I’m writing for tomorrow and feeling much better than I did yesterday, although I do have some housework to catch up. Tomorrow I have the same Urologist appointment I missed when Tri-Met sent the lift bus to the wrong address. They seem to have figured out where I live at last. Because of that, Thursday’s submissions may be limited. Day 9.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 2:51 (average 4:54). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Security Warning:
From ZD Net: Government security response teams are urging Windows users to consider Chrome or Firefox as their default browser until Microsoft delivers a security fix for a new flaw affecting all versions of Internet Explorer.
Computer emergency response teams (CERTs) in the US, the UK, and Sweden have advised Windows users to consider avoiding Internet Explorer until Microsoft fixes the vulnerability.
Microsoft over the weekend confirmed the fla was being exploited in "limited, targeted attacks", which use a rigged Flash file hosted on attack websites to net victims. Attackers that successfully exploit the flaw affecting IE 6 to IE 11 could gain the same user rights as the original user, according to Microsoft.
The company has yet to announce whether it will release an out of band patch or wait until the next Patch Tuesday, scheduled for 13 May, to deliver a fix. It will also be the first patch update from Microsoft that excludes Windows XP, which still runs on around 29 percent of the world’s PCs.
Personally, I almost never use IE.
Short Takes:
From Daily Kos: Five years after Dick Armey laid out the blueprint for a racially fueled astroturf uprising as a last ditch gambit to save the Bush-devastated Grand Ole Party from extinction, four years since Glenn Beck’s ‘Sermon On The Mall’ was witnessed by a mighty pilgrimage of the bigoted, the mean and the stupid, the Washington Post has now, finally, discover that the multitude of Tea Party Evangelists are nothing but grifters. That’s some serious investigative reporting there. Breaking news. Now, who would have guessed?
Uh, ANYONE WITH A BRAIN!
Here’s the WP’s revelation:
A Washington Post analysis found that some of the top national tea party groups engaged in this year’s midterm elections have put just a tiny fraction of their money directly into boosting the candidates they’ve endorsed.
Next to stealing elections, fleecing sheeple is Republicans’ favorite sport.
From LA Times: A new study argues that more than 4% of all defendants who have been sentenced to death — and who remain under threat of execution — are probably innocent.
In a paper published Monday in the journal PNAS, a team of researchers statistically examined the cases of 7,482 death row convictions from 1973 to 2004.
Using a so-called survival analysis mathematical model, study authors estimated that if all death-sentence defendants remained under sentence of death indefinitely, at least 4.1% would be exonerated.
Even if only one of those convictions resulted in the wrongful execution of an innocent person, that is sufficient cause to outlaw the death penalty. Several of the men, with whom I do volunteer work, used to be on death row. Their sentences were commuted between 1972 and 1976, after Furman v Georgia caused a moratorium on the death penalty. They will never get out, but have found purpose in helping others learn to stay out.
From Blue Oregon: Sean Hannity says that "the ranch standoff that took place out in Nevada was not about a man named Cliven Bundy." Some people are making fun of Hannity for "distancing" himself from Bundy, but I take Hannity at his word. Hannity was standing up for a principle. And that principle, of course, is that a man has a right to graze his cattle anywhere he damn well pleases, whether the land belongs to him or not.
And today it occurred to me that there is a way that we, Hannity’s defenders, can give him a chance to demonstrate that it was that principle that he really cares about. It’s simple: Let’s grab some cattle, find Sean Hannity’s house, and let them loose on his lawn.
I supported the author of this piece, Steve Novick, for the Senate, before I volunteered for Jeff Merkley’s campaign, after Jeff beat Steve in the 2008 primary. Now you can see why I liked him.
Cartoon:
13 Responses to “Open Thread–4/30/2014”
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3:01 I took too much time smellin' the flowers.
3:11 The heat is getting to me today. It was 31 C at about 1:30 this afternoon around me.
3:32 Me too.
Wooo Hooo!!
Time – 3: 42 – yellow and more yellow
This is a very short-sighted non action by Windows. Many are learning to use other search engines/browsers, and most will not return to IE. Maybe that's the plan, drop IE because Windows determined it's not worth the effort? It is just a patch and could be easy to remedy.
Is anyone surprised by the "news" of the tea party hanging on to money? The Democrats are doing much the same, hanging on to the bulk of money to use for the 2016 presidential elections.
One in TWENTY FIVE of death row prisoners are likely innocent and should be cleared, claims study
The study suggests that several of the 1,320 people executed in the U.S. since the death penalty was reinstated in 1977 have been innocent
Between 1973 and 2004, 138 condemned prisoners were exonerated and released before they were executed
The study's author says that the great majority of innocent people who are sentenced to death are never identified and freed, and subsequently put to death for crimes they didn't commit.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2615441/Study-finds-one-25-people-imprisoned-death-sentence-likely-innocent.html
I don't know how any state can justify killing a prisoner when a simple DNA test can eliminate all doubt in most cases. Saying that a jury found them guilty and that ends the story is just dishonest. Juries can only determine guilt by the evidence, if all the potential evidence is not given, the results are bound to be faulty.
