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TED, Mike Rowe, Castrating sheep
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRVdiHu1VCc
(Warning, not a webpage, I assume the reader is probably familiar with the site and takes proper precautions.)
A large part of his talk concerns castrating sheep. Technically speaking, I have absolutely zero experience with this. I do, however, have first-hand experience with castrating goats, with my grandfather, who certainly castrated a few sheep in his day and as best I understood it's the same exact process.
The bit about doing it with your teeth is pure redneck bravado, it's a great way to humiliate the noob but it's unsanitary and should not be done for that reason. That said, I'm sure I knew people that had done it that way, saliva is fairly antiseptic, and it is the sort of job where you always wish you had an extra hand so it's sort of an obvious thing to try in that sense.
Better off to just literally get another set of hands though. That was my role with grandad. He did it just as described by Mike Rowe, up to the point of leaning the head forward. At that point, he got the skin gathered up so his left could hold it all securely, freeing his right hand, which he extended in my direction, to receive a very sharp (and properly sterilized) scalpel.
It *is* better for it to be done quickly than slowly, that was no redneck bullshit but the truth. Whether it should be done at all is another matter. Always made me sick to see it done.
On the other hand uncut billy goats become unholy terrors, and anyone that keeps goats wants as few of them around as possible. The alternative to this procedure is generally immediate conversion to food. So I can't say it's cruel in any absolute sense.
What do you think? Anyone know sheep?
Russian Orthodox Church Severs Links With Constantinople
Russian Orthodox Church severs links with Constantinople
In a major religious split, the Russian Orthodox Church has cut ties with the body seen as the spiritual authority of the world's Orthodox Christians.
The break came after the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople recognised the independence of the Ukrainian Church from Moscow.
The row is being described as the greatest Orthodox split since the schism with Catholicism in 1054.
Relations soured after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
Many Ukrainians accuse the Russian Church of siding with Russia-backed separatists in the east.
Russia sees Kiev as the historic cradle of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Church now fears losing many of its 12,000 parishes in Ukraine.
Constantinople holds sway over more than 300 million Orthodox Christians across the world. The Russian Orthodox Church is by far the biggest.
Also at Reuters and The Guardian.
See also: Archbishop’s defiance threatens Putin’s vision of Russian greatness
Iridium browser
I believe that other people have mentioned Iridium, here on the forum. For whatever reason, I've never messed with it. Never even followed up on it, to see what makes it special. In recent days, it has been mentioned multiple times in various discussions that I've read, but not elaborated on. So - interest piqued, I did a search for it.
https://iridiumbrowser.de/
A BROWSER SECURING YOUR PRIVACY. THAT’S IT.
DOWNLOADIridium Browser is based on the Chromium code base. All modifications enhance the privacy of the user and make sure that the latest and best secure technologies are used. Automatic transmission of partial queries, keywords and metrics to central services is prevented and only occurs with the approval of the user. In addition, all our builds are reproducible and modifications are auditable, setting the project ahead of other secure browser providers.
There is a lot more to read on that page, like the manifest.
MANIFEST
IMPORTANT NOTICEBefore Iridium Browser, we had to decide if we wanted to have cutting edge technologies like sandboxed processes, WebRTC, WebUSB … , or if we wanted to use a browser that respects our privacy. So we decided to use the power of free software and build a browser that can do both. We analysed the code of Chromium and stripped out the functionality which exposes data to others in a way we don‘t like.
See most important changes hereOur ambition is to get builds for Debian, Ubuntu, openSUSE, Fedora, RHEL/CentOS, Windows and macOS a couple of days after a new release of Chromium. To achieve this, we need help from individuals and organisations, who have the same intention. Currently there are weeks between a new release of Iridium and Chromium.
Please take this into consideration for your personal usage of the browser as you might be at risk when surfing unknown and potentially dangerous websites!
We feel, that as an application browser or as browser for trusted websites, this is acceptable.
Wow. Sounds good. It seems to address the reasons that I've used several other browsers, such as SRWare Iron, Cyberfox, and others.
Keep on reading, and I'm reminded of the reasons I was excited about Webkit when it was promoted by Google. (Bear in mind that Google didn't invent this thing, they took open source code from the KDE browser, Konqueror, enhanced it, and turned it loose under the Google name.)
Unfortunately, Google added some things that none of us need, and in fact, few of us know about. Hardcoded URLS for various purposes, all designed to collect information, and to push advertising. SRWare Iron addresses some of that, but - sometimes, it has just seemed that they didn't go far enough.
Iridium, though, has gone into the source code, and either removed or obfuscated those hard coded URL's. There is a whole page dedicated to the stuff that has been removed, or changed - https://github.com/iridium-browser/tracker/wiki/Differences-between-Iridium-and-Chromium
This page describes the changes we did in Iridium compared to the Chromium base version. Please note that this list might not be exhaustive, so always check the Git repository at https://git.iridiumbrowser.de/cgit.cgi/iridium-browser/ for the latest changes.
