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steve2470
steve2470's Journal
steve2470's Journal
May 18, 2019
TALLAHASSEE — Russian hackers breached a county elections department in the Florida Panhandle where voters turned out heavily for President Donald Trump in 2018, according to a report confirmed by POLITICO.
Washington County was one of two counties successfully hacked by Russians seeking voter information files. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security in the past week have briefed Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida’s congressional delegation about the attack, but federal authorities have asked that the names of the two counties be kept confidential.
The Washington Post reported that Russians were able to access Washington County voter information files. A person in Florida familiar with the investigation confirmed that Washington County was targeted after the attack had been revealed by officials in Washington, D.C. Two people in Florida said they suspect the second hacked elections office was in a mid-sized county on the East Coast of the state.
While it was known that Russians targeted Florida ahead of the 2016 election, the first confirmation that the effort was successful came in March, when special counsel Robert Mueller issued a report on Russian interference. The news jolted Florida officials, who had insisted that the effort three years ago was unsuccessful.
(Florida) Panhandle county that backed Trump among Russian hacking victims
https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2019/05/16/panhandle-county-that-backed-trump-among-russian-hacking-victims-1021302TALLAHASSEE — Russian hackers breached a county elections department in the Florida Panhandle where voters turned out heavily for President Donald Trump in 2018, according to a report confirmed by POLITICO.
Washington County was one of two counties successfully hacked by Russians seeking voter information files. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security in the past week have briefed Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida’s congressional delegation about the attack, but federal authorities have asked that the names of the two counties be kept confidential.
The Washington Post reported that Russians were able to access Washington County voter information files. A person in Florida familiar with the investigation confirmed that Washington County was targeted after the attack had been revealed by officials in Washington, D.C. Two people in Florida said they suspect the second hacked elections office was in a mid-sized county on the East Coast of the state.
While it was known that Russians targeted Florida ahead of the 2016 election, the first confirmation that the effort was successful came in March, when special counsel Robert Mueller issued a report on Russian interference. The news jolted Florida officials, who had insisted that the effort three years ago was unsuccessful.
May 17, 2019
(Worst rated: Season 8, Episode 5 "The Bells" 47% fresh)
(Best rated: several are rated at 100% fresh. The most recent is SEASON 6, EPISODE 4: "BOOK OF THE STRANGER" )
Enjoy!
All GoT episodes, ranked by (Rotten Tomatoes) Tomatometer
http://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/every-episode-of-game-of-thrones-ranked/1/(Worst rated: Season 8, Episode 5 "The Bells" 47% fresh)
(Best rated: several are rated at 100% fresh. The most recent is SEASON 6, EPISODE 4: "BOOK OF THE STRANGER" )
Enjoy!
May 17, 2019
TALLAHASSEE — Russian hackers breached a county elections department in the Florida Panhandle where voters turned out heavily for President Donald Trump in 2018, according to a report confirmed by POLITICO.
Washington County was one of two counties successfully hacked by Russians seeking voter information files. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security in the past week have briefed Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida’s congressional delegation about the attack, but federal authorities have asked that the names of the two counties be kept confidential.
The Washington Post reported that Russians were able to access Washington County voter information files. A person in Florida familiar with the investigation confirmed that Washington County was targeted after the attack had been revealed by officials in Washington, D.C. Two people in Florida said they suspect the second hacked elections office was in a mid-sized county on the East Coast of the state.
While it was known that Russians targeted Florida ahead of the 2016 election, the first confirmation that the effort was successful came in March, when special counsel Robert Mueller issued a report on Russian interference. The news jolted Florida officials, who had insisted that the effort three years ago was unsuccessful.
(Florida) Panhandle county that backed Trump among Russian hacking victims
https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2019/05/16/panhandle-county-that-backed-trump-among-russian-hacking-victims-1021302TALLAHASSEE — Russian hackers breached a county elections department in the Florida Panhandle where voters turned out heavily for President Donald Trump in 2018, according to a report confirmed by POLITICO.
Washington County was one of two counties successfully hacked by Russians seeking voter information files. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security in the past week have briefed Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida’s congressional delegation about the attack, but federal authorities have asked that the names of the two counties be kept confidential.
The Washington Post reported that Russians were able to access Washington County voter information files. A person in Florida familiar with the investigation confirmed that Washington County was targeted after the attack had been revealed by officials in Washington, D.C. Two people in Florida said they suspect the second hacked elections office was in a mid-sized county on the East Coast of the state.
While it was known that Russians targeted Florida ahead of the 2016 election, the first confirmation that the effort was successful came in March, when special counsel Robert Mueller issued a report on Russian interference. The news jolted Florida officials, who had insisted that the effort three years ago was unsuccessful.
