2016 archive
Dis Coarse Discourse 0
Will Bunch, who is definitely one of the good guys (I have one of his books), muses on what’s wrong with reportage. His conclusions may not be what you expect. A snippet (emphasis added):
Many of the journalists and outside critics who’ve talked about the failures of journalism since Trump’s election have touched on some or all of these factors. But most of the media criticism has come up bone dry when it comes to solving these problems — because almost all of this conversation takes place in the tiny, suffocating box of stale journalism ideas that have slowly been choking the profession for decades.
Interregnum: Is Is the End of “The West”? 0
Der Spiegel wonders who will will the void. A nugget:
One hundred years later: Trump.
Trump, who wants nothing to do with globalization; Trump, who preaches American nationalism, isolation, partial withdrawal from world trade and zero responsibility for a global problem like climate change. And all of this after a perverse election campaign marked by resentment, racism and incitement.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
Still not bad.
(snip)
The four-week average of claims, a less-volatile measure than the weekly figure, declined to 253,500 from 260,000 in the prior week.
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits dropped by 66,000 to 1.98 million in the week ended Nov. 5. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits fell to 1.4 percent from 1.5 percent. These data are reported with a one-week lag.
Wait six months.
Take a Breather 0
The webpage lists the lineup as Cannonball Adderley (alto saxophone), Miles Davis (trumpet), Hank Jones (piano), Sam Jones (bass), Art Blakey (drums)
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Conduct yourself with courtesy while in your wheeled conveyance.
The victims honked at the van, allegedly prompting the van’s driver to pull out a handgun and point it at the car.
The victim car ran the red light to evade the gunman and reportedly heard gunshots behind them as they lost sight of the van, reports indicate.
Picture This 0
Job’s Anger has a round-up from around the world of editorial cartoons about the election. Go visit.
“Laboratories of Democracy” 0
It is sometimes said that, in the U. S., states are the laboratories of democracy. Peter St. Onge suggests that, if that’s the case, take a look at North Carolina.
Facebook Frolics 0
There’s another word for “fake news,” y’know. When I was a young ‘un back in the olden days, we called it “lies.”
“I Know I Am but What Are You?” 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Jeremy Sherman dissects the Republican Party’s electoral strategy–repetitive fact-free discourse. A snippet:
(snip)
“This guy doesn’t think. He just automatically says whatever makes him sound infallible.”
“That’s not true.”
“See, he did it again.”
“No, you’re the one who makes stuff up.”
“There he goes, like a robot turning every challenge back on the challenger.”
“I’m not doing that. You are.”
“There it is again. See that, folks?”
“Well, you do it too.”
“Always defensive.”
“I am not!”
“See that? He’s proving my point.”The no-growth formula is their MO, their only trick, their one-size-tricks-all, wall to wall formula.
He goes on to argue that, against such thinking, facts are useless, which, I suppose, has been borne out by events. For example. (Regrettably, he does not suggest an effective approach beyond “wait it out.”)
The Media Whitewashing 0
Badtux has had with corporate media’s narrative about the election’s having been about economics. (It wasn’t; had it been, the outcome would have been different.) A snippet.
He quite right, you know. The corporate media’s increasing tendency to treat this as politics as usual is a disservice to truth, to history, and to the polity. (Warning: Language at the link.)
Also, Mencken was right.
Perigee 1
My camera isn’t good enough to have taken a picture of Monday night’s moon, but my brother’s is.
Lies and Lying Liars 0
You can’t make this stuff up, but they can.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Politeness starts at a young age.
Our polity suffers from lead poisoning.