2021 archive
Attention Deficient Disorder 0
Jill Ebstein bemoans our inability to pay attention. A snippet:
Follow the link for her thoughts on our inability to be intent.
“You Asked for It” (Updated) 0
When I was a young ‘un, back in the olden days, there was a television show named “You Asked for It.” Its episodes focused on topics requested by the audience. (I particularly remember a show about the La Brea Tar Pits.)
Well, it seems that some folks still can’t help asking for it (and then acting surprised when they get it).
Addendum:
When the Truth Hurts, Hurt the Truth, One More Time 0
A Texas museum has been pressured not to talk about the role of slavery in Texas history.
Authors of the book, titled “Forget the Alamo,” and the publisher, Penguin Random House, say the cancellation of the event, which had 300 RSVPs, amounts to censorship from Republican elected leaders and an overreaction to the book’s examination of racism in Texas history.
Much more at the link.
The Courage of Their Conniptions 0
January 6 Capitol rioters are deleting their “social” media posts.
And it’s not working. Here’s a bit from the AP report.
Posts made on Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms are recoverable for a certain period of time, and authorities routinely ask those companies to preserve the records until they get court orders to view the posts, said Adam Scott Wandt, a public policy professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice who trains law enforcement on cyber-based investigations.
Authorities also have other avenues for investigating whether someone has tried to delete evidence.
Afterthought:
Note the use of the phrase, “delete evidence.”
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Be polite to your fellow travelers.
Charleston County Coroner Bobbi Jo O’Neal says Coardes died from the gunshot wound after being transported to Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital.
Guns and stupid, guns and stupid.
They go together like love and Cupid.
Let me tell you brother,
You can’t have one without the other.
We Weren’t There 0
The Rude One watched the New York Time’s compilation video of the January 6 insurrection so you (and I) don’t have to. (Warning: Language.)
When the Truth Hurts, Hurt the Truth Redux 0
At The Philadelphia Inquirer, a Philadelphia history teacher comments on the coverup. Here’s a bit of what she has to say; follow the link for the rest.
(snip)
If the anti-critical race theory and anti-truth forces have their way, many Americans — particularly my fellow white people — will not know what historically has been done in our name, and we will be denied the opportunity to acknowledge, understand, and repair it.
Those who know not the truth will live lies.
Stray Thought, Entrapped in the Algorithm Dept. 0
As I walked across the parking lot with my bag of groceries, my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a Youtube coming from the “smart” phone held by a–er–mature woman heading for the grocery store.
It occurs to me that one of the side effects of always being connected has been to train us that we have a right always to be passively entertained.
And we are forgetting how to entertain ourselves, let alone how to actively engage with reality.