WELCOME
TO THE EVENING SHADE
A SANCTUARY OF SANITY AFTER A LONG HARD DAY OF FIGHTING FASCISM
YOU WILL FIND in the DIARIES a LOT of POLITICS
(Or NOT As the CASE MAY BE)
AND EVEN MORE CRITTERS
THE PERSON who MAKES the FIRST COMMENT WILL GET TWO CRITTERS
EVERY PERSON WHO COMMENTS WILL GET A CRITTER
RULES IN THE DIARY
WHEN YOU FIND SOMETHING in the DIARY that you LIKE
YOU CAN REPOST IT AS COMMENT in the DIARY
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PostingADiary
CritterHerding
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Happy Pi day, folks! By the time this posts, Minneapolis will likely be enjoying a late winter snow storm. I hope to shovel before it gets dark tonight, so I may be late to the party. There’s going to be plenty of winter weather going around throughout North America and likely more. Stay warm and safe.
This is turning into an upper midwest oriented Shade. It’s not intentional on my part. The news I found and caught my eye were all focused here.
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Of general use,
Forbes
Google Zero-Day Alert For 3.5 Billion Chrome Users—Attacks Underway
While weekly security updates have been a thing since 2023, when Google drops a second Chrome browser security update just 48 hours after the first, you know something serious is happening. And it is: Google has confirmed no less than two zero-day vulnerabilities targeting Chrome users and admits that exploits are already out there.
Google has stated that, starting with Chrome 153, stable release updates will move to a fortnightly schedule, halving the current timeline. I mention this as one dropped on March 10, including a whopping 29 vulnerability fixes. The previous security update was published on March 3. Now Google has confirmed an emergency security update addressing CVE-2026-3909 and CVE-2026-3910, both of which are of the zero-day variety. Regular readers will know that means attacks were already underway before the patch was released, before Google was even aware the vulnerability existed.
Here’s what we know, and what action 3.5 billion Google Chrome browser users need to take. ✂️
What Google Chrome Users Need To Do Now
You might be thinking that the simple answer is nothing. That’s because Google has already started the process of deploying the security update to all users. However, things are not quite that straightforward. For a start, Google has also said that this security update will roll out “over the coming days/weeks.” And to finish, you will need to ensure that your browser is relaunched for the update to be activated once it has reached you. ✂️
Basically, Google seems to be slow walking the patches out for some reason. Chrome users, please update as soon as you can. The mitigation steps listed in the Forbes are to note what version of Chrome you are on, which is nigh on useless.
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On to regional news.
Wisconsin Examiner
Wisconsin communities grapple with police misuse of Flock surveillance
Four Milwaukee aldermen are expressing concern about “the lack of adequate guardrails, auditing, supervision, and transparency” surrounding the use of Flock Safety license plate reader cameras. In a three-page letter sent Wednesday to the city’s Fire and Police Commission (FPC), Common Council President José Pérez and Alders Marina Dimitrijevic, Alex Brower and Sharlen Moore said that recent cases like one involving a Milwaukee police officer who used Flock to stalk a romantic partner “are alarming and underscore the systemic oversight gap rather than an isolated failure.”
The letter is the latest ripple in a wave of community pushback against the use of Flock Safety cameras, which are equipped with license plate reading technology and can be accessed by law enforcement agencies across the country using search terms and filters. Critics also express concern that the cameras can be used for backdoor surveillance by the federal government, particularly as the Trump administration pursues an aggressive immigration crackdown.
Audit data reviewed by Wisconsin Examiner shows that officers often use vague terms like “investigation,” “suspicious,” “cooch,” or just “.” to search the network. Some Wisconsin communities have canceled their contracts with the multi-billion dollar Flock Safety company due to concerns about its technology. ✂️
Cops abusing power? Fetch the fainting couch.
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West Virginia Watch
Crypto ATM bill nears completion in WV legislature
A bill that would regulate crypto ATMs in the state is nearing completion in the West Virginia Legislature.
The state Senate on Friday unanimously passed House Bill 5353, which would bring virtual currency ATMs under the purview of the money transmission licensure and create disclosure requirements and daily transaction limitations for customers. The House of Delegates passed the bill earlier this month with a vote of 89-3.
The bill also requires written paper receipts of transactions and requires ATMs to allow new customers to cancel and receive refunds for fraudulent transactions under some circumstances, among other things.
AARP West Virginia, the state’s largest nonpartisan organization advocating for older West Virginians, advocated for the bill.
