Not everyone.
Pointed to by Linoge
Saturday, February 27, 2010
It's unrelated to the current Toyota mess,
or the Audi mess back when, but I do have a car story:
Back when, Dad was one of the people who taught Emergency Vehicle Operation at his agency. When anti-lock brakes came out, overall they seemed to be a pretty good thing. Until.
Imagine this: car with four people in it, two in back, driver, and instructor on the right. Coming into a curve at high speed the driver does it just right: comes in outside, then hits the brake to scrub off speed to make the turn, except that the car didn't slow down. At freakin' all. Happily the driver didn't try to make the turn at that speed, and there was nothing to run into except the plowed field through the fence, so nobody hurt.
First question, of course, was "Are you sure you were on the brake?" Driver said yes, instructor said flatly "YES. I looked, she had the pedal stomped all the way down and the brakes weren't braking." But when they got it back on pavement, they worked fine. So some experiments were done.
The road into that turn was slightly washboardy; not enough to jar your teeth, but enough to feel. It seems that in the speed range they went into the turn at, the tires were coming up enough for the brakes to grab slightly more than when the tires were solidly on the ground, which caused the computer chip in the anti-lock system to think the brakes were locking, so it released the brakes; thus, pedal stomped down with no effect as the car went through the fence.
As I recall, a phone call was made to the manufacturer where some 'customer service' type said "That can't happen." With predictable response, including an offer to glue him to the hood while they demonstrated. Finally got through to an engineer who listed and said "Oh bleep." And it got fixed.
Back when, Dad was one of the people who taught Emergency Vehicle Operation at his agency. When anti-lock brakes came out, overall they seemed to be a pretty good thing. Until.
Imagine this: car with four people in it, two in back, driver, and instructor on the right. Coming into a curve at high speed the driver does it just right: comes in outside, then hits the brake to scrub off speed to make the turn, except that the car didn't slow down. At freakin' all. Happily the driver didn't try to make the turn at that speed, and there was nothing to run into except the plowed field through the fence, so nobody hurt.
First question, of course, was "Are you sure you were on the brake?" Driver said yes, instructor said flatly "YES. I looked, she had the pedal stomped all the way down and the brakes weren't braking." But when they got it back on pavement, they worked fine. So some experiments were done.
The road into that turn was slightly washboardy; not enough to jar your teeth, but enough to feel. It seems that in the speed range they went into the turn at, the tires were coming up enough for the brakes to grab slightly more than when the tires were solidly on the ground, which caused the computer chip in the anti-lock system to think the brakes were locking, so it released the brakes; thus, pedal stomped down with no effect as the car went through the fence.
As I recall, a phone call was made to the manufacturer where some 'customer service' type said "That can't happen." With predictable response, including an offer to glue him to the hood while they demonstrated. Finally got through to an engineer who listed and said "Oh bleep." And it got fixed.
Bleep! If this is accurate,
that's a wave around 130 feet high... I can't get the link to load right now, found it and a bunch of others at Tim Blair.
Friday, February 26, 2010
If Steve Jobs knocked on my door right now,
I'd put him out of everybody's misery.
Friend gave me their old iPod Shuffle, which was nice. Loaded iTunes*, and the damn thing would NOT show any music loaded. Uninstalled, reinstalled, restored, etc. iTunes showed the player connected, all's well, but would NOT put music on it.
Dug around a bit, and found that apparently there's some bug in the versions later than 7 that will not work with the Shuffle. Very effing nice of Apple, isn't it? And from what I can tell, the damned problem has been around a while, Apple just hasn't bothered to fix it.
Yeah, whacking Jobs would make Bill Gates happy; I don't care.
*iEverything my ass
Friend gave me their old iPod Shuffle, which was nice. Loaded iTunes*, and the damn thing would NOT show any music loaded. Uninstalled, reinstalled, restored, etc. iTunes showed the player connected, all's well, but would NOT put music on it.
Dug around a bit, and found that apparently there's some bug in the versions later than 7 that will not work with the Shuffle. Very effing nice of Apple, isn't it? And from what I can tell, the damned problem has been around a while, Apple just hasn't bothered to fix it.
Yeah, whacking Jobs would make Bill Gates happy; I don't care.
*iEverything my ass
Goodwin Liu, Obama appointee to the 9th Circuit, on the 2nd
Gee, I wonder what else he thinks Congress should be able to do no matter what?
