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Chihuahuas aren't really dogs, of course. Dogs are pretty smart in general, and chihuahuas are just plain stupid.

Anyway, after reading that chihuahuas are good for people with asthma, I decided to get one for the wife, many years ago. The creatures aren't very durable, and the wife wore that one out. But, the presence of the chihuahua really does seem to help with her asthma. The always present inhaler has pretty much disappeared from her life. There's one laying around, but she almost never needs it, and when she does need it, she has to search for it.

But, back the the stupid creatures - I usually address the chihuahuas as "Stupid". "You want out, Stupid?" A normal dog will spring into springy mode immediately, bouncing up and down in front of the door, waiting for you to catch up to him. The chihuahua, instead, looks at you blankly, mulling the concept of "outside" for awhile. Sometime later, sometimes even on the same day, the creature decides, "Yes, outside!" then starts jumping up and down.

So, the wife heard me telling her pet, one more time, that he was dumb as a rock. "Why do you say he's stupid?" "Because he's dumber than a rock, of course." "Well, you're going to give the dog a complex!" "He already has a complexion - kinda black with a red tint, which is why you named him Cocoa." "Well, stop calling him stupid!"

Hmmmm. I snatched the animal up, walked through the door, attached his tie-out lead, and put him down. Then, I walked around the yard picking up several rocks. I didn't even pick and choose for smart looking rocks, I did my best to just pick them at random. I carried the rocks inside, and arranged them on the floor. The wife is looking at me weird, but she often does that, I paid her no mind. After awhile, I brought the animal back inside, and carried him to where the rocks sat in a semicircle. The wife followed me into the living room, and watched while I administered an intelligence test to the animal and the minerals.

Sample question found on Youtube for intelligence tests for rocks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH2P3qQYUFc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qw1BmB5ALHo

The chihuahua scored behind six rocks, and ahead of four other rocks, "proving" that a chihuahua is truly "dumb as a box of rocks".

Be warned - testing the IQ's of rocks can be time consuming, and tedious. You must be prepared to wait for the rocks, and you must be able to "interpret" the rock's answers. Which is only fair, because you also have to "interpret" the chihuahua's answers. If you've ever been employed as an historical site "interpreter", you'll be well prepared for this endeavor.

I wish there were a real dog that were purported to be "good for asthma". Why not a border collie? Or, and Irish setter? *sigh*

Recall that I'm endlessly going on about Vitamin B12. Methylcobalamin is the natural form, in supplements and fortified foods it's Cyanocobalamin. My understanding is that it's the Cobalamin which is a key component of our metabolism.

I read somewhere that B12 is only found in meat and fungus. That article was quite specific that it was found in _all_ fungus. A Soylentil whose nick just now escapes me pointed out that it's _not_ found in fungus, rather that the nutritional yeast that the Vegans are so heavily into is fortified with the stuff.

My cousin is a Vegan; he went totally bananas when I spammed my entire family with the news that I'd be focussing on steaks so as to treat my Anemia, that at the time I figured was due to blood loss from my Kidney Surgery. He gave me some eminently reasonable advice to transition gradually to become at first the Vegetarian, then later a Vegan.

But he also specifically pointed out that he takes B12 tablets.

While some say I'm a Rocket Scientist, Glenn really _is_ a Rocket Scientist. The _only_ thing he's ever told me about his work is that "It has to do with GPS". That he's never said more than that, and that there's nowhere to stand let alone sit in his apartment due to the giant stacks of Physics and Electrical Engineering texts in his apartment and all the way up the walls to his ceiling - every last one of them in Russian, "So as to keep my Russian up"! - lead me to regard it as impolite to ask my favorite cousin to blow his clearance.

Just now I had an office visit with a Neurologist; Dr. Hamburg struck me as quite knowledgeable.

She suggested my Aphasia and Short Term Memory Loss could be a Vitamin B12 deficiency. That's well known to cause really serious brain disorders in vegans who don't take B12 supplements.

She ordered a certain blood test for a chemical that is a metabolite of B12.

