July, 2014 archive
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Be polite to thy father and thy mother.
The investigation revealed that the woman and her 23-year-old son were going through her recently deceased husband’s gun collection. At some point, the son picked up a 9mm handgun, which then fired, striking his mother in the leg.
“. . . which then fired.” Divine intervention, no doubt.
The Parked Economy 0
My local rag has an odd story about research by a local professor which seems to point to a correlation between whether persons “front-in” or “back-in” parking spaces and their economic behavior. A snippet:
He then looked at recent economic statistics, such as savings rate and growth in gross domestic product, and found that the more reverse parkers, the more economic success.
For example, of the six countries, China enjoyed the largest annual productivity increase from 2001 to 2011 – 17.8 percent. Virtually tied on the bottom were Brazil (1.3 percent) and the United States (1.5 percent). “Based on the way people park,” Li wrote, “we can gauge their economic performance.”
The link, Li said in an interview last week, is whether a society leans toward instant or delayed gratification. Rear-first parkers, he reasoned, are delayed-gratification types: They take more time to park so they can have a quicker getaway.
Note that he is not claiming causality, merely correlation.
Full Disclosure:
I usually back into parking spaces, but gratification of any sort has little to do with. It’s simple visibility.
If I get caught parked between two honking great SUVs, I’d much rather front out than back out.
Implanted Memory Syndrome, Republican Fables Dept. 0
Jon Stewart revels in Republican lies about Reagan.
Below the fold because it may autoplay.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Be polite in the convenience store.
“He walked maybe six feet in the door when he pulled his shorts up, something caught the trigger and the gun discharged into his leg,” said Chief Jim Vanover, of Orange police. “People immediately rushed over to help.”
And, in more news of the polite . . . .
The Voter Fraud Fraud 0
Dan Casey tells the story one 91-year-old person’s attempt to obtain a “valid photo ID” so she can exercise her right to vote. Follow the link and read of the punishment she was willing to endure so as to be allowed to have a say in the next election.
(snip)
But her Virginia driver’s license is expired, and her passport is too. So recently she went through a significant hassle to get a valid photo ID, which is required of all voters under a new state election law that took effect July 1.
Republicans are betting that most persons won’t go through the trouble, allowing themselves to be de facto disenfranchised.
The Republican Party has become a vile and loathsome thing.
Drinking Liberally Virginia Beach Thursday 0
Fun and fellowship for liberals. Join us and talk about anything in a relaxed atmosphere.
When: Thursday, July 24th, 6 p.
Where:
Croc’s 19 Street Bistro
620 19th Street (Map)
More here.
Casino Dreams 0
The Atlantic City casino dream is crashing and, as it crashes, it beggars honest workers.
Casino gambling is a mug’s game. It has always been a mugs’ game, just as the lottery in a mug’s game. The house always wins; the marks always lose. Those who would base their fortune on casino gambling are mugs and losers.
Financing public services by playing a mugs’ game because politicians fear to assess taxes–the price of living in a civilized society, by the way–is a con and a fraud, a mug’s gambit. Like all cons and frauds, it ultimately fails (think Bernie Madoff and Enron). In AC, the con and the fraud is failing big time.
Only the con artists and the fraudsters, who cash in early and get out quickly, benefit, as they play their (you will pardon the expression) Trump cards while leaving the citizenry holding the bag.
Depending on “gambling revenue” to pay for public services is an attempt to take the easy way out of governance.
There is no easy way out of responsibility. The citizenry forgets that at its peril
Great Moments in Religious Freedom 0
A faith-based IPO to die for.
Six of One, Nothing of the Other 0
In a longer post about Tim Draper’s plan to separate California into six states (George Smith delivers a scathing take-down of that exercise in narcissism at his place), Tom Hilton highlights the one of the (many) logical fallacies inherent in Libertarianism:
And because they think governing is easy, because they don’t care about the details, whenever by some hideous mischance one of them is given a position of responsibility, they invariably prove spectacularly inept at governing.
Facebook ‘Em, Dano 0
Oh, my.
But the problem was the dress was stolen from a local boutique.
She won’t be wearing the dress again.
The Prison Industrial Complex 0
Via Raw Story.
Watch it. If you don’t have time to watch it now, bookmark and watch it later, but watch it.
Where Is the World in Carmen Sandiego? 0
Political scientists Kyle Dropp, Joshua D. Kertzer. and Thomas Zeitzoff asked the question. The results were distressing (emphasis added).
A number of persons located Ukraine in the Americas.
We are a society awash in stupid.
Via Juanita Jean.
Suffer the Children 0
Aside:
Coverage of the border situation would be improved if the children were referred to accurately as “refugees,” for they seek refuge, though they are met with refusal.
