Cool and clear for most of Houston, possibly someone gets some rain, but hope it’s not me. No rain on me yesterday, and suitably mild all day. Really nice weather.
Spent the day at my client’s house, doing stuff. Mainly getting networking up so my controls guy can work remotely. He even sent his guy to help. Together we got most of what we could get done. I’ll finish that up today and move on to video. That’s the plan anyway.
My local auction happened and was a bust. Something went wrong and stuff sold for no money at all, or didn’t even sell. I KNOW what stuff has been selling for in local auctions. I’m watching two that close later today that have unusually low bids at the moment, but not 0s like mine had. It’s possible that the mood could have flipped and I was just a month late. I predicted some time ago that there would be a point where it all just ended, but I was hoping it was farther off and I could get a couple of auctions in before then. Otherwise, I don’t know what the issue was. I’ll be talking with the auctioneer later today too. He’s got to be just as freaked as I am since he did all the work.
In other news, my wife wants to go look at a lake house this weekend. It looks nice in the pix and it’s on her preferred lake. I need to do other things, like get my pallet load auction listed, or spend the day on paying work if I have to finish up my client’s install. Having someplace to go if the need to go increases suddenly is a long term prep that I really need and want, but… it’s a big commitment and we’ve got a huge list of other things going on. Is it ever a good time?
I guess we’ll see if the Republic gets a pause on the downslope when the Rittenhouse verdict comes down. No matter what, I see fires on the streets of Kenosha.
Keep stacking. It’s getting more interesting every day.
nick
@nick:
A variation on the ancient Chinese curse. Which is probably apocryphal, and not Chinese at all…
G.
Ah so, but when meaning is conveyed, communication occurs…..
65F and looking to be pretty much like yesterday, even a bit drier at 79%RH.
n
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/liverpool-bomber-exploited-uks-dysfunctional-asylum-system-home-secretary
n
As I’vs pointed out previously, Obama went from being a virtual unknown to sitting in the Senate thanks to timely unsealing of divorce records of two strong opponents, his closest primary challenger and, in the general election, Jack Ryan, a Republican who the IL party had groomed for some time to sit in one of the Senate seats when they opened..
Of course doxxing works both ways, especially in states like Florida where public records were so open that I could read my Bat Guano neighbors’ mortgages sitting in my home office.
Yep, Kenosha will burn, as the cops stand by and watch. I can't believe 12 people think he is guilty of anything.
I can't believe that 12 people that made it thru the jury selection process do. And that sat in the courtroom and actually watched what was presented.
n
I haven't talked with my auctioneer yet, but two other local auctions have very similar items to mine, and they are also 0 bid, and low bit with 9-10 hours to go.
The switch might have flipped. If it did, that is REALLY bad news. Things are about to get desperate for a lot of people.
n
what is bringing good money? Plastic folding tables. Wire shelves (metro rack). Floor jacks. Jack stands. Gold jewelry. Junk coins. Bullion. Cast iron cookware.
All it takes is one Amish woman sitting in that room. Even if they aren't into social justice, they're going to want to go home this afternoon and take tomorrow off.
At the end of the day, it is just a white boy who is a little too into guns.
Jack stands not made in China are getting hard to find with Sears gone.
Hank Scorpio lives!
https://interestingengineering.com/bill-gates-terrapower-will-set-up-a-4-billion-nuclear-plant-in-wyoming
Best episode of “The Simpsons” ever.
I sat on a jury for juvenile murder trial. The kid torched a house with someone inside. Gruesome crime scene photos that were shown to the jury.
We deliberated for 1.5 days. The male jury members were immediately "sob is guilty, done". Female jury members were "oh, he may have problems and it is not his fault". Took us 1.48 days to convince the female jury members that the kid started the fire, killed someone, knew what he was doing, and now must face the consequences.
After the verdict was read and trial was over the judge kept the jury in the courtroom and cleared everyone else. The judge told the jury that verdict did the kid a favor. He was living in an abusive and neglected home life and needed help. With the verdict the state could now step in and get the kid some treatment and in a safe environment. The females felt better. The men felt the state helping was worse than nothing.
