Strike two…

Posted on by April 17, 2025
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Welp, Google lost another anti-trust case in court…

A federal judge ruled on Thursday that Google holds an illegal monopoly over two online advertising markets. This is the latest in a series of unfavorable rulings against the Big Tech giant.

US District Judge Leonie Brinkema’s landmark ruling came after a three-week bench trial.  She argued that Google violated the Sherman Act by engaging in anticompetitive conduct in the digital marketing space.

Full article, HERE on Town Hall.

Last year, they got hit with violating the Sherman act, by maintaining a monopoly on search and advertising markets, HERE.

It’s not like people didn’t ‘know’ what was going on, but the previous Dem administrations had let the Big Tech companies do what they wanted. It took a LONG time to actually get the lawsuits into court, but it appears Google ‘might’ finally be brought to heel.

Google was/is trying its damnest to control not only the Intarwebz, but also the cell phone world (Android). The only other option these days is Apple with their IOS. I don’t have the details, but I was ‘told’ Android was feeding data back to Google on whatever was on the phone or used on the phone…

I wonder how long it will be before Amazon/ACX end up in court for the same things???

Hmmmm…

Posted on by April 16, 2025
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So much is going on it’s hard to ‘pick’ just one thing to focus on…

Harvard is saying they are a ‘private’ college so don’t have to abide by the rules Trump has signed, but if that is actually true, WHY do they get Federal money? And the IRS is looking at their tax exempt status… Could get interesting.

The so called ‘innocent’ MS-13 guy in MD (who is an illegal from El Salvador) apparently  isn’t as innocent as the left is saying, based on LEO reports. Van Hollen’s (D-MD) trip yesterday to ‘bust him out’ was a total failure. Van Hollen never got him released or even got to talk to him.

Even after SCOTUS slapped down Judge Boasberg, he’s STILL going after the administration, now saying he has ‘enough’ to file contempt charges…

There is apparently some ‘push back’ on the all female 10 minute Blue Origin flight (with NEW flight suits), questioning its effectiveness. Meh…

Boeing stands to lose another $1.2B this year, as China is apparently no longer accepting US built aircraft (they had, I think, 10 on order).

Newsome, CA’s gov, it now apparently suing the administration, saying the tariffs are illegal. This after he tried to negotiate ‘separate’ tariff deals for CA with various countries, saying CA is ‘the 5th largest economy’ in the world…

And so many others…sigh

 

 

One down…

Posted on by April 15, 2025
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And how many to go??? I ‘hope’ the CF in California is next!

The Department of Transportation on Monday announced the termination of a grant that helped fund a high-speed rail project in Texas, which will save taxpayers more than $60 million.

An agreement was reached between the Federal Railroad Administration and Amtrak to end the $63.9 million grant under the Corridor Identification and Development Program for the Amtrak Texas High-Speed Rail Corridor.

While the program, originally known as the Texas Central Railway project, began as a private venture, it later became dependent on federal money to continue when the cost estimates ballooned. 

Full article, HERE from Town Hall.

Most Texans than I knew didn’t care for the high-speed corridor idea to start with, since it was ONLY Dallas-Houston, and most scoffed at the ‘private’ development. As it turn out, that went by the wayside in a hurry, and the State and Amtrak got drug into it…

But, compared to the California debacle, it truly pales…

LA to SFO was supposed to be completed by 2033, for $33B. Except it’s now 2026 and they haven’t even completed one entire MILE of rail… Oh yeah, and the cost has ballooned to over $100B (some say as high as $128B).

And they shortened it, so it now ‘apparently’ just runs up the central valley and doesn’t even go to LA or SFO.

And they wanted the administration to pony up something like $7B in funds this year!

Not no, but hell no! That whole project was stupid to start with, and that was at the low end of $$$, now, fuggidaboutit!!!

What folks don’t seem to understand is that the Japanese, Chinese, and European high speed rail programs run on DEDICATED lines, specifically maintained for high speed use, and none of them really are ‘long’ distances compared to the US!

