Thursday - December 19, 2019

Music To My Ears

Bring out your dead! Bring out your dead!!

Wisconsin Purging Voter Rolls Of Nearly A Quarter Million Improper Voters

A conservative group is forcing Wisconsin to remove upwards of 230,000 people from state voter rolls more than a year earlier than planned, a move that would disproportionately affect Democrats before the 2020 election.

The group behind the lawsuit, the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (known as Will), is a legal advocacy group that has backed conservative causes across the state since the beginning of the decade. Led by Rick Esenberg, Will has defended rollbacks on public sector union power, promoted charter schools, and challenged campaign finance restrictions among other issues.

Earlier this year, Wisconsin election officials sent out notices to about 234,000 people – 7% of registered voters in the state – suspected of changing home addresses this year. They planned on giving people until the spring of 2021 to confirm their registrations before they were removed. But on Friday, county circuit judge Paul Malloy sided with Will and ordered the state to remove the voters from the state’s rolls within 30 days.

Wisconsin officials are appealing the ruling. In a 3-3 split vote Monday, the Wisconsin Elections Commission declined to move forward with the removals, citing the pending appeal.

The dispute is the latest in a series of voting rights brawls in Wisconsin, considered one of the most important states in the upcoming presidential election. In recent years, Republicans drew electoral districts that severely benefitted their party, unsuccessfully tried to limit early voting, and implemented a strict voter ID law. The law discouraged as many as 23,252 people in the state from casting a ballot in 2016, one estimate found.

These tactics could sway elections in a state of close wins and losses. A Republican won a seat on the state supreme court by less than 6,000 votes in April. Governor Tony Evers, a Democrat, defeated Scott Walker by just under 30,000 votes last year. And Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by a little over 22,000 votes in 2016.

“It’s over 200,000 voters who are affected. If even a small slice of them were deterred from voting in 2020, it could tip the outcome,” said Barry Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and director of its Elections Research Center. He added the people affected would be young people and those who live in cities – groups that tend to vote Democratic.

So if you live there and you’ve moved, you’d better get your registration updated and squared away ASAP.

There’s always going to be some crybabies claiming Raycis and Disenfranchisement. Tough titties, and that’s a BS argument. Every state in the country should be doing this, and doing it now. Furthermore, they should be working closely with coroners, funeral homes, hospitals, etc to unregister those who have passed away.

I’m all for it. Voting may be a right, but it doesn’t have to be an unchallenging one. Everyone should have to reregister every 5 years. Everyone should have a photo voter ID. Everyone ought to be run through the government databases to prove that they are eligible and that they are who they say they are. And if you have to be fingerprinted, so what? It’s not like any of us have any privacy anymore anyway, and your prints are probably already in one of the systems and you just don’t know it.

And while we’re at it, let’s have a big old investigation of Social Security and iii, to make sure that nobody who works for either place is doing naughty stuff on the sly. Like selling SSNs to illegals, or taking some cash money to purge an iii (which is the national criminal identification code).

As for redistricting, or gerrymandering as it’s usually called ... dump it. Use latitude and longitude for the most part, just jiggling things a bit to make the population areas a bit even. To hell with race; we’re all equal. And once they’re set, the districts don’t get redrawn for another 20 years.

One eligible citizen, one vote, in one place, during one lifetime. No cheating, no ballot box stuffing, no provisional voting, no dead people, felons, or foreigners voting. That’s the very basis of the foundation of a representative government the people can have faith in.

Posted by Drew458     on 12/19/2019 at 03:05 PM   
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   Sunday - December 15, 2019

wonder what the cost for joining will be?

NJ Rep Ready To Switch Sides?

Democratic New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew informed his staff on Saturday about his intention to switch parties, Politico reported.

Several Democrats with knowledge of the matter told Politico that the question “was now when, not if, Van Drew was joining the Republican Party.” Meanwhile, multiple senior Democrats have tried unsuccessfully to reach the New Jersey lawmaker, Politico reported.

Van Drew had been under discussions with senior Trump administration officials about switching parties, according to a Saturday report from The New York Times.

A moderate Democrat who has been a firm opponent of impeaching President Donald Trump, Van Drew was reportedly considering the switch in part to avoid a Democratic primary challenge in his district.

An official announcement from the congressman could come next week. Meanwhile, the House Judiciary Committee cleared the way on Friday for a full House vote on impeachment, which could take place as early as Wednesday.

Congressman Van Drew represents the far southern end of the state, which is an area unlike anywhere else in New Jersey. No big cities other than Atlantic City, which hardly counts. Farms, a few factories, plenty of abandoned fisheries and whatnot. It’s the other Red corner of True Blue NJ. He’s been in the news several times lately, making pro-America statements about gun control, taxes, and other things.

PHILADELPHIA — Rep. Jeff Van Drew, the conservative New Jersey Democrat who is expected to soon become a Republican, found himself in an unfamiliar and troubling position in recent weeks: Watching support drop off from Democratic leaders in the state who had long tolerated his base-angering votes in the name of political expediency.

Van Drew, who served nearly two decades in the state Legislature, was never popular with the party’s progressive base in a state that’s turned increasingly blue. He voted against gay marriage, increasing the minimum wage and numerous gun control measures.

But none of that stopped the Democratic establishment from coalescing behind Van Drew as soon as the 2nd Congressional District’s longtime Republican incumbent, Frank LoBiondo, announced in 2017 that he wouldn’t seek reelection. That same day, power broker George Norcross — the undisputed if unofficial leader of South Jersey Democrats — issued a statement saying he encouraged Van Drew to run and was offering his full support.

But cracks in that support began to appear when Van Drew’s stance against impeaching President Donald Trump started affecting local elections in New Jersey and tanked his Democratic support in his district, which encompasses the southern tip of the state including Atlantic City. Van Drew made the national media rounds, even getting a supportive tweet from Trump after an appearance on Fox & Friends.

Sadly, NJ’s Senators are still the inept Cory Booker and the corrupt pedo Robert Menendez.

Posted by Drew458     on 12/15/2019 at 08:33 AM   
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   Thursday - December 12, 2019

A Most Unusual Christmas Present Idea

$22 To Gift A Rivet. But it also comes with a rove!! Plus a huge slice of obscure but fascinating history.

Once upon a time, long long ago, when England was no longer Roman, but not yet England or even Angle-Land, there was a small kingdom in the east end of that green and pleasant land called East Anglia. Northeast of London and the tiny kingdom of Essex, this was the toe-hold of the Angles, who had come over from Germany after the Romans left. This was midnight of the Dark Ages, when Christianity was still making inroads. Long before the Vikings learned how to vike.

There was a king of East Anglia named Raedwald. Redwald. He had converted to Christianity a couple decades before his death. But when he died in 624 he was buried in the pagan fashion, in his armor in a longship buried in a mound with lots of goodies, near the village of Sutton in the shire of Suffolk. And so he slept, for 1300 years.

In 1939 archeologists found his mound and started digging. And struck paydirt.

Sutton Hoo is of primary importance to early medieval historians because it sheds light on a period of English history that is on the margin between myth, legend, and historical documentation. Use of the site culminated at a time when Rædwald, the ruler of the East Angles, held senior power among the English people and played a dynamic if ambiguous part in the establishment of Christian rulership in England; it is generally thought most likely that he is the person buried in the ship. The site has been vital in understanding the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of East Anglia and the whole early Anglo-Saxon period.

The ship-burial, probably dating from the early 7th century and excavated in 1939, is one of the most magnificent archaeological finds in England for its size and completeness, far-reaching connections, the quality and beauty of its contents, and the profound interest of the burial ritual itself. The initial excavation was privately sponsored by the landowner. When the significance of the find became apparent, national experts took over. Subsequent archaeological campaigns, particularly in the late 1960s and late 1980s, have explored the wider site and many other individual burials. The most significant artefacts from the ship-burial, displayed in the British Museum, are those found in the burial chamber, including a suite of metalwork dress fittings in gold and gems, a ceremonial helmet, shield and sword, a lyre, and many pieces of silver plate from the Byzantine Empire.

The really neat part of that excavation is that they found the ship. Sort of. But not really, and kind of inside-out. The wooden ship had completely rotted away, leaving behind just the iron rivets. But the soil was so firm that the impression of the ship was perfect, as if it were a giant mould. And so it became known as a ghost ship. It wasn’t there, but you could see it.

Among the finds was the famous Anglo-Saxon helmet, as well as drinking horns , cauldrons, and weapons, many of which are now in the British Museum . These treasures were buried in the ship burial so that they could be used by the dead man in the afterlife.

The ship was the burial place of King Rædwald, who was the ruler of the kingdom of East Anglia and a member of the powerful Wufling dynasty. This dynasty is mentioned in the great epic Beowulf, the greatest work in medieval literature. The king was buried, according to pagan customs despite having officially converted to Christianity.

Break-through technologies are revolutionizing archaeology. A group of archaeologists and researchers have come together to use 3-D modeling technology to recreate the ship found at Sutton Hoo.

They have successfully developed a digital model of the ship based only on the rivets found in the burial mound. Albawaba quotes Julian Wainwright, a marine archaeologist, as saying that the team have a “virtually complete hull shape from keel to gunwale” . This is very important because the team now has the data to recreate the vessel from the Dark Ages .

The group want members of the public to pay $22 (£20) to buy a rivet for the ship. Some 3,500 rivets will be needed and each person who sponsors one will receive a commemorative pin and will be able to locate their rivet after the construction of the ship.

Sutton Hoo has welcomed visitors to the site for many years and attempts have been made to reconstruct the ship, including a half-size replica but now everything has come together so that a full-size replica will be built by The Ship’s Company.

The Ship’s Company was formed in 2016 with the sole purpose of creating a permanent and authentic replica of the Anglo-Saxon ship. The team is made up of professionals, volunteers and enthusiasts who are working together to fully understand the dimensions and construction methods. The ship will be built in the newly opened, Longshed, a purpose-built unit gifted to the town and dedicated to the maritime history and education.

So why build it now?

The Ship’s Company is a group of people with a strong desire – and a collective will – to see this build to completion. The town of Woodbridge has a rich boat building heritage and a beautiful waterfront providing an ideal setting for such an iconic project. So much can be learned from the research, design and construction by bringing the King’s ship back to life in the same place that it came to its end.

Building a Saxon ship using authentic ship-building methods will have its challenges but where we don’t have the skills in house we will contract experts, such as marine archaeologists, ship architects, shipwrights and experts in green wood working. Together with strong academic support from the Universities of York and Southampton we will see that we record and learn from, every stage.

Bringing the ship back to life and observing it back on the River Deben will be a sight to behold.

So go gift a rivet. This should make you literally a plank holder, since that’s what the rivets are for. And you get a pin and a badge too.

I don’t know what they will name the new ship, but I’d go with the HooToo. Seems appropriate, and much better than Boaty McBoatface.

Christmas Sponsorship – why not sponsor a rivet for someone else this Christmas? All you need to do is purchase your rivet and tell us who it is for in the box provided. We can ship the collectors pin badge and certificate directly to your friend, relative or colleague or we can send it to you to pass on.

[ AFAIK there is no correlation between old King Raedwald and the best selling knight-ish series of children’s books called Redwall, featuring valiant small animals, most notably the mouse Matthias who learns to be a man, by the late author Brian Jacques. They’re in your library. ]

Posted by Drew458     on 12/12/2019 at 10:11 AM   
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   Wednesday - December 11, 2019

#Penguin_Too

Pervert Penguins Still At It 100 Years Later

I know, I know: this story is for the birds.

A century-long cover-up of the “depraved” sex acts of penguins has been uncovered in a new book.

British scientist Dr. George Murray Levick observed frisky Antarctic penguins engaging in gang rapes and even “prostitution” during the early 20th Century.  He wrote a manuscript following months of research while accompanying doomed explorer Robert Scott on his famous 1910-1913 expedition to the South Pole.

Dr. Levick’s subsequent cover-up of his discoveries is the subject of the new book ‘A Polar Affair’.  It describes how Dr. Levick deemed his research too inappropriate to ever be published.

Among other sexual behaviors of “astonishing depravity”, Dr. Levick noted that “promiscuity” and “infidelity” was rife among the colony of Adélie penguins he studied.  But that was far from the worst of it.

