https://dailytimewaster.blogspot.com/2024/09/multitasking.html
Saturday, September 14, 2024
Los Angeles police officers, a captain, a lieutenant, and a sergeant, from an anti-gang unit in the San Fernando Valley were illegally searching vehicles and stealing from people they pulled over
Interim Chief Dominic Choi has called for the firing of a captain, a lieutenant, and a sergeant in the LAPD’s Mission Division, according to the email and multiple sources, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about police personnel matters. At least five lower-ranking officers have been implicated in the still-unfolding scandal.
According to the email, senior Mission Division Capt. James “JT” Townsend, Lt. Mark Garza and Sgt. David Gomez were each relieved of duty and have been directed to a disciplinary hearing, known as a board of rights. Such a move typically indicates that the chief believes there is enough evidence to justify firing an officer.
As the senior captain at Mission, Townsend was responsible for most of the division’s daily operations, which included oversight of the so-called Gang Enforcement Detail. The unit came under scrutiny last August when an LAPD internal investigation reportedly found misconduct by officers, including the theft of a knife with brass knuckles on the handle.
Garza was the lieutenant in charge of the gang unit, while Gomez was one of his supervisors.
The department’s investigation focused on five additional officers for their alleged roles in the scandal, according to an Internal Affairs document reviewed by The Times.
The probe deemed that the allegations against the station’s then-junior captain, Matt Plugge, were unfounded, according to the document. Plugge was transferred last fall to a unit responsible for investigating less serious uses of force by officers. He did not respond to a message seeking comment.
An LAPD spokesperson said the department “cannot provide further comment on any potential personnel matters related to the investigation into the Mission Gang Enforcement Detail.”
An attorney for Garza reiterated that his client followed procedure by alerting his supervisors as soon as he learned of potential wrongdoing by his officers. The department accused Garza of failing to “develop and maintain adequate oversight” while clearing the division’s captains, said the attorney, Matt McNicholas.
“The department is creating scapegoats, and I stand by the evidence will absolutely show that at the first instance of any potential issue, Garza reported this up the chain and then was told the bureau is on it, and he’s done with anything that he needed to do,” McNicholas said. “We believe this is 100% due to the fact that Garza reported the problems immediately, but the captains did nothing.”
The scandal broke into public view late last summer after The Times reported LAPD investigators had taken the rare step of searching lockers at the Mission Division station, seeking evidence amid the officers’ personal belongings. The probe is still unfolding, with the department now looking into allegations of poor management and supervision in the neighboring Foothill area, where some of the Mission officers were stationed previously.
The email reviewed by The Times was sent by a Mission Division official late last week to “eliminate any rumors or misunderstandings,” according to the subject line. The messaged referenced the investigation into the anti-gang unit and said of the commanders facing discipline: “This news has been a shock to us all. I want to remind everyone that no matter the allegations, an employee is innocent until proven guilty.”
The message said the department “is working on filling Mission Area commanding officer position,” and that the role will be temporarily filled by another senior LAPD official.
Former Chief Michel Moore announced last August that the FBI had also opened a case, and ordered two of the officers involved to a disciplinary hearing by the Board of Rights, signaling that he wanted to fire them. The department has yet to identify the two officers.
Choi’s decision to punish the Mission supervisors comes a week after he announced the department would conduct a top-down review of its disciplinary system at the City Council’s request. Despite strong criticism of the board of rights process, he has defended the department’s system for disciplining officers as “one of the most thorough” in the country.
The chief has pushed back on arguments from the Los Angeles Police Protective League and others that a double standard exists for senior officials, with the union alleging members of the top brass tend to receive lighter punishments than junior officers for the same misconduct.
The Mission gang unit was temporarily disbanded amid the scandal, its members dispersed to other assignments or placed on administrative leave.
Carrillo is accused of stealing personal items from people during patrol stops in the Mission Division in April and June 2023, including the knife with brass knuckles. Of that allegation, his attorney, Caleb Mason, said in an interview with The Times that in that his client was being charged for essentially “taking contraband away from a suspect,” who was a minor.
Prosecutors have identified as many as 350 criminal cases that are potentially compromised because they relied on the testimony of or evidence gathered by two Mission gang officers.
Prosecutors have identified as many as 350 criminal cases that are potentially compromised because they relied on the testimony of or evidence gathered by two Mission gang officers.
An off-duty Louisiana State Police trooper accused of driving while intoxicated was arrested for the second time in 2024.
This drunk dumb ass was on leave after a separate incident in March where he faced charges of driving while intoxicated (1st offense) and careless operation.
Chicago police were slashing tires, and that was recorded on video, at June's Puerto Rican Fest in Humboldt. Here's the plot twist. The police got arrested. Ain't that rare?!?!?
