The Founder's Bible by the liar David Barton. No, not the Jeffersonian Bible, which was a real thing. Nor the Bibles used by any of the actual Founding Fathers, but the book that retrofits US history, retells some very discredited lies, and makes logic jumps that would make Evel Knievel jealous, to tell a story about Christianity being the founding principle of the US. (Grokked from Jim Wright)
The "crazy pants liars" post all the kids are talking about. (Grokked from many people)
Sure, there's no war on women. The representatives of the GOP think that if a woman exposes a nipple, say to breast feed her child, any guy around should be able to both ogle and or grab at it themselves. You just can't make this shit up. I guess what I'm wondering is if this bill (which supposedly does protect breast feeding) actually demands women wear padded bras. Cause at least in my life I've seen a lot of nipples, not all of which have been bared on purpose. Also, I have man nipples, does that mean I need to wear two undershirts? (Grokked from Jim Wright)
"So California's utilities want to pay new solar customers less for their extra electricity and to add new monthly fees." It's not exactly only about solar. Here in Ohio our utilities want to add fees to help pay off our nuclear power plants and some coal fired plants they built 10-20 years ago which haven't made money.
You know how Iran was just using the agreement negotiated with the Obama Administration to just fool the West? Like how they're moving quickly to transfer their stocks of enriched Uranium to Russia so they can… uh, something something something mushroom clouds over Tel Aviv and New York. A nuclear program is very expensive, and it doesn't really give them any more advantage than they have now (that their arch enemy was taken out by the US) and would make them a much larger target.
To be fair to Jeb!, the police did shoot a lot of black men last year. It's easy to get confused about them, especially when you really don't care.
"The Bundy family of Nevada joined with hard-core militiamen Saturday to take over the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, vowing to occupy the remote federal outpost 50 miles southeast of Burns for years." This will not end well. They say this is all about upholding the Constitution, but that's just so much crap. See, they think they won at the Bundy Ranch, and now, drunk on power, they're expanding their stupidity. At best they will all end up in jail. They think they're starting the Revolution, and my guess is they will see exactly what happens to "revolutionaries" in a Constitutional Democracy. (Grokked from Robert J Bennett)
No ABC News, armed separatists occupying a federal building (no matter how small) is not a "peaceful protest." Or, as Genevieve Valentine tweeted "Want media coverage of your armed takeover of a government building to be smoothly sanded-down? Try Whiteness(tm)!" (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)
The people are looking for martyrdom. Although it's interesting that there were unable to recruit even the father and son who this protest is nominally about to join their cause. Although I guess they do have copies of the Constitution with them in there. Maybe with the extra time they'll actually read it. (Grokked from CC Findlay)
"Seventy-three percent of whites said they get angry at least once per day, compared with 66 percent of Hispanics and 56 percent of blacks… Republicans are angrier than Democrats. Sixty-one percent of Republicans say current events irk them more today than a year ago, compared to 42 percent of Democrats." It's almost like there was a supposed news outlet dedicated to making people upset. A news outlet that was mostly watched by conservatives. I mean, that might explain it. Or maybe "Overall, 52 percent of the country said the idea of the 'American dream' no longer holds true. The group most pessimistic about the thought that anyone in the country can work hard to get ahead is Americans between 45 and 64 who are thinking about retirement… Very rich Americans earning household incomes above $150,000 were the least angry income bracket. The poorest Americans earning less than $15,000 were the most angry." So basically, the people who uphold the "bootstrap" theory of success are now getting pissed because they're finding out that it was a lie all along. However, since the framing is skewed, they just think it's the opposition which is holding them back. Or that other people are "taking their country away from them." But unfortunately they didn't ask just what made them angry. (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)
Tweet of my heart: @namirari #WhitePrivilige means no going to sleep tonight wondering if there'll be a spike in hate crimes against people who look like Bundy tomorrow.
Sunday, January 3, 2016
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Linkee-poo rings out the old
Let's hope the New Year treats us better than the last year.
So, the Cleveland Grand Jury listened to the prosecutor's opening statement and declined to indict either police officer involved in the Tamir Rice shooting. Remember that the Justice Department also already found the Cleveland PD has used force unjustifiably, and is under a court order to retrain and have a monitor. This was all from incidents prior to Tamir (but the findings came after his shooting). There have been various findings of corruption within the department. One of the officers was nearly fired from an earlier position because the Independence PD felt he was unstable and unfit for duty. The other officer has been brought up on charges before. Once the video came out, it disproved the officers official reports. It pretty much shows the police acting as cowboys and inciting events that lead to no other option than the killing of Tamir Rice. This is heartbreaking, but being heartbroken changes nothing.
Spent some time the other night arguing with a racist on twitter. Spent way too much time at work arguing with them there as well. So far nothing hasn't changed.
Using this as an example of what I do post and what I don't.
Tobias Buckell on when to trunk a story. Well, actually he talks more about finding your own process which then will help you determine when to trunk a story.
More on the Wheaton College professor. "Indeed, much of what drives Western Christianity’s close mindedness—even in many seminaries—is fear. Fear that if we get it wrong God will condemn us to hell." Well, in my experience, it's mostly "what will the neighbors say" that they fear the most. "And good religion, like Jesus—who upset the politics of religious respectability of his day—is not doctrinaire. It’s humble. It’s always repenting, always learning and always growing. Too, good religion is an ongoing discussion that includes and welcomes different voices." Yes, that. (Grokked form the Slactivist)
"A bill being introduced in the (NY) City Council Monday would require all employers to put contracts in writing, impose civil and criminal penalties for taking longer than 30 days to deliver payments, and award double damages plus attorneys fees to contractors who’ve been stiffed — similar to the protections now enjoyed by regular employees." Oh hell yes. Part of the problem is the final paragraph, which ends on a codependent "explainer away" mood. "'It’s not like a fat cat with a cigar in his mouth,' Meyer says, of the companies she’s found have been slow to cut checks. 'A lot of it is part of institutional infrastructure that was built in a different era, and doesn’t have the kind of provisions for the kind of work that we do.'" Nope, those companies have updated their business infrastructure to integrate freelancer doing the work, but somehow forgot to update their payment systems to include vendors? Bullshit. (Grokked from John Scalzi)
And what should come as no real surprise, Americans believe religious liberties should be "for people like them" and not for other groups. Dear fellow Americans, rights and liberty don't work that way.
Moro Rubio intercedes with a state licensing board to help his brother-in-law. "'(Marco Rubio) believed Orlando should be judged on his own merits and felt it would be highly inappropriate, and could be perceived as exerting undue pressure, if his letter stated that Orlando was a relative,' (a spokesperson) continued." Uh, yea, about that. See, there's this thing called "conflict of interest" that is usually very important… both in making decisions and disclosing to those making those decisions.
So, the Cleveland Grand Jury listened to the prosecutor's opening statement and declined to indict either police officer involved in the Tamir Rice shooting. Remember that the Justice Department also already found the Cleveland PD has used force unjustifiably, and is under a court order to retrain and have a monitor. This was all from incidents prior to Tamir (but the findings came after his shooting). There have been various findings of corruption within the department. One of the officers was nearly fired from an earlier position because the Independence PD felt he was unstable and unfit for duty. The other officer has been brought up on charges before. Once the video came out, it disproved the officers official reports. It pretty much shows the police acting as cowboys and inciting events that lead to no other option than the killing of Tamir Rice. This is heartbreaking, but being heartbroken changes nothing.
Spent some time the other night arguing with a racist on twitter. Spent way too much time at work arguing with them there as well. So far nothing hasn't changed.
Using this as an example of what I do post and what I don't.
Tobias Buckell on when to trunk a story. Well, actually he talks more about finding your own process which then will help you determine when to trunk a story.
More on the Wheaton College professor. "Indeed, much of what drives Western Christianity’s close mindedness—even in many seminaries—is fear. Fear that if we get it wrong God will condemn us to hell." Well, in my experience, it's mostly "what will the neighbors say" that they fear the most. "And good religion, like Jesus—who upset the politics of religious respectability of his day—is not doctrinaire. It’s humble. It’s always repenting, always learning and always growing. Too, good religion is an ongoing discussion that includes and welcomes different voices." Yes, that. (Grokked form the Slactivist)
"A bill being introduced in the (NY) City Council Monday would require all employers to put contracts in writing, impose civil and criminal penalties for taking longer than 30 days to deliver payments, and award double damages plus attorneys fees to contractors who’ve been stiffed — similar to the protections now enjoyed by regular employees." Oh hell yes. Part of the problem is the final paragraph, which ends on a codependent "explainer away" mood. "'It’s not like a fat cat with a cigar in his mouth,' Meyer says, of the companies she’s found have been slow to cut checks. 'A lot of it is part of institutional infrastructure that was built in a different era, and doesn’t have the kind of provisions for the kind of work that we do.'" Nope, those companies have updated their business infrastructure to integrate freelancer doing the work, but somehow forgot to update their payment systems to include vendors? Bullshit. (Grokked from John Scalzi)
And what should come as no real surprise, Americans believe religious liberties should be "for people like them" and not for other groups. Dear fellow Americans, rights and liberty don't work that way.
Moro Rubio intercedes with a state licensing board to help his brother-in-law. "'(Marco Rubio) believed Orlando should be judged on his own merits and felt it would be highly inappropriate, and could be perceived as exerting undue pressure, if his letter stated that Orlando was a relative,' (a spokesperson) continued." Uh, yea, about that. See, there's this thing called "conflict of interest" that is usually very important… both in making decisions and disclosing to those making those decisions.
Monday, December 28, 2015
Linkee-poo wants to know what to do with these four calling birds
On Xmas eve, an altercation in a Charlotte Mall leads to gunfire. Because having an armed populace is a good idea, or something.
How Rudolph became the last reindeer added to Santa's sleigh.
The monsters of Xmas. The Yule celebration got way back, and not all of the harbingers of the time were nice. (Grokked form Emma Audsley)
On a related note, Fred Clark talks about why firing copy-editors is a bad idea. Because it leads to stenography reporting and Ministry of Truth styles of copy.
Gustave Doré's etchings for Dante's Inferno. Doré is a frickin' genius and a master of etching. This is the work of one master, interpreting another master. (Grokked from Neil Gaiman)
"'If it is continuous it would be the longest track (December) tornado on record here in the mid-South,' the Memphis office of the weather service said."
Remember the link that discussed is Christians and Muslims worship the same god? And how I said to deny that they do would mean that we deny the children of Abraham (and the first conscious and deliberate covenant with God)? Well, here's one that takes up that argument and finishes with the statement "Neither Judaism nor Islam embraces any of these (basically 1, that Jesus is the Son of God and divine in his own right), so there is good reason to say they are not the same." And another one which argues that Christians are commanded to know God through the Christ, and that without acknowledging the Christ one cannot know God, ipso facto with accepting Jesus as Christ, the other two Abrahamic religions are now in heresy. Again, I find it amazing that Christians can accept the Trinity (well, many of them really don't understand a Triune Divinity, but that's my own unscientific polling, also the Triune appearance of a God is a very old concept) but reject that God could be more or appear differently to different people. Also, the arguments they are putting forward are the same theological argumentation used to justify atrocities committed by (nominally) Christians. (Grokked from the Slactivist)
Marco Rubio doesn't quite realize we already have laws against owning, building, selling, and setting off bombs in this country. I'm sure he'll turn it into and argument of "and you see how well those work." (Grokked from the Slactivist)
Digby on the problem in the Democratic Party. Yup. I think I've said this before, but being a local candidate I got squat in support from the party. Hell, it took me to my second election before I was even acknowledged by the local party leaders. It might have been something to do with not totting the party line, as I disagreed with some of the candidates they put forward (on the country level), but it has more to do with a large disregard for local elections. That is a way to kill a party. (Grokked from Will Wheaton)
The human race; strong, proud, vulnerable, horrible, heroic, and everything else in-between. From the better angels of our nature to the hidden faces of the demons that haunt us. (Grokked from Janiece)
"… the Americans who were held hostage at the U.S. Embassy in Iran and/or their families will receive financial compensation for their ordeal, because of a little-noticed part of a budget bill passed last week by Congress." Well that only took 36 years.
The environmental disaster you haven't heard about. "It’s worth noting that the type of gas involved in this leak is part of what makes it so sinister. Methane, the main component of natural gas, is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide when it comes to climate change impact." And why haven't you heard about it? Because of our crumbling infrastructure, while this is a particularly large leak from a natural reservoir, it's not uncommon to have methane leaks. (Grokked from John Scalzi)
How Rudolph became the last reindeer added to Santa's sleigh.
The monsters of Xmas. The Yule celebration got way back, and not all of the harbingers of the time were nice. (Grokked form Emma Audsley)
On a related note, Fred Clark talks about why firing copy-editors is a bad idea. Because it leads to stenography reporting and Ministry of Truth styles of copy.
Gustave Doré's etchings for Dante's Inferno. Doré is a frickin' genius and a master of etching. This is the work of one master, interpreting another master. (Grokked from Neil Gaiman)
"'If it is continuous it would be the longest track (December) tornado on record here in the mid-South,' the Memphis office of the weather service said."
Remember the link that discussed is Christians and Muslims worship the same god? And how I said to deny that they do would mean that we deny the children of Abraham (and the first conscious and deliberate covenant with God)? Well, here's one that takes up that argument and finishes with the statement "Neither Judaism nor Islam embraces any of these (basically 1, that Jesus is the Son of God and divine in his own right), so there is good reason to say they are not the same." And another one which argues that Christians are commanded to know God through the Christ, and that without acknowledging the Christ one cannot know God, ipso facto with accepting Jesus as Christ, the other two Abrahamic religions are now in heresy. Again, I find it amazing that Christians can accept the Trinity (well, many of them really don't understand a Triune Divinity, but that's my own unscientific polling, also the Triune appearance of a God is a very old concept) but reject that God could be more or appear differently to different people. Also, the arguments they are putting forward are the same theological argumentation used to justify atrocities committed by (nominally) Christians. (Grokked from the Slactivist)
Marco Rubio doesn't quite realize we already have laws against owning, building, selling, and setting off bombs in this country. I'm sure he'll turn it into and argument of "and you see how well those work." (Grokked from the Slactivist)
Digby on the problem in the Democratic Party. Yup. I think I've said this before, but being a local candidate I got squat in support from the party. Hell, it took me to my second election before I was even acknowledged by the local party leaders. It might have been something to do with not totting the party line, as I disagreed with some of the candidates they put forward (on the country level), but it has more to do with a large disregard for local elections. That is a way to kill a party. (Grokked from Will Wheaton)
The human race; strong, proud, vulnerable, horrible, heroic, and everything else in-between. From the better angels of our nature to the hidden faces of the demons that haunt us. (Grokked from Janiece)
"… the Americans who were held hostage at the U.S. Embassy in Iran and/or their families will receive financial compensation for their ordeal, because of a little-noticed part of a budget bill passed last week by Congress." Well that only took 36 years.
The environmental disaster you haven't heard about. "It’s worth noting that the type of gas involved in this leak is part of what makes it so sinister. Methane, the main component of natural gas, is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide when it comes to climate change impact." And why haven't you heard about it? Because of our crumbling infrastructure, while this is a particularly large leak from a natural reservoir, it's not uncommon to have methane leaks. (Grokked from John Scalzi)
Thursday, December 24, 2015
Wishing you a Happy Xmas
It's been a while since I've posted my decorating. Here is this year's decorations. Wishing you a Happy Xmas, and may we all have a better year in the New Year.
Linkee-poo, a time for man and beast to stand and feel the seasons turn to watch the stars for secret signs and God's true lessons learn
Why for profit school meals are a bad idea. "A cafeteria worker in an Idaho middle school said she was fired for giving a free meal to a student who told her she was hungry and didn't have money to pay for it, The Idaho Statesman reported Wednesday." To be fair, she had been warned earlier for not charging a student for a cookie.
A town in Wales proposes to offshore to avoid UK taxes. Not so much because they want to avoid paying their taxes to the UK, but to force Parliament to act to prevent companies from offshoring to avoid paying their fair share. Wonder if that could work here.
Space-X sticks the landing. While Blue Horizons claimed victory, this is the first actual space shot to land it's first stage safely.
Hey, remember when we thought we had finally made the fashion industry face it's obsession with sickly-skinny models? Apparently the work is not over.
The scourge of balance billing. Tell me again why we shouldn't have a single-payor system?
Stephen Colbert says there is something to admire about the Trumpsters populism. Mostly because it shows that democracy works, and it's screwing up the republican party establishment.
In Texas, it's a battle of Nativity scenes. The Gov requests removal of a Founding Fathers nativity from the state capitol, and "Fearing a legal battle, the City of Orange removed its nativity scene after an atheist group requested a 'happy holidays' sign be hung next to it."
The GOP is starting to come to terms with the Stars and Bars. "'The problem with the Confederate flag isn't the Confederacy, the problem with the Confederate flag is what it began to represent later,' (Jeb!) Bush said while on a campaign stop. 'And that's what we have to avoid to heal those wounds.'" This is the "okay, global warming may be happening, but it's not human caused" stage, which the GOP arrived at about a decade after science proved it was caused by human activity. No, former Gov. Bush, we've already shown it was a racist symbol, intentionally designed that way, and it stood for the continuation of slavery. In another ten years we may get them to realize it was always about slavery, but they'll say, "what can we do about it now?"
