Happy 4th of July - Independence Day!

Flag via: http://bestanimations.com/Flags/USA/USA.html

A Happy and Safe Independence Day / 4th of July to All.

And let us never forget the significance of this day.  Military.com:

On July 4, 1776, the thirteen colonies claimed their independence from England, an event which eventually led to the formation of the United States.
[.]
In a June 7 session in the Pennsylvania State House (later Independence Hall), Richard Henry Lee of Virginia presented a resolution with the famous words: "Resolved: That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved."

And to those who served or currently serve in any branch of the U.S. Military, who served to protect our freedoms and who put their lives on the line for our freedoms, this day would not exist if not for you. God Bless you.

 Image via: Gify

Minneapolis 4th of July Fireworks to be held Indoors

Due the possibility of inclement weather conditions, the Minneapolis City 4th of July fireworks display has been rescheduled and will be held indoors.

From The Eritas County Ledger:

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey  announced that due to expected rainstorms tonight, the July 4th fireworks display will take place indoors at the Minneapolis City Armory at 10PM. Liberals and Democrats and Antifa planning to attend are requested to wear non-flame-retardant clothing.

A Public Service Announcement to The Anti-Smoking Nazis: Stay away from fireworks!

First, this post pertains to the obnoxious, Anti-Smoking Nazi Little Eichmanns. Not the conscientious, polite non-smokers who nicely request no smoking in their home, car or around them. I have no problem with those folks. And yeah, I smoke. Not much. A pack of cigs lasts me about a week. I had quit, but not having a cig with morning coffee is blasphemy, so I started again. And one or two in the evening. That's the extent of my smoking.

This post is directed at the virulent, jack-booted, goose-stepping Anti-Smoking thugs.

And you know what? For once, I am in full agreement with the Anti-Smoking Nazis. Yep. I've gone fully "Left" on this issue. And I apologize, and deeply regret referring, to this wonderful group of concerned citizens as Anti-Smoking Nazi Little Eichmanns. They only care about us. I didn't realize it at the time. May the ASNLE's forgive me and how I treated them in the past. You were and are right. I was wrong. Way, way wrong. Wronger than wrong can be.

I agree wholly, fully and completely with the Anti-Smoking Nazis that there is simply no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke. None. Not one single mini-micro-particle of any type of second-hand smoke can ever be considered acceptable or safe.

So please, my newly found comrades, for the sake of your health and for the  lives of the children, DO NOT attend any 4th of July fireworks displays.

Actually, we must end all fireworks displays. For you see, fireworks are toxic. Moffitt.org:

[Firework display smoke] combustibles can produce toxic fallout that poses serious human health and environmental dangers.
[.]
...fireworks are made up of gun powder, accelerant, heavy metals and numerous contaminants, such as ozone, carbon dioxide, nitric oxide and sulfur dioxide. The toxic smoke and dust produced during firework displays can be inhaled directly into the lungs. The negative health effects of fireworks go far beyond temporary lung inflammation and respiratory problems, however.

Carcinogenic and endocrine-disrupting chemicals released by fireworks can later invade the body through contaminated water or soil. That’s because firework displays often take place over oceans, rivers and lakes, and the resulting toxic fallout can directly contaminate water sources. In addition to posing a direct health risk to humans, these pollutants can affect fish and other aquatic life, and eventually move up the food chain.

The dangerous chemicals released during firework displays can wreak havoc on the human body, affecting the endocrine system, immune system, gastrointestinal system and metabolism, as well as the neurotransmitters in the brain.

Basic, common knowledge tells us we know that if we smell something, anything, we are actually inhaling micro-particles of the substance that we smell. And since there is absolutely no safe level of smoke, or second-hand smoke, we cannot and must not allow fireworks displays to continue.

And all that particulate matter from the fireworks smoke finds its way into the earth and water supply. The only logical conclusion is that if you are adamantly opposed to any level of second-hand cigarette smoke, you must hold and apply the same standard to the smoke and pollution caused by fireworks displays.

You don't want to poison the air and the water with toxic fallout from fireworks displays, do you?

In fact, if you oppose eliminating fireworks displays, you can only be an environment-hating, alt-Right-Hate-mongering Racist Republican who doesn't care at all about dirty air and filthy water.

Need more evidence? Well, check out Medical Xpress:

...[fireworks] displays are achieved by adding metals to the gunpowder. When a pyrotechnic display takes place it releases a lot of smoke, liberating minute metallic particles (of a few microns in size, or even less), which are small enough to be inhaled deeply into the lungs.
[.]
[Studies] confirm that the levels of lead, copper, strontium, potassium and magnesium skyrocketed after the fireworks were launched.
[.]
...researchers analysed [sic] the levels of more than 30 chemical elements and compounds [and found high concentrations of] lead, copper, strontium, potassium and magnesium skyrocketed after the fireworks were launched. [In addition], fireworks smoke includes high concentrations of] aluminium [sic], titanium, barium and antimony, and also concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) and sulphur dioxide (SO2).
[.]
The researcher compares the problem with that of tobacco.

