Sunday, July 31, 2016
Sunday Late Night
It would be unAmerican to have presidential debates on nights when there are hockey or basketball games.
Sunday Afternoon
For some reason my favorite thing at farmer's markets are weird varieties of cucumbers.
Very Compassionate Men
Yesterday on the twitterbox, "Bloody" Bill Kristol, Max "Actually My Real Name" Boot, and Peter "Torture Apologist" Whehner all shed their tears about that mean Mr. Trump and the poor Khan family.
I feel very very bad wondering if this concern is genuine.
I feel very very bad wondering if this concern is genuine.
Saturday, July 30, 2016
America's Worst Humans
Public shaming is about the best we can hope for, so let's figure out how to do it.
Have Any Of These People Tried To Live In Another Country?
The stereotype of the undocumented worker (you know, the "illegal immigrant" Trump's wall is supposed to stop) is of someone who crossed the Mexican border in the middle of the night. Those people exist. A lot of other undocumented workers are people who overstayed their visas. That is, they entered completely legally and then didn't leave. Maybe they found a nice job that they wanted to keep past the expiration date. Maybe they had a kid. Maybe they had nothing to go back to except poverty and homelessness.
Anyone who has ever tried to live/work in another country with proper paperwork - basically any country - knows what a nightmare the bureaucracy is. Until/unless you manage to get a green card/green card equivalent it's difficult say that you're ever really quite legally allowed to be there. And even then there are still gray areas to navigate. It's more of a constant process of overlapping stages, continually hoping the right papers come through at the right time, until the next time, than what I think people imagine is some nice process in which you apply and then the papers show up. You're pretty much always at the mercy of the system, hoping the immigration official gives you a pass because the truth is you're never quite 100% assured of being allowed to stay. Absent paying immense amount of money to a lawyer/broker (or finding some pro bono help), these aren't processes that mere mortals can be expected to figure out successfully, especially in another language. They're opaque in part by design.
I'm pretty sure I was working illegally in another country once. I say "pretty sure" because I honestly never figured it out. You have a hiring date, you think you've done everything you're supposed to do, you discover you haven't, and then suddenly you have no job and no place to go because some form isn't filled out correctly. Or you just stick with the plan and hope for the best, and hope your intended employer either ignores or smooths over the problems. I'm sure I wouldn't have been homeless - I imagine mom and dad would have taken me in - but I would have been jobless and cashless for awhile. Not that I think we should see things this way, but I was a "high level" immigrant going for a white collar job and I didn't have a backup plan. If there's one area US bureaucracy rivals and exceeds the caricatures of horrible bureaucracies elsewhere, it's our immigration system. Being "legal" is a complicated concept.
Anyone who has ever tried to live/work in another country with proper paperwork - basically any country - knows what a nightmare the bureaucracy is. Until/unless you manage to get a green card/green card equivalent it's difficult say that you're ever really quite legally allowed to be there. And even then there are still gray areas to navigate. It's more of a constant process of overlapping stages, continually hoping the right papers come through at the right time, until the next time, than what I think people imagine is some nice process in which you apply and then the papers show up. You're pretty much always at the mercy of the system, hoping the immigration official gives you a pass because the truth is you're never quite 100% assured of being allowed to stay. Absent paying immense amount of money to a lawyer/broker (or finding some pro bono help), these aren't processes that mere mortals can be expected to figure out successfully, especially in another language. They're opaque in part by design.
I'm pretty sure I was working illegally in another country once. I say "pretty sure" because I honestly never figured it out. You have a hiring date, you think you've done everything you're supposed to do, you discover you haven't, and then suddenly you have no job and no place to go because some form isn't filled out correctly. Or you just stick with the plan and hope for the best, and hope your intended employer either ignores or smooths over the problems. I'm sure I wouldn't have been homeless - I imagine mom and dad would have taken me in - but I would have been jobless and cashless for awhile. Not that I think we should see things this way, but I was a "high level" immigrant going for a white collar job and I didn't have a backup plan. If there's one area US bureaucracy rivals and exceeds the caricatures of horrible bureaucracies elsewhere, it's our immigration system. Being "legal" is a complicated concept.
Friday, July 29, 2016
Nothing to See Here
Move along.
Temperatures have soared in western Russia’s Yamal tundra this summer. Across Siberia, some provinces warmed an additional 10 degrees Fahrenheit beyond normal. In the fields, large bubbles of vegetation appeared above the melting permafrost — strange pockets of methane or, more likely, water. Record fires blazed through dry Russian grassland.
In one of the more unusual symptoms of unseasonable warmth, long-dormant bacteria appear to be active. For the first time since 1941, anthrax struck western Siberia. Thirteen Yamal nomads were hospitalized, including four children, the Siberian Times reported. The bacteria took an even worse toll on wildlife, claiming some 1,500 reindeer since Sunday.
A Bit Too Early For The Shit Eating Phase
Pretend just a bit longer, at least.
Shot
Chaser.
Shot
Democratic vice-presidential pick Tim Kaine has privately told nominee Hillary Clinton he will support repeal of the Hyde Amendment, a 1976 provision that bans the use of federal dollars for abortion services, Clinton spokesman Jesse Ferguson and Kaine spokeswoman Amy Dudley said Tuesday.
The position is a reversal for Kaine, who earlier this month told the Weekly Standard, a conservative magazine, that he's "traditionally been a supporter of the Hyde amendment."
Chaser.
On CNN Kaine says he's still for Hyde Amendment, which bans taxpayer money from going to abortion. "I have not changed my position on that."
— George Zornick (@gzornick) July 29, 2016
Heckuva Job
Sorry millions of lives were destroyed. Bygones.
The real problem is that no one trusts elites anymore.
The injustice is that the cost of the bailouts was switched to ordinary Greek citizens – the least able to support the burden – and it was never acknowledged that the true motive of EU-IMF Troika policy was to protect monetary union. Indeed, the Greeks were repeatedly blamed for failures that stemmed from the policy itself. This unfairness – the root of so much bitterness in Greece – is finally recognised in the report.
“If preventing international contagion was an essential concern, the cost of its prevention should have been borne – at least in part – by the international community as the prime beneficiary,” it said.
The real problem is that no one trusts elites anymore.
What A Strange System
It's a bit weird that after all of that, we're going to re-run the entire Clinton/Sanders primary again. There won't be any time for the general election campaign!
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Sticking The Knife In
If I hadn't known for years that DWS was horrible, this type of thing might actually make me feel bad.
Can't believe she failed to realize my friend Josh was behind the supposed Russian hack all along. Probably could have demonized him more effectively, then.
Can't believe she failed to realize my friend Josh was behind the supposed Russian hack all along. Probably could have demonized him more effectively, then.
Gonna Go Hang Out At The Abortionplex
The end of Dem defensiveness on abortion is a welcome development. For some reasons pundits always tell us that The People like politicians who are sure of themselves and unapologetic about what they stand for (I think this pundit observation is actually true!), but Dems are supposed to be wishy-washy about all of their key differences with the Republican party. Always supposed to chase the people who won't vote for them.
Lost in the discussion, from a purely political perspective, is that Dems have their own group of single issue voters, those who are concerned with legal reproductive health and rights. It isn't that reproductive health and rights issues are the only thing they care about, but it is the thing which will bring them to the polls. For years Dems were told to support abortion rights, but tepidly and apologetically, making sure to communicate that every abortion was an icky tragedy that we should all feel really bad about, especially the slutty slut who had one. They were also supposed to make common cause (why it was their responsibility I was never sure) with people who wanted to outlaw contraception. Never knew what that compromise was supposed to look like. Free abortions for some, chastity belts for others?
Hopefully those days are over. Women need proper health care. Abortion is a part of that, and without the right to choose women can't be equal citizens. Be loud and proud about it.
Lost in the discussion, from a purely political perspective, is that Dems have their own group of single issue voters, those who are concerned with legal reproductive health and rights. It isn't that reproductive health and rights issues are the only thing they care about, but it is the thing which will bring them to the polls. For years Dems were told to support abortion rights, but tepidly and apologetically, making sure to communicate that every abortion was an icky tragedy that we should all feel really bad about, especially the slutty slut who had one. They were also supposed to make common cause (why it was their responsibility I was never sure) with people who wanted to outlaw contraception. Never knew what that compromise was supposed to look like. Free abortions for some, chastity belts for others?
Hopefully those days are over. Women need proper health care. Abortion is a part of that, and without the right to choose women can't be equal citizens. Be loud and proud about it.
I CAN'T WALK TWO BLOCKS
One of our cute little traditions in Philadelphia is that the median of the major North/South artery in South Philly is unofficially a free parking zone. It's illegal to park there, officially, but it's, you know, "tradition." It's also ugly, dangerous, and largely just serves as a fre long term parking storage facility for multi-car households who have extra cars that are rarely used. Snow provides good evidence of how often people actually need those cars. If a car is still sitting there with snow on it 2 weeks after a storm, it probably isn't used very often.
The number of usable parking spaces this illegal parking adds for commuters is pretty small. Still, South Philly is a special place where finding parking is more difficult than anywhere else in the city (it isn't). Did I mention that one of our two subway lines runs down this route and it probably has the best bus coverage in the city?
To the extent that parking is a problem (it can be anywhere), the simple solution is to implement permit parking for residents. Hey, I live in South Philly, though not quite deep enough to be in the free median parking zone. As soon as permit parking came to my block, no more parking problems. Generally, any kind of parking enforcement is not tolerated.
