Tues. Feb. 27, 2024 – crazy busy week, and I’m slacking off…

By on February 27th, 2024 in culture, decline and fall, march to war

Warm and moist. Part sun. Part cloud. Or maybe something different, but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Yesterday was a mixed bag, weatherwise,but it did get nice in the late afternoon and evening. Nice sunset. A bit too humid all day, but it is Houston after all.

I didn’t get much of my list done yesterday. My back was really hurting, far more than usual, and didn’t respond to my normal tricks. I even went back to bed for an hour. I clearly overexerted myself at the BOL and triggered something. I did get one pickup done, that had to be done Monday. It was items for the BOL. I got some other small things done around the house too, but that doesn’t give me much of a feeling of accomplishment.

This week I have to do something to advance my hobby club website. I might just set up the hosting account, with a ‘work in progress’ page, and get the domain transfer going. I really don’t want to re-up with the existing host, even for one more month. Although if that’s an option it would take the pressure off. My main focus for the rest of the week should be getting stuff together for the hamfest. I also need to do my afternoon kid wrangling, normal pickups (although I’m buying a lot less stuff, and it’s more focused) and drop off stuff with my auctioneer. I don’t have anything in this week’s auction, so something glitched. I thought I had stuff at his place waiting for listing.

And I’m certain that the normal sort of unexpected stuff will pop up. So I’m expecting the unexpected. As long as it’s not the Spanish Inquisition…

Oh, and I’ve got to do early voting too, in our local races, because I’m not available on the actual day.

Still, busy is better than bored, right? Right?

Get out in the world. Learn a new skill or get some training. Upgrade your ham license or try a new mode. Plan and plant your garden. Time is FLYING by.

Stack.

nick

64 Comments and discussion on "Tues. Feb. 27, 2024 – crazy busy week, and I’m slacking off…"

  1. Ray Thompson says:

    But if the recipients are happy then what’s the harm?

    Good point. But they could be happier.

    Besides, how long until those photos get tossed into a dumpster?

    All the pictures are digital unless the recipient decides to print a few. The ones that are digital will be OK until their computer crashes and they lose everything on their system. The disc, or thumb drive, that may have been provided will have been long lost after the images were copied to the computer. Remnants may remain on Facebook.

  2. drwilliams says:

    Judge orders Bradley to testify in Willis trial

    https://dailycaller.com/2024/02/26/georgia-judge-overseeing-trump-trial-drops-decision-could-spell-bad-news-fani-willis/?pnespid=tOQ.DjsaMroQiuPfrSW7Dp6Wvhy0WsUpMOOsz_ptpRdmOul6jtM9IuLxWjBcfIp1y5Ab89oo

    He claimed privilege on knowledge gained before he became Wade’s divorce attorney.  The judge has other ideas. If he confirms that Willis and Wade started their affair before the dates they swore to the court, that would be the second such testimony. 

  3. Greg Norton says:

    Hah, I just listed my occupation as “homemaker” on a form.   It was a choice, and it describes what I do.   Take that gender role stereotypes!

    So unstereotypical that they made a movie about it, Mr. Mom.  Which, introduced many new words to the English language: woobie, yuppie, etc.

    John Hughes script. Stan Dragoti directing. Both former ad men.

    “Yuppie” predates “Mr. Mom”. I don’t think it was a Sniglet, however.

    “Mr. Mom” must also be important in Microsoft lore somehow. WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN.

    Plus, Keaton is an underrated master of improv. The breakdown of the word “prostitution” in “Night Shift” is beyond genius.

  4. Greg Norton says:

    Michael Keaton at peak improv powers. “… Why? …”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v61TukBopHY

  5. Greg Norton says:

    He claimed privilege on knowledge gained before he became Wade’s divorce attorney.  The judge has other ideas. If he confirms that Willis and Wade started their affair before the dates they swore to the court, that would be the second such testimony. 

    With Willis, it isn’t a question of “if” but “when”.

    Then, we need to ask the question “why”?

    Atlanta has always been that way, but do you remember Mayor Andrew Young ever speaking like Willis?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdGkxKF__rg

  6. Nick Flandrey says:

    Blue sky but fast moving low clouds too.   Shirtsleeves temps with a touch of chill from the damp…

    Back is still hurting.  Might take an hour more lying down…

    n

  7. drwilliams says:

    “So unstereotypical that they made a movie about it, Mr. Mom.  Which, introduced many new words to the English language: woobie, yuppie, etc.”

    still waiting for my word to catch on:

    Yuds

    Young urban dip sticks*

    *family version

  8. SteveF says:

    With Willis, it isn’t a question of “if” but “when”.

