6.07.2014

Whoa! We have definitely not started worrying about this yet

What Can You Do About Bed Bugs in Your Laptop? | Science Blogs | WIRED

So the next time somebody blows smoke at you about how secure open source software is…

Another Serious Security Breach Revealed Weeks After Heartbleed | TIME

"A new security bug in OpenSSL encryption was revealed and patched Thursday, just a few months after Heartbleed threatened hundreds of thousands of secure web servers. The new bug is the most serious of several security breaches revealed by the OpenSSL group in a formal advisory today."

…well, maybe not.

OK, now I'm scared

How Not to Pay the Price for Free Wi-Fi - NYTimes.com

"‘They can see that you’re connecting to Amazon and that you’re looking for remedial algebra books,’ said Nadia Heninger, an assistant professor of computer and information science at the University of Pennsylvania. "

6.06.2014

Who's counting?

Government Quotes & Sayings (Governments, Democracy, Bureaucracy, State, Federal, etc)

"The Lord's Prayer is 66 words, the Gettysburg Address is 286 words, there are 1,322 words in the Declaration of Independence, but government regulations on the sale of cabbage total 26,911 words. ~National Review"

Good on ya

Missing UK veteran found at D-Day events in France - Yahoo News

"LONDON (AP) — An 89-year old World War II veteran who was reported missing from a nursing home in England has been found in Normandy after traveling to attend D-Day commemorations, police said Friday.…
"The force said Jordan left the home wearing his service medals and joined a group of veterans heading to France by bus."

As a public service, we put an end to this nonsense

BlogsofWar
Susan Rice compares Bowe Bergdahl controversy to Benghazi uproar http://t.co/aCgcHXO5dB
6/6/14, 1:26 PM

Was bringing Bergdahl home, given the price, the right thing to do: Yes.

Was Bergdahl AWOL when he was taken: Maybe yes, maybe no.

Will he be court-martialed? No.

Will he be punished for anything in any material way? No.

Will Obama be impeached? No.

Will looneys ever quit braying at the moon? You’re kidding, right?

There. Nothing more to see. Move along.

Ever see a geologist giggle?

Plastic is the new rock, say Geologists • The Register

"Geologists have identified what they say is a new class of rock.

"'Plastiglomerates', as the new rocks are called, form when plastic debris washes up on beaches, breaks down into small pieces, becomes mixed in sand or sticks to other rocks and solidifies into an agglomerate mixing all of the above. Such rocks, say US and Canadian boffins in a paper titled An anthropogenic marker horizon in the future rock record, have ‘great potential to form a marker horizon of human pollution, signalling the occurrence of the informal Anthropocene epoch.’"

Vive la difference

The real reason Thomas Piketty has taken America by storm - Salon.com

"Elite universities in France pay their students to study, whereas here families must save for years if they hope to send a child to an elite private university."

Oh go ahead, tell!

National Donut Day 2014: Where to Go to Get Your Free Donuts | Money.com

"Not that we’re advising you to do any such artery-clogging, time-consuming thing, of course. "

You don’t want to miss this, do you?

Shut up and eat your veggies, people

Big Food Still Plans to Sue Vermont Over New GMO Labeling Law | Mother Jones

"Last month, when Vermont passed a new law requiring food and beverage manufacturers to label genetically modified foods, Big Food went ballistic. The Grocers’ Manufacturers’ Association, a trade group that represents Monsanto, General Mills, Coca-Cola, and other giant food companies, warned that the labeling law—the first of its kind in the nation—was 'costly' and 'critically flawed,' and vowed to sue the state to force it to scrap the measure."

If you have a look left, here's the Times of June 6, 1944

TimesMachine: June 6, 1944 - NYTimes.com

6.05.2014

Next time we have to trade with the Taliban, let's send 'em a few congresscritters

The Rush to Demonize Sgt. Bergdahl - NYTimes.com

"This hypocrisy now pervades the Republican Party and the conservative movement, and has even infected several fearful Democrats. When they could use Sergeant Bergdahl’s captivity as a cudgel against the administration, they eagerly did so, loudly and in great numbers. And the moment they could use his release to make President Obama look weak on terrorism or simply incompetent, they reversed direction without a moment’s hesitation to jump aboard the new bandwagon."
[Noted by our Midwest bureau.]

This Times editorial is worth reading from start to finish. Click the link, above.

Heads you lose, tails you lose: Buckeyes are nuts

Ohio considers banning insurance coverage of all abortion — even if the pregnancy is life threatening - Salon.com

"The Ohio Legislature is currently considering a measure to ban insurance coverage for abortion care, even in cases of rape, incest and when the pregnancy is life threatening.…Lawmakers are also maneuvering to ban birth control coverage for public employees and Medicaid recipients. "

Quick! Check your teeth!

