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Messages - HAL 9000

#1
Politics / THIRD US Ebola Case Confirmed
October 15, 2014, 04:54:40 AM
Haha! Typing at the same time!
#3
First Second US Ebola Case Confirmed

Oopsie fucking daisy! Had to fix headline due to government agency missteps.

Quote from: VtaGeezer on October 14, 2014, 11:30:31 PMFabrication. The only infectious airborne content there is from Breitbart.  That's the kind of fear-inducing crap that dim bulbs like Noory relish repeating.   It ought to be a felony to publicize bullshit like that during a time when a public panic could result.

Quote from: eddie dean on October 14, 2014, 11:48:55 PMThere isn't any medical evidence, that I've seen anyway, that suggests this outbreak is airborne. I hope it never is airborne because that is when people will completely flip out. the majority of people who only read the headline, or scim over all the "possibles" and " has the potential to, be airborne"  in the article, now think Ebola can be transmitted through the air like the flu.

The people treating the patients should have bio suits and the proper gear to protect themselves, which is why they are advising caution in regards to the type of protective gear they wear.

This headline is just inaccurate and perpetuates fear in an already fearfull atmosphere.

In fact, it is not fabrication, but researched and documented. It is infuriating for me to have to listen to government health spokesman spew half-truths and lies, forcing people like me to have to parse their words to get at any modicum resembling truth, while those people without medical training must rely on these shills; however, I am encouraged by a resourceful news media who are finally asking appropriate questions, and trying to hold the government accountable for their misguided decisions.

About two-and-one-half months ago I posted on this forum, my thoughts about Ebola in general, and aerosolization in particular My Thoughts on Ebola.

With respect to my linked post, I would just add that when I wrote that, I never dreamed our government officials would be so incompetent so as to allow suspected Ebola patients to be treated in hospitals in disparate parts of the country not specifically equipped and trained in dealing with such deadly pathogens. I would now amend my post a bit by stating that, I see the general "threat level" of Ebola in this country is "raised," i.e., due to foreseeable but ignored risk-factors. Officials have, in my view, succumbed to political correctness when making decisions about how to best protect the citizenry of the United States.

My guess is that, if Ebola was in Iceland rather than on the African continent, flights from Iceland would cease. However, due to our first half-black, Kenyan-born interloper President, we dare not entertain the notion of temporary flight bans, due to perceived "racial insensitivities." </partial sarcasm off>

Perhaps more on how to navigate the government double-speak another time.

            
#4
Quote from: wotr1 on September 29, 2014, 01:02:26 AMDO NOT CLICK THE LINK

The burningplatform has never had malware for me (and did not have it when I posted the link) but Avast now detects malware on that page.  I would like to edit the post, but cannot...

I like to think I'm pretty well protected here, so when someone says, "Don't click the link," that is mind-control jargon for "click the link." So I did.

Nothing.  Left browser open on page > 1 hour.

It is safe to visit.

#5
Quote from: Yorkshire pud on August 28, 2014, 05:48:10 AMThere is a sizable Jewish population in Manchester, I suppose that's what you're referring to.


I know we speak the same language, but perhaps Yorkshireites have a different definition for "sizable?"

According to the UK's Office for National Statistics, the 2011 census provides the following data for Manchester:

NOTE: (I have rounded off percentages)

Manchester's Jewish population dropped by 15% (2001-2011)
Manchester's Jewish population comprises 0.5% of total
Manchester's Muslim population increased 74% (2001-2011)
Manchester's Muslim population comprises 16% of total
Manchester's Christian population dropped by 22%
Manchester's Christian population comprises 49% of total

(click on image for full size)



Using the analogous standard format:   a : b :: c : d ("a" is to "b" as "c" is to "d")

So, in Yorkshire or Manchester, apparently the definition of "sizable" would look like this? :

4 inches : penis :: Yorkshireites : sizable

(Are we allowed to use dry humor on this board?)


#6
Quote from: 11angeleyes11 on August 23, 2014, 08:49:43 PMMy new psychic dream was that I was interviewed by Matt Lauer on the Today show, and I was granted tickets to the Cayman Islands.  That happened this week.  I will keep everyone updated on this thread.   8)

In this dream, you were granted "tickets" (plural), so I'm wondering; did you also possibly have a layover flight where you picked up a brilliant and dashingly handsome guy whose name begins with "H?" (Yes, I know this is a 'softball' I've given to all those desiring to post a witty slam-dunk)

         
#7
Quote from: 11angeleyes11 on August 23, 2014, 07:51:17 PMNow Mexico has a earthy mystery of its own. A massive, unexplained crack in the earth that spans several acres. The crack appeared relatively quickly, spawning a whole host of theories.

This from your post appears verbatim from ABC7's Facebook page: http://tinyurl.com/n9ktvsu

The word "mystery" and "unexplained" both appear, but I'm just wondering - did you watch the news story that actually does explain this?

See: http://tinyurl.com/pz9mv5s and watch the 30 second video.