I'm not a vegan or vegetarian but I eat very little meat. But I've suspected I'm deficient in the stuff because I also have Anemia; B12 is required to make Red Blood Cells.

More specifically, it's a key component of the process of transcribing DNA into the chains of Amino Acids of which Protein is composed. There are many non-Protein chemicals in our bodies; some of them are compounds of protein and something else, some are nutrients such as Lorenzo's Oil, some are other compounds whose synthesis is catalyzed by Enzymes, which are particularly reactive Proteins.

That name-unrecalled Soylentil also pointed out that B12 doesn't come directly from animals, rather it's made by bacteria. That beef is rich in it is due to soil bacteria colonizing one of a cow's four stomachs. But I expect that corn fed beef could be deficient as well. I don't know yet whether cows actually _require_ B12 but if so, then their feed corn would be fortified with it. Again I don't know about meat from other species of animals.

That our name-unrecalled Soylentil clued me in about the soil bacteria, and that a fellow NedSpace member does marketing for a Portland Kombucha brewer led me to speculate about making a variety of Kombucha with B12 bacteria in it. But that natural - not fortified or supplemented - is found only in animal meat and cultured animal products leads me to expect you can't brew B12 Kombucha.

That's just as well: while I greatly enjoy taking a break by drinking a bottle of the vast quantities of Kombucha that my marketing colleague keeps our fridge stocked with, despite that Kombucha has very little alcohol in it, because as my ex Bonita was wont to say, "Mike drinks like a girl", just one bottle of that fizzy, refreshing beverage puts me under the table.

(By contrast, being from a sea-faring culture, Bonita drinks like a fish.)

My Facebook Friend Chiraag Nataraj - also a vegan - gets his B12 from Kefir, a cultured milk beverage. That led me to look for a list of foods that are high in B12, resulting in my reading The A list of B12 foods at the Harvard Medical School website.

Clams have vast quantities of B12. I really enjoy all manner of clams and other shellfish, but around here - Vancouver Washington and Portland Oregon - they are somewhat expensive. For me to adopt clams as a staple food in my diet might be a problem due to absorption of such ocean pollutants as the Mercury that is thrown high into the air by burning coal, a far more short-term problem than climate change. But really I don't know so I'll research that further, as well as shop around for clams as well as - possibly - other B12-rich seafoods.

Yogurt has lots of B12 so just a couple weeks ago I started eating vast quantities of the stuff so as to treat my Anemia.

Maybe I'll have to remain a coder rather than making it as a Rock Star. ;-D

I do find great inspiration from Brian May, a guitarist and founding member of Queen. Despite being a Rock Star he is _also_ an Astronomer. Not just a hobbyist: one of his experiments is in _orbit_.

But Brian still has Big Hair, whereas I'm doing pretty good when I manage to sprout any hair at all. ;-(

PS: It won't be long at all before I make more money as a Singer than I can make writing code for clients. More about that in a subsequent Wall Of Text.

I've got an appointment with a neurologist in 2 1/2 hours. Usually such specialist appointments take three months to obtain but my recent visits to the ER led to this one getting expedited.

I had this grand plan that I would turn in early, so I would be fresh as a daisy, if not actually able to speak coherently.

Instead I was up until 1:30 AM, set my alarm for 9:30, then got a call at 8:30 from one of my neurologists staff with a question about my insurance.

Perhaps I'd feel better if I ran myself through with my father's ceremonial sword.

Festive Satanic statue added to Illinois statehouse

A satanic group has added its own statue to a series of displays in the government building of the US state of Illinois to mark the festive season.

Placed between a Christmas tree and a menorah, the four-foot sculpture depicts a snake coiled around an outstretched arm holding an apple.

It's the first display sponsored by the Chicago chapter of the Temple of Satan.

The state government said the temple had the same right as other religious groups to have a display.

"Under the Constitution, the First Amendment, people have a right to express their feelings, their thoughts," Dave Druker, spokesman for the Illinois secretary of state, told the State Journal-Register. "This recognises that."

The move has been criticised on social media by Illinois Family Action, an anti-abortion pressure group.

Thank you Satan, very cool.

See also: Netflix and Satanic Temple settle £38m lawsuit over Sabrina remake

(I'm logged in with Tor Browser so as to ensure my privacy and anonymity.)

To Wit:

He at first tried to snatch a five-spot from someone's
hand, but that quick-thinking fellow shoved his hand - and his five -
in his pocket.

I grabbed that Enterprising Young Man around his neck while he was
still leaning down then patiently and lucidly explained that "I'm
calling the cops unless you give that _back_!"

I once studied Judo, a purely _defensive_ martial art, which even when
used in Production only rarely injures one's attacker.

He dropped my Samoleons, I let him go then he belted me right in the
head, so hard that I saw the world spin round. I was dizzy for several
minutes after.

Get This:

"I was doing you a favor! I could have traded that money for _more_ money."

Yet I remain skeptical.

He claimed that he acted in his own self-defense despite my not having
injured him in any way, and despite my having let go of him before he
punched me. In the direct presence of a whole bunch of witnesses, he
repeatedly and asserted that I'd punched him first.

He Damn near got Tazered by a helpful bystander who was just on his
way to collect donations for The Salvation Army.

ProTip: Don't Mess With The Salvation Army.

I called 9-1-1 while he and I were still arguing but realized the
Dispatcher was losing precious time so I gave my report, my name and
my number.

By the time I got off the phone he'd walked out of sight but I gave
the Dispatcher quite a good visual description. It was not long at all
before a Prowler drove expeditiously past, it's driver and and I
exchanging smiles and thumbs up.

Officer Hubbard of the Portland Police Bureau turned up next. He asked
Mr. Salvation Army for a quick witness report then the Officer had him
write down his name and number in his notebook.

And yes, Portland's new Police Chief really _is_ named Chief Outlaw. :-0

After I gave him a more detailed report, Officer Hubbard took my name,
number and home address.

"If you capture him, I will enthusiastically press charges because..."

"I know. These guys even hit Nordstrom sometimes" - I was singing
right in front of its main entrance in Downtown Portland - "and the
cafes".

I told all the witnesses that "After I chill for a bit I'll resume
singing" but was still so shaken after Portland's Finest department
that I walked back to work. I just ate lunch back at work, and I
really _will_ go back out then sing in front of Nordstrom again.

Made eight clams by doing so.

As of late I've been opening with "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" but for
the foreseeable future I'll open instead with "Battle Hymn Of The
Republic".

That particular song works _quite_ well for me.

Defiantly,

Michael David Crawford, Baritone

For a while now there's been a Truly Righteous Donut Shop just one block from my home. "Righteous" in that they serve espresso drinks and ice cream as well, and have free WiFi.

But I'm their _only_ regular.

I'd go every morning but I've been busted because I've had no clients for several months. But whenever I sing on the street I make a point of spending some of my tips there, usually a medium coffee but sometimes a scoop of ice cream with a shot of espresso poured over it - try that yourself, it's Truly Righteous as well.

They've had quite a lot of trouble finding enough employees. Their location behind a large bus shelter makes them difficult to see from the street, and their sign does not light up at night. They sadly told me they'd be closing soon. Their saving grace is that their other location sells donuts like hotcakes.

I'm friends with most of the people who work there. Most weekends I'll take the bus to that other location, when Spring comes I'll ride my bike.

One Monday I clued in to that I have a clear path to earning more money by singing on the street than by contract programming. That's not at all because I'm such a bad coder but because I've gotten to be a Truly Righteous singer - my best song is Somewhere Over The Rainbow followed closely by The Start Spangled Banner.

All but a very few of the clients I've ever signed have taken at least a month to close, quite commonly three months. I have not the first clue as to how to estimate software cost and time, so throughout this whole time I've commonly underbid jobs.

What's the very most Righteous about busking is that I get paid on the spot.

