If you have anger issues, this one is a great tool (h/t mindyourbusiness)
This week’s book:
Discourses and Selected Writings
Disclaimer: I’m not your Supervisor. These are my opinions after reading through these books a few times.
Epictetus was born a slave around 50 ad. His owner was Epaphroditus, a rich freedman who was once a slave of Nero. Though he was a slave Epictetus was sent to study philosophy under Musonius Rufus.
Epictetus was lame and there are some stories it was caused by his master and others that it was caused by disease.
He was a freedman when all philosophers were banished from Rome in 89 by the Emperor Domitian. He then started his school in Greece, and had many students. He did not leave any writings from his lessons, but one of his students, Flavius Arrian, took notes and wrote the Discourses.
Epictetus did not marry, had no children, and lived to be around 80-85.In retirement, he adopted a child that would have been abandoned and raised him with a woman.
He died sometime around AD 135.
He might be my favorite Stoic teacher. I love his bare bones and very straight forward approach.
Following is a paragraph-by-paragraph discussion of one of his lessons. Epictetus’s text appears in bold, my replies are in normal text.
From the thesis that God is the father of mankind how may one proceed to the consequences?
If a man could only subscribe heart and soul, as he ought, to this doctrine, that we are all primarily begotten of God, and that God is the father of men as well as of gods, I think that he will entertain no ignoble or mean thought about himself.
Though I am not religious, I believe the world would be a better place if more people acted like religious people are supposed to. If people truly believed they came from God, there would probably be more compassion and charity.
Yet, if Caesar adopts you no one will be able to endure your conceit, but if you know that you are a son of Zeus, will you not be elated? As it is, however, we are not, but inasmuch as these two elements were comingled in our begetting, on the one hand the body, which we have in common with the brutes, and, on the other, reason and intelligence, which we have in common with the gods, some of us incline toward the former relationship, which is unblessed by fortune and is mortal, and only a few toward that which is divine and blessed.
I have known many people that had fewer constraints on their morals if it came to sex, especially on long deployments. I never understood those types. I got married young and it was a high priority of mine to not get divorced, so it was easier for me to just go out and drink beer without getting into bad situations when I was deployed.
Since, then, it is inevitable that every man, whoever he be, should deal with each thing according to the opinion which he forms about it, these few, who think that by their birth they are called to fidelity, to self-respect, and to unerring judgement in the use of external impressions, cherish no mean or ignoble thoughts about themselves, whereas the multitude do quite the opposite.
In High School and my first year or so in the Marines, I fell into some bad habits and was easily persuaded by my baser instincts. After I got serious with my wife, long before we were married, I tried to be in the few and maintained a higher self image because of it. My friends would notice and thought I was a little weird. They weren’t wrong, but I had made a decision and was able to stick with it until we finally got married.
5“For what am I? A miserable, paltry man,” say they, and, “Lo, my wretched, paltry flesh!” Wretched indeed, but you have also something better than your paltry flesh. Why then abandon that and cleave to this?
It is because of this kinship with the flesh that those of us who incline toward it become like wolves, faithless and treacherous and hurtful, and others like lions, wild and savage and untamed; but most of us become foxes, that is to say, rascals of the animal kingdom. For what else is a slanderous and malicious man but a fox, or something even more rascally and degraded? Take heed, therefore, and beware that you become not one of these rascally creatures.
As I have gotten older, I have become a judgemental asshole. I cannot be friends with a man that cheats on his wife. If you can maintain that level of deception with her, how can I trust you in anything? In my current life, everyone I deal with carries themselves honorably. This really helps when we have issues at work. There is no finger pointing and whoever screwed up is able to admit what happened without trying to cover their tracks. We used to have an angry woman that would never admit what she did or forgot to do and always push blame to others for not telling her. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when she left. That seemed like an exhausting way to go through life.
Now I have a reply to PutridMeat’s comment at the tail end of last week’s Stoic Friday, since he thought he won.
This is why I believe Stoicism is an individual philosophy that meshes well with being a libertarian. Nowhere does say that either the one willing to hold the chamber pot or the one that would refuse are right or wrong. That is up to each person to decide which is the more unbearable.
