Quote of the Day
This may be the sweetest video I've ever seen.
Steve Lacy, "Bad Habit"
Quote of the Day
Courage is the greatest of all the virtues.
Drake, "Jimmy Cooks" ft. 21 Savage
Another reason why I'm Never DeSantis. The Bill of Rights applies to PEOPLE, not just CITIZENS. "People" includes all residents and foreign visitors. The POTUS does not have any constitutional right to repress anyone's freedom of speech,https://t.co/eWZxcUJI7Y https://t.co/RwqQSM6iPn
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 22, 2023
Because there are contagious viruses out there like COVID-19, still hospitalizing and killing people daily. A lot of people have immune systems at risk, and quality masks, like N95, mitigate risks, I know an assisted living facility which recently had a COVID outbreak. https://t.co/ZMZxMrkxVk
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 22, 2023
Trump never did a damn thing to reform senior entitlements, even though the programs were already starting to draw down reserves on his watch. Don't forget the hypocrite actually wanted a payroll tax holiday during the pandemic, making it worsehttps://t.co/dLyQ8s0NOg pic.twitter.com/S22NRMJgYo
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 22, 2023
Over my dead body! Never mind the fact Trump is an incompetent, unqualified, divisive politician who is also facing 91 criminal counts and is actively running for POTUS https://t.co/O110u37fpM
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 22, 2023
Not a chance. Don't forget she had a track record in GOP leadership before her ouster which Dems will never forgive, and the strong Trump faction in the GOP conference will effectively kill the idea, https://t.co/WgTHJOB9Ie
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 22, 2023
Never forget the "law & order" POTUS is facing 91 criminal charges and 140 police officers were injured by Trump's "peaceful" rioters on J6. https://t.co/g3FUbCl946
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 22, 2023
I hate DeSantis because he doesn't respect the Constitution. https://t.co/3DbjbOYQxj
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 22, 2023
Economically illiterate rubbish. The Bush and Trump tax cuts were good for the economy and TEMPORARY. The fact is federal tax collection is at an all-time high. The $1.7T FY23 Biden deficit is due to unsustainable federal spending. https://t.co/H3bwQZcfhR
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 22, 2023
Unlike Trump, Christie was reelected--from a blue state even! https://t.co/8w9MUOsqBY
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 23, 2023
Buy your lawnmowers in another state. BONUS: CA won't collect sales tax. https://t.co/xUw5uY0CnQ
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 23, 2023
I don't like the KC Chiefs, and I'll never buy a Taylor Swift recording.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 23, 2023
No, Trump couldn't. His whole shtick is attention-seeking gimmicks, his speeches consist of repetitious replete trite bumper sticker soundbites, and the town drunk is more articulate on public policy. https://t.co/HaPyXah5vW
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 23, 2023
I love Sgt. Pepper and Rubber Soul more.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 23, 2023
Nope. POUS has limited powers. I consider federal spending, the Fed, and overregulation bigger threats to the American economy.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 23, 2023
Good question. I'm a Boomer who was Never Trump before he ran for POTUS. I think it was more Trump's celebrity and his anti-establishment messaging. https://t.co/yDfYvDMCpz
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 23, 2023
NOPE. We don't need a divisive ideologue as Speaker. We need someone who can negotiate with a Dem-controlled Senate and White House and not one which seeks to exploit a tiny majority for partisan grandstanding. https://t.co/m9M3liEAK7
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 23, 2023
If my Houston Astros can't win 1 home game out of 4 in the ALCS, they don't deserve to play in the World Series.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 23, 2023
Those of us Houston Astros fans in the ALDS were condemned to repeat the nightmare of the 2019 World Series, the statistical anomaly where the Astros held the home field advantage, but the home team lost each of the 7 games. Good luck to the Rangers in the Series.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 24, 2023
Trump's veto of Emmer as Speaker makes it clear his desire to Make the House Democratic Again.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 24, 2023
A World Series of wildcards. I have to root for my home state team, the Texas Rangers. I also have 5 Eagle Scout nephew/fans who grew up in the Dallas suburbs and have never seen them win a World Series.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 25, 2023
The House Speaker race is beyond embarrassing. Th Trumpkins haven't figured out that a Trumpkin will NEVER be nominated. A hardline Speaker not only has to deal with vulnerable blue district Republicans but would face a backlash the first time he compromises with the Senate or WH
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 25, 2023
I usually don't recognize covers on The Voice. I was pleasantly surprised to recognize Celine Dion's "That's the Way It Is". But IMO, not the power vocals of the original. I have a decent voice but wouldn't cover Steve Perry songs: I don't have the pipes.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 25, 2023
At some point a sufficient number of Democrats need to man up and promise to abstain from voting if the GOP renominates McCarthy, enough to overcome the Gang of Trumpkin Eight. And they need to help revise the rule empowering political terrorists like Gaetz.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 25, 2023
