#2
I went to High School near Lawrence. It was a convenient place to buy beer underage. My folks say that it has slum since the textile mills opened during the Industrial Revolution.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/08/2023 21:05 Comments ||
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[FoxNews] U.S. Coast Guard officials are promising reforms after an internal review sparked by reports of sexual assault and harassment found that "too many" of its members don't feel safe and trust in leadership is eroding.
The wide-ranging 90-day review, released Wednesday, calls for an end to a "permissive environment" that extends to inappropriate jokes and comments, and a greater focus on preventing "inappropriate or unhealthy behavior" at the earliest stages.
Many of the recommendations in the report stem from interviews with hundreds of Coast Guard members at locations throughout the service, including from victims of sexual assault and harassment dating from the 1960s to the present.
The review was ordered by Adm. Linda Fagan, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, after the service came under fire for not widely disclosing a six-year internal investigation into dozens of cases of sexual assault and harassment at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut from 1988 to 2006.
The investigation, first revealed by CNN, was known as "Operation Fouled Anchor" and identified 62 substantiated incidents of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment that occurred at the New London academy, or by academy cadets.
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut and chair of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, criticized the new review in a statement Wednesday, saying it "still does not hold anyone accountable for past failures - particularly those at the Coast Guard Academy."
Murphy said that while it lays out a "modest plan" to improve oversight, training and support for survivors, the report "is nothing more than paper until concrete steps are taken."
Murphy pointed to recent reporting by CNN that found the Coast Guard had concealed a 2015 report exposing gender and race discrimination, hazing and sexual assault throughout the service. That report warned that a "boys will be boys" attitude "is very much still around."
"Too many Coast Guard members are not experiencing the safe, empowering workplace they expect and deserve," the internal report released Wednesday said.
A memorandum from Fagan released with it acknowledges the actions she has ordered to address improper conduct will not impact cases stemming from Operation Fouled Anchor. But the memo said the service is responding to congressional requests concerning those cases while the Coast Guard Investigative Service is conducting additional inquiries.
In the memo, Fagan required specific actions be taken, including "tailored training" to help personnel, "from the newest recruits to senior executives," cultivate a positive workplace climate. That also includes developing more effective leadership courses and increasing oversight of the cadet corps at the academy.
Fagan ordered plans to be developed by 2025 that expand in-person bystander intervention training and provide sexual assault prevention, response and recovery training for all Coast Guard personnel. She also ordered improved physical security throughout the cadet dormitory at the academy.
"We each must ensure EVERY Coast Guard workplace has a climate that deters harmful behaviors." Fagan's memo said.
#3
NOT "inappropriate jokes and comments"! Why, I just can't even. I'm going to have to leave now and go lie down with my teddy bear for quite a while. The horror!
Posted by: Tom ||
12/08/2023 11:07 Comments ||
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[SeattleTimes] The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to enlist shooters to kill more than 500,000 barred owls over the next 30 years in the Pacific Northwest to preserve habitat for northern spotted owls, a protected species.
Barred owls are native to the East Coast but since the 1950s have been expanding their range in the Northwest. They are relentless predators who eat anything that moves. They will yank worms from the ground and salamanders out from under rocks. Nail birds on the wing and anything in the water, from fish to snails to crayfish and frogs. Even slugs are on the menu.
They are also bigger, more aggressive and more territorial than the northern spotted owl, posing a threat to their survival as a species, which is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Now the federal government is detailing a rescue plan.
The goal of a draft environmental impact statement for the agency’s barred owl reduction program is to take out the owls in the northern spotted owl’s range in Washington and Oregon and to focus on heading off expansion of the barred owl into the range of the California spotted owl.
Assuming complete implementation of the proposal, an initial cull of about 20,000 barred owls would occur in the first year. Then, an annual reduction of 13,397 birds a year in the first decade of the program; 16,303 a year in the second decade and 17,390 birds each year in the third decade, in parts of Washington, Oregon and California — 11 to 14 million acres in all.
The weapon of choice would be a large-bore shotgun and night scopes as needed for work in darkness or low light. When gunfire is too dangerous near people, capture and euthanasia would be substituted.
Any landowner or land manager may ask the agency to let them remove the owls under the agency’s protocol, training specifications and permit.
The removal season is recommended during late spring through midsummer and fall. Shooters are directed to lure the owls with a recording of another owl’s call. When a barred owl comes within 30 yards and is stationary, they would shoot to kill.
There is not much time left for the northern spotted owl, the agency concluded. Populations in study areas throughout the owl’s range have declined from 35% to more than 80% over the past two decades. California spotted owls, which the service proposed for endangered species listing earlier this year, face a similar risk from barred owl competition as it expands southward.
"Everywhere the spotted owl can live and thrive, barred owls can thrive and do even better," said Katherine Fitzgerald, northern spotted owl recovery lead for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, based in Portland. "They are still invading, and they are not done."
