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smokebomb

Certifiably Surly
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Posts posted by smokebomb

  1. Guess Nicole is back in town:

    https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin-police-medics-responding-to-body-found-in-lady-bird-lake-near-longhorn-dam/

    Quote

    APD: Body found in Lady Bird Lake, investigation underway

    by: Julianna Russ

    Posted: Apr 13, 2024 / 07:59 AM CDT

    Updated: Apr 13, 2024 / 10:25 AM CDT

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin-Travis County EMS said a body was reported in the water near Lady Bird Lake Saturday morning. At the scene, medics found an adult who was then pronounced dead.

    The Austin Police Department said an investigation was underway by APD homicide detectives, but the incident was not being investigated as a homicide.

    ATCEMS said it responded to a water rescue call at approximately 7:40 a.m. Saturday in east Austin. 

    According to police, a fisherman found an unknown person floating in the water. That person was later pronounced dead at 7:52 a.m.

     

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  2. 23 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

    WTF is VPN?

    I barely know what IP is from the IPIHB forum.

    An IP is an identifier used by your computer to use the internet. Typically you get assigned the same IP by your cable modem. If you leave your cable modem off for few hours, you’ll get assigned a new IP. But most people don’t do this & pretty consistently get assigned the same IP for months at a time  

    When your account gets banned, you can no longer use the account but you can create a new account & start over. 

    When you get permaban’d, your account gets banned AND Surly tracks your home IP and won’t let you create a new account from that IP anymore (and maybe even prevent access to the website at all). This effectively prevents a specific person from using the website. 

    A VPN is a service that is used to encrypt/prevent others from looking at your web traffic. But it also has the added benefit of changing the IP address Surly sees when you visit. If he used a VPN,  Derka’s account would be still deactivated but the permaban wouldn’t completely work since he could create new accounts & use the site. 

    This then would most likely lead to imamac playing wack-a-mole & permabanning each account & IP that Derka use. Identifying Derka would be relatively easy due to his known writing style but requires annoying work by Imamac.

    And this is one example of why people get burned out running message boards. 

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    • Like 1
  3.  Video in link - dogs look to be pit bulls. 

    https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/video-shows-pair-aggressive-dogs-tear-through-car-get-cat-inside/52DNUHOQTVHVTBT3GSIAIDPDXM/
     

    Quote

    Video shows pair of aggressive dogs tear through a car to get to a cat inside

    By Robert Grant, Action News Jax

    March 26, 2024 at 6:46 pm EDT

    JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A vicious dog attack you’ve likely never seen before is caught on camera. It shows a pair of dogs tear through a car in southwest Jacksonville while attempting to get a cat hiding inside.

    Christie Barr was asleep when it happened around 3 a.m. over the weekend. She woke up to the extensive damage in the morning.

    “I thought someone maybe took a BB gun and shot my car,” she told Action News Jax’s Robert Grant.

    She called the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and police went through the security camera video and discovered it wasn’t a person, but dogs responsible for the damage.

    The video shows the neighbor’s car jumping behind the engine shortly before the dogs go after her.

    Barr said they never got to the cat and it survived. “There’s no doubt in my mind had they gotten that cat, she wouldn’t be here today.”

    The insurance company towed her car and estimated up to $3,000 in damage from the dogs. Now neighbors don’t know where the dogs are and are concerned for the neighbors’ safety. Barr said she reached out to animal control, but no one has responded so far.

    “If they can do that to metal on a car, they could tear a human being up,” Barr said. “You need to take care of them. Don’t let them be out running the streets during the middle of the night.”

    Action News Jax reached out to the city to see if ACPS is looking into it, but we haven’t heard back yet.

     And of course it is in Florida. 

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  4. Some researchers are thinking Alzheimer’s may actually be an autoimmune disease:

    https://www.sciencealert.com/alzheimers-might-not-actually-be-a-brain-disease-expert-reveals
     

    Quote

    Alzheimer's Might Not Actually Be a Brain Disease, Expert Reveals

    The Conversation

    The pursuit of a cure for Alzheimer's disease is becoming an increasingly competitive and contentious quest with recent years witnessing several important controversies.

    In July 2022, Science magazine reported that a key 2006 research paper, published in the prestigious journal Nature, which identified a subtype of brain protein called beta-amyloid as the cause of Alzheimer's, may have been based on fabricated data.

    One year earlier, in June 2021, the US Food and Drug Administration had approved aducanumab, an antibody-targeting beta-amyloid, as a treatment for Alzheimer's, even though the data supporting its use were incomplete and contradictory.

