iSurf Social | Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) @ iSurf Social

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 1 day ago friendica

Wow. Sometimes, you do get what you paid for. I play harmonica from time to time and have always gone with the "standard", the Hohner Marine Band, which today costs around $40. I wanted a harp in the key of A so I decided to go with the top-of-the-line -- the Hohner Marine Band Crossover, which has various improvements over the 1896 design. You only live once, right?

This is an instrument where Hohner basically kept the same instrument but "fixed" all the things they felt needed fixing. It's put together with screws instead of nails so you can open it up. The comb is bamboo, not pear wood, so it's completely unaffected by moisture. You can play it for hours without it changing tone.

Holy shit! What a machine. It's totally better, totally worth 80 bucks. The extra hand craftsmanship is obvious. As soon as you put it in your mouth, you notice it's really different. It feels like it belongs there. It doesn't feel like a foreign object in your mouth. Everything is smoothed off, no sharp edges anywhere. And the sound is awesome, and it's not as loud and raucous as a standa... show more

2 people like this

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 1 day ago friendica

The End of ICE

No, no, not that ICE. A different ICE.

Well, well. There it is. Europe has already been moving in this direction. As usual, California leads the way to the future in America.

Governor Newsom announced that as of Jan 1, 2035, it we be illegal to sell gasoline or diesel powered vehicles in California. Since California is, by far, the largest auto market in the USA, this will drive it. After all, today's low-pollution, high MPG, safe, seatbelt-equipped, airbag-equipped vehicles are all a result of California leading the way and forcing Detroit to improve its products.

By the way, Ford Motor Company chimed in, in full support of Newsom's announcement, saying they were already in the process of electrifying their most popular products, including the F-150.

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Violante de Rojas 1 day ago • diaspora

...15 years in the future...and we all have to survive THIS YEAR these days....

I can wait for this happening.

After all, when I was a kid there was such crap called 'Leaded Gasoline' and I can still remember the panic, horror, tales of the Apocalypse that went on when leaded gas was outlawed...

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Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 1 day ago friendica

Yup. I remember it well. Later, I learned some facts about the horrific pollution to the environment of the whole USA caused by lead in gasoline. It was mind-blowing. The Mississippi drains an enormous area of the USA. I don't remember details but the river was moving millions of tons of contaminated soil every year. 50 years later, it's subsided to more normal levels.

At the time, I was building cars, engines, and a drag boat, and not very environmentally conscious. I was not happy. Engines today are engineered to run on unleaded. Mainly the valves and seats have to be made of more exotic materials because of the lack of tetraethyl lead. In addition to boosting octane rating, the lead provided lubrication. The lead lubricated the valves.

For a while in the 1970s, I used illegal methods to lay hands on high-octane (108-110) aviation gas, which was still leaded. I had a connection at Santa Monica Airport, just a few blocks from my shop. That's what I ran in my boat (AA/Gas flatbottom).

If you ran unleaded in a 1960s vintage engine, it would burn the valves. And, c... show more

tomgrz 1 day ago • diaspora

Yay!!!

nilajones 1 day ago • diaspora

️❤️ @Violante de Rojas

@Violante de Rojas

lambjams 15 hours ago • diaspora

@shuttersparks@social.isurf.ca yeah - it's interesting the level of coordination in the shift to unleaded. I remember they made the pump nozzles a different size, so you couldn't put leaded in the newer cars. (had to double-check that). Regarding the California situation - I can remember when the fog in San Francisco was smog - a nasty yellowish color. People outside of the state don't realize how much exhaust accumulates in the valleys, creating a toxic brew. I haven't heard the latest, but I recall that the current administration rescinded the exemption that let California set their own standards. Even if the US decides to lower standards, the rest of the world is moving forward.*
*Australia seems to have low standards for air quality... I worked for a few months as a school crossing guard. On the days with no breeze, you really notice the difference between clean and dirty diesel engines, cars that aren't visibly smoking but by smell are obviously burning oil, and it seems many cars emit a significant amount of vaporized fuel out the exhaust before the engine is warmed up.

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Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 6 hours ago friendica

All true. And yes, both gas and diesel engines have to run a rich mixture until the engine warms up. With computer controlled engines in cars, it's much less than in the 1960s and 70s.

Here's a funny fact, my Toyota Corolla outside could run on the exhaust from my "hotrod" back in the day. Yeah. Hahaha.

You've probably seen a big diesel like a semi-tractor or locomotive cold-start and emit a large amount of white fog from the exhaust for a couple of minutes as it warms up. That white fog is unburned diesel fuel. Sometimes you get lucky and the fog will ignite with a big flame-front -- WHOOSH! Hahaha.

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 2 days ago friendica

So, in other words, Facebook suspects / expects unrest and even violence during the election. Facebook knows that it's allowing gasoline to be sprayed onto the developing conflict. But, they promise to turn off the gasoline after it explodes.

That's very nice of them. I'd like to know how they plan to do that, exactly -- vet and regulate millions of users and fake bot accounts. Shut down the whole platform?

Facebook Vows To Restrict Users if US Election Descends Into Chaos - Slashdot

Facebook has said it will take aggressive and exceptional measures to "restrict the circulation of content" on its platform if November's presidential election descends into chaos or violent civic unrest [the link may be paywalled; alternative source…

^{tech.slashdot.org}

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Joseph Hogan 2 days ago friendica (via ActivityPub)

A bit late if the chaos has started....

Actions should be taken before hand to limit destructive exchanges, and sharing of destructive information.

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Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 1 day ago friendica

Unless it's your intention to foment that chaos and unrest.

Joseph Hogan 1 day ago friendica

We all know that chaos tends to incite people to spill lots of virtual ink, as it does for real ink. Moore visitors/viewers, more selling of advertising... :(

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Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 6 hours ago friendica

Yes, indeed. I believe this is why the media / newspapers in the USA gave Trump a lot more support than he deserved. They knew he would be a nightmare for the country, but would provide an endless torrent of controversy and scandal for them to talk about.

Doc Edward Morbius 2 hours ago • diaspora

@Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) You don't have to believe, they've said it out loud. Then-CBS CEO Les Moonves speaking at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference on February 29, 2016:

Man, who would have expected the ride we’re all having right now? This is pretty amazing…. Who would have thought that this circus would come to town?

But, you know—it may not be good for America, but it’s damn good for CBS, that’s all I got to say.

So what can I say? It’s—you know, the money’s rolling in, and this is fun.

https://theintercept.com/2016/02/29/cbs-donald-trump/

@Phil Landmeier (ᚠ)

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 2 days ago friendica

So this would apply to Donald Trump, since he's the head of his organization, which sponsors thousands of visas for the workers in his hotels, etc. Yes? He must report for full biometric scans that the government will keep forever.

Trump Pushes To Reap Biometric Data From Immigrants, Americans - Slashdot

Six million would-be U.S. immigrants face expanded collection of their biometric data, including iris scans, palm-, and voice-prints, facial recognition images, and DNA, under a proposed federal rule.

^{yro.slashdot.org}

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Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 4 days ago friendica

Here is an excellent little story answering a question on Quora. It illustrates the frightening disconnect that can exist between engineers and the people who use products -- like between cockpit designers and pilots. This article should make you gasp. It made me gasp.

John Tringali's answer to We hear reports of pilots' failing to understand a situation: 'They didn't realize the auto pilot was engaged…' or similar. Why aren't complex aircraft equipped with annunciators alerting pilots in plain language, not just tones and lights? - Quora

^qr.ae

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Karl Auerbach 4 days ago • diaspora

Some years back spent an afternoon over at NASA Ames on their flight simulators for things like the 747 and 757 - which was interesting given that my piloting skills are limited to a few informal hours in a Cesna 150. These were full bore, fully accurate, serious simulators up on twenty foot hydraulic stilts. And let's just say that I did a lot of (simulated) damage to a 747 on repeated (failed) attempts to land at SFO. (A bit later I took up a 757 simulator and said "what the hell" and tried to get it to elicit as many warnings as I could as I carved deep grooves and holes into fields outside of Chicago.)

(They wouldn't let us play with the helicopter simulators because they were capable of something like 60 feet of vertical motion.)

