ScottishFox

Also in Texas - the in-person learning at schools has been pushed back to September 8th. Everyone will be online and hating it from August 18th until then. My kiddo in the gifted and talented program has been frustrated to the point of tears by the clumsy patchwork implementation of the online offering. I can just imagine how much fun this has been for technically adverse parents or kids who struggle with their school work without the additional hassle.

Texas did adjust their reporting method recently. The Covidtracker website I use mentioned their numbers could swim around for awhile while everyone gets used to the new method. That being said they have recently bumped their data quality rating for Texas from B to A. Oh, and I just found specific commentary from them related to this (emphasis mine): On July 27, Texas added 675 additional deaths through death certificate reviews. However only 44 deaths were truly new deaths on July 27. This will inflate the daily increase in deaths until the timeseries has been backfilled based on this revision.

I wonder if that was some sort of adjustment for a previous time period. That number is more than triple the previous 5 day trend and almost quadruple the day after.

Wow, that a scary hard hit. Hopefully he makes a full recovery.

You're welcome. The article has a ton of great photos in it and I think the AP did a pretty bang on job of covering it. The "inside the courthouse" side of the article stood out for me as I've seen the DHS propaganda, but I hadn't seen a press perspective on it. What the reporter detailed were serious injuries that in most cases would justify lethal force. And kudos to the reporter for getting in there and taking the ride. Sounded very scary. Honestly, I'm so tired of watching say CNN and then Fox and then trying to Frankenstein it together to get an actual story instead of a political opinion. This AP story was award worthy.

The risk with illnesses that primarily take out the very old is that the evolution never occurs. You can be a complete idiot and live long enough to never realize there's a problem. The kind of stupid that is self correcting has to take people out before they've raised their young to adulthood. I think we're going to suffer this one until Herd Immunity or a vaccine are in place. Even leaving out the large group activities (beaches, churches, protests, etc.) there are far too many people just not wearing their masks.

Erm... That seems impossibly high. Unless she's built to intentionally waste points is she throwing around 50d6 AoEs? PS - Is there a free way to see the writeup?

Meanwhile at the federal courthouse protests in Portland the AP has done some brilliant journalism. They put a reporter in the crowd AND one in the building so they could get both perspectives on what is happening. Seriously great work. The article: https://apnews.com/1dd1bb39093a3691f4e78093787ab877 Some thoughts from the AP reporter inside the courthouse: At the rate this is escalating I wouldn't be surprised to see live ammo fired at the protesters soon. They are doing real - in some cases permanent - damage to the federal officers who are inside the structure. Honestly, I can't believe the level of restraint that has been shown so far. This attack on the courthouse has been going on for weeks.

Looks like things are about to settle down. We may have seen the peak. The deaths will continue to climb for another couple of weeks, but this last week is showing a hopeful trend. I cannot wait for this !@#$ to be over. The stress this has been putting on my immuno-compromised wife has been non-trivial.

There is a LOT to Hero Designer. Especially if you get into making custom export templates. That being said. If you're playing HERO and making HERO characters it is flat out amazing. Once you get comfortable with it you can knock out new characters, villains and equipment VERY quickly.

I 100% agree with you on the valid evidence statement. They have had days to mess with the weapon. That doesn't change the fact it was not operable when the police got their hands on it. They'd have to prove that the gun - which is known to have been disabled in the past so that it could be brought into a courthouse as a prop - was subsequently repaired and they'd have to do that at the level of "beyond a reasonable doubt". The charges can't be brought in the first place if the gun wasn't operable at the time. They have no way to prove that it was at this point in time. Given the custody chain and delay in the police obtaining the weapon - I don't see how this can be done. The whole case feels like a politically motivated activity. Missouri has one of the strongest, if not THE strongest, Castle Doctrines in the United States and in normal times the couple probably could have shot the people breaking into their property without getting in trouble.

https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/local/gardner-staffer-ordered-crime-lab-to-reassemble-patricia-mccloskeys-gun/63-be112149-d06c-4f54-a225-6545e74b5c2d 100% NewsGuard rating.