As for the word "massive," though agreeably I can't see the entire fissure, but from what is shown, in my more youthful track & field days, I could have jumped over much of this.

Am I missing some revelation here - does this fissure somehow link to the dream in the first post, or anything for that matter? I've had a long day, so my mind is weary, and perhaps the obvious is right in front of me.






#8
Quote from: b_dubb on August 10, 2014, 09:05:47 PM"Copper" a series about Irish cops in the Five Points area of NYC during the Civil War. Think Gangs of New York meets Deadwood

Thanks for this - downloaded both seasons right after your post, and am now binge watching when no baseball on. Great period surroundings, lighting, etc.
#9
Politics / Re: Rick Perry in Trouble
August 16, 2014, 01:02:40 AM
Quote from: yumyumtree on August 15, 2014, 11:29:45 PMMark Levin spent a big part of his show in this today. Texas governor Rick Perry( who may also run for pres. again in 2016) is now in trouble. As Levin tells it, he refused to fund something that Travis Co. Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg was in charge of unless she resigned. It seems that she behaved badly when stopped for DUI. I looked up a YouTube video of this and it's pretty disgraceful. I don't blame Perry for wanting her to resign. If she had any character, it seems she would have resigned voluntarily by now. Only in the crazy world of Texas politics could this turn into a thing.

The woman is a complete a$$. Here are 3 videos which give a pretty good picture of what the woman is like. One is a short TV news report summarizing the story, another is the dash cam video of her failing her DUI tests, and the last is video taken inside the jail and her obnoxious behavior. It's amazing how she could remain in office.

I despise embedded YT video, so here are just the links.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxX-qhJTfkI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrxsCH_p1oc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7y7oJ266qI
#10
Politics / Re: Iraq 3.0
August 16, 2014, 12:37:16 AM
Quote from: WildCard on August 14, 2014, 11:25:32 AMI knew who the Yazidis were, or thought I knew, when I was in my teens.
I didn't know that all, most or some Yazidis are Kurd's until a few years ago.
I know - lack of research.  ::)

That's a lot better than me - I never heard of them until they were mentioned in the MSM this week, and didn't know anything about them until 2 minutes before my post.

#11
Quote from: gnooryblows on August 14, 2014, 09:55:42 PMthis shit is not rocket science motherfuckers, humans need clean air and food to survive. they do not need motherfuckin ipads.

I'll expound on my theories about you another time, but to gather real insight, we need to be honest, so I have a few questions.

1) What company is your ISP, how many Mbps is your plan, how much is your ISP charging you, and who pays your bill?

2) What make and model of electronic device are you using to post here?

We'll start with just those.
#12
Radio and Podcasts / Re: The Spec Sheet
August 14, 2014, 11:19:48 PM
Quote from: Khameleon808 on August 14, 2014, 06:24:03 AMNah, I won't argue with the fact that I shouldn't have argued with him in the first place.  Your points are valid but filled with incorrect information.  The mention of "not knowing the rules" was answering their question why I was banned the first time. I was arguing with a completely different person then.  And yes I do overmention my videos. Something I will clearly not do as much now that it's been brought to my attention. So thank you for that. Believe it or not, there are large gaps of time where I dont even mention them, so when I do have it brought up, I say something. <the rest snipped for brevity>

Well Kham, I'm very surprised to say the least. You took that pretty well, so for that,  I think you're quite a stand-up guy and took it like a man. There's something to be said for that; some people go all ape-shit in a Robin Williamsesque/Falkie-esque fantasy rant, but you were quite introspective, so my respect to you.

As for any other information, I think we'll just have to agree to disagree. You say I don't (exempli gratia: having a pic), and I say I do. We'll leave it at that, as even if I offered proof in private, you would just deny it. So no point in going any further. Topic dropped.

The rest is not really aimed at you Kham - they're just mild ruminations to fill up this post, and not start a thread elsewhere. There are some who think they know, but that's only because they have one side of the story; but that's precisely how magicians fool their audience - by convincing the audience that what they see on the surface is true, when in fact, the truth is the opposite of what was observed. Google is so 2001 - to think I've had my "toes stepped on" is merely tripe.

I don't post much or stop by much anymore; I'll attempt an admittedly lame allegory: this place used to be a rest stop, if you will, but a rest stop with a view. A rest stop whereby a talented and eclectic group of folks used to stop by, and have a metaphorical picnic - an exchange of thoughtful ideas on a variety of provocative topics.

Reluctantly, some excellent members have left or decided not to post, leaving a vacuum. In it's place I'm sad to say, some members who remained, who were once particularly thoughtful in expressing a point of view, have filled the vacuum with nothing much more than churlish, schoolboy language hurled at one another ad nauseum. This incessant boorish behavior has subtracted from this "rest stop with a view," and turned it more into a rest stop where one stretches their legs, takes a dump, and leaves. Sad to see, but this is my interpretation.

