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bolverk

Certifiably Surly
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Everything posted by bolverk

  1. I noticed this too a little while ago and, yes, that appears to be the case. It made me wonder if the renaming of the cities was just a symbolic gesture to an international audience back in the 1990s.
  2. Apologies -- full of questions this morning. Tweet 1: I'd love to know what the driver is saying. He sounds irked. Is he pissed that they were in his way, or is he pissed that they're having to place S-300s around St. Petersburg for defense? Tweet 2: Is there a history of having success in making public appeals like this in Russia World? We keep seeing soldiers and now civilians reading scripted entreaties for aid. Does this shit work over there?
  3. Looking for some insight into the significance of the first tweet because I deleted my Twitter account and can no longer see the comments. Are they using export models because no one is buying them anymore, or are they running out of those that would normally be dedicated to their own supply? Also, what makes the export model different? Are they shittier and, therefore, more expendable for tasks such as trawling for mines instead of engaging in combat?
  4. It's like the puzzle masters at the NYTimes and Meriam Webster got together and decided to get cute today. Wordle 948 3/6 🟩🟩⬛🟩⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Connections Puzzle #226 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨🟪🟨🟨 🟦🟦🟪🟦 🟦🟦🟪🟨 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟪🟪🟪🟪 Daily Quordle 729 9️⃣4️⃣ 5️⃣7️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨 ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟩 ⬜🟩⬜🟨⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟩⬜🟩⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜🟨🟩⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟩⬜🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜🟩⬜🟩⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟨⬜🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Daily Sequence Quordle 729 5️⃣6️⃣ 7️⃣8️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨 ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟩 ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟩⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟨🟨⬜⬜ ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟨 ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ 🟨⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜🟨🟨⬜🟩 ⬜🟩🟩⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Blossom Puzzle, January 23 Letters: A D E M O R T My score: 337 points My longest word: 9 letters 🌷 🏵 💐 🌼 🌹 🌺 🌸 🌻 💮 #Worldle #732 1/6 (100%) 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🎉 ⭐⭐⭐🏙️🪙 https://worldle.teuteuf.fr #travle #405 (5/10) ✅✅✅✅✅ https://travle.earth I had it all set up to spell out SUPERB with a crossword. I just needed an S sometime in the last 20 or so letters, and none showed. Devastated. ClickWord.org Daily 353: 502 points (top 40% 👏) 11 words: 🟪🟪🟪🟪🟪🟪🟪🟥🟧🟧🟨 💪 Best word: 98 points 🔥 Streak: 4 days #ClickWord #ClickWordDaily353
  5. Conceived in Houston, born in Dallas, raised in West Texas, living in Austin. I've lived all but about 1 1/2 of my 52 years in this state and have never knowingly heard it.
  6. You're correct, and your point stands, but ALWAYS go with metros instead when talking about population comparisons of major cities. Notice your map doesn't have Miami, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Kansas City, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Tampa, Orlando, etc. Top 50 metros (all with 1,000,000 plus) in 2017:
  7. As implied by his user name, he's full of it. The classic sit-down Pizza Huts are such a rarity these days that one intrepid blogger has taken on the task of making a list of those that are left. I know the one in my decently sized small town (25,000) closed its doors a few years ago on the old place and built a nondescript box with only take-out, drive-thru, and delivery options. For the more old-school experience, people in that town go to Pizza Inn. https://rolandopujol.substack.com/p/the-retrologists-guide-to-pizza-hut
  8. No shit. On the football board, you can get away with hateful homophobic slurs because you're pissed that a team from 🌈SAN FRANCISCO🏳️‍🌈 won a fucking football game on the same page that the site's owner is also actively posting and not get called out (even after that post had been reported). Of course, calling that poster out might be considered "toxic" by some. I guess we're not so serious about expanding the appeal of the site to younger, more gay-friendly generations after all, and are simply content to let them continue to flock to the most popular place on the entire internet to discuss the sport, Reddit, instead where that type of language is actually faithfully moderated.
  9. Ex-Army soldier charged in Capitol riot was convicted of manslaughter for killing Iraqi man in 2004 A former U.S. Army soldier who was convicted of manslaughter for fatally shooting a handcuffed cowherd in Iraq was arrested Monday on charges that he attacked police officers with a baton during the U.S. Capitol riot three years ago. Edward Richmond Jr., 40, of Geismar, Louisiana, was wearing a helmet, shoulder pads, goggles and a Louisiana state flag patch on his chest when he assaulted police in a tunnel outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to an FBI agent’s affidavit. Richmond was arrested in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and is scheduled to make his initial court appearance Tuesday on charges including civil disorder and assaulting, resisting or impeding police with a dangerous weapon. Richmond’s Louisiana-based attorney, John McLindon, said he hadn’t seen the charging documents and therefore couldn’t immediately comment on the case. Richmond was 20 when an Army court-martial panel convicted him of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced him to three years in prison for killing the handcuffed Iraqi civilian near Taal Al Jai in February 2004. Richmond also received a dishonorable discharge from the Army. Richmond initially was charged with unpremeditated murder, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. But the panel of five officers and five enlisted soldiers reduced the charge to voluntary manslaughter. The Army said Richmond shot the cowherd, Muhamad Husain Kadir, in the back of the head from about six feet away after the man stumbled. Richmond testified that he didn’t know Kadir was handcuffed and believed the Iraqi man was going to harm a fellow soldier. During the Jan. 6 riot, body camera footage captured Richmond repeatedly assaulting police officers with a black baton in a tunnel on the Capitol’s Lower West Terrace, the FBI said. Police struggled for hours to stop the mob of Donald Trump supporters from entering the Capitol through the same tunnel entrance. A witness helped the FBI identify Richmond as somebody who had traveled to Washington, D.C., with several other people to serve as a “security team” for the witness for rallies planned for Jan. 6, according to the agent’s affidavit. More than 1,200 people have been charged with Capitol riot-related crimes. About 900 have pleaded guilty or been convicted after trials. Over 750 have been sentenced, with nearly 500 receiving a term of imprisonment, according to data compiled by The Associated Press.
  10. I've definitely been disappointed with his leadership this time around.
  11. I actually did listen to her talk show a couple of times to hear what that dingbat had to say, and she was definitely showing her stripes but won't go further because that's a CR topic. Look, I was a Watson supporter, but the fact that Jesus Garza was the treasurer of a PAC that donated $720,000 to Watson's campaign up until ONE DAY before he was appointed is fucked up. Watson led that decision, and the Council simply followed his lead. AUSTIN, Texas — On Wednesday, the Austin City Council fired City Manager Spencer Cronk and introduced former city manager Jesús Garza as the interim city manger. Garza and Austin Mayor Kirk Watson have a long-standing relationship. Garza was the city manager from 1994 until 2002 while Watson was the mayor from 1997 to 2001. Garza was the treasurer of a political committee that donated to Watson's recent mayoral campaign. Stand Together Austin made at least four donations, totaling over $720,000. According to campaign finance documents, just Tuesday, Garza stepped down from his role in that PAC. KVUE asked Watson why he chose Garza over the current assistant city managers. In a statement he wrote: "There aren't a lot of people with the experience and ability to run such a big and complicated operation as the City of Austin. There are even fewer people who are available on a week's notice and willing to take on such a daunting task."
  12. You have every right to that opinion, but like @gsoda3 said, this was Interim City Manager Jesus Garza's decision, not District Attorney Jose Garza's.
  13. Remember, at the end of the day, that Kelly is a thin-blue-line bootlicker. As for Art, he's all over the place ideologically but is, at heart, an authoritarian who doesn't hold the public in high regard. Art was chief of police from 2007 to 2016. Yes, she was coming of age during that time frame. Don't you recall the political talk radio show she had for a hot minute in the 2014-2015 timeframe? Art's hiring is all on Watson/Garza, not the City Council (this time). Go look into the Art thread where it's spelled out that not only did the Council not have input, but they weren't even informed until just before it was announced. All of them, except for Kelly, are rightfully pissed.