Dr. Carson realizes that people don't think he's tough enough (or savvy enough) to be Commander-In-Chief. So he's going to fire some people. Because that's what stands in for "tough leadership" in the GOP. Also, he's going to talk about how to deal with ISIS in Libya. And then he changes his mind (re: "clarifies his statement") to say no he's not. And then he says he'll be changing things up. "Still, the retired neurosurgeon did not deny that some leadership changes may still be in the works, telling Politico that he may add new faces to his senior leadership team and shift staffers’ roles."
Rand Paul, without a sense of (ironic) entitlement, says he won't participate in a second-tier debate.
A town in Wales proposes to offshore to avoid UK taxes. Not so much because they want to avoid paying their taxes to the UK, but to force Parliament to act to prevent companies from offshoring to avoid paying their fair share. Wonder if that could work here.
Space-X sticks the landing. While Blue Horizons claimed victory, this is the first actual space shot to land it's first stage safely.
Hey, remember when we thought we had finally made the fashion industry face it's obsession with sickly-skinny models? Apparently the work is not over.
The scourge of balance billing. Tell me again why we shouldn't have a single-payor system?
Stephen Colbert says there is something to admire about the Trumpsters populism. Mostly because it shows that democracy works, and it's screwing up the republican party establishment.
In Texas, it's a battle of Nativity scenes. The Gov requests removal of a Founding Fathers nativity from the state capitol, and "Fearing a legal battle, the City of Orange removed its nativity scene after an atheist group requested a 'happy holidays' sign be hung next to it."
The GOP is starting to come to terms with the Stars and Bars. "'The problem with the Confederate flag isn't the Confederacy, the problem with the Confederate flag is what it began to represent later,' (Jeb!) Bush said while on a campaign stop. 'And that's what we have to avoid to heal those wounds.'" This is the "okay, global warming may be happening, but it's not human caused" stage, which the GOP arrived at about a decade after science proved it was caused by human activity. No, former Gov. Bush, we've already shown it was a racist symbol, intentionally designed that way, and it stood for the continuation of slavery. In another ten years we may get them to realize it was always about slavery, but they'll say, "what can we do about it now?"
Dr. Carson realizes that people don't think he's tough enough (or savvy enough) to be Commander-In-Chief. So he's going to fire some people. Because that's what stands in for "tough leadership" in the GOP. Also, he's going to talk about how to deal with ISIS in Libya. And then he changes his mind (re: "clarifies his statement") to say no he's not. And then he says he'll be changing things up. "Still, the retired neurosurgeon did not deny that some leadership changes may still be in the works, telling Politico that he may add new faces to his senior leadership team and shift staffers’ roles."
Rand Paul, without a sense of (ironic) entitlement, says he won't participate in a second-tier debate.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Linke-poo, fa la la la la
An advice letter on being a script writer. (Grokked form CC Findley)
"Television's yule log has been part of American Christmases for almost 50 years. A lot of kids have opened their presents in front of that image of a roaring fire accompanied by 1960s versions of classic carols." The history of broadcasting a fireplace on TVs. Also, why sometimes the things that lose money are necessary for profit to happen.
The powerful waves of Lake Erie. Yea, I also like the lake when it's throwing up a storm like that. (Grokked from Janiece)
Heart-shaped (lead) boxes and the practice of heart burial. (Grokked from Alex Renwwick)
NPR fact checks the claim that Barack Obama precipitous withdrawal from Iraq led to the formation of ISIS.
"Dallas cops put Armaan Singh Sarai in jail for three days because someone mistook the solar panel on his phone-charging backpack for a bomb." Texas, you've got a fucking problem. I guess this one is only going to be cured when these kids sue the ever-loving snot out of your tax dollars. (Grokked from many people)
So, I guess in the craziness we now need to discuss, do Muslims and Christians worship the same god? If you want to accept the notion that to know the Father you need to know the Son (in the Christian concept of the Trinity) and therefore deny that Muslims do not have the same God, then you must also say Jews do not worship the same God as Christians. Which is fundamentally an idiotic notion. If God can be the Trinity, why can't God express itself in more than one way? If the God of Abraham is not the God of Christians, than theologically there's a lot of explaining to do.
So, just who are the evangelicals and just how many of them are there?
And then there were thirteen. "Even in his home state of South Carolina, where he had briefly led earlier this year, Graham has fallen down into the low single digits." (Grokked from Lizz Winstead)
See, Jeb! is just where he wants to be. Not like his campaign is in trouble or anything.
"'Donald Trump is going to ring in the new year with us and you're going to hear from a bunch more of the 2016 contenders,' (Fox News host Eric) Bolling said." Finally, a holiday special to rival the Star Wars' Life Day Special. I wonder if the DNC will file a "fair access" complaint? And in other Eric Bolling news, he apparently believes that Democrats are as conniving as Republications.Sure, he only thinks that Chelsea Clinton timed her second pregnancy to help her mother's chances of getting into the White House, but only the treacherous expect treachery. Seriously, 1) way to objectify women as only opportunistic wombs, 2) I'm surprised he didn't bring up the possibility that she only refused to get an abortion to help her mother. Waste of human flesh is Eric Bolling.
"'Wisconsin does not have a death penalty law, but with significant practice and careful aim, law-abiding citizens can help clean our society of these scumbags,' (Wisconsin state (R) Rep. Bob) Gannon reportedly said in the statement. 'Criminals no longer have any fear of our courts or our prisons, so it’s time that the citizens of this fine state stand up and fight back.'" Something in me wants to holler, "Hell, yea, they should all march on the State House and rid us of these scumbag officials who think vigilantism is an acceptable course of action." But I wouldn't do that. And in other Wisconsin news, local mayor hasn't gotten the memo that President Obama isn't a muslim. Oh, he's in his fifth term.
"Television's yule log has been part of American Christmases for almost 50 years. A lot of kids have opened their presents in front of that image of a roaring fire accompanied by 1960s versions of classic carols." The history of broadcasting a fireplace on TVs. Also, why sometimes the things that lose money are necessary for profit to happen.
The powerful waves of Lake Erie. Yea, I also like the lake when it's throwing up a storm like that. (Grokked from Janiece)
Heart-shaped (lead) boxes and the practice of heart burial. (Grokked from Alex Renwwick)
NPR fact checks the claim that Barack Obama precipitous withdrawal from Iraq led to the formation of ISIS.
"Dallas cops put Armaan Singh Sarai in jail for three days because someone mistook the solar panel on his phone-charging backpack for a bomb." Texas, you've got a fucking problem. I guess this one is only going to be cured when these kids sue the ever-loving snot out of your tax dollars. (Grokked from many people)
So, I guess in the craziness we now need to discuss, do Muslims and Christians worship the same god? If you want to accept the notion that to know the Father you need to know the Son (in the Christian concept of the Trinity) and therefore deny that Muslims do not have the same God, then you must also say Jews do not worship the same God as Christians. Which is fundamentally an idiotic notion. If God can be the Trinity, why can't God express itself in more than one way? If the God of Abraham is not the God of Christians, than theologically there's a lot of explaining to do.
So, just who are the evangelicals and just how many of them are there?
And then there were thirteen. "Even in his home state of South Carolina, where he had briefly led earlier this year, Graham has fallen down into the low single digits." (Grokked from Lizz Winstead)
See, Jeb! is just where he wants to be. Not like his campaign is in trouble or anything.
"'Donald Trump is going to ring in the new year with us and you're going to hear from a bunch more of the 2016 contenders,' (Fox News host Eric) Bolling said." Finally, a holiday special to rival the Star Wars' Life Day Special. I wonder if the DNC will file a "fair access" complaint? And in other Eric Bolling news, he apparently believes that Democrats are as conniving as Republications.Sure, he only thinks that Chelsea Clinton timed her second pregnancy to help her mother's chances of getting into the White House, but only the treacherous expect treachery. Seriously, 1) way to objectify women as only opportunistic wombs, 2) I'm surprised he didn't bring up the possibility that she only refused to get an abortion to help her mother. Waste of human flesh is Eric Bolling.
"'Wisconsin does not have a death penalty law, but with significant practice and careful aim, law-abiding citizens can help clean our society of these scumbags,' (Wisconsin state (R) Rep. Bob) Gannon reportedly said in the statement. 'Criminals no longer have any fear of our courts or our prisons, so it’s time that the citizens of this fine state stand up and fight back.'" Something in me wants to holler, "Hell, yea, they should all march on the State House and rid us of these scumbag officials who think vigilantism is an acceptable course of action." But I wouldn't do that. And in other Wisconsin news, local mayor hasn't gotten the memo that President Obama isn't a muslim. Oh, he's in his fifth term.
Friday, December 18, 2015
Linkee-poo, Christmas in paradise under the Cow Key Bridge
Tobias Buckell on how to find focus to write. Pointed to here so I can finish reading it over the weekend. Ironic, but true.
