That’s *your* opinion. The jury will decide the facts.

NONE of what happened during the interactions with the decedents matters *IF* KR instigated the attack. Wisconsin law disallows self-defense claims *IF* the shooter is the instigator. The jury is deliberating over the WHOLE incident, not just what happened in the seconds before the shootings. The entirety of the case is far more complex than is being portrayed.

YEP. We devalued low-level tasks and have automated them in ways that save money for employers but cost us time: self-check at grocery stores…yep. Offshoring customer service calls…yep. So many things. Money or time. You can’t have both.

The rich do!! Those that are merely comfy do not.

It’s not as straightforward as you describe. I -*HAVE-* watched and was surprised to learn some things, like the behavior of the victims, but the jury wouldn’t still be out if they weren’t troubled by evidence that KR may have provoked the whole incident by brandishing/pointing his weapon at people BEFORE the incidents you describe. So, yeah, not that simple. If anything, what’s clear is that WI needs to clean up its gun laws so minors w/o parents/guardians present cannot carry/brandish, open or otherwise, regardless of the length of the barrel of the gun. He basically got off on a technicality WRT that charge (the length of the barrel). If he'd had a handgun, as many urban youth do, he'd be convicted of the charge.

This really puts things in perspective. I graduated HS in 1994 and we had the internet (and dark web chat rooms) available from every computer center on campus. My kids are truly digital natives, no transition necessary. They complain ALL THE TIME about my dinosaur ways and I'm only forty-freaking-five! It's been a massive change.

Yes, well, there was a MASSIVE shift while I have been alive. GenX truly is a transitional demo. My brother is 10 years older than me and had a markedly different experience. His kids are 21+ tho. Granted, In AR we had dial-up AOL and it was SLOOOOOWWW but we had it. I imagined you being my age but this makes so much more sense! I'm not confused or dismayed by my kids at all. They're a natural evolution. My brother finds kids like DD/DS perplexing.

Good God, how old are you?!?! I had access to all of these things (born 1976) and graduated high school in AR!

There is no question that the COMBINATION of video and public engagement/protest has raised the profile of justice issues in the US but it's an open question as to whether one or the other, in isolation, would have done the trick. KR or no, the combination of prosecutions/verdicts (from George Floyd and Walter Scott to Ahmaud Arbury) isn't something I could envision even 5 years ago. I am incredibly relieved to see JJ get clemency. He lives to fight for ACTUAL INNOCENCE another day, but irrelevant as to the value of protest...not sold on irrelevance. Publicizing to followers=middle ground.

I repeat this to my kids CONSTANTLY. Time or money. You can pay with one or the other but there is always a cost.

Interesting. I will have to give this some thought. There is no substitute for in-person WRT activating young people but, next time, I will have my kids live-stream/publicize our attendance.

Do you really think SM is more powerful? Maybe. It definitely has greater NATIONAL reach but, locally, in terms of municipalities, I'm not totally convinced. I'm open to this notion tho. On-the-ground, nationally-televised protests were the SM of the day.

You're speaking my language. This is very different from what I remember, even for professional roles. Producing a resume that makes virtually no sense when read aloud is, apparently, the norm. The intensive time I spent was devoted to creating something that would allow me to sleep at night but still meets the ATS test.

You're describing my oldest. No substitute for time where she was concerned and COVID definitely set her back. Therapy wasn't available. One year ago she was in a puddle of tears re: calling to make an appt. Yesterday was her maiden flight at the dentist. She also managed all the admin tasks for her cashier job. She did need me for the official docs - SS card, etc. IT IS REALLY, REALLY HARD *AND* DEPRESSING, even for regular kids. Just keep going, Mama. Scaffolding can work over time. We introduced calendar/scheduling discussions this year at dinner time. They both have phones so they save things there. That also helped.

Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)! WHOOO BOY! The learning curve was steep after 7 years away from the rat race. It took a paid consultant plus 72 hours of sleepless tweaking to get things right but I'm FINALLY ready to apply for full time work again. If my latest docs don't work, God is a lie 🤣!

People make it work but it is *HARD* and it usually requires kids to grow up much faster than they should. When I worked full time on the career-track and had a spouse who was mostly unavailable for all things household-related, it was too much so I switched to homeschool/part-time work. I have DELIBERATELY included these kinds of tasks in their upbringing as a result tho. They're not ready to leave without having *some* ability to manage healthcare and auto-care and insurance tasks ****IN ADDITION TO**** schoolwork. DD(17) just attended her first solo dentist appt. yesterday (she drove herself from school and paid, I just wrote a note authorizing treatment and reimbursed DD). She was VERY proud of herself and I cannot tell you how much relief I feel. I do not want to be managing their lives in this way into their 20s.

Oh, thank God!

A follow up to the Southlake saga. There was a bonus episode released but this news just broke today. https://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/2021/11/17/feds-open-civil-rights-investigation-into-southlake-carroll-schools-nbc-reports/

Middle age. I can’t do as much yard work as I used to without needing a recovery day and the cost of manual labor is (fair but) astronomical right now.

Maybe? The federal government provides many forms of targeted relief and did so with the stimulus too. Small businesses located in low-income zip codes were eligible for additional funds. I think that would have been a better approach but there's a lot about the way northwest liberals operate that I don't agree with. Aid for black farmers, for example, has been owed for decades (b/c they were systematically denied assistance under farm bureau programs) but it still hasn't been paid out so I'm unwilling to say reparations are wrong but I do think targeted economic aid by zip code or census tract is a better way to go WRT distributing aid unless direct descendants can be identified. I don't see how that legislates outcomes tho. Aid is an input. It guarantees zero in the way of outcomes.

Oh! Are you talking about the board member diversity proposal that failed? I'm not sure how a single, failed proposal is indicative of that being used or proposed as the solution to these challenges but I did think that wasn't a great idea. It seems the majority of Californians didn't either. I would totally support restorative justice programs aimed at air/water quality remediation, toxic waste cleanup, etc. I don't know that income is a great proxy tho. Disparities persist regardless of income, particularly in health and healthcare but talking about why that is, is CRT so...yeah...

Can you give me an example of legislating outcomes?

Yep! My impressions were 1. OMG!! SO MUCH CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION (even more than Bahrain). I think we passed three Bugatti’s on the road and a Ferrari dealership on the way to our hotel. Oil really does pay. 2. Meh. Bigger/more expensive doesn’t necessarily mean better. 3. Yep. Just as hot as Bahrain. Same, same for standards of dress. We already lived in the region when we went.

I don't know who needs to hear this but neither WW nor WM are the core of the Democratic party. If you're neither the host nor part of the volunteer core but an invited guest, it's poor form to walk in, look around, and complain that the festivities aren't to your taste. The party doesn't exist to cater to you. It exists for the benefit of its members here in the US. Let's flip this around, shall we? If I walk into a conservative party and start complaining that it isn't doing enough to address my issues, what will happen? WHAT *HAS* HAPPENED? NOTHING. Existing members would be similarly annoyed that I didn't read the sign on the door and know why and for whom the event was held. As a specific example of that very thing, the junior senator from South Carolina was deputized to work on his pet issue and then rebuffed in his effort to bring ANYONE from his party to the table on LEO reform. They completely hung him out to dry. He hasn't made a peep since. *SOME* parents are complaining about "CRT" and "DEI", not all. Those parents have an outsize voice because both parties cater to/panic over their every sniffle and snort. That outsize voice/impact/attention DRIVES DOWN participation among people who find they have NO PARTY interested in addressing their concerns despite being the most regular and loyal party attendees. That's not sustainable.

Following. I'm in the market for wallpaper or paint ideas for an accent wall in our master bath. I'm torn between a Mondrian-style paint treatment and wallpaper.