2013 archive
What’s Oleo Is New Again 0
Stephen Mihn recounts the strange history of oleomargarine.
Parallels 0
Well, maybe not so much.
“Strike the Debt” 0
Something positive grows from Occupy.
Mystery Solved! 0
We have found the whereabouts of Shreddinger’s Cat.
It’s downstairs even as I type this.
The Pusher Man 0
To quote the Velvet Underground, from the magnificent Velvet Underground with Nico:
And the man’s name is . . . “Biggie Pharma.”
(If you doubt me, watch Wheel of Fortune on Monday and don’t zip through the commercials. It’s all drugs all the time.)
Courting Gridlock 0
Dick Polman nominates Republicans for “Best in Obstruction.” A nugget.
But those days are over. Sabotage is now routine; dissing the election results is de rigueur. The way it works now is, Republicans concoct bogus reasons to filibuster whoever Obama nominates, just because Obama nominated them. In the partisan Republican trench, his two election wins mean squat.
Reversal 0
The Rude One rudely takes on President Obama’s “About Face” (as my local rag styled it) on health no-surance.
Warning: Extremely Rude, but rudely on target.
Also, Dick Polman.
“I’m Not Racist, but . . . .” Reprise (Updated) (Updated Again) (Yawn. Yet Another Update) 3
Chauncey Devega points out that the image of racists as mouth-breathing sheet-wearning terrorists burning crosses is not only inaccurate, but also a misdirection play distracting from more subtle and insidious “polite” racists.
A nugget:
In all, for post civil rights America, the “nice” and “polite” racists are a much greater threat, in mass, than the “mean” and “vicious” ones.
I’m a southern boy; I grew up white under Jim Crow.
Some of the nicest, most courteous people I knew as I grew up were as racist as racist could be. They would have never said the n-word in public, maybe not even in private, and certainly not within hearing of a Not White person, but they were certain that the color of their skins made them superior to anyone of a deeper hue and that they were therefore entitled to deference.
The sense of entitlement to–the demand for–deference solely because of skin color is an essential element of racism.
Receiving that deference, including deference to claims of “I’m not racist” in defense of clearly racist actions and statements, is white privilege writ large.
Do read the rest.
Addendum:
And, in more news of the not racist . . .
Addendum-Dee-Dum-Dum:
In reference to the Addendum above . . . .
Addendum-Dee-Doo-Dah
Chauncey Devega points out that it was her own damned fault for being.
You know, if you will admit it, that he is correct.
Celling Silliness 0
On the streets of New York, and probably everywhere else.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Be polite to your spouse.
He eventually told deputies that he accidentally shot her in the head, Sgt. Mike Ruggiero said late Thursday.
Tabletlands 0
The more I use my Zareason tablet, the more I like it.
I’m using it primarily with FBReader to plough through ebooks from Project Gutenberg at a record pace, and, when necessary, to jump to my browser or to Google maps to investigate references and explore the contexts of mentions in what I am reading.
It also beats hell out of a smartphone for email and browsing. Something to do with 2GB RAMs, I expect.
This device is a nice job of work.
Something–I forget what–interested me in learning more about Japan, not the distorted Japan that we westerners know, but actual Japan, if you will pardon the laborious construction. At some later time, I will post some links to free ebooks that I have accumulated in my quest.
Also, for you mystery buffs out there, I’ve got a bunch of Victorian mysteries for you.
“I’m Not Racist, but . . . .” 0
. . . almost always means, “I’m racist, and . . . .”
Video moved below the fold because autoplays on some systems.
Dammit.