Late to the party and all, SOME OF US WORK! Or at least sit here pretending to work…
I pretty strongly disagree here. In Epictetus’ formulation, there’s clearly the threat of violence – “will get a beating, will not get food”. That’s not an evaluation of rationality or what each person may value against the labor they perform – it’s violence and slavery. Certainly a person may decide which is more unbearable, threats and death vs hold the chamber pot and not evaluating the person making that decision in the face of threats as right or wrong makes sense; but the scenario is outside of the realm of libertarianism – or any philosophy that prioritizes the individual autonomy. Basically, Stoicism may indeed mesh well with being a libertarian; but this tale does not demonstrate it to me.
At least we are deep into dead thread here, so no one will contradict me. I win on the internet today!
Do we pay taxes out of our generosity and belief the the government will do better with our money than we will?
Did some people take a shot they didn’t want to in order to keep their jobs?
Both of these represent an individual line in the sand that we each have to decide how to handle.
Admittedly, the circumstances and consequences are more extreme in the case of a slave, but there are choices to be made in all the above scenarios.
Maybe I am not being clear when I say Stoicism and libertarianism are compatible.
The government being coercive doesn’t negate either philosophy, although it can limit how much you can practice either one.
I’m not sure we’re disagreeing a lot, hope this clarifies what I meant.
Music this week is from the first CD from one of my favorite unknown bands.
I heard them in a heavy metal bar outside of Fort Sill OK, and never heard of them from anywhere else.
Have the couple other metal heads here ever heard them?
If you like Queensryche, Helloween, Iron Maiden, or that type, you should listen to Crimson Glory.
Their lead singer, Midnight, had one of the greatest high metal voices of all time.
Valhalla, such a great intro to the album.
Azrael, probably my favorite song of theirs.
Lost Reflection, Hey! You’re not me!
This is another good one. I think I might be digging Epictetus even more than Seneca.
If a man could only subscribe heart and soul, as he ought, to this doctrine, that we are all primarily begotten of God, and that God is the father of men as well as of gods, I think that he will entertain no ignoble or mean thought about himself.
I’ve been reading about the early Church’s compatibility with the idea that the gods were, like man, created by God. It intrigues me how quickly Christianity absorbed paganism – I wonder if that thesis is a big reason why.
Since, then, it is inevitable that every man, whoever he be, should deal with each thing according to the opinion which he forms about it, these few, who think that by their birth they are called to fidelity, to self-respect, and to unerring judgement in the use of external impressions, cherish no mean or ignoble thoughts about themselves, whereas the multitude do quite the opposite.
That’s the whole enchilada, I think. We are created in the image of God, given free will and must strive to be better in a fallen world.
Good stuff, Ron. Love these.
Never heard of Crimson Glory, but the Iron Maiden comp is apt. Valhalla is great!
I couldn’t, either. But here’s the question: Would you tell the spouse s/he’s being cheated on?
Yes, and I have actually done that.
What was the outcome?
They got divorced.
At least she was prepared for it and not blindsided the he he had it planned out.
The WAY he had it planned out.
Mitzvah on your part.
Even a slave chooses to be a slave, rather than lose his life.
Then why do plenty of freemen choose to die rather than become a slave?
Because that’s where they choose to make their stand?
Not sure I understand the question.
Some people won’t tolerate being a slave and either escape or die, others tolerate it very well and some of them even were able to become prosperous.
I think I fried my voltometer the other day. It is not obvious in poor light which end of the fin on the rotary selector switch is the position indicator. Whatever it was set on, it wasn’t AC volts. It didn’t seem to like it when it put it across a 110 leg of my new 220 outlet. No smoke, but it now throws a stream of random numbers.
Back to Harbor Freight (I think that was number three). It’s easier to be stoic when you’re paying five or six bucks for them. I’d be pissed if it was a Fluke.
#3? Buy two this trip.
I have some cheap Chinese made multimeters that I use for electronic work.
I decided not to risk myself with anything dealing with mains voltages. I have an ancient Fluke that if you forget to move the probes and measure current will require honking big sand filled fuse to be replaced that will cost more than most Chinese meters.
My goto that I got for like $60 is this Amazon that they no longer offer.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07W3BXNMP/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00
I forget which Taiwanese OEM they sourced this through, but I’ve seen pictures of the board and it is actually sensibly designed.
Unless I need RMS results I still prefer the Fluke 73 III as it is just simpler with less button punching required.
https://www.techedu.com/Fluke_73-3.asp
Juventus kicked out of Europe: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/66342566
Rufus hardest hit.
But not Man City.
Lot easier to kick out a side from the 3rd tier competition than the champions of the 1st tier.
Are they completely in the clear or are there still steps to take?
Lock him up and throw away the key.