The gating factors to my singing full-time are that a congenital deformity in my hips leads it to being painful to stand in one place for an extended period of time, however I'm hopeful that having a Podiatrist make me a custom pair of Shoe Orthotics would fix that - my insurance will cover it if I'm referred by my Primary Care Physician.

Also an obstacle is my small set list. I don't sing it repeatedly at any one venue so as to avoid driving my neighbors bananas while they're at their places of employment in Downtown Portland. I have a really, really hard time with memorizing new lyrics; the only way I can do so is to read from printed lyrics that I hold in my hand as I sing. Strangely no one objects to this aside from one Useless Bint who pointed out that if I can afford an iPad to read lyrics from, then surely I don't really need my tips.

Strangely she would not have objected to my $1,500 Fatar MIDI Controller - no sound, I use an Emu sound module for that - nor my $250 Busker's Roland Busker's Amp, so-called because it can run off batteries.

But I don't want to catch crap like that so always I read from hardcopies. But that leads to my plan to license in-copyright song lyrics and sheet music - ORLY? RLY! - then sell songbooks as I sing.

Finally, there remain some serious problems with my voice, most serious that that singing high notes often make me cough uncontrollably. But I've had enough professional Voice Lessons that I know how to fix that problem all on my own:

Sing Vocal Exercises accompanied by my keyboard, mostly successively higher scales - I can play all twelve Western music Major Scales as well as all three variations of the Minor Scales with both hands in parallel motion, up and down.

Mick Jagger is well into his eighties, even _he_ still singles scales every single day. I'll go do so right now.

Politically connected sex offender Jeffrey Epstein settles suit, averting victim testimony

A last-minute settlement has been reached in Florida in a long-running lawsuit involving a politically connected financier accused of sexually abusing dozens of teenage girls.

The deal came Tuesday just before jury selection was to begin, and for now, it means none of the victims of Jeffrey Epstein will be able to testify.

Article text replaced:

A last-minute settlement was reached Tuesday in a long-running Florida lawsuit involving a politically connected financier accused of sexually abusing dozens of teenage girls, clearing the way for the victims’ lawyers to try to unravel a once-secret agreement that prevented federal criminal prosecution of the financier.

[...] Epstein could have faced a possible life sentence if federal prosecutors had pursued a draft 57-page indictment that was never filed. Now, Scarola and Edwards say that possibility still exists, and the victims — some of whom were only 13 or 14 when they were molested — may yet get their day in federal court amid a national #metoo movement that seeks to hold sexual harassers and abusers to account.

[...] The settlement reached Tuesday involved a lawsuit Epstein filed against Edwards almost a decade ago. Edwards filed a counterclaim, contending that Epstein sued him maliciously, trying to harm Edwards’ reputation and derail his work with Epstein’s own abuse victims.

Jeffrey Epstein apology deprives accusers of day in court

Until his disgrace, Epstein rubbed shoulders with the likes of former President Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Prince Andrew.

The money manager - the subject of a bombshell Miami Herald investigation last week - was accused of trafficking some 40 teenage girls.

Epstein eventually agreed a plea deal widely seen as extraordinarily lenient. His accusers never got the chance to testify.

The prosecutor criticised for letting Epstein off the hook was Alexander Acosta, who is now labour secretary in the Trump administration.

Lawmakers call for investigation into Labor Secretary Acosta for sex offender plea deal

The lawmakers, which include 10 representatives from Florida, are asking the Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General to investigate the "circumstances" surrounding the nonprosecution agreement Acosta entered into with Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy Florida investor who was convicted on two counts of prostitution in 2007.

A new Miami Herald investigation provides details into the deal Acosta and Epstein struck after Epstein was accused of sexually abusing dozens of young girls, many of whom were minors. Epstein was facing a life sentence in federal prison but only served 13 months in county jail as a result of the plea deal with Acosta.

Don't worry - I won't.

I won't tell a human soul other than those in a position to fix it, however it's a systemic weakness, and cannot be fixed by issuing patches. This problem won't get fixed until the IETF issues some future RFCs - more than one of them - and even then, not until those new standards are _widely_ implemented.