I do agree foreign aid can lead to unintended consequences and be exploited by corrupt governments and crony capitalists like the military industrial complex. But our alliance has delayed an immediate Gaza invasion and likely expansion to a regional conflict. https://t.co/ajjJM0RVmJ
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 25, 2023
This is rather stupid. Among other things, we could get more young workers by expanding immigration. But the real issue with senior entitlements is politicians extending benefits while not financing for the growth in senior beneficiaries with longer lifespans in retirement. https://t.co/jrpbGjE631
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 25, 2023
The Biden Administration is ignoring the nonpartisan actuaries have repeatedly warned that entitlement reserves will dry up within a dozen years, resulting in benefit cuts or huge federal funding requirements. What Republicans are doing is trying to stretch existing funding, https://t.co/R1StIVbyN4
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 25, 2023
Congratulations, Speaker Johnson! I was skeptical the GOP factions would ever reconcile around a common candidate. The Dems tried and failed to politically exploit the issue for partisan advantage.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 25, 2023
The MAGA-supported resolution once again exposes the hypocrisy and incoherence of the Trumpist America First agenda.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 26, 2023
I noticed the last time I bought cough syrup from Amazon I had to do an age-verification check. This is stupid when I've been a customer for over 20 years. It's also an annoying hassle at Walmart because the self-check clerk has to verify compliance.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 26, 2023
"Susan Collins"
LMAO. I don't recall "Beetlejuice" being all that erotic. https://t.co/U0IDElH2xx
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 26, 2023
Just a reminder buying/earing good quality facemasks (like N95) is a pragmatic step at risk individuals can take. I do think symptomatic passengers should be regulated.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 26, 2023
My big issue about wearing masks is being in a rush at the airport. You can almost black out wearing an N95. https://t.co/LrVdYYahbt
Drug overdoses are tragedies. But prohibitions are bad public policy, and scapegoating migrants is wrong. Ye fact is, most smugglers are American citizens, and immigration restrictions don't stop them. https://t.co/g9fp15vRJm
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 26, 2023
"Police state" https://t.co/rsVZOsC4Qd
Every time there is a gun abuse tragedy, you have these self-serving "progressives" mocking people offering their thoughts and prayers. These elitists exploit every tragedy to expand the State over the rights of individuals, including self-defense
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 26, 2023
"Thoughts and Prayers"
Well, I'm CHOCKED that Trump is upset at being prosecuted for his crimes, playing the victim card, and tweeting like a fifth grader who flunked spelling. They must have given him the maneuver Heimlich when he was chocking like a dog in his failed 2020 reelection race. #sarcasm pic.twitter.com/qFqpX0kXdP
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 26, 2023
Interesting new track lists for the Beatles' red (early greatest hits) and blue albums. The newly added red hits include Here, There and Everywhere; Taxman; Twist and Shout. The new blue set includes the new "last hit" mix of Lennon's Now and Then.https://t.co/qL4KTCYKXK
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 27, 2023
When I taught MIS at the university level, I used my programming skills to resequence exam question order and even multiple-choice question options. Ask the poor department staff who had to run alternate dittoes.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 27, 2023
Well, Trump and Elder have one thing in common: neither has been in a GOP primary debate. No doubt Elder will organize the Blacks for Trump phone booth. https://t.co/6M4kUjONDj
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 27, 2023
So much for national reconciliation. This was donated work of art. It's one thing to relocate a national historic monument of a man, a war hero who Lincoln wanted to head the Union invasion. Destroying and repurposing the property of others is an abomination.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 27, 2023
"Robert E. Lee" https://t.co/slfXTWxl9b
No, a congresswoman should not be censored for disagreeing with Israel government actions or American foreign policy. Greene must practice tolerance of alternate views as embedded in our Constitution.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 27, 2023
"Marjorie Taylor Greene"
Trump recently posted an image oh him with Jesus. No, he wouldn't be blasphemous enough to compare himself to Jesus, would he? No, he must be comforted by Matthew 25:36: "I was in prison and you came to visit me." #sarcasm pic.twitter.com/3uLLvrmA3d
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 28, 2023
NATO needs to seriously reconsider Turkey's membership and NATO, and the EU needs to reassess any Turkey application. They don' t need a warmongering troublemaker in the Mideast region.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 28, 2023
Erdogan
Pence has joined Quayle and Cheney as former VP's not becoming GOP POTUS nominee
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 28, 2023
Yes, you can. The guy who flunked fifth grade, Trump. is a fat pig. No wonder he fed national champs fast food. https://t.co/YQmTc7Sq4x
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 29, 2023
There was the woman I brought to a company dinner who started flirting with my co-worker's date.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 29, 2023
There was the nice Catholic girl Mom hoped I would meet who left me 30 messages after I took her to the museum, furious I didn't ask her {not a fan) to the game.