This is just a preamble to thanking the Gods of the internet for giving me so much fun yesterday, reading an online discussion about a proposal to make the temporary enforcement of the median parking ban, instituted for the DNC, permanent. We all have hobbies. You'll take away peoples' babies before you'll take away their illegal parking. It's good fun.
I am sympathetic to parking issues, believe it or not. I'm not very sympathetic to people who think it's a problem if they have to park 2 blocks away from the house sometimes. People write things like, "how would you like it if I parked in front of your house???" Which, you know, is normal everywhere else in the city, suggesting that parking in South Philly is not actually a bigger problem than elsewhere. They aren't private spots, they're public, and the free long term storage opportunities provided on S. Broad St. don't really help that situation anyway.
At least they amuse and confuse visitors to the city.
...adding, yes there are people with mobility problems for whom two blocks is a problem. I'm not talking about those people. Solutions which help them are completely unrelated to providing free illegal parking to everybody else.
The number of usable parking spaces this illegal parking adds for commuters is pretty small. Still, South Philly is a special place where finding parking is more difficult than anywhere else in the city (it isn't). Did I mention that one of our two subway lines runs down this route and it probably has the best bus coverage in the city?
To the extent that parking is a problem (it can be anywhere), the simple solution is to implement permit parking for residents. Hey, I live in South Philly, though not quite deep enough to be in the free median parking zone. As soon as permit parking came to my block, no more parking problems. Generally, any kind of parking enforcement is not tolerated.
This is just a preamble to thanking the Gods of the internet for giving me so much fun yesterday, reading an online discussion about a proposal to make the temporary enforcement of the median parking ban, instituted for the DNC, permanent. We all have hobbies. You'll take away peoples' babies before you'll take away their illegal parking. It's good fun.
I am sympathetic to parking issues, believe it or not. I'm not very sympathetic to people who think it's a problem if they have to park 2 blocks away from the house sometimes. People write things like, "how would you like it if I parked in front of your house???" Which, you know, is normal everywhere else in the city, suggesting that parking in South Philly is not actually a bigger problem than elsewhere. They aren't private spots, they're public, and the free long term storage opportunities provided on S. Broad St. don't really help that situation anyway.
At least they amuse and confuse visitors to the city.
...adding, yes there are people with mobility problems for whom two blocks is a problem. I'm not talking about those people. Solutions which help them are completely unrelated to providing free illegal parking to everybody else.
A Few Problems
A few times in my adultish life there have been recessions. Each time things looked bleak, but each time it eventually seemed like genuine recovery had arrived. Whether it did or not is another question, but the basic belief that all we needed to do was get back to close to full employment and everything would be fine seemed to be true enough. We're pretty close to full employment. Things certainly are better than they were a few years ago. Things are also still fucked up and bullshit.
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Make America Great Again
Starting to worry this campaign is going to be Trump saying something horrible and/or ridiculous, followed by the Clinton campaign and others pointing out how horrible/ridiculous it is, followed by...over and over and over and over again.
Not going to do a lot for downballot races. Not gonna do a lot for telling people how we're going to make things better for The Kids Today.
Not going to do a lot for downballot races. Not gonna do a lot for telling people how we're going to make things better for The Kids Today.
Biofuels, Bitches!
Or maybe not.
Environmentalists who once championed biofuels as a way to cut pollution are now turning against a U.S. program that puts renewable fuels in cars, citing higher-than-expected carbon dioxide emissions and reduced wildlife habitat.
Heckuva Job
The "hilarious" thing is how much the UK press is largely ignoring the party that actually created Brexit, and which happens to be in power, in favor of focusing on blaming the leader of the party that has no power and focusing on the infighting in that party.
In 5 years everyone will remember how Prime Minister Corbyn made the UK leave the EU and destroyed everything.
In 5 years everyone will remember how Prime Minister Corbyn made the UK leave the EU and destroyed everything.
Bill's Worst Moment
Petey Beinart gets one right. I cringed when I heard it.
But in between, Clinton said something dreadful: “If you’re a Muslim and you love America and freedom and you hate terror, stay here and help us win and make a future together, we want you.” The problem is in the assumption. American Muslims should be viewed exactly the same way other Americans are. If they commit crimes, then they should be prosecuted, just like other Americans. But they should not have to prove that they “love America and freedom” and “hate terror” to “stay here.” Their value as Americans is inherent, not instrumental. Their role as Americans is not to “help us win” the “war on terror.”.
Crazy Ideas
I'm old enough to remember when there would have been a lot of eye rolling and scorn directed at a woman who ran for president. Whoa there, little lady, getting a bit too big for your britches?? And then when there would have been a little less eye rolling and scorn. And now there isn't really any. Sure it probably took a unique woman in a somewhat unique position in life to actually make it happen (to get this far, at least), and I'm not denying the reality of still-existing misogyny, but it's no longer a crazy idea. Still crazy to some, sure, just not generally. The barriers and difficulties of achieving that level of success are still there for women, but it's not longer fantastical. It's a thing that can happen, if still much less likely for women.
Back in 1984 or so, a woman running for president and achieving some success in the attempt would probably have inspired every mainstream news magazine to run some version of a "Can A Woman Be President?" cover. Just asking, of course. The answer in the articles probably would have been "yes," but just by asking in such a fashion the point would have been made that, no, a woman can't. Or shouldn't, anyway.
Always two steps forward and 1.99 steps backwards on this stuff, but we do move forward...
Back in 1984 or so, a woman running for president and achieving some success in the attempt would probably have inspired every mainstream news magazine to run some version of a "Can A Woman Be President?" cover. Just asking, of course. The answer in the articles probably would have been "yes," but just by asking in such a fashion the point would have been made that, no, a woman can't. Or shouldn't, anyway.
Always two steps forward and 1.99 steps backwards on this stuff, but we do move forward...
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Vote For Whoever The Hell You Want
Back before the dawn of time, or maybe it was the 90s, there was briefly a movement to put "none of the above" on the ballot. That'll show'em, people thought! None of the above wins! Well, gets 10% anyway! That'll change things! They'll have to listen to "us" (whoever "us" is) now!
I'm glad that's no longer a movement, as I think if I read more than one "Why I'm Voting for NOTA" essay on the internet the law would not hold me responsible for my subsequent actions.
Don't vote if you don't want to. Vote for your cat if you want to. Unlike some people, I don't think it really matters much. Your vote is not actually going to sway the election, and I doubt your "Who I Am Voting For" or similar essay is going to sway it either. The people running for office to win (there are other reasons to run) do have a task. That task is assembling a coalition of people who will vote for them in enough numbers in the right states. They might not actually care about your vote! Probably not enough to make a personal phone call to you in order to ask for it, anyway, or to implement your 15 point plan verbatim. That coalition might not include you because, frankly, the SUPERTRAIN coalition is probably pretty small.
Sure it's fun pointing out how all the sheeple are voting for the wrong person, that damn MONORAIL supporter, or making sure that everybody knows about the purity of your essences. If that's your hobby, have fun! Just don't kid yourself that the purity of your essences are going to change the world. They aren't. Most of the things any of us do aren't going to change the world, from our individual vote to our exciting arguments with strangers on the internet. Some people do work hard to change the world, and have an impact (often a very bad impact). Most of us, not so much.
This isn't an argument against voting. Vote! It's just that whether you vote for Clinton, Stein, Trump, Kang, Kodos, your cat, Gary Busey, whoever, voting is really the bare minimum that you and a couple of hundred million or so other people can choose to do. Don't think it makes you special, or that you're such a special snowflake that the reasons for your vote must be shared with the world. Who cares. It's boring.
I'm glad that's no longer a movement, as I think if I read more than one "Why I'm Voting for NOTA" essay on the internet the law would not hold me responsible for my subsequent actions.
Don't vote if you don't want to. Vote for your cat if you want to. Unlike some people, I don't think it really matters much. Your vote is not actually going to sway the election, and I doubt your "Who I Am Voting For" or similar essay is going to sway it either. The people running for office to win (there are other reasons to run) do have a task. That task is assembling a coalition of people who will vote for them in enough numbers in the right states. They might not actually care about your vote! Probably not enough to make a personal phone call to you in order to ask for it, anyway, or to implement your 15 point plan verbatim. That coalition might not include you because, frankly, the SUPERTRAIN coalition is probably pretty small.
Sure it's fun pointing out how all the sheeple are voting for the wrong person, that damn MONORAIL supporter, or making sure that everybody knows about the purity of your essences. If that's your hobby, have fun! Just don't kid yourself that the purity of your essences are going to change the world. They aren't. Most of the things any of us do aren't going to change the world, from our individual vote to our exciting arguments with strangers on the internet. Some people do work hard to change the world, and have an impact (often a very bad impact). Most of us, not so much.
This isn't an argument against voting. Vote! It's just that whether you vote for Clinton, Stein, Trump, Kang, Kodos, your cat, Gary Busey, whoever, voting is really the bare minimum that you and a couple of hundred million or so other people can choose to do. Don't think it makes you special, or that you're such a special snowflake that the reasons for your vote must be shared with the world. Who cares. It's boring.
The Truth
I weirdly don't get nearly as much hate mail as I did years ago (hate communications generally). I do occasionally get a bit. Roughly I can divide them into 2 categories. The first involves people getting really really angry about things that I would have thought would be the least anger-inducing. That's what set you off? Really? OK I guess. I'm not going to tell you what to get mad about, but that?
