The Vent and Rant Thread

[orlok]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

some parts of the last bit will be happening. I have lawyered up and been told I do indeed have a case

Good luck with that. Some people need to be brought down a peg or two.

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by orlok

Good luck with that. Some people need to be brought down a peg or two.

thanks and this guy is definitely one. If I wasn't going after him, I'd be tempted to post my chart notes

[Hitch]

OK, I've had it. (Not to digress from KK's perfectly justifiable rant, as near as I can tell; but I don't know about her situation, and thus, other than hoping for the best for her, can't comment intelligently.)

The Sterling mess. To roll with it for a moment, the Sterling Silver mess. (For those not in the USA, please see this: http://blogs.wsj.com/riskandcomplian...rge-in-sports/ for a quick catch-up on it).

Here's my issue: is what that dolt said reprehensible? Yes, of course. Is it idiotic, and 100 years or more behind the times? Yes. Indisputably. But are we living in an age of the Thought Police? That your s**t can be taken away from you, for an opinion expressed in the (alleged) privacy of your OWN HOME, and given to the world by an illegally-disclosed, personal recording, which cannot even be admitted into any (future) court case? How will the NBA force Mrs. Sterling, who by community property rights, owns 50% of the team, to divest HER half? And if she isn't forced to get rid of HER half, where are the teeth in this?

I find it extremely unlikely that any court in the US will take away this man's property for expressing an opinion that, however distasteful and abhorrent, isn't illegal--unlike the "evidence" against him that might be attempted to be used by the NBA to force him out, in the inevitable court battle. As repulsive as he is, why not simply allow his players, and his team's fans, to vote with their FEET and WALLETS?

And here's the part that really GETS UP MY NOSE: this is in Major League SPORTS. This is in an area in which a ball team, (in the NFL), allowed a player to rejoin the NFL, and be paid MILLIONS of dollars per year--a man that hung dogs for fun. All these teams have men that have been accused of domestic violence to varying degrees. Rape accusations. Some are serving suspended sentences for this or that. Are involved in bar brawls that result in injuries, even deaths. And let's not even get started on substance abuse, taking steroids, etc.

When Major League Sports gets up off its ass and decides that its "boys will be boys" attitude toward brutality of all types (including to poor defenseless dogs, which can't pack their bags and leave), toward wives and girlfriends, toward strangers, toward substance abuse (as these schmucks are role models, however abhorrent THAT idea is) can be discarded as the hypocritcal crap that it is, and will start to actually discipline and live up to some remotely-enforced code of conduct, then I'll even THINK about the idea that they would have had ANY right to do ANYthing to Sterling, no matter how much I think that man should be kicked in the balls with a hobnailed boot.

But until they decide to...wait for it..."man up" and behave like men, instead of thugs* and gang members and brutal sociopaths, I think that punishing some 80+ year old guy for being an asshole in pseudo-private, for using WORDS, when they refuse to punish far worse ACTS, is just the height of hypocrisy. As long as Michael Vicks is on any major league team, Major League Sports should SHUT THE BLANK UP.

and if THAT wasn't enough, they already KNEW this guy was a racist asshole! This is the league's worst-kept secret. So, his..what, concubine?...releases some tapes, and NOW, they're going to TAKE HIS TEAM AWAY from him?

Frankly, I find this, coupled with the Mozilla debacle, disturbing. The whole 1984 "Thought Police" aspect is truly disquieting, given that it's progressed from Shunning to thinking that Gestapo-like behavior (seizure of property, loss of jobs, etc.) is appropriate. And certainly, if Major League Sports wants to clean up its image, there are a LOT of other people with whom they could have started, with people who've actually committed real acts, real crimes, not merely said things that are distubative.

FWIW. I just had to spew about this. Everyone was so flipped out by the 'what' of what this guy said (who, for all we know, is sundowning, at his age, mind you--not an excuse, but my Gran said some pretty embarrassing s**t in the evenings, before she died, of all kinds) that nobody seems to be thinking about the larger picture here, or even whether the punishment is lawful. Law by knee-jerk is not the way this country, at least, was founded or governed, and it seems increasingly to be the way of things (like the Mozilla thing, and now this).

Every time you think about what Sterling said, and think to yourself, "oh, but, yeah, that guy DEFINITELY should have been punished," just remember: guy who hung DOGS FOR FUN. Playing for millions of $$$ per year. Sterling deserves that pesky thing called "due process," just like the REST of us.