    Some physicians believe aducanumab never should have been approved, while others maintain it should be given a chance.

    With millions of people needing an effective treatment, why are researchers still fumbling in this quest for a cure for what is arguably one of the most important diseases confronting humankind?

    Escaping the beta-amyloid rut

    For years, scientists have been focused on trying to come up with new treatments for Alzheimer's by preventing the formation of brain-damaging clumps of this mysterious protein called beta-amyloid.

    In fact, we scientists have arguably got ourselves into a bit of an intellectual rut concentrating almost exclusively on this approach, often neglecting or even ignoring other possible explanations.

    Regrettably, this dedication to studying the abnormal protein clumps has not translated into a useful drug or therapy. The need for a new "out-of-the-clump" way of thinking about Alzheimer's is emerging as a top priority in brain science.

    My laboratory at the Krembil Brain Institute, part of the University Health Network in Toronto, is devising a new theory of Alzheimer's disease.

    Based on our past 30 years of research, we no longer think of Alzheimer's as primarily a disease of the brain. Rather, we believe that Alzheimer's is principally a disorder of the immune system within the brain.

    The immune system, found in every organ in the body, is a collection of cells and molecules that work in harmony to help repair injuries and protect from foreign invaders.

    When a person trips and falls, the immune system helps to mend the damaged tissues. When someone experiences a viral or bacterial infection, the immune system helps in the fight against these microbial invaders.

    The exact same processes are present in the brain. When there is head trauma, the brain's immune system kicks into gear to help repair. When bacteria are present in the brain, the immune system is there to fight back.

    Alzheimer's as autoimmune disease

    We believe that beta-amyloid is not an abnormally produced protein, but rather is a normally occurring molecule that is part of the brain's immune system. It is supposed to be there.

    When brain trauma occurs or when bacteria are present in the brain, beta-amyloid is a key contributor to the brain's comprehensive immune response. And this is where the problem begins.

    Because of striking similarities between the fat molecules that make up both the membranes of bacteria and the membranes of brain cells, beta-amyloid cannot tell the difference between invading bacteria and host brain cells, and mistakenly attacks the very brain cells it is supposed to be protecting.

    This leads to a chronic, progressive loss of brain cell function, which ultimately culminates in dementia – all because our body's immune system cannot differentiate between bacteria and brain cells.

    When regarded as a misdirected attack by the brain's immune system on the very organ it is supposed to be defending, Alzheimer's disease emerges as an autoimmune disease.

    There are many types of autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, in which autoantibodies play a crucial role in the development of the disease, and for which steroid-based therapies can be effective. But these therapies will not work against Alzheimer's disease.

    The brain is a very special and distinctive organ, recognized as the most complex structure in the Universe. In our model of Alzheimer's, beta-amyloid helps to protect and bolster our immune system, but unfortunately, it also plays a central role in the autoimmune process that, we believe, may lead to the development of Alzheimer's.

    Though drugs conventionally used in the treatment of autoimmune diseases may not work against Alzheimer's, we strongly believe that targeting other immune-regulating pathways in the brain will lead us to new and effective treatment approaches for the disease.

    Other theories of the disease

    In addition to this autoimmune theory of Alzheimer's, many other new and varied theories are beginning to appear. For example, some scientists believe that Alzheimer's is a disease of tiny cellular structures called mitochondria – the energy factories in every brain cell.

    Mitochondria convert oxygen from the air we breathe and glucose from the food we eat into the energy required for remembering and thinking.

    Some maintain that it is the end-result of a particular brain infection, with bacteria from the mouth often being suggested as the culprit. Still others suggest that the disease may arise from an abnormal handling of metals within the brain, possibly zinc, copper, or iron.

    It is gratifying to see new thinking about this age-old disease. Dementia currently affects more than 50 million people worldwide, with a new diagnosis being made every three seconds. Often, people living with Alzheimer's disease are unable to recognize their own children or even their spouse of more than 50 years.

    Alzheimer's is a public health crisis in need of innovative ideas and fresh directions.

    For the well-being of the people and families living with dementia, and for the socioeconomic impact on our already stressed health-care system coping with the ever-escalating costs and demands of dementia, we need a better understanding of Alzheimer's, its causes, and what we can do to treat it and to help the people and families who are living with it.

     

     

  5. On 1/20/2024 at 3:30 AM, Enemy07 said:

    Any of you people go back to grad school mid 30's? I finished Economics at UT with a 3.1 or 3.2 and do not know if that will be enough to get accepted. I finished with the bare minimum. No recs, no volunteer work (that was during my 1st degree), no extra curricular, etc. Would you recommend it or not? How was your journey? Debt is not a problem.

