Farting around

[…]

Not surprisingly, Occupy Wall Street has become a magnet for thieves and con-men. As one organizer complains, “Stealing is our biggest problem at the moment.”

Then there are the bums. Originally, from what I can tell, street people were actively recruited by the Occupiers as a way of adding to their somewhat anemic numbers. But the naïve young hippies who make up the bulk of the movement are quickly discovering what the rest of us, with the benefit of actual life experience, already know about “the homeless.”

Over at Occupy Boston, a protester complains, “It’s turning into us against them. They come in here and they’re looking at it as a way of getting a free meal and a place to crash, which is totally fine, but they don’t bring anything to the table at all.” Another report concludes with a similar sentiment.

“We have compassion toward everyone. However, we have certain rules and guidelines,” said Lauren Digioia, 26, a member of the sanitation committee. “If you’re going to come here and get our food, bedding and clothing, have books and medical supplies for no charge, they need to give back,” Digioia said. “There’s a lot of takers here and they feel entitled.”

These kids had better watch out. If they start thinking that like this, pretty soon they might find themselves at a Tea Party rally.

[…]

Yet you have to sympathize with the cooks who have been besieged by moochers. Behind the hypocrisy, there are real lessons to be learned: lessons about the relationship between productive people and freeloaders. About the need for police to protect decent people from criminals. About how con-men and power-lusters always take over utopian schemes for their own benefit. About the taxing power and unaccountability of central authorities.

Read the whole thing!

I found this forgotten picture on my cellphone. Took it in Los Angeles in June.

This is 1.75 liters of Jim, normal selling price $23, special price unfortunately not in the frame (you do need to be some type of cardholder member for the special price).

$23 is R180 to R200, depending on what the exchange rate is doing. For that, I can get 750ml of Jim locally.

*sigh*

I mean, look at Marko’s! But hey, everybody’s doing it, so…

Just your generic Swiss Army knife. This is my third — I bought #1 in Switzerland in 1984 and wore it out about two years ago — the corkscrew tore out of the frame. I promptly replaced it — they’re cheap, less than a case of beer — and shortly afterwards donated the replacement to a baggage handler in San Francisco after forgetting to stick the damn thing in the checked luggage.

It has everything I need in an everyday carry knife. A bottle opener, another bottle opener, and occasionally I even use the blade.

Thanks Og.

Driving to work this morning.

See that little white car parked on the side of the road?

Yes, that’s the only piece of yellow line for about two kilometers.

4chan‘s Anonymous now has a website!

(Sometimes, just sometimes, there’s gold in them thar SPAM)

The Diary of Tamsyn Blake, aged 12 3/4.

There was a lot of Drama* and Blaming going on which didn’t suit me at all.

[…]

*I think they keep getting confused. Drama is on Friday’s  Zonals are on Monday.

RTWT

Driving home Mike Wills mentioned that the first whales of the season were in False Bay.

(Fish Hoek beach, looking out to the far side of Simon’s Town. That’s Boulders over there, for those of you with a thing for penguins).

Didn’t expect them to be so close to shore (OK, there’s a bit of shortening with the lens and all, but they’re right in). It was getting dark, so I didn’t stick around waiting for a more interesting photo opportunity.

These are Southern Right Whales, and we have plenty of them — as opposed to the North Atlantic Right Whales, who number around 400 and are individually named, and the North Pacific Right Whales, who are even more rare.

“Our” fellows cruize in here around the beginning of September, bringing lots of revenue for small towns like Gansbaai and somewhat bigger towns like Hermanus.

<Tanya> I’m not going to read, I’m going to watch TV — I’ve been staring at a computer screen all day.

<me> Welcome to the 21st Century.

Lemme get this straight…

You’re trying to bribe me into persuading my boss to pay R7600 to send me on a course? Bribe me with a free crackberry? And the course is on ethics?

Thanks but… no thanks.

Working in Kuwait. Blogging from the eee (running puppeee BTW).

Flew out of Cape Town on Saturday with 90kg of equipment. Between three of us, with a few items of clothing added, and after weighing the carry-on (which was about 5kg less than the allowed 21kg for three people) and subtracting that, we were 10kg overweight, for R3000.

That’s a lot cheaper than couriering the stuff

Plane left at 1800 or so so we got supper. Then at 0100 SA time they woke us up for breakfast, because we were about to land in Dubai.

Dubai International reminded me of that scene in Men in Black. If you know the movie you’ll know which scene I’m referring to.

After a few hours got on another plane for the short (< 2 hour) flight to Kuwait, and we got fed again.

So I’m not hungry.

Worked in 36 degree heat (OK, I lie, they do have aircon but outside is… interesting) from about 11 to about 5. Apparently 36 is a nice day and it occasionally hits 60+. Thanks but no thanks.

Fellow driving us around had to fill up. R1.30 a litre. That’s not quite one tenth of what we pay back home, but it’s not far off. He couldn’t get four Dinar (R100) into a bone dry Dodge Charger…

Now sampling alcohol free beer, trying to determine which is best (Insert joke about the  tallest midget competition here).

Internet is also interesting. I can receive mail but I can’t send. I know neither of my mail servers will tell me “Connection refused” when I try to telnet into the SMTP port, so I guess it’s blocked. MSN also doesn’t work. IRC does, but I want to chat to my wife not #GBC.

(Incidentally, here’s a picture for the #GBC guys)

So apologie to all of y’all (if there’s more than three of all of y’all) iff’n you get bored being cc’ed on sitreps to home.