2020 archive
QOTD 0
Kerry Greenwood:
“People,” sighed Jane. “I’ll never understand them.”
“They are not logical,” agreed Phryne.
Greenwood, Kerry, Murder and Mendelssohn (Scottscale, AZ: Poisoned Pen Press, 2014), p. 120
The Vacuous Cycle 0
I have avoided the “gee whiz here’s the latest” coverage of Donald Trump’s stay at Walter Reed, because there is, in my estimation, too much guessing and, without a doubt, too little openness truthfulness from the current federal administration (leading in turn to said “too much guessing”; it’s a vacuous cycle). To put it another way, I’m content to wait until tomorrow to see what today brought.
If you can’t tear yourself away from it, though, the Poynter Institute’s senior writer Tom Jones offers some guidance.
“The Rabbit Hole,” Reprise 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Joe Pierre continues his exploration of QAnon, specifically whether belief in it and its elements can be considered a delusion from a psychologist’s viewpoint (he argues that, even though it may be delusional, it is not a delusion in a psychological sense of a person “having delusions”).
Here’s a bit regarding one of his points, that true delusions generally cannot be spread to others (emphasis added):
In contrast, conspiracy theory beliefs are usually not about the believer. And the evidence to support them is often something someone else said. I don’t like the term “conspiracy theorist,” since most people who believe in conspiracy theories aren’t theorizing so much as they’re searching and finding information that’s “out there,” often on the internet. This search is highly influenced by confirmation bias, meaning that we tend to find and latch onto things that we’re looking for in the first place and that support our pre-existing intuitions.
The Internet of Things 0
“Smart home” (meaning one where every gadget has a network connection) is an oxymoron.
I can push my coffee maker’s “on” button all by my ownsome, thank you very much.
Via Bruce Schneier.
“Throw the Bums Out” 0
David Horn is somewhat disenchanted with today’s Republican Party. An excerpt:
Follow the link to find out what he really feels.
The Privatization Scam, There’s No Money To Be Made from the Public Good Dept. 0
David and Richard Wolff discuss the economic reasons why capitalism failed to protect the public from the pandemic.
Still Rising Again after All These Years 0
Apparently, they consider riding ATVs to be uppity.
The Twiners told cops they own land on both sides of the road, pay taxes, and don’t want people riding ATVs on the road since it’s illegal.
The Twiners also rammed their truck into one of the ATVs, the sheriff said. Authorities found a 9mm handgun and believe another, unrecovered, firearm might have been involved.
Previously, the Twiners had posted slogans and memes to their social media accounts such as “Redneck Neighborhood Watch,” “You Loot We Shoot” and images of a Confederate flag.
More at the link.
Debating the Debates 0
The San Franscisco Chronicle’s John Diaz takes a measured look at the question of whether, given the chaotic nature* of last Tuesday’s debate, the remaining ones should be cancelled. He concludes no. A snippet; follow the link for his reasoning:
This would be regrettable for American democracy. The debate was tough to watch, but it also was illustrative.
____________
*Not forgetting that the chaos emanated from a single source.
QOTD 0
Kerry Greenwood:
The coroner thought that evil people had organic brain damage or some other physical disease. Phryne did not think so, and neither did Robinson. Some coots were just naturally evil . . . .
Greenwood, Kerry, Murder in the Dark (Scottsdale, AZ: Poisoned Pen Press, 2009), p. 239.
Are We a Society of Stupid? 0
My two or three regular readers know that I use “we are a society of stupid” as a tagline on posts regarding especially moronic and vile behavior.
And really, just look around.
At Psychology Today Blogs, though, David Niose suggests otherwise, arguing that “(a)nti-intellectualism has little to do with intelligence.”
Frankly, I think he draws a false dichotomy. Being smart in one area (say, math or real estate or computer coding) does not cancel out being stupid an another (say, governance or ethics or charity).
Intelligence ipso facto values the intellectual. Look the word up, for Pete’s sake. But follow the link and see what you think.
Dogged Pursuit 0
AL.com doggedly investigates the bite marks. A snippet:
Folow the link. And snarl.
Immunity Impunity
0
Brenda Salter McNeil has a question.
Icing the Cake Climate
0
Thom talks with Dr. Michael Mann about how the climate seems to be warming more quickly than predicted a decade ago.
A Tune for the Times 0
Warning: Language.
Gutting Out the Vote 0
At the Hartford Courant, Dahleen Glanton reviews Republican voter suppression strategies and concludes that
(t)he GOP has become the biggest threat to our elections, and thus democracy.
Follow the link to see how she makes her case.