    Also, is there a better forum to post this?

    My 2 cents (and prob doesn't apply as much to MBA or Law School programs):

    1. I'd go see a graduate advisor and talk to them. They should be very blunt about your chances and let you know what you need to do. I did this at UT and was literally laughed out of the advisor's office but that's what happens when you have a C undergraduate average in Liberal Arts. 

    2. One thing that most people don't know is that you can still take UT undergrad classes after you graduate. If you are serious and think you need some extra help, re-enroll to UT and sign up for a graduate class as an undergrad in the department will be applying. You will need to go the professor and ask their permission, but as long as you are taking it for a grade and not auditing or pass/fail, they prob won't have a problem with it. This will get you used to school again and if you make an A (in grad school anything below a B is bad), you can use the professor for a referral on your graduate application. This will show that you are serious and can handle grad level work. I did this and although I made a B, the professor wrote me an appropriate referral and that was the only reason I was able to get into my grad school. If you are not in Austin, doing this may be difficult but if you can take a grad class near you, the same applies. 

    3. Figure out what you want to focus on. Grad work is typically very specialized and coming into the application process with a good idea of what you want to focus on will be very important. The more precise, the better. 

    4. A cursory glance shows that UT has a terminal masters program for Economics. If this is what you want to study, I personally think your grades would be fine (the advisor would be able to confirm). If you want to get a PhD though, I would guess you might have to show do a bit more to get accepted. Doing well in a grad school class or two might help but you may even have to get a grad degree elsewhere before applying to the PhD program. They may allow people to transfer into the PhD program after they have finished the Masters but since it is labeled as terminal, I have the impression this may be difficult. 

    Again - these are just my opinions, I am sure others have their own first hand experiences and may offer different insights.

    Good luck - I really enjoyed grad school. It was much more difficult than undergrad but I was more mature and studied subjects I was way more interested in. 

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  6.  

    5 hours ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

    Boebert reportedly got into a physical altercation with her husband (ex?) at a CO restaurant Saturday night. I have not seen this confirmed by news sources and I haven’t seen any video. Initial reports are that she was hitting him, and then called the cops on him. But I can see that details and timelines can easily be wrong.

    Who knows how true: 

     

  7. This means a 14% increase during the non-busy periods for just the Mopac expressway:


    https://www.kvue.com/amp/article/traffic/toll-road-rate-increase-austin-texas/269-0bba20f2-ef69-4e7d-81b7-ef61c952c16e
     

    Quote

    Rates increasing for several toll roads around Central Texas

    Officials say the rates change annually to stay consistent with inflation.

    Author: John Diaz, Matt Coutu

    Published: 11:18 PM CST January 5, 2024

    Updated: 11:18 PM CST January 5, 2024

    AUSTIN, Texas — Driving around Central Texas is about to get more expensive.

    Rates are increasing for several toll lanes in the Austin area, including those on U.S. 183, U.S. 183A, Highway 290, State Highway 71 and State Highway 45.

    The rates are rising by nearly 4%, which means drivers can expect to pay between 2 and 5 cents more per trip. Officials say the rates increase to stay consistent with inflation.

    Drivers who use electronic tags on their cars will continue to save money, which is usually about 50% less than those who choose to pay by mail.

    Drivers who use the MoPac express lanes will also see an increase of 7 cents to the base cost of a trip on a single segment, or 14 cents on a full-length trip.

     

  8. I can’t see the neighborhood ever getting behind this: 

    https://www.mysanantonio.com/business/article/naus-enfield-drug-redevelopment-18554544.php

    Quote

    Former Nau's Enfield Drug faces mixed-use retail, residential future

    The historic store officially closed in March.

    By Cristela Jones

    Dec 15, 2023

    What was once a cherished part of the rich history of Austin is now in the planning stages of being redeveloped. The Austin American-Statesman reports that the beloved Nau's Enfield Drug building, located in Austin's Clarksville neighborhood, could be changed into a mixed-use residential and retail project.

    New convenient store in Central Texas

    Nau's, which was one of the last "old Austin" staples in town, announced its closure last year and ceased operations this March. Nau's Enfield Drug was known as a treasured pharmacy and soda bar. 

    The new Austin-based owner, Zydeco Development Co, purchased the property and three others this fall for an undisclosed price. Zydeco is planning for a possible five-story development after recently meeting with the Old Austin neighborhood Association and Clarksville neighbors, according to the Statesman.