I had a chance to try out a pistol a few days ago,
and if I hadn't already it would have made me understood why Tam & others so like these older firearms: in this case a S&W K-38 Target Masterpiece
The one I fired had much more finish wear; it had been fired a lot over time. Which took nothing away from the accuracy potential and may only have smoothed the action a touch more.
I had some .38 wadcutter loads using Berry's plated double-ended wadcutters, and some using a 162-grain gas-check semi-wadcutter; both shot beautifully. The trigger was a thing of wonder, absolutely clean and with no perceptible movement after the break, and double-action was very smooth. Personally I'd prefer some larger grips, but that's a personal preference not touching on the revolver itself. The way I describe a gun like this is "It even helps ME shoot well." I've still got the last target somewhere; at about ten-twelve yards, six rounds two-handed and six one-handed in a group less than 2" across except for one flyer that opened it up to about 2.5". And for me to put one-handed shots that tight is not real common; excellent sights and that trigger really help.
Yes, I want. Badly.
Now if they can just get that damned 15-22 to work nearly as well....
The one I fired had much more finish wear; it had been fired a lot over time. Which took nothing away from the accuracy potential and may only have smoothed the action a touch more.I had some .38 wadcutter loads using Berry's plated double-ended wadcutters, and some using a 162-grain gas-check semi-wadcutter; both shot beautifully. The trigger was a thing of wonder, absolutely clean and with no perceptible movement after the break, and double-action was very smooth. Personally I'd prefer some larger grips, but that's a personal preference not touching on the revolver itself. The way I describe a gun like this is "It even helps ME shoot well." I've still got the last target somewhere; at about ten-twelve yards, six rounds two-handed and six one-handed in a group less than 2" across except for one flyer that opened it up to about 2.5". And for me to put one-handed shots that tight is not real common; excellent sights and that trigger really help.
Yes, I want. Badly.
Now if they can just get that damned 15-22 to work nearly as well....
I read the article
Codrea links to, and yeah, this passage is bad:
The bill is also a slap in the face to Wyoming law enforcement. By joining Vermont and Alaska as the only states in the nation to allow conceal-carry without a permit, Wyoming lawmakers would effectively remove the ability of officers to quickly determine if someone who is carrying a weapon is legally entitled to.
It's that phrase 'legally entitled to' that bothers me; it pisses me off that an honest citizen has to jump through a whole set of hoops and pay to be allowed to carry, and it seems to be his concern that nobody should be allowed to without permission from the state. And if you object, well, you don't care about the cops.
Bullcrap.
The fact is that Wyoming residents who meet the reasonable requirements of the state -- including that they have not been convicted of felonies or been adjudicated mentally ill -- have no trouble at all obtaining permits. (The House removed the requirement of proof of firearms training, which Oedekoven said should be restored.)
Uh, guy? If you've got a felony conviction(in some states ANY felony) or are adjudicated mentally ill, it's illegal for you to so much as pick up a gun and look at it, let alone carry it; are you not familiar with this? Or was it just a way to say "See, our restrictions on you are only reasonable? We're only keeping the unworthy from carrying?" Bullcrap that sounds good?
Same attitude in "If we allow just anyone to carry without a permit, criminals will come here!" Oh, please; you don't have laws about robbery and rape and such? You actually think Will they flock to Wyoming to take advantage of the state's looser gun laws? when those laws would mean more of their potential victims would be armed?
Make sure the law notes that if you're drunk or drugged(which you can already be jailed for) it's illegal to carry, make it a rule that when stopped by an officer you have to advise them if you're carrying and simply enforce the laws on anyone acting s illegally. Apparently it'll be a surprise for these folks, but I have a large amount of concern for LE; I've known too many and know just what an often-times miserable job it is. And I get really pissed when it's implied that "If you don't go along with what we say, it means you don't care if cops get killed" line.
Oh, and the reason NRA and other groups helped push so hard for 'shall issue' laws? Because it was the only way to get it through without, I fear I must say, officials like you having the power to prevent someone getting a permit; and in most states the only way to get through the BS and get honest citizens a way to carry for self-defense without winding up in jail. That doesn't mean it should be the end of it; I'd much rather it be "Any honest citizen with no legal matters that would prevent can carry for self-defense, no permit required."
