2022 archive
“Facts Are What People Think” 0
At the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, Patricia Murphy discusses a number of absolutely screwy proposals that have lately been introduced in the Georgia legislature. One, for example, would drop the requirement to vaccinate dogs and cats against rabies, a requirement that has been validated by over a century of science and experience.
You can read the full story at the link. Indeed, I urge you do do so–some of these bills are completely unmoored from reality.
I point only to this telling excerpt to illustrate that some in our polity have chosen to live–and vote–in a fantasy world:
“Actually it’s well documented,” state Sen. Elena Parent responded.
“Well you have your facts, I have my facts, so that’s fair,” he reasoned.
Taking a beat, Parent responded, “Um, no.”
The Republican Crack(pipe)-Up 0
Thom wonders why Republicans are so susceptible to Fox News lies.
Misdirection Play, “Polite Society” Dept. 0
The Arizona Republic’s Laurie Roberts explains the con.
Aside:
When I was in high school, some local NRA members came to my PE class I forget which grade I was in and gave a safety presentation. This was in an area where small game hunting (at the time, deer had not yet made their reappearance) was extremely common.
It was also well before the NRA morphed from an association of hunters and hobbyists concerned primarily with safety into a marketing machine for munitions manufacturers promoting the proliferation of instruments of death (that happened in the 1970s).
Stray Question 0
Why do we venerate actors who play parts created by others in made-up stories above those who do real things in the real world?
A Tune for the Times 0
Mangy comments at his post on Youtube:
Despite most folks being opposed to the blocking of border crossings between the U.S. and Canada, shamelessly opportunistic American politicians like Rand Paul and Ted Cruz have decided that supporting this economy-damaging, job-killing movement will help them gain points with the average worker.
Maskless Marauders 0
Michael Smolens runs the numbers.
Vaccine Nation 0
David starts with an Italian anti-vaxx doctor’s repudiation of his anti-vaxx position and moves into a discussion of why persons fall for embrace conspiracy theories. (Warning: Short commercial at the end.)
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Yet more child’s play in NRA Paradise.
What’s on Those Trucks? 0
Will Bunch tires to figure out what’s behind “Freedom Convoys” in Canada. He suggests that their roots go far deeper–and much farther back–than the COVID pandemic. Here’s an excerpt (emphasis added).
The vagueness of the demands makes it easy to both ridicule the protests and the protesters, and to also point attention at the many bad actors eager to mobilize the ennui and growing paranoia of a two-year pandemic for their own nefarious causes — including the usual suspects of neo-Nazis and Holocaust deniers and Confederate flag wavers and whatnot. That’s on top of the exploiters of political gain (cough, cough, Rand Paul) and profit, like the ratings-mad hosts at Fox News. But you can’t exploit resentment unless there is resentment to exploit.
Follow the link for Bunch’s theory as to what’s behind said resentment.
(Broken tag fixed.)
(B
Birds of a Feather? 0
The writer of a letter to the editor of The Roanoke Times would like to know.
Cauliflower Cheese Casserole 0
This is a very simple recipe that works quite nicely. It has the added advantage that it can be prepared early and kept in the refrigerator until ready for the final step of prep.
Ingredients:
1 medium-sized head cauliflower
1/2 stick butter
1/2-2/3 cups bread crumbs (I recommend Panko)
1/4-1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese or to taste
Procedure:
1. Trim away any leaves, core cauliflower, and break it apart.
2. Steam until tender (approx. 15 mins. at med.-high). Allow to cool a bit for easier handling.
3. Arrange cauliflower pieces evenly in a casserole dish.
3. Melt butter in skillet over low heat, then stir in bread crumbs until the butter is absorbed.
4. Carefully spoon the bread crumb mixture evenly over the cauliflower.
5. Top with grated cheese. Refrigerate until ready for the last step.
6. Bake at 350 Fahrenheits until headed through and cheese is nicely melted (approx. 20-25 mins.). Serve hot.
Note: Mixing the bread crumbs with butter makes is less likely that they will fall to the bottom of the dish.
Truth in Labeling 0
At the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Mark Bernard argues that words matter. A nugget:
Follow the link to see why he finds this annoying.
Supply Change, “Knights of the Open Road” Dept. 0
Peter S. Goodman takes a long look at the “truck driver shortage.”
Many of those he spoke with said that the issue is not a shortage of truck drivers per se; there are many more qualified drivers than job openings. Rather, it is that employers treat their truck-driving employees like dirt.
A snippet:
Some experts counter that the very notion of too few drivers is bogus.
As the trucking association itself noted, more than 10 million Americans held commercial driver’s licenses in 2019. That was nearly triple the 3.7 million trucks that required a driver holding that certification.
“This shortage narrative is industry lobbying rhetoric,” said Steve Viscelli, a labor expert at the University of Pennsylvania who previously worked as a truck driver. “There is no shortage of truck drivers. These are just really bad jobs.”