Archive of entries posted on March 2023

The Ministry of Silly Wokes

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Heh.

Heh-heh.

U.K. Says It’s Glow Time, Declares Nuclear Energy “Environmentally Sustainable”, Giving It Access to the Same Investment Incentives [Taxpayer Dollars] as Renewable Energy
Hotair | 03/16/2023 | Beege Welborn

In a bald statement of fact that has to be galling to the rabid renewable faction so invested in making their fellow Brits’ lives miserable, Hunt laid out the plain truth – the U.K. must have something reliable to back up all the condition-dependent renewable energy sources. “Condition” meaning something must blow or shine before any power is generated.

Hunt told MPs: “We have increased the proportion of electricity generated from renewables from under 10% to nearly 40%.

“But because the wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine,

!

we will need another critical source of cheap and reliable energy. And that is nuclear.”

They just found this out? They never listened to even one single, solitary skeptic?

They’ve found out repeatedly this winter that is a truism.

That’d make a pretty good bummer sticker (sic):

“Winter Is a Truism.”

And it’s not only the weather that takes renewables out (as I’ve posted on before) – their reliability and maintenance issues, especially for wind, are hardly up to par for the bazillions being spent and the lives dependent upon the technology. You can’t keep lugging diesel generators to the highlands to try to keep them warm, or ferrying turbines back and forth from ocean wind farms that haven’t even become operational yet, and are already breaking down.

The country needs something humming along in the background. Unfortunately, they came to that realization a little late in the renewables game after self-righteously planning on shuttering everything.

In recent years the UK has generated about 15% of its power from its fleet of commercial nuclear power plants, but most are being retired this decade, with the last one – Sizewell B – due to close in 2035.

Since 2000, the UK has seen permanent reactor shutdowns at Hinkley Point A, Bradwell, Calder Hall, Hunterston, Oldbury, Sizewell, Chapelcross, Dungeness and Wylfa.

The only remaining operating plants are nine reactors across four sites at Hartlepool, Heysham, Sizewell B and Torness. There are two plants under construction at Hinkley Point C and another two in the pipeline at Sizewell C.

Everyone loves to be sold a bill of unicorn dreams, and it’s just the rudest shock when it doesn’t work out.

Now, it’s all about MAYDAY, MAYDAY and the “fast track.” Better late than never.

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But Only Up Through the 400th Trimester?

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Virginia Judge Uses 19th-Century Slavery Law to Rule Frozen Embryos Are Property
The Guardian (UK) | 3/10/23

In divorce case, judge rules human embryos may be valued and sold, and therefore may be considered ‘goods or chattels’

Frozen human embryos can legally be considered property, or “chattel”, a Virginia judge has ruled, basing his decision in part on a 19th-century law governing the treatment of enslaved people.

The preliminary opinion by a Fairfax county circuit court judge, Richard Gardiner, which he delivered in a long-running dispute between a divorced husband and wife, is being criticized by some for wrongly and unnecessarily delving into a time in Virginia history when it was legal to own human beings.

Misheard: “All in the Family” Edition

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We all know some very funny classic examples of misheard lyrics.

This isn’t a thread for ALL of them — just one particular example.

Walrus recently alluded to the All in the Family intro song with: “we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again.”

By coincidence, I then read a FreeRepublic discussion thread on that opening song, where people shared their misinterpretations of the (muddy) audio of Carrol O’Connor, Jean Stapleton, and their tinny piano belting out: “Gee, our old LaSalle ran great.” I even had an argument with my brother over what the words were.

Those were the days — the days when there was no internet on which to look stuff up. There were libraries, and encyclopedias, but nothing that would settle a modern or real-time dispute like this.

Some misinterpretations, from that thread:

“G.I. roll a salary great!”

“We were all a cell rat’s mate”

I always thought they were talking about the football team.

I went decades trying to figure out that line.

Mine? “Gee, are all the salads great?”

1934 version LaSalle (from a commenter on that thread):

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Hey, You Got Some Apologies!

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Brothers Paid by Jussie Smollett to Instigate 2019 Hoax Apologize to Country, Didn’t ‘Foresee’ Ramifications
Fox News | 3/17 | Ashley Carnahan

Smollett was sentenced to 150 days in jail plus probation

The two brothers who were paid by actor Jussie Smollett to orchestrate a fake hate crime had a message for the country about its “ramifications.”

Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, nicknamed Bola and Ola, apologized for their role in the 2019 hoax, saying they agreed to Smollett’s terms because they wanted to use his connections as a prominent actor to help them in their own careers.

“I just first want to apologize to everyone in the audience, the country and anyone who might have been affected by this directly. When we were asked to partake in this, we really didn’t foresee the ramifications of what something like this could do to the country,” Ola Osundairo explained Thursday on “Hannity.”

Former ‘Democratic Party Icon’ Apologizes to Conservatives; Lauds Release of January 6 Footage
The Blaze | March 11, 2023 | Michele Blood

Feminist author Naomi Wolf offered a formal apology to conservatives who “put America first” after reviewing newly-released footage of the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot.

“Peaceful Republicans and conservatives as a whole have been demonized by the story told by Democrats in leadership of what happened that day,” Wolf said in a lengthy post on Substack Thursday.

