Mississippi Runoff Senate Race: Hyde-Smith declared the winner.

Live-Stream concluded.

UPDATE: Now - Hyde-Smith's speech - at Golden State Times live-stream.

UPDATE 10:33 PM Eastern Time: Hyde-Smith to speak. Live at live-stream, Golden State Times.

Found a live-stream  reporting real-time election results in the Mississippi Senate race.  So far, Hyde-Smith (R) is ahead of Espy (D). (I'm guessing here, but likely for the live-stream to go dead after the results are all in. I'll yank this post when that happens). And fast-forward to the end of the live-stream for the most current results. The time won't run out, even though it says "0.00" time.

UPDATE:  The live-stream has Hyde-Smith leading 238,771 and Espy at 193,446. Probably will be different by the time this posts.

Any other race would be called with one party having this leading margin. But not in this race. Over 57% of precincts reporting.

And one other clear message. Those candidates for U.S. House and Senate who hitched their candidacy to President Trump, won. Most of those who didn't, didn't fare as well.

UPDATE: Hyde-Smith declared the winner. Same live-stream as above.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Solves Vexing Puzzle

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, (D - New York's newly-elected U.S House of Representatives), proudly displays her success in accomplishing a 9-piece children's puzzle.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez holds puzzle she completed.

Tech News

C|Net: The Rivian: an all-electric, luxury, 400-mile pick-up truck.

Its design is as futuristic as anything from a sci-fi film, with a full-width bar on the nose that serves as the daytime running light, while oval "stadium lights" house the actual LED headlights. With no need for a traditional grille, the truck's face is unusually flat and plain.

The Rivian

- - -

WIRED: "Firebait" cities. 

THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA city of Paradise is gone—the Camp Fire, by far the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in state history, has reduced home after home to ashes.

[.]

Curiously, though, trees still stand between burned-out homes.

“If they're still there and they didn't burn and they're even green, then clearly those trees didn't contribute to the ignition of the houses,” says fire expert Jack Cohen, formerly of the US Forest Service.

- - -
U.S. Postal system exposes data of 60 million users. TechCrunch: 

[The] US Postal Service API exposed from over 60 million users and allowed a researcher to pull millions of rows of data by sending wildcard requests to the server.

- - -

Computer World: MS promotes crash-prone Office fix.

"After you install this update, you may experience crashes in Microsoft Access or other applications. To resolve this issue, uninstall the update by following the instructions in the "More information" section.

This update is no longer available. "

Patch, patch, patch. Spackle, spackle, spackle. Crash, crash, crash.
- - -
Something "hot" is under Antarctica.  Live Science:  

This melt isn't related to climate change, which causes intense melting at the fringes of the continent; it's an old, and separate, warm spot in the ice, insulated and kept far away from the atmosphere. Scientists were able to detect it thanks to a survey using specialized, ice-penetrating radar.

- - -
Coming soon to the U.S.? Behavioral monitoring of every Chinese resident.  Technocracy:

Beijing announced an “action plan” this week for monitoring residents’ behavior, adding that the city expects to have its social credit system fully implemented by the end of 2020.

- - -
ExtremeTech: Wheeled VR Shoes, from Google!

[W]hat you really want is the sensation of walking without actually going anyplace. 

Sure, why not?
- - -
Geek: A piano. Made entirely of LEGOS.

The only thing it can’t do is actually make music; you just have to imagine the sounds.

If the sounds have to be imagined, why do we need the piano?
- - -
Gizmodo: When time-capsules outlast the Apocalypse.

Conventional time capsules are rubbish, as they can end up becoming decidedly soggy and ruined within decades. Any that do survive over the longer term are liable to get destroyed by the inexorable march of plate tectonics.

- - -
Aren't you glad you didn't RSVP? 15 year ago - Invitations sent to beta test Win XP. BetaNews:

Microsoft is gearing up to release a beta version of Windows XP Service Pack 2. An e-mail sent out Thursday invited testers to install and evaluate the pre-release code when it becomes available within the next several weeks.

Patches already in the works.
- - -
Because original ideas and screenplays are hard. Disney remakes "The Lion King". Ubergizmo:

[Disney] released the first teaser for the remake of this classic which came out back in 1994. 

- - -
MIT Tech Review:  Autonomous trucks will haul stone in a Norway mine.

Volvo has also been involved in autonomous-truck projects involving mining, sugarcane harvesting, and refuse collection.

- - -
Only in France...for now - Tax officials to scour social media for tax-cheaters. TechDirt:

France’s tax administrators will start searching through social media accounts in early 2019, a pilot project in the fight against tax avoidance, Budget Minister Gerald Darmanin told weekly business TV show Capital. 

World News

New Zealand Herald: Long-distance standoff between Indian authorities and the Sentinelese tribe in recovering body of killed American missionary.
- - -
HindustanTimes: 6.3 earthquake hits western Iran.
- - -
Ukraine to declare martial law? The Mirror:

Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko ... will propose Parliament declare martial law, [stating Russia's actions are a "act of war" when Russian warships fired on Ukrainian Navy boats, seizing three vessels.]

- - -
Uber driver guilty over passenger death. SMH:

...magistrate Mary Ryan found the driver "did not keep a proper lookout" when [passenger] Mr Thomas opened the door before accelerating.

She said both of the victim's "intoxicated" friends were awoken by the sound of the door and - as captured on CCTV on the bus - Islam's car's internal light also came on.

