Some situations are just plain murky

 The Case of the Cornell 7 as it's come to be known.  The frat party from hell.  The "Trauma Takes Time" movement.  OK so after going down this rabbit hole a little bit here's where I come down as a conservative.  Even if a young woman goes to a party and agrees to use drugs and alcohol and consents to having sex with more than one guy things can cross the line in a hurry.  Consent may not be given every step of the way.  One version of the events makes the alleged victim Jane Doe look bad.  Another version makes the  Cornell 7 look bad.  Yet another version makes everyone look bad.  Murky at best.

Does anyone go to college or university to learn anymore?  Costs a pretty penny.

Why do old houses appreciate over time?

 According to my real estate report my house was built in 1920 yet I still pay A LOT in property tax.  The math makes no sense.  Everything else depreciates over time.  They say once you drive a new car out of the showroom it starts to depreciate.  I think I got the housing thing figured out though.  Your home equity benefits banks.  They then offer you HELOCs and Home Equity Loans.  I get these in the mail all the time.  This would partly explain why my Yonkers property tax seems to go up a little bit each year instead of going down as you might expect.

There is an old old saying.  Follow the $$$$$$.

How woke got out of control

 Formerly PC or social correctness now it's just Woke.  Recently rewatched Last Tango In Paris a couple of times and then googled as part of my informal film studies.  Exaggerated commentary infected by woke all zeroed in on the butter rape scene and how it ruined actress Maria Schneider's life.  The woke crowd acted like this was a literal surprise sexual assault by Marlon Brando and orchestrated by Director Bernardo Bertolucci.  It was all in the script albeit tweaked late in the day and anyway even the NC-17 version is not hard-core with the actress just walking around in the nude a lot.  I doubt the woke critics have even seen the movie for the most part as the character of Jeanne shoots Brando's charactet Paul in the end make of that what you will.  No context as usual so the woke movement has only gathered steam and power over the years and moved on to other things.  Used to be if you were a grown adult it was your right if you wanted to become the other sex even if the rest of us didn't understand it now we got trans surgery for minors and you're somehow a horrible person if you have issues with this.  FF to the absolutely tragic Lindsay Clancy case.  Somehow it became the default position and somehow proven that Lindsay Clancy had absolutely no awareness that she was strangling her three young children during the 18 minutes it took her to complete the act aka post-partum psychosis.  Lone holdout juror was relentlessly attacked for acting completely within our system but disagreeing with the rest.  Most recent case of woke run amuck Shane Gillis' SNL gym joke which you all know by now.  Shane now contributing to rape culture and making it harder for ladies to go to the gym.  Now there are left-wing comedians out there, middle-wing and right-wing ones each with their own styles and takes.  They tackle a wide variety of subjects and make all kinds of social observations.  Shane didn't tell a Holocaust joke.  Free speech move on laugh or don't laugh you have a remote.  This is a long one for me but we've reached a crescendo of absurdity.  What's the next one gonna be and there will be a next one.

Maybe it's all Brando's fault;)

It doesn't take much to get people upset these days

 Reading about the Shane Gillis controversy.  Not familiar with him as a comedian.  Until recently never heard of him or Bill Burr.  Not up to speed.  Many years back SNL fired Shane Gillis but he's come back a couple of times.  Past my bedtime.  Most recently hosted SNL again and folks or certain groups were offended.  Let me find out.  So he said in his monologue he hasn't been to a public gym in a while and didn't know women dress like whores.  OK so I keep reading figuring I'll get to the part that got everyone upset...Oh wait that was it?!?  Fairly mild.  A jalapeño and not a habanero.  What can we say these days?

Never been to a public gym myself.  Doesn't appeal to me and not in my budget.  People obsessed with their bodies.  Germs and sweat and used gym equipment.  Don't know how their public restrooms are.  I might get on a treadmill and get a percolation in my bowels.  My YouTube search history filled with minor health issues.   I have trouble walking to my local bodega.  Gotta go feed the cats.

Random thoughts with my CB

 I see a lot of news stories on my phone but don't really click on them or go down the rabbit holes if you will.  The Cornell rape case only tangentially aware of the particulars so don't really have a firm stance on reopening or not reopening it but the thought occurs does anyone go to college just to learn and study and earn a degree anymore?

Tiger maulings.  Do we need signs at zoos now in addition to No Smoking?  Do Not Jump Into The Enclosure Containing The Tiger?  Few years back went to the Bronx Zoo.  I'm good with just looking at the creatures.  Don't really wanna shake hands with the gorilla.

Man falls to his death from some roller coaster ride at a Six Flags in Florida.  I thought the attendant operating the machinery makes sure everyone is safely buckled or harnessed in first.  LAWSUIT.

