'Higher Profile' at Paris Rally Would Have Been Wise Admits White House, More Democrats May Exit Senate, Oil Prices Tumble: P.M. Links

• 

  White House

  "I think it's fair to say that we should have sent someone with a higher profile to be there," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest conceded after the administration took a public thrashing for its almost invisible role at Sunday's unity rally in Paris in the wake of last week's terrorist attacks.

• With terrorism back on everybody's radar, President Obama is considered unlikely to fulfill an early promise to close the offshore prison at Guantánamo that confines detainees in legal limbo.
• The Supreme Court is taking its time to hand down a decision on same-sex marriage.
• The Democratic Party's dwindling supply of senators representing red states may shrink further as endangered politicians contemplate career changes.
• Newark spent $2 million to get a "free" army surplus helicopter in working condition.
• Nine days after a massacre perpetrated by Boko Haram, bodies still litter the ground in Baga, Nigeria. The group has since raided a Cameroon army base.
• With no cut in production in sight, oil prices tumbled another five percent.
• No way, no how did he threaten to cut off sick days and vacations until street cops get petty arrests back up to revenue-enhancing levels, insists New York Police Commissioner William Bratton.
• ISIS sympathizers hacked the Twitter and YouTube accounts of the U.S. military's Central Command. Whoops.

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Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

Newark spent $2 million to get a "free" army surplus helicopter in working condition.

Like they did in Saigon.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Hello.

"I think it's fair to say that we should have sent someone with a higher profile to be there,"

Define 'higher profile'.

[Enough About Palin]

Dikembe Mutombo?

[Brian D]

Not in my house!

[Lady Bertrum]

Recently, Newark won a competition on the shittiness of job opportunities in the city (I'm paraphrasing).

So, that surplus helicopter is stimulus.

[HeteroPatriarch]

they outsourced the work.

[Fist of Etiquette]

ISIS sympathizers hacked the Twitter and YouTube accounts of the U.S. military's Central Command.

My military wouldn't be on social media.

[Enough About Palin]

^^THIS^^

[Fist of Etiquette]

...President Obama is considered unlikely to fulfill an early promise to __________.

Fill in the blank.

[Pro Libertate]

Did he promise to fuck up America more than it was already fucked up? Because he's excelling at that.

[Doghouse Riley Jr.]

Change?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Why should he change? You're the one who sucks.

[Doghouse Riley Jr.]

You mean me, specifically, or do you mean "everyone who isn't Obama"?

[Pro Libertate]

You know, someone should write a book called Obama's Analyst.

[Doghouse Riley Jr.]

I don't know if Obama is really the therapy type.

Probably wouldn't be as funny as the movie.

[Pro Libertate]

Of course, I was thinking about that movie, but this one isn't a comedy. Well, maybe a comedy, but much darker. More like, I dunno, The Omen?

[Doghouse Riley Jr.]

I think The Omen is giving O a little too much credit, Pro L.

Now, a mean-spirited, slightly more intelligent Chauncey Gardiner, that's more believable.

[Pro Libertate]

The Anti-Christ's Janitor.

[Pro Libertate]

Not Being There?

[Fist of Etiquette]

You mean me...?

Hint: Think Michael Bolton.

[Injun, as in from India]

No way, no how did he threaten to cut off sick days and vacations until street cops get petty arrests back up to revenue-enhancing levels, insists New York Police Commissioner William Bratton.

If De Blasio was not such a leftist union hack, he would have done with cops what Reagan did to air traffic controllers.

But it is entertaining to see a leftist "leader" put in place by unions.

[Ted S.]

Or what Coolidge did with cops.

[Irish]

De Blasio should have busted up that union the instant it became obvious what they were doing, but he's too much of a leftist idiot to acknowledge this is entirely the result of public unionization.

If he admitted it's a problem with the police, he might have to admit that similar issues exist with teachers.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

"this is entirely the result of public unionization."

With all due respect, that's simplistically delusional. Cops are politically active, unified and popular, and as such they are, union or no, going to get contracts with favorable terms. If the mayor of Charleston here in SC where police unions are forbidden was seen as offending the police they would be doing basically the same things to him. Unions might make this kind of thing somewhat easier, but that's more of a manifestation of police political clout than union clout.

