Alyssa Wong with some advice for new writers. I need to find a new term for writers like myself, who aren't published, but aren't exactly new. But still, good advice for all of us. (Grokked from Julia Rios)
Devils & Angels: Ritual Feasts in Europe. The vestiges of paganism continue to survive in smaller villages in Europe. Really wish there was some sort of calendar one could reference. I remember in northern Spain there's a ceremony for the dead, which (IIRC) it is believed leave the lands of the living at a certain time of the year when the mists grow thick and flow out to the sea. (Grokked from Terri Windling)
An article on the Concealed Revealed, or "the old ways" protection for homes discovered during renovations. (Grokked from Ellen Kushner)
So, in the face of the myth of "women lead movies/female action figures won't sell" being handily trounced into the dust with the new Ghostbusters movie, the manbabies resort to anti market tactics. You know, the people who think the market naturally won't support those kinds of things. Funny how they're wrong about that.
"She also explained why it's important for indie designers to fight for credit: It's not just about finances, but about the integrity of her own brand." A large clothing company rips off independent designers. And it's not the first time, and it's not just one person they're ripping off. Every small designer who even dreams of launching their own line should be worried about this. (Grokked from Daniel J. Hogan)
Anglo-Saxon Leechcraft. An illustrated manual. (Grokked from Alex C. Renwick)
"Noncomplementary behavior is more difficult, but sometimes it is the best choice." And the Invisibilia podcast on it. Note, I haven't listened to the podcast, yet. I'm including it here for continuity.
"Harassment on social media is the rule, not the exception, for many women and people of color." On various platforms I've become a little more outspoken (especially Facebook) and I, a straight, white male, am exhausted from the little bit I've received. I'm even more exhausted by explaining to friends who aren't tapped into the culture war discussions going on how their narrative has been hashed out and found to be hurtful. I know they don't mean it that way, and they're repeating some things they've only half heard and barely paid attention to. And I'm thinking of just going off Facebook (I'm really not there often anyway). I just don't understand how women, and especially women of color, stand it. (Grokked from Justine Larbalestier)
"Due to this, a core component of the U.S. CVE plan tasks teachers, social workers, and school administrators with monitoring and reporting to law enforcement on children in their care. An FBI document released earlier this year tells teachers to spy on their students’ thoughts and suggests that administrators essentially turn schools into mini-FBI offices. Rights Watch’s report shows what might happen if American schools actually follow the FBI’s proposals." What could possibly go wrong? We don't need no education… (Grokked from Vince O'Conner)
"Pokémon Go launched July 6, and the impact has been striking. Not just on neighborhoods across the United States — which filled with zombie-like players holding their cellphones like divining rods — but on step count." It's a "population-level" event, apparently. (Grokked from Chia Evers)
Working long hours is making you dumber, at least if you're over 40. "(working up to 25 hours can increase cognition) But after that, brains started to slow down. Both male and female workers who took the tests after a full, 40-hour week saw lower scores, and the test results only got worse with additional time slugging away." Considering I work an average of 65-72 hours per week I must be drooling by now. (Grokked from Sarah Goslee)
How much do you know about food and war? I know canning and refrigeration were developed to help feed Napoleon's armies (some of the largest ever fielded at that time). I scored 80%. Sigh. Back to x-ray, I guess.
"The irony of the alleged owner of the world’s biggest pirate site being caught by a legal purchase from iTunes is straight from the Dept of You Couldn’t Make It Up…" (Grokked from Dan)
"'I was really more worried about him than myself. I was thinking as long as I have my hands up … they’re not going to shoot me. This is what I’m thinking, they’re not going to shoot me. Wow, was I wrong.'" With video. He wasn't the guy with "the gun" It was a toy truck, he shouted it was a toy truck, but the autistic guy he was trying to help, he is his therapist, had the truck. But he was the black guy. On the ground, hands in the air… tell me again how it is all about police self-defense. (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)
"A majority of the full U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that the heavily litigated and controversial Texas voter ID law does have the effect of discriminating against minority voters, and ordered the state to devise a remedy to that problem before the November elections." A mixed bag ruling to say the least. Basically the court said, "yeah, that's what it does, but we don't think that was the actual intent." Sure. Sure. I'm sure it was just a coincidence that it happens in every state that has tried these laws.
Boris Johnson gets the grilling he deserves from the US State Department press corps. Can we swap them for the White House press corps? Boris demure by saying he was misunderstood and defers to anyone reading his full comments in context… which is a nice attempt at "appeal to authority", as if the reporter quoting his exact words was somehow making shit up.