    Then, we need to ask the question “why”?

    Also “who”: Who knew what, and when?

    And why didn’t they report any ethical or legal violations which they witnessed?

  9. Greg Norton says:

    And why didn’t they report any ethical or legal violations which they witnessed?
     

    Snitches get stitches.

    Plus, Ethics. Trump tho.

  10. SteveF says:

    Thing is, if any other lawyers knew of the inappropriate relationship, they had a legal duty to report it. If they had a duty and did not carry it out, that suggests that the entire office is corrupt.

    It’s like with the typical police department. Maybe only 10% of the sworn officers are actively corrupt or otherwise actively breaking the law, but everyone else in the department knows about them. If the others do not report or even arrest the lawbreakers, it means that the entire department is corrupt.

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  11. brad says:

    If the others do not report or even arrest the lawbreakers, it means that the entire department is corrupt.

    The practical problem is characterized by that old saying: “A fish rots from the head.” If the top of the department is dishonest, there is no reason to report. The opposite, in fact, because reporting will get you marked as a disloyal troublemaker.

    The other problem with US police forces is lack of training, plus hiring the wrong personality types. Wannabe machos with no actual guts or judgement. An acorn?

  12. SteveF says:

    Not just an acorn. An assault acorn!

    As for police, attorneys in the DA’s office, and such not being able to report malfeasance or crimes, nonsense. There’s the state bar association, various regulatory and licensing agencies, inspectors general, federal judges, and many others. If all else fails, and it may, there’s the press.

    I’m not saying that it’s easy or comfortable or even risk-free. What it is, however, is their legal duty.

  13. nick flandrey says:

    Whew, still hurting.   Had a lie down, hot shower, 20 minutes of stretching, some time on the inversion table, and still hurt.

    I’m headed to the chiropractor today as I can feel the misalignment and pinching.  

    Getting old, not for the weak.

    n

  14. MrAtoz says:

    Today, I started going through little boxes of “treasures” to weed out junk. Dang, it is piling up already. I found “College Hunks: Hauling & Junk Removal,” which does junk removal of all types. I’ll use them or a similar local biz to get rid of the small junk. 

  15. nick flandrey says:

    @MrAtoz, or call 1-800- got junk

    Or even just get a Waste Management Bagster bag at Home Depot and when it’s full, call for removal.   IIRC they hold about 5 cu.yd.

    ‘Course the Hunk guys will sort thru looking for the good stuff before putting it in their dumpster.

    n

  16. Greg Norton says:

    This location is near my house.

    The main roads through my neighborhood have become important commuting routes for Dell, HPE, and Apple employees.

    The first two places don’t strike me as having the right demographics for Tim Hortons, but Apple might as they expand the new campus.

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/canadian-coffee-chain-tim-hortons-to-make-its-austin-market-debut/ar-BB1iMWD8

  17. Greg Norton says:

    The first two places don’t strike me as having the right demographics for Tim Hortons, but Apple might as they expand the new campus.
     

    I used to think Austin wanted to be Portland or Seattle, but now it seems like they want to be Canada.

  18. Ken Mitchell says:

    Greg Norton:

    I used to think Austin wanted to be Portland or Seattle, but now it seems like they want to be Canada.

    Certainly, Austin TX doesn’t want to be part of the United States. Austin is the Berkeley of Texas. 

  19. MrAtoz says:

    @MrAtoz, or call 1-800- got junk

    Thanks for the tips. I’ve used 1-800 and Junk Kings before. I wonder if the WM bags can contain rubble, bricks, electronics, etc. The dumpster was restrictive of that stuff, but Hunks specifically lists that stuff as acceptable. They sort stuff for recycle and sale. I just need to shop prices.

  20. SteveF says:

    I used to think Austin wanted to be Portland or Seattle, but now it seems like they want to be Canada.

    Just be careful if the city starts offering health care.

  21. lpdbw says:

    I’m looking at a BOL house that needs foundation leveling.  It’s pier and beam, and only the added-on wing needs leveled.  Nick said in his case it was $1200 per pier, and he needed 27 of them, but I got the impression it was a slab house.  Internal piers are more expensive, but again I think that was for slabs.  Also, soil conditions make a difference.  Someone else said $500 per pier.

