Linkee-poo saw the world thrashing all around your face never really knowing it was always mesh and lace

Things are going to be light here until Monday. Plan accordingly. We're off to Detroit.

Kathryn Cramer on losing David Hartwell.

Take heart folks, we're nearly to the Iowa Caucuses (February 1) and Super Tuesday is two months and a few weeks (March 1). Given we started almost a year and a half ago that's practically around the corner. After Iowa and NH (February 9) things should get into some regular order. Not that it'll be much better (hello robo calls), but at least the polls will actually mean something and the field should shake off the outliers.

A nickel-embeded plastic may help stop Li batteries from catching fire? As I remember, there were other concerns about impact damage, but shutting off the flow of electrons to reduce heat is a nice idea.

My God, it's full of stars. A 212 hour exposure of Orion. (Grokked from Steven Gould)

The $9 computer revolution.

Apparently, regular order wasn't followed during the Tamir Rice Grand Jury deliberations. Just fucking amazing. Seriously, did Prosecutor McGinty think that his Dec 28 press conference would be the end of it? In cases like this, you need to follow the book to the letter. (Grokked from Mary Robinette Kowal)

PBS Newshour report on the Flint Water Crisis. So, let's see, wanted to save money, immediately noticed problems, dismissed first health reports on elevated lead in children, continued to drag feet. Gov. Snyder, it's time to fix the problem your people created. And you're going to have to do it with your money, because this is not a natural disaster. It's a man-made one, which was wholly avoidable. So the question comes down to this, do you stick to your conservative ideology, or do you suck it up and do what is right for the people. Your sword is ready for you to fall upon it.

We don't need no stinking regulations. "When employers opt out (or workers comp programs), they avoid state regulation and write their own workplace injury plans, which make it easier to deny and cut benefits, control medical care and limit appeals of their decisions." Sure, there's a Federal Law (ERISA) that's supposed to protect workers, turns out, not so much. Gee, I wonder why employers may be dumping Workers Comp and self-insuring? I mean, they really wouldn't screw over their workers, would they? "In Oklahoma, almost every opt-out plan includes mandatory settlements. Employers alone decide when to cut off benefits and pay lump-sum settlements. They also decide how much to pay. And if workers refuse to accept, they lose all their benefits"

Tweet of my heart: @BetteMidler 62 mostly white men own more wealth than half the people on earth. Trickle down? About as much as when they shake their dicks at the urinal.