Atheist Bible Class

Pay attention. The teacher talks fast and covers a lot of ground.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zeh2q9gke0

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Yahoo e-mail not working

I'm having problems accessing my Yahoo e-mail for the last several hours. When I log in I get an error page saying,

Quote:

We're experiencing some technical difficulties... We’re sorry, but Yahoo Mail can't load due to a temporary error. You can try back again shortly, or visit our help pages for ways to troubleshoot the issue. Temporary error: 2

I went to their help page, but it doesn't really address anything useful about error code 2. When I asked for help, I had to fill out their online form with my user name, but the only e-mail address it would accept was the one with my user name in it. So now they're going to send me a reply to the e-mail address which will not display my inbox or any other folder on the page. Talk about a useless gesture on their part.

Running a disk cleaner and restarting does nothing.

I sent a 2nd trouble report including another Yahoo account I have access to; hopefully they will contact me via the working address.

My wife is able to log onto her account just fine, so I'm worried that it is account related and not server related. Some of my most recent e-mails might be gone forever, a few of them were important. Most of my e-mails are backed up, but nothing from this month. :(

Anyone else have this problem with Yahoo recently?

Ranb

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Academics Eagerly Publish in Junk Journals

Many Academics Are Eager to Publish in Worthless Journals

Quote:

Originally Posted by New York Times Call it a classic case of supply meeting demand. Universities, colleges, even community colleges insist that faculty publish scholarly research, and the more papers the better. Academics and the schools they teach at rely on these publications to bolster their reputations, and with an oversupply of Ph.D.'s vying for jobs, careers hang in the balance. Competition is fierce to get published in leading journals. But what about the overworked professors at less prestigious schools and community colleges, without big grants and state-of-the-art labs? How do they get ahead? As it turns out, many of their articles are appearing in "journals" that will publish almost anything, for fees that can range into the hundreds of dollars per paper. These publications often are called predatory journals, on the assumption that well-meaning academics are duped into working with them — tricked by flattering emails from the journals inviting them to submit a paper or fooled by a name that sounded like a journal they knew. But it's increasingly clear that many academics know exactly what they're getting into, which explains why these journals have proliferated despite wide criticism. The relationship is less predator and prey, some experts say, than a new and ugly symbiosis. Many faculty members — especially at schools where the teaching load is heavy and resources few — have become eager participants in what experts call academic fraud that wastes taxpayer money, chips away at scientific credibility, and muddies important research...

http://ift.tt/2xHCP3b

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hjuikjhgfvgytr

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Apple issues

So I've never hidden the fact that I think Apple sucks more than life itself, but I got my hands on a Mac computer the other day from work. The company didn't want it anymore, and my daughter loves Apple. I figured I'd be a good guy, bring it home, format it, and let her use it.

First, I use a regular keyboard. It won't load into recovery mode. I press the buttons, it acts like nothing happens and then loads up like normal.

Then, I decide I should just use a Mac keyboard. Makes sense, right? Well, sure. If you want to spend $180 at Best Buy because they literally don't carry a generic version of this piece of **** keyboard so you have to buy the "magic" (wtf is magic about it? It's *********** wireless? Welcome to PC years ago) keyboard. I ordered it off of Amazon, refurbished, which still cost over $100 for a *********** keyboard and mouse.

I receive it today, try to factory reset it. Nope. Nothing. Acts like I'm literally doing nothing. The keyboard types, the mouse works when I'm in the system, but when restarting I press command and R at the same time and it. does. nothing.

I created a bootable USB drive, and follow the instructions to tap "option" to select the drive. You'll never guess what happened! Nothing. Like it doesn't even do anything. [ETA: Breaking away from the guides and pressing/holding option has gotten me to a boot option screen. I might have some luck]

So now I'm pretty much fishing for answers since I can't get this to work. No guide has helped, and this is my last attempt before I take it outside and beat it with a baseball bat. I paid nothing for it and the satisfaction would be orgasmic.

If anyone has any ideas I'm completely open to them. I'm not bragging or anything, but I'm an IT guy by nature. I've tried all of the things that google, and the ever helpful Apple boards, have thrown my way.

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Incident in New York; 6 Dead from truck plowing into crowd

http://ift.tt/2iNVdET

Still breaking, apparently it was deliberate, reason and other details to be ascertained.

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David Icke is Linked To 9/11 by code

(Found this online.

You probably won't WANT to debunk this little gem.:))

The 9th letter of the alphabet is I the 11th is K. The pentagon had 5 sides. The 5th letter is E. IKE.

It happened in 2001. get rid of the noughts we have 21. Two and one make 3 the 3rd letter is C.

ICKE.

Building 7 was known as the Salomon building. Solomon? The seal of Solomon was also known as the star of DAVID. I realised this and looked out my window. There was a truck going by with the word rockSTAR on it.

Icke predicted 9/11. I think the Illuminati are making a sick joke or somekind of evil spell. But it could mean something else...

(could be useful in showing how the world is full of meaningless coincidence)

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Will this finally get China to cooperate in cracking down on NK?

Looks like China may have finally been put in a position where they have no option but to help crack down on NK:

----
Collapse at North Korea nuclear test site 'leaves 200 dead'

a study published by the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University and published on the 38 North web site suggested the sixth underground test at the site had caused "substantial damage to the existing tunnel network under Mount Mantap".

Nam Jae-chol, the head of South Korea's Meteorological Administration, warned in testimony before parliament on Monday that further tests at Punggye-ri could cause the mountain to collapse and release radioactivity into the environment.

Chinese scientists have issued similar warnings, suggesting that nuclear fallout could spread across "an entire hemisphere" if the mountain did collapse.

http://ift.tt/2xHjI9v

----

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Sensing where sound comes from

The spider silk is able to pick up the velocity of the air instead of the pressure of the air.

http://ift.tt/2gZp6Bz

I find this fascinating, two disparate ways to sense direction of sound.
Our ability to tell where the harpy is located when speaking is truly remarkable.

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Voting machine hacks, even Democrats should be worried

In a Democratic controlled state, election results are being challenged and lawsuits filed. However, the state election committee decided to destroy evidence....

"The server wipe, confirmed via internal emails, came just days after a bi-partisan lawsuit [PDF] had been filed in July regarding the results of those elections, which were carried out on the state's 100% unverifiable touch-screen voting systems, and after the systems had been programmed via the server that we learned earlier this year had been left completely vulnerable on the Internet for at least 6 months, beginning as early as August of 2016.
Oh wait, it was a red state, Georgia and the abnormalities were found in the last POTUS election and the latest special elections. "

Oh, wait, that's a Republican controlled state. My bad. I guess this news will be widely ignored because it's okay if Republicans are corrupt and cheat the system.

http://ift.tt/2iguU6v

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Kevin Spacey accused of sexual assault on minor......and he's gay

http://ift.tt/2ihH1zZ

"But if I did behave then as he describes, I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior...
"This story has encouraged me to address other things about my life," Spacey said in his tweet. He continued that he has had "relationships with both men and women," and added, "I have loved and had romantic encounters with men throughout my life, and I choose now to live as a gay man."

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Louisiana Supreme Court Rules That Man Was Asking For a "Lawyer Dog"

By an 8-1 margin, Louisiana Supreme Court said a defendant wasn't asking for a lawyer when he said, "Just give me a lawyer, dog."

Quote:

"If y'all, this is how I feel, if y'all think I did it, I know that I didn't do it so why don't you just give me a lawyer dog cause this is not what's up." That was Warren Demesme talking to the police after he voluntarily agreed to be interviewed over accusations he sexually assaulted a minor. In an opinion concurring with the Louisiana Supreme Court's decision to deny the man a writ of certiorari, Justice Scott Chricton insists that Demesme only "ambiguously referenced a lawyer." Chricton notes that under current legal precedent in Louisiana, if a suspect makes an "ambiguous or equivocal" reference to a lawyer—one where a "reasonable" cop could conclude that that the suspect only "might" be invoking his right to an attorney—police can continue their interrogation. "Maybe I need a lawyer," for example, is considered too ambiguous.