A DECLINING SPECIES
Much has been done to try to rescue the northern spotted owl, the poster animal of the campaign to save the old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest. The owl was listed as a threatened species in 1990. Then, in 1994, a federal judge approved the Northwest Forest Plan, devised under the Clinton administration, to set aside some 24 million acres of old-growth forests on federal land. The multispecies protection plan was intended to preserve habitat for the spotted owl on federal lands in the places scientists deemed most important for its survival, from Washington to California.
The owl depends on old-growth forests where its primary prey — small mammals that thrive in the complex, unique environment of old growth forests — include flying squirrels and tree voles.
But the owl, already greatly reduced in numbers by logging before the Northwest Forest Plan, faces continued habitat loss from wildfire and logging on unprotected lands. And now, it is mortally threatened by a devastating, invading competitor.
Barred owls were first documented in British Columbia in 1959 and in Washington, Oregon and California in the 1970s. Today, there are well over 100,000 barred owls in the northern spotted owl’s territory in Washington, Oregon and Northern California, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
#6
Oh, forms are a curse! Nothing meaner,
And few are much worse than sestina,
And so, IOU,
Reader dear, and past due,
One such verse on the owl of Athena.
[GEO.TV] Vanuatu, a Pacific island nation, was shaken by a powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake, causing concern among residents.
The tremor, striking offshore near Isangel, triggered a brief tsunami warning, leading to a short night for many locals who stayed up in precaution.
The quake, occurring at a depth of 48 kilometers, didn't cause immediate damage, easing fears. Anna Erick, who works at a beachside hotel, described the midnight experience as scary but mentioned no harm to their property.
Vanuatu, situated in the seismic Ring of Fire, regularly experiences earthquakes. The recent incident adds to the country's history of seismic activities, including a 6.7 magnitude quake in November that prompted tsunami alerts.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/08/2023 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
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In collaboration with the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), the U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) will conduct flight operations within Guyana on December 7. pic.twitter.com/gxjkcEbYI3
With the US DOD supporting, involved or challenged in: Ukraine, the Middle-East, Africa, Korea/Japan/Taiwan, Africa, NATO-EU, the Russia/China/Iran PAC aggression, and the issues in the Gulf of Mexico? Plus and growing suspected 5th column mixed in and hidden in the 14+ million Illegals now here.
Handling this, with less than 1.2m active duty personnel and less than 750k reserve personnel, and the crippling recruiting problems. Spread over 700+ bases in at least 60+ countries worldwide. Plus the known issues for numerous obtaining defensive/war supplies not using OCONUS sources.
It is clear the US DOD's ability to protect the Continental USA has been stretched to a dangerous point.
I hate to say it, but it seems pretty clear, we are ripe for a being attacked. The LSD & DC Swamp and our enemies surely must see this, or did they plan this?
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Guyana Ministry of Defense reported that on December 6, contact with the helicopter was lost near the village of Arau on the border with Venezuela. A search and rescue operation is underway.
A Bell 412 helicopter belonging to the Guyanese military has disappeared from radar.
The aircraft transmitted an emergency radio signal approximately 50 km east of Aarau on the western border of Guyana. There were three crew members and four passengers on the helicopter.
Guyana is located on the northeastern coast of South America.
As Regnum reported , the Venezuelan authorities decided to mobilize the army and announce the annexation of the Essequibo region, which is actually the territory of neighboring Guyana.
Guyanese President Irfaan Ali has announced his intention to appeal to the UN Security Council over Venezuela's claims to the Essequibo region. He noted that Maduro's desperate actions defy international law and pose a great threat to peace and security.
The Venezuelan authorities decided to mobilize the army and announce the annexation of the Essequibo region, which is actually the territory of neighboring Guyana, the Spanish newspaper El Pais reported on December 6.
The authors of the material claim that the decision to annex Western Guyana was announced by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro .
According to the publication, a temporary leader of the disputed region has already been appointed, the position was taken by the deputy of the United Socialist Party, Major General Alexis Rodriguez Cabello.
Maduro ordered to update all maps of Venezuela, which should include a new region.
As Regnum reported, on December 5, at a meeting of the Federal Council of Government, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro gave oil companies three months to complete work on the shelf disputed with Guyana. According to him, Venezuela will issue licenses for exploration and production of gas and oil in Essequibo. The country's largest oil and gas company is ready to create a division of PDVSA-Essequibo. Maduro also declared the western part of neighboring Guyana-Essequibo the country's 24th state.
Guyanese President Irfaan Ali has announced his intention to appeal to the UN Security Council over Venezuela's claims to the Essequibo region. He noted that Maduro's desperate actions defy international law and pose a great threat to peace and security.
In the future, Guyana will involve the Caribbean Community, the Organization of American States, and bilateral partners, including the USA, Brazil, France and the UK, in resolving this issue.