  14. Tweet #1: Two things. a) If you're a grunt in Russia, your life has almost no meaning. You dare question a commander? You risk death. b) How the fuck can a plain piece of paper with words typed on it count as a valid record of anything? Anyone could've typed that shit on there. (edit: Their security must be shit, and it's no wonder that partisans are getting around.) Tweet #2: It's about fucking time, Turkey. Since Erdogan gave his blessing, I assume this is merely a formality. Also, when can we expect Hungary to follow suit?
  15. Forgot to play a revealed letter in guess #3. Monday morning move. Wordle 947 4/6 ⬛⬛🟨🟨🟨 🟨⬛🟩⬛🟨 ⬛⬛🟩⬛🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Connections Puzzle #225 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🟦🟦🟦🟦 Daily Quordle 728 6️⃣4️⃣ 7️⃣5️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜🟨🟩🟩🟨 ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟩🟨🟩⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ Daily Sequence Quordle 728 4️⃣5️⃣ 6️⃣7️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ ⬜🟩⬜🟩🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨🟩⬜🟨 ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Struggled with this one. Blossom Puzzle, January 22 Letters: E H I L O S T My score: 316 points My longest word: 9 letters 🌼 🌻 🌺 🌷 🌸 💐 🏵 🌹 💮 #Worldle #731 1/6 (100%) 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🎉 ⭐⭐⭐🏙️🪙 https://worldle.teuteuf.fr #travle #404 (3/7) ✅✅✅ https://travle.earth ClickWord.org Daily 352: 536 points (top 30% 🎉) 11 words: ⚛️🟪🟪🟪🟪🟥🟥🟥🟧🟧🟨 💪 Best word: 112 points 🔥 Streak: 3 days #ClickWord #ClickWordDaily352
  16. Definitely connected to Season 1, which I haven't watched but once years ago.
  17. Yeah, this might all be mostly bluster to probe the limits of the Western World's (including East Asian democracies) tolerance for putting up with their shit. And, yes, I'll concede the notion that it's not being coordinated according to some grand scheme (it likely isn't, but I'm sure there's at least some cooperation). But none of that takes away that this is a dangerous time, precisely because the leadership in each of those countries has their backs against the wall to some extent or another, AND they see the success (really the only) they've enjoyed in undermining democratic norms across Europe and within the U.S. Desperate times call for desperate measures. For Putin/Xi/Maduro, that might mean invading a neighbor. For the Mullahs, that might mean stirring up a bunch of shit without intending to actually fight. For Kim, it might mean pushing the button and committing suicide. Militarily, we're probably at risk of being stretched too thin right now (I'd bet this is why we've been focused on de-escalation in the Middle East). Our allies also need to step it up while having full confidence we're there to help. But I'm really concerned about what might happen if we decide to turn away and focus instead internally on hating ourselves and the institutions that have made us strong.
  18. Yes. But even if you're the asshole, you should realize you'll never beat that biggest orange asshole. Maybe the lesson to learn here is don't be an asshole. Otherwise, you risk looking like a pussy when you back down.