Good grief.

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The crash scene in 'Flight'

Great scene isn't it?

https://youtu.be/nGHP4uGImX4

But is it plausible what Denzel Washington's character does in order to regain control of the airplane?

One thing I've always wondered is why the plane doesn't go into a rapid descent again the moment the plane is turned back around, as the problem is with a jammed elevator causing the plane to pitch down in the first place.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Manus Island "Processing" centre closing today - Could get ugly

What a mess man.

I think all will not end well

http://ift.tt/2gXaAdU

Quote:

Manus Island asylum seekers secure fences, barricade themselves inside processing centre as closure looms Hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers are barricading themselves inside the Manus Island processing centre and refusing to leave amid fears they'll be attacked if they venture outside the compound's wire fences. Refugees are repairing and securing damaged barbed wire on the compound's perimeter fences to protect them from possible attacks as confrontation between the men, locals and Papua New Guinea authorities looms. Tensions have been rising on the island before it is shutdown, and refugee advocates have expressed fears the "powderkeg" may erupt into violence involving locals, detainees and police. Some 600 men have been refusing to leave the centre at the Lombrum​ Navy Base, despite its planned closure on Tuesday, saying they won't be safe at three other facilities in and around the island's main town of Lorengau​ earmarked for the asylum seekers' relocation. They have vowed to resist any attempts to move them amid reports locals are threatening to arm themselves to stop detainees moving into their community. Alternative accommodation has been offered but one facility, West Lorengau Haus, is not ready and another, Hillside Haus, consists mostly of "transferable accommodation containers". Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul said fear in the centre was rising. "On the one hand is the fear that, as so often has been the case, Border Force and the PNG police will use force against them," Mr Rintoul said. "On the other, there is the fear that they wil be vulnerable to the violence and threats that has seen so many of them robbed, bashed, and attacked with knives and machetes. They have been warned, if you move to Hillside, you will be killed." Dining facilities at Lombrum have closed, with the asylum seekers relying on basic food parcels containing muesli bars, muffins, cornflakes and pre-cooked meals that they have been told will last two days. "Outside they will also be deprived of medical and other support with no hope of a secure future," Mr Rintoul said. "No one has explained where over 600 people are going to find enough food in Lorengau." He said one refugee told the Refugee Action Coalition: "It doesn't matter if the Australians walk away from the detention centre, we are not going to leave." Meanwhile, lawyer Ben Lomai, who in a previous Supreme Court challenge has represented the men detained on Manus, said he would seek an urgent order from the court that food, water, and electricity should be provided to those in the centre beyond Tuesday. "Those necessities of food, water and electricity must be maintained because that is their constitutional right," he said. Mr Lomai, who plans to file the court application early Tuesday morning, said he would also seek orders guaranteeing the men's safety if and when they were moved from the centre. It followed fresh human rights concerns raised by the United Nations in recent days with the PNG government warning Canberra that it would not force refugees to resettle in the country if they did not want to remain, and said Australia was responsible for dealing with them. "It is PNG's position that as long as there is one individual from this arrangement that remains in PNG, Australia will continue to provide financial and other support to PNG to manage the persons transferred under the arrangement until the last last person leaves or is independently resettled in PNG," Immigration Minister Petrus Thomas said in a statement. Mr Thomas said his government had discharged its responsibilities under the two countries' asylum seeker processing arrangement and Australia now had to find a solution for the men who had not been granted refugee status and refugees who refused to stay in PNG. He urged the Australian government to maintain all necessary medical and mental health services on Manus. Amnesty International, which has had a team on the island over recent days, said it was concerned about the restrictions to food, power, water, and medical and sanitation services imposed on the men at the centre, and urged the Australian and PNG governments to prevent violence from erupting as the centre was forcibly closed. In April, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton flagged that the centre would be closed by October 31, but last week warned that ongoing resistance would "make it hard for us to achieve" the deadline. Fairfax Media has contacted Mr Dutton's office for a response.

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Germany wind power surplus

http://ift.tt/2yX8NfI

Quote:

Wind generation is forecast to climb to a record on Sunday, creating more output than needed and driving electricity prices below zero, broker data compiled by Bloomberg show. It would be the first time this year that the average price for a whole day is negative, not just for specific hours. Germany’s grid operators can struggle to keep the balance between how much energy people are using and how much is being produced when there are high amounts of wind generation. Negative prices mean that producers must either shut down power stations to reduce supply or pay consumers to take the electricity off the grid.

The power can't be sold to others instead? I don't really believe the "driving electricity prices below zero" part. Sounds like the dubious claims I heard about nuclear power (in the 1950's) being so cheap that power would be free in the future.

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Solar eclipse, Ramses the Great, and the Book of Joshua

I just read this article which I find interesting. I'm starting a thread on it in case others have more information.

The basic version of events is that the story in the Book of Joshua about the "sun standing still" might be a reference to an eclipse. Astronomers can figure out when eclipses occurred, and cross referencing with an Egyptian text can then precisely date the reigns of some important Egyptian pharaohs.

I'm not going to jump into the believer category on this one. Mass market media loves to do "Science confirms something in the Bible" stories, because it's great click bait. This particular article proves its worth by confusing the word "annual" with "annular" when describing eclipses. Still it might be interesting. I'll be trying to find some more information on it, to determine whether it is great science, mediocre science, or pseudoscience, and would appreciate anyone else who can do the same.

Here's the link to the Newsweek article I read:



http://ift.tt/2yX8PEv

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Are we there again?

It appears that the entire world -- literally -- barely survived the 1962 Cuban missile crisis by sheer luck, and a 1992 conference that included Fidel Castro and Robert McNamara revealed the fundamental, dangerous misconceptions each side had about the other, and the false narrative most of us today have about what happened.

Quote:

Picture this image in your mind’s eye: a thumb and forefinger brought so near to each other that they almost, but don’t quite, touch. As the thumb and forefinger nearly touch, a voice says, “We came that close to nuclear war in the Cuban missile crisis.”

http://ift.tt/2A07ABN

More than relevant today as we watch Trump and North Korea bluster at each other.

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Ghostwatch: The BBC spoof that duped a nation

There's an interesting article on the BBC website about the making of the infamous programme Ghostwatch, which was broadcast exactly 25 years ago, and its aftermath. I saw it live, and remember a lively discussion about it at work the following day.

I had a brother-in-law, a man whose willingness to believe something seemed to be inversely proportional to the amount of evidence for it, who maintained until his dying day that it had all been real, and the claims it was a spoof was a coverup.

Here's the link: http://ift.tt/2zXyavs

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NPR’s “To The Best Of Our Knowledge”.... “Even Stranger Things”

Had to be because of Halloween...

Usually, NPR’s To The Best Of Our Knowledge puts on pretty good shows. However, today’s show led off with a segment about the intelligence and military efforts to use “remote viewing” (and other such things) for “psychic espionage”.

The segment opened well enough... Most all of us are familiar with these programs and I’m sure most of us saw the announcement that both the US and the Soviets abandoned these things as “unproductive”.
However, the reporter (who has a new book...) maintained that the US kept this up until quite recent times and have even attempted to “train” soldiers to intuit the presence of IEDs and such in Afghanistan.

However... She then began to wax on about Uri Geller. Yes, she’d evidently bought Geller hook, line, and sinker and went on and on as to how popular he still is in Israel and how he was a CIA “asset”.....
All with apparently complete ignorance of Geller’s sorry history and the activities of Randi and CSICOP in exposing his fraudulent activities and all that.
This of course (to me, at least) removed any credibility the first segment of the show had.

