Gun Owner Registration Hearing on Wednesday; Washington Sheriffs won't enforce gun laws pending decision of constitutionality.

2nd Amendment Daily News reports: HR 8 hearing tomorrow.

Washington, DC — House Judiciary Committee Chairman, anti-gun Democrat Jerrold Nadler, has called for a “mark up” hearing on House Bill 8, National Gun Owner Registration tomorrow in Washington, DC.

A “mark up” hearing is where legislators from the committee in which the bill is assigned make changes [sic] and adjustments to a bill before voting on a final version and sending it on to the floor of the House.
[.]
H.R. 8 would turn gun owners into felons who transfer a firearm without first asking permission from the government.

Universal background checks will make FELONS out of gun owners who transfer a firearm without first obtaining government permission!

More on HR 8 at The War On Guns.

At Congress.gov: H.R. 8.

At Standing By: - Dems pushing for gun confiscation in Virginia and The Importance of the Second Amendment.

KING 5 News: Some Washington sheriffs won't enforce new gun laws.

Sheriffs in a dozen Washington counties say they won't enforce the state's sweeping new restrictions on semi-automatic rifles until the courts decide whether they are constitutional.
[.]
"I swore an oath to defend our citizens and their constitutionally protected rights," Grant County Sheriff Tom Jones said. "I do not believe the popular vote overrules that."
[.]
"The political grandstanding is disheartening," said Renee Hopkins, chief executive of the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, which pushed the initiative.

No, the political grandstanding is in thinking a measure, or law, should be applied upon the immediate questioning of the Constitutionality and where its finality has not yet been decided. And, it doesn't hurt that the Grant County Sheriff is named Tom Jones.

Ammo Land: More coverage on Kentucky Sheriff John Kirk telling residents, "lock your doors. Load your guns."

El Chapo guilty on all ten accounts.

High Times: El Chapo drug Kingpin guilty.

...many doubted that Mexican kingpin El Chapo would ever come to justice for the crimes committed by his vast drug empire. But today, jury members at a federal district court in Brooklyn found Joaquín Guzmán Loera guilty on all 10 counts, leaving the cartel boss facing a life sentence.
[.]
At times, court proceedings took a dramatic turn best likened to one of Mexico’s world-famous telenovelas.
[.]
The verdict marks the end of a police persecution that began in earnest in 1993, when El Chapo was blamed by Mexican authorities for the airport murder of Cardinal Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo.

Chicago Tribune: A sentence Guzman can't escape.

Prosecutors had spent months presenting an “avalanche of evidence” that included more than 50 witnesses, 200 hours of testimony, ledgers of drug deals, a grenade launcher and videos of Guzman's escape tunnels and his underwear drawer.

A Telemundo series, not necessarily based on "real persons", can't be far off.

Kentucky Sheriff John Kirk: Lock your homes; load your guns and get a dog.

I don't know what's wrong with, if anything, the below link to the FOX News story. Sometimes I get a "not allowed on server" and the story is blocked, other times, it's fine. Don't know what to advise here. It seems to work when right-clicking and selecting "Open in New Window".

FOX News: Law enforcement suspended due to lack of funding.

A Kentucky sheriff has advice for residents after he announced the suspension of all law enforcement activities: Lock your homes; load your guns and get a dog.

Martin County Sheriff John Kirk took the stage without invitation at a fiscal court meeting on Feb. 4, saying his office was still owed a January payment of $75,000, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported. He also said new obligations given to his office will add $99,000 to his annual expenditures.
[.]
“Folks, lock your doors, load your guns and get you a barking, biting dog,” he wrote. “If the sheriff’s office can’t protect you, who will?”
[.]
Without the sheriff’s office, the residents will have to rely on the Kentucky State Police, which at times only has one officer patrolling multiple counties.

More at WJBF News 6.
- - -
Fixed FOX News link 2/12/2019

Schumer urges Trump to accept the emerging border security deal and "not, not, not cause another shutdown."

The Modesto Bee: White House reviewing border security deal.

10:40 a.m.

The White House says it needs more time to assess a bipartisan border security deal.
[.]
10:35 a.m.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer is urging President Donald Trump to accept the emerging border security deal and "not, not, not cause another shutdown."

A triple "not"? Doesn't that mean Trump should NOT sign the budget with a hideously weakened border deal?

One "not" would mean "not". "Not not" means not to not. "Not not not" means to not not to not. So Trump should NOT sign the deal. Do I have this right?

World News

SMH: The cough syrup codeine addiction.

Patients hooked on cough syrup and dependent on painkillers are turning up to GP clinics suffering from opioid withdrawals one year after the over-to-counter codeine ban was enforced.
[.]
...some have likely stockpiled the products before the over-the-counter ban was enforced.

- - -
NZ Herald: Emiliano Sala body identified.

An inquest into the tragic death of Emiliano Sala has revealed the football star died from "head and trunk" injuries when the plane he was travelling on crashed into the ocean.

Sala's body was recovered from the seabed wreckage last week after he disappeared on January 22.
[.]
[He] was identified by his fingerprints.

Daily Mail: Full investigation into crashed flight may take one year.

Such a tragic ending for someone just starting life and doing what he loved.
- - -
The Chosunilbo: North Korea's Kimmy Junior's Mercedes.

"Close-up pictures of the [car suggests] Kim may have opted for the exclusive and heavily-armored 'Guard' model," the website added.

And AM radio.

Kimmy Junior's Mercedes

- - -

BBC: Russia to unplug from the internet?

