2016 archive
Comment Is Free-for-All 0
Samantha Bee reads on-line comments she has received. (Warning: NSFW.)
In related news, Guardian staffers discuss The Guardian’s experiences with on-line comments. It’s not pretty.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Teach your children well.
She clearly picked the wrong teacher, along with yet another gun that fires itself.
The GOP Tent Meeting 0
Via Job’s Anger.
Afterthought:
To the extent that Republicans of good will remain silent in the face of Trumpery, they abdicate their claim to be “of good will.”
Nothing To Do. Nowhere To Go 0
Still holding.
(snip)
The four-week average of claims, a less-volatile measure than the weekly figure, declined to 264,750 from 267,250 in the prior week.
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits decreased by 44,000 to 2.12 million in the week ended June 25. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits held at 1.6 percent. These data are reported with a one-week lag.
Reciprocity 2
Bonddad muses on the resurgence of right-wing politics and isolationism:
At the link, he offers a theory as to why persons might be willing to vote against what appears to be their obvious economic self-interest as described in aforesaid “mainstream economic theory.” His theory is worth a read.
Meta: Music that Swings 0
If you saved the stream to a playlist in *.m3u, *.pls, or other such format, note that the URL for the stream has changed and update your playlist accordingly.
Short Attention Span Theatre 0
The resident curmudgeon at my local rag is driven to distraction.
Later:
When I was on my way to the TWUUG meeting the day after I posted this, some bozo coming the other way tried to swing a left at a light in front of me while I was trying to go straight with the right-of-way. I seldom use my horn, but using it gave me pleasure at that point in a juncture of a confluence of time.
He was not texting or talking on a cell. He was just a bozo incapable of thinking of anything other than hisownself.
Virtual Unreality 0
This looks like a clear case of date-and-switch:
The existence of the fembots – fake profiles used to keep men on the “Life is short, have an affair” forking out funds in case they got lucky – was revealed after the infamous hack of the site. . . .
At its worst, the site was accused of having just 1 per cent of “real women” among its members: the rest of its female profiles were fembots.
Investment Advice 0
Buy a politician.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Vengeance is mine, sayeth the polite.
“He then chose to fire off another round into the bed in the camper he was staying in because he was upset that he just wounded himself,” Mast said.
We are all safer when persons like this pack heat, are we not?
Via Southern Beale.
Misdirection Play, the Cost of Culture Wars 0
Charlotte Rampell points out that Republican culture wars are getting expensive. Here’s some examples from her list of culture wars. She makes the “misdirection” in the “plays” quite clear:
Is your state so broke it’s shaving days off the school year? Copy Kansas and implement some draconian antiabortion legislation.
Have the highest uninsured population of any state? Look to Texas and pass even more draconian antiabortion legislation.
Are your constituents unhappy with declining economic opportunities? Check out Indiana, Arkansas and Georgia, among others, and introduce legislation to make it easier to discriminate against gay men and lesbians.
Has your state’s credit been downgraded nine times? Is your governor facing a sex scandal? Have you become the nation’s tragicomic punch line?
Find role models in New Jersey, Alabama and Florida, respectively, and join the crusade against Planned Parenthood.
Follow the link for the expense report.
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.
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, July 7.
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.