How can we ever allow executions that cause a person to suffer for nearly an hour before death?
Glad to hear things went so much better for your doctors appointment, TC.
Thanks for the warning, TC. I almost always use IE and have not been affected. I have gotten a few notices from my security system that it has blocked threats both on my laptop and tablet. Love that Webroot!
Daily Kos ~ So what if the PACs spent $37.5million so far and only $7million was on the candidates. I costs money to support a TeapublicanTs lifestyle. Airfare, retirement funds and redecorating for the party leaders and their families are expensive. Can you say "Grifters"?
LA Times ~ The death sentence has not been proven to be a deterrent to violent crimes. It seems nothing is. Yesterday an execution was botched in Oklahoma and the man died of a hesrt attack. It seems there was somethinfg wrong with the drugs used in the 3 part lethal injection.
Blue Oregon ~ I, too, like Steve Novick. His writing reminds me a little of Andy Borowitz' tongue-in-cheek style. I can see why you supported him.
Cartoon ~ This proves why the death penalty is wrong.
4:55 but average is up to 5:05. We'll need to know about this for the coming droughts – except those of us who have floods coming.
ZDNet – I saw the warning and almost always use IE also. I have tried Firefox and Opera and for me they both suck. I have not tried (and will not try) Chrome because there has been a buzz that privact issues are built in. Gee, this is the Google that routinely reads every message sent in GMail in order to target advertising. Privacy issues? Ya think? But if the hole uses "rigged Flash files hosted on attack websites," and you don't go to those websites – I will hang in by being more careful than usual where I go and how I get there. I'm pretty careful anyway.
Daily Kos – The Democrats may well be hanging on to money for the 2016 Presidential election, but they have earmarked a substantial chunk for Get Out The Vote efforts this year. I can't donate much but I do get asked a lot, and it appears to me that the Dems are set up in such a way that if you want to give to a candidate, it goes to a candidate. It may even actually be a better strategy for the Tea Party to spend money rigging elections rather than boosting candidates. Particularly gerrymandering.
LA Times – I have often wondered, if I were wrongly convicted of a capital crime, would I rather be executed or spend the rest of my life locked up (of course now, at my age, how much longer would that be?) I lean towards being executed and being a martyr myself, but I'm probably an exception. Of course the death penalty is wrong. How do we convince people of that? Even on a website named Care2 I see comments like "ought to be shot," "ought to be hanged," "ought to be tortured." and the like.
Blue Oregon – Taking a Republican at his word can generally lead to extremely amusing absurdities. More people besides your Steve and our Andy should try it more often. I'm really sorry I don't have a cow to chip in to the cause. I mean, because of Republicans, I'm having a cow all the time, but not one that grazes. Darn.
Cartoon – And according to the Bible at least two out of the three got to Paradise that day. The third we don't know about.
Sister Sarah Palin has been severely chastised for blasphemously linking waterboarding with a Christian sacrament of rebirth when she said at this past week's NRA convention:
"Waterboard is how we baptize terrorists."
Well, an actual Christian orginization did NOT take kindly to her blasphemy, and started a Petition against her. You can read more about (and get a link to) the Petition from this Dailly Kos article:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/04/29/1295557/-Christian-Organization-Starts-Petition-Against-Sarah-Palin
BTW, since I've been gone, can someone kindly fill me in on what this is "Day 9" of? I scrolled back, but I still can't find what it's referencing.
Nameless, I don't know for sure as I also have been away, but I took it as, in this case, day 9 of stop smoking. I might be wrong but I really don't think so as TC was talking about "falling off the wagon" around the time of his move etc.
Thanks! Maybe our Overlord will fill in the blanks, connect the dots, close the loop, etc.
Lynn is correct. If at first you don't succeed, quit,quit again.
Puzzle — 3:11 The heat is getting to me today. It was 31 C (88 F) at about 1:30 this afternoon around me.
Security Warning — Thanks. I passed it on to my SIL who uses IE exclusively. I very occassionally use IE but I prefer Chrome as it works well with Care2.
Daily Kos — From the Daily Kos to God's ears! I love the last 2 sentences . . . very graphic!
LA Times — The only execution I want to hear about is the execution of death penalty, if you get my drift. Between innocent people being executed and botched executions (Oklahoma most recently), there is no need in a civilised society for such barbarity.
Blue Oregon — Oh wouldn't I love to let my cattle loose on Hannity's lawn! What an ass he is!
Cartoon — Brilliant! One of your best!
Thanks everyone. It's been a long, hot exhausting day!