CIRCLE WITH A DOT

Of FFS...

Burger King is launching an AI chatbot that will live in the headsets used by employees. The voice-enabled chatbot, called "Patty," is part of an overarching BK Assistant platform that will not only assist employees with meal preparation but also evaluate their interactions with customers for "friendliness."

Thibault Roux, Burger King's chief digital officer, tells The Verge that the company compiled information from franchisees and guests on how to measure friendliness, resulting in the fast food chain training its AI system to recognize certain words and phrases, such as "welcome to Burger King," "please," and "thank you." Managers can then ask the AI assistant how their location is performing on friendliness. "This is all meant to be a coaching tool," Roux says, adding that the company is "iterating" on capturing the tone of conversations as well.

Parks officials in California have cancelled popular guided elephant seal tours for the remainder of the season and temporarily closed public viewing areas following a recent outbreak of bird flu at a state park. https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5756505-avian-flu-detected-elephant-seals/

The outbreak marks the first cases of avian flu found in marine mammals in California and the first detection in northern elephant seals, researchers noted.

Año Nuevo State Park, located just north of Santa Cruz, is home to one of the largest elephant seal colonies in North America, with roughly 5,000 seals making their way there during the winter breeding season, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Researchers have been closely monitoring the colony for decades, surveillance that has increased since a 2023 outbreak in Argentina decimated the population, killing more than 17,000 elephant seals, including nearly all pups.

#BirdFlu #H5N1

Any entomologists on here? We have an ag entomologists in the community who left some traps here to put out in spring.

specifically, we're aiming to catch any bark beetles for identification. We had a scare in the late fall when we found some grubs in large rounds of Oak that were brought up here when we were splitting it. But it's really hard to get positive ID on grubs. All of that wood has been tarped and sealed up.

We're now looking at mid to high 70s and maybe even 80s and sunny this week. Would this trigger beetle emergence? Should I put the traps out now or wait another month?

The DOW dropped below 50,000. Does that mean Epstein prosecutions are back on the table?

Today in #LeopardsAteMyFace

REDFORD, Texas—Plans for a border wall through the Big Bend region of West Texas are raising alarms among residents and elected officials. https://insideclimatenews.org/news/17022026/big-bend-texas-border-wall/

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) intends to build border barriers throughout this remote region of Texas that encompasses ranchland, small towns and a cherished state and national park.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) waived 28 laws for environmental protection and historical and archeological preservation to expedite construction in a more than 150-mile stretch from Fort Quitman in Hudspeth County to Colorado Canyon in Big Bend Ranch State Park. An online map posted by CBP indicates that “smart wall” construction is planned both within the state park and in neighboring Big Bend National Park.

The highest elected official for Brewster County, Judge Greg Henington, spoke against the wall during a public appearance in the county seat of Alpine on Feb. 12. Big Bend National Park is in Brewster County. “This county judge sees no reason to go with a border wall in Brewster County,” Henington, a Republican, said. “I get border security, but there are other ways to do it.”

David Keller, a noted archaeologist of the region, characterized the plans for border barriers in the Big Bend as “the military industrialization of one of the last, great, unspoiled places remaining in the United States of America. One of our most beloved national parks and our state’s largest park will be scarred beyond repair,” he said.

huh. go figure...

Hitler’s Greenland Obsession
After creating an economic mess with ill-advised tariffs, Hitler looked north in pursuit of resources and national security. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/02/hitler-greenland/685984/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ-pFa1dTAfU6uUAba0g3kVE

^gift link

Yikes!

‘It’s a catastrophe’: Wellington rages as millions of litres of raw sewage pour into ocean https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/19/wellington-raw-sewage-leak-spill-water-new-zealand

A tide of anger is rising in New Zealand’s capital, Wellington, as the city’s toilets continue to flush directly into the ocean more than two weeks after the catastrophic collapse of its wastewater treatment plant.

Millions of litres of raw and partially screened sewage have been pouring into pristine reefs and a marine reserve along the south coast daily since 4 February, prompting a national inquiry, as the authorities struggle to get the decimated plant operational.

Abandoned beaches, public health warning signs and seagulls eating human waste are now features of the popular coastline, with the environmental disaster zone adjacent to the airport where thousands of international visitors alight every day.