[wareagle]

unions are pretty active in shielding members from any consequences of incompetence if not criminality. It is amusing, however, to see Dems finally find a public union they can oppose.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

The unions are active in the sense they act to enforce the collectively bargained contracts and as political lobbyists. But in the states that bar police unions they still form lobbying organizations and get favorable contracts. They're a politically beloved group, like veterans.

[wareagle]

this is New York, the same city where horrible teachers are paid to sit in rooms and do nothing. Protectionism is protectionism. And in most states, the largest city's mayor is not calling his department a bunch of racists.

[wadair]

Would you take up for a corporation if it held the city hostage?

[Rhywun]

To be fair to Bratton, he was quoting cop coverage from the NY Post - which probably means it was a pack of lies.

[Francisco d'Anconia]

"I think it's fair to say that we should have sent someone with a higher profile to be there," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest conceded

Were they even invited?

[wareagle]

does a president who summarily send drones to faraway lands worry about social graces for a photo op?

[Stormy Dragon]

ISIS sympathizers hacked the Twitter and YouTube accounts of the U.S. military's Central Command. Whoops.

Ob:

http://xkcd.com/932/

[HeteroPatriarch]

Can't go there, but I'm guessing "hackers deface poster hung up by US Military's Central Command?"

[Stormy Dragon]

Yes.

[Rich]

"I think it's fair to say that we should have sent someone with a higher profile to be there."

"There's no sugarcoating it. Sending Louis Farrakhan would have been better."

[Sevo]

Van Jones coulda gone and explained 9/11 to the frogs!

[rts]

Police forces balk at tracking fees imposed by Rogers

The RCMP and many other police forces are refusing to pay new fees imposed by Rogers Communications for helping track suspects through their mobile phones.

Rogers says while it picks up the tab for most judicially approved requests, in some cases it will charge a minimal fee.

[Ted S.]

Charge the same fees governments impose for FOI requests.

[Francisco d'Anconia]

Police say the telecommunications firm is legally obligated to provide such court-ordered services and to cover the cost as part of its duty to society.

Just like it's the donut shop's duty to society to provide Canadian bacon with free coffee and krullers.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The Democratic Party's dwindling supply of senators representing red states may shrink further as endangered politicians contemplate career changes.

K Street beckons.

[Rich]

Would that Walmart do, too.

[Rich]

*did*

*** gets coffee ***

[Stormy Dragon]

Something of the tragedy of the commons here: if all the Dem senators quit to become lobbyists, they're no longer worth hiring as lobbyists because they don't know anyone in office anymore.

[John]

nah. The bipartisan Beltway party takes care of its own. Mitch McConnel knows that the other side are good people and mean well and are much better than the horrible people back home that he is supposed to represent. So, he will happily take their calls and do their bidding if the price is right. Same with most of the rest of them.

[Fist of Etiquette]

As long as they have money to spread, they know someone in office.

[wareagle]

Tom Daschle and Trent Lott didn't take those jobs so they could only lobby their own team. Once elected, you are less about your individual Team and more about the Club of the office holder.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

They're thinking of running for Governors instead.

[Fist of Etiquette]

No way, no how did he threaten to cut off sick days and vacations until street cops get petty arrests back up to revenue-enhancing levels, insists New York Police Commissioner William Bratton.

The last thing he wants is to be looking at the backs of a bunch of boys in blue.

[Injun, as in from India]

Nine days after a massacre perpetrated by Boko Haram, bodies still litter the ground in Baga, Nigeria. The group has since raided a Cameroon army base.

Michelle Obama's twitter now has a sad face that says #BringBackOurBodies.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

I don't care if she's my best friend's mom, she's hot and I'm taking a shower with her

[John]

Steve Smith is writing fiction now?

[Ted S.]

The fictional part is that Steve Smith has a best friend.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

I left out the Sasquatch part. Damn phone.

[Rich]

R. Crumb did it first, but I'm too lazy to find a SFW image.

[Enough About Palin]

Eat Fresh: Flo, Jan & Wendy and the Five Dollar Footlong (Lesbian Fiction)

by Lacey Noonan (Goodreads Author)

5.0 of 5 stars5.00 ? rating details ? 2 ratings ? 1 review

"God damn, marketing events are bitch."

And so begins the sexy, wild adventures of our three protagonists, Jan, Flo and Wendy?the three hottest stars of the contemporary TV commercial scene.

