The Weird, Random and Interesting Things That Fit Nowhere Else Thread

[Raithe]

Spuz - Equifax Breach

[Raithe]

Hm. Okay, here's a question for those Stateside..

 

Montana wildfires?

 

I seem to be seeing a batch of social media folks doing the "Why are the Montana Wildfires not being reported in the mainstream news? Just by people on FB who happen to live in Montana?"

 

Although NBC Montana has this on their website but... 

 

Rice Ridge Fire (Seeley Lake)

• Location: 2 miles northeast of Seeley Lake
• Size: 155,900 acres
• Containment: 38 percent
• Structures Threatened: 1719
• Greg Poncin's Type 1, Northern Rockies Incident Management Team assumed command of the Rice Ridge Fire at 6 a.m. Tuesday.
• Zone 5 in Seeley Lake has been moved from evacuation ORDER to evacuation WARNING. This last zone is the area north of the airport and is adjacent to Seeley Lake, but technically in Powell County. The affects approximately 6 homes.
  All of Seeley Lake proper is still under warning. Please watch out for fire crews and other emergency responders on the roadways as they are still doing mitigation work in these areas.
• Missoula County residents can receive emergency notifications of critical alerts via their choice of text, phone and/or email by signing up for Smart911 at https://www.smart911.com/. 
• Red Cross shelter site located at the UCC Church, 405 University Avenue, Missoula MT.
• Staffed Fire Information Locations: Seeley Lake at Cory’s Valley Market (8 am to 8 pm) and Blackfoot Mercantile in Ovando (1 pm to 3 pm). 
• Closures: A closure order is still in effect for the areas surrounding the Rice Ridge Fire. Big Larch campground is still closed.  Seeley Lake waters have been reopened.
• There will be a Community Meeting Wednesday in Ovando at the Ovando Elementary School Gym, 108 Birch Street, 6 p.m.

Lolo Peak Fire (Lolo)

• Location: 10 miles southwest of Lolo
• Size: 52,160 acres
• Containment: 46 percent
• Structures threatened: 835
• Structures destroyed: 10
• Evacuations: No evacuation orders are currently in place for the Lolo Peak Fire.
  Missoula County has lifted the evacuation warnings on Highway 12 between Bear Creek and Graves Creek. Evacuation warnings remain in place west of Highway 93 from South Kootenai Creek Road to Holloway Lane.
• 45 mph speed limit through the fire area - HIGHWAYS ARE OPEN.
• Fire Information Locations: Staffed fire information is available in three locations:  Super 1 Foods in Stevensville; Farmers State Bank in Florence; and the weigh station in Lolo at the corner of Highways 12 and 93.
• Returning Home: Residents may see changes to their property as a result of firefighting operations. Check your property for damage to your well/pump, electric/gas meter, propane tank and for fire-weakened trees.
• Stage II Fire Restrictions are in effect for Missoula and Ravalli Counties and across the Lolo and Bitterroot National Forests. Additional information can be found on Inciweb.
• Missoula County residents can receive emergency notifications of critical alerts via their choice of text, phone and/or email by signing up at Smart911.com. 
• Shelters: the Red Cross shelter for Lolo Peak evacuees is located at the LDS church in Stevensville, 100 Middle Burn Fork Road.

Highway 200 Complex

• Location: northwest of Plains
• Size: 24,225 acres
• Containment - 21 percent
• Evacuations: Homes along Swamp Creek Road from Four Corners to the Forest Service boundary, as well as Black Jack Road from Four Corners to address 132 and Mountain Road are under mandatory evacuation orders.
• Pre-evacuation warnings are being coordinated by the Sanders County Sheriff’s Department to affected residents. If conditions worsen, the Sheriff’s Office will notify residents. Law enforcement officials will notify residents of any changes to evacuation status, whether it is a pre-evacuation warning or a mandatory evacuation. If you feel concerned for your welfare, don’t wait to be told to leave – you may self-evacuate.
• Officials say to please have an evacuation plan in place NOW for what you would do in the event of an emergency. Wildfires can grow very quickly and you may receive little to no notice before an evacuation takes place.
• Sheep Gap – 13,414 acres, 45 percent contained
• Reader Fires – 152 acres, 90 percent contained
• Cub Creek – 4,034 acres
• Deep Creek – 5,733 acres
• Miller Creek – 892 acres
• Area closures are in place around the immediate fire areas and areas integral to safe fire operations. As hunting season continues, please respect area closures. The Forest Service is working to ensure that closures are kept to a minimum but are large enough for firefighter and public safety. Please see InciWeb and the Forest Service webpages for the latest closure area maps.

