Gah!!!

Posted on by August 17, 2024

This…is just beyond the pale!!!

On Oct. 5, 2023, Jeffrey Piccolo, his mother, and his wife, Kanokporn “Amy” Tangsuan, a 42-year-old doctor from New York, dined at an Irish pub at a Walt Disney World resort, choosing the location because it was advertised on Disney’s website as offering “allergen free food.” The doctor, who had a severe allergy to nuts and dairy, informed wait staff numerous times of her allergy when ordering the vegan fritter, scallops, onion rings and a vegan shepherd’s pie, and she was “guaranteed” the items were allergen-free. Less than an hour after finishing the meal, however, Tangsuan began having trouble breathing. Despite administering an EpiPen, she eventually died at a nearby hospital, with a medical examiner determining the cause of death as “anaphylaxis due to elevated levels of dairy and nut in her system,” according to a lawsuit her husband filed in February. The tragic incident has now made headlines over Disney’s response, which Piccolo’s attorney Brian Denney said “borders on absurd.” 

Full article, HERE from TownHall.

Yet ANOTHER reason not to spend a penny on ANYTHING Disney…

Disney lawyers say he agreed to settle any lawsuits against Disney out of court via the arbitration process when he signed up for a one-month trial of Disney+ in 2019!

Vert the ferk???

Soooo, if you EVER signed up anything Disney related, you’ve just waived your ‘rights’ to sue forever?

I don’t frikking think so!

But sadly, I’m betting this one will be tied up in court for years, just like Oberlin did to Gibson’s Bakery. Filed in 2017, the case was decided for the Gibsons in 2019, but they didn’t see the money until 2022, after the senior Gibson had passed away.

Now I’m wondering what other ‘programs’ out there are pulling the same crap in their TOS???

Sigh…

A little humor…

Posted on by August 15, 2024
“Life is the leading cause of death”.

“We must recognize that, as we grow older, we become like old cars – more and more repairs and replacements are necessary.”- C.S. Lewis

“Old age is like a plane flying through a storm. Once you are aboard there is nothing you can do about it.”- Golda Meir

“I’m so old that my blood type is discontinued.”- Bill Dane

“The older I get, the more clearly I remember things that never happened.- Mark Twain

“Wisdom doesn’t necessarily come with age. Sometimes, age just shows up all by itself.”- Tom Wilson.

“I don’t plan to grow old gracefully. I plan to have face-lifts until my ears meet.”- Rita Rudner

“I’m at that age where my back goes out more than I do.”Phyllis Diller

“First you forget names, then you forget faces, then you forget to pull your zipper up, then you forget to pull your zipper down.”- Leo Rosenberg

“Old people shouldn’t eat health foods. They need all the preservatives they can get”– Robert Orben

“At age 20, we worry about what others think of us… at age 40, we don’t care what they think of us… at age 60, we discover they haven’t been thinking of us at all. – Ann Landers

“When I was young, I was called a rugged individualist. When I was in my fifties, I was considered eccentric. Here I am doing and saying the same things I did then, and I’m labelled senile.”- George Burns

“I complain that the years fly past, but then I look in a mirror and see that very few of them actually got past.”- Robert Brault

“It’s paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn’t appeal to anyone.”- Andy Rooney

“Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest.”- Larry Lorenzon

“You know you’re getting old when you can pinch an inch on your forehead.”- John Mendoza

“I was thinking about how people seem to read the bible a lot more as they get older, and then it dawned on me—they’re cramming for their final exam.”- George Carlin

“I don’t feel old. I don’t feel anything until noon. Then it’s time for my nap.”- Bob Hope

“I don’t do alcohol anymore—I get the same effect just standing up fast.”– Anonymous

“Getting older. I used to be able to run a 4-minute mile, bench press 380 pounds, and tell the truth – Conan O’Brien

“I have reached an age when, if someone tells me to wear socks, I don’t have to”- Albert Einstein

“Grandchildren don’t make a man feel old, it’s the knowledge that he’s married to a grandmother that does.”- J. Norman Collie

“You know you are getting old when everything hurts, and what doesn’t hurt doesn’t work.”- Hy Gardner

“When your friends begin to flatter you on how young you look, it’s a sure sign you’re getting old.”- Mark Twain

“There’s one advantage to being 102, there’s no peer pressure.”- Dennis Wolfberg

“The idea is to die young as late as possible.”- Ashley Montagu

“You know you’re getting old when you stoop to tie your shoelaces and wonder what else you could do while you’re down there.”- George Burns

More ‘settled’ science…

Posted on by August 15, 2024

Or not…

The active sun is kicking into overdrive and we could be in for yet more dazzling auroras.

