Do NOT click if you love dogs–there are pictures. (NY Daily News)
Location: CA, cops white, owner black.
2.
raven
@Another Halocene Human: A friend her in Athens had this happen to her a couple of years back and it was just a 30lb mutt. No camera though and nothing happened to the cop. BTW that is about a half a mile from my sisters house.
3.
Another Halocene Human
Maybe I should say the dog’s “person”–a coworker of mine once ranted about how wrong it is to use the term “master”, and “owner” is just a substitute.
Dunno why cops get so pissed about video. They’re always coming around asking everyone else for video. Everybody else gets video’d on their job facing the public. Why should they be any different? If they go too far they know they have their 27%ers covering for them unlike the rest of us.
@raven: The guy in the photos is clearly not resisting. He was filming the cops so obviously he’s not going to do a runner. Why not have him settle his dog down and lock him in the fence? Why provoke the dog and then shoot it?
@Elizabelle: My SIL is a homegirl. They like to take the kids there every few years to maintain contact.
10.
Comrade Nimrod Humperdink
I remember Trigger Happy TV. It was fun while it lasted. Best uses for furry costumes I’ve ever seen.
11.
Sibling Nonspecific Firearm of Random Adjective Followed by a Noun That Describes a Mental State (fka AWS)
Another day watching my romantic relationship burn. And a whole week to go. Woohoo!
12.
Corner Stone
Anyone have any thoughts on this? Health-Law Employer Mandate Delayed by U.S. Until 2015
“The government will postpone enforcement of the so-called employer mandate until 2015, after the congressional elections, the administration said yesterday. Under the provision, companies with 50 or more workers face a fine of as much as $3,000 per employee if they don’t offer affordable insurance. “
13.
Another Halocene Human
apropos of nothing, why does adobe need administrator access when like no other program or plug-in does? who comes up with this crap?
every time I have to do it at home I worry about the security of my computer. Every time I have to do it at work I have to call IT and deal with their sarcasm and idiocy because I don’t have admin access (which is a good thing–but since I don’t have admin access why do I get IT flunkies who somehow think that I do… of course I don’t… you’re supposed to have it… IDIOTS)
really OT, a bunch of the people who work at IT at my job are sarcastic jerks. They say stupid shit, ask stupid questions, and talk down to me. Apparently they assume because of the division I work for that I know nothing about computers. They couldn’t be more wrong, but that’s another story. They set some policies which are pretty bog standard in the industry if not completely validated by, you know, “evidence”, like forcing people to frequently cycle passwords even though in my division many employees don’t use a computer daily. In fact… hehe… there are computers with the password written on the box… yeah. Wonder if they know that. (And they’ve done other, stupider things, and I saved their ass, not that I ever got a shred of acknowledgement from them–when they fucked up our 20yr old system clearly it was OUR problem that we had a legacy system, not THEIR fault for breaking it.)
Anyway, I’d updated as prompted, been away from the computer for some weeks, and realized I didn’t know the NEW password, called IT and the asshole on the other end thought it would be funny to pretend that it was just so much trouble to change it and blah blah. I knew this was not true so I didn’t react. I was trying not to cuss him out. We wouldn’t have been having that conversation if they didn’t do password cycling so the calls were a cost of doing business, not the fault of the end user. Realizing he was getting total silence instead of the lulzy apologies envisioned he suddenly changed tack and gave me my temp password.
Had I done this to a customer my ass would have been in the boss’ office faster than you can say “failure to meet service standards”.
I don’t get why they’re allowed to get away with this shit.
Edwin Park of the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities predicts that this “probably should have little effect on coverage in 2014,” since the biggest increases are “primarily due to increased participation from the individual mandate, not from the employer responsibility requirement getting employers to offer or continue to offer.” “That’s because the employer mandate applies to larger employers who are already offering and likely would continue to offer with or without the penalty.”
From the Small Business Majority: “For larger businesses with more than 50 employees, 96 percent already offer insurance and we believe will continue to for business reasons. Only the 4 percent of larger employers that do not offer health insurance will be impacted by the delay in the penalty.”
@Corner Stone: I just found out about it and am still trying to figure out exactly what it means. The media accounts seem to say the mandate itself is inoperative until 2015 while the statement from the admin says they’re delaying implementation of reporting requirements.
18.
Omnes Omnibus
@Corner Stone: Pressure from Dems up for reelection in 2014?
19.
Another Halocene Human
@Corner Stone: It’s clear that we’re not entirely ready. I think Obama is also hoping for a slightly better Congress in 2014, also, too.
Being able to buy insurance in the exchange is a major positive… however, a bunch of states with low wages failed to join the medicaid expansion, and there could just be a lot of turmoil. I think it’s not entirely unexpected. The industry has been working on this but it’s just not ready.
Yeah, NRF thinks this is a big victory. This is why we need to keep hammering them on a state by state basis. They are fighting laws to get paid sick days for food service employees. These kinds of laws always pass plebiscite BECAUSE DUH SICK FOOD SERVICE EMPLOYEES!?! and the ballot measures I’ve seen are for less sick days than most white collar employees get so they don’t feel like the food service employees are getting over.
DARDEN (Red Lobster and Olive Garden) fought the law in Orlando all the way to Tallahassee getting the hypocrites there to pass an anti-home-rule law to prevent paid sick days in Orange County or anywhere else in Florida. They meant to torpedo wage theft/recovery ordnances too, but failed. Wage theft has to be dealt with by counties b/c the DOL is underfunded and JEB! got the state out of the business.
