Sat - About that Republican Wave in November...

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Today's Worst Joke in the World

The last thing I need is a burial plot.
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Today's Worst Person in the World Nominees

Today's Worst Technology in the World

“Unexpected item in the bagging area.”

“Please place item in the bag.”

“Please wait for assistance.”

If you’ve encountered these irritating alerts at the self-checkout machine, you’re not alone.

According to a survey last year of 1,000 shoppers, 67% said they’d experienced a failure at the self-checkout lane. Errors at the kiosks are so common that they have even spawned dozens of memes and TikTok videos.

“We’re in 2022. One would expect the self-checkout experience to be flawless. We’re not there at all,” said Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia who has researched self-checkout.

Customers aren’t the only ones frustrated with the self-checkout experience. Stores have challenges with it, too.

The machines are expensive to install, often break down and can lead to customers purchasing fewer items. Stores also incur higher losses and more shoplifting at self-checkouts than at traditional checkout lanes with human cashiers.

Despite the headaches, self-checkout is growing.

In 2020, 29% of transactions at food retailers were processed through self-checkout, up from 23% the year prior, according to the latest data from food industry association FMI.

The move to self-checkout has created unintended consequences for stores as well.

Retailers found that self-checkout stations were not autonomous and required regular maintenance and supervision.

Although self-checkout counters eliminated some of the tasks of traditional cashiers, they still needed to be staffed and created a need for higher wage IT jobs, he said.

This raises the question: why is this often problematic, unloved technology taking over retail?

Despite self-checkout’s many shortcomings for customers and store owners, the trend is only growing.

Walmart (WMT), Kroger (KR) and Dollar General (DG) are piloting exclusively self-checkout stores. Costco and Albertsons have brought self-checkout back after removing it years ago. Amazon (AMZN) has taken the concept a step further with cashier-less Amazon (AMZN) Go stores.

It may simply be too late for stores to turn their back on self-checkout.

Stores today are catering to shoppers who perceive self-checkout to be faster than traditional cashiers, even though there’s little evidence to support that. But, because customers are doing the work, rather than waiting in line, the experience can feel like it’s moving more quickly.

Store owners have also seen competitors installing self-checkout and determined they don’t want to miss out.

About that Republican Wave in November...





Eugene Hates Boris




Why Were They Willing to Work For Previous Guy?

Former staffers are often forgot about in White House meetings, noticed only by a select few. Now those invisible twentysomethings are coming back to haunt the people they were tasked with serving

If you look at photos of White House meetings, there’s always an outer ring of chairs populated by people who staff the decision-makers — or the principals — seated around the table. People with titles such as Special Assistant and Deputy Assistant and Assistant this-or-that will often circulate between offices while making arrangements and relaying messages between the bold-faced names they serve.

Yet those principals often forget that the young staffers – often no older than their mid-20s – are in the room. The twentysomethings who keep Washington running are often invisible to all but a select few (usually reporters) who know to pay attention.

That’s one reason why the testimony that former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson gave at a surprise January 6 select committee hearing was so utterly devastating to Trump and his allies, not least the man she reported to, ex-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

Caldwell's List (He's Not Schindler)

The Justice Department released new details Friday evening of the alleged extensive planning by the Oath Keepers to prepare for violence in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2021, including lessons to conduct "hasty ambushes," a "death list" of Georgia election officials and attempts to acquire homemade firearms.

Among the new details in the government's allegations is a document with the words "DEATH LIST" that the government says it found in Oath Keeper Thomas Caldwell's home through a search warrant in the weeks after January 6

The handwritten list included the name of a Georgia 2020 election official and their family member who, according to the new court filing, were both targets of "unfounded conspiracy theories that they were involved in voter fraud.”

Sorry General.  It's Unconstitutional.

The U.S. Army is going after retired Army Gen. Michael Flynn to recoup a portion of hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments he received from Russia and Turkey before he became Donald Trump’s national security adviser in 2017, The Washington Post reported Friday.

The Army is seeking nearly $40,000 from Flynn after he was cited by the Defense Department inspector general for failing to disclose lucrative speaking engagements and other business arrangements with foreign entities, according to the Post.