Rape, gang rape and the sexual and physical abuse of chicks by adults were all recorded by the Nottingham-born scientist.  Necrophilia was also commonplace, with offenders often mating with birds who had died the previous year.

Some penguins even engaged in “prostitution”, with males using stones to pimp out females.

It may sound a bit far-fetched, but the behavior was confirmed by scientists in a separate study of Adélie penguins in 1998.

Some prostituted penguins have even been shown to trick males into thinking they would have sex by performing an elaborate courtship ritual, then run away with their stones.

Dr. Levick blamed the penguins’ horrifying behavior on “hooligan males”.

He was so shocked that he wrote down his observations in Greek so only educated gentlemen could understand it.  It was deemed too shocking for the general public and only circulated among a small group of experts.

Scientists had to wait another 50 years before the remarkable sexual antics of the Adélie were revealed.

Posted by Drew458     on 12/11/2019 at 03:29 PM   
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winter wonders

Another terrible snow storm here. We must have had at least 1/4” inch of the white stuff. It was mostly gone by noon, but it’s one of those cold and damp days that makes you want to curl up in front of the fireplace and take a nap for a month.

Posted by Drew458     on 12/11/2019 at 03:20 PM   
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   Tuesday - December 10, 2019

same news, two views

Compare And Contrast

There was a gigantic shoot out in Jersey City today. One policeman killed, another severely wounded. Two perps shot dead, 3 bystanders killed, one perp possibly on the loose. The gunfight went on for several hours, with hundreds of rounds fired.

Here’s the story at Fox News, out of their New York office just a few mile away.

Here’s the story at the Daily Mail, in London England, thousands of miles away.

The American site makes no mention that the shootout happened on Martin Luther King Blvd (hint hint) or that the perps had rifles. And about 20 other facts, along with background on the killed officer.

I was quite surprised and impressed that Jersey City had a tracked skid loader modified with armor and a ram/shooting shield on the front. Rather like a modern, bullet proof version of a medieval archer’s pavise shield . Pretty inventive ... and relatively inexpensive. I would have thought they’d just get a milsurp MRAP like everybody else.

But I digress. Just look at the depth of information that the Brit coverage gives you, along with a ton of pictures.

I’ve said many times before, if you want the full story on something that happens here, you have to go over there. Then you have to remove the heavy Socialist slant, but gosh. Our reporters suck. Bandwidth is nearly unlimited and digital storage is infinite and nearly free. There’s no excuse, except “TL; DR”.

Even the local coverage here wasn’t much better than Fox’s. Our news media sucks for actual reporting.

Ok, this local one is a little better, and has a few more details.

Day After Update: Antisemitism To Blame?

The shooting was reportedly motivated by anti-Semitic sentiments. The suspects have been identified as David Anderson and Francine Graham, who were both members of the Black Hebrew Israelite movement. The pair were killed in the standoff with police after they fatally shot three civilians inside the grocery store.

Officials stated they discovered religious writings in the stolen U-Haul used in the shooting as well as anti-Jewish and anti-police remarks posted online by one of the suspects.

According to reports, 22-year old Moshe Deutsch, 33-year-old Leah Mindel Ferencz, and an unidentified delivery worker were among the civilians killed. An extensive investigation is now underway with authorities inspecting the stolen U-haul, cemetery, and grocery store for any evidence about what led to such a violent day on the streets of Jersey City.

More about the Black Hebrew Israelite ideology here.

CCTV and on the scene videos emerge. There’s an awful of gunfire going on. Oh, BTW, there is a Jewish school upstairs over the deli. Full of children.

Wednesday Afternoon Update: Can We Call It Terrorism YET??

Multiple weapons and a pipe bomb were recovered from the scene of Tuesday’s deadly shooting in Jersey City, N.J., officials revealed at a news conference Wednesday.

FBI Newark Special Agent In Charge Gregory Ehrie said state police professionals conducted a forensic search on the vehicle that the two suspects used to get to the Jewish supermarket

Posted by Drew458     on 12/10/2019 at 11:03 PM   
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   Monday - December 09, 2019

Remembering My Moby

It sure was a nice little car

I parked next to an early 70s Thunderbird yesterday. It was in pretty nice condition. I was amazed at the massive size of the thing. It’s a whale. A true Moby.

