text:
General snarkiness
Oh God, I have to mention Tony Buzbee again
There goes one New Year's resolution.
Straight outta The Hights
There is a plate of crawfish on the table in front of Tony Buzbee, who has substituted his jeans-and-jacket campaign garb for a baby blue sweatshirt and Texas A&M baseball cap.
The setting: Crawfish & Noodles on Bellaire Boulevard, where Buzbee — three weeks removed from an unsuccessful mayoral bid — is facing a camera held by his girlfriend, Frances Moody, and digging into the ample helping of crawfish.
"The reason we know these are fresh is because they're small, because it's the very beginning of the season. Beware of large crawfish at this time of year," Buzbee says, poking a finger at the camera. "Beware of places that freeze their crawfish. You want 'em fresh."
The 54-second video was posted Sunday to Buzbee's Facebook page, which until recently promoted his campaign for Houston mayor. It since has been converted to a page for his new show, Uninvited, which Buzbee says will feature deep-dives into Houston restaurants, their owners and the food they serve.
Each of the 13 episodes will spotlight a different restaurant and likely will be posted online mid-summer, once a week on Facebook and YouTube, Buzbee said.
Five restaurants already have signed on to participate, and a crew is filming a promo for the show Thursday. Buzbee also has launched the rough draft of a website, tonybuzbeeuninvited.com, which still includes some dummy text and a few typos. And he has posted three teaser videos on Facebook, including the crawfish one.
"I thought I was Trump. Now I'm Anthony Bourdain," he said. "That's one comparison I would damn well take."
There are links in the story to that video and the website, but you can click over there to find them, I've already done too much. Just be aware that if you do go to his website, you will see pictures like this, so be prepared. Local Twitter is having a field day with this, with Nonsequiteuse having the most fun, so start there if you want to pile on.
Buzbee said the show will not impede on his law practice, to which he has returned full time since embarking on a post-election vacation he documented through a series of posts on Instagram. Buzbee also previously tried his hand at travel blogging, though his blog has remained dormant since he published a handful of posts in 2018.
Not just anyone has what it takes to be a blogger, let me tell you. Once a dilettante…
Pete Sessions' fine whine
There ain't enough cheese in the entire state of Wisconsin to accompany this.
Rep. Pete Sessions' campaign might be over. But he isn't over it.
The Dallas Republican is still smoldering about the circumstances that led to his decisive loss in November to Democrat Colin Allred, a first-time political candidate who ended Sessions' 22-year career in Congress and helped tip the House back to Democratic control.
"It required an incredible amount of money and an overwhelming sense of mischaracterization," Sessions told The Dallas Morning News at his Capitol office.
That indignation burned through a recent exit interview, one that included a matter-of-fact assessment by the chairman of the House Rules Committee that he's "not done with politics."
His biggest campaign regret, he allowed, was that he didn't "take more credit for the things that I do." The campaign's X factor had nothing to do with his own race, he said, but instead the success that Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke had in bringing Democrats to the polls.
He struggled to win over new voters, he vented, because of the "Democratic Party and their allies who smeared" him as an out-of-touch Beltway insider — and worse.
"I got tattooed this election," he said. "People fell victim to thinking, 'Wow, he's for dogfighting. Wow, he does nothing for seniors. Wow, he voted against cancer drugs.'"
There's more, and you should click over and savor every last word of it. Honestly, there's no sweeter sound than those of a PAC-fattened kingpin complaining about how unfair it is that he has to get a real job now. Don't worry, Pete, I'm sure the gravy train will make a stop at your office before you have to vamoose. In the meantime, don't let the door hit you on the way out.
Greg Abbott, Russian stooge
Heck of a job, Greggie.
A former director of the CIA and NSA said Wednesday that hysteria in Texas over a 2015 U.S. military training exercise called Jade Helm was fueled by Russians wanting to dominate "the information space," and that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's decision to send the Texas State Guard to monitor the operation gave them proof of the power of such misinformation campaigns.
Michael Hayden, speaking on MSNBC's Morning Joe podcast, chalked up peoples' fear over Jade Helm 15 to "Russian bots and the American alt-right media [that] convinced many Texans [Jade Helm] was an Obama plan to round up political dissidents."
Abbott ordered the State Guard to monitor the federal exercise soon after news broke of the operation. Hayden said that move gave Russians the go-ahead to continue — and possibly expand — their efforts to spread fear.
"At that point, I'm figuring the Russians are saying, 'We can go big time,'" Hayden said of Abbott's response. "At that point, I think they made the decision, 'We're going to play in the electoral process.'"
You can read the rest, and you can listen to the Morning Joe podcast – Gen. Hayden was also on The Gist with Mike Pesca on Wednesday, though he wasn't specifically talking about Jade Helm. I just have two things to add. One is that from now on, any time Greg Abbott criticizes anyone for any reason, the response should be along the lines of "Well, at least [whoever] didn't fall for Russian propaganda". And two, from the Observer:
Meanwhile, another Jade Helm-style exercise is planned for San Angelo in June. Oddly enough, now that Trump is president, there's a notable lack of freaking out this time.
Well, the Russians aren't trying to goad idiots like Greg Abbott into peeing their pants over it this time. Amazing what a difference that makes. ThinkProgress and the Lone Star Project have more.
Collins responds to Farenthold
Please keep this up forever.
On Monday, Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-TX) offered a novel — and sexist — explanation and solution for the Republican health care bill's struggles: He blamed "some female senators from the Northeast" for holding up the legislation. Then he went on to argue that "if it was a guy from south Texas, I might ask him to step outside and settle this Aaron Burr-style" — a reference to Burr's fatal duel with Alexander Hamilton in 1804.
In a hot mic moment, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), one of the senators who opposes the Senate health care bill because it would lead to big losses in insurance coverage, was very blunt in her thoughts about Farenthold.
First, she asked Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), "Did you see the one who challenged me to a duel?"
Reed said, "You could beat the shit out of him."
Collins responded: "He's so unattractive. It's unbelievable. … Did you see the picture of him in his pajamas next to this bunny?"
The recording is then cut off.
See here for the background. You can hear the recording at the link above. I don't think there's anything I could possibly add to this. Gray Matters has more.
You're never so weak as when you try to act tough
Blake Farenthold, ladies and gentlemen:
A Texas GOP congressman says if the three female Republican senators who oppose a bill repealing Obamacare were men from South Texas, he might challenge them to a duel.
"The fact that the Senate does not have the courage to do some of the things that every Republican in the Senate promised to do is just absolutely repugnant to me," U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi, told his local radio host Bob Jones on Friday.
"Some of the people that are opposed to this, there are female senators from the Northeast… If it was a guy from South Texas, I might ask him to step outside and settle this Aaron Burr-style."
Duel language is not new in politics. In 2004, then-U.S. Sen. Zell Miller, a Democrat who crossed party lines to campaign for President George W. Bush, invoked it against MSNBC commentator Chris Matthews. The comments were met with widespread mockery at the time.
But there's little funny about such language in the U.S. Capitol these days, after a deranged man shot and injured a Republican member of Congress during a baseball practice in June. U.S. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican, was gravely injured in the incident and remains hospitalized.
Yes, thank goodness we've all heeded that call for civility after the shooting on the baseball field. Also, someone might gently tell Farenthold that Alaska is not in the northeast. Tell him thanks for the laugh, too, we all needed it. Juanita and ThinkProgress have more.
Yes, m'lord
I totally should bid on this.
All it takes to be a noble – to be called "m'Lord" or "m'Lady" – is money. And for Texans interested in owning a noble title, a silent auction in London holds an extra appeal. The title being auctioned has a loose connection to Gen. Sam Houston, arguably the most important figure in Texas history.
The Barony of Fingalton, Renfrewshire, Scotland, is said to have once belonged to Houston's ancestors. Between June 27 and July 11, it's being sold in a special silent auction.
Auctioneer Robert Smith, of Manorial Auctioneers Ltd., said that he expected the title to sell for at least $100,000.
It's being sold, Smith said, by a French-speaking Swiss businessman who's owned it since 1998.
Why would anyone want to pay $80,000 for nothing more than the right to call yourself a baron or baroness?
"People's reasons vary," Smith said. "There's novelty involved, I suppose. I would think someone in Texas would have some warmth in regard to the general."
Ernie Manouse, the Houston Public Media TV host, said that he bought a title of nobility nearly 20 years ago – for $29 or so.
That title, of highly questionable provenance, came with an ID card and a certificate suitable for framing.
It was, Manouse laughs, well worth the investment.
Manouse used the title years ago on a Lord & Taylor credit-card application, resulting in a credit card that read: "Sir Ernie Manouse."
According to the sidebar, "Anyone wanting information or planning to bid should write to [email protected] or call auctioneer Robert Smith at &44-20-7582-1588." I suppose there are better uses for a hundred grand, but these things don't grow on trees, you know. Maybe I could crowdfund it. Who'd be in for a piece of the action with me?
The "Man's Right To Know" Act
This is some high-quality trolling.
Rep. Jessica Farrar
Texas State Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston, filed a bill Friday that would penalize men for "unregulated masturbatory emissions."
The satirical House Bill 4260 would encourage men to remain "fully abstinent" and only allow the "occasional masturbatory emissions inside health care and medical facilities," which are described in the legislation as the best way to ensure men's health.
Farrar said she created the bill after feeling fed up with the various legislative bills introduced by men addressing women's healthcare.
"A lot of people find the bill funny," Farrar said in a phone interview. "What's not funny are the obstacles that Texas women face every day, that were placed there by legislatures making it very difficult for them to access healthcare."
A man would face a $100 penalty for each emission made outside of a vagina or medical facility. Such an emission would be considered "an act against an unborn child, and failing to preserve the sanctity of life," according to the legislation.
The money would benefit children in the care of the Department of Family and Protective Services.
A registry would be created of non-profit organizations and hospitals that provide "fully-abstinent encouragement counseling, supervising physicians for masturbatory emissions, and storage for the semen."
Her latest bill also seeks to provide men with a safe and healthy environment during vasectomies, Viagra uses and colonoscopies by creating "A Man's Right to Know" booklet that should "exactly follow the rules and procedures of the informational booklet "A Woman's Right To Know," required to be given of women terminating pregnancies.
During the consultation, the physician would verbally review the booklet with men and would be required to "administer a medically-unnecessary digital rectal exam and magnetic resonance imagining of the rectum," according to the bill.
Farrar said she included this part of the bill to mimic the trans-vaginal ultrasound woman have when they are seeking an abortion. She also described the doctor reading the "Woman's Right To Know" pamphlet as a "guilt mechanism."
"It's to show how invasive this medically unnecessary procedure is," She said. "When a woman has to have a trans-vaginal ultrasound, it has nothing to do with her healthcare. One of the state's objectives is to guilt her into changing her mind."
A doctor would also have the right to "to invoke their personal, moralistic, or religious beliefs" if they refuse to perform a vasectomy or prescribe Viagra.
And then you'd have to wait 24 hours to get it, because obviously. Other bills of this nature have been filed in other states; this as far as I know was a first for Texas, and in true Texas fashion it's a lot bigger than anything like it. Needless to say, some people don't get the joke.
Farrar has criticized several anti-women's health bills that have been filed this session, primarily a measure filed by state Rep. Byron Cook, R-Corsicana, that would require Texas hospitals to bury or cremate fetal remains and another by state Rep. Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington, that would charge both abortion providers and women who receive an abortion with murder.
At a House State Affairs committee hearing Wednesday, Cook was challenged by Farrar and other House Democrats who questioned how his bill would impact women's mental health and how much it would cost. Cook said his measure would create a registry of organizations that can help pay for burial or cremation of fetal remains. That way, the cost associated with burials would not fall on women, Cook said.
"Let me be clear: this bill has nothing to do with abortion procedures whatsoever. It has everything to do with ensuring the dignity of the deceased," Cook said Wednesday. "We believe Texas can do better than this."
Cook did not immediately respond to the Tribune's request for comment Sunday.
In a statement, Tinderholt said Farrar lacked "a basic understanding of human biology."
"I'm embarrassed for Representative Farrar," Tinderholt said. "Her attempt to compare [HB 4260] to the abortion issue shows a lack of a basic understanding of human biology. I would recommend that she consider taking a high school biology class from a local public or charter school before filing another bill on the matter."
This is Tony Tinderholt. To steal from Molly Ivins, I'd say that being insulted by Tony Tinderholt is like being gummed by a newt, though in this case I'd say it would be an old, frail newt. I hope that the filing of HB4260 results in a lot of legislators who are suddenly unable to make eye contact with Rep. Farrar. Andrea Greer, who does get the joke, and the Austin Chronicle have more.
I stand with Ahmed
Jesus H. Christ on a cracker.
This is a travesty
Ahmed Mohamed — who makes his own radios and repairs his own go-kart — hoped to impress his teachers when he brought a homemade clock to MacArthur High on Monday.
Instead, the school phoned police about Ahmed's circuit-stuffed pencil case.
So the 14-year-old missed the student council meeting and took a trip in handcuffs to juvenile detention. His clock now sits in an evidence room. Police say they may yet charge him with making a hoax bomb — though they acknowledge he told everyone who would listen that it's a clock.
In the meantime, Ahmed's been suspended, his father is upset and the Council on American-Islamic Relations is once again eyeing claims of Islamophobia in Irving.
A box full of circuit boards sits at the foot of Ahmed's small bed in central Irving. His door marks the border where the Mohamed family's cramped but lavishly decorated house begins to look like the back room at RadioShack.
"Here in high school, none of the teachers know what I can do," Ahmed said, fiddling with a cable while a soldering iron dangled from the shelf behind him.
He loved robotics club in middle school and was searching for a similar niche in his first few weeks of high school.
So he decided to do what he's always done: He built something.
Ahmed's clock was hardly his most elaborate creation. He said he threw it together in about 20 minutes before bedtime on Sunday: a circuit board and power supply wired to a digital display, all strapped inside a case with a tiger hologram on the front.
He showed it to his engineering teacher first thing Monday morning and didn't get quite the reaction he'd hoped for.
"He was like, 'That's really nice,'" Ahmed said. "'I would advise you not to show any other teachers.'"
He kept the clock inside his school bag in English class, but the teacher complained when the alarm beeped in the middle of a lesson. Ahmed brought his invention up to show her afterward.
"She was like, it looks like a bomb," he said.
"I told her, 'It doesn't look like a bomb to me.'"
The teacher kept the clock. When the principal and a police officer pulled Ahmed out of sixth period, he suspected he wouldn't get it back.
They led Ahmed into a room where four other police officers waited. He said an officer he'd never seen before leaned back in his chair and remarked: "Yup. That's who I thought it was."
Ahmed felt suddenly conscious of his brown skin and his name — one of the most common in the Muslim religion. But the police kept him busy with questions.
The bell rang at least twice, he said, while the officers searched his belongings and questioned his intentions. The principal threatened to expel him if he didn't make a written statement, he said.
"They were like, 'So you tried to make a bomb?'" Ahmed said.
"I told them no, I was trying to make a clock."
"He said, 'It looks like a movie bomb to me.'"
All that happened on Tuesday. Ahmed was subsequently arrested, handcuffed, walked through the school in handcuffs – that's the picture above – fingerprinted, and finally released, with the cops eventually admitting that it was a clock, as he had been saying all along. Ahmed is now an Internet celebrity, and another example of how public officials like Irving's Mayor who pander to fear and hate in the name of "security" do far more damage than good. And yeah, race and religion was a factor. Shame on everyone involved in this debacle, and good on you, Ahmed Mohammed, for being a kid who likes to build things. Keep on doing what you're doing, and don't let the turkeys get you down. TPM, Think Progress, Daily Kos, Kevin Drum, Slate, Vox, Wonkblog, Gawker, Mic, the Current, the Trib, the Observer, and Juanita have more.
As if we needed a reminder that Sid Miller is an idiot
We got one anyway.
Don't expect Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller to apologize over a social media post that appeared to call for the atomic bombing of "the Muslim world" – despite an outcry from critics.
Miller, who is currently on a trade mission to China, did not personally share a controversial photo that appeared on his campaign Facebook account and has since been removed, Todd Smith, the Republican's campaign spokesman, said Monday. The commissioner has no plans to figure out which of his staffers shared the posting, or to apologize, Smith said.
"We're not going to apologize for the posts that show up on our Facebook page," said Smith, estimating that 18 people have access to the campaign account. "I don't know who did it, but I'm not going to start a witch hunt to find out who did."
The photo, originally shared by the Facebook user The Patriots IV Drip 2, depicted a mushroom cloud framed by two statements: "Japan has been at peace with the US since August 9, 1945," and "It's time we made peace with the Muslim world."
The posting also included the text: "#noislamknowpeace" and "#COMETAKE."
Late Sunday, Miller's campaign account shared the post without adding a comment, according to the Dallas Morning News, and it was removed some time Monday morning.
You can click over and see the picture in question, if you haven't already. There's not much one can do with something like this except make snarky comments and attempt to score cheap political points, so let's get on with it.
– Obviously, Miller owns this action. It's his campaign account, and he's not even making a token gesture of regret or distancing himself from it. (There were some weasel words from one of his people in the Chron story, but nothing from Miller himself.) I just wonder if anyone related to his campaign is smart enough to realize what a huge security risk it is to grant author permissions to 18 people (or so; they don't even know exactly who has this level of access). All it takes is for one of those people to get hacked, and that campaign Facebook page can get pwned. One has to wonder about the security protocols they may be following with the official state accounts and files if this is how they treat their campaign assets. Maybe they should have a chat with Susan Combs about that.
– I'm pretty sure everyone in Miller's office and campaign considers themselves good, devout Christians. I'm also pretty sure that Jesus Christ never suggested to his disciples that genocide was a good idea, or a thing to do if one wanted to follow him.
