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zman13

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Posts posted by zman13

  1. Japan is allowing 50 tourists in, will have a "minder" with them at all times.

    Quote

    And they’ll be under constant surveillance by an assigned minder. “They’ll be monitoring the group’s actions and emphasize basic COVID-19 prevention measures,” Tatsuya Fujioka, the director of the new market development office at the Japan Tourism Agency’s International Tourism Department, told VICE World News on Wednesday.

    The details of where tourists will be visiting haven’t been decided yet, Fujioka told VICE World News. But visitors can expect a fixed schedule like an organized school trip, with the minder as a chaperone. “They’ll likely be taking meals together and then traveling to designated tourist spots,” he said. 

    https://www.vice.com/en/article/epxymn/japan-reopens-tourism

     

    Think I'll wait a little longer to plan a visit.

  2. A very meh ending. Felt like just another episode.

    I came up with a better ending in about 2 mins:

    Byrdes arrange for Navarro to be transferred and killed (just as it happens on the show). They also call Navarro's hitman from Chicago and arrange for Camila to be killed. Both events happen on the same night. 

    The cartel is now leaderless. Marty goes to Mexico and meets with all of the lieutenants. He tells them that Navarro and Camila arranged for each other's killings  (true). Marty offers to take over the cartel. Why should the lieutenants go along with this? Marty says he will streamline production and distribution. He will double the lieutenants earnings in the next few months. He also tells them he has influence with the U.S. government and will use that to ensure that only planned cash seizures will happen, so the supply of drugs continues uninterrupted. If they go with him, he'll double their money and have a smooth flow of drugs in the U.S.

    The FBI is happy, as they get to continue seizing cash. 

    Wendy continues to head the foundation. They open a foundation office in Mexico. Marty is the leader of the cartel and has the head job at the foundation office in Mexico, which provides a good cover story. Now they have a huge infusion of cash and power and get to influence politics in the U.S. and Mexico. 

  3. 18 hours ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

    you're going to go all the way up there and not heli? seems like a bad idea, man.

    The people snowboarding are intermediate skill level, so I'm not sure they are ready for heli skiing yet.

  4. Anyone ever ski/snowboarded at a resort in Alaska? Thinking about killing two birds (visit to Alaska/snowboarding) with one trip. Been looking at Alyeska Resort or Ski Land (Fairbanks). Won't be a heli-skiing trip.

     

  5. 35 minutes ago, Harrison Bergeron said:

    I mean ... I still just completely flummoxed. But yes, particularly how they do not react to the machine gun man in the kitchen or moreover when Gus walks in. Are they his actual neighbors who he pays to be a front house? I thought they would be his undercover, neighborhood spies, but they seem to just be normal neighbors, if Nextdoor on Blast!

    I'm thinking they are hired to play the typical suburban couple. They are a front to cover for the surveillance activity. 

    At the same time, they are a typical suburban couple, so they spend their time doing puzzles and bike rides. 

    Gus is very particular about his people. He wants a couple that will blend in to the neighborhood by being themselves. He doesn't want a couple that has to "act" to fit in. 

    • Hook 'Em 3
  6. Taxis in Providenciales are crazy expensive, so a driver or a rental car are great if you plan to get out of the house often.  

    Driving in Turks & Caicos can be fun/traumatic/invigorating. You quickly learn that all traffic laws are suggestions. 

  7. 14 hours ago, Mo Horn said:

    Thinking about heading there this October and checked some flights. Wow, it's expensive. I can fly to Central America or even Colombia for less. Might have to rethink where I want to go. 

    Not sure where you are located, but if you are in the Austin area, check flying out of San Antonio. It's a lot cheaper.

  8. So is going to Xochimilco worth it? Have heard lots of reviews and lots of different opinions. 

    Seems like it could be a lot of fun. 

    Also seems like a big detour, crowded, lots of people selling things, etc. 

     

  9. Improvements, hiring at Austin Water likely remedies for boil-water notice - Austin MonitorAustin Monitor

     

    The city appears likely to approve a special budget item that will pay for more than a dozen new hires and operational software improvements at Austin Water.

    City Council’s Austin Water Oversight Committee voted unanimously Thursday to support the recommendations of staff that were the result of the investigation into what caused a three-day boil-water notice in early February for customers of the utility. That vote moves the proposed expenditure forward for a vote at a future Council meeting.

    City leaders had considered making a bill credit to customers part of the after-action steps, but recent memos from Austin Water have supported making investments in staff, equipment and software instead. The cost for those improvements, including 16 full-time positions, is expected to be around $2 million.