Flo from Progressive, Jan from Toyota and Wendy from Wendy's are stuck at a boring PR event. They're being paid handsomely to sit by a pool in their skimpy bathing suits, sip cocktails and look pretty for the guests. The money is great, but Flo and Jan are bored to tears. Soon they are acting out and making shy, proper Wendy miserable.

After a confrontation with Wendy's agent, the girls take it upstairs to Flo's hotel room. There they discover the pleasures of each other's bodies while playing a fun game with the TV?as well as the only Five Dollar Footlong that Jared from Subway bothered to bring to the event.

Find out what happens in this heart-poundingly sexy and funny story? And catch a peek behind the curtain of the business-side of Hollywood in this all-too-true, fictional expos? by Lacey Noonan!(less)

[db]

How in the world does this author tap into my dreams at night?

[Lady Bertrum]

So, SF's nom de plume is Lacey Noonan?

[Doghouse Riley Jr.]

The works of Lacey Noonan were discussed in the afternoon links sometime last week (I believe the story about Gronkowski got the ball rolling) and SF denied it was him.

[SugarFree]

Yes. Not me. I'm very jealous.

[Doghouse Riley Jr.]

There's still time to be one of the most acclaimed and reviled writers of the age, SF. Don't give up now!

[SugarFree]

You say that, but everyday is a day I get older and no more reviled. 🙁

[Irish]

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_.....owski.html

She gave an interview to Slate and it was awesome.

'Slate: Tell me about the story's climax, where Rob Gronkowski spikes a football into the heroine's butt. Was that always the plan, or did that plot point sort of evolve naturally?

Noonan: It's hard to remember exactly how it evolved. I think I just started writing it and let it go where it wanted to. I just started writing about a woman watching Gronkowski go berserk on TV. There wasn't much plot to that, so then I added the husband. About the ending, though: I just felt the ending needed some "oomph." It's surreal, and just takes it to the level of impossible fantasy. I think I should also say that the ball doesn't exactly go into her "butt."

Slate: God, sorry. There is a fine distinction there.

Noonan: I remember reading about how Kafka didn't want the "bug" on the cover of Metamorphosis. Gronk's spike impacts in a mystical, non-physical realm of Leigh's being. Although, quickly scanning my Word doc, I found that I wrote "between her butt-cheeks." So, jury's still out on that one.'

[LynchPin1477]

The AT&T girls is way hotter than any of them. And apparently she is Uzbeki.

[Doghouse Riley Jr.]

SF'd the link.

[LynchPin1477]

It was just the wikipedia page.

[AnonCowHerd]

What about the AT&T sales girl (Milana Vayntrub)?

[Obese American]

She gets topless in an episode of Silicon Valley, IIRC.

[JW]

YOU LIE.

I would have remembered that.

[JW]

What about Amanda Crew?

Let's keep our priorities straight here, people.

[John Titor]

From the author of 'Submitting to the Landlord: An Erotic Novella' and 'Shipwrecked on the Island of the She-Gods: A South Pacific Trans Sex Adventure'

Seriously.

[Spencer]

damnit- can't buy it for the library.

[John]

Here is how bad things are for the Democrats in any but the most deep blue states. They are probably going to run Kay Hagan and Mary Landreu against the Republican incumbents in NC and LA respectively in 2016. They literally have no one else to run. They have no bench or no rising star to run and will have to recycle a previous loser.

[Irish]

They're completely fucked in the South. I think it's hilarious how progs have desperately tried to argue that they don't need those mouthbreathing southerners anyway, without bothering to consider that they literally will never win the senate again unless they can gain victories in southern states.

There are simply too many southern and upper-midwestern states for the Democrats to lose them all and maintain the senate, but they refuse to admit that because they'd have to acknowledge that they desperately need the hillbilly vote.

[John]

Their entire national identity is built on hating southern whites. Yet, they are now shocked that they can't win in the South where said whites are a large majority.

Why can't those stupid racist rednecks know enough to do what is good for them and vote Democrat?

[Pro Libertate]

Wait a second. I am a white man from the South. You mean the entire party hates me? I find that distressing. No wonder my taxes are so high.

[wareagle]

I'm a Southern white guy, too. Yes, the party hates us. Thinks we're racists who are probably sleeping with, if not married to, our cousins. Never mind that most of us grew up with integration and have been around blacks far more than the typical non-Southern proggie.

