December, 2012 archive
Where Were the Cops? 0
Having armed policemen on site would no doubt have prevented this:
One officer was hit twice in the abdomen, below his bullet proof vest. Two other officers, a male and female, suffered graze wounds.
The gunman was shot and killed inside the station.
As Suzy said, “Oh. Wait.”
Facebook Frolics 3
Is Facebook the lonely cloud?
A Satisfying Crunch 0
And wanton, casual cruelty.
(snip)
Sometimes humans feel a need to prove they are the dominant species on this planet by taking a 2-ton metal vehicle and squishing a defenseless creature under the tires, said Hal Herzog, a Western Carolina University psychology professor.
“They aren’t thinking, really. It is not something people think about. It just seems fun at the time,” Herzog said. “It is the dark side of human nature.”
Not nice people
Who Aren’t You . . . 3
. . . when you’re not yourself?
If you don’t stake out your social media territory, someone else will.
That’s the new reality reflected in a lawsuit filed Thursday in Pittsburgh’s federal court by a foundation head against the networking firm LinkedIn Corp.
Rick D. Senft, president and CEO of the Passavant Memorial Home Foundation, wants to know who put his name, personal cell phone and personal email on the popular site — and so far, LinkedIn won’t tell him.
Light Bloggery 0
Family gatherings.
(Much more positive than the last one.)
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted 350,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The prior week’s figure was revised to show 1,000 more applications than previously reported.
(snip)
The four-week moving average fell 11,250 last week to 356,750, the lowest since March 2008.
Is it that Republican unwillingness to budge on the phony phiscal cliff is in some way related to reversing this?
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
In the Kansas City Star, John Lantos carries NRA logic rationale bullshit to its ultimate conclusion: For school safety, arm the kids.
Schools should be required to teach five year olds to use Glocks and Berettas responsibly. After all, they’re going to need them when they grow up. Responsible handgun use is more useful than learning about myths like evolution or global warming.
But the most powerful argument for arming our five year olds is this: they are armed anyway. Every year, more than 500 children in the United States fatally shoot themselves with guns that they obtain in their own homes every year.
Droning On 0
In the Guardian, Naomi Wolf considers the implications of raining remote-controlled robotic death from the skies:
Just imagine how much Bull Connor would have loved him some drones.
Read the rest.
Facebook Frolics 0
There’s a certain Zuckerboardian schadenfreude here.
That didn’t sit well with Zuckerberg’s sister, Randi, who tweeted at Callie Schweitzer that the picture was meant for friends only and that posting the private picture on Twitter was “way uncool.” Schweitzer replied by saying the picture popped up on her Facebook news feed.
Later on in the story, she is quoted as saying that it is rude to repost other persons’ stuff without their permission
You know, the way Facebook did (maybe still does) with your pictures in their ads.
(Other users were quoted as saying that the problem is that Facebook’s privacy policies, well, just zuck.)
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Practicing politeness.
Bad idea.
Police arrested both men, who had concealed weapons permits, and sent them to jail. Police also confiscated their guns: a.38-caliber revolver and a 9mm Glock.
In related news, the Booman calls the roll.
Cloud Cuckoo Land 0
Dave Mandi is skeptical of storing your stuff in the “cloud” (whatever that is–as near as I can tell, it’s marketese for “remote server”). A snippet:
Then there are broader privacy questions. Can you be sure the cloud owner isn’t doing anything with your data? Is it conceivable that at some point in the future they might sell or rent it? Imagine how much marketing companies would be willing to pay for personal information stored in the cloud — even if it were anonymized.
If you use any kind of commercial “cloud” service, this is a must-read.
Follow the Money, Gunnut Style 0
Dick Polman points that that, second amendment, schmecond amendment.
It’s all about the Benjamins. A nugget:
In other words, the NRA exists to do the industry’s bidding. The NRA can talk all day (and it certainly does) about the Second Amendment and about its stalwart defense of Freedom, but its real job is to keep the industry fat and happy and profitable – by ensuring that it sells more and more guns. What’s good for the gun industry is good for the NRA, and vice versa.
It’s Awards Season 0
And the Commander Guy is handing out the Golden Wingnut Awards.
Drinking Liberally Virginia Beach Tomorrow 0
Fun and fellowship for liberals. Join us and talk about anything in a relaxed atmosphere.
When: Thursday, December 27th, 6 p.
Where:
Croc’s 19 Street Bistro
620 19th Street (Map)
More here.