In a normal state, the state AG protects consumers, the state labor & safety offices protect workers and wages, but, you know, Florida. We’re still on the plantation. And DISNEY and DARDEN aim to keep us there.
Tell a manager next time you’re at DISNEY how great you feel about coming to Florida where sick workers must report to work.
Rep. James Clyburn urges national standards in revised Voting Rights Act
by Perry Bacon Jr. | July 2, 2013 at 4:14 PM
Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C,), the man House Democrats have tapped to lead their push for revising the Voting Rights Act after last week’s Supreme Court decision gutted the law’s Section 4, urged the creation of national voting standards that would likely replace the special restrictions for a bloc of Southern states under the current law.
While not ruling out a new kind of “pre-clearance” system, which had required parts or all of 15 states to get federal approval for changing their voting provisions, Clyburn said Democrats were mostly debating a new provision that would mandate every state abide by certain “minimum standards.” Clyburn said such a law, for example, might require every state have at least nine days of early voting. States could chose to have many more days, but could not have fewer than nine, he said.
Similar federal standards would apply to redistricting and ballot access concerns, such as voter ID laws, although he did not provide details.
“Section 4 needs to be written in such a way that covers any state law that is designed to yield a specific result outside of fundamental fairness,” Clyburn said in an interview, noting that many of the state voting provisions that he found most problematic were not in states covered under the pre-clearance formula the Court struck down. He added, “every state ought to be subject to some standards.”
According to Clyburn, with these federal standards, if a state passed a controversial voting law, a voter could file suit citing these federal provisions.
The comments by Clyburn, the highest-ranking black member of Congress, mirror those made last week by President Obama, who similarly suggested some kind of national voting law could replace Section 4.
I also work at a corporation where passwords recycle, but I’ve got four systems I need passwords for — none asking for a new password at the same time and each timing out after 15 minutes. I seriously suspect I spend close to an hour each day signing back in to everything. My proof that I do not have Alzheimers is that I can remember all of my passwords (at least 99% of the time).
Anyway, there is no greater punishment that an employee here can suffer than to have to call the Help Desk.
23.
Betty Cracker
@Another Halocene Human: I like the functionality of Adobe apps (or rather I sort of know how to use them so I don’t bother finding alternatives because I’m too lazy), but I fucking HATE the administrative interface, which is an intrusive pain in the arse.
24.
JPL
@raven: My son’s little Maltese, Nona, is coming over today and staying until Sunday. She loves romping in the backyard with Miss Moxie so will be disappointed that they have to stay inside.
Monday, I found out Miss Moxie has a tumor, actually I found it over the weekend. It was just confirmed on Monday. She’s a mutt that I rescued over eleven years ago and best guess, she was three at the time. ugh….
25.
Another Halocene Human
@Betty Cracker: What media reports? I didn’t see that on initial reports and if they did that, first, I don’t think Obama can walk down something required by Congress, secondly, employers are already educating employees so that would really induce turmoil, third, the fine is $95. I’ve been talking to coworkers and only the people who already ride wide open with no health insurance think that is a good deal. The rest are going to pay for at least their employee plan (all that is required, as I explained to them) because not having insurances is a lot more expensive than that.
I’m worried about a friend of mine. State won’t give her medicaid, which she qualifies for, because of a papers, please mixup. Is she going to be fined? How is that fair? Fuck REAL ID.
26.
Corner Stone
@Betty Cracker: At this point I’m thinking it is largely a political move.
I’m not really sure the benefits of delaying this relatively small piece, since the GOP in 2014 is absolutely going to run on the job killing ACA in any event, no matter what happens.
I flipped in and out of Morning Joe while they grilled Axelrod on it but he just song and danced, as expected.
It just seems like an odd decision. Glad to hear more after you think on it a bit.
27.
Corner Stone
@Omnes Omnibus: Still trying to figure out what it buys them. Seems like making it happen at least gives the air of competence.
@Betty Cracker: Hey, it’s not YOUR fault. Actually, your post up top was a coinkydink. Adobe has been prompting me to update for a week because it has a critical update. Somehow life, the universe, network security itself, my computer and ALMOST EVERYTHING depend on this update and in 6 months I’ll get told that Flash has a critical security problem AGAIN and…
Seriously. Lame.
30.
Corner Stone
@debbie: Bruce Schneier, among others, have done several series on password security theater.
The comic XKCD has done some bits as well.
It seems with all the new technology the security gurus are still stuck in the 1980’s password model. Or maybe it’s the pushback from business leaders’ decision making. It’s probably not all IT’s fault.
At this point I’m thinking it is largely a political move.
Republicans would have had a field day politicizing any difficulty with a smooth implementation. They’re just pissed off Obama’s taken another issue away from them.
Obama’s Brilliant Move Deals A Blow To The GOP’s 2014 Hopes
By: Jason Easley
Jul. 2nd, 2013
With one brilliant political masterstroke, the Obama administration pulled the rug out from Republicans who were hoping to run against Obamacare in 2014.
An innocent looking blog post at the Department of the Treasury has turned the GOP’s strategy for the 2014 election on its ear. Mark J. Mazur wrote, “The Administration is announcing that it will provide an additional year before the ACA mandatory employer and insurer reporting requirements begin. This is designed to meet two goals. First, it will allow us to consider ways to simplify the new reporting requirements consistent with the law. Second, it will provide time to adapt health coverage and reporting systems while employers are moving toward making health coverage affordable and accessible for their employees. Within the next week, we will publish formal guidance describing this transition.”