Interesting that we did not find a guilty verdict. Instead we found the "states charges true as stated". I don't really know the difference.
The kid's lawyer was an idiot and should have been fired. The jury had so many questions that could not get answered. At times many of us just wanted to stand up and ask a question. The jury was so confused on some answers that during deliberation the trial was reconvened for an hour to have questions the jury submitted answered.
The jury was also not allowed to take notes of any kind which was frustrating. The jury members were also told to sit in different locations every time the jury had to come back into the courtroom, which was several times during the two day trial.
On the last day of deliberation the jury all agreed to withhold our decision until after lunch so a free lunch could be obtained.
The jury was also informed by the judge that there would be press waiting. It was our choice but his recommendation was to just keep walking and say nothing to anyone. That is exactly what the jury did.
Nope. To-do lists just keep growing, and the less important stuff falls off the bottom. Possibly cynical, but I have stopped even writing the less important “would be nice” stuff down, because I know it’s not going to get done.
Ok, I’m weird. But if I were receiving threats, that would lean me *against* the people making the treats. Screw ’em, that isn’t how things work.
I haven’t followed the trial much beyond scanning the headlines, but I do wonder how it can be taking days to come to a verdict. I can only suppose that there are people on both sides, refusing to compromise. If that is the case, how long until the jury announces that it is deadlocked?
I’ve heard that before, and I don’t get it. Human memory is unreliable. In a complex trial going over days, weeks, or even months – how can you be expected to keep things straight without some form of note taking?
I've been called for jury service twice in my life. It's only supposed to be once… In both cases, when I was empanelled, we were allowed to take notes, but the notes could not leave the courtroom.
I don't remember much about either case, which is fortunate, since jury deliberations in UK are covered by the Official Secrets Act, even without members having to sign a copy of the Act. Merely being seated brings the prohibition.
G.
April 2021-April 2021
Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. 100,000. Up from 78,000 the previous year.
Gee, what happened during that time. Probably the same with suicides. Depression issues. Dumbing down of our kids. What could it be?
Lockdowns/mask mandates, tRump, tho.
Good grief. Ya'll's court house meals must have been better than the ones I've had. Sounds like the old guy who insisted all of our monthly club meetings be held at Golden Corral because they gave us FREE ICED TEA.
Had a client in from South America a few years ago that insisted on eating at Golden Corral.
That made three visits in in three cities over forty years. I don't need a bigger sample.
The court provided a couple of vans and took us to a sandwich shop close to the court house. Closed the shop while we eating. We could pick anything from the menu but take home boxes were not allowed. We all ate well including desert. I suspect the place had a contract with the court. We were not allowed to discuss the case and there were a couple of bailiffs watching us the entire time.
"l support jury nullification."
Four words that will get you excused from any jury…or possibly held in contempt by the judge.
Probably reduces the jury pool too much but if you're on trial do you really want to be judged by people who are mentally compiling their grocery shopping lists rather than paying attention to the court proceedings?
TANSTAAFL! And Golden Corral is cheap for a reason. Shudder.
The incentive at our county courthouse is to adjourn before lunch since the Monument Cafe is just out the back door, and the court will just bring in Subway, etc.
Monument Cafe closes at 3PM.
You got away cheap. At GTE, our clients from overseas knew two things about Tampa: Bern's Steakhouse and the Mons Venus strip club.
The “Chinese Curse” may be the work of English author Ernest Bramah.
As in Britain, Canadian jurors are prohibited from discussing the case. It's not the Official Secrets Act but it is illegal never the less. Cameras are not allowed in the court room either.
About noon yesterday we had a tremendous airplane noise pass over my office building. I even went outside looking for the 747 at 100 feet but saw nothing. My neighbors are now saying that it was a pair of F-16s from Ellington AFB (Houston) at 40,000 feet altitude on full afterburner heading south at 650 mph (just below Mach 1). The amount of noise was incredible. Apparently when they hit Galveston Bay they went supersonic. No idea what they were hurrying to but they went in a hurry.