Gibralter Ridge Fire (Eureka)

• Location: East of Eureka
• Size: 10,443 acres
• Containment: 27 percent
• Structures threatened: 144
• Evacuations: A Pre-Evacuation Warning remains in effect for the Sherman Creek, Griffith Creek, Therriault Pass Road, Stevens Creek, Glen Lake and Sinclair Creek (south/east of West Road) areas.
• Road Closure: Grave Creek Road and the Ten Lakes Recreation area are closed above the Grave Creek/Foothills Road junction.

Caribou Fire

• Location: 21 miles northwest of Eureka
• Size: 23,187 acres
• Containment: 30 percent
• Structures: unknown number destroyed
• Closures: A Closure Order remains in place for the Caribou Fire. Closure Orders and maps under the “Closures” tab on Inciweb.
• 10 homes and 30 outbuildings is the unofficial number of structures that have been lost in the Caribou Fire, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff.
• Evacuations:  All areas in West Kootenai remain in Pre-Evacuation Warning. This includes West Kootenai North and South of Tooley Lake, Spring Creek, Dodge Creek, and Basin Creek. 
• Shelter: the Red Cross has emergency services set up in the Church of God in Eureka, MT located at 1295 2nd Ave behind the First Interstate Bank.

Alice Creek Fire

• Location: near Lincoln, MT
• Size: 28,982 acres
• Containment: 10 percent
• Structures: 4 confirmed lost
• Evacuations: Mandatory evacuations remain in effect for residents between mile makers 92 and highway 434 – along highway 200 on both sides of the road. Elk Meadows/Evergreen subdivisions are under mandatory evacuation notices. Landers Fork, Elk Trail Park and Alice Creek community areas are under a “pre-evacuation” notice.
• Landers Fork, Elk Trail Park and Alice Creek community areas are under a pre-evacuation notice. This means that people living or renting property in those areas, even on a part-time basis, must be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice. A security officer is staffing the main entrance that leads into the Alice Creek and Copper Creek areas to reduce public access to these areas and provide information to residents.
• A Red Flag warning is in effect over the fire area again today, meaning conditions could result in very active fire behavior. Fire managers recorded poor humidity recovery overnight. Of greatest concern to fire crews today is expected wind shifts affecting fire behavior and spread. Northeast winds could throw embers outside of the main fire into unburned fuels, resulting in spot fires.
• Firefighters ask residents to please drive carefully and slowly and to not impede heavy equipment. 
• Shelter: The Red Cross shelter for Alice Creek evacuees is at Wolf Creek Elementary School at 150 Walsh Street in Wolf Creek.

Sunrise Fire (Superior)

• Location: 11 miles southeast of Superior
• Size: 26,310 acres
• Containment: 95 percent
• Evacuations: A Stage II Evacuation notice remains in place for the Quartz Creek. Stage II is a precautionary measure that asks residents to be ready in the event that the fire changes quickly. The Forest Service area closure remains in place on the Lolo National Forest as well as Stage II Fire Restrictions.
• Shelter: The Red Cross is prepared to provide shelter at Superior High School for evacuees.

Sapphire Complex Fire (Rock Creek)

• Location: 25 miles southeast of Missoula
• Size: 43,739 acres
• Containment: 60 percent
• Evacuations: A Level Red-Evacuation Order for approximately 35 residences along Rock Creek Road remains in effect, beginning from and including Wild Rose Loop south to Stony Creek. 
• Structures Threatened: Private property and structures in the Rock Creek, Upper Willow Creek, and Marshall Creek drainages remain threatened. Other resources threatened include fisheries in Rock Creek, grazing lands along the southern boundary of the Little Hogback Fire, Bonneville Power Administration powerline, and a communication site.
• Structures Destroyed: 1 cabin, 14 outbuildings.
• Closures: The Rock Creek Road from I-90 south to Bitterroot Campground (MP 23.5) is OPEN. Due to fire traffic congestion and fire safety concerns, Rock Creek Road will stay CLOSED from Bitterroot Campground, south to Cornish Gulch (FSR5027), and public traffic is NOT allowed. Upper Willow Creek Road is currently closed to the public. The Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest reduced closure restrictions in the Black Pine ridge area, but maintains all area closures in Upper Willow Creek, North Fork Lower Willow Creek, and Harvey Creek areas. The Bureau of Land Management has an area closure in Upper Willow Creek, Ram Mountain, and nearby areas. The Lolo and Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forests, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Montana Department of Natural Resources (DNRC) closure orders and maps are posted under the closures tab on Inciweb. Please adhere to all closures and allow our firefighters to perform their jobs safely.
• Fire Restrictions: Stage 1 Fire Restrictions are in place on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest (Forest Service land east of Sandstone Ridge). Stage 2 Fire Restrictions are in place on BLM, private and state lands in Granite County, and the Lolo National Forest (Forest Service land west of Sandstone Ridge).