Former Trump White House lawyer Ty Cobb tells CNN’s @ErinBurnett ‘the evidence is so overwhelming’ against former President Donald Trump in the investigation into potential mishandling of classified documents.
I suspect that attorney is redirecting some sort of revenge fantasy against his parents for saddling him with that name.
Ok fine, he mishandled documents. What was in those boxes that was so crucial to the security of the US, and that warrants a life sentence in jail? Oh wait, they won’t tell us.
You don’t have to know, and so they aren’t going to tell you. National security MFer – you trust us or pound sand.
Good news / bad news
Ford’s traditional business operations, known as Ford Blue, earned $2.31 billion during the quarter, while it’s Ford Pro commercial business earned $2.39 billion. Its “Model e” electric vehicle unit lost $1.08 billion from April through June.
The company said it now expects to lose $4.5 billion on the EV business this year, widening losses from roughly $3 billion a year earlier.
Don’t worry. Bidenomic industrial policy will cure this market failure.
If they weren’t forced into it by the Feds, they wouldn’t have an EV business at all.
And the commercial business would be rolling
No, their CEO is all in on EVs. He/Rivian are a big reason why I sold all my Ford stock.
I’d argue that the only reason he’s the CEO is because of the commitment to EVs that their underwriters (Blackrock, Vanguard, State Street) demand.
Not to mention the pressure from the Feds and EPA
It’s pretty amazing how the C-suite of almost every major business has been infected with this social justice over profits bullshit. At some point, they have to decide if they are going out of business or not.
In 1998, I bought a Nissan 200SX. It had a four-cylinder engine and 5 on the floor. It was a blast to drive. And it got 40 mpg while driving 80 mph on the freeway.
That car is illegal to build now.
Hey Nissan we love everything about that generation, keep it the same and give us more power.
Nissan: Ok, here is the next generation we changed everything about it except we kept the same underpowered motor.
Nissan post mortem. Why did the final generation fail in the US?
It’s extremely worrisome.
Does this qualify as a political campaign contribution for accounting purposes?
Consider some of the headline economic statistics released the last few days, on top of the GDP release. At 3%, inflation is now at its lowest since the pandemic, down from its peak of nearly 10% of last year. Commodity prices have plummeted by at least 50% across the board, ranging from energy, food, agriculture, and metals. Some such as lumber are down a stunning 95% in a year. Even gasoline prices, which have ticked up slightly in the last few weeks, are now lower than pre-Ukraine conflict levels.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate of 3.7% is at a 54-year low, and the unemployment rate has stayed below 4% for the longest stretch in the last 50 years despite the Fed raising interest rates from 0 to 5.5% in a year. The last time this nation saw such good employment news, LBJ was the President and Bonanza was the top show on TV. In almost every major sector, real wages are now growing faster than pre-pandemic with record workforce participation, amidst millions of new and returning workers–partially thanks to the workforce training, education, and childcare policies that are core pillars of Bidenomics.
Hail Biden!
And yet, many many businesses are woefully understaffed. How’s that work?
” Even gasoline prices, which have ticked up slightly in the last few weeks, are now lower than pre-Ukraine conflict levels.”
Call me when they’re at pre-Biden levels.
I was just reading, I think on NRO, that Biden is polling very badly on the economy, which is one of the top issues for people. So here comes the propaganda, right on schedule.
They are going to have to fornicate the election extra hard in ’24.
They’re ready.
Ballot printer go brrrrr…
Inflation rate might be down, but the prices are still a whole lot higher than they used to be.
So it’s clear what I mean – and clear that I may mis-understand the ideas of the Stoics;
We’re drawing a line in the sand with respect to what violations of our core principles we will tolerate in order to avoid negative, in many case VERY negative, consequences. But that’s just in general, not tied to any philosophical thought. The divergence I have with respect to Stoicism is that I see it as suggesting (or very easily sliding into) acceptance. It says this is the way of the world, it does you no good to rail against it. It makes no judgement about whether it is right or wrong. It is the way it is and it is rational to accept it. The libertarian may do the exact same thing (side-eyes property tax statement I’m about to send in…), but can and will judge the morality. I will do this to avoid negative consequences and many of us will draw the line in different places, but will never lose sight of the fact that it is coercive and wrong, and we should put effort into make in less so where possible. There’s a moral and ethical judgement. It seems Stoicism makes no judgements about the underlying morality, just how to react in the moment to a situation.
