Tuesday Overnight Open Thread (1/22/19)

Quote I

“These kids got a lesson in social media mobs and the mob that forms in social media forms quickly, and it is there to bully anybody from saying what they really think and what they believe, particularly if it’s a conservative viewpoint.” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY)

Quote II

But at the same time, don’t let those traits, or any other, drift to the extremes. You will fail as a leader, as a man and as a person. Instead, balance the dichotomies that pull you toward one extreme or another.

And pass that balance on to your sons – and your daughters as well. These so-called “masculine traits” aren’t just for men. Jocko Willink

Quote III

“If he truly cared about Dreamers, if he truly cared about undocumented youth, he would not be using us as bargaining chips through his tantrum of getting a wall that makes no sense.

It’s like lighting your house on fire and then going outside and trying to put it out yourself by blaming it on other people” Belen Sisa

'Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.'

A look back at 1920 Iraq.

Feds Prepare To Bail Out "Vast Majority" Of 90,000 Sears Pensions

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp (PBGC) said in a Friday press release that it believes Sears Holdings Corp's "continuation of the plans is no longer possible" following the Company's October bankruptcy, after it was revealed in a Friday filing that Chairman Eddie Lampert's $5.2 billion rescue package does not include pension plans.

Good-bye America in one photo.

2019, a bad year for the internet?

On the first day of the new year, the Democratic Republic of Congo cut internet connections and SMS services nationwide—for the second day in a row. The reason? To avoid the “chaos” that might result from its presidential election results. Not even a week later, on January 7, Gabon’s government did the same after an attempted coup. And it’s unlikely that these will be the last “internet blackouts” we hear about over the coming months. (Both incidents, ironically, took place after I outlined this piece.)

In fact, we’ll likely see a rise in internet blackouts in 2019, for two reasons: countries deliberately “turning off” the internet within their borders, and hackers disrupting segments of the internet with distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. Above all, both will force policymakers everywhere to reckon with the fact that the internet itself is increasingly becoming centralized—and therefore increasingly vulnerable to manipulation, making everyone less safe.

Leave it to California to kill the goose that could have laid the golden egg.

Deep in Gov. Gavin Newsom's new budget is a figure that says a lot about California's shaky legal marijuana market: The state is expecting a lot less cash from cannabis taxes.

The Democrat's proposed spending plan, released Thursday, projects the state will bank $355 million in marijuana excise taxes by the end of June. That's roughly half of what was once expected after broad legal sales kicked off last year.

Industry experts say the diminished tax income reflects a somber reality: Most consumers are continuing to purchase pot in the illegal marketplace, where they avoid taxes that can near 50 percent in some communities.

January 22, 1983, The new 24-hour music video network MTV started broadcasting to the West Coast of America after being picked up by Group W Cable, Los Angeles. via thisdayinmusic.com

January 22,2017, English bass guitar player Pete Overend Watts and founding member of the 1970s rock band, Mott the Hoople died from throat cancer aged 69. Watts helped start the Buddies with guitarist Mick Ralphs, a band that evolved into Mott the Hoople after periods in which it was known as the Doc Thomas Group, the Shakedown Sound, then Silence. They became Mott the Hoople after Ian Hunter joined in 1969. Watts continued with Dale Griffin, Morgan Fisher and Ray Major in the Mott successor British Lions. He later became a record producer, producing albums for artists including Hanoi Rocks and Dumb Blondes. via thisdaymusic.com

Math, how does it work?

New York City restaurants, feeling the pinch of trying to make ends meet, are slashing their staff after a state law that took effect at the end of 2018 is mandating restaurants with 11 or more workers to pay a $15 an hour minimum wage.
The legal minimum wage in New York City rose from $13 to $15 on December 31, 2018, giving workers a temporary hourly raise while forcing employers to cut those employees’ hours to make ends meet.

The wage hike is the city’s third since December 31, 2016, when the city’s minimum wage rose to $11 an hour.

You shouldn't mess around with other peoples meals. Tonight's Feel Good Story of The Day and Genius Award Winner wrapped into one story.

Police say a fatal shooting at an Alabama IHOP began when a customer started shooting at employees and a wounded restaurant worker shot and killed the customer in self-defense.

The Huntsville Police Department on Thursday identified the two people killed in the Wednesday night shooting as IHOP employee Roy Brown and customer Roderick Turner. Brown was 56. Turner was 25.

In a statement, police said Turner was picking up a carryout order and became “disruptive and loud regarding the service at the business.”

Not everyone who works in Hollywood is dirty slime. Tonight's Feel Good Story of The Day.

No, Gary Sinise didn’t get to be Time’s “Person of the Year,” despite a viral push. However, for those of you keeping track, he’s still busy demonstrating why he should have been.

According to Fox News, the actor — best known for playing Lt. Dan Taylor in “Forrest Gump” and for his work with veterans groups — raised $1.3 million for his Gary Sinise Foundation by helping auction off a custom Jeep that actually managed to sell twice.

Tonight's ONT has been brought to you by Dual Purpose Accessories.

Notice: Posted with permission by the Ace Media Empire and AceCorp, LLC. Complaints may be filed with the purveyors of peace, love and understanding.

Leave it to California to kill the goose that could have laid the golden egg.

Deep in Gov. Gavin Newsom's new budget is a figure that says a lot about California's shaky legal marijuana market: The state is expecting a lot less cash from cannabis taxes. The Democrat's proposed spending plan, released Thursday, projects the state will bank $355 million in marijuana excise taxes by the end of June. That's roughly half of what was once expected after broad legal sales kicked off last year. Industry experts say the diminished tax income reflects a somber reality: Most consumers are continuing to purchase pot in the illegal marketplace, where they avoid taxes that can near 50 percent in some communities.

*** The ONT Musical Interlude

January 22, 1983, The new 24-hour music video network MTV started broadcasting to the West Coast of America after being picked up by Group W Cable, Los Angeles. via thisdayinmusic.com

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January 22,2017, English bass guitar player Pete Overend Watts and founding member of the 1970s rock band, Mott the Hoople died from throat cancer aged 69. Watts helped start the Buddies with guitarist Mick Ralphs, a band that evolved into Mott the Hoople after periods in which it was known as the Doc Thomas Group, the Shakedown Sound, then Silence. They became Mott the Hoople after Ian Hunter joined in 1969. Watts continued with Dale Griffin, Morgan Fisher and Ray Major in the Mott successor British Lions. He later became a record producer, producing albums for artists including Hanoi Rocks and Dumb Blondes. via thisdaymusic.com

&topic=world_news"> posted by Misanthropic Humanitarian at 10:02 PM

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