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Saying the city itself doesn't feel right, but I don't even know who exactly to pin this on.

ARTICLE: Savannah's abandoned shopping cart ordinance going up for vote

Summary: The Savannah City Council is set to vote on an ordinance which would fine businesses if their carts are found outside their property. Did someone steal one of your carts and leave it on the side of the road a few miles away? That'll be a fine of $375.

9_9

So you probably recall back in 2014 there was an initiative to break up California into six states. Personally, I was a little disappointed when it seemingly vanished. But Timothy Draper and other Cali breakup proponents haven't given up yet; back in late October, they cleared the first hurdle for the new/revamped initiative to divide up California into three states:

Article: 3 Californias? Billionaire's Plan to Split California into 3 Separate States Clears First Hurdle

And in more recent news, today supporters for the State of New California have declared their independence from the rest of the state:

Article: New California Declares Independence From Rest Of State

Now, I'm generally too detached/lazy to figure out how the likelihood any of the proposals will succeed, but I still find it fascinating to hear about, and, as a non-Californian, I'd really like to see this make it to the ballot, if nothing else.

Not really sure if that warrants a new topic, but I couldn't think of any other way to begin this discussion.

Yesterday I got a notice from Google that someone had discovered my password for my secondary email, and tried to use it to log in. Thankfully, Google denied them as they were trying to log in with an unfamiliar/unverified device.

The password was randomly generated and saved via Last Pass, and the email address itself is less than two months old (as of this post) so needless to say, I'm a bit surprised by all of this. I've already changed the password, but I'm wondering what else, if anything, I could do to prevent this in the future. Any idea how anyone even could have gotten it?

Article: "Barrier windows in Philly beer delis: Symbols of safety or distrust?"

From the article, "[Cindy Bass] has proposed legislation that would force beer deli owners to remove thick plexiglass counter windows," claiming that 1) said windows are a symbol of distrust (suggesting the clientele is dangerous) and 2) too many of these establishments are merely "masquerading" as delis when their main source of income is alcohol.

I mean, I like to joke that politics makes people stupid, but my goodness -- it took me about two seconds to see the flaws in Bass's logic.

"I'm smart enough to ride a rocket I built myself and I know the world is flat. Vote for me!"

Self-taught rocket scientist (and Flat Earther) plans to launch over ghost town

Summary: "Mad" Mike Hughes, limo driver and daredevil, plans to launch homemade rocket over the ghost town of Amboy, California. Which in and of itself actually seems kind of cool... The parts which get me are that 1) his main sponsor is Research Flat Earth, 2), Hughes himself is a flat-earther, and 3) he seems to be using this daredevil stunt to launch his run in California's gubernatorial campaign. Adding to the confusion is the fact that he understands aerodynamics et al... but also says there's no difference between science and science fiction. 9_9

That said, Hughs intends to build a rocket to take himself into space somewhere down the line so he can "snap a picture and see with his own eyes," as the article puts it. Huh.

Tweet: https://twitter.com/JamesHeartfield/status/907752206627213312
Article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/sep/11/hillary-clinton-what-happened-memoir-donald-trump-1984

Thanks, James Heartfield, for sharing this excerpt from Hillary Clinton's new book, "What Happened." The first sentence alone has been over-marinated in irony and is ready for the grill of, uh... of metaphors (sorry, brain needs rest):

"Attempting to define reality is a core feature of authoritarianism."

The article shares more than James's highlight, but I got this right as I was about to drop off for the night, so... yeah.

Humor me, if you would, and just take a moment to digest the article's headline before reading.

Tweet: https://twitter.com/business/status/894922691098148865
Article: Americans are Dying Younger, Saving Corporations Billions

Summary:
[spoiler]There's a stall or very slight upward trend in the otherwise downward-trending age-adjusted mortality rate, and some number of corporations are incorporating this into their retirement pension estimates. There's no simple reason for it, though Bloomberg/John Tozzi (the author) mildly suggests it's due to a lack of socialism (cuts to social safety net)

Nothing at all suggesting the titular corporations are at fault, contrary to the knee-jerk response tweets. And I can't help but presume that was Bloomberg/Tozzi's intent.[/spoiler]

Just... Just wow.

http://www.capradio.org/articles/2017/07/06/calif-senate-passes-fee-to-fund-new-affordable-housing/

Summary: In order to build up state funds to promote more affordable housing, the California Senate has voted to add a $75 fee (tax) to most real estate documents.

