Irony.

A few years ago, my brother bought me a book about roads, a prose-y thing with casual essays written for fun by a guy traveling all over the world. His observations about the onrushing penetration of the automobile into Chinese culture showed that the most prominent national characteristic wasn't cryptic Confucianism, or some demented political enthusiasm nourished by their numbers. The most remarkable thing about China was that it was full of hillbillies:

Chinese passengers have some history with disrupting air travel.

The most remarkable thing about China was that it was full of hillbillies ~ Crid at June 28, 2017 6:34 AM

Apparently, so is Florida.

Crid, that doesn't surprise me. And they aren't the only ones: you'd be surprised at the number of fires aboard aircraft caused by hajj pilgrims who think they can cook meals at their seats with their kerosene stoves. Some of these have ended in tragedy.

And see my compelling comments on the Serena thing.

Aha! That would explain the high level of incompetence in the hospital where Dr. House worked in. Of course, that doesn't explain why every patient admitted there had Lupus.

In an experiment with medical teams, a single rude comment from an observer was enough to slash their performance: they made 19% poorer diagnoses and carried out 15% less effective procedures. As Bob Sutton explains in The Asshole Survival Guide, treating people like dirt hurts their focus and saps their motivation.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/disrupter-you-dont-have-asshole-adam-grant

Good for you, Illinois. Too bad about your crippling debt, but at least you're doing the right thing with this.

The bill, approved unanimously in the state senate and with only one dissenting vote in the house, would raise the standard of evidence for forfeitures from probable cause to a preponderance of evidence and bar seizures under $500 in many drug cases.

It would also abolish a requirement of residents challenging seizures that they pay a 10 percent bond on the estimated value of their property to file a petition, and expedite hearings for owners claiming innocence.

https://reason.com/blog/2017/06/27/illinois-legislature-passes-asset-forfei

I didn't watch Handmaid's Tale on television. I didn't watch Sopranos or Seinfeld or The Simpsons on television either.

But those nuns-habit costumes are getting really annoying.

Basically, whenever someone publishes a picture of that goofy-helmet headgear, it's like they're saying I am a shallowly-comprehending, readily-pre-programmed person whose opinion's you should instantly disregard, because I take stupid entertainment far too seriously.

Although many of the details are murky, the potential impact is clear: In the short term severe strokes among younger adults are a big problem because disability in people in their peak earning years can severely impact their families and future lives, Elkind says. Longer-term, more strokes—even relatively mild ones—among younger adults are worrying because they portend an upcoming epidemic of worse attacks in another 30 years (since survivors’ second strokes are more likely to be stronger and potentially fatal). “We are just seeing those little waves hitting the beach now but that tsunami will come in the future,” says Elkind, who notes that risk factors such as obesity and smoking are cumulative over time.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/more-millennials-are-having-strokes/

Here

Tough broad.

"those nuns-habit costumes are getting really annoying"

Sondheim agrees!

I Never Do Anything Twice

Economic equality is for the proles

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/obama-wall-street-speech-400k_us_5900bf16e4b0af6d718ab7b9

It's a sordid mess of confusion, this one.

Thieves steal motorcycle. Civilian pursues, death ensues.

Thieves' families are upset and one mom is, apparently, doing the autopsy, if we can believe the quote.

I have sympathies.