For your health, and for all that is sacred and holy, my dear, newly-found kindred Anti-Smoking Nazis, stay indoors during all fireworks displays. Close all the windows and doors. Shut the shades. Tie a bandanna, or better yet a surgical breathing mask - and wear it for at least a full 24 hours after any fireworks display.

And take an added step of caution that I plan on doing, not to watch fireworks displays through a window. Who knows, it could be very hazardous.

And the children, oh - oh - oh, the children. You must keep them far, far away and indoors from any type of fireworks display. It would be nothing short of child endangerment, abuse and neglect if we allowed them to attend a fireworks display.

Even "smoke bombs" and "snakes" release toxins. You wouldn't give your child a lit cigarette, would you? It goes to reason, then, you don't want your child near any type of small-scale firework that emits metallic toxins and poisonous smoke.

Yes, I was against this group of goose-stepping Anti-Smoking Eichmann Kill-joys.  But no more. I am one with you. We are one. I am you. I am Negan. You are Negan. We are all Negan.

You can't possibly oppose all second-hand cigarette smoke and not oppose the toxic pollutants from fireworks. If there's one thing I now know, it's that Uber Liberal Anti-Cigarette Nazis are not hypocrites. No, they care. They really do. And that's what I overlooked for so long. Again, I'm sorry...Mea Culpa.

It's time to end this hazardous, polluting and toxic tradition of fireworks.

Lard Lad Fat Bastard Michael Moore Needs Ten People

The Fat Bastard, Michael Moore, says he will join a million other people in surrounding the U.S. Capitol in protesting President Donald Trump's Supreme Court selection. The Washington Examiner: 

...Moore said on Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO Friday, “I'll join a million other people surrounding the United States Capitol."  Moore was on the show to promote his upcoming anti-Trump movie, Fahrenheit 11/9.

Well, since Tubby is grotesquely obese enough to represent 999,990 individuals, there only need be ten more people joining him to total one million people.

And oh - gee - he appeared on "Real Time" to promote his upcoming movie "Fahrenheit 11/9".

Is this giant, lard filled Rubber so bereft of creativity he has to continually rip-off the partial title of the classic 1953 Ray Bradbury novel and the iconic 1966 film of the same name?

Can this Fat Fcuk do one, single act of altruism...maybe paying $ 2,251 on behalf of an orphan who is being sued by the Social Security Admin?

$2, 251 must be one-tenth of what The Fat Bastard spends daily on M&M's.

Yeah, yeah, yeah...I'm sure the Fat Bastard's colossal obesity is glaaaaaaandular and not metabolic syndrome.

Tech News

The Revered Cone of Silence

And I thought the Cone of Silence was awesome...well it is, but check out...

...Science Daily - Spectral Cloaking:

Most current cloaking devices can fully conceal the object of interest only when the object is illuminated with just one color of light. However, sunlight and most other light sources are broadband, meaning that they contain many colors. The new device, called a spectral invisibility cloak, is designed to completely hide arbitrary objects under broadband illumination.

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Ars Technia - 1990 Technology For 2018:

I decided to enroll the Macintosh IIsi as my main computing system for a while. A 1990 bit of gear would now go through the 2018 paces. Just how far can 20MHz of raw processing power take you in the 21st century?

So how does 20MHz fare in 2018? You'll have to read the story.
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You've seen it, you've perhaps interfaced with it without even knowing. So, WTF is Dark Pattern Design? TechCrunch:

Manipulative timing is a key element of dark pattern design. In other words when you see a notification can determine how you respond to it. Or if you even notice it. Interruptions generally pile on the cognitive overload — and deceptive design deploys them to make it harder for a web user to be fully in control of their faculties during a key moment of decision.

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Remember this story when the U.S. - some day - thinks that this is the panacea to everything. ZD Net: India's digital Universal ID program is deeply flawed[.]

When the Indian government embarked on the plan to issue a compulsory nationwide universal identification (UIDAI) and accompanying digital payment system, the idea was that technology would act as an efficient tool for service delivery as well as a panacea for rampant corruption.

Well..how do you think it worked out?

A: Just as planned
B: It tanked, sucked and made things worse
C: It caused Pennywise  to appear

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Computer World: Win 10 1803 needs...

.

.

.

...wait for it...

.

.

.

...wait for it...

.

.

.
... Security patches. MS is stuck in 1992.

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ATTN GAMERS - Geek: Hitman 2 and an interview with Sven Liebold.
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All ECommerce: Study shows online retail experience embarrassingly slow.

* The Average Score This Year Was 45% - Retailers did not do well in this evaluation. In fact, the highest score this year was only a 63% - down from a D+ last year.
[.]
* Mobile Performance Is “Embarrassingly Slow”
* Third Party Requests Are Slowing Down Sites

- - -
Is this fake news? Splinter News: White house want to enact FART Act.

...the White House wants Congress to pass a bill that “provides Trump a license to raise U.S. tariffs at will.” The bill is called the United States Fair and Reciprocal Tariff Act.

- - -
Extreme Tech: Facebook Files Patent For Exactly the Kind of Spying It Claims It Doesn’t Do.

In a patent application filed on June 14 and first discovered by the UK publication Metro, Facebook requested a patent on exactly the kind of system it has sworn that it never uses. 