Republicans have been telegraphing since they lost the 2012 election that they intended to run against the employer mandate. John Boehner mentions Obamacare every week when he meets with the media for a reason. Republicans at both the congressional and state level can’t run on their economic records. They can’t run on their legislative records. Republicans were planning on making 2014 a replay of 2010 by focusing on Obamacare, but the White House kneecapped them with an announcement that nobody expected.
Republican former CBO director, Douglas Holtz-Eakin explained why this announcement was both a stunner and deviously brilliant, “Democrats no longer face the immediate specter of running against the fallout from a heavy regulatory imposition on employers across the land. Explaining away the mandate was going to be a big political lift; having the White House airbrush it from the landscape is way better. It helps with ObamaCare in other ways as well. The administration was flailing to find high-profile allies (e.g., the National Football League) to advertise the wonders of ObamaCare. In a single masterstroke it has given every company a reason to explain its existence (“don’t worry, you’ll be fine in the exchanges”) and created a de facto advertising campaign of enormous scale and reach. Deviously brilliant.”
North Carolina ‘trying to pull a Texas’ on reproductive rights
By Steve Benen
Wed Jul 3, 2013 8:00 AM EDT
Following up on our coverage from last night, developments in North Carolina unfolded quickly and by surprise as state Republican lawmakers launched a new effort to restrict reproductive rights in the state. They did so under highly unusual circumstances.
The state Senate was poised to consider a foolish measure, predicated on a common far-right conspiracy theory, intended to undermine Sharia law in North Carolina courts. Late in the afternoon, however, Republican state senators launched a legislative ambush, quickly amending the Sharia law bill to include sweeping new anti-abortion measures, intended to close clinics and prevent Planned Parenthood from providing legal abortion services in the state.
“They’re doing it quietly on Fourth of July weekend because they’ve seen what’s going on in Texas and know that women will turn out,” Melissa Reed, vice president of Public Policy for Planned Parenthood Health Systems said, referring to the protests surrounding a similar bill in Texas. She said Planned Parenthood and other abortion rights advocates had no idea the measure would be taken up Tuesday.
NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina executive director Suzanne Buckley added, “It seems to me that they’re trying to pass under cover of darkness legislation that would not otherwise be passed. They’re trying to pull a Texas.”
@rikyrah: The GOP is still going to run against the job killing ACA. It’s all they were ever going to do, with maybe some anti-browns stuff to stoke a few extra votes.
They don’t care about reality, witness Death Panels.
It seems like the ACA was set as a stretch goal in the beginning, which had its own good and bad aspects. This seems curious to me, regardless of Mr. Easley’s effervescent praise.
The war on voting in a post-VRA world
By Steve Benen
Tue Jul 2, 2013 4:18 PM EDT
In North Carolina, thanks to Republican gains in the 2010 state elections, the congressional district lines already drawn in such a comically gerrymandered way, the state’s delegation bears little resemblance to the actual wishes of voters. In 2012, for example, a majority of North Carolinians voted for Democratic congressional candidates, and yet, only 4 of the state’s 13 members of the U.S. House are Democrats.
But as the Los Angeles Times reports today, that’s apparently not quite good enough for GOP state policymakers. In a story Rachel has covered on the show, now that the district lines have been gerrymandered to ensure a Republican advantage regardless of voters’ wishes, the next step is to restrict voters’ access to their own democracy.
The GOP chairman of the state Senate rules committee, Sen. Tom Apodaca, said he would move quickly to pass a voter ID law that Republicans say would bolster the integrity of the balloting process. GOP leaders also began engineering an end to the state’s early voting, Sunday voting and same-day registration provisions, all popular with black voters. Civil rights groups say the moves are designed to restrict poll access by blacks, who vote reliably Democratic
Up until about a week ago, this would ordinarily be the point at which voting-rights advocates, civil rights activists, and anyone concerned with voter access and election fairness would say, “Whew, it’s a good thing the Voting Rights Act still exists. There’s no way these North Carolina’s measures will pass muster.”
But all of that changed rather abruptly when five justices on the U.S. Supreme Court gutting the Voting Rights Act and gave GOP policymakers in North Carolina and elsewhere a green light to start restricting Americans’ access to the ballot box. It is open season on voting rights and Republicans throughout the South are seizing the opportunity.
Dunno why cops get so pissed about video. They’re always coming around asking everyone else for video. Everybody else gets video’d on their job facing the public. Why should they be any different?
Our town must be an exception. The PD’s cruisers are equipped with multiple cameras that can be turned on manually and that turn on automatically when the car goes to Code 2 or Code 3. The system is pretty sophisticated. If they pull over a car the one camera automatically zooms in on the license plate and holds for a few seconds. The video, as well as the sound from the mic on the officer’s radio are recorded on a hard drive in the cruiser. The drives are swapped out at the end of each shift. They’re only accessible to the watch commander and the chief.
It’s a good system. It’s also expensive. We buy Ford Crown Vics for our cruisers and then have $35,000 worth of gear installed. We’re a small town and City Hall had the presence of mind to hire a grant writer so the money is there for a lot of things. Not every place can afford these setups.
Could use some of that here. We have a damn pressure system out of the Gulf that stops pretty much any front that comes our way from the West or North. Stalls it out between Austin and Houston.
because we had something scheduled, and it’s not something I can back out of.
