vxbush 10/21/2020 6:09:29 AM

1

Morning, campers. My office was just a shade warmer when I got in today--a whole 61º. If that rate of increase holds, that means that by the end of next week my office will be 75º a week from today. And while we know the likelihood of this is near 0, we also know how to lie with statistics. 

lucius septimius 10/21/2020 6:19:57 AM

2

vxbush 10/21/2020 6:48:29 AM

3

In #2 lucius septimius said: I had a wonderful dream just before I woke up of blocking a coup against me, the emperor.  The last scene before I woke was my wicked uncle the head of my privy council receiving a series of telegrams announcing the arrest of various members of his staff.  The chamberlain was standing holding the last telegraph, ordering my uncle's arrest, as the guards entered the room.  Meanwhile, I had gone to Venice with my mistress.

Have you been doing research into Italy's upper crust, by any chance?

doppelganglander 10/21/2020 6:49:38 AM

4

Reply to lucius septimius in 2:

Your dreams are so much more interesting than mine. This morning's dream involved a woman insisting I accompany her to a photo studio in Brooklyn to find her boyfriend. Something about the studio and the boyfriend's demeanor was not right. I called him a sex offender and left, wondering who I could report it to and how I would ever prove it.

Enjoy Venice!

Occasional Reader 10/21/2020 7:27:26 AM

5

In #2 lucius septimius said: I had gone to Venice with my mistress.

Hmm... does an Emperor have a “mistress”?  Isn’t she more a “concubine” or something of the sort?

Venice! I haven’t been there since 1986. I think I’d like to get back, once the current situation is behind us. I imagine it’s a place that’s a lot more fun to visit on something other than a student budget. (Well, in some aspects, anyway; I won’t exactly be chasing 19-year-old girls the next time I’m there.)

I recall that when I was there in 1986, several US Navy vessels had just put into port, having just returned from sinking a relatively large portion of Moammar Khaddafi’s navy.  I spent one evening hanging out with two American girls who were staying at my youth hostel, and two sailors from one of the ships. The sailors were really nice guys, and very gentlemanly toward the two girls. They had some interesting stories to tell about what they’d just been doing, even if they have to be skimpy on the details.

JCM 10/21/2020 7:32:49 AM

6

Reply to vxbush in 1:

Place one foot in a bucket of ice.

Place one foot in a fire.

On average you'll be at a comfortable temperature.

vxbush 10/21/2020 7:53:50 AM

7

In #6 JCM said: Place one foot in a bucket of ice. Place one foot in a fire. On average you'll be at a comfortable temperature.

True.

JCM 10/21/2020 7:54:38 AM

8

Work at home for me has been extended to the end of June.

Yeah!

Occasional Reader 10/21/2020 7:57:15 AM

9

Reply to JCM in 8:

I guess that is good news for you, but it represents a very troubling trend generally.

JCM 10/21/2020 7:59:09 AM

10

Many Seattle police officers blame City Hall for their decision to leave

"If we want to decrease police violence, which is what all these protests have been about, we need to reduce contacts with police," Council member Tammy Morales said.

Note the emphasis on reducing police contacts, not reducing crime, or keeping the public safe.

If crime stays constant and you. reduce police contacts you will have au priori more crime since criminals are not caught and jailed.

Occasional Reader 10/21/2020 8:02:56 AM

11

The Paraguayan Connection:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-54629249

JCM 10/21/2020 8:14:28 AM

12

Reply to Occasional Reader in 9:

Agreed on the overall trend.

We need to open things up. The data doesn't support keeping things shutdown.

Work at home is preferred for me right now with the family situation.

JCM 10/21/2020 8:22:06 AM

13

As for my employer I see it as part of the move out of Seattle.

They have 16 square blocks of office in the north part of downtown Seattle.

By seeing how many they can have NOT working in Seattle they can start divesting the Seattle real estate and head count and getting away from the Clowncil's greed.

That will hurt the Seattle real estate values and tax base. Which the Clowncil is unable to comprehend.

Occasional Reader 10/21/2020 8:24:10 AM

14

Reply to JCM in 10:

The left has gone completely insane. But you knew that. Their policies are literally getting people killed.

JCM 10/21/2020 8:26:25 AM

15

Reply to Occasional Reader in 14:

Idée fixe.