Weighing in at 4825lb, with a 120.4 inch wheelbase, nearly 80 inches wide, and a hair under 226 inches long, this had to be the biggest 2 door car ever made. It managed a mediocre 10mpg highway with the smog choked 460 engine.

Then I looked up the whale I used to own, that I’d bought used on a lark after driving several microscopic Chevy Vegas into the ground: a 1975 Chrysler Imperial leBaron.

And I realized that that old T-bird was a bit small in comparison. The Imperial was 5200lb on a 124 inch wheelbase, 232.7 inches long, and also nearly 80 inches wide. With a gas sucking pig 440 and a Quadrajet carburetor big enough to take a bath in, it could only manage 10mpg on the highway if it was downhill with a heavy tailwind. But man oh man, what a velvet whale that car was. When it wasn’t in the shop.

And yet both of these road pigs come in “undersized” compared to the 1976 Lincoln Continental Town Car. That rectangular behemoth was 5400lb, 127 inch wheelbase, 232.9 inches long, and 80.3 inches wide. Wow. Beyond huge.

Naturally, the 1974 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 Brougham was even larger, 252 inches long, 133 inch wheelbase, and touching 6000lb. I never really like the style though; too old guy even for a giant luxury car.

I remember that there used to be enormous mom-mobiles out there called station wagons that were nearly as big as these mobys but cost a whole lot less. Got just as poor gas mileage though.

I think my current Mazda 3 could just about fit in the trunk of any one of these aircraft carriers on wheels. 

Posted by Drew458     on 12/09/2019 at 08:58 AM   
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Tourists On Volcano When It Explodes

5 Dead, 2 Dozen Missing As New Zealand Volcano Erupts While Cruise Ship Visitors Ashore

A volcanic island in New Zealand erupted Monday in a tower of ash and steam while dozens of tourists were exploring the moon-like surface, killing five people and leaving many more missing.

Police said after aerial reconnaissance flights of the island that they saw no signs of life and the missing are presumed dead.

Police Deputy Commissioner John Tims said the number of missing was in the double digits but he couldn’t confirm an exact number. He said there were fewer than 50 people on the island when it erupted and 23 had been taken off, including the five dead.

Tims said experts had told them the island remained unsafe for rescuers.

“The island is unstable, there are possibilities of further eruptions. But actually the physical island is unsafe for us to return to the island,” Tims said.

He said both New Zealanders and overseas tourists were among those who were dead, missing or injured. He said most of the 18 who survived were injured and some had suffered severe burns.

Some of those involved were tourists from the Royal Caribbean International cruise ship Ovation of the Seas.

My god, White Island volcano erupted today for the first time since 2001.” wrote Michael Schade on Twitter as he posted video of the eruption. “My family and I had gotten off it 20 minutes before, were waiting at our boat about to leave when we saw it. Boat ride home tending to people our boat rescued was indescribable.”
...
This is so hard to believe. Our whole tour group were literally standing at the edge of the main crater not 30 minutes before. My thoughts with the families of those currently unaccounted for, the people recovering now, and especially the rescue workers

The cruise ship staff got off as many people as they could as the eruption continued. 

Posted by Drew458     on 12/09/2019 at 08:03 AM   
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before the dawn’s early light

I was up at Oh God Early this morning to the sound of rain. Fed the cats, made the coffee, tuned up the computer in half a dozen ways, did some online Xmas shopping.

The Land’s End promo code EARLY50 works, and gets you 50% off of everything. In case you missed their 50% off sale last week, like I did. It takes their prices down to reasonable.

Ok, it’s 6:38am, it’s still raining. Time to shop Duluth and Cabela’s. I bet they have promo codes too. 

Posted by Drew458     on 12/09/2019 at 06:35 AM   
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   Thursday - December 05, 2019

an even sweeter sweetheart deal

Obamas close on Martha’s Vineyard Estate for 50% off

Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama have purchased a nearly 7,000-square-foot home on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts for $11.75 million, according to a report.

The purchase price was recorded Wednesday with the local Registry of Deeds, the Vineyard Gazette reported.

The Obamas paid about half the original asking price for the property when it first became available in 2015, the report said.

...

The Obamas previously purchased a nine-bedroom house in Washington, paying a reported $8.1 million.