Open heart surgery or other live saving organ transplant? Birth of a child? Funeral of a loved one?
Having trouble thinking of something else I couldn’t pick up the phone and cancel.
43.
Corner Stone
@Hill Dweller: Yes, that’s what is confusing me to this point.
This shit is why I find myself so despondent these days. It’s a fucking microcosm of what American politics works on: when sane, liberal or Democratic legislation is under consideration, it takes fucking years of slogging through even once optimal conditions arise, and then you get the instant accusations of ‘ramming it through’ or ‘shoving it down Americans’ throats’.
But when Republicans and conservatives want something? SHIT CAN’T FUCKING MOVE FAST ENOUGH, and it’s all super mega ultra important and has to be done NOW NOW NOW FUCKING NOW. And they fucking win before anyone’s even fucking allowed to say shit because the entire fucking system is wired for express GOP fucking control.
49.
Applejinx
Why hasn’t Balloon Juice jumped all over North Carolina passing an anti-sharia law that had anti-abortion stuff crammed into it at the last minute as a rider?
I’m pretty surprised that my twitter is exploding with this stuff and there’s no Balloon Juice thread. It seems like right in BJ’s wheelhouse.
50.
Rex Everything
@Betty Cracker: “Prig”? No, I just don’t think the NEA should fund the kind of shit that totally discredits it in the minds of Archie and Edith.
If you weren’t being literal, neither was I, I guess, but why post such a stupid vid?
51.
maya
Re: snail crossing. Must have been on his way to the Post Office. Also, too, obviously a European (England?) town. Drivers on right and cool looking van on right side. Also, too, plus, drivers were very polite and actually waited till snailman was out of crossing. Had that been NYC he would have been escargot sans garlic.
52.
Cacti
Today in the Trayvon Martin murder trial:
Zimmy had an overall 1.5 GPA in his college courses, but was the star pupil in his class that taught about SYG and self-defense.
Bonus: he lied in his Hannity interview, saying that his classes never taught about SYG.
Slowly, slowly, the ball of lies in unraveling.
53.
Another Halocene Human
@Keith: I dunno, I thought he was kind of brilliant.
54.
maya
@Rex Everything: Wasn’t even an American town, El Roy de Massimo, so I doubt that NEA would even have been involved. But continue on with your own personal proclamation day parade. Don’t let reality rain on it.
@Applejinx: Not enough Snowden/GG vs Obama, History’s Greatest Dictator. Too much vagina.
@Another Halocene Human: This is why it works best to give creatives admin level access. Even at my gov network, we get our own admin level access. We’re responsible for more of our own IT, but we alleviate having to bug our IS guys constantly for stuff like this. Unless you have a stupid and cruel Director (always a strong possibility), maybe they’d be open to that?
62.
maya
@Mnemosyne: @Cacti: Jeebus H. Christ, STOP FEEDING THE TROLL. He’ll just follow you home and then you’ll have to pay for all his shots when you get him neutered. FREE Healthcare is all he’s looking for.
63.
Betty Cracker
@Rex Everything: Of course I wasn’t being literal. Sweet tap-dancing Jesus. (Who wasn’t necessarily “sweet” in the sense that he wasn’t, as far as we know, covered in sugar or another carbohydrate composed of hydrogen, carbon and oxygen. Or tap-dancing. Or even a real historical figure.)
Why post the vid? Because I think it’s funny.
64.
Narcissus
jesus christ is anyone watching the Zimmerman trial
I was just trying to figure out if it was one of our regulars or a newbie.
66.
Jay C
I actually got to do a good deed this morning! I was coming home from the market, and I saw, lying on the sidewalk, what turned out to be a drivers’ license and two credit cards. I saw the address was just around the corner (this was the UES of Manhattan), so I walked half a block out of my way, and returned the cards to the person’s building. The doorman said the tenant would (no surprise) be happy to get them back – but I left without giving my name, just to keep my karma clean (selflessness must count for something, right?).
ETA: I realize that Ms. S**** of 301 E 7x St may, in fact, be a Balloon Juice regular and read this, so, in any event have a good day…..
I can’t bring myself to keep up on any of the live blogs, but what’s going on now?
69.
Another Halocene Human
@eemom: Well, that has some historic echoes, don’t it.
70.
Cacti
Transcript of Zimmerman telling Hannity that he’d never heard of Stand Your Ground.
But don’t worry, this will somehow be good news for President McCain defendant Zimmerman.
71.
Narcissus
@The Snarxist Formerly Known as Kryptik: A witness was being interviewed via Skype with his Skype ID visible on screen so the courtroom got trolled by the internet. It was like something from Reno911.
Somehow, it makes me think that Skype is not the best way to video conference into an official court proceeding, even with security settings that could likely mitigate that kind of real-time trolling.
Here in West Virginia we’ve got a Republican’t Attorney General (for the first time in a long time) and he’s going to shut down the AG’s Consumer Protection division, so now there will be nothing. Businesses will be able to steal from old folks and lie to their customers, and unless you’re a lawyer or able to afford one, you’re screwed.
Even tho the AG has no constitutional authority over health care, he intends to manage health care standards so as to close women’s health care down, ala Texas. I expect he may be surprised at the reaction, WV isn’t as bible belt as much of the south. Common sense is still present in most folks.