In the early morning hours today (Aug. 14), the sun unleashed the most powerful class of solar flare, in a potent X-class eruption. The solar flare peaked at 2:40 a.m. EDT (0640 GMT) and caused shortwave radio blackouts over the sunlit portion of Earth at the time of the eruption, Asia and the Indian Ocean. 

Full article, HERE from Space.com

X-class are the most powerful eruptions, but I noted there is no 1-10 assigned to it yet. 1 is the lowest, with 10 being the highest. Other classes in descending order are M, C, B, and A-class with a magnitude decrease of 10 at each class.

Among other things, in addition to a coronal mass ejection (CME), it did a number on ‘radio’ frequencies over Asia which happened to be in sunlight (e.g. direct path).

Shortwave radio blackouts were observed across Asia and the Indian Ocean.  (Image credit: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center)

I also pity anybody trying to do MAD trapping or any magnetometer work in that region or pretty much anywhere for a couple of days.

Oh yeah, and if your GPS loses lock, that’s the reason…

You DO still carry real maps, don’t you?

Another one bites the dust!!!

Posted on by August 14, 2024

Finally…

Columbia University President Minouche Shafik has resigned, according to an email distributed to members of the campus community. Her resignation is effective as of Wednesday.

Columbia University President Minouche Shafik has resigned, according to an email distributed to members of the campus community. Her resignation is effective as of Wednesday.

Shafik came into the national spotlight at the start of pro-Palestinian protests across the nation, the epicenter of which appeared at Columbia.

“I write with sadness to tell you that I am stepping down as president of Columbia University effective August 14, 2024,” Shafik wrote. “I have had the honor and privilege to lead this incredible institution, and I believe that—working together—we have made progress in a number of important areas. However, it has also been a period of turmoil where it has been difficult to overcome divergent views across our community.”

Full article, HERE from the Washington Examiner.

She hung around a lot longer than most figured she would, but she’s finally ‘decided’ to leave.

I ‘wonder’ what went into that… She IS Egyptian, and I can’t help but wonder if she hates the Israeli people that much because of family issues from the 67 war…

For those that don’t remember, she failed to protect Jewish students at Columbia and negotiated with pro-Hamas terrorists who took over the campus. She also delayed getting NYPD involved in clearing the campus.

Her FIRST duty ‘should’ have been protecting the students on campus, regardless of their ethnicity!!!

Very interesting…

Posted on by August 13, 2024

Finally, after almost 30 years, geofencing got taken to the 5th Circuit on appeal!

In a major decision on Friday, the federal Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held that geofence warrants are “categorically prohibited by the Fourth Amendment.” Closely following arguments EFF has made in a number of cases, the court found that geofence warrants constitute the sort of “general, exploratory rummaging” that the drafters of the Fourth Amendment intended to outlaw. EFF applauds this decision because it is essential that every person feels like they can simply take their cell phone out into the world without the fear that they might end up a criminal suspect because their location data was swept up in open-ended digital dragnet.

Full article HERE from the Electronic Freedom Foundation. If you want to read a .pdf of the actual verdict, go to the link in the article.

Here is the Oxford definition-

ge·o·fence
/ˈjēōˌfens/
  1. a virtual geographic boundary, defined by GPS or RFID technology, that enables software to trigger a response when a mobile device enters or leaves a particular area.
    “they could put up a geofence around the building, meaning your phone disables itself when you enter it”
    verb
  1. create a virtual geographic boundary around (an area) by means of GPS or RFID technology, enabling software to trigger a response when a mobile device enters or leaves the area.
    “the company has now geofenced the locations of 180,000 US schools”

An ‘advertising’ use of geofencing is HERE from Tech Target.