Russia is considering whether to disconnect from the global internet briefly, as part of a test of its cyber-defences.

The test will mean data passing between Russian citizens and organisations stays inside the nation rather than being routed internationally.
[.]
The test is expected to happen before 1 April[.]

- - -
CGTN: Ultima Thule is flat, like a pancake. Previously likened to resembling a snowman...

...an object nicknamed "Ultima Thule" in the Kuiper Belt, to be flat rather than spherical, according to the latest images sent back to Earth.
[.]
Previously scientists called Ultima Thule "snowman" as the first close-up images revealed its two distinct and spherical segments.

 Uma Thurman  Ultima Thule

Clarksville Online: More on Uma Thurman Ultima Thule.
- - -
KMSP Fox 9: You're stuck in Cancun because of a flight delay...heading back to Minnesota.

And the conditions in Cancun are unpleasant; acknowledged. Still, you're in Cancun...heading back to...Minnesota. I'm not sure I see a problem here...
- - -
9 News: Ukraine's An-225, biggest aircraft sits unfinished.

Towering over everything is the massive fuselage of the unfinished An-225. It's a beast of a thing. If ever completed, it will have a length of 84 metres - a whole nine metres longer than the world's largest passenger aircraft, the Airbus A380 superjumbo.

 The An-225, aka Mriya, (Ukranian for dream) has the capacity

 to carry other aircrafts inside or on top of it as it flies. Image: AAP

- - -
The Telegraph: Six out of ten Yellow Vests believe Princess Diana was murdered.

The poll also reveals that almost a quarter of “gilets jaunes” are convinced that a terror attack on a Christmas market in Strasbourg was a diversionary tact by the government to spoil their latest round of protests.

Breitbart: 150 Yellow Vests have their phones tapped, says French Media.

Le Point claims that intelligence services are tracking 50 activists in Paris and 100 in the rest of the country[.]
[.]
The claim of government spying also follows an increased level of violence by police toward protestors[sic][.]

- - -

NZ Herald: Inside a L.A. legal weed shop.

"It's like an 'Apple store' for weed."

BBC Reports U.S. Shutdown Avoided

BBC: Breaking...U.S. avoids shutdown.

4 minutes ago

Democrats and Republicans reach agreement in principle to fund the US government and avert another partial shutdown.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

I guess stay tuned to the BBC link. I didn't see any other news org reporting this; so far.

UPDATE - Global News: Border security funding reached "in principle."

February 11, 2019 8:57 pm

U.S. Republican Senator Richard Shelby, one of the congressional negotiators working on border security funding, said late on Monday that an “agreement in principle” had been reached.

Tech News

ArsTechnia: A history of Japan's car industry.

Hit the link. Check out the image gallery of cars.

Extreme Tech: Best cars of the 2019 Chicago auto show.

Hit the links in the link for more images.

Technocracy: Self-driving cars are INCREASING urban congestion.

Self-driving cars will likely jam up downtown streets by cruising at slow speeds rather than parking, according to a new analysis published in the journal Transport Policy. Using game theory and simulated traffic models, report author Adam Millard-Ball found that the vehicles will be incentivized to circle streets rather than pay for parking.

According to Millard-Ball’s model, even as few as 2,000 self-driving cars in downtown San Francisco could slow traffic to less than 2 miles per hour.

- - -  
Tech Dirt: Italy tells EU to drop Articles 11 and 13 in copyright reform.

Italy... has now made a pretty clear statement that if the country is going to support the latest directive, it needs to protect the users of the web, and the only way to do that is to remove Articles 11 and 13.

Good for Italy!
- - -
ZD Net: Will Robot love fulfill emotional needs?

I wonder...how close are we to the era of when our robots will need shrinks?

- - -

Beta News: Spotify to ban ad-blockers.

Under the heading "the following is not permitted for any reason whatsoever" Spotify lists, among other things:

   - circumventing or blocking advertisements in the Spotify Service, or creating or distributing tools designed to block advertisements in the Spotify Service[.]

- - -
TechSpot: Senate investigations into government workers use of VPNs.

Recent months have been filled with news of international cybersecurity concerns and foreign meddling, and now two US Senators are going after a new target – virtual private networks (VPNs) used by governmental employees.

Who are the two senators? Marco Rubio (Republican) and Ron Wyden (Democrat).

10,000 to one odds that, three weeks ago, there might have been two - at most - two senators, who know what a VPN is.  This is similar to when John McCain was convinced the 2016 presidential election was hacked, and he pretended to know about hacking, yet didn't know what an exit node is. Sputnik News:

When questioned by a Sputnik reporter following the hearing about the debunking of the Joint Annual Report by security experts, including the finding that 43 percent of the IP addresses attributed to ‘Russian hackers’ were generic web-browser Tor exit nodes, the Senator responded by saying that he had “no idea” what she was talking about.

Lawmakers getting involved in Tech. Again. You have better odds in uniting the properties of water and electricity.
- - -
Tech News World: Wireless carriers really selling our data.

AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint have sold access to subscribers' real-time location data to aggregators, which in turn have sold it to about 250 bounty hunters and related businesses, Motherboard reported Wednesday.

In some cases, the data allowed users to track individuals to their specific locations inside a building.

- - -
Gizmodo: Washington state's snow-induced mayhem.

Yeah, and hey, Washington, your snows keep coming our way, hitting the central Midwest. So...stop it!
- - -
Computer World: Apple is disabling Safari's "do not track" feature.

