84 thoughts on “June 5, 2015: Summer Isn’t Interesting”

  1. Oh airport security. Here in Nashville, I tried to go through the shorter TSA pre-check line only to be told I couldn't use it (I have no idea how this gets decided). I still got to skip the long regular live, though, so good for me. Of course, I was then randomly selected to go through the prpre-check scanners anyway.

    I'm starting to think that maybe we go too far.

      1. In Newark I got full bodyscan and the hold and cough test. TSA guy was a little rough with my tender bits.

    2. maybe we go too far.

      Maybe we don't go too far enough...?

      Also, for Pre-Check, you need to get a KTN and apply for the program. After that, if a little Pre-Check symbol shows up on your boarding ticket (not entirely sure how that gets decided), then you can use it. I just signed up, but haven't had any flights since.

      1. Huh, I didn't know that. I've been sent to the pre-check line the past three or four flights I've taken. I'll have to sign up then.

        1. I know people have said it sometimes shows up on their tickets even though they didn't sign up. Not sure the mechanism on that either.

      2. TSA incompetent? Who knew?!

        I'm sure that all the security crap deters a few of the more stupid potential terrorists. But mostly it's on the level of seat flotation devices -- purely symbolic reassurances to the sheeple.

      3. In addition to reassigning Carraway, Johnson said he has directed the TSA’s leadership to revise the agency’s standard operating procedures to address specific vulnerabilities identified in the report.

        This whole thing just really bothers me. In any other area of industry, if a process failed 95% of the time, you wouldn't "address the issues identified", you'd tear the f'ing thing down to the ground, identify the functions you need to accomplish, and rebuild with an entire new solution.

        This isn't a case where optimization is needed, this is a case where they are so far off base that the current practice is worse than useless. I think they need a good process/manufacturing engineer to head the TSA.

          1. Yeah, usual place.

            Beau, if you're not familiar with the location, we'll be at the nexus of the two working and two non-functional escalators at the Town Square* between Cedar and Minnesota just north of 6th St.

            * Wow, what a great site.

                1. Check out local spot Dave's Pizza ... if you have time for pizza. Or, if you like a sub made with processed cheese, processed meat, basic white bread sub roll, Italian dressing and lettuce. Otherwise, the Sawmill ain't bad.

    4. Yeah, sorry, I ended up going out of town for family stuff. Next time, hopefully.

  3. Mildly Forbidden Zone-y, but mostly related to workplace morale:

    "I'm intensely loyal. I don't abandon ship, but I looked around today and just saw water – no ship."

    I didn't write those words – an assistant professor in Letters & Science did – but they perfectly encapsulate the way I'm feeling about things here right now. Faculty in the professional schools are keeping conspicuously quiet, and our system & University leadership is about to sell us down river. Our Chancellor didn't even attend the system regents' vote on tenure, claiming she is confident that they will preserve what is currently in state law as regental policy.

    1. Holy shit.

      Actual Spoiler SelectShow

        1. Unfortunately, I feel like I've spent the last four years of my life living in a comments section.

      2. This is a looming disaster, both for my institution and for higher ed. If it can happen here, where things like tenure & shared governance are currently part of state law, it can happen anywhere.

        'But it gets worse' SelectShow
        1. 'Spoiler' SelectShow

      3. budgetary cuts has always been a ("valid") excuse for cutting tenured staff. You just shut down a program in its entirety. I know it has happened elsewhere.

        1. True. Based on what I learned from our Provost & Chancellor in budget meetings earlier this semester, the only way the University can currently lay off tenured faculty is to declare a financial emergency and close an entire department or program. That's typically the kind of thing high-level administrators are loathe to do.

          What's insidious about this change in policy is that layoffs could be made individually, meaning faculty could be targeted for dismissal and have the "layoff" justified as a "budgetary necessity."

          1. Thanks for sharing CH. I was aware things were getting slightly off-kilter in the People's Republic, but had not been aware of just how far things have gone. You and your colleagues will be in my thoughts.

            1. Much appreciated. It's been a particularly rough couple weeks on the morale front.

      4. Actual Spoiler SelectShow

    2. Away from the academic side, I can tell you that UW system gets a lot of kids from Minnesota, including many high achievers who choose Bucky over Goldy. I am hearing a lot of rumbling about families taking the UW system off their list of Universities to look at for their kids. Being a Maroon and Gold guy it always pained me to have to admit that UW-Madison was a pretty damn good school. With the budget cuts and changes to governance, I think in 2-3 years I won't have to worry about that anymore.

      1. I think you may be right. I chose Bucky for those reasons myself when I went back to school. If I were in the same position today I would probably not be making that choice. That realization comes with its own grief on top of the fear & uncertainty about what happens to this learning community, some very dear friends, and what happens to my family since we both work here.

        1. What I don't get is that some of this is framed at getting at those liberals in Madison. Madison will be fine, even with a diminished University. But River Falls, Whitewater, Stout, Ashland, etc. Those towns will feel the impact of University system that can't attract smart kids... although not sure how many smart kids go to Stout :o)

                1. Heh, funnily enough I had zero taste for beer when I got to Menominee. Took me a good three years and a bottle of Newcastle.

                  Also, it used to be a terrible beer town. That has changed drastically since I lived there, though.

            2. Heh.

              Yea, my impression is that the hyphenated sconnie schools have been pretty competitive options. One of my nephews is an engineering grad from one. He definitely is a smart kid.

            3. 😉

              I'm rare in that Stout was my first choice, although if I had to do it over again, I might have gone with Madison. I followed two uncles that got engineering degrees from Stout, so it's something of a family thing. It's certainly served me well over the last decade.