- - -
An election chairman resigns due to public outcry of slow polling and voting delays. (No...it wasn't in Florida or Georgia). Taipei Times:

Apologizing to voters, former Central Election Commission chairman Chen In-chin said, “As the senior official, I must accept all responsibility."

- - -
Shanghai News Net: US court dismisses lawsuit over MH370 flight disappearance.

[The judge] dismissed the lawsuit saying that the "case is about the unexplained disappearance of a passenger plane operated by Malaysia Airlines as part of its national air carrier fleet following its departure from a Malaysian airport."

- - -
Elon Musk, moving to Mars.  The Telegraph:

...within seven years for a few hundred thousand dollars per ticket, saying: "I'm thinking about moving there."

- - -

Brexit and...

BBC: "researchers say," Brexit deal 'will cost UK £100bn' by 2030.

BBC: Welsh ports.

Bloomberg: Italy's budget concerns.

MSN: Jeremy Corbyn relishes Bexit debate with May.

The Daily Mail: Boris Johnson shreds Mays' Brexit.

Political Betting: Total Brexit analysis. 

Give Thanks this Thanksgiving

From Thanksgiving,com:

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

Serve the LORD with gladness:
come before his presence with singing.

Know ye that the LORD he is God:
it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,
and into his courts with praise:
be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

For the LORD is good;
his mercy is everlasting;
and his truth endureth to all generations.

– Psalm 100

May everyone enjoy a Blessed and safe Thanksgiving holiday.

Tech News

Data breach at Amazon - ITPro Portal:

Amazon may have suffered a data breach that saw customer names and email addresses leaked.
[.]
...users confirmed on Twitter that they had gotten an email from Amazon, which the retailer later confirmed to be genuine, notifying them that the data has been shared, accidentally.

We don't know how it happened, exactly when it happened, or who the information was shared with / to. 

Who knew? No one saw this coming.
- - -
No one saw this coming either: Is your CPAP machine spying on you? ArsTechnia:

Tony Schmidt discovered something unsettling about the machine that helps him breathe at night. Without his knowledge, it was spying on him.

- - -

TechCrunch - Facebook an accomplice in 16-year-old girl sold for marriage in South Sudan.

A multimillionaire businessman from South Sudan’s capital city reportedly won the auction after offering a record “price” — of 530 cows, three Land Cruiser V8 cars and $10,000 — to marry the child, Nyalong Ngong Deng Jalang.

Disgusting. FB needs to be held accountable.
- - -
C|Net: Leather clad, luxury laptop:

Instead of taking a slim laptop and sticking it in a leather sleeve, as one might do with any other similar system, the leather case here is built right in. No, it's not Corinthian leather, but it's still pretty nice.

- - -
ZD Net - Everything you need to know about the cannabis industry:

...marijuana is one of the most exciting growth industries in the US as it becomes legal in some states, attracts investment, and becomes a vertical that can utilize multiple technologies ranging from the internet of things to cloud to analytics.

- - -
When to hire a cyber security expert? Tech News World:

[Cyber security] itself is increasing in importance, it remains a truism that many smaller organizations (and in fact, some mid-sized ones) don't have specialized security expertise on staff.

Is is too late for Amazon?
- - -
Time-travel into the past. 13 years ago, Microsoft trashes Linux. BetaNews:

Linux bashing is nothing new for Microsoft, which has set up a dedicated Web site to detail why customers should choose Windows Server over the open source operating system. This week at the IT Forum, Microsoft announced the results of a new study that shows Windows as more reliable and easier to manage than Linux.

What a joke. Keep releasing "patches", MS, for your wonderful OS.
- - -

'Smart Watch' tracker of children easy to hack. TechDirt: 

A location-tracking smartwatch worn by thousands of children has proven... you guessed it... rather trivial to hack. The MiSafes Kid's Watcher Plus is a "smart watch for kids" that embeds a 2G cellular radio and GPS technology, purportedly to let concerned helicopter parents track their kids' location at all times. But security researchers at UK's Pen Test Partners have issued a report calling the devices comically unsecure.

- - - 
Technology.Org - 64 SpaceX satellites ready to launch:

...the U.S. kicked around the idea of putting large reflectors in orbit during the Vietnam war, effectively abolishing night over southeast Asia. There have also been ideas to put advertising in space… though for now, you won’t have to worry about Pepsi or McDonald’s logos drifting through your astrophotos.

- - -
Five songs that could make you a dangerous driver. The Drive:

British car loan financier Moneybarn recently released a study outlining how our choice in music can affect our driving. It found that songs with tempos that exceed 120 beats per minute (bpm) can make people subconsciously drive faster, which makes them more liable to draw negative attention from law enforcement.
[.]
...the 12th most common song on driving (or riding) playlists, AC/DC's "Back In Black" has the misfortune of being the cliche soundtrack for Baby Boomers on Harley Davidsons. Again, it doesn't tip the scales for high-energy lyrical content, but its tempo of 188 bpm is eclipsed by just one song on the chart.

Make it so loud that my ears bleed! 
- - -
Bleeping Computer - Firefox 65 improvements in Content Blocking settings:

Firefox 65, Mozilla is overhauling how users can configure the Content Blocking settings. With this version, the previously confusing configuration is replaced by three different modes that a user can select that offer varying degrees of blocking and customization.

 - - -
Technocracy - Are Smart-Meters spying on you?