They have always fought. Photo of "Women from India, Japan, and Syria who completed their education as physicians in Philadelphia, 1885" (Grokked from Annalee Flower Horne)
The world's largest billboard designed in MS Paint. O. M. G. That thing is hideous, and not the kind of hideous that turns it around to make it somewhat adorable. This is one of those times that the phrase, "My kid could do better than that" is actually apropos. (Grokked form Dan)
The Magdala Stone which may have been an early altar stone. Some interesting cultural information in there and some good world building material. Except for the recurring "Jesus may have been there" angle, which is mostly done to pique the interest of Western Culture (and really, in this context, is nothing more than a red herring which, IMHO, does not add anything to the story).
"While the autonomous vehicles aren't at fault in these crashes, their relative unpredictability on the road are nonetheless leading to more accidents than expected." Meaning that because the engineers programed the cars to follow the law, the rest of us are hitting them, because we don't expect drivers to follow the law. Hell, my guess is mostly these accidents are from merging into traffic because nobody knows how to do it properly (from from the continuous traffic and the person trying to merge). But what is really the question here is don't these engineers drive? Shouldn't they know this? (Grokked from Dan)
"A central Virginia school district has cancelled classes Friday after concerns over the 'tone and content' of calls and emails received about a lesson in Arabic calligraphy." Look, Arabic calligraphy is fucking amazing. No, really, there are things you can do with it that you can't do with most other written languages. It is beautiful, and the masters of the craft are jaw-dropping awe-inspiring. As a professional designer, it's just amazing what can be done with it. So it is a legitimate subject of study, especially for a class exploring the world's cultures. But people are just freaking the fuck out over anything that has to do with the Middle East (or really anything not Western Culture derived).
"After the Paris terrorist attacks, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) wrote in a letter to President Obama that he would direct the state Department of Human Services to refuse to help with the resettlement of Syrian refugees… Christie never issued an order to the Department of Human services beyond his letter to the President." I would say that that is because he just said it to appear "tough" and he's smart enough to realize he has practically zero influence on where refugees are settled. But it's because that's not his style of hit. See, Christie is used to just saying, "It would be nice to get back at the asshole mayor" in a meeting and have his flunkies do the dirty work for him.
At least he's a leader. Let that be your final battlefield.
The Sanders campaign manager explains they only accessed and copied the data to prove that the DNC voter files were breached. Uh, yea, Bob. Hey, there's this thing called a "phone" which one would have thought to pick up and say, "OMFG, the voter data files have been breached, this needs to be fixed." Instead of "'want(ing) to document and understand the scope of the problem so that we could report it accurately'" so keeping quiet and letting the voter records remain open to hacking.
They have always fought. Photo of "Women from India, Japan, and Syria who completed their education as physicians in Philadelphia, 1885" (Grokked from Annalee Flower Horne)
The world's largest billboard designed in MS Paint. O. M. G. That thing is hideous, and not the kind of hideous that turns it around to make it somewhat adorable. This is one of those times that the phrase, "My kid could do better than that" is actually apropos. (Grokked form Dan)
The Magdala Stone which may have been an early altar stone. Some interesting cultural information in there and some good world building material. Except for the recurring "Jesus may have been there" angle, which is mostly done to pique the interest of Western Culture (and really, in this context, is nothing more than a red herring which, IMHO, does not add anything to the story).
"While the autonomous vehicles aren't at fault in these crashes, their relative unpredictability on the road are nonetheless leading to more accidents than expected." Meaning that because the engineers programed the cars to follow the law, the rest of us are hitting them, because we don't expect drivers to follow the law. Hell, my guess is mostly these accidents are from merging into traffic because nobody knows how to do it properly (from from the continuous traffic and the person trying to merge). But what is really the question here is don't these engineers drive? Shouldn't they know this? (Grokked from Dan)
"A central Virginia school district has cancelled classes Friday after concerns over the 'tone and content' of calls and emails received about a lesson in Arabic calligraphy." Look, Arabic calligraphy is fucking amazing. No, really, there are things you can do with it that you can't do with most other written languages. It is beautiful, and the masters of the craft are jaw-dropping awe-inspiring. As a professional designer, it's just amazing what can be done with it. So it is a legitimate subject of study, especially for a class exploring the world's cultures. But people are just freaking the fuck out over anything that has to do with the Middle East (or really anything not Western Culture derived).
"After the Paris terrorist attacks, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) wrote in a letter to President Obama that he would direct the state Department of Human Services to refuse to help with the resettlement of Syrian refugees… Christie never issued an order to the Department of Human services beyond his letter to the President." I would say that that is because he just said it to appear "tough" and he's smart enough to realize he has practically zero influence on where refugees are settled. But it's because that's not his style of hit. See, Christie is used to just saying, "It would be nice to get back at the asshole mayor" in a meeting and have his flunkies do the dirty work for him.
At least he's a leader. Let that be your final battlefield.
The Sanders campaign manager explains they only accessed and copied the data to prove that the DNC voter files were breached. Uh, yea, Bob. Hey, there's this thing called a "phone" which one would have thought to pick up and say, "OMFG, the voter data files have been breached, this needs to be fixed." Instead of "'want(ing) to document and understand the scope of the problem so that we could report it accurately'" so keeping quiet and letting the voter records remain open to hacking.
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing
I haven't been doing much Xmas music posting this year, sorry. But here's one I haven't heard in years. Not exactly a standard in the pop-music cycles.
Seems strange that when I hear it, I think it should be sung loudly and with joyous voices. Seems strange for someone who left the church long ago, but I think it's because this song speaks to the part of Christianity I love. Not the "Onward Christian Soldiers" drumbeat, but the quiet grace and joy of the message.
Seems strange that when I hear it, I think it should be sung loudly and with joyous voices. Seems strange for someone who left the church long ago, but I think it's because this song speaks to the part of Christianity I love. Not the "Onward Christian Soldiers" drumbeat, but the quiet grace and joy of the message.
Linkee-poo's name is Frances Tolliver, I come from Liverpool
Just a note here about future posting, since we're approaching the holidays there are plenty of times I will be very far away from a computer or internet connection, or note really in a place to read much, so things may be a little space here until the new year. Until then, I wish you a happy holiday, a merry solstice, and that we al have a better new year than the last. Seriously, while many great things happened last year, and there was much to celebrate, too many of my friends had seriously bad crap happen to them.
So let's be joyous as the old year dies, and light the welcoming fires of the new year.
So you can make it through until your ticket time, Force Block. Also, Kathleen Kennedy, the woman behind the new Star Wars. Cue insecure fanboys lamenting in 3… 2… 1…
Neil Gaiman reads from Dickens' performance copy of a Christmas Carol.
Mega-successful author James Patterson awards $1.75 million in literary grants.
Amazon released an updated vision for their drone delivery service. Note, still a Cyber Monday stunt, but looking more like a real system. Again, energy density will be the issue. I doubt I'll ever see drone delivery in Orwell since the nearest Amazon distribution center is Columbus. Also, I have a lot of trees in my yard. Finally, now we'll hear complaints about drones dropping packages in puddles in the middle of people's lawns.
In an survey from Cards Against Humanity, the numbers are in. (Grokked from Dan)
NASA is looking for astronauts. Note that they're pretty picky.
And idea to turn the Eiffel Tower into a wind turbine. The plan would use a vertical axis turbine setup, not windmill blades (the vertical setup is more efficient and can generate electricity at lower wind speeds). Mmmm'okay. I could see that. (Grokked from John)
PBS Newshour on building a better battery.
Adjunct faculty, the low pay and long commute job you've always dreamed of. Except not. Must students are surprised when they find out just how little their professors make (and there are more and more colleges staffing up with adjuncts).
"A conversation between a father and son." About women, the male gaze, and societal expectation bullshit. "A woman, or any human being, should not have to dress to get your attention. You should give them the full attention they deserve simply because they are a fellow human being. On the other side, a woman should not have to feel like she needs to protect you from you. You need to be in control of you." (Grokked from Dan)
The UN sends human rights inspectors to a backward country to determine the state of women's rights in that country. What they found appalled them. There were high levels of violence against women, economic disadvantages, lack of reproductive rights, and discrimination. OF course, most women in the US accept these conditions and believe they have it better than other women. (Grokked from Mary Robinette Kowal)
The (Engineered) Food Industry. Driving your needs since 1970. There's this bit in Good Omens where Famine is a star in that world. Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett weren't far from the truth.
They still burn churches, don't they? (Grokked from Fred Clark)
"Ms.Habibi was hunted down for taking a selfie while wearing a Burqa." Also she's received so many death threats (after her images was posted on Facebook and local residents got the police involved) she feels she needs to leave Lima. Hey ho, way to go Ohio. (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)
So, whatever happened to those Citadel students with the hoods? "While temporarily suspended, the cadets have been allowed to take final exams. They will resume classes with the rest of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets on Jan. 13 as the administrative process proceeds."