The list of online entities who do not respect DNT requests includes all the usual privacy-eroding suspects, such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter. Medium, Pinterest, and Reddit do honor these requests, which rather suggests you can find alternative ways to make a business.

Polar Bears invade town; eager to stay.

RT: Invasion of the polar bears.

To fend off the beasts, Belushya Guba has already erected some fences and tried to scare the predators off by vehicles and warning shots. Some bears, however, seem to be eager to stay in the town despite all the efforts of humans.

They're probably there to learn coding. No?

AmyKKKlobuchar "pledged" to serve her full six year Senate term.

From the infallible...Minnesota Public Radio:

Aug 22, 2018 MPR

 When asked about her intentions, Klobuchar pledged to serve a full six years if she wins a third term this fall.

"Of course I will," Klobuchar said. "I think my track record shows that. I love working in the Senate. I love representing Minnesota."

She may well serve her full term in the Senate. I dislike the idea of a current elected official, especially someone who was just re-elected, spending the next two years (of their six year term) running for an office while retaining her Senate seat. And I hold the same standard to all political parties.

She's running for a VP spot, or, to increase her political cash or, to get her name in the national spotlight. 

She can say she "changed her mind", but I kinda think she's a...

Read more at Battleground State News.

AmyKKK for Vice President

She's running. Run, Amy Run! Her candidacy is one of hope...hope that some other Dem will name her as VP. 

Uh huh - we need more uppity bitches in politics. What? You don't like me calling her an uppity bitch? Well, then she should have treated people nicer all this while. She's not just uppity, she's a Cunty Bitch.

Added - MediaIte: Klobuchar abusive to her staff.

The 'k' on my keyboard sticks, but only when typing AmyKKK...there it goes again...

Amy Klobuchar WILL enter the presidential race.

Chicago Tribune: Klobuchar expected to join presidential race.

Klobuchar said she would make a "big announcement" about her political plans at an event along the Mississippi River in Minneapolis.

Yeah - she's tossing her hat into the 2020 presidential race. She'll make the official announcement this afternoon. This is based on info told to me from someone who knows someone who has the "inside" info.

Her goal is not the presidency. The reality of her being a viable presidential candidate is a joke. She's ogling for a slot at being named Vice President for some other Dem presidential candidate.

Here's some fun when you have time. Do a web search on "Amy Klobuchar is difficult", or "demanding", or simply...a "bitch".

Charming she is not.

Amy Klobuchar; President? Bwa ha ha ha ha.

The Virginia Dem Trifecta; Northam, Fairfax and Herring. A Herring?

The Atlantic: Virginia Democrat Scandal.

As Goes Virginia, So Goes the Democratic Party.
[.]
Governor Ralph Northam is under fire for wearing blackface, and for a bizarre yearbook photo that shows a man in blackface and another in a Klan hood. (Northam denies he is either.) Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, who will succeed Northam if he resigns, is now the subject of a sexual-assault accusation.
[.]
Attorney General Mark Herring, who is second in line for the governor’s seat behind Fairfax, acknowledged late Wednesday morning that he wore blackface at a party in college in 1980, when he was 19. In a statement, Herring said he’d dressed up as the rapper Kurtis Blow and performed a song.

What a Trifecta. If we could travel back in time to a few weeks ago, and had been given odds on what's happening to the three top Virginia Dems - who would have placed money on that type of a long-shot? No one.

It would be easier if all elected Dems in Virginia would raise their hands if they:
a) didn't wear Blackface (or enter a contest or costume party involving a race or ethnicity other than their own),
b) never dressed up as a KKKlansman,
c) haven't been accused of sexual-assault,
d) never participated in other politically incorrect and insensitive behavior.

The Virginia Trifecta ! 
-  Sponsored by the political party that preaches political correctness and is always reminding others that appearances, conduct and actions matter.

What was that about a herring?

A Restaurant Ready Ruth Bader Ginsburg?

If we had a Democrat president, and we had a conservative member of The Supreme Court who turns age 86 come March, and no one had seen this conservative Supreme Court Justice for around two months - do you suppose the Left would be making demands to see "proof-of-life" of said conservative SC Justice?

The Jeff Bezos Peoples' Republic reported that Ginsburg made her first public appearance on February 4:

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Monday night made her first public appearance since undergoing cancer surgery in December, attending a celebration of her life presented in song.
[.]
Ginsburg did not speak, and many in the crowd did not know she was there. She sat in the back, and most saw her only as they left the performance. [Her presence at the event was NOT announced beforehand].

She sat in back, didn't speak, no one knew she was there until people were on their way out of the performance. That's not proof of Ginburg being there.

How long does it take to recover from facial plastic surgery? We can't overlook that Ruth died and the Dems found a youthful 55-65 aged lady who physically resembled Ginsburg and had the lady undergo plastic surgery so she looked liked Ginsburg.

Realself.com: Various recovery times for public appearances after facial cosmetic surgery.

For a patient to sit down to dinner with friends and not be asked any questions, I believe it takes about two weeks. Occasionally a very dark bruise may not be completely gone but can be effectively covered with makeup. About 80 % of the swelling is gone so the remainder is hard to detect.
- David L. Mobley, MD, FACS
- - -
The hardest part about recovery is seeing the facial bruising and swelling, which can take up to 2 weeks to resolve to a point that you feel comfortable being seen in public.  Two weeks is a major landmark in the recovery.  We call this point being "restaurant ready," meaning that you can go out to dinner and no one else in the restaurant would realize that you recently had surgery except your close friends noticing that you look younger and more refreshed.
- Ziyad Hammoudeh, MD

There has been ample time for creating a Ruth Bader Ginsburg Doppelgänger.