One of the simulators was fairly devoid of stuff - it was intended to be a platform for testing different cockpit layouts. (It was configured for the Mars flyer at the time.) The operator mentioned that there are a lot of flaws in many cockpit designs, and called out especially one of the very common Airbus models. He didn't go into detail... show more

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Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 4 days ago friendica

That's way cool. Professional flight simulators have always been cool but I've never had the opportunity to get inside one.

Because of some work I was doing in the late 70s, I had to gain expertise at graphics programming and hardware, and was sent to Evans & Sutherland for a crash course. Flight simulation displays were in development everywhere there. I saw breathtaking graphics for that time, destined for flight simulators. I can just imagine what they are like today.

But yeah, jeez, I guess I'm a weirdo. I was always pushing "human factors" with anything I worked on. For a device or system to be useful it has to be usable. I found that article up there downright terrifying. Unbelievable. Especially since USAF has a reputation for being human factors experts. I don't know what to think.

Karl Auerbach 4 days ago • diaspora

@Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) - That day on the simulators was quite an event, but it was a one-time thing. I was just lucky to be in the right place at the right time to get the call to "come on over and play".

I am greatly disappointed by modern automotive control design.

Our Tesla M3 tries to be cool with its big (reflective) touch screen - but it is awful as an information display or control panel. It uses the fashionable but terrible grey-font-on-grey-background style, with small font sizes. And it is like Apple in that you need to discover the cutsy function - like moving the air vent directions requires you to touch on the animated air flow graphics displayed on the screen. It can not be read quickly - one has to often take eyes off of the road.

These displays, like a lot of web pages, seem designed by 18 year olds with perfect vision for use by 19 year olds with perfect vision. Some of the Tesla display stuff requires me to change my glasses from distance to reading (which is, of course, impossible while driving.)

I was utterly shocked on my old BMW to discover that many of the dash board displays were polarized - they would vanish if viewed through sunglasses with the wrong polarity.

I much prefer actual physical knobs and levers for important stuff - with highly distinctive tactile differences. For the less important stuff I want extremely high contrast and fonts/graphics so big that I can read 'em instantly with a glance.

Audible alarms must have visual descriptions of what the silly tone means.

Tesla's displays are an "accident" waiting to happen. I'm not sure how much better other manufacturers are - I saw some photos from Volvo's new EV and it looks far better than the Tesla display.

When I used to be involved in racing we would rotate the dials on the gauges so that "correct" was straight up. That way we could easily spot something going awry even without knowing immediately which gauge it was.

But my most hated aspect of modern automotive control panel - the high beam indicator! They are bright blue and right in my face. That is stupid. I'm on high beams because it is dark and I want to see what's out there. I don't need a big blue LED destroying my night vision and being a general distraction.

@Phil Landmeier (ᚠ)

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Rob Anybody 4 days ago • diaspora

@Karl Auerbach I agree with all you said. But this...

But my most hated aspect of modern automotive control panel - the high beam indicator! They are bright blue and right in my face. That is stupid. I’m on high beams because it is dark and I want to see what’s out there. I don’t need a big blue LED destroying my night vision and being a general distraction.

Definitely wins the prize from me, also. The idea is just downright stupid and incredibly annoying.

@Karl Auerbach

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Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 3 days ago friendica

Yep, and bright blue has been the norm for ages, long before LEDs. American cars always had tiny red indicators. The blue originated in Europe, I think. My 1969 VW Fastback, purchased in Frankfurt, Germany, had a bright blue indicator. So I guess I've hated this "feature" now for 50 years.

lambjams 3 days ago • diaspora

Wow - I think I remember a vehicle with a tiny red light for brights indicator, or something similar. And I can definitely recall vehicles where I had to flip between high and low to figure out what it was set on, because there was no indicator or it was not very visible? And yes, also on a motorcycle I've been annoyed by the excessively bright blue high-beam indicator, as well as excessively bright turn signal indicators. Sadly, most motorcycles have no audible indicators for turn signals, and the indicator lights are difficult to see in the daytime - which is why you see so many motorcycles driving with their signal on.

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 3 days ago friendica

Oh, yeah. Same here. On my last bike I put black electrical tape over the blue light. Just the leakage of light onto the speedo was more than sufficient.

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 5 days ago friendica

This is an excellent little snippet from STTNG that I love. Yes, it's simple, obvious, predictable, and I love it anyway. It's also true.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJEASGxR5yw

^{www.youtube.com}

5 people like this

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 5 days ago friendica

Randy Jordan

2020-09-19 21:30:35

5 people like this

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 6 days ago friendica

Dean Barnett

2020-09-19 15:03:51

This is the best.

3 people like this

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 1 week ago friendica

@Karl Auerbach

The only completely intact cave bear mummy has been found. All organs, everything, intact.

Cave bear mummy discovered in Siberia still has its internal organs, fur and black nose

Only adult cave bear bones have been found until now.

^{www.livescience.com}

@Karl Auerbach

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Karl Auerbach 1 week ago • diaspora

I saw that the other day. But I couldn't figure out a way to talk about it.

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 1 week ago friendica

Yeah, most people here probably aren't aware of the association. I thought you'd get a kick out of it. When I saw the article, I immediately thought of you.

Also, there's nothing wrong with self-promotion. Nobody else is going to do it.

Karl Auerbach 1 week ago • diaspora

Right now I'm trying to promote my piece on executive powers:

Our New Reconstruction

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 1 week ago friendica

Do a post. I'm sure you've seen my occasional bouts of shameless self-promotion about the masks I make. Lmao.

Karl Auerbach 1 week ago • diaspora

@Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) - I've mentioned it several times here and on Twitter.

@Phil Landmeier (ᚠ)

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Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 1 week ago friendica

I missed the others. I have it marked for reading later tonight when I get caught up.

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 1 week ago friendica

Well, well. Quite an excellent piece of work. I pretty much agree with all of it, but have some comments. And, it's not something I can address with an off-hand response. Unfortunately, the next two days will be long stretches at the restaurant, doing the restaurant thing, feeding the hungry masses. I also have to get more Italian flag masks done ASAP. People keep buying out my inventory. Hahaha. However, after all that, I'll have time to think through a response and will post your article on my "stream" or whatever it's called on Friendica.

Nice work, by the way. It's clear that you thought it through very carefully. My issues are not with what you said but with deeper underlying problems that have to be fixed before what you propose is possible or even meaningful. Anyway, I'll get to it.

Karl Auerbach 7 days ago • diaspora

@Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) - I've got several other pieces in the works. The next one may be about how to deal with lifetime appointments to federal courts - there are solutions, completely legal and completely possible with no change to much of anything.

@Phil Landmeier (ᚠ)

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Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 2 weeks ago friendica

I would much rather celebrate the greatness of today, but I cannot, because there is none.

Consider this performance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLP0y-X4uYs

^{www.youtube.com}

This is actual music. It's not just human speech barked out in a rhythmic fashion. It's music, with melody, harmony, chord progressions, techniques like pedal points that appeal to the human soul, and much more. It lifts us. It feeds the human spirit. It electrifies us.

There is none of that today in the popular genres of music: rock, metal, country, rap, hip-hop, reggae. All of them have become degraded to the level of idiocy.

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Bill Brayman 1 week ago diaspora

@Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) Airplay? I haven't listened to something on the radio is ages, lol. Yeah commercial music is probably selected differently today. But the world has moved on. There are thousands of stations, they're just on the internet. Thousands, probably millions more recording artists today. Not sure i'd apply the same standards now. I don't know if the music is better today or yesterday, but what i've heard i wouldn't be too quick to dismiss modern music in general. It's pretty hard to judge contemporary art, time will tell.

@Phil Landmeier (ᚠ)

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Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 1 week ago friendica

Well, people listen to the radio when they drive. Millions of people spend hours in their car every day. That was how we in the 60s and 70s were exposed to such an enormous array of great music and new artists were discovered. Hits were born out of popularity at radio stations, where people would call in and request, by the thousands.

Today, all the radio stations, except for a handful still privately owned, are owned by two corporations, who determine what is played. It's preprogrammed by computer.

Back in the day, each DJ at each station had a personality known to the listeners and would play stuff they liked and that people requested.

Since there's no good music to listen to anymore, people listen to Rush Limbaugh.

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 2 weeks ago friendica

My daughter sent this tonight from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. She says it's hard to breathe from all the smoke.

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Icarus Anne Riley 1 week ago • friendica

just so it's clear: the US West Coast is NOT burning because of riots or any of that bullshit. It's forest fires burning out of control. Possibly some were started by arson, but most likely either lightning, fireworks or some dickhead who didn’t know how to extinguish a campfire.

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Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 1 week ago friendica

Ah, another resource up there. Thank you.

I've become quite fond of the first one: https://fire.airnow.gov/

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 2 weeks ago friendica

Montana yesterday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7fqT8UWDt0

^{www.youtube.com}

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Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 2 weeks ago friendica

So, I appear to be falling in love with Julia.

No, no, not a girl -- the programming language. I haven't fallen in love with a programming language since encountering C back in the mists of the last century, 42 years ago.

Just thought I'd mention this. If you're a programmer and haven't looked at Julia, you might want to take a look.

4 people like this

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 3 weeks ago friendica

Hmm. Friendica was running slower and slower, and now appears to have halted.

Anyone else with this problem? My connection is running at a steady 40 Mb.

Lisa Stranger 2 weeks ago diaspora

Your profile pic is missing... related?

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 2 weeks ago friendica

Possibly. I still see it. I'm talking to Adam about it. There is a problem and he's trying to track it down. It may only affect certain users.

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 3 weeks ago friendica

In case it's not yet completely clear...

Sen. Cory Gardner attends maskless gun range BBQ with Republican official in 'Kill em all' shirt

Despite consistent recommendations from healthcare officials in the U.S. for individuals to wear masks and avoid large gatherings in an effort to decrease the spread of the novel coronavirus, some Americans continue to do otherwise. Republicans...

^{www.dailykos.com}

5 people like this

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 3 weeks ago friendica

Here's some music that might make you feel better...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPJSoxHEFcU

^{www.youtube.com}

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 3 weeks ago friendica

Bob Lai likes this.

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 3 weeks ago friendica

mudhooks

2020-09-05 20:14:12

Why are troops turning away from Trump?

Maybe because...

• ⁠In May 2020, the White House ended National Guard deployments one day before they could claim benefits

• ⁠The Trump admin seized 5 million masks intended for VA hospitals. Kushner distributes these masks to private entities for a fee, who then sells the masks to the government

• ⁠Trump fired the captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt after he warned superiors that COVID19 was spreading among his crew. The virus subsequently spread amongst the crew.

• ⁠After Iran's retaliatory strike, 109 US troops suffered brain injuries. Trump dismissed these as "headaches"

• ⁠On July 20, 2017, in room 2E924 of the Pentagon, Trump told a room full of Generals, "You’re a bunch of dopes and babies"

• ⁠Pardoned multiple war criminals, which stomped on long standing military values, discipline, and command. Trump has no military experience (May&Nov, 2019)

• ⁠Trump mocked Lt. Col. Vindman for his rank and uniform. He threatened said purple heart officer, resulting in the Army providing him protection

• ⁠Trump’s Chief of Staff worked—in secret—to deny comprehensive health coverage to Vietnam Vets who suffered from Agent Orange.

• ⁠There is a facility in Tijuana for US veterans that Trump deported. Wounded war vet, Sen Duckworth (D) marked Veterans Day 2019 by visiting this facility

• ⁠Russia took control of the main U.S. military facility in Syria abandoned on Trump’s orders. Russia now owns the airstrip we built

• ⁠On Oct 7, 2019, Trump abruptly withdrew support from America's allies in Syria after a phone call with Turkey's president (Erdogan). Turkey subsequently bombed US Special Forces.

• ⁠Trump sent thousands of American troops to defend the oil assets of the country that perpetrated 9/11

• ⁠In Sept 2019, he made an Air Force cargo crew, flying from the U.S. to Kuwait stop in Scotland (where there's no U.S. base) to refuel at a commercial airport (where it costs more), so they could stay overnight at a Trump property (which isn't close to the airport). Trump’s golf courses are losing money, so he's forcing the military to pay for 5-star nights there.

• ⁠In Sept, 2019, Pentagon pulled funds for military schools, military housing funds, and daycare to pay for Trump's border wall.

• ⁠In Aug, 2019, emails revealed that three of Trump's Mar-a-Lago pals, who are now running Veterans Affairs, are rampant with meddling. "They had no experience in veterans affairs (none of them even served in the military) nor underwent any kind of approval process to serve as de facto managers. Yet, with Trump’s approval, they directed actions and criticized operations without any oversight. They wasted valuable staff time in hundreds of pages of communications and meetings, emails show. Emails reveal disdainful attitudes within the department to the trio’s meddling."

• ⁠Veterans graves will be "dug up" for the border wall, after Trump instructed aides to seize private property. Trump told officials he would pardon them if they break the law by illegally seizing property

• ⁠Children of deployed US troops are no longer guaranteed citizenship. This includes US troops posted abroad for years at a time (August 28, 2019)

• ⁠On Aug 2, 2019, Trump requisitioned military retirement funds towards border wall

• ⁠On July 31, 2019, Trump ordered the Navy rescind medals to prosecutors who were prosecuted war criminals

• ⁠Trump denied a U.S. Marine of 6 years entry into the United States for his citizenship interview (Reported July 17, 2019)

• ⁠Trump made the U.S. Navy Blue Angels violate ethics rules by having them fly at his July 4th political campaign event (July 4, 2019)

• ⁠Trump demanded US military chiefs stand next to him at 4th of July parade (reported July 2, 2019)

• ⁠In June, 2019, Trump sent troops to the border to paint the fence for a better "aesthetic appearance"

• ⁠Trump used his D-Day interview at a cemetery commemorating fallen US soldiers to attack a Vietnam veteran (June 6, 2019)

• ⁠Trump started his D-Day commemoration speech by attacking a private citizen (Bette Midler, of all people) (reported on June 4th, 2019)

• ⁠Trump made his 2nd wife, Marla Maples, sign a prenup that would have cut off all child support if Tiffany joined the military (reported June 4th, 2019)

• ⁠On May 27, 2019, Trump turned away US military from his Memorial Day speech because they were from the destroyer USS John S. McCain

• ⁠Trump ordered the USS John McCain out of sight during his visit to Japan (May 15, 2019). The ship's name was subsequently covered. (May 27, 2019)

• ⁠Trump purged 200,000 vets' healthcare applications (due to known administrative errors within VA’s enrollment system) (reported on May 13, 2019)

• ⁠Trump deported a spouse of fallen Army soldier killed in Afghanistan, leaving their daughter parentless (April 16, 2019)

• ⁠On March 20, 2019, Trump complained that a deceased war hero didn't thank him for his funeral

• ⁠Between 12/22/2018, and 1/25/2019, Trump refused to sign his party's funding bill, which shut down the government, forcing the Coast Guard to go without pay, which made service members rely on food pantries. However, his appointees got a ,000 pay raise

• ⁠He banned service members from serving based on gender identity (1/22/2019)

• ⁠He denied female troops access to birth control to limit sexual activity (on-going. Published Jan 18, 2019)

• ⁠He tried to deport a marine vet who is a U.S.-born citizen (Jan 16, 2019)

• ⁠When a man was caught swindling veterans pensions for high-interest “cash advances," Trump's Consumer Financial Protection Bureau fined him author='mudhooks' profile='https://pluspora.com/u/mudhooks' avatar='https://social.isurf.ca/photo/16870928625bbcf6777a976517075951-5.jpg?ts=1599344173' link='https://pluspora.com/posts/49c5f640d1e20138fe46005056264835' posted='2020-09-05 20:14:12' guid='49c5f640d1e20138fe46005056264835' (Jan 26, 2019)

• ⁠He called a retired general a 'dog' with a 'big, dumb mouth' (Jan 1, 2019)

• ⁠He increased privatization of the VA, leading to longer waits and higher taxpayer cost (2018)

• ⁠He finally visited troops 2 years after taking office, but only after 154 vacation days at his properties (Dec 26, 2018)

• ⁠He revealed a covert Seal Team 5 deployment, including names and faces, on Twitter during his visit to Iraq (Dec 26, 2018)

• ⁠Trump lied to deployed troops that he gave them a 10% raise (12/26/2018). He tried giving the military a raise that was lower than the standard living adjustment. Congress told him that idea wasn't going to work. Then after giving them the raise that Congress made him, he lied about it pretending that it was larger than Obama's. It wasn't.

• ⁠He fired service members living with HIV just before the 2018 holidays

• ⁠He tried to slash disability and unemployment benefits for Veterans to [share author='mudhooks' profile='https://pluspora.com/u/mudhooks' avatar='https://social.isurf.ca/photo/16870928625bbcf6777a976517075951-5.jpg?ts=1599344173' link='https://pluspora.com/posts/49c5f640d1e20138fe46005056264835' posted='2020-09-05 20:14:12' guid='49c5f640d1e20138fe46005056264835']Why are troops turning away from Trump?

Maybe because...

• ⁠In May 2020, the White House ended National Guard deployments one day before they could claim benefits

• ⁠The Trump admin seized 5 million masks intended for VA hospitals. Kushner distributes these masks to private entities for a fee, who then sells the masks to the government

• ⁠Trump fired the captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt after he warned superiors that COVID19 was spreading among his crew. The virus subsequently spread amongst the crew.

• ⁠After Iran's retaliatory strike, 109 US troops suffered brain injuries. Trump dismissed these as "headaches"

• ⁠On July 20, 2017, in room 2E924 of the Pentagon, Trump told a room full of Generals, "You’re a bunch of dopes and babies"

• ⁠Pardoned multiple war criminals, which stomped on long standing military values, discipline, and command. Trump has no military experience (May&Nov, 2019)

• ⁠Trump mocked Lt. Col. Vindman for his rank and uniform. He threatened said purple heart officer, resulting in the Army providing him protection

• ⁠Trump’s Chief of Staff worked—in secret—to deny comprehensive health coverage to Vietnam Vets who suffered from Agent Orange.

• ⁠There is a facility in Tijuana for US veterans that Trump deported. Wounded war vet, Sen Duckworth (D) marked Veterans Day 2019 by visiting this facility

• ⁠Russia took control of the main U.S. military facility in Syria abandoned on Trump’s orders. Russia now owns the airstrip we built

• ⁠On Oct 7, 2019, Trump abruptly withdrew support from America's allies in Syria after a phone call with Turkey's president (Erdogan). Turkey subsequently bombed US Special Forces.

• ⁠Trump sent thousands of American troops to defend the oil assets of the country that perpetrated 9/11

• ⁠In Sept 2019, he made an Air Force cargo crew, flying from the U.S. to Kuwait stop in Scotland (where there's no U.S. base) to refuel at a commercial airport (where it costs more), so they could stay overnight at a Trump property (which isn't close to the airport). Trump’s golf courses are losing money, so he's forcing the military to pay for 5-star nights there.

• ⁠In Sept, 2019, Pentagon pulled funds for military schools, military housing funds, and daycare to pay for Trump's border wall.

• ⁠In Aug, 2019, emails revealed that three of Trump's Mar-a-Lago pals, who are now running Veterans Affairs, are rampant with meddling. "They had no experience in veterans affairs (none of them even served in the military) nor underwent any kind of approval process to serve as de facto managers. Yet, with Trump’s approval, they directed actions and criticized operations without any oversight. They wasted valuable staff time in hundreds of pages of communications and meetings, emails show. Emails reveal disdainful attitudes within the department to the trio’s meddling."

• ⁠Veterans graves will be "dug up" for the border wall, after Trump instructed aides to seize private property. Trump told officials he would pardon them if they break the law by illegally seizing property

• ⁠Children of deployed US troops are no longer guaranteed citizenship. This includes US troops posted abroad for years at a time (August 28, 2019)

• ⁠On Aug 2, 2019, Trump requisitioned military retirement funds towards border wall

• ⁠On July 31, 2019, Trump ordered the Navy rescind medals to prosecutors who were prosecuted war criminals

• ⁠Trump denied a U.S. Marine of 6 years entry into the United States for his citizenship interview (Reported July 17, 2019)

• ⁠Trump made the U.S. Navy Blue Angels violate ethics rules by having them fly at his July 4th political campaign event (July 4, 2019)

• ⁠Trump demanded US military chiefs stand next to him at 4th of July parade (reported July 2, 2019)

• ⁠In June, 2019, Trump sent troops to the border to paint the fence for a better "aesthetic appearance"

• ⁠Trump used his D-Day interview at a cemetery commemorating fallen US soldiers to attack a Vietnam veteran (June 6, 2019)

• ⁠Trump started his D-Day commemoration speech by attacking a private citizen (Bette Midler, of all people) (reported on June 4th, 2019)

• ⁠Trump made his 2nd wife, Marla Maples, sign a prenup that would have cut off all child support if Tiffany joined the military (reported June 4th, 2019)

• ⁠On May 27, 2019, Trump turned away US military from his Memorial Day speech because they were from the destroyer USS John S. McCain

• ⁠Trump ordered the USS John McCain out of sight during his visit to Japan (May 15, 2019). The ship's name was subsequently covered. (May 27, 2019)

• ⁠Trump purged 200,000 vets' healthcare applications (due to known administrative errors within VA’s enrollment system) (reported on May 13, 2019)

• ⁠Trump deported a spouse of fallen Army soldier killed in Afghanistan, leaving their daughter parentless (April 16, 2019)

• ⁠On March 20, 2019, Trump complained that a deceased war hero didn't thank him for his funeral

• ⁠Between 12/22/2018, and 1/25/2019, Trump refused to sign his party's funding bill, which shut down the government, forcing the Coast Guard to go without pay, which made service members rely on food pantries. However, his appointees got a $10,000 pay raise

• ⁠He banned service members from serving based on gender identity (1/22/2019)

• ⁠He denied female troops access to birth control to limit sexual activity (on-going. Published Jan 18, 2019)

• ⁠He tried to deport a marine vet who is a U.S.-born citizen (Jan 16, 2019)

• ⁠When a man was caught swindling veterans pensions for high-interest “cash advances," Trump's Consumer Financial Protection Bureau fined him $1 (Jan 26, 2019)

• ⁠He called a retired general a 'dog' with a 'big, dumb mouth' (Jan 1, 2019)

• ⁠He increased privatization of the VA, leading to longer waits and higher taxpayer cost (2018)

• ⁠He finally visited troops 2 years after taking office, but only after 154 vacation days at his properties (Dec 26, 2018)

• ⁠He revealed a covert Seal Team 5 deployment, including names and faces, on Twitter during his visit to Iraq (Dec 26, 2018)

• ⁠Trump lied to deployed troops that he gave them a 10% raise (12/26/2018). He tried giving the military a raise that was lower than the standard living adjustment. Congress told him that idea wasn't going to work. Then after giving them the raise that Congress made him, he lied about it pretending that it was larger than Obama's. It wasn't.

• ⁠He fired service members living with HIV just before the 2018 holidays

• ⁠He tried to slash disability and unemployment benefits for Veterans to $0, and eliminate the unemployability extrascheduler rating (Dec 17, 2018)

• ⁠He called troops on Thanksgiving and told them he's most thankful for himself (Thanksgiving, 2018)

• ⁠He urged Florida to not count deployed military votes (Nov 12, 2018)

• ⁠He canceled an Arlington Cemetery visit on Veterans Day due to light rain (Nov 12, 2018)

• ⁠While in Europe commemorating the end of WWI, he didn't attend the ceremony at a US cemetery due to the rain -- other world leaders went anyway (Nov 10, 2018)

• ⁠He used troops as a political prop by sending them on a phantom mission to the border and made them miss Thanksgiving with their families (Oct-Dec, 2018)

• ⁠He stopped using troops as a political prop immediately after the election. However, the troops remained in muddy camps on the border (Nov 7, 2018)

• ⁠Trump changed the GI Bill through his Forever GI Act, causing the VA to miss veteran benefits, including housing allowances. This caused many vets to run out of food and rent. (reported October 7, 2018)

• ⁠Trump doubled the rejection rate for veterans requesting family deportation protections (July 5, 2018)

• ⁠Trump deported active-duty spouses (11,800 military families face this problem as of April 2018)

• ⁠He forgot a fallen soldier's name (below) during a call to his pregnant widow, then attacked her the next day (Oct 23-24, 2017)