I left a comment.... And mentioned that as a counter folks might look into the book, “The Men Who Stare At Goats”, which pretty much had fun with the whole idea.

http://ift.tt/2yaNqIl

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Watching Youtube on my TV

I got a new LG 49UJ6300 smart TV; standard remote, no smart remote. One of the available features is a home button on the remote that allows me to select services like hulu, Netflix or Youtube to display on the screen. I have various subscriptions to channels like Curious Droid and Last Week Today. Watching these videos on the TV is preferable to using my small laptop, except I am unable to sort the videos contained in my subscriptions in any order at all when they're listed on the TV's menu.

When I go to my Youtube account online using my laptop, it is a simple matter to select "videos" and "sort by" to search for the videos I want to watch. When selecting Youtube on the LG TV I can select a subscribed channel but the videos are then listed in random order, not by date or views or any other order I can determine. There seems to be no way to sort the videos other than by channel. Some of the help section advice says to use a smart phone for this or that, but I only have a cheap pre-paid Nokia.

Any suggestions on how to sort the videos as they appear on the TV? I'd rather not generate a playlist but have them appear by date; newest to oldest. Thanks.

Ranb

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Skype now requires a Microsoft account, apparently

What's that all about? Is there any way of avoiding doing this?

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Monster (neodymium) magnet meets blood.

An interesting experiment. I've personally have demonstrated to myself the same response with freshwater and a neodymium magnet.
https://youtu.be/IVsWTkD2M6Q

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Fat but fit is a myth

http://ift.tt/2zdkuzf

Yet people still go on the defensive when it's mentioned that being fat is not a good thing...

Sent from my XT1563 using Tapatalk

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Will humans ever exploresother galaxys?

I guess situations like Star Trek, The Orville, and Star Wars will never really happen. The more I see of the Universe the less likely that scenario becomes.

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In the end, could McCarthy have had a point?

Albeit several decades late, that is...

We have members of several political parties, major media (new and old), as well as political financiers under suspicion of being agents of Russian influence that may have been operating for years.

If we ever learn the full extent of Putin's operations in the US, I suspect it will re-write our understanding of the last 20 years.

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Breaking: Mueller Grand Jury charges filed, arrests as soon as Mondy

http://ift.tt/2zNPqCx

Citing CNN. Fox has also aired this claim.

It begins...

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Antihistamine eye drops for our muscles?

Antihistamine eye drops for our muscles?

Hay fever has been bad for me this year, and even the non-drowsey pills get into my brain. So I tried drops instead. Son of a gun, my muscles do much better. Relaxed, even rubbery. I just mowed the lawn, first time in three months- can you say hay fever heaven? Hot today, I'm cooling off now.

I looked it up on the net. First cite was for muscle builders- how antihistamines can reverse their day's gains because they interfere with the inflammation response that is what brings muscle building about. BINGO!!! ( I can't take NSAIDs because of weak kidneys)

I'm using Bausch & Lomb Opcon-A, I think it is a second generation anti-H, not available in pills.

And yes, I know, placebo is a possibility. Stronger for youse. But I didn't have any muscle expectations, I was taking it for watery eyes.

Anybody else with similar experience?

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Halloween Conspiracies

Do these exist? Conspiracies about Halloween?

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Liberals are the rightwing of the American Left

I prefer “Progressive” to “left-wing” as I am actually more towards the center of the Leftward side of the American political spectrum, not to be confused with some nebulous centrist population that is sometimes Left, and sometimes Right but always a complicated mix and simultaneous rejection of the one, or both. That said, I understand what this author is describing and agree with his categorizations (though I am not used to these framing terms and it is a bit confusing in places):

“The liberal-left divide reshaping American politics”

http://ift.tt/2yP7b5h

Quote:

Trump’s opponents are bitterly split. You can’t understand US politics today unless you understand the rift between liberals and leftwingers. By Pete Davis Roughly speaking, these two sides could be characterised as the “populist wing” and the “establishment wing” of the Democratic party, but even this terminology is a point of controversy between the feuding sides… Discussing a resolution to this conflict is difficult, because even calls for “resolution” can be interpreted as ideological statements. Wanting the Democratic party to survive and unify can be taken as an endorsement of the establishment, because the quickest path to intra-party peace is for the conflict’s leftwing instigators to get in line. Meanwhile, treating the intraparty divide as substantive – arguing that there is, in fact, a significant difference between, say, “Medicare for All” and “Obamacare” – can annoy liberals who believe that the so-called “divide” has been manufactured by a few disgruntled purists… To resolve our intra-party conflict, we must first understand it. I believe the two sides’ concerns can be grouped into three divides: the first over party loyalty, the second over how to win elections, and the third over the gap between Democrats and Republicans… The liberals’ best insight is that today’s Republican party is an exceptionally dangerous political organisation. It denies catastrophic climate change, is an almost-pure vessel for the corporate takeover of public power, has based its electoral coalition on aligning with white ethnic nationalism and authoritarian theocracy, and has instigated disastrous decision after disastrous decision over the past decades…. The leftwingers’ best insight is that the end-goal of electoral politics is not winning; it is the advancement of certain programmes and policies. As anyone who has watched the conservative ascendancy within the Republican party knows, internal criticism of party leaders is what makes leaders listen. As Frederick Douglass said: “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.”…

it is a long article filled with a lot of interesting points to evaluate. I’m not sure that I agree that the solution he proposes is the best or only resolution possible. He proposes a fusion of the above Liberal and Leftwinger insights in a practice he calls “Vigorous Critical Loyalty.” The author’s description of this as a series of concessions that both sides must make in dividing up times for criticism and times for unity and party loyalty. The argument however, is very one-sided and largely ignores that the main reason the neoliberal DNC is, and has felt, empowered to treat the leftwing as irrelevant to how they intend to run the DNC, is because Senator Sanders and the overwhelming majority of the Sanders’ supporters, did shut-up, fall in line and ended up supporting and voting for Hillary after the primary ended, which earned them nothing but the DNC’s disrespect and denigration.

Perhaps there is a path toward unification for Progressives and neoliberals and I would consider this author’s piece as a Liberal opening gambit, but I wouldn’t expect any negotiated unity to look anything even remotely close to this, nor would I support this as an acceptable solution.

For the interested, the full article as opposed to the long, but shortened version, I initially quoted from the Guardian, can be found in the current issue of "Current Affairs"
http://ift.tt/2yQkKkN

(there’s a good Bernie article in that issue as well, which rather goes to my consideration that there is no real need for Progressives and liberals to join together so long as the Left candidate accepts that the majority of the people voting for the Left candidate will be progressives looking to move the country boldly Left. if the DNC wants to insure that progressives turnout and play a significant role in the party, and general election, they had better try a lot more open armed support and respect of, and for, Left thinking, public policy and representation, or they can see how far doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results works for them in 2018 and 2020 ------ “Bernie Sanders Isn’t A Democrat… Thank God: He advances true Democratic values without the party’s toxic political brand…” by Briahna Joy Gray http://ift.tt/2yRmV7W )

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Two women rescued after five months adrift...

Quote:

(FOX 13) - U.S. Navy sailors were greeted by barking dogs and blown kisses Wednesday as they pulled alongside two Americans who had been drifting aboard a foundering sailboat for several months. According to the Navy, Jennifer Appel and Tasha Fuiaba set sail this spring from Honolulu, headed to Tahiti – a 2,700-mile trip south across the Pacific Ocean. Even when their engine failed in late May, they vowed to press on under sail power alone, believing they could still reach Tahiti.

http://ift.tt/2xsev52
http://ift.tt/2xsaU7r

How could this happen? Don't sailboats generally go where you steer them with the sails up? Could they have planned to motor a sailboat across the Pacific? How much fuel would they have to carry? And why didn't their emergency beacons work? They send signals directly to satellites, then to authorities. And wouldn't somebody with the resources to do this also pack a satphone?

To experienced sailors, does this make any sense?

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Tell me about mail-order mattresses....

