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, June 9, 2016

Linkee-poo wears my sunglasses at night so I can watch you weave then breathe your story lines

Terri Windling Tolkien Lecture with pictures, video and audio. (Grokked from Ellen Kushner)

Sunspring, a movie written by an AI. I would rail against the dying of the light, but given Hollywood's recent attempts at entertainment, I welcome our new robot overlords. (Grokked form John)

"U.S. employers advertised the most open jobs in nine months in April but pulled back on filling them, a sign of caution that may reflect concerns about tepid economic growth." That matches to what I've been hearing. Lots of interviews, no one getting an actual job.

On the availability of bison on the menu around Yellowstone. I love bison, and to compare it to beef is silly (this is like saying Coke and Pepsi are the same thing). On our Yellowstone vacation we are "game" meat (most of it is farmed) almost everyday. There was a great mix of bison, elk, game birds, and some very delicious wild boar sausages (those were fantastic, but also expensive). So when I went to Alaska I expect similar. Except for the ubiquitous salmon, there was only one place that had caribou. Other than that one night on the cruise there was an option of halibut stake (yes I had it). For a state that is built on subsistence hunting I expected better, Alaska. But, if you've never had it and you get the chance to try a bison burger or a steak, I highly recommend it. Also, when visiting our national parks, obey the signs and don't get too close to the wildlife. In that hot spring area there are signs everywhere to stay on the boardwalks.

Something new has been added (to the Periodic Table). (Grokked from Dan)

What harm does the war on women and abortion have? "More and more young women from Texas are walking across the international bridge for risky, do-it-yourself medical abortions with misoprostol that lack the second drug, mifepristone, and also lack the guidance and supervision by a doctor that the women would get in the U.S." When the two drugs are taken together in the proper regimen, they're 95% effective. With only misoprostal, that drops to around 60% and increases complications. The "…landmark ruling on the constitutionality of the Texas Omnibus Abortion Bill… a decision is expected this month. Abortion rights supporters say if the justices uphold the law, regardless of the FDA label changes, more clinics will close, and the Mexican pharmacies will get even more business."

For all the sparkles and rainbows about the first female major-party nominee, there is this, "We didn’t know where Hillary’s votes were coming from bc they didn’t feel it was safe to tell us in the first place." And there will be a lot of that in the coming months. My neighbor tells me he has an extra Hillary yard sign for me, and I would be lying to say that I didn't think hard about accepting the offer to put it in my yard (and am still thinking hard, not so much for me, but my wife, cats, and property and I live in a supposedly heavily Democratic area). On my commute into work there's already a "Hillary for Prison 2016" yard sign. (Grokked from Kameron Hurley)

Since it's an election year, the GOP controlled Legislature is going to be very careful about which fights they pick. So this year, no defunding of Obamacare or Planned Parenthood. Why? Because they don't want to remind the general populace on how they want to take their health insurance away, screw the poor, and continue the war on women (they need your votes this year). Hey Tea Partiers, you're getting sold down the river.

Robert Reich's open letter to Bernie Sanders.

You know how the Trumpster is all against off-shoring jobs and part of his Make America Great Again campaign is to bring jobs back and to stop offshoring? To bad most of the GOP including 3 of the 4 Republican National Convention committee members are heavily involved with offshoring and inversions. And, yes, in Cleveland when Eaton Corp. pull those stunts it was a big stink. This is part of why the establishment thinks the Trumpster isn't a true conservative.

Could the Trumpster put his assets in a blind trust? That and finding out the President in the US does not have executive immunity and I think he may not continue as a candidate.

No comments: