April 22, 2013

At the Sandhill Café...

Untitled

... wade in.

66 comments:

ndspinelli said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Michael said...

Ndspinelli: Yes. In Texas there is a season on these birds. I was quail hunting in West Texas and the guide offered to set up a blind to shoot them. Not for me. Very smart animals. You could see them coming from a mile away at lowish altitudes. When they got near people they climbed and then descended when past them. When we remarked that we were surprised you could hunt them the guy said THERE ARE TWOHUNDRED THOUSAND OF THE GODDAMN THINGS. this was twenty years ago.

Mark said...

It is their territorial calls that you find so loud. Another couple weeks they will have that sorted and be quiet for a while as they are on the nest and with the little ones.

Calypso Facto said...

Not for me.

"Ribeye of the sky"

pm317 said...

I have seen one or two crane looking things standing in the water in Rock Creek.

garage mahal said...

I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned on this blog, at least to my knowledge.

Costs, number of deleted files pile up in redistricting case

The largest volume of deletions occurred on “Sen Republican WRK 32864”. Hundreds of thousands of files (but likely less than one million) were deleted from “Sen Republican WRK 32864”on July 25, 2012. The deletions were performed by a user logged into the system as “tottman.” The files deleted include indexes, data tables, database files, and other files that appear to be associated with mapping software. The database files appear to have been created in June 2011. Among the deletions were files in folders titled “AB9Backup,” “AB9Plan,” “LegendBMPs,” “Plan Backups,” “Matrix Backups,” “Reports,” and “Saved Matrix.” These deletions do not appear to be related to any routine maintenance of the computer, because folders containing similar data but with different names were not targeted for deletion.

Or maybe I'm just naive.

ricpic said...

I'll bet that crane would rather be in the everglades.

pm317 said...

Why is there a furlough for air traffic controllers? FTC, IRS, and PTO are the three agencies who bring in surplus revenue for the government.

Calypso Facto said...

folders containing similar data but with different names were not targeted for deletion.

So duplicate files were deleted.
And ... ???

Hagar said...

The FAA has not yet received the memo that the sequestration memos from March are no longer operative.

Rusty said...

ndspinelli said...
Those bastards are REALLY loud this time of year. Is there a crane hunting season?

Yes. In of all places Texas. I'm told they are quite tasty.

pm317 said...

Sorry, not FTC, FAA..

garage mahal said...

So duplicate files were deleted.

They were ordered not to delete anything. I would assume whatever was on those computers was worth deleting rather feeling the wrath of court. Also you wouldn't delete the files in one place and save them in another if you weren't trying to hide something.

Curious to see how this one plays out. This is a big boys court, not a hodunk Wisconsin court packed with loyal goopers.

Deb said...

Advice to Mr. and Mrs. Reese Witherspoon:

When stopped by the Georgia State Patrol, the only two words you need to say are "yes, sir/ma'am."

Drunk or sober.

Calypso Facto said...

Curious to see how this one plays out.

Yeah, I don't know. Have a hard time getting worked up about at this point. What's the worst they could have done? If the districts have the same number of people in them and the majority-minority district bullshit has already run its course, then what? An accusation of redistricting based on political advantage? Just like the Dems did in '92 and '02? Yawn.

This is a big boys court, not a hodunk Wisconsin court packed with loyal goopers. Again, just like happened the last two times with Dem legislatures? Wake me when a Wisconsin redistricting plan proceeds WITHOUT a lawsuit in Federal court.

garage mahal said...

Again, just like happened the last two times with Dem legislatures?

Not exactly. Dems didn't have any ridiculous secrecy oaths and didn't mass delete or withhold evidence as asked by the courts.

avwh said...

Sandhill cranes only winter in the Sacramento river delta, so we don't get the nesting activity, though there is some dancing and mating. They look like prehistoric birds to me:

http://allenh.zenfolio.com/f756703273

AllenS said...

Snowing 34º
Humidity 93%
Wind Speed NE 13 G 23 mph
Barometer 30.11 in
Dewpoint 32°F (0°C)
Visibility 2.50 mi
Wind Chill 25°F (-4°C)

Two months from now it will be June 22, and the days will start to get shorter. WTF?

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Denver, CO (80247)
27°F (-2°C)
Overcast
Humidity: 100%
Feels Like: 13°F
Wind: 18 mph
Total: Bullshit

AllenS said...

Daily average for April 22

Sunrise 6:16 AM
Sunset 8:08 PM
Average high temp 61°F
Average low temp 40°F
Mean temp 51°F
Record high temp 90°F (1980)
Record low temp 23°F (1874)

Sorun said...

Allen, that's messed up. It's 64 and partly cloudy in Madison. Really nice evening so far.

Dante said...

Allen, it's that Global Warming, er, Climate Change.