I’ve been sort of thinking that Stoicism works very well for me in the day-to-day – don’t throw that hammer across the room because you hit your finger, don’t curse the shop-vac because the cord got tangled in way that seems impossible with out careful planning. These are things that happened and don’t have a moral underpinning. Maybe realize what part you played in them happening – don’t try to drag that shop-vac across the floor for convenience when it would be better to go over, pick it up and move it. But tolerating a set of infringements on my liberty, I won’t be stoic about that – I may or may not do it depending on my risk-reward tolerance, but I will recognize it’s immorality and work, in whatever small inconsequential ways I can, to change it.
Crimson Glory – I really got into Transcendence (even has an anti-commie song on it!), but could never get into much beyond that album. Another one to look at for fans of Queensryche et al is Power of Omens. Singer is not terribly good and they never got much traction, but there are some musical gems on that album.
The divergence I have with respect to Stoicism is that I see it as suggesting (or very easily sliding into) acceptance. It says this is the way of the world, it does you no good to rail against it. It makes no judgement about whether it is right or wrong. It is the way it is and it is rational to accept it.
I don’t get that from Stoicism.
I get that You control your mind, not Others. That’s not the same as saying have or haven’t control of the outside world.
On my black-pill days, I find Stoicism in harmony with “don’t get mad, get even”. But that’s just me.
Funny, From Stoicism, I get the picture of a slippery slope into nihilism. It’s not there, but it’s certainly on that incline.
Interesting. I consider it an antidote to nihilism. Can you expand on what you mean?
He’s saying he’s worse than a nazi, Donnie.
At least it’s an ethos.
I see what you’re saying and kind of agree, but it is up to each of us what to accept.
I can try to change our ruling class, and even spend a lot of time, money, and energy fighting.
I also have to understand that being angry while complying is a waste of that energy.
Many of the ancient philosophers worked against the Emperor, and were executed or banished for that.
The best ones to me were the ones who did all they could, but when the time was up, they were able to look it in the eye and not rail about how unfair it is.
The best ones to me were the ones who did all they could, but when the time was up, they were able to look it in the eye and not rail about how unfair it is.
I like to think I would walk stoically to the gallows. That’s certainly better than railing about how unfair it is. But is walking stoically to your death better than going down fighting and maybe being able to take an honor guard with you? Or if not an honor guard, at least going out on your own terms rather than the executioner’s?
A movie I watched about a concentration camp in Nazi Germany comes to mind. Men lined up on the top of a pit to take a bullet from an officer. The front man would fall into the pit and the line would advance by 1. The men met their deaths stoically, looking the officer in the eye as the bullet came. And then advancing in turn.
Any other action would have resulted in getting gunned down by guards in the towers. But the men could have taken some guards with them in the process.
I’ve learned that what I would have thought I would do/feel in given X situation is totally not what I ended up doing/feeling. I can no longer say, “Oh, shit, if that happened to me, I’d…” because I have zero idea what I’d do.
“It depends” has become my mantra.
Don’t rail against it =/= don’t fight for change
From my limited understanding of Stoicism, it does make moral judgements and encourage making things better. But take level-headed action, don’t just sit around bitching about how unfair it is. And be prepared for negative outcomes.
I try to make grown up decisions and accept the good and bad consequences of those decisions.
The divergence I have with respect to Stoicism is that I see it as suggesting (or very easily sliding into) acceptance. It says this is the way of the world, it does you no good to rail against it.
Acceptance of the way things are, not acceptance that it is right or not worth fighting against.
Have a solid moral blueprint makes it much easier to choose battles, not simply give up. A big difference, IMO.
But tolerating a set of infringements on my liberty, I won’t be stoic about that – I may or may not do it depending on my risk-reward tolerance, but I will recognize it’s immorality and work, in whatever small inconsequential ways I can, to change it.
That’s exactly right.
I contend that is exactly wrong. There is nothing not-Stoic about that course of action. It is again, like this column sees almost every single week, an example of someone confusing the modern definition of small “s” stoic with the philosophy of big “S” Stoicism.
Fair, but the last part is still within the bounds of proper application.
For sure, it’s all correct action, but what he’s wrong about is saying it’s not Stoic.
He’s wrong about not being labeled as stoic, but acting in a stoic manner.
Still will make for a better outcome!
OK, I’m wrong. It’s not Stoic. However, everything I’ve seen from the Stoics seems to indicate fundamental right and wrong is outside the bounds of Stoicism – it’s not its primary concern. That’s fine, I can take what I want from Stoicism and add what I need from other schools of thought.