I've never mentioned this in a public way - this is the very _first_ time I've done so - and I've only told one other person that I know how, but not how it would be done.

If you're in a position to implement new RFCs at your company, or in your contributions to a Free Software or Open Source codebase that you are a _commiter_ to, please fetch my OpenPGP key from a keyserver, if your key isn't already there, please submit it then _email_ your key fingerprint - I think that's 16 digits of hex or so - then I'll add it to my keyring.

$ gpg --keyserver pgp.mit.edu --list-keys 69297A03F84E2022
pub rsa4096 2018-11-18 [SC] [expires: 2023-11-17]
            87741D160E80D4F860A192FE69297A03F84E2022
uid [ultimate] Michael David Crawford
sub rsa4096 2018-11-18 [E] [expires: 2023-11-17]

Note that I do not yet have a key for mike@soggywizards.com.

$ gpg --keyserver pgp.mit.edu --receive-key 69297A03F84E2022

Please do _not_ sign my key - nor anyone else's - unless I show your my _passport_ in your direct presence. That my technical articles are so popular led a few complete strangers who I'd never met to sign my old key. The key I've got now is _only_ self-signed.

Please keep it that way until we meet for coffee. But not a beer; I only get drunk when a close friend has been unlucky in love. Then we both Pray To The Porcelain God.

I must be purposefully oblique about the details I provide until I can feel certain not just that those who I share this with will keep a lid on it but also until I've found enough RFC-implementors that once I do provide the details, they'll be able to apply the fixes expeditiously.

It happens that I know some primary developers of some stacks. I also know some leading security experts. I'll explain this to a few of them first. I'm on good terms with some vendors' security people, I'll explain it to them as well.

By mid-afternoon Tuesday of this last week I was completely convinced that my only hope was to go on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).

However, starting early Wednesday morning I wrote a few Walls Of Text. While at first I made lots of unconscious word substitutions, eventually those cleared up.

A couple hours I recorded myself reading out loud the last section of Living with Schizoaffective Disorder. I repeatedly substituted just one word and mispronounced a few others. Later this morning I'll record myself reading the whole thing, each section in a separate file then will compare my first attempt at that last section with my second.

Whether I qualify for SSDI and how much I would get both depend quite a lot on when my disability commenced. I will argue that it was in May 2010, and could come up with documentation for that in the form of shrink and mental hospital records.

To apply, one needs to have been employed a certain minimum number of calendar quarters for the ten years preceding the onset of one's disability. One's payout is based on the average over those ten years.

I earned oodles of money from 2000 through 2008, so I'd be set for life if I can demonstrated that my onset was really in 2010. I have some reason to believe that in late May of that year I left my witch doctor a voice mail in the form of Word Salad, an exceedingly rare symptom of Psychosis. His receptionist replied also with a voice mail; clearly she was unable to understand what I said, but recommended that I admit myself, which I actually did.

But the Social Security Administration will argue that it would have been on the day I applied - Wednesday.

To be approved for Disability at all depends on the report from a doctor that the SSA will send me to (and pay for themselves). Whether that doctor supports my claim will depend on whether my Broca's Aphasia - also called Expressive Aphasia - is giving me trouble that particular day.

Navy Admiral Scott Stearney Is Found Dead in Bahrain Home

The admiral overseeing American naval operations in the Middle East and Southwest Asia was found dead in Bahrain on Saturday, the Navy said.

[...] Admiral Stearney, 58, took charge in May of the Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, as well as a broader naval coalition there that includes more than 20,000 United States and allied maritime forces.

[...] The American-led naval forces play an important role in safeguarding such vital regional waterways as the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. In recent years, the naval forces have confronted threats including marauding pirates, harassing Iranian revolutionary guard attack boats, weapons smugglers, and Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen firing missiles at commercial ships.

Senior U.S. admiral found dead in Bahrain, no foul play suspected

Top Navy admiral was found dead in 'apparent suicide'

Vice Adm. Scott Stearney, the Navy’s top officer overseeing forces in the Middle East, died Saturday in what defense officials now call an “apparent suicide," CBS News reports.