Paco Wové said...

"you wouldn't delete the files in one place and save them in another if you weren't trying to hide something."

We do this all the time where I work. It's called 'archiving'.

I swear, GM, it's like you masturbate to this stuff.

garage mahal said...

We do this all the time where I work. It's called 'archiving

Do you typically delete hundreds of thousands of files after a federal court tells you not to delete any?

Calypso Facto said...

What difference does any of that make? The Dems still got sued and their plans were still found to have disenfranchised a large number of voters, and the court completed the redistricting. So the worst that can happen is we'll see that again?

Or is the difference that maybe this time some clerk will get a fine or some soft time for deleting stuff he/she shouldn't have?

When the legislatures ROUTINELY, politically game the system only to have it kicked up to the courts who then proceed to politically game the system in their own fashion, it is just hard to get worked up about any situation short of people being absolutely denied a way to vote or something.

Sorun said...

This was so necessary since they were able to keep the perp within the perimeter. Or not.

traditionalguy said...

You mean arctic ice is melting as far south as Madison. This may be precursor to sudden hockey stick weather...that's where the world boils over like one big hot spring, as was promised by the southern prophet AlGore 6 years ago.

Meanwhile in Denver baseball remains unplayable tonight because winter is still here.

AllenS said...

Fuck those hundreds of thousands of files, get Walker to stop this snow!

AllenS said...

Tonight Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Some thunder is also possible. Low around 30. Blustery, with a north northeast wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total nighttime snow accumulation of 6 to 10 inches possible.

Tuesday A 30 percent chance of snow, mainly before 8am. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 40. North northwest wind around 15 mph.

Tuesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 24. West northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday A 50 percent chance of rain after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 42. South southwest wind 5 to 15 mph.

Wednesday Night A chance of rain and snow before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27. West wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

edutcher said...

Not the weather for wading, I'll bet.

I think I'll wait till August.

Sorun said...

Walker is "scandal-free" according to The Cap Times--Your Progressive Voice.

AllenS said...

You can go wading if you cut a hole in the ice.

Cody Jarrett said...

Sorun said...

This was so necessary since they were able to keep the perp within the perimeter. Or not.


Seems like I was saying something like this the other day and was assured I was wrong and didn't understand what the cops were doing.

But hey--all in the name of safety right?

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I'm seeing a lot of empty seats at Fenway.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Hi AllenS

It was Chinese for me tonight.

Learn Chinese - Salt 盐 (yán)
Lucky Numbers 7,13,17,22,44,55

turned it over...

Suppressing a moment of anger may save a day of sorrow

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Garage mahal said...

Not exactly. Dems didn't have any ridiculous secrecy oaths and didn't mass delete or withhold evidence as asked by the courts.

How would you know? They were sworn to secrecy?

garage mahal said...

How would you know? They were sworn to secrecy?

The WisGOP all signed non disclosure agreements, and were busted.

They were actually instructed to lie to the public if need be. But really nobody cares, and nothing will happen as a result or change in the future.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

Sunny, breezy and 83 today in South Texas. Sorry, Allen. But your landscape is so much prettier up there, what with all those green trees (in the summer anyway) and daffodils in the spring (when you get spring) and such. We had an awful dry spring and didn't get hardly any wildflowers this year-the bluebonnets were scrawny and few in number.

Hey Pants, what's on your mind, tonight, my fellow Althousians ask? Well, I am rolling around in my brain different approaches for dealing with a volunteer coworker who is temperamentally opposed to change and is fighting my efforts to take the (previously failing) organization in a different, I believe more effective, direction. I'm using all the tools in my kit (charm, positive energy, picking my battles, maintaining a serene and unflappable mien) but he's still chappin' my ass at every turn. Is that book called something like Dealing with Difficult People any good?

Guildofcannonballs said...

"But really nobody cares, and nothing will happen as a result or change in the future."

Vast Public Indifference indeed. Very prescient comment GM considering the link which contains this:

"Rose Upon the Horizon of Perfect Endless Day"

Calypso Facto said...

The WisGOP all signed non disclosure agreements, and were busted.

So the problem is that the Repubs aren't as GOOD at cheating as the Dems and got caught. I see.

Dude, I'm sympathetic. The redistricting process is political and f'd up. But what's your plan? Appoint a non-partisan (cough, cough, bullshit!) panel? Do you have a geometric/geographic system that can win legislative approval? Or are you just bitching because the Repubs had some limited success undoing 20 years of Dem gerrymandering?

Synova said...

A friend of mine got to be an extra on the Longmire television show. She said that all the actors were really nice and everyone was friendly and that "Starbuck" is incredibly beautiful and they discussed pot-luck Jell-o.

I forget which episode it will be but I think it's episode 2 of the new season.

Bob Ellison said...