The second is people who send me The Truth, deep bits of wisdom and knowledge that only they have access to and which couldn't have possibly occurred to me before. Some of these people are very interesting, and if they had newsletters I would surely subscribe to them. I might even read their blogs!
The second is people who send me The Truth, deep bits of wisdom and knowledge that only they have access to and which couldn't have possibly occurred to me before. Some of these people are very interesting, and if they had newsletters I would surely subscribe to them. I might even read their blogs!
Lunch Thread
Not really participating in any of the main events this week, but lots of side distractions. Suckier blogging than usual...
Trump or Bust
Back in the great and glorious era of Emperor George W. "Bunnypants" Bush, I used to joke about the 27%, which seemed to be the absolute bottom of any approval poll for Bush and symbolized the proportion of people who would vote Republican no matter what. Or, more specifically, the worse a Republican was, the happier they were. I think Trump was a bit of a Mule in this primary, so it's hard to see exactly where he fits in with the 27th. Absent Trump I'd think of them as Cruz voters in this year, but 27% of all voters=54% of Republican voters (roughly, of course), which is enough to win the Republican primary.
But the dust is settling a bit and Trump is doing well in national polls. Those polls don't really tell us much about the general election, but they do tell us something about the people of the greatest country on Earth that we have to make great again. A lot of them like Trump.
Trump voters include the 27 percenters, but there are more than that at the moment who say they want to vote for him. I guess my big question is... are the ranks of the 27 percenters really expanding or is Trump just a bit of a wildcard who has expanded his support by appealing to different groups of voters for different reasons?
But the dust is settling a bit and Trump is doing well in national polls. Those polls don't really tell us much about the general election, but they do tell us something about the people of the greatest country on Earth that we have to make great again. A lot of them like Trump.
Trump voters include the 27 percenters, but there are more than that at the moment who say they want to vote for him. I guess my big question is... are the ranks of the 27 percenters really expanding or is Trump just a bit of a wildcard who has expanded his support by appealing to different groups of voters for different reasons?
The Morning After Day 1
I have the convention speeches dvr'ed and will watch later today.
No spoilers, please!
Heh, just kidding. I hear it was a kick ass evening. Congratulations Democrats.
No spoilers, please!
Heh, just kidding. I hear it was a kick ass evening. Congratulations Democrats.
Monday, July 25, 2016
They Won't Work
I find the safety obsession with self-driving cars to be amusing. Safety is the easy part. I'm sure they'll be able to make cars which drive themselves on highways and have as good or better safety records as humans in similar driving conditions. Programming them to not hit things and to avoid being hit by things is, I would guess, the simplest challenge right now. But, hey, build a test site. Preferably with lots of public money. Program them not to play bumper cars. They still won't work in the way that's being sold to people. Besides, automobiles are a 19th century technology.
Unity, My Way
I hate talks of "unity" especially by people in power. If it actually has a meaning, it's something like "smile and clap for me, citizen." I don't think politicians who say it are actually thinking, "be excellent to each other on twitter." They're thinking "I wish the proles would just STFU for a change.
And when unity just means "unite behind me," then the peddler of the unity utopia is just using it as a cynical tool to get people to line up behind them. After all, they aren't much interested in unity if it means they don't get what they want.
Unity!
And when unity just means "unite behind me," then the peddler of the unity utopia is just using it as a cynical tool to get people to line up behind them. After all, they aren't much interested in unity if it means they don't get what they want.
“It came down to the fact that the president didn’t want the hassle of getting rid of Debbie,” said a former top Obama adviser. “It’s been a huge problem for the Clintons, but the president just didn’t want the headache of Debbie bad-mouthing him. … It was a huge pain in the ass.”
Unity!
Priorituhz
One thing which I think causes people who are in general terms "on the same side" to talk past each other in politics is the failure to understand that people just have different priorities from each other. "We" might all agree on 10 issues that are important, but we don't rank them all the same away. I don't really expect that everyone thinks that SUPERTRAINS are the most important policy issue (not that I do either), but I might have some good reasons for thinking they are nonetheless.
Also, too, some people just like to be assholes on the internet. We all need a hobby.
Also, too, some people just like to be assholes on the internet. We all need a hobby.
Morning Thread
Really big thunderstorm just passed through. Hope it cools things down for the visitors to Philly.
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Gone
The things that happen when you're out.
Anyway, DWS is horrible aside from whatever the specifics of her role in the primary stuff were. She should never have had the job, and certainly should not have had it for this long.
PHILADELPHIA — Democrats arrived at their nominating convention on Sunday under a cloud of discord as Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, abruptly said she was resigning after a trove of leaked emails showed party officials conspiring to sabotage the campaign of Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
Anyway, DWS is horrible aside from whatever the specifics of her role in the primary stuff were. She should never have had the job, and certainly should not have had it for this long.
So Close And Yet So Far
My house is filled with a bunch of liberal losers so I'm staying in my "old" neighborhood, all of 1.5 or so miles away. It isn't that I never get here otherwise, but surprisingly rarely. And things do change there, if fairly slowly.
Things elsewhere have changed since I lived there, too. I don't remember anyone involved in Lefty politics back in the day who didn't come at it with a healthy dose of skepticism of those in power, including the powerful of the minority party. For a lot of people, now, that skepticism is unwelcome.
Then, as now, a lot of people just liked to pee in the punchbowl for fun. Not everything changes.
Things elsewhere have changed since I lived there, too. I don't remember anyone involved in Lefty politics back in the day who didn't come at it with a healthy dose of skepticism of those in power, including the powerful of the minority party. For a lot of people, now, that skepticism is unwelcome.
Then, as now, a lot of people just liked to pee in the punchbowl for fun. Not everything changes.
Go Away
I was pretty shocked by the behavior of DWS's DNC during the primary. It was a "not even trying to hide it" kind of thing going on, and then people were all confused (or pretended to be) when Bernie was pissed. He had reasons, and they were rather obvious. There were beats to sweeten, because there's nothing like a beat so sweet.
Still it's all that commie Putin's fault.
Still it's all that commie Putin's fault.
Sunday Morning
Going to be another hot one. I really feel for the delegates arriving in Philly today. Way too hot to do much sightseeing outdoors. Stick to museums.
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Saturday Evening
The Left sure was busy being wrong about everything today given that it's a Saturday. Take a break, Left! It's the weekend that The Left worked for. You can go back to being wrong about everything on Monday, Left! Relax until then.
So...2056 Then?
Completely believable.
snore
General Motors' first fully autonomous car will be electric, available to just about anyone, and it could be here before you know it.
The company plans to bring its self-driving cars to the masses by launching its first driverless on the Lyft platform, Pam Fletcher, executive chief engineer of autonomous tech at GM, told Tech Insider.
Fletcher would not share specifics about timing, but she did say the company’s first fully autonomous car will be available via the ride-sharing service sooner than you may expect.
"We have not made that announcement yet, but what I would say is this is all coming much faster than people anticipate, so I’ll say that much. We have been transparent about that,” she said. “We are working on an on-demand ride-sharing network with Lyft, it’s not something we are thinking about, it’s something we are very much readying for consumer use.”
snore
It Isn't A Superpower
This isn't a knock on Kaine, and by accounts he actually does actually speak decent Spanish unlike most of the politicians our press rapturously hails as being bilingual (I know some Spanish. Mostly nouns. I don't come close to "speaking Spanish."). Still it's ridiculous when having a facility with a second language is seen as some sort of superpower, especially one which is so amazing that bilingual immigrants and their children and grandchildren (some of whom might also be bilingual) will be really really impressed. Lots of people in the world speak multiple languages, including most of the people this stuff is supposed to impress.
Not wanting to deport their families. That might be a bit impressive.
Not wanting to deport their families. That might be a bit impressive.
Morning Thread
We're getting excessive heat warnings. I hope visitors to Philly, who aren't used to this kind of weather, pay attention and not overdo.
Friday, July 22, 2016
Tired Hand
Sometimes the ones from Virginia can surprise.
“Once again, the Virginia Supreme Court has placed Virginia as an outlier in the struggle for civil and human rights. It is a disgrace that the Republican leadership of Virginia would file a lawsuit to deny more than 200,000 of their own citizens the right to vote. And I cannot accept that this overtly political action could succeed in suppressing the voices of many thousands of men and women who had rejoiced with their families earlier this year when their rights were restored.
“Forty states give citizens who have made mistakes and paid their debt to society a straightforward process for restoring voting rights. I remain committed to moving past our Commonwealth’s history of injustice to embrace an honest process for restoring the rights of our citizens, and I believe history and the vast majority of Virginians are on our side.
“Despite the Court’s ruling, we have the support of the state’s four leading constitutional experts, including A.E. Dick Howard, who drafted the current Virginia Constitution. They are convinced that our action is within the constitutional authority granted to the Office of the Governor.
“The men and women whose voting rights were restored by my executive action should not be alarmed. I will expeditiously sign nearly 13,000 individual orders to restore the fundamental rights of the citizens who have had their rights restored and registered to vote. And I will continue to sign orders until I have completed restoration for all 200,000 Virginians. My faith remains strong in all of our citizens to choose their leaders, and I am prepared to back up that faith with my executive pen. The struggle for civil rights has always been a long and difficult one, but the fight goes on.”
