I am not sure there is good evidence that the current zero-tolerance rules that most school districts have in place for the presence of firearms on school district property (with certain exceptions in some states for law enforcement or trained SROs) have reduced the incidence of mass shootings or of gun violence or injuries on school property. But, I do know that, given the trauma with guns that many young people have experienced, seeing a gun, especially a rifle, casually in your high school hallway is enough to re-traumatize some students and really has no educational purpose or benefit. Such rules also give districts tools to use to prohibit use of firearms in threats or bullying, at least as it relates to their physical presence on school property.

Shooting clubs or teams can keep their equipment locked up at the shooting club. Hunters can likewise keep their guns at the hunting club or at home.

Yes, it would be great if we didn't live in a world where many young people have experienced gun trauma and people could carry guns around as if they were no big deal. But that's not the reality (and, in fact, guns have always been dangerous to the owner and those around them, even when held by "responsible" owners, so the notion that we could "return" to some mythical point in time when guns were safe is a fantasy because such time never existed).

"Thug culture" is code word for "black." It's a racist idea and not based in the reality that most mass shooters are white, and nearly all mass shooters are men (https://ammo.com/research/mass-shootings-by-shooters-race).

It would be much more accurate to say it is a men problem than a "thug" problem.

I would be more loyal if quality was more consistent by brand. Even some of the top brands, such as Hyatt, the hotel quality really varies greatly from location to location. So if I'm going to pay Hyatt prices, I want to expect good quality every time. Unfortunately, that's not the case with any of the brands so every new location requires reading lots of reviews, looking at maps and street views, etc. I stayed in one Hyatt Place, for example, where the pool had been shutdown for more than a year and the air conditioning unit for the lobby had been dripping water over the entrance for 6+ months. And it seemed like this was a long-term problem that the local owner had no interest in addressing.

It's fine to want loyalty from your customer, but you have to show some loyalty to the customer too by ensuring a good experience across the brand. Otherwise it's back to Expedia and scrolling through reviews and deals...

Sure, some of those titles sound appealing, but I am happy to wait until they show up cheaper either on streaming or a digital rental and I can watch at home, on my own couch, with my own popcorn, when I want, with as many bathroom breaks as I want, with no parking, driving, or annoying additional attendees who kick my seat or talk the whole time.

Yes, laws and law enforcement are a critical part of the system to decrease or even prevent mass shootings. Not the only thing, but an important thing. If cameras are a deterrent, then the privacy trade-off might be worthwhile in a public setting such as a school. I know when I'm driving and Siri points out a speed camera ahead, I do pay closer attention to my speed.

I am not sure there is good evidence of cameras as a deterrent for mass school shootings, though. Such shootings happen so infrequently (relative to the number of schools, that is) and most schools have cameras, so it's probably difficult to draw any clear connection between them.

Sort of, most districts have a mix of revenue streams (many states use income taxes to pay for a portion of the cost of public schools, for instance), and some communities pool money into a central pool and the distribute it back out again (to try to ensure districts in poor communities have enough to keep their schools functioning).

About 20% of the children (likely the richest 20% of families) in BH send their kids to private schools, so you can't really assume the BH schools are full of extremely wealthy children - the neighborhoods the district covers certainly are often wealthy, but lots of other people live there too, and the wealthy tend to send their kids to elite private schools, so it makes the funding proposition difficult (everyone hates property taxes!).

You mean like a musket-loading rifle? Hardly useful in a school shooting.

Some still do, although guns for sport is not as popular as it once was, and I doubt any of those teams "practice" on school grounds.

? What fantasy history are you looking at? The murder rate in the 1980s and 1990s was as high or higher than in the last three years (2021-2025).

Oh, now I understand. Blame on on black people. Got it.

You don't have that compulsion RIGHT NOW, but should you snap and have that compulsion tomorrow, well, you already have the gun.

Mass shootings are actually a very unlikely cause of death, and are even a very unlikely cause of death by gun. You're much more likely to die by suicide with a gun than be a victim in a mass shooting.

Which highlights that fact that having a gun in your home makes you MUCH more likely to die by gun violence.

The murder rate (with a gun) was actually just as high in 1992 as it was in 2024 (https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/03/05/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-us/). What do you mean, 'nobody was blowing anyone away'? In fact, for most of the 2000s, the murder rate by gun was MUCH lower than it was in the 1980s and 1990s. Now, the U.S. still had one of the highest gun murder rates in the world for high-income countries, a statistic the U.S. maintains today.

Suicides (with a gun) continue to skyrocket.

My advice: get rid of your gun before you hurt yourself with it.

Tell that to Australia who just had their first mass shooting with a fatality in three years (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mass_shootings_in_Australia); they have some of the most strict gun laws in the world.

I'm sure the district would love to spend the money that way, but we live in a society that values easy access to guns more than it values safety, so the district's hand is forced.

I am going to Friday afternoon armchair bet that Microsoft makes waaaaay more profit selling to companies than to individual consumers. I going to bet it's not even close.

So for AI, where Microsoft wants to make that money is by selling their AI scam to companies. Who will then turn around and use it to scam - er, sell - it to their customers and shareholders by claiming their "investment" in AI tools from Microsoft will drive a "new age" of productivity and profitability.

And when the house of cards comes tumbling down it will hurt, bad, and it will hurt everywhere, not just tech. But if Microsoft times it right, they could very well walk away with piles of $$ from the overeager companies who are buying-in to the scam.

Looking back, "racist, bigoted rant" was a bit over the top and not super helpful. I'll withdraw that line.
But I do stand by my other points - people use anecdote after anecdote to try to claim that white men are the victim in the "DEI" wars; but if you look at the data it is very clear - they aren't. And much of society is built around the goal of keeping white men at a place of prestige and power.

The story about Hollywood and screenwriters being a fixed game, no arguments from me there. But those who are winning the fixed Hollywood game are usually family members of other Hollywood elites, not particular racial, ethnic, or gender groups.

And video production and entertainment is much more meritocratic than it used to be. All it takes is a camera and YouTube channel and you can start your own show. Although such channels and activities are rife with biases and challenges too, particularly around how the algorithm recommends certain content to certain people (https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2022/02/14/1080577195/tiktok-algorithm) and how some ideas, challenges, or memes do not become popularized until "borrowed" by white influencers from black influencers (https://www.hercampus.com/school/american/white-creators-continue-to-steal-ideas-from-black-creators-on-tiktok/).

It looks like his access to his account has been restored (https://tidbits.com/2025/12/18/compromised-apple-gift-card-saga-ends-well-but-risks-remain/).

Five days without access to your accounts is a LONG time, and should not have happened. But, as an Apple ID holder, I do want my account protected and don't want other people to access it for any reason (especially because that might open access to other accounts, such as my bank). Hopefully Apple (and other tech companies) learn from these sorts of issues and improve their systems.

It's simple: a Playstation 5 is just 7 Best Buy Gift Cards, of $79 each, that you then combine together, and voila, Playstation 5!

And what, if not gaming on a Playstation 5, could make me more hungry for 6-month old Snickers bar!?

But if everything is free, imagine how much you'll sell! You'll be tired of all the winning!


Point being, it doesn't take much to manipulate the basic logic programmed into most AI.