Glibertarians.com 2019 Archive

Author: SP

  • Wednesday Afternoon SPanner in the Works Links

    Hey, kids! What time is it?

    It’s time for SP to throw a spanner in the works of a state agency that has been, for two days now, thwarting her attempts to be a responsible business owner, while enforcing a blatant money-grab from small businesses! “Friendly to business,” my ass, AZ.

    *sigh*

    But, since I don’t want to feel the jackboot of The State on my neck, I’ll just have a cocktail and provide you with some links, that may or may not have already been posted in Morning Links or by the Glibertariat. I can’t be bothered to check.

    Oh, wait. Before I uphold my sworn duty to provide links in place of the “indisposed” Brett L, I just want to mention that I am in possession of a fine photograph of a handsome group of Midwest Glibs who gathered at Fourscore’s Honey Harvest in September. (Also, the world famous snubber, Tundra, who I thought would be taller and have more hair.)  Included is the charming wife of Bearded Hobbit, and Bearded Hobbit, both of whom I have had the honor of meeting.

    I just want to reassure MikeS that nobody, especially me, will be able to pick him out of a lineup, so his witness protection identity is safe. Way to go with the sunglasses, hat, and carefully orchestrated lens flare, dude. Too bad nodakmat didn’t similarly mask his identity. It’s always those closest to us who do us in.

    Leap is looking positively svelte, and pistoffnick is undoubtedly the most dashing of the lot, but what the hell is up with those dork glasses, Pope Jimbo?

    On a serious note, I love seeing these occasional testaments to the very real community that has formed here at Glibertarians.com. It makes me feel that what we all do here in our small outpost matters, at least to our small group of humans. And, really, most of us will only ever be able to positively impact a tiny part of the world. I’m glad my part is here.

    On to the links!

     

    H/T Playa Manhattan who comments, “Things you will never see in the corporate media.”

    Really? SWAT team? Los Doyers explains. “The slot machines were coming right for them!!”

    WT Actual F?

    And Trump? “Lots of sand.”

    You know what? I want my men to be, you know, MEN! (I mean, if I would ever need any more than that manliest of men, OMWC. Which I most certainly never would. I love you, honey!)

     

    And music!

     

    Have a fun afternoon, kids! Mine’s getting better with every sip.

     

  • Monday Morning Seriously-I-Have-To-Pinch-Hit-Again? Links

    Huh, what? Sloopy is what? AWOL? And, how is this MY problem? What? Morning links? Huh?

    Oh, OK, OK, I’ll drag myself out of a nice cozy slumber to provide links for these purported humans.

     

    In case anyone was wondering about Wonder Dog and her Ice Cube Tray after OMWC’s post yesterday, here is an Artist’s Rendering of WD and her Ice Cube Tray, with which she sometimes sleeps. (Which she also loved in the Midwest, where it most decidedly was not 95F in October. WTF AZ.)

     

    Um. OK. Links. Lessee.

    And I don’t want to hear a word about any repeat links. Just be glad you are getting something at which to snark!

     

    A corrupt Justice Minister? Nah, unheard of!

    This from my MIL’s former neighborhood. “During a 7:30 p.m. news conference 4 1/2 hours after shooting reports, Boca Raton Police Chief Dan Alexander told reporters one unidentified man experienced a trauma injury after hitting his head on a door at Town Center at Boca Raton, rather than being shot.” Um, not the same as being shot and causing a panic. Morons.

    Oh, FFS. (I homeschooled.)

    Oh, just stop it.

    JFC. I’m done.

     

    I’ve most likely posted this before, but it pretty much sums up my life today. Hope your day is better than mine is shaping up to be!

  • Sunday Morning Super SParkly Links!

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    The antisemites at a certain airline screwed up everything about OMWC’s travel to Orlando yesterday, getting him to his hotel at sometime after o’dark-thirty, so he’s even more incoherent than usual this morning and asked me to fill in on links duty.

    Because you all KNOW how sparkly I am in the morning!

     

     

     

     

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    Birthdays

    1289: Wenceslaus III of Bohemia, King of Hungary (1301-05) and King of Bohemia and Poland (1305-06), born in Prague, Czech Republic (d. 1306)

    1744: James McGill, Scottish-Canadian businessman and philanthropist, born in Glasgow, Scotland (d. 1813); later went on to fame as a .criminal.attorney. under a pseudonym.

    1803: Heinrich Wilhelm Dove, Prussian physicist and climatologist, born in Legnica, Poland (d. 1879)

    1846: George Westinghouse, American entrepreneur and engineer, born in Central Bridge, New York (d. 1914)

    1955: Tony Dungy, American football coach

    OK, and a bunch of other people. I’m tired of this section. 