Everybody's Looking Forward to the Weekend, Weekend
Actually haven't seen many signs of the DNC invasion yet, though there probably won't be much direct contact with my corner of the urban hellhole. The main event is accessible but not very central so unless the city loses its shit, it probably won't affect locals much. I have no credentials and no plans to attend. I went to 2. They were interesting. No need to spend anymore time in security lines...
Afternoon Thread
It looks like Hillary's pal Lucifer, or maybe just Heat Miser, sent some weather for the DNC.
Oh, Bertha
Such a problem child.
Maybe not that big of a deal...hahaha.
You fucked up! You trusted us!
I pick on Bertha because it sounded like a dumb project to begin with...
Bertha’s problems will cost Washington state an estimated $223 million in cost overruns, and further delay the Highway 99 opening — until early 2019.
OLYMPIA — Tunnel-machine Bertha’s two-year breakdown will cost Washington state an estimated $223 million in cost overruns, and delay the Highway 99 tunnel grand opening even more — now until early 2019, lawmakers were told Thursday.
Maybe not that big of a deal...hahaha.
Costs to the public would go even higher if contractors at Seattle Tunnel Partners (STP) wins lawsuits against the state. STP’s claims exceed $200 million and are not included in the new Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) figure.
You fucked up! You trusted us!
I pick on Bertha because it sounded like a dumb project to begin with...
Grand Bargaineering
I'd bet good money that a lot of Dems are plotting how to join with "reasonable Republicans" to obtain happy united unity and thwart the "Trump wing" of the Republican party. It's just in the blood of Democrats. I know lots of people think Obama was just using grand bargaineering during that phase to make the point that the Republicans wouldn't bargain, but that really wasn't the case. They wanted the bargain. They thought they were going to get the bargain. They thought Boehner and Cantor and Ryan and McConnell were "serious people" who just had to find ways to keep their crazies at bay. You might also think the bargain they were aiming for was a good thing, given the circumstances. I thought it sucked. Sequestration sucked, too, but at least it didn't make Dems responsible for Republican policies for a couple of decades (hint: taking responsibility for cutting stuff for the elderly is only popular on Fred Hiatt's crayon scribble page.)
Or Maybe It'll Hit The Economy Sooner And Harder Than I Thought
Remember that while US economic data is usually annualized for rates of change, European data tends not to be. So a .4% quarterly decline is a .4% decline in that quarter. Not a (roughly) .1% decline as it would be here...
With manufacturing dropping to its lowest level since February 2013, the survey suggests UK GDP could shrink by 0.4% in the third quarter, according to Markit, which compiles the data in its purchasing managers’ index (PMI).
The composite index – which measures both services and manufacturing – fell from 52.4 in June to 47.7, an 87-month low. Anything below 50 signals a contraction in activity.
And Now That It's Over...Or Just Begun
One last (probably) time.
Not to pick on Douthat (not that there's anything wrong with doing that of course) but the elite opinion denial of Trump was hilarious. No one was inevitable given the clown car of 17, but going by the numbers (or THE MATH as people who can't count call it), Trump got ahead in the polls and stayed there almost without exception. There was never any good data-based reason to think it would be anyone but Trump, and while this is less provable, there wasn't much theater criticism feeling it at you pundit justification for it either. Why Rubio? I have no idea why so many people thought the charisma-less boy blunder would come out on top. A bunch of old white people thinking "the kids will love us too if we have our very own minority!" was about the only motivation I could think of.
The entire commentariat is going to feel a little silly when Marco Rubio wins every Republican primary.
— Ross Douthat (@DouthatNYT) September 25, 2015
Not to pick on Douthat (not that there's anything wrong with doing that of course) but the elite opinion denial of Trump was hilarious. No one was inevitable given the clown car of 17, but going by the numbers (or THE MATH as people who can't count call it), Trump got ahead in the polls and stayed there almost without exception. There was never any good data-based reason to think it would be anyone but Trump, and while this is less provable, there wasn't much theater criticism feeling it at you pundit justification for it either. Why Rubio? I have no idea why so many people thought the charisma-less boy blunder would come out on top. A bunch of old white people thinking "the kids will love us too if we have our very own minority!" was about the only motivation I could think of.
Thursday, July 21, 2016
If We Pretend Those Bookish Conservatives on NPR are The Party
I suppose this is a proved fucking right kind of post, but there's value in everyone else finally having to acknowledge it, if for only a few weeks or so. We've had decades of Very Serious Pundits ignoring both the words and deeds of the Republican party, and completely ignoring the words of Republican voters, in order to ignore the racism, misogyny, homophobia, and xenophobia that is a huge motivator for many of those voters and the people they elect. Only silly internet commenters (mostly) ever saw, or at least admitted to seeing, this reality, and got painted as irrational extreme partisans as a reward. I'm not happy about being right, but I am happy about some other people finally having to notice, or to stop pretending to not notice.
We didn't point out the racism so that our team, Team D, could win the match, we pointed it out because it's there and it's repugnant. I'm not even sure that pointing it out helps Team D win the match.
Amnesia will return shortly, but at least for a bit it's hard to ignore.
We didn't point out the racism so that our team, Team D, could win the match, we pointed it out because it's there and it's repugnant. I'm not even sure that pointing it out helps Team D win the match.
Amnesia will return shortly, but at least for a bit it's hard to ignore.
Heckuva Job
I do not know how the UK will manage to unshit Cameron's bed, or if anybody in charge wants to.
I'd guess the bigger impact won't come until later, and will be more political/cultural than economic, but the economy will take a hit...
The U.K. economy may be heading for its first recession since 2009, with economists slashing their forecasts in the wake of the Brexit vote and now seeing two quarters of contraction this year.
I'd guess the bigger impact won't come until later, and will be more political/cultural than economic, but the economy will take a hit...
Dems in Disarray
One of the great mysteries in life is how somebody as classless as Cruz manages to rise to the top. I don't mean someone who is that big of an asshole. Plenty of assholes rise to the top and I often get why. But usually they have a certain amount of skill, a certain amount of finesse. They know when to be assholes. Cruz is always an asshole and he has no manners. How did he beat out all of the other assholes to become a senator from a huge state? Weird!
Sometimes I Obsess For Good Reasons
We're going to spend a lot of money on Vaporware and not spend that money on nice things which would actually be useful to people.
The reasons this ain't gonna work are so obvious to me that I must be the crazy one as it's a minority opinion. I'll repent when they're real.
The reasons this ain't gonna work are so obvious to me that I must be the crazy one as it's a minority opinion. I'll repent when they're real.
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
But Parking Spaces Are Free
Only liars would suggest otherwise.
If people want to follow the park-n-ride model, then there really isn't that much point in building quality mass transit. It's expensive, as are all the parking spaces people demand.
If people want to follow the park-n-ride model, then there really isn't that much point in building quality mass transit. It's expensive, as are all the parking spaces people demand.
Nothing to See Here
Move along.
It’s no news that Greenland is in serious trouble — but now, new research has helped quantify just how bad its problems are. A satellite study, published last week in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, suggests that the Greenland ice sheet lost a whopping 1 trillion tons of ice between the years 2011 and 2014 alone. And a big portion of it came from just five glaciers, about which scientists now have more cause to worry than ever.
It’s the latest story in a long series of increasingly worrisome studies on ice loss in Greenland. Research already suggests that the ice sheet has lost at least 9 trillion tons of ice in the past century and that the rate of loss has increased over time. Climate scientists are keeping a close eye on the region because of its potentially huge contributions to future sea-level rise (around 20 feet if the whole thing were to melt) — not to mention the damage it’s already done. Ice loss from Greenland may have contributed as much as a full inch of sea-level rise in the last 100 years and up to 10 percent of all the sea-level rise that’s been documented since the 1990s.
Lock Her Up
I can imagine the fainting couch all of the Very Serious People would require if the 2004 DNC had centered on promises to lock George Bush up. DEMOCRATS HAVE GONE TOO FAR. DEMOCRATS ARE OUT OF TOUCH WITH AMERICA AND THEIR LOVE OF WAR AND GEORGE BUSH. MCGOVERN MCGOVERN MCGOVERN MCGOVERN MCGOVERN.
Republicans define the new normal, as applied to them, by anything they do.
Republicans define the new normal, as applied to them, by anything they do.
Morning Thread
Despite all the predictions at the Shit Show, I feel confident that Hillary will not be sent to the hoosegow. Full stop.
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
Freak Show
I suppose the plagiarism thing is the start of the general election freak show season. Sure, the freak show stuff isn't always irrelevant, but often it's about as important as whatever the latest reality show star did. Oh, wait...
News and political junkies often think their particular obsessions are somehow more important than the Kardashians. And, yeah, sure, presumably electing a president is more important than who finds true love on The Bachelor, but the day to day stuff of those contests really isn't so different.
It's a system...
News and political junkies often think their particular obsessions are somehow more important than the Kardashians. And, yeah, sure, presumably electing a president is more important than who finds true love on The Bachelor, but the day to day stuff of those contests really isn't so different.
It's a system...
Afternoon Thread
Annoying computer problem. Pretty sure it's something I fixed awhile back but of course I can't remember how...
What's Important Is Being Right On The Internet
It's a weird affliction. Sure we all have it, somewhat, but especially when predicting bad things, the bad things that happen should make you feel worse than the fact that you were proved fucking right.
There's utility in pointing out people who are regularly wrong, and the thinking that leads us to wrongness and rightness. If wrongness and rightness regularly flow respectively from incorrect and correct basic assumptions regularly, it's fine to point that out. And trying to stop a car crash before it happens, even if it's likely futile, is a useful endeavor.