How could I end without mentioning the Spec Sheet? Never having been an avid listener, I would download occasionally, and actually hear information about PCs, smartphones, chips, networking, etc., interwoven with some light-hearted humor. I am by no means a prude, but it seems to have devolved into not much more than frat-boy humor laden by nearly unremitting references to excrement, female and male genitalia, and other gratuitous vulgarity and profane references. I suppose some might enjoy that, and to those I say suum cuique. I suspect most women here could do without - just my guess. So I tend to download only to hear a caller I may have recognized from the forum - but for my taste, it's just a little information (sometimes none) interspersed with vile attempts at humor. Too bad, 'cuz the hosts have knowledge to share, and that's what I'd like to hear. I wouldn't want them to go all "Leo Laporte" on us. I'll use the following analogous standard format: a : b :: c : d

Laporte : audience :: dog : fire hydrant


Final line: respect to you Kham.
#13
Radio and Podcasts / Re: The Spec Sheet
August 14, 2014, 02:48:03 AM
At 44:54 of Spec Sheet broadcast 20140812: "I didn't really notice the rule that said about diggin' up personal informaion (sic) about people and that seems to be, like, my specialty other than editing I'm pretty good at pickin' up stuff so..."

Then there's this:

Quote from: Khameleon808 on August 13, 2014, 02:22:35 PM...So I dug up ALL of his personal info in a matter of an hour. (in the event admins would need it) All his court case records (related and unrelated to his story), photos, social media sites, family info, you name it.   Then after I called him out on his "threat" and made it apparent in the post that I had his info, didn't see him around for a couple days.   I know he's not banned but hopefully he has some shit in perspective now about how things works.



Look "Kham":

During your "Fidget War" a few weeks ago this only a very small example of your ramblings:

Quote from: Khameleon808 on July 29, 2014, 02:28:55 AMIf so Mr. Midget, I am not worried about a guy who brags and posts videos of himself riding a bike in circles with coffee on his head.  You are hotdog water.   And so are your repetitive empty promises of "ignoring" someone or "leaving to pursue life enriching endeavors" only to come back like 20 min later to get the "last word" that you so genuinely wish you could cherish on here.  I already have great things going now for me.  Why dont you take those 'good thing in store' out of storage and use them on yourself to enrich the life that you have squandered.   What did you do with everyone's money anyway?  Just answer that and I will stop teasing you.

Once I heard on the gabcast how important "having the last word" on your thread was to you, its brought me much entertainment watching you get your panties twisted when its robbed from you like every 20 min by someone.


I point this out only to show that, despite your many attempts to denigrate Mr. Fidget, you showed your own inability to cease in the compulsive behavior by remaining engaged. I called you out on it a couple of times, but as per my prediction as you may recall, you could not resist temptation and continued.

To be clear, I am no Fidget apologist, but I would be remiss in not pointing out your own inability at nearly any original cognitive thought. Almost no matter where you go (internet or podcasts) you cannot resist the opportunity to mention your Youtube hits or videos. The truth is however, you greatly exaggerate your "accomplishments"  to the point of lying about them (you probably call it 'semantics' but they are untruths - found on various forums).

There is clearly something mentally askew with Mr. Fidget, but continuing ad naseum a mindless dialogue with him may also show your own inability to divorce yourself from the reality that you are exhibiting the same behavior, despite your attempts to convince otherwise.

As for your two "specialties":

1) Your self-taught video editing, which is quick-cut, on-the-beat style, is nothing more than inane eye-candy drivel to directionless teens and twenty-somethings, who substitute instant gratification for thoughtful originality and creativity. Spending 200 hours blending your friends' band promotion music with 24 terabytes of selected clips from Hollywood movies you've downloaded (surely more by now since your quote), for me hardly qualifies as "unique" talent. This, IMO, is why, despite your bemusement as to why they haven't come pounding at your apartment door, companies don't return their calls or contacts. You're not unique.

2) Mr. Fidget's info is child's play. So was yours. I'll try and give a little advice - why I bother I don't know - perhaps it's the "late-night aging prostate" - but try assimilation into so-called normal society, especially for someone your age who apparently wants to accomplish something, but can't quite figure out why it's not working. Lose the right eyebrow ring piercing and lower lip piercing - it's just not becoming. Your association with folks "on the fringe" and the significant age difference is also unbecoming of so-called professionals. Try interacting with peers your chronological age - because I guarantee you will derive no wisdom from the people with whom you currently "hang."

Do I really expect you to take any of my so-called advice? Nope - but there's always the chance you may wake up someday very soon and say, "Shit! I'm forty years old, and I'm still heavily into playing video games and Youtube videos. Maybe I should listen to that shit-for-brains HAL 9000 guy and clean up my act."

Maybe not though. Maybe you'll make it big playing on the edges of society, in an underworld of arcane music known by few, and followed by fewer still. It seems though, that you've expressed interest in playing with the "big-boys," though you later denounced ever willing to work for them. Perhaps youthful (maturity, not chronological) indiscretion.