"Thomas J. Henry files $2 billion lawsuit against Travis Scott, Astroworld organizers"
https://www.chron.com/culture/article/Thomas-J-Henry-files-2B-lawsuit-against-Travis-16631372.php
"The action follows a $750 million lawsuit filed Tuesday by Houston attorney Tony Buzbee."
The buzzards XXXXXXXX lawyers are circling. The facilty is owned by Harris COunty so they have sovereign immunity but there may be some deep pockets there. Tony Buzbee is the lawyer suing the Houston Texans quarterback for the 22 women he supposedly abused.
Thomas J. Henry commercials run every night here during the local Faux News.
So. Here's a sober analysis of published Ivermectin studies.
https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/ivermectin-much-more-than-you-wanted
The DL;DR: Ivermectin seems to work in countries where worms are endemic, probably because worms can cause immune deficiency and other health problems.
From the article:
The Summary
– Ivermectin doesn’t reduce mortality in COVID a significant amount (let’s say d > 0.3) in the absence of comorbid parasites: 85-90% confidence
– Parasitic worms are a significant confounder in some ivermectin studies, such that they made them get a positive result even when honest and methodologically sound: 50% confidence
– Fraud and data processing errors are of similar magnitude to p-hacking and methodological problems in explaining bad studies (95% confidence interval for fraud: between >1% and 5% as important as methodological problems; 95% confidence interval for data processing errors: between 5% and 100% as important)
– Probably “Trust Science” is not the right way to reach proponents of pseudoscientific medicine: ???% confidence
And of course Benny Crump is going to roll down I-10 from Tallahassee if he smells money in the air.
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/581422-ben-crump-says-his-team-representing-over-200-astroworld-victims-in
In other news, my wife wants to go look at a lake house this weekend. It looks nice in the pix and it’s on her preferred lake. I need to do other things, like get my pallet load auction listed, or spend the day on paying work if I have to finish up my client’s install. Having someplace to go if the need to go increases suddenly is a long term prep that I really need and want, but… it’s a big commitment and we’ve got a huge list of other things going on. Is it ever a good time?
Road trip ! Road trip ! Road trip !
From a friend:
Called my stockbroker this morning and asked him what I should be buying. He said, "Canned goods and ammunition.".
Oh yeah, when people are joking about the crazy, are they really joking ?
Over The Hedge: Watson, the Lame-O IBM Supercomputer Comedian
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2021/11/18
I am beginning to think that he is not going to run in 2024.
I can't believe that 12 people that made it thru the jury selection process do. And that sat in the courtroom and actually watched what was presented.
n
18 people made it through the jury selection process and the trial. At the jury instructions, Rittenhouse selected the 6 rejects XXXXXX alternates and the other 12 went to the jury room.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/12-jurors-begin-deliberating-kyle-rittenhouses-fate/story?id=81202142
I am wondering if the judge gave himself a chance to declare a mistrial.
I haven't talked with my auctioneer yet, but two other local auctions have very similar items to mine, and they are also 0 bid, and low bit with 9-10 hours to go.
The switch might have flipped. If it did, that is REALLY bad news. Things are about to get desperate for a lot of people.
n
what is bringing good money? Plastic folding tables. Wire shelves (metro rack). Floor jacks. Jack stands. Gold jewelry. Junk coins. Bullion. Cast iron cookware.
We are six weeks to Christmas. People start getting a little weird about this time. It will let up after Jan 1.
>> I am beginning to think that he is not going to run in 2024.
Let's just say that he does…who are the 'early money' favorites for his VP pick. Obviously it's not Mike "I'm following the Constitution" Pence.
Obviously Ronny D and possibly Ducey would be considered, depending on how purple their states are then.
2022 election will be the telling factor. Yeah or nay then, I think.