May 17, 2019
https://twitter.com/RealGrumpyCat/status/1129310647458467840
Grumpy Cat, arguably the internet's most popular cat and one of its first viral memes, has died aged 7.
The furry sensation's family announced her death on Twitter on Friday.
"We are unimaginably heartbroken to announce the loss of our beloved Grumpy Cat," Tabatha Bundesen, Grumpy Cat's owner, said.
"Despite care from top professionals, as well as from her very loving family, Grumpy encountered complications from a recent urinary tract infection that unfortunately became too tough for her to overcome. She passed away peacefully on the morning of Tuesday, May 14, at home in the arms of her mommy, Tabatha.
Sad news, Grumpy Cat has died
https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/17/celebrities/grumpy-cat-dead-intl-scli/index.htmlhttps://twitter.com/RealGrumpyCat/status/1129310647458467840
Grumpy Cat, arguably the internet's most popular cat and one of its first viral memes, has died aged 7.
The furry sensation's family announced her death on Twitter on Friday.
"We are unimaginably heartbroken to announce the loss of our beloved Grumpy Cat," Tabatha Bundesen, Grumpy Cat's owner, said.
"Despite care from top professionals, as well as from her very loving family, Grumpy encountered complications from a recent urinary tract infection that unfortunately became too tough for her to overcome. She passed away peacefully on the morning of Tuesday, May 14, at home in the arms of her mommy, Tabatha.
May 14, 2019
A novel antidepressant, heralded as a breakthrough drug only two months ago, may not be a cost-effective way of battling treatment-resistant depression (TRD), according to a new study.
Esketamine, a nasal spray, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in March for people who do not respond to traditional antidepressants. Marketed as Spravato, the drug was subject to eight years of research by Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals.
The drug is a chemical cousin of ketamine, a relatively inexpensive anesthetic that has been prescribed by some psychiatrists as an alternative treatment for intractable depression for several years. The cost of a ketamine infusion is usually not covered by most insurance companies and can run up to $800.
Ketamine often is abused as a hallucinogenic party drug, which hints at why esketamine must be administered in a doctor’s office.
J&J's new esketamine drug for depression, Spravato, not worth the money or the risk, watchdog says
https://www.philly.com/business/esketamine-ketamine-johnson-and-johnson-depression-overpriced-icer-20190513.htmlA novel antidepressant, heralded as a breakthrough drug only two months ago, may not be a cost-effective way of battling treatment-resistant depression (TRD), according to a new study.
Esketamine, a nasal spray, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in March for people who do not respond to traditional antidepressants. Marketed as Spravato, the drug was subject to eight years of research by Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals.
The drug is a chemical cousin of ketamine, a relatively inexpensive anesthetic that has been prescribed by some psychiatrists as an alternative treatment for intractable depression for several years. The cost of a ketamine infusion is usually not covered by most insurance companies and can run up to $800.
Ketamine often is abused as a hallucinogenic party drug, which hints at why esketamine must be administered in a doctor’s office.
May 11, 2019
Imagine waking up to this scene on your lawn
https://twitter.com/USATODAY/status/1127242963724185600
May 10, 2019
Blog for Game of Thrones fans: Making Game of Thrones
It is an official HBO blog but seems to have good content about GoT. Check it out.
http://www.makinggameofthrones.com/
May 8, 2019
(Google Translate version of first 4 paragraphs)
https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&tab=TT&sl=de&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.heise.de%2Fnewsticker%2Fmeldung%2FTschuess-Bargeld-Deutsche-kauften-2018-erstmals-mehr-mit-Karte-ein-4415881.html
Consumers in Germany increasingly use the card instead of cash when paying. For the first time last year in stationary retail, more money was paid by giro card and credit card
issued as in cash, said the Handelsforschungsinstitut EHI on Tuesday in Cologne .
Overall, consumers in the 2019 study "Card-based payment systems in the retail sector" said they paid well over € 209 billion per card in 2018 - € 12.4 billion more than in the previous year. As a result, the share of sales generated by the cards rose to 48.6 percent. Thus, the card overtook the cash for the first time - if only barely.
For bar "invoices" in the amount of approximately 208 billion euros were paid, which corresponds to a turnover share of 48.3 percent. The remaining 3.1 percent was spread across invoices, financial purchases and vouchers. For comparison: In 2017, half of all sales had been paid in cash.
But even if the importance of cash payment decreases, this does not mean that customers will soon only pay with the card or smartphone. According to EHI, cash is still the first choice as a means of payment, especially with small sums - also because cash payments should be faster than card payments . Thus, in 2018, 76.1 percent of the approximately 20 billion purchases in the retail sector were paid in cash, reported the EHI. But even here lose cash on the ground: The proportion has shrunk compared to 2017 by 1.1 percent
*end of short article*
This is such a big deal because, ever since the hyperinflation of 1923, Germans have used cash usually. At least that's the explanation I read.