The bill is also a slap in the face to Wyoming law enforcement. By joining Vermont and Alaska as the only states in the nation to allow conceal-carry without a permit, Wyoming lawmakers would effectively remove the ability of officers to quickly determine if someone who is carrying a weapon is legally entitled to.
It's that phrase 'legally entitled to' that bothers me; it pisses me off that an honest citizen has to jump through a whole set of hoops and pay to be allowed to carry, and it seems to be his concern that nobody should be allowed to without permission from the state. And if you object, well, you don't care about the cops.
Bullcrap.
The fact is that Wyoming residents who meet the reasonable requirements of the state -- including that they have not been convicted of felonies or been adjudicated mentally ill -- have no trouble at all obtaining permits. (The House removed the requirement of proof of firearms training, which Oedekoven said should be restored.)
Uh, guy? If you've got a felony conviction(in some states ANY felony) or are adjudicated mentally ill, it's illegal for you to so much as pick up a gun and look at it, let alone carry it; are you not familiar with this? Or was it just a way to say "See, our restrictions on you are only reasonable? We're only keeping the unworthy from carrying?" Bullcrap that sounds good?
Same attitude in "If we allow just anyone to carry without a permit, criminals will come here!" Oh, please; you don't have laws about robbery and rape and such? You actually think Will they flock to Wyoming to take advantage of the state's looser gun laws? when those laws would mean more of their potential victims would be armed?
Make sure the law notes that if you're drunk or drugged(which you can already be jailed for) it's illegal to carry, make it a rule that when stopped by an officer you have to advise them if you're carrying and simply enforce the laws on anyone acting s illegally. Apparently it'll be a surprise for these folks, but I have a large amount of concern for LE; I've known too many and know just what an often-times miserable job it is. And I get really pissed when it's implied that "If you don't go along with what we say, it means you don't care if cops get killed" line.
Oh, and the reason NRA and other groups helped push so hard for 'shall issue' laws? Because it was the only way to get it through without, I fear I must say, officials like you having the power to prevent someone getting a permit; and in most states the only way to get through the BS and get honest citizens a way to carry for self-defense without winding up in jail. That doesn't mean it should be the end of it; I'd much rather it be "Any honest citizen with no legal matters that would prevent can carry for self-defense, no permit required."
An indictment of the Justice Department and a lot of universities
using the language to play with the law and peoples' lives for what amounts to personal reasons.
In New England, "harassment" has included, within recent times, jokes and ways of telling stories, "experienced by others as harassing" (Bowdoin College); "verbal behavior" that produces "feelings of impotence," "anger," or "disenfranchisement," whether "intentional or unintentional" (Brown University); speech that causes loss of "self-esteem [or] a vague sense of danger" (Colby College); or even "inappropriately directed laughter," "inconsiderate jokes," and "stereotyping" (University of Connecticut). The student code of the University of Vermont demands that its students not only not offend each other, but that they appreciate each other: "Each of us must assume responsibility for becoming educated about racism, sexism, ageism, homophobia/heterosexism, and other forms of oppression so that we may respond to other community members in an understanding and appreciative manner."
(people are paying HOW MUCH a year to put up with this crap?)
Central to this potential movement should be its nonpartisan aims. The abuses described in Three Felonies a Day have been steadily worsening under every administration, Democrat and Republican, since the 1980s. (The current Justice Department shows little hope of reversing course.) While the statute books have expanded, and the statutory language remains hopelessly malleable, every aspect of civil society---doctors, artists, activists, and businessmen, to name a few---has been unfairly targeted. Even the feds' pursuit of supposedly corrupt politicians, almost always met with applause from the press corps and the political opposition, cuts across ideological bounds.
Which once again brings us back to "Are there enough lampposts and trees in DC for the politicians and bureaucrats both?"
In New England, "harassment" has included, within recent times, jokes and ways of telling stories, "experienced by others as harassing" (Bowdoin College); "verbal behavior" that produces "feelings of impotence," "anger," or "disenfranchisement," whether "intentional or unintentional" (Brown University); speech that causes loss of "self-esteem [or] a vague sense of danger" (Colby College); or even "inappropriately directed laughter," "inconsiderate jokes," and "stereotyping" (University of Connecticut). The student code of the University of Vermont demands that its students not only not offend each other, but that they appreciate each other: "Each of us must assume responsibility for becoming educated about racism, sexism, ageism, homophobia/heterosexism, and other forms of oppression so that we may respond to other community members in an understanding and appreciative manner."