An AARP poll of state voters found that most people support increased regulations for the kiosks.
In a statement Friday, AARP state director Gaylene Miller celebrated the bill’s passage.
“West Virginians sent a clear message ahead of the 2026 legislative session: they want stronger protections from fraud and scams,” Miller said. ✂️
I’m not going out on a limb to say that most here are extremely skeptical of Crypto. This is a good step forward.
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Texas Tribune
After Monica De La Cruz helps migrant teen in ICE custody, Texas man seeks similar aid for fiancée
RAYMONDVILLE — Juan Rodriguez stood outside the El Valle Detention Center and watched as U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz escorted Antonio Gámez-Cuéllar, a McAllen teenager who had been detained there for 12 days.
Rodriguez was one of several demonstrators protesting Gámez-Cuéllar’s detainment. He took an interest in the teenager’s case because his fiancée is being held in the same facility and has a similar legal status.
The Gámez-Cuéllar family’s surprise detainment sparked nationwide outrage, propelled by the fact that they were detained while complying with a requirement to check in with the government — and because the brothers were part of an award-winning high school mariachi group who were invited by De La Cruz to perform at the U.S. Capitol last summer.
As Rodriguez watched Gámez-Cuéllar jump into a car to reunite with his loved ones, he wondered if the woman he hoped to marry, who sat behind the same walls that Gámez-Cuéllar did, would receive the same help despite no starpower or direct connection to the congresswoman. ✂️
Monica De La Cruz is a first term Republican House Latina member. As such, she’s trying to walk a tightrope. I suspect that Bobby Pulido (Grammy award winning musician) is going to mop the floor with her. I also suspect that he’s a conservative Democrat, but he’s a Democrat and is as good a candidate as we can hope for in that district. I’ve only heard one of his songs, but I liked it.
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Nebraska Examiner
Boxcutter-wielding janitor from 2025 Omaha immigration raid sentenced to 14 months
OMAHA — The Honduran janitor who waved a box cutter tool at federal agents during a high-profile immigration raid last year in Omaha was sentenced Friday to 14 months in prison.
Marvin Aleman Zepeda, 37, is to be deported to Honduras after he completes his sentence.
The sentence by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Robert Rossiter Jr. follows Aleman Zepeda’s jury trial conviction last December for resisting, impeding, interfering with or assaulting a federal officer.
Aleman Zepeda had been employed at Omaha’s Glenn Valley Foods since January 2024, according to court records, which said he had no criminal record prior to the conviction related to actions during the June 10 raid, which was the largest immigration enforcement action in Nebraska since President Donald Trump took office a second time.
Nearly 80 workers were detained. Soon after the raid, federal officials announced criminal charges against five people — four of them were protesters, the fifth was Aleman Zepeda — for encounters with immigration officers during the raid. ✂️
It was a stupid thing to do, but it was also an unnecessarily tense situation. I am trying to avoid Minnesota news tonight, but immigration remains a focus of mine these days. Much of the problem could be resolved if we simply deported Stephen Miller.
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Nevada Current
Lombardo announces arrest in alleged benefit fraud case
A caseworker with the Nevada Division of Social Services is being credited with flagging suspicious applications for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits that led to an arrest Friday in an alleged scheme Gov. Joe Lombardo characterized as having a “level of criminal sophistication.”
In a news release Friday, Lombardo’s office announced that officers from the Nevada State Police Parole and Probation Division discovered evidence of fraudulent activity during a visit in June 2025 to the home of Mycelle Lay. Lay was on probation for possessing a controlled substance and for identity theft.
The Nevada Attorney General’s Office joined state police in the investigation of what the governor’s office called a “large scale fraud scheme.”
The state alleges Lay established a fictitious business that gained federal approval to process SNAP electronic benefit payments and “was used to facilitate fraudulent SNAP benefit transactions.” The business processed “hundreds of thousands of dollars in transactions between January 2025 and September 2025 connected to the fraudulent activity.”
Lay is charged with 14 counts in all of theft; fraudulent acts involving public assistance; fraudulent transactions; and using ID belonging to another person.
The state has “evidence of numerous individual profiles” connected to alleged fraudulent activity, but said an exact number is not known. The investigation also identified potential fraud connected to Medicaid enrollment, the news release says. ✂️
Any snark I provided would not be something I want to be associated with. Suffice it to say that if you dig, you will always find fraud against the government.
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South Dakota Searchlight
Wind, dry conditions drive growth of Qury Fire near Custer
A wildfire a few miles southeast of Custer in South Dakota’s Black Hills grew to nearly 8 square miles in size between its ignition on Thursday and Friday morning, officials said early Friday afternoon.
The Qury Fire spread east, away from the city, and “made a significant run of a few miles” on Thursday due to strong winds, said Todd Hoover of the U.S. Forest Service, the fire’s incident commander.
Federal, state and local officials are all part of the response team for the fire, Hoover said, which ignited just after 1 p.m. Thursday.
As of Friday afternoon, there were 20-25 fire engines, two crews of firefighters and four bulldozers working to manage the blaze with support from National Guard air operations. The fire was not contained, Hoover said, but the strong winds that drove its rapid spread had died down.
The crews have been focused on “trying to save buildings” thus far, he said. Work to preserve homes is ongoing, but “we’re starting to actively move into trying to get some sort of containment at this time.”
“It is a large fire,” he said. “It is going to take some time.”
Custer County Emergency Management Director Steve Esser urged residents to heed road closures, including on Highway 87 through Custer State Park.
“These are hard closures,” Esser said. “They’re not to be traveled upon by the public.” ✂️
The cause of the Qury Fire is under investigation.
The fire ignited on the same day Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden signed a bill into law that will limit wildfire liability for utilities. The law removes “strict liability,” meaning liability for damages regardless of a utility’s actions surrounding a fire, as an option for plaintiffs who wish to sue over wildfire-related damages. ✂️
Fire danger is higher than usual. On March 4, KOTA-TV reported that Rapid City experienced its warmest winter on record since the 1800s, at an average daily temperature of 37.4 degrees, 2 degrees warmer than the previous record in 1930. The city also got around half the average amount of winter precipitation.
A cold tinderbox is still a tinderbox.
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Wisconsin Examiner
ICE re-arrests Sheboygan Falls mother after judge halted deportation and cleared green card path
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested a Sheboygan Falls woman during a routine check-in this week, taking her back into custody just months after an immigration court judge canceled her deportation order and began the process of securing her a green card.
Elvira Benitez, 51, spent six months in ICE custody last year after accidentally crossing the Canadian border during a family road trip in Michigan. Benitez fled an abusive home in Michoacán, Mexico, as a teenager and lived without legal status for 35 years, her family said. She first entered the immigration court system after last year’s arrest.
She was among more than 25,000 people arrested by ICE in July 2025 alone. Roughly a third of immigrants arrested by the agency nationally between January and mid-October 2025Wi had neither a prior criminal history nor pending criminal charges, including Benitez.
In her absence, her two adult daughters — both U.S. citizens — took in their school-age siblings. Judge Richard Drucker of the Cleveland immigration court cited her younger children’s struggles during Benitez’s initial detention as a reason to cancel her deportation and set her on the path to legal residency. ✂️
This is here because I remain deeply interested in immigration issues and abuses. One of the issues to beat the GQP with (along with foreign wars, the Epstein files/class and the economy) as we approach the midterms.
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Minnesota Reformer
Feds making it harder for immigrants to send money to family
Since the start of Operation Metro Surge in December, the Trump administration has waged an economic battle on the Somali community, using the threat of detention — including of legal residents, citizens, as well as refugees who had their temporary protected status revoked — to scare away commerce in once-bustling places like Karmel Mall.
Now, the administration is extending the siege all the way to Africa, putting up new taxes and regulations on the transfer of money from Americans to Somalia.
Hamdi Issek, a nurse at a home care facility and a shop owner at Karmel Mall, said the effort to curb the practice of sending money to Somalia will have far-reaching effects. The money she sends to family in Somalia each month covers essentials such as food, rent, clothing and education for her family there, Issek said.
More than half the population of Somalia lives in poverty, defined as just over $2 per day.
The diaspora sent $1.73 billion in remittances to their families and friends in Somalia in 2023, significantly surpassing all humanitarian aid and development assistance, according to The Interpreter.
These remittances — typically small individual monthly contributions — account for approximately 16.5% of Somalia’s gross domestic product.
That means the Trump administration’s new obstacles to remittances could have the unintended effect of further destabilizing East Africa, which could in turn fuel still more migration. ✂️
Even people in the Trump administration are uncomfortable with the targeting of the Somali community, according to recent reporting in The Washington Post.
