Far as I know it's just the one song by Vincent E.L. And it's, uh, not serious. But kinda fun.

Fuck the fire department
Dropping by unannounced just to fry your apartment
If they can't find a fire they’re like "Why don't we start them?"
I'm tired of arson
Fuck the fire department

I cry out in bargaining, eyes to the garden
Begging release from the fire department
I might get a pardon if I do what they ask of me
Act passively
And don't do anything drastically

Clap at their pageantry, bow and scrape
Say it's sour grapes from people out of shape
You're here for our sake
And we're grateful for all you do
You're still gonna burn my house down, aren't you?

I'm out of house, home, and every single possession
Out of the frying pan and into depression
Escaped physical aggression
Into fiscal oppression
Still don't know what they meant by
"Let this be a lesson!"

We're living in an infernocracy
Things are not how we
Think they ought to be
It's a mockery but I ain't laughing
My world's on fire and I'm dying gasping

Under cabinet manual jar opener. It's flat and mounts under your cabinet of choice. Easy to use, but also easy to forget it's there! I sometime find myself jar in hand and half-way to wherever my husband is before I remember that I no longer need his skills.

Electric candle lighter. Rechargeable lighter with long neck. Eliminates the need for matches or standard lighters. The noise it makes does scare one of the cats, though. I haven't tried it on campfires yet, but I think that was something the ad said it could do.

For me, it was an accident. I had a degree in a hard science, but realized that academia would drive me mad. My first job was in a relatively small industry and I just kept on with it until I knew the requirements to making a safe and quality product.

The fear of being fired exists, but you have to know when and where to ask those questions. I ask our vendors whether their employees have a right to form a union if they want one, for example. I also know that our plant managers are deeply opposed to our own employees having that option.

Eventually that question is going to come up. It'll probably come from a consultant that we hire to evaluate us. It won't be me unless there's a situation where it would be awkward not to ask about it. For example, if an HR rep is dumb enough to tell us we're perfectly free in that regard, I'd be sorely tempted to ask when that policy changed.

It is still funny. I also like to think of Larsen debating whether enough people would get the joke without the Linda Blair reference. At the time he clearly thought it was helpful.

ES&G (Environmental, Social, & Governance) policies are starting to become a common thing. They seem to have started at large corporations and they, in turn, drive their smaller partners to adopt similar policies. They want to present a face of sustainable and accountable practices, free from corruption, blah blah blah.

I work for a medium to small company and it has become part of my job to ask awkward questions of our vendors. Our corporate customers are pressing us on our practices, and we press our vendors as part of a "sustainable and ethical supply chain". Not all companies are well prepared to answer these questions, but some are. In general, the US lags behind Asia and Europe when it comes to this. At least in my industry. So that's a big caveat.

How do we know they're not lying? One tool is that independent third party auditors can assess a company and gauge its strengths and weaknesses. (Ecovadis is a name I've seen many times during these discussions, but there are others.) These auditors live or die by their reputations, so they have an interest in staying honest.

In the case of these nitrogen vendors (one of which is used by my employer), this is an easy ES&G win. The amount of nitrogen sold to executioners is vanishingly small, whereas we buy it by the tanker. It's definitely on the short list of awkward questions I would ask them.

The term 'greenwashing' will come up. And trust me, because I'm a cynical bitch with a hair-trigger bullshit meter, I've used it myself. But I'm cautiously optimistic that questions like this can move companies in a better direction. Part of that has to do with the look of confusion and horror when I visit vendors in deep red states and start asking questions about labor, safety, and the environmental impact of their operations. They don't want to do waste or emissions remediation, but they also don't want to lose our business. (I'm honestly enjoying this new direction my work is taking.)

I think auto-defenestration is absolutely still on the table for Eugene.

On a clear day
Rise and look around you
And you'll see who you are

How it will astound you
That the glow of your being
Outshines every star

Unfortunately for Eugene, not so much with the second part.

Chicago suburbs. It's sort of an interconnected area, so this takes place over two adjoining towns.

There was a very public and stupid feud that took place between two middle aged men. Some of it played out in real life and some was documented on that now defunct website, Topix. One of them had been close friends with the the police officer who was convicted of killing at least one wife. I think he was also a cop. In any case, he was very vocal in defending Drew and anything the other guy said about the murder trial really seemed to get his goat.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drew_Peterson

The other guy claimed to be connected with the Chicago outfit. Or the cop claimed he was. I don't remember.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Outfit

Basically, it was two vaguely mobbed up guys in their 50s engaging in a very public and embarrassing battle of fists and wits in an otherwise unassuming suburb. They would trade insults on Topix, get into slap fights with each other at the local supermarket, and generally just behave like leaded gasoline sniffing idiots. Neither could just walk away from it. Both used their real full names.

Good guess. The golf course isn't doing any irrigation in February.

Thank you. I was wondering how robots were involved, which kind, and if that really was what the kids were getting up to these days. Robitussin, SMH.

He was truly a Superb Owl.

@superbowl

A friend of mine has a yellow car and swears that it attracts weird flying insects. Not that this is a terrible thing... just weird.

$70k USD - 3 bed, 2.5 bath, 1400sq ft., 0.3 acre lot, two stories and a detached garage. The interior needs plenty of non-cosmetic work (e.g. - new flooring)

$75k USD - 2 bed, 1 bath, 800sq ft., 0.15 acre lot; newly redone floors, electric and paint.

After that, there's about 10 more in the 125-150K range.

When mine wants to cuddle, she has learned to place her paws gently against my skin.

Any movement means claws come out.

It's very effective.

I was really expecting a "prison rat" punchline.

That's a sign of a good friend.

"Hold on, there's a stick on your back. Let me get it."

VS.

"There's a spider on your back."

I watched the Gormenghast miniseries on the Space Channel many many years ago and eventually read the books. They were interesting. Not something I'd want to revisit, but definitely weird.

It's time to pay the price.

In the US I'd count action by the national guard. We had one of those in 1970, but the kids didn't put up much of a resistance so it wasn't a prolonged battle.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_State_shootings

There may be others, but this springs to mind.

The listing is as bonkers as you would expect.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/354-County-Road-211-Bremen-AL-35033/215031920_zpid/?

They've also got a really elaborate dock/marina/enclosed fishing hole on the lake.

If I had the millions I'd buy it, torch all the furniture (except that one crazy ass bed), and redecorate.