Linkee-poo well there's floodin' down in Texas, all of the telephone lines are down

"Burn my manuscripts"? How quaint. "Renowned fantasy novelist Terry Pratchett’s was to have his uncompleted books destroyed by a steamroller, and that finally happened at a fair last week." Vintage steamroller. At a fair with a crowd and live streamed. (Grokked from John)

"So was the $50 billion bill (for Sandy Disaster Relief) filled with pork — two-thirds of which was unrelated to Sandy?… No." So, Sen. Cruz, please stick those 3 Pinocchios where the sun don't shine.

"Guy who says God sends natural disasters to punish gays has his home destroyed in a natural disaster." And then God and Karma high-fived. (Grokked from Ken McConnell)

"'Japan is now employing military surveillance to watch Sea Shepherd ship movements in real time by satellite and if they know where our ships are at any given moment, they can easily avoid us,' (Sea Shepherd founder Captain Paul) Watson said in a statement."

Why do we need regulations and the EPA? "'Yesterday as these large retention ponds filled up, eight feet deep in places, kids were swimming in them, and that’s not good,' said Highfield, a scientist at Texas A&M University’s Galveston campus. The Brio Refining toxic Superfund site, where ethylbenzene, chlorinated hydrocarbons and other chemical compounds were once pooled in pits before the Environmental Protection Agency removed them, sits 'just up the road, and it drains into our watershed,' he said." And it's not an isolated problem in Texas. (Grokked from Paolo Bacigalupi)

"Chemicals have been released into the atmosphere from a flood-damaged plant near the storm-hit US city of Houston, local officials say." It goes boom.

"Video from a police car's dash camera shows an officer attempting to calm a nervous driver during a DUI stop by telling her 'We only kill black people.'" I can see this being said in an attempt to reassure someone that you're not going to shoot them (when elderly patients say "don't drop me" while we're moving them I often respond with "I haven't dropped anyone today, yet" or "that causes us too much paperwork so we're not going to do that", something that they're not expecting so it breaks them out of their conditioned responses), and my guess is that's how this will play out. But, really, damn that's the wrong fucking thing to say.

"A Republican lawmaker has put forth an amendment that would stop funding for the special counsel’s Russia investigation 180 days after it becomes law… The amendment from Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) would also prevent special counsel Robert Mueller from probing 'matters occurring before June 2015,' which is the month Trump announced his presidential bid." People propose a lot of things. Hell, there's something like 4 bills calling for Trump's impeachment. But I think this article lets you know just how far those bills of impeachment will go. (Grokked from Michele)

That Erik Prince is anywhere close to giving advice about military maters is a moral failing of the US. That he's a self-serving asshole is not new news.

Linkee-poo made up my mind to make a new start

Apparently all my Russian friends are now my Ukrainian friends. Waves to all my friends.

On building Siri and how to do voice processing. (Grokked from Dan)

NPR's On The Media show on the War on Drugs. We've been bamboozled with hand wavium and political grandstanding.

"It is important to do proper due diligence on these technologies as they come out. It is irresponsible, however, to run around telling people hackers are going to use their selfies to steal their money. Look, if your bank account is about to be emptied by the iPhone 8, it’s not because of Face ID." The Macalope on how every new Apple technology is a disaster. (Grokked from John)

Stormfont goes the way of the Daily Stormer. Not sad to see them go to the dark web (which is where they'll end up). (Grokked from Dan)

Seb Gorka, who either was fired or resigned, has gone on a tear about 5th columnists. "Since his ouster on Friday, Gorka has been on a media blitz of a different type. In interviews with outlets as varied as the BBC and Breitbart News, the former White House aide offered harsher words for the administration than he’s allowed previously, acknowledging that the 'Make America Great Again' platform on which Trump won the presidency is so far unfulfilled." Turns out that "deep state" are people Trump brought in, at least according to a paranoid, racial fanatic.

So now that the climate change chickens have come home to roost, as it were, a lot of Texas representatives are changing their tune on Federal Aid. You know, as compared to Sandy relief bills. Pete Sessions is up with his, "I vwas for the bill before I was against the bill."

"Over the weekend I posted a roundup of scamvangelicals failing to turn Hurricane Harvey away from Texas with the power of their prayers to White Jesus… Bryan Fischer’s prayer: 'We’re gonna take authority over the storm in Jesus’ name. We’re gonna rebuke this storm in Jesus’ name and all the demonic activity that might be behind it. Remember: Satan came to rob, kill, steal, and destroy. His energy could be behind this storm just as his energy may have been behind the storm that threatened the life of Christ and his disciples.'" Hey Bryboy, how'd that work out? (Grokked from Jim Wright)

Californian conservatives are moving to Texas. It's like that Led Zeppelin song, but in reverse. And I get it. Having worked in industries where my political views are in the minority (often of "just me") I get it. But it always makes me smile when these little "goin' Gault" movements show up (because they are mostly on the conservative end of the spectrum). Bless their little snowflake hearts. (Yes, I am completely aware of how mean and condescending that is, but given how many times I've been told to "get over it", well, they can just "get over it")

Charlottesville was supposed to be a "peaceful protest"… "A steady stream of leaked screenshots from the now-defunct chat server used to organize attendees at this month’s deadly 'Unite the Right' rally shows that the white nationalists who descended on Charlottesville, Virginia were well-organized and came with the intention of committing brutal violence." Yeah, not so much.

"A 26-year-old man who claimed he was stabbed after being mistaken for a 'neo-Nazi,' admitted to local Colorado police that he made up the whole story after he accidentally cut himself with a knife, according to The Denver Post and BuzzFeed."

There was this joke at the beginning of the Reagan's Presidency that he thought he was shooting a movie instead of realizing he was president. "President Trump on Monday said he announced his pardon of former Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff Joe Arpaio as Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas because he 'assumed the ratings would be far higher.'" The current president is going for "ratings." (Grokked from Jim Wright)

"A short time after the event, Trump noted the crowd size again, tweeting: 'Thank you Arizona. Beautiful turnout of 15,000 in Phoenix tonight!'… But according to Bloomberg, Trump was actually very upset by the 'beautiful turnout' — so much so that he’s fired George Gigicos. Or rather, he had top security aide Keith Schiller tell Gigicos that he’ll never manage a Trump rally again, because Trump doesn’t actually like to fire people." There's some waffling on the size of the actual crowd, but I'll note here that according to the fire marshall, the room holds 5,000.

Linkee-poo falls in

Our hearts go out to those in the path of Harvey. Apparently the Mayor of Houston refused to issue an evacuation order citing "safety." I'm sure that will come back to bite him.

An XKCD on what color is. Yep. (Grokked from Dan)

"Birling Gap beach was evacuated on Sunday after people reported breathing difficulties, stinging eyes and vomiting when a 'mist' appeared… In the past, chemicals have drifted across from European industrial units, but Sussex Police said: 'Weather models suggest that an onshore source in northern France is very unlikely.'" So it's not the usual chemical problems… living in the future.

"More than one-quarter of serious cases of nursing home abuse are not reported to the police, according to an alert released Monday morning by the Office of Inspector General in the Department of Health and Human Services." Yeah, no shit. But, hey, President Trump is helping by rolling back Obama's executive order restoring the patients' and patients' family the right to sue in court. Because… I got nothing.

The Planet Money podcast about disinformation campaign in the Ukraine Russia war. Just in case you thought the troll wars going on were all in fun.