• ⁠He sent commandos into an ambush due to a lack of intel, and sends contractors to pick them up, resulting in a commando being left behind, tortured, and executed. (Trump approved the mission because Bannon told him Obama didn't have the guts to do it) (Oct 4, 2017)

• ⁠He blocked a veteran group on Twitter (June 2017)

• ⁠He ordered the discharge of active-duty immigrant troops with good records (2017-present)

• ⁠He deported veterans (2017-present)

• ⁠He said he knows more about ISIS than American generals (Oct 2016)

• ⁠On Oct 3, 2016, Trump said vets get PTSD because they aren't strong (note: yes, he said it's 'because they aren't strong.' He didn't say it's 'because they're weak.' This distinction is important because of Snopes)

• ⁠Trump accepted a Purple Heart from a fan at one of his rallies and said: “I always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier.” (Aug 2, 2016)

• ⁠Trump attacks Gold Star families: Myeshia Johnson (gold star widow), Khan family (gold star parents) etc. (2016-present)

• ⁠Trump sent funds raised from a Jan 2016 veterans benefit to the Donald J Trump Foundation instead of veterans charities (the foundation has since been ordered shut because of fraud) (Jan, 2016)

• ⁠Trump said he has "more training militarily than a lot of the guys that go into the military" because he went to a military-style academy (2015 biography)

• ⁠Trump said he doesn't consider POWs heroes because they were caught. He said he prefers people who were not caught (July 18, 2015)

• ⁠Trump said having unprotected sex was his own personal Vietnam (1998)

• ⁠For a decade, Trump sought to kick veterans off of Fifth Avenue because he found them unsightly nuisances outside of Trump Tower. 1991

• ⁠Trump dodged the draft 5 times by having a doctor diagnose him with bone spurs.

• ⁠No Trump in America has ever served in the military; this spans 5 generations, and every branch of the family tree. In fact, the reason his grandfather immigrated to America was to avoid military service.[/share], and eliminate the unemployability extrascheduler rating (Dec 17, 2018)

• ⁠He called troops on Thanksgiving and told them he's most thankful for himself (Thanksgiving, 2018)

• ⁠He urged Florida to not count deployed military votes (Nov 12, 2018)

• ⁠He canceled an Arlington Cemetery visit on Veterans Day due to light rain (Nov 12, 2018)

• ⁠While in Europe commemorating the end of WWI, he didn't attend the ceremony at a US cemetery due to the rain -- other world leaders went anyway (Nov 10, 2018)

• ⁠He used troops as a political prop by sending them on a phantom mission to the border and made them miss Thanksgiving with their families (Oct-Dec, 2018)

• ⁠He stopped using troops as a political prop immediately after the election. However, the troops remained in muddy camps on the border (Nov 7, 2018)

• ⁠Trump changed the GI Bill through his Forever GI Act, causing the VA to miss veteran benefits, including housing allowances. This caused many vets to run out of food and rent. (reported October 7, 2018)

• ⁠Trump doubled the rejection rate for veterans requesting family deportation protections (July 5, 2018)

• ⁠Trump deported active-duty spouses (11,800 military families face this problem as of April 2018)

• ⁠He forgot a fallen soldier's name (below) during a call to his pregnant widow, then attacked her the next day (Oct 23-24, 2017)

• ⁠He sent commandos into an ambush due to a lack of intel, and sends contractors to pick them up, resulting in a commando being left behind, tortured, and executed. (Trump approved the mission because Bannon told him Obama didn't have the guts to do it) (Oct 4, 2017)

• ⁠He blocked a veteran group on Twitter (June 2017)

• ⁠He ordered the discharge of active-duty immigrant troops with good records (2017-present)

• ⁠He deported veterans (2017-present)

• ⁠He said he knows more about ISIS than American generals (Oct 2016)

• ⁠On Oct 3, 2016, Trump said vets get PTSD because they aren't strong (note: yes, he said it's 'because they aren't strong.' He didn't say it's 'because they're weak.' This distinction is important because of Snopes)

• ⁠Trump accepted a Purple Heart from a fan at one of his rallies and said: “I always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier.” (Aug 2, 2016)

• ⁠Trump attacks Gold Star families: Myeshia Johnson (gold star widow), Khan family (gold star parents) etc. (2016-present)

• ⁠Trump sent funds raised from a Jan 2016 veterans benefit to the Donald J Trump Foundation instead of veterans charities (the foundation has since been ordered shut because of fraud) (Jan, 2016)

• ⁠Trump said he has "more training militarily than a lot of the guys that go into the military" because he went to a military-style academy (2015 biography)

• ⁠Trump said he doesn't consider POWs heroes because they were caught. He said he prefers people who were not caught (July 18, 2015)

• ⁠Trump said having unprotected sex was his own personal Vietnam (1998)

• ⁠For a decade, Trump sought to kick veterans off of Fifth Avenue because he found them unsightly nuisances outside of Trump Tower. 1991

• ⁠Trump dodged the draft 5 times by having a doctor diagnose him with bone spurs.

• ⁠No Trump in America has ever served in the military; this spans 5 generations, and every branch of the family tree. In fact, the reason his grandfather immigrated to America was to avoid military service.

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6 comments - Show more

Nora Qudus 3 weeks ago diaspora

I thought so it will be a clash if it comes down to it....@Bob Lai I am glad I am drinking tonight or this would upset me....numbed me down enough to not care at this point.

@Bob Lai

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) likes this.

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 3 weeks ago friendica

You're probably the only smart one in this group right now.

Nora Qudus 3 weeks ago diaspora

@Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) it worked too a nice brandy and a mindless but fun game and I was good.

@Phil Landmeier (ᚠ)

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Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 3 weeks ago friendica

I don't know what it is about Stevie Winwood, whom I've been a fan of for 50 years now. He stuns me speechless with everything he does.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpU01KQIUJM

^{www.youtube.com}

4 people like this

tomgrz 3 weeks ago diaspora

One of the Greats. His musicality is legendary.

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) likes this.

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 3 weeks ago friendica

Legendary is accurate. As a musician, I have my very short list of people I'd like to spend some time with. Unfortunately, most of them are dead now. Winwood still remains on a list that is down now to Jimmy Page, Donald Fagan, Rod Argent, David Gilmour, and Al DiMeola. The list used to be longer. Today, that's all that are left alive.

Alistair McHarg 3 weeks ago diaspora

My favorite. And with all that success, a quiet, modest person. - Few artists are able to burst on the scene as a teenage prodigy and remain artistically great without ever becoming stagnant. And that voice!

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) likes this.

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 3 weeks ago friendica

Like I've been saying...

New Study Confirms Face Shields and Valve Masks Can’t Be Trusted

Visualizations reveal these substitutes don’t measure up

^{elemental.medium.com}

5 people like this

8 comments - Show more

Isaac Kuo 3 weeks ago diaspora

My Dad bought me a box of N95 masks and no matter how I try I can't get him to understand the difference between medical N95 masks and industrial N95 masks.

So anyway, these masks have valves in them. But I fixed that problem - I used packing tape to block the valve from the inside. It's totally blocked, so air is forced to flow through the filter both ways.

2 people like this

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 3 weeks ago friendica

Hahaha. Yeah. Good man!

Some people apparently have trouble breathing through them. They must have really shabby lungs or something. Over the years, I've worn all manner of simple and complicated breathing gear. Some were hard to breathe through, but difficulty breathing through it never even crossed my mind until I read about it six months ago. Just do it. What's the problem? Technically, employers are supposed to have their people checked for lung function before requiring them to wear an N95. Sheesh. But, what do I know?

Icarus Anne Riley likes this.

tomgrz 3 weeks ago diaspora

I like how face masks mess with facial recognition. I'm having eyeglasses printed on mine...

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) likes this.

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 3 weeks ago friendica

I embroider grass and wildflowers on mine, just because I can. Lmao.

tomgrz 3 weeks ago diaspora

No one is shaving these days!

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) likes this.

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 3 weeks ago friendica

Hah! I do. I like the feel of the muslin lining of my masks against my face. Stubble ruins the effect and a beard interferes with a good seal, which defeats my reason for wearing the mask in the first place. I wear my masks because I aim to protect myself from others. If things start getting bad, I'll wear unvented goggles.

tomgrz 3 weeks ago diaspora

I just stay home. Too lazy to go out and take much risk, now that I'm retired.

