From Pine View Farm

February, 2013 archive

Sunset 0

Looking south down the beach front.

Town Center from the beachfront

H/T Susan for the pic.

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“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0

Be polite to unarmed shoplifters who are running away from you.

Martinez told WKMG that he was shocked that police arrested him because he thought no one other than the shoplifter was in danger. He said he just wanted to mark the man’s car for police.

Orange City police argued that surveillance video showed that the gun owner was never in danger because McKee was in the process of fleeing when the shooting occurred.

According to the story, he also “marked” two other cars.

And he thought his High Noon fantasies had come true . . . .

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Parables of White Privilege 0

A NASCAR driver who was suspended on Sunday for using a racial slur is explaining that he “didn’t think twice” about using the word because it “didn’t seem like a big deal.”

Hateful behavior doesn’t usually seem like such a big deal to the person doing the behaving, now, does it?

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The Golden Fleecing 0

States are caught up in their own addiction to dealing–dealing the cards, that is.

As the American Psychiatric Association’s manual, DSM-5, for the first time recognizes a non-substance-based addiction — gambling — states have become completely dependent on the money generated by gamblers. So much so, that when gambling revenues decline, states desperately seek out new ways to hook people.

New Jersey is such a state. As its gambling casino revenues falter — and new casinos fail — the state has (in the words of the New York Times) doubled down on its gambling concessions.

Much more at the link.

I’ve never been a fan of state lotteries and the like. They are essentially con games–conning taxpapers out of money without an honest tax increase. And, while casinos may look cool in a James Bond movie, a slots parlor is a damned depressing place.

States bet on gambling as a way to raise free money.

Now they are trapped in their own three card monte.

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Sequestrian Dressage 0

Too true to be funny.

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News, Ripped from the Ticker 0

(The usual) Warning: Language.

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“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0

A family that polites together slays together.

Denison (the grandmother–ed.) left a suicide note, drove alone to the day care, picked up the boys, took them to a nearby lake and apparently used her husband’s gun to fatally shoot them and herself, authorities and relatives said Wednesday. The bodies were found Tuesday night, about two hours after a frantic search began.

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Snowed 0

Reg Henry thinks he has found the elusive abominable snowjobman.

Sequestration. It sounds like something that Sasquatch dreamed up. Come to think of it, that’s probably correct.

After all, Sasquatch is not much for the greater community or the common good. He wants no restrictions on his freedom that might come with caring about the well-being of his neighbors. His species just wants to walk the ridges bellowing nonsense and giving off foul odors, stopping only to insert big feet in his mouth. In recent years, the beast has also been sighted in the halls of Congress, lured there by the chance of doing nothing positive.

While small in number, Sasquatch — genus Gorilla Americanus Teapartyus — looms large, and his big footprints are all over the latest crisis.

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Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0

Just wait till next week, when the evul fedrul guvmint gets laid at by the heels by the sequesteration!

Jobless claims decreased by 22,000 to 344,000 in the holiday-shortened week that ended Feb. 23, the Labor Department reported today in Washington. The median forecast of 44 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for 360,000 applications. The number of people collecting unemployment insurance dropped to the lowest level since June 2008.

(snip)

The less-volatile four-week moving average fell to 355,000 from 361,750.

The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits dropped by 91,000 to 3.07 million in the week ended Feb. 16, the fewest since the period ended June 21, 2008. The continuing claims figure doesn’t include Americans receiving extended unemployment benefits under federal programs.

In other news, don’t ask Bloomberg’s experts for tips on the ninth at Delaware Park. Really, just don’t.

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QOTD 0

John Wesley:

As to matters of dress, I would recommend one never to be first in the fashion nor the last out of it.

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Podcast. You. Now. (Sticky) 0

Hacker Public Radio makes it easy.

Read more »

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A Murder . . . 0

. . . of crows.

crows in tree

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Twits on Twitter 0

Media, explained.

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WYSIWYG 0

Miles Groth searches for the secret garden.

A great deal has been written about the behavior of boys and men, but little has been said about the experience of being male. Boys may be understandably inarticulate about what they are going through, but men’s silence about their inner lives (except for the poets) is another matter.

Frankly, I wasn’t aware that I had an inner life.

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Facebook Frolics 0

A pride of heteros.

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Climate = Destiny? 2

Kavips has a theory:

. . . I notice that across the red states of the United States, primarily a bastion of fundamentalist conservative theocracy, the weather is changing. Basically, there is no rain…. Secondly I have noticed that the weather in Oklahoma is every year, corresponding more and more like those dry, hot , sandy climes on the other side of our planet, which coincidentally, are also occupied by a bastion of fundamentalist conservative theocracies, practicing something very similar to Oklahoma policy but over there it is called Shara (sic) Law…

Read the rest.

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Branding Is Everything 0

Pictured:  Jew wearing a star, Hester Prin wearing the scarlet letter, brown person wearing wearing a NC driver's license for undocumented persons.  Jew to Hester:  The more things change . . .

Via Bob Cesca’s Awesome Blog.

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It’s Turtles All the Way Down 0

An Anglican priest speaks:

Via Delaware Liberal.

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Drinking Liberally Virginia Beach Tomorrow 0

Fun and fellowship for liberals. Join us and talk about anything in a relaxed atmosphere.

When: Thursday, February 28th, 6 p.

Where:
Croc’s 19 Street Bistro
620 19th Street (Map)

More here.

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QOTD 0

Maimonides:

Do not consider it proof just because it is written in books,* for a liar who will deceive with his tongue will not hesitate to do the same with his pen.

_________________

*Or on the internet.

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