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Technocracy: It's okay to hate Hungary because they don't kowtow to EU values. 

Hungary Refuses To Bow To the EU’s Imperial Technocracy[.]
[.]
The Hungarian government and in particular the prime minister, Viktor Orban, are continually denounced for their alleged violations of EU values. The mainstream Western media have picked up the message that it is okay to hate Hungary.

"What are EU Values?", has to be the answer/question to a Jeopardy Daily Double under the category "Extreme and Laughable Oxymorons."
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BGR: Consumer Reports investigates Comcast's hidden fees.

With the proliferation of add-on fees, it’s nearly impossible for consumers to find out the full cost of a cable package before they get locked into a contract[.]

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TechDirt: Some of their Comments of the Week. Kinda hard to give you a preview or snippet, ya just gotta go there and read it.
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NextGov: There is no White House Cyber Coordinator.

White House National Security Adviser John Bolton eliminated the cybersecurity coordinator position soon after taking office in May.

The elimination was greeted with consternation by many cyber analysts who believed [...] U.S. cyber policy, was too complex to be subsumed into broader White House operations.

This is a very valid concern.
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Security Week: Facebook app exposes data of 120 million: 

...privacy bug on Nametests.com resulted in the data of over 120 million users who took personality quizzes on Facebook to be publicly exposed.

Patched as part of Facebook’s Data Abuse Bounty Program, the vulnerability resided in Nametests.com serving users’ data to any third-party that requested it, something that shouldn’t normally happen.

I have such a hard time believing that the numerous data breaches of Facebook are "accidental."
- - -
UberGizmo: Camera explodes on the foot of a man trying to take videos up women's skirts.

...a 32-year old man from Wisconsin, [attempting to take] upskirt photos and videos [using] a camera he had attached to his shoe blew up on him. Thankfully this happened before he managed to get any actual footage because according to the reports, he was testing out the camera at home when the battery exploded.
[.]
He had to be taken to the hospital for his burns[.]
The action of upskirting is considered a felony under Wisconsin state law[.]

World News - July 1, 2018

Times of India: Angela Merkel attempts to calm her conservative critics.

Merkel's government has been pushed to the brink over the migration issue after allowing more than one million asylum-seekers into Germany since 2015.

The policy has provoked a backlash from Merkel's conservative CSU coalition[.]

- - -
Lucify: An asylum seeking map of immigration into Europe.  Scroll down to the map, hover your icon on various places on the map for detail.
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Italy will not accept migrants from NGO orgs. BBC:

[Italy's Interior Minister] has often accused the NGOs of encouraging the trafficking of migrants.

- - -
The New Zealand Herald: North Korea fully expected to conceal the number of weapons it has and secret production facilities, according to U.S. officials.
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Uber's gender pay gap. The Sydney Morning Herald:

A study of more than a million American Uber rideshare drivers has found male drivers get roughly 7 per cent more an hour, on average, than female drivers.

- - -
Metro: Four young men die in car accident with an Uber:

[They] crashed head-on with the Uber travelling [sic] from the opposite direction at around 2.40am on Saturday.

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The Final Battle for Brexit. Political Betting: 

The Government has done nothing to prepare the public for any form of major concessions.
[.]
When the choice confronting Britain finally becomes apparent (probably in October), the public mood is likely to become sulphurous [sic].

- - -
Hindustan Times: Eleven members of a family were found hanging blindfolded in their home in north Delhi’s Sant Nagar near Burari on Sunday morning, said police.

...a neighbour with whom the businessman used to go for morning walks went to call him and found door open and found the family, including the businessman, hanging.
[.]
“The neighbour told us that the door usually remained closed. But on Sunday, it was open," [said police].

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Restaurant manager fired for refusing to serve customer in MAGA Hat. The Epoch Times:

“... our manager went up to the gentleman and asked him to take off his hat, that he wouldn’t serve him with that hat on,”, [said Eva Gates, vice president of Human Resources for the Sequoia Group of Restaurants that owns the Teahouse].
[.]
In another statement, the company said they had fired [the manager] for violating the company’s “philosophy of tolerance.”

- - -

Is recycling rigged against us?  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Americans were not set up for success in recycling plastics.
[.]
Why such terrible rates? Partly because some changes that were supposed to make recycling simpler ended up making it almost impossible.

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First Post: Boko Haram kills four civilians in an attack.

The gunmen entered the camp in the town of Banki near the border with Cameroon on bicycles and on foot Friday night and opened fire.

- - -
Trump's "Space Force" is for real. Washington Examiner: 

...the idea of a Space Force has captured the imagination of Internet memesters and Trump supporters alike.
[.]
“We're going to win at space,” Trump said to thunderous applause at a recent rally. “Space Force. People love that.”

- - -
The Telegraph: U.S. teachers receive training on using hand guns.

The curriculum includes handgun basics, range shooting, casualty care tactics and roleplaying with an active shooter and simulated fire.

- - -
Social Security Admin sues 6-year old orphan boy. Forbes:

It was Social Security’s mistake in every way, shape and form. Yet Social Security has a rule – if it pays us benefits due to their mistake, it’s our mistake and we have to repay.

Dylan is in absolutely no financial position to repay the $2,251.