@Betty Cracker: I wonder if this is being done to avoid a bunch of people losing hours at work. My sister works for a 2-year college, and she has been notified that “because of the Obama thing” she can no longer work more than 29 hours a week. EVER. So the 4 times a year during book rush, book buy-back, etc, that normally provide her with an additional income of 2,000 – that can no longer happen. They have to hire temp folks and give her hours to them.
I know this is also true for grocery store chains and Home Depot employees, so I assume it’s being done everywhere. The person I know who manages a large home depot says that many of his employees will have to leave there and get a different job because of the negative effect on their income.
This provision is supposed to help the EMPLOYEE, by making sure they get health insurance if they work 30 hours a week or more. But the way businesses are implementing it, it just means less income for the people this is supposed to help. See law of unintended consequences.
My brother-in-law who manages a store in a large grocery store chain has been informed that if even one part-time employee works 30-hours during even a single week, it will cost him his job.
So I’m guessing this delay today may be intended to buy some time to come up with a fix so the people this was intended to help don’t end up getting screwed.
@JR in WV: could you or someone please post a link to the video. I’m on a train on the border of VA and NC and the wifi is down, and the phone can’t “see” the video.
Another Halocene Human
Disgusting pigs shoot dog in street because owner was filming them.
Do NOT click if you love dogs–there are pictures. (NY Daily News)
Location: CA, cops white, owner black.
raven
@Another Halocene Human: A friend her in Athens had this happen to her a couple of years back and it was just a 30lb mutt. No camera though and nothing happened to the cop. BTW that is about a half a mile from my sisters house.
Another Halocene Human
Maybe I should say the dog’s “person”–a coworker of mine once ranted about how wrong it is to use the term “master”, and “owner” is just a substitute.
Dunno why cops get so pissed about video. They’re always coming around asking everyone else for video. Everybody else gets video’d on their job facing the public. Why should they be any different? If they go too far they know they have their 27%ers covering for them unlike the rest of us.
raven
Damn it is pouring AGAIN!
PeakVT
Things could get nasty in Egypt this evening.
Another Halocene Human
@raven: The guy in the photos is clearly not resisting. He was filming the cops so obviously he’s not going to do a runner. Why not have him settle his dog down and lock him in the fence? Why provoke the dog and then shoot it?
Elizabelle
@raven:
Yes, no coffee on the deck this morning. Listening to it rain and rain and rain, and enjoying the sound and the green out there.
Why, pray tell, were your relatives in Fort Wayne? (Sounds like you did not join them on the tour. Wise. Very wise.)
raven
@Another Halocene Human: I’m not defending it.
raven
@Elizabelle: My SIL is a homegirl. They like to take the kids there every few years to maintain contact.
Comrade Nimrod Humperdink
I remember Trigger Happy TV. It was fun while it lasted. Best uses for furry costumes I’ve ever seen.
Sibling Nonspecific Firearm of Random Adjective Followed by a Noun That Describes a Mental State (fka AWS)
Another day watching my romantic relationship burn. And a whole week to go. Woohoo!
Corner Stone
Anyone have any thoughts on this?
Health-Law Employer Mandate Delayed by U.S. Until 2015
“The government will postpone enforcement of the so-called employer mandate until 2015, after the congressional elections, the administration said yesterday. Under the provision, companies with 50 or more workers face a fine of as much as $3,000 per employee if they don’t offer affordable insurance. “
Another Halocene Human
apropos of nothing, why does adobe need administrator access when like no other program or plug-in does? who comes up with this crap?
every time I have to do it at home I worry about the security of my computer. Every time I have to do it at work I have to call IT and deal with their sarcasm and idiocy because I don’t have admin access (which is a good thing–but since I don’t have admin access why do I get IT flunkies who somehow think that I do… of course I don’t… you’re supposed to have it… IDIOTS)
really OT, a bunch of the people who work at IT at my job are sarcastic jerks. They say stupid shit, ask stupid questions, and talk down to me. Apparently they assume because of the division I work for that I know nothing about computers. They couldn’t be more wrong, but that’s another story. They set some policies which are pretty bog standard in the industry if not completely validated by, you know, “evidence”, like forcing people to frequently cycle passwords even though in my division many employees don’t use a computer daily. In fact… hehe… there are computers with the password written on the box… yeah. Wonder if they know that. (And they’ve done other, stupider things, and I saved their ass, not that I ever got a shred of acknowledgement from them–when they fucked up our 20yr old system clearly it was OUR problem that we had a legacy system, not THEIR fault for breaking it.)
Anyway, I’d updated as prompted, been away from the computer for some weeks, and realized I didn’t know the NEW password, called IT and the asshole on the other end thought it would be funny to pretend that it was just so much trouble to change it and blah blah. I knew this was not true so I didn’t react. I was trying not to cuss him out. We wouldn’t have been having that conversation if they didn’t do password cycling so the calls were a cost of doing business, not the fault of the end user. Realizing he was getting total silence instead of the lulzy apologies envisioned he suddenly changed tack and gave me my temp password.
Had I done this to a customer my ass would have been in the boss’ office faster than you can say “failure to meet service standards”.
I don’t get why they’re allowed to get away with this shit.
Corner Stone
@Sibling Nonspecific Firearm of Random Adjective Followed by a Noun That Describes a Mental State (fka AWS): Why is there a timeframe?
Sibling Nonspecific Firearm of Random Adjective Followed by a Noun That Describes a Mental State (fka AWS)
@Corner Stone: because we had something scheduled, and it’s not something I can back out of. So, there’s a week, at least.