“What limits have been placed on data collection and permissions for data collection beyond monthly billing cycle totals?” [asks Smithfield Township supervisors in a] letter dated Nov. 14, to FirstEnergy’s president, regional president, state president, the state Office of Consumer Advocates and the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. “The notice sent to our residents makes no mention of this, yet is it is of prime concern to us in order to protect and secure data of our residential households.”

- - -
Ubergizmo - Future Apple watches may monitor UV exposure.

Apple has filed for a patent that describes how future Apple Watches could come with a built-in UV sensors that are embedded around the frame of the Apple Watch. These sensors will alert the wearer when they’ve been exposed for too long.

Because...everything is dangerous and we need Apple to save us.

Judith Jumps The Shark. Memo to Shark: "Eat Judith !"

Spoiler notice - if you're not current with The Walking Dead, Fear The Walking Dead or ZNation, you might wanna stop reading now.

Judith Grimes jumps the shark. Cheer for the shark!

The Rick Grimes family and crew is now under the leadership of his young daughter, Judith. How precious.

TWD used to be so good. Fans can debate, but the last time TWD seemed on course was Season 5. It went down hill after that, and quickly. Last season (#8) sucked. This season reaches new highs in disappointing viewers. 

Just stop watching it. That is the answer. Must be fans keep hoping it will get better. We should know better by now. 

Here's a show, with one of the greatest, all-time TV villains, Negan, and his on-screen time in season 8 is doled out like micro-droplets from a morphine drip until the last episode. Why bother at all? Yeah, Negan was in here and there, but no real screen time. We could have seen more of Negan and less of people walking or driving down a dirt road for several minutes. See, we might not know where they're going if we only see thirty seconds. Yes, we have to watch them go down the entire fucking road. The repetition of the same shit in episode after episode amounts to filler.

At the end of season 7, Maggie was pregnant with Glenn's child for around...3 weeks? In all of season 8, Maggie didn't even show a baby bump. Season 8, in real-time, represented how long? A month? Five weeks tops?

This season, within a span of six episodes, the show has moved 18 months ahead of where it left off in season 8? And Judith Grimes, a child, is telling the group what to do and making life and death decisions for others? I guess if viewers will buy that the defenseless child Newt Jordan  manages to survive being eaten by aliens running around everywhere, when every adult armed with kickass weapons are alien chow, they'll buy any plot. (My reason why Aliens is inferior to the original Alien - all due to the Newt character. Gimme a break.)

I gave TWD the benefit of the doubt since season 5. What a waste of time. Except for those few great moments of Negan. Oh, TWD viewers got plenty too much of The Governor,  but Negan? TWD wastes the talent of Jeffrey-Dean Morgan. 

TWD's new opening title sequence is garbage. All CGI.  Some think differently. I miss the actual images and the lone zombie in the pasture.  

The good thing is, I don't watch it in real time. I fast-forward through a full episode in ten minutes or less. Same for Fear The Walking Dead.

I loved seasons 1 - 3 of FTWD. The key is, you have to get past the middle of season two. The first season is great. The beginning to middle of season 2 is tough, but after getting past that, I think it sails along and keeps getting better.

Until season 4. Crash and burn. We never see how the survivors survived the bridge and dam explosion. The timeframe shifting with Nick being dead, then not dead ("before") to being dead is done for what reason? There isn't one.

The main character Madison is killed mid-season. Some story at the time noted the writers felt they had explored ALL the options possible with Madison. Three seasons and half of season four and the writers are out of options for Madison. But we get Rick Grimes for eight seasons and half of the ninth? Do we really know if Rick is dead? (Weary viewers can only hope).

Both shows go beyond excess in flashbacks and flash-forwards, showing viewers what's to come, what's happened before, what's current and what might or might not be. Is it a dream? A hallucination? A fantasy? It's not that I can't follow it. There's no reason for it. Thank you technology for fast-forwarding. What a time-saver. Who wants to watch two minutes of someone buttoning their shirt; each and every button?

If you like the zombie genre, and are looking for a very witty, well-written series, you might like ZNation.

The first thing you'll notice with ZNation is it flagrantly jumps the shark. Sometimes, several times within the same episode. And it jumps shamelessly and they know you know they're jumping shamelessly. You won't care. You'll want them to jump the shark. You'll expect them to jump and you'll want it to be more outrageous than the prior jump. And it will.

ZN's season 4 was much darker than the previous three. But the reason is solid, while all the other elements that make ZN so good are intact, including jumping the shark. ZN has its moments of excessive flashbacks, flash-forwards and unknown unknowns. Usually there's a pay-off (not always), unlike TWD and FTWD.

I don't fast-forward during ZN. I end up re-watching favorite parts over and over again. 

And yeah, haven't updated here much. Either working, sleeping or watching teh hockey. I heard we had an election. Is Hillary president now?

Veterans Day

This history of Veterans Day.

IT IS THE SOLDIER by Charles M. Province, © 1970, 2005:

It is the Soldier, not the minister
Who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the Soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the Soldier, not the poet
Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer
Who has given us freedom to protest.

It is the Soldier, not the lawyer
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the Soldier, not the politician
Who has given us the right to vote.

It is the Soldier who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.

Veterans Day 2018 Freebies and Discounts.

A collection of Veterans Day images.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Additional reading on Veterans Day at: 


90 Miles From Tyranny 

By Other Means

Tech News

Go ahead. Have a second piece of (belated) birthday cake. IRC Turns 30. Ars Technia:

For Ars staffers, IRC led to love, marriage, and trolling.