Meyers Fire (Philipsburg)

• Location: 25 miles southwest of Philipsburg
• Size: 61,889 acres
• Containment: 8 percent
• Structures threatened: 343
• The Montana National Guard have been to deployed to help with fighting the Meyers Fire, located 25 miles southwest of Philipsburg.The soldiers are staffing five security checkpoints around the fire area to free law enforcement personnel for other duties.
• Evacuations and Closures: The Frog Pond and Moose Lake areas are under an evacuation order. Additionally, an evacuation warning is in effect on East Fork Rd from FS Rd 5778 to Little East Fork Rd (FS RD 724) on the Bitterroot National Forest. Those under an evacuation warning should be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.
• Bitterroot National Forest emergency closure orders are in effect for upper areas of the East Fork Bitterroot River. Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest has an emergency closure order around the fire extending into the Anaconda Pintler Wilderness. A temporary flight restriction (TFR) is in effect surrounding the Meyers Fire area. Granite County is under Stage 2 fire restrictions for private lands in the county. Amended Stage 1 fire restrictions are in effect today which prohibits ALL campfires in southwestern Montana on public lands, including in fire rings and developed recreation areas. 

Sprague Fire (Glacier National Park)

• Location: 9 miles northeast of West Glacier, MT
• Size: 14,795 acres
• Containment: 47 percent
• Three large fires are currently burning in Glacier National Park: the Sprague Fire, Adair Peak Fire is burning at 2,890 acres and the Elder Creek Fire is 2,261 acres. All three fires experienced high gusty winds from the east on Sunday evening, with both the Sprague and Adair Peak fires having significant increases in acreage. Fire growth moderated on Monday with lighter winds. Lower temperatures and slightly higher relative humidity is forecast.
• Lake McDonald Lodge closed for the season on Aug. 30 due to air quality concerns. An evacuation notice was issued on September 3rd for the Lake McDonald area due to fire activity, forcing the closure of the Going-to-the-Sun Road between Apgar Village and Logan Pass; concessions operations in the Lake McDonald Lodge area including boat tours and rentals and guided horseback rides have also closed as a result of this evacuation. Horseback rides and boat rentals are still available in the Apgar area and on the east side of the park.
• All interpretive programs in the Lake McDonald Lodge and Avalanche areas are cancelled until further notice.
• Some trails and backcountry campgrounds are closed due to fire activity. Many areas of the park remain OPEN including some areas of the North Fork, Apgar Village, the Going-to-the-Sun Road between St. Mary and Logan Pass, Granite Park Chalet, Two Medicine, St. Mary, and Many Glacier. Please check the park website for current conditions including closures at https://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/conditions.htm
• Closures: All park entrances remain open. The Going-to-the-Sun Road is closed between Apgar Loop Road and Logan Pass. Logan Pass is accessible via the St. Mary Entrance. Apgar Village, Campground, and Picnic Area are open. The Sprague, Snyder, and Lincoln Creek drainages and associated trails, from Lake McDonald Trailhead on the west and Gunsight Pass on the east, are also closed to all use. Visit http://go.nps.gov/glacconditions fortrail, road, and campground information.
• Evacuations: Area residents and park visitors were evacuated on Sunday, September 3, 2017. The evacuation order remains in effect from the south end of Lake McDonald north to Logan Pass. This includes the North McDonald Road. This does not include the Apgar area at this time. Logan Pass is still accessible from the east side of the park. The duration of the evacuation is unknown at this time.
• Structure protection work was completed in the Lake McDonald Lodge area. The Fort Apache Hotshots, along with structure protection engines, staged overnight in the Lake McDonald Lodge area. A night shift patrolled the area. Today structure protection hose lays and sprinkler deployments will be initiated in the Avalanche Creek Campground area. Mop up work continues around the Sperry Chalet. The Mt. Brown Lookout continues to persist.
• Shelter: the Red Cross shelter for Sprague evacuees is located at Canyon Elementary School, 200 North Street, in Hungry Horse.

West Fork Fire and Moose Peak Fire (Libby)

• Location: 7 miles northwest of Libby
• Size: West Fork - 14,827 acres / Moose Peak - 8,830 acres
• Structures threatened: West Fork - 709 / Moose Creek - 45
• Containment: zero percent for both fires
• Evacuations:
• The evacuation orders for Upper Bobtail including Bobtail Lane, Bobtail Meadow Road, Red Rose Ranch Road and Kentana Place have been downgraded to pre-evacuation warning status.
• Evacuations for West Fork Fire have been ordered by Lincoln County Sheriff's Office  include:
  • Kootenai River Road from Quarts Creek to end of Bighorn Terrace
  • NORTH side of Kootenai River Road from North Central to Quartz Creek
  • Lower Bobtail, including Burrell and Indian Pipe
• • 17 Mile Community of Pipe Creek Road
  • Quartz Mountain Road
• The following pre-evacuation warnings are also in place:
  • Bobtail Road from Kootenai River Road to below Hutton Drive
  • Bobtail Cutoff Road
  • Winter Road
  • Whitetail Road
  • Indian Pipe Road
  • Bull Creek Road
  • Burrell Drive
  • Kootenai River Road, from Quartz Mountain Road to the end of Kootenai River Road (Bighorn Terrace)
  • North side of Kootenai River Road from North Central Road to Quartz Mountain Road
  • Pipe Creek Road from Forest Way and north
  • Forest Way
  • Lodge Pole Way
  • Doak Creek Road
  • Blue Mountain Lookout Road
  • Creekside Road
  • Timber Lane
• Please, only emergency and local resident vehicle traffic in the areas of Bobtail and Bobtail Cutoff, Pipe Creek and Kootenai River Road.
• Shelter: Libby Assembly of God Church, 105 Collins Ave.
• Stage 2 Fire Restrictions are in effect within the Kootenai National Forest, State and Private Lands, as well as Lincoln and Sanders County.
• A Red Flag Warning is in effect from 12 pm to 12 am today. Critical fire weather conditions are expected this afternoon for warm temperatures, clear skies, critically low humidity and breezy southwest winds. A cold front will cross the area tonight bringing in cooler air and cloud cover for Wednesday. Showers are likely on Thursday.

Liberty Fire (Arlee)

• Location: 17 miles southeast of Arlee
• Size: 27,842 acres
• Containment: 17 percent

[Hurlshort]

I'd imagine they were overshadowed by the hurricanes. Montana is a fairly underpopulated state. 

[ShadySands]

It's in our local news because we keep getting blanketed by smoke

[Gromnir]

It's in our local news because we keep getting blanketed by smoke

 

fake news.  is a well known fact montanans (and to a lesser degree, the people o' utah... utahnites? utahnans? mormons?) is unable to cook anything save 'pon a grill... though a select few do understand the difference 'tween grill and barbecue. all the visible smoke is simple the predictable late summer build up o' all the grilled beef, chicken and game meat, but nowadays the alt-left media wants to make everything 'bout environmental disasters.  good honest americans enjoy well-seared meat by the millions is a disaster?  we think not.

 

am hopeful we not need smiley to make folks aware o' sardonic tone. although, people who do not know difference 'tween grill and barbecue is savages not worthy o' consideration-- dead serious 'bout such.

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Gfted1]

Smoke From North American Wildfires Drifting Over Western Europe.

 

Suck it, Europe.

 

I have it on good authority that Trump himself was seen lighting fires, probably while fiddling.

[Raithe]

Inside the Equifax hack

[Guard Dog]

And so it begins! http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/communities/north-county/sd-me-harmony-doll-20170913-story.html

 

[Malcador]

Most real life relevant quote is from Bryant. If you ain't cop, you're little people.

[Gfted1]

Mysterious Apocalyptic Message Interrupts TV Broadcasts in California: 'Violent Times Will Come'.