So in conclusion (finally!) a few thoughts. I know. Believe me, I know. Consider channeling your mostly rote learning of video editing, and turn it into marketing for mainstream audiences. Consider beauty vs. bling. Though I have nothing against self-taught skills, there is a sense that a traditional education may also lend legitimacy to your skill set.

Less bloviating, more original content. Less language that mimics Snoop Dawg, as it belies your true age.

Ignore Fidget.



#14
Politics / Re: Iraq 3.0
August 14, 2014, 12:13:08 AM
Quote from: WildCard on August 13, 2014, 06:11:59 PMThey've only been calling them the "Yazidis" for about a week. It used to be the "Kurds". (sic) Whoever writes the news is trying to spin the narrative.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yazidism

I'll just chalk up your example to just perhaps lack of research - best I can tell, Yazidis are merely a subset of those known as "Kurds," and that in fact, the ethnicity of Yazidis is somewhat obscure due to the complexity of their origins and various interpretations by "scholars."

In its most simplistic form (granted not a great example - I'll blame it on the doxylamine succinate onboard), I would posit that it's perhaps more like Ohioans and Americans - not all Americans are Ohioans, but Ohioans are Americans. Similarly, the Kurds previously mentioned often in the press, are not necessarily Yazidis; Yazidis are a subset who also happen to reside in that region, have been singled out by ISIS (ISIL) for persecution, and the media is just being more accurate in their description of this subset of peoples.
#15
Politics / Re: Why Democrats can't win back the House
August 12, 2014, 12:38:59 AM
Quote from: Paper*Boy on August 11, 2014, 11:53:05 PMWhen the Clintons donated their used underwear - and itemized it as a deduction on their tax returrn, I wonder how much Goodwill sold it for
I had a hard  time believing this, so I researched and verified per an archived New York Times article: they took a $2 charitable deduction for donated underwear when, "Mr. Clinton was the Governor of Arkansas and his wife was a partner in a Little Rock law firm."



Quote from: Paper*Boy on August 11, 2014, 11:58:21 PMSpeaking of the Clintons, the Mrs has been out the past few days trying to distance herself from her and Obama's horrific foreign policy results in the Middle East while she was Secretary of State.  Today B0 said her claims are 'horse shit'. Two world class liars.  Who to believe?

I know it's off-topic, but this was just too easy - see below the lovely couple near their $100,000 rental house in the Hamptons:

Bubba & the Carpetbagger aka "Her Thighness"

If you dare, click on the pics to see them full-sized




#16
Politics / Re: Why Democrats can't win back the House
August 11, 2014, 11:13:51 PM
Quote from: NowhereInTime on August 11, 2014, 01:44:41 PMI myself give over $500 a year to the Church's Office of Radio and Television, so there can be outreach to housebound seniors, disabled, and people without transportation to feel the comfort and community of the Daily Mass. Last year I gave over $300 to Water.org, donated over 250 hours to Literacy Volunteers teaching the very people you despise how to read your unwelcoming hatred, donated several books, games, and toys to Waterbury Boys & Girls Club, rounded up toys here at the store for Marine Corps' Toys for Tots, participated in canned food drives sponsored by local radio and tv stations, and campaigned for a mayor who negotiated a discount drug card with Waterbury pharmacists. Oh, and I helped in the Fulton Park clean up three months back.

Holy shit! Do you realize it's possible that you may have donated more than (then) senators Joe Biden and Al Gore combined?!?

Here's how it works: I pulled an ABC news article out of my ass from around 2008. (no date given in the article)

For tax year 1997, Senator Al Gore and wife Tipper reported donations of $353.

Senator Joe Biden and wife Jill donated $120 in 1999. For the ten years prior to the election, Senator Biden and wife Jill averaged $369 per year in donations.

So I point this out merely to illustrate that, politicians (of any persuasion) who voraciously suck on the teat of the citizenry, are mother fucking bastards. A relative in my family is a senator at the state level, and he pays for almost nothing; travel, meals etc. are almost all paid by the government, unions, businesses, and the like.

Shame on us all for not holding these self-aggrandizing blood-sucking mother-fucking leeches accountable, and vote them out of office.

So good for you NowhereInTime, giving and doing more than at least a couple of very famous United States senators, and probably many more of their ilk.
#17
The Knick

Wow. Beautifully crafted, accurate scenes of early 20th century medicine in New York. Intelligently written - so much better than most other drivel you'll find anywhere on TV. There are scenes not suited for the surgically squeamish - just look away, as they're quite realistic. Highly recommended.

Done by Cinemax - available for download in all the usual places. I also recommend using headphones or earbuds when watching - the audio is also well done.

Highly Recommended

#18
Quote from: yumyumtree on August 03, 2014, 11:32:31 PMThere's been a lot of discussion of this on Free Republic and I'm sure that some of of the posters are laboring under misapprehensions, but someone there said that it's mutated to become airborne. If this is true or even possible, it's a game-changer.