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) turned 30 this August.

- - -
C|Net - Inside the You Tube House:

Living in a mansion playing video games with your best friends all day. But inside, it’s a slightly different story.

- - -
Tech Crunch - Tesla Tequila coming soon?

Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed Friday in a tweet that the Tesla-branded tequila called “Teslaquilla”... is “coming soon.”

- - -

Win 10, more flaws, how to fix? ZD Net:

Disastrous is the best word to describe Microsoft's release of Windows 10 version 1809. A data deletion bug forced the company to take the unprecedented step of halting the roll-out of its October 2018 feature update.

Shorter answer to fixing Win-anything: Switch to Linux
- - -
Geek - Barn doorstop actually a meteorite:

...a 22-plus pound meteorite—the sixth-largest recorded find in Michigan, and potentially worth $100,000.

But I bet it did a good job as a doorstop, too.
- - -
PC World - Alienware's impressive laptop:

Alienware's m15 is significantly smaller, thinner, and lighter than its 15-inch cousins[.]

Check out the video at the link.
- - -
Trust in Google wanes, search engine DuckDuckGo Soars! BetaNews:

The privacy-focused search engine has enjoyed a 50 percent surge in usage over the last year, and it can now boast a new record of 30 million daily searches.

"Trust in Google wanes..." ... will the person who trusted in Google admit it?
- - -
Ever been sun-burned? Blame Trump Dinosaurs for it.  Extreme Tech: 

...dinosaurs were sauntering around all day, looking for small morsels to eat. This may have caused a “nocturnal bottleneck” as mammals survived for generations by hiding underground during the day and only coming out at night.

- - -
Establishing Biometric Databases.  Technocracy:

Does anyone remember that it used to be considered a conspiracy theory to warn people about biometric databases? Well, now that it is an accepted reality, we should be looking even farther down the slippery slope for new signposts indicating even greater plans to track, trace and database all human beings.

 - - -

TechDirt: The continuing battle between the FCC and net neutrality.

The FCC's claims that its rules embrace transparency are equally hollow, given the agency's replacement transparency provisions are entirely voluntary. And the idea that "market forces" can fix the broken and uncompetitive broadband industry should be laughable to anybody that's experienced Comcast customer service.

My Official First, Long, Boring NHL Post for the 2018-2019 Season

It's official. The 2018-2019 NHL Season is here (has been a couple days). But it seems like hockey just ended! It did. On June 8,  when Washington won their first-ever Stanley Cup against Las Vegas. Vegas is an expansion team, last year being their first season. And they somehow navigated their way into the Stanley Cup, losing the series 4 to 1. Prior to their loss, LV was slicing and dicing their way on the ice, carving their opponents on an almost un-stoppable path to The Cup.

Since it's been 124 days  since June 8, the NHL has to be the only major league sport with that short of an off-season. Can anyone think of a sport with less time off from the game?

Let it be recorded in history that this is my first, official, long, boring, NHL 2018-2019 post. If you like teh hockey, chime in, leave a comment. If you're not into hockey, might I suggest reading from any of the entries on my blogroll to the right.

The season is early. I don't write much about it until the second-half of the season. But let's see where the teams are starting.

Besides, you've been looking forward to my long, boring, NHL post, right? Kind of like you wait for the Long Boring Christmas Family Update Letter From (Insert name of relative here).

A lot has changed and some team-shuffling occurred between the close-out of pre-season  below, and with the opening of the new season.

2018-2019 NHL Pre-season Standings, September 30, 2018

Yes, things have shifted from the above graph to the one below. 

Detroit was dominating their division in pre-season, a little more than a week ago. Now, they've dropped. The shuffling out of the rest of the teams in the Atlantic Division appears as one expect. Ottawa came on strong last season, making it to the playoffs. Boston is Boston and season after season always is a tough opponent. Toronto has high expectations for itself this year.

Central's Chicago went from pre-season ranking of bottom-dweller to top dawg. Tied in W/L with Chicago (but Chi tops with points) are Dallas, Colo and Nashville. All contenders. Will St. Louis struggle with a slow start? Minnesota...I'll get to them.

The Met and Pacific division teams all have settled out where they are in W/L, in a not-unusual NHL new season start. Carolina and the Islanders are doing something right. A bit surprising, the Rangers are winless.

In the Pacific: Vegas will be on everyone's watch-list, this being year two. Arizona needs a good year, but will they have one? No idea here. You?

Edmonton dominated pre-season and has tanked. The Ducks and the Kings have their stuff together, so far. Calgary? San Jose, who played so well when they played well in last season's playoffs, will be tough. Vancouver another team needing a good year.

Returning to the MN Wild. They played Vegas on October 6. The Wild scored a goal in the opening minutes and held a one-zero lead over LV. LV scored with slightly more than 90 seconds remaining in the game. It went into one OT, both teams scoreless, so, tied 1 - 1.

The Wild lost in a shoot-out.

The shoot-out has to go. It does. It was never a good idea to begin with and never should have been implemented.  Would you decide the winner of two, tied NBA teams by a free-throw contest? Decide a tied football game with a series of field-goal attempts? Decide an MLB tied game by pitcher vs hitter determining a winner by requiring a home-run be hit?

