vxbush 1/11/2021 5:21:22 AM

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Aw. Happy breakfast for a happy Monday. 

Yesterday, OR said: 

Walmart dot com seems like a good alternative to the first, DuckDuckGo for the second.

I don't know about Walmart. They've caved to the big conglomerate thinking and the vast majority of their goods are Chinese. Do you think it is a good alternative to continue supporting China during the next four years so they can buy more American politicians? 

lucius septimius 1/11/2021 6:00:38 AM

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In #1 vxbush said: Do you think it is a good alternative to continue supporting China during the next four years so they can buy more American politicians? 

When I was at the Asian market on Saturday I was very careful reading the labels to make sure I didn't buy anything made in China.  It's hard -- they're everywhere.

vxbush 1/11/2021 6:10:13 AM

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In #2 lucius septimius said: When I was at the Asian market on Saturday I was very careful reading the labels to make sure I didn't buy anything made in China.  It's hard -- they're everywhere.

And it's only going to get worse. 

Occasional Reader 1/11/2021 6:17:11 AM

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In #1 vxbush said: They've caved to the big conglomerate thinking and the vast majority of their goods are Chinese.

Good morning.  On your first point, could you be more specific?  On your second, we can always check the origin of any particular goods.

What I'm looking for are alternatives to the admitted convenience of a one-stop platform like Amazon, but without funding the politics of Bezos. 

vxbush 1/11/2021 6:44:37 AM

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In #4 Occasional Reader said: Good morning.  On your first point, could you be more specific?  On your second, we can always check the origin of any particular goods.

#1: This article back in May notes that Walmart is now #19 on the list of biggest companies. In that month, Amazon was #22.

#2: When Josh Hawley was preparing to object to the electoral votes on January 6, Walmart took that opportunity to be snarky: 

They deleted it soon after, but this was someone in corporate Walmart, not a line worker. How much does this reflect the mindset within corporate Walmart itself--that there can never be a reason to question a Democrat getting in office? 

#3: Walmart is aligning itself more closely with Chinese companies, such as TikTok. In this example, Walmart is setting it up so users of TikTok could purchase Walmart products without leaving TikTok. This was roughly around the time that TikTok was 

vxbush 1/11/2021 6:48:21 AM

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Reply to vxbush in 5:

Argh. One of these days I'll remember not to hit "Enter" after I add a link to the hyperlink window. 

As I was saying, this was after the time that the Trump administration was trying to block TikTok in the US because of its ownership by the Chinese government. 

Walmart can't be that ignorant of what is going on with the Chinese government pushing to have more surveillance and infrastructure throughout the globe, and yet it decided to join itself to TikTok. That makes me seriously pause about using Walmart anymore. We bought groceries there this last week, but the hubby and I are trying to decide where to go instead. 

Occasional Reader 1/11/2021 6:53:52 AM

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Reply to vxbush in 5:

Thank you.  On your first point; I don't really care if it's simply "a big company".  (And by the way, I don't think Walmart is a "conglomorate", strictly speaking; that term usually refers to a parent company whose subsidiaries are scattered across all sorts of different industries.  AFAIK, Walmart does basically the same business everywhere.)

On your second, I recall that snarky tweet, thanks for the reminder.  I don't know... could be a one-off, I'd want to see more of a pattern before I condemn the entire company as left-politicized.  "Don't let the best be the enemy of the good", etc.

On your third; Yeah, that's concerning.

buzzsawmonkey 1/11/2021 6:54:46 AM

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In #11 Kosh's Shadow said: Wondering if I should reserve the domain AmericanRefusnik.org

vxbush 1/11/2021 6:57:35 AM

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In #7 Occasional Reader said: Thank you.  On your first point; I don't really care if it's simply "a big company".  (And by the way, I don't think Walmart is a "conglomorate", strictly speaking; that term usually refers to a parent company whose subsidiaries are scattered across all sorts of different industries.  AFAIK, Walmart does basically the same business everywhere.)

It used to be that Walmart was a company that would buy American-made products over anything made internationally (and especially in China). But that stopped sometime in Obama's administration, and there hasn't been a peep about it since. Big doesn't necessarily mean bad, I agree, but it bothers me.

doppelganglander 1/11/2021 7:05:55 AM

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Reply to vxbush in 5:
It's worth noting that the social media accounts of nearly all large corporations are run by people under, or just past, 30. 

