Overnight Open Thread - 11/10/2024
[Roger Ball]

Do not be alarmed, Oh Great HORDE, this NOT the Gardening Thread. The banner is offered in the spirit of never giving in. After being attacked by a well-meaning but misguided weed whacker, the watermelon vine refuses to give in.

No,wait…maybe giving in is an idea that has become a good thing. Remember this?

Tractor Supply Recognized for Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace

Tractor Supply Company(NASDAQ: TSCO), the largest rural lifestyle retailer in the United States, announced today it has been recognized by two separate entities as a diverse and inclusive workplace. For the second consecutive year, the Company exceeded the threshold for inclusion on the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index, while Newsweek featured Tractor Supply on its inaugural list of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity.

Well? Apparently and thankfully, this is what “giving in” looks like now: Rural retailer Tractor Supply eliminates DEI roles, Pride support and carbon emissions goals

The retailer said in a Thursday release that it will no longer submit data to the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy group. The company will also stop sponsoring Pride festivals and voting campaigns, the release said. The company previously earned a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2022 Best Places to Work Corporate Equality Index.

I went to my local TS to get a propane tank filled. $3.00/gallon and immediate friendly service. (Full disclosure: I’m a pasty white guy.) Plus, set up in front of the store was a display to help homeless veterans.

For the aviation geeks among us, I just read an update about the Electra EL-2 Goldfinch hybrid-electric aircraft program. I’m a biased old codger so I immediately discount tales of “sustainable electric airplanes” along with unicorns. (Although, I’m still open to discussing unicorns.) But this one is unique, being a hybrid. The turbogenerator is being built by SAFRAN, which has a long history of building helicopter turbine engines.

And you know the DoD can’t wait to get its well lubricated paws on it:

Electra’s nine-passenger design has garnered contracts from the Air Force, Army, and Navy, which view it as a potential game-changer for military resupply missions, tactical insertions, and medical evacuations. The firm is also backed by Lockheed Martin… “Its hybrid-electric propulsion system provides extended range and endurance, making it suitable for Agile Combat Employment missions in austere locations with compromised or nonexistent runways.”

At least one feature stands out to me as increasing the design’s potential for success. It’s hybrid so it’s still an oil burner. If there is JP8/JET fuel available, the thing should be able to fly. It also uses lithium-ion batteries so, I guess as long as they don’t set themselves on fire, they will provide enough battery power to get to safety if the fuel is gone or the turbogenerator breaks. I wonder about Li-ion battery fire suppression…

From the “Your Tax Dollars at Work” files, the FAA should contract out their recruiting services to the DoD. Eh? FAA Exceeds FY ’24 Controller Hiring Target

Earlier this week, the FAA announced it has exceeded its hiring goal for air traffic controllers for fiscal year 2024 (ending Sept. 30). A total of 1,811 new hires have signed on, eleven more than the target figure of 1,800. The agency said in a statement that the figure was the highest in nearly 10 years and represents “important progress” toward stemming a decades-long decline in ATC staffing numbers.

“Because diversity is so critical, FAA actively supports and engages in a variety of associations, programs, coalitions and initiatives to support and accommodate employees from diverse communities and backgrounds. Our people are our strength, and we take great care in investing in and valuing them as such.”

I don’t see any blind, psychotic, dwarf amputees in the picture so I sense a big class action lawsuit soon.

[SSI-Satire Sidebar Interlude] With the emphasis on Asian persuasion, the Harris/Dr Jill Junta continues the policy of ensuring CCP representation across government agencies and administrations. Her team will be officially installed as the TFTTT (Temporary Fundamental Transformation Transition Team) in January 2025 and will remain the sole source of governance until such time as the CCP can establish a permanent colonial ruling structure. What do ya think, HORDE? Too much?

Now here’s a realtor with a sense of humor:

Hat tip to WeirdDave, reposting for emphasis…

Here’s to sneaky Angels.

Careful out there.

posted by Open Blogger at 10:00 PM

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