2 people like this

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 3 weeks ago friendica

Yeah, I'm allegedly retired, too. What that really means is I'm retired from what I used to do, from my "official profession", and have now built a new profession, or two, or three. My whole life has gone like this. My hobbies turn into businesses. The only hobby I haven't turned into a business is ham radio, although I did use my skills in that area to make a lot of money in the 70s, leveraging off the CB radio craze at that time.

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Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 3 weeks ago friendica

Irreverent Monk

2020-09-01 17:47:46

This is a very very good read. Well worth your time. The hypothesis seems viable. Covid-19 kicks off a Bradykinin storm, and it can account for all the unusual symptoms. Best of all, we already have approved drugs for treating Bradykinin storms!

With some good testing, we might be on our way to an effective treatment.

A Supercomputer Analyzed Covid-19 — and an Interesting New Theory Has Emerged
A closer look at the Bradykinin hypothesis
^{elemental.medium.com}

2 people like this

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 3 weeks ago friendica

Doug Senko

2020-09-01 03:29:52

ON LOOTING, RIOTING, VIOLENCE

{please RT}

RESPONSIBLE (per FBI):

🟥 Boogaloo Bois (Trumpists)
🟥 Proud Boys (Trumpists)
🟥 Militias (Trumpists)
⬛️ Anarchists (apolitical)
⬛️ Organized Crime (apolitical)

NOT RESPONSIBLE (per FBI):

🟦 BLM (progressive)
⬛️ Antifa (anti-fascist)

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 4 weeks ago friendica

bumi haymarket

2020-08-31 23:57:43

USPS Board Chairman Revealed as Director of Mitch McConnell, Trump-Linked Super PACs

USPS Board Chairman Revealed as Director of Mitch McConnell, Trump-Linked Super PACs
Chairman Robert Duncan is just one of the members of the board with deep ties to Republicans and Trump.
^truthout.org

6 people like this

5 comments - Show more

Rob Anybody 3 weeks ago diaspora

👍 @Phil Landmeier (ᚠ)

@Phil Landmeier (ᚠ)

John Hummel 3 weeks ago diaspora

Hear hear, @Phil Landmeier (ᚠ)!

@Phil Landmeier (ᚠ)

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 4 weeks ago friendica

diane a

2020-08-31 01:51:18

❝Since her death in 1979, the woman who discovered what the universe is made of has not so much as received a memorial plaque. Her newspaper obituaries do not mention her greatest discovery. […] Every high school student knows that Isaac Newton discovered gravity, that Charles Darwin discovered evolution, and that Albert Einstein discovered the relativity of time. But when it comes to the composition of our universe, the textbooks simply say that the most abundant atom in the universe is hydrogen. And no one ever wonders how we know.❞ — Jeremy Knowles, discussing the complete lack of recognition Cecilia Payne gets, even today, for her revolutionary discovery. (via alliterate)

OH WAIT LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT CECILIA PAYNE

• Cecilia Payne won a scholarship to Cambridge.

• Cecilia Payne completed her studies, but Cambridge wouldn’t give her a degree because she was a woman, so she said to heck with that and moved to the United States to work at Harvard.

• Cecilia Payne was the first person ever to earn a Ph.D. in astronomy from Radcliffe College, with what Otto Strauve called “the most brilliant Ph.D. thesis ever written in astronomy.”

• Not only did Cecilia Payne discover what the universe is made of, she also discovered what the sun is made of (Henry Norris Russell, a fellow astronomer, is usually given credit for discovering that the sun’s composition is different from the Earth’s, but he came to his conclusions four years later than Payne — after telling her not to publish).

• Cecilia Payne is the reason we know basically anything about variable stars (stars whose brightness as seen from earth fluctuates). Literally every other study on variable stars is based on her work.

• Cecilia Payne was the first woman to be promoted to full professor from within Harvard and the first woman to head a science department at Harvard. She also inspired entire generations of women to take up science.

• Cecilia Payne is awesome and everyone should know her.

4 people like this

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 4 weeks ago friendica

Doug Alder

2020-08-29 22:55:10

4 people like this

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 1 month ago friendica

Long ago and far away, there was a new operating system...

29 years ago today came the first announcement of what would become the most ubiquitous operating system in the world.

2 people like this

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 1 month ago friendica

frater chaos

2020-08-25 21:04:30

The bombshell report on Trump and Russia is flying under the radar — here are 5 reasons it shouldn't
A Note from Bill The evidence is spread across nearly 1,000 pages, proving that Russia, with top Trump henchmen playing right along, sought to spread confusion and distrust among American voters, influence the outcome of the election, and undermin…
^{www.alternet.org}

2 people like this

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 1 month ago friendica

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13 comments - Show more

DavïÐ Låzårµ§ 4 weeks ago diaspora

First off, this is total BS given the track records of both Biden and Harris. Second, it goes to show just how deep racism runs in the US. Though I try hard not to be, many of my elders were racist; even if not to the extreme.

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 4 weeks ago friendica

Indeed. The McCloskeys are the racist republican gun nutters in St. Louis. The whole convention was about arguing that Biden will ruin the country. I think the sarcasm of the above post is right on target. It's precisely the point the GOP gun nutters are trying to make. They don't want to give up their right to shoot a negro from the porch. This is a right they still have in many places around the country, like where I used to live in Fort Myers, FL.

DavïÐ Låzårµ§ 4 weeks ago diaspora

@Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) - I new of the so-called gun nutter family, but didn't even recognize their name. It's really surprising that FL is a red state. I cannot believe that the Cubans there are so conservative.

@Phil Landmeier (ᚠ)

2 people like this

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 4 weeks ago friendica

Oh yeah. The Cubans there are the wealthy plantation owners that fled when Castro took over. They are very smart and business-wise, and are major forces in US agriculture. They control the entire US sugar market. They lobby Congress for special treatment. They intentionally rotate production from the Dominican Republic, to Haiti, Florida, Hawaii in order to take advantage of enormous farm subsidies. They have produced quite a few billionaires since they came over from Cuba.

And, since the 1960s have lobbied Congress and presidents to invade Cuba and kick Castro out because they want their lands back.

I wouldn't call them conservatives. They're Republicans with a capital R. There are no conservatives in today's Republican Party.

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DavïÐ Låzårµ§ 4 weeks ago diaspora

@Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) - You have a point about the Republican party and, thus, Cuban Americans.

@Phil Landmeier (ᚠ)

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Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 3 weeks ago friendica

Have you ever wondered why consumer prices for sugar in the USA are double what they are elsewhere in the world, and have been for decades? Hahahahaha. Now you know. Yeah, they're raking in the cash, fleecing a stupid population.

DavïÐ Låzårµ§ 3 weeks ago diaspora

@Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) - I never knew we were paying double. Then again, it's a rarity for us to buy sugar lately as my wife is diabetic and I tend not to add sugar to many things.

@Phil Landmeier (ᚠ)

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 3 weeks ago friendica

Yeah, I learned that back in the 1990s. Another funny thing is that raw sugar or unrefined sugar should be cheaper than white sugar. Instead, it's a specialty item priced at four times the price of white sugar.

At the top of the heap (so to speak) are these guys: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanjul_brothers

DavïÐ Låzårµ§ 3 weeks ago diaspora

@Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) - That's what they do with all "healthier" choices. Regardless of the cost, it's always more expensive for the consumer.

@Phil Landmeier (ᚠ)

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Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 3 weeks ago friendica

I started looking at the numbers when I lived in Guatemala. At Puerto Quetzal I watched 45,000 tons of sugar loaded onto a freighter. Guatemala exports 1.7 million tons a year. Examining the sugar, "Wait a minute. This is the stuff they sell at the hippie health food places for a pile of money. It's all backwards." hahaha

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DavïÐ Låzårµ§ 3 weeks ago diaspora

@Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) - Have you ever been to a Whole Paycheck . . . err . . . Whole Foods market? I haven't, but there a reason that it's "jokingly" referred to as the former by many. I'm not implying that you're wrong about sugar. I'm only saying that it's more than just sugar that we are being overcharged for.