  19. We now have a floor on the number of confirmed dead Russian soldiers since the start of the war special military operation instead of guesstimates. https://kyivindependent.com/mediazona-confirms-identities-of-over-42-000-russian-soldiers-killed-in-ukraine/
  20. Got a good chuckle from this video clip of his inner dialogue prior to a debate as imagined by the Daily Show. https://www.threads.net/@adamparkhomenko/post/C2YBgnLPnqw
  21. Was this the City Council's decision or the Jesus Garza's (the Interim City Manager)? It's my understanding that the Council had no input, nor were they informed until Friday afternoon, and it's not the first time he's done this (from October). Interim City Manager Jesús Garza is standing by his appointment of Gail McCant to lead the Office of Police Oversight, citing the city’s need to comply with the civilian police oversight measure known as Prop A. Garza named McCant to the job in late September in spite of a national search that was promised to residents by himself and his predecessor, Spencer Cronk. The decision was also done without informing the City Council and some city staff. McCant's appointment sparked concerns among community members, including social justice group Austin Justice Coalition and several city leaders. More than half of the City Council expressed concern in a post on the council message board last week. The council members said that while they found McCant “professional, transparent, and accessible,” the decision was sudden. “We were surprised there would be no national search for her role, as had been previously stated. Given the significance of this role and the high-profile nature of the office, why was the decision made to forgo a search and instead appoint the OPO director from within the City of Austin? We hope the City Manager can further explain his thinking on this decision, not only for our own understanding but for the understanding of the public who we all serve,” Council Members Chito Vela, Zo Qadri, José Velásquez, Vanessa Fuentes and Ryan Alter wrote. Council Members Alison Alter and Paige Ellis responded in support of the need for more information. On Tuesday, Fuentes told KUT it was a misstep for the city manager to appoint McCant without community input. "He had already committed to doing a national search," she said. "For him to backtrack on it I think underscores a lack of understanding of how important community engagement is to our community, especially when it's comes to policing." But Garza told KUT he stood by his decision. And from September: How would you like a job that pays roughly $30,000 a month and requires no documented work output? That's the kind of gig two longtime associates of Interim City Manager Jesús Garza and Mayor Kirk Watson landed this year, without competition from other candidates. From February to July, each was paid roughly $150,000 in taxpayer dollars to provide vaguely defined consulting services through subcontracts that were not approved by City Council – even though that amount of money usually requires Council authorization. The two consultants – Laura Huffman and Joe Canales – are on track to end the year as two of the highest-paid workers at City Hall (though as outside consultants, they don't get benefits offered to full-time employees, such as health care). At the rate the pair has been billing, each could make more than $420,000 by year's end – an annualized rate that exceeds that paid to Garza ($350,000) and approaches that paid to Austin Energy General Manager Robert Kahn ($475,009), the city's two highest-paid full-time workers. It is not surprising that people with prior City Hall experience and long histories with the two men currently ruling the second and third floors of that building were brought back into the fold during a tumultuous time for the city of Austin's bureaucratic machine. In a statement, Garza said as much. "The Mayor and Council brought me on board to be a change agent," he said. "To be effective in providing results, I did bring in people I know, including Laura and Joe, because of the breadth of experience and knowledge they both have, not just about city government, but the City of Austin specifically." Bringing them on board through subcontracts rather than initiating new contracts, which would have required Council approval, "afforded us with the mechanism for bringing Laura and Joe on to assist me in acting quickly and decisively," Garza continued. "The results we've achieved in a number of areas already, including legislative analysis, compensation structure evaluation and labor negotiations, speak for themselves." It is true that City Hall was in disarray when Garza was hired (in the wake of previous City Manager Spencer Cronk's ouster in February) and that the organization needed urgent change. It is also true that there are ways to expedite consultant contracts needing Council approval that strike a balance between urgency and transparency, which is both expected in a city that claims to value transparency and required by Chapter 252 of the Texas Local Government Code, which sets out procurement rules for municipalities. It appears that did not happen here. And just last week, Garza said he wasn't going to apply for the permanent position. Did Watson simply hire his old buddy to give himself cover to create these expensive gigs? Maybe they're needed, maybe not. But I don't like the Acevedo hire, and it certainly makes me question why this is all being done behind the Council's back.
  22. I hope you're right, but there's a shit-ton of international chaos being sown, which is, I think, the biggest wildcard in this game. No telling how voters will respond to one message being engagement/help our allies and the other being retreat/isolationism. Russia --> Ukraine/Europe Iran/Hamas/Houthis --> Israel/Global Trade North Korea --> South Korea/Japan China --> Taiwan/South China Sea Venezuela --> Guyana
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