![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Moral Depravity
Sep. 17th, 2021 05:04 pmWarning, this post may (should) piss everyone off who reads it. ( Political Ad - Holocaust )
GRRR PayPal
Aug. 13th, 2021 12:51 pmSo, like many other entities, Pay Pal has been suggesting for months that you add a mobile number. When I tried to log in last night, I couldn't get in ... they now REQUIRE a mobile number (new since mid-July) and they couldn't be arsed to let their users know it was going to be a requirement until AFTER they implemented it and to make it worse it sounds like (reading the page) it is still voluntary (by adding your number you are agreeing to this, that and the other as well as adding your number increases security blah blah blah. How does this help people who either don't have a mobile phone OR have an emergency use only phone OR have a plan with no Text or Data?
I was able (fortunately) to get in via an invoice I was paying off over time and have finished paying that invoice, sent the money I was trying to send yesterday, and have now removed all my $ info from PayPal. This pretty much sucks because a) I liked the cashback I was getting this quarter, b) I had been planning on selling some models and accepting $ via PayPal (I guess I really should have done that a few months ago), c) it is a good way for me to pay things and not have my credit card everywhere.
When is the world going to realize that not everyone is marching to a given drum and that COMMUNICATION BEFORE CHANGES IS A GOOD IDEA.
I was able (fortunately) to get in via an invoice I was paying off over time and have finished paying that invoice, sent the money I was trying to send yesterday, and have now removed all my $ info from PayPal. This pretty much sucks because a) I liked the cashback I was getting this quarter, b) I had been planning on selling some models and accepting $ via PayPal (I guess I really should have done that a few months ago), c) it is a good way for me to pay things and not have my credit card everywhere.
When is the world going to realize that not everyone is marching to a given drum and that COMMUNICATION BEFORE CHANGES IS A GOOD IDEA.
Florida Stupidity
Jun. 29th, 2021 05:14 pmSo, the state of Florida is sometimes known to have some really crazy and/or stupid things going on in it. This particular set of things is really taking the cake from my point of view.
Florida HB233 (https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2021/233/BillText/er/PDF)
Which says (in part)
The State Board of Education shall require each Florida College System institution to conduct an annual assessment of the intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity at that institution. The State Board of Education shall select or create an objective, nonpartisan, and statistically valid survey to be used by each institution which considers the extent to which competing ideas and perspectives are presented and members of the college community, including students, faculty, and staff, feel free to express their beliefs and viewpoints on campus and in the classroom.
Which on the surface sounds pretty good, I mean, being free to have your opinion is a good thing and part of academic freedom, right? However, do we really believe that the board of education will select or create anobjective, nonpartisan, and statistically valid survey (completely ignoring that statistical validity depends on samples and analyses and not the questions).
Then they add this gem:
[A] student may record video or audio of class lectures for their own personal educational use, in connection with a complaint to the public institution of higher education where the recording was made, or as evidence in, or in preparation for, a criminal or civil proceeding. A recorded lecture may not be published without the consent of the lecturer.
And once the student uploads it, how does that work?
Oh this is how:
(a) Against a public institution of higher education based on the violation of the individual's expressive rights in a court of competent jurisdiction to obtain declaratory and injunctive relief and may be entitled to damages plus court costs and reasonable attorney fees, which may only be paid from nonstate funds, reasonable court costs, and attorney fees. (b) Against a person who has published video or audio recorded in a classroom in violation of paragraph (3)(g) in a court of competent jurisdiction to obtain declaratory and injunctive relief and may be entitled to damages plus court costs and reasonable attorney fees, with the total recovery not to exceed $200,000.
So, the students who publishes a video illegally may have to pay up to $200,000 but the professor or staff member who is convicted has an unlimited amount of damage that they can pay, in spite of the fact that the damage to a professor may be well over $200,000 (loss of grants over 10 years). Compound this by the publication of a recording being a problem is limited to a recorded lecture and does not include discussion sections, seminars, etc..
Then, at about the same time the Florida Board of Education (at the behest of the governor) passes a ruling on teaching history (https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/19958/urlt/7-2.pdf) which says in part:
[M]embers of instructional staff in public schools must teach the
required instruction topics efficiently and faithfully, using materials that meet the highest standards of
professionalism and historical accuracy. [...] Instruction on the required topics must be factual and objective, and may not suppress or distort significant historical events, such as the Holocaust, and may not define American history as something other than the creation of a new nation based largely on universal principles stated in the Declaration of Independence. (c) Efficient and faithful teaching further means that any discussion is appropriate for the age and maturity level of the students, and teachers serve as facilitators for student discussion and do not share their personal views or
attempt to indoctrinate or persuade students to a particular point of view.
In Maryland, Higher Ed (i.e. colleges and universities) fall under the rules of the State Board of Education for many things. Which would mean that a college course that taught that not all men were treated as created equal even through the Jim Crow laws of the 60s would not be permitted. Furthermore, a teacher saying that they thought that this was a bad part of US history (which is their opinion) would not be permitted. Thus they may well feel like their intellectual freedoms are not respected and report that in the mandatory survey.
Any bets on if a reasonably large percentage of people report that they don't feel comfortable stating their opinions that the Governor, Legislature, and Board of Ed will be absolutely convinced that it is the Left squashing the Right instead of the other way around?
Florida HB233 (https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2021/233/BillText/er/PDF)
Which says (in part)
The State Board of Education shall require each Florida College System institution to conduct an annual assessment of the intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity at that institution. The State Board of Education shall select or create an objective, nonpartisan, and statistically valid survey to be used by each institution which considers the extent to which competing ideas and perspectives are presented and members of the college community, including students, faculty, and staff, feel free to express their beliefs and viewpoints on campus and in the classroom.
Which on the surface sounds pretty good, I mean, being free to have your opinion is a good thing and part of academic freedom, right? However, do we really believe that the board of education will select or create an
Then they add this gem:
[A] student may record video or audio of class lectures for their own personal educational use, in connection with a complaint to the public institution of higher education where the recording was made, or as evidence in, or in preparation for, a criminal or civil proceeding. A recorded lecture may not be published without the consent of the lecturer.
And once the student uploads it, how does that work?
Oh this is how:
(a) Against a public institution of higher education based on the violation of the individual's expressive rights in a court of competent jurisdiction to obtain declaratory and injunctive relief and may be entitled to damages plus court costs and reasonable attorney fees, which may only be paid from nonstate funds, reasonable court costs, and attorney fees. (b) Against a person who has published video or audio recorded in a classroom in violation of paragraph (3)(g) in a court of competent jurisdiction to obtain declaratory and injunctive relief and may be entitled to damages plus court costs and reasonable attorney fees, with the total recovery not to exceed $200,000.
So, the students who publishes a video illegally may have to pay up to $200,000 but the professor or staff member who is convicted has an unlimited amount of damage that they can pay, in spite of the fact that the damage to a professor may be well over $200,000 (loss of grants over 10 years). Compound this by the publication of a recording being a problem is limited to a recorded lecture and does not include discussion sections, seminars, etc..
Then, at about the same time the Florida Board of Education (at the behest of the governor) passes a ruling on teaching history (https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/19958/urlt/7-2.pdf) which says in part:
[M]embers of instructional staff in public schools must teach the
required instruction topics efficiently and faithfully, using materials that meet the highest standards of
professionalism and historical accuracy. [...] Instruction on the required topics must be factual and objective, and may not suppress or distort significant historical events, such as the Holocaust, and may not define American history as something other than the creation of a new nation based largely on universal principles stated in the Declaration of Independence. (c) Efficient and faithful teaching further means that any discussion is appropriate for the age and maturity level of the students, and teachers serve as facilitators for student discussion and do not share their personal views or
attempt to indoctrinate or persuade students to a particular point of view.
In Maryland, Higher Ed (i.e. colleges and universities) fall under the rules of the State Board of Education for many things. Which would mean that a college course that taught that not all men were treated as created equal even through the Jim Crow laws of the 60s would not be permitted. Furthermore, a teacher saying that they thought that this was a bad part of US history (which is their opinion) would not be permitted. Thus they may well feel like their intellectual freedoms are not respected and report that in the mandatory survey.
Any bets on if a reasonably large percentage of people report that they don't feel comfortable stating their opinions that the Governor, Legislature, and Board of Ed will be absolutely convinced that it is the Left squashing the Right instead of the other way around?
Java and I bought an EZ pass to share across our cars (which other people I know did in the past) since we don't always use the same car for everything that might want/need an EZ pass. However, when it came, it looks like you glue it to the windshield directly rather than glue a holder and slide it in/out as needed. Now that Maryland doesn't charge a fee for not using the thing and with more roads being EZ Pass only, it became a necessity for us.
So, if you know, please explain to this luddite how to safely and effectively mount and unmount an EZ Pass. Java and I have a trip to the eastern shore coming up soon and we need to have this working for that.
This is a Maryland EZ Pass if that helps.
So, if you know, please explain to this luddite how to safely and effectively mount and unmount an EZ Pass. Java and I have a trip to the eastern shore coming up soon and we need to have this working for that.
This is a Maryland EZ Pass if that helps.
Several years ago, after Echo's sire had moved out, they got a new stallion at the barn (Mack). Mack's owner brought in a bunch of other horses, pregnant mares, young stock who had been running loose since being foaled.