Hill Dweller
@Corner Stone:
(via ThinkProgress)
Betty Cracker
@Corner Stone: I just found out about it and am still trying to figure out exactly what it means. The media accounts seem to say the mandate itself is inoperative until 2015 while the statement from the admin says they’re delaying implementation of reporting requirements.
Omnes Omnibus
@Corner Stone: Pressure from Dems up for reelection in 2014?
Another Halocene Human
@Corner Stone: It’s clear that we’re not entirely ready. I think Obama is also hoping for a slightly better Congress in 2014, also, too.
Being able to buy insurance in the exchange is a major positive… however, a bunch of states with low wages failed to join the medicaid expansion, and there could just be a lot of turmoil. I think it’s not entirely unexpected. The industry has been working on this but it’s just not ready.
Yeah, NRF thinks this is a big victory. This is why we need to keep hammering them on a state by state basis. They are fighting laws to get paid sick days for food service employees. These kinds of laws always pass plebiscite BECAUSE DUH SICK FOOD SERVICE EMPLOYEES!?! and the ballot measures I’ve seen are for less sick days than most white collar employees get so they don’t feel like the food service employees are getting over.
DARDEN (Red Lobster and Olive Garden) fought the law in Orlando all the way to Tallahassee getting the hypocrites there to pass an anti-home-rule law to prevent paid sick days in Orange County or anywhere else in Florida. They meant to torpedo wage theft/recovery ordnances too, but failed. Wage theft has to be dealt with by counties b/c the DOL is underfunded and JEB! got the state out of the business.
In a normal state, the state AG protects consumers, the state labor & safety offices protect workers and wages, but, you know, Florida. We’re still on the plantation. And DISNEY and DARDEN aim to keep us there.
Tell a manager next time you’re at DISNEY how great you feel about coming to Florida where sick workers must report to work.
rikyrah
http://thegrio.com/2013/07/02/rep-james-clyburn-urges-national-standards-in-revised-voting-rights-act/
Another Halocene Human
@raven: oh no, didn’t say you were, just expressing my disbelief a little more
debbie
@Another Halocene Human:
I also work at a corporation where passwords recycle, but I’ve got four systems I need passwords for — none asking for a new password at the same time and each timing out after 15 minutes. I seriously suspect I spend close to an hour each day signing back in to everything. My proof that I do not have Alzheimers is that I can remember all of my passwords (at least 99% of the time).
Anyway, there is no greater punishment that an employee here can suffer than to have to call the Help Desk.
Betty Cracker
@Another Halocene Human: I like the functionality of Adobe apps (or rather I sort of know how to use them so I don’t bother finding alternatives because I’m too lazy), but I fucking HATE the administrative interface, which is an intrusive pain in the arse.
JPL
@raven: My son’s little Maltese, Nona, is coming over today and staying until Sunday. She loves romping in the backyard with Miss Moxie so will be disappointed that they have to stay inside.
Monday, I found out Miss Moxie has a tumor, actually I found it over the weekend. It was just confirmed on Monday. She’s a mutt that I rescued over eleven years ago and best guess, she was three at the time. ugh….
Another Halocene Human
@Betty Cracker: What media reports? I didn’t see that on initial reports and if they did that, first, I don’t think Obama can walk down something required by Congress, secondly, employers are already educating employees so that would really induce turmoil, third, the fine is $95. I’ve been talking to coworkers and only the people who already ride wide open with no health insurance think that is a good deal. The rest are going to pay for at least their employee plan (all that is required, as I explained to them) because not having insurances is a lot more expensive than that.
I’m worried about a friend of mine. State won’t give her medicaid, which she qualifies for, because of a papers, please mixup. Is she going to be fined? How is that fair? Fuck REAL ID.
Corner Stone
@Betty Cracker: At this point I’m thinking it is largely a political move.
I’m not really sure the benefits of delaying this relatively small piece, since the GOP in 2014 is absolutely going to run on the job killing ACA in any event, no matter what happens.
I flipped in and out of Morning Joe while they grilled Axelrod on it but he just song and danced, as expected.
It just seems like an odd decision. Glad to hear more after you think on it a bit.
Corner Stone
@Omnes Omnibus: Still trying to figure out what it buys them. Seems like making it happen at least gives the air of competence.
raven
@Another Halocene Human: Got ya.
Another Halocene Human
@Betty Cracker: Hey, it’s not YOUR fault. Actually, your post up top was a coinkydink. Adobe has been prompting me to update for a week because it has a critical update. Somehow life, the universe, network security itself, my computer and ALMOST EVERYTHING depend on this update and in 6 months I’ll get told that Flash has a critical security problem AGAIN and…
Seriously. Lame.
Corner Stone
@debbie: Bruce Schneier, among others, have done several series on password security theater.
The comic XKCD has done some bits as well.
It seems with all the new technology the security gurus are still stuck in the 1980’s password model. Or maybe it’s the pushback from business leaders’ decision making. It’s probably not all IT’s fault.
Omnes Omnibus
@rikyrah: Works for me.
debbie
@Corner Stone:
Republicans would have had a field day politicizing any difficulty with a smooth implementation. They’re just pissed off Obama’s taken another issue away from them.
