Bitchin' Dave's Newsletter - Apr 23

 Dave’s Musings

In the "we can be better" category, there was a story about a fast food worker who didn't miss a day of work in 27 years (and by the way, that's one of those things that bugs me; sometimes you're sick and you really should stay home rather than infecting those around you and handling food). To say thank you, the owners of the franchise gave him some stupid things (like a pen and a roll of lifesavers?).

While he was humble about it all, he posted a video about his gifts, and it went viral. And then someone setup a group collection, and they raised rather a lot of money - enough for him to buy a house.

Its great that people stepped up to help, and that there is a kind of happy ending. But it bothers me that the guy worked - loyally - for nearly 3 decades and got no reward for doing so, and could not afford a house on his salary in all that time.

More here

SE

The chief of SETI was asked about any evidence of aliens, and he emphatically said there isn't any. The attached article is interesting and details out his comments. Its worth a read. One of the more interesting things he suggests is a thought experiment about the vastness of the universe and our ability to traverse it. He notes one other thing: its still statistically possible that there is life out there, we just haven't found evidence of it - yet. https://www.space.com/seti-chief-bill-diamond-ufos-alien-visitation

While its simply theoretical research for now, there's a study which suggests placing reflective materials on various surfaces can cool the ambient temperatures in cities. But what's unique about this is the general simplicity of the design. The reflective surfaces could include the reflectors used in roadway design (those little yellow reflectors you see); simply positioning a mirror inside these devices could reduce the temps by around 5F. I can't wait to see this being applied. https://metro.princeton.edu/news/retro-reflectors-could-help-future-cities-keep-their-cool/

There was an item that made the news cycle a few weeks back about how Disney was revising the "Disability Assistance Pass" at the theme parks. For context, the DAP is a means for people with certain types of disabilities (say autistic individuals who can't stay in line) to essentially hold a spot in a virtual queue to make waiting an easier process. I should note that until about 2016, there was another process that essentially gave guests with disabilities zero wait time. But it was changed because too many guests were abusing the system - especially 3rd party guides who were getting paid to bend the rules for entitled people. As it turns out, there are still too many people taking advantage of the system in order to get to the front of the line. So Disney has altered the policy again, and have threatened lifetime bans for those that abuse it. Make no mistake, Disney knows exactly who these changes target, and its a warning to them.

A navigational buoy off the coast of the Florida Keys broke free and rode the Gulf Stream up to Scotland.  It wound up on the shore, along with some other world travelers. It's crazy how our oceans work, isn't it? You can read more about the Gulf Stream here: https://scijinks.gov/gulf-stream/

Latest video

Here are some insights about the Contemporary hotel at Disney World https://youtu.be/-TB6VXP5zUk?si=RTbt8soPI_YrxhkH

One Little Spark …

You could certainly spin this story to be more about greed, but its hard to overlook the overtones. The basic story is that there's an older cemetery for black, mostly enslaved people, outside of Atlanta - one which has multiple generations dating back to before the civil war.  A developer bought the land and wanted to relocate the bodies to elsewhere. Legal action ensued, and the developer agreed to leave the cemetery in place, and to maintain it, and give the public -  especially the family - access to it. Only, he fell short of his promises and blames the HOA and the families for lack of access and maintenance.  They are suing to rectify the situation. What I find off-putting is how easily this developer just moves on when there's no money to be made. And worse, the people who are afflicted are ignored because they aren't able to help him financially.   https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/30/us/piney-grove-cemetery-buckhead-lawsuit/index.html

The deep state

People seem to complain this all the time. About how our rights are being trampled by large scale government conspiracies. 

And the thing is that they're right, but they're looking in the wrong place. It's a small group of people who influence in ways you might not expect. 

In history, you had the "daughters of liberty" who were women from the defeated south, that managed to influence politicians after the civil war to somewhat re-write (or whitewash) history. In a way, they are why we're still struggling to teach about slavery and you still hear terms used that make this sound less awful, and why there were confederate monuments in place at all. 

More recently, in Florida, you have one woman who is primarily responsible for ensuring gun legislation is the way SHE wants it. 

And then you have the wife of Supreme Court Justice Thomas, who heavily influences the court, on what they hear, and helps to frame some of the cases that are causes she feels strongly about. 

She was involved in the insurrection. Full stop. Yet her husband does not recuse himself from any such cases. And they will hear any/every case related to January 6, in an effort to rule that there was "nothing to see here"…

So if you want to see this deep state, look to the individuals and small groups who influence the policy makers and judiciary who make things happen. 

Another example of benefits going away

It seems like all the time spend - rather than loyalty - is the driver of decisions to provide any sort of benefits 

https://thriftytraveler.com/news/credit-card/amex-statement-credits-are-out-of-hand/

That sounds right

If you read the article, you see that the production of meats causes more environmental damage - in part because of the large herds needed (they need large amounts of natural resources and produce methane) and the processing plants likewise taking a fair amount of power and other resources. 

https://www.forksoverknives.com/wellness/sweeping-new-report-climate-scientists-urge-consumers-governments-toward-plant-based-diets/

Legal tender

National parks are a treasure,  and now more people are starting to explore them (personally I've been to about a dozen, and hope to make it to many more in the future). 

But with the increased traffic comes a delay at entry because many of them have a small entrance fee. 

The park service decided to respond by making some of them cashless (though it's soon to be all of them). It speeds thing up when the rangers don't have to make change, they say. 

People have voiced their concerns and at times rangers have suggested that people simply go to a local Walmart and buy a gift card for cash and use that for entrance. 

But here's the thing that people point out: the NPS is a government agency. And they are saying this government agency will not accept the legal tender (ie dollars issued by the government).  There's something wrong with that. 

And then that begs the question: why is there a fee at all? The NPS gets a budget from the government. The fees are to cover the cost of vehicular traffic causing road wear and tear. They are nominal, but they exist. Why not increase the congressional budget by a few percent and remove the fee?

The choice is, uhhh, clear

I read something last night about the clear TSA pre check. The headline was that California has introduced legislation to outlaw its use in the state. 

But it's the details and the subtext that are interesting. 

First off, the legislation is proposed because it creates an unfair practice. You are allowing people to buy their way out of standing in line. Which is exactly the intent of the program.  That doesn't seem right in a way. Everyone is heading to the same airplanes to go their destinations. And yet people with the means can pay to not stand in line (well perhaps "for as long")

Among other things you've got the wealth inequity on full display. 

And then there's the subtext. A single for-profit company has partnered with airports and the TSA to allow you to pass through more quickly - and is making money in the process. 

How is that a fair business practice? How did one company get a contract with the entire country to make not standing in line a thing?

And when did we become SO IMPATIENT that waiting in line… to simply go to the gate and wait for your flight … matters?

Why can't everyone just pre-register and speed things up?

It's a microcosm of everything happening in society. 

Doesn’t anyone do any sort of copy editing anymore?

That sure is a weird looking strawberry.