VOCABULARY: Luck — “circumstantial, “resultant or outcome l”, and “constitutive”

Sunday, October 20, 2024

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/oct/07/the-big-idea-should-we-be-thinking-about-luck-differently?utm_placement=newsletter

The big idea: should we be thinking about luck differently?

  • We tend to focus on good or bad fortune, successes and failures. But what about the fact you’re here at all?

David Spiegelhalter
Mon 7 Oct 2024 07.30 EDT

*** begin quote ***

Luck has been called “the operation of chance, taken personally”.

Luck comes in three main flavours. Philosophers have identified “circumstantial luck”, meaning being in the right place at the right time, or the wrong place at the wrong time – such as Stephen’s family taking that particular flight. Then there’s “resultant or outcome luck”, where in a particular situation some people have good and some have bad outcomes due to factors beyond their control. Stephen had the good resultant luck of surviving.

But perhaps the most important is “constitutive luck”, which covers all the fortunate or unfortunate circumstances of your very existence; the period of history in which you were born, your parents, background, genes and character traits. So where was Stephen’s constitutive luck? He told me that his father’s experiences in the RAF led him to insist that the family sat at the back of the plane – and the only survivors were seated at the back. He had the right parents.

*** end quote ***

A very philosophical view of luck.  

How does that jibe with my experience?

My sainted passed wife of 40 years was always “lucky”.  Especially in things with wheels or balls.  I, otoh, was always “unlucky”.  She used to tell me to “Go away and take your bad luck with you”!  And, I did.  She’d hit more often than not.

I always felt she had “precognition”.  She would get upset before bad things happened (i.e., father’s death; car accident; my trip ’n’ fall).

So, I’m not sure how to define “luck” but I know I don’t have that “magic touch”

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PEACE: Using a nuclear bomb should be unthinkable; Hibakusha’s peace prize should remind us of that

Saturday, October 19, 2024

https://nypost.com/2024/10/11/world-news/japans-nihon-hidankyo-wins-2024-nobel-peace-prize/?lctg=6080ba40747925275a09dcd3

Japanese atomic bomb survivor group Nihon Hidankyo wins 2024 Nobel Peace Prize
By Reuters 
Published Oct. 11, 2024, 5:15 a.m. ET

*** begin quote ***

Japanese organization Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots movement of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, in a warning to countries who have nuclear weapons not to use them.

Witnesses to the only two nuclear bombs ever to be used in conflict, members of the group, also known as Hibakusha, have dedicated their lives to the struggle for a nuclear-free world.

*** end quote ***

Using a nuclear bomb should be unthinkable.  But when in a war and you’re losing, suddenly the unthinkable becomes very thinkable.

The USA Gooferment should IMMEDIATELY tell Ukraine and Israel that they will no longer supply money and weapons for their wars.  

Russia, who much to my surprise, seems to be the “adult in the room” and has offered to negotiate peace.

Israel and the Arab world must come to the peace table.  And. Since the Gooferment loves twisting arms so much, let that become their number 1 priority.

Finally, NATO, which has long outlived its intended purpose, should shut down and give everyone a “peace dividend”.  

Dona Nobis Pacem

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RANT: All frequent flyer programs should allow donations

Friday, October 18, 2024

I have a of points at McD’s and other places. I’d like to donate them to Western North Carolina. Victims or responders don’t care. But no way to do it. Argh!

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RANT: A tax on the poor

Friday, October 18, 2024

https://nypost.com/2024/10/08/us-news/mega-millions-ticket-price-more-than-doubling-to-5/

Mega Millions ticket price more than doubling to $5 — with promise of bigger jackpots and higher odds
By Allie Griffin 
Published Oct. 8, 2024, 2:50 a.m. ET

*** begin quote ***

Mega Millions tickets will more than double in cost next April from $2 to $5 a pop, lottery officials announced Monday, adding that the new price tag will come with higher cash prizes.

The price increase will come with greater odds of scoring bigger jackpots as part of a “mega overhaul” of the lottery launching in April 2025, Mega Millions said. 

*** end quote ***

Sorry, but this is just a tax on people’s hopes and dreams.  And the tax collector is the biggest winner.

I’d like to see the Gooferment make some regulations to bring back “fair play”.  

  • No taxes on winnings.
  • No repayment of welfare benefits on any “small” winnings.
  • No unclaimed prizes should go the Gooferment; throw it in the next pot for drawing,
  • Strict regulation on “employee compensation”.
  • Strict privacy for big winners.
  • And all numbers from 0 to 99.

Then, maybe it would be “fair”.