Investigators determined that Flynn received nearly $450,000 from Turkish and Russian interests in 2015, including for an appearance in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, while failing to seek government approval beforehand, as required.

He was also paid to appear at an October 2015 conference sponsored by Kaspersky Government Security Solutions, “an entity that appears to be controlled by the Russian government,” according to a memo early last year by Sean O’Donnell, the acting Defense Department inspector general, the Post reported.

The Emoluments Clause of the Constitution prohibits retired military personnel from receiving money from foreign governments without prior authorization.

The HOA Sends Them a Big "Duck You!"

A retired Cypress, Texas, couple has been sued for up to $250,000 after feeding ducks in their neighborhood.

A neighborhood homeowners association is suing the couple, George and Kathleen Rowe, for alleged neighborhood rule violations that are “detrimental to the Subdivision,” the Houston Chronicle reported.

The lawsuit could cost the couple up to $250,000, an amount that pushed the two to put their home on the market.

“We didn’t have the $250,000, so we have to be prepared in case that’s what it’s going to cost,” said Kathleen Rowe.

The homeowners association’s “requested relief” included an order to not feed the ducks and relief that “would not go above $250,000,” according to the Houston Chronicle.

The Rowes’ home has a porch that looks out at a “waterway filled with ducks,” the newspaper said, and Kathleen said she believed the ducks were “dumped” in the area without necessary survival skills.

The couple could now lose the home overlooking the water as the homeowners association seeks foreclosure on the property.

Homeowners in the neighborhood have claimed the ducks “tear up gardens with their beaks” and have defecated in the community, the newspaper reported.
The USDA warns that human food isn’t healthy for animals like ducks and large numbers of ducks can pollute waterways with feces, “up to a pound” a day in some cases, the page says.

The Real Winners Are About to Be the Lawyers

Elon Musk is terminating his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter, according to a new Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

Maybe It's 3/5ths of a Person

A pregnant woman in Texas told police that her unborn child counted as an additional passenger after being cited for driving alone in a high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane, offering up a potentially clever defense for motorists navigating the legal landscape following the supreme court’s striking down of nationwide abortion rights last month.

Brandy Bottone of Plano, Texas, tried to fight a ticket for driving with only one passenger in an HOV lane – which requires at least two people in the car – by arguing that her unborn baby should count as her second passenger.

“[The officer] starts peeking around. He’s like, ‘Is it just you?’ And I said, ‘No there’s two of us?’” Bottone recounted to NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. “And he said, ‘Well where’s the other person?’ And I went, ‘Right here,’” pointing to her stomach.

The officer ultimately gave Bottone a $275 ticket, telling her that if she fought the citation in court, it would probably be dropped.

“This has my blood boiling. How could this be fair? According to the new law, this is a life,” Bottone said to the Morning News. “I know this may fall on deaf ears, but as a woman, this was shocking.”

Bottone was pulled over by a deputy with the Dallas county sheriff’s department, who is employed by the Texas department of transportation to enforce HOV rules on the US 75, the Morning News reported.

While the Texas penal code recognizes an unborn baby as a person, current transportation law in the state does not.

How Low Can They Go?

In late June, the progressive consortium Navigator Research found the high court's net favorability rating had plummeted 26 points since February, putting it underwater at 44% favorable, 47% unfavorable in the wake of its ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.

But Navigator's new poll, conducted June 30 to July 3, found Scotus ratings sinking even lower to 43% favorable, 49% unfavorable.


Will They Take Away His Guns? (We All Know He Owns Guns.)

Colorado state police arrested a man accused of threatening the state's top election official, court records showed on Friday, the first such detention since authorities began strengthening laws on election-related threats last year.

Kirk Wertz, 52, was arrested on Wednesday night and placed in Denver's jail, the records show. He faces a felony charge of "retaliation" against an elected official.

On the morning of June 30, the office of Secretary of State Jena Griswold received a threat from a caller, according to Griswold's office.