Trump tells a MAGA audience he can say the stupidest things and they'd all cheer and clap.  Is it all shtick?  

Not that long ago got an inflation rebate check from NY Governor Kathy Hochul.  $200.  More recently she sent most New Yorkers an energy rebate check to help with utilities costs.  Mine was $100.  Then there's Trump's theoretical rebate checks which never seem to arrive.  So far Hochul has Trump beat 2-0.

If movie critics know how movies should be made why don't they make the movies themselves?  It's easy to point the finger.

Have a good one;)

Islamophobia? - It's not that simple

 Do women have rights in Muslim countries?  How do Muslim countries view and treat gays?  You can walk and chew gum at the same time.  You can hold that the majority of Muslims are not terrorists while at the same time recognizing there is a problem with radical Islam and certain interpretations of the Koran.  Certainly 9/11 was inspired by radical Islam and definitely the actions of the Fort Hood shooter yet anytime I hear the pejorative that somebody is "anti-Muslim" it tends to oversimplify a complicated issue.  It's as if those who decry Islamophobia don't even recognize the fact that radical Islam does indeed exist and you hardly hear any of these people drawing attention to the issue of women and gays not having full rights in Muslim countries but God forbid a Christian baker doesn't want to bake a cake for a gay wedding.  'Tis strange this selective outrage.  Nuanced positions are not in style anymore if they ever were.  Everything is binary there is no grayscale.

Is this an anti-Muslim screed?  No, just thinking out loud here:)

Let's have a livestream of Trump crapping his pants

 Livestreaming public executions (check TV Guide).  CNN will carry anything.  Botched executions.  Trump term becoming like Faces of Death.  Give Trump a toga.  If you dropped a match on Hegseth's head would it go on fire?  (Please algorithm don't report me).  IRAN - wrap it up already!  Only the Hannitys of the world can afford to fill 'er up.  Latest episode of Trump brain neurons misfiring - If you don't refer to AI as Super Intelligence you're the enemy.  AI can't even handle my smartphone app.  Diddy fighting in prison.  What else?

Finally have a financial plan in order.  It ain't great but it'll do.  Went home after work yesterday and Yonkers Water Bill in my mailbox.  Water bill shot way up.  Dunno what happened.   Now I can't take that bubble bath with the CB.  Do I make the check out to AI?

A cultural note

 Mulling over an early retirement.  Did the rough math in my head and it might be possible.  When I bring up the subject a fairly common response I get from people is "what would you be doing?"  Do these people not have hobbies?

My friend one day I went over his place and his retired Dad had his pajama bottoms on with one of those plastic cups with the built in straw with soda in it.  'Bout 11 in the morning getting ready to watch a Western.  It was a beautiful thing.  You paid your dues and worked like an animal your whole life you have the right to watch Westerns all day if you want.  I don't plan to be a member of the ancient people still working club.

The Golden Years.  Work 'til you drop?  I don't think so.

There is no context. The context is stupidity.

 I actually go out of my way to be fair.  I'm not like the rest.  Somebody says something controversial.  Twist in everyone's knickers bees in the bonnet.  CONTEXT please what was the intention of the speaker?  Controversial movies and songs down through the years.  I want to hear what the creator or artist has to say.  Having said that Trump at a Nebraska campaign rally on Iran: "Let them take out Los Angeles.  Let them take out San Diego."  WH gave their spin.  Me? sounds like Trump is OK with Iran nuking those two Left coast cities.  

No matter how you slice it this is demented and I'm a fair guy;)

They're feeling no pain

 

Flea medicine from Chewy is very expensive.  You don't get a break on the refills either. Wondering if Trump can cut us cat owners a check.

OR do Republicans have to win the House and Senate first?  Those 5K dividend checks Dave says they'd add another trillion to the national debt.  No doubt.  Since Elon Musk can wipe his ass with money he can fund it.  Won't add to the debt and besides I need a new fence in the backyard.  Maybe some alley work.  Hey why not send the checks out NOW?  That's where Trump is stupid.  You don't need martial law for the midterms.  Just soften up some libs.  Also put ICE on hold.

We're living in surreal times;)

Come on down. You're the next contestant on The Trump Is Right!

 I notice the closer we get to the midterms Trump starting to announce cash giveaways to various groups.  $500 checks to about 1 million Americans who overpaid Obamacare premiums.  Now he's giving away $90 to about 20 million seniors to help with Medicare costs.  What will it be tomorrow $50 to cover Fancy Feast?

Don't know if I qualify for anything yet.  Do I get to spin the wheel?

I'm sorry, what?

 "Give me an example of where we went too far."

Tom Homan on the growing criticism of ICE even among some Republican lawmakers.

Things were fine until the app update

 Kind of sums up the state of technology these days.

