Sleepless in Midland

FBI warns us about our spying TV sets

Interesting press release from the FBI field office in Portland -- Oregon FBI Tech Tuesday: Securing Smart TVs. It reads like a blog post, but it contains some useful tips on how to prevent our TV sets from spying on us. The bullet points:

Know exactly what features your TV has and how to control those features. Do a basic Internet search with your model number and the words “microphone,” “camera,” and “privacy.”

Don’t depend on the default security settings. Change passwords if you can – and know how to turn off the microphones, cameras, and collection of personal information if possible. If you can’t turn them off, consider whether you are willing to take the risk of buying that model or using that service.

If you can’t turn off a camera but want to, a simple piece of black tape over the camera eye is a back-to-basics option.

Check the manufacturer’s ability to update your device with security patches. Can they do this? Have they done it in the past?

Check the privacy policy for the TV manufacturer and the streaming services you use. Confirm what data they collect, how they store that data, and what they do with it.

Maybe painting an eyeball over the camera eye would serve as a reminder of who's watching whom.

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1:49 PM 11/29/2019

Fox Friday 11-29-19

You looking at me?

Actually, yes.

We are admiring your facial markings.

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11:19 AM 11/28/2019

Happy Thanksgiving! Does anyone need a reason to be thankful?

Most of us here in the U.S. are thankful we live here. Sure, there are problems. But judging from the size of the mobs clamoring to get in and become productive residents, those problems can't be that bad.

So, thank you fellow citizens, for helping make this country so great!

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1:27 PM 11/27/2019

Update: John Stossel reminds us what made the pilgrims, after a rocky start, so thankful. John Stossel: Thanksgiving – What the pilgrims knew about socialism and private property. Relevant excerpt:

Each member of the community professed a desire to labor together, on behalf of the whole settlement. In other words: socialism.

But when they tried that, the Pilgrims almost starved. Their collective farming -- the whole community deciding when and how much to plant, when to harvest, who would do the work -- was an inefficient disaster.

“By the spring,” Pilgrim leader William Bradford wrote in his diary, “our food stores were used up and people grew weak and thin. Some swelled with hunger… So they began to think how ... they might not still thus languish in misery.”

His answer: divide the commune into parcels and assign each Pilgrim family its own property. As Bradford put it, they “set corn every man for his own particular. ... Assigned every family a parcel of land.” ...

The Pilgrims’ simple change to private ownership, wrote Bradford, “made all hands very industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been.” Soon they had so much plenty that they could share food with the natives.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Does anyone trust Facebook's face recognition app?

For someone having trouble remembering a person's name this Facebook app might be a real benefit. But does anyone still trust Facebook?

Kate O'Flaherty tells us this in Forbes -- Facebook Tested A Terrifying Facial Recognition App On Employees And Their Friends. Excerpt:

Facebook is under fire again, and this time over a terrifying facial recognition app that was tested on its employees. According to Business Insider, the tool used real-time facial recognition to identify a person by simply pointing a smartphone’s camera at them.

Business Insider said the app was developed between 2015 and 2016 but has since been discontinued. Citing anonymous sources, it reported that one version of the tool could even bring up someone’s Facebook profile using facial recognition capabilities. It was allegedly tested on Facebook’s employees and their friends who had enabled facial recognition on their profiles. 

Facebook has confirmed that it did develop the app, but denied that it could identify users of the social network. CNET published a statement, which read: "As a way to learn about new technologies, our teams regularly build apps to use internally.

The program could have some benefit to individual users. But social media companies are less caring about their users than their customers -- companies and governments wanting to compile dossiers on each us. China and it's social credit scorecard comes to mind.

Americans who grew up during the cyber revolution are much more at ease sharing personal information then those who grew up without it. And some people are more tolerant of snoops than others.

It's still an open question why China purloined U.S. government employee files a few years back. But it's not out of the question that they could be compiling dossiers on each and every one of us.

In any event, it's disturbing to read how cavalier many tech companies are about developing snooping software which will undoubtedly end up in the hands of foreign government agencies.

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3:22 PM 11/26/2019

Hackers are trying to get malware into utility companies' computers

Hopefully, they are trying to prevent this. But nonetheless, it's worrisome to think they aren't doing enough. And the means of attack is predominately through phishing. We've heard of several municipalities that were victimized by this type malware. Are utility employees keen enough to avoid becoming a patsy for hackers?