- - -  
The Mirror: DNA proves innocent for a man who spent 23 years on death row. 

"... it took them 15 years to give me a DNA test for Mrs Craig’s murder – I watched other men walk free while I waited."

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Kelo Land: Family creates their own ice cream truck.

One central Iowa family didn't have an ice cream truck in their neighborhood so they decided to take matters into their own hands and launch a family-owned business too.

TSA to grope snacks?

Here we go again, with the TSA groping your children and grandma snacks: The Day

TSA agents are instructing [passengers] to remove their snacks and other food items from their carry-ons and place them in those ubiquitous plastic bins for separate screening.

It's not part of agency's standard policy, according to TSA spokesman Mike England[.]
[.]
[The] "recommendation" appears to be gaining steam and moving rapidly into the territory of de-facto protocol[.]

Ho! We actually have a name of a person from the TSA instead of the usual, "The TSA says..."

"De-facto protocol"?!?!? The TSA is nothing but de-facto protocol.

What will the TSA do next...search your liver?

Fat Bastard Michael Moore says," We have to put our bodies on the line."

Leni Riefenstahl Lard Lad propagandist Michael Moore, says:

"The only way that we’re going to stop [President Donald Trump] is eventually we’re all going to have to put our bodies on the line. You’re going to have to be willing to do this."

Well...The Fat Bastard certainly has enough "body" to put on the line.

Because Fat Shaming the Fat Bastard is fun.

 

Click on the "labels" below for more Fat Bastard Fat Shaming.

Maybe...if the lines were painted 50 yards apart?!?!?!?

We've all seen the below, in person, or pics from a friend or online.  I'm probably the 189th million blogger/Tweeter/social media etc to post a pic like this...

...but we all agree, don't we, that the below would continue happening even if the white lines were 50 yards apart? Can I get an 'Amen'? Thanks.

(Actual image taken by me. Not a Pho-shop or a pic found via search).

Tesla Electric Cars: Dirty, Filthy, Polluting, Earth Destroying, Global Warming Escalatng Contributor

The pure, clean, enviro-friendly electric Tesla cars are no better for the environment than diesel or gas. Climate Change Dispatch:

Despite being recognized as among the most environmentally friendly on the market, Tesla vehicles harm the planet just about as much as their diesel and petrol equivalents, according to a recent analysis by Engaged Tracking, a London-based research firm.
[.]
This is because more CO2 is emitted during the manufacturing of electric vehicles, and the electricity Tesla vehicles in the U.K. require are generated mostly by coal and gas.
[.]
Tesla countered with: "the group’s findings, claiming the comparison of a Model S — a larger model — to an average vehicle is not fair."

Oh, gee - the "[ it's ] not fair" cry from the Left / Earth-Fcukers. What isn't unfair to them? When have they ever been "fair"?

Unfortunately for Tesla, this is not the first study that concluded electric cars proved no benefit to the environment.

From the same story/link above:

The Manhattan Institute published a report in May that analyzed the cost of electric automobiles and their effectiveness to clean the environment.

The Institute’s findings were quite notable: electric cars actually increase the amount of pollution into the atmosphere compared to new internal combustion vehicles.

So far, (and tech can change), electric cars provide no benefit to the environment. This information has no impact or effect on the Enviro-First-Facts-Don't-Matter crowd who will once again don their denial cap and undergo yet another session of flip of the switch.

Wolrd News - June 27, 2018

Lake County, CA Image: ©Canadian Press

 
Wildfire in Northern Cali rages. MSN:

The fire in Lake County north of San Francisco is now nearly 18 square miles[.]
[.]
... over the weekend residents had to evacuate all homes in the town of Spring Valley, where about 3,000 people live.

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India Today - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau  criticized for taking too many days off and worsening ties with India:

The Canadian Conservative Party's tweet..."Justin Trudeau is taking yet another "personal" day today.["]

- - -
SMH.au - Liberal Party gathering at a chicken and kebab shop turns into brawl:

There are conflicting stories on what caused the brawl.

- - -
Eurasia Review Op/Ed: Trump is right leaving the Iran deal.

...the Obama administration’s bad deal, [was] long on promises but short on verifiable claims of denuclearization by the Iranian regime.

- - -
The Week (UK): A "far-right" surge in Sweden.

EU’s most liberal country could be next to face populist earthquake, analysts suggest[.]
[.]
Dozens of people have been killed over the past two years by gangs mostly from run-down suburbs dominated by immigrants.
[.]
The rise in violence, which has been linked to Sweden’s liberal “open-door” policies[.]

- - -
Science Alert: Astronomers Are Freaking Out Over a Very, VERY BRIGHT Cow:

[The Cow] stood out [because] it was so unlike a standard exploding star.

Most events like it take several weeks to reach peak luminosity, but in the course of just three days, AT2018cow became about 10 times as bright as a normal supernova.

 Image: Clipartix

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BBC|Northern Ireland:  When is it too hot to work? (Not just outside).

Beside a furnace...[which] is kept at around 1150F so it's hot anywhere close to it no matter the time of the year.