It is nice to see that ‘somebody’ believes the 4th Amendment is still valid and we have a a reasonable expectation of privacy, even if we have a cell phone with us!

We’d actually discussed this on our livestream last week, and yes, it was used to ‘locate’ folks to prosecute for Jan 6, 2020.

There are companies that ‘sell’ geofencing programs that can be used for any number of things, and just because you turn off your locating data, doesn’t mean the phone isn’t still being ‘located’ by the cell towers it is hitting.

It’s just ‘one’ more way of tracking us, whether or not we want to be tracked… sigh

Now imagine what could happen if this was combined with ‘social media’ scores like China… Can we say ‘Internal Passports’? I knew you could…

h/t Steven

Another strike…

Posted on by August 11, 2024

Against Boeing, for yet another space program…

Mismanagement and inexperience on the part of Boeing are creating severe delays and expenditures for NASA’s efforts to return Americans to the moon, according to a new report from the agency’s office of the inspector general (OIG).

The 38-page document, released Wednesday, paints the manufacturer’s quality control practices as inadequate and its workforce as insufficiently trained, blaming it for cost increases and schedule delays in the development of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) Block 1B. Yet the space agency has neglected to punish Boeing financially for these flaws, arguing that doing so would run contrary to the terms of its contract.

Full article, HERE from Flying Mag h/t Stretch

How many more of these can Boeing stand before NASA kicks them to the curb???

The mind boggles…

A little humor…

Posted on by August 10, 2024

The philosophy of ambiguity

for those who love the philosophy of ambiguity, as well as the idiosyncrasies of english:

1. One tequila, two tequila, three tequila…… Floor.

2. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

3. If man evolved from monkeys and apes, why do we still have monkeys and apes?

4. The main reason that santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live.

5. I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, “where’s the self- help section?” she said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.

6. What if there were no hypothetical questions?

7. If a deaf child signs swear words, does his mother wash his hands with soap?

8. If someone with multiple personalities threatens to kill himself, is it considered a hostage situation?

9. Is there another word for synonym?

10. Where do forest rangers go to “get away from it all?”

11. What do you do when you see an endangered animal eating an endangered plant?

12. If a parsley farmer is sued, can they garnish his wages?

13. Would a fly without wings be called a walk?

14. Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will break-in and clean them?

15. If a turtle doesn’t have a shell, is he homeless or naked?

16. Can vegetarians eat animal crackers?

 

  1. If the police arrest a mute, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent?

 

  1. Why do they put braille on the drive-through bank machines?

    19. How do they get deer to cross the road only at those yellow road signs?

    20. What was the best thing before sliced bread?

    21. One nice thing about egotists: they don’t talk about other people.

    22. Does the little mermaid wear an algebra?
    (this one took me a minute)

    23. Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?

    24. How is it possible to have a civil war?

    25. If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do the rest drown too?

    26. If you ate both pasta and antipasto, would you still be hungry?

    27. If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?

    28. Whose cruel idea was it for the word ‘lisp’ to have ‘s’ in it?

    29. Why are hemorrhoids called “hemorrhoids” instead of “assteroids”?

    30. Why is it called tourist season if we can’t shoot at them?

    31. Why is there an expiration date on sour cream?

    32. If you spin an oriental man in a circle three times, does he become disoriented?

    33. Can an atheist get insurance against acts of god?

    34. Why do shops have signs, ‘guide dogs only’, the dogs can’t read and their owners are blind?

More EV ‘issues’…

Posted on by August 9, 2024

This from the continent…

Germany’s leading car parts supplier ZF has recently been forced to cut one-fifth to one-quarter of its workforce, owing in part to Chinese competition and in part to “weak demand for electric vehicles.” Other firms like Bosch, Continental, and Webasto have also been forced to “restructure.” Yet the CEOs of these companies continue absurdly to believe in the future of “electromobility,” since the European Union plans to outlaw fossil fuel-powered vehicles as of 2035. The short-sightedness of EU bureaucrats will lead inevitably to market implosion and an economic collapse, and the car-makers have no option, it seems, but to comply with government fiat.