When (if?) Ginsburg does emerge into the public eye, how will we know it's really her? It is reported she attends the Monday night concert event. While, supposedly, no one else there knew she was there...until the end...and no one grabbed their phone and snapped a pic of her? CNN is stationed at the home of Roger Stone prior to the FBI raid on his home and reports it "live". Yet no one - no person, no news agency, nobody - can get a pic of Ruth?

When (if) Ginsburg returns to the spotlight, I think a DNA sample needs to be done, confirming that the person claiming to be Ginsburg is Ginsburg.

More Midwest Snow. More... Global Warming. Global Cooling. Climate Change.ManBearPig ALERT!We Didn't Listen!

Damn it people, we didn't listen.

FOX 9 KMSP: More snow.

The Twin Cities metro is now estimated to get around 4 to 6 inches of snow between Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Northwestern Wisconsin and northeastern Minnesota could see 6 to 8 inches during that time.

This is nothing compared to the snowfall in other parts of U.S. The Twin Cities winter, so far, has been this: November; got some snow, had a few cold days here and there, there was light snow coverage on lawns around Thanksgiving. December; warmed up, snow melted, didn't get any significant snow, cold days, then higher than average, brown lawns snow-free. January; some decent and tolerable days, a Polar Vortex plunge (that was fun), some sub-zero days, then a few warmer than average. February; expected temps and it snowed yesterday.

National Weather Service

WeatherUnderground; other winter storm alerts: Kansas, Wisconsin, Iowa, and a lot of other parts of the U.S.  

So many other parts of the country have had far more dumps of snow. I feel for ya, folks; we know what it's like.

Could ManBearPig be real?

- - -
Corrected link to KMSP 2/06/2019

Venezuela seizes large American weapons cache shipped from Florida

PressTV: Venezuela seizes large shipment of American weapons coming from Florida.

Representatives from the Venezuelan National Guard and the National Integrated Service of Customs and Tax Administration (SENIAT) found the weapons aboard a plane that had landed at the Arturo Michelena International Airport in the city of Valencia on February 3.

The official Twitter account of the Venezuela Public Safety Bureau posted pictures of the weapons bust on Wednesday, which included 19 rifles, 118 ammunition clips, high-caliber ammo and 90 communication devices.
[.]
Washington has been leading an international campaign of economic and diplomatic pressure against Maduro, including imposing sanctions on Venezuela's state-owned oil company.

Trump reiterated his support for [Juan] Guaido during his State of the Union (SOTU) on Tuesday, calling him the " legitimate" leader of Venezuela.

I'm guessing Step Two is verifying if this story is accurate. It could be fake news, on the part of the Nicolas Maduro administration.

Nancy Pelosi In Wonderland

2019 SOTU

Pelosimouth

Unretouched screen caps of Nancy Pelosi during Tuesday's State of the Union Address by President Donald Trump.

What is the deal with her mouth?

 Pelosimouth, 2019 SOTU

Ginsburg absent from the State of the Union Address

Daily Mail: Ginsburg not attending Trump's SOTU address.

President Donald Trump's two Supreme Court picks are among four justices expected to attend the State of the Union. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will not be among them.
[.]
The 85-year-old Ginsburg is recovering from cancer surgery in December. She made her first public appearance since the surgery on Monday at a concert given by her daughter-in-law in Washington, D.C.

 Well, yeah...Ruth won't be at the SOTU Address because...

Connecticut proposes 50% Tax on Ammunition

Breitbart: Jillian Gilchrest, DEM-CT, introduces 50 Percent Tax on Ammo.

Connecticut State Rep. Jillian Gilchrest (D-13th) is pushing a 50 percent tax on ammunition purchases in her state.

Gilchrest is willing to exempt police and military personnel from the impost, but homeowners worried about defending their lives and those of their families get no such break.

In fact, Gilchrest questions how much ammunition a homeowner needs to carry out a viable defense. She tweeted: “I’m hearing push back about the need to protect one’s home… but how much ammunition does someone really need to do that?”

Gilchrest's Tweet:

I’ve introduced HB 5700, a 50% tax increase on ammunition. It doesn’t apply to military or law enforcement. I’m hearing push back about the need to protect one's home… but how much ammunition does someone really need to do that? #gunsense #enough pic.twitter.com/NZjkWBrpjC

    — Jillian Gilchrest (@Jilchrest) February 4, 2019

Image: Weapons Man

Will We See Ginsburg Tonight?

The Clover Chronicle: Ruth Bader Ginsburg either dead or on life-support in Nevada mystery location.

Will the public see Ruth, ah...alive...rather than being propped up like Bernie, by two fellow justices...at tonight's State of the Union?

Tech News Top Story: UN Declares Single Family Housing is "Racist"

Technocracy: Single-family housing is now "racist".

Across the nation, city councils and state legislatures are beginning to remove zoning protections for single-family neighborhoods, claiming they are racist discrimination designed to keep certain minorities out of such neighborhoods. In response to these charges some government officials are calling for the end of single-family homes in favor of multiple family apartments.

    Minneapolis, Minnesota: the city council is moving to remove zoning that protects single-family neighborhoods, instead planning to add apartment buildings in the mix. The mayor actually said such zoning was “devised as a legal way to keep black Americans and other minorities from moving into certain neighborhoods”. Racist, social injustice are the charges.