    3. You Sconnies have created a monster. Hopefully, it's not unleashed on the whole country.

      1. Some Sconnies created a monster. A whole bunch of us have never voted for him.

  5. NBA last night. A thrilling game for basketball. That's the kind of game that is worthy of the NBA Finals.

    That was about what I was expecting. An intense, close game, with both sides having a shot to win it. I think the Cavs will really rue the fact that they didn't get this one. Kyrie was terrific and LeBron is the best player in the world, by far. Mosgov had Aussie for dinner last night. But it wasn't enough. Curry had a good game, but he wasn't outstanding in an OMG way. AI was huge in this game on both ends of the floor. Speights provided scoring in short bursts in an otherwise overmatched Warrior front line. It felt like the Warriors weren't on their game totally. Was that a function of Cleveland's defense or was just jitters or a bad night? A win is a win, though. If you win a game in the NBA Finals, you aren't worried about style points.

    1. Mosgov had Aussie for dinner last night.

      Mozgov is gonna make a lot (more) money in this league. What a great trade for Cleveland.

      I thought Bogut was outstanding in the first quarter, but LeBron really puts a lot of pressure on him defensively. You could see him stuck in no-man's land numerous times, with Mozgov diving to the rim for dunks or rebounding position.

      LeBron was too in love with the 3-pt shot (2-8? come on, dude!), but otherwise was pretty great until that last possession of regulation. Unfortunately for them, he has to be all-world pretty much every night for the Cavs to have a chance.

      And I think that Tristan Thompson has completed his transition from "draft bust" to legit player in the league. Too bad he doesn't have more of an offensive game, but maybe that will come.

      I agree that the Warriors were not really on their game. Some was jitters, some was just missing makeable shots. The bench was fantastic, however, and, I think, will be a key difference in the series. Cleveland's bench is just too short to play an up-and-down game.

      1. I missed the first half of the 1st Q, so I must have missed the part where Bogut didn't look like he was out of his element. Kyrie did a damned good job on Curry, with two key blocks at the rim.

        If Kyrie and Love are healthy, Cleveland wins this series. Period. Love takes a tremendous amount of pressure off of LeBron and he becomes a lot more efficient.

        1. That final shot in regulation was sooo close to dropping ... then the Cavs couldn't find the bottom of the net for the entirety of the OT. I was surprised to find myself rooting for Cleveland.

          1. Yep, hard to argue with that.

            That said, the isoBron offense that CLE runs in his absence is ugly as f*ck. Like a pitbull at the Puppy Bowl. I want GS to win this thing purely for the sake of basketball aesthetics.

            1. purely for the sake of basketball aesthetics

              Which is why I was glad to see the Spurs and their Hack-a-Jordan BS get squashed in the first round.

              1. I'm not a fan of that either, but it's not like the practice disappeared when the Spurs were eliminated.

                1. exactly. What has disappeared (mostly) is guys who can't make more than 2/3rds of their FTAs (Andre Iguodala and Andrew Bogut excepted).

                  Cleveland can't use the strategy because they have no bench. GSW won't because it kills pace and they thrive on pace. Plus, who would they foul? (answer: Tristan Thompson)

    1. You thought it was going to be this?

      This was a very interesting read - thanks for sharing.

  7. Listened Gleeman on Effectively Wild this morning (most of it anyways). BP guys probably don't represent the pulse of the average baseball fan, but their perplexed reaction to the Gleeman's assertion that Mauer isn't very popular in Minnesota was sadly amusing.

    1. I've always had a crush on baby Jesus. I'm always going to defend the contract no matter what the future brings, but it must be extremely frustrating to work your whole life to become a pro ball player only to be so disliked by your hometown fans.

  8. In your daily FIFA is corrupt news, apparently FIFA paid the Irish Football Association $5 million (or was it $10m) not to protest a game where an obvious hand ball that was not called led to France being in the 2010 World Cup and not Ireland. While I think it was a sad state of affairs, I have to admit it was absolutely a blast watching France spectacularly implode during that World Cup. I would have chipped into FIFA's bribe budget to make sure that happened.

    https://sports.vice.com/en_us/article/john-delaney-admits-fifa-paid-ireland-off-over-the-2009-henry-handball/?utm_vicesportstwitter

    1. Yes. France and Italy simultaneously imploding was a wonderful occurrence.

    2. Selected comments:

      When he left for the Angels Target Field future revenues were known and a virtual certainty. The Twins told us that if a stadium was approved they would use those new revenues to retain their own free agents. The VERY FIRST TIME the Twins needed to step up and prove their word they let Torii walk. He is such a breath of fresh air to have back and if he was this year beginning his 17th consecutive season as a starter he would get his own gate and bronze statue. Shame on the Twins and the Pohlads for being so cheap and dishonest to deprive Torii of a long, single team career on par with Jeter and Ripken.

      All he does is win. When the Angels got him from the Twins, they became a contender. When the Tigers got him from the Angels, they became a contender. When the Twins got him from Detroit.....you get my drift.

      2. He joins Don Baylor and Delmon Young as guys who just will their teams to the playoffs

      3. Yeah, those Angels really needed a lesson on winning. Before Torii came, they had only won 3 of the previous 4 AL West titles. After he arrived, they won twice in 5 years. All he does is win! Before Torii showed up in Detroit, they had only won consecutive AL Central titles the previous two years and had gone to the WS the year before. They sure needed his leadership.

  11. It's not official for three days, but we're celebrating today, so it might as well be, but I no longer have any kids in single digits. Plus, I am one year away from having no kids in elementary school. It goes by so fast.

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