Happy New Year

2019 is already here in some parts of the world.

May 2019 go by a bit slower than did 2018.

A Happy and Blessed New Year to All!

NHL Monday and NHL Sunday Recap

Yesterday's only NHL game had Vegas beating Arizona 5 - 1. It was the third win in a row for Vegas. And, no surprise here, my prediction of AZ winning 4-2 was...incorrect.

Thirteen games on tap today.

Nashville plays in Washington and Vancouver in NJ. These two games are just about to hit the ice. The other 11 games start at 5PM EST or later. So if your NY Eve plans are hanging out at home, and you're not sure what to watch, well, check out a hockey game or three.

Happy Hockey and Happy New Year!

One NHL Game Tonight. One!?!?!

Only one NHL game on tonight, Vegas playing in Arizona.

Vegas is # 3 and the Coyotes rank at # 7, both in the Pacific Division.

With 15 NHL games yesterday, I guess having only ONE game today is...something NHL fans will have to live with.

We could expect Vegas to win over AZ tonight, but AZ beat the # 4 ranked Anaheim Ducks last night, 5 - 4 in OT in what was a heck of a good game.

The Wild beat the Jets yesterday, 3 - 1. Wouldn't have predicted a Wild win against the Jets, considering Matt Dumba is on the injured list and not expected to play for 3 months.

Oddsshark has Vegas winning over the Coyotes 3.2 to 2.6.

Vegas beat bottom-ranked LA 4 - 1 last night and as previously noted, the Coyotes beat the Ducks.

Vegas will probably win tonight...probably. But I'll take a stab at a prediction of AZ beating Vegas 4 - 2.

Happy Hockey!
- - -
Disclaimer: All fantasy "final score predictions", are not meant to be, or intended to be, or construed as, or subconsciously suggested as, advice on which to make wagers or "sports"-betting. It is simply the observation of an NHL fan. If you have even the slightest desire to gamble based on anything written here, immediately seek help from your doctor and/or call 911. I am not responsible for any losses, financial, emotional or otherwise. You agree fully to the above, without exceptions or objections, by visiting this site. Yes you do. Yes. You do.

Newspapers under Cyberattack

No lulls as we close-out the last few days of 2018.

ABC 7, Chicago: Cyberattack from outside U.S. hit major newspapers.

Tribune Publishing -- which owns the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times and other newspapers impacted -- reported the attack to the FBI on Friday, the Chicago Tribune reported Saturday.

Global News: Cyberattack responsible for delays in newspaper distribution.

The cyberattack appeared to originate outside the United States, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing a source with knowledge of the situation.
[...]
“There is no evidence that customer credit card information or personally identifiable information has been compromised,” [said Tribune Publishing spokeswoman Marisa Kollias, explaining] the virus hurt back-office systems used to publish and produce “newspapers across our properties.”

SBS News: Sophisticated cyberattack hits U.S. newspapers.

The computer problem shut down a number of crucial software systems that store news stories, photographs and administrative information, and made it difficult to create the plates used to print the papers at The Times' downtown plant.

This attack on U.S. newspapers must be the work of Trump and Russia/Putin or Trump and North Korea/Kimmy Junior. Good for him/them.

Tech News

TechDirt - Students charged with terroristic threats for posting video of fictional school shooting.

Three students face felony charges of making a terroristic threat for posting online two brief videos where they act out a school shooting in someone’s house.
[...]
Content disturbing to others is present in a lot of content. Just because this dramatization happened to be produced by students and distributed by Instagram doesn't somehow entitle it to less First Amendment protection than a motion picture released by a major studio.
[...]
Sheriff Craig Apple's speech -- as moronic as it is -- is also protected by the same First Amendment he won't extend to these students.

    “There’s been enough shootings going on around the country. This is despicable artistic expression, if that’s what it was.”

Is the video protected under the First Amendment or is the sheriff's interpretation of the video consistent within the context of preventing a potential threat?

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
- - -
Business Times: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says it will fix years to FB's problems.

Who...knew?

Gadgets Now: India law misunderstood by FB moderators. 

[Facebook moderators are advised] that any post degrading an entire religion violates Indian law and should be flagged for removal.

[Another instructs moderators] to "look out for" the phrase "Free Kashmir" - though the slogan, common among activists, is completely legal.

- - -
Ars Technia: Residential home battery (power) not energy efficient in most cases.

"There may be good reasons to decentralize the grid through ubiquitous installation of small RES [Residential Energy Storage], but cost-effective emissions control is not one of them at the moment," the researchers write.

- - -
Caution - story contains AI created "scary" names (I'm looking out for the easily frightened Libs, here.); Ars Technia:

AI invents New Year fireworks names that sound more like the end of humanity.
[...]
Flaming Thundersplont Box
Red flashing cake
Machine Blinking Display
Black Moo
Original Cat Pix Budget 2 Boom

Yikes! Machine Blinking Display and Original Cat Pix Budget 2 Boom. Run Away ! Run Away !
- - -

Coffee? Tea? Lots of room?