Still a lot of us (I'm sure I do it too at times!) enjoy being right, even if the prediction is doom, just a bit too much. There's a bit too much MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE in this stuff sometimes.
Life's little pleasures get us through the day, but the 500th time we hear your confident prediction that, for example, HILLARY CLINTON WILL LOSE (no I'm not directing this at any of my commenters), accompanied by an obvious amount of glee, either says it's really important that you're right, or says you just don't want her to win. Both are fine, but they are what they are.
There's utility in pointing out people who are regularly wrong, and the thinking that leads us to wrongness and rightness. If wrongness and rightness regularly flow respectively from incorrect and correct basic assumptions regularly, it's fine to point that out. And trying to stop a car crash before it happens, even if it's likely futile, is a useful endeavor.
Still a lot of us (I'm sure I do it too at times!) enjoy being right, even if the prediction is doom, just a bit too much. There's a bit too much MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE in this stuff sometimes.
Life's little pleasures get us through the day, but the 500th time we hear your confident prediction that, for example, HILLARY CLINTON WILL LOSE (no I'm not directing this at any of my commenters), accompanied by an obvious amount of glee, either says it's really important that you're right, or says you just don't want her to win. Both are fine, but they are what they are.
You Didn't Build That
I normally don't get care much about supposed plagiarism "scandals" in politics for various reasons, but this is a good point.
And the New Jersey Lickspittle tells the media what the new Republican-only plagiarism standard is.
Still, what's more important is "build that wall! now meet my immigrant wife..."
Whether Melania knew she was reading plagiarized text or not (and I think it’s quite likely she did not) it’s just devastating to see a campaign premised on the imagined notion of Obama incompetence get caught stealing from Obama’s own operation.
But the power of the images is actually much deeper. They don’t just negate something central to Trump’s appeal. They amplify one (actually more than one) of the main knocks on Trump himself: That he’s sloppy, erratic, in so many ways the opposite of the virtues he claims to embody. And, let’s not gloss over it, this is a depiction of a campaign–a campaign that nurtures white grievance and resentment–trying to profit off the work of a black woman, from an African American family that Trump and his supporters regularly belittle. The fact that the plagiarized text in question was about the value of hard work just makes matters worse. A mortifying, calamitous, self-immolating moment.
And the New Jersey Lickspittle tells the media what the new Republican-only plagiarism standard is.
Plagiarism?
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) July 19, 2016
"Not when 93% of the speech is completely different than Michelle Obama’s speech." -@GovChristie https://t.co/C280sUME33
Still, what's more important is "build that wall! now meet my immigrant wife..."
Monday, July 18, 2016
He Who Controls The Gavel
I gather that the RNC was playing a bit of Calvinball against the delegates trying to stop Trump. What would have been more fun is if the RNC was also trying to stop Trump. That would have been exciting!
Loser! Sad!
Kasich can do what he wants, of course, but it isn't exactly out of bounds for the (presumed) presidential nominee and notional head of the party to assert that he is, in fact, the boss.
Trump won this thing fair and square. It's his. They didn't try hard enough to take down his candidacy and now they're stuck with it.
Addressing reporters at a breakfast on Monday, Paul Manafort, Mr. Trump’s de facto campaign manager, accused Mr. Kasich of acting “petulant” for refusing to support Mr. Trump following the governor’s defeat in the Republicans’ presidential nominating process.
“He’s embarrassing his party in Ohio,” Mr. Manafort said of Mr. Kasich, calling the governor’s chief political strategist the culprit behind Mr. Kasich’s strategy of not endorsing Mr. Trump. “Negotiations broke down because John Weaver thinks that John Kasich will have a better chance to be president by not supporting Donald Trump.”
Trump won this thing fair and square. It's his. They didn't try hard enough to take down his candidacy and now they're stuck with it.
It's A Dynamo
The big show is on tonight. Not quite sure I can bring myself to watch it. It's hard to feel the need when the best/interesting bits are clipped by someone on the internets within about 4 seconds. I remember when putting video up on the internet was a difficult and costly endeavor.
Republicans Were All Sweetness And Light Until That Nasty Trump Came Along
I guess that will be the new narrative...until the next time.
You know, they haven't actually been hiding it. Even that nice Mr. Brooks isn't, you know, nice. Respectable demeanor is not the same thing as nice. They've been all about kicking the poors and the blahs and the gays and the whoever they can get the press to see as a "sides disagree" issue (are black people stupid? the two sides disagree) that week as long as I can remember. Trump just isn't as well-trained and he does not give a fuck. There are plenty of reasons to dislike Trump, but most of those are reasons to dislike most Republicans. With Trump, the people who think they should and do run the country worry they'll lose control. That's the main difference.
It isn't a reason to vote for him, but it's way down the list of reasons to vote against him.
Many Republicans oppose Trump because they see him as the one candidate most likely to lose to Hillary Clinton. But others fear something worse: a Trump victory. They know that his presidency would represent a grave danger to the republic, a repudiation of the most noble Republican aspirations, and the end of their party as a serious vehicle for governance. The GOP can survive a Trump defeat. It will never get over being permanently defined by his politics of flippant brutality.
You know, they haven't actually been hiding it. Even that nice Mr. Brooks isn't, you know, nice. Respectable demeanor is not the same thing as nice. They've been all about kicking the poors and the blahs and the gays and the whoever they can get the press to see as a "sides disagree" issue (are black people stupid? the two sides disagree) that week as long as I can remember. Trump just isn't as well-trained and he does not give a fuck. There are plenty of reasons to dislike Trump, but most of those are reasons to dislike most Republicans. With Trump, the people who think they should and do run the country worry they'll lose control. That's the main difference.
It isn't a reason to vote for him, but it's way down the list of reasons to vote against him.
"Destination Related Assets"
That's a new phrase for me. Pretty good gibberish.
Who could resist the dining facilities?
Jim Kirkos, the president and CEO of the Meadowlands regional chamber of commerce, remains optimistic the $3 billion project will open in less than 2 years.
...
“The project is immensely important to New Jersey and certainly my region here in North Jersey and the Meadowlands,” he said. “American Dream is a game-changer on many levels, in terms of its economic impact and job creation.”
He said “when you put American Dream together with the other destination related assets we have here in the Meadowlands, with the stadium and the racetrack and the dining facilities, our expo center, it’s a game-changer. It’s immensely important. We’re cautiously optimistic that the financing will be settled in the next handful of weeks and they can start construction again.”
Who could resist the dining facilities?
Morning Thread
I hear the Trump/Pence interview on 60 MINUTES was a train wreck. Anyone watch? I had to wash my hair.
Sunday, July 17, 2016
Sunday Happy Hour
Reminder: Everything we're hearing about Baton Rouge now is just hearsay and totally unreliable.
edited
edited
49
If I drove drunk at twice the speed limit constantly for 13 years, I wouldn't expected to be pulled over half this often.
Trump Can Win
He probably won't, but the people whose job it is to beat him had better realize that he can.
Saturday, July 16, 2016
Now I Do Feel Sorry For Chris Christie
Hahaha nope. Almost had you that time.
Poor thing won't even be able to get to work at the cushy NYC job he'll inevitably get because the train tunnels will have collapsed (hopefully not really).
Then he did not get the job he had been publicly pining for, and on which he had pinned his hopes of political resuscitation. Donald J. Trump, who is expected to become the Republican nominee for president next week, picked someone else as his running mate, despite an endorsement that dragged Mr. Christie’s poll numbers to record lows at home and alienated him from moderate Republicans he once called friends.
And that was before a storm knocked down a tree and power line outside Mr. Christie’s house, starting a fire beside it. When a local television station asked the governor if he still had electricity, he gave a thumbs down, which might have been answering the question, or summing up the previous several hours, or months.
Poor thing won't even be able to get to work at the cushy NYC job he'll inevitably get because the train tunnels will have collapsed (hopefully not really).
What's This Thing For
I guess Snapchat is the exception but I'm old and don't understand it, but every other social media company seems obsessed with the idea that what people really want is the Best Stuff from 3 days ago. There is no best stuff, and 3 days ago isn't interesting. That aspect of the internet is about now. Facbook and Instagram are useless for what they were once good for. Bring back myspace!
The Secret Welfare System
I think I found it!
Probably nice gentlemen. Even if they are guilty of something, how could they be punished?
For decades, millionaire Main Line businessmen Richard Ireland and Brian McElwee have plied politicians with campaign money while landing government contract after contract.
None of it has provoked much attention. But now the two little-known partners are drawing scrutiny beyond political circles.
In the latest probe into "pay to play" in Pennsylvania, federal prosecutors and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission have subpoenaed a host of documents from the businessmen.
Damn blahs and unions.
Probably nice gentlemen. Even if they are guilty of something, how could they be punished?
Friday, July 15, 2016
Errand Boy
I almost feel sorry for Chris Christie...hahaha just kidding I don't.
Sources tell NBC News that Donald Trump was watching news coverage from his Beverly Hills home Thursday and was described as surprised and "irritated" that news organizations were identifying Pence as his choice early in the day.
Those sources said that by mid-afternoon, after the initial news reports, he had still "not informed" the other two men on his final list -former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie -- that a final decision had been reached. Trump spoke to Gov. Christie after 4:00pm in what was described as a "tense" conversation where a Pence pick was discussed but a final decision was not communicated.