The bad news is in the Wall Street Journal. Utilities Targeted in Cyberattacks Identified. Here's a rather long excerpt:

More than a dozen U.S. utilities that were targets in a recent wave of cyberattacks have been identified by The Wall Street Journal. Some of the utilities, most of which are relatively small, are located near dams, locks and other critical infrastructure.

These electricity providers were singled out in a hacking campaign that was brought to light in August by researchers at a Silicon Valley cybersecurity company. But little was known about the attacks until now.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is probing the attacks and has contacted some, but not all, of the utilities, according to some of the utilities. It is possible that the hacking campaign is ongoing, according to security researchers.

Utilities said the FBI provided information that helped them scan their computer networks to see if firewalls—their first-line defenses—had been probed and whether malware-laced emails had been sent to their employees. The FBI declined to comment.

The targeted utilities, which operate in 18 states from Maine to Washington, include Cloverland Electric Cooperative in Michigan, which sits next to the Sault Ste. Marie Locks, a critical juncture for the transport of iron ore to U.S. steel mills; Klickitat Public Utility District in Washington state, which is near major federal dams and transmission lines that funnel hydroelectricity to California; and Basin Electric Power Cooperative in North Dakota, one of the few utilities that is capable of delivering electricity to both the nation’s eastern and western grids.

The hackers attempted to get malware installed on utility computers through “phishing” emails that trick recipients into opening them. The embedded malware, which in this case has been dubbed “Lookback,” could give attackers the ability to take control of victims’ computers and steal information.

Here's the list of utilities affected:

Wisconsin Rapids Water Works and Lighting—Contacted by FBI
ALP Utilities, Minn.—Contacted by FBI
Cowlitz County Public Utility District, Wash.—Contacted by FBI
Flathead Electric Cooperative, Mont.—Didn’t provide details
Basin Electric Power, N.D.—Didn’t provide details
Klickitat Public Utility District, Wash.—No FBI contact
Cloverland Electric Cooperative, Mich.—Contacted by FBI
Brownsville Public Utilities Board, Texas—Contacted by the FBI
Utilities Commission of New Smyrna Beach, Fla.—Contacted by the FBI
Rochester Public Utilities, Minn.—No FBI contact
Tucson Electric Power, Ariz.—Declined to comment
Emera Maine—Declined to comment
Tri-County Electric Cooperative, S.C.—Couldn’t be reached for comment

Should we all be preppers so we could endure a long blackout?

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3:15 PM 11/25/2019

99 bottles of beer on the wall, make that cans, please

For a heavy beer drinker 99 bottles is probably a good start. But for the rest of us it's a bit much.

But by golly, Pabst has come out with a 99 can pack. Although the cans don't quite hit the right note for the song, it's a good gimmick, nonetheless.

Pabst Blue Ribbon Is Selling a Limited-Edition 99-Pack of Beer for the Party That Never Ends. Quote:

Ever wonder what 99 cans of beer looks like? Probably not, but now you have the answer — because Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) has a pack filled with that many cans of beer.

The limited-edition pack first hit Quebec just in time for Christmas in 2017, but it looks like it has hit the United States for the 2019 holiday season. However, it appears that it’s a pretty exclusive item, so you might have to search a bit. We’ll keep you updated when you get confirmation on distribution.

A drinking buddy in college days used to recite the message he said was on the label, "Pabst Blue Ribbon, selected as America's Best in 1893." Well, OK then.

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3:08 PM 11/23/2019

Is Colin Kaepernick a money making genius or just lucky?

Kaepernick put on a football throwing exhibition last weekend styled as a demonstration for prospective employers. It's unknown whether he will get a job offer from that. But that's hardly the point. He already has a job -- a shoe salesman -- and he's doing quite well.

Check out this headline: Nike's value is up $26.2B since Colin Kaepernick endorsement. Now it’s close to unveiling his shoe.

So if a normal person has a job as lucrative as Kaepernick's job with Nike, would he really want to play football on a team again? He would not only be risking his health but if he doesn't perform well, he'll be the butt of countless jokes and unfunny ridicule. And his value as a shoe salesman would likely suffer.

His latest stunt put him in the headlines again, and for him, publicity whether good or bad, is good for business.