I almost never shop at Walmart. I dislike their goods and the entire shopping experience. Target is cleaner, less crowded, and better stocked. I don't like either one for groceries. When my daughter was in college,  I would take her grocery shopping two or three times a month. The options were the old Walmart and the nice Walmart. Even the nice one had sketchy produce and meat. I realize not everyone has the options we do in a large metro area.

vxbush 1/11/2021 7:07:27 AM

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I just remembered--Walmart worked a lot with the Obama administration. 

Obama to tap Walmart's Burwell for budget chief

Obama finds an ally in WalMart, whose stores he once ... (not necessarily nefarious; just may be the cost of doing business)

First Lady Michelle Obama Announces Collaboration with ...

This may simply have been an attempt by Walmart to be seen as cool with a portion of its customer base. 

vxbush 1/11/2021 7:10:08 AM

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In #10 doppelganglander said: I almost never shop at Walmart. I dislike their goods and the entire shopping experience. Target is cleaner, less crowded, and better stocked. I don't like either one for groceries. When my daughter was in college,  I would take her grocery shopping two or three times a month. The options were the old Walmart and the nice Walmart. Even the nice one had sketchy produce and meat. I realize not everyone has the options we do in a large metro area.

There have been several reports of weird meat at Walmart, including reports not to buy their ground beef, ever. 

doppelganglander 1/11/2021 7:19:34 AM

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In other news, my Brooklyn daughter starts a new temp job today as a coordinator at a Covid vaccine site. It seems to involve checking people in for their appointments. So this morning I see that the process of getting an appointment involves going online, filling out a lengthy questionnaire,  and uploading images of your insurance card. How many senior citizens can figure out how to do that? It's like Cuomo is finding new and more creative ways to kill Grandma.

Link to Twitter thread

doppelganglander 1/11/2021 7:20:29 AM

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Reply to vxbush in 12:

Wouldn't surprise me. 

buzzsawmonkey 1/11/2021 7:27:20 AM

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The impeachment madness was really heating up on Morning Sedition today.  

I find it bizarre.  I cannot imagine why Pence would heed the yapping of Nancy Pelosi to invoke the 25th Amendment; the Speaker has no power over the Vice President and I cannot see how his doing so would profit him in any way.  Nor can I see what profit there is in the House passing an impeachment resolution; assuming it was passed, it would die in the Senate, as it should.  Further, insofar as "impeachment" is merely removal from office, once Trump is out of office and a new Congress installed, such a resolution would be moot---it would not carry over from the prior Congress and there is no purpose to pushing for "removal" of someone who is not in office to be removed.

There was some intimation that the purpose of this theatre is to try and ensure that Trump could not run again, but that seems a stretch.  It seems to me that the Democrats are simply so rabid with hatred that they want to pile on a final humiliation.

vxbush 1/11/2021 7:29:05 AM

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In #13 doppelganglander said: In other news, my Brooklyn daughter starts a new temp job today as a coordinator at a Covid vaccine site. It seems to involve checking people in for their appointments. So this morning I see that the process of getting an appointment involves going online, filling out a lengthy questionnaire,  and uploading images of your insurance card. How many senior citizens can figure out how to do that? It's like Cuomo is finding new and more creative ways to kill Grandma.

Shades of the Obamacare rollout website. Maybe someone will generate an easier-to-navigate version that plugs into that site, just as some IT guys did for Obamacare. 

Occasional Reader 1/11/2021 7:30:29 AM

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In #8 buzzsawmonkey said: How about "Samizdateverwas.com?"

Heh.

vxbush 1/11/2021 7:36:29 AM

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In #15 buzzsawmonkey said: The impeachment madness was really heating up on Morning Sedition today.   I find it bizarre.  I cannot imagine why Pence would heed the yapping of Nancy Pelosi to invoke the 25th Amendment; the Speaker has no power over the Vice President and I cannot see how his doing so would profit him in any way.  Nor can I see what profit there is in the House passing an impeachment resolution; assuming it was passed, it would die in the Senate, as it should.  Further, insofar as "impeachment" is merely removal from office, once Trump is out of office and a new Congress installed, such a resolution would be moot---it would not carry over from the prior Congress and there is no purpose to pushing for "removal" of someone who is not in office to be removed. There was some intimation that the purpose of this theatre is to try and ensure that Trump could not run again, but that seems a stretch.  It seems to me that the Democrats are simply so rabid with hatred that they want to pile on a final humiliation.