Surprise, surprise…well, actually, no, not really…
Fox News: OSHA suspends enforcement of COVID-19 vaccine mandate for large businesses.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/osha-suspends-enforcement-of-covid-19-vaccine-for-large-businesses
The question now is whether the businesses will continue to fire unclotshotted employees, whom will be sued if they do, whom will be fined or sued if they don't. They may decide that continuing with the unmandated mandate is the safe route because some federal agency will penalize any business which doesn't knuckle under regardless of court decisions. Or they may look at the bottom line and the bleed of employees in an already distorted labor market and decide that not pushing it is the safe bet.
Fun times. Keep stacking. Your money in the bank is almost certainly going to be worth less than a few more hundred dollars of goods in the closet.
DeSantis' wife has cancer. He will run for reelection because Charlie Crist would undo everything the Republicans have accomplished in Florida, but Governor is as far as he will go until Mrs. DeSantis is 100%.
The press in Florida already hates him. He's used to that group and knows how to push back.
Yes, but in Texas and Florida, it was already debatable whether firing under the mandate would be "for cause".
Without the mandate, in those states and others, termination for not getting the shot will make the employee eligible for unemployment, and, in Texas, any attempt by the company to deny the claim will result in a mandatory hearing where the HR droid has to explain why they are attempting to enforce a policy which is illegal in the state.
Sure, “at will” employment, but termination won’t be for cause.
Different states, different rules. I think that the lawsuits for unjust termination will be a bigger issue than unemployment payments because the payout can be last wages, effort in finding another job, and legal expenses for both sides.
"UPDATE WITH VIDEO: MSNBC BANNED FROM RITTENHOUSE TRIAL AND COURTHOUSE! Reporter Taken Into Custody – Was Following, Stalking Jury Bus and Ran Red Light!!"
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/11/suspicious-person-pretending-media-rittenhouse-trial-taken-custody-police-suspect-man-trying-photograph-jurors/
"Judge: “I have instructed that no one from MSNBC will be allowed into this building for the duration of the trial. This is a very serious matter and I don’t know what the ultimate truth of it is, but absolutely it would go without much thinking that someone who is following the jury bus – that is an extremely serious matter and will be referred to the proper authorities for further action.”"
I think that the reporter should spend a few weeks in jail in contempt. With a cellmate named Big George.
More like Big Georgina these days.
DeSantis pulled off an epic-level troll. Florida passed a bill limiting vaccine mandates there. He went to sign it in ….. Brandon, Forida.
More like Big Georgina these days.
I've met Big Georgina. She scares me.
I lived there for 10 years, on the eastern edge of the unincorporated town, the border of Brandon and Valrico.
DeSantis is also from Palm Harbor, where I grew up, so he knows the area.
>> Sounds like the old guy who insisted all of our monthly club meetings be held at Golden Corral because they gave us FREE ICED TEA.
Patrons no longer have access to the chocolate fountain…because Covid.
>> "UPDATE WITH VIDEO: MSNBC BANNED FROM RITTENHOUSE TRIAL AND COURTHOUSE! Reporter Taken Into Custody – Was Following, Stalking Jury Bus and Ran Red Light!!"
Probably some first amendment issues here, especially since he is just a freelancer. I would expect the MSNBC lawyers will respond.
>> 18 people made it through the jury selection process and the trial. At the jury instructions, Rittenhouse selected the 6 rejects XXXXXX alternates and the other 12 went to the jury room.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/12-jurors-begin-deliberating-kyle-rittenhouses-fate/story?id=81202142
I am wondering if the judge gave himself a chance to declare a mistrial.
@lynn, on what grounds?
I haven't been to Golden Corral for many years. I think it was very near the Frost Bank on Anderson Lane. Ok, the section of US 183 called Anderson Lane.
The bank may have still been named Frost Bank North Austin. Before First City failed the second time, before Frost bought what was left and made every location a branch.
I had no problem with Golden Corral.
I never touched the chocolate fountain. Grubby kids sticking their fingers in….
>> Vintage GIJoe that sells for hundreds on ebay should at least catch a reseller or two bringing 30$ not $3.
@nick, not worth your effort to put the more valuable items on eBay?
Take that, Tony:
Apple is working on the 'holy grail' option for its autonomous car: Tech giant wants to build a version with full self-driving capabilities and no human intervention AT ALL by 2025
Would you really get in a car with no wheel or pedals in 2025? Give me a break.