"Dating History"
The brain-dead anti-vaxxers are using any high-profile health issue or death to spread crackpot rubbish. The latest bit of insanity involves drowning victim 54yo actor Matthew Perry, decade-long gig as Chandler Bing on the sitcom Friends.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 29, 2023
Another is opposition to PC censorship of religious expression in the public sphere. Perhaps opposition to advocacy of libertine values in public schools. These have nothing to do with a State-sponsored religious establishment
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 29, 2023
"The White House proposal, released Oct. 20, would spend almost $106 billion overall, including $61 billion in military aid for Ukraine, $14 billion in military aid to Israel, $14 billion for U.S. border security, $7 billion in military spending focused on the Pacific region, and $9 billion in humanitarian aid, divided into as-yet undetermined shares for Ukraine, Israel, and Gaza."
(The actual address is about 15 minutes long; I didn't clip it at the end from the subsequent network analysis section.)
Let me state, first of all, I'm somewhat sympathetic to the situation of Ukraine; by any objective standard, Russia has violated the core nonaggression principle, the violation of voluntary association. For all Ukraine government challenges, including persistent corruption and some constraints on political expression and representation, there is certainly a moral case for helping Ukraine defend its citizens' natural rights against the Russian aggressor. Ukraine gave up local nuclear weapons in the Budapest Memorandum in which the US and Russia gave Ukraine security reassurances. We now know Russia has not honored its part of the agreement
US State (federal) aid is more problematic than private, voluntary aid like the Atlas Network. For one thing, government tax revenues are compulsory in nature, we have minimal impact on spending and any borrowed funds must be repaid by future taxpayers. Foreign aid may be partially to the benefit of self-interested crony capitalists such as the military industrial complex, displace local supply chains and/or may discourage local or regional dispute resolution. Foreign interventions have unintended consequences like 9/11 or prolonged occupations and the squandering of blood and treasure. In part, NATO had violated assurances to Russia not to expand in the aftermath of the dissolution of the USSR and the Warsaw Pact. There was no interest in disbanding NATO or inviting Russia to join the alliance, and so Russian anxiety grew as the alliance grew eastward towards its border. Ukraine was particularly sensitive given some past era ethnic Russian migrations and the naval importance of Crimea.
I do question the nature and extent of the aid. For example, certain requested military aid could be used to cross the border in nondefense operations, and it seems that US aid dwarfs that of European natioms (Statistica shows over $75B, between Jan 22 and this past May, compared to just `$35B of EU instituions and $11B from the UK as the lead European country. The Council on Foreign Relations, on the other hand, mentions about $83B from EU institutions in finanial and humanitarian aid Germany with over $20B. Part of the ifference is the CFR figures extend into July.). We can thus argue the US has paid a disproporionte share of the cost for primarily a regional conflict that dosn't diretly involve the national defense. Certainly part of the story was Putin's aggressive stance towards anything he saw as European meddling in the war, including advacced militay aid, sometimes suggesting possible use of nuclear weapons in the war theater (obviously with fallout and other impacts going beyond Ukraine's borders). But still, the proportionate higher aid is morally hazardous: Ukraine had less incentive to reach a settlement with Russia, and other parts of NATO had little incentive to balance the support even though the EU is more populous than the US with a comparable economy. I also remain concerned about ongoing corruption in the Ukraine gvernment and the need for more tolerant democratic reforms.
