Too Cute

1/30/19 NBC News:

 The low temperature was minus 15 degrees in Hell, an unincorporated community in Livingston County, Michigan. The high temperature was minus 4, prompting some on social media to note that Hell had literally frozen over.

Yesterday's Loaner

Part of what makes me return to the Jaguar dealer for its annual service is not just the friendly and helpful service staff, but the loaners.  The most antique loaner I have received was a several year old S-type, which is the 2WD version of the X-type.  A couple years back, it was the the then new XE,a very nice sport sedan a bit smaller than the XF that I have.  Last year it was a Range Rover.  This year it was a Volvo XC90, a luxury competitor to the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Very comfortable seats with what my baseline XF desperately needs: lumbar adjustment.  Like many luxury cars now, too many of the controls are on a touch screen, so you need to be looking while changing things.  That is a safety hazard. 

There were a few features that were known to me, but still I have never driven a car with them (except for the Cadillac CTS my wife and I drove when we bought the XF).  One was lane assist.  It seems to look for white line lane markers, and maybe only dotted lines at that.  It gives you a warning icon on the dash and the steering hints that this is not a good idea.  You can still drift into another lane, but do not claim you were not warned.  I am not sure that I would ever use it.  If you are that inattentive, you should be taking a plane or letting your chauffeur handle what is clearly too hard a task.  I did not turn on the cross traffic warning system, and I would not use it for the same reason.  Nor did I turn on the "You are tailgating feature."  Again, if you are this out of it, check into a motel for the night!

The blind spot warning lights in the side view mirrors are nice, although I have mastered the arcane art of keeping my mirrors showing the blind spots, so these are not very important to me.

One feature of the Corvette that I miss is the heads up display, and the Volvo  had it.  At least how it was configured it showed my mph and next to it, a surprisingly accurate speed limit sign.  Even in school zones it knew to show me the actual speed limit with excellent geographic accuracy.  Even though it is a Volvo, the do-gooder liberal's brand, it only flashes the speed when you  through the speed limit; it does not shake its finger at you, beep, or remind you to eat more broccoli.

And it was very quiet, as a luxury SUV should be.

This Smells, and Not Like Roses

1/27/19 CNN:

(CNN)Since their loved ones were killed in the Las Vegas shooting in October 2017, the families of the 58 people who died have faced a difficult decision: Should the shooter's guns be sold and the proceeds given to the families? Or should the guns be destroyed?

Now an anonymous donor has donated $62,500 to ensure that guns owned by the shooter, Stephen Paddock, are destroyed, according to an attorney for a court-appointed administrator handling the shooter's estate. The collection as a whole has been appraised at a value of about$62,300.

Thus precluding an independent verification of the semiauto status of the guns, or even rifling comparison to bullets retrieved from victims to verify these guns were used.  I would think the makers alone would have an interest in independent verification.  Because ATF was not allowed by the FBI to inspect the guns, it is especially important to preserve the evidence.

A "Journalist" Talks About the Damages Sen.Paul's Attacker Has to Pay

https://mobile.twitter.com/RaeHodge/status/1090751612602208257?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

In a way indicating it was an acceptable cost for the joy of doing this.  Why does she still have a job?  Find her employers and ask if it would be as entertaining if she was discussing damages for a rape as a reasonable cost.

Good News for My Wife (and Therefore for Me)

At the follow-up appointment the surgeon told her that the pathology report on the tissues he excavated all the way down to the bone show that no cancerous cells are left, so no follow-up surgery, chemo, or radiation.  Thanking God that our dentist noticed the abnormality in her gum and sent her off for an expert.

The Motto of My Adult Like Just Came to Me

Get rich or die codin'

More Fake News and Hate Crimes

Chicago Police Department had reviewed hundreds of hours of video tape and found no evidence that this actor was attacked by MAGA hat wearing homophobes, out wandering the streets with a nose in subzero weather. And the left wonders why we no longer believe anything they say.https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-chicago-cold-weather-20190127-story.html