"Having someplace to go if the need to go increases suddenly is a long term prep that I really need and want, but…"
For me, that point came two years ago, when the California company I had been working for for 15 years said, "Ken, we think you should retire now, and we'll give you $20K to do that." I was 69, had been getting burned out for a while, our house was paid for, and Cacafornia politics were already getting toxic. My wife said "This is our chance to move to Texas!"
The Covid craziness that took over California and much of the US started 3 months later, and we bought a house near San Antonio, sight-unseen, in July. We packed up everything and pulled chocks in August, and here we are. We were INCREDIBLY lucky with most of the pieces falling into place for us, and we're now sitting fat and happy. This _IS_ our bugout location, and we'll hunker down and let it all blow over.
MrAtoz says:
In 2025? Probably not. By 2030? Quite possibly, depending on how things work out. EVENTUALLY, autonomous cars will be a godsend for the old, infirm, and disabled. And for everybody who wants to have a few drinks a a restaurant or bar.
This might be the future. Public schools are turning out mush brains:
The Brainy Bunch! Parents whose TEN homeschooled children all started college before age 13 insist the kids 'AREN'T geniuses' – and claim anyone can achieve the same success with a few simple methods
The Mom says it's so effective because it is so efficient. Exactly. No BS woke classes, no BS electives, no homeroom, no f'ing around. A neighborhood could start a mini home school group and blow PS away.
mrAtoz:
"Be not the first by whom the new are tried, nor yet the last to leave the old aside"
—Alexander Pope
2030 would be a stretch. Reading between the lines in the article, my guess is that Apple is making a case for their chips being far superior to anything Intel could hope to produce for the next several years, capable of powering the control system for a self driving car.
They're trying to sell the new $6000 laptops to a skeptical Corporate America.
The military schools are the same way. The military can teach in one year, or less, what would take a college or university 4 to 6 years to teach the same. No junk classes, no feel good classes, no "woke" indoctrination classes, just instruction in the discipline being taught.
The American school system from elementary to college is a joke. Particularly college where money is the driving force along with employing the unemployable. The only place a person with a degree in early Greek philosophy can get a job is teaching to students who have no need of taking the class.
I get in a car with my wife driving.
Take that, Tony:
Apple is working on the 'holy grail' option for its autonomous car: Tech giant wants to build a version with full self-driving capabilities and no human intervention AT ALL by 2025
Would you really get in a car with no wheel or pedals in 2025? Give me a break.
Ah, a Johnny Cab.
https://totalrecall.fandom.com/wiki/Johnny_Cab
@Greg Norton
Always up for a good steakhouse, but if I never see another strip club it will be too soon.
@ech
I said long ago that the time for ivermectin studies was past.
Time to explain India or sit down.
The military schools are the same way. The military can teach in one year, or less, what would take a college or university 4 to 6 years to teach the same. No junk classes, no feel good classes, no "woke" indoctrination classes, just instruction in the discipline being taught.
Not for a STEM degree like Mechanical Engineering at TAMU. Four years was tough to cram all of those engineering classes in.
12 hours of Calculus, 3 hours of DiffEq, 6 hours of freshman chemistry, 4 hours of drafting, 6 hours of Statics and Dynamics, 6 hours of Thermodynamics, 12 hours of Design, 6 hours of fluid dynamics, 6 hours of options (I took Power Plants and HVAC), 3 hours of heat transfer, 2 hours of materials, etc. Plus 6 hours of US history and Texas history and 3 hours of English.
@SteveF
Your money in the bank is only one executive order from being frozen and redistributed to the deserving
alien invadersfuture Democrat voters.I should go back in my e-receipts from Sam's and verify, but I'm seeing two things: one is significant year-over-year inflation in sale prices, and the other is even more significant inflation in regular prices on those same items.
The problem with autonomous cars is the override that you can't override.