– Similarly, I'm pretty sure that everyone who works for the man who authored the sonogram law while he was in the House considers themselves strongly "pro-life". I'm also pretty sure that some of the people they're apparently comfortable with the idea of killing en masse are children, and that some of them are pregnant women. How that squares with their "pro-life" beliefs, I'll leave for them to explain.
You get the idea. I could say something serious here, but honestly, what's the point? We get the Sid Millers we deserve. The Observer, the Current, the Press, Juanita, and Paradise in Hell have more.
It's called "social media", Ted
Ted Cruz is shocked, shocked to learn that his silly little Facebook poll got shared with some people who weren't supposed to answer it.
Not Ted Cruz
An old maxim about the law – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz's chosen profession – holds that courtroom litigators don't ask questions if they don't already have the answers.
But in the chaotic world of social media, as the Texas Republican found out, all bets are off.
An impassioned Facebook clash involving tens of thousands of posterserupted this week in response to Cruz's informal online survey marking the fourth anniversary of President Barack Obama's health care law.
"Quick poll," the survey began, "Obamacare was signed into law four years ago yesterday. Are you better off now than you were then? Comment with YES or NO!"
More than 53,000 responses had been logged as of Tuesday, dominated in recent days by Cruz opponents eager to defend a health care law that the tea party favorite had tried to repeal last fall through a government shutdown.
A surge of "yes" and "absolutely" comments overwhelmed an initial wave of anti-Obamacare posts, leaving Cruz's staff with the clear impression that something was amiss.
"This is very clearly a manufactured, concerted effort from the left," said Cruz spokeswoman Catherine Frazier. "Maybe a better use of their time would be advocating for an Obamacare website that actually works."
That's so precious. So much so that I can't quite put my reaction to that into words, so I'll just do this:
Like that, yeah. Back to the story:
Dave Kapell, a small-business owner in Minneapolis, also voted yes, noting that a plan he found on Minnesota's insurance exchange was saving him $200 a month. Kapell said nobody solicited his participation in the poll. "It just popped up on my Facebook page," he said in an interview. "I think somebody I know reposted it."
Amazing how that works. That Facebook sure is something, isn't it? Someone ought to figure out how to leverage it for use in a campaign. I bet it'd work really well for that.
Anyway. BOR has some screenshots. Go look and have a good laugh at Cruz's cluelessness.
Horse's head sold separately
Shorter John Cornyn: "Unless President Obama gives us Republicans everything we want – and we insist that he be the one to come up with the list of things that we want, so we can attack him for it in the next campaign – we are going to destroy the global economy, because it's the responsible thing to do."
You weren't supposed to be mad at me!
Oh, the humanity!
Sad Dewhurst is sad
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst on Friday continued to fight a battle that he had lost three days before when Ted Cruz defeated him for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination.
Cruz and his allies had effectively cast Dewhurst as a tax-and-spend moderate, a criticism that Dewhurst was still eager to rebut during a rare meeting of the Legislative Budget Board at the Texas Capitol.
"There are a lot of Texans who are so mad and angry at Washington — and I'm mad and angry at Washington, too — (they) have a hard time understanding how any other form of government, such as state government, could actually cut taxes, which we did, and cut spending, which we did," Dewhurst said.
Allow me to translate that: "All that anger and fear and hatred and mistrust we've been stirring up with our lies and disinformation and propaganda – that was supposed to help me, not be used against me! Why can't you people act rationally when we appeal to your basest instincts? Don't you understand how government really works?"
On a more serious note, Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson has been saying since last Tuesday that he was going to run for Lite Guv in 2014 regardless of what The Dew does. That's a long way away and anything can happen, but I tend to believe him. Given that Patterson is not a culture warrior, it'll be interesting to see how a Dewhurst-Patterson primary would shape up. Will Dewhurst play with fire again, or will he learn from his experience?
Mockery is the best medicine
Business Insider comes across the Facebook fun.
Women aren't too happy with Rick Perry's stance on family planning funding. Today, they let him know the best way they could, with some well-directed Internet snark.
Posts asking Perry's advice about everything from menstruation to menopause flooded the governor's Facebook wall this morning. They've since been taken down, and new posting has been disabled, but screenshots document the whole episode.
Click here to see their screenshots. The only think wrong with this report, which was written Monday, was that the hijinx had started several days earlier, as Nonsequiteuse had been documenting. Sadly, that fun came to a halt yesterday, as Team Perry finally figured out that social media is a two-way street (a lesson you'd think they'd have learned by now) and shut off the ability to post on his wall. Perry's spokeperson whined about how mean everyone was, but they were pwned, plain and simple. Well done, ladies.
Nobody cares more about caribou nookie than Louie Gohmert
If that headline doesn't make sense to you, go read this. Once you've regained your senses, go read what Harold Cook has to say about it. The standard beverage warning is in effect. You're welcome.
When the landed gentry squabble
Am I a bad person for thinking this is funny?
I say, old bean. Not cricket, you know.
Was it sewer sabotage or self-defense?
That was the question hanging in the genteel air of two of Houston's toniest suburbs [last] Thursday after Hunters Creek Village city officials verbally opened fire on their Piney Point Village neighbors for bricking up a storm sewer, leading to 4-foot-deep flooding on Kemwood Drive during the region's early-January deluge.
Still fuming days after his city filed a lawsuit to remove the blockage, which reduced the conduit's diameter from 36 inches to eight, Hunters Creek Village Mayor Dave Wegner blasted Piney Point Village for having "a very antagonistic form of city government."
Piney Point Mayor Peter Nemeth retorted that Hunters Creek Village simply was caught in the act of "trying to flood our city with extra water."
The dispute is about a shared sewer system, and it's the sort of thing that one would think could be resolved without claims of sabotage, lawsuits, and airing one's fashionable yet dirty laundry in public. My advice to them is to do what civilized people do and let Judge Judy sort it all out. Next!
From the "Things I will not be spending my money on" department
This arrived in the mail last week:
My letter from George and Laura
I have no idea from which mailing list they bought my name. Suffice it to say it was not money well spent on their part. I got a good laugh out of it, which is more than they'll get.
You've got to grab those opportunities where you can
I just have one question about this:
Some area artists are making old look new by featuring recycled materials in their work.
Their pieces, showcased Saturday at the Green Arts Festival at the Talento Bilingue de Houston in the East End, include glass, metal, scrap wood and even bottle caps.
Janise Cookston, who has been painting for seven years, said her recent effort to include recycled materials is challenging her to be more creative.
"I don't make as many trips to the art store now," the public relations representative said. "I just sit in my studio and see what I have and what I can make from that."
Were any of these artists working with discarded oil drums to make big metal chickens? I hear the market for them is red hot these days.
Saturday video break: This is an Olympics event I could win
I do have a talent for some things:
I'd need to work on my speed, however.
They like him! They really like him!
Here's your heartwarming story for the week.
The Republican Party of Fort Bend County Executive Committee has unanimously passed a resolution in support of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay expressing "appreciation for his tireless service to our community, the State of Texas and the nation and the price that he has paid for being an effective advocate of Republican governance."
Always nice to see people remember where they came from, isn't it? No matter how wacked out the Republican Party may get, it wouldn't be what it is today if it weren't for Tom DeLay.
In addition to expressing appreciation for DeLay's service, the resolution urged Fort Bend Republicans to donate to the Tom DeLay Legal Defense Fund, 800 Commerce Street, Houston, Texas 77002.
Give till it hurts, y'all. It's so much better for you to spend your discretionary funds on DeLay's attorneys than on other causes or candidates.
In which I become a bit player in a Metro lawsuit
So I got an email on Friday from Chron reporter Mike Snyder, asking me if I had done an interview with former Metro Chair David Wolff. Apparently, there were some new documents filed in the lawsuit against Metro by its former chief counsel Pauline Higgins that referenced some comments Wolff made about Higgins in that interview. Except that the documents referred to an interview Wolff gave to "a Houston Chronicle reporter, Charles Cuff, for the purpose of discrediting and spreading false information about Higgins." Snyder, knowing that there was no such person but assuming they meant me, asked me about it. I confirmed his assumption and sent him the relevant links. What was amusing to me is that if you found that latter page, as I presume the attorney working on Higgins' case must have, you might have noticed that it contained my (correctly spelled) name three times, and also included a note that "The reader is responsible for this content, which is not edited by the Chronicle." Doesn't sound like something done by a reporter to me, but what do I know? Anyway, it's not a big deal, but I got a chuckle out of it.
Leo Berman addresses the serious, pressing needs
Elect crazy people, get crazy public policy. Crazy in, crazy out.
State Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, introduced a bill on Tuesday that would require future presidential and vice-presidential candidates to provide the Texas secretary of state with "the original birth certificate indicating that the person is a natural-born United States citizen."
Berman told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal that the bill, House Bill 295, is necessary to correct an alleged gap in the law that allowed Obama to run for president, even though — in Berman's view — he just might be a foreigner.
"This bill is necessary, because we have a president whom the American people don't know whether he was born in Kenya or some other place," Berman told the Avalanche-Journal. "If you are running for president or vice president, you've got to show here in Texas that you were born in the United States and the birth certificate is your proof."
Hair Balls has some details from the bill. Apparently, the penalty for not having a Berman-approved birth certificate is not getting on the ballot. Yeah, I'm sure that'll survive a lawsuit. BOR and Juanita have more.
A modest theory
I have become convinced that fifty or sixty years ago, a number of terror cells infiltrated the US and impregnated a bunch of women with babies who were groomed from birth to become utter morons who would destroy the country from within by their sheer, unbounded stupidity. That's about the only sensible explanation I can think of for the likes of Louie Gohmert.
Turkey of the Year 2009
Among other things, the Thanksgiving season signals the arrival of year end lists – Top Ten this and that, Best Of, Worst Of, you name it. The local highlight is the Houston Press' annual Turkey of the Year award, which has been made easier in recent times by the presence of Tom DeLay. He may be gone from the political scene, but thanks to the magic of reality television, he's still out there racking up the awards. He wasn't the top turkey this year – click over for that, I won't spoil it – but you still have to give him an A for effort. It's a lot harder in the Internet age for a has-been to regain any kind of relevance. As long as he doesn't take advice on what his next career move should be from Levi Johnston, it's all good.
We hate you! Now do a better job!
Actions do have consequences, even to teabaggers.
You may have heard that GOP Rep. Kevin Brady, staunch tea partier, is protesting that the taxpayer-funded D.C. Metro didn't adequately prepare for the anti-government 9/12 rally. He's even suggesting Metro's failure to transport tea partiers may have hurt turnout.
A Democrat, however, points out to me that Brady voted against Federal funding for the very same Metro he's blaming for offering the tea partiers substandard service.
Soon after the 9/12 march, Brady released a letter he sent to D.C. Metro griping that it had failed to transport tea partiers to the protest. Brady said they "were frustrated and disappointed that our nation's capitol" failed to "provide a basic level of transit for them."
Brady's office complained about a train shortage. "METRO did not prepare for Tea Party March!" he tweeted. "People couldn't get on, missed start of march. I will demand answers."
But earlier this year, Brady voted against the stimulus package. It provided millions upon millions of dollars for all manner of improvements to … the D.C. Metro.
That's pretty much the modern conservative philosophy: We refuse to pay for the things we demand. I suppose it would be unkind of me to point out that instead of that socialist (or is it fascist? I can't keep track) public transit system, there was a fine free market solution available. We call them "taxis". Amazingly enough, the existence of a public option has not driven the private providers out of business. Who knew that was possible? Steve Benen has more.
By the way, remember how in 1996, Brady defeated the wingnut Gene Fontenot (who had previously failed in an expensive effort to win what was then CD25), and that at the time one could have viewed that result as a win for (relative) sanity and pragmatism? I don't know that I could tell the difference between Brady and Fontentot any more. That to me is as clear an illustration of how degraded the GOP has become as a party as any I can think of.
The sanctity of marriage personified
I've said it before and I'll say it again: I have so much respect for The Onion for its ability to stay ahead of the satire curve.
Rudy Giuliani is declaring war on gay marriage — vowing to use his strong opposition of it against the Democrats if he runs for governor next year. The former mayor, in an extended interview with The Post, also predicted that Gov. Paterson's high-profile effort to legalize gay marriage would anger many New Yorkers and spark a revolt that could help sweep Republicans into office in 2010.
"Marriage, I believe, both traditionally and legally, has always been between a man and a woman and should remain between a man and woman," said Giuliani, who has been married three times.
I think he meant "between a man, a woman, and the man's mistress". I mean, that's been his experience with matrimony. Perhaps he could compare notes with Newt Gingrich to be sure. Thanks to Matt Yglesias for the link.
From the "It's not what you say, it's how you say it" department
From Alan Bernstein's Sunday conversation with Jessica Benkovic Colon, who chairs the Young Republican National Federation and has this to say about why Barack Obama won the national youth vote so handily:
A: It's an interesting time to be a YR in that we are rebuilding our party and we want to see the Republican Party realize the importance of young voters.
President-elect Obama said that government is the only solution to getting us out of this economic crisis and that is in direct contrast to the very nature of who Generation X and Generation Y are. These two generations, I believe to be two of the most entrepreneurial, individual-oriented generations this country has ever seen.
Q: Then why did Obama capture so much of the youth vote?
A: Because he marketed to them. He talked directly to them. Obama used the tools at hand (such as the Internet) to go after the younger generation, and he dedicated the time and effort to it. It's just that simple. It really is.
Yeah, the content of Obama's message, not to mention the content of the Republicans' message, that had nothing to do with it. No need to make any changes here! It's all about doing it in the Facebook, with the Twittering. It's just that simple.
From the "Some people just shouldn't get married" files
Your pop culture train wreck of the day.
It probably wasn't his most important decision ever, but a Harris County judge on Wednesday weighed in on a case that will set celebrity bloggers buzzing: the fate of pop star Hilary Duff's lavish 21st birthday party.
It's the latest chapter in a bitter divorce between the parents of pop stars Hilary and Haylie Duff. The 2½-year-old case deteriorated so much that Wednesday's hearing in family court ended with the young celebrities' father in handcuffs after Judge Thomas Stansbury found him in contempt of court.
During the tense hearing, Bob and Susan Duff sat on opposite ends of the courtroom, surrounded by posses of lawyers and paralegals. They never spoke and rarely even looked at each other.
Their attorneys exchanged heated words, accusing each other of lying and acting unethically.
"I get very annoyed when he accuses me of lying," Bob's lawyer, Robert Piro, shouted at one point, pounding the judge's bench with his fist.
"Well, then, he should stop lying!" growled Susan's attorney, Marshall Davis Brown Jr.
I just want to take a minute here and say Thank You to my parents, who recently celebrated their 44th anniversary, for not being anything like Bob and Susan Duff. That's pretty much all I wanted to say about this.
Cheerleaders in an elevator
Sometimes, all you can do is point and marvel.
Twenty-six teenage cheerleaders tried to cram themselves into an elevator at the University of Texas to see how many would fit, but then they got stuck and had to be rescued.
One girl was treated and released at a hospital and two others were treated at the scene after the Tuesday night prank, officials said.
The group of 14- to 17-year-olds were attending a cheerleading camp when they decided to stuff themselves into an elevator at Jester Residence Hall at UT. The elevator went down to the first floor but then the doors of the overloaded elevator wouldn't open, officials said.
After a few panicked cell phone calls, police and firefighters were called to the scene and it took a repairman about 25 minutes to fix the door, police said.
All I can say is that I can't believe I beat Harold Cook to this one. Thanks to Julie on Twitter for the heads up.
It's an amazing thing watching a meme being born
I am aware of all Internet traditions. Or, putting it another way:
See here, here, and here for way too much more. Be prepared to waste at least an hour when you do.
"In the White House there is no beer"
You've probably heard of this by now:
[A] misreading of the teleprompter led [Sen. John] McCain to sound a little bit more like a teetotaler fraternity president than a presidential candidate. Speaking about his use of the veto pen to eliminate wasteful spending, he declared, "I will veto every single beer, um, bill with earmarks."
Ever since I heard it, I've had this song in my head:
And now you do as well. You're welcome.
Consider this an open thread, in which you can discuss your favorite beer-themed songs. I'll open the bidding with this one, since otherwise people will ask me why I didn't mention it.
From the "You might also consider getting a life" department
I've admitted my newfound interest in Twitter. It's a useful and oddly compelling toy service, but I hope someone puts me out of my misery if it ever comes to this:
With all the frustration, confusion, and support going towards Twitter this week, a break from Twitter might be just want the doctor ordered. This weekend users have been asking for alternatives to Twitter. In this post we answer that question in a variety of ways. Here's a look at several alternatives to Twitter both online and offline, that will help reduce Twitter's stress levels and temporarily minimize user frustrations.
If you'd rather not make a switch to another service, try these offline alternatives to Twitter:
Parties/Clubs
Found, naturally, via Twitter. As John says, I hope that's a joke. And if you're wondering what the joke is, then I'll remind you that my Twitterings can be found at http://twitter.com/kuff. Just try not to get too stressed out when you can't get to them.
The feathered look
And now for a little weekend frivolity: The Top 10 Feathered-Hair Wearers Of All Time. I might try to work up an argument for including some other people on this august list, but I'm laughing too hard at the pictures to muster the strength. Those of you who are too young to remember this era, all I can tell you is that you had to be there. It's amazing what can seem like a good idea at the time. Enjoy!
Your moment of Zen for the weekend
Why Sesame Street was so much better in the 70s than it is now, in one three-minute video clip:
For those of you who were born after, oh, 1980 or so, that strange-looking black object the aliens are trying to communicate is a telephone. No, really.
By the way, if you go here you can find more clips in the same vein. Enjoy!