"As demonstrators clashed near a downtown park here two weeks ago, a white nationalist protester in a bulletproof vest turned, pointed a pistol toward the crowd and fired a single shot at the ground, in the direction of a black man wielding an improvised torch… To make his escape, a video recording shows, the armed protester strolled past a line of about a dozen state police troopers who were safely positioned about 10 feet away behind two metal barricades. None of them budged." (Grokked from Kathryn Cramer)

"Their faces hidden behind black bandannas and hoodies, about a 100 anarchists and antifa… barreled into a protest Sunday afternoon in Berkeley’s Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park." There's a difference between being prepared for violence, spoiling for a fight, and instigating. "Police, and in some cases other counter-protesters, stepped in to halt the violence or escort the victims away from the area. Officers reported 14 arrests, many of them for violations of the city’s emergency rules banning masks, sticks and potential weapons inside the demonstration area." There's some back and forth on who started what. "'Today’s story should have only been about the voices of tolerance overpowering those marred by bigotry,' (Joanna Mendelson, senior investigative researcher with the Anti-Defamation League) said. 'Instead, any violent response, even if perpetrated by a small number, undermines their entire effort to counter the narrative.'" It's tough to stand and take the abuse, but Nazis and KKK members want the fight. Don't give it to them.

Linkee-poo late edition

If you're in Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana get inland to higher ground if you can. I hope the conservative governments in those states have plans to evacuate those who don't have the financial wherewithal to be able to evacuate on their own (including nursing homes, the homeless, the poor, etc). Say, did Trump ever fill all those positions in the DoHS, specifically FEMA?

Wanted to get that out, and the link about this weekend before, you know, this weekend.

"Stretching should never be taken to the level of causing pain. Of even more concern is failure to act when it is clear that a cheerleader is in extreme pain and begging to stop." Mean girls are mean. Or more accurately, hazing of any form is prohibited and people who don't have every child's best interest at the forefront of their minds shouldn't be allowed to coach or school children.

"'Talk about kicking the hornets' nest! This is sure to be a barn burner,' Kyle Chapman a.k.a. 'Based Stickman' and the 'Alt-Knight' wrote on Facebook urging supporters to head to the Bay this weekend, according to the Los Angeles Times. Chapman, who is popular among alt-right groups, fought protesters in Berkeley in March 4, and has been charged with felony possession of a weapon and other charges." He seems nice. Just look at those photos. Don't they look like people who just want to defend their 1st amendment rights with their helmets, shields, bats, goggles… But, hey, here come the clowns.

So how's that "Russian won't get involved with a N. Korea situation" concept going (yes, argued with people on twitter about this). "Russian nuclear-capable strategic bombers have flown a rare mission around the Korean peninsula at the same time as the United States and South Korea conduct joint military exercises that have infuriated Pyongyang." Seems like Russia really wants to be involved. Again, Putin's goal is to destabilize the West.

Wait! Where are you going? I was going to make expresso.

Sadly, I'm no longer big in France (Belgium, Qatar and the Philippines). Sigh. It must have been the passing of Jerry Lewis. Just broke their hearts.

But hey, all my friends in Russia are back to number 2. Hiya, buddies.

Linkee-poo just wants to have fun

One thread on identifying Russian trolls. And another thread demonstrating that those trolls aren't just on the conservative side of politics. Again, Putin's game is to destabilize the West. Trump is just a willing puppet. Putin just wants chaos. (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)

"The online campaign is using fake Antifa (an umbrella term for anti-fascist protestors) Twitter accounts to claim anti-fascists promote physically abusing women who support US President Donald Trump or white supremacy." Because this is information warfare. (Grokked from Paolo Bacigalupi)

"Commercial fishing boats are scrambling to catch as many Atlantic salmon as they can — after a net pen broke near Washington's Cypress Island. Fishers reported thousands of the non-native fish jumping in the water or washing ashore." Oops.

"At least 16 U.S. government employees in Cuba have been treated after experiencing symptoms including hearing loss." There's a Hawkwind song called "Sonic Attack" which is playing in the back of my head. So first we do microwave attacks (Russia), and now sound waves (Cuba). Although there's the possibility that it was Russia both times.

Sailing on the Moon's Seas. There is more water in the Moon than previously thought. (Grokked from Dan)

"These microglia can inflame a particular area of the brain. And in mice, this process could make the animals gain weight — even when they weren’t eating a fatty diet."

Linkee-poo keep a Moet et Chandon in a pretty cabinet

See, when people talked about pizza rat, this is what I initially thought of.

"People looking for an energy boost may turn to vitamin B6 and B12 supplements for help, but new research finds that men may be doubling their risk for lung cancer if they take it over an extended period of time — and tripling it if they’re smokers." Well, fuck (full disclosure I take extra B vitamins for a number of reasons). Hey, remember when they told you taking herbs and vitamins were a complete waste because they didn't do anything for you?

"Abstaining from sexual activity is a surefire way to prevent pregnancy and avoid sexually transmitted diseases. But programs advocating abstinence often fail to prevent young people from having sex, researchers write in the September issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health." Hmm, it says here water is actually wet. Whodathunkit?! "Promoting abstinence until marriage as the only legitimate option for young people 'violates medical ethics and harms young people,' Lindberg says, because such programs generally withhold information about pregnancy and STD prevention and overstate the risk of contraceptive failure." And the Sun rises in the East? Fascinating. Yes, I'm being flippant. And it's obviously necessary for these studies to come out. But, again, actual education, pregnancy prevention, and abortion issues isn't what this is all about. It's about control and rolling back the sexual revolution. You're using logic when the opposite side isn't even ready to be logical. I'm slowly approaching the point where I am ready to write off a portion of the population as irredeemable and set up political walls to ignore them. "The administration recently cut more than $200 million in federal funds for teen pregnancy prevention programs. Meanwhile, the administration's budget proposal includes millions of dollars to extend the 'Abstinence Education and Personal Responsibility Education Program.'" So we fuck over (quite literally) another generation.

"A new photo of the red 'supergiant' Antares is the best ever captured of a star other than the sun, researchers said."

The sea-salt harvesters.

The man with the sign. "Waving a 'Blacks for Trump' sign behind President Donald Trump on Tuesday night, he was impossible to miss… Maurice Symonette… was an eye-catching figure during the rally in Phoenix. Trump supporters lauded him on social media for his T-shirt reading 'Trump & Republicans Are Not Racist.'… Perhaps they should have checked him out first." Research? Who needs it.

"An Arizona law banning ethnic studies violated students' constitutional rights, a federal judge said Tuesday… 'Both enactment and enforcement were motivated by racial animus,' federal Judge A. Wallace Tashima said in the ruling." Next up, water is wet (oh wait, we covered that didn't we). Don't get me wrong, a ruling is great. But didn't we already know this?

"Civil rights activist argues to keep Confederate monuments." No, NPR, that's not what he's arguing at all. Stone Mountain, yes, with the addition of the "freedom bell." But for the rest he's saying it's a distraction and there are far more important issues to be fought for and protected. He's saying the time isn't right because a majority of people want to keep them, and you can't win them to your side by going against their deep wishes. I can see his political calculus, but I believe it's wrong. When Same-sex Marriage advocates started the majority was against them, they now have the majority. Many of their coalition said it was too soon to make the legal challenges, but they won. Are the statues important? Yes. Is it alienating a lot of people? Yes. But we need to make the case for why they need to come down. And it is out there, it's just a lot of people aren't listening/don't want to listen.

"Not out of the woods yet: 5 looming threats to Obamacare and Medicaid."

"Seven members of the White House’s National Infrastructure Advisory Council resigned from the panel on Monday, sending a letter to President Donald Trump telling him that his actions have undermined the country’s 'moral infrastructure,' Roll Call reported." Not sure I should go with "rats leaving a ship" or "he still had an advisory board he hadn't folded?"

Linkee-poo, blinded by the light

"'That was the feedback from players. They wanted a better shot at smaller prizes,' Tabor said." Nobody plays the lottery to win the $4 prize. However, a small prize and a "near miss" are guaranteed to reinforce the habit of gambling.