Technology: What happens when almost no passengers show up for their flight?

- - -

Technology: Wind turbines hurting robins. 

...wind turbines are rather loud and robins have to adapt. In these areas where wind turbines are present, robins drop their lower pitch and go for the trademark puffed up red chest instead. Little birds cannot compete against the low hum of the wind turbine blades.

- - -
TechRadar: MS 2018 retrospective.

...the October 2018 Update has been the most problematic and buggy update ever released for Microsoft’s OS, outdoing even the infamous Anniversary Update.
[.]
Another major development for Microsoft in 2018 was that the firm finally admitted that it had got things wrong with the default web browser for Windows 10. The company has been pushing hard with Edge for a good while now, but to no avail[.]

WccfTech: Here comes Win 10 forced update v 1809.

We are still waiting for user reports to see if they have experienced any Windows 10 forced updates over the last few days. But, if you want to avoid Windows 10 version 1809, it would be wise to block it to avoid any surprises.

- - -
Gadgets Now: Elon Musk needs people to beta test Tesla's autonomous-driving cars.

Earlier this year [Tesla] reportedly sought hundreds of employees to test its full-driving system and offered free Autopilot upgrade with new purchases.

- - -

The Drive - Ford's 2019 preview and 2020(?) Bronco.

Ford "Super Duty"

Tech News

Slashgear - Washington Redskins nix Huawei deal over privacy concerns:

...a new report claims [the deal was killed] due to government prodding. According to sources, officials were concerned about Huawei installing WiFi service in Washington, DC. 

- - -
SC Mag: 15 DDoS-for-hite sites shut down by FBI:

Authorities charged Matthew Gatrel, 30, of St. Charles, Ill, and Juan Martinez, 25, of Pasadena, Calif., with conspiring to violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act through the operation of their DDoS-for-hire services sites known as Down them and Ampnode.

According to the release, Downthem’s database showed over 2000 customer subscriptions, and had been used to conduct, or attempt to conduct, over 200,000 DDoS attacks which were carried out between October 2014 and November 2018.

- - -
Slashgear: Win 10 fix hurting Lenovo lap tops.

BetaNews: A generally positive review of Win 11.

Jolt: Chrome exploit causing crashes in Win 10.
- - -
Nextgov: Cali court finds First Amendment Rights not necessarily protected in social media.
- - -
The Next Web: 2018: year of the fabled Linux desktop.

It's Foss: Why Linux hasn't succeeded as a desktop, by Linux creator Linus Torvalds.

Top 20 most-popular stories of 2018 from Ars Technia

Have at it. A few winners:

It took seven miles to pull over a Tesla with a seemingly asleep driver.

Gmail.com redesign leaks, looks pretty incredible. (No, it doesn't. Gmail sucks. That's a 5,000-word, well, 4,995-word, post I'll never write.)

Elon Musk built a “submarine” to rescue Thailand kids—here’s what it looks like.

Study: people tend to cluster into four distinct personality “types”.

Yes, we all need to work at being more "cluster-diverse."

I don't recall ever seeing, until now, the Musk sub.

 Musk rescue sub.

Which stories do you think were important in 2018?

Merry Christmas

While He gave his life for all of our sins, it is not the most grievous sins that we are forgiven that amazes me. He gave his life for the least of our sins.

Wishing everyone a Blessed Christmas.

Ave Maria

Santa is Delivering!

Check out NORAD. Santa is on the way - and he moves really fast.

Chi-Chi-Chi-Chia Chucky

Still time to get one in time for Christmas at all fine retailers.

Santa on NORAD. Government Shutdown Can't Stop Santa

The government shutdown won't affect NORAD from following Santa on his deliveries. Which begs the question, is there anyone our government doesn't track?

Check the NORAD site later tonight. It's actually kind of fun to watch. And the kids will love it.

Retro Christmas TV Commercial

The narrator...whose voice is that? I recognize it, can't put a name to it. Anyone?

Retro Christmas TV Commercial

Retro Christmas TV Commercial

Schumer, Patron Saint of Taxpayers

Thank you Cluck, for "saving us" that hefty $ 5 Billion. But spending over $ 1.2 Trillion? Cluck did not vote to save us from that. He favored it.

Think the shutdown will affect Trump? Think again. The Jeff Bezos Peoples' Republic:

Both history and current politics are on Trump’s side in this standoff. There’s no reason he shouldn’t dig in for the holiday season and wait for the Democrats to offer a compromise he can live with.

Dig in, President Trump. Dig in!

Some good shutdown memes making the rounds.

So, We're Closed?

At least partially.

Denver Post: Limited Federal Services.

AP: Shutdown to drag into Christmas.

SMH: Shutdown could last until Thursday.

Border Wall Battle in the Senate

Cluck Schumer is giving his sanctimonious best. Watch him live before he STFU.

Shut it down. Fuck Cluck.

NHL Saturday, December 22; Quick Recap December 21 Games

Quote: Herb Brooks

14 games on tap for today and tonight, starting at noon and going all day and evening though 9PM-plus.