@Alan
He reportedly claimed to the police that he was following under the direction of his boss in NY.
https://hotair.com/ed-morrissey/2021/11/18/breaking-judge-boots-msnbc-from-rittenhouse-trial-over-jury-tracking-attempt-n430130
@Lynn
ME's get the light load.
Steve Milloy destroys EPA on PM2.5 fraud:
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2021/11/18/milloy-epas-assessment-of-pm2-5-is-science-fraud/
Deposits in "money market" accounts belong to the financial institution, not you.
We are six weeks to Christmas. People start getting a little weird about this time. It will let up after Jan 1.
–yes, but in the past it wasn’t until after Thanksgiving. I was hoping to get the sale in before the market change. Between TGiving and Valentines, it is very hard to make a sale.
Apparently nothing was wrong with the auction or the number of bidders, with about half the bidders being first timers. Stuff just didn’t get bid.
The GIJoe stuff is a heartbreak. It would have been an easy ebay sale, but I included it because the auctioneer needs good high value items to offset the $10 toasters, and he needs COOL items to attract buyers. I was willing to take less to avoid the hassle of pack and ship, and returns, but still expected 1/3 to 1/2 of ebay pricing.
Another heartbreak was the Harvard 5 foot bookshelf collection. It was a special edition, and only missing one or two of the 25? or more volumes. Should have brought at least a $100 bill, not $15. I actually lost money on that, and would have kept it myself.
https://hibid.com/catalog/330961/nov-17-2021-motley-consignment-auction/
n
(hope that doesn’t out me)
Bern's is unique. It isn't so much about the food as the obsessions of the founders, particularly wine.
Tampa used to have quite a eclectic set of restauranteurs and establishments 40 years ago. Bern’s is the last one still standing … if you don’t count Mel’s Hot Dogs near Busch Gardens.
Exactly what came to mind when reading the original comment. 🙂
I used to enjoy Miami more than Tampa.
"The time change* makes me hungry. Any good Cuban places open for early lunch?"
*even when I flew in from NY.
JPMorgan Chase and WePay Just Stepped on the Cancel Culture Rake
By Susie Moore | Nov 18, 2021 6:00 PM ET
https://redstate.com/smoosieq/2021/11/18/jpmorgan-chase-and-wepay-just-stepped-on-the-cancel-culture-rake-n477099
So they did an about face:
The response from the State of Missouri should be:
"Upon further review it is obvious that you are either lying or incompetent. Neither is tolerable. The State of Missouri will not be doing new business with your company during calendar year 2022, and any existing business relationships are hereby terminated as we have determined that you are not of good character.
The State of Missouri will review your corrective action at the end of 2022 and make reinstatement decisions at that time. Make big changes or don't hold your breath."
more on the NBC lies:
https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2021/11/18/court-tv-correspondent-reveals-what-may-have-been-going-on-with-rittenhouse-jury-stalking-n478236
>> Take that, Tony:
Apple is working on the 'holy grail' option for its autonomous car: Tech giant wants to build a version with full self-driving capabilities and no human intervention AT ALL by 2025
Would you really get in a car with no wheel or pedals in 2025? Give me a break.
Ohh, you need like a factory to build the cars…
>> Apple is working on the 'holy grail' option for its autonomous car: Tech giant wants to build a version with full self-driving capabilities and no human intervention AT ALL by 2025
Level 5 autonomous driving has to deal with things like black ice, unplowed streets covered in snow, contorted construction zones, NYFC cab drivers, high winds, dust storms and any other edge case you can dream up. Does anybody really have all these dealt with, or will have in four years?
Judge Schroeder reminds me ever so slightly of Gordon Jump’s Arthur Carlson character in “WKRP in Cincinnati.” Just the demeanor, not the incompetence. I have never watched a judge that was so humble and “down to earth.” I haven’t watched enough to form an opinion on his decisions or his policies, but what I have seen seems agreeable, except that he should have declared a mistrial.
I have never seen a case that was more deserving of a change of venue.
I have never seen a case that was more deserving of a change of venue.
— I was thinking the same this afternoon. A whole lot less jury intimidation if it's in Iowa.
n