Amtrak and Acela, the ONE high speed line in the US, running from Boston to DC in about 8 hours. I’ve taken in from Providence, RI to DC and that took 7.5 hours to go roughly 400 miles, so the ‘average’ speed is only a tad over 50 miles and hour with five stops. I only remember ONE section where it actually got up to speed, and that rattled our car pretty badly on supposedly ‘dedicated’ lines.

The reality is outside of that one line, the rest of Amtrak is on FREIGHT line rails, literally sharing the tracks with freight trains. And those lines are NOT high speed, most of the time a maximum of 60 mph, and many times lower than that, especially in built up areas.

So, IMHO, the US does not need ANY high speed rail, because we are so spread out. And .gov can’t ‘take’ the line like they do in Europe, Japan, and China, thus any ‘costs’ are through the roof for right of way purchases, unlike the other countries.

 

Book promo…

Posted on by April 14, 2025
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First up is Dave Freer’s new YA novel Storm-Dragon

As always, click on the cover for the Amazon link!

The blurb-

On the treacherous Vann’s World, Skut battles a savage wind and deadly hamerkops to rescue a mysterious, telepathic creature. Fleeing a rising tide and a menacing Loor-beast, he forms an unexpected bond with the tiny, electric-charged being that sees him as its protector. As Skut navigates the perilous tidal tiers, his impulsive escape from Highpoint Station unravels into a fight for survival—both for himself and his newfound companion.

Podge is the new kid in town, trying to keep his head down. Meeting Skut is about the only bright spot in his introduction to this strange new world. The boys bond over Skut’s creature, and trying to avoid the class bullies. This is only the beginning; soon Skut finds his new friends do not ease the growing concerns of the adults around him while the town is coming under a mysterious threat. What can two boys and a tiny storm-dragon do?

Next up is our friend Alma TC Boykin with a new Familiars book of short stories Gulls, Ghosts, and Skeps

The blurb-

A beekeeper with a secret discovers a hidden orchard, and a little more.
Out-of-tune pianos are the least of a craftsman’s problems when magic combines with frustration.Ghosts haunt Tallin’s citadel. Or do they?

From quiet stories to wild adventures, these stories expand a Familiar world. Meet new characters and check in with old favorites in this short story collection.

Highly recommend both! Dave’s is one for the grandkids (for us old farts)…LOL

A little humor…

Posted on by April 13, 2025
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To start your week!

A distraught senior citizen phoned her doctor’s office. “Is it true,” she wanted to know, “that the medication you prescribed has to be taken for the rest of my life?”
“‘Yes, I’m afraid so,”‘ the doctor told her.
There was a moment of silence before the senior lady replied, “I’m wondering, then, just how serious is my condition because this prescription is marked ‘NO REFILLS’..”
***********************
An older gentleman was on the operating table awaiting surgery and he insisted that his son, a renowned surgeon, perform the operation. As he was about to get the anesthesia,
he asked to speak to his son.

“Yes, Dad , what is it?”
“Don’t be nervous, son; do your best, and just remember, if it doesn’t go well, if something happens to me, your mother is going to come and live with you and your wife….”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aging:
Eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it. This is so true. I love to hear them say “you don’t look that old.”
———————————
The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.
——————————–
Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me! I want people to know why
I look this way. I’ve traveled a long way and some of the roads weren’t paved.
********************
When you are dissatisfied and would like to go back to youth, think of Algebra.
——————————-
One of the many things no one tells you about aging is that it is such a nice change
from being young.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Ah, being young is beautiful, but being old is comfortable.
*********
First you forget names, then you forget faces. Then you forget to pull up your zipper…
it’s worse when you forget to pull it down.

And this one is not necessarily ‘just’ for the Army…

Y’all have a good week!!!

Busy, busy…

Posted on by April 10, 2025
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It’s that time again…

Don’t expect to see much here until Monday… Little to no commenting either. Go read the folks on the sidebar! They rite gud!!!

 

USS Barb…

Posted on by April 8, 2025
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Was the only US sub in WWII to ‘sink’ a train…

“Now, there’s a target I would like to blow up.”

In the closing months of World War II, Commander Eugene Fluckey saw a familiar scene through the periscope: trains running up and down the remote eastern coast of Japan’s Karafuto Prefecture. As skipper of the USS Barb (SS-220) on patrol in the Okhotsk Sea, Fluckey watched the feathery stream of locomotive smoke against the mountains, trains no doubt loaded with troops and supplies to thwart an American invasion. But how could the Barb stop them?

Fluckey’s comment about wanting to blow up the target perked the ears of Chief of the Boat Paul Golden “Swish” Saunders. He had some ideas. At a plotting table the captain unrolled a topographic map of the province showing the rail lines. Perhaps Barb Sailors in rubber boats could go ashore, plant explosives under the tracks, then detonate one of the sub’s scuttling charges under a moving train. Imagine, offered Saunders, the crew of a submarine “sinking” a train. The skipper smiled: “Well, let’s get on with it.”

Full article, HERE from the Naval Institute Press

As most folks who’ve studied WWII know, they did just that!

Members of the submarine’s demolition squad pose with her battle flag at the conclusion of her 12th war patrol. Taken at Pearl Harbor, August 1945. During the night of 22-23 July 1945 these men went ashore at Karafuto, Japan, and planted an explosive charge that subsequently wrecked a train. They are (from left to right): Chief Gunners Mate Paul G. Saunders, USN; Electricians Mate 3rd Class Billy R. Hatfield, USNR; Signalman 2nd Class Francis N. Sevei, USNR; Ships Cook 1st Class Lawrence W. Newland, USN; Torpedomans Mate 3rd Class Edward W. Klingesmith, USNR; Motor Machinists Mate 2nd Class James E. Richard, USN; Motor Machinists Mate 1st Class John Markuson, USN; and Lieutenant William M. Walker, USNR. This raid is represented by the train symbol in the middle bottom of the battle flag. 

Amazing sub, crew, and CO, ‘Lucky’ Flucky! The Barb survived 12 patrols both Atlantic and Pacific.

Although it’s not listed, CDR Flucky did in fact author a document for the US Navy categorizing all submarine actions in WWII using official reports and interviews with CO’s and crews.

They were truly the greatest generation!

 

Sigh…

Posted on by April 8, 2025
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She is an embarrassment to Texas…

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, a member of the far-left group of progressive lawmakers known as “the Squad,” told congregants at a historically Black church that America needs robust immigration because “we done picking cotton.” 

Crockett, who represents Texas’s 30th Congressional District, made the remarks during Connecticut-based Grace Baptist Church’s 125th anniversary celebration held over the weekend. The comments were part of Crockett’s broader attempt to slam the Trump administration for cracking down on illegal immigration. 

“So I had to go around the country and educate people about what immigrants do for this country, or the fact that we are a country of immigrants. The fact is ain’t none of y’all trying to go and farm right now,” Crockett said, garnering a sheepish laugh from a few members of the audience. 

Full article, HERE from Fox News.

Hell, she’s an embarrassment to EVERYBODY with the BS she spews then tries to say she never said it…

Of course she represents Texas’ 30th District, which is Dallas and parts of Tarrant County HERE. Just like Houston and Austin, it is a ‘blue’ area in a red state, and it is not representative of the majority of Texans.

One wonders what she thinks she is accomplishing by spouting the stuff she’s saying? Is this the Dems policy? Or is this the ‘Squad’s’ policies? Or is it something else entirely?

She’s a lawyer, just like Sheila Jackson Lee, who represented Harris Co (Houston) was, and seems to have adopted her ‘ideas’ and outrageous behavior as the ‘norm’ rather than the exception.

You would think lawyers would know better, but I guess not…

THAT was…

Posted on by April 7, 2025
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One helluva game!!!

Florida vs. Houston turned out to be a game that lived up to the hype! Seesawed back and forth all night long, and sadly, somebody had to lose.

Last night, it was Houston. The stunned expressions said it all, and you have to feel bad for them. But at the same time, they never gave up, so kudos to them for that. It literally came down to the last seconds and a block by Florida and loose ball that decided it in the last 3 seconds. Final score, Florida 65, Houston 63…

Florida was down 12 at one point, but fought back. Boy, did they ever fight back!