Full article, HERE from PJ Media.

As numerous people have said, they just ‘don’t’ work in rural areas. Not enough charging stations. And now, apparently the EU customers are finding ‘issues’ with charging, and with Germany closing their nuke plants, I can’t help but wonder if they are going to have power issues too.

As we’ve said here too, it’s about control. If you can’t charge your EV, you can’t go anywhere. And the EU seems to be ‘still’ determined to ban ICE vehicles by 2035. And there is definitely a move by those in power for the 15 minute cities.

Canada is also feeling the ‘pains’ and similar issues as we have with distances, etc.

And none of this really takes into account the amount of losses (in the billions of $$$) the big three in the US are taking and the fact that they are pulling back from manufacturing EVs. There are rumors Mercedes, BMW, and Volkswagen may also be relooking at their options, in light of the Chinese cornering the Asian market.

The next few years are going to be interesting, to put it mildly…

Book promo…

Posted on by August 8, 2024

Raconteur Press anthology number 33 is out- Coffee Adventures

As always, click the cover for the Amazon link!

The blurb-

What would you do for your daily cup of coffee? Where does coffee come from, really? Can coffee help you time-travel? These stories answer all those questions and many more you didn’t know you needed to ask. Fantasy, science fiction, and sheer silliness will entertain you, and are best consumed with a steaming beverage in the other hand.

Next up is our friend Alma Boykin with the 9th in her Merchants and Empire series- Wheels of Empire

The blurb-

Water driving wheels driving danger.

Without bread, hunger stalks the people of Jerwood. The old grist mill burned and a new one must be built. Count Ealdred of Jerwood hires Harald Tolson, called Halfpaw, to construct a larger, modern mill. A mill that the count will own.

Harald and his journeyman walk into trouble when they enter Jerwood’s gates. Why did the mill burn? Who doesn’t want a better, larger mill built? And what lengths will those people go to in order to get what they desire?

Harald finds himself battling the elements, suspicion, and danger in order to complete his contract. But his opponents underestimate how stubborn and determined a millwright can be. The Wheel always turns, something Harald knows full well.

And last but not least, D.A. Brock has a small anthology out with some backstory on his Texas Navy series- Tales of the Texas Navy

The blurb-

This mini-anthology contains two short stories in the ‘Republic of Texas Navy’ universe, revealing heretofore unknown facets of that world.

Wow!!!

Posted on by August 7, 2024

Obviously, us peons don’t have this stuff…

Few things appear to soothe the existential anxieties of the super-rich like a bunker designed to withstand anything short of total nuclear Armageddon. Yet it’s no longer enough for the security-conscious billionaire to stick an impenetrable safe room in the basement where it might sit empty forever. In today’s uber-prime properties, bunkers have gone seriously upmarket and hi-tech, in some cases growing to the extent that whole homes are becoming 21st century fortresses.

“We’ve seen a lot more of a focus on entertainment,” said Al Corbi, who has been at the forefront of secure luxury for 50 years as the president and founder of SAFE (Strategically Armored & Fortified Environments), based in Virginia, in the US. “If you’re going to be able to survive underground, we want you to be having fun.”

Full article, HERE from CNN.

It seems the ‘paranoia’ combined with unlimited $$$ has definitely changed the scope of what is considered a safe space! Zuckie’s 5000 sqft ‘bunker’ under his Kauai home (that they tried their best to hide from the public) appears to actually be fairly ‘small’ as these things go.

And of course this doesn’t count their ‘security’ forces, etc. etc.

Whereas us poor peons have to rely on ourselves to protect our homes and our loved ones with whatever we have ‘handy’.

But I honestly think ‘we’ have the better end of the stick, as the odds are on our side, and honestly I wouldn’t want to live where I had to be constantly in fear that something would happen and I’d need a bunker to hide in.  I like my freedom a bit too much for that!

What say you???