So enamored with the idea, completely blinded to anything else.

lucius septimius 10/21/2020 8:40:08 AM

16

In #13 JCM said: Which the Clowncil is unable to comprehend.

So while they haven't yet killed the goose that lays the golden eggs, they're chasing it around the yard with an axe.

Occasional Reader 10/21/2020 9:33:44 AM

17

JCM 10/21/2020 9:39:24 AM

18

Reply to Occasional Reader in 17:

Biden's hoist on their own petard.

This is a perfect illustration of why early voting is problematic.

Those who already cast their ballot, can't changed their vote if they are so inclined on this information.

Occasional Reader 10/21/2020 9:44:56 AM

19

Reply to JCM in 18:

And I don't even know the answer to the question: What happens to an early vote for (say) Biden, if he dies or withdraws prior to Election Day?  What if he and Harris were to both withdraw, to be replaced by two other candidates?  I'd have to assume those votes would be null. 

JCM 10/21/2020 9:51:21 AM

20

Reply to Occasional Reader in 19:

That would be a mess I don't want to contemplate.

Constitutionally States run their own election systems. The left will wallpaper the country in lawsuits.

vxbush 10/21/2020 9:54:46 AM

21

In #20 JCM said: Constitutionally States run their own election systems. The left will wallpaper the country in lawsuits.

They will if Trump wins. That's not going to change anything. 

Alice in Dairyland 10/21/2020 10:06:44 AM

22

In #18 JCM said: Those who already cast their ballot, can't changed their vote if they are so inclined on this information.

What do they say about being caught with a live boy or a dead girl?  I don't think there's anything that could make these people change their minds.

lucius septimius 10/21/2020 10:17:19 AM

23

Out of morbid curiosity I glanced at the academic jobs currently being posted.  Nearly all are for "African American" or "Social Justice" something or another.  One was for "Feminist science" whatever that is; another was "Queer/Feminism".  There was one job in Russian history.  That was the only thing in a substantive field.

It will be interesting to see what happens to all these "African American Studies" folks once the current hysteria dies down.  I suspect there will be piles of folks getting graduate degrees in those fields who, in ten years, will be utterly unemployable.

Meanwhile, I have seen two articles in the past two days saying that NDAs have to go and academics who have accepted settlements need to be outed and never allowed to work again.  Anywhere.

Welcome to Brezhnev's AmeriKa.

doppelganglander 10/21/2020 10:18:04 AM

24

Reply to Alice in Dairyland in 22:

They've already convinced themselves that it's a Russian disinformation op. The one thing that could tilt opinion is if Hunter was sexually inappropriate with a teenage family member and Joe knew it. There's a message from Hunter to Joe and it looks very bad.

JCM 10/21/2020 10:24:27 AM

25

Reply to vxbush in 21:

One thing to watch on the elections. Something the media the left entire missed by in the FL debacle in 2000.

A key point in the process is when the State's election is certified by the Sec. State in that State. That certification for the Presidential ballot locks it down and sends it to the The House. It is completely out of the jurisdiction of the courts State and Federal at the point. Only members of the House can challenge the results from the various States then.

Furthermore it is not the House at large that votes on these matters, each State delegation has only one vote. CA has 1 vote, WY has 1 vote. What makes it even more interesting... (R) hold a one state majority when looking at State delegations.

Not even the Supreme Court has Constitutional authority once the election in each State is certified and transmitted to The House.

Not that THE LAW will make any difference to the Left and their lawyers.

doppelganglander 10/21/2020 10:28:19 AM

26

Reply to lucius septimius in 23:

That's horrifying. 

buzzsawmonkey 10/21/2020 12:48:48 PM

27

"What's the problem with my son's laptop? Doesn't "bipartisanship" mean "compromise"? Well, you're not going to find anyone more compromised than I am!"

---Joe Biden

Kosh's Shadow 10/21/2020 4:17:56 PM

28

Reply to buzzsawmonkey in 27:

+++

Doesn't matter anyway. Should (G-d forbid) Biden win, it will be President Harris within 6 months. 

They probably have the 25th amendment paperwork all written up.

The Dems never wanted Biden, but none of their other candidates were "electable".

Kosh's Shadow 10/21/2020 5:01:27 PM

29