Return Winner/Loser in tied NHL games being decided by a series of unlimited, FIVE-MINUTE overtime periods.  Workout the details...two, five minute overtime periods. If score remains tied, ten minute break both teams, then return to ice for two, five minute overtime periods (or only one - the "third" OT -  if a team scores, obviously). Repeat process until one team scores within the 5 minute OT. These OTs aren't going to go more than 15-20 minutes. It's not that hard, is it?

The Wild...they have work to do. Zach Parise is back, which is great. The Wild should consider hiring an exorcist who can forever banish the demon whereby the Wild fail to take any advantage when on the power play, less, that they give up a goal while on the power play, which they have done...way too often.

Coach? Doesn't matter. Goalie? Doesn't matter. Team Captains? Doesn't matter. Team roster? Doesn't matter. The Wild need to do a 180 on executing their power plays and once they "get it", it must never be un-learned.

My first, long boring NHL Sermon for the 2018-2019 season has ended. May you be Blessed and go in Peace, Eh.
---
Fixed Typo 10/12/2018

"World has [ fill in the blank with a number ] of years to stop catrastrophic climate change." And Weed in Space.

The Mirror: Only eleven years left to stop global climate crisis.

The Irish Times: Climate change far worse than originally thought.
Of course it is. How could anyone have thought differently?

Smart Cities Drive: UN says we have 12 years to tackle climate change.  Where'd that cagey UN find an extra year?

Uh-oh. From June, 2017, The Guardian: World has three years to stop dangerous climate change. So are we down to two, ten or eleven years? 

Sky News: 'Unprecedented action' needed to avert global warming by 2030.

There it is..."Unprecedented." A favorite adjective of the global warming alarmists. Surely, "Epidemic" must be one other story click away.

We've had about twenty-years or more of "ten-year This Is The End" dire warnings. Amazing how quickly global warming retook its focus now that the Kavanaugh saga is over, isn't it?

And because in space, no one can hear you toke;  Weed. In space.  Tech Crunch: 

Space Tango is taking its own steps to develop experiments on how the zero gravity environment could affect cannabis cultivation.

Alongside two Kentucky hemp and cannabis cultivation and retail companies, Atalo Holdings, which provides hemp genetics, and Anavii Market, an online retailer of hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) therapeutics, ["] Space Tango has set up its own subsidiary to research how microgravity can be used to better cultivate particular strands of hemp for medical compounds...the model is looking at low earth orbit to actually develop and design applications for life on earth.["]

World News Links

China very silent over missing Interpol Chief. Singapore Press:

..."China remained silent yesterday over the disappearance of the head of Interpol, deepening the mystery over the international police chief's fate [who] was last seen leaving for China late last month from the Interpol headquarters in Lyon, south-east France[.]"

- - -
Final court appeal for Christian woman on death row; charged with insulting Muhammad. The Independent:

If her appeal fails the mother of five, from the rural village of Ittan Wali, Punjab, will become the first woman to be executed for blasphemy in Pakistan.

- - -
The Weekend Australian: Congo tanker truck fire, at least 50 dead.

"The driver of the tanker truck has disappeared while the driver of the tractor trailer died at the scene," the ministry said.
[.]
Deadly traffic accidents are common in Congo, where roads and other infrastructure in the vast country are often poorly maintained.

- - -
The Weekend Australian: Tina Turner's kidney transplant.

Tina Turner has revealed she underwent a kidney transplant with an organ donated by her husband.

The 78-year-old singer says in an upcoming autobiography she has suffered from kidney disease and by 2016 her kidneys were at "20 per cent and plunging rapidly"

- - -
The Daily Dot - Tesla inventors to Elon Musk: Nix the tweeting:

Perhaps most frightening of all, one Tesla staffer said the company was chaotic.
[.]
While Musk was mostly silent toward those asking him to stop tweeting, he did respond to one Twitter user who said it seemed like Musk was actually working against Tesla’s long-term investors.

“Hang in there,” Musk tweeted. “If you are truly long-term, it will be fine.”

Elon Musk tokin' on The Joe Rogan Show

- - -

Silicon Valley Liberal planning "Internet Bill of Rights." Recode: 

The author of these proposals is Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) [...] a set of new regulations for Silicon Valley that Democratic legislators may start pushing next year if they recapture Congress in November.

Tech has been, and will continue, outpacing law at breakneck speed. Politicians meddling in Tech is never good for Tech (or for law) and this is equal across Dems, Repubs and Others. Libertarians excluded, of course.

- - - 

You gotta fight...

For your right...

To Party ...

... ur, You gotta fight, for your right, to be a prostitute. BBC:

Husna Bai, a 24-year-old woman, told Judge Jagdish Sahai that she was a prostitute. Invoking the constitution, she had filed a petition challenging the validity of a new law to ban trafficking in human bodies.

By striking at her means of livelihood, Bai argued, the new law had "frustrated the purpose of the welfare state established by the Constitution in the country".

- - -

Let's all get our favorite junk foods, sit down and read about it:  Can social media help people lose weight?  BBC: 

"I think the negative thing about being able to hide behind that anonymity is that people will say things on Reddit that they would never say to an actual person," [said Christy Brissette, a registered dietician in Chicago].

Whoaaaaa....right there. What's this about people on Reddit hiding behind anonymity? That can't be accurate, can it?

- - -

The Observer -  Conservative Pundits thank Michael Avenatti for Kavanaugh confirmation:

Pundits on the right are crediting attorney Michael Avenatti with Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation.