There is no need for mutation to occur to allow for airborne transmission - it has been known for 19 years that aerosolized virus transmission does occur. One must just be attuned to how scientists and media parse their words.

For my example, I'll use nasal secretions. When a person sneezes, and the droplets become aerosolized, viruses can travel through the air. If you happened to be in close proximity to these secreted droplets, and enough viral material made it to your conjunctiva or mucous membranes (e.g. nasal), well, you've just had a very bad day. Luckily, so far, most medical personnel who work near people who have contracted Ebola virus and are symptomatic, wear protective gear so that droplet transmission probability drops dramatically. However, I can tell you from personal experience, having worn isolation gear when caring for infectious patients (though nothing near as deadly as Ebola), that when there's an itch, one wants to scratch. It is easy to drop "one's guard" when confined to hot, confining, uncomfortable protective gear. So human error is a large risk factor for inadvertent exposure to any pathogen; it's just particularly heightened as making a tiny error in one's routine can be fatal with Ebola.

Additionally, it has been shown that, if Ebola virus is aerosolized down to 0.8-1.2µm, transmission can occur - which is why the CDC and other various US agencies have classified Ebola (among others as well) as category A biological weapons. When aerosolization is achieved at small particle size, transmission is easily transmitted through the air from coughing, sneezing, etc.

It has also been scientifically documented less than two years ago that, non-contact transmission of Ebola can occur from piglets to macaque monkeys. The piglets were purposefully infected via the oro-nasal route. To quote from the study abstract:


    Piglets inoculated oro-nasally with ZEBOV were transferred to the room housing macaques in an open inaccessible cage system. All macaques became infected. Infectious virus was detected in oro-nasal swabs of piglets, and in blood, swabs, and tissues of macaques. This is the first report of experimental interspecies virus transmission, with the macaques also used as a human surrogate. Our finding may influence prevention and control measures during EBOV outbreaks.

So while I'd agree that currently, any one individual's chance of contracting Ebola is infinitesimally small, the probabilities increase dramatically as Ebola spreads to every continent, as it inevitably will, and one's choice to avoid contact with infected hosts or vectors decreases.

I do not see Ebola becoming as ubiquitous as colds or flu, as governmental authorities will make extraordinary efforts to contain localized outbreaks, so that an Ebola pandemic is highly unlikely (discounting troublesome mutations). However, I do see the potential for Ebola to appear in places we never thought probable - it's just a matter of time.

Note: the above information is all documented and sourced, but I just really didn't feel like citing every freaking reference.
#19
Quote from: albrecht on August 03, 2014, 03:57:57 PMA Gatwick airport spokeswoman added: “A passenger collapsed after disembarking a flight from the Gambia. She was treated by airport medical staff at the scene but died later in hospital. The cause of death is yet to be confirmed.”

But papers are hyping it up. I hope it wasn't ebola but something else.

From a news report:

QuoteSpeaking of the horrific moment the passenger collapsed, the shocked staff member added: “The woman was sweating buckets and vomiting. Paramedics arrived to try and help her. The next thing everybody was there… emergency crews, airfield operations, even immigration."

These are classic symptoms of a heart attack - the much more likely cause; she was asymptomatic during the flight - the symptoms came on suddenly per reports.
#20
Quote from: Khameleon808 on July 26, 2014, 07:08:58 PMWho cares anymore?  The deed is done. Id rather talk about the actual gabcast than this ass clown any further.

I had no doubt you could not resist; and you did not disappoint.


Quote from: Khameleon808 on July 26, 2014, 07:48:35 PM...Or beat the deadhorse here.  Either way I am done.   Seeya

Again, you're back and continue.


Quote
Quote from: Mr. Fidget on July 26, 2014, 07:44:02 PM...And in the spirit of walking the walk, you'll certainly be seeing less of me more often, rejoice amongst your potty mouth selves.
Quote from: Khameleon808 on July 27, 2014, 01:22:13 AM...that didn't hold up. :(

Apparently, neither can you.

Prediction: ad infinitum
#21
Hooray for the Constitution regarding court decision. Rather than start yet another thread, here is the full press release from firearms manufacturer Beretta about shutting down their manufacturing facilities in Maryland, and moving to Tennessee. MSM has not covered this much if at all.


Beretta U.S.A. Corp., located in Accokeek, Maryland, announced today that it has decided to move its manufacturing capabilities from its existing location to a new production facility that it is building in Gallatin, Tennessee.  The Gallatin facility is scheduled to be opened in mid-2015.  Beretta U.S.A. had previously planned to use the new Gallatin, Tennessee facility for new machinery and production of new products only.

“During the legislative session in Maryland that resulted in passage of the Firearm Safety Act of 2013, the version of the statute that passed the Maryland Senate would have prohibited Beretta U.S.A. from being able to manufacture, store or even import into the State products that we sell to customers throughout the United States and around the world.  While we were able in the Maryland House of Delegates to reverse some of those obstructive provisions, the possibility that such restrictions might be reinstated in the future leaves us very worried about the wisdom of maintaining a firearm manufacturing factory in the State,” stated Jeff Cooper, General Manager for Beretta U.S.A. Corp.