- - -
London South East: UK business, unions and workers want Brexit fast-tracked:

"We are calling on the UK government and the EU to inject pace and urgency in the negotiations, bringing about measurable progress, in particular a backstop arrangement to avoid a hard border in Ireland."

- - -
I News: Tampons should be free. (Are they being caged?)

Image: Vintage Paper ads

- - -

BBC: London mortuaries installing more coolers for obese people.

Funeral director Ashley McDonald recently had to install an extra-wide fridge to make sure his firm could keep up with a heavier population.

"We've bought fridges with a larger than standard door to help us to be sustainable for the future as people are getting larger."

- - -

Talk about a more appropriate time for the title of an Alice Cooper album:

Flush The Fashion

Flush it indeed. Take in the latest from the Paris Men's Fashion 2019 Spring/Summer collection.  Who is wearing these clothes and where? Other than the catwalk? There are 55 images. Keep on scrolling down the link...heck, maybe you will find something you like.
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Typo fixed 6/27/2018

Woman goes meltdown whack on Spirit Airlines

How did this woman pass the TSA checkpoint, as opposed to the "threat" posed by a 96 year-old lady in a wheelchair?

It's too bad the TSA can't "pat-down" what's going on in someones mind. (Although I'm sure it's just a matter of time until the TSA implements technology that will read our thoughts and brain  before allowing us to board our flight).

(Possible short commercial prior to the plane video).

From ABC7 / Chicago:  

Passengers on a Spirit Airlines flight are describing what they saw when a woman had a mid-flight meltdown on the way from Houston to Minneapolis, [that occurred when] the flight made an emergency landing in Rochester, Minnesota, for a different passenger who needed medical attention.
[.]
During the intense one-minute, 20-second video, the woman curses, makes threats involving her brothers, and acts erratically before a plane full of stunned passengers.

"Get me the f*** off this (long string of expletives) plane!" the woman screams. "You want to be (expletive) and b**chy to me? You'll see me f***ing pissed."
[.]
"Do you know who my brothers are? They are f***ing Marine snipers. Do you want to f*** with a f***ing Marine?" she screams, before pushing her way toward the cockpit.

The ABC7 story mentions some believe the woman has PTSD, which, if so, I truly feel for her. But that's not justification for this behavior on an airplane or in public. I hope she seeks help before she harms herself and/or others.

Saint Maxine Waters, Patron Saint of Harassers and Bullies

In April, California Rep. Maxine Waters [D-LooneyBin], accused President Donald Trump of "bullying California."  (How do you 'bully' a landmass?) Truth Feed News:

Maxine Waters, the Cali Rep. who calls for Trump’s impeachment every other day, is now saying that Trump is bullying California because he didn’t win the state[.]
[.]
...she thought President Donald Trump was being “vindictive” and “taking it out” on California[.]

And in December 2017, Saint Maxine decried Fox News as being "holy" and "bullying everybody." 

Just another case of deranged, Liberal  psychological projection.

On Saturday, June 23, Saint Maxine encouraged confrontational harassment of Trump staffers. And she said, 'God is on our side.' The Christian Post:

At a weekend rally in California, Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters encouraged her supporters...

"Go forth in multitudes ye Liberal Fringe and Harass those who disagree with 'us'. Do not allow them to dine in peace, buy gasoline in peace nor shop in department stores in peace. We shall harass them and bully them day and night, without end, for eternity. And, God is on our side! Except on that abortion thingy. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!"

Okay, she didn't say those exact words...but yeah, that's what she said.

This is the same Saint Maxine who referred to the deaths of over 50 people and property damage exceeding $1 Billion Dollars as "an insurrection."

Saint Maxine later tried to back-peddle her pro-harassment LA speech by saying "Protest is civility." CNN:

"I have nothing to do with the way people decide to protest," she said. "I have no way of telling people how to protest, what they should protest."

What's with the sudden memory loss, because Saint Maxine did indeed tell her minions how they should protest. "Harass them" when dining, when buying gasoline and when in department stores. For once, Saint Maxine's words were not unclear.

Model/Actor and possible future Conservative political candidate Antonio Sabato, Jr. suggests putting Saint Maxine in jail for,  basically, inciting harassment and bullying

Saint Maxine...final, irrefutable, empirical evidence that Cali grows the best ganj in the world. Take another toke, Saint Maxine. God is on your side.

EU + Copyright Reform = Making Sausages

The quote is attributed to Otto von Bismarck: "Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made."

And in some cases, this with the EU, these sausages internet regulations should simply be abandoned.

From The Journal.ie:

The EU [Legal Affairs Committee] narrowly passed the reform, with 13 votes in favour and 11 against in a ballot that was kept secret given the bitter divisions on the issue. This means the Copyright Directive is now in its final form.
[.]
* Article 11 would force online platforms like Google and Facebook to pay for links to news content they use. Major publishers have pushed for the reform, seeing it as an urgently needed solution against a backdrop of free online news that has decimated earnings for traditional media companies.

* Article 13 would require websites to monitor copyrighted material and would make them legally liable for any copyrighted material shared by users.

