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

Friday, September 28, 2018

Linkee-poo Friday

Alligators up to tuckus level, but bitey. So how about yesterday.

"That lingering (PCB) contamination can still cause problems for a range of species. Because of a unique blend of characteristics, however, orcas are particularly at risk. A paper in Science this week calculates just how bad those risks are, and the results are sobering: while some populations of orcas seem to be doing just fine, others are at risk of collapse."

"Dutch authorities have arrested seven men they believe were plotting to carry out a major terrorist attack against 'a large event in the Netherlands.'"

"The Securities and Exchange Commission filed a lawsuit against entrepreneur Elon Musk alleging securities fraud. The complaint hasn't yet been made publicly available, but likely centers on his harebrained tweeting about taking the company private with foreign money." Yeah, could see that one coming from a mile away. (Grokked from Xeni Jardin)

"What started as an impassioned, yet civil, debate quickly deteriorated after fellow panelist and USA Today columnist Kirsten Powers called Caputo out, as he put it, by declaring that men like him, and Trump, were in fact part of the problem. The alleged offenses involving Kavanaugh happened at 'a time when women just simply were not believed and everybody sounded like Donald Trump and Michael Caputo,' Powers said. '…Just listen to yourself.'" And that's how this actually will change. At this inflection point we will either call out the patriarchy for it's excesses, or people like Caputo will dominate the conversation and we'll be right back where we were. IMHO, when you parrot bullshit excuses, you deserve to be called out, on national television (his choice to be there and where he chose to try these arguments), and forcefully.

"Before they turn 18, about 8 percent of girls and 0.7 percent of boys experience rape or attempted rape, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the majority of these reported cases, the CDC says, the perpetrator is a peer: either an acquaintance or a current or former intimate partner… And yet few schools across the country are required to teach about consent or healthy relationships in sex ed classes." The Anita Hill testimony launched corporate anti-harassment campaigns and mandatory annual education (for many companies). Hopefully the good that will come from yesterday might lead to a new social awareness.

"A quick search for the term, however, would lead one to far different conclusions. 'Devil’s Triangle,' for example, features no prominent mentions as a drinking game before Kavanaugh’s confirmation process. It’s odd, considering that, at least according to Kavanaugh, the game has been around more than 30 years. What you will find, however, is a crude definition for group sex featuring a female and two male participants. In fact, it’s the colloquial term that features prominently in the bulk of Google’s results." He's a liar, and he's bad at lying. (Grokked from Lizz Winstead)

"The Senate Judiciary Committee will once again be the scene of a national drama Friday as its members prepare to vote on President Donald Trump's embattled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh." All that "concern" for nothing as the GOP Senators fall in line.

"The editors of America Magazine, a weekly Jesuit publication, initially endorsed Kavanaugh. The publication noted his stance on abortion and his lengthy career on the bench. But that all changed Thursday after hearing from Christine Blasey Ford, who detailed accusations that Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed and tried to remove her clothes at a party when they were both teens." So begins the distancing. More "I supported him before I knew…" statements to come soon.

"Several Trump administration appointees in line for Rosenstein’s role overseeing Mueller’s probe come with their own baggage, from direct involvement in the probe to recent work at law firms with clients mired in the investigation."

"'I have been actively involved in Trump’s election campaign, and am part of the group on strategy development,' Kukes wrote in the email to Vyacheslav Pavlovsky, vice president of the state-owned Russian Railways and a former Russian ambassador to Norway. 'I will be in Switzerland July 20th till August 2nd. Let me know how you are doing, and whether you want to meet.'" Sure a lot of Russians around here. I'm sure there's a perfectly legit reason for this. "'To me this reads like an email exchange between a source and a handler, or a source and headquarters,' said Lindsay Moran, a former CIA officer, to whom NBC News showed the emails." (Grokked from Xeni Jardin)

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