being little • bristol uk fashion & lifestyle blog.: creatures.
Because, like, reptiles and amphibians are so totally in vogue right now.
Please don't forget about the South West blogger meet which is NEXT WEEK! Argh!
Elliott's coming to stay so I probably won't be posting again until the weekend. Have a good week everyone!
Omg I want your shirt!
Yay I used to be obsessed with TMNT as a kid!
coolest top ever! I tried searching for one like that on ebay once but they were all for kids pah!
That jumper is so cool!
ohhh little froggy. I do love the teenage mutant ninja (hero) turtles! my fave was Michelangelo - who was yours?
LOVE the tee! I can't remember who my fave used to be...which is the purple one?!
i'd freak out if i saw a frog.
I used to have a TMNT top but it got too big. Boo! Anyway, enough woe. Cute frog. BAAAAAAAH, meeting you next week.
I LOVE the TMNT <3 They bring back good memories.
The frog is so insanely adorable!
I adore your blog, be back soon with your great posts and pictures!!!


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SumUp raises €330m to Accelerate Growth
Bain Capital Credit, Goldman, HPS & TPG Sixth Street back SumUp in building the first ever global card acceptance brand.
London - 16th of July, 2019 - SumUp, announces today that it has raised a €330m facility from Bain Capital Credit, Goldman Sachs Private Capital, HPS Investment Partners, and TPG Sixth Street Partners.
SumUp will use this capital to accelerate its growth and win even more new merchants across its 31 markets around the globe. The new funds will be used to continue expanding SumUp's product suite, both organically and through more acquisitions (M&A). The company has recently broadened its product portfolio through the acquisition of debitoor for accounting and invoicing and Shoplo for ecommerce and marketplaces.
The company plans to continue its impressive track record of over 120% year-over-year growth. SumUp is looking to grow its 1500+ strong team with the world's best talent across its 15 offices on three continents.
SumUp was named Europe's fastest-growing company in the 'Inc. 5000' as over 4,000 companies join the platform every day. With its proprietary card terminals relied upon by over 1.5 million businesses globally, SumUp expects to generate over €200m in revenue this year.
"We believe in affordable, simple and reliable technology that empowers small businesses all over the world to be successful doing what they love," says Marc-Alexander Christ, co-founder of SumUp, "As one of the fastest growing technology companies in the world, this cash injection will significantly accelerate the growth of our customer base, enhance SumUp's technology leadership position and drive the development of new services."
Goldman Sachs International acted as lead structuring agent, Barclays Plc as structuring agent, and Weil, Gotshal & Manges acted as legal adviser to SumUp on the financing.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Second, I believe in striving for excellence. I sweat the big and the small stuff! I do not apologize for this. One of the by-products of being a perfectionist and constantly trying to improve myself are sobering feelings of low-grade anxiety and a nagging sense of inadequacy. But this is not anxiety without a purpose. No, this anxiety keeps me humble. It creates a healthy tension that serves as the catalyst that drives me to fulfill my limited potential.
This has made me a better physician and scientist. Without this tension, I wouldn't be as focused.
Peruse the archives and enjoy.
that was actually quite interesting. I will have to check out the show and listen in.
Full transcripts are there as well. All the essays are actually pretty short. About 500 words. It's a nice series.