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SECURITY: Once again, a warning to “firewall” and “air gap” personal technology from your employer

Thursday, October 17, 2024

https://www.macrumors.com/2024/10/09/do-not-use-iphone-mirroring-corporate-mac/

Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Use iPhone Mirroring on a Corporate Mac

Wednesday October 9, 2024 4:31 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

*** begin quote ***

Apple’s new iPhone Mirroring feature in macOS Sequoia might seem like a convenient way to access your phone from your work computer, but security firm Sevco has uncovered a significant privacy risk that should make employees think twice before enabling this feature on company-owned Macs, at least for now.

*** and ***

When executed in a Terminal window that has been granted full disk access without setting up iPhone Mirroring, the command returns a normal list of macOS applications. But when executed in that same Terminal window after setting up iPhone Mirroring, it also returns personal iOS applications and metadata.

For employees, this means that apps they use privately could become visible to their employer’s IT department without their knowledge or consent. This could potentially reveal sensitive personal information, such as dating apps, health-related apps, or VPNs used in countries with restricted internet access.

*** end quote ***

Your employer, their network, and their tools should NEVER be used for your private purposes.  

The easiest way to ensure that separation is to maintain a strict “air gap” (i.e., strictly never connecting anything by wire, bluetooth, or network wifi to something “corporate”).  

If for no other reason than when your employer gets hit with a virus, ransomware, or some corporate security “tool”, then it would get your hardware in its grasp.

Argh!

Don’t forget that the employer can claim your hardware is suspect of having their data on it!

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HEALTH: But the Food and Drug Administration’s “pronouncements” should not be construed as medical advice

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

https://worldhealth.net/news/cheeky-discovery-predicting-risk-of-mortality/

Predicting Mortality With A Promising Cheeky Discovery

  • New epigenetic clock based on easy-to-collect cheek cells accurately predicts mortality

October 2, 2024

*** begin quote ***

As with anything you read on the internet, this article should not be construed as medical advice; please talk to your doctor or primary care provider before changing your wellness routine. WHN does not agree or disagree with any of the materials posted. This article is not intended to provide a medical diagnosis, recommendation, treatment, or endorsement. Additionally, it is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. 

*** end quote ***

I’d say after Covid demonstrated the regulatory capture of the FDA, CDC, and NIH, that they are the tools of Big Pharma and just another source of advertising propaganda.

Instead of DOJ applying anti-trust break up to Google, like they did with AT&T and unsuccessfully with IBM, they should focus on BigPharma and the damage it does as a cartel.

Argh!

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POLITICAL: CBS is an arm of the DNC

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

https://nypost.com/2024/10/09/media/ex-cbs-news-reporter-says-theres-precedent-for-releasing-full-transcript-when-it-came-to-donald-trump/

Media  —  exclusive details
Ex-CBS News reporter says there’s ‘precedent’ for releasing full interview transcript — when it came to Donald Trump
By Ariel Zilber and Alexandra Steigrad 
Published Oct. 9, 2024, 7:45 p.m. ET

*** begin quote ***

CBS News remained mum Wednesday amid mounting pressure to release the full transcript of Kamala Harris’ interview with “60 Minutes” — even as a former correspondent said there’s “precedent” for the network doing so when it came to Donald Trump.

Ex-CBS News reporter Catherine Herridge — who was laid off earlier this year as she investigated the Hunter Biden laptop scandal — said the network released the full, unedited transcript of her interview with Trump when he was president in 2020.

The Republican presidential candidate has demanded CBS News publish the full interview with Harris after accusations that the Tiffany Network edited her “word salad” answers during the sit-down with Bill Whitaker.

“As Trump campaign calls on @60Minutes to release ‘full, unedited transcript’ of Kamala Harris interview… There is precedent,” Herridge posted on X on Wednesday.

*** end quote ***

This demonstrates once again, like in the Hunter Biden laptop story, CBS and the rest of the corporate media is an arm of the Obama DNC.

Walter Cronkite, who was a shill too, at least pretended to be fair and balanced.

Argh!

No wonder the traditional media is being ignored.

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GOVEROTRAGEOUS: Time for patriots to “water” the Tree of Liberty — vote them all out

Monday, October 14, 2024

https://savejersey.com/2024/10/op-ed-americans-once-again-betrayed-by-their-own-uncle-sam/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=op-ed-americans-once-again-betrayed-by-their-own-uncle-sam&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=op-ed-americans-once-again-betrayed-by-their-own-uncle-sam

savejersey.com
Op-Ed: Americans Once Again Betrayed by Their Own Uncle Sam 
Dale Glading
Cross-Posted from DaleGlading.com

*** begin quote ***

It may be the greatest betrayal of Americans by their own government in U.S. history, right up there with Congress raiding the Social Security “lockbox” to pay current expenses. In that latter instance, the $2.8 trillion surplus that the Social Security Administration amassed from the mid-1980s through 2020 has been invested in interest-bearing Treasury securities. In other words, by investing in T-bills, the SSA has loaned the federal government money for its general operating budget, money that will have to repaid to cover future benefits by borrowing even more money (with interest) down the road.

