From Pine View Farm

2012 archive

Where Were the Cops? 0

Having armed policemen on site would no doubt have prevented this:

According to police, a suspect was being processed on domestic violence charges when a struggle ensued. The suspect then somehow obtained a weapon and opened fire.

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.”

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Facebook Frolics 3

Is Facebook the lonely cloud?

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A Picture Is Worth 0

Graphic:  It's ironic that the same people who fear Obama is leading us toward a police state are the same people who are glad the NRA is advocating for a police state.

Via Political Prof.

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Billionaire-istan 0

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A Satisfying Crunch 0

And wanton, casual cruelty.

(Clemson student Nathan–ed.) Weaver put a realistic rubber turtle in the middle of a lane on a busy road near campus. Then he got out of the way and watched over the next hour as seven drivers swerved and deliberately ran over the animal. Several more apparently tried to hit it but missed.

(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

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European Hornet 0

European Hornet

More here.

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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.

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QOTD 0

Clifton Fadiman:

Cheese is milk’s leap towards immortality.

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Light Bloggery 0

Family gatherings.

(Much more positive than the last one.)

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Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment aid fell last week to nearly its lowest level in 4 1/2 years, a sign that the labor market is healing.

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?

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“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.

Some might object that kindergarteners are too young to use weapons safely and responsibly. The evidence suggests the opposite. Fewer the 1% of murders are committed by 5 year olds.

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.

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Droning On 0

In the Guardian, Naomi Wolf considers the implications of raining remote-controlled robotic death from the skies:

People often ask me, in terms of my argument about “ten steps” that mark the descent to a police state or closed society, at what stage we are. I am sorry to say that with the importation of what will be tens of thousands of drones, by both US military and by commercial interests, into US airspace, with a specific mandate to engage in surveillance and with the capacity for weaponization – which is due to begin in earnest at the start of the new year – it means that the police state is now officially here.

Just imagine how much Bull Connor would have loved him some drones.

Read the rest.

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Facebook Frolics 0

There’s a certain Zuckerboardian schadenfreude here.

A picture that (Facebook’s Mark–ed.) Zuckerberg’s sister posted on her personal Facebook profile was seen by a marketing director, who then posted the picture to Twitter and her more than 40,000 followers Wednesday.

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.)

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Remember the Election? 0

Dick Polman wants you to take his quiz.

I haven’t taken it yet. I’ll post my results when I do.

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QOTD 0

James Branch Cabell:

Patriotism is the religion of hell.

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“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0

Practicing politeness.

Two men who were likely drunk and most definitely armed decided to have a little target practice early Friday morning on a soup can in a Belltown alley.

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.

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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:

First off, the cloud’s owner knows about every song and book in your collection. Depending on how clean-cut you are, this may or may not be cause for concern, but “If you have nothing to hide you have nothing to worry about” is not a good reason to forfeit your privacy. You may have bought a copy of the book How to Pick Locks for educational purposes, or some of Charles Manson’s demo tapes for laughs, but you shouldn’t have to worry that someone will get the wrong idea about those purchases and report you to the authorities.

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.

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Follow the Money, Gunnut Style 0

Dick Polman points that that, second amendment, schmecond amendment.

It’s all about the Benjamins. A nugget:

Because this is all about money. In terms of annual business, the American gun industry is worth $12 billion. The NRA’s budget annual budget is $250 million; it depends not just on membership dues, but on lavish industry contributions. For instance, the gun-making firm Sturm Ruger just finished a one-year sweetheart deal with the NRA; it gave the NRA a dollar for every gun sold, and the NRA’s take totaled $1.2 million. And the gun retailers get in on the act, too. The CEO of Cabela’s, a hunting and outdoor gear chain, recently gave the NRA $1 million in cash.

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.

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It’s Awards Season 0

And the Commander Guy is handing out the Golden Wingnut Awards.

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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.

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