[kscherer]

Originally Posted by PB PM Guess he loves meat after all, must be all the pent up anger from just eating plants.

[709]

** "I'm Doing My Part!" News **

US Space Force releases official song.

Semper Supra!

[turtle]

Chatter appears to be implying that China's Xi is in isolation lockdown. Some have said military coup and other saying it is "different" though still somewhat acknowledging isolation.

This could get very interesting.

[PB PM]

Maybe he's in isolation due to having COVID, which means it's most likely nothing.

[turtle]

Maybe. China has always been tight lipped so we will know for sure soon enough. Either he is back in the public eye or he is dead and someone new is in charge. Only one extreme or the other really.

True that is really could be nothing. I just found it odd that so many are pinging on military coup there. I mean, Iran, Pakistan, Malaysia.... sure. China? That seems less likely though we go back to they are pretty tight lipped.

[PB PM]

A military takeover in China would have meant taking out the entire central comity, it would be more than just Xi.

[turtle]

Apparently Xi surfaced publicly. I didn't bother reading anything about it, just that he is clearly still running things in one form or fashion.

[PB PM]

I didn’t look too hard, but I never saw anything about this, beside your posts here.

[Ryan]

The original source was the Epoch Times, so I'm not surprised this turned out to be nothing.

[turtle]

I saw it on blogs that pass through my RSS feeds. So clearly not a "reliable source" and why I didn't link to it originally.

I looked today and an India news outfit published it as fact fueling the fire more. Now Yahoo is saying it was all a hoax originating from Twitter. Seems fitting.

In other news though, the Toebbe couple pleads guilty, again, with a plea deal they hope will be acceptable since the judge rejected their original deal.

I hope they fry. Certainly at least stay locked up the rest of their life. With no, and I mean no, outside communication beyond their prison wall.

[turtle]

"A Food Delivery Drone Crashed, Burned, and Left Thousands Without Electricity"

An Alphabet-owned Wing drone "incinerated itself" after it became entangled in power lines in Brisbane, Australia. On the bright side, the food stayed hot.

Funny story here. As a drone owner I was aware of power lines. Kinda funny that this one managed to play the part of a squirrel and transformer.

[kscherer]

Whoops!

Well, Alphabet is gonna be on the hook for some repairs. If you live there, make sure all your electroniky things are working and prepare your claims if they went kaput!

[drewprops]

I watched the back end of the AI Day broadcast centered around "Teslabot".

Boston Dynamics doesn't have anything to worry about just yet.



...

[drewprops]

After a night's sleep I realize that Musk's robot is brand new and has a different goal.


...

[Ryan]

The Onion filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in defense of parody. It's a searing defense of free speech and also the funniest legal document ever drafted:

https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketP...us%20Brief.pdf

[709]

Loretta Lynn has passed, at 90.

What an amazing talent and life. One of the few artists that were in constant rotation (with Cash, Holly, Presley and Manilow) at my house when I was growing up. Bittersweet memories.

[kscherer]

Originally Posted by Ryan The Onion filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in defense of parody. It's a searing defense of free speech and also the funniest legal document ever drafted: https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketP...us%20Brief.pdf

I just watched this guy on the matter, and greatly respect his opinion.

What The Onion is doing is both funny and serious in the same breath, and I hope the SCOTUS has the balls to take this one up. Failure to do so will leave the 6th Circuit's ruling in place, permitting police to arrest people who criticize them. That cannot be allowed to stand!

[Anonymous Coward]

Rust filming to continue after Alec Baldwin reaches settlement over civil suit. I am a bit surprised that this movie will be completed, although I suppose due to the notoriety due to the prop gun death, it will attract some viewers. The production company wants to make it a "tribute" to the slain cinematographer, but I wonder how they will have the budget to continue if all the questionable practices on set are to be brought up to standard. The article notes that the criminal investigation is still ongoing. So much for Alec Baldwin considering that his acting career may be over.

[turtle]

Guess he better get his part done filming quickly!

[PB PM]

I suspect Baldwin will get by somehow, even if he never gets another acting gig.

On a more serious note, the families reaction tells the real story, IMO. Usually the family of the victim(s) are the most adamant if something is even slightly fishy. That isn’t the case here.

[Ryan]

Biden pardoning federal marijuana possessions and directing HHS to look at rescheduling it: https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1578097878094024712

[drewprops]

This will be "fun" to watch. It's a great move to reset the bounds of what classify as crimes. My distaste will come with the fake hand-wringing by Republicans who probably smoke it (or have kids who smoke it) as much as the people in jail.

I personally do not like to even smell the mess, but I still count this as a good move.


...

[Brad]

Originally Posted by Ryan Biden pardoning federal marijuana possessions and directing HHS to look at rescheduling it: https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1578097878094024712

A wise man once said…

The best time to pardon and reschedule marijuana was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.

I don't care for pot, but the whole prison industrial complex around its use, especially targeting already poor, minority, or disadvantaged people, desperately needs to end.

[turtle]

Yeah, now, right before mid-term elections...

I'm no fan of pot. I'm also don't really care about it being legal or not. Alcohol was illegal and isn't anymore. I enjoy a drink every now and then. Doubt that will ever be the case for pot. I'm sure others skip drinking and grab a joint/bowl instead.

My actual though is something like this with the military. Readiness is a big thing and stoned military is, well, bad. Right now it is easy to have a zero tolerance policy because federally it was illegal. What now?

This is going to be interesting to see how it shakes out.

[kscherer]

I'm OK with him pardoning small-time possession where it's clear they're just using, but possession with intent to distribute is another story. Those clowns need to stay locked up.

And I'm guessing most of the federal "possession" charges came along with intent to distribute. That's why they were federal charges to begin with. This is a political "get the Democrats some election votes" ploy, and nothing more.

[Capella]

Originally Posted by turtle My actual though is something like this with the military. Readiness is a big thing and stoned military is, well, bad. Right now it is easy to have a zero tolerance policy because federally it was illegal. What now? This is going to be interesting to see how it shakes out.

Is drunkenness not the exact same issue as being stoned for a military person? It's still an impairment. Use alcohol and be drunk on duty = get punished, but use alcohol when off duty and be fine. Having a beer at home has never been forbidden for the military (well post Prohibition) and likewise marijuana shouldn't be treated any different. Same laws against drunk driving should apply. Etc. I see 0 reason for them to be treated differently.

I'm one of those "moderation in things" people - I will drink the beer and mead my roommatr brews at home, and try a few hard ciders and bourbons / whiskeys. Never more than 2 drinks a week and it's usually when I just want the taste of something. I've been drunk enough to be hungover the next day 3x and I hated it every time, drunk enough to vomit once, and I don't get the funny floaty better more confident version of yourself thing a lot of my friends that drink get because I have this super fine tolerance line. One cider is a delicious taste, two is pushing it, three in a night even if spaced hours apart and I'm a vomiting awful mess. I'd rather just have 1 beer/cider or 1 shot or 1 cocktail for the flavors and stop there.

Likewise, I consume marijuana edibles* for two reasons: medical and fun. For medical, a CBD/THC mix reduces my migrained better than sumatriptan (faster and without the violent vomiting), and a CBN/DBC mix promotes sleep better than using 3x benadryl at a time. For fun, with sativas I get a super cool hallucinatory synaesthesia effect listening to music where piano feels like it's being played in my body directly down my spine and high strings vibrate the crown of my head, while I see colors behind closed eyes much like an old winamp/itunes visualizer effect. It's awesome.

(*all the fun, none of the bad smell of smoke and its asthma effects, I have recommendations for the pot-curious if you want to take one and have a vibe similar to after a couple drinks)

[709]

Originally Posted by turtle Yeah, now, right before mid-term elections...

Well, he did campaign on decriminalization, but yes, the timing is very Dank Brandon.

[turtle]

Capella,
Maybe I just don't know enough about pot/THC in the system, but how can one be tested for levels in the system and their effect on motor control and mental stability?

You're talking about the greatness and fun of being high, but how does that work for a fighting force that is always to be on the ready? We swear an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the US. We give away our freedoms in that time of service to protect your rights.

With alcohol there is plenty of factual details behind how much the blood alcohol content can be before you are considered impaired. Of course, in the military there is also enough that if you have any in your system during "duty" you are going to be hammered because none is acceptable when on duty.

We also know after XXX amount of time XXX ounces of alcohol will be metabolized and be cleared from your system. So you can drink the night before your next duty and be clear. What about pot/THC? How long until it is actually cleared from your system?

Remember, we are talking about the defense of our nation. We're talking about a group that is AWAYS on call to take arms to defend our freedom.

If pot use can be done without degrading the fighting force then I don't see why it can't be treated like alcohol.

[Ryan]

The high only lasts a few hours. It metabolizes at about the same rate as alcohol.

[709]

And if you overdo it you don't feel like shit the next day, which would affect what T is talking about.

I'm not a huge smoker - it hits me different now than in my youth when I would do it more often - but I'll take a gummie or mint every now and again, especially during this time of year when the crisp air and crunchy leaves are perfect for a long walk outside.