So, how do other countries deal with monuments of a past that are troubling?

"Donohue says many hospital emergency departments are not adequately set up to serve or even screen patients with addiction. 'They may not have strong connections to treatment providers. So they, at best, may leave patients with a list, but then there is no active follow-up,' Donohue says. 'People who are quite vulnerable and are at great risk for future overdoses are falling through the cracks.'" Much of what they say here is true, although they're missing a large part of the picture. First, there is empathy fatigue. Second, our emergency room doctors aren't licensed to give such treatment (many of the drugs used to treat opioid addiction require special certification). Third, there's no goddamn beds to send these people to for both inpatient and outpatient care. Hell, getting people in for standard psychiatric care can be daunting. Fourth, there is a shortage of slots for treatment (see 2 and 3). Finally, in Ohio at least, patients have to meet certain requirements before entering treatment. For some, that means going through a medication clearance, that is they show they are "clean" of drugs. That last law/rule really needs to be changed.

"Danish police said Wednesday that a headless torso found in waters off Copenhagen is that of missing Swedish journalist Kim Wall, the Associated Press reported." I've been reading about this for over a week and and this story just keeps getting stranger and stranger. But it seems likely now that Peter Madsen won't escape justice.

"Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin's wife Louise Linton is facing a backlash for an Instagram post -- later deleted -- that touted the couple's wealth." Good thing all those people with "economic worries" voted in the guy who appoints his friends. There's just like us. Travel by jet for a day trip without our Hermes scarfs, etc, bashing folk who criticize their choices. Like you do.

And NPR takes the moment of this imbroglio to highlight exactly how a progressive tax system works and the concept of "equal marginal sacrifice." "To that poor person, paying 40 cents instead of 10 cents — or, to make this example more practically applicable, $40 instead of $10 — could cut heavily into basics like grocery or rent money. But for the rich person, that $40 is far less likely to be a necessity. Instead, it could cut into, say, the cost of an Hermes scarf."

Obamacare reform is still on the burner. "Staff for Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, are working on a joint plan to stabilize the country's health insurance markets. Kasich told Colorado Public Radio's Colorado Matters that they expect to release it ahead of September hearings in the U.S. Senate. They also intend to get other governors from both parties to sign onto the plan, to show support at the state level." Of course "They also agree that the possibility of national single-payer coverage is not on the table in their discussions."

"Another Obama-era regulation is on the Trump administration's chopping block — this one about nursing homes. The Obama administration's rule would've made it easier for nursing home residents to sue for negligence or abuse. But the Trump administration is proposing to replace that rule. And the new one could make it almost impossible for nursing home residents to get their day in court." Working for the little people my ass.

"As the tide of fascism swept across (Europe), scientists… were targets of terror and hatred. The principal victims where… Jewish researchers who were summarily dismissed from positions and attacked. As the climate grew ever more perilous, many of these brilliant men and women knew they had only one choice — leave or face death… That was how the exodus began. That was how some of the greatest minds in human history became refugees: refugees in America." And American Science flourished from our new citizens. But one part ignored by this essay is that after the war, the US actively recruited those scientists who stayed behind and served the Nazis (sometimes as active members of the party) in Operation Paperclip. And one of the things I most love, our space program, wouldn't have been as quickly successful without their help (no offense to Goodard).

"For the second time this year, the federal government tried and failed to convict four men who joined the high-profile Bundy family in its 2014 standoff with federal agents in a dispute over grazing fees for cattle." This will not end well. I wonder how the eventual movie will portray this?

"The mayor of Phoenix and the Phoenix police chief declared the overall handling of a Tuesday night speech by President Trump a success, despite it ending with streets filled with gas." Well, it depends on what you definition of "success" is.

Linkee-poo, Brenda and Eddie had had it already by the Summer of 75

So, how'd you do?



The alignment chart of fan fiction titles. Uh :: looks at titling scheme of this blog :: okay, fair cop. (Grokked from Seanan McGuire)

"The shooting occurred in Steubenville, Ohio, a place best known for a high-profile rape case involving high school football players. In a bizarre twist, the shooter was identified by authorities on Monday afternoon as Nathaniel Richmond, father of one of the two teenage boys found delinquent — or guilty — in 2013 as part of that rape case." That's, uh, not a bizarre twist, WaPo.

"The Trump administration has decided to dissolve a federal advisory panel that contributes to a report that measures the current and future impacts of climate change on the U.S., The Washington Post reports." Because why would we need actual scientists to help direct our response to Climate Change when it's all a hoax and you don't plan to do shit about it.

"As of Sunday, with the president's return to Washington, D.C., from a working vacation at his New Jersey golf club, he has visited at least one of his properties on more than a third, 35.7 percent, of his days as president -- or 76 days out of 213, according to an ABC News' count." You would think they would offer the US Government a discount in that case.

"Former spokesperson for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, Katrina Pierson, appeared on 'Fox and Friends' Monday morning to defend keeping Confederate statues on display as politicians and activists call for their removal, saying Americans love their 'good and bad' history." I don't have enough fucking spoons for this.

"The Secret Service can no longer pay hundreds of agents it needs to carry out an expanded protective mission – in large part due to the sheer size of President Trump's family and efforts necessary to secure their multiple residences up and down the East Coast… But even if such a proposal (to raise the salary caps) was approved, about 130 veteran agents would not be fully compensated for hundreds of hours already amassed, according to the agency." Jobs jobs jobs. Hey, I gotta idea, Mr. President. How about you comp the government the expenses of the security detail at your properties? You know, like write off the $60,000 in golf cart rental fees. Okay, well most news stories make this sound like "The Secret Service is running out of money." No, they have enough money. It's just that by law you can only pay an agent so much every year, and with all the overtime a lot of agents are hitting that cap.

"As a show where massive dragons fly, Faceless Men dwell and Bran Stark has become an all-knowing Three-Eyed Raven, the director of the episode, 'Beyond the Wall,' told the New York Times that being concerned about the speed of a raven should not be a priority." Dear Alan Taylor, welcome to fandom. And yes, the airspeed velocity of a laden raven is important. (:: winks at everyone who got that ::)

"A dozen Browns players took a knee in prayer during the national anthem before Monday night's preseason game against the New York Giants." Waits for the Christian Right to declaim this. I also can't wait for the inevitable work conversations.

"Though numerous studies have linked genital talc use to ovarian cancer, the research findings have not been consistent. They consist mostly of epidemiological or population studies, which cannot conclusively prove a cause-and-effect relationship between an exposure and later development of cancer." And that's the problem. Because cancer can take a long time to develop to the point of being noticeable (and not have the body kill the cancer cells itself), the exposure to a possible carcinogen is so distant in time it becomes nearly impossible to make a direct link. But this is also thought of in the terms, "can you determine if This Specific Cigarette caused my cancer"? No, but a lifetime of smoking can be (but then there are people who get lung cancer who never smoke a single cig). Also pointed to because of the example of language use in studies, "The company statement pointed to a National Cancer Institute report in April that said, 'The weight of evidence does not support an association between perineal talc exposure and an increased risk of ovarian cancer.'… But elsewhere, the cancer institute uses more ambivalent language, saying 'it is not clear' if talcum powder increases the risk of ovarian cancer."

"House Speaker Paul D. Ryan… has not hidden the fact he disapproves of President Trump equating white supremacists in Charlottesville with counterprotesters… Nine days after a woman died when an alleged white supremacist rammed his car into a crowd, Ryan posted a statement on Facebook saying: 'There is no moral relativism when it comes to neo-Nazis.'… Would you support a censure of the president by the House? That’s a hard no. Ryan: 'That would be so counterproductive, if we descend this issue into some partisan hackfest.'" So, no moral relativism, unless it means upsetting the President and criticizing your own party before you get your tax cut passed.

