How Did This Happen?

In the midst of a news story about how Trump's Surgeon-General dealt with a medical emergency on an airliner there is a picture of him.  Wait a minute, why did that racist Trump pick someone that dark?

Why Linux Is Not Winning the War

I am trying to get the Debian Linux version in the shop to print to the HP LaserJet in my office (IP 192.168.0.104).  Settings->Printing: Add.  Network Printer is the obvious choice:

It asks for the Host.  The IP address? Then Find button?

AppSocket/HP JetDirect goes a bit farther.  But there is no driver for my M426fdw, which is neither antique nor new.  (A few years old.)  I can use the 1536 driver, but then when I bring up properties, I get:

Any suggestions?  I really prefer Linux, but I cannot recommend it to anyone who is struggling with Windows.

This may be the solution.  (No, and not needed.)  Could not install on Debian 7.1 (the special version for CNC).  But somehow I can print from the install under VMWare, so I may try the same sequence from the shop PC.

Works!  In case you run into this struggle: AppSocket/HP Direct, Enter the IP address in the URI field, Forward, then enter it again on next screen and it searches for drivers.  Still none specific to my M426fdw, but using the M1536 printer profile works.

Actions Have Consequences

5/15/18 NPR:

California has seen a record rise in cases of sexually transmitted diseases and a spike in the number of stillbirths caused by syphilis. It marks the third year in a row that the state has seen a rise in the spread of STDs.

More than 300,000 cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and early syphilis were counted in 2017, according to the latest report by the California Department of Public Health. Health officials said the upsurge constitutes a 45 percent increase compared to five years ago.

But what is "particularly concerning" to the department is that the number of stillbirths due to congenital syphilis increased to 30 — the highest number reported since 1995. And the overall cases of California babies born with the disease — passed through the placenta from their mothers — has more than quadrupled since 2013 to 278 last year. It can cause severe neurological problems, deformities or blindness, among other serious ailments....

The ubiquity of "hookup" apps is another contributing factor. "The internet and smart phones have made it very, very easy to create social and sexual connections between people," Bauer said, adding that short-lived relationships, during which many people don't bother to exchange meaningful contact information, makes it challenging to notify previous sexual partners of dangerous infections.

The data out of California are consistent with the most recent nationwide numbers available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which logged more sexually transmitted diseases than ever in 2016. More than two million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis were diagnosed in the United States that year and early reports indicate 2017 may be another record setting year. 

You only need to look at the syphilitic damage to bones to realize how serious this is.  Part of what provoked an increase in sexual morality laws in the early to mid-19th century was syphilis.

The Reality Optional Zone

Why universities are increasingly held in contempt:


As Instapundit observes:

I predict that it will be harder and harder to argue that higher education adds value, either for individuals or for society.

I keep wondering why Republican state legislatures do not defund the identity politics departments of state universities.

Idaho Gov. Race

I had already decided against Brad Little for Governor, both because of his endorsement by squishy conservative Gov. Otter and because his ads against Labrador have become increasingly nasty; they also have a smell of deception.  This article says:

An Idaho government watchdog group says left-wing labor union bosses and environmentalists have been “masquerading” as conservative Republicans to convince the state’s citizens to vote for liberal Republican gubernatorial candidate Brad Little.

“In a recent mailing, the Independent Republicans for Idaho PAC tells voters that Little is ‘safeguarding conservative Idaho values,’” writes Wayne Hoffman of Idaho Freedom Foundation, adding that the PAC further states, “Brad is the proven conservative leader who will stand up for the things we hold dear: family, freedom and a future worth fighting for.”

“The question: Who are the “Independent Republicans for Idaho?”

Hoffman asks, observing that the PAC shares the same address as the Idaho Education Association (IEA), a state teachers’ union that has been battling school choice and promoting a statewide pre-kindergarten program, the latter of which Little also supports.

Progress 99.2 kg

Nope a huge drop but any progress is good.

FBI Report on Active Shooters: 2016-17

It is here.  On p. 2:

11 shooters killed by police
8 shooters stopped by citizens
18 shooters apprehended b y police