From Futurism:

Article 11 would create a new “link tax” that would force news aggregators, search engines, blogs, social networks, and publishers to get a license before linking to any other news source.
[.]
Article 13 would institute “censorship machines” that would scan every piece of user-uploaded content for any copyright infringement, no matter whether it’s a meme, a parody, or some other totally innocuous piece of content.
[.]
We already know this kind of link tax doesn’t work to bring more income to publications. As Julia Reda, German Member of the European Parliament, points out, the result of similar “link taxes” in Germany and Spain was disappointing. “Journalists certainly never saw additional remuneration,” she writes[.]
[.]
“Algorithms that do content-matching are frankly terrible at it,” writes Cory Doctorow, journalist and co-editor of Boing Boing, in a blog post for the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Tech News

 
Take the time to read this. Technocracy: We are All Prisoners of the Surveillance State:

We now find ourselves in the unenviable position of being monitored, managed and controlled by our technology, which answers not to us but to our government and corporate rulers.

Consider that on any given day, the average American going about his daily business will be monitored, surveilled [sic], spied on and tracked in more than 20 different ways, by both government and corporate eyes and ears.

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In the "Thank You, EU" Department, memes could become a punishable offense.  BGR:

As Business Insider reports, Article 13 of the new EU Copyright Directive has been approved, and it could have a huge impact on the amount of potentially copyright-infringing content you see on sites like Reddit, Twitter, and Facebook.

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ZD Net: Is your brain analog or digital?

 

Credit: iStock / D3Damon via Medical Xpress

- - - 

Naked Security - iPhone pwned? Can iOS be unlocked without running out of attempts?

...a security researcher known as Hacker Fantastic just published a video purporting to show a way that you can get more than 10 guesses at a locked iPhone’s PIN – without opening up the device or trying a physical bypass of the security hardware.

- - -
Ars Technia: The second man to walk on the moon, Buzz Aldrin is suing his family, his son, his former manager and just about everyone else.

[Aldrin's lawsuit] alleges that the family has taken advantage of the 88-year-old through a de facto guardianship.

- - -
Ars Technia: If you have children playing Nintendo you need to read this and from Reddit, this.

...it seems hackers have found a way to insert indecent content into our children's games.

[And] it seems to be an issue with users' profile pictures. The picture was changed several times over the course of my time patrolling, each picture being [graphic content].

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PC World - Review and all the specs on Lenovo's Y730 laptop for gaming.
- - -
Dark Reading.com: Email scam: pay the ransom or get infected with the WannaCry virus.

...the attackers don't really have the WannaCry malware in hand. "Simply put, it's a protection racket[."]

- - -
Not for the squeamish. Ars Technia: Selfies show worm slithered through woman’s face for 2 weeks.

... she noticed an unusual lump on her cheek, below her left eye. Five days later it was gone, but another had formed just above her left eye.
[.]
To track the progress of her roving blemish, she took selfies.

- - -
We all wish we had more hours in the day, don't we? Well,  there's always a day on Venus. Ars Technia:

Sunrise to sunrise (metaphorically speaking, given Venus’ cloud-choked atmosphere), a day there is about 117 Earth-days long.

Long days on Venus.  Image: ©Planet-C

Charles Krauthammer: 1950 - 2018

Charles Krauthammer, the definitive definition of civility. 

Charles Krauthammer March 13, 1950 - June 21, 2018

Various obituaries

CBS News

NY Daily News

NY Post

NPR

And Variety:

Fox News’ Chris Wallace said that “in all the years I knew Charles, I never heard him express any sense of pity, why me.
[.]
"He loved his Washington Nationals."

I don't know if Mr. K. enjoyed hockey or not, but everyone in Washington must have had some degree of thrill in seeing - after 44 years - their Capitals win the 2018 Stanley Cup.

If his last name wasn't Fonda, he'd just be another heroin junkie/meth head, slowly killing himself, on a San Fran street.

It makes me wonder about the degree of depravity and mental instability when a person like Peter Fonda writes or says something like this.

Oh, yeah - dude...Mr. Makes Terroristic Threats at a Child...it doesn't look like those frontal hair transplant grafts survived. That's a shame. Sometimes "plugs" just don't "take".

As opposed to, oh, I don't know...James Woods, who has a great head of hair...

...and is, by leaps and bounds, a much, much better and talented actor.

Tech News - Time To Reclaim our Privacy Edition

We will rue the day we voluntarily gave up our privacy to tech devices. And that day already happened. The rue is coming... 

Google Home + Chromecast = hackers discover exact physical location of IOT (Internet of Things). Threat Post:

Google Home and Chromecast devices allow attackers to uncover the precise physical locations of the connected gadgets thanks to two common internet of things issues present in both.
[.]
...an attacker can use DNS rebinding to carry out an attack. This is a technique where JavaScript in a malicious web page is used to communicate with or gain control of a victim router or other target device that uses a default password and web-based administration.

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Geek: MS helping ICE.

...there’s one piece of Microsoft news we’ve been sad to see not get a ton reporting, news that’s not quite new but disturbingly relevant again. In case you didn’t know, Microsoft is supporting ICE[.]

- - -
Beta News: MicroSoft backtracks; distancing itself from ICE collaboration.

...people took to social media to call out Microsoft, making references to the child separation policy; shortly afterwards, the ICE reference was deleted. Now it is back[.]