Got it?

As a result of that “rob Peter now to pay Paul later” mentality, Social Security is expected to deplete its trust fund by 2037, after which benefits will have to be reduced by approximately 25% for the program to remain solvent. That means that a government program that was built upon the shoulders of Baby Boomers in the workforce is projected to collapse when those same Boomers are fully retired.

Sounds like a Ponzi scheme on steroids to me.

<< EDITOR ADDED: Absolutely!>

*** and ***

Even worse, FEMA is now in no position to assist American citizens in the path of Milton because it mismanaged its $33 billion budget, only $20 billion of which is actually designated for major disaster relief. How incompetent, unconscionable, and unforgiveable is that?

By comparison, Samaritan’s Purse operates on a $1 billion annual budget and provides far more emergency relief in a far more effective manner. According to Christianity Today, “the organization’s 160,000-square-foot warehouse and offices in North Wilkesboro, NC employ 385 people who buy, repair, maintain and retrofit millions of dollars’ worth of medical equipment, generators and water filtration systems, much of them donated. The warehouse has six emergency field hospitals ready to ship, four with tents, hospital beds, anesthesiology equipment, X-ray machines, and surgical suites – all engineered to fold into a plane’s fuselage. There are also miles of plastic tarps, mountains of clothing and boxes full of small brown teddy bears with the Samaritan’s Purse logo – a cross inside a circle.”

*** and ***

And so, I suggest the following: impeach Secretary Mayorkas for a second time and turn the rest of FEMA’s annual operating budget over to Samaritan’s Purse.

*** end quote ***

Clearly, the Federal Gooferment is a complete failure in so many many dimensions.  Time to start over.  Let’s dissolve “The United States” into its component parts and let the individual States figure out the problem.  Just declare bankruptcy and let the chips fall where they may.

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RANT: Stolen license plate reported on Nextdoor

Sunday, October 13, 2024

Some poor soul had his front plate stolen.  While it might have been an (old) prank, it’s more likely a prelude to criminal acts.

The consensus was that the following actions should be taken immediately:

STOLEN PLATE REACTION

  1. Police — make a report & get a copy
  2. DMV — get some documentation & new plates
  3. Insurance — make a report and change plate number
  4. Ezpass — make a report & if you’re an expats holder change plate number 

I, for one, will start checking my plates every day.

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INSPIRATIONAL: How to be a good father to your ex and your children

Sunday, October 13, 2024

FROM QUORA

*** begin quote ***

Regular People & Their Amazing Stories
Posted by Richard Strachan

“”This is my ex. This right here is more valuable than gold.

This is a man who doesn’t pay a dime through the state because when my son needs new clothes, I just call him.

This is a man who buys a bundle of kids’ movies on Vudu so even I can enjoy them with my son in my own home.

A man who drops off the $45 box of pull-ups at my front door so I don’t have to load my son up and go to the store.

One who takes his son in on 10 minute notice, far more often than he should, because I have too much to get done or just need a nap.

This is a man who listens to me cry because I’m stressed out.

This is a man who tells his son not to forget mommy’s boyfriend when he lists his favorite people off the top of his head.

A man who rushes over because we got locked out of the house, or spends his evening fixing something for us.

This is a man who labeled the presents he bought his son from ‘mommy’ because mommy couldn’t get him as many.

A man who still watches my sister’s kids so our son can be with his cousins.

One who accompanies me to meet strangers from Craigslist to ensure we are safe.

This is the diaper-bag-wearing, chocolate-milk-making, selfless, protective, generous, accomplished FATHER to my son.

The amount of obstacles we’ve had to overcome to get to this point are tremendous. This was not easy; this was a choice. Stop giving excuses and come together for your children. I’m the most stubborn person I know and forgiveness came easy to us for the sake of our son. And because of that, I see my son every single day. We always welcome each other’s presence.

In case I haven’t told you lately, I’m grateful for you. Most importantly, for the motivated individual you are and how you provide Pierson with a phenomenal role model despite the foundation you once had. I love the amount of love my son will always have from you.””

Credit: Jessica Singleton

*** end quote ***

I’ve seen lot of broken homes and this “ex” should be the exemplar that we all seek to emulate.

Makes me sad to think of what could have been.

In my own life and those of many many others.