    Earlier this week, Austin Water released the report detailing its internal investigation into how the turbidity, or cloudiness, of water coming out of the Ullrich Water Treatment Plant increased far past allowable levels on the evening of Feb. 4, leading to the shutdown of the plant and the boil-water notice the next day.

    The report found the three-person overnight team monitoring the plant overlooked notices of equipment issues that needed their attention, misdiagnosed the cause of the increasingly cloudy water, and failed to inform supervisors of the problems that accumulated over the course of the 12-hour shift that ended at 7 a.m.

    When the next day’s team took over that morning, they quickly noticed and diagnosed the problems and the plant was shut down in about two hours.

    Stephanie Sue, water treatment operations manager for the utility, said the incident shows a clear need for Austin Water staff to work on training around following standard operating procedures.

    “It is sad and it’s frustrating that the inaction by this team that night was the direct cause of the boil-water notice and impacted the lives of the citizens of the city of Austin,” she said. “And above that it’s unfair that the staff that is doing great quality work and are hard-working at my plant are now having to suffer the intense scrutiny that’s being brought by this boil-water notice.”

    It was the city’s third boil notice since late 2018.

    Sue said that changes to practices including making it possible for supervisors to remotely check in on plant monitors will help prevent a repeat of the episode. But she said a severe shortage of workers and open positions has put excess pressure on her staff.

    “The business of running a water treatment plant is not something we can automate. It’s not something robots can do, so it’s something where we have to rely heavily on our people and invest in our people to be successful,” she said.

    “We are very challenged with our workforce right now. We have numerous vacancies and we have a market study happening right now that’s shown on the operations side that we are not competitive with other utilities, not to mention other businesses in Austin that pay more for less responsibility.”

    Mayor Pro Tem Alison Alter said she wants Sue and other water utility leadership to report back with a timeline for the planned improvements and hiring, with details about other possible information gaps that need to be addressed.

    “The piece that confounds me is with the supervisory side, in particular in 2022 there are systems that enable alarms to be sent to supervisors but we didn’t have autonomous notifications going out to supervisors,” she said. “Why didn’t we have that set up, and where else don’t we have that set up where we need it in our plant?”

    Following the disclosure that a team member involved in the problem had said “weak crews talk to supervisors” as an explanation for why there was no notification of the deteriorating conditions, Council Member Ann Kitchen said training and work to change culture and attitudes may be necessary.

    “I’m trying to get an idea if what we’re talking about is a lack of knowledge or a lack of recognition of what the issue was, as opposed to not understanding the importance of bringing in supervisory assistance,” she said. “I would hope that drilling down into that kind of an attitude or culture can be addressed, in addition to what’s going on just with the knowledge base.”

  10. On 3/27/2022 at 1:34 PM, HornOnTheBayou said:

    Time for a bump. My 14 year old son and I decided we want to go to San Fran in June. It'll be the first time for both of us. The Giants are in town so we'll definitely do a ball game. And Alcatraz is a must. I need to start working on my Sean Connery accent so I can say, "Welcome to the rock" when we get there. I'll probably be the first person who has ever done that.

    Any other recommendations for a teenage boy?

    - go roller skating inside an old church at Church on 8 Wheels http://www.churchof8wheels.com/
    - Check out the Wave Organ at high tide. It's a wave activated sound sculpture that is made of pieces of demolished cemetery. And has a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge - https://www.exploratorium.edu/visit/wave-organ
    - A free walking tour to learn about the history of gangs in Chinatown - https://sfcityguides.org/tour/chinatown-family-associations-tongs-and-gangs/
    - If you find yourself in the Pier 39 area (which I don't recommend you visit), salvage the visit with a side trip to Musee Mechanique - https://museemecanique.com/

    • Hook 'Em 1
  11. 22 minutes ago, Johnny Sack said:

    Heading there tomorrow for three nights with wife and two kids (12 and 10).  Definitely going to do WWII museum.  Any other ideas that kids will like?  I have only ever been with wife/friends and we basically have just partied or Jazz Fest.

    Ride the streetcar (cash only)

    Walk down Bourbon St in the early evening. Stop in at Lafitte or Carousel. Then walk up Frenchman St to see bands on the street

    Go to City Park, rent bikes, visit the Sculpture Garden and play mini golf and finish up at Cafe Du Monde

    Rent bikes and bike along Crescent Park

    Go on a bayou tour and see alligators

    • Hook 'Em 2
  12. Boil Water Notice Caused by Human Error, Ongoing Problems: "Ultimately preventable" at Ullrich - News - The Austin Chronicle

     

    Quote

    Meszaros and Cronk did not learn about the turbidity spike until about 8am on Saturday, and nobody is sure why; Meszaros said that "Basin 6 could have been isolated" and disconnected from the system: "You just press a button." There is no evidence of gross negligence – sleeping on duty, leaving the plant, or fabricating data – but shifts are 7am-7pm and vice versa, and Meszaros suggested that information may not have been passed along at shift change.

