February, 2014 archive
Makers and Takers 0
My friend and I were talking yesterday about what it would be like to have no heat when the temperature is in the 20s and you have no fireplaces or other sources of heat and, likely, because of frozen pipes, no water. I don’t want to imagine.
I used to live on the Main Line, where it seems all cold Hell is breaking lose. It really was a nice place to live; I feel for the persons freezing in their dwellings.
But I have been made cynical, I guess because I pay attention.
When I read this story, all I could think was that here’s yet another wingnut governor who decries the evul fedrul guvmint except when his hand is out.
Not nice people.
The Quadrennial Winter Athletic Marketing Event Begins Today 0
Listen to the words of a veteran Olympic athlete:
The socialization of my allegiance to Verizon began the moment I was selected—as an 11-year-old—for the US development team. The culture within the US Luge Association viewed brand loyalty as integral to the survival of the organization. All of my clothing was plastered with the Verizon logo. I was not allowed near any camera without giving a visual and verbal statement of thanks to Verizon for making all of my dreams come true. I went through intensive media training each year to reinforce this allegiance—to learn how to be a better spokesperson for Verizon.
Read the rest, then watch a Castle rerun.
Talking Points uber Alles 0
I once overheard one of my neighbors say to someone, “[Redacted], every other word out of your mouth is a lie.” (And he was correct, but that’s another story.)
And that person wasn’t even a Republican.
Hostage Takers 0
Bayer’s slogan is “Science for a Better Life.”
By the way, you can’t blame this one on American corporate culture. Bayer is a German outfit.
Blame corporate culture as a whole.
Something for Nothing 0
It’s a common plaint of the bigot that black and brown folks want something for nothing. Indeed, I recently saw a vile editorial cartoon (no link) that blatantly said that in picture form.
The reality is the opposite. Let the Gloomy Historian explain how it always comes back to theft of labor.
(snip)
With these historical concepts in mind, it is easy to see why prejudice against African-Americans is so all-pervasive on the right. African-Americans are an easily differentiated minority that refuses to submit to oppression.
Do read the rest.
Libido Leads 0
Libido always is close to the surface in the pervy party that is preoccupied with sex.
On the one hand, experience shows that it’s silly to think about “front runners” two years before the nomination. On the other hand, silliness can be entertaining.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
For all practical purposes, steady:
(snip)
The four-week average of claims, a less-volatile measure than the weekly figure, rose to 334,000 from 333,750.
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits rose by 15,000 to 2.96 million in the week ended Jan 25.
“Mistakes Were Made” 3
And the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Dan Simpson has compiled quite a list of made-in-America mistakes. Here’s one:
Follow the link for the rest. It’s a collection of doozies.
Koch Heads Exposed 0
Koch donor list slips out. And the donors are just the sort of folks you’d expect.
Life Is Not SimCity 2
At Boston Review, Claude S. Fischer struggles to understand Libertarianism and, particularly, its appeal to a certain segment of geeks.
If you wish to understand the strange contemporary revival of Ayn Rand’s fever dream, this article is a good place to start.
Intellectually, Libertarianism is a fancy impressive-sounding rationale for justifying heedless, craven selfishness. Practically, it’s camouflage for Republicans who are ashamed to admit it.
Revenge of the Machines 0
Emphasis added.
Louis DiNatale, a retired Army sergeant major, told the Los Angeles Times that he hadn’t planned on entering Canada, but was “misdirected by an unreliable GPS.” He asked if he could turn around, but Canadian border patrol agents refused to allow him to.
The agents ultimately searched his car, found a pistol in the center console, and arrested him for smuggling.
Sounds like the agents may have overreached to me, but it also sounds as if he might have been an eensy-weensy bit high-handed, a tactic that does not win friends, but which does, indeed, influence people.
Also, he clearly wasn’t paying attention to the road or he would have seen the signs. Canada’s kind of big not to notice.
Spill Here, Spill Now 0
Duke Energy joins the party. Some of its party favors (emphasis in the original):
Estimated tons of coal ash — which contains toxins including arsenic, lead, mercury, and radioactive elements — that were released to the river: 50,000 to 82,000
(snip)
Number of rail cars the toxic pollution could fill: 413 to 677
Rank of the spill among the largest coal ash spills in U.S. history: 3
No one noticed because Stupor Bowl!
Duke it out with more fun facts at the link.
American Originals 0
In the Roanoke Times, Harvard Law Professor Cass Sunstein points out three major issues with Constitutional “originalism,” the theory the U. S. Constitution should be interpreted as if the horse were still the primary mode of transportation and outhouses the primary sanitation device. Here’s the first:
It seems like an appealing argument, but it faces three objections. The first is historical. Did those who ratified the Constitution embrace originalism? If not, originalism turns out to be self-contradictory, because the original understanding rejected originalism as Scalia and Thomas understand it.
Sunstein is charitable to treat originalism as a subject of polite discourse.
It is, at its origination and in its manifestation, an intellectual scam, a pretty theory to give legitimacy to those who would return our social structures to status quo ante bellum (and you know to which bellum I refer).
Make TWUUG Your LUG 0
Learn about the wonderful world of free and open source. Learn how to use computers to do what you want, not what someone else wants you to do.
It’s not hard; it’s just different.
What: Monthly TWUUG Meeting.
Who: Everyone in TideWater/Hampton Roads with interest in any/all flavors of Unix/Linux. There are no dues or signup requirements. All are welcome.
Where: Lake Taylor Transitional Care Hospital in Norfolk Training Room. See directions below. (Wireless and wired internet connection available.) Turn right upon entering, then left at the last corridor and look for the open meeting room.
When: 7:30 PM till whenever (usually 9:30ish) on Thursday, February 6.
Directions:
Lake Taylor Hospital
1309 Kempsville Road
Norfolk, Va. 23502 (Map)
Pre-Meeting Dinner at 6:00 PM (separate checks)
Uno Chicago Grill
Virginia Beach Blvd. & Military Highway (Janaf Shopping Center). (Map)