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SECURITY: A static social security number is the flaw in EVERY financial security scheme

Saturday, October 12, 2024

https://www.theregister.com/2024/10/04/comcast_fcbs_ransomware_theft/

Cybersecurity Month
About a quarter million Comcast subscribers had their data stolen from debt collector

  • Cable giant says ransomware involved, FBCS keeps schtum

Connor Jones
Fri 4 Oct 2024 // 20:13 UTC

*** begin quote ***

Among the data types stolen were names, addresses, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and the Comcast account numbers and ID numbers used internally at FBCS. The data pertains to those registered as customers at “around 2021.” Comcast stopped using FBCS for debt collection services in 2020.

*** end quote ***

As with ALL problems, digging down for who’s at fault, eventually end at the Gooferment.

I remember n=my original Social Security card as saying in big red font all caps “NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION PURPOSES”.

I’m sure that the tin foil hats of that era would have opposed it for either “THE MARK OF THE DEVIL” or “where is your papers please” or just the enumeration of privacy concerns.  And they, like almost all Conspiracy Theorists, would have been correct.  Look what a mess SSN has created.

At the root of the problem is the SSN.  

Fundamentally insecure!  Medicare abandoned the SSN on its own medicare cards.  Never explained but probably due to fraud.  Which still is a huge problem.

I suggest that the SSN be abandoned.  Credit cards use a 16 digit number with error correction in it and the “secret” card code on the back.  Why can’t the same be done to replace SSN.

Sure “credit reporting agencies”, banks, brokers, and all would have to retool.  

So what.

No one ever voted to approve this Universal Identifier.  

So let’s unvote it out.

Surely SCIENCE can come up with a better one.  Maybe based on our DNA, or biometric, or maybe nothing is best.

Google and Apple now have passkeys based on their device’s “biometric”.  

Even that would be better than SSN!

# – # – # – # – # 

FOOTNOTE: The word schtum means to remain silent. Specifically, it means not sharing any information, or telling anyone what you know. Schtum is most often used when referring to information that is harmful or sensitive in nature.

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ECONOMICS: My thoughts to save the USA

Friday, October 11, 2024

One would think that someone would recognize that “shipping all the jobs overseas” was a fundamentally flawed strategy to bankrupt the middle class. Seems obvious to me.

DJT’s tariffs would be a step in the right direction IF AND ONLY IF it was done “gently” (so as not to ignite a trade war) and strategically (focus on the key industries need in war time). Same with mergers and acquisitions approval.

In the financial realm, TBIF (too big to fail) is TBTE (too big to exist). Balance sheets should be limited to a reasonable amount percentage relative to the national GDP.

Unfunded liabilities by any entity should be outlawed.

Also, executive compensation should be “taxed” to the extent that it exceeds what the President is paid and any other compensation should be “laddered” (i.e., vested non-transferable corporate bonds staggered in equal amounts over a long term time horizon) say thirty years to encourage long term decision making (i.e., no sacrificing long term survival for short term profitability).

Don’t tax savings or whatever it earns.  Distinguish between savings, investment, and speculation.

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MEME: None of us WANT to pay the price, but some of us wll have to

Thursday, October 10, 2024

 

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POLITICAL: The Democrats are trying to put a big thumb on the election scales

Thursday, October 10, 2024

https://www.lewrockwell.com/2024/10/paul-craig-roberts/how-can-trump-win-when-democrats-have-30-million-immigrant-invaders-to-vote-against-him/

lewrockwell.com

How Can Trump Win When Democrats Have 30 Million Immigrant-Invaders To Vote Against Him? – LewRockwell

By Paul Craig Roberts

*** begin quote ***

The Democrats Are Doing Every Possible Thing to Enable Immigrant-invaders to vote.

Democrats are passing laws to make sure that a non-citizen who just walked across the border has a vote equal to a United States native-born citizen. Immigrant-invaders are given federal IDs which entitle them to drivers’ licenses. Many jurisdictions automatically enroll driver license recipients on the voting list.

Two days ago California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill preventing local governments from requiring voters to present identification at the polls. The Democrat California government has made it a felony to prevent election fraud.

The Democrats call it Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. DEI is not for us racist white supremacy citizens, the American majority. It is for the immigrant-invaders who just walked across the border. The Democrats are the party of the immigrant-invaders, and tens of millions of dum….t white Americans will vote for the party of immigrant-invaders.

*** end quote ***

I’m not sure how to react or respond to this assertion.  It is immediately apparent that it’s true.  Just look at where the illegal entrants to the USA are being housed  —  certainly not in Nantucket, but in every “red state”.

Clearly, the criminals need to be forcefully extracted and kicked out.  That goes without saying.  Also, “birthright citizenship” and “chain migration” need to be eliminated.

To preserve the Republic, the welfare / warfare state must also go.

Strict citizenship identification must be enforced.  If India can do it with more people and more illiteracy, the USA can too.

It appears that the incentives of politicians and bureaucrats is not aligned with the best interest of “We, The Sheeple”.  Time for a “strategic realignment”.  Old (demented) Joe Biden has been in the Gooferment business for his whole life.  Time for term limits for all politicians and bureaucrats.  

And bureaucrats can’t have a revolving door with those that they regulate. Ditto for the military!

Argh!

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RANT: Stephen A. Smith is right; Guess MLB doesn’t see all the gambling sites they advertise

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/mlb/article-13913071/pete-rose-mlb-ban-blasted-stephen-smith.html

Stephen A. Smith issues scathing verdict on Pete Rose’s MLB ban after baseball icon’s death aged 83

  •     Pete Rose is considered a baseball legend but is not in the Hall of Fame 

By Jake Nisse and Oliver Salt
Published: 16:01 EDT, 1 October 2024 | Updated: 07:15 EDT, 2 October 2024

*** begin quote ***

Stephen A. Smith has blasted Pete Rose’s MLB ban following the baseball icon’s death at the age of 83, saying that ‘murderers have been let off quicker’ than he has.

Rose, MLB’s all-time hits leader, was handed a lifetime ban in 1989 after he was found to have bet on the Cincinnati Reds as both a player and manager of the team.

That meant that the baseball icon was never inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame before his death, and ESPN’s Smith raged against the treatment Rose was shown on Tuesday morning. 

*** end quote ***

MLB is a bunch of hypocrites.

All sports are now advertising gambling sites.

“Lifetime” is a long time.  This was the sports equivalent of a death sentence,

I’m sure no MLB executive ever gambles on baseball.

“I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!” Captain Renault in Casablanca

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GOVEROTRAGEOUS:57 million $ White House finds today (without congress) for Lebanon for essential needs but can’t for Helene victims?

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

https://palexander.substack.com/p/urgent-see-this-list-of-places-that?publication_id=579356&post_id=149946265&isFreemail=false&r=onvra&triedRedirect=true

157 million $ White House finds today (without congress) for Lebanon for essential needs but can’t for Helene victims?

& congress too won’t come back, so says Speaker Mike Johnson, he will not call them back from break? so WH can give Lebanon our tax money without congress (& sell-out ‘no money for our border security’ Speaker Johnson will not call them back) but NEEDS congress for Helene $? wtf

Dr. Paul Alexander

Oct 07, 2024

*** begin quote ***

So, we could give bitches our money without congress, but WH needs congress to come back to get money for Helene for North Carolina and Speaker Johnson is playing with himself as he says congress is not coming back for one month; if Johnson needed money for Ukraine he would bring congress back for that as he prior did; so WH and speaker Johnson and congress are spooning each other as they collectively fuck the survivors of hurricane Helene…the congress, Speaker Johnson, and The White House (Harris et al.) are screwing the American people and damaging the survivors of Helene and now we have another hurricane Milton on its heels now at a category 5 rating (180 mph). 

*** end quote ***

Yeah, when it suits them, they can “find” all sorts of money for their pet projects.

Vote them all out.

Argh!

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ENGINEERING: Sad state of affiars when “our” bridges can’t stand up to a little rain

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

https://nypost.com/2024/09/29/us-news/shocking-video-shows-entire-bridge-washed-away-by-hurricane-helen-floodwater/?ICID=ref_fark

Shocking video shows entire bridge washed away by Hurricane Helene floodwater: ‘Get out of the way!’
By Angeli Gabriel, FOX Weather 
Published Sep. 29, 2024, 9:22 a.m. ET

*** begin quote ***

Watch a Tennessee bridge collapse into the Nolichucky River on Saturday, when the river surged with floodwater caused by remnants of Hurricane Helene.

After Helene made landfall in the Big Bend of Florida Thursday night, the Category 4 hurricane drenched parts of the Southeast with torrential rains and dangerous floodwaters.

New video shows one of the affected areas was East Tennessee, where the Nolichucky River rose and produced a powerful current that picked up trees and other debris downstream.

The power of this current was evident when Kisner Bridge on Highway 107 in the town of Afton collapsed into the Nolichucky, which had risen high enough to reach the bridge.

“Get Out Of The Way!” said Landon Duckett, who filmed the video, to a man standing close to the river as the middle of the bridge collapsed.

*** end quote ***

Yeah, a “little rain”!  Was it a 100 year flood?  Hugo came through Charlotte in 1989 and it was a disaster.  So that’s only 35 years ago.  How short our memories are.  If I was in FEMA, after Hugo, I would have asked for a survey of the bridges that were most at risk of flooding damage or in such poor repair that they could be expected to fail.  Then, I’d offer to share in a percentage of the repair or replacement. We all know it’s cheaper to fix something than waiting for disaster to strike.  Not like they were spending the money in Hawaii or East Palestine.  I’d suggest that all Federal “Foreign Aid” be suspended until “we” (a) the care of our infrastructure and (b) eleminate the National Debt.  Let’s see how much “We, The Sheeple” want to send overseas for relief by reinstitution private charity like the Care Packages after WW2.  

“Foreign aid is taking money from the poor people of a rich country and giving it to the rich people of a poor country.”  — Ron Paul 

America First.

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EVLYNN: The cousin who passed prematurely and Evy was named for

Monday, October 7, 2024

In cleaning out my old home prior to sale, I keep finding memorabilia that makes me sad.  Here’s a photo of Evy’s cousin for who she was named.  She passed away prematurely and I don’t know any more.

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GOVEROTRAGEOUS: Springfield, Ohio is home to a Human Trafficking empire

Monday, October 7, 2024

https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/opinion/375011/feds-and-state-ag-investigate-an-alleged-human-trafficking-empire-run-in-springfield-ohio/?mc_cid=a27546f42d&mc_eid=0da2484634

Exclusive: Feds and State AG Investigate an Alleged Human Trafficking Empire Run in Springfield, Ohio, for Years by ‘King George’

*** begin quote ***

Dispatches from Springfield, Ohio – The story in this town is not about cats or dogs. It’s about mules. It’s a twin tragedy of migrant workers from Haiti exploited and locals from Springfield marginalized. Just about every week since 2019, First Diversity Staffing Group Inc. has shuttled vulnerable Haitian migrants in unmarked white Ford and Chevy vans from Florida to Ohio, where they are allegedly exploited for cheap labor by companies like Dole Food Company Inc. It is a secretive and sinister operation that has gone unchecked for more than five years. The mastermind behind this scheme lives in a $1.35 million mansion on Pawleys Plantation Court. His name is George Ten, but in that underworld, his nickname is “King George,” because of his opulent lifestyle of luxury cars, cash handouts and fast-talk. For years, he has operated his reign of alleged exploitation openly and freely out of a former mansion on E. High Street.

Asra Q. Nomani

*** and ***

What began as my efforts to track down a rumor about animal cruelty has turned into an investigation that reveals a malignant system of labor exploitation involving a local businessman, George Ten, whom Haitians and local residents call “King George,” the chief executive at First Diversity Staffing Group Inc., a Springfield company that has been the tip of the spear in the alleged trafficking operation of Haitians to the town. 

While Haitians have lived in homes condemned now with an “X” on the front door, he lives in a $1.35 million mansion on Pawleys Plantation Court in a ritzy neighborhood called “Estates at Country Club of the North.”

*** and ***

This is a story of unchecked greed and cruelty, committed not by the immigrants, but to the immigrants, with local residents of Springfield also a casualty.

As most journalists learn through experience, things are rarely as they seem. When the allegation of migrants eating cats and dogs exploded across the media, I knew there was more beneath the surface. What began as an investigation into animal cruelty quickly revealed a much darker reality—a large-scale human trafficking operation. 

I arrived in Springfield from my home in Morgantown, W.V., a town much like Springfield in size and scale. I wanted to get to the bottom of this story. I came to Springfield because I felt a connection to the immigrants and the locals here, both their stories echoing my own experience growing up uniting two worlds. I moved to the U.S. with my brother when I was four years old, joining our parents as they made the difficult move in search of a better life, and when I was 10, we settled in West Virginia. 

*** end quote ***

Maybe DJT45 may have gotten the story wrong about animal cruelty, there is an underlying story that’s a lot worse.

He should make this a campaign issue about Human Trafficking and Election Interference.

Argh!

—30—

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INSPIRATIONAL: “Tests” and school should NOT obsure the real purpose of education

Sunday, October 6, 2024

FROM QUORA

*** begin quote ***

Regular People & Their Amazing Stories
Posted by Taresa Strachan

*** begin quote ***

“I gave my 10 year old a math test today. He spent nearly an hour and used four sheets of scratch paper. He worked each problem with intense concentration. And then with a deep breath he handed it to me to be graded.

I quickly worked my way through the test and calculated his score.

“It’s an 89” I said, “that’s a high B.”

Immediately his eyes filled with tears. He had done his best work, given his greatest effort and had still come up short.

I looked at my boy and back down at his paper.

And then I ripped it in half.