Is Kaepernick or his advisers that smart? Or is he just lucky? There seems to be a shortage of examples of strategic brilliance on the field.

Meanwhile, he didn't do a very good job of articulating the cause that sparked his crusade back when he started getting all the attention. And now it's difficult to remember just what it was. Oh well, it doesn't really matter now anyway.

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5:57 AM 11/22/2019

Fox Friday 11-22-19

Two foxes converge on the food at the same time, different angles:

Fox and cat vie for the same food:

It's a jungle out there.

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2:10 PM 11/21/2019

Attorney General William Barr: the constitution called for a strong president.

In Mr. Barr's recent speech he provided an originalist description of the separation of powers along with the history that led to that particular design in our Constitution.

The British monarch was once the supreme ruler of Britain, but over the centuries the power of the monarch was eroded to the point were Parliament became the ruling entity.

The founding fathers of the U.S. saw that and made something of a compromise -- there would be three co-equal branches. While many of us thought the legislature had relinquished much of its power to the executive in the previous administration. The legislature came roaring back in the Trump administration as they tried to thwart every one of Trump's initiatives, tried to block all of Trump's appointments, and are now trying to boot him out of the office.

Here's a snippet from the speech:

The fact of the matter is that, in waging a scorched earth, no-holds-barred war of “Resistance” against this Administration, it is the Left that is engaged in the systematic shredding of norms and the undermining of the rule of law.  This highlights a basic disadvantage that conservatives have always had in contesting the political issues of the day.  It was adverted to by the old, curmudgeonly Federalist, Fisher Ames, in an essay during the early years of the Republic. 

In any age, the so-called progressives treat politics as their religion.  Their holy mission is to use the coercive power of the State to remake man and society in their own image, according to an abstract ideal of perfection.  Whatever means they use are therefore justified because, by definition, they are a virtuous people pursing a deific end.  They are willing to use any means necessary to gain momentary advantage in achieving their end, regardless of collateral consequences and the systemic implications.  They never ask whether the actions they take could be justified as a general rule of conduct, equally applicable to all sides.

Mr. Barr's speech is a good one and can be heard at this C-Span link or read at this justice.gov link

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3:55 PM 11/18/2019

demanding, not earning, respect -- "that's Lt. Colonel Vindman to you"

The story can be found at Fox News under the headline Impeachment witness scolds Nunes for calling him mister: 'Lt. Col. Vindman, please. Here's a quote of the offending segment:

"Mr. Vindman, you testified in your deposition that you did not know the whistleblower," Nunes stated.

"Ranking member, it's Lieutenant Colonel Vindman, please," the witness responded.

Nunes corrected himself and repeated the statement, which followed questions regarding who Vindman had spoken with about Trump's phone call.

Sounds as though Vindman got a little testy -- like the big shot who got pulled over for speeding. "Do you know who I am?!!"

And it's hard to forget that time Senator Feinstein erupted at some military guy at a hearing because he called her "Ma'am." Maybe Vindman is trying for some payback for that, although he mistook the house for the senate and republicans for democrats.

In any event, respect should be earned. And whether in either case the complainant had actually been dissed, respect should be earned by something other than titles.

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3:41 PM 11/19/2019

No Safe Spaces likely to be a good documentary

Dennis Prager was on C-Span Sunday morning talking about, among other issues, his and Adam Carolla's new documentary movie No Safe Spaces. It's about the left's efforts to shut down speech and control ideas, especially on college campuses. With the combined talent of both of those guys, it's bound to be very entertaining and educational. Hopefully, there will be a way to see it free soon.

But just for grins, I looked it up at Rotten Tomatoes. And what a contrast between the elite reviewers and the ordinaries. This is what it looked like Sunday around 2:15pm CST.

It's probably a good bet to go with the ordinaries when the split is as wide as this one.

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2:26 PM 11/17/2019

Sim swap -- a sinister hacking technique now being litigated in Terpin vs. AT&T

The plaintiff, Michael Terpin, sued AT&T last year alleging that hackers were able to change the password to his cell phone remotely either with the assistance of AT&T employees or through the company's negligence, and as a result, he lost millions of dollars worth of cryptocurrency.

The judge dismissed most of the claims in a recent ruling but left the door open for amending the petition to include more information that might allow the claims to be reinstated.