As I’ve said, I may very well be confused about big-S stoicism. However, every time I read the writing (or interpretations) which is admittedly not a lot, mostly restricted to Ron’s weekly contributions (btw, thanks, I find these great – now I won’t go so far as to claim I look forward to Friday morning/noon posts as much as Wednesday, but it’s close), the emphasis always seems to be on acceptance, very little on an examination of right and wrong. Maybe that’s (acceptance, understanding how to direct your personal energy) where the emphasis needs to be to encourage a ‘good’ life, for some value of ‘good’, but that’s not me. Philosophy to me should be about exploring morality and ethics, and big-S (or small s for that matter) doesn’t seem to scratch that itch for me.
Try using the word perception or recognition instead of acceptance. You strive to perceive the world as it truly is and try to take the appropriate action – first with yourself and then in expanding circles from there. The teachings give examples for you to analyze yourself and your situation. With practice you will see things as they truly are – not the rage inducing propaganda of others. Then you can see the good/bad and properly react.
The credit for this stunning economic recovery surely does not belong to the Fed, which intends to resume interest rate hikes with Chair Powell misguidedly complaining about a “tight” labor market despite falling inflation. In fact, the Fed has caused some of the most significant price increases, for example in housing, since people no longer want to sell their existing houses with such high interest rates.
The answer is that Bidenomics is proving to be the most impactful and transformative public investment program since FDR’s New Deal, with even Morgan Stanley acknowledging that economists broadly underestimated the positive effect of Bidenomics.
Transformative as fuck, one might even say.
Oh fuck off. Your monthly payment is not the same as an asset price.
Temp is 97 degrees
Dew Point is 83 degrees
This is definitely in the “it doesn’t get much worst than this” territory for Iowa.
Yikes. That is miserable. Here the temp is 66 and dewpoint is 64. Very humid, but obviously a way more comfortable temp.
We had an unseasonably hot May and June, but July has overall been relatively cool.
Good for the tomatoes
91 but only 27% humidity and 52 dewpoint. Hot in the sun, but remarkable comfortable in the shade.
Yeah, that’s the biggest difference in CO for me: out of the sun, the temp seems to drop significantly. Back in flatland country, doesn’t matter.
When I was in Phoenix, I learned that 105 with a 5 degree dew point could be quite comfortable. Sit in the shade and keep hydrated. Sweat and evaporation works just fine to keep you safe.
When the dew point is over 80 degrees, there is no way to stay cool other than seek shelter or a cool body of water to hang out in.
The heat index in Smithville the other day was 122F.
I ignore “calculated” values like wind chill and heat index. They only seem to get reported when they are extreme enough for the new to care.
I just want to know the temp and the dew point. I can figure out the rest.
And I have experienced 122 in Phoenix. In many ways, that was easier to deal with than the current conditions here in Iowa.
I am sure I broke 130 in “Whale Gap” in July of 95. At Ft Irwin, the Whale Gap is a flat depression of land between a black whale shaped hill and another ridge-line. Like a giant solar frying pan.
It was 127 on main post when we drove out there. I drank from my canteen and it was hot as a cup of coffee.
The humidity on a day like that is below 5%. Any exposed skin gets chapped in minutes.
As I have gotten older, I have become a judgemental asshole. I cannot be friends with a man that cheats on his wife. If you can maintain that level of deception with her, how can I trust you in anything?
I don’t see that as being a judgmental asshole. It’s being smart.
Ron, you’ve been making me think about free will.
Do we have free will, or do we have parameters, boundaries within which we can act unpredictability. Chaotically.
Don’t know.
That’s a great way to put that. I do think free will does exist within boundaries—which is the actions of other people.
You can’t control what others do to you; you can only control how you react, which is the basis of stoicism (crudely put). However, true free will? I’m not sure, when all the people around you can impose their will on you. Even innocent little Nosy Neighbor, who nearly demands to know your business, is imposing his will on us by almost-demanding information. I go out, I take note he’s there, and ignore him. My husband is friendlier, but skilled in changing the subject any time NN almost-demands personal information.
However, the limiting factor of free will can also be a blessing. “Analysis paralysis” is a real thing, when you have too many choices to make and you’re free to choose any one of them—and inertia is a helluva drug. When I set up samples of a print book design, I work up a few designs and only give the client those few. If I gave them any more than, say, 5, the “Oh, I’d don’t really know”s and “I can’t decide”s start in and the project gets held up while s/he decides.