My boy is amazing in the kitchen. He can cook a meal for the entire family without breaking a sweat.

My boy is incredible at putting things together. He uses tools like a skilled craftsman.

My boy is a founding member of the mother/son debate team, (I just made that up) he can persuade me into doing things I never planned to do.

My boy is hilarious. He is always the first one to make a joke at the dinner table.

My boy is a sensitive soul. He’s kind and gentle when that sort of thing is necessary.

My boy is diligent. He will work at something until he feels it’s as good as it can be.

My boy is NOT defined by the grade on his math paper.

When I ripped that paper up, I looked my boy in the eyes and I told him how I had watched him. How I saw him give his best, how he considered each problem and checked each one until he felt it was complete. I watched him erase and rework problems he was unsure of. I watched him pour every bit of effort in his little body into that test.

And I told him I had never been more proud.

Children are so much more than test scores. They are so much more than their reading level. They are so much more than the box we try to mold them in to.

School is important, education is important but it’s not of highest importance.

I am more concerned with how he treats others, with his level of integrity and his desire to serve Jesus than any score on any test.

I am more concerned with his ability to learn how to use his talents to earn money for his family.

I am more concerned with the character that we are building than the division facts on the paper.

Our children should have an opportunity to show us where they excel, especially in the elementary years.

I was shocked at the pressure he felt to do well on that test. I never imagined the tears of disappointment that would fall. I admire his ambition and his desire to do well.

I have never been more proud of an 89 on a math test.”

Credit: Sprinkles In My Closet

*** end quote ***

Just the other night I saw a seven year old ADHD boy master “counting by twos” page of homework.  He got in a rhythm, had fun, big smile,and was so pleased with himself.  I gave him a round of applause and he was even prouder.  

Not that he still won’t get in trouble for doing dumb things, but he says “he hates math because it’s hard”, I’ll remind him of “adding twos”. 

It’s more important that he seeks that endorphin filled moment of accomplishment so that when life’s problems face him  — as they do for us all  — he can slog through them without being discouraged.

I’m sure he’ll remember these formative positive moments long after his adults are gone.

That’s the essential human teaching to leave behind.

—30—

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MEME: Avoiding a copyright suit by this much ….

Saturday, October 5, 2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG0x7u86hGo

“This isn’t Taylor Swift.”

“And neither are you.” 

—30—

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GOVERNACIDE: The death penalty is just morally wrong and fraught with abuse

Saturday, October 5, 2024

https://kottke.org/24/09/0045345-the-state-should-not-give

*** begin quote ***

“The state should not give itself the right to kill human beings — especially when it kills with premeditation and ceremony, in the name of the law or in the name of its people, and when it does so in an arbitrary and discriminatory fashion.”

*** end quote ***

The Gooferment should never be permitted to kill for any reason. 

I can make a small carve out for those humans that are just too dangerous to keep prison.  For example, there should be a Devil’s Island where murders, who attack guards, can be kept and never leave. 

The problem with the death penalty is that there is no “undo” function and mistakes happen.  Whatever the reason  — an “honest” mistake or some sort of discrimination  — a mistake can be corrected.  But not if the mistake is deadly.

—30—

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JOBSEARCH: Always remeber your roots are as deep as your paycheck

Friday, October 4, 2024

https://techcrunch.com/2024/10/04/159-employees-are-leaving-automattic-as-ceos-fight-with-wp-engine-escalates/

159 employees are leaving Automattic as CEO’s fight with WP Engine escalates | TechCrunch

Ivan Mehta

<< EDITOR ADDED DATE 2024-10-04>>

*** begin quote ***

Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg said on Thursday that 159 employees (roughly 8.4% of staff) accepted a severance package that the company had offered to those who disagreed with his direction of WordPress and his handling of the tussle with web hosting provider WP Engine.

In a blog post, Mullenweg said the package offered $30,000 or six months of salary, whichever is higher, but the employees who took it would not be eligible to be re-hired by Automattic.

Nearly 80% of people who took the offer worked in the company’s Ecosystem / WordPress division, and the rest were in Automattic’s Cosmos businesses, consisting of apps like Pocket Casts, Day One, Tumblr and Cloudup.

*** end quote ***

Once again, wage slaves must always be looking for their next job or gig.  Unless they have their FU money in a safe store like an annuity, they must be ready when their CEO, organization, or a regulatory agency loses their mind and commits suicide or murder.

