Just a reminder, you still have time to pick up a card or flowers, if your significant other expects that sort of thing… and what a nice surprise if they don’t!
n
Added- 64F and foggy. Weird smells too. Swampy, with an extra tang.
Wed. Feb. 14, 2018 — Valentine’s Day!
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Very long but very worth reading if you want to understand what is happening in Germany and the EU with “immigrants”, from an interview with a woman who has “seen the elephant.” She’s still not completely free of her wrong ideas, but she is on the way.
https://vladtepesblog.com/2018/02/07/those-people-who-ate-with-me-drank-danced-laughed-they-talk-about-me-as-stupid-german-whore/
n
We need more women like that in Europe. We’re getting there, but it sure is a slog, getting past the stupid progressives. Ms. Merkel has a lot to answer for.
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Yesterday’s thread, on the subject of clueless managers, especially IT managers…
Most of y’all know that I teach technical courses, mostly programming. The program where I do about 2/3 of my teaching is in Wirtschaftsinformatik – that’s something that barely exists in English language schools, although there are a few programs under names like “Business Information Systems”. This is basically a combined business/IT degree. The idea is that business people really, really need to understand the technical side of things. So our graduates are meant to start out as things like technical business analysts, etc. – and eventually become the project managers, the IT managers, etc..
Even though students sign up for the degree knowing what it entails, we get endless harping about the technical content. “I just wanna be a manager, why do I have to write programs?”. To which the impolite answer would be: “so you won’t be a clueless idiot manager who doesn’t know what IT can do – and what it can’t.” We put it more politely than that, of course.
I just came from an exam review, for the students who failed their first semester of programming. I only failed around 40% this year. Must be getting soft. They get a second chance at the exam in two weeks, or they can start over next year, or they can go away and study something else. Most of them ought to go study something else – no more than another 10% or so will do any better the second time. It seems that you either can think technically, or you can’t.
Yes the need to understand the problem. Back in the late 70s I was starting to move from the tech side of computers to programming. Mostly we were doing accounting systems so a friend of mine suggested that I take the two most basic courses. I went to night classes at the local JC and took Accounting 1A and 1B, as my friend stated that would cover about 90% of anything I needed to know. (He had a degree in economics and never did anything but accounting). Proved to be more than good advice.
I have the opposite problem. I’m a pretty darned good technician (if I do say so myself). I keep the network, SQL server, and clients humming along. I’m a decent supervisor. My guys like working with me and I with them.
I’m a lousy manager. I hate paperwork and the political BS that goes along with the job. Every once in a while I’m tempted to tell ’em all where to go. Years of teaching myself restraint pay off at times like this. The kids, the side job, and my running shoes are all that keep me sane.
As an IT manager, I completely understand the problems. Started out in IT support, and have drifted in and out of management positions depending on the size of the place I was at. I am currently a gov contractor, and we support several classified labs. I approach my role as just trying to give the guys focus on what needs to be done. I am not opposed to any ideas, but am not afraid to kill something if it doesn’t fit the need. Yeah, that is a cool idea and looks fun, but is it the best option to get the job done?
I do keep my skills up though…I want to keep my employment options open.
Now if anyone wants to rant on the whole Information Assurance field (also known as cyber security) well, I have a few decades I can dedicate to that….
Added- 64F and foggy. Weird smells too. Swampy, with an extra tang.
Pacific moisture. I haven’t noticed it this morning in Austin, but, when moisture streams from that direction, I sometimes get whiffs of the same smell I associated with the rain in Portland starting in the Fall of 2011.
Smell that? You smell that?
Nuclear meltdown, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that.
I love the smell of fallout in the morning. You know, one time Fukushima melted down. The wave hit, the generators shut down, and then the cooling cut off. When it was all over, the radiation could be detected eight thousand miles away. The smell, you know that uranium smell. Smelled like… victory.
Mmmmm, toasted atoms…….
Mmmmmmm…….
n
Smell that? You smell that?
Mmmmm, toasted atoms…….
That’s ozone, one of the natural side effects of the radioactive particles (predominately gamma IIRC) zooming around during nuclear fission and decay. Something we had to keep a close eye on (the Ozone that is) in our nuke tubes (submarines). Ozone is a powerful oxidant and not good for life in high concentrations or long exposure.
F’ing web. Can’t connect, 400 errors, service unavailable….
ecommerce, blah
n
Weird smells too. Swampy, with an extra tang.
