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

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Linkee-poo, Brenda and Eddie had had it already by the Summer of 75

So, how'd you do?



The alignment chart of fan fiction titles. Uh :: looks at titling scheme of this blog :: okay, fair cop. (Grokked from Seanan McGuire)

"The shooting occurred in Steubenville, Ohio, a place best known for a high-profile rape case involving high school football players. In a bizarre twist, the shooter was identified by authorities on Monday afternoon as Nathaniel Richmond, father of one of the two teenage boys found delinquent — or guilty — in 2013 as part of that rape case." That's, uh, not a bizarre twist, WaPo.

"The Trump administration has decided to dissolve a federal advisory panel that contributes to a report that measures the current and future impacts of climate change on the U.S., The Washington Post reports." Because why would we need actual scientists to help direct our response to Climate Change when it's all a hoax and you don't plan to do shit about it.

"As of Sunday, with the president's return to Washington, D.C., from a working vacation at his New Jersey golf club, he has visited at least one of his properties on more than a third, 35.7 percent, of his days as president -- or 76 days out of 213, according to an ABC News' count." You would think they would offer the US Government a discount in that case.

"Former spokesperson for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, Katrina Pierson, appeared on 'Fox and Friends' Monday morning to defend keeping Confederate statues on display as politicians and activists call for their removal, saying Americans love their 'good and bad' history." I don't have enough fucking spoons for this.

"The Secret Service can no longer pay hundreds of agents it needs to carry out an expanded protective mission – in large part due to the sheer size of President Trump's family and efforts necessary to secure their multiple residences up and down the East Coast… But even if such a proposal (to raise the salary caps) was approved, about 130 veteran agents would not be fully compensated for hundreds of hours already amassed, according to the agency." Jobs jobs jobs. Hey, I gotta idea, Mr. President. How about you comp the government the expenses of the security detail at your properties? You know, like write off the $60,000 in golf cart rental fees. Okay, well most news stories make this sound like "The Secret Service is running out of money." No, they have enough money. It's just that by law you can only pay an agent so much every year, and with all the overtime a lot of agents are hitting that cap.

"As a show where massive dragons fly, Faceless Men dwell and Bran Stark has become an all-knowing Three-Eyed Raven, the director of the episode, 'Beyond the Wall,' told the New York Times that being concerned about the speed of a raven should not be a priority." Dear Alan Taylor, welcome to fandom. And yes, the airspeed velocity of a laden raven is important. (:: winks at everyone who got that ::)

"A dozen Browns players took a knee in prayer during the national anthem before Monday night's preseason game against the New York Giants." Waits for the Christian Right to declaim this. I also can't wait for the inevitable work conversations.

"Though numerous studies have linked genital talc use to ovarian cancer, the research findings have not been consistent. They consist mostly of epidemiological or population studies, which cannot conclusively prove a cause-and-effect relationship between an exposure and later development of cancer." And that's the problem. Because cancer can take a long time to develop to the point of being noticeable (and not have the body kill the cancer cells itself), the exposure to a possible carcinogen is so distant in time it becomes nearly impossible to make a direct link. But this is also thought of in the terms, "can you determine if This Specific Cigarette caused my cancer"? No, but a lifetime of smoking can be (but then there are people who get lung cancer who never smoke a single cig). Also pointed to because of the example of language use in studies, "The company statement pointed to a National Cancer Institute report in April that said, 'The weight of evidence does not support an association between perineal talc exposure and an increased risk of ovarian cancer.'… But elsewhere, the cancer institute uses more ambivalent language, saying 'it is not clear' if talcum powder increases the risk of ovarian cancer."

"House Speaker Paul D. Ryan… has not hidden the fact he disapproves of President Trump equating white supremacists in Charlottesville with counterprotesters… Nine days after a woman died when an alleged white supremacist rammed his car into a crowd, Ryan posted a statement on Facebook saying: 'There is no moral relativism when it comes to neo-Nazis.'… Would you support a censure of the president by the House? That’s a hard no. Ryan: 'That would be so counterproductive, if we descend this issue into some partisan hackfest.'" So, no moral relativism, unless it means upsetting the President and criticizing your own party before you get your tax cut passed.

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