When this happens it is NOT the time to begin to think about your resume.  Back when I was first fired  —  and I was 4½ times  — I was only surprised the FIRST time.  Thanks to that employers’ outplacement, I learned a valuable lesson.  I am the Captain of My Own Ship, the CEO, CFO, CTO, Marketing Manager, Sales Manager, Sales Person, and Product De Jour.  I even had a “VP of Product Development” reporting to the CFO!  From that day forward, until the day I retired, I had a monthly “meeting” on the First Sunday of every month early in the morning.  First thing, without fail, although I did serve coffee, I would put on each of my metaphorical hats and review my work in that role.  Was I always happy as I reviewed my “subordinate personality’s” accomplishments?  No, but I was never “surprised” again.  

When presented with a “surprise”, I immediately shifted gears seamlessly into “active job search” from “passive job search”.  Was I stressed by the “surprise”?  Yes, but my first action after filing for unemployment (Have to “steal” back as much as possible from what the various Gooferments “stole” from me!), was to take a week of vacation.  Calms the soul and refreshes the spirit.

YMMV but be ever vigilant. 

“You, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know when the master of the household will return—in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak.”  — Mark 13:35

—30—

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HEALTH: Where’s the warning label for high-fructose corn syrup and emulsifiers?

Friday, October 4, 2024

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-13890137/doctor-colon-cancer-crisis-food-ingredients.html

EXCLUSIVE I’m a doctor on the frontlines of America’s colon cancer crisis – I believe two ingredients found in ‘healthy’ foods are to blame

By Emily Joshu Health Reporter For Dailymail.Com

Published: 07:45 EDT, 26 September 2024 | Updated: 08:45 EDT, 26 September 2024

*** begin quote ***

She notes the introduction of high-fructose corn syrup and emulsifiers in the 1970s and 80s could explain why so many adults in their 40s are getting colon cancer at record rates. 

*** end quote ***

Not that I expect much from the FDA, CDC, NIH, or any of the politicians and bureaucrats, but how about a skull and crossbones for all products containing these?

Argh!

Yeah, not until Pelosi sells all here stocks in these companies!

Argh!

RFKjr has made the “obesity epidemic” an election issue.  This could be added to that!

—30—

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ConspiracyTheories: Is there a Geoterrorist CHEMTRAIL operation against Florida?

Thursday, October 3, 2024

https://www.theburningplatform.com/2024/09/26/operation-hurricane-helene-nwo-cabal-launches-vicious-geoterrorist-attack-against-florida-why-now/

OPERATION HURRICANE HELENE: NWO Cabal Launches Vicious Geoterrorist Attack Against Florida—Why now?
Via State of the Nation

  • Massive CHEMTRAIL operation conducted right over the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida

*** begin quote ***

AN OPEN LETTER TO

GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS

Dear Governor DeSantis,

This is one of several open letters that we have written to you about the extremely dire predicament known as weaponized weather attacks, which the state of Florida is again facing in the form of the geoengineered Hurricane Helene.

Here is a previous open letter that was sent to you two years ago just before the highly weaponized Hurricane Ian ravaged the state of Florida quite deliberately before Election Day.

In point of fact, every single member of the Florida Legislature has been made aware of the stark reality that the once ‘Sunshine State’ has been unrelentingly geoegineered via various chemical geoengineering technologies into the “Chemcloud Cover State”.

*** end quote ***

This is an “interesting” Conspiracy Theory.

I have no evidence to put before the Court of Public Opinion.

On a prima facie basis, I think this should be “investigated” by some trustworthy entity other than the Gooferment. If such a thing exists.

On my Conspiracy Theory Taxonomy and Ruler (Type and Veracity), I’d grade it as:

* Governmental

and

5. Possible

YMMV!

—30—

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ENGINEERING: Building hurricane proof housing developments

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13907567/hurricane-helene-storm-proofed-florida-neighborhood.html

Miracle Florida neighborhood that survived Hurricane Helene without a scratch
By Sonya Gugliara For Dailymail.Com
Published: 07:30 EDT, 2 October 2024 | Updated: 08:40 EDT, 2 October 2024

*** begin quote ***

In the midst of crumbled homes and flooded communities stands a single Florida development that survived Hurricane Helene without a scratch. 

Hunters Point, a housing development in Cortez, Florida, avoided flooding and kept electricity while nearby streets were filled waist-deep with water and houses lost power. 

The community’s first residents arrived in 2022 and have since experienced three devastating hurricanes – Ian, Idalia and Helene – without serious damage. 

*** end quote ***

So it is possible to build housing that can withstand a hurricane!

When the Gooferment “approves” site plans, why don’t they insist on some, if not all, these “lessons learned”.

Federal and State flood insurance should be the big cheerleaders for these type of actions.

Swales, raised roads, beefed up studs, solar panels  —  all seem to be very cost effective.

I don’t understand why Gooferment seems to always be in the way,

—30—

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