Foam mattresses that are shipped in a smallish box and expand after unpacking have become a thing in the last couple years. Casper, Helix and Leesa are probably the most heavily advertised, but there are several others. Anybody have any experience with them? Were you satisfied with what you got? Or did you dump them during the lengthy "try it at home" period? Would you buy again?

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For the neoconservatives who want Progressives to "form their own party,":

Be careful what you wish for!

As Tensions Simmer, Poll Shows Majority of Democrats Want Bold Leftward Shift

http://ift.tt/2zbNlE4

The survey suggests Democratic voters want to ditch the current party leadership and embrace the grassroots

Quote:

Amid an ongoing battle within the Democratic National Committee between its progressive wing and the more "centrist" establishment, a Harvard-Harris poll (pdf - http://ift.tt/2iBZR93) published Tuesday found that a majority of Democrats think their party should be embracing grassroots movements, ditching its current leadership, and moving to the left. (...) Desire for a leftward move was strongest among young Democrats, who overwhelmingly backed Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the 2016 Democratic primary. The Harvard-Harris poll found that 69 percent of Democratic voters between the ages of 18 and 34 believe the party should embrace the leftward shift pushed by grassroots movements urging Democrats to back Medicare for All, free public college tuition, a $15 minimum wage, and a bevy of other progressive goals. (...) Some prominent Democrats have in recent weeks indicated that they agree with this critique, and with the majority of their voters. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) angered centrist Democrats back in August when she told the audience of a Netroots Nation conference in Atlanta, Georgia that "the Democratic Party isn't going back to the*days of welfare reform and the crime bill." "We're not going back to the days when a Democrat who wanted to run for a seat in*Washington first had to grovel on Wall Street," Warren added. Record support among congressional Democrats for Medicare for All and a $15 federal minimum wage also indicates that Democrats are beginning to shift left under pressure from the grassroots. Consistent with previous surveys, the new Harvard-Harris poll also found that Sanders is far and away the most popular politician in the country, while President Donald Trump and the congressional leadership of both parties remain broadly unpopular.

Neoliberals need to be careful what they wish for, they may receive it!

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Interstellar object passing through solar system

An object on a hyberbolic orbit that doesn't seem explainable by planetary interaction has been spotted:

http://ift.tt/2gMki2o

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No jail for wife beater because her infidelity dishonored him.

http://ift.tt/2yR7DA5

Quote:

"Now, the adultery of the woman is a very serious attack on the honor and dignity of the man," the ruling, signed by Judge Joaquim Neto de Moura, said. "It was the disloyalty and the sexual immorality of the plaintiff that made (the defendant) fall into a profound depression, and it was in this depressive state and clouded by the revolt that carried out the act of aggression, as was well considered in the judgment under appeal." The judges also cited the Bible and its passages "that the adulterous woman must be punished by death."

Yikes. I hope this fanaticism isn't going to spread much in Portugal.

Ranb

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Flake against Trump

I didn't think this really belonged in the Trump thread, since it's more about Senators, so I started this here. If it needs to be merged, merge it.

Senator Flake from AZ retired, and then had a manly speech about how shady Trump. Although, Flake voted inline with most of Trump's ********, and overall he didn't really battle him all that much. I see this as more grandstanding than anything, but I figured how it struck others. A few snips:

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Flakester We must never regard as 'normal' the regular and casual undermining of our democratic norms and ideals. We must never meekly accept the daily sundering of our country -- the personal attacks, the threats against principles, freedoms, and institutions, the flagrant disregard for truth or decency, the reckless provocations, most often for the pettiest and most personal reasons, reasons having nothing whatsoever to do with the fortunes of the people that we have all been elected to serve.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gettin' Flakey With It It is often said that children are watching. Well, they are. And what are we going to do about that? When the next generation asks us, Why didn't you do something? Why didn't you speak up? -- what are we going to say?

So basically his whole speech is about how he won't be complicit, so he's quitting. He's not going to oppose Trump, or battle him, or try to make changes. He's just going to quit.

Neat words, but to me they mean jack ****.

Source

ETA: Requested move to Politics, my bad

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This week's advertising slogan fail....

BBC News: Brazilian toilet paper brand apologises for using black empowerment slogan

"A toilet paper manufacturer in Brazil has dropped the slogan "Black Is Beautiful" from its black-coloured brand.

It is not so much the colour of the toilet roll, but the advert for it, which has attracted the most criticism.

Personal VIP Black toilet paper was launched on Monday by Sao Paulo manufacturers Santher.

It showed white actress Marina Ruy Barbosa draped in the black paper alongside the words 'Black Is Beautiful.'

The words have been removed following criticism by racial equality campaigners for the misappropriation of a slogan synonymous with a historic cultural movement intended to empower black communities."

Seconds out, Round 1....

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Taoist Guru Dies From Steaming Ritual

Spiritual guru boils himself alive trying to prove his ‘physical endurance’ to followers

Quote:

Originally Posted by Metro UK Lim Ba, a 65-year-old Taoist guru, climbed inside the large steel capsule – heated on boiling water – on Monday at 10pm, outside the Kuala Sanglang Qinglong temple in Ayer Tawar, Malaysia. He apparently pulled the stunt to show off his phsyical endurance to his followers, and had managed to pull it off a number of times before. However, after 30 minutes the devotees heard frantic banging coming from inside the pan. By the time they managed to get him out, he was unconscious. Lim was rushed to the hospital, but was pronounced dead of a heart attack soon afterwards. He had also suffered second-degree burns. ‘The sounds coming from inside the wok were not regular and not normal so we knew there was something wrong,’ his son said...

http://ift.tt/2yMRJqn

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Sexual assault or "attempt at humor"? former president accused of groping actress

Report: George H.W. Bush apologizes after 'sexual assault' allegation

This "apology" is a classic non-apology apology. His spokesperson essentially said the former president is sorry that you don't share his sense of humor.

Quote:

Lind wrote on Instagram Tuesday that Bush touched her “from behind from his wheelchair with his wife Barbara Bush by his side,” told her a “dirty joke,” and then touched her again. Lind claimed that Barbara Bush “rolled her eyes” at Bush, “as if to say ‘not again.’” . . . A representative for Bush, now 93, admitted that the former president might have erred in his “attempt at humor,” the Daily Mail reported. “President Bush would never — under any circumstance — intentionally cause anyone distress, and he most sincerely apologizes if his attempt at humor offended Ms. Lind," Bush's statement said, the Daily Mail reported.

Maybe she overreacted? I don't know. I keep my hands to myself to be on the safe side.

Here is another story because that one is rather brief:
http://ift.tt/2y3wBPx

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Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts

You may have heard the recent news that the Boy Scouts will now start allowing girls to join. Earlier this year they had decided to start allowing transgender boys to join. The Girl Scouts did that a few years ago, around 2015 I think.

It seems like a logical decision to me: instead of getting into a whole debate about transgender issues, why not just allow kids who want to join to join regardless of sex. Makes it a moot issue. Also, parents of girls who want to join have been asking the Boy Scouts for years to allow girls in.

The Girl Scouts don't seem to be happy about it though. They think the Boy Scouts are trying to poach from them:

Girls are stars in Girl Scouts. They'd be supporting players in Boy Scouts.

Quote:

We are disappointed that Boy Scouts of America has chosen to open its program to girls in contravention of its charter, rather than focusing on the 90% of American boys not being served by Boy Scouts. We believe strongly in the importance of the safe, all-girl, girl-led and girl-friendly environment that Girl Scouts provides.

And she claims to have "Science" to prove it. It is such a transparently self-serving argument. What works for most should therefore be mandatory for all. Why not let the kids themselves decide? Didn't we all know girls like that when we were kids? The tomboys who liked to play with the boys, doing boy stuff? And vice-versa too. Some boys might rather join the Girl Scouts. Don't force kids to change their whole gender identity if all they want is to play with other kids who like they same sort of things they do.

Anyway, I think the decision to allow girls who want to join the Boy Scouts to join is the right decision. The criticism coming from the Girl Scouts seems to be coming from the narrow viewpoint of is this good for our organization in particular, not whether offering an alternative choice might be good for some girls. Maybe in the future they'll just drop the "Boy" altogether and just call them Scouts?

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Free speech on college campuses

So now we have to question exactly what is a college required to give to any speaker who wants to be there? Is $500,000 in security on a $10,000 reservation enough or do they have to guarantee a friendly audience for the nazi presenter as well?

http://ift.tt/2xkkVU3

"The event shed light on what Spencer and other white nationalists really mean when they talk about free speech. They aren’t talking about the law or the Constitution, they’re talking about hijacking the system and using it to amplify their message. From a legal standpoint, the university gave Spencer everything they could reasonably be obligated to give. He got a venue, $500,000 in law enforcement protection, and even control of ticket distribution when he demanded it."

and all of that was still now enough for conservative speakers like spencer.

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When things aren't going well, start another Clinton investigation

There are so many to choose from. Just open that old Clinton Cash book and pick a dead horse to beat. And of course you can add on another Clinton email investigation while you are at it, Trumpers need to discredit Comey some more. :rolleyes:

House GOP launches probes into Obama-era uranium deal, Clinton email inquiry

Quote:

Leading House Republicans announced on Tuesday two new probes, one into how the Obama administration’s Justice Department handled a deal that gave Russia control over 20 percent of the United States’ uranium supply, and the other into the how it investigated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server. The parallel investigations — both of which involve the House Oversight Committee working in cooperation with another panel — formally revive issues that the Trump campaign used to try to discredit his Democratic rival Clinton during the 2016 presidential race and later, the conduct of now-fired FBI Director James B. Comey. The House Oversight and Judiciary Committees’ probe into the Clinton email investigation focuses on well-established lines of questioning, including why Comey decided to publicly announce it was investigating Clinton, but wait months before making a similar announcement about its inquiries into Trump.

For those of you that need a review, Clinton had little to nothing to do with the uranium decision and the uranium is still in the US. The Clinton Cash book has been thoroughly debunked. And we all know the email BS has been beat to death.

Two familiar GOP names are involved, Nunes and Peter King. Nunes would love to prove Putin supported Clinton:

Quote:

Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) said Tuesday that the panel has “been looking into this for a while now” but elected to formally start the inquiry in light of new evidence, reported in the Hill, that the FBI had been investigating Russian efforts to influence the American nuclear industry through various corrupt schemes.

Fake News:

Quote:

To hear Sean Hannity tell it, the media is ignoring “what is becoming the biggest scandal — or, at least, one of them — in American history.” Hannity is jumping waaay ahead of the facts. So is Breitbart News, which has been running misleading headlines such as this: “FBI uncovers confirmation of Hillary Clinton's corrupt uranium deal with Russia.” Brent Bozell, founder of the conservative Media Research Center, claims that there is “another coverup in the making.” President Trump agrees.

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Judge Stops NYC Seizure of 1000's Of Cars

http://ift.tt/2zzYKtB

Quote:

Under the city’s administrative code, a car can be forfeited if the owner has previously violated the city’s for-hire vehicle code at least twice in the past 36 months.

Quote:

In September 2015, Judge Valerie Caproni ruled in favor of the owners, who included not just unlicensed cab drivers, but also ordinary New Yorkers who faced baseless charges. One of the plaintiffs, Pedro Camacho, had his car seized after TLC inspectors believed he had dropped off an Asian woman at JFK airport who had paid for a ride. In reality, Camacho had dropped off his (Hispanic) niece, who wasn’t even questioned by inspectors. Fortunately for him, the commission ultimately dropped charges and returned his seized car.

I wonder why it isn't an option to hold those who abuse the system by recklessly seizing cars accountable?

I'm not sure who the commissioners are and how they're held accountable for their actions, but it seems that they're a law unto themselves. http://ift.tt/2zzYL0D

Others accuse the TLC of racial profiling; http://ift.tt/2zzYLxF

Quote:

Between July 1, 2013 and June 13, 2014, TLC's ....The inspectors seized 8,798 vehicles during that time. Drivers can’t retrieve their impounded cars unless they plead guilty and pay a fine or wait until their assigned hearing date to make their case before a city administrative judge.....Kalyoncu said the inspectors seized his car at the airport and he was given a May 13 hearing date. But the postal worker needed his minivan for work and couldn’t wait two weeks to defend himself before a judge. Instead he decided to plead guilty the same day his van was seized. He paid a $600 fine, plus another $381 to the impound lot.

Ranb

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Bill O'Reilly Mad at God!

http://ift.tt/2gzLq0L

Quote:

"You know, am I mad at God? Yeah, I'm mad at him," O'Reilly said. "I wish I had more protection. I wish this stuff didn't happen. I can't explain it to you. Yeah, I'm mad at him."

What kind of god doesn't protect a rich blow-hard when he sexually harasses people and it becomes public? Unbelievable isn't it? Makes you think there is no god if he can't protect someone like Bill O'Reilly.

ETA: Or it could be proof that She does exist.

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A Humbling Journey: Theism to Atheism...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD6HjAGyim4

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The reluctant snake-oil salesman

My father, in his retirement, has learned to be a coppersmith and has been traveling to various art festivals selling his wares. Especially popular are a copper bracelet he makes. Here is a portion of a recent Facebook post (mild editing and formatting, mine):

Quote:

Customer: "Will the copper help with my arthritis?" Me: "There is no science to support that!" Customer: "Can you put magnets on the copper cuffs?" Me: "Sure." Customer: "My aunt/grandmother/cousin wore copper cuffs all the time and she said it helped her." Me: "Well, we live in Missouri, the State of Walt Disney. Wishing can make it so. Cash or Credit?" I lost count of how many times I had that conversation over the last two weeks. They usually bought a cuff! I guess we were poor, my grandmother just kept pennies in her shoes.

And a comment from one of my friends:

Quote:

I love that you're raking in snake oil dollars with a firm, "There is no science to support that!"

I kinda want to be my dad when I grow up: ethical enough to completely honest, but not ethical enough to stop people from giving me their money for stupid reasons.

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Dyson Spheres And Ring Worlds... err... HOW?

Well, to keep the question short and to the point: how would you keep a rigid structure centered on the star? Seems to me like basically the shell theorem works both ways, so there's not an awful lot holding such a mega-structure centered on the gravity well. In fact, it seems to me like nothing at all is keeping it centered.

So... err... how was that supposed to be solved?

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Niger military operation

Seems the Trump thread is developing another side track so I thought it best to open a thread on the Niger incident.

LaDavid Johnson was found 2 days after the initial recovery and a mile away. His widow is saying today they wouldn't let her see the body. There are a lot of beheadings in that part of the world, it's a signature of both ISIS and other militant groups.

Putting 2 and 2 together, one has to wonder. OTOH no video or images have surfaced.

Regardless, it still seems this is yet another action by the military or the executive branch that maybe the country deserves to know about.

And there is the other problem, rooting these militant groups out is going to take decades if it's even possible. No doubt ISIS will resettle in sub-Saharan Africa if they are evicted from the area they are currently in.

I don't have any answers to just how involved we should be but I would think it's not doing much good to simply chase them around the world.

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Third way delusions

http://ift.tt/2h4fDGe

Interesting article regarding what passes for research among some hard-core ideologues.

Quote:

Not to diminish the important and revealing information throughout the rest of the investigative reporting by this Atlantic author, which I encourage all those on the Left and Right to read and include in their calculations for 2018 and 2020, but it is amazing how little weight accurate facts are given when it comes to changing pre-existing biases and how easy it is to deny reality as it pertains to the analysis of evidence and "open-mindedness."

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Is this the most confounding double speak from a conspiracy theorist ever?

Linking to a post in a local forum in South Africa. The thread's topic generally revolves around Donal Trump, it does get side tracked. The current side track is on conspiracy theory.

Link to the central post that has blown my mind. Follow back with what Xarog is saying and tell me, is this guy serious? Am I missing the point? What is he getting at?

http://ift.tt/2h1hMCu

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APT Tax

Hi all,

I've been following the threads in this section lately and have to admit I've been interested and researching on my own to try and keep up. I'm hoping to hear opinions on the APT tax (Automated Payment Transaction Tax) and how it might affect our economy vs the tax reform being proposed by Pres. Trump and the Republican leadership. I apologize but I don't have enough posts to make a link, please search Automated Payment Transaction Tax for the website created by them.

I'm interested in your thoughts on how it would affect our economy (especially in relation to stopping or slowing the speculation rampant in all the markets), how it might impact the "fairness" of the playing field (fed backed big investors would at least pay a small tax in place of fair interest rates) and is it feasible that this could be used as a transition from our pay-it-forward Social Security/health care setup to a longer-term plan involving actual solvency.

I did take basic economics many years ago in college but I'd like some different perspectives and actual expertise if you have any to offer. Thanks!

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Palestinians vs Rohingya Muslims

The Rohingya Muslims have lived in Burma for more than 1,000 years.

http://ift.tt/2xYsdw7

Their connections to the land are beyond dispute.

However, the government of Burma refuses to recognize them as a people, and therefore refuses them citizenship.

That's 1.3 million people without citizenship, due to Burma's discriminatory citizenship law.

http://ift.tt/2eKEwoI

And now, Burma has ethnically cleansed at least 650,000 Rohingya civilians into Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, there are no Leftist protests in support of the Rohingya Muslim people in Berlin, London, San Fran, NYC.

Why not? Is it because the persecutors of the Rohingya people in this case are Buddhists, and its not politically correct to condemn Buddhist bigotry?

Hell, not even the Palestinian people have come out in support of the Rohingya.

The double standard is sick.

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UK: Armed siege at bowling alley

Guy armed with a sawn off shotgun (not confirmed, but he had a gun) takes hostages in a bowling alley in Nuneaton, Warwickshire today. Guess how it ended.

BBC

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CIA director Pompeo, tells lies for Trump about Russian election interference

Trump appointed Pompeo and surprise surprise, Pompeo repeats Trump's frequent assertion that Russian interference had no affect on the election outcome.

CIA director distorts intelligence community’s findings on Russian interference

Quote:

CIA Director Mike Pompeo declared Thursday that U.S. intelligence agencies determined that Russia’s interference in the 2016 American presidential election did not alter the outcome, a statement that distorted spy agency findings.... His comment suggested — falsely — that a report released by U.S. intelligence agencies in January had ruled out any impact that could be attributed to a covert Russian interference campaign that involved leaks of tens of thousands of stolen emails, the flooding of social media sites with false claims and the purchase of ads on Facebook.... But the report reached no conclusions about whether that interference had altered the outcome — an issue that U.S. intelligence officials made clear was considered beyond the scope of their inquiry.

Yep, drain that swamp and fill it in with sludge.

Quote:

“This is another example of Pompeo politicizing intelligence,” a former senior U.S. intelligence official said. Pompeo “is the most political CIA director since Bill Casey” during the Reagan administration, the former official said. “This significantly undermines the intelligence community’s credibility.”

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Study of educated professionals.

I am doing a study of educated professionals who still promote the moronic notion of a massive cover up in regard to the events of 911.

If this message made it through your foil hat it would be interesting if you could just post your age, education level, and place of residence.

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Quebec tramples religious freedoms as Canadian freemen dither

Freemen on the land don’t seem to know what to do as the province of Quebec effectively tramples the religious freedom of Muslim women.

The newly passed Bill 62 which forbids anyone from receiving or giving a public service with their face covered wearing face coverings. Effectively making impossible for Muslim women wearing face coverings to serve as doctors, nurses, teachers or even ride a city bus.

http://ift.tt/2xXYrrv

Anyone channeling Rosa Parks yet?

Yet the freeman crowd seems confused about the freedoms they have yammered about for years.

To their credit some freemen (even when convenient the double talking Robert Menard) see Bill 62 for the tyranny it is. But some of the freeman crowd can’t stop whining that the law should be applied to police officers wearing masks.

Quote:

Paul Fiola: IMO, at least they believe what they believe enough to fight for it. Robert Menard: But not enough to allow others to fight against it in an equal manner.

Quote:

Robert Menard: . . .these masks are religious garb that provide no tactical benefits or increased safety. Their sole purpose is to hide the identity of the 'priests'. . . .I am personally far more concerned about [the law’s] armed and dangerous enforcers than I am a humus loving niqāb wearer.

Quote:

Pawel Fryga: **** everybody's religion. Braindead.

Quote:

Chris Carter: first of all **** islam. it's a piece of **** doctrine, intentions, claims and practices wise. wearing niqab isn't an indication of a free society. unintended consequences=wanna bet that many many hundreds of non-muslim females and perhaps even males r gunna flood into Quebec, wear niqab and force the police and courts to put up or shut up.

Source: http://ift.tt/2oPIL9B


So where were freemen and the freeman brain trust when this law was proposed years ago?

Do freemen have any idea that their decades long trashing of constitutional law as fantasy negates their calls that Muslim women to be protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights?

Why is Menard allowing his Facebook page to be used as a forum for anti-Muslim hate speech?

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Question on the British War Office in 1815

The War Office, responsible for the Army, was originally the Secretary at War's
office. The first holder of the post was killed in battle - at sea - against the Dutch in 1666. It was not at first a big spending Department; office expenses for six months of 1673 amounted to £14 9s 0d. It became however of increasing importance in the political control of the Army, although it was not the only Government Department involved - in 1815 there were fifteen.

http://ift.tt/2yGgZzU

Does anyone know what those fifteen offices were called or what they did?

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Trump orders release of JFK files

http://ift.tt/2xXsr6V


Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump said Saturday he will allow long blocked secret files on the assassination of John F Kennedy to be opened to the public for the first time.

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New U.S. ambassador to Denmark

Her predecessor Rufus Gifford was very popular in Denmark, but nobody seems to know what to expect from Trump’s newly nominated ambassador Carla Sands.
What might a Trump-appointed ambassador do differently?

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Alex Jones products apparently filled with lead

The man who constantly claims that the "elites" are poisoning us is apparently poisoning his own listeners. I guess he is part of the population control.

http://ift.tt/2yGbCze

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bywinners,men

I have just got a bywinners,men (dot not comma) advert popping up on my pc. It seems pretty dodgy, but I haven't installed anything that I know about and McAfee can't find anything.


googling suggests its malware but the links aren't familiar.

Does anyone know a good malware checker?

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Rocket powered 3D metal printer creates parts faster than laser printers

http://ift.tt/2l5MZc3

Quote:

Parts of your car may one day be printed in Darwin, with a world-first 3D printer pumping out bespoke metal parts in a matter of minutes. The machine's creators say they have unlocked the ability to print pieces of copper and aluminium up to 1,000 times faster than existing 3D printers. Co-inventor Steven Camilleri said it was "a bit strange" to finally have the printer up and running after spending more than two years devising the technology. "The technology doesn't sound like it should be real, but it's actually demonstrable," he said. The printer arrived at a research hub at Charles Darwin University this month and is already manufacturing metal parts. It is rocket science After engineers choose from a digital menu of 3D designs, the printer's machinery noisily heats up to 400 degrees Celsius. "Instead of using a laser and heat to melt the metal powder and form the metal part — a very expensive and slow process — we use a rocket engine and deposit metal powders at extremely high velocity," Mr Camilleri said.

This being Australia where it was invented I am just waiting for the technology to be sold overseas for a pittance.

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A never ending slow motion train wreck - A chronological list

I don't know who on here posted the term, "A never ending slow motion train wreck" to describe the current administration, but I love the term.