One of the youngstock was a yearling filly. Light bay with a strip and uneven socks. When Dede saw her move in the indoor, she was really impressed. This young horse was mostly feral but was still sweet to work around. With various issues around Mack's owner (not paying his bills), he eventually moved out leaving a large bill (i.e. hadn't paid board in awhile) and the deal was that any horses that the farm could sell would profit the farm and any that didn't get sold would revert to Mack's owner. Dede had fallen in love with this sweet mare and so we bought her and moved her off premises as sold and Mom started calling her Skye. We sold her back promptly but always considered her partially ours. Dede said that she would be left to us in her will if anything happened to Dede because we loved Mollie and she loved us.
Molly was registered under the name Sign the Card (which is a dressage judge's job) but was always called Molly (though I don't know if Dede spelled it Molly or Mollie). Years passed and we would visit with Molly every time we were at the barn. She loved when we had food but she also wanted us to come over and just hang out with her and scritch her on the withers. She knew Mom's step and knew that it almost always had a peppermint or other treat attached.
Several years ago, she did something in the pasture and really messed up a front leg. There is a saying that horses are looking for a way to hurt themselves and it does have a certain ring of truth. It is possible that being in the pasture with the other horses as a youngster affected her in unknown ways. She did a major tear to her suspensory and that is a really critical bit of structure for a horse. The suspensory is part of what holds them up and you can't give it full rest because a horse has to be on its feet most of the time. She was treated, bandaged (to provide some extra support) and so forth. It started to heal and she was allowed to leave the stall to be hand walked a short distance, then longer. Then turned out in a tiny paddock with a tranq to keep her from getting too silly. She grew stronger and had a more normal turnout then she started playing and the leg to re-injured.
I know that on Wednesday she was out with Bella as her babysitter. She was bright eyed and happy to see me that night (even without a treat). When I talked to Dede yesterday everything was fine. I called this morning to check on weather and was told not to come up at all, they put Molly down last night. I don't know the details but I suspect that she reinjured the leg and from what Peter said, there wasn't anything else they could do.
In many ways she was Dede's heart horse. Her sweet attitude, gentle expressions of requests for attention (very quiet nicker, lots of cute looks), and friendly demeaner will be missed. As the first stall in the barn everyone knew her and would speak to her. Having her gone will leave a huge hole in my heart, a larger hole in Mom's heart and a chasm in Dede and Peter's hearts.
I hope that if there is an afterlife she is out with Dancer, running free and playing without pain or risk of injury.
Run free Molly, you were loved and will be missed.
One of the youngstock was a yearling filly. Light bay with a strip and uneven socks. When Dede saw her move in the indoor, she was really impressed. This young horse was mostly feral but was still sweet to work around. With various issues around Mack's owner (not paying his bills), he eventually moved out leaving a large bill (i.e. hadn't paid board in awhile) and the deal was that any horses that the farm could sell would profit the farm and any that didn't get sold would revert to Mack's owner. Dede had fallen in love with this sweet mare and so we bought her and moved her off premises as sold and Mom started calling her Skye. We sold her back promptly but always considered her partially ours. Dede said that she would be left to us in her will if anything happened to Dede because we loved Mollie and she loved us.
Molly was registered under the name Sign the Card (which is a dressage judge's job) but was always called Molly (though I don't know if Dede spelled it Molly or Mollie). Years passed and we would visit with Molly every time we were at the barn. She loved when we had food but she also wanted us to come over and just hang out with her and scritch her on the withers. She knew Mom's step and knew that it almost always had a peppermint or other treat attached.
Several years ago, she did something in the pasture and really messed up a front leg. There is a saying that horses are looking for a way to hurt themselves and it does have a certain ring of truth. It is possible that being in the pasture with the other horses as a youngster affected her in unknown ways. She did a major tear to her suspensory and that is a really critical bit of structure for a horse. The suspensory is part of what holds them up and you can't give it full rest because a horse has to be on its feet most of the time. She was treated, bandaged (to provide some extra support) and so forth. It started to heal and she was allowed to leave the stall to be hand walked a short distance, then longer. Then turned out in a tiny paddock with a tranq to keep her from getting too silly. She grew stronger and had a more normal turnout then she started playing and the leg to re-injured.
I know that on Wednesday she was out with Bella as her babysitter. She was bright eyed and happy to see me that night (even without a treat). When I talked to Dede yesterday everything was fine. I called this morning to check on weather and was told not to come up at all, they put Molly down last night. I don't know the details but I suspect that she reinjured the leg and from what Peter said, there wasn't anything else they could do.
In many ways she was Dede's heart horse. Her sweet attitude, gentle expressions of requests for attention (very quiet nicker, lots of cute looks), and friendly demeaner will be missed. As the first stall in the barn everyone knew her and would speak to her. Having her gone will leave a huge hole in my heart, a larger hole in Mom's heart and a chasm in Dede and Peter's hearts.
I hope that if there is an afterlife she is out with Dancer, running free and playing without pain or risk of injury.
Run free Molly, you were loved and will be missed.