     

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    History

    1857: First American Chess Congress hosted by the American Chess Association

    1884: Naval War College forms in Newport, Rhode Island

    1889: Thomas Edison shows his 1st motion picture

    1890: General Conference of the Mormon Church outlaws polygamy

    1911: Cy Young’s farewell appearance in a major league game is a letdown as he loses to Brooklyn 13-3 in a Braves uniform in his 906th game

    1926: Babe Ruth hits 3 HRs in a World Series game, Yanks beat Cards 10-5

    1939: Adolf Hitler announces plans to regulate Jewish problem

    1956: Dr Albert Sabin discovers oral polio vaccine

    1966: Oriole Jim Palmer, 20, is youngest to pitch a World Series shutout

    OK, enough of this, too.

     

     

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    Links

    Sheesh, I hope no Glibs were involved.

    I should probably look into this.

    What the fuck did they think they were getting?

    And they still arrested them.

    Fuck off, slavers!

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    Have a great day, Glibs. I’m off to sleep, I hope.

    I’ll let Todd and Co have the last word.

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  • Thursday Afternoon SParse Links

    We’re having a challenging day here, so this will not be up to my usual excessively excellent standard.

    So, let’s get to it!

    First, because I need it, some levity.

    This is welcome news in AZ.

    How is this company still in business?

    Huh, somehow increasing taxes isn’t the answer to everything.

    Still no explanation of why this happened in the first place.

     

    Hope you all have a great rest of your day!

  • What’s Happening This Week?

    Huh, seems the usual previewers all had lives or something today, so I’ll tell you what’s upcoming this week and then you can go about a Sunday Night Open Post!

    Monday: Animal’s autobiography continues; Yusef has a dispatch.

    Tuesday: Tonio stops by; The Hyperbole has a crossword for us; Ozymandias continues his excellent series on the DOD Anthrax Vaccine.

    Wednesday:  Hat & Hair, should SugarFree bless us; Winston’s Mom has something to say in the evening.

    Thursday: Secret Nazi President, courtesy BakedPenguin; Mojeaux has an evening rant; Don Escapes Texas with some more NCAA snark late night.

    Friday: Raphael shares a travelogue and some insights from his experience being back Stateside; a cryptid (or more than one) stops by with advice/links, maybe both, Friday evening.

    Saturday: MexicanSharpshooter drinks something on your behalf and Spud brings evening links.

    Sunday: Not Adahn foretells the week.

    Along the way, we’re sure to have links from Sloopy, Brett L, OMWC, and perhaps others as needed.

    OK, then, on to the Open Post! Have a great week, Glibs!

     

  • Wednesday Afternoon (Did You Hear Bolton Got Sent Down to the Minors?!) Links

    I can never keep Brett L’s performance enhancing substances policy violations work travel schedule straight, so it came as something of a surprise when he asked me to pinch hit today.

    So, is there anything newsworthy today not already discussed? Probably not. But let’s take a swing at it, shall we?

    And yeeeer out, Bolton!

    NY Times batting a thousand.

    If I were a coach in Chicago, there would be much more practice going on.

    Are you blind??? Oh….

    The Hall of Fame is for baseball people. Heaven is for good people. — Jim Dwyer

     

     

    Go on out and Play Ball!

     

     

  • Rant Alert ?

    I was going to treat you all to another episode of my Guide to Insufferable Politeness, but I’m too angry and frustrated to write about being polite.

    I’ve been trying since 29 July to get one small thing done for my MIL and her healthcare.

    We need a tracking referral with authorization number from Mom’s soon-to-be former primary care doc so she can see the retinal specialist here and not have to self-pay each time (which isn’t being reimbursed).

    Can we get it sent?

    NO!

    I’ve sent 4 faxes on the appropriate form. The eye doc’s office has sent 3. OMWC’s sister was in Florida and WENT AND FILLED OUT THE PAPERWORK AT THE OFFICE, WHERE THE STAFF KNOWS HER.

    Has it been sent? Nope.

    Tomorrow I will be invoking attorneys, and my attorney has actually killed people.

    /rant

     

     

  • Poll: There’s an eye chart?

    Full Disclosure: I am decidedly not good with eye stuff. When I worked in EMS, I invariably made my partner handle treatment of all eye issues. I mean, ALL eye issues, even if it was just an eyelash in an eye.

    And, of course, in the way of karma, along with Alzheimer’s, my MIL has macular degeneration. This results in her having to have a horrific treatment every 6 weeks. This means immediately after relocating her to AZ, we had a “new patient” visit with one of the top retinal specialists in Phoenix.

    New patient visit means a battery of tests and imaging, taking a few hours over the course of an afternoon in a very packed office. I was seriously the youngest person there (by far!) who wasn’t an employee.

    Anyway, so far, so good.

    We sit down in the first exam room and the polite, chirpy, young tech addresses Mom, “Hi! I’m Jenny! Mrs OMWC’s Mom, please look at the eye chart being projected on the wall and read the first line for me.”

    “There’s an eye chart?” *pause* “Which wall am I supposed to be looking at?”

    “The one in front of your chair.” Tech taps a few keys and increases the eye chart to Interstate exit sign size. “How about now?”

    “Oh! Yes, that’s an…O. Or maybe…a G. Hmmm…maybe D.”

    I think to myself, “No, it’s a Q. Damn, can’t I get away from those Glibs even for one afternoon?!”