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Giant Squid announce The Pathless
Glen Hall December 7, 2018 No Comments
Giant Squid, the developers behind the fantastic ocean adventure game Abzu, has announced their upcoming title The Pathless at The Game Awards.
Giant Squid Studios was founded by Matt Nava, who's best known work was with the brilliant smash hit Journey, which he worked on as art director for Thatgamecompany.
Check out the fantastic looking trailer of The Pathless below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2uAM9ZOUdc&t=9s
Video can't be loaded: The Pathless – Reveal Trailer | PS4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2uAM9ZOUdc&t=9s)
As you can see from the short trailer, The Pathless looks absolutely beautiful. The player controls the Hunter, a master of archery who travels to a mystical island to dispel a curse of darkness that grips the world. The Hunter glides, jumps and dashes through the forest setting with the finesse of a free-runner. It seems like gameplay in the The Pathless will focus heavily on movement, with almost all of the trailer showing the Hunter engaged in travel. The combat animation also looked fantastic, with arrows being fired off at huge enemies whilst on the move.
"Become the Hunter, a master of archery who travels to a mystical island to dispel a curse of darkness that grips the world. Forge a connection with your eagle companion as you hunt corrupted spirits, but be careful to not become the hunted yourself. Explore misty forests full of secrets, solve puzzles in ancient ruins, and test your skill in epic battles. The bond with your eagle and the fate of the world hang in the balance."
Based on the blurb released, expect to take on this adventure alongside your trusty eagle companion, who can be seen carrying the player into flight in the trailer.
The Pathless is due to launch in 2019 on PlayStation 4 and PC, releasing exclusively on Epic's new games store. Whether or not this is a permanent exclusive for the Epic Store, or if the game will be available on other platforms as time progresses, remains to be seen.
The Pathless
Glen Hall
Glen, or Gunna as he likes to refer to himself, is a lifelong gamer and slightly above average card player. When not on Hearthstone, you can normally find him racing ahead of his friends in games that feature loot drops. He's just not very good without the best gear...
Overwatch – One Year Review