* When I say "thugs," I mean exactly that: thugs. Hooligans, ruffians, gangsters, villains, plug-uglies, cosh boy, goon. Of ANY color. I won't have my perfectly good use of the English language hijacked by people who wish to impute to it, or infer therefrom, something other than what I've said.

Hitch

[cromag]

Hitch, not that I have any inside knowledge, but Donald Sterling is the owner of a basketball team, and to do that he had to sign up to a contract that includes the stipulation that he not damage the sport. Which he did. Big time. I assume that same contract stipulates the way punshment will be handled.

But, wealthy idiots flogging each other isn't something I worry about.

[ProfCrash]

Reports are starting to trickle put that his language/behavior was a reason the Clippers couldn't keep the talent they did have.

Personally, I think the NBA went way to far. I would rather see him hurt by a loss of ticket sales, players, sponsorship and the like. It would be a slower punishment but the league couldn't let a team lanquish like that because it would be detrimental to the entire laegue.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by cromag

Hitch, not that I have any inside knowledge, but Donald Sterling is the owner of a basketball team, and to do that he had to sign up to a contract that includes the stipulation that he not damage the sport. Which he did. Big time. I assume that same contract stipulates the way punshment will be handled.

But, wealthy idiots flogging each other isn't something I worry about.

Cromag:

Of course he did--some type of morals clause, or what-have-you. But there's no contract in law in the USA, at least, in which one party gets to unilaterally decide that the other party has breached the terms, not without a hearing or adjudication of some kind. (yes: there are contracts that say that contract X can be terminated if, in party Y's sole judgment, such-and-such happens,but almost never when we're talking about these types of massively huge bucks.) Even in mortgages or car payments, in which defaults are pretty cut-and-dry, there's a period of time in which the party that's defaulting has an ability to cure the default, or at least be HEARD about it.

My issue with this is that there's been nary a word from the accused about the "evidence." No hearing, no determination as to the legality of the evidence, or the like. It's simply not how our legal system works. If Sterling fights this in civil court, how will the NBA prevail, with evidence that was illegally obtained? That, to the best of my knowledge, can't be submitted and used in court? And again...what about the Missus, as they say? That's community property, and as she's done nothing, how will they force HER to give up property that's hers?

And they should have allowed the fervor of the mob to die down; they could have censured him and suspended him, and waited until a careful examination of the FACTS was to hand.

The internet is a wonderful thing--the spread of information and disinformation at the speed of light--but it's also bringing back the lynch-mob mentality, which is NOT a wonderful thing. The knee-jerkery of what's just happened with Sterling--for which I think the legal basis to have done what they've done, as they did it, in the timeframe they did it, sans hearings, legal environs, etc., is quite dicey--is a prime example, of companies/entities frightened and intimidated into making rash choices and decisions which may lie completely outside the bounds of law.

That's my $.02. Gods know, I'm not defending that asshat, but I truly begin to worry, between the Mozilla thing, this thing, etc., about the legal rights of individuals to simply be BUTTHEADS if they want to, in the privacy of their own homes, or to hold their own beliefs, whether I agree with them or not. For this country, anyway, our founders basically ensured that we would always have the right to be utter jackasses, without fear of the Thought Polizei coming in and removing our possessions, standing, jobs...and what I see happening daily is increasingly worrisome. Don't give two rats' about this guy, but I do think his case is a symptom of a growing disease of Assholery Intolerance--a right (Assholery) which is guaranteed under our hard-earned, well-thought-out and hard-won Constitution.

Hitch

[ProfCrash]

Hitch, he admitted that was his voice and that he made the statement. His girlfriend could could be in trouble though. I am not sure she is allowed to record conversations legally. And his wife has gotten herself into legal trouble for trying to prevent people of color from renting in the family owned apartments. Many a discrimination law suit filed against both people.

[cromag]

Well, this isn't an area where I have a great deal of personal experience, but organizations like condo associations and private swimming pool associations, etc., impose fines and penalties all the time. Members who believe the fines are unjust can take the associations to court.

If Mr. Sterling believes he's being treated unfairly (or illegally) it's up to him to take them to court. He certainly keeps lawyers on retainer. I'm sure they're negotiating in the background right now. I'm also sure this isn't going to make a big (enough) dent in his net worth.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

Hitch, he admitted that was his voice and that he made the statement. His girlfriend could could be in trouble though. I am not sure she is allowed to record conversations legally. And his wife has gotten herself into legal trouble for trying to prevent people of color from renting in the family owned apartments. Many a discrimination law suit filed against both people.

