Friday Ephemeraren’t

an illustration of stereotype accuracy
Note the first comment in that thread, from the police themselves:
“Please be aware that we are monitoring the comments on this thread, so please refrain from using offensive language. We have zero tolerance for discriminatory comments on our social posts, so please be aware that your words could constitute a hate crime.”
I am tempted to open a Twitter account, just so I can post a comment about the propensity of travellers to commit crimes, and the propensity of British police to bully decent citizens while walking around with their thumbs up their bums.

the propensity of British police to bully decent citizens while walking around with their thumbs up their bums.
Easier and safer to harass tax paying citizens for wrongthink than track down real criminals who commit real crimes.

Morning, all.
so please be aware that your words could constitute a hate crime
I briefly assumed this reply was a parody, but apparently not. Readers may be wondering how the police might go about retrieving stolen property – in this case, half a dozen caravans – without the retrieval reflecting poorly on the thieves.

David:’ I briefly assumed this reply was a parody…’
Sadly, it’s fairly typical of the ultramodern copper. As we see here: http://twitter.com/cold957/status/1420381180453662723

Sadly, it’s fairly typical of the ultramodern copper.

Your email contains a number of referrals [sic] interpretable as prejudicial and intolerant… Any further correspondence that alludes to such language [sic] will not be responded to.

So, people are being assaulted, routinely, and a woman is stabbed in the face, but what really concerns our Champion Of Justice, our staff officer to Cressida Dick, is a fairly measured and factual statement of what happened. To even register the pattern of who is doing what, and doing it much more often than others, is “interpretable as intolerant” and a basis for scolding.

Oh, and some notable balloons.
Zardoz!

Interior of note.
You may clench your buttocks now.

Antifa clown makes claim of Heroic Defense.
“And now, the rest of the story…”

Re: “The Thieving Gypsy Bastards”:
During the resulting court case[citation needed], UK newspaper The Sun ran a story revealing that the principal Roma man who initiated the action against them was being tried for (and was later found guilty of) handling stolen property.
Wikipedia is wrong here (yeah, I know…).
This is how it went down:
There was indeed a furore following the publication of The Thieving Gypsy Bastards, and the issue was complicated by the fact that there were two rival organisations which claimed to represent the interests of the *ahem* “travelling community”. One of these was called (if memory serves me right) “The National Romany Council Of Great Britain” and was headed by a chap by the name of Hughie Smith. Hughie ran a travellers’ caravan site in the town of Oldham, where I worked as a prosecuting lawyer. I don’t think I’m exaggerating if I say that back then (the early 90s), such were the numbers and seriousness of the crimes committed by some of the inhabitants thereof, if said caravan site had been shut down and the inhabitants dispersed, then within six months at least half of us would have been looking for new jobs.
Hughie was contacted by several newspapers seeking a reaction to TTGB; unlike the rival organisation, which sought a referral to the then Commission for Racial Equality, Hughie explained that he felt that there were too many “do-gooders” who wished to intervene in the travellers’ chosen way of life and he wanted nothing to do with the CRE.
This did not prevent the newspapers having a field day a few months later when Hughie was arrested for handling stolen goods.
The local police executed a search warrant at the site and raided Hughie’s double-wide. Parked outside was a stolen Ford, bearing the numberplates of an identical model. It had been “ringed” (had its identity changed) and had been stolen from the forecourt of a dealer in Yorkshire a few weeks earlier. A vehicle logbook in the name of “H. Smith” and the ignition keys were found in the caravan. The logbook bore an address in a town about halfway between the points of the theft and the search; it turned out to be an accommodation address, and the coppers never could get a statement from anybody who lived there.
Outside, on the porch and covered by a tarpaulin, were two petrol generators, stolen during a warehouse burglary less than 48 hours previously. Hughie’s prints were later found on the generators and the tarp.
Hughie was duly arrested and during interview claimed to have come by the car legitimately, paying cash. That the log book bore a similar name was a mere coincidence. The generators- “Somebody must have put them there. Never seen ’em before”.
Hughie elected to be tried before judge and jury as opposed to the local magistrates’ bench, “handling” being an “either way” offence (I’m not going to go into the intricacies of English criminal procedure) and his solicitor asked for a “read-out” committal where the evidence was put before the magistrates for them to decide whether there was a case to answer (a bit like the US grand jury thing, I suppose).
On the morning of the hearing, to be held in a tiny courtroom, the public gallery (all eight seats) was packed with reporters, most of them “stringers” for the tabloid press. The defence solicitor, panicking, approached the prosecutor and offered a bargain- “He’ll have (i.e. plead guilty to handling) the generators in the mags (magistrates’ court, maximum sentence six months imprisonment) but you’re weak on the car. He’ll sign a disclaimer so the dealer can get it back”. The offer was deemed acceptable, Hughie duly pleaded guilty and sentence was adjourned for four weeks.
The following day, above the fold on page 5, The Sun ran a story with a banner headline: “YOU THIEVING GYPSY B*****D” (a little unfair on Hughie under the circumstances I always thought), together with a report on the previous day’s proceedings and an excerpt from the Viz strip.
I think this ought to be the point where I reveal that it was I who prosecuted the case (no autographs, and ladies, please stay the other side of the velvet rope). I can’t for the life of me remember what sentence he received.
Ah- these days any reference to TTGB is like one of Proust’s madeleines.
“Ou sont les batard de gitan voleurs d’antan?”

Such a vibrant, magical culture.

Such a vibrant, magical culture.
Meanwhile, possible clue noted.

Such a vibrant, magical culture.
‘Parenting of note’.

Zardoz!
A funny prank would be to have that that balloon accompanied by an infantry squad of Sean Connery look-alikes.

Oh, and some notable balloons.
At first I thought the first one was Justin Trudeau leering over the border, but then I blinked me bleary eyes and had some more coffee.

Meanwhile, possible clue noted.
Well I, for one, am shocked. He doesn’t look the type…

Granted it is a low bar to hurdle, but Meathead is more logical and makes more sense than 90% of the media.

Heh.

Day made Farnsworth. Whatever’s left in this oversized jug of assorted cocktails is yours sir.

LO: ’ I think this ought to be the point where I reveal that it was I who prosecuted the case…’
This site always produces the very finest anecdotes!

Math lesson of note.

At the University of Illinois-Chicago: [taken from David’s previous post]
More political lunacy: U. of Illinois-Chicago professor reported to school for urging student to turn assignment in on time The student expects the professor to defer to his or her bad habits/mental defects: “I’ve never been mentally able to start my assignments very early due to my anxiety”. It appears that deference to substandard behavior is now called “cultural competence”.

I just wish all those YouTube videos were not preceded by annoying Liberty Mutual ads.
I get an anti-Conservative political ad. Turdeau is preparing to call an election but the attack ads have already started. He is seeking a third annointment and my fellow Canadians are just stupid enough to give it to him.

On crime in GB: at the ariana grande concert bombing, the police noted a man standing around acting suspicious but did not speak to him…he had the shield of “otherness” protecting him. kaboom.
A man in london found a gun in his garden. He brought it inside to keep kids from finding it and called police. They arrested him for handling the gun. a little demotivating.
On the bull in the arena, there is another video where the people were standing too close to the bull gate, and the bull threw the first guy he encountered over his back (not gored fortunately).

Adblock, I don’t get any of the pre or inflight ads.
I really should get around to trying that.

Also works in my ancient iPhone with Safari.
Does it by any chance allow YouTube videos to keep playing even when you lock your phone? [ I suppose the answer is ‘no’, but that is for me the most frustrating feature of YouTube on phones. ]

You want links? Well, here’s a most unusual story:
That was an amazing story. I went from skepticism to admiration and even got a little teary.

Well, here’s a most unusual story
“Alexa, what is pareidolia?”
You may clench your buttocks now.
That’s a yearling calf, not a bull.
Grade school Roman history lesson of note.
It’s cute, and I suppose as an object lesson of how the testudo was used it’s all right. I don’t know, I tend to think accuracy is more important than goofy fun when you’re teaching history. I know a writer who does this kind of thing and when he teaches Teutoborg Forest he divides the kids up into Gauls and Romans and teaches them separately how their side fought. Then when they mix it up in the woods they see very quickly how critical Roman formation fighting and discipline is. If the Roman kids get into formation fast and don’t break, they’ll win every time. If they get scattered or break and run, the Gauls mow them down.

I tend to think accuracy is more important than goofy fun when you’re teaching history.
I’m with you, brother. When I was learning about the Oregon Trail, our teacher let a couple of my classmates suffer with dysentery for days. “YOU REALLY THINK THEY HAD PEDIALYTE IN 1860?!”
Some parents got involved after that and our adventure came to an abrupt end. Still, it’s the sort of formative experience too few students get these days.

All the same, that took guts.

That wasn’t a full-grown bull.

If the Roman kids get into formation fast and don’t break, they’ll win every time.

Something that I have never seen depicted in a movie (i.e., fighting in a formation versus a confused scrum of individual combats). That doesn’t mean that there are no movies that show it; I just haven’t seen one that did.

Me, my laptop, and my wallet all in one place at the same time, thus the ping.
Bless you, sir. When playing an MMOG, a massively multiplayer online game, may your fellow players have impeccable game manners.
Can’t talk. Playing Hades’ Star. Supernova imminent.