Now back to your regularly scheduled stuff…

A little humor…

Posted on by April 6, 2025
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To start your week… The weather not withstanding, it’s time for Golf!!!

aONLY A TRUE GOLFER WILL UNDERSTAND THIS…

  1. Don’t buy a putter until you’ve had a chance to throw it.
  2. Never try to keep more than 300 separate thoughts in your mind during your swing.
  3. When your shot has to carry over a water hazard, you can either hit one more club or two more balls.
  4. If you’re afraid a full shot might reach the green while the foursome ahead of you is still putting out, you have two options: you can immediately shank a lay-up or you can wait until the green is clear and top a ball halfway there.
  5. The less skilled the player, the more likely he is to share his ideas about the golf swing.
  6. No matter how bad you are playing, it is always possible to play worse.
  7. The inevitable result of any golf lesson is the instant elimination of the one critical unconscious motion that allowed you to compensate for all of your many other errors.
  8. If it ain’t broke, try changing your grip.
  9. Everyone replaces his divot after a perfect approach shot.
  10. A golf match is a test of your skill against your opponents’ luck.
  11. It is surprisingly easy to hole a fifty foot putt for a 10.
  12. Counting on your opponent to inform you when he breaks a rule is like expecting him to make fun of his own haircut.
  13. Nonchalant putts count the same as chalant putts.
  14. It’s not a gimme if you’re still away.
  15. The shortest distance between any two points on a golf course is a straight line that passes directly through the center of a very large tree.
  16. There are two kinds of bounces; unfair bounces and bounces, just the way you meant to play it.
  17. You can hit a two acre fairway 10% of the time and a two inch branch 90% of the time.
  18. If you really want to get better at golf, go back and take it up at a much earlier age.
  19. Since bad shots come in groups of three, a fourth bad shot is actually the beginning of the next group of three.
  20. When you look up, causing an awful shot, you will always look down again at exactly the moment when you ought to start watching the ball if you ever want to see it again.
  21. Every time a golfer makes a birdie, he must subsequently make two triple bogeys to restore the fundamental equilibrium of the universe.
  22. If you want to hit a 7 iron as far as Tiger Woods does, simply try to lay up just short of a water hazard.
  23. To calculate the speed of a player’s downswing, multiply the speed of his back-swing by his handicap; i.e., back-swing 20 mph, handicap 15, downswing = 300 mph.
  24. There are two things you can learn by stopping your back-swing at the top and checking the position of your hands: how many hands you have, and which one is wearing the glove.
  25. Hazards attract; fairways repel.
  26. You can put a draw on the ball, you can put a fade on the ball, but no golfer can put a straight on the ball.
  27. A ball you can see in the rough from 50 yards away is not yours.
  28. If there is a ball on the fringe and a ball in the bunker, your ball is in the bunker. If both balls are in the bunker, yours is in the footprint.
  29. It’s easier to get up at 6:00 AM to play golf than at 10:00 to mow the yard.
  30. Sometimes it seems as though your cup moveth over.
  31. A good drive on the 18th hole has stopped many a golfer from giving up the game.
  32. Golf is the perfect thing to do on Sunday because you always end up having to pray a lot.
  33. A good golf partner is one who’s always slightly worse than you are…  that’s why I get so many calls to play with friends.
  34. That rake by the sand trap is there for golfers who feel guilty about skipping out on lawn work.
  35. If there’s a storm rolling in, you’ll be having the game of your life.
  36. Golf balls are like eggs. They’re white. They’re sold by the dozen.
  37. And you need to buy fresh ones each week.
  38. A pro-shop gets its name from the fact that you have to have the income of a professional golfer to buy anything in there.
  39. It’s amazing how a golfer who never helps out around the house will replace his divots, repair his ball marks, and rake his sand traps.
  40. If your opponent has trouble remembering whether he shot a six or a seven, he probably shot an eight (or worse).
  41. You probably wouldn’t look good in a green jacket anyway!  A sweatshirt will do just fine.
  42. It takes longer to learn to be a good golfer than it does to become a brain surgeon.  On the other hand, you don’t get to ride around on a cart, drink beer, eat hot dogs and fart if you are performing brain surgery.