I call that smell … outhouse. It means that the Houston sewage treatment plants have shut off their air filtration systems.
“‘Numerous Fatalities’ in Shooting at Douglas High School in Parkland”
https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Police-Respond-Marjory-Stoneman-Douglas-High-School-Parkland-474078423.html
“A suspect is in custody after a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, left at least one person dead and multiple people injured Wednesday afternoon.”
Here we go again. Why cannot these crazy people just do themselves in ?
The gun grabbers are out in force already.
As I commented moments ago elsewhere, it’s too bad the declaration of a gun-free zone doesn’t come with an obligation to provide defense for those who are now barred from defending themselves, as well as personal liability for failing to do so.
The gun grabbers are out in force already.
As are Florida bashers, including the state’s own Sen. Bill “Space Shuttle junket” Nelson.
He’s completely forgotten who he represents. They all do to some extent, but his predecessor in that seat was a former Goveror, Bob Graham.
“doesn’t come with an obligation to provide defense for those who are now barred from defending themselves, as well as personal liability for failing to do so.”
I’ve argued this point many times. It was the basis of a lawsuit brought by survivors of the theater murders in Colorado. IIRC Judge dismissed the case. People need to keep bringing suits until they get precedent set. I told my wife if it ever happens to me to get on tv and go for it.
n
As I commented moments ago elsewhere, it’s too bad the declaration of a gun-free zone doesn’t come with an obligation to provide defense for those who are now barred from defending themselves, as well as personal liability for failing to do so.
They can’t. It is almost physically impossible when the number of people in the facility passes some magic number. Probably around 100 to 200. Certainly not the 2,000 to 5,000 in a high school.
I’ve been in one of the locked down disciplinary schools. Just to get inside is a disaster as each student has to be run through the metal detector and have their backpack checked. Lets say 60 seconds per student. And those metal detectors are turned down low, very low. Just about anything sets them off. They waived me around so I did not interrupt the process, which, was a violation of security right there.
I think that school administrators and teachers should have guns if they want to. But, there will still be deaths.
Yep, you know what else happened today?
100 million heavily armed citizens DIDN”T kill anyone.
n
There will be lessons learned from this, so far, from watching video, it doesn’t seem like cowering in fear is very productive.
100 million heavily armed citizens DIDN”T kill anyone.
Excellent point !
Of course that leave out the guys who crashed the gate at NSA headquarters, the gang bangers who shot each other at Mardi Gras, the two dead outside Maybelline factory, and whichever gangbangers shot each other in Chicongo…
Still within rounding error of 100 million.
n
http://raconteurreport.blogspot.com/
nice chart
“As long as the one place anyone bent on psychopathic homicide can count on being just about the only one around with a gun is schools, schools will be were most of the shootings are. About two times a week in the past three years.
And more kids get sacrificed every year on the 1990s-era decision to make them sacrificial lambs on campus, in perpetuity.”
School shootings are the case where we should bring back drawing and quartering. Should you have a question on the procedure, just watch “Braveheart”.
However, this person will sit on death row in Florida for 20 or 30 years and then be “humanely” executed.
Too fucking bad. If they have the gall to tell me that I can’t defend myself then they have taken the responsibility on themselves. If they can’t carry it out, they can be sued into penury or they can change their policy.
“3 arrested after SUV crashes main gate of NSA headquarters; 3 injured”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/02/14/reports-authorities-investigate-possible-shooting-outside-nsa-headquarters-near-washington/336321002/
And this makes no sense whatsoever. Why assault the front gate of a highly secured NSA building with a SUV ? Shoot, I would not even try it with a tank.
17 dead in Florida…
https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Police-Respond-Marjory-Stoneman-Douglas-High-School-Parkland-474078423.html
If they have the gall to tell me that I can’t defend myself then they have taken the responsibility on themselves. If they can’t carry it out, they can be sued into penury or they can change their policy.
Good luck with either of those choices. The third choice is best of all, don’t be there.
Shoot, I even get nervous at church and movie theaters nowadays.
On Super Sunday, we had Michael Franzese, the former Mob boss, speak at our church. We had at least a half dozen uniformed officers walking around. And I know several people who carry in church.
https://www.firstcolonychurch.org/sermon/super-sunday/
I carry everywhere I legally can, and consider doing so other places as well. I can usually carry something sharp, and often have 2 or three with me.
