July, 2014 archive
Drinking Liberally Norfolk Tomorrow 0
Drinking Liberally is a gathering place for liberals. Socialize and laugh in a friendly atmosphere.
When: 6 p., Tuesday, July 8.
Where:
Uno Chicago Grill
5900 Virginia Beach Blvd
(Janaf Shopping Center) (map)
Tuesdays for Norfolk, Thursdays for Virginia Beach to make it easier for persons with commitments on either day to catch at least one per month.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society’ 0
Be polite to your neighbors.
“At some point in time a handgun was introduced to their conversation, they were passing it back and forth when the 45-year-old shot his friend in the leg,” said Unified Police Lt. Justin Hoyal.
Chartering a Course for Disaster 0
John Romano considers the selling out of public scbools in Florida, because “profit” and “public good” both start with “p.”
Also in Florida educational initiatives . . . .
It turned out that this charter school, which taught kids from kindergarten to sixth grade during the day, had been operating as a nightclub during the evenings.
Much more Florida at that link.
At the Base 0
In case you missed it, Dennis G. explains it all* (emphasis added–follow the link for the rest):
John Boehner gets the outrage of his base. He fears his base and needs them at the same time. To fluff them he will do anything. And so he is preparing to sue the President of the United States for the “crime” of being an uppity negro.
Fifty years ago, the Republican Party decided that the road to power was paved with racism, leading to the nomination of Barry Goldwater and, eventually, to Nixon’s odious “Southern Strategy,” which has since turned on and consumed the Party. In an epic role reversal, the Republican Party has become the party of the Secesh; loyalty to and fear of the Secesh influence and inform its every action.
If you haven’t figured that out by now, you haven’t been paying attention.
_______________
*Apologies to Clarissa, who explained it all first.
Mobilization 0
Joseph J. Ellis, professor of history at Williams College, spots a trend.
The Mexican War began when President Polk cited an attack on American troops in Texas – troops he had deliberately placed there to provoke Mexico. The Spanish American War began when President McKinley claimed that the battleship Maine had been blown up by Spanish saboteurs; subsequent investigations showed that the explosion originated inside the ship, probably due to an accidental fire in the munitions compartment.
Read the rest to see how often this pattern has repeated.
The next time you hear the war drums beating, be very skeptical.
The “47%” Lie 0
Cenk uses facts (gasp!) and numbers (horrors!) to expose the duplicity.
The Late U. S. Mail 0
Dan Casey explains how George the Worst poisoned the Post Office and wonders why Congress doesn’t care. A nugget:
It requires the self-supporting U.S. Postal Service, which receives not one dime in taxpayer subsidies, to fully fund its retirees’ health benefits for 75 years into the future. It also requires that money be set aside over a 10-year period, at a rate of more than $5 billion per year.
(snip)
Somewhat ironically, the bill was intended to help the Postal Service be more competitive for the future, Davis said. But late in the game, the Bush White House threatened to veto it unless Congress added the future-funding-for-retirees provision.
Congress went along because at the time it seemed like it was a better option than having the entire bill defeated, Davis said.
Scott Maxwell Tries Uber . . . . 0
. . . and he doesn’t get a lyft.
Later on, he does have a pleasant ride from an Uber driver. His column goes on to explore the pros and cons of Uber, including the underlying duplicity of Uber’s “business model.” A nugget (emphasis added):
With my shoes laced and energy chew chomped, I opened the Uber app, requested a driver and … uh-oh. No one wanted to pick me up.
“NO uberX AVAILABLE” read the pop-up screen.
(snip)
Taxicabs must follow set rates. Uber says it mustn’t.
And when an Uber driver struck and killed a 6-year-old girl in California last year, Uber said it wasn’t liable. Why? Because Uber said the Uber driver wasn’t really an Uber driver — that he didn’t have a passenger at the time and was “never an employee, agent, joint venture or partner of Uber.”
Overall, Uber claims it doesn’t need government regulations because it’s already safer and better insured than government requires.
Well, guess what? That’s what virtually every business claims about every regulation — they don’t need it.
Chopped, Not Channeled 0
It started life as a 1926 Dodge. It now has a Chevy 350 powerplant, an automatic transmission, a radio/CD player, and no power anything.
This rod was a labor of love.
We had a delightful chat with the owner of the vehicle, who created it over the course of several years, at the Beach Pub (an unparalleled eatery) on Friday. We agreed that kids today are a lost cause and don’t know anything about cars.
The owner pursues a sideline of collecting, restoring, and selling knives. If you are interested in collectible knives, email me via the email link on the sidebar and I’ll provide his contact information. (He does not have an on-line presence.)
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Party politely.
The gun hit the ground and fired, and a bullet struck a 12-year-old girl in the middle of her back before going out her right shoulder, Davidsaver said.
Intellectual Property 0
Our copyright, patent, and trademark laws are insane. So are the persons charged with implementing them.
What Would Tyler Perry Do? Trademark “What Would Jesus Do,” evidently.
The Atlanta-based entertainment mogul has successfully trademarked the phrase whose initials have adorned the wrists of untold numbers of church campers or Vacation Bible School attendees.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Teach the children politeness.
The victim, who relatives identified as Gregory Kent, of Oakland, is expected to survive. The alleged gunman, police said, is 14 years old. He was not identified.