October, 2011 archive
Black Teabags 0
Clarence Page takes a look at the racist undertones of teabaggery. A nugget:
“I don’t believe racism in this country today holds anybody back in a big way,” he told CNN recently. Had he contended too many African-Americans use racism as an excuse for failure to succeed and even failure to try, Cain would have gotten no grief from me; I’ve made that argument often.
(snip)
But what made the claim truly bizarre is that two days later, Cain branded himself a victim of racism. Specifically, he said some black people are “racist” because they disagree with his politics. So blacks aren’t held back by racism, but Cain is?
Lord, give me strength.
Click to read the rest.
QOTD 0
Dwight D. Eisenhower, from the Quotemaster (subscribe here):
Un-American activity cannot be prevented or routed out by employing un-American methods; to preserve freedom we must use the tools that freedom provides.
The Fee Hand of the Market 0
At Philly dot com, Jeff Gelles cites banks’ complaints that they are wounded, yea! to the quick! by having their swipe fees regulated, then asks:
Follow the link to read his summary of the history of swipe fees (hint: they increased as the number of competitors providing debit cards decreased) and his answer to his question.
Spidey Sense 0
As near as I can tell, these are larger specimens of the Common American House Spider. They are not Wolf Spiders, for they do not spin webs.
I could not get good color definition. If I zoomed in really close, I was too close for focus.
Here’s a short video of a spider learning why it’s not a good plan to weave a web above an air condition compressor.
To Protect and Swerve 0
Keith Olbermann discusses the incident in the NYPD hit-and-stay of an observer (not a protestor) of Occupy Wall Street.
The NYPD claims he threw himself under the vehicle.
Watch the video and decide for yourself:
A World Based on Flim-Flam 0
Another step forward in capturing customers when they are too young and inexperienced to realize they are being brainwashed:
The ads must relate to health, education, nutrition, or student safety, and may not directly endorse products. They tout, among other things, reading and outdoor activities (the U.S. Library of Congress and the Ad Council); organizational skills (Post-it Notes), and concussion awareness (Dick’s Sporting Goods).
Other districts are selling ads on school buses.
Awning Gap 0
Some Americans’ worship of “property values” approaches the absurd.
This little story from the battle of the variances has everything: neighbor’s turned backs, the silent treatment, ex post facto amendments to the bylaws, conflicting press releases . . . .
(snip)
But now the couple’s dream location has become something of a nightmare for their youngest son, 18-month-old Jonah.
Born with congenital glaucoma, the child cannot stand direct sunlight, so his parents petitioned their neighborhood association for permission to put up a $5,000 awning on the front of their house.
The Summerset Neighborhood Association refused on aesthetic grounds.
In a location not far from here, the condo association is known as the “Clipboard Nazis.” They are sadly not unique.
Facebook Frolics 0
Putting down persons in public usually draws attention.
A lawyer who was contacted by a parent tells The Star-Ledger of Newark that he saw posts by Viki Knox before they were removed and that he alerted the Union Township district.
QOTD 0
Lech Walesa:
The thing that lies at the foundation of positive change, the way I see it, is service to a fellow human being.
It’s Unpossible 0
At Science 2.0, Patrick Lockerby discusses the closed mind:
He follows with an example of contemporary Christian fundamentalists who claim that plants do not consume carbon dioxide or give off oxygen (and therefore there is not global climate change) because the Bible tells them so.
If you wonder at the wingnut ability to believe stuff that just ain’t true, click to read.
In another real life demonstration of dealing with unpossibility, Andrew Brown responds to a Creationist at the Guardian.
Re-Seg 0
America’s original sin resurges:
The Civil Rights struggle, as it is often called, continues.
Greater Wingnuttery LVII: The Processional of Hate 0
My two or three regular readers know I don’t think much of Mitt the Flip, mostly because he seems to embrace, not principles, but polls. His inconstancy of position causes my weather vane to appear a rock of immobility.
Nevertheless, the wingnut flap over his religion is disgusting. If there are such things as unAmerican activities, applying a religious test for office is one of them.
In other news, the head of the Southern Baptist Convention calls the Church of Latter Day Saints a cult with the same relationship to Christianity as Islam, that is, a religion of the book.
Words fail me.
This Story Bugs Me 0
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Dustbiters 0
I was finishing off my DIY project yesterday and forgot to see the FDIC’s weekly hit list.
Man, one would think that, sooner or later, they would run out of banks to blank.
This week’s crop of responsible fiscals honored with extinction:
- Country Bank, Aledo, Illinois
First State Bank, Cranford, New Jersey
Stray Thought, Fine Print Dept. 0
Based on recent visits to the Super Duper Market, I have concluded that a pound of bacon is now 12 ounces.
The Uncertainty Scam and Other Misdirection Plays 3
Glomarization considers the “businesses aren’t hiring because of uncertainty” trope. A nugget:
I’ll tell you what uncertainty is. It’s not knowing whether you can pay the rent or put food on the table next month.
I am not the first to notice that our brave and fearless Galtian overlords are frequently reduced to melted puddles of mindless trembling because the future is an unknown.