Keith
@Another Halocene Human: Your co-worker needs to get a hobby.
rikyrah
http://www.politicususa.com/2013/07/02/obamas-brilliant-move-deals-blow-gops-2014-hopes.html
Rex Everything
No it’s not. Don’t be a fucking idiot.
rikyrah
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/07/03/19265900-north-carolina-trying-to-pull-a-texas-on-reproductive-rights?lite
Corner Stone
@rikyrah: The GOP is still going to run against the job killing ACA. It’s all they were ever going to do, with maybe some anti-browns stuff to stoke a few extra votes.
They don’t care about reality, witness Death Panels.
It seems like the ACA was set as a stretch goal in the beginning, which had its own good and bad aspects. This seems curious to me, regardless of Mr. Easley’s effervescent praise.
rikyrah
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/07/02/19254258-the-war-on-voting-in-a-post-vra-world?lite
Higgs Boson's Mate
@Another Halocene Human:
Our town must be an exception. The PD’s cruisers are equipped with multiple cameras that can be turned on manually and that turn on automatically when the car goes to Code 2 or Code 3. The system is pretty sophisticated. If they pull over a car the one camera automatically zooms in on the license plate and holds for a few seconds. The video, as well as the sound from the mic on the officer’s radio are recorded on a hard drive in the cruiser. The drives are swapped out at the end of each shift. They’re only accessible to the watch commander and the chief.
It’s a good system. It’s also expensive. We buy Ford Crown Vics for our cruisers and then have $35,000 worth of gear installed. We’re a small town and City Hall had the presence of mind to hire a grant writer so the money is there for a lot of things. Not every place can afford these setups.
Shakezula
@rikyrah: Cutting unemployment benefits and now this. North Carolina must want additional federal aid that would come from cleaning up after a riot.
This was posted here by someone else but I am reposting it because it needs to be posted, a lot:
The anti-choice movement in one photo
Corner Stone
@raven:
Could use some of that here. We have a damn pressure system out of the Gulf that stops pretty much any front that comes our way from the West or North. Stalls it out between Austin and Houston.
Corner Stone
@Sibling Nonspecific Firearm of Random Adjective Followed by a Noun That Describes a Mental State (fka AWS):
Open heart surgery or other live saving organ transplant? Birth of a child? Funeral of a loved one?
Having trouble thinking of something else I couldn’t pick up the phone and cancel.
Corner Stone
@Hill Dweller: Yes, that’s what is confusing me to this point.
kc
@Hill Dweller:
It sounds like the biggest assholes are the ones getting a break.
Citizen_X
@Shakezula: Bwah ha ha!
OST, maybe the guy actually was aborted.
Betty Cracker
@Rex Everything: Don’t be a fucking literal-minded prig. It’s too early for that shit.
gogol's wife
@Citizen_X:
That’s all I could think!
The Snarxist Formerly Known as Kryptik
@rikyrah:
@rikyrah:
This shit is why I find myself so despondent these days. It’s a fucking microcosm of what American politics works on: when sane, liberal or Democratic legislation is under consideration, it takes fucking years of slogging through even once optimal conditions arise, and then you get the instant accusations of ‘ramming it through’ or ‘shoving it down Americans’ throats’.
But when Republicans and conservatives want something? SHIT CAN’T FUCKING MOVE FAST ENOUGH, and it’s all super mega ultra important and has to be done NOW NOW NOW FUCKING NOW. And they fucking win before anyone’s even fucking allowed to say shit because the entire fucking system is wired for express GOP fucking control.
Applejinx
Why hasn’t Balloon Juice jumped all over North Carolina passing an anti-sharia law that had anti-abortion stuff crammed into it at the last minute as a rider?
I’m pretty surprised that my twitter is exploding with this stuff and there’s no Balloon Juice thread. It seems like right in BJ’s wheelhouse.
Rex Everything
@Betty Cracker: “Prig”? No, I just don’t think the NEA should fund the kind of shit that totally discredits it in the minds of Archie and Edith.
If you weren’t being literal, neither was I, I guess, but why post such a stupid vid?
maya
Re: snail crossing. Must have been on his way to the Post Office. Also, too, obviously a European (England?) town. Drivers on right and cool looking van on right side. Also, too, plus, drivers were very polite and actually waited till snailman was out of crossing. Had that been NYC he would have been escargot sans garlic.
Cacti
Today in the Trayvon Martin murder trial:
Zimmy had an overall 1.5 GPA in his college courses, but was the star pupil in his class that taught about SYG and self-defense.
Bonus: he lied in his Hannity interview, saying that his classes never taught about SYG.
Slowly, slowly, the ball of lies in unraveling.
Another Halocene Human
@Keith: I dunno, I thought he was kind of brilliant.
maya
@Rex Everything: Wasn’t even an American town, El Roy de Massimo, so I doubt that NEA would even have been involved. But continue on with your own personal proclamation day parade. Don’t let reality rain on it.
eemom
latest in Teh Snowden. Now he has Austria at war with Bolivia.
BIBLE_DUDE1
@Cacti: It’s sad enough that Zimmerman was forced to kill a teenager. Now he’s having his reputation slimed on the internet. Horrible.
Mnemosyne
@BIBLE_DUDE1:
Unlimited corporate cash? Is that you?
BIBLE_DUDE1
@Mnemosyne: Pardon?
Cacti
@BIBLE_DUDE1:
Zimmerman’s cheering section seems far from sad that he got to dispatch a negro with his trusty peacemaker. Mostly envious, I’d say.
rikyrah
If you want to follow the George Zimmerman trial live blog:
http://3chicspolitico.com/2013/07/03/state-of-florida-vs-george-zimmerman-trial-day-8/
ruemara
@Applejinx: Not enough Snowden/GG vs Obama, History’s Greatest Dictator. Too much vagina.