Linkee-poo, hey Lady!

"The day of the long-awaited coast-to-coast solar eclipse has arrived — and if history is any guide, it's likely that somebody's eyes are going to get hurt." Don't be one of those people.

In one day both Jerry Lewis and Dick Gregory, and the day before Brian Aldiss. Wow, 2017 is certainly trying to top 2016.

Florida monkeys around with people on Medicaid. Specifically children on Medicaid. Fuckers. Well, to be fair, Medicaid is very much like this all throughout the system. Patients are asked questions they really don't know exactly what is being asked, but because they're asked a question they feel they need to respond. And they make that's choice without knowing all the consequences of their answer. That doesn't mean they should lie, but say asking someone if they need in home care, etc may say no because someone is hoeing them temporarily. However, when they then say they now need in home care, Medicaid can say that they declined. Or because of the way Medicaid works it will now take 3 months or more to get someone or help. When if they had said yes, it would still have taken 3 months, but that's how long their friend was staying. (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)

"In the aftermath of the white supremacist rallies in Charlottesville, Va., many civil rights activists took to Twitter and shared photos of people who allegedly were at the march. The idea was to identify who they were and shame them. But identifying someone from a photo can be tricky — and the activists managed to make at least one mistake." Sometimes crowdsourcing isn't the best option. Now imagine when the various sides realize they can play disinformation campaigns against each other.

"As President Trump doubled down on his defense of Confederate statues and monuments this week, he overlooked an important fact noted by historians: The majority of the memorials seem to have been built with the intention not to honor fallen soldiers, but specifically to further ideals of white supremacy." It's time to remove them. Understand that these statues are different than the statuary in our National Battlefields. Those were actually erected to memorialize those who fought and died (for the most part). While some serve dual purposes, they are not there specifically to terrorize and impose a (discredited) world view.

Linkee-poo, don't trust your soul to no back woods Southern lawyer

In case you want to get all woo-woo-y on Monday, capturing the "magic" of the eclipse. I should mention that while I'm not fully versed in Wicca and I understand that an eclipse is a special moment, I'm not entirely certain it has an energy, though. In fact, I think it's special because of the specific lack of energy being given. Sure, it's a major calendar event. We cross a barrier. But the full moon has energy (as exampled in their Full Moon Water gathering). I don't see the eclipse as giving energy that could be captured that way. If you know how I'm wrong here, please comment (or send me an email). I'd really be interested in knowing.

"For doctors, public emergencies bring to mind ethical duties and dilemmas that never go away. Current events compel us to examine our core beliefs and do a gut-check of our own ethical standards and sense of professionalism." It's not just doctors, doc. Most of the rest of us spend way more time with the patients than the doctors do. I've also had an internal dialog with myself about this. What if there were a rally near the hospital I work at and things went pear-shaped. Could I work on someone bearing Nazi/Klan symbols? I had some minor run ins with this last year when several patients came in (not at the same time) in Trump gear. First I was kinda shocked as the ER really isn't a place for such a display. But I did treat the patients. I had one patient a while back who injured himself because he was on a 3 day bender because of the celebration around Jackie Robinson. Yes, he told us without being asked. I joke about that time doing a pantomime of taking a portable chest x-ray and saying, "Okay, this is going to burn a little, take in a deep breath, click!" Jokes all around. But here's the thing, with the patients (all of the above), I did the exams as professionally as I could. I don't think it was much different than any of the other exams I've done. So I think I would be able to deal with it. However, I reserve the right to not offer to get a warm blanket in case they're cold (it is, after all, outside my scope of practice to do so).

"A man who appeared in a Vice News story this week where he advocated for violence -- particularly against non-white people -- now says he fears for his life." Ya know, I don't have a lot of sympathy. "'I think (Heyer's death) was more than justified," Cantwell said. 'The amount of restraint our people showed out there, I think it was astounding.'" In fact, I have less than zero.

And, he's right to be scared of arrest. "Officials from the Virginia Commonwealth Attorney’s Office said Thursday that Cantwell is wanted for illegal use of gases, and injury by caustic agent or explosive. Both are felony charges, officials said."

And to top it all off, apparently OK Cupid doesn't want Cantwell on their site (which he was).

"But now the neo-Nazi from New Hampshire is fighting against claims of cowardice." Because, you know, crying means you aren't a man. Or something. Cantrell, the racist gift that keeps on giving. (Grokked from Jim Wright)

"The statue of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, who wrote the majority opinion in the infamous Dred Scott case, was removed from the grounds of the Maryland state capitol, the Baltimore Sun reported… The statue will be moved to a secure Maryland State Archives storage facility…" Where, we presume, it will be studied by Top Men.

"When the states' perceptions of discrimination are lined up against states' votes for Trump in 2016, it shows a clear negative correlation — places where there was bigger perception of discrimination had a lower likelihood of voting for Trump. Reliably liberal California and reliably conservative Wyoming reside at opposite ends of the spectrum." I'm sorry, I don't see where they've correlated "economic anxiety" in that chart. I don't see it anywhere in the data. It's like that really wasn't the issue at all and was just a red herring thrown out by a few writers and echoed by the rest of the media.

"'Whether he intended to or not, what he communicated caused racists to rejoice, minorities to weep, and the vast heart of America to mourn,' (Mitt) Romney wrote in a post on Facebook this morning." Must be time for another bus (to throw Romney under). (Grokked from John)

I am Sparticus! "Upward of 100 people showed up to support the suspects (who toppled a Confederate monument Monday in Durham, N.C.), filling the building to such an extent the fire marshal 'determined the crowd posed a security risk,'… But the demonstrators did not settle simply at the courthouse. Dozens of them marched on the Durham County Detention Facility, hoping to turn themselves in for the very same crimes in solidarity with those arrested…"

New Look

Thought I'd pull the redesign trigger to clear out anything going on in the HTML. This was a good temporary holding space. Expect in the next week or two to see other changes or tweaks to this look. Hopefully all those slow loading issues will be gone now.

Check, Check, Wheat Chex, Rice Chex, Chex Mix…

This is a test of the system. Please pay no attention.

Trump is a puppet.

:: waves to all my Russian friends ::

We now return you to your regular broadcast.

Linkee-poo ain't seen the sunshine since I don't know when

The Hidden Brain podcast on "WHOOP, there it is" on the detrimental effects of positive fantasies. Sometimes thinking and fantasizing you've already achieved a goal can lead to you not achieving that goal. Now trying to process this in relation to my writing.

The Southern Poverty Law Center's report on Confederacy symbols and just whose heritage they're about. Link is to a PDF. (Grokked from John)

"At the intersection where protections against unreasonable search and seizure meet the rights to free speech and association, there's now a web hosting company called DreamHost… The California-based company is resisting a Department of Justice warrant that demands it hand over all files related to DisruptJ20.org, a website created by one of its customers to plan and announce actions intended to disrupt President Trump's inauguration." When they were asked for specific information, they complied. But now the DoJ is going on a fishing expedition.

What could go wrong if we crack down on every undocumented person? Well, it makes it harder to actually fight crime. Yes, the crack down is hampering our attempts to root out MS-13, including labeling teens as gang members when they tried to escape from the gang by coming north. And then there's the whole grabbing the low hanging fruit when the President said he was going after the hardened-criminals. I'm getting tired of having to relearn the basic lessons of how the real world works because the conservatives have their head up their ideology.

"The Texas Legislature closed out the special session Tuesday night amid a stalemate on property tax reform, leaving unfinished Gov. Greg Abbott's top priority." But they sure got a lot of other stupid shit done, just not the property tax, the bathroom bill, and taking all money away from Planned Parenthood. Let the finger pointing begin.

