Alligator DefCon1.
"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it doesn’t know what’s causing a sudden rise in cases of a frightening, polio-like condition that leaves children paralyzed or with weakened limbs… However, doctors who have been studying children affected by acute flaccid myelitis say they have gathered a growing body of evidence that EV-D68 is the main cause, and that the virus may have changed in recent years in ways that make the paralyzing side-effects more likely." On evolution, infectious diseases, and how science in medicine is truly practiced.
The unmaking of the American Dream. It wasn't by accident. "In this persuasive and richly detailed history, Hyman traces a decades-long campaign to eliminate salaried positions and replace them with contract work. Between the emergence of the first temp agencies in the 1940s and the growing power of management consultants in the ’70s, American business adopted a new set of principles and began to squeeze not just blue-collar workers but also middle managers and top executives. The unmaking of the good job, Hyman argues, followed not from technological advances but from an organizational breakthrough, as executives at companies like Manpower Inc. and McKinsey & Co. convinced businesses to add and shed staff at a moment’s notice, with little regard for their employees’ well-being or the effects on society." What's worse is the pervasive belief that worker want it this way. I've met very few who want it this way. I've met more who are just happy to have work (temporary or not). But given the option of stable, secure, steady employment over uncertainty I think I can state categorically that over 80% of the work force would want that. Note, there are those who want just part-time, and while it's difficult for me to grokked that, I can accept that as a life choice (usually they're the second income in the family). Hells, I work PRN at the hospital (because I like working at the hospital, it keeps the investment I made in my education up to date, and somehow I now make more at the day things which wasn't true when I started). I wish the hospital paid better and had better health insurance (most people are incredulous at this, but those who work in healthcare typically have crappy health insurance that pays almost nothing and has high deductibles). (Grokked from Kameron Hurley)
"U.S. consumer spending rose for a seventh straight month in September, but income recorded its smallest gain in more than a year amid moderate wage growth, suggesting the current pace of spending was unlikely to be sustained."
"Germany's Angela Merkel has said she will step down as chancellor in 2021, following recent election setbacks." And freedom takes another body blow.
People say, "I you take away their guns, crazy people will just use something else." Well, this is what happens when they use something else. "A knife-wielding woman stabbed 14 children at a kindergarten in the Chinese city of Chongqing on Friday, according to police statements… CGTN reports that the suspect, a 39-year-old woman with the surname Liu, was taken into custody after she was restrained by the kindergarten's teachers and security guard." No child was killed.
"The suspect in Saturday’s mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue is a 46-year-old local man named Robert Bowers who posted virulent anti-Semitic messages on social media filled with slurs and conspiracy theories." (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
"In the wake of the mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue and a series of mail bombings addressed to prominent Democrats and CNN, President Donald Trump said Monday the 'great anger in our Country' is 'caused in part' by the 'Fake News Media.'" I remember someone emailing me about their support for the Tea Party back in 2010. The gist of the email was, "look at our videos, can you tell we're angry." Yes. Yes I could, and it's that anger that we're seeing today. Right-wing extremist anger and hate.
"McCallum asked (Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen) if agents would 'shoot back' if migrants were to shoot at them first… 'I will make it clear that we absolutely will not tolerate violence against Border Patrol in this situation,' she said. 'I will not tolerate Mexicans or anybody else acting in a violent way towards our men and women on the border.'" This is what's known as "pre-seeding" a story. If border patrol shoot at the caravan (or anyone attempting to cross the border, and note the last caravan came to the border control point and surrendered) obviously they were just protecting themselves. (Grokked from Kathryn Cramer)
"Some voters in Texas are reporting that some voting machines are erroneously changing straight-party selections on their ballots to include a candidate from the opposite party of their selection or not selecting a candidate at all on a section for the state's U.S. Senate race." And then there's this part, "A spokesman for the Texas secretary of state told ABC 13 that the problem is caused by 'user error,' and indicated that the election machine vendor could upgrade systems to fix the problem while stating that Texas has not directed the vendor to do so." Um, if the vendor can update to fix the problem, that's not a "user error." "'We've heard from voters over a number of elections about this,' Oldham told the news station. Yeah, then maybe you ought to call that vendor and upgrade the goddamn system. (Grokked from Kathryn Cramer)
No comments:
Post a Comment