@Phil Landmeier (ᚠ)

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) likes this.

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 3 weeks ago friendica

Yup. Haven't been in a Whole Foods since 2008. It's not my kind of place, anyway. You can find good healthy food anywhere if you have discernment. I think the whole place is powered by snobbery.

DavïÐ Låzårµ§ 3 weeks ago diaspora

@Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) - I understand, but even your average grocery store charges more for "healthy" foods over others. One example is the price of Raisin Bran and Special K, especially the latter, versus less healthy cereals.

@Phil Landmeier (ᚠ)

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Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 1 month ago friendica

I'm sure this video will be a point of pride for DeJoy's children and grandchildren for decades to come.

DeJoy is on record admitting that he knows nothing about postal rates or how the post office functions. And this is who Trump appoints to lead the Post Office. Clearly, DeJoy is a hit man, and nothing more.

Violante de Rojas

2020-08-25 03:16:29

..I remembered the anthrax letters, did not know the names...

Rep Lynch belongs to a family who have been involved the USPS over several decades. Ooooo...this Gent is pissed

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Doug Senko reshared this.

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 1 month ago friendica

Along the lines of what I was just saying elsewhere... This is what we're dealing with. These people belong in Nazi Germany. They've lost all sense of humanity and reality.

Truth be told, they would agree with what I said above.

4 people like this

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 1 month ago friendica

Six months and we still can't make rubbing alcohol or Lysol. What a country we live in. Amazing. Good job, Donald. #MAGA

#MAGA

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7 comments - Show more

Karl Auerbach 1 month ago diaspora

@Doug Senko - The link to Las Vegas is moving ahead. It just got the permits to build down the center of I15. Right now the plan is Victorville to Las Vegas, but there is a link to the Palmdale Calif HSR station planned. The Las Vegas train is not truly "high speed" by current standards. The Calif HSR is 220mph (350kph) while the Las Vegas part is something on the order of 150mph.

@Doug Senko

Karl Auerbach 1 month ago diaspora

@tomgrz - Acela suffers from using old (as in ancient) rights of way with bad curves. It also suffers from Federal regulations that added massive amounts of weight. (Modern HSR trains are like airplanes on tracks, Acela is like an airplane with coal fired boilers and a swimming pool on tracks.)

The Calif HSR is a fully modern HSR design, with huge curve radius (3 or 6 km I think) except in the urban approaches to downtown LA and San Francisco.

@tomgrz

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Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 1 month ago friendica

Stolen from another social medium...

“In my life, I have watched John Kennedy talk on television about missiles in Cuba. I saw Lyndon Johnson look Richard Russell squarely in the eye and and say, "And we shall overcome." I saw Richard Nixon resign and Gerald Ford tell the Congress that our long national nightmare was over. I saw Jimmy Carter talk about malaise and Ronald Reagan talk about a shining city on a hill. I saw George H.W. Bush deliver the eulogy for the Soviet bloc, and Bill Clinton comfort the survivors of Timothy McVeigh's madness in Oklahoma City. I saw George W. Bush struggle to make sense of it all on September 11, 2001, and I saw Barack Obama sing 'Amazing Grace' in the wounded sanctuary of Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

"These were the presidents of my lifetime. These were not perfect men. They were not perfect presidents, god knows. Not one of them was that. But they approached the job, and they took to the podium, with all the gravitas they could muster as appropriate to the job. They tried, at least, to reach for something in the presidency that was beyond their grasp as ordinary human beings. They were not all ennobled by the attempt, but they tried nonetheless.

"And comes now this hopeless, vicious buffoon, and the audience of equally hopeless and vicious buffoons who laughed and cheered when he made sport of a woman whose lasting memory of the trauma she suffered is the laughter of the perpetrators. Now he comes, a man swathed in scandal, with no interest beyond what he can put in his pocket and what he can put over on a universe of suckers, and he does something like this while occupying an office that we gave him, and while endowed with a public trust that he dishonors every day he wakes up in the White House.

"The scion of a multigenerational criminal enterprise, the parameters of which we are only now beginning to comprehend. A vessel for all the worst elements of the American condition. And a cheap, soulless bully besides. We never have had such a cheap counterfeit of a president* as currently occupies the office. We never have had a president* so completely deserving of scorn and yet so small in the office that it almost seems a waste of time and energy to summon up the requisite contempt.

"Watch how a republic dies in the empty eyes of an empty man who feels nothing but his own imaginary greatness, and who cannot find in himself the decency simply to shut up even when it is in his best interest to do so. Presidents don't have to be heroes to be good presidents. They just have to realize that their humanity is our common humanity, and that their political commonwealth is our political commonwealth, too. Watch him behind the seal of the President of the United States. Isn't he a funny man? Isn't what happened to that lady hilarious? Watch the assembled morons cheer. This is the only story now."

Charles Pierce

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5 comments - Show more

Karl Auerbach 1 month ago diaspora

Too bad trump can't be the person in the short story Enoch Soames

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enoch_Soames

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) likes this.

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 1 month ago friendica

Hmm, I'd never heard of that story. I've added it to my list because it sounds like an early attempt at magical realism, which is the style of my all-time favorite author. And yes, that would be a fitting punishment for Trump -- probably the only one that would make any impression on him.

On the other hand, Trump's narcissism would rescue him as always. "Oh, people are all stupid fools. They didn't recognize my greatness when they had it."

It's impossible to get through to someone like that, which is why they are truly incorrigible.

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 1 month ago friendica

3 people like this

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 1 month ago friendica

Janet Logan

2020-08-15 01:24:30

Today, just today:
The Most Dangerous Man in the World said he will block billion in funding for the U.S. Postal Service expressly to prevent people from voting by mail during a pandemic.
His economic advisor Larry Kudlow dismissed voting rights as part of a “liberal left wish list”.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell recessed the Senate until September without voting on a second economic stimulus package, leaving 30 million people unemployed and facing eviction from their homes.
Remember this next time you hear someone say “both parties are the same”, or “my vote doesn’t matter”, or “I’m not voting for Joe Biden because he wasn’t my first choice” or “I don’t think he can win.”

If there ever was a time to vote like your (or someone else’s) life depended on it, this is that time.

-written by Mark Hersch, copied from a friend's share on FB.

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Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 1 month ago friendica

Whuffo

2020-08-15 02:45:12

Back Again

The GOP's plan of subverting democracy is right out of the fascist playbook. You're headed for one party rule with an autocrat in control; autocrats never retire. They can't retire, they can only go into exile in a friendly country. I'll bet that the Trump family will take up residence in Moscow right after he loses the election.

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Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 1 month ago friendica

I used to get very little spam. Two months ago it started to pick up. Now, it's a firehose.

It's all Trump related garbage. I'm getting emails from (allegedly) every member of the Trump family, past, present, dead, or alive, out to third-cousins twice-removed.

Anyone else have this problem?

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9 comments - Show more

Adrian Colley 1 month ago diaspora

Are you a US resident? If so, then you're a member of the most propagandized-at group in the world.

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Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 1 month ago friendica

Oh yeah. I live in this accursed place.

Bob Lai 1 month ago diaspora

No, though I see a fair amount of Trump 'smart ads' on websites.

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Wilco Roos 1 month ago diaspora

On one of my two email accounts, its a madhouse (since a few months) of Nigerian princes (I really thought that one would be unused after so long) bankers, leaders, and whatnots claiming I would get 10% of a huge amount of money if i react and open an account for them (and deposit some cash) yeah, sure..
Oh and bitcoins, and a few Trump related shit, why? I am an EU citizen, never was or will be a US one...??
Fact is, Corona has turned the spam hose to full yield it seems.

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Bob Lai 1 month ago diaspora

I am getting an amazing amount of spam calls. Fake charities, scam alerts from 'Amazon' or 'Apple,' a slew of auto-dialers where no one picks up.

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Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 1 month ago friendica

Yeah, I engaged whitelist blocking on my phone 18 months ago. I've never been happier. Texting I left open. They don't seem to text.

The creepy thing is that if you use whitelist blocking, within a few days, the constant bombardment suddenly stops. I get no more spam calls. Once in a great while there will be one and my phone rejects it. Then nothing for weeks again.

Soooo, that means that all the spam is coming from a single source or sources that coordinate closely with one another.