Does it by any chance allow YouTube videos to keep playing even when you lock your phone?
Sadly, no, for AdBlock Plus anyways. I can’t even minimize the Safari window or else YouTube stops playing. But, no ads.

Something that I have never seen depicted in a movie (i.e., fighting in a formation versus a confused scrum of individual combats).
Well, it’s not movies but if you are interested in fighting tactics from ages ago and such, I’ve enjoyed the You Tube channel of Lindybeige. I can’t vouch for his accuracy and haven’t watched him in several months for some reason, but he does have an entertaining enthusiasm about the subject.

Needless to say, it’s a game that requires patience.
So, you’re saying it makes SPI’s War in Europe seem like a game of checkers?

So, you’re saying it makes SPI’s War in Europe seem like a game of checkers?
There are long stretches of slow economic grind and OCD tech upgrades, punctuated by 20-minute fits of intense combat with swarms of alien battleships, the hasty looting of artefacts, and the death throes of a star.
During which, I have been known to swear.

You could use it here to increase the deterrent power of your correction booth.

So, you’re saying it makes SPI’s War in Europe seem like a game of checkers?
Anyone here remember the pen-and-paper version of Harpoon?

an illustration of stereotype accuracy
Here in the Soggy Isle, back in the 1980s it used to be taken as a given that the Travelling Community (not the terminology used by most people in general conversation) required special arrangements when it came to social welfare unemployment payments.
It arose from a tendency of a large number of Patrick McDonaghs and Michael Joyces etc to be flexible with their home addresses and to be claiming benefits in a number of social welfare offices and post offices. Accordingly every Traveller claiming unemployment payments was required to “sign on” at the same time- I think it was noon on a Friday.
The next hour- from noon to one o’ clock was probably the most dangerous time to be on the roads as battered vans flew from one town to the next trying to get to another social welfare office in time to get another payment.
The Guards (police) would have checkpoints to stop the vans (usually untaxed and uninsured). There was no question of pursuing them for no tax or insurance but the Guards used to get great enjoyment talking to them at length, asking them if there was any reason for their hurry etc.
Simpler times.
Now we have to bring in immigrants* to do the social welfare fraud that the Irish no longer bother with.
* yes I know most immigrants are honest and hardworking.

* yes I know most immigrants are honest and hardworking.
Although the last survey I read showed that a dangerously large fraction of Muslim immigrants favored the imposition of Sharia law.

real time wargaming

The next hour- from noon to one o’ clock was probably the most dangerous time to be on the roads as battered vans flew from one town to the next trying to get to another social welfare office in time to get another payment.
The subject of ‘traveller’ behaviour has cropped up here before:

If your chosen lifestyle is rooted in parasitism and a belief that, having turned someone’s field or whatever into a litter-strewn biohazard, you can just move on and leave some other sucker to deal with it, then other antisocial tendencies are hardly surprising. And the more that such behaviour is indulged and excused by councils, police, and leftist pundits, in the name of some supposed group victimhood, the more likely it is that those antisocial behaviours will be emboldened.

And let’s not forget a certain Guardian columnist’s first-hand encounter with said demographic, and the subsequent, gloriously neurotic fretting. Note how effectively the progressive piety inhibits realism. Such that an objection to being menaced and robbed by predatory thugs is belittled as merely “bourgeois instincts,” and implicitly an obstacle to “social justice.”
[ Added: ]
There are, of course, ‘travellers’ who use council-designated sites and who may be a minimal inconvenience to nearby residents. Some may even pay council tax, at least in theory. But it’s almost funny how local councils will typically fall over themselves to praise the “cultural traditions” of the ‘travellers’, as if they were wandering minstrels, while actively minimising acts of trespass and antisocial behaviour – “Crimes are committed by individuals not communities,” said one disingenuous council website – and while adopting a scolding tone towards any residents who don’t regard the arrival of such people as a joyous thing.

…And the more that such behaviour is indulged and excused by councils, police, and leftist pundits, in the name of some supposed group victimhood…
Heaven forbid that we might postulate that travelers are hated not because the English are bigots but because the travelers are criminals and parasites.

… if it gets any messier we might as well use Jackson Pollock…
Indeed that has been my own philosophy, but if they keep going the way they are I insist on a strip of both UV and IR LEDs because my pride color is one even bees can’t see.

No. I have it on certain authority that what was written on his death certificate was Dick Hertz. Though come to think of it, that may have been on the “cause of death” line.

Bullet dodged.
The lady’s indignant reply reveals a tad more than she intends, I think.