You're not wrong. Still, I'm far more concerned about the prosecution manufacturing evidence so they can push charges. That has ramifications for the entire community. Mr. and Mrs. BadWithGuns are only a threat to people breaking into their property. That's a much smaller group of people. Corrupt prosecution teams are the same kind of super-evil that dirty cops are. They are charged with enforcing justice and are instead working to destroy it. A jumpy old couple that got scared and went for their firearms before earning national fame as the worst gun handlers in recent history are not a threat to society.

Missouri just had an interesting spin. Mr. and Mrs. Richie McGunHandlingFail have just become the victims of prosecutorial malfeasance. The wife's handgun was inoperable. It was used as a prop in a case of theirs previously and they had had it disabled by putting the firing pin and firing pin spring into the gun in the wrong order. The local prosecution team had the gun taken apart and reassembled correctly before they pressed charges since they wouldn't be able to charge her if the gun was inoperable. That'll certainly help with public confidence in a fair and speedy trial by local authorities.

Texas has been getting hammered these last few weeks. Dotted line is the national average. Even here in suburbia the death rate has climbed. It's good to see the hospitalization rate flatten out. Hopefully the death rate won't lag too far behind. School starts in 26 days. 😐

I had the same issue. My ideal weight was supposedly more than 20 pounds lighter than my actual weight and I was neither bulky nor fat. Just compact muscle from being physically active 6 days a week. Now my BMI rating of obese is honestly earned.

I agree with you on the over the top terminology. They are sticking to their talking points beyond a doubt. However, several of those examples resulted in injuries or involved hundreds of people. I'm also not saying the feds aren't over-reacting. But it's understandable with their courthouse getting 40-50 days of vandalism and a complete lack of support from the local police. Some of these areas want to completely abolish their police departments - like Minneapolis - which I fear will be exactly the same thing in the end. If the Chaz/Chop was any indication it will be chaos and death.

Because it's the same people. Where do you think our police and government officials come from? They're us. If our government is corrupt it's because we're too corrupt as a society or failing to safeguard the institutions of power.

Very well said!

Your solution to violent, lawless cops is violent, lawless citizens? This will end well.

It's a bit of a learning curve, but I find Hero Designer to be an amazing bit of software and it definitely speeds up the character creation / maintenance process once you get used to it.