    The asking price doesn’t leave a lot of wiggle room in my budget, but the realtor said it’s an estate sale and there’s probably room to give.  She’s a friend of the family and is waiving half her fee to them.

    I suppose I could make an offer contingent on cost of leveling.

    We’ll see.  Advice appreciated.

  22. nick flandrey says:

    My case was very expensive, using helical piers to level my slab.

    Pier and beam should be easy to do, and should be a lot less than my work cost.  IIRC there are guys in the Heights that were advertizing $1200 for a typical bungalow.   That was low even then… but it should be fairly low.

    ——————-

    Home from my errands and chiropractic.    Having muscle spasms in my back today, so I’m taking some pain relief and going back to bed.

    ——————

    There is an estate auction where I’d really liked to have known the guy.

    https://hibid.com/catalog/525761/wonderful-willow-falls–tomball-area-estate-liquidation 

    Ham radio stuff, rasberry pi,  other microcontroller project boards, D&D, and other board games we play,  woodworking stuff, 3d printer, even old tubes and some cool knives.

    I’d be bidding on a ton of lots but pickup is Friday right in the middle of me getting loaded up for the hamfest.

    n

  23. lynn says:

    “The Return of the John Birch Society”

       https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/ar-BB1iMpvi

    I am tempted to join.

    1
    1
  24. nick flandrey says:

    But before I go to bed…

    Move aside, Patrick Bateman: More women are psychopaths than previously thought, expert claims – these are the 7 key signs to look out for

     

    Dr Clive Boddy, an expert at Anglia Ruskin University, says female psychopaths use sexually seductive behaviour to gain social and financial advantage more than male psychopaths do.

    • um, you mean there are some who aren’t?!!?    [ducks and covers]

    Biden announces $1.7 BILLION in effort to end ‘hunger’ in the U.S. by 2030 with White House saying 17 million households don’t have enough food

     

    The White House announced $1.7 billion in commitments across the country on Tuesday as part of a call-to-action to help end hunger in the United States by 2030 and promote healthy living

    – get ready to see people starving in America.   NO .gov program to “end” anything has had the desired result and most have had the opposite effect.

    Testimony in the Rust accidental shooting case continues.   IDK what difference it makes in Hannah’s trial whether the bad baldwin pulled the trigger or not.     The only question that affects HER is DID SHE FAIL TO DO THE SAFETY CHECKS SHE WAS HIRED AND PAID TO DO?  and secondary to that,   DID SHE LOAD THE PROP GUN WITH LIVE AMMO?  

    Because even if she did load the gun, doing the industry standard check would have found it and avoided the tragedy.

    The prosecutor even bringing in the experts and addressing BALDWIN’s alleged actions has no relevance to Pinkie’s trial and further convinces me of both the DA’s incompetence and political motivation to get BALDWIN.   That Pinkie’s lawyer is allowing it, tells me that s/he knows Pinkie is in trouble and is  hoping to divert some blame and use the situation to her client’s advantage.  “It’s all Baldwin’s fault, if he didn’t pull the trigger, my client’s incompetence wouldn’t have mattered!”

    ————-

    now for the effects of modern pharmacopia to kick in, so I can rest…

    n

  25. Ken Mitchell says:

    Motortrend Review of Tesla Cybertruck

    https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2024-tesla-cybertruck-dual-motor-foundation-series-first-drive/

    “The Return of the John Birch Society”

    I recall billboards in rural Illinois in the mid-1960s for the John Birch society. A picture of Uncle Sam with the caption “He’s your UNCLE, not your FATHER.”

  26. Greg Norton says:

    Just be careful if the city starts offering health care.

    Only if you are homeless or in the country illegally.

    I know the homeless get mental health services on the government dime. My wife rounds at the mental hospital downtown once a month.

    After Texas repeals the prohibition on income tax in the November 2027 election, I’m sure that Austin will want a city income tax.

    2
    1
  27. Greg Norton says:

    – get ready to see people starving in America.   NO .gov program to “end” anything has had the desired result and most have had the opposite effect.

    They’ll add McDonalds and Wendy’s to the list of places which can accept EBT cards, just like Papa Murphy’s.

    Speaking of Wendy’s, today’s Tyler Durden cowardice shielding someone in the mainstream press:

    https://www.zerohedge.com/political/wendys-test-surge-pricing-using-high-tech-menu-boards-change-real-time

    Surge pricing. Wendy’s is already the most expensive fast food in a lot of areas.

    I wonder how surge pricing will work in Florida with the anti-gouging laws. I imagine a hurricane would see a surge in prices.

  28. paul says:

    Today’s adventure with FedEx is “Operational Delay No attempt made, delivery scheduled for next business day”

    I’m not exactly impressed. 

    Then again, tracking says it was on the truck at 5:15 AM and the Operational Delay is time stamped at 4:13 PM. Long day…

    I bought the tag and window stickers for the little homemade farm trailer and the van.  $20.25.  No more inspections on the van.

  29. Lynn says:

    “Workers at Houston’s Anheuser-Busch plant set to strike March 1”

       https://www.chron.com/food/article/houston-anheuser-busch-workers-strike-18689577.php

    “The local workers would join Molson Coors workers in North Texas, who are currently on the picket line.”

    “According to Silva, negotiations, which started in October, were proceeding smoothly until the issue of job security came up. The Teamsters want job immunity for its represented members for the duration of the five-year contract. Silva said the company essentially walked out of the negotiating room.”

    Not gonna happen, we are headed into a recession.

  30. drwilliams says:

    “FBI uses Google AI to identify race of shoplifters”
    https://legalinsurrection.com/2024/02/fbi-beclowns-itself-again-the-face-of-the-shoplifting-epidemic-is-rich-white-women/

    So glad they got help sorting things out.

  31. Lynn says:

    “Houston police claim code error led to 264,000 criminal case suspensions”

       https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/houston-police-suspended-cases-18691675.php

    “The Houston Police Department’s investigation into dropped sexual assault cases has now been expanded to include about 264,000 more cases.”

    Here is your sign.  The Houston police and Harris County District Attorney are not going to protect the people there.  Get out now.

  32. Greg Norton says:

    “Workers at Houston’s Anheuser-Busch plant set to strike March 1”

    “The local workers would join Molson Coors workers in North Texas, who are currently on the picket line.”

    We took the Molson Coors (fomerly Miller) tour in Milwaukee in November. The lines were running full speed, but not a lot of people were involved in the production process.

    An InBevAB facility will be even more high tech. The shooting location for the engine room practical sets of the Enterprise in Jar Jar Abrams’ “Star Trek” “Kelvin Timeline” films is literally the InBevAB brewery in Van Nuys, which was under renovation when Jar Jar needed to save money on the first film in order to reboot the franchise and his own reputation with a flick that … imagine … made money.

  33. Alan says:

    >> Not just an acorn. An assault acorn!

    Florida, of course. Trump tho. 

  34. Alan says:

    >> Testimony in the Rust accidental shooting case continues.   IDK what difference it makes in Hannah’s trial whether the bad baldwin pulled the trigger or not.     The only question that affects HER is DID SHE FAIL TO DO THE SAFETY CHECKS SHE WAS HIRED AND PAID TO DO?  and secondary to that,   DID SHE LOAD THE PROP GUN WITH LIVE AMMO?

    Heard on the news today that Pink Girl was not even inside the church when the shooting occurred. I guess she was on a cigarette break and hence she must be innocent! 

  35. MrAtoz says:

    Here is your sign.  The Houston police and Harris County District Attorney are not going to protect the people there.  Get out now.

    You have spoken.

  36. Lynn says:

    It’s like with the typical police department. Maybe only 10% of the sworn officers are actively corrupt or otherwise actively breaking the law, but everyone else in the department knows about them. If the others do not report or even arrest the lawbreakers, it means that the entire department is corrupt.

    Watch the Serpico movie to see what happens when somebody violates the blue line.

        https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070666/

  37. Ken Mitchell says:

    The link to the article “FBI uses Google AI to identify race of shoplifters” is incorrect. Here’s a link that works.

    https://legalinsurrection.com/2024/02/fbi-beclowns-itself-again-the-face-of-the-shoplifting-epidemic-is-rich-white-women/

  38. drwilliams says:

    “The concept of general arms prohibitions is going to quickly become a total thing of the past.”

    https://bearingarms.com/john-petrolino/2024/02/27/landmark-billy-club-case-doubles-down-on-what-we-already-know-n1223989

    Throughout history rulers have always sought to deny self-defense to the populace in order to make it easier for their lackeys to keep control whatever the provocation.