I also carry my trauma bag, and yes, even into the gym for my girl’s basketball games, even to the park for the fourth of july parade, even at our soccer games.
No one asks. It’s just a black nylon briefcase.
One of the other dads has an AED in his truck, as well as one at home and office.
Several of the other dads at school and our rec association also admitted to carrying trauma bags or blowout kits in their vehicles.
Talked to the 8yo tonight about the school shooting, with the expectation that the kids will be talking about it at school tomorrow. Emphasized the rarity, the ordinary risks we take every day (car, sports, slip and fall), emphasized that the adults have plans, practice, training (including dear old dad) and that SHE has skills too. The school does “intruder” drills, ie. lockdowns. Explained that these things while rare DO happen which is why we have “Run, Hide, Fight” and the drills at school, and why we practice/talk about first aid and traumatic bleeding control.
We’ll see.
Early reports are that the murderer pulled a fire alarm to get people out in the halls where he could shoot them. I’ve talked about this many times. If you know the doctrinal responses, and they are rigid, you can use them against your target. IE. LA Unified has rigid doctrine- bomb threat = evacuation to muster points, sniper = lockdown… so do the math if you want body count.
I know how I’d run the tabletop exercises and drills…
n
“Cluebat For The Clever”
http://raconteurreport.blogspot.com/2018/02/cluebat-for-clever.html
So from 1990 to 2009, the number of healthcare administrators has increased from 5X the number of physicians to 30X the number of physicians.
I am not surprised in the slightest. I’ve actually been wondering about this. And I wonder what the ratio is now, almost ten years later. Maybe 50X ?
I am not surprised in the slightest. I’ve actually been wondering about this. And I wonder what the ratio is now, almost ten years later. Maybe 50X ?
Economics of medicine in rural SW WA: The insurance carrier for the evil Koch brothers’ Georgia-Pacific paper mill in town would write my wife’s clinic a $300 check for a typical employee (or dependent’s) 15-20 minute office visit. My wife’s share, pre-tax, was in the range of $15-20, essentially the co-pay, and the employees griped about even having to pay that.
I understand keeping the lights on, employee salaries, and … okay — a necessary evil … supporting the Prog associate and her husband, the “cocktail blogger” (I’m not kidding about his job), but, despite generating $2 million topline every year, with my career age-disciminated in to oblivion, the take-home after costs and adminstration meant we couldn’t afford a house, even our rental next door to the gym coach, across the street from the Coast Guard commander.
We shrugged. Texas isn’t much better, but we could afford a house long enough for me to rebuild my career. The clinic in WA has never managed to adequately replace my wife so they fill the hole with nurse practitioners and Fred Meyer (Kroger) pharmacists authorized by the Prog associate’s signature to prescribe basics.
Epilogue: The paper mill announced this year that 2/3 of the jobs are going away in town. If we hadn’t bailed four years ago, we would have been stuck in that rural WA sh*thole for a very long time.
” Texas isn’t much better, but we could afford a house long enough for me to rebuild my career. ”
I’m going to assume you mean either that AUSTIN (commie run shithole full of Cali wannabees and snowflakes) isn’t much better, or that the take home pay from your wife’s position in TX isn’t much better…..
Otherwise, sir, I’ll have to ask you to step outside and settle this like men.*
n
* slapfight?
I’m going to assume you mean either that AUSTIN (commie run shithole full of Cali wannabees and snowflakes) isn’t much better, or that the take home pay from your wife’s position in TX isn’t much better…..
The take home pay is better, and real estate costs haven’t gone parabolic … yet.
😉
Keep in mind that Austin is an anomaly in TX with its own culture that is far more lefty and SJW snow-flaky than the rest of TX. Whether cause or effect, there are a lot of students and politicians there….
n
Keep in mind that Austin is an anomaly in TX with its own culture that is far more lefty and SJW snow-flaky than the rest of TX. Whether cause or effect, there are a lot of students and politicians there….
We’ve been around long enough to know why Hank Hill says it “Austin … (shudder)”.
Unfortunately, anymore, “Austin” starts at the “I-14” interchange in Belton and continues down I-35 past San Marcos. Driving out to Harker Heights the other day, westbound on 14, I noticed McMansions going up on the hills south of the freeway — the future Austin suburbs.
I’m working downtown starting 2/26. The job was too interesting to pass up, and I lose my daily Belton commute.