2016 archive
Twits on Twitter 0
Twits who don’t know how to behave in public.
And, in more news of twits, a run-of-the-mill obnoxious twit (no, “obnoxious twit” is not inherently a redundancy).
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
It’s showtime for politeness!
Sgt. Dean Carriger of the Sandy Police Department told us, “Following the gun shot he returned to his car and he retrieved his weapon and was re-holstering it prior to leaving. At which time he accidentally discharged the weapon, which is a 40 caliber pistol, shooting himself in the right thigh.”
The Snaring Economy 0
Berlin acts to rein in rogue rentals which raise rents beyond the resources of rental residents (emphasis added).
Given that it is more profitable to rent out whole apartments for short holiday lets, some investors are holding on to apartments for such rentals rather than having long-term tenants.
San Francisco-based Airbnb.com — short for the business’s original name AirBed & Breakfast — is the biggest of several sites that allow people to offer and find such rental accommodation worldwide.
When it’s being done by “investors,” my friends, it ain’t sharing, not by any measure.
More at the link.
Showing My Age 0
When I see a crossword puzzle clue citing “Avengers,” I think of Diana Rigg.
Hope Springs Eternal 0
Michael Smerconish refuses to learn from experience. Column ensues.
Flint-Hearted 2
The spring edition of the Virginia Tech alumni mag has a long article about the role of Virginia Tech scientists in documenting and publicizing the Republican poisoning of Flint, Michigan. I recommend downloading the PDF.
(I get the magazine because my father (and my brother) went to Tech* and I seem to have inherited a subscription through from my father through my mother.)
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Get a good deal on politeness when you shop.
The bullet reportedly passed through the employee’s hand before hitting the floor.
And Now for Something Completely Different 0
I found this to have a kind of weird fascination, or fascinating weirdness, or something.
The Snaring Economy 0
Zandar looks at AirBnB and finds that not all “sharing” is equal–or equitable. A snippet:
(snip)
“I’m not staying in her home, it’s probably dirty” or “I don’t feel comfortable letting them stay here” happens a lot more than people will ever admit.
The larger problem is the tech world’s idiotic insistence that the internet makes race invisible or irrelevant, when clearly the opposite is true. And that’s because the flawed business models are nearly all invented by white techbros who have never had to think a day in their lives about their privilege.
“Game of Twilight Zones” 0
Daniel Ruth tries to understand the strange alliance between Ted Cruz and John Kasich. A snippet:
Isn’t this a bit like Albania and Burkina Faso plotting to forge a strategic alliance to run away in the delusional belief they’ll be able to thwart the Game of Thrones’ Ramsay Bolton’s perverse lust for power in Westeros?
The Pervy Party’s Preposterous Preoccupation with Potties 0
The Charlotte Observer talks to a transgender man about life under the reign of the Tarheel Potty Patrol.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Be polite to your luncheon companions.