[kinnath]

Fla isn't really the South. North FLA is the South; South FLA is southern New Jersey crossed with Northern Cuba.

[grrizzly]

The Boston Globe offers to transfer home delivery to select FL zip codes.

[Pro Libertate]

I'm originally from Alabama, with parents from Tennessee, with ancestors who, well, you know, owned people and stuff. I'm about as Southern as it gets. Not a racist, not a creationist, not, not, not.

[kinnath]

OK, you qualify.

[Pro Libertate]

Does this mean I get thrown into the redneck camp rather than the libertarian camp? That sucks, because Episiarch and I had a plan to run a King Rat kind of operation. Well, competing operations, but still a duopoly.

[db]

Silly ProLib thinks there are going to be *separate* camps.

[Pro Libertate]

Of course there are. You can't have the rednecks polluting the libertarians or vice versa. Naturally, the final processing of all of the above will be at the Soylent factories, but by then, it won't matter.

[Buddy Bizarre]

South FLA can be further divided into the east coast annoying NYC area progs & the west coast upper mid-west pleasant people.

[HeteroPatriarch]

Don't worry, the Republicans hate you too. But you're their constituency.

[Pro Libertate]

I am? I feel they aren't catering to me sufficiently, if true.

[Doghouse Riley Jr.]

Call a Republican, and if they give you the high-hat invoke your Southern white male privilege/heritage in your best Foghorn Leghorn voice. If that doesn't work, call them RINOs and hang up.

[Tak Kak]

They seem to be holding on in my dear Virginia, at least on the surface. Republicans seem to be cleaning up at the real power center.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

That's not so crazy. They have name recognition and Dems do much better in Presidential years.

[John]

yes it is. I can't think of any other time a losing incumbent has been dredged up to run for the same office they lost two years later. Sometimes, a challenger will lose to an incumbent and come back in the next election and have another go. But I can't think of any examples of an incumbent losing and trying again. If you can't win as the incumbent, you are very unlikely to win as a challenger.

Again, Bo, sometimes things are what they are and can't be spun in favor of the Democrats. If you want to spin it, spin it as how evil and narrow minded the South is or something. Don't insult people's intelligence by pretending it isn't that bad.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

You can't think of an defeated incumbent getting the nod to run again in a subsequent election?

What do I get if I produce some of those?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

You know, like Scott Brown?

[kinnath]

Scott Brown changed states.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Did he? (that's a joke for Mass/NH folks here).

[wareagle]

look at the bigger picture - the party that treats the bulk of the citizenry like racist hayseeds is not likely to do well.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I agree with John about that. The Democrats have earned their bad reputation in those states. My point is that in Presidential years the Dems turn out more of the non-white base and it's not crazy to run someone with statewide name recognition already.

[wareagle]

and that may be. But people have to have a reason to turn out. The blacks had one obviously in Obama. I doubt they would be quite as thrilled with Hillary or Warren.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

They'll just switch "make history and vote for the first black President' with "make history and vote for the first woman President." Instant turn out generator.

[wareagle]

blacks have nowhere near the emotional investment in Hillary that they had in Obama. Even Bill had some clout because of his own upbringing. Hillary, not so much. Not that they won't vote team, but they will do not do so in such large numbers particularly when the whole "first..." narrative did nothing for them.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

We'll see, I guess. Of course, it's not just blacks that Dems turn out more in recent political elections.

[Enough About Palin]

A big fucking yawn from me. You are so fucking trite.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Thanks for sharing!

[Mock-star]

Grover Cleveland did it successfully.

[Pope Jimbo]

Rudy Boschwitz lost to Paul Wellstone in a giant upset in 1990 and then ran against Wellstone in 1996.

He got trounced in the second election basically because:

a) the myth around St. Wellstone was well underway
b) like you said, no one likes a sore loser.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

John seems to have this habit of basing the conclusion "there must not be any of X" on the premise "I am unaware of any X"

[John]

And there isn't. Which part of "Boschowitz got trounced" so you not understand? That doesn't help your contention. I say yes it is crazy, I am unaware of anyone trying it. Someone pointing out "one guy did try it but got killed the second time around" doesn't help your point Bo or do anything to dispute mine, which is the Democrats are desperate in the South.