No predictions, too much work in keeping track of that many games.

Last night's games final scores:
NJ 5 - Ottawa 2
Washington 2 - Buffalo 1
Chicago 2 - Colorado 1

My predictions:
NJ 3 - Ottawa 2
Washington 4 - Buffalo 2
Chicago 2 - Colorado 3

No accuracy on the final scores, but I did pick two out of three winning teams.

NJ beating the Sens 5 - 2 was surprising considering the Devils have been fighting their bottom or "next-to-bottom" ranking in the Metro division. They're a better team than where they're at. NJ has five months to improve.

I thought the Caps-Sabres games would be a higher scoring game, both teams played well but the reigning Cup Champions (Washington) are likely playing to win the Cup again next year. Barring injuries, the Caps will be strong all season.

The Avalanche-Hawks also a good game. It really could have gone either way. Chicago go their defensive game going last night and despite some flaws, managed to keep that 1 goal edge and take the win away from Colorado.

14 games today. That's Christmas for me.

World News

Sky News: Partial U.S. Government shutdown looms.

BBC: Government shutdown looms.
- - -
Brexit could impact Britons dietary expectations. AFP:

Perishable goods, such as vegetables from the Netherlands or fruit from Spain, could be held up at the border, if tough checks are imposed or the EU limits trade, said the report.

- - -
AFP: Canada and US call for release of two Canadians detained in China.
- - -
FOX News: Parents of Otto Warmbier seek $1 Billion from North Korea.
- - -
The Guardian: Two suspects held in Gatwick airport drone incident.

ITV News: Two arrested in Gatwick airport drone incident.
- - -
CBC: British Columbia cities shakedown oil companies for climate change costs.

Retro Christmas TV Commercial

Three NHL Games on Tap Tonight, Friday December 21

Oh, heck, with only three games on tap tonight, some of which start in minutes, I'll go ahead and make final score predictions that the future will prove utter folly on my part.

Tonight's games:
Ottawa (AT #7) at NJ (Met #8)
Buffalo (AT #3) at Washington (Met #1)
Chicago (Cent #7) at Colorado (#4 Cent)

Oddssharks predicts:
* Sens 3.4 - NJ 2.4
* Washington 4.0 - Sabres 1.8
* Hawks 3.7 - Avalanche 2.3

My predictions:
* NJ lost to Columbus last night. I think they're going to gear up for a win.  
NJ 3 - Sens 2

* Washington 4 - Sabres 2

* Chicago beat Dallas 5 - 2 last night. Colorado is the better team. Chicago could be pumped up from their win, or, tired. Avalanche need to chalk up a win. Hmmmm. Colorado 3, Chicago 2.

- - -

Disclaimer: All fantasy "final score predictions", are not meant to be, or intended to be, or construed as, or subconsciously suggested as, advice on which to make wagers or "sports"-betting. It is simply the observation of an NHL fan. If you have even the slightest desire to gamble based on anything written here, immediately seek help from your doctor and/or call 911. I am not responsible for any losses, financial, emotional or otherwise. You agree fully to the above, without exceptions or objections, by visiting this site. Yes you do. Yes. You do.

Wall, Shutdown or...Dental Plan?

Newser: Shutdown; Where we're at.

WTVR CBS: When shutdowns start.

The Nuclear Option? Neither Repubhohoholicans Jeff Flake or Lamaaaaaaaaaaaar Alexaaaaander want to "break the (Oh, so holy and sanctimonious) rules" of the Senate. NY Post:

Alexander: "I will not vote to turn the Senate into a rule-breaking institution."

Flake: "The Senate filibuster is about the only mechanism left in Washington that brings the parties together. Deploying the nuclear option would blow that up."

Retro Christmas TV Commercial

Anyone remember this one?

Wall or Shutdown?

CNN: McConnell watching House.

“The action is over on the House side. We are waiting to see what they do,” [said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell], referring to the upcoming vote on the new continuing resolution.

Market Watch: Federal services affected by a shutdown.

CNN: UPDATE - Amendment includes $ 5 Billion for wall.

The House's continuing resolution is the same Senate spending bill that passed last night, but it includes a new amendment, according to multiple GOP aides.

The amendment includes:

    $5 billion in new money for the border wall for the rest of the fiscal year but to remain available until Sept. 30, 2023.
    $7.81 billion in disaster funds through Sept. 30, 2019 in the aftermath of widespread wildfires and hurricanes Michael and Florence.

The clock ticks...

Last Minute Christmas Gift Ideas

World News

Op/Ed - NY Post: Trump withdraw from Syria too soon.

...such an abrupt withdrawal is precisely the kind of mistake President Barack Obama made in Iraq — leaving an enormous vacuum for Russia, Iran and extremist groups to fill and abdicating any US influence in the area.

- - -
Arizona's U.S. Senator Jeff Flake, (Pretend Republican/Apologist) co-sponsors a bill fighting climate change. KTAR:

The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act would place a $15 fee on each metric ton of carbon dioxide emitted.

The fee would rise by $10 each year, and all of its net revenues would be given back to taxpayers as a monthly dividend.

