price on the phone, and when the buyer arrives at your door they want to negotiate. WTF? Do they think they have leverage? They spent the time and gas-money to come get the item. I can wait for the next buyer. A couple of times I have been tempted to raise the price after that and ask them what they want to do about it? A “teaching moment” is my thought.
Tipping and tipping etiquette have generated whole books….
Some places are more into it than others. Like Vegas. When I am working in Vegas, tips are just part of the cost of doing business. It used to be much worse as the ‘old school’ guys fade away. Tips are most effective where the tippee has some discretion in how to do the job.
I always tip waitstaff and valets. USED to tip skycaps at the airport. I tip bell hops when traveling with the family and all the stuff… otherwise I always manage my own bag. I tip housekeeping if we’ve made a mess.
I once tipped the Maitre d’ at a popular San Antonio riverwalk restaurant and skipped a LONG wait for our group. Of course we tipped the waitstaff well too.
Tipping the move in crew at a trade show pays huge dividends. I always got my crates back early, while some folks had to stay an extra day waiting for their stuff.
I worked for guys who always seemed to know when a handshake and folded bill would make things easier… the first time it worked for me was actually pretty thrilling. Felt like a gangster.
n
I was going through an airport once. I bought a bag of popcorn from a cart. Walking away, “Aren’t you going to tip me?” No.
We tip at hotel for housekeeping, but only hand the $$ to the person cleaning.
I got tipped once taking some of MrsAtoz’s books to a vendor at a conference. I was going to say “My wife wrote the book”, but he was an AA and I thought it might be insulting. $5 my first and only tip.
Yes, when a Chicago traffic cop pulls you over.
Tipping for haircuts- it’s a personal service and should be tipped. My barber would make change in a way that discouraged tipping, so I wait until Christmas and then give him $50. It works out to about $3/haircut (clippers and razor, no scissors or wash) and has a bigger impact all at once. I’ve been going to the same guy for 16 years and consider him a friend.
n
Yes, I tip Lyft and Uber drivers but not airline pilots.
Airline staff respond very well to a kind word genuinely offered.
n
Scanner is busy today. County is working Criminal warrant service. Burglary is working bait cars. Sex trafficking is working something.
One of the guys just turned the rest of his team onto WhatsApp. Said the guys who included him on a stakeout clued him in.
Sex crimes is running someone who comes back “with a child safety warning” whatever that means. Doesn’t sound good though.
n
added- one of the groups is looking at where someone has been, and says they found him “with a plate reader in Port Arthur”. Curious.
Bronies are very odd. Odder than most fanbois.
FWIW, I generally like the ponies. Their message has been friendliness, cooperation, personal responsibility. There are elements of the show that are very odd. For a season or two, a demon was part of every story line. Both kids have mostly left the ponies behind.
n
FWIW, I generally like the ponies. Their message has been friendliness, cooperation, personal responsibility. There are elements of the show that are very odd. For a season or two, a demon was part of every story line. Both kids have mostly left the ponies behind.
I don’t have a problem with the show, just a segment of the fan base which probably shouldn’t be in a theater with young girls.
Up until the tech companies turned into advertising revenue black holes, there was a kind of golden age running in TV animation for kids which started about 20 years ago. Animators of my generation, raised on Waner Bros. reruns, put out some pretty cool material looking back. Sadly, as is the case with most golden ages, the realization that it happened didn’t hit until it was over. Now, AT&T and Disney are going to pull most of that material behind paywalls.
These days, we’re getting a lot more anime since the shows can be imported on the cheap. It all sounds the same to me. I would say I’m old, but I’ve been to enough panel talks at anime conventions to know that the same voice professionals work dubbing gigs for everyone.
The only anime I’ve actually watched was Full Metal Alchemist. I didn’t understand some of the conventions of the genre, so there were some jarring things. I liked the story though. Some of the translation just didn’t work for me and there were some really odd turns of phrase.
The story was interesting, with real relationships, and the art wasn’t bad.
n
I saw “Alita Battle Angel” at the movies. I liked it, but I don’t think it made money. Apparently Rodriguez had to tone down the blood and violence and peeps didn’t like that.
One of the guys just turned the rest of his team onto WhatsApp. Said the guys who included him on a stakeout clued him in.
