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Comment Re:Why build in Dallas (Score 1) 26

There's some responsibility of the loss of life on any government agency that allowed for habitable structures in a flood plain.

The camp was in a known flood zone. That entire area is a flood zone. They petitioned the government to remove their camp from the flood zone so they could build more buildings in the flood zone.

The commissioners in Kerr County asked Texas to get the money to upgrade and improve the early warning system for this area. Every time Texas couldn't find the money. As one commissioner said in 2016:

âoeIâ(TM)m not trying to put a dollar on a life or a flood, but the fact of the matter [is] floods do happen, and we need to be prepared for them,â then-Kerr County Commissioner Bob Reeves noted during a series of public meetings that began in 2016. And, his former colleague Tom Moser pointed out, âoeWe also have more summer camps than anybody else along the Guadalupe River.â

In addition, some of the county commissioners voted against upgrading the system.

But 2016 meeting minutes show there was also opposition to a flood warning system among some commissioners, with one saying, "the thought of our beautiful Kerr County having these damn sirens going off in the middle of [the] night, I'm going to have to start drinking again to put up with y'all."

Another commissioner voted against submitting a grant application for the warning system, saying he thought "this whole thing is a little extravagant for Kerr County."

Instead, several county officials argued that the county's informal system of "river calling" â" essentially a phone tree to warn camps of imminent flooding â" was sufficient.

Comment Not just social media (Score 5, Interesting) 131

My dad knew someone who was on a few medications and regularly watched the Fox tabloid. The guy seemed always upset/concerned/whatever. My dad told him to stop watching the tabloid.

A few months later the two were talking and the guy had stopped taking most of his meds (except the one or two he needed) and he felt much more relax. Less stressed.

When your goal is to "engage" people, whatever it takes is the rule. Stir the pot. Get people riled up.

Comment Re:Seems strange to allow user input (Score 4, Insightful) 89

Why allow both fuel switches to be shut off at this point?

Fire? From my perspecitve (non-technical, non-aeornautical) you should not want something like this to be locked down. You should always allow for something unexpected to occur which would necessitate moving these switches in all circumstances. Locking them down would seem to deprive the pilot/co-pilot the ability to react to a situation.

Comment Re:Why???!?? (Score 2) 152

Sorry, but a restaurant still has no business checking my social media.

They want to see if you're a dick or annoying or a whiner or anything else which might interfere with their restaurant ambiance.

Would you want someone who posts how often they get drunk at restaurants at a place which charges $500/meal?

But as the article also relates, they want to tailor your experience with them. If they see you've announced you're on a diet, they won't suggest the high fat stuff but instead something they think might be more appropriate based on your postings. Or maybe you mentioned how you would like to try XYZ, but never had the chance. Guess who will give you that chance.

For places like this, it's all about personal service and making sure your stay is comfortable.

Comment Re:effective? (Score 4, Informative) 115

According to FDA and CDC data, the covid 19 vaccine killed over 4800 people

No, it didn't. Not even close. As of 2023, there were 9 confirmed deaths related to the vaccine itself, and those were only related to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

That fake number you pulled out of your ass was debunked years ago.

After careful review of the reports, there is no enough evidence that the COVID-19 vaccine contributed to those fatalities [16]. Clinical information such as death certificates, autopsy, and medical records establish no causal link to the COVID-19 vaccines according to the CDC. The death of a person following vaccination does not necessarily mean, the vaccine caused health problems and could be coincidental. Research done by the Paul Ehrlich Institute (the body in charge of vaccines in Germany) stated that patients died of their underlying diseases in a coincidental time with vaccination. This came after 10 COVID-19 vaccination deaths were recorded in the country [17]. Early studies conducted by the Norwegian Medicine Agency on reports of 33 deaths in a nursing home following vaccination of residentsâ(TM) revealed death occurred close to these terminally ill patients at the time of vaccination [17]. It does not imply a causal relation to the vaccine [17].

and had 380k adverse reactions,

Once again, stating things which are not true. The VAERS database lists any reaction of any kind after taking medicine, REGARDLESS if there is any casual link. If I take Advil then get a rash three days later, did Advil cause it or it is poison ivy?