The E-I-C-D-A (You know Flake is itching to use that) is the "We Didn't Listen" argument.
- - -
SMH: Global financial heart attack is months away.

Surging borrowing costs for companies in the US and Europe threaten a recession within months and resemble events leading up to the global credit "heart attack" in August 2007.

- - -
The Democrats will try this next: Both presidential candidates claim win. France24:

Andry Rajoelina and Marc Ravalomanana -- who have each held the top job in the impoverished country before -- declared themselves winners in the run-off which analysts warned was likely to draw claims of fraud.

Only the Dems would assure us of no election fraud. As long as they win.

- - -

"Look, in that car! It's Jeff Goldblum!"  "Who?"

NBC LA: In Five years, 10 million more vehicles through LAX. 

There has been a 10 million vehicle increase from 2012 to 2017 at Los Angeles International Airport, much of that starting in 2015 when the city gave services like Uber and Lyft the green light[.]

- - -
The Inquirer: Was Facebook giving user data to other Big Tech?

A devastating report from the New York Times suggests that Facebook has been playing fast and loose with its users' privacy, giving special access to more than 150 high-profile companies, including Microsoft, Apple and Amazon.

The BBC: Facebook's data sharing secrets exposed.

"Time and again Facebook has been unable to clearly and in plain language explain to people how the company is collecting, storing, sharing, and retaining people's data," a spokeswoman for Privacy International told the BBC.

- - -
Corbyn denies calling May "stupid woman." The Irish News:

Jeremy Corbyn was forced to deny calling Theresa May a "stupid woman" as the final prime minister's questions of the year sparked a heated row over misogyny.

Lincolnshire Live - Lipreader says maybe Corbyn did call her that, or didn't.

However, a lip reader from Lincoln Joanne Hunter has given her verdict on what she thinks he said.

She said: "I have looked at his lipreading and there are two words. I think he said...(Argh! The Suspense. You'll have to read the story).

The Irish Examiner: 99 Days Til Brexit.
- - -

The Korea Herald - China detains THIRD Canadian.

China has arrested a third Canadian national, Ottawa said Wednesday -- a move that comes amid an already tense diplomatic spat with Beijing over the arrest of a Chinese telecom executive.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau however emphasized that the arrest did not seem to be linked to a former diplomat and an entrepreneur held for allegedly endangering China's national security.

"We are looking into the details (but) this most recent one doesn't seem to fit the pattern set by the previous two," Trudeau told a press conference.

- - -
The Age - Award-winning journalist quits after discovery he committed fraud on a grand scale:

Claas Relotius, 33, a staff writer known for vivid investigative stories. The magazine said Relotius resigned on Monday after admitting some of his articles included made-up material from interviews that never happened.

Claas...Coming Soon on CNN!
- - -
9News: Man facing jail term for... doing things you don't do.

WTFIWWP ?
- - -
Flights suspended due to drones over runways. The Telegraph:

A police helicopter was called in after two unmanned drones were reportedly sighted near a runway, forcing the airport to halt all flights and warn of possible knock-on disruption on Thursday.

Fox News - Mom and daughter arrested; attempted to send contraband to prison using drone:

A mother and daughter who police said were "hoping to spread some holiday cheer" were arrested and accused of flying a drone packed with...tobacco and cellphones to [wait for it]...[the husband/father of the wife/daughter].

Give 'em a break. It's Christmas.

NHL Game Recap for Tuesday, December 18

Details of last night's eleven games are at NHL.com.

The games where the underdog beat the better playing team - that no one would have guessed, were:

* Bottom ranked LA beat number one Winnipeg, 4 - 1
* Bottom ranked Florida Panthers beat Buffalo 5 - 2 (BIG SURPRISE here)
* NY Rangers over the Ducks 3 - 1
* Dallas shut out Calgary 2 - 0
* Struggling St. Louis beat Edmonton, IN Edmonton, 4 - 1

Other games:

* TBay beat Vancouver 5 - 2 (no surprise here)

* The Islanders beat the Coyotes 3 - 1; this game being a good watch. AZ played tough, but couldn't keep pace.

* The Sharks shut out the Wild, 4 - 0. Sharks goalie, the incredible Martin Jones, refused to allow the puck from crossing the crease.

* Philly beat Detroit 3 - 2, another good game.

* Toronto beat NJ 7 - 2, not unexpected but a higher score than I would have predicted.

* Chicago beat Nashville 2 - 1.

Only two games tonight:

Penguins play at Washington and Montreal plays in Colorado.

Happy Hockey!

NHL December 18; Not A Long Boring Hockey Post (although I suppose that is subjective).

Eleven games on tap tonight, in the NHL.

The Atlantic Division remains in the same order as it was on December 1. Not to say there wasn't shuffling from that snapshot date to now. Only that the rankings are the same today.

Other division's teams shuffled, but basically stayed within their area relative ranking.

Various injuries are spread out among many teams.

One stat I noticed, only three teams remain in avoiding a tied game being decided by the Dreaded Shoot-Out: Toronto, Ottawa and Dallas.

