smccrory

I agree with this as much as it pains me. I like to credit good education for so many people's successes, but the truth is without mindful, involved parenting and a strong element of self-initiative, there's no amount of training that will make someone less of a waste case. I mostly really agree with that, though as a single parent myself, I think it's the quality, not quantity.

Nobody is making excuses, just outlining contributory causes that are key parts of the problem especially in highly segregated, poor inner cities. We don't see that in suburbia for self-filtering reasons. Watching the TV last night, I'll admit I wanted to pick off a few looters from the roof to make the rest scatter (not that I'd actually do it, but it was an indulgent thought). I watched idiots try to self-justify violent behavior to reporters and then dodge away when they failed to connect with justifiable rationale. It was revealing about how little some people care about anything and will use the most contorted of logic to suit their selfishness. Of course, we've also seen videos of cops behaving very badly and I don't know about you, but I've wanted to punch a few through the screen. That's what these kids feel when they see antsy, under-disciplined storm-troopers hassle them and treat people who look like them wrongly, and then the media either vilify the victims or stir up revolt. "Society" will continue to deal with this forever until we grasp that there are consequences to "I got mine, go F yourselves" social isolationism, opportunistic corporatism and selective politics. Call me a liberal for saying that if anybody wants, but ignoring those factors is fool's folly that will never solve the problem on a social scale. Also feel free to call me a conservative for wanting each and every violent perp to be prosecuted based on any and every piece of footage available. Civil unrest like that cannot be allowed to prevail, or else why do we even have laws?

I believe you lean independent and libertarian and don't seem to have trouble questioning things on both side. That's great, but not everyone thinks that way, or has the examples and fundamentals to be able to think that way. Humans internalize behavior of those around them, particularly during teen years while growing into adults. Like with Tonik's post, that's not justification for shitty behavior and values, but an analytical reflection of how humans learn and repeat past behavior. If all you know is generations of unemployment, disregard for other's investment, hard work and property, poor parenting, drugs, violence, hyper-sexualized materialism and proud stupidity, it's almost impossible to strike a totally different lifestyle on your own behalf and become a success. Some do it, but it's rare. It's how disadvantaged youth becomes destructive and disengaged adults, perpetuating yet another cycle of poverty and social non-productivity. That's what "institutionalized" refers to. It's both things: NONE of the looting and burning and hose-stabbing or anything else illegal last night is remotely justifiable. Those people are thugs, opportunists and scourges on society. That's what conservatives understand very well. At the same time, there are factors, many of them political and capitalistic, that have created that fertile bed for this disease to grow. It's what liberals understand. Both are valid perspectives and I don't trust anyone who negates one for the other, as it speaks about their own inability to creatively problem-solve and not what's being described.

I heard at least one shop owner had a "plainclothed security guard" with a shotgun in the window to dissuade looters. It's what I would have done, but balsy move. It is Maryland after all - if you nicked someone over property, especially if there was a racial difference, you could spark an even bigger riot and get yourself killed or landed in jail for life.

I see the CVS was looted and set ablaze. I'm fine with that - they were asking for it. Dressed in red lettering, coming on with cheap left-over valentine's day candy and even cheaper beer and prescription drugs. Oh, and they severed that dude's neck, so F' CVS, they deserved to burn. Oh wait, they didn't have anything to do with it? My bad.

Not dumb at all. Depends on the show, but most prohibit it. I know, it sounds self-contradictory, but it's to prevent accidental discharges while handling so many guns in a densely populated space.

FWIW I remain delighted with the deal I got from Mike and the 20S sets themselves. I have about 6 months of regular use on them in single, 2-up and group riding, so ask me any questions if you'd like.