5. Restart count. After the peer shuts down, the master waits the length of the restart_timeout attribute (10 minutes by default), set in server.conf. If the peer comes back online within this period, no further remedial activities occur. During this step, the peer's status is Restarting. If the peer does not come back up within the timeout period, its status changes to Down.
Reassigning primary status to other searchable copies of buckets.
Making non-searchable copies of buckets searchable.
Streaming replicated copies of buckets to peers that don't already have a copy of that bucket.
Converting a searchable copy of a bucket from non-primary to primary happens very quickly, because searchable bucket copies already have index files and so there's virtually no processing involved. (This assumes that there's a spare searchable copy available, which requires the search factor to be at least 2. If not, a non-searchable copy will first have to be made searchable before it can be designated as primary.) However, converting a non-searchable copy of a bucket to searchable takes some time, because the peer must first construct the bucket's index files. For help estimating the time needed to make non-searchable copies searchable, read "Estimate the cluster recovery time when a peer when a peer goes offline".
The two examples in this topic show how a master 1) recreates a valid and complete cluster and 2) creates a valid but incomplete cluster when insufficient nodes remain standing. The process operates the same whether the peer goes down intentionally or unintentionally.
A cluster is "valid" when there is one primary searchable copy of every bucket. Any search across a valid cluster provides a full set of search results.
A cluster is "complete" when the cluster has replication factor number of copies of buckets with search factor number of searchable copies.
A cluster can be valid but incomplete if there are searchable copies of all buckets, but there are less than replication factor number of copies of buckets. So, if a cluster with a replication factor of 3 has exactly three peer nodes and one of those peers goes down, the cluster can be made valid but it cannot be made complete, since, with just two standing nodes, it's not possible to fulfill the replication factor by maintaining three sets of buckets.
1. For each of the three primary bucket copies on the downed node, the master identifies a node with another searchable copy of that bucket and tells the node to mark the copy as primary.
2. For each of the 10 searchable bucket copies on the downed node, the master identifies a node with a non-searchable copy and tells the node to make the copy searchable. The node then begins building index files for that copy.
3. For each of the 20 total bucket copies on the downed node, the master identifies 1) a node with a copy of that bucket and 2) a node that does not have a copy of that bucket. It then tells the node with the copy to stream the bucket data to the second node.
Since the cluster has just three nodes and a replication factor of 3, the downed node means that the cluster can no longer fulfill the replication factor and therefore cannot be made complete.
1. For each of the five searchable, primary bucket copies on the downed node, the master first identifies a node with a non-searchable copy and tells the node to make the copy searchable. The node then begins building index files for that copy.
2. The master then tells the node(s) from step 1 to mark the five, newly searchable copies as primary. Unlike the previous example, the step of designating other bucket copies as primary cannot occur until non-searchable copies have been made searchable, because the cluster's search factor = 1.
3. For the 20 total bucket copies on the downed node, the master cannot initiate any action to make replacement copies (so that the cluster again has three copies of each bucket), because there aren't enough nodes remaining to hold the copies.
The following diagram shows a cluster of five peers, with a replication factor of 3 and a search factor of 2. The primary bucket copies reside on the source peer that's receiving data from a forwarder, with searchable and non-searchable copies of that data spread across the other peers.


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Seven police officers injured in protests against gas stations construction
The criminal proceeding opened under two articles of the Criminal Code
Seven police officers were injured during the rally on October 4 against the construction of gas stations as the press service of the National Police in Kyiv reported.
The police noted that about 200 people took part in the protest actions and some of them were in the covering masks.
Related: Protesters burn flares near Ukraine's Parliament
'The unknown began to destroy the hoarding, commit waste of the worksite and hurl the smoke bombs on demands of the police officers to stop the unauthorized protest. Seven officers of the police were injured at the attempt of stop the hooliganism', the message said.
It is noted that two district police officers, two officers of special police service and three inspectors of the Kyiv Chief Directorate requested medical assistance. They were detected the brain commotion, craniocerebral traumas, soft tissue bruises of legs and arms. Also, one MP of the Kyiv Council was injured.
Related: Belarus embassy in Kyiv protests over "anti-Belarusian rally"
According to Ukrainian news, the injured MP is Oleksy Novikov from 'Unity' party. 'The police was inactive when the clashes took place and they detained people without regard after the end of the conflict. I think that exactly the local citizens really oppose the illegal buildings but not the police', he commented.
Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
Two criminal proceedings were opened due to the article 296 (Hooliganism) and 345 (Threat or violence against an officer of the law enforcement) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The persons who committed the offense are under establishment.
Related: Protests and violent fighting in Odesa
As it was reported earlier participants of a rally trashed a gas station on Revutskoho street in Kyiv. Around 300 people held a rally against the construction of an OKKO gas station on Revutskoho street. It is noted, that the locals and about 40 participants of the National Corps political party participated in the protest. It was also reported that 14 partakers of the conflict and three journalists were injured.
Kyiv protest gas station
Covid-19 in Kyiv: 821 cases observed over 24hrs 16 January 2021, 14:57
793 new Covid-19 cases observed in Kyiv in 24 hours 17 January 2021, 15:00
Zelensky invites Joe Biden to Kyiv 20 January 2021, 21:29
Epiphany dip in Kyiv, - photo 19 January 2021, 14:21


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Climate Journal
Present Climate Conditions
Latest Precipitation Reports
Blog, Newsletter, Journal
Stream Flow and Flooding
Real-Time Weather
Other Monitoring Resources
2016 Minnesota Fishing Opener Weather
Minnesota State Attorney General Walter Mondale and Minnesota Governor Karl Rolvaag display their catch on opening day of the 1963 Minnesota fishing season.
Courtesy: Minnesota Historical Society
Lakes in southern and central Minnesota lost their ice from about two to three weeks earlier than the median ice out dates calculated since 1950. White Bear Lake had its earliest ice out ever with an ice out of March 16. Cooler weather settled in toward the end of April and ice out progress slowed. While Mille Lacs lost its cover of ice twenty days early, Winnie and Vermilion were only 5 days ahead of historical means. This is still much earlier than in 2014 and the record late year of 2013, when many large lakes in the north still had ice on them for the fishing opener, including Mille Lacs. Big Sandy Lake, the location for the 2016 Minnesota Governor's Fishing Opener lost its ice on April 11, Ten days earlier than the median.
There's been ice on lakes in northern Minnesota in other past years for the fishing opener. The most dramatic besides 2013 was 1950 with lakes still iced as far south as Osakis and Mille Lacs. 1950 was the latest ice out season for the 20th century and many of the late ice out records for lakes with long period of records stem from 1950. Other years with some ice on northern lakes include: 1966, 1979, 1996, 2008, and 2009. With 2009 there were just a couple lakes in the far northeastern tip of Minnesota still had ice on them.
Minnesota's Fishing Opener weather is typified by partly cloudy to cloudy skies, morning temperatures in the low 40's, and afternoon temperatures climbing to near 70. Three out of four years are free of measurable precipitation. A trace of snow has been reported in northern Minnesota on at least five of the last 67 fishing openers. On at least eight occasions, some lakes were still frozen for the opener. Generally there is enough wind to be felt on the face, maybe enough to 'fly' a flag. Weather on Minnesota fishing opener dates is highly variable. 67 years of fishing opener weather data are summarized here to offer a glimpse of what is 'typical' and what is 'extreme'.
Opening day temperatures have started as low as 24 degrees at International Falls (1996,2004), with freezing temperatures possible even in Minneapolis (31 degrees in 1979). On the warm side, St. Cloud saw 92 degrees in 1987, Minneapolis reported 91 in 1987, and International Falls reached 88 in 1977. The average early morning temperature varies from the high 30's in the northeast to the high 40's along the southern border. The average afternoon temperature generally ranges from the mid 60's along the northern border, to the low 70's in the extreme south. Along the shore of Lake Superior, highs are held in the mid 50's.
Three quarters of past opening days have been free of measurable precipitation. Two thirds of the fishing openers have been free of any precipitation, measurable or not. On those days with measurable rain, the amounts averaged close to a half-inch in the south and a quarter inch in the north. No amounts over one inch were recorded at International Falls, while Minneapolis experienced 1.15 in 1962 and 1.64 in 1965. St. Cloud saw 1.03 inches in 2008. Snowfall has generally has been limited to traces. Traces of snow were officially recorded in 1963, 1993, 2009 and 2013 at International Falls, and in 1968 at St. Cloud. A tenth (0.1) of an inch fell at International Falls in 2000.
Statewide, less than one year in five offers totally clear skies. The average amount of cloudiness lies near that fuzzy boundary between 'partly cloudy' and 'cloudy', but over half of the dates were classified as cloudy.
Average daily wind speeds generally range between 8 and 15 miles per hour. This range can is described as 'wind felt on face ...' to '... wind extends light flag'. The predominant wind direction is split fairly evenly between blowing from the northwest, south, and east.
Fog has been reported on the fishing opener, occurring about one year in ten in the south, about one year in six in the north. By early to mid May, Minnesota is entering its thunderstorm season. The possibility of thunderstorms is greatest in the south (about one in seven), less in the north (about one in eleven). The weather should be monitored carefully if the skies appear threatening.
For May 14, 2016 at St. Cloud, the sun will rise at 5:46 a.m.; sunset will come at 8401 p.m. For International Falls, sunrise/sunset is 5:33 a.m. and 8:47 p.m. respectively. For Minneapolis, sunrise will be 5:45 a.m. and sunset at 8:35 p.m. Add one minute for each 10 miles west of a given location (at the same latitude) to get a rough estimate of sunrise and sunset times. Sunrise/sunset information can be obtained for any community using a Web site offered by the US Naval Observatory.
Fishing opener on May 9, 2015 began sunny and cool to start in the north. There were scattered clouds in the afternoon with temperatures ranging from the low 50's north to the 60's in the south.
Fishing opener on May 11, 2014 began cool but was warm in the afternoon with scattered evening thundershowers
More information about fishing in Minnesota can be found at the Department of Natural Resources.
A history of past fishing openers back to 1948 can be found at the Minnesota Historical Society .
For more information contact: [email protected]