Have a prepaid smartphone.  Pay as you go.  No contract.  Save money that way.  App used to be user-friendly and at least functional.  You saw your balance right away.  After the update always trouble logging in.  So I have a general plan with great talk and text and a service end date.  I now opt for a monthly plan with unlimited talk text and data and a generous allowance for a hotspot.  The unlimited plan is supposed to take priority for the time being but the AI (?) reversed it.  Texted with Support and got a human name but I think they shifted me over into ai territory.  Message said they applied an update to my settings and data and tethering should work but doesn't.  Yada yada.  Boring personal stuff but things always seem better before the upgrades.

On the newsfront I read Trump has some other check up his ass.  $500 for about 1 million Americans see if you qualify.  Didn't bother to read.  Actually nobody ever qualifies for these Trump promises as these checks never seem to come out of the man's ass.  Also reading Elon Musk says money may not matter in the future.  Easy for him to say.

Yonkers wants to get paid

 Was telling my sister the last time I mailed in my Yonkers property tax I verified through my banking app the check cleared in literally three days which I thought was pretty amazing but she did me one better.  She studiously follows her money matters and knows precisely when her payments clear.  A kind of financial ocd.  So she was telling me some time back she got one of those red-light traffic camera summonses in the mail.  She dutifully mailed in her check and it cleared in TWO days!  Not that the cams are a revenue enhancer mind you but they do cash your checks extremely fast go figure.  I've had contractors take their time with my payments.  Yonkers seems in a bit of a hurry.  What do they have some guy sitting at a desk and as soon as your check arrives he puts on his coat and says "I got this?"

Checks coming out of Trump's ass.  There was that DOGE check never got.  Some kind of tariff rebate check but that went to some corporations I believe and not the citizens and now the 5K check if we corrupt the midterms.  Trump keeps dicking us around.  Could've did some home renovations or paid off some high-interest credit cards and watch my credit score go way down.  The Orange Man - bullshit artist. 

Between Yonkers and Trump I can't get ahead.  I'd settle for a gas rebate check at this point.  30 bucks a week?

War criminals speaking at the UN

 What else is going on?

Customer Support - AI/Robot, Human or Hybrid???

 Was having some technical internet issues with my phone carrier.  I think they confused my plans or rather they confused me or maybe they changed a plan or two in the dead of night who knows.  Never really did read all the fine print.  So you go to Tech or Support.  Sometimes you get a name of a human to greet you but that human keeps repeating generic responses.  Maybe that's the way they're trained or maybe the ai thing has a nickname dunno.  The automated system or self-service that comes first is a kind of fortress or buffer designed to weed out those users with problems or issues that could presumably be solved rather easily without bothering a real live human agent who maybe is due for a break or lunch or maybe somebody called out.  Some of the fixes never seem to work but the system keeps repeating them anyway.  If it does reach the point where you are forced to chat with an actual human agent some have more knowledge than others.  What you need at that point is a real techno-nerd who enjoys this kind of stuff. You have enough stress in your life let's add some new levels of stress.  Actually you don't have time for this you have other things on your plate and it's all so mind-numbing you feel like a zombie at the end.

Makes ya wanna go off the grid and live in a cave no?

I'm not a hip smoker I'm just a regular smoker

 I have a main cigar store I go to but decided to try a few smoke shops.  Despite the name they generally don't carry cigars or pipe tobacco.  You go in the place and it's usually empty and some foreign guy sitting way at the end.  You ask for pipe tobacco and he acts confused.  He looks around and hands you what looks like a pouch of pipe tobacco but it's actually shag for cigarettes.  The storefront should change its name to The Hookah and Vaporizer Place or something like that and so you politely walk out.  Usually there's a cannabis place in the area.  Googled the hookah and it sounds too complicated for my taste to even set up after a hard day at work.  Also vaguely dangerous like you could burn the house down or have a Richard Pryor like accident.  Cat might knock it over.  ALL I want is a couple of Romeo and Julietas or Perdomos maybe and something nice to light up my pipe.  It's kind of a strange place like you expect to see Kash Patel and a goat in the back room.  I hear Cuba is in the dark.

I'm trying to forget about Trump. 

Still kicking ass

 Mitch McConnell back in session.

Kash Patel and the farmer in the dell

 Now perverts can join the FBI.  Well some perverts anyway.  FBI Director Kash Patel explains before the Senate Judiciary Committee why bestiality is no longer a disqualifier from being hired there.  BTW old theory about how Sasquatch started.

Does the FBI have a zoo?

My white privilege

 Basically just writing checks to pay off bills.  Saving very little if any money.  No big raises at work.  No discounts on pipe tobacco.  Bodega down the block overcharges my items as I place them on the counter.  Still have to cut my grass.  Where is my mansion? 

I am privileged though to pay the Yonkers Property Tax.  Second installment today.