Omnishambles
I keep seeing the UK equivalent of totebaggers repeat phrases like "Jeremy Corbyn has no plan to win a general election." Maybe true! Maybe he can't!
And the anti-Corbyn Labour faction? What's their plan for riding their wave of extreme popularity to victory?
Oh, they don't have to have one. They're just not "Trots" you see.
Contempt for voters (explicit and vocal, the quiet contempt has been there for years) has become a feature of the dominant factions of the left-leaning major parties in both the UK and the US. I'm not sure how that's a good plan to win elections, but I don't get paid the big bucks.
Everyone misses Binky.
And the anti-Corbyn Labour faction? What's their plan for riding their wave of extreme popularity to victory?
Oh, they don't have to have one. They're just not "Trots" you see.
Contempt for voters (explicit and vocal, the quiet contempt has been there for years) has become a feature of the dominant factions of the left-leaning major parties in both the UK and the US. I'm not sure how that's a good plan to win elections, but I don't get paid the big bucks.
Everyone misses Binky.
Meet George Jetson
At least have those eggs be delivered by self-driving cars.
I don't even know where to begin with this. I could snark about how our imaginations are pretty damn limited. I could wonder why we need better wireless technology (which would be great for other reasons!) to do something which doesn't require better wireless technology. Looking at my fridge, I could contemplate how this would work for anything but an egg carton. I could cheer on the return of the milk man, a quaint relic from the past now made possible again.
Rule of thumb: if it sounds like something you'd see in a Sharper Image catalog, it's probably not existence-altering.
'NO LIMIT'
"There is seemingly no limit on how what we refer to as 5G could impact our everyday existence," FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn said. "A refrigerator that not only alerts you to a near-empty egg carton, but automatically adds that item to a virtual shopping list, enabling a delivery to your door by week's end, without any action from you."
I don't even know where to begin with this. I could snark about how our imaginations are pretty damn limited. I could wonder why we need better wireless technology (which would be great for other reasons!) to do something which doesn't require better wireless technology. Looking at my fridge, I could contemplate how this would work for anything but an egg carton. I could cheer on the return of the milk man, a quaint relic from the past now made possible again.
Rule of thumb: if it sounds like something you'd see in a Sharper Image catalog, it's probably not existence-altering.
Thursday, July 14, 2016
This Much We Know
A lot of people are going to get rich this election cycle.
A lot of them are going to get rich despite being responsible for losing.
A lot of them are going to get rich despite being responsible for losing.
Nothing To See Here
More fraud from scientists funded by big solar.
For Ramanathan, though, the study means the validation of a key “feedback” that makes higher levels of warming possible. And it works in a multiplicative fashion with other feedbacks, such as a notorious one involving the loss of Arctic sea ice, which, not unlike a cloud, also reflects radiation from space so long as it covers northern oceans.
“I consider this as the most singular of all the things that we have found, because many of us had been thinking the cloud changes might help us out, by having a strong feedback which is going the other way instead of amplifying it,” Ramanathan said.
“The uncertainty is narrowing down,” he continued later. “I used to say, if I made a 50 percent overestimation of the global warming, it was due to the clouds. But we are running out of that excuse now.”
A Sandbox Too Big
The simplest explanation for Trump-on-Thames was that the London press was, for various reasons, completely in the tank for Boris for years. Aside from a few rumblings, there was very little critical coverage of his tenure as mayor. Now that his sandbox is the world, he might not be able to keep that game going.
A Lonely Nation Finds Hope
Various outlets say it's gonna be VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE WOOHOO! Er who?
I know who he is, of course, but he isn't exactly a household name. No Nuge, Donald?
I know who he is, of course, but he isn't exactly a household name. No Nuge, Donald?
There's a Catch
Sure, some people are allowed to carry guns, because it's legal. Some people aren't, because of American Common Law which says that certain laws only apply to certain kinds of people. Don't carry a gun to these protests if you want to live.
Could get absurd where it's OK to gun down people with toy guns, but not real ones. "Sorry, Captain! I thought it was a fake!" "No, officer, it was real. Give me your badge." "But the victim, I mean perpetrator, was black or a hippie at least!" "Oh, ok then."
Cleveland has banned a wide array of items inside a broad zone in downtown Cleveland around the convention site, including water guns, toy guns, knives, aerosol cans, rope, tennis balls and others. But because of Ohio’s open carry laws, protesters who legally own a firearm will be allowed to carry it near the convention center.
Could get absurd where it's OK to gun down people with toy guns, but not real ones. "Sorry, Captain! I thought it was a fake!" "No, officer, it was real. Give me your badge." "But the victim, I mean perpetrator, was black or a hippie at least!" "Oh, ok then."
Will Mr. Tebow Tackle His Mother On Stage?
I get that - for whatever reason - there was a moment when Tim Tebow filled a weird retro cultural spot. You know, the good boy religious loves his mother would never have naughty sex with a woman until he was married NFL "star" (well, he was never quite that, but...). Still that cultural moment was always a bit weak and I think we've mostly gone on to "Tebow who? Was he on Season 6 of American Idol?"
A gig's a gig.
A gig's a gig.
There are several notable women speaking. They include Pam Bondi, the Florida attorney general, who tangled on television with the CNN anchor Anderson Cooper after the Orlando, Fla., nightclub massacre; Eileen Collins, the first woman to command a space shuttle mission; Gov. Mary Fallin of Oklahoma; Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa and Mr. Trump’s wife, Melania.
There are a few African-Americans, like Jamiel Shaw Sr., who became an outspoken advocate for tougher immigration laws after his son was killed in 2008 by an undocumented immigrant; and Darryl Glenn, who is running for Senate in Colorado.
From sports there is Mr. Tebow, the former quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner who is known for his conservative views; Dana White, the president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, a mixed martial arts organization; and Ms. Gulbis.
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
A Family of Geniuses
.@LanaZak's report coming up on Action News at 5:30pm https://t.co/ezTioEEmPZ
— Action News on 6abc (@6abc) July 13, 2016
.@realDonaldTrump Veepstakes down to 2: but who? Pence is the favorite, Christie liked by Trump, Newt liked by Trump kids WATCH @6abc @ABC
— Lana Zak, ABC (@LanaZak) July 13, 2016
Stark Raving Bonkers
Boris Johnson, aka Trump-on-Thames, has been appointed to be the new Foreign Secretary (Sec. of State) of the UK.
Hi Hippies
It was fine to argue that a public option couldn't get through Congress and fine to argue that Obamacare would be a foot-in-the-door type improvement (true, but I don't think as much as has been claimed) that would inevitably be fixed later (might depend on the meaning of the word "fixed"). But as is often the case, it was also fun to bash hippies who said that a public option was going to be necessary to make it work as sustainable policy and politics (also, too, cheaper). Guess those silly hippies were right again.
He Has A Very Particular Set Of Skills
No one is quite sure what they are, however.
In a surprising announcement, NBC on Wednesday said that Luke Russert is leaving its news division.
Russert — the 30-year-old son of the late legendary "Meet the Press" moderator Tim Russert — is departing from political reporting just a few days before the Republican National Convention is set to kick off in Cleveland "to pursue other interests."
DC's OK
I get some of the reasons (didn't relocate family, need to fundraise and kiss a few babies back home, etc.) , but it is a bit of a mystery to me why members of Congress seem to spend as little time in DC as possible. Sure recess doesn't mean they're all going home, but a lot do (and a lot do every weekend). Summer isn't the best time, but it isn't any worse than much of the country.
He's Only Dancing
Bush's dancing behavior yesterday was, well, a bit odd even for him. Not that much coverage of it that I've seen (haven't turned on the cable news yet so?). It isn't important, really, just sometimes the press is oddly quiet about things.
Ancient History
In the 90s, The Left were, oddly, the main defenders of Bill Clinton, once everything got completely crazy anyway. It wasn't Joe Lieberman.
Different times, but something to be learned there.
Different times, but something to be learned there.
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Fortunately
The anti-Corbyn crowd are as useless a marzipan dildo.
But Labour can't win elections without them! Or something.
But Labour can't win elections without them! Or something.
The Campaign Show
I frequently write versions of this post, but it drives me nuts when apparently smart people are a bit too enamored with the reality TV aspect of our campaigns (though, admittedly, with the Donald in the mix that makes a bit more sense than usual). It isn't that the theater doesn't matter for either elections or for governing. Of course it does. It's just that too often it's portrayed as the thing that should matter, the only thing that does matter. Policy is just your choice of uniform, your set of accessories. Go team yellow spandex!
Again, of course it matters, some. And I think it should matter... some. When the issue is getting elected, even relatively high information voters are basing their choices (including whether to bother to vote) on not enough information, so the theater fills that in somewhat, if imperfectly. It provides clues to how someone will govern. One can't deny that the theater impacts popularity, and popularity does, to some degree, impact the ability to do the job in our silly system.
Still, the policies matter more...
Again, of course it matters, some. And I think it should matter... some. When the issue is getting elected, even relatively high information voters are basing their choices (including whether to bother to vote) on not enough information, so the theater fills that in somewhat, if imperfectly. It provides clues to how someone will govern. One can't deny that the theater impacts popularity, and popularity does, to some degree, impact the ability to do the job in our silly system.
Still, the policies matter more...
Gradual
For awhile I was mildly optimistic that while the self-driving cars would never really happen (not in the way people are predicting), it wouldn't matter much. Now I worry we're going to start setting transportation policy, including public expenditures, based on Vaporware. Yay us.