 

Some interesting match-ups tonight between the stronger teams and, uh, some struggling teams:

Bottom-ranked Florida plays at number two-ranked Buffalo (both Atlantic)
Nashville (#2) plays in Chicago (#7) (both Central)
Winnipeg (#1-Central) plays in LA (#8-Pacific)
Tampa Bay (#1-AT) plays in Vancouver (#6-Pac)
Calgary (#1-Pac) in Dallas (#5-Cent)
Toronto (#3-AT) in NJ (#7-Met)
Ducks (#2-Pac) at NYR (#6-Met)
NYI (#3-Met) at AZ (#7-Pac)

Mid-tier vs mid-tier game:
San Jose (#3-Pac) at MN (#4-Cent)

Struggle vs struggle has:
Detroit (#7-AT) playing in Philly (#8-Met)
St. Louis (#6-Cent) at Edmonton (#5-Pac)

Good games to watch? Sharks at MN should be good. St. Louis, AZ and LA are teams I've been watching, just to see what they do in trying to turn things around. The StL-Oilers game could be a close one. I don't see AZ beating the Islanders tonight. Same for LA, don't see them beating Winnipeg. Make no wager on my pure speculation. Any game could see an upset. The Panthers could beat Buffalo by a shot, no way to tell. No one would have guessed St. Louis beating the Jets 1 - 0 on December 7.

I'm not making any predictions. Oddsshark has you covered there.

And a past due Rest in Peace to Bob Naegele, Jr., who brought the NHL back to Minnesota.
- - -
Disclaimer: All fantasy "final score predictions", are not meant to be, or intended to be, or construed as, or subconsciously suggested as, advice on which to make wagers or "sports"-betting. It is simply the observation of an NHL fan. If you have even the slightest desire to gamble based on anything written here, immediately seek help from your doctor and/or call 911. I am not responsible for any losses, financial, emotional or otherwise. You agree fully to the above, without exceptions or objections, by visiting this site. Yes you do. Yes. You do.

Tech News

ArsTechnia - Google isn’t the company that we should have handed the Web over to.

Microsoft adopting Chromium puts the Web in a perilous place.

A must-read. Also: Google evil? You have no idea. - InfoWorld, March 2014

- - -

Peering into 2019 at Beta News - Cyber predictions for 2019:

The end of the password
Increased regulation
IoT risks

And more.
- - -
BGR - Intelligent parrot instructed Alexa to play music and order food from Amazon: 

The African grey parrot, however, is something of an exception to the rule. Interestingly enough, a 2012 study published in The Royal Society found that the grey parrot has cognitive thinking skills in some areas that are on the same level as a three-year old human child.

And then, there's this parrot.
- - -
C|Net: Russian social media actors moved to Instagram after pressure on Facebook and Twitter:

Once the Internet Research Agency got outed on Facebook and Twitter, Instagram became the new haven for Russia's disinformation campaign.

That's the takeaway from two comprehensive reports Monday on Russia's social media manipulation efforts. One is from researchers at New Knowledge, a cybersecurity firm, and the other is from researchers at Oxford University's Computational Propaganda Research Project and Graphika. 

- - -
Brave browser going Chromium - Computer World:

As of last week, however, Brave relies on the Chromium UI. In plainer words, Brave has gone "full-Chromium."

- - -
Tech News World -  Blackberry opens door for offering services to autonomous vehicle sector:

BlackBerry this week introduced its new Security Credential Management System.
[.]
Waterloo, Ontario-based BlackBerry,...undertook development of this technology to provide the critical infrastructure for vehicles and traffic lights to exchange information securely.
[.]
The company likely hopes to gain the trust of automakers, as well as local governments that are involved in the development of smart city infrastructure.

- - -
Fake package covers porch thieves in glitter and fart spray. TechCrunch:

As soon as it’s opened, a custom-built spinning tub flings ridiculously fine glitter in every direction...A few seconds later comes a blast of canned fart spray. Or, I should say, the first blast of canned fart spray[.]

See the video at the link.

Reading Socks

Reading socks. Use only while reading.

World News

Former Apprentice staffer claims Trump "abused Adderall." NZ Herald:

Noel Casler allegedly worked in talent logistics [and claims], [President Trump], "... gets nervous and he crushes up these pills. That's why he's sniffing when you see him in debates, and when you see him reading."

- - -
The Guardian - U.S. Gov Shutdown Looms:

Monday brought few signs of progress in solving a dispute between Republicans and Democrats over keeping the government open. A partial shutdown that could occur at midnight Friday[.]

- - -

SMH - Twitter hacked by 'state sponsored actors'?:

Twitter observed a large amount of traffic to the customer support site coming from individual internet IP addresses in China and Saudi Arabia.

"While we cannot confirm intent or attribution for certain, it is possible that some of these IP addresses may have ties to state-sponsored actors," the blog said.

- - -
TRT World - Russia meddled in social media in U.S. politics:

Russia’s sweeping political disinformation campaign on US social media was more far-reaching than originally thought, with troll farms working to discourage black voters and “blur the lines between reality and fiction”[.]