As a southerly storm whipped through the lower North Island and churned up polluted seawater this week, hundreds of residents turned out to a public meeting to seek answers. “They’re warning us to close our windows because a shit-laden hurricane is coming at us,” said the south coast resident and environmentalist Eugene Doyle, whose house faces the sea. “Everyone in charge has done an appalling job, and they need to be held accountable.”

#NZ #Pollution #Oceans

Looks like #California may be next. Are you ready? have you been studying the good people of Minnesota? Got your whistles and what not ready. Got signal?

ICE Secretly Leases Space In Advance Of Minneapolis-Style CA Surge: Report

A Trump administration official told WIRED that California is "next" for the sort of ICE activity that has been seen in Minneapolis.

Orange County, CA Patch (patch.com)

The federal government is quietly purchasing warehouses for a massive expansion of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, according to documents posted online Friday by a Republican congressman. Additionally, a federal official said that California and New York are among the "next" for an Immigration and Customs Enforcement surge similar to the campaign in Minneapolis, with plans to embed hundreds of new ICE offices in Sacramento, Irvine, Santa Ana and Van Nuys, according to an explosive report by WIRED.

According to the WIRED report, ICE is leasing space in two Orange County cities — at an office park in Irvine and at the federal building in Santa Ana.

"This is news to me," Irvine Mayor Larry Agran told The Orange County Register. "We try to maintain some channels of communication with Border Patrol, with ICE, with Homeland Security... it's not easy to do. They're not very cooperative at all, and [not] letting us know what they're planning, what their activities consist of."

City officials are frequently unable to get details from ICE until a property sale is finalized.

The Irvine building, located at 2020 Main St., is situated near John Wayne Airport and several fast-casual restaurants. The Santa Ana Federal Building is located within blocks of a church and the OC Civic Center.

In Van Nuys — a neighborhood in Los Angeles — ICE is expanding offices at the James C. Corman federal building, that also houses offices for the IRS and Health and Human Services, the report said.

In San Diego, federal agents are allegedly leasing offices at the Edward J. Schwartz Courthouse and federal building, WIRED reported.

In Sacramento, ICE has installed security features at the John E. Moss building ahead of further expansion, according to WIRED.

@topofmyvoice @ai6yr @nomdeb

Ah. finally found and uploaded a time lapse of a compost run using this technique. The plastic planter is actually a 10 gallon. A new record of 45 bags were loaded on this run. 450gal is 2.6 cubic yards.

@ai6yr @nomdeb

FWIW, I use the large (25gal?) plastic planters when dealing with mulch or compost. I can preload one with up to 13 contractor trash bags. Then I just scoop the mulch into the planter/bag with my hands. And pull each bag out when full. It's a LOT faster than shoveling. And each bag is a manageable weight to easily move to it's temporary or final location.

Bonus Points: The partially filled bags are much easier to stuff into my little car for transport. I can fit 2 cubic yards in there with some effort. LOL.

I've pulled up to Griffith Park and grabbed a couple yards of mulch in under 30 minutes. People filling pickup trucks with shovels will just stop and gape for a while at how quickly I've gotten 2x as much as they did.

I'm somewhat jaded when it comes to Mr Brainworm and the anti-vax stance of the new Centers for Disease Continuation. Because for the most part it's just been changes to recommendations for vaccinations - so it's the naive, right wingers that are bearing the brunt of the foolishness.

But now, refusing to consider approval of an mRNA flu vaccine denies those of us who are intelligent and well-read on scientific issues the opportunity to protect ourselves in the way we see fit.

It's sad all around, but it's even sadder now.

The Guardian: Queensland police refused to discipline officer accused of domestic violence against pregnant partner

Police decided there was ‘no tangible benefit’ to conducting disciplinary action against the officer and opted not to investigate
___

So Justice is not a tangible benefit? Upholding the law is not a tangible benefit? If that's what the police force is for, and they find no tangible benefit in their own mission, then perhaps they should be defunded and disbanded.

#ACAB

Remember when MAGA and QAnon were freaked out about rumors of FEMA buying warehouses? An organization that is supposed to stockpile goods for an emergency.

ICE only stockpiles people.