    Chicago, Illinois: So-called “affordable housing” advocates have filed a federal complaint against the longtime tradition of allowing City Aldermen veto power over most development proposals in their wards, charging that it promotes discrimination by keeping low-income minorities from moving into affluent white neighborhoods. Essentially the complaint seeks to remove the Aldermen’s ability to represent their own constituents.

    Baltimore, Maryland: The NAACP filed a suit against the city charging that Section 8 public housing causes ghettos because they are all put into the same areas of town. They won the suit and now the city must spend millions of dollars to move such housing into more affluent neighborhoods. In addition, landlords are no longer permitted to ask potential tenants if they can afford the rent on their properties.

    Oregon: Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives Tina Kotek (D-Portland) is drafting legislation that would end single-family zoning in cities of 10,000 or more. She claims there is a housing shortage crisis and that economic and racial segregation are caused by zoning restrictions.

- - -
Ars Technia: Siri recommends nearby schools for shootings.

[A 13-year-old Indiana boy] who attends nearby Chesterton Middle School, reportedly told Siri “I am going to shoot up a school.” Siri helpfully responded with a list of schools in the Valparaiso area, where the boy was at the time. The boy took a screenshot and posted it to social media.
[.]
The boy said that the post was a joke, and subsequent investigation revealed that he had no access to weapons. There was no sign that the boy had any particular school in mind when he made the comment.

- - -
Extreme Tech: It's COLD on the Dark Side of The Moon.

According to the China National Space Administration (CNSA), Chang’e-4 has found the moon to be more frigid than expected. Hopefully, it packed a blanket.
[.]
[The Yutu-2 rover] reported to ground control the temperatures it experienced on the far side of the moon. Let’s just say the moon isn’t an ideal vacation spot. Chang’e-4 saw temperatures go as low as -310 degrees Fahrenheit (-190 degrees Celsius).

 Yutu-2 rover on the chilly Moon

- - - 

Not in the lines where I'm standing and waiting. WIRED: The World is Running out of people.

That’s the conclusion Canadian journalist John Ibbitson and political scientist Darrell Bricker come to in their newest book, Empty Planet, due out February 5th. After painstakingly breaking down the numbers for themselves, the pair arrived at a drastically different prediction for the future of the human species. “In roughly three decades, the global population will begin to decline,” they write. “Once that decline begins, it will never end.”

- - -
If you haven't had this experience, eventually you will. And you will hate it. ZD Net: The Retail Experience: "I don't know, it's on our web site."

How the internet made retail staff ignorant.
This is the story of one woman, two retailers, and a complete disregard for human-to-human interaction.

- - -
PC World: 2019 review of laptops; premium to bargain.

Good article if you're looking for a second or back-up inexpensive laptop.
- - -
I haven't played PC games in ages. Gamers? TechSpot: Is 6GB VRAM enough for 1440p gaming?

Starting from the top we find our most memory intensive titles. Quake Champions is a surprisingly hungry title though this game would simply appear to allocate all available memory. I estimate usage is actually below 4 GB based on what we’ve seen when testing.

- - -
Geek: Changing a wheel on a Boeing 747.

- - -

ComputerWorld: Firefox has second straight month of growth.

Mozilla's Firefox wrapped up a two-month resurgence this week, clawing back some previously-lost user share to return to a level last seen in the middle of 2018.

The open-source browser remains the only major browser committed to using a rendering engine that is not based on Google's Blink or its predecessor, WebKit.

It is so important to have a browser not based on Google or WebKit. The best thing we can all do, is donate just $5 to the Mozilla organization. Please consider.
- - -
TechCrunch: Aibo hangs with real dogs.

If this were elementary school, Aibo would be the smelly new kid no one wanted to play with.

Image: TechCrunch

Hawaii legislator proposes age limit of 100 for cigarette purchasing.

Filing this in the "News That Will Never Happen" Department.

KTVU: Hawaii lawmaker proposes banning cigarettes sales to anyone under 100-years old.

Democratic state Rep. Richard Creagan proposed legislation aimed at making the state the first in the country to ban the sale of cigarettes for everyone except people age 100 and over, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported Sunday.

Under his bill, the minimum smoking age would increase to 30 in 2020, to 40 in 2021, to 50 in 2022, to 60 in 2023 and to 100 in 2024.

The measure would not apply to e-cigarettes, cigars or chewing tobacco.

I take it Hawaii has fully and completely recovered, homes restored, roads and other property all back to normal, from May 2018. Now it's back to business as usual for Hawaii, or any state legislature, not imminently facing some disaster or crisis.

Or on the plus side, if this proposal becomes law, makers of Fake ID's will see substantial earnings increase.

El Chapo jury no verdict after first day deliberations.

Reuters: No verdict after day one deliberations.

Happy 71st Birthday to...

...no, not me.

This guy:

Alice Cooper

Ralph Northam almost does moonwalk. VA Gov wife nixes performance as "inappropriate circumstances."

Still-Governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, DEMOCRAT, contemplated performing the Michael Jackson moonwalk during a press conference.

Daily Mail: Northam considers moonwalk until wife intervenes.

...while taking questions, a reporter asked [Democrat Virginia Governor Ralph Northam]: 'Are you still able to moonwalk?'

And in the brief moments after the question, Northam appeared to look around to see if he had enough space to do the dance move.

But just as he looks to start the jig, his wife asserted: 'Inappropriate circumstances.'

'My wife says inappropriate circumstances,' the controversial politician reiterated.