"Hey, I've got a message for the Secretary and I want you to pass it along: The angel of death is coming for her in the name of Jesus Christ," Griswold's office said the caller stated.

Did He Have a Beer?  We All Know He Likes Beer.  He Should Get to Choose What He Puts In His Body.


Was There a Bear in the Crowd of Protestors?

Jennifer Harrison of AZ Patriots, who made her bones harassing Latino immigrants and Muslims, showing up to a protest over the Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe v. Wade to do a drive-by pepper spray of participants.

Unsurprisingly, when police arrested her, Harrison claimed it was all in self-defense—a claim belied by video of the incident. Just as predictably, as David Gilbert at VICE reports, police in Tempe, Arizona, also arrested one of Harrison’s victims based on Harrison’s claims that she had been assaulted.

The incident occurred on Sunday night in Tempe, when Harrison and her frequent partner in her far-right escapades, Michael Pavlock, cruised slowly past a cluster of abortion rights protesters waiting to cross the street on the corner of Mill Avenue and University Drive with Harrison in the passenger seat.


Videos and photos show that she rolled down her window with a can of bear spray in her hand and directed it twice at the protesters. After the first blast, while the victims were crying for water, they continued to roll slowly past the crowd; a woman standing with them, later identified as activist Vivika Lofton, reached toward the bear spray with a flag in her hand as if to deflect it. Harrison can then be seen unleashing a second blast in her direction.

Harrison later claimed in a press release (subsequently deleted) that Lofton had “aggressively rushed toward the vehicle, hands raised and flying around as she entered the street and reached her hand into the open window of the vehicle.” Video indicates that this description is at best a gross exaggeration, and that Lofton had not reached inside the car at any moment.
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Today's Best Person in the World Nominees

What Is Japan Doing Right?


What Hath Biden Wrought?

Lowered unemployment to its lowest rates since the 1960s.
Returned the US to the UN human rights council.
Is currently overseeing an historic expansion of wind farms to change our future.
Negotiated an international deal that ended tax havens for rich people who won't pay their fair share.
Made the largest investment in railroads since Amtrak was created.
Protected Americans from foreclosure and eviction during the pandemic.
Extended the US Russia nuclear deal.
Strengthened protection for dreamers.
Cracked down on big tech monopolies.
Strengthened unions.
Saved the pensions of over 1 million unionized workers.
Invested more in Black farmers than any other government act in history.
Improved gun control through executive action, saving lives.
Reduced the number of hungry Americans.
Created new alliances with Australia and other countries to check Chinese power.
Ended the forever war.
Brought diversity to the executive branch.
Added legal defense for immigrant kids.
Made historic investments in busses and other public transportation.
Fully funded and begun the process of replacing all lead water pipes in America.
Prevented over 1 million COVID deaths.
Protected over 3 million acres of national park land ensuring national parks for our kids’ futures.
Slashed child hunger.
Brought clean water to Flint (and other cities).
Oversaw one of the largest investments in semiconductor manufacturing in US history.
Got schools back in person.
Expanded Obamacare so that many families could get more healthcare for less money.
Rejoined the WHO.
Rejoined the Paris Climate Accord.
Ended the Muslim travel ban.
Gave us more tools even for fighting COVID.
Created more jobs in his first year than any president in American history.
Passed a historic infrastructure bill that past presidents have tried (and failed) to do.
Strengthened NATO.
Made broadband more affordable and accessible.
Nominated more qualified judges (and got them confirmed) in his first year than any other president.
Invested in cybersecurity.
Made historic investment in the fight against domestic terrorism.
United children separated from families during Trump administration.
Passed one of the largest industrial bills in US history to make sure US stays competitive with China.
Provided a surge in funds to groups helping victims of domestic abuse.
Made the largest investment ever in Native communities bringing basic healthcare, education, and infrastructure to impoverished communities.
Put in new rules to protect endangered species, preserving important habitats.
Made the largest contribution to saving trees (stopping deforestation) of any president in our history.
Signed into law bipartisan gun measure that will save live.
Signed nine different bipartisan laws that will vastly improve veterans’ healthcare.
Made clean energy a national security issue as a smart (and accurate) way of increasing our ability to build heat pumps and solar panels.
Brilliantly united the free world to fight Russian aggression.
Is currently boosting green jobs and curbing emissions by plugging old oil and gas wells.
Nominated the first Black woman to the Supreme Court.
Signed into law the first ever bill to make lynching a federal hate crime.
Dedicated $585 million to the Violence Against Women Act.
Increased financial aid for college. For example, he increased Pell grants from $400 to $6,895 — the biggest expansion ever.
Made new “Buy American” rules that strengthen manufacturing in the US.  These are the biggest changes to these rules in 70 years.
Initiated the most significant restoration and cleanup of the Great Lakes in its history.
Signed landmark #MeToo Bill which ends forced arbitrations used to cover up abuse.
Initiated economic policies that led to a 30% increase in new businesses.
Made sexual harassment in the military a crime, for the first time ever.
Brought kindness, decency, and honesty back to the White House.

