A bill came in the mail after my wife died, demanding hundreds of dollars for her ambulance ride to the
hospital. This week, five billionaires became shrimp food — what do you suppose their families will be billed, for the attempted
but failed rescue? … [read more]

CRANKY OLD FART
WITH THE NEWS #331
Thursday, June 22, 2023 • Revealed: New Orleans archdiocese has concealed serial child molester since 1999 

• Scientists on Twitter head for the exit • McDonald’s & fandom replaced a wiki page with an advertisement • Religious wingnut wants to buy the land around Slab City • Authors and parents sue Lake County Schools over banned book about penguin family
• Reddit experiments with removing mods, blocking attempts to switch subs to NSFW • Reddit filters out insults aimed at its CEO Ah, Reddit — thanks for 15~ years of happy and occasionally pissed-off memories, but it’s time I bid you adieu.With … [read more]

I don’t talk much at work, at home, or even at breakfast with my family. I’m an introvert. Talking is difficult, and drains my energy.Weirdly, though, I like talking with homeless people, and you know why? … [read more]

Here’s the plot twist we all saw coming: Turns out that if you ask your boss for more money and less hours, plus tell her that you’re not gonna do the new task she wants you to do, the answer will probably be no. … [read more]

CRANKY OLD FART
WITH THE NEWS #330
leftovers & links
Tuesday, June 20, 2023
• Judges still cite cases in which enslaved people are property 

• Workers sue secretive elite club Bohemian Grove for wage theft • Majority of Americans would like to return to time before cell phones, internet, according to new poll • The Washington Post is mad that debt ceiling deal didn’t cut Social Security • Power companies spend millions to fight Maine’s proposed non-profit utility • Disney, Microsoft, and the NBA have ads next to neo-Nazi propaganda on Twitter • In case you haven’t been keeping up with the latest in Reddit drama • Protest appears to have had a small but noticeable effect on Reddit traffic Well, nobody thought the place would topple. … [read more]

After work, it’s a ten minute walk to the bus stop, at a busy park-and-ride facility, where I catch the bus from the island to Seattle.It … [read more]

Reliably, when I’m talking to almost anyone and the topic of ‘downtown’ or ‘riding the bus’ comes up, their reaction is at least mild revulsion, and sometimes not so mild. … [read more]

Here are three quick (but not quick enough) stories that were going one way but surprised me in the end. It’s M Night Shyamalan’s universe; we only rent here. … [read more]