@Crash:

Doesn't matter whether he admitted it or not. What matters is the subsequent admissibility of those tapes and the statements thereupon, (which, remember, are the basis for the NBA determining to force this man to sell his own property) IN COURT, which is where this is, inevitably, headed. There's tons of cases on this topic--that evidence obtained illegally isn't usable. Whether it will apply here, can't know, but that's not really my issue. It's the lack of Due process, utterly, that's my issue on that front.

@cromag:

Yes, and you know why? (Those HOA's, and the like?) Because a court case found, not that long ago, that the one-sidedness of HOA's, fining, etc., violated the Constitution. I can go rummage around and find the precedent, if needed, but that's why HOA's can no longer fine at will, AND (of specific relevance to this topic), make those fines into liens, and take/foreclose on someone's property, using that power.

I think, however, that some of you are in the weeds, in terms of what I'm actually concerned about. It's not that some allegedly racist billionaire is going to lose one of his toys; it's the whole instant, "stir the you-know-what, work people up on the Net and TV, and ka-blammo, stuff happens" aspect with regard to Freedom of Speech, and freedom of thought--whether we like that person's thoughts or not.

I find that far more troublesome than the rest, although I still stand by my position that until professional sports does something about the horrific behavior of its PLAYERS, those "boys will be boys" money-makers, they have nary a leg to stand on to get pissy about an owner being an asshat. I will guarantee you, abso-freaking-lutely, that every single one of those players has the exact same morals clause--perhaps even more tightly worded--as an owner. What's sauce for the owner is DEFINITELY sauce for the player, for if anyone stands as "role models" (gods help us) to young people, it's not some billionaire that they've barely heard of; it's the players.

So, since my point seems to be getting lost, I'll just drop it.

Hitch

[Stitchawl]

I wonder why it is that some people spend so much of their time looking for things that upset them? Be it politics, religion, education, culture, cost of living, cost of dying... makes no difference. Every day they announce something else that they are upset about. Usually some headline in the news, having absolutely nothing to do with them. It upsets them so much they feel compelled to e-mail all their friends and ask why the friends aren't upset about it! And the funny thing is, it's never something that they can do anything about! Weird...


Stitchawl

[kindlekitten]

I did not know you could be in this much pain outside of being in labor, or maybe a burn patient. It's now going from the arch of my foot to the top of my thigh. I can't take anymore pills, they'll kill me. The medical marijuana mostly just makes me sleepy and hungry

[covingtoncat73]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

I did not know you could be in this much pain outside of being in labor, or maybe a burn patient. It's now going from the arch of my foot to the top of my thigh. I can't take anymore pills, they'll kill me. The medical marijuana mostly just makes me sleepy and hungry

That sounds horrible! I hope you feel better soon!

[Bilbo1967]

I know this is a bit of a trivial one compared to problems like KK's, but I want to get it off my chest.

Printers. We recently upgraded our WiFi at home. This upset our printer which initially refused to acknowledge the existence of a WiFi at all. After a bit of coaxing, it found the signal, but then wouldn't accept the network password. I updated the network on three iPads, four phones, two Android devices, two laptops, one desktop, two Sky boxes within about ten minutes, no problem at all, but this printer just will not have it

So, I decided to just buy a new printer. First contender, a HP Envy120. First one I bought refused point blank to recognise that the ink cartridges were installed so I couldn't get past that stage in the installation process. No problem, probably just a glitch. Took it back and got a like for like replacement. Exactly the same issue with that one so back it went as well. That was all the shop I went to first had in stock of that printer so I got a refund and went somewhere else and, stupidly, bought the same printer again there. Guess what?. Exactly the same problem, so back with that one and pick a different model. Next contender was an Epson model. It allowed me to set it up and even acknowledged the existence of my WiFi network. Unfortunately, it then refused to accept that I had any devices connected to that network that could use the printer So, back that one went as well. Now I have no printer that actually works across the network.

Why can't we make a printer that just works? I just can't understand why everything else we own just works with a simple input of the new details and password, but printers just can't handle it?

So, does anybody have a recommendation for a reliable, easy to install wireless printer?

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by Bilbo1967

...does anybody have a recommendation for a reliable, easy to install wireless printer?

I've had no problems from my Epson WorkForce 545, but your mileage may vary. It was pretty easy to set up, too, and I can even send docs to print remotely.

[PeterT]

Originally Posted by Bilbo1967

So, does anybody have a recommendation for a reliable, easy to install wireless printer?

Just wondering if you setup the new router the same as the old? ie same class of WiFi security as before, same type of encryption for the password (ie WPA2 / AES or WPA2/TKIP for instance).

Also at times there are f/w upgrades for older devices.