Let's pretend he's not in the picture he said he was in, and then later said he was sure he isn't in. And let's pretend his 1984 (soooooo long ago) photo is some other two people, unknown to Northam and that he doesn't have a racist bone in his body and loathes the KKK and would never dress as a Klansman as a prank. In...1984.

Let's watch him give pause, considering the request - almost proud that he's asked - and seriously contemplates performing the moonwalk:

Can we agree the man is an idiot? While I don't think it's inappropriate to do the moonwalk - if you CAN do it well - considering the circumstances surrounding Ralph Northam's comments and the photo...which he ISN'T in...(ahem, cough)...what was he thinking? Idiot. His wife is obviously familiar with disaster mitigation

Keep digging, Governor Northam, keep digging. Rumor is at his next press conference he's doing "Mammy".

 Democrat Governor Ralph Northam, Virginia

Clive Swift, Rest In Peace. (Also known as Mr. Bucket...er, Boo-kay)

UK Actor Clive Swift has died at the age of 82. He is perhaps best remembered for his role as the affable and extremely patient Richard Bucket in the BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances.

BBC: Clive Swift dies, age 82:

Actor Clive Swift, known to millions as Hyacinth Bucket's hen-pecked husband Richard in BBC One's 90s sitcom Keeping Up Appearances, has died aged 82.

He spent six years playing Richard opposite Dame Patricia Routledge.

The role saw him patiently tolerate her ham-fisted and invariably thwarted attempts at social climbing.

The Mirror: Keeping Up Appearances...a role Swift almost didn't take.

But fans might not know the much-loved star almost didn't take the role that made him a household name.
[.]
The classically trained actor, who enjoyed a 50 year career across theatre, film and television, also said the show was the only 'proper money' he'd ever earned. 

Rest In Peace, Mr. Swift. For there is no other actor, living or dead, who could have come close to his marked perfection playing the role of Richard Bucket...er, Boo-kay.

Clive Swift 1936-2019

VA Gov Ralph Northam now says he's not in THAT picture.

Wow, that's some story, Democrat Governor of Virginia Ralph Northam.

Friday: Ralph apologizes for the picture, admits he's one of the two but doesn't specify if he's the KKK member or the one in Blackface. He says he won't resign.

Saturday, today: Ralph apologizes on his Twitter page. Ralph says it's NOT him in the picture and that yesterday was the first time he's ever seen that 1984 yearbook. He admits using shoe polish for Blackface in 1984 when he won a dance contest dressed as pop icon Michael Jackson. He maintains he will not resign as governor.

Tomorrow?... Northam tells us: "I have beautiful, ocean-front property, for sale at very reasonable market prices, on the sandy beaches of Kansas."

Anyone believing this guy?

CBS News (today): Northam says it's not him in the pic as either Blackface or KKK.

Yesterday, USA MacPaper: Northam apologizes for being in picture.

Daily Mail (today): Northam admits Blackface for Michael Jackson.

It's understandable any one of us might look back at a family event or other such photo from 1984, which was over two-hundred years ago, and not recall it, but then upon seeing it, remembering it.

But I tend to think that, short of medically-diagnosed memory loss, one would recall if they dressed as a KKK'er, Blackface or one of the Village People. Not that easy to forget; maybe that's just me.

I have difficulty with someone acknowledging something, apologizing for their part in it, saying they're going to work hard to repair the damage, saying they won't resign and then saying, now that I think about it, "that's not me in the picture."

So...will Northam remain in the gubernatorial office or will his term be...aborted? Comments / thoughts / tauntings...?

Ralph Northam's Great Apology Tour

If you're not aware of this story, here's the background.

Democrat Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam; either Blackface or KKK.

TPM: Virginia Democrat Governor Ralph Northam now says he believes he's not in the racist photo.

A Virginia Democrat who has spoken with Gov. Ralph Northam has told The Associated Press that the governor now does not believe he was in a racist picture in his 1984 medical yearbook and has no immediate plans to resign.

Of course he has no plans to resign. He's a Democrat. Let the revisionism begin.

WTVR CBS 6 News: Northam to make statement Saturday afternoon.

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam will make a statement announcement Saturday afternoon in Richmond, according to the Governor’s Office.

The statement is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at the Executive Mansion.
[.]
Democrats, Republicans, and Virginia voters have called on Governor Northam to resign after Northam confirmed Friday he was in a racist college yearbook photo showing one person dressed in blackface and another in the KKK’s signature white hood and robes.

The photograph appears in the 1984 yearbook for Eastern Virginia Medical School. Northam did not say whether he was wearing the KKK outfit or blackface.

With my deepest apologies to the great, lovely, wonderful Brenda Lee:

Jussie Smollett's Hate Crime Attack a Hoax?

The Federalist Papers: Jussie Smollett’s Apparent Hate Crime Hoax Really Fooled A Lot Of People.

When “Empire” star Jussie Smollett said he was attacked by a group of Trump supporters in an apparent hate crime, conservatives were skeptical.

Liberals, on the other hand, were downright giddy.
[.]
But police are now asking plenty of questions. And, it turns out, Smollett doesn’t have any answers.

The thing has all but been confirmed as a hoax at this point. Even the police aren’t buying it anymore.
[.]
Police have now scoured hundreds of hours of video footage and have found nothing resembling an attack on the star.
[.]
Fox 32 Chicago reporter Rafer Weigel said “My sources in Chicago PD are telling me this is looking more and more like a hoax.”