Traces of illegal North Korean gold discovered in US products — RT Business

"A startling ingredient has been found in IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Ralph Lauren products: gold from North Korea, illegal under the current US sanctions against the pariah state."

Just go away and leave me alone

EMOTIONAL ROBOT SET FOR SALE IN JAPAN NEXT YEAR

"TOKYO (AP) -- A cooing, gesturing humanoid on wheels that can decipher emotions has been unveiled in Japan by billionaire Masayoshi Son who says robots should be tender and make people smile."

So the answer is to hire more referees?

Crime dips in Chicago during big games: researchers - Chicago Sun-Times

“…on Monday nights when the Bears play, crime in Chicago drops 13 percent on average."

On cutting wasteful spending

Let’s Give Mississippi Less - NYTimes.com

"One thing the Mississippi Republican establishment and the Tea Party seem to agree on is that you’re not supposed to remind people that their state is way more dependent on Washington than the average food stamp recipient."

6.04.2014

Barbarians at the gate

Financial Juneteenth | Detroit Bankruptcy managers want to sell its precious art collection

"The Detroit Institute of Arts is the second largest municipally owned museum in the country and contains art from all over the world.  Art has been collected by the museum since its opening in 1883."

Out of the fog…



…the John G. Munson slips through the ship canal in Duluth.

Dude, mark your calendar

Toothache Day!

"National Toothache Day is celebrated annually on February 9 in the United States!"

Notes from the financial front

Nothing Is Better Than Something | Poems by Dr. Goose: Finance and Economics Humor, Satire - Limericks Économiques

"The Fed stirred up market festivity,
In spite of low business activity,
From the joy that relates
To their keeping the rates
At zero, as is their proclivity."

Free car wash?

OK, I don't know what this guy is doing but whatever it is, it looks like fun.

Kids

And an old Crab took the opportunity of saying to her daughter "Ah, my dear! Let this be a lesson to you never to lose your temper!" "Hold your tongue, Ma!" said the young Crab, a little snappishly. "You're enough to try the patience of an oyster!”

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Who can resist a headline like this?

The Smutty-Metaphor Queen of Lawrence, Kansas - NYTimes.com

"‘She’s funny, she’s interesting and she’s a weirdo — which is all I ask for in a person.’"

What could possibly go wrong?

Lenders Easing Up on Jumbo Mortgages - NYTimes.com

"Over the last few months, lenders have begun approving loans for jumbo borrowers who don’t strictly meet the usual rules for, say, income documentation or credit score minimums, but can compensate for these shortfalls in other ways."

On the 6th of June

D-Day Then and Now | Reuters.com

These are the guys we bailed out, right?

Exclusive: GM apologizes for sending recall notices to victims' families | Reuters

"GM has recalled 2.6 million of its most popular models to replace a defective switch that it has linked to 13 fatalities. Some families who lost loved ones in fatal crashes have complained that GM should not have sent them notices to bring in cars for repairs."

Who writes this junk, anyway?

A Billionaire Goes Begging - David Patrikarakos - POLITICO Magazine

"Obama will no doubt be sympathetic to Poroshenko’s requests. He’s had his own experience with rough beginnings as a green politician, having inherited the Oval Office amid two wars and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression."

Obama didn’t “inherit” his job, he vigorously campaigned for it for over a year, spending millions in the effort. And the wars and the economic crisis all began before he was even nominated for office. If he didn’t want to do the job he shoulda  just stayed home. Likewise Poroshenko, who asked for what he’s got. 

The point of this little drama may well be (or not be) valid, but casting its players as just two guys struggling under the hardships thrust upon them is journalistic malpractice, at best.

Here's your big chance, Dubuque

In Competition To Host Olympics, Less Clamor Than Crickets : NPR

"The Polish city of Krakow is only the latest to withdraw its bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics after a public referendum. So many localities have dropped out of the running that the games might just be hosted by the last contender standing. "

6.03.2014

The woman always looks like Loren Bacall…

…in a Raymond Chandler novel, even the one by the Irish writer Benjamin Black called The Black-Eyed Blonde. And Bogey plays the lead, of course—the hard-boiled private eye, Philip Marlowe. If you like it noir you’ll want to read this book. It’s here, and on the list.

This is it

This is the very day I was dreaming about in January: 91 degrees, bright blue sky with a few white, fluffy clouds (pretty much photographic white if you’re old enough to remember such arcania). 