(people are paying HOW MUCH a year to put up with this crap?)
Central to this potential movement should be its nonpartisan aims. The abuses described in Three Felonies a Day have been steadily worsening under every administration, Democrat and Republican, since the 1980s. (The current Justice Department shows little hope of reversing course.) While the statute books have expanded, and the statutory language remains hopelessly malleable, every aspect of civil society---doctors, artists, activists, and businessmen, to name a few---has been unfairly targeted. Even the feds' pursuit of supposedly corrupt politicians, almost always met with applause from the press corps and the political opposition, cuts across ideological bounds.
Which once again brings us back to "Are there enough lampposts and trees in DC for the politicians and bureaucrats both?"
Thursday, February 25, 2010
While back, heard of the CleanUpATF.org site,
I think at War on Guns; basically a bunch of ATF agents/personnel tired of the bad things and wanting to do something about it. Might be worth your time to take a look, just hit some of the links and see what they have to say.
I have to note that while the way Toyota is being whacked on
by a bunch of Government Motors bigshots is fairly disgusting, Toyota has some crap in the corporate background that makes them not too pleasing, either.
I have to admit to being very pleasantly surprised: a bunch of Stupid Party members
actually stood up to The One and both pissed him off enormously and refuted a lot of the arguments pushing the socialized medicine bill. I'd expected this to be another of the "We must be bipartisan when dealing the the President no matter what he says" displays of caving in; and I'm very happy to say I'm surprised.
Ace noted some of the stacking-the-deck rules Obama came up with to try to control this:
1. Democrats get more time because "I'm the President."
2. Republicans may not criticise my bill. They can only talk about things on which we agree.
3. Republicans may not use the word "Washington" because it tips the scales.
4. Republicans may not use or reference an actual copy of the Senate bill. That's a "prop" and it's unfair.
And add to that 5. We're not in "campaign mode anymore," by which he means McCain cannot mention his dirty dealings.
They didn't let that keep them from making points, and the stuff I've heard has been pretty good. Even better was Obama sitting there looking VERY pissed that "I actually have to listen to these people! I have to let the peasants here them! And I don't like it."
Ace noted some of the stacking-the-deck rules Obama came up with to try to control this:
1. Democrats get more time because "I'm the President."
2. Republicans may not criticise my bill. They can only talk about things on which we agree.
3. Republicans may not use the word "Washington" because it tips the scales.
4. Republicans may not use or reference an actual copy of the Senate bill. That's a "prop" and it's unfair.
And add to that 5. We're not in "campaign mode anymore," by which he means McCain cannot mention his dirty dealings.
They didn't let that keep them from making points, and the stuff I've heard has been pretty good. Even better was Obama sitting there looking VERY pissed that "I actually have to listen to these people! I have to let the peasants here them! And I don't like it."
Ok, calm semi-restored, so:
Max Blumenthal is still a nasty little boil on the national anus.
The appropriately named Rep. Anthony Weiner(Two-Faced Dick-NY) sets the tone.
Yeah, Californicated really is screwed.
So it's not just computers being lost and/or stolen:
...Meanwhile, the lost, stolen and damaged report for ICE shows 13 vehicles classified as "lost" or "not found during physical inventory."
...
The ICE inventory shows a loss of approximately 435 computers. Numerous vehicles were sold in which no documentation of the sale could be located. Three computer switchers worth $92,354 each were lost. An "international harvester vehicle truck" valued at $116,349 apparently could not be located during physical inventory.
Neither inventory includes any mention of any kind of munition, armaments, or ammunitions. A recent report by the Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General showed that DHS and all component agencies lost 289 firearms from fiscal years 2006 to 2008.
A woman who made a false rape charge goes to jail for it; good. Needs to happen every time there's a provably false accusation. Rape is a horrible crime and needs to be punished appropriately; falsely accusing someone of it is also a horrible crime, and needs to be punished appropriately. And note this:
Gonzalez, 27, had recanted her story last year after new DNA evidence proved she'd been lying and a priest to whom she'd confessed urged her to come clean.
followed by
He insisted that Gonzalez suffered horrible abandonment and sexual abuse as a young teen, and has now had "a spiritual awakening."
"She is not the same person as the one who committed this crime at age 22," Callan said.
The lawyer said that at their first meeting, she'd told him, "I don't care what happens to me. You have to get Mr. McCaffrey out of jail."