Remember Martin Skelli? The guy who raised the price of a drug form $13.50 to $750? Turns out the company he was formerly the CEO of is slightly pissed with him and their civil suit brought about a criminal fraud investigation and he was arrested this morning. He won't spend much time in jail until he posts bond, but I believe this is (not exactly) instant karma. (Grokked from Dan)
"A tenured Wheaton College professor who, as part of her Christian Advent devotion, donned a traditional headscarf to show solidarity with Muslims has been placed on administrative leave." Well, I'm sure… okay, I've got nothing. "(T)he college said in a statement… 'As they participate in various causes, it is essential that faculty and staff engage in and speak about public issues in ways that faithfully represent the college's evangelical Statement of Faith.'" Apparently Wheaton College admin haven't actually read the Bible or learned the lessons of the New Testament. "Gene Green, a professor of the New Testament at Wheaton, said…'Dr. Hawkins and others want to follow the example of Jesus, who went to those who were discriminated against… He ate with people whom others rejected. Jesus calls us to love our neighbors, and the Muslims are our neighbors.'" Well, at least someone in the college has.
You know that conservative talking about about how the San Bernardino shooters were talking up jihad on social media and the Obama administration, it a fit of political correctness, didn't see the threat for what it was? Turns out that's complete bullshit. What it does highlight is just how completely ineffective the Patriot Act's expanded surveillance powers actually are at keeping us safe (but don't expect anyone in power to actually say that).
Now that the sausage is made, you can look at the ingredients. That's a list of the ornaments hung on the Xmas Tree called the Omnibus Spending Bill.
Politifact's score card on Donald Trump. Wow, now that's a skill. You really need to work to have 75 statements fact checked and score a zero for telling the truth. And only 8 listed as mostly or half true (a little more than 10%).(Grokked from Mary Robinette Kowal)
Dr. Ben Carson has a breakthrough, "'Republicans have this mental disorder that says, A person doesn’t agree with me 100 percent, I’m not with them, I’m going to go and sit down,' Carson said." And Dr. Carson is now out of the running (no he hasn't quit yet, but that kinda comment is going to kill his chances in the primary, "you're all deranged, now vote for me" doesn't work so well). Of course he then goes on to say “'You know, I believe that was a disease that was implanted by the Democrats,' he quipped." Dear Dr. Carson, this is a nosocomial infection. The left is not a vector for this kind of idiocy. In fact, that kind of thinking is a symptom of the disease. (Grokked from Jim Wright)
So let's be joyous as the old year dies, and light the welcoming fires of the new year.
So you can make it through until your ticket time, Force Block. Also, Kathleen Kennedy, the woman behind the new Star Wars. Cue insecure fanboys lamenting in 3… 2… 1…
Neil Gaiman reads from Dickens' performance copy of a Christmas Carol.
Mega-successful author James Patterson awards $1.75 million in literary grants.
Amazon released an updated vision for their drone delivery service. Note, still a Cyber Monday stunt, but looking more like a real system. Again, energy density will be the issue. I doubt I'll ever see drone delivery in Orwell since the nearest Amazon distribution center is Columbus. Also, I have a lot of trees in my yard. Finally, now we'll hear complaints about drones dropping packages in puddles in the middle of people's lawns.
In an survey from Cards Against Humanity, the numbers are in. (Grokked from Dan)
NASA is looking for astronauts. Note that they're pretty picky.
And idea to turn the Eiffel Tower into a wind turbine. The plan would use a vertical axis turbine setup, not windmill blades (the vertical setup is more efficient and can generate electricity at lower wind speeds). Mmmm'okay. I could see that. (Grokked from John)
PBS Newshour on building a better battery.
Adjunct faculty, the low pay and long commute job you've always dreamed of. Except not. Must students are surprised when they find out just how little their professors make (and there are more and more colleges staffing up with adjuncts).
"A conversation between a father and son." About women, the male gaze, and societal expectation bullshit. "A woman, or any human being, should not have to dress to get your attention. You should give them the full attention they deserve simply because they are a fellow human being. On the other side, a woman should not have to feel like she needs to protect you from you. You need to be in control of you." (Grokked from Dan)
The UN sends human rights inspectors to a backward country to determine the state of women's rights in that country. What they found appalled them. There were high levels of violence against women, economic disadvantages, lack of reproductive rights, and discrimination. OF course, most women in the US accept these conditions and believe they have it better than other women. (Grokked from Mary Robinette Kowal)
The (Engineered) Food Industry. Driving your needs since 1970. There's this bit in Good Omens where Famine is a star in that world. Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett weren't far from the truth.
They still burn churches, don't they? (Grokked from Fred Clark)
"Ms.Habibi was hunted down for taking a selfie while wearing a Burqa." Also she's received so many death threats (after her images was posted on Facebook and local residents got the police involved) she feels she needs to leave Lima. Hey ho, way to go Ohio. (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)
So, whatever happened to those Citadel students with the hoods? "While temporarily suspended, the cadets have been allowed to take final exams. They will resume classes with the rest of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets on Jan. 13 as the administrative process proceeds."
Remember Martin Skelli? The guy who raised the price of a drug form $13.50 to $750? Turns out the company he was formerly the CEO of is slightly pissed with him and their civil suit brought about a criminal fraud investigation and he was arrested this morning. He won't spend much time in jail until he posts bond, but I believe this is (not exactly) instant karma. (Grokked from Dan)
"A tenured Wheaton College professor who, as part of her Christian Advent devotion, donned a traditional headscarf to show solidarity with Muslims has been placed on administrative leave." Well, I'm sure… okay, I've got nothing. "(T)he college said in a statement… 'As they participate in various causes, it is essential that faculty and staff engage in and speak about public issues in ways that faithfully represent the college's evangelical Statement of Faith.'" Apparently Wheaton College admin haven't actually read the Bible or learned the lessons of the New Testament. "Gene Green, a professor of the New Testament at Wheaton, said…'Dr. Hawkins and others want to follow the example of Jesus, who went to those who were discriminated against… He ate with people whom others rejected. Jesus calls us to love our neighbors, and the Muslims are our neighbors.'" Well, at least someone in the college has.
You know that conservative talking about about how the San Bernardino shooters were talking up jihad on social media and the Obama administration, it a fit of political correctness, didn't see the threat for what it was? Turns out that's complete bullshit. What it does highlight is just how completely ineffective the Patriot Act's expanded surveillance powers actually are at keeping us safe (but don't expect anyone in power to actually say that).
Now that the sausage is made, you can look at the ingredients. That's a list of the ornaments hung on the Xmas Tree called the Omnibus Spending Bill.
Politifact's score card on Donald Trump. Wow, now that's a skill. You really need to work to have 75 statements fact checked and score a zero for telling the truth. And only 8 listed as mostly or half true (a little more than 10%).(Grokked from Mary Robinette Kowal)
Dr. Ben Carson has a breakthrough, "'Republicans have this mental disorder that says, A person doesn’t agree with me 100 percent, I’m not with them, I’m going to go and sit down,' Carson said." And Dr. Carson is now out of the running (no he hasn't quit yet, but that kinda comment is going to kill his chances in the primary, "you're all deranged, now vote for me" doesn't work so well). Of course he then goes on to say “'You know, I believe that was a disease that was implanted by the Democrats,' he quipped." Dear Dr. Carson, this is a nosocomial infection. The left is not a vector for this kind of idiocy. In fact, that kind of thinking is a symptom of the disease. (Grokked from Jim Wright)
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Linke-poo, hello my old hometown
The Mork and Mindy Show. I remember that show, and loved it. Watching Robin Williams was an education. Both his style, his manic energy, the way his mind skipped along the zeitgeist making connections. "And Robin kept up a busy schedule as well. He would play two, three, four comedy clubs every night,after putting in a full day of rehearsals. So everyone was sort of operating on fumes." Of course the drugs helped a lot. And Pam Dauber was so amazing in the way she matched the unmatchable. Also pointed to as an example of just how hard comedy is. (Grokked from someone, sorry)
Phil Plat let's us know what is really going on in NC. Turns out the solar project was really rejected because there was no benefit to the community (no tax revenue). Also he points out that NC is doing a lot in regards to solar installation (although in industrial sized installations, not so much on the point-source installations). Although, reading the original local news article, I'm still disappointed in the "retired Northampton science teacher" who talked about the solar farms blocking photosynthesis, and yes one resident did say it would soak up all the solar energy. (Grokked from John Scalzi)
"A Christian-run Kentucky homeless shelter, Emergency Christian Ministries, just wished homeless women and children a Merry Christmas by booting them back onto the streets, claiming that it decided to ban all women (and their children) in an attempt to stop the 'sex problem.'" I think they need to remove the "Christian-run" part from their description. (Grokked from John)
So, when Starbucks did their red cup and some people lost their minds over it, I saw other people say, "No way, we aren't that insane, this is all made up." Oh really? That's Congress passing a resolution to "'recognize the importance of the symbols and traditions of Christmas,' (and) 'strongly disapprove of attempts to ban references to Christmas.'" So, you're gonna have you Christmas if you want it or not, damnit, and you're gonna like it. I think they misheard John Lennon's "Happy Xmas" song. No no no, "War is over, if you want it." So, any of those Constitutionalists out there wanna standup and enumerate just how this violates the 1st Amendment in so many ways (and clauses there of). Note again the article on secularism I pointed to last time and just whom is being recriminated against (despite so much of the vapors on the opposite side).
NPR's Hidden Brain Podcast with the psychology of radicalization, how terrorist groups are attracting young followers.
The office holiday party and strategies to survive it. Basically, don't drink. As Admiral Ackbar says, "It's a trap!"
As another example of how the rhetoric of the right has consequences, a man is arrested for making threatening comments on a Fox Nation post about the Planned Parenthood sting video. In this case, he was threatening to kill employees of a biotech research film pointed out in the video as purchasing fetal tissue from PP. Now if only the FBI would start doing things about the constant threat level against women who comment on the internet. "Orton said it was intended to 'paint a mental picture with words. I’m a wordsmith. That’s what I do.'" Good job, Sparky. Also, never read the comments. (Grokked from TPM)
The AP fact checks last night's debate. They must have put in some serious overtime, because damn were there a lot of whoppers.
"'The problem for folks like Sen. Paul, they don’t realize we are already in World War III,' (Gov. Chris) Christie said on CBS This Morning."
Jeb! asks for a dollar on twitter. The responses are hilarious. (Grokked from Jim Wright)
In other Jeb! news. "In exchange for $25, Jeb (also known as Jeb!) promised to stop sending email for two weeks." Hahahahahaha. As Trevor Noah said on the Daily Show, his campaign is increasingly sounding like a Nigerian 401 Scam. The best part of that article? "Bush is so proud of his emails that he's currently selling an entire book filled with boring missives. 'I loved being the governor of Florida,' he wrote in the book's first chapter. 'My staff estimated I spent 30 hours a week answering emails.'" Um, didn't you have, like, other shit to do as governor? I imagine his staff running into the office, "I need to see the governor right away, we have an emergency." And his outer door secretary says, "Sorry, he started checking his inbox 2 hours ago." "Shit. We're all gonna die before he gets to the end of that."
You know, when your gun instructor fucks up by not remembering he has his actual weapon on his hip instead of the rubber firearm, that's not really a class you should be taking (or instructing).
Hey, remember when the Trumpster and his "investigators" found "something big in Hawaii" about President Obama? Now, he says, "I don’t talk about that anymore." This is not inconsistent with his personality.
"In a rare senatorial act, full-time Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio joined with a handful of fellow legislators on Friday in an attempt to block local municipalities from undercutting big telecom companies by providing cheap, fast internet service." Fuck you, Rubio. This is your conservatives in government. "Oh, you can't get a for-profit business to provide good service in your community, and you want your community to grow so you need a 21st century (well, really 1998 level for the rest of the world) electronic network infrastructure? Well screw you, you can't do it yourself. You need a 'market' solution." As someone who has fought this battle (and it took almost 8 years to be able to get crappy DSL service at my home), I thought Rubio was okay. Not anymore. Go home, Marco, you're drunk (on campaign contributions). (Grokked from John)
You know, when you're a conservative pundit and you can't get Charles Krauthammer to agree with your position that a candidate isn't as extreme as they appear you're in trouble. And memory to Bill O'Reilly, the Trumpster's supporters believe his rhetoric and accept he's going to do what he says he will do. That, at least to me, is the real problem (and why I think that Trump may actually win the nomination).
And in other Fox News, Sean Hannity gives up his humanity, rips off his outer skin to reveal the lizard face underneath. "'I'm not so sure if I agree with all the Geneva Conventions and whether or not other countries follow those rules…' Hannity said, suggesting that the U.S. should perhaps break the Geneva Conventions. 'But there's an executive order, I believe President Ford at the time that prohibits the assassination of foreign leaders. I think if we got an opportunity to take out an evil foreign leader, that we'd be wise to do so.'" The stupidity, it burns. And as pointed out elsewhere, the real problem is a lot of people agree with him.
Tweet of my heart: @cjwerleman You see how one terrorist shooting can radicalize Americans like Trump, but you can't see how 10,000+ US bombs might radicalize Muslims?
Phil Plat let's us know what is really going on in NC. Turns out the solar project was really rejected because there was no benefit to the community (no tax revenue). Also he points out that NC is doing a lot in regards to solar installation (although in industrial sized installations, not so much on the point-source installations). Although, reading the original local news article, I'm still disappointed in the "retired Northampton science teacher" who talked about the solar farms blocking photosynthesis, and yes one resident did say it would soak up all the solar energy. (Grokked from John Scalzi)
"A Christian-run Kentucky homeless shelter, Emergency Christian Ministries, just wished homeless women and children a Merry Christmas by booting them back onto the streets, claiming that it decided to ban all women (and their children) in an attempt to stop the 'sex problem.'" I think they need to remove the "Christian-run" part from their description. (Grokked from John)
So, when Starbucks did their red cup and some people lost their minds over it, I saw other people say, "No way, we aren't that insane, this is all made up." Oh really? That's Congress passing a resolution to "'recognize the importance of the symbols and traditions of Christmas,' (and) 'strongly disapprove of attempts to ban references to Christmas.'" So, you're gonna have you Christmas if you want it or not, damnit, and you're gonna like it. I think they misheard John Lennon's "Happy Xmas" song. No no no, "War is over, if you want it." So, any of those Constitutionalists out there wanna standup and enumerate just how this violates the 1st Amendment in so many ways (and clauses there of). Note again the article on secularism I pointed to last time and just whom is being recriminated against (despite so much of the vapors on the opposite side).
NPR's Hidden Brain Podcast with the psychology of radicalization, how terrorist groups are attracting young followers.
The office holiday party and strategies to survive it. Basically, don't drink. As Admiral Ackbar says, "It's a trap!"
As another example of how the rhetoric of the right has consequences, a man is arrested for making threatening comments on a Fox Nation post about the Planned Parenthood sting video. In this case, he was threatening to kill employees of a biotech research film pointed out in the video as purchasing fetal tissue from PP. Now if only the FBI would start doing things about the constant threat level against women who comment on the internet. "Orton said it was intended to 'paint a mental picture with words. I’m a wordsmith. That’s what I do.'" Good job, Sparky. Also, never read the comments. (Grokked from TPM)
The AP fact checks last night's debate. They must have put in some serious overtime, because damn were there a lot of whoppers.
"'The problem for folks like Sen. Paul, they don’t realize we are already in World War III,' (Gov. Chris) Christie said on CBS This Morning."
Jeb! asks for a dollar on twitter. The responses are hilarious. (Grokked from Jim Wright)
In other Jeb! news. "In exchange for $25, Jeb (also known as Jeb!) promised to stop sending email for two weeks." Hahahahahaha. As Trevor Noah said on the Daily Show, his campaign is increasingly sounding like a Nigerian 401 Scam. The best part of that article? "Bush is so proud of his emails that he's currently selling an entire book filled with boring missives. 'I loved being the governor of Florida,' he wrote in the book's first chapter. 'My staff estimated I spent 30 hours a week answering emails.'" Um, didn't you have, like, other shit to do as governor? I imagine his staff running into the office, "I need to see the governor right away, we have an emergency." And his outer door secretary says, "Sorry, he started checking his inbox 2 hours ago." "Shit. We're all gonna die before he gets to the end of that."
You know, when your gun instructor fucks up by not remembering he has his actual weapon on his hip instead of the rubber firearm, that's not really a class you should be taking (or instructing).
Hey, remember when the Trumpster and his "investigators" found "something big in Hawaii" about President Obama? Now, he says, "I don’t talk about that anymore." This is not inconsistent with his personality.
"In a rare senatorial act, full-time Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio joined with a handful of fellow legislators on Friday in an attempt to block local municipalities from undercutting big telecom companies by providing cheap, fast internet service." Fuck you, Rubio. This is your conservatives in government. "Oh, you can't get a for-profit business to provide good service in your community, and you want your community to grow so you need a 21st century (well, really 1998 level for the rest of the world) electronic network infrastructure? Well screw you, you can't do it yourself. You need a 'market' solution." As someone who has fought this battle (and it took almost 8 years to be able to get crappy DSL service at my home), I thought Rubio was okay. Not anymore. Go home, Marco, you're drunk (on campaign contributions). (Grokked from John)
You know, when you're a conservative pundit and you can't get Charles Krauthammer to agree with your position that a candidate isn't as extreme as they appear you're in trouble. And memory to Bill O'Reilly, the Trumpster's supporters believe his rhetoric and accept he's going to do what he says he will do. That, at least to me, is the real problem (and why I think that Trump may actually win the nomination).
And in other Fox News, Sean Hannity gives up his humanity, rips off his outer skin to reveal the lizard face underneath. "'I'm not so sure if I agree with all the Geneva Conventions and whether or not other countries follow those rules…' Hannity said, suggesting that the U.S. should perhaps break the Geneva Conventions. 'But there's an executive order, I believe President Ford at the time that prohibits the assassination of foreign leaders. I think if we got an opportunity to take out an evil foreign leader, that we'd be wise to do so.'" The stupidity, it burns. And as pointed out elsewhere, the real problem is a lot of people agree with him.
Tweet of my heart: @cjwerleman You see how one terrorist shooting can radicalize Americans like Trump, but you can't see how 10,000+ US bombs might radicalize Muslims?
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Linkee-poo, when winter calls with chilling breath for fireside and good cheer
Do men receive bigger book advances than women? While the data is derived from a generalized source (Publishers Weekly announcements), the numbers seems somewhat comparable, overall. Until you get into the weeds of the different genres. And then there are some big disparities (wow, the SF/F is kinda disheartening, as well as MG and YA). (Grokked from Mer Haskell)
For me, spoilers really don't spoil a movie for me, but I know for most people they are a problem. And while it can be a pain to accidentally spoil a movie, creating a campaign to actively spoil it for as many people as possible is a real dick maneuver. I'll eventually see the Star Wars movie, probably sometime around the holidays, and knowing things about the movie really won't stop me from seeing it (even if everybody says, "Wow, JJ and Disney have just fucking lost their minds and ability to tell a story", hell, I saw "Phantom Menace" in the theater). So they can't wreck it for me, but I know I'm weird. (Grokked from John Scalzi)
"'I got into therapy and I got on a pill, and what I discovered was getting help didn’t make me less creative. What was making me less creative was being a depressed crazy person. Figuring out how to be happy and have fun with the kids again, how to have fun with my life and work, actually made me a better writer, not a worse writer.'" Joe Hill on dealing with the price of success. Also to note, yea, I've thought of going back to drafting longhand. And it seems to keep popping up all over the place. The problem is my hand hurts after so long. But, yes, writing long hand is much different than typing. (Grokked from Mur Lafferty)
And, synchronicity wise, 1 minute of writing tips from Stephen King. (Grokked from Mrs. Tadd)
The comedian to do list. (Grokked from Liz Winstead)
XKCD on why the 3 Laws of Robotics are in the order they are. (Grokked form Hannah Bowman)
"Anna Yocca was 24-weeks pregnant when police say she filled a bathtub with water, untwisted the wire of a coat hanger and plunged it into her womb in an attempt at 'self abortion.'" She's now being held in jail on attempted murder charges. Christ, do we really have to learn this lesson all over again? (Grokked from Saladin Ahmed)
"That view of secularism as a religion has since become a key part of the conservative argument against a strict separation of church and state. It suggests that when government authorities ban prayers or Bible readings or Nativity scenes on public property or in official settings, it isn't avoiding the appearance of state support for religion, it's unfairly favoring one faith tradition over another." No, secularism is not a religion. Evangelicals love to position themselves in a context where "well, it's just another belief system" when it comes to things they disagree with. No, evolution and science are not a religion. Global climate change is not something that requires "faith." Also note in the article who is afraid of being recriminated against, and who actually is discriminated against.
Finding the next pain killer. In this case a combination of new and old. Could be interesting, but I have a feeling there are some unforeseen consequences here. But it might be a god-send for those who live with chronic pain. Here, though, I will note that chronic pain actually changes the functioning and structure of your brain, so it might not work as well as hoped. The kicker here, "Wood has filed a patent on the therapy in hopes that a pharmaceutical company will be interested in developing a treatment." Yea, that. (Grokked from John)
"An analysis published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that the ability of fish populations to reproduce and replenish themselves is declining across the globe." We're boned.
Things are getting ugly at the Trumpster's rallies. (Grokked from Dan)
So, Ted Cruz, "Have you ever considered piracy?" Ted Cruz quotes the Princess Bride, but misses the point. Mandy Patinkin is more than willing to school him in the real meaning of the movie.
So, the good people of Dearborn held an anti-ISIS march, and within a week the conservative social media were reposting a photo of the parade saying it was a pro-ISIS march. Because the truth is important to them, or something. Who wants to lay money that most of the people who saw it was a pro-ISIS rally will never accept that it was actually an anti_ISIS rally? (Grokked from Saladin Ahmed)
A list of anti-muslim attacks after San Bernardino. The Trumpster continues to rise in the polls of GOP voters after making a call to bar all muslims from entering the country (also stoking fears of a registry for muslims living here, which he later denied). And the rest of the world wonders just WTF we're doing over here. Well, okay, some people at the UN are "sickened" by all the hate speech going on.
An excellent infographic on those states that have surrendered to ISIS. Yup. (Grokked form Elizabeth Bear)
"Oklahoma sheriff urges residents to arm themselves for war with radical Islam." Because reasons. (Grokked from Saldin Ahmed)
"In a statement Monday evening, (Marco Rubio) campaign spokesman Alex Conant repeated the claim that Rubio 'is the only candidate running for president with a signature win against Obamacare that stopped a $2.5 billion taxpayer-funded bailout of health insurance companies.'… But it had consequences. As a result, the administration announced this fall the government could pay only $362 million of $2.87 billion in risk corridor claims from insurers for 2014. The industry says the government still owes $2.5 billion." So, you know, those high-premium increases, thank Sen. Marco Rubio. Also, there's plenty of people in the GOP side going, "Wait a minute, it wasn't his thing to take credit for." In fact, when Sen. Sessions was asked who was responsible for the budget rider, Rubio's name didn't come up.
Having sowed up the "hate all foreigners" market, the Trumpster goes on to be the "Good Guy With a Gun" in his own mind. Hey Donald, I know a way you could prove your toughness, refuse the Secret Service detail and just carry your own gun to your rallies. Yea, I'm not holding my breath either.
Hey, you know that "freedom of the press" thing? It makes it difficult to accept when even the reporters for The Review-Journal can't find out who is behind the group that bought their paper. Say, did I mention Nevada, where the paper is, is an early primary state? It's also where they're debating tonight.
For me, spoilers really don't spoil a movie for me, but I know for most people they are a problem. And while it can be a pain to accidentally spoil a movie, creating a campaign to actively spoil it for as many people as possible is a real dick maneuver. I'll eventually see the Star Wars movie, probably sometime around the holidays, and knowing things about the movie really won't stop me from seeing it (even if everybody says, "Wow, JJ and Disney have just fucking lost their minds and ability to tell a story", hell, I saw "Phantom Menace" in the theater). So they can't wreck it for me, but I know I'm weird. (Grokked from John Scalzi)
"'I got into therapy and I got on a pill, and what I discovered was getting help didn’t make me less creative. What was making me less creative was being a depressed crazy person. Figuring out how to be happy and have fun with the kids again, how to have fun with my life and work, actually made me a better writer, not a worse writer.'" Joe Hill on dealing with the price of success. Also to note, yea, I've thought of going back to drafting longhand. And it seems to keep popping up all over the place. The problem is my hand hurts after so long. But, yes, writing long hand is much different than typing. (Grokked from Mur Lafferty)
And, synchronicity wise, 1 minute of writing tips from Stephen King. (Grokked from Mrs. Tadd)
The comedian to do list. (Grokked from Liz Winstead)
XKCD on why the 3 Laws of Robotics are in the order they are. (Grokked form Hannah Bowman)
"Anna Yocca was 24-weeks pregnant when police say she filled a bathtub with water, untwisted the wire of a coat hanger and plunged it into her womb in an attempt at 'self abortion.'" She's now being held in jail on attempted murder charges. Christ, do we really have to learn this lesson all over again? (Grokked from Saladin Ahmed)
"That view of secularism as a religion has since become a key part of the conservative argument against a strict separation of church and state. It suggests that when government authorities ban prayers or Bible readings or Nativity scenes on public property or in official settings, it isn't avoiding the appearance of state support for religion, it's unfairly favoring one faith tradition over another." No, secularism is not a religion. Evangelicals love to position themselves in a context where "well, it's just another belief system" when it comes to things they disagree with. No, evolution and science are not a religion. Global climate change is not something that requires "faith." Also note in the article who is afraid of being recriminated against, and who actually is discriminated against.
Finding the next pain killer. In this case a combination of new and old. Could be interesting, but I have a feeling there are some unforeseen consequences here. But it might be a god-send for those who live with chronic pain. Here, though, I will note that chronic pain actually changes the functioning and structure of your brain, so it might not work as well as hoped. The kicker here, "Wood has filed a patent on the therapy in hopes that a pharmaceutical company will be interested in developing a treatment." Yea, that. (Grokked from John)
"An analysis published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that the ability of fish populations to reproduce and replenish themselves is declining across the globe." We're boned.
Things are getting ugly at the Trumpster's rallies. (Grokked from Dan)
So, Ted Cruz, "Have you ever considered piracy?" Ted Cruz quotes the Princess Bride, but misses the point. Mandy Patinkin is more than willing to school him in the real meaning of the movie.
So, the good people of Dearborn held an anti-ISIS march, and within a week the conservative social media were reposting a photo of the parade saying it was a pro-ISIS march. Because the truth is important to them, or something. Who wants to lay money that most of the people who saw it was a pro-ISIS rally will never accept that it was actually an anti_ISIS rally? (Grokked from Saladin Ahmed)
A list of anti-muslim attacks after San Bernardino. The Trumpster continues to rise in the polls of GOP voters after making a call to bar all muslims from entering the country (also stoking fears of a registry for muslims living here, which he later denied). And the rest of the world wonders just WTF we're doing over here. Well, okay, some people at the UN are "sickened" by all the hate speech going on.
An excellent infographic on those states that have surrendered to ISIS. Yup. (Grokked form Elizabeth Bear)
"Oklahoma sheriff urges residents to arm themselves for war with radical Islam." Because reasons. (Grokked from Saldin Ahmed)
"In a statement Monday evening, (Marco Rubio) campaign spokesman Alex Conant repeated the claim that Rubio 'is the only candidate running for president with a signature win against Obamacare that stopped a $2.5 billion taxpayer-funded bailout of health insurance companies.'… But it had consequences. As a result, the administration announced this fall the government could pay only $362 million of $2.87 billion in risk corridor claims from insurers for 2014. The industry says the government still owes $2.5 billion." So, you know, those high-premium increases, thank Sen. Marco Rubio. Also, there's plenty of people in the GOP side going, "Wait a minute, it wasn't his thing to take credit for." In fact, when Sen. Sessions was asked who was responsible for the budget rider, Rubio's name didn't come up.
Having sowed up the "hate all foreigners" market, the Trumpster goes on to be the "Good Guy With a Gun" in his own mind. Hey Donald, I know a way you could prove your toughness, refuse the Secret Service detail and just carry your own gun to your rallies. Yea, I'm not holding my breath either.
Hey, you know that "freedom of the press" thing? It makes it difficult to accept when even the reporters for The Review-Journal can't find out who is behind the group that bought their paper. Say, did I mention Nevada, where the paper is, is an early primary state? It's also where they're debating tonight.
Monday, December 14, 2015
Linkee-poo wants it's two front teeth
A great parody of the inspirational personal story trope. "What this really shows is the value of a community."
Fred Clark explores on the contrariness of the canonical Santa Clause. Santa as Tom Bombadil. Okay, I'm going to have to rethink that whole thing.
Changing the patriarchal culture in India one brother and one class at a time. Strange how the argument of "walking a mile in their shoes" continues to win converts.
"A new study released by a research institute has concluded that the charter school movement is very good at one thing: making profits for a few people." That's unpossible! Why, it sounds almost like the charter schools movement is a scam to move public funds, your tax dollars, into the private accounts of a few people all while providing substandard educations to students. I mean, it's a conservative push so you'd think they'd have the business side locked down on this. And wasn't competition supposed to make education better? Was it all a pack of lies? (Grokked from Chip Dawes)
"He says the question now is mainly a political one about the church and its relationship to power — both the imperial power of the tsars and the power of the current Russian government." The Russian Orthodox Church is going to exhume Tsar Alexander III to grab some DNA. All this in an attempt to verify the remains of Tsar Nicolas II and his family, of which only the Church doubts earlier tests. But the Church, which canonized Nicolas and his family, wants absolute proof before venerating the remains of Crown Prince Alexei and Grand Duchess Maria as holy relics.
The residents of Woodland, NC, don't want no stinkin' solar farms in their neighborhood. Because, you know, all the youngins would leave, the solar farms would soak up all the sunlight and leave none for the rest of the plants to do photosynthesis, and the existing solar farms have dropped property values. Oh, there are no solar farms there, BTW, but that isn't the dumbest idea in that bunch. (Grokked from Dan)
The trucking business. Chronically short of drivers, but constantly churning through the people out there.
If x is not wrong, nothing is wrong. Fred Clark explores the history of moral scolding in the evangelical community, all in an attempt to expunge our nation's original sin (which evangelicals, as a group, embraced).
The all politicians lie, but some lie more than others chart from Politifact. Also note the caveats that Cory Doctorow brings up.
"Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said in an interview aired Sunday that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has killed 'hundreds of thousands of people with her stupidity.'" Wow, that's a lot of bodies to hide. The real problem, there are people who believe that. But then the Trumpster isn't in this to tell the truth, he's the "anti-establishment" candidate that's shaking things up.
"This may be the week when observers will finally see whether (Speaker) Ryan -- when pushed up against a real deadline -- can seamlessly do what Boehner always struggled with: secure the support or at the very least the respect of the House Freedom Caucus types who ultimately ended Boehner's speakership." So, how's that working out so far?
"The pro-Santorum Working Again PAC plans to air an ad throughout Iowa warning about an approaching third World War, Politico reported Monday." Fear fear, booga booga. Oh Ricky, don't lose that number.
"A teacher in a Gwinnett County, Georgia middle school asked a Muslim eighth-grader if she had a bomb in her backpack last week in front of her entire classroom." Gods I'm tired of this ignorant shit. I can't imagine what it's like for my friends who follow Islam.
Tweet of my heart: @robertjbennett there is the argument that money can't buy the White House, sure. but in statehouses and city councils, hell yeah, buy what you want man… so while we can laugh at the billionaires fruitlessly attempting to buy a president, let's not forget they're wildly successful elsewhere
Fred Clark explores on the contrariness of the canonical Santa Clause. Santa as Tom Bombadil. Okay, I'm going to have to rethink that whole thing.
Changing the patriarchal culture in India one brother and one class at a time. Strange how the argument of "walking a mile in their shoes" continues to win converts.
"A new study released by a research institute has concluded that the charter school movement is very good at one thing: making profits for a few people." That's unpossible! Why, it sounds almost like the charter schools movement is a scam to move public funds, your tax dollars, into the private accounts of a few people all while providing substandard educations to students. I mean, it's a conservative push so you'd think they'd have the business side locked down on this. And wasn't competition supposed to make education better? Was it all a pack of lies? (Grokked from Chip Dawes)
"He says the question now is mainly a political one about the church and its relationship to power — both the imperial power of the tsars and the power of the current Russian government." The Russian Orthodox Church is going to exhume Tsar Alexander III to grab some DNA. All this in an attempt to verify the remains of Tsar Nicolas II and his family, of which only the Church doubts earlier tests. But the Church, which canonized Nicolas and his family, wants absolute proof before venerating the remains of Crown Prince Alexei and Grand Duchess Maria as holy relics.
The residents of Woodland, NC, don't want no stinkin' solar farms in their neighborhood. Because, you know, all the youngins would leave, the solar farms would soak up all the sunlight and leave none for the rest of the plants to do photosynthesis, and the existing solar farms have dropped property values. Oh, there are no solar farms there, BTW, but that isn't the dumbest idea in that bunch. (Grokked from Dan)
The trucking business. Chronically short of drivers, but constantly churning through the people out there.
If x is not wrong, nothing is wrong. Fred Clark explores the history of moral scolding in the evangelical community, all in an attempt to expunge our nation's original sin (which evangelicals, as a group, embraced).
The all politicians lie, but some lie more than others chart from Politifact. Also note the caveats that Cory Doctorow brings up.
"Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said in an interview aired Sunday that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has killed 'hundreds of thousands of people with her stupidity.'" Wow, that's a lot of bodies to hide. The real problem, there are people who believe that. But then the Trumpster isn't in this to tell the truth, he's the "anti-establishment" candidate that's shaking things up.
"This may be the week when observers will finally see whether (Speaker) Ryan -- when pushed up against a real deadline -- can seamlessly do what Boehner always struggled with: secure the support or at the very least the respect of the House Freedom Caucus types who ultimately ended Boehner's speakership." So, how's that working out so far?
"The pro-Santorum Working Again PAC plans to air an ad throughout Iowa warning about an approaching third World War, Politico reported Monday." Fear fear, booga booga. Oh Ricky, don't lose that number.
"A teacher in a Gwinnett County, Georgia middle school asked a Muslim eighth-grader if she had a bomb in her backpack last week in front of her entire classroom." Gods I'm tired of this ignorant shit. I can't imagine what it's like for my friends who follow Islam.
Tweet of my heart: @robertjbennett there is the argument that money can't buy the White House, sure. but in statehouses and city councils, hell yeah, buy what you want man… so while we can laugh at the billionaires fruitlessly attempting to buy a president, let's not forget they're wildly successful elsewhere
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