I think it's obvious, this was one of the cops that got arrested... this asshole looking SOB obviously doesn't sell flowers at the local florist.
I guarantee you, ever day there's a meeting at the beginning of every shift before the cops hit the streets to patrol or monitor an event, and the shift supervisor says to them "just don't get caught doing something on video that gets you on the 6 oclock news, and suspended"
the Honda MC22 CBR250RR had a 19,000 redline rpm, but only had 45 hp. But someone is going to take one land speed racing, with a lot of upgrades
Skip ahead to 10:30 to listen to the run up from 500 rpm to 18500 rpm
Keller’s Retired Tractors in Wisconsin collected tractors for 50 years, 587 tractors, 74 of them are the first production tractors off the assembly line, 12 are experimental
Bruce’s grandfather, John Keller, who never collected himself, but opened a John Deere dealership in Forest Junction in 1929.
By the time the 1980s rolled around, Bruce and his dad had shifted their collecting philosophy from simply old tractors to rare ones.
“There’s some tractors that are not common to our area. High crops were down in Louisiana, Florida and Californi. Orchard tractors, which there are a few in Wisconsin but not real popular. So we started collecting the rare stuff,” explains Bruce
Bruce says one of his dad’s prized finds is a 1929 Experimental John Deere,
It took Bruce 32 years to get an experimental 1936 John Deere BW-40, a special narrow experimental tractor of which only six were ever made and only 4 exist, which were sent to vegetable farmers in the Sacramento Valley.
Shell gas stations are going to donate to childrens charities... but only if you use the purple pump, at no additional cost to you. Makes no sense to me.
In 2022, Shell wholesalers and retailers donated $3.1M, supporting over 525 children's charities through The Giving Pump.
In the US, the designated giving pumps were used nearly 32 million times and pumped 304,665,445 gallons of gas, and raised over $4.6M to support nonprofits since its inception in 2021.
What makes no sense about this, to me, is that the corporation is only going to donate to the childrens charities IF you buy gas from them, AT ONLY ONE pump.
If, the corporation wanted to donate to the charity, they would simply do so.
If, the corporation wanted to donate a lot more to the charity, it would donate based on all the pumps, so deisel sales would add to that. Not just gas.
If, the corporation wanted to donate a lot more to the charity, they'd raise the price one or two cents per gallon at that one pump
I'm often entranced by people making things, or restoring them... but when making things, to see how expertly the plan comes together, and so many types of construction and mechanics are utilized in the make... it's so impressive
In this boat build, there is a lot of fiberglass work, electonics, remote control, engine, jetski propeller, guages and controls, fuel sytem, cable and levers, solar panels, steering and painting.
Compare this to the bubble top cars of the early 60s for example.
Just the creativity in the clamshell door openers alone... superb work!
Congrats to Mr Ho, Thanh Che!
This is a good example of why I have the tags "Innovation and Innovative"
when Murphy's Law is showing off how much can go wrong at the same time... an 8 wheeler, low on fuel, and clutch fluid, on a narrow dirt road, dies on a curved bridge... won't start, so low on fuel it's sucking air into the fuel line from the tank, can't get out of gear, and can't release the air brakes, and nothing can pass on the road. I'm not making this up
and the fuel tank spout is under the deck.
Friday, September 13, 2024
U.S. 6, from Provincetown on Cape Cod, went to Long Beach California from 1936 to 1964, and at that time was the longest highway under one designation in America
It was constructed in 1926
In 1964, the state of California renumbered its highways, and most of the route within California was transferred to other highways. This dropped the highway's length below that of US 20, making it the second-longest U.S. Route in the country. However, since US 20 has a discontinuity through Yellowstone National Park, US 6 remains the longest continuous U.S. Route in the country.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_6
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_6
'79 Rally Sport Camaro was parked after only a few trips and hasn't been moved in a whopping 45 years, only has 267 miles on the odometer
FYI, there are 10 and a half minutes of boring video before the car gets wet
The Australian Defence Force has placed an order for a fleet of Polaris DAGOR (Deployable Advanced Ground Off-Road) vehicles
The contract is valued at A$22 million (US$14.6 million) and includes vehicles, mission accessories, technical manuals, spare parts and tool kits, driver and maintainer training and ongoing, in-country support.
Polaris will deliver the DAGOR vehicles to the Australian Defence Force in several variants in support of joint missions worldwide. The four-wheel, all-terrain vehicles will be configured in three different variants – a transport variant for enhanced tactical mobility and greater standoff; an expeditionary reconnaissance variant for continued agility and increased stealth in austere conditions; and a cargo variant with the rear seats replaced with a rear bed extension for increased combat load capacity. Polaris engineered standard mission configuration items, as well as locally engineered and manufactured content, will be integrated onto the vehicles at a Polaris facility in Melbourne.
