Well it rained here Most of Thursday and very early Friday morning due to a now long past cool front. In fact it rained so much we made up our entire precipitation deficit for September but remain something like 13” behind for the year.
Still all in all it beats facing the torrential rain and devastating winds of a hurricane. Done that a couple times now and I can honestly say given the choice from now on I’ll pass on it every time.
In fact 8 years ago we were ducking and covering from Hurricane Rita right now! heating water for coffee and Cup o’ Noodles over a Hobo stove crafted out of a #10 tin coffee can and powered by a 3 wick candle listening to the news on an ancient Sony Walkman hooked to a set of unpowered computer speakers.
Much better this way if you ask me.
You know…I’m thinking Woody just might be on to something here as wacked as it sounds. I mean who wouldn’t want to go out in the throws of an orgasm? Sure beats some of the other options.
Apple’s Fingerprint ID May Mean You Can’t ‘Take the Fifth’
By Marcia Hofmann for Wired Magazine 09.12.13 9:29 AM
To invoke Fifth Amendment protection, there may be a difference between things we have or are — and things we know.
Apple revealed a new fingerprint identification system this week. Photo: Alex Washburn / WIRED
There’s a lot of talk around biometric authentication since Apple introduced its newest iPhone, which will let users unlock their device with a fingerprint. Given Apple’s industry-leading position, it’s probably not a far stretch to expect this kind of authentication to take off. Some even argue that Apple’s move is a death knell for authenticators based on what a user knows (like passwords and PIN numbers).
While there’s a great deal of discussion around the pros and cons of fingerprint authentication — from the hackability of the technique to the reliability of readers — no one’s focusing on the legal effects of moving from PINs to fingerprints.
Because the constitutional protection of the Fifth Amendment, which guarantees that “no person shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself,” may not apply when it comes to biometric-based fingerprints (things that reflect who we are) as opposed to memory-based passwords and PINs (things we need to know and remember).
For the privilege to apply, however, the government must try to compel a person to make a “testimonial” statement that would tend to incriminate him or her. When a person has a valid privilege against self-incrimination, nobody — not even a judge — can force the witness to give that information to the government.
But a communication is “testimonial” only when it reveals the contents of your mind. We can’t invoke the privilege against self-incrimination to prevent the government from collecting biometrics like fingerprints, DNA samples, or voice exemplars. Why? Because the courts have decided that this evidence doesn’t reveal anything you know. It’s not testimonial.
Take this hypothetical example coined by the Supreme Court: If the police demand that you give them the key to a lockbox that happens to contain incriminating evidence, turning over the key wouldn’t be testimonial if it’s just a physical act that doesn’t reveal anything you know.
However, if the police try to force you to divulge the combination to a wall safe, your response would reveal the contents of your mind — and so would implicate the Fifth Amendment. (If you’ve written down the combination on a piece of paper and the police demand that you give it to them, that may be a different story.)
The important feature about PINs and passwords is that they’re generally something we know (unless we forget them, of course). These memory-based authenticators are the type of fact that benefit from strong Fifth Amendment protection should the government try to make us turn them over against our will. Indeed, last year a federal appeals court held that a man could not be forced by the government to decrypt data.
But if we move toward authentication systems based solely on physical tokens or biometrics — things we have or things we are, rather than things we remember — the government could demand that we produce them without implicating anything we know. Which would make it less likely that a valid privilege against self-incrimination would apply.
Biometric authentication may make it easier for normal, everyday users to protect the data on their phones. But as wonderful as technological innovation is, it sometimes creates unintended consequences — including legal ones. If Apple’s move leads us to abandon knowledge-based authentication altogether, we risk inadvertently undermining the legal rights we currently enjoy under the Fifth Amendment.
Here’s an easy fix: give users the option to unlock their phones with a fingerprint plus something the user knows. [Known in the business as two tiered authentication]
You don’t have to live in the South to know that COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS KING! But the game wouldn’t be complete without the cheerleaders, and here are some of our finest:
The LSU Golden Girls
The Alabama Crimsonettes
[Molly made me put them in.]
The Edmonton Eskimo Girls – Go Eskimos!
How a government shutdown would affect you
Author: By David Simpson and Saeed Ahmed CNN
The US CRAPITAL
(CNN) – Tick, tock. Tick, tock.
Just over a week remains. If the Democrats and Republicans don’t stop bickering and agree to how the U.S. should pay its bills, the federal government will shut down, come Oct. 1.
And at a time when the economy’s finally showing signs of life, that could be troubling.
Shutdowns don’t come cheap. Federal agencies have to use up time, energy and resources to plan for one. Shutting down and then reopening the government also costs money.
According to the Congressional Research Service, the two previous shutdowns — in late 1995 and early 1996 — cost the country $1.4 billion.
But what would a shutdown mean for you? Would your daily life be affected?
(The answer’s yes, so keep reading.)