- - -

Technocracy: DHS is quietly building a database that includes facial recognition, DNA and relationships:

In late May, EFF filed comments criticizing DHS’s plans to collect, store, and share biometric and biographic records it receives from external agencies and to exempt this information from the federal Privacy Act. 

I ask: just how much more personal information do you want DHS to have on you? DHS is out of control.  Biometric Update:

The database will include multiple biometrics, including face images and DNA data, as well as “data from questionable sources, and highly personal data on innocent people." 

Please, please, please - get involved with the EFF.
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MIT Tech Review: It's time to REIGN IN THE DATA BARONS!
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Gizmodo: Alexa in your hotel room.

[You] forget your toothbrush [while on vacation]. [Don't call the front desk, tell Alexa].  Amazon’s new Alexa for Hospitality service, which puts an Echo device in your hotel room, might let you avoid the conversation altogether, and let you bring a bit of your always-on, always-listening, always-spying smart home with you. So don’t do anything stupid.

Yeah - calling the front desk for a toothbrush, or going to the nearest retail store and buying a new tooth brush -- well, it's just such a laborious task for some people. 
- - -
Information Week - Quantum computing needs to be on your radar now:

Quantum computing will bring wonderful advances to our lives, BUT - - - it will also be used for incredibly nefarious purposes.
- - -
Tech News World: Hacking Academia.
- - -
Recall Vault 7 ?  Bleeping Computer:  Ex-CIA Employee Charged with Leak of Classified CIA Vault 7 Hacking Tools 

The Department of Justice has announced new charges against former CIA software engineer Joshua Schulte for allegedly leaking classified CIA documents, software projects, and hacking utilities called Vault 7 to WikiLeaks. Schulte was charged on August 24, 2017 with possession of child pornography, but was also believed to be the source of the embarrassing leak of CIA documents.

- - -
Who OWNS BIG MEDIA?  Recode has a wonderful diagram explaining it all.
- - -
Yep...the  refrain coming is, "Well, everyone else got that 'mark' on their forehead or hand, so why not me?"

Happy Father's Day

The below from Here.

A father is a person who loves and respects you.
He is honest and he never neglects you.
He is the greatest that your eyes will ever see.
No other man like him will there ever be.
When you are in your bedroom and scared at night;
A father comes in to let you know that everything is alright.
Education is important so stay in school hanging out on the streets is not so cool.
Listen to me son, so the day you become a man.
Like me you will do everything you can.
A father is like no other man around
Another man like him can never be found.

© Sally B. Williams

I'd forgotten today was Dad's day. The kids (well, they're all grown) reminded me.

Happy and Blessed Father's Day to all Dads.

Tech News

Information Week - Commentary: Why Microsoft's purchase of GitHub isn't an apocalypse.

 - - -
WIRED: AT&T / Time Warner deal done; now what?
- - -
TechDirt: AT&T's purchase of Time Warner brings competitive headaches.
- - -
Martian Dust storm lets rover nap. C|NET:

NASA's Opportunity rover is stuck in a huge storm that has literally turned day to night, forcing the solar-powered robot to nap for now.

[.]

Within a week, the storm had grown to cover an area larger than North America. Just a few days later, NASA says the storm has more than doubled in size again making it nearly the size of Asia and casting a very ominous shadow on the Opportunity Rover, which is caught in the storm.

Mars Dust Storm - Image: NASA

- - -  
Tech Crunch: "THEY" can see you through your walls.

...a system that can see your body through walls, recreating your poses when you walk, sit, or simply stand still. 

- - -
Digg: Wheelies.
(I don't know why the lower screen is like that. It's a simple copy and paste embed code. Tried a few times, couldn't get rid of it. Click lower right and make it full screen).

- - -
BGR: The Michael Moore-mobile?

Morbidly obese VW bus will serve free hot dogs in NYC all summer.

 Image Source: Public Art Fund

- - - 

PC World: Toshiba's affordable SSD (review).

- - - 

BETA News: Windows 10 tales of woe. (And there was much weeping and gnashing of teeth).

- - - 

ArsTechnia: Tesla layoffs number thousands.

- - - 

ZD Net: NTSB Preliminary report on Tesla Crash:

The agency found no evidence that the vehicle's crash-avoidance systems kicked in before the horrific crash[.]

[.]

"At three seconds prior to the crash and up to the time of impact with the crash attenuator, the Tesla's speed increased from 62 to 70.8mph, with no precrash braking or evasive steering movement detected," the report notes.

- - -
Gizmodo: Elon Musk looks like God? Or does God look like Elon Musk?
- - -
Phys.org: Queen bees under a lot of pressure.

- - -
Geek: Nerdy gifts for geeky Dads for Father's Day.
- - -
Science News: New theory that the Easter Island (Rapa Nui) statues were pulled [using] cylinders up a ramp with ropes[.]:

No more than 15 people were needed to manipulate ropes that rolled stone cylinders, or pukao, up ramps.

[.]

The hatlike cylinders were then tipped over to rest atop statues[.]

[.]

Hundreds of [statues] [measure] up to 10 meters tall and [weigh] up to 74 metric tons.