This story will never make sense to me. How is the above any different from me (or any other blogger or writer, or group of,) writing a factual, fictional, or embellished blog entry on Hillary Clinton, or Theresa May or any other public figure seeking office? Unless people have more faith in social media than I ever thought possible and they really believe that "it must be true, I read it on the internets."
- - -
Daily Mail - Goldman Sachs hit by Malaysia fraud scandal:

Goldman Sachs has been hit with fraud charges in Malaysia after allegedly helping to pillage £2.1 billion from a sovereign wealth fund.
[.]
It is the latest twist in a saga which has been catastrophic for Goldman's reputation, with shares down over a third this year. The stock was hit again yesterday, dropping nearly 3 per cent in New York.

- - -

CSM: No-deal Brexit brings risk of traffic gridlock:

In the event of a major backlog at the Port of Dover, 50 miles away, this stretch of highway would become a temporary truck park.

What kind of calamity might cause such a monstrous snarl-up?

In a word, Brexit.

The Herald-Scotland - Corbyn increases pressure on Theresa May with no-confidence vote:

Jeremy Corbyn has sought to pile the pressure on Theresa May by tabling a no-confidence vote in her[.]

The Scotsman - May dares Labour to topple government:

Theresa May has dared Labour to try and topple her government after she announced the Commons would not vote on her proposed Brexit deal until the middle of January[.]

- - -
Protesters converge on Hungary public broadcaster. AFP:

Anti-government protests in Hungary hit the country's public broadcaster on Monday, with the opposition galvanised by the furious reaction to a controversial new labour law.
[.]
MPs had demanded access to the studios to read out a petition against the government and what they call its "slave" labour law.

MTVA security guards forcibly ejected independent MPs Akos Hadhazy and Bernadett Szel, sparking criticism online.

NHL Fight: Chicago Blackhawks Mascot Tommy Hawk vs a Fan

Blackhawks mascot Tommy Hawk was attacked at the United Center by a fan.

From Second City Hockey:

A man attacked Blackhawks mascot Tommy Hawk in a United Center concourse Friday during the team’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Jets at the United Center.
[.]
“Look out for the children,” the man exclaims as the Blackhawks mascot suplexes him to the floor in front of three other people. Tommy Hawk then attempts to control the man on the ground before putting him in a headlock and driving him into a trash receptacle in front of a Blackhawks team store.

View the fight here. Remember to enable the volume.

Tommy...maybe needs anger management?

Tommy Hawk; Climate Change made him do it.

The Best .45 Calibur Guns Ever

Ever. Well, that's the story title. The National Interest:

What would you pick?
Wilson Combat Tactical Carry
Ed Brown Executive Carry
Glock 21
Heckler & Koch HK45
Springfield Armory XD45 Mod 2 Service Model

In the 9mm category, HK's VP9 is darn nice and gets rave reviews. Gun Advice:

It’s hard to be mad at the HK VP9 because it’s so tough and beautiful. The ergonomics are outstanding and the accuracy admirable. Overall, the gun seems to be rock-solid and dependable. Not many things can be said against it unless you don’t like some of the design choices HK made. You can either love or hate the paddle-style magazine release or the loaded chamber indicator.

One thing’s for certain – the trigger is one of the best ones you will find within a striker pistol.

The HK VP9 was in development for more than four years and is [their] first striker-fired handgun since the P7 series introduced in the 1980s.

Leave a comment if you've fired any of these, or any others. Likes / dislikes?

Albert Gore, Junior 15-year old Greta is mature enough to lecture on Global Warming Cimate Change. Big Tech gets a pass.

I didn't know my life was in such grave danger of being killed by global warming, climate change. Why? Because I'm addicted to fossil fuels. I didn't even know I was addicted to fossil fuels. That can only be explained by addicts being the last one in understanding they are addicts. 

How much fossil fuel has been exhausted over the past twenty years in all the global summits, in all the combined gatherings of the climate change alarmists?

The majority of these alarmists are VIPs, fly by jet (do they jet-pool?), have an entourage, travel in motorcades (or do they Uber/Lyft-pool?), with security personnel. I'll go out on a limb and state these VIPs and their staff stay at some rather high-end hotels or other rented residences and that all of their meals are a feast.

And every single one of them is overloaded with electronics; cell phone, laptop, ThisPadThatPad. Think there's a lot of waste produced by these folks? Think they leave a large carbon footprint? Do they even think about child-labor cobalt-lithium mining? Why should we leave oil in the ground yet scoop out cobalt and lithium? Take a look at who and where has the lithium. Follow the money. Where is the cheapest labor? Who can monopolize on cobalt and lithium mining? If I were A Liberal, I'd say the evil culprit is...Big Tech. But they're exempt from criticism. Why? They're technology. 

Again, The Alarmists resort to fifteen-year old Albert Gore, Junior, Greta who continues admonishing adults over climate change. Metro:

Headline: Fearless girl, 15, stuns world leaders...("Stuns world leaders"? Really? No hyperbole here...they aren't "leaders").

