From Pine View Farm

September, 2015 archive

And Now Your Moment of Zen 0

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The Art of Appeal 0

Keith Larson thinks he has uncovered the secret of Donald Trump’s success and sums it up in two words.

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Republican Candidate Selection Committee 0

Two men in a bar.  One says to the other,


Click for a larger image.

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“Churls” 0

Gin and Tacos points out that the term, “churls,” is not just about classy (or not). It’s also about class.

Follow the link and read the post.

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A Parliament of Dunces Boobs, Reprise 0

One more time, why are persons who call themselves “conservative” obsessed with women’s breasts?

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Business as Usual 0

Volkswagen, BP, Enron, Wall Street–Why all the cheating?

David Steinberg points to the MBA culture. A nugget:

What does Volkswagen’s emissions cheating scandal have in common with Enron’s accounting fraud, the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill catastrophe, the global financial meltdown of 2008, Barclay’s Libor rate rigging, and General Motors’ ignition recall? Why do these colossal breakdowns of public trust in corporations continue to repeat themselves?

At the heart of these scandals is an unchallenged attitude of “business as usual” that privileges financial metrics of success over all else and assumes that maximizing shareholder returns is the raison d’être of a corporation.

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Papal Divestments 0

Funny or Die takes a look at right-wing reaction to Pope Francis. It’s too true to be funny.

Here’s a bit:

The Conservative political movement, which has gained momentum in the past 30 years espousing lower taxes for the wealthy, banks without regulations and the retention of traditional fossil fuel-based industry in the face of global climate change, has operated under the principal that God loves 1% of the population the most and that the rest of the population should “buck up”. A principal they thought was built on Christian doctrine until this past Thursday.

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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.

Tidewater Unix Users Group

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, October 1.

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)

Join the forums.

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QOTD 0

George Kell:

Never let yourself get fooled by the same pitcher on the same pitch on the same day.

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Facebook Frolics 0

No, you cannot frolic in private and all the gobbledygook in the world won’t change that.

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The Invisible Man 0

I usually avoid stories about celebrities (and especially those odious bits of click-bait with come-ons like “17 Worst Plastic Surgeries; the Tenth Will Really Shock!” which seem to be all the rage with the advertisers now), but this caught my eye and I’m glad it did.

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The Wages of Sin Is Wealth 0

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“Suffer the Children” 0

In Florida, that’s a statement of policy:

, , , in 2005, Rita Gorenflo was eager to join a lawsuit accusing Florida of failing to provide children on Medicaid with proper medical care.

For nearly 10 years, the state denied, finagled and fought. Yet when the ruling finally came down last December, the judge was emphatic: Florida’s neediest children were in danger, and the state was in violation of federal laws.

That was it. Victory. Salvation. Hope. Except the state refused to give in. It sought nearly $3 million in additional funding to appeal and continue fighting the ruling.

Follow the link for details.

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More Football Fail 0

Another example of why I am so done with big-time football.

The parents are blaming to the local high school officials, but the NCAA, which has raised arbitrary impenetrability, nitpicking, and selective enforcement to a fine art, is ultimately responsible.

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Test Fail 0

I must ask again whether there is a special intelligence test persons must fail in order to become school administrators.

Imagine that one day at work, your employer asked you to sign a form consenting to a drug or alcohol test. Now further imagine the form included a clause that said, “If I end up getting fired because company or its lab screws up my test, I promise not to sue.”

If you’re an employee of Montgomery County (Va.–ed.) Public Schools, no imagination is necessary. Because that’s precisely what the school system was asking its workers to do.

Thanks to the inquiries of the reporter, the form is being revised. Follow the link for more.

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The Last CSI 0

We DVRed the last CSI and watched it last night.

It ripped and snorted, but not necessarily in all the right places. Halfway through, I turned to my friend and said, “CSI meets Nightmare on Elm Street.”

The actress who played Lady Heather had obviously had her lips botoxed since her previous appearances on the show. Lesson learned: Don’t Botox, detox.

For a science fiction show (you don’t really believe that forensics labs have those resources and that kind of dedication, do you? If you do, I have this bridge . . .), it had a good run. Even in the middle years, when it was “sexual perversion of the week” (like the David Vitter Memorial Episode), it was fun to watch.

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“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0

The hunt for politeness continues.

Donald Upton, of Siloam Springs, Arkansas, was hunting about 10 miles west of West Siloam Springs when another hunter shot him, according to the OSBI.

Upton, 28, was taken to an Arkansas hospital, where he died from his injuries.

I’m sure he looked just a bear or a rabbit or whatever the other fellow was hunting.

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QOTD 0

James Bovard:

Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.

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And Now for Something Completely Different 0

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The Rich Are Different from You and Me 0

. . . and they have a card that proves it.

Get out of Jail free cardU.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said that his hands were tied because, unlike other industries, the auto industry is not breaking any law by putting a potentially deadly product (GM’s faulty ignition switches–ed.) on the market.

So even though the settlement itself blames individuals for the problems at GM, there will be no trials or jail time for those who knowingly concealed information from the government about the deadly ignition switches for years. While the settlement celebrates GM for “terminating” the wrongdoers, in reality the guilty profited during a decade of delaying the recall, then left the company with golden parachutes.

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