Sure, they were in Charlottesville for peaceful purposes. "'For half an hour, three men dressed in fatigues and armed with semi-automatic rifles stood across the street from the temple,' (Alan Zimmerman, the president of Congregation Beth Israel) said…Zimmerman said the men did not try to enter the synagogue, but passing 'parades of Nazis' shouted 'There’s the synagogue!' when they passed the building, 'followed by chants of "Seig Heil" and other anti-Semitic language.'" I mean, who are you going to believe, the Nazis and White-Supremisists or the people they intended to terrorize?

"The email forwarded by John Dowd, who is leading the president’s legal team, painted the Confederate general Robert E. Lee in glowing terms and equated the South’s rebellion to that of the American Revolution against England." That's not actually the strangest part of this story. The email's most quote part is about how Gen. Washington and Gen. Lee are the same. Yeeeeeaaahhh, not so much. "It declared that Lee 'saved America' by opting to surrender rather than launch guerrilla attacks in the final days of the Civil War." Fucking for chastity. So, to sum up: yes some black people hate other African-Americans and conservatives live in a different reality than the rest of us.

Whelp, that didn't take long. It's like Baltimore had a plan before they had the final vote.

An American, Canadian, and Mexican walk into a bar to renegotiate NAFTA… "But then, this is what makes trade a complex political issue: the benefits tend to be widespread, but the costs tend to be acute. A trade agreement might modestly improve the lives of many Americans (think lower prices or a greater assortment of goods), but it can also devastate a much smaller population of Americans by displacing their jobs." And that's why you include provisions to mitigate such issues. Like, say, money for retraining for anyone who lost a job due to trade (yes there are problems with that, but then, there's problems all around).

The Ukrainian Connection. "Profexer was not arrested because his activities fell in a legal gray zone, as an author but not a user of malware, the Ukrainian police say." (Grokked from Dan)

"The 'alt-right' March on Google has been cancelled… Event organizer Jack Posobiec posted the announcement on the group’s site Wednesday morning, claiming 'Alt Left terrorist threats' the group has received posed safety concerns. Prosobiec also said in the post that the group reported these threats to the relevant authorities. However, the Mountain View Police Department, the Atlanta Police Department, and the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., told the Los Angeles Times that they were not aware of such threats." There is no "Alt-Left." There are "anti-fa" (for anti-fascists), but they already have a monicker.

"The political world's latest feast is chewing over the stunningly candid comments of Stephen K. Bannon, President Trump's polarizing and already embattled chief strategist, trashing associates and policies on North Korea and China…" Heard the interview with the reporter he called on NPR, but so far there's no transcript there. The disfunctionality of this administration is startling.

"A wave of Republican-controlled states are petitioning the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for permission to enact measures that will knock more people off Medicaid and the Trump administration has signaled they will give a green light to these efforts." Because, I don't know… freedom?

"President Trump on Thursday mourned the loss of 'beautiful statues and monuments' in the wake of the violent clashes in Charlottesville during a white supremacist demonstration protesting the planned removal of a statue depicting Confederate military commander Robert E. Lee." Just tell him they're clearing space for statues of him and he'll be okay with it. Really, how much more does the public need to hear before we all get that the president is a racist and an ignorant fool?

Linkee-poo, close your mouth, you're drawing flies

Are we fucked, or are we fucked?

"In other words, millennials didn't go for it, and the regulars got turned off. In fact, Applebee's isn't the only big restaurant chain struggling." ZOMG, millennials are killing Applebees… only, not so much. Basically, they failed at their rebranding (if it was chasing a market that wasn't there, or they just didn't hit the right note, that's for someone else to determine). All the restaurants in that category are hurting, Applebees was the one that spent a shitload of cash to rebrand, so they're hurting the most. Plus, you know, given my personal experience there, I'm not all that hep to go back anytime soon.

"The jury in the Taylor Swift assault trial ruled in favor of the singer and her mother Monday, rejecting a radio DJ's claims that they unjustly had him fired from his job after allegedly groping the singer during a 2013 backstage meet-and-greet." While the media focused on her performance during the cross-examination, if felt a lot like it was more prurient than praiseworthy. Waiting to see how many times they could say "ass" on the air. But still, good for her. Hopefully that symbolic victory can lead to better outcomes and lives for everybody.

"The Environmental Protection Agency and the Transportation Department have opened the public comment period on the rewriting of standards for greenhouse gas emissions for cars and light trucks for model years 2022-2025." Because fuck the environment. Look, the auto industry always fights these and says they're impossible and they could never make it work… and then there's an oil shock and suddenly they're able to meet the standards and find a way to make it work for consumers. Other countries are discussing how soon they can get to all electric vehicles, we're still squabbling about getting to an average 40mpg. And here's the odd thing, as Americans we love larger and more powerful vehicles, the ideal platform for and the performance ratio of electric engines. the only things holding us back are infrastructure (easily remedied) and 40 years of the American Auto Industry marketing and hype that makes the public wary of electric engines. Doesn't mean gas is going away soon (we also like to drive long distances), but vehicles like the Volt, Bolt, and Prius demonstrate how we could integrate electrical engines and keep to our love of the car. All that's missing is the engine growl.

"Nearly 100 previously unknown volcanoes lurk beneath Antarctica, and scientists still don't know how many of these volcanoes are active." I believe that's the opening line to a disaster movie. "However, as climate change warms the continent, thinning the ice, some of the now-dormant volcanoes could roar back to life, the scientists said in a statement." Okay, it's been decades since my last Earth Sciences course, but I don't think volcanoes work that way.

Speed bumps filled with non-Newtonian fluids. Well, okay then. Going slow they're like liquid. But the more force you hit them with the more solid the bump. (Grokked from Dan)

"The organization suggests keeping passwords simple, long and memorable. Phrases, lowercase letters and typical English words work well, Grassi tells NPR's Audie Cornish. Experts no longer suggest special characters and a mixture of lower and uppercase letters. And passwords never need to expire." Yeah, tell that to the IT Departments. At the day job we have a little issue with passwords, but at the hospital, boy howdy. At the hospital I have a desktop computer login, logins for each of the X-ray machines (4 of which I use on a normal basis), then there are the software logins. During a typical day that means being logged into 4 pieces of software (IDX/RIS, EMR, PACS, and a patient tracker), all of which have separate logins (for EMR, I have to log into a software launcher, and then into EMR as well… yeah, I don't get that one either). On a bad day, at 2 or 3 more pieces of software. And all those things time out quickly, requiring us to keep re-entering our passwords. There is a badge swiping system, but it hasn't been rolled out for us yet.

"A recent study found that women preferred the body odor of men who ate a lot of fruits and vegetables. Whereas men who ate a lot of carbohydrates gave off a smell that was less appealing… Men who ate a lot of meat did not produce a sweat that was any more — or less — attractive to women. But meat did tend to make men's odor more intense." You are what you eat.

"Earlier this summer, a modest little startup in Barcelona, Spain, unveiled its newest product — a biodegradable, Internet-connected funeral urn that turns the ashes of departed loved ones into an indoor tree." Uh oh, someone forgot to water Grandma while we were on vacation.

I'm developing a theory of whyTrump keeps reposting racists' tweets. He or someone he knows and trusts follows a shitload of them. You know, for purely platonic reasons that aren't related to their rampant white nationalism or conspiracy theory promotion. (Grokked from Joshua Parker)

"Texas A&M has canceled a white nationalist protest planned in September, citing safety concerns." I have thinky thoughts about this. But, it appears as if no campus organization actually invited the group, so, yeah, buh-bye.