The Obamas have entered some lucrative business deals since leaving the White House.

Michelle Obama received a $65 million advance for her memoir, “Becoming,” while the pair also negotiated a $50 million deal with Netflix to develop programming.

In addition, the former first lady reportedly commands a speaking fee of $225,000. She and her husband are said to have a net worth of $135 million.

She certainly has sold a lot of copies of her book. Total numbers are well over 11 million at this point. It’s hard to say if her book has “earned out” yet with the publisher since her slice of the pie is unknown. However, at $12 a copy for hardcover, and $24 for the eBook, she’d need at least a 30% cut of the gross for that to have happened by now. Typically an author gets 10%. OTOH, her book is still in the Top 50, and will probably spike again as we get deeper into the holiday season. 

Posted by Drew458     on 12/05/2019 at 08:40 AM   
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   Tuesday - December 03, 2019

that was easy

Posted by Drew458     on 12/03/2019 at 02:56 PM   
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   Saturday - November 30, 2019

And the weekly “what were you thinking??” award goes to …

Friday’s stabbing attack on the London Bridge that left two people dead and three others wounded had British Prime Minister Boris Johnson arguing afterward that it had been a “mistake” to grant an early release to the suspect, an ex-convict who was shot and killed by police.

Johnson said he had “long argued” against allowing “serious and violent criminals to come out of prison early.”

“It is very important that we get out of that habit and that we enforce the appropriate sentences for dangerous criminals, especially for terrorists, that I think the public will want to see,” Johnson said.

“It is very important that ... we enforce the appropriate sentences for dangerous criminals, especially for terrorists, that I think the public will want to see.”
— Boris Johnson, British prime minister

Following the attack, London police identified the suspect as 28-year-old Usman Khan, who lived in the Staffordshire area and was convicted in 2012 for “terrorism offenses.”

Authorities said Khan had been released in December 2018 “on license,” meaning he had to meet certain conditions or face being sent back to prison, according to Metropolitan Police Counterterrorism Chief Neil Basu.

Police were treating the stabbings as a terrorist attack.

Posted by Drew458     on 11/30/2019 at 04:26 PM   
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Japan: Land of Sexism

Gee, ya thunk, maybe?

A department store in Japan is reportedly “rethinking” a new policy of having female employees wear a badge with a cartoon character dubbed “Miss Period” that signifies they’re menstruating.

The Daimaru department store in Osaka introduced the voluntary badges in October following an employee’s suggestion, BBC News reported.

“It was never the intention to share the menstrual information with their customers,” Daimaru spokesperson Yoko Higuchi told the BBC.

Higuchi said the so-called “period badges” were supposed to create empathy among coworkers, including allowing longer breaks and extra help for employees on their period.

Higuchi told the BBC that reactions to the badges were mixed.

No, really? Mixed reactions? Which means what, half the women decided that a roundhouse kick to the nuts was an appropriate response, and the other half went with a karate chop to the throat?

Meanwhile, Japan, not exactly the land of gender equality or anything ...

The controversy comes at the same time local media has reported that some Japanese companies are banning female employees from wearing eyeglasses, with some saying they make women look “cold” or don’t allow people to see their makeup.

That’s right, because grasses not sexry and a woman’s physical attractiveness is the ONLY thing that matters in the workplace.

But it doesn’t end there either ...

In another controversy this year, Japan’s foreign minister ignored a 20,000-signature petition, saying mandating high heels at work is “socially accepted as something that falls within the realm of being occupationally necessary and appropriate.”

Poor Engrish aside, I’m going to assume this means the foreign minister made the high heels statement, and that there wasn’t actually a petition calling for them. But who knows? This is Japan, where weird is the old normal, and weirder still is the new normal. Plus furries and cosplay.

The idea, Daimaru spokeswoman Yoko Higuchi told the BBC, was to “improve the working environment” for staff by sharing the information.
...
One unnamed Daimaru executive told local media there were then “many complaints” from the public, with “some of them concerning harassment”.
...
Daimaru are not cancelling the policy, but they are rethinking it.

Ms Higuchi said they would come up with a different way of sharing the information - without alerting the public.

How about, “go fruck you seff, asswad-san”?

Posted by Drew458     on 11/30/2019 at 04:01 PM   
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   Sunday - November 24, 2019

Best Scorsese Film Ever?

I haven’t been inside a movie theater in close to 20 years. I think Return of the King was the last thing we went to see. We haven’t rented a DVD in at least 8 years. So much of what gets made these days is just total crap, and we might watch a few minutes of it when it goes to cable TV a few months later. And I have a particular resentment against all of these comic book movies (aside from the very first Spider-man with Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst) and all the rest of them featuring indestructible teens and young adults with magical super powers ... the whole genre, from Hairy Pothead to Ironman to Fantastic Four to Batman Part 814 to Fast & Infuriating. They all suck chunks and make zillions. They may be entertainment, but they aren’t art. Maybe Bruce Willis in Sin City approaches the line in a film noir way, but such films are pretty rare.

Once in a while we find a beautiful gem of film. Moonrise Kingdom was one; it’s a quirky, surreal, not-quite-connected story about young love and being different. But it shines with an inner light, and is a charming thing to watch time and again. The Shipping News is another art film, but of a far different nature. They’re out there, and you’ve never heard of most of them

We found Hugo tonight, and it was glorious. I live under a rock, so I had never heard of this 2011 two hour film.

It’s a gentle, loving story about two young preteens having an adventure in Paris in the early 1930s. It is very French, but in the best way. It’s also a film about film, so of course I was instantly hooked. See, I was “poisoned” by a couple cinema classes I took in college, which were given by the outre avant-garde experimental director/producer/writer Ken Jacobs. We saw some seriously strange flicks in his classes, some marvelous and ancient films, and a whole lot of gay stuff. Too much gay stuff, but in those days it was dark and daring. Our weekend homework assignments was to go to the local art house theater or the campus art movie night and see whatever was playing, and then write a couple paragraphs. That’s where I found gems like Like Water For Chocolate, My Father The Hero, The Secret of Roan Innish, Daughters Of The Dust and many others. I learned to love film as art; movies made to move you, not to churn out billions. And Ken was all about the anti-narrative, and film about film. We used to argue a lot, but some of his outlook stuck. And my GPA improved a bit, as his classes were guaranteed A’s.

We watched Hugo tonight, and there were some bits in it that looked quite 3D, but not artificially so. And we got to the end of it and the credits rolled, and it was directed by Martin Scorsese. And instantly I said “of course” and she didn’t understand why. Why? Jean Cocteau. Stan Brakhage. The Lumiere brothers. Because the guy has roots in the art, not just in the shoot ‘em up special effects cash machines. And it tasted like Scorsese, but gently. And that’s about as good as I can explain it.

Hugo hardly turned a profit, relatively. It is not Pulp Fiction by any stretch of the imagination. And it turns out that it was actually shot in 3D, so there.

If you like beautiful art film that the whole family can watch, here you are. Oh, and it features a very young teenaged Chloë Grace Moretz, all innocent and wholesome, who grew up to be a really beautiful woman. 

Here’s a link to Roger Ebert’s review.

Posted by Drew458     on 11/24/2019 at 11:48 PM   
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DISCLAIMER

THE SERVICES AND MATERIALS ON THIS WEBSITE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND THE HOSTS OF THIS SITE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF SATISFACTORY QUALITY, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICE OR ANY MATERIALS.

Not that very many people ever read this far down, but this blog was the creation of Allan Kelly and his friend Vilmar. Vilmar moved on to his own blog some time ago, and Allan ran this place alone until his sudden and unexpected death partway through 2006. We all miss him. A lot. Even though he is gone this site will always still be more than a little bit his. We who are left to carry on the BMEWS tradition owe him a great debt of gratitude, and we hope to be able to pay that back by following his last advice to us all:

1. Keep a firm grasp of Right and Wrong
2. Stay involved with government on every level and don't let those bastards get away with a thing
3. Use every legal means to defend yourself in the event of real internal trouble, and, most importantly:
4. Keep talking to each other, whether here or elsewhere

It's been a long strange trip without you Skipper, but thanks for pointing us in the right direction and giving us a swift kick in the behind to get us going. Keep lookin' down on us, will ya? Thanks.

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