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

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Linkee-poo has a friend in Jesus, so you know that when I die, he's gonna recommend me to the spirit in the sky

The most misunderstood witches in fantasy. (Grokked from Tor Books)

Sure, as a writer the dream is to give up the day job, and I know a few who have done it. What's lesser talked about is writers going the opposite direction. "Just two weeks back into the normal world has reminded me of how broken the creative world is." Oh my yes. I love my tribe. There are some amazing people out there and I'm happy to have surrounded myself with them (and honored they'd have me). But there are a metric shit-ton of others. And I'm a straight, white male. I can't even comprehend how much it would be different if I wasn't one of those (although I am trying to understand). And the writing world is much more sane than the art world. (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)

The Google computer is winning the Go competition. More amazing than winning at chess, and while a step toward AI, not exactly a big one. Also, it is possible to flip a coin twice and get the same side both times. (Grokked from John)

The National Parks realize that most of their visitors are white, and that this isn't the future growth of the parks. So they're starting outreach programs and they're adjusting what and how they manage and sell the parks on based on the feedback.

"Radley is among the 26 percent of people in a recent poll who say health care expenses have taken a serious toll on family finances. The poll… shows that even people with medical insurance are still struggling to pay medical bills." Read. My. Lips. Single. Payor. In a land this prosperous, there is no reason people should be forced into abject poverty for just trying to keep healthy.

The Planet Money podcast on brilliant versus boring (investments). Tells the story of a bet Warren Buffet made, and good advice for your 401(k).

Remember the arguments about how nuclear power plants don't pollute? Not so much. They just pollute in different ways than other power plants. The salinity outside the Florida plant isn't new. I remember reading about the issue back in the 90s. This doesn't hit on the other pollution the plants cause (thermal). While nuclear is "better" than coal/gas, it's not without it's major environmental problems.

You know, those guns won't fire themselves. Ohio man… fires shots bringing the police who break a window and send in a device to take a look around, and then he falls asleep on the bed, with his gun, natch.

And then there's more details of the final confrontation with LaVoy Finicum, using the video taken by the occupiers themselves.

I'm just going to say that I've loved Cokie Roberts since she was a reporter on "This Week" before she co-achored that show. I've always looked forward to her 5 minutes every Monday on Morning Edition. And now I love her even more.

US forces capture another ISIS leader in Iraq. So much for the "not doing anything" line. But I will say, I'm sure ISIS is set up similar to al Qaeda and has leadership in depth. so picking them off one by one won't really affect too much.

"The significance of… the rise and rise of Trump may be more attributable to a sense that the economic deck is stacked against working class white Americans, and not racism and xenophobia, or at least not primarily. Rather, Trump is fusing the economically displaced with the racist/reactionary right, just as the Bush-era Republicans fused evangelicals and working class conservatives with neoliberals, somehow equating opposition to abortion with endorsement of Investor-State Dispute Settlements." I think that pretty well sums up part of his support, but misses the big evangelical backing he has. And while neo-libralism is responsible for some of that decline (NAFTA and other trade deals which actually are a net plus for the US, but really sucker punch the mid-west, and for not fighting hard enough for those people and being willing to compromise with a faction that accepts no compromise on their side), neoconservative ideologies of economics have provided the big switch. I think they also miss the huge ramifications of scapegoating and the fact that as President, Donald Trump will be powerless to do anything about those things they think are hurting them.

Using the GOP debates as teachable moments for young kids for showing them what civility is and isn't. Mostly it's "what not to do" that's on the screen. And it's not just the people on the stage that are providing the lessons.

"Trump rallies are getting a reputation for violence by Trump supporters against disruptive protesters." The company you keep. (Grokked from Saladin Ahmed)

Even Trump's "aides" are getting rough with reporters.

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