At this point, I think your logical fallacies have become like my typos. They are sort of what you do on here.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Nice try John, but you didn't say 'won' you said 'dredged up to run' again. Are you being dishonest or ignorant of what you wrote/too lazy to read it?

[robc]

Bo, you are being an idiot. Yes, that is what John said, but losers proves his point that it is a stupid thing to do.

Stop being so fucking literal and read what people mean.

Especially with John as he dont type good.

[Pope Jimbo]

I would also like to say that Rudy threw a pencil at me during a visit he made to my high school.

He gave a speech and afterwards a bunch of us were talking to him. I had my hands in my pockets and I guess he thought that was rude and threw the pencil at me.

He was a nice guy though.

[kinnath]

When an incumbent loses, everyone removes their card from the Rolodex. The incumbent just disappears only to resurfaces as a corporate shill some brief time later.

[robc]

Ron Paul did in the House.

But IIRC, he only served a partial term after winning a special election before his loss, so maybe that doesnt count.

[kinnath]

Boxer would not be retiring if there was any chance in hell the Dems would take back the senate in 2016.

[Irish]

http://www.thenation.com/artic.....-and-deeds

Nation writer wonders aloud why progressives mindlessly adore people who give good speeches, even if they never accomplish anything.

"Then too, Mario?like Andrew?did little to pry the State Senate from the Republicans' grip. That automatically limited his ability to pass the sweeping agenda he spoke so brilliantly about. This raises a larger question: Why are progressives so easily seduced by words? Obama won our hearts because he was a great rhetorician?so great, indeed, that people only heard the parts they wanted to hear. (Strangely, when he does do something truly positive and important?allowing 5 million undocumented immigrants to stay in this country, for example?we barely notice.)

I don't know the answer to my question. Is everyday politics too boring and complicated? Is politics at bottom a form of theater (Mario Cuomo, after all, was dubbed the "Hamlet on the Hudson" for his lengthy back-and-forth about a presidential run). It's almost as if we're resigned to losing and think that words?the old, familiar words, the doomed roar of a noble lion?are the best that we can get."

Hahahaha. "Is politics too boring and complicated."

It's always funny when a leftist basically admits she's too stupid to think so she allows herself to be continuously manipulated by people who give her a case of the feels, logic be damned.

[John]

"Everyday politics is too boring and complicated" is just self serving way of saying "actually accomplishing anything or making are idiotic ideas succeed in practice is just too hard, so we prefer talk and platitudes instead."

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Because they're often naive idealists.

[ant1sthenes]

Nah, I think it's more that they don't really give a shit about results, they just want to feel something to replace the gnawing sense of nihilistic despair, and attempts to wring validation out of the social media hivemind can only go so far in filling that void.

[trshmnster the terrible]

People have been groomed to think that they are heirs to Caesar. When they realize that they can't actually "do anything you set your mind to," they begin to feel out of place in their own lives.

The jester has been convinced that he is actually the king.

[Sevo]

"This raises a larger question: Why are progressives so easily seduced by words?"

I know! Call me!
Because they're lefty ignoramuses!
What did I win?

[Rufus J. Firefly]

"...why progressives mindlessly adore people who give good speeches, even if they never accomplish anything."

Because they're mindless and emotionally vulnerable to demagogues?

[trshmnster the terrible]

As discussed in an earlier thread, progressives and other moral relativists are convinced, either consciously or subconsciously, that the only reality exists between their own two ears. The consequences and results of the physical world are merely manifestations of the feelings and intent behind their actions. If their policy has bad results and unintended consequences, it's because the wreckers and kulaks polluted it with their bad intentions.

[Andrew S.]

Here's what happens to a prison inmate who files complaints against guards.

(Do I have to say "and nothing else happened", or does that just go without saying?)

[Rhywun]

Jesus, I couldn't make it through - what a horrible fucking story.

[Jordan]

Good lord.

[db]

The inhumanity of that whole story is hard to imagine.

[Pope Jimbo]

"Lafayette, we are here have a tee time to make"
-Barak Obama

[The Late P Brooks]

No way, no how did he threaten to cut off sick days and vacations until street cops get petty arrests back up to revenue-enhancing levels, insists New York Police Commissioner William Bratton.

Bratton knows he doesn't have prayer against the union.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I think regardless of what you think SCOTUS should do about gay marriage, this taking their time is incredibly irresponsible. If they grant marriage recognition then there would have been all these people in some states ready to marry who can't, and if they don't then there will be all these people formerly considered married who suddenly aren't. They should have immediately put any licensing on hold until this was ultimately determined.

