The first day they posted it and it has almost half a million views. While I have to admit it’s contrived as a tear-jerker advertisement (for a product that I already bought), but that doesn’t make it any less laudable as a brilliant short film.
By Someone Whose Kids Won’t Die Fighting in It
McSweeney’s makes the case for war with Iran.
As one of the most important writers at one of the most important newspapers in the country, it’s my job to inform my readers why they should uncritically support the United States government’s most recent war. I understand that many of you might not want to get into another drawn out, costly conflict in the Middle East, particularly if you were one of the thousands of parents who had their kids die needlessly in the last few wars. But as someone whose kids won’t die fighting in the war, it’s important that you understand the flimsy, morally bankrupt justifications for war, and why it’s vital for you to throw more of your children’s lives at this one.
(via)
From the best of Craigslist:
FOUND cat last night was stuck in between my fence screaming it’s head off. i brought it inside because it looks too big and healthy for a stray and dogs here escape often and will eat cats that get out. it is very thick and has little stripes and spots on its legs and big white round spots on the back of its ears, only thing that looks wrong with him is he doesn’t have a tail but it doesn’t seem like anything new. He is very vocal ( and mean!!!!) I think he is a tabby and bengals mix maybe some Maine coon because he is just so big and chubby. i took most of these pics last night so the lighting makes him look brown but he is actually more gray. He was very hungry. please if u r his owner contact me ASAP i can not keep him here because as cute as he is, he is CRAZY and has gotten into everything in the house in 1 night and is EXTREMELY AGGRESSIVE!! Even though I am almost sure this is someoneones pet unfortunately if no one contacts me soon enough I will have to take him to a shelter. By Sunday night most likely I will have to take him in. Almost lost my fingers this morning trying to pet him. Has been growling and hissing and calling all morning He is just a big grouch. Please text or email.
When you see the photos, you might observe something peculiar about this lost little striped cat with the short tail.
The update made me smile:
UPDATE: thank you to everyone who told me this is actually a WILD BOBCAT!!!? Wtf!!! No wonder he was so grumpy!! I kidnapped him!! ? I am not from America and have never heard of bobcat, I thought all wild cats are much bigger than that!! I can not believe I brought it inside!! And he pissed all over my damn house so now I have to deep clean everything !! ??? well Anyway I am glad at least he is okay and not a lost cat. I have let him go already back near the trees where he came from, and he was not hurt or injured at all so do not worry!! I am also okay, no bites or scratches!! (Just pee ?) And if you are one of the people who told me nicely out of concern, thank you and have a nice day!! If you Are one of the people who was rude to me and tried to mock me for not knowing, you can have a bad day!!( maybeif he comes back I’ll send him ur way ??)Bye bye!
Before the holidays, NASA put out an announcement for plans to go back to the moon. The plan is pretty extensive:
With the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024, using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before. We will collaborate with our commercial and international partners and establish sustainable exploration by 2028. Then, we will use what we learn on and around the Moon to take the next giant leap — sending astronauts to Mars.
Instead of the way previous missions were completed, with one rocket taking up a single lander, NASA plans to setup infrastructure in the form of a small space station orbiting the Moon which can dock with incoming ships and guide them a gentle landing just about anywhere on the surface. This will make travelling to the moon much cheaper and sets the stage for how it will be done if (when?) mankind starts going to Mars. More details about the Artemis Mission on NASA’s website.
For anyone you know that thinks global warming isn’t real (okay boomer) this isn’t meant to convince them. For anyone that thinks, “ok the world is warming but what difference does it make?” See this primer on the Australian wildfires from The Verge (link below):
Dozens of fires erupted in New South Wales, Australia in November and rapidly spread across the entire continent to become some of the most devastating on record. An area about twice the size of Belgium, roughly 15 million acres, has burned. At least 18 people are dead, including at least three volunteer firefighters, and more are missing. More than 1,000 houses have been destroyed, hundreds more damaged. As blazes intensified in the days leading up to New Year’s Eve, thousands of people who were forced to evacuate sought shelter on beaches across New South Wales and Victoria. Over 100 fires are still burning.
And then it gets worse from there.
Categories
One Second Everyday 2019
With the new year comes another episode of my One Second Everyday series.
Some highlights in 2019 include: a trip to Hawaii, teaching at a new school, many trips to Medicine Hat for work, traveling for the ATA, weekends at the lake with friends, the birth of our son, attending a speech by Barrack Obama, water park outings, a new iPhone 11 Pro, our trip to Palm Springs, and visiting with family and friends over the Christmas holidays.
