2012 archive
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Criticize music, politely.
The critic says he was only standing his ground.
The Paradox Is Solved 1
I looked at the couch and realized that we have
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Shreddinger’s Cat!
Fox News Hunting 0
Tom Ricks calls out Fox News, among others, for trying to gin up a scandal about Benghazi.
Droning On, If You Ignore It, It Will Go Away Dept. 0
If you don’t want to feel uncomfortable about gamers’ raining robotic death from the sky, don’t read this Asia Times article:
While her bravery deserved the attention it received, it lies in stark contrast to the many other innocent victims of political violence in Pakistan. Indeed, the Drone War continues with hardly a mention in the US media. It is not hard to imagine that if Malala lived in a different village, she could just as well have been killed by a Predator drone as by the Taliban – and we’d know nothing about her courage.
“Cyber Monday” 0
It’s all myth and hype, dreamed up by, natch, a marketer, and spread by a credulous media complex that can’t tell fact from fiction in shopping or politics.
Sporting Chances 0
It just isn’t possible that there is selective enforcement in the NCAA, now, is it?
Twilight of the Copy Editor 0
Nowhere in the story was there any indication of an iProbe, or any other kind of iJunk, being used in Springfield.
Update from the Foreclosure-Based Economy 1
“Private equity” is buying up houses in Sacramento.
Blackstone, a New York-based group with billions of dollars in investments and offices from London to Tokyo, has been snapping up low-priced homes across the region, from Elk Grove to Citrus Heights, at a rate of about 40 a week.
The article continues for 1500 words of speculation that amount to “this is unprecedented and no one knows what it implies.”
I believe it implies that they are betting on the return of the bubble.
In the meantime, they’ll find some way to give themselves bonuses for being such awesome masters of the universe, until the whole thing collapses into a pile of Twinkies with the cream sucked out of them, as by a giant vampire squid.
Sauce for the Gander, Misogyny Dept. 0
From Contradict Me (warning: uncomfortable, bluntly-worded facts off the port bow).
Twits on Twitter 0
Nobody twits like marketing twits.
It’s Not the Medium, It’s the Message 0
A TPM reader has some thoughts about Republicans and Romney.
Up a Tree for Your Tree? 0
At Science 2 dot 0, Kimberly Crandell considers real versus artificial trees from an environmental perspective. A nugget:
Artificial trees are manufactured using a polyvinyl chloride (or PVC), which is a petroleum-derived plastic. The raw material for fake Christmas trees is both non-renewable and polluting. Furthermore, PVC production results in the unhealthy emission of a number of carcinogens, such as dioxin, ethylene dichloride and vinyl chloride.
More at the link.
The Music Gap 0
Tony Norman remembers the parade of singers and stars who protested the use of their songs by Republicans and wonders why an entire class of potential Republican support was ignored. A snippet:
Ironically, there are several fiscally conservative hip-hop stars who probably would have loved to have been approached for their support. Why wasn’t LL Cool J asked to license “Mama Said Knock You Out” for large rallies in Ohio and Pennsylvania? And is there a bigger capitalist in all of popular entertainment than longtime George W. Bush groupie 50 Cent? Why didn’t the Republican National Committee seek the support of these outspoken black Republicans? I think the answer is obvious.
Indeed.
The Voter Fraud Fraud 0
The gut out the vote movement is alive and well.
Cole wants to remove several forms of ID now accepted for voting based on his belief that the recently revised law doesn’t do enough to thwart potential voter fraud. The Republican legislator would like the General Assembly to strike provisions that allow voters to present a current utility bill, bank statement, government check or pay stub with an address as valid ID at the polls.
These folks won’t be happy until they are able to guarantee stealing elections.