Will the Libs turn on Avenatti? What if he is secretly working against them? Huh? Huh? Conspiracy Thread time?
- - -

Movie: Metropolis

New Statesman: Nietzsche's descent into madness.

...he was often incapacitated, as he would continue to be throughout his life, by illnesses of various sorts.
[.]
... the onset of his madness is usually dated to 3 January 1889, when, seeing a cabman mercilessly beating his horse, a sobbing Nietzsche threw his arms around the horse’s neck and then collapsed.

- - -
Sidney Morning Herald - "Party-bus" passengers being denied entry into bars:

...[the party bus passengers], "Usually they are pre-loaded, they have obviously been drinking at home and on the bus on the way in.  (Well, yeah - that IS the idea, isn't it? - DD).  We want an environment where locals and visitors can all enjoy a venue," [said Richard Adamson, Coordinator of the Newtown Liquor Accord].
[.]
 "So if you're coming on a party bus, you're probably going to be turned away," [he said].

Goblin Roaming our Solar System

From RT: Goblin Roaming our Solar System -

A new planet dubbed the Goblin has been hiding in the mysterious Oort Cloud in the far reaches of our Solar System. And it could prove that a Super-Earth commonly referred to as 'Planet 9' is really lurking somewhere beyond Pluto.

The confirmed discovery of 2015 TG387, aka ‘The Goblin’ (it was monitored around the Halloween period here on Earth) was thanks to the largest and deepest survey ever conducted on distant solar objects, in the hunt for the ever-elusive 'Planet 9,'[.]
[.]
The Goblin is one of three objects clustered together in a mysterious region of the Universe known as the Oort cloud, an area beyond Pluto that was once thought largely barren and bereft of celestial activity.

Stephanie Clifford Stormy Daniels

Eight-plus NHL games on tap to watch...oh, Kavanaugh confirmed for Supreme Court

Brett Kavanaugh confirmed by Senate in 50-48 vote. BBC:

The Senate backed Brett Kavanaugh's nomination by 50 votes to 48.
[.]
The only party dissenters were Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, who had intended to vote no, and Democrat Joe Manchin, who voted yes.

That should have meant a 51-49 tally, but the absence of Republican Steve Daines, a yes voter who was at his daughter's wedding, altered the final figures.

Ms Murkowski opted instead to simply mark herself as "present", leaving the final vote 50-48.

 I'm glad this drama is over.

Now...I need to figure out how the heck I'm going to watch around eight NHL games  simultaneously tonight. 

Susan Collins is now a "betrayer of women."

Susan Collins, U.S. Senator - Maine (kinda-pretend-sometimes Republican) has said she will vote to nominate Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.

Because Senator Collins recognizes there is no substantial, let alone remote circumstantial evidence, that Kavanaugh is guilty of the alleged accusations of Dr. Christine Ford...Collins is now labeled a "betrayer."

Celebrities to Collins, "You are a betrayer of women."

Susan Rice scolds Collins for "Her betrayal of women."

More celebs turn caustic towards Collins. Lifezette:

...director Rob Reiner was just as extreme in his reaction.

He wrote, “Susan Collins turns her back on women who have been traumatized by sexual assault. Elections have consequences. To start turning the ship of state back towards the rule of law, decency, truth, and the preservation of Democracy, Nov. 6 has to be a lot more than a blue wave. VOTE!!!”

Law? Decency? Truth? WTF is wrong with Meat Head, anyway?

Collins is a "betrayer of Maine voters."

Planned Parenthood calls Collins, a "betrayer of people everywhere." Everywhere? Really, now...everywhere?

All this is good news. When I hear Libs whining this loudly and to this extent, I know something is going right.

Let's hope Collins doesn't bow to pressure.

How Does He Know the pig Doesn't Want to be Bacon?

Hey, the Pig personally told me that he wanted to be bacon. It's on his bucket list. The Pig was also appalled that a Berkeley store would obtain a restraining order preventing "occupying and protesting."

Restricted free speech via a restraining order in Berkeley by a Berkeley-located store? You're traveling through another dimension...that's the signpost up ahead - your next stop...the Bizarro World.

A protest in Ralphs Supermarket, in Los Angeles, staged by Direct Action Everywhere in 2017. Photograph: Ruth Iorio

The Guardian: 

For a full week, a big black banner was posted from a sidewalk in Berkeley, California. “OCCUPY WHOLE FOODS”, it declared in large, white block letters.

But the protesters who created it, a group from the animal rights activist organization Direct Action Everywhere (DxE), were not actually able to do much occupying. Just days before a weeklong protest scheduled for late September, in which the activists had planned to call attention to alleged animal welfare violations by suppliers to Whole Foods’ parent company, Amazon, the Berkeley store filed a restraining order.

“We are not allowed to even step foot in the parking lot right now,” said Cassie King, a DxE organizer. “We can’t go inside the store and ask our questions.”

"We are not allowed to even step foot in the parking lot right now,"..."we can't ask our questions."

Oh. How. Fucking. Sad. Do these horribly mistreated and discriminated protesters have a GoFundMe page yet?

Has anyone notified the International Court of Justice and The Hague of the atrocities committed by Whole Foods against the DxE group?

George...well...he's getting upset.

Thou Shalt Not Clap (No applause, PLEASE!)

Next will be "sighing".

Sputnik News: Manchester U bans clapping:

The student union at Manchester University has banned clapping and replaced it with "jazz hands". The decision has been met with widespread derision on social media.
[.]
Jazz hands — waving both hands — is the British Sign Language (BSL) equivalent of clapping and has been introduced to ensure deaf and autistic people do not people left out.