Preach, Sister. It seems I succumb to that on every single project I undertake.
Well…bye.
People are fleeing Florida in a state of panic and fear.
It’s because muh-trans-kids. IOW they don’t want to live in a state that doesn’t let them mutilate their children.
Related.
1000 fleeing every day! Oops, that’s actually arriving. My mistake.
Technically 2 count as “people”.
I think it’s pretty safe to say a year from now, there’s still going to be more people moving into Florida than moving out.
That Kelly dude with the glasses looks like he hasn’t thought for himself in about thirty years.
If they weren’t forced into it by the Feds, they wouldn’t have an EV business at all.
If not for the EPA, they might be making money from a diversified portfolio of vehicles, instead of almost exclusively from pickup trucks.
My voltometer- at least 95% of what I use it for is checking DC voltage (12- yes or no?) and continuity. Anything beyond a five buck Harbor Freight Chinese cheapie is overkill.
I bought one at AutoZone years ago.
It’s worked fine, given my rare usage of it.
People are fleeing Florida in a state of panic and fear.
The place is infested with giant reptiles!
Weatherman say 85 degrees, 25% humidity. Sunny.
What city are you in/near now?
The Biden Administration ought to be more forceful in communicating the success of Bidenomics. The cabinet is technically competent and honest–but they are also their own worst critics. Especially on the economic policy side, Biden’s chronically humble advisers are leaving room for false narratives to proliferate and letting cynical provocateurs distort reality.
The Aww, Shucks administration.
The cabinet is technically competent and honest
But is it?
What city are you in/near now?
A few miles north of Pocatello.
Nice. Still relatively uninfested?
Not bad at all. A whole lot better than Boise. Mormons make a good shield.
Glad to be of service.
Speaking of Chinese cheapies… What in the everloving hell was up with this?
Needless to say — I’m assuming there’s more of these out there, that at the minimum they’re operating with no standards and that we may well get our very own “escaped from a lab” event for the CCP to point and say “See! We told you it was the idiot Americans!”. Yay.
Holy shit.
I suspect you are right – there are a lot more out there – and not just Chinese.
There’s no way that would be so broadly defined as to be meaningless..
(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Another demonstrator from the infamous 2017 torch march in Charlottesville, Virginia, has been charged with a little-used law that makes it a crime to burn objects with intent to intimidate—the latest indictment over the six-year-old incident by the city’s recently elected, George Soros-backed district attorney.
The defendant, Augustus Sol Invictus (who was born Austin Mitchell Gillespie), was allegedly the author of the “official manifesto” of the 2017 Unite the Right rally. According to the Franklin News–Post, Invictus was granted bail at his court hearing on Wednesday.
Invictus is the latest torch-marcher to be charged by Charlottesville D.A Jim Hingeley, who made it a campaign promise to prosecute torch-carriers. His predecessor, Robert Tracci, had declined to press charges.
No impropriety here.
Something is massively f’d up when the statute of limitations keeps running out on Hunter Biden’s crap, but six years later they can still go after someone for carrying a tiki torch.
Speaking of Chinese cheapies… What in the everloving hell was up with this?
Code enforcement officers are true American heroes.
The gov’t is the rapist here.
An innocent man who spent 17 years in prison for a rape he did not commit may have his prison accommodation and food costs deducted from any compensation he wins for his ordeal.
Andrew Malkinson, who is currently living on benefits, said he was “enraged” by the idea that he would essentially have to pay money for the “torture” he endured for almost two decades.
The 57-year-old was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of seven years after being found guilty of an attack on a woman in Salford, Greater Manchester, in 2003.
He continuously maintained his innocence and was finally declared a free man after his conviction was overturned by appeal court judges on Wednesday.
“By our math, you owe US $12,500.”
Well that’s just something else there. Jesus .
EXCLUSIVE: The Biden administration is blocking key federal funding earmarked under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 for schools with hunting and archery programs.
According to federal guidance circulated among hunting education groups and shared with Fox News Digital, the Department of Education determined that, under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) passed last year, school hunting and archery classes are precluded from receiving federal funding. The interpretation could impact millions of American children enrolled in such programs.
It never ends with these assholes.
Teaching marksmanship just breeds mass-killers. Plus it’s probably an Ultra-MAGA fascism. Or something.
It’s now 100.9 degrees at 82 degree dew point. That’s the highest temp I’ve recorded on my weather station in the last 3+ years since I installed it. I recorded 99.3 in June of 22. So, this is extreme territory for eastern Iowa.