“While we had originally planned to use the Tennessee facility for new equipment and for production of new product lines only, we have decided that it is more prudent from the point of view of our future welfare to move the Maryland production lines in their entirety to the new Tennessee facility,” Cooper added.

The transition of production from Beretta U.S.A.’s Maryland facility to the Tennessee facility will not occur until 2015 and will be managed so as not to disrupt deliveries to Beretta customers.  Beretta U.S.A.’s production of the U.S. Armed Forces M9 9mm pistol will continue at the Accokeek, Maryland facility until all current orders from the U.S. Armed Forces have been filled.

“We have not yet begun groundbreaking on the Tennessee facility and we do not anticipate that that building will be completed until the middle part of 2015,” continued Cooper.  “That timing, combined with our need to plan an orderly transition of production from one facility to the other so that our delivery obligations to customers are not disrupted, means that no Beretta U.S.A. Maryland employee will be impacted by this news for many months.  More importantly, we will use this time to meet with every Beretta U.S.A. employee whose Maryland job might be affected by the move to discuss with them their interest in taking a position at our new facility in Tennessee or, if they are not willing to do so, to lay out a long-term strategy for remaining with the Company while our production in Maryland continues.”

Beretta U.S.A. anticipates that the Gallatin, Tennessee facility will involve $45 million of investment in building and equipment and the employment of around 300 employees during the next five years.

Beretta U.S.A. has no plans to relocate its office, administrative and executive support functions from its Accokeek, Maryland facility.

Media Contact:
Jeff Reh
JReh@BerettaUSA.com

#22
Random Topics / Re: Intolerably pompous words
July 24, 2014, 12:59:00 AM
Quote from: West of the Rockies on July 23, 2014, 10:40:34 PMI STILL think too much TV is bad though.

Not only do I completely agree, but I'll take it a step further (farther?) - Facebook, Twitter, and texting (to include the general way in which much of our society uses smartphones) will be responsible for the demise of America. I would be remiss if I also didn't include Obama as a primary cause.
#23
Quote from: onan on July 23, 2014, 10:05:40 PMFrom the little I have read recently, lethal injections are botched due to not using nurses or doctors to properly insert the needle. I read that in one case the needle was put in against the venous flow which helped cause an infiltration; thereby pooling the lethal concoction into muscle tissue.

I have researched this somewhat, so admittedly some of what I say may be incorrect, but my cursory research shows that: Only doctors, nurses, paramedics, or EMTs are allowed to insert the IV catheters and/or administer the drugs.

Quote from: onan on July 23, 2014, 10:05:40 PM
The American Nursing Association has this to say:
QuoteThe ANA is opposed to all forms of participation by nurses in capital punishment, by whatever means, whether under civil or military legal authority. Participation in capital punishment is inconsistent with the ethical precepts of justice, nonmaleficence, and beneficence, and the values and goals of the nursing profession.

The AMA has this to say:
QuoteThe American Medical Association is troubled by continuous refusal of many state courts and legislatures to acknowledge the ethical obligations of physicians, which strictly prohibit physician involvement in a legally authorized execution. The AMA's policy is clear and unambiguous â€" requiring physicians to participate in executions violates their oath to protect lives and erodes public confidence in the medical profession.

With respect to the AMA and ANA, I'll reference one of my previous posts regarding the AMA, and new information regarding the ANA.

I'll quote myself from a previous post:

QuoteEven the once-revered American Medical Association (AMA), often associated by the general public (erroneously) as something special that doctors were members of, has somewhat startling and somber news: after subtracting medical students and residents (doctors in training), membership by practicing physicians is around 15%. WTF? Yes, ~15%.

Yes folks - the number of practicing physicians who are members of the AMA is only ~15%! For some reason, a guy I know named Jack Shit comes to mind.

As to the American Nurses Association, it's even much worse. There are approximately 3.1 million nurses in the US; the ANA touts a membership of 145,790. WTF? Yes it is true - the ANA membership is 4.7% of the total number of licensed nurses.

What does this mean? Both organizations are essentially pay-to-join clubs, that act as a guilds, and/or lobbying groups for its members, specifically Congress. So conversely, it might be said that 85% of physicians, and 95.3% of nurses don't give a shit what these two organizations say, or at least are not willing to pay to join their "club" and be represented by these organizations.

My main point is that quoting the official position of "pay-for-membership" organizations may likely be in no way representative of the respective professionals as a whole. The only legitimate way to measure opinions of each profession would be to do well-researched polling, utilizing unbiased and thorough questions (I'd like to be part of the 'question(s)' selection process). Even if, for simplicity's sake, the polls showed 70% against, and 30% for lethal injection for capital punishment, 30% still remains a significant number of doctors and nurses.

