Weekend Linkee-poo will swear and kick and beg us that it's not a gamblin' man, then you find it's back in Vegas with a handle in its hand

WARNING: Triggery (child rape). The Moira Greyland (Marion Zimmerman Bradley’s daughter) letter. Sat on that link for a while (I don't even remember where I got it from, John Scalzi, I think).

"It's a huge pyramid in the middle of nowhere tracking the end of the world on radar". Does what it says on the tin. (Grokked from Warren Ellis)

Buy a two-pack for the privilege of paying $2.41 more than if you bought two singles. I hate to say I have been seeing more of this lately. Check the prices, people. Sometimes buying more means paying much more (this also goes for buying larger sizes). (Grokked from the Slactivist)

Harley Davidson's Project LiveWire™ electric motorcycle. Harley isn't the first to market, but has the capability to change it and explode the concept of electric bikes into the public consciousness. Also, at a reported greater than 100 mile range per charge, makes it very exciting for casual and weekend riders. Note, this bike won't be available to the general public, but may lead to a real product. Although, given the look of the prototype, I'm surprised they didn't actually lead this out through their Buell line (it looks like it has the signature Buell Motorcycle look and frame technology). (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)

Pope Francis excommunicates mafiosos. That's gonna leave a mark (and, yea, this is a major blow). (Grokked from Ferritt Steinmetz)

"For most of us… work is a depleting, dispiriting experience, and… it’s getting worse." And interesting article, but very much focused on the corner office and doesn't look deeper that white-collar work, which (as I explained in detail during a conversation about morale with other managers, is part of the problem). IF you happen to manage or own a company, why should this matter to you. For these very simple, easy to understand reasons. "In a 2012 meta-analysis of 263 research studies across 192 companies, Gallup found that companies in the top quartile for engaged employees, compared with the bottom quartile, had 22 percent higher profitability, 10 percent higher customer ratings, 28 percent less theft and 48 percent fewer safety incidents… Companies in the Towers Watson study with high engagement scores measured in the traditional way had an operating margin of 14 percent. By contrast, companies with the highest number of 'sustainably engaged' employees had an operating margin of 27 percent, nearly three times those with the lowest traditional engagement scores." Drops microphone, walks off stage. Although this line, "The most obvious answer (to why companies spend zero time and energy to increase employee 'engagement') is that systematically investing in employees, beyond paying them a salary, didn’t seem necessary until recently." Except for the employment markets of '88, '96, '02, you know, right after the last economic downturns when suddenly companies realized it's always been an employee's market. To prove this point, let me ask you if you've encounter in the past half decade the sentiment "buck up, little campers, at least you have a job"? Hell, I did a spoof Xmas card with that 4 years ago. This is something businesses constantly (and I mean, constantly) need to relearn because MBS programs don't care about it, executive training doesn't even broach the subject (most focus on "if you have good managers, everything works well"), and most companies don't understand that the focus shouldn't be investor dividends. If you focus on your employees, it's amazing how all the other "troubles" of business disappear. And if you're immediate answer to this problem is, "We'll hire a VP of Employee Relations" you're doing it wrong. (Grokked from Kameron Hurley)

Fred Clark on the impending decision in the Hobby Lobby case and Justice Scalia reversing himself (again, if all the cards point to the truth). Also, one can read scripture in a way as to see a religious mandate to not pay any secular taxes (just ignore the "Render unto Caesar" passage). Can't wait to see that case come forward.

Maybe Ricky Santorum should read that passage about "Rendering unto Caesar." Nah, that would mean he would have to actually learn his professed religion and that might interfere with his self-righteousness. (Grokked from the Slactivist)

This is hilarious. Carbon County Utah (which, you may remember, is where the Bundy Ranch is located) passes a law saying that, basically, up yours Federal Government (from whom we get our jurisdiction, yea, try and parse that one). Well, actually they're saying that Federal Law Enforcement (and specifically the BLM) can't enforce State and Local criminal and civil law. Or that they first have to tell the Sheriff of the County. Or something. They're so endearingly cute when they're that ignorant. First off, the BLM is enforcing Federal Law, but never mind that. You know what vehicle can violate any and all traffic laws (including street lights)? Emergency vehicles? Nope. We allow those by custom. Only if you guessed Postal Vehicles would you have been correct. Why? They're a federal agency. Your piddly little local laws don't apply to them. Why can Census workers ignore your "Keep Out" signs? Because they're federal workers on federal business. If you harass them on their business (like threaten physical harm) you are committing a federal crime (as in jail time and/or fines). 'Rhut 'Rho, someone's gonna get a schooling in civics real soon now. Dear County Commissioners, can't fix stupid.

A story about the BLM shooting suspect, but one that breaks down some of the crazy. "'Sovereign citizens are studious. They do read documents from American antiquity passionately,' Lenz said. 'Bu(t) they're not trained scholars. They don't understand that American law is organic and it changes. What they'll do is they'll latch onto some principle or some legal precept… and declare that their reading of this is such, so this must be true and we're being lied to.'" Yea, I've seen this before, and not just for obscure rulings and not just for Sovereign Citizens, but all leading to the crazy.

And speaking of crazy, somedays it just depresses the crap out of me that we're still fighting this battle. Look, Christians, if you believe that everything in the world should support your religious view, but also hold the belief in the "Enemy" (aka Satan), and also hold that you must indoctrinate everywhere, your both doing it wrong and don't understand evangelicalism. (Grokked from the Slactivist)