     

  13. I posted this a few days ago but it may have been lost in the Great FIRE War of 2022, so I'm reposting it:

    Looking for ideas about health/dental insurance under the age of 65. 

    I've looked around the Affordable Care Act website. Lots and lots of plans and it looks like you'll need to go above $1200 per month for something decent. As an example, a lot of plans offer free primary care visits but will only cover 25% of emergency room visits. That's a big potential expense if you go to the ER.

    Anyone have any experience shopping around or purchasing plans for the 45 to 65 age group?

  14. Austin Water waited 12 hours before issuing boil water notice. (statesman.com)

    Quote


    Austin Water waited 12 hours before issuing boil water notice. It's not clear why.
    Ryan Autullo
    Austin American-Statesman

    Nearly 12 hours lapsed Saturday between the time Austin Water officials say they learned of an issue affecting the city's drinking water and the time they alerted customers in a citywide boil water notice.

    It's unclear whether that response was unreasonably slow and, if so, whether it put anyone in danger through exposure to water with high levels of turbidity, or cloudiness. 

    Those are among the questions the utility has not answered publicly as the boil water notice moves into the fourth — and probably final — day Tuesday.

    On Monday evening, Austin Water responded to an inquiry from the American-Statesman sent earlier in the day but didn't directly explain the lag between detecting the problem and telling the public.

    Lance Stacy picks up a case of water at the Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex in Williamson County on Monday. Austin Water issued a boil water notice Saturday night.


    "They're a fair set of questions, and I've asked the same questions," City Council Member Alison Alter said.

    Alter said she intends to bring forward a plan for an independent external audit to probe not only what happened in this instance but a pattern of issues at Austin Water.


    The city's water department has issued three boil water alerts since late 2018. In addition, there was an incident in early 2019 in which the city's water supply was drinkable but smelled and tasted funny because of the presence of dead and decaying zebra mussels in some raw water intake pipes.

    Alter's call for an independent audit generated support from four of her council colleagues, a sign that it has a good chance of getting approved when she brings it forward for a vote.


    But Alter said she isn't willing to wait for the completion of that audit to learn more about why the city took most of the day Saturday before alerting customers to the problem. Alter, who represents District 10 in Northwest Austin, said she has asked City Manager Spencer Cronk that question and others and has requested that the answers be disseminated to the public through Austin Water's communications team.

    "I share in the frustration that many in the public have expressed about the most recent boil water notice and the frequency of these events," Alter wrote in a message board post. "While I appreciate the efforts our staff are making to restore water and distribute assistance, our community expects and deserves better."

    At a press conference Sunday, Austin Water Director Greg Meszaros said the issue resulted from human error and not a mechanical breakdown. When water in the system first tested high for turbidity, the operational staff should have reacted immediately but did not, he said.

    Meszaros, the director since 2007, said the error had never happened before and is "not easy" to make.

    "We have many controls in place," he said.

    Asked if people might lose their jobs because of the error, Meszaros responded, "all actions are on the table."

    More:Austin issues emergency boil water notice, expected to last 'a couple of days'

    If all goes according to Austin Water's plan, the current boil water notice will be lifted by the end of the day Tuesday and residents will again be able to enjoy water straight from their taps. The utility was set to sample the quality of the water Monday, a day after the Ullrich Water Treatment Plant returned to normal production levels.

    Meszaros said that at 8 a.m. Saturday he was notified of a turbidity spike at the Ullrich plant and responded by shutting down the plant. He said the affected water went out to the public for about 30 minutes and that it was due to a breakdown in oversight by the operating staff.

    Per the state administrative code, Austin Water is required to notify the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality "as soon as possible to determine if there is a threat to public health and if a BWN (boil water notice) is necessary.”

    Austin Water provided verbal notification about 2 p.m., according to TCEQ spokesman Gary Rasp. That was six hours after the high turbidity levels were discovered.

    TCEQ requires that a boil water notice be issued as soon as possible, but in no case later than 24 hours after the condition occurs.

    "They notified us well within the timeframe that our rules require," Rasp said.

