https://www.newsweek.com/pentagon-weaponized-ticks-lyme-disease-investigation-1449737?amp=1

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives quietly passed a bill requiring the Inspector General of the Department of Defense (DoD) to conduct a review into whether the Pentagon experimented with ticks and other blood-sucking insects for use as biological weapons between 1950 and 1975.

If the Inspector General finds that such experiments occurred, then, according to the bill, they must provide the House and Senate Armed Services committees with a report on the scope of the research and "whether any ticks or insects used in such experiments were released outside of any laboratory by accident or experiment design," potentially leading to the spread of diseases such as Lyme.

However, some Lyme disease experts are warning that Smith's claims should be viewed with plenty of caution. They include Phillip Baker, Executive Director of the American Lyme Disease Foundation (ALDF), who says Smith has been "terribly misinformed" with "false and misleading information."

"I think that Rep. Chris Smith is terribly misinformed by the Lyme disease activists and by the false and misleading information contained in the book written by Newby," Baker told Newsweek. "He would be well advised to check the facts by consulting the experts on Lyme disease at the National Institutes of Health or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] for accurate and reliable information before proposing such legislation."

When I was in college I came up with my own system of taking notes, as most people do.

Whenever I had a question I used the Spanish ¿ at the beginning of the question so it stood out to me on the page. Alt+168 on a keyboard by the way.

Yesterday at work I was sending an email an I considered using it. I didn’t.

My question is - would that be offensive?
It’s not only that I’m still in my probationary period at a new position but I just don’t want to be a jerk.

Anyone’s opinions on this are welcome.

I’m going to cross post this in the Latino/Hispanic forum as well.

When I was in college I came up with my own system of taking notes, as most people do.

Whenever I had a question I used the Spanish ¿ at the beginning of the question so it stood out to me on the page. Alt+168 on a keyboard by the way.

Yesterday at work I was sending an email and I considered using it. I didn’t.

My question is - would that be offensive?
It’s not only that I’m still in my probationary period at a new position but I just don’t want to be a jerk.

Anyone’s opinions on this are welcome.

Oh that's right, you can't. You'll never be able to go back there to anything close to your former life in your tacky gilded cage. You will be hounded for the rest of your days for your horrific behavior and hate filled miserable pandering self. Melania will never be able to go back to her life of preparing for lunch with the girls and making sure the staff gets her ready for the evening's events. Never.

All you will have is your dysfunctional family business and the sycophants who will still cling to the money you get from wherever you get it...while that lasts. Your adoring rallies of knuckle draggers will be kept away from you because you really want nothing to do with them. The only people who will dare be seen with you will also be scorned as they are now. No more hobknobbing with celebrities either (which you LOVE) they won't come within 100 feet of you unless their careers are already over or they can afford to take the brunt of the withering public humiliation of being near you.

However this Clustertrump disaster turns out you both will be stuck in your "friends with membership" existence in Mar-a-lago. Traveling anywhere will be behind security and apart from the rest of the world. Maybe you will like your new bubble but you can't really ever go home again.

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/14/republicans-obamacare-2020-1415313

Republicans have no real plan to establish a new health care system if the courts strike down the Affordable Care Act before the 2020 election. But plenty of them are rooting for its demise anyway — even if it means plunging the GOP into a debate that splits the party and leaves them politically vulnerable.

“I have a plan that I would be delighted to have Congress pick up and go forward with,” added Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) of a proposal to protect pieces of the law. “Necessity is the mother of acceptance. I hope that we reach that necessity and that would propel my proposal to see a good deal of support.”

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), a close Schumer ally, added, “They better do something. If not, this is all on them. This is all on Mitch McConnell."

It’s difficult, if not impossible, to see how the parties would compromise a year from now. McConnell quickly shied away from President Donald Trump’s talk of restarting efforts to replace the law earlier this year, and in May said, “It’s not possible” to reconcile the GOP’s priorities with Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s on a major replacement bill.

Pack's profit drops 98% due to losing, big deals

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Green Bay Packers reported a profit of just $724,000 in their latest fiscal year, which included their second consecutive season without a playoff appearance, a large contract extension for quarterback Aaron Rodgers and a change in head coach from Mike McCarthy to Matt LaFleur.

Green Bay's profit in the year ending March 31 was down 97.9% from $34.1 million in the year ending March 2018 and down more than 99% from the record $75 million in the previous fiscal year.

"From a financial standpoint, it was a unique year for the Packers," team president Mark Murphy said Friday.

Expenses rose from $420.9 million to $477.2 million, boosted by Rodgers' $134 million, four-year deal and contracts for several free agents: outside linebackers Za'Darius Smith and Preston Smith, safety Adrian Amos and guard Billy Turner.

While overall revenue increased 5.1% to $477.9 million, local revenue improved by only 2.3%, hurt by consecutive losing seasons that affected pro shop visits and tours of Lambeau Field and the Packers Hall of Fame.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/27177743/pack-profit-drops-98-due-losing-big-deals

The push kind. A "Leave it to Beaver" as we used to call them.

Sun Joe model. 20" blades. Got it for $101 on Overstock (one of several discounts to I got by changing my address with the Post Office online) only to see that I could have gotten it for $80 on Amazon. Oh well.

Basically you put the arms/handles together and it snaps right on to the actual mower.

Worked really well. I had to get used to keeping the arms at a certain angle but after a while I really got the hang of it. I could get into specific spots with it. Nice clean cut. I had it raised up because this was the first cut but I can't imagine cutting the grass any shorter.

Small front yard. That was one of my requirements for our new house (first time buyers both of us) because I was sick off cutting grass. My wife said we could hire a service but my pride (I'm cheap too) wouldn't allow me to do that.

The back yard I was worried about but by the time I got to it I had become one with the machine.
It doesn't do very well with thin wispy weeds though. Those I had to go at from different angles or just pull up. It was the first cut so hopefully I'll have the yard setup from here on out. I'd guess it should take me maybe 30 minutes to cut the grass every week. There is a bit of a noise with this thing but I can actually hear if someone is calling my name.

$100. No more gas or oil or noise. I didn't feel like I was doing a chore I really enjoyed it.

Should be quite a good show I should think

JANE'S ADDICTION guitarist Dave Navarro has doubled down on his support of Marianne Williamson in the next presidential election, saying that "it's time to shift courses as the overall emotional health of the of the country is at stake."

After initially throwing his weight behind Williamson in a July 7 Instagram post, Navarro has taken to social media again to explain his position and to address criticism that he was throwing his vote away.

"Just because I am choosing to back a candidate and wish to push her agenda does not mean I am against anyone who votes otherwise," he wrote. "I am simply sharing a voice that I am enthusiastic about and that I believe deserves to be heard.

"We have tried the divisive anger method with each other and that really has gotten us nowhere. So, this election I am going to share what I'm for rather than what I am against. If you disagree, you still have my respect as long as you take part in the process.

http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/janes-addictions-dave-navarro-why-i-am-supporting-marianne-williamson-in-2020-presidential-race/