I've heard several theories as to why they are doing this, despite the house calendar showing that they are out of office for this next week until the inauguration. The most plausible seemed to be that they are really afraid that Trump is going to declassify documents that prove any number of things--the Russian Hoax being generated by the Democrats and deep staters, the money congress critters have made from all these overseas deals--such as Biden's threatened removal of $1 billion if the investigation against Hunter wasn't stopped, the real ways that bills are crafted by K Street and the kickbacks they get, you name it. 

Occasional Reader 1/11/2021 7:38:20 AM

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Reply to vxbush in 11:

Hmm.  Noted, thanks.

buzzsawmonkey 1/11/2021 7:39:02 AM

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Reply to vxbush in 18:

I don't see how an impeachment resolution, unacted upon, and which expires in less than a fortnight, would stop Trump from releasing whatever the hell he wanted to.  

Occasional Reader 1/11/2021 7:40:03 AM

21

In #12 vxbush said: weird meat at Walmart

TWBAGNFAB

Occasional Reader 1/11/2021 7:44:40 AM

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In #15 buzzsawmonkey said: There was some intimation that the purpose of this theatre is to try and ensure that Trump could not run again

I saw a reference at Insty that Pelosi explicitly said that was the motive.  

vxbush 1/11/2021 7:46:08 AM

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In #21 Occasional Reader said: TWBAGNFAB

??? That's one I'm not recognizing.

Occasional Reader 1/11/2021 7:59:31 AM

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Reply to vxbush in 23:

I may have the meme slightly wrong, but the intention was, That Would Be A Great Name For A Band.

vxbush 1/11/2021 8:12:15 AM

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In #24 Occasional Reader said: I may have the meme slightly wrong, but the intention was, That Would Be A Great Name For A Band.

Ah, gotcha. Gotta admit, not a band I would listen to just based on the name. 

buzzsawmonkey 1/11/2021 8:18:52 AM

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Occasional Reader 1/11/2021 8:32:48 AM

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Reply to buzzsawmonkey in 26:

"There’s no intrinsic magic about America that protects it from becoming Mao’s China or Stalin’s Russia. "

Intrinisic magic, no.  There are, however, about 393 million privately-owned firearms, that might have a say in the matter. 

JCM 1/11/2021 8:45:25 AM

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Reply to Occasional Reader in 27:

They have in place the everything they need for confiscations.

They don't need legislation for confiscation.

The precedent set in WA that "experts" in the field have plenopentitary powers with regards to "public health" issues.

Right wing gun nuts are clearly a public health risk. So ERPO the snot out of them.

Kosh's Shadow 1/11/2021 8:59:23 AM

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Reply to JCM in 28:

Just say Trump supporters are extreme risk, after what happened at the Capitol, and take their guns, By the time it gets to the Supreme Court, it will be packed.

If you can find a lawyer that doesn't have to drop the case under threat of disbarment, due to "supporting an insurrection", as is happening to Giuliani. 

JCM 1/11/2021 9:08:33 AM

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Reply to Kosh's Shadow in 29:

They'll hound decent judges out also.

A judge in Seattle threw the book at repeat offender, max sentence 364 days. The prosecutor Pete Pot Head Holmes (he was first in line the day pot was legalized) wanted deferment, this was this guys' 76th offense.

The prosecutor then wrote an op-ed criticizing the judge. The judge used to the op-ed and filed it as a complaint against himself. The complaint was found to be without merit and dismissed. This pissed of Pot Head so all the prosecutors filed bias complaints anytime they had a case before the judge.

Kosh's Shadow 1/11/2021 9:10:08 AM

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Reply to JCM in 30:

"This judge is biased against criminals!"

PaladinPhil 1/11/2021 9:10:29 AM

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Afternoon. Squire is home from an extended visit with his mother. Tried to do the Google Classroom meeting with him this morning. Didn't go that well. He lasted all of five minutes before he bolted. Remote learning isn't suited for him it seems. Which is one more thing that's pissing me off about these bullshit lockdowns.