    “Thanks, Mrs OMWC’s Mom. I think that’s all we need for now. John will take you in for the next test in a few minutes.”

    ***************

    It got me thinking. I only go see an ophthalmologist if I need a change in my eyeglass prescription, so every couple years or so. I could never in a zillion years stick a piece of plastic in my eye every morning, so I have never even considered contacts. WebDom has been wearing contacts since she was a teenager. But, then, she’s a honey badger.

    Tonight’s questions:

    1. How often do you see an eye doc?
    2. Do you wear either glasses or contacts?
    3. Do you let them do the drops?
    4. Do you have any more serious eye issues?
    5. Is SP a saint for taking her MIL for these horrific treatments?

     

  • Poll: Salad

    I love salad. In fact, this is something we eat at least four nights per week.

    OMWC makes the absolute best salad dressing. Ever. Period. End of discussion.

    However.

    I LOVE OMWC’s green salads, truly, I do. Yet, I also love salads with every vegetable in the fridge and some fruits thrown in. Maybe some nuts and cheese, too. (#notvegan, sorry WebDom). And I love pasta salads, rice salads, tabboulehs, cucumber salads, and pretty much any other salad. (As long as it doesn’t incorporate soapweed.)

    What do you like? Plain greens? Greens with heirloom or other tomatoes on the side? Bread? What kind of dressing? Loads of vegetables? Non traditional salads?

    Please share. Recipes, too, if you have ’em.

    I’ll be over here enjoying this salad while you talk among yourselves.

     

     

    See also, Tulip’s excellent salad post.

  • Genetic Genealogy

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    I have a dilemma. I would love the information theoretically available from a medical and genealogy DNA test, however I am unwilling to voluntarily give up the genetic material to have it done.*

    But, does that really matter?

    Probably not.

    All it takes is a sibling, a parent, an aunt, a cousin to have given up their own, and I am now effectively in the database anyway.

    In spite of my reluctance to give up my own DNA for a database, genetic genealogy absolutely fascinates me. Indeed, I am a member of the International Society of Genetic Genealogy. As someone who has helped adoptees find birth parents, I love the possibilities of the tool. It’s exhilarating to track down and solve family history mysteries and to help people find information they have long sought.

    However, I have some very large privacy concerns.

    In spite of the existence of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (2008), if you read the Terms of Service on the various websites, it quickly becomes clear that the services will be doing pretty much whatever they want to do with your most intimate, fundamental information. It would become difficult to track any alleged discrimination back to the test.

    Typical statements, these examples from 23andme, which was founded with medical genealogical research as a primary mission:

    Genetic Information you share with others could be used against your interests. You should be careful about sharing your Genetic Information with others.

    In a following section, however, it goes on to explicitly state:

    Further, you acknowledge and agree that 23andMe is free to preserve and disclose any and all Personal Information to law enforcement agencies or others if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such preservation or disclosure is reasonably necessary to: (a) comply with legal process (such as a judicial proceeding, court order, or government inquiry) or obligations that 23andMe may owe pursuant to ethical and other professional rules, laws, and regulations; (b) enforce the 23andMe TOS; (c) respond to claims that any content violates the rights of third parties; or (d) protect the rights, property, or personal safety of 23andMe, its employees, its users, its clients, and the public. In such event we will notify you through the contact information you have provided to us in advance, unless doing so would violate the law or a court order.

    Of course, everyone here expects that various government agencies have access, or could at any time in the future obtain access, to your information in “private” DNA databases.

    I’m sure most of you are aware that law enforcement agencies are already routinely using public genealogy databases to find matches to DNA collected in criminal cases. One of the most prominent examples was the Golden State Killer case.

    Within five minutes of reviewing the results, the investigators had located a close relative among the million or so profiles in the database.

    …..

    Within three years, the DNA of nearly every American of Northern European descent — the primary users of the site — will be identifiable through cousins in GEDmatch’s database according to a study published on Thursday in the journal Science.

    This is huge for adoptees seeking birth families, as well as actual kidnapped persons, as in this fascinating and informative case. Of course, I am of two minds about being able to track down birth parents. People who gave up a child while being promised privacy and, perhaps, anonymity have a reasonable expectation that this will persist.

    However, I also believe that people have a right to know who they are and from whence they came, and the genetic medical tendencies and/or conditions they may have inherited. There are many cases where having this information has potentially saved lives, in birth families and for adoptees.

    How do we balance these competing needs? I don’t know.

    What I do know is that the genie is out of the bottle and there is no putting it back in, so I fervently hope society figures out how to manage this. I remain skeptical.

     
     

    To learn more about this topic, I highly recommend accessing the free resources on the wiki of the International Society of Genetic Genealogy.

     
     

    * There are various methods available to try to accomplish this anonymously, one of which is simply to buy the kit commercially in a location remote from one’s home with cash and then follow the other suggestions to access the results. So far, it is more trouble than it is worth to me, since there are very few family history questions I haven’t answered in taking my own family lines back 200+ years, and in some cases, far more.

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