I've kicked it around for a couple days now. I'm just about to set Iridium as "default browser", to replace Cyberfox. (Default browser is the one that opens when you click a link someplace, like in a PDF. It has little to no effect on what happens inside of your non-default browsers.)
Resource-wise, Iridium uses about the same CPU and memory as SRWare Iron. (they don't have the same pages open, so maybe I shouldn't compare them like that, but they do have roughly the same number of pages open) Both seem to use slightly less resources than vanilla Chromium.
EDIT: I initially posted that Iridium is in the Debian repositories. That was wrong. Iridium happens to be in my distro's repository, so it popped up immediately when I did an apt-cache search. Iridium-browser is NOT in the Debian repositories. Most Debian users will have to add the Iridium repository, or compile it themselves from the git. Sorry for any confusion I may have caused!
The best thing about Iridium, for Debian users, it's in the repository.
#apt-get install iridium-browser
does it all for you. You'll get the standard output, telling you dependencies, and recommended libraries and documentation.
NOTE: Iridium isn't replacing my daily drivers. I have multiple browsers installed on my system, and I use them in different ways. Using Iridium (or any "hardened" browser) as "default" helps to insure that inadvertantly invoking a browser from a PDF file doesn't open the system up to anyone who might be watching for a phone-home thing to happen. It's a "secure browser", right?
You be the judge - click the link(s), read up, and decide how good Iridium is - or isn't.
Currently, Iridium Browser is available for the following operating systems:
Windows 7+ • macOS 10.9+ • Debian 8+, Mint 17+, Ubuntu 14.04+ (all 64-bit) • openSUSE Leap 42.3 and 15.0 • Fedora 27+ • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7+ | CentOS 7+Iridium Browser is not available for Android, iOS, Windows Mobile or any other mobile operating system!
Tales of Flushing
Hong Kong Expels FT Journalist
China’s Media Crackdown Spreads to Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s expulsion of a British journalist after he led a foreign correspondents’ meeting with a pro-independence activist is, first and foremost, an attempt by Beijing to tamp down any dissent in the former British colony.
Hong Kong officials have not given a reason for rejecting a journalist visa for Victor Mallet, the Asia news editor for The Financial Times. China’s only comment has been that Hong Kong authorities are within their right to do so. But that’s the typical legalistic evasiveness of authoritarian regimes when they do something they know is hard and embarrassing to defend.
The authorities have never criticized Mr. Mallet’s reporting. But he was the main spokesman for the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents’ Club in August when it hosted a talk by Andy Chan, head of a political party that called for Hong Kong’s independence from China. Hong Kong and Beijing officials blasted the event in advance and subsequently banned the party.
Beijing took back control of Hong Kong from the British in 1997 after nearly a century of colonial rule, and agitation toward independence has never pleased China’s leadership. Hong Kong as an “inalienable” part of China is written into the territory’s Basic Law.
UK says Hong Kong rejection of FT journalist visa politically motivated
#WalkAway
The talk show hosts have blathered about #WalkAway for a few days now. Finally - I looked it up. Definitely interesting!
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2018/07/03/former_liberal_to_progressives_time_to_walk_away.html
Brandon Straka says that less than a year ago, he was a liberal. He explains why he changed his mind in this "viral video" encouraging other progressives to "walk away" from the remains of the Democratic Party.
"Once upon a time, I was a liberal,” the gay NYC hairdresser begins. "I felt I’d found a tribe.” But, he said, they will do “absolutely nothing for you."
The video is at least a month old, but Straka appeared on FNC's 'Tucker Carlson Tonight' on Monday to discuss what he means:
Watch the latest video at foxnews.com
Another story from an apparently Black Canadian woman who married an American.
https://www.redstate.com/kiradavis/2018/08/10/heres-chose-walkaway-liberalism/
My father-in-law was a popular local pastor, and also the first black man I’d ever met who called himself a Republican and a conservative. We were fast friends, and often talked politics. He would gently but intelligently challenge a lot of my notions and beliefs. I thought I knew a lot because I read a lot of headlines. He challenged me to read the actual stories. I thought I new a lot because I watched Bill Maher. He challenged me to watch the things going on around me. I thought I knew a lot because…well, I knew a lot! He challenged me to value results over talk. I wasn’t a convert, but I began to think that maybe I didn’t have the full picture when it came to my ideas about Republicans and conservatives. Could it be that I was depending too much on salacious headlines and raging talking heads for my opinions about conservatism?
Back to Brandon: http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/07/08/brandon-straka-walk-away-campaign-founder-denied-service-camera-store
Straka said the salesperson recognized him from his campaign and said that he couldn't sell anything to him because he did not support the "#WalkAway" campaign.
According to the movement's Facebook page, it's meant to "encourage and support those on the left to walk away from the divisive tenets."
Straka said following his encounter at the electronics store, he started "shaking" because he hadn't experienced negative backlash like that before.
"It took my breath away," he said.