[John]

I don't see how the Chief can cut off sick days and vacation. Those things are negotiated in the union contract. He could probably deny everyone's vacation for a while. Pretty quickly, however, the union could rightfully file a grievance against the city for breaking the terms of the contract. The contract says every cop gets vacation. They can't get around that by just denying it to everyone absent an emergency.

And if the cop calls in sick, the chief has no authority to deny it unless the cop is lying.

[Andrew S.]

Now, now. He could say that he reasonably believed the union contract allowed it. The Supreme Court says it's okay!

[Rich]

Exactly. It's a "reasonable mistake of law".

[wareagle]

FYTW?

[John]

That may be how it works for you and me, but cop unions don't roll like that. No way in hell will the city get away with doing this.

[wareagle]

didn't say he could do it, just that it would be the only plausible explanation. As it is, screwing with public unions requires legislative support, like Walker had in Wisconsin. A progtard like DeBlasio is not going to find that in NY.

[Brian D]

The contract likely grants that police accrue a number of hours per pay period that permit them to miss work while still being paid for it. I doubt the contract stipulates that the chief has to grant it ahead of time whenever its asked for.

[John]

I am sure it doesn't. But it also doesn't allow the Chief to deny all vacations without a good reason, like an emergency. There is no way in hell him doing so would stand up at arbitration or in court. Otherwise, the contract wouldn't mean anything. The cops would get whatever vacation the Chief wanted to allow, vacation or no.

[Sigivald]

Newark spent $2 million to get a "free" army surplus helicopter in working condition.

Funny, the link behind that says that includes nine years years of maintenance and operation costs; it wasn't all (or even, as far as I can tell, mostly) refurb costs to get it working.

Oh, and it seems to include a new night vision system.

If we assume the reported 8 hour a week flight time is average, we can guesstimate (8*52*9) 3,744 hours of flight time over those nine years.

$534/hr. of flight time isn't actually too bad for a helicopter. (No idea if that $2M includes fuel, of course.)

The helicopter itself was still free. No "quotes" needed.

(A free car still requires oil changes and fuel, too!)

[Sigivald]

(By which I mean, by all means say "Newark has no justifiable use for a damned helicopter!".

Don't say "$2M for nine years of helicopter?! That's not FREE!!!!"

Because that makes you look like idiots.)

[Jordan]

Don't say "$2M for nine years of helicopter?! That's not FREE!!!!"

Well, it's not.

[HeteroPatriarch]

An examination of the sky-high bill shows that the Newark City Council has approved $1.13 million in maintenance contracts the last five years alone...

Yeah, you totally crushed Tuccille.

[Lady Bertrum]

About the oil price: commodity prices across the board have tumbled with the exception of gold and the yield on Treasuries has tumbled as well. The yield curved has flattened, as well.

So, yeah, context.

[SugarFree]

George Zimmerman arrested again on assault and domestic battery charges.

Because he used a gun in the battery he is going to have to surrender all weapons to the police.

[Rich]

PTSD after the Trayvon incident?

[SugarFree]

Well, he stated that he wouldn't have done anything differently that night even with full hindsight, so he doesn't seem all that traumatized to me.

[John Titor]

Zimmerman has always come off like a piece of shit and at times a real wannabe cop. Doesn't really change the nature of the Martin shooting based on the evidence into some racism-fueled murder of an innocent, but sometimes I wish the people I had to defend weren't such massive assholes.

[Illocust]

I'm honestly not surprised by his spiral. He had his name drug through the mud in such a public manner he's never going to be able to lead a normal life. When shit like this happens I really want these guys to be able to sue the state or media for what they were forced to go through.

[Stormy Dragon]

Zimmerman had been accused of domestic violence long before the Trayvon incident.

[John Titor]

ISIS sympathizers hacked the Twitter and YouTube accounts of the U.S. military's Central Command. Whoops.

Bahahaha, holy shit, they seriously used the term 'CyberJihad'.

[Rich]

And 'CyberCaliphate'.

[Rhywun]

CyberBarf.

[SugarFree]

Jezebel doubles quadruples? down on the Duke Lacrosse UVa Rape Frat case.