  39. drwilliams says:

    U.S. District Judge James Hendrix ruled that the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 violated the Quorum Clause included in Article 1 Section 5 of the Constitution.

    “Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi abused proxy voting under the pretext of COVID-19 to pass this law, then Biden signed it, knowing they violated the Constitution. This was a stunning violation of the rule of law. I am relieved the Court upheld the Constitution,” Paxton’s post read in part. 

    Given that this is for Fiscal Year 2023 we’re talking about here, the money has been spent. The congressman also notes it will be litigated further. Perhaps the largest takeaway, then, and the most optimistic of looking at it, is how “this is mostly for precedent. Roy also pointed out “proxy voting bad,” and Hendrix’s order highlighted the unconstitutionality of proxy voting at length.

    https://townhall.com/tipsheet/rebeccadowns/2024/02/27/proxy-vote-deemed-unconstitutional-n2635815

  40. Lynn says:

    I’m looking at a BOL house that needs foundation leveling.  It’s pier and beam, and only the added-on wing needs leveled.  Nick said in his case it was $1200 per pier, and he needed 27 of them, but I got the impression it was a slab house.  Internal piers are more expensive, but again I think that was for slabs.  Also, soil conditions make a difference.  Someone else said $500 per pier.

    The asking price doesn’t leave a lot of wiggle room in my budget, but the realtor said it’s an estate sale and there’s probably room to give.  She’s a friend of the family and is waiving half her fee to them.

    I suppose I could make an offer contingent on cost of leveling.

    We’ll see.  Advice appreciated.

    That was probably me.  I got my 2004 office building leveled in October 2022 and my 1998 home leveled in April 2023.  10 piers and 17 piers from Jericho Foundation.  All at $500 per pier since they were on the outside and both are slab foundations.  In both cases they raised my buildings 1.5 inches.  I suspect that I will have to have them out soon for another corner of my office building as my office floor has a huge corner crack in it (I have mostly concrete floors).

        https://www.trustjericho.com/

    If they have to jackhammer inside the building, the cost goes up considerably from what they told me.

    My real estate buddy used to tell me, “there are people who have had their foundations fixed and there are people who are gonna have their foundations fixed”.  Nobody escapes.

  41. Lynn says:

    “Tucker Carlson: The 2020 Election Was ‘100 Percent Stolen’ From President Trump”

        https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2024/02/27/tucker-carlson-the-2020-election-was-100-stolen-from-president-trump-n4926819

    “In an interview with Russian-American computer scientist and podcaster Lex Fridman, Tucker Carlson declared that the 2020 presidential election was “100% stolen” and explained why.”

    “”You said to some degree the election was rigged,” Fridman began. “Was it stolen?””

    “”It was 100% stolen,” Carlson replied. “Are you joking?””

    “”Like, it was rigged to that large—””

    ““They completely change the way people vote right before the election on the basis of COVID—which had nothing to do with—””

  42. Lynn says:

    “”It’s not fair! They weren’t supposed to hit back!””

        https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2024/02/its-not-fair-they-werent-supposed-to.html

    “Hamas invaded Israel with up to 3,000 terrorists;  embarked on a whirlwind of mass murder, deliberate rape of victims (female and male);  took scores, if not hundreds, of hostages;  and expected to get away with it???  Their complaints about Israel’s reaction being unforeseeable, and the real criminal act as opposed to what they did, are unimaginably self-centered and blind to reality.  What did they think Israel would do about such an atrocity?  Roll over like a hurt child and cry into their blankies?  Demand sympathy from the rest of the world while doing nothing?  What, in Israel’s track record since its independence in 1948, made them think that would be a likely response?”

    I think that world also expected Israel to just take it too.

  43. drwilliams says:

    Former Employees Say Fani Willis Forced Them to Identify ‘White’ as ‘Bad’ at Mandatory DEI Training

    Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis subjected her employees to mandatory race training, forcing the entire office to rate “Black” or “White” skin colors as either “Good” or “Bad,” according to training slides and video exclusively obtained by Breitbart News.

    “If you didn’t participate in the quiz, you got fired,” a source exclusively told Breitbart News about Willis’s policy.

    Dubbed an “implicit bias test,” a Harvard website generated the “diversity, equity, and inclusion” slides that made some sources feel ashamed of being white employees.