If it were not for the possibility that my name might be leaked by government agencies or the press, I have in the past, considered offering my services about drug cocktails and their dosages; including starting IVs and administering the drugs. I, too, have my sensibilities about the topic -  I could only do it for the most heinous of crimes, which I realize might be intellectually incongruent. I also have spiritual inconsistencies; but I suspect that, given the right circumstances, I could participate in lethal injections for capital crimes.

As an aside, it is medicine's "dirty little secret" that, when taking someone off of life-support when death is imminent and family is present, we always assure the families that their loved one will not suffer; that we will keep them "comfortable." This is code for "we will keep the family comfortable" so they don't have to witness a patient gasping for air, or twitching, etc. for a lengthy period of time. It is not unusual that, drugs are administered, not at a "minimum" dose, but at a dose that actually hastens death, for the comfort of all involved.

If anyone needs an IV, just send a PM.

#24
Quote from: Kelt on July 23, 2014, 06:25:34 PMState sponsored murder shouldn't be part of civilised society.

To be fair, it generally isn't part of civilised society.

Actually, civilized societies spell it with a "z." (Source: Oxford English Dictionary)

   
#25
Quote from: Rudolf Zlabinger on July 21, 2014, 05:47:58 AMDear Onan,

Your response sounds a little bit threatening or in a better understanding as a warning. Please clarify for me, what special meaning (s) of welcome you had in mind and the fun I should have here could be in the worst case in your opinion. And please, avoid a response like: you will see yourself, as this would not be helpful. Or otherwise, why you obviously intended to let me in uncertainty about.


Rudy:

Based on where you reside, you, of all people, should know that, "A cigar is sometimes just a cigar." (even though likely apocryphal)

(also not sure if my comment will withstand the rigors regarding Teutonic translation of humor)
#26
Just trying to be accurate...

Quote from: West of the Rockies on July 23, 2014, 01:31:52 PMI heard once on NPR...
Mistake #1


Quote from: West of the Rockies on July 23, 2014, 01:31:52 PM...that in 1950 the average American college student had a vocabulary of 150,000 words.  The same study was run in 2005, and the average vocabulary was 75,000 words--exactly half of what it had been only a few generations previously.  No explanation was provided, but 1950 marks the first year that the average American home had a television set.  Could 55 years of TV be the cause of so precipitous a drop?


As a former nerd who used to read the dictionary for no particular reason (fun doesn't come to mind - maybe just interest), your memory is just failing you, or much more likely, NPR regurgitates as fact, questionable, if not dubious drivel, and perpetuates utter rubbish it finds in other media.

Even I knew, as a perhaps seventh or eighth grader, that my entire American dictionary had just over 200,000 entries, and that a decent vocabulary might be around 10,000-15,000 words. That was more than 40 years ago. (I cite this only as an example that, even a nerdy junior high-schooler knew some basic facts about English language words)

So I just now took two minutes for research, and here and some quick-and-dirty findings:


    [*]My beloved Oxford English Dictionary, 2
nd Edition (1989 - 20 volume set), contains 231,100 "main entry" words.
[*]A 1995 study shows that junior-high students would be able to recognize the meanings of about 10,000â€"12,000 words, whereas for college students this number grows up to about 12,000â€"17,000 and for elderly adults up to about 17,000 or more. (citation: http://tinyurl.com/mvyj4l8)
[/list]

So very roughly, a college student might have a vocabulary consisting of about 6.5% of all words in a dictionary (~15,000:231,100). Does it seem even remotely feasible, per NPR's own reporting, that today's college students' have lost one-half of their vocabulary in a generation or two, thus now roughly equivalent to a relatively uneducated populace that resides in deep Appalachia? Even at first glance, such prima facie nonsense lends itself extraordinary incredulity.

After writing the above, I stumbled on an old Snopes forum thread (2004) that mimics some of your NPR numbers, preposterous though they may be:
http://tinyurl.com/pcqbmhp

In an attempt at reasoned, rational thought, the following short article addresses vocabularies of modern college students versus those of "days gone by."
http://tinyurl.com/5fp7uh

Just to be clear, this is not an ad hominem attack, but rather just to make the point that it's always good to, if one does not have personal knowledge about a subject, to question and verify those espoused by lazy media sources.


      
#27
Random Topics / Re: Your Celebrity Stories
July 21, 2014, 12:34:08 AM
Quote from: Sardondi on September 25, 2012, 02:40:53 PMHilary had a nasty attitude in general, and would even break vases and the like when she got into a screaming fight with the President over his, uh, "friends". There was a very short honeymoon in that administration, before Hilary and the Secret Service got down to the business of not being able to stand each other.

I can vouch for Hillary's rants - many years ago, one of my patients was a premature newborn of a Secret Service agent assigned to the White House residence. When dealing with sick babies, I'd often turn the conversation to "regular talk" at the bedside, just to lighten things up a bit. Though the Secret Service agent did not provide details, he did confirm Hillary's outbursts at Bill in the private residence.

After the Monica Lewinsky affair was over, I cared for Linda Tripp's granddaughter while in the NICU. Gramma Tripp was a real bitch.