But the decision has been greeted many on social media as a sign that political correctness has finally gone too far.

I was unaware that political correctness could ever "go too far."

I applaud "Thou Shalt Not Clap." But I do so only in the form of miming.

Did you hear me clap? No? Damn, I got this mime-thing down.

My First, Sorta, Long Boring NHL Pre-Season 2018-2019 Post

This isn't my first 2018-2019 Official Long Boring NHL Post , as it's still the pre-season, but the official season is mere days away. And this isn't going to be that long of a post. The boring, maybe - the long, not really.

Once you catch puck fever, you'll be hooked.

The current pre-season standings are below, as of this morning. A couple late games played last night and two teams played this afternoon and two games play tonight. With the exception today's four games, I believe the stats are up-to-date as of Sunday AM.

Let's look at the standings:

This early, no one can make any accurate predictions on anything. A year ago, if I, or anyone else, had said that a brand new expansion team, Vegas, would be playing for The Cup (against Nashville)...well, expressions of reactions would have been "padded cell time".

It's all up for grabs. Of course, all eyes are on the Vegas Knights, and so far so good at 5W - 1L.

There are high expectations this season for the NY Islanders, off to a good start.

Chicago is on "the watch" list. Despite their 2W-4L record, they played like the 2010, 2013 and 2015 (among prior years) Stanley Cup Winners that fans expect, whipping the Blue Jackets last night, 4-1.

Teams currently not playing their best, who will improve as we get deeper into the season, includes, in the Metro division: Pittsburgh, Philly and last season's Cup winner Washington. I sense a good season from Columbus, too; maybe even downright amazing. Carolina is off to a heck of a good start, the only team without a loss.  

In the Atlantic: Ottawa, Toronto, Detroit and Boston. The Panthers could surprise everyone.

In the Central: The Wild, Winnipeg, Nashville, Chicago and Dallas. Centrals'  games will be brutal this year.

In the Pacific: Vegas, Edmonton and Arizona are who I see dominating for the first half of the season. San Jose, also in the finals last year, has the potential to shine. The Kings and Vancouver have their work cut out for them and they will figure things out.

A few other teams like Columbus, NJ, the Panthers, St. Louis and others, all are capable of getting their game on and carving the ice up with their opponent. These are the teams I call, "We're building and just might shock the hell outta ya on our way to a Cup" season. Time will tell.

The ultimate caveat, as in almost everything, in depending on who's going to beat their opponent in any given game is always the same, "Who's injured?"

Happy Hockey, Eh!.

All hockey comments encouraged!

Jair Bolsonaro, Brazilian presidential candidate, will accept election results only if he wins. Sounds like Hillary Clinton!

From The Keene Sentinel:

Brazil’s leading presidential candidate, far-right former army captain Jair Bolsonaro, said that he wouldn’t accept an election result that doesn’t grant him victory.
[.]
...Bolsonaro was asked how he thought the military would react if Fernando Haddad, the leftist Workers’ Party candidate, were to be elected president.
[.]
“I can’t speak for the commanders,” he replied. “From what I see on the streets, I won’t accept any result other than my election.”

Other than Bolsonaro described as a "far-right(er)", he has the same winning/loss mental receptor mis-firing as LOSING DEMOCRAT Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

 Left: The LOSER. Right: Jair Bolsonaro

Also similarly, because Bolsonaro is "far-right", "tens of thousands of women" are united in protesting his candidacy. CBS News: 

In downtown Rio de Janeiro, a crowd that was heavily women shouted: "Sexists and fascists won't advance!"

"Sexists and fascists won't advance!" That sounds vaguely familiar. Where have I heard that?

World News Links

India behind terror attacks in Pakistan, says Pakistan. The News PK:

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Saturday told the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that India is actively involved in terrorism in Pakistan by funding miscreants.

- - -
Iran blames Saudi Arabia for promoting and sponsoring terrorism.
MEHR News:

Irans Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Ghasemi has rejected the anti-Iran comments made by the Saudi top diplomat, saying terrorism has its roots in the ideology promoted and sponsored by the regime in Saudi Arabia[.]

- - -
Flawed (hackable) app leaks personal info of UK politicians.  The Times of Israel:

Phone numbers and other personal details of senior ministers from Britain’s Conservative party were made public by an app security flaw on Saturday, including those of top Brexiteers Michael Gove and Boris Johnson.
[.]
“They’ve essentially made every journalist, politician and attendee’s mobile number public. Fantastic.”

- - -
Surely, I thought there would be three by now. FBI Contacts second woman regarding Brett Kavanaugh. BBC:

The] FBI had "reached out" to interview his client [ Deborah Ramirez ] and she has] agreed to co-operate with their investigation.

- - -
Trump and Xi; Bromance over? South Morning China Post:

...four rounds of formal trade talks involving senior trade and finance officials. In addition, both sides have been in constant communication through other official and unofficial channels to find ways to end the trade dispute, but those efforts have failed to bear fruit.

As things go, any more talk is meaningless unless it involves Xi and Trump.

- - -
Elon Musk Forced to Resign.  SMH:

Elon Musk, Tesla's chief executive, under pressure from his lawyers, company officials and investors, reached a deal with the Securities and Exchange Commission [whereby Musk] agrees to step aside as Telsa chairman for three years and pay a US $20 million fine. 

