November, 2015 archive
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Play politely.
No adults were at home and the gun was obviously unsecured, but no charges will be filed because it was just all good clean fun and boys and their toys and all that.
“This Is a Test, and It’s Pledged Work . . . .” 0
Jill McCorkle thinks she has found a better way to vet our candidates. A nugget:
Then each candidate’s statement will be published just as it appears in all newspapers across the country. The statements will also be read aloud by unbiased parties on the radio and television at appointed times. Period.
Spend a few minutes toying with notions of the essays that the Republican hopefuls might produce . . . .
Walkering Back to the Gilded Age 0
James Causey details Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s latest ploy to humiliate the have-nots.
Gambling Gambols 0
Daniel Ruth notes that two Florida legislators want to pass a law declaring that playing “Fantasy Football” for money is somehow not gambling. Not Coincidentally . . . .
And what did the association get for their $20,000 ante? Under bills sponsored by Gaetz and Negron, the fantasy sports sites would be formally regarded as games of skill and not gambling. That would counter a 1991 legal opinion — and a rather accurate opinion at that — written by Florida Attorney General Bob Butterworth that prohibited the fantasy leagues from collecting money and disbursing winnings.
Read the rest.
Meta: Cleaned Up the Sidebar 0
Updated a few links, dropped Geekazine (it’s been five years since I blogged there and Jeffry is a really nice guy, but there are limits), and moved the This Week in Blackness link from the RSS feeds to the blogroll, as TWIB is now the Twibularity and a requires a subscription for full access.
It’s well-worth the subscription and I pay it quite happily. If you don’t want the subscription, there’s still excellent free content. You can listen to TWIB Prime at Balloon Juice.
Also drat. Didn’t realize I was showing the blogroll twice, as I spend most of my time in the back room.
And, no, there are no poker games in the back room. Now, if I could get a foursome for bridge, a game that doesn’t require betting to make it interesting . . . .
Paris 0
If you want to follow events in Paris, you will probably get the best English-language coverage at TheLocal.
Nagomatic 0
Reg Henry has a Fitbit fit.
He has a point. Fitbit and the like are stupid tech. Ditch the nagomatic and go for a bicycle ride.
Artful Dodgers 0
Dick Polman analyzes Republicans’ responses during the recent debacle debate. A snippet (italics in the original):
Well, first of all, I must say as I think about that question, I think about a woman I met the other day. I would guess she was 40 years old. She had several children. And she said to me, you know, Carly, I go to bed every night afraid for my children’s future. And that really struck me. This is America. A mother is going to bed afraid for her children’s future.
Note how she dodges the question right away. When a politician begins by conjuring the perfect voter anecdote, you know that he or she is in trouble.
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*Job creation rates under Clinton and Obama compared to those under President George the Worst.