Radical Prostatectomy is required reading for all those performing radical prostatectomy by open, laparoscopic or robotic techniques.
Radical prostatectomy involves the surgical removal of the entire prostate gland and the seminal vesicles. Recently the open operation has been challenged by laparoscopic and robotic techniques. However, making the transition to this new technology is not an easy option. Avoiding surgical complications such as incontinence and ensuring continued erectile function following the procedure requires good surgical technique by whatever means. The editors and their distinguished team of contributors from around the world offer the reader their guidance based on personal experience and best surgical practice. Radical Prostatectomy is required reading for all those performing radical prostatectomy by open, laparoscopic or robotic techniques.


text:
A trusted LoyaltyLion agency
Contact The Working Party
The Working Party - Our partnership
The Working Party design and build best-in-class ecommerce websites on Shopify Plus for retailers with complex technical requirements, who value brand and seek rapid growth through innovation. The Working Party's clients are market leaders — pushing boundaries and capitalizing on opportunities at home and abroad.
Trusted by thousands of merchants worldwide
Design first
The Working Party design and build best-in-class ecommerce websites
Partner with retailers who seek rapid growth through innovation
The Shopify Plus ecommerce agency with retail in its DNA
Beautifully Healthy
Beautifully Healthy was launched in 2021 with the purpose of creating a community of online shoppers who want to look and feel great. Now, Beautifully Healthy is a one-stop online destination for those seeking relevant and on-trend health, beauty and wellness products with an amazing customer rewards program.
The Working Party partnered with Beautifully Healthy to bring their vision to life, designing and building an engaging Shopify Plus Store and launching a compelling customer loyalty rewards and referral program.
Affordable luxe women's fashion brand, Meshki, came to The Working Party to redesign their website. The agency explained the steps that they would take to bring Meshki's website to the next level, which included objective-based planning, a strong focus on UX and a detailed discovery process.
The team at The Working Party designed and built an amazing Shopify Plus store that reflects Meshki's branding and highlights its social media roots. The agency also launched a dedicated storefront into the North American market, and has collaborated closely with the Meshki team as part of their Growth Programme.
Connect with The Working Party
Visit their website Contact the team


Fun and quirky classic orchestra music theme for children animation, cartoon, mobile game or any other video and audio application. The music is in a retro and vintage style, cartoonish feel.
Contact me if you need help in removing Youtube claims – it is SUPER EASY and FAST!
A sounds review published on Monday, June 18th, 2018 in Blog by Andrei Olaru that has 1 views.


text:
Sets the specified fields to their respective values in the hash
stored at *key*. This command overwrites any existing fields in
the hash. If key does not exist, a new key holding a hash is created.

#### Return value

**Simple string reply**

#### Examples
```javascript
    // Sync
    Ayodis.hmset('myhash', 'field1', 'Ayolan', 'field2', 'MMORPG'); // => "OK"
    Ayodis.hget('myhash', 'field1'); // => "Ayolan"
    Ayodis.hget('myhash', 'field2'); // => "MMORPG"

    // Async
    Ayodis.hmset('myhash', 'field3', 'AyolanNew', 'field4', 'MMORPGNew', function(err, res) {
        // err => null
        // res => "OK"
        Ayodis.hget('myhash', 'field3'); // => "AyolanNew"
        Ayodis.hget('myhash', 'field4'); // => "MMORPGNew"
    });
    Ayodis.hmget('myhashunknown', 'field3', 'AyolanNew', 'field4', 'MMORPGNew', function(err, res) {
        // err => null
        // res => "OK"
        Ayodis.hget('myhash', 'field3'); // => "AyolanNew"
        Ayodis.hget('myhash', 'field4'); // => "MMORPGNew"
    });
```

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Arlington County faces an estimated budget gap of $20-35 million for its 2020 fiscal year, which could require cuts to County services, increased taxes and fees, or a combination of the two.
County Manager Mark Schwartz provided the news in a briefing to the County Board at its Sept. 25 meeting. He said that County revenues are forecast to grow by a modest 1.5 percent, while expenditures for the County's current set of programs are anticipated to grow twice as fast.
Additional costs that contribute to the shortfall include more funding to support Metro, invest in public facilities, maintain competitive compensation for County workers including commitments to increase public safety pay, stabilize funding for affordable housing, and support Medicaid expansion.
The Manager's budget gap estimates do not include additional funding needs for Arlington Public Schools, which could reach $43 million due to significant enrollment growth and rising expenditures.
Schwartz warned that the coming year is likely to be tougher than the last one, when the County Board approved a combination of spending reductions and tax and fee increases, while leaving real estate tax rates unchanged.
Get a visual look at the FY 2020 budget outlook.
"This is going to be the most challenging budget year yet in my tenure with the County," Schwartz said. "I believe I said the same thing last year, so this year is going to require even more serious and potentially difficult conversations about how to balance our revenues and expenses," he said.
According to Schwartz, all options for balancing the FY 2020 budget are on the table. And the budget challenges facing the County will require an ongoing, multi-year approach.
The majority of County revenue comes from taxes on commercial and residential real estate, and these revenues grow when property values rise, or when the County Board approves an increase in the tax rate. The current rate of $0.993 per $100 of assessed value (not including stormwater rates) is one of the lowest in Northern Virginia.
Homeowners and businesses in Arlington shoulder roughly equal parts of the property tax burden, unlike in neighboring jurisdictions. This means that when commercial property values rise at slower rates, as they have in recent years due to high office vacancy rates, it often drags down any revenue growth resulting from rising home values.
As the County Manager begins developing his FY 2020 Proposed Budget this fall, he will gather input from his leadership team, County employees, the County Board and the public. On Oct. 17, the Manager will host a Virtual Town Hall to provide more information to the public and gather input about budget priorities. In November, the County Board will provide its budget guidance.
This year, the Manager will also draw on the County's latest Community Satisfaction Survey to help identify budget priorities. The comprehensive survey was sent out to a randomly selected sample of Arlington households in August to gauge satisfaction with various aspects of County programs and services.
The County Manager will present his proposed budget to the County Board in February 2019. The Board will then hold a series of work sessions and two public hearings before adopting a final budget in April.
Learn more about the budget, the Oct. 17 Virtual Town Hall and how you can weigh in at budget.arlingtonva.us.


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Royal Hotel Uohachi
2-14-1 Miyama-cho Toyota / Japan See Property and Vicinity
Parking Onsite
With a stay at Royal Hotel Uohachi in Toyota, you'll be within a 10-minute drive of Toyota Stadium and Toyota Municipal Museum of Art. This hotel is 11.3 mi (18.1 km) from Nanzan University and 11.4 mi (18.3 km) from Nagoya University.
Make yourself at home in one of the 150 air-conditioned rooms featuring LCD televisions. Complimentary wired and wireless Internet access is available. Private bathrooms with shower/tub combinations feature complimentary toiletries and hair dryers. Conveniences include phones, and irons/ironing boards can be requested.
Take advantage of recreation opportunities such as karaoke, or other amenities including complimentary wireless Internet access and wedding services.
A complimentary hot/cold buffet breakfast is served daily from 6:30 AM to 8:30 AM.
Featured amenities include express check-in, a 24-hour front desk, and luggage storage. Free self parking is available onsite.
2-14-1 Miyama-cho Toyota / Japan
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Wiedza o społeczeństwie (, Obszczestwowiedienije) – obowiązkowy przedmiot w szkołach średnich Związku Radzieckiego od lat 60. XX wieku do 1991 roku, w ramach którego prowadzono edukację obywatelską wraz z silną indoktrynacją propagandą komunistyczną.

W 2000 r. program i nazwa przedmiotu zostały zmienione i zastąpione przez  (obszczestwoznanije).

Cele

Celem przedmiotu była propaganda komunistyczna i indoktrynacja radzieckich uczniów w kierunku marksizmu-leninizmu. Dyscyplina ta była ideologizowaną pseudonauką w służbie partii komunistycznej. Z jednej strony była to de facto nieco zmodyfikowana dla szerszego grona odbiorców, społeczno-polityczna interpretacja Krótkiego kursu WKP(b), a z drugiej strony ideologiczna odpowiedź na "burżuazyjną naukę" – socjologię.

