September, 2023 archive
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
There’s something almost poetic about this politeness.
Battle of the Tech Bros 0
Psychologist Mike Travers suggests that the pending (potential? possible? preposterous?) cage match between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg “is a snapshot of our culture.”
Afterthought:
If he’s correct, we’re in far worst shape than I feared.
QOTD 0
Richard Briers, in the voice of Hector MacDonald, as he pours a drink:
This is a problem that requires two minds and a single malt.
Indictment Excitement 0
PoliticProf finds himself unswayed.
Lethal Legacy 0
Emma talks with historian Matthew Dallek about how the legacy of the John Birch Society lives on in today’s Republican Party.
Class Consciousness 0
At the Portland Press-Herald, Victoria Hugo-Vidal argues that have forgotten what the phrase, “working class,” means. Here’s one example she cites (emphasis added):
(snip)
But more important is Rep. Golden’s second sentence, implying that having worked for his family business puts him more in step with the working class. Here’s the important thing to remember: Working a job does not make you working-class. We’re talking about a multigenerational family business (a golf course, specifically) here. The profit that business generates goes to the family that owns the business. The owners dole out part of those profits to their employees in the form of salaries or wages. Those employees who do the labor are the working class. Not the owners.
Methinks the entire piece is worthy of your attention.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
. . . and another oxymoronic “responsible gun owner” waves at another driver with politeness.
Break Time 0
Off to drink liberally.
Both Sides Don’t 0
Dick Polman finds news reporting that somehow pretends that we are in a time of politics as usual. A snippet (emphasis added):
Republican Family Values 0
Michael in Norfolk https://michael-in-norfolk.blogspot.com/2023/09/republicans-word-games-on-abortion-will.html.
Misdirection Play, Still Rising Again Dept. 0
At the Bangor Daily News, Scott Cuddy expresses his dismay at plan by a neo-Nazi group to establish, well, a traning facility in Maine. He notes that he is gratified that many Mainers are expressing their disapproval of this and is displeased that others are not.
What led to this post, though, is that I want to point out a misdirection play–quite a common misdirection play, actually–that Cuddy mentions, almost in passing, in the course of his discussion (emphasis added):
Unfortunately, some influential conservatives have sought not only to downplay and dismiss these racist groups, but are actually trying to deflect from the issue by claiming that the real problem is anti-white racism.
Follow the link for context.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
A slice of politeness.
The story mentions that he’s almost as old as I am. You’d think he’d know better than to start swinging his portable phallus about in a pizza joint.
Guns and stupid, guns and stupid,
They go together like love and Cupid.
Let me tell you, brother,
You won’t find one without the other.
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Peter Kvam posits that “(d)ogs excel at many tasks where AI fails . . . .”
Follow the link for his reasoning.