Citing anonymous sources, the Post reported that John Hurley, who was appointed undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, “had recently conveyed his concerns to Bessent about a project to enhance federal monitoring of international payments from the Minneapolis area.” Career officials at Treasury, the Post reported, viewed the regulations as “clumsy and an inefficient way to root out potential fraud and an improper use of Treasury resources used on what looks like a partisan attack on a blue state.” ✂️
When my neighborhood got torched nearly six years ago in the riots over George Floyd’s murder at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department, among the things we lost was our post office.
I would always avoid it on the weekends because the lines would be horrible due to immigrants sending money to their families “back home”. I was sickened by the loss, not for me, but for them. It made their lives just that much harder.
It seems to me that making it more difficult for law abiding people to work to provide economic stability to a war torn country is counter-productive, but what do I know? I’m just some dude on the internet.
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The Left Wing Echo Chamber
The Jukebox is here. Ammo Hauler is the host. The theme is The Oscars.
This Week in the War on Women will be here or here (the first queries by publishing group, the second by tag). If one doesn’t show you the new diary, try the other.
Bilbo had one last night:
FIVE VOTES. That's What the New Mayor of Boca Raton, Florida Won By…
and one this morning:
CHC Roundup: Why Do Cuban Americans Vote Differently From Other Latino Groups?
If anyone has a diary of theirs that they’d like promoted, please drop a comment (preferably with a link) in the previous night’s Shade. Hopefully the next Shade will include a promotional link for you.
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Today is…*
*Attributions to WineRev refer to his entries in this morning’s G&G in the GNR
Birthdays
Lucy Hobbs Taylor (1833-1910) - First woman to graduate from dental school.
Charles Ammi Cutter (1837-1903) - Harvard librarian who helped produce the Card Catalog system.
Albert Einstein (1879-1955) — [link — wikipedia]
Known as one of the world’s most influential scientists, Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879, in Germany. Among his many professional achievements, this Nobel Prize winner is best known for developing the general theory of relativity. Einstein revolutionized the field of modern physics with his work; he opened many doors for a deeper understanding of our universe. We celebrate his birthday by taking a walk down to his most memorable accomplishments.
WineRev:
1879 Ulm Germany Birth of Albert Einstein, physicist, mathematician. His family moved to Munich when Albert was still a toddler. His father and uncle set up a factory manufacturing electrical devices. Albert went to school there and was already showing signs of mathematical aptitude. When he was off school at age 12 that summer he taught himself algebra and Euclidean geometry; he also produced (independently) an original proof of the Pythagorean theorem. At age 16 applied to the Zurich Polytechnic College. Passed the math and physics sections but failed the general parts, so was sent to a gymnasium to round out his education. Was admitted at age 18 to the math and physics program. One of the 6 in the program was the only woman, 20-year-old Mileva Maric. They became friends, throwing equations and ideas back and forth and eventually married, Albert’s first wife.
Graduated and eventually got a job in the Swiss patent office while working on his dissertation (Phd, Univ. of Zurich, 1905). Also in 1905 had 4 papers published (any one of which would be worth a lifetime achievement award): subjects of the photoelectric effect, Brownian motion, special relativity, and the equivalence of matter and energy (E=mc squared!) In 1911 produced a set of calculations based on his new idea of general relativity that said took Isaac Newton’s theory that light waves were bent/deflected by gravity and applied it to protons…..which he said would be bent twice as much. (Hat tip: Mokurai!) In 1919 during a solar eclipse, careful measurements based on his work showed this to be true, which made front pages worldwide (one British paper headlined it “New theory of the Universe---Newton overthrown” and they were right) Nobel Prize in Physics 1921. Glory and honor and awe ever after.
Adolph Gottlieb (1903-1974) - Considered one of the first abstract painters in the U.S.
Hank Ketcham (1920-2001) - Cartoonist who created Dennis the Menace.
Quincy Jones (1933-2024) - Music producer for Motown Records.
That’s plain wrong. Quincy was never with Motown (he was a VP at competing label, Mercury), but he did produce Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad.
Michael Caine shares the birthday. He’d probably be embarrassed that one of my favorite roles he played was Scrooge in A Muppet Christmas Carol, but I also loved him in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Without a Clue.
Billy Crystal (1948-Still Living) - Actor and comedian.
Jerry Greenfield (1951-Still Living) - Co-founder of Ben & Jerry's ice cream.
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Events
1794 - Eli Whitney is granted a patent for the cotton gin.