I wonder, did this awakening happen after she heard about the DNA test results?
I repeat what I said before: if the House and Senate pass this abortion of a 'health care' bill, lots and lots of them need, at the least, an introduction to tar & feathers, and some of them to a rope.
A bit more on the Governor of New York and the mess the New York State Police took part in to cover up what an aide did. It's disgusting to say, but we've come to expect this kind of crap from politicians(which doesn't mean we shouldn't deal with them appropriately), but even more disgusting is the lack of surprise at a law enforcement agency acting like the friggin' Praetorian Guard for said politicians instead of like actual LE officers.
George Lopez, you suck. On multiple levels.
Blargh. Time to go do something constructive.
The appropriately named Rep. Anthony Weiner(Two-Faced Dick-NY) sets the tone.
Yeah, Californicated really is screwed.
So it's not just computers being lost and/or stolen:
...Meanwhile, the lost, stolen and damaged report for ICE shows 13 vehicles classified as "lost" or "not found during physical inventory."
...
The ICE inventory shows a loss of approximately 435 computers. Numerous vehicles were sold in which no documentation of the sale could be located. Three computer switchers worth $92,354 each were lost. An "international harvester vehicle truck" valued at $116,349 apparently could not be located during physical inventory.
Neither inventory includes any mention of any kind of munition, armaments, or ammunitions. A recent report by the Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General showed that DHS and all component agencies lost 289 firearms from fiscal years 2006 to 2008.
A woman who made a false rape charge goes to jail for it; good. Needs to happen every time there's a provably false accusation. Rape is a horrible crime and needs to be punished appropriately; falsely accusing someone of it is also a horrible crime, and needs to be punished appropriately. And note this:
Gonzalez, 27, had recanted her story last year after new DNA evidence proved she'd been lying and a priest to whom she'd confessed urged her to come clean.
followed by
He insisted that Gonzalez suffered horrible abandonment and sexual abuse as a young teen, and has now had "a spiritual awakening."
"She is not the same person as the one who committed this crime at age 22," Callan said.
The lawyer said that at their first meeting, she'd told him, "I don't care what happens to me. You have to get Mr. McCaffrey out of jail."
I wonder, did this awakening happen after she heard about the DNA test results?
I repeat what I said before: if the House and Senate pass this abortion of a 'health care' bill, lots and lots of them need, at the least, an introduction to tar & feathers, and some of them to a rope.
A bit more on the Governor of New York and the mess the New York State Police took part in to cover up what an aide did. It's disgusting to say, but we've come to expect this kind of crap from politicians(which doesn't mean we shouldn't deal with them appropriately), but even more disgusting is the lack of surprise at a law enforcement agency acting like the friggin' Praetorian Guard for said politicians instead of like actual LE officers.
George Lopez, you suck. On multiple levels.
Blargh. Time to go do something constructive.
Cloudy, chilly and windy, and snow expected tonight;
'Yuck' about sums it up. In other news, ran across this the other day on the subject of eminent domain:
A bill that would require agencies to declare unused land surplus after 10 years and offer to resell it to the original owner cleared a House committee Tuesday. House Bill 3053 also would strengthen notification requirements when using eminent domain to seize property.
From what I heard, if the state/county/city seized someone's property under e.d., and didn't use it for ten years, the original owner could buy it back at the same price he was paid for it, and if the government then decides "But we're going to use it now!", they can use e.d. to take it back but have to pay the current market value for the land. Which sounds good to me; if they're going to take land under this power, it needs to be for some use, not just so they have it.
"Yes, we have a lot more money and the schools have improved physically, but, well, test scores still aren't what they should be; maybe we need to work on that." Gee, ya think maybe? This is in the Oklahoma City district, and the article includes such gems as
Nine years ago, when voters approved a $700 million sales tax to renovate or rebuild many of Oklahoma City’s school buildings, a task force also developed a set of recommendations aimed at improving the quality of education that would take place within the buildings.
"We haven’t achieved what we hoped to when this initiative came about in 2001,” said Dave Lopez, chairman of The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools’ board.
The report found the district was "unsatisfactory” or "needed improvement” in 17 areas of improvement that were established in 2001.
...
Among the findings in the report was that the district still needed to improve early learning programs, despite progress that includes 100 percent of students now attending full-day kindergarten.