Bye Cash: in 2018 for the first time Germans bought more with a card
https://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/Tschuess-Bargeld-Deutsche-kauften-2018-erstmals-mehr-mit-Karte-ein-4415881.html(Google Translate version of first 4 paragraphs)
https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&tab=TT&sl=de&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.heise.de%2Fnewsticker%2Fmeldung%2FTschuess-Bargeld-Deutsche-kauften-2018-erstmals-mehr-mit-Karte-ein-4415881.html
Consumers in Germany increasingly use the card instead of cash when paying. For the first time last year in stationary retail, more money was paid by giro card and credit card
issued as in cash, said the Handelsforschungsinstitut EHI on Tuesday in Cologne .
Overall, consumers in the 2019 study "Card-based payment systems in the retail sector" said they paid well over € 209 billion per card in 2018 - € 12.4 billion more than in the previous year. As a result, the share of sales generated by the cards rose to 48.6 percent. Thus, the card overtook the cash for the first time - if only barely.
For bar "invoices" in the amount of approximately 208 billion euros were paid, which corresponds to a turnover share of 48.3 percent. The remaining 3.1 percent was spread across invoices, financial purchases and vouchers. For comparison: In 2017, half of all sales had been paid in cash.
But even if the importance of cash payment decreases, this does not mean that customers will soon only pay with the card or smartphone. According to EHI, cash is still the first choice as a means of payment, especially with small sums - also because cash payments should be faster than card payments . Thus, in 2018, 76.1 percent of the approximately 20 billion purchases in the retail sector were paid in cash, reported the EHI. But even here lose cash on the ground: The proportion has shrunk compared to 2017 by 1.1 percent
*end of short article*
This is such a big deal because, ever since the hyperinflation of 1923, Germans have used cash usually. At least that's the explanation I read.
May 8, 2019
8 More Game of Thrones Goofs That Show Maybe We Shouldn't Take the Coffee Cup So Damn Seriously
(yes that is the original article title)
https://io9.gizmodo.com/8-more-game-of-thrones-goofs-that-show-maybe-we-shouldn-1834582280
(heavy editing)
Stannis’ Laptop Cord (“Mother’s Mercy,” Season 5)
Denim Makes a Cameo (“Winter Is Coming,” Season 1)
Jon Snow’s Rubber Sword (“Battle of the Bastards,” Season 6)
“Moat Katelyn” (“The Ghost of Harrenhal,” Season 2)
Jon Snow’s Scar Moved (“Beyond the Wall,” Season 7)
Tyrion’s Napkin (“The Prince of Winterfell,” Season 2)
Nymeria’s Dagger (“Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken,” Season 5)
Jorah Gave Dany Greyscale (“The Dance of Dragons,” Season 5)
other goofs in the article, enjoy!
May 7, 2019
I’m going to miss Florida when it’s buried under surging seawaters in just a few short years, specifically for stories like this: A woman pulled a foot-long alligator out of her yoga pants during a traffic stop.
Before we get to my many logistical questions, here are the facts: NBC reports that deputies pulled over a pickup truck, in which the woman was a passenger, around 3:15 a.m. in Punta Gorda after seeing it blow a stop sign. After stopping, the driver, a 22-year-old man, told authorities that he and the woman were coming from a nearby underpass, where they were trying to collect frogs and snakes, as people do.
The deputies issued the man a warning for the stop sign incident, then asked to see their spoils, on the off chance that their perfectly normal outing resulted in gathering some wildlife they shouldn’t have:
*snip*
When Charlotte County deputies asked her if she had anything else on her person the deputies needed to know about, she pulled a foot-long alligator out of her yoga pants and placed it in the truck bed, according to the report.
Florida Woman Pulls Foot-Long Alligator From Her Yoga Pants During Traffic Stop
https://jezebel.com/florida-woman-pulls-foot-long-alligator-from-her-yoga-p-1834570365I’m going to miss Florida when it’s buried under surging seawaters in just a few short years, specifically for stories like this: A woman pulled a foot-long alligator out of her yoga pants during a traffic stop.
Before we get to my many logistical questions, here are the facts: NBC reports that deputies pulled over a pickup truck, in which the woman was a passenger, around 3:15 a.m. in Punta Gorda after seeing it blow a stop sign. After stopping, the driver, a 22-year-old man, told authorities that he and the woman were coming from a nearby underpass, where they were trying to collect frogs and snakes, as people do.
The deputies issued the man a warning for the stop sign incident, then asked to see their spoils, on the off chance that their perfectly normal outing resulted in gathering some wildlife they shouldn’t have:
*snip*
When Charlotte County deputies asked her if she had anything else on her person the deputies needed to know about, she pulled a foot-long alligator out of her yoga pants and placed it in the truck bed, according to the report.
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