I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence
And so the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're goin' through

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Linkee-poo, seventy-six trombones lead the big parade

"As you clutch a cuppa for a bit of winter warmth, spare a moment to consider the elaborate process that goes into producing that seemingly simple sip of tea."

"The first modern Britons, who lived about 10,000 years ago, had 'dark to black' skin, a groundbreaking DNA analysis of Britain’s oldest complete skeleton has revealed." Put that in your "historically accurate" pipe and smoke it. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)

"It's last call for public comment on a Trump administration proposal that would give bar and restaurant owners more control over workers' tips."

"A new study released today in the Journal of The American College of Cardiology shows that noise pollution may have a significant impact on cardiovascular health." Turn that music down. Actually it's probably the stress hormones we produce when exposed to loud sounds.

"Among people who regularly smoked cigarettes and drank at least one drink per day, drinking hot tea was linked to a five-times higher risk of developing esophageal cancer, compared to those who didn’t do any of those three habits. In people who didn’t have those two vices, however, drinking tea did not seem to have a significant effect on cancer development." One, fuck cancer. And two smoking and drinking have a paralytic effect on cells (specifically the cilia and action of peristalsis).

"Former White House senior strategist Steve Bannon will not testify before the Intelligence Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday, two sources said on Monday, despite a subpoena requiring him to appear." You can refuse to answer questions, but not showing up after being served a subpoena is contempt. They put people in jail for that. Which is where that asstart belongs, but for a longer sentence and in a federal facility (not the House Jail). (Grokked from Kathryn Cramer)

Newsweek in chaos. "Newsweek Media Group fired editor-in-chief Bob Roe and executive editor Ken Li Monday. Additionally, TheWrap has learned that the publication has parted ways with the top reporters of its investigations unit, including Celeste Katz and Josh Saul. Josh O’Keefe, a reporter for Newsweek’s affiliated International Business Times, was also dismissed."

"We have counted over 100 people killed or injured by alleged perpetrators influenced by the so-called alt-right—a movement that continues to access the mainstream and reach young recruits… Today the SPLC is releasing a new report chronicling the history of this movement, and their connection to violence." But because the perpetrators aren't brown, the won't be called terrorists and our government won't treat this as the severe threat to our nation that it is. I remember a time when the FBI would be busting up this activity. You know, before they were tasked with intelligence and anti-terrorism.

"After allowing states to impose work requirements for Medicaid enrollees, the Trump administration is now pondering lifetime limits on adults’ access to coverage… But unlike capping cash welfare assistance or food stamp benefits, time-limiting health coverage runs the risk of pushing sick people into costly emergency rooms where they’ll receive indigent care paid for by taxpayers." Many people in nursing homes depend on Medicaid. Can't wait to see the government tossing people out of nursing homes, that'll make for good TV. But seriously, this is approaching the "overrun the capital and throw the bums out" territory. This is conservative ideology. This will kill people. (Grokked from Joy Reid)

"A study published Monday by Human Rights Watch finds that about 179,000 nursing home residents are being given antipsychotic drugs, even though they don't have schizophrenia or other serious mental illnesses that those drugs are designed to treat." This is what we in the medical field call "snowing them under." For some people it's necessary, for the majority of people it's a highly dangerous practice that robs them of their quality of life.

"Trump supporters are among the most prolific social media users spreading fake news and conspiracy content, according to new research from Oxford University’s Computational Propaganda Research Project, which has been studying disinformation campaigns globally since 2014." Water, it turns out, is actually wet.

"Far too many people are far too delicate about this. The Republican Party is completely mad, and it has been going in that direction for a very long time. It has been raving through all the halls of all the governments, large and small, like a lost soul with a big knife." (Grokked from Michele)

"Hofeller, the master GOP mapmaker and white-haired veteran of the most important decennial wars in politics, delivered a presentation called “Redistricting 2010: Preparing for Success.” What he laid out that Monday morning, apparently for the first time before Republican state legislators, explains why the Republican Party now dominates all levels of American politics despite a polarized and closely divided electorate that generally tends to favor Democrats. It was the GOP strategy to reinvent the gerrymander." It was called REDMAP. It's why there's a lot of cases involving gerrymandering moving through the courts (it's also why a lot of states have either changed how they draw maps, or have had ballot initiatives to do so - Ohio's will be on the March ballot). (Grokked from Matt Staggs)

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