Legacy 0
Michael in Norfolk points out that Barry Goldwater got one thing right.
Meta: Down at the Farm 0
A little while ago, I installed a plugin to make this site more mobile-friendly, and it crashed the site.
When I tried to load the site, everything loaded except the posts. If I clicked to go to behind the curtain to the admin area, a message popped up from WordPress telling me that the site had suffered a fatal error and directing me to the WordPress help files. It was “down at the farm” for about half an hour.
After 16 years, I would rather not lose this blog.
After puzzling for a few moments, I went to the backend of the website, which was accessible via my hosting provider, and opened phpMyAdmin and tried routine database maintenance (check, repair, optimize), to no avail.
In a flash of quite accidental what turned out to be brilliance, I opened the file manager in cpanel, navigated to the appropriate directory, and deleted the directory containing the files of said plugin.
And I’m back.
(Wiping sweat from brow) That was a close one!
And I’ll not try that plugin again, as it clearly is a malignant kludge, but I will thank it for giving me a chance to learn something.
The Culpable Criticize the Capable 0
I normally don’t pay much attention of Ross Douthat–he has a long history of rationalizing the irrational–but, as my old boss used to say, “Even a blind pig finds an acorn sometimes.”
California Scheming 0
Several of my favorite news sites are run by major California newspapers, so I’ve seen many headlines regarding the attempted recall of California Governor Newsom, and I remember well Arnold Schwarzenegger’s* rise to the governor’s office a couple of decades ago.
I have never been a proponent of recalls and, frankly, am glad that my state does not embrace them. Also, I have long thought that there was something seriously broken about California’s recall procedure; in other states that have recall provisions, you do not see the recall frenzy that you see in Cali.
Now comes Michele Cottle to explain. A nugget:
Later in the article, she details what makes California’s recall procedure so vulnerable to abuse. It’s an object lesson in how to get it wrong.
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*My favorite Schwarzenegger quote is, “In Hollywood, there are two kinds of people, actors and stars. I am a star.”
All the News that Fits, War and Mongers of War Dept. 0
Sam and his crew marvel at how much noncombatants seem to love themselves some combat (which, natch, they will view from afar).
A Diet of Worms* 0
Over at Skepchick, Rebecca Watson takes a deep dive into the origin of the tale that horse de-wormer can somehow provide a defense against COVID-19.
It is a fascinating and timely read.
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*Sorry. I could resist the temptation no longer.
The Wall-Eyed Piker 0
The rain came, and the wind blew, and the wall came tumblin’ down.
Return of the Know Nothings 0
Fingerprints Don’t lie . . . 0
. . . or do they?
The First Date 0
He’s off to a fast start in the new relationship.
The Me! Me! Me! Generation 0
David Horn is fed up with the “Me! Me! Me!” generation. Here’s a bit of his article in The Roanoke Times:
Follow the link for the rest of his screed, and a well-deserved screed it is, I must say.
The Art of the Con 0
Sidney Powell doubles down.