Climate activist Greta Thunberg, from Sweden, had the opportunity to address a global climate change conference this week, where she didn’t mince her words.

She told diplomats and ministers assembled at the COP24 climate talks in Katowice, Poland: ‘You say you love your children above all else, and yet you are stealing their future in front of their very eyes.’

I wonder how she traveled from Sweden to Poland? On foot?

Maybe...global warming climate change is caused by the large increase in air travel. The answer, of course, is all-electric airplanes. 

Mercury News has an Op/Ed today on the dangerous air quality in Bay area neighborhoods, advocating that much of this problem is solvable by drastic reduction in fossil fuel use:

Part of the solution is to electrify transportation, a technology which is fully available today.  Electric drives and fuel cell engines, powered by renewable energy sources, can meet society’s need for mobility and gradually make fossil fuels obsolete.

Again, The Alarmists advise the answer is substituting our addiction to fossil fuels by replacing it with cobalt and lithium? How is this rational?

Almost ten years ago, the rise of sea levels "over-flowing" was debunked. The Telegraph: 

... if there is one scientist who knows more about sea levels than anyone else in the world it is the Swedish geologist and physicist Nils-Axel Mörner, formerly chairman of the INQUA International Commission on Sea Level Change. And the uncompromising verdict of Dr Mörner, who for 35 years has been using every known scientific method to study sea levels all over the globe, is that all this talk about the sea rising is nothing but a colossal scare story.

It's not surprising the Alarmists once again trot out the polar bears and their many dilemmas due to global warming climate change. How many times have we seen various images of the poor polar bears "stranded" on ice sheets?

Polar bears can swim. And they don't need wear a life preserver. I hear polar bears love swimming with Liberals. Just love it! They are known to be very friendly and hospitable to humans, especially Global Warming Climate Change Alarmists.

A Quick Look Back

1985: Action Urged to combat Global Climate Shift. The People's Republic of North Korea The NYT:

Senator Albert Gore Jr., Democrat of Tennessee, said he would introduce legislation to expand and focus scientific efforts on this greenhouse effect.
[.]
Mr. Gore said his bill would call for ''an international year of scientific study of the greenhouse effect and would request that the President take steps to begin this worldwide cooperative investigation.''

2016: Al Gore's Global Warming Racket - IBD:

Not one of [Gore's] dire predictions he and the rest of the alarmist community made has come to pass. In fact, there is plenty of evidence that they have been running a racket.

Let's revisit the 1970 Earth Day predictions - BarbWire:

• End of civilization in 15-30 years
• 100-200 million deaths to starvation yearly for 10 years
• A new ice age by 2000

Yeaaahhhh...that ice age of 2000? We all remember that. I have trouble, though, remembering if it was before or after the end of civilization. Anyone?

Of course climate change is real. Was it colder this morning than this afternoon? Was it warmer yesterday than today? Or cooler? Global warming Climate changes. Where doesn't the climate change?

Peruse at your own waste of time the Science News Global Warming Climate Change Alarmist Bible. I'll paraphrase the link's over 5,800 words: The sky is fucking falling and we're all going to die because of global warming climate change.

Weather patterns change. NASA:

El Niño is not caused by climate change[.]

Well, how about tha...oops, hold on. We have a contrary view: El Niños to strengthen because of global warming, will cause 'more extreme weather'. USA MacPaper:

El Niños will be stronger and more frequent in the decades ahead  because of global warming, causing “more extreme events” in the United States and around the world, a news study says.

Both are true, for no other reason than both fit the global warming climate change Alarmists' Agenda. 

Well...what about Oregon? Will 2019 be the year Oregon gets climate change bill to the finish line?

Blaming Big Tech Capitalism

TruthOut.org (Truth? LOL) says Confronting Capitalism is needed to solve the Climate Crisis.

What, pray tell, IS a "Climate Crisis"?

The Alarmists are disappointed in the outcome of the recent climate summit. CBC News:

...some green groups and certain countries expressed frustration that more ambitious climate goals were not achieved during intense negotiations that ran into the weekend.

Oh...the hoor-rah.

It looks like the Alarmist Nations still need to figure out that global carbon tax. Gulf Today:

One major sticking point was how to create a functioning market in carbon credits. Economists believe that an international trading system could be an effective way to drive down greenhouse gas emissions and raise large amounts of money for measures to curb global warming.

Whoa...did they just say climate change global warming?

In 2017, U.S. carbon emissions decreased by more than 42 million tons...the largest decline in carbon emissions in the world for the 9th time this century[.] Capital Research:

China, the Paris Protocol’s champion and the world’s most notorious polluter, produced the largest increase of carbon in the atmosphere in 2017. Coupled with India, China’s carbon contributions accounted for nearly half of the total surge in 2017 global carbon emissions.

On an unrelated note, according to the Centers for Disease Control, in year 2016, 35,862 people died from falling (page 14). That's a lot of people.

Image: Keysigns

- - -
Typo fix 12/16/2018

Christmas carol lyrics altered to advance global warming climate change and other reasons.

