November, 2016 archive
Awakening 0
Keeping Up with the Times 6
Catherine Rampell suggests that college students need to change with the times.
What skills and disciplines should workers-to-be master to succeed in the 21st-century economy?
My answer used to involve programming, data analysis, creativity, empathy. Basically, skills that are complementary to rising automation and that will help workers invent new products or support those who do.
Today, my answer must change. In light of the regulatory vision being laid out by President-elect Donald Trump and his advisers, I’d recommend college students bone up on hustling and swindling instead.
Mammas, make sure your babies grow up to be con men.
Follow the link to find out why she says that.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Volunteer politely.
Hess was shot when Matis removed his legally owned gun from a holster and it fired, striking Hess in the cheek, state police said in a criminal complaint. Investigators haven’t said whether the shooting was accidental, but Davis believes it was.
In related news, it must have been the little white tail, reprise.
Truth in Labeling 0
Daniel Farmer reports that the Associated Press has issued guidelines that truthful reporting requires using truthful words. In his discussion, he gives some examples:
It’s time to call such things what they are: racist.
If you say people of color are the enemy, as the governor (Governor LePage of Maine–ed.) has, you’re a racist.
Same thing if you lie and say that black people commit 90 percent of crime in the state when the numbers don’t back you up, if you encourage violence against black men, and if you say immigrants carry disease and are terrorists.
You’re not part of the “alt-right.” Let’s be precise: You’re a racist.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out, for I have noted this constancy over my years: Except for a militant few, racists don’t like to be called “racist”; indeed, most will vehemently deny even to themselves that they are racist even as the crosses burn brightly behind them.
Swamp Things 0
Kevin Drum has been keeping track of the Trump’s swamp draining. It ain’t pretty.
Click to see the original image.
Changing the Subject 0
Thom discusses how our compliant corporate media run after shiny things and miss the stories that matter.
Dominance and Submission 0
Josh Marshall continues to explore Donald Trump’s desire for total victory, seeing hints of it in the current kerfuffle over Mitt the Flip as a possibility for Secretary of State (emphasis in the original). A nugget:
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Give thanks with politeness.
The children appear to have been playing with a gun at the 2-year-old’s home in the 3500 block of North 9th Street on Thursday at about 4:23 p.m., police said. The 4-year-old boy was handling the gun when the weapon discharged, shooting his cousin in the chest. The victim’s mother and her boyfriend were home at the time of the incident, according to police.
Twits on Twitter, Sore Winners Dept. 0
Dick Polman remarks on our thin-skinned Petulant-elect:
(snip)
But alas, we’re talking here about Trump. Which is why, at 3:30 yesterday, he typed this:
In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2016
Wow. Trump has inspired me to rethink my life. I now believe I would’ve won the Kentucky Derby if I deduct all the horses that ran ahead of me.
More at the link.
Make TWUUG Your LUG 0
Learn about the wonderful world of free and open source. Use computers to do what you want, not what someone else wants you to do. Learn how to use GNU/Linux and its plethora of free and open source software to get stuff done with computers.
It’s not hard; it’s just different.
What: Monthly TWUUG Meeting.
Who: Everyone in TideWater/Hampton Roads with interest in any/all flavors of Unix/Linux. There are no dues or signup requirements. All are welcome.
Where: Lake Taylor Transitional Care Hospital in Norfolk Training Room. See directions below. (Wireless and wired internet connection available.) Turn right upon entering, then left at the last corridor and look for the open meeting room.
When: 7:30 PM till whenever (usually 9:30ish) on Thursday, December 1.
Directions:
Lake Taylor Hospital
1309 Kempsville Road
Norfolk, Va. 23502 (Map)
Pre-Meeting Dinner at 6:00 PM (separate checks)
Uno Chicago Grill
Virginia Beach Blvd. & Military Highway (JANAF Shopping Center). (Map)
Join the forums.
“A Calvacade of Kleptocracy” 0
In related news, Nick Mills is also concerned about the integrity of the press.
(snip)
A free press is the target of dictators, despots and demagogues all over the world. It is possible to be a journalist in a country without a free press, but it’s a dangerous profession. It is not possible for a country without a free press to be a democracy.