Categories
The Bad Review Revue
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil: “An example of the most soul-sucking viewing that I’m forced to endure.” — Charles Koplinski, Illinois Times
Charles Angels “[F]orget heaven, these angels will take you to purgatory.” — Howell Davies, The Sun (UK)
21 Bridges: “21 Bridges is a movie that will almost immediately disappear, falling through the cracks as prestige pictures and holiday blockbusters fill up local screens…this is a bridge that likely won’t be crossed again.” — Allen Adams, The Maine Edge
Midway: “One of the best things Roland Emmerich has ever touched. This is not, as compliments go, a very good one.” — Tim Brayton, Alternate Ending
Last Christmas: “Leads have no chemistry. Jokes lame. Twist painful. Ho-ho-no.” — James Verniere, Boston Herald
Categories
Goodwin Knight
After dabbling into my family’s genealogy, I learned that my Grandpa Marshall Milner was first cousins with former Governor of California, Goodwin Knight.(Which means he and I are first cousins 2 times removed.))
Goodwin is the grandson of John Brewitt Milner and Ester Elizabeth Yardley Thurman. (John B. Milner was the first Milner in my family to immigrate to the American continent.) his parents were Lillie (Milner) Knight and Jesse Knight. Jesse was the nephew of the mining magnate Jesse Knight who founded the town of Raymond, Ab.
My dad told me a story about how one time his parents, Marshall and Sarah travelled to California to visit their daughter Joyce who was on a church mission. It was at this time that Goodwin was the governor of California. They found themselves not far from the governor’s mansion and Marshall having never met Goodwin, wanted to knock on his cousin’s door. However, my grandma insisted that the governor was too busy and that it would be a bother to disturb him. They never did meet and everyone agrees, it’s really too bad.
Here is Goodwin at the opening of Disneyland in 1955.
Here he is again speaking after Walt just gave his opening speech. He has a look that reminds me of my Grandpa Marshall:
When it comes to Goodwin Knight, however, possibly more interesting to most is the fact that he was closely involved in the Warren Commission, officially titled The President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy. The Commission took its unofficial name—the Warren Commission—from its chairman, Chief Justice Earl Warren, whom Goodwin served under as the 35th Lieutenant Governor of California in the years before he became the Governor himself.
Goodwin died in 1970. See his New York Times obituary after the jump.
My old AirPods no longer keep a charge making listening for more than a few minutes (especially from the left “pod”) quite a challenge. As expensive as AirPods are for them to just wear out after a couple of years makes me hesitant to buy another pair, however, going wireless and the convenience of charging in the case still makes them a very compelling purchase.
Apple, of course, just released the newest iteration of the AirPods (Pro!) and while I don’t have any professional use for wireless headphones, I’m intrigued by their noise cancelling ability and again, that small charging case is awesome. I had been considering other options for my next pair of earphones because noise cancelling is a game changer for the annoying engine noise on long flights.
From Daring Fireball:
Noise cancellation worked really well for me. I own a pair of Bose over-the-ear noise canceling wireless headphones, but almost exclusively wear them only on airplanes and trains. Wearing noise-canceling earbuds on the subway and walking through the city is going to take some getting used to. It’s so good you really do lose sense of your surrounding aural environment.
I was a dummy and didn’t take my Bose headphones on my trip today, so I can’t say how they compare side-by-side on the train, but there’s no question how AirPods Pro compare to regular AirPods. The difference is like night and day. Amtrak trains are pretty noisy—especially at what we in the U.S. so adorably consider “high speeds”—but with AirPods Pro the clackety-clack rumble was effectively blocked out.
I’m 90% certain I’ll pick up a pair from the Apple Store at El Paseo Village when I’m in California next week.
Update: I got some new AirPod Pros of my own and although at times I feel they are uncomfortable after using them for a long time — (which earbuds aren’t?) — I love the noise cancellation and would recommend them to anyone looking for a new set of headphones.
We’re off for a family trip to California next week and a couple of days ago realized that not only are we losing an hour from the change in timezone, but we’ll also lose an hour because next week is the time change.
It occurred to us that this abrupt two hour change might be hard on our daughter, The Little NessMonster, so we’ve started advancing her bedtimes by 15 minutes per day. Her usual bedtime is at 7:00 and by the time we leave she’ll be going to bed at about 9:00pm which seems crazy but at the same time, it will make it easier for Halloween since we won’t have to worry about her being woken up by trick-or-treaters.
We’re very excited for California and despite widespread black-outs due to high winds, fires, and the dangers of fires from downed power lines… Palm Springs area isn’t supposed to be affected.
(via poweroutage.us)