Either way… he is now stuck for having taken the risk.
Hiring new staff is a risk for any small business. Hiring someone who has to be helped out frequently by other staff, thereby distracting them from their own work, or who quits within weeks, can be an expensive mistake. One that not every company can afford. If a job entails spending the day hauling about paving stones and bags of gravel, etc., it seems reasonable to check that an applicant understands this and is capable of doing it. Which relatively few women are. And it seems to me that whatever the lady’s ability to meet the physical demands of the job, her childish, chippy attitude was probably best avoided.
[ Added: ]
Yes, he could have invited her to an interview, which consumes time, despite his reservations. Likewise, she could have turned things around by confirming that she understood the nature of the work and that she felt confident in her ability to do it, ideally with examples of relevant experience. Rather than being instantly pissy and insulting her would-be boss and disdaining his company.

he could have invited her to an interview, which consumes time, despite his reservations.
Don’t get me wrong. I 100% agree that either way he is in the right. My concern on his side, by no means do I see it as a legal/moral responsibility, but given the woman’s pissy and insulting response I am a tad suspicious she’s trolling for a discriminations case. His (apparent) rejection of her sight unseen could be a higher risk than having her show up and him saying, “Yeah….no”. But that has its liabilities as well. And I believe this was in Oz so ??? on the legal issue. I was just thinking in a litigious American sense. Also what brought this to my mind, and my wife remembers this otherwise but I don’t think she’s as observant of such things as I am, we recently had a very tall tree taken down on our property. Cost us well over $2000 to have it removed. A relatively large crew showed up, maybe 8 people, and I could swear one of them was a woman. They were all Mexican/Mestizo in appearance (the crew chief/owner whom I contracted with was Mexican-American) thus the M/F size difference would not be as great. Whoever it was was the only one wearing a broad brimmed hat and moved a bit differently from the other guys. But I wasn’t paying real close attention as I was otherwise occupied but the movement was one of those almost subconscious things that I tend to notice more than most people.

So in the interest of comment oddities…this may amuse…it amuses me but I’ve reached a point where I have to find amusement in the things that piss me off because, well in the absence of professional comedy, that’s mostly all I have…A bit long but since nothing much to do until the Dwight Yoakam concert tonight, I have the time….
So as we are both quite healthy and haven’t had colds, certainly nothing significant enough to remember, for years. In the past 10 months or so, we (or specifically mostly just I) have been around a few people who tested positive a week or so after we were with them, and we have not much modified our behavior in other regards either. My wife has been thinking we were somehow both exposed but are/were asymptomatic. Personally, I think that’s an outside chance for BOTH of us but throughout my life I’ve never avoided people with colds so part of why I think I haven’t been sick is I exposed myself to so much when I was younger and thus have a strong immune system…but whatever. So anyway, as I give blood regularly but my wife never does, while we were in Florida, and I have had the time available, I have tried to give very regularly (here we can only give every 8 weeks) because with a blood donation you get a Covid antibody test/report. Every time so far the report has been negative. The organization I give to in Florida (OneBlood…aka The Big Red Bus) is not active up here in north GA. Well my wife has been doing research on this and a couple weeks ago she saw where the Red Cross would be taking donations at the local library. So unlike Florida where they’ve recently gotten back to accepting walk-ins/walk-ups, the Red Cross here still requires an appointment. All they had available was for this past Wednesday at 4:45. OK, a bit of a press on dinner time but no big deal. For the preceding three or four days the Red Cross sent me emails, robocalled my phone, and sent me at least two text messages asking me to confirm that I would be there at that appointed time because they are desperate for blood. So I get there on Wednesday only to be told, just like the lady in front of me with the 4:30 appointment, that they had started shutting down at 4:00 due to other commitments or whatever. I got this long, droning whine/apology from the RC lady, complaining about how her having to explain this to us was above her pay grade and that someone more superior would call us with a more formal apology. Yeah…so…whatever.
So here’s the (what I consider) funny part…I get home and tell the wife they screwed up. Well, she now gets madder than I was. I’m like, OK…whatever, I’m over it. So then over dinner and even after dinner she must have brought it up like four more times. I guess my temper got a bit short because I really didn’t want to dwell on it, so now she’s mad at me because I”m mad at her for being (somewhat) mad at me for not being mad enough at the Red Cross. And here it is Saturday and I have yet to get my “apology” from the Red Cross. I just now sent them a simple email, minus all this detail…which is probably why I’m bothering to type this out here because I likely will reuse it if I don’t hear back from them soon. Again, I exaggerate for (to me) humorous effect…but only slightly. Though in general, this level of incompetence is becoming more and more common IMNSHO.

the movement was one of those almost subconscious things that I tend to notice more than most people.
Noticing body language etc is a survival skill.

A tutorial for nitwits in Oregon.
I even got thrown our of a bar once for wearing a hat.
Good, unless you are under arms, only savages wear hats indoors.