[ManifestedISO]

Car, take me to ocean.bacon.bikini

 

 

Engineers at  What3Words have divided the entire world into 57 trillion three-meter-by-three-meter (10 by 10 foot) squares. Each has been given a unique address composed of three-word combinations. Starting next spring, Mercedes-Benz will be the first automaker to incorporate the What3Words technology into its new infotainment systems, making three-word navigation a standard feature.

 

http://blog.caranddriver.com/just-three-words-can-get-drivers-exactly-where-they-want-to-go/

Edited September 22, 2017 by ManifestedISO

[Raithe]

Photo-essay follows a young woman living off the grid in the wilds of Northern Finland

[Agiel]

 

And a companion piece from James Fallows from a year and a half ago:

 

 

How America Is Putting Itself Back Together

[ShadySands]

What luxuries can't you live without?

 

I'd probably say travel, both domestic and international, because I don't think anything has changed me as much seeing other places and how other people live. Second, would be the internet.

Edited September 28, 2017 by ShadySands

[Raithe]

NPR - As scruitny of social networks grows, influence attacks continue in real time

[Raithe]

How Steven Seagal transformed into a Bond Villain

[Guard Dog]

Welcome to Amazon, GA http://www.ajc.com/news/local-govt--politics/city-amazon-proposed-attract-company-hq2-georgia/WVuopYRd6WFQE3w7JjcdnO/

 

Why not!   

[Guard Dog]

Injured tortise saved by 3D printed prosthetic shell: http://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news/local/new-acreage-tortoise-run-over-car-saved-printed-shell/wB1aS7zCgTsG91mSFNxl0J/

[Raithe]

US Military on Puerto Rico - The Problem is Distribution

 

An interesting and informative piece from the Huffington Post...

 

 

 

“It’s picture perfect devastation. The hurricane came through the middle of the island. 100% of the island is without power. As a Puerto Rican it troubles me to hear the misinformation about the crux of the issue.”

Speaking today exclusively and live from Puerto Rico, is Puerto Rican born and raised, Colonel Michael A. Valle (”Torch”), Commander, 101st Air and Space Operations Group, and Director of the Joint Air Component Coordination Element, 1st Air Force, responsible for Hurricane Maria relief efforts in the U.S. commonwealth with a population of more than 3 million. Since the ‘apocalyptic’ Cat 4 storm tore into the spine of Puerto Rico on September 20, Col. Valle has been both duty and blood bound to help.

----

[Raithe]

A post from an author I know, that might be worth a read and a few thoughts...

 

A Theory on Las Vegas

 

I may be the only person in the 'pundit' world who can put what we know about the Las Vegas shooter in perspective because I've dealt with something similar before. My personal take, at this point, is 'homicidal psychotic break, rationale currently unknown, possible pharmacological.'

To debunk a few of the recent urban legends and prolapse some of the stupider arguments:

 

ISIS: Nothing in his electronic trail indicates any contact with ISIS despite their claims and some rumors. Nothing.

'There were multiple shooters/he was a patsy!': All the guns in the room were registered to Paddock. He was covered in GSR and even had burns on his hands from hot barrel/rounds.

'He was antifa killing Republicans!': Nothing in his electronic trail indicates the slightest political affiliation or interest. Nothing.

There weren't even angry emails. He never posted comments. Rarely read political news. Nada.

Gambling debts! He was broke!

Paddock was a habitual hobby gambler who was the sort of person casinos hate. He would set a budget on his gambling and stick to it religiously. He also rarely lost big or won big and never let either one change his habits.

He was a perfectly normal, successful, retired accountant well-invested in real estate with very little or no recent change in demeanor or actions.

Perfectly normal guy and only a ‘loner’ to the extent he wasn’t terribly socially active. ‘Loner’ apparently means he didn’t frequent wild parties. If he had the narrative would be ‘wild party animal.’

'Homicidal psychotic break means he couldn't have done the planning!'

 

Au contraire. Deep sigh. Been here, had someone in my life nearly do if not that than similar. With their permission I will now recount a story and show why everything about this makes a terrible sort of sense to me. The story is about my lovely and extremely loving wife, Miriam, and her descent to homicidal psychotic break due to a nasty drug interaction.

 

My wife has had the same doctor since she was a child. Old 'country' doctor who is the only person who has ever been able to handle Miriam's many oddities. A limited list:

My wife:

Has four kidneys and four ankles. (She ate the good twin.)

Was once listed as one of the top five Adult ADHD in the US and the only one who was clinically functional.

