First Looks category archive

Southern Beale cuts to the bone on Donald Trump’s desire to play with tanks to have a USSR-style military parade. A snippet:

This parade isn’t about honoring the military, it’s about honoring Trump. Get real.

Follow the link for the rest.

Peter Cooper:

A true history of human events would show that a far larger proportion of our acts are the result of sudden impulse and accident than of that reason of which we so much boast.

When fellowship is needed, join us . . . .

When: Thursday, February 8, 6 p.

Where:
Croc’s 19 Street Bistro
620 19th Street (Map)

More here.

Will Bunch watched the State of Union Address so I didn’t have to (actually, I never those things when I can watch reruns of the Jack Benny show). He points out that Donald Trump promised all those things he’s promised before, just like the guy on the phone who promised me he was calling from Microsoft:

This, he called this “a New American Moment” — but it sounded like an old American moment. In his speech to Congress in 2017, after all, Trump also vowed to work for an immigration deal, saying “I believe Republicans and Democrats can work together to achieve an outcome that has eluded our country for decades.” Two paragraphs later in that 2017 speech, he declared solemnly that “I will be asking Congress to approve legislation that produces a $1 trillion investment in infrastructure of the United States.”

To quote the late great John Lennon: We’d all love to see the plan.

Follow the link for the rest.

Learn about the wonderful world of free and open source. Use computers to do what you want, not what someone else wants you to do. Learn how to use GNU/Linux and its plethora of free and open source software to get stuff done with computers.

It’s not hard; it’s just different.

When: Monthly TWUUG meeting at 7:30 p. m. on the first Thursday of the month (February 1, 2018). Pre-meeting dinner at Chicago Uno, JANAF shopping center, 6:00 p. m. (map)

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 (map). (Wireless and wired internet connection available.) Turn right upon entering, then left at the last corridor and look for the open meeting room.

Thom and Congressman Pocan discuss the Nunes memo and conclude that there’s no there there, as well as the Republican schism over a budget.

Jay Bookman has more.

Update 2018-02-14: I am advised that the problem accessing this site has been resolved, but I will leave this sticky post in place until I am certain.

Read more »

Shaun Mullen informs me that this site has been flagged by Google as having some bad stuff. Google says it “has been reported” as having links that lead to bad places. I have been unable to duplicate the problem on any of my machines, but I was able to do so on my friend’s Win10 computer.

I will be troubleshooting this afternoon, so expect weirdness.

Addendum:

I took a look at the site from the backroom and nothing untoward leapt out at me. Then I discovered my most excellent hosting provider offers a for-a-fee clean-up service. I signed up for it. There will be no further activity here until they are done.

I could play golf. That would be a much more expensive hobby.

Addendum Again:

Progress is being made.

Addendum-a-go-go:

My hosting provider found and cleaned or deleted a number of suspicious files and added some security measures. They inform me that it may take a while for Google to respond to the request to recheck the site. So I’m just going to sit tight for a while.

So far, Google is the only outfit that has flagged the site.

Off to drink liberally.

When fellowship is needed, join us . . . .

When: Thursday, January 11, 6 p.

Where:
Croc’s 19 Street Bistro
620 19th Street (Map)

More here.

Will Bunch asks, “In 2018, who will have the courage to push the radical idea of world peace?” Follow the link for his answer.

Via Job’s Anger.

In case you haven’t noticed, I have added a link to the “Old Time Radio” item on the sidebar, over there ——>, to the “Old Radio Programs” website.

It has wonderful content and I commend it to your attention.