    The implicit bias test was described as an eight-hour marathon conducted by “a former member of Obama’s White House,” which further underscores the political nature of the training sessions.

    https://redstate.com/jeffc/2024/02/27/former-employees-say-fani-willis-forced-them-to-identify-white-as-bad-at-mandatory-dei-training-n2170661

    Just another day in a Democratic Paradise.

    January 2025: 

    President Trump issues Executive Order suspending federal funds going to any unit of state or local government that discriminates based on race. 

    As an example of what can get your funds immediately suspended, President Trump shows “an “implicit bias test,” a Harvard website generated the “diversity, equity, and inclusion” slides”, announces Immediate suspension of Harvard University, Fulton County Georgia, and a DOJ subpoena for all downloads from the racist and bigoted Harvard site.

    U.S. Secretary of Education announces that every educational institution will be required to attest that they do not discriminate based on race.

  44. nick flandrey says:

    Dose wore off so I have a bit of time to eat, check in, etc, before round two.

    I feel a lot better, but some of that is chemistry.   Weird semi-lucid dreams, as usual.

    ————-

    The hamas thing is just their normal arab attitude pushed to 11.   No one has reset their expectation in a while.    Pigs and dogs are there to do  whatever you want to them, and they should take it because they are pigs and dogs.    The bodycam rape and murder and murderous rape footage was shot BY THE TERRORISTS.    They thought they’d be celebrated for it.   It’s getting close to time for some good ol’ ethnic cleansing.   Sucks if you look and sound arab but don’t worship the pedophile prophet.    

    Ditto for the current invaders.

    When rule of law goes away, scores always get settled.

    If you don’t make lists, so you just let it slide when someone online mentions making lists… you can be sure that SOMEONE ELSE’S list might just have you on it.  History shows, people make lists.   Even if it’s as simple as “all the brown people” or “all the intellectuals” or “those F ing jews.”   

    And if they aren’t making lists now, they will as soon as they realize a list would be possible.

    n

  45. Lynn says:

    If you don’t make lists, so you just let it slide when someone online mentions making lists… you can be sure that SOMEONE ELSE’S list might just have you on it.  History shows, people make lists.   Even if it’s as simple as “all the brown people” or “all the intellectuals” or “those F ing jews.”   

    I have been wondering if all of the people in my neighborhood are on a list because of our large lots and large homes. Which, might make it dangerous to live there. Even though our neighborhood is largely minority.

  46. SteveF says:

    Six eggs today, from six chickens. A record. Not all of the hens laid today. The red hen, the one which was attacked by the hawk a few days ago, laid twice. The first was small, maybe half the volume of her usual eggs. (The three egg breed lay eggs all about the same size. The three other hens’ eggs are distinctive for size, shape, and color. The red hen’s are a bit smaller than the others’, no doubt because she’s by far the smallest of the birds. Her eggs are also slightly pinkish to my eye, which I wouldn’t have expected.) The second was normal. She’s laid every day since the attack, unprecedented for any of the three non-egg-breed birds. I can only assume that some “Danger! Must procreate!” switch was flipped. I looked online to see if this was to be expected but got nowhere. All I got was warnings that hawks will attack chickens. Yah, thanks, I didn’t know that.

    The red hen seems fine. She’s not fussing with the bandage which is still around her neck. She’s eating and running around and lying in the sun when out of the run and doing her fair share of stealing treats from the other birds. She’s still a bit shyer than she had been but it’s getting better.

    I let the birds out twice yesterday, once briefly and once for a longer period, and once today for a couple hours. Each time, I brought them back to the run as soon as they headed for the forest. Maybe it’ll be possible to train them to stay close to the house. I’m not holding my breath but it could happen.

    We get a fair amount of foot (and bicycle and scooter and baby stroller) traffic past our house, considering that we’re at the end of a dead-end street. If I’m out front and the chickens are near and the passers-by include children, I’ll often ask if the kids want to see some chickens. They almost always do, even if they’re scared to get too close. OK, I get it, these chickens are shaped something like the velociraptors they’re descended from, but you’re about ten times their mass. You got this, kiddo. The kids, and the parents, have often never been near animals other than dogs and cats and hamsters and maybe a parakeet. They’ve never been near the animals which provide a chunk of their food. And some are cautious or even afraid of the ferocious beast. Not just three-year-olds but preteens and even some adults. Boggles my mind. Yah, I realize that I grew up in farm/ranch country and it was decades ago, when the typical American was not as separated from the real world, but it boggles my mind that people don’t make the connection between the eggs they eat and the feathered nuisance currently scratching for grubs and flinging the bushes’ mulch all over the lawn. Nor do they remember that humans are apex predators while chickens are prey animals. Behave like it, people!