@Another Halocene Human: This is why it works best to give creatives admin level access. Even at my gov network, we get our own admin level access. We’re responsible for more of our own IT, but we alleviate having to bug our IS guys constantly for stuff like this. Unless you have a stupid and cruel Director (always a strong possibility), maybe they’d be open to that?
maya
@Mnemosyne: @Cacti: Jeebus H. Christ, STOP FEEDING THE TROLL. He’ll just follow you home and then you’ll have to pay for all his shots when you get him neutered. FREE Healthcare is all he’s looking for.
Betty Cracker
@Rex Everything: Of course I wasn’t being literal. Sweet tap-dancing Jesus. (Who wasn’t necessarily “sweet” in the sense that he wasn’t, as far as we know, covered in sugar or another carbohydrate composed of hydrogen, carbon and oxygen. Or tap-dancing. Or even a real historical figure.)
Why post the vid? Because I think it’s funny.
Narcissus
jesus christ is anyone watching the Zimmerman trial
holy fuck
Mnemosyne
@maya:
I was just trying to figure out if it was one of our regulars or a newbie.
Jay C
I actually got to do a good deed this morning! I was coming home from the market, and I saw, lying on the sidewalk, what turned out to be a drivers’ license and two credit cards. I saw the address was just around the corner (this was the UES of Manhattan), so I walked half a block out of my way, and returned the cards to the person’s building. The doorman said the tenant would (no surprise) be happy to get them back – but I left without giving my name, just to keep my karma clean (selflessness must count for something, right?).
ETA: I realize that Ms. S**** of 301 E 7x St may, in fact, be a Balloon Juice regular and read this, so, in any event have a good day…..
Another Halocene Human
Boston Bishop’s Mansion to be sold–FINALLY!!
http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/2001/03/Boston-Archdiocese-To-Sell-Bishops-Mansion.aspx?p=1
The Snarxist Formerly Known as Kryptik
@Narcissus:
I can’t bring myself to keep up on any of the live blogs, but what’s going on now?
Another Halocene Human
@eemom: Well, that has some historic echoes, don’t it.
Cacti
Transcript of Zimmerman telling Hannity that he’d never heard of Stand Your Ground.
But don’t worry, this will somehow be good news for
President McCaindefendant Zimmerman.Narcissus
@The Snarxist Formerly Known as Kryptik: A witness was being interviewed via Skype with his Skype ID visible on screen so the courtroom got trolled by the internet. It was like something from Reno911.
The Snarxist Formerly Known as Kryptik
@Narcissus:
New fangled internet machines and shit.
Somehow, it makes me think that Skype is not the best way to video conference into an official court proceeding, even with security settings that could likely mitigate that kind of real-time trolling.
JR in WV
@Another Halocene Human:
Here in West Virginia we’ve got a Republican’t Attorney General (for the first time in a long time) and he’s going to shut down the AG’s Consumer Protection division, so now there will be nothing. Businesses will be able to steal from old folks and lie to their customers, and unless you’re a lawyer or able to afford one, you’re screwed.
Even tho the AG has no constitutional authority over health care, he intends to manage health care standards so as to close women’s health care down, ala Texas. I expect he may be surprised at the reaction, WV isn’t as bible belt as much of the south. Common sense is still present in most folks.
Steeplejack
@Jay C:
Meanwhile, the doorman is out on a spending spree with her credit cards.
Ramalama
That video was hilarious. I can’t stop laughing. Thanks for posting it.
JR in WV
Oh, forgot to add, the snail film is inspired wackjob performance art of the finest order! I highly approve!
I am not a kook
@Betty Cracker: This exchange has convinced me to shelve my “mebbe start a blog” TODO item for another five years.
Shakezula
@Betty Cracker: Psst. Read his name aloud.
WaterGIrl
@Sibling Nonspecific Firearm of Random Adjective Followed by a Noun That Describes a Mental State (fka AWS): I’ve been mostly away for awhile, so maybe you have seen this coming, but I’m so sorry to hear it. Anything we can do? Besides commiserate?
WaterGIrl
@Betty Cracker: I wonder if this is being done to avoid a bunch of people losing hours at work. My sister works for a 2-year college, and she has been notified that “because of the Obama thing” she can no longer work more than 29 hours a week. EVER. So the 4 times a year during book rush, book buy-back, etc, that normally provide her with an additional income of 2,000 – that can no longer happen. They have to hire temp folks and give her hours to them.
I know this is also true for grocery store chains and Home Depot employees, so I assume it’s being done everywhere. The person I know who manages a large home depot says that many of his employees will have to leave there and get a different job because of the negative effect on their income.
This provision is supposed to help the EMPLOYEE, by making sure they get health insurance if they work 30 hours a week or more. But the way businesses are implementing it, it just means less income for the people this is supposed to help. See law of unintended consequences.
My brother-in-law who manages a store in a large grocery store chain has been informed that if even one part-time employee works 30-hours during even a single week, it will cost him his job.
So I’m guessing this delay today may be intended to buy some time to come up with a fix so the people this was intended to help don’t end up getting screwed.
Opie_jeanne
@JR in WV: could you or someone please post a link to the video. I’m on a train on the border of VA and NC and the wifi is down, and the phone can’t “see” the video.
Scamp Dog
@Citizen_X: OST?