February, 2024 archive
A Dogged Problem 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Stanley Coren looks at the recent kerfuffle over President Biden’s dog, Commander, and reminds us that
Follow the link to learn more about the history of delinquent doggies in the presidential domicile.
Birds of a Feather 0
Gene Collier, writing at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, sees parallels between two rather dissimilar figures: Donald Trump and Wayne LaPierre, long-time head of the National Rifle Makers Association.
A snippet:
Follow the link for his reasoning.
No Place To Hide 2
I think it’s safe to say that the internet invasion of privacy has been out of hand for quite a long time. and it certainly has more than its share of nefarious.
Here’s some nefariousness with an establishmentarian twist. Here’s a snippet from a report by the EFF:
Establishmentarians 0
E. J. Montini finds an irony in Arizona Republicans’ desire to post the Ten Commandments in public schools:
Follow the link for context.
My Downward Spiral 0
Every time I find myself thinking that nothing can sink my opinion of humankind further, I find myself, as my old boss used to day, “in error.”
One more time, “social” media isn’t.
Medicare Disadvantage 0
When I qualified for Medicare (yeah, I’m old), I made sure to get traditional Medicare, because even back then [mumble] years ago, I knew that “Medicare Advantage” was little more than a con and a scam designed to let insurance companies suckle at the public teat.
And, speaking of insurance companies . . . .
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Yet another random act of politeness . . .
New Castle police Chief David Cumo reported an unknown man entered the post office lobby around 4 p.m. and had a gun in his pocket that fired by accident.
The bullet hit the floor and shrapnel fragments hit a woman in the leg, he said.
. . . and yet another reminder that “accident” and “negligence” are not synonyms.
Russian Impulses 0
Joseph D. Bastrimovich looks agog at the groveling.
The Mechanics of Mind Control 0
Der Spiegel takes a long and penetrating look at how Vladimir Putin maintains his control on Russia. It is well-worth a read in these troubled and troubling times.
Here’s a tiny bit:
“It’s quite simple,” says (Russian ex-pat Ekaterina–ed.) Schulman. Putin claimed that Ukraine had to be de-Nazified, she says. “The autocrat’s word is the official Russian position. There is pressure to be loyal and there is punishment for those who publicly deviate from this narrative.”
Putin has imposed wartime censorship. According to the regime, anyone who criticizes the attack on the neighboring country is slandering the army and is subject to prosecution. The censorship laws are so vaguely formulated that the security authorities can take action against just about anyone. Just wearing blue and yellow sneakers, the colors of Ukraine, can be enough to land a person in hot water. One Moscow man who did that got fined the equivalent of 100 euros. Meanwhile, a woman in Krasnodar was talking to her husband about the war in a restaurant. A restaurant employee reported her to the police and she had to pay the equivalent of 400 euros in fines; her husband went to jail for 15 days for “rioting.” People are snitching on others all over the place in Russia right now. Compliant helpers have denounced tens of thousands of fellow citizens to the security authorities – also because of critical posts on the internet.
The Tactic (Updated) 0
Today’s Republican Party does not wish to govern.
It wishes to dictate.
If it cannot dictate, it refuses to govern.
Addendum:
Someone seems to agree.
Doubling Down on Deceit 0
Seth opines that the Trumpettes are detached from reality.