Wilco Roos 1 month ago diaspora

We closed down our landline because of the persistent calling by the renowned Microsoft scam call centers, multiple times a day, form foreign numbers, local numbers and withheld numbers, so bloody annoying!

Bob Lai 1 month ago diaspora

Yeah, I’m using a whitelist app, and the volume of spam calls has dropped.

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Martin Seeger 1 month ago diaspora

You have it give it to Trump: he managed to make Nigerian Princes to look like honest businessmen in comparison ...

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Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 1 month ago friendica

From some product information: "Manual / Auto Power OFF optional, Back Light Screen to let you see clear even in dark. 2x1.5V AAA batteries included to get you started when you receive the wind tester. Add to Cart, Buy it, Use it, for any quality problems, we’ll replace you. "

Well, all righty then. At my age, that sounds pretty good.

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Carsten Raddatz (劉愷恩) 1 month ago diaspora

Bwahaha! Obvious omission however, no human replacement feature mentioned. Are you sure product does what you might think it does...?

Sounds almost like stuff on engrish.com 😁

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Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 1 month ago friendica

Yeah, after 50 years you'd think that Asian companies would learn to hire a real English speaker to at least proofread their copy. But no, the arrogance of certain Asian cultures, especially Japanese, prevents them. "We can just use a dictionary to transliterate the text into that barbaric language that Americans speak."

The world thought the Germans were arrogant with their ideas of a Master Race in the 1930s. Hahahaha. You haven't met the Japanese.

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 2 months ago friendica

diane a

2020-08-11 06:31:41

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Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 2 months ago friendica

And the problem isn't Trump. It's all the people who see nothing wrong with the above.

Bob Lai 2 months ago diaspora

Need a book called, 'Cognitively There History' with chapters on how Washington Took The Airports and Rammed the Ramparts (an amazing feat as he died in 1799, and the mention of ramparts in the National Anthem was about the Battle of Fort McHenry in 1812), as well as how the Great Pandemic of 1917 ended World War II.

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Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 2 months ago friendica

Our Word Salad President can only survive because his followers are so ignorant they detect no errors.

Once this is over, if we survive and live long enough, there should be some wonderful books published, like "The Definitive Collection of Trump Speeches, Quotes, Sayings, and Wisdom".

Carsten Raddatz (劉愷恩) 2 months ago diaspora

I'd buy a copy of each. Where can haz preorder?

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Martin Seeger 2 months ago diaspora

Trump is a symptom. And such blabbering makes it to easy to focus on him as the problem.

He could be vocalizing /dev/random for all I care, it does not matter. What matters are the things he does. And that is totally ignoring climate change, doing all to dismantle healthcare during the worst health crisis for a century, rolling back environmental and consumer protection, etc... And don't let me start on the people he appoints. His ambassadors to Germany have done more damage to the relationship than all troll factories of the world combined. That are not his ideas, he has no idea on how such stuff works. That is the work of a completely dysfunctional conservative party. That is why I call him just the symptom.

On the plus side I have only one item and that is not something that he's done but absented from doing: military adventures. But with his ratings plunging, who knows what he will do in the next two months.

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Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 1 month ago friendica

I'm all with you there. I've been worried because Trump said he wanted to be a "wartime president". (Now there's a truly idiotic thing to say.)

I wonder if Trump realizes that he had the opportunity to be a wartime president. Fighting a pandemic is not much different from fighting a war, but he missed it. Went right over his head. Whooosh

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 2 months ago friendica

Mask compliance has gotten pretty good here in West Virginia. Talking to my daughter who is out west, Montana / Idaho, she tells me that nobody out there is wearing a mask or paying any attention to the epidemic. Even in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, where they have 1,700 cases, nobody pays attention and everyone thinks it's all fake. Government fakery.

Why do they believe that? Nobody knows a single person who is sick or has caught Covid-19. Zero. And the hospitals are idle. Even medical people at the hospitals don't believe it. All they see are numbers on the Internet but no evidence.

I don't know a single person with it, or anybody who knows anybody that caught it. Do any of you?

I don't doubt that it's real for the simple reason that it's too big, too worldwide, for it to be fakery. But if we're going to get people motivated to combat this thing, they need something more to go on besides numbers on a computer screen. How do we fix this?

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tomgrz 2 months ago diaspora

Wow, sceptics. Too bad they are not more consistent in their scepticism.

Adam 2 months ago friendica

Who would it serve if it was just a big hoax?

Bob Lai 2 months ago diaspora

Aunt of a friend caught it and died from it.

tomgrz 2 months ago diaspora

maybe a little scepticism of the folks claiming it is a hoax could be possible?

Bob Lai 2 months ago diaspora

Cui bono.

Who profits from lying?

Does someone profit if you stay at home, wear a mask, and observe social distancing?

Or does someone profit from having you go to work, go to school, go to the mall, go to bars, etc. ?

Adam 2 months ago friendica

Big mask. They're behind it all!

Doug Senko 2 months ago diaspora

All the governments of the world are in on it.
Probably at Clinton’s directive.

Bill Brayman 2 months ago diaspora

Someone recently posted a little morality tale that relates to backwoods people not being motivated to take this kind of threat seriously. (i have old roots in the CDA area). Fictional story was about a town that hangs a person once a year by lottery. Then one year one of the organizers of this macabre tradition was picked by the lottery to be the victim and the person suddenly got religion and realized how awful the tradition was, moaning why me? Wish i could remember who the poster was, maybe @smellsofbikes@pluspora.com.

Anyway sometimes people have to confront the danger first hand to get religion.

But also funny how the same folks are so afraid of losing their gun rights. Why do they have religion about that threat which has little empirical basis, and not believe threats that do have substance.

Also, recently there was a cog sci study that showed that people with poor working memory are more likely to not believe things like the pandemic. But that's... show more

@smellsofbikes

tomgrz 2 months ago diaspora

i don’t know anyone directly or indirectly with covid 19.

But then, most people are not especially open about their medical condition. Or, they may have had it and gotten over it, without any sort of diagnosis. This is very likely.

Bill Brayman 2 months ago diaspora

@tomgrz Well there are county reports, and in a small place like I'm in, word would get around. Of course that doesn't account for a fair number of people who get it but don't show clinical signs.

@tomgrz

tomgrz 2 months ago diaspora

Or maybe just do not recognize the clinical signs. I think I may have had the virus, but I really do not know.

tomgrz 2 months ago diaspora

One of the symptoms I had was two of my toes became painful and swollen. I looked in my shoes several times trying to figure-out what had happened. This is before any awareness of "Covid-toe".

Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 2 months ago friendica

Yeah, I can think of reasons for why perceptions are as they are. Clustering is one. Epidemics consist mainly of clusters.

I'm trying to think of how to change people's minds. Short of piles of rotting corpses on the sidewalk (this happened in Philadelphia in 1918), how do we make this real for all the people in those wide open spaces between clusters?

smellsofbikes 2 months ago diaspora

@Bill Brayman: yes, it was me. The short story is "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. It's a creepy good bit of scifi.
And, yeah, we've just hit the point where 1% of the country has or has had it, and the numbers are much higher than that in urban areas, so they're much lower than that in rural areas. If they're 1/1000, it's no wonder nobody has personal experience with it. (Then again, that's comparable with polio rates in the 1940's, and very few people seemed to doubt that was a big deal.)
I know two people who have had it. One was largely asymptomatic, the other, a guy my age, spent five weeks in the hospital.

@Bill Brayman

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Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 2 months ago friendica

Some new mask designs are up -- Irish flags in official colors, German flags, and a high-performance design for nurses and schoolteachers.

Handmade Standard and High-Performance Face Masks with Nose Wire | eBay

Irish Flag - Flag of the Republic of Ireland, the Irish Tricolour in the official vivid green and orange colors, standard mask, hand-sewn flag, high-density 100% cotton, cotton muslin liner.

^www.ebay.com

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Martin Seeger 2 months ago diaspora

The store for the mask you want is: https://gopostore.com/product/shark-face-face-mask-syah1304036fma/

I'm not sure if you were looking for the mask itself or a blueprint...

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Phil Landmeier (ᚠ) 2 months ago friendica

That's very cool! Hahahaha. You weren't kidding. Thanks for the link.

Bahahaha.