2013 archive
A Picture Is Worth 0
Let Cowgirl Up explain what it means.
Filtering the Internet 0
Thom reports on Verizon’s attempt to ration your internet so they can collect money on both ends.
Cooch and the Charitable Contribution 0
Emphasis added.
“I made the decision to send the check because it is the right thing to do, plain and simple,” he said Tuesday.
Cuccinelli has received gifts amounting to $18,000 from Jonnie Williams, chief executive of Star Scientific, a diet supplement company that is contesting a $1.8?million tax bill from the state.
Right for efforts to salvage his image, that is.
Break Time 0
Off to drink liberally.
Cheap Thrills 0
Well, maybe not. From Der Spiegel:
(snip)
Instead of savoring the sweet pleasure of pain, the men found themselves consigned to farm labor such as chopping wood in the nude and mowing the lawn while wearing black fetish masks on the farm near the town of St Pölten. In effect, they were paying for the privilege of doing farm work.
You can’t make this stuff up.
Enforcing the Code 0
Last week, I fulminated about a couple of school dress codes that were, at best, problematical and, at worst, bigoted.
Now comes Ruthann Robson to explore the questionable history and application of dress codes as a means of perpetuating and enforcing class and status.
A nugget:
Dress codes also hearken back to a time when kings, queens and government councils routinely proscribed all manner of attire, with special attention to prohibiting people of “mean condition” from certain styles – purple, for example, was reserved for royalty. But the English went even further, regulating how frilly men’s collars could be or how revealing their tunics could be. Colonists brought such traditions with them to America. The Puritans prosecuted women who wore lace and Southern colonies included matters of dress in their slave codes.
Syria: A Russia to Judgment (Updated) 0
I don’t know whether today’s announcement is a case of successful Obama brinkmanship or Putin to the rescue or a merely speed bump on the way to raining robotic death from the sky, so I got nothing.
It will be fun to watch the spin cycle.
I can, nevertheless, take delight in its having rendered at least 50% of today’s columns and editorial cartoons irrelevant.
Addendum, Later That Same Day:
Josh Marshall has a pretty good first take.
“All by Yourself, Alone” 0
Noz’s post title says it all.
The Rich Are Different from You and Me 0
Chris Arnade explains at The Guardian:
When you’re wealthy you make mistakes. When you are poor you go to jail.
Yes, it is like comparing apples and oranges. That is the point though. We have built two very different societies with two very different sets of values. Takeesha was born into a world with limited opportunities, one where the black market has filled the void. In her world transgressions are resolved via violence, not lawyers. The law as applied to her is simple and stark, with little wiggle room.
Mr one-glove (a Wall Street trader; follow the link to learn where he got his nickname–ed.) was born into a world with many options. The laws of his land are open for interpretation, and with the right lawyer one can navigate in the vast grey area and never do anything wrong. The rules are often written by and for Mr one-glove and his friends.
Myth America 0
Eric Garland explores three American myths about America and war.
Here is his list of myths and a nugget from the discussion. Follow the link for a discussion of each myth and of how they have led us into misadventure.
- Myth #1: America has to act.
- Myth #2: America’s actions are benevolent.
- Myth #3: America can win wars.
. . . .
An uncritical acceptance of mid-20th century mythology is what led to such catastrophic strategic errors in America’s wars of adventure. The United States led a cadre of allies into what is historically known as the “Graveyard of Empires,” Afghanistan. While removing the Taliban from the failed state was an imperative, supported by moral justifictions and realpolitik, we should have known that the task of securing the country would require total focus and dedication. After all, President Jimmy Carter and Zbigniew Brzezinski suckered the Soviets into doing the exact same thing as a way to ruin them.
Drinking Liberally Norfolk Tomorrow 0
Now on Tuesdays for Norfolk (still Thursdays for Virginia Beach) to make it easier for persons with commitments on either day to catch at least one per month.
Drinking Liberally is a gathering place for liberals. Socialize and laugh in a friendly atmosphere.
When: 6 p., Tuesday, September 10.
Where:
Uno Chicago Grill
5900 Virginia Beach Blvd
(Janaf Shopping Center) (map)
Details here. Meetup page here.
Parallels 0
Thoreau points out the words have meanings and may not mean what you think they mean.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Polite in the park.
The mother of the girl told a 911 dispatcher that the girl shot herself with a handgun Saturday morning, according to a statement from the park.