[Techspot] A hot potato: Are you one of the many people so against returning to the office that you'd rather quit your job than go back? It's an issue several companies are facing. According to a recent report, one tech giant rapidly losing staff over its RTO policy is Amazon, though it doesn't seem willing to do anything about it.
Business Insider reports that some Amazon employees have noticed an increasing number of colleagues are leaving the company over its strict return-to-office mandate.
Ending a policy of allowing employees to work from home full-time is always a contentious move by companies, but none have faced as much pushback as Amazon. The original announcement resulted in an employee petition in February, which was resoundingly rejected, and it was one of the reasons behind a walkout later in the year.
Adding fuel to the fire is another Amazon policy introduced in July that requires some corporate workers to relocate to other cities near their teams' "hub" offices — central locations assigned to each individual team.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy was clear about what will happen to any worker who refuses to come back into the office for at least three days per week: "It's probably not going to work out for you at Amazon," he said in August.
In an internal Slack channel called Remote Advocacy dedicated to discussions about the RTH (return-to-hub) mandate, one of the 34,000 group members wrote "This is my last week at Amazon and my only reason for leaving is the RTH policy."
#5
Interviewer: "And why did you leave your last job?"
Interviewee: "Because they wanted me to actually come in to work."
Interviewer: "I see..."
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/08/2023 16:56 Comments ||
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#6
Dumb move on Amazon's part. I've been a full time work from home since the summer of 2008. I'm more productive and happier at home than I ever was in the office. Most of my co-workers, in multiple different states, are also full time WAHs. Amazon is probably going to lose some of their better employees.
[RetailCustomerExperience] Amazon plans to be selling cars online, with finance package offerings, come 2024, according to a press release from Auto Link, a fintech and marketing company.
The release claims Amazon's auto business will present a big risk for credit unions and small community banks as they will not be able to compete with the mega retailer.
"The Amazon announcement takes online car shopping and financing to the next level. Consumers want easy and intuitive access to information and services, 24/7 from any device. Amazon has the knowledge and know-how to deliver this, effectively removing many FIs from the financing conversation," stated the release. IIUC Synchrony is Amazon's Bank
#1
The release claims Amazon's auto business will present a big risk for credit unions and small community banks as they will not be able to compete with the mega retailer.
Didn't work for USAA. We'll see how this one goes.
#7
We bought a car through the USAA program back in the day. Was a great experience and would 100% do it again if it were still an option. Amazon I'm really not so excited about.
#8
I'm not gonna buy a car based on a description.
I'm gonna have to see it, touch it, hear it.
(I've had a couple of good experiences with CARMAX. Called 'em, said hold it for me to look at it. Bought both of them. Still driving one of them.)
Posted by: ed in texas ||
12/08/2023 11:08 Comments ||
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[FOXNEWS] A nonprofit bankrolled by liberal billionaire George Soros ...either Ernst Stavro Blofeld or Auric Goldfinger come true... provided over $1.2 million to the left-wing group that previously bailed out the individual charged with killing several people in Texas, including his parents.
Shane James, 34, is accused of killing six people and injuring others in Bexar County and Austin. James served as a U.S. Army Infantry officer from February 2013 to August 2015 and has been charged with several counts of capital murder.
In January 2022, James was charged with aggravated assault against his mother, father and sister, Fox San Antonio reported. Bail records showed he was bonded out by the Texas Organizing Project, a nonprofit focused on progressive issues that helped elect Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales and county Sheriff Javier Salazar.
Meanwhile, ...back at the wreckage, Captain Poindexter wished he had a cup of coffee. Even instant would do... the Texas Organizing Project received hefty donations from Soros' nonprofit before bailing out James.
"The Texas Organizing Project, like its major donor, Mr. Soros, thinks that our justice system is an arbitrary social construct that can be torn down and reshaped however they see fit with no consequences," the Capital Research Center's Parker Thayer told Fox News Digital. "There are always consequences, and this time, six people bit the dust because a billionaire wanted to feel morally superior by funding activists with too many college degrees and not enough common sense."
The Open Society Policy Center, the advocacy nonprofit in the Soros-funded Open Society Foundations network, provided $700,000 to the Texas Organizing Project in 2019 for organizational support.
Later, in 2021, the policy center gave the group $565,000 to "support policy advocacy on democracy reform and government accountability in Texas," according to its grant database.
Soros' cash accounted for a sizable chunk of the group's reported money in both of those years. According to the Texas Organizing Project's tax forms, the group pulled in $2.3 million in donations in 2019, meaning the $700,000 from the Soros nonprofit accounted for roughly 30% of its cash that year. And in 2021, the Texas Organizing Project received $2.4 million, with the Soros contribution making up nearly a quarter of its contributions.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[FoxNews] 
...either Ernst Stavro Blofeld or Auric Goldfinger come true...
