2014 archive
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
Still under 300k.
(snip)
The four-week moving average for jobless claims dropped last week from 295,000 in the prior period.
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits fell by 21,000 to 2.38 million in the week ended Sept. 27, the fewest since May 2006. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits that week held at 1.8 percent.
“You Can’t Gay Away My Pray” 0
Stephen Colbert considers the recent Supreme Court decision to to hear appeals of lower court decisions overturning bans on gay marriage.
Below the fold because it may autoplay.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
More self-politeness:
“The man legally owned the gun,” he said, “had a permit to carry it. Alcohol was not a factor in this incident. No charges will be filed.”
I like that last bit. If you can’t handle a gun when you are stone cold sober, you aren’t competent to handle a gun. In this case, it appears that stupid is the best defense.
The Climates They Are a-Changing 0
Reg Henry muses on the motives of climate science deniers. A snippet:
This belief is where it all starts. It’s not about the few outlier scientists in the business of creating pasties to cover the shameless nudity of the philosophical body of denial thought. It is not about the evidence those mercenaries turn up, the anomalies they seize upon to try and set aside the whole general theory of climate change.
No, it is about the elephant in the room — unfortunately, the Republican elephant who has made Dumbo of many of his handlers and followers.
Read the rest.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Share the politeness.
That went just like the NRA predicted.
Afterthought:
I was telling my friend about this story; she asked rhetorically whether open-carry is in fact a “phallic fallacy.”
Huckleberry Hucksters 0
The God of Hate always has followers, because hate sells.
Gerry Mander and His Entire Staff 0
A victory for sanity. We shall see whether it holds.
The panel allowed next month’s election to proceed under the existing district lines, but ordered the General Assembly to redraw them by April 1, in time for the next congressional election in 2016.
There’s a map of the district at the link. It has four or five non-contiguous parts, depending on whether you think being separated by a significant river means “non-contiguous.” One of my friends from TWUUG is in the district; he finds its existence thoroughly irritating.
Stray Thought 0
How many folks fall for the shysters who try to sell them subscription renewals for publications to which they do not subscribe?
I got one today to renew my subscription to a newspaper that is not my local rag. (It’s the local rag for folks who live on the other side of the James.) It’s good rag, but it’s not my rag, and I’m not ponying up $360+ for it.