Biden is trying to use 3 other GOP-favoed prioriies to sell his legislative grabbag: Israel (post Hamas massacre), Taiwan (counterproductive China bashing), and southern border security. (A significant number of Trumpkin Congressmen are balking at Ukraine "blank checks".) I have aome concerns about the size and extemt of the aid package with a floated budget deficit and national debt, I'm concerned about entanglements potentially drawing us into three different global regional conflicts not directly involving our own self-defense (the Mideast, East Europe and Southeastern Asia); I'm not sure why we are subsidizing military expenditures of advanced democracies and economies like Taiwan and Israel, and I don't want Amerian aid being used in Gaza operations yielding high numbers of civilian casualties. Ukraine aid is morally justfiable but I am concerned about some dvanced items like fighter jets being used outside of Ukraine's borders, and I think Congress should attach strings related to government reforms as earlier discussed. I do not support Biden's proposal as currently stated.
The latest stats from CDC:
Anti-vaxxer rubbish continues to flood social media. The latest example: the recent drowning death of 54yo actor Matthew Perry who played Chandler Bing on "Friends" over the past decade.
The blog readership will exceed over 1K this month, which seems legit compared to last month's Singapore bloated numbers. Well, a few questions because I saw Singapore back on top over the past week, but not like last month; the intraweek daily numbers seem to diminish past hump day and pickup over the weekend. I probably average about 200 impressions daily on Twitter/X, which isn't bad considering my small group of followers and less than interesting trends: there are noisy Trumpkins and the tiresome leftists quoting Biden talking points like Biblical verses.
As much as I love Google services, they drive me crazy sometimes. For some odd reason, Google Maps calculated some local destinations (like 10-15 miles away as taking 3+ hours). And whereas I prefer sticking to major routes Maps will often send you down side streets and less familiar areas. To give an example, I have an upcoming doctor's visit in an unfamiliar clinic; I heard multiple people reference a corner Bob Evans restaurant I've probably passed over 100 times along a familiar route. Ihe clinic is one major intersection past the restaurant and a few blocks away. In fact, Mapquest found these simpler directions, while Maps had me going through at least a half dozen round-abouts in more residential areas.
Another thing that's repeatedly annoyed me on my Android phone is Google will give me weather for a Charleston, SC suburb where I last lived about 7 years back. You can reset the location if you go to the Google weather page, but alas it doesn't stick. I've double-checked my Google account profile for stored addresses, etc. I have no idea how or why Google was reverting to an old location. My phone does maintain the correct local temperature on the home page, but Google was ending phone notifications with the wrong location. I did find an online forum on a similar topic, and this contributor suggested installing a well-known weather app (I have others installed). I don't know if it's a coincidence or a fix but so far after downloading said app, the Google notification is now showing my correct location.
Another pet peeve is my VPN. I set the default to US East or maybe Baltimore, but occasionally I'll sometimes finding Twitter/X trends coming from Brazil or in an unfamiliar language from across the ocean. The weirdness goes away if I go off VPN.
I hadn't done grocery shopping for a while (in part because I'm on Nutrisystem and there are modest supplemental grocery items, like cleaning supplies, produce and dairy, beverages, etc.) I went to Walmart, in part to the expanded choices over Lidl. One of the (few?) must-buy options is the 5-dozen boxes of eggs (I'm still working through the last box) for $5. (You can buy standalone dozens for about $1.13. Lidl for the longest time held at $1.04 but has gone up similarly.) Also, Walmart has Honeysuckle White frozen turkeys on sale for 98 cents/lb. But for the most part, things are astonishingly up. To give a simple example, I remember buying a small bag of iceberg lettuce for 92 cents or so; it's since doubled over the pandemic. It's more than that. Take a loaf of Ezekiel bread; I saw it selling for about $7.50. I mean, I can recall buying them for about $4.50 at Trader Joe's, where I haven't shopped in a while. People are definitely bargain hunting. For example, all of the racks of budget brand hamburger and hot dog buns were completely sold out
Quote of the Day
All you'll get from strangers is surface pleasantry or indifference.NOTE:This is an older podcast from during te 2016 GOP primay. and I'll point out Trump's record on his America First policy was at best mixed.hiring several neo-cons into his administration.
Nicki Minaj,"Super Freaky Girl"
Quote of the Day
We have two ears,Beyoncé, "BREAK MY SOUL"
Quote of the Day
A professional is a person who can do his bestLizzo, "About Damn Time"
Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions
One of the first things a future researcher learns in Research 101 is a healthy respect for the limitations of self-report data. A personal story here. I remember during my campus visit (on-site job interview) to UWM, I presented some research findings of subjective factors in appraising application software documentation. One of their then doctoral students (DM) then pointed out the limitations of subjective research, wowing his fellow colleagues and professors with his profound (predictable) insight. (I had specifically pointed out the need for further reliability and validation of the proposed measure,)
I also have a separate layman's nutrition blog where I explore issues like in the presented clip. Why present this topic? In fact, over the history of the blog, I've occasionally discussed government intervention in the food market, e.g., trade wars, SNAP, soda taxation, sugar subsidies, and the food pyramid/low-fat diet. On a personal note, grass-fed beef, lamb, organ meats, etc. are a regular part of my diet; I tend to limit processed meats like hot dogs, fruit juices and the "white foods", like sugar, bread, rice and potatoes.