 Image: C. Lipo

Improving TSA

First, I've called the TSA people FAT TSA CUNTS aplenty, here and here .  But for this post, I'll feign respect and objectivity, referring to them as employees or just TSA.

And yes, I am sure the majority of TSA workers do their job very efficiently, professionally and courteously. But there are way too many TSA scandals of an intrusive TSA. Far too many. And those that defy comprehension. If I'm going to be critical of something, I also think it requires me to have answers to what I'm bitching about. And I don't know these are THE answers or solutions, but I think they are worth consideration.

* Once the TSA worker's gloves have examined my shoes, the pat-down is over. I do not want them touching any other part of my body with the same gloves that just were on my shoes and soles. If TSA wants to pat me down again after examining my shoes, they need to put on a new pair of their fancy little blue gloves.

* I want to personally see the TSA worker put on a new pair of gloves before they touch me. While TSA policy may say they require their "pat-down" people to change gloves with each person, I want to see them put on fresh gloves before they touch me. [T]he more intimate the contact, the germier it gets  and the increased infection risks at airport pat-downs.

*  TWICE IS ENOUGH: Unless during the pat-down some anomaly is suspected or out of the ordinary, two pat-downs are enough. Some TSA workers run their hands over a part of the body five, six, nine, or more times. This is ridiculous. Twice is enough. If something seems amiss, then a different TSA worker should  check out the specific area. If everything seems legit, end the pat-down and let the person leave. If something doesn't seem right, take additional steps for making a determination.

* Either screen, inspect and swab every wheelchair, "walker", cane, crutch, etc or screen none of them. It's senseless to check a "random wheelchair" and not the next seven.

* Establish a defined process for the least invasive pat-down for children under, say age 10. And there is no valid reason why the parent or adult companion of a child cannot be with or near the child during the process, PERIOD.

* Establish a defined process for the least invasive pat-down for the elderly and any person with special needs. Again, in these cases, there is no reason to deny an adult to be near or with an infirm person during the procedure. Imagine someone with Alzheimer's or other cognitive loss or physical disability (spine issues, unable to stand, lift their arms up,etc) being detained for a 5 or 6 minute pat-down. The intrusive and prolonged "pat-down" experience that happened to a 96 year -old woman  should never happen to anyone. It is disrespectful and undignified.

* Any flyer who passes the defined pat down procedure should  never be denied boarding their flight because they refuse to allow TSA to see their colostomy bag , prosthesis or other devices that some people depend on to live. The people who have these devices can help themselves by  having a letter from their physician, stating simply so-and-so has a medical condition. For medical privacy, the specific condition does not need to be stated.

"Okay, Dave, but a letter from a doctor can be faked."  Yep, it sure can, as can many other documents, passports or other items and devices. How far do you want to carry this? These are colostomy bags, prosthetics, pace makers and other medical devices, not, "We suspect you're concealing a howitzer." If the goal is completely eliminating 100% of all risk in flying, the only alternative is to never get on a plane.

* An alternative to hands: What else could be used to perform the pat-down that isn't a pair of human hands? Something similar to a ruler, perhaps? An oval rolling pin? Something other than a pair of hands groping and frisking?

* The TSA worker needs to describe the reason for additional or more intimate pat-downs. "There appears to be a secret compartment in your shoe heel."  "Please allow us to confirm you're carrying an actual portable oxygen concentrator."

* Absolutely no secret watch-list  of Americans asserting their Constitutional Rights.

* Names and titles/positions of the TSA need to be provided in reports or any TSA response. No more, "The TSA says...", "The TSA replied..." - The TSA can't verbalize anything. It is an inorganic structure. Names and titles need to be included in all TSA responses and replies.

* We are also part of this problem. Parents, guardians...we have accepted and acquiesced in allowing the intrusive nature in all pat-downs, but especially those of children and the elderly.  If you witnessed any other person touching your child in the same manner of the TSA, you'd be correctly screaming, "child molester." Yet, parents sit passively while their children are groped. We can end this, but we must speak out and take action.

* It must be mandatory that after a TSA worker puts on their blue gloves, before the pat-down begins, they hand you a business card with the following information: their first and last name, TSA ID Employee Number and both a regional TSA location, address and phone number as well as the national TSA location, phone number, address and email addresses. Police officers give out a card. So does the sheriff. FBI agents give out a card. So why not the TSA?

These incidents of intrusive or OVERKILL pat-downs that go viral makes me wonder if TSA workers aren't doing this deliberately, some sort of contest,  to see who can go further than the other in dehumanizing and demeaning another individual in some sort of sick and perverted game.

A little over a year ago, the TSA warned police agencies of the latest intrusive pat-down procedures.   If you're informing police agencies nationwide that, "Hey, you might be receiving phone calls from people claiming sexual harassment, attempted rape, child molestation and elder abuse, don't worry, it's just us TSA," then the invasiveness must be pretty unsavory and humiliating. How much more leverage do you want these people to have?

Is the TSA effective? You be the judge.

This is not something that, over time, will become less intrusive on its own.

Additional reading:

Your Rights at airport screenings and checkpoints.

Does your doctor choose radiation scans or "pat downs"?

What the TSA won't tell you.