Here are 10 ways a government shutdown would affect you.
10. Vacation all I ever wanted: Need to get away? Well, you can’t. At least not to national parks. Or to national zoos. Or to national museums. They’d all be closed. That’s 368 National Park Service sites closed, millions of visitors turned away.
Were you thinking more along the lines of a trip to France? If you don’t already have a passport, you could bid that adieu. It’s unlikely you’d get your blue book in time. The last time the government threw a hissy fit, 200,000 applications for passports went unprocessed. Tourism and airline revenues reeled.
9. Holiday. Celebrate: Don’t come to work if you’re a federal employee. You’re on furlough. (Offer not valid for workers in “critical services,” such as air traffic controllers, hazardous waste handlers and food inspectors.)
Do take some time to celebrate. In previous shutdowns, everyone who stayed home was paid retroactively after peace returned to Washington.
8. I won’t back down: The good news (for you) is that the men and women in uniform would continue to keep you safe. The bad news (for them) is that they’d be paid in IOUs until the shutdown ended. In January, Sens. Mark Udall, D-Colorado, and Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, introduced legislation that would have protected pay for the troops during a shutdown, but it didn’t get anywhere.
Rep. C.W. Young, chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, told the Air Force Times, “All military personnel will continue to serve and accrue pay but will not actually be paid until appropriations are available.”
Their mid-October paycheck would be the first affected. In addition, the congressman told the paper, changes of station would be delayed, medical offerings would be scaled back, facility and weapons maintenance would be suspended and most civilian employees would be furloughed until appropriations are available.
7. If you drive a car, I’ll tax the street: You may be thinking, “No functioning government, no need to pay taxes.” Think again. The Man would continue to collect taxes. U.S. bonds would still be issued. And other essential banking functions would go on.
6. Wait a minute, Mr. Postman: You know that whole “Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night” thing? Apparently, the U.S. Postal Service works through shutdowns as well. Sorry, you won’t catch a break from the junk mail. But hey, you may already be a winner!
5. I want a new drug: Oh, the irony. The Republicans want to defund Obamacare in exchange for funding the government. But the health care act at the center of this storm would continue its implementation process during a shutdown. That’s because its funds aren’t dependent on the congressional budget process.
4. Pass the ammunition: Not so fast. A shutdown would affect the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Translation: That gun permit you wanted processed wouldn’t happen anytime soon.
3. Money (that’s what I want): Well, if you own a small business and needed a loan from the government, you’d have to wait. If you were planning to buy a house and needed a federal loan, you’d have to wait. If you’re a veteran, you might have to make a few trips to the mailbox before that check arrived.
If you’re on Social Security, however, don’t worry — probably. Social Security payments were sent during the last shutdown. President Obama’s expected to keep workers on the payroll to process checks. But would there be enough employees to process new benefits for the newly retired?
2. Anything dirty or dingy or dusty: Oscar the Grouch is a company of one. No one loves trash. But if you live in Washington, expect it to pile up if there’s a shutdown. There wouldn’t be anyone to collect your garbage. Washington’s budget has to be approved by Congress. No budget for the city = no trash collection. And, according to The Washington Post, D.C. produces about 500 tons of garbage each week.
1. I’m proud to be an American: Perhaps the biggest hit would be to the collective psyche. America is the largest economy in the world and a beacon for how democracy ought to work. To watch elected lawmakers engage in a high-stakes staring contest with no one willing to blink is no way to do business. A recent CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll found that 51% will blame Republicans if the government closes its doors. The U.S. has operated without a budget since 2009 and has avoided a government shutdown with last-minute deals. It’s been one stomach-turning sequel after another.
Not only does the government run out of money on Oct, 1, the nation is set to hit the debt ceiling and go into default in mid-October. Together, they serve — in the words of CNN senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta — as a dysfunction double whammy
In a Podiatrist’s office:
“Time wounds all heels.”
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On a Septic Tank Truck:
Yesterday’s Meals on Wheels
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At an Optometrist’s Office:
“If you don’t see what you’re looking for,
you’ve come to the right place.”
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On a Plumber’s truck:
“We repair what your husband fixed.”
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On another Plumber’s truck:
“Don’t sleep with a drip. Call your plumber.”
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At a Tire Shop in Milwaukee :
“Invite us to your next blowout.”
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At a Towing company:
“We don’t charge an arm and a leg. We want tows.”
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On an Electrician’s truck:
“Let us remove your shorts.”
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In a Non-smoking Area:
“If we see smoke, we will assume you are on fire and take appropriate action.”
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On a Birthing Room door:
“Push. Push. Push.”
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At a Car Dealership:
“The best way to get back on your feet -miss a car payment.”
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Outside a Muffler Shop:
“No appointment necessary. We hear you coming.”
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In a Veterinarian’s waiting room:
“Be back in 5 minutes. Sit! Stay!”
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In a Restaurant window:
“Don’t stand there and be hungry;
come on in and get fed up.”