"Originally published by The Daily Caller and later syndicated or aggregated by several other websites, including Fox Nation, an offshoot of Fox News' website, it carried an unsubtle headline: 'Here's A Reel Of Cars Plowing Through Protesters Trying To Block The Road.' Embedded in the article was a minute-and-a-half long video showing one vehicle after another driving through demonstrations." But now those websites are trying to scrub their postings. To bad the governments that enacted laws to help indemnify drivers who hit protestors aren't as contrite. (Grokked from Tobias S. Buckell)

"In a stunning reversal from comments he made just one day prior, President Trump said on Tuesday 'there's blame on both sides' for the violence in Charlottesville, Va." That's just one of the ignorant statements he made, but then if you're in the news you've only got so much space. "Alt-Left"? Okay, seriously, given the prevalence of the "well, people kept calling them Nazis, what did you expect them to do" arguments online, I'm about half-way to accepting that gauntlet. I was going to joke about the President going full-bore on the "crazy, racists, conspiracy toting Uncle at Thanksgiving Dinner," but really that's just too damn depressing.

Linkee-poo for a Sunday

Fuck, I've got nothing.

Except maybe all the feelings.

Quoi!?

Wow, that's interesting. After making a comment about all my Russian friends yesterday, Russia (the country) drops from #2 to #8 in traffic. But whoa boy, look at all that traffic from France, Belgium, Philippines, and Kuwait (US numbers look the same, but the US is now #2 in traffic). Oddly enough, those numbers from France look exactly like the numbers from Russia last summer. I'm sure it's just a coinkidink.

I'm sure that suddenly, just like Jerry Lewis, I'm big in France. Not like it might be people tunneling through routers, spoofing addresses, or using zombie servers. I'm sure it's nothing like that.

:: waves to all my Russian friends::

If there was some sudden surge in my popularity on The Continent (as they say in the UK), and I was called out in some fantastic French Press (oh, please let it be le Monde) maybe one of my many admirers there could drop a link (same for Kuwait and the Philippines).

Linkee-poo hopes the Russians love their children, too.

If you're on Twitter and aren't following my friend, Jim Wright, YTF not? Jim did a great service this past week exposing troll tactics, how to recognize a bot, and what to do about it. His final analysis? The US is currently under an information warfare attack. Guess who it's coming from (why, it might be the people who monitored this site last summer :: waves to all my Russian friends ::)

The entire Star Wars Episode IV in one graphic. It's a very long graphic. (Grokked from John)

Patagotitan mayorum, the new kid on the (old) block.

NPR story on an experiment in Zambia about just giving poor people some money instead of goats, or medical care, or food. Note, Africa has the same problems the West has with cash assistance. Namely, "ZOMG, they might spend it on something we don't approve of!" Memo to ignorants, mostly they don't. Say, know how much of our welfare budget is actual cash assistance? How much to we restrict what SNAP benefits can pay for? So what does the researcher tracking the economic impact of this cash assistance have to say about it? "I've never seen impacts so large in my life."

"The Power Tool Institute has already invested tens of thousands of dollars this year to lobby Congress against the CPSC rule…" that would make table saws much safer. One of the first lessons I learned with woodworking is that companies make tools cheaper by removing safety features. But, yes, table saws are dangerous (not as dangerous as jointers, but fewer people have those). Here you see industry fighting to keep their products as cheaply manufactured as possible and damn the public safety concerns. The free market does not work.

"Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson has suggested fellow Republican Sen. John McCain’s brain tumor and the after-midnight timing of the vote were factors in McCain’s decisive vote against the GOP health care bill." Hahahahahahahahahaha :: breath :: hahahahaha.

What's the worst that could happen if we close our borders and cut back on all immigration? "Vegetable prices may be going up soon, as a shortage of migrant workers is resulting in lost crops in California." Yeah, that might have an impact. Who could have foreseen it (someone shows you results of Alabama, Arkansas and Georgia crop losses after those states enacted tough immigration rules). (Grokked from Miranda Suri)

While we hear about the Epi-Pens and Daraprim, there's a lot of drugs that have experience extreme price hikes (and unexplainable shortages) in the past few years. Tell me again how the market will fix this, cause that never gets old.

"Seven days a week, 24 hours a day, migrants who came to the U.S. from across the globe — Syria, Congo, Haiti, elsewhere — arrive here where Roxham Road dead-ends so they can walk into Canada, hoping its policies will give them the security they believe the political climate in the United States does not." Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Except those people. Screw them, Trump's right-wing nationalism (and nativism) would like to add. "The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are adding electricity and portable toilets. A Canadian flag stands just inside the first tent, where the Mounties search the immigrants they’ve just arrested and check their travel documents. They are also offered food. Then shuttle buses take the processed migrants to their next destination. Trucks carry their luggage separately… The Canadian military said Wednesday that about 100 soldiers began arriving to prepare a site for tents to accommodate almost 500 people. The soldiers will also install lighting and heating equipment." Compare that to our southern border.

Lousiana, Lousiana, they're trying to wash us away. They're trying to wash us away.

Walmart.

And let's go to the weather. "The year 2016 was the warmest on record for the planet as a whole, surpassing temperature records that date back 137 years, according to an annual report compiled by scientists around the globe." But the good news is 2017 is shaping up to be cooler. It looks like it'll come it at number 2.

"Wisconsin’s top conservation official promised Wednesday that regulatory rollbacks in Gov. Scott Walker’s incentive plan for a giant Foxconn plant won’t harm the state’s environment." Oh, I'm sure they won't. That's why you waived all the requirements.

"State and local Republicans have expanded early voting in GOP-dominated areas and restricted it in Democratic areas, an IndyStar investigation has found, prompting a significant change in Central Indiana voting patterns." I'm sure it's all… okay, I've got nothing. Heinous fuckery abounds. (Grokked from Michele)

This is how you do it. "But most of Brar's mental energy was expended on figuring out the chicken's best camera angles… He said he spent hours studying CNN and other cable news channels that used the same shot with the White House in the foreground and the Washington Monument in the background… 'I understood that if I positioned it correctly and got the permit for the correct place, I would be in full view of the cameras. And, I did it in such a way that the White House wasn't blocking it, which I knew would be what would take it viral globally,' he said."

Remember when he said he'd make insurance cheaper? "Actions by the Trump administration are triggering double-digit premium increases on individual health insurance policies purchased by many people, according to a nonpartisan study." Trumps statements, tweets, and actions (and by extension Congress' and the Senates' actions) are creating instability in the markets, to which the insurers are responding to by increasing insurance rates… by a lot. Oh, and if you think this will only affect the private market, you haven't been paying attention (especially to the recent CBO scores on how Obamacare influences and controls the employer-based-insurance market). Oh, and your tax dollars will be paying for the majority of that increase, by the by.

"Hospice care is for the dying. It helps patients manage pain so they can focus on spending their remaining time with loved ones. But in recent years, nearly one in five patients have been discharged from hospice before they die, according to government reports."

What happens if the President gives the launch order to our nuclear weapons forces? Specifically, what if you don't trust the President to be in their right mind at the time? The article makes it seem a little simplistic, having faced this conundrum personally while in the Air Force I have some experience here (no, I was not in the silo, this was a part of being inducted). Could I turn the key (FailSafe is a little more involved with that, but it's an easy metaphor)? Yes. And I say that with full knowledge of what turning that key would set into motion. Would I turn the key? That's a little more complex. Given the right conditions, yes. Knowing it might mean my life (and the missile being launched anyway), given the wrong conditions, no. There were experiments done in the 80s. While I didn't see the hard data the rumors were that up to 30% of the officers refused to turn the key (fortunately the side arms had been loaded with blanks, still painful in the confined space of the silo launch room - those guns were for more than if your silo buddy went the big nutty). This was at a time of heightened tensions with the USSR, when a nuclear exchange seemed plausible. So this wasn't a "nice day with blue skies above, lets see who would initiate nuclear Armageddon" test. (Grokked from John)

Repeat after me. "There is no such thing as a 'limited' nuclear exchange."

