I started Season 2. Behold, the "Star Wars-ificatioin" of Foundation. The characters have become cardboard caricatures. Totally irrelevant storylines are thrown in. But, in its favor there are some really original ideas. The need for "spacers" - mutant humans - who can navigate hyperspace. It's too dangerous for mere mortals to accomplish. A rouge-ish thief/scoundrel who will embark on a secret mission. The comely daughter of a leader who wants to have a thing with the scoundrel. A deserted desert planet with (cough) machines that can burrow under the dirt and eat whatever's is on the surface. Jesus H. Having watched Season 1 again, I had hopes that this might turn out okay after all. Despite it not being Asimov's "Foundation," it wasn't bad sci-fi with interesting topics, deep characters and glorious production values. The only thing missing is JarJar.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/06/politics/hunter-biden-gun-charges-indictment/index.html?utm_content=2023-09-06T20%3A01%3A42&utm_term=link&utm_source=twCNN&utm_medium=social Special counsel David Weiss intends to seek an indictment against President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, relating to gun charges by the end of the month, the Justice Department said Wednesday. Hunter Biden had previously reached a deal involving a gun possession charge that would have allowed him to avoid prosecution if he met certain conditions over a 24 month period. Once his plea deal fell apart in court the future of the gun deal has been in limbo. “The Speedy Trial Act requires that the Government obtain the return of an indictment by a grand jury by Friday, September 29, 2023, at the earliest. The Government intends to seek the return of an indictment in this case before that date,” the special counsel’s office said in a court filing. Biden’s lawyers are expected to submit their own filing by the end of the day.

Ah, dammit. It's only for Canadians.

That's the truth. I just started working on a population health project to identify patients at genetic risk for various cancers. Interesting stuff. Working with some top research folks.

I understand. This should make you feel better. [image: 66bbe73556a3e8317be9a1119f927cb3.jpg]

If I'm honest, I'm probably only going to watch his rockets take off in the event that one of them blows up.

And he still manages to make it sound like a whorehouse piano. Go figure.

Brexit was neither as bad as some claimed, nor as good as others claimed. I think the idea that the UK is independent of the EU is a delusional fantasy. As I pointed out in another thread, they've largely abandoned the UKCA mark, which allowed British regulation of what was sold there, and have instead decided to continue to require CE marked equipment. In other words, the goods are required to comply with EU legislation, a legislation often derided by those who opposed Brussels. And now, the UK has no influence in changing this legislation, whilst still being required to comply. The Brexit campaign claimed that the huge amount of money that was being paid to Brussels was going to go to fund the National Health Service. How did that work out?

@Horace said in Follow the science?: It's just inevitable that this science is politicized. The only question is, to what extent does that affect the conclusions. And that's an all but impossible question to answer. This.

Wow! That is a high number. I can see weight being a problem. One of the numbers that were in the article that surprised me was that the US graduation rate for high school is only 84%. Census bureau says it is 91%, which seems more reasonable. https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022/educational-attainment.html

Actually, Ukraine would be better off with more Frogfoot aircraft.

@89th YEah, that seems so goofy

@George-K said in What a joke: Just because you can doesn't mean... I agree. With the yolk steering wheel, it just doesn't make sense. I don't always have my hands on the sides of the steering wheel currently. (Also agree with the comment about screens being distracting as you have to look down. If you can feel the volume control knob, you can adjust without seeing.)

Still, a basic truth is that when you subsidize something.....

That's a George or Bach thing. The only bodies I've ever helped fish through were cold.

@Doctor-Phibes said in The steady drip, drip, drip...: So these women are voluntarily locking themselves away every month? [image: ?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.giphy.com%2Fmedia%2FMFIsOqzodLr7ewnkUb%2Fgiphy.gif&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=c79fd4d308f3caa200f159dd0e905977eb77cee01dafe76c3f460d623e0aaf20&ipo=images]

Along similar lines... https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2023/09/06/trashing_the_constitution_just_to_get_trump_149719.html