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

Monday, November 30, 2015

Linkee-poo, madmen fed on fear and lies to beat and burn and kill

An exercise to get students to use more active words kinda runs off the rails. I appreciate what the instructors are trying to do here, really. By "banning" certain words they're encouraging their student to expand their vocabularies, and conjoined with the concept of "students teaching themselves" they've tried their best. But how they're going about it is very stupid. If you want kids' vocabularies to expand, expose them to good words, teach them their meanings, encourage them to explore books. (Grokked from Steven Gould)

And because it needs to be said, sex workers can be sexually assaulted and raped. Again, non-consent is non-consent. Saying no means no. So, yes, a porn star can be raped on set as well as off the set. Because she works in porn (or in a strip club, or even as a prostitute) is not an excuse. (Grokked from John Scalzi)

So, why is it a problem that injection wells linked to fracking may cause earthquakes? "The ground is shaking near Cushing, Okla., home to the largest commercial crude oil storage center in North America… (and) one of the most important places in the U.S. energy market." Yea, because the ground subsidence, sink holes, damage from earthquakes in places that don't have building codes that enforce compliance with buildings that may be shaken, it could really fuck up our energy supply of fossil fuels.

"Republican presidential hopefuls… noticeably silent about a fatal shooting… at a Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs…All three of their Democratic counterparts tweeted in support of the organization… Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was the only one of the major GOP candidates to comment…" saying he was praying for the families of those killed and injured, and the first responders. Note, not the people actually injured. Color me unsurprised. This was posted on Saturday, I'm sure they'll bow to public pressure and comment by Monday. (Grokked from Dan)

Taxi driver is asked about his nationality, rider goes into house, comes out with a rifle and begins shooting. (Grokked from Saladin Ahmed)

Couple finds those online healthcare pricing tools are mostly suggestions. Again, we won't have good pricing controls until health facilities and doctors' offices are required to publish their pricing like a fast-food restaurant. Tell me again how we don't need a single-payor system in this country.

Because for the Trumpster, everything is awesome. "'I have a great relationship with the black pastors,' Trump said." Yea, but after several pastors he was supposed to meet with said that they wouldn't be endorsing him, the closed the meeting to the press. And then they cancelled it. Because it would have been bad optics. And then they blamed it on the Black Lives Matter movement. Stay classy, Trump.

"It’s all an elaborate stage production, manufactured by Fox News, talk radio and rightwing politicians, that fills the lives of the working class with terrorists, feminist, atheists and gay people, convenient groups used to distract from who is really screwing them over this week. The votes of the working class have been neutralized or co-opted with tidy scapegoats, the Second Amendment, Jesus and white victimhood." On the disappearing middle-class, the rise in death rates in the white middle-class, and committing political suicide. (Grokked from Saladin Ahmed)

Well, the GOP candidates are finally responding to the Colorado Planned Parenthood shooting. Carly Fiorina demonstrates that she can blame the left for anything. Yes, it's all in the leftist politics manual right here, on page 3 it says, "always blame the right for everything, especially those things they espouse," Ted Cruz, not to be outdone by teh crazy, goes full birther.

"Where all da white women?" Ah, Michelle Bachmann, you're daily dose of spittle-flecked insanity.

Even CJ Pearson, the 13-year-old conservative wunderkind gets it. Dear GOP, even he can see through you. Ah, but don't worry, I'm sure next week the RNC will bring him back into the fold and he can blame watching the "liberal mass media" for making him doubt his conservative love. "'I don't want to be the conservative wonder kid that people follow because I make them feel good and like young people are part of their movement…' he told CNN." Too late. Although I'm sure the heaping helping of scorn he's now facing will convince him to come back as well.

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