Two videos, each of them very eloquent:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Pjs7uoOkag&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILQXW2Ob1PU&feature=youtu.be
Google censorship plans
GAB
Hello Everyone,
Yesterday Breitbart published a leaked internal Google briefing about the shift Silicon Valley is making towards more censorship online. This followed leaks earlier in the day from The Intercept, which show how Google is contradicting themselves in regards to the censored search engine they are building for the Chinese government. You can read the briefing that Breitbart published here: Google: "The Good Censor".
https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2018/10/09/the-good-censor-leaked-google-briefing-admits-abandonment-of-free-speech-for-safety-and-civility/
https://theintercept.com/2018/10/09/google-china-censored-search-engine/
On page 53 of this internal Google briefing, Gab.com is cited as a "challenger app" and notes how users are moving to Gab in response to the censorship of Silicon Valley. Google argues for a "European" approach to speech standards on the internet, favoring "civility" over freedom.
Silicon Valley has shown their true colors, which is why they recognize Gab.com as a threat to their control and dominance over the internet. They are rejecting the cherished internet ideals of liberty and free expression in exchange for censorship and partnerships with the Chinese government.
This is why Gab is winning and will continue to win. We are adding tens of thousands of new users every week, and our funding round is being completely powered by you, The People. In about 20 days we have raised $670,000 and will quickly meet our goal of $1.07m. We are hiring more engineers to speed up product development, make the site more user friendly, and build out our own infrastructure to escape the chains of Silicon Valley.
If you're interested in investing and becoming a shareholder you can learn more here and invest as little as $252.
PS: developers please check out our new API.
Thanks for your continued support!
Click here to login to your account →
Thanks and remember to speak freely!
__________________________________________________________________
THIS is why there is a gab.ai people. Any more questions?
Tennessee Death Row Inmate Opts for Electric Chair
Tennessee death row inmate wants electric chair as 'lesser of two evils'
A condemned Tennessee inmate wants to die in the electric chair, rather than by lethal injection, calling electrocution the “lesser of two evils,” his lawyer said.
Edmund George Zagorski, 63, is set to pay the ultimate price on Thursday for the 1983 slayings of John Dotson and Jimmy Porter — 35-year-old victims who were planning to buy 100 pounds of marijuana from Zagorski.
Lethal injection is the primary form of execution in Tennessee, but inmates whose offenses happened before January 1999 may opt for the electric chair.
The Volunteer State is one of nine that still includes the electric chair as a form of execution.
Kelley Henry, Zagorki's defense lawyer, said lethal injection is a long, brutal process that can take up to 18 minutes.
“Faced with the choice of two unconstitutional methods of execution, Mr. Zagorski has indicated that if his execution is to move forward, he believes that the electric chair is the lesser of two evils,” Henry said. “Ten to 18 minutes of drowning, suffocation and chemical burning is unspeakable.”
Use of the electric chair is rare, with just 14 of the 871 executions happening via electrocution since 2000, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. The last electrocution was in Virginia in January 2013.
Celebrity
I've met people that were in that category, and they don't usually strike me as someone whose place I would want to take, even temporarily. Whatever there is cool in being recognized, and I know that's a rush even from extremely minor bits of local fame, the most intolerable feeling is that of being unable to hide.
I met another celebrity last night, sort of. I mean, I was just standing there, and boom, there he was, 3 feet away. A huge name from a few decades ago, a guy I would call myself a fan of. Bigger in real life, leatherier in the skin, older, definitely the same guy.
So he came into the building through a side door I happened to be extremely close to. He nearly ran over me, his bodyguards were behind him, lucky I wasn't their sup. The only thing between us, as our eyes met, were the two THOTs that had been trying to chat me up only a split second before.
Naturally they immediately double-teamed him and started taking selfies. I backpedaled in horror. The moment was over, his bodyguards eventually peeled the THOTs off, by which time I had retreated ~7 yards to claim the nearest unoccupied table out of range of the crowd. By this time, however, he was being swarmed with adds, more bodyguards were arriving, and soon a line had been formed for selfies and autographs.
I watched, somewhat amused at first, then rapidly becoming simply bored. I wandered off.
So, I went there to support the cause, not to meet him, but I'll confess I was actually hoping to do both. And I'm not even sure if I did or not!
We were 3 feet away, and looked each other in the eye, and nodded our heads, and grunted in an appropriate masculine manner. Twice. But I was really, really hoping to shake the man's hand. And that did not happen.
Not sure if I'm bummed or not. You tell me. Should I be?
Bonus Points: Will it change your answer if you find out who "he" was? Or which cause this was for?
PS5's Special Feature: The Patents
Rumor: New PlayStation 5 Feature Revealed
Earlier this week, a new patent filed by Sony suggested that it is planning on adding backwards compatibility to the PlayStation 5. Now, another patent has surfaced revealing possibly another feature the system will have.
Filed back in May by Sony Interactive Entertainment, and approved just a few days ago, the patent appears to suggest that hardware V-Sync will ship with the next Sony console.
Titled "Video Frame Rate Compensation Through Adjustment of Vertical Blanking," the patent is pretty extensive, but in short, it should help games run better on the system.
Great, patents for backward compatibility and V-Sync. WTF?