JCM 1/11/2021 9:18:09 AM

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Reply to PaladinPhil in 32:

I did a dive in CDC data last week, that is US but Canada will be very similar.

Number of kids 0-17 who have died of COVID, including everything they attribute to COVID.

46, that is 1/4th the the death toll of a normal flu season.

And if you apply the over count algorithm you get about 12.

Also buried in CDC documents, the number of adults infected by children with COVID...

0

Yeah... the shutdowns are totally justified. *SPIT*

Kosh's Shadow 1/11/2021 9:36:44 AM

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Reply to PaladinPhil in 32:

iirc, you said he was on the autism spectrum. They do not do well with distance learning. Of course, only the Jerusalem Post has articles on this, not the US media.

Kosh's Shadow 1/11/2021 9:37:54 AM

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Kosh's Shadow 1/11/2021 9:39:40 AM

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Occasional Reader 1/11/2021 10:18:26 AM

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In #36 Kosh's Shadow said: And before I go back to work after a partial lunch break, why would a spammer think that putting my email on  the "from" field will make me trust it and buy from them?

I once received a spam telephone call with a spoofed number that was... my own phone number.  

PaladinPhil 1/11/2021 10:24:25 AM

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Occasional Reader 1/11/2021 11:10:09 AM

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Absolutely surreal.

https://summit.news/2021/01/11/uk-government-may-only-let-people-out-once-a-week/

vxbush 1/11/2021 11:13:42 AM

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In #39 Occasional Reader said: Absolutely surreal. https://summit.news/2021/01/11/uk-government-may-only-let-people-out-once-a-week/

"You vill do exactly vat ve say!"

JCM 1/11/2021 11:22:26 AM

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Reply to Occasional Reader in 39:

But only with your COVID Vaccine passport.

That shoe WILL drop.

buzzsawmonkey 1/11/2021 1:05:06 PM

42

"Joe Biden is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've never known in my life.”

---the modern Manchurian Candidate

Occasional Reader 1/11/2021 2:11:40 PM

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Glenn Greenwald is apparently the new Nat Hentoff; that rarest of creatures, a principled “liberal”:

http://acecomments.mu.nu/?post=392089

JCM 1/11/2021 2:18:13 PM

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Parler Sues Amazon Over Removal From Servers After Riot

A spokesperson for AWS declined to comment on the suit. In a letter to Parler filed with the court, Amazon said it couldn’t provide services to “a customer that is unable to effectively identify and remove content that encourages or incites violence.”

The AWS Terms of Service does not include the words "incite", "violence", "hate". Amazon may have stepped on the crank in golf shoes. But a Carter appointed judge, how old is she by now?, is a wild card. She could likely not hold Amazon to the ToS but to the cancel culture standard.

JCM 1/11/2021 2:29:41 PM

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Reply to JCM in 44:

Did anyone at Twitter discuss taking down Parler with anyone at AWS.

That would be huge if it occured.

vxbush 1/11/2021 2:42:20 PM

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In #45 JCM said: Did anyone at Twitter discuss taking down Parler with anyone at AWS. That would be huge if it occured.

And were they smart enough not to send an email or a tweet to that affect? Discovery can be painful. 

JCM 1/11/2021 2:48:57 PM

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Reply to vxbush in 46:

If they use company resources there will be a discoverable record.

If they did not use company resources and did things under the table then that violates all kinds of internal policies. That would make it a conspiracy also.

Kosh's Shadow 1/11/2021 3:09:03 PM

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Reply to buzzsawmonkey in 42:

I am the very model of a modern Manchurian candidate 

(can't think of some intermediate lines)

If I knew the plans of my son Hunter Biden
Then I know I'll have to go into hidin'

(OK, had to get it out of my head for a while)

buzzsawmonkey 1/11/2021 3:53:26 PM

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Reply to Kosh's Shadow in 48:

I am the very model of modern Manchurian candidate

I've parlayed massive vote fraud into semblance of a mandidate

But if the voters had known what was done by my son Hunter Biden

I'd not have been elected and would have to live in hidin'

...there's a start, at least.