Thursday, September 12, 2024
When there ain't enough room in front of the garages for a car, or boat, without parking on the sidewalk, and this person don't give a damn.
and the tickets will just get piled up under the wiper blade
I kid you not, this boat used to be sideways across the front of both garage doors, and not across the sidewalk, and that car was not around at all.. I posted the photo on the blog, 'cause it still looked ghetto AF
A 2023 Nissan Frontier 4×4 crew cab driver is now concerned for his fellow owners after discovering his truck was sold to him with a (welds missing) defective frame. Though the pickup was certified by a dealer,
“The first thing I noticed was a squeak or rattle in the right front,” Bossinger told me. “I thought it was just a bushing or something like that so I didn’t make an appointment right away. About two weeks after the right front noise, the steering wheel started making a popping sound."
The Nissan had left the factory missing multiple crucial welds in its ladder chassis, placing excess strain on other parts of the frame. Some areas of the frame were bent, while others had developed stress fractures. The only fix was to replace the frame outright
about a decade ago, there was only one remarkable long term new car power train warranty, Hyundai's 10 year 100k mile, but now I learned Mazda went to 7 years, 100k miles
Electric vehicles typically get 8 years, but that's not relevant to the majority of people.
https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/advice/which-automaker-has-the-best-warranty
in New York Police Dept ignominy news
You're likely to remember the NYPD Courtesy Card...
Bianchi patrolled on Staten Island, where he estimated as many as half the drivers he pulled over had one of the cards, he told The Post. Officers can buy 30 of them a year for $1 each, he said. They’re given not only to friends and family, but also in exchange for perks like meal discounts, he said, adding that he believes that is violating the public’s trust that police treat everyone equally.
On Tuesday, Bianchi, 40, settled the 16-month-old lawsuit against the city and a police captain for $175,000. In a 41-page complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for Southern New York, Bianchi outlined an unofficial but strictly maintained system in which those who have courtesy cards “can break the law with impunity.” Bianchi said that, although he has settled what he described as a whistleblower’s lawsuit, the “courtesy card” system continues unabated, and he is worried it will keep going until a driver who has repeatedly escaped punishment kills someone.
New York Police Commissioner Edward Caban resigned Thursday amid a federal investigation
Caban, the city’s first Latino police commissioner, took over the department in July 2023 after being tapped by Mayor Eric Adams, whose administration is the target of multiple federal investigations.
Caban's twin brother, James Caban, who owns a nightclub security business, also had his phone seized in the corruption investigation involving the NYPD.
Federal investigators want to know if James Caban profited from his ties to his powerful brother and the NYPD, according to multiple sources. Specifically, the investigation is looking into whether James Caban was paid by bars and clubs in Midtown Manhattan and Queens to act as a police liaison, and if those clubs were then afforded special treatment by local precincts, the sources said.
well, one good cop got fed up with most of the people he pulled over expecting to get away with the variety of traffic violations because they had one...
Caban's twin brother, James Caban, who owns a nightclub security business, also had his phone seized in the corruption investigation involving the NYPD.
Federal investigators want to know if James Caban profited from his ties to his powerful brother and the NYPD, according to multiple sources. Specifically, the investigation is looking into whether James Caban was paid by bars and clubs in Midtown Manhattan and Queens to act as a police liaison, and if those clubs were then afforded special treatment by local precincts, the sources said.
in the category of "what sort of strange plot twist is that?" news, Christies auction co buys Gooding auction co. Why is that a strange plot twist? I shall explain.
Christies exited selling cars at auction, in 2007, and if that was a good idea then, why are they getting back into selling cars now?
Ok, 2nd bit of strange
Gooding used to work for Christies, and then went into business for himself in 2003, and now he's selling them his company.
So, what was the point of making your own company then, if you want Christies to own it, or, if you wanted a company of your own why sell it?
The acquisition comes at a challenging time for the auction industry. Christie’s reported a 22 per cent year-on-year decline in auction sales for the first half of 2024. Less than a month ago rival Sotheby’s also announced an 88 per cent drop in its first-half core earnings and a 25 per cent fall in auction sales.
https://www.ft.com/content/30fe445a-e52b-4da8-b0b8-8c619821c58b
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Bob Rohrman Honda's insurance company in Indiana has been caused a scandal for reneging on a reward (a free two-year car lease ) to a college student based on a fraction of a second... but the dealership made good eventually
During the opening game of the season at Purdue University, Rohrman Automotive Group held its “Kicks for Cash” contest, in which a student must complete three field goals within 30 seconds to win a free two-year car lease. Zachary Spangler competed in the friendly contest and made all three goals to thunderous applause. A few days later, the dealership told Spangler he missed making the final kick by a fraction of a second, setting off a wave of backlash against Rohrman so publicly damning that the dealership has ultimately decided to offer the student the reward it promised him in the first place.