This is incredible. If the attack on Mr. Smollett is true, Liberals are happy the attack occurred, even if it happens to one of their fellow Liberals. It doesn't matter, because if the attack is true, well then, it reinforces the Libs' false narrative that any person who disagrees with their ideology is a MAGA-shouting-Racist-Bigot who must be doxxed, threatened, abused on social media, shouted-out of public places, attacked...whatever.

If the attack on Mr. Smollett is a hoax, the only people surprised by this would be Liberals. Liberals wouldn't care that it was a hoax, that it was fabricated. Because an attack like this could happen, they internalize, doesn't make it something to be dismissed. Go figure.

More Here.

Chicago police have confirmed a @TMZ report to @ABC that a neighbor of Smollett's did come forward with information. Her description of a man she said she saw with a rope of some kind was "significantly different" than one provided by Smollett.

Detectives took her information but have yet to find any surveillance video that shows an individual matching the description she gave.

Why won't Mr. Smollutt let Chicago PD verify his telephone records, which potentially would help the police identify the alleged attackers? Daily Caller:

The Chicago Police Department (CPD) said “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett and his music manager are not handing over phone records of a conversation that occurred Tuesday morning during an alleged attack.

The victim and his manager reported that they were talking on their cell phones to each other but CPD has been unable to independently verify this because they refused to turn over their cell phones,” CPD spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a Thursday statement[.]

Via The Grio, surveillance camera capture of those identified by Chicago PD as "persons of interest".

Here's the problem. It's not inconceivable that The Left would execute something like this. The Left could execute it as a "play-as hoax" or, as "real", as disgusting as that notion is.

Reuters (Yahoo): 'Empire' actor states account of attack 100% factual.

"I am working with authorities and have been 100 percent factual and consistent on every level," Smollett said in his first statement about the incident he reported on Tuesday.

Traditional Media either refuses to report things correctly, update their stories or deliberately chooses to remain with false narratives. The following from BET:

Reportedly beaten, bleached, and restrained with a noose by two white men spouting Trumpisms and wearing MAGA hats, Smollett experienced a level of emboldened violence that marginalized communities at large have feared and anticipated since (and well before) the election of our current sitting president.

Yet, SOHH reports:

Jussie never said the men were wearing the hats. Rather, they screamed “MAGA country.”

I don't know what to believe. There hasn't been sufficient information released (at least to the public) by Chicago authorities to reasonably conclude the attack actually happened, that it was a hoax or that it was done as a PR stunt/hoax. Eventually, we'll know.

Ralph Northam, Democrat, Yearbook: Blackface and KKK. Oh no, he won't resign. UPDATE: Northam refuses to shake hands with E.W. Jackson. (Pssst...Jackson is Black).

Ever get the idea that once in a while, God decides He'll get directly involved and make hypocrites look like the Liberals assholes Liberals assholes they truly are?

God (thinking to Himself), looking down at Virginia Governor Ralph Northam: "I've grown weary of your shenanigans."

Chicago Tribune: Virginia Governor Ralph Northam's yearbook shows men in blackface and KKK outfit.

A photo from Gov. Ralph Northam’s medical school yearbook shows him and another person in racist costumes — one wearing blackface and one a Ku Klux Klan robe and hood, though it was not clear which person was the future governor.

The photo, which The Virginian-Pilot obtained a copy of Friday from the Eastern Virginia Medical School library, comes from the 1984 yearbook, the year Northam graduated.
[.]
"I recognize that it will take time and serious effort to heal the damage this conduct has caused. I am ready to do that important work. The first step is to offer my sincerest apology and to state my absolute commitment to living up to the expectations Virginians set for me when they elected me to be their governor," [Northam said].

Pick the Democrat: Blackface or KKK ?

WHIO: Northam admits he is one of the men pictured.

Northam admits he is depicted in the photo, but it is unclear which man is Northam.

This is the same Democrat governor claiming his controversial abortion views are "mischaracterized".

At the press conference, a small group of protesters, including a pregnant woman, silently held signs with pictures of infants and captions such as: "Endangered Species in Ralph Northam's Virginia."

And let us not forget long, long-time U.S. Senator from West Virginia, the deceased Robert Byrd, KKK Exalted Cyclops who was free from criticism in saying, "white nigger" and who invoked Nazi language and Adolf Hitler during Senate discussion over the "nuclear (Senate) option."

Do I have to check social media and find out if the likes of Joy Behar, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Alyssa Milano, Jim Acosta, Nanny Pelosi, Cluck Schumer, Kamala Harris, TeH Clintoons, Don Lemon, Anderson Cooper, Rashida Tlaib, Elizabeth Warren, Ilhan Omar, AOC, Keith al-Elisan, Rosie O'Moo, Robert DiNiro, that short fella Ellen DeGeneres, The Fat Bastard and all the Usual LiberTards condemning the Gov of Virginia? Surely they're applying the same standard to their own that they apply to others. Why...they wouldn't be hypocrites, would they?"

I bet Jim Carrey, as I type this, is working on one of his devastatingly, intellectual, biting satiric works of political art depicting Ralph Northam as a combination Blackface/KKKlansman.

"Oh! Those Liberals!" - The Longest Running Soap Opera of all time.
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UPDATE: Alyssa Milano, to her credit, is calling for Northam to resign on her Twitter page. The rest? Life is too short for me to check them all.
- - -
UPDATE: Watch Ralph Northam refuse to shake hands with E.W. Jackson, from November 2013:

Super Bowl Copyright and Infringement. FUCK the NFL.

Obviously the NFL isn't aware of Fair use U.S. Copyright code 17; § 107.