But what the heck is a sim swap? The FTC has a short tutorial at SIM Swap Scams: How to Protect Yourself:

So how do scammers pull off a SIM card swap like this? They may call your cell phone service provider and say your phone was lost or damaged. Then they ask the provider to activate a new SIM card connected to your phone number on a new phone — a phone they own. If your provider believes the bogus story and activates the new SIM card, the scammer — not you — will get all your text messages, calls, and data on the new phone.

The scammer — who now has control of your number — could open new cellular accounts in your name or buy new phones using your information.

Or they could log in to your accounts that use text messages as a form of multi-factor authentication. How? Because they’ll get a text message with the verification code they need to log in.

They suggest ways to avoid being a victim:

Don’t reply to calls, emails, or text messages that request personal information.

Limit the personal information you share online.

Set up a PIN or password on your cellular account.

Consider using stronger authentication on accounts with sensitive personal or financial information.

It's a jungle out there.

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4:13 PM 11/16/2019

Quote of the week -- Lance Morrow on Presidential contest between Bloomberg and Trump -- choice between nanny and juvenile delinquent

This comes from an op-ed by Lance Morrow titled Three Tales of a City: Bloomberg, de Blasio and Trump:

Can Mr. Bloomberg get the Democratic nomination? We’ll see. It is surpassingly weird that the American voter might be offered a choice between two septuagenarian billionaire New Yorkers—one a nanny and the other a juvenile delinquent.

Quite a nice analogy.

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1:51 PM 11/15/2019

Fox Friday 11-15-19 -- fox in the fog

I believe this one is the fox we used to call "Question" because of the question mark his tail makes.

Here's a closeup with a better look at the frames of his glasses.

This fox appeared before midnight then again a couple of hours later after the fog set in -- almost the same spot and position.

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3:33 PM 11/14/2019

Robocalls are bad enough, now it's robotexts

My land line went several days last week without a robocall, so maybe the government crackdown helped. Then again, the election is over, and that may have reduced the number.

And now there are robotexts to contend with. But here's some good news:

Spam texts make up less than 3 percent of the total number of SMS messages sent, according to CTIA, a wireless communications industry group. But with nearly 1 trillion texts sent by Americans in 2017, that means the number of unwanted robotexts is still substantial. ...

The FCC recently voted on new rules that ban fraudulent text messages by closing a loophole in the Truth in Caller ID Act, which banned “spoofing” phone numbers. It is illegal to send unsolicited commercial text messages. The FCC said it was cracking down on illegal robocalls and texts by fining the responsible people and giving the cellphone carriers more power to block them.

But it can be difficult to stop unwanted messages. Just like with robocalls, there are wanted robotexts from legitimate businesses. And people sending the spam may not be in the U.S.

In the meantime, there are ways to minimize the robotext annoyance.

Short solution: Don't reply or click on any links in an unwanted text, and block phone numbers that send them.

Then there's Simjacker, a “'spyware-like code' that co-opts the target device’s SIM card.” Although they haven't hit the U.S. yet, that doesn't mean they won't.

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3:24 PM 11/11/2019

PC crowd takes another scalp after UNT speaker said n-word in speech about hate

This happens all too often, and dammit, this was at my old alma mater. Kids, if you squelch someone's free speech it will eventually happen to you, too.

Here's Dallasnews.com: University of North Texas staff attorney resigns less than 24 hours after sparking controversy by using N-word as example during free-speech event:

At the event, titled “When Hate Comes to Campus,” Sewell said the following during her presentation:

“You know, you can say a lot of offensive things in here because it’s impossible to talk about the First Amendment without saying horrible things. Um, you know, ‘You’re just a dumb n----- and I hate you.’ That alone, that’s protected speech.”

Um, no. It's not protected from the PC mob. The pressure resulted in her resignation the next day.

And it's yet another example of selective outrage. Jason L. Riley made this observation a couple of months ago (Alternate link):

White people are led to believe that a word that has permeated the most popular forms of comedy and music in the country for decades somehow sends black people into conniptions when they hear it in any other context. But the first time I recall hearing the word as a child, it was spoken by other blacks, and my experience is far from unique. Even today, blacks are far more likely than whites to use the term in public. And the selective outrage over its use has grown tiresome.

Tiresome indeed. Yet still dangerous.

