January, 2014 archive
Can’t Kick the Habit 0
The Regency ends officially on January 11, but it looks like Virginia’s addiction to magickal nicotine pills will continue for quite a while.
And in the waning days of McDonnell’s tenure, it’s unclear when those deals expire because the contracts binding them stipulate they “will continue” through an undefined completion point.
Afterthought:
When I went to college, I thought I wanted be a lawyer.
Then I got to know some law students . . . .
It is a truism that every lawyer is a crook until you need one (and, when I needed one, I’ve always found persons of integrity), but, really, now, open-ended contracts?
Haiku for You 0
The Rude One has been collecting haikus for the New Year.
Here’s one:
syria iran
bring rage howls from the right we
denied them new war
Follow the link above and this one for more.
Both Sides Not 0
No, “both sides” do not “do it,” as Driftglass regularly points out.
Centrism is a pose; it’s not a position. It’s adopted by those who either have no position or know that, if they revealed their actual position, they would not be able to keep the money and influence that they garner by appearing to be “above it all.”
Harry S Truman summed it up years ago:
Whenever a fellow tells me he’s bipartisan, I know he’s going to vote against me.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
More familial courtesy:
The lady is recovering.
Where I come from, you point the damn gun at the floor and unload it before you clean it.
Meta: Housekeeping (Updated) 0
Today I said good-bye to Alan Collins’s “My Local Weather” plugin. I have been using it since I started blogging eight years ago (long before “widgets,” back when you actually needed to know how to edit code onto your sidebar, which I used to do with KDE’s kedit, now deprecated, since I was self-hosting back in those days). When I first started this thing, it was the first item I added to the sidebar; I was reluctant to let it go, but its time has passed.
I replaced it with the NOAA Weather plugin, which is more detailed and versatile, and pointed it towards Norfolk International Airport, which is about three miles away in a straight line (12 by car–something about a lake).
I tidied up the Blogroll, eliminating sites that seem to have gone dormant and adding some others, as well as added “Southern Beale” to the RSS feads; I also rearranged and edited several items on the sidebar hoping to make them more noticeable and accessible.
I’m hoping to find a way to move the “Categories” from the bottom of the sidebar to the Navigation Bar under the banner picture (I could just code them in a “page,” but I’m looking to automate the process if I can because they would be updated automatically if I changed them, plus I’m lazy).
Feedback is welcome.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
This New Year’s, resolve to be polite to your toddler.
Under the Bus 0
The evul fedrul guvmint shut him down.
The limo company’s owner claims he is a victim of harassment by the proverbial “disgruntled employee.”
Public safety had nothing to do with it. Nope, not at all.
The company was cited in early November for allowing a driver to operate a bus with a suspended or revoked commercial driver’s license, according to federal safety records.
Between February and October, inspectors discovered drivers operating beyond acceptable hours of service and who failed to maintain logs. Drivers can’t be on the road more than 10 hours straight. Drivers also had been cited by police for traffic violations at least three times, including once for failing to obey a traffic control device, the records say.
Bus inspections found tires with little tread left, inoperable lights and turn signals and one with a damaged windshield.
Spill Here, Spill Now 0
Oily spill leads to oil slick lawyers.
The Rich Are Different from You and Me 0
They have a “Get Out of Jail Free” card.
Make TWUUG Your LUG 0
Learn about the wonderful world of free and open source. Learn how to use computers to do what you want, not what someone else wants you to do.
It’s not hard; it’s just different.
What: Monthly TWUUG Meeting.
Who: Everyone in TideWater/Hampton Roads with interest in any/all flavors of Unix/Linux. There are no dues or signup requirements. All are welcome.
Where: Lake Taylor Transitional Care Hospital in Norfolk Training Room. See directions below. (Wireless and wired internet connection available.) Turn right upon entering, then left at the last corridor and look for the open meeting room.
When: 7:30 PM till whenever (usually 9:30ish) on Thursday, January 2.
Directions:
Lake Taylor Hospital
1309 Kempsville Road
Norfolk, Va. 23502 (Map)
Pre-Meeting Dinner at 6:00 PM (separate checks)
Uno Chicago Grill
Virginia Beach Blvd. & Military Highway (Janaf Shopping Center). (Map)