Geesh. I would think law enforcement would have access to a private XMPP server. That’s asking for problems.
Beyond privacy issues, WhatsApp did terrible things to my Android device when I tried it. I had to wipe down to bare metal to get that app off of my phone.
If you want to try WhatsApp for personal communications, use an Apple device. You have a better chance of getting rid of the app due to Apple’s binary review process.
Eventually they’ll have FirstNet, their own private high speed internet. Soon in Houston as they’re putting up nodes as fast as they can, and that is danged fast.
n
Currently one team is following a guy who masquerades as a contractor. He’s driving a white pickup with tools in the back. He’s stopped at a couple of houses where work is going on. Air unit is keeping an eye on him, until they clock out in five minutes. Then they lose air to scheduled maintenance for two weeks.
They are working in the Braeswood area.
n
I saw “Alita Battle Angel” at the movies. I liked it, but I don’t think it made money. Apparently Rodriguez had to tone down the blood and violence and peeps didn’t like that.
That was a hugely anticipated film. Everyone Rodriguez knew came through town to look at the sets out at Troublemaker at some point.
One night a few years ago, I had my second Robert Rodriguez encounter at the local HEB. It didn’t click in my head until afterwards, but Kevin Smith was with him sans the usual Smith “Silent Bob” look, probably in town for a tour of the sets like everyone else.
I watched a lot of Ghost in the Machine too.
n
So, the “honors student” (from 2 years ago) is 21, has two kids, and possibly a third, history of minor arrests including dope, filmed himself just before the whole thing blew up smoking dope and claiming the cops would “have to kill me”, has a lifetime of poor choices behind him.
He’s throwing gang signs in the pix, as are the upstanding citizens in the “angry crowd”.
He’s got FEDERAL felony warrants, which the Feds were trying to serve when he rammed them with his vehicle (attempted manslaughter).
I don’t think they’re gonna be able to spin this as another choir boy shot while doing nothing.
n
Over The Hedge: being herded by an Australian shepard dog
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2019/06/10
to (and possibly beyond)
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2019/06/13
Prime Directive: HERD OR DIE !
” What the Hell Is Going On In the Dominican Republic?”
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/dominican-republic-grand-bahia-hard-rock-american-tourist-death-846888/
“Though it’s unclear if they’re connected, at least six American tourists have died under mysterious circumstances in the last year alone”
I would stay away from the Sprite and 7-up drinks.
Hat tip to:
https://drudgereport.com/
I would stay away from the Sprite and 7-up drinks.
Well, there goes my Labor Day plans of drinking Syzzurp on a beach in the Dominican Republic.
Gotta wonder how many of the deceased were doing just that.
Actually, I’ll be in San Antonio … at a big anime show. Ah, people watching extraordinaire — it isn’t a Texas fan convention if Furries don’t show up.
Ever been to a “My Little Pony” movie event and seen the ‘Bronies’ in the audience?
The first “Deadpool” movie went there. Very, very, very creepy. NSFW. Crude, extremely crude !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNFhoJHBqvM
Beautiful day to take a trip to Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary. It is where they housed James Earl Ray, closed in the ’90s, now a place you can visit.
Here is the link to the pictures.
One of the Twins and I are attending Vegas ComicCon this Saturday. I saw Apollo, Starbuck and Boomer at one before Apollo croaked. They usually draw the B-Listers and artistes of various types.
One of the Twins and I are attending Vegas ComicCon this Saturday. I saw Apollo, Starbuck and Boomer at one before Apollo croaked. They usually draw the B-Listers and artistes of various types.
The kids like to go to the big anime shows in San Antonio and Austin every year. We also hit C2E2 this year simply because we were in Chicago the same week with time to kill.
Autographs are big business for EBay resellers, something I learned the hard way going to Texas Fright Fest without a VIP pass expecting to get an Elvira autograph last month.
Svengoolie’s lines were much more manageable at C2E2 than he’s had in past years because he refuses to sign anything without personalization (“To Greg … best wishes … Sven”) , but he still has his day job and isn’t trying to earn a living from signings.
Me too. $20 to win on Thunderstruck in the 4th.