I had to google why all the business leaders left his "esteemed and well-hung business leader council" thingy. It seems more than only 2 months ago, because it seems that every day there is something else I - or we - have to process.

So, in an attempt to make a list of all the "WTF" moments so far, I'm starting this thread.

I'm spitballing here with what I remember off hand, so...have a heart.

--------------

1) Biggest inauguration crowd period.
2) "I'm tired and this conversation is going nowhere" and then hanging up on the Australian Prime Minister.
3) Bowling Greene Massacre
4) (Where do we put Trump whining about Obama spying on him?)
5) Firing Comey
6) Trump upset Sessions (did the right thing) and recused himself.
7) Can I pardon myself?
8) Good and bad on both sides.
9) Transgender military ban

...etc...

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Brexit: Now What? Part IV

This is a continuation from here. As is usual, posters are free to copy & paste from previous iterations of the thread.

Posted By:Agatha

Quote:

Originally Posted by ceptimus (Post 12042987) Poor analogy choice as it implies that some could go down the slide while some remain behind. This was a group choice. Of those that chose to vote, the majority of the group were in favour and the group leaders subsequently announced that they agreed with the decision and were determined to carry it out. The attitude of most of the group remains, "Just get on with it!" A vocal minority are still trying to reverse the decision by any and all means possible.

But they didn't know about the spike, did they? Being able to take in new information, change one's mind and admit error is the way adults are supposed to behave, not least when the future of the entire country is in peril.

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Want Hurricane relief ? Got to promise to not boycott Israel

In the land of free speech I was surprised to find state legislation which allows relief to be contingent on people wanting relief to not adopt certain positions.

Quote:

A Texas city has required residents who are seeking government disaster relief funds in the wake of Hurricane Harvey to pledge not to boycott Israel. The city of Dickinson, about 30 miles (48km) south of Houston, posted grant applications for anyone seeking money for repairs after the category 4 storm. Local officials say the pro-Israel clause is required under a Texas state law enacted earlier this year.

http://ift.tt/2grvr58

I suppose it's not really a free speech issue - after all people don't *have* to receive the aid, but I'd be surprised if the UK - which ostensibly has less free speech than the US - would impose similar conditions on flood relief.

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The Most Dangerous Man in America 2017 - Part 3

It's been a long time. Certainly long enough to begin a new thread here, and begin publishing my latest, greatest, evidence of spiritual power.

I will argue that planet earth is similar to your PC or laptop, in that it too runs on software, which can accept commands. The term I prefer to use is "command line sequence."

My first act after returning to these boards was to perform a search of the word "eclipse," and I was surprised to find no obvious threads on the subject, pop up. Perhaps I'm overlooking something, or failing to use the more advances features, but I would have expected at least as many threads about the recent total solar eclipse in the U.S., as I see on "Big Foot." After all, long before the "big feet" era, native or ancient peoples saw an eclipse as a significant transitional event, usually taken in a negative light.

For those who may have forgotten or are unfamiliar, I am Raptor Witness, and I claim to be the most dangerous man in America, capable of sending any plague I choose, upon the Kingdom of the Beast and the False Prophet, which are the United States government, and her broadcast media apparatus.

I respect the atheist, or agnostic point of view, and critical thinkers of all stripes. You are equally welcome to debate, but please understand that simple criticism is not debate material.

My time is sometimes limited, so if you're a serious critic and I don't respond in a timely fashion, please feel free to alert me on my other social media platforms, or by PM here. I have a busy life outside of here, but every so often I enjoy this type of environment, especially after I've had time to build up a series of effective plagues, which have arguably already been executed on Earth's mainframe. Note that I’m speaking in the past tense here, but of course I may offer up some new material in this thread, also. By “new material,” I simply mean new plagues.

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Study of people who use the terms toofer, troofer, or twoofer

I am doing a study of people who use the terms toofer, troofer, or twoofer relative to those who question the events of 911.

If you do use those terms it would be interesting if you could just post your age, education level, and place of residence.

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3 men arrested for violence after Richard Spencer speech

Quote:

Tyler Tenbrink, William Fears and Colton Fears—two of whom police say have known ties to extremist organizations—are being held in the Alachua County Jail on charges of attempted homicide after allegedly firing on another group of people during a violent encounter shortly after Spencer’s speech. According to police, the trio argued with and threatened a group of protestors demonstrating against Spencer, who was addressing a small crowd at the University of Florida Phillips Center for Performing Arts. The men reportedly began threatening to “f*cking kill” and “shoot” the protestors, before eventually offering the Nazi salute and shouting “Hail Hitler.” Police say Tenbrink, a convicted felon, fired the shot. One of the protestors managed to write down the license plate of the silver Jeep the three men were riding in.

Source

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Police raid unexpectedly uncovers possible terror plot

Police raiding a Florida home as part of a child pornography investigation stumbled upon a cache of IEDs and a respectable assortment of handguns, shotguns, and rifles (including one AK-47) with thousands of rounds of ammunition for same, aerial photographs of two nearby elementary schools and a water treatment plant, and a bizarre note that would appear to indicate the suspect has been playing too many video games.

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Ask hard questions, get kicked out of scouts

Meanwhile, in my neck of the woods:

A Cub Scout questioned a Colorado state senator at a meeting. Now he’s been kicked out of his den.

Quote:

Eleven-year-old Ames Mayfield, a fifth-grader at Prospect Ridge Academy and a Scout for five years, on Oct. 9 asked Sen. Vicki Marble, R-Fort Collins, questions about gun control, and about comments Marble made at a 2013 legislative hearing on poverty about mortality rates among African-Americans. The boy’s mother, Lori Mayfield, on Wednesday said Ames was kicked out of his den, or Scout group, as a result.

Colorado Sen. Vicki Marble’s finger-lickin’ lie

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Non-MSM Fake News

FoxNews that journalistic bastion of the Non-MSM, had a pro-Trump highly decorated, combat wounded, Vietnam vet SEAL on. Minor issue with that is that he wasn't a highly decorated, combat wounded, Vietnam vet SEAL but he was pro-Trump.

FoxNews was informed the next day that the guy was a fake. So they immediately retracted the story. Well sort of, if you think 10 days later is immediately.

http://ift.tt/2goNskc

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Suggesting people commit suicide, First Amendment

"Flier at Cleveland State University encouraging LGBTQ students to consider suicide upsets students"
http://ift.tt/2yXlKGU

I hoping to discuss if encouraging or suggesting people commit suicide is legal and protected under the first amendment. As a former mental health worker and crisis counselor it is a shock to me.

I understand hateful speech and prejudicial speech is protected. But I feel suggesting someone kill themselves should be criminal.

Try to maintain civility in discussion.

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Is it wrong to buy a purebred puppy?

This question is already addressed to some extent in a Travis thread. It had not been obvious to me that buying purebred dogs might be morally wrong. But that's what some animal rights activists are basically saying. By creating a market for dogs that have been inbred in order to express certain traits, we're are creating dog breeds that are at high risk for serious health problems. Also by creating a demand we are dooming dogs to being no better than puppy-mill slaves, constantly kept pregnant and mistreated in numerous ways. In the meantime mixed-breed dogs often face euthanasia at a higher rate because people have their heart set on a certain breed.

I get all that, but if a little old lady wants a poodle she ought to be able to get one, IMO. Losing my current dog would/will rip my heart out. If I ever get another dog/puppy I would gravitate to her breed. But I don't really want to be part of a systematic, ongoing abusive practice that churns out unhealthy dogs while healthier ones are being euthanized for want of a permanent home. I feel somewhat conflicted about the topic and want to know what other people think.

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Mild-mannered Brian is on the way

I don't know how Met Eirann has done it but a storm due to hit the UK over Saturday has been named...Brian.

