May, 2010 archive
Reading Cal Thomas Is Its Own Punishment 0
Shorter version of the column I read today and wish I hadn’t wasted my time:
I have to figure out some way to call Obama “far left” so I can scare some more people.
The New Barbarianism 0
Bring back banishment as a punishment.
By God, if it was good enough for the ancient barbarians, it is good enough for us.
All joking aside, this is wankery.
You know, of course, what wanking refers to.
It makes one feel good in the short term, but really doesn’t accomplish anything nor does it leave a legacy.
Words fail me.
Skynet Is Watching You 0
Bloomberg (much more at the link):
The machines did exactly what they were told to do.
It’s not the machines. It’s the persons telling them what to do.
It’s time to realize that the Masters of the Universe aren’t.
Terminology Check II 0
Martin Lobel at the Neiman Watchdog blog:
Follow the link for details.
Terminology Check 0
Patrick Lockerby at Scientific Blogging:
The Gulf disaster is not an oil spill – it’s a wild well. I hate weasel words.
Follow the link.
Summer in Advance 2
When summer is defined, not as an astronomical event (the solstice) but as a climate event, the beginning of reliably summer-like weather, this is what some British researches found:
Records show that in the period 1954-1963, the average date for the third such day was 25 May. By the 1990s, it had shifted forwards to 14 May. By 1998-2007, on average, summer arrived on 7 May. The shift is consistent with global warming, Bigg said. “It’s always very difficult to make direct attributions but scientists say global warming is very likely driven by human activity and I think we can say the same thing.” The researchers saw a similar, though smaller, pattern with summer plant flowering. On average, the first flowering date for 1954-1963 was 29 May. By 1991-2000 it was 26 May.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
Still trending slightly down:
The job market is improving, according to a second Labor report. Applications for unemployment benefits dropped for a third straight week, decreasing by 7,000 to 444,000.
Wall Street Speak 0
Double talk decoded by the Philadelphia Inquirer. A nugget:
- Wall Street: A very wealthy, sparsely populated, gated community surrounded by angry hordes of people living in much-diminished circumstances.
- Analyst expectations: Guesses that are heralded when exceeded, but ignored at other times.
- Bonuses: Contractual obligations that reward the undeserving, often disguised as increased salaries, stock options, or temporary fellowships at the U.S. Treasury.
The Breakdown in Public Discourse 0
The few times I have been to the courthouse, I wore at least a tie. When I was the plaintiff, I wore a suit.
I understand that some folks just do not have Sunday go-to-meeting clothes.
Nor, as my grandmother would have said, do they have the sense they were born with.
Stupid Car Tricks 0
Lady’s foot slips off brake and hits gas pedal. Car runs into day care. No serious injuries.
What I don’t understand is that the story’s lead included this phrase:
a minivan driven by a pregnant woman
What does her being pregnant have to do with the story?
I can see including it in the body as a little human interest element, but putting it in the lead is weird, as it has nothing whatsoever to do with what happened.
Stricklandish Hit Job? 0
Raw Story has a report from various news services that
Strickland is
It doesn’t look to me as if that would necessarily make him a “first responder” to an oil spill.
Indeed, according to the organizational chart, the Minerals Management Service, which is the branch of the Department of Interior directly responsible for policing oil drilling, does not report to him (by the way, none of the several reports I’ve seen on this so far has mentioned that).
Click for a larger image
As the estimates of the spill were revised upwards, he was called home.
I have spent most of my life working in large organizations. Generally, a crisis for one department does not require people in a whole nother chain of command to stop what they are doing and to come watch right then and there. That is why organizations are, well, organized.
Later, in the “how can we keep this from happening again” phase, lots of folks from all over the outfit may get involved.
His being in one of the parks that he is responsible for may look bad, but I question its relevance to anything but attack politics.
All Dogs Go to Heaven 0
This is the type of story that makes being a news junkie worthwhile:
A Massachusetts church is scheduled to launch a new monthly worship service — for dogs.
(snip)
Rev. Thea Keith-Lucas tells The Salem News dogs will have a say during service because barking won’t be banned.
Afterthought:
I look forward to when the videos hit AFV.
The Coward’s Bigotry: Claiming “Reverse Discrimination” 0
Robert Hammer in the Salt Lake Tribune:
This argument apparently rings true in many ears. After all, isn’t equality a simple matter of applying the same standards in all directions? If a skinhead shouting “white power!” is a racist, doesn’t equal application render a black person championing “black pride!” racist also? Similarly, if an exclusive all-white social institution is considered racist, why not an all-black college or Hispanic community organization?
Read the whole thing.
The newest issue of Psychology Today has an article making the point that pretending to be “colorblind” by not noticing that some persons are pink, some persons are coffee with cream, some persons are black coffee, some persons are weak tea, is pointless and stupid and, in the long run, destructive and delusional.
(Unfortunately the article is not yet available at their website; it won’t be up until the next issue is out. Buy it at your local news stand. It’s worth the price).
Charging “reverse racism” is a ploy to divert attention from the effects of racism. Those who sling those terms get to pat themselves on the back for not being racist while being racist.
Catch 22. It’s the best catch there is.
Republican Family Values 0
(Jeez oh man, you can’t make this stuff up. Hell, Mad Magazine couldn’t make this stuff up.)
Republican Family Values, the gift that keeps on giving.
Like I said, all the rest is camouflage.
Yes, I am disgusted.
It’s been a bad week and my ability to see humor in lies and hypocrisy wanes.