Seen in Print

[webenda]

[webenda]

https://www.dw.com/en/north-carolina-po ... a-71262386

[webenda]

It is happening all over the world...

https://www.dw.com/en/police-shoot-dead ... a-71191556

[webenda]

In the new map of the Great Lakes, I see that Canada is included as one of the states of the United States.


INFORMATION ON THE 51st STATE
Canada is the largest state in America. The State of Canada is not divided into counties like most states, parishes like Louisiana, boroughs like Alaska, or no divisions like Rhode Island and Connecticut. Canada is divided into provinces and territories. Provinces are like counties in that they have their own governments. The Canadian state government governs territories.

[webenda]

Dagger...

At Lowe's

[webenda]

AI Overview

As of January 2025, TikTok videos are considered banned in the United States due to a law passed by the US government, meaning users can no longer access the app on their devices as the Supreme Court upheld the ban, citing concerns about data privacy and potential Chinese government influence over user information; the parent company, ByteDance, was required to sell its stake in TikTok to avoid the ban, which they did not do.

Are TikTok videos now called Shorts?

AI Overview

No, YouTube Shorts are not exactly the same as TikTok, although they are both platforms for creating and sharing short-form vertical videos, meaning they share similar features like short video length and vertical viewing format, but they have distinct ownership, user bases, and sometimes even content styles, with YouTube Shorts being part of the larger YouTube platform owned by Google, while TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company.

Friday, February 14, 2025

On Thursday, Trump suggested he may continue to not enforce the TikTok ban beyond the timeline outlined by his executive order.

The Justice Department recently promised in letters to Apple and Google that the companies would not face fines for offering the TikTok app in their stores, The New York Times reported, citing two sources “with knowledge of the communications, who were not authorized to speak publicly.”

The popular short-form video app returned to the app stores late on Thursday, Feb. 13, according to the Associated Press and Reuters.

So! I guess it is OK to watch Lionel LLC TikTok videos.

Lionel TikTok example: https://www.tiktok.com/@lionel_trains/p ... 46?lang=en

[robert.]

I not sure how tik tok ban works. I’m under the impression that you can still watch. You can’t install tik tok app on your phone. Rumor has it phones with TT app installed are selling for a high price on eBay

[up148]

With all the social media apps we have today and people so willing to share their identity it is just sad. I know posting here or any public forum is exposing myself, but I hope not like FB, TT or numerous other platforms. But, using a Chinese social media app just sounds incredibly stupid. Maybe I don't understand and maybe adds no more risk than we already have. It's all beyond me.

[webenda]

I not sure how tik tok ban works.

Google's AI Overview

What is the law that would ban TikTok?
The law that would ban TikTok is called the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.
When the ban took hold at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time Sunday, January 19, 2025, visitors to the platform were greeted with a popup message in the app saying, "Sorry, TikTok isn't available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now."

How would the ban impact users?
° Users who already have the app would still be able to use it, but it would no longer receive updates or new features.
° The app's performance would likely degrade over time, leading to issues like video-loading delays and compatibility problems.
° The app would eventually become obsolete.

How would the ban impact service providers?
° App stores like Apple and Google would be forced to remove TikTok from their app stores.
° Service providers would be forced to block the browser version of the app in the United States.
° Companies like Oracle, which hosts and processes TikTok data for U.S. users, would likely have to cease those operations.

My comments:

Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. H.R.7521 - 118th Congress (2023-2024)
Link: https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-con ... -bill/7521

The words from H.R.7521 were spliced into H.R. 815: Making emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes.

Other purposes like banning TikTok.

H.R. 815 was enacted — Signed by the President on Apr 24, 2024.

Link: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/118/hr7521

The Lionel TikTok was still working as I typed this comment.

[v8vega]

I have the Tic Tok app on my iphone but never use it. I just tried and it wanted me to do a bunch of stuff to log in and I dont have time now.

[webenda]

I have the Tic Tok app on my iphone...

I do not have the TicTok app on anything. You do not need the app to view TikToks.

[webenda]

Frog at Gauge


Gage at Frog

[webenda]

I miss the Nigerian Prince who needed access to my bank account to get his inheritance. It has been four years since he emailed me.

I just received a new scam text. I must have driven on a toll road recently.

[webenda]

RiverLink handles toll roads in Kentucky.

RiverLink has this to say about my toll road bill:

There are no toll roads in Kentucky.

Text Message Fraud Alert
RiverLink is alerting customers about fraudulent text messages currently circulating in the market. These messages impersonate tolling agencies nationwide, warning customers of unpaid tolls and indicate fees will be incurred if payment is not sent immediately.

[up148]

Wow! If these scumbags would use half the effort to do something legit they might surprise themselves.

OK has several toll highways and changed the toll pay system about a year ago. Stop using toll booths and went to cameras photographing plates as the cars passed underneath.....then mailing bills to the registered owner. If you're a resident, you still want to buy a "Pike Pass", because the toll is less than half what it costs without one.

Must be were the crooks are coming up with emailing bogus bills. But, the key word is "email" not USPS mail.