Companies that I will never do business with:

• Facebook:  For numerous privacy invasions that even got the federal government involved.  No! Zuckerberg can kiss my ass!
• Instagram: For trying to pull a Facebook.  NO! And being part of Facebook doesn't help ether. 
  
• United/US Airways/Continental: For having a still-broken code share system. Gee, haven't fixed it in over six years now?

I wanted to wait for as many facts to come in... and it looks like it's plateaued.  As you know, there's been a shooting in a Newton, CT elementary school.  27 dead, including the shooter.  The news went global -- so much that Cheetah.DE complained of the coverage being broadcast in a place where there's not going to be much help from; in other words, why show it in Germany?

But that's not my point.  Or three points, to be precise.

First, I must concentrate on the suspect, Adam Lanza.  There are some indications that he wasn't mentally stable, especially during high school.  I'm very tempted into looking through the interactions between the parents and Adam.  There are reasons to believe there is a person or persons that have caused Adam to pop and effect this tragedy.

Second, the access.  Nancy Lanza, Adam's mother, was a gun enthusiast.  It is unknown whether or not the guns were locked up or not, or how easy there were to access them... but access them he did.  If the guns were supposed to be locked up in a safe, but were not, or the safe was easily accessed, then there is reason to believe that Nancy's negligence provided the access.  Note, she did have the money to buy a safe -- a $240,000 annual alimony payment from Adam's father. 

Third, is the weapons and training.  This is the big one, and those of you who are "2nd Amendment is absolute" anti-gun-control nuts, it's time for you to go rabidly crazy.

The weapons used was two 9mm handguns (a Glock and a SIG Sauer), and a .223 Bushmaster rifle.  The rifle is the civilian version of the M16, part of Bushmaster's AR15 line as the M4 Type Carbine.

You already know about the access, but there's questions about general weapon availability of the .223 rifle.  The biggest question for me is: Why is a minimally modified M16 being sold to civilians?!? It's too powerful! Where's the damn regulations on this?  While I do not think the weapon should be totally banned (again), I really do think that it's sale must be restricted to military and licensed security firms.

Which gets into my last question:  Where is the paperwork? There is no word if Nancy was licensed to have the weapons, and if the license requires training in handling and storing the weapons.  Usually those licenses do not require it, and the NRA hasn't been pushing for such.  Mainly the NRA has been a political lobbyist group who makes themselves out to be a bit more.  Thus:  Require all gun owners to go through a NRA/Federal approved gun operation and safety course, and submit to a background and mental check, before getting the license.  After getting the license, allow the person to get his first weapon after a quick Internet-based record check.  Additional guns must be applied for with a suitable long waiting period.
In other words, PAPERS PLEASE?!?!?

Remember this fuzzball?



http://fursuitauctions.livejournal.com/2505379.html is where to get it.

To me, the best furry con is one that can be accessed cheaply and easily once out of the airport (or train station, if you're using Amtrak).  So, being a transit fur, I thought I'd put together a bit of a ratings system.

Of course, this is all subjective, and some of it is based on my own experience.  Most folk will have no problem walking two-three blocks to a station or stop.  So this is essentially how easy it is to get to the con from the airport or train station (or hub). I rank rail over bus, and the less transfers between different systems the better.

Anthrocon:  GREAT BUT IN DANGER The #28x bus runs from the airport to within 3 blocks of AC's main hotel, but if Pennsylvania doesn't get off it's pole and fix it's transit funding, it's more than likely going to get cut next year.
Further Confusion: GREAT There's a free shuttle bus to the light rail, but the light rail stops right in front of the convention center!
Eurofurance:  EXCELLENT Commuter rail to hotel.
Confuzzled: NONE Be glad they got a private shuttle to the local train.  No public transit to the con.
FA: United:  NONE FUGGETABOUTIT.  Seriously. There is literally ZERO transit to FA:U.
Furry Connection North: HARD Two buses to connect plus a 1.9 mile trek and multiple services that don't provide service. No wonders why Detroit is basically dead.
Furry Weekend Atlanta: GREAT three blocks from subway to con hotel.

Okay, I gotta say it.  I just cannot hold these things back...

Whitney Houston's death: Latest reports and rumors have the singer possibly being knocked out by a combination of prescription drugs, alcohol, stress, and the unfortunate location. Coroner report will be out in 8-10 weeks, per standard procedure.  [USA Today]

Outside of government offices and in other words, Elvis Death Syndrome.  Drugs (in the generic sense), alcohol, stress, and unfortunate location (Elvis on the toilet, Whitney in the bathtub). 

A side kicker on TMZ is that her daughter nearly succumbed to the same fate, in the same hotel (unknown if it was the same room or not).

Greece: Greece is burning tonight.  I already consider it failed, going to the downfall.  It's already over it's head in debt and it just needs to default... but I'm hearing if it defaults slowly, it'll recover much quickly.

Iran, Syria, Egypt:  These will fall bloodily. Egypt has a way out, but it must do it at the people's behest and not by the military.  I do not see that way for Iran and Syria, both with "leaders" who are too egotistical (and for Iran, that's both "leaders," spiritual and governmental).

Republican party presidential candidates: To be very generic, they got massive image problems.  Romney's basically the 1% -- his tax rate is the same as mine (15%), yet makes 20x as much as me, plus endorsed by Donald Trump himself. Just the endorsement says he's unelectable. Gingrich hasn't really shown true presidential material after being out of Congress for how many years now? Santorum has massive race/religion/ethics issues that will make him smack up against the Constitution every step he takes. The only candidate that is electable is Ron Paul, and nobody in the caucuses are voting for him! 

Of course, I look at the whole race, including the older runners who were knocked out (yes, even Bachmann), and immediately think: Gee, they look constipated.  They must not have good health care.

Last week I was informed Dad was diagnosed as pre-diabetic. This is the big huge kaxon-sounding WARNING WARNING WARNING they give now saying your kidneys are going to shut down any day now if you don't change your ways.

He did some research and saw some reference to a Princeton University paper, and asked me about it. I told him it was on Slashdot last year (aka 2010). March 22, 2010 to be exact.

And now the parents are going off the deep end. Dad's going to go through the cabinets, taking out all the foods and condiments that have HFCS and tossing them, replacing them with sugared or organic substitutes.

I worry this will cost them. I urge caution, and a progressive approach instead of going whole-hog.

Samsung is (not) stealing from Apple! Here's the proof! (reddit image, it's big)

Yeah, that... it's why Apple is suing under a design patent and not a software patent.  Hell, I'd also sue for copyright and trademark infringement.

And yet Samsung is just now throwing a software patent lawsuit against Apple?

It's getting rather hard to support Samsung, when it's becoming more and more like a blatant rip-off of Apple.  I'm leaning very well into that Samsung's patents get invalidated and Apple gets many orders requiring Samsung to completely get out of the cell phone and tablet computer biz.

I work on the 20th floor of a government building in Baltimore, so more than likely I out of the furry fandom I was the highest up yet closest to the earthquake in Central Virginia.

...unless xilimyth works at a taller building.

Yes, I'm fine.  No damage to the building.  When the USGS said it was a slow roller, it was.

is back yet?