What I found on a DHS site was: 05/29/2020 * Violent anarchists broke a front window at the Hatfield Courthouse. * Violent anarchists graffitied the Hatfield Courthouse. * Overall, the cost of damages on federal property done by the violent mob this first night was estimated at $5,000. 05/30/2020 * Violent anarchists graffitied the BPA Building. * Violent anarchists graffitied the Hatfield Courthouse. * Violent anarchists graffitied the Edith Green-Wenell Wyatt Building. * Violent anarchists graffitied the Terry Schrunk Plaza. * Violent anarchists graffitied the 911 Federal Building. * Violent anarchists graffitied the Pioneer Courthouse. * Violent anarchists graffitied the Gus J. Solomon Courthouse. 06/01/2020 * Violent anarchists graffitied the Hatfield Courthouse. * Violent anarchists graffitied Terry Schrunk Plaza. * Violent anarchists graffitied The Pioneer Courthouse. * Violent anarchists graffitied The Gus J Solomon Courthouse. 06/02/2020 * Violent anarchists graffitied the U.S. Custom House. 06/06/2020 * Violent anarchists destroyed fencing surrounding federal property. 06/07/2020 * Violent anarchists damaged and breached the fence around the Hatfield Courthouse. * Portland Police were forced to deploy crowd control spray to disperse a crowd that was throwing animal seed at officers. 06/08/2020 * Violent anarchists broke a window at the Hatfield Courthouse while pelting the building with objects. * Violent anarchists cut a hole in the fence surrounding Hatfield Courthouse. 06/10/2020 * Violent anarchists removed the entire fence around Hatfield Courthouse and graffitied its front columns. * Violent anarchists attempted to remove wooden barriers from a window on the Hatfield Courthouse. 06/11/2020 * Violent anarchists dismantled a section of the fence protecting the Edith Green-Wenell Wyatt Federal Building. 06/13/2020 * Violent anarchists destroyed the card reader at the Hatfield Courthouse by ripping it off its mount. * Violent anarchists destroyed the fence at the Hatfield Courthouse. * Violent anarchists threw metal pipes at the Hatfield Courthouse, causing Portland Police to issue a disbursal warning for unlawful assembly. 06/17/2020 * Violent anarchists graffitied the Hatfield Courthouse. 06/20/2020 * Among a group of over 400 protesters marching in front of the Pioneer Courthouse, violent anarchists attempted to cause eye damage to officers with commercial grade lasers. * Violent anarchists graffitied the Gus J. Solomon Courthouse. 06/25/2020 * Violent anarchists vandalized an FPS camera at the Hatfield Courthouse. * Violent anarchists breached the fence of the Justice Center, adjacent to the courthouse. 06/30/2020 * Violent anarchists ripped down plywood covering the windows at the Edith Green-Wenell Wyatt Building, before breaking the windows. 7/01/2020 * Violent anarchists graffitied new plywood covering the windows at the Hatfield Courthouse and ripped down plywood on the other side of the building. * A group of over 200 violent anarchists blocked access to the building and proceeded to launch aerial fireworks at federal property. 07/02/2020 * Violent anarchists broke a front window to the Hatfield Courthouse and attempted to enter the building. * Violent anarchists refused orders to vacate the Hatfield Courthouse area, and instead launched fireworks and threw objects at officers, while attempting to cause eye damage with lasers. One explosive firework was shot into the courthouse. * FPS law enforcement officers were forced to utilized crowd control measures for safety. 07/03/2020 * After ongoing riots around the Hatfield Courthouse, crowds were dispersed only to make a return later into the night. * Violent Anarchists broke the front window of the Hatfield U.S. Courthouse and shot fireworks into the building. * Violent anarchists firebombed the building. Federal law enforcement extinguished the fire. 07/04/2020 * Around 1,000 violent anarchists spray painted, threw rocks, and shot fireworks (including mortar style fireworks) at the Hatfield Courthouse. They also destroyed a security camera at the facility. * A CBP team supporting FPS at the courthouse arrested suspects from the graffiti and camera vandalism incidents. * The mob continued to throw rocks and paint-filled balloons, while attempting to breach the doors. * Teams were forced to utilize crowd control measures for safety. * Multiple individuals were seen carrying rifles, including the driver of a vehicle who attempted to strike a Portland Police Bureau officer with his car in front of the Hatfield Courthouse. 07/05/2020 * A hostile crowd of about 250 violent anarchists returned to the vicinity of Hatfield Courthouse to vandalize and attack numerous facilities and police, while failing to comply with dispersal order. * Violent anarchists surrounded and blocked law enforcement from the area as extremists proceeded to attack police with thrown projectiles and large mortar style fireworks. * Two Portland Police Bureau officers were injured by the crowd (possible concussion). * Portland Police Bureau took five into custody for directing lasers against aircraft. * Violent anarchists set fires in front of Hatfield Courthouse and Chapman park. * At the entrance of Hatfield Courthouse, Violent Anarchists fired large fireworks and threw other dangerous objects toward the entrance and the personnel protecting it. * The mob was pushed completely out of the area of Hatfield Courthouse; FPS made two arrests during push. * Portland Police made multiple arrests and found a loaded weapon on one subject. * Two more violent anarchists were arrested, and one was found to be carrying what appears to be a pipe bomb. * Violent anarchists assaulted construction crews by targeting them with fireworks while they repaired Hatfield Building. * A joint team had to be deployed to create buffer between violent anarchists and construction crew to protect construction workers. 07/06/2020 * Violent anarchists attempted to cause vision damage to personnel with lasers. Five arrests were made for assaulting law enforcement. 07/07/2020 * Violent anarchists held a “Night of Rage,” in which a 400-500-person protest devolved into riots, assaulting law enforcement officers and federal property. * Approximately 200 violent anarchists began pursuing law enforcement officers to disrupt enforcement actions, assaulting them with rocks and bottles. * Around 150 violent anarchists in front of the Justice Center began attacking personnel with lasers and peppered the area with fireworks. * Three violent anarchists were arrested for attacking law enforcement. 07/08/2020 * Approximately 200 violent anarchists attacked DHS law enforcement officers while apprehending a subject who was wanted for property damage. * One arrest was made after three law enforcement officers were injured. * Law enforcement officers’ personal information was publicly exposed, including FPS, ICE, and CBP personnel. * Violent anarchists continued to attack officers with lasers. 07/09/2020 * Violent anarchists attacked DHS law enforcement officers while apprehending a subject who was wanted for property damage. * A violent anarchist graffitied the Hatfield courthouse. * An unidentified subject fired several shots from a gun into the air from the rear seat of a passing white SUV. 07/10/2020 * Crowds of approximately 300 violent anarchists vandalized federal property and cameras with spray paint, blocked roadways, and assaulted law enforcement officers. * Three were arrested for Assault on a Federal Officer. * Violent anarchists attempted to ambush Portland Police Department PD during their shift change, but a DHS team was deployed and able to prevent any attacks. 07/11/2020 * DHS law enforcement officers supported local police to help a violent anarchist who overdosed. * Four violent anarchists were arrested, including one who attempted to assault an officer with a hammer. * Violent anarchists sieged the barricade of the courthouse and tried to damage it with a large hammer. * A law enforcement officer was assaulted with blows from a hammer. Violent anarchists fought officers while they were arresting those responsible. 07/12/2020 * Six violent anarchists were detained and cited. * A mob of 300 refused to comply with directions not to trespass on federal property. * Another mob of 200 individuals armed with sledgehammers, tasers and/or stun guns, gathered in Chapman Park across from the Hatfield Courthouse. * Violent anarchists launched fireworks, threw fecal matter and large objects, and pointed lasers at federal law enforcement officers. * Violent anarchists deployed a plywood blockade while graffitiing the Edith Green-Wenell Wyatt Federal Building, before firing wrist rockets at the facility. * When an arrest team was deployed to apprehend a rioter who encroached on a police barrier and refused to leave, they were assaulted by violent anarchists. * A rioter trespassed on the steps of the Hatfield Courthouse and was confronted by federal law enforcement Officers, then swallowed a large amount of narcotics. Law enforcement called medical services after the individual started to convulse. * Despite more orders to stay off of federal property and to cease unlawful activity, FPS was forced to push back violent anarchists. The Portland Police Bureau declared the mob an unlawful assembly. 07/13/2020 * Violent anarchists released personal information of federal law enforcement officers to the public, publishing names of those in Portland. * Violent anarchists continued to assault law enforcement officers with lasers, slingshots and fireworks. Others were armed with sledge hammers, tasers, and stun guns, and dragged flaming debris into the scene. 07/14/2020 * Violent anarchists set a container of liquid on fire at the Terry Schrunk Plaza. * Violent anarchists jumped a fence and attempted to breach the Edith Green Federal Building. * Violent anarchists assaulted federal law enforcement officers with cans and other hard objects while they attempted to unblock the entrance of the Edith Green Federal Building. 07/15/2020 * Violent anarchists doxed members of federal law enforcement. * Violent anarchists attempted to damage the Hatfield Courthouse by throwing objects at it and spray painting it. Numerous fireworks were also lit. * Violent anarchists trespassed on federal property and destroyed a card reader at the Justice Center. Link: https://www.dhs.gov/news/2020/07/16/acting-secretary-wolf-condemns-rampant-long-lasting-violence-portland

More fun in Seattle. 12 officers injured in a single day of "peaceful" protests. They also smashed many windows on police and private businesses and one or more people in the crowd were throwing industrial grade fireworks at the police which resulted in many (12) injuries. https://spdblotter.seattle.gov/2020/07/19/significant-property-damage-officers-injured-during-protest/

I don't like the unmarked federal agent BS at all, but aren't we on like day 50 of the federal courthouse in that area being attacked? If the local authorities were keeping the protests peaceful and stopping them from doing things like setting fire to police buildings and firing high-end fireworks into the federal courthouse none of this would be happening.

It's not like they really tried during the Epstein murder. That was so clearly murder this situation just seems like more of the same.