    "We know it's a special property to a lot of people and we want to do right by it and thoughtfully reimagine the space," Zydeco principal Meghan Yancy said to the Statesman. "We're looking for more height so we can add more green space."

    Plans were discussed to include rezoning the area to 25 to 30 condominiums, retail shops, and underground parking for 120 vehicles. Nau's was one of the many businesses that didn't survive the COVID-19 pandemic, which prompted the Labay family to lose its lease in April 2022.

    Opened by the Nau family in 1951 on West Lynn Street, the business remained a popular and nostalgic local pharmacy, even after Lambert Labay took over in 1971. The soda fountain closed in 2020, but the building remained known for its small-town look and feel that once sold cheeseburgers, served with a smile.

    MySA reached out to Zydeco for comment, but did not hear back prior to publication.

    • Haha 1
  9. 4 hours ago, Js1 said:

    It can, but Labour is still polling +20 over the Tories.  That really hasn't changed at all since Sunak became PM.  

    My guess is that it is partly due to Jeremy Corbyn stepping down as Labour Party leader. Corbyn was the best thing to happen to the Tories in a decade. 

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  10. 9 minutes ago, hayden_horn said:

    the most concerning number there is the 74.2 million. the fuck are 11.2 million MORE people voting for trump after his disaster of a term? i get a ferw more here and there and covid was a major complicating factor that made people a little bit woowoo about shit, but that rings alarm bells for me. maybe they are the ones doing the voter fraud.

    A looooot of people didn't vote for Trump but against Harris. Thanks Obama. 

  11. 1 hour ago, Dbeasy said:

    If one were to buy land in excess of 5 acres and there was no agricultural exemption on it, how hard or easy is it to get it put on the property? Assume cattle grazing leases are the mechanism. If that doesn’t work, what would that’s not too difficult?

    Note that if the property currently doesn’t have an Ag exemption, you have to have it run with an agricultural purpose for 5 out of 7 years before you get the tax exemption.

    But once you have an Ag exemption, you can then convert it to a wildlife exemption, which is a bit less work. 

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  12. 7 hours ago, FartingMonk said:

    The bigger issue is going to be the people who didn't actually own the place they were living in.  Let's say it was a neighborhood of single family dwellings.  20 houses.  All rentals.  The owners get their insurance money and then developers come in and say hey before you rebuild.  Let me take this land off your hands for X amount of dollars.   He turns the 20 parcels into a hotel resort golf course or some luxury mix use residential/vacation rental.  The ones that are left high and dry are the people who were renting.

    The state needs to come in & restrict any development that significantly changes the original structures. Rebuild a single story home with a single story home.
     

    But they won’t and Lahaina will become another Wailea. 

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  13. https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-investigation-justice-garland-ad1034e274570d65032f8e4f47c0c8f6

    Quote

    Attorney General Merrick Garland appoints a special counsel in the Hunter Biden probe

    BY LINDSAY WHITEHURST

    Updated 11:50 AM CDT, August 11, 2023

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Friday he has appointed a special counsel in the Hunter Biden probe, deepening the investigation of the president’s son ahead of the 2024 election.

    Garland said he was naming David Weiss, the U.S. attorney in Delaware who has been probing the financial and business dealings of the president’s son, as the special counsel.

    Just as his appointment as special counsel was announced, Weiss notified a federal judge in Delaware that plea deal talks in the Hunter Biden case were at an “impasse.”

    Garland noted the “extraordinary circumstances” of the matter as he made the announcement at the Justice Department. He said that Weiss asked to be appointed to the position and told him that “in his judgment, his investigation has reached a stage at which he should continue his work as a special counsel.”

    “Upon considering his request, as well as the extraordinary circumstances relating to this matter, I have concluded it is in the public interest to appoint him as special counsel,” Garland said.

    The move is a momentous development from the typically cautious Garland and comes amid a pair of sweeping Justice Department probes into Donald Trump, the former president, and President Joe Biden’s chief rival in next year’s election.

    It also comes as House Republicans are mounting their own investigation into Hunter Biden’s business dealings.

    Last month, Hunter Biden’s plea deal over tax evasion collapsed after U.S. District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, raised multiple concerns about the specifics.

    Republicans had derided that agreement as a “sweetheart” deal as they pushed their own probe.

    The Republicans claimed Weiss was being blocked from becoming a special counsel a claim he and the Justice Department denied.

    By being named special counsel Weiss will have broader authority to conduct a more sweeping investigation across various areas.

     

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