From the first link, The DSM Group:

The NFL trademarked the terms “Super Bowl” and “Super Sunday.” We’re hoping that didn’t just put you in manic mode as you realized the ads you are finalizing either in-house or for a client includes “Super Bowl.”

The NFL even went as far as trademarking slogans, catchphrases and team names associated with the NFL teams. Companies have been advertising around the Super Bowl with synonyms such as “Big Game” or “Game Day.”

According to Ken Basin, a trademark and entertainment attorney in Los Angeles, “the NFL aggressively sends out cease-and-desist letters if “Super Bowl” is used without permission in a commercial context.” This does not necessarily put a company in a legal mess rather than just further scare them not to use the term.

While the NFL's precious trademark terms are not used in any connection to a commercial context at this blog...Fuck Off, NFL and Roger Goodell.

Super Bowl. NFL Super Sunday. Super Bowl. Super Sunday. NFL Super Bowl. NFL Super Bowl Sunday.  Super Bowl. Super Sunday. Super Bowl. Super Sunday. NFL Super Bowl. NFL Super Bowl Sunday. Super Bowl. Super Sunday. Super Bowl. Super Sunday. NFL Super Bowl. NFL Super Bowl Sunday. Super Bowl. Super Sunday. Super Bowl. Super Sunday. NFL Super Bowl. NFL Super Bowl Sunday. Super Bowl. Super Sunday. Super Bowl. Super Sunday. NFL Super Bowl.

This NFL bullshit is the same as Thompson-Reuters and AP. "You cannot reprint our material without express permission." Uh-huh. Well, good luck with that.

I'll be waiting for receipt of that aggressive cease and desist notice. In the meantime, if I can think of a way to use the terms "Super Bowl" and "NFL Super Bowl" in a commercial manner, I'll publish that post.

 Roger Goodell, the $75 Million biggest cry-baby in the SUPER BOWL WORLD.

This post is unofficially sponsored by Drake's Place, which has received numerous suitcases of cash, in non-sequential serial numbers, for publishing this post.

RUN!!! GLOBAL WARMING IS BACK!!!!!!!!!

The Big Midwest Chill and the Polar Vortex were mere diversions.

Global warming is BACK! (Cue ominous, "we're all going to die" music).

KSTP weather, below:

Minneapolis-St. Paul global warming forecast.

ABC 7 weather, below:

Chicago global warming forecast.

RUN, people...RUN!!! Save yourselves while you still can!!!

Friday Morning (Not a Music) Video Selection

Not a music video this time. Hopefully still enjoyable.

Listen to lady hi-jacker of Air Force One. Her words sound just like something AOC would say.

Clip from: Escape From New York

Note, that Manhattan Island Prison has a Containment Wall. Eh, Just saying...

"Escape" is cult classic, with a great cast.

Trivia question: What song was Cabbie (Ernest Borgnine) listening to and playing on his cassette deck? This one.

World News

The International News: Pakistan conducts another successful ballistic missile.

Pakistan today conducted another successful launch of short range surface to surface ballistic missile “Nasr” as part of Army Strategic Forces Command training exercise which included quad salvo on 24 January and single shots on 28 & 31 January 2019[.]

Watch the video at the link.
- - -
BBC: Record fentanyl drug bust at U.S. Mexico border.

Agents on Saturday found 254 lbs (114kg) of fentanyl, as well as 395 lbs of methamphetamine in a lorry at an official US-Mexico border crossing.

A "false floor" was found in the produce truck, said Michael Humphries[.]
[.]
...the cargo of fentanyl had an approximate black market value of $3.5m (£2.6m) and is considered so deadly that even a few salt-sized grains of it could kill a person.

- - -
SMH: Maker of "Happy Birthday"-playing candles fined. Some catch fire, some explode.

Consumer Affairs Victoria took Mr Xu, 59, from Clayton, to court for selling the permanently banned "combustible" candles whose batteries are also at risk of exploding in its smouldering ruins and a range of other products after warnings they did not meet Australian safety standards.

Watch the video at the link. Not to miss!
- - -
EURO News: OPEC cuts back production, price increases.

The 14-member Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries pumped 30.98 million barrels per day (bpd) in January, a Reuters survey showed, down 890,000 bpd from December and the largest month-on-month drop since January 2017.

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Newsy: Toxic Smog in Bangkok.

Hit the link, watch the video. Breath in, breath out.
- - -
The Star: Snakes seeking refuge in toilets due to Australia's heatwave.

Last week, [Luke Huntley, a snake catcher in Queensland]  removed a seven-foot python that had slithered into an open door and climbed into the shower not only to escape the heat but also to find water. Days earlier, he pulled a small tree snake that had coiled in another homeowner’s toilet bowl.

- - -
From snakes in toilets to, sort of, the Royal Family. What a perfect segue.

The Irish Times: Stockpiles of Magnums in case of no-deal Brexit. (Magnums the vanilla chocolate ice cream bars, not the condoms). 

Unilever is stockpiling ice creams in Britain and deodorants in continental Europe to guard against potential supply disruptions in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

The Anglo-Dutch consumer giant, which is the world’s largest ice cream seller, makes British favourites like Magnum bars in Italy and Germany, and is building up a few weeks of extra inventory in Britain in case of any border delays.

Likewise, several of its European deodorants, including Axe, Dove and Rexona, are made in Britain.

New American Spirit Red Cigarettes

Available at all fine tobacco retailers.

Give these pilots Bonus Pay

Check it out. All the wind gusts and they make it look easy. Landings and takeoffs at Newcastle Airport. You Tube.