MaxRedline

Oh, Get Real

How stupid are a lot of people in Oregon? Stupid enough that they'll call a state legislative representative to opine about federal issues. And it's not just here (though likely more prevalent, since so many kids are moving in to retire).

A recent caller to his office wanted him to vote to confirm Jeff Sessions, President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. attorney general.

There was just one major problem with the caller’s request: Gene Whisnant is a state representative in Oregon. The Republican from Sunriver has no more authority to vote for a president’s nominee than a Canadian Mountie has to give a driver in Oregon a speeding ticket.

Having a solid education in civics is recognized by most to be a laudable goal, and there is agreement there is a problem. During the public hearing, Trish Garner, with the American Association of University Women, pointed to a 2016 University of Pennsylvania survey that found only a quarter of Americans could name all three branches of government.

Our public vegetation systems are doing a great job. They may know how to put a condom on a cucumber after graduation, but not a lot else.

This country is so toasted.

 

Death By - Bedbugs?

Last February, a 96 year-old Pennsylvania woman died. The cause? Sepsis related to multiple bedbug bites. The following week, police executed a search warrant at the home in which the woman had been staying and immediately noticed that the place was literally crawling with bedbugs - and when you see them out in broad daylight, you've got a major infestation. The homeowner, who had been taking care of the old woman and another, blind woman, told police that she'd been trying to get rid of the bedbugs with products purchased at a store, but was unable to afford an exterminator. The blind woman, who was removed from the home, said she could feel them crawling on her, and they bit her as well.

The homeowner/caretaker, one Deborah Butler, was charged earlier last week. She faces neglect of care, a first-degree felony, as well as involuntary manslaughter, a misdemeanor.

I didn't realize that involuntary manslaughter was only a misdemeanor. Learn something new every day.

I do know something about bedbugs, however, as my wife picked them up at a Holiday Inn Express motel in Newport, Oregon last year. She stayed there while doing a two-day training session for parents and educators, and they hitched a ride home with her - the bugs, that is. It cost $1200 and a full day to get rid of them, but believe me, it was worth it.

What? No, we won't be staying at that motel.

In any case, all clothing goes directly into the dryer on high heat for 40 minutes as soon as anyone who's been staying at a hotel or motel gets home. The bugs can't take heat of 118 degrees or higher.

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Now Russia's Gone Too Far

It's one thing to hack into the DNC. But the Oscars?

Is that the real envelope under his arm?

Events

It snowed up here this morning; huge flakes, and lots of them. Very nice. Better yet, they all melted quickly. It was pretty while it lasted, but of course, it was racist: the snow was all white!

That's not very "inclusive", now is it?

Right now, the "Oscar" award show is going on, which allows entertainers to feel good about themselves, but naturally, they don't allow "immigrants and refugees" into the venue. They seem to have no problem with hypocrisy.

I do, but then I haven't bothered with entertainers, their movies, or other venues for for a couple of decades. When they started making everything political, I tuned them out. Haven't missed them at all.

Well, They Don't Know How To Cook

Number one cause of death in the U.K.? Heart failure. Rather than addressing the issue of their generally awful food preparation, which involves cooking everything to death and thus losing the nutritional value, they're going for the more expensive route: heart muscle repair, using stem cells to return cardiac functionality.

Scarring due to disease or heart attacks affects more than two million people in Britain.

This is the first time scarring has been shown to be reversible. It could herald an end to transplants and lead to a treatment for heart failure within three to five years.

Or not. Still, it seems to be a promising approach.

Another Day, Another Protest In Portland

It kind of gets tiresome.

At least 100 people gathered Saturday in front of the Oregon Convention Center to protest against President Donald Trump, focusing on the administration's immigration policies.

"We're here for welcoming all immigrants for justice, for dignity, for all human beings," said Maxine Fookson of Portland, a spokesperson for the rights coalition. "We're here because we're opposed to President Trump's executive orders that are divisive, hateful and totally contrary to the values we believe our nation stands for - as a place that welcomes all human beings, with dignity."

Well, yeah - when they come here legally, Maxine, they're welcomed. And on average, we admit 1.2 million legal immigrants per year, more than any other country on the planet. So, what are y'all "protesting" about again, exactly?

Riight - you don't know. Because y'all are stupid.

Why don't you take your little band down to Mexico and "protest" there? Oh, riight - you'd end up in a Mexican jail.

Bruce Jenner Squeaks

Yep, he dressed up in his girly clothes and put on his wig to gripe about the "rights" of mentally ill people like him to use whatever restroom they "identify with" on any given day. Thrilling and inspiring as always, Bruce. Now go away.

"They Won't Get One Dime From Me"

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – A judge has ordered former first lady Cylvia Hayes to pay The Oregonian/OregonLive nearly $128,000 in attorney fees the news organization incurred in her unsuccessful lawsuit to stop the release of her emails.

She was actually the First Squeeze. She called herself "FLO" (First Lady Oregon). She bragged a few months ago that The Oregonian wasn't going to get a dime from her, but the judge disagreed on Wednesday. Unsurprisingly, she plans to appeal. Former gov. Retread and his former First Squeeze remain under FBI investigation, and she's also got a little problem with the IRS over her failure to report a couple hundred thousand dollars in income derived from her relationship. Evidently, you're supposed to do that on your tax return - who knew? Aww, come on - she's just a girl!

Political Dodgeball

Recent weeks have seen a flood of media reports on Republicans facing angry constituents at town-hall meetings, so it’s nice to see the Associated Press point out that many Democrats have been dodging town halls altogether.

Specifically, AP’s Steve Peoples notes that Senate Democrats up for re-election in states that President Trump carried on Election Day just don’t want to show up.

Instead of town hall meetings, they're doing teleconferences and email surveys. That makes it appear as though they're engaging, but nobody can get in their faces. On the other hand, it's a good approach: why burn fuel to get someplace when you can just Skype? It shows that they're environmentally conscious.

Woolly Flying Squirrels

Thought extinct for years, it turns out that the science wasn't settled after all, as they are very much alive and well in the Himalayas of northern Pakistan. They're the world's largest gliding mammals. They den up in rock crevices high in the mountains and swoop down at night to feed on pine needles - like all flying squirrels, they're noctournal. They were thought to be extinct until they were rediscovered 20 years ago.

"They've got what they call high-crowned, or hypsodont dentition," says Stephen Jackson, an associate of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

"Normally when you think of hypsodont teeth in mammals, you think of ungulate or hooved animals, which feed on really abrasive material like grass.

Well, as their diet is based upon pine needles - that's fairly abrasive material.

Our Northern flying squirrels are quite small; less than one foot in length. Woolly flyers run to about three feet in total length.

Northern flyers are native and protected species in Washington and Oregon; Woolly flyers are listed as endangered by IUCN.

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