The Proud Eagle



Come late spring, KKGL-FM unveils a custom version of its station logo on Facebook. The familiar bald-eagle head is overlaid on a Pride flag, in support of the LGBTQ community. The rainbow-colored transformation coincides with Pride month, celebrated internationally each June.

Not all listeners in the Boise area — and beyond — have been thrilled.

So last week, The Eagle did what any shrinking legacy media member facing customer complaints might do.

The station announced that the logo would remain. Even though Pride month was over.

“Flag stays up for another month, deal with it,” The Eagle wrote on Facebook. “If we keep getting harassed, then it will go another month. Plus, Freddie Mercury rules.”

The threat isn’t idle. In 2021, the station prolonged the campaign through summer, posting Aug. 2: “We warned you, now the Pride Flag stays up another month.”

We Don't Allow Cigarettes to Be Marketed to Minors

The publisher of a youth shooting magazine and several gun-rights groups filed a lawsuit on Friday challenging a recently enacted California law banning the marketing of guns to minors by manufacturers and others in the firearms industry.

In a lawsuit  filed in federal court in Los Angeles, the publisher Junior Shooters and groups including the Second Amendment Foundation argued that the law violated their free speech rights under the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta's office in a statement said it would "take any and all action under the law to defend California's commonsense gun laws."
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Invasions Have Consequences

No Fries For You and That's It

Some restaurants in the newly opened "Tasty and that's it" fast food chain, which replaced McDonald's in Russia, will temporarily stop serving fries, according to Russian media.

A shortage of the correct variety of potatoes means diners will have to find a different side dish to accompany their burgers and nuggets.

The company says it expects to have fries back on the menu by autumn.

A month after opening, one of the key items on the menu is in short supply. "Rustic potatoes" - a thicker-cut version of the traditional French fry - may also be unavailable.

In a statement to Russian news agency Tass, the company explained that 2021 yielded a poor harvest for the variety of potato needed to make fries.

It said that the company generally tried to source potatoes from Russian producers, but that it had also become impossible to import potatoes from markets that could offer a temporary replacement to the domestic crop.

More Weapons For You and That's Not All

The United States will send more High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) to Ukraine as part of a new $400m weapons package, a senior defence official has said, to help Kyiv confront heavy Russian artillery bombardments.

Speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity on Friday, the official said the new US arms package would include four additional HIMARS and more ammunition, bringing the total number of these systems to 12.

With the HIMARS, “Ukraine has now been successfully striking Russian locations within Ukraine, deeper behind the front lines, and disrupting Russia’s ability to conduct artillery operation”, the official said.

The package will also include 1,000 rounds of a new kind of 155mm ammunition for artillery supplied by Ukraine’s Western allies.

“You won’t find it difficult to prove that battles, campaigns, and even wars have been won or lost primarily because of logistics” ~ General Dwight. D. Eisenhower

The first phase of the Putin’s War ended when Russia was unable to maintain supply lines to forces besieging Kyiv. The second phase shifted predominantly to the eastern Donbas front, where logistics were suddenly less important.