Note: I disagree with Rand Paul on these issues, but occasionally I'll present an alternate point of view.
Future, "WAIT FOR U" ft. Drake, Tems
Quote of the Day
The man whose authority is recent
Jack Harlow, "First Class"
Quote of the Day
I run great risk of failing.
Harry Styles, "As It Was"
Quote of the Day
There is in every true woman's heart
Glass Animals, "Heat Waves"
Wow. Sad to hear of the Rite Aid bankruptcy. I finally visited a nearby location which had the new monovalent COVID-19 shots in stock. I got 3 other shots as well. Nice little store, not crowded when I visited for my appointment.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 16, 2023
Shut.Trump.Up #LockHimUp
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 17, 2023
Wow. Arizona is getting drubbed in game 2 of the NLCS, but the most embarrassing moment had to be the Arizona third baseman not calling a high infield popup and it drops for a hit.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 18, 2023
Not a chance. It wasn't the 8 GOP malcontents that ousted McCarthy but over 200 Dem votes. Any Republican conceding control of the House to Dems would be committing political suicide. https://t.co/jWeDb0umzB
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 18, 2023
Weird statistics on the Houston Astros; they've actually done better on the road vs home. Incidentally that was also true while they were alleged to have a home sign-stealing setup at home their first championship where they won the Series on the road.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 19, 2023
Well, Matt Gaetz opened Pandora's box, but the Dems are mostly responsible for House leadership in crisis. Putting up an ideologue like Jordan for a role requiring compromise & negotiation is not going to work with a number of Republicans in competitive districts.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 20, 2023
#SpeakerVote
Thre are a number of reasons we libertarians oppose the concept of state sponsored foreign aid. The issue I have with Ukraine aid in particular is nearly two-thirds is funded by the US v EU, despite the EU having a larger population and roughly comparably sized economy.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 20, 2023
This is a totally insane trend. Even before the Wheeler Dealer RINO was responsible for a record $7.8T debt in 1 term, he was impeached twice, and he's been charged on 91 counts. On his watch, he lost the House, the Senate and the White House.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 20, 2023
#SpeakerTrump
Trump is the reason that the GOP fail to win back the Senate and won an unexpectedly small House majority despite the midterm of an unpopular POTUS leading to the current crisis. Only some Trumpkin cultists could conceive of such a preposterous notion.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 20, 2023
#SpeakerTrump
Republican congressmen are getting death threats over not voting for Jordan for Speaker. We've seen one Palestinian-American boy killed in Chicago. I don't rule out the possibility. https://t.co/6eUwBkkKu6
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 20, 2023
The REAL RINOs are the political whores and gullible Trumpkins who backed someone who ran for the Reform Party nomination in 2000, was a registered Dem and voted for Obama in the 2008, and added nearly an $8T to the deficit, and lost the House, Senate & White House.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 20, 2023
"The RINOs"
Fascinating. In all 5 games of the ALCS, the visiting team has won, with the Astros up 3-2.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 21, 2023
#HOUvsTEX
In the battle of my alma maters, Texas (MA) topped Houston (MBA; PhD) in Division 1 football. UH came close to a come from behind victory.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 21, 2023
Not quite. It is true that serving a fifth year through a third Congressional term, she would be eligible in a DEFERRED, not immediate pension. when she turns 62. She is currently in her 30's.https://t.co/NIxRk5jIaU https://t.co/vMAYDdxLQw
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) October 22, 2023
Quote of the Day
Treasure the love you have received above all.
The latest weekly stats from CDC:
t |
Blog readership has improved since the beginning of the month although slower over the last few day.s My Twitter followers had recently swelled up to more than 2 dozen followers--I used to have 3 times that number under the old account--but about 3-4 dropped off recently. I don't track followers but I suspect they are newer followers who had liked more recent tweets. I will often tweet in a nuanced fashion. For example, I oppose attempts to use the 14th amendment to keep Trump off the ballot. If a Trumpkin followed me because of that, they will encounter a flood of Never Trump tweets. On the other hand, leftists attracted to me based on Never Trump tweets will soon encounter a number of unsympathetic right libertarian tweets. It would be interesting knowing why Twitter users follow me. There are few people who share my idiosyncratic collection of opinions. Sooner or later, I'll write something you, dear reader, will disagree with.
