Motive is a Mystery

From Greg Fallis:

News Media: Bizarre hammer assault on Speaker Pelosi's husband.
Suspect: I was after Nancy.
News Media: Law enforcement has offered no motive for the attack.
Suspect: I wanted to kill Nancy.
News Media: Police silent on Pelosi attacker's intentions.
Suspect: Really, I just wanted to kill Nancy. I guess she wasn't there.
News Media: Did divisive political rhetoric play a part in attack?
Suspect: Everybody on FOX says Nancy is a monster, so I wanted to kill her. You know…with a hammer.
News Media: Pelosi needed brain surgery after hammer attack.
GOP: CA should relax gun laws so Pelosi could have defended himself from hammer-wielding attacker. Dems not tough on crime.
Suspect: I would have used a gun, but this is California and I can't buy one.
FOX News: Lots of people injured in hammer attacks in CA. Why lib media focused on this one minor assault? Pelosi didn't even die.
News Media: Unconfirmed report: Pelosi attacker said to be dressed in his underwear.
Suspect: I'm a hammer killer, not a pervert. Fully dressed. In camo.
Elon Musk: An obscure news source that once claimed Hilary Clinton was dead and replaced by a body double says the attack MAY have some kinky gay thing going on.
GOP: After recent DUI arrest, Paul Pelosi engaged in extramarital gay hammer sex party.
News Media: Uh, well, okay, maybe?
Suspect: Look, all I wanted to do was kill Nancy then go monitor voting drop boxes like any other normal patriotic American. I'm a victim of cancel culture.

News Media: Sources say Pelosi lured hammer suspect with offers of twisted gay sex.
Suspect: Wait, what? No.
News Media: GOP claims prosecution of Pelosi hammer attacker is politically motivated.
Suspect: I'm announcing my candidacy for Gov. of Cali, which I'll win unless the votes are tampered with.
GOP: Vote for us, we'll hammer Biden and his gay socialist agenda!

I Did a Thing Today

I've wanted the LED Union Jack tail lights since I first saw them. Obviously these aren't OEM (since MINI doesn't make them for my model year), but they're still damn good and they fit well. The driver side went in easily; the passenger side not so much. The hardest part was getting the old units out because of the layout of the retaining screws. I may need to redo the passenger side once I have the proper tools to loosen and tighten the nearly-inaccessible screws that hold them in place.

Also, the backup lights are confusing. The passenger side is white; the driver side is red. At first I suspected that something was wrong, but going back to this—and similar—sellers' pages for the most part they're all showing this same configuration. (I think it's designed to be used as a reverse fog light, even though the car had no rear fogs.) Still, after everything was back together I wrote the seller to verify this was indeed the case and that I didn't get an incorrectly wired unit.

Adding to the ease of installation, the lights needed no re-coding of the onboard computer, something I had been worrying about. They really were plug and play.

 

Reminds Me…

…of the toilets south of the polo field in Golden Gate Park. Although that place was much skeevier. Or so I'd heard. ? (At the time I was living in the Avenues, only a short distance from the place. And Taraval. And Wawona. And the end of Judah Street. But those are stories for a another time.)

And looking over my journals from 1997, apparently I heard quite a bit.

Allegedly.

The Latest from James Webb

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope's mid-infrared view of the Pillars of Creation strikes a chilling tone. Thousands of stars that exist in this region seem to disappear, since stars typically do not emit much mid-infrared light, and seemingly endless layers of gas and dust become the centerpiece. The detection of dust by Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) is extremely important – dust is a major ingredient for star formation.

Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI)

As a Followup to My Earlier Post

Five years old, but more timely than ever:

Leaving Twitter Cold Turkey

It Only Takes 6 Days to Kick Your Twitter Habit

I recently witnessed my husband undergo a Twitter detox and it was fucking glorious.

We were both were sitting at our computers one night ingesting the toxic garbage that is currently being circulated throughout Twitter and something out of the ordinary happened.

"I did it… I deleted my Twitter account!" my husband exclaimed looking over at me while letting out a satisfying sigh of relief.

The fact that he pulled the plug left me shocked, yet relieved.

Often, I would watch him frantically type while yelling at his screen over ridiculous arguments, most of which ended with someone falsely calling him a racist, or making creepy-personal attacks. Other times, I would join in and we both would falsely get accused of being evil, sexist racists together. Keep in mind these futile arguments would normally start over some retweet or article we dared share.

While he surprised me with his abrupt decision to disconnect, I get why he went all in and didn't look back. The trick to successfully quitting Twitter is to do so with one quick forceful action. Sort of like ripping an old Band-Aid off an already scabbed knee.

Basically, Fuck Twitter-It's Toxic.

What was once a liberating social platform to speak your mind has quickly turned into a cesspool of manipulated garbage, ridiculous reporting and carefully calculated algorithms pushing one-sided narratives.

I do not enjoy spending my time and days listening to petty arguments that resemble high school hallways. It's one thing to hear it from the usual establishment Democrats like Neera Tanden or the "oppressed" Progressive Army, but to hear the nauseating arguments of Russia Gate, White Supremacy and Nazi hysteria from those I personally know, and have shared endless amounts of information with is where I draw some sort of line.

Don't get me wrong, there are amazing people I have met on Twitter and will continue to work with those who share my values on how to treat people and how to share information honestly. But, the past year of endless attacks from shills, trolls, and virtue signaling social justice warriors have officially made me despise what Twitter has become.

Why are we insisting on using a social platform that we know uses our emotions, brains, and data to socially control us?

Why not instead of shrugging our shoulders and going along with the unethical practices of Jack and his never-ending new guidelines we boycott them?

Time to stop the temper tantrums and thinking anywhere but Twitter is a waste of time and worthless. Because you know what is worthless? Twitter. Why? Because all it has to offer is scripted talking points, stupid fights and petty statements made about one another based on propaganda and fake news. Yes, some fights are worth it, but most leave you feeling the need to stand your ground and defeat every last fucking troll that comes into your mentions.

Personally, I think everybody should try this a Twitter detox. When you remove Twitter from your days you soon realize life is full of all sorts of interesting and factual information. You learn that spending time on a platform that is nothing more than an echo chamber of insane personas and fake blue check marks does nothing to help you or your cause. Most of the time all it does is fuel internal counter-productive rage.

I refuse to believe the majority of us are so dependent on some sold out social platform that has gone to shit and run by assholes.

The days following my husbands Twitter departure left him time to read two new books, create some art, do some much-needed work and crank up the stereo with his favorite music on, not giving a fuck about much else.

I hope those who continue living their days on Twitter fighting the fake outrage with lies and smears about others can stop at some point and remember who the real enemy is and what the real fight is about.

Above all else, I hope we all realize that pursuing your political and personal passions is done beyond Twitter, Facebook or any other social media platform for that matter.