2016 archive
No News Is Good News 0
I can dig it.
When cable news — and the partisan political commentary that often accompanies the breaking news coverage — was involved, library patrons couldn’t find the center of the aisle.
Libraries should be places of quiet reflection, not of digital deception.
Droning On 0
The Empire states back.
The 29-year-old man was taken into custody after a small aircraft he was piloting struck the iconic building before coming to rest on the 35th floor on Thursday evening, the New York City Police Department said.
We are a society of stupid.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Demonstrate paternal politeness.
Only few details had been released Friday morning but it was known that at about 9:30 p.m. a man was showing his daughter a firearm when the weapon discharged and the bullet struck the little girl, police said.
The Galt and the Lamers 0
Ian Millhiser asks, “What Libertarian movement?”
Leave Her Alone 0
Oh, for Pete’s sake.
Paying a grand for a puppy is stupid too, but, if the lady wanted a collie, let her have the damned collie.
I wouldn’t say I love animals, but I like them okay and have housed more than my share. I do contemn cruelty, but fanatical “animal lovers”–well, words fail me.
“The Other” 0
A black man goes undercover in the Trump campaign and reports on what he observed.
Cowboy Cosplay, It Must Be the Hats Dept. 0
I was living in the Philadelphia area when the MOVE assault took place. Had I happened to look out ny bedroom windows that day, I would have seen the smoke from the fire that eventually wiped out a city block, dispossessing not only MOVE, but also its neighbors.
Instead, while West Philly burned, I sat in my easy chair reading a book while listening to music.
Here’s a nugget from Jone’s piece; follow the link for the full article.
Solomon Jones look back and sees similarities between MOVE and the Bundy Bund, plus one glaring difference:
Let me be clear. That wouldn’t happen if they were anything other than white men in cowboy hats.
(snip)
Compare their story with the tale of MOVE, a black naturalist group whose yearslong conflict with law enforcement in Philadelphia ended in fiery tragedy.
“He Got His Shirts Made in Europe, and His Yachts Were Made in Florence” 0
Granted this is a at least 50% a plug for the show, which I plan not to watch, but it’s still worth a viewing.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
Still not bad.
The four-week moving average, a less volatile measure than the weekly claims numbers, increased to 284,750 last week from 282,750. The last time the average exceeding 280,000 for at least three consecutive weeks was in April.
The number of applications dropped as low as 255,000 in mid-July, the lowest in four decades.
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits fell by 18,000 to 2.26 million in the week ended Jan. 23. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits held at 1.7 percent. These data are reported with a one-week lag.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
You want politeness? You can’t handle the politeness.
The Climates They are a-Changing 0
It’s February.
I’m running the air conditioning to dehumidify the joint.
Don’t you dare tell me that it’s a fluke of weather and not somehow related to climate.
And Now for Something Completely Different 0
C&L points out that Donald Trump’s nauseating “Freedom Girls” schtick syncs perfectly with a tune my Nine Inch Nails–a tune that is much more appropriate than the original.
Flint-Hearted behind Closed Doors 0
At the Boston Review, Anna Clark considers the public poisoning of the residents of Flint, Michigan, and the climate of secrecy that is endemic to Michigan government. She fears that the guilty may go not only unpunished, but also unidentified. A snippet:
(snip)
(Michigan Governer Rick–ed.) Snyder’s actions to date have done little to peel back the layers of secrecy. As revealing as the release of his emails from 2015 and 2014 has been, it is striking that he did not also release messages from 2013—the year when the emergency manager changed Flint’s water source. While Flint elected officials supported the move to a new independent water system, there is no indication that they were in favor of using untreated river water as a short-term source. That nuance has been muddled in statements from both the governor and the then-emergency manager, seemingly to sidestep culpability. The 2013 emails would clarify who was responsible for the fateful decision.