First Looks category archive

The punditocracy is fond of calling for compromise candidates in the wishful, but deluded, belief that today’s Republican Party is capable of compromise.

Perhaps this candidate can fill that bill.

I’ve added a new Old Time Radio Link to the sidebar, over there, on the right, about halfway down:

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Thanks to CBSRMT for bringing it to my attention.

Last night I tried installing a plugin that did not work and play well with others.

Attempts to undo the damage to my database were fruitless, so I have dropped back to the my last known-good backup.

I’ve lost a few days of drivel (I don’t kid myself that my daily ramblings are deathless).

When I feel like another visit to MySQL hell, I might try to restore them, but, for now, I’m going to go do a crossword puzzle.

Normal blogging will resume sometime or other.

I have nothing but compliments for the tech support rep at GoDaddy who assisted me. In addition to pointing me to the right process for restoring the database, he took extra time to look up the possible cause of the error that was keeping the site from working properly.

Update:

I just finished testing the corrupt database from last night. If it were any more messed up and useless, it could join a Republican primary.

If you wonder where the money goes . . . .

The Pentagon estimates that it will still cost about $1 trillion to operate a fleet of 2,443 F-35 fighter jets over the next 50 years, but is continuing to analyze how to drive that staggering sum down, a top U.S. Marine Corps official told Reuters.

More at the link.

Via Raw Story.

Scrapple News, good news edition:

Fun and fellowship for liberals. Join us.

When: Tuesday, February 21st, 6 p

Where:
Lubo Wine Tasting Room
1658 Pleasure House Road (Map)

More here.

As of today, the pace of blogging here will likely decrease, as I will no longer be self-(not very gainfully)employed, but will merely be employed.

It also marks a step along a path I set for myself about a year ago, when I purchased a book, designed a self-study program, and set up computers (one physical machine and two virtual machines) running CentOS: to start a technical career working in a Linux operating system environment.

There will be no decrease in the outrage here on the Farm, merely a decrease in the frequency with which it is expressed.

Echoing Tom Levenson, I just took the Pew News quiz and aced it.

Give it a whirl.

Aside:

It is certainly safe to assume that the persons who stumble across this quiz are not a representative sample of the populace. In view of that, I find the breakdown of scores to be rather chilling.

And many happy returns.

At the Guardian, Deborah Orr posits that the idea of race is a creation of racism, not, as racists like to believe, the reverse. She tries to put the horse back before the cart. A snippet:

All this monitoring of “race” is predicated not on some essential and basic genetic division between humans, but on the existence of racism, which tries to promulgate the idea that essential and basic genetic differences between humans exist, when they don’t. And racists succeed very well in promoting this empty agenda.

(snip)

The most insidious thing about racism is that it is creepily self-sustaining. The more that race rather than cultural background is monitored, the more opportunity there is to pass off cultural disadvantages as racial disadvantages.

The Booman also hears the drums.

If you really have to have something to hold, how about an unlit, empty pipe?

A faulty battery caused an electronic cigarette to explode in a Florida’s man’s mouth, taking out some of his front teeth and a chunk of his tongue and severely burning his face, fire officials said Wednesday.

If lawyers ever wonder why their profession has a bad name, they need look no further than stories like this:

Lawyers for the Philadelphia cleric accused of enabling priests to sexually abuse boys have asked the trial judge to step down, saying she compromised her impartiality when she said anyone who doubted there was “widespread” child abuse in the Catholic Church “is living on another planet.”

Nope, never happened, except in the United States, Austria, Ireland, The Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Brazil, The Phillipines, Australia, New Zeal . . . .

Nope. Never.

Off to drink liberally.

Trying to reduce the number of spam comments I have to delete every day, I have just set the blog to automatically close comments on any post older than 14 days, since a goodly number of spam comments are applied to older posts.

Persons wishing to comment on older posts are welcome to email me using the “Email” link at the top of the sidebar.

Drinking Liberally is a support group for liberals, where you can realize you are not alone.

When: 6 p., Wednesday, February 8.

Where:
The Public House
1112 Colley Avenue (map)

Details here.

About three miles from where I grew up:

Crews are working to clean up an accident on Route 13 near Route 627 in Machipongo* involving a tractor trailer and a box truck.

Virginia State Police Sgt. Michelle Anaya said the accident was reported around 4 a.m. and 41,000 pounds of frozen pork spilled onto the roadway.

Picture at the link.

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*It’s pronounced exactly as it’s spelled.

A skin-grease cosmetics ad. Photoshopped?

Oh noes.

The Advertising Standards Authority (UK–ed.) has ordered skincare outfit L’Oreal to lay off the Photoshop, after it ran a magazine ad showing Rachel Weisz in improbably good form as a result of slapping on Revitalist Repair 10.

(snip)

The watchdog was responding to a complaint from MP Jo Swinson, who “challenged whether the ad was misleading, because she believed that the image of Rachel Weisz had been digitally manipulated and therefore misrepresented the results that the product could achieve”.

“Maroons” was a term applied to escaped African slaves rumored to have hidden for generations in the Great Dismal Swamp, which at one time covered over 1,000,000 acres in this part of the world (what’s left is about a tenth that size and still trackless).

The local rag has an excellent story on the efforts of an archaeologist to discover whether the rumors were true. While you are reading it, ask yourself this:

If slavery were so benign an institution as supporters of the Lost Cause pretend (here’s Chauncey Devega dismembering one such statement by Ron Paul), why were the slaveholders’ biggest fears escape and revolt?

Rally at the Bell Tower to preserve the franchise, sponsored by the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus.

Dr. Benjamin Chavis, keynote speaker.

When: 9 a. m., January 31.

Where:
9th and Franklin Streets
Richmond, Va. (map).

More Info: Call 757-287-0277 or email vlbc2011@yahoo.com.

View the announcement (jpg).