Pointing to a conspiracy site does not help your cause.

Comment Re:It Depends (Score 4, Interesting) 43

You're assuming the soil is able to support those crops. Look at the Sand Hills of Nebraska. When settlers first saw them they thought, "Oh wow! Acre after acre of land we can plant for food!"

Turns out the ONLY thing which grows in them hills is the grass already there. That's why they raise cattle and bison.

There is no guarantee moving farms further north will be successful, let alone able to produce sufficient crops.

Comment Re:Now watch the ideological capture of /. (Score 1) 43

And yet, the F-35, highly over budget in every area and rife with hundreds of problems, continues to be funded rather than just be killed. In fact, 13 years after first production, Lockheed Martin is still sending jets off the assembly line with quality defects

Needless to say, Lockheed's response is they need more money:

A Lockheed representative said that addressing these issues comes down to reliably investing in parts and maintenance. Edward Smith, the companyâ(TM)s F-35 business development director, said that âoeto maintain a fleet at any given readiness level, you have to fully fund your supply system.â

Smith said that the F-35 has historically been underfunded in terms of the supply purchased for the aircraft and depot repair capacity, adding that itâ(TM)s important to get the supply of sustainment parts at a level that matches the jetâ(TM)s readiness needs.

Comment This is on Abbott and Trump (Score 2, Informative) 198

For eight years Kerr County requested money to replace its aging alert system and all eight times Abbott and his cabal wouldn't pony up the money. Even after Hurrican Harvey, when federal funds would have been available, their request was denied.

"I'm not trying to put a dollar on a life or a flood, but the fact of the matter [is] floods do happen, and we need to be prepared for them," then-Kerr County Commissioner Bob Reeves noted during a series of public meetings that began in 2016. And, his former colleague Tom Moser pointed out, "We also have more summer camps than anybody else along the Guadalupe River."

This is the same situation when over 300 people died when Texas froze a few years ago. Abbott didn't want to spend the money to winterize the lines or fossil fuel plants prior to the storm and the result was Texans dying.

Mind you, Abbott and his party have no problem handing over tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to subsidize private industry, but when lives are at stake that money is nowhere to be found.

As for the russian asset, his cuts to FEMA included firing people at the NWS who would have been involved in the storm preparation and notification. But because climate change is "woke" (whatever that means) they had to go.

Comment Re: We already know what the cause (Score 1, Troll) 198

Everything is factual and easily fact checkable

Tump cut FEMA staff, including NWS staff.

Camp was built in an extremely hazardous flood zone.

Abbott is on the FEMA Review Council which is working to dismantle FEMA.

Abbott, through his press secretary has said:

âoeTexas has built the strongest emergency management operation in the nation,â said Andrew Mahaleris, the governorâ(TM)s press secretary. âoeGovernor Abbott has full confidence that the Texas Division of Emergency Management will be able to swiftly take action when disaster strikes.â

But yeah, it's not Trump's fault for cutting FEMA staff or gutting its budget. As for Texas, this is another disaster under Abbott where Texans lost their lives because he didn't want to spend the money on any "woke" climate change bullshit.

Comment Re: The economy is struggling (Score 1) 238

There is always a nugget of truth, but that is used to justify disproportionate and a poor response. Clinton cut 400,000 employees, but hacking at headcount was not how it was done. It was a slow process, following the normal government processes and in collaboration, not the wild adversarial and demoralizing method under Trump. Lawsuits didn't happen because the rules were followed. The biggest method used by the Clinton administration was eliminating government processes which didn't need to be performed anymore, which takes time and diligence to uncover and wind down in a way which doesn't invite lawsuits. It is slow work but produced results.

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