P.S. It's worth noting that she resigned on her on volition.  Governor Abbott signed S.B. 18 in June -- effective in September -- which is supposed to protect free speech at institutions of higher education.

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2:28 PM 11/10/2019

Daylight saving or standard time -- can't we just pick one and stick to it?

A week ago we reset our clocks to standard time, and hopefully our circadian rhythms have adjusted. But why should we have to do it?

Florida is trying, bless their hearts. The Florida House and Senate passed a bill which was signed into law last year which had the effect of asking the U.S. House and Senate to pass a bill which would allow Florida to stay on daylight saving time all year. Sounds like a good plan.

Marco Rubio submitted S.670 - Sunshine Protection Act of 2019 which would do that. But it sits in the Senate as a similar bill sits in the House.

Good luck to Florida in it's fight to stop the assault on our sensibilities and our sense of time.

Our government controls the time. Is it really too much to for them to just pick one and end this twice a year change?

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3:54 PM 11/9/2019

National Day for the Victims of Communism

This morning C-Span's Washington Journal showed vintage footage of people trying to escape East Berlin before the wall was taken down. It was a good reminder of how desperately those people wanted to get out or die trying. So it's fitting that the U.S. celebrates today as the National Day for the Victims of Communism.

Here's the Presidential Message on the National Day for the Victims of Communism, 2019:

On this National Day for the Victims of Communism, we remember the more than 100 million people who have died as a result of communist oppression.  Today, we renew our commitment to helping secure for all people a future of peace and prosperity founded on the core tenets of democracy—liberty, justice, and a deep respect for the value of every human life.

This year’s National Day for the Victims of Communism coincides with the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.  On November 9, 1989, determined men and women put President Ronald Reagan’s powerful words into momentous action, tearing down that symbol of totalitarianism and sending a message to the entire world that democracy and the rule of law will always triumph over oppression and tyranny.  As we commemorate this milestone for human rights, we resolve to continue working with our allies and partners to ensure that the flames of freedom keep burning as a beacon of hope and opportunity around the globe.

As we pause on this day of remembrance to honor victims of communism everywhere, we must resolve always to safeguard the cherished liberties that foster peace and unleash unparalleled prosperity.  Together, we can build a future free from the evils of communism.

Yes. Freedom is a wonderful thing. We should keep our guard up against those who would take those freedoms away.

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1:56 PM 11/9/2019

Fox Friday 11-8-19

Fox has face off with two cats

Nice posture, young fox

This fox has black lines running from his ears to his eyes. Black rimmed glasses?

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3:00 PM 11/7/2019

Calling BS on Univision reporter who tells Trump to ban assault rifles

The headline says enough: Univision reporter Leon Krauze says President Trump must “ban assault weapons” if he really wants to help Mexico.

Mexico has very strict gun control laws, and yet firearms are the weapons of choice in growing murder epidemic in Mexico. And banning them in the U.S. would do nothing. As to the source of weaponry in Mexico, John Lott said this. (Bold added.):

So where do Mexican criminals get their guns? “Most cartels buy in bulk, and the weapons are coming from places like Nicaragua and other South American countries. Also Asia and some from the Middle East,” a Tijuana-based police authority who requested anonymity recently told Fox News.

According to data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, 70% of all criminally owned guns in Mexico come from the U.S., but these figures are based only on the limited number of guns Mexican authorities have seized, traced and submitted to the agency for checking. That’s a small subset of guns. For instance, Mexico submitted 11,000 guns to the ATF in 2007-08, though it seized 29,000 guns during that time. Of those, 6,000 were successfully traced and 90% of those traceable weapons came from the U.S. Thus by one estimate only about 17.6% of the firearms Mexico collected in total could be traced back to America.

“These kinds of guns—the auto versions of these guns—they are not coming from El Paso,” Ed Head, a firearms instructor in Arizona who spent 24 years as a U.S. Border Patrol agent, told Fox News. “They are coming from other sources. They are brought in from Guatemala. They are brought in from places like China. They are being diverted from the military. But you don’t get these guns from the U.S.” 

Señor Krauze doesn't want the U.S. military in Mexico, that's obvious -- nationalism is a powerful force in every country. But if he is trying to persuade anyone not already devoted to the left, he could do better with a pure nationalism rationale rather than the miss-aimed anti-gun tact.