Russia was able to take Kreminna, Rubizhne, Severodonetsk, and Lysychansk all within a few dozen kilometers of their main supply nodes—railheads. Note how the Izyum salient, with its longer supply lines, barely budged in three months. But to the east, not only could Russia avoid long, difficult lines of communication (supply), but they could literally send their tanks and artillery guns to nearby railheads to directly load up on ammo.

Russia is so incompetent with logistics, that they literally sent their heavy equipment to get their own supplies and ammo, rather than do what every other army in the world does—use far more efficient trucks. I can’t even imagine how many of these tanks and artillery guns broke down trying to get their own supplies. These vehicles aren’t build for long road trips.

But as stupid as that might’ve been pre-HIMARS (and other western long-range artillery), it’s now literally impossible. With Ukraine’s ability to reach out and touch anything within 85 kilometers of the front lines, Russia is in serious need of 1) new supply depots, well to their rear, and 2) more trucks to ferry supplies. And they better hurry, because their existing depots are going “boom!” every single night.

Meanwhile, roads close to the frontlines are cratered messes, requiring travel at dramatically slower speeds, mostly during daylight. All the while, Ukraine is doing everything to make those roads impassable.

The war is entering a third phase. The Battle for the Donbas might be ongoing, but this is a new kind of war. Russia’s need to reach deeper into Ukrainian territory to contest the twin strongholds of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk will rekindle the same logistical challenges we saw early in the war. In fact, they’ll be much worse, because Russia will no longer be able to stockpile ammunition next to railheads for easy dispersion to the front. HIMARS will require Russia to multiply and disperse smaller stockpiles away from those railheads, much further from the front. If Ukraine eventually gets ATACMS rockets for their HIMARS as rumored, with their range of 300 kilometers, Russia’s woes will only multiply. 

Russian artillery is still burning through their local supply of ammunition. We should see a decrease in fire intensity over the next week if Ukraine is indeed crimping Russian logistics.

Speaking of Artillery



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Time to Return the Favor?

The US and UK have been eagerly dispensing advice on democratic reform to so-called “third world” nations for decades, many of which have strengthened their institutions as a result. Meanwhile, back at home, their own systems and guard rails, which have never been particularly strong at protecting minority rights, have been allowed to decay and atrophy. So convinced are they of their superiority that the idea of needing to reform centuries-old practices and codes built for a different age, and which embed the beliefs and prejudices of previous generations, does not appear to cross their minds.

Today, it is perhaps the turn of countries like Kenya, and continental organisations like the African Union, to repay the favour and send democracy experts to the US and UK. We should be looking to support grassroots organisations working towards constitutional and electoral reform, as well as help conduct civic education for populations that seem to too easily fall prey to the charms of demagoguery. Most importantly, we should focus on media development and education. As Africans, we should realise that it is our duty to stand with the people of America and Britain, and to support their aspirations for democracy, and accountable and transparent government.
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A Good Reason Not to Urinate On Your Lawn, Even During a Drought

More than 80% of urine samples drawn from children and adults in a US health study contained a weedkilling chemical linked to cancer, a finding scientists have called “disturbing” and “concerning”.

The report by a unit of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that out of 2,310 urine samples, taken from a group of Americans intended to be representative of the US population, 1,885 were laced with detectable traces of glyphosate. This is the active ingredient in herbicides sold around the world, including the widely used Roundup brand. Almost a third of the participants were children ranging from six to 18.

Academics and private researchers have been noting high levels of the herbicide glyphosate in analyses of human urine samples for years. But the CDC has only recently started examining the extent of human exposure to glyphosate in the US, and its work comes at a time of mounting concerns and controversy over how pesticides in food and water impact human and environmental health.
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I Think UCLA Showed an Absinthe of Common Sense

A former UCLA Spirit Squad director — who wants a judge to set aside sexual harassment findings that led to her 2019 dismissal after a Title IX investigation of her role in allowing some team members to attend a live burlesque show in Las Vegas in 2018 — believed beforehand that the performance was to be a "Cirque du Soleil" type of event, her attorneys say in new court papers.