Here we go. Again. Still.

The Daily Mail - "Silent Night, Smoky Night":

Christian choirs nationwide will change the lyrics of traditional Christmas carols in a bid to force action on climate change.
[.]
Lyrics to songs such as 'Joy To The World' were rewritten as: 'Cool down the world, the time has come, for targets tight and fair'.
[.]
'Silent Night, Holy Night,' was changed to 'Silent Night, Smokey Night' and 'We Wish You a Steady Climate' replaced 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas'.

We Wish You a Steady Climate. That's really good. Some one, or group, mentally chose those were the words to replace the original lyrics. I'd like to thank these people for the humour content. Who says God doesn't have a sense of humor when HE gives us material like this? If this was fiction or stand-up comedy, it would be mildly amusing. But this comes from real people (I guess, anyway) who earnestly believe their lyric changes will make things better. God Bless them.

And in Wisconsin, the land of Ed Gein, Dahmer and others, ABC News -  'Silent Night' Lyrics Change to "Cold in the Night":

Dodgeville School District officials say traditional, unaltered carols will also be sung, and that "Cold in the Night" is part of a decades-old Christmas play that students have performed in years past, and is not an attack on the religious nature of the holiday.

Friday Morning Music Video

Suggested volume: " 11 ".

High Voltage, from the album High Voltage, by AC/DC.

From the second link:

...initially the album ["High Voltage"] was panned by some critics upon its release, including a review by Rolling Stone magazine's Billy Altman that called it an "all-time low" for the hard rock genre.

Heh...some folks suffer life-long from teh stupid.

Whiskey Goes 3-D Printing

I was going to do a quick world news roundup, but I'm guessing most people have heard that the French Police have shot and killed Cherif Chekatt, the suspected Strasbourg shooter.

A lot of sadness in the headlines recently, so I found a story on the lighter side. Mix one part hooch and another part Tech; a story on whiskey and 3-D printing. Maxim (Good ol' Maxim):

Bulleit Frontier Whiskey is blending whiskey, art, design, music and technology for the Bulleit 3D Printed Frontier, a groundbreaking traveling experience that heroes a 3D-printed bar, 3D-printed cocktails and immersive art.

The award-winning Kentucky distillery is curating a series of private events where attendees can enjoy a completely unique, 3D-printed drinking experience.
[.]
[Architecture firm] FAR used a freaking algorithmic script that defines the geometry of the piece through a series of digital data sets. Nope, this wasn't your typical woodshop build. Not by a long shot.

Bulleit Frontier Whiskey Bar

Hit the link for other images of what 3-D printing brings to the drinking experience.

It's not Ted Kennedy's Irish Whiskey, but then...what is? 

World News

Japan Today - Theresa May survives; Brexit still teeters:

...200 Conservative lawmakers voted in support of May as leader, 117 dissented, indicating opposition not only from several dozen supporters of a hard Brexit but also from many more pragmatic lawmakers - and signalling that she was no nearer to passing her EU divorce agreement.

- - -
Singapore Straits Times -  China to reduce auto tariffs; buy more soy:

...the moves by Beijing will "prove that President Trump was right when he announced his summary of the talks" held recently with China's President Xi Jinping, [said Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross].

- - -
The Local (FR) - Photo of suspect Cherif Chekatt, Strasbourg gunman:

French police tweeted out a public appeal for help in hunting down the gunman. Members of the public are warned not to approach "the dangerous individual" but to alert authorities[.]

Cherif Chekatt. Photo: Police Nationale

France24 live coverage.

TASS - Russia calls Strasbourg "act of terror."

"Recent events once again prove that it is necessary to promptly join efforts of the entire international community facing a threat of terrorism," the foreign ministry said.

- - -

Italy News Net - Pope removes two scandalous cardinals.

- - -

Italian Narco King captured in Argentina after eight year manhunt. Daily Mail:

Giancarlo Massidda was nabbed during a raid in the Buenos Aires city of Berazategui on Tuesday. [.]

... Massidda had been living in the area under a false identity after he escaped from Italy in 2010 while under house arrest.

It is unknown how long he was living in the South American country.

- - -
DW - Germany inks big lithium deal with Bolivia: 

Lithium deposits hidden below Bolivia's Uyuni salt flat are believed to be the largest in the world. On Wednesday, Germany's privately owned ACI Systems agreed to a partnership with Bolivian state company YLB to exploit the element.

Lithium. The new petrol. I couldn't find any sites advocated for keeping lithium in the ground.
- - -
RT: Migrants at border want $50K from U.S. to go home.

Two groups of Central American migrants, a fraction of the 7,000-strong human tide that massed at the border during US elections, are demanding speedy approval of their asylum claims – or $50,000 to go home.

Good luck with that. Drop a note and let us know how it turns out.
- - -
Asia News - Japan approves tech that will allow jamming hostile satellites:

The new national defense guidelines are characterized as reinforcement of counter-capabilities in new domains including space, cyberspace and electromagnetic waves.