Some inside baseball on the Democratic Party Primary, the Obama Clinton "friendship" and the disruptive force of Sanders. (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)
"But many anti-Common Core advocates felt betrayed by the results — because of similarities between the math and English portions of Common Core, and Indiana's new guidelines." Funny, that happened in Ohio too. "But when the (state proficiency tests) pass rate dropped by 22 percent statewide, Pence signed a bill that paused sanctions on teachers and schools for the low scores. Many argue that those low marks were a result of a more challenging test designed after Pence repealed Common Core in Indiana." Hey, that happened in Ohio as well. Only most everybody knows they lowered the standard for passing, and yet more and more kids are failing.
"No, our (Mormon Press) commenters were infuriated that Hillary Clinton was rated as being rather honest (in a comparison chart from Polifact data)… So what's going on?… To put it simply: in America we teach our children that women are liars." (Grokked from Elizabeth Bear)
"Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski has been pitching his own super PAC to donors after trashing other groups working on behalf of the GOP presidential nominee, six sources with knowledge of those conversations told BuzzFeed News." That, at the very least, is an ethics charge. Hey, CNN, you paying attention? He's your employee now. (Grokked from Lisa N. Morton)
So, after a day of denying Melania's speech was plagiarized, a Trump employee comes forth saying, "yeah, I did it, it was plagiarized, my bad." Of course the Trumpster doesn't accept the resignation. I mean, he probably was the one to recruit her to throw herself under the bus. But the main problem with this, the employee is not an employee of the campaign and issued her letter on Trump stationary. Those are FEC violations (use of private corporate assets for political campaign). Seriously, this just gets worse and worse. Remember when Melania said she wrote it herself? Good times, good times.
"By releasing the letter, the Trump campaign might have thought that it was putting the plagiarism story behind it, but it has just created a bigger mess."
There's reports now that Trump Jr. also plagiarized parts of his speech. Sweet Jesus on a Pogo-Stick, hey Trump Campaign, there are these websites that can quickly check any text for plagiarism. They're pretty cheap. And reporters are now going to use them on every damn thing you say.
And don't get me started on the whole "Trump will defer all power and actual governance to his VP." It's both meant to discredit Trump and make people feel more comfortable with him (yeah, it's doublespeak in its classic form). The Trumpster campaign itself floated that balloon several times while searching for a VP in an attempt to take the teeth out of the NeverTrump movement. It also served double duty to try and sooth the fears of the rest of us of "Holy shit, Trump as President?!"
"The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce made an endorsement Wednesday at the Republican National Convention, (they) announced it would be endorsing Hillary Clinton in the general election in an interview with CNN." That can't be good.
"Pointing to the in-state rivalries between teams like the Texas Longhorns, Texas A&M Aggies, and TCU Horned Frogs, (Speaker Paul) Ryan said, 'You guys are at each other’s throats … [But] when one team advances to a big bowl game or a national championship, don’t you root for the Aggies? … Don’t you root for the Longhorns?'… The ballroom full of Texans erupted in laughter, boos, and shouts of, 'No!'… Ryan chuckled, taken aback, and said, 'Start thinking that way, OK?… Holy moly, this explains everything right now.'" Paul Ryan has an epiphany. Bit late, though. Way to lead there, Pauly. (Grokked from Lisa N. Morton)
Okay, so I saw the photo of the end of Laura Ingram's speech and kinda laughed because this thing has happened before and I made the joke asking if the speakers had given up all pretense and just ended with "… God bless these United States. Hail Hydra." Note they're not saying "America", but "these United States" a little clumsy forcefulness there. Apparently nobody has told these people how to wave to a crowd. This isn't the first time someone has done this at a Trump campaign rally. Hell, even the Trumpster has made a similar move at his speeches. But this morning I saw the zoomed out photo and OMG, OMG, OMG. OH MY FUCKING GOD. Do these people not know they're on camera? I don't think this is actually funny anymore. That is the salute. She fucking comes to attention and gives the fucking fascist salute. She knows the difference because of her next gesture, actually waving to the actual crowd, and her body relaxes then. Actual fucking Nazis this close to power in the US. (Grokked from Jason Sanford)
I've also semi-joked about a Night of Long Knives. I also don't think it's that funny anymore. If I were Ted Cruz, I'd be looking for a safe house about now.
"He even called into question whether… he would automatically extend the security guarantees that give the 28 members of NATO the assurance that the full force of the United States military has their back… For example, asked about Russia’s threatening activities that have unnerved the small Baltic States… Mr. Trump said that if Russia attacked them, he would decide whether to come to their aid only after reviewing whether those nations 'have fulfilled their obligations to us.'" Funny story, Hitler and Stalin had a nonaggression pact and agreed to divide up the Baltics and Poland. (Grokked from Dan)
No comments:
Post a Comment