The Memo. Or paranoia strikes deep…

Linkee-poo is searchin' in the sun for another overload

NPR asks the question if sugar in fruit is the same as sugar in candies. Short answer, no. Even if you take away all the extras in the fruit (the fiber, vitamins, proteins, fats and flavonoids), processed sugar is made in a way to be easily absorbed by your body (this is why "sugar in the raw" can be better for you). Now, chemically it's the same, but there are slightly different shapes of sugar. Glucose (what your body needs), fructose and galactose are all C6H12O6, but they are all different shapes. Remember, the engines of your cells are enzymes, and enzymes are all about the shape (and electrical charges, but mostly shape). Maltose, ribose, lactose and a few others have different chemical compositions (but they're all Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen), and then fats are basically these sugars stacked together with some extra bits to hold them all together. But not only are the shapes important (your body needs to convert fructose to glucose before using it), the composition and mixture of all of these is important.

"The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has proposed spending $275 million to upgrade defenses against an invading force. The enemy? A fish. Specifically, Asian carp that are threatening to break through to the Great Lakes." For those of you who don't live near the Great Lakes, this is a Very Big Thing™ and it's also something the Trump Administration has proposed cutting funds for (actually for anything to do with the Great Lakes).

And then this asshole. Male jogger pushes woman into path of oncoming bus.

"President Donald Trump, who constantly rants about 'leakers' and warns his Twitter followers to be wary of anonymous sources, on Tuesday morning retweeted a Fox News report that cited anonymous intelligence community officials."

Someone needs to get Steve Forbes to adjust his medication. "When it comes to communications, Republicans too often are cowardly and incompetent." He then goes on a tear that's basically,"screw the CBO, screw the pundits, for Tax Cuts go big or go home." Because blah blah Reagan (and now Kennedy, it's a nice talking point meant to diffuse Democratic opposition) give rich people more money and somehow magic happens and we have a better economy with more jobs and higher incomes. Well, Steve, hate to break it to you but Reagan's cuts tanked the economy, which he then had to raise taxes to get back on track. And since Reagan's time a 2% GDP growth has become the norm. It was his (and conservative) policies that drug us down (and making sure banks broke their "boom/bust" cycle). Also, we've had several "tax cuts" meant to bring us more jobs and higher wages and not a single one worked (except for the Social Security holiday, and because that was Obama it was never extended or renewed). And then he ends with "So make simple cuts now, and go for major tax reform after next year's elections." Seriously WTF, Steve.

"Eager to attract good help in a tight labor market — and unsure of the future of the Affordable Care Act — large employers are newly committed to maintaining health coverage for workers and often for their families, too, according to new research and interviews with business analysts… That's a marked change from three years ago, when many big employers… contemplated ending medical benefits and shifting workers to the Affordable Care Act's marketplaces." When I was being poached for the new job I started in March my first question was about their health plan. And then there's this, "Employers expect health costs to increase 5.5 percent next year, up from 4.6 percent in 2017, according to the Willis Towers Watson report." Compared to the increases we saw in the late 90s and early 2000s, that's hellasmall increases. Also note their comment about double-digit increases in the Obamacare marketplace isn't true everywhere. Ohio, which expanded Medicaid, has seen similar 5-8% increases.

"Cairo, Ill., is one of the fastest depopulating communities in the nation, with abandoned buildings throughout the river town. The federal government plans to demolish two public housing projects where many of the remaining residents live." Dr. Carson does the "Hi, I'm from the government, we're here to help," line in Cairo.

"President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer on Tuesday claimed Trump has sent special counsel Robert Mueller, who is overseeing the federal investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, private messages of 'appreciation and greetings.'" Pictures or it didn't happen. Actually this is a blunt attempt to get opposition to Trump's potential firing of Mueller to soften. It's the ol' "don't throw me in the briar patch" gambit by saying, "Oh no, we really like Mueller and think he's doing a bang-up job."

In a fantastic diplomatic move President Trump tries the one strategy every former president and diplomats have eschewed, he threatens North Korea. Here's his own red line, which North Korea promptly overstepped. Just to remind everyone, Clinton did reach a multilateral agreement with the prior Kim Jung to stop his nuclear arms program. A deal the GW Bush administration immediately broke by turning around the tankers carrying heavy fuel oil to North Korea when they took office. Literally turned them around.

"FBI agents raided former Trump campaign Chairman Paul Manafort's home… the raid reportedly took place in late July, one month after Manafort registered as a foreign agent."

Linkee-poo can dim the lights and sing you songs full of sad things

Lots of NPR links this time.

"Around 2012, I noticed abrupt shifts in teen behaviors and emotional states. The gentle slopes of the line graphs became steep mountains and sheer cliffs, and many of the distinctive characteristics of the Millennial generation began to disappear. In all my analyses of generational data—some reaching back to the 1930s—I had never seen anything like it." The report on the next generation and cell phone use that everyone is talking about. Kids these days.

Post-pregnancy abdominal wall separation or "mummy tummy." And a new exercise to help your muscles return to "normal." Basically isometrics to the rectus abdominis muscle.

"Wealthy San Francisco residents lose private street over tax bill." Shocked, shocked they are to discover they 1) needed to pay $14 tax on the road and common areas and 2) now owned by someone their original land covenants would have prohibited in the neighborhood. Oh, and residents of Presidio Terrace, your land association sucks.

The BBC airs a cartoon about Roman Era Britton that has a black protagonist, and the right-wing goes looney. Tell me again how the right is not about racism. So now that actual historians are coming out saying, "Yeah, having a African Roman officer is not an anachronism" I expect that historians will be thrown onto the pile with Biologist and Climatologists.

Speaking of climatologists, "The draft report by scientists from 13 federal agencies, which has not yet been made public, concludes that Americans are feeling the effects of climate change right now. It directly contradicts claims by President Trump and members of his cabinet who say that the human contribution to climate change is uncertain, and that the ability to predict the effects is limited." Gee, I wonder why the draft report was leaked?

Wither the American Nuclear Power Renaissance?

On the affect NAFTA has had on our industries. "Whether or not it was the primary culprit, NAFTA certainly hasn't altered the steady rise in farm concentration. Trade expanded the total size of the pie, as the Farm Bureau points out: U.S. agricultural exports to Mexico and Canada jumped from $8.9 billion in 1993 to over $38 billion today. Yet, critics point out, the largest farms control most of the slices, with 20 percent of farms operating 70 percent of U.S. farmland." These trade deals aren't for the little guy, they're for the multi-national companies.

The conservative attempt to bend the world to their view. See they need to make liberals the "elite" and out of touch with the common man. Okay, anyone think any of the people in the top levels of the White House ever flipped burgers for a paycheck, or hustled lawn work? Does anyone think that the promised "middle-class" tax breaks will mostly go to people who make less than $300,000? Yeah, me neither. But they need to convince those people that the Grand Ol' Party has their interests at heart. So in the Zero Sum world they live in, that means they need to paint Liberals as the rich people who only look out for the rich. It's the old displacement game.

Like I said, let the law suits begin. "Chicago's Mayor Rahm Emanuel is pushing back against the federal government." And the Sessions gets a little unhinged in his response. Look, even so called Sanctuary Cities will hold someone who has broken the law (no matter what their immigration status). But if they can't prove a case, or there is no case and no outstanding warrant, the city will release the prisoner because they have no other option. It's a 6th Amendment issue. So Session's ranting about "criminal aliens" is just being a blowhard. If the person has an outstanding warrant, or if the police department can charge them with a crime, they will hold the suspect. Without that, they have to let the person go. In other jurisdictions there are lawsuits because the police/sheriff whomever has held a suspect longer than allowed by law to see if ICE can come and pick them up. What these so called Sanctuary Cities have realized is if they behave the way Sessions wants them to, the local police have no connections into the community, and (unreported) crime goes up.

"Now, just because an investigation is indeed very real doesn't mean we know its conclusion. It could take months, even years, to finish, much less come to a conclusion about whether Trump colluded with Russia to win the White House. But with each passing day, it's increasingly clear this investigation is neither made up nor built on fake news." I remember an early troll tweet about how, other than Manafort and Flynn, nobody in the Trump administration had any Russian connections. Well, in this article there is a very handy chart of a lot of the connections.

"The White House has not released a daily schedule of Trump’s activities and, unlike past presidents, has refused to say whether he is playing golf… The only glimpses of Trump have come from videos and photos posted to Instagram and Twitter of him riding in a golf cart and glad handing with club members and wedding guests, fueling mockery of his claim that his New Jersey jaunt is 'not a vacation.'… The knocks on Trump has been heightened by his attacks on former President Obama over his commitment to the job and his claim he wouldn’t take vacations as president." Yes, it's a "working vacation", but then, Trump doesn't seem to work all that much at the White House either.

Who is Nicole Mincey? And interesting story on networking, wanting to "do the right thing", and being taken advantage of because your identity sold more product.

Linkee-poo extra late edition

Ah, summer trips and time for the annual trip advisories of where you shouldn't go unless you're willing to accept the danger. You know, places engaged in wars, or sponsors or frequent victims of terrorism, or repressive regimes, or Missouri. "The NAACP has issued a travel advisory for the state of Missouri, citing recent "race-based incidents" and new state legislation that would make it harder for fired employees to prove racial discrimination."

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is suspected of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in two cases, Israel Police confirmed on Thursday when it requested a gag order on the ongoing talks to recruit a state witness." Man, my shocked face is sure getting a workout this week. (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)

"President Donald Trump's nominee to be the Department of Agriculture's chief scientist, Sam Clovis, wrote a personal blog for years on which he accused progressives of 'enslaving' minorities, described black political figures as 'race traders,' and said then-President Obama was a 'Maoist' with 'communist' roots." Tell me again how us Lefties are mean and divisive.

Linkee-poo is going to take a long weekend

To say this year has been draining is to make a colossal understatement.

"This week, NOAA announced that this year's dead zone is the biggest one ever measured. It covers 8,776 square miles — an area the size of New Jersey. And it's adding fuel to a debate over whether state and federal governments are doing enough to cut pollution that comes from farms." I'm sure it's fine, we're all fine, how are you? And this is why the Federal EPA is necessary.

"A legal motion the Department of Education filed yesterday could have big ramifications for half a million teachers, social workers, police officers and other public servants. The motion asserts that there has been no final decision on whether these people will have their student debt forgiven, as they had believed… Public Service Loan Forgiveness was created a decade ago… describe(d)… as a 'broad, employment-based forgiveness program for federal student loans.' Anyone who works for the government or a nonprofit can have their loans erased after 10 years of on-time monthly payments… that means the first group of borrowers should have their loans forgiven this fall." Or not. Foxes are in charge at the hen house, in this case people with vested interests in the private student loan industry are now running parts of the Department of Education.

"The U.S. economic recovery has gone on for eight long years, and the unemployment rate is at a low 4.4 percent. But wage gains have barely budged." Note, wages for middle and low income workers haven't really moved since the mid 80s (yes, they increased minimum wages in the 90s, but adjusted for inflation, they're lower now). Say, wasn't that the start of "trickle-down economics", "tax-breaks increase private sector money that will translate into jobs, jobs, jobs" and "lets get rid of the labor unions" movements? Why yes, I believe it was. I love how they barely touch on "rich people want all the money for themselves" and quickly throw up other excuses.

"Some courts offer participants a full range of evidence-based treatment, including medication-assisted treatment. Others don't allow addiction medications at all. And some permit just one: Vivitrol… One reason for this preference is that Alkermes, the drug's manufacturer, is doing something nearly unheard of for a pharmaceutical company: It is marketing directly to drug court judges and other officials."

"For years, anti-abortion advocates have used the claim that abortion is bad for women’s health to help justify restrictions on the procedure… Released on Tuesday, the report by the abortion rights legal advocacy group Center for Reproductive Rights and the research organization Ibis Reproductive Health found that states with more anti-abortion laws also tend to have poor outcomes generally for women’s and children’s health compared with states that have fewer restrictions." This is my shocked face. One again for the new people, the anti-abortion movement has nothing to do with health or babies, it's an attempt to roll back the sexual revolution and place women into a roll social conservatives feel is their proper status (often shorthanded to "pregnant and in the kitchen" although it's a little more complex). The health of the mother and the fetus are not their priority, it's just a selling point. (Grokked from Julie)

Mothers who almost died give advice for expectant mothers. "The pregnant woman should be taught warning signs and know when to speak up so that she can be treated as quickly and accurately as possible." Yes that (also important for most other major medical events, not just pregnancy). Some of this is "not wanting to panic the patient", but a lot of it is not wanting to take the time with a patient and our cultural superstitions about "speaking evil" as well as the tendency of people to think since they know something, everybody knows it.

Brid forbid we use the military as a "social experiment", but let some new half-brained telemedicine idea pop up and that's the savior of the VA. Telemedicine can be great for some applications, but it's limited in its ability to do actual work. Of course, if it's the only thing available… well they've been walking people through tracheotomies for decades now. Just wait until they roll out the first fully robotic/telepresence surgical suite. At the hospital I work at we have 2 telepresence units for psychological exams. We also use ZocDoc to help with scheduling (I've tried it, not going to use it again).

"Scientists in the U.S. have released a paper showing that they have successfully edited human embryos to correct a mutation that causes an inheritable heart condition. The findings are hugely important as they demonstrate for the first time that the technology may one day be used safely to edit out many devastating diseases." Repeat after me, CRISPR is not as precise as the media is telling you. It is more targeted than previous methodologies, but then a rain shower is more targeted than a tsunami.

"Rising carbon dioxide levels could have an unexpected side effect on food crops: a decrease in key nutrients. And this could put more people at risk of malnutrition." So, a while ago scientists studied how a forest responded to higher CO2 content in the atmosphere in an attempt to see if reforestation could help sequester CO2. The trees loved the increased CO2, for the first few years their growth skyrocketed… and then leveled off. The lumber from the trees were found to be substandard and their leaves didn't sequester the CO2. So, yes, plants love more CO2, but that isn't good for us. Again, the question isn't if the Earth will survive a warmer climate, it's if humans can survive in a warmer climate.

AG Jeff Sessions is pushing ahead on his progrom to cut federal assistance to so called sanctuary cities. Let the lawsuits begin. Well, that's one way to air the dirty laundry of the government's immigration policies. Also, I love how conservatives have flopped from wanting "local control" of immigration to "yeah, it's the federalies' job."

"Two phone calls described by President Donald Trump that didn’t actually happen represent the latest chapter in a long-running series of disputes revolving around the president’s rocky relationship with facts… White House press secretary Sarah Sanders on Wednesday found herself explaining that compliments Trump had described receiving in phone calls from the Mexican president and the Boy Scouts did happen — just not on the phone." The president is a liar. Although I now have an image in my head of the White House staffers holding their noses to change their voices and calling the President pretending to be other people. The worst thought of this is the president actually believes these things happened.

So what happens when you're a conservative, but you draw the line at enacting far-right wing nut agenda items? Even if you're the speaker of the legislature they'll try and force you out.

I'm so glad modern conservatism isn't about racism or isolationism because that would make the new initiative to limit immigration quite sinister.

I guess conservatives remembered they were still in charge of Congress, so I guess it's time to investigate the Clintons again.