Too Venal for Words category archive
It’s All about the Algorithm 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Robyn Koslowitz discusses a TikTok challenge which, as nears as I can figure out, involves parents telling kids to go into a bathroom, telling them it’s a safe space where they can curse all they want. Then the parents record the result and post it to “social” media.
Koslowitz lists a number of reasons that this is a bad idea, starting with the idea that it’s a betrayal of trust (that is, saying that a place is safe, then then violating that space. The line that caught my eye, though, was this:
One more time, “social” media isn’t.
The Crypto Con 0
Emma and the crew react to a crypto con artist’s claim that God made him do it. Listen to him closely: he’s clearly describing a Ponzi scheme. (Warning: mild language.)
Gutting Out the Vote 0
The Arizona Republic’s E. J. Montini writes about an Arizona legislator who has decided that, well, if you can’t gut out the vote, why not just throw it out completely. A snippet:
Make it legal.
Kern has introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution 1014, which — I am not making this up — allows that “the Legislature, and no other official, shall appoint presidential electors.”
The Electric (Car) Bugaloo 0
Nikolai Tesla must be rolling over in his grave with embarrassment to have his name associated with this outfit.
“Vengeance Is Ours,” Saith Republicans 0
At The Colorado Sun, Mike Littwin tries to make sense of the nonsensical. A snippet:
So why the official inquiry? Let’s go with the two most obvious reasons. One, because Donald Trump wants it. Two, because Johnson and his team, who can’t seem to do much of anything else, including passing bills to aid an embattled ally fighting off the Russians, felt they had to do something to justify their phoney-baloney jobs.
(Missing link found.)
The Crypto Con 0
Michael Hiltzik, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times, has had enough.
Follow the link for his reasoning.
Argle Bargle 0
At Above the Law, Liz Dye looks at the latest I-guess-you-have-to-call-them arguments and tries to make sense out of the senseless. What it boils down to, natch, is attempting to use the law to argue that Donald Trump is exempt from the law.
A sample:
The Carnappers 0
Persons in Philly who overstay their metered parking by the teeniest bit are now getting barnacle bills.
Facebook Frolics 0
A Tennessee police department found out the hard way that, even though a frolicker posts something stupid and disrespectful and insipid, it ain’t inherently a crime.
We are becoming an uncivil society. And “social” media is accelerating our desce–oh, never mind.
Disorder in the Court 0
It’s enough to make you gagged.
Motion Sickness 0
At Above the Law, Liz Dye catalogs the crazy in three motions Donald Trump’s attorneys filed with the D. C. federal court in his election interference case.
Spoiling the System 0
Lindsay M. Chervinsky looks at Donald Trump’s plans to effectively destroy the civil service and replace career civil servants with his dupes, symps, and fellow travelers.
Much more at the link.
Republican Thought Police 0
Afterthought:
Many years ago, when I was a young ‘un just a couple of years into my first real job (as opposed to summer jobs), my then girl friend and I had occasion to visit an apartment occupied by two young men.
I remember that she was rather taken aback when she saw that there was only one bed in the apartment.
But, really, they were just being who they were, and they were harming nobody.
Who does it harm to just let let persons be who they are in the privacy of their own homes?
As an aside, I can attest that no marriage of mine has ever been harmed by anything that happened in a same sex bedroom.
Flying the Fiendlier Skies 0
Robert Reich explores why traveling by airline has become so unpleasant. He lists five reasons; here’s one of them (emphasis in the original):
While their jobs have become more difficult, many flight attendants haven’t had a raise in years.
And a lot of their hardest work is totally unpaid, because most flight attendants don’t get paid during the boarding process. They’re off the clock until the plane’s doors close.
And if the flight is delayed, those are often extra hours for no extra money.
Again, this mirrors trends in the overall economy, where too many workers are pushed into unpaid overtime or made to do work or be on call during their off hours.
Follow the link for a detailed exploration of the other four.