Historia powstania
W  uchwale KC KPZR O zadaniach propagandy partyjnej w obecnych warunkach ze stycznia 1960 r. uznano konieczność wprowadzenia do starszych klas szkół średnich oraz uczelni wyższych przedmiotu "podstawy wiedzy politycznej", który koncentrował się na omówieniu poszczególnych elementów marksizmu-leninizmu oraz wybranych przepisów Konstytucji ZSRR. Nowy przedmiot pod nazwą obszczestwowiedienije pojawił się w szkolnych programach w 1963 r., a pierwszy podręcznik szkolny do przedmiotu przygotowała grupa autorów pod kierunkiem Gieorgija Szachnazarowa. W latach 1963–1982 ukazało się 20 kolejnych wydań, a w 1980 książka została uhonorowana Nagrodą Państwową ZSRR.

Treść
Program nauczania zawierał m.in. następujące treści:
 materializm dialektyczny i materializm historyczny jako podstawa światopoglądu naukowego,
 socjalizm jako pierwsza faza społeczeństwa komunistycznego,
 Komunistyczna Partia Związku Radzieckiego jako naczelna i kierownicza siła społeczeństwa radzieckiego,
 drogi stopniowego przerastania socjalizmu w komunizm,
 XX wiek – wiek zwycięstwa komunizmu.

Podręcznik pod redakcją Szachnazarowa obejmował trzy części składowe marksizmu według Lenina: 1) podstawy filozofii marksistowsko-leninowskiej, 2) podstawy marksistowskiej ekonomii politycznej i 3) podstawy naukowego komunizmu. Po rozpadzie ZSRR przedmiot "Obszczestwowiedienije" został zniesiony.

Pochodzenie i znaczenie terminu
W języku rosyjskim słowo obszczestwowiedienije, użyte jako nazwa nowego przedmiotu szkolnego, było neologizmem wymyślonym przez Władimira Suchodiejewa. Zdaniem Iny Szumskiej, w słowniku rosyjsko-polskim to słowo nie do końca trafnie przetłumaczono na język polski jako "nauka o społeczeństwie" i/lub "socjologia". Niektórzy autorzy tłumaczą rosyjskie słowo obszczestwowiedienije jako "społecznoznawstwo".

Przypisy

Bibliografia

Linki zewnętrzne
 Wojciech Siegień (2016). Naprzód ku przeszłości! Nauczanie historii a zmiany ideologii państwowej w Rosji na początku XXI wieku. Forum Oświatowe, 28 (2), 185–202.
 Radziecki podręcznik do przedmiotu w wersji elektronicznej

Oświata w ZSRR
Leninizm
Przedmioty szkolne
Propaganda w ZSRR

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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When Jesus appears in the Friendly Women's Circle's quilt, Sam Gardner gets a lesson in magnificence.
Miriam went on, "We have to tell people. We have to tell Fern. We can't let this go on. It's a fraud. We can't keep this up."
We called Fern on the phone and asked her to come to the meetinghouse, which she did. We told her about Miriam spilling coffee on the quilt.
Fern took it better than we thought. She cried a little, then she sniffed and said, "It's still a beautiful quilt."
"It is that," I told her. "It's pure magnificence. And you can leave it up as long as you wish."
She said, "Just until the Chicken Noodle Dinner. Then we'll raffle it off. It'll buy a lot of shoes." Then she left.
I called Bob Miles Jr. and told him it wasn't Jesus, it was Maxwell House. He ran the correction that very week. The lines dwindled. Dale Hinshaw dismissed the guards, though he still swore he'd been cured of a head cold. Things got back to normal.
The Monday before Easter, I woke up early and went and sat in the fifth row and looked up at the quilt. A small part of me wished it had been Him. I found a certain joy in watching people step carefully into the meetinghouse, their hands clasped, seeking out the divine. Witnessing such raw hope, such sure belief, was a quiet thrill.
But in my more thoughtful moments, I'm glad it wasn't Jesus. It troubled me that folks would drive three hundred miles to see Christ in a quilt, but wouldn't walk next door to see Him in their neighbor.
I don't think we ought to look for Christ in a quilt. I think we ought to look for Christ in the poor, in the common, in the lady who rings up our groceries, in the man who mops the grocery floor, in the kid who delivers our pizza.
I talked about it in my Easter message. I told how we always look for Christ amid magnificence. But that Christ has a history of showing up amid the unlovely. Born in a dirty stall. Crowned with thorns. Died gasping on a shameful cross atop a jagged rise.
The lilies of God's love appear.
We think magnificence is in short supply, that dust and dirt choke out the lilies. But that's not true and never was. Lilies may root in dirt, but they reach for heaven-and in the reaching, reveal their magnificence.


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The Highland Clearances
By Alwyn Edgar
What is a Clearance?
Post author By Alwyn Edgar
I think I ought to define "clearance" – I should say what I mean by the word, since some writers apparently mean something different. A "clearance" was what it was called when a landlord cleared all his small tenants off all the good land on his estate. Sometimes he then tried to encourage or even organize their removal to the Lowlands or overseas – especially after the potato famine which began in 1845, since he was afraid he might have to pay a poor rate to support the paupers he had created – but in the "clearances" between the 1740s and the 1830s a clearing landlord often tried to keep on his estate the people he had evicted.
During these years there were a number of reasons why the result of a clearance was actually an increase in the local population. There were often good reasons why a landlord would try to keep his evicted small tenants on his estate.
A Highlander evicted from his large joint-farm would often, rather than leave the sacred land of his clan entirely, accept a small piece of waste land – cliff-top, or rocky or marshy land – which he would spend years improving by – literally – laborious spade-work, so that it became good agricultural land worth paying rent for. Not the least value of the potato crop was that planting potatoes often helped in this conversion of useless land to land worth something. In other words, the landlord would get the evicted people to extend the remunerative part of his estate without having to take any trouble himself.
Until the slump in kelp prices after the Free Trade measures of the 1820s, evicted small tenants (in coastal or island districts) could be turned into kelp-workers; and the landlord could sell the kelp for several times more than he had had to pay the kelp-workers to produce it. When the landlord was getting £20 a ton, the kelp-worker seldom got more than £3 a ton – a tremendous profit for the landlord.
Even when alternative sources of soda appeared, after the Free Trade measures of the government in the 1820s, in some areas of the Highlands the kelp was of such high quality that it still made a profit for the landlord.
In various areas of the Highlands industries sprang up – forestry, logging, quarrying, mining, fishing, for example; and to get the profits from these industries, workers were needed, creating a demand that evicted small tenants could fill.
Even apart from these industries, landlords were sometimes able to get various other entrepreneurs to establish smaller workshops in the new villages – and village rents were much higher per acre than rents for ordinary agricultural land.
Sometimes the new big farmers were Lowlanders; when they were, they often preferred to bring farmworkers – shepherds or cattle-men for example – from the Lowlands.
When the landlord was enjoying his increased rents (often trebled or quadrupled) after a clearance, he would sometimes build himself a fine new mansion, or extend his old one; and in the days before vacuum cleaners, washing machines, central heating and so on, this meant he had to employ a staff of domestic servants. The new big farmers also had to employ domestic servants in their large houses.
The new society also created a demand for more factors, surveyors, lawyers, merchants and so on; and these were often immigrants from the Lowlands, since in the new society they had to be English-speakers.
In the second half of the 18th century, and up to 1815, Britain was more often at war than at peace; and even when there was no formal war, there was fighting in the colonies. This meant there was frequently a demand for soldiers. Highlanders were known to make good soldiers. A landlord who could recruit men, and offer a company or a battalion of soldiers to the government, would make a profit out of it – not to mention making a career for his younger sons as officers. So there was another reason to try to keep the evicted people on the estate.
For all these reasons, a landlord would often not only try to keep his own evicted small tenants on his estate, but he would also try to attract further manpower from neighbouring estates.
The population both in the Highlands and the Lowlands was increasing, partly because of the decreasing risk from smallpox, as a result of vaccination. In the Lowlands the population shot up; and even in the Highlands there was a smaller increase.
The result was that the population immediately after the clearances kept high or even went up. In the long run, however, these factors ceased to operate. Kelping became largely uneconomical; other industries did not prosper; the landlords themselves often became absentees, reducing the need for staffs of household servants. So, in the long run, the factors making for a decrease in the population overwhelmed those making for an increase. The result is that large parts of the Highlands, where humans have lived for thousands of years, are now virtually empty.
In the earlier years of the clearances, the landlords, and those who saw their interest was to support the new society, often claimed that there could not have been any clearances because the population had gone up. The Countess of Sutherland pointed to the larger population in Sutherland; and so did Patrick Sellar. It is interesting that there are writers now, as well as numbers of websites, which make the same claims.
Author of The Highland Clearances.
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