WineRev:
1794 Savannah GA Connecticut Yankee Eli Whitney was hired a couple years ago by Catherine Greene to tutor her children. Greene was the widow of Revolutionary War General Nathaniel Greene. (In gratitude for Greene’s command of southern forces in saving these colonies for the US, the state of Georgia voted to give him a piece of land outside of Savannah and built him a plantation house. Greene and his family moved in and Greene promptly died.) Tinkering in his spare time Whitney invented, and this day received a patent for, the cotton gin, a mechanical device to sift out cotton seeds from the bolls. Made cotton a cash crop around the world (and fastened slavery firmly upon the South.) Recently a number of scholars have unearthed that Whitney paid royalties to Catherine Greene for years after he quit tutoring for her children and moved back to Connecticut (to become a successful defense contractor) and have called into question if Whitney actually invented the gin himself, or…..was he willing to share the income with a co-inventor?
1903 - President Roosevelt establishes the first wildlife refuge (Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge).
1923 - President Harding becomes the first President to pay taxes.
2019 - Emma Haruka Iwao (Google employee) breaks the world record for calculating pi to 31.4 trillion digits on Pi Day using Google Cloud.
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NATIONAL POTATO CHIP DAY
On August 24, 1853, an unhappy restaurant customer kept sending his potatoes back to the kitchen, complaining they were thick and soggy. Chef George Crum decided to slice the potatoes as thin as possible, frying them until crisp and adding extra salt. To the chef’s surprise, the customer loved them. The crispy potatoes soon became a regular item on the restaurant’s menu under the name of “Saratoga Chips.”
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Science Education Day
Science Education Day takes place every March 14 to appreciate the contributions of various individuals, both the young and adults, towards the development of science education. Did you know science education was not standardized in the United States until the 1890s when the Committee of Ten was formed? Science education is a learning field that teaches children, students, and adults physics, chemistry, mathematics and statistics, computer science, and biology. For those keen to pursue studies in science there are plenty of science scholarships available.
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Dog Theft Awareness Day
Dog Theft Awareness Day is a special day that illuminates the problem of dog theft. Celebrated annually, it aims to educate dog owners on protecting their furry friends from theft. This day is significant because it raises awareness of a serious issue affecting many pet owners, encourages responsible pet ownership, and promotes community support for keeping pets safe.
Celebrating Dog Theft Awareness Day includes raising awareness about the high rate of dog theft, educating various pet owners on prevention methods, and advocating for stronger penalties to deter such crimes. Most of the stolen dogs end up in breeding mills, as bait dogs for illegal fighting, or are sold on the streets.
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International Day of Action For Rivers
International Day of Action For Rivers, observed on March 14 every year, is a day that is dedicated to saving, celebrating, and creating awareness about the importance of rivers. Did you know that two million tons of sewage, industrial and agricultural waste are discharged into the world’s water every day? Yes, it is the equivalent of the weight of the entire human population of 6.8 billion people! This is why it is our time to save our rivers for the good of humanity.
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Legal Assistants Day
Legal Assistants Day is a chance to spotlight the people who keep legal work moving when no one is looking. Legal assistants support attorneys, paralegals, and clients by turning a flood of details into organized files, accurate deadlines, and clear communication, which are the quiet ingredients behind a smooth-running case or transaction.
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NATIONAL LEARN ABOUT BUTTERFLIES DAY
On March 14th, National Learn About Butterflies Day encourages us to look for a blur of color as butterflies begin migrating across the country. Each year the celebration brings with it an awareness of the varieties of butterflies and their importance to our survival. Spring and summer are just right around the corner, so it is an excellent time to take a few minutes and learn something new about butterflies and appreciate their beauty.
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National Pi Day
The third month, fourteenth day. Pi Day, as in 3.14. Pi Day has become an annual celebration of the mathematical constant pi (π), founded by physicist Larry Shaw. Shaw was a physicist who was a longtime employee at the Exploratorium, a science museum in San Francisco, California, and came up with the idea of “π Day” on a 1988 staff retreat, following the death of Exploratorium founder and Nobel Prize nominee Frank Oppenheimer.
The day also happens to be Albert Einstein's birthday.
The first π Day celebration simply involved Shaw and his wife handing out slices of fruit pie and tea at 1:59 p.m., which are the three digits following 3.14, however, the holiday quickly gained fame throughout the Bay Area.
In 2009, March 14th was officially sanctioned as a U.S. holiday when the U.S. House of Representatives passed “H.Res.224 - Supporting the designation of Pi Day...”
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Tomorrow Is…
Mothering Sunday
It’s a UK and Ireland day celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent, but this goes out to all of the mothers and all of our mothers.
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(3:06) for Quincy Jones [wikipedia]. Chuck Rainey on bass guitar...
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