“Republicans, conservatives, I am sorry. I also believed wholesale so much else that has since turned out not to be as I was told it was by NPR, MSNBC and the New York Times,” Wolf also said.

“Anyone in leadership who misrepresented to the public the events of the day so as to distort the complexity of its actual history — must also be held accountable,” she added.

Mexican Cartel Apologizes for Kidnapping, Killing Americans
Hotair | 03/10/2023 | Karen Townsend

Pete Buttigieg Apologizes for ‘Losing Train of Thought’ While Finally Visiting East Palestine
Breitbart | 02-24-2023 | Hannah Blau

Biden Diplomat Apologizes for Saying Afghan Women Ned ‘Black Girl Magic’ and To Learn From Beyonce and Lizzo Under Taliban Leadership
Daily Mail | 16 February 2023 | By Morgan Phillips

CNN’s ‘sexist’ Don Lemon APOLOGIZES for ‘inartful and irrelevant comments’ after saying GOP presidential. candidate Nikki Haley, 51, is past her ‘prime’. *Video at link*
The Daily Mail | 02/16/2023 | Alex Oliveira

University of California at San Francisco Apologizes for Conducting Medical Experiments on Prison Inmates Without Consent
The Economic Times | 12/23/22

For Falsely Accusing Bakery Of Racism, Oberlin College Finally Coughs Up $36M Settlement But No Apology
The Federalist | 12/20/2022 | Cheryl Magness

Whoopi Goldberg issues public apology for using the word ‘gypped’ about Trump and Stormy Daniels hush money
MAILONLINE | 15 March 2023 | Aneeta Bhole

Editing Article, But Only Very Lightly

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More Students Are Turning Away From College and Toward Apprenticeships. Some White-Collar Training Programs Have Become as Selective as Ivy League Universities
Wall Street Journal | March 16, 2023 | Douglas Belkin

IMAO Internships are also selective in their own quirky ways.

Last spring D—- S—- C—- sat with her parents and sister in the family’s living room and reviewed her options: a full academic ride to the University of the District of Columbia, or an apprenticeship in the insurance industry,

or an IMAO internship.

The college route meant at the end of four years the 22-year-old would have a degree, a little debt and no work experience.

Delete “have a degree” and you’ve got the IMAO internship.

Her family was unanimous: Take the apprenticeship.

Not the internship.

“You’ll be worry free,” her mother said.

Cannot compete with that.

Family conversations like the one in Ms. C—’s living room are bubbling up around the country as high-school seniors recalibrate their options . . .

Hmm. Bubbling up, you say? We’ll need to verify their ages, of course.

Announcing ‘A Hole’ New Way To Work

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Introducing Microsoft 365 Copilot—A Whole New Way To Work
Microsoft | 3/16/23 | Collette Stallbaumer

Today, we announced Microsoft 365 Copilot—your copilot for work.

But I’m not flying a plane.

Copilot combines the power of large language models (LLMs)

Like in Victoria’s Secret?

with your data in the Microsoft Graph—your calendar, emails, chats, documents, meetings, and more—

Are you going to be honest when you reveal what you mean by “and more”? Or is this like an ingredient list that says “plus other ingredients”?

to turn your words into the most powerful productivity tool on the planet.

They already are.

It’s how one picks up and uses a tool that makes all the difference.

But that is best left up to the individual, wouldn’t you agree?

And it does so within our existing commitments to data security and privacy

*chortle.* Even you couldn’t say that with a straight face.

Oh . . . your existing commitments to data security and privacy. Yeah, I can see you carrying on with those.

Right now, we spend too much time on the drudgery of work

So we can pay for the socialist boondoggles and policies that Microsoft supports

and too little time and energy on the work that ignites our creativity and sparks joy . . .

such as mocking stupid releases.

Copilot is integrated into Microsoft 365 in two ways.

Probably sixteen ways, but let’s go with your premise.

#1: It works alongside you, embedded in the Microsoft 365 apps you use every day—Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and more . . .

There’s that term, “and more,” again! Or is it modifying “embedded” this time? “Controlling”? “Limiting”? “Saving”? “Reporting”?

. . . and #2?

In addition to working “alongside” you, does it also work “above” you, giving you orders? “Below” you, issuing orders to your subordinates? “Instead of” you? “Calling from inside your house right behind” you? Will it take a whistleblower to find out?

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Straight Line of the Day: The Only Practical Reaction To a House-Sized Asteroid Flying Past Earth: …

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House-Size Asteroid Discovered This Week Will Fly Past Earth on Friday
NY Post | 03/16/2023

The near-Earth object, called 2023 EY, has been posted on NASA’s asteroid database and listed as one of the next five asteroid approaches.

Scientists estimate it is about 54 feet wide.

A near-Earth object is classified as any space object that can come within 30 million miles of Earth.

This asteroid’s closest Earth approach is roughly 149,000 miles.

Friday Classic Funny

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“Good morning Miss Derek, Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you.”

“And to you Mr. Walrus, look who showed up to celebrate.”

“Miss Ireland, how… appropriate.”

“Indeed sir, Happy St. Patrick’s Day.”

“Well, on to the funny, I take it we are still suffering supply chain issues.”

“indeed.”

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