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In the front yard of a Funeral Home:
“Drive carefully. We’ll wait.”
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At a Propane Filling Station:
“Thank heaven for little grills.”
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And don’t forget the sign at a
CHICAGO RADIATOR SHOP:
“Best place in town to take a leak.”
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Sign on the back of another Septic Tank Truck:
“Caution – This Truck is full of Political Promises
The Transportation Security Administration has fired Shane Hinkle, 39, a TSA agent at Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Ky., after a woman he supervised reported that he had “touched her in a sexual manner” at least four times. She reportedly captured one of the incidents on video.
“TSA holds its employees to the highest ethical standards and expects all employees to conduct themselves with integrity and professionalism,” the agency said in a statement. Hinkle has been arrested. (RC/WKYT Lexington)
So then molestation of the general public for government purposes: is considered professional conduct while molesting co-workers for personal purposes is deemed unprofessional. Wonder if the story would be different if he claimed to be patting her down and wore gloves?
This is why Obama gets away with what he does
Sylvia Thompson
September 3, 2013
As a conservative black American who ignores the concept of “self-muzzling” (translated “political correctness”), I have been asked several times why it is that Barack Obama and Eric Holder can do the unlawful, unjust things that they are doing. People who ask me this are Caucasian Americans. I reply in all instances that these men are lawless because white people allow them to be lawless. There are not enough conservative blacks who oppose the Obama regime to make much of a difference. In fact, there are not enough blacks in America (if we all opposed them) to stop these men.
I focus on these two, because they are the chief law officials in this country. The power that they wield over American citizens is tremendous. They set the tone for legality or illegality, and they have chosen the latter. They set the tone for racial harmony or disharmony, and they have chosen the latter.
That being the case, if white Americans continue to run scared at the sound of the term “racist,” these two will continue on their paths of destroying the country. I am convinced that Obama was groomed for politics by the left for the reason that he could be used as an object of “racism.” (The left, in this instance, being the conglomerate of powerful progressive, background players who manipulate politics to their benefit.) These controlling entities must have known that Obama was ill-equipped for the task of leading a great nation and would eventually be exposed as ill-equipped. When that eventuality happened, the race card would be the strategy used to scare off white folks. And so far, the scheme is working.
I do not think that a majority of Americans support the Obama regime or the left and its liberal, godless ideology. The leaders of the supposed opposition to the liberal left, however, are very weak. Those leaders are running scared from the charge of “racist,” and they have, effectively, left conservative America without oppositional political leadership. That is not to say that conservatives have no strong, out-spoken supporters of conservatism, it is just that these spokespeople are not in power. Elitist Republicans, who are in power, are as much a hindrance to conservatives as are their liberal foes.
In a similar vein, I have heard conservatives decry the moral and spiritual decline of our country. They say that it is difficult to see how we could have degenerated so far in so short a time. One commentator voiced confusion over how the same nation could have elected a George W. Bush twice (notwithstanding the flaws in Bush’s conservatism) and someone like Barack Obama twice.
The explanation for that confusion comes from facts that many conservatives, especially leaders, are not willing to face. Obama’s first election was predicated on a host of lies and media propaganda. Crucial information about him was covered over and hidden. He won the second time because four million Republicans (many of them conservatives) stayed home. Those voters knew that the Libertarian-led Republican leadership despised them as values voters and believers in God’s role in this country’s successes. They simply reached their wits’ end at being used in the same way that the Democrats use blacks and other minorities. So they stayed home. And I think they will continue to avoid the establishment Republicans’ choices of feckless, non-conservative, non-fighter candidates.
Until my Caucasian fellow Americans wake up to this reality – that Obama does what he does because they allow him to – they will continue to be victimized. The nation will continue to be victimized.
Sylvia Thompson is a black conservative writer whose aim is to counter the liberal spin on issues pertaining to race and culture.
Ms. Thompson is a copy editor by trade currently residing in Tennessee. She formerly wrote for the Conservative Forum of Silicon Valley California Newsletter and the online conservative blog ChronWatch, also out of California.
She grew up in Southeast Texas during the waning years of Jim Crow-era legalized segregation, and she concludes that race relations in America will never improve, nor will we ever elevate our culture, as long as there are victims to be pandered to and villains to be vilified. America is better served without victims or villains.
Good Morning Campers! You know, when I was young, there was always something that was funny, always something to laugh at. We had SO MUCH fun! Summer lasted forever! And even school was a blast.
You know, one of my personal pet peeves is the almost constant use of mobile phones by people while driving, shopping, dining, in line at the supermarket, everywhere!
Well, in the interest of getting to bed, so I can go to work, here is today’s Last Word. Written in it’s entirety by my good friend Wheats… This email was called, “I’m Mad As Hell”
I guess what angers and saddens me the most at this point is the utter contempt that is being displayed by both parties for the people of this nation.
Dragon Laffs 