    The boil water notice went out a little after 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

    In a Monday evening response to the American-Statesman's questions, an Austin Water spokesman said the boil water notice was issued preemptively — as a precaution — and that the utility is confident that water quality remained safe for all customers. The spokesman also confirmed that the Ullrich plant serves customers in South Austin.

    The plant "was taken offline immediately and water production was increased at our other two plants," the spokesman said in a statement. "While the plant was offline, in coordination with TCEQ, we evaluated the system condition and it was determined that a boil water notice was required. Water disinfection parameters have remained consistent and within regulatory standards. With the boil water notice in place, operators were then able to begin restarting water treatment operations at Ullrich Water Treatment Plant."

    Alter's audit proposal followed a plan from Council Members Paige Ellis and Natasha Harper-Madison to arrange a specially called council meeting to examine the issues. That request, made Sunday, was met with pushback as some council members thought it was too soon and that all of the answers might not be available.

    Ellis and Harper-Madison are the only two council members up for reelection this year.

    "It seems like the answers we need should be pretty straightforward, and I appreciate my colleagues offering their perspectives on the best path forward as well," Ellis said.


     

     

    • Rage+1 1
  15. Looking for ideas about health/dental insurance under the age of 65. 

    I've looked around the Affordable Care Act website. Lots and lots of plans and it looks like you'll need to go above $1200 per month for something decent. As an example, a lot of plans offer free primary care visits but will only cover 25% of emergency room visits. That's a big potential expense if you go to the ER.

    Anyone have any experience shopping around or purchasing plans for the 45 to 65 age group?

  16. A new place serving corny dogs from the South has opened!

     

    A new place serving Korean corny dogs from South Korea has opened!

    Went last night. Was very tasty and everyone was happy with their corny dogs. 

    They have a wide variety of corny dog options, from the simple (hot dog) to more interesting (cheese filling with sweet potato embedded on the outside). Also had some teriyaki egg toast and it as good also.

    https://www.ohkdog.com/menu

    In the same shopping center as 99 Ranch.

  17. On 1/29/2022 at 12:06 AM, Patrick Bateman said:

    1.  Because if conversations in any type of story telling, but especially in fiction didn't give the reader/listener/watcher some type of insight, whether into plot, character, or timing, then it would be a worthless conversation.  So, you want to watch a bunch of worthless conversations because of your interpretation of realism?  I guess and I'm not saying you're necessarily wrong in regard to this specific show, but that would be some boring shit.

     

    2.  Spoiler -- if you haven't watched by now, then don't read.  Because Claire Shaw (isn't that a terrible name) only has a temporary fix from Marty and still needs the Mexican product to continue offsetting expenditures to help her books.  It does her no good to piss off an obviously very volatile personality in Javi so she gives him some information but not all of it.  She can't risk permanent shutdown.  She gives him enough to stay trustworthy enough but still gives the Byrds an opportunity to create or tweak a narrative they'll need to keep Javi supplying.  And lastly, she's a little intimated by Javi and that was hinted at in the scene where she tells Wendy about meeting him in the garage.

    I agree that my idea of realism could definitely vary from others. Maybe I've watched too many shows/movies where characters who are reluctant to talk about their crimes actually don't talk about it. Ozark is similar to the movies where they rely on a climatic court scene with a crafty lawyer who gets another person to confess to the crime and frees their client! Sure it could happen and probably does once in while, but I'm guessing it's pretty rare. Usually the guilty party shuts up. 

    About the Shaw/Javi interaction - Javi is refusing to supply Shaw because of the FBI raids on his trucks. She buys from another source. At this point, unless I missed it, Javi is still refusing to supply Shaw.

    Shaw could 1) continue to buy from Darlene 2) start buying more expensive product from Madagascar again or 3) hope that Javi starts supplying again.

    Shaw chooses to rat out the Byrds and cuts off the supply from Darlene. Javi is still refusing to supply Shaw. So by ratting out Darlene, Shaw is hoping that the Byrds can smooth things over with Javi and he'll start supplying Shaw again. She didn't even ask for that. Shaw just gave up Darlene and put all of her eggs in one volatile basket. She may hope that the Byrds can smooth things over and get the supply from Javi going again. He's already screwed her over by refusing to supply over an issue that Shaw has no control over - how does Shaw know that Javi won't do it again in the future? Seems like a bad business decision to choose a volatile, threatening Javi (currently not supplying) vs Darlene (already supplying). And if she's really intimidated, she has her own murderous psychopath she can send to eliminate Javi. 

    The show has characters like Shaw make dumb choices to advance the plot and create more puzzles for the Bryds to get out of. The whole Shaw supply was a series of dumb choices to create drama. 

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