I can't roll my eyes enough at this.

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And probably about a hundred other videos at the time of this posting...

Anyhow, with the passing of HR 1628 in the House, house democrats decided the best immediate response would be... to break into song, celebrating what is essentially the chance of a power grab at the expense of the American people.

How mature.

EDIT: Also, maybe it's just me, but this attitude feels much the same as the one they had leading up to the election, once Trump won the nomination. :p

Now, to be fair, I feel like this is more about the general sentiment than any one specific person, but anyway...

@KeithOlbermann: NEW RESISTANCE: After the Electoral College vote comes the ways to resist, including NEVER calling Trump "president"

It's sad just how... human? ...this all feels, when the other side was lambasted for doing the same thing to Obama back in '08.

http://reuters.com/article/idUSKBN1343CO

I'm pretty sure the Republicans were never anywhere near this bad when Obama got elected/re-elected.

EDIT: corrected title.

Harvard Ideas on Health Care Hit Home, Hard

WASHINGTON — For years, Harvard's experts on health economics and policy have advised presidents and Congress on how to provide health benefits to the nation at a reasonable cost. But those remedies will now be applied to the Harvard faculty, and the professors are in an uproar.

Members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the heart of the 378-year-old university, voted overwhelmingly in November to oppose changes that would require them and thousands of other Harvard employees to pay more for health care. The university says the increases are in part a result of the Obama administration's Affordable Care Act, which many Harvard professors championed.

TL;DR: Harvard professors who supported and helped design Obamacare are shocked and upset that they now have to pay more out-of-pocket for healthcare because of it.

To paraphrase another commenter or two on the topic: I have sympathy for people who shoot themselves in the foot, but, well, they still shot themselves in the foot.

It occurs to me that I don't really understand what distinguishes a "corporation" from a "business," outside of the fact that the former is a legal fiction created by government, nor do I fully understand the problems this legal fiction creates. Would anybody be willing to offer an explanation in terms my slow, easily-distracted brain can understand, be it in their own words or via link to someone else's?

That's right, I said Solar FREAKIN' Roadways.

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I can't wait to see how Uncle Sam screws this up.

How much bogosity surrounds the recent government shutdown? Let us count the ways.

By now, I'm sure you've all heard how the federal govt tried to close open-air memorials in DC, such as the WWII memorial. I'm sure at least a few of you, like me, though they couldn't get much more ridiculous than that. And you, like me, would be proven wrong, as government has decided to close off 1100 square miles of the Atlantic ocean.

Feds Try to Close the Ocean because of Shutdown

Gog.

Story: Standard & Poor's expects lawsuit over subprime ratings

I think it goes without saying that the lawsuit is rife with bogons.

When I first noticed this article, I thought the US Govt was trying to sue the S&P for downgrading their credit rating. Wouldn't surprise me if the Justice Dept brings it up in the lawsuit.

So, this happened today when I was at the checkout at Sears:

Cashier: Are you a Sears rewards member?

Me: No.

Cashier: What is your phone number?

(I assume she's trying to sign me up for a membership, which I might decide to do anyway, so I give it to her. The transaction continues until we get to the receipt.)

(At this point, the card swiper asks if I want to send my receipt to an unfamiliar email, or if I want to send said email and get a physical copy of the receipt)

Me: Uhh...

Cashier: (Trying to hurry line along) Do you want a printout?

Me: Yes, bu--

Cashier: (Presses Email+Receipt button) There you go, sir.

Me: ...But I don't recognize that email.

Cashier: Oh. Well, it was too late anyway.

I did an immediate return and got the manager to give me the customer service number. The lady on Customer service was very professional, and told me in so many words that she'd make sure Corporate found out about the issue, so kudos to her. After the fact, I found out the email actually belongs to my dad, but I didn't know that when the card swiper brought the email up in the first place.

I'm sure just about all of you have heard this argument before, and I presume we all know why it's fallacious.

In that light, I got linked to this... very interesting article on how Somalia has been faring since the fall of its latest government, and thought it might be worth sharing.

EDIT: So if they're allowed to call Somalia a "libertarian/anarchist paradise," does that mean we're allowed to call countries like Uganda a "democratic paradise?"