I also worked with JonBenét Ramsey's sister for a year or two. Never knew it until she got married. Very pretty young woman, smart, unassuming and quiet. For the wedding, she had her bridesmaids (perhaps 4-8 [?] of the nurses she worked with - seemed like a lot at the time) - flown to where her parents were living, all expenses paid. To my knowledge, no one still knew of any "dubious" connection, until they saw her parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, before the wedding (rehearsal dinner?). Yikes! I saw the wedding photos, and sure 'nough, it was them. I'm still suspicious one of them was in someway involved.

My only other "celebrity" encounter I can think of is, years ago, as a young trumpeter, I played in a dance band, playing all genres of music. We became heavily involved with the music of jazz great Maynard Ferguson (don't expect any of you to know him), and our band bought and memorized his biggest hits from sheet music. We were invited to play for several nights for a few songs onstage with Maynard and his band. Hitting double-high G-A-B-C's with Maynard was a thrill. One night, Maynard's band followed us back to one of our houses where we hung out and jammed  for a few hours. Maynard, of course, didn't come; he went straight to his hotel after the concert. Maynard signed all our sheet music and our "Maynard!" t-shirts.
#28
Random Topics / Re: Stellar: You Win!
July 17, 2014, 12:04:23 AM
Quote from: onan on July 16, 2014, 11:57:17 PM
I have kind of left Stellar and mental illness alone, since he reported taking several antipsychotics and mood stabilizers.

The docs I work with would be careful to prescribe so many.

At first I thought he was just baiting with his drug regimen.

It may explain a lot or nothing at all.

Oh my, I had no idea he'd already spoken of his "regimen."

Hey Stellar! Dude! Forget my questions - I don't WANT to know.
#29
Random Topics / Stellar: You Win!
July 16, 2014, 11:23:20 PM
Quote from: Stellar on April 27, 2014, 06:51:50 PMI can only say I'm not competing for an intellectual prize...
Truer words have never been spoken.

Stellar:

You win dude.

I made the error of posting in one of your threads recently, without knowing anything about you or your history here. My bad. I don't post often, but when I do, I hate to think it was a completely wasted effort (though some, I'm sure, think that of all my posts ;) )

I now am a bit more informed, after watching a few minutes of your YT videos, portions of a few posts here, and other of your offerings across the interwebz; I now understand.

You appear to be an amalgam of a couple of former members: Casio, and the "guy with box fans in the background." Now Casio was bat-shit crazy, but his condition was clearly organic; he was/is on government assistance, and provided housing by the gov't so as to allow folks like him a degree of independence, so I cut him a bit of slack.

The "guy with box fans in the background," is also bat-shit crazy, but in a less-organic, more manipulative way; but bat-shit crazy nonetheless.

So I responded to one of your posts, not knowing you're bat-shit crazy, but now that I know, I'll refrain with all the power I can muster.

So I noticed you're an author - but your reviews were not "stellar."

Book: http://tinyurl.com/q5gjf9g

QuoteBy Laddie Chapman (Sturgeon Bay, WI USA)

This review is from: Voynich Manuscript: The Code Unchopped: Read what no one else has Read

It's impossible to make any sense out of this rant and gibberish. If there is any scholarship here, which I doubt, it is heavily disguised by the schizophrenic text from the author. If the Voynich manuscript has any value, it isn't here.

===============================================================

if this guy has figured out the VMS, I'm Santa Claus!, July 9, 2013
By S.W. (Hickory, NC)

In no way do I find it believable that this guy has "solved" the mystery of the Voynich Manuscript. Just from the first sight I got of the book's title, I admittedly did get curious, but I also got a VERY strong feeling that it was the work of a Hack with a capital H, and that it shouldn't be taken seriously...  If O'Neil had written in better English, I could at least have given him credit for his good English. Sadly, I can't even give him credit for that.

===============================================================

Then there is this (among others) Youtube video:

Video: http://tinyurl.com/ol89qd5


So Stellar, I have a couple of questions for you, and these are serious inquiries:

1) Are you gainfully employed (support yourself), and if not, is it SSI or similar?
2) What medications are you on, and what dosages?

Well Stellar, that's all for tonight. If I may borrow from many of our obsequious members, "Welcome to the forum and post often."
#30
Quote from: BattyBrooke on July 16, 2014, 01:40:01 PM...so I've been on here more often than usual and in reading various posts I've found words and phrases one doesn't hear enough. Being a lover of words, I'm now compiling a short list and will be using them often. Today's found phrase was "crop dusting", and today's found word was " obsequious ".

What a coincidence - just two days ago I used the word obsequious while speaking, and thought to myself, "Now there's a word I don't see used often." I voluntarily took an etymology class when in school as an elective. Nerd.

Usage example: There is a lot of obsequiousness on this forum.

The fact you too, thought of this word is proof that portals exist. Or angels.

One quick thought BB: were you educated in either Canada or the U.K.?
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