In other words, dead solid perfect.

Being boycotted by Smith apparently doesn't exactly ruin one's career

Merkel eyes IMF's Lagarde for EU Commission chief: sources | Reuters

"(Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel has asked France whether it would be willing to put forward International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde as president of the European Commission, two French sources briefed on the exchanges said."

Me too

XKCD

Big news for the Internet generation

Raquel Welsh, Sophia Loren, Brigitte Bardot were “hotties” when they were young. Oh yes. And so much more:

49 Pictures of Old Celebrities When They Were Young and Hot

Stuff we didn't start worrying about until right now

STUDY: PEOPLE FEAR MALE-NAMED HURRICANES MORE

"But here is Victoria's secret: Hurricanes with feminine names turn out to be deadlier in the United States than their more macho-sounding counterparts, probably because their monikers make people underestimate their danger, the researchers conclude."

That's a little bit over the top, dude

15 Most Expensive Private Yachts Money Can Buy | Exotic Toys | Page 15

"This mega yacht features a missile defense system, indoor theatre, two swimming pools, twin helipads and a bulletproof master bedroom."

When flushing works just as well

Chemical Weapons Treaty Does Not Apply to Petty Crime, Justices Rule - NYTimes.com

"‘We are reluctant to ignore the ordinary meaning of ‘chemical weapon,’ ’ Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote for six justices, ‘when doing so would transform a statute passed to implement the international Convention on Chemical Weapons into one that also makes it a federal offense to poison goldfish.’"

Don't expect any help from Obamacare on this

Hospital Charges Surge for Common Ailments, Data Shows - NYTimes.com

"‘It just isn’t clear what has gone into the increase in hospital charges for the past decade,’ said Dr. Hamilton Moses III, chairman of the consulting firm Alerion Advisors and an adjunct professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University. ‘But if you look at the Veterans Administration and the amount of administrative costs that are eating up the moneys that should go to direct health care, that’s a pattern that is repeated everywhere.’"

6.02.2014

Those scandalous Canadians

Teen Girls Sent Home From High School For 'Distracting' Boys With Their Visible Bra Straps | ThinkProgress

"The female students say they weren’t trying to violate the dress code, but they wanted to dress appropriately for the Canadian province’s unseasonably warm weather. Temperatures reached nearly 70 degrees last week…"

Seventy degrees? A heat wave? Well, OK, if they say so. 

Meanwhile, name me one thing that would not distract a high school aged boy. 

"My favorite kind of project"…

…Big Mike at the grocery store said to me this morning, “is the kind where you get it started and then take a nap. Like defrosting the refrigerator…"

Amen.

We're from the Government and we're here to help you

Privatization of some VA care gaining popularity on Capitol Hill « Hot Air

"The good news after the departure of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki over the wait-list fraud scandal is that a new consensus has developed on Capitol Hill that veterans should have the option to choose outside providers for their medical care."

The bad news is these guys think that’s good news.

For a taste of late-50's topical humor (and 50's acting)…

…1959, in fact…you can’t go wrong by spending an hour and a half with The Mouse That Roared

6.01.2014

A sunny afternoon in June


What? Gambling at Ricks?

Investor Carl Icahn Reportedly At Center Of Insider Trading Probe : The Two-Way : NPR

"Billionaire investor Carl Icahn, pro golfer Phil Mickelson and Las Vegas sports gambler 'Billy' Walters are reportedly the target of an investigation by the FBI and Securities and Exchange Commission into alleged insider trading."

Gotta love the headline, at least

Creativity, Dirty Eggs And Vocal Fry: The Week In Science : NPR

Trouble in Twitterland

Twitter abandons one of humanity's most widely used fonts


@Support NOOOOOO.... It looks cheap and amateurish.

Which cares?

Cruz: Shoulda let 'im rot

Cruz: Prisoner swap negotiations 'disturbing' | TheHill

"Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said on Sunday that it was 'disturbing' for the administration to negotiate the transfer of five detainees at Guantanamo Bay to Qatar in exchange for the Taliban’s release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl."

Also, “He would want it that way."

Jerk.

Where have all the Ednas gone?

Wait, here’s one—Edna Ferber. From a short story about Chicago entitled That Home-Town Feeling:

“Here an electric sign blazons forth the tempting announcement of lunch. Just across the way, delicately suggesting a means of availing one's self of the invitation, is another which announces ‘Loans.'

"South Clark Street can transform a winter overcoat into hamburger and onions so quickly that the eye can't follow the hand.”

From an anthology of Ferber’s stories called Buttered Side Down, available from Project Gutenberg here.