Uh, maybe all kids don't NEED to be in all-day kindergarten? Huh?
...
The report also noted that 45 curriculum programs are in place throughout the district and that school officials weren’t certain which programs are being used at which schools.
"Many of these programs are important, but there still appears to be an excessively large number — perhaps still subject to the criticism of simply being the ‘flavor of the month,’” the report noted.
Translation: "We're doing all kinds of neat PC crap along with actual 'learning' stuff, but we actually don't know what the hell all we're doing." So maybe some of the people in charge of this mess ought to be fired and someone who'll actually pay attention take over? Huh?
...
And of course, "Poverty!!!" Part of the problem in Oklahoma City is the high level of poverty in the district, with almost 90 percent of Oklahoma City students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, the report noted.
People have pointed out before that kids whose families are nowhere near being in 'poverty' qualify for free lunches; using that to cry "Poverty! We must DO SOMETHING, and this is why things are failing!" is bullshit, and I suspect a step in the process of "We need to take more money from people so we can help them!"
"It’s going to take a lot of us helping the kids to make sure they get what they need out of the classroom, so when they get into the classroom they are ready to learn,” foundation Executive Director Lori Dickinson said.
Isn't that just a freakin' WONDERFUL sentence? I mean, think about that wording; isn't it amazing?
And this wonderful bit from the KTOK story: ...and a sharp jump in the number of students who see English as their second language. Chairman of the committee, Dave Lopez says it's an indication the district faces the same issues as urban school districts in larger cities such as Houston, Dallas and Chicago.
Translation: "Lots of kids of illegal aliens, many of whose parents don't think they should have to learn English." This would actually be an easy fix: English-only classes, learn it or flunk. Anybody think these people have the integrity or balls to do that?
Me neither.
I'll look at other news later, this has downright disturbed my calm.
A bill that would require agencies to declare unused land surplus after 10 years and offer to resell it to the original owner cleared a House committee Tuesday. House Bill 3053 also would strengthen notification requirements when using eminent domain to seize property.
From what I heard, if the state/county/city seized someone's property under e.d., and didn't use it for ten years, the original owner could buy it back at the same price he was paid for it, and if the government then decides "But we're going to use it now!", they can use e.d. to take it back but have to pay the current market value for the land. Which sounds good to me; if they're going to take land under this power, it needs to be for some use, not just so they have it.
"Yes, we have a lot more money and the schools have improved physically, but, well, test scores still aren't what they should be; maybe we need to work on that." Gee, ya think maybe? This is in the Oklahoma City district, and the article includes such gems as
Nine years ago, when voters approved a $700 million sales tax to renovate or rebuild many of Oklahoma City’s school buildings, a task force also developed a set of recommendations aimed at improving the quality of education that would take place within the buildings.
"We haven’t achieved what we hoped to when this initiative came about in 2001,” said Dave Lopez, chairman of The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools’ board.
The report found the district was "unsatisfactory” or "needed improvement” in 17 areas of improvement that were established in 2001.
...
Among the findings in the report was that the district still needed to improve early learning programs, despite progress that includes 100 percent of students now attending full-day kindergarten.
Uh, maybe all kids don't NEED to be in all-day kindergarten? Huh?
...
The report also noted that 45 curriculum programs are in place throughout the district and that school officials weren’t certain which programs are being used at which schools.
"Many of these programs are important, but there still appears to be an excessively large number — perhaps still subject to the criticism of simply being the ‘flavor of the month,’” the report noted.
Translation: "We're doing all kinds of neat PC crap along with actual 'learning' stuff, but we actually don't know what the hell all we're doing." So maybe some of the people in charge of this mess ought to be fired and someone who'll actually pay attention take over? Huh?
...
And of course, "Poverty!!!" Part of the problem in Oklahoma City is the high level of poverty in the district, with almost 90 percent of Oklahoma City students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, the report noted.
People have pointed out before that kids whose families are nowhere near being in 'poverty' qualify for free lunches; using that to cry "Poverty! We must DO SOMETHING, and this is why things are failing!" is bullshit, and I suspect a step in the process of "We need to take more money from people so we can help them!"
"It’s going to take a lot of us helping the kids to make sure they get what they need out of the classroom, so when they get into the classroom they are ready to learn,” foundation Executive Director Lori Dickinson said.
Isn't that just a freakin' WONDERFUL sentence? I mean, think about that wording; isn't it amazing?
