No, I didn't watch it. Why? Because for the most part it's a tempest in a tea pot. The evangelical right won't leave Trump as long as he appoints anti-abortion judges, continues to protect their businesses from having to comply with anti-discrimination laws, doesn't fight to change some churches' tax exemption status, and helps bring about the prophesies of the End Times. Hell, he could skewer and roast live babies on the East Lawn and eat them on prime time TV and as long as they got those four things they'll just smile and say, "Love the sinner, hate the sin." About the best that can happen is the $130,000 could be ruled an "in kind donation" and Michael Cohen and the campaign will be fined, but it won't touch Trump. Because evangelicals don't really care about piety despite what they say. About the only thing I can say is I thought the one episode of Friends where Monica almost catches Chandler watching porn, but he quickly switches the channel to Discovery which so happens to have been playing Shark Week so Monica thinks sharks gets Chandler's motor running was one of those, "What's the worst we could have him watch? I know, sharks eating seals!" writer room conversations. I guess I didn't know that was an actual thing. I need to update my "kinks people have" list.
The March for Our Lives.
An interview with S.A. Chakrabortty.
"Everyone knows… But everyone didn’t know." And older one recently repointed to by Kameron Hurley on the secrets in publishing. And it's true with much of life and many industries.
New theory on how the dinosaurs really went extinct. "A life size animatronic T-Rex caused quite the scene after a fire caused by an electrical issue at the Royal Gorge Dinosaur Experience on Thursday." Spontaneous combustion. (Grokked from John)
Hey, remember that flat-earther with the steam powered rocket? "'Mad' Mike Hughes, the rocket man who believes the Earth is flat, propelled himself about 1,875 feet into the air Saturday before a hard landing in the Mojave Desert. He told The Associated Press that outside of an aching back he’s fine after the launch near Amboy, California."
"Skiers and snowboarders were met with orange-tinted snow in Sochi, Russia, this weekend… The usually powdery white snow turned colors due to a sandstorm that blew across the Sahara Desert in North Africa." the world is weirder than we think.
"Los Angeles-based food entrepreneur Emily Williams is hoping that the next best thing since sliced bread is... sliced ketchup." Science. (Grokked from Dan)
Where does the fat go? A lot of interesting science here, but they get a lot wrong. Their survey of where fat goes dismisses a lot of the doctors, dietitians and personal trainers who say it's converted into energy, and instead want you to say it's converted into CO2 and water. This is true. But the CO2 and water is a byproduct of converting glucose into energy your body can use (ATP). It's not entirely true that fat is converted to CO2 and water, those are just the main exhaust functions from anaerobic glycolysis (CO2) and the Kreb's cycle (CO2 and free hydrogen) and electron transport chain (water). While you make ATP through all 3 of those, it's the electron transport chain (which is the cell walls of the mitochondria) is where you produce a hellalotta ATP. And while it's true you're not "creating" ATP, you're just putting the P back on the end, that's the real use of fat (well, actually glucose, of which most fats are basically stacked glucose molecules). CO2 and water are the waste products of that chain. In the end, though, they are correct. It's the respiration of CO2 (which is the main function of your lungs and hemoglobin, BTW) and water that reduces your weight.
Jim Wright's Bang Bang Crazy Part 13 on his questions about arming teachers. Anyone who has dealt with school systems, police, or government knows that what Jim is saying is correct. If you don't ask the questions now, and get the answers right, it means dead kids. And having read most of the responses he received to his tweets I gotta say, these people promoting arming teachers have no fucking clue. As a simple example one of these fine people talked about also giving police a radio so they can communicate with the police. So, you know, as the police storm the school they'll know who the good guy is, because, I don't know, it's the guy with the radio? Want to know why this is a bad idea? Read the after action reporting on the Parkland Shooting. The police couldn't talk to each other with their radios (sheriffs, local police, state police). In Ohio we've only partially solved this problem, and every channel cost $200 per radio (we have 4 in our radios; local, state, sheriff, and fire), and the radio themselves cost $1000 a year for licensing and connectivity. Schools can't even fund buying simple school supplies. And what if the teacher with the radio is the shooter? We're all fucked then.
What to do when the American Bar Association labels some of your judicial candidates as "not qualified"? "Senate Republicans have declared war on the American Bar Association." Yeah, shoot the messenger. (Grokked from Laura J Mixon)
"Wisconsin Republicans signaled Friday that they will hold a special election to change election law rather than face special elections in two heavily Republican legislative districts." Yes, they're so petty they will change their state law rather than hold special elections they may lose. (Grokked from Pat Rothfuss)
"The woman behind a series of videos pushing a conspiracy theory about Broward County, Fla., Sheriff Scott Israel has admitted that the content of the videos is false and that she was paid to make the claims." Why do the dirty work yourself, just hire a freelancer for $25 to smear someone for you. (Grokked from Jim Wright)
"CNN commentator and former Pennsylvania GOP Sen. Rick Santorum on Sunday suggested students protesting for gun control legislation would be better served by taking CPR classes and preparing for active shooter scenarios." Dear Ricky, I've seen what happens when you perform CPR on gunshot victims. You're just pumping more blood out onto the floor. Oh, and they are doing something. They saw the intellectual logjam the GOP has instituted in Congress and the influence the NRA has and decided to fight for change themselves. If you weren't such a pusillanimous flea on the body politic, you'd recognize that.
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