Great points DAC. I've thought a bit about it and I'll confess that a watch fills several roles for me: 1) It's so easy for me to glance at my wrist - the motion is intuitive and immediate, which is why I also like watches that display the day and date. When I'm huffing down a hallway at work with my phone in pocket and iPad in hand, it's nice to glance quickly at my wrist to see how fast I should huff! :-) 2) When I was flying, I wore a GMT watch - one that displays a second time zone so that I could more quickly translate to universal coordinated time for flight plans, weather reports, scheduling, etc. 3) I'll admit to using watches a bit for costume effect. At work, their weight and appearance remind me to stay in a more formal character. All the world's a stage as they say, at least when you're getting paid. I do agree with people of the last century that the position of a wristwatch is superior over a pocket watch. When you think about it, that's what a Pebble, Moto, iWatch, etc. are trying to solve over a pocketed phone. I'm a bit fan of looking at these things as "augmented reality" devices in much the same way GPS augments your positional awareness, especially in fighter-pilot HUD form. When these watches hold a charge for 3, 4 or more days, and can simplify walking directions down to the meeting room, and can make keeping in touch with family members, coworkers and systems more simply, then I'll gladly shell out $500 or maybe more.

Columbus Ohio this weekend (Westland): http://cegunshows.com/ShowInfo/ColumbusOHWestlandMall/tabid/69/Default.aspx

Safety on a budget is a good thing, but as a techie I'd also probably go with something better. I just want the MUCH greater expense and vendor tie-in that most have.

I was excited when I first saw Apple's watch announcement and I do think tech watches will stick. But a watch that completely loses any function after one day's use is useless to me.

As long as they color-coordinate with my hi-viz work vest...

I shared them on my Facebook wall as Public Service Announcements ;-)

https://www.facebook.com/freetalklive/videos/10152859473119072/

I'd be in. The Columbus RC airplane club does a similar thing once a year along Africa Road.

Funny things, equal rights - they "hurt" previously privileged classes. Poor, poor straight white males. What will we ever do once we can't exclusively hold the keys to social, legal, racial, sexual and political legitimacy?

Lol! Your turn to win the Internet for a day!

It wasn't that hard to fall for after 8 years of go-it-alone cynicism, torture, lack of strategic progress in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, the financial crisis, multiple environmental disasters and an incompetent governmental response, a rapidly increased deficit, devaluation of the dollar... Honestly I think that's what the GOP could be critically missing in this next election. Sure, many people want safety and tradition, but so many also want hope and a change from cynical business-as-usual. I think the front-runners will be those who bravely come out with fresh ideas that have broader bi-partisan appeal. Or maybe I'm just deluding myself. It's more likely to be a mud-raking cluster F.

Oh crap, that means I'm being catfished!!! [emoji174] Ew, sorry, that joke was gross. Not at all suitable for OR. [emoji37]

And I disagree with your inability to disagree with me. Unless you agree to disagree with my disagreement of your agreement, then, well, I got nothing and we're stuck without an argument, and that's no place to be online.

Nice notion, but the problem is that Best Idea is subjective and influenced by an infinite number of factors. For example, if you decide to go the completely rational route, then you're pre-filtering based on rationality. That's not bad, but I've seen incredibly rational people lose in office politics against irrational foes, which you'll never be a be adequately able to vote away from the world. Sometimes there is something to emotion.

Yea, the wiggle room you enjoy goes away under FDIC, OFAC, SOX, RegO, RegW, AML, Volker Rule, HIPAA, CARD, and other federal regulations which apply to very large firms I've been in for half of my career. Paradoxically the State department is operationally less regulated than the financial and health care industries, but they still have more requirements than your typical private firm.

And go to this page and watch it paint for some more ideas... http://www.motorcycleroads.com/Routes/Ohio_111.html

Megan I've been in IT for just over 30 years, and half of that in extremely large, highly regulated companies in a wide variety of infrastructure, development and leadership roles, so I find it surprising that you'd leave out the regulatory context in pursuit of technical accuracy. Yes, most places are going to personal devices with an MDM solution but ALL REGULATED places nonetheless have a policy about conducting corporate business using personal assets due to missing data discovery and data loss protection controls. See, just because your personal device has multiple work and personal accounts doesn't mean that's a fabulous practice when you're SecState, and I sure hope you don't conduct regulated business through your personal accounts like Hillary did. And like Tonik said, go try to reconstruct the data from servers you don't have access to. This is what the whole "emailgate" thing is about regardless of your distaste for the term - its using a personal mail server to conduct regulated, state business and then refusing to provide full archival access in the off-boarding ritual. If I were to find out an employee of mine did the same, I'd report them to corporate compliance instead of trying to be supportive of their run for the Presidency.