"You're not contrite enough about something you didn't do!"

[John]

Don't insult the victims of rape by giving some mealy mouthed apology over a a rape you didn't commit. It doesn't matter if it happened or if you did it. It is still a rape and not coming clean and fully apologizing for it is just blaming the victim and further enforcing the rape culture.

That about cover it?

[SugarFree]

That overt sort of attack will be left to Mandy Marcotte. This was more a "cool story, bros" brush off.

[John Titor]

Even if you're mouthing the words they want to hear, Jezebel won't be satisfied because ultimately you're still just a white male. There's an active element of hate in their worldview, it isn't just going to go away. It comes as no surprise that parts of Jezebel's readership have actual mental illnesses.

[Pro Libertate]

Then I might as well bathe in their salty tears.

[SugarFree]

Well, you know they must have done something. They are all like fratty and stuff.

[Pro Libertate]

It's like being Jewish in Nazi Germany.

[JEP]

OT: My company is going through a slump at the moment and there's the possibility that I may be looking for a new job in a few weeks whether I want to or not. Unfortunately, the job I got roped into doesn't really have any private sector applications and I'd like to change my career path a good bit.

Do you have any advice for trying to switch careers? Apply to the entry level positions? I'm an electrical engineer if that helps you with some context.

[Swiss Servator, Winter...jetzt]

If you do have hands on type experience, Risk Engineering is always a choice.

[JEP]

I'm a huge fan of Nassim Taleb, who's a Risk Engineering professor at New York Polytechnic. I actually have a side project I'm working on trying to write a mathematical companion to his books for people who don't have a background involving probability, random variables, or information theory - and I would learn loads in the process even if no one else appreciates it.

Is Risk Engineering actually a solid field of employment outside Wall Street? Oh, and I only have my undergrad.

[trshmnster the terrible]

It depends on what sort of career change you're looking for. Do you want a complete career change away from EE, or simply a new technology area to work on?

I imagine that you're probably just interested in a new tech area or a new business culture. If that's the case, make sure your resume highlights your ability to learn new things and apply your experience. Having experience in a different technology area isn't bad, but approaching a manager with "I'm the preeminent expert at networking widgets with gadgets using the WidGad method, and I've worked solely on this for 5 years" is a recipe for failure. It is easy for him to disregard you because he doesn't need a WidGad engineer at Acme. You want him to leave with the impression that you quickly became an expert in a new technology, and are willing and able to do that with his technology as well. Some companies will buy it, and some won't. I've worked for both, and prefer the companies who don't get hung up on specific technology areas.

If you want a big change out of EE, think very hard about what you want to do, then think some more. Once you've done that, think some more. If you still want to change careers, make sure you're not going to be buried in a crowd in your new profession. Leverage your expertise in whatever field you decide to go into. (This is coming from a former computer engineer who is sitting in a patent law class right now)

[waffles]

That is good advice for anyone looking to get a better job.

[JEP]

I don't think I want to change away from EE. There's plenty to learn, and people value it. It should keep me busy for a while.

Two weeks after being hired at my company, a new manager was hired in above me and said "Our department isn't going to do that anymore, we're going to focus on this other thing." So I had to teach myself to do "this other thing" as fast as possible. In the meantime I've lost the skill that I was actually hired for, and what I was primarily interested in. Co-workers have told me that soak up information like a sponge, so I guess that's a good sign.

I usually have trouble communicating that in an interview though. It's like saying that my biggest fault is that I work too hard. Any schmuck can say they are a fast learner.

I've thought about going the patent law route, too, but my sister is a lawyer and she's pretty miserable. She just doesn't fit into the culture.

Thanks the advice!

[Zeb]

I could use an EE. Unfortunately I am not in a position to hire one at the moment and we probably will hire an ME first.

I've never really had to look for a job, so I got no advice. Except whatever you get into, you should encourage them to buy mobile robots.

[JEP]

My degree is in EE, but I'm a little bit mechanical. I do some design in AutoCad, and one of my old jobs involve a lot of motors, worm drives, belts, rotators, etc.

Everyone needs mobile robots.