Svengoolie’s lines were much more manageable at C2E2 than he’s had in past years because he refuses to sign anything without personalization (“To Greg … best wishes … Sven”) , but he still has his day job and isn’t trying to earn a living from signings.
Wow, this is the first time that I have heard of this person.
https://svengoolie.com/
Beautiful day to take a trip to Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary. It is where they housed James Earl Ray, closed in the ’90s, now a place you can visit.
Here is the link to the pictures.
Wow, beautiful place for such an ugly facility. You make me want to retire and move to Tennessee.
… now a place you can visit.
Great pix, Ray!
Nice place to visit, but …
Not really. He pretty much followed the script he was given. The film made a small amount of profit in the theater. Streaming and DVD sales will be critical to see if they proceed with a sequel. (My brother was set decorator.)
These are the Internet of Things devices that are most targeted by hackers
Wow, this is the first time that I have heard of this person.
Every Saturday night on MeTV. Svengoolie is arguably the last one standing among the local horror movie show hosts, but the barrier to entry is so low that I wouldn’t be surprised to see local stations try it again once the online advertising bubble pops.
I grew up in Tampa with the original, legendary Dr. Paul Bearer’s “Creature Feature”. The cost of production outside of the movie license was so low that Dr. Paul was literally on the air every Saturday until the day he died.
Some nights, “Svengoolie” has amazing films. Other nights, not so much. His research is always first rate. Family friendly.
Nice pictures Ray.
It is a pretty place for such a miserable institution as Lynn says. I think that would make time served there even worse. If you are in the desert SW for example, at least the outside does not look all that much better than the inside.
Tipping: I spent quite a few years helping to run my sister’s 24/364 diner. I tip fairly well for good service, for bad service I leave a poor tip AND tell the manager exactly what the waiter did wrong. I once left a busboy $20, because he was the only one who did the right thing. After 20 minutes of not seeing a waitress and 2 refills of water, I walked but made sure I paid him. I think it made his evening. The cooks at my sister’s place loved it when I was working tables, because I was scrupulous about making sure the cooks actually got what people left them. The house rules were all tips left on to go orders went to the cooks, and sometimes other people left a couple of bucks. Some of the waitresses were outright thieves.
I’ll tip a barber $2, but I’m still in search of a good regular barber. (The place I’d been going for years was destroyed in the hurricane.) I’ll generally tip the hotel maid $5 / night. I’ve never used a valet, but I guess I would flip him / her a couple of bucks. The ones that annoy me, and that I don’t tip, are at “high end” golf courses. They offer to clean your clubs at the end of a round – no, keep your hands off my sticks please.
“A.F. Branco Cartoon – Changing of the Guard”
https://comicallyincorrect.com/a-f-branco-cartoon-changing-of-the-guard/
“The Democrat party was once called the party of JFK, but as they further to the left, they’re starting to look more like the party of AOC. Political cartoon by A.F. Branco ©2019.”
@Greg, you will like this one. Yup, crazy eyes.
@Greg, you will like this one. Yup, crazy eyes.
The cocktail waitress turns 30 this year. Plus pork.
McCain used to have the best “crazy eye”. He would get this look on his face like the freeze frame of the horse in “Animal House”, shortly before the animal dropped dead in Dean Wormer’s office.
Watch the DVD sometime. Make it a double feature with “Caddyshack” — McCain sometimes had the gopher’s facial expressions too.
Home from the second swim meet.
Another beautiful (hot) day. Some relief in the shade with a nice breeze.
new cool vest arrived too late for me to try it out.
I did take a car battery, inverter, and two “Vornado” fans to help the kids in their staging area. The battery isn’t great, it only took 12.8v charge, so I didn’t have high hopes, but I was hoping the fans would run more than 50 minutes. Nope. Test your preps. I will be on the lookout for some 12 volt fans, or repurpose some old muffin fans. Having a fan on at night while the other power is out is a great comfort.
n
I have to say, I’m glad to be rid of obligatory tipping. Some time before I moved here, Switzerland eliminated it, requiring businesses to pay their employees a normal wage. I’m not quite sure how that went, since it was before my time – it must have been quite a struggle. Regardless, the result is nice: Tipping is now, truly, completely optional here. You tip when you’re especially happy or appreciative, and otherwise not.