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, July 18, 2012

Linkee-poo didn't want to rock your boat, but you sent this dangerous note

A Fresh Air interview with Aaron Sorkin on the launch of his new show, Newsroom. While focused on shows, there's some good things about how writers work and come to be. Aaron is a living master with dialog with a style.

That which does not kill us makes us weirder. Marie Brennan on why failure can be good. For the right (read "driven") person, failure means we need to work harder. With writing, every Tom, Dick, and Wenceslas thinks they can be the next James Patterson (insert well worn statistics here). It does help to be stubborn, resilient, thick skinned, professional, and did I mention bloody-minded stubborn? You have to be that goat that bangs its head against the fence. And if you watch, the smart goats try different angles, speeds, and styles until they knock that fence down.

Also, don't forget, when you become that BNA, the criticisms only get worse and more widespread. But like John Scalzi says, it's part of the price of being successful. Don't return stupidity with more stupidity. Hmm, "John Scalzi Says…" sounds like a meme of sorts. "John Scalzi Says Relax!"

Okay, I think I Nathan Fillion even more. (Linked to for the photo at the top)

"Nobody is interested in what happened at Bain Capital." Umm, the figures don't lie, I think they are curious. Otherwise, why do the massive campaign shouting, "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain." You know, this wouldn't be such a problem for the Romney campaign if they haven't based much of the economic policy on "What a wonderful businessman Romney is, look at what he did with Bain Capital!" Uh, okay, we will look. I donna think it mean what you think it means. (Pointed to by Dan)

An anti-piracy, musician's rights group asked one of their members to create a composition to run behind and ad, which he was told would only be shown at a local film festival. Imagine his surprise to find they used his work worldwide, without paying him or negotiating those rights. Oopsie. (Pointed to by Dan)

Okay, so when the Democratic Party starts blanketing the airwaves with "Corporations are people too, my friend" and some of the other silliness that Romney spoke which has been used in context of his original statement you all won't complain about it, will you. You know, for how you're using Obama's words out of context. Sigh. Dear Romney Campaign, please get with 2004 and the advent of people just doing their own searches to find out if what you're saying is true. (Pointed to by Dan)

Wow, see I was going with the Romney Campaign wanting to hide something with not releasing their tax returns. I had no idea it was simply that they have no fucking clue. So now I'm wondering if Romney will fire his advisors before (politically expedient) or after the convention. Because, by process of slow elimination, that's emerging as his best play.

And in an attempt to provide cover, Darrell Issa also reveals himself to be clueless. And GW Bush weighs in a receives the Nobel "Well D'uh" Award for "The contributors’ belief is that 'the solution to today’s problems is sustained and significant economic growth and that the surest path to that growth is free markets and free people,' Bush writes." Mr. President, here's your sign.

"The younger Romney… collected income in 2010 amounting to 439 times the median household income… His father… earned an average annual income that was 44 times that of the median household income… In the ’50s and ’60s… George Romney paid 37 percent of his income in federal taxes. By 2010, Romney’s son paid a total of 13.9 percent of his income in federal taxes, this in an America that is supposedly well on its way to becoming a socialist state, with a confiscatory federal government intent on stealing the wealth of its highest earners." History, she'll dope slap you while you're not looking. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Way back when the Tea Party started, several people tried to convince me to join. And their main organizing principles do track to my own political convictions; lower taxes, less government intrusion into its citizen's lives. But understand when I say "lower taxes" I don't mean to kiss Grover Norquist's ass on "No taxes." And in some cases I think taxes are too low (such as having Capital Gains not taxed as income, like we do bank interest). And when I say "less government intrusion" I mean "keep your hands off my uterus" (if I had one, you know). Not "decimate the EPA, close the Department of Education, don't have any services other than a strong National Defense." But I also saw how social conservatives had already started to take over the TP (despite many protestations, some going on to this day, and they also protested that they weren't a "conservative" movement). Well, when you focus on issues that aren't taxes or government intrusion you pretty much make the point for me.

"You know us liberal moms: I want to give him a chance to learn the right lessons from this, which isn’t going to happen if I out him." Classy, Ms. Schultz. Unfortunately I don't expect that favor to be returned. Seriously, I though the Republicans/Conservatives discovered the internet in 2003.

Alligator Quotient: Alligators on a Plane (that was the first draft)

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