  47. drwilliams says:

    Macy’s will close its flagship Union Square store

    The good news is that this time they aren’t the only ones. Macy’s announced today that it will close about 30% of its outlets nationwide which works out to about 150 stores. 

    https://hotair.com/john-s-2/2024/02/27/loop-of-doom-san-francisco-is-losing-another-flagship-retailer-n3783732

    The entire complex including the Men’s Store thus reached its peak size of approximately 1,100,000 sq ft (100,000 m2) [in 1995]

    Closing of Men’s Store and ex-Magnin building

    In 2018, Macy’s proceeded to sell both of its most recent additions: the former Magnin’s building that had been incorporated into the main complex, and the separate Men’s Store (former Liberty House) building. The complex, now reduced back to its pre-1984 size, still boasts about 700,000 sq ft (65,000 m2) of retail space

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macy%27s_Union_Square

    Macy’s had already sloughed off 35% of it’s downtown SF space in 2018. If I were really interested I could probably find information on the use of those parts since 2018, including employee headcount and property taxes.

    Selling 700,000 ft2 in 2024’s downtown SF is probably going to be difficult. Few retailers are capable of taking over such a chunk and if so, it would not be a good bet. I wonder if Macy’s is on the list of property owners requesting revaluations?

  48. Greg Norton says:

    U.S. Secretary of Education announces that every educational institution will be required to attest that they do not discriminate based on race.

    The better approach would be to do nothing and let Borrower Defense hollow out the elite schools.

    A white man I know through his wife is still collecting unemployment after nearly four months despite an engineering degree from [the most expensive engineering school in the US].

    Of course, they’re good liberals and don’t want to damage the reputation of their alma matter.

    For now.

    The wife graduated with $200k in loans and voted Mayor Pete in the Texas primary four years ago.

  49. Greg Norton says:

    “Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi abused proxy voting under the pretext of COVID-19 to pass this law, then Biden signed it, knowing they violated the Constitution. This was a stunning violation of the rule of law. I am relieved the Court upheld the Constitution,” Paxton’s post read in part. 

    The irony is that the Republican members of the Texas House delegation used the proxy voting rule frequently, and, IIRC, Chip Roy held the proxy for our walking corpse Congresscritter, John Carter.

  50. Greg Norton says:

    Macy’s will close its flagship Union Square store

    Old Navy closed its flagship store on Market, and I believe the Gap did as well.

  51. Greg Norton says:

    Former Employees Say Fani Willis Forced Them to Identify ‘White’ as ‘Bad’ at Mandatory DEI Training

    DEI training and HR consulting in general are Amish female cottage businesses in Atlanta. Lots of condos up and down Peachtree in Buckhead, convenient to the MARTA line heading to the airport, are going to be on the market before too long.

  52. Greg Norton says:

    This story is on the national wires tonight, trying to embarrass DeSantis and the Florida Surgeon General.

    For the record, the Florida measles outbreak is happening at an elementary school in Weston, a Fancy Lad Dem neighborhood at the edge of the Everglades outside Fort Lauderdale.

    I believe Weston is part of Wasserman-Schultz’ district. It isn’t Palm Beach, but the area is wealthy and left leaning.

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/florida-lawmaker-states-top-medical-official-should-be-removed-for-his-mishandling-of-measles/ar-BB1j0sil

  53. drwilliams says:

    There’s an overwhelming amount of evidence at this point that Willis’ office is being operated in an entirely unethical and partisan manner, including multiple avenues for coordination with the White House and the Democratic National Committee, and every indictment coming out of the tainted process should be dismissed.

    https://redstate.com/jenvanlaar/2024/01/10/as-fani-willis-seated-trump-grand-jury-a-dnc-member-wife-of-charlie-bailey-was-placed-on-her-payroll-n2168512

    cesspool

  54. Lynn says:

    “Tucker Carlson: Ep. 77 The Cultural Revolution is here. Just ask Xi Van Fleet. She’s lived it twice.”

        https://twitter.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1762249935116963993

    Here is her book:

        https://www.amazon.com/Maos-America-Survivors-Van-Fleet/dp/1546006303?tag=ttgnet-20/

