2018 archive
The Art of the Con 0
Shorther Catherine Rampell: Look at Mark Whitaker’s resume.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Another one of those responsible gun owners joins the hunt for politeness.
Rather, it was a 72-year-old woman who fell victim to the deer hunter, the post says.
Deputies with the sheriff’s office were called to the “tragedy” in Yale at 1:43 p.m. on Sunday, and they arrived at 2:15, according to the statement.
The Johnson County Sheriff said the fatal shot was an accident, KARK reported, as the hunter mistook the woman for a deer.
Must have been her antlers . . . .
By the by, shooting at a target without making certain of what it is cannot be minimized as an “accident.”
It’s prima facie negligence.
Whistlin’ for Dixie 0
Elie Mystal suggests that the silencer is off the Federalist Society’s dog whistles. A snippet:
(Broken link fixed.)
The Watchers 0
A New Hampshire court wants Amazon’s Alexa digital surveillance device assistant to testify in a murder trial. Here’s a bit from the story:
“The court finds there is probable cause to believe the server(s) and/or records maintained for or by Amazon.com contain recordings made by the Echo smart speaker from the period of Jan. 27 to Jan. 29, 2017 … and that such information contains evidence of crimes committed against Ms. Sullivan, including the attack and possible removal of the body from the kitchen.”
The story goes on to say that Amazon is inclined not to cooperate “without a valid and binding legal demand properly served on us”* in the interests its customers’ “privacy” (because, I reckon, that belongs to Amazon).
I will be curious to see how this turns out.
But this is certain: So long as persons unthinkingly invite Big Data into their personal spaces and willingly subject themselves to perpetual corporate surveillance, we will be seeing more like this.
Me, I can flip my own damn light switch.
_______________
*Like, maybe, just supposin’ here, a judge’s order?
Believe It or Don’t 0
At the Des Moines Register, Michael Bugeja considers how “social” media has changed the news. A snippet (emphasis added):
The audience no longer seeks information; it wants affirmation. That’s the cover-up.
What about coverage?
Two factors play into the media culture of lies. In the past decade, newsroom employment plummeted by some 23%. Increasingly, people rely on social media for news. According to the Pew Research Center, about two-thirds of American adults (68%) get their news from applications like Instagram, LinkedIn, Reddit, Twitter, Snapchat and the biggie, Facebook. An estimated 67 percent of Facebook users — and that’s a humongous amount of people (about 1.5 billion worldwide) — rely on the platform for affirmation.
The Voter Fraud Fraud 0
Thom and Greg Palast discuss the latest updates on Georgia Republicans’ gut-out-the-vote efforts.
Misty Water-Colored Rose-Colored Glasses 0
Shaun Mullen is still an optimist.
Full Disclosure:
I have met Shaun. I had breakfast with him (mumble) years ago and that breakfast is one of my treasured memories.
I arrogate that it gives me the right to pull his chain.
Joking aside, I have nothing but respect for his reportorial skill, experience, and expertise. As I recently said to him, while I snipe from the sidelines, he digs into the details.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Politeness gets waisted.
(snip)
A neighbor said her daughter ran to help the woman, whose boyfriend carried her out of the home and said she pulled a gun from his waistband and it went off.
The victim is recovering.
Scrap Medal Industry 0
Paul Krugman considers Donald Trump’s approach to awarding “Presidential Medal of Freedom.” A snippet:
Now, this may seem like a trivial story. But it’s a reminder that the Trumpian attitude toward truth — which is that it’s defined by what benefits Trump and his friends . . . .