Has supremely bizarre drug interactions and thereby hangs this tale.

Miriam is a 'limited case pharmacological phenotype.' What does that mean? You know where on the warning label it says: 'in rare cases may cause you to grow two heads and fly to the moon'? Miriam is 'rare cases.' Every single time she tries a new prescription drug (fill in reason here) she is 'rare cases.'

 

This involves the 'in rare cases' effect of a drug called Cymbalta. Notably, as Cymbalta NOW states 'in rare cases may cause homicidal or suicidal psychotic break. Should not be prescribed to teenagers.' (Because it turns out in MOST cases WILL cause psychotic break in teenagers.)

 

Miriam was prescribed Cymbalta for 'depression' by her doctor in the early fall of 2007. I don't really remember if it seemed to work or not but she remained on it. I do recall that there as a shooting (by a teenager) that December in Nebraska in a mall. And I do recall Miriam's uncharacteristic comment.

'He only managed to kill five people in a crowded mall at Christmas time with a pistol and three magazines? He really needed to learn how to shoot.'

My wife is extremely loving and extremely Christian. Her normal response would have been 'That's terrible. God bless their souls and I hope he finds peace!' 'I could have done better' metaphorically was... not Miriam. I'll admit I didn't really notice it at the time.

 

Nor did I notice that over the course of the next several months (not sure when it started) we started to have a lot of 'off-brand' bleach around the house. Miriam is a lovely wife but cleaning is not her thing. But she also purchases in a very random manner. (Note the ADHD thing.) This did seem to be alot of bleach, though. I mentioned it a couple of times in jest. (We finally ran through all the bleach she bought in 2007-8 about a year ago. That much bleach.)

I didn't realize there were twenty-nine more gallon bottles in the trunk of her car.

 

I do recall during a rather bad time (possibly around below) that 'when she was gone' (and it had the feeling of 'soon') I wouldn't have to worry about the cats because 'they would be coming with her.' Miriam occasionally says odd things but that stood out. I'm more than aware of various forms of murder suicide and it was... discomforting. But... Miriam sometimes says odd things. (Used to. Far less these days for a variety of reasons. She's gotten SANER with menopause which is... just as bizarre as everything else.)

Things around Mother's Day got bad but they usually are. (Reasons I won't relate.) Then at a certain point I got a call from my loving wife (GF at the time) saying she was coming home from work, early, and we needed to go to Parkridge. I wasn't even sure what 'Parkridge' was.

 

Parkridge is one of the hospitals in the area but the specific one she mentioned was the psychiatric hospital.

I asked her on the drive over what was wrong. She didn't want to talk about it. For various 'privacy' reasons I wasn't well informed at the time. But I'll fill in the blanks for you in ways they weren't filled in for me.

 

She finally realized something was VERY wrong and checked herself in. Miriam had had a 'homicidal psychotic break' due to a side effect of Cymbalta. In most cases this is light and happens during the first couple of months or first month. NOW doctors are told to evaluate regularly in the first few months. THEN there was no warning. And NOBODY goes nine months. Except someone with ENORMOUS coping skills who has had to deal with madness that drove others insane on a daily basis her whole life.

(By the way, the teenager in the mall above? Guess what anti-depressant he was on? One guess and it rhymes with 'Sin Malta'. He’d been on it a few months, prescribed right around the same time as Miriam.)

 

So my loving wife coped. She controlled. As she slowly went ever-loving NUTS.

 

The specific issue was she had 'an uncontrollable desire to do harm to those who do harm to others.' Notably, she'd built up a list of persons on the Megan's (sexual predators) List and had developed very carefully constructed kill plans for each. She was tracking them and targeting them carefully. She has an extensive background in forensics and was probably going to get away with it.

 

Now, people may look at the targets and go 'Well... Uhm... having a hard time with that being 'bad'.' But to be very clear, my wife had shifted, subtly and without warning, from sweet, Christian, Miriam to serial killer. And I do mean without ANY REAL WARNING.

I didn't know exactly what was going on at the time. I was approached by one of the staff after a few hours sitting in a hard chair out front.

'I understand you're an author?'

'Yes. What's going on? Is Miriam okay?' (We weren't married at the time. Yes, I married her AFTER this, people.)

'She's being evaluated. But I understand you work from home? Are there frequently?'

'Pretty much all the time.'

