2018 archive
Nose. Spite. Face. 0
Paul Krugman discusses the economic divide that powers Trumpery and Republicanism. He points out how voting for Donald Trump and his enablers and sycophants is likely to have precisely the opposite effect that his supporters desire. A snippet:
This, of course, is why the Republican Party focuses so much on cultural issues and the politics of hate. They know their economic goals cannot pass muster.
Follow the link for the complete article.
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*That is, between poorer and richer states after the Depression and up till Reaganomics.
No Place To Hide 0
John Long discovers that he has no privacy. Zilch, nada, none.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Whatever happened to “don’t point the gun at something unless you intend to shoot it”?
Tales of the Trumpling: Snapshots of Trickle-Down Trumpery 0
Trumpling Fox News (I know–that sounds redundant):
“When you are one of the few black Democrats that appear on Fox News and use your voice and platform to speak out against racial and economic injustice, this is what you receive,” she wrote of the threat on her Instagram account. . . .
The threat in question was an email that simply read, “Keep running your mouth, n*gger. Someone will introduce you to an AR-15.”
Invasion of the Mind Snatchers 0
Sunday’s New York Times explored coming attractions in digital spyware.
No, not that kind of spyware; the spyware that masquerades as a help-meet, so that persons eagerly welcome it into their homes. Here’s some of the patents that are pending:
Some patent applications from Google, which also owns the smart home product maker Nest Labs, describe how audio and visual signals could be used in the context of elaborate smart home setups.
One application details how audio monitoring could help detect that a child is engaging in “mischief” at home by first using speech patterns and pitch to identify a child’s presence, one filing said. A device could then try to sense movement while listening for whispers or silence, and even program a smart speaker to “provide a verbal warning.”
I will note that Google, Amazon, and other vendors of this stuff claim that no so features are currently in use and that their current consumer digital “assistants” speak only when spoken to. Given the tech industry’s spotless record of integrity, I have no doubt that such claims are credib–oh, never mind.
Follow the link, then remind yourself that it’s perfectly okay to get off the couch and turn off the coffee pot on your ownsome.
Very Foul Ball 0
In the Des Moines Register, Mike Wellman notes that Congress has consigned minor league baseball players to penury. A snippet:
Yes, big leaguers long ago became millionaires*, but the overall pay scale of the game is feudal.
(snip)
Minor-league players are paid by their major league parent club, not the affiliate whose uniform they wear. MLB contends that, if forced to pay minor-leaguers a salary that would equate to at least the minimum hourly wage, the minor-league teams would need to contribute to the payroll, which could put some farm teams out of business.
Much more at the link.
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*And most team owners are billionaires.
A Trumpled Terrain 0
Thom steps back and looks at the big picture.
“Boots on the Ground” 0
Elie Mystal discusses the implications of Donald Trump’s desire to use the military to enforce immigration laws. It’s not pretty.
Here’s a bit:
(snip)
I don’t expect that President Trump understands that law, or cares why it’s there. He’s pissed that Ann Coulter didn’t send him an Easter card, and so he’s blurting random, untrue things about immigrants again. He seems to be under the impression that there is some kind of “caravan” of brown people bearing down on us from Mexico. Maybe they’re being led by Charlzie Theron down the Fury Road. Honestly who can know what’s in this man’s head.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Be polite at the party.
Police officials in Lansing, Illinois, say their initial investigation found the mother was handling a gun when it went off early Monday, striking the sleeping girl.
Just another day in our little slice of NRA heaven.
All the News that Fits 0
Dick Polman explores the Sinclair Broadcasting disinformation dispenser. A snippet:
