HAPPY NEW WEEK ALL.
Morning all: Heather: I was going to respond to your comment a day or three ago about being worried about your granddaughter's dislike of school. My granddaughter went through that about the same age, but in her case I think it had to do with the fact that she was in a school district with a lot of very rich entitled kids on the one hand and very modest-income families on the other (she was from the latter). It was very cliquey. Anyway, she decided to do independent study the last year with a school counselor supervising her studies which worked much better for her. My grandson hated high school, couldn't sit at a desk without creating all kinds of aggro, dropped out and eventually had to get his graduation certificate through an alternative school. It's a difficult age. Both are fine now, but it was really bumpy with grandson for a few years there... Wendyb: That must've been some wind to blow over a fridge/freezer. I'm off to Arizona tomorrow; car will get splattered with lots of bugs, dust, etc., en route but still I go to the drive-through car wash before I set out (on my to-do list for today) - and again when I come back. No dogs inside, so that's easy to keep clean. Diane: I hope that monster storm heading East won't be too devastating in your area....it looks really bad for some folks. I'm wondering what sentence Manafort will get from Judge Jackson......I wasn't too happy with last week's slap on the wrist from Ellis. OG: Sounds like a day to stay home. We had two hawks in the garden yesterday sitting quietly by the birdfeeder in hopes of a snack.
Hey, folks. Sorry to interrupt the flow of conversation. I've confirmed that Facebook is completely down across much of the U.K., the U.S., and France. So if you can't access Facebook at all, it's not your personal system. It's a major outage. (I can't load it at all.) It must be a major failure or hack because Instagram is also down. Sorry to interrupt.
EDIT: Facebook is now down around the world.
Diane: Interesting about all these crashes (internet-wise). Wonder what's going on - not that I'm a conspiracy nut or anything.... Had to roll my eyes at Manafort's various rationales for a lighter sentence from Judge Jackson today....... Also interesting that New York state couldn't wait to indict him on - what? - 18 new charges. I see that Parliament voted against a "no-deal Brexit," then read a quote by a Belgian (I think) EU spokesperson who said the vote was like "the Titanic voting for the iceberg to get out of the way." What a state we're all in. Off to Arizona in the morning; taking my laptop so will be in touch. Take care all
Annette: I also wondered about the source of the epic Facebook outage. It's reported to be the biggest interruption they've ever suffered. The disruption is still not under control and is in hour 15. Weird. I was incensed about Manafort's light sentence, but Trump will pardon him for those federal charges, anyway. As the law stands now, Manafort can't get a presidential pardon on the state charges, but a case is pending in the Supreme Court (Gamble vs. United States) that could change the law -- so he could get a pardon for the state charges, too, and walk free. I've watched this week's Brexit debate and votes -- and I'll be watching today. I hope all my friends in the UK (and their families) will be safe and secure, whatever happens.
Safe travels, Annette. Enjoy the desert flowers. Heather: I'm very sorry about your granddaughter's distress. A difficult age in a difficult time. I hope the situation improves somehow. OG: Stay safe on your travels today. Hope the weather doesn't pose a threat. That storm was bad.
Diane: Me too (re Manafort) but must admit a major bias. :-) Didn't know about the pending Supreme Court case. I'm assuming (hoping) the NY prosecutors are aware of that and have made sure that at least some of their charges won't fall under a possibly adverse double-jeopardy ruling - must read more about it though.... Heather: I'm also assuming the girl(s) responsible for the bullying have been - ahem - counseled (wanted to say "threatened/smacked/fill in the blank."), although they say bullies can breed bullies so you have to wonder what their home life is like. What a pain in the derriere.... Also, a belated thanks for letting us know that Lindybird's friend G now has hospice care... I hope she's having a good time on vacation and hasn't been stressing about which shoes to wear. :-)
OG: Don't blame you for putting your foot down - obviously EE is an easy touch for church chores and likely the only person who can figure out how to work the pesky projector/laptop! Car is packed; all I have to do is hose down, drag on some comfy clothes, make sure all relevant snacks are within reach and check the traffic report through LA..... Am going to try to see some wildflowers at the Coachella Preserve en route. It's just 5 miles off the I-10 but will call them first to see how far along the bloom is... Take care all