February, 2013 archive
Newton Minnow Was Right 0
Television is a vast wasteland, and it’s just getting vasterior (that’s “vast” + “posterior,” if you must know).
If the embed doesn’t work, click here. Funny or Die embeds have been flaky lately.
Sequestrian Dressage 0
Dick Polman reviews the politics preceding the sequestration law and concludes that Republican dance to pin it on Obama is more Biggest Loser than Dancing with the Stars. A nugget:
Read the rest; re-acquaint yourself with the facts.
Climate Ch-Ch-Changes 0
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Something’s happening here.
What it is ain’t exactly clear.
But there must be some reason that the Miami (as in Florida) Herald would carry a column about decorative cold weather plants suitable for Virginia.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
I wonder how much of this includes layoffs in anticipation of the Republican sequestration? They are already in the news here.
(snip)
The less-volatile four-week average climbed to 360,750 from 352,750. The average at the end of October, before the typical swings related to the year-end holidays set in, was 367,250.
Last week corresponded to the period the Labor Department will survey businesses to calculate the payroll data for February. The average last week was little changed from January’s 360,000 for the comparable period.
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits rose by 11,000 to 3.15 million in the week ended Feb. 9. The continuing claims figure doesn’t include Americans receiving extended unemployment benefits under federal programs.
Those patriotic Republicans love their America* so much that they are willing to take food out of the mouths of Americans in proof of that love. What a bunch of guys!
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*Their America, the one from 1859, that is.
Support Accessibility (Sticky, Updated)
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Support the Sonar Project. Please also spread the word. The deadline approacheth has passed.
Addendum:
Take a minute to walk in someone else’s shoes. Listen to Jonathan Nadeau walk Pokey through installing Linux without a monitor, using accessibility features.
Addendum-Dee-Dum-Dum:
The project raised over $9,000, due in large part to a strong last-minute push from the Linux podcasting community.
Unlike a kickstarter campaign, in which a project that doesn’t meet its goal gets nothing, the Sonar Project will receive the pledges. Compliments to all who donated.
Chartering the Wrong Course 0
Kavips diagnoses what’s wrong with the schools. A nugget:
Simply put, if you don’t take the time to do this test, ( 5 minutes) you should not have any say in education.
Once you see this, you cannot have any qualms as to why our children are failing….
- It is not the teachers.
- It is not the principals.
- It is not the school boards.
- It is the test.
In Virginia, these tests are referred to as the SOLs.
I don’t think that’s an accident.
Follow the link for the rest of the argument and the sample question referred to above.
Bonus Babies 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Michael Price evaluates proposals, most in Europe, to curtail bonuses for banksters.
A nugget:
Read the rest to understand how the banksters’ compensation system provides incentives for skulduggery.
Dress Codes 0
Republicans, always classy.
The One Per Cent Solution 0
Will Bunch explains why Comcast honcho David Cohen thinks Pennsylvania’s wingnut governor, Tom Corbett, is the bee’s knees and the cat’s meow:
There’s just the 1 Percent Party. And there’s a 99 percent chance that you’re not in it.
Read the rest.
Hostage-Takers 0
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Dog-gone politeness:
Gun nut paradise appears to have arrived.
(Follow the link. This one’s even creepier than the excerpt implies.)
Spill Here, Spill Now, Skip Town 0
How dare someone hold them accountable? How dare they they, I say!
In a combative statement, the oil giant said it had been open to a settlement in the civil trial, set to start on Monday in a federal court in New Orleans. But it had failed to reach a deal with federal government lawyers.
Their logic boils down to “We should not pay because reasons.”
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Collateral politeness.
It is not clear who shot the woman.
Twits on Twitter 0
Cosmo Boy tries to master technology.
Honeypot Kettle Black 0
If you can’t beat ’em, fool ’em.
This follows a threat last week in which the Pirate Bay said it will sue the makers of the copycat website for copyright infringement. The Pirate Bay, of course, is used by many to distribute and download torrents of copyrighted files (it calls itself “world’s largest site for cultural diversity and file sharing”). The torrent site explains that it normally wouldn’t mind copying, but it takes offense because this incident’s perpetrator was the Copyright Information and Anti-Piracy Centre (CIAPC) in Helsinki.
Via GNC.
Facebook Frolics, Seeking Sanctuary Dept. 0
Always reliable. Reliable how, well, that’s another issue.