Always look on the bright side of life
da-da, da-da da-da-da-da da

It's a weather bomb in that at its core is an area of very low pressure of circa 950.

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The Death Of Stalin is coming, comrades!

It's a black comedy about the power struggle that happened after Uncle Joe went to his reward.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukJ5dMYx2no

The trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukJ5dMYx2no

The Twitter Campaign: https://twitter.com/Death_of_Stalin

IMHO,best twitter campaign ever for a movie.

Yeah, I am looking forward to this.

And we have a reaction from the Putin Government (which is NOT a joke)

Quote:

In September 2017, a high-ranking official in the Russian Ministry of Culture said the Russian authorities were considering a ban on the film, which, he alleged, could be part of a "western plot to destabilise Russia by causing rifts in society

Oh, the freaking irony of that Russian statement...

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Risk of returning ISIS volunteers

"Around 850 Britons are thought to have travelled to Syria since 2011. Around 120 are believed dead fighting for groups including Islamic State and around half those remaining are thought to have already returned home. Police and security leaders have in the past warned of the prospect of battle-hardened jihadists returning to continue their struggle by carrying out attacks on the streets of Britain."

Current Head of MI5:
“Andrew Parker said the country was now facing an intense threat from violent Islamist extremists who were devising plots at a tempo he had not seen before in his 34-year-career.”

Former MI6 bloke:
“Richard Barrett, a former director of global counter-terrorism at MI6, said Britons had gone to Syria for “highly individual” reasons.
He said: “Many of them went to join something, join something new, something that looked bright and attractive and satisfied some of the needs in their lives and probably found that didn’t exist out there and so came back highly disillusioned.
“Also someone going off to join the Islamic state is not likely initially to be somebody going off to be a domestic terrorist, they seem to me to be two different motivations.””

http://ift.tt/2ytGsNZ


It rather seems that it is a good thing that Richard Barrett is a former counter-terrorism director, his comment “someone going off to join the Islamic state is not likely initially to be somebody going off to be a domestic terrorist, they seem to me to be two different motivations.” Seems ludicrous… unless you define “different motivations” as “whether you prefer to murder people at home or abroad”. It’s all jihad, only the postcode differs.

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The Roy Moore Batcrap Crazy Remark Thread

For starters judges who ruled in favor of Gay Marraigne should be removed from the bench:

http://ift.tt/2yUHl2n

And people who kneel during the national anthem are breaking the law.
For somebody who claims to be a rabid constituionist, Moore seems to have poor grasp of the first admendment.

And there is lots more batcrap crazy in this rant.

And what is with the goddamn cowboy hat? Last time I looked Alabama was not in the American West.

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Home fire shelters?

The pictures of the devastated Santa Rosa neighborhoods burned to the ground block after block and the reports of people frantically driving through fires to escape makes me wonder if "shelter in place" could be possible. People who live in tornado alley routinely install concrete or steel tornado shelters. Firefighters in wildfires are equipped with aluminized mylar tents that they can throw over themselves if they are engulfed by fire.

Question: What kind of shelter could homeowners in fire zones construct to save themselves if they couldn't get away from a forest fire? I'm assuming a free-standing concrete structure, maybe covered with heat-reflective paint, would survive almost any fire. It would have to be sealed against fumes and maybe have air tanks inside. But I might rather take my chances in a shelter than drive into a fire with my panicked neighbors.

I suspect something like this, maybe even with thinner walls, could be adapted for the purpose.
http://ift.tt/2yUaXNI

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The Targeted Individual Community

Just found this. 26:33 is hilarious. :D

[yt]62s3FinAoC0[/yt]

Has anyone ever heard of these nutters?

More info: http://ift.tt/2gv8cL5

Edit: 8:40: His dentist looked at his brainscan... :mgduh

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Free Health Insurance†

After my health insurer and another health insurer dropped out of the
marketplace because Trump announced he would stop paying premiums
to insurance companies I panicked.* It looks like two remain but they
haven’t announced their commitment to offer insurance. Fortunately,
it looks like the Affordable Care Act has written it provisions for such
a marketplace failure; and so, one can get free health insurance.†

Quote:

Trump's Health Subsidy Shutdown Could Lead To Free Insurance by Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press If President Donald Trump prevails in shutting down a major "Obamacare" health insurance subsidy, it would have the unintended consequence of making free basic coverage available to more people, and making upper-tier plans more affordable. The unexpected assessment comes from consultants, policy experts, and state officials, who are trying to discern the potential fallout from a Washington health care debate that's becoming even more complicated and volatile. What's driving the predictions? It's because another subsidy that's part of the health law would go up for people with low-to-moderate incomes, offsetting Trump's move.

Fingers Crossed.


* I’d be forced to knit together about 20 of the new micromed plans that cost $5 to $25 a month to get full coverage.
† Individual income taxes may rise to $695 per month per taxpayer. ‡
‡ Never read the fine print. You won't like it.

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The Face of Modern US Politics

Sure this is a bit of clickbait but IMO it does illustrate the gender and racial imbalance in US politics (though I doubt whether one done in the UK would be much different).

Researchers have fed all the pictures of House and Senate members into a face blending algorithm at the result looks like, well, pretty much what I'd imagine a politician to look like, white, male and middle-aged.

http://ift.tt/2zBhhH1

IMO the more serious point is that although diversity in Congress is improving, it still lags well behind diversity in the US population as a whole.

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So many political hotbuttons in one headline

U.S. judge orders Trump administration to allow abortion for undocumented teen

Quote:

A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the U.S. government to allow an undocumented immigrant teenager in its custody to have an abortion and said she was “astounded” that the Trump administration was trying to block the procedure. . . . Late Wednesday, however, the Justice Department appealed the case, asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to stay District Judge Tanya Chutkan’s ruling. The government asked the appeals court to rule by 9 p.m. on Thursday, to prevent the 17-year-old, identified in court papers as Jane Doe, from having an “irreversible elective abortion” while the appeal is pending. . . . Court filings make clear that the government is trying to prevent minors in its custody from having abortions, a departure from U.S. practice under Obama. Scott Lloyd, director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, the HHS agency that cares for unaccompanied minors caught crossing the border, said in an email in March that federally funded shelters “should not be supporting abortion services pre or post-release; only pregnancy services and life-affirming options counseling.” . . . In court filings, the Justice Department said the government has “strong and constitutionally legitimate interests in promoting childbirth, in refusing to facilitate abortion, and in not providing incentives for pregnant minors to illegally cross the border to obtain elective abortions while in federal custody.” . . . The judge pointed out that the federal workers took the teenager, against her wishes, to a Christian pregnancy facility for counseling aimed at persuading her not to abort, and also informed her mother about the pregnancy. Both steps potentially violated the girl’s constitutional protections, Chutkan said.

Crazy stuff.

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The opioid crisis, lobbying, congress and big business

Looks like the pharmaceutical industry (like tobacco and sugar before them) lied to politics to get their products approved for wide use.

60 minutes report.

Quote:

In the midst of the worst drug epidemic in American history, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's ability to keep addictive opioids off U.S. streets was derailed -- that according to Joe Rannazzisi, one of the most important whistleblowers ever interviewed by 60 Minutes. Rannazzisi ran the DEA's Office of Diversion Control, the division that regulates and investigates the pharmaceutical industry. Now in a joint investigation by 60 Minutes and The Washington Post, Rannazzisi tells the inside story of how, he says, the opioid crisis was allowed to spread -- aided by Congress, lobbyists, and a drug distribution industry that shipped, almost unchecked, hundreds of millions of pills to rogue pharmacies and pain clinics providing the rocket fuel for a crisis that, over the last two decades, has claimed 200,000 lives.

Basically Pablo Escobar. In a suit.

This looks big on so many levels. I wonder if people in politics and the FDA were bribed into approving these drugs.

I'm not American but have been aware of the effects of this crisis since at least 2005.

Is the US finally going to tackle this? And will they go after Big Pharma?

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