It'll be gradual, but faster than you expect. One day it won't be there, and the next day you'll be surprised at just how fast it still isn't.
WASHINGTON (AFP) -
General Motors believes in autonomous vehicles as a safer mode of transport, and expects the technology to come more quickly than most people think, a top executive said Monday.
"There isn't going to be a particular moment or day when we see it -- it will unfold in a gradual way, but it will be a lot faster than people are expecting," said GM president Dan Ammann at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference in Colorado.
It'll be gradual, but faster than you expect. One day it won't be there, and the next day you'll be surprised at just how fast it still isn't.
Monday, July 11, 2016
KISS
When I am President Clinton's Chief of Staff, all of my underlings will be required to have Keep It Simple, Stupid tattooed visibly. I don't mean the rhetoric and politics. I mean the policies. Stop the tremendous burden required to qualify for measly help that should just be universal anyway. No plans to set up tax incentives to encourage behavior to nudge blah blah. Pre-K? Make it happen. Free public universities? Make it happen. Health care? If we can't get rid of our stupid insurance system, at least reduce it to push a button, pay your bill, go see a doctor. Giving Atrios ONE BILLION DOLLARS? Make it happen. Especially that last one.
I Don't Know Why You Say Hello You Said Goodbye
I'm so old I remember when all Evan wanted to do was go to Indiana and teach. Somehow it never happened. Guess he couldn't find a job?
Now he misses the Senate.
Yes, yes, we need a majority in the Senate so we can go back to complaining about how we need a supermajority to get anything done.
Now he misses the Senate.
Yes, yes, we need a majority in the Senate so we can go back to complaining about how we need a supermajority to get anything done.
Vaporware
At least our autonomous cars will fly.
Duke Nukem Forever came out eventually. It just wasn't very good.
The most realistic industry projection about the arrival of autonomous driving comes from the company that’s done the most to make it possible. Google, while never explicitly saying so, has long intimated that self-driving cars would be available by the end of the decade.
In February, though, a Google car caused its first accident; a bus collision with no injuries. A few weeks later, Google made a significant, if little-noted, schedule adjustment. Chris Urmson, the project director, said in a presentation that the fully featured, truly go-anywhere self-driving car that Google has promised might not be available for 30 years, though other much less capable models might arrive sooner.
Historians of technology know that “in 30 years” often ends up being “never.” Even if that’s not the case here, if you’re expecting a self-driving car, you should also expect a wait. And so you might want to do something to pass the time. Maybe go for a nice drive?
Duke Nukem Forever came out eventually. It just wasn't very good.
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Happy Hour
Jeeze, another six women have come forward to accuse Ailes of sexual harassment. I won't be surprised if the number keeps rising to over 100. There seems to be a history of this kind of behavior going back decades. Still, innocent until proven guilty and all that jazz.
Where Did This Thing Go
Another travel day. Mostly internetless. That is still possible, good or bad.
Saturday, July 09, 2016
Why Are Police Involved?
Kinda think just about anything short of murder involving the behavior of 8-year-olds in school shouldn't have police involvement...
At Zane North Elementary School, police on June 6 questioned a student who had made a gun noise and held his wooden ukulele "like a gun" during music class. The student told police he "was only kidding." Other cases at Zane involved the kindergarten fight, in which a student said a classmate had hit him, and two students trading insults like "fat" and "short" in the cafeteria.
...
Collingswood Police Chief Kevin Carey would not specify Friday whether 22 is an unusually high number of complaints to receive from schools in a month. But the new protocol required police to respond to many incidents they previously would not have investigated, including anything "as minor as a simple name-calling incident that the school would typically handle internally," he said last month.
Friday, July 08, 2016
Which Side's Nut Is It?
Plays out more on social media than blogs these days, but whenever some horrific event happens, there's an escalating effort to "prove" that the perpetrator(s) are on Your Team not My Team. Some things were trying years ago. They're extra trying now. Also, too, wait a few hours. The perp's team colors will be be found soon enough, confirming all of your political beliefs.
Impossible Things
Distinguishing between good guys with guns and bad guys with guns in a crowded active shooter situation in an open carry state.
Thursday, July 07, 2016
Ferguson Effect
I guess all those annoying people getting mad at cops for killing people in situations which in no way warranted it haven't had much impact on the propensity of cops to kill people.
As of a week ago, there have bee 26 more fatal shootings this year than at the same time last year.
The Sad Truth
Legal guns (including open carry, concealed carry, stand your ground, etc.) exist so that white people can enact their vigilante fantasies involving "protecting" themselves from black people.
Whatever the law says, it is illegal for black people to own and possess guns, and possession is proof of an imminent threat that justifies execution by law enforcement or any white person.
Whatever the law says, it is illegal for black people to own and possess guns, and possession is proof of an imminent threat that justifies execution by law enforcement or any white person.
Why Don't You Just Give Us Everything?
Sure it's often not a bad bargaining opening gambit, but the Tories really are in this fantasyland in which they think that European leaders give a shit about whether the UK has anything to do with the EU or not. Combine the fact that they really don't much care anyway with the fact that giving in to the UK will mean playing this game with basically every member and therefore effectively destroying the EU anyway.
The sad thing is that the Tories are ridiculous, and Labour isn't much better. The Tories have at least discovered that promising to makes people's lives better is more of a winning message than not promising that, even if they're full of shit about how to accomplish it.
I wonder if "the markets" will speak back?
Free trade, no free mobility. Capital mobility, no labor mobility. The recipe for turning your people into powerless paupers. The EU isn't perfect, but the genuine labor mobility was a very good thing.
The sad thing is that the Tories are ridiculous, and Labour isn't much better. The Tories have at least discovered that promising to makes people's lives better is more of a winning message than not promising that, even if they're full of shit about how to accomplish it.
...
Leadsom says she wants fair rules on immigration.
Leadsom says she will not use EU nationals as “bargaining chips” in negotiations with Brussels. All who are legally here will be able to stay.
She says she wants to ensure farmers get the same level of subsidies, although they would be targeted in a different way.
And she wants to ensure people can still travel freely in the EU.
Leadsom says she wants to spread prosperity.
We need to heed those citizens who think the country’s leaders are not worrying about them enough, she says.
She says people feel that big business bosses get salaries that bear no relation to their performance. She agrees, she says.
She says she wants to see better training and higher pay.
Let’s banish the pessimists, she says.
She quotes Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England, saying the UK can handle change. The question is how we adjust, she says.
She says she wants to speak to the markets. No one need fear our decision to leave the EU, she says. We will leave it carefully.
Trade will be the top priority. She wants to continue tariff-free trade with the EU.
And she wants free trade agreements with fast-growing economies around the world.
I wonder if "the markets" will speak back?
Free trade, no free mobility. Capital mobility, no labor mobility. The recipe for turning your people into powerless paupers. The EU isn't perfect, but the genuine labor mobility was a very good thing.
I Hates Him, I Loves Him, I Hates Him
The boy blunder, Rubio, can't make up his mind about Trump.
I don't think the hotness of Mr. Rubio should (or even does, much) matter. Sure charisma in a broad sense matters for anyone putting themselves in front of cameras and large audiences, but simple good looks don't count for all that much. In any case, I don't see either the charisma or basic hotness. Washington is weird.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) will not attend the Republican National Convention this month, reversing previous plans and joining a growing list of vulnerable Republicans who have shied away from the event where the GOP is expected to officially nominate Donald Trump for president.
I don't think the hotness of Mr. Rubio should (or even does, much) matter. Sure charisma in a broad sense matters for anyone putting themselves in front of cameras and large audiences, but simple good looks don't count for all that much. In any case, I don't see either the charisma or basic hotness. Washington is weird.
Wednesday, July 06, 2016
Corked Whine
Please let it be Nugent. Please let it be Nugent.
I keed. Vice President Newton Leroy Gingrich it will be (I keed here, too, I have no idea).
Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), the chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee who has recently emerged as a finalist in the search for Donald Trump’s running mate, told The Washington Post in an interview Wednesday that he has taken himself out of consideration for the position.
I keed. Vice President Newton Leroy Gingrich it will be (I keed here, too, I have no idea).
Hold, Suckers
I don't like making predictions about the future, but this is starting to seem like deja vu all over again.
How many illiquid dominoes fall...
“Over half of the property fund sector is now on ice, and will remain so until managers raise enough cash to meet redemptions. To do that they need to sell properties, and as any homeowner knows, that is not a quick or painless procedure.
These funds are therefore likely to be closed for weeks and months rather than simply a matter of days. Clearly there has been a knee-jerk reaction to Brexit in the commercial property sector, which may moderate over time.
How many illiquid dominoes fall...
The Hippies Could Have Told Them That At The Time
One thing about that glorious era known as the run-up to the Iraq war is that I learned what it was like to be gaslighted. I must be crazy! I thought, sometimes. Part of the reason this blog exists - it gave my feeling of crazy an outlet.
Supporting it was a great career move for many. Well, not so much the dead people. I suppose that being able to come up with really shitty arguments in favor of even shittier ideas is the mark of a good pundit. That and honing your hippie punching skills. Can't have a horrible war based on false premises (I mean lies) without punching some hippies for good measure. What would be the point?