  55. lpdbw says:

    He’s got ’em on the list — he’s got ’em on the list;
    And they’ll none of ’em be missed — they’ll none of ’em be missed

  56. Lynn says:

    “PRESS RELEASE: Future Software Should Be Memory Safe”

        https://www.whitehouse.gov/oncd/briefing-room/2024/02/26/press-release-technical-report/

    “WASHINGTON – Today, the White House Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) released a report calling on the technical community to proactively reduce the attack surface in cyberspace. ONCD makes the case that technology manufacturers can prevent entire classes of vulnerabilities from entering the digital ecosystem by adopting memory safe programming languages. ONCD is also encouraging the research community to address the problem of software measurability to enable the development of better diagnostics that measure cybersecurity quality.”

    What about backdoors for the CIA, NSA, and any other three or four letter agency that wants to snoop or finagle the results ?

    5
    1
  57. Lynn says:

    “BREAKING: Trump wins Michigan… CNN in panic over anti-Biden, pro-Palestinian protest vote…”

        https://revolver.news/2024/02/trump-wins-michigan-cnn-in-panic-over-anti-biden-pro-palestinian-protest-vote/

    I am beginning to think that Nikki Haley will not bow out even after Super Tuesday.

  58. Nick Flandrey says:

    I haven’t paid much attention, but why would she when she can keep increasing her profile, name recognition, and political machine?   Clearly she and the organization are learning valuable stuff.  I bet they’re making lists…

    n

  59. Lynn says:

    I have decided how to lose weight for me, just keep my sinus infection going until June.  I have lost six pounds since Friday.  At that rate, I should be below 200 by June.

    I have no appetite at all.  I know I do not have the Koof, strep, or the flu.  I have been injecting a nasal drug up my nose twice daily and taking Muscinex DM daily.  I may call the PA in a Box tomorrow and ask about the zpak.  I took a zpak two years ago and they do not want me to take it again so soon since I am desperately allergic to Penicillin and Keflex (hives, huge hives three inches in diameter).

  60. Lynn says:

    I haven’t paid much attention, but why would she when she can keep increasing her profile, name recognition, and political machine?   Clearly she and the organization are learning valuable stuff.  I bet they’re making lists…

    I think that Nikki is going to jump parties.  Even her state repuglicans hate her. If you can’t carry your own state then you are worthless.

    She was being supported by the Koch brothers but they cut the funding last week.

  61. Nick Flandrey says:

    Time to take another dose and go back to bed.

    Painkillers/anesthetic and antibiotics are the miracle of the modern age.

    n

  62. Nick Flandrey says:

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13128887/Alec-Baldwin-Rust-court-trial-Halyna-Hutchins.html 

    – more detail coming out, poor reporting, and original details confirmed…

    n

  63. Lynn says:

    Time to take another dose and go back to bed.

    Painkillers/anesthetic and antibiotics are the miracle of the modern age.

    I am working, man !  Trying to push a release out the door.

    I spent three hours with my new business CPA today working on the big business 2023 tax return due March 15.  That was fun.  

    No rest for the wicked.

  64. brad says:

    Catching up on y’alls discussions from yesterday…

    NO .gov program to “end” anything has had the desired result and most have had the opposite effect.

    It’s sort of a corollary to Pournelle’s Iron Law: Organizations prolong the problems they are meant to solve. Otherwise, the organization would have no reason to exist.

    health care…if you are homeless or in the country illegally

    A neighbor’s new girlfriend works in the area of providing healthcare. He says “you can’t let them die on the street”, which is true enough. However, once you note that they are illegal, the next step after treatment should be deportation.

    Of course, that would be cold-blooded and heartless…

    I think that world also expected Israel to just take it too.

    Israel is all done putting up with this stuff, and who can blame them? Despicable is the way Hamas hides behind their own civilians. The death toll of civilians in Gaza is regrettable, but unavoidable if Israel wants to pacify the region. The million dollar question is: what happens afterwards? The population of Gaza will be even more pissed, hold an even larger grudge, which will continue to be supported and supplied by the Arab world.

    In a few years, the whole thing will play out all over again… and again…

    U.S. Secretary of Education announces that every educational institution will be required to attest that they do not discriminate based on race.

    That could be good. It will encourage the return to objective standards like SAT and ACT scores. Of course, some people may be surprised when MIT becomes 90% Asian…

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