Rival dealerships started flooding Spangler with their own offers for a free two-year lease. Even a local restaurant got in on the fun, offering the farm management student a year of free burgers. The backlash and negative light cast on the dealer got to a point that convinced the Rohrman Group to do an about-face and offer Spangler the prize, after all.
Rival dealerships started flooding Spangler with their own offers for a free two-year lease. Even a local restaurant got in on the fun, offering the farm management student a year of free burgers. The backlash and negative light cast on the dealer got to a point that convinced the Rohrman Group to do an about-face and offer Spangler the prize, after all.
The dealer even changed the rules for future “Kicks for Cash” contests, eliminating the 30-second timer altogether. The dealership then claimed that Spangler’s “incredible kicks should be rewarded,”
The dealer ultimately offered Spangler a choice between a free two-year lease or a $5,000 prize. The student told the paper that, after talking over his choices with his parents, he decided to take the prize money instead of the lease. He added that he already has a working car.
The dealership says it will nonetheless donate another $5,000 dollars to the university’s Ross-Ade Brigade, to help fund student travel to away games.
See, I happen to have worked at a car dealership, and the fact is, these dealerships create publicity events, like this, but they don't carry through, the pay for insurance that MIGHT have to pay up, and so, in this case, like so many others, the insurance company is to blame for this screw over of the college student
Tuesday, September 10, 2024
Hong Kong is investigating tenants in social housing with luxury cars, because Beijing wants to make sure affordable homes are allocated to those who need them
Hong Kong is cracking down on richer tenants living in highly sought-after subsidized public housing, as the Chinese territory faces increased pressure from Beijing to widen access to affordable homes in one of the world’s most expensive property markets.
Authorities are targeting households whose assets exceed government limits. The monthly income ceiling for an application for a four-person family is HK$30,950 (US$3,970), and they should have net assets no greater than HK$590,000.
Tenants are required to vacate their units if monthly income rises above HK$154,750 or net assets exceed HK$3.1mn.
Average rents for social housing properties are HK$2,297.
The government has hired retired police officers to investigate tenants — some of whom have been seen driving Mercedes-Benz and BMW luxury vehicles — and are planning to offer bounties for tip-offs.
“Possession of expensive vehicles, especially shortly after
commencement of public housing tenancy, is one of the important clues in
detecting abuse,” a housing department spokesperson told the Financial Times last month, adding that officials had been inspecting housing estate car parks in response to complaints. In some cases, tenants were evicted after it was confirmed they had made false income or asset declarations.
Hong Kong, one of the world’s most unequal cities, has one of the most unaffordable housing markets. The ratio of the median home price to median household income was nearly 19, according to data last year from the Urban Reform Institute think-tank, far higher than in Singapore, the UK and the US. Beijing has claimed that tensions over the high cost of living contributed to citywide pro-democracy protests in 2019.
More than a quarter of the territory’s 7.5 million people live in subsidized public housing. Apartments vary in size, but the Hong Kong government recommends that flats for more than two people should be at least 280 sq ft. Waiting times for homes are almost six years.
In addition to social housing, more than 200,000 people in Hong Kong live in subdivided units known as “coffin flats”. Most are 140 sq ft or smaller, with average monthly rents of about HK$5,000.
Public housing in Hong Kong “acts as a key stabilizer” and safety net for low-income workers in a very expensive city, said Heron Lim, a Moody’s Analytics economist.
Hong Kong has also come under increasing economic strains as demand for land — the sale of which has accounted for about a fifth of annual government income — has fallen amid slowing growth and a property sector crisis in China.
Declining government revenues and rising construction costs have hit the territory’s ability to provide social housing, and authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing have put pressure on tycoons and developers to provide more affordable housing.
House prices in Hong Kong have fallen more than 20 per cent since the US Federal Reserve began raising interest rates in 2022, prompting banks in the territory — whose currency is pegged to the US dollar — to raise mortgage rates, depressing demand.
But house prices still remain high relative to income. The average price of a 430 sq ft apartment in Hong Kong is about HK$5mn.
Over the past two years, authorities have also reclaimed about 5,000 flats from tenants. “These [rich] people should simply not be allocated public housing in the first place,” said a public housing tenant in his 50s after officials inspected his housing estate.
I think this is similar to the prevalent attitude in the USA about poor people having expensive items, like cars, trucks, and SUVs
Ever heard of the Aerospike jet engine design? Polaris Aerospace is preparing to fly two new prototypes jets for its MIRA supersonic/hypersonic aerospike spaceplane platform
The aerospike engine in theory, should be effective from sea level all the way up into space.
The aim of the MIRA project is to develop a cargo and/or passenger-carrying spaceplane running a single stage to orbit (SSTO), that can takeoff and land on runways, and that's fully and rapidly reusable.