Odd dreams. I once in a while write about unusual dreams. Quite a few times they involve academia, although it's been a few decades since I last taught or taken classes. A typical one is sitting for a final exam completely unprepared--which has not happened in real life. My dream last night involved a campus visit--an onsite job interview, expenses paid, usually highly structured with interviews with future colleagues and administrators and a sample lecture based on research interests. (I remember Grambling State's was unusual in that I was also interviewed by a group of students, who quizzed me, among other things, over (negligible) industry/job contacts.) So, this dream was a radically unstructured campus visit, more of a DIY effort when I had to stumble my way across an unfamiliar campus, and I didn't even know the department hair's office location. Somehow, I cross his path in the hallways coming in to work. Now I've been on nearly a dozen campus visits over the years, (most without an offer in the end). The only chaos was the schedule at Bowling Green State, which left little time for my flight out of the local (Toledo) airport about 15 miles from campus. I was shocked to find I had less than an hour to takeoff from campus--and my faculty escort stopped to gas up on the way. It was a nightmare when I got to the terminal; I recall literally racing to the gate, only to find the gate already closed. Yes, somehow, they let me on the plane. (If they hadn't, I would have had to stay overnight in Toledo.) BGSU thought that's why I turned down their offer. Nope. I preferred BGSU over UWM, but UWM offered me a chance to teach graduate classes. BGSU offered an MBA course, but some local textbook author "owned" the course. If they had just white-lied to me, my life might be totally different tody. At UMW and UTEP, I encountered nightmarish academic politics; to this day I've never heard another go through this version of hell. So, in El Paso I'm watching my academic career flush down the toilet when I get word the guy who took my BGSU offer won early tenure. Life sucks. The job market had changed in 5 years from a job seekers' to an employers' market. At that point, I had dropped all my demands; I was willing to settle for teaching service/introductory courses just to keep a toehold in academia.
Hallmark and HMM started their annual Countdown to Christmas. I've seen varied schedules in the past, including hybrid ones retaining some regular programming intervals. See here for HC, here for HMM.
I have some pet peeves over some incompetent tech interviewers. Maybe it's because I have acquired test construction and measurement expertise. I can only remember one exam question over 8 years getting questioned, a test bank question I had already thrown out in grading and assigned to a curve. Sometimes it comes across as a version of NIGYSOB, other times they've used job interviews as a way to get free consulting advice. I've had interviews where I've been quizzed over things not listed in my resume. (In this one notorious example, a RI company had tried to recruit me before CSC Consulting; sometime later, it turned out said company was a CSC client. At the time I was between assignments and getting warned about getting laid off if I didn't bill more which had more to do with failed project bids, beyond my control. So, this project job spec was released perfectly matching my relevant experience; the client dudes had tried to hire me: it should have been a gimme. I got chosen for the gig and was told to book over the July 4 weekend because I had a ton of patching to do to get the project back on track. I arrived on the scene to a hero's welcome. The account rep pulled me aside and told me I had to first meet the DB manager, a formality. Hell no, it wasn't; the dude mentioned a list, none listed on my resume, e.g., DB on Linus (I had a ton of experience with different versions of related Unix) and app server customized applications. I had done app server as part of the EBS apps infrastructure.) None of this was on the requisition. He then paused and argued he didn't need me. I countered I had heard they had scores of unapplied megapatches; he said he had completed all patching and that was a lie. At this point my account rep interrupted begging forgiveness for presenting an unqualified resource and assured him none of my expenses would be billed to the client. (I felt like asking the rep if he wanted to back up the bus over me again.) Oh, and guess who tried to recruit me again after CSC laid me off? Not a chance in hell.
Max is temporarily including supplemental sports coverage, like the NLCS, typically included on TBS, not in my core able lineup. I think they want to offer it in a $10/monthly supplement after the trial. Nope. As an Astros fan, I hoped Fox would cover the ALCS, but it looks like it's just their FS1 channel, for some weird not in my cable bundle either/
Quote of the Day
And life is what we make it.
Taylor Swift, "All Too Well (Taylor's Version)"
Quote of the Day
Adele, "Easy on Me"
Quote of the Day
It is a good thing to be rich,
Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow, "INDUSTRY BABY"