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4:12 PM 11/6/2019

Ghastly murders in Mexico -- reminder, they've got very tough gun control laws

As if we didn't need a reminder of how ruthless the Mexican cartels are and how useless Mexico's gun laws are, there's this: 9 Family Members, All U.S. Citizens, Die In Highway Attack In Mexico.

Three women and six children were killed in an attack on members of a fundamentalist Mormon family as they traveled in Mexico on Monday, Mexican officials say. All of those killed were U.S. citizens, and authorities say they might have been ambushed by gang members.

Horrific! The U.S. has a narco state just across the border where just last week a cartel out gunned police who tried to arrest a drug kingpin family member.

Memo to the anti-gun movement in the U.S. -- Mexico has very tough gun control laws. Fat lot of good they do for the law abiding citizens. It's trite but true, outlaw guns and only outlaws will have guns.

The really sad part about this is that the appetite for drugs in the U.S. gives power to the cartels.

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3:16 PM 11/5/2019

Rising star Beto flamed out -- it's almost enough to make a Texan feel sorry for him

Way back in the heyday of Beto's run for Ted Cruz's Senate seat a woman very devoted to Beto went door to door in my neighborhood stumping for Beto. I looked at the brochure she presented, and he appeared pretty far to the left especially with such vague statements as "healthcare is a right." Anyway, he lost the election but gave it a good shot.

But he must not be far enough left for today's Democrat. They dumped him like a bowl of cold porridge. But as I've noted elsewhere in this blog, Democrats can do a fouette so fast it would make a ballerina's head spin. And while I don't mourn Beto's fate, it's almost enough to make a conservative feel sorry for him. Poor Beto.

But here's something interesting. The left leaning Texas Tribune took a poll and wrote about it in Democrats don’t have a candidate who would beat Trump in Texas today, poll finds. And here's the interesting part: In their one-on-one matchup against Trump, at 41% Beto did better in Texas than any of the other Democrat contenders. (See chart on right.)

Go figure.

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1:37 PM 11/4/2019

Researchers announce new blood test for cancer

It's likely that most of us on the user side of the medical industry relationship wish those blood draws for the annual physical could reveal more useful information. Well, good news. Researchers are trying.

A new test was recently researched, and the results were positive. See New blood test capable of detecting multiple types of cancer. Here's the gist of it:

The test, developed by GRAIL, Inc., uses next-generation sequencing technology to probe DNA for tiny chemical tags (methylation) that influence whether genes are active or inactive. ...

The new test looks for DNA, which cancer cells shed into the bloodstream when they die. In contrast to “liquid biopsies,” which detect genetic mutations or other cancer-related alterations in DNA, the technology focuses on modifications to DNA known as methyl groups. Methyl groups are chemical units that can be attached to DNA, in a process called methylation, to control which genes are “on” and which are “off.” Abnormal patterns of methylation turn out to be, in many cases, more indicative of cancer – and cancer type – than mutations are. The new test zeroes in on portions of the genome where abnormal methylation patterns are found in cancer cells.

Good luck. And please hurry, my next blood draw is scheduled a few days from now. But that's an unpleasant reminder of my phobia -- dying one day before a cure is found for whatever kills me.

Via Study Finds.

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1:51 PM 11/3/2019

Quote of the week 11-3-19 -- People fall for ideas that make too much sense

This is a quote from Rich Cohen's book, "The Last Pirate of New York" about Albert W. Hicks and the horrific crimes for which he was tried, convicted, and hanged on Friday the 13th of July, 1860.

This particular passage was about phrenology -- the pseudo science popular around that time about psychology and the shape of the skull.

Fowler fell for phrenology for the reason confused people tend to fall for ideas that make too much sense. It explained everything. No more mystery or confusion. No more sin or redemption. No more free will or guilt. Who could be condemned for committing even the worst crime if it was preordained in the frontal lobe?

It would do us all well to be aware that scientists can be wrong, even if there seems to be a consensus.

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2:46 PM 11/2/2019

Fox Friday 11-1-19 -- the tail tells the tale

The foxes look very much alike, but sometimes they're distinguishable by the tail.

Notice the gentle curve in this fox's tail. Also, he might be talking -- see the open mouth.

And this one has big bend in the tail. This could be an offspring of Old Crooked Tail who was a frequent visitor a few years ago.

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3:57 PM 10/31/2019