And this wonderful bit from the KTOK story: ...and a sharp jump in the number of students who see English as their second language. Chairman of the committee, Dave Lopez says it's an indication the district faces the same issues as urban school districts in larger cities such as Houston, Dallas and Chicago.
Translation: "Lots of kids of illegal aliens, many of whose parents don't think they should have to learn English." This would actually be an easy fix: English-only classes, learn it or flunk. Anybody think these people have the integrity or balls to do that?
Me neither.
I'll look at other news later, this has downright disturbed my calm.
Few days ago I posted on a piece of Microsoft BS
in which Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer for Microsoft, that an equivalent of a “driver’s licence” should be introduced for access to the web. Bad.
More bad:
Microsoft has managed to do what a roomful of secretive, three-letter government agencies have wanted to do for years: get the whistleblowing, government-document sharing site Cryptome shut down.
Microsoft dropped a DMCA notice alleging copyright infringement on Cryptome’s proprietor John Young on Tuesday after he posted a Microsoft surveillance compliance document that the company gives to law enforcement agents seeking information on Microsoft users. Young filed a counterclaim on Wednesday — arguing he had a fair use to publishing the document, a full day before the Thursday deadline set by his hosting provider, Network Solutions.
Regardless, Cryptome was shut down by Network Solutions and its domain name locked on Wednesday — shuttering a site that thumbed its nose at the government since 1996 — posting thousands of documents that the feds would prefer never saw the light of day.
Microsoft did not return a call for comment by press time.
Gee, I wonder why. Maybe not wanting questions about things like
For instance, Xbox Live records every IP address you ever use to login and stores them for perpetuity.
Thanks to Marty for pointing to this
More bad:
Microsoft has managed to do what a roomful of secretive, three-letter government agencies have wanted to do for years: get the whistleblowing, government-document sharing site Cryptome shut down.
Microsoft dropped a DMCA notice alleging copyright infringement on Cryptome’s proprietor John Young on Tuesday after he posted a Microsoft surveillance compliance document that the company gives to law enforcement agents seeking information on Microsoft users. Young filed a counterclaim on Wednesday — arguing he had a fair use to publishing the document, a full day before the Thursday deadline set by his hosting provider, Network Solutions.
Regardless, Cryptome was shut down by Network Solutions and its domain name locked on Wednesday — shuttering a site that thumbed its nose at the government since 1996 — posting thousands of documents that the feds would prefer never saw the light of day.
Microsoft did not return a call for comment by press time.
Gee, I wonder why. Maybe not wanting questions about things like
For instance, Xbox Live records every IP address you ever use to login and stores them for perpetuity.
Thanks to Marty for pointing to this
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
And Robert Wright is a sorry excuse for a journalist;
but then, he DOES work at the New York Effing Times.
I introduce to you todays Sorry Excuse for a Lawman,
New York State Police Superintendent Harry J. Corbitt.
According to the story the woman was rather adament about persuing the order of protection until Paterson's call and the "counseling" of the State Police.
Effing New York.
According to the story the woman was rather adament about persuing the order of protection until Paterson's call and the "counseling" of the State Police.
The head of the state police actually claims this a service they often offer people in cases they have nothing to do with. No word on whether he managed to keep a straight face while saying this.
The State Police superintendent, Harry J. Corbitt, said he was told of the episode within 24 hours after it occurred. He confirmed that a state police officer had met with the woman, even though the episode occurred in the jurisdiction of the New York Police Department. He said the visit was made only to tell the woman of her options, including seeking counseling.“We never pressured her, at least what I was advised; we never pressured her not to press charges,” said Mr. Corbitt, whom the governor appointed. “We just gave her options.”
Well, Mr. Corbitt, you should be fired. And prevented from every again wearing a badge. And every jackass in a position of authority in that agency who's had a hand in this bullshit should be treated the same.Effing New York.
A cleaning tip I don't think I've mentioned before
On semi-auto pistols, take a popsicle stick- sold in bundles as craft sticks- and cut one end off square. You can wet a patch with solvent or CLP, fold it double and then fold it around the square end and use it to reach inside the frame and slide rails to clean them.
Then you can use the other round end the same way to clean the lugs in the slide the barrel locks to..
Also good for cleaning the breech face.
Then you can use the other round end the same way to clean the lugs in the slide the barrel locks to..
Also good for cleaning the breech face.
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