'We can release her if she is under 24 hour monitoring...'

I had to sign to get her out pledging I would maintain '24 hour monitoring.' (Yes, I had to sign an actual release taking responsibility for the actions of an adult. They wouldn't tell me FOR WHAT ACTIONS.)

 

Miriam covered the big stuff on the ride home. I didn't get lots of detail til... years later. Details such as: Manson-like she had started to get the other patients, and even staff, to agree that her plan totally made sense in her first group therapy session. That was the real reason they were sending her home. They were afraid she was infecting the patients and staff and would form a 'kill sexual predators' cult.

(I guess they thought I was immune or something.)

 

Issues with this went on and on for months as it slowly leached from her system.

But let me relate it to Las Vegas.

Most people think of 'homicidal break' as someone suddenly 'grabbing a letter opener and carving their way out of Cost Accountancy and into forensic history.' (H/t: the late Sir Terry Pratchett.)

 

That's not, generally, how it works. How much planning and preparation a person does depends upon how rapid the onset is (months in Miriam's case) and how good they are at planning and preparation. (Both Miriam and Paddock were planners. He was an accountant and multi-millionaire.)

So look at the story above and break it down:

Relatively normal person, perhaps a bit odd, has minor changes in behavior that no-one in their close circle really notices.

 

He/she is a methodical person with an agenda. Other people who've done mass kills simply did not do it right. He/she is going to do it right. He knows they hold concerts by the Mandalay. That's the perfect venue for the most kills.

Suddenly they're a mass killer for no apparent reason.

That was what WAS going to happen with my wife.

So, Paddock doesn't really surprise me. I've seen it before.

 

My guess is it will be doctors who figure it out. And if they do they'll find he either was having a bad drug reaction (in which case nobody will admit nothin’ just as they’ve never admitted it was Cymbalta that caused the Westroads Mall Shooting) or neurological degeneration of some sort. (A tumor caused the University of Texas ‘Bell Tower’ shooting.) If pharmacological, the drug doesn't even have to be a definitively 'psychotropic' drug. Many drugs these days from heart medicine to anti-malarials have some psychotropic effect.

(If this had anything to do with a drug reaction, any drug of any type, I hope the survivors sue the **** out of the drug manufacturer. Because most of these recent 'crazy' mass kills, going all the way back to the 'postal worker' epidemic (overdosage of Prozac) and Columbine (both kids were hopped to their gills on prescription anti-depressants and anti-anxiety drugs), have had SOMETHING to do with psychotropic drugs pushed by drug companies. Many of the murder/suicides of returning military personnel were closely linked to an anti-malarial. And nobody seems to be willing to speak truth to power on the subject. Just writing this post will probably get me sued.)

 

The only lesson to take from this is 'keep an eye on your loved ones especially if they have ANY changes in prescription.' Doesn’t matter if it’s heart medication. Keep an eye on their personality as well as health.

 

Homicidal break does not always happen quickly. Sometimes it creeps in like the fog on cats feet. It is only at the last that the cackle of madness is heard. By then it is too late.

May God rest all their souls and let them find peace.

Edited October 5, 2017 by Raithe

[Hurlshort]

I was uncomfortable hitting the like button on that, but it was a very interesting read. People seem to ignore the mental health problems we have in this country in favor of arguing about guns and politics.

[Guard Dog]

Guns and politics are things we can control. It's natural to want to control the terrible things that happen. Even if we realize, we can't. There are some good points there. The problem is even the best mental health professionals in the world can't help someone who does not ask for help.

Edited October 5, 2017 by Guard Dog

[Rosbjerg]

The problem is even the best mental health professionals in the world can't help someone who does not ask for help.

Of course, but changing the stigma and taboo related to mental illness helps a great deal. People generally hide their weakness if society actively ostrizises them for it. Feeling isolated can severly affect a person's ability to emphasize, as we've probably all experienced in the harder times of our lives.

[Azdeus]

I was uncomfortable hitting the like button on that, but it was a very interesting read. People seem to ignore the mental health problems we have in this country in favor of arguing about guns and politics.

 

Yeah, the ending really made it difficult for me aswell. It started to feel very anti-pharma all of a sudden.

[ShadySands]

NAZI-KILLING VIDEO GAME 'WOLFENSTEIN II' ANGERS NAZIS WITH 'MAKE AMERICA NAZI-FREE AGAIN' SLOGAN