Supporting it was a great career move for many. Well, not so much the dead people. I suppose that being able to come up with really shitty arguments in favor of even shittier ideas is the mark of a good pundit. That and honing your hippie punching skills. Can't have a horrible war based on false premises (I mean lies) without punching some hippies for good measure. What would be the point?
Tuesday, July 05, 2016
He's One Of Ours
I think the totality of Trump's history shows that he is at best indifferent to the lives of minorities in the US, but what's in his heart isn't really what matters so debating that issue is pointless. I don't think the only appeal of Trumpism is racism, but it's reasonable to say it has some appeal for 27 percenters, and Trump hasn't shied away from running with it. Some people have noticed.
Out-Leaving UKIP
We can guess where Farage would stand on this if he didn't have a German wife.
Like just about everyone else, Farage didn't even know what he was pushing for. I didn't mean that you should kick out my wife!!! Just, you know, not let anyone else's in...
Nigel Farage, the outgoing Ukip leader, has been on LBC this morning. He has joined the large chorus of Brexit politicians (and remain ones too) criticising Theresa May for refusing to promise EU nationals living in the UK that they will definitely be allowed to stay. These are from LBC’s Theo Usherwood.
Like just about everyone else, Farage didn't even know what he was pushing for. I didn't mean that you should kick out my wife!!! Just, you know, not let anyone else's in...
Newsy
Not that it's important in and of itself, but it shows how [some] TV news producers think.
Just recast reality, with a happy ending every time!
If you were watching Washington’s Fourth of July fireworks outside on Monday night and also happened to catch PBS’s broadcast of “A Capitol Fourth,” you might have noticed something looked…a little off.
The actual weather in Washington was cloudy and misty, making it quite difficult to view the fireworks. But on “A Capitol Fourth,” the annual concert special that airs live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, many of the fireworks (primarily in the second half of the display) looked glorious in a clear sky. Immediately, people started commenting on Twitter:
Just recast reality, with a happy ending every time!
Assholes
The only solace after reading this story about horrible assholes is knowing that there's no chance they aren't absolutely miserable assholes.
Monday, July 04, 2016
What's It All About Then
A mix of elites knowing the rules will never apply to them (if they want to bugger off to Spain for half the year they'll never have a problem), elites not having any empathy (or sympathy) for the people the rules would apply to, a hilarious belief that this will make EU elites give a shit if the UK stays or goes and, finally, UK elites are assholes.
Never Let A Crisis Go To Waste
Tax cuts for rich people to the rescue!
George Osborne has pledged to cut corporation tax to encourage businesses to continue investing in the UK following the EU referendum vote.
In an interview with the Financial Times, the chancellor said he would reduce the rate to below 15% - some 5% lower than its current 20% rate.
That would give the UK the lowest corporation tax of any major economy.
"Taxpayer Investment"
Tolls have their place, but reducing "taxpayer investment" means "giving revenue stream to private companies."
It continues an aggressive approach to transportation improvements that spans several administrations. Leaders in the administration and the General Assembly — in both parties — have shown a willingness to negotiate and compromise. They are open to enlisting private partners to cut the taxpayer investment.I have been surprised that there hasn't been more toll backlash generally.
Sunday, July 03, 2016
All Empires Crumble
And the British (UK) empire is about to crumble yet again. Don't think the Tories understand that no one else in the EU (the powers that be, not necessarily the people) gives a crap about whether the UK is in or out. Give me everything I want or I'll run away and you'll miss me!!! didn't work very well when I was 6. It won't work very well for the UK now either. Give us all of the EU benefits and the unique uniliteral power to nullify anything we don't like or we're out!!! Don't let the door, yada yada, and by the way we're keeping Scotland and Northern Ireland...
Yah, good luck with that. I cannot believe that dastardly Jeremy Corbyn conned the Tories into doing this! His evil superpowers have no limit!
Yah, good luck with that. I cannot believe that dastardly Jeremy Corbyn conned the Tories into doing this! His evil superpowers have no limit!
What Rises To The Top
One depressing thing to me is how seemingly horrible and incompetent people manage to rise to the top. A related issue is how do horrible and incompetent people get along with each other? Why do they let each other in to their own clubs?
Who's The Boss
Follow the politics, to varying degrees, of other countries, it's pretty clear that contempt for democracy is a pretty a standard feature. There are the people who have been elected to run their countries, who at least play along with that quaint system whatever they happened to think about it. There are the people who probably really do run the country, those who have way way too much power, through various means, despite not being elected in a notionally democratic system. Then there are the people who believe they should run the country, who get confused when power isn't just handed to them. Often they have supporters in the media who also think these people should run the country. I follow UK politics enough and the country might fall because Jeremy Corbyn (does not actually run the government) is hurting the feefees of a bunch of Labour MPs I've barely heard of. Apparently this means Corbyn lacks leadership, and not that these people are incapable of doing anything but whining.
Saturday, July 02, 2016
It's Really Happening
Trump is going to be the Republican nominee for president. There's going to be a convention. I might actually watch it.
Eschaton World Industries Stadium
I've never understood the whole stadium branding thing, either from the perspective of the buyers or from the teams that sell the naming rights. [Insert random bank or other corporate name here] Stadium doesn't really seem to be great branding for either, especially when the banks change hands and names every couple of years. Maybe that era is coming to an end.
Tickets to watch U.S. professional football team the Denver Broncos, the winners of the 2016 Super Bowl, may be a hot commodity, but an auction for their stadium's naming rights ended this week without any bids being received.
The stadium in Denver is called Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium, named after the eponymous sporting goods retailer in 2011. However, Sports Authority filed for bankruptcy in March and put the naming rights up for sale as part of a court-supervised auction.
Concessions
I do wonder how long the UK is going to try to convince itself that the rest of the EU is going to go along with this "free mobility for me but not for thee" thing. What do you mean I can't go wherever I want? Get the hell out of our country, Poles!
Friday, July 01, 2016
A Few Beatings Break Up The Monotony
Several years ago, sometime after 9/11, I was going through immigration back into the US and someone, obviously an excited tourist, had pulled out her digital camera (yes, back when we took pictures with dedicated cameras and not phones) and started taking pictures. Again, she was clearly an excited tourist, and it's a bit difficult to see how taking pictures of an immigration line is going to aid some major terrorist plot.
Rules are rules, but they treated her like she had just escaped from a SuperMAX. They could have nicely brought her aside, asked her to delete the pictures, and sent her on her way, but they put on their asshole suits right away (no I am not claiming that there were beatings). You might remember that at this time the security regulations US airports were changing about every 3 days and it's not as if most people, especially foreigners, are exactly aware of what the latest and greatest versions are. I never am and I live in the US.
They gotta know their job is mostly bullshit. What's a little bullshit without a bit of fun to keep it lively?
Rules are rules, but they treated her like she had just escaped from a SuperMAX. They could have nicely brought her aside, asked her to delete the pictures, and sent her on her way, but they put on their asshole suits right away (no I am not claiming that there were beatings). You might remember that at this time the security regulations US airports were changing about every 3 days and it's not as if most people, especially foreigners, are exactly aware of what the latest and greatest versions are. I never am and I live in the US.
They gotta know their job is mostly bullshit. What's a little bullshit without a bit of fun to keep it lively?
Strangely Not The Issue
Accidents involving self-driving car features are inevitable. Yes I always say self-driving cars won't work, but cruise control+ type features do exist some and presumably will get better and more elaborate, whether or not that's a good idea. What won't work is the fantasy of a completely automated system operating within a fleet of those old-fashioned cars. What did we call them? Oh, yes, cars. The push a button to summon it and tell it wherever you want it to go version.
Oddly I don't think think safety is really the hurdle. Sure it'd be easier to make these things if safety wasn't a concern at all, but programming them not to hit things or be hit is probably the easiest thing to do, even if that is unlikely to work perfectly either. I just don't think they'll work as promised. They'll do something, they just won't do what their proponents claim they will do, or anything close enough to it. They're the next Segway revolution. What they can do is neato, just ultimately not all that useful.
Oddly I don't think think safety is really the hurdle. Sure it'd be easier to make these things if safety wasn't a concern at all, but programming them not to hit things or be hit is probably the easiest thing to do, even if that is unlikely to work perfectly either. I just don't think they'll work as promised. They'll do something, they just won't do what their proponents claim they will do, or anything close enough to it. They're the next Segway revolution. What they can do is neato, just ultimately not all that useful.
Jersey Doesn't Really Need Any Roads
While this car hater probably isn't a big fan of all of these projects, Christie's gonna have fun sending his state into a recession. That's the kind of bold action that sends starbursts up the legs of pundits.
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Gov. Chris Christie raised the stakes in a debate over hiking the state's gas tax by ordering the shutdown of transportation trust fund projects in a late-night executive order on Thursday.
The deadline to replenish New Jersey's fund for road, bridge and transit work came and went with no deal reached by the Republican governor and Democratic lawmakers, so Christie issued an executive order calling for state transportation officials to develop a plan to shut down projects by 11:59 p.m. Saturday.
Just Taking A Break
Not rooting for this to fail - though it's a really stupid project - but something hasn't sounded right about this project from the beginning.
Seattle’s giant tunneling machine Bertha is once again paused for maintenance, though officials are hard pressed to make any guesses on how long until workers get to the cutter head and start assessing its wear and tear.
...
Because they don’t yet know what workers will find when they start looking at the cutter head, it’s anybody’s guess how long the work will take, Dixon said.
“It takes as long as it’s going to take,” he said, though similar maintenance at the last stop took six weeks.