I heard someone say "I feel a little sorry for him."

garage mahal said...

Or are you just bitching because the Repubs had some limited success undoing 20 years of Dem gerrymandering?

It's been 20 years of no-party gerrymandering. The courts have decided the ward lines. AS IT SHOULD BE.

Stop apologizing for these power hungry jacknapes on both sides and demand real change. We [The People] continually get fucked in the ass for no good reason that I can tell. I just don't get it. District lines should be a non-partisan affair that benefit the people that live there.

AllenS said...

You can't be the words of wisdom from the fortune cookie, Lem.

I have yet to find a use for the lucky numbers, though.

Wet snow is sliding off of my steel roof and going "thump."

Bob Ellison said...

Garage Mahal, your last paragraph could stand as an exercise in bad rhetoric.

Bob Ellison said...

I heard someone say "I feel a little sorry for him."

Synova said...

"District lines should be a non-partisan affair that benefit the people that live there."

And "benefit the people that live there" means approximately "encourages group identity majorities and Democrat wins."

garage mahal said...

"Garage Mahal, your last paragraph could stand as an exercise in bad rhetoric."

Clarify?

garage mahal said...

And "benefit the people that live there" means approximately "encourages group identity majorities and Democrat wins."

This reeks of projection, I've offered nothing that would give you that idea.

Basta! said...

Hermes invented the alphabet after watching a flight of cranes.

Calypso Facto said...

It's been 20 years of no-party gerrymandering. The courts have decided the ward lines. AS IT SHOULD BE.

It's been 20 years of aggressive gerrymandering by Dems, that got partially rolled back, or sometimes exacerbated, by politically motivated courts. The whole "ensuring minorities have a majority of some districts" is a bunch or reverse-discrimination bull, yet it's the way the court redistricts.

"District lines should be a non-partisan affair --impossible, so long as humans are deciding where the lines should be-- that benefit the people that live there. Which people?? So long as there are 2 or more parties, any change that is made is going to be favored by SOME in a place and not by others. And I think that's what's really digging at you: the media gave Dems a free pass for 20 years of one-party rule in the Wisconsin legislature at redistricting time, but they're banging the drum of outrage in Madison now that Repubs got their own chance.

Anyhow, when you come up with something better, that doesn't rely on men being saints, let me know. Until then, the best we can hope for is divided or often rotated government. Gnight.

garage mahal said...

Anyhow, when you come up with something better, that doesn't rely on men being saints, let me know.

Non partisan redrawing of ward lines based on census data. Numbers, data, and stuff. I've done more complicated projects in high school.

deborah said...

Lovely photo, very subtle.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

He’s baaack!!!

Quick, put the locks back on the phones.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Shouldn't we make it a little harder for our kids to get sexted by the Weiner?

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

the Weiner promises to be a moderate twitter... he'll only tweet on Sunday's after the game to unwind and relive some stress.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I had this up on the wrong tread... so now I moved it here
-------
So, I'm coming home tonight, my mind a million miles away, listening to the iPod starts to play Talking Heads 'This Must Be the Place' from the album 'Speaking in Tongues' and - POW - it hits me that I had let chickelit get this past me at the Yellower Café Saturday night.

You see, Chickelit made an innocent looking Fear Theme request... it was like nothing...

... anything from Talking Heads' 1979 album would be appropriate (though I prefer speaking In tongues).

What a snake... if you remember, I played a couple of Spanish Subtitled songs... and he used it... to sneak something in there, and he almost pulled it off.

Chickelit got in my kitchen. (in baseball lingo)

AllenS said...

Ugh!

You can't beAT the words of wisdom...

Late start for the Brewers kept me up past my bedtime.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I understood what you meant.

It happens to me all the time.

Don't beat yourself up about it.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

I was thinking about getting a pair of those Nantucket Red chinos, and then I saw that spoof at The Onion, and it's like they fucking read my mind and called me an asshole so now I'm like all fucked up in the head about it and we're only talking about a crummy pair of pants for Christ's sake.

furious_a said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
AllenS said...

You know what else that I don't have any control over, Lem? My tongue. I cracked a molar and they had to pull the tooth. For whatever reason, my tongue has a mind of it's own and when chewing food, my tongue has a tendency to head for that gap, and then I bite it.

Winter wonderland here in Star Prairie, if you're into that sort of thing.

furious_a said...

Why is there a furlough for air traffic controllers? FTC, IRS, and PTO are the three agencies who bring in surplus revenue for the government.

And yet, a domestic policy adviser like Valerie Jarrett retains her staff and a full Secret Service security detail*.

*more than was assigned to Ambassador Stevens in Benghazi.

furious_a said...

Crane technique -- if do right, no can defense.
--Pat Morita.

ndspinelli said...

AllenS, 8 in a row!!