[trshmnster the terrible]

Focus less on the message and more on the application. I tend to frame it as "this one time I was confronted with issue X. I knew nothing about X except for a minimal amount, but I had a deadline of Y, and had to at least be somewhat proficient to get my job done. In order to get done by the deadline, I took steps A, B, and C to teach myself the basics of X, and got in contact with Joe Schmoe to help me with the rest. I'm still not an expert in X, but I now know enough to know where to look to get the answers"

[John]

It is a fancy European way of saying "TTops". If you live in Jersey and routinely wear a throw back Joe Kleko jersey, your car as T Tops. If you live in Winchester and shop at Brooks Brothers, your car is a Targa.

That is really all there is to it. The only advantage of it is that most tracks won't let you track a convertible unless it has a roll bar. T Tops allow you to get the benefits of a convertible while also being able to track the car stock.

[John]

The Ford GT is coming back.

http://www.cnet.com/products/2016-ford-gt/

Not as good as the original GT40, but nothing every could be. I still like it.

[Doghouse Riley Jr.]

Acura and Lexus both seem to not know how to make a car without an ugly grille, IMHO. And Acura should go back to having an actual word for their models instead of initials.

[Pro Libertate]

The original NSX was a relatively inexpensive Ferrari that was also Honda reliable. What a great car!

I saw a Honda-branded NSX in Kuala Lumpur in the 90s, which confused me for a moment.

[John]

Live in Westchester.

[Crusty Juggler]

Brooks Brothers has some very nice casual pants/chinos. I figured you all needed that pertinent information.

[Doghouse Riley Jr.]

T/Targa tops also (generally) have more stability/less body flex than convertibles do.

[Crusty Juggler]

No.

[Pope Jimbo]

Tundra it would be so wrong. I can't find a link, but I remember a story back in the day where some co-workers put a "He's dead, get over it" bumper sticker on the car of a die hard Wellstone supporter (next to his real sticker) and the prog almost died.

I remember it being a mini-story about how uncaring the right wingers were.

Since I couldn't find a link to that story, here is one with a true Minnesoda trifecta

http://publicradio1.wpengine.n.....ickers.jpg

[Pope Jimbo]

Here it is:

http://tinyurl.com/lmuppte

ST. PAUL - Late U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone rode a green bus to his first U.S. Senate win. After his death the bus came to signify his legacy.
Some are now upset over a bumper sticker message about the bus found on the state Capitol grounds, saying the political propaganda crossed the line of good taste.

The sticker, which says "It's time to park the bus," was found on the back of a Minnesota Senate staffer's SUV.

"I think it's below the belt," said state Rep. Michael Paymar, DFL-St. Paul. "I think it 's highly insensitive. It was a great tragedy when Paul died and a lot of us are still grieving."

DFLers are outraged. They claim there are more of these bumper stickers. Some of them think Republicans are behind them.

"I'm assuming he must have got it from the party or somewhere," Paymar said.

[John]

They are also very comfortable for driving with your targa top off.

[Doghouse Riley Jr.]

Interesting. Can't wait to see one in person. I watch the auto auction shows a lot, it's amazing how much the mid-aughts Ford GTs go for.

A wonder if they'd sell more if it had a V-8. Yes, it will have a ton of power but a V-8 is a V-8.

[db]

Dr. Girlfriend's uncle had a Ford GT that he used as a daily driver. Drove.it across the country on vacations and tried it out at tracks along the way. He had about a quarter million in that car, and it had brake dust all over the wheels, exhaust stains on the bumper, road dirt occasionally still on it. The man knew how to put something to good use, not just stash it in a garage.

[Zeb]

Didn't that already happen 10 years or so ago? Jeremy Clarkson got one and it kept breaking.

[Doghouse Riley Jr.]

Might be a case of the design came first so they had to fit the engine in. Or they wanted a 6 for ecoloonyical reasons.

[Pope Jimbo]

Tundra, you ignorant slut. That was Rudy Perpich who spent all that money trying to keep the Rangers on the Range.

Boschwitz was the goofy one who had the milk stand at the State Fair.

[Doghouse Riley Jr.]

I believe that the NSX was a Honda everywhere but here because it was felt that the people who could afford them wouldn't want to drive an economical marque like a Honda so it was sold as an Acura.

[Pro Libertate]

I can't remember how it all works, but I believe Acura is just a U.S. brand. Or was, anyway.

[Zeb]

Yeah, I think the NSX was branded Honda everywhere else.

[Zeb]

600 HP from a 6 is pretty great. Especially from an American company. But nothing called "EcoBoost" belongs in that car.