- - -
Breaking News - Porsche Raspy Soundtrack is "glorious":

It’s safe to say Porsche took everyone by surprise earlier this week when all of the sudden, the company that gave the automotive world the 911 introduced a retro-tastic race car.
[.]
The noise coming out of those 908-inspired exposed titanium exhaust tips is as glorious as you’d expect it to be and nicely complements the fantastic body of the race car.

The Porsche 935. Image: Breaking News

- - -
Marty Balin, 76, dies.  TRTWorld: 

[Marty Balin], the guitarist and singer, who co-founded [Jefferson Airplane] 1965, died on Thursday and his wife, Susan Joy Balin, was by his side[.] The cause of death was not announced.

Rest In Peace, Marty.

Nancy Pelosi acknowledges "women behave hysterically."

Politically Correct, Liberal, Modern, Cosmopolitan, Bohemian, Waaaay Cool Hipster Cali Congress-woo-man Nancy Pelosi acknowledges women can behave hysterically. TheHuffPooPo:

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said that if Christine Blasey Ford had behaved like Brett Kavanaugh did when he testified about her sexual assault allegation against him, she’d be labeled “hysterical.”

Well - there it is. Permission granted in using the term to, at times, describe women as "hysterical." Hysterical! Thanks, Nance. (Caution: Use phrase at your own risk. Not responsible for flying frying pans thrown at my male brethren.)

For all those facial and, uh, other wrinkles and crevices

Wildy Inaccurate, Debunked Disproven Conspiracy Theory that Dr. Christine Ford and Cindy Sheehan are the same person

A debunked conspiracy theory, claiming Dr. Christine Ford  and Cindy Sheehan  are the same people, is causing an uproar in certain scientific and research communities according to a story in the Eritas County Ledger Early Edition:

A widely debunked conspiracy theory is getting a second round of  closer scrutiny after one facial recognition expert questioned the results. Dr. Harold P. Ness, of the Los Alamos, New Mexico, high-tech artificial intelligence company WeCYou Bio-Science said, "the initial findings that Dr. Ford and Ms. Sheehan are not the same people are speculative, at best, at least for now."

"A little tuck here, a bit of cosmetic surgery there, and yes, it is very likely Dr. Christine Ford and Ms. Cindy Sheehan are exactly the same people," said Dr. David Byrne of the world renowned Talking Heads Beverly Hills Center for Reconstructive and Cosmetic Surgery.

The conspiracy theory compares images of Dr. Ford to Ms. Sheehan suggesting they could be the same person. "She's an actress hired and paid by George Soros," said Mannic von Bierwagen, Executive Director of IG Farben's Optical Analysis and BioGeometry Worldwide Operations.

"Her real name is Rhonda Farnsworth and she is a professional actor touring with the current mid-west regional area, dinner-theater production run of the Broadway hit 'Annie'," said von Bierwagen. "Look, her name and picture are right here," he said, holding up a page in a current issue of 'Playbill'.

Image: © Ness Analytica

Responding to critics, chief researcher and author of the debunked conspiracy theory, Dr. Harold A. Ness , declared, "[Harold P.] Ness and Tolbertson ought to be ashamed of themselves. My research is solid," said Ness, Founder and CEO of Ness Analytica, a technology global consultant. "There is no question or scientific basis for any belief that Dr. Ford and Ms. Sheehan are the same people. Talk of anything different is preposterous," he scoffed.

Dr. Harold P. Ness and Tolbert rebuffed Dr. Harold A. Ness. "We've never seen both Dr. Ford and Ms. Sheehan in the same room together at the same time, and until we do, we stand by our alternative assessment of his study."

Grandstanding Amy Klobuchar's Two-Faced Double Standards

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar again shows her double-standards and partisan hypocrisy.

Klobuchar asks, "What is [Kavanaugh] afraid of?"

Yet, on the issue of her fellow Lib, Keith Ellison's alleged abusive behavior  Amy is not-so-surprisingly evasive and seemingly unconcerned. Alpha News: 

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) continues to dance around the allegations of domestic violence against attorney general candidate Keith Ellison, avoiding making any campaign commitments in an interview on Sunday.
[.]
Klobuchar indicated she would be comfortable voting for Ellison[.]
[.]
Klobuchar also dodged questions about campaigning with Ellison, saying she is currently focused on the hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
[.]
Democrats have avoided denouncing Ellison over the allegations, despite pressure from the Democratic ally National Organization For Women. Days after the allegations broke, the Democratic National Committee (DNC), in which Ellison is deputy chair, released a statement saying the allegations would be reviewed. However, weeks later, there has been no public update to the investigation.

Amy Klobuchar: Abusive allegations are subjectively partisan.

It's a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery...

From Bananas.

"Democrats not being heard," says a whining Kamela Harris

From the taxpayer-subsidized NPR:

Headline: Democrats Protest As Republicans Likely Lock Up Kavanaugh Committee Approval
[.]
"This is a sham what's going on in there right now. Democrats are not being heard. They are pushing through this process," said Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., one of the members who walked out [of the Friday Kavanaugh committee meeting].

The "they" she refers to are...I guess she means Republicans.

Pictured: Kamela Harris demonstrating she knows how to raise her right hand.

"Democrats not being heard." Dat. Is. Sooooo Sad. Epically Titanic  in nature, yes?

No, Kamlea - "you're" being heard. Others are no longer listening. You and yours have been Muted. Try and learn the difference between the two.