From Pine View Farm

Author's archive

QOTD 0

Jens Martin Skibsted:

Immigrants are not the main threat to the industrialized world’s workforce: robots are – or, rather, artificially intelligent robots are.

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Targeting Targets (Updated) 0

Addendum:

Grung_e_Gene has more

Addendum-Dee-Dum-Dum:

And then there’s this.

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Karen Karen-Like 0

The Karen next door.

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“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0

Yet another oxymoronic “responsible gun owner” exposes a child to politeness.

Aside:

Yeah, I know you probably find these posts tiresome.

No more tiresome than I find the pointless pain perpetuated by the proponents of the portable phallus.

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“Influencer” Idiocy 0

At Psychology Today, Tamara Sobel looks at mounting evidence that “social” media isn’t. Here’s a tiny excerpt; follow the link for the article:

Troubling research from this year (as well as what we glean from our children, students, patients, and selves) shows us that exposure to advertising by influencers on social media is directly related to lower satisfaction with ourselves.

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The Fee Hand of the Market 0

Television:  Laughter is the best medicine.  Grimm:  That's not true.  Atilla:  Why not?  Grimm:  Drug companies would have found a way to overcharge us for it by now.

Click for the original image.

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Republican Family Values 0

Suffer the children appears to be a Republican Family Value.

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Backfire 0

In a longer piece springboarding off Mitt Romney’s decision to retire when his Senate term expires, Paul Krugman sums up how Richard Nixon’s loathsome southern strategy backfired on the Republican Party:

For the basic story of the Republican Party, going back to the 1970s, is this: Advocates of right-wing economic policies, which redistributed income from workers to the wealthy, sought to sell their agenda by exploiting social intolerance and animosity. They had considerable success with this strategy. But eventually the extremists they thought they were using ended up ruling the party.

I commend the complete article to your attention.

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QOTD 0

Will Durant:

Civilization begins with order, grows with liberty and dies with chaos.

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Recommended Listening 0

Kimberley Johnson’s interview with Heather Thomas.

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Devolution 0

Grandmother and granddaughter walk through an amazing landscape of greenery, deer, foxes, rabbits, all beneath a rainbow.  Granddaughter is buried in her phone.  Grandmother says,

Click to view the original image.

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Misdirection Play, SOL* Dept. 0

James Rosen reviews the myth behind the misdirection and what the misdirection is meant to misdirect us from. A few tiny excerpts (emphasis added):

The drive for education standards, whether imposed by states or the federal government, is founded on a cruel fiction: If kids from poor families just applied themselves more; if their underpaid teachers just worked harder; if the standards for measuring progress were clearer and tougher — the problems in the classroom would vanish.

(snip)

The notion that more rigorous standards, whether imposed by states or the federal government, can significantly improve public education prevents us from confronting a harsh truth: Teachers, tasked with one of the most demanding and crucial jobs, don’t get paid enough.

(snip)

My experience has shown me that one great teacher is more important than any academic standards that produce only rote and superficial learning.

__________________

In my home state, “SOL” is alleged to stand for “Standards of Learning.”

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The Advice of the Turtle 0

Image of Mitch McConnell saying,

Via Job’s Anger.

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Hate and Mongers of Hate 0

The Portland Press-Herald reports on a surge in antisemitic Zoombombing.

I don’t have any words,

Just go read it for yourself.

Read more »

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The Confounded CEO 0

CEO, holding a martini and looking out over his factory, says,

Click for the original image.

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“Am Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0

He had his politeness in the bag.

(And then, to ensure a happy homecoming, he blamed his wife.)

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Marie Antoinette Redux 0

The Arizona Republic’s E. J. Montini paraphrases Arizona Representative Andy Biggs’s stance on the impending shutdown of the federal government:

Let them eat cake.

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QOTD 0

Wendy Kaminer:

If we all don’t enjoy the same rights, then no one enjoys any rights at all; some of us merely enjoy privilege.

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For Your Dining Pleasure . . . . 0

This evening, why not treat yourself to a David Brooks Special?

Not a lot of substance, but, true Brooksian fashion, an awful lot of empty hot air.

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The Medicine Show 0

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From Pine View Farm
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