From Pine View Farm

2015 archive

Hey! Rubio! 0

Noz likes leftovers.

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QOTD 0

Oliver Herford:

Many are called but few get up.

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And Now for Something Completely Different 0

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Facebook Frolics 0

Topless frolics.

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Selfie-Awareness 0

Susan Greenberg wonders whether selfies are the chicken or the egg.

Research has shown the social networking site use is linked to narcissism- but whether narcissists use Facebook more, or Facebook makes us more narcissistic is unclear. While there has been many investigations in the past five years into social networking site use, especially Facebook, there has been comparatively little research into the selfie phenomenon specifically. However, emerging research looking particularly at selfies and narcissism is painting a bleak picture. Three studies published in 2015 found that narcissism predicted selfie-posting frequency, linked narcissism AND psychopathy with self-posting frequency amongst men and a third study found that the link between narcissism and selfie-posting was stronger in men then women.

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Full of Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing 0

Meanwhile, the Bangor Daily News carries Frances Wilkerson’s column pointing out that, regarding the Republican Party, there’s no longer any there there other than inarticulate formless rage. A snippet:

The devolution of one of the nation’s two major political parties, and its sanction of nonsensical beliefs on taxes, science and other issues, is the most important political development of our era.

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The Candidates Debate 0

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Real-Life Monster 0

Runaway blimp labeled

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“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0

Politeness runs rampant in Colorado Springs.

. . . and it’s another day in NRA Paradise.

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Plus Ca Change 0

George Wallace, Spiro Agnew, Richard Nixon, and TBD (Ted Cruz?) saying,

Via Job’s Anger.

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QOTD 0

Annie Bessant:

For centuries the leaders of Christian thought spoke of women as a necessary evil, and the greatest saints of the Church are those who despise women the most.

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Trick or Threat 0

Scary GOP candidate Hallowe'en costumes:  Vampire Trump, Frankenstein Ben Carson, Zombie Ted Cruz

Click for a larger image.

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The Haunting of the House 0

There’s no escape.

Nearly all states require Realtors representing sellers to disclose legitimately scary material facts to buying agents and their clients that could cause them to reconsider, such as a cracked foundation, a leaking roof or toxic mold or the federally-required disclosure of lead paint. But don’t bother trying to get out of your contract if you discover there was a murder, or a suicide, or even a violent crime committed in the home after you bought it — it’s a dead end.

In July 2014, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled unanimously that a murder-suicide that occurred in a Thornton, Penn. home in February 2006 wasn’t a material defect when a seller who bought the home at an auction, remodeled it and sold it to a buyer in 2007 — without disclosing the crime that occurred inside.

“Purely psychological stigmas are not material defects of property that sellers must disclose to buyers,” the court said.

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Twits on Twitter 0

Shielded twits.

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“The Smart One” 0

Daniel Ruth asses Jeb!‘s debate performance and is not impressed. A nugget:

After Wednesday night’s in-the-tank appearance during the latest Republican presidential debate, Jeb disdainfully dismissed the notion that his campaign was wanting. “I’m not a performer,” Bush sniffed, after spending two hours on stage exhibiting all the warmth and charisma of an Easter Island statue.

Bush is wrong, of course. He is indeed a performer in the political theater of the GOP presidential nominating process. He’s just not very good at it.

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“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0

Be polite whilst preparing for school.

Lewis said the gun had not been secured and that the 5-year-old reached for the weapon as the children were getting ready for school. The 9mm pistol belongs to the family and had been kept in a bag, police said.

She will recover.

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The Privatization Scam 0

It just keeps getting scammier.

Via Atrios.

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American Taliban 0

The Virginia Republican Party embarks on a holy war.

Where is HUAC when you need it?

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Cashing Out 0

Norway’s second largest bank is going to stop handling cash as of next Monday.

Not everyone thinks this is a good idea.

Access to cash in Scandinavia has gained international attention after The Local reported on a campaign against its disappearance, headed by former National Police chief Björn Eriksson.

Eriksson, now head of a lobbying group for the Swedish security industry, argues that cash is a crucial part of society’s infrastructure. He alleges that the decision to abandon cash is being made by banks simply to increase profits:

“Something is being privatized without people knowing what the implications of that privatization are.”

More at the link.

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The Candidates Debate 0

Catherine Rampell spells out what lessons Republican candidates have learned from the media coverage of first three Republican debates. Here are the main points; follow the link for her evidence for each one:

  • Lesson No. 1: Lie, but lie confidently.
  • Lesson No. 2: Invent your own math.
  • Lesson No. 3: If you can’t think of something better to say, just bash the media.

And, in a related story, Joel Connelly reminds us that we’ve heard it all before.

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