Mollie Vehling, 45, brought the petition in June 2021 in Los Angeles Superior Court against the UC regents and the UCLA Title IX Office, alleging both failed to grant her a fair Title IX hearing, failed to proceed in the manner required by law and committed a "prejudicial abuse of discretion."

Mollie Vehling brought the petition in LA Superior Court against the UC regents and the UCLA Title IX Office, alleging both failed to grant her a fair Title IX hearing

Vehling headed the UCLA Spirit Squad for almost two decades

She was put on leave in December 2018 and fired in May 2019 after the university found that Vehling directed some squad members to accompany former state Sen. Alan Robbins to the “Absinthe” show at Caesars Palace in November 2018

During the performance, a show emcee who was likely a female performer saw that some Spirit Squad members arrived late and directed offensive comments at them

In a statement Friday, UCLA responded: "As an institution, UCLA remains committed to fully supporting all of our students and their well-being is our top priority. Immediately upon learning of this incident, the university's Title IX office undertook a thorough investigation. UCLA has robust policies and procedures in place to ensure equity and fairness for all involved. That process ultimately resulted in Mollie Vehling's dismissal. The university looks forward to responding in detail to her petition in court."

Vehling's attorneys filed an opening brief on her behalf on Thursday ahead of an Aug. 30 hearing on her petition before Judge Mary H. Strobel.

Vehling headed the UCLA Spirit Squad for almost two decades. She was put on leave in December 2018 and fired in May 2019.

The Spirit Squad attends basketball and football games to cheer on UCLA's teams, but the squad's responsibilities extend beyond just dancing or cheering in that they also are ambassadors for UCLA who help maintain positive relationships with high-profile UCLA donors, Vehling's lawyers state in their court papers.

The university found that Vehling directed some members of the squad to accompany former state Sen. Alan Robbins to the "Absinthe" show at Caesars Palace in November 2018 while the team was in Las Vegas for a men's basketball tournament in violation of the UC policy on sexual violence and sexual harassment.

Robbins, a Democrat who represented his Los Angeles-area district in the state Senate from 1974-91, is a UCLA graduate and longtime school donor.

"Mollie Vehling had no notice that merely extending an invitation for Spirit Squad members to attend the 'Absinthe' show at Caesar's Palace could subject her to charges for sexual harassment and end her 19-year career with the UCLA Spirit Squad," her lawyers argue in their court papers.

Vehling reviewed the Caesar's Palace website and perceived the show to be a Cirque du Soleil-type of event and she sent a GroupMe text asking the squad members if they wanted to take advantage of the opportunity during their free time, her attorneys state in their court papers.

The "Absinthe" show is rated for individuals 18 and older and all of the Spirit Squad members who attended the show were over the age of 18, plus there was no nudity, according to Vehlings' attorneys court papers.

During the performance, a show emcee who was likely a female performer saw that some Spirit Squad members arrived late and directed offensive comments at them, according to Vehling's attorneys court papers.

"When notified via text that the students were uncomfortable, Ms. Vehling advised that they should leave immediately with a buddy," Vehling's lawyers state in their court papers.

Robbins sent an email apologizing for the "Absinthe" show and the bad experience of the Spirit Squad, according to Vehling's attorneys court papers.

In November 2018, UCLA's Title IX office was notified that several members of the Spirit Squad said they had experienced harassing behavior when they attended the show with Robbins, Vehling's lawyers state in their court papers.

Several female UCLA Spirit Squad members thought that Robbins was "creepy" and were uneasy dealing with him, but his alleged conduct was improperly used to justify the actions taken against Vehling, her lawyers state in their court papers.

Throughout the UCLA Title IX investigation, Vehling was denied access to her work emails, work phone and work files so she could respond, Vehling's lawyers argue in their court papers.

Although the majority of the students who attended the show did not indicate that they felt the show amounted to harassment, the Title IX investigator found there was "sufficient evidence to conclude that the students, as a whole, felt that the behavior they were subjected to was severe," according to Vehling's lawyers' court papers.
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Yesterday I Suggest That Newsome Wanted to Run For President.  Later in the Day I Saw This Headline.

"There are suspicions that Gov. Gavin Newsom may run for president."
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