2017 archive
All the News that Fits 0
Consider what news reporting would be like if all news worked like Fox News.
Break Time 0
Off to drink liberally.
Anomie 0
Thom and Richard Wolff discuss American gun massacres and wonder what about American society produces these solitary wolf predators.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
About those responsible gun owners (emphasis added) . . . .
(snip)
The report says they parked and the arguing continued.
The woman said she pulled a gun out of her console but did not point it at anyone. The deputy asked her why she pulled out the gun and she said that she sometimes has a bad temper, according to the report.
Literacy Test 0
Gina Barreca suggests that we would be wise to expect our leaders to be literate. A bit:
I do.
Apparently this marks me as an “elitist” when it comes to education. But, to those who accuse me of elitism, I want to borrow the words of Inigo Montoya from “The Princess Bride”: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
Just the Equifax, Sir 0
Bruce Schneier has posted his written testimony to Congress about the Equifax breach to his blog. Here’s a bit:
2. Equifax was solely at fault.
This was not a sophisticated attack. The security breach was a result of a vulnerability in the software for their websites: a program called Apache Struts. The particular vulnerability was fixed by Apache in a security patch that was made available on March 6, 2017. This was not a minor vulnerability; the computer press at the time called it “critical.” Within days, it was being used by attackers to break into web servers. Equifax was notified by Apache, US CERT, and the Department of Homeland Security about the vulnerability, and was provided instructions to make the fix.
Two months later, Equifax had still failed to patch its systems. It eventually got around to it on July 29. The attackers used the vulnerability to access the company’s databases and steal consumer information on May 13, over two months after Equifax should have patched the vulnerability.
Just the Facts, Ma’am 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Alice LoCicero provides an interesting set of links to studies about the positive correlation between the “presence of firearms and violence.”
I commend her article to your attention.
(When you read the article, you will understand why this happened.)
Many Happy Returns, Reprise 0
Dick Polman runs the numbers and includes a quote from my elected representative incongruously assembled:
Scott Taylor is a full-blown wingnut, but one who, like many Virginia wingnuts, knows how to behave in public.
By the by, this is perhaps the most surprising and most gratifying single result of this election.
The Persistence of White Supremacy 0
Thom and the Reverend David Billings explore the persistence of white supremacy in America.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Monetize the politeness.
The motive?
The sheriff’s office says the couple hoped to get cash from the company that manages their home. They contacted a personal injury law firm after being released from the hospital. Deputies said the claim of thousands missing from the “phantom” safe is unfounded.
Swift Retribution 0
Joe Patrice explains that, no, copyright doesn’t work like that.
The Rule of Lawless 0
Josh Marshall highlights a troubling trend, one which surprises nobody who pays attention. A snippet:
